Seeker (24 page)

Willem frowned. “Yeah, you never answered that last time, either. How can they be exp…”

Frederick cut him off by placing his lips against Willem's. The younger man quickly reciprocated. After a few moments Frederick pulled away smiling. “As we said, there's this connection between us, right?” Willem nodded. “Okay, then trust me on this. Everything is going to be fine.”

Still holding Willem's hand, Frederick turned and opened the door. Together they walked in to the chamber beyond.

* * *

Frederick felt odd going through the motions of decorum, but with Willem accompanying him he had little choice. The “newbie,” to use the parlance of Willem's generation, needed to understand and learn the rules of conduct when meeting with the Three. As soon as they were through the door, Frederick released Willem's hand and offered him a reassuring smile.

The chamber was low lit, only a few candles providing the little illumination there was. It was very affected; everything in the chamber was designed to bring a sense of calm to those who wished to see the Three. To have them in the same place was a rare occurrence, and his people knew to appreciate the honour. Usually the Three would be separate, stationed in their countries of origin, but they stood on the precipice of the greatest moment in their history and they needed to be together, to show a unified front in light of the great changes that were to come about with the arrival of the Seeker.

The walls had been stripped down to their bare bricks, with a massive intricately woven tapestry taking pride of place on the wall directly opposite the entrance. The tapestry showed an elegant female body, dressed in white, with the head of a lioness, on top of which sat the sun with a cobra wrapped around it. In one hand she held a sceptre, in the other an ankh, the key to the afterlife, dripping blood. This was the most important figure in the history of Frederick's people. It was placed to be the first thing people saw as they entered, to remind them of the truth that the Three represented. The rest of the chamber was Spartan, the shadows from the candle flames dancing along the walls. It was merely an antechamber, a place for people to prepare for meeting the Three, and as such it didn't need extensive furnishings.

“Egyptian?” Willem asked.

“Yes, the Goddess Sekhmet.” Frederick looked at Willem, to see if there was any sign of recognition in his eyes as he walked over to the tapestry.

“What kind of work do you and your associates do? Another thing you've not told me,” Willem added, looking away from the tapestry, clearly not realising the importance Sekhmet held for him.

“It's complicated,” Frederick said, not willing to say too much until he and the Three had a chance to confer, disturbed as he was by Willem's lack of awareness. “I will explain everything later, I promise.”

Thankfully, at that moment, the secondary door, leading to the private room, opened and out stepped Nate, Wa'eb to the Three. It was an old Egyptian term adopted hundreds of years ago by his people; originally it referred to an Egyptian priest, a pure one, who helped the high priests. But now it was a title given to the person who was, to all intents and purposes, little more than a glorified secretary. Nate was a diminutive and genial man, dressed as ever in a smart four-piece suit, complete with braided waistcoat. His transparent eyes regarded Willem briefly, before he turned to Frederick. He had the utmost respect for Frederick due to his unique standing with the Three, in particular with Celeste. Normally Frederick would not need to come before Nate first; he never needed an appointment to see Celeste. But, again, Willem's presence changed that.

Frederick positioned himself so that Willem could get a clear view of Nate and his eyes.

“Mr. Holtzrichter, sir,” the Wa'eb began, hands held together, “a pleasure to see you once again. How can I be of service?”

It was rare that Frederick was addressed by his family name since it was never used in the human world, and only a select few of his people knew of it. Like much of his past it remained shrouded, a secret known to only those Frederick trusted, the number of which he could count on one hand. Nate knew nothing of his past, but he knew the family name, and Frederick appreciated the mark of respect given by its usage.

“You can inform the Three that I wish to speak to them.”

Frederick was mindful of Willem's attention on him, the doubt clouding his face. He glanced at Willem and offered a smile. Willem frowned, this time not so easily buying the assurance, and looked at Nate. The Wa'eb was eyeing them, watching the exchange. He smiled, and turned back to Frederick.

“Of course, sir,” Nate said, bowing, and turned to the door.

