by Morgan Rice
As Caitlin passed, Taylor, the girl, turned and smiled, and waved at her. Her brother, Tyler, used the opportunity to lunge in and whack his sister on the leg with his bamboo sword.
Taylor turned and screamed at him, indignant. “Not fair! That was cheap.”
Tyler just laughed.
“Will you two quit it and come over here and give our new sister a proper hello?” Polly chided.
Sister. Caitlin liked the sound of that term. She’d always wanted a sister.
Taylor and Tyler came jogging over.
Rose ran up to greet them, and Taylor’s eyes opened wide in delight. “Oh my God! She’s beautiful!” she exclaimed, kneeling down and hugging the excited Rose.
Rose licked her face.
Tyler then stood and embraced Caitlin in a big hug.
Caitlin was taken aback, and tentatively hugged her back.
“I feel like I’ve known you forever,” Taylor said, as she leaned back and studied Caitlin’s face.
“My turn,” Tyler said, prodding Taylor to the side, stepping in and hugging Caitlin, too.
Caitlin was once again surprised, and didn’t quite know how to react. She was about to hug Tyler back, but suddenly, with her newfound vampire senses, she felt an electric chill run through her. She could actually, truly, feel what this vampire was feeling. And it scared her. She knew that he was attracted to her.
Caitlin quickly withdrew from his embrace, feeling as if she had somehow just been disloyal to Caleb. Tyler stared at her, and she could feel his attraction as if it were a tangible thing.
“OW!” Tyler screamed.
He turned and saw that Taylor had whacked him hard in the back with her bamboo sword.
“That’s what you get!” Taylor said. “Leave the new girl alone.”
Caitlin smiled and waved, as Polly took her arm and continued to lead her through the battlements. Soon they were on another path, and in another courtyard.
“Most of us are sleeping now,” Polly said. “We can come out in the light, of course, but most of us still don’t want to. The only ones usually up at this time are the ones doing guard duty, or the ones training because Aiden forced them to.”
“Aiden?” Caitlin asked.
“He’s our coven leader. Like a trainer and mentor and school principal all rolled into one. He’s ancient. He’s been here forever, probably longer than the island itself. No one knows exactly when he came here, but he’s thousands and thousands of years old. A real sweetheart, as long as you’re on his good side. He’s the one that will set your course. He keeps things in shape around here, keeps us all on track. We all answer to him—that is, if we want to stay here. But he’s more like a father figure than anything else. And he’s one of the best vampire trainers around.
“Anyway, as I said, most of us are sleeping. They’ll be out in force tonight. See over there—that’s where we sleep.”
Caitlin looked, and as they walked through another stone archway, she saw, off to the side, several arched doorways leading into the castle.
“And over there, that’s where we eat,” Polly continued, gesturing.
Caitlin saw a huge, stone dining table, long enough to hold at least 30 people, placed to the side of the courtyard.
“We rotate. One of us is always on hunting duty. That one brings in the deer for everyone else. This island—luckily, it’s full of them. Acres and acres of forests, in case you haven’t noticed. Anyway, the person on duty brings in the meal for everyone else. One of Aiden’s rules. He wants us all to eat together, to dine as civilized people. It’s actually more drinking than eating, but at least we do it together.”
Rose went running over to the table, jumped up on it, and started sniffing. As she did, she started to whine.
“I think she’s hungry,” Caitlin said. “Is there anything I can feed her?”
Polly smiled, “I think we can manage that.”
Polly walked over to a stone cauldron, lifted its lid, reached in, and pulled out a slab of raw meat. Rose’s eyes lit up at the sight.
Polly threw it across the yard and Rose bounded after it, pounced, and ate in delight.
“Thanks,” Caitlin said, so appreciative. She didn’t know what she would have done without Polly.
“No shortage of raw meat around here,” Polly said with a smile. “Rose will be in heaven.”
