Into the fields of Summer - 73. Aftermath 1

I slowly opened my eyes, and I found myself in the room Victor and I had been staying in while in August’s compound. I felt a light pounding on my head and I felt slightly warm. The window shutters were shut, but I could sense the sun was out. I moved a bit and I heard a deep unfamiliar voice ask “Is he awake?”

“Calm down and let me see” said a familiar voice, it was Leo. My best friend came to my side, sat on the bed and felt my head “good, your fever is breaking” he smiled at me.

I smiled back to Leo and the unknown voice made itself heard again “we need to talk to him” I shifted a bit and saw two unfamiliar guys in the room one was Southern European looking, the other was Asian.

“Give him some space will you?” Leo hissed at the guy. The Southern European guy had a military haircut, trimmed beard, and bronze skin, he was almost as muscular as August and most probably stood at 6’3. The asian guy on the other hand had an athletic build, handsome face, and a similar haircut to the other guy, he most likely wasn’t that much taller than me at 5’11. Both guys had their arms crossed standing a few feet from me.

“I can’t believe this guy took down Gustav” the European guy hissed.

“Well he did, and give him some god damn space will you!” Leo stood and met eye to eye with the guy.

My best friend has always been protective of me when I was down, and clearly at this point he didn’t care that he was staring down two very powerful vampires if my senses were correct.

The asian guy lightly grabbed the European guy’s shoulder and said “let’s give them a moment, Pavlos” the guy gave me one more deep inspecting look before he turned his back while the Asian guy smiled towards me and both guys made their way out of the room.

“Who were those guys?” I asked Leo, as I scooted up the bed.

“Stratos, those were Pavlos and Kazu” Leo hissed.

“Where’s Victor?” I asked, rubbing my forehead as if to alleviate the headache that I had.

“He’s out with August, they’re covering up the mess the rogues left behind”

Then I started to remember what happened. “Shit” I muttered, then I looked at Leo “they took a lot of innocent lives” I whispered as a tear fell from my left eye, which my best friend wiped away for me.

“Yes, they did, but, you did good, you got rid of all of them” Leo smiled at me.

“How are our guys?” I asked.

“2 vampires and 1 werewolf agent were killed, 5 vampires and 2 werewolves seriously injured, the rest are fine aside from a few scrapes” Leo said, his smile now fading.

“I could have protected them” I looked away as more tears escaped from me.

“You did your best Chris” Leo went to the bed with me and hugged me. “How are you feeling?”

“Bad headache”

“You gave us quite a scare earlier when you fainted.”

“I did?”

“Yeah, your fever was very high a few hours ago, just when Stratos arrived, August and Victor explained to them what happened, but they wanted to talk to you first hand. I’ve been keeping them at bay while you slept”

“Thanks” I said to Leo.

“It’s the least I could do, I was so useless last night” It was Leo’s turn now to avert his gaze.

“Don’t say that” I said to him. I hugged him and then said “don’t worry, I know how you feel, you’ll get stronger I swear, and if it makes you feel better, you did well staring off with that Pavlos schmuck”

I grinned.

“Anything for you Chris” he grinned back.

“Believe me Leo, I’ll find a way...that pendant your wearing has made you stronger than you’ve realized, and never...ever...talk your self down okay?” I said to him.

“Well...when you’re out there turning people into dust, I can’t help but feel powerless” Leo laughed.

“Haha, well, I might teach you a spell or two on that” I said as I tapped and gripped his right shoulder.

“Are you sure you’re feeling better?”

“Yes, but I’m quite hungry though”

“Okay, I’ll have Arthur prepare something”

“Thanks...and uhm...dad?”

“We’ve given him an update and he’s worried sick, Victor however thought it be best for him to stay with Henry and not move around just in case there are still rogues hanging around”

“I should give him a call”

“Here” Leo said as he handed me my phone.

Leo left the room and I called my dad.

“Chris! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine dad, feeling better now, how are you?”

