by Lili Zander
It's not the enforcers that make me freeze with fear, however, and it’s not even the barking dogs that they hold on straining leashes. It's the vampire walking toward me, a thick layer of sunblock masking his face. I’d know that great hulking build anywhere. Olaf Vander.
“Well, well,” he says. “If it isn't everyone's favorite contestant.”
I grope for my stick, my palms slick with nerves. Saber’s words ring in my ear. Vampires are faster and stronger than humans.
I swallow back my fear. “What do you want?”
He sneers. “Why, to kill you, of course.” His voice turns conversational. “You had to have known that opposing the Overlord’s will was a very unwise thing to do, Raven Unnuk. Your parents tried to stand up against the Overlord’s father, and where are they now?” His teeth bare into a cold smile. “Dead.”
My knuckles tighten on the staff. I clench my hands into fists. “Do not talk about my parents.”
He laughs, amused by my anger. “Don't worry, human. In a few minutes, you're going to join them.” He stalks toward me. “This would be a lot easier if we didn't need to make it look like an accident. But with Prince Ragnar prowling around, we need to be cautious.”
Deep breath, Raven. Saber said that a vampire couldn’t be defeated by speed and strength alone. Olaf doesn’t have a reputation for being particularly bright. Is there any way I can trick him?
He tilts his head to one side. “I think I’ll just drain your body of blood,” he says. “I’m sure you'll taste like the common gutter bug that you are, but it can't be helped.” He leers at me. “Come here,” he says, his voice layered with compulsion. “Offer me your neck.”
Damn it. I can’t fight his order.
I look around desperately, hoping for some way out. There isn't any. The enforcers must have been chosen for their loyalty to Olaf, because they look unmoved by my plight. The dogs are baying and tugging at their leashes, trained killers ready to tear me to pieces. Even if there's some chance I managed to defeat the vampire, I still have to get through five enforcers and five attack dogs.
There’s no way out. I’m going to die here, on Glacis. Ironic, really. I managed to survive ten years in the re-education camps, and I thought I was finally free. But the ice desert will still claim me.
I must obey Olaf, but it doesn't mean I have to hold my tongue. At this moment, faced with my impending death, defiance is the only thing I have.
I look around insolently. “Five enforcers, five dogs, and one vampire to take out one human woman,” I sneer. “What's the matter, Olaf? Are you afraid of me?”
It’s almost time for the sun to rise. If I can keep Vander talking just long enough… The vampires can’t fight their need to sleep during the day, and sunlight will burn their skin. Can I delay the inevitable?
“Now, Raven.”
No human can resist the compulsion. It is one of the things that has helped the vampires rule us. My feet start moving involuntarily, and though I try to fight the pull every inch of the way, I can't stop myself. I make my way to his side, and dutifully offer him my neck.
Saber, Zeke, and Nero never used compulsion on me. Not even once. All vampires aren't the same. Olaf is like the Overlord—greedy, cowardly, and ruthless—but Saber, Zeke, and Nero are very different men. Better men.
Olaf’s fangs drop. I feel his hands around my neck, and then he bites down. Sharp pain explodes through me. “Your blood,” he whispers hoarsely. “It smells so intoxicating.”
Then he starts drinking.
In a way, I'm lucky, really. There are many painful ways to die. Under the circumstances, drinking me dry seems about as good as it gets.
My body numbs. My muscles become relaxed. Lethargic.
Then Olaf Vander screams, a long, thin wail. “What is happening?” he gasps. He lets go of me, and backs away, his eyes wide and staring with horror.
My knees buckle. I crash to the ice.
Boils begin to form on his skin. Large pustules that get bigger and bigger. Olaf falls to the ground, clawing at his face, shrieking in agony. The enforcers are in shock. None of them react, and none of them try to help him.
Cold seeps through me. I can’t stop watching. The boils burst and a greenish liquid leaks out. My stomach heaves as the corrosive fluid seems to burn Olaf. He's quite literally melting in front of my eyes.
