“If only the vampire had a mirror…” I said tiredly.
Nosh blinked at me, and then burst out laughing. “That myth is true? You cannot see your own reflection?”
I shrugged. “There really is no need for me to care about my appearance when my very pheromones attract whoever I want to attract,” I said. “And I already know that I am ridiculously handsome.”
Nosh coughed, shaking his head in objection. “You look like a vagrant in desperate need of a haircut and a line of coke. At least the blood allowed some of your hair to grow back. I thought I was going to have to buy you a wig or some clippers.”
I scowled at him. “Jealousy is an ugly trait, Nosh.”
He chuckled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black rectangular slate that was the size of his palm. He held it up to me in a threatening manner with an evil grin on his face.
A bright flash momentarily blinded me. I hissed, dancing back and tripping over a crate as I fell to my backside.
8
Nosh burst out laughing, holding the device out for me to see. I snapped out my claws and crouched, squinting against the anticipated attack light. Then I paused to see…a glowing painting on the slate.
It…was me!
The breath left my lungs and I snatched it from his hand, staring down at it in awe. The glowing painting was set beneath a sheet of glass on one side of the slate, but the other side looked to be metallic. “What in the world is this?” I whispered, staring at the painting. I truly did look sickly and pale, and my cheeks were gaunt and hollow. My hair was matted and long, but it wasn’t tangled up in knots, at least.
Nosh placed his finger and thumb on the glass surface and spread them apart. I almost fell back again to see the painting zoom in like he had whipped out a magnifying glass. I could see individual follicles of hair on my cheeks!
“It’s a picture,” Nosh explained, grinning at my innocence. “This is a phone. It’s made of metal, plastic, and glass. I can use it to call people over long distances. Or find answers to questions. Or directions to go places. Or to order food.”
I blinked, dumbfounded. “A demon familiar…” I breathed. I snatched it back from his hand and held it to my mouth. “Bring me blood, demon. Your master is thirsty.” I pulled the phone away and stared at it, wondering where the food would appear.
Nosh was cackling with laughter. “This is going to be fucking amazing,” he wheezed. “Truly.”
“The familiar is disappointing me,” I growled. “Where is my blood, Shaman?”
He sighed. “It’s not that simple, and I don’t know any places that deliver blood. Toss on a coat, at least. People might get the wrong impression if we walk out of the basement with you half naked.” He reached into his pocket and handed me a pair of dark glasses. “Put these sunglasses on so no one thinks you’re a junkie.”
Realizing that I was about to enter a world completely unlike anything I had been equipped for, I followed his advice, putting on the glasses. I was impressed to find that they darkened the room without impeding my vision. They had been around in my time, to a degree, but glasses had not been even remotely comfortable in my day.
I plucked them off my head, inspecting them as Nosh grabbed a coat from a nearby table. “Plastic,” I told him proudly, tapping the sunglasses.
“Yep. You’re going to see a lot of it when we get above ground. Pretty much everything is plastic, now that I think about it. Even our cars.” He scratched at his jaw as I put the sunglasses back on and then I slipped into the long leather coat he was holding out for me.
I spun in a circle, letting the knee-length coat flare out as I grinned. “This reminds me of my old clothing, in a way.”
Nosh let out a sigh. “A stereotypical vampire. Leather coat, no shoes or shirt, and sunglasses.”
I held the phone out to him. “Light-paint me, Shaman. I wish to see how dashing I look.”
He arched an eyebrow. “A picture?” he asked, looking confused.
I nodded. “Yes.”
He sighed, lifted the phone, and then pushed a button on the glass. I hurried over to stare at myself, marveling at the instant results. “I look amazing. I am keeping this demon familiar.”
Nosh sighed. “Phone,” he said, correcting me as he slipped it into his pocket and out of my reach. “I’ll buy you a phone of your own.”
I gasped. “There are more of these?”
He nodded, looking amused. “You’re going to want to keep the sunglasses on, so no one notices you gawking at everything.”
