“You could try a little bedside manner.” Sabree winced.
I have seen this act play out once too often. Sabree’s ham performance to gain sympathy fueled my resentment. My ears ignored the moans as I finished bandaging and ripping off the excess tape.
Sabree groaned in response. “Eric was possessed. By the time I reached my room, he slammed me against the door. I wanted to rip into his neck and drain him dry for what he did, but I couldn’t bite him. Your imprint on Eric is still too strong. He bragged how he is now the hunter of the Fallen and—”
“Aye, I know, yada, yada, yada. I heard the same speech.” The hatred in Eric’s eyes left me feeling numb, especially when he told me what would happen if we ever crossed paths again. If my curtness hurt Sabree, he didn’t show it. Eric’s ravings that Ariane and I were never human, Duncan had hired Eric as our keeper, and then manipulated our education had stunned me. In truth, we were the zygotes born only four years ago and like the Fallen, we had a short childhood.
The wild claims certainly explained why neither of us had any memories before our so-called transformation—really our actual birth. When the dust settled, mainly from blood loss, I’d convince Sabree to explain the physiology of our growth process. Below the bandage where the navel should be, Sabree had none. Did my navel come from artificial incubation or from our human DNA?
Sabree coughed into his hand. “There’s more. Eric waved the jump drive he copied from your computer in my face.” His eyes darkened as he continued. “He vowed to decipher the information you stole from the Caderen archives to destroy the Fallen, us included. How'd you pull off that theft?”
Too easy even for the lock-tight Caderen. I frowned. “I downloaded the archives when we met the Caderen. You’re the dingbat who gave me the password. Besides, I have a right to the archives.”
“Ghouls have no rights.”
My patience snapped. I slapped the top of the headboard. “This one does!” I leaned a hand on Sabree’s shoulder to pin him against the bed. “Don’t hand me your usual bullshit about ghouls. As the successor of Turian, I have every right. Human science never had a hand in our creation like you originally claimed, but from a Fallen father and a human mother. From the zygotes you had sworn to protect.”
Sabree’s eye color confirmed my outburst had cleared up a few things. Not enough though. I blinked. “What happened to our arrangement of friendship and partners in crime? Never call me a ghoul again.” I was never a ghoul after all, if one considered my actual heredity.
The sudden display dazed Sabree into a calm respect. “Good, we’ll call it even—tit for tat. You will be more honest with me and I will cease with the name-calling.”
“Deal,” I said. More or less, I doubted we would’ve ever become fast friends if not for Sabree’s dependence on my blood. Plenty of people formed friendships dependent on what each gained from the other these days. Speaking of needy friends, Eric pilfered the ancient scrolls and other files from my computer. Fortunately, as with most of the Fallen, no human could translate them.
I had to ask. “Did Eric say anything about Ariane?” Hidden from all, except Jesse, she was safe but wished she would try to contact me. Nothing would soothe me more than hearing her voice. The cell I purchased in Marblemount still hadn’t rung, my calls and texts ignored. I played ignorant to see if Sabree withheld information as usual.
“I forgot to ask. Perhaps the thick metal arrow distracted me.”
The usual sarcasm went unnoticed. According to Jesse, Eric left her in an alley along with my charge card to incriminate me. My dark eyes studied Sabree. “Did he say anything else?”
“Yes, for some reason…” Sabree made an ugly face. “It slipped my mind. But Eric left you a love note in your bedroom.”
“Now you tell me.” I tore out of his room into my own. My gaze scanned every crevice until it fell on the note taped to the mirror. I tore it open.
Brian: What happened on Mt. Joker shall make us enemies from this day forth. I left Ariane’s body in an alley in Marblemount for the authorities to find. I can’t deal with the police. I have a new mission in life. P.S. I left your charge card next to her body. Hope it doesn’t incriminate, I mean inconvenience you in any way. Congrats on getting the complete journal. You’ll need it. – Eric Tripper
The crumpled note bounced off the wall. Jesse was right. Ariane needed time to heal, mentally as well as physically. Tears of anguish welled in my eyes as I envisioned Eric abandoning her in a filthy alley. My guts churned. Eric had gone too far. I vowed to seek him out when the time was right. For now, I would keep the distance between us wide—miles apart.
