Coyle and Fang: Curse of Shadows (Coyle and Fang Adventure Series Book 1) Robert III (first color ebook reader txt) 📖

were trying to forge an unstoppable warrior. Treece? Sound familiar?” All eyes settled on the older man, who suddenly appeared aged and frail. His shoulders slumped and he sighed before speaking.

“Moreci and I were colleagues. Both of us young and foolish and eager to become notable scientists in our work. I, in engineering and he in biology. We were recruited by the Templars, who were interested in finding a supplemental group of individuals from the nether realm,” Treece said. “I became transfixed with the beauty of their kind and the marvels of their own wonderful engineering. I was too busy with my pride to acknowledge this new program was heading in the wrong direction. By that time, tremendous damage was done to the few individuals we were given to test. We soon learned the government was also involved and wanted fae and vamperion to be used a new, more powerful army. Those from the nether-realm were wary of such an endeavor, citing misuse of trust. I raised my concerns to the Templars and promptly left. Moreci assured us they would put a stop to the project. But, we suspected Moreci continued their work under the guise of merely studying aberrations from those of the nether realm. I should have known he was continuing creating ... monsters. I’m ashamed I didn’t stop this project long before it got out hand. Please Miss Coyle, tell us what you found out,” he answered.

“During the dinner party at the Baldwin mansion,” Coyle continued, “Dame Graethe mentioned that the fae had begun reaching out to the United States government for assistance. This led to meetings with the military, and Professor Moreci was given full control over the project. It seems the original intention was to create warriors for the fae realm. Instead of complying with previously agreed upon terms, Moreci went rogue, testing fae and vamperion for unique abilities. Through his vile experiments, they were empowered with pharmaceuticals, scientific enhancements and psychological fortitude.

“This led to multiple failures and setbacks among the test subjects. The numbers of those tested dropped dramatically, and on the surface, the government disavowed any involvement, but kept pushing the project along. Moreci continued working until he created his version of a perfect nightmare.”

“Fang,” Vonteg said.

Coyle nodded. “She was conditioned to become a powerful weapon and clandestine operative. Once they discovered the correct formula, more test subjects were successfully completed. Moreci’s project became a smashing success, and the government sent a small group of them all over the world with Fang as the leader,” Coyle answered. She finished her drink and raised the empty glass for another.

“This is unheard of,” Quolo said. “Are you trying to say that Moreci created a... a group of vampires responsible for assassinations all over the world?”

“Not all of them were vampires.” Poes thumbed his nose. “They were a mixture of fae and other unknown entities as well.”

“I found a small note mentioning Alexander II of Russia,” Coyle said, glancing at Poes.

“He was assassinated in 1881,” Quolo said. “They caught the culprits. Three men were said to have used explosives.”

“So we were led to believe,” Coyle said. “There were also notes involving the Tonkin War, the Aceh War, and the Mahdist War.”

“This group Moreci created would have been older children. Didn’t anyone think this was unusual?” Quolo asked.

“Think of it,” Coyle said. “They were a highly trained group of weapons masters and experts at artful subterfuge. They could have scooped ice cream and overthrown a small country in the same afternoon, and no one would have been the wiser.”

“And Trevin?” Treece asked. “How was he involved in all this?”

“He used his expertise to help Moreci with his creations. In fact, he seems to have been key to the transformation of Fang, and they made certain she’s not the garden variety vampire. Garlic, sunlight, holy water, crucifixes, running water: none of those hinder Fang. And I know, because they tried everything through their experiments.” She closed her eyes and thought of all the test subjects who didn’t succeed, ending up instead in a jar on Trevin’s shelves. How many died so they could create the perfect weapon?

Coyle’s hands were moving slower. Her mind had trouble keeping up with the words she wanted to use. She wasn’t sure whether to feel ashamed or glad. Why not both? This was her opportunity to show just how smart, how brilliant she was. They would all see how much she deserved to be a detective.

So there.

“Sounds like a nightmare,” Quolo said. “I can’t think of anything worse.”

“It gets worse,” Coyle said. She shuffled through the paperwork. “The government supplied Moreci with people from asylums and prisons all over the country, and he created more and more preternatural creatures. Until, eventually there were problems within the original group itself and possibly with Fang. The government officially declared the project finished. In fact, here’s a memo, dated more than two years ago regarding the status of the project, ‘Project Archangel is set for full termination, and all working for the project will be under quaerite et conteret status.’”.

“Seek and destroy,” Poes translated the Latin phrase. “They were going to destroy and kill everything and everyone involved.”

“Since the program created aberrations, the Templars took it upon themselves to roll up their sleeves and finish what Moreci started. I should have remained with Moreci, to keep him in line. This was my mistake and I won’t forgive myself for what happened,” Treece said.

“Professor Moreci was supposedly killed years ago. Shot in his lab. Four plugs in his chest.” Vonteg said.

“Obviously he lived,” Coyle said. “He was right in front of me a couple of days ago.”

“And apparently Fang broke free and killed all the other creatures before taking the Curse of Shadows,” Bolt said. “Now she’s bent on revenge, with the perfect motive: kill them before they kill her. Makes perfect sense.”

“She’s unstoppable,” Duone said.

“Except for aurorium,” Coyle said.

“Aurorium? The mineral that creates its own energy?” Quolo asked.

“Yes. Apparently a defect was purposely embedded into Fang’s