by Amy Cross
She waited.
And then, suddenly, she twisted his head and snapped his neck, before feeling his body become limp in her arms.
“There,” she whispered. “Now he's not in pain anymore.”
She paused, before loosing her hold and letting his body slip down onto the cold floor. Opening her mouth, she seemed on the verge of saying something more, but finally she broke down crying.
“This isn't over,” Edgar said finally.
She turned to him.
“It can't be this easy,” he continued, looking around the room.
“Easy?” she asked, staring at him with horror in her eyes. “You call this easy? Benjamin is dead, Kate is dead, and you think it's all too easy?”
“That's not what I meant.”
Getting to her feet, Madeleine stepped toward him. “Quillian was right. Falling in love with a Le Compte is like a death sentence. Even being near us is bad enough. Think what this island would be like if we weren't here, Edgar. Benjamin would be living a normal life. Boring, perhaps, but if he'd fallen in love with a girl from the town, he'd have a wife and children, instead of...” She turned and looked at his lifeless, broken body, before turning back to Edgar. “And Kate. She'd never have been brought back in time, she'd probably have lived a normal life. Hell, even Estella -”
“Even Estella what?” a voice asked.
Looking toward the far end of the room, Madeleine saw that Estella had emerged from the basement. “Even Estella,” she continued, “might have had a shot at not being a psychopathic bitch.”
“Charming as ever,” Estella replied, making her way around the edge of the room, clearly worried about getting too close to Edgar. “I heard what happened up here. I'm sorry about Benjamin.”
“Can you do anything for him?” Madeleine asked. “You saved Jennifer Kazakos...”
“I think this is a very different situation,” Estella replied.
“You could try, though.”
Getting closer to the door, Estella looked down at Benjamin's body. “No,” she said finally, “I couldn't. He's had Quillian's soul inside his mind. There's no coming back from that.”
“But if you -”
“She's right,” Edgar said firmly.
Madeleine turned to him.
“It pains me to say this,” he continued, “but Estella is correct. There is simply no way that Benjamin can be helped. You did the only thing you could, Madeleine. You ended his misery.”
“You're wrong about one thing,” Estella told Madeleine. “Without the Le Comptes, I wouldn't have led an ordinary life here on Thaxos, I realize that now. I'd have found away to screw things up. I just seem to have that talent, don't I? Even in a perfect world, I'd find the one choice that would bring everything crashing down onto my head.” She turned to Edgar. “As much as it pains me to say this, I can't blame the situation on you. Still, I have a tremendous gift, and I know that if I put my mind to it, I can fix everything.”
“Estella,” he replied, “listen to me...”
“I can!” she shouted. “Stay back! Don't come anywhere near me, I have to go and work out what to do next!” Turning, she ran out the door.
“I should go and kill her,” Edgar muttered.
“There's been enough killing for today,” Madeleine told him, before heading back over to Benjamin. Kneeling next to him, she pulled him up into her arms, cradling him gently. “I'm not saying you shouldn't kill her at all, just... Do it tomorrow. I might even help you.”
“Something still isn't right about this,” Edgar continued, looking around. “Quillian's plans were too detailed, too complex, to just fall apart so easily. I learned long ago that one must never give in to the temptation to underestimate the intelligence of one's enemy.”
As her brother began to examine the various counters and tables nearby, looking for some clue among the detritus, Madeleine looked down at Benjamin's face.
“Wherever you are,” she whispered, “I hope you're at peace now.”
She paused, and then slowly Benjamin's eyes began to open.
“I'm sure he is,” he said with a faint smile.
Before Madeleine could react, Benjamin reached out and grabbed the Crucifix of St. Joan and then slashed it across he face, sending her falling back as blood flowed from the wound.
Getting to his feet, Benjamin took a step back, his head at a slight angle thanks to his broken neck.
“This body can still be useful to me,” he said with a grin, as Edgar approached. Holding the crucifix out, he watched as Madeleine got to her feet. “I would suggest that neither of you come too close. I let Benjamin Wood have his goodbye, but now I'm back in control and I have one more thing I need to do.”
