by Zara Novak
“I was.” The witch said with sparkling eyes. “Other parties required my help, but now I am back.”
“Ezra!” Sophia ran over and wrapped her arms around the witch too.
“Another reunion I don’t understand.” Edmund said frankly.
“You must forgive me Edmund, Ansel, Kat, but this it not my first time here. Before I assisted you in Dead Rest, I had the form of another. I was a witch for this family, my name was Ezra.”
Edmund nodded. “…fair enough. I guess we call you Ezra now?”
“Rubago will be fine.” The witch said.
“Claire will be delighted to see you.” Sophia chimed. “Where have you been all this time?!”
“Oh… everywhere.” Rubago answered cryptically. She pulled away from the girl and settled her eyes on Will.
“Have you told them yet?”
“No.” Will said. “I thought it would be best coming from you.”
“What?” Eric asked, sensing that something was wrong.
“We escaped Anderson and his group because a feral vampire helped us.”
“A feral vampire?” Eric asked. “In these parts? We would have noticed something, they’re too unruly.”
“Well this one wasn’t.” Will said. “In fact, he looked familiar.”
“It was Wraith, Eric. Wraith is still alive.” Rubago said.
Eric and Sophia locked eyes with each other momentarily, then Eric looked back at the witch. The briefest touch of a smile curled over his lips. Wraith, that demented bastard. As much as he hated his brother, he owed his life to him.
“I hope he has found peace out here somewhere.” Eric said, then he stopped. It was the only thing he could think to say.
“He ran circles around that group,” Rubago said. “He’d be useful in the fight against them, that’s for sure. Should we try to hunt him?”
“No.” Eric shook his head. “Wraith will show up when he wants to, I can’t expect he will be much help with our cause, especially if he’s feral. He knows these woods better than anyone, if he's hiding, we won't find him.”
Wind stirred through the dark forest, rustling through the pines overhead.
“Come,” Eric said. “You are all tired and need rest. Let us travel back to the castle. Back there we will be safe… for now, anyway.”
8
Ruth would be more embarrassed if she wasn't so out of breath. Her last words to Logan had been: ‘Try to keep up with me’. Not only was he keeping up, he was running circles around her. They were on their way to the sewer hatch in 3-G. The conversation they overheard earlier indicated an important meeting was taking place there, and 3-G was a prime snooping spot.
The long dark tunnels of the sewers stretched on into the dark. Ruth ran with all her speed, slapping her bare feet against the cool stone. Even with her heightened powers, she couldn’t keep up with Logan, and he made the journey look like a breeze.
“Sure you don’t want a ride?” He asked as he darted back and forth, taunting her as she ran.
“You’re not human.” She growled. “Tell me what you are.”
“How about this, beat me to 3-G and then I’ll tell you?”
She opened her mouth to tell him how ridiculous that was, but he flashed away into darkness. Ten minutes later, Ruth arrived at sewer hatch 3-G, doubled over with her chest heaving.
“You'll need another bath after all that running.” Logan dropped beside her and winked. “Not that I wouldn’t mind watching again.”
She took a swing for him. One minute her fist was heading for his torso, then it was gliding through thin air. Out the corner of her eye she saw his body blur round to her right. The momentum from her punch made her fall forward off the walkway. Logan stuck his arms out and wrapped his hands around her waist. For a moment, they stood pressed against each other, with his warm hands held firm on her body.
“Um… you can let go now.” Ruth said after a moment. “I won't fall.”
He pulled her back onto the platform and let go. His touch had calmed her, and she enjoyed it. Why was she so quick to make him release her? His eyes asked the same question, but his lips said something else.
“Here we are. 3-G.” Logan pointed at the ladder leading up on the wall behind them. “Shall we go eavesdrop on this meeting?”
