Wards of Night

by E. M. Knight

  “Do it,” she whispers. “End my life. Do it now!”

  Suddenly, the gravity of what I’m doing hits me. I release her and stagger back.

  “Just as I thought,” she sneers. “All talk and no action. Unlike your brother James. I was right in my decision to send him over you.”

  I look wild-eyed around the room. What have I done? But the way she spoke about Liana, the only girl I’ve ever loved…

  “Leave me,” she says. “I can tell you are in no state to continue this conversation.” She adjusts the bodice of her dress. “Tomorrow you will take the girl out on the grounds. Show her what awaits her if she conforms… and, what will happen if she resists.”

  Chapter Nine

  ELEIRA

  Is it ever day here? I wonder.

  I don’t know how long I’ve been penned up in this place. I’ve tried yelling, I’ve tried screaming, I’ve tried waving at the camera I’m sure is in the ceiling. I’m scared and lonely and confused. My fingers keep brushing over the spot on my neck. The bump is gone, but now I can feel the tiniest two pinpricks on my skin. Like a spider bite, or a…

  A vampire’s kiss.

  I shake my head to dispel the notion. Once more I’m letting childhood fancies get the best of me.

  I wish I had a mirror. Or a clock. Or a phone, or something — anything! — that would get me an understanding of what’s happening.

  I look at my reflection in the faraway glass. It feels as if enough time had passed for the sun to rise. But, it’s still pitch black out there.

  Could the window be tinted?

  I curl up and sleep for an hour or two. My stomach rumbles with hunger. I press a fist into it and do my best to ignore the sensation.

  How the hell did I end up here? I think. Why me?

  At some point during my nap the doors slide open.

  My back is to the entrance. My body tenses. I want to look, but I don’t want to appear too eager. Whatever these people want from me, I have every intention to resist.

  I wait. Silence. The doors close. I hold my breath, hoping to catch sound of whoever had just entered.

  But I hear nothing. Carefully I turn my head around — and see him.

  Raul. He’s standing a foot away from the entrance. His whole body is tight. His green eyes lock with mine, and there’s such fire there that it makes me gasp.

  That breaks the spell. Stiffly he walks over and reaches down to pick me up. I flinch away.

  He stops. Then, instead of grabbing me, he holds out his hand.

  “I think you’ve been here long enough,” he says. “This room is not meant as your permanent home.”

  “Permanent home?” I stare at him incredulity. “My permanent home is back at the university, in the dorms, with my friends!”

  He snorts a chuckle. “Not anymore.” He looks at his outreached arm. “Now, are you going to come willingly, or do I have to force you?”

  I cross my arms and pull my knees up. “I’m not going anywhere,” I announce, “until I understand what’s happening. Who are you? Are you from one of the secret societies at Stanford? Is that what this is, some sort of initiation?”

  Raul frowns. “That’s the impression you have?”

  “You helped me against the other man. Why?” All the pent-up words are pouring out of me. “And I demand you let me go.”

  This time Raul’s eyebrows go way up. “You demand?” he asks. There’s a note of stark amusement in his voice. “Really, Eleira, after all you’ve been through, you think you have any right to make a demand?”

  I sniff and hold my chin high. “If you think this a game, I’m not playing. And while you’re here I need you to take this off, too.” I jiggle my foot. “I don’t like being restricted.”

  “Yes, well, that we can do,” he mutters. I blink, and he’s gone from the spot he was standing in. A fraction of a second is all it takes for him to get to the center of the room.

  He dislodges the wire. “How did you do that?” I marvel. I know it’s not my imagination, or my sleep-deprived brain making things up this time. “How did you get from here —” I point at the ground, “— to there —” I point at him “— so fast?”

  “What, like this?” he asks. In a flash he’s right back at my side. I yelp in surprise.

  “Yes, like that!” I say. My heart is racing. The deep-down suspicions I have about this man are coming to fruition.

  “Humans can’t move that fast,” I whisper.

  “My dear Eleira.” He kneels down, and his face is finally level with mine. “Whatever gave you the impression that I am human?”

  Chapter Ten

  ELEIRA

  Raul walks purposefully ahead of me. I have to step quickly to keep up, because his strides are long and deep.

  Since his last declaration, he hasn’t said a word. I’ve tried engaging him in conversation, but it’s like talking to a brick wall.

  So, I’m left to stew and boil in my own thoughts.

  The glass-domed atrium exits to a long, dark hall. The lights are so dim I can barely see Raul’s form. But his steps are sure and confident, like those of a man who’s walked these corridors many times before.

  Well, duh, I think. This is his home… or laboratory… or facility… or whatever.

  It’s chilly everywhere. I start shivering as we advance through hall after hall after hall. There are no windows, and it almost feels like we’re inside some massive bunker.

  But the layout is way too grand for that.

  “Where are you taking me?” I ask in exasperation. “Why am I here? Who are you?”

  Nothing but silence greets me.

  Stubborn man, I think.

  Just as we’re about to turn a corner I plant my feet. “I’m not taking another step,” I declare, “until you tell me what’s going on.”

  Raul stops. He turns back and looks at me.

