by Chanel Smith
Another vampire.
But the woman's teeth changed. A deep growl rose from her throat. Her face began to change. It was not a great change, but it was there. Her face became longer and her hands changed into padded claws.
Controlled change. Veronica ripped open the top of her coat and pulled the katana.
The woman's head came forward. The mouth open and the fiercely sharp teeth sank into Veronica Melbourne's wrist.
The huntress cried in pain and her hand went limp. The half drawn katana sank back into the scabbard. Before she could recover, a paw swept against the side of her head. Her vision went. Everything was blurred. She just saw the teeth coming for her. They were going straight for the jugular. She raised her left hand and slammed her fist into the side of the woman's head. The head pulled away. But a paw followed it and this time Veronica went down. She slumped and began to fall. The last she remembered was someone grabbing her before she hit the snowy pavement and then everything was dark.
Chapter Two
When Veronica Melbourne came round, she was tied up and suspended from thick old heating pipes. Her hands were cuffed and raised above her head by thick chains. Her feet were chained to the pipes and her waist and thighs were shackled to the wall.
She blinked and softly shook her head, trying to clear her vision. She pulled at every chain in turn, but they were too strong. She hung limp and tried to calm down. She tried relaxing her hand and pulling it through the cuff, but it was tight around her wrist.
She began to make an attempt to remember what exactly had happened, but it was vague. She knew she had been knocked out. What had caused it or how it had happened, she did not know.
“Oh look, our new pet has woken up,” a cold female voice said.
Veronica looked in the direction where the voice had come from. It was the woman from the street. She stood there in skin tight jeans, boots and a tank top. Her long blonde hair hung over her shoulders and framed her round face. As she stood looking at the vampire, another woman walked up and stood next to her.
Whereas the woman from the street was pale and blonde, the second was a brunette with tanned skin. She was dressed in much the same manner, but on her hip, she wore what looked to Veronica like a MP-443 Grach pistol.
“Welcome, Miss Melbourne,” the woman said. She looked very happy, but that expression scared Veronica even more than the gun on her hip.
“Where am I?” Veronica asked. “And who the fuck are you?”
“Who we are is not important,” the woman with the gun answered.
“The fuck it isn't.”
The woman laughed. “I am Vera and this delightful lady is called Ursula.”
“What? No last names? You're not going to tell me where you're from?” Veronica was making snide remarks and trying to come off as tough as she could but in her head, she was close to panicking. She had been in desperate situations before, but this time, she was helpless, and there were others to worry about too. “You're walking all alone as well, I take it?”
Ursula stepped forward, she held a wooden stake. “Listen, pet, you'd better pipe down, or I might be tempted to use this before the boss gets here.”
Veronica snickered. “Your boss? So you do have a boss, then? I did think you two were too stupid to operate alone.”
Keep them talking, keep them on their toes, keep them angry.
Ursula came forward, but Vera held her arm in front of her to stop her.
“Is your teddy bear getting upset now?” Veronica poked at her.
Ursula growled. It was that deep growl from the street again. And suddenly Veronica remembered what had happened in the street. She recalled the big paw slamming into her head and the deep growl and the large teeth. “Ursula, eh?”
The blonde woman grinned. “Figured that out, did you?”
Veronica blinked.
“Now that's a novelty... I didn't even know it was a thing.”
Ursula opened her mouth to talk, but a man's voice cut her short.
“It is hardly a new thing, and I reckon you know why you are here.”
A small, slight man came from the shadows at the back of the large room. He was a dark man with a pale face. He looked sickly, but he seemed to have vigor.
“Now, who the fuck are you?”
The man let out a small laugh. “I think you know that already, Miss Melbourne. I have been keeping an eye on you.”
Veronica gave him a blank look.
“I am still very interested in a couple of people of your acquaintance.” The man came closer and stopped just in front of her. “I would like to know exactly where they are.”
Veronica snorted. “I have no idea who or what you're talking about.”
The man laughed again. “Well, if you won't tell me, I will find out for myself. Without you, they are sitting ducks anyway. It shouldn’t be a problem getting to them with you so easily removed from the picture.”
***
It was evening again and Anastasia and Alexei could not stop themselves. Alexei particularly was keen to go to the Hermitage museum. Kullervo was asleep and they broke their day’s fast by sinking their fangs into the neck of the man he had brought along. There were small red marks on his neck, as they did not heal as well after a night of being fed on by three vampires.
They grabbed a stack of rubles from the table where Kullervo had left the money and went out.
The Hermitage was in the main hall of the Winter Palace, and Alexei got more excited the closer they got. Most people visiting the venue got excited about the artwork on display, but not Alexei. They crossed the palace square and went to the entrance. Anastasia pulled out the money and asked for tickets. The man at the entrance frowned for a moment, it was getting late and almost completely dark already; he wasn’t sure about admitting any further guests, especially two children without an adult chaperone. But Anastasia was charming. Her Russian was old fashioned and with a hint of a French accent. It took the man a moment to figure out what she said. He looked at both of them and tried to gauge their age.
