Downtown Chinook, Near the docks, Mid October

    Gregori couldn't believe his eyes. At first he hadn't realized who his opponent was. But then Gregori had seen the subtle insignia on the right collar tab of the biker jacket of the Anvidai warrior he was fighting. That insignia announced to everyone who the warrior was. The War-Prince himself, he was fighting the War Prince himself. Gregori hadn't seen the Anvidai warrior in over seventy years. Not since he had moved to this side of the pond. He, and many others in the Undying society, had started to wonder if the elusive ruler had died at some point. No one had seen any sign of the War Prince in decades. So when the Anvidai society had started to break down, they had assumed had been that the War Prince had died without an heir.

    As soon as Gregori had seen the insignia on the War Prince's jacket he had started to plan how to capture them both. Who wouldn't if such a prize was literally dropped in your lap. Gregori was just starting to put his plan into action when a very unpleasant occurrence happened. Two more of damned Siblings had materialized at the War Prince's side. Damn the Anvidai and their ability to move in a non-corporeal form. That was most annoying trick in the Anvidai arsenal. Their ability to dematerialize out of one place and to materialize somewhere else. It made it hard to keep Anvidai captive, if you didn't know how of course. The Undying, of course, knew how so that ability was only annoying instead of a deal breaker. All it took was an iron or steel cage, no Anvidai can dematerialize through the stuff. A fact that made Gregori thank a god he didn't believe in for that small blessing.

    The only God, well Goddess, Deity? that Gregori believed in was his Beloved Lady. Not because some priest had told him that she existed. But because he had seen her himself. Felt her power in his body. He only existed, still young and hail, because of the Beloved's very real power. Usually Gregori had no problem with doing anything his lady wanted. At times like this, when the Lady's desires hadn't been met? Gregori was just glad that the failure was someone else's. He had zero intention of finding himself on one of Mikhail's tables. Gregori, however, felt no loyalty to any of his subordinates. Actually his only loyalty was to himself and the Beloved. A mindset that she encouraged in every one of her Undying.

    Gregori had expected the four Undying that were supposed to be his back-ups to shoot as soon as the other two warriors materialized. But no shots had rang out. Neither of those two interfering warriors had fallen bleeding. They should have fallen either injured or dead. The reinforcements hadn't been where they were supposed to be. There was no way Gregori could take on three Anvidai warriors all by himself. All he could do now was disengage in order to retreat. Not how he had seen this night going to be honest. Damn it all Mikhail was going to loose his mind about the missed opportunity. Thanks to the failure of his back-up to do their job. Gregori had lost not only the chance to grab the girl, but also the War Prince. The last was going to stick in both Mikhail's and the Beloved's craw.

   Gregori knew he'd been clear about his orders. It wasn't like being back-up was a difficult concept. All the fucktards had to do was be where they were told to be. When they had been told to be there. But since they had failed in a simple and basic concept, they were going to pay for their failure, with death. A very long and agonizing death in fact. Gregori was going to inform Mikhail and the Beloved of the failure. If only so he, himself, didn't suffer for the failure of others.

    This was going to be a very interesting night. Mikhail and the Beloved Lady were going have to their way with those idiots. Mikhail was so inventive with that kind of thing after all. As much as Gregori wanted to punish the failures himself. It was a better idea to just watch. Not to mention, highly entertaining. And who knew maybe he'd be able to get a few licks in as well. After all he had been put at risk by their failure. Not something he was inclined to forget, much less forgive.

     The whole time he was fleeing, Gregori was revising his plans. The ability to change tracks on the fly was one of the many reasons that he was so high up in the society after all. First things first, he needed to get to that girl's apartment and hope he got there before whoever the Sibling sent. Gregori knew there was no way that the War Prince would take her to her apartment himself. After all he had servants to do the grunt work didn't he.

    The failure to capture those two was going to make Mikhail blow his stack. And since he couldn't follow her to where ever she was going to run too. Not that getting the War Prince had been part of the original plan.No he had been an added bonus that Gregori would really like to have. After all, that was the kind of coup that got people second in command. Gregori might be the one in-charge of the region but he still had to answer to Mikal. wouldn't it be nice to be his equal? There was no way that he was going to even think, much less dream, of being Mikhail's superior.

    He was going to have to get to her place before whoever it was that came and try to follow them to where ever they took her things. Damn those incompetent fools, he cursed to himself. If they had been doing their job he would not only have the girl now but the War Prince as well. Of all the rotten luck to bring that particular Anvidai to the very spot that he was. This was the second time that Gregori had lost a female to that warrior. It wasn't going to happen a third time. so he had to get moving, now.

    Gregori didn't even contemplate trying to use the van he had arrived in. Well, the van he had stolen and hidden in the alley so he could transport the girl. It would take to long for one thing. He'd have to wait for any Siblings that had stayed behind to leave. And he wanted, needed actually, to get to the apartment Mikhail's girl lived in before any interfering annoyances from the Siblings goth there. Damn those mother fuckers. Did they have to show up at the worst possible time? Well it wouldn't have been the worst possible time if his back-up had actually done their job.

