Next to his feet, the water bubbled. He watched a juvenile vampire surface, followed by the others. They strained to lift a metal coffin out of the water. They panted, and heaved it ashore. All of them were skin and bones, and little flesh. Mark kicked and yelled at them to get back underwater. One was close to dying. One eye was gone, and his shoulder was severely mangled. Because they had been lying in dormancy in a poorly kept grave for a long time, their bones were soft from rot. They hadn’t fully regenerated from sleep, not that Mark cared. They disappeared underwater, no doubt hating their existence.
Mark thought about the Elders again. Their wisdom surpassed his, but he had been relishing playing god with the humans for the past century. He wondered if the Elders would approve of his plan to annihilate all of the Fire elementals in a single night. They were vulnerable in their district. If they lived dispersed throughout the city, it would’ve been impossible to wipe them out. Without the Fire elementals, the city would fall and the humans would be defenseless. During the overthrow of the Vampire Regime, the Fire elementals had shown themselves to be a worthy enough foe that were capable of killing even their vampire Elders.
Daray didn’t approve of his plan, thinking it too rash and ill-thought out due to variables that could come into play. But the feud was strong, and no one but the Airs would come to the Fires’ aid. And then when it was all said and done, everyone would realize that a new era of ruling vampires had arrived, that they had done themselves in, and that their actions had been spurred on by vampires in their midst who had sneaked into positions of power and were using them like puppets. It had all been orchestrated, all the hate, the murders, everything. The noose had been tightening around the human population for a long time, and they had been too busy hating each other to notice that something wasn’t right, that history was repeating itself, but this time, it was going to be far worse.
Humans were unlike any race that the vampires had encountered. They made the best slave population because of how easily they fell into fear and how hard they worked for little to no compensation. Their little minds could rationalize and cope with the most squalor of living conditions. If they ever ascended into enlightenment like the elves had, they would be untouchable, and would be unsuitable for enslavement because they would all be powerful thinkers who didn’t need to be led because they were governed by a higher power of consciousness and morality.
Lost in thought, Mark stood there, and watched coffin after coffin be heaved up from the depths below until some hundred or so coffins were lined up behind him.
The sound of footsteps pattered into his ears. He turned, and saw Corentine and Daray pick their way over the rocky terrain to him. The cave tunnel was wide, but not very tall, so they stooped. Mark bristled from the sight of them, and his nostrils flared.
“It has to be close to morning. The both of you have Council duties to attend to,” Mark snapped.
Hair askew and her dress dirty, Corentine stumbled to a halt in front of him. “Something has happened while you have been down here,” she said.
“Your feud has cracked, and could crack wide open,” Daray said. His lips pressed down until they almost disappeared.
“Yes, yes, I know about that girl, that Chaos Ice elemental, whatever her name is.”
“Karena Oceania,” Corentine said.
“It has to do with her and Asher,” Daray said.
Mark waved his hands around. He said, “It was absolutely ridiculous how both of those Chaos elementals were in love with each other. I don’t know how it came about, but I will get to the bottom of it to make sure nothing like that happens again. Their relationship could ruin everything. I already told the both of you that I was going to exile her, and then kill her in some horrific way when she’s on her way to some remote village out in the middle of nowhere to stay for years on end.”
“I see that you have it all planned out. You probably weren’t expecting that a friend of hers would reveal himself tonight to be a novice necromancer,” Daray said. His shoulders tensed and his jaw popped.
Mark’s blood turned cold at the word of there being a necromancer. All vampires feared and hated necromancers, as did everyone else it seemed like, and for good reason.
Daray continued, “He lured both Karena and Asher into a garden, and performed a soul-lock spell. Asher’s soul was ripped out of his body, and his soul is now trapped in the spiritual realm.”
“Oh good, so what’s the problem?” Mark asked.
Corentine said, “Karena was interrogated and placed under house arrest, but an Air shapeshifter and a Metal elemental broke her bracelet and took her to the hospital where Asher’s body is.”
