by Al K. Line
Time for introductions.
An Introduction
The room was intimate. Austere but with an old world charm intended to please the occupant. Mikalus.
He wasn't alone.
I knew now wasn't the time to say, "Ivan, what the fuck are you doing here?" but I tried my best to ask it silently by raising an eyebrow and scowling at him. He met my glare with a cold, expressionless stare he'd perfected over many years of working for Merrick. I still couldn't stop wondering what that relationship had been about or if I'd ever find out. But now wasn't the time, so I tried to ignore Ivan standing a respectful distance away from Mikalus, along with several other vampires I knew I'd have a hard job focusing on if it wasn't for the new wavelength I'd adjusted to, and instead followed the Second to Mikalus.
He took my breath away.
Maybe it was the surroundings, no technology in sight, a large fourposter bed thick with blankets, windows with drapes drawn. I bet they had blackout paint over black glass, just to be certain no mistakes happened again. All furniture was from bygone eras. The only concessions to modernity were the clothes people wore and the electric lights. They were trying to help him adjust to the modern age. Think what that must be like. How would you explain things to someone who died a thousand years ago? No wonder he was being eased in gently.
But this was all background data I absorbed without thinking about. My focus was on Mikalus. He was sitting, wiping his mouth from the blood he'd taken and the gift he'd given, resting up after making a Second of the woman.
He lifted his head as we approached and I was taken aback by his eyes. They faded from black to the coldest blue I'd ever seen. Not empty of emotion, quite the opposite. Brimming with raw, visceral feeling. I felt like I was drowning. Here was someone who'd seen and done more than I could comprehend. Who'd felt more suffering, inflicted plenty, experienced more joy, more bliss, and more ecstasy than I could dream of. A man who knew the depths to which all creatures could sink and the heights to which they could climb, and had taken on the burden of the world and would not be beaten by it.
His age was there to see in his eyes, the history of his kind, the crushing responsibility he had in his position, the pride in his brothers and sisters, or his children I guess, and the worry for their future, for their safety and wellbeing. A father times thousands, knowing he could have countless offspring and each of them would be as dear to him as the next.
What would that feel like, to have the worry of so many on your immortal shoulders? To know it would never ease as you had an eternity of responsibility ahead of you and each of your children looked to you for guidance, to be shown the way. That all they had dreamed of was your return, and now here you were, a stranger in a strange land, and you had to give repeatedly of yourself and it would never end as more and more of your kind wanted what you could give?
I kinda felt sorry for the guy.
But not for his looks.
As exhausted as he obviously was, no doubt having worked as much as he could to raise his children to status of Second by biting and infecting them, he was an imposing creature, downright startling. The darkness under his eyes from exhaustion, or maybe it happened to all folks resurrected from the dead, made his skin seem all the paler. He was classic vamp white. Sunlight never hit this dude's skin and never would.
His cheekbones were razor sharp, eyebrows like they'd been plucked. He had a week's worth of beard and the dark stubble flecked with white suited him. His midnight black hair hung long and limp, shining like it was coated with oil.
Mikalus was naked from the waist up, wearing nothing but a pair of black, loose linen trousers like you would when on vacation, except probably not so obviously expensive. His body was lean verging on skeletal but there was a hint of the man he would be, his muscles already defined. No doubt he'd be quite the beefcake once he fed sufficiently and finished offering his strength to his children in such numbers. A broad chest swept out to swimmer's shoulders, and I could see the definition between biceps and triceps down to strong forearms and workman's hands.
He was also covered in innumerable bite marks, the reason he was so weak, I assumed. However this worked, it wasn't as simple as him feeding off those he elevated via his venom. It looked like he gave more than he got.
And boy was he tall. I was sure he wasn't this big when resurrected, but the man was six eight at least, body in proportion. He stood before me, looking down on me with infinite sadness, yet smiling too, offering his mirth to lift me up, wishing he could do more for one as broken as I was. I felt small, not just in stature. It was hard not to sink to one knee and take his hand and rest it on my cheek and cry for all that was wrong with my life. With me.
