Passing the Torch (Dubois Chronicles 1.28)
DJ Dubois
Originally Written September 1987; Revised
December 2005
Notes: Smallville belongs to DC and the WB. The
characters from Xena Warrior Princess belong to StudiosUSA and MCA. The
characters from Mutant X belong to Marvel Studios and Tribune. All other
characters belong to me. Please send comments to
dante0220@yahoo.com .
Introduction [Amazon Village, c. 90 AD]
Gabrielle, Bard-Queen of the Amazons, writes….
During the season following their return from the
western sea, David and Karen worked hard and enjoyed the remainder of their
final year at the “upper academy” with their friends. He also continued to do
well in the games, winning his superior’s confidence.
But the time was coming…with leaving means one
must prepare to divest of those things one cares about most. The first thing was
the ‘newspaper’. In preparing to write this scroll, I talked with Chloe about
the nature of an ‘editorship’ and what it means to have that stewardship.
Secondly, leaving one life means preparing for the
future. Heeding the goddess’ wishes from their dreamscape, the teens made
preparations to survive their time apart. For David, especially, it would have
been difficult. That is, if it hadn’t been for Pauline showing him a part of his
heritage. What we now take for granted—his ability to use the mists for
transportation—he was astounded at and had trouble doing so at first before
mastering it.
Lastly, even as one leaves…dangers follow. Even
with Lichtenfeld’s imprisonment, a shadow continued to pursue David and his
friends. As we’ve seen, the Child stood between them and this latest ‘dark
being’—a cloaked spiritual emissary for Dahak. Soon after, she would test the
young ones. For then though, she taught someone close to them a painful lesson
in humility.
Chapter 1 [Mid-April, 1983—Two months after
“Hawaiian Paradise”]
[McKnight Field, Amherst]
Dave looked in at Charles who squatted behind the
plate. Getting the sign, he nodded and threw the slider right by the Westfield
hitter, wrapping up a 4-3 win for Amherst. “Yes!”
The catcher ran over to the mound just beating
Garth in the process. “Good job, Dave.”
“We’re in the playoffs!” Garth announced.
“Thanks for the reminder,” Dave replied. Granted
he was elated too but he didn’t want to show up the Westfield hitters. I
remember how MPU did it to me. I won’t do it to anyone else! “In the meantime,
Charles, we need to chart the next team we face.”
“As soon as the pairings are announced,” Charles
indicated. “Let’s figure out what the situation is first, all right?”
“Right.” Just then, he saw Steve walking over with
his pad in hand. “Sports editor looking for the scoop.”
“Oh brother!” Garth cracked.
“I heard that, Singleton,” Steve retorted with a
smirk on his face. “So how did you guys feel about clinching the league here?”
“A win is a win, Steve,” Dave noted. “But I have
to admit that it’s a little special doing it in front of our classmates.” He
allowed a smile on his face. “We clinched?”
“Ware beat Ludlow 3-1. Nancy called the Knight’s
office to let us know,” Steve informed him.
With all of the opposition players out of sight,
Dave pumped his fist. “YES! No tiebreaker!” He and the others knew that Amherst
and Ludlow had been tied in the league standings at 14-3 going into that
afternoon. By winning, they avoided an extra game.
“Any word on seedings?” Garth asked.
“We’ll have to wait to see how everyone else did.
I’d say by tomorrow we’ll know,” Steve supposed. “Any other thoughts on beating
Westfield?”
“They’re a great team,” Charles noted. “We were
lucky.”
“We stuck together,” Garth added. “Together, we
did the job.”
Steve rolled his eyes at the rhetoric but
scribbled it down. “Rah-rah-rah.”
“Dangers of interviewing reporters, Steve,” Dave
chuckled.
“Don’t remind me.” Steve closed his notepad.
“Express later. We’ll celebrate.”
“Right. Meantime, Karen’s waiting at home for you,
Dave. College stuff again,” Charles reminded him.
“Right. That,” Dave acknowledged. After their
return from Hawaii, they had discussed the situation. From time to time, Pauline
had spoken with them about the situation. The “western desert” in question would
be Tucson, Arizona. “She was expecting a response from that school any day now.”
Turning to his catcher, he added, “Let’s get this over with.”
“Lead on,” Charles agreed.
****
[Alvarez House—ten minutes later]
Karen hung up the phone and sighed. This is crazy.
