by Amy Cross
“Where is he?” I shout, reaching forward and grabbing her by the throat. Pushing her back, I'm tempted to throw her over the railing and sending her crashing down to the hallway below, but right now I think I'd rather keep her close. “This can only end with me taking my brother to safety,” I continue. “The only thing you get to decide is how much blood you're going to lose in the process.”
“So that's your plan,” she replies with a smile. “You thought you could just come in here and threaten us, and we'd give you what you want. Just like the vampire bullies of old!”
“No, I -”
“Try this!” she hisses, pushing my hand away and then stepping closer, forcing me back against the wall. “Try offering us something we want, Abby, and then maybe we can strike a deal. For instance, what about the location of Karakh? We can find it without your help, but it'd be a lot quicker if you just give us the information. That way, we'd have no further need for your brother and -”
“Go to hell!” I shout, pushing her back, only for her to grab my arm and twist me around. I try to get free, but she quickly slams me face-first into the wall as all the tiny spiders scurry out of the way.
“You shouldn't pick fights you can't win!” she sneers, leaning close to my ear. “No matter how much potential you might have, Abigail Hart, it's no use if you haven't been trained to use it!”
“And you have?” I reply, trying to pull my arm free from her grip.
“Oh, you'd better believe it,” she replies. “I spent most of the past decade in training. What about you? How much proper, focused training have you undergone to hone your skills, Abby? Or have you just relied on instinct? Is that why you're so sloppy all the time?”
I try again to slip free, but she twists my arm harder and brings a cry of pain from my lips.
“Just as I thought,” she continues. “You're completely undisciplined. I could tell as much the first time we met, when you were flailing around in your own hatred! I was like that once, but I learned to -”
Slamming my elbow into her belly, I knock her aside and then turn quickly, landing a punch on the side of her face. She falls back, clutching her stomach as if I caught her in a vulnerable spot, and then I reach for her throat, only for her to scream as she launches herself back at me. We slam into the wall and fall to the floor, and although I try to get up first, she pushes me down and climbs on top of me while grabbing my neck and squeezing tight. All around us, more of the tiny spiders scatter but remain close, as if they want to watch.
“You're an animal!” she sneers, leaning closer to me. “You're a filthy, worthless, putrid vampire and the only thing vampires are good for is -”
Before she can finish, she lets out a cry of pain as a series of sparks ripple from her shoulder. Slumping back, she rolls over in agony, still crying out as another figure walks calmly toward us. As soon as he's close enough for me to see his face, I realize that it's the thin man who attacked the police building.
“You'll have to excuse Emilia,” he says politely, holding a small black device in his hand as he looks down at her screaming, writhing body. “She might be disciplined in some ways, but in others she's still very much a child. She lets her emotions get the better of her.” He leans closer to her, before raising his voice: “I told you to bring Abby to me, not to get involved in a common fist-fight.”
She screams something back at him, while more sparks burn across her shoulders.
“What are you doing to her?” I ask, crawling back against the wall.
“Sometimes she needs to be punished with a little tough love,” he replies, watching her for a moment longer before pressing a button on the device in his hand. Emilia immediately lets out a gasp as the sparks stop, but she's breathless and clearly in a great deal of pain as she leans against the wall. “Emilia,” the man continues, “you've disappointed me tonight. How can you ever expect Ms. Hart to listen to us fairly when you attack her like that?”
“She's a -” Emilia starts to say breathlessly, glaring at me, before letting out a gasp of frustration. “Yes, Keller. I'm sorry. You're right.”
“Ms. Hart,” the man continues, turning to me and reaching out a hand as if he wants to help me up, “I hope you'll accept my apology for this uncivilized welcome. If it's any consolation, I can assure you that Emilia will learn from her mistake.”
Ignoring his outstretched hand, I stumble to my feet. I'd hoped that a day's training with Absalom would make me more able to deal with this situation, but Emilia had me pretty much beaten until this guy showed up.
