Ring of Madness

by Royden Labrosse

  - No! A vampire woke up.

  That's right. I was going to wash my neck when I got in the car. You're gonna choke on that French flavor.

  - But you said you were going with Vadik! And Mechislav told him not to step away from me... or me! Are we going together?! Ur-r-r-r-r-r-a-a-ah!

  - You ride separately. We - separately, - Ivan Tulsky clearly formulated and went to his car with seven steps. Apparently, so that I did not catch up inadvertently. I wasn't going to. And in general, I do not like bearded men.

  I picked up Vadim's hand, kicked his ankle as discreetly as possible to stop him grunting, and dragged him to the car. You bastard. I'm exhausted here, and he's having fun!

  - Oh! That's how you meet an interesting man... Vadik, isn't Vanechka married?! Oh! You mean she's not married? Otherwise, I'll just get desperate! Oh, what a gorgeous man! And older than me! And that's a big deal too... I mean, a big deal, here! Grandpa says the difference between husband and wife should be at least ten years! And Vanechka... he's attractive... and this look is his! It's just... squid?! Or is it lobster?! Oh, here, I remember! Medusa!

  My voice spread far above the field, forcing Ivan Tulsky to almost run, his subordinates to pull his head into his shoulders, and my guys, who know my character very well, - to close with everything you can, and bite your lips, so as not to rust in his voice.

  - What kind of jellyfish?! - Vadim has a cold.

  - What do you mean?! Hormone!

  Hormone jellyfish Vadim couldn't take anymore and kicked me out and got in the car first.

  And there he jumped in the back seat, grabbing his fingers in the upholstery and trying to laugh as silently as possible. Next to him was Constantine. Gleb, who sat through all the comedy behind the wheel, looked at them with sincere perplexity.

  - What are you guys doing?

  - Yes! - I summed up in a way that no one missed. - I always knew that hormones didn't do any good. They make you fat!

  And I slammed the car door behind me.

  - Horseback riding?

  Vadim couldn't calm down, so I offered him a bottle of mineral from the bar.

  - Do you want me to spill it on your head?

  Actually, I was gonna pour it on a napkin. And wipe the neck before we suffocate here ourselves. In an enclosed space, the scents of France were dazzling.

  - Yulka, how did you get that into your head? What are you, crazy? - Vadim finally had a bit of a cold.

  - Me?! Do you have any idea what we could have gotten into with that monster?! - I was shaken up. - It's a total nightmare! I wouldn't even talk to him for five minutes.

  - But I did it! - Vadim had a cold. - He won't even come near you now!

  - Oh! - I naturally swooped while wiping my neck. - I scared him?! I didn't mean to, really! That's a gorgeous man! Oh, he's just a dummy!

  Vadim quietly woke up and slid down the seat. The bone snatched a bottle of water from me and dried it with one sip.

  - Poopsy! It's a good thing you didn't tell him that. Or did you?

  - I wanted to," I didn't deny it. - But I was afraid. He wouldn't have forgiven me forever.

  - He wouldn't forgive you anyway," Vadim cried with laughter.

  - But he won't kill you at once. Vadik, you don't have to worry so much, okay? You're still wondering where we'll get your blood?

  The vampire waved his hands at me and kept grunting quietly under the seat.

  - Will you at least tell me what happened," Gleb asked, as he drove to the track.

  - Then," promised Konstantin, "it's too good to tell in the wrong faces.

  - That's right," I gave the werewolf another bottle of water. - In the meantime, I will talk to Mieczysław. We have to warn him, or we'll shake things up.

  I dialed the number. Mecislav responded immediately.

  - Yes, sweetie? I'm listening to you very carefully.

  A soft and languid voice swept through my body, erasing the remnants of fatigue and nervous tension. The languid, purring vampire intonation brought back memories of a soft, cozy bed with silk sheets that slide so pleasantly across the skin, caress, iron, seduce...

  I made myself shaken up and started talking, briefly and clearly describing the meeting scene.

  - ...he doesn't know anything about me. And my whole escapade with Andre lets me think the worst. I mean, I'm a complete idiot who's unspeakably lucky. That's what he saw... I hope so. Pra-vda, I tried.

