by Stead, Nick
The Slayers were only a few streets away, drawing closer by the minute. I took one last look at the front door the girl had gone through, then broke into another sprint, catching Gwyn with ease. The city was soon behind us, but this recent interaction with the human world lingered in my mind for the rest of the night. Perhaps instead of taking a step towards redemption I’d only secured my footing on the path of damnation, taking the man’s darkness from him and adding it to my own with every bite of his flesh. Perhaps the entire scenario was of Jaken’s making, tempting me to kill and keep on killing for as long as Hell had a hold on me. Would my life ever be my own or had my fate been snatched from my hands, never again to take the direction I wanted it to? Only time would tell.
CHAPTER TWENTY–THREE
Budding Friendship
We didn’t quite reach the coast that night. Gwyn seemed to have good endurance but he couldn’t match my speed, though it was still quicker than when I’d initially covered that ground with the other three. We appeared to have lost the Slayers at least. If they’d sent any more helicopters searching for us I hadn’t heard them, and we’d not run into any more enemies on the ground.
The sky was just beginning to lighten when Gwyn finally slowed, panting and shivering with the physical exertion of sprinting on and off for so long. We’d left the rain behind, but this part of Wales had obviously seen some recent wet weather as well. The ground was soft and damp beneath our paws, and parted easily when Gwyn began to dig down into it.
He fashioned himself a den, deep enough to offer the comfort of the darkness he belonged in. No sooner had he disappeared beneath the ground than his voice floated up, and I guessed he was back in his true spirit form.
“Don’t worry, chummer, we don’t need to stay in this forest for long,” he said. “I can tell you’re impatient to get back to the others.”
I transformed part way back to human, settling into my hybrid form once more. There was no point staying a full wolf when I wasn’t able to sprint as fast as my four legs were capable of, and I wanted to regain my ability to speak English. The only downside was the energy it cost, which would mean the need for another hunt soon.
“Well it has been a couple of nights since I left them.”
“You young ’uns, always desperate for the next thing to come along. Sometimes I wonder if you even know the meaning of the word patience. A couple of nights is nothing. Just wait till you’ve lived a few thousand years, then you’ll start to see.”
“Well I’ve not been around that long yet and in the here and now a couple of nights is a big deal. Let’s not forget it’s for you I took this little road trip. Now there’s no more reason to stay in this country, I’d rather be on our way. I’m looking forward to a fresh start away from all the madness of the Slayers and Elder vampires and old friends who want me dead. The sooner we can leave all that behind the better.”
“You have more friends who want you dead?” He sounded incredulous. “Just how many people did you manage to piss off after being bitten? It’s been all of two years, Nick! How many people could you possibly upset in two years?”
“Well you never know, David might not have been the only one to put two and two together and come looking for revenge. I hope there’s no one else from my past but you never know. I’m not taking any chances.”
“Jesus, you’re more work than all the rest of the undead put together.”
“I can always let them put you back in your glass cage, you know.” I snarled, though inwardly I was grinning.
“And why do the Elder vampires want you dead, dare I ask?”
“Ulfarr thinks I turned on his kind. Dead vampires started showing up, ripped apart and with their hearts missing, and he believes I’m the animal responsible. He’s got practically all the undead in the country believing it too. I’m not though. Not that he cares – he’d gladly arrange another public execution if I give him the chance, or failing that, I’m sure he’ll just kill me and take my head to show off to everyone.”
“Murders you’re not responsible for? That would be a first.”
“There were a few meetings called in the months leading up to the night I was supposed to be executed, but I guess you would have missed out on an invite if you were down in the mines.”
“Aye, it’s not like there’s an Undead Times with any of this news. The talk I heard of you from the Slayers was pretty limited to ‘Have you heard what that mutt’s done now?’ and ‘The sooner we can kill him the better.’ – that kind of thing.”
“What happened to you back in the dungeon, anyway?” I asked. “Last I saw you were knocked out in that final chamber where I’d left you to watch over Amy for me. I went running off to save her from David and I didn’t go back that way – he had a control for one of the hidden doors which we used to get back into the main base.”
“Oh, that was Will’s doing. David came for Amy and the two had their guns pointed at us. Between the moon and the artificial lights they had in there, it was too much for me to take my true form so I was stuck as a human and definitely not bulletproof. There was nothing I could do when David took Amy, other than watch helplessly, and then Will hit me with the butt of his gun and it all went black.”
“I guessed that part. What happened after you woke up? Lady Sarah said she saw you during the fight and you were very much alive, so you must have been battling your way through with us to begin with or she wouldn’t have been so certain you weren’t dead. How did you end up captured?”
“Well first of all I opened my eyes to find everyone had forgotten about little ol’ me. I could hear the fight raging above, but there was still the problem of how to get up that wall and through to the control room. So I decided to go running off back into the tunnels. I liked to think if you’d come back that way you’d have taken me with you, but since I was still lying in the same chamber I figured there was a good chance you’d all used one of the hidden doors.
“I imagine I had an easier time of it than you did once I was through to the main base. You’d already killed a lot of the Slayers and there were plenty of their guns lying around. I helped myself to one, and a shit load of bullets, then walked right on through to where the main fight was taking place.
