Exiled - 01

by M. R. Merrick

  “Tell them to stand down,” I said. She struggled at first, but I pushed the barrel harder against her temple, cocking back the hammer. She stopped squirming at the sound and I loosened my grip on her throat.

  “Stand down,” she said. The group watched her, but didn’t react. “I said stand down!” They lowered their weapons. We backed up to the elevator and I grabbed the key from around her neck.

  “Open it,” I ordered. I had my eyes on the others as she turned the key. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. We both walked backwards inside and I took the key from her hand. I pushed the number two and waited. As the doors started to shut, I dropped the gun and shoved her through. They closed as she hit the cement floor and the elevator jolted upwards.

  It rose slowly before the doors slid open again. To the right, the balcony wrapped around and overlooked the main floor. There was single metal door with a chain and padlock on that side. To the left was another metal door with a lock and handle. I slid the elevator key into that door and turned, and to my surprise it opened.

  The room was pitch black and I felt along the wall until I found a switch. As the lights overhead sparked to life, they revealed a long room full of coffins and a single wooden door at the far end. Each coffin was a different size and style. Some had designs engraved into them while others were covered with stickers, and some were plain wood. Hundreds of coffins filled the room and at first I thought I’d never be able to tell which one was Vincent’s.

  I made an effort to be silent as I walked through the room, even though I knew none of the demons would wake. I turned the brass handle of the wooden door and opened it into a separate room.

  Inside were three coffins, lit only by the dim light from the larger room. Two made of a solid, dark wood matched, and between them rested a single pearly coffin. It seemed like Vincent’s style to have such a standout coffin. I was betting those to the left and right contained either his lovers, or his bodyguards. Maybe both.

  I stared at the pearl coffin. In a moment, my bubbling anger would have the chance to escape. I closed my eyes and took a breath. Dagger in hand, I raised the lid. I started to bring my blade down, but the coffin was empty.

  Smooth, soft, white satin lined the interior and a small white pillow with ruffled trim rested at the head. The light from behind me darkened and a chill went down my spine.

  “You didn’t honestly think it would be that easy, did you?” Vincent’s voice echoed in the dark room. He stood shirtless in the doorway, arms crossed, his body so pale it almost glowed. He had a more muscular build than I’d expected. His golden eyes looked at me with curiosity, and the oddest smile tugged at his lips.

  I focused all my anger into my stare, imagining the release I would have if I pulled my blade across his neck. I pictured the blood flowing over the milky white flesh whose perfection I would mar and watch explode into ashes.

  “Really, hunter, I’m not that easy to kill. You don’t survive for centuries being this easily found. You thought I would sleep in a stale dungeon like this? Tsk, tsk, I expected more from you.” Vincent’s eyes flickered as he stepped into the darkness and ran his hands along the white satin lining of the coffin. His golden orbs glowed in the light and I followed him with my eyes, my knuckles turning white as I clenched my blade.

  “The hate in your eyes is great. What have I done to deserve such attention? I gave you what you requested, so have you come here to thank me?”

  He acted like he hadn’t set us up, and the smile that crossed his lips was the final straw. I twirled the blade in my hand until I held it by the tip and put all my effort into being faster than him. I moved my arm in an arc and released the dagger at the perfect point.

  The blade spun end over end as it shot towards him, and I was close behind. I had almost closed the distance before Vincent’s expression changed to shock – I’d succeeded in catching him off guard. The blade finished its last rotation and slid into his chest above his heart. I wrapped my hand around the handle and twisted the blade.

  Vincent screamed in pain as his yellow orbs lit up with fear. His pupils expanded as his eyes turned to straight black. His skin went translucent, the red veins coming to the surface and running black as his inner demon came out. He fell onto his back with a muffled scream and pulled me down with him. I could see all the veins, bones, and muscles of the hand wrapped around my wrist. He squeezed hard to stop the dagger and cut off his own scream with gritted teeth as fangs dropped from his gums. His free hand reached for my throat but I pushed it away and pinned it to the floor.

