The Vampire Gift 4: Darkness Rising

by E. M. Knight

  “This is a dangerous time. Old grudges will come to the surface. We need to make progress on all fronts, and we need to do it fast. Smithson was right.”

  “Smithson?” I ask. “Right about what?”

  “He warned me our vampires would grow restless. He told me to stage another Hunt. He said it would distract them, buying us time to restore order.

  “I sent him away for that suggestion. But I was a fool! We have the humans—we need to use them! What’s more important right now? Their short, paltry lives, or the continued existence of The Haven?”

  “Phillip, no,” Eleira whispers.

  He looks back at her. “You don’t understand,” he says. “You’re still too closely connected to them. We’re doing things backwards. We have to use the villagers to satisfy our thirst for blood! That would quell the discord. The Hunt would be a grand spectacle to distract the Incolam and the Elite from our bigger problems.”

  “Do you even hear yourself now?” I ask. “Forty vampire lives were lost defending these humans. And now you want to throw them to the wolves! What about the trust? What about our relationship with them?”

  “What trust?” Phillip asks grimly. “They are our food. Nothing more. Forget the bloodbanks for a moment. They can be restocked in other ways—after the wards are back up. Like Carter said, we can stage hunting parties, bring in humans from the outside world. Their blood will be used to fill the banks.”

  “You’re siding with Carter now?” I say in disbelief. “Phillip, what’s gotten into you?”

  “Nothing’s gotten into me,” he snarls. “Aside from very nearly being killed by a vengeful vampire!”

  He stalks toward me. “Do you know what Deanna said?” he demands. “Do you know who she did this for?” He stabs a finger in my chest.

  “Back off,” I growl in warning.

  He ignores the request. “She did it for Bradley,” he hisses. “The Royal Court member that Mother eliminated with fire. He was her lover—because, what else makes sense?”

  Phillip turns around and prowls toward the bed. He grips one of the bedposts.

  It splinters under his strength.

  “Times are changing,” he continues. “And we have to adapt. The world is modernizing. Whatever equilibrium we had, keeping the villagers in the dark ages, is no more.

  “We cannot pretend to be on their side. The Haven’s humans are there for a purpose. We must use them for that.”

  “Phillip...” Eleira begins.

  “No!” He cuts her off with a snarl. “Don’t question me, girl. This is beyond your understanding.”

  She bristles—rightfully—at being called girl.

  “We put the proposition before the Royal Court. I’m calling an immediate meeting. I’m sorry—” He looks at me and, with a guilty glare, also at Eleira. “That is the way it has to be. It is the only choice we have. If we don’t make it, vampire will turn against vampire overnight—and what happens then?”

  “I disagree,” I say. “And I will fight you on this before the Royal Court, just like—”

  The door slams open. Geordam bolts inside.

  “Huge problem,” he says. “Deanna isn’t the only one gone. Carter is, too.”

  Phillip curses.

  “That’s not the worst,” the newly-minted First Officer continues. “The Queen is no longer in the hospital ward. She’s been abducted.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  APRIL

  ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE HAVEN

  “You have to tell me where we’re going!” I plead as I follow James through the darkened forest.

  He’s been unusually stoic the whole time. Nothing at all like the boastful, pompous vampire I remember from when I shared his bed.

  Nothing at all like Phillip, I think with a little regretful sigh of lust.

  James just plods on and on, unresponsive.

  I don’t know what I expected being a vampire would be like—well, actually, I do—and it’s nothing like this.

  The first thing I felt after being transformed was this awful, overpowering deference to all those around me. I’d always prided myself on my… on my pride. If there was one thing people couldn’t take away, no matter how much they hurt me, it was that.

  But as soon as I awoke, and all my newly-enhanced senses crashed into me, the natural instinct to submit and bow my head to the vampires around was so strong as to be crippling. I could hardly force a cohesive sentence with it bearing down on me.

  Of course, there’s the hunger. James caught a fox for me, a stupid little thing, and broke its neck before throwing it at my feet. He did it all without a word.

  I took it as an invitation to feed. I sank my fangs into the creature’s neck.

  The blood was awful. I nearly gagged. It was repulsive and thin and reminded me of drinking battery acid.

  Not that I’d ever tried.

  And then, this fear crept into me: are all my feedings going to be like this? I mean, obviously there’s a distinction between animal and human blood—but if I found the former so horrible, how much better would the latter be?

  And how long will it take before I find out?

  So far, my brief experience as a creature of the night has been one great disillusionment after another.

  “James?” I say. “Please tell me. I can’t stand—”

  “Gods, were you always so whiny?” he barks.

  I wilt back. I’m afraid of rousing his anger.

  “Sorry,” I whisper.

  “You’ll see when we arrive,” he says, and plods onward.

  Sorry, I mock myself in my head. God, how I hate that deference! Wanda never told me about such a thing when she spoke of being turned…

  But then again, Wanda never had any direct experience with vampires, did she? My whole former cult was nothing but a great big fraud.

  The worst thing? Toward James, I feel not just an enormous submissiveness… but also an inexplicable pull. It’s like he has control of the strings pulling my mind. All it takes is the slightest tug to make me instantly obey.

