I dropped to the ground, drew my sword and pressed the button. The blade shot out in a long, threatening streak of glowing red and blue. I stepped away from the gate, scanning the dark skies above me and waiting to be attacked. There was no way a bird had made that sound – even a bat would have struggled.
No, these wings were thinner, faster, like the wings of a…
“Oh,” I said, lowering my weapon. “You can come out now, Link.”
Gliding down from a streetlamp on the opposite side of the street, a small, male faery beat his wings and crossed over to me. The look on his face was priceless; cherry-red, wrinkled cheeks below sparkling blue eyes that didn’t know where to look.
“You saw me, huh?” he said in that ridiculously posh British accent.
“Saw? No. I heard you, though. What are you doing here?”
Link slowed to a stop above the gate, and then perched on the black iron with the proud look of an angel. As usual, he wore the shoddy fabric of an action figure, which he quickly covered by folding his arms across his chest. “Keira sent me.”
“Keira Poe, you mean?”
“Do you know any other Keira?”
“I guess not.” I flicked the button on the hilt of my sword, vanquishing the blade once again. Stowing it in my pocket, I studied Link, an obvious grin on my face. “I have to admit, I’m glad to see you. How’ve you been?”
Link shrugged. “Okay, you?”
“Busy. Where’s Keira?”
“If she’s done as I told her, she should be on a beach in Spain by now, sipping Sangria and ogling hot Mediterranean guys with hot bods, but I have the feeling she’s still keeping her ear to the ground for news of the supernatural. It’s why she sent me here, you know.”
“I didn’t realize she was checking up on me.”
“More like making sure you’re okay.”
I sighed. “Well you can tell her you wasted your time. I’m doing just fine.”
“So I see.” Link turned, looking up at the huge, daunting house. “She knows what you’re doing, by the way. With The Ancient.”
“Keira?”
Link nodded.
“How?”
“Like I said, she keeps her ear to the ground. It would almost be irresponsible for her not to stay involved somehow. Last I heard, she’s planning on taking a year out, traveling the world, and then seeing if she can land a bounty hunting job somewhere.”
“How the tables have turned.” It had been a while since I’d done any hunting of my own. For the past few years I’d been tracking demons, taking out legends that most people had probably never heard of, and bringing in killers for trial. All of that had come to an abrupt end last year, when the Demon King Zorin had dicked with my plans.
In the peaceful silence, I couldn’t help but notice an odd feeling that ran through my body. It was like a warning, alarm bells going off in my head. I glanced up and down the street, into the dark recesses of the alleys. It was too quiet.
“Did you come alone?” I asked Link.
“Yep. Why?”
I drew my sword again, dropping into a defensive stance with the sword held by my side, ready to swing it if need be. Something was out there. I could see it now; subtle movements along the rooftops, jumping from one building to another, until they were on the nearest roof to us, peering down as only intimidating silhouettes in the distance.
“Get behind me,” I told Link, but when he landed on my shoulder with his teeth bared, staring up at the roof along with me, I knew I had a friend on my side for once. It made for a pleasant change. “Fine then, don’t. But I hope you’re ready to fight.”
I had barely finished the sentence when the figures leapt from the building, swooping down on us in numbers. There were four of them in total, each one spreading out in a wide arc to attack us from a different angle, and as soon as one glided under the streetlight, I knew what we were up against.
“Vampires,” I said aloud, clutching my sword. “It’s always vampires.”
Chapter Thirteen
Keira once told me that Link was a cowardly faery, but under her influence, he’d grown a pair, and from what I’d seen, he’d morphed into a complete hero. During our battle with the Demon King, he didn’t hesitate to tackle the demon’s summoner, and now, when the vampires descended from the building like spiders climbing down a wall, he was the first to dive into action.
Without so much as a word, Link flew at one of the vampires, swiftly avoiding its angered attempts of swatting him out of the air. The vampire took off then, chasing him around the sky. Even if Link couldn’t find a way to kill it, at least he had left me with one less to deal with for now.
“And then there were three,” I said to myself, swinging the sword.
The vampires locked eyes with me, and we all spent a moment just watching each other, each of us trying to figure out who would be the first to attack. I decided to let them have it, raised the Sword of Lucada, and charged toward them while yelling my most furious war cry. My lungs burned as I screamed, hopefully intimidating my foes. As soon as I reached them, I confused them all by hurling my sword into one of their chests, while leaping into the air and driving my knee into the nose of another.
I was willing to bet they hadn’t encountered a Cardkeeper who’d trained in hand-to-hand combat before. The unbalance must have tripped them up, keeping them frozen for an extra couple of seconds while I twisted the vampire’s arm into a lock, snapping it in one fluid movement. The crunching noise that came with it sounded deadly.
Shoving that enemy to one side, I spun around and spotted my sword on the floor. Beside it, the wounded vampire doubled over, holding at the puncture in its chest. It looked like I had missed its heart by only an inch. Damn, I thought. That will slow me down some.
