Ring of Madness

by Royden Labrosse

  The werewolf was tense and beggingly looked at me. I came up and took her hand.

  - Calm down. I promise you, you won't get hurt.

  And she slipped into second level of vision.

  Indeed. It's like vampires didn't do anything wrong. It's like their fingers were pulled off by thin black tentacles that touched a woman's aura. It didn't even occur to me right away that it was their substitute vision. I can see an aura without these tools. And they don't. And I have to make up for it with my touch. That must be awfully uncomfortable.

  Next to the silver drawing, now covered with a stain of white, the vampires were delayed for a very long time. They took all they could, went through the contours ten times, tried to measure the thickness of the patch, but where to! It was like a blind man to the touch to determine whether the fabric was red or blue. Of course, it didn't work.

  And the annoyed vampires dazzled Nastasia to take on me.

  - Yulia, can't you show me what you did exactly?

  - You should have found the patch yourself," I was surprised.

  - It's not enough! We want to see you put it on," Glorianne said in a disgruntled tone. And with such intonations, as if I had borrowed from her and not returned it.

  I snorted. I let go of Nastia's hand and put my girlfriend comfortable on the couch.

  - Find me a pregnant werewolf woman, bring me one, and I'll show you what and how.

  - And where are we going to find her now? Show me on this one! - Glorianne poked her finger at Nastia. I poked her finger on the fly. And I looked at the vampire like a bug. Fat and disgusting.

  - And taking off the patch, putting the children in danger - I won't allow it!

  - Really? Glorianne smiled. - That makes two of us. You're alone. What can you do now that no one's protecting you, man?!

  - Are you sure you want to know this?

  I was bluffing. Hell knows if I can get a second claw number. But... I'm not gonna let them experiment on Nastia's children. It's not only that much depends on them, it's also... It's children! Damn it! Who does it take to experiment on children? Dr. Mengele!?

  Well, I'm not him!

  - It was an accident that helped you once, as if a vampire had read my fears. - There's no second time for that.

  - Are you so sure?

  I looked around. The scenery wasn't pleasant. Nothing here can be used as a weapon. No vases, no candelabra... But not to give up now?

  The main thing... what's the main thing now?!

  That's a funny question.

  - Nastia, hide somewhere before the explosion covers," I strained without taking my eyes off the vampires.

  The shape-shifter turned out to be the smartest - and, having rolled over, she took off on all fours behind the sofa, and from there under the table. Well, that's better.

  Godwin and Glorianne were slowly approaching me. Nastya's doing great. And I was left nose to nose with two angry vampires.

  For a few scary minutes, I felt like I couldn't do anything. Only to die. Fighting and dying. Because I won't let them live. There's no way!

  And I didn't want to die. I'm just beginning to live, but Charles explained to me...

  The main thing is life.

  I exhaled - and tried to remember the feeling that permeated me to the very fingertips when the Beast was released.

  Yeah, twice.

  This disease was turning side by side behind a mirror. And I almost saw him twisting his tail, trying to curl up as comfortably as possible.

  You bastard! I'm gonna get eaten here while he wakes up.

  Those thoughts were enough for me to take exactly two vampire steps.

  And then it was like something turned around, spread out inside me. Totally unbelievable feeling. Like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon.

  And I realized, you don't have to call. You don't have to call something out of yourself. You just have to let...

  I smiled. And I let my beast out. It looked out of the cracked mirror, reached out and let out its healthy claws. The same claws. Yesterday's. Which I almost cut off something of value in Alfonso da Silva's aura.

  I didn't know how I was doing it yet. But if I could do it once, I could do it again. And the third one. And the tenth. I'm gonna practice a little... on vampires, because cats are pathetic.

  - You better apologize right away and get out of town," I warned the vampires. - I'm not responsible for myself, I'll hurt myself - and I won't notice.

  You didn't believe it. Well, they should have. Let's prove our words right. But we can't attack first. Alfonso would love to turn me left and right. And even the radical one, if he can. And I gave him my wish yesterday. And today I added. I wonder if those two aren't the ones who are after him.