How can Dave and I keep our relationship being this far apart? She shook her
head while running her fingers through her hair. Granted, she had enjoyed her
visit to the campus and everyone she had met down there. I wish he didn’t have
all of whatever business is keeping him here! She frowned and signed the
acceptance form.
“Are you sure?” her father asked with concern.
“Shouldn’t you talk with Dave about this first?”
“He knows why we have to do it this way. Don’t
worry, Daddy. Nothing’s changed with us,” she asserted.
“If you say so. We can’t be flying you both back
and forth. And once Lillian’s gone, I doubt her husband will be helping any
more,” he replied.
That’s fine with us! She winced while recalling
everything that man had done to her boyfriend. He can slink back under his rock
and leave us alone! “It’ll work out.” Just then, she saw Dave and Charles enter
the house. “Hi! Sorry I missed it.”
“Finalizing things?” Dave wondered.
“They want me to mail the papers tonight,” she
informed them. “I wish things could be different.”
“You know they have to play out like this. We’ll
figure something out,” he agreed while hugging her closely. “At least U-Mass is
giving me an academic scholarship.”
“Too bad their bullpen’s full,” Charles lamented.
“Their loss. I have enough to focus on next year.
The sooner I finish whatever my task is here, I can transfer out there,” Dave
responded.
“It can’t be the house. You dealt with that,” Dr.
Alvarez supposed.
“The house is dealt with for now. No, this is
something bigger than that. There’s something out there—just out of sight. I
felt it in Smallville and in Hawaii back in February. Karen, don’t be stupid,
all right? Watch yourself,” Dave revealed.
“You know I will,” she agreed. “Meantime, you’re
driving, Chief. On the way, I need to drop this off at the post office on our
way to Peggy’s. April’s taking Garth so we should be set.”
“Just let me shower and change,” Dave agreed,
rushing up the stairs.
She glanced at her watch and shook her head. Make
it quick!
Chapter 2 [Ludlow—Masters’ House—an hour later]
After a very quick shower and change of clothes,
Dave drove them in good time to Peggy’s house, making it there and to the post
office in just under forty-five minutes. “We’re five minutes early.”
“Glad to hear it. You don’t want to keep them
waiting, do you?” Karen retorted albeit more sharply than she meant to. She
rubbed her forehead. “Sorry, I didn’t mean….”
“It’s okay. I know we’re both stressed over this
separation business,” he assured her.
She smiled at him. “Thanks, Dave. I appreciate
it.” She kissed his cheek. “Come on.”
He nodded and followed her to the door.
Just as they got there, Peggy opened it. “Hi,
guys. Everyone’s here.”
“I thought we had another five minutes?” he asked.
Peggy rolled her eyes. “Dave, we’re not going to
worry about a minute here or there. You’re fine and yes, you’re early.” She led
them to her living room where the others were waiting.
“Hey, Dave, what took you so long?” Garth jabbed.
“Cute,” Dave retorted sarcastically while scanning
the room. In addition to the Amherst quartet, Nancy, Ally and Danny sat on the
couch. In the corner, Rick Duke sat with a blonde haired girl. “Hey, everyone!”
“Good to see you too, Dave,” Ally greeted warmly.
“Your buddies on the baseball team send their
regards,” Danny teased.
“As do the folks in Ware and Rowenshire,” Nancy
added pointedly. “I’ll be glad to get out of there next month!” She looked at
the two newcomers. “It’ll be great to be at Packet Place for the summer.”
“Anything to get someone out of that dark hell,”
Karen agreed. “Remember, Rick, my Dad’s offer is still open.”
“I’ll call him tomorrow,” Rick agreed. “Looks like
I’ll be joining you all.”
“Great!” Dave commented with a big smile on his
face.
“And I’ll be in Amherst all summer with April and
Garth,” Peggy noted. “Meantime, moving into next Fall, I guess we all have our
papers in for UMass next fall?” Seeing everyone nod except for Karen, she asked,
“You’re still going out west?”
“Call it destiny. Yeah, I am. Dave and I are going
to make this work,” she insisted.
“Count on it,” her boyfriend agreed. “At least,
she’ll be away from here. Admittedly, Gang, there is a higher reason for this
arrangement. Don’t ask me but it’s there.”
Involving the fairy lady or that goddess, I’m
sure. Turning to the others, Nancy explained, “When Dave says something like
that, I’ve learned to trust him.”
“We can talk about that next summer,” Rick agreed.
“By the way, everyone, this is Samantha Lincoln. She and I are at Scituate High
together.”
