“But I failed you.”
“Ion failed me. Your mistake was in trusting Ion too much.”
Toni still averted her gaze. Chiang Shih cupped her chin and tried to raise her head, but met resistance.
“Look at me,” said Chiang Shih gently.
Toni lifted her head and locked eyes with Chiang Shih. They displayed fear and self-loathing. Chiang Shih slid her arms around Toni and drew her close. For several seconds, the embrace was one-sided. Then, tentatively, Toni raised her arms and hugged back. Chiang Shih could feel the anxiety drain away from her minion.
Only after she broke the embrace did Chiang Shih notice the scarred and deformed lips. “Who did this to you?”
“The huntress.”
Chiang Shih saw through the top of Toni’s blouse the massive scarring on her chest. Chiang Shih unbuttoned the top two buttons and pulled the clothing aside. Eighteen pocks were massed together in a tight cluster, with the skin around each twisted and discolored, and having the texture of leather. Toni took the two plackets of the blouse from Chiang Shih and closed them, her hands clutching the material against her chest.
“What happened?”
“The hunter shot me with bullets dipped in holy water.”
Chiang Shih felt a surge of anger but repressed it. She took a deep breath. “You’ll have your vengeance on the hunters. But in time. We have something more important to take care of first.”
“Which is?” asked Treja.
Chiang Shih crossed the living room to a lounge chair located between the two sofas and motioned for the others to sit. “We must rebuild the Washington covens.”
Treja’s eyes narrowed. “Covens?”
“Four, to be exact.”
Treja and Melinda looked at each other quizzically. Toni stared down at the floor, realizing that the coven needed to be rebuilt because of her failure. Only Walker showed no emotion.
Treja noticed the indifference. “You knew about this?”
“Of course.”
“Then I hope you have a plan on how to build four covens without them being detected.”
“We do.” The tone of Chiang Shih’s voice revealed her displeasure at his insolence. “Each of you will be responsible for one of the covens. You’ll establish them in isolated locations where it’ll be difficult for the humans to find them. The difference is, this time the covens will not be allowed to hunt.”
“Then how will they feed?” asked Melinda.
“Each of you will be responsible for feeding your own coven. You’ll hunt down the humans yourselves and bring them to the covens. And you’ll hunt only amongst the dregs of humanity. Vagrants. Hookers. Junkies. Only those humans no one cares about and who no one will miss. Under no circumstances are you to attract attention to yourselves or to your covens.”
“We all know what happens when a coven attracts attention to itself.” Melinda cast an accusatory glance in Toni’s direction.
Toni bristled, but remained silent.
“That’s enough,” Chiang Shih chastised the young master. “The original coven was destroyed partly because of Ion’s incompetence, and partly because Drake Matthews is a far better hunter than most of those we’ve encountered in the past. Only Father Cushing was better.”
At the mention of Cushing’s name, Walker bared his fangs and snarled.
Chiang Shih nodded her agreement. “We underestimated the hunters once. We won’t let that happen again. Which is why the covens will remain hidden and you will bring them their food. If only a handful of masters are scavenging for humans, it’ll make it difficult for the hunters to track us. Even so, that’s why I want four covens. The hunters may discover and destroy one coven, but never all four.”
“How big will the covens be?” asked Treja.
“Thirty to forty vampires,” said Chiang Shih. “Each.”
Treja muttered the word fuck under his breath. Melinda looked over at Walker to gauge his reaction. Even Toni looked up, taken aback by the comment.
“You can’t be serious about the numbers?” asked Treja.
“I agree,” added Melinda. “There’s no way we can create four covens with so many vampires and keep them fed without drawing attention to ourselves.”
Treja jumped in. “Do you realize how many humans we’d have to kill every night to keep those covens fed?”
“Enough,” ordered Walker.
Chiang Shih rose and stepped over to Treja and Melinda. She spoke in a tone firm but not angry. “You just need to provide enough food to keep the covens alive, not in combat readiness. One human every few days. Enough for sustenance and to turn the human into one of us. When the time is right, they can feed all they want.”
“And when will the time be right?” Melinda did not hide the snideness in her tone.
