Ring of Madness

by Royden Labrosse

  - You're not listening to me, Dani...

  There's not a gram of reproach in my voice. Only infinite tenderness. And warmth. This woman sees my beloved as I do. Beautiful. And I'm not jealous. Did he love her? He loved her. Did he love me? He loved me, too. These two feelings are so similar and so different. Just like me and this woman. But our feelings for Daniel are the same. Love. We don't see him as a fang-bloodsucker. No! We're looking into his soul now. She's on the outside, I'm on the inside. But we see the same thing. An endless love for the world and for us.

  I'm unfamiliar with the language they speak, but I understand the words. I understand with Daniel, whose eyes I see.

  - I admire you," a vampire honestly admits. - You are so beautiful...

  - Too beautiful for you.

  That voice is familiar to me too. A woman flies angrily up on her feet. Hair in the night cloud swept around her face, lights of rage burning in her eyes.

  - You were not called to this fire, unburied! Get out! I turn around with Daniel. I get up on my feet and take a bow. Greetings from junior to senior. And in terms of age, and in terms of position.

  - Good evening, Ramirez. Have you decided to stop by for a light?

  - Not to you," the vampire accepts the challenge. - To Maria.

  - Did you stop by? You can get lost where you came from!

  Maria is definitely not in the mood for long conversations. And I understand her rage. It was her fire. Her little island alone with a lover she can spend so little time with. Too little... And the invasion of a strange and unpleasant creature is perceived as a challenge. The woman sizzles with rage like a cat dipped in a pool.

  - So rude... So ugly...

  Words are like a snake whisper. Not the hissing, the whispering. If snakes were to whisper...

  - It's not for you to talk about beauty," Maria snaps. - You don't know what it is!

  - But I can recognize it when I see it.

  There's no such admiration on the face of a visitor as Daniel. Her lover always dreams of showing her beauty to the world.

  The same is the opposite: only the desire to possess. That everything belong to him, and only to him. A beautiful thing, a beautiful woman...

  - Did you find out? Now get out! You have nothing to do here!

  The vampire is mad. Black eyes are turning in my direction.

  - Don't I belong? What about him?

  - Don't do this," I say before I know what he wants to do.

  But it's too late.

  Blap your hand. A blade of grey knife flying in my direction. And - Maria. Thrown between two vampires. To protect a loved one who wouldn't be harmed by it.

  The blade goes through. And from her chest splashes a fountain of bright scarlet blood.

  The woman throws herself back and falls into Daniel's arms. The grey eyes meet the blue. The smell of blood rounds her head and the pain tears her heart apart. Ramirez is there, too. He leans over a woman's body. There's a shock on his face. He wasn't expecting this. Not knowing that there is such love, when you walk barefoot through the coals ... When you give everything so that your loved one has not a scratch. That's the kind of love she had. And in the fever of love, Maria just forgot that Danielle was a vampire. Once they met, it didn't matter anymore. Especially those little things.

  - Why, Maria?!

  And a slow and tender smile blooms on a woman's lips. With effort she turns her head, raises her hand and smiles.

  - Love you, Dani...

  The name remains unspoken. An affectionate nickname? Dani... She always called him by that name.

  - I love you, too.

  The whispering merges with the rustling wind that takes a woman's soul. I lift my head and meet the rabid look of black eyes. I meet them without flinching.

  - Go away. She wouldn't want you to know where her grave is. Ramirez can never forgive that blow. Because what Daniel said is pure truth.

  This memory was one of the first to come to me. But I knew where Maria's grave was. Danielle wouldn't take her away from that hill. He dug a hole and buried his next dream there. He put a few simple wildflowers on her chest. And he never forgot. Even now, if I want, I can go to Poland, find that city and that hill and light a fire there. In her memory. And God knows I'll do it someday. Because, unlike Maria, I couldn't keep my love safe.

  Sometimes I wonder, what did Danielle find in me? After her. Then I would get sad. Danielle saw me for what I could become. And I will become! I will! In the meantime, I can't even deal with nightmares. I had to go all the way back to the end again. Gods, I hate my memory so much sometimes!