I frowned. “If it is night, why would I need sunglasses?” I asked.
He pointed at the lights on the metal stands. “The entire place is illuminated with lights. There is no such thing as darkness these days. Not unless you go looking for it, and especially not in New York City,” he said, tugging the coat’s hood over my messy hair.
I felt anxiety creeping into my shoulders, wondering what other marvels I was about to see. As exciting as it was, it was also terrifying. To go from being the most dangerous man in the world to feeling like a naive toddler was…humbling.
Also, the last few years of my awake life had been spent living in the forests away from civilization, so seeing a village was going to be shocking. I would have to find a tavern willing to rent out rooms by the day, so that I could avoid sunlight. Unless Nosh intended to take me back here to the underground castle.
Nosh patted me on the shoulder. “Sorin, I’m not sure Deganawida truly considered the difficulties we are about to face together.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What other monsters are there for me to slay?” I growled.
Nosh shook his head. “That’s just it. I’m not worried about the monsters. I’m worried about civilization. The little things. Like that phone. Everyone has one. Everything you see is going to look like magic, so I need you to hide your shock and keep a running list of questions that we can discuss later when we are out of public view. If people see how amazed you are by the things that they accept as normal, we’re going to draw attention, and that could lead our enemies directly to us. So…try to hide your surprise.”
I nodded. “Nothing can shock me, Shaman. I’ve seen magic so dazzling that it would be enough to make your testicles explode.”
He coughed, his eyes widening. “Right. Well, um, don’t let your testicles explode, I guess.”
“Understood.”
“And you’re about to see more people than you’ve probably ever seen in your entire life, all living here in New York City—very close to where you originally lived with Deganawida, in case you were wondering. You cannot eat the people. Everyone has a phone and will get it on video—think of that as a moving picture,” he explained, noticing the frown on my face. “Then we will have the police and monsters to deal with. So, play it cool and don’t freak out. Maybe listen in on the conversations around you to get a feel for how we talk these days. You speak formally, but not ridiculously so, which is good. I guess I can always say you’re a rich trust-fund kid from one of those old pretentious families.”
I nodded firmly, trying to hide my anxiety. “That would be the truth, technically.” He smiled, nodding. I ticked my fingers off as I repeated his advice. “Lot of people. Lot of lights. No killing. No freaking out. I’m rich and pretentious. I know how to handle that last one,” I said dryly. “Also, my general aura and scent will enthrall anyone who gets too nosy. I won’t even have to kill them. I can simply make them look the other way—as if they never even saw me.”
Nosh blinked at me. “Really?”
I shrugged. “In the past, yes. Although I’m still recovering, so I do not know which powers I still have access to. Everything I’m consuming is going to repairing the last several hundred years of malnutrition rather than fueling any sort of reserves for my abilities.”
Nosh nodded thoughtfully. “Then pretend you don’t have those powers. This is a stealth operation. Just follow my lead and do as I do. Don’t make eye contact with people, don�
�t be friendly, and don’t answer any questions if someone starts talking to you.”
I slowly peeled off my glasses. “I am not as incompetent as you seem to think, Nosh. I know how to play a part. Do not treat me like an ignorant child.”
Nosh shook his head. “I wasn’t. That’s just how New Yorkers act.” Then he was walking away, motioning for me to follow him up the wide stairs I had seen earlier. “You’ll see.” He pulled out his phone and hit a button. A bright light suddenly shone from the front, illuminating his path like a torch.
I followed him, drinking down another bag of blood as naturally as if I had been doing it my entirely unnaturally long life. “Plastic,” I muttered, tossing the strange material on the ground and moving onto the next.
His light didn’t illuminate much beyond our path, so I didn’t have anything to do but think. A few minutes into our walk, I began to laugh, the sound echoing off the walls.
“What is it?” Nosh asked curiously.
“This is the second time I’ve set out to explore a brave New World—but this time I didn’t have to leave to do it. This one came to me.”