“Certain conditions have to be met. Once they are, we’re going to turn the covens lose on Washington, eliminate the humans, and rule this city as our own.”
Chiang Shih’s eyes switched from Treja to Melinda, gauging their reactions. She saw confusion, uncertainty, and disbelief. Not that it mattered. As long as they obeyed, Chiang Shih did not care what they thought of her plan. But one master had not yet offered an opinion.
Chiang Shih turned to Toni. “You’ve barely spoken.”
“Sorry.” Toni averted her eyes again.
“Don’t be. I want your opinion.”
Toni said nothing and kept her head lowered. After several seconds, Chiang Shih cupped Toni’s chin and raised her head. “Speak your mind.”
Toni sighed, resigned that she had to tell the truth, but knowing her opinion would be unpopular. “We tried this once before. In the Ukraine. And we failed miserably. The Russians annihilated all of our covens. Over two hundred vampires and five masters were killed. Ion and I barely escaped. Why would you want to try again? And why here in Washington, where we face one of our most dangerous enemies?”
“Because this time we have something that guarantees victory. We have the Vampyrnomicon.”
“The Vampyrnomicon is a legend,” spat Melinda.
“It’s far from a legend,” corrected Walker, an angry edge to his tone.
“You’ve seen it?”
“We once owned it.” Chiang Shih stared down the adolescent, who cowered. “Various masters were caretakers of the book for centuries. The last owner was Emilio Carius, a master from Saragossa who was arrested as part of the Inquisition in the late 15 Century. Neither Carius or the Vampyrnomicon were ever seen again.”
“So what changed?” asked Treja.
“Antonio Ferrar interrogated Emilio Carius.”
Toni raised an eyebrow. “The same Antonio Ferrar whose personal belongings are on display at the Smithsonian?”
“The same.” Chiang Shih nodded. “And with Ferrar’s personal belongings here in Washington, that means the Vampyrnomicon is here also.”
“If it still exists,” Melinda muttered under her breath.
Chiang Shih shot her a withering look. She struggled to keep her voice calm, despite her anger. “The Vampyrnomicon is among Ferrar’s personal affects. I can sense it. We’ll find it. And once we do, we’ll obtain a power that has been deprived to us for millennia, a power that will give us dominion over humans. Once we have that power, we’ll take this city from the humans. No longer will we live in sewers and abandoned buildings, but in the humans’ homes. Soon the humans won’t be hunting us, but serving us, as our slaves and as our food.”
Chiang Shih strode back to her chair and stood behind it. “This is why I’ve brought you all to Washington. You are my most powerful and smartest masters. I’ve relied on you in the past, and I’m relying on you now more than ever. You build the covens. I’ll find the Vampyrnomicon. Soon we’ll rule this city and show the humans who the real masters are. If there is nothing else, you’re all dismissed.”
Toni, Treja, and Melinda all stood to leave. Toni removed a scarf from her pocket, folded it into a triangle, and placed it over her face to hide
the scarring, tying the loose ends into a knot behind her head. Melinda watched, disgusted, and turned away. As they headed for the door, Chiang Shih said, “Toni, stay behind a moment.”
Toni obeyed. Chiang Shih walked over and embraced Toni, holding her close. It was a familiar feeling, one they had shared on many an occasion as lovers. This time, the gesture was one of solidarity.
“I wanted you to know that I don’t hold you responsible for Ion’s actions.”
“Thank you.”
“There’s no need to thank me.” Chiang Shih broke the embrace, but kept her hands on Toni’s shoulder. “You were as much a victim of Ion’s arrogance as the rest of the coven. We’ve worked well together in the past, but the next few months will be our greatest achievement. You and I, and the others, will create the first city populated by the undead. Then, once it’s ours, we’ll take revenge on the hunters who did this to you.”
“I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t.”
Chiang Shih reached up for the scarf. Toni tried to stop her, but Chiang Shih clasped Toni’s hands and pushed them down by her side. She pulled Toni’s scarf down over her face, leaned forward, and kissed Toni on the deformed lips. Toni tried to back away, embarrassed by her disfigurement. After a few seconds, she kissed back, her tongue exploring Chiang Shih’s mouth. Finishing the kiss, Chiang Shih pulled the scarf back over Toni’s mouth.
