The following morning, Luke and Pieter met in Luke’s room to discuss their next move. Pieter paced back and forth, his anger barely contained under the surface.
Luke tried to keep his turmoil under control, wanting to be a steadying influence for his friend. “Pieter, you’ll need to trust me. Give Jamaal time to run through the phone to make sure it’s not going to track us. If it’s good, I know a place we can hide out for a few days.”
“If it’s one of your properties, whoever is fucking betraying us might have that information,” Pieter replied.
Luke raised an eyebrow at the profanity from his friend. Usually he was more collected and rarely cursed, at least to Luke’s recollection. “Not this place. It’s not one of the properties I told your father about.” Luke stood up and grabbed his shoes, before sitting down again to put them on.
Pieter stopped his pacing and looked at Luke, eyes squinting. “Will it be habitable?”
“It’s ready.” He paused and looked at Pieter. “Have you called Amiata yet?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. Jan and I discussed it. We’ll wait until we hear from the kidnappers.”
Luke nodded, unsure waiting longer to tell her would do much good, but it wasn’t his decision to make. He stood up and headed to the door. “I’m going to go get some breakfast. You should come join me.”
Luke walked out and headed downstairs, leaving the door open behind him. A few moments later, the door shut and the sound of Pieter’s feet on the floorboards told him Pieter had followed. The rest of the crew was seated in the covered porch dining area surrounded by glass walls. Pieter took a spot next to his younger brother; Luke pulled out the empty chair next to Delilah, sitting down and filling his cup from the coffee carafe in the middle of the table.
“So what’s the move?” Delilah asked.
“Right now, we wait. Jamaal is going to dissect the phone. Once we have the go ahead from him, we’ll be moving to one of my properties so we can regroup and plan. I don’t think anyone anticipated them hitting that hard this fast.”
“Yeah. We’ve barely been here a day and then that.” Pablo picked up a plate of bacon and scooped a few pieces onto his plate.
“Did you sense any vampires at the restaurant last night when we left?” Sam asked, grabbing a roll and some butter.
“I didn’t,” Delilah said.
Everybody at their table stopped talking, looking up from their plates to stare at their friend. Luke really needed to have that talk with her about her father, but he still hadn’t found the opportunity.
“Neither did I,” Luke said, breaking the silence. “But they have servants other than vampires. Thralls and others who curry their favor can get the job done without us detecting them.”
“Are we OK to talk about this stuff here?” Delilah asked.
“Yeah. Pieter paid the staff to clear out after the food was dropped off. There could be listening equipment hidden, but we haven’t said anything critical, although we should avoid anything sensitive.” Luke grabbed a pastry and tore off a bite, stuffing it in his mouth.
The team took their time enjoying the breakfast. The staff had prepared plenty of extra coffee before leaving them to their privacy. When Luke finished his food, he grabbed a carafe and adjourned to the sitting room to relax and check messages. He’d planned on texting with Maggie after dinner, but by the time they finished with last night’s fucked up adventures, he just sent a check-in message saying he was OK and at his bed-and-breakfast. Now, it was the middle of the night back in Portland.
After he filled his coffee up from the carafe, he opened the message from Maggie and smiled. She’s sent a couple pictures. The first was a selfie with her and Gwen. The second was a picture with only Maggie. Her soft closed-mouth smile and sparkling blue eyes lit up her pretty face—a stray strand of blond hair falling over her forehead begged to be lifted out of the way. It had been a long time since he’d had someone to miss while he traveled; now he had two someones. It wasn’t the worst problem to have.
“Is that your girlfriend?” Jan asked.
Luke hadn’t heard him walking up, too absorbed with thinking about Maggie. He handed Jan the phone.
“Sort of. I guess for all practical purposes, yes,” Luke replied.
“She’s very pretty. Is the kid hers? Yours? Both?” he asked, handing the phone back.
“No. It’s a long story, but to make it short—she’s my ward.” Luke closed the photos and grabbed his cup.
“Like Batman and Robin?”
Luke laughed. “Kind of like that. It’s funnier when you find out my pet cat is named Alfred.”
