by Mari Mancusi
Drake gestures for us to follow him toward the center of the camp. All around us I can feel the stares of vampires hiding behind closed doors or cloth tents. Here and there I catch sight of some movement behind an oily glass window—but as soon as it comes, it’s gone.
“My apologies,” Drake says, ushering us over to the bonfire and inviting us to take seats on the rotted wooden logs placed around it. “My people are quite shy. They do not meet many outsiders. And many still fear being tracked down by Consortium agents and made to suffer for their alleged crimes.”
I grimace as I take my seat beside Jareth, trying to imagine what it would be like to be stuck down here in eternal darkness, never able to leave. It’s not like with vampires you can even outlive the current regime. Unless someone stops Pyrus, his reign is likely to be eternal.
“Would you like something to drink?” Drake asks, peering at us from across the fire. “You must be very parched from your trip. And you, slayer, have lost quite a bit of blood.”
My mouth waters and I glance down at my hand, which has barely scabbed over by this point. My powers of regeneration suck when I haven’t had a good drink. Still, I can’t just chill with a cocktail when we’ve got more important matters to deal with.
“First I need to see Sunny,” I tell Drake. “And Magnus.”
He nods and picks up a bell from the ground and lets it ring. A moment later, a small dark-haired, pale-skinned girl who appears to be about fourteen years old but is probably more like 1,400, steps up to the fire.
“Cinder,” Drake addresses her. “Please have someone track down Sunshine McDonald. And then fetch our visitors some blood.”
The girl nods and disappears. A few moments later she returns with two plastic 7-Eleven Big Gulp cups filled with red liquid. She hands one to me and one to Jareth. “Sunshine is down by the canal,” she informs us. “I had Aleisha go and get her.”
“Thanks,” I tell her gratefully, putting the cup to my lips. Good thing I no longer have an aversion to real blood. Otherwise this might be a bit awkward. I take big gulp and—
—totally gag! Ew! This is the grossest blood I’ve ever tasted!
“Sorry,” Drake says, evidently catching my look of disgust. “Cinder, these are our honored guests,” he scolds the girl. “Get them something fresh… and human.” He turns back to Jareth and me. “I apologize. You’re probably not used to rat blood. Unfortunately, it’s one of our main sources of sustenance down here.”
I open my mouth to reply, but Jareth shoots me a warning look. So instead, I force myself to take another tiny sip, swallowing it down without puking—but let me tell you, it is no easy task.
“Tastes like chicken,” I manage to spit out.
Drake laughs appreciatively. “Oh I’m sure,” he replies, reaching over and taking my cup and setting it on the ground.
“So what’s the deal?” I ask, wishing I had something to get the oh-so-nasty taste out of my mouth. “I thought vampires couldn’t survive for the long haul with anything but human. Not enough vitamins or something.”
“It’s true,” Drake agrees solemnly. “And if you look at the vampires around the camp, you’ll see the aftereffects of using animal blood as a substitute. They’re scrawny, fragile. Unable to regenerate if wounded. That’s one of the reasons we keep Chupacabra around as guard dogs. The vampires themselves are too weak to put up a good fight.” He shrugs. “But without access to the Consortium’s bank accounts, we’re not able to hire proper blood donors. And my people, though outcasts, aren’t barbaric enough to hunt humans as the vampires of old. Once in a while we’re able to come up with enough money to bribe a blood bank for some bags. But it’s definitely a special treat.”
I look around the camp in wonder. They’re starving—literally—and yet they still retain respect for human life. How are they considered the bad guys, the ones unworthy of joining the Consortium’s ranks?
“Man, your vampire government really sucks,” I mutter to Jareth. “No pun intended.”
He gives me a sad smile. “It’s true,” he says. “And seeing places like this makes me realize how badly we need a new leader. Someone who will provide justice and protection and resources to all vampires—not only a precious few.”
At that moment Cinder returns with our drinks, this time in crystal wine goblets that gleam in the firelight. “You’re very beautiful,” she murmurs, reaching out to touch a strand of my hair, after handing me my drink, an awed look on her sallow face. “Like your sister.”
