Haldred Chronicles: Alyssa

by JG Cully

  He talked about work mostly but it wasn't boring. It was quite interesting actually, hearing about how the steam engines of the docklands worked and how great advances were being made for the betterment of everyone. He let her talk as well, keen to know more about her, but she told him only so much. Some of it true, some of it not. It was actually he who had to go in the end, his face turning sad when he glanced at the wall mounted time-keeper set above the bar top.

  “Will you be back later?” she asked, eyes hopeful through her glasses.

  He shook his head solemnly.

  “We're working into the late hours tonight.” he said. “That's why I popped in before. I wanted to see you.”

  It was sweet, and she felt her cheeks going red for a reason other than the garment under her cloak.

  “I'm glad we met up again.” he said.

  He leaned in and kissed her. Only quickly, as they were in public after all.

  “Thank you.” she said.

  He turned to leave but she put her hand on his arm.

  “Wait,” she said. “ah...I've an idea. If you like?”

  He nodded. “What are you thinking?”

  “Well would you like to...walk me to work tomorrow?”

  “Yes,” he said, almost immediately, smiling again. “yes, I'd like that.”

  Beaming at him, she gave him her address and agreed a time. Then she pecked him on the cheek, just to cement things of course. This resulted in a silly grin spreading across his face, that he did his best to hide as he left.

  Alyssa slipped back into the kitchen, passing Katy on the way and getting a grin and thumbs up. Alyssa returned the grin.

  She opened the door to the kitchen, closing it behind her and slipping off her cloak.

  Just in time to bump into Sarah. Sarah promptly fainted, again. Alyssa rolled her eyes.

  “Oh come on,” she said to the unconscious girl. “it can't be that bad.”

  She found the rest of the kitchen staring at her.

  “It is that bad isn't it?” she sighed despairingly, finding her hand fidgeting with her glasses again.

  The kitchen, as a whole, nodded.

  Oh Gods.

  Alyssa hugged her chest and slid over to the vegetable preparation area again. She resolved not to leave it for the rest of the night.

  * * * * *

  The embarrassment of the night began to dissipate as Alyssa made her way home.

  Her cloak wrapped round her, she hurried through the night, keen to remove the offending corset. The meeting with James had been a welcome distraction. Particularly after the Council of Peace woman had appeared again. That had been unexpected, but then, nothing had come of it so she didn't feel the need to worry about it.

  She smiled again, for what would be the hundredth time that night. For exactly the same reason.

  I have a boyfriend.

  The concept was nothing alien. She'd had boyfriends before, good ones too. She had taste after all. Just never one since she'd become a vampire. This was something new, and very welcome.

  Can't figure out how though.

  The thought wasn't exactly a killjoy but it was...odd. Why wasn't he affected by her aura? For that matter, why wasn't Katy affected either? Two people who, as far as she could tell, were definitely human, and yet showed no signs of being affected by her aura of...fear, or something? She certainly wasn't complaining. A relationship affected by her aura would have been short lived indeed.

  Sorry, I'm afraid I'm not free tonight honey. I don't know what it is but when I'm around you I feel utterly freaked out.

  There was a lot about being a vampire that Alyssa didn't know. Some stuff she was happy enough not to know, such as turning someone else into a vampire. No way, she had no wish to inflict this way of 'living' on anyone else. There was also some stuff that she didn't know but rather wished she did. Like how to turn into a bat or bats. That would be much faster than walking after all. Vlad, useful thing that he was, had enlightened her to very little. Other than the bits and pieces she picked up as he rambled on about such-and-such the great and what's-his-name the brutal and she-who-should-have-been-named-better.

  At least he'd been quiet the last few days. She hoped that would last a bit longer. Having another voice in your head, particularly when trying to sleep, was distracting. Having another voice in your head whilst kissing...oh that would just be weird. She had the distinct feeling Vlad didn't like kissing men.

  I'm going to need a better box for him in the future.

  It was at this point that her hurried walk home was interrupted. By a mugger. Alyssa recognised him as a mugger almost instantly as he stepped out from a side alley grinning in that wonderfully overconfident way. In his hand he was brandishing a rather brutal looking blade, though he didn't seem to be terribly skilled with it.

  “Right girly.” he slurred, waving the knife clumsily. “Hand over the goods and ah won't have to cut yeh!”

  Oh for God's sake.

  Alyssa had been in this situation countless times. It was an accepted hazard in the post war times and despite the fact she was a vampire, idiots like the guy opposite her just seemed to appear all the time. Then again this was one of the few occasions where having a frightening aura actually came in handy. She had developed an effective method of dealing with muggers.

  She stepped forward.

  The mugger, flinched back, as if forgetting that he was the one armed and dangerous. The aura was taking effect. He seemed to correct this by noticing he had a knife in his hand and rallying noticeably, but he didn't step forward again.

  “Don't get all ballsy with me sunshine.” he growled with an obvious drop in confidence. “I'll...I'll gut you good and proper! Hand over your coin!”

  “No” said Alyssa, rather pointedly crossing her arms and glaring at him.

