by Al K. Line
Sure, there were more holes in this hasty plan than in a colander, but to be honest I was more concerned about Cerberus. Not that I didn't want to blast Mikalus to hell. I did. Basically, the whole thing was flakier than Vicky's pastry and a lot messier.
Ivan smashed into the floorboards with a force that would have broken any citizen's bones. Plaster and dust rained down on him as he lay in a heap, a huge dent in the wall. He leapt to his feet, face a mask of anger, the vampire fully in control. His eyes were dark, the pupils huge, the whites bloodshot. His usually thin lips were engorged with blood and his canines were long and deadly. He looked insane. Imagine coming across a feral man who'd lived in the woods his whole life and was caught in the act of tearing a rabbit to shreds with his teeth. And you stole it from him and began poking him with a sharp stick. He looked like that, but more annoyed and bewildered.
Mikalus stormed across the room, scowling, with similar vampiric attributes. You wouldn't want to get between these two, that was for sure.
So, with a sigh, I did exactly that.
I stepped forward just before Mikalus reached me, and put a hand out. "Let's not get carried away here. Mikalus, you deserve to be chopped up into tiny pieces and then hacked apart again as you regenerate for what you've done. It's one thing cheating me, making Ivan do it, but to go after the family of one of your own? That's stone-cold."
Mikalus glared at Ivan, ignoring me. "You dare lay a hand on me? Me, the First? Your master? You dare?" He spat his words, his teeth ripping his lips apart as he spoke. Blood sprayed onto the floor as he eyed Ivan with pure hatred.
"You deserve no respect," replied Ivan angrily. "You betrayed me. You used me and cast me aside even while you brought me closer. I thought you cared."
"Cared? Ha," laughed Mikalus. "You know nothing of caring. I have a world of my own kind to look after. My flock needs me. See how we have thrived since I returned? How they have new purpose and our presence has grown? You think you are important? You are not. Your friendship with this man," he pointed at me with a taloned finger that looked sharper than my blade, "is a disgrace. He is nothing but a wizard. A scruffy wizard."
"Charming," I said, grinning at Mikalus.
"See? A fool. And your sister, she will seek revenge. A distraction to your work, to our true purpose. She has to go. Maybe you shouldn't have shared such information, that she was your sister, with me."
"I told you because I trusted you, wanted her protected."
By now the two men were mere feet from each other, glaring and shaking. I was still between them, and I felt about as safe as a lobster wandering around the edge of the pool at Satan's Breath as a roomful of hungry wizards eyed it up.
I stepped aside, knowing I was probably making things worse. Plus not wanting to be eaten or anything.
"If I may?" interjected Carmichael. Everyone turned at the words; we'd all forgotten he was there.
"What?" snapped Ivan.
"Maybe we can all agree to let bygones be bygones? Put this behind us? We play our games, have been at war for so long, and where has it got us? We will never see things the same way, but maybe, just maybe, we can make an agreement that will give all sides peace. At least for the foreseeable future. How does that sound?"
Ivan paused to think, I could see the indecision on his face. He knew what he was getting into by confronting Mikalus like this, and the chances of him surviving were slim. Maybe he'd take the offer. He was wavering, and it sounded good to me. This kind of crap was why I didn't sleep well at night, and I'd had enough heartache.
My thoughts turned to Candy and her betrayal. I wanted to blame Mikalus for that, but knew I couldn't, not really. She'd made her choice same as we all make our own choices.
"No," said Mikalus. "You are as me, from a different time, Carmichael, and this new world does not have room for both of us. Eventually you will die, and I will be there to witness your downfall. I own this world, I will have it for me and mine. You should come to us, we may accept you. But if you remain with your Hounds then I have neither place, nor need, for you."
That sounded rather final, and I can't say I was shocked. Carmichael looked genuinely saddened, but he accepted the rebuff, smoothed his hair, stood tall and straight, and somehow even owned the fact he was in the middle of this madness wearing a borrowed dressing gown.
Mikalus was the same, proud and strong, able to ooze power and might whilst looking like he was about to go take a shower.
