by Jen Pretty
I walked back out of the washroom, feeling about fifty percent better. Singh was in my room as a human for once. He only shifted if we were in town, but the house was a lion friendly zone.
“What’s up?” I asked.
"I’m coming to the parade." He smiled at me, and his canines were still long and pointed like a lion. "I haven’t been to a parade in a long time."
“Singh, you have a little something,” I said pointing to my teeth.
He reached up to his mouth and felt his teeth, then hissed at me. “How about now?”
I laughed and threw a sock at him. He growled and chucked it back. We moseyed down the stairs giggling like idiots. It felt good.
I followed him into the dining room. The smell of bacon turned my stomach, but I choked some down. I would not turn my nose up at bacon, no matter how much rum I drank the night before. It seemed to help settle my stomach anyway, and a couple of glasses of orange juice cleared my head. When we walked out the door, I felt better than I had in a while. Alex stayed behind. He said he had seen too many Victory Day parades and would rather gnaw off his hand than see another. So, Vilen and Ninel came with Drew and Singh and I. We headed out to see the sights.
“We should take metro,” Vilen said. His Russian accent seemed thicker today. As if the patriotic day made him more Russian. “Will be no space for parking.”
“OK, lead the way,” I said.
We followed Vilen’s broad back through the gates and out onto the sidewalk. It was a few blocks before we came to the first entrance to the subway. It was a small building with pillars in front. I dreaded going back underground, but as we climbed down the stairs, I realized it was spacious with archways and wide platforms. Only a few other people were waiting for the train. We must be closer to the start of the metro line. We stepped onto the train when it pulled up, and I sat down on a seat beside Singh.
“So, what is this Victory Day about, anyway?” I asked him, popping gum into my mouth.
“It marks the end of World War Two,” Singh explained. “It's overblown here in Moscow. The people have a lot of pride and make it a big show.”
He took the gum from my hand. I only got it out for him; he had eaten steak raw for breakfast, and his breath smelled like pennies. I made the mistake of telling him his breath smelled once. I would not do that again. Cats hold grudges and waking up with his butt in my face was not fun.
More and more people kept getting on the train until I wasn’t comfortable sitting anymore. Feeling claustrophobic was crazy after all the time I had spent in the tunnels, but people standing over me had a different effect. A nice older lady took my seat when I offered it, and I took her place at a pole, jammed between Ninel and a stranger. By the time we got off the subway, people had packed into the train, and we spilled out on to the platform. The platform here was ornate and beautiful. It ran between two sets of tracks, with a high ceiling and attractive circular cutouts that were so well lit, it felt like being in a mall instead of underground. Once we had gathered ourselves, we climbed the stairs to the rising sounds of music and feet marching on stone. We exited a beautiful building at the top of the stairs, its design fit the theme of the old buildings in the city.
The crowds were everywhere. I wasn't sure how many people were in Moscow, but I was sure they were all in the streets. The sun blared down on us, warming my skin through my jacket. And the percussion of drums beat in my chest through the loudspeakers. Singh slung an arm over my shoulders and guided me through the crowd till we made it to the front and could see the Red Square.
Soldiers in bright red uniforms marched in exaggerated steps, carrying flags. Hundreds more stood in perfect rows in front of the Kremlin. Tanks rolled in, and soldiers moved along beside the heavy artillery in formation. They marched in such perfect time that their feet shook the ground.
Overhead, planes flew in formation too. Their coloured tails tracked through the sky long after they went by, making the whole city feel like a magical land. A marching band played, and the surrounding people cheered. The Red Square filled with marching soldiers; their white gloves swung in unison as they marched. It made them seem like they were more machines than men and the musicians moved in perfect synchronization.
Soldiers of all varieties turned to look at one place and saluted. I peeked out in front of Singh and realized the president was standing on a podium and all the men and women were saluting him as they passed. Behind me, people shouted, and children cheered. I turned around to see the crowd. They all had flags and banners or blown up photos of soldiers.
It was overwhelming. Scattering my senses but the joy pulled a smile to my face. This was a special day for everyone here, and you could feel the pride of the people. I let my eyes trail over the crowd of people, taking in the children’s faces and the old men dressed in uniform watching the young men march to the beat they must have once marched to.
A familiar face jumped out of the crowd. I focused in and red eyes locked with mine. A smile curved the cruel mouth before it disappeared in the sea of people.
I pushed Singh’s arm off me and pressed through the crowd. The people made way, but not fast enough.
“Move people!” I yelled. Singh was hot on my heels. The people were packed so tight that many of them couldn’t move, but Durga pressed me to run. I couldn’t run. Fuck.
I pushed through to the back of the crowd and looked up and down the street. He was gone.
“Who was it?” Singh asked form right behind me.
“Vernon,” I replied. “He’s here all right.”
“Let’s split up,” Drew said.
“No one should go alone,” Ninel suggested.
I strode off down the street heading North. He couldn't have gotten too far. I stopped. If he was nearby, I could track him. I took a deep calming breath and sent out my senses.
