Free The Shroud of A'Ranka (Brimstone Network Trilogy) by Thomas E. Sniegoski Page B

me complete my mission,” Vladek stated. “His name is Gideon. And I want you to find him for me.”

7.
    “IS SOMETHING WRONG, SIR?” THE GHOSTLY IMAGE of Elijah Stone asked Bram as he moved around the desk to stand before him.
    “Father?” Bram stammered, reaching out a hand to take told of the man’s sleeve. His hand passed through.
    “In appearance, yes,” the man said. “But little more than that, I’m afraid.”
    “But why do you …?” Bram began.
    “Why do I look like the director … your father? Quite simple, really. It was easier for the Network operatives to recount their stories to a figure of authority that they truly respected. I’m the Archivist—a magickal construct—and my job is to record the work of the Brimstone Network.”
    Bram could barely keep the sudden wave of emotion under control.
    “I’m sorry, sir, but every new director allows a piece of his soul essence to be taken, and shaped into the newest Archivist.”
    “So when a file says ‘sent to archives,’ it means that the information was given to you?” Emily asked, stepping into the room.
    “Exactly,” the Archivist said. “I’m far more dependable than one of those computers, and I save a fortune on paper.”
    Emily looked at him, a surprised smile on her face. “This is incredible.”
    “Yeah,” Bram said, with much less enthusiasm. “Incredible.”
    “The powers that created me were also sensitive to the fact that a magickal attack had been launched against this facility. My vast resources were immediately locked away, only to be accessed by the next director of the Brimstone Network.”
    The image of his father studied Bram. “That is you,” the Archivist said. “If you would allow me to sample a tiny fraction of your soul energy, I will happily shape my form to resemble you….”
    “No,” Bram said firmly. “This shape will do fine.”
    The Archivist processed the information and smiled, bowing his head slightly. “Very good, sir.”
    Bram studied his teammates, who had finally joined him in the room.
    “And this is your Network?” the ghostly image of his father asked.
    Bram nodded.
    “Excellent,” the Archivist said. “How may I be of service to you?”
    Bram tried to pull himself together. This wasn’t, after all, his father, simply a magickal spell fashioned in his likeness. But that didn’t seem to matter to a part of him.
    A part of him that still deeply missed his father.
    “There is a storage cave for the Brimstone Network in the Ural Mountains,” Bram said, forcing his emotions back to a place where they wouldn’t hinder his ability to lead his team.
    The Archivist stared off into space, the color of his eyes changing to a milky white, before returning to their dark brown.
    “Ah yes, I have it.”
    “Someone …
something
was imprisoned there,” Bramsaid. “Locked inside a great stone chest. A vampire.”
    The Archivist brought a hand to his chin. “A vampire, you say,” the records keeper said, turning away and heading farther into the room.
    The air around them shimmered and changed. The walls were suddenly covered in row upon row of shelves filled with countless leather-bound books. The Archivist went to a section behind his desk and plucked a thick volume from the shelf. He immediately started to thumb through it.
    “Ah yes, here it is. The vampire’s name is Vladek,” he said.
    “Vladek,” Bram repeated, letting the name of his enemy roll off his tongue. “What can you tell me about him?”
    “A prince of the Verdulak clan, and a fearsome warrior. Many vampires believed Vladek to be some sort of savior, that he was to somehow lead the vampire race to victory against humanity.”
    “But he ended up imprisoned in a stone chest in the Ural Mountains,” Bogey finished.
    The Archivist looked up from his book. “Yes, that’s right. Vladek proved to be more formidable than any of the other vampires the organization had faced … virtuallyindestructible, so they had no