“We’re fine here, goodness, you gave us quite the scare” dad sighed from the other side of the phone.

“Or so I’ve been told” I snickered back at him.

For the next 15 minutes or so, dad gave me an update with what has happened so far. No other attack from the Blood Army occurred early in the morning aside from the one in August’s compound, but the attack surely put everyone in notice. August and Victor are busy organizing their agents to cover up the human deaths, some have been attributed to gas explosions, others to armed robbery, while some to freak car accidents. It was going to be a bloody night in Maryland in the news cycle tonight. However not all deaths will be made known just yet as a large spike in deaths might attract unwanted attention, several of the deaths will be released to the media gradually in the coming days. The human governor of Maryland had been notified and is clearly upset, however the ties between the Vampire Government and the State and Federal Government, remain strong for now. Just as I was about to hang up on dad, Arthur walked in with a tray of food, just some soup, home baked bread and juice.

“Thanks, Arthur” I smiled at the werewolf.

“I see you’re feeling better” he said.

“Yeah, just a bit of a headache but yeah, I’m better”

“Those Stratos guys outside are itching to talk to you, should I let them back in?” He asked.

“Sure” I replied.

“Okay, anything else you need?”

“No...thanks Arthur, and also...”

I paused and gripped his hand.

“Thanks for keeping Leo safe last night”

“Of course, anything for him, we love that guy” he smiled back.

With that he left me alone in the room.

I was barely 2 bites into my delicious bread when the the door opened and in came Pavlos and Kazu, both guys looking slightly intimidating in their leather vests.

“How may I help? I warmly asked the two vampires.

“We have some questions” Pavlos retorted as he took a chair near my bed while Kazu remained standing with an amused smile, Kazu was clearly loving the spectacle Pavlos was trying to make out of this.

“Do ask away” I replied.

“So...is it true you were the one that killed Gustav?”

“I believe you already know the answer to that” I smiled back.

“We have to hear it from you” Pavlos demanded.

I took a sip from my soup and a bite from my bread and then I replied “Yes, yes I did”

“The governor and the clan alpha were very firm in saying that, but you couldn’t blame us for doubting that, you after all...”

“Are human?” I asked.

“You look like one, don’t smell like one though” Pavlos replied.

“He doesn’t feel like one as well” Kazu chimed in.

“So...Victor and August didn’t share their memories with you guys? I expected that they had done so already as part of protocol, especially since there aren’t any rogues left for you to interrogate”

I said.

“Smart kid ” Kazu commented from the side. “I like him”

“Kazu...” Pavlos sneered.

“What? The kid is clearly right, we both saw it” Kazu replied not backing down from the slightly agitated Pavlos.

“What do you want to know?” I asked them.

“How?” Pavlos now said with his voice slightly lower than before.

I took another bite from my bread and asked “do you really have to know?”

“It’s essential that we know, Agatha Thorne is dead, and Former Stratos member Gustav is dead” Pavlos remarked.

“This will reach the High Council I assume?”

“They already know of the incident, but as to how Agatha and Gustav have fallen, not yet, that’s our job to find out”

“You’re putting me in a pinch here Pavlos, as I can’t reveal my identity and strength to more and more people, and certainly not yet to very old vampires” I explained.

“And why is that?”

“I’ll tell you both the truth, if you both help me bend the truth a bit in your reports” I smiled.

“We value our honor, and our loyalty lies with the High Council” Pavlos replied.

“If you report what I’m about to tell you, I’d be more than happy to bend your memories myself” I coldly stared back at Pavlos.

“You wouldn’t...I mean...you can’t” he laughed a bit.

“I sense he’s serious Pav...” Kazu warned.

“Kazu...you can’t believe him, we both know what Crescent Councilor August and Governor Victor gave us in their memories is a bunch load of crap, they just don’t want the High Council to know of any of their secret abilities, or maybe, they could be even working with the Blood Army for all we know” Pavlos remarked.

