The Savage Vampire (The Perpetual Creatures Saga Book 5)

by Gabriel Beyers

  Rian was dressed in desert battle fatigues that held no badge, tag, marker, or flag of any sort. A large handgun was holstered on his right hip. He held a set of headphones in each hand matching the set he wore and extended one to each of them.

  Shufah took her set of headphones, but Victor remained standing, hunched over, his face hidden by the hood of his robe.

  “He won’t need one,” Shufah said. She tapped Victor on the arm. “Go find a spot to rest.” Victor nodded, went as far back as he could, and flopped down on the floor.

  “I would tell him he needs to buckle up, but I have a feeling that wouldn’t be wise.”

  “I have a feeling you’re right,” Shufah said after putting on her headphones and fixing the microphone in place. She didn’t need the device to hear Rian, though he would need it to hear her. It muffled the sound of the rotors, however, which was nice. “Have they picked the others up?”

  Rian took his seat and buckled in. “Yes. Teams B and C are boarding as we speak.”

  “Good.”

  The helicopter lurched as it left the ground. Shufah gripped the seatbelt around her waist, and Victor grunted with disapproval, but Rian looked as comfortable as an old man in a rocking chair.

  The Blackhawk leveled out and then climbed quick and steady into the air. It blasted forward with a thrust of power that made the Russian HIP seem like a horse and buggy.

  Rian listened as someone spoke to him through his headphones. He nodded, then looked to Shufah. “Teams B and C are in the air and en route.” He leaned toward her, as though he meant to whisper. “I know this deal of yours is all clandestine, but you sure there’s nothing else you can fill me in on?”

  “I’m sorry, no. You wouldn’t want to know, anyway. Believe me.”

  He gave a little disappointed shrug, but grinned even so. “Fair enough. We brought along a little firepower, as I’m sure you noticed. An insurance policy, just in case whatever you have your hands in decides to bite.”

  “We appreciate it, but it shouldn’t be necessary. Just drop us, as agreed. Once we find who we’re looking for, we’ll call you for a pickup. Shouldn’t be more than a night or two.”

  His grin broadened into a devilishly mischievous smile that crescendoed in his eyes.

  “What?”

  He bowed his head a bit to look at her from the tops of his eyes. A look that said please don’t be mad at me. “We took the liberty to scope out the areas you requested to be taken to. All three fairly remote. All three housing small groups of vampires.”

  “You’ve located them? So quickly? How? You didn’t even know who we were searching for.”

  “Well, as for who you were looking for,” he said with his palms up at his shoulders. “Vampires rarely want to find humans, so call it an educated guess. As to how we found them, and so fast, well, you wouldn’t want to know, anyway.”

  Shufah shook her head in admiration. Never had she met a group of humans such as these. Maybe there was hope for the world yet. “Fair enough.”

  “We didn’t have time to do a proper threat assessment. I’m afraid the general location is all we can give you. Teams B and C are debriefing your coven mates as we speak. After the drop off, each team will hold at the perimeter until you finish your business. We’ll remain on site as long as you need us. We have additional personnel stationed near each target. Say the word and we’ll come in with guns-a-blazin’.”

  Shufah remained thunderstruck for a moment. It wasn’t often she was at a loss for words. “What can we do to repay such kindness? Are you and yours seeking the eternal blood?”

  He seemed momentarily offended by this, but recovered his face quickly. Shufah regretted the question as soon as it passed her lips.

  “Not at all. We are Lamorak of The Round Table.” Reminding her of this seemed to tire him a bit. “We are sworn by oath and honor to defend the true Light. That Light can never be attained by seeking profit. You want to repay us? Prove that we were correct in our decision to help you. Believe me, it wasn’t a unanimous vote.”

  “I apologize for the insult. You are a rare breed. As for your proof, that is out of our hands. We’re killers by nature. Death follows us like a shadow.”

  Rian cocked his head to the side and shrugged a single shoulder. “We all have our curses. If you’re going up against Uriah the Traveler, that makes you all good in my book.”