  It’s how he got me to come with him so fast.

  Is that because he was responsible for my creation, or is it something else?

  The only advantage of this whole situation that I can think of is that I am now in possession of limitless time. I need not fear death or disease or aging again.

  That makes me smile. I bring a hand up to my face and touch my cheek. I’m never going to develop any frown lines, or crow’s feet, or wrinkles. Isn’t that the most perfect thing of all?

  My oh my, how jealous my mother would be if she knew.

  A devious thought occurs. Why shouldn’t she know? Especially now that James has broken away from The Haven and taken me with him. I’m not bound within its walls. I can go find Mommy and show off and tell her everything that I am. I can make her beg for the Dark Gift and laugh at her miserable state when I deny it.

  I can also find that man who stole my virginity, him and his whole gang of thugs. How many more girls have they preyed on?

  After I’m through with them, not another woman alive need fear their cruelties.

  For the second time I smile. Even if my current vampire strength obliges me to be meek, it doesn’t mean I have to stay that way forever. Furthermore, it doesn’t mean that I am not a Goddess when put amongst ordinary mortals.

  All that pleases me. It pleases me greatly.

  So some of the unease about my current physicality is alleviated as I think about the future. I can follow James for however long he wants to run. In time, I will rise. And then I will be my own woman again.

  “What are you so smug about?” James says, breaking me from my contemplations.

  I give a start. “What?” How does he know? He hasn’t looked back once!

  “I can feel your shifting emotions,” he says. “They’re clear to me as day.” He chuckles. “Or rather, as night.”

  I stare at his back.

  “Look, I can’t read your thoughts, i
f that’s what you’re thinking,” he continues. “But I can easily force you to tell me your deepest secrets. All I have to do is exert a pull—” suddenly, a presence envelopes within my head, close to pain, but not quite, and it makes me want to do anything I can to ease it, “—and your hidden desires come tumbling out. Now, tell me why you suddenly feel so content.”

  Answering his question… would be a way to ease the pressure. That I know. “I was thinking of vengeance,” I cry out. “Of getting revenge against the people who’ve wronged me!”

  The admission does exactly what I thought it would. It eases the pressure, eliminating it almost entirely from my head.

  James turns back. He offers a predatory smile. “Against whom, I wonder?” He shakes his head. “Fret not. I won’t force you to tell. Some things are better off a surprise.”

  “Thank you—”

  “But if you even think of going against me, know that you’ll fail. I won’t hesitate to kill you. I expect the utmost loyalty from the Nocturna Animalia. You’ve been given a great opportunity to set a precedent for our coven, April. Prove yourself worthy, prove yourself smart… and I might just consider naming you the First. That would be a great honor.”

  I don’t know what the “First” is, but it doesn’t take a genius to understand the significance James attaches to the title.

  “I… I won’t let you down,” I say.

  This time, the words come from my lips of my own volition.

  “Atta girl,” James says. “And now, you get to see where we’ve come. Over here, step quick. Just past the last line of trees.”

  I trot up to him, obedient as a well-trained dog, and look through the vegetation.

  On the other side is an enormous clearing, taken up by an airfield.

  “The Haven’s final gift to us,” he explains. “Come on.”

  He leads me to the tall fence. I notice there’s no gate anywhere. That throws me off for a second, but then James effortlessly scales the chain-link mesh, which shows me why.

  I follow after him, up and over. In truth, I’ve always been extraordinarily clumsy, so I didn’t expect to do it with ease. But my new vampire instincts grant me much greater control of my body. My limbs are more nimble, my reflexes quicker.

  I drop down on the other side. I feel a bit of amazement, followed by a flash of triumph.

  “Feels good, doesn’t it?” James says. “Just wait until you properly feed.”

  “So we’re flying somewhere,” I say. “Are you going to give me the destination, or is that another surprise?”

  “We’re flying,” James says. “To get revenge on one who wronged me. To put things in your oh-so elegant terms.”

  Is he mocking me?

  “I assure you I am not,” he says.

  I gasp. I didn’t realize I had said the last bit out loud!

  “But I like that part of you, April. You have a high opinion of yourself, and you want others to respect you for what you are. For who you are. In that, we are not altogether dissimilar. The difference is, I’ve had centuries of practice being a vampire. And you are newly made.”

  “So?” I challenge. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “You over-estimate your abilities,” he says. “You haven’t yet learned the limits of your body. You don’t know your new strength. You can’t fathom your weaknesses. Hell, I bet you don’t even think you have any, am I right?”

  “I’m not that arrogant,” I grumble.

  “No, but it is in your nature to be.” He takes my hand, which makes me jump in surprise. He pulls me into him, so that our bodies are touching and looks down into my eyes.

  A silence fills the air. He’s gone absolutely still. Is he going to kiss me? I wonder. It wouldn’t be the first time. But the mood is all wrong, and yet…

  And yet, a part of me craves that intimacy with my maker.

  But he just stands there and looks.

  Finally, I can’t take it anymore. I push off him and huff. “What?”

  “Your irises,” he says softly. “They’re shifting. Changing. But the alteration is not yet complete.”

