Chapter 6 (Revised Version)

An hour after sunset, Gabrielle left her hotel room and headed down into the secret tunnels beneath the city. She'd already checked her intended path to make sure it was clear this time, and then lightwalked through the twists and turns, passing several unsuspecting vampires on her way as just a blur even to their keen senses. She veered left at a particular stone archway and proceeded up the spiral wrought iron staircase at only a fractionally slower pace.

At the top of the stairs, she turned and skimmed along the carpeted hallway of what looked like a standard office building, finally coming to an abrupt stop just as she reached the closed doors of the Council room. With her extended range, she'd long ago sensed the four Third Order vampires who were already inside, so it was no surprise to her when she opened one of the doors and saw them standing there. However, moving as quickly as she had meant they'd only sensed her presence a few moments before she'd walked into the room. She smiled briefly at them, taking just a little bit of pleasure from their accelerated heartbeats at her sudden entrance.

Gabrielle silently took her seat at the end of the large conference table closest to the doors and then brought out her phone to occupy herself while she waited for the meeting to start. She wasn't really paying attention to it, though. She was more focused on the other vampires in the room who had stopped talking and were now glancing over at her in speculation.

There was David, a vampire of slightly younger than middling age among the Third Orders at about 2,000 years old, Michelle and Shiri, who were life-bonded and two of the eldest at around 2,600 years apiece, and Celia, the youngest of all the nineteen surviving Third Orders at just under 1,700, if Gabrielle remembered correctly.

Gabrielle wasn't surprised at the grouping. The only criteria for having a seat on the Council was living in the New York City enclave and being a member of the Third Order or higher. Since there was no one left alive higher than a Third Order, other than Gabrielle and possibly Blake, factions had developed more based on interpersonal compatibility than political wrangling for power. They were a strange kind of democratic aristocracy, chosen by their blood, but making decisions by majority vote.

Gabrielle didn't look up as she felt the group tentatively move to take their seats along one side towards the middle of the table, leaving plenty of space between them and Gabrielle. After another few moments, Gabrielle heard a throat clear and finally lifted her gaze, regarding them in silent expectation.

"Good evening, First Born," Michelle said, obviously trying to make her voice sound firmer to hide her trepidation, but unable to let the silence go undisturbed in spite of her anxiety.

"Good evening, Michelle. I trust you've been well. All of you," Gabrielle amended as she let her gaze drift to the others before coming back to Michelle. "How is Samantha? I saw her with you at the Arena, so I take it she's worked out well, so far. Have you made a decision yet?"

Michelle appeared surprised that Gabrielle had remembered the servant she and her wife Shiri had accepted just before Gabrielle had left.

"Yes, she's, uh, she's doing quite well. We think she'll make a wonderful addition to the Order in another thirty years," Michelle confirmed.

Gabrielle nodded as she turned to David.

"And what about Andrew? Is he still with you?"

David grimaced.

"No. He fell in love with some Ninth Order and asked to be released from his agreement with me to pursue his 'options.' I believe he was killed shortly after in an accidental overfeeding. But the young man he found for me before I released him has turned out to be quite the diamond in the rough. Richard's been with me for four years now and I can't imagine not turning him when the time comes." He glanced at Michelle and Shiri. "Though I doubt I'll be willing to make him wait as long as these two. I think twenty years will suffice."

Shiri snorted at the soft dig.

"Forty years is hardly a steep price to pay in return for immortality."

"Yes, but I worry about accidents in the interim. I wouldn't want to lose him over something so trivial," David countered.

Gabrielle let the others carry the conversation as she went back to playing on her phone, though she continued to listen to them debate the pros and cons of how long to wait before potentially Gifting their servants in exchange for their years of service.

It was standard for servants to be expected to give up decades of their life in return for the chance of joining the Upper Orders. Few servants ever achieved that goal, but even when they didn't, they lived lives of comparative luxury in return for their service. And the symbiotic relationship that developed between vampires and their servants usually allowed the humans to live longer and healthier lives than they would have otherwise. It was only accidents and specific types of communicable and hereditary diseases that could prematurely end a servant's life before their time.