“You're under eighteen?”
“I am seventeen. My brother is fourteen.”
The man looked at them both for a moment. Alexei glowered at him, but Anastasia smiled gently and twirled her hair seductively.
“You can just go in.” The guard nodded. There was a strange look in his eyes and he could barely stop himself looking at Anastasia. She did not notice it.
Inside the hall, Alexei stood breathlessly. Anastasia laid her hand on his shoulder.
“Welcome home, brother.”
Alexei grinned broadly. He turned around and hugged his sister.
“Welcome home, sister.”
***
Kullervo woke up and the first thing he noticed was that the two Romanov children were gone. He worried for a moment, but he had more important things to think about. Veronica Melbourne had not returned from her scouting and his prisoner seemed weak and slipping out of the spell he had put him under. He found some rope and made the man sit down on a chair. He tied him to the chair and set about making some food for himself in the small kitchen. He had brought some steak for himself the other day and he seared the meat, leaving the inside bloody. When he was done, he sat down opposite the prisoner.
He ate slowly, waiting for the man to come out of the trance. It did not take long.
“Kalervon Kullervo,” the man growled as he came round. The name came from his lips in a perfect Karelian accent.
“Andrei Yakovich Sverdlov,” Kullervo spoke in perfect Russian. “How are you, my old friend?”
Andrei moved his head and noticed the stiff skin at the side of his neck. He could not see it, but he knew what had caused it. “So they fed on me, eh?”
“They were hungry, and I thought they could use a snack.” There was a cold ferocity in the way Kullervo spoke now. “So when I saw the grandson of their would-be killer snooping around, I knew I would have to bring you back here for them to feast on.”
&
nbsp; Andrei snorted. “Yeah, that sounds exactly like something that you would do. You always were a cold bastard.”
Kullervo's look shot daggers at him. There were few who insulted him and got away with it. He was a good-natured man most of the time, but could fly into the biggest rages when provoked.
“See, what I'm wondering about more than that,” Andrei continued, “is why you are protecting these kids now? I mean, you were there during the revolution, you could have done something then, but you didn't. You let their family be killed in front of their eyes and you left them to die. Took some goddamned vampire to give them eternal life in a weak feat to stop them from being wiped from the face of the earth.”
“You know nothing of anything.”
Andrei laughed. “I know a lot. I know your friend is with my father now and I know those damned kids are at the Hermitage.”
Kullervo did not react.
“I was always a good scryer you know.”
“That's why you've always done well in the KGB.”
Andrei laughed. “Too bad I never managed to use those abilities to find you. Your feud with my father would have been over very quickly.”
“Your father killed a lot of my people before he even got to killing the tsar and his family.”
Another laugh from Andrei. “I did too. Very nice to hunt in those woods up there.”
Kullervo calmly set down his plate and stood. With a sudden growl, he took a swing. His fist hit the Russian in the face and blood spurted from his mouth and nose. The man shook his head and looked down, watching the blood trickle onto his shirt and seeing the drops of blood on the carpet. He ran his tongue along his teeth, stopping at one that was loose. “You're growing old, Kullervo. There were days when you would have killed me with a single blow.”
“So where is that friend of mine then?” Kullervo squatted in front of the man.
Andrei laughed again. “Probably the same place as the tsarevich and his sister will be soon.”
Kullervo bared his teeth and sprang up. His fist slammed into Andrei's temple and immediately his eyes closed and his head dropped forward.
It took Kullervo a moment to find his composure, but then the threat sank in. He swore loudly and he ran to the door. He needed to get to the Hermitage before it was too late.
***
A tour guide came up to Anastasia and Alexei.
“Would you like a tour of the palace?” she asked. “We are always happy to let kids see the rest. It is a huge part of our history.”
“Please,” Alexei said immediately. The moment the woman turned, he followed her. Anastasia was not too sure about it. The tour guide seemed much too keen to show them around. But she followed too, not wanting to leave her little brother.
They went through a side door and ended up in a hall that had Alexei in rapture. He had been a very small boy when he was last in this palace, but it seemed the ancient memories came flooding back into his brain. The tour guide explained about every important aspect of the room and Alexei was glued to her every word.
They went from room to room. Anastasia too was overwhelmed with memories and emotions, but she kept her feet firmly planted on the ground. Alexei seemed to be floating on air. They ran up the stairs and looked at one of the old bedrooms. It was striking that it had been so well preserved. The Bolsheviks had sacked most places, but it seemed they had not been so barbaric as to destroy everything of beauty.
The guide led them through another door on the upper floor of one of the wings of the palace and they stood in the middle of a large round room.
“Are you enjoying the tour so far, Alexei Nicholaevich?”
“I am,” the boy said happily. Then he looked up at the woman in shock. “How...”
“I have known all along. Welcome home, Your Imperial Highness, Alexei Nicholaevich Romanov, Tsarevich of Russia.” The guide turned to Anastasia. “And welcome home to Your Imperial Highness Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov, Grand Duchess of Russia.”
