The Raike Box Set

by Jackson Lear

  True to Caton’s warning, the governor spoke almost exclusively in Telucian. The rest of the table did as well. Alysia spoke like she had grown up there. No one seemed to mishear her or need her to repeat herself. Her whole accent shifted as well, like she was mimicking someone else flawlessly. It dawned on me that this was the first time I’d really heard her orating, rubbing elbows with families of power, and she did so with an expertise beyond her years.

  The same could not be said for the poor Lieutenant Gustali. I say that not because he looked like a jackass or had the grace of a wild dog with a rat biting his balls, I say it because for all the qualities Alysia showed in a foreign tongue, Lieutenant Gustali exhibited the opposite. He spoke in short sentences. He took long sips from his cup when the attention was on him, buying himself some time to think. There came a ripple of eye squints and a lean forward from Zara, Alysia, and Lavarta on more than one occasion as confusion set in. The lieutenant took that as a sign that he needed to re-word himself. Sometimes whatever he said sounded exactly the same. Sometimes he changed it. A couple of times his father gave a short well-meant response for his son to agree to.

  I also got to see my first food and wine taster. A woman about the same age as Gustali’s fiancé lingered behind the governor at all times. Whenever a new bottle of wine was opened she came forth, sampled some, and then we waited, talking about something or other that went over my head, until the lieutenant started gesturing and slipped back into Isparian. “That’s long enough.”

  The young woman remained very much alive and poured everyone a drink. She did the same for the food, taking a bite or a sip of soup, which went someway into explaining why my food wasn’t remotely hot. She ate some, she waited, we waited for her to die, she stubbornly did not, so we ate instead.

  At one point things got stupid. Zara jolted. My hand went straight to where my blade should’ve been. All eyes seemed to be moving from the jovial lieutenant to the stunned Zara. I tried to back track through the mannerisms surrounding the conversation. The lieutenant had been chuckling to himself, wiped his lips, and nodded towards Zara while eyeing her up.

  To everyone’s surprise the lieutenant rose from the table, ignored his fiancée, strolled over to Zara, and held his hand out to her. No one ate, so I didn’t eat, which was a shame because I was actually quite enjoying this maybe-chicken in its white sauce thing. Zara lingered where she was, uncertain of what was supposed to happen now. The lieutenant spoke a little in Telucian without having to correct himself, still with his hand out ready for her to receive him. Zara hesitantly wiped her lips, took his hand, stood, and the lieutenant started to wrap his hands around her. She did the same to him.

  It kinda looked like dancing. More like shimmying. Alysia looked on, dumbfounded. Lavarta stole a look to the lieutenant’s fiancée. She had her head down, staring at the table, oblivious to what her husband-to-be was doing with another woman. Beside me, Caton breathed deeply, annoyed with the spectacle. The governor, though, roared with laughter and clapped along with the antics of his son.

  Then things got kicked up a notch. What looked like shimmying before turned into a full performance. The lieutenant shook his hips like a woman, jigged about and moved in some kind of rhythm which – honestly – looked pretty damn good. I’ve seen dancing. I’ve seen people do it well, mediocrely, and badly. The mediocre ones do it well but make it look hard. The bad ones make it look funny. Gustali actually had some talent in this department. Zara had some skill too. She stepped lightly from one foot to another, spinning when it was expected. Gustali even pulled her into a fall that he caught. A well-known routine, I imagine. The lieutenant and the assassin, dancing together.

  Polite clapping followed. Roaring bellows came from the head of the table. Even the fiancée tapped her palms together, though if any sound came from them I’d be surprised.

  I had no idea what I had just seen. Even if the whole conversation had taken place in Isparian I’d still probably have been at a loss to the spectacle I’d just witnessed.

  Proud of himself, the lieutenant returned to his seat, smiled at his wife-to-be as though he had just returned from battle, and dinner resumed. Alysia, Lavarta, and especially Zara remained somewhat stunned in the minutes that followed. So did Caton, though he matched the governor’s eating mouth for mouth. All the while Caton’s attention was fixed on his meal. Plotting. Problem solving.

