by Bre Faucheux
It also appeared as though Romans had more time to clean and grow used to the idea of chaos than the English had. Madison took this as a hint that the plague had come from the south, and Rome had seen the likes of it much earlier than England. Life did not appear to stop here as it did in London. The initial fear had worn down.
“Lyndon told Allister that we were all dead, and that only he and Caspar had been spared by the journey,” said Jayden as they trailed the lengths of cobbled streets.
“However did Lyndon manage to have him believe that?” she asked.
“He said that the pestilence caught everyone aboard. Apparently we were all lost to it at sea and the few remaining upon deciding to return to England were dead within a week of arriving home,” he said.
“How dismal,” she said sarcastically. “I gather your showing up was rather startling.”
“I sensed the ‘poesy’ on him almost immediately. But it was masked quite well by all the city’s stench,” he said.
“Yes, I discovered the same,” she said.
“You said that the children had it on them,” he asked.
“Lyndon is spreading it somehow. How he came by so much of it is beyond me.”
“He is probably doing so to keep himself hidden,” said Jayden roughly.
“Actually, I think not. The children said he claimed that it would protect them,” she said.
“How so?”
“That is what I want to know,” she said.
Their new horses dragged their feet through the cobble stone streets of the city. Their last few days had taken them to the English shores where Madison had once resided and over the English Channel. Madison was relieved to reach a continent that she suspicioned would not require swimming again for quite some time. As much as she had come to love the feeling within the water, it was becoming nuisance to travel through means of swimming.
“It should not be long before we find him,” he said. “I suspicion that he has plans to lodge here for the time being.”
“Then we would be wise to do the same,” she said. “Have you seen a tavern that accepts travelers?”
“None such yet. Most here seemed to stop taking in people quite a while ago for fear of further spread of the illness.”
“We may have to resort to a previous tactic then,” she said.
“If you see a home you fancy, mistress, say the word.”
There were hardly any suitable homes of comfort lining the outer rims of the city. The poor and sick had apparently been ousted. And yet further inside the city, it became obvious where nobility lived. The homes became grander in their appearance only a mile down the length of the streets. The structures scattered throughout the city were older than anything she had seen. She imagined them to have stood the test of time and that they would see generations to come. Some crumbled to the ground slowly as others stood boldly. Statues and art of all kinds graced the walls and cathedrals, but one hardly noticed them now. For who could notice aesthetics of this kind when death was everywhere. Madison supposed that many parishioners flocked to see such marvels in previous years. Now there was no one to admire them as she could without the fear of death all around her.
Eventually finding a home to his liking, Jayden stopped and dismounted his horse.
“What taste you have,” she remarked. “Whatever happened to discretion?”
“To hell with it,” he said. “We might as well be comfortable.”
The house before them was made of stone and was grander than any lodging they had previously attempted to invade. It was undoubtedly a home of nobility or of the like.
The task of confronting strangers had become an acquired skill for Madison. She often reached to touch their shoulder to quiet their concerns for foreigners just as they opened their door to them. Her lack of knowledge for the language didn’t appear a problem. She merely expressed that they were friends in need of a place for the night, and did so without ever uttering a word.
The maid of the household led them to a small room beneath the main level of the large home. Beds were stacked on top of one another for the house’s help. It wasn’t what Madison had hoped for as far as how a guest should be treated, but then again, she quickly perceived from the maid that there were no nobles presiding over the care for this house any longer. They had long since died of plague. The maid had become the master of the house and took the bedding upstairs as her own.
Madison watched as Jayden gently reached for the young lady’s wrist, drinking only as much blood as he needed. She had become impressed with his methods of persuasion. He rarely spilled or caused great pain anymore, the wound was often mostly healed by the next morning. He was learning to survive on as little as he could, and she respected him more for it.
The maid slowly walked up the warped wooden stairs and left them in peace to rest, eyes gazing directly as though she were in a fog.
“It would seem you did more than simply calm her, Jayden,” said Madison from behind.
He smiled at her, proud of his honed and proficient skills. “I think we could make them love us with great ease, mistress. Gaining trust of strangers is growing easier. Have you not noticed?” he said, amused by the potential prospect.
“No, I have not. I have however noticed that this illness could easily spread by our taking of blood,” she said dusting off the cloth for her bedding with her hand.
“It has more than likely run its course here, mistress. I hardly think us a threat.”
Madison turned and looked back at him. He was already lying back on his bed with his arms crossed behind his head.
“We don’t know that for certain,” she said.
“Are you bothered by the fact that I enjoy taking from pretty young girls such as yourself or by the fact that I do it more efficiently than you?”
She didn’t have to look at him at all to know he was grinning. “Why don’t you sit here and enjoy the notion that you are becoming a gentleman in your manner of consuming finally, and I will walk about the city for a while. Thus I shall hone my skills of efficiently finding Lyndon,” she said, sneering as she walked to the door. “We both know that I can hear him out better than you ever could.”
