I would lose him because I might lose my own life.
I rode through town to the Mstislav mansion, and then out into the Wasteland. A light snow had fallen in the short time that I had slept, and the tires of my bicycle crunched in the snow as I rode along. Once I had reached a spot that I judged to be sufficiently remote, I pulled off the road and surveyed the blank expanse that stretched before me.
I had always believed that snow brought with it a great stillness, and this snowfall, light as it was, was no exception. The morning air was quiet—nothing stirred as far as I could see.
I suddenly felt very alone, and I stood very still.
I felt for just a moment as if I were the last living creature on earth.
I quickly shook off my abstraction. I had a vampire to summon.
I took off my gloves and took out the knife I had brought with me—it was the Swiss Army knife that Branden had given me back in Elspeth's Grove. I figured using this knife was safer than using any of our larger kitchen knives. But this was hardly the use Branden had intended the knife for when he had given it to me.
Innokenti had said that three drops of blood would summon him.
I wasn't very enthusiastic about cutting myself, but it was preferable to the alternative. Innokenti had said that I might use animal blood, but I couldn't really bring myself to do that.
It would have to be my own.
I pushed up the sleeve of my coat and quickly slashed a thin red line down my arm, bracing myself for the bite of the knife. The cut itself wasn't actually that painful, and I let the wound bleed onto the knife.
I then let several bright drops of blood fall onto the clean white blanket of snow. The red droplets spread out and then sank in, melting the snow where they fell with their warmth.
More than three drops had fallen, but I figured that that didn't matter—I had a feeling that Innokenti had just been waxing poetic when he'd given me his instructions. All that was truly necessary was that blood was spilled.
I looked around then, expectantly, but the white plain before me remained empty. Innokenti did not appear.
I let a few more drops of blood fall onto the snow.
I looked around again. But no one appeared out in the Wasteland. Everything was silent and still.
I continued to stare out over the vast white plain. The morning was not especially bright, but even so, the snow reflected back all available light, and my eyes soon began to burn. I continued to look out over the Wasteland until I was forced to shut my eyes.
Once my eyes were closed, tears began to sting the back of my eyelids. Part of that was simply the effect of the snow glare, but part of it was frustration—Innokenti had not come like he'd said he would. I began to realize that he had deceived me.
After a moment, I wiped my eyes with the back of my free hand and looked around again. As I feared, Innokenti still had not appeared.
And I knew now that he wasn't going to.
Feeling foolish, I wrapped the knife in a handkerchief I had brought, and I unrolled a length of gauze. The cut was not deep, but I had come prepared with bandages, just in case something had gone wrong. I wrapped the gauze around the thin wound and tucked in the end of it.
My eyes continued to tear, and I closed them and rubbed them once again. When I opened them, I was startled to find myself staring at a broad expanse of black cloth. Involuntarily, I jumped back. I could see then that the black cloth was actually clothing covering a human form.
I looked up. I found myself staring into the cool gray eyes of the vampire Innokenti.
"Tears, little one?"
I took another step back.
"I—I thought you weren't coming," I stammered.
Amusement glimmered distantly in his eyes. "The tears are for me, then? It has been a long time since anyone has shed tears for me. Of course, over the years, many have shed them because of me."
I had an uneasy feeling that Innokenti had chosen the manner of his appearance purposefully.
"You're trying to scare me," I said angrily.
Innokenti smiled and spread out his hands as if in confirmation.
"Why?" I asked.
"It's what I do," he said simply. "Perhaps it would be better for you to be scared."
His eyes drifted to my wounded arm.
I took another step back.
"Innokenti, I summoned you for a reason," I said, trying to sound confident. "I need to talk to you."
The vampire looked up at me with eyes that burned with a dark intensity. Innokenti's usual courtly manner had disappeared—he seemed now like the dangerous, blood-drinking creature he was.
He took a step toward me. He kept going.
The urge to run welled up within me, and I stumbled backward. But I had come to the Wasteland with a purpose, so I forced myself to stop and stand still.
"I need to talk to you," I said again. I could hear a tremor in my voice.
Innokenti stopped then too, and the intensity in his eyes faded. It was replaced by another faint glimmer of amusement. He seemed pleased by the effect he had produced, and his manner became business-like.
"After you requested a meeting last night," he said, "I have eagerly awaited your summons. How may I be of service to you, little one?"
I took a deep breath and tried to calm my racing heart. Innokenti had a bizarre sense of humor.
"We have to stop the hybrids from attacking the Firebird Festival tonight," I said.
"Nothing would make me happier. But, alas, what can we do? I fear we will have to wait for them to make their move. We don't know where they are at present. The Werdulac's people are good at hiding the hybrids. We believe they may even be hidden in a different location every night."
"But you do know a few things about them," I said. "You knew Timofei Mstislav had been resurrected. And you said he'd been put on a leash—or something like that. You said they had him under control."
"That is true," Innokenti replied.
"Was he there last night?" I asked. "Was Timofei Mstislav one of the hybrids who attacked the castle yesterday?"
