The City

by Rachael Byrd

  "We're going to burn them out, but first, we have to find Belle."

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  30

  The rusty hinges squealed when Intrigue pushed the door open. The smell of smoke from the burnt breweries was still here, but it was overpowered by a dozen other smells, none of them good. There was blood and booze rotting on the floor, and the heavy odors of vomit and unwashed bodies, but the scent that they had followed here was that of Belle..

  She led the way into the bar, stepping over fallen bar stools. They had managed to track Belle's trail to this place. There was a heavy feel here, as though the floorboards were whispering through their carpets of decay.

  When Intrigue had first led the Chaotics out into the night to track the traitor, she had not considered the potential danger of the situation. Now, with the cloying atmosphere tight around her, she could consider little else. Tyrhennia was clever; she surely would not have led them to this place to face her alone. The traitorous witch was strong, but Intrigue had the others along with her. None of them had picked up Angel's scent, but that didn't necessarily mean that he wasn't here. It was with greatest caution that Intrigue mounted the stairs, the others creeping along behind her. Crow reached out and took her hand.

  Intrigue reached the summit of the stairs and looked down the long hallway. There were four doors along each wall and one at the end that was open to reveal an ancient washroom. The nearest door on the left was cracked open as well, and Intrigue's stomach clenched when she looked more closely at it.

  She pulled her hand free from Crow's, carefully fitting the claws onto her fingertips, tightening the metal braces, and lacing the leather straps around her wrists. As if on cue, the hinges squealed and the door fell open. Intrigue crouched close to the ground, stalking toward the door and leaving the others behind. She felt Gem taking control again. Stronger hands than hers ran over her claws, tightening and readjusting everything. She closed her eyes, accepting everything that Crow's beloved asked of her.

  * * * *

  Hawk pushed past the others. Intrigue was moving on all fours toward the open door, the muscles in her arms stretching liquidly. There was something familiar about her movements. He closed his eyes for a moment, struggling to remember, then saw it.

  At the far end of the room was a door built into the floor, a large and heavily rusted padlock holding it shut, a basin, a pitcher, and something far more out of place. There was a pile of roughly hewn boards thrown together haphazardly, as though the builder had been in a hurry or perhaps trying to hide the nature of his creation. It looked like a battered coffin.

  "Oh, shit..."

  Intrigue never turned.

  "Gemstone..."

  Talon took his hand, and he bit his lip nervously. What had been in that coffin? Had Gem been able to deal with it? Would Intrigue? Dreadful anticipation tightened over him. He felt himself being led forward and realized that the rest of the group was coming up onto the landing, peering over Intrigue's shoulders and into the bedroom. At the far end of the room was a pile of rough boards and distorted springs, perhaps the remnants of a bed.

  * * * *

  Intrigue tensed as she moved through the room. Something was wrong here, something ... there was a smell. It seemed part human, part vampire, but at the same time, was neither. She flipped a few boards off the pile, leaning back and arching her spine to peer into the mess.

  Something stared back at her.

  The boards fell away as the creature sat up, and Intrigue shuddered with revulsion. Gemstone was still with her though, and she could not turn away. There were stronger feelings coming from Gem, feelings of familiarity and anger. A flash of memory swept her back.

  There was no way to identify this ghastly creature. It looked something like a human, only horribly disproportionate. Its limbs were mangled and distorted; they were so swollen with muscle that the skin had burst in several places. There were still a few clumps of mud-caked hair stuck to the skull. The body was skeletally thin and impossibly long.

  The thing opened her milky grey eyes and smiled. Her teeth were long and thin, and there were two small punctures in the side of her throat. Gem realized that this monstrous creature was vampiristic. She didn't recognize it, however...

  She did now, though.

  "Crystal?"

  The creature sat up, opening its milky grey eyes. She looked at Intrigue, apparently dazed, and a thin trickle of blood ran over her lips. Intrigue crouched motionless in front of the coffin, her face expressionless.

  Crystal stood up, her body hunched over. Her lips moved soundlessly for a moment, chunks of skin flaking off and falling to the floor like snow.

