Death Embraces

by J. C. Diem

  While lying in the eleven boxes in the UK, I’d learned to focus my will with precision. I’d also learned how to control my severed hands simultaneously as if they were living entities all of their own. This had been difficult when they hadn’t been attached to my body. It was far easier when they were attached. I now had full control of my body and I’d been given the means to fight like an avenging angel.

  One sword was good but, with so many enemies to fight at once, two would be better. Fending off a sword thrust, I bent and snagged a sword that had been dropped by one of my defeated opponents. The time for defending was over and I went on the attack.

  My instructor hadn’t trained me to fight with two swords but I took to it naturally anyway. My hands whirled and twirled the weapons to attack and defend. Vampires appeared before me in numbers that increased with each person I nicked or sliced with my swords.

  The first blade that snuck through my guard scored a cut across my chest. Shrugging off the wound that healed instantly, I wasn’t surprised when the fight didn’t end there. I had the crazy idea that I was going to have to fight every damned vampire in the room.

  Some of them probably are damned, I thought briefly. Probably, lots of them were. Now would be an ideal time for them to try to kill me. How I was going to tell the damned from the un-damned would be difficult since they were all currently trying to end my life.

  It was impossible to keep count of how many vampires I fought or how long the fight lasted. My leather suit was almost in tatters by the time the last female vamp launched herself at me. I sidestepped while she was in mid-air and scored a hit along her stomach. Her guts fell out and slithered to the floor as she landed on her face and skidded in her own blood for a few feet. It would have been a fatal blow for a human. The female vamp merely stood, bowed and shoved her insides back where they belonged. She’d heal in a few hours and would be good as new. As for me, my uniform was fluttering and barely held together but my wounds had disappeared as if they’d never existed. I might be alright but the suit was ruined.

  My silent instructor walked solemnly to the centre of the room again and bowed to Emperor Ishida. The kid nodded his head slightly then the entire room was bowing to me. Bowing in response, my borrowed swords still dripped with the sluggish ooze that was their vampire blood. The guard whose sword I had borrowed jogged over. He bowed, I returned the gesture then handed the weapon back to him.

  Stopping on his way towards the exit, my teacher stopped long enough to say two words before joining the exodus. “Very good.”

  I felt humbled by his praise. Especially since it was the only kind words he’d ever said to me. I may have surpassed his teachings but without his training I’d still have been stumbling around fighting like a girl.

  Ishida motioned his faithful sidekick, Takeshi to leave the throne room then strolled over to join me. Checking that the room was vacant but for us, he gave a shout of laughter then high-fived me. “That was kick arse! I’ve never seen any of my soldiers fight like that, let alone a European!” He chortled with glee, acting like any normal twelve year old you might see anywhere in the world. I didn’t bother to remind him that I was Australian. All foreigners were Europeans to them.

  “So, I passed the test then?” Tearing off a piece of my tattered sleeve, I carefully wiped down the sword then held the weapon out to him.

  “You passed the test,” Ishida said with an almost straight face. Glee still danced in his eyes. “You fought fifty warriors and didn’t kill a single one.” Jeez, was it only fifty? It had seemed like a lot more than that to me. “You have gained much honour today.” He bowed seriously and I bowed back. “The sword is yours, Natalie.” Ishida closed my hand over the ivory hilt of the weapon. “I only ask that you use this weapon to kill the European Councillors.”

  My grin was tight and very nearly savage. “I will,” I promised. “If I had another one, I’d be able to kill them twice.”

  “General Yasui’s sword is still in your quarters, is it not?” he asked me almost slyly.

  “It is.” I’d mounted the bare blade on a wall even though I knew it was going against their customs. No one had passed the weapon on to me and I hadn’t won it in battle. I’d just commanded my severed hand to run over and pick it up after the general’s head had been twisted off his shoulders. Now I knew who’d arranged for it to be put in my room.

