by J. G. Massie
He stopped on a dime and whirled back, his blade flashing with frightening speed and efficiency. They came in waves and died in waves, just as he said they would. No matter which way he slashed, his sword always seemed to find a home in smoky flesh.
And it didn’t seem to matter where he hit them either. Whether a deep gash or a superficial cut, their sparkly insides just bled out every time. In that regard, taking an arm was no different than taking a head. No matter what, each and every strike resulted in death.
Although I was scared stiff, it was also one of the most magical things I had ever seen. His sword danced, flowing with grace and power as if it had a mind of its own. I knew he was good. Heck, I had already seen his skills on display several times now, but this was completely different. The threat this time was on a whole different level, and watching the Keeper rise to the challenge forced me to see him in a whole new light.
As far as I had already come, I was nowhere near this. Not even close! We were both Keepers, and yet comparing us was laughable. How many years... No, how many lifetimes would it take for me to reach his level? Was such a thing even possible?
Wraiths rained down all around him, looking like a school of predator fish circling their prey. Swarming all over, there were so many around him that he practically disappeared from sight. No way. Not like this! I couldn’t just lie face down on a hill while Turner tried to take on an undead army all by himself. I sprang to my feet and drew my sword. But I barely got a single step before my ankles suddenly clicked together, and I fell face first back onto the ground.
“Don’t even think about it!” Margie shrieked, both arms latched around my calves. Determined to keep me down, her crushing grip caused me to wince in pain. I couldn’t even force enough separation to kick one leg free. “There is nothing any of us can do to help him, so sacrificing yourself as well will serve no purpose.”
“So we’re just going to lie here and watch him die?” Trying to worm free, all I managed to do was a couple of halfway rolls, rocking from side to side. Man, she was strong.
“That’s precisely what we’re going to do!” Face pressed down into the back of my calves for extra leverage, she quickly glanced up to check my position. In that brief moment, her face went ashen. “Don’t look, dear,” she warned, lowering her face back down.
Sure, tell a teenager not to look. Imagine what I did first...
But her point was well taken. Turner had been totally swarmed, and I couldn’t even see him beneath the living tornado of smoky trails spinning in circles. What might happen when even one touched him? Would he die just from physical contact alone? I really knew nothing about these spiritual beings and their relations to humans.
I screamed, clawing at the dirt just to inch my way a little closer. I knew he was still fighting due to the various sprays of glowing white ash bursting left and right like fireworks. Even while being smothered, he still had the mental fortitude to fight on until the end. “Turner!” I called, clawing for every inch. But by now I felt at least two more sets of hands grabbing me. My friends weren’t going to let me go run to my doom.
There came a loud whooshing sound, a sort of deep bass that rattled right through my chest. The funnel of wraiths scattered, scrambling to get away from one pissed-off Keeper. Turner came back into view, and I heard a second whoosh as a brilliant flash illuminated the area.
Through squinted eyes, I watched as a funnel of rolling flame came spinning out from his fingertips. The twisting flames rolled over the wraiths, consuming their smoky bodies on contact.
Dropping his sword, a second funnel came bursting from his other hand. Waving his arms in circles over his head, the twin funnels wound in and out of each other as they vaporized anything they touched. Panicked wraiths scattered, eager to put distance between themselves and this freak of a human.
Suddenly, the twisting sky began to slow its endless churning. Bubbling, stretching back in on itself, the center began to pull away like murky water going down a drain. Wailing wraiths fell up into the sky, tumbling back through the twisting hole. Once again the winds began to rise up from the ground, and I was suddenly glad my friends were there to keep me anchored.
No sooner had Turner snatched up his blade and driven it into the soil when his feet lifted up off the ground. As he clung to the pommel with both hands, leaves and other debris went funneling up into the sky. His face was tense with strain. I wondered how much longer he would be able to hold on.
But the unnatural storm didn’t last long. When the last of the murky black bled away, the hole itself disappeared and the sky began to clear. With winds dying down, Turner ripped his blade from the ground and marched over to us. He was covered with sweat and still breathing heavily, but other than that he was basically unscathed.
“On your feet,” he growled, plunging his sword back in the ground. It wasn’t really clear if he was talking to one person specifically, but we all stood up anyway. Vampires who hadn’t fled began to gather around. And now that the danger had passed, others were popping up as well.
Others kneeled before their fallen brothers and sisters, sobbing as they carefully pushed their eyes closed for a final time. I had never pictured vampires this way. It was almost...human. The emotional display, the sadness in their eyes—I knew now more than ever that the Noctem were not what I expected them to be.
“Now you see firsthand what means to be a Keeper,” Turner said as more and more vampires moved in around us. “I know you believe me to be reckless and irresponsible, violent beyond what our roles actually call for.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “And perhaps there is a touch of truth to that.” I raised my eyebrow. “Fine, perhaps there is a lot of truth to it,” he admitted, rolling his eyes to concede the point.
“But I am who I am and I will not apologize for that,” he continued. “Everything I do, every choice I make is for the greater good. And as a Keeper, it will be your duty to do the same.” He gestured around to the growing crowd of vampires. “I didn’t have to fight for the Noctem today. I’m sure there are many vampire clans who would just as well let the wraiths kill them off.
