“Repeat what you have said,” snapped Mehmed, “and speak slowly this time so that I may understand you.”
The scout fought to control his heavy breathing as the intense beating of his heart pounded in his ears.
“A Vambir, my liege,” he stuttered.
“How do you know it was a Vambir?” asked Radu.
“He killed all seven of my comrades,” answered the scout. “He…slashed their throats and feasted on their blood!”
“And how did you avoid the same fate?” asked Mehmed.
“Sire,” he said, “I was relieving myself behind a tree when I heard the first cries of my comrades. They were all killed before I could render assistance.”
“And you say he mentioned Mazja?” asked Radu.
“Yes sir!” insisted the scout. “I distinctly heard him call out to her that the monastery would not go hungry tonight!”
“But you never saw her or any others?” asked Mehmed.
“No, Sire,” he conceded, “but after he called out to her, he threw two of the bodies over his shoulders and left for the monastery with them. I assumed that the Vambir would return for the others shortly.”
“What did this Vambir look like?” asked Radu.
“Like a demon, with his blood-soaked face, bald head, and pointed ears!”
“Quite,” said Mehmed as he dismissed the scout.
Waiting until they were alone, Radu shared his misgivings with Mehmed.
“I don’t like it,” he said. “No Vambir would have left a scout alive to report back what he had seen.”
“Perhaps the Vambir did not know there was a survivor,” said Mehmed.
“Soldiers who have encountered them in battle say they can smell fear,” said Radu. “Their superior senses and strength are what Satan has given them in exchange for their souls.”
“Why would a Vambir knowingly allow the scout to escape?” asked Mehmed. “If they are holed up in the monastery, then they are trapped, since no one could scale down the sheer cliff walls at the rear to escape us once we have secured the entrance.”
“I would not recommend a standard attack formation,” said Radu. “If they are truly feasting now, we should try to take them unawares.”
Mehmed nodded in agreement.
*******
Bristrita Monastery
“Why have you summoned us?” asked Emanui. “I thought you said it was too risky for us to meet.”
“Mehmed’s troops will have the monastery cut off in a matter of hours,” said Chaluxi. “I spotted an advance scout party and slaughtered all of them, except for one. I allowed him to escape after pretending not to see him and made sure he heard me call out to Mazja. After he was gone, I removed the camouflage concealing the pits. I stripped off two of the soldiers’ uniforms and brought their bodies to the monastery for the Vambir to feast on. Mazja believes they were hapless shepherds I discovered bathing in the stream. The time has come for us to part.”
“But we’re not ready!” exclaimed Tariq.
“Your meditation exercises have been progressing well,” Chaluxi assured him. “You have not reached the level attained by the Strigoi, but what you have learned will enable you to survive for months on the concentrated blood. The Vambir will soon be taken completely by surprise and most likely will fall at Mehmed’s hands. Even if Mazja survives, she will assume we were all killed in battle.”
He opened the wall panel and handed Emanui the lasgun and container of concentrated blood.
“Do without sustenance as long as you can,” he instructed them. “Take the concentrated blood just before you enter semi-stasis. My bio-scanner will lead me to you once I reach the Carpathians.”
“And if you fail?” asked Jasper.
“This is our only chance,” answered Chaluxi. “Stay here and await Mehmed’s slaughter, or leave now.”
Emanui embraced Chaluxi. “May you find your Kevak and save us all.”
Chaluxi watched as they crept to the outer wall and began their descent on ropes they had hidden beneath a large stone tile. He then made his way back to the banquet hall.
*******
“Ah, Chaluxi,” said Mazja, raising her goblet to him. “We thank you for this bounty.”
“How lucky you were to have come upon them in this remote part of the country,” said Klopok, a Vambir who was Mazja’s new favorite.
“Shepherds often drive their herds many miles to graze on seasonal fields,” said Chaluxi nonchalantly. “If they feed in one place for too long, the supply is soon exhausted.”
Chaluxi was not threatened by Klopok; Mazja had settled into a predictable routine of changing favorites every few months.
