I wanted to believe my calling was a blessing, but in many ways, perhaps it was right the opposite, a curse, if I took everything into its proper account. I had been robbed of my childhood without a choice and without my consent. But my loss was for the better good of society—if the force that had chosen me needed any validation for their reasoning.
Jacques looked at me with a quizzical grin. “I take it that your trip last night faired well?”
I nodded and gave a slight shrug. “As best I could hope.”
“I thought so. I could tell by your eyes. You seem more confident.”
“The boy’s being overly modest,” Dominus said. “Due to a mishap, I was incapacitated. He singlehandedly killed all six vampires and a half dozen or more ghouls.”
Zsolt’s eyes brightened with curiosity. He spoke with a Hungarian accent. “Ghouls? Where’d you cross those?”
“Glodrim,” Dominus replied. The lump on his forehead was the size of a goose egg and dark purple.
Jacques couldn’t keep his gaze off of me. “So how many kills do you have now?”
“Eight,” I replied softly.
“In two days,” Jacques said to Zsolt with strong pride in his tone.
“Impressive,” Zsolt said.
My father saddened and looked down at the floor. I didn’t want him to know I had surpassed him with my numbers, which was why I had tried to shrug it off as of no importance. Of course, if I hadn’t told the number, I knew Dominus was itching to state it aloud. Since I considered him my trainer, I imagined my number of kills reflected good for him as well.
“We have a common enemy,” Rusk said. “When Jacques told me that you needed a group to kill Baron Randolph, I didn’t hesitate to join your conflict.”
“Nor I,” Zsolt said. He looked to my father. “You’re the one who was taken into his lair as his prisoner?”
Father nodded.
I shook my head. “He kept him alive just to torture him.”
“I see. What do you remember of the place, John?” Rusk asked. He took out a yellowed piece of parchment paper, a dark pencil, and flipped a wooden food tray for solid support so he could draw. “I’d like to try to map it out.”
“Not a lot, actually,” my father said. “I was kept in one large sepulcher with stone caskets lined around the walls. And when I escaped, I was too worried about getting out alive that I don’t remember much about my surroundings. I ran up several sets of spiral stairs.”
Zsolt said, “So you were fairly deep underground?”
“I believe so,” my father replied.
“Is there anything more you can tell us?” Rusk asked.
My father frowned and stared at the floor. He was silent for a long while. I knew he was trying to remember. He was always deep in thought whenever we had held discussions when Momma was still alive. He was adamant about trying to recall the exact details. That was just his nature. So for him to tell everyone that he didn’t remember meant that he wasn’t lying. If he truly remembered, he’d have told us. I wondered if he was blocking the memories because he had told Momma and I about Bodi’s torturing him and his escape.
Rusk appeared slightly frustrated. “I’m not trying to pressure you into remembering.”
“Then don’t,” he replied.
“But,” Rusk said, “we’re going into a very dangerous situation.”
“I realize that,” Father said.
“Possibly a hundred vampires reside with the baron,” Rusk said, never pausing. “The odds are greatly against us.”
“Would he have such a legion?” I asked.
Rusk nodded.
“I’m new to all of this,” I said. “But vampires need to feed. How often?”
“Daily,” Jacques replied.
“I expected they’d need to. How does this number of vampires feed without the residents of Bucharest discovering them?” I asked.
“I took you through the slums,” my father said.
I nodded. “And another lair is hidden inside the building ruins, run by another master. Right?”
Father nodded.
“Each master holds a certain amount of territory,” Zsolt said. “My guess is both lairs feast upon the poorer citizens in the slums. The two masters probably have a truce between them as long as their boundaries are not crossed.”
Rusk said, “Which is why Baron Randolph has always opposed renovating that area of the city. Whenever business proposals are made to better the slums, those he holds influence over promptly vote down such movements. And if masters aren’t taking their victims there, the river ports bring hundreds of new people into the city each week, giving the vampires victims that would go unnoticed by the city. Ship captains are used to losing crew members at port dockings, too, so they recruit new workers at the next stop.”
Jacques glanced toward me. “Vampires can feed upon humans without killing them or turning them. They use compulsion to keep the victim from remembering and only take necessary amounts of blood to sustain themselves.”
Rusk turned his attention back to my father. “Has anything come to mind about Baron Randolph’s lair?”
“Sorry, no.” My father propped his elbows upon his knees and rested his head in his hands, staring at the floor. “It’s all a blur. And the more disturbing parts I’ve blocked from my mind, to be honest.”
“Perhaps,” Zsolt said. “ I can help you.”
“How?”
Zsolt removed a pocket watch from his coat. The gold watch was attached to a long chain. “John. Please look.”
My father lifted his head and glanced at the watch.
“Focus on the watch,” Zsolt said. He lowered the watch on the chain and swung it back and forth. He looked at me and shook his head. “Only your father should focus on it. It’s best you look away.”
“Why? What are you doing?” I asked.
“Hypnosis. Everything we hear and see is recorded by our subconscious. By getting him to fully relax, there’s a good chance that he will find what is currently hidden from him.”
I turned my attention to Jacques. My cousin nodded and gave an approving smile.