“But that is not who we are! The Keepers are here to unite the underworld, not play favorites as we see fit. Your decisions must always be made from a neutral position, never sacrificing the greater good in the process.” He glanced back to Emilio, who had just appeared with Aleister at his side. “The greater good must always be the bottom line,” he repeated.
I had foiled his plan to kill Emilio, but I saw his point now. To make an omelet, you had to crack a few eggs. While I was trying to spare everyone, he had his eyes set on the full picture all along. I believed I was sparing his life as well, but I wasn’t so sure anymore. He really might have pulled it off had I let him go through with it. He was so much stronger than I originally thought.
Turner moved up close to me, his next words meant for my ears only. “You had better grow up in a hurry, little girl,” he hissed in my ear. “The world does not have time to wait for you to decide if and when you can do your job.” He backed off just enough to look me in the eye. “And I don’t have time for it either.”
Chapter 8
“What did I tell you?” A jostling of movement rippled through the crowd as vampires stepped aside to make room. “I warned you all that this would happen!” Aleister came hobbling up, moving about as fast as his ancient body could go. “I always knew the humans were cursed, but never in my wildest dreams did I think they might bring such a level of death and misery to our people. And I hold you responsible, Marco.”
“You damned old fool,” Marco shot back. “Are you blind as well as crippled? Did you not see the human singlehandedly save all of us? Or were you too busy hiding behind a tree like a frightened rabbit?”
“And who do you think brought those things here, if not the humans?” Aleister shrieked, shouldering his way past the last line of vampires. Standing before Marco, his withered hands trembled with rage. “Clearly it is you who is the blind foo
l, not I! And I say your bewildering ignorance has cost us quite enough already.”
Aleister spun away from Marco, but still pointed back in his direction. “This prince, this spoiled man-child, shall surely be the death of us all if we do not act now. How many times can we turn a blind eye? How many more of his failures must we endure before it is too late?” He went out of his way to take a long look at one of the bodies being dragged away. Even I could see straight through his feigned look of sadness.
“How many more,” he repeated softly, forcing his own voice to crack. Never one to miss an opportunity, Aleister dropped the big one as murmurs rattled through the crowd. “I move that Prince Marco Draven be banished.” The murmurs died off, leaving everyone in stunned silence. “Effective immediately.”
“Are you out of your frigging mind?” I snapped. Isaac grabbed me by the arm as I took an aggressive step toward the withered little wretch. “First of all—”
“Agreed...” Heads turned as Marco’s father came strolling up out of nowhere. He moved slow, pausing after each deliberate step while staring a hole into Marco. His expression was calm and serene, yet his eyes flared with that telltale redness. I could practically feel his rage. “I always knew you would never amount to anything. It was a reality I’ve had many years to brace for, a reality I came to accept long ago. But never in my wildest dreams did I think you might come close to destroying your own people. In that regard, it seems we’ve all underestimated you.”
“How can you possibly believe that I am responsible for this?” Marco pushed past Aleister and stood nose to nose with his father. It was the first time I noticed, but in that moment I could see that they were very much alike. Strong, intense, both radiated power as if their very souls were on fire. Like everyone else, all I could do was stand by and hold my breath.
“I suppose you can offer a different explanation?” The eerie calm in Emilio’s voice somehow amplified his intensity. “You show up here with your pet humans in tow, and suddenly we are attacked by a fleet of wraiths? It doesn’t take a genius to see this can’t possibly be a coincidence. I only have one question for you. Why have you turned on your own people?”
“How dare you?” Marco growled back. “I should ask you the same. By your own words, it doesn’t take a genius to see that something terrible is going on here. And in case you’re as blind as the old fool over there, you just might have noticed that the human was the one who defeated them. We owe the humans our lives, yet you still blame them, and me, for what happened here?”
Emilio scoffed, casually dismissing his son’s words. “It’s obvious to me that you’re either ignorant or a traitor. Either way you are not fit to lead.”
Emilio’s backhand was lighting quick, but Marco was quicker. Tilting his head, the streaking punch sailed wide of its mark. Hands at his side, Marco didn’t even lift a finger as he easily sidestepped the next two swings. Enraged, and probably pretty embarrassed at how much trouble he was having against a man who wasn’t even fighting back, Emilio reared his fist all the way back. Preparing to throw a haymaker from another zip code, his arm suddenly froze in place.
“Touch our leader again and it will be your head.” Lucian held him fast by the elbow, his other hand grasping a fistful of hair. “Do not test me.”
“Traitors, both of you!” Emilio struggled futilely against Lucian’s deceptively strong grip. “Seize them!” We were completely surrounded by vampires, yet not a single one moved. “Don’t just stand there like idiots. Somebody get this maniac off me.”
“Did none of you hear him?” Aleister said, waving his thin arms around like a hummingbird. “Get them! Help your leader.”
“Our leader is standing right there,” Lucian corrected, driving his knee into the back of Emilio’s calf. Emilio dropped to the ground with a grunt. Keeping a knee on the back of the fallen vampire’s head, Lucian glanced up at Marco. “Your orders, sir.”