Jan chuckled and sat down in the chair next to Luke’s. “It seems like you rescuing members of my family is becoming a habit.”
“I don’t know if twice is a habit, but I’m here to help my friends,” Luke said.
“It was fortuitous that our paths crossed. Your friendship is a valuable thing to have.” Jan refilled his cup from the carafe.
“Luke?” Jamaal slid into the chair on the other side of Luke.
“What’s the word, Jamaal?” He hoped he’d get the answer he wanted from the pack’s tech expert.
Jan held up his hand, holding Jamaal from answering. He turned his head and yelled, “Pieter. Come here.”
Pieter poked his head into the room and, once he saw Jamaal, stepped in and grabbed the fourth chair, completing their circle.
Once Jan lowered his hand, Jamaal continued, “Phone looks clean as far as I can tell. They activated it late yesterday evening. I don’t think they had time to do anything to it.”
“I’m starting to suspect this was a hit of opportunity.” Luke took a sip of his coffee. “Does your father usually have a bigger escort?”
Pieter steepled his hands in front of his face. “Yeah. We’ve increased his guard since the vampires have been causing more trouble. He thought it would be better to slip out of town with a minimal escort to keep from alerting whoever’s selling our secrets.”
“OK. Until we hear anything, I think we go to ground. I don’t think any of the vampires saw me last night. It’s probably best to act as if they know I’m on the ground, but for now, let’s disappear,” Luke said.
“Is that possible? I’m sure there are vampires in every city watching for any of us,” Jan replied.
“There’s a pocket on the border where we’ll be virtually invisible, and completely invisible to vampires and any of their pets.” Luke pulled his phone out and punched in his destination. “It’s about a two and half hour drive from here. We’ll be deep in Wallonia on the French border, and within striking distance of Mons, Charleroi, Namur, and Liege.”
“Where are we going?” Pieter asked.
Luke shook his head. “I’ll keep that one to myself for now. Let’s split up. I’ll drive one car. The other car will head toward Kortrijk along with the gear van, and then I’ll send an update if we look like we’re away with no unwanted tails. I have an idea for a lunch meet up, then we’ll head to our sanctuary.”
Jan and Pieter nodded, appreciative of his caution. Once everyone finished breakfast and drank enough coffee, they packed up and left. Pablo, Delilah, and Sam joined Luke’s vehicle. Jan drove Jamaal and the other Portlanders, while Pieter volunteered to drive the gear van. With no need to stay together, Luke took off, since they were packed and ready. Within a few minutes, they’d left Belgium and entered the French countryside of Nord Pas de Calais.
“Welcome to France,” Luke said. “Please keep your heads and arms in the car at all times. In a few minutes, we’ll be passing by Lille, then traversing a few regional nature preserves before we reach our lunch destination—Chimay.”
“Oh, too bad, buddy.” Delilah patted Pablo on the head. “I know how you like to stick your head out the window and let your tongue hang out your mouth. Maybe if you’re a good boy, Luke will give you a belly rub when we get to our destination.”
“Hey.” Pablo turned to look at Delilah in the back seat. “Don’t underestimate the joy of a good belly rub.”
Luke chuckled, the banter of his friends lightening the dark clouds hanging over him. Before they passed Lille, Luke had Pablo relay the next instructions to Jan and Pieter, sending Jan toward Charleroi and Pieter toward Mons. They weren’t in a terrible hurry, so Luke picked the more scenic roads through the nature preserves, stopping a few times to stretch their legs and take some pictures, although everyone refrained from posting to social media where the images would be geotagged. They even asked an elderly English couple to snap a few pictures of them so they’d have a group shot.
He enjoyed showing his friends the lovely French countryside. It helped to distract him from the growing worry at what they were facing. His friends, ever sensitive to his mood, kept up their joviality to help assuage his growing anxiety.
After their last stop, Luke directed Pieter in the van to wind along the border to the Auberge at Chimay, relaying the same information to Jan when that vehicle neared Charleroi. Luke and his car were the first to arrive at Chimay’s Auberge.
Luke walked up to the host’s podium and switched to French. “I have a reservation under Luc Grandbois.”