  “You set us up,” I screamed in his face.

  Vincent was strong and his hand squeezed my wrist so hard I should’ve been writhing in pain, but my anger overrode everything in that moment. “I should’ve done what you did to us, and put this blade in your back. But I’d much rather look you in the eye while I kill you,” I said.

  Vincent stared at me, more shock than anger showing on his clear veiny flesh. “If you plan on killing me…next time, go for the heart,” he said, wrenching himself away from me. He brought his knee up hard into my gut and pushed. I lost my grip on the dagger and tried to turn as I rolled onto one knee.

  Vincent stood, and the blood dripping from the blade looked black and silver as it ran over his veiny chest. I could see his heart beating through his skin and his muscles twitching and contracting. His body was working overtime to fight the silver that poisoned it. He didn’t take his eyes off me as he pulled the blade from his chest, maintaining a neutral expression.

  “How dare you accuse me of such treachery. We had a deal and I kept it. I gave you the location where you could find your answer.”

  “Oh, we got the information alright, after Rayna almost got killed by hunters. All thanks to you holding up your part of the deal. Sending us into mortal danger was not part of the agreement.”

  Vincent shook his head, the wound on his chest closing rapidly. I’d used a silver blade, stuck it deep, and twisted it to make the wound larger; he shouldn’t be healing like this.

  “I did no such thing. If I had thought you were going alone…Well, it would’ve been tempting, but I would never put Rayna in danger. If what you say is true, perhaps there was a problem with my source. For it seems I’ve been, how do you say…” With lightning speed, he moved and stood nose to nose with me, his bare chest inches from mine. “…duped, I think is the word,” he finished.

  “No, somebody like you doesn’t get duped.”

  “Perhaps, but I had it on good account I was giving you the location of someone who would help.” Vincent smiled.

  I shot my hand forward and wrapped it around his throat, squeezing tight. Vincent looked unfazed and it only fueled my anger. “You lie,” I said through gritted teeth.

  “You’re fast, hunter, faster than most, but I do not lie, this I swear. Besides, your threats are better left for when you have the advantage. Take your hand off of me, now.”

  “It’s just you and me, Vince. What better advantage is there?”

  Vincent smiled and it sent a chill down my spine. I turned to find a gang of vampires and vamplings behind me. Perhaps it hadn’t been the smile. The vamplings had their guns aimed, while the vampires were baring fangs and showing off their full demon forms.

  “Death would be worth it to know that you, a traitor and deceiver, died at my hands,” I said.

  I could see the fury even in Vincent’s pure black eyes. He pushed at me with superior strength and I stumbled back. He simply stood and stared at me. All that remained of the wound on his chest was the stain of blood.

  “I’ve been many things, hunter. I’m a vampire who was once mortal, I’m a killer, and I’m an Underworlder. I play tricks with words to bend the world to my will, but a man who breaks his word I am not, nor will I ever be,” he stated.

  It was the first time I’d ever seen him offended, and I didn’t know why, but I believed him. My gut told me he was telling the truth, despite my rage.

  “Well, if y
ou didn’t lie to us, somebody lied to you. Where did you get your information?”

  Vincent shook his head, the black in his eyes receding and the gold shining through. His clear skin mutated back to milky white and the dark veins faded beneath it.

  “My channels of information are my own. I can assure you, the one who gave me false information will be dealt with in time,” he said. “Will Rayna be alright?”

  His change of tone caught me off guard and I couldn’t deliver the witty response I’d have liked. “She’ll be fine, no thanks to you. I still want to know where you got your information.”

  “Everyone, leave us!” he commanded. His family and minions responded immediately and flooded out of the room. Their obedience was impressive. “Come, let us talk civilly, if you will?”

  My anger was fading. “Fine,” I said.

