Hunting Trip (Hidden Blood Book 3)

by Al K. Line

  "You were connecting with the hivemind, right? You were connecting to the other trolls."

  "We became one. We share. Know everything."

  Hell, this was like an epic conversation by troll standards. I knew the truth about trolls, about the shared experience between each and every one of them since their awakening. They are sentinels, recording all of human history, and it makes you appreciate them in a whole new light. But why now? I knew, was afraid to ask, but did anyway.

  "Because of Kane?"

  Brewster nodded. "But not just boy, because of you."

  "Me? What about me?"

  "Not time. Must go."

  "Let me guess, back to Snowdonia, right?" This was all coming together now, the pieces slotting into place. Why the doppels had maneuvered us into going there in the first place, how they'd turned Kane into what he now was. Why there were so many damn Hidden in those parts.

  "Magic strong. Worlds collide. The lines flow." With that, Brewster stomped over the body of Beaut, heedless of such an act, squishing her flat. Guts and worse spurted from tears in flesh made by the pressure of tons of rock. He didn't stop at the magic-infused entrance, just smashed right through, picking up speed as he went until by the time he hit he was moving so fast it would make a vampire jealous.

  "Bloody hell, he's full of surprises." I was astonished. Trolls didn't move fast, they were often slower than the glaciers many emerged from.

  "This is serious, isn't it?" asked Kane.

  "Kind of," I replied, distracted. What did he mean, this was about me too? I was nothing special, not really. But I'd known, somehow felt that everything was leading back to Snowdonia. I just wasn't sure why. There may have been strong magical forces converging there, making all this madness a reality, but Cardiff was a powerful place too, center of numerous ley lines.

  At least I knew where Oskari was headed. Maybe we could intercept him and save the others before it was too late. But a part of me was already saying goodbye to my husband and friends, because, when it came down to it, I know vampires, and they are fucking evil.

  Disobedient Children

  "We should go tell Grandma, and the Chemist, see if they have a way to help us out," I said, feeling ragged like life was chipping away at my body. Pains returned, aches deep in my bones. A terrifying sadness threatened to consume me, to make me ineffective and nowhere near up to the task that lay ahead.

  As the work done by the potions of earlier waned, I relived every damn nail. My nerves flared and I winced and gasped as I doubled over, but I didn't let it win. I allowed it to pass over and leave me capable but running dangerously low on energy and sheer willpower. I would not succumb. I couldn't. So I stood, turned to my son, but he wasn't there.

  "I have to save Father. I'll give myself to them," shouted Kane from the shattered gate before he disappeared.

  "No, you can't!" Not caring how exhausted I was, I ran after him, turned at the gate, but he was gone.

  I was alone in Cardiff.

  A Mother's Fury

  Something snapped inside and something dark emerged. I knew I couldn't outrun Kane, that he was more powerful and probably more dangerous than me. I also knew he was smart and would take a route I couldn't follow. Don't ask me why, guess it was because it was exactly what I would have done in his place.

  He would get to Oskari before me, and every damn vampire in the city would then converge on them to ready for the trouble Oskari knew was coming his way.

  Time to even out the odds. Do something unexpected.

  Death came to Cardiff this night, death on an epic scale doled out by a single woman who would do anything to save her child.

  It had been a long time coming at any rate. If the Council refused to take care of business in the way they should have long ago, then I'd damn well do it for them.

  I was, still am for my sins, vampire. I knew them all in my city, knew where they lived, knew their past, knew their good and their many bad points. Knew who abided by our rules, who killed only those who deserved to die, and who killed for pleasure and hurt their victims for the perverse fun of it.

  I paid the bad guys, and trust me, there were plenty, a visit. First the Hidden Club, where some remained, most already leaving and heading down the street, called by the communal consciousness of the vampires.

  The calling to follow Oskari became stronger by the minute as he moved away from the city as I'd expected. They all paid for the nails they'd thrust into my flesh, for the joy they took in such an act. Magic came from somewhere dark and bottomless, and they were mowed down before most knew what was happening. I tore and ripped and broke necks and smashed faces to pulp in a frenzy that did not abate until the city center was cleaned.

