Dhampir

by J. H. Hutchins

  Jayce was officially a Gothic wizard.

  29

  The Freeze

  Jayce hoped he was dreaming. Upon waking up after the warehouse battles, he was met with a wide awakening. He was still crouched in the corner, his wand clutched between his arms like a football. Hovering over him was a Minotaur. The Bull, as Mallory called it, had arrived.

  But something was wrong. The Bull was stuck in place. His powerful hooves were glued to the cement floor. Its broad chest and enormous nostrils proved that he wasn’t breathing. The blade attached to its wrist was pointing toward Jayce’s forehead. On top of it all, The Death’s Dawn wasn’t black anymore. It was coated in gray.

  What the hell . . . ?

  Jayce held his breath and slid under The Bull’s blade. The only way out was under his bulky legs. He was successful.

  After surviving the nightmare, Jayce made his way toward the exit. His heart pounded as he walked backward. He wouldn’t dare divert his attention away from The Bull.

  However, his attention was broken when he made it to the exit. There was a gray forcefield covering the large opening. Not knowing what else to do, he slowly reached his arm out and poked it with his wand.

  Almost immediately, his wand changed colors — from gray to black. The forcefield disintegrated. The sound of horns clanking on metal walls came next. Jayce turned back to The Bull. The Bull turned toward Jayce. He had awoken the Minotaur from his frozen slumber.

  The Bull walked toward Jayce. His strides were long and eerie. The corrupted nature of the summoned beast made it look like a broken animatronic.

  Jayce had few choices left. He ran. The rain had stopped, but another storm

  was approaching. The Bull was hot on his tail. Jayce didn’t know where he was going until he climbed over the large fence protecting the vacant lot. The Bull made up the distance by shredding through the metal gate with the blades on its wrists.

  Jayce couldn’t do this forever. He was already losing energy at a quicker pace than before. The Bull was also quicker than he looked. His pace was unpredictable and his body was crooked. His right leg marched before his left, and they pointed in different directions — his head held high and his chest pouted toward the sky. Soon enough, he lowered his head and picked up more speed. He thrust his arms out and shaved his blades against each other — creating sparks that burned the muddy grass under them.

  Rawkk! Rawkk!

  Jayce turned to see where the new noise was coming from. Off in the distance, a kettle of vultures were speeding toward them. A purple cloak, trimmed in black, was scooting past the vultures.

  When The Bull reached Jayce, the wizard shot a fireball at its chest. It did nothing but bounce off and force a loud grunt. Now it was The Bull’s turn. He formed an X with his arms and brought his blades together for a strike. Jayce ducked, but slipped into the muddy grass. He barely dodged The Bull’s hooves stomping down on his face. The Bull halted to a stop. He abruptly shifted his chest and ran toward Jayce. The boy tried to stand, but he tripped again. When he was finally successful, The Bull was too close.

  “DIE!” Jayce yelled. The wizard blew three fireballs at The Bull. They did nothing but leave black streaks on its chest. The Bull chopped at Jayce’s head, but it failed. The wizard was pulled to the grass and swept underneath its legs. Despy saved Jayce. Behind him, the kettle of vultures descended upon The Bull. The force of their descent was so powerful that the entire area was covered in a cloud of smoke.

  Despy dragged Jayce into the air — no higher than the suburban roofs it had to dodge — and flew toward the Gatsby neighborhood where he and Abby lived. He dropped Jayce off in his backyard and flew toward the front of the house.

  The Bull was nowhere to be seen.

  Jayce escaped The Bull a second time, but it meant nothing to him. He was furious. He felt weak and useless. The next time they met, he didn’t want to be a simple wizard. He wanted to be a matador.

  30

  The Abuse

  When Jayce arrived at the front of his house he saw Despy. The cloak was standing before the open door. He used one of his strings to insist that Jayce follow him. Jayce followed after Despy as the cloak whooshed into the house.

  The wizard locked the door behind him. Loud yelling from a familiar voice was coming from deeper inside. He made his way down the hallway and stood between the family room and kitchen. Mallory was shouting at Lincoln as Jett, Fang, Acorn, and Despy watched. Jayce saw Vladius out of the corner of his eye and decided to place the doll in his pocket.