"Yes," Innokenti said. "William, I imagine, would prefer that you not know, but yes, he was there."
"So, he came to find me."
"I believe that he had been released to track you—as a test for the Firebird Festival."
"Then we can use me as a target," I said.
"I beg your pardon?" Innokenti said.
"If the hybrids are attacking the Firebird Festival because they hope, at least in part, to draw me out, then I'll show myself, somewhere, in a very obvious way. I'll draw the hybrids to me, get them to attack me, rather than waiting for them to attack the Festival."
Innokenti's eyebrows rose a fraction. "You intend to offer yourself up as bait?"
"Yes."
"An intriguing idea."
"Do you think it will work?" I asked.
Innokenti stared at me steadily for a long moment. It was impossible for me to read his expression.
"I do believe it will work," he said after a time. He tilted his head on the side. "I wonder, do you truly understand what you are suggesting, little one?"
"Yes, I do," I said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," I said. "I'm sure."
Innokenti shook his head. "It's dangerous, little one—very dangerous. What exists of the Werdulac's army will be assembled in its entirety tonight. If you show yourself, Timofei will lead them all to you. We will attempt to stop them—to destroy them, actually. But there is no guarantee that we will succeed. The hybrids are ferocious. And they want you. If they capture you, your life will effectively be over. You will live, of course, until the Werdulac is completely free of his prison, but your final days will not be happy ones."
"I understand," I said.
"Do you really? Reflect for a moment on what it might be like to be the prisoner of Timofei Mstislav, little one. Think on it very seriously."
I thought, as I had before, of the way Timofei had look
ed that night in the Pure Woods when he was revived—I remembered the burning hatred in his eyes, and I felt a wave of horror wash over me.
"If you are captured," Innokenti said softly, "your life will become pure suffering."
I had no doubt that Innokenti was right, and a strong desire to turn and run for home rose up within me. I quelled it.
"You're trying to scare me," I said.
"As I said, that's what I do. There are times when you should be afraid."
I was suddenly aware, once again, of how eerily quiet our surroundings were.
"The hybrids are going to the Firebird Festival to kill people, aren't they?" I said.
"As many as they can. They want to make a strong impression."
I looked over the desolate white plain that stretched behind Innokenti. I knew that that clean, white surface concealed tunnels full of dead villagers. If we didn't draw the hybrids away from the festival, more villagers would go to join their neighbors under the ground.
"But you do believe my plan could work?" I said. "If I show myself, the hybrids will come?"
"I believe Timofei will be drawn to you, and the others will follow him—especially since there is a charm on your house, and the hybrids cannot get to you there. You will succeed in provoking an attack. They will lose their focus on the festival, at least while they hunt you."
"I want to do it then," I said. "I want to draw them away from the festival."
"Even if it may cost you your own life?" Innokenti asked.
"Yes," I said.
Innokenti made no reply, and I was left to listen to the silence.
As I waited for his response, it seemed to me that I could feel the cold more keenly than I could before.
"I'll need you to help me," I said after some time had passed. "I don't know how to go about setting myself up to be found."
"If I agree to this," Innokenti said, breaking his silence, "it occurs to me that William will not approve. How does he figure into your calculations?"
"I actually hadn't done much in the way of calculations," I said. "Does he have to know?"
"Not at first. But when the alarm is raised and all of our men go out, William, of course, will be amongst those called. And he will naturally see you once he arrives on the scene."
Innokenti tilted his head on one side. "However, it occurs to me that it could actually be a good thing for William to see you there—it could provide him with a little extra incentive. There's nothing like having to protect someone you love to give you strength you never knew you had. It is an interesting idea, little one. And, of course, by the time he sees you, it will be far too late for him to stop you from carrying out your plan—you will already be in the middle of things."
Innokenti paused. "Seeing you in danger will be very hard on him. Does that not matter to you?"
I couldn't help wincing at his words. "Of course it matters to me. But I can't let innocent people be killed. I have to do this."
"I just want you to be sure that you count the cost of what you are doing," Innokenti said. "The total cost."
"I know what I'm doing," I replied. "I know it's dangerous."
"I will give you one last chance," Innokenti said. "You could lose your life. You could end your days as the tortured, tormented prisoner of a reanimated corpse with a thirst for revenge. Is that a risk you accept?"
"Yes. I accept it."
Innokenti stared at me for a long moment. Something in my tone seemed to get through to him.
"Very well. I agree to your plan and accept your sacrifice. We will need to work out what to do."
"How many hybrids are there?" I asked.
"We believe that there are about a hundred of them," Innokenti replied.
"And how many are on our side?" I asked.
"Alas, we number only fifty," Innokenti said. "Oddly enough, vampires are not natural fighters, and they are difficult to train and discipline—vampires in their natural state are lone hunters like tigers."
"So recruitment is not easy?" I said.
"Indeed it is not," Innokenti replied. "That's another one of the advantages that accrue to the hybrids—I imagine the kost part of the hybrids helps make them more amenable to commands and organization. But our troubles do not end there. In addition to our smaller numbers, we have a limited number of the weapons we need. Very few things are effective against the hybrids.
