“Inkstain,” I told it. “That is what I will call you.”
Inkstain snarled and lunged just as I got the arrow into my hand.
Twice I fended it off with my sword, trying desperately to find a chance to sink the arrow into one of its swiping limbs. It was impossible. The creature’s speed was beyond comprehension. The only thing that saved me was that it recognized the danger of the wooden arrow, and that made it cautious in its attacks. I could not begin to understand how Mag managed not only to match them, but beat them. It took all my mind’s panicked, animal instincts just to keep me out of reach of its claws.
Then a shingle gave out under Inkstain’s feet. It went crashing down, and it grabbed wildly for something to hold onto.
“Something” turned out to be my leg.
We slid down the roof again, and this time we could not stop our descent before we pitched over the edge. I went over first. For one moment I knew weightlessness. My heart felt as though it wanted to pound my guts until they were unconscious. Then I came slamming down on top of a market stall that had been set up against the side of the building. The cloth enveloped me, breaking the fall.
I scrambled out of the tattered, brown fabric just in time. Inkstain came down right where I had been. The market stall collapsed, and the vampire vanished amid the cloth. Its screams redoubled as it thrashed. I saw a clawed hand burst out of the fabric.
Abandoning my sword, I took an arrow in each hand and leaped, plunging them into the flailing mass. Both darts bit flesh, and Inkstain’s screams turned from rage to pain. One iron-hard limb smashed into my head, and I fell back onto my rear, my ears ringing.
Fire flashed in my eyes as a torch came sailing through the night. It struck the fabric of the market stall, which caught almost at once. The flames licked and spread, and soon the whole stall was ablaze. Inkstain shrieked and shriveled. What skin I could see blackened and twisted, and soon the cloth stopped moving altogether.
I looked up in shock. Yue stood there, huffing in her armor and with a nasty bruise on one cheek. She extended a hand without speaking, and I took her help to stand.
“Mag needs us,” she said.
“Take me,” I said, and followed her at a dead run towards the front of the building.
WITH THE CRYSTAL CLARITY OF her battle-trance, Mag saw it when Inkstain bounded over the street to go after me, but Biter and Shoulders kept her too occupied to spare much attention. She trusted me to handle myself, and she kept fighting, kept trying to impale one of the vampires with the wooden haft of her spear. There were only two. She was unlikely to get a better chance.
Then a fresh roar announced the arrival of a third. It sailed through the air, limbs outstretched and rotten teeth bared. On instinct, the other vampires skittered away from it, hissing in anger as it landed between them. The distraction gave Mag a moment to recover, bringing up her shield and facing off against the trio, eyes darting back and forth between them. Oku edged to her side, growling and panting at the same time. The wolfhound was growing weary from trying to keep out of the vampires’ grasp.
This new vampire was larger than the others, its limbs even thicker than Shoulders’ were, but all in proportion. As it stalked towards her, Biter and Shoulders drew back from it, glancing at it in subservience. They had encountered it before, clearly, and they had not enjoyed the experience.
King. Mag named it in her mind without even thinking. And then, behind her battle-trance, the part of her mind that could still feel had the thought, I am going to punch Albern.
Thoughts danced in her mind, far-off music in the calm of her trance. Three vampires before her, and one on the roof. That left one still unaccounted for. And where on earth were the rest of the townspeople? Some of them should have arrived by now, at least.
And then the vampires attacked again, and even her background thoughts vanished.
Her one saving grace against the beasts was that the vampires were clearly unused to fighting together. They were loners, never hunting in packs, and so they had no idea how to approach in a coordinated fashion. For one moment Mag’s mind flashed with an image of Victon, her old sergeant, drilling the vampires and teaching them to operate as a unit. If not for the trance, she would have laughed out loud.
