Lanius carefully opened the heavy steel trap door above the stairwell. He was expecting an ambush but nobody had followed him. He was starving. Much of the energy from the stored blood had gone just to healing his substantial wounds and he needed a fresh meal to finish the job. He headed for the border. Despite it being day time he thought that he should be able to find an easy meal there. As he drove the several miles to the border he thought of Diana and abandoning her fighting Oberon. God forgive them if they killed her he thought. I will kill them both for their treason but if they have harmed Diana I will truly make them suffer.
He arrived near the border feeling light headed from the lack of nourishment. He crossed the desert on foot searching. Soon enough in the distance he saw several people walking toward the border. He moved toward them with haste.
He found a family of five walking in the desert toward America. Damn, they don't qualify as lunch he thought.
He continued into Mexico in dire thirst. He had occasional spells of light headed confusion and thought that he may pass out. Thankfully, he soon saw a Jeep in the distance.
Its rooster tail of dust behind it stretched out high as it sped across the desert. He quickened his pace. As he approached he found three armed men in the Jeep. Finally.
He attacked feverishly. He was famished. He drank greedily from the man in the back while holding the front passenger down by his shoulder with the other hand. By the time he had drained the first dry the driver had abandoned his friends and took off on a run. Lanius drank from the passenger quickly and felt the new blood rush into his system. The pain he still felt from his wounds quickly vanished as he healed and by the time he had drunk all he could from the passenger he felt stronger. He covered the distance the driver had covered in a second and had him. He spun the man around and sunk his teeth in to drink.
The man struggled and fought but Lanius is far too strong for a human to affect him with such blows. He ignored the screams and drank deeply, draining the man and dropping him at his feet.
Now I feel my strength returning to me. I must find Lucas and recruit him to help me kill Cinnin. He flashed across the desert returning to his truck and then drove back to Chandler. He arrived at his apartment in the city and immediately located a backup phone. He called Lucas.
"Hello old friend. Your suspicions about Cinnin were correct. He has betrayed us and has either killed or captured Diana."
"How did he get to Diana!"
"She and I attacked him but he had much help in the form of Oberon and other older vampires. They attacked me en masse and I barely escaped with my life."
"You left Diana to die at their hands?" Lucas was incredulous.
"I had to escape, Lucas. I could be of no help to her dead. I think that they are much more likely to try to use her to lure me back into a fight than to kill her. I believe that she lives. We must gather The Patriots and find her. Meet me at our house with The Patriots and we will formulate a plan"
"I cannot believe that you left her. You surprise me, Lanius." He was angry but knew Lanius was right. They wouldn't kill her. And they must gather forces to fight for her.
"I will contact The Patriots and tell them this news. You find her." He said sourly and he hung up.
Lanius was not surprised that Lucas hung up on him. He knew he must be very angry with him for leaving Diana to struggle against two vampires by herself. He also knew that he would do as bid, and quickly, as he loved Diana as well.
Lanius began by calling the Chandler Magistrate and ordered him to investigate Cinnin. "Does he have any properties near Chandler?" he asked. "Find out all that you can of him."
"Sir, I require authorization from the Governor to investigate an elder such as Cinnin." the Magistrate replied dryly.
"We have little time, Magistrate. I grant you the authority so do as you must."
"I'm sorry, my Lord, but I must get a second authorization from the Governor. I will call immediately and report back to you anything that I find in the investigation."
"Very well but hurry." Lanius barked into the phone and hung up. He looked around his apartment and realized he was still hungry. He decided to drive back to the property outside Chandler that he and Diana had occupied to drink from their back up stock in the basement. He knew he and Diana had already turned one of them and he would feed on the strong blood of a young vampire.