Ivan roared and charged Mikalus.
The dick.
It's Personal
Carmichael and I jumped aside as the two men went for each other. It was like they'd gone feral. I'd seen Ivan crackle and pop and turn into a bloody werewolf, but that was like a kid's bedtime story compared to this. I knew vampires could be wild; this was a whole other level.
As the blood flew and the injuries worsened, all I could do was stare in horror and astonishment at the damage the men inflicted on each other. Carmichael remained aloof, but his body was trembling and his eyes were dark. A single line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and I caught a glint of white from his extended teeth even though he was trying to hide it. At that moment, I wondered how it was he managed to be out during daylight hours. That was something that would have saved Mikalus a lot of grief. Guess when you have access to untold artifacts there's bound to be one that could help, plus he knew a lot of magic.
Carmichael held his position though, and his cool. He was one hardcore dude, I'll give him that. There was no way I could intervene, they moved so fast and were so ferocious that I'd end up blasting Ivan. Plus, if I'm being truthful, I was worried I wouldn't finish Mikalus off and then I'd have his wrath descend. Ivan was being stupid, this wasn't the way things were meant to go, and he was risking everything. Even if Mikalus was killed, there'd be a hundred thousand vampires baying for his blood. It was a lose-lose situation.
But then the men broke. Mikalus was naked now, the dressing gown ripped off, and Ivan's clothes were in tatters. Both men looked like they'd been attacked by a pack of wild animals. Their faces were torn, huge welts where flesh was scratched or bitten away. Both were sticky with blood and Ivan had a huge tear in his chest, revealed where the shirt had been raked away.
Mikalus was faring just as poorly, if not worse. His muscular body was covered in sweat, and he'd lost most of a pectoral, the muscle ripped clean off. His left bicep was hanging, and his hands were bloodied. Flesh dropped from between his elongated fingernails.
I made a decision.
"I'll do it," I said to Ivan. And with that I raised Wand and against my better judgment I readied to do my best to defeat the original vampire.
"No," he gasped. "This is personal."
I nodded.
Sometimes a man has to stand up for what he feels is right, even if it means he'll die.
The men stared at each other for seconds that felt like minutes as their bodies repaired. Then they screamed and charged each other once again.
Feeling Left Out
"The outcome changes nothing," I shouted across the room to Carmichael who was eyeing the bookshelves greedily, obviously wondering how he could take everything and get out of here. I knew he wouldn't try to fight me, he wasn't that stupid. He was no Mikalus, didn't have his power. Maybe not being the true First meant he was more akin to a Second even though he'd been made in much the same way. But I saw it in his eyes, the hunger for the books, the decision not to fight me one-on-one.
"It will change everything," he shouted as Ivan and Mikalus tore each other apart. "If Ivan dies, you have one less ally. But our agreement stands, I made a promise."
"You good for your word, are you? I don't believe it." I jumped aside as the two men rolled right at my legs, gouging each other's eyes and generally having all the fun.
"I am a man of honor too, although you may not believe it. This is not how I like to do business, all this subterfuge. But so be it." He appeared appalled by the bloody scene before us and wha
t had led to it.
Could he truly be a man of his word? I didn't care, I had his stuff. But I was growing increasingly sickened by the way my friend and my enemy were destroying each other. How could they endure so much?
As if reading my mind, both men broke apart and retreated to opposite ends of the room where they crouched and eyed each other warily. Both were utterly exhausted and their recovery took longer. It was minutes while their flesh healed and even then it was imperfectly. Ivan's torso was bare now, his shirt and jacket nothing but rags strewn around the room, stuck to the floor, walls, and ceiling by his own blood. His body was criss-crossed with scars new and old, as if his past had come back to haunt him in his weakened state and the flesh had memory of all he'd endured over his sorrow-filled existence.
Mikalus was just as ruined. His body was covered in bruises, purple and dark blotches against his pale skin. Skin that had never seen the light of day, had never felt the joy of the sun on his body.
