by Al K. Line
One final push, just enough to kill them, and we'd be clear. My arm raised, the vampires pushed forward, a sadness in their eyes, not wanting to cause our deaths but willing to nonetheless. Magic spasmed down my arm, connecting me to the wand through a bond forged over years.
"Enough," came a voice of authority from the far end of the hall where it opened out into the kitchen.
I turned, and let the magic fade. Through the opening I saw nine vampires standing in a circle, one space empty. George was standing at the center, looking scared and alone like a small child. A Second stood beside her, held her firmly yet without violence. The Second I'd given the ashes to.
There they were, beside them in the center. A simple wooden box containing the cause of this nightmare I'd been dragged into.
"No more violence," said the Second, almost whispering, his voice carrying easily through the silence. "We will not harm her, Arthur, but if you do not cease this madness you will be killed, and your daughter will no longer have a father. Do you understand me?"
"You can't trust them," said Nathan, eyes darting from me to the box, his reason lost, so consumed with lust for the power it contained was he.
"Shut up, Nathan," I said.
"Yeah, shut up, Nathan," said Brains, lowering his arms, nodding to me.
Nathan may have been willing to risk leaving George fatherless, at the mercy of the vampires, but I wasn't. Following Brains' lead, I lowered my arm, and pocketed my wand.
"Come, you may be present at the rebirth of Father," said the Second, beckoning us forward with a cold smile. There was a hardness in his eyes that told us he would destroy everyone if we interfered again.
With no choice, knowing now wasn't the time to risk everything, I wandered down my hallway, noting as if for the first time that it was in need of a good tidy. Books were in piles against the bookcase, those on it in disarray, and the few important items that sat on the shelves were covered with dust. Strange what you focus on in times of stress. I'd have to shout at the maid, i.e. me.
I just had to bide my time, wait for an opportunity. Or maybe, just maybe, they were telling the truth and they wouldn't kill George and the rest of us.
It didn't matter. If they thought I'd let them feed from my daughter then they didn't know The Hat at all.
It Comes to This
"Are you okay?" I asked George as we walked into the kitchen, the mingled scents of coffee and pine kitchen cleaner so familiar yet so incongruous when tainted by the stench of vampires. I could smell their excitement, taste it on the gentle breeze that came through the open doors. The air danced with otherworldly energy, building as they focused on their goal, now so close they were almost in a trance. So intent were they on the small box, our presence was little but a minor distraction. Like a fly buzzing about in another room when you want to concentrate.
"Been better," said George, giving me a smile despite her obvious terror.
"Lightweight," I replied, winking. I turned at a noise, only to see the vampires pick up Vicky carefully and take her into the den.
They emerged a moment later and one said, "She'll be fine. Just stunned by the wards and the bump to the head."
I nodded, then turned back to the circle and the Second still holding George. Her upper arm was white where he gripped tight, and that hint of possible harm set my blood to boiling. How dare he touch her? How dare they desecrate the sanctity of my home?
"You can fight," said the Second, reading my thoughts easily, "or you can watch. Be assured your daughter is safe, and then it will be over and we will leave."
"Look at you, dressed in your finest blood robes, all pompous and full of self-importance. But you're nothing but animals. Scaring young girls, breaking all the rules your kind and mine have abided by for so long. You disgrace yourselves and deserve to die." Without realizing, I was walking forward, but the vampires that survived the fight placed themselves in my way. I glared at them, daring them to try anything. The truce was broken, I couldn't let this happen.
"Arthur, please. This is too important. Don't you understand? This is who we are. Mikalus is the Father, our maker. We have the chance after so many years, so many endless, lonely centuries to bring him back. See him again, feel his love. We cannot be denied this. We will not be denied this. Do you understand me?"
"I understand. But know this, you have made an enemy. I will not forgive you."
"As you wish." He nodded and my way was clear. I moved forward, Nathan and Brains joining me. "Remain outside the circle and do not interfere. You may stay to ensure we keep our word. But if you set foot inside, it will not go well for you, for your friends, or for her." The Second revealed his teeth, a warning, and I got the message loud and clear.
I was impotent with rage, with concern for George, but understood I'd lose.
Yet I knew there was no option; I had to go down fighting. Whatever they promised, I knew they would ruin her, would turn her or kill her. Once they began their resurrection they would be consumed with bloodlust, lose themselves to their feeding, and George's life would be over.
I would not stand by and let that happen.
As I focused what little magic still vibrated in my system, prepared to at least try, all I could think was that my life hadn't been so bad, that I had only one regret. That I hadn't been able to protect my daughter. I'd failed her when she needed me most.
"I love you, George. But I wish you'd answer your damn phone when I call."
"Love you, Dad." She knew this was it, but she didn't cry, didn't fall to pieces. She straightened her back, smiled weakly, and I was more proud of her then than I'd ever been.
I felt the tension of the vampires build. They knew what I was about to do, and would tear me to shreds. So be it. The Hat did not negotiate with kidnappers, The Hat went wild on the abusers of children.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. Time was up.
A Sacrifice
"Take me," said Brains, nodding at me as I turned, then stepping forward into the circle. "Take me in her place."
