by Jan McDonald
“It is your time now, dear. I have merely come to give you these.”
She handed a bunch of ornate silver keys to Maria with a sigh. Maria was silent as she reached out with a wavering hand. Her heart was doing crazy things inside her ribcage and her mouth was suddenly dry.
“I don’t understand Sister; they are in your sacred charge. It is for me only to sit vigil and say the prayers whilst you rest. I am not ready for the burden.”
“Ready or not, the burden is yours now. I have borne it these past seventy years and can carry it no longer. You have witnessed the events of tomorrow many times now. You are ready. You have to be; I’m afraid I will not be here tomorrow, thank my Saviour.”
“Don’t talk that way. You’re tired, that’s all. Let me help you back to your bed and then I’ll get Sister Angelique.”
The old nun shook her head. “He must not be left unattended. Especially tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“He is awake. Surely you can sense that. He waits for something; something that has been many years in coming.”
Maria bowed her head and lowered her voice.
“I sensed he was awake. And restless.”
“He’s impatient. My time is over; it’s up to you now. So, take these.”
She closed Maria’s hand around the keys. “Now, help me up and God be with you.”
She struggled up from the chair with Maria’s help and shuffled towards the chapel door. Sister Maria stood motionless, looking at the keys that lay biting into her hand like shards of ice, as frozen dread surged through her like an avalanche. Eventually she returned to the chair at the side of the tomb, hung the keys from her belt next to the wooden cross, and began fingering the beads of her rosary again. Ancient and endless prayers fell from her lips as she battled for the peace that she would never know again.
Several hours passed and the atmosphere thickened as the litany of supplications hung in the air. From somewhere deep inside the monastery a bell tolled; three single tones that announced the passing of one of the sisters. A tear welled in her eye then fell silently down her cheek and dripped onto her ever-moving fingers. She knew for whom the bell tolled. The old woman had said her goodbyes and handed her the mantle of responsibility that bore the weight of centuries. Sister Agnes was dead.
Santo had heard the mournful tolling of the bell as he had stood watching the evening descend on the old monastery. He smiled. So the old witch was dead, and her white magic with her. He doubted the one he had seen so often at her side was up to the challenge; it was going to be easier than he had dared to hope for. In all of the years he had been back and forth to Gregori’s side, the old nun had watched him with hawk-like eyes, protected by Gregori she dared to challenge him and in so doing had become the only human that he had ever backed away from. And now she was gone.
He returned to the road where Nik waited patiently for him in the shadows.
“I was worried. You’ve been gone for hours,” said Nik.
Santo sighed, “Why are the young so obsessed with time? You will soon realise that time and your place in it, are eternal. Many of us possess neither watch nor calendar for that reason. I have been communing with Gregori. He is awake.”
“Awake?”
Santo sighed; he never ceased to wonder at Gregori. “For one who holds such power, he chooses to lock himself into a tomb and emerge only twice a year to feed and then return to his self-imposed exile of deep hibernation, surviving by the constant drip-feeding by a donor. It happens often with the ones of us that are weary of life. Only once in the last twenty years has he broken with the tradition, on the night that your mother came to the monastery; the night you were conceived. You, Nik, are one of the Born. Although your mother was a Latent, you are the son of one of the original vampire seed. I have watched both you and your mother for years now, on his behalf. I was his eyes and ears as you grew into your heritage and now he wants to acknowledge you are his heir.”
Nik looked confused. “Heir to what? He lives in a coffin!”
“A shrine, Nik, there is a subtle difference.”
Whatever that difference was, it was lost on Nik. He was getting weary of all the talk of how great his father was. Well, if he was so great, why did he sleep his vampire life away? And why was he interested in him after half a lifetime. He’d survived this far by his own wits and he resented the idea that he needed the old vampire for anything. He was anxious to tell him just that.
“Patience, Nik. It’s almost time.”
“What for?”
“For your mother. She is on her way here as we speak, and I intend to present her to Gregori too. Andrei is a thug; a sophisticated, talented thug but a thug none the less. He thinks that he will give her as a gift to Gregori and receive the reward he thinks he’ll get from the Old One. He is wrong.”
Nik’s face was stony. “She’s coming here?”
“I suspect she has no choice in the matter; she is still under Andrei’s control. Remember Nik, she is newly turned and doesn’t have your abilities as yet. He will be dominating her completely.”
“So, what do you want me to say? That I feel sorry for her? Forget it. I told you, she is nothing to me.”
“But you are something to her Nik, and when she knows you are here she will come looking for you.”
Nik shook his head in disbelief. “So I’m to be the bait? Is that it? That’s cheap.”
Santo smiled. “Cheap perhaps, but effective.”
Nik was thoughtful. “So, tell me about the Anti-HVV.”
Santo narrowed his eyes momentarily, then relaxed and smiled at the boy.
“So, you know about the Anti-HVV. I see your telepathic abilities are increasing, I had no idea you had been reading me.”
“You developed it? Why? Surely you have no interest in seeing the reduction of our numbers. Why develop something that has the power to kill us?”