Anastasia immediately turned and ran. But before she could reach the door, she became aware of the shapes of several bodies coming out of the shadows of the room. Alexei still stood nailed to the ground. He was frozen in shock. She stopped short of the door and turned around. She stood still, her head held high. Suddenly she was no longer a scared teenage girl, she was a Grand Duchess of the Russian Empire. “Who are you?”
The woman laid her hand on Alexei's shoulder. “My name is Ida Averbach. I have been asked to make sure you get to where you should be.”
Alexei tried to turn and twist away from her grip. The grip of her hand was iron. He bared his fangs and bit down, but for some reason he could not penetrate her skin.
“And where is it we are supposed to be?” Anastasia asked calmly.
“Hell, of course.” Ida Averbach smiled at her.
Chapter Three
Kullervo ran across the bridge as fast as he could. He ran through the streets, pushing people aside, trying to get to the Winter Palace as fast as he could. Something told him Andrei had not been bluffing. He knew he had to get to the Romanov kids as soon as he could. He ran through the palace square and stormed through the gate. He ignored the protest of the guard and ran on. In the middle of the hall, he stopped. He sniffed the air and turned left. He pushed the door open and entered the wing of the palace where he smelled Anastasia and Alexei. He ran up the stairs and threw open his long leather coat to draw his long sword.
The sword was ancient and magical; it shone brightly in the light of the chandeliers. The snake-like pattern on the blade was clear in the etchings and the gold on the pommel and the hilt was thin but gleaming. It lay perfectly in his hand and it had been with him since he was a slave child. It had served him in many ventures and it would serve him again.
Kullervo rammed his shoulder against another door and he saw the congregation there. In a reflex, he veered right to the wall and slashed the sword across the face of one of the attackers. Anastasia shrieked and dropped to the marble floor. Kullervo ran on, thrusting the tip of his blade into the stomach of another man. He ripped the blade free and made for the woman holding the tsarevich.
But Ida Averbach turned the boy and held him between herself and the Elder Were. A knife appeared in her hand and she held it close to the boy's throat. Kullervo stopped. The blade shone more than one of mere steel would do. It was silver. It would kill the tsarevich.
“Hey pooch.” The woman grinned at Kullervo. “Glad you could join us. But you're a bit late. We will be leaving now.” Slowly she began backing toward the window. “Open it.”
There was one man left with her and he opened the window for her. Ida Averbach stepped up on the ledge and pulled Alexei with her.
“No!” Anastasia raised herself off the ground.
“So sorry to leave you already. I would have liked to take you both with me, but alas, it seems I might just have to settle for your little brother.”
Alexei struggled and tried to bite her again. She slapped his head in return.
“We'll be leaving you now,” Ida Averbach said calmly. She stepped backward and pulled Alexei with her. Anastasia screamed, knowing they would fall. But Alexei and the woman did not fall down. She hung in the air, Alexei held tight against her. Anastasia blinked and when she opened her eyes again, they were gone.
Anastasia sank back onto the marble and looked blankly ahead.
“What... who...” she began.
Kullervo walked up to the window and looked out. They were gone. He turned on the last man by the side of the window and raised his sword, but the man ran and he did not follow him. It would be futile.
“Did she say where they were going?” His voice was gruff and his eyes ablaze with a silent fury. He looked at the bloodied sword and looked around the large room. There was no one left there. Only the dead bodies by the far wall, bleeding out onto the floor and the seventeen year old vampiress with her face buried in her hands.
Anastasia's eyes teared up. Her brother was go
ne. She did not know what was happening, apart from that someone had just abducted her brother. They had been through so much and had been so happy to return to St. Petersburg. But now everything was wrong. Everything was completely messed up.
Kullervo bared his teeth and looked at her. He said nothing. He would ask her his questions later, when she was in a better state to deal with them. He sat down and crossed his legs, laid the blade over his knees and closed his eyes. He breathed deeply and tried to focus. He needed to know where Veronica Melbourne was. He needed to know now, so he would attempt to scry it. He would attempt to let his spirit fly to her and find her. But it would take all of his mental strength. It was the one magical skill he had never had patience to learn properly.
***
Veronica Melbourne rattled the chains that held her and screamed. Vera and Ursula had left, but she reckoned they were still nearby. She did not care whether they heard her or not. She was frustrated. Her job had been to protect Anastasia and Alexei and bring them to the Elders at Csejte Castle, but now she was a prisoner of someone she did not know. She did not know where the kids were and she did not know where the one person was who could help her.
It was a desperate situation. Veronica slumped again, hanging limply in the chains.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! was all she could think.
There was a noise from the far end of the room, but she could not see anything there or anyone move. It probably came from another room. She could see a door in the shadows at the end of the room, but she did not know where it would lead.
The door opened and the blonde woman, Ursula, came back in. She carried a baby's bottle. As she came closer, Veronica realized it was filled with blood.
Ursula held it up. “You're looking like you should feed, pet. So we'll feed you.”
Veronica pulled angrily at the chains. The blonde pushed the bottle against her lips. The blood was warm.
“All fresh,” Ursula said.
