The Guard- Elders-Part 3

Untitled Part 12

 "He is here Councilwoman Cleo." Paddy pointed to the fire pit. She kept her composure but she was clearly upset. Her eyes were rimmed in red.

She knelt down beside the fire pit. She sang quietly to her lost pet. Her other pet bats came swooping down around her.

They bit her gently. They were feeding from her. The bites would be there one second, gone the next.

She had freed the two from the net. They sat on her head like hair combs.

When her pets left they followed.

"Thank you for showing me." Paddy bowed to her. "Now explain Mr. Riley. Why there is a rabbit in the fire pit with my pet?"

"I do not know. " Crispin hesitated too long. "Councilwoman Cleo."

She reached out and touched Crispin. He cried out in pain.

"What the...?" He backed away from her. "Why are you letting her do this Shaun?"

"If the Council wishes to question someone. They will regardless who they are."

"But I do not know anything." He whined.

"That is up to the Councilwoman to decide."

"But I..." Crispin was very disgusted by this.

"Father she will get her answers one way or the other."

Caleb walked out from in between the trees. He looked at me then glanced at the tree the bats were in. He was upset. "What is going on here?" He obviously did not know who the Councilwoman was or did not care. I had a taste of his attitude. He did not care.

"We are investigating suspicious activity Caleb. What are you doing here?" Shaun wanted to know. "I came here to relax. The boarding house can seem quite crowded at times."

"Who are you?" Councilwoman Cleo asked. She did not like to be interrupted.

"Just someone who knows the Rileys." He said smugly.

"That is not what I asked you. Who are you?"

"Answer her Caleb." Shaun said.

"I did answer her." He said smugly again.

Councilwoman Cleo had her special smirk on her face when she heats things up.

"My. It is warm out tonight. Do not you find it warm Crispin?"

"No Caleb I do not."

"Caleb answer Councilwoman Cleo's questions." Shaun said sternly.

"Councilwoman Cleo of the Vampire Council." Caleb said with awe.

"Yes." Shaun knew what she was doing. He hid his smile well.

"That changes everything." He bowed to her.

"I am sorry for being rude, Councilwoman Cleo. I must be careful on who knows who I am." Councilwoman Cleo smiled.

"Let me introduce myself. I am the Shaman of the Northern region of Great Britain to the Leicester Shapeshifters Clan. My name is Caleb Braddish." He bowed again.

"Good maybe you have the answers I am looking for?"

"Answers Councilwoman Cleo?"

"Yes please explain why there are bones of a bat and a rabbit in this fire pit?"

Caleb was suddenly very nervous.

"You have a good eye Councilwoman Cleo."

"Mr. Riley was this the man who asked for the three bats?" She turned to Crispin.

Crispin Riley just nodded. He was just as nervous as Caleb.

The Councilwoman turned back to Caleb. He cleared his throat. "Well as a Shaman, I perform certain duties for my people." He said smugly. "One of them is protection rituals. When ever an Elder comes into my region. I always make sure they are protected during their stay. Crispin and Marisa are Elders of my people so I was obligated to do the ritual which I have done every time they come to London." He was babbling.

Councilwoman Cleo was becoming very impatient. She started tapping her feet. Caleb noticed this. "It was no different on this occasion. I performed the protection ritual." He stopped talking and stood there nervously.

"You still have not answered my question? The bat and the rabbit Caleb?"

"Oh! Um! The rabbit represents a shifter and the bat a vampire." Everyone was shocked into silence.

Shaun was the first to move. "You seek protection from the people I protect?" Crispin just stared at his son.

"Shaun your job is to protect the Council. Mine is to protect my Elders." Caleb said.

"What do you destroy when they visit my sister in the North? Reindeer?" Colleen went to Shaun to calm him. He was very angry.

"When they visit your sister Shannon. They do not need a protection ritual."

"Why because she lives with humans."

"They are not a threat to us Shaun."

Shaun turned away from his parents. He was looking at his children and grandchildren. We all heard him whisper. "Three."

He was staring at the three vampires in his family. "You wanted protection from my family. The three things that would be a threat to you. Kylie. Cassie. Quinn."

Crispin, Marisa and Caleb went paler then us. Their blood just drained from their faces. "Is that true Grandfather. You needed protection from my wife and children without even meeting them first?"

"Paddy, I was not sure Caleb told us about his meeting with your va... with Kylie."

I stared at Caleb. What did I do to him to scare him?

Caleb was visibly shaking. "I...It's..." Then he stopped and stared at Councilwoman Cleo.

"Why did you burn my pet?"

"Your pet Councilwoman. The rabbit?" Caleb inquired.

"No the bat. He was one of my pets from my sanctuary."

"I did not know Councilwoman Cleo or I would have found bats somewhere else."

Paddy and his grandfather just stared at each other.

"You never gave her a chance. You right away assumed the worse. You made her fell unwelcome in her own home." Paddy turned away from him and came and hugged me and our children.

Athos and his squad stepped out from the trees. He walked to Shaun.

"I think Shaun. We have observed enough. We will return to the cavern."

Shaun nodded.

Councilwoman Cleo crouched down to the fire pit and removed the bones of the bat. She held the tiny bones in her hand. She started to sing. Her bats swarmed around her again. Each one picked up a piece of their fallen cave mate then they flew off in different directions.

When she was finished her song. She had blood tears running down her cheeks.

"Was it necessary to burn them Caleb?"

"Yes it gives the ritual its full strength. The fire part that is." She went to turn away. "Why did you only burn one of the bats when you had three?"

"Because," Caleb cleared his throat, "there was only one real threat." He whispered. Caleb would not even look at me.

Councilwoman Cleo nodded then started back to the cavern.

Shaun turned his back on his parents. "Let us go home."

We left them standing there.