Forever Young - Book 2

by Daniel Pierce

  I crept down the hall with murderous intent.

  The hall was long, and it was damp. Belize was a tropical country, and Belize City was on a small peninsula, so pretty much everything underground was going to be soggy. The constant drip of water splashing onto stone was a reminder that I was essentially in a tomb. If I died down here, chances were no one would ever know. The girls would only know I’d disappeared, although I had to admit they’d probably figure out what I’d done. I had a history of sneaking off by myself to try to take care of things, after all.

  I took a deep breath and tried to settle my racing heart. I had nothing to be afraid of. We had just killed thousands of vampires. I didn’t need to be worried. They did. I’d killed Chilperic, and that was before I got control over my water abilities. I hadn’t met another Dread Blood yet. I was going to take on whatever came, and I was going to tear its lungs out with a knife made of fire. Or water. Either way worked for me.

  I extended my senses. Water dripped onto the floor in the form of condensation. It ran in little streams and rivulets down to the ocean. Surely I should be able to find whatever lurked in this interminable darkness, even if I couldn’t see it with my eyes.

  Looking through condensation wasn’t as easy as it sounded in my head. I had to completely refocus my perception and way of thinking, which strained my gift for an uncomfortable moment. Once I’d figured out the mechanics of the technique, though, I saw all kinds of creatures in the darkness.

  First and foremost, I saw rats.

  I let my senses expand, and soon, I found what I was looking for. There was something a few hundred yards ahead in the darkness. It wasn’t big, but it was colder than the surrounding air. It was so cold, it caused the dampness around it to fog up.

  I recognized the shape as human, or at least humanoid. Anything human about a vampire had been destroyed a long time ago.

  I directed my footsteps toward the thing I’d seen. It was just sitting in its room. It didn’t pace. It didn’t seem to be at all agitated. It wasn’t talking to anyone. It was just waiting.

  I walked into the room not long afterward, and the vampire turned on a small, battery-operated lantern. He was smart. He hadn’t given me anything flammable to work with. I had to give him credit for that.

  He was a man of average height. His skin was ghastly white, of course, and his hair was shockingly silver. He looked me over and smirked. “Good evening, Jason. I see you’ve come to visit me at last.”

  I couldn’t quite identify his accent. It wasn’t American, and it wasn’t British. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.” I watched him carefully. What was this guy’s deal?

  He closed his eyes and bowed his head, just once. A weird little smile played around his mouth. “My name is Dalmont. I’m looking forward to having a civilized discussion with you.”

  My stomach turned. “Did you have a civilized discussion with those suburbanites you turned into vampires and sent to their deaths?” Something about Dalmont’s manner unnerved me, but I didn’t want to give anything away just yet. He clearly knew something I didn’t.

  He chuckled. It was a genuine chuckle, like he truly found humor in what I’d said. “Ah, the idealism of youth. Every last one of them made a choice, Jason. They chose to join us, and you chose to murder them.” He spread his hands wide, a sign of his innocence. “I did nothing at all.”

  I remembered those holding pens I’d seen earlier. “I see. I’m glad we cleared that up.” No matter what happened, I promised myself I was going to end Dalmont today.

  34

  Dalmont folded his hands together, the image of class and gentility. I could almost believe I was having a conversation with a CEO or someone like that. “I was wondering when the so-called Lifebringer would come to visit me. Such a silly title, don’t you think? It’s downright feminine.” He chuckled. “I mean, if you want to be technical about it, no man has any right calling himself the Lifebringer.”

  I bit back a sour comment. “I didn’t exactly come up with the name.”

  “No, I don’t suppose you did. You’re American. You’d have come up with something like Death Master 9000 or maybe Eagle of Doom. So banal. So common.” He waved a hand, still endlessly amused by himself. “Honestly, when your little revolution happened, I didn’t stop laughing for a week. A bunch of peasants, with maybe a handful of superior gentry, thought they could throw off thousands of years of breeding and careful planning and build a kingdom of their own? How absolutely droll.

