by N. P. Martin
Constantine was still going to pay.
Chapter 20
I turned myself invisible as soon as I got out of the car. Suited and booted—and strapped with the stake—I was ready to go. I walked up the lane a bit, ignoring the signs that the surrounding land was strictly private property, until I came to a steel gate, which I climbed over into the slightly damp field before beginning to make my way across it, feeling somewhat incongruous in my expensive suit as I did so. The lush surroundings were actually quite peaceful, considering the house of death that lay nearby.
It didn’t take me long to cross the field and enter into the woods surrounding the castle. The woods themselves were about two miles deep, and tough to walk through thanks to the dense undergrowth that was everywhere. When I came to the end to the edge of the trees, I was met by an electric fence that was twelve feet high. Beyond the fence was the huge castle, which had been sitting on the hilltop for centuries now. As far as the locals and everyone else were concerned, the Ó Duinn’s are billionaire industrialists who are also renowned for their reclusiveness. People of course thought they were weird, and stories abounded that the family were devil worshippers and all sorts of other dark and unsavory things, though strangely, never vampires. If ever there was a candidate for being the Irish Dracula, I thought, it’s Constantine. Yet only those in the know knew exactly who and what Constantine and the rest of his clan were. At any rate, people knew to stay clear of the castle if they knew what was good for them.
The castle itself, from where I was standing, looked enormous. Huge stone blocks made up the walls, many of which were crumbling in places, as where the once proud turrets that now looked like the craggy teeth of an old man, the shaggy moss growing in between like old bits of food. The entire castle was less of a building, and more of a sculpture of nature that had been molded by the rain and wind over centuries. It now seemed like an old man laying on the hill, in a constant process of decay, which I thought probably mirrored its main occupant’s inner state. Despite how young and fresh Constantine appeared on the outside, I had no doubt that his inner self, if physically represented, would be more like a disgusting monster, the rot just seeping through him, along with moral decay.
Adrina had given a mental picture of the castle interior as we drove to Belfast earlier today. She obviously hadn’t been inside the castle for centuries, but she doubted it had changed much even in all that time. Constantine had apparently no love for modern design, so Adrina reckoned the castle interior would be as it was hundreds of years ago. So based on that assumption, she gave me an idea of the layout, telling me how to get to Constantine’s bedroom on the top floor. The quickest way in, she said, would be to go through the west wall of the castle, and then follow the staircases up from the entrance hallway until I reached Constantine’s room, or rather floor, as he had a whole one to himself.
As I remained crouched in the woods, I looked for signs of security, but saw none. I had expected to see patrolling guards, possibly with dogs, but there was no one. Strange, I thought, but at the same time, did a vampire like Constantine really need that much security? Who would be dumb enough to try anything against him in the first place?
"Duh," I whispered, shaking my head in answer to myself.
Still invisible, I turned myself to vapor for a few seconds as I passed through the electric fence, becoming solid again as I moved across the overgrown grass toward the west wall of the castle. When I got there, I ran my hands over the rough hewn walls for a moment, the texture like an old man’s skin, the history of the place practically seeping through into my fingers.
When I turned myself to vapor again, I proceeded to walk right through the massively thick wall, until I eventually emerged into some kind of dimly lit living room. Straight ahead was a door that brought me into a huge entrance hallway, at which point I turned myself solid again. As I stood by the door, I first did a quick scan for signs of life, but was once again surprised when I saw no one. At this point, I’d be forgiven for thinking that Constantine lived all alone in this vast castle, except that I knew he didn’t. Adrina said there was always servants and lower vampires about the place, as well as associates from the various family businesses and other vampire clans. But as I stood and listened, I heard nothing except for eerie silence.
Somewhat unnerved now by the castle’s lack of activity, I began to invisibly cross the entrance hallway to the spectacular wooden staircase, which looked like it had been carved straight from a giant oak tree. All around me where doors leading off everywhere, as well as narrow hallways that no doubt led deep into the dark heart of the castle. If I didn’t have at least some idea of where I was going, there was no doubt I probably would’ve ended up lost in a place like this, so vast and labyrinthine was it.
Once I made it up the stairs, doing my best not creak the ancient staircase too much, I headed down the west hallway, starting to feel like I was really entering the innards of the castle now. The upper floors were so expansive that I ended up walking them for what seemed like an age, passing through massive oak doors, coming upon steeply twisting spiral staircases, circular rooms in towers, rich tapestries of emerald green and gold hung on the walls, suits of armor standing guard, coats of arms, swords crossed on walls, dank steps twisting down to dark dungeons, narrow passageways, windows like great slits in the thick walls and huge paintings depicting scenes of battle and various portraits of different members of the Ó Duinn clan.
In all my walking and exploring, I never once came upon a single vampire.
What the hell is going on here? I thought, finally coming to the conclusion that something wasn’t right. I found it hard to believe that it was mere coincidence that the castle happened to be empty just as soon as I turned up.
No. This was beginning to feel like some sort of trap.
