A SUSPICIOUS MASTER
Azazel's pawns in the name of Alex and Carter reach the Dark Tower as the night's air becomes heavy and the moon shines brightly, its light illuminate the lands with its rich fluorescent glow.
The grasses seem to glow under the moon's divine gaze and the night whistles gently while fireflies produce little embers of light in the midair leading to the 1000 feet building that houses different creatures who act under the smoke of The Lantern.
There are no gates around the tower but four giant muddy creatures walk in circles around the tower and vampires in armor stand around with swords and guns.
Little whispers hang amongst the halls as they walk in with the small group of vampires that followed them to Green Harbor, the living ones.
The halls of the tower are of stony walls and age old pillars with thick roots circling some of the pillars.
The floors are hard and black and a few people with hoods over their faces walk around quietly.
They go up the stairs and walk into a small library with a long black table in the middle. Someone sits at the table with a black veil over their face but their scrawny white hands are visible, hovering around a crystal ball.
"Summon master Azazel," Carter says and pulls up a chair to seat. The creature in the black veil lets out a ghastly sigh and say strange words in a whisper while rubbing the ball.
Alex fold her hands and watches with meticulous gaze as the ball beams with light and Azazel's face appears in the ball, "Carter, any news for me?" he asks, "Not really boss," "Then why have you called me?" "We wanted to know what the next step should me," Carter says.
Azazel sighs and shakes his head, "Standby, when I need you to do something I will summon you. For now, remain where you are. The demon will do most of the heavy lifting from here on," he says.
"Wait, the demon is on our side?" "Is there anything else? I was quite busy before you rudely called," Azazel says with a stern look in his eyes.
"Master, may I speak to you. Privately," Alex requests as she stares into the crystal ball. The ball glows brightly and Azazel's face disappears. He reappears in the library with dim see-through lights to form his body.
"Everyone, leave us" he orders and they bow before walking out of the room.
Azazel and Alex both turn their eyes toward Carter who is still sitting with a smile on his face, "Beat it fatso," Alex says and Carter turns his eyes to Azazel who signals for him to leave.
"What is it?" Azazel asks the moment the door shuts close behind Carter, "With all due respect, if I may ask..." "Any conversation that starts with all due respect usually comes from a place of disrespect but I will allow it. Speak," he says.
"I don't understand why The Lantern is going after the twins. Their demise was Dracula's own personal goal not ours. Why is their death so important?" she asks.
Azazel puts his hands behind his back as he walks slowly around the room, "It isn't. Alucard is a member of The Lantern and his father was a top ranking officer of our organization.
Do you think it wrong to support Alucard's vendetta?" he asks.
Alex swallows her saliva before she answers, "No sir. I am just curious why all of a sudden you are interested in them. Dracula has been after them and every other bastard he created and you never once seemed to care but now you do. After his death," she says.
Azazel is close to her and he stretches his hand to touch her face but it phases through, he smiles as he looks into her eyes, "You seem to be quite deaf vampire. They killed a high ranking official and you expect me to let it slide?
Do you think this organization has strived for centuries because we minded our business when those around us were killed?
Every high ranking official here is a representation of The Lantern and we will not be ridiculed by a bunch of bastards that don't know their place," he says and turns away to continue is walk around the room.
"Dracula never wanted The Lantern's help in his personal affairs and yet we sent Warren Peace who was a tad useful in leading the twins to him, everything was going smoothly until your master, Vlad Dracula Tepes decided that he wanted to resurrect the devil," Azazel says.
"If he had let us help more he would have known that it never would have worked and Lucifer was only tricking him into his death. A fallen can never harness a physical body that easily, I should know. My father, Azazel the first, was a fallen after all," he says.
He pauses a bit before he continues, "The twins aren't important to us but the least we can do is assist Alucard in his vendetta and hope that he doesn't fail, like his father" he says.
They are quiet for a bit as Alex feels an unease in asking her next question, "What is it?" Azazel asks, "There is a shaman, a witch called Ororo. She knows you," "And I know her, don't worry about Ororo. She is not a problem," Azazel says and vanishes into a bright light that the crystal ball emits.
The room returns to its darkness, leaving Alex standing unsatisfied with Azazel's words.
"He said a lot but still, something doesn't feel right" she thinks.
She pulls out a book from her jacket and opens the first pages to reveal the name "Drago Morningstar,". She flips the pages which are empty but filled with writings that the eyes cannot see.
"Azazel," she says and the pages flip fast and stop, words begin to appear with familiar drawings of wings and demons.
"Azazel, the fallen angel," she mumbles.
ELSEWHERE
His heart beats slower by the minute, his eyes flutter like butterfly's wings and lips turn dry. Sweat drips down his face but his skin is as cold as ice. Rachael holds onto his hand, praying beneath her breath as her heart races like an excited dog but she isn't excited, not even in the slightest.
"His body is getting cool again," she says as he opens his eyes. He jerks and tries to push Amanda off but she holds him to the ground, "Are you trying to push me off?" she says as her eyes shine like the moon that hangs in the sky.
"Gabriel, something is wrong with Gabriel. I can feel death's stare on my brother," he screams, "Calm down Sammy. Gabriel is safe for now but you are right, death is glaring at him hard," Amanda says as she stands up from his body.
"What does that mean?" Rachael asks, "What is happening to Gabriel?" she asks, "Gabriel is safe. You don't need to stress yourself about it," "Don't tell me that.
I am stressed as fuck. I saw Gabriel die before my eyes and just now Samuel almost died right now. I have every right to be stressed, what the hell is going on?" Rachael says.
Her eyes are filled with anger and worry and her hands shake while her stare demand answers.
Samuel coughs as he sits up, he looks to Amanda and she shifts her eyes to Rachael.
She smells the worry she emits, she knows she won't stop until they tell her something.
"You should pipe it down, love. When they look at you like that then it is a secret they'd rather not share. Sphinxes are like that, always keeping their precious secrets to themselves," Elma says as she watches the little drama unfold.
Amanda sighs, "It doesn't really matter anyway. Gabriel's treasure has been taken," she says, "What does that mean?" Rachael asks, "It means we are his only hope if he is going to survive.
Once a sphinx's treasure is taken bad things happen especially to the sphinx," she says.
Samuel stands up and looks over the edge of the ship as the high mountain comes into a full view.
"We are here. Mount Nagas," he says.