by Aiden James
“Yes, they are,” she said, wearing a curious expression. The look faded a moment later, as she nodded her understanding of my thoughts. “It’s a minute amount—enough to ensure the prisoner’s cooperation. But, the mercury can be quite painful for a young vampire.”
“Did Ga-Garvan tell you wh-what they d-did to m-me?”
At first I was confused, wondering what Garvan and the others might’ve done to Peter beyond this torture, and hoping to God I wouldn’t soon hate them.
“R-Ralu… h-he killed m-my mom and dad, and I c-couldn’t do a-a-anything!” he cried. “H-he… th-they tore them apart and m-made them s-su-suffer… M-m-mom begged them to st-stop-p-p—I b-begged, but th-they laughed and ki-killed th-them-m-m… Th-they took Sa-Sara and m-ma-made her hurt and t-tore her head off when he was d-do-done.”
I didn’t know what to say. I was too horrified to speak, and when I looked over at Chanson, her expression matched what I felt inside.
“See what I mean?” said Garvan. “He’s been severely traumatized, and I don’t see what we can do to fix this. Ralu was the one who attacked him after he murdered his family and fiancé, and it is Ralu’s blood within him.
“Y-yes… h-he will c-come for m-me-e-e.”
“What?” said Garvan, perhaps unaware of the disdain in his tone toward Peter. “What are you talking about now?”
“He read my thoughts,” said Chanson, worriedly. “I was thinking ‘Thank God that Ralu can’t find him here.’ How does a vampire read another vampire’s thoughts?”
“Gustav can do it,” said Garvan. “He keeps it to himself and never talks about it anymore…”
However, he didn’t have to spell out the next deduction in line for either of us. I tried to think of anyone I knew of who could read another vampire’s thoughts. Gustav had turned Chanson, but I had no knowledge that she could read the thoughts of any other vampire, including her maker.
“I can’t do it. Truthfully, I can’t!” she said. “I have no idea how it’s possible for Ralu to do it if Gustav can’t—it makes no sense whatsoever!”
“It’s be-because he fed m-me-e-e his blood tw-twice,” shouted Peter, who stood up as straight as his gnarled body would allow. He howled in a rage while turning toward us fully. I felt ashamed of my reaction, but I couldn’t help it. I shrunk away from him. “H-he told me-e-e that I would-d-d be his eyes-s-s and e-ears to f-fi-find Ch-e-e-m-meh. An-d-d here y-you ar-r-re.”
I collapsed to my knees while I broke down in tears. Chanson and Garvan moved to comfort me, telling me to look away from the wretched creature engulfed in smoke as his flesh burned while trying to escape his bonds—a hideous monster who used to be a vibrant and gorgeous man.
But Peter was no longer remotely attractive, as the half of his face and body that were hidden from me until that moment were entirely Chupacabra. Half of his scalp had rotted away, leaving fragments of a once regal hairline, and the right side of his face and body were covered with the same sores I saw upon Ralu when he visited me by dream in Nepal. Even his teeth were an uneven jigsaw along that side.
I knew that the man I once loved more than any other was still locked somewhere inside this misshapen beast of a vampire. Even so, my heart sank at the realization that where Peter was trapped was likely beyond anyone’s reach. At least he was for now, and perhaps forever.
But if what Peter said was true, and he unwittingly became the spy and servant of Ralu? If true, we were all in terrible trouble. It meant Ralu could hear us. Ralu could see us, too.
It was only a matter of time before he arrived in the Maldives to stake his claim. For Peter Worley? Maybe… but most certainly for Alaia and me.
“We have been played for fools!” Chanson’s face distorted into a mask of rage that was terrible to behold and then she was gone, leaving only a cool breeze to mark her passage. We followed moments later and when we arrived at the palace preparations for battle were already being made.
alu’s attack didn’t happen on the night when everyone expected it.
It happened the very next night.
We were ready on June 13th, and I assumed such a fiend would take glee in the obvious connection to an occult number, even though it landed on a Wednesday rather than the Friday so often associated with calamity and miserable luck.