Before I could make a move to collect my sword, the third vampire leapt out at me, catching me off guard and sending me sprawling across the ground. I tried my best to turn it into a roll and regained my balance. My efforts were rewarded when I came up onto my knee and wrestled the vampire into submission. When I had my arm coiled around its throat, I checked to ensure that its buddies were looking, and then snapped the bastard’s neck.
The two wounded wailed into the air, screeching like banshees as I murdered their friend in front of their dead eyes. The one with the broken arm turned and dived up onto the wall, making its escape. The other – the son of a bitch with the chest wound – quickly followed its comrade, helping it up the wall with encouraging pushes. They scrambled up the rest of the building and disappeared from sight, likely hoping to find somewhere quiet to recover. Vampires had the regen factor, which meant that their flesh and bones would heal. As long as they could survive the night.
I rushed to grab my sword off the floor and then turned my attention to the sky, looking out for a sign of Link. I expected to see him plummet from above me, land on the concrete and whine before saying his final goodbyes. But when he lowered himself gently from the air on flickering wings, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“What the bloody hell did you do to them?” he asked, stopping in the air as he came level with my face. There was a scratch mark through his shirt, but it didn’t seem to have caught the skin. Lucky little thing.
“I think I scared them off.”
“You think? The one chasing me just turned and fled.”
“Not unlike its amigos.”
Beside us, a gentle sizzling sound emanated from the ground, like frying bacon. We both turned to look, only to find that the vampire – the one whose neck I’d snapped like a twig – was now fizzing down into nothing. Seconds later, there was nothing but a small pile of ash on the ground, swirling around in the cool breeze and being carried out of sight.
Safe now, I pocketed the Sword of Lucada and swept my eyes over the street. For the first time since I’d returned from Harvey’s garage, I saw a couple in their forties, frozen stiff in the distance. They shook visibly even from my vantage point, frigidly stumbling back after hav
ing witnessed the vampire attack. This one was sure to go into the town’s history books. That, or the couple would be labeled as crazy and sent away somewhere. Poor bastards.
Link, shaking lightly but trying not to let it show, floated across the air and landed on my shoulder. I’d seen him do this to Keira on more than a few occasions, and I can see why she liked it. I liked being assured of his safety, but better yet, I actually felt safer having him around. He was like my own personal little parrot.
“Comfy there?” I asked.
“Very.”
“Okay. As long as you don’t fart.”
I made my way back to the black iron gate of the house, allowing my heart to slow down after our fight with the vampires. I clutched a bar, rolling my head to one side and studying the windows on the second floor. Something wasn’t right. Something had changed.
“Was that light on before?” I said to Link.
Quickly, as though he had anticipated my question, he shook his head. “No.”
“Then somebody’s home. You coming?”
“You don’t think I came all this way to just watch, did you?”
I snickered softly. “Maybe not, but I’m sure Keira doesn’t approve of you throwing yourself into harm’s way like this. Does she know exactly what you’re up to?”
“She knows enough.”
“Ah, but did she specifically say, ‘don’t you go getting into any fights,’ and then send you on your way? Or did she just ask you to follow me from afar and make sure I’m doing the right thing?”
Link scratched his nose, his hand still quivering and his eyes trained on the house. “Funny enough, she didn’t mention getting into danger at all. I think she knows better than to boss me around now that she’s no longer a Cardkeeper.” He sighed. “I do miss having her take care of me though. She’s like my big sister – my very big sister.”
I watched the house, only half-listening while I wondered what horrors awaited us. Assuming that The Ancient really waited up there, would it be alone? After being attacked by the four vampires, I had to question whether they were trying to protect the master. Edgar George sure as hell hadn’t sent them – he seemed to want The Ancient dead. And who could blame him? It was his shot at a normal life.
“Are you even listening?” Link said grumpily.
“What? Oh, yeah. Big sister.” I took a deep, nervous breath and blew it out, the hot air steaming into the space in front of me. “If you miss her so much, why don’t you go back to her? I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to have you back.”
“And leave you to the big fight all by yourself?”
I shrugged. “Well… yeah.”
“Hehe. Not gonna happen, old boy.”
“Then how about this: you come in and watch my back while I do what I have to do. After that, you fly on back to Keira and let her know that everything is fine and dandy. You can tell her then, about how I succeeded in ending the vampire curse.” I grinned. “It will make me look good, you know?”
Link huffed. “If you’re trying to tell me you have interest in Keira, you’re out of luck. She only has eyes for one man, and he’s no longer with us. But… yes, you have yourself a deal. In and out, then I leave.”
“I mean it – you have to go as soon as we’re done,” I said, deflecting the comment about Keira. Sure, the girl was pretty, so wasn’t it just in a man’s nature to try to impress her? I don’t think that I really had any kind of feelings toward her in one way or the other, only that I missed her having my back. At least that was the line I was currently selling myself.
“Yeah, yeah.” Link spread his wings and took off from my shoulder. “We doing this or not?”
I laughed under my breath. How did someone so small have such deep wells of confidence? Even my own hand trembled as I reached into the pocket for my sword, pressing on the button and shooting the blade out with a fiery edge. “Yeah, let’s go kill this thing. Then the whole world will be a better place.”
