Ring of Madness

by Royden Labrosse

  - What are you... - Slava was boiling, but Nadia did not let him continue.

  - I'm not interested in your version. Did you move in? Dry up, mold! Yul, I take it that your grandfather is your father's?

  - Yes. Mom's a stranger to him from all sides. And you saw my grandfather yourself.

  - You bet I did. If I was a little older, I couldn't resist...

  - Mom couldn't resist either. Father had been dead for a year, Grandma had been dead even earlier...

  - No, well, if there's no blood in common, no incest, respectively, the adults would have figured it out for themselves. It wasn't in Central City Square, was it?

  - That's right. But my brother freaked out, stole money from my grandfather, left home and did not show up in his native land for more than nine years until the rooster fried.

  - What, he didn't write or call?

  - Nothing at all.

  Nadia took another look at Slava and cried out.

  - That sucks. Julia, how...

  your

  a brother can be such a freak?

  - Well, you know, the family's not without a freak, I shrugged. - And then, I went to Grandpa, and Slava - a copy of my mother.

  - It's a weak explanation, but it'll do for a start. Next what?

  - But today, this creature comes to me and asks me to give them money for a ticket to Australia.

  Slavka covered his face with his hand. He seems to have decided that he's in the theatre of absurdity. Well, let him get used to it.

  Nadia laughed from the bottom of her heart.

  - Is this a joke? And who is it to them? We, Nicholas II, eat caviar sandwiches?

  - It's for him and another girl. You'll see her in the living room. If we finally get out of the hall.

  Nadia obediently spanked in the living room. And, of course, she was the first one to see Clara curled up on the couch. The girlfriend smelled the air in the room, then looked closely at Clara - and curled her lips.

  - Is that the second fifty percent? Yul, couldn't you find something better?

  I took a deep breath and slammed into the chair in front of the computer. The conversation promised to be very hard. Like a truck. Or even two trucks.

  - Nadia, it wasn't me, and they found me. That's what happened. I come from the beach...

  I told you, Clara and Slava were complaining to each other, Nadia was gloomy with every word. Then the friend got up and started to measure the room.

  - Julia, I would like to tell you that everything will be fine, but it's a little wrong.

  - How's that? - Slava intervened.

  - It sucks. It's clear that you can give them money at least for a ticket to the moon, no matter. Only it won't save them.

  - Why do you think so?

  - Doesn't something make sense to you? - A friend was surprised. - Did you two run away, did you kill two members of the pack... or were there more?

  - No. Just the two of them, Clara rushed to answer.

  - Well, that's not the point either. Killing a pack member is either an execution or an initiation, which is more painful for a man. But you'll be killed right away. By the way, that's a hot topic. Do you have a Prince in town?

  - I do," Clara said.

  - And his submissive beast?

  - A fox.

  - So there's also a vampire dispute. That's a lot of shit.

  - Nadia, give me a lecture on medieval politics," I asked. - Plise-z-z.

  - I thought you already know...

  - You were just imagining it. I guess I even tried not to talk to Valentine about it. Vampires made me sick.

  - It happens.

  - I wouldn't ask, but there's no choice now.

  - Don't you want to ask Valka? He would have explained better...

  - And you're my friend. Do you feel sorry for that?

  - Say something stupider than that. Do you want me to read you an inside policy?

  - No. I know that.

  Valentin's told me a lot about it. I mean, he consulted. Well, I didn't have a choice. Any friends? Friends! So we should at least listen and try to help with this.

  - You know what it takes to move from one pack to another?

  - I know. Four agreements. That's a minimum.

  - Has any of them been received?

  - No. They escaped and killed two werewolves sent for them.

  Nadia rolled her eyes.

  - That's the worst. This fool is responsible for the death of two members of her pack. Her rank is below low. With her escape and murder, she struck at the authority of the leader of the pack and the local prince. Now they both have to find the guilty and punish. Not with anger, but just to maintain their authority. And if werewolves could still lose their fugitives, vampires have a concept like the Council. The Vampire Council will find them within three minutes. Okay, not three minutes and not minutes, but pretty quickly. What happens to them, I don't even want to think about it. Even if your brother and that girl change their name and appearance, they can't change their scent. And they'll be found. Yeah, it's more late than early, but "late" is measured in months, not years. They're not even years old. Whatever they do. It's not gonna help if they turn inside out.

