The Prince opened his mouth to scream for help but Rasputin crossed the room and had both of his large hands around the Prince’s throat before a sound could be uttered.
The Prince collapsed to the floor under the weight of the attack and Rasputin came down on top of him giving his hands even more leverage to choke the breath from the Prince’s body.
The Prince flailed and kicked, his fingers desperately looking for purchase on the hands that held him fast. Rasputin was smiling in a vicious grimace and bloody spittle shot from between his clenched teeth while the Prince’s face began turning a pasty blue as his body began to convulse.
Through gritted teeth Rasputin rasped, “Kill me? Only a fool of an assassin such as you wouldn’t know that cyanide degrades to its harmless components when heated. Poisoning baked goods with cyanide does little more than flavor the food.”
The Prince’s face began to darken to purple as his resistance waned.
“Now die with the knowledge that it was your own ineptitude that ended you!” Rasputin squeezed even harder. “DIE!”
The Prince’s tongue protruded purplish and swollen from his mouth as his body stopped moving and finally came to rest. Rasputin continued his efforts for a few moments more until he finally released the Prince’s throat and made his way to the door. His cramped hands fumbled at he latch as he unlocked it and began to hobble for the exit when, after rounding a blind corner, he collided with Grand Duke Nicholas. The two men fell backward; however, the Grand Duke regained his footing quickly while Rasputin’s bullet wound greatly hindered his recovery. When at last he did stand Rasputin turned to face each of the four noblemen as well as the Grand Duke aiming their revolvers at him. Rasputin spun to run back the way he had come, but he never had a chance to take a step as each of the men fired their weapons. Blood burst from three new locations on the his back as he was thrown forward, crashing bodily on the stone steps a moment later.
Cautiously the Grand Duke approached the body followed by the rest of his conspirators. At first there was no movement as the group circled, then Rasputin suddenly lurched and tried to get up. The Grand Duke began to club the wounded Rasputin’s head with the butt of his revolver. Soon the sickening sound of bone splintering could be heard as the pistol grip came down again and again on Rasputin’s skull while the rest of the noblemen began to pummel him as well until Rasputin again was motionless on the stone floor.
“Quickly now, wrap the body in the linens and let’s get him out of the palace,” Nicholas said between gulps of air.
Rasputin’s body flopped limply as it was rolled in a sheet and then carried down to the stables. From there it was placed on a cart and taken to a bridge that crossed over a partially frozen river. The Grand Duke watched as the men removed the body from the cart and heaved it over the side of the bridge. The ice was thin this time of year and the corpse exploded through the surface ice and splashed into the freezing water beneath. The Grand Duke and the noblemen stood at the bridge railing as they watched the body disappear under the ice and drift away downstream.
Unbeknownst to them a small figure, wrapped in head to toe in burlap, had followed them from the palace and was watching them from a distance away.
Chapter 12
It only took a couple of moments for Lei to aclimate to the darkness when she awakened. Feeling the small, warm body of a girl lying next to her on the mattress brought her mind back to the reality of her present situation, and kept her from bolting upright and thrashing at her restraints.
She wasn't blind in the dark as her eyes had adjusted while she had slept, and she could soon easily make out her surroundings. She and Pha were lying on a king size mattress in the center of the room inside a converted office space that had been otherwise cleared of all furnishings. Both of them were wearing the grey cotton sweatpants and sweatshirts they had been given by their captors to replace the clothes they had been wearing when they had been abducted. The soft material was an anathema to Lei, as it was shapeless and hid the more provocative features of her body, which she always used so effectively as a weapon. Still, bound as she was, the sweats offered her protection and warmth, falling loosely over her form, not to mention the fact that they were comfortable and clean. Plastic bottles of water and a large plastic washbasin were also provided, but if either had to use the bathroom they had needed to call for assistance. There always seemed to be an armed guard available to unlatch the chain from the eyebolt that had been drilled and secured into the center of the concrete floor, while the other end of the chain was connected to the heavy leather collar encircling Lei's neck. Lei knew she could escape the collar easily, but she hadn't tried because her captors had threatened to harm the young girl if they detected any signs of her having tampered with the restraint. As it was, she had no idea what was waiting for her outside the office space, and until she knew that she could safely get the child away Lei couldn't risk the girl by attempting an escape. Instead she chose to bide her time and wait for an opportunity to present itself.
Besides, Lei considered that despite being collared captives they hadn't been treated badly. They had been fed better food than what would otherwise have been expected, given their circumstances. They had instant access to a toilet facility, as well as a shower and the basic toiletries for personal hygiene. Perhaps most surprising to Lei was the fact that no one had attempted to molest either of them since their arrival.
The quiet of the moment was interrupted by the sound of a loud crash followed by a thud that came from outside the door of the office. Lei checked Pha, who continued to sleep undisturbed by the noise, as the sound of the door lock turned and clicked into the open position. Lei dropped her head back down onto the mattress next to the girl, while keeping her eyes barely open to see the silhouette of a figure enter. The figure moved fluidly within the shadows of the already darkened room and shifted into position over the child as she lay motionless on the mattress, entwined in Lei’s arms. Then Lei felt the girl's body slowly begin to slide out from her embrace. Fear instantly overtook Lei and she bolted upright and she lashed out with one hand.