Then I had an idea. And it wasn't a good one, it wasn't a sensible one, but I was all out of options. Ivan was going to get himself killed, that was obvious. Then what? I could leave, I had the Teleron, but after? Would Mikalus let this lie? Even if I took his books? No, this had gone too far now, he'd do all he could to wipe me out, and everyone I loved.
Wand tingled in my hand where I'd been holding him the entire time, and we made a silent pact to do this thing. My arm rose and I watched as time slowed and my mind processed information at a faster rate. I caught the expression on Carmichael's face and he smiled, knowing what I was about to do.
Then Mikalus glanced up, saw my arm arc, and where I was pointed, and uncertainty crossed his face. Ivan noticed the change in atmosphere and whispered, "Do it."
I nodded at him, said "Goodbye, motherfucker," to Mikalus, and Wand burst free with stored magical energy. A deadly jet of destruction aimed at the outer wall, a wall that was the only thing stopping the daylight shining into this room.
Ancient vampires don't like the sun, it makes them ashen.
Almost Had It
As a jet of destruction streamed from Wand right at the wall, my intent to blast it through and let Mikalus be consumed by fire, Mikalus himself had other ideas.
"No," he screamed, and faster than I'd have believed possible he was on me. He tackled me and we rolled across the floor with him clawing at my face. I even lost my hat, and that really pissed me off.
My strike had gone wide, hitting not the wall but the ceiling, bringing down all kinds of crap into the room. Plasterboard, cabling, ducts, and pipework all clattered around us in a mess of thunder as metal struck metal and wires crackled dangerously. I was amazed the lights stayed on.
Mikalus was enraged for real now, a mindless creature, as if there was a shift like the Wild Ones and he was lost to the vampire. At the thought of the Wild Ones, I pictured Candy dead behind the counter in her tiny coffee shop and my anger surged.
"Get the fuck off me," I grunted, and as Mikalus tore at me I protected myself with a shield like invisible clothing. But the blows still pummeled me, and still forced me down lower from my position prone on my back with the manic form of a naked vampire over me, blood dripping from his mouth as he ripped at me and rained down blow after weighty blow.
I pushed back with a move of my own that I'd used way too often lately, a kick straight to the knackers, and even in his lost state the pain must have penetrated as he swore and lost his breath. In the pause I jabbed out hard with Wand, nothing magical, just an old favorite move, and Wand punctured Mikalus' eyeball with a satisfying pop.
"Ugh, gross," moaned Wand as I pulled him free with a sick sucking sound. But it didn't stop Mikalus and he smashed at me with both fists like a club to the head. The eye oozed and then it sealed shut before stickily opening moments later, staring and angry, weeping like a baby's as it sees for the first time and greets the world.
"You dare try to destroy me?" hissed Mikalus as he grabbed my arm. I think he was trying to pull it off.
I panicked. Maybe he would, he felt strong enough, and he yanked hard, almost tearing muscle.
"I just thought I'd redecorate," I mumbled, then let my will flow. Wand absorbed it like he was charging up, and without fanfare spat out a blackness that splatted against Mikalus' head then began to consume the space it occupied.
Mikalus howled and fell, then crawled backward across the floor as he batted at his face and screamed some more. He came up against a pile of ducting and used it to stand, then he breathed deep and roared, "I am the First."
My magic waned, the energy spent.
There were holes in his face, half his nose was gone, deep hollows that showed the insides of his head, and yet even that didn't stop him. My disappointment rose as the holes closed and pink raw flesh took its place.
Knowing I wasn't going to be able to fend him off a second time, I let Wand have free rein. He swung my arm at the wall then let rip once again.
This time he didn't miss, and our combined might blasted at the wall with every intention of opening it up to the lovely summer's day and burning away this annoyingly hard to kill vampire.
Nothing happened. Okay, plaster and brick and what have you exploded in a suitably impressive way, but it didn't reveal the day, it just revealed metal that glinted dully.
"Shit, he's got wards up," I said to nobody in particular.
"I'm not going to make the same mistake twice," said Mikalus with a grin. "You think I haven't thought about being attacked? Nothing can get through my defenses."
