The Parchment (The Memory of Blood)

by Sylvie Brisset

  Mystie looked around her. They were in a small concrete room with nothing other than the chair on which Charles sat. A window dispensed the daylight, but it was so dirty that Mystie could not see through. There was no sound that could tell her where she was. She looked at her watch. It was nearly six pm. Three hours passing out after a punch? Unlikely! Despite the grip of the vampire.

  "I need to go to the toilet."

  "Diego!" Charles called. Then he turned to Mystie. "He will accompany you."

  Obediently she followed the so-called Diego. They did not have to go far. Just across the room. He opened a door, and all what she discovered was a smelly and dirty hole. Diego pointed out to her a roll of toilet paper placed on the floor and closed the door behind her. Mystie looked around her. Not a single window. No chance of escape there.

  She came back into the room and sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, facing Charles. It was freezing and she clasped her arms around her in a vain attempt to keep warm. Her heart was in her boots, but no way would she show them her fear. Her teeth were chattering without her knowing why.

  Charles motioned to Diego, who left the room. He returned with a blanket, a thermos and a bag of dried fruit. He laid it all at the feet of Mystie before resuming his place beside Charles. Mystie hastened to cover herself, but did not touch the rest. These attentions restored her confidence.

  "I am listening to you. What's the plan?"

  "The plan? There is no plan. I've never had one. Nothing ever happens anyway as expected. So better to constantly improvise."

  Charles's face was of an incredible neutrality. Nothing transpired of his thoughts. He controlled his expression perfectly. He stared at Mystie, scrutinized her to a point that she felt uncomfortable. He was not trying to break into her mind but she remained on guard.

  "Let's say I wanted to meet the destroyer of souls."

  Mystie grimaced upon hearing the nickname, but did not answer right away. Since he knew, perhaps she could take advantage of it.

  "So you know that I could destroy you. You and Diego."

  "Yes. But you will not do so."

  "You are very sure of yourself"!

  "I am not crazy. I probed your mind while you were unconscious."

  "Bastard!"

  "I advise you to change tone. I could have done much worse. I did not even access all your secrets. I just wanted to know the origin of your power. A demon has left you a beautiful scar. That's interesting. Really".

  "Glad to know you are satisfied!" she said sarcastically.

  "But above all you are human and you will not kill anyone without a reason," Charles continued, ignoring the interruption.

  "If you want to take the risk, go ahead. You have abducted me. It is a reason, right?"

  Charles chuckled at her bluster. "I suggest you join me."

  "Thank you. I'm not interested."

  "You do not want to hear my proposal?" he said, almost smirking.

  "No, thank you."

  She expected him to insist, but he changed subject abruptly. "Let's talk about you. I want to know you better."

  "Oh! You want to pal up with me!" Mystie replied.

  "Do not be insolent," Charles growled.

  "What will it change?"

  "There are many ways to die and some are more painful than others! If you do not want you to join me, you are to me of no use, do not forget it. And if you hesitate to destroy me, I would not have this restraint."

  "I would never associate myself with a black soul!"

  "Really? Because yours is white snow perhaps with this mark you have? Everyone has a dark side. Even a child can switch in the dark. Like that," he added, snapping his fingers.

  "I am no longer a child!"

  "No. But you are childish. What is your relationship with Delatour? A black soul, in your own words. You are not so prudish with him."

  "Why do you ask? None of your business!"

  As Charles's glance seemed to say, "you see, you are childish." She added, "He's a friend."

  "A vampire has no friends," he replied categorically.

  "Yes, he has," she replied, proud to counter him. Childish, but she did not care.

  Charles rubbed his chin, mimicking intense thinking.

  "A friend you call for help, as soon as you can, by thought. A friend whom it is enough to threaten so that you allow yourself to be kidnapped by two blood vampires. A friend you ask for as soon as you wake up."

  "I am not his partner."

  "What about him? What do you represent for him? What would he be willing to do for you?"

  "Why not ask him the question, since you abducted him? You have the parchment. What more could you want?"

  For the first time since the beginning of the conversation, Charles seemed unsettled. He remained silent. But Mystie understood his silence.

  "It's not you who kidnapped him!" she said breathlessly.

  "No," he replied simply.

  "And you neither have the parchment, have you?"

  "It would be fairer to say that I do not have it anymore."

  Taking advantage that Charles seemed lost in thought, she tried to learn more.

  "You mean you had it?" she asked gently.

  He nodded.

  "Yes. It was robbed in a hotel. The palaces are no longer what they were. Rats are everywhere. But to redeem himself the thief donated his person."

  Diego laughed. Mystie did not catch the comic aspect. It was them who had bled to death the thief impaled on a meat hook!

  The episode of confessions was already over. Charles had resumed his impenetrable mask.

  "And you came in France to retrieve it."

  "Indeed. But see, sometimes fate does things well! I discovered you on my way. I could not miss this opportunity."

  "What will you do to me? I will not associate myself with you, I already told you."

  Charles shrugged as if it did not matter. "I have not decided yet. I'll think about it. For now you are my guest. I must prepare for an appointment. I leave you in the custody of Diego. I suggest you quietly await my return. You have people around you who do not have your power. Do not forget it. So it would be better for everyone that I find you here as a nice little girl at my return."