“Is this really what we’ve become?” Marco said, shaking his head in disgust. When he flicked his hand in the air, Lucian kicked Emilio flat to the ground and pinned his head beneath his foot. “I remember a time when the Noctem were still leaders. A force to be reckoned with, we were both feared and respected by the rest of the underworld. Now look at us.”
He glanced around and saw that every vampire was hanging on his every word. Nodding his thanks for their patience and respect, he continued speaking from the heart.
“Infighting, fear of anything we don’t quite understand—this, my friends, is what happens over time when we flat out refuse to adapt to the changing world.” Isaac dragged Aleister across the grass and threw him down next to Emilio. Marco nodded his approval, then pointed to the sky. “These two would have you believe that the humans did this. The Noctem I once knew would never fall for such nonsense without proof, or at least some degree of reasonable probability.
“This unreasonable fear of humans, sewn into our brains slowly over generations, has made us weak and predictable. Prejudice that supersedes wisdom can be as deadly as any disease. We have been weakened from the inside for far too long. Well, no more... From now on we will move forward, not backward.”
Heads nodded excitedly as they whispered words of agreement. It was the first time they had heard positive words of encouragement in years. It was a far cry from the way Emilio used fear to keep them in check.
“A new era has begun, a new beginning that must be embraced by all if we are to return to our days of glory!” More vampires joined in. Brothers and sisters had fallen this day, and that was the last straw. Marco was right: it was time for change.
“And there is but one man I would trust with this task.” He cast his handout. “Lucian?” Lucian’s jaw dropped as he continued pinning down their former leader. “Will you honor me and my family by embracing this role? I know it will be challenging at first,” he glanced down to his disgraced father lying at his feet, “but it’s not like you have any big shoes to fill.”
“But Marco...” Lucian lowered his voice and glanced around. This hardly felt like the time or place to have this discussion, but he had been caught completely off guard. “The blood trial... You were the clear winner. Everyone saw that for themselves. I don’t have the right to—”
“What, break from yet another ancient tradition that has no bearing in today’s world?” Marco sighed. “Haven’t we been slaves to the old ways long enough? The idea of refusing to break from a tradition, even if its presence only serves to make us weak, is nothing short of madness to me. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“So what do the rest of you have to say?” I shouted, jumping up on a tree stump so everyone could see me. Marco’s eyes went wide with panic. He gestured frantically for me to stand down, but I ignored him. I was done letting a vampire speak in my defense. It was time they heard it from me.
“I am so sorry about what happened here today. I would never wish this on anyone, but you saw if for yourselves. They attacked us as well. In fact, it was a human who managed to defend your island when no one else could. He didn’t have to, he chose to. Doesn’t that count for something?
“I know you don’t trust humans very much, and frankly, I can’t say that I blame you. Heck, I don’t trust us much either. But I can still tell the difference between friends and enemies. I don’t understand what this attack was any more than you do, but there is no reason to think it won’t happen again. And when it does, we all better be on the same page, because that enemy doesn’t seem to care whether they’re killing humans or vampires.
“So I say welcome to the modern world, Noctem. The Keepers aren’t going anywhere, so you better get used to us. Better yet, let’s put our differences aside so we can all work together.” The response to my little speech was dead silence, but I was okay with that. They listened to me, and that was all I could ask.
I stepped over to Lucian. “Marco and I know you get it,” I said, putting my hand on his chest. “And for what it’s worth, I agree with his decision. You represent the Noctem�
��s future. Your youth and open mindedness make you the perfect choice to help lead them in a new direction. And to be honest.” I glanced up at Marco. “I don’t know what my party would do without this big lug. He belongs by our side.”
“Look at them, Lucian,” Marco said. Still appearing a bit out of sorts, Lucian spared a quick glance around. No one had left, and all were still hanging on our every word. “It’s too late for me to try and undo all the damage my father has done, not only through his actions but through his words as well. His public admission that he had no faith in me is not the least of it.”
In a rare show of humility, Marco hung his head and kicked the dirt at his feet. “I’ve already lost them, Lucian. Can’t you see that? And I don’t have the time, nor the energy to try and win their hearts again. My family name is now worthless, tainted beyond repair. Yet for some reason, I feel like that might actually be for the best.”
Marco held out his hand and the two clasped each other by the wrists. “To a new beginning, Lucian?”
“To a new beginning,” he echoed.
As the new leader turned to address his people, Turner and Lindsey approached me. Lindsey seemed to be trying to hold him back, even grabbing his arm on occasion while jabbering in his ear. But he slapped her hand away before flashing her an angry look.
“Now is not the time,” she pleaded, the harsh whisper reaching my ears.
“It is the perfect time, now get out of my way.” She sighed without saying anything, then dropped her hands to her sides in defeat. “Besides, the choice is not yours to make.”
Without missing a beat, he walked right past and snatched me by the arm. “Come with me.” It didn’t really feel like a request. In the background, I could still hear Lucian talking about his plan to offer asylum to any and all humans. For someone so reluctant about taking on his new role as leader, he seemed to be adjusting rather quickly.
