Fledgling (The Vampire Manifesto, Book Two)

by Rashaad Bell

“The black Pegasus.” Enoch declared as he made his way down the sandstone steps and towards us. “It is said that if one can find it and exchange your heart for its own, you will be granted eternal life.” Enoch came close to it, stroking its mane gently. Salome came over to him; scalpel in hand and carefully did a small incision on the side of the Pegasus. The creature jumped somewhat and yet still remained calm.

  Slowly Enoch slid both of his hands into the open wound. One hand held Girard’s still beating heart while the other was empty. He maneuvered inside the creature, moving his hands this way and that, until he began to withdraw and cupped between his palms was a beating golden heart, him having exchanged one for the other. Enoch gripped the Unicorn horn and began to pull, the horn tearing free without much resistance.

  “Unicorns are Immortal.” He whispered comfortingly into the ear of the Pegasus. “You do not need this anymore.” From above there was a portion of the ceiling that slid apart revealing the night sky beyond. “Go my friend. Live life like every day is your last.”

  The Pegasus started beating its wings, lifting off the ground, rising up into the air and flying into the night’s sky. We all watched until it was out of eyesight and then slowly the ceiling began to close, blocking that view from us.

  Enoch made his way back towards Girard’s body and slowly he began to place the golden heart into her chest. Salome walked up to the altar and slit one of her wrist, placing it over Girard’s mouth, letting the blood drain into her. One, by one they all did this, Enoch followed by Megan and once it was completed, the wound in Staci’s chest sealed shut, entirely healed.

  There was a moment of silence and then Girard breathed in sharply, a dazzling golden radiance emanating from her eyes and mouth as her back arched upwards. She grasped at her chest, sitting up on the dais as the glow diminished, her breathing coming in rapid gasps. Enoch took hold of Girard’s hand and helped her from the altar, leading her down the sandstone steps. She was in a daze, not fully comprehending what was occurring around her and yet she seemed to be pulling information in as she took each step towards us. I rushed over, taking her hand from Enoch.

  “Are you okay?” It’s seemed like she was looking at me or rather she was looking through me. “Girard?” She blinked and when she did her brown eyes began to change, starting at the center then getting larger, a lustrous golden hue replacing her original iris color. She turned towards Enoch and he took hold of her hand again, kissing it gently.

  “A souvenir.” He handed her the diamond encrusted Unicorn horn. I gently led her over towards Abigail and Frankie so they could keep an eye on her. I could see Connor staring at her, examining Girard’s every move.

  “What’s wrong with her?” I asked.

  “She’ll be fine in an hour or two.” Enoch explained. “Her body is…adjusting.”

  Enoch walked back towards the rest of the Coven of the Disillusioned, taking his place among them.

  “I hope this somewhat makes up for our introduction.” Megan said.

  “It’s a start.” I acknowledged. “But letting us go would be a better way to prove yourself.”

  “Possibly.” Megan seemed unconcerned, focusing her attention on Connor.

  “There something you wanna say?” He asked, not appreciating the way she was looking at him.

  “Bring out the next tribute.” Was her answer.

  From behind one of the gigantic monoliths another person appeared. Someone I had hoped to never see again. I looked at Connor who seemed equally surprised. This new individual came closer to us and when he stopped only a few steps away, it took all my strength to not attack him on sight. My pulse had started to race and more than once I had to focus my emotions so not to materialize the Blade of Osiris into existence.

  It wasn’t the time for that just yet.

  “Bartholomew Kruger.” I gritted my teeth. He was the Pack leader we ran into in San Francisco. The man who ordered my murder and in a way, is the reason that I was turned into a Vampire to begin with.

  “So how do you like your little upgrade?” Kruger asked. “Being a Vampire must sure beat the hell out of being human.”

  “I’m confused, Megan.” I yelled out. “Unless you are offering this Werewolf up as Sacrifice, I am at a lost as to how this counts as a tribute.”

  “Sacrifice?” Bartholomew Kruger gave a smug laugh. “I think you might want to hear what I have to say. I’m predicting your opinion on who gets sacrificed may change.”

