Nightshine: A Novel of the Kyndred

by Lynn Viehl

  No language came through the thought stream, only gruesome images of Energúmeno standing over Samuel’s body, holding a still-beating heart in his hand. What he imagined doing next made her double over and vomit.

  “Charlotte.”

  “I’m all right.” Charlotte wiped her mouth and straightened. “Get the other women and go. Stay out of sight.” She managed to raise a mental barrier against the murderous thoughts barraging her mind before she hurried out.

  “What are you doing?” Tlemi called after her.

  Charlotte didn’t look back. “I have to warn Samuel.”

  “That’s the last one.” Samuel stood back with Drew and watched as flames rose against the windows inside the house.

  Colotl and the other islanders joined them, each carrying the torches they had used to set the fires.

  “Beautiful work,” Drew said. “If you ever want to go into the arson business, take me as your partner.”

  Capping off all the gas pipes before they set fire to the villas ensured that the structures would burn instead of explode, which bought them more time. According to Tlemi, Segundo and his men lived on one of the protected islands in the vicinity; it would take at least an hour for them to arrive. Assuming they would come to rescue them.

  “They will come,” Agraciana said, accurately guessing his thoughts. “The master needs us too much to let all of us die.”

  “But he’d have no problem killing a couple of us to serve as examples,” Drew guessed.

  “That is Energúmeno’s way.” She gave Samuel a troubled look. “If we cannot prevail, I will summon my dolphins, but … I cannot control more than four. That means only three can come with me.”

  Samuel glanced at Drew. “This time, we’ll win.”

  “Samuel.” Colotl pointed to a figure running toward them. “Charlotte.”

  He ran to meet her, catching her in his arms as she stumbled and gasped for breath. “What are you doing here?”

  “Energúmeno.” She clutched his shoulders. “He’s coming. You have to go the cave and hide. Now.” She tried to pull him in that direction. “Sam, please. I’ve seen what he’s planning to do to you, and you can’t stop him. He’s too strong, too angry.”

  “Drew. Colotl.” When the men joined them, Samuel quickly issued instructions for them to rejoin the women and take up defensive positions, and then added, “I need the weapons.”

  Charlotte stiffened. “Didn’t you hear me? He’s going to stick his hand in your chest and pull out your heart and eat it. You can’t heal from that. This time, you will die.”

  Samuel looked at the other men. “Give us a minute, please.” When they moved away, he cradled her face between his hands. “Honey, we don’t have a lot of time left, so I need you to listen to me now. We’ve talked to Agraciana about Energúmeno’s powers. He can hurt me from a distance, but to kill me he has to make physical contact. I’m not going to let that happen.”

  “You can’t stop him.” She gave Agraciana a desperate look. “She can control dolphins, right? Have her call one to take you off the island before he gets here. When you get to the mainland, you can get help—”

  “I’m not leaving you, Charlotte.” He brought her hand up and pressed it to his heart. “As for this, he can’t have it. It belongs to you.”

  With her fists she gripped the front of his shirt, and pressed her brow against his chest. When she lifted her head again, her expression was one of complete calm. “You aren’t leaving me, Sam. If he kills you, he kills me, too.”

  “Honey, you can’t—”

  “You won’t be here to stop me.” She took a scalpel from her pocket and held it up between them. “You know how I feel about suicide, but I’d rather end my life than live without you. So if you die, I die.”

  He could take the scalpel from her, and warn the men about her intentions. But with her medical knowledge and training, how long would they be able to prevent her from following him into death? Suddenly he realized the other reason she had made her ghastly threat. “When you read his mind and thought of me dying, this is how it felt for you.”

  She nodded. “That, and I threw up. You don’t have to do that, though.”

  Samuel laughed as he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off her feet until their eyes were level. “I love you, Charlotte Marena, and I’m not going to die tonight. I’m going to live for you. I’m going to live with you. And when we’re very old, and ready for the next place, then we’ll go together.”

