Pale Horizon

by Heather Renee

  “Are you all right?” I asked Jameson when we were finally alone. I had expected him to be more excited about being so close to where we thought Solomon was, but instead, he was tense and quiet.

  “I’m fine. I just keep wondering what we will do if he’s not there. We don’t have enough supplies to get back to the others without rationing or going without. It’s not fair to the crew. We need a win.”

  My fingers entangled with his long blond hair as I pulled him toward me. “Even if Solomon isn’t there, we will find whatever we need and deal with it. If there’s one thing I’ve learned during these last couple of months, it’s that our group is rather great at improvising.”

  His smile melted my heart. “That was exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you.”

  I pressed my lips to his. “You’re welcome.”

  A throat cleared behind us. “Sorry to interrupt, but we’ve arrived,” Henry informed us from the door.

  “Can you see the port from here? Are there people?” Jameson asked eagerly.

  Henry shook his head. “There are boats and buildings, but no people.”

  “That’s better than nothing,” I added. “Let’s check it out and, even if there are no people, it sounds like there are still supplies. Our trip won’t be for nothing.”

  As I said the words, I could feel the lies pressing down on me. If Solomon wasn’t there, we had wasted weeks at sea for nothing. I wanted to remain positive for Jameson, but it was proving to be more difficult than I thought.

  Chapter Eight

  The port was big enough that we were able to pull the ship all the way in to the dock. Our crew readied weapons and split into two groups. Henry and Alice led one, while Jameson and I led the other. Robert, William, and Peter were with us. They were regular attendees in my reading lessons, and I was glad to have them at my back.

  “There could be vampires anywhere around here,” Jameson warned. “Keep your eyes moving and your movements precise. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, don’t hesitate to point it out.”

  The only positive aspect so far was that my chest hadn’t tightened like it had when we arrived at the previous islands. The half-dead vampires seemed to make some internal warning system go off in me, and I felt a minuscule better that it hadn’t happened this time.

  We cautiously walked down the planked wood of the pier that led toward the town. It was deserted and eerily quiet. Our footsteps echoed loudly, and I flinched, expecting the worst, but after we walked into town and no vampires approached, I began to relax.

  The town was quaint and far bigger than Port Victory, the place I had grown up knowing. The buildings were built differently than what I was used to seeing, grander and painted in an array of colors that would have filled me with joy under different circumstances.

  Alice and Henry’s group ventured to the east side of town, while Jameson and I headed to the west with our group. The buildings became more striking as we traveled farther inland, and I couldn’t help but imagine what the town had been like before it was deserted. It was so bright and cheerful that it was hard to think of anything bad happening in a quaint place like this, but judging by the emptiness everywhere, something had definitely happened.

  “Do you sense anything?” I whispered to Jameson.

  “Nothing,” he answered, glancing at me with his brows furrowed in concern.

  At the other islands, he had smelled blood, dead bodies, and decay, but there was nothing this time. It was unnerving and caused the hairs to rise on my nape.

  Once we reached the edge of town, we turned to head back. Jameson suggested we check several of the houses for anything suspicious and for supplies. The houses we searched were completely normal inside. In the dining room of one house, there was food set out as if the occupants were just sitting down for dinner. There was a small doll on one chair and a toy wooden boat on another. I could easily picture a family sitting around the table, with love and laughter ringing through the room.

  “What happened here?” I whispered, fingering the lace edges of the doll’s dress as I walked by it.

  “It looks to have been abandoned in a hurry. Though, there is no sign of a struggle, or any of the normal indicators that vampires or pirates have been here,” Jameson answered while looking at a painting on the wall.

  “The food hasn’t spoiled yet. It’s as if everyone left right in the middle of dinner just last night,” I mused as I righted the tipped-over sailboat and moved about the room. “Are they still alive? And if they are, where did they go?”

  “I don’t know, but let’s hope that they’re alive and well somewhere.” His arms slipped around my waist, pulling me close.

  We made our way back to where we had split from the others. Alice and Henry were waiting for us; their expressions told me that they had found the same things we had.

  As disappointment assaulted each of us at having traveled all this way to not find Solomon, we decided to start gathering supplies in the buildings we found. We raided the stores and sent for more of the crew to help take everything on board. There were barrels of fresh water and fish, baked bread that made my mouth water, and salted meats. We grabbed what we needed to make it to our next destination and took nothing more, out of respect for the recently-departed inhabitants.

  The sun sank low in the sky as the crew loaded the last of the cargo. I was standing on the sandy beach, looking back at the deserted town with a heart full of emotions. I hoped that whatever had happened there, the people were safe somewhere far away and would return someday to pick up their lives again.

  “They loaded the last of it,” Jameson informed, stepping to my side and putting his arm around my waist.

  I leaned into him with a sigh of contentment, but it was quickly overshadowed by uncertainty. Something was wrong, but I couldn’t figure out what had me so uneasy.

  “What now? Do we give up, head back to Ruth’s, and regroup?” I asked.

  He sighed heavily as I rested my head against his shoulder. “That’s probably what is best. We’ll figure something out. We always do.”

