“You know about him? Just how did you and he come to—oh, never mind. It’s a trivial matter, after all. I merely came here to tell you something: Byron has been destroyed.”
For as far as the eye could see, all movement vanished from the surface of the water. Although there hadn’t really been much to begin with, what now settled over the depths was the calm of true death. On account of this, the next remark rang out with a horrible clarity.
“You did this—you murdered our son with your own two hands?”
“Who else could’ve done so? Who but I would be up to the task of slaying the son Vlad Balazs raised with such tender care? By now, he’s food for the fish in the river.”
The water absorbed Vlad’s words.
“You threw our child into the water?”
“Indeed I did.”
“Then this night and for every night that follows, you shall never be able to let your guard down. The water cannot destroy him.”
“What?”
“You have sealed your own wife away in the water. Trapped her in a world colder and harder than any hell for a Noble. But the streams that course through your domain, the lakes that dot it, yes, even the droplets of rain that cling to the leaves of the trees, all heed my will.”
Her tone wasn’t at all wrathful, and that in and of itself was enough to make anyone’s hair rise on end.
Vlad snorted, “Do you mean to tell me your hatred has saved him? I have no problem with that. No matter how often he might rise again and call on me, I shall dispose of him each and every time. But that is not what I came here to tell you. I’ll be moving to the mountain stronghold.”
“Why?” the voice inquired. The surface of the water was calm.
The lord pointed to the wound on his forehead.
“You may remain in your hell if you so wish, but I must live in the world. In the days to come, backbreaking labor awaits. The man who did this to me—he will come again. If I’m to be ready to greet him, I shall need a suitable location.”
“So you say, but that is the home of the ‘mountain folk.’ That is not good. Not good at all. If you make a foe of them, you’ll be bringing death and destruction down on innocents.”
“And that is precisely why I have need of such a place now. Especially against this Hunter. He descends from the great one!”
The woman said nothing.
“Such looks, such power, such presence—truly a breathtaking man. I fought him off once, but that isn’t to say that I triumphed. You see, he came to rescue a girl I’d taken, and accomplishing that, he left. Hear me when I say that even Greed tasted defeat at his hands.”
Once again, the woman said nothing. However, her lack of a response wasn’t because she reveled in this information, but rather because Vlad’s words instilled in her the same shock and awe.
“And knowing this, you can see the reason why I must relocate. To be ready for one of the great one’s line, I must go to that fortress. Even then, there is fear in the depths of my heart. Not of the Hunter, but of the blood that flows through him. What’s more, there have been disquieting movements within the village of Krauhausen. Someone has lent their strength to the Hunter—probably Lagoon.”
“Impossible!”
“We are talking about humans here, after all,” he chortled. “It wouldn’t be at all surprising for them to do something we would never consider. I have already ordered de Carriole to do something about this, and I have taken measures myself. Yes, de Carriole himself has been acting strangely of late, but we shall see about that shortly. My wife—you are to remain here.”
Silence descended.
Presently, the woman’s voice replied, “With pleasure.”
But who were the “mountain folk” waiting by the mountain stronghold? The woman’s voice had sounded almost relieved.
-
Early the next morning, D and May were led by Lagoon as they headed for the isolation chamber beneath his establishment.
“Though ‘isolation chamber’ has a nicer ring to it, it’s actually a jail for holding enemy prisoners of war,” Lagoon laughed. “But seeing as this is a thousand feet underground with ten-foot-thick concrete walls, the Nobility can call to her all they want and there’s no danger of her going anywhere. Naturally, getting themselves down here won’t be easy either. Especially not with you around.”
Feeling the chill that radiated from the boundless material beyond the special concrete walls, the trio peered through an observation window in the iron door before them and saw Taki lying on a spacious bed.
“It was a rush job, but in moving Taki in here, we tried to make it as comfy as possible. But no matter how good of a job we do of keeping him away, if we can’t put down the Noble who bit her, it won’t mean anything. And that, D, is your job.”