“Ah, yes. Come with me, Monsieur Grandbois, we have your tables ready,” the maître d’ replied.
“Excellent. The rest of my party should be along shortly,” Luke said.
“Very good, sir.”
Luke and his friends followed the man to the back of the restaurant into a smaller private section. They started with a round of Chimay Doree while they waited for everyone else. When the rest of the team arrived, Luke ordered plates of the famed monastery’s cheeses to start, then several regional specialties for his friends from Portland as well as a few different Chimays. Luke, Pieter, and Jan kept things reasonable since they had to drive, only having a glass or two of the lower alcohol Doree. It wouldn’t be a hardship; Luke planned to buy a few cases of beer on the way out so they’d have stock when they got to their hideout.
After they loaded their beer and a few chunks of cheese, Luke took Jan and Pieter aside and whispered a phrase into their ears, asking them to repeat it to him.
“What does it mean?” Pieter asked.
“What language is that?” Jan looked confused.
“It roughly translates to ‘Mithras guide me and watch over me.’ It’s an ancient Persian dialect. It was a defunct language by the time I learned it in the mountains of Armenia in 117 CE. You’ll start to feel foggy the closer we get, along with an urge to turn off and drive in a different direction. Keep that phrase in your mind. Say it out loud if you need to. It’ll let you push past those feelings and keep following me. If you end up making a wrong turn, just park and call me. I’ll come collect you. Got it?”
They both nodded.
“You’ll know you’re in the right spot once you work your way down a steep, windy road. At the bottom, you’ll see the cottage,” Luke said.
They nodded again.
“Alright, let’s get out of here.” Luke turned and hopped into the SUV he was driving.
“Giving some directions?” Pablo asked from the back seat.
“Something like that. I had to inform them of the pass phrase to keep in their mind when we approach the cottage. Otherwise, they won’t be able to find it.” Luke backed out of the parking space.
“Wait.” Sam turned in the front passenger seat to more fully face Luke. “Do you have a magic house, Luke?”
“No. The house isn’t magic,” he replied.
“You’re going to be cagey about this, aren’t you?” Sam asked.
“It’ll be my surprise. I’ll answer questions to your heart’s content…mostly, when we get there. We’ll arrive in about an hour.” Luke pulled out of the parking lot and pointed their small caravan northeast.
Luke's friends enjoyed the drive down the two-lane road through the winding, rolling hills of Wallonia, fields interspersed with patches of forests mixed between deciduous and evergreen trees. They kept reasonably quiet, taking advantage of the downtime to find some inner peace after the events of the previous night. Seeking solace in song, Luke turned on his playlist, Joshua Radin’s “No Envy No Fear” emerging from the speakers. Taking a right, Luke pulled onto a bridge over a winding river.
“What’s the name of this river?” Sam asked.
Luke turned his head a little so he could speak to everyone. “The Meuse. We’re almost there. So just a warning. You’re going to feel weird as we get closer. You’ll want to turn around, especially as we make a final turn to the road leading down to the cottage.” When they pulled into Heer, Luke took a left onto N989 and continued north. “In a few minutes, we’ll be driving along the edge of my property. You may start to feel the beginning of what I’m talking about.”
“Yeah, I’m feeling it,” Delilah said, looking decidedly uncomfortable.
With a small smirk on his face, Luke kept an eye on his friends as they got squirmier the closer they got to his property. Checking the rearview mirror one last time to ensure Pieter and Jan were behind him, he pulled off N989 and parked. He stepped out of the SUV and opened the gate, waving the other SUV and the box van through before returning to his SUV.
“Dude, dick move making us sit here with this,” Pablo complained.
Finally relenting, Luke spoke the ancient Persian phrase and watched as his friends visibly relaxed.
“Will you have to renew your magic words? Or are we OK now that we’re here?” Delilah asked.
“They’re not magic words, it’s just Old Persian.” Luke repeated the phrase again. “‘Mithras guide me and watch over me’ is what it means. While you’re staying here, you’re under the protection Mithras affords me.”
