by J. C. Diem
He might be young but Geordie had a built-in radar and good instincts that could judge the mood of a crowd. “Everything is ok now, right?” I asked him quietly.
Pulling back, he glanced around and gave a reluctant nod. He wrapped his arms around himself, still unconsciously seeking comfort. “I hope we can leave this place soon. I do not like this city.”
If he didn’t like the city, I was pretty sure he was going to hate the castle. Luc and I were the only two who knew of the castle’s evil reputation. We exchanged a glance and silently agreed to keep the details to ourselves. Our kin were already on edge and the soldiers didn’t seem to be handling themselves much better. Finding out that the castle was reputedly cursed probably wouldn’t help much.
Smiling, Gregor also gave me a hug. It wasn’t usual behaviour for him, unless either of us was heading into danger. “I think we should keep a close eye on the Colonel,” he said almost beneath his breath into my ear. “He seems to be near breaking point.”
Since he’d spent several nights in a row in the American’s company, he’d have a better insight into Sanderson’s mood than anyone. “Ok. I’ll keep that in mind,” I murmured back.
Igor gave me a gruff nod, which I returned. Even he was displaying signs of nervousness. His eyes kept flicking to the soldiers that were guarding Sanderson. It looked like I wasn’t the only one who mistrusted them. Maybe my paranoia was transferrable and was starting to spread to my friends.
Resting his laptop on the hood of his car, Sanderson spent half an hour searching for the castle. I presumed he was successful when he gestured for me to join him. My four friends followed me but everyone else remained where they were. With hearing like ours, there was no need for us all to crowd around close to be able to listen in.
“I think I’ve found it,” the colonel said and pointed to what I guessed was a satellite photo. I could just make out the outline of a large stone structure in a dense forest. He clicked on the screen and the picture changed to a zoomed out view of a vast sea of trees. With some rapid key strokes, he mapped the route we would have to take. “The intel the vagrant gave you is solid,” he said when he was done. “It will take an hour by car and at least another hour on foot to reach the castle.”
I wasn’t sure if it was the wino’s words of warning that made my feeling of doom swell to the surface but it was suddenly back with a vengeance. I knew with utter certainty that my friends and allies would die if they stepped inside the crumbling structure. Curse or no curse, none of them would be going with me when I stormed the decrepit structure.
“What is it, Nat?” Geordie asked, sensing my shift in mood.
“I think we should head there now,” I said as calmly as I could.
Gregor checked his watch. “There isn’t enough time. It will be dawn in two and a half hours. We’d never be able to get everyone inside before the sun rose.”
“I’m going in alone.” My quiet words were met with an immediate uproar. Letting the protests wash over me, I watched Sanderson’s face closely.
Surprise was followed by speculation and another emotion that he smothered too quickly for me to be able to identify. “Agreed,” he said, overriding the protests. “We should leave as soon as possible.”
Luc wrested my attention away from the soldier by marching me off to the side. “I will not let you hunt down and face the Second alone,” he said tightly.
Reading fear in his expression, I swallowed down a lump in my throat before it could fully form and choke off my words. “It has to be this way, Luc.”
“Why?” His hands were almost painfully tight on my shoulders as he searched my face for answers.
“Something bad is going to happen in the castle,” I replied. “I can feel it.”
Overhearing my prophecy of doom, my kin came to surround me. Geordie slipped through the crowd and pressed himself to my side. “What can you sense, chérie?”
“Death and darkness,” Kokoro replied and the crowd made way for her. Ishida led her to the centre of the crowd.
“None of you can enter the castle,” I told my friends and allies. “I don’t know why, I just know that if you do, you will die. With my ability to heal, I have a better chance at surviving whatever is going to happen in there.”
Ishida’s anger returned, mixed with frustrated impotence. “Do you expect us to remain behind and sit on our hands while you fight our battle for us?”
Feeling time slipping away, I knew I had to leave now or we would all be doomed. The death and darkness wasn’t meant for me alone but was intended for all of us. Maybe keeping them away from the castle would keep them safe “I want you all to promise me that you’ll watch out for each other while I’m gone.” I met every single gaze and all nodded, however reluctantly.
Forgoing tradition for once in his lengthy unlife, Ishida hugged me. “Stay safe, Natalie.”
Kokoro was next. She brushed a delicate kiss across my cheek. “We will wait for your return, no matter how long it will take.” I sensed a deeper meaning behind her words but she melted away before I could question her about it.
Aventius shook my hand again, murmuring his ongoing support and then I was left alone with my friends. Gregor, Igor and Geordie squished me in a three-way hug. Geordie was already dry sobbing as his mentor led him away. He was too distraught to speak and sent me tragic glances that conveyed his unhappiness about being separated from me. A lump had formed in my throat again and it wouldn’t take much to have me breaking into dry sobs as well. That wouldn’t exactly boost my reputation as a fearsome figure of legend.
Turning to Luc, it almost broke my heart to see the desolation on his face. “Why do I have the feeling that I’ll never see you again?” he said as he brushed this thumb over my cheek lightly.