  "If your vampire comes near me, I swear it, I will destroy him!"

  "Well, if that is his destiny. The fight could be interesting from many points of view. Diego knows your...skills. He'll do nothing to you if you stay quiet on your side. Knowing him, he will not miss the chance to offer you entertainments. But nothing obliges you to accept them."

  With these cryptic words, he rose. He had a telepathic communication with Diego that Mystie managed to intercept by lowering her psychic defenses.

  "You do not touch a hair of her head. Remember, she is capable of defending herself anyway. But if you try something, it's also to me that you would be accountable. If you're not already destroyed of course."

  Diego smiled. He did not seem impressed by the threat. "And if she tries to flee?"

  "You stop her. I want her to be here when I return. Intact. Am I clear?"

  "You seem very concerned with the comfort of this human!"

  "She is part of my plan."

  This answer seemed to have more effect on the vampire than the threat.

  "I can have fun with her after?"

  "After?" Charles shrugged and left the room quietly, after a last look at Mystie.

  She heard a door slam and metallic sound echoed loudly on the walls. Then nothing. Diego did not move, but Mystie began to regret the departure of Charles. The vampire played with a coin, flipping, catching it and looking at the face on his hand. Then he fixed Mystie and licked his lips. She preferred to avoid his gaze. His way of looking at her frightened her. Something gave him a threatening look even if she could not specify what.

  He gave her the answer. And she would have preferred to ignore it. He had not moved, not uttered a word. But she pressed herself against the wall behind the protection of h
er blanket. Yet, poor defense.

  The vampire threw her lustful images telepathically. Scenes of rape, too precise for being only a figment of his sick mind. He had tortured, raped and killed his victims and not always in that order. Mystie curled on herself. She closed her mind to stop receiving these images that disgusted her. But it was too late, she would never forget them. Diego did not show anything and continued to play with the coin. Mystie did not dare move, for fear that a movement might trigger something in her guardian. Who knows how such a fool could react? If Diego made the slightest step towards her, she would destroy him. She would not let him approach, not after having seen what he was capable of. She hoped that Charles would return quickly. Between a psychopath and a rapist, she had made her choice.

  CHAPTER - 25 -

  Silvo and Delatour went to the police car parked at the entrance of the dead end. Silvo gave radio instructions to put Clothilde under protection and took the opportunity to learn if the investigations concerning Mystie’s abduction had made any progress.

  "Sorry boss! The study of video surveillance tapes gave nothing. The forensics is still analyzing fingerprints found in the car. But it's a rental car. We are not short of them! I will call you as soon as we have news."

  "Yes. No matter the hour. I will call you soon anyway."

  The ride continued in silence. Silvo drop the vampire off and after exchange of greetings, and took the road back to Paris.

  "We do not go home?" Casper asked, seeing that Silvo turned back and parked a few blocks away.

  "No. We wait. You're in my mind Casper. So you know what I think."

  "You think Dracul could hide something so important from us? He's wild about Mystie. I am convinced of it."

  "I do not doubt it. In his own way. But he has the annoying habit of going it alone. I remain convinced that he did not inform us of his abduction, and if he enclosed you under a vacuum, it was for a good reason."

  "Sure, the jokes, even rotten, it's not his style."

  "No. His style is rather the manipulation. I think he already knew a lot about the second team before his abduction. Maybe even before I gathered you to talk about Porkelevitch’s information. That's why he put you off immediately. To be sure you would not follow him."

  "The abduction by Kopf was not expected to happen. He was taken by surprise, or thought it was the second team, which contacted him. That's your idea?"

  "Yes. And he knew so much and so fast about the second team…"

  "It is that they are vampires." Casper finished.

  "That's it."

  "He spoke to us about it tonight."

  "That's what's annoying with him. You never know where he will draw the line. But you will notice that he has not developed much."

  "I am so used to it now that I do not pay attention anymore. Hold on, here he comes!"

  Delatour’s car passed at slow speed and Silvo let him take the lead. At this very early hour, traffic was light. He did not want to lose track of him, but preferred to avoid detection.

  "I think you're right," Casper said. "He isn’t going home. There are lots of possible paths, but by this way he will lose time."

  "I know enough! I will call my team for air support. The helicopter should be ready to go."

  As soon as the helicopter took over the supervision, Silvo gave Delatour more distance. By radio, the pilot informed him about the way to follow. Silvo was relieved. They were reaching the suburbs. In order not to lose track, Silvo would have had to follow Delatour closely. And the vampire would not have failed to detect him.

  "But where is he going?" Casper asked.

  Silvo did not answer. He did not like having to follow Delatour without his knowledge. But on the other hand, Delatour had not played fair. If he had an appointment with the kidnappers, he could only get the information when they returned from the villa where he had been sequestered or during his telepathic contact at Clothilde. This had perhaps nothing to do with their business, but Silvo doubted it. Maybe he just went to make his report. But he did not need to see his interlocutors to do so. Something else was afoot. Something that, once again, the vampire wanted to handle alone. Silvo was getting tired of vampires and their shenanigans. If he was right, this time Delatour would have to explain his behavior and for this, use more vocabulary than his usual onomatopoeia.