The hatch under 3-G was different to the other sewer entrances. While the other hatches led straight up to the surface, this hatch led to a small crawlspace underneath the meeting room overhead. As they climbed into the space, Logan grabbed Ruth’s hand and pushed a finger to his lips. Muffled voices trickled through the ceiling above them.
“That’s Vangzali speaking!” He said in a hushed whisper.
They lay on their backs in the darkness, staring up at the low ceiling ahead. Ruth flared her hearing and pushed her senses through the surface above her and up into the room. She was so focused on listening, she forgot to let go of Logan’s hand. The cold calculating voice of a young woman came into focus.
“…as for the infection samples, we continue to distribute them at random across the human population. It’s slow to synthesize and we can only make so much. The only route of infection is for feeding vampires, so we have no worry of contaminating our supply here. We keep the samples in the production lab, and security there is among the highest in the Keep.”
A voice like rusted metal sliced through the air. “And these ‘dynasties’—how are we dealing with them? Have you eradicated them yet?”
Logan’s hand tightened around Ruth’s. She looked over at him in the darkness and mouthed the word ‘What?’
“That’s the High Vistor.” Logan whispered. “He’s in charge of the Red Circle.”
Ruth’s eyes widened, and she trained her ears back on the conversation.
“Not yet.” Vangzali continued, and for a moment, Ruth thought she heard fear in the woman’s voice. “We’re working on it though. We’re using enemies local to the families. There is a vampire hunting group and a shifter pack…”
“And what is delaying you?”
“The dynasties are strong. We're close to eradicating the Yorks. The mercenaries we hired don't work together often, and they’re sloppy. I told them to look for the marked girls…”
“The marked girls…” The rusted voice gave a cold and shrill laugh. “That is what the prophecy says isn’t it? If we find and kill the daughters, the prophecy will fail, no?”
“Yes sir, but the girls are very hard to find. One is safe with the Belmont family, the others… they could be anywhere…”
“They will all be in the same area you cunt!” The Vistor screamed, slamming a fist against a table. “That’s how this works! Separated for a lifetime and reunited now!”
The room above was deadly silent. The Vistor continued.
“Have your mercenaries find these girls, and we no longer have to preoccupy ourselves laying siege to these insufferable families!”
“Yes sir.” Vangzali said. “But sir…”
Vangzali paused, with fear hinged in her voice. “The prophecy states that our kind will perish if the three daughters aren’t bred. If we kill the daughters or destroy the vampires they're destined to… aren’t we destroying ourselves?”
“That Vangzali… is my one and only desire. Get your groups together and have this shit dealt with soon, or I’ll take the matter into my own hands.”
Chairs screeched across the ground over head as the meeting came to a close. Ruth got the impression they were done, but then the Vistor spoke once more. “Where are we at with these genealogy reports? Are my suspicions true about this Draco character?”
“I’m not sure yet sir.” Vangzali said, “I have an appointment in the archives tomorrow. I will journey there to find out. Archivists keep the full records there.”
“Very well.” The Vistor said after a moment’s pause. “Be sure to report your findings to me instantly. If my suspicions are correct, I may have to kill him first.”
“Yes sir.” Vangzali r
esponded.
The meeting ended, and dull footsteps rolled on the floor overhead. Ruth realized her hand still clamped tight around Logan’s. They stared at each other in the dark, their faces only inches apart. She pulled her hand from his and snapped out of her trance.
“How much of that meeting did you understand?” She asked when they were back down in the sewers.
“Quite a bit. Let me explain.”
“Explain what?”
“I was one of those mercenaries Vangzali hired to take out these vampire families. You’ve only been a vampire for a few weeks, so you don’t know how the world works… but there are these vampire dynasties, strong families that have been around for centuries. After the Circle, they’re the ones that run things.”
“But the Circle wants to destroy them?”
“The Circle wants to destroy everything. The High Vistor has gone mad, and he wants to end vampires once and for all.”
“But…” None of that made sense to Ruth. Wasn’t the purpose of the Circle to prolong the vampire kind through careful measures?