Minutes later, I charged into Sabree’s room and threw an empty suitcase onto the bed. “I have to pack your things—we’re leaving.”
“Why?” he asked, trying to lift himself upright. “I’m still recovering.”
“We’re wanted: dead or undead,” I said with a dry wit I thought was stashed away forever. While packing, I filled Sabree in about Eric’s treachery and informed him we would have to lay low. No idea how long. Staying here or seeking refuge with the Caderen was out of the question. “We’re going to stay with a relative of Jesse’s. His name is Gray Wolf.”
“Gray Wolf?” Sabree repeated. “A dog?”
“Fang, you’re the only bloodhound I know,” I said with a chuckle. “He’s Navajo, Native American—a singer. Jesse said he’d let us hide out until we figure out what to do with the anti-vamp serum.”
“Pardon, I never had time to brush up on the Native American people, except that Jesse is Navajo. Go and I shall mist to wherever—”
Over my dead body. Did Sabree really think me the fool? I stared into the lavender eyes glistening with utmost reverence but doubted the admiration was genuine. “No, you’re too weak. Besides, Eric might return for round two.” My tone softened. “I prefer the company and your Jag’s speed. I need your help, you need my blood.”
“Don’t forget the red drive hidden behind my favorite bottle of wine. Also, the yellow one. Pack the wine too.” Sabree smirked, this time the Cheshire cat smile gleamed. “See, you can trust me.”
A chuckle almost slipped out until I choked it down. “Abso-bloody-lutely.” I ran out of the room, retrieved the drives and a few revered bottles from the wine cellar. I rushed upstairs to pack and tie up loose ends. The hammered laptop made me wince. I removed the hard drive and recovered the backup laptop hidden inside the closet.
Until we recouped and Ariane returned, we’d have to delay the production of anti-vamp serum neither I nor Sabree cared to use. My sister craved its promise of humanity. The drug would render us helpless against our enemies. I doubted the formula would reduce his dependency on our blood. There had to be another way to liberate us from being the main course on his menu. Sabree’s idea of cloning our ghoulish blood might work. Not ghoulish but Fallen with a pinch of mystery ingredient.
After everything was packed and stashed in the Jag, I copied a complete journal onto a few flash drives and my spare laptop. Next, I uploaded the encrypted journal onto my cloud storage to research later. I packed the drives to drop off at the Post Office, addressed to three specific locations.
The task completed, I stared at a particular folder on the laptop, the one that housed the anti-vamp serum copied from the journal. My finger hovered over the delete key. Rendering myself powerless seemed suicidal, especially since I had more enemies than friends these days. Without further hesitation, I jabbed the key to delete the formula.
Ariane would react poorly to the deletion. Nope, double poorly when I revealed the journal held no cure for vampirism as rumored. Anyway, none of that mattered. We weren’t vampires. We weren’t mutated humans. Nothing to cure. She had no choice but to accept her true nature—part Fallen, part human. All those scavenger hunts for naught—nada.
My lower lip formed a pout when I stole a final glance of my office.
53
REST STOP FROM HELL
A n hour later,
after I screened the car for any GPS trackers, Sabree and I sped north along Route 17 headed for Flagstaff. The Jag sped along with precision and velocity under the guidance of my Fallen skills—speed being my forte. If Eric had been lying in wait to follow… forget about it.
From a sideway glance, my partner-in-crime leaned back in the passenger seat, still recovering from his injury. The idea of anyone other than Sabree behind the wheel of his coupe would have made him balk, but in his weakened state, he let me take control.
I chuckled. Two weeks ago, I would’ve laughed hysterically if someone suggested we’d become friends who depended on each other.
“What’s so funny?” Sabree asked. He pointed at the highway ahead. “Watch the road not me.” His fingers drummed the leather next to the stick shift.
Any word other than funny would best describe our ironic situation. I stole another glance. “Who’d of guessed you and I would be riding off into the sunset together.”
“What makes you so sure this ends happily?”