Willem sidled up to Frederick. “His eyes,” he began, but before Frederick could respond, two people emerged from the room beyond.

Unexpectedly the twins came out first. Frederick knew they weren't really twins, but seen from Willem's point of view they would appear as exactly that, and to confuse matters more they wore clothes of a similar style. Theodor, as was his wont when around humans, wore sunglasses to hide his translucent eyes; he didn't care much for the attentions of mortal men, drawn as they usually were by the blood that flowed behind his eyes. He stood to one side and allowed Erwyn to view Willem; he at least had the foresight to wear his blue contacts, which, unless Frederick was very much mistaken, were chosen specifically to match the electric blue hi-lites in his otherwise black hair. He stopped next to Theodor and leaned closer to whisper something in his ear. So much for Erwyn being considerate.

Frederick could feel Willem looking at him, the doubt replaced by downright worry. Frederick took Willem's hand in his, just as the third person stepped into the chamber.

Radiant as ever, just by entering she made the chamber warmer, her presence filling up every spare bit of space. She was dressed in a flowing scarlet gown, which looked brilliant against her chocolate toned skin. With full lips she smiled at Frederick and opened her arms. They embraced and she placed her mouth next to his ear.

“Are you still sure,
mon toujours
?”

“Yes,” Frederick said, equally as quiet, intoxicated by the delicate French cadence of her voice.

She released Frederick and crossed the chamber to Willem. The twins watched her closely. Opening her arms, she said; “Willem,
mon cher, un très grand plaisir de vous rencontrer enfin
.” She almost dragged him into her embrace, and it was quite obvious that Willem was not very comfortable with this display of affection from the tall black woman. Frederick couldn't help but grin largely.

“Willem,” he said, “allow me to introduce Celeste.”

Celeste let Willem go and regarded him. He looked around.

“Erm,” he began, uncertainty etched in every line of his face, “
bonjour
?”

Celeste smiled. “Hello to you, too. It really is a pleasure to meet you, but if you'll excuse us. We need to speak to Frederick in private.” She looked around for Nate, who had sunk into the shadows when she entered the chamber.

He knew his place, and although he could not know it yet, he had just witnessed a turning point in history. Frederick wondered how many Nate would tell of this moment when the full truth was revealed to their people.

“Nathan, please give Willem the guided tour. Treat him as an honoured guest, for that is what he is.”

“Of course,” Nate said, bowing his way out of the shadows. He walked over to the main door, and opened it. “This way, Mr. Townsend.”

Willem didn't move. Instead he watched the Three return to their private room, then looked at Frederick enquiringly.

“How does he know my sur…?”

Frederick took Willem's hands in his.

“No questions yet, there will be plenty of time for answers later. Now I have business to which I must attend. Nate will take good care of you.”

Willem opened his mouth to ask his question anyway, as Frederick knew he would, but Frederick placed a finger over his lips. “Shh now. Later.”

Frederick stepped back, and waited for Willem to follow Nate. The man lingered for a moment longer and then, hesitantly, left the chamber. As he departed, Frederick tried to reach out his mind to Willem, to get a sense of any new awareness he might have gained. But there was nothing, just the usual barely discernable surface thoughts.

* * *

“Him? There's no way that insipid fool is the one we've been waiting all this time for.”

Frederick closed the door behind him, not completely shocked to hear Erwyn running his mouth as usual. Always the first to speak on any given subject, Erwyn tended to let his first thought be the crux of any discussion regardless of the evidence that might prove him wrong. Emotions ran high in him, and still he had yet to learn to kerb them. In truth Frederick suspected Erwyn purposely refused to control them, and considered them his greatest asset.

He pointed at Frederick, who merely looked at him in the most insouciant manner he could manage. “It's quite obvious Freddy here has taken a shine to him,” Erwyn said, the Welsh lilt to his voice just about clear. “Classical case of ka transference here, that is.”

