The Blood of a Stone

by Richard Braine

  As we swerved through the crowd, I noticed several sets of eyes sizing up Aerona. She received smiles from the guys and evil-eye scowls from their girlfriends; they nonetheless shot Aerona a second look.

  “Hey,” I said, nudging her arm, “You’re on your own if one of these girls claws your eyes out for winking at their man.”

  “I can handle myself,” she smirked back. “It’s not my fault these girls can’t keep their men from checking out my fine body.”

  Aerona spoke loud enough for a girl to her right to hear. The girl shot her an angry glare, and Aerona smacked her own ass, then blew the girl a kiss with the other hand.

  That’s my sister, always polite with her greetings. “Let’s keep moving,” I said, pulling Aerona forward. “It looks like the band is almost ready to start. We don’t want to be caught in this crowd when they hit the stage.”

  We weaved our way to the back of the club near a staircase that led up to a small, poorly lit balcony overlooking the stage. The balcony was packed with eager fans. We would have to check that later. There were a few half-hidden tables under the balcony with several people seated at each. The club was dark, and it was going to be more difficult than I had anticipated. We decided to start back toward the front entrance.

  The floor was packed to the point where we were almost swimming through a sea of sweaty fans. Aerona led our way back to Kasiah and Morgan, dodging right past the same evil-eyed girl.

  “Don’t,” was all I said to Aerona.

  Aerona turned and flashed me her wicked grin. “I haven’t turned anyone into a toad in decades,” she sneered. “I may or may not remember how to turn them back. Let’s hope she behaves herself.”

  The girl’s back was turned to us. As we passed by, Aerona couldn’t resist rubbing her body against the girl and her boyfriend.

  “Sorry,” Aerona yelled, looking straight into the boyfriend’s eyes. “Excuse my sexy body for rubbing against yours!”

  We were a few feet past the two by the time the girl noticed what had happened. She shot her boyfriend a disapproving tonight-you’re-sleeping-alone look. He shrugged his shoulders and held up his palms with a confused expression.

  “Nice, Aerona,” I said, finally getting out of the thick crowd. “We’ve been here ten minutes, and you’ve already made friends with the locals.”

  “Do you think she’ll approve me as her friend on Facebook?” she asked excitedly.

  “Like I said,” shaking my head, “You’re on your own.”

  Kasiah and Morgan had lost their position by the door. Fifteen or so beefy bikers had just pushed their way into the club. I found it unusual that it was the middle of summer, and each one had on a black leather vest over a thick t-shirt. Each vest had sewn-on patches of a large green spade and the number thirteen in the center, “Lucky Thirteen” was embroidered above the spade and “Erie, PA” underneath. Oddly, a few of the guys also wore “Tulsa, OK” vests. That seemed like a long way to travel for a concert.

  We let the bikers have their end of the bar. They were busy drinking beer and getting worked up about something. I didn’t care what they were doing as long as they steered clear of us. On the other hand, I did recall Aerona wanting to turn someone into a toad tonight.

  “So how’s it look?” Morgan asked.

  “Busy,” I replied. “It’s packed in here. Even if we do find him, we won’t be able to talk to him here.”

  “We need to find one of the band members,” he suggested, “or someone else that’s with the band at every show… like the tech who runs the sound or lights or maybe the band manager. Just anyone who may know what Rain looks like. If he’s at every show, then someone is bound to know what he looks like.”

  We all scanned the crowd. Kasiah kept quiet as she sipped her drink; at least she had her game face back on.

  The lights went out, and the crowd erupted in a cheer. I felt Aerona’s heart begin to race as adrenaline pumped into her bloodstream.

  TWELVE

  Kate’s Mind was five songs into their set when I decided, without a doubt, they’re the best band I had ever seen; keep in mind that I’ve been attending rock gigs since they were invented.

