Forever Young Birth Of A Nation (54 page)

Those two had been left to watch two sides
of the place while the others totaled the numbers. Alexander and
Simone both went to rejoin the two and settled in for the balance
of the night, as the others bounded away to the east, headed for
the Chateau.

Within a half hour the other four were near
the chateau when Celeste suddenly signaled for them to stop.

Louis whispered “What is it” as Li and
Sophia silently drew near.

“We have company. Two vampires are watching
the chateau.”

Louis reflexively drew his sword then,
whispering “of all the nights we chose to leave our pistols
behind!”

Li whispered “Where are they, Celeste?”

“They are together near the front veranda.
They are watching and I think they are trying to gauge our
strength.”

Li chuckled quietly, saying “They are doing
to us what we did to them tonight. This can’t be an attack with
their main body at that house we just left.”

Louis whispered “I agree. We should get
closer to them just in case they decide to go in on their own
anyway.”

“We should stay outside all night for sure.
We want them to think we only number a very few. Can they possibly
guess that there are four vampires and three children in
there?”

Sophia whispered “I doubt it. Marie has kept
the drapes all closed tightly every night since we have
returned.”

Louis whispered “You’re right, but I still
want to kill them now.”

Celeste whispered “No need. I just told
Celine and she is about to tell Marie and Jennifer now.” Sophia
stifled a gasp as they all turned to look at Celeste in utter
astonishment.

***

Aimee was reading a testimony from the Bible
to the two children as they lay in their beds and both Marie and
Jennifer were with them, having just tucked them in. Ever since the
family learned of Henri being under surveillance, they had kept
both children in one room and in one bed. The bed was never near a
window but was always in a corner, and wherever they were staying,
weapons were always in the children’s room, but safely out of their
reach. This night both women had just seated themselves on a small
sofa when Celine sat up in bed saying “Bad men are outside, Aunt
Marie.”

Marie rushed to Celine, looking intently at
her “Are you sure, sweetheart?”

“Yes” she nodded “Mama and others watch the
bad men.”

Jennifer approached, wide-eyed and already
holding three ruck sacks bulging with weapons. “Are mama and the
others out there too right now Celine?”

Celine nodded, looking seriously at
Jennifer. “Out In front, Aunt Jenny.”

Marie vanished like a puff of smoke, eyes
blazing violet blue and bounding to the landing where she silently
rocketed to the study, whispering “Henri, Andre! Get weapons now!
We have two vampires outside!” At vampire speed the two had several
rucksacks bulging with weapons and all of them leaped up the stairs
silently. Modesty was forgotten then as they all stripped to their
undergarments in seconds and rapidly donned their fighting suits
and began to strap on their weapon harnesses. Aimee had been given
two loaded pistols and a knife and stood in front of the bed the
two children shared, eyes blazing.

Celine and Xavier both sat upright now in
their bed and Celine said in a small quiet voice “Mama says the bad
men are watching us and she is watching them.” Jennifer and Marie
gasped audibly as everyone in the room turned and looked wide-eyed
with awe at the little girl.

The exhausted Seneca runner came into the
village of Tall Elk just after dark, calling to identify himself as
he came. Three armed braves met him and after a quick exchange the
four went to the long house and called out to Tall Elk.

“What is it?”

The boy of fourteen spoke, saying “I am
Small Otter of the Seneca people, of the village of Gray Wolf. A
war party of Shawnee has made war on us this day and has killed
many of our braves. They have taken many of our women and children
too.”

“We will send half of our braves with you
now. Gray Fox, go and get Night Stalker.”

Ian and Moon Owl had heard some of the
commotion already and were both emerging from their cabin with Snow
Fawn when the two vampires saw Gray Fox approaching. Moon Owl
spoke, saying “Gray Fox, what is it?”

“We need you now. Please come, Ian.”

In the long house Tall Elk had already
assembled the volunteers who would go with Small Otter back to his
village and Ian was made aware of the situation. Looking at Moon
Owl he saw her nod emphatically and said “I’ll get my weapons” as
he turned to leave the long house. Within just a few minutes Ian
and a party of fourteen braves were being led away into the
darkness by Small Otter.

