The Gentleman

by H. P. Mallory

  “The wards are down,” she announced, her attention still glued to the fence.

  “Very good. Where shall we enter?”

  “Right here,” she answered before starting forward again, her palm still extended toward the chain-link fence. I glanced at the fence and watched the chain begin to dissolve into the background of the camp’s darkness. It looked as if the air simply swallowed a section of the fence when the chain was suddenly rendered invisible. I could only make out the razor wire atop it and the jagged chain at the bottom. The whole middle was no longer there. Or so it appeared.

  Jenna continued forward, walking through the fence as if there were never anything there to begin with. I followed her. When we were both safely inside the camp, I glanced behind us and watched the section of the fence, which was previously missing, suddenly appear to be knitting itself back together again. I did not imagine I would ever grow accustomed to magic.

  “Ensure the wards stay down, my pet,” I commanded Jenna before turning to face her. She simply nodded.

  I was not proud of what needed to happen next, but I also saw no way around it. Jenna had seen me, which made her, unfortunately, a threat. Moreover, as one of Luce’s people, she was a sworn enemy to me and my people. I faced the comely woman and stared deeply into her eyes, ready to reassert my power over her. Unexpectedly, however, a question suddenly burned within me, demanding a response.

  “Were you aware of what was happening to Bryn when she was being held hostage in your compound?” I asked while eyeing her narrowly.

  She nodded, her eyes still fastened onto mine. “Everyone was aware.”

  My fangs began lengthening as always happened when I was stirred to anger. Ordinarily, I rarely allowed myself to lose my temper because, once lost, I had difficulty regaining my self-control. “And you did nothing to stop it?” I continued.

  Jenna shook her head. “We cannot refuse Luce’s commands,” she answered, her voice a monotone. “And Bryn betrayed her own people. She was an enemy to us all and deserved what …”

  I did not allow her to finish. Fiery flames of anger suddenly consumed me from the inside out. At the very thought that Bryn deserved what happened to her, I saw red. I lost all previous self-control and was suddenly blinded by a white-hot rage.

  In an instant, I overcame her. Sinking my fangs as deeply as they could go into her carotid artery, I bit down hard, yanking my head back a moment later. I managed to tear a hunk of flesh from her neck. When I pulled away, I immediately noticed her blood spouting all over us both. Her eyes were wide, but she didn’t utter a sound before dropping to the ground, her life fleeing from her. Ordinarily, it would have been difficult for me to separate myself from so much spewing blood, even though I had already fed. But in this particular instance, my mind was elsewhere.

  Bryn deserved what …

  That thought echoed in my mind again and I immediately spat Jenna’s flesh from my mouth, suddenly disgusted to taste any part of her. I glanced down at her small body where it lay bleeding out onto the cold ground. I bent down, scooping her up into my arms, and approached the fence. I wasted no time in hoisting her up above my head. I pulled my arms back in order to throw her over the fence, lest anyone inside the camp notice her dead body and sound an alert. I watched her body sail over the top of the razor wire before landing in a heap on the other side, beneath the cover of the trees.

  I did not spare her another thought, but started forward.

  FIVE

  It was perhaps two hundred yards from the chain-link fence to the buildings that comprised the center of the training facility. I covered that distance quickly, owing to my ability to materialize and dematerialize in the blink of an eye. I counted four human guards who took turns patrolling the perimeter of the facility. Given that two of them were engaged in a heated conversation while the other two mindlessly walked alongside the fence looking like zombies, I did not consider them to be a threat. They continued their back and forth pacing, none of them even remotely aware that the security of their compound had already been breached.

  It had struck me as odd that Luce would employ mere humans to guard this camp and I had said as much to Betta. She, however, had ensured me that the magical wards within the camp were more than enough to keep would-be visitors out. Any uninvited guest trying to slip past those wards, without knowledge of their existence or doubting their potency, would be burnt to a crisp. A rather unsettling thought … even for a Master Vampire. I could survive a great deal, but among my few vulnerabilities were both fire and magic. The two combined sounded … uncomfortable, to say the least.

  Clinging to the shadows of the buildings, I made my way up the main street of the compound, which consisted of nothing more than a dirt road. Main Street was exactly that, the main artery, which branched into A, B, C, D and E Streets. They looked like the teeth of a comb. The moonlight waxed in full effect, brightening the canvas of the landscape to such an extent, I feared I might easily be noticed, hence the urgency to seek shelter within the darkness.

  So far, I had yet to see anyone within the compound, aside from the four humans “guarding” the perimeter of the facility. As far as this side of the fence was concerned, it was deathly quiet. But, of course, I knew better than to believe my breaking and entering could be so easily achieved. Betta had informed me that there were guards stationed throughout the facility, patrolling while heavily armed, either with artillery, magic or inhuman speed and strength. The inhabitants of the facility, themselves, were separated into teams, each taking turns training or guarding day or night. It was simply a matter of time before I came into contact with someone and persuaded them to grant me entry past the protective wards.