“Uh, thanks,” I reply, feeling my face heat. It’s so unfair that I’ve had all the advantages and vampires like her have had none. “You’re really pretty, too.” And she is—though her skin is so pale it’s nearly translucent. And her eyes are shadowed with dark circles.
“Here,” I say, handing her back the goblet, mind made up. “You drink this. I actually quite dig the other stuff.” With great effort I force myself to grab the rat gunk by my feet and slurp it down with big mouthfuls. Tastes like chicken. Tastes like chicken. Somehow I manage to drain my glass without throwing up.
Cinder glances over at Drake with nervous eyes, but he gives her a succinct nod. She breaks into a huge smile and I realize she’s missing one of her fangs. “Gracias!” she cries. “Thank you so much!” She gulps down the Homo sapiens cocktail as if she hasn’t eaten for a week. Sadly, I’m guessing that’s not far off the mark.
“So did you guys always live outside the jurisdiction of the Consortium?” I ask when she’s finished. I’m curious how this all came down.
Drake shakes his head. “I was once one of the top leaders of the organization,” he tells me. “That is, until my protégé and I had an argument.”
“Your protégé?”
“Pyrus,” he says flatly. “Once upon a time, I was his sire. I turned him into a vampire and helped him rise to his current position as house speaker. Little did I know of his true intentions. Not to better the world—but to take over. When I saw how power hungry he was becoming, I tried to step in—to knock him down a peg or two, remind him it was a democracy, not a dictatorship.” He sighs. “Pyrus didn’t care for my intervention. He cast me and my coven out of the Consortium, forcing us to flee like dogs. We finally settled here, deep underground, and started a mission to help other vampires who were cast away. It’s not a glamorous life, as you can see, but it’s the only one many of my people know.”
I cringe, looking at the camp, thinking of some of the other covens I’ve visited. All the luxury, the riches, the gallons of blood to drink from waiting donors.
“That doesn’t seem fair.”
“It’s not fair,” Cinder speaks up, her dark eyes flashing fire. “But at least here we are free.”
The elder smiles at her. “That is true, my dear,” he agrees. “By living outside the Consortium, we are not bound by their rules. We are not caught up in their endless wars and politics. We are allowed to bring in stray vampires and rehabilitate them into coven lifestyle. We can offer a safe haven to child vampires—who would otherwise be sentenced to death by Slayer Inc.”
I open my mouth to speak, but suddenly I’m interrupted by a high-pitched squeal of delight.
“Rayne! You’re here! You’re really here!”
11
“Rayne!” Sunny cries, throwing her arms around me. “You came! You really came! I can’t believe you’re here.”
I squeeze her back, not bothering to check the bloody tears streaming down my cheeks. I guess I didn’t realize up until now how much I’d missed her. My Sunny. My sister. My better half. The McDonald twins—united again at long last.
“Thank goodness you’re all right,” I murmur before we part from our embrace.
“What are you guys doing here?” she asks. “Did you get kicked out of the Consortium, too? Did Pyrus figure out you’re not on his side? Is the Blood Coven okay?”
I hold up my hands in protest. “Whoa! One question at a time. Sit down and I’ll give you the scoop.”
&nbs
p; She plops down on the log. I notice she’s a lot skinnier than when I last saw her. I guess blood isn’t the only scarce food supply down here in the vampire refugee camp. I wish I’d saved some of that hamburger. Not that Miss Vegetarian would probably eat any of it.
“Come on, Rayne. Don’t keep me in suspense here.”
“Oh, right.” I shake my head to clear it, then give her the CliffsNotes version of the last few days. When I’m finished, she gives a low whistle.
“Wow, Bertha the Vampire Slayer,” she says. “I never thought we’d run into her again.”
“Yeah, well, to be honest, I think she’s the least of our problems at this point. Pyrus knows where you are, and who knows what he’s going to do with that information. I mean, the guy’s really out for blood, if you know what I mean. We need to get you and Magnus out of here,” I tell her. “So hurry up. Go pack your things. Or don’t even bother—we can buy you more once we get you away,” I add, remembering all the baggage she tried to drag with her when we made our escape attempt from Riverdale. I rise to my feet, putting out a hand. “Come on. There’s no time to lose.”