The following afternoon they emerged from
the forest and entered what was left of the village of Gray Cloud.
His village was the southernmost of the Seneca villages, being in
northern Pennsylvania and closest of all to Shawnee country. One of
the long houses had burned to the ground. Smoke and the sounds of
mourning greeted them as women wept over their husbands and sons.
Small Otter ran to an older man who Ian took for the Sachem
himself. The party was told that another village which was closer
had already sent twenty three braves and that those were now
tracking the war party and would send a runner back to guide any
other reinforcements to wherever they camped. Ian stepped forward,
saying “I am Night Stalker of the people of Tall Elk. How many
braves were there?”

The Sachem looked intently at Ian and
nodded, saying “We know of you, Night Stalker. It is good that you
come. There were near seventy braves.”

“Have you ever been to the sea coast?”

“No, but we have an elder who has.” Turning
to Small Otter he told him to fetch the man and shortly the lad
returned leading a withered old brave who he introduced to Ian.
Squatting in the dirt, Ian took a stick and drew a map of the coast
of New Jersey, Colony of New York and drew Manhattan Island and
Long Island on it. He pointed to near Lake Erie and made an X
there, saying “That is the village of Tall Elk.” Then he marked
another spot and said “We are here.” The old man studied it and
looking at Ian he pointed to Manhattan and lower Long Island he
called it “Manahatta, of the Poospatuck people.” Pointing to New
Jersey he said “Delaware people.” Ian asked the old man to show him
where he thought the Shawnee had come from.

Taking the stick the man drew a rough oval
and said “This is the land of the Shawnee. They are many compared
to the Seneca, and their land is of great size.”

Ian looked at the map indicating the greater
part of southwest and all of the southern two-thirds of
Pennsylvania and thought
I need to find them before weather can
blot out their tracks.
He looked at Gray Wolf and beckoned to
his party, saying “I go ahead alone now to track them. I will leave
sign along my way for you to follow. Come as fast as you can.”

Without waiting for a reply, he whirled and
ran faster than any brave could from the camp heading south toward
Pennsylvania. The Sachem turned in surprise, looking at the braves
from Tall Elk’s village. One of them said “Night Stalker is faster
than any of us, and he can track them in darkness. We go now
too.”

As quickly as he was out of sight of the
Indians, Ian began to run at vampire speed. As he rocketed along
his vampire’s eyes were trained on the ground as much as on his
surroundings.

***

Henri came into the parlor and sat down with
the family. “We may have two covens in Marseille. I have
information of a second place that we will investigate
tonight.”

“Did both vampires leave at the same time
last night?”

“Yes. It was two hours after midnight. They
had to be here just to get an estimate of our strength. For tonight
we will send Alexander, Simone, Louis and Celeste. We only want to
know numbers and nothing else.”

Looking at Celeste Louis said “Don’t go near
that first place at all. It is too dangerous and we already know
how many are there.”

Liri spoke then “What if they come this way?
How will we know in time if all of them are on their way?

Henri said “Celeste, tell us how your test
went today.”

“Jennifer and I went to the waterfall and I
was able to talk to Celine the same as I could last night when I
was near her. She could tell that Jennifer was hand-fishing too.
Mustafa, Louis and I returned from Marseille not two hours ago and
I still can talk to her clearly from there too.”

“So you could warn us if they start this
way?”

“Yes. But that is only if I see or sense
them leaving.”

Henri spoke then saying “It is too dangerous
for just the four of you to watch that first place. Stay away from
it. Li, Andre, Alex and I have gotten a room ready in the cellar.
It is next to our root cellar that extends outside of the main
foundation of this chateau. We can all gather down there this
evening and make ready in case they attack tonight. We have made
changes and now they can only come at us one at a time.”

Jennifer said “What if they set the chateau
afire with us down there?”

