by Art DeForest
I stared back at her in shock. “How did you know that? It’s not exactly common knowledge.” I said
“I’ve been around along time. Since I am so close to being a vampire myself, I try to keep an eye on the happenings in that world.” She smiled at me. “Besides, you should be proud that you were able to get away from that monster.”
I tried to smile back and feel proud of that accomplishment, but it was hard for me. I’d always felt there was something lacking in me that allowed my capture in the first place. I know that’s not a terribly rational thought. After all what teenage human girl ever, could kick a master vampire’s ass right? Rational or not though, it was the thought that had driven me all these years to become what I am. In that respect, it had served me well.
The three men standing around me all nodded in agreement. “Darius was one of the most powerful of our kind. Your accomplishment was truly remarkable.” said Deacon, looking at me with a soft smile of pride on his lips.
“Well, if the new vampire can be saved, then we must do what we can to accomplish that.” Said Jake. “We will have to be selective on who is allowed to patrol however. We wouldn’t want someone from Evan’s group to find it, for example.
“That’s for sure.” agreed Marcus. “If one of them were to find it, someone would end up dead for sure.”
Jake and Marcus started discussing who to put out on patrol. They tossed names back and forth for awhile as my eyes started to glaze over in boredom. I felt Sara reach out and touch my arm. Nodding her head in the direction of the swinging door to the back she said, “Let’s go back and visit your familiar while they hash out the details.”
Smiling broadly, I nodded in agreement. “That would be wonderful.” I replied. As we moved into the hallway, I swear I could tell exactly where Fangs was. It was like I could feel him in my mind. He was….annoyed. “I can feel him.” I said as we continued down the hall.
“Good” said Sara. “That means the bond has set. As you two get more used to it, the farther apart you will be able to be and still sense each other.
“Cool” I said as we entered a door further up the hall than the exam room I’d been in before. As I entered the room, Fangs came streaking across the room to jump full force into my arms. I caught him and almost fell to the ground as he rubbed his face ecstatically against mine, a deep rich purr coming from his throat. “Hey big boy!” I said, pretty ecstatic myself at how he was moving. “You must be feeling better.” My throat tightened with emotion as I cuddled him close to me. The tension inside me that I hadn’t even acknowledged, drained away as we re connected.
“Stupid cat, stupid cat.” came from up high in the corner of the room in a loud cawing voice. Looking over to a high perch, I saw a huge raven sitting there, eyeing us balefully.
“Kangee, that’s not very nice.” chided Sara, looking at the bird as she fully entered the room. The raven spread his wings to fly over, landing on her shoulder and rubbing his beak against her cheek. “Kaitlyn Strong, this is my familiar Kangee.” she smiled indulgently up at her companion. “He and Fangs have been getting acquainted.”
As if Kangee understood what Sara was saying, he looked over at Fangs, nestled in my arms. “Stupid cat,” he said once again. Fangs returned his stare and hissed spitefully.
“I see they’re getting along well.” I chuckled, moving a little further from Sara and Kangee. Just to be safe.
Sara smiled in reply. “Yes, there is a certain natural enmity there, but I’m sure they will overcome it in time.”
Kangee was a magnificent bird. By my estimation he stood over two feet tall and I guessed his wingspan at around six feet when he glided over to Sara’s shoulder. He also had a totally cool patch of white feathers in the center of his chest that set him apart from any other raven I’d seen.
We moved on into what appeared to be a sitting room or library. Making ourselves comfortable on a couple of overstuffed chairs, I looked down and scratched Fangs’ ears. “So he’s completely healed now?” I asked.
“All his injuries have healed. Some of the physical changes caused by the ritual will take some time to fully manifest themselves.” She considered the big cat taking up my lap completely as he curled up and continued purring at the fantastic ear rubbing he was getting. “He is already stronger than he’s ever been and that will increase more. I also expect he will become somewhat larger. Maybe as much as sixty pounds.” She said.
My eyes got large at that. “Wow, he did some pretty serious damage to one of the Abandonado vamps just before we flew out here. He still might not be able to kill a vampire, but I’m sure glad he’s on my side.” I said, hugging him close briefly.
Sara nodded her head in agreement, but she had a look of concern on her face. “I would hate to see him placed up against a foe of that caliber very often, but as an emergency back up I’m sure he will perform admirably.”
I looked at her solemnly. “I agree. When Darius hurt him, I thought my heart would break.” I smiled a bit at the memory though. “Of course, he hamstrung the bastard first to buy me some time. It might have been my imagination, but Fangs seemed to sit up a little and put on a regal, self satisfied air at my words. I just smiled at him and ruffled his ears.
We sat for awhile in companionable silence before a thought occurred to me. “You said we would be able to sense each other from farther and farther away as out bond settles in. What else can I expect?”
