Brian took the keys, thanked the black-suited man, and that was it. The man strode back to the terminal and the team loaded up. Brian drove, with Layla riding shotgun, while Kerry and Riv sat in back. Continuing on by helicopter would have been faster, but while Sakal’s estate was large, the area was still populated, and there was nowhere for them to land without being observed, especially in the middle of the day.
They stopped a mile away from Sakal’s estate in the parking lot of a trailhead that branched into a few different hiking trails. Their vehicle wasn’t typical, but there were enough passenger vans and busses that it didn’t stand out any more than the four of them did when they headed down the trail with heavy backpacks, dressed for hiking. The day was warm, but it was midweek, which limited even further the number of possible witnesses.
Keeping to the tougher trails, and taking advantage of various ground dips and swells, they made their way without any interruption, other than the occasional barking dog, until they stood eyeing the sorcerer’s estate. The several buildings sat on a slightly elevated rise, and were surrounded by a ten foot wall. It had been designed to mimic an aristocratic estate of old, or maybe it had begun its life that way and Sakal had merely upgraded. The question hadn’t been in their briefing. The wall was constructed of irregular pieces and shapes of rock which, while attractive and in keeping with the design, was also much easier to scale. So, bonus for them.
Based on drone photographs and existing maps, they’d chosen to enter on the back side of the wall directly opposite the gate, which would give them a better view of interior operations. All four went over the wall with ridiculous ease, paused to exchange rapid hand signals, and then broke into two teams and headed off. Each team would cover half the estate, then return to the same point for withdrawal along the same route to their vehicle. Depending on the remaining time, they would copter back with their report, or if it took longer than anticipated, they would transmit digital copies of all data and maps they’d generated about the enemy estate.
Layla had specifically chosen Kerry to partner with, since their half of the estate included the main courtyard in front of a building which Xavier had been convinced did, in fact, house vampires. One of the conclusions from the previous night’s discussions had been that Sakal, as the narcissistic and cowardly person he was, would want to ensure his own safety. And the best way to do that at night was to employ the best vampire fighters he could afford, since money was the only way he had to secure them in his defense. He was very likely, therefore, to exert the most effort to safeguard the courtyard closest to his own quarters. As Layla had told Xavier, there was no guarantee that Kerry had enough magical sensitivity to sense Sakal’s sorcery at work, but it was worth a try. And if they found something, they could always notify the other team to look for identical or at least similar constructs. The two teams had their usual comm units, and had long ago worked out a shorthand version of clicks to convey most types of urgent messages. But if necessary, they could conduct careful and low-voiced conversations.
As they left Brian and Riv, the two women kept a close eye out for any daytime troops, scanning windows and roofs as well as any ground units. Daylight guards on vampire estates were typically more concerned with criminals and snoops, rather than armed invaders, but whatever the routine, Sakal would want to cover his ass against human intervention. The vampire quarters on Sakal’s estate, as with most wealthy vampires, would be in an underground vault, much like Xavier’s. The risk of human invaders penetrating such a vault was very small, especially in anything less than several hours. Therefore, while daylight security was generally strong, it didn’t normally have to be strong enough repel a vampire’s usual enemies, which in this day and age were other vampires. It was always possible that one or more of the guards on an estate could betray their vampire master and admit human intruders, as had in fact happened to Lord Raphael in California some years ago. But by all accounts, Sakal was more worried about daytime attacks, than those that might occur at night.
This was curious enough that Xavier remarked on it, but she already knew that Sakal acted more human than vampire. By far. He no doubt even saw himself that way. He so hated vampires and what he’d become under their tutelage that he simply pretended not to be one of them.
The two female fighters began their rounds, watching for anything, believing the greatest danger would be on the grounds, not on the short slope just below the surrounding wall. The slope had undoubtedly been intended to add a measure of difficulty should anyone attempt to scale the high wall. But that precaution had ultimately been ignored in favor of aesthetics, leaving the slope covered in medium-sized fruit trees, which provided excellent cover for anyone wanting to navigate the edges of the estate without being seen.
They stopped several times to snap photos of larger defensive sites, including camouflaged and surprisingly heavy gun placements, that hadn’t shown up on the photos Xavier had shown them. If Sakal’s soldiers let go with some of the heavier weapons, they could inflict serious casualties among even vampire attackers. Vampires were tough, but not invincible. Knowing about the weapons in advance, they could take them out before the real battle ever got started. Camouflage protected the placements from aerial reconnaissance, so it was possible Sakal hadn’t considered their vulnerability to early targeting. Layla added it to her notes, then agreed with Kerry that they should search for ground- to-air placements next. The weapons would draw unwanted attention to the estate if they were ever used, but maybe Sakal considered his location sufficiently remote to favor security over practicality. Or maybe his plan was simply to abandon the estate, and its protectors, if the situation proved too dangerous to him personally.
They also noted guard routines, building entry points including whether they were guarded, barrack locations, and manned outposts, along with anything else that caught their eye. One of those eyecatchers, which they paused to study for some time, was what appeared to be two identical ammo dumps, watched over by two stationary armed guards each, but fortified with nothing more than sandbags. That wouldn’t have been remarkable on a movable or temporary battlefield, when speed was of the essence, but on a permanent estate like this? Why wouldn’t he have covered the ammo ditches with concrete bunkers?
Signaling Kerry to crawl to better cover, Layla did the same and huddled close enough to tap her head and whisper, “You getting anything?”
Kerry shook her head in the negative.
“We have to get closer, then.”
Kerry shrugged and whispered, “Might help,” and pointed at herself.
Layla understood that getting closer would not only let them get a better look, but would also give Kerry’s magic a better shot at working. But such a move was arguably beyond the game plan they’d agreed on for this recon. Armed with compact but very high-powered binoculars and cameras, and with the high ground and all four quadrants covered, there was no reason to risk capture or worse for the sake of fixed details that they could ID from the satellite photos.