Darkling

by Sabolic, Mima

  “Yeah, but how does a human suddenly turn into a vamp—without the bite, that is?”

  “Nobody knows how their changes happened, and what caused them. There was some research done, but no results to explain the most important questions. Kyrill has put a lot into solving the mystery. He’s invested in new technologies; but it’s hard to do anything without a real subject to work on. There are many theories on the issue, and the most common one is that the Elders are born as humans but with some different element that turns their bodies into vampires at some certain age.” Doris shrugged and I thought of mutation—of evolution as mutation—and if becoming a vamp is the destiny of the human race in the far future. The thought made me shiver. Who would they feed off of then?

  “Did Baldur work on it too?”

  “No, that was Kyrill’s project, I guess. Baldur had his own.”

  Yeah, like raising the Vocati army for himself. I wondered why Baldur hadn’t shown more interest in researching the genetics of the Elders. Maybe fear of competition?

  “I assume that research went through Gazini, Inc.,” I said, and Doris nodded. Had Kyrill hidden some of the results from Baldur? Bet Balthazar would know a thing or two about it.

  “I know that nobody can kill the Elders, but is it possible for them to commit murder among themselves?”

  “Is—what!?” She stared at me. “Why would you ask something like that? It’s madness!”

  “Crazy is not the same as impossible,” I said, meeting her glare. I was so sick of their brainwashed ideas about the Elders having the highest moral values. After what Baldur had done to me on my first day, plus his whole Vocati army “I want to rule the world” sinister plan—no one should ever use the word “moral” in reference to him! However, Doris wasn’t aware of the plan, and Balthazar had made it very clear that it should stay that way, for now at least. She dismissed my suggestion without elaboration.

  Sango’s prophecy of dark times coming was filled my thoughts.

  “How soon is soon? The vision, I mean. Did he mean like a year, or ten, or even one hundred?”

  “I don’t know. But I think it’s sometime in the near future, not a decade or a century away.”

  The thought of an apocalypse reminded me of the dream that we had shared. And of the brooch in my travel bag.

  “Right. I’d almost forgotten,” I said, getting the bag so I could fish out the present I had found online for her.

  “I got you something.” I gave her the burgundy brooch.

  “The one from the dream!” she said, after inspecting it.

  “Yep, the one from my version of it.”

  “It’s beautiful, Nika! I love it!”

  It always surprised me how genuine her reactions were. Her eyes—frustrated a second ago— now had a glow of happiness. She turned on her side and hugged me hard.

  “The stone reminds me of something that Aidan gave me a long time ago.” Her voice cracked a bit.

  “No call yet?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

  “No. Nothing.”

  “You know, he might call soon,” I said, and she widened her eyes.

  “Why you think that?”

  “Whatever Belun had planned was probably interrupted by Sango’s awakening and vision,” I offered.

  “Maybe they’ll return to Tromsø now. The both of them.”

  It was hard to rain on her sudden parade, but I doubted that possibility. In Belun’s case, at least. “I don’t think the reason that Belun left is the same reason that he called his Warriors,” I said. I actually knew the reasons were different. He had left to find a Priest to heal him. But why had he changed his plans? That was yet another mystery. Maybe he had stumbled upon something during his trip.

  “How come? I thought they were connected,” she raised, her eyebrows.

  “Well, he’d have probably said something to Aidan before he left, and not stood him up for their meeting, as you mentioned before.”

  “True. I forgot about that.” Doris jumped off the bed. “I have to check if there’s any change. I’ll be back in a minute. You rest.”

  “I feel better now.”

  Doris sent me an air kiss and left the room. I willed myself to stand up and take a shower. Even though I had told her that I felt better, it really wasn’t the case. I was probably coming down with something, I felt so languid.

  There were several missed calls from Doris, and texts from Blake and Mom on my phone since last night. After speaking to my mom, I called Blake.

  “Man!” he said, answering.

  “Yeah. True shocker.”

  “Did you know about him having visions?”

  “Yeah, Doris told me recently. How’re things there?” I asked.

  “It’s chaotic. We’ve been told not to come to the cells today.”

  “You saw Baldur today?”

  “No, we’ve mostly been staying in our rooms. Lyndon and Max are here.”

  “What about Jules?”

  “She left for Bristol two days ago. And Gustavo’s not yet returned from his trip.”

  That struck me as odd. He’d left before I had. I wondered what he had been doing for a month away from his Vocati and Tromsø. Could it be connected to Belun somehow? I was probably clutching at straws.

  “How will all this affect us, Blake?”

  “I don’t see why it would. We’re part of Baldur’s Project.”

  “You don’t think that the Elders could put a veto on what the others are doing?” I asked. Kyrill was already against the Project in Tromsø.

  “I don’t know if it works that way. But still, I don’t see why they would want to shut us down.”

  Unfortunately, I did.

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you. One of your team members has gone AWOL,” he said.

  “What? Who?”

  “The guy who trained with you and Belun.”

  “Lee?”

  “Yeah, him.”

  “Since when?”

  “A few days ago, I think.”