“Call me Sam. Pleased to meet you all. I have to
admit that I was nervous when Peggy called and invited me. Thanks for including
me,” Sam indicated.
“No problem. We can never have enough friends,”
Dave affirmed, shaking her hand. “Dave Dubois and this is my girlfriend, Karen
Alvarez.”
“Delighted,” Karen concurred. “Everyone else
introduce themselves?”
“We did it before you arrived,” Nancy informed
her. “We figured a welcome was a good thing. Besides, roommate requests are due
this week and that’s why we’re here. Everyone, get your forms out.” When they
all had, she added, “Let’s see: we have four guys and five gals. I guess we can
put down three choices in ranked order of who we would like as potential
roomies. If we get our stuff in by next week, we can choose the same dorm. How’s
that sound?”
“Any of us can drop these off tomorrow afternoon,”
April noted before she scribbled a few choices down on her sheet and signed it.
“There!”
“Same dorm?” Ally queried.
“They’re co-ed by floor. Guys on one floor; girls
on the other,” Garth explained while completing his form.
“We won’t be sharing showers, bathrooms or
anything,” Peggy added while putting her form in an envelope, sealing it and
signing her name across the back. “When you’re finished, put them in the
‘community envelope’. April, can you get these to Whitmore tomorrow?”
“Right after school,” her cousin promised. When
everyone’s envelope was in it, she took it. “We’ll have to plan something this
summer on the Cape.”
“Sounds great,” Dave agreed. Noting Karen’s sudden
moodiness, he squeezed her hand supportively and gave her a warm smile. “So how
about that coffee?”
“Coming up….” With that, Peggy went to get snacks
for her future dormmates and to get the conversation going.
****
[An hour later]
As they drove back up to Amherst, Dave looked over
at Karen, wanting to reassure her but in a way that wasn’t going to sound
sugarcoated.
“You can say it,” she indicated moodily. “I made
my choice now I need to deal with it.”
“You did great in there. I wasn’t going to tell
April and the others that I’m looking at this as a temporary thing. Nancy, Peggy
and Garth know that but I want this to work with them. I also want Garth as my
roommate. With the things that go bump in the night around us, he can deal with
it,” he mentioned.
“If the Ur-Witch shows up, Dave, it won’t matter.
If she’s anything like Lichtenfeld, she’ll hurt any of us to get to you. And
then, there’s your dark bodyguard. Imagine the reaction when they get a load of
it,” she informed him.
“Yeah. That’s the reason Peggy and I called that
meeting. Everyone in that room has had some experience with Lichtenfeld. Nancy
can help us get Rick up to speed if needed,” he explained.
“Dave, you might want to keep this as quiet as
possible. Remember those jerks who kidnapped you? I’m sure they would still want
a shot at you. And what about those people in and around Central Mass?” she
posed.
“I’m not saying that I want everyone to know. I
want a support system. Besides the profs and administration know anyhow,” he
argued. “The cemetery incident happened less than a mile from them.” He stopped
the car. “Besides if what Clarise LaMontaigne says about my bodyguard, if they
accept it, it will protect them. So far that’s the case. Let’s hope it stays
that way.” He took a deep breath. “I hate having to do this, you know. I want to
be with you.”
“I would never doubt that for a second,” she
reassured him. “We need to remember that I’m going on ahead to prep everything.
You take care of business and join me.”
“Karen, if what Laura, Clarise, Nick and I are
discovering is true, the Countess makes Lichtenfeld look like a sideshow magic
act. I know there’s a way. Somehow, the vampires know more than they’re telling
us. Besides, it’s no longer a case of ‘if’ anymore, it’s ‘when’,” he told her.
“What?”
“When I was in Smallville, I felt something
strange—kind of like Lichtenfeld—close to the Kents’ farm. It was also there in
Hawaii although I couldn’t exactly swear to that. We have to be ready in case.
This summer out on the Cape….” He cut himself off.
“Especially since the Atlantic is all that’s
between the cottage and her domain. You know, Dave, I really hated that you were
doing that research. Now I’m glad,” she realized.
“You are?” He looked at her with a puzzled
expression on his face.
She nodded. “You have probably as much info on
this ghost and what she is as any mortal person. We also have our friends. Maybe
we can talk to Ms. diCosta too?”
“What about your parents?”