The vampires residing on Racco’s tiny island didn’t feel it had anything to do with human superstitions. After all, since Ralu was only two years younger than Gustav, his birth preceded this particular superstition by three thousand years. What they based their expectation of attack upon was the speed with which Ralu could move his army—the majority of which they believed to be back in Europe after ransacking Nashville and Charleston.
“Ralu will attack sometime tonight,” Gustav said to the nearly five hundred vampires gathered outside the palace at dusk that Wednesday evening. “We know he is drawn to the boy, to his own blood that has polluted the veins, arteries, and heart of Peter Worley. Despite the advice from some of you, it will do us no good to execute the young man. Ralu will still find us, because he already knows which island holds our blood hosts.”
He waited for the rumble of disconcerted voices to move through the throng and grow quiet again. The anger and malicious words about Peter, me, and our baby girl were heartrending, and it took Chanson’s and Tyreen’s comfort to make me realize that the dissenting vampires would have to kill them and the rest of my guardians first before anyone could lay a fang or talon upon us.
“Silence!” shouted Gustav, when he had heard enough of their protests. “Do you all wish to become like Ralu? Hm? If so, leave our circle now, and know that in the coming confrontation, no mercy will be shown to any of you. The mindless beasts that only recently have gained enough intelligence to move through towns and the smaller cities without Ralu’s constant guidance will be no match for us. You will die side-by-side with them… but only if you betray our cause. For the rest of us, the true warriors, we must defend the innocent Alaia and her mother, Txema. That means we fight to the death, if the fates decree our end time is finally here. Our continued prosperity as a vampire race depends upon it.”
A much louder roar of support filled the air, joined by our Maldives hosts, Xuanxang, and one hundred and twenty other vampires from around the world who heeded Gustav’s summons the evening before, shortly after Peter’s arrival. Of course, my guardians were among the loudest, screaming their support spiritedly toward anyone who didn’t share their enthusiasm for my daughter’s and my safety and long-term survival.
That euphoria lasted all through the night. It didn’t wane until it was time for everyone but Koimala and his shape shifters to retire. Racco stayed with Alaia and me despite occasional verbal digs from Armando and brooding scowls from Garvan. I had not had a chance to sit with either Garvan or Armando to bring them up to date on where things stood between Racco and me. Unfortunately, the eve of a potential vampire war seemed quite inappropriate to broach the subject. I hoped it would happen soon, and that a lasting peace could be forged among all the immortals in my life.
But we never saw or heard from any of Ralu’s warriors.
Unfortunately, the beginnings of complacency were all that was necessary for Ralu to gain a solid foothold on the island soon after sunset arrived, Thursday, June 14th.
I was among those who didn’t expect an immediate attack right at dusk, and foolishly, chose to take a quick shower as the setting sun dipped into the western horizon. Several patrols of Europeans surrounded the palace, taking turns to watch over every point of access. Since my room was basically exposed to the outside world on three sides, Gustav made sure a detail of a dozen vampires hovered along my room’s railings.
One might think that bathing while my security detail kept their backs to me still wouldn’t be private enough, but by then I had gotten used to taking showers in the open. That day had been particularly hot and humid, and I just couldn’t get rid of the stickiness. I hoped a quick shower would take care of the problem, and w
aited for the heat to dissipate once the sun went down.
I took a moment to change Alaia’s clothes and cool her off since she seemed to be uncomfortable in the heat as well. I kept her bassinet close to the shower where I could keep an eye on her, and she babbled happily while she watched me bathe.
As I rinsed the conditioner from my hair, my vision was blurred by water for only a few seconds. But it was enough. When I opened my eyes, Alaia was gone!
Even as I write this, I remember exactly when she was taken. Her almost non-stop chatter ceased in an instant, and less than two seconds later when I peered through my dripping hair, her bassinet lay empty.
“Alaia?” I called out shrilly, praying that maybe her advanced development kicked in further, and she had somehow crawled out of her bassinet. “Alaia? Where are you?”
I had barely wrapped a towel around myself, and several of the vampires surrounding my room had already invaded my living space. Obviously, they had either read the fear in my voice or heard the alarmed thoughts racing through my head. One of them—a female whom Raquel seemed to know well—spoke rapidly in French into a small radio attached to her wrist. The others beat me to the urgent task of checking under the bed, as well as other small areas Alaia might fit in to. When they all stood again, wearing panicked expressions, I knew she was gone.