  The creature stretched one skeletal hand out toward Intrigue, the unsightly muscles bulging in her hands and arms, her bones and joints creaking in protest. “It's ok ... Tyrhennia said it'll be ok ... she said to bring you to her..."

  Repulsed, Intrigue stepped back. The movement hadn't come a second too quickly; Crystal swung her muscle-bound arm through the air where Intrigue had been.

  "Intrigue! Kill her, Intrigue!” Crow's voice.

  "War-Child! Kill her!” Hawk shouted.

  Crystal snarled and hunched over. Her bones were clearly visible between the masses of swollen muscle, but Gem whispered to Intrigue that that was about to change. She was right.

  Crystal's skin rippled, loosening and tightening over the bulging muscles. Her head flew back and she dropped to all fours. Her lower legs melted to the knees, and her legs suddenly ended in paws weighted down with massive brass claws. Heavy fur, dark grey and dirty, sprouted from her body. Her face elongated and Crystal snapped her jaws fiercely, displaying the double rows of fangs that lined them. A heavy spray of sparks fell from her pelt onto the ground, and she glared down at Intrigue through sickly yellow eyes tinged with blood. Her sides swelled outward as additional muscle grew to cushion her massive body.

  "Oh shit..."

  Hell-wolf, whispered Gem from inside her mind.

  Crystal growled menacingly, then pulled back one heavily clawed paw and swung it at Intrigue. Only Intrigue wasn't there any more.

  Intrigue stood behind her sister, the great deformed wolf, and made her decision. She reached upward even as Crystal started to turn again, and leapt to sink her claws into the base of her sister's tail. Blood spattered Intrigue's face, and Crystal shrieked, whirling to throw her rider aside. Intrigue's claws didn't slip; her hands were held fast and her resolve strengthened by Gem. Crystal paused, then pitched backward, and Intrigue took the opportunity to claw her way further up.

  She hunched down a few feet behind the base of Crystal's neck and leaned forward. The wolf-thing turned its head, snapping its jaws and thrashing, but couldn't reach her. Intrigue reached out and sank her claws into the soft flesh at the base of Crystal's neck. She yanked her right hand back toward Crystal's shoulder, severing her spinal cord. Crystal dropped to the ground.

  Intrigue stepped off the corpse, trembling violently as the others came into the room at last. She turned away as Hawk reached out toward her, looking down at the broken body on the floor. The others hadn't come into the room until now; they had stayed huddled on the stairs. Gem had fallen silent in her mind and Intrigue felt more alone than ever.

  "Ever since Hawk tricked me into remembering the other side of the river, I've wondered what it would be like to meet them. I never had a sister here. I don't even remember having a family here. This thing ... Crystal ... she was Gem's sister, but she might as well have been mine."

  Crow settled his arm around her bloodied shoulder, and she felt some bit of contentment somewhere within her. She relaxed for a moment, then a jealous bitterness came over her as she realized that even this small bit of ease belonged to Gemstone, not to her. There was no comfort for her. She pulled away from Crow, looking down into the pile of wood that Crystal had risen from.

  Intrigue smelled something. She reached down and sifted through the pile. A stale rush of Chaotic scent rus
hed up at her, followed by a fresh gust of the same dark odor that hung so thickly around Crystal. Belle lay beneath the boards, her arms crossed across her chest. Her eyes were wide open, staring blindly at the ceiling. They were grey, milky like Crystal's had been, and Intrigue turned away, angry and disgusted. Tyrhennia had won.

  Kshatriya came forward, calmly picking up a shard of wood from the pile. He shoved it into Crystal's back, where her heart would have been, and she promptly dissolved into ash on the floor. Intrigue stepped aside to allow him room, and Kshatriya looked around at the others, as if asking their opinion. No one spoke, and he shoved the shard down into Belle's chest.

  The grey film rolled back from Belle's eyes for a moment, and she stared up at her killer. “Arjuna?"

  Blood squirted thickly from her chest, murky as oil. She closed her eyes, falling still, and her body dissolved into a puddle of dark muck on the floor.