  “Consider it a gift from the Japanese Emperor to Mortis.” His bow was less formal and more mischievous this time. “Now that the formalities are finished, let’s go and kill some zombies.”

  “You’re on.” Ishida had discovered an online game where killing the living dead was the main goal. He got a kick out of the irony. I played it with him sometimes even though I was creeped out by the rotting, brain eating undead things. I felt compelled to kill as many of them as I could.

  The fact that vampires were only one small step up from zombies when we first woke as the living dead wasn’t lost on me. We began as mindless killing machines and, from what I’d seen in my dreams, we would end up even worse once we were converted into imps. I’d killed hundreds of the electronic monsters but that wasn’t going to prepare me for the real life battles ahead.

  After the epic fight I’d just been through, I now knew I had the skills to fight anything, living or undead. I just hoped it would be enough. I’d been on this island for four months now and the First’s army had to have increased in size. How many flesh and blood imps were now waiting to kill me out there?

  Chapter Twenty

  Yori was in my quarters when I trudged inside. He was obviously relieved to see me in one piece. Then his eyes dropped to my partially exposed breasts and a flush darkened his cheeks. “I will run you a bath, mistress,” he said and fled from the room. I’d tried to get him to call me Natalie or Nat but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. After thousands of years of servitude, deference towards vampires was ingrained in the humans.

  A bath sounded pretty good. I wasn’t exactly tired but my muscles were still tense from the prolonged fight. Using a soft cloth, I cleaned off the sword properly. Two sheaths had been placed on the low black table. Both were made of leather that had been bleached white to match the hilts and then hardened to prevent damage.

  A dragon had been carved along the length of one, matching the dragon on the blade of my new sword. A lion graced the other, matching General Yasui’s sword. My instructor must have been pretty sure of my success to have had the sheaths delivered while I’d still been trying to pass his test.

  At a soft footstep behind me, I whirled. A blade was in my hand like magic. Yori squeaked and froze, trying to focus on the blade that was resting lightly against his neck without moving. He was holding out my robe in a quaking hand.

  “Sorry,” I said in embarrassment and took the robe. “I’m still a bit jumpy from the fight.” Mustering a smile, he backed away then fled from my quarters. My tame human had just gone from worshipping me to being terrified of me. Luckily, I wasn’t particularly hungry and didn’t need to feed from him just yet.

  Before he could change his mind and dredge up the courage to re-join me, I locked and barred the door then disrobed. I left the tattered remnants of my uniform on the floor and headed for the bathroom. Sinking down into the water until it lapped at my chin, I closed my eyes and tried to relax.

  Still not feeling particularly relaxed after half an hour, I decided to wash my hair before the water grew too cold. Covered in shampoo suds, I slid beneath the water to rinse off. A shadow blocked the light and I thought Yori must have returned despite his fear of me. Then I remembered the door was barred. It would take great strength to break it open, strength beyond what a mere human possessed. That meant another vampire was in the room and I didn’t think they were there to politely hand me a towel.

  Water cascaded back into the tub as I shot to my feet. Turning to my attacker, I saw that he was standing in the doorway. He wouldn’t have had time to shift so far away in the blink of an eye it took m
e to rise to my feet. Then I saw his shadow standing beside me, ready to attack. I tried to raise my hands in defence but dark arms were already around me. I shuddered as intense cold washed over me.

  Hulking and silent, the owner of the shadow watched while his silhouette tried to drain me of my life force. Wrestling one arm free, I slapped at the large, misshaped head and heard it snarl. The vampire made no move to either help or hinder his darker half.

  Always before, I’d had to put both hands on a creature’s head to make the dark magic destroy the enemy. This time I only had one hand and I was dangerously weak from the cold. Concentrating hard, I shoved my hand into the centre of the shadow’s head and unleashed the holy mark.

