by K A HAMBLY
‘But, he's Draven's son...is there any other way?’
‘There is always another way Jyrki, but in order for that to happen Jafar must be stopped to save Ryder. You will face these hounds and you must kill every one of them before they end up causing too much damage. Jimmy is Jafar. You do know that don’t you?’
‘You’re telling me, Jimmy is Jafar… a wolf?’
‘He isn't who or what you think he is. Your good friend Stride has been duped into believing Jimmy could help him with the prophecy. Jimmy use to work for me within the Secret Order, but he soon became caught up in the greed and power. He has searched for you for years and when he stole the prophecy and found out about Ryder, well, they have been working together since. He is known here as the bringer of the Apocalypse.’
‘So that's why the Ankh couldn't be returned?’
‘Yes, because you would've become mortal before you have completed your destiny. Jyrki, we never chose you, your father did. He saw within you great potential. Draven has his own destiny to fulfil. Now, you must return, back to New York. The Ankh shall be with you, but remember, midnight Halloween. The curse will lift only once it's done, and please...try and not read the rest of the prophecy before. It is integral you don't.’
‘Really? But I don't have it.’
‘Yes, some things are best left as they are. I had only written the first prophecy when I was fortunate or rather unfortunate enough to witness the end. I was instructed not to do so but I wrote it for my own selfish reasons. Don't worry though, you are being protected.’
‘By whom? Those things I saw in the woods?’
He looked as if he did not want to say much more.
‘Er, yes. Have you heard of Anubis, Protector of the dead? When you see him, he will offer you great advice. However, these Gods don't show themselves freely. He is part of my Secret Order, to ensure Jafar and his protégés do not cause too much damage on Earth. We know them as the Hounds of The Apocalypse. They will bring horrendous change to mankind if you don't stop them.’
‘Anubis?’
‘Yes, Anubis is what he represents, his name is Randulphr. So now it's time for you to go back.’
‘Randulphr? I've already met him.’
‘Yes, and he is keeping you informed. Have patience and he will come to you.’
He struggled to get off the chair and gestured me with his thin, bony hand to walk back out of the Pyramid. I could not possibly leave without asking the one thing that bothered me since I arrived here. I stood up from my seat and hesitated for a moment.
‘You want to know why you are human?’ he said, beating me to it.
‘Yes...’
‘Because Jyrki,’ he gestured around with his arm, ‘this place is the thin veil between your world and the next. Here you represent who you truly are.’
‘Who I truly am? What’s that?’
‘You’ll know when the time comes.’
He walked me to the wooden door. As he opened it, he paused.
‘I won’t come any further, you know the way back.’
I stood in the desert with the most uncomfortable feeling of the sand between my toes. I looked over to the small stone building I came from, and then back to Mardok.
‘My father, he mentioned you once.’
‘Amroath was a good man just as you are. I couldn’t have chosen two better people to take care of the Ankh.’
With that, he bowed his head and closed the door.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
‘Jyrki!’
I heard my name called, seemingly from far away.
Just as I was about to wake up, I felt a stinging sensation across my left cheek.
‘Jyrki! Wake up man.’
My eyes flickered open to see Blaze leaning over me slapping me across the face.
‘Blaze, what the fuck are you doing?’
‘You've got to get up, Stride has got April out, and they're waiting in the van, quick, before the cops turn up.’
Blaze held out his hand and pulled me up from the floor. I was feeling slightly dizzy, and almost keeled over. He reached out to save me from hitting the pavement again, when I noticed he was still looking at me with wide eyes.
‘Hang on...I need to check something first,’ I felt my chest and the Ankh, sure enough was there.
I was aware I was receiving strange looks off the public who more than likely had seen me fall a hundred feet out of the window then get up as if nothing had happened.
I glanced around at the small crowd that had gathered by the entrance of the hotel steps and shrugged.
‘I was, um…practicing a stunt.’
‘Come on…’
Blaze yelled at me and began frantically pointing to the back doors. As I ran towards the back of the van, it became apparent to me that April was holding the doors open for me.
‘What happened to you? I was told you didn't have the Ankh,’ she shouted.
‘April?’ I threw my arms around her petite frame and held her tightly against my body. I was in love with her but could not say it.
I only hoped she felt the same way.
‘What happened to you? I thought you were a goner,’ Stride yelled from the front seat.
‘How long did I disappear for?’ I asked
‘Disappear?’
‘Yes, I did didn't I?’
Blaze looked at me through the rear view mirror and shook his head.
‘Jeez, Jyrki you gave me a fucking scare man, when I saw you fall from that window, I thought you would've turned to dust or something. You didn't have the Ankh when you went in there did you. So what the hell happened?’
‘You mean to say I didn't go anywhere? I just landed on the pavement?’
‘Yeah! Why, what happened?’
‘I went to Egypt.’
‘What? What the fuck are you talking about?’ Stride shrieked
‘That could've been possible,’ April quipped, as she almost slipped off the seat.
I reached out to catch her from falling.
‘How do you mean it's possible?’