“John,” Zsolt said in a soft calm voice. “Focus solely upon the watch. Relax. Drive away everything except the watch and the sound of my voice.”
My father’s eyes moved left to right, following the watch’s movement. Zsolt’s voice held a lulling ability, and soon my father’s eyes grew heavy, as though he were about to drift off into sleep.
“John. Relax. Close your eyes.”
My father obeyed.
“Focus. Let your mind drift back to when you were in Baron Randolph’s den. You are there now. Alone. No one else. No vampires. Just you. You’re safe. Take a look around. Tell me, what is it that you see?”
“Two pillars support an archway made of red brick and white mortar.”
“Good,” Zsolt said. “What else? Where are the stairs?”
My father leaned back in his chair and folded his hands over his stomach. He frowned slightly. “Directly in front of me.”
“Okay, what’s to your left?”
“Caskets.”
“How many?”
Father was silent for a few moments, as if he were counting. “Six.”
Zsolt smiled. “Good. To your right, are there more?”
My father nodded. “Six more.”
“Okay, take a look around the room. Are there any more?”
“One at the far wall directly opposite of the stairwell.”
“Is this one any different than the others?”
Father nodded. “Yes. It’s embellished with gold trim. And it seems set higher than the others, on a platform.”
Zsolt flicked his eyes toward Rusk. “The baron’s.”
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
Zsolt leaned forward, getting closer to my father. “John, I need you to ascend the steps. Remember, you’re alone. No one else is there. No vampires.”
A nervous expression claimed my fath
er’s face.
“It’s okay. No one else is there. Go up; count the steps to the next level. How many steps?”
After a few seconds, my father replied, “Twelve.”
“How is the stair layout? Where does the next set of steps ascend?”
“I can turn to the left or right. A narrow door is to the right side. Maybe enters into another large chamber or a tunnel? I’m not sure. The stair platform is inside a square room, but I need to walk around the column that houses the stairs to get to the next set.”
Rusk drew a rough layout of what my father described.
“Ascend to the next level. What do you see?” Zsolt asked.
“It’s the same. Another door to the right. Twelve steps.”
“Good. Now to the next floor.”
A few moments passed. “The same . . . except—”
“What?”
“No side doors and no more steps. I’m at the surface level. There are two large doors. Nothing else. I push them open. The graveyard is before me.”
“Which cemetery?” Zsolt asked.
“The one nearest the cathedral,” Father replied.
Zsolt thanked my father and slowly brought him out of the trance. When Father looked around, he seemed somewhat baffled, not remembering what had occurred during the time that he was under this hypnosis.
“Now, shall we get down to our strategics?” Zsolt asked.
I looked him in the eyes and said, “Before we do that, what is your grievance with the baron?”
“There are many, Forrest,” he replied. “Like you have lost family members, so have I and fellow hunters that were like brothers to me. I’m willing to sacrifice my life, if need be, to see him dead.”
“And I,” Rusk said, nodding. “Have had many a Wolven brother and sister tortured until dead by the baron and his undead minions.”
“This cemetery where the underground lair is hidden is possibly connected with the buried cellars and long tunnels that cut beneath the city,” Rusk said. “From what John mentioned, there are side doors at each turn of the stairwell. These we do not want to enter. Seal them if they can be closed.”
My father looked confused. “What doors?”
Jacques placed a gentle hand on my father’s shoulder and whispered something in his ear. My father’s brow rose, acknowledging understanding, but perhaps not completely because he still appeared uncertain of what they were talking about.
Rusk continued, “They may only be tunnels to other places in the city, but then again, they might well be filled with more vampire sepulchers, containing more caskets. Some of the tunnels could lead for miles. There could be armies of the undead down there.”
“Is there any guarantee that the baron’s casket is three stories down?” I asked.
Dominus straightened in his chair as he studied us.
“I believe so,” Rusk said.
Zsolt shrugged. “When John first went under hypnosis, his reaction to the master’s chambers had made him quite nervous. There are thirteen caskets, which is symbolic in many respects. It is a common number used in various religions throughout the world. I believe it holds quite a significance for the baron.”
“In what way?” I asked.
“Prominence. Most people in other cultures consider the number twelve as completeness. Being the thirteenth places him one above the rest,” Zsolt replied.
Dominus cleared his throat. “So even if we don’t draw the attention of any vampires from the other adjoining rooms, we will enter a room filled with thirteen vampires?”
Rusk and Zsolt nodded.
“I must assume,” Dominus said, “that these twelve vampires nearest the baron’s caskets are powerful in their own right.”
Jacques said, “I agree. Baron Randolph will keep his best vampire warriors near his place of rest.”
“Or his mistresses,” Rusk said.
“Don’t forget about Bodi,” I said.
Rusk turned toward me. “Bodi?”
I nodded and explained who Bodi was.
“Do you wish to be the one to stake Bodi?” Rusk asked.
My throat tightened.
Actually, no, I didn’t want to do that at all. I hoped that once the Baron was killed, Bodi turned to ashes, which seemed merciful to me. But if someone had to stake him, I supposed I’d rather it was me. I replied with a slight shrug.
