The First

by Michael Santana

We reached my home moments later, my nun and me. She seemed impressed with the trinkets I had acquired. She wasn’t envious of them mind you, just appreciative of their beauty. We closed the shutters upon entering, and my glory had returned.

  Her hair had fallen around her shoulders out from under her veil. The speed at which I moved had left her in a disheveled state. Even with her hair mussed and her dress wrapped clumsily around her legs she was still a vision of wonderful beauty.

  The death of the Bishop wasn’t mentioned. The fact of him being found dead in her room was of no consequence to us. The fact that everyone would believe she had killed him also meant nothing. These things meant nothing because before the sunset and moon rose she would be one of my children.

  She knew this before I did. It was done at her request. It was done in the midst of lovemaking at her insistence. She hadn’t wanted to die without knowing physical love. Learning of this, I asked her why she had become a nun. The vow of celibacy, being in contradiction to the basest of human desires is usually the stipend that prevents most from entering the order.

  “It wasn’t my choice to join the Church.” She told me weeping.

  “My parents and little brother were killed in Malaga in 1680. I was fourteen when an earthquake ripped the city apart, killing hundreds of people and destroying most of the homes. I barely escaped. I watched my house fall in on itself and then into a crevice that opened in the ground. I was in the field playing with some friends when it happened. The ground cracked around me, bringing down trees and buildings. I can still hear my parents’ screams as the roof fell.” she said with a heavy sigh.

  I listened intently to her recollection. I had never experienced an earthquake, although I had seen the results many times.

  “I was sent to live with my grandmother and aunts in the neighboring town.” She continued. “After the funeral, she had made a place for me in my youngest aunt’s room. I spent every moment in that room crying. The family was nice enough I guess, but problems started after my second day there. My mother was a lovely woman. She took after her mother, and I’m told I take after her. Unfortunately, for my mother’s sisters, they took after my grandfather. Even though they were well-educated, well-groomed and fine cooks, they weren’t beautiful. To be honest, to call them plain would have been a compliment. So, they were all very excited when the eldest of the daughters had become engaged.”

  She chuckled good-naturedly at her last statement. Even, through the smile, I could see the sadness she tried to hide as the memories came flooding back. Recalling her past had brought a storm of emotion which she could no longer hide. Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued.

  “I had been crying most of the day when my grandmother sent me out to the barn to get eggs. I am sure it was just to get me up, moving, and not wallowing in self-pity. I hadn’t known he was my aunt’s fiancé when he walked up to me and started speaking. I was still so distraught over my parents’ and brother’s deaths, I had been oblivious to everything that was happening around me.”

  I passed her a handkerchief to wipe her tears away. She smiled, gently blotted the drops from her eyes, then continued.

  “He found me sitting on the ground with the basket of eggs between my legs. My tears fell on the eggs speckling them with moisture when he sat down next to me. Although we had no idea who the other was, he put his arm around me and pulled me close. I cried into the stranger’s chest, soaking his shirt. He asked me my name, and I told him. He asked if I worked for the family and I explained to him who I was, and why I was there. Something about the way he looked at me told me he was only half listening. He carried the eggs back to the house with me. I opened the door, and he followed me inside. As I went to introduce him to my grandmother, he stepped past me, walked up to her, and whispered something in her ear. The smile that had been on her face previously was replaced by a scowl. He said his apologies and walked out the door.

  It wasn’t until he left did I learn who he was and why he had come. He had been there to finalize the arrangements for the wedding; instead, he called it off.”

  She seemed to try her best to hide the little smile of pride that came with her next statement. “The next day his father came to see my grandmother. He apologized for his son’s actions and said that his son was still interested in marrying someone in the family. Me, he had wanted to marry me, instead.

  She listened and then politely told the man that I was too young to wed, and if his son were to marry anyone in that family, it would be the one he had been betrothed to and only her. This became a regularity for the household. Someone would come to court one of the aunts, and then during their visits, would give all their attention to me.

  I started to blossom about six months later. Six months after that, I was sent to live with the nuns. I do not blame them for sending me away. I understood quite well. Men are fickle, and their love is easily swayed. I was too much of a distraction.

  The church has treated me well, and I’ve done my best to return the service. I have served them for the past eleven years learning all about The Lord and his teachings. I have decided I do want eternal life and for that, I will serve you and you alone.

  There is not much left to tell about my past. With the death of the priest, I’m sure my future is bleak also. You are the first proof I have seen of anything the church has taught me. Will you make me like you, like you did Irisi?”

  I had listened to her story and her request. For a few moments, I sat in silent contemplation as she waited for my answer. I thought of how she had killed the priest in my defense, even though I could have done it just as easy, if not easier.

  “I have come to find that eternity is a very long time.” I said, still thinking about her request. “I don’t believe you know what you are asking. Everyone you know, or will ever meet, will die, and you will remain. To most, you will be death incarnate.” I told her.

  “I understand, I truly do. I may only know what it means to say it, as opposed to what it will be like to experience it, but I do understand.” she clarified.

