by Amy Cross
I want to scream, to tell him that he's made a terrible mistake, but I can't move at all. I can't even close my eyes. All I can do is watch him feed on my corpse as everything slowly becomes darker and dimmer. The last thing I see, as the life ebbs from my body, is rain falling on my dead eyes.
The Alderman's Dilemma
Prologue
"You realize that none of this is reliable, right?" asked Dr. Pettifer.
"But you found something?" Kate Langley asked, craning her neck to get a better look at the documents Pettifer had brought with him to the restaurant. She'd been waiting three weeks to get her hands on the files Pettifer had managed to unearth. "Those aren't just for decoration, are they?" she added nervously.
"I found something," Pettifer replied, "although I'm not sure it'll be much use." He paused for a moment. "How's Dr. Marlowe doing? I heard -"
"I think he'll be fine," Kate replied, trying to cut the question off before Pettifer could demand too much detail. "The fire really hit him hard. He'd poured his heart and soul into that work, and then to see if burned to the ground, the whole thing was too much."
"And the death of his assistant," Pettifer added. "Surely that must have been traumatic?"
Kate paused. "Sure," she said eventually, with a faint smile, even though she knew that Marlowe hadn't given a damn about the death of Wade Summers. Marlowe was a man who focused only on facts and information, so his only thought on Wade's death was probably that it would be inconvenient to have to find a new assistant so soon. Still, Kate was fully aware that it would be quite some time before Andrew Marlowe was in a position to hire anyone. For now, Marlowe was holed up in a psychiatric hospital just outside Gloucester, where he was being treated for the after-effects of a nervous breakdown.
"So..." Pettifer paused, clearly uncomfortable with the whole topic. "I pulled all this data together as a favor for you, Kate, but I don't..." He paused again, trying to make sure that he got the right words out in the right order. "I don't want my name attached to any of this work. I hope you understand that I need to protect my reputation, so I can't be connected to any..." Finally, his voice trailed off; the look in his eyes, however, made it clear that he was deeply unhappy about the whole situation.
"Don't worry," Kate replied. "Just tell me what you found out."
"There's a lot," Pettifer continued. "It took a while to get into the Bulgarian records, but once I'd gained access, I found a lot of information about this LeCompte family. They were pretty powerful back in the day. Go back a couple of hundred years and they're more or less the top dogs in their part of the world. And then it all kind of came crashing down in the late seventeenth century, and today they're more or less forgotten."
"Forgotten?" Kate asked. "How can they have fallen so far?"
"They lost everything," Pettifer explained, "including their prestige. I've tracked down a lot of information, but there are still some gaps. The whole mess seems to have centered around two twins, Edgar and Madeleine. By all accounts, they trashed the family's good name in record time and then..." He looked down at the documents. "Well, it's all in here. There were some pretty wild and lurid stories, and for a while the whole thing was one of the biggest scandals in Eastern Europe. Word traveled far."
"You make them sound like rock stars," Kate pointed out.
"If they'd been alive today, they might have been. Back then, they were just regarded as a pair of trouble-makers, although the end of the story's kind of strange. I'll leave you to read that part for yourself. I just hope you're not gonna fall into that classic trap of seeing two inexplicable pieces of information and assuming that there's some kind of spooky explanation. It's easy to get caught up in that kind of stuff, but most of the time we're better off sticking to the hard course and waiting for a story that's more logical."
"And I can these documents this with me?"
"Of course. But..." He paused again. "It's pretty rum stuff, Kate. I'd hate for you to get drawn into something that's maybe a little fevered and over the top."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that there's two ways a person can lose their mind. Sometimes it happens quickly, like with Dr. Marlowe. You just topple off the edge of sanity and tumble down into the depths of madness. And other times..." He stared at her, watching as she opened the file. He could tell he was losing her attention already. "Other times it happens slowly," he continued, "and it creeps up before you even notice it. You jump from one idea to the next, and you don't notice that they're slowly getting a little less stable."
"I'll keep that in mind," Kate replied, "and I appreciate your concern. Really."
"Don't make me regret supplying these documents," Pettifer said nervously, taking a sip from his drink. "If I find out that you've been carted off to join Marlowe in a nuthouse, I'm gonna be mightily pissed off."
He waited for a reply, but none was forthcoming. Kate was already engrossed in the documents, and in the history of the man whose dead body might just have walked out of a burning building. As she read, a slow smile spread across her lips.
Chapter One
Bulgaria, 350 years ago
"Bring her to the water!" shouted Alderman Petrov. "There's no time to waste! Bring the heathen down here!"
Turning, he watched as his two assistants dragged the terrified young woman down from the edge of town. A small crowd was following, keen to see the fate of such a vicious and evil creature, and Alderman Petrov knew full well that the locals would be happy with one result and one result only. Having spread her evil through the town for far too long, the woman had finally gone too far, and her actions had compelled the citizenry to cast her out, along with her brother. For Alderman Petrov, there could be no sweeter duty than to bring the vengeance of the Lord crashing down upon the shoulders of this sweet but unholy maiden.