  Vincent twirled my bloodied blade in his hands across from me and inspected it intently. “You didn’t mean to stab my heart with this, did you?” he asked. I didn’t respond. I maintained eye contact and a blank expression. “Of course you didn’t. Someone like you doesn’t miss by accident, do you?”

  “Not typically,” I said, and that was the truth, although after seeing him heal the wound I’d made, I wasn’t sure even a stab to the heart would have killed him.

  “Now, why don’t you tell me what happened?” Vincent said.

  I explained what had gone on at Rayna’s old house. I didn’t need to sugarcoat anything, like with Willy. I told him everything I knew, and he listened as though in a trance.

  “So it’s true?” It sounded like both a question and an answer.

  “What’s true?”

  “The prophecy.” He stared at me but looked right through me at the same time.

  “I don’t follow,” I said.

  “There is a prophecy, one that is millennia old, that many have spent lifetimes trying to decipher. Others have searched for the original documents in the hope that they may contain a key that would help interpret it.”

  “What does it say?” I asked.

  “And so shall the one of both bloodlines be the key to opening that which has been denied.”

  I shook my head. “What does it mean?”

  “It means Rayna’s blood is the key, Chase. I can’t believe I couldn’t place it before. She was always different from the rest of the Underworld, an outcast for killing her own kind and interfering with Underworld matters. I thought that hunter friend of hers had her confused about her heritage, but I never thought she herself might be part hunter.”

  “You said her blood is the key, but the key to what?”

  “Many interpret it to mean the key to the other dimensions. That which has been denied is the portal to the Underworlds. She is of both bloodlines. She has the blood of the demons denied entrance to our world and the blood of the hunters who closed the portal to begin with. It only makes sense that she be the one to open it.”

  “The hunters closed the portal and dedicated their lives to trying to destroy the demons, so why would they want to open the doorway again? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Think of the great powers of this world Chase, the power that the Underworlders hold and the power of the Circle. They have been diluted over time and aren’t what they once were. What if you could get hold of that magic in its purest form? There would be nothing that would stand in your way.”

  “That’s why you wanted the scroll,” I said.

  “Of course, should more power be offered to me I would be foolish to decline it, but I’m more interested in the power that keeps the seal in place, and the power inside Rayna. Before I was changed, I was a scholar of prophecies and legends. Becoming a vampire never took away my lust for answers to the puzzles that surround us. Searching for things that are said to exist but have not been seen for thousands of years has always thrilled me. If even one person had the knowledge of how that magic works, we would be one step closer to harnessing it. That could be most profitable. Hypothetically speaking, of course.” He smiled.

  “You stay away from Rayna.”

  “I could never harm my sweet Rayna, but it doesn’t make her ability any less intriguing.”

  Before I could respond, I was interrupted by a cell phone ringing. It was a girlie ringtone and Vincent raised an eyebrow as the song chimed from inside my pocket.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “Cha- Cha- Chase. Ray- Rayna’s awake and…” The rest of Willy’s words were muffled.

  “Willy, relax, it’s good that she’s awake.”

  I heard a loud bang through the phone.

  “Willy? Hello? Willy, are you there?” The phone rustled loudly before Willy’s voice came through again.

  “They’re here!” Willy yelled, sounding distant and full of panic.

  “Who? Who’s there?” I heard Rayna scream.

  “Hunters!” Willy’s voice echoed through the phone before a loud crash came and the line went dead.

  “Hello? Willy?” It was no use. The phone displayed “Call ended.”

  “What is it?” asked Vincent.

  “The hunters have Rayna.”

  I ran to the door and pulled it open. I didn’t stop for the elevator and hopped the railing without thinking. I soared down until my feet hit the concrete, which made a loud crack as my body made impact. The floor sank lower and the cement cracked in different directions. Dust and small rocks whirled around me and I hadn’t realized how high the second floor was until that moment. It surprised even me that I wasn’t hurt.

  I ran towards the exit and Vincent called for me to stop but I ignored him. As I neared the door, a blur passed me and Vincent stood in my way.

