Empire of Blood [Box Set]

by Robert S. Wilson

  The blasted chunks of dirt and mangled trees all around her began to blur as she felt her life draining away. It was a whim that she’d even tried to run, she had known all along that what she had signed up for, what the Queen and Ishan had asked her to do, was nothing more and nothing less than a suicide mission. So, she had succeeded and now it was time for her reward. No more life. No more bullshit. No more—as the blur started to darken the last thing she saw nearly woke her from her growing slumber, but at this point she was too far gone to regain consciousness. But she was sure even now as the darkness took her that she had seen Simon blood-soaked and tearing out Marcus’s throat with his fangs. But that couldn’t be. Simon didn’t even know. And the darkness was much too warm and comforting to think about that now anyway. It was time to sleep. To sleep and never wake. Goodnight, you cruel stupid, fucked up world. I won’t miss you.

  * * *

  Simon tossed Marcus’s body aside, drained of blood. Images flooded Simon’s brain of Rome throughout centuries and a mother queen much like their own who was worshipped as a god and then there was Joseph Caesar at the center of it all. In that single draining he learned more about the Emperor than he could have ever imagined existed. Unlike before, he was strong now and the images and life of Marcus Amilius couldn’t weigh him down as it cast its shadow on his memory. It was all over in a short moment and Simon was carrying Jackie over his shoulder. It had only taken a touch to realize she would live. One of the many side effects of the gift he had gained from drinking so much of Ishan’s blood. Not only could he give life but he could measure it accurately.

  Even after such a bloodthirsty killing, Simon still found himself angry with Ishan for hiding the Queen’s plan from him. Yet somehow he couldn’t bring himself to be angry with the Queen herself. He fought to dissolve his anger as he ran as fast as he could through the woods without dropping Jackie. Simon thought about the things he had seen through Marcus’s eyes. They had long suspected that the Emperor wasn’t human, and Hank and George Nelson’s information had certainly corroborated this, but Simon hadn’t expected to learn just how inhuman this creature was.

  Sure he was like Hank, drinking the blood of the ancestors, but by now he had drank so much of the blood that he was something entirely different. Something more animal and cunning and yet he ruled an entire nation from behind a mask of purity. But purity wasn’t even the hardest thing for Simon to grasp. How did this madman hide such an enormous history of bloodlust from so many people? How did he hide this ever hungry creature inside him?

  But this wasn’t all Simon had learned from the draining. He also learned key strategies the enemy had in place. Would they know to revise them now? Only time would tell. But at least for the time being, Simon could lead his people one step ahead of them.

  * * *

  Bellona was lying in bed in the underground bunker Caesar had built for her, just relaxing and thinking of the war ahead. She had never been blessed with the gift of foresight. There was nothing she wanted more than that very skill right now. She worried much for her children. Especially... No. She knew she musn't think about him. He would outlast them all. Since the days that Rome broke down the walls of Israel, he had been strong. Ruthless.

  No, her most beloved son would be fine.

  She turned over then and lay thinking of all the many centuries past. The rise and fall of Rome. The Anglo Saxons became the Brits while the Greeks stayed the Greeks and all the people grew ever more intelligent and skeptical of the predators that lurked behind their every shadow. Not that these things mattered much to Bellona. She had never truly known the hunt. She had no need. All she ever had to do was send out that part of herself that spoke to other beings, be they human or vampire. Or both. The same part of her inner self that had brought about many a war. She laughed. It was strange to be right at the center of another war and yet this one was the strangest of them all because for once she had no direct responsibility for its cause.

  No hatred poured out to the masses of nearby peoples. No driving brother against brother, sister against sister. Father against son and mother against daughter. Neighbor against neighbor. Enemy further against enemy. It was all too easy. So much so that she had often wondered this past few weeks if she had influenced these events somehow and simply didn't realize it. But she knew better than that. The power was all too satisfying when wielded. She would have felt that rush within her.