“Yes,” Edgar said, stepping closer. “You need to die.”
“I'll help,” Madeleine continued, following her brother despite the thick cut that ran down her face.
“You're forgetting one important thing,” Quillian continued, stepping back. “I didn't just come to Thaxos to bring pain and misery to the Le Compte family. I also came to finish some work that was begun many thousands of years ago. When the great Ashalla fled the vampire war, he did so not out of fear, but out of a sense of duty. He knew he needed to give the cold-blooded vampire race a chance to survive. He had no control over where in this world he emerged, or when, but he just so happened to crash-land on this very island, along with a core group of acolytes. They left behind very few traces of their time here, save for the stone circle on the north side of the island, but from that moment on, it was always ordained that this would be where Ashalla would rest.”
“Rest?” Madeleine paused, before turning to Edgar. “What's he talking about?”
“Don't you get it?” Quillian asked. “Ashalla is waiting to be reborn, and while he waits, his body rests beneath Thaxos.”
“No,” Madeleine whispered, “that can't be true.”
“Ask your brother,” Quillian continued. “He's long suspected as much.”
“I studied the family archives as a boy,” Edgar explained. “I hoped I was wrong, but I began to suspect that after the vampire war ended, the Le Compte family was chosen to travel to Thaxos and make this island their home, so as to guard what was believed to be the last resting place of Ashalla. Over time, that purpose became forgotten.”
“Ashalla slumbers beneath our feet,” Quillian added. “The last of the cold-blooded vampire gods, the lord of the cult of Ashalla... Generations of the Le Compte family were supposed to keep watch over him, to ensure that he never rose, but the Le Comptes grew weak and complacent, and eventually they forgot about their purpose here.”
“Until I found the documents in the archive,” Edgar continued, “and realized that it might be true.”
“Why didn't you mention any of this before?” Madeleine asked him.
“I hoped I was wrong.”
“All that remains,” Quillian continued, “is for me to find a way to wake Ashalla and let him know that the time is right for him to return.”
“I will not allow that to happen,” Edgar said firmly.
“I don't see how you can stop me,” Quillian replied, turning to the door as he heard footsteps outside, getting closer. “Wait,” he continued, with a faint smile, “is it possible?”
“Edgar!” Kate shouted, as she and Nixon reached the door, with Jennifer Kazakos right behind them.
Shocked, Edgar turned to her. “You're alive!”
“Not for much longer,” Quillian hissed, throwing the crucifix at the doorway before turning and hurrying up the stairs.
“Get down!” Nixon shouted, trying to pull Kate out of the way as the crucifix sliced into her shoulder. Letting out a cry of pain, she fell to the ground, and Nixon immediately pulled the crucifix out of her wound.
“I thought you were lost forever,” Edgar said, hurrying over and kneeling next to her.
“That's my fault,” Nixon told him. “I had a plan, Edgar. I needed to make you all think Kate was dead, so t
hat you would break free from those chains.”
“Nixon explained his plan shortly after I got back from Raven's Briar,” Kate whispered, grimacing as she felt pain spreading through her shoulder. “He told me it was a long-shot, but it seemed like the only option.”
“The Crucifix of St. Joan should never pierce human flesh,” Edgar explained as he examined her wound, “although...” He paused for a moment, watching as the edges of Kate's injury began to seal. “If I didn't know better, I'd say this isn't the first time it has happened to her.”
“Keep her safe,” Edgar said firmly. “I have to go and deal with Quillian.”
Getting to his feet, Edgar turned and headed to the stairs.
“It's going to be okay,” Nixon muttered, still examining the wound on Kate's shoulder. “I don't know how, but I'm going to fix this.”
***
“Lord Ashalla,” Benjamin whispered, standing next to the railing that ran around the top of the lighthouse, just outside the lamp-room, “hear my words. Know that the path has been cleared for your return, and that the time has come for you to rise from your grave. Know also that -”
Stopping suddenly, he opened his eyes and then turned to see that Edgar had reached the top of the stairs.
