Vampire Vendetta

by Hayblum, Sadae

  My thoughts drift slowly back to when we entered through the door at the compound; the feel of him so close against me, when he told me to hold him tightly. How reassuring and safe I felt with his hand resting on my head. He smelled like the air before it rains, never has the scent of another so filled my body. His shoulders were firm his voice so deep like a lullaby. Kenji still hasn’t told me how he did what he did and I don’t know that he ever will. I know that in the moments it took us to pass through the door, I felt that I had become one with him in some way. I feel that a small piece of him has stayed with me since that happened. Like when someone kisses you and you can still feel the press of their lips on your skin long after they have walked away. I hardly know him and yet if I were a braver women I would throw him down into the shimmering sand and kiss him till the full moon had passed through the sky a hundred times. I want to be close to him again, but the press of time is upon us and I must not let my feelings in the way.

  Eva is thinking again she bites her lip when she is deep in thought; I think it is a habit she does not realize she does. She is very beautiful the night suits her like a second skin. She is wearing a sheath dress of all black with gold ties around the waist and shoulder; in all truth the clothes she was wearing in her cell did not do anything for her figure. I wonder if she knows how beautiful she is, with her hair floating around her in a halo all soft curls and tight ringlets. Her hair was as soft as a swallow’s feather when I placed my hand on her head when I shifted us through the doors. I have shifted with many people in my time, but never have I shifted and been left with a piece of another’s essence afterwards. It feels like I was holding something warm close to me for a very long time, and then when it left , it left its warmth behind where I held it. I feel this warmth of her all over my body and I want more of it, so much more. I have not felt such a yearning for anything, since I was a full vampire, and fed on the hot elixir of life that I suck out of others. Her golden eyes look up at me and I see that she has felt my thoughts on her; how deep her eyes are now, how deliciously hypnotic. Of course as a vampire they would be nothing but.

  We have entered Cairo at last, the nights still and cool, and we walk without disturbing a stone. I check the time on my transporter and I suddenly see four blinking red lights on the screen. The only time when blinking lights appear on the screen is when others have transported to the same time as you. The lights let you keep track of how many portals are open. That means there are four others here from 2021. I turn to warn Kenji, but he is ready with his weapons drawn. He had sensed the danger as soon as it entered my mind; and he has his Kyoketshu-Shogei standing still in ready cloaked in the shadows of the night. He holds two deadly steel blades with gut hooks at the ends in each hand a long metal chain attached to the pommel of each knife. He whispers in my direction “Hide Eva.” I do his bidding with all the swiftness I can muster, I run and make a one sprawling jump onto a rooftop overlooking the alley. Then I see them, turning into the alley weapons drawn, faces hard. I realize I know them; they are four brothers from Persia, deadly vampires who have a lust for bloodshed and death. They are not from my coven though and I realize how far Ramses power is reaching.

  The battle has begun, a battle of shadow and light, a blade reflecting the stars as it arcs and takes of a limb. Kenji moves fast his blade arching outwards in twisting death giving pulses. The blades fly behind his back as he spins them in the direction of each assassin. Kenjis’ blades fly, hitting flesh pulling back, throwing again severing tendon from bone. With a twist of his body he flips and wraps the long chain of his Kyoketshu-Shogei around his body; with a crunch two heads roll down the alley. Blood dripping and fangs long; silent screams frozen in their throats before they can reach the air. Kenji ducks low spinning the blades above him, and then he spreads his arms in the shape of a Y then crosses his arms. Blood drips from the blades dark and thick in the moonlight. The assassins are no more.

  I fly from my hiding place to search the bodies for any clues but find none. “We must reach Isis I fear she may be in great danger; when these four do not return they will send more.” I grab the discarded weapons of the dead. We move through dark shadows; behind us remains the reek of blood and signs of betrayal.

  Kenji stops in his tracks and puts a hand to his heart. “Isis is in trouble we must get to her now.” Before I can ask what the trouble he says to me through black strands of flying hair. “Ramses will be here soon, we don’t have much time.”