“Alaia!” I screamed. “Oh, my God—somebody took my baby!”
Garvan and Chanson burst into my room, with everyone else soon following.
“Where’d you last see her?” Garvan swiftly retraced the very same steps the security patrol had done, moving twice to the bassinet as if expecting her to magically reappear.
“Right there—in the bassinet,” I shouted, while pointing at it and feeling my legs begin to give out. “She was right there just a couple of minutes ago, and now she’s fucking gone.”
The slight blush on Chanson’s cheeks rapidly drained away. Her complexion starkly ashen, she was as worried as me. But unlike me in my human vulnerability, Chanson could still think clearly… logically.
“We’re losing time, Txema,” she said, her normally smooth tone on edge. “Drop your towel and let us dress you, so we can begin our search for Alaia!”
She said this with authoritative force. Despite my modesty with Garvan standing nearby, this wasn’t the time for vanity. I dropped the towel and closed my eyes. What felt like hundreds of hands fully dressed me in a matter of ten seconds, from my underwear out to the jeans and top I had set aside to wear again for the second straight night. By the time I was dressed, Racco, Kazikli, and Gustav had arrived from downstairs. They all looked worried.
“You didn’t see who it was that took her?” said Gustav, while Racco moved to take me in his arms. I was far too upset to be comforted at the moment, but didn’t entirely push him away.
“No, but it had to be a vampire, because I only took my eye off her for a moment,” I said. “Ralu must’ve taken her, or maybe somebody working for him?”
I had no idea what any of them thought, but it seemed logical that a traitor might be involved somehow. After all, there were plenty of European vampires that looked upon my daughter and me disparagingly. Not to mention all the new arrivals the previous evening. Perhaps one of them carried a secret alliance with Ralu.
“I doubt it is Ralu himself, as I don’t feel his immediate presence, although he could be on the island somewhere,” said Gustav. “Kazikli, gather everyone downstairs. Chanson, you and Raquel should look for Alaia now. Garvan, I’m charging you with Txema’s protection. Let’s go.”
“I can protect Txema as readily as Garvan can,” said Racco, moving to block Garvan from standing by my side.
“No,” Gustav said sternly. “She needs someone who can whisk her out of harm’s way, should she be attacked. Last I checked, old friend, your alchemy can’t match the skills of someone like Garvan, who can fly to a height of a thousand feet in a matter of seconds.”
“While this is true, I can keep her safe in the vault below the palace—”
“We don’t have time for this shit!” I shouted, and headed for the door. “We need to find my baby before it’s too late.”
Before I could take a full step, Chanson appeared in front of me, immovable as a granite statue.
“Txema, I agree that finding Alaia is our urgent priority. But you’re not coming with us,” she said, sternly. “You need to be kept safe, where there’s no chance of anything going wrong. Stay with Garvan―don’t force us to move against your will.”
All of the vampires gathered in my room stopped, and glanced toward the northern corner of the island. I could tell something happened in the nanosecond from when Chanson finished her upbraid to when they all stiffened, although my human senses couldn’t define what was different. For that matter, neither could Racco’s, although the look on his face told me he had seen this before.
“Ralu is here,” said Armando, quietly, as he moved to my side. “It feels like it did in Nashville, and we must leave now.”
I’m not sure which one actually picked me up, since I saw blurred glimpses of Chanson, Garvan, and Armando as I flew through the air at incredible speed. I was vaguely aware of moving downstairs and then into the palace reception area, where we came to an abrupt stop.
Gustav and the others had traveled with us, and apparently every other vampire in the European alliance knew they needed to be inside the palace’s largest room. The reception area and the attached corridor were filled with vampires―some standing, but most hovering in the air around us. I felt sick with panic since Chanson, Raquel, and I were essentially blocked in near the center of the room. A growing chill surrounded me, created by so many vampires gathered in anger and apprehension. They all were nervous. If I wasn’t so worried about my baby’s welfare, I might’ve considered how badly we were outnumbered, if Ralu had brought his entire army to the Maldives.
