Circle of Death

by Thais Lopes

  “What happens if someone, for whatever reason, has two mental bonds and isn’t the focal point of one of them?” My mind was full of possibilities.

  “The strongest bond will destroy the other.” Ivan answered, staring at me as if he knew what I planned to do.

  “Teach me how to find a bond, and really become its focal point.” This time, my request wasn’t gentle but imperious, a trace of my power filling my voice before I could even think about getting it under control.

  The alpha stared at me, his eyes glowing yellow as he reacted to what he understood as a challenge, but he couldn’t hold my gaze for long. In that moment I didn’t even try to control myself, I was fully the White Hand, the best and most powerful of Death’s chosen, and I let him see it.

  Slowly, Ivan nodded.

  8. Lucio

  I had no idea of how much I had missed that part of me, the bond with my subjects and the feeling of being feared once again. For too long I had forced myself to be meek, almost human in my morals, but that wasn’t me. I was a vampire, after all, and even if I decided I would never repeat what I had done for centuries, I wouldn’t be a tamed creature, a prey, an equal to humans. Now, I would only be what I had become.

  There was still too much work to be done, even if I had already reclaimed the vows of all my old subjects. It was time to talk to Kelene, even though I was sure she already knew what I had done. Without waiting anymore, I grabbed my cell phone and called her. She answered on the second ring.

  “Speak.” Her voice sounded calm and impersonal, a command voice.

  “All my old subjects are back under my command.”

  “I imagined so, considering the number of scars that burned. How are they?”

  It took me a moment to understand she was talking about the possible damage caused by the hunger. Humans always acted as if vampires were invulnerable, and it always surprised me when Kelene reminded me that she knew it wasn’t like that.

  “Some had to be put down, as they were already mad. But most of them managed to stay sane. They are using this time to try to recover.”

  “Great. Any chance of spying of any kind?”

  “None. We are talking about blood vows among vampires.” I smiled, sure that she would know what that meant.

  Blood vows were older than vampires, coming from the time when the Nameless was still young and the Power was still strong. Even when made between humans, it involved old and dangerous powers, a compromise made with your own Life. Vows like that between the vampires were the final alliance, irrevocable by our own natures. Not even the centuries I spent away from the vampires had been enough to destroy the vow, and I had always felt it was my duty to watch over them, even from afar.

  “Fantastic. Start dividing your vampires in groups that can work with small teams from the Fae. We need to check the attacked cities, see what happened there, if there are any survivors and, in case there is, send them somewhere safe.”

  “Where?”

  “The ruins and old cities beyond the limbo, like this one. We are sending the people who are evacuating there. Any survivors should be taken there, too.”

  “Anyone who survives an attack from Seth or the Nameless won’t trust us.”

  “Ask the Fae to use a compulsion or use mind control, if necessary. And it probably will be.”

  “Right. Where will we meet the Fae?”

  “I’m waiting for the list of locations, wait a minute. And remember: if any of the groups find themselves near Seth or the Nameless, run. We can’t attack them unprepared. It would be suicide.”

  “I know.”

  While she gave me the list of the cities already attacked, the possible targets and the meeting points where we would find the Fae, I was already thinking about what we could do to destroy Seth when the time came.

  9. Kelene

  The worst of the pain was already gone, but my arm was still red and sensitive, and a scar burned every seventy-three minutes. We had a large army of vampires behind us now, and they were more than I expected. I would only have enough scars to keep them free of the hunger for three days, four at most. Since the beginning, I had said we needed to be quick, but this gave a new urgency to our plans.

  I was thinking about it when I saw Ivan coming my way, with his mate beside him.

  “There is too much unrest among my people.” He said bluntly. “Many disagree with what you’re doing and most still don’t understand what’s going on. With more people arriving here, because of your evacuations, this will only get worse. Someone needs to talk to them and explain what’s really at stake.

  I nodded, getting up. It would be better if we had the people who already lived there on our side, instead of just locked in the city because we had shields and wards all around. Ivan was right: when those being evacuated arrived, they city would become a mass of confused people. If the ones who lived there were still full of doubts, it would only be harder for the ones in charge.

  The werewolf turned around, waiting for me to follow him, and his mate glanced at me before moving to stand beside him. For a moment, I thought her eyes had shined in a quick kaleidoscope of colors, but that could only be an effect of the strange light. And if it wasn’t… I decided it was better to keep an eye on her.

  They took me to that same building where I had found Ivan before. Behind the half-destroyed façade there was an almost perfectly preserved interior, as we usually found there.

  “Dara will take you to the hall, I will finish gathering those who are causing the unrest.” The werewolf said, before leaving us.

  The woman took the through the maze of corridors that was the inside of the building. I knew Dara had something of the Otherworld, but I couldn’t see exactly what. I was sure she wasn’t a were, though.

  Soon we were in a hall that was big enough to accommodate all the people who lived in the city. Some were already there, but most were still on their way, if I had judged correctly the number of people who lived there.

