Raven Mask

by Winter Pennington

  Zaphara sprinted across the front of the yard. I cannot see a way to get inside using the back of the church.

  I said I have an idea, I told her again.

  Share it, Kassandra.

  You think we’re faster than any vampires?

  That depends entirely on the vampire. Why?

  I started walking back and forth across the branch, gazing at the double doors that led to the main part of the church. There were two boarded-up windows in front of the church.

  If I could get one of the vampires to open the door, one of us could slip inside and crack a window.

  Brilliant, she said sarcastically, and if any vampires happen to spot us? What do think they will do?

  To a bird and a cat? We’re insignificant.

  They might kill us just for sport, Zaphara said, and one of us would have to shift back to open a window.

  Then don’t get caught.

  You are telling me not to get caught?

  You’re the one going in when the big bad vamp opens the door, I told her as I flew onto the porch. I trust your ability to remain unseen and to stay alive and my ability to play the crazy, confused bird part for all it’s worth.

  This I cannot wait to see.

  I’m a smaller target. There’s less chance of them catching me, kitty cat.

  If you want to keep your feathers, do not call me that.

  I began tapping on the boarded window in a rhythmic manner. It sounded faintly like Morse code. Tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap. I waited a second, listening. Tap-tap-tap. I still couldn’t hear anything on the other side.

  TAP-TAP-TAP!

  Then it came, the sound of heavy footfalls, of hurried and careless footsteps. I’d never heard a vampire make so much noise. One of the doors creaked open.

  TAP-TAP-TA…

  I stopped tapping when the vampire walked out.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re—” He caught sight of me.

  “Kra?” I cocked my head to the side. The male was young, with long wheat-colored hair that fell in a braid. He was wearing a blue shirt with a pair of torn jean shorts. I never understood wearing a long-sleeved shirt with shorts.

  TAP-TAP-TAP.

  “Shoo!” He waved his arms at me.

  I opened my beak and let fly a series of clacking and screeching insults, then jumped onto the porch, fanning my wings out and shaking them at the vampire like demented maracas.

  “Get the hell out of here!” he said in an angry whisper.

  “Kree,” I said softly. No.

  He lifted his foot and I darted between his legs, catching his bare skin in my beak.

  “Kra!” I crooned my victory, ambling out of his reach.

  “Stupid bird!” The vampire hissed, fangs dribbling with spittle. Why did some vampires do that when they went all vampiric on someone? The whole slobbery fang thing was so unattractive.

  I began making a series of clicking noises, strolling toward the steps.

  The vampire got to his feet, grumbling something about tearing out every one of my feathers.

  Uh-huh.

  I jumped to the second step, taking my sweet-ass time.

  Zaphara?

  Hmm?

  Get ready to bolt.

  Such a shame, this is quite amusing.

  Ready? I’m about to really piss him off.

  He was moving slowly, like a kid trying to catch a wild animal.

  I jumped down to the next step, then the next. He hurried. I stopped and he stopped, trying to be inconspicuous like some horrible cartoon character.

  Come on, dip-fangs, make a grab.

  The vampire finally lunged at me. I took three quick hops, pushed off the walkway, and launched myself into the air, then dove into the thicket of branches just in time to see him fall on his face.

  Nice. Zaphara was a sleek black streak as she bolted into the building.

  I’m in, she said.

  Good, I thought, now let’s start taking these fuckers out.

  Feeling a little battle lust?

  Maybe I am.

  We are supposed to wait for the others.

  You need to get me inside. Go find a secluded window and let me in, damn it. I scratched my head against a branch.

  The sound of her scoff filled my mind for a brief moment. I’d wait in the tree until she found an unguarded window.

  The vampire on the porch was wiping blood off his mouth.

  “Pierce your lip?” I crooned softly, cocking my head.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The vampire had given up and gone back inside. It seemed like I’d been waiting in the tree for a good twenty minutes when I finally lost my patience.

