Page 5 of Sergi (Of Blood & Dreams #7)
Chapter Four
Sergi settled back in the leather armchair and rested his feet on the ottoman. He stared at the low embers in the fireplace. The weather was mild, and a fire wasn’t necessary, but it reminded him of the old days when the army would gather around campfires and talk of long-ago campaigns—whether won or lost. Though most of the tales would be about the individual battles where one warrior went up against the other.
He smiled as he sipped brandy and closed his eyes. The movements in the Mozart sonata filled the room. A room that was surprisingly large for the vampire. While he preferred his office small so it wouldn’t invite too many visitors, his personal room at the manor was a different story.
It was as large as Devon’s, and, fortunately, didn’t require permission from the Historical Society when most of the manor restorations were completed in 1940. The decor would be considered austere by most when, in actuality, it was more equivalent to a museum with artifacts he’d collected over the centuries.
The knock on the door surprised him. It was rare for anyone to intrude on another’s privacy unless an emergency.
His eyes remained closed as he called out, “Come.”
Maybe it was Lyra. She used to visit when she’d been ill, and he always made time for her. But she wasn’t that young vampire anymore—physically or mentally.
“Sorry to bother you.” Devon took a step in.
Sergi sat up. “Is there a problem?” If there had been, Devon would typically text.
“No problem.” He walked farther into the room, moving from relic to relic. “I wanted a few moments to talk, and it’s been some time since I’ve seen these.” He stopped in front of an old wood-and-metal shield. It was nothing remarkable; the wood scratched and marred, the metal banding dented from battle. “My god. Is this the one you used that first day we met?”
Sergi stood and poured a brandy for Devon while pouring a second one for himself. He smiled as he handed the snifter over. “It was in storage until a couple of months ago.”
“Why bring it out now?” Devon took the chair next to Sergi, and they both turned to the fire.
“Once I knew a war with Venizi was inevitable…” He shrugged. “Some of the old days came to mind. It seemed apropos.”
“That was a good day.”
Sergi laughed and rubbed his elbow. “That cost me twenty silver denarii.”
Devon grunted, his gaze brushing over Sergi. “A fair exchange at the time.” After a few minutes of silence, he turned to the fire. “Those were the days of true war. Brawn, might, and strategy.”
“And yet, even without the battlefield skirmishes, we seem to leave a trail of blood wherever we go.”
“It’s the vampire way.”
Silence returned as the two sipped their brandy and listened to a violin sonata. The fire crackled, and a cool breeze floated in from the open window.
Devon tapped on the soft leather of the armchair. “Have you read Remus’s report?”
“He seems convinced Venizi’s secret lab is in the Carpathian Mountains.” He hadn’t been pleased when he’d read it. They were rugged mountains where wild shifters roamed.
“I’ll need your expertise on this one.”
“Remus has lost several shifters searching those mountains. Do you believe his intel?”
Devon took his time considering the question. “What I know is that Remus doesn’t like losing wolves. There’s something more than wild shifters there. The question is whether it’s the lab where the Poppy is coming from.”
“I’ve already sent out some feelers, and I’m confirming what I can from his report.”
“We’re getting close. I can feel it.”
Sergi grunted. “Like Vienna.”
Devon chuckled. “That one was a bit of a surprise. I never thought Geiger had it in him to consider that strategy.”
“It didn’t help him in the end.”
“Those were some good days.”
They each reached over to clink their snifters together.
“I’ll need a couple of days to complete my investigation.” Sergi wouldn’t skimp on a mission with such risk. “Will Remus wait that long?” The Wolf wasn’t always a patient man, and after losing shifters, restraint would be hard to come by. A sentiment Sergi understood.
“He’ll have to. We need a solid plan before we send anyone in. No more losses.”
Two days later, Sergi entered Devon’s office before anyone else. He reviewed the data before connecting his tablet to the display on the wall above the hearth. The map indicated an area in Romania that ran along some of the most rugged terrain in the Carpathian Mountains.
It had been centuries since he’d fought in one of the worst campaigns he could remember. The battle had been won, but both Houses had suffered heavy casualties. Not all the deaths could be attributed to the battle. The area had been rife with wild shifters, and they had taken advantage of the weakened and injured warriors.
A couple hundred years later, not much had changed. The wild shifters, according to Decker, still lived in the forests. Their numbers had declined with increased civilization, but they were dangerous and shouldn’t be discounted. If that wasn’t enough risk, the weather conditions, even in early fall, could be deadly.
“A difficult task for any team.”
Sergi glanced at the door and nodded at Simone. “There are many caves that run through the area. Any one or more of them could have been excavated to build a lab.”
“It would have taken some time and a great deal of labor. Most likely built a hundred years ago. How would they keep the local villagers quiet after all this time?”
“Many villages are probably gone, and those left are likely under Venizi’s control.”
Simone shrugged, not disagreeing as she dropped into her regular seat. She leaned back and stared at the screen, rubbing her right thigh. Her recent injury still plagued her, but her recent training with tai chi seemed to be helping. “A small strike force makes the best sense.”
“We agree.” Devon strode in with Decker behind him. “Let’s give Lucas and Bella a moment to arrive and we’ll get to it.” Devon strode to his desk while Decker took his seat at the bar.
“Was Colantha of any help?” Simone asked.
Devon shook his head. “She’s not aware of any dreamwalkers in the area. The closest ones don’t have the mental power to be of use.”
While they waited, Sergi received an update from one of his contacts and made an adjustment to his data. Though interesting, the new data didn’t make the mission less risky.
