‘Who are you?’ a young female demanded.
‘Alexandre Chevalier. I have come for Madison Greene.’ His voice was low and calm. ‘Sorry, I’m a little early,’ he added.
The vampires stepped aside as another appeared. This one Alexandre knew. It was Sergell, from last night’s encounter.
‘Actually,’ Sergell replied. ‘Although you are unfashionably early, you are also too late.’
A chill like a cold stone dropped into Alexandre’s stomach.
‘What do you mean, ‘too late’?’
‘I mean, you are too late. She is gone.’
Chapter Twenty Three
Cappadocia, 575 AD
*
The horse was fast and Aelia felt safe on his warm back. Lowering her head into his mane, she savoured the mix of sweet fresh air and horsey scent. She tried to enjoy the speed and freedom, to ignore the fate she was riding towards, willingly. She could end it now. Turn around and return to the widow’s cave. But no, it was too late even for that.
After Widow Maleina had explained what Aelia must do, she had banished her from the cave and told her not to return. But Aelia had wanted to say thank you, to say goodbye properly. The widow had turned away and made to walk off, but Aelia had grabbed her sleeve to make her stop. When the widow faced her, Aelia saw her eyes were heavily bloodshot and that she had glistening beads of sweat on her forehead. She let go of her sleeve as she realised – the widow had been infected. She had the blood plague.
Aelia had cried out and tried to think of something to say, but words failed her and all she could do was stare in horror.
‘I am an old woman,’ the widow had mumbled through the cloth she still wore over her mouth and nose.
‘But surely you must be able to cure it …’
‘I could not make the new infection without exposing myself. And I told you there is no cure. It is unfortunate.’
‘But this is my fault,’ Aelia cried. ‘If I had not insisted on going …’
‘This is nothing to do with you, my dear. This is time and fate and happenings far beyond your influence. Come now, you have much to do and very little time to do it in. You must leave this place or all our plans will be for nothing. God be with you, child and remember everything I told you.’
Now, on her way back to her village, guilt swamped Aelia and she urged her horse ever faster to try to shake off these heavy feelings. As if the wind could blow away her regrets and fears. But soon her horse would stop and she would reach her destination and there would be no getting away from her destiny. She would have to face goodness knows what. There was still the chance that Widow Maleina was mistaken, but Aelia had to prepare herself for the worst. And aside from the demons, there was still Lysus to face and the rest of the village who would all be passing judgement, no doubt.
Her father’s map was detailed and easy to follow. It took her away from the main routes, through narrow rocky passes and desolate stretches of scrubland. Her main concern was for bandits and she constantly scanned the horizon for dust clouds and movement. She silently thanked the widow for providing her with a horse. It made her feel so much safer and not so alone.
They stopped at a shallow stream where they both drank and rested. For a brief moment, as she stood, staring at the wide blue sky and listening to the birds chirping, she felt alright. Not frightened or panicky about what lay ahead. She patted her steed’s neck.
‘What’s your name, boy?’ she murmured.
The horse blew out through his nose and stamped his foot.
‘I can’t think of a fitting enough name for you. You’re my hero anyway, my horsey friend.’ She kissed his velvety nose and sighed. She should be terrified, but instead she just felt anxious to get there, to know what the future held for her. This not knowing was awful. ‘Ten minutes rest and then we’ll go,’ she said. According to the map, they were a little over halfway there.
The miles were falling away now and dusk was creeping up to meet them. It was lucky she hadn’t come across anyone on her journey. Perhaps they were all below the ground. Maybe she and the widow were the only ones left on the surface. That was a strange thought. As her horse’s hooves flew across the dusty ground, Aelia couldn’t help picturing the thousands of people down there below them. Were they all contentedly settling in to their new home? Or were they trapped and terrified? She had to reach her family before it was too late.
It was dark when she neared her destination. Aelia dismounted and tethered her horse to a tree out of sight a few hundred yards away. She decided she would sit and rest for a few moments before approaching the cave. She needed to gather her nerve and go over the plan in her mind once more. During the journey, her mind had either been a jumbled mass of thoughts, or empty of everything. Now, she needed to order her brain and steady herself. The horse nickered softly and she stroked his mane.