  According to plan, my first stop was A Street. Inside the compound, all of the humble, one-story, white buildings looked alike, and I found it difficult to tell them apart. Without seeing the street signs, one would have no way of determining if one were on A, B, C, D or E Street. However, this caused me no distress because I dutifully memorized the map, and besides, this was not my first time visiting this particular facility. Barely a month had elapsed since I broke into this same compound in order to rescue Jolie when she was taken captive. It was because of this fact that I was very familiar with the layout. Finding where I needed to go would present no problem for me. It did seem that Luce had learned a thing or two since my last visit, however; take, for example, the addition of the vexing wards. I had to admit that it seemed as if they were meant for someone very specific …

  The buildings lining A Street were all dark, their inhabitants ostensibly asleep, just as I anticipated. The citizens residing on A, B and D Streets trained during the day and slept at night. My first three stops were on these streets and would, therefore, be the easiest, as I would have the unfailing element of surprise working for me.

  Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt, I reminded myself, quoting Sun Tzu’s words.

  When I reached the tenth building, which also happened to be the last one on A Street, I dematerialized. Moving from the side of the structure to the rear, I only paused once before I stood facing the back window. If my calculations were correct, (and of course, they were), I expected to find two elemental soldiers sleeping inside. Now I simply had to enter without alerting the rest of the compound. Betta had been quite insistent in her point that every building would be reinforced with magical wards to protect those inside during their slumber. I didn’t expect my entrance would be as simple as opening the door and announcing my visit. Unfortunately, I knew it would require more … finesse.

  Taking a step forward until my nose was no more than two inches away from the pane of glass, I rapped my knuckles against the window, but there was no response from within.

  “Bloody hell,” I grumbled under my breath before cursing the heavy sleepers.

  I rapped again, only this time with a bit more force, and the window rattled in response, as if personally affronted. I could fa
intly make out the sounds of someone shifting in his bed before the silence descended once again. Shaking my head as my growing irritation surged through me, I rapped once more, every bit as stridently as I had previously.

  The third time turned out to be the charm. I could hear the sounds of bed linens shifting and then the clomping of heavy feet. I imagined the floor must have been devoid of carpet, owing to the hollow reverberation of the man’s footfalls. The moonlight was shining from directly behind me and into the window, making the reflection in the glass difficult to see beyond. But that was also fortuitous. It meant that I was no more than a silhouette, shrouded in darkness and difficult to recognize, or not, as the case may be.

  I heard the sounds of his heavy stride as the man started across the room, approaching my window. At ten or so feet away from me, I just managed to make out his outline despite the garish reflection of the moonlight against the window. Then I disappeared.

  Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate.

  “Huh?” croaked his raspy voice. No doubt, he wondered if he had actually seen the shadow of a man outside his window, or if the vision were a mere trick of his mind, a hallucination, perhaps.

  I blinked back into sight, a mere five feet from him. His eyes widened in blatant surprise, and in response, I vanished again. I could only accomplish this Houdini feat for a limited time, since it required a vast amount of power to complete the illusion of disappearing while I remained standing in the same position. Counter to how it should logically occur, materializing and disappearing are not one and the same. When I materialize and dematerialize, I am not actually disappearing. Instead, I am moving at such a high speed, the human eye can simply not observe it. To a human, it seems as if the air has swallowed me only to spit me out again. Disappearing, in contrast, requires the exertion of much more mental energy since there is no movement involved. I must create an illusion to dupe another person’s mind, which is a tall order indeed.

  When I allowed myself to be seen again, the man stood directly in front of me, his forehead pressed against the window pane. He, undoubtedly, was attempting to search for me, and gasped at the unexpected sight of me. In a reflex, he jerked back, but it was too late. I had already impaled him with my eyes. His pupils immediately began to dilate as I felt a triumphant smile spread across my face.

  You will meet me at the front door and before opening it, you will disengage all the wards. As a Master Vampire, I do not have to actually speak my commands. I am persuasive enough that once a victim falls under my control, I can silently command him with my thoughts. It is good to be a master …

  The man simply nodded before he turned around to do my bidding. I did not hurry to meet him. Instead, I listened closely for the sound of sonorous breathing. That would indicate the second Elemental soldier was still in his bed and sound asleep. Betta had previously tipped me off that each building served as a domicile for two soldiers and both men slept in the same room.

  I started for the front of the building as the sound of the soldier’s gentle snoring reached my ears. Carefully keeping my back pressed against the stucco of the building, I peered around the corner and eyed the empty dirt road ahead, looking for any sort of movement. I expected to find random soldiers patrolling and I did not want to be taken by surprise.

  I closed my eyes and honed my refined sense of hearing, seeking any sounds of breathing, or heartbeats, or the shuffling of weary feet over the dirt road. Convinced I was alone, I opened my eyes and started toward the front of the building. When I reached it, I noticed the door was already ajar. The same man I encountered at the window stood in front of it, his eyes trained steadily before him.

  Are the wards disengaged? I inquired telepathically. The man simply nodded obediently. His black pupils were so dilated, they consumed the whites of his eyes. He was beginning to resemble an alien life-form. I tentatively stepped inside the threshold of the door. Feeling nothing, I knew the wards were deactivated. Had they still been in working order, I would have detected a snap of energy, a mild buzzing, or something of the like that would have indicated magic. Just before their magic incinerated me or did something equally disagreeable.