Frederick raised an eyebrow and sat down in the most ornate chair he could find, but said nothing. He grew tired of Erwyn easily, and after so many years he was beyond rising to the bait of Erwyn calling him by anything but the name he had been given at his mortal birth.

Celeste moved over to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, and was rewarded by a smile of confidence.

“What do you think?” he asked her. “With all due respect to Erwyn, I somehow doubt his telepathic ability approaches yours, and is unqualified to make such a judgement.”

Erwyn glared at him, but knew he couldn't argue that point. Celeste was, to their knowledge, the most accomplished mind trawler of their people. Theodor sat next to Erwyn on the
chaise longue
, and silently sipped the red liquid from his glass. Knowing Theodor, Frederick doubted it was wine. He removed his glasses and a look passed between the “twins.” Erwyn sat back to listen to what Celeste had to say.

“This Willem is something of a mystery. Trawling through a human mind is a delicate skill, one I have mastered over the years, but Willem is…” Celeste frowned, searching for the word. “I don't know, but I cannot read his thoughts as clearly as I ought. There are doors closed in his mind, and behind those even more doors. It's like a maze hidden within a fortress, but I do not feel it's a wilful act on Willem's part. No, I think there is much about him that he has no notion of. But I get a sense of disjointed presence about him, almost like he's walking around in a suit that doesn't fit him.”

“Do you think he is the Seeker?” Frederick asked.

“I think it is a possibility.”

Erwyn sat forward again. “Then we need to arrange a test, to see if the truth emerges in the rage of hunger as the Book says, like.”

“Agreed,” Celeste and Frederick said in unison. Theodor merely nodded his silent agreement.

“But it has to be planned carefully,” Frederick continued.

“It will be brutal,
mon toujours
,” Celeste reminded him. “It has to be.”

“I know, and if we are wrong then an innocent man could well be killed.”

“There is no such thing as an innocent man,” Erwyn stated.

“Be that as it may, Erwyn,” Celeste said, “we do not wilfully kill humans unless absolutely necessary. Despite what the world may say of our ancestors, we are not monsters.” She looked down at Frederick. “Where do you intend to take Willem,
mon toujours
?”

“Zinc, on Lucy Road. Gay nightclub seems the kind of thing he needs; one last chance to unwind.”

Erwyn laughed. “You see; ka transference! Fred is taken by this man. Never knew you swung that way, Freddy.”

“And exactly how did you come about your new ‘suit'?” Frederick asked sharply. Erwyn didn't answer. “Exactly; our people have had to outgrow antiquated labels if we're to survive. It's one of the first lessons we're taught.” He glanced up at Celeste, and pressed his hand on hers, which still rested on his shoulder. “This is no different.”

Celeste nodded, but there was no concern in her eyes. She didn't doubt Frederick's feelings for her. “What time do you intend to leave the nightclub?” she asked simply.

“Two?” Frederick suggested with a shrug. “Seems a reasonable time. Any earlier and Willem might be too cautious.”

“Very well. Theodor will make the arrangements for the test, and Erwyn, you will contact Rochelle. We need to make sure any evidence disappears swiftly, however the outcome. And you, Frederick…” She helped him to his feet. “I expect you to have a good time. But keep a close eye on him. The Book is vague on the specifics, and we cannot afford to waste this opportunity.”

“I know.”

“Then it is decided.” Celeste turned from him and over her shoulder Frederick caught sight of Erwyn's look.

Frederick didn't bother hiding his smile. The old grudge still held sway in Erwyn's heart, living with the knowledge that he was second choice to be one of the Three after Frederick had rejected the offer. Even now, over two hundred years on, Erwyn was convinced that at any moment Frederick would claim his rightful place alongside Celeste, giving her what she really wanted, her two life-companions by her side once more.

Frederick was quite happy for Erwyn to hold the grudge, it made him careless and an easy target, but in truth Frederick had no interest in joining the Three.

His own mission far exceeded any pull the Three had. Like him they were a tool of fate, but unlike him they failed to realise that once the Seeker was found the Three, as a body, would be amazingly irrelevant.