“My name is Keller,” he explains, “and I am, for want of a better word, Emilia's guardian. I also happen to be in a position to help you, Ms. Hart, and to explain why we need to work together. Perhaps you would do me the honor of accompanying me to my study, so that I might illuminate the situation for you?”
“I came for my brother,” I reply, still a little breathless after the struggle, “not to talk to someone like you!”
“Nevertheless,” he continues, “I hope your plans are... adaptable? We are civilized individuals, are we not?”
I want to tell him to go to hell. After all, the last thing I want to do is be in the same room as any more of these disgusting creatures. Unfortunately, I think my original plan of fighting my way through to rescue my brother might not be quite so hot, so I need to at least explore the alternatives.
“Fine,” I mutter, even though the prospect makes me feel nauseous. “Lead the way.” Before the words have even left my mouth, I hear a loud rustling sound, and I turn to see that the tiny spiders on the walls have started hurrying toward a nearby door.
Abby Hart
“Our two species have been at loggerheads since time immemorial,” Keller points out as he pours us each a glass of wine in his study. “I don't know what your Book of Gothos says about the whole thing, but the Book of Karakh isn't very convincing on the subject. It seems to have simply been taken as read that the ancient vampire and spider civilizations were unable to co-exist in peace.”
“The Book of Gothos says the spider empire became corrupt and cruel,” I reply. “Gothos wrote that the spiders were once a proud and honorable species, but that you were brought down by a belief that you should meddle in the affairs of others. You believed your own propaganda.”
“Is that really what your book says?” he replies, arching an eyebrow as he holds a glass out for me.
“I'm not thirsty,” I tell him.
He pauses, as if he's going to insist, before setting the glass down. “The Book of Karakh states that the early vampires were chaotic and barbaric. It's implied that they required significant work in order to attain a certain level of civilization. From what I gather, the vampires of old were widely regarded as brutes. In one of the book's passages, an account is given of three male vampires engaged in a squabble that lasted for days. By all accounts, they were just naked, grunting fools scrabbling in the mud.”
“So you took it upon yourselves to civilize us by force?” I ask. “I'm sure you can understand why that might not have gone down too well. The Book of Gothos states that before the spiders and the vampires -”
“There was nothing before our two species existed,” he says firmly, as if the idea insults him. “The Book of Karakh is clear on that point.”
“The Book of Gothos -”
“Is wrong,” he adds, cutting me off. “I know very well that the Book of Gothos misses no opportunity to slur the great spider empire. I know there are claims of a species that existed before us, a race of demons, but the idea is nonsense. If those demons had existed, we would have found traces of them.” He takes another sip of wine, and it's clear that his calm demeanor is more than a little ruffled. “Vampires would do better to accept that spiders were truly the first powerful, wise race. After all, that is a matter of historical record.”
“According to the Book of Gothos -”
“Whatever the truth,” he continues, “I think it's plain to see that these arguments belon
g in the distant past. As we stand here, Ms. Hart, it matters not one jot whether your ancestors or mine were responsible for squabbles that began thousands of years ago. Even the great war between our species can be put aside and, if not forgotten, then at least consigned to the history books. What matters is this moment right now, and also the way that we shape the futures of our respective species.” He takes another sip of wine. “I disgust you, do I not?”
“She hates us with a passion,” Emilia butts in, reaching over to take my rejected glass of wine, only for Keller to brush her hand away.
“Such hatred has been bred into you, Ms. Hart,” Keller continues. “You do not hate individual spiders, you hate the spider race as a whole.”
“I want my brother,” I tell him. “That's the only reason I'm here.”
“And we want our home back,” he replies, his tone changing a little and becoming darker, more guarded. “Your father Patrick was, I believe, one of the key figures in the fall of Karakh. He and a group of other vampires literally moved our palace and hid it from us. Our homeland was denied and we were consigned to the darkest reaches of history. I'm sure many great parties were held to celebrate our supposed extinction.”