  Godwin and Glorianne were coming at me in concert. One more step. The room is small. They're no more than two steps away from me. On their mountain...

  - You guys sure that's a good idea? If you hurt me or kill me, Mecislav will wrap your guts around your horns," I warned you, trying to get further away from Nastia. It's gonna be hot and fun when we get in touch with vampires. And I don't want my friend to get hurt. Pregnant women don't have to go through this kind of stress at all.

  - Mechislav will not notice anything," Godwin whispered quietly. - You'll just take a few sips of my blood, that's all. It won't hurt you.

  - Really? What if you ordered me to get hurt?

  Godwin moved his eyebrows a little. And I realized that I had hit the target. The blood of a vampire is a powerful tool. If I take at least a sip of his blood and Godwyn sets his... not his seal, but a little lighter, a mark, not a full connection, but a rope pulled by a puppet, he can order me to throw myself off a cliff. I may not obey. But I might get caught. There's not much that happens and how...

  And it's hard to make that connection. Unless the cross is swallowed...

  Yeah, that's when I'm gonna get a ruptured ulcer. I already have a scar... for the rest of my life, I'd rather not have those breaks!

  Somehow that idea didn't tempt me at all.

  - You don't think we're gonna forgive you so easily, you little... You stuttered Glorianne.

  And I realized if they could get me to swallow a drop of Godwyn's blood, it would be a hit. I'll have to work hard and seriously with Mieczysław to straighten that string. And I didn't want that. Not a drop of it. Which means...

  - It's better to be small and distant than old and dead," I snapped at Glorianne.

  - Oh, you...

  The vampire stuttered, and she threw herself at me.

  And I didn't quit. I just put my hand out front. Like I wanted to stop her.

  Except the claws didn't go anywhere.

  Yesterday, I effortlessly plowed the aura of Alfonso da Silva. But all I did was walk the tangent. Today...

  Glorianne just put herself on her claws. And they pierced her through. For a moment, I saw them flashing around the vampire's back. And without thinking, I swung my other hand and bounced away so I wouldn't be hit by Godwyn, who was getting close.

  The aura of the women in the neck region was crossed out by four torn stripes. She leaned over and started falling backwards. Right on Godwin's wildly wailing.

  - Gloria!!!

  All we had to do was push the carcass on his hands.

  Take a look at yours at the same time. I shaken my brushes pretty good. There's not a drop of blood left on the carpet. It's a good weapon! Even though you take everything from me, down to my underwear, even the bald shavings, and my claws stay with me. And I'll mutilate anyone who disfigures the aura, I'll cut the chakras!

  And the best part is no murder charge. I was standing there, waving my hand, and the man died. Why? Well... the time has come for him. How else do you explain the inexplicable in terms of modern science? "Citizen Judge, this bitch disfigured my friend's aura and he threw it away? »

  It's not convincing.

  Glorianne twitched a little, and I think she's going to die. The aura stretched out along and across,
like kissel, right before my eyes. Yeah. Was I hot? If only a little. On the other hand, what is she, so weak? I didn't hurt her brain or heart, so what's the problem? Let her recover as she pleases!

  I stepped to the door to call the people, but Godwyn laid his sister on the carpet in lightning speed, and turned to me.

  - You!!!

  Well, me. Twenty years like me. It's hard to deny the obvious.

  - You killed her!!!

  The face of the vampire distorted, the bones as if floated under the skin, turning it into the face of a beast of prey, arms stretched forward, fingers curved, like my claws ... Now he would not call beautiful even a fan of creativity Tsereteli.

  - Not yet.

  I wasn't scared. I can repeat the number if necessary. On "encore." But why? It's better not to make enemies like that.

  - She's dying!!! I'll kill you for this!!!

  - And you will lose your only chance to save your sister," I pointed out.

  It's like Godwin hit the wall. And he even flattened his face a little like a Persian cat.

  - You're... you're...