  Zaphara?

  No response. I wobbled across the branch, having to stretch my legs. It was a bitch trying to do nothing. I wasn’t used to waiting, probably because I sucked at it.

  Zaphara, don’t play games with me. What’s taking so long?

  Still nothing, only the soft sounds of the breeze, the hum of a car here and there, and distant noises of kiddies exclaiming, “Trick or Treat!”

  This hadn’t been a good idea. They shouldn’t have come with me. It was too risky. Oh, I understood some of the reasoning behind Lenorre’s determination to be present and to take care of the Count herself. If she didn’t, she’d only appear weak in front of the vampires in her keep.

  A barely audible trilling meow came from the ground below. Zaphara stared at me with those wide amethyst eyes. Even in her animal form they were strange and inhuman, not quite animal.

  Finally!

  I found a way in, but I do not think going back is a good idea.

  Why?

  We are badly outnumbered and they would notice us slipping through the back.

  By how much?

  A dozen. Her feline head tilted to the side, ears swiveling as if she was listening to something I couldn't hear.

  And? I was irritated. Why did she have to draw everything out? Couldn’t she just tell me?

  The two children you were looking for...I may have found them. What do they look like?

  I turned my head, getting a better view of the black, shadowy figure on the ground while Zaphara scratched the back of her front leg with her hind leg. The gesture was amusing. She played the cat very well.

  Short brown hair, tan skin, dark eyes. That’s what Timothy looks like. I saw a few pictures of Alyssa at her parents’ home. She has long blond hair and blue eyes.

  There’s more than one of those.

  What?

  Kassandra, we need to leave.

  Her ears flattened against the back of her head as she turned to look toward the church.

  Zaphara, tell me what’s going on. What do you mean there’s more than one of those?

  Please, Goddess, don’t say it. I had one of those moments when you don’t want to know, you don’t want to hear the evil truth, because you already have a pretty damn good idea what it is, but you have to know, you have to face the reality of that truth.

  You know what I mean. We must go. Now!

  I didn’t have time to form a response. Zaphara was like a blink in the darkness. One moment she was there, the next she had disappeared. I had no idea where the fuck she’d gone.

  The two double doors to the church were suddenly flung open, as if they’d heard her command. The same vampire I’d pissed off emerged, followed by three other vamps.

  “It wasn’t normal,” he said. “That bird was seriously fucking with my head. It wasn’t just a bird. I know it wasn’t.”

  “You’re so full of shite,” an accented female voice said. “What the ’ell was a bloody budgie gonna do to you? It was just a bird! And as you can see, it’s gone.” She motioned toward the yard.

  I tilted my head again, trying to get a better view. She was shorter than the male vamps that surrounded her. One of the others stepped forward, running a hand through his long black hair. “She’s right. I don’t see a bird.”

  “I swear a bird was out here, a big
black annoying bird. I’m not lying. Why would I lie?”

  “I don’t doubt you saw a bird,” the woman said. “I doubt the bird was more than a bird.”

  The vamp with the long dirty blond hair that had tried to kill me began to fidget. “I’m telling the truth. It tapped on the window. I came out. It started baiting me. It didn’t act like a normal bird. Normal birds don’t walk right between your legs!” He motioned at the part of his leg I had sliced up, but the wound had already healed. He was a vampire, after all.

  “Maddox.” The vampire with black hair said his name like a command. The vampire that had been standing apart from the group came forward, bowing from the neck up. “M’lord, what have you?” His tone was rather unfriendly and sarcastic, as if he didn’t like the other vamp. His name somehow suited him. He was built, more built than any vampire I’d ever seen. His salt-and-pepper hair was cut short, almost to the scalp. The black shirt he wore looked like it struggled not to rip against the bulk of his muscles. The way he held himself made me think he was an older vampire. I couldn’t exactly pinpoint it, but I got a strong sense his resentment had to do with being bossed around by the newbies. I’d be pissy too.