  Okay, I was certain that had something to do with Belun. Maybe he was one of the Warriors Belun had asked Aidan to take with him.

  “Okay, thanks,” I said to Blake, as Doris walked into the room.

  “Sure, see you soon,” he replied.

  Doris dropped onto my bed with a deep sigh.

  “Any news?” I asked her.

  “Not really. But David spoke with Baldur.”

  “Oh? What did he say?”

  “I don’t know. The call was private.”

  “Is that strange?” I asked, and she shrugged. Were David and Baldur allies? That wouldn’t be so surprising, and I actually could imagine them forging evil plans to take over the world. Baldur was mean enough, and the cousin was ambitious enough; they would make a perfect evil duo.

  With another sigh, Doris fished an iPod out of her pocket.

  “Could you find me that Massive Attack song?”

  “You mean the Nika n’ Belun song?” she teased, shuffling through her music.

  When I heard the first beats, a warm feeling overwhelmed me. Warm as all the nice moments I had spent with him. Would I ever see him again? Was he thinking of me even a little bit? My hand found its way to the figurine that was still in my pocket. It was real. I closed my eyes, listening to the sounds of us dancing that night.

  Chapter 26

  The Escape

  Later that day, the memory of the pain still echoed through my body. I strongly hoped that it was a one-time thing—whatever it was. Bad food, bad host, bad day—you name it. I pulled my clothes out of the closet and started packing my travel bag. Tomorrow we would return to Tromsø, and I was still unsure of my destiny at that place. I was taking my jacket off of a hanger, when my phone rang.

  “They’ve escaped!!”

  “Hello?”

  “Nika, can you hear me?! The Vocati—they’ve all escaped!!” Blake’s voice was barely audible among all the noise behind him.

  “Blake! What?!”
/>   “A few minutes ago all the alarms went off. It’s madness here!”

  “Wait, that’s happening right now?!”

  “Yes! They’ve just escaped!” Blake was almost screaming, but it was still hard to hear him.

  “Tell me everything you know!” I said, locked in place from the shock.

  “The alarm is so loud. When I heard it, I went out—but some guard pushed me back, telling me not to leave my room. But still, I went to the hall and hid behind the sofa near the stairs on our floor. That’s how I know what’s happening. I’ve never seen vamps so panicked! They said that we are under attack and that all the Vocati are free!”

  “What kind of attack?” I asked, fearing the truth.

  “By the other Vocati!”

  “Shit! Lock yourself in your room, Blake. Don’t fuck around!”

  “I just did. Crap, this alarm will kill me before the Vocati get me!”

  “How many are dead?”

  “Several. I don’t know precisely. Oh, man, if we get through this, we’re definitely without jobs!”

  “Don’t go out there anymore, you hear me? Stay put!” I shouted, running for the door. Shit! Shit! Shit! This was the worst-case scenario ever.

  I burst into Doris’s room still holding my phone up.

  “The compound is under attack!” I yelled.

  “What?”

  “Tromsø! The compound! Under Vocati attack! All the Vocati have been freed from the cells, Blake just called me!”

  Her face changed color in a second, and with the speed of a bullet she ran through the door. Breathing heavily, I realized I was alone in her room with only the smell of her shampoo in the air.

  I returned to my room and nervously paced. The Vocati rescue mission. This was bad, beyond bad. How had it happened? How come Baldur’s army plan had failed this intensely? Or was it possible that this was part of the same plan? It was hard to imagine Tertius playing along with Baldur’s game. It had to be all because of Sango’s awakening. That was what had put things into motion.

  The vision! Oh my God! Vocati were regrouping to find the Sixth Elder! They were going for the child!

  I started to shiver badly. All sorts of images and thoughts orbited my mind. I dropped down on the bed.

  Doris said that the Vocati had unknown access to Sango’s visions, so they probably knew about the latest one, too. How could they know it?! Who was selling the vamps out? Or was it some other way that they were granted access? The image of the previous night’s dream emerged. Red pipes interlaced like a labyrinth, or a family tree. A very complicated family tree.

  Oh my god!

  That could be it!

  The blood of Sango’s offspring was used to raise the four Original Vocati. What if his ability for visions was in their blood too? After all, it was his blood in their veins. If the Elders could pass their knowledge to another Elder by bite, why wouldn’t Sango’s blood do the same with his ability? Why wouldn’t it just be passed on to the next generation? Could that be how the Vocati knew about the visions? Why they know about the latest one?

  They had come for Tertius. For some reason the other Originals needed him for the task. I remembered Belun saying that those Vocati who attacked us had come from the north of the country. Why hadn’t they rescued Tertius then? Why now? If they had any telepathy among themselves, it could also have worked then. I wondered how much those missions were connected—the rescue of Tertius and the Oslo attack. And him being a prisoner in the first place!

  What if Sango hadn’t said everything he’d seen? Then the Vocati would be in the better position of finding the new Elder, they would know the whole vision. They wouldn’t need to wait to hear it!

  When Doris came to my room, I was still sitting on the bed and shaking.

  “How’re things?” I asked in a low voice.

  “Not good. David’s flying to Tromsø as we speak. There were four victims.”

