Accession of the Stone Born: The Vigiles Urbani Chronicles (9 page)

I will add further species as I get time. Lazarus
.

My head was starting to ache in the left temple as I read. Keeping my finger in the book to mark the page, I closed it and looked up at my uncle. “As in THE Lazarus?”

Andrew nodded. “Yes. He is a very unique man.”

Shaking my head, I could barely believe what I was hearing. “You speak as if he’s still alive.”

Andrew took a deep breath and squirmed in his seat. “About that...he is still alive. In fact, he is the defacto leader of our kind around the world.”

“The world?” I asked.

Andrew pointed at the book in my hand. “If you’ll turn to the next marked passage it’ll be easier to understand.”

I flinched when I looked down at the charts, and my head started to hurt. They actually had entire organizational charts with lines and everything for me to see.

After staring at the drawings for a moment I shook my head. “Could you give me the abridged version?” I held up the book in my hand. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around this.”

Andrew looked more than a little amused at my bewilderment. “Lazarus created what we call the Archives throughout the world.” He looked frustrated as he searched for the right words and facts to convey this as simply as possible. “He’s ancient, and as such he set up our government in accordance with the Roman Empire. He is the caesar. There are seven governors throughout the world: one in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, North Africa, Southern Africa, and Austria, in conjunction with other island nations. Each governor oversees three prefects, three triumvirate members, and six elected council members.” He looked nervous as he shifted in his seat again. “The caesar, governors, prefects, and triumvirate are lifetime appointments.”

Something clicked in my mind and I interrupted. “You said that Martha was a...
vigiles
?”

Andrew’s confidence grew as he could answer a question better than teach an elementary class. “Yes, a
vigiles urbani
, to be exact. They were the original police and fire department for ancient Rome. That’s a lifetime appointment as well.”

“How are any of these people chosen?”

Andrew looked disappointed and I could see that he struggled with the answer. “That’s a closely guarded secret and one that I don’t know. Lazarus has designed a system in which the applicant is tested, and if they are deemed worthy they are appointed and marked for life.”

Relief spread through me suddenly. The fact that I didn’t have to worry about any of this for the foreseeable future was liberating. “Damn good thing I won’t be meeting anyone in an official position for a while. Let alone a vampire or a werebeast.”

Andrew’s face went blank and he looked me dead in the eyes. “You’ve already met one werewolf, seen a vampire, and a few other races as well. Not to mention the prefect of the Southern United States and Mexico…same woman, by the way.”

Now I did laugh at the sheer absurdity of his words. “Please! I’d know if I’d met a vampire or a werewolf. As far as politicians go, I’m sure they are easy enough to miss.”

Andrew chuckled as he nodded. “I’m sure Ms. Dodd will be glad to hear that.”

My forehead furrowed as I tried to recall the name. The tiny woman who’d stood in Andrew’s way at the funeral. “That mousy haired little woman is a—”

Andrew finished the sentence for me. “A vampire who happens to be the prefect for this section of the country.” He paused for a moment, and almost as an afterthought said, “And Isidore is a werewolf!”

That last bit explained a lot. I’d often gotten the feeling that Isidore was a predator, and one couldn’t get much more predatory than a wolf. As far as Ms. Dodd was concerned, she’d shown up for Martha’s funeral, which confused me. She was important as any elected official in this supernatural government. Why had she bothered, and why did she feel the need to speak to my uncle?

“Why was someone of her status at the funeral of a
vigiles
?” I asked.

Andrew blushed as he chewed on his lip, searching for an answer. “There is only one
vigiles
for every governor and prefect. They are on equal footing and are the tiebreakers in all votes.”

There was more to it than he was telling me, but I let it go. “The
vigiles
are important, I take it?”

Andrew nodded. “They are extremely important. They keep order, enforce our laws, and make sure that the humans are treated fairly by our kind and vice versa.”

Trying to piece all the parts together, I made an assumption. “I take it that Lazarus will be arriving soon?”

Andrew shook his head. “No, he rarely leaves his home inside the Vatican.”

“I thought you said that he devised, and from what I gathered implemented, a test for all the lifetime appointments.”

Andrew sniggered. “He did. It’s not what you think. There is an entire process that I’m not privy to, but once the candidates are chosen they are given a test of sorts.” He shook his head as he couldn’t find the words to describe it. “You’ll see soon enough, since a new
vigiles
must be chosen.”

Setting the book down, I wanted to turn the conversation to something more personal. “I would like to change the subject for a few, if that’s all right?”

Andrew looked relieved, quickly nodding his assent. “By all means. What do you want to know?”

There were so many questions, but I knew where to start. “You said that people couldn’t lie to you.”

“True,” he said. “Except you.”

Closing my eyes, I reluctantly agreed. “Except me. You also mentioned that it was one of your many talents.” I chewed on the last few words before letting them rush out of me. “What can I do?”