“Obviously you found a way to crawl back,” I point out.
“Only a few of us. And the thing is, Ms. Hart, we desperately want to return to Karakh, as is our right. You can understand that, can't you? How would you feel if the great house of Gothos was hidden away or somehow lost to the vampire race?”
“Actually it wouldn't bother me too much,” I mutter.
“She's lying,” Emilia hisses.
I turn to her. “Don't act like you know what I'm thinking.”
She smiles, as if she's pleased to have irritated me.
“We need Karakh,” Keller continues. “We have no desire to go back to the ways of old, but we must insist on returning to our home. That's what all of this has been about, and I'm afraid we will not stop until we get what is ours. After that, we aim to rebuild our species as a peaceful contributor to the civilizations of the eight known worlds. I find it hard to believe that you would deny us the same opportunity that the vampires have enjoyed.”
“I'm not denying anyone anything,” I reply, still feeling sick to my stomach. “I just want my brother. Where is he?”
“He's here.”
“Then give him to me.”
“He had half the information we need in his head,” he explains. “You have the other half.”
“I'm not giving it to you.”
“Yet you demand your brother's return?”
I take a step toward him. Emilia immediately gets up and comes closer, as if to defend Keller, but he puts a hand on her arm to hold her back. I've got to admit, he's got her on a pretty tight leash.
“You're not thinking about this logically, Ms. Hart,” he continues. “One good turn deserves another, and we can all walk away from this encounter with everything we want.”
“I'm not letting you find Karakh again.”
“Why not?”
“Because I trust that my father was right to hide it from you. With Karakh restored, the spider empire could rise again.”
“And that scares you?”
“It sickens me!”
He stares at me for a moment, clearly irritated by my continued refusal to give him what he wants. “I could take it by force, you know,” he says finally. “I could cut your head open and rip out the information I need.”
“Someone's already tried that,” I reply, noticing that a crack has appeared on the side of his wine glass. I guess he's holding back his rage. “I was kidnapped once and taken to an asylum at Tor Cliff. A madman was after the secret in my mind, and he almost got it. He was planning to sell it to someone else, but I stopped them completing the deal at the last minute.” I watch his eyes for some hint of recognition. “You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?” I ask finally.
“What are you suggesting?” he asks.
Emilia smiles.
“I'm suggesting that you need to hand my brother over,” I say firmly. “I already heard his screams, so don't act as if you're the civilized ones in this discussion.”
“Look at you,” Emilia says with a grin. “It's so hard for you to keep from attacking us, isn't it?” She turns to Keller. “I can see the way she's holding herself back, fighting with every fiber in her being to keep from acting on her hatred. I remember when I was like that, when I was weak and ill-disciplined. It's almost cute.”
“You were lucky,” Keller replies, turning to her. “You received a decade's worth of training. Ms. Hart has had to fend for herself.”
“I'm sure there are a few other differences between us,” Emilia mutters.
“You'd better believe it,” I tell her, before turning back to Keller. “I want my brother! Now!”
“Your brother is fine,” Keller replies. “I admit that we pushed him to his limits, but he's a vampire, he'll recover. You'll understand, I'm sure, that he's a valuable asset for us as we seek to obtain your cooperation, Ms. Hart. You'll also understand that while we're offering an amicable solution to the situation, we are not averse to the use of force. There are others waiting for us to complete this task, and failure is not an option. One way or another, we will get the information that you hold. Your choice is simply about whether or not to cooperate.”
“She can't fight us,” Emilia says after a moment, watching me with an amused grin. “She's tried to fight me twice and she's failed both times. She's stronger than a human, but there's really not much she can do. She's on the losing side here and she knows it.”
“Careful,” I reply. “With confidence like that, you're bound to trip up.”
