Empire of Blood [Box Set]

by Robert S. Wilson

  She backed over to the door and tried the knob. Locked. Shit. She wasn't exactly a goddamn locksmith or anything. Now what?

  Her eyes slid over to the window. Maybe...?

  She eased back over to the square outer frame and felt for the middle of the window. When it was in her hand, she gently pushed upward to test its resistance.

  It didn't budge but she kept on pushing, easing in more force with time. There was an odd sort of creaking sound from the frame of the window and it began to move upward slowly with a growing aching whine. She stopped pushing, waiting for someone to notice.

  Silence closed in on her, took her breath away.

  She grabbed for the base of the window again and continued where she left off, only letting her body push into it more quickly. If it were going to be noisy, might as well get it over with sooner rather than later. About a foot and a half of an opening later and the shower water stopped to a grinding halt.

  Quick thumps and fumbling thudded dully from behind the bathroom door. There was an urgency to it. A quickness.

  Alex was just about to turn around and start race walking for the stairs when Jesse's bathroom door opened and after he fanned the steam rolling up and out of the room to unobstruct his vision, their eyes met. Alexandria's heart thudded to an indiscernible tempo. After a moment of confusion, Jesse's eyes lit up with recognition and a smile reached his lips then faded.

  He let his towel fall to the floor, his fully erect penis aiming for the sky like some awkward Nazi salute from down below. Alex backed away from the window, trying to remember how to move her legs so that they would take her away from this place.

  Jesse Murdoch simply grinned and, with one hand holding on to his hardened extremity and the other brushing against the outside of his hip, he started forward for the door of the apartment.

  ***

  Rosadelma watched as Simon rushed out of the Queen's quarters. Something was up and she was damn well not going to be left in the dark. She jumped to her feet and ran after him in one fluid motion. When she caught up she grabbed hold of his shoulder. He turned in mid stride, almost lashing out at her.

  "Don't touch me."

  "What's going on, Simon?"

  He flashed a quick glance at her as she struggled to keep at his side. "I have to go."

  "Where?"

  "The old city... Necropolis. The Emperor has moved his vampires there and Jackie..." He stopped for a moment, overwhelmed by the words on the tip of his tongue.

  Vampires... Rosa put her hand on Simon's back and awkwardly worked to comfort him. Without warning he stood back up and broke into a run again. In less than a second she was by his side. "I'm going with you."

  "No. I have to go alone. It's too dangerous."

  "I don't care how dangerous it is. I have to go."

  Before Simon could take another step she grabbed hold of his collar nearly sending him into the wall beside him. A look of complete surprise took over his face.

  "See... I'm stronger than you think." She sighed. "They killed her, Simon. They killed Shanene."

  Recognition took over his expression and he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.

  "They killed her and now I've got nothing. I'm going with you. I don’t care what the risk is. I don't care if I die. I'm going."

  Simon nodded meekly. "All right, all right. You can go. But let me make this absolutely clear."

  She straightened up and crossed her arms across her chest.

  "We're not getting out of there alive."

  Rosa nodded halfheartedly. This wasn't a game anymore. Either she was all in or it was time to fold and go home. That last split second of Shanene's life played in her mind again and she stiffened. "I'm ready when you are."

  Chapter 29

  What Could Possibly Be There

  "Hey, fuckers." Jackie’s words echoed off nearby houses toward the three vampires scraping away at the roof of Frank's car. The pale skin of their ancient faces contrasted with the glowing heat of their snake-like eyes as the vampires raised their heads to find the source of her voice. They hissed in unison then began to creep forward, half floating, and half crawling along the windshield and then the hood of the car. The sight of their eyes and the knowledge of what they had done to her sister, her father, and her mother filled her with a rage beyond anything she had ever known. She lunged forward breaking into a full on sprint. All around the street debris and random items floated up from the ground in chaotic motions. A high pitched cry erupted from one of the vampires and they leapt for her. But she was ready. She ripped into the middle one's throat in a flash of movement that sent its head careening from its body, the two falling flat to the ground.

  The vampire flanking to the right grabbed hold of her arms and pulled them behind her as the other one lunged for her neck. She kicked at it, but between the one holding her and the quick pressure of the other's teeth in her collar bone, her leg barely made much of an impression. Dizziness washed over her and she fought with every thought in her mind to keep it from drowning her. She screamed with the fury of so many years of helplessness, both human and vampire, and her anger erupted into that other sense reaching out from her all around.

  There was a thump and the clenching teeth grabbing hold of her released. The creature's scream quickly silenced as the chunk of concrete came down on its head, sending a spray of ancient blood in every direction. She fell backwards, barely catching herself with one arm and leaping up to her feet to find the vampire soaring through the air, scrambling to escape.

  The next few minutes happened so fast, Jackie almost didn't feel the passing of time as she ran harder than she ever had before. The motherfucker would die. She would catch it and it would pay for what they had done to her family.

