by Ilana Waters
“Dammit, this is ridiculous,” I said, kicking the fountain’s stone base.
“Have a care!” Titus said, walking behind me. “That’s over three hundred years old.”
“It’s made of stone, Father,” I said over my shoulder. “It doesn’t have feelings.” Rather like you in that regard. I looked up at the heartless figures of the Danube, the Ganges, and the Nile as if they could tell me where my mother was.
“We’ve been over every inch of Rome to no avail,” I continued. “We’re not getting anywhere walking this way and that, standing, pausing, then walking again.” I ran both hands through my hair. “We’re so close, and yet we’re no closer to finding Mo—er, Abigail.”
“Gods, but the young are impatient these days,” Titus said, shaking his head.
Easy for you to say, I thought bitterly. The search seems to mean nothing to you.
“And we certainly haven’t been over every inch of the city,” he said. “The sun will rise soon; let’s try again tomorrow.”
Scowling, I had no choice but to head back to the Hassler with my father. Just before I turned in, I stood on my tiny balcony and watched Titus surveying the city from his private terrace. Taking in the panoramic view, he stared into the distance, thinking God knows what.
I couldn’t imagine what it must be like for Titus to return to Rome now. To grow up somewhere, then see it again two thousand years later. It was one thing to read about places in books and pore over travelogues. It was quite another to experience them in person. In his mind, was he back in ancient times, not yet a vampire and able to enjoy the sunlight? Was he imagining the deafening roar of the crowd as he returned from battle, victorious once again?
I decided it didn’t matter, because I was exhausted and Titus disinterested. With little time to sleep before I had to be at the PIA again, I went to bed, thinking it would be a miracle if anything Titus did led to the safe return of my mother.
***
In the hour just before dawn, a vampire made his way through narrow streets to a temple unknown to most. It was not a Christian place of worship, nor a site where Roman deities were once praised. This was the Temple of Aradia, Italian queen of witches, and protectress. Nestled in a hidden corner next to a small shop, it was easy to miss if one wasn’t looking for it. The vampire ducked inside.
The immortal had a fairly large build, and felt cramped inside the tiny room. Rows of benches with high backs led up to an altar strewn with dozens of lit candles. But the vampire did not need a great deal of light to see. With no one else visiting the temple so late, he knelt alone at the altar before a painting. The painting displayed a dark-haired woman in Renaissance garb, her head encircled with a white halo. But this was no image of a saint; her expression seemed to dare onlookers to defy her, to promise what would happen if they did.
Slowly, the vampire took a small leather bag out of his pocket. One by one, he removed the items he’d previously wrapped in black velvet and placed in the bag. There were two moonstones and a sprig of rue: all sacred to the goddess.
The vampire clasped his hands and bowed his head. He was unused to such humility, but his need was very great.
“Please, protect my son,” he murmured. Then, in a lower voice: “You know I need him.” After a few minutes, he rose and left; the gifts remained on the altar.
Exactly what the vampire needed his son for, he did not say.
Chapter 14
We started out the next evening as soon as I finished the day’s translating work at the PIA. Titus and I stopped at several locations we hadn’t gotten to the night before, but still no luck. We were on our way to the Forum Romanum to see if Titus could sense anything there, but I confess, I was running out of hope. Catching a glimpse of the site itself didn’t help.
Once a bustling center of activity, the Forum Romanum was the political heart of Rome until the empire collapsed. With a little imagination, it wasn’t hard to recreate the site in one’s mind, but it was depressing in its present state. Remnants of temples, basilicas, and triumphal arches were scattered throughout the forum like skeletons. Building foundations and huge stone pillars stuck out of the ground. It was as if a giant had come down and swatted at everything randomly, so that some columns and fragments stood much taller than others. In between these were strips of grass that had overtaken the once smooth, paved streets.
Most of the tourists had gone to bed by this time, so we were far from mortal eyes. It was a clear night and the moon shone brightly, so at least there was light for us to see. Well, for me to see. But it was my father who spotted him first.