As Pavlos said that, I felt insulted, not for myself but for August and Victor, two of the most hard working guys I know, and both guys I dearly love as well. As those words were uttered, the air in the room immediately felt heavy, and the lights started to flicker.

Pavlos and Kazu started to gasp for air, Kazu gave me a quizzical look while Pavlos was in a bit more of a shock as he barely had any air going into his lungs despite how hard he tried to breathe.

“Don’t you dare insult them!”

I sneered at Pavlos.

Then I stopped the magical enhancement I've done and everything went back to normal. Kazu was rubbing his chest while Pavlos heaved.

“I told you he was serious” Kazu said to Pavlos.

“He’s a fucking human...“ Pavlos said.

“How can you be so fucking blind Pavlos... can a human really do what he just did?! You’re a member of Stratos and he didn’t even flinch or move a single bone from his bed and he left us both gasping for air!” Kazu exclaimed.

Pavlos looked at Kazu and then back at me, he collected himself and then sat back on the chair.

“So...it really is true then?” He asked me.

“What is?”I asked back.

“You killed Gustav?”

“Yes...I had to...he was a threat...a very big threat to all of us”

“The images...the memories from the Crescent Councilor and the Governor...untampered?” He asked.

“I can’t answer for them...but if you mean this” I said as I shot him my own recollection of last night’s events. He took a few seconds to take it all in, and I smiled back and said “if you meant that...then by all means it’s untampered”

“What the fuck...”

“Chris... we do have to explain this to the High Council...” Kazu interjected.

“Just be as vague as possible if you can, I’d owe you both dearly if you helped hide this for a bit longer” I smiled back at them.

Pavlos calmed a bit down, and stood and approached me. “I believe, we’ve started on the wrong foot, let’s start anew shall we?” He asked as he offered his hand for a shake which I gladly accepted. Kazu wasn’t far behind in offering his hand.

“Dear lord...you and the Governor make quite the pair...both powerful...and I have a feeling both your influence and mark in the Vampire world will only grow as time passes” Kazu said.

“We just want to keep the peace” I replied.

“Believe me...we all do, but the High Council has high hopes for the Governor, he’s not one to miss” Pavlos said as both he and Kazu made their way out of the room.

Just before dinner, Victor and August with several of their agents made it back home. Victor immediately rushed to our room to check on me.

“Good! You’re awake! You had me worried”

“Well...waking up to Leo beside me did comfort me a bit” I teased Victor.

Victor felt my head and body all over, “good...your fever’s gone...”

He observed. Victor brushed my hair a bit and gave me a soft kiss on the lips.

“How was your day?” I asked.

“Exhausting...but we’ve covered all our bases, no leakage to the general public for now” He replied.

“Hmm...well...we’ll take some comfort in that” I said. And after a short pause, I asked “any news with the Blood Army?”

“None...no movement at all”

“And what of the Stratos members that are in the compound now?” I asked.

“You’ve met Pavlos, huh?”

“Oh...I have” I gave Victor a mischievous smile.

“Oh...what did you do?”

“Took his breath away... literally”

“Chris!” Victor said playfully smacking my thigh.

“What? He was being all aggressive and interrogative...” I giggled a bit.

“So...would you need to tweak his memories?”

“I don’t think so... he’s on our side for now” I reassured Victor.

“Good...cause I dreaded having their memories tweaked, if the High Council discovered such an act...well...”

“Well what?” I curiously asked.

“I dunno...actually...it hasn’t happened before, since no one has ever dared” Victor laughed a bit.

“So...dinner in a few?” He asked.

“Sure...then...I’ll have to visit Patri again, I haven’t seen them for quite some time, we need answers regarding what Gustav pulled on us”

“Yes...that was a shit show” Victor remarked.

“Got a clue what he turned into?”

I asked.

“Not a single one, August is clueless as well... I’ll ask Luca about it but I doubt he’ll give us any leads, he hasn’t mentioned such creatures to me before”

“Let’s hope Patri can shed some light then”

“Yes...he totally caught us off guard, and to be able to kill Agatha that easily... shit! That was totally unexpected” Victor remarked.