  “Continue.” Megan declared.

  Kruger risked coming even closer, except instead moving towards me he went to Connor instead. “See, my Wolf Pack had been on to little Madison for a while, just watching her, gathering intelligence so we could report it back to the Translucent Man.”

  He turned his back on Connor, admiring the chamber we were in. “Wow, this is some breath taking shit, you know, but anyway, the Marauders had given us the heads up about a certain Vampire fire starter that lived in Palm Coast. Said he had a…hot temper, excuse the pun.”

  Connor was deathly quiet, nothing but hatred etched across his face.

  “They advised me to avoid him if at all possible, yet they gave me the go ahead to put him down.” Kruger turned back to me. “If it came to that.”

  “But I’m a business man you see. No need for the ultra-violence when it can be avoided, so I had intended to contact the young man…” Kruger cocked his head towards Connor. “…or old man depending on your point of view, but regardless, I wanted to talk to him, see if we could, oh, I don’t know, work something out. Business man to business man.”

  As I listened I turned to look at Connor, but he refused to acknowledge my gaze.

  “So you can imagine my surprise, when he communicated with me instead.” Kruger explained. “Just came right up and sat down at my table at the 20twelve Lounge and offered me a proposal. Now I’m all down for making deals with the devil, so me and Connor, we put our heads together and we came up with some, shall we say, terms of endearment?”

  “What did you do Connor?” I grabbed him by the arm, but he wouldn’t answer.

  Bartholomew continued on. “What he did, Madison, was offer up his collaboration in your abduction. He was the one who came up with a way to deliver you to the Translucent Man.”

  “You're lying.” I screamed. “He would never…”

  “He would never what?” Kruger asked. “Not find a way to look out for himself? There were two things that he wanted out of the deal. He wanted more power. That was an easy thing for me to acquire since the Marauders had been doing all types of Post Human genetic experimentations. It was nothing for me to get my hands on some. Something that might give a boost to that little fire, magic trick he likes so much. The second thing he wanted was you.”

  “Me?” I couldn’t believe it.

  “He had been enthralling you for months before we even showed up.” Kruger explained. “He was feeding off your blood and making you forgot afterwards. You know, there was this game he liked to play with you, I’ve actually seen it with my own eyes. He’d enthrall some girl over his house and compel her not to scream or move and then he would compel you to kill her in front of him. He would make you drink her blood, like you were already a Vampire, even though you weren’t. He was preparing you, like boot camp, getting you ready for the Vampire lifestyle so you could…adapt more quickly once he turned you.”

  I didn’t want to look at Connor. I couldn’t.

  “How’s that working out for you?” Kruger asked. “Life as a Vampire, I mean? Adjusted pretty quickly didn’t you? So when he found out the Translucent Man was looking for you, well, he just wasn’t having that. His proposition was to have you believe that he was your friend, your dark haired savior and that the both of you were going to team up and fight the Marauders together. But he didn’t want to enthrall that part; he said the only way for him to pull it off was for you to really believe it.”

  Kruger walked back over to Connor, standing directly in front of him. “So w
e made it all up. Connor and I did. The kidnapping, Goodwin, all of it, it was all planned. That incident at the house…” He did a thrusting imitation. “…that gut wound that killed you, all planned, all staged. Hell, that’s not even what happened, that’s just what you think happened. You were supposed to die that night. You were meant to all along. I turn you over to the Translucent Man and I get paid, my jobs done. If the Marauders can’t hold on to you, that’s not my problem. Connor breaks you out of their clutches and you two disappear.”

  “But the worse part of it all.” Explained Bartholomew. “Is that to keep you dependent on him, he convinced you that Vampires burn in the sunlight, but as long as you were close to him he could stop that from happening.”

  “What are you saying Kruger?” I wanted to hear all of it.

  “Vampires don’t burn up in sunlight.” He laughed. “That shit is a myth.”

  “Wait…” Oh my God Connor. “…so all those times…” I couldn’t even bring myself to say it.