"That's very kind of you," said the Second, "but this must be done as laid down in the book."
"I know the book. I know all about Mikalus, and I know all about you." Brains sounded different, he was talking in more than one word sentences for a start.
"What do you know?" asked the Second, raising an eyebrow.
"I know you've got it wrong, that you'll fail if you use this child." Brains stood tall, oozing confidence. He was sure of what he said, and it made the vampires, all of them, pause.
The Second nodded to his aides and they took hold of George, not cruelly, not harshly, not hurting her, but they held her nonetheless. He walked like the invisible man over to Brains and I thought he was going to walk right on through him, only stopping inches from his face. The Second looked Brains up and down, inspecting him, going past the outward appearance and delving deeper. Looking inside the man at what he truly was.
"You have been hurt terribly. You are broken, damaged. I'm sorry, humans can be so cruel, none are crueler. I can take away that pain, you can join us, become one of us, but we must resurrect the First and you cannot help with that. Man-wolf, you must know that much as it hurts you here," the Second thumped his heart, "sometimes sacrifices must be made."
"Look closer," said Brains. "Look at me, truly look, and tell me what you see?"
"I see a man abused by another, for many long years. I see a man who should be broken yet stands tall. I see a man who has lost everything yet his will is strong, his soul pure..." The Second trailed off, words faltering.
"Unsullied, and touched by the universe. Right?"
Damn, what was happening? Brains had been used and abused by Merrick for years as far as I could gather, was a lycanthrope and the right-hand man of a gangster. He was far from unsullied, far from pure, certainly not touched by the universe.
"You are a strange one," admitted the Second. "True, you have a pure soul, for what you have done was for love. You have not been tak
en by that man, not in a carnal way, not like that, and you are touched by the universe, for you are unique. You are more than just a man, have the magic of the universe inside you."
"See, I told you. You cannot use the girl. She's an innocent and hasn't agreed to this. I agree. I will be the one to help you get what you want."
"No, it saddens me no end, but it must be her."
"All my life I've searched for answers to what I am, to uncover the truth about the world. I know magic. I know the good guys, like Arthur, and the bad, like my dead boss, and have seen the worst mankind can do to one another. You're not like that, not human, are more. But you're not cruel, just different like me. Am I right?"
The Second thought for a moment and answered carefully. "We are all different. Some of us are good, others bad, such is life. But the Children of the Blood are not inherently wicked, we are merely vampire. We are unique, yes. Inhuman but not inhumane. We don't crave dominion over others, wish only to have Father return. To have him lead us, show us the path, allow us to all be Seconds. Become his children once more and be as close to him as possible."
"I understand," said Brains. "So take me. I know the prophecy, and it will not work if you take the girl against her will. I'm touched by the universe, am pure of heart if not actions, and unsullied for the cruelties inflicted on me have never touched my core. You can see this, you know."
The Second nodded and the nine others murmured their agreement.
I thought I was dreaming, that something had gone screwy in my head and this was just wishful thinking. Maybe I was dead, playing out the scenario as I bled out on my kitchen floor. But no, this was real, this was happening.
George was released and she ran to me. I wrapped her in my arms and she clung to me like I wished I could have experienced when she was a child. Oh, how I wished I had been there, to hug her and lift her up and buy her ice cream. But I had her now, and that was what counted.
"Dad, you came. I thought you'd be too late."
"If you'd answered your phone this could have been avoided," I said, smiling at her.
"Forgot to charge it." George moved back and said, "Can't you please let him go?"
"It's all right. Trust me, I've had worse things happen," said Brains.
"Haven't we all?" I said, nodding at him.
"Let us begin," said the Second.
It Begins
I couldn't even begin to think of the sacrifice Brains was making. I'd got him totally wrong, and again wondered what the hell Merrick had done to have such a hold over him. Whatever it was, it didn't look like I'd ever get the answer as he was about to get sucked on by ten vampires.
And they themselves were a revelation. They weren't barbarous, not really. They were believers in a religion. More. It surpassed that, for they had proof, real proof that what they believed in was real. They were proof of the existence of the First, and there he was, in a simple, small wooden box on the floor in my kitchen, the moon shining through the open doors, the space lit up by overhead recessed lights.
The vampires held no malice, weren't evil or vindictive, just different. All this runaround, the death, the chasing and the intrusion was unwelcome to say the least. They had threatened my daughter, were willing to do what it took to get what they wanted, but they weren't going to kill her, just needed her.
Brains had offered himself up as he knew she'd never be the same again if they each bit her. That she would be tortured for the rest of her life by such an act. Would be scared, have nightmares, unable to be a young girl and maybe have a bright future as it would leave too much of a stain on a still impressionable mind.
He was willing to sacrifice himself. He was performing an act of kindness. He already had his scars, he wanted to ensure George never got any.
Holding George's hand, never wanting to let go, I glanced over at Nathan as the preparations were made. He was beaten, you could see it in his face. He was resigned to what was about to happen, and he was livid.
I saw him tap away on his phone for a moment then sigh and nod absently as he got a reply. We wandered over, seemingly forgotten by the vampires now they were so close to their end goal.