"We have had more than enough of this evil!" he shouted as the crowd reached him. "We have lived for years with vile monsters in our midst, but we shall tolerate such things no more! Some of us recognized the face of evil when first we beheld such a thing, but for others it took a little longer. We must all look deep into our hearts and see the need for action at such times!"
"Let go of me!" the woman screamed as she was forced onto her knees. Dirty and bloodied after being held for a week in a nearby barn, she had the wild-eyed look of an animal. Tangled, jet-black hair framed her pale face, and her neck and shoulders were covered with dark bruises. Reaching out to grab one of her captors, she scratched a large chunk of flesh away from his arm before the other man struck the side of her head with sufficient force to make her let go. With blood pouring from her mouth, she spat a tooth out onto the ground.
"And still she struggles," Alderman Petrov said calmly, with a faint smile on his face.
"I swear to God," the continued breathlessly, rubbing the spot on the side of her head where she was struck, "you're making a terrible mistake! I'm not -"
"Silence!" Alderman Petrov shouted, puffing out his chest as much as possible. "You have had your chance to speak, vile serpent!" He turned to the assembled crowd, keen to make sure that they were observing his confrontation with the wicked intruders.
"No, you must be silent!" the woman shouted. "You're leading these people into something they can't possibly understand! You're allowing superstition and fear to rule your lives!" Turning to the assembled crowd, she tried to make a plea to the general populace. "You mustn't listen to this man! He's driven by secrets! He's -"
"Speak when you're spoken to!" Alderman Petrov shouted, just as one of his assistants delivered another blow to the side of the woman's neck, causing her to crumple to the ground. "We will not allow your wicked tongue to work its magic on us," he continued. "We have heard the evil lies that come from your mouth, Ms. LeCompte, and we will no longer let ourselves be lured into your deceit. Those days are over! The people of this town have been tested by God, but finally they have seen the light!"
A murmur of agreement rose from the crowd.
"Yo
u know nothing of God," the woman muttered, staring up at Alderman Petrov with angry, fearful eyes, "but he knows all about you. Do you think it pleases him less to know that these wicked acts are committed in his name? Do you think he looks down upon your stupidity and cruelty, and considers you to be worthy children? What kind of God is happy to be worshiped by idiots?""
"You have no right to speak of God with such authority," Alderman Petrov replied. "What are you, anyway? Just a pale whore who spreads lies and pain?" He paused for a moment. "As I hear it, you've opened your legs for half the married men in this town!"
"But not for you," she replied, with a hint of a smile.
"No, Ms. LeCompte," he continued, "I think you are much more than just a whore. I think this whole town now knows that you are a far more dangerous presence. Tell me, did you and your brother once adopt the form of a snake and offer Eve the apple that brought about the downfall of mankind?" There was a murmur of approval from the crowd; they were enjoying the theatricality of the alderman's performance. "Did you laugh at our Lord and Savior when you saw him on the cross?" the alderman roared, to more cheers. "Are you, in fact, the spawn of the Devil?"
Still smiling, the woman shook her head.
"Of course you deny it," Alderman Petrov continued, with a calmer tone. "The Devil has no pride in his handiwork. He seeks only to deceive. He targets ordinary people... good, honest people... and he slips his tongue into their minds and possesses their thoughts. It will take many years for our town to overcome the effects of your presence, but I assure you that we will cast away your vile influence."
"Make your mind up," the woman replied. "Am I the Devil, or am I a monster?"
"You are evil!" Alderman Petrov shouted, removing the wooden stake from a sling that hung over his shoulder. "The whole town has seen the effects of your presence. You flaunt your female form in front of the men and you lure them away from God and into your bosom! You seduce them into your bed and you tempt them with the pleasures of flesh, while your brother works to tease them with other gains. Everyone in this town has witnessed the effect of your vile ambition, and we have sinned by allowing you to remain among our number for so long! Now, at last, we are forcing you from our midst, and we can only hope that God takes heed of our efforts!"
"You're wrong," the woman said. The smile was gone from her face, and her eyes were fixed on the sharpened end of the stake. "Why must you carry out such barbarity in the name of God? Why must you drape yourself in His holiness while killing those who have done nothing? Are you trying to distract from your own sins? For what other reason would such a plain man feel so compelled to cast accusations at innocent people?"
"Silence!" Alderman Petrov shouted. He turned to the crowd and paused for a moment to observe their terrified faces. "I have heard stories about these creatures," he continued. "Stories from afar. There is a name for them. They are vampires. They are an ancient evil, so dark and vile that for the most part they were kept out of the Bible. Fortunately, I have learned how to kill them. It will be a swift and brutal death, but there is no other choice. If there is one man among you, just one, who begs to differ with me and who believes that this creature's life should be spared, you must step forward now or forever keep your thoughts to yourself!"
"Cowards," the woman muttered.
"I know what you are," Alderman Petrov sneered, looking down at her. "You came from abroad and you brought drought and famine in your wake. I have heard stories from nearby villages. Your fame has finally caught up with you, my dear. By day you walk in human form, but by night you haunt our streets and take roost in our nightmares. You're nothing more than a vampire, and if we do not drive you from the town, you and your brother will eventually drain us all of our blood!"
