Some of the vampires watch me instead of Ethan, and I know that they’re aware of what I am – of what I could give them. It’s funny that I don’t feel at all threatened. I have this odd sense of safety that I get from being by Ethan’s side. I know that none of the vampires here will be able to get to me because of him.
Ethan slips his hand into mine and leads me on a walk around the market. The vampires continue with their previous conversations, but without the same vigour as before. They’re all far too curious, anticipating Ethan’s announcement, wondering why he hasn’t decided to give it immediately.
A mezzanine floor runs around the edge of the upper wall of the large room. Tugging me to him, Ethan pulls me up onto his back again before he climbs a ladder to the mezzanine. Once he’s reached the top he lets me off him and walks to the safety bars. Placing his hands firmly down on said bars, he clears his throat and every vampire falls silent a second time.
They look up at him, heads all turned to attention. I can see Lucas below, standing by a stall of jewellery. He picks up a gold watch and examines it. I focus in on this detail because he’s the only one not staring intently at Ethan.
“Today, while you all slept, the sorcerer Theodore made a television broadcast to the humans of the city. To put it simply, he told them to mark their doors with a circle in chalk and then gather at Campion row. From there they plan to visit every home without a circle and burn it to the ground.”
There are numerous exclamations of shock and surprised intakes of breath. Some female vampires clutch onto their mates, unmistakable fear in their eyes. All of a sudden, I’m seeing these creatures in a new light. They may live a lot longer than humans, may be a lot stronger, but they are still mortal. They can still lose the things that they hold most dear.
“I have called you all here tonight so that you can be aware of this and mark your doors just the same as the humans.”
Before Ethan can say more, a dark haired vampire holding a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels stumbles to the front of the crowd. “Why don’t you just let us all have a drink of your little blood whore and we won’t have to worry about day time attacks?” he slurs, his mouth a cruel slash across his face.
Without a single word Ethan jumps from his spot and lands gracefully onto the ground floor in front of the drunk. I wish he hadn’t done this because given the idea that’s just been planted in the heads of every vampire here, I feel decidedly vulnerable standing all by myself, unprotected.
“How dare you suggest such a thing,” Ethan seethes as he advances on the man.
Perhaps seeing his own death in Ethan’s gaze, he lets his bottle of whiskey fall to the ground with a loud smash and his face goes even paler than it was before.
“I’m s-s-sorry. I didn’t mean it. Please forgive me.” He falls to his knees and bows his head as though submitting to a king. Is that what Ethan is now? A king amongst his own kind?
With one swift movement Ethan kicks the man hard in the ribs. “Get up,” he demands.
The vampire fumbles quickly to his feet, his entire body practically shaking with apprehension.
“Apologise again,” says Ethan once the man is standing.
“I beg your forgiveness. I’m sorry a thousand times. Please, spare me,” he rattles out desperately.
Slowly, Ethan begins to shake his head as he tuts. “Not to me. Apologise to her.” He gestures up at me and I inhale sharply when the attention of the entire market focuses on me. My palms feel sweaty as I grip the safety bars tight.
The drunk vampire looks up at me with downturned eyes. “I’m sorry, my lady. Truly, I am. Please, accept my sincerest apologies for what I said. I have had far too much to drink and…”
“That’s enough,” Ethan hisses grabbing a hold of the collar of his jacket and flinging him into the crowd. “Anybody else have anything to say on this matter?” he asks prowling back and forth before his audience. Absolute silence answers him. “Very good.”
If I blinked I’d have missed it, but his eyes flick briefly to Lucas who is standing at least ten feet away from him. Ethan gives him a barely perceptible nod and Lucas slinks swiftly through the crowd to the drunk. Oh, shit. His hand slides to the inside pocket of his coat and he pulls out a sharp pointy stake. Finding the drunk, Lucas grabs him by the throat and slams the stake down into his heart.