  “That was him burning you.” Kruger stated. “He was the one burning you alive Madison. Every single time. It was all him. It was to make you so dependent that you wouldn’t even contemplate leaving him.”

  “Madison…” Connor whispered.

  “Is it true?” I couldn’t stop the tears this time. I had promised that I would never cry again, but this…how could he do this to me? “Tell me!” I screamed.

  “I never said I was the hero of this story.” Was his reply.

  “Oh God.” How could I have been so stupid? I looked at him purposefully, so he could see my face, so he could appreciate what he did to me. “This is why I could never love you.”

  “Why are you telling me this?” I turned to Kruger. “Why?”

  “Why not?” He scoffed.

  “You do realize…” Connor eyed Bartholomew Kruger. “…that I am going to kill you for this.”

  “You can try boy.” Kruger didn’t back down. “You think just because you matchstick real nice, that scares me?”

  The transformation for Kruger was faster than Ethan’s, the metamorphosis between human and Werewolf happening in just mere moments, his body increasing in size as his bones broke and reformed to support his new body configuration. As a Werewolf he colossal, one of the largest I’ve seen, a thick, white coat of fur covering his hide, though his chest was of a darker tint of grey.

  He let out a deafening roar in challenge. “I am the lion of Nemean and there is no weapon that you could strike against me that I could not endure.”

  “Get behind me.” I whispered to my family, moving them away from Connor and Kruger. The Coven of the Disillusioned was engrossed in the impending battle and I was endeavoring to figure out how to take advantage of the situation. I had an idea. All I needed to do was get back to the heart of the Argo.

  “Lion of Nemean!” Heracles came forward.

  “Don’t interfere.” Megan commanded.

  “I am Heracles, Celestial Seed.” He continued to stride forward. “Do not presume to instruct me.”

  And so Heracles stepped before Kruger and took his full measure of the beast.

  The Werewolf howled, exposing his teeth in a snarl. “Does another lamb offer himself up as feast?”

  “Challenge accepted.” Heracles bore down on the Werewolf, wrapping his muscular arms about it, wrestling it to the ground. Kruger snapped at him, yet Heracles would not relent and smashed Kruger’s head into the ground. Heracles stood and then backed away, letting the Werewolf get to his feet.

  “Come.” Heracles dared. “Again.”

  This time the Werewolf dived in the air towards him, yet with one hand Heracles caught hold of both of Kruger’s writs and with his other hand; he grabbed both of Kruger’s ankles. Heracles began bending the Werewolf backwards harder and harder until a crack echoed throughout the chamber and yet still Heracles did not stop, applying pressure until Kruger was completely bent in half.

  Heracles stood and placed one foot in Kruger’s mouth and with one hand; he took hold of the Werewolf’s upper jaw and pulled. There was a popping sound and Kruger’s head tore from his body along with the fur that composed most of the Werewolf’s back. Once it was done, Heracles stood and placed Kruger’s bloody skull on top his own, the Werewolf’s thick hide covering the shoulders and back of Heracles.

  He raised both hands in the air in celebration, Kruger’s blood dripping down the face and chest of Heracles.

  “Why?” Salome asked. “Why did you do that?”

  “The Lion of Nemean dies by the hands of Heracles and Heracles alone.” He explained. “So was it written, so shall it be done.”

  “It’s time to get the hell out of here.” I whispered. I pointed towards the door Heracles brought me through. “Frankie, get that thing open.”

  Connor looked as if he were about to approach me, but I held up my hand for him to stay his ground. “Don’t.” He remained where he was, looking on from afar. “If I ever see you again, I promise, I will kill you.”

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Megan questioned.

  “How’s that door coming?” I asked.

  “I can’t move it.” Frankie replied. “It’s too heavy.”

  “Well try harder.” I said. I turned back towards Megan. “We’re leaving.”

  “I don’t think so.” She countered.

  I held out my open palm and the Blade of Osiris materialized into being, instantly extending, becoming full sized. “Sometimes you just have to check a bitch.”