Though Lagoon stole a glance at the exquisite Hunter’s profile, he couldn’t detect an iota of emotion in the gorgeous features turned toward the slumbering Taki. In fact, all it did was make him feel lightheaded.
“I’m heading out soon.”
On hearing D’s words, he finally returned to his senses.
“You’re going?”
His question was pointless.
Giving no reply, D quietly stepped away from the door. The sword on his back was one he’d purchased from Lagoon.
“Oh, look at Taki,” May said, pointing to the surveillance room. The girl was riding on one of D’s shoulders.
Taki had risen from her bed, and it took no time at all for her to notice the group. Pressing her face to the window, she said, “You all look fine. You too, May.”
“Yeah, well, you’ll be fine soon too, Taki. Mr. D’s gonna fix that bastard.”
“I’m sure he will. I appreciate it. Until then, I guess I’ll be out of commission, won’t I?”
“I guess you will,” May laughed, and she was about to put her hand in through the window. But she never reached it. D had drawn back. For Taki was a “victim.”
“You’re right, May. Take care,” Taki said with a sad smile.
“The next time this door opens, you’ll be back to your old self. Definitely. I’ll unlock it for you myself.”
While it was unclear how May’s words sounded to anyone else, both D and Lagoon spun around at the same time. Entrusting the young woman to the subordinates Lagoon left down there, the three of them got into the elevator.
“I sure hope Taki gets back to normal soon,” May said, gnawing on her lip.
“I’ll second that,” Lagoon responded. “That all rests squarely on the pretty boy here. Let’s hope for his best effort out there.”
Though what he said could’ve been taken in jest, such a remark could also be a grave matter. D wasn’t the sort of person to appreciate sarcasm.
“Then everything will be fine,” May said, looking up at the young man with eyes full of trust. She’d come down off his shoulder when they got in the elevator.
“But there’s something I don’t understand,” she continued, the gaze she directed at Lagoon filled with suspicion.
“Oh? And what would that be?”
“You were gonna let a dirty old man have his way with me. And D saved me from that. But the people who protected me while D was off at the castle rescuing Taki were hired by you, right? And on top of that, you’re giving shelter to Taki and me. I don’t think you have any more slave trading in mind, so why are you suddenly on our side?”
People often refer to hitting someone where it hurts, and that’s exactly what May’s words did. Lagoon’s face made him look like a bald sea monster carved from stone, but something rolled across it like a wave before the veins rose at his temples. Surely he’d never thought an eleven-year-old girl would put such a question to him. His squinting eye was invested with an unusual power as he looked at May. His look would be enough to freeze anyone but a Noble, but May met it with an innocent stare.
Lagoon grinned and told her, “Well, it’s kinda complicated.”
“Then uncomplicate it f
or us,” May insisted. “You were gonna let some weirdo get freaky with me, you know. I’ll thank you to take some responsibility for that. I wanna hear a good explanation.”
“I bet you do,” a hoarse voice said.
Lagoon gave D’s left hand a suspicious glance, then quickly shifted his gaze to May. “You’re a spirited little girl, ain’t you? You’ll have to ask pretty boy there for the details. All I can do is keep you folks safe here in my place behind the lord’s back. And even at that, I’m putting my life on the line.”
“Well, why can’t you tell me yourself?” May asked, trying once more to get an answer from him.
Just then, the elevator halted. The floor indicator lamp told them quite clearly that they weren’t at ground level.
“Sorry, but you’re gonna have to leave by the underground passageway” Lagoon told the Hunter. “If it were to get out that you’d been here, it would be bad news. Just keep going straight and you’ll come to the exit. The equipment you asked for will be waiting outside.”
Once they’d parted company with D, Lagoon took May back to her room at his establishment, and then went into his office. Upon seeing a sealed envelope on the table, his eyes shone like a beast’s. The crest pressed into the melted wax that sealed it was that of the Balazs family. Breaking the seal and reading the message, Lagoon felt the color drain from his face.
-
Come to the mountain stronghold at midnight tomorrow.
—Vlad
-
“Damn it!”
Suddenly forgetting all about the letter crumpled in his fist, Lagoon looked up to the heavens.