  I didn't even get to use the gun, as it was back at Oskari's, stripped from me along with so much else. It would have been nice to have the backup, but what's a poor vampire gal to do?

  Several trolls seemed to trail my every move, somehow appearing once punishment was meted out. They acted as cleanup crew as I killed in dark alleys and places no cameras outside of our control could see.

  I returned to Vampire HQ, the place manned by a skeleton crew that soon became less than skeletal once I finished with them.

  Power seemed to grow as my violence escalated until it was utterly out of control, and within an hour I had destroyed every single remaining mean, nasty vampire that deserved nothing less. But most had left, chasing after Oskari or already moving with him into the wilderness where he seemed to believe he could fight and win against other Hidden.

  Or maybe he knew Kane and I would discover where he was going, and it was done on purpose. A ruse.

  I gave up thinking and just acted. Decided not to involve Grandma, the Chemist, or even Delilah, to keep them out of it because I loved them and couldn't stand to see anyone else I cared about put in danger.

  Finally I was finished, the trolls always present, cleaning up, stomping to mush, or dragging away those I had put an end to. Magic gnawed at my insides, craving more release. My ink was fat and backed up with thick power, my body thrummed and vibrated and dangerous sparks shot from my flesh as I became something pure, something born of violence.

  An Angel of Death.

  Breaking the Law

  I returned to the car, sane and aware enough to know I couldn't run all the way to Snowdonia. I grabbed the key from the wheel arch where Kane had left it—he's so smart—got in, covering the seats in blood and unmentionable bits of dead vampire, and then fished in my bag and rifled through the data sticks.

  Hyped, but crashing hard, I turned the engine on, cranked up the air conditioning until my teeth chattered, and sped into the night listening to Napalm Death. Next came Extreme Noise Terror, then Suicidal Tendencies, which maybe wasn't the best of ideas, then Bon Jovi for light relief. But it set my nerves jangling, made me more antsy than listening to jazz, so back to Carcass, then Corrosion of Conformity, and all the while I grew increasingly manic, stress levels unmaintainable. Every drumbeat, every scream, every guitar riff telling me my family, my son, my husband, was dead, being tortured, or worse.

  Oh, the things I imagined, the hatred I felt for my own kind, for vampire, and I can't tell you how many times I caught sight of one running through the night and I screeched to a halt, tracked them down and did terrible things. I also mowed down a few who remained in the road, defying me, opening the car door to check they were dead while the music blared and the night turned red with blood on the asphalt and death in my heart.

  Every second took me closer, and every minute made it less likely I would save anyone. I was bursting with tension, my muscles knotted and practically detaching from my body they were stretched so taut.

  The car suddenly filled with a thick, pungent smoke, the stink of sulfur, a rotten egg stench that clawed at my throat so bad I swerved, blinded by the effects. I slammed on the brakes on a thankfully empty road.

  "Hello, Mrs. Kate, got any—"

  "Not now, Intus," I snapped, as
I wound the window down so I could see enough to pull over into a passing spot.

  Intus' ears flattened against the side of her head and her forked tail drooped and thudded against the dashboard. I say thud, more like a quiet tap, but that's because she's an imp that can easily fit in the palm of your hand. "Um, sorry." Intus slapped a hand over her mouth in shock—imps don't apologize often, they do stuff that drives you nuts as it's their role in life and about as much a part of them as their red hides.

  "No, it's me. Things are a little stressful. Er, very stressful. Okay, I'm driving myself insane and I think I'm about to lose my mind if I haven't already.

  "The bit of bother in Cardiff? The kidnapping and your young child?" asked Intus, ears perking up a little as she jumped onto my jacket lapel—why hadn't I taken my jacket off?—and took a peek down my blood-soaked top.