  I suppress a gasp. For a split second, his eyes actually seem to glow in the dark.

  Of course that’s madness. I tell myself. But the memory of my time in the woods comes up unbidden, and I wonder… Is it?

  “I’m taking you outside,” he says stiffly. Something is off about his behavior.

  Then I realize what it is; he never actually looks at me when he speaks. His eyes go to the space just about my head, or to the side of my body.

  Why won’t he make eye contact?

  “Outside, where you’ll let me go?” I ask. “If this isn’t an initiation, then I’m sure it’s some type of game show.” I wave my arms in the air. “Hello! Okay, you got me, ha ha. Fun time is over. The camera crews can all come out now.” I think of the Stanford Prison Experiment and wonder if this is some type of modern rendition of that.

  Raul shakes his head and turns away. “Come.”

  “No. This isn’t funny. And I’m not scared.” I try to give credence to the lie by flipping my hair back. “I know you won’t do anything to me because—”

  My words catch in my throat as Raul spins around and shoots at me. My back strikes the wall. He leers down at me, both hands on my arms, pinning me in place.

  Fear rips through me. He’s so much stronger than I am, and I’m entirely at his mercy.

  What’s he going to do?

  My breaths are coming quick and shallow. His body presses against mine.

  His eyes are locked solely on my neck.

  “Don’t,” he growls. “Ever. Do that. Around me.”

  Everything about him is straining. His fingers grip tightly onto my arms. I’m going to bruise. I know it. I can’t feel his breath, nor his heartbeat, nor any sort of heat from his body.

  That terrifies me more than anything else.

  Suddenly he lets me go. I fall forward. He glares at me, still not into my eyes, but the hate inside him is palpable.

  “Why are you doing this?” I whisper.

  “Because you give me reason to,” he says. Then, with extraordinary effort, he turns away.

  “It’ll be better outdoors,”
he assures me. “There, your scent won’t be so tempting.”

  Chapter Eleven

  RAUL

  I’ve scared Eleira. And I hate myself for doing so, but I truly could not control myself.

  When she flipped her hair back… and exposed her precious, fragile neck… the neck with James’s bite mark still on it — I lost it.

  I had to feed. I had to have her. But I could not, for it would destroy the process we’ve been waiting so long for.

  With James’s venom already in her system, the infusion of mine would surely kill her.

  Now she’s more frightened of me than she knows. She tries to hide it, but the emotions of a girl her age are transparent to me.

  The sooner I remove myself from her vicinity the better it’ll be, for both our sakes.

  We walk in silence the rest of the way to the elevator. I hit the button, and it comes up.

  We both step inside.

  Eleira looks around warily. “Where are you taking me?”

  “The ground floor,” I tell her as the elevator reaches our destination. The doors come open into the heart of the village. “Welcome to The Haven.”

  Chapter Twelve

  ELEIRA

  My eyes go wide when the elevator doors open. The sight before me is like nothing I could have imagined.

  We’re standing at the base of a tree. It’s a giant redwood, with the elevator built right into its trunk.

  A cobblestone path opens before me. Thatch roof buildings, none of them more than two stories high, line either side. Some have large, gated estates, while others are more modest.

  I see farm animals strolling around. Chickens, sheep, cows… but no people.

  All the houses are dark. I look up, expecting to see stars… but find only a dense canopy of branches above me. Although, here and there, the occasional patch of dark sky is visible.

  I take one look at Raul. I want to ask about the place, but decide it’s better to keep my mouth shut. It feels like we’ve wandered into a recreation of a 16th Century European village.

  But what on earth is it doing in California?

  He grunts and jerks his head the way he wants us to go. I walk after him, breathing in the crisp night air.

  We walk for a long time in utter silence. There isn’t a hint of modern technology anywhere. It’s rustic and quiet and even peaceful—and I can’t help the feeling that I’m missing some significant piece of the puzzle about this place.

  It’s the timing, I think. There’s no way it should still be night.

  We pass more darkened homes. They’re well maintained, obviously not abandoned. But if people live here, shouldn’t there be some sign of them? Even if it is night, there’s bound to be something… a light from inside a window, the sounds of a family gathering at a table, heck, even a tavern or —

  “Impressed yet?” Raul interrupts my thoughts.

  I choose my words carefully. “What would I be impressed by?”

  “The stillness,” Raul breathes. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”

  I look at him askance. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

  Just then, the sound of running footsteps reaches us. I turn my head immediately—and see a young, blond girl stumbling out from around a corner of the street.

  She staggers to a stop and gives a cry of alarm when she sees us. She has to be my age, but her clothes… they’re nothing like anyone would wear today. They are the clothes of a medieval peasant.

  Before I know what is happening, Raul splits from me and catches the girl by the nape of her neck. She gasps in fear but doesn’t fight back.

  In fact, her entire body starts to tremble.

  “April,” he growls. “What are you doing out at this hour?” He twists his hand in her hair. She whimpers. “Did you not hear of the edict?”

  “I… I… I…” she blubbers. I can tell she’s obviously frightened. “I was… I…”

  “Yes?” Raul asks. “Tell me.” His voice takes on the deep baritone of a predator.