“Who says they have to know? Dave, she can meet us
anywhere, right? Let’s ask her to talk to us about this at some point. Maybe at
Brother Tony’s church? I just wish we could trust that Dr. LaMontaigne,” she
suggested.
“It’s worth thinking about,” he agreed as they
kept going toward home.
Chapter 3 [Tucson—Samuelsohn Residence]
Meantime, all seemed quiet across the country in
the Tucson Foothills. Nestled against the Old Pueblo’s northern mountains and
under the clear starry sky, the district appeared normal on the surface.
Residents drove to eat and shop after finishing their day’s activities. Others
got together to socialize and have some fun.
One medium-sized hacienda remained set off from
the others, however. The colonial design was not the reason. If anything, that
helped it to blend in. Rather, the couple who inhabited it shied away from
attention except when it suited their purposes.
****
On the structure’s second floor, a dark haired man
fiddled with his glasses while examining a particularly difficult manuscript.
His brown eyes surveyed the parchment surface; his brow furrowed in
concentration. Ever since returning from Europe earlier that week, he had been
practically chained to that spot, stopping only when his wife insisted that he
eat/sleep/do necessary things.
Amazing! He frowned with concern. Before his
departure, his colleagues had insisted that ancient demonic worship was little
more than a relic of a millennium long gone. Between the document and his
companion’s wisdom, he knew differently. The followers of Dahak were in the
area!
“Tony, any progress?” a feminine voice wondered.
“Yes. Come in here!” he bade. “I found what we
suspected!”
Pauline joined him at the desk and analyzed the
parchment. After a couple of minutes, she asked, “Where did this come from?”
“Istanbul.” He pointed to the foot of the
document. “It reveals what the Church wanted hidden. The Countess had sought to
unite Dahak’s factions!”
“She made more progress than we had anticipated
before she was stopped,” she assessed. “Are you planning to contact Professor
LaMontaigne?”
He sighed. “I suppose I should. That woman gives
me a fright every time we see her. She knows things. It’s almost as if she was
in that woman’s skin.”
She shrugged. “She has engaged in her research as
you do, Tony. Don’t question the assistance that the goddess decides to give us.
In addition to her, others should know. David Dubois, for instance.”
He rolled his eyes. The academic community was in
an uproar over this upstart teenager’s quest to uncover the Countess’ family.
“He’s barely more than a boy! What can he know?”
She glared at him pointedly. “That ‘boy’ has
suffered much. What you have just realized, he’s known for over a decade. He is
the Accursed of Rowenshire.”
“As in the one that witch cursed in 1720?” That
piqued his interest. “He really is LaFontaine’s descendant?”
She replied matter of factly, “He is. Remember the
young lady we entertained here two weeks ago?”
“Karen Alvarez. Charming girl but hardly
relevant,” he assumed.
She slapped the side of her head. “She is one of
the biggest pieces to this puzzle! She is Dubois’ beloved! The university has
accepted her to start next semester.”
“And Dubois?”
“He has to stay in Amherst to deal with the
remaining threat. The Countess’ ghost roams the land once more. Soon, your
theory will be proven much to everyone’s sorrow. In that, the boy will sink into
darkness. It is our charge in part to insure that he doesn’t drown in it. In
fact, that brings me to what else I needed to tell you. I will be leaving
tomorrow morning and traveling the next few days,” she explained.
“Of course. The Dubois boy, I suppose?”
She nodded. “I need to reveal a hidden truth to
him. The mists.”
He frowned again. I wish she’d show me that!
“I only do so when I am instructed. Such is the
goddess’ way. You know that,” she countered grimly.
“You will call?” he requested.
“Yes.” She ground her teeth. While she hated
having to check in like a schoolgirl, she understood the outer people’s need for
security. He does that for me. I’ll just have to watch what I say. “Return to
your studies, Tony. When I return, I hope to have more for you to examine.” With
that, she left the area.
Isobel’s ghost has returned? Given what he had
read on the sorceress, he shuddered in spite of himself. How will one boy stand
against her and the followers?
Chapter 4
[Quebec City]
Clarise sat in her study, reading through Dave’s
full account. As she did, she sipped on the blood-merlot from the challis to her
left and admired the detail in front of her. He dug deeply indeed! With only a
mere mention of the Vendee events for this version, it did discuss the whole of
the New World events. Therese must be rolling over in her grave at this! She
thought to secrete herself from attention. At that, her mind flashed back…..
