Haldred Chronicles: Alyssa

by JG Cully

  “My authority actually.” said a quiet, but commanding voice.

  The two Darnhun nearest Gretna parted to allow the owner of the voice to enter from the direction of the obliterated front door. He was a well-dressed man in furs, with a bald head and grey moustache. He smiled that superior, arrogant smile that men of power possessed. He looked down on Gretna thoughtfully.

  “I do apologise.” he said though not with any real concern behind his tone. “But we are here for one of your bar staff. We have come for Alyssa.”

  “We've been through this.” said Gretna, face reddening with barely contained rage. “She's not a bloody vampire.”

  “I'm afraid, yes she is.” said the figure, casting his eye around.

  That aroused a few low mutterings from the clientele and caused Alyssa to swallow nervously.

  This is not good.

  FOR ONCE CHILD, YOU AND I ARE IN AGREEMENT!

  “We are here to arrest her,” the man was saying now. “Where is she?”

  Alyssa's eyes shifted to Katy. Katy was casting her a sideways look and seemed to be thinking.

  Well Vlad, seeing we're on good terms for a change, any ideas?

  STRANGE AS THIS MAY SOUND YOUNGLING, RUNNING MAY BE YOUR BEST OPTION. YOU ARE NOT YET STRONG ENOUGH TO TAKE ON SUCH WARRIORS HEAD ON!

  “Where is she?” the man repeated, impatience evident.

  Behind her, Alyssa heard the kitchen door open. She chanced a look and saw three more of the Darnhun entering, crossbows aimed. Beyond them, the back door to the outside. It was closed but near to hand.

  Alyssa's eyes, full of fear, looked back to Katy, who seemed to have made a decision.

  'Run' she mouthed.

  Alyssa hesitated, even as she heard the Darnhun behind her moving further into the tavern. Weapons pointed inward and away from her.

  Alyssa could move fast when she needed to, inhumanly so, with sudden bursts of incredible speed; faster than the eye could blink. Another vampire ability she had learned and now had good use for.

  She let go of the plate and turned, twisting into a low crouch as the tray started to fall. Pushing off from the floor, she rocketed through the open inner door, into the kitchen.

  Three more Darnhun were in the kitchen, watching over the remaining terrified barmaids. With one of them in the way, the door to the outside closed behind him. She barrelled into him as she landed, her speed and strength belaying her lithe body as she knocked him to one side, into one of his colleagues.

  She spun round in her low position and swiped at the door she had just entered through, knocking it closed. She was rewarded with a dull thud, the doorway closing on one of the Darnhun as he tried to come in after her, knocking him back. She turned to face the third Darnhun, who had had enough time to drop his crossbow on its sling and draw a wicked looking dagger. He brought it round to swipe at Alyssa. She ducked under the slash as she balled a fist and awkwardly punched upwards, into his chest. It was enough though, as she heard him cough as the wind was knocked from him and he fell away.

  There was no time to lose as she crouched down in front of the door to the outside.

  I really hope this works.

  * * * * *

  “That was quite an entrance. How long do you think it'll take them?” asked Malak, lazily casting the tavern another look.

  “Oh I'd say...” Victoria began but was rudely interrupted as the back door of the Tavern burst apart. Splintered wood exploded outwards, carpeting the street behind the tavern in a cloud of fine sawdust. A single figure was silhouetted for a moment, crouching in the fog of the explosion.

  Victoria and Malak simply stared.

  The figure stood, and in the half light of the Tavern windows, they could see who it was.

  Alyssa.

  “..now.” Victoria finished, as she and Malak exchanged a quick glance.

  Alyssa started running, darting off toward the nearby smaller alleys. Victoria and Malak leapt from the coach and ran after her.

  This is probably an immensely stupid thing to do thought Victoria as she sped off, Malak on her tail and Alyssa in front of her.

  We're chasing a freaking vampire!

  As she ran past the door she glanced inside. Three of the Darnhun troopers were down on the floor and looked like they wouldn't be getting up in a hurry. Others seemed to have just entered the kitchen and were rushing out of the tavern.