Three more Third Orders filed into the conference room, nods and quiet greetings marking their entrances, and some of them even joined in on the conversation taking place, but then Gabrielle sensed Blake and the rest of the Third Orders enter her range and it was only a few minutes later that the conversations trailed off as the others finally sensed their Regent King in the vicinity.

He entered a few minutes later, trailed by Victor, Raymond, and Claudio, his three staunchest supporters.

"Good evening," Blake said as he took his seat at the head of the table, trying not to frown at Gabrielle where she sat at the other end. "Shall we begin?"

Gabrielle didn't even look up as she swiped and tapped at her phone. She knew the meetings were important for managing the general administrative tasks of running not only the New York City enclave, but also the many other Upper Order enclaves around the world, and therefore her presence was expected, but it was more a formality than anything else and she rarely made any contributions to the discussions. It also kept her in the loop, which Gabrielle had found useful at times.

But she was only half listening when she suddenly heard Blake say something that finally caught her attention, though she made sure not to look up or stop scrolling.

"Good. Now that we have that point of business settled, I would like to readdress the situation with the VHA."

Several groans issued from around the table as Shiri spoke up.

"There is no 'situation' with the VHA. Nothing has changed and neither I nor my wife have any interest in shaking up that hornet's nest."

"Maybe nothing has changed yet, but it's coming. I've already shown you my projections. The humans are on the cusp of several major scientific breakthroughs that could mean the end of us if we don't act now. All I'm proposing is a preemptive strike to prevent that eventuality from coming to pass," Blake said, his tone calm and even.

"Oh please," Shiri said derisively. "I've looked at your projections and it's clear they already have all the technology they need to destroy us right now. They've had it for years. And yet somehow we've survived. Let me think, why is that... Oh yeah. Because they're not looking for us."

Blake grimaced at the obvious disrespect, but before he could respond, David spoke.

"Too true. You'd think they would've learned to work together by now, but they still seem more than happy to be caught up in their political rivalries and seeking more and more money and power. As long as we don't do anything to reveal ourselves, I'm sure they'll stay preoccupied with their so-called problems and we can continue as we have for millennia."

"Yes, we've always agreed your original plan was the most sound, Blake," Michelle added, hoping an appeal to the man's ego might work to make him see reason. "I don't understand why you would want to jeopardize that now. You're the one who said we should go into hiding when the VHA first started hunting us, that we could use the Lower Orders as a buffer. And you were right. In the many centuries since, the VHA has hardly even suspected of our existence. We're merely a theory the academics debate over lunch. But now you suddenly want to prove them right?"

"Exactly. What you're asking would expose us to the humans and that's unacceptable," Shiri said with finality as she sat back next to her wife and crossed her arms.

"Not necessarily," Victor smoothly cut in as he leaned forward. "There's no reason why the humans would ever realize they were dealing with a group of vampires different from the ones they already know of."

"At least some of them would be able to sense the difference," David protested. "A lot of hunters have that innate ability. It's what makes them so damn good at their job. Of course, that ability is also what lets us sense them, too, and from much further away, so we can avoid them, but still."

"That's why we need to wipe them out!" Claudio said as he thumped his fist on the table, no longer able to remain quiet. "It's like you're not even listening," he said as he shook his head in disgust.

"Oh, I'm listening," Shiri replied as she half came out of her chair and leaned over the table, holding Claudio's seething gaze. "Our fearless leader over there wants to lead us right into a war and for what? So we can lord it over the humans, assuming we survive? No thank you."

Claudio was out of his seat just as quickly.

"We should be ruling over the humans! We're stronger, smarter, faster—"

"Well, two out of three ain't bad, in some cases," Shiri said as she smirked at the younger vampire and sat back down at Michelle's insistence.

It took a moment, but then Claudio growled and bared his fangs as he hissed in anger.