  Once more the conversation shifted. Alysia shot her attention towards me and, for once, I understood something they said. The same word in Telucian and Isparian: Vampire.

  I perked up.

  Alysia slipped into Isparian. “So how do you know which one’s a vampire and which one is not?”

  The table fell quiet. All around me I was met with blank faces.

  Caton joined her shift in language merely for the sake of politeness. “They look different to us. While most of them could pass themselves off as human from a distance or in poor light, they are actually quite animalistic, and it gets more pronounced as they get older.”

  The table fell quiet. The Gustali half were satisfied with Caton’s answer. The other half were not. Alysia flicked her eyes towards me. Gave me a subtle nod.

  “Only if they’re more than a hundred years old,” I said.

  All eyes fell upon me.

  Alysia asked, “So how do you recognize the young ones?”

  “They’re mouth breathers,” I said. “Like they’re trying to suck the air in through both sides of their mouth while keeping their teeth held together. It gives them a distinct look. And if you ever see their hands, their fingers are gnarled, calloused, and flecked with dark spots which are more concentrated at their fingertips and lighter as it spreads towards their wrists. Their nails are thicker, harder, and retractable.”

  Dining slowed. Caton chuckled to himself, wiped his lips with the corner of a napkin. “You’ve done your research. Well done.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I thought they didn’t need to breathe,” said Alysia.

  I answered. “They do, especially if they want to speak, but their breathing style is to taste the air around them. Their whole tongue is supposed to be hyper-sensitive so they can taste you coming long before you ever see them.”

  Lavarta leaned forward, his attention fixed more acutely on me than ever before. “How many did you face?”

  “Four of them against eighty five of us.” I pulled my right sleeve up past my elbow, revealing the four long scars running at an angle across my forearm. Even to this day they tingle during the blood moon. “Their nails – more like claws with passing age – are tipped with poison. If it wasn’t for two of my friends the creature’s next attack would’ve killed me.”

  “What happened?” asked Alysia.

  Caton held a hand up. “Please, this is a table for polite conversation.”

  “The governor invited Mr Raike to dine with us.”

  The governor pulled his head back in surprise and glanced to Caton.

  Alysia added: “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind gaining information on a threat that the lieutenant is likely to face in the coming months.”

  Caton sighed with a quick bow of his head. “Forgive me. Please regale us, Mr Raike.”

  Alysia gave me another nod, urging me to go on while the opportunity was still there. Meanwhile, I was pretty sure it was all the governor needed to authorize my execution.

  “We were overseeing a prisoner exchange. Six from one company for four of ours. Negotiations for peace between us were going on at the same time. Both sides brought a dozen men to hash it out in an old farm house. We had our prisoners. They didn’t bring theirs. But they were close. The rest of the two companies were stationed two miles away, apart.

  “A disturbance came from downstairs. Sounded like someone was breaking in or breaking out. Then came cries for help. We ran down, already primed for what could’ve been a massacre from one side or an interested third party who wanted to take out the senior members of two companies at t
he same time. A young vampire had broken into the basement. It fought us off, fled into the night, and when we chased it out we were set upon by three more. They had set a trap for us. We pulled back, did what we could to keep the farm house secure, but the bastards were strong enough to break down the wooden walls. One of them even threw in a bottle of wild fire behind our barricade. It created this thick noxious cloud that we had no way of dousing. With no other hope we made a run for it. Our mages were able to clear a line back to the rest of our company. The other group ran off while we were pinned in. Worse still, they had their prisoners back. We didn’t. Ours were still four miles away. So we went after them.”

  Lieutenant Gustali blew out a disinterested breath of air.

  Lavarta ignored him. “Did the vampires get away?”