  I closed the door behind me before facing the man again. What is your name, soldier? I thought.

  “Will Hunter,” he responded in a monotone, soft voice.

  As soon as he uttered his name, cold beads of fury began to burst inside me. I immediately silenced my outrage, knowing it would do me no good. The cold reality of logic reigned at the moment. Allowing my baser emotions to direct my actions would only have thrown me off track and thereby become the source of my eventual defeat.

  And your roommate?

  “Gus Williams.”

  Very good. I was exactly where I wanted to be.

  You will return to your bedchamber and awaken your comrade, I commanded him. And when he is awake, you will lead him back to me.

  Will Hunter nodded before trudging dutifully down the hallway. Meanwhile, I turned around and took stock of the modestly furnished living room. Eyeing a lone armchair in one corner, I approached it and took a seat, crossing one leg over the other as I casually awaited their return.

  “What the hell?” rasped a gruff voice from the rear of the hallway. More sounds of heavy, shuffling feet clomping against … cheap, laminate floors.

  “Who the hell are you?” the gruff voice demanded, coming from an equally wizened face and body. As soon as the man, whom I could only presume was Gus Williams, looked into my eyes, he made his first mistake. Granted, his defenses were a bit harder to penetrate than Will’s, but once I redoubled my efforts, my pale exertion was rewarded. He was thoroughly under my control, and subject to my authority.

  Betta told me that both of these rodents were quite accomplished Elementals, something which only further spoke to my own powers as a Master Vampire. I had to admit I expected them to put up more of a fight. As it was, this would be quite like taking blood from an intoxicated and love-deprived woman.

  “The nature of my identity is inconsequential,” I answered, waving my hand in a dismissive gesture. “What is of consequence, however, is the nature of my visit.” They both stared at me with an almost dumbfounded expression. I felt a cold, mirthless smile overtake my face. “As a Master Vampire, I enjoy certain … hmmm … let us call them, physical gifts inherent to my species, and I accept my responsibility to protect and care for those who, for whatever reason, are incapable of doing so themselves.” I studied each of them for a moment or two, deftly restraining the growing fury which threatened to overtake me. “As regards someone who is very dear to me, I was not able to protect her when she needed me the most. Thus, I now find myself in the unenviable position of avenging her.”

  “Avenging her?” Will repeated dumbly.

  “Yes, my dear sir,” I answered. I arose from the uncomfortable chair and approached them, standing barely a foot from them. While I was nearly a head or more taller than either of them, they were still not small men; no, not by any stretch of the imagination. On the contrary, they were both broad-shouldered, barrel-chested, and well muscled. When compared to the Lady Bryn, they were gargantuan—a thought which I suddenly found incredibly difficult to digest.

  “What’d we do?” the larger of the two, Gus, demanded.

  I turned to face him and felt my authority waning. His pupils were beginning to shrink, returning to their ordinary size. That simply would not do. I immediately widened my eyes as I stared into the deep recesses of his vacant orbs. I forced my power to emerge and channeled it to combat any rebellion he might dare to put forth. His pupils responded instantly by blowing up again, their blackness swallowing his brown irises.

  “What did you do?” I repeated. I took a step back so I could address both of them again. I tapped my fingers on my lips and again had to force my anger to subside. “You took something that was not yours to
take,” I answered abruptly. I had to remind myself to slow down and keep track of my emotions. “And the wounds you inflicted were deep.” I clapped my hands together and Will jumped in response. “I realize you two were not the only offenders and, of course, I understand that you had strict orders to obey, but that will not clear you of blame.”

  “Blame? For what?” Gus protested and I realized my hold over him was slipping again.

  “For assaulting the Lady Bryn, the queen’s sister,” I ground out, my jaw instantly tight. I lost the battle to control myself and unexpectedly leapt forward before wrapping my fingers around Gus’s neck. I threw him against the wall before lifting him until his feet were dangling. Will just stood there, watching and awaiting my next command. When I faced Gus again, I stared into his eyes and relinquished my control, canceling my superhuman power and authority. I wanted him to know exactly what was happening and why.

  He sputtered and clawed at my hands as he kicked his feet out. My fangs dug into my bottom lip and I knew it was only a matter of seconds before Gus attempted to use his Elemental magic against me. The time to strike was nigh.

  “You will die for your indecency to her,” I warned him. Without further ado, I sank my fangs into his neck and pulled down, thereby severing his carotid artery neatly as I did so. The taste of his blood in my mouth was disgusting, and I spat it out before I released him. He dropped to the floor, his blood spurting from his neck like an active volcano.

  I then turned my attention to Will, who remained motionless. “If there is disturbance in the camp, the general’s authority is weak,” I told him, quoting Sun Tzu; but Will simply stared at me, expressionless. I ordered him to approach Gus’s body which was now jerking as the last of his life’s blood flowed from him. I commanded Will to cover his fingers in Gus’s blood and write on the wall the one, single word which I knew would cause panic among the compound.