  “Who were they?”

  “Guards of the cells. Jacob was the one who hit the alarm. They’re still fighting to save him.”

  “Jacob? From my team?”

  “Yes, and there was something in his hand when they found him. An origami flower.”

  Stop.

  My mind went completely blank for few seconds, but the rush of fear shook me out of it. Origami. The origami I had given to Tertius after torching that Vocati.

  “The Vocati are gone now. The Warriors are searching through the woods, securing the place.”

  “They’re gone?” I asked, pulling myself away from the image of a white paper flower that had to be red by now. Doris nodded, sitting next to me.

  “But only four were killed?” I said. She gave a WTF look.

  “There were seven Vocati in the cells, plus probably more than that in the rescue team. They could’ve slaughtered the whole compound if they had wanted to.”

  “And what are you saying, exactly, Nika?”

  “Nothing. It’s just odd.” But not that odd if they were in a hurry. “The Sixth Elder. They’re going for him.”

  My words made us both shiver again. I told her about the blood-vision theory, which didn’t go over well—she dropped her face into her hands and cried. I put my hand on her back. There was nothing I could say to make her feel better. Hell, I was surprised that I wasn’t racked with tears. Sango was right. Bad things were coming.

  Had he meant this? Or something much worse.

  “Are we leaving tomorrow?” I asked, when she had finally calmed down.

  “My father told me to come. Maybe you should stay here. I don’t know. You could stay with me too.”

  “What does Kyrill say about the whole thing?” I asked.

  “I don’t think he’ll say anything. It’s Baldur’s business; he’s now more concerned with Sango’s recovery.”

  “What does this escape mean, Doris?”

  “Besides Baldur’s rage? Probably better security, and more Warriors.”

  “How did Vocati get passed the sensors in the ground and the Priest’s juju?”

  “I have no idea,” she said. “Baldur spent a fortune on those fancy gadgets, so everyone thought the compound was unbreakable. No Vocati has ever come even near that place. And with them knowing the vision! What if this wasn’t Sango’s first vision in the last seven centuries?”

  Doris had hit the right nerve.

  “You think he could’ve had visions while asleep, like dreams?” I asked.

  “The Vocati could have much more knowledge about the Sixth Elder. Who he or she is, and where. We’re walking around in the dark, while they could have all the necessary pieces of the puzzle!” she added, and what an awful thought that was.

  “Maybe they’ve been searching for the Sixth this whole time,” I said, feeling the fear creeping up my spine. “When I asked Tertius what he had been looking for when he let himself be caught, he said it was something that the vampires hopefully hadn’t known about. And he was very cryptic. Maybe it was the new Elder.” Doris just stared at me.

  “And that origami they found,” I continued. “I gave it to Tertius. I think it means it’s payback time.”

  I could feel a stinging inside my head, stretching all over my scalp. The sharp pain flashed through me, taking my breath away. It was short-lived, however. But Tertius leaving me the flower message, that was probably not going to pass that fast. Was he coming for me after they found the Elder?

  The thought of him killing me was so strange, but the longer I contemplated it, the more and more possible it seemed. Would he chase me down? Murder me? Chills went up my spine. What had I done?

  I felt each vein in my head, neck, and arms, but the blood that passed through was colder now.

  “Nika, you need your pills,” Doris said, and I heard an edge in her voice. She looked worried.

  Right, pills. The ones Tertius had told me not to take. Screw him! Who knows why he said that, and the reason probably wasn’t for my benefit. He played me. I trusted him, and he played me. Now he�
��s off to kill an innocent child. Fucker!

  I picked up the prescription bottle with shaky hands, spilling out two pills. No way was I gonna calm down without a little boost. My life was in danger. A child was going to be murdered. And I couldn’t do a damn thing about it!

  Since I was staring at the floor, and clearly not willing to talk, Doris touched my hand lightly and left the room. Things had turned from bad to worse. For me, personally. What should I do? But my mind was empty, as if someone had erased everything that used to be me.

  I reached for my phone, wanting to call Blake. He might know something more about this whole thing. But it rang endlessly without him answering. I tried again. Nothing. I called Tibor’s number but it also rang until it stopped by itself. I tried Blake again. What was happening? No answer! Were they okay?! What if something had happened during the last few hours? What if the Vocati had returned to finish them off?

  Suddenly, I became aware of my eyelids drooping.

  I blinked, and then again, heavier this time. The pills were kicking in.

  I laid down, my muscles relaxing. Later. I would solve these problems later. Then my phone buzzed.

  “Yeah?” I said in a sleepy voice.

  “Nika, it’s Balthazar. Don’t go to Tromsø on any account! Do you hear me?”

  “I don’t understand.” His words became hazier.

  “Forget about Tromsø! Stay in the palace and wait for my call!”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “Nika?!”

  But that was the last thing I heard before the phone slipped from my hand and I fell asleep.

  It was night, and the view was familiar. Down the hill I could see a soft blanket of fog covering those nameless and dateless gravestones. A husky voice broke the silence.

  “Good evening,” the gravedigger said. I turned around, startled by his presence.