  “No. After a few tussles and wounding more men, it was seemed clear enough that they were more interested in hunting us than simply going in for an easy kill. They wanted us nice and panicked. Whatever fear flows through man seems to be the drug vampires are looking for. They want you to know that they are hunting you. So we regrouped, got our prisoners, and settled in for the long fight. We lost fifteen that first night. Our captain split us into four teams to increase the odds. We moved in and went on the attack. Four days it lasted. My team saw seven skirmishes before the final nightfall. For four days we barely had time to rest. We ate whatever we had on us. We ‘went’ without the luxury of even finding a tree. We set traps. So did they. We were caught in theirs. They were caught in ours. We used bait. So did they. It took three days to catch the first one. We strung her up, allowed her to bleed out just long enough to force her friends to come to her rescue. They did. We had dug ourselves into a good position with lots of spikes surrounding us and our prisoner. They lost another that night. Unfortunately we needed to keep our captive alive, which required some of our blood, otherwise the two remaining might’ve fled. We weren’t going to let that happen. They came at us. We exhausted every last spell we had on the big one. Slowed him down just enough. The Captain lopped his head clean off.” I pointed to my right forearm. “The big one did this to me. I managed to get my blade stuck in his ribs but it wasn’t enough to stop him. He pulled back, I lost my grip, and my blade would’ve been lost forever if it wasn’t for Ox smashing this thing’s shoulder in with a warhammer and giving the Captain an opening.”

  The governor smacked his lips and spoke quickly in Telucian. Caton translated. “You would be best to watch your choice of stories while in the company of others. Tales of blood and warhammers are not suitable over dinner.”

  “I apologize.”

  Lavarta came to my rescue. “If I may, My Protector. Raike, you said there were eight five of you against four of them. Would six hundred against twenty be enough?”

  Lieutenant Gustali huffed again. “Of course it would. His ‘company’ by the sound of things didn’t have so much as archers and spearmen, let alone a cavalry.”

  Lavarta looked back to me, hoping for an answer. I shook my head. “They were a lot more adaptable in battle than we were. You need maneuverability above all else to fight them as they move too quickly from one side of your group to another. Uniformity and formations will work against you.”

  “How so?”

  “They can outrun a horse at full gallop and leap three times their height across a ten yard distance. They can get behind any formation and attack your rear. If you give the command to turn they’ll just leap to wherever you’re weakest. If you have shields and spears on all sides they’ll jump into the middle and attack from within. Or, they’ll simply pin you in, crying out with this baying kind of sound like a wild animal. That sound alone can drive you insane. It’s louder than anything you expect and it calls to every other vampire for miles around that it has a feast cornered and that everyone should come and enjoy a bite. They can hold you there as your panic rises. You’re unable to eat, drink, sleep, or let your guard slip. They don’t need to eat as often as us. They certainly don’t need to rest at all while it’s dark. That’s when they’re strongest. They can supposedly see your heart beating as some kind of pulsing aura. They can read you as well; how tired you are, how close to death you are. Four of them killed twenty five of ours with ease.”

  The governor snapped. Caton translated. “Enough, please.”

  Alysia raised her glass towards me. “Perhaps the army should hire Mr Raike as an advisor.”

  You could feel the heat from the Gustalis burn from within as they turned incredulously towards the twenty year old civilian.

  “I’m serious,” she added. “How many others in Syuss’ Grand Army have experience in slaying vampires?”

  I willed her to shut up. There was no way I was going up against one vampire, let alone twenty, and especially not with an imperial army ready to skewer me in the back.

  Still, I knew what she was doing. I had been led here like a lamb to the slaughter so my opponents could see my face. She was giving me a usefulness that they needed.

  Chapter Thirty

  The walk back to Lavarta’s residence led us through the main street of Torne. I half expected the drunken revelry to continue around us but we seemed to be free from even one slobbering idiot on the road. That only made me more paranoid of an ambush, yet we passed a dozen city watch patrols along the way, none of whom struck. Nor did they look like they were spying on us. Most simply gave a respectful nod to either Lavarta or Alysia. I have no idea how they recognized them but it was possible they might’ve been famous enough to justify it. Or perhaps it was because they were dressed in the finest of clothing and needed two bodyguards with them.

