Chapter 55: A Hedge of Protection

April 1999

It was late, about two thirty in the morning. I went to find Rachel in the arms room, practicing with her sword. I smiled as I walked in, wondering where Dread was.

“Dread said he had some work to do, and then he was going to get some sleep. What did you and Tayla have to talk about?” She said this as she was swinging the sword about in the air. “Dread taught me some basic moves with this thing, so I thought I would practice.”

Well, I knew for sure not to say anything about Tayla with Rachel having a sword in her hands. I might have committed a sin, but I was not going to do it again by tempting her with a sword in her hands!

“Tayla wanted to talk about her final arrangements but without Dread being around. He cannot possibly know,” I said, making sure no one was standing at the door.

“Well, the wheels are set into motion, honey. All this will be over soon won’t it?” Rachel asked this as if needing reassurance that it would.

“That was something else that Tayla and I talked about. She says it will not be over until they are all gone, every one of them. It’s because I’m a marked man and because of the Dragon. They won’t stop until we are all dead, which means we must kill all of them first. Think about it, Rachel! She’s right. She never promised that this would be over, and she didn’t foresee Rascha marking me with the velvet chard. You saw her reaction. She actually wept tears over it!”

Rachel lowered her sword to the floor. She looked at me, knowing that I had not wanted to disappoint her. Should the elimination of the Red and Black Velvet vampire clans happen, she did not want to face the reality of the threat against us from the Purple and Blue clans. Then there was the Order of the Jackal with the Dragon at its helm. We have some very nasty enemies indeed.

“Malcolm, we will need more than just each other to fight off this threat. Your angels protect you but what about us? Are there angels to protect the children and me? Don’t think for one minute that those things won’t use us to get to you. And even if they did get you, who would protect us?”

I knew where she was going. “I suppose we need another group of angels, for you and the children. We will have to pray and ask in earnest for a hedge to be place around you and the children.”

We decided to retire until we saw Anubis in his office. He was busy building the computer model of the underground estate. I asked about his progress. He stated it was coming along nicely as he had already stored recorded passages on his computer. He said he would complete it in about a week. I told him I needed to know where every passage was, not just the ones Rachel and I would be using.

“We have already considered that, Master Malcolm. Some time back, the Queen assigned me to map out the entire Lower Estate for just such a purpose. Every passage and every room will have a description. In addition, I will note the depth recorded below the surface as well as distance to a known checkpoint.

Don’t worry; it will be ready when you are.”

If the computer model will be ready in a week, it then leaves us only about three weeks of time to finish training. I wanted to be able to rehearse, during the daylight hours when the Red Velvet vampires would be asleep in their tombs. I wanted to pinpoint the locations of my traps and reconnoiter my routes. I had so much to do. Rachel and I would have to start training during the day as well as the night. This would prove to be an exhausting effort.

I smiled as we left Anubis in his office. Plans, instructions, and training had set the wheels in motion. Things were starting to fall into place. The familiars had secured materials and equipment with orders to support me in whatever I asked. I had had a fair amount of time to think about it, as the idea had germinated into a full-fledged plan. If this plan went off, it meant I had to come up with another to follow up on the task that Tayla had said lay before me. I was tired, as was Rachel. We went to our room, got on our knees, and prayed as we had never prayed in our lives. Asking for a hedge of protection against the evil that had beset itself against us, we climbed into bed. It was about three o’clock in the morning. I set the alarm for eleven o’clock. As the Bible says, some men shall see visions and others shall dream dreams. Rachel and I decided to leave it in God’s hands. His will be done.

When the alarm went off, we both jumped up and out of bed. “Any dreams?” I asked.

“No, not last night. I slept comfortable. I’m not doubtful about those angels. I know I will get the same hedge of protection for the children and myself as you have received. I am going to go on faith. That’s all I can do.” She went to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. A few minutes later, I heard the shower running, and her humming a tune I had never heard before. I sat on the bed and dressed in a robe.

A knock on the door revealed Shade outside, with a serving cart of assorted breakfast foods. “Good morning sir! How did you sleep last night, you and the Mrs.?”

“We’re fine, Shade. Thanks for breakfast. Rachel is in the shower, so it might take her a few minutes to come out.”

“The children are up and romping about. They are doing fine, sir. Laughing and whistling like two birds in spring. They are in particularly good spirits today, telling some of the wildest tales. What an imagination those two have!” Shade spread out the breakfast on the table in our room, then began to leave the room. “I’ll be back sir to take the cart later.” She started to leave the room.