  - Not me, you. If you can give her enough strength, she'll recover. If you can't, here and bury it, I continued in the same mentoring tone.

  - Powers?! How!?

  I shrugged my shoulders.

  - You have vampires, only one kind of power - blood.

  That's it. The vampire wasn't there anymore.

  He fell to his knees next to his sister, torn a vein on her wrist with his fingernails and carried it to her lips.

  A few drops of blood leaked into Glorianne's gloomy mouth. The vampire twitched. And then she grabbed his hand like a piranha in a bloody piece of meat and started sucking actively. Yeah. I wouldn't give her a hand or a finger. She's gonna sip her legs off with them, too.

  And I slipped to another level of vision again.

  Oops?

  I didn't see that coming...

  Where the vampire hit my claws, the iridescent spots were sprawling. It's almost like those slugs I peeled off Leshka. Only those slugs gave the accumulated power to someone, and mine... and mine killed the poor vampire without any transmission. It felt like her aura was sprawling into rags in these parts. That must be what Charles was talking about. My power is the power of life. And the aura of vampires is closely tied to death. I will kill if I want, I will save if I want. And I sure as hell didn't want to save that bitch. So her aura is destroyed by the injected energy of life. It's undigested. It's clean. It's almost like the energy of sunlight. And what Godwyn doesn't do to her, she won't recover. Death can't fight life. Simply because death is an integral part of life. Like the head is part of a living organism. But an arm or a leg can't fight the whole body.

  I shook my head. That's how we're gonna bury both relatives here. And that's not part of my plan. If they die, Alfonso's gonna roller through us. And he'll make Charles come back. And I can't let that happen.

  I had to sit down next to him and place my palm over the wounds carefully.

  Come on, home! What's the news of the movie? I didn't mean to kill her!

  Or maybe you wanted to? - insidiously whispered the beast with human eyes, gladly licking its bloody claws. - Are you just afraid to admit it to yourself? But if you wanted to give her life, would your stroke be so crushing? You killed her, didn't you? You knowingly killed her...

  Get under the bench, you bastard! - I roared the beast. And I moved my fingers a little.

  To me, boys, to me... You're part of my power, so go back to where you belong - to me, to your home source... I gave birth to you, I'll dissolve you...

  It worked well. Before I knew it, the iridescent stains were crawling from Gloriana's aura to my hand. It felt... magnificent! It was as if you were sitting on a warm sand and your palm was buried in it. Somewhere a little cooler, somewhere warmer, but soft and silky everywhere. It's nice to...

  I purrred. There was a blissful cramp all over my body, and I hurriedly pulled my hand away. The vampire was still missing the last one. So, the creepy thing is happening...

  Blood flowed from Godwin's hand into Gloriana's mouth. And it was yielding results. The vampire's skin was wrinkling like it was getting old and becoming more and more like a rather nasty mummy. Glorianne was actually something so... half-dead. If I didn't know it was a vampire, I'd say the girl had died a week ago and had decomposed thoroughly. She smelled disgusting at all.

  Okay, I did a good job tapping her. Next time (if this one survives) she'll think three times before contacting me.

  But the wounds on Gloriana's aura were healing. Slowly, very gradually, but they healed. One had already disappeared, the other...

  Then I guess the girl's gonna be okay.

  But Godwin wasn't enough for that anymore. When the last wound on the vampire's aura healed, I nodded, and he yanked his hand hard, pulling it out of his sister's glowing mouth. There was a large piece of meat left on Glorianne's teeth. I was sick and tired of being disgusted. It's disgusting.

  Vampires looked like two corpses lying in a row. The smell was the right one.

  - Julia?

  Ow! Shit! Nastia!!!

  I turned to my friend.

  - How are you feeling? They didn't hurt you? How are the children?

  Nastia seemed relatively alive, healthy and undamaged. Thank the gods, and special thanks to me. With a brush.

  - It feels more than normal. Why, could we?

  - They wanted to hurt me. But if they guessed that taking you hostage could dictate terms to me, they would.

  Nastia exhaled and then spit on the carpet next to the vampires.

