by J. G. Massie
“That’s horrible. Why would Lucian betray him?”
Isaac gazed up over the top of my head, his eyes squinting as his fists cracked with tension. “I don’t know yet, but I intend to find out.” When I turned to follow his angry gaze, my expression soured as well.
Everyone turned at once as Lucian approached. Hands behind his back, head high, he didn’t seem too concerned about the fact that he was alone and outnumbered. Perhaps Marco was right, the idea of anyone cheating, or anyone getting jumped before a challenge, must be unheard of here. Ignoring Mandla’s growls, and the ladies fingering their weapons while giving him the evil eye, he coolly stepped up to Marco.
“Why?” Marco said, spreading his hands out wide as he rose from his seated position. “You of all people. How could you? How could you betray me like this?”
“It’s good to see you too, brother.” Lucian’s voice was as mild and unassuming as his appearance. But he still held a quiet confidence about him, a total lack of fear that seemed rather unnatural under the circumstances.
“Don’t brother me,” Marco scoffed. “My brother would never have done such a thing. I had no idea your thirst for power was so great. I suppose that just goes to show how blind I’ve been.”
“Betrayal? Thirst for power?” Looking genuinely confused, Lucian pressed his fingers to his chest and took a step back. “You think I wanted this?”
“What am I supposed to think?” Marco snarled, quickly closing the distance between them in a single step. I flinched, really believing he was going to attack him that time. Knowing Marco’s temper, and seeing the tension in his arms as his fists trembled, it was pretty clear he was barely holding it together by a thread.
“I would expect you to be able to see that which is right in front of your eyes!” Lucian’s eyes flared, a brilliant deep red that made me want to look the other way. “You caused this, not me. I love you like a brother, but I cannot let you do this.” Marco eased back a little, his chest heaving with heavy breaths. “Not only have you challenged the ways of our people, ancient traditions that have stood the test of time, but now you dare return here with these...humans?” He spit the word as if it were poison on his tongue.
“It’s too much, and someone needs to stop you. I do not crave power. I despise it in fact, if I’m being completely honest. I would give anything not to be in this position, but at the same time I must stay loyal to our people. Someone must stand up to you, to preserve the ways of our clan. Someone has to stop you, and unfortunately, that someone had to be me.”
“Lucian, open your eyes,” Marco pleaded. “The old ways mean nothing in the world we live in now. You must see that? An alliance with the humans will be key moving forward. They are the wave of the future. And then of course there are the Keepers—”
“Who will try to assume full power over us once we’ve already given in to the humans.”
“You are wrong.” Marco sighed, slowly shaking his head.
“I wish I could be so confident as you, brother. But it has become painfully clear we cannot see eye to eye on this matter.” Lucian raised his right hand and drew a razor-sharp claw across his wrist, causing a line of blackish red to run freely down into his palm. “I will always consider you to be my brother. Misguided, even a fool at times, but my brother nonetheless. It breaks my heart to have to kill you, but kill you I must.”
“Very well, then. I see there is no talking you out of this.” Marco sliced his own wrist and the two vampires locked hands, allowing the blood to mix together. “I, too, must follow my heart and do what must be done. For what it’s worth, I choose not to remember you as you are, but as you were. I know it’s greedy, but it helps to bring me peace.”
“Fair enough, brother.”
The bell began to chime. I looked around and noticed that it had become dark already. Where had the day gone? It was time for this madness to begin already? I watched the two old friends as they gazed at each other, hands clasped in a final act of respect. How had it come to this? Marco was risking everything to do what he thought was right. And in some warped way, Lucian was doing the same.
One of them was going to die for it, and it was nothing short of heartbreaking...
Chapter 6
The walk back was surreal and dreamlike. It was hard to explain, but somehow Darkeum Cove looked completely different at night. Even though the ever-expanding crowd of vampires crackled with energy, the air was still and stagnant. Twisted trees creaked and groaned, swaying in place even on a breezeless night as if they were coming to life.