“That isn’t how it started out. Originally I was looking for something that would prevent the Latent from turning to keep the integrity of our race. We are fast becoming akin to a pack of mongrels.”
“And now?”
“Now, I realise that the Anti-HVV is more than that; it is a weapon that can be used to great effect in any future war against the Created.”
“You’ve developed a weapon that will kill your own kind?”
“Insurance. I have developed the Anti-HVV and I will control its future production. If there is another war, the Born will I trust be grateful to me and protect their future supplies of the Anti-HVV.”
“But you’re prepared to kill your own kind.” Nik’s voice had an edge that startled his mentor.
“It’s about survival. Survival of the fittest: it’s a law of nature. I’m a survivor, Nik. And I hardly think you are in a position to find a conscience. I have seen you satisfy your hunger. That too, is about survival.”
Nik was quiet. He couldn’t deny that his new nature had turned him into a killer, but there was something else going on deep in his psyche that he couldn’t quite access and understand, something that had only started to make itself heard since he’d been in that place. He shook his head as if to clear the jumbled thoughts.
Santo read him. “It’s a confusing time for you. But later, when you meet your true father, you’ll find a new perspective. In the meantime, I want you to reach out with your mind and tell me what you sense.
The boy seemed about to protest and then thought better of it. He closed his eyes and concentrated, reaching out, searching for whatever it was that Santo was tuning in to.
He heard the occasional chatter in the few remote homes dotted around the hillside. He heard the movement of animals settling down for the night. Reaching further, he sensed the grief of the nuns in the monastery as they mourned Sister Agnes. He sensed the building fear in one of them, as she tried to find peace with her maker and draw courage from the incessant prayers and clicking of her rosary.
Then, before he could relay all this to Santo
he felt something else, something closer.
“She’s here,” he said. My mother is here, and so is Marinescu.”
Santo nodded. “You are indeed ready for presentation to your father. But first, we have to take care of Andrei. Cloak your mind from him, Nik. We must not give any warning of our intentions. “
“What are you going to do?”
“First, I’m going to get them to oblige me by stopping. Then I will take care of Andrei and you will restrain your mother. You may use any method and any force you think necessary.”
A vehicle was approaching and Nik sensed their presence immediately. A mixture of old grudges and pent up anger blended into a heady cocktail of resentment. If he was to be used as bait, then he would have the pleasure of seeing them punished. Any force necessary gave him a whole lot of flexibility in how he administered that punishment.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Beckett and Darius had closed themselves off from Lane, neither knowing exactly what they faced but both aware of the enormity of their situation and, each driven by personal pain that screamed for revenge.
It suited her, as her mind raced between possible scenarios and keeping a watchful, if silent, eye on Beckett. Although he hadn’t shown any further signs of relapse, she didn’t know if his body could take any further attacks or another dose of the Anti-HVV. The whole Anti-HVV thing bothered her. It was being developed to stop the Latents from turning, but if given to a Created it caused a painful death. And then what happened to the Latent? Would they spend the remainder of their lives suffering as Kat had been? It had been her last resort with Beckett and miraculously it had worked, though she didn’t know why. What was different about Beckett? She’d never sensed the Latent in him, yet after being bitten by Kat he displayed all the early signs of turning, effectively joining the ranks of the Created. So, why didn’t he die? Whatever the reason, she thanked God for it. Thoughts of Kat brought her back into focus. Kat was going to be a problem. If it came down to it, could Beckett stand by and let Lane deal with her? She doubted it.
They travelled the last miles in palpable unease, exchanging monosyllabic conversation only when necessary. Finally, the monastery came into view in a valley, its white walls standing out against the twilight and the dusty olive groves. She pulled onto the side of the winding road and got out of their hired jeep.
She was leaning against the bonnet, lighting a cigarette, frowning and clicking her fingernails while she stared at the monastery below when Beckett joined her.
He stood at her side without speaking for several minutes then in unison they broke the silence.
“Beckett…”
“Lane…”
They both relaxed and allowed themselves a smile.
“You first,” said Beckett.
“Okay,” she replied. “I’m worried about you, Beckett. I’ve been thinking that perhaps you shouldn’t go down there.”
Beckett stood away from the jeep and faced her square on. “Now just you hang on a minute. First of all, I’m fine – you can see that. Second, if Kat is down there and in trouble, then I’m going down there to do something about it. And third, what the hell gives you the right to stop me?”
Lane sighed; she’d known it would come to a fight. “Beckett, listen to me. You’ve been through a living hell these past few days, I don’t know if you are going to be physically up to whatever’s going to go on down there. It isn’t going to be pretty, that’s for sure. “
“That’s not all of it; I know you, Lane.”
“All right, Handsome. I’m worried that if it comes to the ultimate with Kat, I don’t want you getting in the way. There, I’ve said it. I’m sorry Beckett, but you know how it is. If it comes to it and I hesitate, even for a second, well …”
His face was ashen and anger was etched into every pore. The tell-tale twitching muscle in his cheek warned Lane that she had crossed the line.
He inhaled deeply. “You don’t have to worry about that. I don’t intend to let her down like I did Grace. Besides, it won’t come to that.”