Nosh glanced back at me from over his shoulder, smiling. “Just don’t let your testicles explode.”
I laughed harder, shaking my head. “Sage advice, Shaman. Sage advice.”
9
I followed the Shaman from our shadowy palace, my mind racing with questions, demands, and potential plans that would hopefully result in torrents of blood raining down upon me. A cleansing waterfall of absolution.
If I couldn’t have my vengeance, I would have my notoriety. I would remind the world just how terrifying a vampire without a heart could be.
“What about the vampires who followed you here? Does that mean the tomb is no longer safe?” I asked, feeling territorial.
Nosh paused, glancing back at me. “That depends. Is the threshold myth true? That vampires can’t enter a home unless they are invited in?”
I nodded, suddenly grinning as I understood his line of reasoning. I held out my arms, focusing on the blood coursing through my veins. Then I bit my own wrist and sprinkled my blood around me in a circle. “This entire building is my home,” I said authoritatively, drawing on the power of my blood.
I felt a sudden thrum of power and Nosh jolted, his eyes widening. “Jesus!”
I grunted smugly, nodding. “What is my home called?”
“Grand Central Terminal,” he said, his face paling.
I nodded. “I approve. I have lived here for centuries, so I barely had to use any power to activate the threshold,” I murmured, impressing even myself.
Nosh stared at me for a few moments. “Well, I had a fancy ward ready, but I guess that works, too. Except now the vampires won’t be able to use the subway here, which is bound to draw attention.”
I shrugged. “I was here first. Not my problem.”
He scratched at his head, muttering under his breath. “Nothing we can do about it now. But you could have just protected the downstairs area, not the whole goddamned building.”
He continued walking, leaving me no choice but to follow along or get lost.
After a few more minutes of winding hallways and squeaking doors, we entered an illuminated area with lights affixed to the walls, much like the ones below on the metal stands. I glanced back at the door as it closed. Do not enter, was written in capital letters, covering the door.
“They abandoned that section a long time ago,” Nosh explained, noticing my attention. “Now we’re technically in the operational area, but Deganawida told me he’d never seen anyone here before. It’s why he chose it for your tomb. Let’s be careful just in case.”
With that, he pressed onward, clicking off the light on his phone.
“What was so important that it required a private conversation?” I asked, watching his shoulders for a reaction.
Nosh sighed, not turning to look back at me. “He warned me about my parents.”
“The gamblers? Why? Do they work for Dracula?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
Nosh glanced back at me, shaking his head adamantly. “No. He was just warning me that we were about to enter a very deadly game and that it would put my parents in danger. Anyone involved will be in danger.”
I allowed myself to relax, nodding along.
“He apologized for not telling me the truth—about who he really was.”
“You truly did not know?” I asked, finding it doubtful.
Nosh growled angrily. “Why would I? Deganawida lived hundreds of years ago. It would have been ridiculous to think such a thing. I knew he was an old, powerful Medicine Man, so I reached out to him to teach me how to use my magic—how to honor the old ways.”
“What is so different about the new ways?” I asked.
Nosh shrugged. “It’s louder and everything is connected. It’s hard to find anywhere to sit and think in peace. Everyone is in a rush, overly dramatic, shallow, narcissistic, and ignorant—with no interest for opening their minds to informative debates.” He let out a calming breath, realizing he’d raised his voice by the end. “It’s not all bad, I guess. In fact, it’s pretty incredible—especially when compared to what you lived through. But…I just wanted a quieter, more meaningful life.”
“The quest for meaning is a painful, bloody path, boy,” I agreed, considering his words. “Things change. I lived through periods of both stagnation and rapid growth. Things I once thought impossible became the new reality dozens of times. Children hide and throw tantrums, but men face change and adapt. Survival of the fittest. Which are you? A child or a man?”
Nosh grunted. “A man, of course. I adapted by leaving my old life behind and pursuing what truly mattered to me. A life of meaning and introspection. In fact, I heard of another man doing that once.”