  “You don’t know when to leave!” Mallory ranted. “Nobody wants you here. Not me. Not the Godmother. Not The Goths. Not even the bad guys! Your intrusiveness is not welcome!”

  “I sense that you’re testing me,” Lincoln smirked. “This a test I refuse to fail. I am proving to you that I love you and will be by your side at all times.”

  “There is no test, Lincoln! I broke up with you and that’s final!”

  “Our love is everlasting. The only thing final is you and I.”

  Lincoln tried to caress her face. Mallory turned away.

  “No, it isn’t! And you punishing me for spending a day with Jayce isn’t fair! Who I hang out with is none of your business!”

  “I apologize.”

  “You’re not sorry! That’s the second time you’ve hit me since you arrived!”

  “You don’t understand what seeing you with another man does to me, dear. To see your lips tainted by such inexperienced suitors pains me like no other.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Mallory remembered. “Did you tell Jett that you’ve had a bunch of Beans but refused to share any of them?”

  Lincoln and Jett’s eyes met. The former’s smirk turned more sinister.

  “I brought them along for my brothers.”

  “He means his vultures, by the way,” Mallory told the others. “He doesn’t consider us his anything but scum.”

  “You are the light of my life,” Lincoln told Mallory. “Your friends are pawns. Plain and simple. I admit that I wanted to see the enhancement of their murder faces as they all starved. But if any of them would like to take my Beans from me then they’re free to do so. I can assure you, it won’t be pretty.” Lincoln glared at Jett specifically. The massive young adult shook in anger but, ultimately, did nothing to take it any further.

  “But if I hit you I would be wrong, wouldn’t I?” asked Mallory.

  “If it were out of hate, of course, you’d be wrong. But if it was out of love — that’s different. It would be quite kinky, really.”

  Mallory shook her head in disgust. She looked like she was on the verge of having a mental breakdown. Whether she would flip out in anger or cry in misery was the true question.

  “Congratulations on attaining The Dawn,” Lincoln abruptly said to Jayce. “I’m sure your parents would be proud.”

  Jayce glared at Lincoln in silence.

  Another fight? Already!?

  “And you!” Mallory hissed at Jayce. “Why’d you run away?”

  “I had things to do.”

  “Like what!?”

  “Like play with his little wand,” mocked Lincoln. “As if a non-Gothic human could ever wield such power. I bet you’ve learned nothing from your feeble attempts.”

  “Want to find out?”

  Jayce pointed the wand at Lincoln.

  “You know,” the prestigious Vampire smirked, “my brothers were stalking you the whole time.”

  “I know,” Jayce countered. “I saw them chasing The Bull.”

  “No, you imbecile. Your whole date.”

  “Date?”

  Jayce turned to Mallory. Her face distorted into a cringe.

  “The mall . . . the church . . . even the park.”

  “So what?”

  “So what?” Lincoln laughed. “I admire your bravery.”

  “Listen, I don’t care about your relationship.”

  “I can see that,” Lincoln glared.

  “Then stop acting
salty about it. I was just trying to show her around the city. The kisses mean nothing. The bite didn’t either.”

  Acorn and Fang gasped.

  “The bite?” Lincoln asked.

  Jayce looked at Mallory. She looked like she was summoning a proper excuse to explain herself.

  “You Bound him!?” Lincoln growled.

  “Yeah,” Mallory gulped. “I wanted to see how the process worked. It’s confusing.”

  Lincoln paused to regain his demeanor.

  “Who cares?” Mallory gulped. “We broke up. It shouldn’t matter to you.”

  Suddenly, Lincoln sent a jab to Mallory’s chin. It was so fast and strong that the impact sounded like he squeezed an empty water bottle. Mallory fell backward onto a couch and held her jaw in pain. She could feel the Angelic blood flowing past her gloves. Despite the past abuse inflicted upon her, the princess was stunned. Lincoln had never punched her before. Acorn and Fang blocked Jett, Jayce, and Despy from interfering.