  She swallows and shakes her head and squeezes her eyes shut. “Just do it,” she whispers. “Punish me. Do it, but don’t make me wait.”

  At her invitation Raul sweeps her hair away and exposes her neck. He draws his lips back as if he’s going to bite her…

  “No!” I cry out. I run to them. I don’t know what nightmare this is, but I won’t stand by and do nothing.

  I grab Raul’s arm and pull him away. “Let her go!”

  He throws me off him as if I weigh no more than a paper doll. I fall to the ground and grunt. Already Raul has April in his embrace. He drops her back, almost like a lover…

  “Stop!” I scream. I pick myself up and throw myself at them. “Don’t hurt her!”

  Raul moves with astonishing speed. My effort nets me nothing but my hands grasping through empty air, in the spot they’d just been.

  Raul looks from April to me. The poor girl is staring at me, wide-eyed. “You care,” he says slowly, “what happens to this wench?”

  I flinch at his choice of words. April gives no response. She just stands there, drained, devoid of life.

  She looks like she’s given up.

  “Yes, I care,” I say. “What were you going to do to her? Is she another one like me, caught up in this twisted game?”

  Raul’s lips twitch up. Maybe in a smile, maybe in a snarl — it’s hard to tell.

  “Let me assure you…” he lets her go and steps toward me, “…that this girl is nothing like you.”

  I try to catch her eye, but her gaze is glued to the ground. She’s free now—why doesn’t she run?

  Raul stops an equal distance between us. He sweeps an arm back to take in April. “She’s broken the rules,” he tells me softly. “And she knows what happens to humans who come out after curfew. Especially on a night like this.”

  I start to edge my way toward them, so I can get between Raul and April. He’s already proved he’s not willing to hurt me. At least — not in the way he was ready to hurt April.

  “Please,” the girl says softly. “Just do what you have to. Don’t — don’t stretch it out.”

  I have no idea if she’s crazy or what. Maybe this is some type of role-playing game gone horribly wrong.

  “I would,” Raul says. “But it looks like our incumbent Princess-in-waiting has other ideas for you.”

  I stop short. “What did you call me?”

  He ignores the question. He turns back and grabs April’s arm. She gives a small cry as he drags her forward and then pushes her toward me.

  I catch her as she stumbles into my arms. Our eyes meet for a split-second, and I see such intense hatred in hers that I gasp.

  She brushes me off and stands on her own.

  “So, April,” Raul says. “It looks like you have a new champion.” He smiles. “I wonder what James will say when he finds out. That’s where you were running from, isn’t it? You were with him?”

  Her cheeks flush a deep red.

  Raul starts walking. “I was going to show you the majesty of The Haven,” he tells me. “But this little wrinkle necessitates a change in plans. Come. Your new lodgings await.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  ELEIRA

  Raul brings me and April past the edge of the village to the mouth of a small cave. Our whole walk there I kept my eyes open, cataloguing everything I saw and planting the layout of the place into my memory.

  I’ll need to know where to go when I try to escape.

  The cave entrance is deceptive of its interior. As we walk into the mountain, the cavern opens up to many times its size. There are torches lining the walls. Raul grabs one near the entrance and shoves it into my hands without a word.

  I’m amazed how well he manages in the darkness. The fire casts only the smallest halo of light, and he is far on the outer edge of it.

  As we walk, I try again and again to catch April’s eyes. She, however, is completely unresponsive.

  After a long time walking I hear
the sound of running water. It gets louder and louder the deeper we go. The tunnel twists, then opens, and I hear the roar of a great underground river from in front of us.

  I also see a line of cell doors carved into the sides.

  Raul strolls up to one and opens it. He looks at us in expectation. For the second time tonight, I think his eyes somehow shine in the dark. But the illusion only lasts for a second before fading.

  “Your new home,” he says. “For now.”

  I look around for an escape, but I know if I run he’ll be on me in a second. There’s no way I could navigate the underground passages on my own.

  So — tired, hungry, and resigned — I go into the prison cell, trailed by April.

  She shoots one spiteful glare at me as she walks by and then returns to her regular docile demeanor.

  Raul closes and locks the door. The clang of the metal bars shutting echoes through the space.

  He turns to leave.

  “Wait!” I call out. “Do you just mean to leave us here? What about food? What about water?”

  “Those will be provided to you soon enough,” he says.

  “How long are you going to leave us here?” I demand. “Raul! Raul!”

  But he has already walked away.

  Not long after his footsteps fade, a snicker comes from behind me.

  I turn and discover April staring daggers at me.

  “Well done,” she says sardonically. “Really, very spectacular. ‘Don’t hurt her!’” she mocks.

  Suddenly I’m angry. “What’s with the attitude?” I demand. “Is that the thanks I get for saving your life?”

  “Save my life?” She bursts out laughing. Then, just as quickly, she cuts off. “Sweetie, all you did was condemn me to a living hell.”

  “Whatever,” I mutter. I grip the metal bars and try shaking them to see if they’ll give.

  “Don’t bother,” she tells me. “You’re not getting out until they decide to release us.”