The figure yelped at the sudden motion and moved back from Lei's outstretched hand so quickly that the fabric of the girl's sweatshirt tore where the figure had grabbed it. The subsequent jolt instantly awoke the girl, who found herself staring right into the disfigured, pock ridden face of one of Dimitri's people and she screamed in a shrill, little girl's cry of terror.
This wasn't one of the well-organized and fit guards that they had seen before. This vampire was a young man, maybe mid-twenties with his face covered in lesions and his eyes sunken in a way that made him look far older and very sick. Perhaps it was having been discovered, or maybe it was the girl's cries that made him go wild in that moment, but he bolted forward with both hands outstretched, seeking to grab the child. Lei knew that the restraint around her throat would prevent her from getting in between the man and the child before he had a hold of her so she pivoted on one hip and thrust her foot into the man's abdomen. The kick should have sent the man reeling, but instead the vampire's body folded around the impact of the kick and he kept coming. Lei thought she could feel something snap and give within the body of the young man, but he still kept pressing forward and it was all she could do to keep him away.
There were more sounds behind her, but Lei couldn't risk taking her eyes off of the wild man who was all but impaled on her foot. Deciding to take a chance, Lei bent her leg and leaned back and away in order to avoid being grabbed by the vampire's outstretched hands as his ragged fingernails clawed at her face. The shift gave her the leverage she needed to kick her attacker again and it landed with another crunching thud that sent the man off of her. The vampire didn't fall but staggered drunkenly as it tried to regain its balance and never saw either the giant figure it collided into, nor the man’s large hand which shot out encircling his neck as massive fingers immediately synched down on the vampire’s throat like a vise.
Lei watched as this
new and far larger masculine silhouette came fully into view, still holding the young man aloft by the back of the neck. He was bigger than Alpha, and might have given William a run for his money in the overall size department, but unlike William, who was more a creature of instinct, this giant had eyes that seemed to analyze and plan while he surveyed the entirety of the scene.
Nicholas Nickolaevich's eyes were hard as he peered at Lei, while still holding the flailing vampire aloft, but once his eyes came to rest on the Pha's torn sweatshirt his head jolted back to the vampire he held in his grasp.
“Idiot!” Nicholas screamed, as the young man desperately began reaching, clawing, and trying to get away from the giant hand on the back of his neck,
“You have been repeatedly warned that these two were not for eating!”
Lei watched as more diseased and emaciated looking vampires ambled and jerked into the room, making no attempt to attack the giant nor to help the young vampire, or make any move toward the mattress where she and Pha lay. Gurgling sounds began, coming from the trapped subject in Nicholas' grasp, growing in intensity and becoming more desperate with each passing second. Nicholas' face began to contort with the physical effort of crushing the man’s neck as the face of the vampire began to discolor to purple. Squeezing even harder the giant of a man kept at it until the vampire's arms and legs ceased flailing and fell limply to its side. Then, with disgust, Nicholas flung the limp form across the room, where the body smacked hard into a wall, sending a tremor through the entire makeshift office.
Nicholas was breathing with only a little extra effort as he called out to everyone in the room, “Let this be a final warning to all of you. Control yourselves and follow my orders, or die. I offer no additional warnings or chances. Understood?”
Slowly each head in the room nodded with what could best be described as clouded comprehension, and as they did Nicholas' angry countenance softened, “Good,” he pointed to the body, “get him out of here and dispose of his body with the others.”
Lei felt a chill at those words. Who were the others? Had Steve, Chris and Alpha tried to rescue her and been caught or killed? She pushed those thoughts from her head, they would be no help for her at this point, and she focused all of her attention on the big man who was apparently in charge of the multitude of vampires within the office space. Most of the vampires that had been drawn to the conflict began to slink out of the office, while two came forward and cautiously moved to the dead vampire, lifting him quietly up and carrying him out of the office, never speaking a word.
Once the body had been removed Nicholas took a deep breath, which he let out with an exasperated sigh and spoke to Lei and Pha in a voice heavily laden with a Russian accent,
“I am sorry for that. I pride myself on having better command of my soldiers.”
“Soldiers?” Lei hadn't intended to speak but the surprise at hearing the word had shocked the word from her.
Nicholas looked at her questioningly, “Yes, soldiers. They have been tasked to follow my orders, and I expect nothing less than total adherence to the task. I do not brook either disobedience nor insubordination within their ranks.”
Lei shook her head, “These soldiers of yours are all in various throes of the Porphyria madness. You've starved them to the point that they are little more than zombies, barely having the ability to think, and you're surprised that they disobey you?”
“I have done no such thing.” Nicholas spoke with patronizing patience, as if he were talking to an ignorant child, “They can think clearly enough, and have been fed adequately to maintain their sanity.” Nicholas inclined his head at the door where the body had been carried, “That fool simply wished to give in to his baser desires, and that disregard for proper protocol is a weakness I can't allow to spread.”
Silence filled the room for a moment as Lei and Nicholas held eye contact with each other, before Nicholas asked, “Are either of you hurt?”
