Thicker Than Blood

by Shalini Boland

  ‘Hush, hush. You’re not underground or in any danger. And I’m certainly not a vampire, of all things! This is just a place I come to sometimes. You’re free to leave whenever you wish, but it’s cold out there and it will be dark soon. You might as well stay and share a little supper with me. I don’t get company that often.’

  Dark soon? She must have been asleep the whole day. She would surely be dead by now if it wasn’t for this strange old woman.

  ‘My phone … My bag … Do you have them?’

  Sophia stood and walked across the cave floor. Maddy saw her retrieve the rucksack from a far wall. An energetic fire blazed in the back. So that’s why it felt so warm in here. Maddy suddenly remembered the other fire, the one which had kept the vampires at bay. And now, according to this woman, Sofia, it was night again. Would they come back for her? Would they find her here? Wherever ‘here’ was. All those familiar feelings of panic and urgency descended upon her again.

  Maddy pushed off the thick blankets and stood shakily. She looked down and realised she was wearing a shapeless dress of some kind.

  ‘Where are my clothes?’ she asked, taking the backpack from Sofia’s outstretched hand.

  ‘They were wet from the snow. I dried them by the fire.’ Sofia pointed to the wall where Maddy saw her coat and a pile of folded clothes on the ground.

  ‘Oh. Thank you.’

  ‘I made spinach and feta gozleme while you were sleeping. Are you hungry?’

  Maddy didn’t know what the spinach thing was, but something smelled good.

  ‘I have to call my friends,’ Maddy said.

  ‘You call them. I need to go out for a short time, but I’ll be back soon. Come and sit by the fire. Help yourself to food or you can wait until I return. It’s up to you.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Maddy replied, rooting about in her bag. She found the phone and prayed for a signal, but there were still no bars. It was useless. ‘Do you have a phone?’ she asked Sofia. ‘Or a car?’

  ‘No.’

  Great, it looked like she was stuck here for the night, unless the woman showed her the way to the hotel.

  ‘I really need to contact my friends. Do you know the way to Ayvali?’

  ‘Ayvali? It’s too far to go tonight. You can go there tomorrow.’

  This was like déjà vu. She just couldn’t seem to get to where she wanted to go. People were kind, but they didn’t understand how desperate she was.

  ‘Can’t you just point me in the right direction?’

  ‘It’s almost dark. Wait until morning.’

  ‘But you don’t understand.’ Maddy walked over to her and gripped the woman’s arm. ‘I have to get to Ayvali. I have to reach my friends. It’s important. A matter of life and death.’

  ‘Life and death, yes,’ Sofia replied. ‘You go outside and there will be death. Much death.’

  Maddy let go of Sofia’s arm. Who was this woman? And what did she know about death?

  ‘I thought you said I could go whenever I wanted.’

  ‘You may leave if you wish, but I advise you to stay if you want to be safe. I’ll see you shortly. Or not. It’s your choice.’ Sofia wrapped a heavy cloak around her head and shoulders and walked towards a narrow archway which Maddy assumed must be the way out.

  What should she do now? Should she wait for the woman to come back? And then what? Was she supposed to sit down and eat with her like nothing was wrong? She could leave now if she wanted. The woman had said that nothing was stopping her, but where was this place anyway? Maddy walked over to her clothes and hurriedly dressed. The material felt gorgeously warm and dry. Even her thick socks and boots which had been sodden. At least she had that to thank Sofia for.

  The exit was a narrow passageway. Maddy really hoped the woman hadn’t been lying when she said they weren’t in the underground city. But as she walked, she felt an icy breeze and after a few seconds, she stepped out of the cave and back into the snowy wilderness. God, this place was in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t quite dark yet, but night wasn’t far away. Sofia was nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t snowing and yet Maddy couldn’t spot a single footprint. Odd.

  She turned in a full circle to take in her surroundings. Behind her, the cave was set into a steep hillside and on all other sides lay snowy plains studded with bushes, hillocks and trees. If she left now, she’d be wandering around without a clue. She tried the phone again. Perhaps the cave walls had been blocking the signal. But there were still no bars, so she shoved it back into her bag and returned to the relative warmth and safety of the cave.

