CHAPTER ONE

 

 

 

 

    Excitement mixed with a little trepidation was the order of the morning in Dracula’s penthouse in New York City. In a couple of days Jenny, Allison, Moon Diamond and the Master were all off to Egypt to explore the Great Pyramid, or more importantly a second pyramid that they had discovered beneath Khufu. Dracula liked nothing better than venturing into the unknown, after all finding new things was difficult and added spice to life. The Egyptian government had agreed to the second excursion because of losing two of their men to deadly devices; they had never seen so many traps. And so it was preferable to have a vampire take the risks as long as the regime reaped the rewards.  Jenny talked to a sorcerer in Egypt and heard a legend that no one had believed before now, not only of a pyramid beneath the Great Pyramid, but that it contained a mighty book of spells that Jenny was excited about.  She had had colorful dreams about it.

    Such a book belonged with a white sorcerer, for in the wrong hands the world could suffer dearly should the tome be used for nefarious purposes. Jenny thought there was more than enough evil in the world without having some crazy wizard getting his hands on such a powerful book.

    It was a bit of a magical morning in New York City, at least visually, large snowflakes were falling past Dracula’s penthouse window, slowly drifting without the aid of much wind. He could see Moon Diamond wiggling his butt, preparing for the attack before suddenly launching himself into the window, a rude awakening for Zacharia, who had been sound asleep inside the feline. If the cat hadn’t held back its vampire strength, it would have been a long way down until the splat. Zacharia was an ancient vampire trapped inside the cat; he had loved Moon Diamond so much that he had kept him alive with enchantment, using a piece of his soul. But when a gang of vampires killed Zacharia something incredible happened, his soul jumped inside the feline, and as he now had no body to enclose his spirit he was imprisoned in the cat. Such an improbable state brought with it many problems, both physically and mentally.

    Moon Diamond again jumped in the window as did the other four kittens, thump, thump, thump, and thump. Although the kittens were three years of age, they appeared to be more like five months old. No one knew how long they would live, having qualities of a vampire, including strength and speed. The result of Moon Diamond mating with a bobtail. Zacharia awoke once again with a start, still tired, having read late into the night. He felt everything that the Siamese did, even when Moon Diamond had mated and produced those very special kittens. And oh how Dracula had laughed.  It was a horrible indignity for an ancient vampire that had earned much respect over the centuries, but now, for most purposes, he was a cat.

    Dracula laughed his booming laugh, making the kittens run out of the living room as if their tails were on fire, sliding nicely across the slick, shiny floor. He heard a crash from in the kitchen; of course they had knocked something down, sounded like the ladle that had been hanging over the sink. It was nothing for them to jump twenty feet in the air and one could talk, mind to mind, with the Master and Moon Diamond too.  

    Ming Meow, the only female of the litter, blurred back into the living room and jumped on Moon Diamond biting his ears. Father, want fish.

    I don’t want any fish, Moon Diamond replied from inside the cat.

    No. Ming had to think carefully about what she wanted to say, this language thing was confusing at times. No, I want fish.

    Do I look like I have any fish?

    Moon Diamond lay down and went to sleep, subsequently Zacharia was in charge of the feline body and was fully awake. He loved to dream of being back in his vampire form wielding his sword; the reality that he would never be able to do it again was disturbing on many levels, quite depressing. He would part with millions to be able to hold a sword in his hand once again.

    Down at street level, there were Yellow taxis everywhere. Traffic was brisk on this Friday morning, and so many people were walking it looked like some sort of migration. The Master stared down from his apartment loft at the shadows of the traffic far below, happy to be back with his family and not nearly as depressed as he had been. Not an easy thing to accomplish when one had lived so long.

    Fifteen-year-old Jenny couldn’t wait to go back to Egypt, looking forward to spending more time searching through the pyramid with her family, even though Egypt was in transition. A dangerous place to be for a regular tourist, but Jenny and her father Dracula didn’t exactly fit into that category. The king of vampires and a wizard were a formidable team and not be an easy target for anyone.

    “That’s the last suitcase,” said Allison. Her mother was also eager to visit the pyramids, having only been in the United States and Canada it was the adventure of a lifetime. And now that she knew they had discovered another pyramid under the Great Pyramid of Giza she couldn’t wait. Allison was pregnant but less than two months along, so she was ready and willing to tackle the adventure.

