Mourning Lark

by Jen Pretty

  “I will not wait for you, vampires,” she spit. I tried to hush her, but she was a woman scorned and would not calm down.

  Alex was jittery. Not the way he was when we pulled him out of the tunnels but amped up.

  Drew pulled his headlamp on, and Durga herded the team to the closest culvert.

  We landed in a different tunnel this time, but it was newer, smooth cement instead of old brick. This tunnel led to a drop off into the Neglinnaya River. We had to wade through the river and climb back up onto the walkway on the far side. It was higher than my waist and had the current pressed on me like a stiff breeze. It was colder in the tunnels than on the streets now. Summer was on its way.

  “Let me check and see which way we should go,” I said. I closed my eyes and sent out my senses. There were a few more vampires in the Red Square, but I searched out from there until I felt that blank space again. It was eerie like an abandoned house. It made the hair on my arms stand on end.

  I shivered as my senses came back to my body. I pointed north, and we shuffled along the brick walkway towards the darkness.

  Stopping twice more, I narrowed it down to the area near where we met the fallen vampires, but it wasn’t down that tunnel. We had searched there. It was adjacent to the tunnel, somehow.

  We circled back several times trying different routes. Even Alex didn't know where we were trying to go. I half thought about letting Durga bash through the wall, but destabilizing the old walls didn’t sound like a brilliant plan.

  “There must be a way to get in,” I said, sliding down to sit on a pile of old rail ties stacked by the wall.

  “I am telling you, there is nothing over there,” Alex moaned again.

  “And I am telling you, there is something. It's dark and creepy and trying to hide from me!”

  Alex dropped his eyes to the ground. Drew bit his lip like he didn’t want to argue with me, but hours ago I felt like he had given up finding this place I was talking about. He didn’t believe me either.

  “We will find it,” Ninel said. He believed me, at least.

  I pulled out my bottled water and down the dribble at the bottom. It was the last we had brought down with us. Chances were good we would have to abandon this search and come back again. I tipped my head back against the wall and closed my eyes. A heavy sigh racked my lungs.

  Singh’s purr was the only warning before his furry face rubbed across mine. His mane got in my mouth, and I spent the next several minutes trying to pick fluff off my tongue, but I appreciated his support. With a sigh, I stood up and followed the team back down the tunnel.

  Just before we turned back south on the Neglinnaya, I noticed a smaller tunnel up high on the wall near the ceiling. A slow trickle of water ran out of it and traced a path down the wall leaving a trail of hard water, but someone disturbed the trail like someone had climbed the wall.

  I didn’t follow the team. Instead, I looked at the markings and tried to figure out how someone could have climbed it. A human couldn’t, but a vampire could. I reached up to get a handle on the wall, but it was too smooth.

  “You want a boost?” Ninel asked from behind me. He cupped his hands, and I stepped up into them before he heaved me up into the narrow entrance. I could only crawl once inside. Singh’s huff let me know he was behind me and I heard more quiet rustles as the rest of the team climbed in to follow me.

  I couldn’t see the end of the tunnel, but at one point ahead there was daylight streaming down and flickering off and on like people were walking over it. We must be closer to the street as the drain had a slight rise to it and the sounds of the roads were getting louder.

  When I was under the grate, I realized it wasn’t people walking over it. We were under the busy road that circled the Red Square. The traffic was heavy. No one would attempt to use this as an entry to the tunnels. I moved just past the culvert and my eyes adjusted to the dark as my headlamp caught on the end of the tunnel. There was an opening another hundred feet along that seemed to lead to another section of sewers. Before I moved on, I sent my senses forward, but that darkness was all around me. I couldn’t sense anything ahead or behind me. Like a dark hole had swallowed me up and the rest of the world had disappeared.

  “We are inside,” I whispered into the dark. Singh let out a tiny huff, and I moved forward.