  Dara pointed to a corner of the hall, where I could see a couple of huge cushions. Nodding, I move between the people sitting on the ground until I got there. The woman grabbed a cushion and sat on it, and I did the same. We stayed in silence, waiting while people entered the hall. A couple of minutes later, Ivan got in and came our way.

  “It will be better if you start by explaining what is really going on” He said, before sitting beside his mate and indicating that I should start.

  I took a deep breath before getting up, looking around the hall. Cities like that one, hidden beyond the limbo that was Death’s domain, were refuges for those from the Otherworld who didn’t want to or couldn’t live with humans. I saw a couple of weres, a necromancer, and numerous banned half-breeds, like the half-elf, half-demon woman who was staring at me.

  “You probably already heard this, but I will repeat.” I started, trying to sound sure even though they were staring at me with open hostility. “A long time ago, actually an eon ago, when this city was still young, there lived a man who defied Death. His name is lost in time, and he is now called the Nameless. He created a cult celebrating immortality, and with each passing day he had more and more followers. Then, it came the moment when he decided it was time for Death to stop existing, and he attacked. In the days that followed, he led a massacre as the world had never seen before, and never saw again. He used his followers and the knowledge he had stolen. Much of what had been built, by humans and by the Otherworld, was lost in those days. Too late, Death realized he was out of her reach: he had discovered how to become immortal. Even then, she managed to imprison him, and locked him deep into Death’s Sanctuary.”

  “Stories for children.” I heard someone mutter.

  “No, they aren’t children’s tales.” I went on, quickly. “No one knows exactly what happened then, the knowledge has been lost, and even the Fae only remember fragments of it all. But this is history, it did happen. The Nameless rose, destroying civilizations on
his way and pushing humans and the Otherworld apart. Isn’t that what history says? That a great war separated these two worlds? Now you know which war it was.

  I heard whispers rising all around the hall. What I was saying made sense, but they wouldn’t believe me easily. That didn’t surprise me. Without waiting for more comments, I continued.

  “Since that time the Nameless has been trying to reach his goal. He escaped twice before. On the first time, the corrupted the Sanctuary’s Keepers, and turned them into the first vampires. And that was how he built his army, spreading chaos and destruction until Death Intervened, imprisoning him again and casting the restrictions that still bind all vampires. On the second time he escaped, he spent years in hiding, until he gathered a couple of followers and started attacking again. At that time, he was trapped before he could gather too much strength. And now… He has escaped again.

  Now everyone was listening in silence. Anyone from the Otherworld had already heard about the Intervention, even if they didn’t know the whole story. Apparently, it was enough to make them leave the instinctive doubts behind, for a while.

  “You all have heard about the vampire firstborns, didn’t you? All vampires owe allegiance to one of them, and now we have one of the firstborns fighting beside the Nameless and one beside Death. Seth stopped being a Keeper the day he was turned into a vampire, and never looked back. Now, the Nameless found a way around the Intervention and taught him. The other firstborn, the one who disappeared centuries ago, is Lucio, the vampire who was here with me. He went back to the Sanctuary when he disappeared, and now reclaimed the vows of all his old subjects. But they are still bound by the Intervention, while Seth’s subjects are not.

  “Two vampire armies.” A were spoke, from the back of the hall. “Let them fight each other.”

  “Yes, that would be easier.” I had to raise my voice to go on. “But, even if we let the vampires fight and solve this between them, there is still the Nameless. And he never made a secret of what he wants: Death’s end. And Death’s end would be the end of this world. All we know would collapse, and the survivors would go mad.”

  That shut them up for a couple of seconds.

  “Why madness?” Someone asked.

  “A living being’s mind isn’t made to hold an unlimited number of memories and knowledge. At least not as living beings, and remember that vampires aren’t truly alive. With the passing of the years, as all the information starts to pile up, the mind isn’t able to hold it all and the person will go mad.” I tried to explain it as simply as possible.

  “And if there was a way around it?”

  I sighed, not really surprised. Everyone was so used to seeing death only as something bad…

  “The world as we know only moves forward because of the balance between life and death. Ignoring the problem of madness, what would happen without death…? First, overpopulation. Why do you think all legends about immortal races say they didn’t reproduce easily? You can see it with some of the Fae, witches and demons, they all have a low birth rate. But overpopulation would be the less troublesome effect. It doesn’t matter if you realize it or not, but it’s because of death that humans and the Otherworld progress. Even the buildings around us: the knowledge to build them was necessary for the builder’s survival. If they knew that nothing – not the rain, the heat or the cold, not even wild animals or enemies – could kill them... If they knew they would survive it all, would they have worked so hard to build this city, which is still standing thousands of years after their deaths? How many people do their best just to be remembered after they’re gone? Or to save a life? People who fight to make sure they won’t be forgotten, and to feel like they have done more than simply exist. This is what moves the world. Without death and the wishes for some kind of immortality we would stagnate, and nothing would ever change for better or for worse.” I sighed again, remembering the lessons of so long ago. “It’s death that brings evolution and makes sure that the old generation is replaced by the new, more prepared to deal with the changes that have happened.”