  - Is anyone else here interested in your dubious revelations?!

  Danielle's smiling. This time not crooked and evil, but unexpectedly gentle. It's as if the sun was coming out of the clouds.

  - To the woman who loves me, Ramirez. Loves you more than anyone has ever loved you.

  There's nothing to lose. Why not hit a patient? It's not even a lie. Everything that's said is pure truth and therefore even more intolerable.

  A vampire's face is distorted by evil grimace.

  - Does it?! Ha!

  - Loves it. And not just my art. Loves me for who I am. With all my strengths and weaknesses. Loves me so much that I'm even grateful to Vadim, who wouldn't let us say goodbye. She couldn't stand it.

  It's true. She couldn't stand it. She couldn't. And I can't do it now. Because I'm going crazy with grief and pain. Although the pain isn't as strong as it is in reality. My beloved...

  - You think too much of yourself.

  - Not about yourself. About her. Do I have the right to have one last wish? Ramirez is smiling crookedly, showing his fangs.

  - He always does. Will you require someone else to carry out the sentence?

  - What for? I won't deprive you of that pleasure. I demand five minutes of privacy for the two of us, me and her.

  Vadim shifts his eyebrows.

  - You're not gonna bring her to her senses?

  - No. I told you, she can't stand it. She's strong, but she's got it all figured out.

  - And you won't hurt her?

  Danielle's smiling gently. And everyone understands that that smile is addressed to the unconscious girl lying there. And I can't breathe my breath away from sadness. My darling... My darling... The only one...

  - Never and never.

  Valentine is slowly heading for the throne.

  - There's a small corridor behind him. That's where you can be alone. Not for long.

  He puts me on the floor and leaves quickly. Danielle drops to his knees next to me and gently lifts my head up. Closes the door. He knows no one is eavesdropping or peeping. His fingers gently trace the contours of my face.

  - Forgive me, girl. For love, for hope... for everything that's being taken away from you! I'm sorry... Sooner or later you'll see all this. And you'll have to forgive again. You'll forgive because you love. And a loving heart is huge. A loving soul can hold the whole world. A loving person is equal to the gods in strength. You won't like what I do, but please give me a chance. My last chance, which I do not deserve. My only excuse is I love you too much. And I can't just leave you, alone and helpless, my dear. I know my gift will hurt you first. But then you'll know for sure. And who knows, maybe I can find you someday by walking in this light. I love you too much. I love you too...

  Danielle stretches out on the floor next to me. His hands are closing around my still body. And I cry in my sleep. I cry with incalculable pain and immeasurable tenderness. Danielle, Danielle, my love...

  The vampire slowly raises his hand to his throat, runs his fingernail down the carotid artery...

  Our lips are closing for the last time. And I can taste our mixed blood. His - and mine. And with the blood, something else is pouring into me. What? I don't know. Or do I know?

  I know. It's too good.

  It's life.

  Danielle willingly gives up life, giving me everything that's his essence. Feelings. Thoughts. Memories. Talents
. With the seal of the body - and our souls. I only have one Daniel seal on me, but it doesn't matter now. It doesn't matter. After all, we love. Mecislav turned out to be a bad prophet when he talked about vampire feelings. We love each other, Danielle and I. And love swells us in a wave. And that's more than any Seal. More than any force vampires have. More powerful than earthquakes and floods. Two souls merge into one - and the power that is released can crush rocks and lift continents out of the sea abyss. But that's not what Daniel wants. Now, while I'm unconscious, he's controlling our energy in a way that would never even occur to me. We're connected so tightly that it's impossible to break our hug. And I understand that we will now be together forever. Not in the way we'd like to be. But not with two souls trapped in the same body. No, Daniel's soul will go where they all are before entering a new circle of rebirth. And the essence - his gift from God and part of his memory - will remain with me. In me.