Point taken. I nodded in silence, dropped the idea that we’d become best buds. My imagination must’ve been on overdrive. Hearing no other response, I drove on in silence.
Ahead, a road sign indicated Flagstaff was five miles away. From there, we planned to travel north to the Navajo reservation. Hide from the law, from the Caderen, and from Wayde, but mostly from Eric Tripper, the newfound vampire slash Fallen slayer. By going underground, we could begin the next venture to find a way to release Sabree’s dependency on our blood. However, all of that had to wait until after the rest stop from hell.
As a rule, and not one I made up, road trips usually made me hungry. Boredom? Certainly not the exuberant conversation. Sabree feeding on my blood might’ve added to my sweet tooth. It played havoc with my disheartened mood. Also, he needed fuel to combat his wound and nonstop whining. Enough excuses.
Before we ventured into unknown territory, I decided to stop in Flagstaff. “I’m pulling in at the next rest stop,” I announced. “Besides refueling your precious Jag, we’d better stock up on some frosting and gummy bears. Jesse’s a veggie and fruit connoisseur.”
“Bien, sounds like a plan. Thank goodness, I packed light so we could load the trunk with my wine collection. The alcohol will slice the boredom in half. Nothing like the Navajo backwoods. And before you say anything, I know it’s a desert and not the woods. It’s just a figure of speech and in my case, more like my hunger speaking.”
What a mouthful. Did hunger or nerves speak for him? I nodded and continued to bob my head while Sabree rambled on about our bad luck. My stomach growled. My entire body growled.
Fifteen minutes later, sympathizing with bobblehead dolls after several pleas to stop, I pulled into a convenience center on the north side of Flagstaff, preferring to stop away from traffic and tourists. As soon as I killed the ignition, a heavy sigh escaped. We made it this far, but how much longer before I shoved a sock in Sabree’s mouth. Maybe candy would glue it shut. “Gas the Jag while I stock up on some sweets. Then it’s your turn.”
“You should munch on a tourist or two.” Sabree winked and cocked his head at the van parked on the other side of the pumps. “Vans are usually plump full of peopsicles.”
“The reason why I chose this place, less tourists, so down, Fang.” I shook my head on the way inside. Hunger possessed me to buy the place out of frosting and gummies, grabbing every flavor and brand. Sabree could pick out his sugary favorites, along with paying for the fuel. Minus my credit card, I only had fifty bucks on me. Once outside and the car loaded with my stash, I stretched my legs. In a few minutes, I’d be cramped inside the sports car for a few more hours. While I walked laps around the coupe, a family took turns using the single outside restroom.
Skyward, dark clouds rolled in fast.
“You might want to sit the storm out,” the father of the family said. He had two more kids to wait for before his turn.
“Aye, looks like a bad one.” I glanced behind and saw Sabree at the register. Then my gaze perused the storm. I whistled. This storm moved in like a mother ship traveling at warp speed and braking through thick clouds. “It’s a bitch traveling under torrential rain in the Jag,” I said, speaking to no one. The father had apparently herded his family into the van and drove off. I sensed Sabree behind me when a wave of vertigo knocked me on my knees, smacking them against the hard asphalt. Sabree tumbled beside me.
Elden Mountain, the Jag, and the convenience store vanished, leaving only a rocky terrain that reached far into the horizon. I rose to my feet and rubbed my eyes. Mounds and mounds of smooth boulders of various shapes and sizes, the largest as wide and round as a two-story house extended to the horizon. Shades of charcoal gray and brown painted the surfaces of the stones. Even the color palate of the sky consisted of multiple hues of gray. The rocky terrain, its essence ancient and earthy, reminded me of the day Jesse took me to a rock hound’s basement full of specimens collected over the years. His search for vintage Zuni fetishes hauled us all over the Four-Corner states.
I shoveled the tip of my boot through some of the pebbles. Behind me, Sabree struggled to his feet, ignoring my hand. “Holy boulder, are you seeing this?” A bit of humor eased the tension in my gut.
“Where’s my Jag?” Sabree glanced my way for an answer and brushed himself off.