But I didn't, I stood my ground, felt his power and refused to succumb. For this was the true vampire and he was no benevolent benefactor, he was the original bloodsucker and knew what was coming.
"You are Arthur, The Hat," he said, not a question.
"I am. And you are Mikalus, the First."
"That is I. Please, excuse my language, it has been such a long time without speaking, and my English is not the best." His accent was very strong, his eastern European descent obvious, but he spoke English perfectly, better than many natives.
"How are you? Been busy I see."
"I am getting used to this new age, it is very strange. Yes, I am busy, there is much to be done. But enough of this how do you say, chit-chat, I owe you my life. Thank you."
"Um, my pleasure?"
"Haha, they said you were rather unsure about the result of your actions, although I believe it was others who manipulated you, that you are a pawn, Arthur."
Damn but he got right to the point. "Yeah, I'm working on it."
Mikalus sank back onto the bed and stared at his hands as if seeing them for the first time. Guess it took a while to get used to such things. "We can help, I can help. This world is different to mine, but soon it shall change again. Do you wish to join us, Arthur? Become part of our family? My family?"
I knew he'd ask, but was surprised at his direct approach. "Nah, I'm happy worrying about dying thanks."
"Yet you have a power, you have seen the other side many times, no?"
I nodded.
"Do you not wish to, er, give the finger to Death? To become a Second, live forever?"
"Nope, I'd run out of things to do. And besides, sucking blood makes me feel kinda queasy. I appreciate the offer though."
"Haha, you are a funny man. Come, Arthur, it is time for you to fight." Mikalus pointed at the man standing next to Ivan, who had remained silent and respectful.
"Hey, what's this all about? Fight? What for?"
"Where I come from, in my time, if a man stole from another he would have two choices. He could die, or he could fight. You stole from us, Arthur, from this man?"
"Says who?"
"You are a thief. You stole a belt from this man. A man who will help us do great things. We are not thieves, we do not skulk in the night taking what is not ours. I will not abide such behavior."
"Unless it's someone's life you're stalking," I said without thinking of the consequences.
"No, that is not the case. You do not know the vampire, how could you? But this is not the way of things. If some have strayed in the past, they will stray no more, I shall see to that. We are not cruel, we are different. We are elevated, not mindless. No lives are taken to satiate our thirst, merely the blood. And they give willingly. Many offer themselves to the vampire, and their gift shall be repaid over time. As the years go by they shall be strengthened, this is the promise now to all new Children of the Blood. Give of yourself and you are my family. You will become vampire and each year you shall rise until you become Second. We are not in short supply of blood."
"Well, that sucks," I said, no pun intended. So this was their plan. Make existing vamps Seconds, all others got to be turned once they'd given enough blood and would be kept dangling with the promise of more strength over the years. Hell, th
ey'd be unstoppable.
"Do not concern yourself. I, we, have no desire to become too large a family. This shall be a time of change, but we will not devour you, conquer you or multiply in number. Already many have paid the ultimate price for their transgressions, but the numbers shall be restored, until the final tally is reached."
"There's a limit? There can only be so many of you?"
"So many questions, Arthur, maybe one day you shall have all the answers. But for now, you took something of ours, and for that there must be a reckoning."
"Don't you just want it back?" I asked, sure it was better to hand it over and deal with Elion later than deal with them now.
"A mere trinket," he said, waving it away. "And besides, it is yours now, you have possession. If you win you keep it, if you lose..."
I didn't like the end of that dangling sentence, much less the thought of fighting a powerful vampire. "How about we call it quits for me helping bring you back?" I asked.
"You helped, but not by choice. I am grateful for your role, but it was not your doing. It was my children who resurrected me. Sorry, Arthur, sometimes the old ways are the best."
"You should get out more."
