by R D Martin
"Saving my life? You're going to get us killed! Can't you hear them?"
"What are you—" But she could hear something. It wasn't loud yet, but it still carried over the crackle of flame and the pounding of her heart. It was like hearing a pack of wolves, somewhere in the distance, all crying out at once. Each time it happened, it seemed a little closer, but also a little more spread out.
Her eyes widened, and she tried to push Cat off again, this time with a little more luck. The feline leaped from her chest, landing on all fours with his back arched, matted black fur standing on edge. At each sound he heard, he jumped and whirled, facing the direction it came.
"Then let's go. The portal is right there." Why did she have to point out something so obvious?
Cat shook his head but didn't take his eyes off whatever he was looking at. "Don't you listen? I can't come out with you. I have to be here, on this side, to close the door after you. If I don't, they'll come through and we will all die."
Wait? What? He had to close the portal?
"No, that, that's not right. A portal can be closed from either end."
"Not here. I told you magic was different here. Now you have to go. I said go!" His paw whipped out, and for the second time in her life, she felt his claws dig into her.
Bella scrambled to her feet. Her heart thudded in her chest and she shivered where she stood, though whether that was because of her fear for Cat and herself, or from the bone-numbing cold, she wasn't sure. The blue-white light of the portal beckoned, calling to her as the only light in a land of dark, even as the noises in the dark drew closer. As much as she yearned to move, to go to the light and leave this place behind as nothing more than a memory, she didn't want to leave Cat here either. He was family, the only family she had left, and losing him would end her world. Her feet shuffled, moving her forward even as her mind screamed at them to stop.
"Go, please." It wasn't a shout or a demand. Cat wasn't ordering her to step through the portal. This time he was begging, and that's what broke her.
Bella cried out and shot forward, running into the light and throwing herself into her own reflection. Passing through the portal was like stepping through a wall of flame, and it burned every inch of her as she entered. She felt as if someone had dipped her in oil and tossed her on a bonfire, and the only thing saving her from death was the cold already in her bones. The two elements fought, each trying to burn away or smother the other. The battle raged, tearing apart her flesh and muscle, cracking her bones as it pulled her limb from limb.
She opened her mouth to scream, but it was as if her lungs were no longer connected to her body, and no sound came. She was torn apart for an eternity and she descended into chaos. She witnessed the death of one universe and the birth of another. Explosions of color, like out-of-control fireworks, blasted at her from all directions. Time and space lost all meaning, and everything was silence.
Breaking through the portal's exit, she stumbled before hitting a gray stone wall. Cat was right, the soft white and yellow glow of floating light orbs blinded her for a moment. But even if the light hadn't been there, the tears streaming down her face would have been enough to keep her from seeing. Sliding down the rough stone, she fell to a heap on the floor. She'd left him behind. She couldn't stop herself and now he was alone in the darkness, facing creatures she couldn't imagine. She had to move, to go back for him.
Her arms shook as she pushed herself up. Every muscle in her body felt as though she'd just finished the hardest workout of her life, and protested against the movement, but she persisted. Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead as she got to her feet. Turning to stare at the portal, she hesitated. Portals were single-direction gateways from one space to another, and while it was difficult to reverse the flow, it wasn't impossible. But what effect would that have on the other side? Would the magic there stop it? Would it destroy the portal entirely? And what about Cat? Could he be hurt, or maybe lost if she did?
The glowing portal shimmered and fuzzed like a television just out of reception, emitting a high-pitched squeal that disappeared before she could cover her ears, and popped like a soap bubble. For a brief moment, the light in the room dimmed, and she felt her stomach fall with it. The portal was gone, and so was her chance to go back and rescue Cat. Her hand reached out, pawing at the empty air, grasping for something that just wasn't there.
No. No, no, no, no. She couldn't shadow-walk. She couldn't open a portal to that plane. What was she going to do? Cat was stuck there, alone. He could be hurt or dying.