My father shook his head. “No. Forrest shouldn’t be the one to do that.”
“Why not?” Zsolt asked.
“He’s the youngest one in our group, and he was friends with the boy. Others of us have hardened in mind and spirit over our lives. We’ve experienced harsher things. I have no idea how this will affect Forrest this early in his life. It might be too much for him to handle.”
“I’ll be fine, Father.”
“No, son,” he replied, pointing a firm finger at me. “It’s not your place. Besides, I was hired by Bodi’s parents to slay him. I failed the first time. I won’t again.”
His hurt and self-disappointment softened his eyes. But whether or not either of us wanted to admit it, the reason behind Momma’s death could be traced to the night when Father had tried to slay Bodi, only to be attacked and nearly killed by the baron. So, in that light, my father had more reason to justify his actions.
Dominus stood and frowned. He took a few moments, looking at each of us seated around the circle one at a time. “You see, folks, this is why I’ve spent most of my hunter days alone. No bickering. No who’s going to do this or that. I’ll lay it all right out before you, okay? Kill any vampire that you’re within reach of. No designation on who kills whom. That will simply keep all of us out of focus, and some of us might get killed. I prefer the tidy little endings when I walk out the victor. How about the rest of you?”
Rusk gave Zsolt a perplexed stare. They nodded. As did Jacques and I. Father remained indifferent.
“Good,” Dominus said, sitting back down and straightening the lapels of his overcoat. “I’m glad the issue is settled.”
I tried not to grin and was partially successful. Six of us were about to go against, at the very least, thirteen vampires. That meant we should kill two each with one of us killing a third. Somehow the ratio sounded too easy. I didn’t expect our invasion to go smoothly. According to Rose, someone would betray me during the attack. I ruled out Father and Jacques. Dominus, I was pretty certain was dependable. Rusk and Zsolt, however, I didn’t know anything about either of them really. They were strangers. People we were entrusting our lives.
“When should we plan to enter and attack?” Rusk asked.
Jacques said, “Tomorrow night?”
Zsolt frowned. “Will that be enough time to prepare?”
“What more do we need?” Rusk asked.
Dominus lit his pipe, slightly amused as he looked at both of them. “How many stakes are you each carrying?”
“Six,” Rusk replied.
Zsolt shrugged. “Usually no less than eight. Why?”
“You’re dealing with a master and his top dozen vampire protectors, plus whatever other surprises we might happen upon down inside those catacombs. I have a dozen with me. I think Forrest has about that many. But we should probably carve out a few more dozen to take with us.”
Jacques nodded. “Not a bad idea.”
“I agree,” Rusk said.
Someone knocked on the door. I glanced nervously toward the door and then to Father and Jacques. Both held questionable expressions like I did. It was late, close to midnight, if not later. I started to stand, and Jacques shook his head and rose to his feet to answer it. After he turned toward the door, I stood anyway. If we were about to face any physical threat, I didn’t want to be caught sitting down.
Chapter Thirty-one
Jacques opened the door slightly. “Yes?”
The lady replied with a strong accent, “Ah, we’re a looking for Rusk and Zsolt. Were told . . . to meet here?”
Jacques pulled the door open wider, and he glanc
ed back toward Rusk. A horse whinnied outside.
Rusk hurried to the door, greeting her.
“So sorry,” Rusk said, turning to face us. “All caught up in getting prepared for our attack, I completely forgot. This is Volya and her brother, Hoval. They will accompany us into the lair.”
Dominus’ brow narrowed as he evaluated the couple.
The woman stood wearing a long dress bordered with delicate lace with a matching bonnet. She wore white gloves. Her dark hair was pinned neatly beneath. In her right hand she carried a small leather satchel.
“Our apologies for our lateness,” she said. “We came upon unexpected delays.”
Hoval was tall and extra slender, almost a skeleton covered by tanned skin. His sunken eyes held a hollow look. He wore a brown tailored suit with a light shirt and a black bowtie. He held his hat in his left hand, and a wooden box in the right. It didn’t look quite like a hunter’s box. If it was, it was the smallest one I’d seen so far.
Dominus cocked a brow as he looked from Hoval to me. He flicked his gaze back to her. “You two don’t appear to be hunters. What is your purpose for wanting to join our fight?”
She smiled and held her satchel with both hands at her midsection. “You choose to fight a master inside his den, no?”
He nodded. “We do.”
“Then you need shielded by a blessing.”
“What kind of blessing?” he asked, frowning.
“A master,” Hoval said, “is strongest in lair. You need protection to block his . . . mind control.”
“Hell, boy,” Dominus said in his gruff voice, “No offense, but any vampire could snap your frail body in half.”
With nervous eyes, he faced his sister, almost pouting.
Volya’s eyes focused on Dominus. “And what power do you take against vampires? How many vampires have you killed?”
Dominus’ jaw tightened. “Lady, I’ve killed well over one hundred vampires. Probably closer to two hundred. You learn to act quickly or you die. What power, you ask? Well, nothing other than my hunter instinct, and every thing holy. What else is there? The undead are cursed apart from God.”
“You are Christian?” she asked.
Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter [Book One] Page 23
