The plan was simple. Connery would go into the catacombs. He would give the King of Nightmares a target. He would not go deep, and the hope was that if he kept his distance it would make it that bit more difficult and that bit more tantalizing for the King, buying us and Connery more time. Next, the resistance would move in, making as much racket as possible and drawing the Night Wraiths. At the first suggestion of the King of Nightmares in their minds, they were to withdraw with all speed. In fact, if any of them felt as much as an inkling of a presence in their head, then they were to sound an immediate retreat. This force would be led by Katya – it had been her plan and she had volunteered to share the risk. As the resistance was making its diversionary attack, the VTs would enter the catacombs through another cave entrance.
They would be led by me. Partly, this was because I knew the way. The VTs had all been given maps, but the cave system was complex and having someone along who had actually been there before was a definite advantage. It was also because, for reasons I still could not one hundred percent fathom, the Vamp Takers respected me.
“Why?” I had asked Marco.
“Ursula,” he took my hand in his ostentatiously Milanese way, “I could tell you that it was because, for a woman as beautiful and fiercely desirable as you, these men would walk through the gates of hell. But no. That is why I follow you. Also, because your backside is…”
“Stick to the point.”
“They respect you because you do everything they do without the enhancements they have,” shrugged Marco, “and you think nothing of it. They respect you because you have taken down as many vampires as them and yet you fight here to defend vampires, because you know it is the right thing to do. They respect you because there is much about you to respect.” He winked. “I also believe they respect you because, although they know that they are stronger than you and quicker than you and better trained than you, they are not one hundred percent sure they would beat you in a fight. They think they would. They know they should. But they are not sure.”
Whatever the reason, it was flattering and terrifying. I would lead the VTs through the catacombs, taking out any wraiths we met on the way – and we were anticipating considerable resistance, particularly once our vampires were forced to fall back. I would lead them to the chamber where the King of Nightmares made his home. Then we kill him.
What could possibly go wrong?
“Take care of yourself,” I said to Connery, as we prepared to part. Whatever big, demonstrative, romantic farewell gestures needed to be made, we had made the night before. I didn’t want to say goodbye to him because I would not admit even the idea that this might not work. We were just like a couple saying ‘see you later’ before heading off to work in the morning. That was all this was; just a job, another day at the office.
“You too.” He gave me a peck on the cheek.
To anyone watching, it might have all seemed perfunctory, but so much was contained in those small gestures.
“Kick ass,” said Connery.
“Will do. Don’t let that bastard in your head.”
Connery shook his head sternly. “A mind like mine; he’ll find to be a challenge.”
“Trying to find something that small, you mean?”
“Exactly. Barely worth taking over.” He shot me the winning smile that had melted my insides the first time we had met. “Catch you on the flipside.”
“Nobody says that anymore.”
“I’m a vampire – it’s hard to keep track of changing trends. I still have a flip phone.”
For a moment, as I watched him go, I made the mistake of wondering how I felt about those being the last words he would ever say to me. But I shut the idea out of my mind as the tears started to my eyes. No. I would see him again. We would talk again.
There was lots to talk about. We had a life to plan together.
“Ready?” asked Katya.
I looked back at the men and women of the VTs, who were unexpectedly under my command. “Ready?”
“At your command,” said Caldwell.
“We are ready when you are, bellissima,” Marco whispered to Katya, and kissed her cheek, before strolling back to join the resistance vampires.
I stared at Katya with questioning eyes.
“What?” Katya raised an eyebrow. “I might die today. Don’t tell me you and Connery didn’t have some fun last night.”
“Yeah but… Marco?”
“You don’t like him?”
I weirdly did. For all his innuendos, he remained a curiously decent man. “I guess. He certainly talks a big game.”
Katya smiled smugly. “He plays one, too.”
There was something comforting about spending these last few moments before the war started in girl-talk with Katya. Life continued no matter the circumstances. Win or lose today, the King of Nightmares hadn’t robbed us of who we were or how we lived.
“With me!” Katya raised her hand and the vampires of the resistance charged towards the entrance to the catacombs to face the Night Wraiths, and to draw them away from the less obtrusive entry by the VTs and me.
“How long do we give them?” asked Caldwell.
“Ninety seconds,” I said, looking at my watch.
“Not long.”
“Well, the wraiths move fast.” Also, we didn’t know how long Connery would be able to hold the King’s attention – how long he would be able to resist that mental attack before retreating himself, or succumbing.
The ninety seconds passed in tense silence.
“Let’s take this fucker down.”
I had zero military training and zero interest in getting any, but it was interesting to see the VTs at work as we passed into the catacombs. They moved like parts of a machine, as if their minds had been calibrated to function as one. If they had been vamps, then I would have assumed that they were in some sort of telepathic synch, but that particular vampiric trait was not shared by the Vamp Takers. They had trained together, and had been trained to think as one, they seemed to read each other’s minds because they knew each other so well. There was no need for me or Caldwell to say ‘check that tunnel’ or ‘cover me’ they simply knew what needed to be done and whose job it was to do it.