“The vampires didn’t seem to be having too much trouble battling their way out. Varin was doing a good job of protecting Selina, but when the Slayers have the numbers, there’s only so much any of us can do, even us spirits. I shot a few humans aiming at her while she made her escape up the stairs and out to freedom, and I guess Lady Sarah realised what I’d done ’cause she looked across the corridor we were fighting through and nodded her thanks at me.
“So there I was, hero of the hour providing much needed support for our little army unit, when suddenly the Slayers got wise to the fact I was picking off anyone who looked to be a threat to our troops. And before I knew it, I had way too many guns trained on me and not enough bullets – or time for that matter – to kill them all before they shot me full of lead.
“Lady Sarah was already fighting her way over to the stairs and Zee was locked in battle with a large group of them. I was on my own, so I did the only thing I could in the circumstances – I ran. My last glimpse of the vampires was of Lady Sarah following after her sister, and Zee didn’t look like he’d be far behind. His enemies were dropping one by one and he was starting to move towards the stairs as well. Then the bullets started flying my way. I’d done all I could for them; it was time to focus on saving my own skin.
“I figured if I made it back to that narrow tunnel where you first saw me as a fox, I’d have options. It was too small for humans to fit in if you remember, and it was pitch black inside. I thought maybe I’d get away with hiding down there. You guys were more of a threat to the Slayers so there was a good chance they’d focus most of their forces on you three, and if they did come poking down the hole with lights, I’d just have to fight my way out and flee to another darkened area. Maybe not a fool proof plan but it seemed l
ike my best bet at the time.
“I never made it far enough to put it to the test though. Dear old William saw me running his way and decided I’d be a handy bargaining chip to use against the four of you. Now if this had been a film, we’d probably have had this dramatic moment of me skidding to a stop at the end of the corridor where I ran into him, and then staring each other down before firing our guns. But you know how it is, real life is rarely like the movies. We each squeezed off a shot more or less at the same time, but it turned out I’d used up the last of my clip and my gun clicked empty.
“I’m sure Will could have just killed me outright if he’d wanted to, but he put a bullet through my arm instead. And you know how much bullet wounds fucking hurt. I wasn’t really thinking clearly through the pain – I just assumed Will wanted me dead. There were more Slayers coming from behind so I ducked into the nearest room, hoping I’d find a new weapon inside to take out enough lights to give me the upper hand again. But there were none of your kills in there and no guns conveniently left lying around like in the films I’ve seen. And I saw a lot of good movies while the Slayers were down there building that place, enough to know the way it’s supposed to work for the hero. There are times I wish real life could be a movie, and that was definitely one of them.
“Anyway, there I was leaking copious amounts of blood from a freaking hole in my bicep – and I mean a hole, like one you could put your eye to and see right through to what was on the other side of my arm. I had no way to kill the lights which meant none of my powers and no weapon to fight back. I’ll be honest with you, bro, I thought I was going to die in that room and it hurt knowing you four had left me to my fate. But in came Will, stalking over like the cocky bastard he can be, and just as I was thinking this is it, he struck me with the butt of his gun for the second time that night. Then it all went black again, and I woke up to find myself in that glass cage you found me in.”
I felt my conscience, mangled and battered but not quite as dead as I’d once believed, squirming at his words. There didn’t seem to be anything I could say to make things right, other than apologising for leaving him in there. He certainly deserved better than excuses. The word sorry felt somewhat empty and meaningless in the circumstances, but I said it anyway.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry we let them recapture you. Neither of the vampires saw what happened in all the chaos, and by the time we realised you weren’t with us it would have been suicide to attempt to go back in. It was wrong of us to leave you behind, but it didn’t seem like we had much option at the time, and I admit, my first priority had to be Amy.”
“I get it, bro. I had plenty of time to think over things while I was the Slayers’ guest, and I realised that was probably the case.”
I didn’t really know what to say to that so I stayed quiet, watching the birds flying overhead and thinking over everything he’d just told me. A crow cawed somewhere on the edge of the forest, warning her kindred to keep away. I entertained the idea of filling my belly with her warm flesh for a moment, but I’d never make it over there before she took flight. The skies were the one place where she’d be safe, the one place I couldn’t give chase and run her down like I would a land animal. My hunger would have to wait awhile.
“I’ll tell you now, they suck at being good hosts,” Gwyn continued, meaning the Slayers. “Twice I’ve been their guest, and the first time they stick me in a room all on my lonesome with nothing to do except wait for you guys to come bumbling in, and then they put me in the completely wrong habitat for my kind with all the lights and the glass. Glass, for fuck’s sake. What part of mining spirit says glass is an acceptable material for keeping us in? At least David gave me an enclosure with a natural feel to it. And to add insult to injury, then they started poking and prodding my poor flesh and taking more of my blood, as if Will’s bullet hadn’t taken enough already. And they call themselves a one star hotel. I wouldn’t even give them that!”
“Hang on, bumbling? I don’t bumble,” I growled.