His screams of pain go on for a very long time, and then he finally goes silent.
What the hell just happened here?
His death seems to snap the enforcers back to awareness. “Kill her,” one of them growls. “Release the dogs.”
I tighten my grip on my stick. Five men and five dogs. Not good odds. This is it, Raven. Don't go out without a fight.
Then they’re there. With an angry shout, Nero jumps into the fray, throwing his body in front of me just as the first dog springs forward.
Saber and Zeke are right behind him. Saber grabs an enforcer by the neck and throws him away from me. The man flies through the air for nearly six feet before landing hard on the ice.
Zeke plants himself in front of me. “We only have minutes,” he says urgently. “The sun will burn us, and our bodies are already weakened fighting deep slumber. Take my gun.”
“It’s not allowed,” I respond instinctively.
He laughs without humor. “It doesn’t matter now,” he says. “The only thing that matters is keeping you safe.”
Four enforcers are down. The dogs, recognizing a stronger foe, are retreating. Nero is locked in hand-to-hand combat with the last enforcer. Yesterday, when we were sparring, he’d moved so fast that he was a blur. Today, he seems mortal. The sun, the pull of the slumber—these things have taken away the vampires’ natural advantages.
Zeke’s face is etched with pain. “The sunblock is near useless. Raven. You have to take the gun. Now.”
The sun starts to rise on the horizon, and rays of light hit the ice. Saber falls to his knees, clutching his face. At my side, Zeke growls as his skin begins to burn.
I grab the gun from Zeke’s hands. Forgive me, Great Spirit, for what I’m about to do. I've never killed anyone before. With shaking fingers, I lift Zeke’s gun and point it at the fighting men. I wait until I have a clean shot, and then I fire. The enforcer falls back, blood gushing from his chest.
But I don't care about him, not now. It's the three vampires I need to save.
They came for me. I would've died without them.
It's time to return the favor.
Moving as quickly as I can, I roll their bodies onto the piece of plastic. It’s not easy. I’m still dizzy from the effects of Vander’s bite, and I feel dangerously weak. But I have no choice. Out here in the open, exposed to the rays of the sun, the vampires will burn to death if I don’t act.
Saber’s saying something. I crouch next to him and put my ear against his mouth. “Our packs,” he says, sounding strained and weak. “On the skimmer. We’re going to need them.”
My pulse races. He sounds like he’s at death’s door. Please don’t let them die, Great Spirit, I beg. Please.
I can’t fall to pieces. Their survival depends on me. “Okay,” I tell him, squeezing his hand. I'm quite proud of how steady my voice is. I carefully tuck the tent around them, covering their faces and their bodies with the fabric. The fabric blocks light. Hopefully, it'll keep the sun’s rays away from them, long enough that I can get to shelter.
Doing my very best not to look at the half-melted body of Olaf Vander, or the dead enforcers scattered around me, I search for the skimmer Saber mentioned. There it is, due west of here. The noise of the wind must have prevented me from hearing its sputter as they pulled up. Then again, I didn't hear the enforcers approach either. So far, I'm not doing very well fending off my enemies.
At least the dogs had the good sense to run away.
I half-run, half-slide to their skimmer and maneuver it right up to them. Using the base of my boat as a ramp, I drag their bodies into the skimmer, pushing the p
acks to the side. I tie my ice-boat to the back; I can tow it. When that’s done, I take a quick look at the map that was in my pack, the one showing the locations of the five flags. If I am where I think I am, there’s a shelter not too far from here.
Yes. It’s less than a thirty-minute ride from here, thank the Great Spirit. Something’s finally going my way.
I start to move, one thought prickling under my skin.
Why did Olaf Vander melt when he drank from me?
23
Nero
Boarus 4
Sundown, TenthDay of FourthMonth
My head is pounding, and my face feels like it's on fire.
The memories slowly return. We had sunblock on, but it was practically useless. It worked less than five minutes before the sunlight started penetrating.