Suddenly, Rose issued a low, guttural growl. It shocked Caitlin, as she had never heard Rose make any noise remotely like it. She assumed that maybe some other person or animal had approached Rose while she was eating, but she looked around, and saw nothing. She followed Rose’s gaze, and then saw what she was looking at.
There, in the distance, a teenage vampire approached them. Dressed in all black, he wore a sullen expression, and his large, black eyes burned with a fierce hatred. Even from so far away, Caitlin could feel a dark energy coming off of him. She could also feel her new friend, Polly, tense up beside her.
“That’s Cain,” Polly said. “He’s one of us. But he doesn’t always act like it. He has real dominance issues. He can be the typical bully. I think that’s why he was left here to begin with—nobody else would deal with him. We’ve all asked Aiden to kick him off, but he refuses. Aiden still believes he can cure him, from whatever he has. I myself don’t. I can’t stand the sight of him. Usually, though, there a lot of us around, and when there are others, it’s not quite as bad. In fact, I rarely see him out and about. He must have sensed that you were here. A newcomer. That’s him—always wanting to assert his territory. Unfortunately, I’m not as strong as he is. We’ve gotten into our fights before, but I always lose, and it’s painful. And Aiden’s never around to see it. He’s been punished, but it hasn’t done much good. I’m sorry, but the other 22 of us are great, I promise. Every family has its rotten apple.”
As Polly talked, Cain slowly approached, now about 30 yards away.
Rose’s growling grew louder as he walked in their direction. As he walked past Rose, her growl turned into a snarl, and Cain reached down and smacked Rose as hard as he could, right on the nose. Rose, still a puppy, just yelped and cowered.
Caitlin was outraged.
“Don’t you touch my dog!” she screamed.
“Is that which you call it?” Cain answered in a dark, guttural voice.
Caitlin could feel the rage beginning to well inside of her. This was her first experience of true vampire anger, and it far exceeded anything she had ever felt as a human. She only hoped that she could control it.
Cain stopped just a few feet before them. He looked Caitlin up and down with something like a scowl. Caitlin felt as if she were being violated.
“So what’s this new riffraff that washed on shore?” Cain asked, glaring at her.
“Don’t you talk to her that way,” Polly said.
Cain looked at her maliciously. “I’ll talk to her anyway I please,” he said slowly. “And there’s nothing you can do about it.”
He turned back to Caitlin.
“I asked you a question.”
Caitlin met his dark, raging eyes, and felt the hatred pouring through them.
“It wasn’t a question,” Caitlin shot back. “And even if it was, I wouldn’t answer it,” she added defiantly, through gritted teeth.
Cain slowly shook his head and smiled.
“You have a big learning curve ahead of you,” he said. “You’re going to need to learn who’s boss around here.”
“You’re not boss of anyone,” Polly said, “even if you like to think—”
Cain suddenly reached back and smacked Polly hard, right across the face. It had all happened so fast. Polly was shocked, and Caitlin could see that she was too scared to fight back.
But Caitlin wasn’t. Caitlin couldn’t control it any longer, and she let her rage overcome her. She heard a guttural growl rise up within her, as she leaned her head back and roared.
She charged right for Cain, her hands out, going right for his throat. She grabbed it with both ha
nds, and kept charging, pushing him back further and further.
Cain, in shock, stared back, eyes wide, unable to breathe, clearly shocked that anyone would dare fight back.
He reached up and grabbed Caitlin’s wrists, trying to shake loose her grip. He must’ve assumed he could, since he must have been stronger than anyone there.
But he was in for another shock. Caitlin carried a strength which Cain clearly could not understand. He was unable to pry loose her fingers.
Caitlin finally drove him right down to the ground, landing on top of him, both hands still on his throat, squeezing him to death.
Cain kicked and struggled, but there was nothing he could do. Caitlin was winning, and she was going to kill him.
Even in her haze, Caitlin wondered if one vampire could kill another, and the more that she choked Cain, the more she felt that she could. That she would. She had no intention of stopping.
