The team was excited to hear Selene was willing to upgrade their weapons. In addition to Sam’s katana and wakizashi, Delilah’s jian, the rapier, and dagger, Luke pulled out a bunch of daggers and bayonet daggers from his armory, along with several swords he gathered. He hoped Selene wouldn’t think he was being greedy, but then again, he wasn’t asking for presents but the tools he needed to accomplish his vital mission. With the help of his friends, he laid out the weapons on the benches.
When it was an hour and fifteen minutes before moonrise, they gathered in the Mithraeum to witness Selene work. At the appointed time, they gasped when she appeared, surveyed the array of weapons, then nodded to Luke. Raising her arms, the silver glow brightened until it forced everyone to close their eyes. They only opened their eyes again when the light pouring through their eyelids faded. The goddess had disappeared.
Spots still danced about Luke’s vision for a few moments as he blinked back to clarity. Several people exhaled breaths they’d been holding in while the goddess worked. Luke, slightly more accustomed to the presence and works of divine beings, was the first to stand. He grabbed the nearest dagger and inspected it.
The weapon gleamed as if new, the blade bright and sharp. The side that had been facing up now contained engravings of Selene’s crescent moon and stars with elegant, flowing lines winding their way down the blade to culminate at the tip. Each blade contained the same crescent moon and stars, but the lines were unique to each weapon. When he flipped the blade over, the other side was as blank as it had been before, though cleaned and sharpened. Luke had even thrown in some old beat-up blades, more scrap or artifacts than functional weapons, and they too were returned to like new condition—probably better than new.
Pablo hissed, letting out a curse. “Don’t touch the blades. Not sure if she added silver or if it’s an anti-wolf enchantment, but that hurt.” He shook his hand trying to shake the pain away.
“So don’t touch the magic weapons, got it,” Sam said.
“Handles are fine, though.” Pablo picked up a dagger by the hilt.
“It wouldn’t be much good if y’all couldn’t hold them, now would it?” Luke shook his head. “She knows what she’s about. We’re going to need to get scabbards for all these. Not sure what I have in the armory, though. I guess we won’t be using them all right now. I just wanted some spares for the future. Let’s get these moved up to the house and stashed away. Pick what you want for yourselves.”
Luke, running his eyes over the cache of newly enchanted weapons, stopped on a shorter dagger with a twisted hilt. He picked it up and set it with a basket of gathered weapons. When all the benches were cleared, Luke led the way out into the dark and across to the house. They took the weapons to an empty supply closet where they could be locked away from curious hands.
With his friends in tow, Luke’s next stop was the armory to find as many functional scabbards as possible. Luke scrounged through it until he found an unopened cardboard box. Popping the top, he found a box full of basic scabbards in various sizes made from simple, modern materials. They weren’t ornamental, but they were functional, which was all they needed. Checking the shipping label, the caretaker must have ordered a bunch at some point. They took the box back to the supply closet and found homes for the blades everyone wanted.
When Luke found the appropriate size for the dagger he’d picked out, he went in search of Maggie. She sat on the patio by the river with her team from Portland; together, they appeared to be relaxing after settling the kids for the night.
“Hey, Maggie. I have a little present for you,” Luke said.
“Oooh, I like presents.” Maggie stood and joined Luke.
He gave the blade in its scabbard to her. “Be careful. The blade is anti-wolf and anti-vamp. I wanted you to have one just in case you need to defend yourself. We have plenty in case everyone would like one. They can turn them in when they get back to Portland. They’ll just need to pack it in their checked luggage before returning home.”
“Do you need me to turn this one in too?” Maggie asked.
“No. This is a gift from me to you. It’s from my armory. It’s blessed by Selene.”
“I’ll treasure it, Luke, though I hope to never use it.” Maggie slid the blade back into the sheath.
Luke nodded. “Me too.”
* * *
Not long after they stowed the blades, Pieter called the team together to fill them in on the details his brother had finally relayed. Luke and Maggie were the first in the room and took the love seat. As the team filed in, the tension in the room thickened as people fidgeted, anxious about going into action after several days of relative quiet.