  Because Danielle loved as much as I did. It was me. And that's exactly what he loved. Weak. Not too beautiful. Still powerless. Funny and somehow ridiculous. Helpless in front of her fiancée where the power came from. Loved without measure and without memory. Because only love can give such intimacy. Only mutual love. And not only did he love, but he also felt guilty. For what? For dragging me into a vicious circle. That's not why Mecislav lied. Danielle really wanted to pay me back for his freedom. He didn't know he would love it! And the guilt demanded payment. Danielle didn't want to leave me alone. He was leaving, but he was leaving me a piece of himself. A precious part of himself. Unfortunately, I couldn't give him a baby.

  Blood was pouring on my face, I could feel his life going away with it, and outside the door they felt it too. But there was nothing we could do.

  Danielle knew that he would still be killed, but much slower and more painful. So he decided to give up his life voluntarily. And so, when he chose to do it. And to perform the rite of our unity.

  When the door was kicked out and vampires and werewolves broke in, Danielle was already dead. It's funny. Vampires don't usually die that fast. Even if their throats are torn, they can survive. But Danielle consciously stopped the regeneration. And vampires are vampires. You can put a human in the ICU, but how to resuscitate someone who doesn't need air or water or food... maybe my blood would help. But Vadim and Valentine wouldn't let me get hurt. And then Ramirez pulled Daniel's head back - and stabbed me in the throat, cutting off a valuable trophy.

  Our arms - mine and Daniel's - weren't separated.

  The vampire's body fell apart as soon as they cut off his head. And so was the head.

  And that's when I screamed. When the features of my beloved face trembled and began to shatter in the gray ashes.

  I shaken my head to dispel the nonsense. Now there will be three cups of coffee to disperse the rest of my sleep, a hot shower to spread blood through my veins, and an easy walk. It's daylight outside, and I can't stay home right now. Otherwise, the dream will be lost in front of my eyes again. And that hurts. I'm alive!

  The minimum program went surprisingly well. Coffee and hot water made me feel like a human being, so I started packing. Going where? To the beach? That's silly. I was already there. I've had enough. It's as far away as I can go.

  To the store? I don't want to. Still, I don't need anything, and I never learned to enjoy shopping. In my opinion, I can't think of anything more harmful!

  To the movies?! Why?! At least I won't be alone. I will be among people and even try not to be different from them! Forget all my torments, just for a minute. Can you do that? I don't think so. But you can pretend.

  That's what I did. I went to the movies. I walked down the streets, wiped myself out on purpose, almost ran into a movie theater and demanded a ticket for the next show. The cashier looked at me like I was crazy. It happens, auntie. I'm sick of it! Where do you want to go?

  I could hardly wait until the audience was finally launched into the auditorium and plunged into a soft chair.

  There was hardly anybody in the hall. There were ten people, three couples and a retired man. But the film didn't even deserve such an audience. It was some kind of pseudo comedy. Although even on "pseudo" it did not pull. Who, who, what a bastard told American directors that spoiling the air in the living room is funny?! Or that you can laugh when you see a man in a ridiculous position? I, for one, only feel sorry for someone like that.

  Needless to say, I didn't enjoy the film. The only advantage was that I got a little distracted. But not for long. I should have come home and got some sleep. Before it got dark. After sunset, I'll wake up. So will the vampires.

  Vampires...

  Will we meet with Mieczysław tonight? Something told me he wouldn't call until it was necessary to replenish him.

  strengths

  or until Ramirez gets here. So you can get some rest. To read, to paint... And by the way, I'm out of blue Berlin! And if not, it will be soon!

  As a result, I went to a special shop for artists (yes, there is one in our city, with the only art school) and bought a couple of tubes of paints. And at the same time, up to a pile, a couple of brushes thinner. I painted in the same manner as Danielle, preferring not swell brush strokes, but precisely painted out details. And at first, until I learned the simplest skills, the brushes have not lived longer than two weeks.