Caitlin dimly heard a bell ringing again and again, and within seconds, the courtyard was filled with vampires, dozens of them, all crowding around, watching, shouting. The entire coven had gathered to watch.
Apparently, no one wanted to interfere. Maybe they all would be happy to see Cain killed.
And so would she. All of Caitlin’s anger, all of her upset, all of her disappointment—towards Caleb, towards her brother—it all converged at once, found its subject in this bully. He had picked the wrong girl to bully at the wrong time.
If Caitlin was certain of anything, it was that she would indeed choke this boy to death.
ELEVEN
Caleb flew over the Manhattan night sky, Sera trailing behind him, and as he dove lower, flying over the Bronx, he could see, with his vampire vision, the details of what was happening on the streets below. It was mayhem. Humans were fighting humans, stores were being looted, cars were piled up in the streets. It looked as if a war had broken out.
Worse, Caleb spotted vampires of the Blacktide Coven spread throughout the streets, attacking humans. Humans ran in every direction, from the vampires, from each other, from those infected with the Bubonic Plague, and from the occasional policeman. No one knew who was attacking who, it was clear. And it was also clear that the victors were the vampires. They were feeding everywhere, in a frenzy, on humans. Blood lined the streets.
Caleb’s heart sank. He felt sorry for the humans, and angry that the other vampire covens would act with such impunity, especially right in his coven’s neighborhood. Clearly, this was all being orchestrated. Surely Kyle must have returned to his coven with the Sword, and now, they must all feel invincible.
It would only be a matter of time until Caleb’s coven was attacked itself. And by then, Caleb knew, it would be too late.
Caleb flew over the ramparts of the Cloisters and landed on its wide outer patio, Sera a few feet behind him. She was still there, always on his heels. He never seemed able to get rid of her. She had followed him in flight, all the way from Pollepel Island. He knew that she would. But that didn’t mean he had to acknowledge her.
She had come to him on Pollepel on a mission to bring him back, and now here he was, and she must have imagined herself to be the returning victor. But he wouldn’t let her claim that victory. He had decided to return on his own volition, for his own reasons. What she failed to see, what she always failed to see, is that it had absolutely nothing to do with her.
Caleb strode across the stone patio, past dozens of vampire guards, who all came to attention as he walked. Caleb had never seemed quite this display of strength before; his coven must truly be on guard. Usually, there were just two guards; now, with a quick glance, he noted at least 50. All soldiers, all armed, and all watching the night sky.
Caleb was sure that, if they hadn’t had recognized him, they would have attacked him before he’d even reached the ground.
“Aren’t you going to wait for me?” Sera asked, marching up beside him as the large, arched door was opened for them.
Caleb ignored her, continuing his march—until he felt her cold, icy grip on his arm, felt her fingers digging into his flesh. She stopped him, and turned him to face her.
“I will not be disrespected by you in front of our people,” she snapped in a hushed tone. “We will enter together. We are still a couple.”
“We are not a couple,” Caleb shot back. “I don’t know how many times I can tell you this.”
“Just because you don’t think we are, doesn’t mean that we aren’t,” Sera shot back, equally determined. “You married me 600 years ago. There are no divorces in the vampire world. Our separation was never sanctioned.”
“I don’t need it to be sanctioned,” Caleb said. “Our marriage was a mistake. It was 600 years ago. You really need to let this go. I don’t need a governing body to tell me I’m allowed to separate.”
“Oh, but you do,” Sera said. “Without their sanction, you’re violating our law. You’re subject to punishment, and always will be.”
Caleb laughed in derision. “You’re really delusional, aren’t you? Do you really think I fear punishment, whether from them or anyone else? I have never lived my life in fear of authority.”
She stepped closer to him, out of earshot of all the soldiers now looking their way.
She whispered, “I can tell them more. I can tell them about you and that human. Caitlin. You violated our sacred law in sleeping with her. You know the punishment.”
Caleb stared back, his eyes becoming cold with rage.