  She closed her eyes. “Please, God, yes.”

  “Samuel,” Drew called. “Time to move.”

  As they joined the others, Agraciana moved to flank Charlotte. “You read the master’s mind tonight, yes?”

  “I picked his thoughts.” Her hand tightened on Samuel’s. “They were as ugly as he is.”

  Agraciana’s voice became tentative. “Can you tell me, was he thinking of anything else besides coming here?”

  “You don’t want to know,” Charlotte muttered before she saw the other woman’s expression. “He wasn’t deciding how he wanted to kill you, if that’s what you mean.”

  “But did he think about my parents?” Before Charlotte could answer, she said quickly, “I don’t know what my mother looks like now, but my father is an old man, with white hair and a scar on his neck here.” She touched a place on her throat.

  Charlotte shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t see anyone like that in his thoughts.”

  Instead of showing disappointment, Agraciana smiled a little. “Then there is still some hope. Thank you.”

  By the time they reached the seventh house, the fire inside had caused the windows to burst and belch columns of black smoke into the sky. While Colotl directed the other men to take up defensive positions along the tree line, Tlemi came to speak in a low voice to Charlotte, who returned a few minutes later.

  “We have another problem,” she told him. “Pici’s contractions have started again. The stress of this is just too much for her and the baby.”

  Samuel had taken the precaution of removing everything Charlotte might need for the delivery from the treatment room before setting fire to the house. “We’ll have to move her away from here.”

  “Tlemi and I are going to carry her down the beach until we’re out of sight.” She eyed the tree line. “Ihiyo should go with us. He’ll help keep her calm.” She turned to him. “And no, don’t suggest I stay with her. She’s not ready to deliver yet, and you need me here.” She stalked off toward the pier.

  “You had to get mixed up with a telepath.” Drew slapped the back of Samuel’s shoulder. “You know, you’ll never be able to throw that woman a surprise birthday party. Or make her think you were working late at the office.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” He eyed his friend. “And I’m not mixed-up. I’m in love with her. Come on.”

  They went to retrieve the weapons they had stashed beneath the sea grape bushes.

  “Yours.” Drew handed him two macuahuitl before hefting the bundle with the others they had made. “If you want to change your mind, we can all rush him.”

  “If this doesn’t work, I need you in reserve.” He glanced over at the women. “Whatever happens, I’m depending on you to get the islanders back to the States. Matthias will help you resettle them.”

  Drew uttered a sour chuckle. “I think he’ll need to buy a maternity hospital.”

  “If I don’t make it, he’ll be able to purchase several.” Samuel smiled. “As my long-lost brother, he inherits the bulk of my estate.”

  “You mean you didn’t leave me anything in the will?” Drew mocked.

  He grinned. “Other than my shares in Intel and Microsoft, which I believe are presently worth a few million, no.”

  “Maybe you should stop worrying about the vampire and start worrying about me.” Drew turned his head, his eyes shifting past Samuel. His smile faded. “Oh, shit.”

  Chapter 22

  Energúmeno had never loved her. Quinequia
had accepted that as soon as she had been taken from the streets in Mexico City and brought to Manzanillo to be presented to him. That day, she had discovered that her ability couldn’t overpower his ancient mind or the rage that had sustained it for so long. Contrary creature that she was, she adored him for it, and served him with loyalty so fierce she even defied him now and then in order to protect him.

  Her love had brought her to this cantina, where she sat and drank cheap wine while she waited. She didn’t know for whom or what, only that she had to be here.

  A man sat down in the chair across from her, his smile lighting up an unremarkable face. “Hello, little sister.”

  Quinequia eyed him. “You are mistaken, señor. I have no brothers.” The whore who had given birth to her had bled to death after a botched abortion when Quinequia was five; she had huddled against her mother’s rotting body for two days before the stench and hunger had driven her out on the streets.

