by J. C. Diem
Now that I was so much harder to kill, I didn’t have a fear of falling. The impact would hurt but I’d be fine after a few seconds when my bones reknit. Keeping this firmly in mind, I began to climb.
Finding handholds turned out to be easier than I’d thought. Even a human might have been able to scale the cliff without too much effort. Reaching the tiny beach alive and intact had been the real challenge. Once you made it past that deadly obstacle, the rest was simple.
My fingers finally found the top of the wall and I hoisted myself up. The shoes went back on my feet and I was ready to explore.
Unfamiliar trees and scrub grew thick enough to obscure my view of what lay ahead. Small animals and night birds made a soft racket. They’d gone quiet in my immediate vicinity so I stood in a small pool of silence.
Angling my head back, I could just see the outline of the mountain. It loomed above me like a silent vulture hunched over a rotting carcass. This place is giving me the creeps. The feeling that someone or something knew I was there increased. My dream of the gigantic cavern and the creatures that inhabited it came back to me. What would I do if I’d inadvertently stumbled across the First’s lair? Die, of course. I was nowhere near ready to take on the imps I’d seen. They’d pull my arms off like the wings of a fly. They might even eat them afterwards. I wondered if I’d be able to regenerate after my flesh had been eaten. Don’t get eaten and you’ll never have to find out. It was good advice and I’d do my best to take it.
Closing my eyes, I concentrated hard and sent out my senses just like I had when I’d been lying in my many graves. I was glad I hadn’t lost the knack of it. Almost instantly, I located something much larger than a bird or a dog and tracked it. Whatever it was, it was coming my way. Widening my sweep, I sensed a second and then a third figure. They were moving eerily fast and were arrowing straight towards me.
Opening my eyes, I braced myself just as a dark form burst almost silently into the small clearing only feet away from where I stood. Relief coursed through me when I saw it was just a vampire. I’d need light to be able to check whether his shadow was sentient. If he was one of the damned, at least he hadn’t somehow been turned into an imp yet.
His outfit told me that I’d found the place I’d been seeking so desperately. He wore the same black leather outfit as the imposter who had pretended to be me had worn. It had been altered slightly to fit his male frame but it was definitely the same style. His face was hidden by a mask and only his dark eyes were visible. They narrowed when they took in my white skin and western style clothing.
Two more vamps, one male and one female, joined us. Like the first guy, they wore black leather suits and their faces were masked. A dozen throwing knives were attached to their belts but it was their main weapons that I fixated on. Two spears and one crossbow were pointing unerringly at my heart.
Holding up my hands to show that I was unarmed, I was careful to keep my palms facing myself. I didn’t want the sentries to know who or what I was just yet. I was pretty sure that discovering Mortis was on their doorstep would be a nasty and unwelcome shock. “I come in peace,” I said and winced at how cheesy it sounded.
“European scum,” the female guard spat in Japanese. “You’ve been sent here to spy on us!”
“I would have thought the Europeans had grown tired of us killing their emissaries by now,” the first male to arrive said. “Perhaps when you do not return,” he said as he drew his spear arm back, “they might finally take the hint.” I could have avoided the spear he threw at me but opted not to. My Japanese kin were far more hostile than I’d anticipated. They hadn’t even given me a chance to state my intentions before trying to kill me.
As had happened too many times before, the projectile slammed into my heart. Two feet of smooth black wood stuck out of my chest and the rest poked out through my back. I decided it was in my best interests to pretend the wound was fatal. Resisting the urge to be theatrical, I kept my pretend death simple and merely dropped to my knees then fell onto my side.
Walking over to what she presumed was my fresh corpse, the female kicked my motionless feet then uttered a short laugh. “It has been a decade since the Europeans have been stupid enough to send a spy to our shores.”
“We should inform the General that they may be moving against us,” the second male guard said. They didn’t stick around to watch me disintegrate into a gross stain on the ground. That was a good thing, since that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. Then again, we didn’t tend to break down into slime until after the projectiles that had killed us had been removed from our dead hearts.
