Dark as the Grave

by Peter Dawes

  “I only call it as I see it,” she said.

  “You call nothing, Sabrina. That your coven was ever allowed in the council was a grave mistake.”

  “John-Mark, please. Let us hold our composure,” Matthew said, interjecting. “We will handle this with the dignity of vampires and not lower ourselves to bickering and insults. Besides...” Matthew trailed off and a quick glimpse into his thoughts revealed where his gaze settled. My hand tightened around the hilt of my sword. Robin. “Her coven isn’t a complete loss.”

  I heard a chair slide out and imagined Robin standing before the rest of the vampires gathered. “Gentlemen,” he said, projecting his voice across the room. “I acknowledge and understand your concerns. As such, I wanted to formally separate myself from the rule and oversight of Sabrina. As an elder, I have that right, and as a distinguished vampire of this region, I refuse to condone the actions of my maker.”

  “Treasonous bastard,” Sabrina spat. I felt the unbridled anger she had been holding back finally direct itself toward my older brother. “You finally have me where you’ve wanted me for years.”

  “I have done nothing but stand by your side even when cautioned against it.” Robin paused. As it stood, the emotional pain I heard in his voice made me suppress a groan, but I could not deny its presence. “You were once a woman worthy of devotion and I have been nothing but loyal to you, regardless of the hell you’ve put me through in return. You’ve destroyed the things that I’ve loved and reduced me to nothing more than a tool at your disposal when we used to be friends and lovers. I chose not to fight you so many times, save but for when you turned Flynn, and while I have treasured his friendship, we both know you angered the Fates in claiming him.”

  “What do you mean, she angered the Fates, Master Robin?” Bruce, another coven leader, called out from close to where Matthew sat.

  “A very good question,” I said, opening the door at last and making my entrance. A gust of air opened my coat enough to flash the hilt of my sword, with the other blade strapped to my back being more than enough of a warning I entered this discussion armed. I strolled toward the center of the room and stopped, turning to engage each set of eyes which shifted toward me. I grinned, and then looked toward the brown-haired vampire who spoke last. “Master Bruce, it is a pleasure to meet you.” I bowed as much as my arsenal permitted. “I am afraid my duties do not bring me close to your coven in Delaware. Otherwise, we might be better acquainted.”

  “Brother, what brings you here?” Robin asked, his voice subdued.

  I turned to face him. “How could I stay away? After all, this all centers around me, does it not? The assassin. The neophyte decimating their ranks.” My eyes found Matthew in acknowledgment of his words. “The bloodthirsty murderer who threatens the safety of their covens. I felt I should be here to help our case, dear brother.”

  Matthew shifted in his seat. “Please explain,” he said.

  “Gladly.” I looked away, nodding at the group. Alarm resonated through each of their thoughts, which only made this even more satisfying. It was all I could do to stay in character. “I was born for a task I had not yet realized upon becoming a vampire. In changing the course of my destiny, Sabrina created an immortal seer. Not to protect the covens, though. To protect herself.”

  A collective gasp echoed throughout the room. I nodded. “Indeed, ladies and gentleman. I was never meant to be a vampire and yet, Sabrina knew. Before her fangs plunged into my neck, she realized the type of being I was to become and turned me to use my power as hers.” I turned to face Matthew again, staring to pace toward him. “That is what this is about, after all. Power. Who holds the highest hand of cards and can use them to further their interests. What would ensure power more than having a seer trained to be an assassin?”

  Matthew looked at Sabrina, raising an eyebrow. As he addressed her, I slipped around the table, headed in his direction again. “Is this true?”

  Sabrina shrugged. “Isn’t it time the mortals granted us a bit of favor?”

  “I have been but a pawn in this play, though,” I said, drawing the attention away from my Mistress. “Used to end the power struggle between the covens once and for all.” As I stepped behind Matthew, my gaze met Robin’s and my older brother regarded me with a hint of fear in his eyes. They widened when my hand closed around the hilt of my katana. “Contrary to what you might believe, I desire peace as well, Master Matthew. Only, I have other methods of ensuring it.”