“Yeah...he was quite resistant to my magic as well.”

“Hmm...speaking of which” Victor paused, moved closer to me, gave me a hug and now...a more romantic kiss. “Thank you”

“What for?”

“For saving all of us” he said as he caressed my face.

Over dinner, we were complete again, August, Leo, Victor and myself, joined by Cage, Fred, the twins, Terrence, Olson, and Nick.

Olson had bandages all over his chest as he had a few cracked ribs, but with his vampire healing abilities, he’s expected to fully recover by sunset tomorrow. We were also joined by Kazu and Pavlos.

“Where’s the other 2 Stratos agents?” I asked, remembering that there were suppose to be 4 of them together with 6 associates.

“They’re off around District 4 and 5 trying to trace any remaining remnants of the Blood Army” Kazu replied.

“Ah...I see”

Arnold and Arthur with the help of our culinarily inclined agents prepared quite a sumptuous dinner. Baked Chicken, mashed potato, Pork chops, salads, and Beef stew. Home made mango ice cream was prepared as well.

We all had a decent conversation over dinner, only a little was discussed about the attack and we all instead decided to get to know more about each other.

Victor and I excused ourselves to our room after dinner, as we both wanted to rest. He and I took a 30 minute nap in each other’s arms before I kissed him good bye, as I needed to check things out with Patri.

With a nudge at the barrier separating both realms, I disappeared in front of Victor and found myself in one of the study rooms in the palace.

I expanded my senses and found Patri and Uncle Selvenus eating their breakfast in the room next door. I knocked and I opened the door and let myself in.

“Chris!” My uncle greeted as he stood from the table and hugged me.

“It’s been quite awhile” Patri said as he gave me a hug as well.

“Yeah...we ran into some trouble”

I answered.

Patri and my uncle furrowed their eyebrows, as if to ask for more information.

“There has been a complication of some sort, and it’s left us all confused, we need answers Patri” I said.

“What is it?” Patri asked.

I then explained to my uncle and my grandfather what transpired in the battle. I also shared them my memories of what happened in case I missed anything.

“And this creature scratched you?” Patri said with worry in his voice.

“Yes...” I answered. And just as I said that, I winced again in pain and grabbed the area where I was scratched by the reptilian version of Gustav.

“We need to bring you to a healer” Patri remarked. “This is urgent Chris” Patri has a certain edge of worry in his voice.

“What’s the matter? I feel fine.”

“No you don’t” Patri retorted. and then asked me. “Answer me honestly...did you faint or have any fever recently? Or feel unwell in general?”

“Yes...but aside from a mild headache... I’m alright now” I smiled back, I didn’t know what the fuss was all about.

“Selvenus...call the Master Healer...now!” Patri said with urgency.

“Yes father” my uncle answered as he left the room. Which I could only assume to have this Master Healer brought to me.

“What’s the matter, Patri?” I asked, my head was now throbbing a bit and the scar left by the scratch started to tingle as well.

And before Patri could answer my question, I started to feel dizzy again and then everything went dark.

And as I was consumed by darkness...my mind was filled with nothing but the screams of people in pain and dying in front of me. At first, I was alone in the dark void, then slowly, I found myself in an old medieval town, it was burning! Houses were on fire, people in panic were running around, hysterical; there were dead people of the streets, babies and children crying around me. And just as I was to make sense of my surrounding, it went dark again, then the screaming and cries started again, it was now different, I was now in a castle under siege, the smell of rot permeated the air, and I could basically smell death, however when I looked out on the besieging army, it wasn’t the army I was expecting, it was the army of the undead, some were still eating their hearts content on the humans they’ve captured, from the elderly to the children, the sight of which made me vomit. The cries never stopped, I was confused, where am I? Then it all went dark again.

Then it hit me. Fuck, I’m having a nightmare, and it seemed to have no end in sight and despite my awareness of being in these dreadful dreams, I seemed to not be able to will myself awake.