Yet the same thing that made them unable to work together also kept her from surprising any of them. When she fought one of them, the other two did not wait idly, thinking their fellow would surely bring her down. They waited for their own chance to fight, and as soon as Mag turned on them, they reacted quickly enough that they almost seemed to be expecting it. She knew she could push herself harder, further, than any human she had met, but if she never managed to bring them down, even her trance would wear out eventually.
Then there came a great commotion from down the street. Mag withdrew by one pace and glanced over the heads of her opponents at the source of the disturbance. King and the other vampires, too, glanced behind to see what was happening.
The final vampire came skidding into the street, crouched on all fours, hissing and spitting. Behind it, from side streets and alleys, came pouring a flood of townsfolk—nearly two dozen of them, and all armed with weapons and torches. Immediately they formed up facing the vampire, thrusting their steel and their flames towards it. The vampire shrieked and swiped at them, but the townsfolk stood strong together, giving it no chance to reach them.
All this Mag saw in a flash, and then she tried something new. Throwing her arms wide, spear pointing one way and shield another, she gave a battle-roar that shook the walls of the buildings around her.
The attention of Biter, Shoulders, and King snapped back to her at once. Biter jumped forth, matching Mag’s pose and scream of defiance. For one heartbeat they faced each other, roaring in hatred, neither willing to back down.
Mag caught just a glimpse of brown fur as Oku saw his chance and lunged. His teeth sank into Biter’s throat. It gave a warbling cry and tried to swipe at Oku, but the hound kicked off its chest and swung, avoiding the blow.
Mag’s spear pierced Biter’s eye and drove all the way through the back of its head.
The vampire’s body went slack in an instant. Blackness spread from around the haft of her spear, rippling through the vampire’s body until it looked burned.
But with her strike, she had opened herself to an attack. King seized the opportunity, and Mag barely got her shield up in time. The blow was heavy enough to break her arm if she had taken the brunt of it, but Mag managed to turn it. Still, it flung her through the air, and she slammed hard into the side of the Shades’ hideout.
Oku darted to her side, snarling and bristling as he turned to face the vampires again. But the vampires could not have cared less about him. Ignoring both Mag and the hound, they rushed the building’s front door and vanished inside. The last vampire, brought to bay by the townsfolk, gave up the fight and joined its fellows, running into the hideout and disappearing from view.
Mag seized Oku’s fur and used him to help pull herself up. Oku whined and licked her hand, but Mag was already searching for signs of me. Just then, Yue and I came rushing around the corner of the building. Relief must have been obvious on my face as I ran and embraced her, for Mag gave a cold smile.
“Were you worried about me?” she said tonelessly.
“I should have known better,” I said, looking at Biter’s corpse. “You got one, then.”
“And you? I saw it come for you, but I was distracted.”
“I killed it,” I told her. “Or rather, we did.” I motioned towards Yue, who came to us, frowning.
“The others?” she said.
“All inside,” said Mag. “Only three left now. It will be harder to fight them in an enclosed space, but I think we can do it.”
Yue’s eyes widened, and she looked up at the house. “Why risk it? Burn them instead.”
Mag looked at me, frowning. “That could work. Unless they escape the flames.”
“We will surround the house.” Without w
aiting for another word from us, Yue turned to the townsfolk, who had gathered a few paces away. “Torches! Throw them into the building and onto the roof! Burn it down! And guard it against their escape!”
They obeyed her at once, flinging their torches at the building in great, fiery arcs. Some bounced from the walls or rolled off the roof, but many flew in through open windows or rolled to a stop on the shingles, which began to smoke and smolder. Soon, what looked like a dozen small fires burned through the house. Smoke began to leak out from the windows of both floors.
Yue strode to the front door, which still hung open, and turned to face us. “We three should spread out and guard the easiest exits,” she said. “We cannot let them escape. Hopefully the cauldron keeps them busy enough that—”
We had no warning. There was a shattering cry, and then, faster than a blink, pallid, clawed limbs shot out of the doorway. They seized the back of Yue’s armor and dragged her into the house before she could even scream.
