The Gentleman

by H. P. Mallory

  For some odd reason, I suddenly decided my fight with Jeffers ought to be a fair one, without any mind tricks. It failed to make any logic or sense to me, but even though he had not technically violated the Lady Bryn, my hatred for him ran much more deeply than it did for the other two. Why? I could not be certain.

  Awake, I ordered him. And face your punishment, as my equal. At my tacit command, Jack’s pupils returned to their normal size. He rapidly shook his head to clear the dreamlike stupor which had overcome him. After a few seconds, realization began to dawn on him.

  “You fucked with my head,” he exclaimed with derision as he glared at me.

  “I suppose you could call it that,” I answered with a nearly imperceptible nod.

  Immediately launching himself from the bed, he did not seem overly concerned that he was completely naked. I, on the other hand, was quite offended at his lack of clothing; however, I did not allow his repulsive nudity to hinder my concentration. I generally make it a point to never allow myself in the same room with a naked man; but I suppose there must be a first time for everything. This, however, would certainly also be the last time.

  He sluggishly leapt for me, but I easily sidestepped his assault. Turning around as fast as he could, he lunged for me again, and this time nearly touched me. But I was exponentially faster than he. This came as no surprise to me since, of course, I am a Master Vampire, and inherently stronger and faster than almost any other superhuman creature.

  “You will pay for whatever the hell you just did to me,” he roared, to which I responded with a broad grin.

  “Yes, I believe that much is already clear, hence our little game of Cat-and-Mouse.” I dodged another ill-timed advance. “But who assumes the role of the cat is yet to be seen.”

  “You’re going to regret ever coming here,” Jack whined as he ceased his offense. Instead, he merely stood before me, every bit as naked as the day he was born.

  “I would appreciate it if you did us both a favor and promptly dressed your lower self,” I commanded before narrowing my eyes in an unamused expression.

  “Why? So you can attack me as soon as I turn my back?”

  “You have my word as a gentleman that I would not do any such thing,” I replied. “I simply cannot engage in a match with a man whose manhood is so pathetically on display.”

  Jack did not reply, but he must have believed me because he obediently turned around and approached the bed to retrieve his undergarments. He put them on in record speed and then faced me again, sans nudity, I was very much relieved. “Very good,” I said with a quick smile. “Now where were we?”

  “I was in the middle of explaining why you’ve just made the biggest mistake of your life!” he growled back at me.

  “And why is that?” I smirked in an unconcerned, conversational tone.

  “Because I’ve received enough vampire blood over the years to defeat whatever disease is killing off all the other Daywalkers. I’m not weak and vulnerable like the rest of them.”

  I had firsthand experience with transfusion of vampire blood. The first time I had visited this lowly place, I had been taken hostage, coincidentally, by the shrew herself. After being nearly charred to death by a fabricated sunbeam, a machine was employed to transfuse my blood into the dying Daywalkers. Had it not been for Jolie, but more specifically, for her sister, I would certainly not have lived another day, or night, as the case may be.

  “Then I suppose it will be a battle of brawn,” I concluded.

  “Your excessive bravado won’t do you any favors,” he spat back as he lunged for me so quickly that he appeared as a blur. Although I could detect his speed in the air, I allowed him to reach me simply because I wanted to gauge his strength.

  He threw me to the ground, and had I been capable of breathing, he would have knocked the wind right out of me. There certainly was surprising strength behind his boldness. As he leaned over me, he pinned me to the ground with two very burly forearms. His eyes became wide orbs in his head, and a pair of very small fangs began to protrude from his pale gums.

  “Perhaps this hatred for vampires stems from your obvious fang envy,” I teased. Hearing the sound of a meek laugh from the corner of the room, I remembered the woman who still sat in the chair beside the bed.

  “I’m going to rip your heart out and drain you of your blood until there’s none left,” Jeffers threatened in a strained voice. “And then I’ll tear your fangs out and wear them around my neck before I slowly kill you.”