Luke knew his team was used to more regular movement, patrolling Portland and rooting out the nests left over after Cassius’s death. Their trip to Belgium had been spent in the time-honored tradition of all soldiers on campaign—hurrying up and waiting. Their first fight in Belgium had been a spur-of-the-moment occasion as the vampires took advantage of some luck and kidnapped Pieter’s father. Their raid in Cambrai had been swift, but familiar, even if it had involved a lot of observation before going in. Now, they were going into a situation lacking both control and intelligence.
He knew he’d felt a constant undercurrent of anxiety and apprehension throughout the quiet times, waiting for the next shoe to drop—and it always did, ratcheting up the stress for the next period of inactivity. Looking around the room, he knew his friends were in the same boat.
He was confident in his team’s ability to improvise and adapt, but it made them nervous, adding to Luke’s anxiety. Maggie, sensing his growing unease, grasped his hand and squeezed it. When the last person arrived and shut the door behind them, Pieter stood up and found a spot where everyone could see him.
“Thank you all for being here and offering to help. I’ve just finished discussing things with my brother Jan.” He took a deep breath, his shoulders rising. “The exchange is taking place tonight at midnight at Waterloo.”
Luke snorted loudly. When everyone turned to look at him, he elaborated, “It could all be just a big coincidence, but Le Mousquetaire appears to like symbolism. Waterloo is where Napoleon was finally defeated. Now a French vampire is going to essentially conquer half of Belgium, achieving victory, at the site his countryman lost the last of his empire.”
Luke sat back, thinking for a moment. “It also works strategically. It’s fairly central to all the major cities in southern Belgium and just south of Brussels.”
“Hey, Luke,” Pablo interrupted. “Just thinking of something Heidi mentioned when we were in Cologne. She said vampires were filtering into the city in large numbers.”
Pieter whipped his head around to Pablo. “What?”
“Shit, that kind of slipped my mind after settling our packmates then your arrival,” Luke said. “Pablo and I were there to pick up Maggie and the rest of our people when Heidi tracked us down in a little pub to find out what I was doing in the city. She said there were a lot of non-resident vampires moving into their territory.”
“Are they making a play for the Rhein Pack, too?” Pieter sounded shocked.
Luke sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “She didn’t think they were a threat to their territory, although she was worried I might be there to start something. She assured me they had nothing to do with their pack, but you might be a better judge. She said you were a friend.”
“We have been for a while. I consider her trustworthy,” Pieter replied.
“Do you think the vampires were there to reinforce Le Mousquetaire?” Sam asked.
“It’s hard to tell, but they’ve been acting internationally. We saw that last spring with their whole shipping scheme. I wouldn’t be surprised if German vampires are aiding the French and whatever’s left of the Belgian nests to retake the French-speaking portion of the country.”
Pieter shook his head. “Now there are even more vampires to worry about. Shit. I guess we can’t do anything about that now. We’re running short on time tonight. I was told I can’t bring an escort. Jan has our people ready to take us in. We’re being allowed a reasonable bodyguard as a show of faith, though it’s more an insult that they don’t think we can challenge them even with a sizable escort. You were mentioned by name though. They know the ‘Centurion Immortal’ is moving about, even if they’re not sure where. They know you and I are close, Luke. So I have to go alone when I meet Jan and our people. They’ll kill father if we bring anyone that isn’t on the list Jan submitted.”
Luke pulled out his phone and mapped the route to Waterloo. “Says here it’s about an hour and fifteen. If we leave now, I think we can get there before the sun is entirely down. We’ll get in and hunker down. Did they say where exactly the exchange would take place?”
“In front of the restaurant and visitor center below the Butte du Lion,” Pieter said.
Luke narrowed his eyes and looked down at the map on his phone. “OK, we need to get on the road now. Do you think they’ll search you?”
“I don’t think so. There are at least some courtesies.”
“I’ll give you a radio, toss it in your pocket and lock press to talk.” Luke stood up, the rest of the room followed Luke’s example. “We’re moving out in five minutes. Be sure you’re ready. Last chance for a bathroom break. Pieter, come with me. I’ve got a rental for you, and I’ll snag a radio, too.”
Pieter nodded. “I’ll depart in twenty or thirty minutes to meet up with Jan. That should give you plenty of time to get set up.”
Luke led the way out with Pieter in tow. Maggie followed them out. After Pieter got his radio, Luke took Maggie aside. “You’re in charge here. You’ve got all the numbers. It’s your call if you think the safety here has been compromised. When the rest of the team gets to the train station, they know to call you for pick up. I’ll keep you updated whenever I can.”