  - This isn't fair! - I'm outraged. - I take it the local leader wouldn't let her go?

  - He wouldn't let me go," Clara said quietly. - He liked me," Clara said quietly.

  - Yes, but he was in his right," Nadia said.

  - Then it turns out that they had no way out? - I asked. - He wouldn't let her go, she couldn't move into another pack? Is everything that hopeless?

  - I wouldn't say," Nadia shrugged her shoulders. - Everything is so hopeless right now. It's because this Padi can't think how a normal wolf can. She could ask all the flocks to give her protection. Or somebody in her pack could talk her into it. Sooner or later there'd be some fool to help her. There's one thing I even know.

  - Valentin?

  - Well, at least. That would be his style. No, I don't mind our innovations, I even like them, but make some extra enemies out of the good-natured? That's stupid!

  - Stupid," I agreed. - And now it's impossible? To take her to you?

  Nadia rolled her eyes.

  - Yulia, if you ask him, he can agree. But you won't do it.

  - Why not?! - Slava is outraged. - If this is the only chance for Clara and me?! Julia is my sister...

  Nadia nailed him with a mocking look.

  - Didn't you remember that early on? After nine years of total uncertainty, you come to your sister, who, by the way, is younger than you, and ask for help?! You're lucky Julia is kind; I'd flush you down the toilet without talking!

  - You should have," I sighed. - But Nadia's right. I really can't talk about you and Valentin.

  - Yulia! - There was so much hope in my brother's voice.

  - Look, if I ask Valentine for help and protection for you, I'll drag him into someone else's fight," I began to explain. - For whom and why should I do this? Valentine is a good man and a good fox, but first of all, he's my friend, and secondly, he just can't stand up to werewolves and vampires.

  - On the other hand..." Nadia said slowly.

  - What? - Slava twitched in her direction.

  - Julia, if Mieczysław would help you...

  - Nadia, do you know what you're talking about?! - I'm sorry.

  - I know exactly what you're talking about. He owes you something. Boris, Vadim, and his own life, that is death. You just pulled all three out of the shit by the ears.

  - Who's Miecislav? - Slavka asked.

  - None of your pig's business! - I roared.

  - Prince of the city," Nadia smiled.

  - Julia, do you know the Prince of the city?! - my brother's blue eyes came out of their orbits.

  - I know him," I snapped. - So what?!

  - And he owes you something," Nadia smiled cunningly.

  - It doesn't mean anything yet! - I fought back.

  - Yulia, - now Nadia spoke sadly and even tired. - You wil
l not be able to hide from him forever.

  - None of your business!

  - It's mine. And you know it very well. You're my friend, and I owe you something. But we can't solve this situation with your brother on our own. It's not gonna be enough. What's more, if we try to do this, we could start a war in which many of our friends would die. Do you want that? You don't? Neither do I! You and I are new, and Mecislav has been cooking in this boiler for seven hundred years! For him, it's all familiar up and down! What's more, Mecislav is a bastard, but he's smart. If he can't get your brother out of this mess, no one can.

  - I can't! - The stomach broke out of me.

  - Julia! Your "can't" lives on the street. I don't want to!

  I'm staring out the window, trying to gather my strength. It didn't work out. My meditation was broken by my brother.

  - Yulia...

  - A hundred years like Julia! And don't look at me like that," I attacked a relative. - It's easy for you to say, you don't know what you're asking me! If I give Mieczysław the edge of his nail, he'll have his hand on his shoulder in a month! Nadia said he's a bastard?! That's a rare understatement! This vampire is much worse! I had such a hard time getting rid of his attention...

  - Really? Nadia was definitely messing with me.

  - That's enough!