  “Rather than wearing them around your neck, perhaps it would be wiser to use them as a set of replacement dentures for your rather small ones?” I countered with a quick grin.

  He did not respond but pulled his arm back as if preparing to sucker punch me. And that was when I decided I had had enough. I brought my hands to his chest and pushed him hard. He flew off me and forcibly bounced against the wall before falling to the floor. He was up again in a matter of seconds, appearing as a blur as he tried to assault me. We met each other head on, and I gripped him by the shoulders to stop him from throwing me into the wall. He wrapped his hands around my upper arms and before I knew it, we were wrestling in tedious circles.

  Before I could deliver a low kick into his shin to make him release me, he was suddenly enclosed by what looked like a thick blue cloud. He instantaneously let me go, and I took a few steps backwards to watch him choke on whatever was currently engulfing him.

  Last I recalled, fabricating magical fog-creations was not included in my repertoire of abilities, thus I could only wonder who might be responsible for the interference. Glancing behind the now sputtering Jeffers, I noticed the quiet woman in the chair. She was no longer sitting, but now standing and holding her outstretched hands towards him.

  I could not help my smile. “Ah, my little pet, it appears you are quite the traitor.”

  EIGHT

  “You aren’t safe here,” the woman said, clearly no longer under my influence. This did not come as any surprise as I had not been able to continuously concentrate on her.

  I cocked my head as I smiled before returning my attention to Jeffers. He was nearly blue due to a lack of oxygen. That was another flaw in the Daywalkers—unfortunately for them, they still possessed respiratory systems.

  “I have infiltrated a camp full of my enemies, my dear. It is quite obvious that I am not safe here.”

  She shook her head, careful to keep her attention on Jeffers, her hands still raised as she continued to plague him with her magic. “No, the wards were tripped as soon as you came through the window.”

  “You deactivated the wards when I commanded you to from the window,” I disagreed.

  She shook her head. “I deactivated the wards that would have fried you once you stepped foot inside, but those weren’t the only ones in place.”

  “Explain,” I replied.

  She glanced back at me momentarily before returning her attention to Jeffers and sustaining the magical cloud with which she surrounded him. “This building is also protected by wards that act as silent alarms. I did my best to combat the alarm system, but the power required to deactivate the wards and take care of him at the same time is beyond my capabilities,” she finished, motioning to Jeffers with a nod of her head.

  “Ah, interesting,” I responded, unable to conceal my surprise. I did not consider that each building was protected by more than one ward and, apparently, neither had Betta. You do learn something new every day … “I must admit that your response team is certainly slow in reacting.”

  “I’ve been doing my best to obstruct the wards, but it’s only a matter of time before someone realizes they’ve been tripped and comes to investigate,” she insisted. “If you go now, you might still be able to escape.”

  “And why, pray tell, would my safety concern you?” I asked, genuinely curious to hear her answer. Strangely enough, I did not detect falsehood from her being. It did not appear as if she was telling me a mistruth, and I was very adept at estimating a
person’s true nature.

  “I understand your reasons for doing what you’re doing,” she answered with a brief shrug without bothering to turn and face me. “And I admire you for it.”

  Judging by her comment, I figured she must have known what happened to the Lady Bryn. “Be that as it may, it is still no reason to aid me.” I eyed her skeptically and again wondered whether she were truly trustworthy or not. She certainly appeared to be. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, it was joined by another. “What is your name?”

  She faced me in surprise, which faded quickly. “Rachel.”

  I smiled broadly. “Please trust I will not harm you, my dear, and Betta sends her best.”

  “I already knew you weren’t going to harm me; and I’m glad to know Betta is okay, but none of that changes the most pressing fact: we don’t have time to talk!” She seemed adamant as she faced me briefly, and her mouth was stuck in a firm hold. “You have to go.”

  “Well, considering my impending doom, it is quite unfortunate that I have not yet finished my business here.” I motioned to Jeffers with a nod of my head. “As you can see, this stellar example of a gentleman remains very much alive.”