Mikalus stared at us hard, and then he smirked as his body cracked and things took a turn for the worrying.
Ugh, I hate smirkers. Well, at least I tried.
An Unexpected Twist
"Um, can you do that?" I asked, turning to Ivan so I could avoid looking at the freak show in front of us.
"I bloody hope not," said Ivan in disgust. He checked his own arms then the rest of his ruined upper body, as if expecting it to follow suit at any moment. I took a step away from him just in case, but all that happened was his body continued repairing itself.
"What about you?" I asked Carmichael, who came to join us, his black silk dressing gown still looking immaculate, which wasn't right or fair.
Carmichael shook his head, almost sadly, and I knew how he felt. "Only the First has such a curse. I read of this, was never sure if it was the truth or not. It's... this is..."
"Extreme? Worrying? A bit mad?"
Carmichael nodded, and the three of us stood, rather foolishly, but this had to be seen through to the end, in front of Mikalus as his metamorphosis continued.
I've seen all manner of peculiar beasties in my time. Some nice and cuddly looking, others not so much. I have summoned demons from the depths of the Nolands, have fought fae and battled insane things with way too many spikes and eyes that are molten lava. I have been sent to places that make Lovecraft's Cthulhu seem like a walk through a rainbow on the back of a unicorn, but this, this was worse because it was all too human.
Mikalus' change was almost complete now, and rather than hang around gawping any longer, I did what any sensible wizard would do under such circumstances and I took advantage while he couldn't fight back. As his bones broke and reconfigured, as his head stretched and his back sprouted demonic wings of a very un-fluffy kind, and strange things poked through his chest cavity and his knees bent in the wrong direction as the femurs grew to twice their regular length, I shunted my will into Wand and told him, "Destroy that thing."
"I'll give it a go, but I should warn you, it—"
I didn't wait for Wand to finish, just shoved hard with deadly intent. A radiant field of super-charged energy shot out then spread to envelop the monstrosity before me. Mikalus, or what was once Mikalus, howled in rage, then in what sounded like ecstasy as the magic hit then slid aside only to fizzle and die, like he was an aerodynamic plane able to slide through magic and remain undamaged.
And he grew, fast, which wasn't what I'd expecte
d. He was absorbing magic and it was powering him up.
"What about that? Can you do that?"
"Alas, no," said Carmichael, watching in wonder at Mikalus' transformation.
Everyone has an image in their head of what a vampire really looks like, that they turn into something all skinny and bony with a hide like a bat and many other bat-like characteristics, all emaciated and hunched with leathery wings and sparkling deadly eyes set deep in a grotesque face. Hairless and covered with blemishes, that kind of thing. But vampires don't do that, they're just people, with power, and the need for blood to make them superhuman.
That's what I'd always told myself, what the vampires themselves knew to be true. Mikalus was clearly an exception. He looked unlike anything I'd ever seen before. His body was large, not skinny, like his skin had grown thick and hard like a rhino's, and all I could think of as I watched him grow was that he looked like a freaking T-Rex. That was it, he looked like a dinosaur. His head had lost most of the detail, mostly snout with two piggy eyes and tiny ears. The nostrils were huge, and he snorted loudly, but it was the teeth that drew your attention. Row after row of gleaming gnashers like something out of your worst nightmare. Just like a ferocious dinosaur.
His body was hunched forward, the vertebrae bent horribly, with a ridge of spines running up to the neck, getting larger and splitting skin as they fattened. His arms were stunted things that waved almost ineffectively, tipped with curved talons.
His legs were huge though, fat tree trunks thick with muscle. The toes, or the blunt ends to what had been toes, were tipped with claws each as long as his feet. They gouged huge lines in the floor as Mikalus writhed about in agony, or ecstasy, it was hard to tell which.
A pair of tiny leathery wings protruded from his back, as if merely for show rather than any practical use. They beat frantically until they became a blur, and as the last remnants of my magic dissipated, all we were left with was this hybrid man-cum-rhino-cum-dinosaur-cum-vampire.