My heart began to beat faster as I reached down and pulled the stake out of its sheath, holding it in my left hand, my right hand ready to cast magic should I need to. I was walking down a dark hallway now, gas lamps on the stone walls throwing flickering shadows everywhere; shadows that seemed to move of their own accord as if they were alive. For the first time since entering the castle, I was beginning to feel creeped out and afraid, unable to shake the feeling that someone or something was going to pounce any moment from the shadows to ambush me.
There was a large door at the end of the hallway. If Adrina was right, it should lead into Constantine’s private living space. My hand gripped the stake tighter as I neared the door and then put my ear against the wood, trying to hear if there was any sound coming from the other side, but all I heard was drafts and the creaking of old wood, the by now familiar sounds the castle made as it breathed like a sleeping giant.
Or monster.
Turning myself to vapor, I passed through the thick wooden door to find myself in another hallway, this one having only one door at the far end. To avoid making any noise, after I became solid again, I levitated across the floor until I came to the door. This has to be it, I thought. This has to be where Constantine is.
But that’s if he was even in there. Perhaps he had left like everyone else.
I didn’t think so, though. My gut told me he was in there, though whether he was awake or asleep remained to be seen.
Becoming vapor once more, I passed through the door to see what fate had in store for me.
Chapter 21
The room on the other side of the door turned out to be a massive chamber. Though, for all its size, there was very little in it in terms of furniture. A huge double wardrobe stood against one wall, with an even bigger bookcase on the opposite wall. Red drapes covered the windows in the room, and on the ceiling hung a large metal chandelier that illuminated the room in dim gaslight, giving everything a sickly yellowish glow. Directly in front of me was a huge fourposter bed with red drapes and black silk sheets.
My heart seemed to stop for a second as I realized there was someone on the bed.
Still invisible, I levitated of
f the ground a few inches and floated over toward the bed, coming around the left side to look down upon the occupant.
Which was Constantine.
I could hardly believe it was him. He was lying on top of the silk sheets, dressed in a dark suit, his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. I dared hardly to breathe in case he heard me and woke up. Even though I was invisible, he would sense me eventually, if not right away.
Just do it, I told myself. Get it over with and then I can go home.
Gently, I lowered my feet to the ground by the side of the bed, transferring the stake to my right hand, my eyes never leaving Constantine’s face as he continued to sleep. As I slowly raised the stake over his chest, one thought made me hesitate.
It can’t be this easy.
I paused with the stake hovering mere inches from his chest. Surely he must have known I would come for him, especially after I killed his brother? If I was him, I’d be waiting for me. I’d set a trap.
Is that what this? I thought. A trap?
Nothing about the situation felt right. It was just too easy, and yet…
Who cares if it’s too easy? Just fucking kill the bastard now while you have the chance!
Thinking no more about it, I raised the stake up high, paused for a further second, and then brought it down as hard as I could onto Constantine’s chest. The point of the stake bored through his sternum and pierced his heart below. He woke up almost immediately, grasping for the stake as I took a step back. His blue eyes bored into me as he bared his fangs and screamed. Within seconds, his body began to burn up and turn to ash on the bed.
"For my father," I said, holding his gaze until he fell back on the bed, his entire body soon reduced to nothing but ash.
And just like that, he was gone.
I stood for a long time afterward, just staring at the pile of remains on the black sheets. I should’ve felt satisfied, elated even, that he was dead. But I didn’t.
"No…" I said as my inner conflict twisted up my face.
Something still wasn’t right. Something was still…off.
"Did you really think it would be that easy?" said a voice suddenly from behind me.
My blood froze upon hearing the deep voice, because I knew exactly who it belonged to. How could I forget those menacing tones after the last time I heard them at my flat in Dublin?
Closing my eyes for a second, I took a deep breath and then turned around slowly to see Constantine standing over by the door. There was no point in remaining invisible anymore. Clearly he could see me perfectly well, invisible or not. The bastard had been in the room the whole time, though that being the case, who the hell did I just kill?
"Actually no," I said. "I thought something was up the second I broke in here. You’ve been waiting for me."
Constantine stepped forward out of the shadows, looking exactly like the person I had just staked on the bed, right down to the dark suit. "Why waste the energy in trying to find you when I know you’d be stupid enough to come here yourself? Where is Adrina?"
I shook my head slightly. "Hiding from you somewhere I’d imagine."
"She can’t hide for long. I’ll find her soon enough."
"Who did I just kill?"
"One of my children, glamored to look like me."
"Seems like a lot of trouble to go to. You could’ve just confronted me before now."
"I could have, but I wanted to see if you’d do it."
I snorted slightly. "You believed I wouldn’t?"
He shook his head. "I believed, I just wanted to see it happen."
We stood staring at each other for a long moment as I tried not to feel intimidated by the intensity of his eyes, behind which I could see his rage, which was barely contained. It almost seemed like he was willing me to make a move on him, just so he could kill me for doing so. It was a difficult predicament I was in. We both knew I had come to try and kill him, but we also both knew that I didn’t stand a chance against him, especially not now that he was fully on his guard.