“I will suffer no more threats against what is mine,” Ethan declares. “The punishment for such threats is death. I hope you all understand this now.”
When he says ‘what is mine’, does he mean me?
There are low murmurings of assent and nervous tension grips tightly at my heart. Suddenly, it feels hard to breathe. Ethan just had Lucas kill a man for speaking against me. In my head there are two opposing sentiments at war. One is relief that he’s this dedicated to protecting me, but the other is fear that he’s willing to resort to such extreme actions simply to communicate a point.
Having power isn’t the cushy setup most people imagine it to be. You have to make hard decisions and do hard things. I get that. I get why Ethan had Lucas kill the drunk, I just wish he didn’t have to do stuff like that.
“The sorcerer Theodore is trying to incite us to violence again,” Ethan begins to speak. “I will not allow that to happen. There is to be no unnecessary violence towards any humans. I will put a stop to his plans to ruin us. In order to survive, we need to be able to live peacefully among the human population in a symbiotic manner, and that is the kind of environment that I will strive to create for all of you. You have my word.”
As I look down on the vampires all listening intently to Ethan’s speech, I see something change in them. They’re taking in his words and there is relief on their faces. They don’t want to be at war, and the kind of city that Ethan is describing appeals to them. A grain of hope formulates, as I think this could be it. Perhaps Allora was wrong when she said it would be a little girl who finally brings peace to Tribane. Maybe, just maybe, it will be Ethan who does it.
Finn
You know what I think? I think it should be made illegal for anyone to ever have to be up this early in the morning. I’m awake and dressed at the arse crack of dawn. I’ve had my breakfast and I’m currently in the process of arming myself to the teeth. You’d be amazed by the amount of weapons a person can conceal on their body once they put their mind to it. So far I’ve managed five guns, seven knives and three stakes. I know it’s morning and there aren’t going to be any vamps around, but you can never be too careful.
I’ve commandeered Ira to come along with me to Theodore’s gathering on Campion Row, and since he’s such a big bastard he’s beating me hands down in the ‘how many weapons I can strap to myself’ game. I have to admit, I’m kind of jealous.
We’re standing in the kitchen, a selection of knives scattered across the counter, when the door creaks open and Allora steps into the room. She’s fully dressed and her hair is tied back in a ponytail. When I see it I instantly have ideas about pulling it out and watching all that golden hair fall over her shoulders.
“What has you up at this ungodly hour, Goldy?” I ask her with curiosity.
“I want to come with you,” she answers and I instantly stiffen.
“No can do, I’m afraid. This is an iffy situation we’re going into and if a riot breaks out it’s not going to be safe for you. I want you to stay here.”
“But I can help,” she says and I have a hard time imagining how she could possibly be a help in this. She’d be far more of a hindrance since I’d have to be looking out for her the entire time.
Still, not wanting to come across like a prick, I entertain her idea. “Okay, how can you help us, honey?”
With her hand on the wall, she feels her way over to a chair and sits down. She’s still not entirely sure of the layout of my house yet.
“I have a couple of other abilities as well as my visions,” she replies and my curiosity piques.
I fold my arms. “I’m all ears.”
&
nbsp; She runs a finger back and forth over the hem of her top. “I can interfere with people’s emotions, so if the crowd becomes incensed I’ll be able to calm them.”
“Well, that certainly sounds like it could come in handy,” I agree. “What else can you do?”
“Um, well, that’s all actually,” she answers, sheepish. “Perhaps I exaggerated a little when I said a couple.”
“How many people can you affect with this…ability?”
“A lot. Maybe a hundred at most.”
I lean back against the counter and tap my boot on the floor, considering it. Calming down a hundred people might not be everyone, but it would still make a big difference if things happen to turn sour. The population has been damaged enough in the past few weeks, we don’t need any further casualties.
“And what if you get separated from me and Ira? How will you defend yourself?”
She chews on her lip. “You could give me one of those knives over there?”
“You can’t see. How did you know…?”