"Calm yourself, my friend," Blake said, his own tone soothing as he waited for Claudio to retake his seat. Then he turned to Shiri. "And to answer your question, it's not just to 'lord' it over the humans. We've been hiding for centuries and while that has worked in the past, I believe that course of action will have diminishing returns going forward. We need to act soon if we hope to protect what we do have."

"And we have to destroy the VHA to do that?" Michelle questioned.

Blake frowned and shook his head.

"Must I repeat myself yet again? The time for hiding in the shadows is running out, as I just said. As I've been saying for months now."

"Well, seeing as you will most likely continue to say so for some months to come, I think I'm going to take my leave now before the screaming begins in earnest," Victor announced with a knowing grin. He pushed himself to his feet and nodded respectfully to the King. "I've already said you have my vote. You just have to convince the rest of them." He glanced at the remaining seated vampires. "Good evening and good hunting."

Blake nodded in return, but frowned when he saw the others preparing to leave as well.

"Victor's right. I'm getting hungry. We can always discuss this again next week," Shiri declared and stood with Michelle.

Gabrielle finally looked up from her phone as she put it away. She could see Blake wanted to protest and keep the meeting going, but it was clear he'd realized there was little he could do to keep them there. A direct order would make him look weak for resorting to his position for his power and would only cause the others to resent him rather than respect him. Blake was far too smart to make a mistake like that and she wasn't surprised when he waved his hand in dismissal, obviously doing his best to retain his sense of control over the situation.

"Fine. Meeting adjourned. Go eat."

Gabrielle was the last to leave, but once she was in the hallway, she quickened her steps, not wanting to give the others the opportunity to attempt to engage her in conversation again.

She had a lot to think about.

^~\/^^^\/^~

Blake leaned back in his chair as most of the vampires filed out of the room. He glanced at the two who stayed behind, but didn't speak until after Gabrielle closed the door behind her retreating form. A moment later, he felt her presence disappear in the space between one heartbeat and the next and wondered, not for the first time, what it would be like to gain such abilities when he reached her age.

"She is the bane of my existence. How does she expect me to lead when she hovers like that?"

"Well, she is First Born," Raymond replied, uncomfortable with the need to take sides between his King and someone he thought of as more of a living goddess than a regular vampire.

Blake shook his head. So far, he seemed to be the only one willing to stand up to her. Sometimes, he wished his associates weren't quite so enthralled with Gabrielle. Then again, if they had more of a backbone, they might contemplate standing up to him, and that would be unacceptable.

"Well, what did you think about this most recent waste of time, otherwise known as our weekly meeting?"

"They'll come around, Blake," Raymond offered.

"Yes," Claudio agreed. "We just have to find the right way to convince them, like Victor said."

"And how long is that going to take? I realize we live hundreds of times longer than the humans, but must we make progress at the same rate?"

"They all know you're right," Raymond soothed.

"They're just cowards," Claudio asserted. "Of course, you could always order the others to—"

"No! They must be behind this one hundred percent or we'll fail. I just don't know what else to say to make them see."

"We've only been talking about this for a few months," Raymond reminded. "Other projects have taken ten times that to finally be approved. Like you said, change comes slowly to our kind. They need time to get used to the idea. A world without the VHA is difficult to comprehend. Even I can't remember a time when they didn't exist in some form or another, and I'm one of the eldest. It's no wonder they hesitate. But like you said, this isn't something you can force on them. You just have to be patient."

Blake nodded and smiled thinly in resignation.

"I know. But I've never been one to hold back when something needs to be done."

"That's why Gabrielle chose you to lead us. She knew you were the best one for the job."

"Thank you, Claudio," Blake replied as he barely refrained from hitting the vampire for reminding him of his subordinate role in relation to the First Born. "Your support is much appreciated." Blake turned to Raymond. "I think you're right. I need to be patient with the others. They don't see things as clearly as the two of you. But even David, who was so opposed to me in the beginning, seems to be considering my words more carefully these past few sessions." He sighed. "I suppose a few more months of discussion won't kill me."

"Of course not. Now, what do you say to a nice little hunt to take your mind off things?" Raymond suggested.

"I say lead the way."