"Fight or die," he said.
I chose to fight.
To the Undeath
There's a universal truth regarding fighting. There's always someone better than you. Someone faster, smarter, stronger, braver.
I was sneakier.
The moment the vampire I'd stolen from stepped forward, I pushed all I had through my wand. It burned so fiercely with violent magic it almost split my skin, and I punched out with force that shattered every one of the vampire's teeth before Mikalus gave the signal to fight.
As his head snapped back and blood pulsed from his mouth, I sliced through the air, wand whooshing like steel. The air cut under the pressure my power exerted, ripping open his mouth like the Joker's smile.
He clutched at his face, and nice guy I was I put him out of his misery with an intimate thrust of the wand that punched his Adam's apple back against his spine, the lump squashing flat. As his airways collapsed, he choked and coughed then dropped with a muted thud. It was over in less than two seconds and even I was impressed with my speed.
Those who hesitate die, and I was fed up with dying. Imaginary Figure of Death was becoming a real grump about my repeat visits.
The room was silent as the vampire spasmed once then was still.
Now, don't go feeling bad for the guy. Yes, I robbed him, and yes, I killed him, and yes, it would have been a hell of a lot easier to have killed him before I robbed him, but that's not nice or how I did things. But him being a vampire, well, it changed things. Mainly because he got up five seconds later and his throat popped back into place, his teeth grew, which was freaky to watch, and the incisions across his face sealed up faster than Vicky could hack your email account.
I held my ground, waiting.
Was this enough? Or would it go on and on until I was killed? And when, or if I returned? Would this continue until a true death was ultimately reached? I had no doubts about who that would be. Vampires were the regenerating maestros, I was just lucky. So far.
I turned at the sound of clapping.
"You are a strange fellow, Arthur," said Mikalus, shaking his head in what looked like admiration for my killer moves.
"I've learned one thing about fighting. The one who strikes first usually wins. It's different in the movies, although I guess you haven't seen any. In real life a punch or kick, let alone a stab or a bite, can kill you. So get in first, run away if you can. Always try the running first, though."
Mikalus nodded to the disgruntled vampire I'd stolen from and beaten down and he nodded in return. He stepped back into line and that was seemingly that. "We done?" I asked.
"For now. You are sure you do not wish to join our family? You would belong, Arthur, be part of something beautiful."
"I already belong to something beautiful. My daughter."
"Ah, the girl to be used? The one Ivan replaced?"
"You got it."
"As you wish. Please, accept my thanks for your part in all this. We shall speak again." Mikalus visibly shrank, caving in on himself, leaned back on the bed and closed his eyes.
Ivan came over and grabbed my arm, not in an unfriendly manner, and whispered in my ear, "You are one lucky guy. Can I have a word?"
Without time to answer, he led me away and only released me when we were in a different room and he'd closed the door behind us.
"Be careful, Arthur."
"I'm trying, but people keep trying to kill me."
"You know what I mean. This is twice now you've come on my radar in the space of a day. You stole from a vampire!"
I held up my hands in protest. "Hey, I didn't know he was a vamp. But I'm in the clear, aren't I?"
"For now. But ignorance is no excuse. Mikalus is fair but he's old school. Maybe do your homework before your next job, if you have another one."
"What, you guys gonna start hanging signs outside your doors? Here be Vampires?"
"Don't mock. Just be careful. I like you, I wouldn't want to see you dead."
"I like me too, and I wouldn't want to see me dead either. Thanks for the warning. What you doing here anyway?"
"I was summoned. Mikalus wanted to see me again, after me being one of the first to be made vampire following his resurrection."
"You mean during?"
"Yes, I suppose I do. And I will become a Second soon. Tonight. I have impressive abilities already, after tonight they will increase." Ivan spoke matter-of-factly, as if he were leveling up in a video game, not going to be bitten by the original vampire.
