“Is he here?” Caitlin asked.
Slowly, the man shook his head.
“Your father lives in another time and place,” he answered. “Before you can see him, you first need all four keys. We are the guardians of the fourth and final key. The key that you will need to see him, and to save us all.”
The man lifted up the golden box and held it before Caitlin.
“Your key,” he said.
Caitlin looked at him, and noticed that he was looking to the base of her throat.
She reached up, and felt the small antique cross around her neck. She marveled at how many times she had taken this with her, how many places, at how many keys it had unlocked. She held it out one last time, hoping it would fit, and inserted it into the small, golden chest.
To her surprise, the key fit. The chest opened with a soft click.
Sitting there, inside the red velvet, was a large, silver key. It was identical to the other three keys in her pocket.
She could hardly believe it. The fourth and final key.
She reached in and slowly extracted it, feeling it in her palm.
“One final time,” the man said. “You will be sent back one final time. And in the next time and place, you will use your four keys. And you will meet your father.” The man nodded, and the other two vampires stepped forward, each holding out a goblet.
Caitlin looked at the white liquid.
“The Holy Grail?” Caitlin asked, nervous.
The vampire shook his head.
“Your father holds the Holy Grail. He and no one else.”
Caitlin reached up and held the goblet, and looked over and saw Caleb did the same. They exchanged a look, and at the same time, they lifted the liquid to their lips.
The hundreds of vampires crowded in close, all around them, forming a small, tight circle, all holding hands. They began to chant, at first a soft noise, then their words rose, soon becoming louder than the waves.
“We hereby lay thee down to rest, Caitlin, Caleb, and Scarlet, to resurrect another day, in God’s ultimate grace.”
Caitlin reached out and took Caleb’s had in one hand, and Scarlet’s in the other. She thought of all the darkness and destruction that had overcome all those close to her—Sam, Polly, Blake, and all the others—and she struggled to push away her overwhelming sadness. As she tried to put it out of her mind, her world became lighter from the liquid, and soon, she felt herself growing so light. She knew that in moments, when she opened her eyes, she would be in another time and place. The final time and place.
She only hoped that her father would be there, waiting.