  I bare my fangs as we run, knowing that if Ramses is here undetected he will have his guards with him. I can’t figure how Ramses transported here undetected, this development is new. Kenji comes to a stop in front of a shuttered and abandoned home, made in classic Egyptian style, a faint scent of incense hangs about the place. Kenji yanks open the rotting front door and we step inside quietly. Once inside Kenji walks to the far wall and pushes it; as I watch a tunnel opens in the wall near the floor. “Come.” He says and shrugging my shoulders I follow behind him. The tunnel is dusty and dark and the smell of earth is sharp in my nostrils. Kenji stands ahead of me as he comes to the end of the tunnel; I make my way out and stand next to him. I dust off and take in my surroundings; my jaw drops the sight before takes my breath away. We are standing in an underground cavern the size of a football field; there is a Giant statue of Ra surrounded by candles standing in the center of the cavern. I see a woman standing at Ra’s feet a soft sad song comes from her lips she; she holds incense in her hands, the fragrance reaching the face of the god in front of her. “Where are we and who is that? “ I whisper to Kenji. “That is Isis; we must wait until she finishes her prayers.” I have a hundred other questions I want to ask, but he turns his head away from me and settles into a stoic silence. I watch until at last Isis finishes her prayers and turns away from the statue. Kenji walks the stone path to the base of the statue and embraces Isis, then they turn away and begin to talk amongst themselves, I can hear what they are saying, but I do not speak ancient Egyptian, so the words they speak have no meaning for me. I am hoping that they are not planning on killing me; I was almost her assassin after all. Kenji beckons for me to join them when their discussion is over. After the introductions are made, Kenji tells me what they were talking about. “I had a vision of Ramses murdering Isis when we were on our way here. Isis had the same vision last night; she is convinced that he will be here very soon. We have both come to the same decision.” I look from Kenji to Isis and realize how grim their faces are. I am also trying to think how we can stop a hybrid like Ramses and come out alive, because if we hide Isis we will definitely have to face a battle with Ramses. Knowing that Ramses has the powers of the three of us combined does not make me happy at all. “What do you two have in mind?” I ask him. Kenji moves over to Isis and wraps his arms around her gently. “In order for us to defeat Ramses we have to kill Isis. If he can’t find her now or in the future he will never be able to take over every coven.”

  “I don’t understand, if Isis is dead he will have exactly what he wants!” “It’s a bit more complicated than that actually. The reason that Ramses needs Isis dead and dismembered is because two immortals who want to rule the damned can’t be in existence at the same time. If you would have killed Isis and dismembered her body like he asked; Ramses would have then been the only immortal in the same class of gods able to rule the underworld. If Isis is only dead but in one piece, she can always be brought back to life through a spell from the book of the dead. So it’s not a real death it’s more like she will go into a slumber that is very like death. We will hide her where no one will ever be able to find her. Once we do that Ramses can kill from this age to the next he will not be able to truly take the place of Isis. Once we hide her Isis’ whereabouts will disappear from history and Ramses will be unable to track her down. Thus forcing him to change his plans and for awhile at least it should stop him from using the Ament from continuing their massacre back in you world.”

