by Carly Hansen
Fenix and Micha had little problem in dispatching the remaining vampires. Micha took on a giant Newone and Fenix got into a rhythm, lassoing two others and finishing them off with the stake.
They encountered another posse along the way. Micha seized on three at a time, hurling himself at them even as they snarled and grabbed at him.
Fenix used the lasso to corral the others. This time, she didn’t make the mistake of getting herself buried under a pile of writhing vampires. She made quick work of sending them to their eternal rest with the stake.
Micha staggered toward her out of a cloud of expiring vampire.
“This way,” he whispered as they switched tunnels.
They ran a long distance and came to a place where the narrow passageway merged with another to the left. Before Fenix realized what was happening, a figure came pelting down the other path and slammed right into her.
Fenix screamed.
But the panicked cry from the other figure pierced her eardrums.
The two of them grappled and fell to the ground, hollering and shrieking. Suddenly, Fenix found herself punching at thin air. She opened her eyes and saw Micha holding the squirming figure off the ground with his hand over the man’s mouth.
“Shhhh!” Micha hissed.
Fenix got to her feet, and her eyes made out the distinctive clothing.
“Gaius?” she said.
The body in the purple robe stopped fidgeting.
Micha moved his hand away from Gaius’ mouth.
“Put me down,” Gaius shouted.
“Well, be quiet,” Micha whispered fiercely. “We don’t want to alert them.”
Micha released his hold, and Gaius dropped to the ground.
“I didn’t know it was you guys and not them,” Gaius said as he stood up, dusting off his robe. “I thought I’d bumped right smack into them.”
“Shhhh!” Micha hissed. “This way.”
He took off again, and Fenix and Gaius raced behind him.
They came to the end of the tunnel into a wider opening. The chamber led to a series of other chambers, each wider and taller than the next. Finally, they descended crude steps into a cavern that looked vaguely familiar.
Torches flicked on the wall and showed a large, circular platform carpeted with furs. In the center of it was a small bundle of fur. It seemed to be alive as it shivered and shook.
Memories of the vision she’d seen flooded Fenix’s mind. She couldn’t help herself. With her heart pounding, she rushed forward.
“Fenix, wait,” Micha said. “It could be a trap.”
The words had no effect on her. She jumped onto the platform, keeping her eyes fixed on the shivering bundle.
Chapter 38
Micha and Gaius were soon at Fenix’s side.
Their footsteps seemed to have startled the bundle. It shifted quickly, as if wanting to dart away.
Fenix dropped to her knees. With trembling hands, she peeled away two layers of fur blankets and was greeted by a sight that slammed right into her. Her heart jackhammered as the tiny figure crouched into a shivering, frightened ball. Pink locks cascaded over the bent head.
“Catelyn?” Fenix whispered.
Slowly, the head raised and the hair fell to the sides.
Moist blue eyes peeped out through the messy hair.
They were eyes Fenix recognized.
The blue eyes widened in recognition, too.
“Ke—” the girl began to say.
Fenix put her finger to her lips and shook her head. “I am called Fenix.”
She pointed to the others. “And this is Micha and Gaius.”
The girl’s eyes didn’t stray from Fenix’s.
“We’ve come to save you,” Fenix said, choking on the words.
Catelyn shook off the rest of the furs and threw herself on Fenix. Her slim hands wrapped around Fenix’s neck, and she pressed her wet cheek against Fenix’s tear-streaked face.
Their bodies trembled as if an earthquake were shaking them. Fenix’s head spun. Her tears mingled with her sister’s.
All those years that Fenix had thought she’d lost her, all the tears she’d shed, and the boulders of guilt she’d carried for so long, simply vanished as she felt Catelyn’s warm breath on her neck.
It was hard for Fenix to breathe because she wanted to draw in a lifetime’s worth of air with one breath. She wanted to squeeze Catelyn tight and hold her and never let her go.
“You’re safe now,” Fenix whispered. “You’re with me, and you’re safe now.”
Fenix squeezed Catelyn tightly and rocked her like a baby. Catelyn clung to her and moaned.
“I’ll get you out of here,” Fenix whispered, stroking Catelyn’s hair as she often used to do to calm her during their dad’s drunken rampages.
As if to put a lie to those words, the air was suddenly thick with the sound of heavy boots tramping in.
Fenix looked up and saw a dozen pairs of legs in front of her.
From behind, more footsteps came pouring in, and she knew they were surrounded.
“All Newones,” Micha muttered.
The low rumble of his voice told her that the situation was bad, very bad.
A commotion arose ahead of Fenix as bodies parted.
“What are you doing, man?” a voice shouted.
“Hey, let go of me,” another said. “You crazy or something?”
The wall of vampires ahead of Fenix shifted, and three figures emerged.
Twain and Java tugged and jostled to free themselves from a figure who held them captive with a rope.
With superhuman strength, the figure dragged both toward the platform. Twain pulled away with all his might and sank down on his peg legs. He sprang into the air, throwing their captor off balance. Java shoved their detainer to the ground. As Twain landed, they wriggled free of the rope.