  This defiance seemed to utterly confuse him for a few seconds. Alyssa had always marvelled at the way muggers just couldn't seem to figure out what to do when someone defied them so openly. They just seemed to lose their train of thought. If she had been a bit more skilled in close combat she could easily have disarmed him by now. She wasn't though, and secretly she took a certain glee in watching them trying to figure her out. She might not like being a vampire but there were rare moments where she could get a little enjoyment out of it.

  Eventually, if they had the guts, they normally went for the kill as this one did, rather foolishly.

  His face contorted into a mask of rage as he swung for her, blade thrust forward in a very unsure manner. Almost casually her arm shot out and grabbed the blade, sharp side on. The mugger had the briefest moment to blink in surprise before Alyssa twisted her hand and snapped the blade in two like a pencil.

  “Idiot,” she muttered and smacked him across the head, hard, with the open palm of her other hand, the blow knocking him out cold before he hit the ground. A human slap might be painful. A vampire slap by contrast easily knocked a person out.

  She sighed “They never learn”.

  She checked the hand she had grabbed the blade with. Nothing. Not even the smallest mark. She never understood why her body seemed able to take damage with minimum effect, but she certainly didn't mind about that particular taint of vampirism.

  She bent down and pulled him up by his shirt, looking him over.

  I've not drunk in a while.

  It had been a few days. The most she could wait was two weeks so there was no danger if she didn't drink.

  But if she did drink now...

  DRINK HIM.

  Oh Gods. Perfect timing.

  “Hello Vlad” muttered Alyssa, rolling her eyes.

  DRINK HIM! insisted Vlad more sternly

  She cast the unconscious mugger another look, the man effectively hanging limp from her outstretched hand. Vlad, in his own uniquely ignorant manner did have a point. This guy was a mugger (and to Alyssa's mind classified as a 'bad' person), unconscious (so wouldn't know), and she was in an empty street. Drinking him would be a twisted
kind of righteousness and reasonably safe.

  She cast her eyes about, just to be sure. She couldn't see anyone at either end of the long street and her sharp hearing could detect nothing except the ambient sounds of a city asleep. She beheld the mugger again. His neck was exposed, his head hanging to one side.

  Her mouth opened. Her two needle like fangs extended at her mental command, flashes of long white bone jutting forth from her upper jaw with a hiss. It would be an almost comic scene, if it were not for the intent of those fangs.

  She leaned forward.

  And stopped. Her mouth agape, the teeth a mere inch from their intended target.

  James.

  A single word, with such deep meaning.

  What would he think if he saw me?

  She shut her mouth, expression turning timid. As timid as a girl with two huge fangs jutting from her top jaw can look.

  “Goops” she said, mouth full of teeth. She pulled her fangs in with a slurp, blinking. The damn things always got in the way. She had never considered them a particularly effective method of acquiring blood.

  No, she would not drink him.

  DRINK HIM! Vlad insisted but Alyssa shook her head.

  “No, not this time.” she decided.

  Idly, she tossed the mugger one handed across the road, letting him roll into a pile of rubbish, snow and what looked like discarded fruit and veg sitting to one side of the road. Let him enjoy the aches and pains tomorrow, it would serve him right.

  Drinking him would just dull that. She'd let this one have a chance to learn. Particularly as he hadn't been drunk. Well, at least it hadn't smelled like he was drunk. Mind you he had still managed to slur his words like an ill-educated mud skipper.

  She continued on her way, without even casting the would-be mugger another look. Vlad continued to insist that she go back and drink. Alyssa, for a change, did a good job of tuning him out.

  She was unaware that she had been watched the entire time.

  * * * * *

  Victoria and Malak exchanged looks. Both of them had their mouths slightly open in gestures of shock.

  “You did see what I just saw didn't you?” asked Malak, cradling his crossbow as if the weapons presence somehow reassured him.

  Victoria nodded slowly, hardly believing it herself.

  “She tossed that guy across the road like a bloody rag doll.” he breathed, reliving the scene in his mind's eye.

  “And just so casually.” added Victoria.

  The two of them had followed Alyssa as agreed. Keeping their distance and moving slowly, always letting the girl move ahead at her own pace and never venturing too close. Fortunately for both of them the area she had walked through had been relatively well lit. It was only when she turned down Jackals Street that it got darker and they then had to quicken their pace to catch up.

  Victoria, whilst working with the Larrick City militia, had done her share of tailing suspects. She was an old hand at the stalker game. Malak, likewise, was very nimble on his feet. Years of ambush operations, so he said. Both of them had put their acquired skills to good use in their tracking. The darker street was where the mugger had struck. Victoria and Malak had witnessed the whole thing, watching from either side of the road in two separate alleyways back from Alyssa. Victoria had had her pistol drawn and Malak his crossbow aimed, ready to intervene should the mugger get the better of Alyssa. Very quickly, they'd realised they need not have worried.

  Both had held their breath as she had looked behind her. By fate or luck or whatever, she didn't seem to have noticed them. Once she was gone, they stepped out, staring off toward where the girl had disappeared into the night

  “Don't know about you,” Malak said next, glancing over at the equally surprised Victoria. “but I don't feel like being put in that guy's position.”