WE DID NOT STOP TO think. We rushed in after her. It took Oku a moment to brave the flames, but after a few furious barks, he charged in behind us.
By the time we got inside, the vampire had already vanished from the front room. The left and right doors were both open, giving no clue as to where it had gone. Smoke made the room hazy, and the flames licking at the outside of the building lit our way.
“I do not hear her,” I said. “Which way do we go?”
“Split up,” said Mag, her voice still a monotone. “I can trust you to stay alive if you take Oku with you?”
“We shall see. Oku, tiss.”
The wolfhound ran by my side as I darted to the right and through the door, sword in one hand and an arrow in the other. I did a quick search, looking behind the furniture, but found nothing. Suddenly Oku eyed the door to the next room and started bristling. I heard a sharp cry.
That was good enough for me. I ran and threw my shoulder into the door, and it burst open.
There on the floor lay Yue. Above her crouched a vampire—the final, unnamed one. She had one of its arms by the wrist, barely keeping it away from her face. The other hand was clamped over her shoulder, and the claws were digging into the armor. The vampire hissed and drooled, gobs of its saliva dripping onto Yue’s face, which twisted in pain from the creature’s grip.
Oku snarled and attacked. His teeth penetrated the vampire’s leg before the creature could react. It shrieked and released Yue’s shoulder, but she did not slacken her grip on its other hand.
I shoved my sword through its back. It reared up, screaming in pain, and I jammed my arrow into the back of its neck. Its scream cut off at once, and its free claws scrabbled at its own throat, trying to pluck out the deadly dart. Yue shoved hard, and the vampire fell sideways off her, wide, black eyes spinning in their sockets. As we watched, it curled up on itself, its skin going black.
“Are you all right?” I said, helping Yue to her feet.
“Shoulder, and the smoke,” she said, coughing heavily. “But I will survive. Mag?”
“Looking for you as well. We split up.”
“That was idiotic.”
I raised my eyebrows. “My apologies, constable. We would have consulted you on the rescue plan, were you not the one we planned to rescue.” I pulled up my shirt, covering my mouth against the smoke, which was growing ever thicker. Flames were now licking at the edges of the room’s window.
Yue ignored my words. “The vampires were going mad,” she said. “They were tearing the place apart, trying to get at the chamber beneath the house. But their claws seemed unable to penetrate the floor. I do not know why. It looks like simple wood.”
“Enchanted, likely,” I said. “Many mysteries, and little time. Come. Let us find Mag.”
We ran towards the back of the room, where another door would lead us to the back of the house. I lifted the latch and pulled on the handle.
THOOM
An explosion launched me backwards. I struck Yue, and we both came down hard on the floor. Oku yelped and scuttled away. I pushed up on my elbows, groaning. The back room roared with flames. They had gathered, waiting for a fool to come and open the door, and I had proven to be just such a fool.
“Mag could have been in there,” I grunted, struggling to my feet.
“If she was, she is dead,” said Yue, taking my arm. “But I think she is smarter than that. Come. To the other side of the house. If she lives, she will need us.”
Together we ran back the way I had come, circling around the house the long way.
WHEN I RAN RIGHT, MAG went left. She sped through into the second room with the secret entrance to the underground chamber. Half of it was aflame, and the smoke was thick and black.
And there she found the vampires—Shoulders and King, the only two left.
For a heartbeat, the creatures did not seem to notice her. Both were screaming and tearing at the floor, but their claws did not so much as scratch it. That was strange, but Mag had no time to think about it. The creatures noticed her, and they wheeled around to attack.
She fought only two now, not the three she had faced outside. But the room’s small size constrained her. As she dodged and turned, her cloak kept striking the walls and furniture. Pushing the vampires back with a wild swipe, Mag reached up with her shield and undid the clasp. The cloak fell to the floor. That was better, but not enough to give her the advantage. Her spear strikes had to be somewhat restrained, or she risked striking the walls and knocking herself off balance.