  Victor rolled over with a snore, heard even over the rotors and through their headphones. When he shifted, the robe rose high on one leg. Rian’s eyes widened when he glimpsed the nightmare of quilted flesh hidden beneath, but quickly turned his face back to Shufah.

  “You say you’ve found the lair we’re searching for,” Shufah said. “Are there any surprises I should know about?”

  Rian smiled again. “I thought you’d never ask.” He pulled a small laptop from a compartment under his seat and handed it across to her. “I didn’t want to impose. Your team seems very… capable of handling your own affairs. But a little extra intel goes a long way.”

  Shufah opened the laptop, and an aerial view of Algeria appeared. A red dot sat upon the south-eastern part of the country. She moved the cursor over the dot, then clicked. The map zoomed closer.

  “Of the three locations you requested to be taken to, Illizi is the most populated, by far,” Rian said. “It’s also not a single town, but a collection of villages, or communes.”

  “Sounds like the perfect place to hide,” Shufah said without looking up from the screen. “If it were me, I’d move from village to village to better mask my presence.”

  “I agree, but that’s not the case here. Forgive me if the assumptions I’m about to make upset you in any way. I promise I mean no offense.”

  Shufah motioned for him to speak on. She zoomed the map closer, settling over one of the eight communes that comprised the district. This area was mountainous, and the area she was looking at hosted many solar panels.

  “As I see it, vampires are great at hiding,” Rian continued, “but you need to stay somewhat close to your prey. Now, I’m sure some of you can go longer without blood than others, but eventually, the drink comes a callin’.”

  “I’m sure there’s a point.”

  “We did a quick search for spikes in disappearances or mysterious deaths. The village of Tamadjert rang some bells.”

  “Tamadjert is the place marked on the map?”

  “Yes. I assume the vampires you’re looking for aren’t stupid.”

  Shufah glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow. “That’s up for debate. Deadly, yes. But more obedient than smart. The ones that are being held are a different story. You think they’re hiding just outside of the village. Far enough to keep from being spotted, but close enough to snatch a victim now and then.”

  Rian leaned forward, elbows resting on knees. “Yes. Now, most of the surrounding area is dry desert land. Unless they are burying themselves every night—which I’m guessing is difficult when holding captives—they must be hiding in one of the various caves of Tassili National Park.”

  Shufah shook her head. “I doubt that. Those caves are famous. Too many humans coming to stare at cave drawings.”

  “Ah, you got me.” He sat back and slapped his knee in playful frustration. His keen smile deepened.

  “Enough games,” Shufah said, but not harshly. “What do you know?”

  “One cave, in particular, has been ‘commandeered’ by an unknown organization. The claim is the cave is in danger of collapse and that some philanthropic charity is paying to have the area secured to preserve the priceless wall paintings.”

  “And the locals are buying it?” Shufah asked.

  “Pay the right people, maybe kill the wrong ones, and all questions of impropriety seem to dry up, like everything else in the Sahara.”

  Shufah turned her attention back to the laptop, zooming the map to where she could see the mouth of the cave staring at her like a shark’s eye. “I think you’ve found yourself a vampire’s lair.�
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  Rian clapped his hands together. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about. So, what’s the plan?”

  “How much darkness will we have left once we arrive on site?”

  “A little less than three hours.” Rian never hesitated. Never even looked at his watch. He had every detail memorized.

  Shufah considered this carefully. “That should be enough time.”

  “Enough time for what?”

  “To get in, kill the Hunters, and get back out with the Watchtower before sunrise.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  The powerful engines of the helicopter roared like an ancient god awakened from slumber. The Furies sat shoulder to shoulder, listening as the young woman from Lamorak explained, using a map on her computer, where they believed the Watchtower were being held.

  “We are going to land close to Coronel Pilar, but it is highly doubtful the vampires you’re seeking are hiding in the village.”

  “We agree,” Tisiphone shouted over the thunder of the engines.

  “Our limited recon says they are somewhere to the south.”

