Reborn by Blood

by Richard Murray

  Beth was standing a metre away from me and holding on to what looked to be a broom. She was poking me in the chest with the end.

  “What are you doing?” I asked wearily.

  “Sorry mate. You still have those fangs out and I didn’t want you waking up and trying to take a bite. This seemed like the safest way to wake you.” She said with a wide grin that exposed her teeth.

  “What happened to the Werewolf?”

  “It’s gone to lick its wounds I reckon.” She said.

  “Oh?” I asked curiously, “It could have finished us easily.”

  “I don’t think so. You did some damage with your knife and I got lucky with mine. I caught its eye.” She said proudly. “After that it yelped and growled tried to stand on all four legs but it couldn’t, so it limped off.”

  “Well done you.” I said with feeling, “You kicked ass. Now all we need to do is get the package and we can be done with this whole nonsense.”

  “If I help you up, you won’t drink my blood will you?”

  “I don’t think so.” I said truthfully. I hurt and I was still leaking my precious life fluid but I felt that I could contain my need for blood for a little while at least. “Best be quick though.”

  “Come on then” she said as she tossed the broom carelessly to the ground and threw one arm around my shoulders to help me rise.

  “I can’t believe you got away without a scratch” I said with a shake of my head.

  “I’m too pretty to be hurt.” She said with an infectious laugh. “Besides, you’ll be fine.”

  We staggered across the yard to the house and were stopped once again by the barrier over the doorway.

  “What the hell?” Beth said.

  “Drop me here and you go in and have a look around.” I said and she grunted agreement before letting me drop painfully to the ground.

  I sat on the doorstep and leant back against the invisible barrier as I tried to will away the pain of my injuries. I could hear the occasional bang and grunt coming from inside the house as Beth searched.

  “Nothing in here.” She said as she returned to the doorway.

  “Bugger. What now?” I asked.

  “Now we get you some blood and then pay a visit to our friendly neighbourhood witch.” Beth said, “Maybe she will have an idea what to do.”

  “I’m running out of time.”

  “I know mate. It’s fine. Think you can make it back to the car?”

  “Do I have any choice?”

  “Not really” she said with another low laugh as she picked up the silver knives from where she had left them beside the door and helped me to my feet.

  We walked slowly down the dirt track towards the main road and Beth’s car. When we reached it she instructed me to lie on the back seat as she covered me with a ratty old blanket that she kept in the boot for emergencies.

  “Stay under there. If anyone see’s me driving around with a man covered in blood they’ll be questions I don’t want to answer.” She said as she started the engine.

  I grunted something noncommittal and lay back beneath the blanket and listened to the sound of Beth singing quietly as she drove along. She actually had a pleasant singing voice and had once been in the school choir. She had never told me why she quit and I had never asked.

  Eventually she came to a stop and with a brief command to stay quiet and stay hidden she left the car and I was alone. I waited beneath the blanket unable to sleep with the pain and wondering where the hell she had gone for ten minutes before the car door opened again.

  “Here, sit up.” She said.

  “Where’ve you been?” I asked as I pulled myself awkwardly into a sitting position.

  “Got you some blood.” She said as she handed me over a plastic container.

  I looked at it curiously before opening it. The container looked much like the ones that milk came in but instead of being white, it was a deep red. I unscrewed the lid and the rich coppery scent of blood wafted out.

  “Where did you get this?” I asked.

  “Abattoir just up the road” she said with a wave, “It cost us some more of the cash Sebastian gave you and I think its cow blood, but it should heal you up.”

  “Thanks.” I said and meant it. I raised the container to my lips and paused, “I don’t suppose you could not watch me drink it, could you?” I asked.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know, it just feels a bit weird.” I said.

  “Baby! Fine, you drink and I’ll drive.” She said with a giggle as she turned around and started the engine. I took a long swallow of the blood and tried not to gag on the sour taste. It was definitely not the same as human blood but after the first couple of swallows I could feel my thirst lessen along with the pain from my wounds.

  By the time we reached the Magik Earth shop, I had drunk half of the blood and my wounds were mostly healed. I could still see angry red scars on the skin but the pain was almost gone and I could move the fingers of my right hand again.

  We parked up and I left the blood in the boot before we made our way across to the shop. Dawn was approaching and already a few cars were passing us by and I was very aware of the bloodstained clothing I was wearing.

  The door to the shop was locked and a sign declared it closed but Beth took full advantage of the buzzer and kept her finger pressed on it until a light appeared in the shop window above us.

  “Great, all we need tonight is an angry witch you have just woken up.” I said and received a wide grin in return.

  An annoyed Anna open the door dressed in a pink bath robe and her hair was tied up in a bun. She peered at us over her glasses and raised an eyebrow.

  “What on earth do you want at this time in the morning?” she asked.

  “We need some help.” Beth said, “Please.”

  Anna stared at us for several long seconds and I was acutely conscious of how much attention she was giving my ragged and blood covered clothing.

  “Come on in.” She sighed.