Bella opened herself to magic, wincing as she remembered the oozing feeling of the power that came from the shadow world, and almost breathed a sigh of relief as the warm rush of the power filled her. The tingling energy burned away the grimy coating that covered her insides like a threadbare blanket, leaving her fresh and clean. She wondered for a moment if mixing the two magics like that would have side effects, but she pushed the thought to the back of her mind. Right now she needed save Cat. She didn't know how she would do it, but she would not stop until she did.
Concentrating, she sent her magic out in silvery threads, searching for any sign of the portal. If there was any sign of the fissure between light and darkness, she would find it, and she would rip that fissure open. Her heart pounded. She would find him and bring him home.
"Where are we going now?" It was such a put-upon whine, like a child driven to a candy store only to be told the car was turning around for something else, and she whirled around.
Cat sat on his haunches and stared up at her, a smirk playing across his features while his tail whipped through the air.
She didn't even think as she lunged for her familiar, snatching him from the floor and ignoring his yowl of protest as she hugged him to her chest. He was alive. He was here and safe.
"Watch it. Watch the fur. Do you know how long it takes to get it to lie just right?"
"Don't care." His body muffled her voice, but not enough to mask the hitch in it. "You're safe."
"Of course I'm safe." Cat purred, and the vibrations traveled through her, soothing both her muscles and her soul, though it did nothing for the tears threatening to spill over. "I told you I would be, didn't I?"
She nodded, rubbing more tears into his fur.
"Aww, were you worried about me? You know, maybe next time you should listen when I tell you to do something. We could have been in and out of there without notice if you'd just—"
"Cat?"
"Yes?"
"Shut up."
17
"You're sure he's coming back?" she asked for the sixth time. Not that she didn't believe Cat. If he said the vampire spent more time here than anywhere else, then he did, but the room was so spartan she had a hard time believing anyone used it at all.
Unlike her own quarters, a room only a little larger than a New York City closet, this one was decent-sized and had actual furniture, including a bed, a small dresser, and a standing wardrobe. A search of the place had revealed nothing, though she wasn't sure what she'd been hoping to find. A written note explaining everything, including who the killer was, why she was being set up and how to thwart the conspiracy against her would have been nice. Instead, all she found was half a dozen sets of the same formal outfit, a crayon drawing of a stick-figure family, and enough socks to make her wonder if the vampire had a foot fetish.
"He's coming back. It's his room, isn't it? He's got to sleep sometime."
Bella grimaced. The idea that vampires needed to sleep in a coffin or in a bed of soil was just a myth, but they still needed to sleep. They might be undead, but even their batteries ran down after a while. However, sleep for them wasn't the same as sleep for a human. During their rest periods, they became catatonic, unable to interact with the world around them, just as if they were in a coma. They could still hear, see, and remember everything that happened around them, but they just couldn't move until their batteries recharged.
"But how long, do you think? We can't wa
it here all night. They'll notice I'm gone soon, if they haven't already."
"Are your spells in place?"
"What? Yeah." She'd spent the better part of an hour putting various spell traps in place around the room. She only hoped she'd put enough. If he fought against her spells hard enough, he could rage out, losing control of his human mind as he gave over to the vampire inside. Then nothing could stop him from tearing off her head and bathing in her blood.
"Then relax. He's coming back soon. The smells overlap too regularly. This vampire follows the same schedule like clockwork." Cat licked his paw and ran it over his head and ears. "I'd bet he's back here before I can finish giving myself a bath. What do you say? You win and I'll stop letting mice into the apartment. I win and you take me to Disney."
Bella rolled her eyes. Cat was obsessed with Disneyland in California, insisting an actual mouse ran it. No matter how many times she tried to convince him otherwise, pointing out how obviously the outfit was just a costume, he persisted. But, for the chance he'd stop messing with her wards, she'd take the bet. The worst that could happen was having an upset actor yelling at her familiar. She nodded, and Cat snickered.