  Frank's voice called out weakly behind her, "Jackie! Wait..." She didn't listen. Her focus was too strong on the vampire ahead of her cutting through the air like the sharp point of an airplane. Her legs were moving at full speed. Miles went by like seconds and an hour passed in windy desperation. Still the creature kept its lead on her, floating along as a pale dot in the sky. Before she realized what she was seeing, an entire city of lights rose out of the desert before her. The vampire she had been following joined hordes of others flying through the air and floating over the apocalyptic city before her. Half lit, half torn asunder, the city that had once been called Las Vegas seemed to pulse with life if that's what you would call it. Given the fact that every being propelled by that life was neither truly living or dead.

  Blood-soaked and half deteriorated, she saw that familiar once-garish sign she thought she'd never lay eyes on again.

  WELCOME TO FABULOUS

  NECROPOLIS, NEVADA

  ***

  "Put all urban tactical teams on alert immediately." Hank listened into the receiver for a long moment before responding. "Yes, anything that even remotely seems like it could be used to build a bomb. Especially in military installations and Imperial police bunkers and the like." He nodded. "That's right. Good. Just make sure every faction gets the message. We don't likely have much time to find this thing."

  He hung up the cell phone and sat there, sweating and shaking. The image of his son still burned in emerald green behind his eyelids. He tried not to let the emotions the vision sparked in him take too much control. But it was impossible not to feel what he undoubtedly couldn't help but feel. He fought the tears back with everything he had until that rage, that fury, filled the inside of his heart and took over. A scream erupted from him in a chaotic whining crescendo. His head pounded with the depth of it.

  He reached out then to the Queen. He had cut off his connection with her for so long that at first it was hard to revive it, but when he did, her voice was instantly in his head.

  Young one?

  You knew, didn't you? You knew what the Emperor would do and now thousands... hundreds of thousands of lives are going to be snuffed out...

  I know, but I have not known long. You are right to hold me in
contempt but not for the actions of Joseph Caesar.

  Hank didn't understand what she was talking about. And it didn't seem that she was planning on clarifying her words.

  If what I saw was true, I won't be able to stop him.

  Maybe... I still see so many different possible outcomes. You must hold course and try. If you give up there will be only one scenario in which Caesar can fail.

  Hank let her words wash over him for a moment. She was right. There was always more scenarios than he could see. Than even the Queen could see. She had been using this power for thousands of years, he not even one... Surely she could see so much more than he could.

  What about Toby? I saw him in my vision. Why did I see him in my vision?

  Young one, these visions aren't insusceptible to the emotions of the seer. You must learn to separate what's real from what your heart implants into your foresight.

  But, I saw him. It was real. I know it was real and... He fought back the tears screaming to flood out from him. It isn't the first time I've seen him. Surely, he's alive somehow. Somewhere...

  No, my child. His existence came to an end. You have much to learn about the foresight within you. These visions are not a light to see in the darkness but more like a hand reaching out and feeling for what could possibly be there. Any sense of benevolence or malevolence it may seem to have we have created ourselves by allotting its power with too much of our trust.

  Everything was so confusing now. Hank wanted so badly for the visions of Toby to be real. He knew deep down that he couldn't trust the visions, but this one time he wanted nothing more. His heart told him they had shown him truth. But his mind couldn't compute just how that truth could actually be.

  With more time you could learn to discern the different angles at which the clock can turn. But you do not have that time. Do not trust what you see as the only way. She paused for a moment, letting her words hang in his mind. Remember. I have brought you this far from what I have learned through centuries of trial and error and broken hopes. Keep your focus where it belongs now; find Joseph Caesar.

  And what if I fail? You said there was only one other way he could be stopped. What haven't you told me?

  A long silence stretched out in response and Hank was sure she had ended the connection, would never answer him.

  Without a word from the Queen, images began to flash through Hank's mind, some future place and time void of his being. A woman about his height with short cropped brown hair, familiar facial features, and crimson shining eyes stood waiting in the black of night over the sleeping body of Joseph Caesar, her extended fangs reflecting some far away fluorescent glow.

  ***

  "Is the plane ready?"

  "Yes, sir, just remember, it's very unlikely that when you show up on Imperial radar they'll just ignore it. There's a reason we haven't used the small number of planes we have yet."

  Simon nodded and, with Rosadelma just behind him, he started up the steps to the small private jet. Jackie was worth the risk. He made his way toward the cabin, letting his hands brush against the leather seats as he went. It had been decades since he'd piloted a plane, but he was confident he could handle it just fine. There just wasn't any other way to get to her in time. Behind him, Rosadelma was quiet. More quiet than he was used to.

  He sat down in the pilot seat, put on his headset, and buckled his seat belt. Rosadelma slid into the co-pilot seat, did the same, and then looked over at him.

  “All right, Captain, my Captain, now what?”

  “Now, we fly.”

  He started the engine then went through the motions of checking every instrument and dial for any peculiarities or issues he might encounter. When he was satisfied with the expectation that the plane wouldn't explode upon lift off, he eased into the throttle, feeling the power of the large machine obey his solitary hand. It wasn't quite as thrilling as it had once been. Of course, that was at least partially because he was a different man now.