    Second reason for just stealing a different car were the odds were that there was going to be a tracker in the van by the time they Siblings left. No, he was definitely going to have to find alternative transportation. In other words he was going to have to steal a car as soon as possible. With that thought in mind Gregori started to look at the vehicles parked around him. He wanted an older model, preferably a van but he'd take a car if he had to. The vehicle needed to not have a Lo-Jack or similar tracking system in it. After all why trade your ride getting traced by the Ashen War-kin only to be traced by the police. Or worse people who preferred to do their own enforcing of rules. Fortunately it was easy to figure out which cars belonged to the mob or drug dealers. They were always too flashy or high-end for the neighborhood they were parked in.

    And what do you know. Ask and thou shall receive, or some such. Gregori had never paid any attention to the priests when he'd been a living, breathing Human. He so wasn't going to start now that he was technically dead. Nonetheless right in front of him was the answer to his prayers. A beat up van about six or seven years old. Gregori doubted that the owner paid to have any kind of tracking system active in it even if one had been installed originally. Which was doubtful in the extreme. Normally, no one would steal a piece of shit like the one in front of him. Not unless they were desperate, which he actually was. And besides it was exactly what the doctor had ordered. This van wouldn't stand out in the neighborhood that the girl lived in. Its rusty brown and yellow paint job was chipped and faded. Frankly it looked like it was about to fall apart. Gregori didn't care though, as long as it actually ran than it would do.

    Thirty minutes later, Gregori was parked down the street from the old apartment building of the girl lived in. The same one that the thief had lived in actually.Gregori had been totally unsurprised that the thief and the girl he was now hunting lived together. His only surprise in fact had been who the girls father had been. He hadn't known that the Undying could sire kids. I mean seriously, Gregori thought. We're dead, aren't we?

    Now it was a waiting game, waiting for someone to show up. Either alone or with an Anvidai guard. With any luck, the girl would show up alone. That would mean that Gregori could capture her and get the missing tome.Not one that he expected though. Still a very desirable outcome as far a Gregori was concerned. Not that it would save the wastes of space that had failed in the alley. No one wanted the Beloved to be upset  with you. Over the decades Gregori had learned that the dead could die and die hard. Something that he had no intention of doing.

   Whoever showed up, when they got here he would take a page out of the War-Kin's playbook and plant a tracker on whatever car is being used. Then maybe the Undying Society would finally find out where the Ashen War-Kin and the War Prince lived, wouldn't that be a coup. That would just about win the game. It wouldn't however keep those fucktards who had failed him from their punishments. Nothing was going to do that, no matter how it turned out. Failure was always punished, severely. Besides their punishment was going to be fun to watch.

   To pass the time Gregori imagined all of the different punishments that could be meted out to those who had let him, and more importantly the Beloved, down. As fun as it would be to watch Mikhail at work, he decided he wanted a more active role in it. Watching was fun but not as fun as playing yourself after all. Considering how important this job was to Mikhail and the Beloved, failure was not only not an option but downright fatal. Besides it would be fun to see how long he could keep an Undying alive. Especially if the Beloved is there to enjoy the show as well. Gregori smiled at the last thought. Nothing in the world pleased the Beloved more than watching her favorites at work. The final decision about who was going to do what to those idiots was going to be in the Beloved's hands. Just as everything was.

    The sky was clear tonight. No clouds were holding in what little heat the weak winter sun had generated during the day. Gregori neither noticed nor felt the cold bite in the air. The dead, even if they moved and breathed, didn't feel the temperature. At least not after the first couple of years. Only the living felt the cold of winter or the heat from summer. Gregori didn't feel anything. He didn't care because he was technically dead. Well, undead but the point still applied. After the Beloved was done working her dark magic on new initiates, the only thing they felt was love for Her.

    Gregori remembered his initiation into the Undying society. It had been over seventy years ago. Europe had just started to fall under the sway of the Beloved. Not that the majority of humans had known that fact. The world at large hadn't been aware of the Undying Society. Or that it was using the Nazi Party to take control. The Undying Society always used existing groups to control the minds and behaviors of those hairless apes. Even when he'd still been a Human, Gregori had felt nothing but disdain for the rest of humanity.

    Gregori often wondered how the Society had failed to take control of the planet. God knew that Humans were good at creating the conditions that the Society used. Gregori was fairly certain that the only thing that had stopped the Society had been the Anvidai. Every time that the Undying got close to winning the Anvidai would manage to get int the way. Which was a major disappointment as far as Gregori was concerned. Humanity deserved to be controlled, mastered by those who were superior to them. All things did. The weak were ruled and the strong ran the show.