  I digest this information and realize that it
just might work.” There is one more thing Eva. Isis wishes for me to go back with you to your time. You see if I stay here Ramses will never stop hunting me down, but he would not expect for me to be in 2021 with you.” Ok that kind of takes me by surprise, mainly because I know longer have a coven to go home to; I don’t know where Kenji and I would even go. Kenji has been reading my thoughts again and says “Do not fear the future so much I think that we will be safe, and I may be an asset to you when it comes to keeping you safe, now that you no longer have a coven to return to.” “I see how this plan could work with Ramses unable to find and destroy Isis he will be forced to slink back into the shadows. Of course he will also be hunting for me in my own time, but with Kenji here to protect me I think that we should be able to find a safe place to live. Also where will we hide her body Kenji?” Finally Isis speaks and her voice is low and melodic. “With me out of the picture my children of the night will have a chance to survive and that is all that matters to me. My body is to be taken to Kenjis people, the Sennin, high in the mountains of Japan. They will know where to conceal me and neither you nor Kenji will know where I am laid to rest. Kenji knows how to awaken me from my slumber, so if you should ever have true need of me I will come to you. The leader of the Sennin knows the proper way to still my heart and prepare my body for its long sleep.” “How will you get to Japan Isis?” I ask her. “How else my child, I will fly.” My transporter starts to vibrate with an alert. I pull up the alert screen; it says that there will be a large transport portal opening within a two mile radius of me in the next twenty minutes. I read the transport id number; Ramses is on his way and he is bringing at least twenty vampires with him. “Kenji we have a serious problem.

  Ramses has zeroed in on my locator and he is on his way here. We don’t have much time. I need to reset our entrance location and we need to see Isis on her way to Japan right now.” I look at my transporter. “We have nineteen minutes.” Kenji does not hesitate, he pulls Isis into a fierce hug, then we head down the tunnel that we arrived in. Once we are outside in the cool night air Isis surprises me by turning and hugging me as well. “You have done well my child, you are a true daughter to me and I thank you for your assistance. May the gods guide you and shine upon you with favor in your travels.” Isis embraces Kenji again and puts a slender brown hand up to his cheek. “Do not despair Kenji you have done me a great service and I promise we shall meet again.” Isis then shifts from the shadows into the moonlight; she spreads her arms wide and points her face to the sky. A blinding light covers her and then she is gone, a shimmering mist that falls to the ground like snow is all that is left in her wake.

  Kenji looks up into the sky and says “She is in Japan already Eva the gods travel swiftly to wherever they must be.” I look at my transporter the timer is down to eight minutes. “Kenji I have to reset our portal location where do you want to go?” He looks at me and grins “You are asking me where I want to go in 2021? I have no idea where the best place to hide in your time would be.” I laugh he’s right of course. “I know a place actually, it’s safe and we should be able to blend in quite well.” I program my transporter and wait forty seconds for it to prime. Kenji wraps his arms around me and looks into my eyes and says “Eva we are bound to each other now, your destiny entwined in mine. As long as the celestial heavens hold their stars I will keep you safe.” Then he puts his hand on my head and gently moves my head to his shoulder; and as the blue light of the portal washes over us, I know that my life shall never be the same.

  Part II

  Kenji and I reentered the portal and came out in a small town in Pennsylvania. We were able to rent a house far from prying eyes, so far we haven’t had any problems. I was able to disarm the tracer on my transporter; that should keep anyone from learning our whereabouts for awhile. Our major problem has been my blood source I ran out not long after we came out of the portal. My first three nights were a terror. Kenji was forced to restrain me to keep me from seeking a source of food; my source would have been humans of course and hunting would have blown our cover in more ways than one.

  Kenji knows the formula to make animal blood fit for our consumption. Sadly he had to travel a great distance to find an animal big enough for me to feed from. It took him two days but he eventually returned with three carcasses from his hunting. Now we sit and plan on how we can breach the compound in New York, we must get to Ramses and destroy him. My fear is that Ramses is too great an adversary; I don’t believe that Kenji and I can defeat him on our own. Kenji says that once we have plan he can awaken Isis, but I am determined to see if we can destroy Ramses without having to resurrect the Queen of the Damned; the queen of us all really. I feel as if we are running out of time, even though Ramses was thwarted from his former plan he doesn’t strike me as one to give up that easily.