  “I don’t want to be remembered.” A woman spoke, a were who had already said she would fight with us. “But still, I will fight. I’m not moved by any wish to become immortal.”

  I tried not to smile as I nodded.

  “Then why do you fight?”

  “For my people” She raised her chin, proud. “So that my children can grow up in peace.”

  “In other words, you fight for your people and your line’s survival. Are you really going to tell me death isn’t behind your reasons?”

  The woman didn’t answer, only stared at me for a moment before nodding, slowly. Watching her response, those who were still unsure started talking among themselves, the whispers rising until the whole hall was filled with conversation.

  “Think about it.” I raised my voice above the noise, again. “I’m not asking you all to fight with us. I’m just asking you not to destroy the few chances we have.”

  I glanced to where Ivan and Dara sat, and the werewolf nodded, with a grim but satisfied expression. The woman beside him smiled lightly, her eyes shining in a kaleidoscope of colors for the second time. This time, I couldn’t doubt what I had seen. The effect in the eyes was one of the ways to recognize some of the demon races when they were using a human appearance.

  Turning towards the door, I saw Death waiting for me, with an unreadable expression. Without waiting for anything else, I left.

  10. Lucio

  I decided to follow the first group of vampires that was going to one of the attacked cities. Somehow, it didn’t feel right to ignore what had happened, I needed to see it all with my own eyes. It was an easy decision to keep all the other groups waiting for my signal before they moved. That didn’t make sense, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was forgetting something vital about those attacks, and didn’t want to send them to the cities before I had at least an idea about what I would be sending them into. That same feeling had told me to go ahead, without even waiting for the Fae that should meet us.

  We were still seven miles away from the city when the smell hit us. Death and rot. I didn’t need to say anything to the vampires who were with me: all of them stopped breathing immediately. Slowing, we went on, but somehow I knew what we would find in the cities. That smell… That wasn’t new to me.

  The city was bursting with life, as always. Merchants filled the streets, covering the place with bright colors and exotic perfumes. Children ran all around, their laughter bringing smiles to the passerby’s lips. The stone houses were decorated with colorful clothes and vines.

  Three men wearing hooded cloaks walked through the city. Their faces were hidden by the hoods, but they didn’t seem any different from the mercenaries who sometimes passed by. They walked with confidence, as if they knew the place, which was true for two of them.

  “Here we start making history.” Said the one in the middle.

  “The purification starts from their own homes. This is appropriate.” One of the other men replied.

  “Remember, you only need to drink from a victim and let them drink from you. That is all it will take to make more of you.” The first man spoke again.

  “And then we will have our army.”

  The men separated, each one going to a different part of the city. Soon the screams were heard. They didn’t care about hiding what they were doing – nothing could stop them, anyway. In a matter of seconds, many new vampires rose. Some days later it would take time for the full transformation, but then, when Life’s corruption was still healing, they only needed a moment to be up in their new existence.

  An army of newborn vampires unleashed over a city that had no idea of what those monsters were or how to stop them. Blood flowed through the streets, escaping from the houses where vampires fed in a frenzy. The three men met in the city square, around which were the palace and the temple.

  “The temple will be the last.” Said the man who was
obviously the leader.

  The others nodded, and the three of them moved to the palace, not even bothering to turn as many humans as they could. Smiling, they barely needed a moment to kill all the soldiers there, their blood painting the walls made of bright stones.

  Soon, everyone who had hidden inside the palace was dead. The new vampires still feasted in the city but, still, the men knew there should have been more people in the city than what they had found. They were hiding, and the only place that was still untouched was the temple.

  Leaving the blood-covered cloaks behind, as now they only hindered their movements, the three men kept walking, going up the temple’s stairs without any haste. The doors were closed, and a priest stood before them. Without giving him time to say anything, one of the vampires threw him away, and the cracking noise when his skull met one of the column’s stone was easily heard in the eerie silence that now covered the city. The other vampire forced the doors open in a matter of seconds, and they entered the temple, full of those who had been able to flee when they started creating their army of vampires. The man closed the door behind them while the two vampires waited for his signal.

  “They are all yours.”

  The vampires jumped among the people, fangs and claws clearly visible.

  “K’inich, don’t!” A woman screamed.

  “Lucio! I don’t know what you’re remembering, but now is not the time to let the past swallow you!” I heard Kelene’s voice in my mind, clear as if she was beside me.

  I took a deep breath, forcing the past back to where it belonged. Those days were long gone.

  “Thank you. All that’s going on is bringing back the memories from when I was made.” I answered, only then realizing that she had used something not very different from the bond I had with the Masters under my command. “How did you do this? Get in touch with me like this?”