“Did you find anything else?” she asked.
“All was quiet, Commander,” said Chaluxi. “The shepherds’ flock moved on without them. No doubt they have made the journey several times and are familiar with the route. I’m going to go out again to make sure they have not wandered back.”
“Bah! Bah!” yelled Klopok, imitating the sound of sheep. “Don’t let those vicious beasts sneak up on you.”
The Vambir burst out laughing and began to echo Klopok’s sheep calls. Smiling, Chaluxi turned around, made a deep bow to Klopok, and gave the Vambir salute to those in the hall.
“It is a dangerous mission I undertake,” he said, “and although I face seemingly insurmountable odds, my deepest hope is that I will survive unscathed. Farewell, comrades.”
*******
As Mehmed’s troops made their way slowly toward the monastery, they came upon the great pits the Vambir had dug to ensnare Dracula’s troops.
“This makes no sense,” observed Mehmed. “Why would they leave them exposed for us to see?”
“It could be a trick,” said Radu. “Perhaps other pits have been camouflaged, and we have been lulled into thinking these are the only ones.”
“Order the troops to proceed with extreme caution,” commanded Mehmed.
FUGITIVES
Transylvanian Countryside
“Look! There’s a crawlspace big enough for all of us!” exclaimed Emanui as she struggled to keep pace with Jasper and Tariq.
“No,” insisted Tariq. “We must keep moving.”
“But it’s the first one we have come across all night, and it will be dawn soon,” she protested.
“We have at least another hour of darkness,” said Tariq. “It is crucial in these first days to put as much distance between us and them as possible.”
“We all saw Chaluxi escape just before Mehmed stormed the monastery,” said Emanui. “He exposed the pits, leaving the Vambir defenseless. Odds are they are dead.”
“Are you willing to bet your life on that?” asked Tariq.
Tariq’s question hit Emanui hard. “I’m just so tired. Can’t we at least stop running?”
“Okay, we’ll walk,” said Jasper, seeing that Emanui was exhausted to the point of giving up.
The trio had been on the run for three nights and had not fed. Following Chaluxi’s instructions, they had covered their bodies in a thick layer of mud in order to cover up their half-human scent.
Tariq lifted his head and sniffed as they walked. “If they’re coming, it’s not on horseback,” he said.
“The Vambir don’t need horses to catch up to us,” said Jasper.
The extra time spent walking was rewarded when they came across a stream just before dawn. A fallen tree provided stability as they hastily placed gathered branches alongside it and huddled inside.
As daylight broke over the forest, they closed their eyes and meditated as they had practiced together at the monastery. Suddenly, Tariq sat up with a jerk.
“Can you smell it?” he asked the others.
Jasper nodded. “Smoke…and Vambir!”
The scent was faint, but thanks to Chaluxi’s teachings, they all detected it.
Emanui dug her fingers into the mud beneath her and began to spread a fresh layer over any exposed flesh. Tariq and Jasper followed su
it. Each of them worked in silence, pausing only to sniff the air to check if the Vambir were getting closer.
“The scent has not gotten stronger,” commented Emanui.
“Daylight has stopped them,” said Jasper.
“Mehmed could be hunting them,” said Tariq.
“We can follow the stream uphill as soon as the sun sets,” said Emanui. “Another night of running should put us above the tree line.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” said Jasper, masking his pessimism.
If the Vambir were in fact pursuing them, they would catch up the next night.
“Emanui, take some of the concentrated blood,” said Jasper. “We shall have to press harder tomorrow, and you struggled to keep up today.”
“Chaluxi said to wait until just before we entered semi-stasis,” she said.
“Take some,” said Tariq. “Jasper’s right. We could be in a race for our lives tomorrow.”
“Alright,” she conceded, “but only if both of you do the same.”
She ingested a drop, careful not to let the liquid come into contact with the air, as Chaluxi had warned.
“It is foul!” she exclaimed.
“It is concentrated evil,” said Jasper. “But a necessary one.”