Sara tilted her head in thought her long black hair draping down over the opposite shoulder from where Kangee was perched. “You might find your senses somewhat sharpened.” she said tentatively. “I’m not sure how much, given that you already have heightened senses from being a vampire. I would imagine that your daytime vision will improve. I think that will come in handy as I can plainly see that you are walking the day.” Scrutinizing me a little she asked, “How are you feeling by the way.”
“Like the sun is trying to burn out my soul.” I said conversationally. “To be honest though, it doesn’t seem to be bothering me as much as it has in the past.” My eyes widened a bit as I considered what exactly I was feeling right then. It was really kind of amazing. Here I was sitting and having a conversation like a normal person as the sun rose ever higher in the sky. The pain was intense, but I didn’t feel like I was going to pass out. In the past, daylight had hit me hard. “What the heck?” I said suddenly. “I should be passed out dead for the day by now. Is that part of this bond with Fangs too?
“I believe so.” Said Sara. “I had hoped that would be the case, but I was unsure. As far as I know you are the first vampire to acquire a true familiar.” She nodded a bit as she continued to consider the situation. “The two of you share certain traits now. Fangs is as comfortable in the daylight as he is in the dark. Eventually, I believe you will share that part of his nature. To what extent I don’t know for sure, but it already seems to be helping.”
I nodded excitedly back at her. “This is so cool!” I bubbled. “The day after I commit to becoming a daywalker, I suddenly get the help I need to succeed. That’s quite a coincidence.” I said smiling happily.
Sara’s look became serious then. “It might be less of a coincidence than you believe.” She said, gazing speculatively off into nowhere.
“What do you mean?” I asked. I was a bit apprehensive of the look on her face.
“The spirits equip those they would use, to accomplish what is needed.” She said.
I shook my head in confusion. “I’m not sure what you mean.” I said, trying to understand.
“Let me tell you a bit of my own story by way of explanation.” she said as she relaxed further into her chair.
“Long ago the European explorers came to this land. Some were conquerors, some were simply explorers. Whichever they were however, they brought with them evil things from their homeland. Diseases like smallpox everyone knows about and they took a terrible toll on my people. What isn’t known of course, was that the monsters from Europe were also among
those explorers and conquerors. The lycan and the vampire came looking for new resources, the same as their compatriots.”
Sara stared off into space as if she were looking back in time. The room seemed to close in around us as I was drawn into her story.
“My people tried to fight back. We asked the spirit guides to aid us. We asked them to make us strong against the sickness and the monsters.”
“There was a particularly strong shaman in my village. His spirit guides told him a sacrifice was needed for the magic to aid us in our need. As you can probably tell, I am not of pure Native American blood. My mother was taken by some of the white invaders and used for their pleasure.” Shaking her head in sadness, she continued on. “I was the result of their brutality.”
“My people were not without their own faults and I was an outcast in my own village because of my tainted bloodline. For this reason the shaman chose me as the sacrifice. Looking back at it, I think he saw it as a symbolic purging of the European incursion.”
Looking up at me she smiled. “You see, there have been many of us who have been bound by the abuses of powerful men.” I nodded in agreement and felt the sense of kinship I had for Sara grow a bit stronger. “Also, like you, the plan of the man who bound me didn’t turn out as he expected.” She said as her grin became a bit smug at the memory.
“My arms and legs were tied to stakes in the middle of a ritual circle. I can remember the tribe’s elders dancing in a circle around me as the shaman chanted his plea to the spirits. When the power of the spirits was focused, he cut my wrist with a large obsidian knife and my lifeblood drained into a bowl. It was mixed with the blood of a wolf and also the blood of a raven to add even more power to the spell.”
“Knowledge that I’ve gained in the many years since that ritual, tells me that was where he made his mistake. Using the blood of sacred animals was not what the spirit guides wished, but the shaman, in his pride, sought to make himself all the more powerful from drinking the sacrificial blood.”
“He stood over me and raised the ceremonial bowl over his head while he continued to chant. It was at that moment that a raven flew out of the trees and knocked the bowl from his hand. The ceremonial blood spilled all over my face and body, a good deal of it made its way into my mouth. I couldn’t help but swallow, or choke to death.”
“I don’t remember much of what happened after that.” she said as she rose from her chair and walked over to a set of shelves with books and various nicknacks on it. “When I came back to myself, I was alone in the forest. There was dried blood all over me and I was holding this.” She said as she returned to her chair carrying the largest obsidian knife I had ever seen.
The blade had to have been fourteen or fifteen inches long and at least an inch thick. It had an inward curving edge similar to that of my kukri. The handle was a rounded continuation of the single large chunk of obsidian wrapped in well worn leather of some kind.
“It was the ceremonial knife the shaman used to cut me. I found out later, that I had burst my bonds and used his own blade to behead him after I drained him dry.” Sitting back down, she reached up to where her raven was sitting on the back of the chair and stroked the white mark on his chest softly. “Kanjee was sitting above me in a tree, keeping watch. We’ve been together ever since.”
