New Blood

by A. C. Nicholls

  Chapter Seventeen

  After the long bus ride my ass ached and my neck vibrated with strain. I’d spent the time with my head propped up against the rattling window while I watched the world go by. My shoulder slowly healed over and my eyelids started to droop. I wasn’t even fortunate enough to get a good night’s sleep, so I decided to do it inside the Vault.

  The next day, when I awoke long into the afternoon feeling right as rain, I checked the time and – quite ashamed of how long I’d slept – I snatched my coat off the rack and quickly scurried down the mountain path that led to the VHS store. I was flustered as I passed through, waving hello and goodbye to Stanley before I made my way to Dante’s Nightclub. I had to speak to Edgar, and I’d already wasted enough time sleeping.

  As I rounded the corner to the club, I was shocked to see the length of the line outside. With no time to waste, I passed by all the rowdy drinkers, feeling their eyes on me as I stormed toward the bouncer. Did they know I was a Cardkeeper? Could they sense it on me? It felt a lot like they could, if only from their cold stares and disgusted grimaces.

  “Back of the line,” said the bouncer. He was a huge guy with tattoos of skulls and dragons all the way up his sleeves, and a hairless head that looked like an ugly white boulder. His arms were folded over his massive chest as he stood there like a barricade.

  “I need to speak with Edgar George.”

  “Then you can get in line and wait like everyone else.”

  I glanced back at the line. Man, it would take me hours to get inside if I waited. Lucky for me, I had a sword in my pocket and a new level of impatience. With all the strength of a well-rested Cardkeeper, I drove my body into the bouncer and pinned him against the wall, ripping the sunglasses from his face and revealing cold, lifeless eyes. Vampire – no doubt about it. “Listen,” I said, spittle flying at him from between my gritted teeth. I’ve been through hell and back to run an errand for Edgar. I need to speak with him, and I’ll do it right now.”

  “Fuck you,” the bouncer gargled.

  “Not even if I were gay. Now, I’m going inside to see your boss. If you try to stop me, I’ll take your head clean off. You got it?”

  The man hesitated, then nodded.

  “Good boy.” I dropped him and let his limp body sag to the ground, then headed inside. I tried not to let the cheering from the drinkers go to my head, but a smile tugged at my lips as I went through the doors and entered the club.

  It was so different in here that it didn’t even feel like the same place. Last time I’d been here there was a lot of light and no people. Now I could barely see five feet in front of me due to the wall-to-wall bodies. Music for a newer generation blared from the speakers at a deafening volume, and I squeezed past a decade’s worth of dance styles while trying to find Edgar. By the time I saw him leaning into the bar from the customers’ side, my coat was covered in someone’s spilt drink – something white that smelt a lot like milk.

  “Son of a bitch,” I muttered.

  I stifled my anger and turned to the bar, where the bartender pointed accusingly in my direction with a radio in his hand. Edgar turned to follow the young man’s line of sight, gawking over the tops of everyone’s heads until he saw me. He then waved off the bartender and made his way toward me. The sea of bodies parted right down the middle and made me wonder if they all knew his identity – that he owned the nightclub and, if they were vampires, he also owned them.

  “Any luck?” Edgar shouted over the music when he reached me.

  “It’s complicated.”

  He nodded, glanced around, and then took me by the arm. “Come on.”

  We weaved back through the crowd, but it was easier this time. The dancers kept their drinks to themselves as they hurriedly stepped aside for Edgar and me to pass. A couple of staircases later, Edgar punched a code into a keypad and shoved open the door to a dark, quiet office. I followed in behind him, admiring the fish tanks that went from wall to wall on each side of us, until we reached his desk. There were two seats here, and I took one without being asked.

  “You’ll pardon my grabbing you,” he said, slumping into his chair.

  “I get it. It’s impossible to hear anything down there.”