Sunny looks at my hand, but doesn’t take it. “Rayne, I can’t just leave,” she says. “I mean, what about Magnus? He’s out hunting with the others. He won’t be back for a few hours, at least.”
I frown. This is so like Sunny. To completely dismiss my selfless, death-defying rescue attempt because she’s more interested in her boyfriend’s whereabouts than her own safety. She makes it tough, let me tell you.
“Sun, Jareth will stay here and wait for Magnus,” I tell her. “They’re vampires—they can take care of themselves. But in the meantime, we’ve got to get you somewhere safe.”
Sunny’s eyes narrow. “Because I can’t take care of myself?”
I groan. In her extended absence I guess I’d conveniently forgotten how sensitive Sunny is about the whole she’s more weak and vulnerable than a vampire thing. I’m guessing any second now she’s going to start going off about how she’s a fairy princess and perfectly able to take care of herself.
“I’m not some helpless mortal, you know! I’m a fairy princess! I can take care of myself! So don’t even start on this whole ‘Sunny is sweet and innocent and helpless and needs to be rescued’ crap. In fact, last I remember, I’m the one who saved your butt.”
I grit my teeth. “Exactly! And I let you, right? So how about you let me return the favor?”
“You only let me because you were half-dead and poisoned,” Sunny points out. “And don’t even think of trying to tell me you would have taken off with me and left Jareth behind if he was in danger, too.”
“I would too have!” I protest. I catch Jareth’s raised eyebrow. “Sorry, babe,” I say, “but only because I respect your vampire prowess and know you don’t need me to get out of a tight situation.”
Sunny rolls her eyes. “Rayne McDonald, you don’t fool me one bit. Now sit down, drink your damn blood, and wait with me for Magnus to come back.”
I sigh, resigning myself to plopping down on the log. “Since when you did you become the pigheaded, annoying twin?” I ask. “I thought that was my job description.”
Sunny smirks then softens. “Look, Rayne, it’s not that I don’t appreciate you coming here to rescue me. I think it’s really sweet. In fact, I couldn’t ask for a more loyal and devoted twin. But you know I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to Magnus. I love him. I’ve sacrificed everything to be with him up until now. I can’t abandon him.”
“I know.” I sling an arm around her shoulder and pull her close. “You’re a good girlfriend. Magnus is lucky to have you.”
“And I’m lucky to have you.”
As she rests her head on my shoulder happily, I try to quiet the worry whirling through my brain. So we have to wait an hour or two. No big deal. I mean, this place is more heavily guarded than Fort Knox. Booby traps, secret passageways, Latin passwords, optical illusions, and a Chupacabra army. Even if Pyrus did have an inkling as to where the two of them were hiding out, it’s not like he could just waltz in here with no difficulty. Surely we’re safe for at least another few hours.
“So where are you taking us, anyway?” Sunny asks. “I mean, what place could be safer than this?”
Huh. Good question. In all my determination to rescue, I actually didn’t really consider our next move. I glance over at Jareth, hoping he’s done a bit more preplanning.
“There’s another vampire refugee camp deep in the heart of Mexico,” my boyfriend says. “Down at the bottom of a 1,200-foot pit.”
Wow, that sounds about as appealing as having all my teeth pulled at the dentist. But I guess vampires have different outlooks on vacation destinations. After all, if a 1,200-foot-deep pit doesn’t shield them from sunshine, nothing will.
Suddenly Cinder reappears before us, her eyes shining with excitement. “Lord Magnus and the hunting party are back!” she exclaims.
I let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. Now we can get this show on the road.
Sunny bounces from the log as her boyfriend approaches the fire pit. He’s dirty and drained and skinny, his already chiseled cheekbones looking even more gaunt than usual, complementing the dark circles under his eyes.
“Mag!” Sunny cries, throwing her arms around him as if she hadn’t seen him for weeks. “Look who’s here! Jareth and Rayne!”
Even from here, I can see Magnus’s startle at the news. He breaks from Sunny’s hug and approaches the two of us, a string of dead rats in his hands. (I try not to remember that’s what I just finished drinking.)