  Three of them?

  No use for the softly, softly approach now.

  Victoria could hear behind them the Darnhun fanning out and Horna bellowing angrily into the night. She and Malak rounded a corner as Alyssa ran on.

  “Malak, engage!” Victoria ordered, drawing her pistol, Alyssa's speed making her only a moonlit silhouette in the distance. She heard the distinctive click of Malak flicking the safety catch off his crossbow. She moved to the side to give him a clear shot as they raced after Alyssa through the streets, quickly leaving the Darnhun behind.

  Malak might not be the most experienced or indeed the most intelligent investigator in the business, but he was a damn fine shot. She heard him stop, dropping into a crouch with practised speed. There was a thud, as the drawstring on Malak's crossbow sprung forward, unleashing a bolt. Up ahead there was the sound of a bolt hitting flesh.

  Alyssa kept running. So did Victoria and Malak, as he easily sprung back into a run.

  Must have been a flesh wound concluded Victoria as they got the girl in their sights again.

  “Take her down!”

  Malak was skidding into a crouch again in the muddy street. Their were two more thuds as he unleashed more bolts in quick succession. He called it 'double tapping', apparently a military term. Again Victoria heard the sound of bolts impacting but still the girl kept going. Alyssa was at the end of the street and turning left. Victoria and Malak ploughed on, reaching the end of the street themselves and skidding round the corner, weapons up.

  Ahead of them, in the gloom, a running figure disappeared into another side street.

  “Double back.” Victoria said. “We'll catch her in a crossfire.”

  She ran on before Malak could argue. Good soldier that he was, she heard his footsteps receding in the other direction and she increased her pace, heading for the side street.

  She slowed as she rounded the corner, and had her weapon up and aimed.

  She stared into an empty street.

  Shit.

  * * * * *

  Alyssa had been aware of something hitting her but had kept going regardless. She knew she could outpace any human in a sprint. But this wasn't really a sprint, and her pursuers seemed to know this. This was a cat and mouse chase; she was the mouse. She'd ducked into a sidestreet and was looking round for a hiding place amongst the wooden crates that were stacked along the walls and alleyways.

  THEY WILL EXPECT THAT YOUNG ONE!

  Fine time for you to chip in!

  He was right. They were still after her so they knew she was in this side street. They'd probably search the place.

  THE ROOF!

  Sometimes Vlad. Just sometimes, you get it right.

  She crouched down then leapt, impossibly high, almost as if her body weighed nothing at all, defying gravity. The good thing with going for a roof instead of a ledge was that even if you misjudged how high or how long, there was more roof to catch you.

  With a thud she stopped, managing for a change not to fall in a heap upon landing.

  She knelt and waited, listening.

  * * * * *

  Victoria moved silently, ears pricked up and listening for even the slights sound of movement. She heard footsteps up the street. Her weapon was up quickly, but it was only Malak, entering from the other end as ordered.

  Good man.

  She flicked her hand at him, indicating for him to check the alleyways that lead off the side street. Their quarry might be in one of them. Quietly, Victoria started to search the street itself, moving carefully round the wooden crates.

  * * * * *
<
br />   Alyssa hazarded a look over the lip of the flat roof she had landed on, looking down the street. She saw them. The two hunters. The same two she'd encountered first in the tavern.

  Victoria and...the guy. She'd not caught his name. They were moving away. They'd not seen her.

  Thank the Gods.

  She ducked down and crept on all fours, slowly, to the far end, away from were she'd seen the two of them going. She could make good her escape now. Still moving with as little noise as possible, she kept low and crawled over to the lip of the roof. She put her feet over and down, onto the slanted slate covered sides of the building. All she need do now was jump down and she'd be away.

  Carefully, she stood up ready to...

  The slate beneath her gave way almost immediately.

  She squealed as she felt her footing slide out from under her. She fell on her backside and slide down the roof after the slate, making a thunderous racket.

