Page 6 of The Vampire King's War

Let me help you with that,Daemon thought.

Is that… Is that you?The Acolyte stammered.

Be at ease,Daemon told her.

He felt a calm sweep through the Acolyte at his command.

Daemon’s mind filtered through everyone else’s, erasing his and Julian’s presences from their minds. The cameras pointed their way abruptly malfunctioned as Daemon used the Ashyr Bloodline gift to wrench out delicate electronics.

Whoa! You short circuited them!Julian realized.

I made them cease functioning,Daemon admitted.

There’s a digital recording already of what they’ve filmed,Julian explained. Can you destroy that?

Daemon’s forehead furrowed. I do not know what I am looking for.

Ah, me neither,Julian admitted.

If I do too much physical damage to their cameras it will cause suspicion in any event,Daemon stated. Already with all of their devices malfunctioning, there will be questions.

Yeah, totally,Julian agreed. I guess maybe House Wynter can do something later?

But Julian’s mind voice held a note of worry. Daemon understood this. The longer any evidence of them being there existed, the greater the risk of discovery.

There is another way. While we may not understand how these cameras work, the ones who run them do,Daemon explained. Let us use that against them.

With another touch of his mind, the camera operators erased the recording yet neither they nor anyone else would remember them doing so.

Clever!Julian laughed. But erasing may not be enough. Things can always be recovered.

Daemon once again reached out to the Acolyte. The cameras are no longer functioning. The recordings have been erased.

That won’t be enough!The Acolyte cried.

Those cameras need to disappear,Daemon told her.

Yes, yes, I can think of something,the Acolyte answered with a swallow.

Again, be not afraid. Be calm. Be deliberate,Daemon said as he shored up her confidence.

Daemon heard curses from the reporters and frantic calls for new equipment to be brought immediately. They were missing a massive story. And hadn’t there appeared to be two people at the top of the stairs, right by the museum’s doors? No, no, there hadn’t been. That had just been a trick of the light. There was no one there now that they could see.

The helicopters began to turn around. Without cameras, the reporters would be hamstrung. They would have to come back. But other news crews were on the way. These ones would not have seen Julian and Daemon.

They’re leaving!Julian cried.

For now. But they will return and others will come. Yet they will not have seen us, Daemon stated.

Dozens of police cruisers and ambulances roared into the parking lot with their lights flashing and their sirens blaring screeched into the parking lot. Police officers and medical personnel spilled out of the vehicles and raced towards the stairs.

The police officers had their guns drawn and were advancing first, urging the ambulance crews to keep back. But the sight of so many fallen had the medical personnel not caring about their own safety. They wanted to get in there to see who they could save. If there was anyone to save.

The police officers picked their way up the steps, gingerly avoiding bodies, as the ambulance crews kneeled down to check for pulses.

“Any alive?” A young female officer asked the paramedic near her feet.

The paramedic shook his head. Her expression tightened.

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