“Go now. We’ll talk later.”
After Toni left the apartment, Chiang Shih turned back to the living room. Walker stood where he had throughout the meeting, his arms folded across his chest. A look of dissatisfaction sharpened his already stern features.
“You disapprove of how I’m handling this, don’t you?”
“It’s none of my business.”
“You’re my right hand man, so it is your business.” Chiang Shih stepped up to Walker. She placed a hand on his chest, caressing her fingers along his pectorals and up to his shoulder. “Jealous?”
“No.” The quickness of his response indicated she had touched a nerve.
“Then what is it?”
“You’re far too lenient with Antoinette.”
“Do you think I should hold her responsible for Ion’s actions?”
“You should hold her responsible for not keeping Ion in check.”
“Not all men like a dominant woman.” Chiang Shih gave Walker a quiet, seductive snarl.
“I’m serious. Antoinette used to be one of your best masters. Not anymore. She allowed herself to become as sloppy and decadent as Ion. She survived the French Revolution and the Ukraine without a scratch. Now she’s so pathetic a pair of humans were able to disfigure her.” Walker moved back a step, breaking contact with Chiang Shih. “Antoinette is a liability. I’m afraid she’ll ruin what we’re trying to accomplish.”
“Don’t worry.” The coquettish attitude vanished. “I realize Toni failed. And she paid a heavy price for it. Because of that, she won’t allow herself to fail again.”
Walker sighed, resigned he would not win this argument. “I still don’t understand why you’re so lenient with her.”
Chiang Shih walked over to the window and stared out over the city. She did not appreciate the view, however. Instead, she concentrated on a man she had known more than fifteen hundred years ago. A powerful, mesmerizing man who nearly had ruined her life.
“Let’s just say I can empathize with some of the bad decisions Toni has made.”
* * *
Pannonia, the Carpathian Basin, east of the Danube River. 453 A.D.
Chiang Shih strolled through the campsite surrounding the wooden palace, trying to avoid contact with the humans. Thankfully, their reverie kept everyone preoccupied, so no one noticed or cared about her. She moved from tent to tent, staying in the shadows. The only living things that acknowledged her presence were the horses in the corral as she passed. They neighed at her approach and trotted away to the other side of the enclosure.
She stopped near the palace entrance to survey the area. Guests entered and left, laughing and talking boisterously, and partaking of the wedding feast. Buoyed by recent victories in Italy, the Huns now stood to conquer the biggest prize of all—Constantinople. Soon they would lay siege to the largest city in Christendom and, once the city fell, plunder more wealth than any of them ever thought imaginable. But first, they celebrated their chief and warlord, for tonight Attila would take a new bride to his bed.
His death bed.
Chiang Shih closed her eyes, trying to force from her mind what she had to do. It pained her knowing she would murder Attila. She loved him. Not only because he was the only human who could satisfy her in bed. She also admired his physical strength. His courage. His determination. Maybe if she had sired him as a master two years ago, when they first became lovers, he could have joined Chiang Shih as her mate, and together they could have fulfilled her plans of domination. Instead, she reveled in the novelty of having a human plaything, and delayed Attila’s repeated requests to join her in immortality. Now, having grown weak and cautious, Attila had become a liability that needed to be dealt with.
She had joined up with the Hsiung-nu, as the Chinese called the Huns, almost three centuries ago when the Great Wall checked their nomadic surge eastward. It had been a fortuitous defeat for Chiang Shih. Having been unable to create a kingdom of the undead within the Han Empire, she opted to become a camp follower and joined the Huns as they retreated to the west. For hundreds of years she preyed upon the small villages scattered across the steppes of Central Eurasia and Russia, draining countless thousands of peasants of their blood, often leaving a few behind as vampires to terrorize the survivors. The swath of destruction created by the Huns as they pillaged across the land provided ample cover for her feedings. She might have gone unnoticed indefinitely had it not been for her own indiscretions. Shortly after the Huns’ ambitious invasion of Europe, the barbarians were defeated on the Catalonian Plain near Orleans in 451, followed by a strategic retreat to rest and lick their wounds. Without the sacking of villages to feed her thirst for blood, Chiang Shih became careless and unwisely used the outbreak of pestilence in the camp to feed off of the Huns themselves. It did not take long for her to be discovered, captured, and brought before Attila to face a certain death.