“No? Well that’s how I remember it. You and Zee bumbling through my room with the human girl, jumping out of your skin every time I brushed past.”
“I think you mean we bravely felt our way through the darkness, even though we weren’t sure who or what was in there with us, and it was you who was acting like prey, fleeing before Hannah’s light.”
“That wasn’t fleeing. It was more what I’d call evasion. You might want to try it some time.”
“Yeah, right,” I grunted. If he’d been sitting beside me in his human form I’d have punched him playfully on the shoulder, but he was still enjoying the freedom of his dark den so I settled for turning to give a mock glare. I couldn’t see him down there but I had a feeling he could see me.
A chuckle sounded from somewhere deep inside. It seemed to find its way out of that darkness and into me, because I found myself chortling along with him. Our laughter didn’t last long, but it was the first time I began to feel any real bond with the knocker, and as irritating as I’d found him while we’d been down in the dungeon, I was starting to appreciate his type of humour.
I sobered again. “I can’t imagine what you must have been through after you were recaptured. I’ve seen the way the Slayers experiment on us, and it’s always seemed like a fate worse than death. If we’d known they were using you as their latest lab rat we’d have come to rescue you sooner, but we had no idea until Will told us. Maybe I should have realised when you appeared to me in that dream, I don’t know. I didn’t though.”
“What dream?”
Well, it looked like I had one more answer to my many questions. “I saw you in a dream a few nights ago.”
“Aw, bro, you’re dreaming about me now? I’m flattered. Maybe there’s hope for us yet, eh?”
“Anyway,” I growled. “You made me promise to come back for you when I could, and I meant it when I gave you my word. That wasn’t actually you?”
“Nope, I’m no dreamwalker. I am but a humble trickster spirit, out to cause mischief and mayhem in the waking world. Was that not clear already or were you too busy fantasising about murder to listen to anything I told you about my kind?”
“It felt so real, like I was actually talking to you. It wasn’t quite a vision because I didn’t see you imprisoned in that glass cell, but maybe it wasn’t quite a dream either. Whatever. I didn’t know where you were for sure until Will told me.”
“And what business did he have with you? I figure he must have used me to make some kind of deal, or you wouldn’t have been with him when you came to rescue me.”
“Yeah, he did use you as a ‘bargaining chip’. He wanted me to help him defeat the demon we managed to set loose during our escape from the dungeon. First he tried telling me my family were in danger, and when that didn’t work he promised to take me to you and help set you free, just as soon as we’d defeated said demon. If I’d had my way we would have freed you first, but he wouldn’t budge on that. And if Zee had gotten his way he’d be here with me, but Will was insistent it had to be me and me alone. So here we are.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know,” I lied, not yet willing to share everything I’d learnt from Will and his master. “He’s in league with another demon, but I don’t know why his master would want rid of the one from the dungeon or why Will wanted me specifically to help him do it.”
“Hmm,” Gwyn said, as though he didn’t quite believe me.
“How do you know Will by name anyway? He turned on the other Slayers to help me escape with Amy, but I guess it must have taken them a while to realise he’d betrayed them if he was able to oversee your capture. He came to find me the very next day though, which means he can’t have stuck around with the Slayers for long. And I’m pretty sure they must have known he’d turned on them by then. I mean, they’d have to be really incompetent not to work it out when you’re the only one on our side who uses modern firearms. So how is it you know him as Will already?”
I didn’t mean to sound suspicious, but Gwyn sighed and his voice sounded a little bitter when he answered.
“Really, we’re going to go through this again? You’ve known Zee for roughly the same length of time but you trust him without question. Him. The vampire whose race have all that inbuilt prejudice and hatred towards your kind. And it’s me you keep questioning? There I was, thinking we were past all this.”
“I’ve had enough friends turning out to be false. I’d rather risk hurting a few feelings than risk another betrayal, and Zee hasn’t given me any reason to doubt him yet. Will certainly isn’t someone I can trust, so I’d rather find out now if you’re in league with him. It ought to be a simple enough question, unless you have been hiding things from us all along?”
“No, no, I’ve nothing to hide. I’ll answer,” he said, though there was still that bitter hint to his voice. “David brought him on board fairly early on in his insane dungeon project. He wasn’t around all the time, probably because he had other duties to both the main body of the Slayers and his true master, but he was called in often enough for me to catch his name. I didn’t really learn much else about him, just his name.”
I nodded. “Sorry for the doubts but you can’t be too careful and all that.”
“Right, and maybe you’ll believe me from now on when I say I’m not your enemy.”
“Maybe,” I said, with a slight grin.
“Oh thanks. I could just leave you to struggle on your own, then where would you be? Dead probably, with that half formed thing you call a brain.”
Sounds of movement followed that sentence. I turned to find Gwyn emerging from the hole, a fox again. He looked at me and I nodded. I no longer cared about the risks of continuing on through the day. I just wanted to get back to the others before nightfall, so we could hopefully get our voyage underway, assuming Zee had successfully found us a ship. A fresh start with my natural cousins was calling, and I felt like I’d waited long enough for it by then. It was time to make this new life for myself across the ocean. I wouldn’t wait any longer.
