by Kailin Gow
“When you've been working as long as I have,” said Max, “you'll know that it's not a choice. Certain skills you'll need to learn – or die. Listen to me, Kalina – I sensed something at the hotel; I wasn't sure what. At first I thought it was just you I smelled – but now I'm sure it was something else.”
“Another Carrier? An adult? Or one of the children...”
“I don't know,” said Max. “The children wouldn't give off a scent this strong – but this new generation of Life's Blood isn't like the old one. The smell is stronger. It's hard to know what to expect.”
“If they're out there,” Octavius broke in, “we have to get to them quickly. They're likely as not to be held without food or water – we need to save them before they all starve or freeze to death. And let me tell you – I've seen men starve before. And I've seen men freeze, way back in Ancient Rome. It's not a pretty sight.” He looked grimmer than Kalina had ever seen him.
Max led them into the forest, and at last they came to a concrete building, a windowless compound, the sight of which filled Kalina with trepidation. Now she too could sense the Life's Blood in the air. Even if the Carriers weren't there now, she knew they definitely had been here once; she could smell it. Max nodded – evidently she could smell it too.
The compound was dark – only a few electric lights swinging dimly from sockets gave any visibility at all to the damp, stifling corridors.
“This isn't right,” Kalina whispered. The place seemed empty, even deserted. If the Carriers were there once, she knew, they had vanished long since. But something felt wrong about the place – very, very wrong. Kalina's spine was tingling with presages of danger. “We need to get out of here, Max,” she whispered. “I have a bad feeling about this place...”
But Kalina was interrupted by a piercing scream that broke through their eerie silence like glass. It was the piercing scream of a young girl – a Carrier!
“Come on!” Kalina shouted as they ran towards the source of the voice, finding themselves in a small courtyard in the heart of the compound. “Let's go.”
But they found no Carrier in the courtyard. Kalina felt a rough hand at the back of her neck – it was Octavius, holding her back. He grabbed Max and Stuart with the other hand. “Hold still,” he growled. “It might be a trap. I smell vampires in the air.”
No sooner had Octavius spoken than Kalina saw two vampires emerge into the courtyard, wearing Life's Blood rings on their fingers. They were newly-turned – Kalina could tell by the youthful, hungry look in their eyes. She wasn't too worried. The newer a vampire, the less powerful he was, and these vamps couldn't be more than a day or two old at the most. But Mal had been dead for some time. And if Mal hadn't turned them, who had?
Evidently, Octavius wasn't intimidated. He rushed forth into the courtyard, staking one vampire and picking up the other by the neck. Kalina winced as she heard the bones crack. He dragged the vampire into the shadows, wrenching the Life's Blood ring off his finger. “Better men than you have died for one of these,” he hissed. “Now if you want your afterlife to continue more than twenty-four hours, tell me, fool – where are the Carriers?”
“The who?” The vampire spluttered. “The Carriers? Carrying what?”
“The ones with special blood,” growled Octavius. “Tell me where they are, and I'll think about letting you live.”
“I don't know anything!” The vampire yelped. “The guy just told me to stay here, make sure nobody came by – I don't know anything.”
Octavius squeezed him tighter by the neck. “Tell me what you know!” This time his voice was almost a roar. “Unless you want to die twice in two days. Don't think you can fight me, boy; I've lived for centuries.”
“But I don't know anything!” The vampire's high-pitched voice reached the pitch of squeak. “Honest, I don't.”
“I'll glamour you if I have to,” Octavius spat. “Listen, those girls out there are cold, and alone, and hungry, and scared. And I'm not about to let anyone, especially an upstart pip squeak like you, stop me from saving their lives.”
Kalina beamed with pride. How handsome Octavius was – even in anger, he exuded strength. He would fight for what he believed in, no matter what the cost.
“He knows nothing,” said a familiar voice. “So let him go. Kill him if you can, but it won't do you much good.”
They whirled around to face Molotov, who stood before them with a sharp, wry grin on his face. “I suppose you're wondering why I bothered to use such a newly-turned vampire as a guard. Why, they're no better than cannon fodder, you doubtless thought – so weak you could kill them easily! But there's safety in numbers, friend Octavius.” He stepped into the light, his red ring glimmering in the light of the sunset which now spread pink shadows over them all. “And you see, you can't fight off everybody.”
Kalina and Stuart gasped. Behind Molotov, there appeared what looked like hundreds of vampires, stepping forth with grim expressions on their faces. Kalina's eyes opened wide with shock. “I recognize these people,” she whispered. “That's the receptionist from the hotel, and that's the man I saw in the restaurant, and that's one of the children who was playing in the hotel lobby...”
Stuart sighed. “I recognize more of them...when I went to the church, they were there...praying...”
At last realization dawned upon Kalina. “Why, he's transformed the whole village,” she said in horror.
“That's right,” Molotov shrugged. “You deprived me of my 'farm' in Mongolia, so I decided to take another route. I had my few remaining men turn the entire village in one night. Starting with your brother, and ending at the village school. Now the whole village of Aucaurgne-sous-Montaigne belongs to me.” He grinned. “Let's see if you can take on all of them, shall we?”