“I could hear you moving them around,” she quickly explains and I grin.
“Good hearing.”
“So, can I come?” she asks hopefully.
I sigh, having no clue why this girl would even want to come. If I had my choice I’d be back in bed catching another forty winks.
“Okay, then. But you need to stick by me at all times. Understood?”
She smiles. “Understood.”
“I’m not sure this is wise,” says Ira as he slides a gun into one side of his shoulder holster and then a second into the other side.
“I’ll keep her safe,” I tell him and then we resume to silently arm ourselves.
Before we leave I take a piece of chalk and draw a circle on my door. I don’t want anyone mistaking my house for a vamp den, even though I’ve played host to my fair share of fangs in recent weeks. Oh, how my once immovable stance against them has been moulded to make allowances. I feel like I’ve sold out. Then again, my choices have been kind of limited.
Once we’re all ready to go we hop in the van and drive into the city centre. Along the way, every house I see has a big white chalk circle on the door and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people walking in the same direction that I’m driving. I have to park a distance away from Campion Row, because there’s far too much foot traffic clogging up the roads as well as the pathways. When I get out I take Allora’s hand into mine and we walk. I stop when my phone rings to pull it out of my pocket. Tegan’s name shows up on the screen.
“Hold on a second. I have to take this,” I say to Allora and Ira before I answer.
“Well, I’ve never known you to be an early bird,” I chirp in greeting. “Perhaps Cristescu’s a good influence after all.”
“Shut up, Finn,” she replies and I can hear the annoyance in her tone. “Where are you?”
I cock an eyebrow when I take note of the noise in the background on her end. “Where are you?”
“I’m at the top of the Blackfield monument. There are so many people here, Finn. I’m worried.”
Oh, you silly, silly girl. I tighten my jaw. “Are you alone?”
“Yeah.”
“Stay where you are. I’ll be five minutes.”
It actually takes us closer to ten minutes to find Tegan because of the crowds. We climb the steps and I give her my most disapproving look.
“What?” she asks and there’s just the tiniest sliver of guilt in her voice. “I had to come. Rita could be here.”
“Yeah, of course you did. Where’s Cristescu?”
Her mouth tightens. “Still asleep. He doesn’t know I’m here.”
I whistle. “He’s not going to like it when he finds out.”
“If he finds out,” she corrects me. “And he won’t if I have anything to do with it.”
“He’ll know. Have you forgotten how he read me yesterday? The guy has a flipping radar for thoughts now, and we have you to thank for it.”
I turn from her and guide Allora over to sit down on a step.
“It’s not a bad thing. I think he’s going to rule the vampires right,” says Tegan.
I instantly shush her, eyes shifting to the people standing close by. “Less of the ‘v’ word around here, please. Unless it’s vagina. You can say vagina all you want.”
Allora’s mouth quirks in an almost smile and I smile back at her even though she can’t really see me.
Tegan rolls her eyes. “You should have seen him speak to them last night at the Market Below. It was an eye opener. They all really respect him, I could tell. It’s not like it was with Whitfield. Ethan is going to be a different kind of ruler.”
I stare at her cynically. “I’ll believe that when I see it. And what, pray tell, did you think you were playing at going to the Market Below? It’s…vagina central and you might as well be their favourite kind of candy.”
“Ethan brought me. I knew nothing would happen if I was with him.”
“Oh, because he’s just such a big swooning hunk of manliness,” I say sarcastically.
She grins. “That’s one reason, yes. Oh, and you better not refer to him as a vagina to his face. I don’t think that would end well.”
“When people tell me not to say things, it kind of makes me want to do the opposite.”
Tegan groans. “Don’t I know it.”
A silence falls between us as I sit beside Allora and begin to scan the gathered crowds for any early signs of disruption. There’s certainly a restless tension in the air. These people really want to burn themselves some vampires.
I glance at Tegan to see her twisting a strand of hair between her fingers. I’ve noticed this is something she does when she’s anxious.