Maggie slid her arms around Luke’s waist, pulling him in tightly. “Good luck tonight, Luke. I’ll take care of everything here.”
“I know. I’m glad you’re here. This is one thing I don’t have to worry about.” He bent down to kiss her, intending a soft kiss, but she slid her hand to the back of his neck and pulled in him in for a deeper, more intense kiss. In it, she poured her fear, anxiety, and love, unleashing matching feelings in his heart.
When she finally stepped back, she pulled Luke’s head in and their foreheads touched. “Be strong, be fast, come back to me.”
“I will.” Luke kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll see you soon.”
Maggie turned and walked away. Luke watched until she disappeared into his house. He sighed and walked over to the BMW where Sam, Pablo, Delilah, and Simone waited. He pulled the driver’s door open and hopped in, buckling the seat belt. He fired up the engine as everyone else settled in their seats. Once they were buckled, Luke hit play on his music app—“Going Gets Tough” by The Growlers—and sped up the ramp and onto the road.
Luke, using the power and handling of the X5, zipped over the roads, ignoring the posted speed limits. Fifty-five minutes later, Luke pulled off the N5 onto a narrow dirt road with intermittent traces of past cobblestones rumbling underneath.
“That’s it to the right,” Luke said, not looking. Off in the near distance, the dark silhouette of a perfectly conical hill jutted out from the landscape. The faint outline of a stone plinth sitting on top, the lion at its pinnacle invisible in the post-sunset darkness. “Over these fields is where Napoleon met his defeat. That’s the Lion memorializing the victory of the coalition against Old Boney. This all used to be part of the Netherlands then. I led a squadron of Dutch and Belgian Hussars under Luitenant-Kolonel Ignance Louis, Baron Duvivier in the Eighth Hussars.”
Simone whispered in the back. Luke wasn’t sure to whom, but he guessed Delilah since they were nearly inseparable companions at this point.
“What name were you using then?” Delilah asked.
“Major Luyc de Jaehger. It’s one I’ve used in the past in the lowlands. Most of the men they gave me were a few steps above raw recruits, but at least Wellington and Von Blucher—”
Pablo neighed like a horse.
Luke furrowed his brows, confused. “What? Von Blucher—”
Pablo neighed again.
Shaking his head, Luke rolled his eyes. “Pablo. It’s Frau Blucher—”
Pablo neighed again.
Sam giggled in the back seat.
“I know, dude, how often do you get to do that in casual conversation? I’m going to take advantage of it.” Pablo sighed. “And I see our young people are not laughing at my perfectly timed jokes. I guess we need to add ‘Young Frankenstein’ to the movie night list.”
“What’s a hussar?” Delilah asked.
“It was a cavalry unit armed with carbines and sabers. Light and fast for scouting or flanking attacks. We had fancy uniforms. Being a hussar was a fairly fashionable unit to be in. I might have my old uniform kicking around the house somewhere,” Luke replied.
“Oh my god, if you do, there’d better be a fashion show. You know Maggie would love to see that.”
“Are you trying to use my willingness to do things for Maggie for your own entertainment?” Luke asked.
“I think that was fairly obvious.” Delilah laughed.
“We’ll see if there’s time…” Luke stopped the SUV in the middle of the dirt and cobble farm road. “Pablo, mind popping out and seeing if there’s a ditch hiding under those weeds to our right?”
“Sure thing.” Pablo jumped out of the BMW and stomped around in the weeds at the edge of the cornfield full of its tall, unharvested stalks. A minute later, he stuck his head back in the car. “All good, no ditch.”
“OK. Shut the door. I’m going to back in. When I’m parked, we’ll want to lift the broken stalks to conceal the car.”
Pablo shut the door, then stepped away so Luke could reverse into the field. Once he was far enough back, they piled out of the car and geared up, not bothering with much in the way of overcoats to conceal their weapons, save for Luke, who pulled on a hoodie to hide the shine of his steel armor.
He pulled the zipper up. “Delilah, do you have your machete still?”
“Yeah. I never took it out of the gear box,” she replied.
“Good. Can I borrow it?” Luke asked.