    Jenny walked by with a towel on her head, stopped and stared at her father as he looked out the window. She had white-blonde hair and the prettiest green eyes.  “What do you see?”

    “Jenny you do know that I am a trillionaire? And that when I perish it will all be yours.”

    Jenny was annoyed because she knew what he was up to on this snowy morning. “First of all Father no one is a trillionaire. And second you are over a thousand years old and for all I know you will live forever.”

    There was a booming laugh, and he knew he was irritating her. “All yours.”

    “Mother will you please make him stop laughing! That is not even funny!”

    “Dracula stop teasing her. She’s a teenager now and they can be very temperamental.”

     Dracula blurred and sat on the white leather sofa so fast that humans eyes were only able to see a blur with no distinct detail. Jenny threw her towel at him, but he moved so fast that he was suddenly on the other end of the sofa as the towel dropped to the empty cushion.

    “Do you want me to hit you with a ball of fire?”

    “Best you don’t because you don’t have any money to purchase another.”

    Jenny thought that Dracula looked a little like Misha Collins, the handsome fellow that played Castiel on Supernatural, but she would never tell him that. Having Dracula for a father was problematic, now most of the boys at school wouldn’t even look at her and even some of the girls were afraid to have her as a friend. But she had finally managed to find one, and now she had to tell him that she was going to be in Egypt for at least a month.

    They were going to head deeper into the pyramid this time; Jenny and Dracula had discovered another hidden chamber that went directly under the Great Pyramid of Giza, also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops. Jenny thought that it was so delightful to go down there again and explore, an entire section existed that they weren’t able to get to on their last trip. Jenny had formulated a new spell and hoped it would get them beyond the blockage. Only Heaven knew what treasures they would discover, might even find a new king or two. History for the taking, though no one had any preconceived ideas that it would be easy.

    Jenny little brother Drake wasn’t going this time. He was taken care of by a friend of Dracula’s even though he was also a little wizard he was deemed too young to bring along on such a dangerous trip.

    The doorbell rang, and Jenny froze; it was Jack Laden come to pick her up and take her to a movie, but she wasn’t near being ready. “I have to get dressed! Not a word out of you!”

    Dracula nodded. “Not a single word.”

    “And don’t be weird!” She ran off to get dressed.

    Allison let fourteen-year-old Jack in, who was quite a handsome young fellow with blond hair and blue eyes. She invited him to have a seat on the sofa on the opposite end from the vampire. “She’ll be down soon, you know how woman are. Well, you will.”

    Jack shook his bangs to the side as he slowly turned his head, thinking that the big guy beside him looked familiar. He wore suit pants and a white shirt and tie and a stylish blue winter coat. His mouth opened as his pupils expanded. The big guy sitting next to him couldn’t be Dracula? Or were the rumors factual that Dracula, the king of all vampires was her father? “Are, are, are you Dracula?”

    “I, I, I am.”

    From Jack’s point-of-view, the silence was awkward but from Dracula’s it was amusing. He could hear the child’s heart banging. He was a little surprised that he hadn’t bolted; maybe there was some courage in this one. He went into the kid’s mind, stacked some boxes and then knocked them over just for effect.

    “What was that noise?” said Jack.

    “I didn’t hear anything.”

    “You’re not going to turn me into a vampire are you?” He had the desire to run but, of course, there was no outrunning a vampire so what would be the point. He had never been this scared.

    “Do you want me to transform you into a vampire?”

    “Hell no.”

    “Then I shall control the urge though it shall be difficult.”

    The boy laughed a funny little nervous laugh, hoping that it would let the vampire know that he knew he was just joking, or at least he desperately hoped he was.

    Allison got her Kindle off the coffee table. “Don’t tease the boy you’ll give him nightmares.” And then she disappeared down the hall.

    Jack commenced scratching the back of his neck vigorously, something he did when he was nervous. It was hard to believe that he was sitting beside Dracula.

   “Do you have fleas, young man?”

    “I don’t think so.”

     “You don’t know?”

    “No.” He watched as the Siamese kitten Ming Meow ran in carrying a large piece of Salmon, jumped twenty feet in the air with it and the fish landed with a splat. “Holy! What’s wrong with that cat?”

    “She’s a vampire.”

    Jack scratched some more. “You turned a cat into a vampire? Cool.”

    “Yes, her blood had a fish taste to it.”