Fortunately, Chiang Shih found it easy to manipulate Attila. She convinced the warlord of her own immortality, and promised him the same if he spared her life. Enticed by the ultimate power, not only did Attila spare her life, but he took her for his newest bride. The next year, they returned to Italy as joint commanders and showed Europe and the world, in an orgy of violence, that the Huns were still a power to be reckoned with. Aquileia in northeast Italy fell after a three-month siege to the Huns, who then proceeded to slaughter every single inhabitant of the city. The same fate befell Altinum and Patavium. Cowered into submission, Vincenza, Verona, Brecia, Bergano, and Milan surrendered before the horde. These cities were still plundered, although Attila spared them from whole-scale destruction. Not even Chiang Shih could count how many of the undead wandered the Italian countryside in the wake of these conquests. Most satisfying of all, Rome itself was vulnerable for sacking.
Then her plans began to crumble. With greatness and immortality within his grasp, Attila succumbed to his human weaknesses. Four decades earlier, the Visigoth king Alaric died mysteriously after surrounding and preparing to sack Rome, a superstition that gnawed away at the warlord. Pope Leo, who pimped Christianity from the Vatican brothel in Rome, came to Attila and persuaded him not to lay siege to the city. Fearing his own mortality, Attila withdrew from Italy. He compounded his mistake by returning his horde to the palace at Pannonia to prepare for an attack against Constantinople, the most powerful city in the Christian realm. It was a foolhardy move that threatened not only to rain destruction down upon the Huns, but also expose Chiang Shih and her legions of the undead to a crusading Christian army. With that decision, the man who once had been her lover and her potential
partner in world domination became her greatest liability.
As such, Attila needed to be eliminated.
Chiang Shih plotted out Attila’s death on the journey home. She had told the warlord that the time was right for him to join her in immortality so he could fulfill his destiny. The ceremony would take place at his palace in Pannonia just before the siege of Constantinople. He would need to take a virgin as his bride to complete the ceremony. She convinced Attila to wed the young Ildica, a virgin from a Germanic tribe allied to the Huns, ostensibly to seal a political alliance. In reality, Chiang Shih wanted a young girl who had been removed from her tribe and placed in unfamiliar surroundings, which would make her far more compliant.
As Chiang Shih stood outside the wooden palace, those inside rejoiced over Attila’s marriage to Ildica. Soon they would all be in mourning.
She discretely moved closer to the entrance. When a small group of revelers staggered out, she used them as cover to slip into the palace unnoticed and made her way to the banquet room, where she disappeared into the shadows. A score of Huns sat on wooden stools along the walls. A large bed covered in ornate drapes made of fine linen occupied the center of the hall. Attila sat on a couch in front of the bed. At first sight, he did not seem impressive. A man short in height but with a broad chest, he had small eyes, a flat nose, and a graying beard and hair. Yet there was no mistaking the confidence and strength that radiated from him, making him the most feared warlord in the land. Ildica sat beside him in her wedding dress, her eyes focused on the ground, a perfect example of meekness.
Chiang Shih watched as the wedding banquet played itself out. The guests had just finished the traditional welcome in which Attila would have each guest stand, one by one, in order of importance and would drink a single toast to him. With everyone in the hall having been so honored, and with excessive amounts of wine having been drunk, the guests dined on their wedding feast of meat and bread brought in on silver platters looted from Italy and placed on tables in the middle of the hall. Then, amidst more toasts, a pair of barbarians entered the hall to sing songs of praise to Attila’s valor and his victories, followed by a Moor who told fantastic stories to entertain the guests. As the festivities wound down, Attila noticed Chiang Shih lurking in the shadows and acknowledged her with a slight nod. Chiang Shih made herself as inconspicuous as possible.
The Vampire Hunters (Book 2): Vampyrnomicon Page 14