“You're just in time,” Benjamin continued, as the wind ruffled his hair. “You can't stop this, Le Compte. When the Cult of Ashalla sealed him beneath this island, they knew this day would come. I know you thought the cold-bloods were gone forever after the war, but you were wrong.”
“I have no doubt that Ashalla rests beneath Thaxos,” Edgar said firmly. “I suspected as much when I read the ancient texts in my family's archive, although I initially put such concerns out of my mind since it all seemed too much to believe. Now, however, I realize that the Le Compte family was given a sacred duty many generations ago, and that duty was allowed to fall to the wayside. Fortunately, I intend to take it up once again.”
“Brave words,” Benjamin replied, with Quillian's voice starting to break through his own, “but that's all they are. Words. Then again, words can be powerful if they're used in the right way. Ever since I first arrived on Thaxos a little while ago, I've been praying to Ashalla, slowly letting him know that it's time to emerge from sleep. You can't stop me, Le Compte, because you're already far too late. He's starting to wake up, and although the process would usually take several decades, this time I have an advantage.” Reaching into his pocket, he took out a small locket. “The heart of Ashalla. Once I open this, he'll know the perfect moment has arrived.”
“Why didn't you do all of this as soon as you set foot on Thaxos?” Edgar asked.
“Because I wanted to see your face. Because once Ashalla returns, I'll have no more time to torment you, and because he'll swat you aside anyway. The Le Compte family has failed in its duty, and now the cold-blooded vampire race will rise again with Ashalla to guide us.” He opened the locket. “Deep beneath the island, Ashalla is now getting ready to rise, and his first job will be to come straight to this spot and destroyed the last of the Le Comptes before finally taking his true place in the new world.”
“I can't let that happen,” Edgar said firmly, stepping toward him.
“Generations of Le Comptes have become lazy and foolish,” Benjamin replied with a smile. “You can't undo all their mistakes.”
“But I can -” Before he could finish, Edgar felt the entire lighthouse starting to tremble, as if the ground below was being disturbed.
“He's coming,” Benjamin continued. “Even now, he's homing in on this locket, preparing to burst through. Thaxos will be destroyed in the process, of course. He'll feed on all the humans who cling to this pathetic rock, and then he'll move on to find a new home, a base from which to relaunch the cold-blooded empire. You'll be long gone by that point, Edgar, but I promise you, I'll be at Lord Ashalla's side, guiding him as the new era begins.”
“You're very confident,” Edgar replied.
“Only because it's too late for you to do anything. You've lost, Le Compte. Your entire warm-blooded species has lost. All that's left is for you to die.”
“You're right about the Le Compte family,” Edgar said, stepping toward him. “My ancestors lost their way. They were seduced by money and power, they became lazy, and I could have followed that pattern. Fortunately, I sensed that the family had a greater purpose, and I began to prepare for the possibility of this day.”
“You're determined to fight,” Benjamin replied. “Fine. I might have taken over a weak and pathetic human body, but I still possess all of my old knowledge. Pain, Edgar. I can deliver the most intense pain.”
“Not if -”
Before Edgar could finish, Benjamin reached out a hand and sent a shower of electricity flashing through the air. Crying out, Edgar grabbed the railing and tried to stand firm, but as more electricity flowed from Benjamin's hand, all Edgar could do was slowly drop to his knees as he tried to fight back.
“This human body will be drained much faster this way,” Benjamin continued, smiling as he watched Edgar's agony, “but no matter. I'll find another to inhabit. The important thing is that you have no way of stopping me.” As if to prove his point, he increased the flow of energy until Edgar's entire body was overwhelmed, while the lighthouse shuddered again as if its very foundations were being uprooted. “He's coming,” Benjamin grinned. “I assure you, Edgar, that in your final moments, you will see Ashalla rise. You will not die without seeing him first, and the best part is... You can't stop any of this. You've lost.”