Kalina looked wildly around. They were vastly outnumbered. And weak though they were, the newly-turned vampires all had a familiar look upon their faces.
They were hungry for blood.
Chapter 16
Kalina's heart began to pound. She quickly scanned the group of vampires that surrounded them, taking them all in. She was aghast at the horror of what she saw. She was used to seeing hardened, experienced vampires – vampires who had already killed many innocent men, women, and children, who had already lost their humanity. But these vampires were men, women, and children, and if they'd just been turned they might not even have fed themselves yet. These creatures, who stood before them, ready to sacrifice themselves in order to weaken them, were innocent – guilty only of being in the wrong place at the wrong time when Molotov decided to turn them all. Kalina felt sick. Would she have to stake women – would she have to stake children?
They're already dead, she told herself. Molotov's killed them. They're just shells. But were they? She looked over at Octavius. Whatever he was, he wasn't a shell. And these children – wasn't there hope that one day, a Carrier could turn them back to normal children, just as she had done with Stuart? How could she bring herself to kill any of them?
But from the grin on Molotov's face, she knew that this was part of his plan. She wouldn't hesitate to slay a trainer fighter, but killing any one of these newborn vampires before her would give her pause. Maybe enough time for them to kill her, instead.
“Why, you monster,” Kalina breathed. “How could you?” She remembered the kindly smile of the hotel receptionist, the jovial grin of the old man whom she had spotted over drinks at the hotel dining room. Where were those smiles now? On these faces she could manage to see only cruelty and despair. “How could you do this – to all these people?”
Octavius stood silent and stony-faced before her. She knew what was going through his mind; she could feel it – their connection still strong enough for that. He was thinking of all the men he had turned over the years – Stuart and Jaegar and Aaron and so many hundreds more – and his eyes darkened with guilt and regret.
But one face among so many Kalina did not see, and this absence caused her to breathe a sigh of relief.
Whoever else was out there, waiting to slaughter her, Justin was not among them. Had he been able to resist Molotov's call, after all? The thought gave her hope. If the Life's Blood in Justin was strong enough for him to break the hold Molotov had over him, then perhaps it would be able to counteract the effects of vampirism in him altogether!
But if Justin wasn't here, where was he? And where were the other Carriers? Kalina's heart began to beat faster. Night had only just fallen, and she couldn't tell if these new vampires had been out during the sunshine or not. They certainly weren't wearing rings. Did that mean that they had all drunk Carrier blood? Or were they only just waking now? Fear gripped her like a vice.
“Of all the despicable things I have known you capable of,” growled Octavius in a low voice, “I never thought you would stoop so low as to do this.”
“I will not let her live,” Molotov glared at Kalina. “This child, this girl, has gotten the better of me once too often. She lives – she, who dared to cause the fall of my vampire stronghold, but not for long.” He rushed forth, flying through the air, his hands outstretched as they clutched for Kalina's neck. But Octavius jumped in front of Kalina, pushing Molotov aside. His face was white with hot fury.
“How dare you!” Octavius cried, anger flooding through him. “I will never let you harm the woman I love ever again, mark my words. If I have to slaughter every last one of you to keep her safe, I will. But you will not hurt Kalina any more than you already have.”
“What, you think you can order me around, you young upstart?” Molotov laughed, his eyes jeering with contempt. “You couldn't stop me if you tried. The girl's Life's Blood runs through my veins- a blood so strong that all other Life's Blood in the world is as nothing in comparison. And I nearly drained her dry. I doubt even your powerful rubies would stop me now – for those rubies were designed for vampires drinking far less blood than I have supped upon these past few days.” He smiled, displaying bloody teeth. Kalina wanted to vomit at the sight – at the smell. SO much death... so much blood.
Molotov jumped to his feet, drawing himself up to his full, considerable height. “But I will not deign to fight you myself,” said Molotov. “You must slaughter these innocents to get to me.” He leaned back his head. “Vampires, strike!”
At his words, the whole horde of newly-turned vampires strode forth, their teeth bared. Kalina winced as she raised her stake. She could take on a few of them, but with only one full-fledged vampire in the pack, they were vastly outnumbered. Molotov had calculated all too well. He knew that neither she nor Max would be able to stake mere children – vampire or no. And that hesitation would cost them their lives.
Oh, Justin… Kalina thought desperately. If you can hear me, wherever you are – please come to save us. Please break that hold that Molotov has over you. Don’t let him win, Justin. You’re stronger than that. I know you. She prayed that their bond would let him hear her. If she could hear Octavius and Jaegar, after all, why shouldn’t she be able to hear her brother, with whom she had a connection deeper than any romance? But there was no answer.
And now it was time to fight. Kalina tried to concentrate her attentions on staking only those who looked as if they had been turned as adults, but soon her efforts were proved fruitless. The only way to survive was to stake furiously – burying her ruby-wood into every approaching chest, regardless of sex or age. She felt ill – disgusted with herself, with Molotov – but she couldn’t stop. It was her or them, and some adrenaline coursing through Kalina’s veins convinced her that she had to stay alive.
