Forever Young Birth Of A Nation (69 page)

Still defending himself as best he could
while backing away he tripped over a hassock and Ian leapt forward
and drove his saber through his exposed throat up into his brain.
Jumping on to the wildly thrashing vampire’s chest he straddled it
and drove his hunting knife through Grundy’s empty eye socket and
into his brain. Reaching into a thigh pocket he drew out a length
of rawhide to bind the knife into place by wrapping the strap
around the hilt of the knife and passing both ends around behind
Grundy’s head and tying the ends tight at the back of his neck. The
knife was buried in his brain and was secured firmly by the
rawhide.

Grundy thrashed about wildly, but was
completely helpless as Ian bound him heavily with more rawhide
straps to keep his arms and legs from flailing about. As an added
precaution, he pulled the iron manacles he had ordered at the
blacksmith shop from his rucksack and fastened them to Grundy’s
wrists, passing the heavy chain behind his back to complete their
installation. Then, sheathing his saber he tossed Grundy over his
shoulder as if he was a pillow and bounded away, out the front
door. Soon he was rocketing down King’s Bridge road two miles
southward to a small lane that went a mile west, ending at the farm
where the canoe was hidden.

In less than a minute he had the canoe at
the water’s edge. Bounding back to the barn he snatched up Grundy
and his rucksack and rocketed to the canoe. Depositing the
still-wiggling Grundy in his canoe and tossing in his ruck sack and
saber he pushed the craft out into the inky waters of the Hudson
River. Paddling rapidly away, he angled southwest toward a certain
creek over on the New Jersey shore, several miles away.

Cosette was talking with Stuart in his room
at the Millhouse home when she felt Celeste calling to her. Holding
up her hand for silence while smiling, Cosette assumed a blank
stare.

Celeste. I hear you.

Ian has captured Grundy and is taking him to
New Jersey.

Oh, Celeste! I’m so relieved. Do you know
why he is he taking him there?

He means to… to question him before he kills
him.

Good. Stuart is with me and he knows we can
talk.

Tell him hello. So you are still at the
Millhouse home.

Yes. There are vampires outside watching the
place, waiting for Ian. Tomorrow we leave here to stay at James and
Melissa’s until this is over.

That is a good idea. I’ll tell the
others.

I’m badly outnumbered here and that worries
me.

I have good news about that. Li and Sophia
are coming. They left weeks ago. I should have told you
earlier.

Oh Celeste! That is good news!

Yes, they know to look for you at the
Millhouse home or the Davis home.

We won’t be at either place. I can’t risk
Stuart being killed and he insists that Rebecca come with us to
James’ house.

Can’t you leave them a coded message?

Yes. I’ll leave it in my room.

The whole family is sitting here with Celine
and me.

Hello, Celine

Hello, Aunt Cosette. We have to go for now.
Everyone wants to hear what you told us.

Goodbye then.

Goodbye.

In a very hushed voice Cosette said “Good
news, Stuart. Ian got Grundy and Li and Sophia are coming
here.”

Stu broke into a broad smile as he said “Oh
that is a relief. I wonder how he found him. Do we know when they
will be here?”

“No, but it should be soon.”

“So we have to wait until daytime to get
Rebecca?”

“Yes. There are vampires waiting for Ian
outside of her house too.”

“I suppose we have to spend tonight
pretending we don’t know that.”

“Yes. Let’s go to join the others in the
parlor. I feel better when I can see everyone in one room. This
will be a long night for me” she said as she gathered her rucksack
bulging with weapons.

***

Priscilla rocketed along with the five
newcomers, and in minutes the five of them slowed and stealthily
approached the Davis’ neighborhood. The newcomers waited in the
street while Priscilla silently circled the house, stopping
occasionally to whisper Yvonne’s name.

Hearing a hiss she turned to see Yvonne and
Bartholomew approaching.

“I didn’t expect all of you here this soon”
she whispered.

“Oh Yvonne! Something has happened! Grundy
is gone! I looked around in the manor house and the tenant’s house.
I couldn’t find him anywhere!”

“What? He is just… gone?”

