by Amy Cross
“I'm going to find my brother.”
“Forget about him.”
“How can you say that?” I ask, shocked by his callousness. “I have a brother out there and I've never even met him!”
“Exactly, so it should be easy to walk away.”
“You don't understand,” I reply, getting to my feet and heading toward the gate.
“I understand only too well,” he replies. “You're alone and suddenly you think there's someone who might know what that's like. It must be enormously tempting. You want to end the loneliness in your heart, but you must stay strong. The fact that you have a brother is ultimately meaningless once the spiders have finished with him. He's a footnote in this whole thing.”
Stopping at the gate, I want to go back and punish him for saying that. “I don't care about being alone,” I say finally, keeping my back to him, “and I sure as hell don't need to have someone who knows how I feel. I'm not that pathetic. I can't leave my brother in their hands, though, not while there's even a chance that I can save him.”
After a moment, I hear the legs of his chair scraping against the floor as he stands.
“Here's what you're going to do,” he says finally. “You're going to come with me, Abby, to the plains of Jagadoon, and there you're going to start your formal training. It'll take time, but there are people who can help, and eventually you'll be ready to face the spiders properly. I have a friend at Jagadoon, someone I've known for a long time, someone who can help you more than I could ever manage. You'll face hardships that will feel ten thousand times more difficult than anything you faced today, and you'll go to sleep every night thinking you're spent, that you're broken, but you will struggle through and you'll emerge stronger on the other end. Leaner. Tougher. More able to fight this fight.”
“Fine,” I reply, turning to him, “but first I have to find my brother. Then I'll go to this Jagadoon place with you.”
He shakes his head.
“Why not?” I ask. “You're the one who told me he exists. You must have known I'd have to go and rescue him.”
“I told you about him because I needed to spur you on. I needed you to realize that keeping the spiders away from Karakh is a hopeless task. They'll get there eventually, and by then you need to have completed your training at Jagadoon. There's someone there who will know how to help you.”
“Who?”
“You'll meet her when you get there. We must leave at once.”
“I'm going to find my brother, and then we'll go.”
“There's no time for that.”
“We'll make time.”
“If you go to rescue your brother,” he replies, “you'll be showing me that you're still weak, that you still prioritize unnecessary things, that you don't see the bigger picture. This is so much bigger than your precious little family gathering, Abby. Your brother's existence is a minor point, a distraction. If you go to him, I'll be forced to accept that you're not strong enough for the training. I'll have to put a contingency plan into action and forget about you. I won't be able to help you anymore. Please, don't make this mistake. You can't really care about your brother, you haven't even met him. You're just so desperate to believe in something, you're latching on to the first cause that comes along.”
Staring at him, I realize that he means it, and that he genuinely thinks I can just ignore the fact that I have a brother out there somewhere, a brother who needs my help.
“Good luck,” I tell him finally, turning and heading out through the gate. “I hope you find someone else to train.”
“Abby!” he calls after me. “Abby, wait! You can't save him, Abby! It's already too late!”
Ignoring him, I hurry to the dark street and then make my way to the next junction. It's late but the city is still buzzing with energy, filled with people who have no idea that there are whole other worlds hidden in the shadows. If the revelers stumbling drunk out of nightclubs, or the people working night-shifts in nearby office blocks, heard about vampires and spiders and the ancient lost palace of Karakh, they'd probably laugh and assume it was madness. That's fine, it's probably better if they don't know, but there's a problem: somewhere in this city, my brother is being held by monsters, and somehow I have to find him amidst all this light and noise.
***
“Abby! Hey Abby, wait up!”
I barely even notice the voice at first, but finally I stop in the street and turn to see Mark hurrying after me. Great, this is all I need right now. I should have known that by dropping by my apartment to grab a few things, I'd risk this encounter.
“What do you want?” I ask, taking a step back so he can't get too close. “How did you find me?”
“I was on my way to see you,” he replies, reaching out to put a hand on my shoulder. “Well, actually I was kind of waiting in my car and hoping you'd show up.”
I pull away.
“I've been worried about you,” he continues. “Abby, what's happening? You look different.”
“You're imagining things.”
“No, something's changed.” He pauses. “Where are you going? I can help you, but you have to let me know the situation. Have you found Emilia yet?”
“You can't help me,” I reply, aware that I need to get rid of him as quickly as possible. “Maybe you were mildly useful in the past, but you can't even begin to understand what's happening right now. There are forces in this city that are beyond human comprehension, and the last thing I need is to be worrying about keeping you safe while I'm dealing with it all.”
“I helped you before,” he points out. “I gave you my blood -”
“I didn't ask you to do any of that,” I reply, before realizing that I at least owe him thanks. “I'd have recovered anyway,” I continue, “but sure, you helped the process happen faster. That doesn't mean you can do anything else for me, though, not now. I don't even have time to stand here and talk to you, I have to -”
Suddenly I hear a scream echoing through my mind, but when I turn to look along the street I realize that everything looks normal. The scream is getting louder, though, and it seems to be reaching out to me across the city, slipping through the gaps between all the other noises.