  Howling and holding its head, the shadow released me and fled back to its owner. I hadn’t killed it but it was definitely injured. The vampire was already on the move and darted into my bedroom. Not bothering to snatch up my robe, I raced after him. Naked, cold and still weak, I skidded to a halt in the bedroom and whirled around in a circle. Despite the fact that there were no exits and nowhere to hide, the intruder had disappeared. Remembering the hidden doors leading to the surface, I knew there had to be one in here somewhere.

  Snatching one of the swords from where I’d mounted it on the wall, I began to search. By running my free hand over smooth rock, I finally found the door. My skin pebbled at a tiny breeze that wafted through a crack that was almost too small to be seen.

  I’d found the secret entrance but had no way to bar it. My attacker could enter at any time and try to finish what he had started. It wasn’t safe for me here and I didn’t know who I could trust now.

  Why did he wait this long before attacking me? A more important question was; did he attack me at Ishida’s orders? I didn’t think so and that got me moving. Now that he’d been discovered for what he was, would he now try to take down the emperor? He could no longer pose as a trusted servant since he had failed to kill me and I now knew he was one of the damned.

  Several changes of black leather suits had been given to me and I quickly pulled one on. My hair was still dripping as I darted over to the second sword. I had a feeling I’d need them both when I left the room.

  Unlocking the door, I was unprepared when two guards attacked me. Their shadows were in possession, overlapping their vampire hosts and only giving me glimpses of their terrified faces. The vampires might not know what was happening but I did. The First’s offspring were in charge and they wanted me dead. I wasn’t about to oblige them.

  Twirling the swords, I blocked, parried then stabbed both guards through their hearts. Their shadows shook their fists, wailed, gnashed their teeth then sank to the ground and dissipated as the bodies of their hosts broke down. I was still weak and cold from the last shadow’s attack but I was quickly regaining my strength.

  Well used to the intersecting tangle of corridors by now, I jogged through them quickly. Five more sentries attacked me as I ran. They came out of the dark like wraiths and I sent them to their deaths screaming in fear, pain and hatred.

  A pair of male and female vamps guarding Ishida’s door came to attention when I skidded to a halt in front of them. They took in my dishevelled appearance and the long cut on one arm that healed before their eyes. “Your Emperor is in danger,” I said.

  “From what?” the female sneered. I was pretty sure she’d been the last vamp to attack me in the trial earlier that night. Maybe she was holding a grudge against me because I’d made her guts fall out. I couldn’t see any suspicious bulges in her leather suit so I assumed she had already healed.

  “From Takeshi.” He’d been standing in the shadows but I’d still managed to get a look at his face before he’d fled. Besides, he was the only heavily muscled, six foot tall vampire on the island.

  “That’s absurd,” the male vamp said. “He is the Emperor’s personal bodyguard and is sworn to protect his life.”

  We would have danced around the issue a bit longer but another shadow-possessed guard attacked. The whistling of his descending sword warned me and I whirled around to meet it with my own blade. Two swords were definitely better than one because the one I didn’t block with slid through his chest and out through his back. The shadow roared loudly in defiance, making the inside of my head ring. The two bewildered guards exchanged frightened looks.

  By the time I turned back to them, they had the door open and were charging inside with their weapons drawn. I’d been inside the emperor’s bedroom only once, on the night I had broken in, but I was familiar with the layout.

  Takeshi had picked a hell of a night to show his true colours. Ishida wasn’t alone and had three human females in the gigantic bed with him. All were teenage girls not much older than his mortal age. They cowered in silence with tears of terror pouring down their faces. Takeshi had dragged his ruler out of bed and stood with his sword at the child king’s throat.

  That answers that question then, the kid didn’t order my death. Ishida’s startled expression reflected that he had no idea what was going on. Thankfully, he was wearing his leather skirt so we were all spared the indignity of seeing him naked.

  “Takeshi, unhand me!” Ishida demanded. Instead of unhanding him, the guard’s hand flexed, crushing his vocal cords. “I am your master,” the kid croaked, “release me at once!”