Glaring vampires watched our party approach, their hateful expressions no less twisted than the trees surrounding us. For the most part, they held their ground until the very last second before allowing us just enough room to pass with a dip of their shoulders. I guess even vampires have alpha males too.
Strangely, our odd mix of humans, vampires, and a werewolf was led by Marco and Lucian. Pulling ahead, the two were given a bit more room and respect than the rest of us. Walking side by side, neither made any attempt to take the lead, neither physically or figuratively. It was clear they viewed themselves as equals. I found it strange that two people who were about to tear each other’s throats out could still manage to put the animosity behind them and treat each other with such a high level of respect.
I couldn’t help but see the Noctem in a whole new light. True, they were wicked when measured by human standards. But I could see that they were also driven by a sense of honor, just as Marco said.
When the final line of vampires stepped aside, I froze in my tracks. I didn’t even realize I was tipping backward until a strong pair of hands grasped my shoulders and propped me back up. “Easy there, Tessa,” Isaac whispered in my ear. “It’s okay. What you’re seeing is part of their tradition. If you want to go back to your room, I’ll just makeup some excuse—”
“No,” I said, steeling myself while struggling to hold back a shiver. “Marco and I don’t always see eye to eye, but he has gone above and beyond to prove his loyalty to me. I won’t abandon him, especially when he needs our support now more than ever.” I pushed on, not certain how long my legs would be able to hold me up.
I couldn’t take my eyes off of it, that ring of flickering fire embedded in the sand. And the flames were not just a circle of candles, but the illuminated eye sockets of human skulls as fire danced from within. The flickering light sent a scattering of shadows dancing about. Animated, seemingly brought to life by the mysterious magic of this place, they appeared to weave in and out between the watching vampires like soaring demons.
Emilio stood at the center of the circle, his white robe rolling like a flag even on this breezeless night. Aleister shadowed him from behind, peeking around his hip every so often like a bashful child. I was really starting to hate those two.
Marco and Lucian entered the flaming ring, each one stepping over a skull before taking up positions at opposite ends. The spacing was enormous, far bigger than any cage or boxing ring I might have associated with combat sports.
“My children,” Emilio began, ignoring the two combatants as if this were somehow all about him. “Tonight, we gather in witness of one of our most sacred traditions. It has been many years since a blood trial has taken place, and I for one am proud to bear witness to such a time-honored event.”
His words were followed by a round of cheers and fist pumping. I thought I was going to be sick.
“And of course the stakes could not be higher,” he continued, sparing a quick glance at both combatants for the first time. “I have served you to the best of my ability, but all good things must come to an end. The winner of the blood trial will soon step into power, relieving me once and for all of a burden I would gladly bear again one hundred times over. The loser will die, their name forgotten as if they never existed at all.”
He threw his fists in the air, back arched as he looked up to the starless sky. “Is it not a wonderful time to be alive?!” he shouted. The boom from the vamp
ires was deafening, so much so that I had to cover my ears. How they could cheer the inevitable death of one of their own was beyond me. But it was their way, and I had no choice but to accept that.
“And yet...” His sudden change in voice and demeanor was enough to bring the crowd back down to a murmuring hush. Hand covering the top of his face, he peeked out from between two spread fingers. “The circumstances that led to this event could easily be viewed as a sign of my own personal failures. Both as your leader”—turning his head slightly, he glanced over at Marco—“and as a father. I have always been aware of my son’s shortcomings, yet did nothing to address them. His legendary temper, his shortsightedness when it came to Noctem history and tradition. For these, as well as his many other flaws, I humbly apologize to all of you.”
“Sir, you are too hard on yourself.” Aleister hobbled around to his front, attempting an awkward bow which almost saw him eating sand. “Even a leader as great as you cannot force knowledge on one who has no desire to learn. I beg you, do not accept fault where there is none to be had.”
“That’s enough out of you, reptile!” All eyes darted to Marco. “Too long have you manipulated Noctem’s leaders, year after year your words controlling them from the darkness like strings tied to a puppet.” Gasps and murmurs rose up from the unsettled crowd. “I warn you now, Aleister, your days of manipulation have come to an end.”