  That undying bloodlust of power made her want to interfere even now. Maybe she would, just a little—

  She saw his reflection then—Marcus—his eyes going still, his blood pouring out and intermingling with the murky brown water of the swamp, turning it to an almost black and cloudy crimson reflecting the moonlight. Suddenly her greatest fear wasn't so far away. She let out a scream that ricocheted off walls and shook the ground and in the next moment she was floating above the city, wind screeching all around her.

  She could feel her eyes filling up with a blackened bloodlust not born of hunger, but fury. The hatred was pouring out from her now completely unchecked and involuntary. Her heart jumped with pleasure as it filled up the nearest bodies on the ground below with overwhelming rage. A primal scream rose up in her chest and erupted from her mouth like a banshee's cry, spreading its devastating waves of sound out ahead in a deadly tsunami.

  The face of the one who had killed Marcus was now burned into her vision. Soon she would find him. Soon she would make him regret waking the vengeance of Bellona, the goddess of war.

  * * *

  Tommy stepped out of his truck sporting a greasy old John Deere ball cap, a red flannel shirt, and thick blue jeans. He walked up and knocked on the front door of his brother's trailer. Off-white chunks of paint shook from the weathered rotting wood scattering on his shirt sleeve as he pounded on Daryn's dilapidated porch door. Daryn hollered something unintelligible from inside then a moment later, he opened the main front door over dramatically half dressed and red in the face.

  "What?"

  "Daryn, man, you've got to see this shit."

  "Tommy Ray, what have I told you about showing up out of nowhere without calling first?"

  "I know, man. Just listen, I couldn't call about this. When you see it, you'll totally understand. Come on, open the fucking door already." Daryn's right hand trembled as it rested fingers spread against the screen of the door.

  "You been drinkin' again, man?" Daryn asked.

  "Fuck no, man, just let me in already, will ya?"

  Daryn sighed, unlatched the white-painted hook barely holding the screen door in place and pushed it forward. It nearly fell from its hinges as he held it open to let Tommy inside. Tommy rushed past Daryn and went straight for the TV and turned it on.

  "What the hell is all this about, Tommy Ray?"

  "Just watch." Tommy leaned forward and turned up the volume as crowds of people were shown on the screen rioting and setting an Imperial church on fire. Daryn froze.

  "What the hell?"

  "There's riots startin' all over the country, man. All because of this." Tommy reached into his jacket and pulled out the book and handed it to his brother. "Look at it, man. The fuckin' bastard lied to us. He lied to us all. It's no wonder people are burning down the churches."

  Daryn stared down his brother. Tommy could feel the anger and confusion building in his brother. He’d known the only way he would take him serious was if he showed him the riots. Daryn plopped down on the couch and began to rip through the pages, looking each over slowly and then turning to the next. Tommy sat next to him quietly and watched as his brother pored over each page. Eventually his expression changed from one of fury to one of bewilderment. Then one of fear and finally again one of anger.

  "Jimmy Hostetter told me there's some folks fixin' to try and take out the Empire. He said they're lookin' for recruits and the like. I'm thinkin' about signing up." Daryn rose up from the book and locked eyes with him.

  "Whyn't you stay here tonight, Tommy Ray. We'll watch some more on the
news and look some more at this book and make some calls around town and then tomorrow maybe I'll go with you, okay?"

  Tommy nodded. "Sure thing, man." The two sat looking at each other in silence as the sounds of chaos from the TV filled the room.

  Chapter 36

  The Next Move

  As Simon entered the main cavern of the hive, he could see that guilty look on Ishan's face. He found it hard to be angry at the elderly vampire after he himself had recently done things not quite appropriate. Sure, the Queen assured him there was nothing wrong with it, but deep inside Simon felt differently. And he was sure, so did Ishan.

  But none of that was important now. The Empire had made their first attack, even if it was completely ineffective. The reality of what was happening was starting to take over and Simon had no other choice but to think of all the consequences that would or wouldn't present themselves now.