****
[Jamestown, Virginia—October 19, 1642]
Amidst the falling leaves of an overall wet and
chilly October, a stagecoach traveled as quickly as it could along the King’s
road. Its driver pushed the horses along both out of the surrounding chill and
his passenger, a lone mysterious nun from the north. Her refusals to have the
shades drawn left him wondering about her sanity. What kind of nun spends her
time in darkness?
Within the conveyance, Clarise meditated on her
state of affairs. Due to her condition, she needed protection from the sun and
the bottle in the bag at her side. In the thirty years since her ‘rebirth’, she
had maintained a delicate balance between her old and new lives. While needing
the vile blood to maintain this existence, she fed mainly on animals and the
sick, performing in effect a form of euthanasia for the latter’s benefit. Even
as she knew those acts constituted murder, she still held onto certain trappings
such as her current costuming, her Bible and the cross. While clasping these
items directly caused her pain, her continued faith protected her from the usual
ill effects associated with holy objects around her kind. Hearing three raps
from the ceiling, she peered cautiously out of a corner of the curtain to see
that the sun had set. “Merci, Monsieur!”
The driver called down, “We’re just coming into
Jamestown now, Sister Fontenaux! I asked at the last village about the Martin
residence. It was right where ye said it be. Hopefully, God will allow us to
reach it in time.”
“Yes. Hopefully,” she replied loudly.
****
[Martin Household—twenty minutes later]
As the driver promised, he pulled up outside of a
stately burgher’s home. Almost like the manors back in Europe, Thomas Martin had
used his earnings as a merchant to provide for his wife and their four children.
He stepped down from his perch and opened the
carriage door. “Madame, when should I return for ye?”
“Within the next few hours, Monsieur,” she
indicated. “My thanks.”
“Of course. I will be at the stables checking on
the horses. I know a blacksmith that will help me do so. Be back before
midnight,” he noted before departing.
She sighed. Best that he never suspects my true
nature. <“You have certainly done well enough for yourself, Therese. Your master
provided well for you at our expense.”> She walked up the cobblestone walk and
knocked at the front door.
An elderly servant opened the door. “Yes? Good
evening, Sister. What might I do for ye?”
“Is the Lady Clarissa home? I wish to see her,”
she requested.
“My mistress is very sick, Sister, almost to
death. I have sent for Brother William but strangely, he has not come. Can you
perform the Office?” he asked anxiously.
“I would speak to her on such matters,” she agreed
cryptically. “Tell her that Sister Clarise is here to see her.”
He nodded and rushed up the stairs. Three minutes
later, he returned. “Most curious, Sister, she refuses to see you.”
“Really?” She looked into his eyes. Using the
hypnosis that her adopted master had taught her, she commanded, “You are
mistaken. Your mistress wants to see me. She insists on it.”
“She…insists,” he complied. “Go…ahead. Up the
stairs, take a left and third door to your right.”
“Merci,” she expressed before ascending the
staircase and making her way to the door in question. <”Lord, be with me.”> With
that, she opened the door and entered the chamber to see a wardrobe on either
side of the room and a fine oak writing desk along the north wall. In the
center, a four post bed commanded attention. In it, an elderly woman comforted a
younger woman who kneeled alongside. “Bon Soir, Madame Martin.”
The ill woman stared incredulously at her.
<”Withers is a fool! I instructed him not to admit you!”>
“Mother? Who is this?” the woman inquired.
Shifting to English, she smirked at the visitor,
challenging her right to be there. “This, Dear, is Sister Clarise…an old
acquaintance from New France.” She coughed, holding a handkerchief to her mouth
as she did so. “Sister Clarise, my daughter, Isabel Martin.”
“Come a long way, have ye?” Isabel inquired.
“From Quebec directly, my child,” the nun replied
to her niece. “Word has it your mother will soon pass on. I wanted to speak with
her before the Lord claimed her.”
Isabel looked at the two women curiously. For some reason,
her mother never discussed her past with her or her brother. “If ye need me,
Mother, I shall be right outside.”
“It’s all right,” her mother noted. “Check on the
kitchen staff. We’ll be fine.” After Isabel left, she smiled. “So much like
Mama, isn’t she? Tall and proud. Some day, she and her heir will have the
power.”
“Still rejecting salvation after all of these
years, Therese?” Clarise inquired.
“A vampire masquerading as a nun is lecturing me
on salvation?” The dying witch laughed sarcastically. “Look at yourself. You’re
pathetic! You committed suicide!”