They ran off down a tunnel, screaming.
As four vampires chased after them, the figure who’d dragged in Twain and Java got on his hands and knees.
Fenix’s jaw dropped as she saw the figure’s face.
“Ivan?” she cried.
********
Several miles away, Packard sat at the wheel of the rental car and pressed hard on the gas.
“Push,” he shouted to Runcey.
The young agent dug his feet in and threw all his weight into the front bumper.
Tires screeched, kicking up mud and stones. The smell of burning rubber filled the night air.
But the car went nowhere.
Exhausted, Runcey collapsed onto the hood of the car.
Packard eased off the pedal. He slammed his fist into the steering wheel. “Damn,” he shouted.
He flung the door open and got out of the car. “Didn’t you hear me say to push?”
“I did push.”
“Well, you didn’t try hard enough.”
“I gave it everything I got.”
“Well, that just wasn’t good enough.” Packard pounded the hood. “We’ve got to get out of this damned gully.”
“Shouting won’t help any.”
“You got a better plan, wise guy?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” Runcey stood up. “How about we stay calm and see if we can’t find some rock or logs around here to put under the tires to give us some traction? Might take a while, but it’ll do us better than just fuming.”
Did the young pup think he was born yesterday? Of course he knew that was what they’d eventually have to do. But the last thing in the world he wanted to do right now was scrounge around in the darkness to find rocks and branches and then haul them to the gully. It was just too much for his tired old bones.
But since Runcey was so gung-ho about it, Packard would just as well let him do the bull work.
“Get on with it then,” Packard snarled.
“How about you giving me a hand?”
“How about you get started and I join you as soon as I’m ready to? We old geezers don’t have as much energy
as you young folks, you know. Here’s where you get to take the lead.”
The two glared at each other.
Realizing he could never win this staring match, Runcey climbed out of the gully, grumbling to himself.
Packard leaned against the car and dipped his hand into his jacket pocket. He pulled out the metal flask and put it to his lips. He threw his head back, guzzling greedily.
If there ever was a time when he needed that drink, this was it.
Chapter 39
With her eyes fixed on Ivan, Fenix stood up. Catelyn rose to her feet beside her.
“What’s going on here, Ivan?” Fenix said.
She took a step forward, but Micha stuck out his arm and blocked her way.
“Look at his eyes,” he whispered.
Ivan’s eyes were all black, as if the whites and his irises had been smothered in black paint.
“That’s the sign that he’s a Newone,” Micha said. “Very recently converted.”
“What?”
“You can’t reach him, Fenix. He isn’t Ivan anymore.”
Fenix’s blood froze. That couldn’t be true. She didn’t want to believe that.
“Ivan,” she said. “It’s me.”
Ivan looked up at her. A shiver went down Fenix’s spine. His face bore no sign that he recognized her. Instead, he wore a vicious, bloodthirsty stare.
Fenix turned instinctively to Catelyn and threw a protective arm around her.
Ivan sprang to his feet and bounded onto the platform. He lunged at Fenix, opening his jaws to reveal long, glistening fangs.
Micha charged forward and slammed his shoulder into Ivan’s chest.
Ivan’s body was thrown up in the air by the impact. He landed on his back with a thud.
He sprang back to his feet. With lightning speed, he ran into Micha and landed an upper cut to his chin.
Micha reeled back, but quickly steadied himself. He threw himself forward and grabbed onto Ivan’s shoulders. The two went down on the ground, grunting and pummeling each other.
Snarling, they bared fangs and tore at each other’s flesh.
Blood flowed freely. The sickening scent filled the air.
Catelyn fainted in Fenix’s arms.
Fenix knelt and cradled her as she laid her on the ground. Gaius rested a comforting hand on Fenix’s shoulder.
The vampires around them gathered in closer to the platform, but soon parted to make way for a tall, solitary figure in a long, hooded cloak who walked briskly toward them.
The figure stepped up onto the platform.
“What is this?” he shouted.
He darted over to the writhing bodies and grabbed Ivan by the collar. He tugged Ivan free of Micha’s arms, yanked him up, then flung him aside.
Ivan’s body slammed into three vampires who stood nearby on the platform, taking them down like bowling pins.
The cloaked newcomer walked to the edge of the platform and looked down at Ivan.
“You are not authorized to touch that man!” the figure shouted.
Bleeding across his face, Ivan cowered and backed up against the bodies of the fallen vampires.
“You are not to harm a hair on that man’s head,” the cloaked figure said. He circled the platform, looking at the vampires who surrounded it.
“None of you are allowed to harm him,” the figure barked.
The man stopped and slowly removed his hood. “That pleasure is reserved for me alone.”
He spun around and looked down at Micha, who was just getting to his knees.
The flickering torches highlighted the deep sink in the middle of the chin. Even in the dim light, the scar across the nose was visible.
“Baldwin!” Micha said.
Baldwin bowed from his shoulders. Something told Fenix that he must have made such a gesture millions of times over the centuries.
“How could you?” Micha said, his voice raw with emotion.