12.

The balcony at the rear of Zinc, like the other nightclubs along Lucy Road, overlooked Marine Parade and the Adventure Island amusement park. At the height of summer the pavements would be crowded to overflowing, families coming and going, spending hard earned money in the arcades directly beneath the nightclubs, while others enjoyed the rides in the fairground. Pubs serviced those who preferred to sit in the sun and get pissed on expensive alcohol. But as night fell, and Adventure Island closed, the seafront changed. Late night revellers hit the arcades, tanked up on alcohol and drugs. From all over Essex young people congregated, from Hadleigh to Shoeburyness they came, barely legal teenagers looking to party. Once the arcades closed it was up to the nightclubs.

Frederick liked teenagers, they were so full of life, living it large without a care in the world. Sometimes they reminded him of his own people, albeit limited in their knowledge and experience of life. The balcony was full of mostly teens, some smoking, others merely enjoying the fresh air after the sweaty intensity of the club. Energy they might have had, but not much by way of deep conversation.

Frederick sat on the bench that ran the length of the balcony wall, listening to some guy moaning about his boyfriend who was, apparently, very unappreciative of him. Frederick wondered if it had anything to do with the guy's inability to shut up and let the other person speak. Willem was inside the club, dancing with strangers, a plastic bottle of Smirnoff Ice in one hand. Watching Willem from his vantage point on the bench, Frederick saw little of the man Stephen had told him about. The reserved man who was bogged down in family crises and work had given way to a party animal. Frederick wasn't complaining. It was a side he liked very much.

He glanced at the still rambling man, and shook his head. Little people with their small problems bored him. He stood up and re-entered the nightclub.

Some people danced on the small stage before the DJ's mixing deck, while the rest filled up the dance floor. Among the throng of people was Willem, getting groinal with a woman and a young man who could have been no more than nineteen. They were laughing and singing along to the latest chart topper, and Willem tried to join in. He had the rhythm, but he clearly didn't know the words of the song currently playing, but the two with him didn't seem to care. The young man was too busy trying to make a pass at Willem to notice, and his female companion was caught up in egging him on. Frederick stopped and watched for a moment.

Willem hadn't expected to go clubbing, so he wore his best suit out. The blazer had been left at Frederick's along with the rest of his gear, but he wore his waistcoat over his white shirt which was now open, revealing his sweaty chest. The man leaned forward and shouted something into Willem's ear, and for his troubles all he got was a shake of a head and a wink as Willem sipped the vodka mix. The man was clearly disappointed, but he laughed anyway and ran a hand down Willem's chest.

Frederick was surprised by the twinge of jealousy he felt at seeing this, which was replaced by a sense of happiness when Willem spotted him and waved him over.

Once on the dance floor Frederick wrapped an arm around Willem's gyrating body. “Hey, lover,” he said, “having a good time?”

“I really am,” Willem said, planting his lips on Frederick's. “Beats a night at the theatre.”

Frederick smiled and looked at the young man who had been trying his luck; he and his female friend had moved on to try and encourage someone else into his bed. “Let's get out of here. Somewhere a little more private?”

Willem's eyes were glazed over from too much drink. Frederick tensed in surprise as Willem drove his hand inside Frederick's jeans. Willem nodded, a look of relish on his face. Frederick pulled Willem's hand out and led him towards the stairs.

They grabbed their coats from the cloak room; even though the day had been sunny they both knew better than to trust the British weather, and so when they emerged from the club they were unsurprised to be hit by the cold breeze that had picked up as the early hours of the morning crept in. They were still warm from the heat of many dancing bodies and so barely felt the coldness, the only evidence of the breeze was on their shirts; Frederick's billowed out as the cold air found its way in through the gaps between the buttons, and Willem's still open shirt flapped behind him.

Frederick looked Willem up and down, drawn to his nipples now hardened by the cold. Willem noticed and winked. He didn't seem as drunk as he did inside, which was just as well.

“What's the time?” Frederick asked.