  "Of course! Look, I know you know just about everything that happens, or will, and yes, I remember the rules about you being unable to interfere in most of it, but if there is anything you can do to help, now is most definitely the time to do it. Anything."

  Intus looked up and hopped onto my hand gripping the steering wheel tight, then used a talon to scratch at her cheek. "Er, you do know you've got small chunks of human brain down your cleavage, don't you? And that you have… um, other stuff in your hair and teeth. You need to look after yourself better, have a shower. I've got a lovely hot lava bath the kids haven't made totally gross yet if you fancy it?"

  I sighed, forced myself to remain calm even though everything inside me was screaming that I was wasting valuable time and should just get out and run the rest of the way. "Like I said, busy night. Bad night. Bad life. Just answer the question. Please."

  "I could… er, no, that won't work. How about… No, never mind." Intus brightened and asked, "How's the boy? Is he powerful?"

  "Very. And he's gone to exchange himself for the release of his father. Oskari will destroy him, turn him into a monster."

  "Oh, I don't think so. They didn't do that to you."

  "I just killed more people than I can count. I am a monster. They did turn me into one."

  "No, any parent would do that to save their child. That makes you a mother, not a monster."

  "Does it? I'm not so sure."

  "I am. Anyway, if the boy is truly powerful, as expected, er, as I already know I guess, then there is something maybe I could do."

  "What? Anything. Please."

  "Be right back." Intus vanished in a puff of noxious smoke then reappeared a moment later on the dash again. "My advice is to hurry," she said, ears now utterly flat against her head.

  I nodded, got out the car so fast I ripped the door off the hinges, and sped down the narrow road. Thick, high hedges closed in on me like I was about to be entombed for eternity in my own worst nightmare. Intus appeared on my shoulder and had no problem holding on as I ran for all I was worth.

  Like this wasn't already bad enough, she kept talking, her deep, thunderous baritone driving me to distraction, making it hard to concentrate. After a mile I began to understand that this was the point. She was doing it to stop me thinking the worst, ensuring I was unable to focus on anything but her voice.

  She is annoying as hell, but showed yet again what a true friend she is that night. Not that I didn't try to throttle her every few minutes, but she's fast, and immortal, so there you go. I was still a little worked up.

  Okay, frantic, just not as frantic or doing as much stupid stuff as I might have otherwise been.

  Ten minutes later and the otherwise dark hills were lit up in the distance, a circle of light that left me in no doubt where this was all going to take place.

  High in the mountains, away from any Regulars, my future, what remained of it, waited.

  I ran faster, vision enhanced to the max. Intus babbled away in my ear and sneaked peeks down my cleavage. I was intent on one thing. Saving my family.

  Getting Close

  Dawn broke as I made my way through the forest, passing the clearing where this all began. The huts were still there, the fire pits too, but there was no sign of life, no hint of the death and the torture that had occurred.

  I forced myself to stand still, to get a feel for the place, and sank into an almost trance-like state. With my senses opened, I felt the power of the place for the first time. Felt the meeting of powerful ley lines right at this spot, energy channeling down from the mountains and from the forests, merging like a lake of magic right here. No wonder this was where it all kicked off, where a strong veil had been put into place by those who shouldn't have had such skill. Where my son was killed and reborn.

  But nobody was here now, and I didn't get it. Surely Oskari knew of this place by now, if he hadn't earlier? It was why he'd come, wasn't it? Something else was going on. I looked up to the distant mountains, and then I ran.

  My speed slowed as the forest grew dense, and I surprised myself that I had sense enough to dodge trees and hidden rabbit holes and badger dens that could have ended my quest for revenge or at least delayed it. The forest was cool and damp, full of the chatter of waking birds greeting the day cheerily, but I felt no cheer, had no love of the dawn, and their song fell silent at my passing.

  Even Intus finally gave up her babbling, her mood changing along with mine. As I jogged through lush undergrowth, we talked in depth about what had happened, and I realized that she may be a creature from another place, outside of time and space as we know it, but she didn't know everything that had happened. She probably hadn't been paying enough attention to events because she had kids in the hundreds to look after. I couldn't imagine such a life, such a way of being. Able to see the past, present, and future of us here on earth yet unable to interfere in much of importance.