Andrew brightened at the question while looking completely bewildered. “I haven’t the foggiest. Other than being immune to mental manipulation and the ability to lie to me, both of which are huge, I have no idea what you’re capable of. Normally you would’ve been inducted on your eighteenth birthday, and if your abilities hadn’t appeared by then you’d be tutored by either your father or other mentor he felt appropriate.” Frustration overtook his features as he threw his hands up in defeat. “As far as I know, no one has ever gone this long before taking their stone.”

My chest deflated and my head slumped. “I see. Then I might not have any abilities.”

Andrew gave me an incredulous look. “If the reaction I saw last night with your stone is any indication, you will be exceptionally powerful. We just have to figure out what it is you are capable of doing.”

Death, destruction, and general mayhem. That was what I was good at. I’d always healed quickly and somehow made it out of situations I shouldn’t have, but I doubted seriously that my superpower was luck.

Andrew caught the look of concern on my face and waved it off. “Don’t worry, we’ve got next to forever to figure it out.” Pausing, he thought for a moment before his mind landed on an idea. “Tell you what. Close your eyes, let your mind stretch out, and tell me what you feel.”

Following his instructions, which was harder than he made it sound, after about a minute I began to see the room in my mind's eye. The table and books radiated traces of something, but I couldn’t make out what it was. Then as my senses expanded, my brain cried out as if it were being scorched by the sun and I jumped back, nearly toppling my chair over. I winced as I tried to open my eyes again. My head hurt and the fear I’d felt earlier returned. “What the hell?”

Andrew sat there quietly, patiently. “What did you feel?”

“It made my skin tingle, my brain actually hurt, and something in the back of my mind kicked in, yelling ‘danger Will Robinson, danger.’”

Andrew nearly choked on the breath he was taking in and tried not to laugh in my face. “That’s a first!” His face was full of humor while he mulled over my words. “The older a person gets the more powerful they become. There are a lot of factors that increase a person’s power, such as items...,” he held up his hand and flashed his ring, “enchantments, and so much more.”

I snickered. “Well, this should be interesting. Can you try and see what you sense with me?”

Andrew looked amused. “Sure.” Closing his eyes, he sat there for a moment and then the smile faded. I could tell that he was straining, and then his eyes popped open. “That’s odd.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“It was as if you weren’t there. No, that’s not the right way to put it. It’s like there was a hole where you’re sitting. I couldn’t sense anything. Nothing at all.”

My heart sank. I wasn’t like my uncle. I wasn’t special after all. I was human. “You mean like I’m human. Right?”

Andrew was quick to shake his head. “Not at all. Humans register. You can sense them like one can sense a dog or a cat or even a table. No, that’s very inhuman. I’ve never even heard of such a thing being possible.” He paused for a moment then shook his head. “It could explain a few things.”

“Such as?” I asked.

He gestured at the walls and the ceiling above. “This place, the entire grounds, are actually covered in enchantments to keep other people’s thoughts out of my head.” He grimaced as he thought about it. “Even with all that, I can still hear the muffled sounds of their thoughts from all the houses around me.” He suddenly looked ashamed. “That is until you arrived. Since you’ve been here I’ve been able to sleep uninterrupted by other people's thoughts, dreams, or anguish. Even at the funeral it was as if the world around me was dialed down to a whisper. That’s why I didn’t realize Walter was there until he was right in front of you.”

Okay, wow! That had to suck, and not just a little. To never have peace must be hard. “I’m glad I could help.” Trying to change the subject, I thought of a new topic. “The fact that stone born don’t age after forty-five has me a little confused.”

“Really? It’s a simple concept,” Andrew snarked.

“Can you explain why Walter looks like he’s ready for the retirement home?”

Andrew’s face darkened. “You get right to the heart of the matter, don’t you, boy? Still, it’s a fair question.” He shifted in his seat, stalling while he searched for the right words. “The way our bodies reveal themselves to the world is a direct reflection of who we are.” He gestured at my hand. “Your hand is a perfect example. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, it just means you’ve been through a lot in your life. Now, if you were to go around and torture people, rip out their souls or murder them for fun, your body could and probably would reflect that. There is a cost to everything we do. If we do the right thing—and that isn’t always what you think it might be—then the universe credits you. If you are an evil bastard, the universe debits your account. Not that anyone has any real proof one way or another in Walter’s case however.”

That last bit was highly disappointing. Leaning back, I took in a deep breath before slowly letting it out. “Why would anyone willingly do that to themselves?”

He didn’t even hesitate to answer. “Power!” His voice was full of anger and disgust. “And everything that comes with it. Some people can’t be happy unless they are hurting others. That’s Walter’s problem, he likes to hurt people.” His face contorted as he waved a hand. “Again, not that we have any proof.”

“Why hasn’t anyone found proof? Either the
vigiles
or the Uncommon Crimes Division?” I asked.