Free Underground Vampire by David Lee Page A

parochial outlook with a small power structure that would be easy to
monitor. 
    When Petru appeared at her home in
Philadelphia with a letter from the Queen of the Northwest Clan proposing a
contract for hire, she traveled to Seattle and accepted the commission. 
While discussing the Queen’s problem, a common enough matter involving a
Clanless Vampire looking to set up shop in Portland, she was able to secure
permission to establish a permanent residence in Seattle.  The Queen got a
private enforcer outside the Clan structure and she had the protection of the
Clan around her.
    The Queen had taken her time
considering Arabella’s request.  Allowing the preeminent Vampire assassin
of the past century to move in as a permanent guest stimulated her neurotic
fear, but the chance to make a personal ally out of this dangerous weapon
outweighed her paranoia, and she ultimately agreed.  Arabella’s ability to
persuade the Portland problem to leave without a messy scene impressed the
Queen greatly, as she valued discretion. The only condition she imposed was
that Arabella not ply her trade in Northwest Clan territory without the
personal authorization of the Queen, a condition she was happy to accept, as
she had long sought a place where she had no enemies and where no Vampires
resided with old connections to someone she had eliminated. 
    Of course, the Queen had added at
the last when the negotiations had been concluded and things were all friendly and
neighborly that she could perhaps use some assistance from time to time if
Arabella wasn’t otherwise occupied, small services, barely a trifle, something
that would take little of her time and would undoubtedly be most helpful. 
    The trifling little problem
annoying the Queen turned out to be Oliver’s Insurrection.  Summoned to a
midnight meeting at the mansion, she found herself hunting Oliver and the
followers he’d recruited throughout the City and finally following him into a
devastated section of the Seattle Underground, as reconstruction of the burnt
City went on around and above them.  Petru accompanied her, whether to
assist her or to spy on her Arabella was never sure, as they rampaged through
the rebellious Clan members who’d thrown in with Oliver. 
    Capturing his confederates when
they could, killing them when they had no choice, they’d finally cornered him
Underground where, with Petru’s help, she captured and subdued Oliver.  As
they prepared to stake his heart, cut off his head and burn the body, the Queen
intervened and spared Oliver’s life. Petru and she had forced Oliver into the
concrete burial vault, bound it round with iron bands and hauled it to the
waterfront where a well-paid charter with the Puget Sound Tug Boat Company
waited. The tug steamed up Puget Sound into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, where
they told the Captain to stop then winched the vault up off the deck and pushed
it from the stern.  After marking the position of the moon and stars into
her memory, they returned successful but troubled that a dangerous enemy was
left alive, albeit at the bottom of the sea.
     It had never occurred to
Arabella that the Queen retained any Human emotions, but it seemed her leniency
was the result of a passion not entirely grown cold.  Oliver was, after
all, of her blood and resided with her as her personal Human, bound to her by
the blood providing her with nourishment and perhaps even satisfying her
lingering sexual appetites before she made him.  Once made, he was quickly
promoted through the Clan until his ambition made him try for her chair.  
     
    Now, either he had somehow returned
or another had designs on power.  Either way, the Queen wanted them found
and delivered to her, and if she wanted to stay alive and living in Seattle,
she needed to find and stop whatever was going on.
    Stepping out of her building on
Second Avenue, she crossed Yesler at the crosswalk, turned right, then a left
on Occidental and into Pioneer Square.  Since