"Kill her!" shouted a voice from the crowd.
"Superstitious idiots," the woman whispered. "You actually believe all this childish nonsense. You hear tales of monsters and you allow your scrunched-up little minds to be manipulated so that you -"
"Your words have no effect upon us," Alderman Petrov replied, interrupting her. "Not now that we see through you. The only thing any of us wishes to hear come from your lips is an acknowledgment of your sinfulness and an honest plea to God. Are you capable of such things, woman, or will you take your sin to the grave? Will you be the first of your kind to repent before the Lord?"
The woman stared at him for a moment, before finally spotting movement nearby. Turning, she saw that a group of men had begun to lead her brother Edgar down from the town.
"Are we to die together?" she asked, before panic and fear finally flooded through her body. "Edgar!" she screamed, trying to get to her feet before being forced back down by Alderman Petrov's assistants. "Edgar, they mean to kill us! Is it not time to fight back? Edgar, you must stop this madness!"
A pale and thin man, with a sickly countenance and an uncertain gait, Edgar showed no sign that he'd even heard his sister's words. Allowing himself to be led to the edge of the river, he knelt obediently, as if he had fully accepted his fate. Bowing his head, he looked like a man who expected to have his life ended at any moment.
"Edgar, you must do something!" the woman shouted, trying once again to get to her feet, but finding herself quickly forced back down. "These men are dangerous fools! He has a stake, and he means to use it against us! He thinks we're vampires!"
"Silence!" Alderman Petrov shouted, using the blunt end of the stake to hit the side of her face. "Hold her up!" he barked, turning to the two jailers who had accompanied them down to the river. "There is no need to delay the moment any longer! After all, we carry out this act not for pleasure, but because it is our duty to atone for all sins that have been committed in our town."
"Edgar!" the woman screamed as she was dragged up by the jailers, who held her in place despite her attempts to get free. "Edgar, they're going to kill us!" the woman continued, trying with all her strength to struggle loose. "Are you going to let this happen? We have to do something! We have to get away! Edgar!"
Still kneeling, Edgar didn't even look over at her. He just stared at the river, watching as the water drifted gently past the small town. It was almost as if his mind was somewhere else entirely, and he clearly had no interest in helping his sister.
"As you die," Alderman Petrov continued, placing the sharp end of the stake against the woman's chest, "I sincerely hope that you are finally able to accept God into your soul. It might very well be too late for you to be forgiven your many sins, but at least you might serve as an example to those whose hearts remain pure." Glancing over at the crowd, he noticed several children with their eyes fixed on the stake. "It is saddening indeed," he said eventually, "that young and pure hearts must see such horrific acts. I only hope that these children, who have the misfortune to witness your wretched form, are able to learn from this example."
"Then why don't you -" the woman started to say.
Before she could finish, however, Alderman Petrov grabbed her shoulder and pulled her closer, while thrusting the stake so deep into her chest that it emerged, bloodied, from her back.
Letting out a gasp, the woman stared straight ahead.
"Feel the force of God's power," Alderman Petrov hissed. "Feel the quality of his mercy."
Her eyes wide open, the woman did not respond. The stake had entered her body and run straight through her heart, and blood was beginning to trickle from one corner of her mouth. She struggled for a moment, but it was too late and all she could do was reach up and desperately try to pull the stake loose.
"Such a pathetic gesture," Alderman Petrov whispered. "The last, desperate act of an evil creature that has finally met its fate."
Stepping back, he couldn't help but smile as he watched the woman fumble with the end of the stake. She staggered forward, before finally turning to the crowd. With a grunt, she ripped the stake from her chest and dropped it to the ground, exposing a clear hole that ran all the way through her torso. Blood poured from the wound as she moved her lips, as if
she was trying to say something, and then she dropped to the knees before falling forward and landing face-down on the grass.
Silence fell upon the scene.
"Death shall greet all the Devil's workers," Alderman Petrov said eventually, addressing the hushed crowd. "This foul heathen had the chance to embrace God, but she chose instead to let darkness enter her heart. Any one of us could make the same mistake, and it is only through strength, hard work and unity that we can possibly hope to remain strong."
A few meters away, still on his knees, Edgar LeCompte continued to stare at the water. He had not responded to the death of his sister. In fact, he had not even flinched. It was as if he had long been resigned to this moment, and felt that there was no way to react. He certainly showed no inclination to fight back or try to escape, and he seemed to have accepted his fate with a degree of calm and composure that made some members of the crowd feel a little uneasy. He had not looked at his sister's corpse, or at her murderer.
"And what of this miserable sinner?" Alderman Petrov continued, retrieving the bloodied stake from the ground before walking over to Edgar. "What are we to make of a creature that cannot even muster a sliver of emotion when his own sister is slaughtered before his eyes? Does he not recognize that even though she became a sinner, she must have once been a pure and innocent child? Does he not care that the blood spilled on the grass here today comes from his own sibling?" He walked slowly around Edgar, waiting for some kind of reaction. "Does he not weep for the loss of the one person for whom he should care?"