“Not quite,” a voice said nearby.
Benjamin began to turn, but before he could do so he felt a sharp pain in his back as the Crucifix of St. Joan was driven into his flesh. He let out a cry, and a moment later he felt the locket being snatched from his hand. The flow of electricity faded from his hand, and he turned to see Kate standing nearby, holding the locket. Wounded and bleeding, she could barely keep herself on her feet, but she'd still managed to make her way up the stairs.
“You?” Benjamin asked incredulously. “Won't you ever learn to just stay dead?” Gasping, he reached around and pulled the crucifix from his back. “This thing doesn't work quite so well on a cold-blooded vampire.”
“What about this?” Kate asked, her voice trembling with pain as she held the locket over the edge of the railing, threatening to drop it to the rocks below. “You need it, don't you?”
“Close the locket,” Edgar whispered, struggling to get to his feet. “Kate! Close it!”
Using her thumb, Kate flicked the locket shut.
“You should give that to me,” Benjamin replied, stepping toward her. “What else do you think you can do? Hide it away?”
“From what I understand,” Kate continued, “you need this if you're going to wake Ashalla. Or you need it if you want to wake him quickly. Either way...” She paused, before opening her hand and letting the locket fall.
“Stop!” Benjamin shouted, reaching out and trying to stop her, before watching as the locket fell down the side of the lighthouse. Down below, Nixon and Jennifer were already waiting, scrambling over the rocks to retrieve it before anyone else got a chance.
“So now what?” Kate asked, as the lighthouse shuddered again. “Do you have a back-up plan?”
“Ashalla will still rise,” Benjamin told her firmly. “He woke some time ago. The locket would have brought him to the surface today, but even without it, he'll return eventually.”
“It'll take several decades now,” Edgar said, stepping up behind him. “That should give me time to come up with another plan.”
Turning, Benjamin saw that Edgar had recovered fully from his injuries.
“You'll see him eventually,” he sneered, as Edgar grabbed his throat. “You'll see! Ashalla will rise from beneath this island one day and you'll see him in all his glory!”
“Maybe,” Edgar replied as the lighthouse began to shake even more violently, “but you won't.” With that, he began to tear Benjamin's head from h
is body, ripping it free until the last of the flesh and muscle had been torn away. Blood and brain matter flowed out, and for a moment Benjamin let out a pained scream before falling silent. Dropping the head, Edgar tore open the torso and grabbed the still-beating heart, squeezing it tight until it burst and blood ran across his hand. Finally, he let the body fall down, before putting his foot on its back and pressing down, crushing the ribs.
“Is he gone?” Kate asked, still struggling to support herself as the lighthouse tilted a little to one side.
“He wasn't able to leap to another body in time,” Edgar replied, looking down at the bloodied mess at his feet. “He'll be lost now in the void on the other side of death. He might be able to find a way back one day, but not for a very long time.” Seeing the pain in her eyes, he hurried over and grabbed her, just as she was on the verge of collapsing. “You shouldn't have come up here. I had everything under control.”
“I couldn't leave you,” she whispered, as a trickle of blood began to run from her mouth. “Nixon said you'd be okay, but I had to come.” Grabbing his arms, she tried to support herself, but Edgar had to put an arm around her waist to keep her from falling to the floor. “Did we do it? Did we stop Ashalla?”
“We delayed him,” Edgar replied. “It will take many decades, perhaps a century or more, for him to wake up now that the locket isn't being used to call him. I have time to come up with another way to keep him down there, but...” Staring into her eyes, he realized she was starting to fade. “I'm more concerned about you, Kate. You've been hurt so much over the past few weeks, I need to find a way to heal all your wounds.”
“I'll be fine,” she replied, wincing again as she felt more pain in her chest. “It takes more than this to stop me.”
Edgar paused, before leaning closer and kissing her gently on the lips. The kiss grew, becoming more passionate, before finally the lighthouse tilted a little further.
