"Don't worry about the Talbots. Give me a day, and I'll have Jane on board with their whole pack," Frank had said that morning. He left shortly after, wasting no time to speak with Jane. He knew that if she knew everything, she'd be here with no questions.
Next, I made the hard call to the Wicklows. At least I thought it would be a hard call. Once Bartley picked up the phone, I realized he was already on the same page as the rest of us.
"When will you all be here?" he answered.
It was always hard for me to decipher what they meant exactly. Their powers worked in strange ways that I could never totally define. Once we spoke at length about what all we knew, and what they had already "seen," we knew we had about a day and a half until the immortals would arrive. They would come at night. It would be close, but we could probably get everyone there in time to have a full force against them.
The advantages we had were few, but powerful. First off, we had the element of surprise. Second, we had three modes of attack, each with its respective strengths, involving all three families. Finally, we had two powerful vampires that Mercy would never expect to be against her.
It was late in the night. Hours had passed as we planned our attack, combing through every option. We conference called Bartley as we spoke at great length about the specifics of our plan.
That night, none of us could sleep. Even Martin and Charles seemed restless. Martin worried for us, while Charles was concerned about his own family. He knew this was the end of the charade that he had with the monsters below the city. As soon as he turned on Mercy, he would be outed. Unless we could kill both Mercy and Phineas, his family might also be in danger. He was confident about pulling it off; however, I could sense some unease.
Suddenly, it was morning, and we were all walking into a battle we hadn't planned or prepared for like we usually did. This was fast; we were moving way too quickly. I had a strange feeling in the back of my mind like it wouldn't be enough. Unfortunately, I knew we had to fight. If we didn't, our whole family would be killed.
Charles and Martin parted ways with us, disappearing into the mysterious tunnels beneath the city. They entered a storm drain, not even a quarter mile away, under the cover of lingering shadows. They were to meet us out there later since it was daylight. They'd stay below the surface until they reached the destination.
The rest of us locked and loaded. We loaded up the Suburban with everything we thought we might need. Silver in all of its forms, bullets, arrows, bags of dust, and bombs. We'd be as ready as possible for what came next. I just hoped we'd make it to the other side of this. In the silence of the car ride, I prayed for my family to survive this.
The ride to the Wicklows was a quiet one. The calm before the storm. Eleanor and I spoke softly in the front, but Autumn sat in the back without making a sound. She was there with us, ready to fight, but her mind was someplace else. We could see it plainly on her face. She was thinking about Sam… if he was okay. We let her have her few moments in the car. It was the only real calm moment that any of us had over the last day or so.
Once we arrived, we saw that Frank and Jane were already there. Jane and the rest of the Talbots were willing and ready to protect our united family. For a moment, I had a warm comfort come over me. Just seeing them all there, ready to risk it all for the family. It made me realize how important we all still were to each other. Through all the feuds, arguments, differences, and even the time between us, we were all still there, standing together.
About a half dozen other vehicles were already parked in the outskirts of the gypsies' land. Eight of the strongest Talbots were all together in a tight group near their vehicles, waiting for Jane. I recognized a few faces I hadn't seen in a while. Felix, Kip, and even Trevor, who had been an asshole when we were kids; before the curse hit him.
Jane and Frank were closer up near the house. I pulled the suburban in, right beside them, and got out to greet everyone.
"Looks like you pulled it off," I said to Frank. "Thanks for coming, Jane."
She nodded calmly, "We're glad to be here." She looked back at her family, "When will the others be joining us?"
"Martin and Charles will be here soon. I'm not sure how quickly they can move down there, but they'll be here."
"My family doesn't know them or trust them, but we trust you. We'll keep our distance from them until it begins. Try and keep the peace until the real threat arrives," she said.
"I understand," I replied.
"Come on, Carter," Frank gestured towards the house, "they're waiting for us."
It was a little awkward and cramped inside the old gypsy house once everyone was present and accounted for. When the two vampires arrived, it made things even tenser, but the gypsies could keep things under control. They had ways of making you feel calm and sedated so as not to pose a threat to them. Their abilities were strange.
Then out of a backroom behind the kitchen, an old gypsy grandmother made an appearance. Her small frame and white hair gave her away instantly. I hadn't seen her in a couple of months. Annabelle Wicklow, the oldest and most potent of the gypsies. She could see things others couldn't and do things nobody could understand. She wasn't a weapon used to fight like the rest of us. She was a compass, guiding and keeping us safe from the other things in the world. It didn't matter where she was, she usually knew if something was going to happen to the family. That was why I was confused, she hadn't noticed these upcoming events. Or… maybe she had…
"Autumn," Annabelle spoke to my daughter from across the tightly packed kitchen. "Come here, sweetie." She slowly crept across the kitchen tiles with her old wooden cane supporting her right side.
Autumn walked straight into her arms. Annabelle knew exactly what was wrong with her without ever having to ask. Autumn knew that Annabelle could feel what she felt, so they didn't have any exchange of words. Annabelle was the best thing to an actual grandma that Autumn had, and she loved her. If I'm honest, I think that Annabelle favored Autumn over her own relatives for some reason. All of Autumn's life, it seemed like Annabelle had a special relationship with her.
"It's going to be okay, sweetie… you'll see. Everything will work out, just give it time," she spoke softly into Autumn's ear.
My daughter just cried silently in her embrace. She was able to let her guard down with Annabelle, we all could, because the old gypsy already knew what was in your mind or weighing on your heart.
I wondered what her words truly meant. What had she seen?
Bartley spoke up to kick things off. He made introductions for those who didn't know everyone. He got the elephant out of the room with the vampires and the Talbots. Finally, we got down to business. We were going to be fighting for our lives. We had a plan, we had numbers, we had a lot to lose. As we spoke about everything, I prayed again… for a miracle.