Of course, I was the odd one out, I felt like a marble that had been thrown into an old-fashioned clock, being bounced around by the precisely engineered cogs and serving no purpose.
And yet, when the first Night Wraith dropped from the ceiling, I was the one who grabbed it by the neck, took it to the floor, and staked it. It helped that I was the one on whom it had dropped, but still, I think it was good for the ‘commander’ to show that she knew what she was doing.
But there was no time for self-congratulation. We moved on. The fact that we had only been attacked by one wraith told us that the resistance were still keeping the bulk of them busy elsewhere, and this straggler had just been late to the party. That, in turn, meant that Connery was still keeping the King busy. The idea that Connery was going mentally toe to toe with the King of Nightmares thrilled me, but also raised in my mind the black specters of what was to follow. I tried to block all thoughts of my man from my mind – I could not afford to be distracted now, or all this was for nothing.
We moved fast, knowing that we had little time, and at the next intersection, we met a pair of wraiths. Caldwell staked one, Violet the other. The other VTs didn’t even try to help – they trusted their comrades to make the kill while they watched out for further attack. That was what a VT squad was based around; trust. Something I had always struggled with, but was slowly learning. For now, the VTs were using handheld stakes like mine, but they all carried guns that fired wooden bullets. Would they be any use against the King of Nightmares? He might be too quick for one, but with all of them firing… Again, I tried not to think about it – don’t get ahead of yourself.
We were making good progress through the catacombs, and I was pleased with how well I remembered the path through, when we heard a sound ech
oing through the narrow tunnels, approaching fast. It was a clattering, a rattling, a scuttling and a scratching sound, all blended together, like the noise of a billion insects running over a particularly sensitive microphone.
“They’re coming,” breathed Caldwell. “Tighten up. Safety off.”
“Pick up the pace,” I added. We needed to get as far as we could before the massed wraiths hit us.
I tried to focus on moving or on the approaching danger, but I could not stop my mind from going straight to what this meant. If the wraiths were coming then the resistance had left the catacombs. If they had left the catacombs then it was because one or more of them had felt the encroachment of the King of Nightmares into their minds. If he was attacking their minds, then that meant he was done with Connery…
The first wraiths attacked and were swiftly taken down by the wooden bullets of the VTs.
“Incoming from behind,” announced Caldwell.
“They should all be coming from roughly the same direction,” I shouted back.
“Copy. Five to the rear, two the front. Keep moving and remember they’re coming in three sixty.”
‘Keep moving’ was the only bit of that I clearly understood, but it was the only bit I felt applied to me. The VTs, still moving in that well-oiled way, reorganized so most of them, including Caldwell, were running backwards to protect our rear. That was where the wraiths were coming from. Two of them accompanied me at the front, making sure the path ahead was clear and making sure that at least two of their number were reasonably safe – all this was for nothing if they didn’t reach the King alive and kicking.
I didn’t look back, but I could hear the gun fire and the angry cries of the wraiths as they hurled themselves towards us. We were obviously targeting their master and they would stop at nothing to take us down. In their poor, weakened minds, their own lives did not matter, all that mattered was preventing us from getting where we were going.
“Ahead! Ahead!” Violet, who ran beside me, called out and pointed as she levelled her gun. Night Wraiths were now in front of us, as well. Given the complex interweavings of the cave network, it had been inevitable that they would find a way around to cut us off.
I pulled the stake from my pocket. It felt comfortable in my hand. It was the stake I had had with me on many a night in my bounty hunting days, the stake I had used to take down the serial killer, Ripper. Though I was now ‘Team Vampire’, that stake still felt like an important part of me, a link to the life I had lived. It was like a safety blanket or a child’s teddy bear – albeit, kind of a gruesome one.
The wraiths attacked in a frenzy, leaping at us, slashing with all four limbs. They had no sense of self-preservation at all – if the only way to stop us was to choke the tunnels with the ash of their dead then that was how they would do it. I felt sharp claws close on my arms and managed to wrench free so I could thrust my stake forward. To either side of me, the VTs were a blur as they fought. Though I had watched them train, it was nothing compared to seeing them in action, and it was once again amazing to think that these were humans. Their speed and strength was incredible as they took down wraiths, dodging claws, hurling the creatures aside, zipping between them. I felt heavy, slow and weak by comparison, but I still managed to play my part, taking out the wraiths left and right.
“How much further?” asked Caldwell.
“Almost there.”
The wraiths were frantic now – we had gotten too close to their unholy master and they would not allow us to get closer. They came at us from all sides, not just from behind and in front, but from the side tunnels, too. They reached down from holes in the ceiling and up through cracks in the floor. They clawed at our legs, tugging us down, tearing clothing and scratching flesh. But nothing was holding us back. Too many had given too much for us to stop now.
“One last push!” Caldwell encouraged his troop.
I didn’t know how much ammo the VTs had packed but my guess was that it was getting low by now. The wraiths seemed endless, and it was a horrid reminder of the power that the 1st King of Clubs wielded that he could have all of these vampires under his control.