  “I’m not going to let you kill him.”

  “You said you understood my reasons for being here.”

  “Yes, but he is one of my own. I cannot allow you to kill any member of my tribe, especially not in front of me.”

  “Then turn your back,” I replied with a shrug.

  “Sinjin,” she started.

  “How do you know my name?” I inquired, taken aback. Of course, Betta had told me about her friend, Rachel, but it did not follow that Rachel should know about me.

  “I can’t answer that now.” She took a deep breath and released her hands, allowing Jeffers to collapse on the ground. Her eyes were wide with what looked like worry. “If you value your life, you’ll leave now before He gets here.”

  “He?” I repeated with a broad smile. “I can only assume you are referring to the Head Honcho himself, the lead conductor? The king, as it were?”

  “Please,” she begged, and I shook my head. I refused to leave until Jeffers was deceased. Luce was next on my list.

  “I shall welcome Luce with open arms,” I started.

  “That’s a fight you will never win,” Rachel replied, nearly interrupting me.

  I approached the now unconscious Jeffers and nudged him with my foot. He did not move. “It is a shame you did not allow us a fair fight,” I said, returning my attention to her. “I am sadly caught in a battle with my own sense of decency as I must kill an unconscious man.”

  “I can’t allow you to do that,” she repeated as she took a step toward me. She was quite brash for such a small, frail thing.

  “I do not want to harm you, my dear. You have proven yourself a trustworthy ally, and I wish nothing more than to repay you for your kindness. I made a promise to Betta as well, so please do not sacrifice our nascent relationship.”

  “Please, Sinjin, just go,” she begged again as she glanced from the door to me and back. “I can stall him just long enough to grant you the time it takes to disappear into the woods.”

  “And what will your punishment be then, my pet?” I asked while shaking my head. “I am a man of my word. I promised Betta that I would ensure your ultimate safety. I intend to do just that.”

  As soon as I finished my statement, a loud boom shook the entire building. It felt like an earthquake, throwing both Rachel and me off balance. She collided into the wall and I righted myself before falling onto the floor. The sound of crackling electricity suddenly filled the air. It reminded me of the sounds one might find inside the lab of a mad scientist.

  Eyeing Rachel, I found her eyelids closed and her lips moving as she held her hands up in front of her. It looked as if a blue ball of energy was forming between them, with flares of light undulating this way and that. I could only assume she was trying to repair the damaged wards again, but I feared they were well beyond mending.

  “I can’t,” she started before she lost her voice.

  “You are quite brazen to risk what you have,” the deep tone sounded from behind me.

  I whirled around in a split second and faced a man I recognized instantly. Luce. His flowing white beard and hair cascaded around him like a cloak, ending at his lower waist. Had I not known better, I might have guessed Rachel and I were being graced by a visit from Father Time.

  “Great results can be achieved with small forces,” I said with a shrug.

  “You are well versed in The Art of War, or so it would seem,” Luce countered with little interest.

  I could not deny being impressed that he knew from whom the quote had come. I did not respond outwardly, but watched him turn to face Rachel. She immediately cowered in front of him, dropping her hands as the blue ball of light fizzled before it popped back into nothing.

  “And it seems I have grossly undervalued your abilities as well as your allegiance,” he announced, looking very perturbed. “I daresay you must be the one who aided Bryn and the kitchen girl in their escape.”

  Rachel hung her head sullenly, but said nothing. It became quite apparent to me that if I were to survive my impending altercation with Luce, I had to abscond with Rachel. Otherwise, I had no doubt she would face severe punishment, if not death. I generally preferred to avoid playing the hero, but it seemed that role was one I would soon have to fill.

  There was no reason to further tarry, so I decided it was best to rely on the element of surprise. I lunged at the old man, uncertain of what damage I hoped to inflict upon the ancient Elemental. I was well aware of his immense power, so it should not have been any surprise when he turned on me in an instant. With a nod of his head, he sent me flying backwards. I barely managed to keep myself from careening into the wall behind me by stopping myself midflight. As soon as I did, I rushed Luce again, and this time came no closer to him than I did the first time.