There were too many of them. Their teeth flashed in the air; the smell of blood filled the courtyard. They kept coming; every time Kalina breathed a sigh of relief as one vampire staked into dust, ten more would come forth. Even Octavius was growing tired; Stuart, with nothing supernatural to give him strength, was all-but-collapsing. They were running out of energy, out of time. Sweat poured down their faces. It would all be over soon; they had only to wait…and to succumb.
And then they saw them. Kalina’s heart began to race as she made out the figures at the corners of her eyes. Justin and Jaegar stood before her, their faces shining with bravery and courage, stakes in their hands. “Hello, sis,” said Justin, with a smile. “I’ve come to rescue you.”
Kalina’s heart leaped within her chest. Had Justin really been able to fight off Molotov’s influence? The smell of Life’s Blood filled the air once again – Max, too, began sniffing. It was the same smell they’d experienced in the Inn – the mysterious Carrier who seemed to be following them wherever they were going.
And then it hit her. It was Justin. Kalina’s eyes opened wide with surprise. Justin – a Carrier? Had Max’s transfusion given him all the properties of a real Carrier? Never before had a Carrier been turned into a vampire – and it looked like Justin’s Life’s Blood had served as an antidote against the worst curses of vampire life. He was beautiful, strong, and healthy-looking – he no longer had that bloodthirsty look in his eye. The Life’s Blood gave him gravity, gave him strength. He had all the power of a vampire, but none of the vampire’s cruelty. Kalina beamed with pride. How could she have doubted that her big brother would have been strong enough to fight off Molotov’s influence? Justin had always been strong enough to do the right thing – she should have trusted that from the beginning.
And Jaegar, standing alongside him, was just as beautiful. Kalina gasped with delight. She hadn’t seen Jaegar for so long – she had almost forgotten just how handsome he was. As he stood before her now, dressed in black silks, Kalina felt the familiar weakening at her knees – she knew just how badly she wanted him. Even after everything. Even now. She had not realized until this moment just how much she missed him, missed his cocky smile, his easy arrogance. He grinned at her and suddenly Kalina’s heart flooded with hope. Good old Jaegar. She could never bring herself to despair when he was around. In the glimmer in his eye she saw the possibility of escape.
“Come on, then!” Justin was shouting at Molotov. “You think you’re so big and brave, turning defenseless humans? Well let me tell you something, Master – you don’t control me any longer.”
Jaegar materialized swiftly at Kalina’s side, staking two newborn vampires as he did so. “I brought him home,” he whispered, a smile spreading over his face. “Just as I promised I’d do for you, Kal. I’d do anything for you.”
“Then he’s okay?” Kalina’s eyes filled with tears. She could hardly bear to let herself believe that Justin was safe, after all.
“He’s still a vampire,” said Jaegar. “I couldn’t do anything about that, of course. But I taught him how to fight Molotov’s power over him. Usually only the most ancient vampires can fight vampire-glamour – but Justin’s a natural. His Life’s Blood – not to mention his love for you – made him able to resist Molotov’s voice inside his head. He’s free of Molotov’s influence – at least for now.”
Kalina watched in admiration as Justin effortlessly slew another three vampires, ash and dust crumbling all around him. “He’s a strong man with an iron will,” Jaegar said. “Almost as strong as his sister. When I found him, he was devastated, heartbroken. Just wanted me to stake him. But I talked to him. Tried to convince him that he could use his vampire powers for good, not evil. That he could use them to save you. And that made it easier for him to hold on to his humanity. To his good side. He loves you more than you know, Kalina. It’s one thing for all of us to love you the way we do – we see you as a woman. But for Justin…you’re family. It’s a deeper bond than any of us will have.” He sighed, and Kalina knew that he was thinking of the brother he had lost, of the bond that truly had been severed.
Jaegar caught Stuart’s eye. “You’re here too?” He gave Stuart a wry smile. “I didn’t think it was safe to have humans in these parts.”
“It’s not,” said Stuart grimly. “But it’s worth the battle.” He was bristling at Jaegar’s presence. Evidently he, too, could see the attraction on Kalina’s face. “I’
ll fight for Kalina whenever she needs help, vampire or not.”
“Wow…” Jaegar’s tone was sarcastic, but it betrayed genuine emotion. “I guess you are truly devoted, brother. You really do love her.”
Kalina turned bright red and focused her attention on slaying the vampires – with Jaegar and Justin both fighting, they were falling swiftly and easily. She didn’t want to hear this conversation.
“I do love her,” said Stuart. “I thought that I never had a chance with her – but when I turned, it was all so clear to me. I did love her – I do love her now. I had so many dreams about what I’d do when I was human, what I’d do the second I turned…but when she left me, when we spent our first night together and she couldn’t…” Stuart blushed and did not complete his sentence. “All those dreams became empty to me. I realized that even a human life is no true life without her.”
“Spoken like a true romantic human,” said Jaegar. To Kalina he spoke telepathically. Is it true? That you and he never…
None of your business. Kalina hoped that he would attribute the bright red spreading across her face to exhaustion, not embarrassment.