  Robin extended his hand toward me, as though he possessed the ability to stop my actions. Before he could utter a single word, though, I drew my sword from its sheath, impaling Matthew through the chest. My fangs descended as Matthew turned to dust before the eyes of his compatriots, my gaze still fixed on my traitorous brother. “Peace will come when I stand with Sabrina as the second most feared vampire in this city.”

  My actions sprung the others into a flurry of panic. Sabrina stood, unimpeded, as the back door flew open, and clutched Timothy’s hand when he ran in to fetch her. Together, they flew from the room while the other elders belatedly came to their feet. Sliding my katana back into its sheath, I took hold of two knives just as two of my would-be victims raced for the only open exit. Each knife met their target, who became dust within moments.

  The door slammed shut. The lock engaged with an audible finality, leaving me as trapped as the rest. I glanced to the side, reaching behind my back for the shorter sword secured there as a crowd of three bodyguards came at me while their masters attended to the doors. I impaled one, and then spun around to decapitate another. The third had produced his own sword, but lost it as I slashed through his arm before he could mount a proper defense. Kicking the weapon up into my hand and ignoring the ashes dusting its hilt, I used both blades to slice off his head. My attention turned to the rest.

  “Flynn! Don’t do this!”

  The voice calling through the haze of murder did nothing to deter me. I ignored Robin, grinning devilishly at the elders as they struggled to break through the doors after discovering both exits well secured. Spinning both swords in my hands, I sent the sharpened steal of one plunging into the first elder I encountered. I sliced through the neck of another with my shorter blade and kicked one backward who attempted a charge for me. A set of greedy fingers clawed for my borrowed sword and managed it from my hand as I assessed my attackers. I turned swiftly. My remaining sword slid through his chest and his ashes fell to the ground, along with the blade he had taken.

  I had no time to fetch it before the trapped vampires descended upon me.

  Abandoning their doomed attempt to leave, the vampire elders bared their fangs, an obvious mask for their fear and one that hardly intimidated me. Producing my final knife, I cradled it in the palm of my hand as they formed a circle around me. My movements were fluid and unerring. I threw the dagger at the chest of a vampiress, simultaneously swinging my sword and claiming another head in the process. I pierced the heart of one and severed another’s spinal column. Body after body fell to the ground as ash, until finally there was only one in my line of sight. I threw my short sword as he attempted to retreat and watched him disappear just as the rest had.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood on-end. Wrapping a hand around the hilt of my katana, I drew it and spun around just as I became aware of the threat from behind.

  Metal impacted metal. Robin stood behind me, holding a bodyguard’s discarded sword and presenting himself as my final opponent. I grinned. “Well, if this is not a familiar posture. A bit of nostalgia for the evening?” I asked.

  “How could you fall for her treachery, brother?” he asked, his sharp teeth fully exposed and his face contorted with rage, underscored by disappointment. Despite the obvious emotion saturating his expression, Robin held his sword steady and threw a trained blow at me. “I thought you were cured of her control.”

  Our swords impacted. “Well, you know what they say. To be cured, one must first see their condition as being a problem.”
Both blades crossed and pressed together as our bodies came in closer proximity. I stared Robin down. “And I rather like myself this way. Do you not?”

  Robin pushed me from him and swung his sword again. I crouched and raised my katana to block. “Damn you!” he shouted. “You don’t understand, she is manipulating you. These are not your actions, they are hers. She has been controlling you far longer than you dare realize.”

  “Did you just swear, dear brother?” I freed one hand to waggle a finger at him. “Language, Robin.”

  He gritted his teeth and thrust the sword for me. I turned out of the way at the last minute and laughed. “I think you underestimate me,” I said, clutching my katana with both hands again. “I am more than capable of my own evil intentions.”

