by Amy Cross
“But love -”
“Isn't the only thing in the world that matters,” Jennifer continued. “Not romantic love, anyway. I have Anna, she's going to grow up and be a strong, happy woman, and that's the most important thing to me.”
“And you don't need a man?”
“I have a man,” Jennifer replied, “or... I had one. I still...” She sighed. “That was it. I had my shot, and it was great while it lasted. No other man could ever compare to Adam.”
“I see,” Estella replied. “So what you're saying is that if one meets one's soul-mate and then loses him, one cannot simply go and find another?”
“Maybe you could find company,” Jennifer told her, “but... Wait, is this about Edgar or is it about Paul Lassiter?”
“I don't know,” Estella continued. “I've started to realize that either I love both of them equally, or neither of them at all.”
“Well, then I can't help you,” Jennifer replied. “In fact, I don't think anyone can help you. Are you sure you're not just in love with the idea of how different men can change you?”
“You're not the first person to suggest that.”
“So maybe it's worth thinking about.”
“What would you do, if you were me?”
“If I were you?” Jennifer paused. “I'd go back in time about six months and stop being a crazy bitch, that's what I'd do.”
“How blunt you are,” Estella said darkly, before stepping forward. “But if -”
She stopped as soon as Jennifer picked up the metal bar.
“You're still so scared of me,” Estella continued, with a hint of wonder in her voice. “You know that thing wouldn't be any use, but you've picked it up anyway because you fear me on an instinctive level.”
“I can't help that.”
“No, you can't.” Pausing, Estella finally turned and headed to the door. “I should go. I have a decision to make.”
“I'm sorry I couldn't be more help,” Jennifer called after her, “but... Please, don't come back here. For my daughter's sake, I'm keeping well out of the Le Comptes' business from now on. I just hope you get it all sorted out and that there isn't any more pain for you, but the truth is, Kate was the only one I really cared about. She was my friend. Now she's dead, I've got to focus on my life here.”
She waited for Estella to reply, but instead the other woman simply made her way out of the store, leaving Jennifer standing alone for a moment.
“Mummy,” Anna said suddenly, standing in the doorway that led to the kitchen, “what were you and that woman talking about?”
“Do you know her name?” Jennifer asked, turning to her.
Anna shook her head. “I don't know if I've ever met her before.”
“That's good,” Jennifer replied, heading over to her. “Keep it that way. There's no need to remember things that are only going to hurt you.”
***
“Very good, M'am,” Jacob said as he watched Madeleine heading up the stairs, “but... Do you know whether Baron Le Compte will be returning tonight?”
“No idea,” she replied. “Ask Nixon, he's the only one who seems to know what's going on.”
“And Master Benjamin?”
“I don't know when he'll be back,” she said, stopping and looking back down at him. “Maybe tomorrow. Maybe never.” She paused, looking up at the oil paintings that hung on the wall, paintings of Le Comptes going back generations. “Do you think it was always like this, Jacob? Is this family doomed to endure constant misery, or are Edgar and I just special?”
“I couldn't say, M'am,” he replied, “I just... I hope His Lordship returns soon. The house doesn't feel right with him not around.”
“And you haven't noticed Nixon doing anything suspicious of late?”
“Not that I can think of, M'am. No more than usual, anyway.”
“Go to bed, Jacob,” she continued. “It's late. You must be tired.”
Heading to her room, she pushed the door open and stepped inside, before letting the door swing shut and then leaning back. Closing her eyes, she tried to find some calmness in her soul, but all she could think about was the conversation with Benjamin earlier and his apparent belief that she'd murdered his brother. She'd hidden it well at the time, but there had been a part of her that had been so angry with him, she'd been tempted to tear his head clean off his neck. Still, even though she'd been able to push that rage down, she still felt as if there was no way she could be with him again, not if he truly saw her as nothing more than a monster.
“Hello, Madeleine,” a voice whispered suddenly.
Opening her eyes, she was shocked to see that Benjamin was standing right in front of her.
“How did you -” she began to ask.
“Quiet,” he replied, raising a finger to his lips and stepping closer. “There's no need to say anything.” He leaned toward her and kissed her, only for her to pull back after a moment. “What's wrong?” he asked. “Not in the mood?”
“That didn't feel right,” she whispered.
“Let me try again. I'm sure I can manage some real passion this time.”
“What do you want?” she asked. “Benjamin, you shouldn't -”
Before she could finish, she felt a sharp pain in her chest and let out a gasp, before looking down and seeing to her horror that he'd driven the Crucifix of St. Joan directly into her heart. She reached up with trembling hands and tried to stop him, but she could already feel herself weakening.
“Benjamin,” she whispered, as the pain built in her chest, “please...”
“Benjamin?” he replied with a smile. “Oh, yes, I suppose that's a natural assumption for you to make. After all, I am wearing his body. And trust me, he's screaming somewhere deep inside.”
“No,” she gasped, desperately trying to push him away so she could pull the blade from her heart.