“Who’s that?” Titus asked. He stared at a figure in the darkness, almost hidden behind a column. The figure kept turning and glancing over his shoulder at us when he thought were weren’t looking. “Whoever it is,” he said, “it’s not human.”
It was hard for me to make anything out from this distance with just moonlight, but I peered at the figure till I recognized the face. “If I’m not mistaken, that’s Luther Blackline,” I said, tugging at Titus’s sleeve until were hidden behind our own column.
“Stop pulling my arm!” Titus hissed. “There’s no use hiding from him; he’s already seen us. Wait—Blackline . . . isn’t that one of the Council members you mentioned meeting?”
“It is,” I said. “But what’s he doing here?”
“Likely following us, making sure we don’t find what we’re looking for.”
“Well, he’s doing a damn good job of it.” I gritted my teeth.
I looked around the forum, but Blackline was the only Council member I could see. “I’ll talk to him,” I said quickly. “Stay out of sight.” Titus started to say something, but I cut him off. “Please,” I begged, “just keep out of the way, no matter what happens. Let me handle Blackline.”
My father looked me up and down. “Very well, then,” he finally said. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
I’m almost certain I don’t, I thought as I walked towards Blackline. But I was the one who had experience with the little blighter, so this undertaking fell to me. My father rose in the air and seated himself on top of a group of columns with a long stone slab across it—perhaps to get a better view of whatever was about to happen.
I walked across the grass to the column that shielded Blackline from view. I took a deep breath and a wide step in front of it, ready to face the witch and find out what he was up to. But Blackline wasn’t there. I looked to the left and right, then above me. He’d vanished. Where on earth could he have gone? Neither my father nor I had taken our eyes off him for more than a moment. I turned and looked in the opposite direction, but he wasn’t there either. What was the little fiend playing at?
“Lovely night, isn’t it?”
I whirled around to find Blackline seated on a short stone wall a few feet away. How had he gotten there? Never mind—invisibility spell, don’t-look spell, it didn’t matter. I was really going to have to be wary with this one.
“Yes, rather,” I replied, glaring at him. “And fancy meeting you here.”
“It is a coincidence, isn’t it?” Blackline smiled and jumped down from the wall.
“I highly doubt that,” I said wryly.
“Shouldn’t a good little boy like you be touring one of Rome’s many beautiful churches?” he asked, taking a few steps towards me.
“I’m not exactly a Catholic.”
“Hmmm.” Blackline stroked his chin with his finger. “You do strike me more as an Episcopalian.”
“Actually, I’m Ashkenazic.”
The git’s brow furrowed, and I could tell he had no idea what I was talking about. “Well, either way, you shouldn’t be here,” he said.
“Well, neither should you.” I folded my arms. “Or do you really expect me to believe you were out taking a stroll in a dark, decrepit part of the city?”
“No, I mean you shouldn’t exist on this earth,” Blackline said, letting his smile fade. “The child o
f a vampire?” He shuddered. “It’s unnatural.”
I could feel anger billowing inside me like clouds of smoke. “It’s about to get a whole lot more unnatural if you don’t tell me why you’re here,” I said. “Wait—let me guess. The Council instructed you to follow us around and report back whether Titus and I had stopped our investigation, as requested. That about sum it up?”
Blackline sniffed and looked at the ground. “What makes you think the Council has valuable time to waste on the likes of you? Besides, when they give an order, they expect it to be followed—without the need for additional surveillance.” He glanced back up at me. Or else, his eyes seemed to say.
“And what happens if it isn’t?” I asked.
“Hmmm . . . let me see if I can answer that for you.”
Blackline waved his hand, and before I knew what was happening, a chunk of stone wrenched itself from one of the ruins and came straight at my head. I only just managed to tear my own piece of stone from part of a fountain and block Blackline’s. I hurled both pieces in his direction, but he jumped out of the way, and they crashed into the wall behind him. The wall crumbled to the ground. Too late, I saw Blackline’s jump had been completely vertical, his feet dangling inches from my hair. I looked up; he kicked me hard in the face and landed behind me.