‘Well, from what I read the Ankh is supposed to hold mysterious energy, so I wouldn't be surprised if what you’re saying is actually true.’
I suddenly noticed Blaze had put his foot down on the gas and we were almost speeding through Times Square.
‘Blaze, why the fuck are we speeding?’
‘Oh you didn't notice that lot trailing behind us?’
I looked out of the window and saw several black cars in pursuit, they must be Jimmy’s people, pissed off with us for thwarting their plans.
‘Where's Draven?’
‘We don't know. He was holding Ryder off from chasing us as we left the building,’ April said.
I did not know what to think, or do.
‘Blaze, when is Halloween?’
‘Tomorrow and we have that gig, I may as well cancel the fucking thing now.’
‘No, don't do that. There has to be another way.’
As we got onto the Brooklyn Bridge, bullets were now pounding the van.
I shielded April the best I could, as Blaze kept a steady hand on the steering wheel.
‘Fucckkk! My fucking van, I hope the government is going to compensate me for saving the fucking world,’ he raged.
Stride took his rifle from the dashboard and wound down the window.
‘Take this ya fucking bastards!’ he yelled.
April rested her head onto my chest. I felt her body quiver with fright.
‘It's going to be okay.’ I whispered.
‘Where are we going? The police will be all over us and… and Ryder will find us...’ she sobbed.
‘Shhh! You're safe with me.’
I saw Blaze at the corner of my eye, watching me from the mirror. He must have caught onto my gaze, and gave me a reassuring wink.
Stride unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the van door. We were still going about eighty miles an hour, and heading towards the end of the bridge.
&
nbsp; ‘I'll fucking stop 'em!’ he yelled.
He held onto the back of his seat and with the other hand fired a few shots at the car that was unnervingly close.
The other motorists swerved away at the sight of Stride and the gun.
‘Got his fucking tyres.’
I heard the sound of a crash from outside the van, and the sound of vehicles slamming on their brakes, the sound of horns blaring.
“That should slow them down awhile,” Stride said, as he pulled himself back inside.
‘So, now where are we headed to?’ I asked.
‘We'll go to my mate’s recording studio in Manhattan, he’s away right now,’ Blaze said. ‘It's the only place I can think of.’
We lost ourselves in the streets, making sure we had lost any tails before heading for the studio.
Thirty minutes later, Blaze slammed his foot on the break
‘We're here! He hasn’t exactly finished the inside yet, but, what the fuck am I on about...who cares.’
‘No cops?’ Stride asked before he would open the door.
I looked out of the back window of the van.
‘No, we’ve lost them.’
‘I'll park it out of sight then, here’s the key, I’ll see you in a minute.’
I lifted April off the floor and helped her out of the van. She still looked shaken up from her ordeal. Her hair, which had always been pulled back into a ponytail, was now down and draped over her shoulders.
For the first time in a while, I noticed she didn't have her glasses on and I was able to see her beautiful heart shaped face. I ran my eyes over her delicate, feminine features. Her stunning green eyes and her small, slightly turned up nose made me smile; as I did, I noticed her cheeks began to glow.
I wondered to myself what it would be like to live as a human and do normal human things, like have relationships. Then I snapped out of my daydream to the sound of Stride calling me into the studio.
‘C'mon, c'mon, get in here before anyone sees ya.’
‘I'll be there in a second. April…’ I called as she began walking through the door.
‘What is it?’ she said, still sounding a little pissed off from her ordeal.
‘I, er just wanted to say...’ Then, I was rudely interrupted by Blaze, again.
‘You can't be standing around when you're on the run, get the fuck in there!’
Blaze ushered me through the door. He gripped my arm and pulled me back into the small reception area.
‘Listen, I don't think she knows you're a...well, you know that you're different. I'm not completely stupid, I know you have feelings for her, but now isn't the right time.’
I could not very well argue with him, he knew April best, and all I wanted was for her to be happy. I gave Blaze a friendly pat on the shoulder and nodded.
He could see that I was in love with his sister.
‘Hey,’ he smiled. ‘You'd make a great couple though; just get this business sorted out first ok.’
I was happy to oblige.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
‘Here, take this and drink it in there, I don't want April seeing anything...’ Blaze whispered, handing me sachet of blood.
‘You're getting brave aren't you?’ I laughed.
‘Well, what's the point in living in denial? I have a vampire for a friend; I suppose they don't come any cooler than that.’
I smiled, and gratefully took the sachet out of his hand.
‘There's a toilet just down the hallway, get it down you because I don't want you changing. It freaks me out if truth be known.’
‘Thanks, and er, thanks for being so understanding...’
‘Yeah, yeah yeah, it's cool mate. I'd better go and see what Stride is up to, hope he's not fucking about with the equipment. The guy is completely off it...did you see how he stood firing out the door?’
‘Yeah, I sometimes wonder if he’s all there too.’
‘So, we'll figure out what we're going to do in a bit. I guess we're all in this together now huh?’
‘You have no idea how good it feels to hear that...seriously.’