    Jack was trying to process it all and had the most puzzled look of his young life. He had never seen a cat jump so high; he must be telling the truth. Ming climbed the wall, across the ceiling and disappeared into the other room. “Holy shit that is a vampire cat! So if the cat bites someone would he turn into a vampire or a cat? I guess that’s stupid.”

    “Now that is an interesting question. Would you like to volunteer?”

    “No, way!” Jack looked at his expensive Hamilton watch.

    “Do you need to be somewhere else young man?”

    “I’m starting to think so.”

     “So you would abandon my daughter just like that.” Dracula snapped his fingers louder than anyone ever had.

    “Oh no, no, no, no! It’s just that you make me nervous.”

    Dracula finally turned at stared at him. “What are your intentions with my daughter?”

    “No intentions, nothing at all.”

      A slight nod from the Master. “Don’t you intend on taking her to a movie?”

    Jack hesitated. “Yes?”

     “And then what will you do?”

    “Watch a movie?”

    “And what will you do if my daughter tries to kiss you?”

    What would be the smart thing to say? “I’ll do whatever you want me to do. So what should I do if Jenny tries to kiss me?”

    Dracula thought that was a smart response and was starting to like this kid. “I supposed you’d have to kiss her, couldn’t just leave her hanging.”

     Jack shrugged. “I guess. It’s up to you.” The boy realized how asinine that sounded, but it was too late the words were already out.

    Luckily they were both saved by the appearance of Jenny as Ming flew across the floor so fast that the kitten was a blur, literally.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER TWO

 

 

 

 

 

     Inside a secret chamber in the pyramid of Khufu in Egypt, Ashera Drach held a circular rock, etched with spells that were capable of divination. It was carved by a sorcerer more than a thousand years ago, and she had had a difficult time digging it out of a small hidden chamber within Khufu. It was slightly less than a throwing disk and almost as heavy as iron. The green stone, speckled with red and gold flakes, held another rock inside it that floated. In its center was a glowing Bloodstone, also rounded. The Bloodstone did not directly touch the rock around it as a powerful spell held it in place, floating inside the larger stone. Exactly eighty-one small holes were punched into the rock; blood had filled all at different points in time. It had been guarded by a magical snake that spit poison through its invisible shield.

    Ashera, a nasty witch, had beautiful brown skin and long dark hair past her knees. She had extraordinary brown eyes; the striations in her eyes were like an expensive gem, the result of playing with magic for so long. It was cold in the chamber, just the way she liked it. She kept a large part of the wall covered in ice, launching her frosty magic on a daily basis to coat it. Some called her the ice queen of the desert if they survived to call her anything at all.

    Ashera was a witch, beautiful brown skin and dark hair with the most extraordinary brown eyes, the exceptional striations in her eyes like an expensive gem. And although she was forty she could easily pass for two decades younger, such was the spell that she had created to keep her face young looking. It was past midnight when the stone emitted a sweet musky scent of cinnamon and waking her from a sound sleep. It did so occasionally to notify her that it had found something that would hold her interest, and her olfactory senses were trained to detect the smell. As she entered the main chamber off her bedroom, the rock floated six inches over her desk with excitement, wanting her blood for a job well done.

    “Yes, yes I smell it.” She was wearing a dark purple robe and carried a lit candle as she approached. “What have you discovered? If you want a taste of my blood, this better be good.”

    An image of a beautiful young girl appeared within the bloodstone. She gazed at her but couldn't recollect the adolescent face. “Yes I see her but who the hell is she?”

    The Bloodstone formed a word out of smoke; Jenny materialized and then the wisps vanished. The soul inside the enchanted item remained anxious.

   The witch was neither impressed nor amused. “You wake me for this? I should break you in two!”

    Dracula’s daughter.

    Ashera wiped the sleep out of her eyes. She wondered what she had to do with anything? She was aware that she was a white witch, and could at times feel her energy across the vast ocean. “That is interesting, but you could have waited until morning to tell me.”

    She’s a wizard.

    “I know that you imbecile. And woman are not wizards, their witches.”  

    She’s a wizard.

    Ashera poured herself a cup of Gyokuro green tea, heated it with a spark from her finger and slowly sipping it, savoring its flavor. “So she’s a wizard. Why should that grab my interest? You should choose your next words wisely.”

    She pursues the book.

    It was as if someone had grabbed her by the throat. “She seeks the book of Solorah?”