“WHAT!!!???” Mark shouted. “They were working together despite the feud?!”
Corentine’s eyes darted around and she wrung her hands. She said, “What’s worse is that an Air-born witch staged a distraction so that they could enter into the hospital. The Air shapeshifter and Karena’s best friend, who is an Earth elemental, are currently missing.”
Mark pounded the walls of the cave with his fists. When his hands were too broken to use, he screamed and flailed his arms around.
“Where’s the Metal elemental and witch?” Mark seethed. His chest heaved as he took deep breaths.
Daray said, “We don’t know. They disappeared. They probably skipped town until things settle or Karena comes back.”
“This could spoil everything! I created this feud. It’s supposed to be one side versus the other. Their stupid love has started an alliance. That can’t be allowed. If a Fire and a Water can put the feud aside, and others on opposite sides can work together to benefit their cause, then everyone else will soon start to do the same. It’s the typical domino effect. They’ve started something that I have to end, and quickly. Where is Karena, the Air shapeshifter, and the Earth elemental now?”
“Based on the information that we have gathered, they’re most likely headed towards the Cattail ruins in the heart of the Markhan Territory. Though it seems absurd, that’s their most probable destination.”
“They’ll never make it in time to retrieve Asher from the spiritual realm,” Mark said.
“The father of the shapeshifter seemed to know what his daughter, Evelyn, might be up to. He mentioned a strange kind of ship that can fly, which can shorten the distance significantly by flying as a bird does across the land. He called it an airship,” Corentine spoke up.
“What the hell is an airship? I’ve never heard of it. Don’t tell me that it’s some ridiculous, dangerous thing that a gearcrafter invented.”
“It is,” Corentine said. “Several prototypes have been made and have been flown with some success.”
“I’ll wipe them all out after this. Flying ships can’t be tolerated. Power could slip through our fingers because of these strange inventions. They could change everything. Why wasn’t I told about this?”
“You were informed about this, but you didn’t seem interested, or aware of the impact that an airship could have on travel. You figured that it was a doomed invention,” Corentine said. Her tone was condescending.
“I’m going to create a law that prevents all vehicles from being built or flown, and then burn their workshops to the ground. No, I’ll do better than that, I’ll ban gearcrafting once more and gearcrafters will be hung,” Mark said.
“Now back to Karena, if you would,” Daray said with a sigh and roll to his eyes.
“Is it possible that they could make it to the Cattail ruins in time?” Mark asked Corentine.
“Yes. There’s a slim chance,” Corentine said.
Mark said, “This is perfect. I could kill two Chaos elementals without having to stage some elaborate death. All I have to do is take their group out while they’re en route to the sacred ruins. The swamps are dangerous, especially nowadays. All sorts of cryptids are getting displaced as the darkness stirs in the far east. Their deaths will be probable. And then Asher will naturally die due to the wraith, or whatever it is, sev
ering the link between his body and his soul. He will be helpless, and the entity will find him. There aren’t any spiritwalkers in the Sundarin Nation that we know of. I’ve made it a point not to have anyone restore contact with the southern islands.”
“So how are you going to kill the Ice elemental when she has an Air shapeshifter and an Earth elemental with her? You’re wandering again with your thinking,” Daray said. He tapped his foot.
“There’s an unmarked grave site near an abandoned building on the outskirts of Luxworth, fifty miles south of here. Within that grave are corrupted nargoths that are waiting to be awakened. Pump them full of blood, and give them their task. Show them an aerial map of where Karena and the others are headed. None of them will stand a chance, even that damn Ice elemental,” Mark said.
Nargoths were bat-like creatures, and very valuable and hard to come by. They were creatures that they had turned into vampiric pets, which wasn’t easy. It had taken many trials and errors. For every vampiric pet that they had acquired, over a hundred creatures had died due to the rigors of the conversion process. Nargoths were unique in that their audible echo location could disorient and deafen any prey. Their sonic blasts could also shatter any ice that the Chaos elemental tried to form or attack them with. The humans would be defenseless against a small flock of them.