“Believe me, I didn’t plan it this way,” Baldwin said. “You and I were not supposed to meet like this. I’ve wished so long for your demise, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever dare to think it would come about at my own bare hands. Fate has been kinder to me that I ever could have hoped.”
“I can’t believe you’ve been planning this for years. Were we not friends all this time?”
“Can a servant ever truly be a friend?” Baldwin snorted. “Real friendship requires equality, does it not?”
“Haven’t I treated you as an equal? Goodness, man, I slept for over a century and left you in charge. You run Angelo Labs. You are the face of Angelo Labs.”
“Can’t you hear yourself, Micha Angelo?” Baldwin said. “Everything you say reinforces my reason for resenting you. It’s always been about you, hasn’t it? You are the center of the universe. It’s your fortune to be taken care of and your company to be run. And you are in the position to deign to step down from your high horse to grant your hand of friendship to a lowly servant.
“Well, I’ve played that game long enough, and I’m sick of being second best when I know I have what it takes to be the real boss of this show. And I would have been if Eurus had stopped at me.”
Baldwin paced in front of Micha, never taking his eyes off him. “You never knew that, did you, pretty boy? For six months, I had been the pinnacle of Eurus’ experiments. He thought he’d got his blueprint right when he created me. Then he felt he’d got a brilliant idea, and that turned out to be you. But then, you repaid him with your treachery.”
“You were right at my side when we destroyed him.”
“I wasn’t stupid. He was going increasingly insane, and you were gathering quite a force. I understood which way the wind was blowing. I had to choose the right side and play a long game. And now, finally, I get to claim what should’ve been mine all along.”
“This is between you and me, Baldwin,” Micha said. “Those girls in Birstall didn’t have to be part of this. These people here don’t have to be part of this. Let them go and let’s settle this between us.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Micha. Those girls had everything to do with this, just as this one here does.”
Fenix’s heart rate went up tenfold as Baldwin nudged his chin toward Catelyn and her.
“You see, this all came about because I got recruited for a golden opportunity that I’ve been able to turn to my advantage,” Baldwin said. “That girl over there is bait. She’s apparently the adoptive sister of a peacesmith.”
“A peacesmith?” Micha said.
“That’s right. You and I were both created to destroy such creatures, and we eliminated quite a few of them in our time. Seems the species wasn’t eradicated as was thought, but only went dormant. Now, it’s been reborn in the sister of my bait.
“I was expecting the peacesmith to show up, but, instead, you’ve come. You’ve crashed her party, along with a ragtag gang of boys from the crew of a tired, old witch, and that whore of a mercenary, of whom you seem to be so proud. All of which leaves me a little bit surprised, Micha. I thought you had higher standards.”
Fenix quietly sighed in relief. Baldwin apparently couldn’t see beyond her disguise as a boy.
“I’m keeping the girl,” Baldwin said. “Her peacesmith sister may turn up yet. And when she does, I’m going to have a multi-million-dollar payday. But I think the way things have worked out, I’ve done quite well with this already, whether my client nets his peacesmith or not.
“I got to feed again, Micha. You can’t imagine the pure joy in that. For you, it’s always been a disgusting practice. But for someone like me, a real vampire, it was just exquisite to have real, fresh blood again.”
“But I don’t understand, Baldwin,” Micha said. “Why desecrate their bodies?”
“Are you talking about the mauling? Or the shaved heads?”
“Both were horrendous.”
“Those girls were taken out because the client thought they might have been the one called the peacesmith. They were shaved
because I needed to find a mark that would’ve provided confirmation it was her. Sadly, they turned out not to be the one my client is after. And mauling them? That, my friend, was my brilliant stroke of genius.”
“You wanted me to believe it was werewolves. That’s it, isn’t it? You wanted me to stir up a war between our two species.”
“And you fell for it. I had all the equipment recalibrated so nothing would work, so it would be impossible for you to detect the absence of werewolf involvement. And I carried fake samples off to be tested. Along with the requests for an audience before the Assembly of Werewolves and the accusations you’ve drafted, everything is nicely lined up to destroy your reputation and have the Council of Vampires remove you from your post as overlord of this region.
“As I planned it, after you were thrown out, like a domino effect, your world would come crashing down. You would not be able to hold on to Angelo Labs or the estates back in the Umbra Region when the assemblies there hear of your failures over here.
“And who would step in to clean up the mess and hold everything together? Your faithful, loyal servant, who would ensure that, this time, you’d never return to take the reins again.
“But here you are, Micha Angelo. Somehow, you caught on to me and now you know the full story. It’s not as I planned it.
“You were to go down still thinking I was the most loyal friend and servant you ever knew. But I’m not complaining at how things have turned out. I would have enjoyed seeing you suffer and lose everything, even seeking me out for solace, while I reveled in my duplicity.
“I think, now, though, that this is the best way. Because I get the pleasure of destroying you with my very own hands.”
“Never,” Micha shouted.
Just then, shrieks and yelling erupted in a tunnel on the left.
********
“This way,” a voice shouted, “I think this way’s out.”