“I don’t understand it either.” Logan said, seeming to read Ruth’s thoughts. “If you know anything about this situation, it's this: There is a prophecy, the prophecy of the three. Three daughters with spiral marks on their backs, separated at birth. Each of them can breed with vampires, and if they do, it will mean great things for your kind.”
“And if they don’t?”
“It will be the end. The Vistor caught wind that the prophecy was coming to light months ago, that was when he had Vangzali hire us out. The Circle is intent on ending the prophecy.”
“I’m a little old to believe in prophecies.” Ruth spat. “Why does everyone believe in this shit?”
“Live in our paranormal world long enough Ruth Summers and you’ll see weird things happen all the time. I’ve seen prophecies fail and I’ve seen prophecies pass. This one is different, it’s big. Huge even.”
“If you were helping Vangzali why are you here?”
“She betrayed me, took me prisoner here after saying she was unsatisfied with our attack on this vampire family. Vangzali wanted us to find a spiral marked girl. According to her witch, the girl should have been at the castle we attacked, but we found nothing.”
“So she took you prisoner here?”
“Yes. Until my pack could find a daughter of the prophecy. Unluckily for Vangzali, I escaped her clutches.”
“Your… pack? What does that mean?”
“Never mind.” Logan shook his head. “We should get out of here and head up to the surface. We need to follow Vangzali to the archives. There’s a chance we can grab her locket there and use it to escape.”
“Travel up there on the surface? Forget it. They'll find us in an instant.”
“Not if we’re disguised well enough.” Logan smiled. “I’ve got my uniform, we just need to get one for you too. I’ve taken several trips across the surface, I’ve not had any problems. You wont have any problems either when you realize your secret.”
“What secret?!” Ruth wanted to swing for him again, but decided it would be a waste of effort. Logan was far too fast for her, and any attempts to hit him would fall short. That mischievous smile bubbled up again in place of an answer and he winked.
“You’ll find out in time. Come—”
Voices echoed down the tunnel behind them, and they both froze.
“We better move.” Logan said. “We can hide back at my base, it’s not far from here.”
To avoid being detected, Logan insisted that they only travel at half speed. Ruth soon realized his rule was to reduce their risk of getting caught. As quiet as she thought she was, she was nothing next to Logan, who seemed to dampen the surrounding sound with his presence alone. In comparison, the light tap of Ruth’s bare feet sounded like thunder rattling through a metal cage. Logan kept shooting her side glances now and then, and guilt flared through her cheeks. Why couldn’t she be as quiet as him?
They twisted and turned down tunnels, into territory unfamiliar to Ruth. During her time down here, she’d explored tunnels to the east of her temporary base. Logan led her in the opposite direction.
“The voices are getting louder!” Ruth said in a panicked whisper. “Are you leading us right to them?!”
“Yes.” Logan said. “I want to show you your power.”
This time she swung for him. Next thing she realized, his hand was around her waist, and his other was on her hip. “You’re slow.” He purred, just inches from her face. “Did you know that?”
Ruth struggled to free herself from his grasp, trying to ignore the hard muscle of his body. “Get the fuck off me. Why would you lead us right to the enemy?”
“To test you.” Logan pointed a finger up at the guards that had just appeared up ahead in the tunnel. Ruth turned to run and saw that Logan had disappeared. “Logan? Logan!”
The guards spotted her. “You there, stop!”
Ruth sprinted, cursing herself for having trusted that damned bastard. There was only one way to run, and that was straight ahead. She didn’t know this part of the sewers like Logan did, and she hadn’t paid attention while he led her here. She'd let her guard down around him, and now she would pay for it.
The tunnel head came to an abrupt end, trapping Ruth.
“We’ve got you now!”
Two groups of guards ran down the tunnel walkways, getting closer to her every second. Logan had put her in this trap on purpose. He’d tricked her. She clenched her fists, raised them and readied herself for a fight. The guards were close enough that she could see their faces. They ran toward her with swords outstretched, only seconds away from catching her.