Chapter Fourteen
The Sword of Lucada took care of the front door with no issues – I slid the blade between the two large doors and busted the lock, and then they both creaked open slowly to reveal a dark, dusty hallway where cobwebs dominated every surface.
“I’m not sure I like this,” Link whispered.
I silently agreed, taking one slow, steady step inside the house. I kept my grip firmly around the hilt of my sword, walking carefully while spinning around, being sure to keep an eye on each and every angle of the room. There was someone in the house – I could feel it – and if it was really The Ancient then I had to be on high alert.
When I reached the base of the stairs, I craned my neck and peered toward the top, where only a thin ray of moonlight streamed through the dust-covered window, causing strange shadows to dance across the walls. I began my ascent, the weight of my body causing creaks on every step until I was halfway up the stairs, where I froze.
“What is it?” Link said.
I waved a hand to silence him, focusing my hearing on that one soft, chilling sound. I heard singing; a woman’s smooth, angelic voice. I didn’t recognize the tune, but who cared? It was hypnotic, drawing me into a trance, seeping into my soul where it gently lured me toward it. “That voice…”
“What voice?”
“You don’t hear it? It’s…” I continued my ascent, hurrying slightly now as I made my way toward the singing that soothed every inch of my trembling body.
Link fluttered to my side, gripping the shoulder of my coat in a tiny, clenched fist. “I don’t hear anything, Jack. Look, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Let’s head back to the Vault. We can speak with Dalton, gather an army and–”
“Quiet,” I barked, nudging him to one side.
I reached the top of the stairs, where a long corridor awaited me on either side. I followed the one to my right, where the singing still echoed gently through the house, repeating softly off the walls. There was a door at the end, slightly ajar with light flooding through from inside. My gaze fixed on this, my attention stolen by the gentle rhythm of the woman’s voice, I trod carefully toward it, stopping at the door where it suddenly occurred to me that I was no longer nervous about The Ancient – I only cared about the voice.
“Don’t go in there,” Link said in a hushed whisper.
I paid him no mind, wrapping my hand around the knob and entering anyway.
The first thing I saw was the double bed, perfectly made with teddy bears propped up against the pillows. They all stared at me with expectancy, their tiny black eyes glowing like coals as their heads turned to face me. I went inside, their heads rotating as I explored the room. More of the décor revealed itself as I peered my head around the corner, following the singing still. It was louder here, and I was so close to it – so close to the safety of its beacon. It was calling to me like a siren, the singing growing louder still, yet somehow remaining gentle. When the entirety of the room came into view, I saw the songstress sitting on a stool in front of a dresser, brushing her long, dark hair while staring at me from the mirror.
Something inside me shook with unease, but somehow, I couldn’t leave.
I knew the songstress.
“Keira?” I turned back toward the door, only to find that it had shut behind me. Had Link done that? Had I? It didn’t matter. I was with the voice now, and I was safe with Keira Poe and her entrancing melody. Lilting. Soothing. Nothing was missing from my life now.
Keira stopped singing, slowly placing the brush on the dresser before rising to her feet. She stood before me there, dressed in a white nightgown that reached her knees. It was see-through, the swells of her breasts easily discernable, her soft skin riding down the perfect curves of her slender body, where her naval sat on a flat stomach. I felt myself stiffen at the very sight of her, but something told me that was okay. The way her eyes held mine, like a life-long lover, assured me that I didn’t need anything else.
“Have you come to save me, Jack?”
I glanced
back at the door. Still shut.
“Do you need saving?” I asked.
“Oh, yes. That was why I sang to you. I sang to you and you came for me.” Keira took a step forward, her longing gaze unchanging. “You came for me, didn’t you? You came to make love to me, and then to take me far away from this place. You’re my hero, Jack Hannigan. Now, come to me. Take me. Make me yours.”
My blood surged through my veins, my manhood throbbing and my heart beating like a drum. A tiny voice pestered the back of my head, small but angry. It told me that this wasn’t the real Keira Poe. But there was another voice, too, this one questioning whether I should pass up an opportunity like this. It was strange – five minutes ago I didn’t even know I wanted Keira. Now, it was all I could think about. Yearning had consumed my body and pierced my soul.
“Come,” she said again, reaching out her hand.
The rest of the room blurred, my undivided attention focused on Keira. My eyes fell to her hand, that soft skin waiting for me to take it. I reached out slowly, hesitating, feeling somehow like this could all be one cruel trick. That voice in the back of my head assured me it was, but wasn’t that the point? Wasn’t that the reason for having a conscience?
I raised my hand, my fingertips close to hers. As they met, I felt warmth flood through my body. Keira’s expression changed from one of lust, her desperate, wanting frown slowly contorting into one of devilish accomplishment. Those beautiful eyes of hers turned to glowing red rocks, and her bright, captivating smile turned darker as her teeth extended into fangs. Her red tongue became black and foul, and caused a gut-wrenching stench. The room around me began to violently shake, pictures falling from the walls and cracking on the floor. I fought to stay upright, and as I studied Keira’s face – which was no longer her own – I realized she laughed in a deep, demon-like voice. The hairs stood up on the nape of my neck, and I knew I had seriously fucked up.
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