"Well, I hope it doesn't come to that. That is Calmet's job."
"I don't think so. She is my demon, my past that I have to face."
Father Andrew sighed and nudged Ethan over so he could sit next to him in the pew. "Ethan, despite your anguish, I think you are a little headstrong, a bit revenge-driven."
"What are you talking about?"
"I am not sending you back so you can enact God's holy wrath upon the creatures. Despite my rather enthralling sermons, I am not promoting eternal damnation. Did not Jesus say that he did not desire any to be destroyed, but desired all to attain to repentance?"
"But they are demons. Is that not what your brother does? He banishes them to hell in God's name."
"Yes, but what we think is necessary is not necessarily what God thinks is necessary."
Ethan rolled his eyes as he tried to mull the priest's words over. "What do you mean?" Ethan finally asked.
"What if God doesn't want her to be killed?"
"Why wouldn't He?"
"Did you not say her mother was human?"
"Yes, but half of her is still evil."
"And half of her is good," Father Andrew countered.
"I don't know about that. Some full humans are evil."
"That is very true, but don't judge my brother too harshly," Father Andrew said with a smile. Ethan laughed. "My point is," Father Andrew continued, "that you need to make sure you are acting as an agent of God and not of your own vengeance. If you act out of anger, or hurt, or rage, you might find yourself doing not the work of God, but actually of the devil."
Ethan sighed and put his head in his hands. "Father," Ethan said, "it is such a heavy responsibility. How can I know what it is God wants? How do I know if I am making the right choice?"
"I don't know, my boy. You will know when the time comes."
Calmet burst through the doors and called loudly into the church. "Hey, boy! Let's get a move on. I didn't mean for you to tell him your life story! Brother! Bless him so we can go." He left, slamming the doors behind him.
Father Andrew sighed and crossed himself, saying a small prayer for patience. The two stood and walked toward the doors.
"I suppose this is the path of illumination you spoke of the other day to help me move on?" Ethan asked.
"Oh, I don't know. I hope so, but even I cannot be sure. One can only hope. Remember Ethan, you are always welcome here. Return to us safely, Elévè."
Ethan reached out and hugged the priest. "Thank you, Father, for everything."
Father Andrew could not help but choke back a few tears as Ethan pulled away from him. He followed Ethan outside and watched him descend the steps toward his horse.
"Ethan! Ethan!" called Jacob as he ran up and gave him a quick hug and pat on the back. "You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye were you?"
"Of course not," Ethan said. "I knew you would be here."
"Bring me back something," Jacob said.
"Oh, is that the only reason you came to say goodbye?"
"Of course!" he laughed.
"Thanks," Ethan said. "You always know how to make someone feel loved. Don't worry, Brother. I'll bring you back a tooth from a werewolf. Would that make you happy?"
"More than anything!" Jacob smiled and hugged his friend goodbye.
"See you in a few weeks," Ethan said, mounting his horse. "Father!" he said, calling out to Father Andrew, "keep an extra eye on this one for me!"
"Of course, Ethan," he said. He raised a hand to Ethan and then to his brother. He stood on the stoop until they were completely out of sight. While he hoped he would see Ethan again, he knew deep in his heart, he wouldn't.
13
The closer they got to the village, the faster Gregory wanted to go. He seemed to know the way even when Ethan was unsure. They rode as long as possible through the day until it was too dark to see at night. While Calmet would have a couple of drinks and sleep for a few hours, Ethan would doze at best. He was too anxious to sleep. He always seemed just to be drifting off to sleep as the sun rose and Calmet would be kicking him to wake up and get moving.
He imagined the kind of reception they would receive. He did not think it would be too friendly. He would have to find Jameson's family and tell them their relative did not survive. But the people had written for help, and at least the letter had been answered.
The farther up into the mountains they went, the air cooled and the days shortened. Ethan had forgotten how early the winters arrived in the village. It was almost as if winter never left. After about three weeks, they finally lumbered into the small, quiet, grey town.