  Chapter Thirty Nine

  Cappadocia, 575 AD

  *

  Aelia’s mind whirled like a top. Lysus was here. He was still alive. What should she do? Her first instinct had been to kill him, but she knew she would not. He probably knew what had happened to her parents and sisters. She would have to speak to him and perhaps torment him a little. It was just like Lysus to be safe with his parents while the rest of their village suffered in the pits. She made a low growling noise in her throat and felt Mislav’s hand steady her.

  Suddenly, as one, the demons rose to their feet again. The boy Emperor had begun to speak but she wasn’t listening. She was irritated at having to be here. She wanted to confront Lysus, not stand around impotently waiting. Her anger was already dissipating and she didn’t want to lose its power. For once, she wanted to act with passion and feeling, but as the minutes passed she felt cool rationality overtake her, setting off a fresh wave of anger, this time aimed at herself. Mislav’s eyes bored into her face, his unasked questions making her want to scream.

  Lysus’ eyes were focused on the Emperor. He hadn’t noticed Aelia and she wanted to keep it that way. She would meet him on her terms. She thought of their tryst all those years ago. So much had happened since that time; she wasn’t anything like the naïve child she’d been back then. Aelia wondered if he had changed much, or if he was still the same selfish coward. She wished he wasn’t quite so handsome. If anything, he was even better looking now than he’d been back then – his shoulders broader, his features less soft…

  ‘Remove them from the hall!’ a demon guard ordered.

  Aelia looked around, confused. Remove who? When she turned back to look at Lysus, he was gone. She gasped. Where was he? His parents had also disappeared. And then she saw all the humans filing out of the hall.

  ‘What’s happening,’ Aelia asked Mislav. ‘Why are they leaving?’

  ‘Quiet,’ he whispered.

  Once the last human had exited the hall, the room was sealed closed with a millstone. Aelia felt tension and anticipation in the air, but her mind was still on Lysus. She told herself to relax, that she would find him easily enough when she got out of here.

  ‘You may wonder why you are here,’ the Emperor’s reedy voice cut through her thoughts. ‘… or you may already know.’ His gaze swept the hall. ‘We are in the middle of a crisis and we are running out of time. Something is occurring which I have never witnessed in all my years of existence.’ He paused.

  The demons remained silent, but the tension increased – a taughtening of necks, a widening of eyes and the faint scent of … fear.

  ‘My dearest sister has fallen asleep. And it is a sleep from which she cannot be woken.’

  There were gasps from the hall and mutterings ensued.

  ‘But it is not only my sister. Three others of our number have also fallen prey to this slumber.’

  Now the hall erupted into noise, the demons talking loudly amongst themselves. Aelia tried to suppress her joy. It must be the blood plague. It must finally be spreading through the demons.

  ‘Silence,’ shouted one of the guards.

  Instant hush descended on the hall.

  ‘It begins with a terrible lethargy,’ continued the Emperor. ‘A weakness of the mind and body. Does anybody know anything of this? Do any of you have this illness? Come forward if you are afflicted and we will try to heal you.’

  There was a
pause and some hesitancy before several of the demons made their way to the front of the hall. Shock radiated from the others, who drew back as the infected creatures passed, worried they too would catch the illness. As they reached the dais, the Emperor gestured to his guards who led the demons away.

  ‘Can he cure them?’ Aelia asked Mislav.

  ‘I do not know,’ he replied. ‘But he won’t try. He’ll expose them to try and stop the spread.’

  ‘Expose them?’

  ‘To the sun.’

  ‘Kill them you mean?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Good, Aelia thought. But when she saw the faces of the infected creatures as they left the hall, a small wave of sympathy overtook her. She shook her pity away with images of the blood bath and misery they had created down here.

  ‘It is the mortals who have brought disease here,’ the Emperor continued. ‘They are succumbing to a plague which kills them within days. It is my belief that this human plague is the culprit.’

  ‘Your Imperial Highness,’ a voice rang out from the crowd. ‘May I speak?’