‘I’ll have to leave you soon,’ she whispered. ‘You’ll be fine.’
Aelia sat cross-legged on the ground, leaning against the tree. Earlier, before she left, the widow had given her a small leather bag containing a few provisions and now Aelia loosened its drawstring. She pulled out her waterskin and took a long drink. Again she reached inside the bag and felt around until her hand closed around the small brown box. She drew it out and stared at it under the moon’s bright glow. Such an innocuous looking thing, but the widow’s plan hinged on its contents. Aelia shuddered at the thought of what it contained. So many things could go wrong. She tucked the box inside her robe and secured it against her body with a long piece of cloth which she tied in a knot.
A rush of air flew past her face, and then another - bats. Aelia didn’t mind the tiny fluttering creatures. She thought of them as large moths or night birds. Harmless. Aside from their swooping antics, the night was silent. No chirruping cicadas or other animal cries. Just the quiet night.
‘Hello.’
Aelia jumped, startled to her feet by the voice which was calm and amused. She turned and looked around, but could see no one.
Then, out of the gloom, a man stepped forward. Her horse whinnied and Aelia held onto his rearing head to calm him.
‘It’s late for a girl to be out on her own,’ the man said. He kept his distance and made no move to come closer.
Aelia’s first instinct was to jump onto her horse and gallop away. This man was on foot and she could easily outpace him. But she couldn’t leave now. She had to get into the underground city. Perhaps the man was a guard, but somehow she didn’t think so. He was dressed too richly and spoke with an accent she couldn’t place. Was he one of the invaders? He didn’t look threatening.
‘I’m not an invader. I live here,’ the man said. ‘You’re free to leave. I mean you no harm.’
‘Who are you?’
‘You first,’ he replied.
She hesitated, but could think of no reason why she shouldn’t give her name. ‘Aelia. My name is Aelia.’
‘Pretty name.’ He took another step forward. ‘I am Mislav.’
Mislav. The name hung in the air like a whispered promise. Her horse whinnied again and Aelia slowly began to untether him, just in case.
‘Why are you out here?’ he asked. ‘Are you in trouble?’
Was she in trouble? Yes. She was in a mountain of trouble. ‘No,’ she replied. She didn’t want to mention the underground city in case he was an invader.
‘Did you miss the descent?’ he asked.
She didn’t reply.
‘Everyone has descended into the city, but you alone remain above ground. Do you want to descend?’
Not an invader then. ‘Yes,’ she replied. ‘Yes please. I missed the descent. I was ill.’
He smiled. A beautiful smile which filled her with lightness and joy. He was so mesmerising, his hair like a golden crown above noble features. Her horse was untethered now and she held the reins loosely in her hand. Suddenly the creature neighed, reared up and cantered away into the night.
‘My horse!’ she cried.
‘Ah, let him go. He looked like a fine steed, but you cannot bring him with you. There’s no room for any more beasts below.’
‘But …’
‘Let him go.’
She clutched her bag, feeling more alone than ever.
‘I …’ She didn’t know what she wanted to say.
‘Come.’ The man smiled his glorious smile again.
Aelia took a breath and stepped towards him. She would go with him. This was why she had come here - for her family. She would see them soon.
Chapter Twenty Four
Present Day
*
‘Been Christmas shopping have you?’
‘What? Er, yeah.’
‘Get something nice for your girlfriend?’
‘I haven’t got a …’
‘Here’s a tip for you – You’ve always gotta get ‘em something nice for birthdays and Christmases. Keeps ‘em sweet.’
‘Right. Thanks.’
The last thing Ben felt like doing was making small talk with the taxi driver. He seemed like a nice bloke, but Ben’s mind was locked in a downward spiral of doom. Not Morris. Not Morris. The words repeated over and over again in his head. Surely it just had to be a coincidence. But it all added up too conveniently.