  Yes, the Empire doesn't yet know exactly where we are. But they know enough to find us soon. I think we should spread out. Wait for them to try and attack where they will and take them from all sides. Surround them.

  Why didn't you tell me, Ishan?

  The same reason you didn't tell me about your time with the Queen.

  Simon and Ishan glanced at each other then yet Simon's eyes would not quite return Ishan's gaze.

  Both are over and done with. We have a war at our doorstep and I don't imagine it intends to come back later. We're going to have to act now. Do you see any flaws in my reasoning?

  No... Ishan.

  Yes?

  Thousands of ancestor vampires died.

  I know. I saw it all through your eyes just now as you remembered it. They're not from our line. They may be of our kind, but they're not of our line. Protecting our own is much more important. The Emperor obviously has access to another hive of vampires beyond our understanding and there's no reason to believe that there's anything we can do but defend ourselves against them. I worry there are far more than we know of. Shall we make preparations to evacuate?

  The Queen?

  She will stay. You know she can more than defend herself.

  Yes. I'll make the announcement myself. You go and be with her. Send her my love.

  I will.

  In a blur of motion only Simon could make out, Ishan was gone. Simon looked after him for a long time. Watching the imprints Ishan's feet had made in the dirt on the ground.

  * * *

  The sounds of gunfire and explosions ricocheted back and forth all around Hank as he followed the trail. Once again, it was the same as before save for one thing this time. This time he could feel the event coming that much closer. He had days at most before it would occur. He had a plan to prevent it from happening, but he had no way of knowing if it would work. Would the visions change if he made a decision or plan that would keep it from happening?

  Toby's heartbeat beckoned and Hank once again found himself behind the boy, following in step, bloodthirsty and eager. His feet dragged against chunks of concrete and brick as he went. Sulfur burnt his nose with every breath. There it was again, the open alleyway. As Hank turned the corner, he saw the last small moment of movement Toby had made as the boy tried desperately to hide from his terrible monster of a father.

  In less than a flash, Hank was leaning against that blue dumpster, reaching inside and grabbing ahold of his son's collar and pulling his body up through the piles of trash. With each inch he brought the child closer, he could hear that beating heart echoing inside his brain. It was equally like a drum beaten in battle's triumph and a growing ominous thunder.

  This time Toby's head surfaced from the mess in almost slow motion and Hank could see the tears rolling down his face. The fear that terrorized him to his very core as he clawed and kicked and screamed and fought to keep this thing that used to be his father from taking every drop of life's blood from within him.

  The vision deteriorated in an instant, replaced by the dim candlelight inside Hank’s small quarters within the hive. He got up from the bed he had made himself on the floor and crept over to where Toby lay and watched as the boy’s chest rose and fell with the soft breath of sleep. Like his father, Toby had managed to shift his sleeping schedule to somewhat conform to the vampire’s nighttime pattern.

  Toby turned over and his breathing took on a quiet snoring. In that moment, Hank made a decision. A decision that sent a chill through his spine, but one he knew he had to make. He would tell his son everything tomorrow. He would tell him all about the visions. About what might happen. There was no other choice. He had to prepare the boy for the possibility that his father would try and murder him some time within a matter of days.

  As he sat there watching Toby, he wept at the feeling of an unending drop below him. How could he ever do anything to hurt the one thing that had kept him alive this past few years? And with that thought he rose up to his feet and slipped out of the room. Hank wanted more than anything to speak with the Queen now. Maybe she had some other information that could help him. If nothing else she could tell him if the visions would change when he found the right solution or not. At least for now, there was nothing more he could do.

  Heading along the long dark corridors of the cave, Hank nearly ran right into Dustin. He knew then that his mind must be over-occupied. He should have heard him coming.

  “Hey, man, you all right?” Dustin said.

  Hank gave a nervous disturbing sort of laugh. “No, not really. What are you doing out and about?”