  Robin held his sword steady, but made no further motion with it. The expression in his eyes turned pained. “She made you what you are, Flynn. Stop this nonsense for a moment, and let me tell you more about your rebirth.”

  He began to speak, “I know why you killed your mortal lover –” but the words came too late. I was already in motion, thrusting my blade forward when he dropped his defenses. The oversight on his part left him unable to block me in time. Cold steel ran through his chest. A thousand thoughts assailed me, forming a picture, which turned into a movie playing in my mind. An entire ocean of explanation impacted me – who I was, what I had been. With vivid color, a landscape opened before my eyes.

  I saw Lydia. I saw the night she was murdered.

  And finally, I understood the truth.

  At once, my humanity rose from some distant corner of my psyche, but did so just in time to stare into the eyes of my final victim. My sword had impaled Robin through the heart. The deluge of truth had been his final lesson. With his last breath he said, “I loved you, Flynn.”

  Then he turned to dust. Robin was no more.

  The room turned deathly quiet. Nothing but ash surrounded me as I glanced around, beholding the crypt I had fashioned. I clutched my sword, but my hands began to shake and once more, I recalled the feeling that had ushered me into immortality. Bare before the world, the foolish man who had slaughtered the last thing which had meant something to him in this world. The katana dropped to the ground, falling to my feet with a clank echoing all about me. My knees became weak. My legs caved in and I crumpled to a kneeling position, bringing both hands to my head.

  “What have I done?” I asked, as though the ash surrounding me could answer. “How could I have been so blinded for so long? How...” Tears formed in my eyes. “How could I have let this happen?”

  I broke down into sobs, greeted only by the cold embrace of every atrocity I had ever committed. Finally, I understood what had been done inside me, after five years of failing to see it. Yes, I was a vampire. This much was true and could not be denied. I had been no willful murderer at first, though.

  That fact resonated, clear and true, as images from Robin began to play again.

  Part V

  Humanity Restored

  “A man cannot do good before he is made good.”

  Martin Luther

  Chapter 23

  In my thoughts, I saw Robin, back when his name had still been Michael. He stood before Sabrina, his brow furrowed. “What do you mean you spared the mortal?” he asked. “That seems out of character for you.”

  Sabrina’s penthouse materialized around me, with my body situated in the center of the room as though I had been present for these events myself. I wore no sunglasses and possessed no fangs, the human, once more, left to witness the path toward his demise. I frowned, watching Sabrina pace by me, unaware of the fact I even stood there.

  She folded her arms behind her back, an air of amusement following her as she walked. “Oh, dear Michael,” she said. “There is a method to my madness.” Pausing by her liquor cabinet, she produced a glass and proceeded to fill it two-fingers full with brandy. Sabrina swirled around its contents once, and then sniffed it before allowing the amber-colored liquid to slide down her throat. Her eyes met Robin’s again. “The human is no mere man. I saw his eyes and knew what sort of creature I beheld, even without those emerald green irises.”

  Robin raised an eyebrow. “I don’t understand.”

  Sabrina’s grin widened. “He’s is a seer who hasn’t yet recognized his gifts.”

  My brother scoffed, slipping his hands into the pockets of his pants. “Sabrina, the Order themselves cannot pinpoint the seers before their time. How did you suddenly gain the ability to?”

  She chuckled and polished off the rest of her drink. “If you saw him, you would know what I meant. His eyes are blue as the clearest ocean, the same shade as the green they become. The way he holds himself and even the things that weigh heavy on his mind scream of it. His thoughts are centered on change. Mortality.” Sabrina shook her head. “He’s one of them. I just know it.”

  “I think you’re merely infatuated and want to turn him.”

  “Oh, I want him immortal, I won’t argue that point, darling Michael.” Her gaze met his measure for measure. She set the glass down, and then settled her hands on her hips. “Think about it, though, if I’m right. We could claim their gifts for ourselves. Finally, those bastards would pay for what they did to us in San Francisco.”