  The Emperor nodded and the demon spoke:

  ‘How is this possible? We do not suffer human disease. It cannot be the plague. Surely …’

  ‘You tell me something I already know,’ the Emperor interrupted. ‘But this is happening. The impossible is happening.’

  ‘What are we to do?’ the demons began to cry out.

  ‘Silence!’ The Emperor waited until the hall was quiet once more. ‘We must burn all human plague victims. We must not feed until we have purged this disease. Go now and eradicate the infection. It cannot be allowed to persist.’

  The millstone rolled aside and the demons left the hall, Mislav at Aelia’s side. For once, she wasn’t eager to be away from him. She needed to find things out. They hurried to the blue and silver chamber where he waved away his girl servants.

  ‘This is most unsettling,’ Mislav said, pacing the room. ‘Do you feel unwell at all?’ he asked sharply. ‘Are you weak or tired?’

  ‘No,’ she replied with a laugh. ‘And would I tell you if I was? You’ve already told me the infected demons will be put outside to burn in the sun. And what about the poor humans who have it? Will they really burn them too?’ She felt so guilty. She had signed their death sentence by bringing the plague with her, but what other choice had there been?

  ‘Burning is the only way to purge disease,’ Mislav replied. He stopped pacing and gave her a sharp look. ‘But you,’ he said. ‘You are different. Something happened in there before the announcement. I felt your anger. I had to restrain you. What was it? Has someone hurt you or threatened you? Tell me.’

  Aelia paused a moment and sank down onto a cushion. Mislav crouched in front of her.

  ‘I have missed you these past days,’ he said. ‘I wondered if you would ever return to me. I need a companion during this long life and you interest me more than most.’

  Aelia couldn’t look him in the eyes. He made her too uncomfortable. She ignored his previous comment and decided to answer his other question.

  ‘I saw someone in the hall. Someone from my human life.’

  Mislav tensed. ‘Someone who did you wrong?’

  ‘You could say that.’

  ‘What did this human do?’

  ‘He used me and betrayed me. I was banished from my village and left to die because of him.’

  ‘A man did all this to you? Then I will kill him.’

  ‘No! No. That is not what I want. I must speak to him and find out why he did it. We were barely children at the time – young and stupid.’ She couldn’t believe she was defending Lysus. ‘And I think he must also know where my family is. I need to find them and he may be able to help.’

  ‘It would be better if you left it to me.’

  ‘No. Please, let me sort this out. It’s … personal.’

  Mislav grimaced. ‘Very well. Tell me of this man and I will make sure he is not harmed during the plague burnings.’

  ‘His name is Lysus Garidas. His father is … was the Praetor of our village – Selmea.’

  ‘You are from Selmea?’

  ‘I was, before they sent me away.’

  ‘I know this Praetor Garidas. I spoke with him on many occasions before we descended. And your family? What is their name?’

  ‘I am Aelia Laskarina of the Lascaroi family.’

  ‘The name is not familiar to me.’

  ‘My father is an artisan. A good man. We are not an important family. ’

  ‘They are most likely dead.’

  She glared at him.

  ‘I only speak the truth.’

  ‘You don’t know for certain.’

  ‘If they were alive you would have found them already.’

  Aelia stood and turned away from him.

  ‘You are one of us now,’ he said. ‘You will outlive them all. Better they are dead now than later.’

  ‘Better for who? For you? Not for me.’ She bowed her head and closed her eyes. ‘I need to go. I wish to be on my own for a while.’

  ‘Stay away from the others. You do not want to become infected.’

  If only you knew, she thought. If only you knew.

  Chapter Forty

  Present Day

  *

  The spinach thing on the griddle smelt amazing, but Maddy felt weird helping herself to dinner without Sofia here. Instead, she sat cross-legged on the mattress and delved into her rucksack, locating a huge pack of Turkish crisps that she’d picked up at the petrol station. She opened them, dug her hand in and pulled out a couple of cheese puffs. They tasted of margarine but she didn’t care.

  This cave place was amazing. Completely hidden from the outside. But once you were inside, you felt kind of cosy and safe, with the fire flickering and casting warm shadows. A bowl of fruit sat on a ledge on one of the walls. Maddy ambled over and helped herself to a bright orange clementine. Sofia wouldn’t mind. She wandered back down the passageway to peek outside again. It was probably dark by now.