  “You do remember I’m human, right?” They both laughed. “I stay up later now, I suppose, but I can’t seem to turn myself nocturnal—listen, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Empire attempted an attack. Someone tricked them and led them to some other place and I guess we got a bunch of the Empire’s vampires, but probably any day now a shitload more will be coming. The vampires here called for us to spread out today, so I’ve been getting my stuff ready. I was just coming to let you know.”

  “Yeah, I hadn’t heard about all that. I’m going to speak with the Queen now. So, I’ll see what all I can find out. But listen. I know you don’t have time or the ability to keep an eye on Toby, but I had another vision and everything is fitting together that this is going to happen. The spreading out fits with the fact that in the vision, Toby’s outside and the gunfire and…”

  “Hank, I’m sorry, man. You have got to get it into your head that you are not going to do anything to that poor kid. I know you too well. You are not going to kill him. So, can I please just say goodbye and get on with what I need to get done?”

  Hank nodded. He knew no matter what he said, Dustin would never understand. The visions were too real to ignore. The two men looked at each other a long time before Dustin grabbed Hank up in a huge, nearly painful, bear hug.

  “I love you, man. You need to worry more about this goddamn war, okay?”

  “Yeah. I guess.”

  Dustin patted him roughly on the back and then turned and walked away. Hank stood there watching him go for a moment before continuing on his original course.

  As he came closer to the Queen’s quarters, that thick intimidating feeling began to stir in the air. It was a familiar thing to Hank now when he was near her. It was like her power emanating out to him and trying to seduce him yet again. This time as he entered her room, he covered his eyes and spoke.

  “Is it okay for me to enter? I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

  “No, child, you may remove your hand.” She seemed to giggle as Hank slowly pulled his hand from his eyes. The Queen was sitting Indian style on the ground, her crimson irises lighting the room with an eerie sort of dark visual ambience. Ishan sat alongside her, a surprisingly calm expression on his face. After the immense vibes of hatred Hank had been getting from the ancient vampire, he was relieved to see that Ishan was dealing with Hank’s pairing with the Queen much better than he had been before.

  Hank nodded to Ishan and Ishan returned the gesture.

  “I need to know
everything I can about these visions that you can tell me. I know you have had them for a long time and I have a lot to learn but could you maybe just answer a few questions?” Hank asked.

  “Child, I will do my best. In fact, lie down and I’ll see what I can do to show you what I know with my mind. All right?”

  Hank nodded.

  The Queen beckoned him closer with a single finger’s gesture. At first the room seemed to become tense with Ishan watching, but then he turned and bowed and left the room. When he was gone the Queen reached out and caressed Hank’s face.

  “He may be the strongest of my children, but he sure has one of the largest weaknesses. But he’s not here now. Wouldn’t you like to take advantage of that?”

  Hank closed his eyes. “No, I’m sorry. I’m far more concerned about what’s going to happen to Toby. Can you help me?”

  “I said I would, did I not?” she said in a near hiss.

  Hank stepped back in reaction and the Queen stepped closer and grabbed hold of Hank’s wrist.

  “Why don’t we help each other, young one? I’ll give you what you want, and you give me…” Hank’s jeans unbuttoned and fell loose, “what I want?”

  Hank fought the mix of anger and desire that was starting to take over and gently buttoned his pants back and took a deep breath. “If that’s what you want, I need to have the information first. Then I would be glad to do whatever you want in return. But I can’t do something like this with all this worry on my mind.”

  The Queen raised an eyebrow at him in a quizzical yet inviting manner. “Your resistance to me never fails to surprise me, young one. I shall do as you ask. As I said before, lie down and close your eyes.”

  Hank gave her one last look of uncertainty, he lay down on the ground in front of her, and closed his eyes. The next moment he could feel her presence enter his mind. He saw images of pieces of visions he couldn’t understand. People he didn’t know, vampires he didn’t know. Events from the past, present, and somehow, maybe she was even letting him see the future as she had seen it. It was hard to be sure. Each one was only a fragment.