Penetrating the
Darkness
by Shiela Stewart
Breathless Press
Calgary, Alberta
www.breathlesspress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or
persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Penetrating the Darkness
Copyright© 2009 Shiela Stewart
ISBN: 978-0-9782744-9-8
Cover Artist: Justyn Perry
Editor: Shiela Stewart
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in reviews.
Breathless Press
www.breathlesspress.com
For my husband, William,
who brings light into my life every day.
You give me strength when I am weak,
encourage me when I am down, and you
always know how to make me laugh.
Without you I would be lost.
Chapter One
Jacob’s Cove, 2026
Eleven months of Darkness
Dusty Ryder. His name was Dusty Ryder and he was twenty years old. His parents were Alan and Eleanor Ryder. He had two sisters, Alana and Leah. He was going to attend MIT to become a biologist. His name was Dusty Ryder and he wasn’t going to give in.
On his dingy, worn out cot, Dusty chanted his name over and over again, reminding himself he was still alive and that he was somebody. He wouldn’t let them win. They would not beat him down. He was stronger than that. His mind was stronger than that. But it was so tempting to just give in, to slip into a comatose state, to tuck his mind away to a better place where animals didn’t torture and starve and beat humans, where there was bright sunshine, green grass and a warm summer breeze...
He knew that was exactly what they wanted.
So he fought to stay sane, to keep even a small portion of himself alive.
He shivered in the cold cell he’d been kept in for months now, knowing it did him no good to ask for a blanket. The purpose was to make him as uncomfortable as possible so he would eventually break.
He wished he’d never stopped to help that broken-down car on the side of the road. But the young woman had been all alone and it had been night. It would have been wrong of him to have just driven off, leaving her there all alone. Dusty wished he’d known it had all been a ploy to capture him. That three vampires waited in the trees, ready to jump him. He hadn’t even known the creatures really existed.
He knew differently now.
The jingle of keys startled him. As Dusty curled in a ball, tucking himself as tightly to the wall as possible, the door swung open.
No, not him. Please, anyone but him.
“Hello, my boy.”
The door clicked shut with an echoing sound that lingered in his mind long after it was closed. He refused to look up.
“I’m told you’re refusing the blood that is being brought to you.”
Don’t look into his eyes, don’t acknowledge him, and maybe this time he will go away.
Yeah, right.
The bed creaked, giving way to the pressure of the body sitting on the foot end. Dusty inched a little closer to the wall, wishing desperately that he could melt into it.
“Have they told you what happens to vampires if they don’t feed?”
He didn’t care. He just wanted the ugly man to go away.
“Have you ever seen a drug addict go through withdrawal? It is very similar, only the lack of oxygenated blood in your system causes your mind to go a little crazy. Because the moment you drink in a vampire’s blood, it takes over, killing off the human blood that remains in your system. Vampire blood has less oxygen, hence the sickly gray color. As long as you drink in blood, your body is okay but the instant you cut off the supply, your body goes into a state of frenzy and starts killing off brain cells. And if that weren’t bad enough, your lust for blood grows tenfold encouraging you to do anything to get it, including ripping open a human to drain it as quickly as possible. It is not a pretty sight.”
Dusty cringed when the icy fingers touched his face. He was helpless when those fingers lifted his chin.
“Is that what you wish to have happen to you, my boy?”
“I’m not your boy,” Dusty spat defiantly despite the fingers that cut into his flesh a little harder.
“Oh, but you are. The instant you drew my blood into your veins you became mine. It has been some time since I was treated to virginal blood. Yours was exactly what I needed to rejuvenate myself after that infidel, Fritz, kept me drugged and locked away. I feel so much stronger now and I wish you to feel the same way.”
Dusty fought the urge to cry out when the nails cut through his flesh.
“Now, will you accept the blood that was given to you, or do I have to resort to more violence?”
“Go to hell!”
“So be it.”
His hand was jerked up and pinned against the wall…by a knife.
He screamed.
“Now, do you wish to drink or shall I do the same to the other hand?”
The bile rose in his throat but Dusty quickly swallowed it back before responding. “Go to hell!”
“Have it your way.”
This time he wasn’t able to swallow fast enough. When the knife was jammed into his other hand, he pitched over and spewed the acid from his stomach. His throat was on fire, his hands, still pinned to the wall by knives, burnt with an intensity that had his vision blurring.
A hand came across his face, jarring him out of his daze.
“Drink?”
“Please. Why are you doing this to me?” The time for bravery had long since passed.
“Because I can. Drink?”
Dusty was a coward, deep inside he knew that, but it didn’t stop him from giving in. He was tired of the pain. “Yes.”
“Wonderful.”
The arm was thrust against Dusty’s mouth and he dutifully bit down on the flesh to break through to the vein. He drank like a man gone thirsty in the desert. He couldn’t help himself.