My senses flooded out like an overflowing coffee cup to coat the city. At first, I found nothing: a few vampires sitting around, but no Vernon. Then I noticed something I hadn’t before. There was a blank space where my senses flowed over and around, but not through. It was in the tunnels. I had felt nothing like that before. It was as if a small part of the city didn’t even exist.
“Get the rest of the guys. We need to go in the tunnels,” I said.
Ninel took out his phone and made a call.
This was just the break I needed.
Finally.
CHAPTER NINE
We took the metro past the crush of the parade and met up with another vampire who had brought our hummer, waterproof clothes, and Alex. Changing in a different back alley this time, we suited up in a hurry. Durga rushed me and was shouting commands.
“I will not wait for you, vampires,” she spit. I tried to hush her, but she was a woman scorned and would not calm down.
Alex was jittery. Not the way he was when we pulled him out of the tunnels but amped up.
Drew pulled his headlamp on, and Durga herded the team to the closest culvert.
We landed in a different tunnel this time, but it was newer, smooth cement instead of old brick. This tunnel led to a drop off into the Neglinnaya River. We had to wade through the river and climb back up onto the walkway on the far side. It was higher than my waist and had the current pressed on me like a stiff breeze. It was colder in the tunnels than on the streets now. Summer was on its way.
“Let me check and see which way we should go,” I said. I closed my eyes and sent out my senses. There were a few more vampires in the Red Square, but I searched out from there until I felt that blank space again. It was eerie like an abandoned house. It made the hair on my arms stand on end.
I shivered as my senses came back to my body. I pointed north, and we shuffled along the brick walkway towards the darkness.
Stopping twice more, I narrowed it down to the area near where we met the fallen vampires, but it wasn’t down that tunnel. We had searched there. It was adjacent to the tunnel, somehow.
We circled back several times tryi
ng different routes. Even Alex didn't know where we were trying to go. I half thought about letting Durga bash through the wall, but destabilizing the old walls didn’t sound like a brilliant plan.
“There must be a way to get in,” I said, sliding down to sit on a pile of old rail ties stacked by the wall.
“I am telling you, there is nothing over there,” Alex moaned again.
“And I am telling you, there is something. It's dark and creepy and trying to hide from me!”
Alex dropped his eyes to the ground. Drew bit his lip like he didn’t want to argue with me, but hours ago I felt like he had given up finding this place I was talking about. He didn’t believe me either.
“We will find it,” Ninel said. He believed me, at least.
I pulled out my bottled water and down the dribble at the bottom. It was the last we had brought down with us. Chances were good we would have to abandon this search and come back again. I tipped my head back against the wall and closed my eyes. A heavy sigh racked my lungs.
Singh’s purr was the only warning before his furry face rubbed across mine. His mane got in my mouth, and I spent the next several minutes trying to pick fluff off my tongue, but I appreciated his support. With a sigh, I stood up and followed the team back down the tunnel.
Just before we turned back south on the Neglinnaya, I noticed a smaller tunnel up high on the wall near the ceiling. A slow trickle of water ran out of it and traced a path down the wall leaving a trail of hard water, but someone disturbed the trail like someone had climbed the wall.
I didn’t follow the team. Instead, I looked at the markings and tried to figure out how someone could have climbed it. A human couldn’t, but a vampire could. I reached up to get a handle on the wall, but it was too smooth.
“You want a boost?” Ninel asked from behind me. He cupped his hands, and I stepped up into them before he heaved me up into the narrow entrance. I could only crawl once inside. Singh’s huff let me know he was behind me and I heard more quiet rustles as the rest of the team climbed in to follow me.
I couldn’t see the end of the tunnel, but at one point ahead there was daylight streaming down and flickering off and on like people were walking over it. We must be closer to the street as the drain had a slight rise to it and the sounds of the roads were getting louder.
When I was under the grate, I realized it wasn’t people walking over it. We were under the busy road that circled the Red Square. The traffic was heavy. No one would attempt to use this as an entry to the tunnels. I moved just past the culvert and my eyes adjusted to the dark as my headlamp caught on the end of the tunnel. There was an opening another hundred feet along that seemed to lead to another section of sewers. Before I moved on, I sent my senses forward, but that darkness was all around me. I couldn’t sense anything ahead or behind me. Like a dark hole had swallowed me up and the rest of the world had disappeared.
“We are inside,” I whispered into the dark. Singh let out a tiny huff, and I moved forward.
The tension was thick. Everyone whispered through the tunnel. Durga was anxious, turning in my stomach. I felt her wanting to push forward and have me rush the last section of the drain, but she held off. Crawling forward, a piece of glass I hadn't noticed in the now dry tunnel stuck in my hand. I hissed and pulled the glass out, but blood pooled in the palm. I let the skin seal up before moving forward again, Leaving a trail of blood on the dirty cement.
As I approached the opening, Singh used his massive paw to flatten me to the ground and slid over me so he could go first. Stupid lion. He stepped on my hair, pulling several strands out as he stumbled on. I couldn’t even swear at him as we were all in silent mode.
He disappeared over the edge of the tunnel to space below on silent feet. I swung around and slid over the edge too, losing sight of the space as my headlamp fell off and crashed to the ground. Standing in the dark, my heart raced with uncertainty before my eyes adjusted and the reality of the situation struck home.