  No longer did he lust for power or some fictitious holy glory. But it was also the power he had experienced since as a vampire. It paled so many human illusions of grandeur in comparison. He thought of Jackie's family and the pain she must have been going through right at that moment and his grip on the throttle tightened as the nose of the plane began to rise. I'm coming, Jackie. Hold on.

  ***

  The tension and doubt were building in Jonny to a near pinnacle. He was certain now that this plan wouldn’t work. Certain in every bone of his body. It was only a matter of time before he would have to act on that certainty. The hope, the vague chance that Hank could possibly do what he had promised was the only thing keeping Jonny from pulling the plug on his end of this whole deal. Now it was a matter of deciding just how much longer he could hold on.

  The sudden transmission of that unnatural internal voice nearly sent Jonny careening off the highway.

  ***

  It had been probably one of the hardest things Jackie had ever done but she had no choice. When it quickly became obvious to her just how many vampires she was up against, she turned and ran the opposite direction, making her way back to Frank. The vampire she had let slip away would surely tell others and before long they would come. And neither she nor Frank would survive. Unless... She quickened her pace then. Minutes passed by the dozen in timeless flashes. Eventually, the blur of Frank's car came into view and she eased down to a human jog. He waited there in his car, still frozen with fear. She couldn't blame him. She had once been in almost too similar of a position herself. Those images still haunted her from time to time. But now they would only foreshadow what would come if they didn't act fast.

  When her body nearly smacked into the driver side door of the old Lincoln, she immediately wrapped against the glass with the palm of her hand. "Frank, let me in, we have to go now. I'll drive!"

  Frank seemed to shake off whatever fantasy world he had allowed himself to get swallowed up in and unlocked the door then, with some difficulty, scooted over to the passenger seat. Jackie pushed her way inside the car and turned the key, igniting the Lincoln's engine into life. She stomped down on the gas pedal and it roared in response. With a quick glance behind her, she shifted the car in gear and they took off, leaving a cloud of dust and dirt in their wake.

  ***

  It was rising like electricity. Bellona could feel it stretching out from her—from his—body. He was her antenna and she was his receiver. She'd thought he was useless to her. He'd managed so well so far to keep her at bay but now he was completely in the dark. Now Bellona could wake up from her slumber quite properly. It took more effort than she would have liked to have admitted, but she was finally able to get the enemy vampire's fingers to wiggle just barely. She sighed internally. To her surprise, Ishan's voice let out a soft puff of air. So she tried, slowly at first, to speak. It came out in mostly whispered gibberish, but it was something. Something she could practice even.

  She tried gently moving Ishan’s wrists. They shook rigidly, but they were moving nonetheless. The nerves in Ishan's face involuntarily twitched as his mouth tried to curve up in response to Bellona's unintended attempt to smile. In slurred speech from Ishan's lips she said, "She will pay, Simon.

  "She will pay and so will you."

  A growl rose up from Ishan's body. She let it crescendo until it echoed off of the high cave ceiling. Bodies fluttered and stirred for just a moment then went still. Bellona stopped Ishan's voice at once. She didn't want one of the Queen's children taking notice of what she was doing. Even if it wouldn't realize she was there at all. Instead, she focused all her energy on rising into a sitting position. The male vampire's shoulders began to hover over the crude bed Simon had made for him. It began to raise and so too did the resistance coming from something... Ah, she remembered now. They were restraints. Metal collars on Ishan's neck, wrists, and ankles. Keeps the evil away... She was getting stronger, but she knew she wasn't quite strong enough to be able to break through the metal holding her down.

/>   After exerting as much as she could, she let Ishan's torso gradually lower back toward the ground. No point in stressing the poor bastard's body too much just yet. Besides. Being free and unable to protect yourself isn't exactly worth much. She needed her strength. Otherwise, she wouldn't make it very far. She let her internal voice call out for power. The threads were weak at first, just tiny grains of feeling pressing through the ether and into the hearts and minds of the nearest human beings. It was just a spark at first but she could actually feel it. There was something happening here. Something she never could have dreamed of. She could rise again before too much longer. Ishan's hand tightened into a fist then. His lips smiled. The odd yet familiar sensation of his chest rising and falling in quick succession at first caught her off guard.

  That's when she realized she was actually laughing. Laughing with the deep voice of an ancient male human vampire.

  Sometimes, you just have to go with the flow and things will work out.

  ***

  As lights glazed by below and above, and Rosadelma sat opposite him spacing out, Simon worried about Ishan. It had been so hard all those months without being connected to him, not knowing if he would ever wake up. And then for a brief glimpse, he was back only for them to have to put him back to sleep. It hadn't been fair. And now Simon would likely die and never see him again. Inside his head he prayed to a god he didn't believe existed, hoping that Ishan would wake free and clear of the hold Bellona's blood had taken on him. The realization that that might not ever happen struck him then and for the first time he thought of something else. What if he did wake up and the soul within him was no longer his? What would Bellona do if she could manage to come back to life?