  The man reached across the table and covered her hand with his. “È una cosa importante da ricordare.”

  Quinequia had never spoken Italian, but she knew instantly what he was saying. It is an important thing to remember. And she remembered him, her mentor, the man who had saved her.

  No one knew about him. They had met when Quinequia had lived on the streets of Mexico City; he’d found her one day holding court among the other ragged, filthy orphans. He had laughed at her confusion when her ability had failed to enslave him.

  “Your charms are not irresistible, my dear,” he’d chided in flawless Spanish. “I can teach you what to do when they fail you, and much more.”

  Quinequia had never gone to school; that was for children with homes and families. But street life had taught her that no one did anything for free. “Why would you do that?”

  He had pulled up the sleeve of his shirt to show her a strange picture just above his elbow. It had been made part of his skin, just like the gray bird on the back of her hand. “Because we are family.”

  He had taken her with him that day, first to the beautiful rooms in one of the big hotels, where maids had washed her and dressed her in clothes so clean and soft the touch of them felt like angel’s wings. A butler had brought a cart with so much lovely food she had not dared do anything but stare at it, at least until her mentor told her it was all for her. Then she had thrown herself at him instead of the food, clutching him as she sobbed like a baby.

  He had stroked her hair and let her cry until she hiccuped. “I am going to take care of you now, little sister.”

  So he had, from that night on. During the next three years he had taken her all over the world with him, teaching her everything he knew, training her how to better control and use her gift, and then finally explaining her purpose. By the time they returned to Mexico, Quinequia was nine years old, and more than ready to begin the work.

  “You look like a proper street urchin now,” her mentor had said as he surveyed the ragged, filthy garments she wore.

  Quinequia eyed another brother who came into the room; a silent and watchful teacher whom she had met in England. “I will never tell anyone about us.”

  “You can be made to tell, little sister. So you must be made to forget.” Her mentor rubbed a little more dirt on her cheek, and then pushed the hair he had deliberately snarled back from her eyes. “If you need us, we will know. If there is time, we will come for you. If there is not, you must protect us.”

  She nodded, and when the other brother had come to lay his hands on her neck, she had not resisted.

  Memories flooded her as she looked across the table at her mentor. The words he had spoken to her had lifted the mask over her memory placed in her mind the night he had brought her back to Mexico and returned her to her life on the streets.

  “You have come back for me.”

  He nodded. “Your work here is finished.”

  Now that she recalled everything, she felt confused. The only reason he would come personally was to take her away with him. “Am I being replaced? Is that why you are here?”

  “No, my dear.” He stood and offered her his hand as she rose from her chair. “You are being recalled.”

  Her lower lip trembled as she fought back her tears. “Then I have failed you.”

  “You are wrong.” He put his arm around her. “Now, come. We have one more task to perform.”

  Charlie stopped beneath a coconut palm and surveyed the area before she looked at Tlemi. “Tell him to put her down here.”

  Ihiyo, who had insisted on carrying the other end of the stretcher, nodded as Tlemi translated. In sync with Charlie’s movements, he carefully lowered Pici to the ground, then came around to kneel beside the stretcher. The pregnant girl sighed as her lover took her hands in his and spoke to her in a soft, low voice.

  Tlemi gestured for Charlotte, and she followed her out of the secluded spot down to the beach. “I must tell you something.”

  Charlie held up one hand. “If you’ve done anything else for the master, I don’t want to know about it.”

  “No, it is about Pici.” She glanced over at the grove. “When she was a little girl, the master had her taken from her family in America. Her parents’ names are Jill and Robert Colfax, and they lived in Houston, Texas. Jill was a teacher, and Robert sold insurance.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “It is our hope that if the master defeats us, you may still escape him someday. If you do, she wishes you to find her family and tell them that she is dead.”

  “She’s not dead.” Charlie suddenly understood. “If he wins, she’s not leaving the island.”