  Crow reached out to Intrigue again, and again she pulled away. Hawk caught her wrist, looking deep into her eyes, and she tried to pull away. Unlike Crow, he would not release her.

  "Gemstone. It's over now."

  She pulled free, and he caught her arm again. Snarling, she tried to wrench her wrist free, but he moved with her. She moved for the door, but he yanked her back, spinning her to face him. The others were all silent.

  "Intrigue. Listen to me, damn you. You have to stop being selfish now. She wasn't your sister, and you didn't kill her. Hear me? You're not being strong, and you need to be. It won't be much longer now. You know that, don't you?"

  She stared back at him, her eyes hard.

  He looked into her eyes, then laughed shortly. “You didn't really imagine that we didn't know; did you? I've seen you drinking from those oil bottles. You treat them like some damn kind of life preserver, even though you're still far from going under. Listen to me, Intrigue. They're not going to save you. You need to stay strong for us. If you can't do it, let Gemstone take care of things. But you can't give up on us, you can't run out on us, and you can't keep Gemstone from us when we need her most."

  Intrigue dropped her wrist to her side. “I'm sorry, Hawk. I guess I just...” She shook her head, spreading her hands in a gesture of defeat. There was nothing to say; the end was close and love was in short supply.

  "Don't worry about it."

  Jonathon ran his hand through his hair. “Hate to interrupt, guys, but facts remain. We needed help, and we just lost Belle and Caele. So what now?"

  Adrienne stepped past the others, over the remnants of Belle's body, and leaned out the window. The breeze was cool, and it swept her hair back from her face. She inhaled deeply, anticipating the sweet smell of fall wind, but it was the smells of death and corruption that hit her first. Sighing, she turned back around, reclining into the protective circle of Aurelius’ arms.

  "Was it not here that you made your first attempt to purify The City, Intrigue?"

  "Yes...” She looked away, toward the door, and remembered her first meeting with Caele.

  "Fire. That's what we were going to use before we found Belle like this, wasn't it? It's what we'll use now."

  Intrigue frowned, at first disconcerted by Adrienne's commanding tone. She looked the girl straight in the eye, then dropped her gaze. Adrienne had led this band of Chaotics for years, almost since the beginning of the vampirism outbreak, and now she was being forced to come to terms with an unexpected complication. Nosferatuism had settled on The City, and Intrigue supposed that Adrienne must be feeling vulnerable. After all, she had lost the leadership of her Chaotic band to a newly-turned vampira. Since Intrigue had taken over, many of the original Chaotics had died, and more newcomers had been brought in. She supposed that she could let Adrienne have her say.

  "Fire, like God's own mercy.” Hadrian took a sip from a flask of oil, then passed it around the circle. Intrigue took a drink when the bottle was passed to her, then handed it on. The healing syrup burned in her throat, and she struggled to keep from coughing. Her hand found its way into her pocket, and she ran her fingertips over the ring that Angel had given her. There was no God, only the cycles, but fire could bring freedom.

  Mercy.

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  31

  He dropped to his knees as he reached the summit of the hill, still clinging Aymir to his chest. Seconds later, Phoenyx fell down next to him.

  "My love, what will we do?"

  He looked at her, wondering at how she had recovered. He had never known of anyone having a heart on their right side before, he had never heard of a sun-spoiled body rising again to function on its own, and he had never seen Phoenyx looking as radiant as she did now.

  "We're going to bury Aymir."

  "Here?"

  "He was born in The City and he died in The City. He took life from this place, and this place was his life. He belongs to it."

  Angel closed his eyes against the pain, turning his face up toward the moonless black sky. “Here he'll lie, among the trees, on this hilltop. Watching over The City ... forever."

  "Did you love her?"

  Angel opened his eyes. “Love who?"

  "His mother."

  "Nytala?"

  "Nytala was his mother?” Phoenyx frowned.

  "Yes."

  "Did you love her?"

  "No."

  "Then ... why?"

  "She was weak ... so weak. I found the Nest, and we were all set to have an average life. She was pregnant, and I had a few blunt-fanged laborers to keep the crops growing, the cash moving, and the blood flowing. I killed her after Aymir was born."

  "And?"