“We can’t allow them to make it back, but even if they don’t return, what they did will be talked about amongst everyone,” Corentine said. “Everyone will be talking about how two Airs, a Metal elemental, and an Earth worked together to help Karena see Asher one last time before they left for the swamps. They worked as a team. They are supposed to be at each other’s throats.”
“Your feud isn’t as vicious as you thought it was,” Daray said. “I’ve always advocated more extreme measures to ensure that there aren’t any pleasant feelings towards each other.”
“Time is limited. We need to take out the Fire district before it’s too late, before they start thinking for themselves, and start to push past their hatred of each other and the hurt we’ve created,” Mark said. He felt the urgency now, more than ever before. “I want that Ice elemental, Asher, and all of them dead, including the Air-born witch and Metal elemental.”
“If they are killed, the districts could unite in their grief,” Corentine said. Her face creased into multiple wrinkles due to stress.
Mark shouted from frustration. He stomped about. He said, “Wake up the two Elders. I need them and whatever advice that they can give. We won’t be able to wipe out the Fire district without them. They can command all the other vampires that we have found and transported down from the Wildlands.”
“How soon?” Corentine said.
“I want it done now. We attack tomorrow night. Wake them all up, and we’ll start the final stage of our take-over. We’ll flood this city, our city, with Wildlanders, and turn everything into pandemonium. The Sundarin Nation will fall. The humans have led cushioned lives for long enough,” Mark said.
Ever one to doubt, Daray said, “I don’t think that the Elders are going to go for it. They might endorse taking out the Fire district and wiping out all the Fire elementals, but you have failed to infiltrate all key areas of the humans’ government and society. You have no control over their food and water supply.”
“Don’t lecture me. I know what I’m doing, and that’s why I want the Elders woken up,” Mark said.
Daray raised an eyebrow.
“They’ll be furious that you allowed gearcrafting to go on for as long as it has,” Corentine said.
Mark fumed at them. “You mock me, both of you. I have been successful, and where are the Elders, hmmm? We struggled for decades, and have risen to power. The Elders need us to be awakened. I am the one in power now, not them,” he said.
“You give yourself too much credit,” Daray said. “You have been cautious when it comes to the humans. You’re scared of them. The Elders would’ve been much more proactive at dismantling their little utopia.”
If Mark hadn’t needed Daray, he would’ve killed Daray. He had wanted to kill Daray for a long time now. Daray was always criticizing him and his efforts. When Daray was no longer of use, he would make sure that he tortured Daray until Daray begged to be killed so as to be spared any more pain.
“Get out of my sight, both of you. Get out! Wake up the Elders, and let’s get this finished,” Mark said. He stared them down, daring them to speak again.
Daray and Corentine left, and Mark stood there boiling in anger. He refused to admit his own inexperience with the humans, and his own shortcomings when it came to ruling a population of another race. He stared at the water and the bubbles coming to the surface. Another coffin was about to be raised to the surface. He smiled, but not because of pleasant thoughts. He needed something to vent his frustration on.
Chapter 19
Karena followed the signs to Banesvale. The sun hadn’t yet risen, and wouldn’t for another two hours. The road weaved like a snake through the steep terrain. Walls of rock rose in near vertical shafts on the right side of the road, while on the other, the ground had dropped away and didn’t regain any resemblance of a horizontal nature until it reached the distant ravine below. As she drove, the road continued to climb in altitude.
Evelyn was asleep in the back seat, while Hadrian dozed off in the front passenger seat. Karena hadn’t been able to sleep and had done most of the driving as a result.
After rounding yet another turn, and ascending another ridge, she noticed lights sparkling in the distance. It had to be Banesvale. She reached over and shook Hadrian’s shoulder. He startled and woke.