  The vampire with long black hair wrapped an arm around the woman’s waist. She was wearing a bright red dress that clashed with the red fall of her hair. The dress was strappy and slinky, swaying any time she moved even the slightest, giving an illusion of Hollywood glamour. Goth boy was wearing a red-and-black zoot suit. Most vampires had a taste for fashion, but some of those tastes were a bit eccentric. The outfits alone might’ve worked, but together they looked cheesy.

  “Sorry, Brody, there’s no budgie,” she said to the younger man.

  Goth boy turned to Maddox, who stood waiting for his orders with more patience and reserve than I would’ve been able to muster in his situation. “See to it Brody does not speak of this. If Master hears his insanity about birds he’s liable to kill him just for a laugh.”

  “It is done,” Maddox said. “Come, Brody. Will you be quiet or must I give you another lesson on the power of silence?”

  Brody looked scared shitless. I didn’t have to smell it. It was written across his features. He bowed his head, his hair falling like a silken curtain to hide his features.

  “I’ll shut up. But I know what I saw.”

  “Just cram something in your mouth,” the woman said.

  “Come, children,” Goth boy said cryptically. “The night is young.” At his command, they went back inside the church. Maddox turned, looking out over the yard. He wasn’t a fool. The others might be, but not ol’ Maddox. With a bang, he shut the two doors.

  Well, that was certainly interesting.

  Are you quite done? I jumped at the sound of Zaphara’s voice. She slipped out from beneath the cover of bushes near the porch.

  Yeah, I didn’t know you were still here.

  I couldn’t leave you alone.

  I didn’t intend to do anything stupid. Just eavesdropping.

  If they had noticed you they might’ve killed you. She headed for the corner of the street.

  I swooped from my perch, following her to the parked car. She was right. I would’ve been in deep shit had I been spotted, at least where Brody was concerned. Was he beginning to feel a little mentally unstable?

  I did learn one thing, I told her, trying to fly at the same pace she was walking.

  What did you learn? How to hide in a tree?

  Besides that. Brody is the weakest of the vampires on the porch. Goth boy is arrogant, full of himself and his abilities. The woman is so in love with Goth boy that if he said jump, she’d ask how high, and Maddox is not one to fuck with. He means business.

  Terrific, that gets us where?

  You really aren’t very good at this, are you, Zaphara? I flew ahead of her, glancing back. It tells us where to drive the sword. If we seek information, Brody is our best bet. He’s afraid of Maddox, and I’m pretty sure Maddox is the vamp that does the devil’s work.

  I thought you did not believe in the devil?

  I don’t. It’s a figure of speech.

  The black Tiburon came into view. Rupert was standing outside, propped against the Mustang. I landed on the hood of his car. If I could’ve communicated with him, I would’ve told him his ass should’ve been sitting in the car. As it was, I did my best to give him a scolding look.

  “What?”

  I shook my head. Why bother? It’s not like he’d understand me anyway.

  Zaphara was suddenly walking toward us, boots silent on the concrete. “You should have stayed in the car.” She said exactly what I’d been thinking.

  “I’m not the type of guy that just stands around and does nothing,” he said, and I couldn’t argue with him, not only because I wasn’t able to communicate with a human, but because I knew how he felt.

  We were hunters. Hunters don’t sit around twiddling their thumbs when they have game to catch. I was finding that bad little vampires made for very interesting game.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Lenorre drove my car to her mansion since I’d opted on flying home. I beat them to the house, shifting on the porch and sighing with relief when I managed to include my clothes.

  The Tiburon halted in front of the house and Rupert pulled in behind Lenorre, parking and getting out of his car.

  Zaphara stepped out of the passenger side and held the door open for Eris. Rosalin crawled out on Lenorre’s side.

  Lenorre came around the front of the car. “Zaphara has told me of what happened at the church.”