  Sometimes it seemed to me that I could write letters with brushes like calligraphers of ancient Japan or China. Although I was well aware that I could still walk to Shanghai as far as Daniel, I tried. I was carrying a notebook with pencils in my bag, I was drawing in the park, giving away my drawings for free, I was trying to stop every beautiful moment in my life - and with each sketch I got better and better. It was like someone big and very kind was standing behind my shoulder, pointing and guiding me.

  If Danielle hadn't given me his talent (his gift from God?), I just couldn't live.

  And there was a surprise waiting for me in the driveway. Even two whole ones.

  Well, the fresh flowers in the vase were already full. But now there were two people waiting for me on the platform where the vase stood. I mean, a man and a werewolf.

  I knew the werewolf very well. So that Nadia wouldn't have to wait more than five hours without the reports from the front? No way! I turned off my mobile phone at the cinema entrance, so a friend called me at home, not the gatekeeper, decided to pay a personal visit. I may not answer the phone, but I'll be sure to open the door.

  I'm gonna cut the tail, that's what happened. Her tail, of course.

  But the second visitor was much more interesting.

  That was the punk I "met" on the beach. And how did he just find me?! Did he follow you?! You're losing your grip, Yulechka! What's the grip, though? It was never there! Okay, the toys are on the edge.

  - Hey, I waved to a friend. - How's it going?

  - And you tell me how you're doing, - Nadia was definitely nervous, but she didn't serve.

  I slammed my eyelashes.

  - Everything's just amazing. Our mutual friend can be such a sweetheart when he gets what he needs! But we're not talking about this on the stairs. - And I spoke to the young man in the same tone: - What do you want here, young man?

  - My name is Sergei.

  And the boy is not shy. It's a pity. It won't help him here. It won't help him here at all.

  - Yes, you already told me that yesterday. So what?

  - So, what's your name?

  - This boy, Julia Yevgenyevna, - Nadia entered the game. - Now tell me quickly what you need from her, and disappear far away.

  - And I will disappear! - the boy did not tremble. - If you leave the phone!

  - Is it mine? - Nadia's shaved herself. - I don't rotate babies!

  - And I don't suffer from gerontophilia," the boy snapped. - Otherwise I would have gone to a nursing home, not to Julia... Yevgenyevna.

  The last word he said so that it became clear: a few more seconds, and he will do fine without patronymic. Nadia and I looked around, and I
waved.

  - Boy, what do you need this for?! I'm not pretty, I have a bad temper and a lot of acquaintances with disgusting habits! Not to mention the fact that I don't like you.

  - This case is for profit. The important thing is that I like you! - The young cheeky one.

  I rolled around laughing.

  - Is it true to give you the phone? But mind you, my character is really godforsaken.

  - We have been through this before, - Sergey swung away. - You're not seeing anyone now?

  - And if so, then what? - Nadia squinted.

  - We'll find out about the relationship," said the fool calmly.

  I imagined how this miracle without feathers goes to find out the relationship with the Vampire Prince of the city - and almost drooled. On such representation I would sell tickets! The IPF would definitely buy it! Even for a thousand dollars a gallery seat. Under the chair. Next to Nadia's gurgle, imagining the same thing.

  - Kid," she finally squeezed out, "if you go to find out the relationship with the man who is trying to take care of Julia...

  - Shut up, I cut it off. - Would you like another ad for the newspaper?!

  - That's a good idea!

  - Write down the number, - I left Sergei.

  I just did not have a choice. Nadia was definitely going to set me up with this young man. Or drive me crazy - a choice. I chose the first one. And I resolutely turned the key in the lock.

  - You can call me today. But not before 8:00 p.m.. I rest in the afternoon. Goodbye. Come in, you miserable halfwife!

  Nadia, very pleased with the result of her actions, slipped through the door. I followed her and clicked the lock right in front of Sergei's nose.

  - And now explain why you needed it?

  Nadia didn't even think to be embarrassed.

  - I decided that now that you're back in the vampire business, you're gonna need some kind of counterweight. Mecislav's a decent bastard, in a couple of months you'll realize this guy's gonna be a good buffer between you two.