All three sentinels moved off silently back the way they’d come. I waited until they were a good distance away before standing. Pulling the spear out, I dropped it and followed them. Being armed wouldn’t be a bright idea if I was going to convince them that I meant no harm.
I wasn’t surprised that they’d found me so quickly. The sentries, with their supernatural hearing, would have heard my boat approaching the night before. I hadn’t exactly had a stealthy landing after running the boat onto the rocks and tearing a hole in the bottom of it either. Access by cliff face was the only way to the top so they’d headed straight towards where I would climb up when night fell.
I followed just far enough behind them that I could sense their presence but they couldn’t hear me blundering through the scrub in their wake. I stumbled across a path that seemed to be heading in the right direction and began moving with at least a semblance of stealth.
The path began to angle upwards and quickly became steep as it reached the base of the mountain. Clouds obscured the top from my sight. The last time I’d been inside a vampire stronghold that had been built into a mountain, I hadn’t particularly enjoyed the experience. Vincent and his minions had ended up trying to kill Luc and me before we could warn the Court about Vincent’s rebellion.
Vincent had been trying to take control after the prophet had lapsed into a coma. He and at least a few of his minions had been damned so maybe that was why they’d attempted the coup. This had been before I knew my real destiny. Now that I was aware of why I existed, I was glad we’d killed most of them. I wouldn’t need to backtrack to Romania to take care of the rest later. According to my dream, the damned were beginning to be drawn to the First anyway. If so, then maybe I wouldn’t have to round up any strays. I might find them all in one place. In the cavern of doom, I thought sourly.
Keeping my distance, I tried to plan my approach. It would have been nice to be welcomed with open arms by my Japanese kin but that clearly was out of the question. Sadly, I was becoming used to vampires trying to kill me by now. I’d met very few who hadn’t made an attempt on my unlife. Igor, Geordie and Gregor, friends and acquaintances of Luc, hadn’t tried to kill me yet. Now that they all knew who I really was, that would probably change. They would have no way of knowing I’d only kill them if their shadows had the ability to think for themselves.
Up ahead, my welcoming committee multiplied when they met up with several more vampire guards. Sneaking closer, I reached a weathered gateway carved out of rock as the path widened into a thoroughfare. Slithering into the shadows, I studied the area carefully.
Buildings had been cleverly hacked into the rock face, including windows and doorways. Carvings of birds, animals and plants were the main decorations and the workmanship was both ancient and exquisite. Widening my search, I was amazed to see humans mingling with the vampires. What the hell? Where’s the running, screaming and mad panic? Instead of the expected reactions, there were polite bows and mutual respect.
Somehow, the vampires had learned to coexist with humans without turning them into mindless cattle. Watching the interaction, it felt a bit like I’d stepped back in time. While all of the vampires wore black leather, the humans wore either kimonos or simple cotton shirts and pants that peasants might have worn a couple of hundred years ago. More than a few carried baskets with vegetables nestled inside. I doubted they were flown
or shipped in daily. That meant they must be grown somewhere on the island. With so many vamps wearing leather, they also had to have access to a lot of cows. How had this community not been discovered by someone flying over the island?
Leaning out to peer around the gateway, I saw that there were more than just a few buildings. A small city had been carved directly into the mountainside. Row upon row of rock houses and shops disappeared into the gigantic maw of a vast cavern. A narrow, winding staircase led further up the mountain, curling out of view. Black leather-clad sentries watched diligently from vantage points both high and low.
Leaning out just a little bit too far, I was finally spotted. A human cried out in alarm and pointed at me. Since there was little point in running, I stepped out into the open. Within seconds, twenty guards had me surrounded. Holding my hands up, clenched into fists this time, I stepped further onto the cobbled square. The three guards who had greeted me so unkindly pushed their way through the crowd to stare at me in shock.
“Like I tried to tell you earlier,” I said to the man who had speared me, “I’m not here to attack you and I’m not a spy for the Europeans.”