The darkening change of scenery churned my insides. I had never envisioned this place before, neither in the portal nor in a dream. I stuttered between breaths. “A storm rolled in, mighty fast and mean. Everything except you disappeared. I’ve never brought anyone with me before.”
“Brought? How’d we get here? Where’s here?” He bent over and looked at the ground around his feet. “Merde, my lollipop is gone.”
“We might be in the portal. Some other dimension or world.”
Sabree grabbed my arm to brace himself. His extremities trembled. “You said all was forgiven?”
“Not my doing. Here, feed.” I raised my wrist up to his mouth. “Quick, you need my blood to heal. I’m not sure why we’re here, where here is, or who arranged this.” I didn’t have to ask him twice. Sabree sank his fangs into my vein. The blood flowed freely. While Sabree nourished his body, I studied the rocky horizon for movement.
A flash of light sparked overhead. I dropped on all fours, yanking Sabree alongside me. He released his hold on my wrist. The pesky cherubs came to mind. “Stay down.”
The roar of turbine engines rumbled overhead. The ground shook. Boulders of every size rolled about and popped up and down like kernels of corn shaken over a hot stove. Above us the storm reappeared, now a rotating maelstrom the size of a football field. The whirlwind’s massive bulk shot lightning bolts in every direction, the electricity arcing like a gigantic plasma globe. Pebble-sized dust and boulders bombarded us as if a legion of cannons blasted from all sides. My eyes stung and my exposed skin quickly became bloodied.
I squeezed my eyes shut and hunched over, tightening my hold on Sabree as we braced ourselves for the inevitable impact. Sabree muttered an inaudible prayer in my ear.
Boulders continued to batter us. We recoiled, neither of us losing consciousness as something thundered overhead. With one hand shielding my eyes, I peeked through my fingers. The storm decreased, but the intensity swirled overhead as the inverted maelstrom shrunk into the size of a man. The whirlwind drew nearer until it stopped ten feet in front of where we knelt.
Seconds later, the wind subsided. In its wake, a figure stood with massive wings of white-hot energy. His eyes flamed. The heavens above him sang out Athorsis, repeating the word until the chorus faded into faint echoes.
One of the Malakhim? An archangel? I braved a question. Why not? Nothing left to lose except my life. “Who are you? What do you want?”
The answer in the form of a squall blew us over, rolling our battered bodies across the field of boulders. When we stopped tumbling, a moan slipped from Sabree’s lips. He was slumped over, soaked in his own blood. Rage boiled in m
y veins. This being had no right to torment us. I reeled at the winged menace and roared back. “Leave us alone! My friend’s dying.” I choked on rising bile as my throat tightened, not from grief but from the creature’s will alone.
“How dare you raise your voice. I called upon you only, without the extra baggage. Alas, he is here now, so be it.”
I sensed how Sabree fought hard, almost losing the battle to hang onto life—the Fallen’s version of temporary death. I reached out to him and almost toppled over, my own strength depleted. This had to be a dream—nightmare—the kind I used to experience before I found the amulet and traveled the portal. All I had to do was wake up.
“This is not a nightmare. I am the most revered and feared of all Lighted Ones. The Timekeeper. You cannot witness my true form. I must possess a Malakhim.” Disgust spat from his lips. The angelic, yet lethal creature closed in on us, gliding a few feet above the boulders. As he neared, his eyes sparked electricity like the plasma globes I had seen in the maelstrom.
Now five feet away, each orb shot a stream of liquid flame into my chest. My screams amplified with every strike. The inferno burned as I rolled over, desperate to douse the flames. Surprisingly, only smoldering ash marred my tee shirt. I had seen the fiery eyes before. Flat on my back, I stole a glance of the creature and braced myself for another blast, my immortality flushed away.
“What’s your point?” I asked. “Our death?”
“Have no fear, Brian, for I can only maim you. No one can destroy my son.” His voice roared louder than the roar of hundreds of jet turbine engines.
The thunder rattled my brains. My eardrums had already burst. Son? This nightmare had gone from worse to horrific. I tried to shake my head, but the slight turn made my skull pound. Wake up, damn you.
“This is my final warning. Do not trust Turian. Destroy him before he destroys you and Ariane.”
Amongst the Fallen Page 34