“Edgar very kindly brought the Crucifix of St. Joan to me the other day,” Quillian continued, speaking through Benjamin's body, “when he came to surrender himself to me. He intended it to prove his willingness to bow down to me, but I realized I could put it to another use. After all, if it would work on one Le Compte, why should it not work on another?” He twisted the blade, tearing the tip through her heart and causing her to fall against him, clutching at his shoulders as she tried to stay up. “The true, final death of a vampire is a rare thing these days,” he sneered, “and I'm sure you were expecting to live for many centuries to come, but I'm afraid you must be sacrificed in order to bring more pain to your brother.”
“Benjamin,” she hissed, reaching up and touching his face. “What has he done to you?”
“I borrowed Benjamin's body so I could get close to you,” he replied. “If it makes you feel any better, I offered him a deal, but he turned me down out of loyalty to you. Was that loyalty earned, Madeleine? Did you deserve it? Unfortunately, his decision meant I had to take by force that which I couldn't gain any other way.” He twisted the knife again, bringing another pained cry from her lips as blood flowed from the wound and onto his hands. “Still, look on the bright side, perhaps in death you will be reunited with your lover. If you can find him, anyway. I imagined the afterlife of a vampire is far, far removed from the afterlife of a human. You might even have to trek the snowy tundra of the Death Hallows to find him.” He leaned closer. “Goodnight, dear Madeleine. I hope you can take some solace from the knowledge that your brother will undoubtedly weep over your corpse.”
With that, he stepped back, leaving her to clutch at the crucifix for a moment, trying to pull it out of her chest. She took a couple of steps forward, with blood flowing from her mouth, before dropping to her knees and then finally collapsing to the floor.
“And now,” Quillian continued, leaning down and scooping her body up into Benjamin's arms, “to show you off to your poor wretch of a brother.”
***
“Quillian?” Estella called out as she entered the lighthouse. Looking around, she finally spotted him slumped in
a chair, but when she ran to take a closer look she realized that he seemed completely lifeless, like an empty husk that had been left propped up. “Quillian?” she said again, reaching out and touching his shoulder. “Are you -”
His body tipped forward and fell to the floor, breaking apart as it landed and turning to ash.
“No,” she whispered, taking a step back as she stared at the crumbled corpse, “how...” She paused, before realizing what must have happened. “You've taken another body,” she said out loud, turning to look around. “When you said you needed to regain your strength, I should have realized what you meant...”
Seeing no sign of anyone, she looked back down at what was left of his old body. Crouching, she picked up the remains of his skull and looked into the empty eye-sockets, which had already lost their flesh. A moment later, the skull crumbled in her hand, with the pieces slipping between her fingers. Looking at the rest of his bones, she saw that the body of a cold-blooded vampire, once vacated, clearly disintegrated with remarkable speed.
“Edgar,” she whispered, before getting to her feet and realizing that she had to act while there was still time. Hurrying to the hatch on the far side of the room, she pulled it open and then raced down to the basement, only to stop when she saw to her relief that Edgar was still in place, still chained naked to the wall.
Racing over, she took hold of his head and tilted it up, finding that his eyes were closed.
“Edgar,” she said firmly, gently tapping the side of his ravaged face, “I need you to wake up and listen to me. Edgar, please, this is important.”
He began to stir, although when his eyes opened and focused on her it was clear that he felt nothing but contempt in his soul.
“I've realized what I have to do,” she told him, almost tripping over her words as she hurried to explain. “Edgar, I'm going to get you out of here. Not just this basement, but the whole of Thaxos. You'll never be safe here, never happy, and neither will I. We still have a chance together, I know you loved me once and I loved you too. It was never Paul Lassiter, it was always you and only you.” She waited for a response. “Edgar, this is happening whether you like it or not, so -”
Before she could finish, he spat blood in her face.
She took a step back, horrified at his reaction.
“Go to hell,” he said firmly. “I'm not leaving here, and if you try to take me, I'll kill you.”
“Why? So you can protect poor miserable Kate?”
“What I do with my life,” he replied, “is none of your concern. I'm warning you, Estella, don't interfere.”
Wiping the bloody saliva from her cheek, she felt a rising tide of rage in her chest.
“You have an ugly soul,” he told her. “I recognized it all along, but I was curious, I wanted to see the cause. Now I realize that you care only about yourself.”
“Edgar -”
“You have two choices,” he continued. “Either you walk out of here and leave Thaxos, or you unchain me and I'll slaughter you, and then I'll chain myself back up.”
“For Kate?”
“You could never understand what true love feels like.”
She stared at him for a moment. “There seems little point loving a dead woman,” she hissed finally.
“A -” He froze, as if for the first time she'd genuinely surprised him. “What did you say?”
“You don't know everything that's been happening,” she continued, taking a step closer. “Your precious Kate is gone. You must have suspected as much after reaching out with your mind and trying to find her, but I imagine you couldn't bring yourself to contemplate the possibility. She's gone, Edgar. She's dead. Nixon did everything he could to save her, but it wasn't enough. She's buried on the grounds of your mansion. If you don't believe me, reach out to Nixon's mind or to Madeleine's, or to Jennifer Kazakos, or to Jacob... Any of them can tell you that I'm speaking the truth.”