  The only plan I can think of is to meet Ramses head on, and fight him in battle with Kenji. There is one huge problem that I haven’t allowed myself to face yet and that is the fact the Ramses is a Nephilim; he is fallen angel and mortal half breed. If that isn’t bad enough, he is also a vampire, so now I have a fallen angel half breed on my hands. The fact that he is a Nephilim is disturbing since they were supposed to have been wiped from the face of the earth. So, here we sit hiding like cornered rats, with no real plan, no real solution. Kenji has been true to his word though and has not left me to fend for myself. He is a steady and calm man, but I realize more every day, that he is loyal to only one on this earth Isis. There is something strange about him also; like how he dissolved us at the compound in New York. I know that every vampire is different, some are born with gifts and some are not, but what he did in New York, was unlike any gift I’d ever heard of. He also drinks blood with me, but I get the feeling that he doesn’t need it as I do. When I go without my dose, a burning runs through my limbs, insatiable desire latches onto me. I can think of nothing of else; when this happens, I must feed. It is this lust, this ferocious need for one thing that I do not see in Kenji.

  I have asked him about himself on several occasions, but he has yet to give a satisfactory answer. Although I know that he is loyal to Isis, I wonder if he loves her. I still feel this connection to him , that I can’t shake; I don’t like it, it’s a weakness that I must overcome. If the day should ever come when he should leave and I’m forced to fend for myself, I want to be ready.

  We practice fighting now as well, Kenji insists upon it; he says that being prepared is vital. I have told him numerous times that I don’t need to practice fighting, if there is anything I excel at its hand to hand combat. After our first exercise he had me on the ground and blade to my throat before I saw him move. Now I am an avid believer in practice makes perfect; he tells me that I am a good fighter, but that I must stop holding back. Holding back is something I am not known for and the fact that he thinks that this is what I do angers me greatly.

  The night is dark and the stars are our only companions we; slowly circle each other in a large clearing. His movements are smooth and steady, his footfalls are silent and I wonder how he keeps twirling his blades, without moving one lock of his long hair. “Don’t hold back Eva.” “I wasn’t planning on it Kenji.” He is behind me his dark form soars over me, I see his foot move back, he comes in for the lunge.

  I hit the ground flat and roll over, entwine my legs through his knees, and throw him over my head. He recovers swiftly, his blade near my neck, I shift before it can graze me, a lock of my hair is not as lucky as it floats towards the ground. I unsheathe my own blade; i run in for my strike, he counters my blow one handed. In one fluid motion I strike down on his wrist with a hard blow, kick him in the knees and chest. He hits the ground his blade clatters to the ground I kick it away, jump on his chest, and slide my blade under his throat. My smile is big as he lays there in the dark; I am the victor at long last. My face is close to my own, I know he sees my smile, even in the dark. “I have finally beaten you.” I say triumphantly. He says nothing. I suddenly realize how close I am to h
is face, his lips.

  He runs his hand up my leg, up my back, and stops when his hand is resting on my cheek. He traces my bottom lip with his thumb; his hand continues exploring the places of my face. He is like a blind man learning my features through touch. He reaches to my hair and pulls me a centimeter closer to him; the smell of wet earth is strong and the coolness of his palm is calming. “So beautiful Eva, but you have to much pride.” With his last word I look out of the corner of my eye and see a blade resting right next to it. When I blink my eyelashes flutter against the tip of a small silver stake. Its point is so finely sharpened that it almost looks like a needle. I talk slowly through my teeth, “Where the hell did that come from?” “Your hair, I stashed it in there when I jumped behind you; it’s handy if you have me trapped like you do now.” He pockets the stake and I jump off of him.

  I watch as he conceals the stake in his hair. How many tricks does this man have up his sleeve? We trudge through dark fields in silence, I am still very peeved about his trick earlier and I don’t have any kind words for him. As we walk I look around the night is very dark and very quiet, almost too quite, normally the sound of crickets calling to their mates, overwhelms the night. I see Kenji stop in his tracks I watch as he looks to the left and then to the right, slowly, listening. “What’s wrong?” I whisper to him. “Someone is out there.” I reach for my blade, “No don’t.” He stays my hand.