“You really think Cristescu is going to be a good ruler?” I ask inquisitively.
“Yeah,” she answers, her eyes on the crowd below rather than on me. “I do.”
“Hmm, well, I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“The day is going to come when you’ll eat your words, Finn Roe,” she says, turning to me now with a face on her like she knows it all and I let her have the final say. I have more important things to focus on.
As I watch the mass of people, I see movement up ahead and I pinpoint Theodore and Rita walking hand in hand right into the middle of the crowd. They’re dressed all wrong again, in clothes that belong to a preacher and his daughter, rather than an evil sorcerer and his newly-turned-evil progeny.
Theodore has a loudspeaker in his hand and he lifts it to his mouth to address the crowd.
“Thank you all for coming. Before the day is through we will have purged the vampire infestation from Tribane for good. Now, to get down to business, I have a number of instructions. I want you to divide yourselves into four groups. Those standing to the North and those standing to the East of me will visit the homes on the North side of the city. Those standing to the South and the West of me will visit the homes on the South side of the city. Leave no stone unturned. Right now there are maps being distributed among you with clearly defined markings for all residential areas. When you discover a house without a chalk circle, do not knock on any doors or give any signs that you are there. Set fire to the residence and leave immediately. The vampires will be too deep in slumber to notice the fire until it is too late.”
I watch as several individuals move through the throngs, handing out small maps. I recognise one of them as Marcel and my blood boils. I used to know this man, used to be on reasonably friendly terms with him, and although I knew he was capable of a lot, I didn’t think he would be capable of this. This is pseudo-genocide, no matter what way you want to spin it.
Theodore designates leaders for each of the four groups, taking charge of the North group for himself. He and Rita lead the people away from Campion Row, an eerie death by fire parade.
“We’ll follow Theodore’s group,” I say pulling my hood up over my head. I can’t risk being recognised. At the same time Tegan pulls a small cap and Ray B
an sunglasses from her bag and puts both on. Ira’s already wearing a black beanie. I’m not sure if Allora will be recognised, but since Michael Ridley is a follower of Theodore’s he could be around here somewhere. Pulling her up from the step and standing in front of her, I tuck her long ponytail inside the blue sweatshirt she’s wearing and pull up her hood.
“Just a precaution,” I say leaning close to her ear and she nods in silent acquiescence.
When I pull back I notice Tegan watching us both with one eyebrow raised over her sunglasses and a smirk pulling at her lips.
“Got something to say?” I ask her.
“Nope. Nothing to say at all,” she answers with a cheeky lilt in her voice.
I take Allora’s hand and together the four of us blend into the crowd. All around me I can hear stories about Theodore spreading like wildfire. Stories of which not a single one is true. Each one shows him as some sort of saint-like character. The most prominent is that he’s a widowed doctor who spends most of his time providing free medical treatments for the poor. What a crock.
“I don’t doubt it,” says one woman to her friend as they walk close to me. “I like to think you can always judge a person from their eyes, and Mr Girard has the kindest eyes I’ve ever seen.”
I do my best to hold in a derisive laugh. More like the craziest eyes she’s ever seen.
“He’s done such good for the city by organising all of this. I think he should be voted in as Mayor once the vampires are all killed,” says the other woman.
Okay, I can’t contain my laugh this time. Both women give me brief dirty looks before continuing with their Theodore Girard panegyric. When we reach the first residential street, not a single house is without a chalk circle on the door. The people mumble about it being a good, respectable area, which explains why there are no vampires living there.
I feel like telling them that I happen to know for a fact that vamps live in some of the most respectable areas in the city, but I hold my tongue. We’re on the fourth street now and still no circle-less homes have been found. A restlessness begins to takeover and people are getting suspicious. Theodore stands at the forefront of what I have begun to refer to in my head as the Death March, and informs everyone not to worry, that they just haven’t reached any vampire homes yet.
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