Looking back at me once more she smiled earnestly. “I believe that the spirits gave me the abilities I needed to help my people to survive the diseases and monsters that the Europeans brought with them. My blood has healing properties. Communion with the spirits and many wise people have given me the knowledge to heal in more mundane ways. I also have all the powers of a vampire which enables me to fight the evil of your kind much like you do.”
I looked up as a thought occurred to me. “That’s why your guard was so unwilling to let us near you.” I said with conviction. “I bet you’ve made powerful enemies among the families over the years, simply by defending your people.”
Sara nodded in agreement. “That is true. The old and powerful still remember me. I have fought many battles with them and their minions over the centuries. As the vampires and lycans have evolved however, those battles have become less and less frequent.”
I nodded at that. “It took hundreds of years for vampires to care enough about each other to teach those that they made. The fact that you could gain far more energy over time by forming bonds and leaving your prey alive, was a jealously guarded secret among the powerful.
“Yet another reason the old ones despise me. I gave that secret away freely.” Said Sara smugly. Her expression became quizzical as she looked at me. “If I may ask, how many bonds to prey can you maintain?”
“I can keep eight bonds without any trouble.” I replied. “Past that and it takes a lot of concentration to maintain a bond.”
“That is a good number. You are stronger than the norm already.” She said. Rising once more, Sara went to a small refrigerator that sat unobtrusively in a corner. She pulled out a small glass bottle with a resealable top and opened it as she came back to her seat. The smell of fresh blood wafted deliciously my way as she approached. “How many bonds are you currently holding?” She asked.
“Six right at the moment. Two faded after my fight with Gino.”
“Gino?” she asked as her eyebrows rose in surprise. “As in Gino Abandonado? He’s here in Denver?”
“I’m sorry.” I said. “I didn’t get to that part of the story. He jumped me in Del Mar Park as we were looking for the new vampire. I cut off his hand and after Marcus came running up in battle form, he didn’t stick around to play.”
“Impressive” Sara said with a grin. “Gino and I have met before. He’s fairly old and not that easily bested.”
“Here, drink this slowly. It’s my own blend and it contains more than one bond.” She said, offering me the bottle.
I took a small sip from the bottle. “Hmmm, this isn’t human blood.” I said as I took another, larger sip. “It’s not half bad though.” I was somewhat surprised. I didn’t care for animal blood normally. As I thought about it though, my distaste came more from biting down on a furry animal than it was the actual taste.
“It’s cow’s blood.” said Sara. “I have an arrangement with a local lycan who raises cattle. He supplies me with what little blood I require for rituals and such. I had some rushed in after I saw the state of your companion last night.” She gave me a serious look. “How many bonds did you find?” She asked.
I concentrated for a moment. “I’m getting four of them off of this. That’s cool!” I said with some excitement. “Can I buy this stuff? It would be way more convenient than hunting every few days.”
Sara smiled warmly at me. “I think some arrangement could be made. Although maybe if it works out you won’t need so much blood as you used to.” She said mysteriously.
“What do you mean?” I asked a little suspiciously. “Does cow blood last longer than human or something?”
Rather than answer she asked, “Do you still have the two extra bonds over the eight you usually maintain?” I nodded that I did. “Good, I want you to concentrate on keeping all ten bonds fresh and strong. Close your eyes and visualize the bonds as if they were wires or cables connecting your to their sources through the aether.”
I closed my eyes a little tentatively, but tried to do as she requested. I relaxed and focused my chi as I had been taught by the various martial arts masters that I trained under. Gradually a vision of ethereal, almost smoke like conduits of power showed up emanating from my core and undulating off in different directions leading to far off people, or in two cases cows, and forming a connection between us. “Got it.” I murmured, maintaining my concentration.
“Very good.” said Sara. “Now I want you to visualize each bond individually. Start with one of the two new ones first. When you are focused on it I want you to visualize making it thicker and stronger.
I struggled with that. Nothing I imagined seemed to make any difference in the th
ickness or strength of the bond. I suddenly felt a soft hand on my knee and heard Sara start chanting softly. Her song seemed to penetrate deeply into my core. It wasn’t intrusive, but more like the voice of Mother Earth communicating with my primal self. Strong but soothing, the voice of the Mother instructed and coaxed my inner beast in the concepts that Sara couldn’t communicate at a surface level.
My beast struggled at first against the concepts, trying to comprehend these new definitions of predator and prey. Gradually though, the beast settled and the bond to the cow seemed to glow brightly and grow stronger until they were as strong or stronger than my original eight.
Sara leaned back once more and stopped chanting. “Well done!” She said with a little triumph in her voice. “I knew you had the capability. “Now, see if you can strengthen the other extra bond without my assistance.