  The vampire didn't say anything. Not at all. I even thought he fainted on his phone.

  - Is it really bad? Hello! Come in! Come in! Over! Over! Mecislav, can you hear me?

  - I hear, I hear - with the intonation of a hare from "Well, wait," the vampire responded. - And what do you propose to do now?

  - To play a fool, - I shrugged my shoulders.

  - For how long?

  - How long do we need?

  Vadim stretched out his hand and took my pipe.

  - Chief, the Prince of Tula won't even come to her for a kilometer now. Of good will. And we can arrange a teleconference five minutes before we arrive. You can do that, right? So we can get out of the car and go straight to the ball. - He listened to the answer. - Okay.

  The vampire gave me the phone.

  - It's a good thing Ivan got here too late. He won't have time to interrogate you, and then things will turn around too fast. You're a smart girl. And it's just great that we caught the spy. But still... the vampire's voice is a little bit stiff. - Julia, if you ever...

  - Why, was there a choice?

  - There was no choice," the vampire admitted after a short pause. And suddenly he abruptly changed his voice from business to sexy, with such velvet-cat intonations. - You found the only possible way out, my girl. And you deserve a reward. What do you want to get? What can I do for you?

  The voice of a vampire rolled in waves through my body, giving out the lights of desire in every cell, every part of my being. My heart was pounding like mad, strands of black hair flashed before my eyes, for a moment I could smell honey and ripe apples - and almost blinked myself. At that moment I was madly eager to squeeze out just one word: "You." And everything would be simple and beautiful. We would be inseparable - in every sense. Two souls, two minds, two bodies - one whole...

  Before my eyes flashed a picture of two bodies woven together on scarlet sheets.

  Oh, shit!

  One more second, and I...

  I scattered my dry lips and exhaled myself at the limit of my free will:

  - I want Special Forces boots with silver inserts! Heavy as well as sizzling. One kick, and my opponent has the whole sky in crocodiles.

  And I clicked the reset button as fast as I could. The curtain!

  * * *

  Mecislav met us on the club porch. Behind the shadows, Boris was sliding. Valentin and Lisa were portraying the retinue. Kostya and Dasha shot at the sides with nine grams of real securitized looks.

  The last act of the Marleson ballet?

  Then you must dance with your soul!

  Before Ivan Tulsky could at least put his foot on the ground, I jumped out of the car and decisively took the matter into my hands. You can't go around saying to Vanya: "Come on, Comrade Tulsky..." It's a trash diplomacy...

  And I bequeathed the nastiest voice I've ever been able to.

  - Oh, Slavik, hello! Oh! I completely forgot! We already saw each other today! But we can say hello again, right?! Health - everyone needs it, right?! And the vampires?! Oh! Slavik, sweetie, I keep forgetting to ask... and I keep forgetting the answer too: do vampires get the flu?!

  - No, they don't.

  - Do they ever have a migraine? Because I had such a headache yesterday, such a headache... If the surnames have a migraine, then why do not vampires have it?

  - Because they have brains, - Mecislav, a bastard, was bullying. But there's nothing you can do: you're playing a fool, so play to the end. So that Vaněčka would willingly come to Mičislav's office.

  - I don't understand," I held
out a grievous stretch. - Slava, you're joking again... If I have brains, it means they hurt in my head... And if vampires have brains, it means they don't hurt?! But that's not fair!

  Ivan Tulsky just got out of the car, climbed up the stairs, disgusted to look at both me and Mieczysław - and I again shoved on him with all the guns.

  - Vanechka!

  Even Vadim, who had been prepared, twitched at me.

  - Sweetie! Why didn't you tell me how charming Vaněčka is?! Shame on you?! And why are you standing there?! Vanechka, we are so happy to welcome you, so happy... Slava, did you wash your neck today?! In case you have to bite! I washed my neck today! Here, look at this!

  And I jumped up to Ivan Tulsky with the clear intention of slipping his neck under his nose. He, remembering the last gas attack, flipped back.

  - Mecislav, take your name on the leash! And let's go inside!

  Was it just me, or did he really sound panicking in his voice? Yes, so frankly stupid that no one has ever stared at him or glued.