  “You are a fool if you think you can defeat me,” he called out in a deep, rumbling voice.

  I chose not to respond. I wanted to maintain my concentration. Luce was absolutely a very formidable foe. It required all my focus and strict attention for me to inflict any sort of damage upon him. As an Elemental, he was capable of incredible magic, but he did not possess my speed or my strength. I intended to brandish those two advantages, and even flaunt them.

  Summoning all my strength, I vanished and reappeared behind Luce a split second later. He turned on me in an instant, blasting me with a ball of fire, and scorching my face with the intense heat. I held my hands up to ward away the blinding inferno and was suddenly thrust backwards again. This time, I came up against the wall with a thud. The back of my head ached for a few moments and I briefly saw stars.

  I immediately shook the feeling away as I realized I had to be much more strategic in my attacks. Perhaps Luce was merely toying with me, as a cat does with its prey. However, Luce did not consider that in the time we were separated, I had evolved to become a Master Vampire. My strength had also increased exponentially. I was no longer the vampire Luce remembered. Now it was time for me to act the part.

  I righted myself before disappearing again. I was certain Luce was quite capable of using his other senses to detect my location, but I was very good at being virtually sound and vibrationless as I moved. I allowed the air to rush by while I feigned movement toward the right side of Luce’s body. As soon as he turned in that direction, I blinked in and out of focus and materialized behind him. I thrust my hands forward, hitting his back and pushing him until he fell forward. He was back on his feet in an instant, but his eyes revealed his utter surprise. He was not quite as invincible as he believed himself to be.

  “You will have to do better than that,” he yelled as I disappeared again before reappearing on his other side. He easily dodged my blow and released another ball of light, greenish in color. It barely skimmed my middle and fizzled once it struck the wall behind me. I blinked into
being for a second at the most before vanishing again and landing directly in his path. I strove to maintain my invisibility, even though it took a huge amount of determination and intense concentration to do so.

  It was just a matter of time before Luce could detect my location, so I acted on pure impulse. I reached forward and gripped his upper arm, digging my fingers into his doughy flesh. Then, using all of my strength, I yanked downward. I could feel his muscles ripping beneath my fingers, but I did not let up because this was the only way to handicap his power. I tightened my hold around his arm until I could feel his bone in the palm of my hand. Gripping it, I pulled down as hard as I could. I tore his arm from his body, and he screamed out in horrified shock and pain as Rachel gasped from behind me.

  Before I could think another thought, I was suddenly airborne as I dropped Luce’s severed arm. Moments later, I crashed into the wall behind me. Then he was in front of me, holding out his good arm, with his palm facing me. He bled out from the gaping hole beneath his shoulder. His face was a contorted mask of ire and pain, and I found myself suddenly paralyzed, unable to even wiggle my fingers. As he approached me, his good hand began to glow white, and what looked like feathers of energy began flowing from each of his fingers. The feathers immediately ignited into flames. As I watched, the flames grew stronger, and much taller. I struggled to free myself from the paralyzing grasp of Luce’s magic, but to no avail. I was stuck.

  When Luce was barely two feet from me, I heard Rachel inhale deeply as she unleashed what looked like a glowing ball of blue light. Luce’s attention was centered on me, so he was taken by surprise as soon as the energy of her magic hit him. My body slackened, which meant his hold over me was failing. I leapt to my feet in an instant and, realizing the weight of the situation, did the only thing I could.

  I lunged for Rachel, caught her around the waist, and dematerialized. We flashed from inside the bedroom down to the dirt road outside. Once my feet touched the ground, I dematerialized again, flying through the air in the direction of the chain-link fence from whence I came. Although I do not fly, I can cover wide expanses of land in just a few seconds, somewhat like taking enormous leaps. When we reached the fence, I released Rachel.