  - Freaks. Kind to them, and they're...

  - That's right. So go get Vadim, girlfriend. I'm gonna stay here for a while so they don't come back to life and go bite everyone.

  - You think it'll pull?

  - I don't know. What I don't know, I don't think so.

  Nastia nodded and went to the exit.

  - You send Vadim here, and let's go home. There's nothing for you to do in this madhouse," I ordered. - We need healthy children.

  - Really? Me too," a friend snapped at me. And she disappeared outside the door.

  * * *

  - Your surname is charming in its immediacy," Alfonso remarked philosophically, smiling at Doce.

  Mechislav mentally scolded Julia - and shrugged his shoulders.

  - She's just a kid. Let her play while she's in the mood.

  - She has dangerous toys.

  - Her life is dangerous, too. Alas. But contrary to his games and jokes, Yulia is a very responsible person.

  - Not noticed.

  - You'll still be able to talk to her. I suppose she'll be down again soon.

  - Oh, really?

  Alfonso was really surprised this time.

  - I assumed that after yesterday's... incident, she should rest and gain strength. And even today, she'll have to give extended explanations to Godwin and Gloria about Nastia.

  Mechislav wasn't at all worried about the explanations. No one will get any more information from Julia. Mainly because she doesn't own it herself. It turned out, and that's it. And how, what, why...

  Ask me something simple!

  The important thing is that Godwin and Gloria accept these explanations, because... It's bad enough he gave them a seat on the second floor. The basement would have been more secure. And we should ask the guys to keep an eye on them... although Vadim will figure it out for himself.

  - Julia will finish all her business with a pregnant werewolf and join us again. I ordered her to do that.

  - Oh, yeah... Is she upstairs now?

  - Yes.

  - I hope she'll be a little more sane then?

  That's what Machislav doubted. And strongly. But not to argue with his superiors?

  - Absolutely.

  - I'd be happy to talk to her. Although she is not as attractive as this blonde - nodding her head towards Dosi - I would be interested in exploring the nature of her strength.r />
  - I think Julia will gladly give her consent to any research, - assured Mechislav.

  - I hope so. Tell me, did Ramirez manipulate your name in any way?

  Mecislav was internally tense - why this question? You know it's not! And he shook his head politely.

  - Come on! No manipulation and no research he did.

  - That's a shame. Ramirez was a good specialist in his field. And a good servant.

  - Undoubtedly, - Mechislav could not say anything else. - I'm sorry about what happened to him, but I couldn't forgive the attempt on my surname.

  - And yet the loss of a specialist like Ramirez... It will take a long time to create a suitable replacement for him.

  From vampire-diplomatic to Russian, it looked like this:

  "-Why did you kill Ramirez for? Isn't that for your last name?

  - It's not my fault, uncle, he started it first.

  - We should have found another way. Or somehow compensate me for his death."

  Obviously, Mecislav didn't want to do it. And in fact, one time you'll bend, all the dead dogs will hang on you. So he smiled politely again.

  - I'm not sure we have the indispensable ones. I'm sure there are many candidates for Ramirez. Just like any other place.

  "We know such indispensable people. "A bundle for a patch. If you get cocky, there'll be candidates for you! »

  - Like the Prince of the city.

  - Bad is the Prince who can't defend himself. I suppose the Councilman must be prepared for any trouble, too?

  - Not everything can be foreseen.

  - But a lot. For example, my surname is not calculated at all.

  - We'll talk to Julia in more detail. And what does she intend to do with Charles?

  - So far, nothing. Then she has certain plans.

  - That's how...

  Alfonso decided not to push any more - and began to look around Dosa, who danced diligently on stage.

  Mieczysław didn't go to any trouble either. Everything was already clear. Alfonso began to threaten in almost direct text that if Charles was not returned to him, he would attack so much that Miecislav would regret his words, actions and in general - about his birth.

  Mecislav wouldn't be bothering. And he would. Charles is no brother to him, no matchmaker, no one. But Julia...