  At this point, the helicopter pilot informed Silvo that Delatour’s car had just parked in the parking lot of a private clinic.

  "Thanks guys. You can return, but stay ready to take off. And give the position to the ground team so that they can join me."

  "It might have nothing to do with Mystie," Casper suggested.

  "Come on. You either, you do not believe a word of it. I'll park a little further."

  "Understood! I will go discreetly and do reconnaissance. And I'll keep you informed."

  "Thank you Casper."

  The ghost entered the building after Delatour. Life had already returned to the clinic. Nurses were calling, asking about the events of the night. Obviously it was the shift change. Delatour walked past reception without anyone asking him what he was doing there. His decided approach probably gave him the necessary legitimacy although it was not yet visiting hours. Unless he was known in the facility. He also worked in the medical field.

  Casper would have liked to engage in conversation and try his luck with some of the nurses. It was hard sometimes to be a spirit. He had always been sensitive to the charms of women, and nurses in particular.

  Delatour took the service stairs and came down to the basement. The ghost followed him.

  He crossed the first basement, where the surgery was, and continued to descend. The clinic had only two basements. The second was obviously for maintenance and the boiler room. Floors and walls were bare concrete, corridors invaded by pipes of all sizes. The vampire went to a heavy metal door and knocked three times. These were not, strictly speaking, knocks; hammering would have been more precise because the sound echoed through the corridor.

  After a few seconds of waiting, the door half-opened. Delatour went on his way and closed the door behind him. Casper crossed the door, more and more curious.

  The room had to be a reserve. Shelves heavily loaded with what appeared to be tools and spare parts lined up on the walls. At the end of the room, another metal door. Closed. In the center Delatour was facing another vampire.

  Casper had no doubt. The other had to be a blood vampire. His body was in perfect condition but thin, almost skeletal. His chest remained fixed, no movement of breathing. Casper intended to continue his visit when the two vampires ceased their silent speech to speak out loud.

  "Get out of my way, Childeric!" Delatour growled. "How dare you stand before me?"

  "You cannot do anything to me, Satan's collaborator! Your pitiful Council has underwritten it. And especially it would not take the risk of angering my Master."

  "Satan's collaborator?" Delatour repeated sourly. "You forget your own condition."

  "I am not comparable, son of the devil."

  "Tell me about it. I'll be curious to hear how far goes your perversion, while waiting for your Master."

  Casper lost interest in their discussion. He wanted to find Mystie. He walked on but collided with the door. He tried again, but again bounced. The wall set the same resistance.

  "What's happening?" he asked himself.

  There could be only a single explanation. Access was protected by a spell of the same type as the one prepared by Clothilde. Maybe she could invalidate it.

  Go ask her, inform Silvo, continue to follow Delatour? Not knowing what to do, Casper decided to play spectator to the verbal sparring that went on. Delatour was clearly struggling to keep calm. It was a first.

  "In fact, I should not be surprised. A bastard like you, hidden under a monk's garb, could not in any way go to Hell. You escaped me five hundred years ago, but I'll fix it. Vampire!"

  "Anathema! You're a pagan, an infidel, an abomination Delatour Tower or whatever
name you take."

  "And all these qualifiers because I'm a vampire? You forget yourself!" Delatour sneered.

  "Demon! I am not a vampire. Our Lord only gave me this appearance so that I fight against you and the devil you serve. And if I have to carry this heavy burden, it is to test my faith."

  Delatour looked stunned at Childeric. The executioner of his mother spoke as if in the days of the Inquisition. He believed he had jumped in time. How was this possible? Where did this nut spend the last five hundred years?

  At the time, Delatour had wanted revenge on the monster, but this one had fled like the coward he was, once he accomplished his sinister plan. He had not wanted to kill him. He wanted to see him die a thousand deaths. He wanted to keep the best parts for last. Others would pay their debts first and they had paid, with interest.

  But he had been ambushed. His rage not to be able to lead his project to an end had given him the strength to maintain his body. But it took time, lots of time to stabilize his mortal coil and heal it. He could have taken another, but in his blood flowed that of his ancestors. Low biological link but that was all that remained. He wanted, for the sake of his all family, the monster to die by his hand. Both literally and figuratively. When he returned to wreak vengeance many months later, he was led to believe that the monk was dead. And stupidly he had believed it. He had realized his mistake in reading the copy of the parchment that Silvo had provided.

  He could not collect on a grave. The body of his mother and sister had been burned. Nothing more held him in this cursed village. He left for France without a backward glance.

  He had often imagined the face of the monk, when he would have found himself facing Satan, whose servants he saw everywhere and of whom he was the meanest lackey. He believed him in the hells where he would eventually find him.

  Being in front of him today was a shock. Seeing him as fanatical as before gave him back his rage of yesteryear.

  "But how is it possible that in five hundred years you have not changed one iota? That's beyond me! In addition you are a blood vampire! I'm curious to know how you justify drinking the blood of your victims."

  "I do not have to justify myself to you! Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. John chapter six verse fifty-three.