  We did seem to always overcome what was thrown at us, but I also knew that sort of luck didn’t last long. My father Tobias used to tell me that “luck walks a fine line between disaster and survival.” There was more to it, but I was so little when I last heard it, I didn’t remember. The first part had always stuck with me, though.

  Standing on the beach, we watched the shadows gather in town as the sun set. No lanterns were lit in the streets. No homes blazed with the warmth of family. It remained dark, and I held my breath, waiting for some monstrous creature to come prowl the still streets, but nothing moved. Not even an ocean breeze stirred the silent area.

  “We’ll stay docked here and then set sail at first light.” Jameson kissed the side of my head.

  We both turned and walked toward the brightly-lit ship hand-in-hand.

  “Jameson.”

  We jerked to a stop as his name was whispered into the night.

  “Did you hear that?” he murmured, his eyes wide.

  Drawing closer to him, I nodded and remained silent as we both strained our ears, trying to catch more words.

  Holding my breath, I tried to stop my heart from beating a frantic tempo, but after several minutes of silent listening, no more voices could be heard. I couldn’t blame it on imagination, because we had both heard it. Jameson tried to pinpoint where it had come from, but after a moment, he shook his head at me.

  “Jameson.”

  I gasped softly as his name was spoken once more, and Jameson swiveled his head back the way we came. Night had fallen, so the only light was being cast from the ship and the stars above. My advanced eyesight penetrated the darkness, but nothing moved. Nothing to indicate what or who had whispered Jameson’s name.

  Jameson drew in a deep breath and held it for a moment before releasing it with a heavy exhale. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer. His hold was hard against my back while I gripped hi
s other arm in an attempt to reassure both of us that everything was fine.

  “We’re not alone,” Jameson whispered, and my heart began to gallop in my chest.

  “You are never alone, unless you actively seek it,” a deep voice stated from behind us.

  Jameson spun, tugging me behind him while drawing his dagger. It glowed faintly. The silhouette of a man stood before us, lit from behind by the light of the ship. He was blocking our path, and what was more frightening was that neither Jameson nor I had heard him approach.

  Nothing happened for several intense moments, until the man was suddenly holding his own blade, and it glowed with yellow light.

  “You found me, boy,” the man stated, and Jameson stiffened, becoming like stone.

  “Solomon,” Jameson breathed, lowering his dagger slightly.

  They fell silent again, and if it was any other time, I would think they were sizing each other up. Yet, this was a different kind of posturing that I didn’t quite understand.

  “I was expecting you sooner. Did something happen?” Solomon asked, lowering his blade to his side.

  “We had some trouble, but we worked it out,” Jameson answered, tucking his dagger away.

  “Everyone all right?” Solomon asked, his gaze shifting toward me before returning to Jameson.

  “Yeah, we’re fine. What happened here? We looked around for a while, but we didn’t find a trace of anyone around.”

  Ignoring the question, Solomon nodded to our ship. “You brought a full crew and a ship loaded with cannons and powder. Why is that?”

  “Vampires and pirates roam the seas freely.”

  “They have always roamed the seas and will continue to do so.”

  “Why are you hiding?” I asked, peeking around Jameson to address Solomon. I was tired of whatever game he was playing by asking all of his questions. He knew why we were here. “If you know that there are vampires and pirates out there, destroying lives, then why are you here hiding when you should be out there fighting the monsters?”

  “You think me a coward?” he asked quietly, dangerously.

  “It’s cowardly to let innocent people suffer when you can do something about it.”

  “You think I haven’t?” His voice rose, growing defensive. “I’ve been fighting the gathering darkness of these creatures for decades. I’ve trained hunters and then released them out into the world to protect the innocent, but I am just one man against a horde that grows with each passing day. You know nothing of this fight.”

  “Then tell us,” Jameson interjected before I could respond. “We want to help, but there is no one to answer our questions.”

  “Ruth should have been able to give you answers. If you’re here, then I assume you found her first.”

  “We did, but Ruth couldn’t answer all of our inquiries, and she said you were expecting us. Maybe she was wrong, and we came all the way here for no reason,” Jameson snapped.

  The man stilled, and I could feel him still assessing us both. My eyesight had improved from what it had been before, and I could see Solomon’s eyes cut through the darkness, but not his facial features. His eyes were cold and calculating, making me shiver. His gaze was that of a man who had seen and done things, but, most importantly, survived all of those things. I couldn’t begin to fathom what he had been through, but it didn’t change the fact that we needed his help.

  “Did Ruth tell you I would have these answers you seek?”

  “She assumed you would.”

  He sighed heavily, and I could just make out the slight droop to his shoulders. I imagined how frustrating it must have been for him, training hunters only to have the number of vampires still rising steadily over the years. It was like trying to swim against a current that was faster than you every step of the way, until it felt like you weren’t going anywhere.

  “Please,” I whispered softly, letting my own hopeless emotions enter my voice. “We need your help. If you won’t join the fight out there, then at least answer our questions so we have a better chance of survival.”

  There was another long pause while Solomon regarded me. I could feel his respect for us rising, along with equal parts amusement and frustration.