  - Yulia, the place, - ordered Mechislav. Green eyes laughed, but his face remained stunningly serious. Behind his back was squirming with laughter Vadim.

  - Vanechka! How not ashamed of you! Why do you teach Slava such bad things?! - The indignation in my voice would have been enough for three Ivanovs of Tula. - You know how easy it is for young people to perceive negative trends! I mean moods! Boom!

  The vampires are worried. Should I call them "youth"? Vadim bit his lips and seems to have switched to language.

  - Julia, where did...

  What Mechislav wanted to ask, I never found out - because I immediately made a will:

  - I was the last one to read "Cosmopolitan"! Vaněčka, do you read "Cosmopolitan"? Do you want me to read it out loud?! - And with a frankly inviting intonation: - With comments!

  The vampire turned pale.

  - No!

  - Let's go to my office, - Mechislav remembered. And he pinched my ass. I suppose it meant "don't overdo it, you bastard!" But pinch?! Me?!

  I jumped up and swooped.

  - Slavik! Again?! Stop hinting at me already! I've already agreed to everything...

  I pressed my breasts against the hand of Mieczysław and frankly set my lips for a kiss. The vampire didn't hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity, hugged me tightly behind my waist (so that it wouldn't turn away?), leaned over - and fell into my lips. The clever one is found! Was it wrong for me to grind my lipstick in three layers? Still in the car!

  The kiss came out long and pompous. I can tell you right away, I didn't enjoy it. Mechislav quickly realized that kissing me now - it's like licking a sandwich smeared with rotten flavoured margarine with dye (and if the lipstick is of poor quality, then even worse), and painfully bit my lower lip. I tried to answer him the same way, but where is it going? No fangs! There's not enough experience! And even the dream of kicking him in the leg failed.

  You can't show your real character. Especially in front of Ivan Tulsky.

  When Mechislav came off my lips, he looked even more like a vampire. The blood-red lipstick was expressively smeared on his lips and chin.

  I shrieked.

  - Ow! Sweetie, what do you look like?! What do I look like?! Oh, my God! Find me a mirror right now! Do you hear me?! Can you hear me, you insensitive bastard?! You mutilated all my makeup!

  - Let's go to my office, - sighed Mecislav. - There Julia will clean up, and we can have a quiet conversation.

  Ivan Tulsky leaned on me like a soldier in louse. And on Mieczysław - even with sympathy. Sort of:

  how come you haven't nailed her yet?

  Mieczysław, don't be stupid, he answered with an expressive look from the series:

  "I don't know. But she's useful."

  .

  Hums!

  I picked up Mieczysław under his elbow and shook him like a magpie in a market.

  - Sweetie, did you buy my favorite soap?! The one with the red line, well... intimate?

  Praise the commercial! If it weren't for that, I wouldn't know what's in fashion right now. It was my job to keep Ivan Tulsky from opening his mouth to the room with the TV bridge. And there - at least he'll sprout grass! You shouldn't have, is there a flask with holy water in my purse? And I will use it without any thought. My skin is closer to my body.

  - You know, there's a brand-new soap out there, an intimate red line gel. I wonder why the line is suddenly red... What do you think? It's all pink... Well, it doesn't matter... and now they recommend washing your face with intimate hygiene gel! That's what I do, and my skin is like a baby's butt! Oh! Vanechka, can you mention such an obscene word in your presence - "butt"?!

  Vadim couldn't stand it and fell off into some office. Oh, poor thing. Mecislav also grabbed my hand to the bone crunch, but he held on. And I kept chirping about the advantages of gel soap over the usual, lumpy, especially drunk on the terrible words "fashion" and "advertising". Although, to be honest, I've been washing with the most common glycerine soap since childhood, making masks with cucumbers, and using castor oil instead of moisturizing all kinds of creams in winter. And she never suffered from acne in her life. I just didn't have them.

  Although I did have a vial of liquid soap, too. I mean, it smells a lot. And if you've been messing with fish (like chopping up salted herring) or something that smells no less, you should wash your hands with something fragrant. Although... I imagined how Mieczysław tried to kiss my foot, which smelled a lot... garlic at least - and even squeezed it with pleasure.

  - Julienka, please, -Mecislav pushed me into the room.