I had hoped to find Vernon, but what I found instead sent ice through my veins.
There, nailed to the wall, like Jesus to the cross, was Vincent. And he wasn’t moving.
CHAPTER TEN
I slammed my light back on my head and rushed forward. Thick steel nails suspended Vincent, driven through his wrists and ankles. They pinned him to the cement wall behind him. His clothes, torn and singed like he had been through an explosion. His head hung limp to one side, his eyes closed.
I reached out towards him, but there was some kind of invisible wall in front of him.
Singh took a swing at it with his claws, but they slid off the invisible wall too.
My knife flashed into my hand. I stabbed at the invisible wall and tried to pry my knife into the cement at the edge, but it was too strong.
The rest of the team landed in the cavernous room.
“Oh shit. What the hell?” Drew said.
He walked forward and tried to reach out to the nail holding one of Vincent’s arms to the wall, but hit the force field too.
Vilen pounded on the center of the force field. It sounded like his fist was hitting a metal drum, reminding me of the battle at Frankie’s warehouse, when the witches were protecting each other with force fields.
I unzipped my jacket and had to take my waterproof gear all of, but fished out my phone and tried to send a text to Frankie.
The message failed to send.
“I have to go back to the culvert,” I said.
“Who are you calling?” Alex asked.
“My friend Frankie, He knows magic, and this is magic,” I replied as Vilen gave me a boost and a concerned look.
“You are friends with warlocks and witches?” Vilen asked.
“Yeah, well, one of them anyway,” I said before sliding through the tunnel back to the access point at the busy street. Hopefully, I would have reception there.
I lay in the tunnel under the street as cars flashed a strobe light above me and hit send again.
This time it went through.
A moment later my phone rang an incoming call. I had expected a text, so the ringtone startled me.
“Hello?”
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I found Vincent. He's behind a force field though. Like the one you used.”
“Shit,” he said. “I should have come with you.” He sighed and repeated shit a few more times.
“Can you tell me how you make it? Durga has magic, right? She might take it down.”
Durga rolled in my stomach. I had felt her frustration at first, but now she was on team Lark. The magic people knew magic, and that was what we needed.
“The force field is like firmness if that makes sense. You have to be rigid and sharp to make it, and the same feeling takes it down.”
It made little sense, but Durga flashed on the backs of my eyelids, holding a thunderbolt in her hand. If she had a plan, I’d go with that.
“Ok, Durga has a plan. I'll let you go; I don’t have service down here.”
“Where are you?”
“Under the city, in the tunnels.”
“Be careful Lark. Come home soon.”
“I will,” I said.
I hung up and slid the phone back into my pocket before securing myself back into my waterproof suit. I rolled over and pushed up on all fours. After a few failed attempts at getting turned around in the tight space, I crawled backwards to the drop-off. I flopped back into the cavern with a thud. When I stood up and turned around, Durga took over. My headlight shone red as she looked through my eyes and the guys backed away from Vincent. She doubled my arms and then doubled them again until I stood in her image. A replica of the Goddess she once was and armed with weapons gifted to her from the Gods themselves. My arms waved like branches in a stiff breeze until the arm holding the sea shell came to the front.
I could feel the magic in the room swell and the vampires each took another step back. Singh came next to me and pressed into my side. His warmth
wrapped around me, feeding my will and determination.
The magic of the sea shell sizzled on my palm. It arched across the space, lighting the room in a marvel of colour. Durga pointed the glowing shell at Vincent. The force field around him turned to ash and rained to the floor with a clap that echoed through the tunnel system.
Durga stepped forward. She stared at Vincent for a moment before she reached forward and touched his face. I had a moment of shock as she cupped his cheek. I felt her affection for him and desire. It didn’t make sense that she would warn me away from him, but before I could think any further, Vincent's muscles bunched and he flung himself forward, pulling the steel nails that pinned his hands from the wall with a yell. Durga jumped backwards. He pulled the steel stakes from his hands letting each one drop on the floor. Then he reached down with bloody hands and pulled the steel from his feet as well. His eyes flashed red, and his teeth lengthened. He held the steel stakes as weapons.
Durga waved her arms, her weapons at the ready too. I pushed at Durga, trying to regain control. Killing Vincent would kill me. I couldn't do it. Durga paused for a moment, just long enough for Vincent to throw both stakes at me. They embedded deep in my stomach and knocked me over backwards. Shouting followed, but it seemed distant as I lay on the cement floor staring into the darkness above, gasping for breath. Tipping my head down, I tried to look at my stomach but it was too dark, my headlamp must have fallen off. There was more yelling, but it was quieter now, distant. The smell of blood reached my nose and then it was all I could smell and taste. I coughed and a viscous fluid sprayed out of my mouth, raining back down on me like I was a sick fountain. I closed my eyes for a second.
“Lark.”
I opened my eyes, but something filtered the voice like I was listening from under water. My vision wavered. Drew came into focus for a moment, his face hovering over me and a bright halo above his head. I smiled and tried to reach out to him, but my arms weren't working.