I scowled at his back. That was exactly what I had done when I came across the ocean. When I had joined Deganawida’s tribe.
“Would you mind filling me in on the blanks of your story?” Nosh asked curiously. “I’ve heard it from Dr. Degan—” he cut off abruptly, grunting. “Deganawida,” he corrected himself, “but upon hearing of his flexibility with the truth, I prefer to hear it from you.”
I studied his back, thinking. I was impressed to hear the sincerity in his voice—that he wanted the facts rather than taking Deganawida at his word. And, since I had been thinking about it in the back of my mind anyway, I decided it could only help our partnership. It would also help me pinpoint any discrepancies that Nosh might point out.
Rather than telling him how I had first become a vampire, I started with my journey to the New World with Lucian and Nero. How we had agreed to leave our pasts behind us and begin new lives. Better lives. How I had first met Deganawida, married his daughter, Bubbling Brook, and ultimately conceived a son—an impossibility for vampires. And, of course, the night of the attack.
Nosh had slowed to walk beside me so he could glance over at me now and then, listening intently. He finally let out a breath once I finished, shaking his head as we reached another door. “That is much more detailed than any version I’ve heard, but the bones of the story are the same,” he said reassuringly.
I nodded stiffly. “That is good to hear—"
A great rumbling sound suddenly shook the walls and I froze, my claws extending as I crouched defensively.
“It’s just one of the trains,” Nosh explained, smirking at me. “It’s how most people travel around town.”
I relaxed, glancing up at the ceiling nervously. “It sounded like an army of bears beating at the walls,” I said uneasily.
Nosh grunted. “Welcome to civilization.” He pointed at the door. “This is it. The great outdoors,” he said theatrically. I rolled my eyes, squaring my shoulders as I faced the door.
“I’m ready.”
“Vampires could be anywhere,” Nosh reminded me. “Those two downstairs tracked us all across town and we didn’t even notice. Keep your eyes out and let me know if you see any, but don’t
let on that you noticed them. I’ll guide us somewhere that we can dispatch them without witnesses. Without anyone recording it on their phones,” he reminded me.
“Can we just go already?” I snapped. “You said we are on a timetable and that I need a suit. One thing I don’t need is a babysitter.”
He sighed, nodding. Then he opened the door and held out his hand, gesturing for me to go first. I kept my hands free as I approached the New World for the second time in my life.
I felt the cool rush of fresh, moist, nighttime air on my cheeks as I strode out into a deserted alley. I instantly scrunched my nose and let out a horrendous sneeze. “Gah! That is foul!” I cursed, rubbing at my nose and trying not to inhale too deeply. My eyes were even watering!
Nosh chuckled. “Welcome to New York City, also known as the Big Apple. That’s the refreshing aroma of civilization—trash, cars, and too many people living on top of one another. Wonderful, isn’t it?” He was grinning at me. “It tastes better than it smells,” he teased.
I gagged, realizing that I could actually taste the stench, thanks to the moist, thick air. I blinked the tears out of my eyes and gasped as I really noticed my surroundings for the first time. We stood in a modern forest made of towering structures that were taller than anything I had ever imagined mankind creating without magic. The buildings—dozens of them all around me—reached up to the very clouds, making me suddenly dizzy.
The only structure I had seen that compared to their size was my own castle overseas. The one I had abandoned to Dracula so long ago. Except that had been built with the aid of dark magic and hadn’t been limited by the basic laws of reality that the rest of the world had to adhere to.
Standing before Castle Ambrogio, the very air reeked of magic.
I sensed none of that magic here. This had all been built by mankind.
“Centuries,” Nosh murmured, holding out his hand to encompass the structures. I heard distant, frequent honking sounds, but Nosh didn’t seem concerned by it. Was it some form of modern music spilling out from a tavern? If so, I understood Nosh’s preference of escaping it for some peace and quiet. The horns sounded like an audible expression of impotent rage at shattered dreams.
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