"What kind of weapons do you use?" I asked.
"I believe you saw something of them the other night when you paid us a visit at the castle," Innokenti replied. "William has been instrumental in developing them."
"I did see guards with crossbows," I said. "Is that what you mean?"
"Exactly so. There are some challenges involved in killing a hybrid—he has the strengths of both the vampire and the kost. Though a wooden stake can often be damaging, to kill a vampire properly, you must cut the head off and then burn the body. To kill a kost, you must wrestle it back into its grave. To kill the hybrid, you must do both. So, that's where the crossbow comes in. It shoots an iron disc that opens out into three curved blades when it is fired. The disc is also coated with a substance that ignites. Under ideal circumstances, the disc beheads the hybrid, and then cauterizes the wound. The purpose of cauterization is to avoid losing as much tissue and blood as possible. Vampires can have marvelous regenerative powers, and combined with the spiritual power of the kost—who knows where that could lead? Spare flesh could turn out to be dangerous, so we seal up the wound just in case. Once the head and body are separated, the body will continue to fight with terrifying strength—even by vampire standards. But the body and head must then be placed back into the proper grave and then burned to ashes."
"That doesn't sound easy," I said.
"It isn't," Innokenti replied.
"How do you know which grave to take the hybrid back to?" I asked.
"We have paid close attention to all of the grave robberies in the area—in fact, we have detailed lists with photos of the grave sites and of the deceased when they were still living. We like to call it our scouting report."
"So you will use your scouting report to match the bodies with the right graves," I said.
"Yes."
"That doesn't sound easy, either," I said.
"I must confess that the odds of our overall success are not good in this battle. We are outnumbered, and in many ways outmatched. The whole thing is quite a challenge."
Innokenti paused. "Are you certain you still wish to do this? There is no dishonor in backing out. You did not truly know what you were up against until my explanation just now. And I hope you will forgive me for pointing this out, but you are ill-equipped to defend yourself against such a threat."
"I was chosen once to protect this town," I said. "Even though I no longer have the ability I was originally granted, I still have to do what I can to help."
"I cannot dissuade you?" Innokenti asked.
"No," I said.
"It is my lot to defend this village also," Innokenti said. "You many not think so, but I do understand."
Something flickered in Innokenti's eyes that might have been sympathy, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
"What I suggest is this," Innokenti said. "We should set up a situation that will attract attention, but that doesn't seem staged. The Werdulac has placed a price on your head that is very attractive to vampires. Most of the vampires who live in communities know better than to go after you—they know the offer is a trap. I doubt very much that the Werdulac will make good on his promises.
"But there are plenty of rogue vampires—lone hunters, as I said—who are still out to collect you. I propose that we set up a chase. We will have a vampire we can trust pursue you. Once we have attracted the attention of the hybrids, you and your pursuer will lead them to a prearranged ambush spot in which we will hide some of our vampire warriors. And then once our ambush is sprung, we will alert the rest of the warriors, including William. Unfortunately, we will have to wait
until nightfall to put our plan into action—the hybrids are unlikely to be sufficiently active to take the bait until darkness is upon us."
I couldn't help shivering.
"You want to have a vampire chase me?" I asked.
"Yes. I think you should be chased into the Pure Woods. There is a large clearing with a castle keep that we know about, and I think we can create a bottleneck there and pick the hybrids off one by one. We know the woods well, and I actually think the trees will be a help rather than a hindrance. If we were to choose an entirely clear area, the way would be clearer for our crossbows, but I also think that out in the open we would be more likely to be overwhelmed. What do you think?"
I tried to consider the tactics, but I was too alarmed by Innokenti's first suggestion to be able to think about anything else clearly.
"Which vampire are you going to have chase me?" I asked. "Odette?"
"No, not Odette," Innokenti replied. "I don't think we can trust her. But I have the perfect man in mind. I think you should work with Anton."
"Anton?" I said in disbelief. "But he attacked me. He tried to turn me over to the Werdulac."
"Yes, I know that now," Innokenti replied. "I discussed the issue with him after your accusation, and he confirmed it. That's what makes him so well suited to the task. The Werdulac's camp will believe that he is genuinely after you. And he was terribly repentant when I confronted him about you. I'm sure he would like a chance to redeem himself in your eyes and in the eyes of our community."
I found it hard to believe that Anton was repentant about anything. "You trust him?"
"Yes," Innokenti replied simply. "If this life has taught me one thing, it's forgiveness." He paused and gave me a mirthless smile. "That's a joke, by the way. But very genuinely I do trust him. Anyone may be tempted."
I took a deep breath. "Anton."
"You may still back out if you wish."
"No," I said. "I see the logic of choosing him."
Innokenti grinned broadly, showing his teeth. "You're a brave girl."
I didn't feel very brave at the moment. In fact, I began to feel the stirrings of panic. "Is there anything I can do—in the event that things don't—go well with—"
Ignis (Book 2, Pure Series) Page 33
