by Bell Stoires
“What’s with the bag?” asked Clyde.
Cambridge ignored him, not even looking up at the sound of his voice.
“Cambridge, where are you going?” asked Ragon, and Ari remembered that Cambridge must still be furious with Clyde for saving his life.
Cambridge considered Ragon and said, “There is nothing left for me here.”
Ari had expected Sandra to protest at these words but she did not. Instead she watched as Cambridge opened the front door.
“But you are a member of the coven,” said Thomas. “The Elders will expect your presence.”
Cambridge shrugged, clearly he no longer considered himself part of Ragon’s coven, nor did he care what the Elders expected of him.
“Cambridge,” Ragon said, recalling his attention.
Reluctantly Cambridge turned around. His face was lined, causing deep creases in his chocolate skin, which had the effect of adding many years to his age. His eyes, though still dark, were empty looking and his posture was contorted, as if just standing caused him pain. For a moment it looked as if Ragon could not think of what to say but then he nodded at Cambridge and blurred over to him, whispering something in his ear so quietly, that no one else could hear it. For a moment Cambridge looked surprised, but then nodded and blurred into the night.
Ari wanted desperately to know what it was that Ragon had told Cambridge, but knew that it was not her place to ask.
“Shall we?” asked Clyde, moving over to the door and holding it open.
“What about me?” Ari asked. “You can’t leave me at some random hotel. In case you have forgotten, but the Ancients are after me, and they have obviously sent someone here to kill me… I am safest while I am with you.”
As she spoke her eyes had rested on Ragon. For a moment he seemed conflicted.
“She comes with us,” he said finally, and though it looked like all the members of the coven wanted to argue, they did not.
It took them a little under an hour to reach the Elder’s residence. When they finally arrived, the large doors to their house were already open, and William raced outside, greeting them.
“Welcome, welcome, come in,” he said, shooing away the man servant who had also been waiting for their arrival.
The coven entered quickly, Ragon and Ari bringing up the rear. Ragon was walking so that Ari was partly hidden behind him, but it was impossible to conceal her completely, and soon Nikolas had joined them and was looking at the group, scanning each and every face carefully.
“You seem to be a few members short,” said Nikolas.
“Cambridge and Sameth left,” Ragon lied, being careful to ensure that the Elders had no reason to suspect Sameth’s death.
“And who do we have here?” said William, moving over to Ari, “your lovely source?”
Ari did not speak but remained still, afraid her fear would betray their guilt.
“And what of Larissa?” asked Nikolas, ignoring Ari.
At these words Sandra tensed, while Ragon cursed under his breath for not mentioning her.
“She was killed,” said Ragon, a low growl escaping him.
At this William and Nikolas looked at each other in surprise.
“I am sorry for your loss,” said William, moving over to Sandra and touching a cold hand to her shoulder.
Sandra nodded in acceptance, but did not appear comforted by William’s gesture.
“Killed by whom?” Nikolas asked, looking sceptically at Ragon.
“Kiara,” Ragon replied.
“And why would she do that?” asked Nikolas.
Ragon shrugged but said, “I don’t know. I went to her estate to confront her about it but it had been burnt down. I am not sure if she survived the flames or not.”
On hearing of Kiara’s possible death, both Elders seemed concerned.
“If she has met the final death then she will be missed. She was a favourite of many, including the Ancients,” said William.
“And it was not you who lit the blaze?” asked Nikolas, his penetrating eyes fixed on Ragon.
Ragon shook his head.
“Dark times indeed,” said William, moving further into the house and directing his guests to follow him. “The last time we spoke, I made mention that we were investigating the mass murders in Brisbane. Do you maintain the statement that you have no knowledge of who it is responsible for these deaths?
Ragon froze and Ari almost ran into him.
“That is correct,” said Ragon, continuing to follow the Elders as they walked past the grand staircase and towards the back of the house.
Though it was clear that the Elders had removed all traces of their lavish Halloween decorations, the house still maintained an eerie gloom. Despite the many man servants who seemed to be cleaning, the house felt dark and cold; the windows were drawn closed and the only light came from a few choicely lit candelabras hanging from the ceiling.
The Elders had directed them into a large room, which looked as if it might once have been a kitchen. There was no oven or stove top, but unlike the rest of the house, with its wooden floors, this room was tiled and there as a sink and large refrigerator standing off to the side. Ari breathed in and coughed; the unmistaken smell of bleach wafting to her nostrils made her nose crinkle, and she took in small shallow breaths.
Then one of the topless servants walked over to a carefully concealed door and held it open.
“Forgive the mess,” said William, walking through the door and down a set of steep stairs.
Ari followed suit. It wasn’t until William reached out and tugged an old style light switch that she realised they were in the Elder’s basement.
Instantly the room was thrown into light and Ragon, who had been directly behind the Elders, gasped at what he saw. Ari felt Ragon reach for her hand and squeeze it as though in warning. Leaning past his shoulder, she tried to see what had shocked him and then her stomach dropped. The basement was small and dank, with brick walls and crudely placed wooden beams along the roof. The floor was polished concrete but stained. Tied to two of the large beams were thick metallic chains, each binding the hands of Ryder and Patrick, so that the pair hung like marionettes suspended in mid-air. Thick coiled chains wrapped around their feet, anchored to the floor by large bolts. Neither wore shirts, and there were large slash marks across their skin that seemed incapable of healing. For a split second, the scene of Kiara tied up and bleeding flashed at Ari, and she lunged forward, desperate to save Ryder.