  - By the way, you look a lot alike," said a friend. - There's something about you that's elusive, I don't know how to explain it... Your eyes are just like his. Not the colour, but the expression. Danielle was right on all sides when he painted you.

  Her look shifted to the portrait on the wall. My portrait. Me, and my beast in the mirror. The woman in the portrait looked at me with a strange expression. Questioning? Echid? I don't know. But in the portrait, I was very different. Danielle said that one day I would be like this. I don't think he wanted me to be like this. I didn't want it either. I was okay with the old frog skin. Cozy, comfortable, compact, no kissing princesses... But vampires do. And more and more often from my eyes the beast from the mirror looks at this world.

  - Am I getting like this already?

  - Sometimes. It's very rare, but it happens. Julia, you must talk to Mecislav.

  - I don't want to! - I woke up with all my heart. - I can't! I can't do it! I won't!

  - You can't forgive yourself later. You're not me. I would spit and forget, and you can't do it! You have a strong sense of responsibility. That thing is your brother. Even with his betrayal, you know it's...

  your blood

  ! When he's killed, you'll feel even worse. And he'll surely be killed if you don't talk to the Prince.

  - And then they'll be ashamed to kill him? - The poison in my voice would be enough for a ball of vipers.

  Nadia chose not to notice anything.

  - I don't think so. But the two of you can come up with something.

  - Tell me honestly: we can accept what the vampire has to offer.

  I wasn't able to confuse Nadia.

  - I'm glad you don't have a penchant for self-deception.

  I grabbed my head. What the hell is that?! What is she, trying to drive me crazy?!

  - Nadia, he's responsible for Daniel's death. You think I can look him in the eye and not think about it?

  And that's when my friend blew up. Iron fingers caught me by my shirt collar, Nadia pulled me to her face. If she wanted me to, I could bite her nose - so close we got.

  - Oh, I can't! Oh, he's responsible for Daniel's death! Ah, yes oh! Yulka, I don't recognize you! What's wrong with you?! I kept quiet the whole time, hoping you'd get back to normal! I didn't stop you from hiding in this hole from the world! I wasn't interrupting anything, I was just trying to make you feel better! It's not working! Well, to hell with it! But now, I swear to God, you will hear the truth about yourself! You're just a shitty little selfish girl! And you're acting like one! You're cornered, you're smearing snot on your face and you're whining. And you know damn well that's not gonna help anybody or anything! You refuse to go out in the street for fear of Mieczysław! You're afraid of yourself! You're afraid that you want to sleep with him! And what's more, you're afraid to even admit that you want to! You want this damn vampire like... like me - fresh meat! And you also made yourself a kind of icon from Daniel! Poor vampire in a coffin would've flipped over knowing what halo you had on him! He was much worse in his life! And it wasn't out of kindness that you put the seal on you! There's no such thing as a 300-year-old vampire! He wanted to use you, too! It's not his fault he died before he could do it! It's only his fault that you didn't get to study him well and send him to hell! And that would have happened for sure! And very soon! And now you're not so much to blame for your love, which wasn't good enough, but for being afraid to let yourself go free!

  - What the hell are you talking about?! - I exploded. - What kind of freedom?!

  - And this one! That's the one you want! Whether you want it or not, you have...

  force

  and must use it! Or she'll destroy you! And you want to use it! You want to, but you're afraid to get out of that sweet, suffering girl image you're wrapped up in! You're afraid of yourself! Give yourself up at last, Julia! Or just go and leave the tall house! It'll be much faster and more painless! For all of us!

  - If I want to, I'll go! And you won't hurt me!

  - Well, you won't! You're too alive for this!

  - And you want to drive me to my grave to live corpses!

  I was shaking and my fingers were cramping. I never thought my friend was like this... why?!

  - Living corpses are zombies! And as for Mieczysław - do you care about the grave or what you do in it?!

  - And that's none of your fox's business!

  - I live in this town, and this

  my business

  ! Otherwise we'll all be buried under the wreckage of your broken dreams! I want to live! I want to live, not reptile in front of anyone! Swordsman, though a bastard, but not a complete scum ! And he is not mean. He won't wipe his feet on you for his own pleasure! Only if it's necessary for business! He keeps those who serve him safe, and he's a decent vampire!