But we weren’t vampires, we were human, and we were going to show him what humans could do when they worked with vampires. More than anything, the King of Nightmares represented the contempt that the vampire’s old guard had for humanity as a species. Well, that attitude had had its day. Vampires couldn’t have beaten him. Humans couldn’t have beaten him. But together, we were going to put him down. As powerful a vampire as Bronx Jack had said it was impossible, but that was because he had never thought of an alliance like this – never imagined it could happen. When people come together, when people work together, there is no limit to what they can accomplish.
Violet staked the last wraith that blocked our way to an oval doorway leading to the torchlit chamber beyond, that I well-remembered from my last time here. We had done it. We had reached the lair of the King of Nightmares, the 1st King of Clubs, Carrigan.
This was where things got difficult.
Chapter 19
The VTs had been told what to expect, and they had seen some ugly things in the course of fighting blood-runners in Milan – what those people did to humans was monstrous. But nothing could prepare you for the truly monstrous. Hard-bitten and tough they might be, but there was not one of that troop that did not blanch and freeze up – even if it was only for a fraction of a second – as they entered that central chamber and saw the King of Nightmares.
And it wasn’t just them. I had seen the King of Nightmares in my dreams and I had seen him firsthand when my blood had inadvertently resurrected him. But he had been feeding since then. In fact, he had been doing little else. He seemed to have grown in stature and had certainly swelled in other directions, plump with the blood of humans stolen from London by night. His skin was still so white it was almost blue, but the veins in it now stood out more prominently, red against that pallid skin. I could see the throb of blood pumping, rushing through him. The blue fire that lit the dark holes of his eyes seemed brighter than before, but, to my inexpressible relief, those brightened eyes still did not seem to see me or the VTs.
The King of Nightmares howled, but not with fear. He was summoning his minions, and the idea that they were not all here already gave me a sinking feeling. How were the VTs going to take the monster down if they were being overwhelmed by Night Wraiths?
“Buddy up!” yelled Caldwell.
It was a solid plan – the VTs paired off, one firing at the King while the second protected the first. It was a good plan with two flaws. Firstly; there were simply too many of the wraiths. The VTs were willing to die to complete their mission and avenge their stricken commander, but even that wasn’t an option because both of the pair were overwhelmed before one even had a chance to fire at the King of Nightmares.
The other problem was just as serious. Caldwell himself managed to get off several wooden bullets at the King before he was forced to defend himself. The King might not have known who was firing at him, but he knew when he was in danger. Belying his size, he moved quickly, like a snake, his swollen belly dodging between the bullets. It seemed impossible, but two centuries of death had not blunted the powers of the King of Nightmares. Shooting at him was never going to produce results – if this was to be finished, then it would be one on one, stake in hand.
“Whirlwind!” instructed Caldwell. He looked at me. “Good luck. Go for it.”
The VTs broke formation and began to circle the room, running and taking out wraiths as they went, trying to close in on the King, dragging the wraiths into a whirlpool of violent action. It was chaos, but perhaps causing chaos was the only chance we had.
But at the center of the whirlpool the King still reigned. He might not fully grasp who had come for him, but as long as he had his wraiths, he did not need to. They were his eyes and ears, as well as his soldiers. He was more than aware of any who came near. Some of the wraiths now stopped attacking and
formed up a wall about their master, protecting him still further.
I saw Violet suddenly break from the whirlwind formation, seeing a gap in the wraiths and making a desperate run to reach their leader, but as she moved, a half dozen of the creatures leapt at her, taking her to the ground.
I didn’t hesitate, I rushed to the VT’s aid. Perhaps I should have been focused solely on killing the King, but I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t care about the fate of my comrades. My stake rose and fell as I attacked. I grabbed wraiths and tore them from the body of the struggling Violet, who kicked up from within the writhing cluster. Suddenly, I felt strangely at home. I wasn’t a commander on a mission – that wasn’t my sweet spot – I was a lone hunter, and for a brief but sweet moment, I rode that adrenalin wave.
But even as I managed to free Violet – bloodied but alive – any glimmering of hope I might have fostered faded back into darkness.
The King’s head turned, and he looked at me. At first, I didn’t know how he could see me or pick me out of that throng, but then I saw the skull-like slots of his shrunken nostrils twitch. It was my blood.
It had been my blood that had resurrected him, and before Connery had rescued me, it had been my blood that he had wanted. More than that. My blood was the blood of Marianne – diluted by the generations, perhaps, but that mattered little to a vampire like the King of Nightmares. Hers had been the last blood he had tasted before he died, mine had been the first blood he had tasted when he came back to life – the same blood and yet different, somehow. It was blood he would recognize anywhere and while he might not be able to see me through his mind, he could smell me, and he clearly wanted me.
Half a dozen wraiths suddenly stopped what they were doing and ran at me, claws bared.
“Boy, you guys are eager to die today.” I took them on, lashing and slashing with my stake, kicking them aside. I even head-butted one. I’d never fought like this in my life, like a demon, not fighting for my life but for my soul. Whatever else would happen to me in this life, however else I might die, I was not going to be drained by the King of Nightmares. No way.
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