“What is the meaning of this?” asked Ragon, holding tight to Ari so that she could not draw attention to herself.
“We are charged with keeping peace,” said William, trying to maintain an air of neutrality.
“Funny, this doesn’t look very peaceful to me,” said Clyde, a crude smile forming across his face.
“Be careful,” Nikolas hissed, “we are above reproach; do not test our hospitality.”
“Why are they being tortured?” asked Thomas, holding his palms outward to the Elders, in a clear sign of submission.
“We are trying to discover who it is that is responsible for the murders that have rocked our otherwise peaceful town,” said Nikolas.
“And why should you be questioning them?” asked Ragon.
“Well, when news came to us that there was a fledgling in town, and that he was made by a member of your coven, and then we heard about your source being attacked, it seemed a natural conclusion to point the finger at young Ryder here. We all know what a hassle controlling the young ones can be,” William said smiling. “Always wanting to go out, unable to control their desires; this wouldn’t be the first time a fledgling has stepped out of line.”
“Those deaths started months before Ryder was turned,” Ragon replied defensively.
“You seem to know a great deal about these deaths,” said Nikolas, his eyes fixed on Ragon.
Ragon did not answer but, letting go of Ari, moved protectively over to Ryder and Patrick, who seemed to be semi-conscious. Their eyes
were closed, but unmistakably sunken.
“You have no claim to hold them,” said Ragon.
“Claim?” growled Nikolas, “You dare to challenge our authority?”
It was then that Sandra moved over to the Elders, gently touching William on the shoulder and saying, “Challenge? By no means, but surely you could not blame these senseless attacks on two immortals that could not have possibly committed these crimes. Would your efforts not be better spent trying to catch the real culprits?”
William seemed to melt under Sandra’s touch and he smiled at her saying, “If what you say is true and they could not have committed the murders, then of course they would be free to go.”
“But how can you prove that Ryder was a mortal when the girls were killed?” asked Nikolas.
“You will not trust our testimony?” Clyde asked rudely, raising an eyebrow.
“We require a witness,” said Nikolas, smiling with snarled fangs.
“What about Ariana?” William asked, turning away from Sandra so that his greedy eyes rested on Ari.
“What about Ari?” Ragon said, moving away from Ryder so that he was back at her side, his fangs now beared.
“She is mortal; we can question her and find out when Ryder was turned,” said William, as Nikolas advanced on her.
“Ryder was made the night of your Halloween Party,” Ari said quickly.
Nikolas laughed but continued to walk towards her, saying, “I am afraid that we will require more than just your word.”
“Ragon, you would be wise to step back; you know that valuing mortal life above an immortal is sacrilege and punishable by the final death law,” William said warningly.
“She is mine,” Ragon replied protectively, while Clyde moved closer to them also.
“And we have allowed you to keep her, but you will not stand in the way of our inquiry,” said Nikolas. “We must be sure. One bite and she will be under our command, and we will be able to question her and be sure that what she says is true.”
“No,” Ragon roared.
But it was too late; before he or Clyde could so much as move, Nikolas was at her side, taking her hand almost lovingly in his as he bit down. She felt the pricking sensation first; then a sharp pain coursed through her veins. This was not what she had expected and she clenched her teeth, wishing that the numbing sensation that was supposed to be spreading throughout her body, as she had seen many times before, would hurry up and relieve her. But this calming sensation never came and she stood in agony, as one of her eyes went green while the other remained blue. Next to her, Clyde and Thomas were restraining Ragon, his arms lashing out to desperately to try and reach her.
After a moment Nikolas seemed happy that he had taken enough blood. Withdrawing his fangs, he wiped his mouth on his shirt and walked away. At the same time Thomas and Clyde released Ragon, and he raced to Ari, bandaging her wrist tightly with a fragment of his shirt. Ari knew what was coming; Nikolas was about to bind her to his will. She would be forced to answer anything he asked, do whatever he wanted. She was hoping and praying that he would only ask her when Ryder had been made. Any further questions could be very dangerous, not only for her, but also for the rest of the coven.
“Now,” said Nikolas, licking his lips as he concentrated hard on Ari.
Ari stood still, watching him intently. She was waiting for any intrusion into her mind, and then she heard something inside her head, and knew that it was Nikolas:
When did Ryder become a vampire?
For a moment she considered her answer, “Just after the Halloween Party,” she said.
Nikolas looked a little disappointed but moved closer to Ari:
And who was it that attacked you my dear?
Ariana had been waiting for this and her eyes, one still coloured green, glanced nervously over to Ragon and Clyde, who both looked worried. For a few moments she hesitated, certain that her body would betray her and answer Nikolas truthfully.
When she knew that she could no longer remain quiet, she looked up at Nikolas and said, “I don’t know. I never saw their face.”