  We followed her up the stairs and through the shop. I paused by the doorway to the back room and Anna noticed.

  “Don’t worry, the spell won’t activate this time.” She said with a wry smile.

  “Good to know.” I muttered as I stepped tentatively through the doorway.

  When nothing untoward happened I felt myself relax and joined the others. Beth sat on the couch while Anna took the same seat as last time. I sat beside Beth listened quietly as she told Anna what had happened at the farmhouse.

  “Of course you couldn’t enter” Anna said, “No Vampire can enter any persons home unless invited. The Werewolf would have known that and made sure the owner was still alive.”

  “But Ray found the family in the barn” Beth said.

  “No, I found some of the family. I never saw the wife. If her name was on the property deed with her husband then she would be the owner.”

  “Then she could be alive somewhere on the farm.” Anna said, “You need to go back and find her”

  She seemed to be looking at me when she said that as if gauging my reaction and so I just nodded agreeably.

  “It’s the right thing to do.” I said.

  “As if you care about that.” Anna cackled.

  “No, I don’t but I am trying to.”

  “Good enough I suppose. Now who told you that the Werewolf was there?”

  “Some old guy called Randall.” Beth said.

  “Randall! Well then, what did you do in return for that information?” Anna asked. “Not that it matters I suppose. What’s done is done.”

  “So do you know how we can find Sebastian’s package?” I asked. “If I don’t find it soon...” I left the rest unsaid.

  “The Werewolf would have had no need for the item in that package. The only reason he would have taken it would be to deny it to Sebastian or because someone else wanted it.” Anna said musingly.

  “How would the Werewolf even know I had it?” I asked.

  “Oh an
y number of ways. My guess is that the wolf was watching the shop waiting either for someone to collect it or for an opportunity to steal it.” Anna said.

  “What is it that Sebastian wants so badly?” Beth asked and Anna sighed as she sank back into her chair. For the first time since I had met her she looked frail and old.

  “The package contains a key.” She said and held up her hand as I opened my mouth to speak. “It’s not an actual key; it is a mystical key of sorts. It is a small hand mirror. Simple, innocuous and imbued with so much old magic that it will allow the bearer to walk through any spell of protection or barrier.”

  “And why is that so important to him?” Beth asked quietly.

  “Yes, what use would it be to a Vampire who needs an invite to enter a home?” Anna mused with a wry smile.

  “You gave him an item that would allow him to enter any home at will. Isn’t that dangerous?” I asked, “Won’t that put people at danger?”

  “Probably but it was the price I had to pay and I cannot change that now.” Anna said with the same look of sorrow she had worn that last time we had been here. “I do not know what he will do with it but I can only hope that it isn’t used for evil.”

  “Wait a second.” I said, “How come Sebastian could just walk into Beth’s flat and beat the crap out of me without an invite?”

  “He is your sire. Anywhere you are invited, so is he by default.” Anna said.

  “Great.”

  “So how do we find it?” Beth asked.

  Anna paused as if considering what she would say before finally rising and crossing the room. She disappeared through a door that led further into the private rooms and returned minutes later.

  “This will help you find it.” She said as she handed Beth a small piece of pale green crystal that hung from a silver chain.

  “How will it help?”

  “I am not a total fool. I would not give something dangerous to Sebastian without a way of locating it and taking it back.” Anna said quietly with a glance towards me. “I can only hope that you won’t tell him this.”

  “Don’t worry about that. I have no intention of doing anything for him that he doesn’t force me to do.” I said and she smiled.

  “Let us hope that it is enough.”

  “How does this work?” Beth asked as she studied the crystal.

  “Hold it in one hand and raise it above the other.” Anna said, “Then concentrate on the mirror, you don’t need to know what it looks like for this, the crystal is attuned to only one mirror.”

  We watched as Beth did as instructed. She held out her left hand palm up and dangled the crystal from the chain above it, so that the crystal swung just above the centre of her palm. She stared at the dangling crystal with a frown appearing on her face as she concentrated and slowly the crystal began to move.

  With a small yelp of alarm, Beth watched in shock as the crystal swung north and hung in the air, held in place by the chain she held much like an overenthusiastic dog pulling at its leash.

  “The crystal will point towards the mirror and you simply have to follow it.” Anna said and I sensed more than a little smugness. She was pleased with her work.

  “We best go and find it then.” I said, “Though perhaps a change of clothes would be useful for me first.”

  Beth glanced across at my bloodstained clothing and nodded. “We need to head back to the farmhouse first and find the wife. She must be alive somewhere.” She said and Anna nodded approvingly as a phone started to ring somewhere in the back rooms.

  We were just saying our farewells to Anna when her granddaughter rushed into the room. She paused briefly when she saw us and pulled her robe tightly around herself.

  I couldn’t help but admire how it clung to her curves as she passed and my gaze followed her. Beth caught my eye and grinned as she shook her head and mouthed ‘no chance.’

  “Grandma, Ruth just called. Something terrible has happened and they need you.” Tempest said.