  The tension was thick. Everyone whispered through the tunnel. Durga was anxious, turning in my stomach. I felt her wanting to push forward and have me rush the last section of the drain, but she held off. Crawling forward, a piece of glass I hadn't noticed in the now dry tunnel stuck in my hand. I hissed and pulled the glass out, but blood pooled in the palm. I let the skin seal up before moving forward again, Leaving a trail of blood on the dirty cement.

  As I approached the opening, Singh used his massive paw to flatten me to the ground and slid over me so he could go first. Stupid lion. He stepped on my hair, pulling several strands out as he stumbled on. I couldn’t even swear at him as we were all in silent mode.

  He disappeared over the edge of the tunnel to space below on silent feet. I swung around and slid over the edge too, losing sight of the space as my headlamp fell off and crashed to the ground. Standing in the dark, my heart raced with uncertainty before my eyes adjusted and the reality of the situation struck home.

  I had hoped to find Vernon, but what I found instead sent ice through my veins.

  There, nailed to the wall, like Jesus to the cross, was Vincent. And he wasn’t moving.

  CHAPTER TEN

  I slammed my light back on my head and rushed forward. Thick steel nails suspended Vincent, driven through his wrists and ankles. They pinned him to the cement wall behind him. His clothes, torn and singed like he had been through an explosion. His head hung limp to one side, his eyes closed.

  I reached out towards him, but there was some kind of invisible wall in front of him.

  Singh took a swing at it with his claws, but they slid off the invisible wall too.

  My knife flashed into my hand. I stabbed at the invisible wall and tried to pry my knife into the cement at the edge, but it was too strong.

  The rest of the team landed in the cavernous room.

  “Oh shit. What the hell?” Drew said.

  He walked forward and tried to reach out to the nail holding one of Vincent’s arms to the wall, but hit the force field too.

  Vilen pounded on the center of the force field. It sounded like his fist was hitting a metal drum, reminding me of the battle at Frankie’s warehouse, when the witches were protecting each other with force fields.

  I unzipped my jacket and had to take my waterproof gear all of, but fished out my phone and tried to send a text to Frankie.

  The message failed to send.

  “I have to go back to the culvert,” I said.

  “Who are you calling?” Alex asked.

  “My friend Frankie, He knows magic, and this is magic,” I replied as Vilen gave me a boost and a concerned look.

  “You are friends with warlocks and witches?” Vilen asked.

  “Yeah, well, one of them anyway,” I said before sliding through the tunnel back to the access point at the busy street. Hopefully, I would have reception there.

  I lay in the tunnel under the street as cars flashed a strobe light above me and hit send again.

  This time it went through.

  A moment later my phone rang an incoming call. I had expected a text, so the ringtone startled me.

  “Hello?”

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “I found Vincent. He's behind a force field though. Like the one you used.”

  “Shit,” he said. “I should have come with you.” He sighed and repeated shit a few more times.

  “Can you tell me how you make it? Durga has magic, right? She might take it down.”

  Durga rolled in my stomach. I had felt her frustration at first, but now she was on team Lark. The magic people knew magic, and that was what we needed.

  “The f
orce field is like firmness if that makes sense. You have to be rigid and sharp to make it, and the same feeling takes it down.”

  It made little sense, but Durga flashed on the backs of my eyelids, holding a thunderbolt in her hand. If she had a plan, I’d go with that.

  “Ok, Durga has a plan. I'll let you go; I don’t have service down here.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Under the city, in the tunnels.”

  “Be careful Lark. Come home soon.”

  “I will,” I said.

  I hung up and slid the phone back into my pocket before securing myself back into my waterproof suit. I rolled over and pushed up on all fours. After a few failed attempts at getting turned around in the tight space, I crawled backwards to the drop-off. I flopped back into the cavern with a thud. When I stood up and turned around, Durga took over. My headlight shone red as she looked through my eyes and the guys backed away from Vincent. She doubled my arms and then doubled them again until I stood in her image. A replica of the Goddess she once was and armed with weapons gifted to her from the Gods themselves. My arms waved like branches in a stiff breeze until the arm holding the sea shell came to the front.