  “You ask me to turn you, as I turned Irisi. To that, I must answer no.”

  I could see the words hit her hard and her shoulders slumped. I hadn’t finished what I was saying though.

  “Irisi wasn’t made by choice. It was something she took without knowing she could. I will make you immortal, but you. I will do out of love. For you, and for the one, I should have saved that night so long ago.”

  She let her robes fall from her body.

  “Thank you, my Angel, but before you do that, there is something else I need from you. She said, and her tongue met mine as she pulled me to her.”

  I hadn’t made love since Irisi. I had forgotten the pleasure that it brought. I made sure her first time was everything she could ever want. Her first time making love as a mortal would also be her last. When the moon shone high in the night sky, two vampires were prowling the streets of Cadiz.

  Chapter 12

  She spent the day learning to drink from me as we made love, not as humans but as vampires. Our teeth bit gently into veins and arteries pulling on each other’s essence. We lay entwined for hours.

  The transformation didn’t change her much at all. Her eyes still the little slivers of onyx they were before. Her skin tone had slightly changed from that bronze to more of a honey color. Her lips now a natural permanent ruby red, parted slightly showing her little fangs. They fit her perfectly. I couldn’t help but admire her as she washed the bloody evidence of our lovemaking away. Her hair fell to her knees as she bent over to wrap its now midnight black tresses in a towel.

  I watched as she once again sat at a mirror naked. Only this time, the reflection she saw was that of her new self. I smiled as she reached for the crucifix and placed it back around her neck. I could tell her love for her God had unchanged as she was also immune to his trinkets. She brushed her hair as she always had as
if nothing had changed in her life. I had made the right decision in making her. I knew that I had. I had been alone for far too long.

  “Tomorrow night?” She asked.

  “Yes, tomorrow night” I replied, still admiring her beauty.

  We decided to leave Spain the following night and make our way across Europe. Leaving behind houses and furnishings was never a problem for me. I had a millennia’s worth of coin and gems and every night I acquired a little more. I was richer than the richest of kings. I am sure over the years I have made looters wealthy, with the treasures I have abandoned.

  “What will we do tonight?” She asked.

  “I have an idea.” I replied.

  A debt was owed, and on this night, it was paid.

  An alert had been placed for Manuela. She was wanted for questioning in the death of the Bishop. Posters with her likeness had been placed all over the town. At a brothel, we found the remaining three mayoral guards who had attacked her. They never noticed the figures that followed them moving in and out of the shadows, as they staggered drunk down the side street swaying from side to side slapping each other on the back.

  Manuela chose to go down first, and I complied. I was worried a little, she had never fed off the unwilling before, and I wasn’t sure she would be able to see it through. My worries were for nothing. They turned down a dark alley, and she made her move. She jumped down landing in the shadows unnoticed, in front of them. Once they had entered the alley, I jumped in behind them blocking their exit.

  I could tell they recognized her immediately as she walked out of the shadows. The scene reminded me of the first time I had seen her. Then like now, she wore the habit and veil and carried a bible. They started moving towards her speaking in slurred speech.

  The first one reached for her. When he did, her hand moved in a flash catching the man’s own and twisting upwards until the wrist snapped. With the other hand, she grabbed him by his shirt and slammed him hard into a wall on the opposite side. I stepped in and stopped the others advance. I needed to see how she would handle her prey.

  Her left hand held him high in the air by his collar as her right made the sign of the crucifix. She whispered something I couldn’t hear before pulling him to her and ripping out part of his throat. Instinctively she latched on and leeched his blood like the beautiful parasite she was. The other two I held for her. To make sure they didn’t scream out for help and alert others to our presence, I quickly pulled out each of their tongues.

  Popping the now useless pieces of meat in my mouth I chewed, releasing the little drops of blood that remained. The two men gurgled what I can only assume were obscenities while Manuela finished the first of her meals that night. In rapid succession, she finished off the men, performing the same religious ritual before she bit into each.

  I was amazed at how fast she adapted to her new abilities. Some of which, I hadn’t acquired until I was nearing my hundredth year. She was much faster than Irisi or I had been when we first changed. She already had control of her fangs, pulling them out and retracting them at will. When Irisi drank from me, I was still a pup and my powers still developing. By the time I changed Manuela, my abilities had increased greatly. The hours that we spent in our blood transfusing embrace, feeding off one another, had made her as strong as a vampire centuries old.

  “Will, you not feed?’ She asked tossing the second body aside.

  “Not on these men, they are yours.” I said politely.

  Making the now familiar sign of the cross over the man, she bore her fangs. Drips of blood fell from them as she smiled her beautiful smile. He tried to cry out, but the gurgling sound was cut off as she closed her mouth around his throat. They fell to the ground entangled like lovers.

  The bodies disposed of, we made our way back through the streets.

  “There are a few things I would like to take care of before we leave.” She said. “Shall I accompany you.” I asked.