‘Terrible weather,’ the driver said. ‘I’ve got the wipers on top speed.’
‘Sorry?’
‘The windscreen wipers – I’ve had to put ‘em on top speed but they’re not making a blind bit of difference. It’s chucking it down out there.’
‘Yeah,’ Ben replied, staring at the torrents of rain streaming down the windscreen. A snowflake air freshener swung from the rear view mirror, wafting the scent of fake pine needles under Ben’s nose and making him feel nauseous.
‘I’m only doing twenty miles an hour. Can’t go any faster; not on these bends.’
Stuck to the dashboard, a gilt framed photo of a woman and two teenage girls smiled up at Ben. The driver’s family he supposed.
‘Look at that idiot!’
Ben looked up from the dashboard to see a car overtaking them.
‘He’ll get himself killed,’ the driver said, shaking his head. ‘And he won’t get there any faster.’
Ben suddenly realised that finding the notepaper in the recycling bin now made perfect sense. If it was Ben, he would’ve burned the paper, got rid of the evidence. Morris obviously didn’t watch many crime movies. But why would he do it? What would he get out of betraying them? Money? Did Esther know? Ben felt sick and shaky and weird. How could he face her now, knowing what he knew? He didn’t know what would be worse – Esther being in on the whole thing, or Esther being devastated to find out what Morris was up to. Ben realised he actually felt afraid to go home.
‘Stop the car,’ he said.
‘What’s that?’
‘Stop the car!’ he almost yelled the words.
‘Eh? Stop? Hang on, I’ll find a place to pull over. You’re not going to be sick are you? I just cleaned the car this morning. You haven’t been drinking? How old are you? You’re just a kid, surely.’ He clicked on the indicator and pulled into a shallow layby.
‘Thanks,’ Ben said. ‘Can we just stay here for a minute? I need to think.’
‘Well,’ the driver said, looking a bit put out. ‘We can. But I’ll have to leave the meter running. I can’t just sit here indefinitely all night. Not in this weather. I was going to …’
‘Look,’ Ben interrupted, pulling a wad of cash out of his pocket. ‘I’ll give you …’ He counted out the notes. ‘I’ll give you sixty quid if we can just sit here, not talking for a few minutes.’
‘Alright then.’
Ben clumsily handed over the money, as the rain drummed down and cars splashed past. He felt as though he was freefalling. And there was no one there to catch him.
*
She had wandered around in here a hundred times before, but the layout had somehow changed. What had used to be the exit was now blocked by another high hedge. It was almost dark, shadows loomed large and she couldn’t find her way out. Maddy was stuck in the Marchwood maze. She tried to shout for help, but no sound came out of her mouth. A hand grabbed at her shoulder and she whipped around, but there was no one there.
‘Maddy. Maddy, quickly, wake up.’
‘What?’ She opened her eyes and the dream melted away. Zoe stood by the bed holding a small rucksack in her hands.
‘Get up, quick,’ Zoe hissed.
‘What’s going on? What is it?’ Fear eliminated all traces of sleep and Maddy got to her feet, blinking.
‘I’m getting you out,’ Zoe said.
‘What!’
‘Well, do you want to go or don’t you? It’s almost dawn. You’ll get a good head start before they realise.’
‘Oh my God. Really? You’re helping me?’
‘Please hurry. And keep your voice down.’ Zoe was already halfway out of the door, but Maddy still stood by the bed.
‘Sorry,’ Maddy replied. ‘I’m coming. Of course I am.’ She’d slept fully clothed, with her coat and boots on for warmth, so she had no need to dress.
‘This way,’ Zoe said.
Madison didn’t give the room a backward glance as she shadowed Zoe out of the door. The room led out into a tunnel and there were no lights out here. Once the door closed behind her, the tunnel went black.
‘I can’t see,’ Maddy whispered.
‘Sshh. Here, hold my hand.’
Maddy felt Zoe’s cold hand slip into hers. What was this place? She had a feeling she knew the answer and the thought made her skin crawl.