“If I can get past our mutual hatred,” Keller continues, “then so can you, Ms. Hart. After all, you never fought in the great war, you hadn't even been born then. You and Emilia are both of a later generation. I, on the other hand, was on the front-lines and I can assure you, I experienced all the misery and pain that fell upon our two species in those awful days. I even saw your father, the great Patrick, in the heart of it all. Of course, I was just an ordinary soldier, I was nothing special, but if anyone in this room has a right to be filled with hatred, it's me. I witnessed my friends being cut down by those miserable vampire weapons, I barely escaped with my life, but here I am, offering you my hospitality and trying to make peace.” He pauses, and for a moment he seems to be struggling with his anger. “Why is it, Ms. Hart, that one who fought in the war can see past all the hatred, yet one who has only heard of such things secondhand can't do the same?”
“She's pathetic,” Emilia hisses.
“You're no better,” he adds turning to her. “In so many ways, you're both still children.”
She opens her mouth to argue with him, but evidently she thinks better of saying another word.
“I'm going to tell you one final time,” I continue, making my way over toward Keller. “Take me to my brother, or this situation is going to real ugly, real fast.”
He pauses, before sighing. “Very well. It's clear that you're not going to listen to reason, so I suppose my only choice is to let you be with him.”
“Keller,” Emilia says cautiously, “I thought -”
“I'm not going to waste my breath,” he continues, stepping past her. “Come, Ms. Hart. If you want to be with your brother, then I'm no longer interested in stopping you. You're obviously myopic to the point of oblivion, but -” Stopping in the doorway, he turns to me as I approach him. “There's one thing you should know first.”
“Just take me to him.”
“Of course, but first I think you need to appreciate everything he's been through.”
“And what -”
Before I can finish, I feel a needle sliding into my neck from behind. I turn and push Emilia away, but whatever was in that syringe is already making me feel dizzy as I turn and try to stumble toward the door. When I reach out for the handle, however, Keller grabs my ar
m and forces me down into a nearby chair as Emilia steps closer. I look up at them both, but my vision is already blurred and the whole world seems to be spinning.
“I opened your brother's head to get what I wanted,” Keller says, his voice echoing as I slip into unconsciousness, “so I suppose I'll have to do the same to you. After that, however, the pair of you can be forever for the rest of your miserable lives.”
Abby Hart
“No!” I shout, reaching around to stop him but suddenly finding myself sitting on the floor in a dark, cold space. I hold my hand out, with just the faintest edge of light on my trembling fingers, and a moment later I feel a drop of freezing water fall onto my skin.
I hold my breath, my mind spinning as I try to work out where I am.
“Stop,” I whisper, turning but immediately feeling an immense stabbing pain through the back of my head. Letting out a gasp, I fall forward and feel cold, wet stones beneath my hands. I take a deep breath, feeling a hint of pain as the air hits my lungs, and I can feel my whole body shaking as if there's a weak, aching void in my thoughts.
I let out another gasp, and this time I realize my voice is echoing.
“Stop,” I whisper again, before realizing that there's no point. I don't know exactly what happened, but Keller and Emilia clearly aren't here.
Struggling to my feet, I almost manage to rise before my knees give way and I drop back down. The pain in my head is getting stronger, but I have to keep looking around, I have to work out where I am and how to get out of here. A moment ago I was with Keller and Emilia in the house, and now I'm in what looks like some kind of dungeon. Squinting as my eyes adjust slowly to the low light, I spot a door nearby and I start to crawl forward, reaching out until -
Suddenly I see a shape ahead, slumped on the floor.
I freeze, waiting for the shape to move or attack. It's definitely a person, covered in a dark blanket, but so far there's no sign of movement. I can sense a heartbeat, though, albeit one that's weak and teetering on the brink of stopping altogether. After a moment, despite the growing sense of fear in my chest, I start to crawl forward once again, reaching out until my shaking right hand brushes against the fabric of the stranger's blanket.