Pain radiated out towards my eyes and cheekbones. I think the bastard broke my nose! I could feel warm blood running down my lips and chin. Fortunately, there was plenty of earth magic here for me to heal myself, if only I could get to it in time.
I drew my leg back and kicked up a huge spray of dirt directly in Blackline’s path. I made it swirl around him, hopefully hitting him with a few hard chunks of rock. Trapped in the whirlwind, Blackline could do nothing but grab at thin air, frantically looking for a way out.
Meanwhile, I tore a patch of earth from the ground and willed its healing power to go through me. I cried out as I felt small bones moving back into place, but forced myself not to grab my face, as this would prevent the necessary repairs. Finally, I was mostly healed, the clump of earth in my hand much smaller now. I let it fall from my fingertips, little more than dust.
I glanced up just in time to see Blackline raise his palms and heave the whirlwind off himself. I covered my head with my arms as dirt and debris exploded towards me. When I saw Blackline again, he was looking at me with murder in his eyes.
Well, I’m the one who should be put out, I thought. After all, he did break my nose. But if he wanted a fight, I was more than happy to oblige. I’d had enough of the Council and their antics.
We went back and forth, hurling magic at each other with such speed and ferocity it put a vampire fight to shame. And it did more damage to our surroundings than my previous spat with the Council. Several other small walls were blasted apart, and huge tracks of earth were torn up.
In the corner of my mind, I wondered if perhaps I shouldn’t ask Titus to get involved. I glanced up at him, and could have sworn I saw him talking to someone. But perhaps it was just my imagination. Anyway, I’d told him to stay out of it, and for once, he was actually cooperating. I should probably be grateful.
But that was easier said than done. I leaped to the top of a group of columns to avoid a slab of stone Blackline flung in my direction. About the size of a small car, it spun around and around, coming at me like a discus. Although I managed to get out of its direct path, the slab still hit the column with such force that it sliced it in two. The column fell, and its companions followed, one hitting the next like dominoes.
Oh dear. Titus’s poor Forum Romanum. He wasn’t going to be pleased with this. And the mortals were going to have a devil of a time explaining what had happened to it the next morning.
I jumped down from the columns into a small ditch and turned to face Blackline again. But he was making strange motions with his hands, pushing them palms down as if holding a great mass beneath him. I felt the air and earth magic rush below my feet, and the ditch seemed to grow deeper, though not wider. I felt myself falling inside it, my feet and legs swallowed up by dirt, unable to move in any direction. The magic was so strong, I couldn’t even fly out. To make matters worse, more dirt was being piled on top of me, so that I was essentially disappearing beneath the Forum Romanum. The son of a bitch was going to bury me alive!
Well, dear reader, you can imagine how disagreeable I found this. It’s true I cannot suffocate, hence the inability to drown that I mentioned earlier. However, a lack of oxygen can certainly impede a mage or witch’s physical and supernatural abilities. Also, we can starve if kept underground long enough; no creature can live forever without sustenance. I supposed my father would rescue me before that happened, but I had asked him not to interfere. What if he was true to his word? Perhaps he no longer needed me to find the crystal or Ferox; he could simply attempt to overpower Blackline himself to get the information.
I really had to get out of there.
All right, this was going to be a bit daunting. I’d have to use my mastery of air magic to create a vacuum, which meant there would be even less air in the space I occupied than there was now. The sky was already blotted out overhead; so much dirt covered me, I could no longer see the Forum. My arms were pinned to my sides by compacted earth, and even though I cannot die from lack of air, it doesn’t mean the inability to breathe isn’t frightening. I had only experienced it a handful of times in my life, and none of them were enjoyable.
I tried to quiet my mind and concentrate—centering, as witches call it. Above, I could hear Blackline mocking me.