    Yes and she WILL discover it.

   She smashed her fist on the table making the silver spoon jump. “You can tell me that she will find the book, but you still can’t tell me the books location?”

    Regrettably.

    Ashera strummed her fingers on the table as she thought. Most magic had limitations, but she needed to get her hands on that book; she could mold the world into what she wanted with such powerful magic. Control anyone like a puppet on a string. And supposedly it contained secrets beyond imagining.

    She comes to Egypt to find the book.

     “What? The book is here?”

    Apparently.

    That brought a smile to her face, the biggest one in weeks. Could it be true?  “She finds the book; I kill the girl, and all will live happily ever after. Well, I will at least. And maybe you too. That is good news.”

    Dracula is her father.

    “You already said that.  I must prepare some serious enchantments. He’s not one to be trifled with that’s for sure.”

    Blood?

    Ashera went over to a shelf and removed a vial of her blood, poured it on the bloodstone and watched as it vibrated with ecstasy, taking it several minutes to absorb all of it. Such joy as if an addict had just received his shot of meth “You did well.”

    A tiny puff of smoke formed into a smile.

    The raven flapped its wings from its perch.

    “Don’t you start.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER THREE

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Alexander, young and handsome with thick black hair, a muscular body; one of the six legendary red sheriffs. He carried a katana sword that he could pull faster than a bullet leaving a gun and sometimes he also carried a Glock 40. He stood just outside the warehouse door listening. His German shepherd Tessie sitting patiently by his side; he was a vampire as all red sheriffs were; Dracula had transformed him to help keep the criminal vampires in line as only another vampire could. The canine playfully and repeatedly extracting and retracting her vampire teeth. She was more than a match for most vampires and helped Alexander take care of the criminals. The Master had gotten word that a terrorist cell was operating in New York, although he usually left humans to handle crimes committed by regular people, these assholes were different. And so he dispatched Alexander to kill them, but first to gather as much information as possible before doing so.

    There were four of them inside, two white men and two black; one had a Middle Eastern accent. They were all wearing suits, perhaps they thought it made them look like businessmen off to some important meeting instead of planning their evil deeds. They had a dirty bomb and were having a difference of opinion about where to detonate it. One wanted to put it outside Grand Central Station, the other insisted it be placed outside Madison Square Garden and set it off just as the crowd was getting out. Even though Alexander was about a hundred yards away he could hear every word they were saying, and that the bomb was, in fact, ready.  All they had to do was insert the key and a red light would come on, press the green button and an hour later boom. They weren’t sufficiently smart to have created the bomb; someone named Miksa was responsible, but neither the FBI nor the sheriff’s personal contacts had ever heard of him.

    Their laughter aggravated the sheriff on multiple levels that they were so joyful in their hope of killing so many, even the dog showed her teeth at their cackles. Tessy’s low growl was anticipating how she was going to tear into them. It was unfortunate, but some people deserved to be eaten by a dog, not that she would actually eat them, at least not all of them.

    Alexander blurred past the open doorway of the abandoned factory that been empty for several years, and not even the homeless were in the area and so they felt safe. One of them thought he might have seen something and so headed for the door carrying his UZI submachine guy. He thought it was likely the excitement and the fear of not wanting to be caught at this point. But he needed to urinate. Falcon stuck his head out the doorway and the vampire grabbed him so fast it was only a biter that could manage such speed.  His neck snapped instantly severing his spine before Alexander ripped his head off. The sheriff had caught the head before it bounced, laying the body down silently where Tessy urinated on it.

    The sheriff needed the terrorists to step away from the bomb so that they wouldn’t be able to set it off, allowing him to go in and kill the others. When they thought that too much time had elapsed the three remaining headed for the door that Falcon had exited, allowing the German Shepherd time to enter through a side door and approach behind them. Alexander stepped into the doorway and Hamzah opened fire with his Uzi, but he easily got out of the way of the bullets. The two others turned, wanting to run to the bomb and set it off but the dog was now its defender; she lunged and ripped one’s throat out.  The other she chewed through his torso killing him.

    The bomb was safe and a call to the FBI would have them secure the area. Before they arrived, the sheriff went through their belonging and their cell phones. He was surprised to see several photos of Dracula’s daughter Jenny. What were their intentions for the girl? He knew they were in Egypt, but this needed to be brought to Dracula’s attention nevertheless.