Kazikli and Koimala appeared on a large marble platform between the two waterfalls, on either side of Gustav. Xuanxang stood to the right. In front of them all, and just below their feet, were Koimala’s ‘family’ of warriors. Each one held a gleaming sword.
Gustav raised his hands until the crowd stilled. “Ralu has indeed arrived on the island and will be upon us at any moment. He has taken Alaia, which means we are now officially at war with him and his army. Do not spare the blood of our former brethren, as we will take no prisoners tonight.”
As had happened earlier in my room upstairs, the entire group gathered inside the palace abruptly looked to the north again. But unlike before, I heard a noise this time, a subtle rumble, like a distant thunderstorm. Motion in the sky appeared in the moonlight. An immense dark swarm sped towards us.
“There’s no time to hide Txema,” yelled Raquel to Chanson, a note of panic creeping into her voice.
When I looked around me, all of my personal protectors had formed an arc to guard me. Each one wore a sullen look; as if they knew the carnage that night would claim victims from both sides. Tyreen wept while she clung to Franz, who seemed irritated. I had no doubt that he’d soon push her aside to engage Ralu’s warriors, and then her survival would be in jeopardy, too.
“Brace yourselves… here they come,” shouted Armando, as he and Garvan drew swords concealed within their matching scarlet robes.
Chanson, Tyreen, and Raquel were dressed similarly to me, and none of them carried any weapons. Sensitive to my deepening panic, Chanson told me the ‘girls’ would rely on their agility and strength to keep us all safe. Seeing my fascination with Garvan’s and Armando’s swords, along with similar weapons carried by the older vampires, she mentioned they were dipped in mercury to allow easy penetration through another vampire’s body. But, using such weapons without hurting oneself took time and practice. Having a neophyte vampire like Tyreen present, a sword could end up being used on us if one of Ralu’s warriors wrested it away from her.
Before Chanson finished speaking to me, the first wave of Chupacabras invaded, knocking over marble
statues and gilded furniture as they arrived. Seeing these monsters brought back a memory of when Garvan rescued me from Massey Hall in Knoxville, where I witnessed my RA, Elaine Johnson, having her throat savagely torn open by one of them.
They were pale creatures devoid of any body hair, with glowing yellow, blue, or green eyes and sinewy bodies mostly exposed by scant soiled tunics. Feral in their aggression, their teeth were a jagged mess except for the uniform sharp fangs protruding from their deformed lips, slightly longer than those of my companions. Their faces and bodies bore numerous weeping boils. The corruption didn’t stop with their appearance―a great stench accompanied them.
Their ferocity defied their obnoxious odor and appearance, as they fought as if their lives would end at any moment.
For many, that became true. As soon as the fiends reached our gathering, our ‘civilized’ vampires met them head on—each one ripping through several Chupacabras at a time. Blood that was almost black in its rancid state burst from Ralu’s warriors, spattering over much of the white marble banisters, railings, statues, columns, and floor; the pristine water of the pool became a defiled murk in seconds. A Chupacabra head rolled toward me from where Armando had decapitated one. The body shuddered as a fountain of black cherry colored blood spurted high into the air. All combat is brutal and chaotic, but the combatants on both sides were so fast that I only saw the immediate aftermath, like I was watching it on a shitty webcam and had to piece together what happened by the casualties.
“Armando, watch out!” shrieked Tyreen, as an unusually tall enemy vampire snuck up on him from behind. If she hadn’t warned him when she did, his head might’ve been rolling next, as the fiend swung a gleaming machete that barely missed Armando’s neck.
“Get on the floor between my legs, Txema!” Chanson shouted. She motioned for Tyreen, Raquel, and Nora―who had worked her way over to us―to form a protective circle around me. Meanwhile, Franz joined Garvan and Armando in their quest to push back Ralu’s ever-growing army. Hundreds of these vicious aggressors swooped in and darted away repeatedly as they sought to find a weakness to exploit. “If worse comes to worst, since we have no immediate way to get out of here, we all will cover you to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good―the survival of our kind and your sacred bloodline.”