With each pull from the vein, he felt himself slipping away.
His name was Dusty Ryder and he had given in. ***Felicity came to this room so often in hopes of feeling some sort of connection to the woman who had been held there. Each time she was disappointed. She didn’t know how long ago it had been since the woman had been held here. If her mother were to catch her in this room again, she would receive the same punishment as last time. She hated it when her mother put her into a coma. Each time her mother did that, she woke up years older. The last time she had been caught here, she had been ten. Now, it seemed, she was a woman.
The oddest thing was, she felt like a woman. Where the years between went or how she had the mindset of a woman was beyond her. But it was.
This wasn’t the first time.
Often, Felicity sat alone in her room desperately trying to recall any part of her life as an infant, a toddler, adolescent, but she always drew a blank. It was as if it didn’t exist. Oh, she had some memories, but they were so scant that she often wondered if they were memories or if she’d made them up to make herself feel better.
The memory of
the woman in the cell wasn’t a figment of her imagination. She knew that for certain. The woman’s voice had been so pleasant and she had been so kind. And…she was Felicity’s real mother.
Felicity wandered around the tiny cell, wondering what the woman had looked like. Her mother, Rajana, had told her stories of her birth mother, horror stories, but Felicity doubted their validity. She was a pretty good judge of character, she had to be, living in the Realm, and the woman in this cell hadn’t seemed evil.
Still…all the stories she’d been told could not be ignored.
Trinity Ford was an evil woman with designs to take over the Realm at any cost. Or so Rajana constantly told Felicity. She had to wonder if that part was true, considering Trinity had broken into the Realm some time ago—time was so mixed up to her—wanting to take over. Her mother had told her all about the young vampire woman whom her son, Basil, had taken as his. How she had died for her lover, trying to protect him from his evil father, Avadur. How Rajana had felt sorry for her son and had granted Trinity a new life, complete with new powers to help defeat Avadur and Chaos. Instead, Trinity had taken hold of her new powers with the design to use them against the Vampire Queen, Rajana. Trinity destroyed anyone who got in her way to reach the Realm. She even brainwashed Basil into thinking it was for the best. All these stories about her parents were disheartening. Felicity had no idea what to believe.
That was why she wanted to meet the woman herself, to get her own answers. If only her mother would allow it.
Perhaps there might be a way.
Her mother had always said there was no way to leave the Realm unless she granted it. But if Trinity and her friends had found a way in, how hard would it be to find a way out? Felicity had to try.
She left the room feeling as she hadn’t in a very long time. Hopeful.
***
The blood coursed through his veins. Though it repulsed him, he couldn’t deny enjoying the feeling of euphoria. It sickened him that he’d drunk from his tormenter, more so with himself for giving in. But he was so tired of being tortured, teased, and kept like a dog.
The door to his cell opened and he cringed, hating himself for it. When he saw the vile man who had made him a vampire enter the room, he fully expected more torture.
“I am going to reward you, my boy.”
Guarded, Dusty waited.
“I am going to let you out of this room for a while. How does that sound?”
Like a dream, but Dusty was skeptical. “Really?”
“Truly.” As he sat down on the cot, Dusty shifted a smidge further away. “I thought it might be nice if you were to join us for a meal.”
“Us?”
“My followers. It’s been a while since we had a gathering. Given the fact that I’ve been missing lately. But I digress.” He waved it off with a flick of his hand, then stood. “Care to join me?”
If it was a trick, Dusty would deal with it, but he certainly wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to possibly break away. He stood, giving a nod of his head. “I would love to.”
“Excellent.”
When his tormentor knelt down at his feet, Dusty prepared himself for the worst.
“This is simply a precautionary method.”
He snapped something around Dusty’s ankle, tight enough to make him wince, then pressed a button. The device beeped twice before a green light began to flash. Dusty had an idea what had just happened but kept his fury to himself. “A tracker?”
“Indeed. You are a smart one.” He stood, smiling, resting a hand on Dusty’s shoulder. “I am going to enjoy having you around, my boy.”
“My name is Dusty.” As long as he had a name he was still somebody.
“Is that your birth name?”
Dusty nodded, keeping his chin up. “It was my grandfather’s name as well.”
“Hmm….I think I would rather call you Destroyer. Yes, I rather like that.”
Dusty didn’t, but he stayed silent. “And what do I call you?” Besides pig?
“Chaos. I once had an average human name but my maker wanted me named Chaos. I much prefer the name over what my parents gave me.”
Okay, he’d play. “What was the name your parents gave you?”
“Clovis.” Chaos shuddered.
Dusty bit his tongue and tried desperately not to laugh. Okay, so Chaos was a better name. Still, Dusty liked his real name.
“Shall we, Destroyer?”