  The band’s stage presence was unbelievable. They owned every square inch of that stage, playing to the entire club from front to back. The sound was mixed perfectly; usually the drums overpower the guitars and the vocals or vice versa, but not a single instrument sounded louder than the others tonight. The vocals were crystal clear and the harmonies were flawless. The band had a unique way of slowing the rhythm down while their front-man, Jimmy, sang a verse almost as though he was narrating a story. The rhythm would then build back up, and they’d be jamming again. They rocked so hard, I think the building shifted two inches to the left. They weren’t amateurs by any means.

  The band was on their sixth song when one of the Lucky Thirteen bikers walked over and stood right in front of Kasiah and Aerona. The guy was pretty big—Ultimate Fighter big. His eyes were glossy from excessive alcohol. The front of his vest displayed two patches: one with “Erie President” embroidered, and the other “Spider.”

  “How about you two lovely ladies ditch these losers and come have a few drinks with us?” Spider offered, wedging his way between Kasiah and me, placing his hand on the bar. “Maybe go for a ride with us?”

  “Beat it, jerk,” Aerona shouted back at Spider. “We’re watching the show, and I don’t ride bikes with training wheels.”

  Aerona turned her attention back to the band.

  I expected nothing less from my sister.

  “Your friend’s kind of a bitch,” Spider said to Kasiah, looking past her to his biker buddies.

  Morgan and I both moved around Spider and stood in front of Kasiah. She held up her hand to let us know she could handle the situation.

  “Look,” Kasiah said flatly, “we’re not interested. My friends and I are trying to enjoy the show. I suggest you turn around and get back to your side of the bar unless you want to explain how you got a black eye from a girl.”

  Spider took his hand off the bar and set his beer down in its place—apparently was a signal for his biker buddies to come save him. Ten seconds later, we were surrounded by a dozen mean looking bikers, several with bulges under their vests—holsters.

  I felt Aerona’s anger flare to boiling point. I shook my head slowly once. I noticed the muscles in her face tense up in disapproval. She was pissed that her rock show was being interrupted by a couple of drunken idiots.

  One of the bartenders ran over. “I’ve told you guys before,” she said, waving to one of the bouncers, “no trouble or you’re out of here.”

  A typical club bouncer—also moonlighting as a cage fighter—quickly made his way through the crowd, flashing hand signals to the other bouncers positioned throughout the club. This was exactly the type of attention we were trying to avoid.

  Kasiah stepped away from the bar and moved to my side. I put my arm around her waist and pulled her close. I didn’t want to leave the club without finding what we came for, but I wasn’t going to let these guys lay a hand on any of us. Kasiah and Morgan both said at the hotel that they didn’t want to cause a ruckus by flashing their FBI badges tonight; though, this scenario may be the exception. I pulled in all the energy I could find and felt Aerona do the same. This wasn’t a situation we couldn’t handle. We would just have to leave afterwards—in a hurry.

  One of the other Lucky Thirteen members waved to Spider. “Hey man,” he said, grabbing Spider’s arm and spinning him around. “These jerks aren’t worth it. I didn’t come all the way up from Tulsa just to get kicked out of a bar for hitting on a couple of chicks. Save it for when we find Rain. You can take it out on him.”

  The massive bouncer from the front entrance and two others stepped into our little group to take control. “This is your last warning,” he cautioned. “Next time you’re out the door.”

  Spider relaxed. Aerona and I held our energy, just in case. The bikers retrea
ted to their side of the club. The four of us shared a look of confusion when we heard them say they were looking for Rain.

  Morgan leaned in close to me. “Why do you suppose a group of bikers are looking for the same vampire as us?” he whispered.

  “I don’t know,” I said, wondering the same. “They probably don’t know he’s a vampire, or they would have been a little more discreet. I’d like to be there when they find out who they’re dealing with.”

  I removed my arm from around Kasiah’s waist. I didn’t want to lose sight of why we’re here or how dangerous this could get. Not many people in this world would search for a vampire; most actually tend to run from them.

  “This might work to our advantage,” Morgan whispered. “The new plan might be to watch these characters to see where they lead us.”