Willem removed his phone from his trousers pocket, and consulted the digital readout on the screen. “Almost two,” he said, flipping the phone open. He pressed a few buttons then closed the phone disappointedly. “Thought Jake might have texted back, but
nada
.”

Frederick had been a little concerned when Willem had insisted on sending Jake a text while they were on their way to the club, but Willem promised to not mention any names. He would tell Jake all about it on Monday when he returned home. For now, though, Jake would be quite happy to know that Willem was having a good time.

“Seems you were right, then. He's just leaving you to it.”

“Yeah, Jake's great like that, best friend a man could have. Was hoping he'd let me know how Curtis is, though,” Willem continued, now feeling the cold and doing up his shirt, “still, things must be okay back home, otherwise he would have texted me, right?”

“That would follow, yes.”

“Good.” Willem smiled broadly. “Love that man to bits.”

Frederick pulled Willem closer to him, and held him by his belt. He ran a hand under Willem's shirt, which still hung loose about him. He wasn't exactly skinny, but neither was he especially muscular. “Competition?”

Willem laughed. “God no. More like a faithful dog.”

“Good.” Frederick kissed Willem. They withdrew their tongues and looked each other in the eye.

“You still haven't explained all that oddness at the factory. What kind of business are you in? That guy…Nate…gave me the impression that something very strange was going on…something to do with me.”

Frederick placed a finger on Willem's lips to silence him, silently cursing Nate. Unlike him to be so careless. “Let's not spoil the night; we can discuss this in the morning…in my bed. I promise.” He nodded to his left. “There's an alley over there. We can practice before we head back to mine if you'd like?”

“Don't need to tell me twice,” Willem said and this time led Frederick away. Frederick allowed himself to be led, quite enjoying the feeling of playing the submissive role. It was so opposite to his normal way that he loved the novelty of it, after all it wasn't going to last. It was as he had predicted, all Willem needed was a bit of alcohol to loosen him up and he was ready to explode. The lure of sex. Best weapon a man had, human or not.

The alley was only lit by one lamp, the second having been smashed by vandals some time ago, and so Willem and Frederick sank into the shadows, safe from the prying eyes of any potential voyeurs. The clubs had yet to close so most people were still inside the buildings, which left the alley very empty and secluded.

Frederick allowed himself to be pressed against the wall, feeling the hardness of the bricks against his back, matching the hardness from Willem's nether regions as he sandwiched Frederick with the wall. Willem pushed his tongue into Frederick's mouth, grabbing Frederick's hand and placing it against the hardness in his trousers. Frederick closed his eyes, feeling his own pulse racing, rubbing his palm up and down the firmness, Willem's fingers entangled in his.

Frederick knew he was a liar. He hadn't meant to be, but his words to the Three had been full of falsehood. His seduction of Willem went beyond the mission, preparing him for the test ahead. He wanted Willem, and it wasn't until he felt Willem's member throbbing against his palm that he realised he always had, ever since he'd first bumped into Willem almost a decade ago.

Whether the test proved Willem to be the Seeker or not, Frederick intended to keep Willem. There was, to his mind, no room for discussion.

* * *

Desk duty bored Stewart Lumley; he was a beat officer, that's why he joined the police service in the first place; to be out there on the streets, keeping people safe and generally helping the public. But once again he'd pulled the short straw and was on desk duty. It could have been worse, he supposed, he could have been on the front desk talking to members of the public who came in to bitch about neighbours and the like. Okay, he considered with a sly smile, so maybe that would have been a little better. Anything would have been better than sitting at the desk with the footage of numerous surveillance cameras routed through the large screen before him.

Watching CCTV was akin to watching paint dry, boring in the extreme. Nothing seemed to actually happen, despite the fact that the footage displayed had been signposted for special attention by various stations throughout Essex. Even when something did happen all he had to do was inform his superiors and put a call through to dispatch who would then send officers out.