Time seemed to move at a glacial pace, and so did Cat's bath. She was sure he was trying to milk extra time out of it. She had opened her mouth to accuse him of it when his ear twitched and he stopped to look at the door. Something was on the other side, making noise as it tried to access the room. She held her breath as she moved beside the door. If she didn't get it closed fast enough, everything could fall to ruin.
A click, the door swung open, and the vampire Charles stepped into the room. There was a moment's pause as the vampire stopped to stare at the black cat sitting on his bed, and that was the only moment Bella needed.
Lowering her shoulder, she rammed into the door. The door jerked and pushed against the vampire, who staggered to the side. It would not have been possible any other time, but catching the vampire by surprise gave her just enough edge to get the job done. The heavy door slammed shut, and, slapping her hand on its frame, Bella muttered words of power. Bright blue runes flared to life around the frame, one after another like a line of falling dominoes, causing it to expand and lock the door in place until the runes died or she did. Now they were all locked in together. Bella whirled, bringing her hands up, ready to throw whatever magic she could at him.
The vampire, recovered from the stumble and surprise, stared back at her with a mixed look of shock and annoyance. He still had bags under his eyes as though he hadn't slept for a week, and wrinkles marred his normally tidy outfit. He could almost be mistaken for a junior executive after a long day if it weren't for his bloodshot eyes and very long, very sharp teeth. He tilted his head at her, as though considering what to do, then grinned and disappeared in a blur.
One of the more powerful weapons of vampires is their speed, and the older they get, the faster they become. This one wasn't an Elder, but he was old enough, and Bella was counting on him using that power. He might move fast, but they were in a tiny room.
The second the vampire disappeared, Bella shut her eyes. It was a risky move, and could wind up getting her killed, but it was that or get caught by her own trap. White runes flared around the room with the radiance of the sun on a midsummer day, blazing so bright she almost felt she was going blind even with her eyes closed. Throwing her arm up, she tried to cover her eyes with the crook of her elbow for added protection, but she knew she'd still be blind for a moment after the runes burned out.
There was a painful screech and a crash as the vampire took the full brunt of the rune's magic. Vampires being unable to walk in sunlight was mostly myth, but there was a kernel of truth to the tale. Vampires didn't enjoy going out during the light of day, not because it immolated them, but because their eyes were extremely sensitive to light. The light of her runes would have been like having a stage spotlight shone into each eye from six inches away.
Bella gave herself the count of three before uncovering her own eyes. The flare of her spell was only a second long, but the afterimage persisted. She opened her eyes, blinking away tears as she adjusted to the room's normal ambience. The creature lay on the other side of the room, curled up with his arms protecting his face. His bed was a twisted heap of metal and spring from having run almost through it when the light dazed him.
Bella's stomach flipped and a rush of adrenaline coursed through her veins. It worked! It actually worked! She had to hold herself back from jumping in joy. She'd beaten a vampire. A vampire! She hadn't been sure the light runes would work, at least not this well, so she’d made them as strong as she could. There were five groups of them on each wall, and if he tried to flit, they'd light up again and again.
Her joy dampened when the being on the floor moaned and shifted. As he did, she noticed his head had hit the stone hard enough to leave a small crater in the wall. If his head could do that, she didn't want to feel what a punch could do.
Pushing aside the thought, she concentrated on the next step of her plan. She let magic flood through her as she stared at the floor around the fallen vampire. Her heart pounded in her chest as she fed the power into the stone, and for the longest time it felt as though nothing was happening. Nerves already on edge began screaming at her. This isn't working, this isn't working. Then she heard a quiet pop, along with the sound of stone rubbing against stone, and tension flowed from her shoulders like air from a punctured tire.