  “So?” I ask.

  “So it means you’re still undergoing the transformation,” he says, mostly to himself. “Interesting. I thought your body would have adapted to the serum in full by now. You are up, you are conscious.”

  “You talk about it as if you’ve never done it before,” I note.

  “Not the way I did it with you,” he admits. “I pulled you from the very edge of death. How much do you remember of those last few moments?”

  I shudder. My entire recollection of that awful time has everything to do with heat and fire. I remember the horrid sensation of my skin burning, the smell of my hair up in flames. The feel of my nails melting, while I was still conscious and could feel the pain…

  “Enough,” I say curtly. I rub my hands over my arms, half-expecting to find them covered in horrific scars.

  “Then you’ll know that already you’ve faced the fire. That is the very hallmark of a Nocturna Animalia. The others I converted… did not get as far as you. Their process was… interrupted. By forces outside of my control.”

  “The other Fang Chasers,” I say.

  He gives a grim smile. “Yes. Those fascinating members of that crazed, obsessive cult. They spoke of you to me, you know.”

  My gut clenches. “Is that an accusation?”

  “They told me how proud they were to have broken into our midst.” He laughs. “Little did they know that you were nothing more than a struggling girl. None inside The Haven would have ever granted you what you sought. But then everything changed, and Eleira came into the picture...”

  He trails off. He looks at the sky. “We’re wasting time. There are only a few hours left before sun up. Ideally, we’ll be far away from here by then.”

  “You’re the one talking,” I say.

  “Yes,” James murmurs. “Yes, it seems I am. Now, let’s see...”

  He taps his lips as he looks over the fleet of planes.

  Finally, he picks one out. He strides toward it. I follow.

  We both get on. He goes in the cockpit and starts the engine. I watch him as he checks the many interesting knobs and levers and gauges and lights and buttons.

  But once it’s done, instead of sitting down, he turns the engine off and looks at me. “She’s ready,” he says. “Just as Phillip promised. Seems my brother can keep his word when it’s convenient to him.”

  “And what is that supposed to mean?” I demand, immediately jumping to Phillip’s defense.

  James takes half a step back. He looks at me with a bit of surprise. “You really do care for him,” he says under his breath. “Don’t you?”

  I cross my arms and seal my lips. I hate how easily I’ve given it away. I expect to feel that gnawing pressure…

  But it doesn’t come. Instead, James smiles and winks. “See what I mean?” he asks, in his full voice. “Secrets.”

  A bit of appreciation bubbles up inside for his not trying to probe me.

  “So then what’s next?” I ask. “If we’re not taking off...”

  “Oh, we’re taking off. We just require another passenger. I believe she’ll help serve as… bait.”

  Immediately, my gut churns. I hope he’s not talking about Eleira.

  “Who?” I say in a small voice.

  “The one who killed your cult’s leader,” he answers. His eyes darken, and his voice adopts a hardened intensity. “Victoria.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  DAGAN

  THE CRYPT’S TRAINING GROUND

  The vampire fighters stream at me in waves, and I break them all like a cliff against the surf.

  “Come on!” I yell, brandishing my weapon. “Is this all you cowards have?”

  The next one in line flies at me. My two-handed long sword meets his curved sabre in a flash of steel. The sound of our fight fills the empty stadium, where at one time The King staged elimination mat
ches, to the death, just like in ancient Rome.

  He’d done it, of course, to appeal to the vanity of The Ancient.

  The vampire attacking me is quick. He jumps from side to side and tries to stab through my defenses.

  But my long-sword, as heavy a weapon as it is, feels light as a feather in my hands. More, it feels solid, dependable, trustworthy, almost like an old friend.

  Entirely unlike that poisonous, traitorous silver blade the whore of a vampire gave me.

  I parry away the worst of his attacks. Then, growing bored, I open my mind and become one with the sword. It is not just an implement in my hand. Neither is it an extension of my arm, which is how previous Blademasters have described it.

  No. I learned and perfected, long ago, the art of actually assuming the identity of my weapon.

  I am it, and it is I.

  With harmony like that, there is no way I can be beaten.

  The vampire tries a trick move, feinting one way while hoping to expose my weak side. I see the maneuver coming from a mile away. But still, I humor him and pretend to fall for the deception. I overextend my reach…

  He grins, sensing victory, and switches his strike mid-swing to cut open my now-exposed rib—

  I let go of my sword, duck under the cut, roll, grab the hilt of my weapon before it hits the ground, and stab the point of the blade to his neck.

  “You lose,” I hiss.

  The vampire, astounded and embarrassed, lets go of his sabre to acknowledge defeat. I almost let him go with just that nick on his neck…

  But then I change my mind and send him sprawling with a kick aimed right between the shoulder blades.

  Laughter, harsh laughter, bubbles up from my throat. “WHO’S NEXT?” I roar, spinning around, eying all of them. “WHO DARES CHALLENGE THE GREATEST BLADESMAN TO EVER WALK THE EARTH?”

  And then, I see him. Him: Riyu. The little, meddlesome vampire whom I’ve adopted almost as something of a sidekick.