  “Good idea,” I nodded. “We have no clue what Rain looks like, or if it’s safe to ask about him. Let’s keep an eye on those guys to see if Rain turns up.”

  An attractive young girl in a short, tight blue dress walked up to the bar next to Kasiah, smiled, and ordered two drinks.

  “Obnoxious, aren’t they?” the girl remarked, nodding her head in the bikers’ direction.

  “And then some,” Kasiah said irritably.

  The girl was tall and pretty with long, dark hair and crystal blue eyes. She had the bluest eyes I had ever seen—as clear and lustrous as sapphire.

  “Otherwise enjoying the show?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Kasiah said, her irritation fading. “They’re a great band, and this is my first time seeing them.”

  The bartender cut in. “Twelve dollars,” she informed.

  The blue-eyed girl paid for her drinks. “Enjoy the rest of the show,” she said before walking away.

  We spent most of the next hour keeping an eye on the bikers. They doubled in number since our first encounter and covered both sides of the bar. Rain couldn’t possible evade all of these guys. Our plan stayed the same: wait for the bikers to make their move, then see where it takes us.

  Kate’s Mind finished their set, and the stage went dark. The house lights didn’t come on, so I assumed there would be one more song.

  A minute ticked by before Jimmy walked back out with his guitar. “I want to thank you for coming out to our show,” he said, brushing strands of dark hair from his face. “If ya look waaaay at the back, you’ll find Steph sellin’ our gear. The band will be back there with her in just a minute to take pictures with you crazy rock fans. Don’t be afraid to stop by and say hey.” Jimmy paused for a second to brush the hair out of his face and have a quick swig of water. “Is it OK if I play one more song?”

  The crowd cheered louder than they had all night, which is saying something. This was an insane crowd of rock fans.

  Jimmy smiled. He clearly loved every second of being on stage. He took a few steps back and started strumming a nice clean tone from his guitar, running through a couple measures before stepping back up to the microphone. “This one’s called You’ve Got Nothing to Prove…”

  “Amy would have loved these guys,” Kasiah said, squeezing my hand. “I want to see them again when all this insanity is over.”

  “Count me in,” Aerona said, interrupting our moment. I gave her the death look. She rolled her eyes and turned back around to hear the rest of the song.

  “It’s OK,” Kasiah said, smiling. “She’s growing on me.”

  “Yeah, well, you can have her.”

  Aerona didn’t turn around to comment. Instead, she showed me her nicely manicured middle finger.

  The Lucky Thirteens were on the move. Ten or so of them pushed their way through the crowd as though they owned the place. They headed straight toward the tables under the balcony, right where the blue-eyed girl went. They left a couple guys posted at the entrance and a couple more near the rear emergency exit. There were several of them for every bouncer in the club.

  “Here we go,” Morgan warned.

  All four of us were on alert. Aerona was focused on the guys at the front door. She was ready to clear us a path.

  I heard a low growl that overpowered the massive sound system; seconds later, a body came crashing through the brick wall that half separated the bar area from the stage room. Red bricks and dust filled the air as screams erupted from people pushing and shoving. Jimmy stopped playing altogether as another body flew through the air, landing near the stage onto several unsuspecting fans.

  The whole place had turned into a madhouse in a matter of seconds.

  “I think it’s safe to say we found our vampire,” Kasiah said, moving next to me.

  Three Lucky Thirteen members—Spider among them—came rushing through the crowd, their guns drawn, dragging the blue-eyed girl forcefully along with them. Two of the bikers fired several blind shots into the darkness under the balcony.

  That was our cue. I grabbed Kasiah from behind, and Aerona pulled Morgan in next to her. Aerona and I cast the same spell together, creating a massive updraft of air as a makeshift shield of air around us. The current was strong enough to deflect any stray bullets, giving us time to figure out a way out of the club. The girls’ hair flew wildly as if we were in the middle of a tornado.

  The bikers had taken out all the bouncers and had all the exits covered. They had practically taken over the entire bar. We only had a few minutes to get out before the police would show. If we didn’t move fast, we were surely going to be caught in the line of fire.