He sneered at her as she left the room, slamming the door behind her. His ability to get beneath her skin was becoming obvious. His backward way of complimenting her appearance was to take from women who directly resembled her in build and features. And then making it known that those she mirrored were more to his liking. If ever there were a more depraved way of making his warming inclination for her apparent, she would not know it. The only thing that made her even more irritated was that she almost found it flattering. It was a compliment… of sorts, that he only hurt them slightly. And his emotions always gravitated towards her when he fed. His satisfaction was only met when he knew that she was watching him.
The streets of Rome were surprisingly quiet at the night. Everything seemed to have a different atmosphere about it. Even with death still looming around every corner, the city held a mystery that she never found in England. There was elegance to its character. Although she sensed that there was suffering here just as there was anywhere. Spring didn’t carry warmer air just yet. Even though the cold did not affect her skin, she saw the shivers among others wrapped in heavy cloth as they hurried to their homes before the sun completely set. The city became dark within moments. Only a few remained about as Madison sat along the edge of a long stone wall listening to cathedral bells calling for the end of the day. Behind the wall stood a tall circular fortress, strong in build and yet crumbling with its years. Around her lay stones that once stood just as strong. She wanted to see Rome ages ago, when it was a city of glory. Now, it only appeared of a city with dreary memories.
She tried as best she could to lengthen her hearing. The city had grown hushed rather quickly, and leaving only the sound of the wind hastening passed. She drew the hood of her now moderately clean cloak over her head and focused as best she could. Searching throu
gh the streets for any sign of Lyndon had grown difficult. The healer’s mixture was easier to trace than anything else. She smelled it in the nearby wells within a reasonable distance. It seemed more widespread in these lands than it was in England, as if it had been here a while.
Madison had not expected to be sitting for such a brief time. A cracking of bone struck a wall within a short distance from where she sat. Someone had been shoved against something with ghastly force. She could clearly hear the tearing of skin being ripped open, followed by a groan. There was a wrestle to combat the attacker and finally submission. Madison stood suddenly and ran into the streets of the city, paying no mind if anyone were to see her speed. Cutting corners as fast she could, she followed the noise. It was all too familiar. The draining of blood from a body was as distinct of a sound as any other. And now, she could easily trace it.
She stopped suddenly in an abandoned alley. Lyndon stood before her, holding the limp figure of a middle aged man in his arms. Not even noticing Madison behind him, he wiped his mouth clean with his sleeve and dropped the man to the ground. Lyndon moved to walk away when he sensed someone behind him. He didn’t immediately turn around to face her. Madison could feel the confusion drifting from his body. When he did turn, his eyes widened. She slowly stepped toward him. He didn’t step away or even move. He merely gazed at her.
Madison was the first to break the awkward silence. “How did you survive? You were completely unconscious when I left you,” she said.
“I was not as lifeless as you may have believed.” He didn’t move. His mouth hardly even opened when he spoke. “I awoke ravenous,” he said, clearly still trying to conceive the memory.
“And you frightened them off?” she asked.
“Not all, but most, indeed.”
“And did you ever try to find me or Jayden?”
“Caspar and I thought that you may be alive, but our thirst quickly overcame any desire to search for you, I am sorry to say,” he spoke softly. “How did you find me?”
“Your trail of bodies and, ‘poesy’ as you call it, were apparent once we discovered them,” she said.
He snickered slightly. “Poesy is what the children called it. I named it ‘Rayen.’ For it was a ray of light in all of this mess. Much more eloquent, wouldn’t you say?”
“Very eloquent,” she said. She walked out of the alley and onto one of the nearby streets. He followed when she motioned for him. “They did not harm you then?” she asked. “The Vam-pyr-ei-ak?”
“Is that what they called themselves?” he said curiously. “Well, not as much as I did harm to them. But most were already dead and upon the ground by the time I awoke. Caspar came to quicker than I did. He inflicted more damage than I knew a single person capable. I thought him possessed when I saw the speed at which he killed them, only to find that I could do the same seconds later. With all the blood he took,” he hesitated again.
Madison was surprised by how easily he divulged this information. It was as though no time had passed. He seemed to have as much respect and acquaintance for her as he ever had.
“You are with a friend now Lyndon, please tell me. I will not judge you. Jayden and I have lived in the same manner, remember,” she said, reaching for his hand.
“One threw an axe into my chest. I thought I was to die right there. But my skin began to heal over the blade. I yanked it from my chest and saw the ripped skin sew itself back together. The blood on my body, it was almost like something inside of me changed when I smelled it.”
“You became angry,” she said.
“To word it mildly, yes. It was more of a rage. I couldn’t stop it. I took the axe and threw it into the back and the man on the horse as he passed me. I attacked him and drained him completely. Whether the others ran after seeing this or if Caspar killed them, I am still uncertain.”