“Yes. I forgot my rucksack and when I went
back to get it, I happened to see Roland looking around in the
manor house. I went to tell Harold and he went back there. When he
didn’t come back, I went back there and no one was in either
house.”

Yvonne stood there, digesting the news and
finally she said “He is chasing Roland down. That has to be it.
McCloud couldn’t know where we’re staying. We’ll all watch this
house tonight.”

Priscilla thought
you and Grundy killed
his wife. He’s not like you, to simply take up with another. He
won’t come here but I’m happy to help you waste your time watching
this house. From what Cosette told me about Ian, Grundy is as good
as dead.

***

The brass door knocker sounded and Cosette
said “I will get it.” She felt the reassuring weight of the two
pocket pistols she had concealed beneath her sweater as she made
her way to the door. Standing in the dim light of the porch lamp
were James and Melissa.

Opening the door with a sweet smile she said
“Come in, you two.” and closed the door behind them, whispering
“There are vampires outside watching the house.”

James nodded, whispering “We saw two and I’m
guessing there are more.”

“I’m glad you came. We need to make plans
tonight for moving the humans to your place. We have to come up
with a plan to do that without them being followed.”

“So we’ll tell the Millhouses… what?”

“Just follow my lead” she said as she led
them into the parlor.

***

The red eyelids of dawn defined the eastern
horizon as scattered clouds moved majestically overhead, each
colored with the barest hint of pink at their eastern edges. The
crescent moon shone through now and then as if it was only
surrendering its reign to the coming sun with great reluctance.

On a knoll somewhere near the coast of New
Jersey looking east, beneath four sturdy young hardwood trees lay a
figure, connected to each of the four trees by a heavy chain. Heavy
iron manacles were clamped tightly on the wrists and ankles of the
figure and another figure carried two buckets of water up toward
the site from the creek below.

Setting the two full buckets next to two
others already full, Ian reached down and untied the rawhide strap,
pulling his hunting knife from Grundy’s eye socket. Taking his sun
glasses from his breast pocket he sat down to watch the sunrise.
Shortly he turned and watched Grundy’s wound begin to close, the
healing already in progress.

The rolling eye and sightless stare changed
to one of disbelief and rage as the healing completed in minutes.
He began to curse and thrash about violently, causing the heavy
chains to snap tight repeatedly, but he remained spread-eagled,
bound to the four trees.

“So it
was
you McCloud… hiding behind
a mask!”

“I have something that belongs to you” he
said as he took the eyeball out of his breast pocket and unwrapped
it in front of him, letting it dangle by the optic nerve, as he
swung it back and forth in front of him, saying “How did you happen
to lose this, Grundy?”

“A pox on you and your damned wife. I took
off her head for doing that!” Dropping it as his eyes began to
blaze a pale blue, Ian reached into his pocket once more and pulled
out a wooden toothbrush and said “One of you dropped this too.
Let’s see what this carving says. Why it says ‘Lester Stedman.’ I
wonder why Lester left his toothbrush at our tent. Do you think he
wanted me to come see him?”

Grundy thrashed with rage and cursed
violently finally snarling “That moron Bartholomew stole that and
dropped it there. I should have killed him long ago!”

“What you should have done was start over
when you had the chance. How many are in your coven?”

Grundy spat at him, saying nothing as he
thrashed mightily, causing the chains to tighten and slacken as
they beat upon the ground.

Ian said nothing, but stood and drew out his
hunting knife. Removing the whetstone from its pocket attached to
the sheath he dipped it in one of the buckets and began to hone the
blade at vampire speed, putting a keen fresh edge on it in only
seconds.

“How many are in your coven?”

“Go to hell!”

Ian sheathed his knife and moved to where he
stood over Grundy, one foot on either side of his hips. Stooping,
he ripped his jacket and shirt from him as if they were wet paper,
exposing his chest and stomach. His eyes began to glow brightly as
he snatched his knife from its sheath and deeply sliced the skin on
Grundy’s torso from his neck to his navel.

Grundy arched his back and roared with pain,
threshing from side to side and causing the chains to repeatedly
snap tight and relax. After a bit Ian said again in a low voice,
eyes glowing “How many are in your coven?”