“Now you know what happens to people who defy the Council,” he said. “Or creatures—whatever it is you are.”
C’mon, c’mon . . . I could feel the earth shift a few feet away from me, burrowing a hole to let my body through. I couldn’t let Blackline see the top of the hole yet, because it would give me away. But I had to work fast; dirt was packed against me so tightly, I could barely move.
“You all belong underground,” he continued. “The whole lot of you. Revolting, unnatural things.” His voice sounded muffled because of the earth surrounding me, but not so muffled I couldn’t hear. “Half-vampires . . . you should either be dead, or at least out of the way where no one can see.”
I’m not half-vampire, you imbecile. I gritted my teeth; I had no time for anger. I’d deal with Blackline in a minute, if I could get out of this.
I’m sure you’re aware of the scientific principles inherent in creating a vacuum. Removing the air around me would cause me to get sucked out of the space as well . . . hopefully. My chest got tighter and heavier; I started to cough. Tiny white spots appeared before my eyes. They were the only things I could see in the blackness that surrounded me. Passing out wouldn’t kill me, but it would make finishing this spell impossible, which could very well result in my death anyway.
Now my whole body was starting to feel heavy. Far in the distance, I could hear Blackline still yammering away. The only good thing about that idiot’s taunting was it kept him so preoccupied, he didn’t realize I was doing magic. The spell was nearly complete; I could feel the vacuum tugging at my feet. It was starting to take my shoes off, but I needed much more than that. I needed it to pull out my whole body.
Please, Air, I begged. I couldn’t move my fingers to tell the magic where I wanted it to go. Like a child, I implored the element in my mind. We’re practically brothers, you and I. We’re the same . . . my will is your will. Go where I bid you. My chest felt like lead, my body sinking. Real blackness was closing in around me now, and I wasn’t sure if my eyes would ever open again. I gave my thoughts one last push, and felt myself jerked into the underground space I’d hollowed out. The force was so great, I thought my limbs would be torn from their sockets. But at least it worked.
I exploded out of the earth, spraying rocks and dirt everywhere. Gasping for breath, I rolled over on my side. Packed dirt had fallen into my mouth, and I got on my hands and knees, gagging.
“
What the hell . . .?” Blackline said in disbelief. He was sitting a few feet away, arms splayed out behind him. He’d obviously been knocked on his ass when I burst from the ground. Dirt covered him, and he began to shake his head and look around. When he saw what I’d done, his eyes bulged. Then he set his mouth in a firm line, rose to his feet, and started towards me. I’d barely had time to recover, but there was no way I was letting him have the upper hand now. Not after what I just went through.
As soon as he got close enough, I took a fistful of dirt and flung it in his eyes. He cried out as his hands flew to his face, which gave me time to leap up. When Blackline finally finished wiping away the dirt, he looked daggers at me and balled his hands into fists. Something on the ground started to come towards me, bending tufts of grass this way and that . . . like a snake.
But I wasn’t about to let Blackline get the best of me again.
***
Titus sat on top of a stone slab set across several pillars, not interfering, just as his son had requested. His gaze moved back and forth from one opponent to the other, but he did not attempt to come between them. He was so absorbed that it took him a moment to respond when another vampire sat down next to him.
“Who the hell are you?” he demanded, grabbing the vampire by the throat.
“What, me? I’m . . . I’m nobody!” the vampire choked out. “I mean, my name’s John, but that’s . . . that’s of no consequence!” He spluttered and gasped for breath as he tried to wrench Titus’s arm away from his neck.
“What do you want?” Titus barked. “Are you one of those degenerates working for Ferox?”
“Who, me?” John asked. “I don’t work for anyone! What are you talking about?”
Titus narrowed his eyes and scanned the vampire’s face. Unlike the one in the alley, this creature’s mind he could read. “No, you don’t,” he said, releasing his grip and lowering his arm. “What’s your business here, John?”