He seemed as though he were slightly frightened, or worried that someone were listening. Madison did her best with her hand on his to calm him. She could tell that he had not felt this relaxed or at ease since she had last seen him, undoubtedly an effect of the thirst. But he was still uneasy.
“And Jamison?” she asked.
He shook his head solemnly. “I was completely consumed by the blood. I did not see him or what became of him. But if he lay there among the dead, I doubt I would have noticed. I was not myself, Madison,” he said almost shamefully. But she knew he did not feel as much guilt as he passably portrayed. His emotions were more indifferent than hers. Apprehension was the only thing she could truly detect. He had no remorse.
“Caspar and I tried to chase down the other, Vam-pyr-ei-ak as you called them, stopping to feed upon the few who had not yet reached the woods. Or perhaps they were guarding them, to make sure that we did not come out or escape. Regardless, I did not see Jamison. And I never returned to find him either. I only assumed that you and Jayden had survived as I knew you had fed us the blood when we were still weak with the illness. Please understand Madison, it was chaotic. I would not have known Jamison were there even if he had called out to me. It was complete carnage.”
“I understand completely, Lyndon. Jayden and I were no different,” she said.
“But you protected us, Caspar and me. You fed us and cared for us until you had no other choice but to run. I am not certain that I would have done the same in the state I was in,” he said.
The thought had occurred to Madison beforehand. She appeared to have control over it more so than Lyndon or Jayden had. But she accounted her lack of lust for bloodshed for the fact that Jayden had brought her a continuous supply. Jayden had done most of the ‘carnage’ himself. Madison knew better than to tell Lyndon the control she now had. She was certain that his knowing that she was cured of the thirst would create a problem, or perhaps jealousy.
“Jayden and I find that we are nearly indifferent to the blood we spill,” she said softly. “We take what we need and only kill when necessary. But we feel little to no guilt over the matter.” It had become the truth more or less. Lyndon need not know more than that.
“Caspar and I have that as well, although Caspar even more so. His lust for blood puts mine to shame. It is as though every man or woman he drains, he expects that he may receive some piece of himself back. He seems to want revenge by taking as many as he can.”
“Bloodlust breeds more bloodlust, Lyndon,” she said.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said with a deep laugh. “I grow thirsty and feed until I have had my fill. Caspar continues to feed. He cannot stop. He seems to become angrier and more aggressive as time passes. I grew to control the cravings to a certain degree. He however continues to feed uncontrollably. I swear I thought him mad at times.”
“Jayden and I were driven to near madness as well.”
“But did you seek vengeance?”
“Myself, no. Jayden, yes. He took from the Vam-pyr-ei-ak. We drank from them until they were no more. I still do not know if any of their tribe survived our own sense of justice.”
Lyndon nodded his head in understanding.
“You still struggle then?” said Madison.
“Daily, but I need less than I did before. I fear the cravings will always be there.”
“And Caspar embraces it. That is a frightening thought,” she said.
“I tried to kill him at one point. His quest to drain as many dry as possible became tiresome. It spread through his every victim. His massacres were enough to make me think him possessed. But then the spreading became such, even I could not stop it. And I could not kill him as hard as I tried. It nearly became a game to him. He enjoyed watching me trail him. In fact, I think that was why he kept doing it, just to keep his trail fresh.”
“Spreading?” Madison’s head jerked up. She demanded his eyes look at her with her tone of voice. “What do you mean? What trail? His trail of bodies?”
“Yes, the trail of his illness.”
“His illness? I don’t understand,” she said vehemently.
“You di
dn’t think this plague was, what do you they call it? ‘God’s wrath,’ did you?”
She stared at him. Her grip began to tighten on his hand and she held his gaze firmly, not allowing him to look away. “You cannot be serious,” she said.
“This pestilence was Caspar’s doing, Madison. Caspar brought the plague upon the whole of Europe.”
20
Madison had no mind for the hour or the empty streets once Lyndon began to explain. She felt the truth of Lyndon’s words pierce through her. She allowed him to tell her what had happened and listened as intently as she could. He took her through the silenced alleyways of Rome, its homes and alehouses quiet as night began to give way to the darkest hours. Blackness took the streets and few torches remained to light the way. Only Lyndon and Madison could still navigate their way through the dark with little effort as they conversed.
“I tracked him first through the clannish lands across the Mediterranean,” he said. “It started in the Far East. When we chose to separate upon arriving, I had not the faintest idea of just how far he would venture. When I first heard of a sickness spreading quickly from far off lands, I crossed the sea to find him. He had spoken of trying to create more like us in the past. Although, I never thought he would be foolish enough to do it. It spread throughout the Italian lands through trade ships. By that point I could not stop it. I tried to kill all whom he attempted to turn. But to my luck, he did not know what he was doing or how to do it. They died quickly.”
Madison stared at him in silence, gently urging her feet to move forward.
“As a matter of fact,” he said, “I can safely say I am relieved it killed so quickly. Can you imagine if he had succeeded?”