‘Is this the underground city? Are we in Cappadocia?’
‘For God’s sake, shut up please, Maddy … Yes, we are in Cappadocia.’
Zoe moved silently without a footstep, a breath or a rustle. In comparison, Maddy’s clumsy footsteps reverberated around the passageway, shuffling, tripping and scraping along the floor. And her breathing was so loud, she sounded like an asthmatic climbing Mount Everest. But that was nothing compared to the clanging rhythm of her heartbeat. And she could literally see nothing.
So here she was, in the darkness, in the place of Alexandre’s nightmares. She knew the story of the Byzantine vampires who had attacked him and his family. They were brutal unfeeling creatures and now she was here among them. Why did they want her? Did they plan to turn her into one of them too?
The thought of becoming a vampire had crossed her mind before, of course it had, but she would never willingly do it. She loved Alex, but the way he had to live was not appealing. Never going out in the sun, never tasting food. Yes, there were some benefits, but Maddy didn’t think she would like to live forever. It was too scary a thought. To watch everyone else grow old and die, to see the world change beyond all recognition. Mortality was a good thing in her opinion. She understood Alexandre’s occasional moments of despair – it wasn’t an easy way to live. She knew he often tried to forget what he was.
‘We’re coming to a flight of stairs,’ Zoe said. ‘Narrow and steep. Be careful.’
Maddy stumbled upwards, half pulled by Zoe. She used her free hand to try to steady herself against the wall.
‘This is no good,’ Zoe whispered. ‘We need to move quicker.’
‘But I can’t see where I’m going,’ Maddy said, blinking furiously and trying hard to focus on anything at all.
Zoe sighed. ‘I wish we had a torch.’
‘Do they know I’m missing yet? Can you tell if we’re being followed?’
‘No, they’re not following, but it’s almost dawn and we only have a short time to get you out. I can’t move the stone after sunrise.’
‘Stone?’
‘You’ll see. Come on.’
They eventually reached the top of the staircase and Maddy bumped into Zoe’s back as she stopped abruptly.
‘This next passageway is pretty straight and even,’ Zoe said. ‘Do you think you can run?’
‘In the dark? I’ll give it a
go.’
‘Good, keep hold of my hand.’
Maddy put one foot in front of another and ran. Zoe matched her speed. It was an odd feeling to move so quickly in total darkness. She kept imagining herself running directly into a brick wall and knocking herself out. Eventually Zoe slowed down.
‘Going round to the right, now,’ Zoe whispered.
They carried on like this for several more minutes – running and slowing, running and slowing. It was disorientating and strange. Maddy had thought her eyes would get used to the dark, but she was wrong. This must be what it was like to be blind.
‘We’re here,’ Zoe said.
‘Where?’
‘Hold onto my hand tight with both hands. We’re going up quite high and you’ll get hurt if you fall.’
‘Going high? What do you mean?’ She grasped Zoe’s hand with both of hers.
‘Ready?’ Zoe asked.
‘I think so.’ Maddy tightened her grip as she felt Zoe clamber skywards, nimbly, like a spider up a wall. Maddy was literally dangling in midair, hanging by her arms. She was too shocked to make a noise. Then there was a loud scrape and a bang and a sudden freezing blast of air. In less than a second, they were outside.
Maddy slid her fingers from Zoe’s hand, more than slightly shaken up from her midair flight. They both stood in the dark pre-dawn air, nervous and alert.
‘I found that exit a few weeks ago,’ Zoe said. ‘I think it’s an old chute or air vent or something.’
Maddy peered down into the blackness and shivered. The square hole was hidden from plain view in between several rocky outcrops.
‘When I first found it,’ Zoe continued, ‘it was uncovered and sunlight was streaming into the passage. I was pretty terrified. But I came back at night and covered it over with that huge rock.’
‘So the other vamps don’t know about it?’
‘I’m sure they don’t. If they did it wouldn’t have been left uncovered. They’ve blocked up all the other vents down there and every known exit is guarded. I’m not allowed out without an escort.’
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