  “No.” She gave her a sad smile. “This time, Ihiyo will go into the water with her. So will the rest of us.”

  Charlie saw the grim logic of it; if they couldn’t win against the vampire in life, they would do it in death. “If he kills Samuel, I’ll be joining the party.”

  “I thought you might.” Tlemi held up a well-wrapped plastic container. “Since we came to the island, I have been writing about Energúmeno and what he has done with us and our country. When you and Samuel came, I wrote about you. If we must go into the water, I will give this to the waves. It will be our voice to the world.”

  “Assuming it washes up on the right beach.” A flash of bright light distracted Charlie, and she turned her head to see what appeared to be three full moons in the distance, each bouncing like balls on the surface of the water. “Are those searchlights?”

  “Yes.” Tlemi inhaled sharply. “The master has brought all three boats, and all of Segundo’s men.”

  Charlotte squinted, trying to scan for thoughts. The blankness she felt meant Colotl had already created a shield between them and the sea. “How many men does he have?”

  Tlemi gave her a helpless look. “Sixty. Maybe more.”

  Samuel had been counting on one boat with Segundo and his guards, not an army that outnumbered them three to one. “I’ve got to go and warn him.”

  Tlemi nodded. “I will stay with Pici and Ihiyo.”

  Charlie took off down the beach, running along the fringe of the waves where the water had packed down the sand. When she got within earshot she began shouting for Samuel, whom she finally spotted standing on the island side of the pier. He was watching the approaching boats, two rock-studded clubs in his hands, until he heard her voice and turned.

  “Charlotte?”

  She didn’t wait for him to come to her, but sprinted to the pier. “There are at least sixty men on those boats,” she said when she reached him, dragging in air and swallowing before she added, “If we run now, we can wait until they land and then swim out to the boats. We can strand them here.”

  “That’s not the plan, honey.” He put an arm around her and kissed her brow. “Go and take cover.”

  She wanted to take one of the clubs and beat him over the head with it, until her thought stream twined with his, and she saw what he had planned. “You’re crazy. He won’t do that.”

  “He bel
ieves he’s our father and our king.” His mouth hitched. “He’ll do it.” He gave her a gentle push toward the trees. “Wait for me up there, Charlie.”

  It was the first time he had called her by her nickname, and it made her eyes sting. “My name is Charlotte,” she told him before she turned and hurried away.

  Drew came out of the trees, holding out an arm and then pulling her along with him into the bamboo thicket. “You were supposed to stay with the pregnant chick.”

  “You knew about this challenge thing?” she demanded.

  “Yeah. I even helped him modify the macuahuitl blades.” He shoved her behind him.

  “Modify them with what?”

  “The human body stores a few milligrams of copper, mostly in the liver,” Drew said in a conversational tone. “It’s used by the body to produce energy, protect against free-radical cell damage, and keep the neurotransmitters firing, and even helps us metabolize iron.”

  She tried to see past him. “I don’t need a hematology refresher.”

  “Then you know you can find traces of it elsewhere, like bound to proteins floating around in your veins.” He glanced over his shoulder. “By the way, you weren’t planning on using any of that bagged blood you had chilling in the upstairs fridge, right?”

  Before Charlie could answer, the first of the boats reached the end of the pier, and she saw several armed men jump off to form two lines. The weight of the towering figure who followed them caused the entire pier to shake.

  Charlie froze, her eyes widening as she saw the enormous golden daggers in the vampire’s hands. “Drew. I don’t think he’s going to use his power.”

  “Energúmeno,” Samuel called out before he crossed the macuahuitl over his head. “You have claimed to be Motecuhzoma, last king of the Aztecs. You have called us your children, and yourself our father. Is this what you believe?”

  “It is what is,” the vampire said. “I gave you this life, and now I will have it back.”

  “Perhaps you will,” Samuel said. “I challenge your rule.”

  Energúmeno abruptly stopped and stared at him. “You cannot take my throne from me. You are mortal.”