“Abby?” Mark says after a moment. “What's wrong?”
“Do you hear that?” I ask.
“Hear what?”
I pause for a moment, as I start to realize whose scream I'm hearing. “It's him,” I whisper finally. “I can tell, it's him, it's my -” I turn to Mark as the scream continues. “They're hurting him. They might even be killing him.”
“Hurting who?” he asks. “Abby -”
“I have to go,” I reply, turning and hurrying along the street, walking faster and faster through the crowd until I feel Mark's hand on my shoulder.
“Abby -”
“Get away from me!” I shout, pushing his hand away. The scream is still ringing in my mind, getting louder with each passing second, and it's clear that whatever those barbarians are doing to my brother, he'll be dead soon. No-one can endure that amount of pain for too long, especially not when they lack experience.
“Abby,” Mark continues, hurrying after me, “please -”
Filled with anger, I turn and hiss at him, baring my fangs and causing him to immediately step back. There's shock in his eyes, but I quickly get my emotions under control. Fortunately no-one else around us noticed what just happened, although I'm pretty sure I finally got my point across.
“You're already slowing me down,” I tell Mark, with an increasing sense of desperation in my chest. “Do you realize that? I have to go and help someone, and every second I spend talking to you is another second that he's in pain. My brother is out there somewhere -”
“Your brother?” he replies. “Abby, I didn't know you had a brother...”
“Neither did I until last night,” I continue, taking a step back, “but he's somewhere in this city and he's being tortured, and I can hear his scream in my mind and I don't know what's worse,
the sound of him in pure agony or the fear that at any moment the scream will suddenly stop and he'll be gone.” I take another step back. “You don't belong in my world, Mark, and I don't belong in yours. Don't bother trying to follow me, because it won't work. Just be glad that somehow you survived knowing me at all, and try to forget that any of this ever happened.”
Without giving him a chance to reply, I turn and hurry through the crowd before slipping down a side-street and trying to locate the source of the scream. I know it's not close, but at the same time it's somewhere in this city and I have to find him.
“Wait for me,” I whisper, hurrying along the street. “Be strong. I'm coming.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I see that Mark is no longer following me. At least that's one less person to worry about. Turning, I continue to search for the source of the scream. My brother's out there somewhere and I'm going to find him.
Part Five
ASCENSION
Abby Hart
Night has fallen by the time I find the building. The scream stopped many hours ago, and at first I was terrified that my brother was gone, but it didn't take long before I realize I could still just about sense him. He isn't screaming anymore, but he's in agonizing pain and now, as I look up at the huge, dark house, I can tell that he's close.
I also know that this is a trap.
After all, my brother apparently lived here in New York for many years, not far from me, and I never sensed him. Even if Emilia and her friends suddenly decided to start torturing him, they should easily have been able to disguise his cries and keep me from hearing. Instead, those cries rang out across the city with full force, and I've come to realize that when a coincidence seems too easy, that's usually because it is. The only explanation is that these monsters are using my brother as bait, which in turn means either that they want to kill me, or that there's still something they want from me. I wish they'd make up their minds.
Either way, I have to assume that they know I'm here.
Making my way up the granite steps at the front of the building, I can't help but look at the dark windows above. There could be someone watching me from any of those, smiling as they wait for me to fall into their trap. I should be more cautious, of course, I know that; I remember Absalom, less than twenty-four hours ago, telling me that sometimes I can be impatient, that I tend to rush ahead when it would be better to take a more considered approach. At the same time, I don't think there's much point hanging around in the street, watching the building from every angle in the hope that I might gain some kind of minor tactical advantage. If these people are holding my brother here, then I damn well want to get in there and save him. And I can prove Absalom wrong in the process.
When I try the handle on the large oak door, I find that it turns. I push and the door starts to swing open, revealing a dark interior.
That's not good.
Who keeps their front door unlocked in the middle of New York?
Someone who wants to let an intruder inside, that's who.
The air in the main hallway is cold. I hold the door open for a moment, allowing a hint of moonlight to shine through and cast my shadow across a patterned mosaic floor. Figuring that I need to get used to the darkness, I let the door swing shut and try to remember what Absalom said about the wisdom of facing an enemy in absolute darkness. To be honest, the first thing he told me was to avoid such a situation wherever possible, but as I take a few cautious steps forward and my eyes become accustomed to the darkness, I remember how he also told me to always assume my enemy can see me perfectly. After all, this situation has clearly been deliberately engineered with me in mind, so it's only natural that they'd try to put me at a distinct disadvantage. This whole house might as well be a web, but I've come too far to turn back now.
Hearing a creaking floorboard above, I stop and look up.
All around me, the house feels unnaturally still. At the same time, after a moment, I start to hear the faintest tapping sound. I turn and take a step back, trying to locate the source of the sound, before suddenly something small and dark drops down right in front of my eyes.
A spider.