  “How can you know that? They could be anywhere within a fifty-mile radius.”

  Her eyes had been fastened on Tisiphone’s mouth, reading her lips, but now moved to Alecto. “They have reported the most recent deaths or disappearances just after sundown, so they must be close. Ten miles south of Coronel Pilar, hiding behind a waterfall, is a network of caves. The surrounding jungle is dense, and I’m sure there are many good places for a group of vampires to hide, but this is where we suggest you start.”

  Though they wanted to, the Furies couldn’t argue with the woman’s logic. They would check the cave behind the waterfall first, but deep down, they hoped it would be empty.

  It was disconcerting just how well organized and informed this new clan of humans were. If they had really found where the Watchtower were being held, with less than a day’s notice, how could any vampire hope to go into hiding? Granted, the three locations had first been provided to Celeste by the Dwarf, but it still left dark clouds looming in their minds.

  “We’ll stay close until you’re ready for extraction,” the woman said. “Members of Lamorak will also be in and around Coronel Pilar if any assistance is needed.”

  Tisiphone thanked the woman, but the Furies doubted it would come to that.

  The High Council were bloated on power and drunk on self-deceit. In their mad scurry to ensure no other vampires attempted to replicate their plan to become Divine Vampires, they had foolishly wiped out what was left of their own forces.

  There were few Hunters left to guard the Watchtower, and the captive augurs would be more than willing to cut a deal for their freedom. This battle would end in one brutal blow. The battle to come was a different story.

  The Furies had other doubts as well. Doubts that the Watchtower could locate the Dwarf. Doubts that the Necromancer could or would reverse his spell on Jerusa before she slaughtered them all. Doubts that even if they could restore Jerusa to some sort of sanity, that the girl would be powerful enough to kill Suhail.

  But Shufah believed, so off to the jungles of Brazil they went.

  The helicopter soared high over the ocean now, chopping its way through the atmosphere like some giant mechanical insect. There was still a bit of time before they reached land, so the three vampires allowed themselves to drift into sleep. Not so deep to dull their razor-honed senses, but at least enough to free a bit of the anxiety that clouded their judgment.

  More than an hour later, the mortal woman stirred. The Furies knew this not because they heard the voice, but because they felt the woman’s heart rate quicken. The three of them sat up, fully alert.

  “We’ve crossed into Brazilian air space,” she said, glancing up at the Furies. “We have permission from the Brazilian government to land.”

  “You seem to have strong worldwide connections, considering Lamorak doesn’t hold allegiance to any country.”

  The woman flashed them a smile completely devoid of guile. “We have an inexhaustible resource of money. There is no greater motivator for humans, except maybe death. And that’s a big maybe.”

  The Furies couldn’t argue with that.

  “We’ll be touching down in twenty-six minutes on the south end of the village. I’m sorry, but the density of the jungle prohibits us from carrying you any closer.”

  She seemed genuinely apologetic, and it made the Furies smile. She handled their synchronized movements better than most humans, but her face still pinched a bit at the corners of her mouth.

  “That will be just fine,” Tisiphone said. “As you know, we can cover a large swath of ground in a short time. If you’re correct about the cave behind the waterfall, we won’t be gone long.”

  The woman nodded. “We’ll keep the engines running. We’ve arranged to refuel while grounded, but other than that, we’ll be ready to bug out as soon as you say so.”

  True to the woman’s words, twenty-six minutes later, the Blackhawk touched down just south of the village of Coronel Pilar.

  The side door of the Blackhawk slid open and there stood one of the three other humans who had been stationed in the cockpit. He was a large man, broad shoulders, well-muscled. He had a handlebar mustache, dark as the night, but his helmet visor, and flight uniform (which bore no country’s standard) concealed the rest of his features.

  They had landed so that the open door was facing the jungle. The Furies could sense the rustling of the tiny village behind them. Voices, heartbeats, the acrid scent of cooking fires overlaid with the savory aroma of roasting meat. A concentrated nexus of life churning on the other side of the helicopter, inviting—tempting them to just turn around and indulge.