"Well, have fun with that. What's it like?" I had to ask, I'd always wondered but I'd never had the chance to talk to a vampire before, not in any meaningful way.
Ivan cocked his head to one side and thought until I wondered if he'd gone off in a trance, then he answered, making me jump. "It is terrifying, and it is more beautiful than I can possibly explain, or anyone can imagine. I belong, Arthur, truly belong. I can feel this force all around me, the minds of the others, of Mikalus himself, and after tonight my connection to him will be complete. It is like touching the hand of God."
"Better than chocolate then?" I said, hoping that this kind of faith and devotion was kept under wraps or there'd be queues miles long with people waiting to be signed up to the family of the undead.
"Better than anything. I belong, and I shall always belong. Be careful, and try to stay out of trouble."
"I'll try. What's with the bites, on Mikalus?"
"He gives back to his children, to make them his, to make them true vampire. The marks remain, for now, to show how he suffers for us. You really don't know much about this at all, do you?"
"I'm beginning to think I don't know anything at all." What I was starting to realize was just how mixed up with religious iconography this all was, and I was sure the symbolism wasn't lost on Mikalus either.
Ivan led me from the room, accompanied me through the waiting throngs, and then had me bundled into a car. A mute driver took me back to the city and dropped me at a backup vehicle I had stored in a car park. Going back to the terrace felt like a bad idea, for obvious reasons.
I got out in a daze and, alone in a car park in the middle of the night, with nobody to see, I shook and had to sit on the bare concrete as my legs had gone wobbly. Yeah, even The Hat got a little spooked by a load of vampires. I think I stayed there for some time, as the next thing I knew I woke up with my cheek pressed into the concrete and a smiling elf peered down at me like the insect under his boot he undoubtedly thought I was.
"Can I kill him now?" asked the female.
"Soon my dear sister, very soon."
Bad Time to Rest
To say I felt annoyed at being treated like a bug is an understatement. I was incensed. That's not playing fair, downright mean. Sure, I'd fallen asleep in a dodgy car park and yes, I should have gone
home or to Vicky's, but I was so tired, so drained from the rapid use of magic and all that had come before, that I'd collapsed rather than slept. It was the sleep of the insomniac. Brief, deep, and dreamless.
I knew better than to try anything, though. Running wasn't an option, magic was but it wouldn't go well, and fighting was rather difficult in my current horizontal position. So I lay there and waited.
And waited. And waited.
The elf was playing games. I heard the giggling from him and his sister, and I was sure there was sniggering too, although it was hard to tell. Elves were mischievous and had a wide range of noises for various degrees of mirth, usually the unhappier you were the more noise they made, which tells you what you need to know about the pointy-eared menaces.
Should I hand over the belt and be done with it? Was it worth all this crap? Depends. What would you do for a cool million? What would you do if it was your reputation on the line? If caving would leave you forever marked as a pushover? But nobody would know, would they? Yes, they would. People in my world had an uncanny knack for uncovering the dirt on you, and besides, I had my pride. The fact that Elion would be unimpressed may have had some bearing on my decision. Still, I was tempted.
Eventually the foot was removed and I stood as gracefully as I could, and did not mutter and fall over as I got up, or hurt my knee or anything. They studied me with smug smiles, like watching a monkey at the zoo, as I righted myself and brushed myself down best I could, not that it made the slightest difference. What now? Play games? See who blinked first?
Maybe the running thing would be a good idea now? I considered it, decided it was a bad idea as the car park was large, and my current speed would be slow. Plus, elves were rather athletic what with the slender, muscular limbs.
No, what I needed right now was my faery godmother. She often showed up in times of supernatural peril, or more often right after I'd dealt with the issue so she could chastise me and drive me home, but I knew she'd be getting a whiff of this. After all, elves were from the Nolands, too, although I didn't think fae and elves were neighbors or anything. They all came from this other place, but that meant as much as saying ants and aliens lived in the same plane of existence. They shared the same universe but that was as far as it went.