  “If answers are all you seek, then let’s go to your ship. I’ll answer what I can, but I’d rather do so indoors.”

  Jameson agreed, then grabbed my hand as we escorted Solomon to our ship. There was something about the way the man walked and held himself that seemed familiar. I knew that I had never met the man before, but maybe I had seen him in passing. Jameson explained that he was the man who had trained him under Pierce’s order, so maybe I had seen him in town on the many times that I had visited with my now-dead fiancé.

  The night had grown chilly, so I parted from Jameson, promising to meet him in the galley. I rushed to our room, grabbed a soft shawl, and draped it around my shoulders. My stomach swooped pleasantly while I walked, and a grin tugged at my mouth. We had found him. After weeks of searching, following one dead end after another, we had finally tracked down the infamous Solomon.

  He might have come off as brash, but I didn’t take it personally. My curiosity about the man who had trained Jameson and given him a hunter’s blade overpowered everything else. And I was most excited to finally get some answers about myself. I had no idea if I would like the answers, but it was better than walking around blind.

  I entered the galley with a spring in my step. Jameson’s blue eyes raked over me, and I could see the excitement in his face as well. Solomon’s back was to me as he talked to Henry. He was dressed in black clothes that I noted were hunter garb when I got closer. Weapons were strapped to him, but it was his hunter’s dagger that was the easiest to palm if the need arose.

  “It’s good luck we found you,” Henry exclaimed, clapping Solomon on his shoulder.

  The man chuckled, and the sound seemed to ease a part of me that I didn’t realize needed it.

  “Luck walks a fine line between disaster and survival. People try to balance that line, but one or the other will get them in the end.”

  Everything in me locked up tight while the breath was wrung from my lungs. I had only heard one man use that saying in my whole life, and I knew for a fact that man had died long ago.

  Hadn’t he?

  Jameson grabbed Solomon’s shoulder, gesturing to me behind him. He said something about introducing me, but I didn’t hear it. My eyes narrowed as the man turned. I watched the color drain from his face as he looked at me fully in the light. He looked the same as the memories I had of him. While his face morphed into shock, my rage rose like a volcano inside me.

  I was going to kill him.

  The world around me froze. I couldn’t believe he was alive. I couldn’t believe he had abandoned me when I needed him the most. He had promised that he would always be there to love and protect me. I would never be alone, because he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.

  Alice’s loud gasp sounded in my ears, and I knew that my eyes had turned red. It only happened when my emotions were heightened to such a level that they spiraled out of my control, and I was barely hanging on right now. My lips curled up in a snarl. Though I had no fangs to threaten him with, I wanted him to have little doubt about what I had become.

  “Lavinia,” he whispered in disbelief, and something snapped in me.

  Faster than anyone’s ability to react, I moved, suddenly standing in front of him. My hand slapped his cheek with such force that he flew backward, crashing into a table. He rose to his feet much faster than a human should and was suddenly standing in front of me again.

  “Lavinia, I…”

  “Don’t you Lavinia me, Tobias.” His name rolled off my lips with fury.

  “Tobias?” Henry asked from Alice’s side.

  “That was my father’s name, or at least the man I thought was my father. Turns out that role belongs to the creator of all vampires. While the man whom I grew up knowing as my father, who promised to always be there for me and
I thought had died in a shipwreck with my mother, is still alive.”

  “Lavinia, I can explain.” Solomon held up his hands pleadingly, which just stoked the fire inside me.

  “You left me to be raised by my aunt and uncle who never even wanted me. You’ve been alive this entire time and never came to get me, to take me away from that awful place.” Tears gathered unbidden in my eyes as I glared at him, daring him to deny it.

  “I couldn’t come for you, Lavinia. You were safer away from me.”

  “I was almost sold to a man in order to save my uncle’s failing farm. I grew up knowing I was unwanted in that house. I was there purely for obligation’s sake. If it wasn’t for that, I would have been sent to an orphanage. I know it, because my uncle threatened to send me there often during my childhood. You better have a good explanation as to why I had to endure that.”

  “I couldn’t come for you, Lavinia. I wanted to. I wanted to come and get you so many times, but I couldn’t.”

  “Why?” I yelled, tears coursing down my face.

  “Because I would have killed you.”

  Chapter Nine

  Jameson snarled, moving to stand in front of me as he so often did when he felt the need to protect me. I appreciated the gesture, but I was done being protected. I wasn’t the same person I had been two months ago when all this started, and I wanted to deal with this particular conflict on my own.

  Placing my hand on Jameson’s back, I stepped around him. His eyes roamed my face before he nodded and offered me a small smile. He took a seat next to Alice and Henry while my father stood before me.

  Thinking of him that way was too hard to do when I had believed him to be dead. I quickly decided I couldn’t refer to him as “Father” for the time being, maybe not ever, depending on how willingly he answered our questions. This man was supposed to be Solomon, trainer to the hunters, someone who would have all the answers we needed, not bring more questions. Conflicting emotions swirled in a furious storm within me. It took every bit of strength I had not to break down in front of everyone. There would be time for that later.