  “Explain yourself, you filthy whore!”

  “Stop!” Jayce yelled. “It was my fault, not hers! It had nothing to do with love! I was only using her for power!”

  Lincoln stormed over to Jayce. He tried to back away from the Vampire, but his body was pinned to the wall behind him. Lincoln’s lips were so close to Jayce’s that he could smell his breath. It was magnificent.

  “You fool,” Lincoln began. “Do you know what this means?”

  Jayce struggled to move, as it was impossible to do so without touching Lincoln.

  “I know the wand’s dangerous, but it was my idea — not hers.”

  “This isn’t about the wand, you mongrel. Do you understand what a Dhampir is?”

  “Yeah. She links me to the Gothic Realm and I become one of you.”

  Lincoln burst out laughing. It gave Jayce a moment to breathe.

  “That’s what you told him!?” Lincoln yelled at Mallory. He turned back to Jayce and placed his white gloves on his shoulder. Jayce had a hard time keeping his eyes on the left one. The right was stained in Mallory’s blood. “No, my friend. That’s not how it works.”

  Jayce studied the looks on the others’ faces. They were all in shock. He turned to Mallory but the princess kept her head down.

  “I’m sorry to say this,” Lincoln began with a sinister smirk, “but you’ve fallen victim to a vicious trap. Within a few years, maybe even months, she’ll be able to enter your mind and persuade your thoughts — even from galaxies away.”

  “What is he talking about?” Jayce asked Mallory.

  “I’m sorry,” she said through her pain. “I didn’t want to lie, but I wanted a family — and you said no.”

  “A family? What are you talking about?”

  “She’s extracted your blood for a child,” Lincoln continued. “Congratulations. You’ll be a father within a few months.”

  Wh—What the fuck!?

  “Surprising, isn’t it?” Lincoln went on. “This is what happens when you lack the knowledge or wherewithal to separate your fantasies from reality.”

  Jayce rushed to point the wand at Lincoln and blow his head straight off his shoulders. However, the Vampire was too quick. He clutched the boy’s wrist before it rose above his waist.

  “Ah-ah-ah. Let’s not make any more rash decisions, shall we?”

  “I had to,” Mallory promised Jayce. “I saw your eyes when I mentioned my dream of having thirteen children. You nearly ran away.”

  “So you trick me into having a child!?” he shouted. “This is bullshit!”

  “See, dear?” Lincoln said as he walked over to Mallory. He sat beside the princess, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her to his chest. “He doesn’t love you — he only wanted power.”

  “I love him,” Mallory insisted.

  “You’re mistaken, my love.”

  “I love him and he loves me.”

  Lincoln pinched Mallory’s arm, causing her to squeal.

  “Get a grip. The conclusions you come up with are retarded. What you both have is lust. You lust for a family. He lusts for power. Lust falls beneath the clouds of true love. You’re both too naive to know the difference.”

  A sudden howl put the group on red alert.

  Then came another.

  And another one.

  Soon enough, the entire neighborhood was wondering why there was a

  giant pack of people loitering around the Fletcher’s house.

  Ding-dong!

  “Cloak,” Lincoln called. “Get the door.”

  Despy followed directions.

  The Goths were joined by The Timberwolves . . .

  “Greetings, fellow Sperns,” Vicky smirked. She was followed by five other Timberwolves — including Trent. Bali opened the back door, allowing seven more to enter the house. “Y’all leavin’ anytime soon?”

  Fang was about to roast her cleanliness, but Lincoln rose his hand and demanded silence from his servant.

  “It all depends on what you’re willing to offer.”

  “Here’s our offer: Get rid of that goddamned bull or suffer the consequences.” She turned to Jayce with a sinister smile. “We want the boy and his wand, too.”

  “Fuck you!” he yelled at her.

  “Watch your mouth,” Bali ordered.

  “No — you bastards tried to kill me!”

  “We’ll get you back for that, too,” Vicky promised.