Before Aleister could respond, Marco shifted his attention away. “And you, Father! Not once have you ever made a decision based on what’s best for our people. Doing anything you can to stay in favor, all while doing whatever this snake whispered in your ear, has pretty much defined your legacy for as long as I can remember. Had you ever decided to join with the world of humans, you would have made one hell of a politician. They, too, fear losing power above all else.”
Being compared to a human must be one heck of an insult, because there were far more gasps than murmurs after that comment.
“You are unfit to lead!” Marco went on without missing a beat. “True, I may never be as popular as you. But you know what, none of that matters to me. Once my legacy has run its course, I might not be remembered as a beloved leader. But I sure as hell won’t be remembered as the one who stood by idly, afraid of change as the rest of the world passed us by.”
Emotionless, Emilio didn’t even so much as blink. Maybe that was because even he couldn’t begin to deny the truth of Marco’s words, no matter how biting they were.
“Be warned, I will take my rightful place no matter the personal cost!” Marco pointed across the flaming ring at Lucian. “In a last-ditch effort, you even granted that man the right to try and take it from me.” Lucian stood tall, his slender frame slowly swaying from side to side. Not unlike Emilio, his total lack of emotion was odd and downright spooky given the circumstances. Marco grinned. “I accept what I cannot change, but I plan to disappoint you both.”
There was no whistle, no horn or buzzer that might serve as a signal. Instead, Emilio slipped a hand into his inside pocket and threw a tiny pinch of salt into the air. The savages charged before the first grain ever touched the ground.
As he zigzagged as he slinked across the circle, Lucian’s herky-jerky movements reminded me of a winding snake. Pound for pound the less intimidating of the two, he seemed determined to take advantage with his speed and agility. Meeting at the circle’s center, Lucian stopped on a dime just before ducking beneath a blur of punches. Two hooks with a follow-up uppercut caught nothing but air as the lean vampire swayed his head like Muhammad Ali.
Marco’s head snapped back from a counter left, and a millisecond later he lurched forward from the heavy right that sank into his gut. My vision and sense of timing had changed substantially since my powers began to awaken. The old me would not have been able to register their movements at all.
Knowing this, it was shocking to see how easily Lucian had gotten the best of their first exchange. He was fast...really fast! I never even saw the strikes, only the result after they landed. With how clean the blows landed, I could only assume that Marco was having the same trouble seeing them.
Teeth reddening with blood, Marco straightened up and threw a wild right hook. He was not slow by any means, but he sure seemed like it when trading with Lucian. With an impossible dodge, the thin vampire’s entire torso snapped straight backwards like a broken tree. Twisted and bent, the deformed posture made it look like his body had just been in a train wreck.
As the punch sailed over the top of him, he snapped back up like a spring and drove his forehead into Marco’s nose. It flattened with a sickening crunch, and I watched Marco’s knees buckle. Fading, he dropped one hand into the sand to help support his weight. This was getting bad.
Come on, Marco. Pull it together! You have to adjust to his speed.
Lucian raised his hands up over his fallen opponent, claws extended as he looked to finish this once and for all. But he shrieked in surprise when his whole body toppled backward, his ankles clenched in a death grip. Marco yanked his legs straight back and wormed his way into a top position. With Lucian on the ground, shoulders pinned beneath the bigger fighter’s knees, the tables had turned in a flash.
Keeping him down with all his weight, Marco dropped a series of hard elbows in rapid succession. Two, three, eight, ten, they came down like a rain of steel hammers. Each blow not only further distorted Lucian’s face, but actually drove the back of his head deeper into the sand. In a matter of seconds it was like his head was disappearing right before my eyes.
“Your fate is of your own doing!” Marco roared, relentless in his hammering blows. He knew where his strength lay, and wasn’t about to let Lucian back up where he could use his speed advantage. He raised his elbow for what seemed like the hundredth time, then paused to gaze down on his fallen friend. “I never wanted this,” he whispered.