  “Agreed.” said Victoria, casting a look at the slumped form of the would-be mugger. He didn't appear to be too badly hurt on the outside but he didn't look in a good way either. He'd be feeling that in the morning. Plus he'd probably need to bathe for about a month. He was probably very lucky. Considering circumstances, the girl could have done far worse; in fact she had looked as if she had been about to do far worse

  It had been difficult to make out the details as Alyssa had her back to them but Victoria had been able to see enough. Girls did not traditionally have silhouettes that looked like they had giant fangs jutting from their upper jaw.

  “What's the plan?” asked Malak.

  Victoria pondered.

  They could report it in right now. They technically had more evidence after all. Both of them had seen her unnatural strength first hand. That on its own didn't confirm anything of course, but the fangs, well they were another matter. You didn't need archives for that. That was a common vampire trait.

  We need to know more – more background information.

  Only the archives could achieve that and two o'clock in the morning wasn't exactly standard opening hours, they'd need to wait until at least nine o'clock

  “Malak,” said Victoria carefully.

  For once, she felt nervous, pursing her lips.

  “I don't think it's wise to keep following her to her house.”

  Or maybe we should call it 'lair'.

  “We don't know what else she's capable of.” she continued “We'll stick with knowing where she works and go from there,”

  Malak breathed a sigh of relief.

  “As much as I've gone toe to toe with everything from orcs to bearkin,” he said, giving her a look. “I prefer to know more about what I'm fighting.”

  “Agreed. Let's hope archives gives us something tomorrow.”

  “Then what?”

  Victoria's frown deepened.

  “We give the Overseer what he wants. The definitive answer.”

  * * * * *

  Victoria watched as Horna stroked his chin.

  She and Malak stood in the Overseer's room, in front of his extensive desk, having just arrived and handed over the report to their commander. They had given him the definitive answer.

  Yes, there was a vampire.

  Archives had yielded additional information to go on once they had returned and this had been quickly incorporated into the report. Most of it they could already have summarized. Vampires did have unnatural strength. They did need to drink blood to survive and they did have retractable fangs on their upper jaw fit for the purpose. Likewise, they all exhibited an unnatural aura that unnerved humans around them, though oddly, the aura seemed to have no effect on any other races.

  It was confirmed. Alyssa was a vampire.

  Whether she had or had not killed the fat drunk was now no longer particularly relevant in the overall investigation. She was a vampire. Classified as a clear and present danger to peace. Just like every other vampire in history. Why would she be any different?

  Horna's eyes were scanning over the pages as he flicked through them one by one, a pair of small spectacles balanced on his nose. He was making a point of ignoring his two employees. Victoria didn't mind; she was used to his attitude by now, as was Malak. Malak stood with his hands clasped behind him (he called it 'at ease' though Victoria thought it looked tense and definitely not relaxed) whilst she stood more casually, arms by her sides, awaiting the boss to finish speed reading through the document.

  Presently, he did, setting the papers down and taking his glasses off. He rubbed his eyes before looking to both of them.

  “Very good.” he said after a few moments.

  A compliment? That was rare.

  “You have confirmed that there is indeed a vampire on the loose in the Capital.”

  “Yes” said Victoria, her expression neutral.

  “Very well.” he set the report on the desk. “My men will take it from here”.

  His men?

  Victoria frowned, exchanging looks with Malak who returned with a similarly puzzled expression.

  “Isn't that us?” Malak ventured.

 
Horna smiled. It was a knowing, evil little smile. One Victoria had seen before and had never liked.

  “No my dear Malak,” Horna stated. “I mean my men.”

  * * * * *

  The Six Nations War. Those fifty years of constant conflict had bred their fair share of horror stories.

  All the nations involved had done terrible things in the pursuit of victory. Most, if not all, of those terrible things had now been, thankfully, consigned to history living on only as bad memories in the minds of those who had witnessed them, or in short typo ridden passages in the history books.

  All nations had done terrible things.

  But none more so than the Darnhun. The Darnhun nation. A nation that loved war, and gloried in mastering it.

  This entire nation state, more than any other, had geared itself toward total war in all its horrible forms. Every single living individual was a warrior and served the nations' government with utter loyalty. Those who worked the furnaces of the mighty smelting factories could just as easily wield the weapons they built. The healers amongst their number were deadly to a man (and woman) with Bolt spitter or Carbo blade, weapons unique to the nations' military.

  They were the only nation that had warred against every other nation during those conflict ravaged years. Most of the nations could not geographically combat everyone. The far western Halnas had never warred with Argon, as the vast Magra empire sat between them. Neither had the Northern Trima tribesmen and Halnas warred, so far apart were they across the continent.

  The Darnhun, in contrast, had fought everyone. They had used their vast and powerful fleet of steel reinforced ships to raid and invade across the seas, or used vast steam powered land-ships to attack across any terrain, rolling over the opposition. Many and varied had been their methods of war, many and varied had been the terrible deeds they had carried out on their enemies. Concerns had been quickly raised about the sincerity of the Darnhun in joining the peace table. None of the other nations could understand how such a war-loving state could ever be convinced to lay down their arms and accept peace.