  DAMNATION GIRL! Growled Vlad as they went down.

  * * * * *

  Victoria whirled round as she heard the crash and yelp behind her.

  “Malak, on me!” she yelled and dashed off after the sound of running footsteps, hoping he'd heard her and would follow. She rounded the corner back into the main street, just in time to see Alyssa running off leaving a shattered slating in her wake.

  She was on the roof. Of course!

  Victoria holstered her pistol and made to chase the girl once more. She had Alyssa just in front of her, running through the streets. The girl darted into a side street and Victoria whipped round the corner after her. She kept on, holding the girl in her sights as they darted through one street after another, footsteps thundering off the cobbled, snow covered streets.

  Victoria knew her body was getting tired. Knew that in an endurance race she'd never beat a vampire; they didn't breathe after all, didn't get tired. All they needed was blood.

  Let's just hope I don't become the source of that blood

  She rounded a corner into another nondescript alleyway. She'd no idea where in the city they were now, no idea how long they'd been running and no idea where Alyssa was.

  You're not fooling me this time!

  Victoria slowed her run, pistol up again, this time checking above her.

  The roof again!

  She scanned the rooftops, looking for likely hiding places. Likely places the vampire would have moved to. All professionals make mistakes, even the very best. All too often it's when you make that one, critical mistake that you pay for it. Victoria's mistake was making an assumption about her opponent. Assuming that said opponent would follow a pattern. Alyssa didn't follow a pattern.

  She wasn't on the roof. She was in the alley, crouched behind a wheelbarrow.

  As Victoria moved past, Alyssa struck.

  One minute Victoria's pistol was held beside her, at the ready, the next it was pointed upward toward the sky. Not by Victoria's hand, but Alyssa's. The young girl had moved from her hiding place with incredible speed and grabbed Victoria's gun hand, pushing the weapon away. Victoria reacted, her other arm going for a left handed draw of her sword. It would be clumsy but it was all she could do. It would have worked too, if Alyssa had only one arm. Sadly, she had two perfectly functioning arms and stopped Victoria's attempt easily. Victoria tried to struggle, to break free, but the girl was so strong, formidably strong. She held her in a vice like grip, one Victoria could not break no matter how hard she tried.

  Sod you then.

  Victoria preferred to conduct herself in violent situations using her fists. However, with her fists currently immobilized, she had no choice but to make her intentions known using her legs, or more precisely in this case, her knees.

  You asked for it.

  She jerked her right leg up, bringing her knee straight into Alyssa's stomach. She quickly regretted this action; Alyssa didn't even blink. Victoria, on the other hand, found herself cringing in pain. The girls stomach was solid as stone and the pain Victoria was feeling in her knee almost brought tears to her eyes, causing her to grit her teeth. She didn't voice any of her pain (apart from a slight 'hmph!' that escaped from behind her teeth) but her mind certainly did.

  Hells depths that hurt!

  Alyssa's head had been down, but after Victoria's rash action, her head rose slowly. The two women's eyes met. Victoria stared into the young girl's eyes. They looked rather...angry.

  Great. Just great. Now I've pissed it off.

  Victoria had expected the eyes to have been red or have gone black or some other action to indicate the girl was something other than human. Instead they just seemed very displeased.

  This was it, Victoria realised, she was done for. She was at Alyssa's mercy, and it was time to pay the price for her brash action.

  Fine bloody way to go out she thought ruefully.

  “Just get it over with.” she hissed with a last act of defiance, turning her head so that her neck was exposed.

  If death was coming, it had better be quick.

  There was a noise, like a hissing cat or something, and Victoria saw out of the corner of her eye two pointed fangs jutting forth from the girl's upper jaw as she opened her mouth, sliding forth to a spot just an inch from Victoria's throat. Victoria grimaced, before squeezing her eyes shut and waiting for the end. She should be calling out, or screaming or something. But no, no she'd not show that kind of weakness, not even now.

  I'm not going to give you the satisfaction.