The confusion that plastered her face was mirrored by Clyde and Ragon, and indeed the rest of the coven. At her answer Nikolas had blinked a few times, clearly disappointed, but he did not argue. Instead he walked over to the chains, from which Patrick and Ryder hung, and slashed at them, causing both men to fall heavily to the ground, as the metallic binds cluttered next to them.
“Bronson!” roared William.
Instantly a young man, no older than seventeen, raced down the stairs and moved over to William and bowed.
“You will offer yourself to these guests,” said William, indicating the frail bodies of Patrick and Ryder, who were now crumpled on the floor. “They may need your help to encourage them.”
Bronson moved over to Ryder first, sitting himself on the floor next to him and cradling Ryder’s heavy body into his arms. He held Ryder’s head lovingly and directed his mouth towards his wrist. As soon as Ryder heard the gently whoosh of blood from within its artery, he struck. The smell of blood seemed to awaken Patrick, who crawled over to Bronson also and clamped two fangs into his thigh, drinking hungrily from his femoral artery. Ari looked away instantly, unable to watch.
“Well Ryder and Patrick,” said William, as soon as they had drunk their fill, “we seem to have been mistaken. You may go.”
The coven and Ari left quickly after that; Thomas helping Patrick while Clyde supported Ryder. The Elders waved them farewell from the front entrance as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred at all. As soon as they were back on the road, Ragon turned around in his seat to face Ari, a look of absolute confusion plastered on his face. Looking around, Ari realised that it was not just Ragon who was looking at her in such a way. Sandra and Thomas were eyeing her apprehensively and Clyde, who was in the driver’s seat, was watching her with narrowed eyes from the rear view mirror.
“What?” she asked.
“How did you do that?” said Ragon.
“You mean lie to Nikolas?” she asked, looking around. “I didn’t really do anything. When he asked me who attacked me… I just lied.”
“But you shouldn’t have been able to,” said Clyde.
Ari knew that; she had seen the other mortals become mindless slaves after they had been bitten, but there was nothing commanding about Nikolas before or after he had bitten her. True, she was terrified of him and she was fearful for her friend’s lives, but he had no control over her.
“I am sure there are plenty of mortals who can resist a vampire lull,” Ari said thoughtfully, but Clyde shook his head quickly.
“No, there aren’t. When vampire toxin gets into the blood, it paralyses the neurons, giving the owner of the toxin control over its victim for as long as the poison remains in the system,” said Clyde. “When the toxin spreads throughout the nervous system, the victim had no choice but to submit. Only fledglings are incapable of doing this, but an Elder like Nikolas would be able to command any mortal he chooses.”
“But Ragon told me that he could control me after he bit me,” said Ari, recalling how Ragon had attacked her when he had been dying.
Ragon was shaking his head slowly, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. “No. I never tried to control you, so I don’t know if I would have been able to or not.”
“So what does that mean?” asked Ari.
“Well for one thing, I think we can add resist vampire toxin to your expanding credentials,” said Ragon.
“And we have another reason why the Ancients would want you dead,” said Clyde.
“What, why?” asked Ari.
“The only reason that vamps are allowed to have humans as sources and not kill them afterwards, is because we can command them at any point to forget everything, or to do whatever we want. If anyone knew that there was a mortal who was able to resist our lull, then that could be very dangerous for vampires,” said Clyde.
The silence in the car seemed to
stretch on forever.
Finally Clyde broke it by asking, “Where am I driving to?”
Ragon, who was deep in thought next to him in the front seat, suddenly reached for his phone and dialled a number quickly.
“Hi Bert, can we be ready to leave tonight?” Ragon said into the phone, and then waited for a reply. “Excellent; shall we say one hour? I know its short notice; don’t worry… you will be compensated.”
Everyone in the car was watching Ragon when he replaced his phone in his pocket.
“What the hell was that all about?” asked Clyde, unable to hide his curiosity.
“I think Ari was right,” said Ragon. “We need to find out what it is about her that is making her a target, and I think we should start by going to the UK and tracing her lineage. Everyone is welcome, but I will understand if you decide not to come. I have asked much of everyone here already, and it is clear that Ari is capable of looking after herself.”
“Count me in,” said Clyde, not bothering to consider Ragon’s words as he nodded enthusiastically, “I was getting sick of all this sunshine; it’s making me miserable.”
Slowly everyone in the car nodded also and Ari sat back against the chair, her heart a little lighter; she was going to find out who she was.
Epilogue
When they were home, Ragon rounded on Ari.
“Ari my love,” he said, and Ari looked up to see Crystal in his arms. She was asleep- her large jowls sprawled over Ragon’s muscular arms as she snored loudly. “We can’t bring her with us. There is no place for a dog in our life right now and I know how much it would hurt you if anything happened to her.”
Ari tried not to think as she cried. Perhaps sensing her pain, Crystal’s ears pricked up and Ari reached for her, placing her into her lap as she traced a finger from her forehead to her nose, so that a small line formed in her fur.
“I’m sorry,” said Ragon. “I can pay for her to be looked after at a kennel,” he began, but Ari shook her head.