  Edgar nodded, distractedly looking for something in the desk drawers. “So then, what can I do for you? I’m guessing you had no luck in finding The Ancient.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “I still can’t go out in daylight or take a piss.”

  I grinned. “It’s overrated. Anyway, I did find it.”

  Edgar stopped fidgeting, his eyes flicking up at me as he considered what kind of reaction to give. A smile broke through his expression though, against his obvious reluctance to show it. “You did? And what happened?”

  “In short, it kicked my ass.”

  “No surprise there.”

  “Yeah…” My eyes wandered around the room, watching the fish swim around as the water bubbled and churned. The sound of bubbles forming was really quite hypnotic, and it was making me sleepy. “From what I hear, it’s fled to a faraway place to heal up.”

  Edgar nodded with no expression on his face whatsoever. As he began to fiddle with his cufflinks and his tie, he paid me no mind at all. It was like I was talking to someone who couldn’t hear me – a deaf man, or a highly uninterested one.

  “So the reason I’ve come by,” I went on, “is that I want some help.”

  “You mean financially?”

  “No…”

  “Advice then?”

  “Actually, I need help slaying it.”

  Edgar stopped again, his eyes meeting mine. “No.”

  Wow. Points for bluntness. “Just no?”

  “No.”

  Shocked by the man’s ignorance, I shook my head. Sure, he’d already told me that I would be alone in this venture, but the circumstances had changed so much that I thought perhaps his mind would have, too. “I’m going to level with you, Mr. George.”

  “Please do.”

  “The Ancient was one tough son of a bitch. Even after I slid an enchanted sword through its heart, it just flew on out of there to recover. I’m still trying to find it and I still want it dead, but it would be a lot easier with your help.”

  Edgar sighed, propping his elbows onto his desk and then leaning on closed fists. “I understand,” he said. “It’s not easy. But I did tell you that I wouldn’t be getting involved. Like I said, I can help you out in any other capacity, but I’m not going to war against my own leader. I’m quite fond of keeping my head attached to my neck.”

  “This isn’t usurpation.”

  “All the same, I would be punished.”

  “That’s quite a cowardly way of looking at it.”

  Edgar snapped, banging down hard on the desk and then aiming a finger right at my face. “I like you, Mr. Hannigan, but if you insult me in my own club again, you’ll be leaving with a lot more than a scratch on your neck.”

  Ever the hypocrite, I cowered down at the threat. Edgar was bigger than me, and that would usually be no problem, but I actually liked the guy too much to want to fight him, unless it meant my death.

  I took a breath, raised my hands. “All right. So then, what can you do?”

  “You tell me.”

  It was hard to think of how exactly he could be useful. Other than having him beside me in a fight, there wasn’t much he was good for. Unless… “I need to find The Ancient. If I’m going to kill it, I can’t wait for it to return to Vival Creek.”

  Edgar’s scowl softened as he shrugged. “I don’t know where it is.” He then went on to roll up his sleeves, gazing down at his desk deep in thought, until he stopped. “Actually, I think I know someone who can help you.”

  “Oh?”

  Flicking through the rolodex on his desk, Edgar found a card, took a pen from the side and copied an address onto a piece of paper for me. When he was done, he tore it off and handed it over. “This is the address of a witch I know.
”

  I took the paper and studied it.

  KAREN SAUNDERS

  1408 Stoke Point

  “A witch?” I slid the address into my pocket.

  Edgar nodded, placing the pen back down in perfect alignment with the paper beside it, obsessively finding an exact arrangement for the contents of his desk. “She has ways of finding out these things. Just approach her humbly and ask for her help. Tell her I sent you – that should work in your favor.”

  “I hope so. Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me. Just get it done before The Ancient grows any stronger.”

  I left the office with that on the forefront of my mind. Just how much stronger would The Ancient become? It had already almost taken me down to Chinatown and if it got any stronger, that might mean permanent lights out. I had to strategize. To get it before it was fully rested, but for that to happen, I would have to get a move on.