  Precious seconds passed. She felt nothing.

  She chanced opening one eye, and instead of seeing a vampire from the very depths of hell closing in for the kill, she saw a young girl...

  ...Crying?

  Victoria blinked and looked again. No, she was right, the girl was crying. Big tears were rolling down her face past her glasses, even as she stood like a statue, mouth still menacingly agape. It was both tragic and oddly comical, as the girl had not retracted her fangs and stood with the two huge canines still extended.

  Those eyes didn't look quite so angry now.

  What the?

  “Uh,” Victoria could hardly believe what she said next, “are you ok?”

  Alyssa sniffed and suddenly let go of Victoria, stepping back.

  Ordinarily when an opponent made such a critical mistake Victoria would have taken the opportunity, and made them pay dearly. She normally took such action as arrogance on the part of any enemy she faced. She didn't this time. Instead, she holstered her pistol and let go of her sword that she had automatically gripped in her free hand.

  She was at a loss as to how to deal with a vampire in tears.

  Alyssa's head was down again, little rivers of water still flowing, pooling round her glasses. She was sobbing; her sharp fangs protruded just past her chin and looked unwieldy as she cried. Victoria, despite protests from the more militant side of her brain (Attack! Whilst you have the element of surprise!) reached forward and, with an incredible amount of care, placed her hand on the girl’s shoulder. Alyssa seemed as surprised by the motion as Victoria was at making it, tensing slightly at the touch. But Victoria was finding herself feeling very, well, sorry for the girl was probably the best way of putting it. Though damned if she could figure out why, considering that the girl had been about to bite her.

  “You are a strange one.” Victoria mused.

  Alyssa removed her glasses briefly to wipe her eyes, looking up as she did so. “Guou Goon't know the half of git.” she sniffed.

  She looked downright miserable even with the comically oversized teeth preventing her from speaking in a coherent manner.

  “You might want to pull those in.” suggested Victoria very tentatively.

  “Guorry.” said Alyssa, doing so, the fangs slipping back with an odd slurping sound. Victoria grimaced again. It didn't sound very ladylike and looked pretty disturbing truth be told. It reminded her that she was dealing with something very unnatural.

  “This wasn't supposed to happen,” Alyssa started, fresh tears rolli
ng down her cheeks. “I had a boyfriend and...and a best friend...” she trailed off.

  She burst into tears again, sobbing, the scene no longer as odd or funny without the fangs. For all the world she just looked like a frightened and miserable teenage girl.

  “And a....and a...a good job!”

  She covered her face with her hands and Victoria had to resist the urge to hug the poor girl and tell her everything would be fine

  What the blazes is wrong with me? She's a bloody vampire!

  “I felt human for once!” wailed Alyssa, in full stream now.

  Ah so that's it. The poor girl didn't want to be a vampire.

  At least that explains why she'd been less than forthcoming with tearing me apart. Thank the Gods.

  “Alright, alright,” said Victoria, feeling more like a bloody social worker than an elite Council of Peace investigator. She was still unsure as to how to handle what had quickly turned into an utterly bizarre situation.

  “Just calm down will you? Take a seat.”

  It was fortunate that they were in an alley that had a variety of crates and barrels scattered haphazardly about, giving them plenty of places to sit. They chose two low crates sitting beside each other. Victoria, very carefully, led the sobbing girl over. She had relaxed a bit, though the instinctive part of her brain ensured that one hand was resting on her holstered pistol, just in case.

  Where the hell is Malak?

  They sat.

  Victoria looked at the bedraggled teenage girl before her. The girl's glasses weren't sitting right and her short hair was a mess now, tossed about in her mad dash for escape. Whilst her eyes weren't reddened from crying, the tears were plain to see, leaving lines across her pale features and small puddles of water around the glasses. Without the fangs, you would never have guessed the girl was a vampire, or indeed currently the most wanted individual in Larrick City. Tenderly (Gods what is wrong with me!) Victoria brushed the hair out of the girl's face and looked at her,