Delilah found it and handed it over. He attached it to his belt and secured it with straps around his thigh. Once they were finished, Luke locked the car and handed the fob to Pablo, who put it on a lanyard around his neck. Together, they lifted the bent corn stocks and propped them up to conceal the car as best they could.
“Watch your faces. Corn leaves are sharp and can be pretty rough on your skin.” Luke pulled his hood up and tightened the drawstring. “It’s about three kilometers. Let’s keep the talk down. There’s another road before we get to the field with the butte in it.”
Luke took the lead, directing his friends down a row. Every twenty paces or so, he’d stop and chop down several stalks in multiple rows. As they got used to moving through the field, Luke picked up the pace to a slow jog, only halting once he heard something ahead. Holding up his fist, they stopped. Taking a moment, he let his senses open. Vamp. Luke held one finger up and pointed two down to indicate one vampire ahead. He pointed to Pablo.
Pablo nodded, peeling his warm-up jacket over his head before bending over to rip his tearaway pants off. Luke cringed as the snaps sounded like firecrackers in the still night. Embarrassed, Pablo blushed as he shifted to his bipedal werewolf.
“Who’s there?” shouted a voice in French. “Identify yourself!”
Pablo walked forward, acting as casually as he could. Sam quickly gathered Pablo’s clothes and stashed them in the backpack Delilah always wore. They gave Pablo a few paces, then followed him, keeping back. Once Pablo breached the line of corn, they stopped. Pablo raised his massive, clawed paw and waved, sauntering toward the vamp leaning against a car as if they were the oldest of friends.
“Oh. It’s one of you,” the vamp said in French. “Find anything?”
Luke held his breath. Pablo didn’t speak a lick of French. When Pablo shook his head, he let the breath out quietly, relieved Pablo had guessed the right option. The sound of the car shifting as Pablo leaned on it drifted through the corn. Luke waved for everyone to follow him. He pulled his gladius from the scabbard on his left hip and walked out of the line of trees.
“What the fuck? Who are you?” called the vamp, pushing off the car and stepping toward Luke.
As soon as the fanger turned his back on Pablo, his life ended. The giant werewolf stepped forward, placing one paw on the vamp’s chin and the other on the back of his head, and twisted, ripping the vamp’s head off. The headless vamp dropped to the ground like a sack of grain.
“Blech,” Simone said, covering up a retching sound as she turned away.
Everyone else was used to Pablo’s favorite way to neutralize vampires. Luke pulled his rudis and stabbed it through the heart before kneeling over the wooden sword to take the vampire’s energy and send it onto a permanent death. The vampire puffed out into a pile of dust. Luke stood and sheathed the rudis.
“Hold up a second,” Sam whispered, squatting over the pile of clothes the vampire left behind. After a few seconds, she lifted the vamp’s wallet, a set of keys, and a radio with an ear wire. She handed the radio to Luke. He was the best person to pick up whatever languages were being used by those on the other end of the radio.
Luke clipped the radio to his belt and had Sam help him run the long wire up and under the back of his hoodie, clipping it to the edge of his hood before he took it and popped in the ear bud.
“South point, check in? I repeat, south point, check in,” said a voice in the ear bud in French.
“South point, clear,” Luke replied.
“Why were you late with your check in?”
“I thought I heard something in the cornfield and was checking it out. All clear though.”
“Understood. Out.”
Luke relaxed, wiping his hand over his brow as if to wipe away sweat that wasn’t there. He waved everyone forward. Sam, shaking her head, walked over to Luke and stood on her tiptoes.
“Give us a second to go full wolf. That hill looks gnarly,” Sam whispered. She pointed to Simone, then peeled off her clothes.
Simone nodded and began undressing. Luke and Delilah helped with everyone’s weapons, then stashed the clothes in Delilah’s backpack, sorting the weapons out between the two of them. Once the two women were naked, they blurred into full wolves. They shook out their fur and sniffed the night air. It was the first time Luke had seen Simone in her full wolf form. A moment later, Pablo blurred down from his bipedal shape to his full wolf.
“Don’t go up the hill too fast. Scout ahead, but if you find someone, report back to me. Let’s not get separated or get too much distance between us. Delilah and I can’t move as fast as you can,” Luke said.
The three wolves nodded, then disappeared into the cornfield separating them from the Butte du Lion.