  “I agree.” Megan took a step towards me, but Heracles placed his hand on her shoulder.

  “I would…” He looked at me, then back to her. “…advise against whatever it is you are thinking of doing.”

  She glared at his hand with disdain until he removed it. “Do not presume to instruct me either.”

  Megan came at me fast; I’ve never tracked something moving that quickly before. She was in the air, almost on top of me as I raised the Blade of Osiris and took aim. The bottom half of the Blade transmuted into a barrel, the trigger forming underneath my fingertip. I pulled the trigger just as she was about to land on me and the Gunblade fired, punching a hole into her chest.

  Her body began burning to ash from the circular wound, spreading outward, her soul ripped out of the back of her body from the blast. When she crashed into me, she was nothing but a burning cinder log in human form and her body shattered into little burning bits, broken apart and scattered to the wind as it came into contact with me. Yet even then, you could still see the faint outline of her soul in the air as it was drawn down and sucked inside the Blade of Osiris.

  There was a look of satisfaction from Heracles as he turned away from us and headed back towards the dais. Salome and Enoch, while not showing any emotion at all did not make any move against us as well, though they never took their gaze away from me. I backed up; grabbing the door Frankie and Aiden where struggling to open and with one hand, yanked it open.

  “Madison.” Connor called out. “Let me explain.”

  I aimed the Blade of Osiris at him. “Stay the fuck away from me Connor.”

  Everyone backed out of the chamber and I slammed the door closed. There were people about the hallway, yet from the way they were dressed, they looked as if they were simply employees of CornerStone Development and not Vampires.

  “Follow me.” I called out as I retraced my steps, heading back the way I came until I reached the locked chamber where the Oracle trio, as Heracles had called them, was being held captive. I opened the entrance and ushered everyone inside.

  “She’s back!” The younger version exclaimed, looking up from his workstation. “See, I told you she would come for us.”

  “Konnichiwa bitches.” I came around to the center of the room. “You ready to get the hell out of here?”

  “But how?” The female John asked. “We still haven’t figured out how to impute the destination ciphers yet.”

  “Leave that to me.” I answered. I took a step cl
oser to the heart of the Argo. “Hey, can you hear me?” I called out.

  Middle-aged John looked up. “Yes I can hear you. We all can hear you just fine. How is…”

  “Sshh…” I motioned for him to be quite. “Not talking to you.”

  Awaiting incoming query.

  There we go. “Are you able to access the Argo mainframe? Specifically it’s…uh transporter, teleportation thingy?”

  Accessing… Argo platohedron apparatus located. Access established.

  “Awesome.” I turned towards the female John. “We’re in business.” Everyone was staring at me. To them I was just talking to myself. I must look crazy. Nevertheless, if I can get this thing to get us out of here, I’ll gladly take that charge.

  “Can you uh…transport us back to my home?” I asked.

  Specify individual transportation or transportation of the Argo…

  “Wait…” I paused, looking around the room I was in. “What do you mean transportation of the Argo?”

  The Argo is a Celestial class Transdimensional Warbird outfitted with Galaxy Pacifier, black hole armaments and a platohedron apparatus which allows for instantaneous planetary and interdimensional travel…

  “Black hole armaments?” I repeated. “How many?”

  There are twenty-five functional Galaxy pacifier units in total.

  Galaxy pacifier, black hole armaments. I have no clue what they are, but I’m not leaving them in the hands of CornerStone Development.

  “Can you, um…deactivate them?”

  “Who is she talking to?” Frankie asked.

  Pinpointing weapons nerve cluster… nerve cluster infiltrated. Disengaging… weapons nerve cluster neutralized. Awaiting clarification on original objective… Specify individual or Argo transportation…

  “Individual.” I turned towards everyone. “Gather round people. Its time.”

  The door to the workshop opened. It was Connor. “Madison!” He called out.

  Frankie moved towards the rest of the group. “Time for…”

  Initiating…

  There was a flash of light, as reality seemed to curve around us then snap back into place.