His bloody, distorted face a mask of crimson black, Lucian looked up at him with the only eye that could still open halfway. “Nor did I,” he gurgled, his mouth a twisted mash of pulp. “But I warned you once already, unlike you I am loyal to my people. Someone has to stop you!”
His rage renewed, Marco torqued his body and dropped his elbow down with enough force to shatter a boulder. It sank deep into the sand, kicking up a dry cloud of dust as Lucian’s entire body seemed to explode from within. Scattering into a hundred twitching patches of black, these small blobs of darkness began to flap and circle about.
Bats! They were frigging bats!
Satan’s little demon mice fluttered about, their tiny fangs glistening with wetness. Red eyes glimmering with life, each giving the impression of intelligent, thinking creatures. All diving in at once, they converged on Marco’s back. Chirping and squealing, the winged rodents sank their razor-sharp fangs deep into his flesh.
With a roar of pain, Marco twisted this way and that as he slapped at his back. But each time he swung, just like flies, they seemed to sense the incoming danger long before it connected. Fluttering up and around, they always managed to dodge his hand at the last second before biting back down. Even when he rolled across the sand, the wave simply detached as needed before clamping back down.
With blood leaking from dozens of wounds, Marco struggled back up to his knees. Clawing wildly at his back, he seemed to be doing just as much damage to himself as the bats were. Given the kind of damage I’d seen him take before, I suspected these superficial wounds weren’t going to stop this tank of a man. Still, the damage was really starting to add up. I wondered if blood loss was a thing for vampires the way it was for humans. If so, this could get out of hand in a hurry.
The quivering black lumps on his back began to bubble and shift, their mass becoming shapeless as they melted into each other. The mass across his back seemed to triple in weight, the added force enough to drive Marco facedown into the sand. The watching vampires cheered as Lucian melted back into form, his hands gripping the back of Marco’s hair as he slammed his face down again and again.
&
nbsp; I guess I should have suspected this all along. As they say, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Although Lucian was thin and unassuming at best, he was also Marco’s best friend. Naturally they must have spent a lot of time training together. Although their physical builds and temperament were nearly opposites, that probably didn’t mean much among vampires. A skilled fighter was a skilled fighter, and Lucian was proving to be more than a match for Marco.
Marco lifted his head from the sand as chunks of caked dirt mixed with blood flaked off his face, and Lucian slipped his other forearm beneath his chin. “Sleep now, brother,” Lucian whispered, squeezing his neck like a boa. I could actually hear his neck crackling and popping from the insane amount of pressure.
“Sorry...to disappoint you...brother,” Marco grunted, each forced word a mighty task. Pushing up to one knee, he threw back his elbow and caught Lucian right in the side. “The world is at stake, so losing to you is simply not an option.” He drove his other elbow back, causing Lucian to wheeze from the impact.
When the grip around his neck loosened, Marco feigned another elbow, causing Lucian to tense. But instead of driving it home, he switched directions and quickly wrapped his hand around the back of Lucian’s bald head. In one powerful motion, he gave a hard pull while dipping his shoulder. Lucian went flying up and over the top of him, slamming into the sand with a hollow smack.
“When did you start believing you were better than me, Lucian?” Marco’s fist came down like a jackhammer, thundering right into the center of Lucian’s face. His previous wounds had already started to heal, but that cannon blast basically reopened all of them at once. “Is this all some sort of game to you?” Again, another strike that sounded like a sonic boom landed right between his eyes.
If there was one major difference between the two, it was in physical strength. And right now Marco was making it clear who held that advantage.
Groans and gasps rose up from the crowd, a few vampires even looking away as the massacre unfolded. Marco’s fists rained down like comets, and the crunching coming from Lucian’s face sounded like someone walking on peanut shells. I still wasn’t sure how much blunt damage it took to actually kill a vampire, but this was fast approaching the worst beating I had ever seen.