  “But I’ll hand it to you.” He wagged a finger. “You certainly made a smash for yourselves. You showed the whole world that no one would ever need to worry about their background again. Why, a bastard could create the dominant financial system in the world! Who would have thought it? No one needed class, just audacity.” He shook his head. “And look at you. The quintessential Yankee, aren’t you? No one chose to create you. No one looked at you and decided you would become the Lifebringer. Your creator was sloppy, and now here you are. You were an accident, Jason. An unhappy accident.”

  I snorted. “Do you think reminding me what a fuckup Chilperic was is going to somehow intimidate me?”

  “Oh, Lord no. I thought we would bond over it. I’m not sure what Malfas ever saw in him. I’m sure he had his charms, no doubt, but he was also a complete boor. Even before he was turned, he was a boor. You did the world a favor when you killed him. Although that wasn’t exactly easy for you, was it?” He shook his head, making ridiculous little “tsk” sounds.

  “Seems to have worked out okay.” I stretched out my fingers, the itch for a fight growing inside me.

  “For the moment. Poor Jason. You never did have time to find all the gifts that went along with your new position. Here’s the thing, Jason. You’re probably sitting there, dimly wondering how I know any of this, since I was sitting here comfortably, wallowing in my happy tropical lifestyle while you were fighting for your life against my darling brother Chilperic.” He sneered.

  I blew out a stream of air, making little fire rings with it. “Actually, I was wondering how long you were going to keep the Supreme Villain speech thing going, but you know. Details, right?”

  He smiled indulgently.

  “I know all of this, Jason, because Malfas, Lord of the Underworld and soon-to-be King of all Creation, is the one who set all of this in motion. He is the one who created the Lifebringers, including you, Jason. He didn’t choose you. Don’t ever go thinking that. He holds you in more contempt than he would hold a pile of horse dung. But you as Lifebringer are part of his greater plan.

  “Soon, the world will come undone. The veil between the worlds will be lifted, and it will all happen because you, Jason, have played the part Malfas assigned you.” Dalmont rubbed his hands together. “It is a beautiful plan, and I am proud to be part of it.”

  Rage welled up in me, red and strong and pure. I snarled and launched a fireball at the fiend, hot enough to melt the rock behind him.

  It didn’t have any effect on Dalmont himself because Dalmont was not there. He vanished just before my attack would have hit and reappeared behind me. He tapped me on the right shoulder, laughing. I lashed out with a sword made from water and fire combined, called to my hand before I thought consciously of it, but he backhanded me and disappeared again.

  I’d taken my share of hits, but this was like being smacked in the face by a comet. I spat blood and teeth as pain radiated through my face. I refused to be deterred from my purpose, though. I had work to do. There was time to rest and recover later. I found him a few feet away and slashed at him with my sword.

  This time, I connected, but not before he raked through my shirt with his claws. I barely scratched him, but he scored my skin like a holiday ham and disappeared again. His laughter echoed from the stones all over the room.

  “This is adorable, Jason. Give it up. You can’t catch me, let alone kill me.”

  My fury only increased, and I concentrated on the air around us. The air was damp
enough that I should have been able to turn it to steam. At least, I thought I should be able to. If I could boil several miles of ocean, I should have been able to scald a comparatively small room.

  I got the room up to a temperature that had the rats running. I was losing blood quickly, but I couldn’t let up. I had to remember I could literally bleed out onto this damp stone floor and it wouldn’t matter. I would recover, so long as I kept my head and my heart. As long as I could kill Dalmont, nothing else was of any importance.

  Dalmont only laughed harder. “Look at you. So young. So arrogant.” Something hit me in the chest once, twice, a third time. I fell to my knees before I realized it was Dalmont’s fist. “You think you have any chance here? You came in here alone, and you think your paltry powers have any chance of defeating something like me?”