<“I did so to save Heloise! At least I didn’t
sneak away like a common thief in the night,”> she snapped in French. <”Mama
wanted what wasn’t hers to possess! She paid the price and so shall you!”>
“I’m doing well enough, Clarise. As Thomas
Martin’s wife, I’ve built a base fer my master’s return! One ye canna prevent! I
die and go below soon. Just like ye, I sacrifice myself fer a greater cause!”
Therese retorted sharply in English.
Clarise slapped her sister across the face. <”HOW
DARE YOU? I’m like this because of love not greed, lust or power! I wish I could
find and destroy that vile book!”>
“It’s…close and yet far.” Therese wiped the blood
off of her face. “I know ye can sense it, Sister, but my master protects it.
One…day…Mama’s will…shall be done….See ye in Hell….Clarise.” With that, the
elderly woman passed on.
Clarise wiped her bloody tears away and looked to
the ceiling. <”I tried. I failed.”> With that, she left the area, descending the
stairs quickly.
“Sister?” Isabel asked. “My mother!”
“Your mother has passed on, Child,” the nun
advised her niece. “Bury her well. Make sure to sprinkle her remains with holy
water and secure a cross in her hands.” Noting that a boy looked at her, she
asked, “Who is that?”
“My son, Samuel. Why?” the new lady of the house
replied.
“Nothing,” Clarise dismissed after surveying her
great-nephew. “Raise him to be a god-fearing man, I pray you. Now I must go.
Adieu, mes Ami!” With that, she walked out into the cold dark night, quickly
disappearing into the darkness. Once out of sight of the house, she took to the
air, heading for the blacksmith’s shop where her carriage was located….
****
[Modern Day]
Clarise sighed. <”If only I had found that cursed
tome then!”> She thought back to what Dave had said to her at the gravesite
during the previous winter. <”I am not a suicide.”>
<”That depends, Dear One,”> a disembodied voice
scoffed.
The Elder scanned her domain, detecting a
disturbance in the study. She rushed to her sanctum.
There, beneath the picture of her mother, the
cloaked specter awaited her. “Clarise.”
<”Am I to suppose that’s you, Mama? Of course!
Only you would be arrogant enough to march in here unannounced!”> Clarise
guessed.
Isobel lowered her hood revealing her soot-covered
face and glowing red eyes. <”You would bar me and ours from achieving our
ultimate goal!”>
<”Yours, Mother, not mine! That ceased to be mine
when you adopted Dahak’s mantle and murdered in its name!”> Clarise accused,
vamping out as she said it.
<”As your sister did, so shall I remind you of
murder, my Clarise. You murder to survive as a vampire. You are a creature of
darkness as well! You have no right to lecture me thus. I will have the boy.
It’s only a matter of time. Consider this a warning! Stay out of my way or pay
the price!”> With that, she vanished again.
Clarise brought her fist down, shattering the
table next to her. “NON! It will not happen!” Picking up the phone, she ordered,
<”Boston! I need to speak to Nikki diCosta now!”>
****
[Captain’s Hearth]
With the workday done, patrons filled the tavern,
allowing for food, drink, music and merriment to echo off of its rafters. For
some reason, this particular Wednesday seemed busier than most as the wait staff
rushed about from person to person.
Despite the influx of profits, Nikki stewed in her
office for some reason. While she kept her eye on things throughout the
Northeast, she continued to pay special attention to a certain teenager in the
western part of the state. The games have kept his moods in check. The Community
should be grateful for such small miracles! Still, she sensed something else
lurking through the area. From Smallville and Hawaii, she had received reports
of a strange cloaked specter following Dave and his friends. What has that demon
planned now?
The phone rang shrilly.
“Now what?” She grabbed the phone and hissed into
the receiver, “Yes?”
<“Nikki, this is Clarise LaMontaigne in Quebec! We
have a Community emergency!”>
The former princess ground her fangs. <”Yes. The
specter. We have reports….”>
<”Listen to me! It’s my mother’s ghost! She’s
returned!”>
Nikki growled, <”You saw her?”>
<”She appeared in my study and warned me. She
intends to go after Dubois and his friends. Can we warn him?”> the Quebecois
Elder noted.
<”He and Alvarez will be here in two days. Still,
I shall call him tonight. Be here Friday night, Clarise.”> With that, she hung
up. Isobel’s return will mean trouble for us all! Getting back on the phone, she
dialed out numbers, notifying her associates of the meeting in question.
Onto Part 2