  I nodded. “Can this wait until we get inside? We need to talk to Rupert and tell him what happened. He’s a part of this now.”

  Lenorre’s hand caught mine and there was sympathy in her gaze.

  The look confused me. “Zaphara didn’t tell me everything, did she?”

  “I am afraid not. Come, my love. I shall abide by your wishes and speak with you of this matter inside.”

  “You’re always so proper.” It wasn’t really a complaint, but I suddenly felt grumpy. I didn’t want to know everything else, damn it. It was bad enough Zaphara had been implying the Count of Counts had a bunch of kiddies locked somewhere in his church. Then again, maybe I was wrong, but it was one of the few terrible possibilities that came to mind.

  Lenorre smiled, showing the tips of her fangs. “I'm English, Kassandra. Would you expect anything less of me?”

  She pulled me against her and I didn’t argue, melting into her. “Can’t teach an old dog new tricks?” I mumbled.

  She laughed, holding me close as we walked toward the house. “In my case, an old vampire.”

  *

  “The church is not very large,” Zaphara explained. I crossed my arms over the dining-room table, listening. “I found another way in,” she looked at me, “through an underground storage room in the back. There’s a window just above ground level. I believe,” she said slowly, “that Rosalin and you could fit through it.”

  I really didn’t want to squeeze through a window on bad-guy turf. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to, since I was the smallest cop on the force. Sometimes, my size was more curse than blessing.

  I suddenly remembered I’d promised to call Arthur. I’d found a lead, and I hadn’t even thought of contacting him until now. Wonderful, he would be upset with me, but if it kept his ass alive it was worth it. If I called Arthur he’d want to bring a team in to help us take down the Count of Counts. For a human, that was a suicide mission. In fact, I wasn’t too sure it wasn’t a suicide mission for us.

  “Kassandra?” Rosalin asked.

  “I’m listening. I need to call Arthur.”

  “If you contact him and try to bring him into this it’ll be a mistake,” Rupert said. I gave him a look. He was the only human in our group, but he had nearly the same training I had when it came to dealing with bad guys and monsters. He’d definitely had more experience being a hunter than I had. I’d even admit that his knowledge and ab
ilities were most likely greater than mine.

  “I know,” I said softly, “but he’ll be pissed when he hears I’ve left him out of the investigation again. He’s been getting irked with me lately because I keep doing that to him.”

  “It’s your job,” Rupert said. “You’re the one that can handle it. Not many cops left on the local police force know how to deal with the supernatural, Kassandra. Too many of them opt out of the training because they think it’s evil.”

  “That’s true.”

  “So just forget about Arthur. We’ve got to figure out how to save those two kids.”

  My heart suddenly felt heavy. “I’m afraid the Count has more than just Timothy and Alyssa.”

  Rupert never flinched. “How many?”

  I looked at Zaphara. “Tell us what you saw.”

  “We were outnumbered by nearly a dozen. When I went in, there weren’t any vampires near the storage room. However, most of them are gathered in the main room. Including the Count himself. He has set up a throne where the pulpit once was. I do not think it would be safe sneaking in through the back, but it is an option.” She took a deep breath. “You won’t like what I’m about to tell you, Kassandra.”

  “I know, but if I remain ignorant we won’t get anywhere.”

  “Some of the children have been changed,” she said. “If your Timothy was there, I did not see him.” Her amethyst gaze went to Lenorre, who was sitting next to me. Lenorre’s hand stroked my thigh, probably in an attempt to comfort me, but it did more. It distracted me. I shuddered and forced myself to focus.

  “The Count of Counts has begun somewhat of a cult following. He is taking children and turning them. Lady only knows what he’s doing to them.” She shuddered in disgust and gave a disapproving look. It was the first time I’d seen Zaphara do that. It was good to know she had some morals.

  “What can we do?” I said to myself more than anyone else in the room. “Lenorre’s still got her Samhain Ball to attend. There’s got to be a way to take this bastard down—”