When Lucas arrived with Bella and Jacques behind him, Devon waited for them to take a seat before providing an overview of the mission. “As Simone suggested, we’ll use a team of three.”
“Not much of a strike force,” Simone said. “I was thinking five to six.”
“This won’t be an actual strike.” Sergi tapped a key, and the map zoomed in to a specific area of rugged terrain. “The mission will be to seek the lab, confirm its location, and return. The Carpathians are an unforgiving group of mountains, volcanic activity, and wild shifters. An area that Remus has been focusing on for some time. It doesn’t matter how deep someone wants to hide a lab, unless you fly in supplies and resources, you need roads.”
“There are places all over the world where it would be safer to fly people in and out,” Lucas suggested.
“We believe, as Remus does, that this lab was created long before flight, let alone airplanes that could handle transports required to keep a lab operational.” Sergi zoomed the image closer to show a group of small villages surrounded by narrow roads. “There’s no doubt the lab would have been smaller at one time, but knowing Venizi, he would have planned for a long-term operation. We’ve suspected the lab is creating Magic Poppy, but we’d be foolish to believe that’s the only thing he’s developing.”
“It’s long been believed that the ability to change humans to halfling vampires was somewhat miraculous.” Simone tapped a nail against her chin as she stared at the map. “And House Venizi was one of three Houses who were first to use the practice.”
“You think Venizi’s lab created a formula to hasten the change?” Lucas asked.
“I do.”
“Remus first got word that shifters in this area had been disappearing from local communities for several decades.” Decker held a bowl of nuts he’d taken from the bar and picked through them. “Not many. Nothing that couldn’t be blamed on the wild shifters, who were known for stealing members from local packs. But the number of disappearances has increased over the last five years. Remus began sending teams in about a year ago, but they disappear.”
“Killed?” Bella asked.
Decker shrugged and wiped his hands on his pants after popping a couple nuts in his mouth. “It’s possible they were taken by wild shifters, killed by security teams protecting the lab, or worse.”
“Subjects for experimentation?” Simone’s fangs dropped when Decker nodded.
“We can’t be sure, but Remus doesn’t know what else to do. He doesn’t want to send more wolves in until he can find a way to make it safer.”
Before anyone could respond, Cressa crashed through the door.
“Oops, sorry.” Cressa’s face reddened, but when she glanced at Sergi, he caught the amusement in her eyes. “I just got off the phone with Harlow and Roxie.”
“Excellent timing.” Devon waited for her to take a seat.
Sergi, like the rest of the cadre, had noted Devon’s change in his meeting style since Cressa arrived at House Trelane. Now that the two had developed an intimate relationship, Devon’s approach to handling House business had become more casual. The only exception was with security.
Some Houses, like Venizi’s, would see Devon’s form of leadership as a weakness. Perhaps at one time, Sergi would have agreed, but when he looked at House Trelane from an unbiased viewpoint, the cadre was more cohesive. And, in his opinion, blending the teams with shifters, humans, and dreamwalkers strengthened the House, not diminished it.
Who would have thought humans as chaotic as Cressa and Ginger could bring more stability? The answer was simple. They brought a different perspective. Though not true for all, most vampires preferred to color inside the lines.
“So, what do Harlow and Roxie have for us?” Devon asked.
Harlow, the leader of a small group of human thieves, had a knack for finding stellar members for his team. Cressa, using her street name of Pandora, had been invaluable with her skills at cracking safes. Roxie was a relatively new member after their previous hacker had double-crossed them. It turned out to be a good move as Roxie was one of the best he’d seen, and she kept up with all the latest technology. Harlow’s team didn’t always have the money to invest in hi-tech, but when it was required for a House mission, Devon bought the tech and let Harlow keep the items as part of their payment.
“Subcutaneous trackers.” Cressa gave the two-word answer and sat back, seemingly proud of her answer. Sergi couldn’t argue with the suggestion.
Devon squinted as he considered her answer. “How do they work? And how far away can we track them?”
“The tracker works off GPS. Once the tracker is placed, usually in the arm, the person can be tracked from anywhere.”
“That’s something Remus should have been using.” Decker shook his head. “Are they easy to come by?”
Cressa glanced at Devon, and he nodded. “I can have them delivered by tomorrow.”
“How many will we need?” Cressa asked.
“Three,” Sergi answered. “I’ll be leading the team with Rafael.” He turned to Decker. “I believe Remus has made his decision.”
“Carlos. He should be here tomorrow morning.” Decker closed the container of nuts, stood, and set it behind the counter. “I’ll be back in the morning to meet him. I have an appointment I need to get to.” He nodded at Devon and squeezed Simone’s shoulder on his way out.
“Cressa.” Devon turned his attention back to the map. “Can Harlow and Roxie join us tomorrow to set up the trackers?”
“I believe so. I’ll call him right after the meeting.”
“When is the team leaving?” Simone asked.
“Tomorrow evening,” Sergi responded. “Remus is providing a plane that will take us to Spain. From there, we’ll fly commercial. There will be no communication once we enter Europe. We’ll have burner phones, but we won’t use them until it’s time to call for a ride.”
“This doesn’t feel right.” Cressa bit her nail.
“Come now, Cressa.” Sergi gave her his best smile, which usually made her snappish. “You’re not going to worry about me.”
She stiffened and gave him a scathing look. “I’m worried about Rafael.”
He grinned, but a knot formed in his gut. He was worried, too. A light shiver ran up the back of his neck. An old battle sign that told him the mission wouldn’t go as planned. Tomorrow might be the last time he’d see his Family.