  Leonid, standing almost right outside the door, immediately bumped my hand and fire me into the corner, under the cover of Boris and another vampire, whom I did not know. Man, shame on you! Vampires are skinning me and I don't even know who they are or what their names are. If we stay alive and well, at least we'll have to meet everyone. Otherwise, it's a piggy.

  I obediently served behind their backs, away from Oleg seeing on the screen. Next to him there was another vampire - sharply Spanish type, even more Spanish than Ramirez. Well, if it's not an hidalgo, then I don't know what to call it. I wonder if he saw the beginning of the Inquisition. An invaluable historical source is disappearing! What kind of material he could have given historians... if he hadn't eaten them up before! Or they wouldn't have buried it under a bush. Our history is unpredictable today: the poor vampire will say something that contradicts the party's policies - and that's it. That's how a bunch of ashes will be bury.

  - Ivan Tulsky," said the second vampire. - Good evening.

  For a moment there was surprise on Ivan Tulsky's face, and then - understanding. He tried to step aside, but it was too late. Mechislav slammed the door behind his back and stuck to it with the brazenest view. The only thing left to do was to put a sign on it, "But Pasaran!" And a red bandana on his head.

  I ate. Even on TV, the second vampire's voice was... like a swamp talking. Deep, viscous, nasty, hydrogen sulphide... Grimpen mire. The green lawns and the abyss beneath them. A step aside - an immediate and painful death. If you fall, you're gone. And your bones will rot at the bottom of the swamp...

  - Señor da Silva," Ivan bowed a little. - Oleg Vladimirovich... To what do I owe this honor?

  - By the fact that he began to weave intrigues against another Prince, - said Oleg.

  - And by what has involved in these intrigues my servant, Ramirez, - has thrown a brick Alfonso da Silva.

  It was a good brick, weighty... Ivan gurgle.

  - Er... I don't understand what I'm being accused of! - He got away with it.

  - It's useless to be indignant. Ramirez, Clara, Diego gave detailed testimony. In front of the video camera, Mecislav smiled.

  Ivan Tulsky twitched as if he had been poked with a needle, but managed to cope with his emotions and stared at the heads of the vampires with the appearance of absolute innocence.

  - What?! But Diego is dead!

  - And you'll answer for hi
m too," Alfonso said on the screen. - Diego was a good boy!

  It was very sudden to hear such a thing about a sadistic vampire. Although... compared to this monster and Chikatilo, it was lovely and sweet.

  - Another of your servants, Raoul, is in a coma. He was hurt during the capture, - Mecislav spoke to that sorrowful view.

  - What's wrong with him?

  - The vampire shrugged his shoulders. - He should come to his senses after a while. We are still afraid to feed him, so that the balance is not broken.

  - Is he in equilibrium?

  I wasn't listening anymore, as if the wind of power had hit his face. I opened my eyes to see the auras of those present, and I looked around and saw. Ivan Tulsky.

  Everyone had forgotten about him for a few minutes. But even this time is more than enough for him.

  His aura was shining greenish light, like rotten mushrooms in a zoological museum. And some cobwebs were dazzling from it. They'd sit on vampires, stick to them and start flickering a little.

  Shit, what do we do?! Holy water sure as hell doesn't splash on them. And on Ivan, nobody can see what he's doing yet. And then it'll be too late.

  And catch the cobweb and tear it up?

  I carefully, so as not to be noticed before time, reached out to Boris' aura. There was already a piece of nasty pulsating thread on it.

  And we with her fingernail - and on ourselves! Can we do it?

  We did it.

  Once in my hands, the thread lingers like a living creature - like a worm planted on a hook. But it didn't embarrass me. What, I wasn't fishing? I squeezed it harder and ripped it in two. Easily.

  The greenish ashes were falling off my fingers.

  But I'm the one who needs to tear each one up? And the cobwebs are all separated from Ivan, all molded on vampires... well, at least Mecislav is still clean. But he might notice... That's why he's still in one piece. And if you lure all the spider webs to yourself? What about Ramirez's network? And then just shake off with holy water? Is that possible?

  We should try it.

  I wiggled my fingers gently.

  Come on, to me, to me, to me... I've got a better aura than vampires... chick-chick-chick-chick... all to me...