Why am I alive? The last thing I remember was fighting an enforcer, willing my body to resist the tug of slumber. The black-market juice hadn’t worked as well as our usual stuff. It felt like I was moving through mud. Everything was slower. My limbs refused to respond to me.
I thought it was the end.
Where am I? I open my eyes, sighing in gratitude at the welcome dimness. I try and sit up, and I must make a noise, because someone immediately moves to my side.
Raven. She’s here, apparently unhurt. An intense flood of relief fills me. “You’re alive,” I croak. “I was afraid we were too late.”
“You need to rest,” she whispers. Her voice sounds thick and strained. My gaze swings up to her face. Her eyes are red-rimmed, and her face is blotchy. She's been crying.
I ache to comfort her. I want to kiss away her tears and make it all better. I don’t know what to do with my emotions, because they’re new to me and bewildering. Sex, I understand. The rush that comes from a well-fought battle? I know how to handle that feeling. But this tightness in my chest, this feeling of intense vulnerability, this ache when I see her hurting? Uncharted territory.
It’s too much to process. “There is a salve,” I say instead. “In my pack.”
She's crouched next to me, but at my words, she gets up and leaves my field of vision, returning a moment later with a pack in her arms. “Is this it?”
“That’s Zeke’s pack,” I reply. “It doesn't matter. He'll have the salve too. Look for a small yellow bottle.”
She rummages through Zeke’s stuff. “This one?” she asks, pulling out the salve.
“That’s it.” I stretch my hand out for it, wincing in pain. Opening the stopper, I dab the liquid on my skin, and an immediate, welcome coolness fills me.
“Your skin,” she says, her mouth falling open. “It already looks better.”
“Nothing but the best for the Imperial Army.” I hand her the bottle. “Use it on the others, will you?”
She does as I ask while I struggle to sit up. “Where are we?” I ask, looking around at the small one-room structure.
“It’s a mining shack,” she replies. “They’re all over Glacis. The Overlord is always prospecting for fresh sources of boarium.” She smiles wanly. “Whenever we got restive in the re-education camps, the guards would pick about twenty of us at random, and they’d throw us out on the ice, warning us not to come back to camp for a week. We used these cabins for shelter. They’re not warm, but we were out of the wind, at least.”
Rage settles in my belly, deep and cold. Lula Kenner had better succeed in her rebellion because if she doesn't do something about Zimmer, I will. “This colony is an abomination.”
She lifts her shoulders in a shrug, but her fingers lace in mine. “It’s just the way it is.”
Saber sits up with a groan, his eyes darting around the room until he finds Raven. When he sees her standing there, safe and unhurt, a shudder of relief runs through his body. “You're alive.”
“Thanks to all of you,” she replies quietly. “If you hadn’t shown up when you did…”
She’s more than returned the favor. “You saved us too,” I point out. “Had you left us, the sun’s rays would've burnt us.” I squeeze her hand. “Thank you for that.”
She smiles back at me before moving to Saber and handing him a cup of water. He takes a sip. “I saw what happened with Olaf Vander.”
The man Zimmer sent to assassinate Raven drank her blood and died horribly. Raven’s not a fool. She’s got to be wondering why.
“What happened to Olaf…” She swallows hard. “You weren’t surprised. You knew that would happen.”
It’s long past the time for truth. “We guessed,” Saber replies.
“Tell me what I did to him?”
Saber gathers his thoughts. “When I agreed to sponsor you, I was acting on impulse. But then I neared you, and I caught a whiff of your scent. You’d just been tested for the bite, and you had a couple of drops of blood on your arm.” He gives her a steady look. “You were bitten by a rogue vampire who appeared half-mad. He was carrying a blood disease, one that is fatal to us. He passed it on to you. You’re now a carrier.”
Her face goes pale. “A blood disease?” she whispers. “I thought vampires were almost impossible to kill.”
Saber laughs grimly. “Sadly,” he says, “That’s not true. Tainted blood is the easiest way.”
“Congratulations,” I quip, trying to lighten the mood. “You are now the most dangerous human on Boarus 4.”