“I think that’s Banesvale,” Karena said. She pointed at the cluster of lights.
He yawned. “Good, because we’ve been driving for four hours already. We need to get into the air if we’re going to make it,” he said.
She didn’t need to be reminded.
They approached Banesvale. At the town’s edge, they passed under an arch that had been made out of an assortment of junk that had been welded together. They entered the sleeping town and cruised down its main street. Structural supports pushed against the buildings. Roofs were chained to the ground. It was obvious that high winds swept through the area on a regular basis.
“Wake Evelyn up,” Karena said. Her hands kneaded the steering wheel in an effort to keep her anxiety down. The moment of truth was coming up, the moment when they would know if the master gearcrafter that Evelyn was friends with would have an airship that could take them into the Markhan Territory.
Hadrian whistled a songbird’s tune, cheerful and quick. They heard Evelyn stir.
“We’ve reached Banesvale,” Karena said. She glanced in the rearview mirror.
Evelyn sat up, stretched her arms, and yawned. “Who made that song?” Evelyn asked. Her hair was a mess.
“I did,” Hadrian said.
“It was…. nice.”
Karena felt Evelyn’s hand grip the side of her seat. Evelyn leaned forward between the two front seats to see where they were exactly.
When they came to another intersection that didn’t have stop signs or markings on the asphalt, Evelyn said, “Take a right here.”
Karena turned the car as directed, which took her away from the downtown portion of Banesvale. Houses with large yards dotted the way. She didn’t see many trees. From what she could tell, the land was windswept and desert-like. She didn’t care for it.
“Do you see those towers?” Evelyn asked, and she pointed to two distant, blinking, red lights in the sky.
“I see the red lights,” Hadrian said.
She continued, “That’s the airship tethering station. It’s a good sign that those two towers are there because that means he’s still working on his airships. The hanger will be between them. The towers help stabilize the airship in moderate to high winds when it rises from the hanger and lowers into it after a trip.”
“How long have you known Garth?” Hadrian asked.
“I�
�ve known him since I was eleven. My father found him in a town called Stagsthorn, near the border of the Wildlands. His talent was crushed by his peers, but my dad saw some of his talent and brought him here to be amongst the other gearcrafters that live in this town.”
“Your dad sounds like a great guy,” Karena said. Blade’s jeep handled the bumps in the road with ease, so she pressed a little harder on the accelerator pedal.
“He is. He likes to help people, especially when it comes to helping them embrace their talents. Garth surpassed all of his mentors, and now he’s the one who teaches them.”
When they neared the silhouetted forms of the two towers just enough to see their crisscrossing beams, Karena could finally make out the domed, oval-shaped building between them at the lower end of their height. It had to be the hanger. Outside lights flooded the perimeter. Through the rumble of Blade’s jeep, they could hear a high-pitched, whirling noise.
“He still has one! I thought as much. I was right!” Evelyn said, excited. “That sound is from an airship. He’s warming it up.”
They pulled up to the hangar and parked. Ice crept across the jeep’s dashboard. Karena was nervous, and tried to rein in her emotions before she damaged the vehicle. She was in an unknown town with an Air who had thrown together a hasty plan to venture into the dangerous swamplands to the east. Nevertheless, she got out. The dusty air of the plateau filled her lungs and made her cough.
They walked up to the massive hanger doors, which were cracked open.
“Garth!” Evelyn called through the gap.
They stepped through the gap and into the hangar. Karena couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing before her. It was enormous and strange. Her eyes traveled over a metal and wood hull. Two, stubby wings with round barrels underneath them protruded from each side of the hull. She couldn’t see much of what was inside of the barrels, except that it was like a blur of spinning blades in there. The barrels had to be some kind of engine, which would also explain the noise in there. On top of the hull, ship masts rose into the air. The rear mast was taller than the front one. Multiple, quadrilateral sails were gathered around them and attached to their booms.
Gaze of Fire Page 14