They arrived late in the afternoon. People were preparing for the evening by checking their livestock, fixing boards on their windows, and lighting torches. The clouds made the town darker than it should have been for the time of day it was. Calmet and Ethan climbed down off their mounts and walked Gregory and the team into town. Everybody stopped and stared at the visitors.
"Mighty friendly village you have here," Calmet said to Ethan in a low voice.
"We never were too keen on strangers," he replied. "Not that we ever had many."
The two were heading toward the inn when Ethan heard a delighted squeal.
"Ethan!" the voice called.
Ethan turned and saw a very pregnant Sara bounce down the steps of a house toward him. He was so shocked, he did not know what to say.
She ran up and gave him a hug as best she could from around her big belly. She stood back and held his hands firmly in her grasp. "Don't you remember me?" she asked.
"Of course," he finally sputtered. "Of course, Sara. I just…I'm just so happy to see you."
"I know," she said, putting her hands around her stomach. "Can you believe it? It is actually mine and John's third. The first two were twins. So maybe this is my third and fourth, but I hope not!" She laughed as Ethan tried to digest her words.
"John?" he asked.
"Yes, John Jameson. His family moved here not too long after you disappeared. Oh, that's right, I am supposed to be mad at you. You left without even saying goodbye. We actually thought you were dead! Oh, but I'm so glad you're not." She laughed again.
"Sara!" a man called from the tavern a few buildings down.
"Oh, that's my husband." She waved the man over. He was tall and broad with a ruddy complexion. "Husband, I want you to meet Ethan."
"Oh, really? About time," he said, throwing a rag over his shoulder. "I have heard a lot about you." He reached out a hand and gave a sincere smile. "Good to see you're not dead."
"So I've heard," Ethan said uneasily. "Jameson," Ethan thought to himself. Of all the people she could have married. "Do you still run the tavern?" he asked aloud.
"Yes, though it's hard for me nowadays. My father died a few years ago and left it to me. Thankfully, my husband and his mother help keep it up. You don't need a room, though. I took the liberty of keeping up with your house over the years. I haven't dusted in a few weeks, but it is livable. I kept the spiders out."
"You broke into my house?" he jokingly asked.
"No, silly. You left it unlocked. Some people have tried to take it over a few times in the last couple of years. 'It's a shame to let such a fine abode go undwelled' they said, but I wouldn't let them. Wasn't right. I always knew you would come back to us. Stranger things have happened, right?"
"That was very thoughtful of you," Ethan said. "But I think my friend here would be more comfortable staying at the tavern if you have any rooms available."
Sara looked at the man who had been watching the scene and how uncomfortable Ethan was with glee. She was shocked, but being polite, she did not stare at his scar nor stop smiling.
"Dom Calmet is my name. Glad to meet you," he said, stepping forward and taking John's hand.
"Dom Calmet?" John asked. "The Dom Calmet? From the novellas? That is wonderful news. Can I get you a room, Father?"
"Oh, please, just 'Calmet' is fine. Thank you very much for the offer. Let
me confer with my young friend for a moment." Calmet pulled Ethan over to the side. "Do you want to tell them, or should I? My reputation seems to have preceded me with the lad. I could probably break it to him," he whispered in his ear.
"No, don't tell him. It was probably his father who died. I'll talk to Sara. It would be best if John found out from her." Calmet nodded and followed John to the wagon to unload a few things before boarding the team.
"I'm glad you're back, Ethan," Sara said. "I am sure you and John will get along very well. He's a kind man and doesn't have the…history with you the rest of the town does."
"I'm sure," he said. "He seems nice. You look very happy." He sighed and paused, unsure how to bring up the subject of her father-in-law.
"So, you are a monk? A priest now?" she asked. "That is wonderful. My babies have never been baptized."
"Oh, this?" he said, looking down at his robe. "Not exactly. I have been living in a monastery for several years. I have been trying to take my vows, but the head of the order doesn't think I am ready. I am just waiting on God, I suppose."
