Deadman's Blood by T. Lynne Tolles

table for everyone to look at.
    Dean said, “Speaking of that blast, did any of you have a warm fuzzy sensation as it passed by?”
    Everyone at the table nodded their heads in agreement.
    Blake said, “Yeah and my skin seemed to glow or sparkle for a moment.”
    Alyssa said, “Yeah. Mine did too. What was that, Dominic?”
    “I’m not sure, but the stone was quite powerful in a loving environment. It all but destroyed Dimitri and his followers when it passed through them, so I’m sure they didn’t feel anything warm and fuzzy,” Dominic said.
    Devon said, “You don’t think it did anything to us, do you?”
    “Nothing bad. Anyone notice anything odd since then?” Dominic added.
    There was a general mumble through the room, but nobody spoke up.
    “Well, then I wouldn’t worry about it. You’ll notice as the artifact is passed around, that it has carvings on it. I think these are for the four houses of the ancient ones. Lion for Larsen, Eagle for Mathew, Bear for Douglas, Wolf for Wallace,” Dominic said.
    Mark asked, “Who are the Ancient Ones?”
    “The Ancient Ones are four born vampire brothers. Their father and mother were said to be the first vampires, but I’m not sure I believe that. In any case, as most of my family knows, having two children in a born vampire family is very rare, but four? To my knowledge, there has never been four born to a set of vampire parents since.
    “The four were named Mathew, Douglas, Larsen, and Wallace. All four were considered royalty and when the father died, his kingdom was split into four. All four were successful lords of their courts, but due to Larsen’s more generous heart, his court always dominated in numbers. It is said that it was Larsen who proposed something very near to what the Black Orchids initially intended, which is, as you know, to provide an organization to educate humans and supernatural beings so that they could live in harmony together. It was also to be a refuge for those with abilities they did not understand or know how to use, a place for them to be taught how to use them responsibly.
    “Petty power struggles and jealousy posed a threat among the brothers. Wallace and Douglas were notorious for their inhumane treatment of humans and supernaturals alike, and soon overtook the Mathew kingdom. It’s not known what ever became of Mathew, but it is thought that Douglas and Wallace had him executed.
    “In between acquiring the Mathew court, Wallace’s and Douglas’s courts, combined, did not even come close to the population of Larsen’s court. Humans and supernaturals flocked to his kingdom in droves hearing what a kind and just court it was.
    “It was when Larsen’s wife was mysteriously struck down that things came to unravel. Grief-stricken as he was, he ignored his responsibilities for a time and did some traveling, only to come back and find that his brothers had come in and divided up the masses of his court.
    “It’s not known what happened to Larsen after that; many think he was killed by his brothers; others think he ended his own immortal life, but whatever happened, he was never seen again.
    “The petty disputes between the two remaining brothers ended in bloodshed and the four courts were never to be heard of again.
    “One great asset that Larsen had given to the world was the ‘Archives.’ A very loyal scribe that Larsen employed recorded them. He and his descendants kept the archives safe and kept recording our Vampiric history for many centuries.
    “It is said that when the Black Orchids came into being, the archives were given to them for safe keeping, but power struggles began there too, and the archives were hidden away in a vault somewhere. So much time has passed that those who knew where the Archives were hidden are long gone.
    “After finding this artifact in the altar room, I believe that the Archives may be hidden there or somewhere near there.”
    The artifact had been passed almost all the way around the