As he said, boredom city. Still, he had no choice. DI Swanson had assigned him the duty and he knew he had to pay particular attention to the Lucy Road alley behind St. John's Church, which had been routed through by his associate at the Control Centre in Southend. Right now all he saw were two guys copping off. If he were that way inclined he'd at least be aroused by the sight, but as it was men did nothing for him, and seeing two blokes snogging merely made his stomach churn.

He sat forward suddenly, as two burley and angry looking men stepped into view of the camera. This was what Swanson had warned him about. He reached for his mobile; the call he had to make was private and he wasn't allowed to use HQ phones.

Even after three years he didn't fully understand the world he'd been initiated into, but he knew enough to know that the Three were taking a strong interest. He just hoped that by following Swanson's orders to the letter that he'd finally get an audience with the Three, which would hopefully lead to some real answers at last.

* * *

Willem's breathing was becoming shallow and faster, and the throbbing increased beneath Frederick's palm. Their fingers tightened around each other, as Willem guided Frederick's hand in the rhythm he liked. Frederick had tried to unzip the trousers, but Willem seemed quite happy to shoot his load in his boxers. He had his head back, neck arced, eyes closed and therefore didn't see the two men step around the corner and into the alley. Frederick stopped the movement of his hand, and Willem looked at him, his face close to ecstasy.

“Why…have you…stopped?” he asked between deep breaths.

Frederick didn't need to answer, instead the crunching of glass underfoot provided Willem with all the response he needed.

He looked to the right as two others entered the opposite end of the alley. Like their two buddies, these two were just as big, their faces full of menace.

“You queer fuckers,” one of them said, his voice like gravel.

“Oh shit,” Willem said softly, looking at Frederick. Frederick pulled his hand away from Willem's rapidly deflating member and stepped away from the wall.

The fear coming from Willem was palpable, but this was just what Willem needed. Frederick had to keep telling himself that. The men drew closer, boxing them in. Frederick glanced at Willem, who was now standing against the wall, showing no sign of being able to handle himself. It seemed Willem needed a bit of nudging.

Before the two who entered the end of the alley could move any closer Frederick was on them. He shot across the alley, shedding his fingernails like the skin of a snake and talons made of bone, as sharp as razors, grew from the tips. He slashed the throat of one of the men, while simultaneously slamming his foot into the stomach of the other. The first reached for his throat, but he was far too late. Blood spewed out between his fingers and he dropped to his knees gagging for breath, and for his efforts he got nothing but blood bubbling out of his mouth. Winded, the second staggered back, but before he could renew his own attack Frederick plunged his fingers into the man's chest, smashing his chest bone along the way.

“What the fuck?” he heard from behind.

A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around Frederick's torso, but Frederick's speed was beyond that of his assailant. Frederick spun around so fast that the third man lost his grip and went careering into the wall. A crack echoed in the alley; the sound of the third thug's head smashing against the jagged bricks.

Frederick looked down at the three who had fallen; two were dead, and the third was out cold, although Frederick didn't rate his chances of survival judging by the brain matter still clinging to the bricks.

The sound of scuffling alerted him to Willem's own fight.

Willem was on the ground, curling into a ball to protect himself from the boots that were slamming into his abdomen. The thug was laughing.

“You're nothing!” he said between laughs. “We always knew you would be.”

Frederick didn't stop to process the meaning behind the words; he merely rushed across the alley, his concern for Willem overriding his reasoning. He slammed his shoulder into the thug sending the man against the far wall. But no sound of cracking bone came this time, instead the thug had his arms out to cushion himself as he hit the wall. He turned and looked at Frederick. And smiled.

“Wrong again,” he said and launched himself at Frederick.

Frederick was in the air and the two of them collided five feet above Willem; the impact of their bodies sent them spinning and tumbling onto the cold concrete path. They scrambled to their feet, Frederick taken aback by the unexpected turn in the test. This was
not
what he and Three had planned. As they circled each other, Frederick noticed a tattoo just below the man's left ear. It showed the head of a lioness, a cobra wrapped around it.