  No one else could see it but Takeshi’s shadow was fully in charge. It had risen and it wasn’t going to relinquish its hold on its host now. I sensed the silhouette glaring at me, weighing up its options.

  “That’s not Takeshi, Ishida,” I told the teenager. The guards gasped at my audacity of calling the emperor by his name. I didn’t know if it was a first name or a surname but I didn’t have time to worry about etiquette right now. I had one of the damned to kill.

  “He is possessed then?” the kid croaked almost soundlessly. He wouldn’t die from having his throat crushed but it would make it hard for him to talk until he healed.

  “Yep,” I answered calmly. “But don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

  The shadow, using its human host’s mouth, laughed. Harsh and guttural, it grated on my ears and I saw the two guards shudder from the corners of my eyes. “Puny vampire, you will not defeat us. You are one and we are many!”

  I made a show of looking around. “I only see one of you, numb nuts. Where are all your shadow friends?” Catching Ishida’s eye, I dropped my eyes to the ground then flicked them back up to his face. If he’d been human, his face would be purple and he’d have died from lack of oxygen by now. Ishida merely looked uncomfortable, his brain was still in good working order. He managed a slight nod.

  “Put down your weapons or I will kill the child,” the shadow commanded. He held the sword menacingly near Ishida’s neck. I could survive being beheaded but I seriously doubted the emperor could. He could be pompous and full of himself at times but I’d grown kind of fond of the kid. He was like the younger brother that I’d never wanted.

  Putting my swords down on the floor slowly, I stood again, keeping my hands close to my waist. The shadow laughed again, making me wince. It sounded like fleshless skulls knocking together. “So trusting, vampire? You are weak and that is why the First’s children shall prevail.”

  “I don’t think so,” I told the smug shadow. “Now, Ishida!” The kid prised himself free and dropped to the floor. As he did, my hands went into action, plucking throwing knives from my belt. The small knives were several inches long and were deep enough to penetrate the bodyguard’s armour where it wasn’t reinforced with metal.

  The girls shrieked when the shadow creature roared through Takeshi’s mouth. Ishida’s bodyguard began sprouting knives from his face, neck and upper chest. To either side of me, the guards were also throwing deadly projectiles at Takeshi. They might not be able to see the shadow in possession of its host but they’d heard it speaking through him clearly enough.

  Falling to his knees, Takeshi’s shadow made a game effort to force its host back to his feet again. The trio of gi
rls screamed again and scrambled to the far side of the bed. Picking up my swords, I hoped the pair of guards would cease firing projectiles long enough for me to finish the job.

  Takeshi’s expressionless face was revealed as the shadow tried to flee from its fate. I didn’t bother to pin it to the ground. It wasn’t going anywhere. That was the one fatal flaw of the First’s shadow spawn. They were tied to their hosts and couldn’t exist without them. “Do you have any final words?” I asked him.

  When I received no answer, I did to Takeshi what had twice been done to me. His head fell to the ground, bounced a couple of times then rolled to a stop beside Ishida.

  Wisely, the emperor had moved a safe distance away from the fray. He looked down at the head as it dissolved before his eyes. “I would have been very surprised if Takeshi had any final words. His tongue was cut out the day he became my bodyguard.”

  I raised my eyebrows, but couldn’t muster up much surprise. I’d seen some of what the shadows were capable of already. Clearly, they had their own tongues to speak with.

  “You have my thanks, Natalie.” Ishida bowed while the two guards gaped at him. Offering thanks probably wasn’t something they saw their emperor do very often. Or at all. “Are these two trustworthy?” he asked and pointed at the pair of guards.

  Giving them a hard look, I searched for signs that their shadows were acting independently but saw none. “Yeah, they’re ok,” I said.

  “I have a task for you when you next rise, Mortis,” the child king said. He moved to the bed and began soothing his harem, sending me a glance over his shoulder that reflected his true age. He didn’t look like a kid at all just then but like the ten thousand year old vampire that he truly was. “It is time to clean house.”