  Without the light from the fire, the passage was coal black. But outside, the moon shone huge and bright in the dark velvet sky. The snow clouds had dispersed and the air smelt sharp and icy. It was beautiful and peaceful. Maddy gazed out over the snow-covered landscape to see if she could spot Sofia returning, but all was empty and still. Maddy brought the shiny clementine up to her nose and inhaled its sweet tangy scent. It reminded her of Christmas. She realised she didn’t even know what day it was and she hadn’t thought to ask Sofia. Maybe it was Christmas Eve already. Or perhaps she’d missed Christmas completely.

  Ben would be worried sick, but it sounded like Esther was taking good care of him. At least she had that to be thankful for. And Alex would be going mad trying to find her. He always made her feel so safe – not in a cheesy lovey dovey way, but in a life-changing empowering way. God, she missed him so much. It was a physical ache. How could she bear it if she never saw him again?

  Before Alex had come into her life, everything had been a battle and a struggle. It had just been her looking after Ben. Worrying about him and worrying about herself. Angie and Trevor had been okay, but when it came down to it, their foster parents hadn’t really cared about her and Ben. Not really. Not when it mattered. Even when she inherited the money, she still felt insecure. There was always that nagging worry in her stomach like she was responsible for everything and she constantly felt like she was about to make a massive mistake and ruin her and Ben’s lives.

  When Alex came along, she found an equal. An ally. It was them against the world. Someone to share everything with. She could tell him anything and he was funny too. They laughed so much together, at stupid stuff. Madison trusted him with her life and knew he’d never let her down. And he was so freakin gorgeous, she felt like she was going into freefall every time she saw him … every time she thought of him.

  Alex even changed the way she thought about herself. Before he came into her life, she’d been pretty insecure. The
re had always been plenty of male attention, but it was generally from adolescent dickheads who wanted to get in her knickers. But Alex really thought she was something special. She could see it when he looked at her – that he saw her, really saw her. Not just some girl who might be a good lay. He made her feel like she was worth something. Like she had the power to make his life better. And that feeling was incredible.

  What was it with this place? It had made her go all philosophical and stuff. Maybe it was the several near-death experiences she’d just had, making her appreciate life and what was important. The other Marchwood vampires had also become like a family. Well, Leonora and Freddie actually were her family which was pretty amazing if she stopped to think about it. Going from being an orphan to having all these new relations…

  Suddenly, Maddy’s thoughts veered off a cliff. Up ahead she saw a figure heading this way. It must be Sophia. She frowned. It looked like it was moving much too fast for an old woman. Shit. That wasn’t Sophia. Shit, shit, shit. It was a man. A vampire. It had to be, it was moving so fast. Maddy stood frozen to the spot. What could she do? She couldn’t outrun it. There was nowhere to hide. No escape. The clementine dropped out of her hand and rolled into the snow.

  *

  Madison did not show up at the hotel. Alexandre must have tried calling her phone about fifty times. It helped to make the minutes pass more quickly. Made him feel like he was doing something. But every ten minutes, when he tried the number again, it just went straight to voicemail. He quickly began to loathe that single ring followed by that click and then the automated Turkish woman’s voice. That voice. He wanted to grind that voice into dust.

  Zoe was getting to know the others. Alexandre could hear them chatting in the next room, but he didn’t have the heart to join in and be polite. Even though he knew he owed her his life … and Maddy’s. He would make it up to Zoe when this was all over. He would apologise for his rudeness and talk to her properly. But right now he couldn’t think straight, let alone make conversation with a stranger.

  Eventually, as always, night followed day and Alexandre was freed from his luxurious prison. He left the hotel without waiting for the others. They had already agreed that as soon as the sun set they would go out and begin their search for Madison again. They would fan out this time, but keep close enough to sense each other in case of danger. Alexandre did not expend his energy on keeping track of the others. He knew one of them at least would have his back. Instead, he focused his mind and cast out his senses as far as they would go.