“Jareth,” he says, addressing my boyfriend in a stern voice. “What is the meaning of this?”
I can see Jareth’s face pale as he rises stiffly to greet his co-master and friend. I wince. In my excitement to rescue Sunny and Magnus, I kind of forgot about the fact that Jareth is technically going against his friend’s wishes by coming here.
“My lord,” Jareth says, bowing low. “There has been a threat against your life. Pyrus has learned where you are and is, even now, sending out a team to oust you. We must get you and Sunshine to safety as quickly as possible.”
Magnus does not seem surprised by the news. Instead, he looks angry. “You broke your promise,” he growls. “You abandoned the coven. How many times did I tell you, I’d rather die than have my people suffer.” He gestures to the shantytown around us. “Do you not see what could happen if Pyrus doubts your loyalty and kicks our vampires from the Consortium? Would you really want this for our people?”
I cringe. I see what he’s saying, of course. But damn—Jareth was only trying to help him! “Look,” I interject. “You need to chill. No one’s going to take the Blood Coven away. Pyrus has no idea that we’re here. We took all the precautions—private plane, assumed names and fake IDs, disguises—the works! So why don’t you cut Jareth a little slack here and maybe thank him for coming all this way to save your sorry ass?”
But Magnus refuses to look in my direction or acknowledge my words. Instead, his green eyes pierce through Jareth. “Perhaps,” he says, “you are unaware of Pyrus’s propensity for trackers then.”
Wait, what?
Even from here, I can see Jareth’s hard swallow. “Trackers?”
“Micro GPS. Usually sewn into a piece of clothing. Who has had access to your clothing in the last twenty-four hours?”
Jareth shrugs. “No one,” he says. “I mean, just the dry cleaners.”
“And you picked up the dry cleaning yourself?”
“Well, no. I had Marcia…” Jareth trails off, his face rife with horror. “You don’t think…”
Drake steps up, holding a finger to his lips. He whistles once and a moment later Fluffy and a few of her Chupacabra friends approach. He speaks to them in a language I don’t understand and a moment later they’re on Jareth, sniffing him to an inch of his life.
Jareth scowls. “I am sure, Magnus, I would be aware if—”
Fluffy lets out a
howl, pawing Jareth’s left pant leg. Then she opens her mouth and rips at the fabric. Sure enough, a tiny piece of metal—the size of a pin, clatters to the stone floor. You know that saying about it being so quiet you can hear a pin drop? Well, there you go. Drake steps forward, grinding the piece of metal with his foot.
“Oh God,” I whisper, staring at Jareth. He looks at me, his face stark white, then at Magnus.
A loud braying cuts through the silence of the camp. Followed by the sound of a hundred stampeding footsteps.
Sunny looks at me in horror, then at Magnus. “Oh, Rayne,” she whispers. “What have you done?”
12
The camp erupts in activity, with Cinder leading the charge. Gone is the innocent girl with hollow eyes—now she’s like a warrior princess as she barks orders to the camp. The vampires emerge from their tents armed with sticks and rocks and metal bars—and a few rusty knives here and there. At their feet, the Chupacabra swarm—teeth bared and claws on the ready. Cinder yells something in Spanish, raising her own staff above her head and the Chupacabra break into a sprint, racing down the dark passageways to meet the threat head-on. Meanwhile the vampires scurry to stand together, ready for the inevitable onslaught. To be honest, they look quite a sad and sorry bunch—undernourished and sickly—but they wear fierce determination on their hollow faces—making me half believe they may stand a chance.
Someone grabs my shoulder and I whirl around, heart in my throat. It’s Magnus, looking down at me with wild eyes. “Rayne, there’s a secret passageway through the purple tent at the back of the camp. It leads back out into the sewers.”
I stare at him, uncomprehending. “Are you kidding? I can fight! I can help!” I hold up my stake in my hand.
“I know you can. But I don’t want Sunny in danger,” he explains. “I’d take her myself, but it’s my fault these vampires are being attacked. I must do what I can to save them. But in order to do that, I have to know that Sunny’s safe.” He pauses as the roar of beasts grows closer. “Go now!” he commands. “Before they get here!”