  I could feel the magic in the room swell and the vampires each took another step back. Singh came next to me and pressed into my side. His warmth wrapped around me, feeding my will and determination.

  The magic of the sea shell sizzled on my palm. It arched across the space, lighting the room in a marvel of colour. Durga pointed the glowing shell at Vincent. The force field around him turned to ash and rained to the floor with a clap that echoed through the tunnel system.

  Durga stepped forward. She stared at Vincent for a moment before she reached forward and touched his face. I had a moment of shock as she cupped his cheek. I felt her affection for him and desire. It didn’t make sense that she would warn me away from him, but before I could think any further, Vincent's muscles bunched and he flung himself forward, pulling the steel nails that pinned his hands from the wall with a yell. Durga jumped backwards. He pulled the steel stakes from his hands letting each one drop on the floor. Then he reached down with bloody hands and pulled the steel from his feet as well. His eyes flashed red, and his teeth lengthened. He held the steel stakes as weapons.

  Durga waved her arms, her weapons at the ready too. I pushed at Durga, trying to regain control. Killing Vincent would kill me. I couldn't do it. Durga paused for a moment, just long enough for Vincent to throw both stakes at me. They embedded deep in my stomach and knocked me over backwards. Shouting followed, but it seemed distant as I lay on the cement floor staring into the darkness above, gasping for breath. Tipping my head down, I tried to look at my stomach but it was too dark, my headlamp must have fallen off. There was more yelling, but it was quieter now, distant. The smell of blood reached my nose and then it was all I could smell and taste. I coughed and a viscous fluid sprayed out of my mouth, raining back down on me like I was a sick fountain. I closed my eyes for a second.

  “Lark.”

  I opened my eyes, but something filtered the voice like I was listening from under water. My vision wavered. Drew came into focus for a moment, his face hovering over me and a bright halo above his head. I smiled and tried to reach out to him, but my arms weren't working.

  “Lark, hang on, ok?” Drew said. He was so pretty. Then his halo went out, and I was alone in the darkness.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  My eyes opened, and I was in the room Vaughn had set me up in. I closed my eyes again but had a flash of yelling and blood and darkness and sat straight up in bed. My heart pounded in my chest, I looked down, but there was no blood.

  A massive paw knocked me back down on the bed, and a cold lion nose bopped my cheek before an epic purr started that sounded more like a motorboat.

  “What happened?” I asked the lion, but Singh didn't shift back. Luckily, there was someone else in the room.

  “The guys dragged you back here with two metal rail spikes in your stomach.” Kelly stood at the end of my bed. “I got you cleaned up and changed you. The rest of your team is downstairs, but your silly cat wouldn’t leave.”

  I tried to wiggle out from under the lion's paw, but his nails extended like a warning not to move.

  “You should stay there for a while, you lost a ton of blood,” Kelly said, coming around to the side of the bed and handing me a glass of water.

  “I have to see Vincent. Is he here? It was an accident,” I took the glass of water and leaned forward as far as Singh would let me so I could drink it. I didn't realize how thirsty I was until the water hit my lips. It was cold and felt amazing as it slid down my throat. “Thank you.”

  “Vincent isn’t here, Lark,” Kelly said, taking the empty glass from my hand.

  I pushed the big paw off my chest and sat up. Singh grumbled but set his massive head down and went back to his nap. I sent out my senses and found Vincent right away. His light lit up like a spotlight in my mind. He was near the Neglinnaya River. I threw back the covers and looked around for my boots. I had to find him. There was something wrong with him. Durga rose along with her anger. She wanted to hunt Vincent.

  “No,” I said out loud, dropping my shoe.

  “What’s wrong?” Kelly said, coming back out of the bathroom with another full glass of water.

  “Nothing, I'm sorry, I have to go. I pulled on my running shoes, grabbed the headlamp off the table and the glass of water out of Kelly's hand. I drank it on my way down the stairs. Singh was hot on my heels.