  “What has happened child?”Anna asked in alarm and Tempest glanced back at us questioningly, “Oh don’t worry about them, you can speak freely.”

  “The grave has been defiled.” Tempest said in a hushed voice and I could sense the emotion she was trying to contain.

  “Who would dare?” Anna demanded, “You must excuse me,” She said to Beth and me, “I must deal with this.”

  “What’s going on?” Beth asked as Anna dashed from the room.

  “Someone has defiled the grave of someone important.” Tempest said quietly, “It could only have been done to hurt us.”

  “Us?”

  “The witches” Tempest said, “The grave belonged to Alexandra the founder of the current Supernatural Council.”

  “What the hell is a Supernatural Council” I asked as Beth’s eyebrows rose in alarm, I tried to catch her eye.

  “The Council are the leaders of the Supernatural community here in England.” Tempest said, “How can you not know that?” she asked me.

  “Sorry, I’ve been a Vampire about a week now. I don’t know squat about anything.”

  “Alexandra was born during the wars between our kind, while humans were persecuting us and the hunters were killing any Supernatural being despite their being good or evil.” Tempest explained, “She ended the wars and rivalries. She established peace with the human government and allowed us to live openly with other Supernatural’s.”

  “There’s a community?” I asked with surprise.

  “Of course and as with any community we have rules. The Council ensures that we are protected and can live without fear.” Tempest said.

  “So who would defile the grave and why?” I asked.

  “The most likely ones are the Vampires” she said with an accusatory look towards me, “They have been chafing for a long time about only being on the Council and not running it like the witches do.”

  “Anna is a Council member?” Beth asked as she glanced back towards the door the old lady had run through.

  “Yes, she is.” Tempest said, “Look, I’m sorry but I have things to do now.”

  “Yeah that’s fine, we’ll let ourselves out.” Beth said as she grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the exit.

  As soon as we were out of the front door she swung to me. “Oh fuck, tell me that wasn’t the grave we dug up.”

  “Sorry, it would be a hell of a coincidence if it wasn’t.” I said quietly.

  “Should we tell them?”

  “Not a chance.” I said emphatically. “We need to just let them deal with it while we get the package for Sebastian.”

  “Fine.” She said with a sigh, “We need to go to the farmhouse first and check for the wife.”

  “Lead the way” I said with a sigh of my own. It seemed that we had unwittingly done something potentially catastrophic and pissed off a ruling body that we knew nothing about. The one thing I was certain about was that telling anyone we were involved would be a really bad idea.

  Chapter 16

  We drove all the way up to the front yard of the farm and parked beside the battered Ford. The sun was already well above the horizon and I was back to wearing shades with my hood pulled low over my eyes.

  “You waiting here?” Beth asked.

  “Nah, I’ll wait by the door. When you find the wife you can get her to invite me in.”

  We trudged across the yard and Beth pushed open the door and stepped inside, leaving me standing outside the house looking in. I couldn’t see much more than the usual appliances you see in any kitchen and soon grew bored.

  I pressed my hands against the invisible barrier and leant my weight against it. After several seconds with no noticeable movement of the barrier I gave up and leant back against it as I studied the farm yard.

  The battered ford had several dark crimson streaks down the side and the roof had a large indentation from where my body had hit it after the Werewolf flung me around like a chew toy. In fact, I could see numerous splashes of blood all around the court
yard, both mine and the wolfs.

  It slowly dawned on me that I would need to clean up the yard and wash away any of my blood. Once the farmwife was freed she would call the police who would look inside the barn and see the mutilated remains of the farm animals and the rest of the family. It wouldn’t take long for them to get the forensics people out and tie my blood to the old man who was attacked beneath the bridge.

  I was deep in contemplation as I planned on our next move when the barrier gave way and I found myself falling backwards into the house. I landed with a heavy thump and a yelp of pain on the tile floor.

  “You’re invited in.” Beth called from further in the house.

  “Yeah, thanks I noticed.” I muttered as I pulled myself to my feet and went in search of Beth.

  The farmhouse was quiet and in a state of disarray that I could only attribute to Beth’s search for the package earlier. Cupboard doors hung open and books had been pulled off of the lone bookshelf in the living room. The couch cushions had been hauled off and thrown about the room and family pictures had been ripped from the wall. With no sign of Beth on the ground floor I headed upstairs.

  “In the attic.” Beth called as I reached the landing at the top of the stairs.

  A hatch in the ceiling had been pushed open and a ladder pulled down so I quickly climbed up into the darkened ceiling space.

  “Help me with her.” Beth demanded as I looked around.

  It was a remarkably clutter free attic, a few cardboard boxes stacked neatly in one corner and a single light bulb hung from the ceiling provided a small amount of light. Floorboards had been laid down to facilitate moving around without falling through the ceiling into the rooms below and Beth sat beside a bound woman as she worked to untie her.

  I hooked my fingers beneath the rough rope that bound her wrists and pulled. The rope snapped surprisingly easily and I quickly did the same to the rope that held her ankles together.