  “I’m coming with you,” he stated.

  “Absolutely not. You’re the last person I’d want fighting beside me. I’d rather take my chances alone than with someone who’s just as likely to eat me as help me.”

  “Whether you trust me or not, I’ve cared for Rayna for many years. You’ve known her only weeks. I am coming.”

  “I know why you’re interested in Rayna, and I’m not letting you anywhere near her.”

  “I am coming with you,” he demanded, and I felt a wave of his power wash over me. It pushed against my shields and I pushed back, not letting his will override my own.

  “Fine. I don’t have time for your games,” I said. I pushed past him, opened the door, and stepped outside.

  The sun beat down on my face and I looked at Vincent. “Come on, let’s go,” I said. Vincent backed away from the doorway as he covered his eyes. I shrugged and walked away.

  “Chase, please.”

  I stopped, hearing the plea in Vincent’s voice. “Wait here,” I said. After all, I didn’t want to be going into this fight alone, and his power would be useful. I’d deal with anything to help keep Rayna alive.

  I ran to the Jeep and jumped in, pushed the pedal to the floor and took off with a jolt. Jerking the wheel towards the building, I crashed through the chain link fence, driving over it with ease. My foot slammed the brakes as I pulled the wheel hard again and skidded alongside the building. I dropped into reverse and stopped outside the door, popping the hatch open.

  “Get in.”

  Vincent disappeared and returned with a blanket, wrapped it around himself and jumped into the back. I shifted into drive and let the gas pedal hit the floor again, the tires squealing as we pulled away.

  At the speed I drove, it took no time to get to the condo. I flew through the underground lot and sparks flew as the top of the Jeep grazed the concrete roof.

  We both moved with supernatural speed to the elevator and it couldn’t move fast enough. I squeezed through the doors as they started to open and pulled my blades from their sheaths, sprinting for the condo. The door was off its hinges and I burst through the opening, ready for a fight.

  The kitchen table was destroyed and the TV was shattered in pieces on the floor. The blood spatter was minor, but easy to spot on the white walls around the picture h
anging askew.

  “We’re too late.” Vincent pointed from under the blanket to the corner of the room where Willy lay slumped, blood dripping from his mouth.

  I sheathed the daggers and fell to my knees in front of him. His eye was swollen shut. I put my fingers to his neck to find a pulse; it was there and steady.

  “Willy,” I whispered. “Willy!” I said again louder, but he didn’t respond. I slapped his cheek. “Come on man, I need you to wake up.” Willy’s head shook back and forth a few times before he leaned over and spit blood onto the floor.

  “I don’t think we can see each other anymore, Chase,” Willy said.

  “I’m sorry, Willy. I’m so sorry. I don’t know how they found us.”

  Willy opened his one good eye and looked at me. It also took in Vincent and he screamed, panicking and pressing back into the wall. His skin flashed different shades of white. “What’s he doing here?” he screeched.

  “He’s here to help, not harm, I swear.” Willy stared at Vincent a moment longer before letting his eye fall on me again.

  “It was magic. They used ma- magic to find you. I heard them talk- talking about it. They traced Rayna’s magic here. I told them she wasn’t here, but they didn’t be- believe me; they said a spell had led them here. They beat me with a silver chain until they found her in one of the bedrooms. I tried, I did, but I couldn’t keep her safe. I didn’t tell them anything, I sw- swear,” Willy pleaded.

  “You did great.” I sighed. “On the phone you said hunters took her. Hunters can’t do that kind of magic.”

  “There weren’t just hunters. There were warlocks too.”

  My eyes widened and I could feel the blood drain from my face. “Are you sure?”

  Willy made an attempt at a shrug, but it looked like it hurt. “I recognized them from Revelations: Drake and Darius Sellowind.”

  Vincent made a strangled sound before stepping forward. “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “Of course I’m sure. You don’t mistake somebody else for the Dark Bro- Brothers. I’m not an idiot.”