Grundy spat at him, arching his back, his
remaining eye ablaze with hatred as he threshed violently.

Ian was instantly at one side of him, and
putting one hand inside of the deep gash, he began to pull the
flesh back from his ribs with all of his strength as he cut beneath
it to free it from the muscles beneath. Grundy screamed in pain and
thrashed violently. Quickly changing sides, Ian ripped back the
other half of the flesh, cutting beneath it once more as he peeled
it back along the length of the cut. Grundy howled in pain and
continued to thrash about violently.

***

A child’s scream punctuated a conversation
in the parlor between Henri and Louis. Marie and Sophia jumped to
their feet and joined Celeste as she had started for the Foyer.
Celine came running into the parlor weeping and threw herself into
Celeste’s arms. Comforting her, Celeste sat down on a hassock and
rocked her, talking in a soothing voice “There, there Celine. Tell
mama what it is.”

“It…it…Oh mama it is Ian!”

In a flash the entire family was gathered
about the two, waiting breathlessly for her next words.

“Ian…Ian is hurting the bad man, mama! It is
terrible and his eyes, mama! Oh mama it is so terrible!”

“You must leave his mind, Celine. He is
trying to find where the other bad men are hiding. This is why I
told you that we mustn’t pry in other’s thoughts.”

Sniffling then she raised her tear-stained
face to look at Celeste, saying “Oh mama, he is so angry! It is
terrible what he is going to do to the bad man!”

Celeste kissed away her tears and said “This
bad man did evil and murdered someone that Ian cared for. We must
leave him to do what he will, sweetheart. He is going to stop the
other bad people from hurting anyone else.”

As Celeste rocked the child her eyes met
those of the others and the eyes of many were glowing with
satisfaction at hearing this, even as she thought
how terrible
your vengeance is Ian!

***

Ian stepped back and tipped his head
slightly; regarding Grundy with his eyes blazing a brilliant
turquoise blue color as he bent to wipe the blade clean on the
shredded shirt.

He sat down and waited a while until the
healing began and in less than ten minutes, the gap was closed as
the healing ended.

Again Ian spoke “How many are in your
coven?”

“You bastard! You ruined my life!”

“You managed that one all by yourself,
Grundy. How many are in your coven?”

“What is that to you? They’ll drink your
blood, McCloud.” he said as he began to thrash mightily, heaving
and straining at the chains.

Ian stood and pulled his knife, moving to
Grundy’s side once again when suddenly he said “Seventeen.”

Straightening up, Ian said “How many
females?”

“Eight.”

“Who is the leader?”

“What does that matter?”

Ian again pulled his knife and Grundy said
“Yvonne and Stefan”

“Americans?”

“No. French.”

“Describe them.”

“Why?”

“Because the next time I will gut you like a
fish and we’ll see how long that takes to repair itself. Do you
think your guts will crawl back into your body?”

“How the hell do I know, damn you?”

“Maybe it will seal up and leave some of
them hanging out for vultures and crows. Shall we see?”

Grundy thrashed violently for a few seconds
and then he heaved a great sigh and spoke “Stefan has a dark
complexion, dark hair and dark eyes, medium size with a silver hook
where his hand used to be. Yvonne is a redhead, beautiful really,
married to Stefan. She is unusual looking… uhm… she has green
eyes.”

Ian thought about that for a bit
French,
and green eyes. Where did I see her?
Then it came to him and he
remembered that he had kicked a green-eyed redhead into a fire at
the Francoise mansion. He thought
that has to be her! Likely her
husband lost his hand the same night. So they have followed me to
America to get revenge. I brought all of this death and sorrow here
when I came to this land, and I brought death to Moon Owl
too.

He sat down heavily as his eyes became
normal looking once again, bowing his head sorrowfully and
remaining silent for some two minutes. Then he sighed deeply,
raising his head resolutely his eyes again began to blaze as he
said “What other houses do you use?”

“We used to have a place on Long
Island.”

“Where?”

“East of Brooklyn Heights on Queen’s
road.”