  I launched a fireball at Dalmont’s face. I connected, and it had an effect. Dalmont’s face crisped up, blackening and charring. It didn’t knock him down, but it slowed him down enough for me to see him as he kicked me in the ribs again. “You’re in so far over your head, it’s pathetic. My Master gave you those powers. If he doesn’t want you to win a fight, you won’t.”

  I forced a laugh, spitting blood down my chin. “Does that mean this Malfas wanted all your little new vampires to cook up like a shrimp boil the other night?”

  Dalmont snarled and clawed me again. I rolled out of the way, so this time, he only got me in the leg. It was agony, and I think he cut down to the bone, but it was still better than it would have been if he’d slashed through my abdominal wall. I thought of Tess recovering back on the island, and Dalmont curled his lips at me.

  “Oh, yes, those little Ferin girls of yours. How you do dote on them. It’s pathetic. You know they’re only with you because of that Lifebringer label. How affectionate would they be, I wonder, if they knew the whole Lifebringer title comes directly from Malfas?” He punched down at my face, hitting me square in the nose. I heard my own bone shatter, a noise I could have lived without.

  Pain exploded behind my eyes, and for a moment, I couldn’t see. I could only hear Dalmont’s hateful voice. “How much loving do you think you’ll get when I tell them you’re going to be the one responsible for their doom?” He laughed and hit me again, this time in the chest. Ribs cracked under his hammer blow, and the air left my lungs in a violent whoosh.

  I thrust up blindly with my sword. Dalmont was too fast and too smart to be injured by my attempt to stab him, but it got him away and let me catch my breath. It took me a moment to stagger to my feet, and even then, I could only support myself on one foot. I’d taken too much damage. The room was spinning, and the contents of my stomach were threatening to make a repeat appearance. I stood my ground. “Sounds like someone’s a little jealous. What’s the matter? Did I cook your girlfriend, Dalmont? Come here and face me like a man.”

  “You can taunt me all you want, Jason, but nothing’s going to change the truth. You’re the perfect Lifebringer. You’re young. You’re arrogant. You’re too new at this to know how to use your abilities, and you’re too stupid to know when you’re beaten.” All I saw of Dalmont was a shadow, a flicker of something, and then he ripped open my front again. I cried out, both with shock and pain, and he caught me by the throat. His fingers felt like stone growing around me, so complete was his hold.

  He squeezed my airway tight as I fought for a trickle of air. “Go on, Jason. Tell me more about how you want me to fight like a man.”

  I brought my sword around, but I couldn’t keep it up. I was struggling too hard to keep conscious. Apparently, part of generating a sword from water and fire was the ability to get oxygen to the brain. Who knew? I struggled feebly to remove his fingers from around my trachea, but I could do nothing at all.

  My struggles only made him grip harder. “I love it when they squirm like this. You know, the last Lifebringer cried right before I took him. He sobbed like an infant. It was glorious.” All the gentility was gone from Dalmont’s voice now. All that remained was a low, bestial growl. “I can’t wait to be the one to take you. I can only pray Malfas allows it.”

  I didn’t have time to ponder the meaning of his words. He flung me against the nearest wall with so much force and speed, I left a dent in the rock. If I hadn’t been Ferin, I would have been killed just from the impact. Of course, if I hadn’t been Ferin, I’d have been killed several times over during this fight alone.

  I couldn’t move. The impact had stunned me. I would recover if I survived, but for now, I was paralyzed. Dalmont approached and squatted down beside me. “You know, I could do it right now. I could even be merciful. I could finish you off. I could free you from ever having to worry about this war, the safety of your women, these troubling powers that seem to cause you so much grief, your woeful impotence when it comes to anything related to fighting a real vampire.” He stroked my bloody hair for a moment, his fingers light and condescending.

  Then he sucked my blood off his fingertips, and all the damage disappeared from his face. “Delicious,” he said and laughed. “I could free you from all of this, Jason, but I won’t. I won’t because I really do hate you. And I won’t because your role in all this is not yet complete. The Lifebringer is needed for the veil to be truly lifted. We might both think the title should go to someone a little bit worthier, but, well, some things have to be left up to chance, and chance decided the honor would go to you.” He wrinkled his nose.