"Oh, well, all in good time," she said.
Silence followed for a moment as Ethan pondered what he should say.
"I haven't seen her… since you left," Sara said, breaking the silence. Ethan looked up at her. "Victoria," she continued. Ethan winced at the name. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," she said, laying a hand on his arm. "I just thought you would be wondering. I am not sure why else you would be back since Father James died."
"Actually, there is another reason I am here. Is your father-in-law named Henry Jameson?"
"Yes. He left almost two months ago with a letter to Rome asking for help against the creatures who plague us. Oh, my God! He made it. Oh, the family will be so happy. Where is he? I must tell John." She headed for the tavern, but Ethan grabbed her arm.
"Yes, Sara, the letter made it to Rome, but he didn't. That is why Calmet and I are here, to help the town."
Her entire face dropped at the news. She put her head on Ethan's shoulder and let out a little sob. "You're here?" she finally asked. "They sent you? Why?"
"They sent Calmet; I just guided him here."
She turned and looked at the man leading a team of horses to the stables for the night. "They sent him? That old man? That is the man I have heard such fantastic stories about? What can he possibly do for us?"
"Don't be so harsh. He is the answer. The Pope himself sent him."
"Well, I hope you're right," Sara said, heading back toward the house. "You can't imagine what our people have been through these last few years."
"I know it was bad enough for Mr. Jameson to die trying to get help for his family. But, may I ask, if he was able to make it out, why don't the rest of you all just leave?"
"'You all'?" she asked. "You may have remembered how to get back here, but you certainly don't remember where it is you come from. Look at that cemetery. Our ancestors have lived and died here for over four hundred years. Your mother is buried there, as are my parents. This is our home. We will not be driven from it."
"What does it matter?" he asked. "As long as you remember your parents and carry on as they did, what does it matter where you live?"
"There is nowhere else to go," she said. "If we move on, so will they. From what I have heard about Dom Calmet, they are everywhere. Besides, most people don't make it out of this place, like your father. I don't know how you even survived the trip out or how John's family ever got here in the first place. Now if you will excuse me, I have to put my children to bed."
"Sara," he called as she opened the door to her house. "Don't be angry with me."
"I'm not angry, Ethan. Just disappointed." She shut the door.
Ethan led Gregory to the blacksmith’s. He was walking back toward the tavern when he heard a strange noise, something like a screech, coming from the woods. The few people who were still outside started to panic. The animals began to stamp their feet and make frightened noises.
John and Calmet burst out of the tavern. John ran toward his house where Sara opened the door just as he got on the stoop.
"Ethan! Run!" she screamed, as John slammed and barred the door.
Ethan turned to see something flying right at him. He fell to the ground as it buzzed over his head. He looked up to see the face of a woman looking back at him as she soared up toward the rising moon.
"Good job, boy!" Calmet called. "Distract them while I prepare The Impaler."
"The what?" Ethan asked as he rolled onto his back.
Another creature dived at him with her hands outstretched before her. Ethan yelped as he instinctively grabbed her wrists and kicked her over his head. The creature rolled a few times on the ground. She shook off her dizziness and looked him straight in the eye. For a moment, he was frozen with terror. She was one of the same creatures who appeared so many years ago at the window of his jail cell.
"Look out!" Calmet called.
Ethan rolled over just as another creature swooped down and grabbed his collar. He gasped in surprise as he felt the monster pick him up off the ground. The creature held him close and tried to bite him, but he twisted around and hit her as hard as possible in the jaw.
"That doesn't hurt, boy," she hissed. She tried again to bite him, but he reached out and put his hand around her neck, keeping her at arm's length. He used his other hand to reach into his pocket and pull out the amulet. Her eyes froze when she saw it. Slowly she raised her eyes to meet his. "I thought I recognized you…Ethan," she softly said.