“Not showing off your powers today?” A voice asked from up high.
Ruth gasped as a naked Logan fell from the tunnel ceiling above her. Nothing had been on the ceiling a moment before, and he'd somehow appeared in thin air. He twisted through the air and landed into the water on his hands and feet. He looked back at Ruth and shouted. “Get back!”
Nodding, Ruth splashed back through the water until she was up against the tunnel wall behind her. The muscles on Logan’s back rippled and swelled. Her eyes darted across his body, trying to follow the movement. Everywhere she looked, he was changing, and inside of a minute, his body was another creature altogether.
“Arrggh!” He opened what had been his mouth only a moment earlier, and a fierce snarl ripped from the angry jaws. The approaching guards dropped their swords and ran away. Ruth stood frozen against the tunnel wall, heart thrashing in her chest, fingers squeezed tight over stone. Satisfied that the guards were no longer a problem, the giant creature in front of her turned around, settling its brilliant yellow eyes on her.
So? A voice came from inside her head. What do you think? Impressed yet Synth?
Ruth opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Logan had just turned into a bear sized wolf, and now his voice was inside her mind too?
“I… you’re… you’re a wolf.” That was all she could say before shock consumed her. Heart thumping, her legs gave out, and she crashed into the murky water below her.
9
The castle was like something out of a dream. As Eric led the group back through the woods, the towering turrets, stretching spires and vast walls crawled out of the surrounding mountain like a giant stone spider. Though tired from her healing, Kat kept herself awake long enough to gather an initial impression.
Broad stone rooms of Gothic furniture and invaluable antiques, long hallways filled with oil paintings, tapestries and medieval armor. Eric had a modern look about him, but there was also an antiquarian sophistication about him too. Here was a man who looked no older than thirty, but if Rubago’s accounts were anything to go by, he was a few centuries old. How much money did this family have?
Rubago had referred to the Belmont and York families as 'dynasties' and it was easy to see why. There was an air of ancient power about both men, and there was a kindred respec
t between them. She had come from a good upbringing, and her family had always had money, but it was nothing compared to this. She felt like a fish out of water, and she could tell that the feeling was similar for Ansel too.
What would he make of all this? He mentioned the potential connections between the families and the Red Circle worried him. By aiding these people… was he aiding his own enemies? Eric gave them a brief tour of the entrance to the castle, showing them the hallways that surrounded their accommodation. As they walked, she kept a close eye on Ansel. His face was passive and neutral, not betraying any hints of wayward emotion.
Edmund was a little more vocal. Eric showed them the dining hall, a long and tall room with a gigantic wooden table running down the middle of it. At the far end of the room there was a giant stained glass window where an armed knight fought off hordes of black-skinned demons.
“There’s Vlad again.” Edmund nudged Kat and nodded toward the window. “The scene depicts his famous battle against Lucifer’s armies. I’ve seen this window in history books. Cassie would have loved to have seen this.”
They walked on, and Edmund hadn’t seemed to notice his slip up. Cassie. Was that the name of the girl whom he had once loved? Along with his mention of a lost lover the other day, the first pieces of a large puzzle were falling into place. She made a note to come back to it and ask Edmund at a later time when it was a little more appropriate.
There were a good number of vampires within the castle, but thanks to its size it was hard to get a real grasp of their number. After Eric and his family, there were other families living within the castle, vampires loyal to the Belmont name. From what Kat understood, the majority of them were regulars. Besides the supporters of the family, there were the refugees that had escaped Castle York. The hallways were a mixture of vampires who lived there permanently or temporarily. Among them were the ever present blood servants, who walked with sallow faces, gray eyes and neutral expressions.
“But why do they do it?” Kat asked Ansel at a quiet spot. “Why volunteer to be a slave?”