  I had a lot of enemies, but time just moved to the top of the list.

  Chapter Eighteen

  After a tedious walk up a long, winding driveway, I wound up in front of a mansion. There were more windows than I could count and a large set of steps leading up to the front door. I ran up them enthusiastically, ready to get some answers from the witch. I’d never met a witch before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I reared back in surprised confusion when the perfectly normal-looking old woman opened her door and greeted me with a wide smile that accentuated her false teeth.

  “Jack Hannigan, I presume?”

  I hesitated. “You were expecting me?”

  “Oh, yes. Mr. George called to let me know that I had a visitor on the way. Anyway, I’m so glad to meet you. I’m Karen Saunders.” She waved a hand to beckon me inside, closing it as I stepped in. “Please, follow me. I have everything set up and ready to go.”

  “Set up?” I said. “Ready to go?”

  Karen ushered me into the foyer and led the way. I followed her down the huge hallway, passing through two rooms that were larger than any house I’d ever owned. Somewhere inside the house I could hear cackling laughter and a man shouting some joke about an Irishman and a catholic priest. It sounded like there was a dinner party on the other end of the building, but we were walking away from it, all the way to a single door.

  “Down here,” Karen said. “Quickly now.”

  From here, she led the way down the set of steps on the other side of the door. It was dark and dusty, and the air was damp but refreshing. My uncomfortable sweat was kept at bay by the chill that entered my lungs and caressed my skin. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, that same chill passed to my back, where it ran up and down the length of my spine as I gawked at the glowing cauldron in the center of the large basement.

  “What’s that for?” I asked, feeling around in my pocket for the Sword of Lucada. If this witch planned to throw me into the cauldron and cook me, she was in for a big surprise. I’d never been keen on the idea of getting eaten, one of the more gruesome ways to make your exit.

  “Did you want to locate The Ancient or not?”

  “Uh… yes.” I let my hand fall to my side.

  “Then come in, my child.”

  Karen Saunders invited me to stand beside the cauldron, while she took to the opposite side. I could see a small amount of some glowing blue liquid bubbling at the bottom, the fires beneath it making it hiss and sizzle. Scentless smoke drifted from its center, disappearing only two feet above it like magic.

  “What is this for?” I asked, relaxing a little now. “Are you cooking up some spell to find The Ancient for me? Or is this some kind of – I don’t know – potion to help me find it myself?” I realized how stupid I sounded right after I asked.

  Karen crooked an eyebrow, popped the top off a jar of something that looked suspiciously like eyeballs, and flung some into the bubbling brew while a slight smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. She was an attractive woman for her age. Although she looked to be around sixty, I had a feeling she was much, much older. Still, her skin was in good shape and her hair was perfectly thick and neat, no matter how gray. “I take it this is your first time in a witch’s basement?”

  “What gave me away?”

  “Your complete lack of knowledge.” She emptied a sachet into the cauldron and laughed, but somehow, it was more friendly than condescending. “I’ve met your kind before, you know. A Cardkeeper.”

  “You mean Keira?”

  Karen nodded. “She tried to break in here, once upon a time.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like Keira.”

  Karen’s smile widened but her eyes stayed fixed on the large cooking pot. She circled around it, passing by me while she mumbled some kind of chant. Although I first began to suspect that this was all a waste of time, I started to feel something scrambling around inside my brain. The strange interloper accessed my thoughts, searching through and analyzing them until an image of The Ancient appeared in front of my eyes. I reeled back but tried not to run, trusting the witch but not without paranoia. When the still image drifted out of my mind and carried across the room, hovering above the cauldron as smoke slithered around it, I let out a sigh of relief.

  “The one you seek is beside a body of water,” Karen said.

  I rolled my eyes. “I knew that much.”

  “There’s more.”

  “There is?”