Lei could feel her own anger rising at the manner in which Nicholas was talking to her, “We're your prisoners, so you'll have to excuse me if I am not convinced that you're looking out for our wellbeing.”
The big man shrugged his shoulders, “In general, that is true. You and the child mean nothing to me, and if it were not for your value in remaining untouched and alive, I would throw you both to the horde and let them rip your bodies to pieces without a second thought.”
The cold, matter of fact manner in which Nicholas spoke chilled Lei. She had killed several times before, but there had always been either rage or reason behind her actions. Never had she heard anyone speak of violent murder with such dispassion and apathy.
Nicholas knelt in front of Lei and she could feel Pha’s grip on her get tighter as the big man moved closer. “Make no mistake girl, I am not your friend, but I do have an interest in your wellbeing, so you have nothing to fear from me as long as you can manage to keep from doing anything foolish.”
Lei could see the slight pulsation in the veins of Nicholas' neck and felt her fingers tingle at the prospect of raking her sharpened nails across the soft flesh, opening his vessels and feeling the warm burst of life explode from the giant's body. She might have taken the chance too, had it not been for the small girl wound around her and hugging her body tightly, thereby hindering her movement.
Nicholas seemed to read her thoughts and he smiled in a humorless, wicked grin, “You have spirit, but you are weakened by your worry for the child.” Nicholas reached out and ran a finger through Pha's straight black hair. The girl moaned and clung even more desperately to Lei at the touch of his fingers. Lei slapped Nicholas' hand away, which only made the giant laugh at her as he stood.
“You see? I know your weakness, and it will hold you in obedience better than any chain I could fasten to you.” Nicholas turned to leave, but stopped at the door, “Are you or the child in need of anything?” The sincerity that came from Nicholas was a complete turnaround from the creepy and threatening manner with which he had just been speaking. “Your stay with us need not be unpleasant. We have every accommodation the two of you might require, and it is yours for the asking.”
Lei looked up at Nicholas from where she knelt on the mattress, “Are you trying to convince me we are actually guests?”
Nicholas shook his head, “No. You are prisoners, but ones that are to be treated with respect and courtesy.” The big man paused a moment as if reflecting on some long repressed memory, “There is no greater dishonor that one can place upon himself than to abuse the power of incarceration.”
Lei just stared at the man blankly in confusion, as Nicholas looked back at her and said, “I have some history in this regard. You can trust me in that.”
Lei frowned, but decided to ask, “Is there any chance you could move us somewhere that has access to a bathroom, so we don't have to be calling for an escort all the time?”
Nicholas frowned as if the thought had never occurred to him, “There is a storage shed inside the main warehouse. It is smaller than this room but it is adjacent to the toilet facilities. Would that suffice?”
“Is it clean?,” She asked.
“I will see that it is cleaned and made comfortable for you. Anything else? Food?”
Lei could feel the pang of hunger in her belly, but knew it wasn't for food, “I need my serum.”
Nicholas inclined his head in confusion, “Serum?”
Lei looked at the man's blank face as her own thoughts faltered at his confusion, “You know, the blood substitute we all use to stave off the hunger?”
Shock filled Nicholas' eyes, but he quickly calmed and offered, “I'll see what I can do,” before he stormed out of the office.
Once he was gone Lei could feel the girl loosen her grip and lay back down on the mattress. Lei reached for a bottle of water and offered it to Pha who drank several sips. The girl said some words in Thai, but quickly switched to broken English when Lei's face went blank at the Thai.
“What we do?” the little girl asked in
her high-pitched voice.
Lei looked at the girl with the most reassuring expression she could manage, “We bide our time. They don't appear to be trying to poison or sedate us, so we eat everything they bring us. Drink whatever they bring as well and do our best to keep our strength up and wait for that moment when they let their guard down.”
“You think wait?” The girl asked, “wait for what?”
Lei smiled, “For an opportunity.” Lei's smile faded, “Listen to me. I need you to be brave and do what I tell you to do, when I tell you to do it, okay? We may only have one chance, and if you hesitate or are too afraid to act, then we may never get out of here.”
The girl looked at Lei blankly for a moment and Lei worried that the child's English wasn't proficient enough to grasp everything she had said. Then Pha nodded and put on a brave, indignant face and balled up her fists, “Father taught me be smart. I can do as you say.”
Lei was so startled by the change in the girl's demeanor that she wondered if the girl had been putting on an act the whole time she had been clinging and cowering while Nicholas was in the room.
Lei studied the girl as she stood with her chest out and her back straight, in a defiant and strong stance. Lei wondered if, as a child, she herself had owned the same kind of resolve and fighting spirit. Maybe she had, but if so her handlers had been methodical in torturing it out of her. It had taken her liberation from slavery by Alpha, along with years of training and learning to trust again, to bring her back from the brink. Sadness crept into Lei as she stared in joyous wonder at the child's strength, and despite everything that had happened in this young girl's life, the innocence was still holding fast and burning within her. Experience had taught Lei that, despite a strong will, a child is still only a child, and there are adults cruel enough to relish in the power they can wield over someone so much weaker.
Rasputin's Prodigy Page 12