As most of the stones in the area around the vampire started changing, turning from solid rock to sand, the first thing to move was the bed. The mangled steel frame dropped into a floor that no longer held its weight. It must have been heavier than she'd thought because it slid through the sand beneath it as smooth as a fish through water, leaving nothing behind except for the edges of the blue and white blanket poking through the floor's surface like an odd-colored weed. Hopefully, the vampire wouldn't be as heavy.
She shifted her attention, and her gaze froze as she locked eyes with the vampire. He was angry and did nothing to hide the fact from her. He wasn't sinking into the sand, though. Instead, he'd sunk the fingers of his left hand straight into the stone wall behind him, anchoring himself in place. A wound ran from his hairline down the left side of his face, but it was already closing as she watched. He gave a heave and, pulling himself higher, slammed his right hand into the wall. His fingers sank into the stone as if it were softer than fresh-baked bread. Leaning back, he braced his feet and stared at her for a second. Upside down, his snarl looked like the perverted smile of a killer clown. With a grunt, he launched himself across the room, straight at her.
Bella couldn't stop the squeak escaping her lips as she ducked to the side, concentration broken. Her spell wasn't meant to turn the entire floor to sand, just the area around the downed vampire, so she grunted when she hit, needle-sharp pain flaring in her shoulder and running down her spine. Ignoring it, she rolled to the side, trying to give herself some extra space. Even as she moved, she felt the floor vibrate as a foot crashed into the spot her head had just occupied. The stone cracked from the pressure, and she could almost imagine her head cracking from it.
Pushing herself up, she'd gotten to her knees when a hand grabbed her by the neck, lifting her until the tips of her toes left the floor. She swayed as he held her, kicking and twisting in his grip as she tried to free herself. She felt herself being pulled toward him and then, with a sudden snap, she flew across the room like a rag doll. She had a brief moment of vertigo as her body tumbled through the air before bouncing off the floor and rolling up against the wall. Though her body stopped, the room continued to spin in her head and fireworks exploded behind her closed eyes.
That saved her from the bright flare of light as her second set of runes burst into life. She registered a dull cry from the vampire, and though it hurt, she smiled. He might be strong, but he wasn't that smart. He'd tried to flit again.
Fighting against the desire of every nerve in her body to just lie still, she p
ushed herself up and looked around to locate her foe. Though still surprised by the light, the vampire avoided running into anything this time, instead dropping to the floor and covering his head. He was so close she could almost reach out and touch him. Bella scuttled back, using the wall for leverage to get to her feet.
She had to end this and do it quick. If he got his hands on her again, she was sure it wouldn't end with just a few more bruises. She'd tried trapping him, but that took too long, so it was time to go with plan B. She could use runes and even guide the mists of magic without forcing the mists to pass through herself to some extent, but she was an Elemental Witch, and she needed to use that strength.
Summoning fire was as easy as breathing, and a blue-white flame burst flared above her open palm. Her fire was always that color, though she didn't know why. Dropping her wrist, she let the flame fall from her hand.
The fire grew as it fell, as though it were consuming an invisible string. When it hit the floor, it continued to move, winding in a sinuous dance like a giant python. The flame had almost reached the vampire when it split in half, running around him without touching. When the two ends rejoined on the far side, leaving him in an almost perfect circle, the fire in her palm dropped away, leaving her without so much as a soot mark.
The vampire's form swayed, and in a move faster than she could see, he rocketed to his feet. The runes in the walls must not have thought he flitted because they didn't flare, but the move was still so fast she could have blinked and missed it. The vampire snarled again, showing off his sharp teeth, and moved to step across the short wall of fire surrounding him.
Bella's heart leaped into her throat and she raised her hands as though conducting an orchestra. The wall of fire jumped, flaring until it reached the ceiling and encompassed the bloodsucker in an unbroken tube of heat. Summoning wind, she made it flow around the fire, causing the tunnel to rotate. As it moved, and she added more air, the color of the flame changed, shifting from blue-white to almost pure white. The stones in the floor and ceiling cracked and popped under the heat.