"There gonna be trouble?" I asked, nodding at the phone held tight in his hand.
"No, no trouble. I called them off, sent everyone back. It's just us."
"What, not gonna try to kill them all, get the ashes and lock them away for yourselves somewhere dark and suitably secure where you can go look and revel in how brilliant you guys are?"
"You've made your point, no need to rub it in. No, it's over because short of blowing the place up there's no way we can stop this now."
"There's always the open doors," I said, nodding at the far end of the kitchen.
"An open door doesn't mean you can just come in uninvited, am I right?"
"Haha, yeah, the wards will still fry your ass."
"Exactly. No, this time, Arthur, I'm afraid I didn't get my own way. This whole sorry mess has been very taxing, it's time to go."
"Not hanging around for the grand finale?" I asked.
"Arthur, you really have no clue, do you?" he asked, giving me a peculiar look.
"Enlighten me."
"I am a Second in my own right, of Cerberus. I have seen more, done more, than you could possibly imagine. Over the years, I have witnessed such wondrous things, can walk into a room and touch the wonders of heaven and earth. I know the secrets of the government, am involved in every aspect of how this country and many others run. I'm not interested in this, not enough anyway. Who knows what will happen if they succeed?"
"Haha, not interested enough to risk getting killed, you mean? Not enough to stick around and see what happens just in case you get the life sucked out of you for interfering?"
"Yes, there is that. Goodbye, Arthur, I'll be in touch."
"Oh, goodie, can't wait."
"My dear." Nathan nodded at George and then he skirted the circle of chanting vampires and turned when he reached the threshold. I nodded, let down the wards for a moment, still not trusting him to not have a bunch of spooks ready to pounce, and once he stepped over I slammed them back into place.
It was just us now. Me, George, a load of vampires, Brains, and a box of ash on the kitchen floor.
They began to feed.
A Gentleness
Brains was stripped to the waist and standing beside the ashes. The vampires were all dressed in simple red robes—hey, everyone likes to dress for special occasions, right?
One stepped forward and with a world of sadness behind her eyes she caressed the ravaged body of Brains. He shuddered, the delicate touch of the woman's slender fingers over his flesh sensual, that of a careful lover. She traced the scars across his chest and stood on tiptoe to whisper words meant just for him.
He nodded, and smiled down at her.
She bent and put her mouth to a healthy part of his flesh and the others gasped. Brains winced and cried out quietly as his skin was broken. The woman held her position for a few moments then released and stood. She moaned, "Thank you," just loud enough for us to hear, and as she retreated I saw the blood at her mouth, smeared ruby red. Gentle trickles stained Brain's pale flesh then fell like tears from two delicate puncture wounds.
George gripped me tight, squeezing hard, but she didn't look away and I didn't try to make her. Some things are best seen, rather than imagined, and this was one.
The next stepped forward, a man, the Second I knew, and he too whispered and Brains nodded before the ritual was performed again.
Eight times more it happened, each one gentle and considerate, no violence of any sort. No malice or cruelty, the vampires caressing his flesh and telling him he was no damaged man, that they loved him and adored him. He was the key to their own future and for that they would always be in his debt.
The circle was completed once more and the vampires held hands, Brains still at the center. They had not turned him, had taken not given him their venom. They had not violated him in any
way he hadn't offered.
"You may join us," said the woman who fed first.
"We will always love you. You will be with family. We will be you. You will be us."
Brains nodded. Then he smiled.
I wanted to cry out, and George gasped beside me, but I told her quietly, "All anyone wants is a family. To belong. He's finally found his."
The woman moved to him and took his hand, lifted his arm to her mouth. Her teeth dripped the clear venom of the vampire, known as the Immortal Tear. She held his gaze as she bit his wrist and gave something of herself to him.
"Be the first," she said, and she joined the others, holding hands once again as they completed the circle.
Brains nodded, and with his wrist dripping blood all over my clean tiles he took three steps to the box, bent, and slid the lid aside. He lifted his arm and I watched, entranced, as several drops of blood now of the vampire landed softly in the ashes.
The vampires gasped and they broke the circle as Brains took the place of one that stepped forward, taking the hands either side of him to complete the circle.
They repeated it until finally there was just one more left to give blood.
He held his hand over the box, bit his wrist, and the blood poured down his fingers, hanging tantalizingly for the longest time. The bead became fat and swollen on his middle finger, and then a single drop fell and landed in the ashes to mingle with that of the others.
He glanced in, smiled, and moved fast back to the others where he resumed his position. Watching from behind the vampires, I saw smoke rise from the box, and then it hissed. The wood fell away revealing a pile of wet, gray mush, steaming and bubbling.
It expanded, the mess darkening until it was black. And then it spread out, growing as it did so.
Slowly, the color changed, and it moved again, rolling up into endless thin strands that looked like hair.
It was hair! It grew long until it looked like a wig on my floor—which was weird, I can tell you—then the hair rose and a forehead appeared. Soon, the closed eyes of a man could be seen, then a nose, then a full head. It kept on growing, revealing a skeletal torso, bones covered in flesh that filled out a little as the man rose from the ashes.