  “No, this I wish to do alone.” She replied, softly kissing me on the cheek.

  I watched as she leaped onto the roof of the nearest building and disappeared into the night. I still needed to feed and went in search of my prey. I wasn’t sure how long it would be before I would have another full meal. I found the two women walking late at night. With the flash of the shiny coins, they willingly followed me into the alley. When they were found, it would cause a lot of confusion. Questions would be asked and not answered.

  Arms outstretched with legs straight and ankles crossed they were nailed securely to the wall of the building. If crowns of thorns were placed around their heads, they would have been almost perfect replicas of the crucifixion of Christ. I had etched the names of the Mayor and the Cardinal over their heads. It was just another warning to the Catholic Church to leave well enough alone.

  I’m positive that if we would have stayed to see the reaction of the crowd, that only the densest of people would not see the girls for the effigy’s they represented. This was my way of saying “Let it go, I have killed them, and I will kill you too.”

  Now, this was all done mind you before I had known what Manuela had planned for us. She returned minutes before sunrise with a surprise. His mouth was gagged with cloth, and his hands were tied behind his back. He struggled against his bindings violently. The crucifix on his chest bounced as he twisted himself back and forth.

  “It took a while to find one in your size.” She said matter-of-factly.

  I looked at her puzzled. Had she assumed I needed my meal “supersized,” as you people say today? That hadn’t been the case it turned out. She had thought a great deal about our future movements, obviously more than I had.

  “Unless we plan on living in caves and holes like you have sometimes done, we will need other personas. You have always masqueraded as traveling royalty. It will be harder to do that through most parts of Europe. With your skin as dark as it is, you will be suspect, no matter how much money we have. When enough questions are asked and deaths amassed, the stories will eventually make it back to the church. You will become a person of interest to them, and they would eventually find you out again.”

  “I have no idea what you are talking about.” I finally said. “Who is the priest? Where did he come from and what does he have to do with any of this? Are we to take him with us to tutor me even more?” I asked.

  “He is one of the new investigators the Pope has sent. I must say the situation is direr than you think. There are over two hundred armed men not including the Papal investigators. I think this one is a perfect fit. Wouldn’t you agree?” She asked with a quizzical look.

  I am not sure how many moments passed with her staring at me while I stared at the priest. I do know that it did take a few before I comprehended her intentions.

  It wasn’t the priest, but his clothes. The thought of posing as a priest I found amusing.

  “Why not?” I thought to myself.

  His clothes and cap were removed before we fed slowly off him, she from his wrist and me from his throat.

  She had been right. His vestments fit me perfectly and the cap almost so. I laid the crucifix across my chest, and Father Alejandro Cortez was born.

  With the knowledge, I gained from De la Iglesia, and what I learned from Manuela on the road, I became well versed in Latin and the Catholic rituals.

  We walked among the masses as traveling missionaries. Small sicknesses and diseases became fatal with our presence. I had quelled some of my savage ways in her company. Where Irisi had fueled the monster, Manuela had tempered it. The last hundred or so years with her had finally given me the closure with Keeza that I never had known I needed.

  Every year on the day of her making, she gave me the gift of a journey by sea. These annual cruises were meant to appease the blood thirst in both of us. We booked passage on the ships heading to whatever port the ship docked.

  When the ship was eventu
ally found, it would be devoid of any crew or passengers, a ghost ship. These usually fueled stories of sea monsters and other outrageous tales. Over the years, we became accomplished sailors. We learned to keep the boats close enough to land that we could easily disembark from them and into new territories.

  The guise of traveling missionaries had worked out well for us. No door was kept close to a priest and nun, no matter what the hour. With open arms, they always invited us in for a meal. Never realizing until it was too late that they were the menu.

  We always made sure to choose houses secluded from the rest, that way it usually took days before the bodies were discovered. It also gave Manuela time to perform the rituals she had found necessary. Still a devoted Catholic after all those years, she said The Lord’s Prayer with her victims before feeding on them and gave them Last Rites as they passed.

  During this time, there were many narrow escapes from the church. The death of the bishop and archbishop had infuriated the Pope. He offered a reward of gold and jewels for proof of my demise. Twice, while in Spain, his soldiers came within moments of catching us. She had been right. This was no longer a squadron of men; it had become a battalion. That is not counting the endless parade of bounty hunters who were after the reward.

  Once we came back from a feed to find our home ablaze and soldiers with torches searching the area for us. The torches’ flames in the night, mimicked rays of sunlight on a dark storm filled day as they cut through the darkness. This constant harassment had made me almost regret the warnings I had left them, almost. Now and then, I would leave them little messages using some of their own as the bearers of my thoughts. The Pope responded by raising the reward exponentially.

  At first, the bounty hunters were just a minor annoyance usually killed and discarded. That was until they had decided the reward was big enough for ten men to split and be filthy rich, or enough for twenty to live very comfortably for the rest of their lives. Therefore, we constantly moved never having more than a few decades rest and sometimes as little as a few years.