"So what now?" I said. "Are you going to kill me?"
"You killed my dear brother." His eyes began to glow red as he came toward me. "You just killed someone who you thought was me. What do you think I’m going to do?"
I raised my hands slightly. "Wait, I just want to know about my father first, then you can do what you want to me."
He stopped a few feet away, his eyes still burning. "Your father?" he sneered. "Yes, that’s what this is all about, isn’t it? Revenge for your father."
"Tell me why you killed him."
In seconds he was on me, his hand around my throat as he pushed me back into the wall. "Don’t make demands of me, human. You’re in no position to make demands."
All I could do was stare back at him until he let me go, and I slid down the wall slightly, feeling like my larynx had just been crushed. "I have a right to know," I croaked.
Constantine walked away, toward a table containing a gold jug, which he poured blood from into a goblet and then stood there staring at me as he drank. "Knowing won’t change anything."
"I still have to know." I stood up straight and walked around to the front of the bed, stalling for time as much as anything else while I tried to think of a way to kill him before he killed me, though it was beginning to seem like there was none.
Putting his goblet back on the table, Constantine stared at me, his eyes slightly less intense now, as though his mind was on other things besides just killing me. To be honest, I was surprised at his calmness and restraint. If I was in his shoes, I would’ve killed me by now. Though, perhaps he had learned to temper his emotions over thousands of years of existence, what emotions he may have had anyway.
"Your father just didn’t work for the Council," he said, pausing for a second. "He also worked for me."
I frowned as I threw my head back in surprise. "What? You’re lying. There’s no way my father would work for you."
"Why would I lie?"
"I don’t know. Maybe because you’re as sadistic as your brother was."
His nostrils flared for a second as he stared at me. "You’re even more ignorant than I thought. I am not a sadist."
"Funny," I said taking a bold step forward. "That’s not what Adrina said. She told me what you and Darrick did to her when she was young."
Constantine continued to stare at me, the muscles around his eyes twitching slightly as if he didn’t know what to say to that. "I regret what happened back then."
"You regret raping your own sister?"
His jaw clenched before he spoke. "Darrick did that, not me."
"While you watched. That makes you as bad."
Constantine rushed toward me then, stopping just inches away from me, and I knew I had pushed him too far. "Shall I tell you about your father now," he hissed. "Shall I tell you what a degenerate gambler he was? Shall I tell you all about his hidden alcoholism?" He began to walk toward me, causing me to step back as he did so. "Or about how he relished in the trail of violence he always left behind him wherever he went?"
I started to shake my head. "You’re lying…" I said, but we both knew he wasn’t. I could see in his eyes that he was telling the truth.
"Max ran my drugs business for me." He was still coming forward, and I was still walking back away from him. "He was good at it. Ruthless, you see. He also liked the money, most of which he gambled away."
My back was now against the wall and Constantine was standing right in front of me, his eyes glowering at me. "I would know if…" I trailed off weakly, unable to form the denial I was trying for, mainly because a memory of my father had just entered my head. It was when I was about seven and my father took me to this bar with him that was a long way from the house, in a place I had obviously never been before. He bought me a coke once we went in and he sat next to me at a table, seeming anxious as if he was waiting on something, or somebody. In the time it took me to drink one coke, I remember he drunk three of his own drinks, which we
re small with a lot less in them. Shots, I now see they were. Then at some point he gets up when three brutish looking men come into the bar. He tells me to wait while he goes and talks to them, and then I see him take a large envelope from one of the men and slip it into his jacket pocket. Then he comes back and tells me that it’s time to go. Afterward, I ask him who the men were, and he gives me this hard sort of look that frightens me slightly, and he tells me the men were no one and that I’m not mention anything about it to my mother. Which of course, I never did. He made me so fearful that I completely forgot all about the incident. Until now.
"Yes," Constantine said, his eyes narrowed slightly as he searched mine. "You know. I can see it in your eyes."
"Why did you kill him?" I asked.
"Because he stole from me and tried to cover it up by killing two of my oldest Lieutenants. He left me no choice."
I shook my head as I tried to wrap my head around everything. It felt like the inside of my mind was beginning to crumble in on itself, much like the ground beneath my feet, as if my entire life had just been pulled out from under me in one fell swoop. So much had been hidden from me over the years it seemed, about who my father really was, and to a lesser extent, who my mother really was. Both of them had led secret lives and I didn’t know shit about it. Not only that, but they had both lied to me, led me to believe they were something they weren’t.
Constantine sneered slightly as he began to walk away from me. "Family," he said. "More pain than it’s worth."
Suddenly, I was hit with a huge ball of anger that burned deep in my gut and filled my mind with rage; an anger born from the fact that at that moment, I knew he was right. Family was more pain than it was worth, and that thought, coupled with everything else, made me mad as hell.