  The Furies spilled out of the Blackhawk in a blur, driving into the green and humid night, pushing the baser part of their nature to the back. They would need that part soon enough, but not yet.

  The jungle closed in around them, slowing their pace, but not by much. They were not the only vampires haunting this jungle. The helicopter would have piqued the Hunters’ interest. But they couldn’t afford stealth right now. Especially if those in Lamorak were wrong about the waterfall cave.

  Their combined senses crackled like lightning, more powerful and intimately connected than ever before. When they had joined the blood ring, they thought that they would give some of their ancient strength to the younger vampires, especially the fledgling. But now, as they passed through the thick and foreboding jungle as though they were the wind itself, they realized that the ring had changed them as well. Enhanced them. Brought an even deeper clarity to their triplet mind.

  The soft, tinkling song of a tiny brook caught Megaera’s ears. The three of them moved toward the sound of water in a triangle pattern, each no closer than fifty yards from the other.

  They stayed to the denser cover, following the brook from a distance. Soon, the snaking trickle of water thickened into a creek, jogging around moss-covered boulders, and over fallen tree trunks four foot thick. The creek connected into a wide river, swollen by late-season rains. The water churned in frothy rapids and swirled in dangerous eddies as it devoured the banks, eroding anything that didn’t have deep enough roots.

  And over the growl of the river, drowning out the songs of jungle life, came the unmistakable cacophony of the waterfall.

  The Furies slowed their approach to a literal crawl. The three of them pressed on through the dense flora, wriggling on their bellies like massive salamanders burrowing beneath the fallen foliage.

  An enormous snake slithered across Megaera’s outstretched arms. Her hands curled for the briefest of moments, preparing to drag the beast to her deadly fangs. It was less a thirst for blood than a thirst to kill. The anticipation of battle pressed on all three of them like a fever, driving them mad with hysteria.

  Megaera allowed the snake—who had to be every bit of fourteen feet long—to pass by, enjoying the soft, leathery feel of its hide upon her skin. The snake had killing of
its own to do.

  Besides, its death would tip off the Watchtower, who would sense her as soon as the beast’s blood hit her tongue. They probably sensed their encroaching company, anyway. The Furies could only hope the augurs wouldn’t tip off their captors.

  Fifteen minutes later, the Furies were so close to the waterfall that the whole earth rumbled with a low but violent tremor.

  Alecto emerged from the earthy scent of decaying undergrowth and scurried up into a high tree. Thick mud and leaves clung to her like a second skin, blotting out even her white hair. She perched on the fork of the trunk and bough, her glimmering eyes alone distinguishable from her camouflage.

  Megaera crawled up a steeply slanting tree that had been uprooted by the recent storms. Also covered in mud and debris, she nestled in a thick patch of withering leaves. Though she was still a good hundred yards away from the falls, and the noise of rolling water thundered around her, her powerful ears still caught much.

  Tisiphone moved from the underbrush into the water, sliding through the mud like a water dragon. She paddled down to the bottom, kicking up as little silt as possible. The water was cool, but not cold, and swimming against the current made the muscles in her legs heat up like bands of copper exposed to electricity.

  Though she was both blind and deaf, she sensed the surrounding life, nonetheless. Shoals of fish scattered about, startled by her approach. Real water dragons—caiman in these parts—drifted close to investigate, but made no attempt at attacking her. She may look human to the casual observer, but these predators recognized her for what she really was. An even deadlier predator.

  Tisiphone moved to where the bowl at the bottom of the waterfall focused into the river. She lodged herself into the hollow of a sunken log, awaiting their moment to strike.

  As pressed for time as they were, the Furies hadn’t spent several hundred centuries successfully evading the Hunters by barging in without first considering what they were up against.

  According to the woman from Lamorak (they regretfully hadn’t asked her name), there was a cave behind the waterfall, and that was where the Hunters were hiding. They had doubted her, but not anymore.