“And more than that,” she said, “even more, I can tell them that you turned her. No one sanctioned you to do that, either. And that is something they would never accept. They would kill you for that, you know.”
Caleb clenched his jaw.
“Then tell them,” he said, calling her bluff.
She stared back at him, cold and hard. He knew that she would never tell. If they killed Caleb, that would leave her with no one to obsess over. She needed him alive. As much as she wanted to blackmail him, they were empty threats.
And even if she did tell them, he really, truly didn’t care. He was done answering to vampire organizations. He would live his life now as he wished. The security of his coven no longer meant as much to him as it once did. He wasn’t here to beg for their pardon. He was here to warn them, to save them. If they didn’t want his help, he would be just as happy to leave this place for good.
He desperately missed Caitlin already. He could feel it, like a tangible thing, sitting in his chest. He hated being away from her. And he hated even more that while he was away from her, he had to have Sera clinging to his side, this crazy woman who simply refused to accept reality.
Caleb turned and walked through the door, entering the inner stone courtyard of the cloisters, Sera right beside him. She just wouldn’t quit. The two of them strutted down the arched, stone corridor, side by side, her pretending for all the world that they were a couple.
They walked down another corridor, turned through a small, stone archway, and found themselves on a wide landing, about to descend a staircase. There, waiting to greet them, was Samuel. Caleb’s brother.
Samuel was flanked by a dozen vampire soldiers and his face was grim.
Caleb stopped before him, and their eyes met. They were as close as brothers could be, yet outwardly, they never showed it. They didn’t embrace each other, didn’t even shake hands. They just stood there, a few feet away, staring at each other, each nodding back to the other with a look of mutual recognition and respect.
“Caleb,” Samuel said flatly.
“Samuel,” Caleb answered.
“You have come back to us,” Samuel said. “That is good. We need you now.”
“I have much to report to the council,” Caleb said. “I only hope that they are willing to hear it.”
Samuel nodded back, ever so slightly. “As do I,” he said.
Samuel’s men parted ways for Caleb and Sera, and as the two of them walked down the winding staircase, Samuel’s men fell in behind them. The entire entoura
ge walked through the lower level of the cloisters, through a room of sarcophagi, through a room of artifacts, until they finally reached the roped off, circular staircase.
The two guards standing before it stepped aside, pulled back the rope, and opened the wooden door. Caleb entered, followed by the group, and soon they were all descending, lower and lower beneath the cloisters.
They entered a huge, subterranean chamber, hundreds of feet long, wide and high. Unlike other times he had been here, the room was completely filled with the vampires of his coven. Caleb had never seen it so crowded. Usually, there were but a few dozen vampires lounging about. Now there seemed to be at least 1000 of his coven members, vampires he hadn’t seen in centuries, all filling the room, pacing and agitated, talking to each other in harsh tones.
As Caleb and his entourage entered, the chaos seem to slowly focus on them. The chamber parted ways for them, and it slowly quieted. A hushed silence of anticipation spread.
They knew were Caleb was headed. At the far end of the room was a raised dais, on which sat the Grand Council, a panel of seven judges. Their coven’s leadership. Usually the Council met in a side chamber, but on nights like tonight, when there was unprecedented crisis, they met in the large chamber.
As Caleb suspected, there they were, sitting there, already glaring harshly down at him. Caleb could not remember a single time in thousands of years when their expression held anything but judgment. He suspected that tonight would be the worst of all.
These men were of the old guard, and over the centuries, Caleb had been feeling that they were no longer the right men to lead his coven. Their judgments were archaic, of another era. They were too rigid, too uncompromising. Of course, they claimed their rigidity is precisely what had kept their coven alive for so many thousands of years. But Caleb was, of late, feeling just the opposite. Their rigid attitude, he felt, was actually endangering their coven in these quickly shifting times.
Caleb already suspected what they would say in response to his report. To take no action. To wait it out. To not get involved. Their standard method of action. Always conservative, safe, patient. Always against change.