  - Ha-ha!

  - Yeah, whatever that sounds like! And you know that it wasn't his fault Daniel died. It's nobody's fault but Elizabeth and Ramirez. And your stupid girlfriend! No one! But you're scared to admit it! And you're not afraid of Mieczysław, but that you'll find him attractive at a closer look! And you won't be able to resist! But you are afraid! Not him! You are afraid of yourself! Your feelings! Your thoughts!

  Myself

  ! And you're destroying yourself so you don't have to face the truth! Even Danielle painted you double. A man? Yes! A monster?

  Yes

  ! So what?! What difference does it make?! If he saw you like this and still loved you?! Do you think he'd enjoy watching you drive yourself and his friends to their graves?! If he were here now, he'd be the first to send you to negotiate! Moreover, by that time you would have treated Medecislav as an old friend long ago! I know you, don't I? But you're afraid! You were hurt, and you fell to your knees! And you can't get up! You don't want to! Are you afraid of another blow?! But more often the surrenders are beaten up!

  Nadia was silent and evil looked at me. I put my eyes down. It's a shame to realize it, but she's right. Maybe not in everything, but in many ways it's true. I'm really afraid of myself. Then, in February, I killed and tortured people. It was awful. And what was even more horrible was that I didn't even care. And I only started having nightmares at night when it was over. I was afraid of what I could turn into, and I unknowingly chose the easiest way to kill myself. Is that so?

  Unfortunately, yes. I could have continued to yell and argue, but for some reason I couldn't be more angry. And I couldn't yell anymore. There were no more words. I'm sorry.

  And now I'm going to go see a vampire. Stop hiding in the shadows. Life won't let me do that anymore. Slava and Slava have moved the avalanche. And I am carried away down, into the ordinary - or not quite ordinary - lif
e, from that cave into which I have driven myself. And that's the way it's supposed to be. That's right. It's time to go on stage, or I'm gonna get pulled out there by my hair. It's better to choose the moment and the set yourself. Except...

  - Nadia, if you say one more bad word about Daniel, we'll fight. And seriously.

  My friend took a deep breath.

  - I'm sorry, Yul. I admit that I was cruel. If you want, hit me. Or quarrel, say mean things, I'll take anything. But understand: I have no choice. Stop hiding from yourself! It's time to wake up!

  - It's time, I agreed.

  My friend looked at me as if she didn't believe me.

  - And you'll call the vampire?

  - Yes, I will.

  - When?

  - I'll call him right now. In front of you so you don't have to change your mind for sure.

  Nadia woke up in delight and threw herself at my neck, clutching her soul in an iron hug.

  - You're strangling me, you freak!

  I shook off my friend's hands and picked up the phone. I dialed a number that crashed into my memory.

  A soft, as if a velvet voice poured a wave over my whole body. My knees suddenly weakened, and I collapsed into the chair. That's a voice I'd recognize from a thousand thousand. And that's how it always worked.

  Mecislav. He was the only one who could seduce with his presence in the room. He did nothing but breathe, but even that was more than enough. Anyway, for me.

  - You called the Wolf Fight Club. Leave a message on your answering machine, and we'll call you back as soon as possible. We'd love to have you as a guest.

  I sighed as I gathered my thoughts.

  - This is Julia Evgenievna Leoverenskaya. Mechislav, I ask you to call me back as soon as possible. - And I couldn't resist a dose of poison: - I can't leave my phone, you probably know it yourself.

  I hung up the phone and rubbed my hands, suddenly covered with goosebumps. Even now, after all the months of separation, even on the phone, the voice of a vampire acted on me... excitingly. So what happens when we meet face to face? I don't know. And I'm not at all sure what I want to know. Well, you will. Now it's too late to say no. Although I would have given a lot to go back to yesterday and go somewhere in Alaska. Or somewhere farther away. Only it's not gonna work anymore.