  Alysia and her husband walked ahead of Zara and me. Lavarta was muttering under his breath. Alysia was being a little more diplomatic.

  “How was it?” Zara asked me. “Fine dining with the governor?”

  “The food was nice. The less said about the hosts the better. What the hell was that bit with dancing?”

  “The less said about that the better.”

  “Was he trying to woo you in some way?”

  “He was being a shit in front of his wife-to-be.”

  “His father seemed to like it. Did Alysia get anywhere with her budget problems?”

  “The governor said he’ll think about it.”

  “Will he?”

  “Between the mercenaries, black market barons, and drug cartels of Arlo coming to our province, and the vampires aligning with the northern king who attacks us and our allies every year … we’re going to end up with a lot of starving orphans this year.”

  “And the entire Kasera army coming to shore up our borders?”

  Zara fell silent, to the point where she was almost writhing in it.

  Lavarta glanced back at me. “Zara, can you walk with Alysia for a moment?”

  “Certainly.” Zara sped up while Lavarta lingered long enough for me to catch up to him.

  With great reluctance, the commander looked my way. “Alysia tells me you’re a man of your word. Just how accurate is that story of yours with the vampires?”

  “Every word.”

  “Good. How do you kill them?”

  Alysia and Zara seemed to be listening in from a few feet ahead.

  “By slowing them down,” I said. “You’ll need a lot of mages for that. A dozen all working together to pin one down long enough for someone to get in close with a sword. A jab clean through the heart won’t be enough. Skewering it with spears won’t be enough either. Their skin is tough, their bones are harder than ours, and they heal faster than we can. But if you take out their eyes or set them on fire then you’ll have an easier time when you next attack them.”

  “What else?”

  I thought back to what Agrat told us all those years ago. “They will slow down if you deprive them of blood for long enough. Or if you’re able to use blood rot. A couple of our guys smeared sapphire poison across these rags and wrapped them around their necks. We think it masked their scent a little. They were certainly a
ble to stay hidden while the vampire crept around them.”

  Alysia shook her head as the image stuck with her. “Why would the northern king form an alliance with them?”

  Zara had one answer. “Vampire blood can be used as an aphrodisiac, and it’s a wonderful healer.”

  “You heal from vampire blood?”

  “You can,” I said. “Whether you do is something else. Either way, one pint is worth a lot of money on the black market.”

  “Who would buy such a thing?”

  I couldn’t help but smirk. “You’re young. And you have a lot of good days ahead of you. But soon enough old age kicks you in the balls and it happens a lot earlier than you expect. My old captain used to seek it out whenever he could. It’s funny seeing it sold by the age of the vampire, too. The older the better. He once got his hands on blood from a four hundred year old vampire drawn just a few days before. For a month he moved like a twenty year old athlete. Even when the effects wore off he said everything wrong with him seemed like his body had gone back in time by five years.”

  Zara asked: “How much did that cost?”

  “Roughly speaking, start at a hundred marks and increase the cost by one per year the vampire has supposedly been alive for.”

  Lavarta knotted his eyebrows together, running through one issue after another. “Some of your members are ex-military, yes?”

  “Yeah.”

  “But you’re not?”

  “No.”

  “I’m trying to gauge how much of our army tactics you would understand or be familiar with.”

  Zara said, “The Captain Raike was speaking about was ex-army. A sergeant of the First Century, Eleventh Army, no less.”

  “Really?”

  I spied Zara carefully. I had never told her that.

  She shrugged. “A quarter of their members are ex-army. They drill a lot – more than the specialist infantry do. They use army signals, have adapted army codes, and employ our skirmish tactics. He has more military knowledge than he realizes.”