Luke put the SUV back in drive and pulled onto the narrow road leading down the side of the cliff that overlooked the Meuse and his property.
“Whoa…” Pablo gasped as they pulled through the trees that blocked the view.
“Welcome to the cottage,” Luke said.
The property was nestled in a bend of the river and featured a large, old building that might be more properly categorized as a small château than a cottage. Three stories high, the cottage featured arches over the first-floor windows and elegant gables along the roof. A large solarium wrapped around the southern side. The landscaping, while sparse, was neatly maintained. Once they made it down the driveway, Luke parked next to Jan and Pieter.
Luke’s car joined everyone else in getting out and stretching their legs.
“Did you call this place a ‘cottage’?” Jan asked Luke.
“Yeah, I’m not sure he’s aware of what a cottage is…” Pablo said. “Luke, this place is swanky.”
“Who takes care of it?” Sam asked. “I would have figured it would be overgrown.”
“Is it going to be all dusty and dirty inside? Bruh, I didn’t fly across the Atlantic to clean your house.” Delilah crossed her arms and stared at Luke.
“Don’t worry. I employ caretakers.”
“You trust random people to take care of your castle?” Pablo’s eyebrows arched up. “That doesn’t seem in character.”
“They’re not random. The family who takes care of this place has done so for a very long time. They are completely loyal to me and are compensated extremely well. Let’s go inside. I’ll show you around my humble abode.” Luke climbed the few stairs to the entrance and punched in a security code to open the door. “I’ll get you all codes.”
“Luke, where’s the nearest restroom?” Sam asked.
“Down this center hall, last door on the left.” Luke picked up an envelope set on a side table. He walked to the first door on the left. “When you’re done, we’ll meet here, in the bar.”
“Dude, you have your own bar?” Pablo followed Luke in.
The bar wasn’t large, but it featured several tables and chairs tucked beneath dark wood walls covered in tin brewery signs from Belgium’s past and present.
Luke stepped behind the bar and grabbed a glass. Turning on the sound system, he found Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweat’s “Howling at Nothing” to play. He smiled as the easy groove of the music settled into his bones as his head bobbed along. “Now it’s my turn to pour you a beer. What can I get for you? Looks like my caretaker put a keg of Caracole Troublette Blanche and their Nostradamus Quad on. They’re local. Also, Bavik Super Pils and soda water.”
“Well, not sure I’m ready to tuck into a quad yet.”
Luke flipped the glass over and pushed it down on the glass rinser, sending a jet of cold water into the upside down glass. Shaking the last drops out, he flipped it over and set it under the faucet and pulled the tap handle, pouring a perfect beer up to the 25cl line with a thick, pillowy head on top.
Pablo picked up the glass and lifted it to salute Luke. “If you ever give up the vampire slaying game, I’ve got a job for you behind the bar. You know your way around a tap.”
Luke winked at him and pulled another glass out to rinse and fill. He set the glass of blanche on the bar when Pieter walked in.
“Pour one of those for me too?” Pieter asked.
Luke slid the glass over and grabbed another. As his friends filtered in after using the restroom, he poured blanches for everyone except Jan, who took a Bavik. When he finally poured his own, he grabbed a chair at the tables clustered together as one large table.
“So how long are we here, Luke?” Jamaal asked.
“As long as we need to be. Once we hear from the vampires, we can plan our next move, but for now, we stay off the grid. We have plenty of beer. There’s some wine kicking around as well. The chef is excellent. They’ll have dinner prepared for us this evening at seven. Not so elaborate as ‘t Hommelhof or today’s lunch, but you can only eat that way so often.”
Pablo patted his stomach. “Speak for yourself. Being married to Tony, my belly has become accustomed to a certain lifestyle that it’s unwilling to give up.”
Luke chuckled. “Don’t worry. If we’re here long enough, I’ll have them arrange a proper banquet.”
He hoped they’d be there for a little while. Just being on the property felt good, knowing they had more protection here than anywhere else they might choose to stay. The old familiarity of the land sank in, leaching some of the tension from his shoulders, though the addition of his new friends would change the feel of the place. It had been a long time since he hadn’t been alone here.