Mag switched her strategy, pressing in closer and using the spear more as a staff. It brought her within reach of the vampires’ claws, and she had to block them both with the spear haft and the shield. But with a clever twist, she managed a solid kick into Shoulders’ chest.
Shoulders flew away, tumbling over the back of a chair that had caught on fire. The flames erupted across the vampire’s skin almost instantly, and it shrieked and tried to bat at them even as its back slammed into the tapestry on the wall.
The vampire was so busy with the flames, it did not see Mag launch herself through the air. Her spear impaled it through the chest and sank deep into the wall behind. The wood and flames spread through Shoulders together, and it died with black blood dribbling from its jaws.
Too late, Mag realized that she had punched a hole straight through the door that led to the underground chamber. She turned, wrenching her spear from the wall and the corpse. King stood there in the center of the room, its head back, sniffing at the air.
It turned on her, its black eyes narrowing to slits.
Mag tried to spear it as it flew through the air towards her, but it caught the spear in one hand and threw her aside with the other. Its claws sank into the wooden wall, and it ripped the door from its hinges, throwing it into the flames on the other side of the room. With a rending screech, it vanished into the shadows of the stairwell.
Yue and I burst into the room just as Mag was getting to her feet. Yue had one arm over my shoulders, and her other hand held the wound near her neck. Oku whined as he ran to Mag and licked her hand.
“One left,” said Mag. “It got in.”
She wasted no more words, but ran down the stairwell after the thing. Oku gave a bark and ran after her.
“Leave it, Mag!” I cried. “Let the flames finish it!”
“A little late for that,” growled Yue.
“Dark take her,” I mumbled. “I will get you to the front and then get her out of the cavern.”
“No time,” said Yue. “I am coming. You both came in here for me.” She pushed off of me and drew her short sword in one hand, hefting her cudgel in the other.
“We have no time to argue, but let us pretend I did,” I told her. “Come, if you cannot be stopped.”
Just inside the doorway was a torch on the wall. I took it and lit it from the flames at the edge of the room before running down the stairs, Yue just behind me. We reached the bottom to see Mag and Oku locked in combat with King. But its proximit
y to the magestone-infused blood seemed to have given the creature a new surge of strength. Even as I tried to work out how to enter the fight, it sent Oku flying with a kick and swiped at Mag so savagely that she was forced several steps back.
Before any of us could react, the vampire rushed to the cauldron and stooped over the side, plunging its face into the blood.
We all watched, struck dumb and paralyzed with horror, as King threw its head back and roared. The roar turned deep, guttural, until I could feel it shaking and vibrating within my chest. The vampire’s pallid skin began to darken, a deep crimson spreading through it as long-dry veins refilled. The red suffused all of its body from top to bottom, and the skin rippled as bones shifted and rearranged themselves beneath. Then the creature shrieked, and my heart leaped, for it sounded like a cry of pain. But then ridges of bone sprang out through the skin, running down its back and arms, with huge spikes protruding from the elbows. All the while, the vampire’s body continued to grow, until it stood now at least three heads taller than me, even hunched over as it was.
Yue and I were frozen in horror, but Mag had kept her wits about her. As the transformation neared completion, Mag brought back her arm and heaved her spear straight into King’s now-massive back.
King whirled and held up a hand. It did not catch the spear. It let the weapon pass straight through its flesh. The spear shuddered to a stop halfway through the claw, its wood coming to rest deep in the vampire’s flesh.
The vampire scowled down at the wound. Then it dragged the spear the rest of the way through and flung it, contemptuously, at Mag’s feet.
For a heartbeat we hesitated, waiting for the wood to poison the vampire, to send it cowering to its knees.
Nothing happened, except that the hole in the vampire’s hand began to seal itself shut.
“Dark take it,” muttered Mag. She stooped to pick up her spear, ignoring the black blood that coated its length.
Blood Lust Page 25