  Karen closed her eyes now, her whispers forming words that I could physically see, only they poured from her mouth in a purple trail of smoke that found its way into the image of The Ancient. That same image lit up and began to move, slowly transforming into some kind of cocoon. The scenery around it also began to alter, until the ugly vampire could no longer be seen at all, and now I was looking at an expansive lake that I could have recognized from anywhere.

  “Firdown Woods,” I said. The possibility of finding this thing now filled me with both excitement and fear. Knowing its location provided a good opportunity to kill it, but at the same time, I had to ask myself how exactly I would manage that.

  “Yes.” Karen opened her eyes, and the image popped like a bubble so as it could no longer be seen. The smoke itself dissipated and the fire beneath the cauldron died out. Now there was nothing but the sounds of our voices, echoing around the great, dark basement. “This creature that you seek… it’s dangerous. Right now it’s licking its wounds, but it’s still able to kill a Cardkeeper with a single blow.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I saw it in the smoke.”

  I nodded slowly. There was no reason not to believe her, and that was why I had the great idea of visiting the Vault before I dared set foot in those woods. Now that I’d seen The Ancient in person, I knew better than to go in unprepared. Perhaps Dalton could help me in some way, and if he could, I didn’t want to miss that chance.

  “Thank you so much for your help,” I said to Karen.

  “It’s my pleasure. What you’re doing is an admirable thing, you know.” She took a deep breath, her gaze still lingering on the rim of the cauldron. “No matter how dim the odds may seem, I hope you succeed in your mission. For all our sakes.”

  Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.

  I thanked her again, leaving the mansion with all the information I would need, and trudged my way back down the drive using the moonlight to guide my path. Tension wrought my body as I considered the possibility that, by this time tomorrow, vampires could no longer exist. All I had to do was fight, and fight well.

  I turned left off the drive and began to walk alongside a long bush. It was dark here, which only caused me to be extra careful, but when I saw a rummage further along the bush, I stopped in my tracks and drew my sword. The glowing blade shot out in a flash of color, and I raised it beside me, ready to strike.

  “Whatever you are, this is your only chance to show yourself.”

  The rummaging continued until I caught first sight of the creature’s face. A moment later, as it moved from the bushes, its body revealed itself until i
t was stood on the sidewalk in front of me, its eyes glowing under the moon.

  “You,” I said, identifying the figure immediately.

  I’d had a lot of surprises these past few days, but although I was growing quite used to being constantly shocked at the sight of anything mythological, I’d never quite counted on seeing this guy again. Not even in my wildest dreams.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” said the figure.

  I laughed, lowering my guard and stowing the sword away in my pocket. I approached without caution, shaking my head from side to side with humored disbelief. When I reached the figure, the details of his small body became more visible. Moments later, I could clearly see his wings. “I thought you were headed back to Europe.”

  Link brushed a stray leaf off his shoulder and took off on his wings, his body lifting to meet my eyes. “I was, but by the time I had a nap and left Vival Creek I saw the bus you were riding in. I thought that seeing as I’d come this far, I might as well see it through to the end.”

  “I’m not sure Keira would approve of you fighting.”

  “I know, I know. That was why I thought I’d just watch.”

  I nodded. “All right. Well, it was good to see you again, little man, but why don’t you fly on over there and watch from a distance? I have things to do.” I started walking, softly moving Link aside with the back of my hand as I continued up the sidewalk. It was actually a hard thing for me to do – I was growing very fond of the little faery, but if he got hurt then Keira Poe would only return and rain hellfire down on me. Immortality or no immortality, I wasn’t about to pick a fight with an ex-Keeper.

  “You’re just leaving?” Link asked, catching up to me on flickering wings.

  “I don’t have time for coffee and a catch-up.”

  “But some courtesy would be nice.”

  I stopped then, turning toward the sound of his beating wings. Perhaps I was being pretty hard on the guy, especially as he’d come this far to check up on me. “Listen, I’m sorry to treat you this way – I really am – but your time in the danger zone has come to an end. You’ve served your time helping a Cardkeeper.”