  “Enough!” Lincoln shouted. “Enough of this nonsensical hogwash! You weaklings love to brag and spout but are nothing but senile peasants! I will announce my peace offering and that will be the end of this! If anybody dares defy me, I will slaughter you all!”

  Nobody dared to speak.

  “Now,” Lincoln continued, straightening his hair after his madman moment, “let me start off by saying that you will get nothing in return for our departure. I don’t know who you think you’re dealing with, but you have no grounds to threaten any of us — especially after stealing precious items from the princess.”

  “Nobody stole anything,” Vicky grinned. “They were bargaining tools.”

  “Silence!” Lincoln hissed. His finger shot straight to Vicky’s face. The Timberwolves’ reluctance to defend their leader’s dignity was a testament to the lore that entrenched the legendary Vampire. “The day I debate a bitch from the Human World is the day I fall out of grace and submit myself to the trials of a derelict. Now — as I’ve already made clear — anybody under the umbrella of Princess Mallory’s lofty expedition is hereby pardoned of any wrongdoings done within this pitiful realm. The Bull will be the least of your problems if I ever have to repeat myself. Governor Geovanni will be called and I will set the army of Avalon against yours. We’ll see how well you fare against the Governor’s Guard. My prediction is that Gatsby and its Human World Sperns will be obliterated within a month. Now leave before I get antsy and form a craving to test my theory.”

  The Timberwolves surrendered. Vicky ordered them to back off. But before leaving, she had to know something.

  “Did you really summon that thing?” she asked Lincoln.

  “Be specific, you dirty mutt.”

  “The Bull.”

  “Of course not. Why would you insinuate something so reckless?”

  “Mr. Faizhon of The Enterprise said you corrupted the cloak and it summoned The Bull.”

  Jayce and the others turned to each other.

  Lincoln was behind The Bull!?

  “Get out!” Lincoln yelled at the Timberwolves.

  Vicky played her cards right. Their departure wouldn’t end the conflict. The infighting had just begun.

  “Did you do it?” Mallory asked, standing up to Lincoln as soon as the visitors left.

  “Of course not.”

  “Then what made them think you did?”

  “Rumors are futile, young one. The truth is eternal.”

  “But if the truth lines up with the rumors then that makes both eternal. Did you do it or not!?”

 
“No,” Lincoln pouted. “Now leave me alone.”

  “Yes, he did,” Acorn muttered. Fang gasped.

  “What did you just say?” Lincoln asked.

  “I said ‘yes, you did!’” Acorn screamed. “You made Fang corrupt the cloak! The Bull is all your—”

  Oof!

  Lincoln socked Acorn in the gut, sending her to her knees. He then grabbed her by the back of her neck and thrust her chest to the ground. Mallory jumped for Fang. She nearly got a fleshy grab with her extended, Vampiric claws, but Jett caught her. Fang hid behind Lincoln for safety.

  “I’LL KILL YOU!” the princess screamed.

  “For what!?” Lincoln shouted. “For defending your honor?”

  “You — You’re the reason he’s like this!”

  Mallory held Despy up. The black patch was slightly bigger than before.

  “And Bernardo . . .” Mallory continued. “He was my first summon. He was nice, helpful, and fought for good. Now he’s evil!”

  Lincoln charged Mallory. Jett quickly moved out of the way so that Lincoln was able to place his gloves on her cheeks.

  “You think I would let them kidnap you and get away with it? They treated you like a third-world serf!”

  “But you didn’t need to use Despy,” said Mallory. “You have vultures. Fang has bats. Why Despy!?”

  “Because I knew it would work,” said Lincoln. “Corrupting the Cloak of Despair was the greatest strategic move made during your foolish tour of the Human World.”

  “Turn him back to normal,” Mallory pleaded. “Bernardo, too. I beg you.”

  “If you agree to come home then I will have Fang do it — no questions asked,” Lincoln promised. “Otherwise, Despy will suffer the fate of your last boyfriend.”

  The swipe at Brenden caused Mallory to break down in tears. But she could do nothing if she wanted Despy returned to normal. The princess fell into her abuser’s arms.