“We will go into the root cellar until it
burns down if need be. We will be safe there, and there is now a
fresh air opening for it, so the children will be able to breathe.
We have all we need in weaponry down there already as well.”

Liri asked “What comes after tonight?”

Henri looked around the room at everyone
then, saying “We kill all of them” as his eyes took on a topaz
glow. All nodded agreement then, eyes glowing.

Cosette, Priscilla, James, and Melissa
rocketed southward at a ground-eating pace through the North
American woodlands. Upon learning that Ian had departed for the
land of the Seneca, Cosette reluctantly agreed to return to New
York. She was due back in order not to alarm the Millhouses and
Priscilla was due back In order to remain in good standing in the
coven.

Taking an extra day though, Cosette took
time out to instruct Priscilla in marksmanship and swordsmanship.
Care, reloading and taking enough time to get off an accurate shot
were stressed as well as proper footwork and parrying while
fencing. James and Melissa helped her, with Melissa and Cosette
demonstrating different things as James would simulate an attack.
The entire day was spent on just that being as Priscilla had only
occasional chances for proper instruction up to now.

James and Melissa had persuaded Cosette to
allow them to accompany them and help to watch the growing vampire
coven there. Both of them had kept quiet regarding Ian being
married to Moon Owl. James truthfully said that they had returned a
kidnapping victim to the Seneca people a couple of years earlier
and that both of them had revisited the place. In fact neither
Cosette nor Priscilla knew about Moon Owl. Melissa and James felt
that it was Ian’s place to speak to Cosette on that subject
privately and both agreed to keep it as their secret until that
time. They had agreed to allow her to leave a letter for Ian should
he come to their home looking for them.

Priscilla had agreed to return to the coven
as their eyes and ears inside of it. She was happy to do so,
knowing now that she would be joining Cosette and her family when
she was through with the coven. At last she had not only a goal,
but one that promised a bright future. The time spent with Cosette,
James, and Melissa had reinforced her commitment immensely. There
was the difference of night and day between the life of those in
the coven and the life led by Cosette, James, and Melissa.

She now no longer felt forlorn and accursed,
but instead had come to accept the creature she had become and was
looking forward to the day when she would forever join herself to
Cosette’s people as one of them. Cosette had taken her under her
wing like a little sister and for her part Priscilla was happily
indebted to her. The two had gotten to where they joked now and
then about little things and Priscilla had begun to confide in
Cosette regarding her growing affection for Oliver. For her part,
Cosette hoped that he could be persuaded to side with them when the
time came. She contemplated that as the four of them ran tirelessly
southward along the Hudson Valley thinking
they outnumber us
four to one now, yet the time will come when we’ll fight this
coven. I feel it. I know it.

***

Chief of the King’s Gendarmes Claude
Rousseau re-read the letter from the Laforges one last time before
burning it. It had the distinctive Laforge crest, so it was
authentic. Laughing, he had to admit that this was one request he
had never thought of. He wondered what they would think of his
orders at the Marseille gendarmerie. As he drafted the order he
thought
what are you Laforges up to now? No matter; you have
been true to your word and I will live up to my end of our bargain.
And I know that you were instrumental in getting France to formally
declare war against Great Britain. As sure as the sun rises, there
are others of the King’s ministers who have been told to persuade
him in this matter.
He chuckled and thought
maybe France can
regain the territory we lost in the treaty of 1763. I suppose if we
could even get half of it back it would be worth the risk.
Shrugging he thought
I am not even a pawn on the chessboard that
the Laforges call life. I wonder if the King knows that he
is.

Humans were a short distance ahead. Ian had
caught their scent less than a mile back and was even now circling
the suspected site warily, looking for a sign of who they might be.
Silently he stole through a dense laurel thicket until he spied a
group of some twenty three braves. Looking carefully he saw the
similarities of dress between these and Tall Elk’s people and that
there were no captives. There was no fire so this was only a
resting place. Knowing that these were not the enemy he stood and
walked boldly out into the open with no weapon in his hand. “I seek
the men who help Gray wolf.”