“Whatever happens, I promise you that we will be together again, Luc.” It was a promise I meant to keep. Nothing would stop me from being with the only man who I had ever loved and who miraculously loved me in return.
He bent down and I stood on my tippy toes to meet him. Our kiss was poignant and all too brief. Sanderson cleared his throat impatiently, not so subtly reminding me that we had a deadline to meet.
“I love you,” I said to Luc.
“And I love you, more than life itself,” he replied.
Gregor stepped forward to hand me my backpack and offered me a weak smile that did nothing to bolster my courage. Nodding my thanks, I turned my back on my friends and allies and strode towards my destiny.
Chapter Thirteen
Three of the colonel’s men squeezed into the back of the sedan while I took the front passenger seat. As usual, Sanderson was behind the wheel. Two of his soldiers swung the warehouse doors open, nodding to their superior as we drove past them. I caught a glimpse of my friends in the side mirror. Geordie blew me a tremulous kiss, Luc smiled bleakly then the doors were swung shut again. I had a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach as they were cut off from my sight. Luc’s own words of doom that we might never see each other again echoed in my head.
A tense silence shrouded the car as we sped through the waning night. Sanderson gripped the steering wheel like he was trying to strangle it. His men shifted uncomfortably in the back. They darted nervous glances at me that I caught out of the corner of my eye.
Their uneasiness was making me nervous. I didn’t like having them at my back when they were acting so skittishly. They were all armed but so was I. My backpack was on the floor at my feet with the swords nestled inside rather than strapped across my back. If any of the men were stupid enough to try to shoot me, the swords would be in my hands and slicing them apart before they could pull the trigger.
They eventually settled down and began to talk quietly. The soldiers had become used to Gregor riding along with them but I was the dreaded Mortis. Despite my notoriety, I was only a five minute wonder to them. I tried to remember if my attention span had been that short when I had been human. That seemed like a long time ago now and in a life that might ha
ve happened to someone else.
During the drive, I refined the plan that was brewing in my head. Admittedly, it wasn’t much of a plan. I aimed to sneak up to the castle and enter it just after dawn. If I was lucky, the Second wouldn’t even know I was there until I crept up behind him and stabbed him in the back.
It was a risky move but I cautiously sent my senses northward. Finding a large number of vampires roughly where the castle was supposed to be, I pulled back before the new master of the decrepit ruin could feel my mental probe. “We’re definitely heading in the right direction,” I advised the colonel. He gave me a terse nod without asking how I could be sure and concentrated on driving. He knew about some of my abilities and was aware that I could sense other vampires.
Watching the city slide past the window, the buildings quickly gave way to trees and fields. We passed through a few smaller towns then left civilization behind entirely. The roads became more and more worn and untended until we were bumping in and out of potholes along a dirt track. One of the soldier’s teeth clicked together after we hit a particularly deep hole and he gave a muttered curse. The scent of fresh blood bloomed before he swallowed the salty liquid down.
Following the route he’d mapped out, Sanderson pulled over at what was presumably the closest point the road was able to bring us to the castle. Our car would be safe enough during our absence. No one was likely to stumble across it way out here. We hadn’t passed another vehicle since leaving the last small town behind. If any houses had been built out in this wilderness, I hadn’t seen them. Fences indicated the land to either side of the dirt road was owned by someone but the barbwire was rusted and the fence posts riddled with termites. In some cases, the fences had fallen down and hadn’t been replaced. I doubted they ever would be.
Sanderson popped the trunk open and grabbed a blanket. I took the offering and inspected it for holes. It was intact but musty. Instinct told me to leave my backpack and sheaths in the car. Trusting the feeling, I carried the swords in one hand and used the other to fend off branches as we began pushing our way through the trees. Stepping over a fence that had fallen long ago, we entered the forest. Any fledglings that had been sent out to hunt for prey would have returned to their lair by now. Dawn was just over an hour away and no recently made vampires would want to take a chance against being fried to death.
Sanderson took the lead, doggedly forging a path through the dense underbrush. I went next and had to stop myself from glancing backwards at his men. As well as carrying the large prototype guns, their pockets bulged with the tiny explosives that were also highly effective at rending us to pieces.
Stumbling across a narrow path that appeared to have been made by animals, Sanderson checked his compass to make sure it would take us in the correct direction before taking it. I recognized it as being the same path from my dream but didn’t bother to advise him of this fact. The men were already nervous enough without me reminding them of my other strange abilities.
Dawn hovered just over the horizon when we reached the edge of a clearing. The trees blocked the sun but I could feel it ready to appear and bathe the area in its killing rays. Just like in my dream, a light shone in the only tower still standing in the castle. For a brief moment, a pale face appeared in the window then the light was cut off as the opening was covered by black cloth.
I couldn’t be certain but I didn’t think that the Second had spied us hidden amongst the trees. In the brief glimpse I’d had of his face, he hadn’t seemed to be alarmed. I could only hope he was arrogant enough to believe we were too stupid to be able to track him down. With luck, he was still complacent and hadn’t sent out his senses to make sure no one was lurking around.