He exchanged disturbed glances with the other two. He knew his spear had been dead on target yet here I was, unalive and well. A fresh spear was in his hand but he held it pointed at the ground. His first weapon hadn’t done much good and neither would this one. Unfortunately, the remaining guards did have their weapons trained on me. They held a mixture of spears, swords and crossbows. “Who are you? Where do you come from?” he asked me in Japanese.
“My name is Nat.”
“Gnat?” I heard someone ask in a puzzled tone. “Isn’t that an insect?”
“Natalie,” I corrected her crossly. “Natalie Pierce. I’m Australian.” There were sounds of recognition and amusement. Aussies were always laughed at by foreigners for some strange reason. I didn’t think any vampire would ever take me seriously. Hell, I hardly took myself seriously.
“I may have missed your heart last time, Natalie Pierce,” the guard’s eyes flickered, signalling that he knew he hadn’t missed at all, “but I will not miss this time.” Still speaking stubbornly in Japanese, the guard drew back his spear again.
“Don’t bother,” I told him. “You didn’t miss. I’ve been stabbed in the heart a dozen times by now. It won’t kill me.” I sounded more blasé than I’d meant to but I was frankly bored with being speared, sliced and diced by now.
Fear buzzed through the crowd that had gathered. Curious humans were ushered away as even more sentries appeared. A vamp wearing an elaborate suit of leather armour arrived. A thick breastplate guarded his heart and wicked spikes ran along the backs of his wrists. They’d be an effective tool to behead someone with. The guards bowed respectfully and drew aside to let him through. His face was unmasked and he wore a headdress with black feathers that ruffled in the breeze. His outfit was impressive and I felt a moment of jealousy. I wish I could have a suit like that. Instead, I had dirty clothes that were too large for me and had last belonged to a guy.
“Who is this intruder?” he asked the guard who was about to throw his spear at me for a second time.
“Her name is Natalie Pierce, General Yasui. She says she is Australian and isn’t a European spy as she appears to be.” The general remained impassive until his subordinate tacked on one last fact. “She survived my spear through her heart and claims nothing can kill her.” The general started at that and turned to face me.
“I didn’t say nothing can kill me,” I contradicted the guard. “Just stakes through the heart, holy water, holy symbols and other stuff.” I already felt weird enough without listing all the things that made me so different from the rest of my kin.
Dumbstruck silence met my words. At an unseen signal, weapons were suddenly raised. “Try to survive this,” the general said with satisfaction. Then a dozen projectiles were hurtling through the air towards me.
Chapter Twelve
They struck me all at the same time and I suddenly looked like a vampire pincushion. I staggered back against the onslaught of spears and crossbow bolts but didn’t go down. One bolt had been aimed at my face and I’d managed to catch that one at least. Ok, I didn’t’ actually catch the bolt. It lodged in the arm I threw up to shield myself. The bolt had sheared through bone and the sharp point lightly pressed up against my eyelid. A hairs-breadth closer and it would have popped my eyeball. It was hard enough to explain how I could survive fatal blows to the heart let alone a regenerating eyeball.
Disturbed murmurs swept through the crowd when I didn’t fall down dead. Two bolts had lanced side by side through my heart, shredding it, yet I was still alive. “Told ya,” I said and pulled the projectile out of my arm.
Behind me, I heard the unmistakable sound of a steel sword sliding out of a sheath. Getting tangled up in the spears still stuck in my body, I couldn’t duck out of the way in time before the unseen guard struck. Burning pain seared through my neck and then my head was bouncing across the ground, bringing a strong sense of deja-vu with it. The last time this had happened, Luc had wielded the weapon and a white marble floor had flashed beneath me as I bounced. This time it was dirty cobblestones but the similarities were still strong.
My head rolled to a stop at the feet of the general. His satisfaction turned to puzzlement when my head and body didn’t dissolve into a slimy patch on the cobblestones. “Would you believe me if I said beheading me won’t kill me either?” my dismembered head asked him.