“No,” he sneered, “you're a liar, you -”
He paused for a moment, frowning as the panic began to spread through his body. “I can't sense Madeleine, either. Nixon...” He paused again. “No, it can't be true.”
“Are you in his mind now?” she asked. “Are you seeing it through his eyes? The coffin? The rain? The shovel that was used to dig her grave and -”
“No!” he shouted, pulling on the chains. “This is some kind of trick!”
“You know that's not true,” she continued, allowing herself a faint smile. “Kate Langley is gone, Edgar. She's dead, and even her soul has left this place. So the way I see it, we're back to where we were the day she arrived, except there have been a few more bumps along the road.” Stepping closer, she watched as he pulled on the chains, her eyes fixed on his torn muscles as they twitched and flexed. “Edgar, you're fighting destiny,” she added. “As soon as you accept that Kate is gone, you can start to move past her and -”
Before she could finish, she heard the wall starting to crack, and she looked up just in time to see that Edgar had begun to pull one of the chains loose.
“No!” she shouted, placing her hands on his chest and attempting to push him back. “Edgar, listen to me -”
“Run,” he said firmly.
“Edgar -”
“Run or die,” he sneered, “because if you're still here when I get free, I will wrap these chains around your neck and open your mind to the true nature of pain.”
“No,” she replied, swallowing hard, “you won't do that, because you know that we're meant for one another. Why else did you create that elaborate fantasy in my mind? Are you sure there wasn't just a tiny part of you that wanted it all to be real? The children you showed me could still be real, Edgar, if we just -”
Hearing another cracking sound from the wall, she saw that the first chain was almost free.
“Edgar!” she shouted. “Stop!”
She watched in horror as the chain began to come away from the wall. Stepping back, she saw that one of his arms was free now, and he immediately turned his attention to the next chain, working with furious intensity. She wanted to find some way to stop him, but all she could do was stare in horror as he pulled on the chain, finally tearing it away and bringing the wall crashing down. As the candles were extinguished, she turned to avoid the falling stones, but she was quickly knocked to the ground. Coughing and desperately trying to get her breath back, she dragged herself toward the stairs until, finally, she turned and looked back across the dark basement.
After a moment, her eyes adjusted to the gloom and she realized she could see a pile of fallen rocks and stones. A moment later, the pile began to shift until Edgar's bloodied and bruised body emerged.
“Edgar,” she whispered, with tears in her eyes as he made his way toward her. “Edgar, no...” She tried to get to her feet, only to find that her left ankle had been partially crushed by a falling stone. Barely aware of the pain, she pulled herself toward the stairs, even as Edgar reached her. “No!” she screamed, as he reached down toward her. “Edgar, no!”
***
Sitting alone in the mansion's dark library, Nixon stared down at the whiskey in his glass. He'd been still and silent for almost an hour now, ever since Madeleine had retired to bed. After all the planning and all the plotting, he'd realized there was nothing left to do but wait and hope that everything came together perfectly.
And then, finally, he felt it.
Anger and rage, rippling through the air from far away.
He looked over toward the window, keen to make sure that the moment had arrived. He waited a moment longer, before realizing that someone was screaming in the distance, down near the town.
Estella.
“It's time,” he said finally.
Knocking the whiskey glass over and sending it smashing to the ground, he leaped from the chair and raced across the room. He'd expected to have a few more hours before it was time to act, but now he understood that there was no time to lose. Running upstairs, he hurried to Madeleine's room and knocked, befor
e bursting through the door.
“Okay,” he said breathlessly, “I need your help. I can tell you everything now, it's vitally important that you come with me and -”
He stopped suddenly, looking around and seeing no sign of her.
“Madeleine?”
Spotting blood on the floor, he made his way over and saw that someone had been bleeding heavily. Reaching down, he smeared some of the blood onto his fingers and then sniffed.
“Madeleine?” he said again, starting to worry that his plan was falling apart. “Madeleine!”
Racing out of the room, he hurried back down to the hallway and then out through the main door. He grabbed the shovel he'd left propped against the steps, before making his way to Kate's freshly filled grave. Raising the shovel high above his head, he slammed it down against the grave.
“Kate!” he shouted. “It's time! Plan B, Kate! Plan B!”
Dropping the shovel, he turned and began to run toward town.
Six feet below, in the dark coffin, Kate's body began to twitch. Her eyes opened and she let out a gasp, but she immediately knew what she had to do next. Reaching under the arch of her back, she pulled out the small spade that Nixon had hidden for her, and finally she flicked the two clasps that he'd placed inside the coffin, releasing one of the wooden sides. Turning the wood, she felt dirt and soil already starting to crumble onto her body, but she told herself there was no time to panic. Using the spade, she began to dig herself out.
Part Fifty
I
“I'm scared,” she whispered, her eyes filled with tears as she tried to summon the courage to take another step forward. “Please, I can't do this. You can't make me...”
“It's just school,” Jennifer replied, leaning down and kissing the top of Anna's head. “Come on, don't you think you're being a little melodramatic?”