  Then he grabbed my hair roughly. He pulled my head forward and slammed it into the wall three times as hard as he could. Then he disappeared, leaving me alone and broken in the tunnel.

  I rolled over and vomited blood onto the cold, damp floor. I’d had such lofty plans for this fight, and it had been an unmitigated disaster. Dalmont had been right. I had been arrogant in the extreme.

  I was glad I had come alone, though. I would rather have died than risked exposing the women to him.

  35

  I had to spend some time putting myself back together, both body and brain, before I could go back to the New Island. I had broken bones, and my muscles had been carved like a Thanksgiving turkey. If I tried to go anywhere now, my guts would fall out onto the street. That would draw attention I didn’t want, to say the least.

  I dragged myself over to the old-fashioned desk at which Dalmont had been sitting when I arrived. It took a while, and I had to stop several times, thanks to my concussion. I was in hell, more than in hell, and I deserved every second of it.

  What had possessed me to go up against a vampire like Dalmont? Was it just arrogance? I still remembered all of my justifications from before I’d gone into the tunnel, but they all just seemed to be nothing more than pure vanity.

  I rummaged through the drawers until I found a needle and thread. As suture material went, a regular needle and cotton thread were a last resort. That said, they were an option. I couldn’t recommend them. Cotton wasn’t strong enough to hold your intestines in place, unless you were a paranormal creature yourself. Still, in a pinch, I guessed you used what you had.

  I dragged myself up into a sitting position, created enough water to wash away the blood, and got to stitching. The rhythmic nature of the work helped me to avoid focusing too much on the horror of what I’d just endured. I’d just had a vampire running his fingers through my hair… again. Putting his hands on me again. Commenting about my blood again. I was going to be sick.

  I let myself vomit. The effect was cathartic, even calming.

  I focused on the sewing. In and out, in and out. My body was healing faster than I thought it would, although it was still a long row to hoe.

  I knew I shouldn’t think of myself as a failure. The reasons I’d had for going in had been valid when I made the choice, and they were valid now. I’d never seen or heard of a teleporting vampire. A teleporting vampire wasn’t something I could have practiced for or anticipated. Now that I knew about him, I could ask the others to help me practice for him.

  How would we do that? W
ell, I would ask Kamila and Zarya —

  No. Scratch that. All of us would practice to be able to counter a teleporting vampire. Chances were, he would try to use them to get to me, and he might not be the only one with that ability. Why leave them vulnerable? We would all use our abilities to create constructs and make them disappear so we could fight something that seemed to appear and disappear at will. If nothing else, even if somehow Dalmont tripped over his own feet and chopped off his own head somewhere, it would help sharpen our reflexes.

  I stitched my leg up too. I might have been able to get away with duct tape, which I found in a different drawer, but duct tape just didn’t seem like a great idea on an open wound. I did use the duct tape to wrap my broken ribs, though. I wasn’t going to be able to do much else for them, but I couldn’t just let them sit there until I got back to the island.

  I couldn’t go back up to the surface yet, thanks to the concussion, so I created a shower for myself and got cleaned up, standing under the water as it appeared above me, a slow rain of soothing warmth that helped me shed my layer of blood and grime and shame. It might seem frivolous, but I couldn’t navigate the city while covered in blood. I took the small victory of being clean and examined the desk.

  It wasn’t very exciting. It was a basic office desk from the 1930s. Someone at some point had smoked cigarettes on the desk, and they hadn’t always used an ashtray. I recognized the little burn pattern on the edge of the wood. There were ink stains too, and a couple bits of graffiti to remind me people around the world were always obsessed with the same things and would always deface property with the same things when given a chance. There were graffiti dicks at Pompeii, after all. We hadn’t grown up at all as a people.