The amulet felt hot in his hand. He thrust it out and pressed it against her cheek. It seared her like a branding iron and she screeched in pain. She let go of Ethan and he fell several feet to the ground. He landed hard, right in front of the old church. He rolled onto his belly, facing the church, and saw another creature about to pounce on him. He held up the medallion and put his arms over his face. He heard a sickening thunk! He opened his eyes and saw the creature impaled through her stomach to the front door of the church. Calmet was standing behind him with the big harpoon launcher. Ethan scrambled to his feet and ran to Calmet.
The creature had been knocked unconscious, but she shook her head as she awoke. She raised her hands to her stomach as if trying to figure out what had happened.
"How can she still be alive?" Ethan asked.
"There are very few ways to kill these creatures," Calmet explained. "Impaling them through the abdomen is not one of them. It only pins her down so she is slightly less dangerous."
"Only slightly?" Ethan asked.
Calmet nodded. "I was aiming for her heart. Don't get too close." Calmet opened his coat and pulled out what looked like a crossbow and loaded it with a silver stake. Another creature shrieked overhead, flew past them, and landed in front of the impaled one. Ethan looked behind and saw four more creatures hovering overhead in the night sky, watching.
"Lucia," Jessenda said, examining the situation. "Here, take my hand." Lucia held her arm up as Jessenda braced her foot against the door and tried to pull her off the implement.
"Oh! Jessenda! That hurts!" Lucia exclaimed.
Jessenda opened the door and saw that the stake had expanded like umbrellas on each end so she could not slide her sister off the front nor could the stake be pulled out of the door.
A glass bottle smashed into the door and the liquid splashed onto Lucia and Jessenda. They both screamed in pain as the water burned their skin.
"No, no, creature! No freeing her. She is my catch!" Calmet called.
Jessenda turned to Calmet and took a step forward, preparing to attack, when Lucia grabbed her arm.
"No, sister, don't. You must warn Master. Go. It's too late for me."
"No, I won't leave you like this."
Lucia reached up and put a hand on Jessenda's face. "It's all right. I'm not afraid. Just go."
Jessenda thought for a minute about what to do. She did not want to leave Lucia there to die, but she needed to warn Vincent. She also want
ed to take care of that human right now.
"Jessenda!" Lucia cried. "Go! Now! Just go!"
Jessenda embraced her sister as best she could and kissed her on the cheek. She slowly backed up, opened her wings, and took flight. Ethan watched as all five disappeared, screeching into the night sky.
Ethan had an unobstructed view of the woman. Blood dripped from around the shaft, down her light colored gown. She looked at Ethan and Calmet as her monstrous shape melted away into a beautiful young woman. Ethan felt a pang of guilt as she laid her head back against the door and took a few laborious breaths. She looked like any other human, and Ethan had participated in her coming death.
Calmet raised his crossbow and aimed at the woman's heart. Ethan heard a door open from behind him. He and Calmet turned to see several villagers looking out and whispering among one another.
"Please," called the injured vampire. "Please, help me."
The people gasped and began to murmur about the young lady stabbed to their church door. Some of the men came out and began to approach her.
"What have you done?" one man asked Calmet.
"No!" yelled Calmet. "Stay back! She is a wounded animal, but she is still dangerous."
"She is not an animal," another man said, pushing past Calmet. "You have killed an innocent woman."
"I am warning you…" but Calmet did not have the chance to stop him.
As soon as the man was in arm's length of her, the woman grabbed him, instantly changed into the winged demon, and sucked the blood from his neck right before the villagers' eyes. He tried to scream and fight, but he quickly went limp and his voice faded. Everyone watching froze in silence with shock.
The woman began to laugh. The man's blood dripped from her mouth and she kicked the corpse down the steps. "You are a fool, slayer," she said to Calmet. "You cannot stop us. We are a hundred times stronger. And soon, we too will walk in the light and it is you who will hide in the shadows." She was still pinned to the door, but the man's blood gave her strength, and her laugh became loud enough to echo throughout the village.
The Vampire's Daughter Page 13