We walked out of the reception area, and down the long corridor. Blaze pointed out the toilets to the left, and walked into the studio.
Bitterly, I threw the sachet of blood into the sink and looked at my reflection in the mirror. This was the first chance I had on which to reflect on what had happened in Egypt.
I ran my hand down my long, chiselled face, that was merely a shadow of my former self, and stared long and hard into my ice blue eyes.
Eyes, which seemed to be weighed down with all that I had seen in my life. The hunger was calling, but I was reeling with hate and anger towards it. I began to shiver, and the overwhelming feeling of despair washed over me. I crossed my arms over my chest for some self-comfort, but the next thing I knew my rage reached to a point where I just could not take it anymore.
‘Damnit,’ I yelled, throwing the sachet of blood at the mirror.
Not giving any thought to the consequences, I raised my fist, and punched out quite forcefully, at the mirror.
It was as if everything was now playing out in slow motion from this point on.
I sank to the floor, weeping in bitter desperation for a miracle. My hand began to ache. Unfortunately, this was the human side of me showing.
How intriguing that pain was my only connection to being mortal.
I looked at my fist.
It was completely gashed.
I pulled out some of the protruding glass that embedded itself into my knuckles and flicked them to one side. I just did not want to drink the blood anymore.
‘Jyrki!? Are you okay. Oh, fuck! What’s happened?’ Blaze said as he burst through the door, Stride to his rear.
I looked up at Blaze and Stride.
Inside I was screaming for their help.
My lips began to quiver, as I felt the tingling sensation of the fangs breaking through the gum.
‘I can't drink this shit anymore...I want to be normal. I want to be like you, to walk in the sun and never have to worry about turning to dust. I want someone to love me for me and not have people walk past me in the street with fear,’ I said, shaking like an addict needing another fix.
Stride knelt down beside me and shook his head in a pitiful way.
‘You best drink it right now, and then we can talk about what happened in Egypt ok? I'm sure Draven is out there safe, and he wouldn't want to see you like this.’
‘What’s going on?’
‘April get the hell outta here!’
Blaze tried to push April out of the door, but she was trying to fight her way back in.
‘What’s happened? Blaze let me through the fucking door alright,’ she screamed.
I could tell by the way the colour had drained from Blaze's face that he was devastated, that she had seen me looking like this.
‘I didn't want you to see him like this sis, I wanted to protect you.’
‘Protect me?’ She said, still looking at me with wide eyes. ‘Why would you need to protect me from him? I knew what he was right from the very first moment I met him.’
Blaze’s face looked as if it was about to crack under pressure.
‘What did you just say, sis?’
I lifted my head up, feeling almost spun out by what I had just heard.
‘Really? You’ve always known that I was a vampire?’
‘Of course I have. The Ankh confirmed it for me. You see, I was the one who uncovered the prophecy...I knew about the Egyptians and the Vampires, but Dr. Matthews had sworn me not to say anything. It was Jimmy who had killed him, because he knew too much. I guess he didn't account for me in that until I went back to the office that afternoon.’
‘Bloody hell...’ Stride muttered. ‘Sorry, no pun intended lad.’
‘Jyrki?’
April's sweet voice calmed me like no other.
‘Drink the blood before you shift, please. Then we can help you.’
S
he handed me the sachet and reluctantly I drank.
‘I'm sorry for this...I don't know what came over me.’
I pulled my sleeve and wiped the excess blood from my mouth, feeling slightly embarrassed by it all.
‘No harm done. Now tell us what happened earlier, when you fell from the window. Where did you go, tell us everything?’ Stride said calmly.
‘It was the oddest thing. All I remember is seeing Ryder push me out of the window and then waking up in a strange, dark, and humid room. But I was different there, I wasn’t a vampire. I was human, with a heartbeat. I can remember the heat being unbearable and feeling very insecure without my vampire strength.’
‘You were human, really?’ April said.
‘Yes. Then I heard footsteps coming towards me. I wanted to get up from the floor but I just didn't have the strength. I felt fear, human fear and I didn’t like it at all. I was expecting the worst, but out of the shadows came an old man, very old, short and clasping a walking stick. He said he knew father and he was expecting me.’
‘Carry on...’ Stride was getting impatient.
‘His name was Mardok. He told me he was an ancient prophet to the Egyptian Gods...’
‘Was an Ancient prophet?’ April asked interestedly.
I nodded.
‘Yes, he was present at the birth of the vampires in Egypt. He was the one who gave my father the Ankh for safekeeping until the time came to return it.’
‘And when does it need returning?’ Blaze asked
‘Mardok wrote the prophecy as he had foresight into the future, he saw Ryder and Jimmy, who, I'm sorry to say this Stride, just happens to be Jafar, an Ancient member of the Secret Order, an understudy to Mardok.’
‘You’re fucking joking...’ Stride gasped.
‘The Ankh will be returned as soon as I get rid of Ryder, by Halloween.’
‘That's less than 24 hours away...how are you going to manage that?’ Blaze asked.