Dusty tightened his jaw and nodded.
Chaos led him from the room. As he walked through the building where he’d been kept for months now, Dusty made a mental note of every nook and cranny along with every exit. Even if he had a tracker on him, it wouldn’t stop him from attempting to escape.
“Ah, they are ready for us. Right this way, Destroyer.”
Cringing, Dusty followed Chaos to the row of tables in a room that looked like an auditorium. Crowds of creatures sat at the tables and as he and Chaos entered the room, all eyes turned to them.
“Everyone, welcome our newest member. Destroyer.”
The cheers of welcome rang out from everyone in the room and Dusty did his best not to scream out that his name was not Destroyer.
Chaos led him to a chair near the front of one of the tables and, taking the seat, Dusty was engulfed by huge arms of some sort of beast-like character to his left.
“Welcome aboard, Destroyer.”
“Thanks.” He hated that name. Pulling away, he searched the room for familiar faces. In the early days he’d been held in a cell with several other people. He wondered if any of them had survived. Not seeing them in the room, he deduced that either they had been killed or were still being held somewhere.
“I wish to thank everyone here for helping me regain my strength during my downtime. Giving me this young man has done wonders for me.” Chaos looked down at Dusty with a wide smile. “And I know I will continue to grow stronger in the coming weeks. I would also like to thank all of you for keeping my whereabouts a secret. Thanks to the Dark Mystics, the cloaking spell is holding strong. So join me now, for a drink in celebration and to our future.”
Everyone lifted wine goblets and when the beast beside him nudged his arm, Dusty picked up his own glass.
“We will rule this city in no time.”
Dusty drank the bitter wine, wondering how soon he could make a break for it.
Chapter Two
It was too quiet. Trinity didn’t like quiet. She wanted something to distract from her thoughts of rescuing her daughter from the Realm. It was all she could think about since Rajana had snatched her newborn daughter from her arms only moments after birth. In the week since she’d been in the Realm of Mystics, held captive by Rajana before being rescued by Cooper, Trinity was feeling a tad bit anxious. But she understood why Starla, their resident witch, wanted to take a break. It had been a hard spell for her, especially the one Basil and Cooper had performed. She’d gathered the strength from every person in the room but the energy she’d taken from Basil and Cooper had been the fuel to allow her to break through to the Realm. It had drained Starla and she needed some time to recuperate.
In the meantime, Trinity was left feeling anxious and some of that anxiety might be remedied if only she could find some action. Why the hell was it so quiet out on the streets? Where were all the animals that had destroyed what had once been a beautiful city? It was a far cry from beautiful now, thanks to the monsters who were attempting to claim it. Since Chaos’ ritual involving the blood of five innocent young girls had been performed to bring back the epitome of all evil, Avadur, nothing had been right. For nearly a year, the city had been cast in darkness, the human residents had flown the coop—rightfully so—all plant life had died, and every creature had come to stay in Jacob’s Cove. They’d done nothing but cause havoc and now no one was a
round.
She didn’t like it one bit. It spelled trouble. If they were huddled inside of whatever home they’d taken upon themselves to invade and call their own, it meant they were planning something.
And with Chaos on the loose…well, that spelled even more trouble.
“Didn’t I tell you not to go out on the hunt alone?”
She acknowledged Basil, the love of her life, the man she hoped to marry soon, with a mild grunt as she kept walking. She should have known he would come after her.
“I know you’re restless, my fiery princess, but—”
She stopped short, turning to him. He was one of those men who took the breath away of any woman who gazed upon him, and Trinity had done plenty of gazing in the nearly eight years they’d been together. His jet black hair came to his broad shoulders. He had the stunning good looks of a god with crystalline blue eyes that when he sent them in your direction, made your knees quiver. She loved him with all her heart. “What did you just call me?”
His brow curled and even though it would make most men look grumpy it only added to Basil’s dark good looks. “Fiery princess?”
“Yes. You haven’t called me that in…shit, I can’t remember how long it’s been.”
“You asked me to stop calling you that when we broke up,” he reminded her, slipping a lock of her hair behind her ear.
Only because it had hurt to hear him call her that after he’d slept with another woman. “We’re back together now and for future reference—” she grabbed hold of his shirt front, yanking him right up to her face, “—you ever pull crap like that again, I will castrate you and shove your member up you—”
“Whoa, okay, I get the point. Shit, Trinity, I thought we got past this.”
“We did. It just needed saying.” She kissed him before releasing him.
Rearranging his jacket, Basil smiled as he spoke. “Does that mean I can call you my fiery princess again?”
She sauntered off, pretending not to care one way or another, even though she was smiling from ear to ear. “Whatever. It’s your choice.” She jumped when he appeared in front of her. “I hate when you do that.”
Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 06] Page 1