  I headed for the front door, but the house human stopped me.

  “Can I help you?” he asked.

  “I need a car,” I replied just as Ninel and Alex came around a corner.

  “Lark, what’s going on?” Ninel asked.

  “I have to go get Vincent. Right now.” My panic was growing. Durga wanted to hunt him, and I wanted to save him. If he killed someone, I would have to kill him, and I couldn’t do that. Something was wrong with him.

  “Ok, do you want me to get the team?” Ninel asked.

  “There is no time. Let's go.” Ninel grabbed keys from the human and sprinted behind me to a car parked in the driveway. Singh shifted as he leapt in the compact car's door and we tore out of the driveway and towards the Red Square.

  I tracked Vincent. He was moving around in the sewers. I wanted to get as close to him as possible before we went down.

  “I dislike this plan, Lark,” Durga said with my mouth. She had never spoken to me with my own mouth before, and it shocked me. She relented control, and I replied out loud.

  “I have to save him. There is something the matter with him. He isn’t fallen.”

  “Perhaps you are too close to the vampire to see the truth,” she replied.

  “Holy shit,” Drew wasn’t here, but Alex filled in for him with the colour commentary.

  “I can’t Durga. He is mine. I won't let you destroy him!” I yelled. Durga didn’t come back. She sat back down inside me like she would watch this play out.

  “You have to help me,” I said. She didn’t reply, and the car fell silent for a few blocks.

  “That was fucked up,” Alex mumbled.

  “Pull over!” I shouted, and Ninel slammed on the brakes. He pulled the car up onto the curb as car horns blared behind us, it was a no-parking zone, but I was sure Vaughn would handle a ticket if it meant saving his twin brother.

  I jumped out of the car and raced to the closest sewer. The grate was heavy, but Durga loaned me strength, and I pulled it off with my hands before scurrying down the steel rungs and splashing down into the water in my running shoes. I turned and ran before anyone else made it down.

  “Wait, Lark,” Singh called before his voice turned into a roar. He could catch up. I ran through the puddles, my socks soaked and feet squelching on the bricks. I rounded a bend and climbed up into a higher drain. It fed out into the Metro. I stopped at the entrance. The tracks glistened in my headlamp. I listened but didn’t hear any trains c
oming. I could feel Vincent's presence now. He was up ahead. Durga flashed my knife into my hand, and I threw it the opposite direction.

  “Please?” I whispered. She didn’t reply, but something flashed into my hand, and it wasn't my knife. It was a bolt of lightning. It was hot and electric in my palm. Red eyes flashed up ahead, and I slowed to a walk. Now I was here, and I wasn't sure what the hell I was doing.

  A low growl behind me alerted me to Singh presence. I took a deep breath. He was my will and determination. Well, he was Durga’s, but I would borrow some of that will and determination.

  “Vincent,” I said as I got within a hundred feet of him. He rose from a crouch. I shone the light at his feet. It was another vampire. His neck a red ruin. That wasn’t right. His eyes burned into me. They trailed down my body and back up to settle on my face after a momentary pause at the lightning bolt in my hand. When I blinked, Durga flashed me an image of the lightning bolt shooting across the tunnel.

  I would have to trust her, because as I came to a stop, Vincent stepped over the vampire at his feet and bared his teeth at me in a menacing hiss.

  I held up the hot bolt and Durga took my voice, speaking words in a language I didn't recognize, but I assumed was Sanskrit. She chanted as he gained speed and raced towards me.

  The sharp bolt of electricity I had seen became real, and it shot through the air of the metro until it reached Vincent. It consumed him, shooting out of him like sparks from a campfire. There were no flames, but he yelled and then collapsed to the ground, not moving.

  I panted, and tears welled in my eyes. Had I killed him anyway? I held my breath until his chest heaved a shuttering breath then I released the air from my lungs and ran the final steps towards him. Singh dashed in front of me before I reached him. He transformed into a man.

  “Look with your senses. Do not trust your eyes alone,” he said.