In the few moments I had left before the sun would arrive, I studied the castle. As per my dream, the door had been replaced recently. I doubted it would be unlocked and it might have been reinforced. I didn’t want to waste time trying to break it down. The windows were all boarded over as well but I figured using one of them would offer me the quickest mode of entry.
“What’s your plan?” Sanderson whispered. The predawn air was cool yet sweat stood out on his forehead. Nerves had both him and his men shifting from foot to foot and compulsively checking their weapons.
“I’ll go in alone, take down the Second, hunt down his servants then let you know when it’s safe for you to enter.”
“You’re really going in alone?” He met my eyes then dropped them as if he was afraid I would try to hypnotize him. I was puzzled by his lack of trust. Doesn’t he know me better than that by now? I’d never done anything to give him a reason not to trust me, apart from being a creature of the night that preyed on humans for food of course.
“It will be safer for you and your men if you wait outside,” I told him. Feeling the sun inching closer by the second, I pulled the blanket up so it covered my head but left my face exposed. “Wish me luck,” I said quietly then stepped out into the clearing.
“Luck,” muttered one of the soldiers just before I broke into a run.
Aiming for the window to the left of the doors, I launched myself at the opening. I flew headfirst with my swords pointed backwards so they wouldn’t be harmed. My fists smashed through the boards just as the sun made an appearance. Daylight shone through the blanket, momentarily blinding me.
Rolling to my feet, I held my swords ready for attack. Steam rose from the blanket that covered my head and upper body. I dropped it and then my coat to the grimy stone floor and turned in a circle. None of the fledglings would be capable of staying awake during the day for another several hundred years. Only one occupant residing in the building had that capacity. I wasn’t expecting to find any enemies yet searched for them anyway. I flinched away from the weak dawn light that spilled in through the smashed boards and saw an empty foyer.
The stone floored foyer was long and narrow with high archways branching off to either side. I could sense the corpses of fledglings all around me. Just like my dream had predicted, the Second had been busily building his new army. He had already made a head start on his new attempt at world domination. His unconscious servants could wait, for now. My main goal was to hunt down the master of the crumbling castle and finally put an end to our lengthy hunt.
Striding quietly to the end of the foyer, I paused at the largest archway. All of the rooms I’d passed had been empty of furniture. Unfortunately, they had been packed with either the undead or bodies of drained humans that would soon become the undead. Beyond the archway was a large room that had probably once been the throne room. It was also devoid of furnishings. Newly-made fledglings lay side by side on the floor. I counted over thirty bodies and wondered how the Second had managed to kidnap so many humans without being discovered. As I’d suspected, most had been homeless going by their ragged clothing and unkempt appearances. They had a home now but it wasn’t the safe haven their master had thought it would be. If the rumours were true, the castle was cursed and for them, I was the embodiment of that curse.
I had a choice of four more archways to explore. All would most likely lead to the towers. Walking through the nearest doorway to the right, rubble at the far end of the narrow hallway had probably been caused by the tower’s collapse. A staircase to my right wound out of sight and had to lead to the only tower still standing.
Remaining very still, I listened intently and heard no movement coming from above. I could almost feel the Second’s malevolent presence up there. Something told me he was waiting for me and it wasn’t my inner voice for a change. My survival instinct was screaming that I was in danger despite my inability to die. I had no choice but to ignore it and continue with my pursuit. Holding my swords tightly, I readied myself for battle then took to the stairs.
Chapter Fourteen
My intuition of danger turned out to be correct. The Second was waiting for me when I reached the top of the spiral staircase and entered the small, circular room. The light had been quenched and smoke from a fire in one corner that had been
burning moments ago wafted over to me.
Standing utterly still, I didn’t see the Second hiding in the shadows at first. When I spied him a second later, alarm clenched my insides. Every inch of his flesh was covered, including his face. He’d progressed from beyond wearing a simple loincloth to wearing modern clothing. It was just one sign of his ability to adapt. One gloved hand was wrapped around the curtain over the window. “Welcome, Mortis,” he intoned in his ancient African dialect. “I have been waiting for you.”
I didn’t get a chance to brace myself before he pulled the curtain aside. Light blazed through the window and even my enhanced speed wasn’t enough to carry me to safety quickly enough. Searing pain flashed through me as the sunlight hit the side of my face. My left eye burst and my skin sizzled and popped. A smell a lot like roasting pork wafted from me, making my stomach clench in revulsion.
Throwing myself to the side, I rolled into the shadows. I dropped my swords and clutched at my face. This wasn’t the first time I’d suffered the unbearable pain of direct sunlight. The agony was just as enormous as I remembered. It rendered me momentarily helpless and unable to defend myself let alone to go on the attack.
Darkness returned as the Second dropped the curtain back into place. He gave a dry chuckle, pleased that his plan had succeeded. His feet were rapid and nearly silent as he crossed the small room. Knocking my hands out of the way, a whooshing sound was accompanied by my head becoming detached from my shoulders. It rolled a couple of feet away before coming to a stop. It landed on my left cheek so my right eye had a distressingly clear view of what was about to happen.