  Intus seemed content enough with the way it worked though, and I guess imps are just hardwired that way. The more I told her of what had happened, the angrier she got, and the tighter she held on to my jacket, until the leather became so torn she had to swap sides and I ran like a dog with tattered ears from too much fighting, which was exactly how I felt.

  That, and absolutely disgusted with myself.

  I had, and there was no getting away from it, brought my son into such a world.

  But I'd beaten myself up about that enough, and I had to satisfy myself with knowing I'd also given him the most beautiful, wondrous gift of all. Life itself. Such a rare thing, the chances of it happening so remote as to be almost an impossibility, yet he was alive, and I swore I would do everything in my power to ensure he remained so. I would gladly give my life for him, and I would never, ever, let Oskari or anyone else use him for their own ends.

  I smiled as I thought about that. Let them try. Nobody knew what he was like but me, what he was capable of, and I don't think I even came close to grasping the full magnitude of his powers. I doubt he did either. But he would grow, become a man, and his true strengths would be revealed. What was obvious, and maybe I'm being a bit biased here, maybe not, was that he was a good person. He had a conscience, he had depth of character and was considerate and polite. Not bad going considering how quickly he'd had to adjust to the overwhelming barrage of raw experience this world thrust upon him the moment he awoke.

  I burst through the trees and stopped as I entered a clearing. The grass sparkled, green and crisp, lit by the sun's early morning rays. It was beautiful, breathtaking in its simple beauty.

  "Nice spot for a picnic," noted Intus. "Don't suppose you've got any Marmite?"

  "Nope, afraid not."

  "Not even a bit? Have you checked all your pockets?" Intus waggled where her eyebrows would be if she had any body hair, and grinned at me, something that is a little disconcerting until you get used to seeing a mouthful of miniature rows of razor sharp teeth that run from one side of her head to the other.

  "Haha, I definitely don't have even a smidge. I hate the stuff. Who the hell puts fermented yeast on their toast? It's gross."

  Intus put her hands on her hips and gave me
the eye. "You take that back. It's proof there is a God. It's the tastiest elixir in existence. Yum." Intus poked out her forked tongue and licked her thin lips, a massive grin getting so wide I worried it would wrap around her head. Now that would be freaky.

  "What am I going to do, Intus? How am I going to save everyone?"

  "I don't know if you can." She frowned, not a good look for an imp as they are usually so happy it's infuriating. "Oskari will cheat, you know that. No way will he let anyone go, the repercussions are too great. He won't swap Faz and the others for Kane, he'll kill them."

  "I know, that's why I need a plan."

  "Plans, schmans, when do plans ever work out? You gotta charge in and go for it. What are you, a noob?"

  "Um, actually, yes, a total noob at being an enforcer. A total noob at everything." Intus was an enforcer for the imps, one of many, what with them being such a troublesome lot.

  "Oh, sorry, forgot." Intus gave me a smile again and, with nothing else coming to mind, I readied myself, then began the ascent to meet my fate and that of my family.

  All Alone

  "Intus?" I asked as I stepped from a deep bed of moss onto rock as I began the climb.

  "Yes?"

  "Does it get boring? Living forever?"

  "Dunno, haven't done it yet."

  I turned to my friend, and laughed. Laughed so hard I almost fell backward. "Now that is a damn good answer to an impossible to answer question. So you aren't bored, even though you've lived for, um, exactly how long has it been?"

  "It's been since the start of the human race. But it's not as though you can count it in years. Our time is different to yours. There are fast bits and slow bits, all over the place really." She shrugged as if it meant little.

  "How can you live like that?"

  "Maybe you should be asking yourself how can humans live knowing every second, every minute, and hour is the same length. Who wants to have everything so uniform? Where's the fun in that? Life's full of surprises, and us imps do our best to make things a little more interesting for you humans."