Resisting the urge to crush the damn thing, I watch as it spins silk and lowers itself a little more until it's right in front of my eyes, and I can't shake the feeling that it's watching me.
“Hey there,” I whisper. “Tell your master I'm here.”
After a moment, the spider hurries down to the floor and then scuttles away, and I realize that the tapping sound I heard a few seconds ago came from eight little legs rushing across the mosaic tiles. Reaching out, I gently press a finger against the gossamer thread that the spider left hanging from the ceiling, and then I turn and make my way further across the entrance hallway, heading for a spiral staircase that rises up toward the next floor. I stop and look up, but there's no sign of anyone, even though I know my presence has been noted by now.
Hearing another tapping sound nearby, I turn and look around at the darkness. Finally, I spot another small spider hurrying past, heading off into the darkness.
They all seem very busy tonight. Very industrious.
Placing my hand on the wooden bannister, I start making my way up the stairs while constantly looking around in case there are any more spiders. I quickly spot dozens more on the walls, staying completely still but no doubt watching me. The silence of this house is making me feel distinctly uneasy and I'd be much happier if Emilia and whoever else is here would just leap out and tell me what they want, but as I get to the next floor of the building and find myself standing at the start of a long corridor, it's clear that nothing's going to be easy. I take a step forward, before immediately feeling another thin gossamer thread in my way. Reaching up, I push the thread aside and start making my way along the bare corridor, spotting several closed doors nearby but with no idea which of them, if any, I should open.
All around me, there are more spiders on the walls.
Watching.
Waiting.
Finally, I figure I've had enough of the stealth approach. They know I'm here, and hopefully they know I'm not an idiot, so there's no point playing this game a moment longer.
“Hello?” I call out, trying not to sound nervous. “You're not being very good hosts. Shouldn't you have offered me tea and cookies by now?”
Reaching a turn in the corridor, I look around the corner but see just another set of doors at the far end, with spiders all over the walls. If I didn't know better, I'd be starting to think right now that this building was abandoned long ago.
“Emilia?” I shout. “Can we just cut to the part where you show up and tell me your plan and then I swat you aside? You know what I'm here for. I want my -” Pausing, I realize I sound silly saying the words. “I want my brother,” I continue, flinching slightly. I'm still not used to the idea that I have a brother, and there's a part of me that worries it's all a trick.
Silence.
“I want -”
Suddenly I hear footsteps above. Looking up, I realize someone is marching quickly along the corridor directly above this one, passing right overhead.
“Hey!” I shout, hurrying back the way I came and making my way up the stairs. “Whoever's here, can't you at least come out and face me? You know what I want!”
I look along the next corridor but whoever was here a moment ago, they're gone now. A moment later, I hear another set of footsteps from the floor above.
“I'm not playing your games!” I shout, starting to feel as if they're toying with me. “I'm not here to fight, either, not unless you force me! Just come out and let me leave with my brother, or I'll take this whole place apart until I find him.” I turn and look along the dark corridor. “If I have to do it that way,” I continue, “I won't be in a very good mood by the time I -”
Suddenly I hear footsteps nearby, and when I turn I see a familiar silhouette standing at the top of the stairs.
“Emilia,” I say cautiously, taking a step forward, “what -”<
br />
Before I can finish, I walk straight into a web that has been hung across the corridor. Reaching up, I pull the web down and spit out some threads that got into my mouth, and then I take another step forward.
“Is that all you can come up with?” I ask, watching the self-satisfied grin on Emilia's face. “A web? Really? Couldn't you have thought of something slightly more original?”
“Well you're certainly in a hyper-critical mood this evening,” she replies, apparently unconcerned by my approach. “What's up, Abby? Do family reunions get you down?”
“Where is he?”
She frowns. “Who?”
Stopping just a couple of feet from her, I resist the temptation to immediately grab her by the throat. Absalom would be proud. “I know he's here,”I tell her. “I also know that you've been hurting him, so don't play innocent.”
“Oh,” she replies with a smile, “you're talking about your brother, aren't you? What's wrong, Abby? Are you suddenly feeling guilty?”
“Why would I feel guilty?”
“For ignoring him until tonight.” She pauses, tilting her head slightly. “I've spent quite a lot of time with him over the past few days. We've really started to get to know one another rather well, and he -”
“Where is he?” I ask firmly.
“You don't seem to understand how the world works these days,” she replies, as more tiny spiders crawl across the wall behind her. “I know in the past, vampires became accustomed to the idea of demanding whatever they wanted and using force if they were denied. I know that's how your species ended up dominating my species, and bullying any other species that dared to get in the way, but the thing is, those days are long gone. As far as I can tell, you don't have an army behind you and neither do I, so we're just going to have to negotiate, even if it makes us both feel physically sick.”
“No negotiations,” I tell her firmly, as I step closer. “Where's my brother?”
“He's a lovely chap, really,” she continues. “Not very talkative, at least not at first, but I soon loosened his tongue. Oh, and he looks so much like you, albeit with a hint of your parents thrown in for good -”