Zeke, who’s now awake too, shoots me an irritated glance. I shut up. “It’s a lot to take, I know,” he says, giving Raven a sympathetic glance.
She doesn’t appear to hear him. “That’s why the Overlord has been searching for me. That’s why they’re taking blood samples from the human women they’re rounding up.”
“Yes. You’re proof that Zimmer built a forbidden weapon. He can’t let the Empress and Ragnar find out what he did.” I trace a scar on the back of my hand. “If he knew that you were the woman he’s been searching for so desperately for the last few days, he wouldn’t have sent one vampire to kill you. He would have sent twenty.”
“And you? Why are you here?”
Saber goes very still. “Like I told Ragnar, my boss is exceedingly unhappy with me for failing in Rothis. He’d like me out of sight for a while.”
He’s lying through his teeth. I understand why. Raven’s badly spooked already. Telling her that it’s not just the Overlord who is after her, but also Harek Levitan, the second-most powerful vampire in the Empire? That would overwhelm her.
But though I understand the reason for the falsehood, I don’t like it. It just doesn’t feel right. Not after she saved our lives.
Raven looks like the foundation of her world has been shaken. I get to my feet and wrap my arms around her. “We won’t let anything happen to you, kära.”
A shiver runs through her body. “That’s not it.” Her eyes are round with horror. “He said he was going to drain the blood from my body, and then he bit me. I killed him. Great Spirit, I killed him, and I killed the enforcer that was fighting Nero as well.”
I tighten my grip on her as if I can squeeze away her pain, her terror. “They were trying to kill you. You did what you had to do to survive.”
Zeke’s expression turns distant. “We have a problem. If he hasn’t already, the Overlord will find out soon enough that his assassination attempt didn't go as planned. And when he sees Vander’s body, he'll know that Raven is a carrier.”
Raven’s still huddled in my arms. She looks up at Zeke’s words. “He won’t find anything. After I got you to safety, I went back. I got rid of the bodies, removed the tracking chip on Olaf Vander’s skimmer, and drove it into a snow drift. They’ll never find it.”
Fuck. She’s smart. Alone and afraid, she was still thinking clearly enough to get rid of the evidence. What a woman. She’s magnificent.
Saber smiles at her admiringly. “Good thinking. Zimmer’s going to wonder what happened to the enforcers, but he won’t know for sure. With Ragnar watching his every move, he’s going to have to act as if nothing’s wrong.”
Z
eke grins. “And the tournament will go on as planned. Nicely done, Raven.”
She’s slowly regaining color and recovering her wits. “There’s something wrong with my blood,” she whispers. “And you’ve known for days. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Would you have believed us?” Saber asks bluntly. “If we told you that you carried a blood weapon and that we were going to help you get off this colony, would you have trusted us?”
She bites her lower lip, and even though the timing is terrible, a surge of lust floods through my body. I push it back with ruthless determination. Now is really not the time.
“No.” She leans against my shoulder, her voice soft and reflective. “Thank you for saving my life.” She takes a deep, steadying breath. “My parents were executed for plotting against the Empire. When they died, I learned to hate.” She surveys the three of us. “Right from the start, you’ve shown me that you were different. My friend Joanna told me that there were good vampires and bad vampires, just like there were good humans and bad humans. I didn't believe her when she said it, but I do now. I trust you.”
Saber looks stricken. Guilt claws at my throat. We’re still keeping secrets from her. We’re still not telling her about Harek Levitan. I exchange a glance with the two other men. Let’s tell her everything, damn it. Let’s just be honest with her.
Raven’s not watching us. She’s lost in thought. “The vampire who bit me told me to go to Starra and find someone called Ivar Karling. Do you know who that is?”
I don’t. I turn to look at Zeke, but he shakes his head too. “I’ll do some research,” he promises.
I’m about to ask Saber what our next steps should be when Raven’s body goes slack. I grab her, but I don’t reach her in time.
She slides onto the floor in a dead faint.