“You see, Beckett. You’ve already decided that everything’s going to be all right and there’s going to be a happy ending to the fairy-tale. But Handsome, in my experience, it doesn’t tend to happen that way. I’m sorry.”
He was furious. “And you seem to have made your mind up to the opposite. How are you going to be objective? How are you going to be able to give her a chance?”
“And I need to know that if it comes to it, that you will take care of me. Do what has to be done. Can you, Beckett?”
They fell into a deep silence. Mistrust had never before entered into their relationship and it was an unpleasant feeling; and one that had to be eradicated if they were going to face the next hours together.
Darius stepped out of the jeep looking grim. He turned on Lane.
“This can’t happen, you two. If we are to have any chance of coming out of this in one piece we have to do it together. Your words, not mine. We’ve all got our own reasons for being here: Beckett because of Kat, you because of Santorini and whoever else is down there and me because of Andrei. So it would be better if you could both put this crap away and we get on with it.”
He didn’t wait for a reply; he simply walked away and climbed back into the jeep.
Beckett looked sheepish. “He’s right. I’m sorry, Legs.”
Lane grinned at him. “Me too. So let’s do this, Beckett. Let’s end this now; for all of us.”
Without further words, they got back into the jeep and set off down the winding road.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Santo moved so fast that even Nik wasn’t able to track him. Then, a noise on the dusty hillside above him made him look up. Santo was standing beside a massive boulder contemplating the road below. Nik picked his thoughts up instantly. He was going to push the boulder down the hillside and aim it at a white poplar on the side of the road. If it hit the target, the road would be effectively blocked.
It happened in the blink of an eye. Dust and small debris filled the air, dislodged by the rapidly descending rock which hit the tree dead centre, its own momentum giving it enough rebound to lie centrally in the road.
Santo was back at his side, flicking dust from his thousand-dollar suit. He reached inside the jacket and brought out his black silk mask.
Nik looked puzzled. “I thought it was for amusement only? What’s going on?”
“Theatre Nik, just theatre. Humour me.”
There was no time to argue further, as Andrei and Kat drove onto the scene. In the seconds that it took Andrei to brake before hitting the boulder, Santo and Nik were on them. Kat was easier to restrain than he’d thought she would be, now that she’d fully turned and had vampire strength and abilities. But Santo had been right; Kat’s adrenaline rush had been centred on seeing her son again and not on her flight or fight mechanism. He had her in an arm lock around her throat and an arm twisted behind her back in the same easy way that he had done the first time that they had met.
Andrei, on the other hand, was in full fight-mode. It was vampire against vampire. Sophistication against brute force. And from where Nik was standing, it looked as though brute force was getting the upper hand.
Santo had been injured but was fighting on. Then from nowhere came the deafening roar of an animal in agony. The noise both deafened and chilled. Nik felt Kat go slack in his grip as she too was caught up in the sound of death.
Both vampires stood locked together as though in a lover’s embrace and Nik couldn’t see which of them was going to walk away.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, Santo took a step backwards as Andrei slumped to the floor like a sack of grain. There was no movement from him and Nik couldn’t pick up on his heartbeat however slow.
He daren’t release his grip on Kat, who leaned against him, bewildered at the swiftness of the attack and the brutality of the ensuing fight. Santo turned his back on them and knelt over Andrei.
Kat struggled ag
ainst Nik’s hold but got nowhere, his strength containing her with ease. She tried in vain to pull free but with each movement Nik tightened his grip on her arm sending waves of familiar agony searing into her brain. She was no match for him.
Santo stood up and remained standing over Andrei’s lifeless body for several moments before returning to Nik and Kat.
He reached forward and opened his clenched fist. Inside was what appeared to be a small silver pen. Nik stared at it, unable to process what he was seeing.
“It’s an injector that was loaded with Anti-HVV, Nik. I managed to get it over his carotid artery and give him the lethal dose.” As an afterthought he said, “I’m disappointed, I thought he’d be a more worthy opponent. What about you, Katerini? Will I need to sacrifice the reward I may get for you, if you aren’t compliant?”
Kat was staring at the cruel mouth that seemed to be mocking her. It was the last thing she saw before he took control of her mind and she slipped into unconsciousness.
Nik held on to her, unsure of Santo’s intention. He was answered by a nod from his mentor.
“Throw her in the back, Nik. She’ll be out for a while.”
Nik tossed Kat into the rear of the car that Andrei had driven, while Santo moved the boulder from the road like a small pebble.
“Now, Nik, you are going to meet your father.” Then, almost as an after thought, “Finish him off. I don’t want blood on my suit.”
“But I thought you said it was a lethal dose?”
“It was, but he’s one of the Undead, Nik. Finish him off or he will eventually repair himself. And that would be a nuisance.”
With a deft movement he drew an ornate dagger from the small of his back where it had been tucked into the waistband of his trousers.
“It’s blade is Toledo steel, so we won’t have the undignified hacking off of his head. Don’t take too long,” he said.
Nik took the dagger from Santo and knew instinctively that the blade was sharper than any surgical scalpel. He paused. He’d killed before, in hunger, in pleasure and in rage, but this was different. This time he felt unsure of himself.