As soon as the substance was in their mouths, they could feel the soothing explosion of warmth as it coursed through their systems.
“Here,” said Emanui, handing Jasper the lasgun. “You will have the best chance of keeping them at bay.”
Jasper accepted the gun and put it into his pack, silently acknowledging the great danger they were in.
*******
As soon as it was safe to leave the makeshift shelter, Tariq stood up and sniffed. When Jasper and Emanui emerged, they did the same.
“More smoke,” said Jasper.
“It’s made it impossible to detect the Vambir,” said Tariq.
“Maybe it is also impossible for them to detect us,” said Jasper.
“What does it mean?” asked Emanui. “The Vambir would not have lit a fire while they were sheltering from daylight. The smell of smoke would have led Mehmed straight to them.”
“We don’t have time to speculate,” said Jasper. “Let’s be on our way.”
Invigorated by the drops of concentrated blood, they sprinted into the night. When the sky began to lighten, they found themselves above the tree line, and the vast, jagged cliffs of the Carpathians came into view. The smell of smoke had faded a few hours into their journey, and there had been no further indications of any Vambir in the vicinity.
“We’re going to make it!” Emanui cried. “By this time tomorrow we will have found a cave and entered semi-stasis!”
They all exchanged smiles. Just one more daytime rest and they would be safe. Surely they were now out of danger.
REUNION
Outskirts of Bazna
Kevak was teaching J’Vor the rudiments of Vambir writing when the palmcom alarm sounded. Trying not to look worried, he read the message transmitted from the lifeboat.
PASSCODE ENTERED. ACCESS DENIED.
The Vambir have returned to the lifeboat!
“What is it, Father?” asked J’Vor.
“Maybe a wandering sheep has triggered the proximity alert,” said Kevak calmly as he grabbed the lasgun and bio-scanner.
“May I come with you?” J’Vor asked.
Kevak smiled and shook his head. “It could be villagers,” he said. “I promise I won’t be gone long. See if you can translate the first page of this book into Vambir.”
Once outside, he could only make out shapes of domestic animals, but the bio-scanner readings definitely indicated both a Vambir and human presence. He climbed down the side of the cliff and began the long run to the cloaked lifeboat. Stopping about half a mile away, he continuously checked his scanner as he slowly approached it.
Not a group…only two.
A high-pitched scream startled Kevak. Following the sound, he eventually came upon the source: it was Chaluxi feeding on an unconscious shepherd. He set his lasgun to stun and discharged it.
*******
“Father!” exclaimed J’Vor upon seeing Kevak enter the cave with the unconscious shepherd. “What happened?”
Kevak placed the shepherd in the pod and calibrated it for a human. J’Vor had never seen another human up close and was filled with curiosity.
“A beast attacked him, and he needs medical attention,” explained Kevak as he closed the hatch. “The pod will keep him unconscious while he heals.”
As J’Vor stood over the pod, Kevak grabbed two lengths of rope.
“I must go back, J’Vor,” he explained. “Stay here until I return. I am putting you in charge of monitoring our patient.”
“I will watch him, Father,” said J’Vor.
*******
When Chaluxi regained consciousness, he found himself seated against a tree with his hands and feet bound. Standing a safe distance away was Kevak, holding the lasgun.
“Hello, Navigator. How goes the garden?” asked Chaluxi with a wry smile.
“What happened to your garden, Helmsman?” asked Kevak.
“The same thing that destroyed the first crop: Mazja,” he said.
He took a long look at Kevak, marveling at his unaltered Vambir form.
“You look well, Navigator,” he said. “I never thought I would gaze on an original Vambir again.”
“So, you gave in to the blood lust in the end, eh?” asked Kevak.
Chaluxi sighed deeply. “It’s a long story, old friend.”
“Several hours remain before daylight,” quipped Kevak.