  Robin frowned, sitting on the arm of one of her couches. “Sabrina, don’t start this again. San Francisco was a long time ago and I’ll repeat what I told you before I left you in Boston. Your fixation will be the death of you someday, and even more if you’re even considering turning a seer. The Fates themselves could strike you down where you stand.”

  She flicked her hand in a dismissive manner. “I fear no Fates. How could they strike against us if we possessed one of their own?”

  “Don’t.” He sighed, bringing his hand to his forehead. “You know damn well I’ll be no accomplice to you if this is the path you’ve chosen.”

  “Why not?”

  “Why not?!” Robin laughed. “Sabrina, words haven’t been invented to express my opposition to this idea. If you want to retaliate against the seers, then kill him and be done with it. Let us continue living as we have been without upsetting the natural order.”

  Sabrina gritted her teeth. “The mortals filled your head with nonsense during those years we were apart.”

  Robin came to his feet. “I seem to recall you being the one who instructed me on the natural order long before you lost your mind to ambition.”

  “Which you lack to your detriment.” She scowled. “If you want to continue being my second, then you will do as I ask. Find out about him. Find out about his lover and whether she is one of the Order’s puppets. If I could see the gift in him, I know I’m not the only one who could.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “You will do as I order. I am your maker.”

  “Sabrina, I’ve followed you to the ends of the earth. I refuse to do this.”

  Abruptly, Sabrina raised her fist and pounded down on the surface of her liquor cabinet hard enough to splinter wood. Even I jumped at the action, which spurred Robin back into a seated position. His eyes widened as she pointed a finger at him. “Ungrateful Irish bastard, don’t make me regret the day I offered you my wrist. I don’t care if you think this is a bad idea, he will be mine and you are going to help me.” Her gaze turned wild, her fangs descending. “Fuck the Fates. Fuck the Supernatural Order. I will become the Supernatural Order.”

  Robin regarded Sabrina with pain in his eyes, taking a deep breath. His shoulders straightened as it seemed he exhaled past whatever knife had pierced his heart. I frowned on impulse. “This man – this healer, as you described him –” he said, his tone of voice turning cold. “– How do you propose to lure him? Supposing you are right and he is a would-be seer, his natural inclination will be to resist being turned. You know this.”

  “Then we will make it even more desirable for him.” Sabrina grinned again, her expression replete with wicked glint in her eyes. In it, I saw the mirror imag
e of Flynn. “He has a pliable mind. I’ve already begun wrapping my fingers around his subconscious without him realizing it. By the time we’re ready to turn him, he’ll fall willingly into our arms.” She lifted a perfectly manicured fingernail and tapped her chin. “In fact, I think I know the best way to begin working on him.”

  Robin raised an eyebrow. “And how is that?”

  “The girl,” Sabrina said. “The pathway to our young seer will be this woman he calls Lydia.”

  The scene changed, and again, I played the spectator. This time, Robin’s old room materialized around me, along with all his past furniture and possessions. I watched him converse with Rose as she lounged on his couch.

  “It’s just as Sabrina suspected,” he said, pacing the room. “His girlfriend is a member of the Supernatural Order. She cares for him, but I don’t think her attachment to him is simply emotional.” He paused and turned to look at her. “I fear we’re getting in over our heads.”

  Rose arched an eyebrow. “So, the mortal is indeed a seer?”

  “I am not sure, but the presence of one of her kind seems to suggest that might be the case.” He shook his head. “Going any further down this path will result in nothing but trouble, but Sabrina fails to see the severity of her actions. If she doesn’t leave him alone, the girl might catch on.”

  “And you think she would cause trouble?”

  “The girl is a sorceress, Rose. It seems in their very natures to cause trouble.”

  Rose shrugged. “So, what could she do? Scare him off?”