Panic spread through the assembly like wildfire. Screams rang out and guards started shoving the few humans who had crept back to watch away to safety. Through the milling throng, I spied my body. It was still standing in the same spot, waiting for my command.
I didn’t get the chance to order it to shamble over to my head so that I could reattach it. Guards surrounded my body, blocking it from my view. Then multiple hands were grabbing me, yanking the spears and bolts free. Distantly, I felt the wounds healing. This seemed to scare the Japanese vampires even more than my dismembered yet still speaking head had.
“Throw her into the pit,” the shaken general said and kicked my head towards the group of guards in charge of my body. “The sun will finish her off.” He put on an excellent show of bravado but I sensed how terrified he really was. Most of the guards had regained control of their expressions but the stink of fear was still strong.
My heart sank at the general’s order, or tried to. The sun was the one thing that had the power to incinerate me. A hand seized my head by the hair and shoved it into a dark bag. It smelled strongly of vegetables. Onion was the predominant odour but I also detected potatoes. My body was lifted and I was rushed back down the steep mountain path. Branches slapped at my body as we headed deeper into the trees.
We finally came to a halt and my body was placed back on my feet. It stood teetering on the edge of an opening. With my head in the bag, I couldn’t see how far the drop was. Then the bag was being upended and I saw it was very far indeed. An instant later, someone gave my back a shove.
With my head tumbling face first, I watched the distant ground rushing towards me. My eyes scrunched shut just before I hit the ground. Bone splintered in my nose, cheek and jaw on impact. Then my body landed with a jarring thud. I was in enough pain already so kept my consciousness confined to my head. In seconds, my injuries healed. Creaks and cracks of mending fractures came from my face and body but ceased quickly as everything went back into place.
Rolling my eye upwards, I spied a ring of masked faces leaning over the circular opening high above me. Confident that I couldn’t possibly escape, they disappeared and left me to my fate. Without witnesses to give the alarm, I could now reattach my head to my body. I was still shy about this weird new ability to knit myself back together. It still grossed me out and God only knew how other vamps would take it.
Rolling my eye to the left, I located my body. It lay on its back a few feet away. Dark red blood, almost black now, had se
eped out from beneath it in a small puddle. Blood was what powered us and even I couldn’t afford to lose too much of it without becoming weak.
Pouring my will into my body, I commanded it to sit up then crawl over to my head. My left hand grasped my hair, lifted my head and placed it back on my neck. After a brief moment of intense pain, I was whole again. Now, I have to find a way out of here. I was quietly worried that this might be easier said than done.
Standing, I turned in a slow circle, examining the walls of the pit. They were made out of solid rock and were glassily smooth. A distance of eighty feet or so stretched above me. There were no handholds this time and it would be impossible to climb out. Why can’t anything about my undeath be easy?
Standing around twiddling my thumbs was out of the question, I had to at least try to escape. Unfortunately, I didn’t think my chances of that were very good. Clearly, the guards were confident that their pit was inescapable since they hadn’t bothered to stick around to watch over me.
Several bundles of clothing on the ground attested that the hole had been used previously to dispose of outlaw vampires. Only faint puddles of ooze remained of my dead kin. The sun had done a pretty good job of drying out their melted flesh. That’ll be me soon if I don’t get out of here.
I still had a few hours left before the sun would rise and burn me to true death so I scurried into action. Searching through the clothing, I found a belt with four throwing knives still attached to it. Driving one of the knives into the rock wall, I was discouraged when the handle snapped off and the blade fell to the ground. I’d hoped it would dig into the rock and allow me a way to climb out but it had barely left a scratch. Scrap that idea then.
Turning in a circle again, I judged the diameter of the hole to be roughly twenty feet across. I picked a starting point then worked my way around the wall, searching it carefully. Reaching my starting place after a slow shuffle that took me the better part of an hour, I was even more discouraged when I didn’t find a single crack that I could exploit.