“I tried, Kevak, I tried!” cried Chaluxi. “I was on the brink of starving to death, but Mazja would not even allow me that courtesy. I was force-fed blood. After the Vambir were locked out of the lifeboat, we became mercenaries for a human warlord named Dracula. I fed off battlefield casualties that were destined to die regardless of my presence. I did what was necessary in order to survive.”
“What of the shepherd?” asked Kevak.
“I was sure you were living in the lifeboat,” said Chaluxi. “When you did not emerge after I entered the passcode, I believed all was lost. It was then that the shepherd saw me. I could not allow him to inform others.”
“The humans will suspect foul play if he does not return!” exclaimed Kevak. “Years of no suspicious activity have now been undone by you in a few seconds!”
“Don’t reproach me, Kevak,” pleaded Chaluxi. “The cravings are too strong for me to overcome on my own! I am disgusted with what I have become and made this journey in the desperate hope that you were still alive and could help me return to a semblance of my former self. If you would just let me stay with you until the hemoplant restores me.”
“Impossible,” answered Kevak.
“The fact that you stand before me unchanged contradicts that!” argued Chaluxi. “You have obviously succeeded in harvesting the hemoplant. I ask not only for myself, but the lives of three vampires are also in your hands!”
“Vampires?” asked Kevak.
“The metamorphosis works both ways, Navigator,” answered Chaluxi. “Dracula and Mazja had a falling out, and when she attempted to kill him, he inadvertently ingested her blood and was transformed into a hybrid.”
Kevak’s face registered alarm. “Are these vampires capable of transforming their fellow humans?”
“Dracula made an attempt. He was hoping for a superhuman army, but his best fighters were changed into brain-dead mutants easily kept at bay by garlic and crucifixes.”
“Crucifixes?” asked Kevak as he inspected his own. “How could the symbol of Iam be so repugnant?”
“Dracula’s experimental subjects were from these lands, where stories of ‘Strigoi’ demons were passed down many generations. Having found themselves transformed, their beliefs convinced them that was what they had become, and they reacted accordingly.”
“But what if a vampire attempts to transform a h
uman who is not superstitious?” asked Kevak.
“That is precisely how Dracula solved his Strigoi problem,” answered Chaluxi.
“And the Vambir?” asked Kevak. “Are they still waging war against humans, now that they no longer serve Dracula?”
“No, Navigator,” answered Chaluxi. “Humans do a good enough job of that on their own. The Vambir are merely collaborators in the effort.”
“And is this how it will be for all time?” asked Kevak. “The Vambir covertly using their interstellar brethren to obtain food?”
“I was prepared to starve to death, Kevak!” protested Chaluxi. “Surrendering to the inevitable requires one merely to wait. But once the blood restored my vigor, the only way to end things was to take action myself. I tried…more than once. But at the last second, I would always falter. In order to carry out a thing of that magnitude, one must be devoid of hope. Within me there was always a sliver of hope: maybe you had survived. Maybe your hemo-seeds had produced a crop. Yes, I have taken human life in order to feed, but I have done what I could to save as many as possible. Vampires who refuse to kill are eliminated by Mazja. The three who escaped were incapable of doing what was necessary to survive, so I supplied them with blood. As we speak, they are making their way to the Carpathian Mountains to await my return. Their systems are now sufficiently Vambir so they too may respond to hemoplant ingestion. If I die, they die.”
Kevak had winced when Chaluxi alluded to his thoughts of suicide.
Iam would want me to help Chaluxi and the vampires. But Chaluxi’s cravings are a threat to J’Vor, and I will not allow him to be put in danger.
“When I said ‘impossible,’ I meant that you cannot recover here with me,” explained Kevak. “You have already put me at risk of discovery. I will give you the tools, but you must accomplish what you seek far away from human temptation. It is the only way. If you keep traveling west, you will come upon a great forest. I will supply you with enough rations to keep you alive until you can harvest a crop. I would guess that in three months, you will be free of the cravings.”
Chaluxi knew Kevak was right. He could never overcome his addiction in such close proximity to humans.
The Nosferatu Chronicles: Origins Page 21