  "And what? Oh.” Angel sighed and looked down at Aymir, then turned to stare out over The City. He could still see his Den, even from here. “I saw you walking, and when I saw your eyes, I decided to take you. You were so alive, so strong ... your blood was so potent. You were the Queen, Nytala was a slave, and she sent Aymir off to live with some drunk. Here, help me."

  He picked up a chunk of rock and cut out a long rectangle in the ground, peeling back the layer of grass and weeds and scratching at the dirt beneath. Phoenyx followed suit, working shoulder to shoulder beside him. It took them only minutes to extend the grave to its proper dimensions, and they lowered Aymir's body in together.

  "Maybe it's better like this.” Angel looked tenderly down at the lacerated body, his eyes distant and thoughtful. “I never wanted him to die, but then again ... there are worse things. He was born human, and I'm glad that he died human."

  "That seems like a good way to look at it."

  Angel tossed a handful of earth back over the body, then another. Phoenyx leaned over to help. At last, Angel rolled the grass back over the grave. He leaned against a tree, and took Phoenyx in his arms. They sat there together for a while, both of them thinking of Aymir and of each other. At last, Phoenyx turned to look at him.

  "Where do we go from here?"

  "Macabre, love. We can take over the Factory."

  "It's gone."

  "It's ... what?"

  "The messenger came while you were out with Tyrhennia. The Factory is gone. There was a rebellion or something. I don't think that there's much of anything left there."

  "Oh."

  "Well ... where, then?"

  He cradled her tighter against him, unable to believe how many times in the last few months he had turned his back on her. Intrigue ... Melissa ... Tyrhennia ... they all seemed so distant now.

  "Wherever we want, love. Anywhere. I created the first empire and I created a way to sustain it. I can do it again. We're both pure, this time ... you've had the Nosferatu cleaned from your veins by the sun, and it's never affected me at all. We'll parent a colony somewhere and maybe it'll be safe from the virus this time. Maybe we should go back to Macabre and start over there ... who knows what we could find of use there? We could create a few good recruiters, like Aymir."

  Phoenyx looked at him suspiciously, and he hurriedly backtracked.

  "No, I don't mea
n me. We can turn a young vampire, and he can find a nice, strong human woman, and maybe we'll get some recruiters like Aymir."

  "They won't be yours?"

  "I never want to bury another son."

  She stood up, and he followed. He turned away from The City, ready to start on their new future, but Phoenyx caught his hand.

  "Angel ... look."

  Below them, The City burned.

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  32

  "Talon, you're in charge of the matches. Run, light, and drop. Don't stop running."

  Intrigue was too aware of Crow's longing gaze; she pointedly looked at everyone but him. “Everyone else ready? Gasoline carriers all full? You all know where you're going?"

  The universal answer was ‘yes'.

  Intrigue sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. The night was a little more than half over and it stung to consider how brief her life had been. She had awoken in the cell in the Warehouse only a few weeks earlier, remembering little, and here she was already. Dead, and about to die the final death.

  "All right. Everyone but Talon and Crow are dead. That means that only Talon leaves The City today."

  She felt Crow's expression change to one of anxiety. She had told him a few minutes after collecting the gasoline, and she supposed that he was still wondering about his choice. She'd told him that the bite wasn't severe, and the infection was minimal. She'd handed him the last few flasks of oil, told him to drink the stuff and stay with Talon. She'd patiently explained to him that he was still safe; his wounds were healing, but he should drink the oil just to be safe. He'd decided to hold the oil, but not to drink it. He would be running with the vampires, spreading the gasoline rather than tossing matches. She had tried to talk him out of it, but he had insisted. He had wanted to die along with her—just in case, he said.

  "I'm sure that you all know what that means. We discussed it briefly before Arjuna's death, but I suppose it's possible that a few of you have forgotten. We'll spread the gasoline. Talon is going to toss a few matches and then get the hell away from The City. Crow may leave too, if he chooses, and I hope that he does. Once The City is burning, we'll have to keep running around the outskirts, just inside the fire. Carry a branch or a piece of wood, and stake any vampires that you come across—except for other Chaotics, that is."