  The blue-eyed girl put up a good fight. She kicked and screamed as the bikers dragged her out the front door. “RAIN!” she shouted as the door slammed shut behind her.

  Another loud growl came from the back of the bar. Two guys flew through the air, crashing into the stage as though they had been hit by a dump truck.

  “Let’s move!” yelled Aerona.

  The air around us dissipated as we released the spell. We started to make our way to the front door when one of the bikers slid across the floor on his back from under the balcony, crashing low and hard into the bar in front of us.

  The guy was dazed, but he still started crawling away.

  Another figure emerged from under the dark balcony, limping from a gunshot wound. His arm was bleeding badly. We watched his wounds heal in front of our eyes.

  We had found Rain!

  Rain moved toward the biker, effortlessly lifting him off the floor and slamming him against the bar. I gave Aerona a nervous look as the biker fought to escape Rain’s iron grip. He slammed the biker’s head into the bar and knocked him unconscious. The wooden bar top splintered, and glassware smashed on the floor. Rain’s deadly, sharp fangs sunk into the biker’s neck; the fresh human blood acted like a rush of adrenaline for him. Rain released the biker and was out the front door before his lifeless body hit the floor.

  As much as I hated the thought of chasing after an angry vampire, there was only one thing we could do. “We have to go after him!” I shouted.

  Kasiah looked at me with uncertainty. “Are you sure the safest place to be is right behind the vampire everyone is trying to kill?” she asked.

  “If we lose him now, we’ll never find him again!”

  THIRTEEN

  The night went from bad to worse. Outside the club, many of the bikers were backed up against the building across the street, their faces painted with looks of intense surprise. Several overturned motorcycles littered the street, and a parked car with a motorcycle through the windshield had ignited into a ball of fire. Spider held a large knife against the blue-eyed girl’s neck. The whole scene looked straight out of the next big Hollywood action flick.

  “What… is that?” Kasiah asked, pointing at the enormous, ugly beast on Spider’s side of the street.

  “A troll,” I said, surveying the chaos. “I think it’s safe to say Atmoro knows we’re here. Those two guys over there aren’t human. They’re werewolves, and they’re pack hunters, so watch your backs for more.”

  The troll was easily seven feet tall and ugly—s
pecial emphasis on the ugly part. Trolls are shapeshifters, transforming into humans or shadows or even simple objects; this is the only way they can blend into the Light World, and they have no supernatural powers when transformed into any form other than troll. They’re strong—very strong; most trolls could lift a city bus, but they’re dumb as rocks. This one was in its natural, ugly form, even for a troll. It wore some dirty, torn cloth covering the most unpleasant parts, and its colossal hands gripped a long broadsword, ready to strike. Fortunately, trolls aren’t much of a threat if you know how to handle them.

  The two werewolves were my major concern. I was impressed by Atmoro’s little army; any Shadow Vampire can create more vampires here in the Light World, but it takes some convincing to get werewolves and trolls to join forces.

  My earlier conversation with Jess started to make sense; Atmoro was trying to release all the Shadows from the Forgotten Shadow City. That was the only way werewolves and trolls could work together with a Shadow Vampire—they had a common goal.

  Both the werewolves were also in their human form. Typically, they only transform into wolves when they need to feed or travel long distances. They have incredible strength and speed, rivaling Shadow Vampires, and they’re excellent fighters, which is why the Shadow Council employs them to guard the entrances to the Shadow World. Most werewolves would make UFC fighters look like a bunch of school girls fighting over a jump rope. These two were no exception; they were tall and burl, with long greasy hair and razor-sharp claws for finger nails.

  The last few minutes weighed on me like a ton of bricks. I underestimated Atmoro for the second time, and I wasn’t about to let it happen again. Although, I still couldn’t wrap my mind around how Atmoro was able to track us. We had left Madison as soon as we conceived the idea of driving to Erie, and there was no time to let the plan leak or be heard by anyone else. Despite how troubling the mystery was, there was no time to solve it now.