    Gregori figured that he had been sitting there for about fifteen minutes when a car drove up and parked right in front of the building he was watching. The car was far to upscale for the neighborhood it had parked in. As soon as he saw the tall broad shouldered figure get out of the drivers seat he knew who it was. Surprise, surprise, Gregori thought. Who would have thought that the War Prince himself would show up. And now I get another chance at getting them both.

    This time I won't let either of them get away. I will follow them to wherever it is that the War-Kin and their Prince spend the day. After the sun is high, I will lead an attack on them and end their interference with the Beloved's plans forever. Gregori however didn't get overly confident. So far no one had managed to track any of the War-Kin back to their lair. At least not here in Chinook. They had succeeded in other cites but all that had lead to had been some high-born and their households. Always a good score but not the prize that he was looking for. So if there was even the slightest chance that the tag would work this time, Gregori was going to try.

    With that in mind, Gregori watched as the large male got out and scoped the area out. Thankfully the War-Prince never checked out where Gregori had parked his stolen van. Otherwise Gregori's plan to follow them would have failed. Not that Gregori doubted his hand to hand skills. No, Gregori was well aware of how skilled he was. But it was going to be hard to follow them if they knew he was there. I would have had to go to plan B and take them captive and without backup that was by no means guaranteed. Not really interested in rolling those dice when I'm the one paying the price, Gregori thought to himself. Following the car was definitely the preferred course.

    As soon as the couple had left the car and gone inside, Gregori was out of his stolen van and over to the sports car that the two had arrived in. It was the work of a moment to place a tracker under the back bumper of the car. After all, Gregori thought, I have no problem stealing tricks from the War-Kin playbook. Not that electronic tracking has ever worked before. Which is why I'm going to follow them in person, and not depend on the machines to do my work for me. Gregori had no idea why the trackers always failed but they did. Well he was going to trail the sports car as well as use the tracker. The combo was going to give Gregori his best chance at finding out where the War-Prince laid his head.

    As soon as the couple exited the building and walked to the sports car Gregori was ready to follow no matter where they went. From the bags that they were carrying it was clear that the girl was going to be staying with the Siblings for at least a couple of days. He could think of no other reason that they would have a backpack and a duffel with them. Gregori missed the small shape that darted into the car. A small shape that was unseen by everyone. He was glad that it was a clear night. A foggy or stormy night would make trailing the high-end car much more difficult. So the clear night was definitely a bennie as far as Gregori was concerned.

    While Gregori did have the electronic back-up he had no intention of needing to use it. For some reason even the most advanced system failed as soon as they got out of Chinook proper and started to head for the burbs. The Society had been trying to figure out why their trackers always failed since they'd started to use them. There had never been a successful trail of the Siblings to their headquarters and the War Prince that lived there. Gregori had a theory about it but hadn't said anything to anyone. Mikhail always said that it was an aspect of one of the Anvidai tricks. Gregori wasn't so sure. Gregori had a theory that the Siblings had a way to disable the trackers. An electronic way rather than a mystical one. Either way it wasn't going to happen this time if Gregori had anything to say about it. 

    Thirty minutes or so later, Gregori was completely lost. All he knew was that he was in the suburbs of Chinook. It was as if the War Prince knew that he was being followed. Although it was probably just standard counter measures against being followed. Either way he had lost sight of the fast little sports car. Gregori was glad that he had used the electronic back-up as a just in case. The signal was sent to his phone and he wished that it was easier to see and drive at the same time. Or that he could take the risk of parking and just letting the tracker do it's job 

    The War Prince and his passenger had hit almost every part of town as far Gregori could tell. And it didn't look like it was going to change any time soon now that they were in the burbs, They seemed to just be out driving as far as Gregori could tell. That was when the trackers signal vanished completely. It was like the thing had ceased to exist. Not shut off or covered but completely gone.

    "Damn" Gregori yelled, pounding the steering wheel in his frustration. "They must be using a GPS blocker of some kind. Damn it. The blocker was probably in the car itself."

    Although, Gregori thought to himself as he shook out the hand he had pounded the steering wheel with. It was possible that the GPS blocker was at a location that they drove through. While it was possible that the block was mystical in nature like Mikhail suggested. Gregori decided that it was more likely that the Sibling's used tech rather than magic to block any trackers placed on their vehicles. After all tech was a lot easier to get and use. What ever the caused the disruption, Gregori had lost sight of them, and he didn't even have more than a general direction to head in. Where ever the War Prince's lair was, all that Gregori had ever discovered was that it was eastward. Considering the number of suburbs in and around Chinook, especially eastward. That general direction didn't really help any. After all eastward might just be another ruse to throw them off.

    Well it had been worth a shot and now it was time to find the fucktard failures that had so messed up his plan earlier tonight. Gregori was actually looking forward to this, he couldn't think of a better way to get rid of a bad mood. And that tracking didn't need a GPS to do it. He knew location every member of the Undying Society in his territory at all times. So finding his targets was not going to be a problem. But they were going to wish that it was when he got his hands on the four of them. Without a doubt.