“So that’s where you’ve gone—to the mountain stronghold? D, there’s still time for you to turn back.”
-
II
-
D was in the air, thanks to a device Lagoon had made available to him. Beneath the blue empyrean vault and the white clouds, he was like an ominous bird, riding and manipulating the wind as he flew along. The collapsible glider had a twenty-foot wingspan and was almost fifteen feet long—the scales from flying beasts that were attached to the wings made it simple to correct for the force and speed of the wind, so that even a child could easily enjoy an extended flight through the sky.
For his second time invading the castle, D planned to come in from the air.
The castle had come into view. Skillfully manipulating the wings, D started his descent. Of course, this was a Noble’s fortress. It was sure to have anti-aircraft defenses. The enemy’s approach would be caught on three-dimensional radar; and from hundreds of locations, lasers, particle beam cannons, and heavy artillery would be waiting to open fire. However, D landed at the base of a surveillance tower without the artillery even belching a single flame. The blue pendant on D’s chest gave off a deep glow. All the electronic devices were rendered inoperable, and as D walked along, each and every door opened to let him pass.
A strange silence greeted D.
“There’s no one here at all,” his left hand said.
D also realized as much.
“Gone into hiding?” D muttered. He didn’t seem to be talking to his hand.
“He’s not exactly stupid. He’s thought ahead to what would happen if you hit him during the day. But I can’t tell what comes next. Will he just keep on running, or—”
D turned around. He was in the large hall on the first floor. A band of white had flowed around his feet. Fog. The pale figure that stood in its depths was the same woman he’d glimpsed in a subterranean passageway the previous day. He couldn’t make out the face. Every inch of her was soaking wet, as if she had just come out of the water this very moment.
“Go north three miles—to Mount Blade. The lord awaits you in a castle on its slopes.”
Without replying, D turned back in the direction he’d come.
“Wait,” the woman called out behind him. In the voice of the fog. “Take me with you. Out there.”
Her voice had a ring to it that was almost mournful.
Without ever halting, D went back up to the top of the castle by the same route. He’d hidden the collapsible glider in a recessed area below the surveillance tower.
As the wings snapped open, the pale woman stood behind D.
“Take me with you. If you’re going to the mountain stronghold, you’ll have no choice but to cross the Plain of Slaughter. When you’re ambushed, I could prove useful.”
“What is it you want?” D asked as he lifted the flying machine into the wind.
“I wish to go outside. Long have I waited for someone who might take me away from here.”
“We could probably use her,” the hoarse voice remarked.
“Come here.”
When the pale woman approached, D wrapped his left arm around her waist from behind. She felt solid enough.
“We’ll have need of a horse,” the woman said. Her indistinct visage was turned toward the heavens above. “The Plain of Slaughter can’t be flown across. There’s no choice but to go by land.”
D’s gaze was on the nape of her neck, which was blurred as if underwater, and then he shot a glance to the sun in the sky above.
“Will you be okay?”
“You needn’t worry about it. If it’s a horse you need, there should be a few left in the stables to the west.”
“Well, looks like you’ll have to fold that sucker up again,” a low voice remarked with interest, but at that moment, D’s body took to the air.
It was about ten seconds later that they landed in front of the stable. Folding the glider without a word, D then chose a horse from those that remained and straddled it. The horse was bareback.
Though the woman got on behind D, she didn’t put her arms around his waist, so as soon as the horse began to move, she nearly fell off. After D pulled her back into place, she finally grabbed hold of him.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized, adding in a tiny murmur, “you’re simply too beautiful.”
The horse started to gallop. Less than thirty minutes later, a desolate plain spread before them. In the distance, a rocky mountain unmarked by even a fleck of green rose like a piece of obsidian, and halfway up it a castle could be seen. A lengthy and narrow flight of stairs stretched down from its gates.
“It’s three miles there as the crow flies. And the Plain of Slaughter is a fearful place.”
“Wow.”
The woman turned her face for a second in the direction from which that remark had come in an odd tone, then continued, “Once upon a time, a battle took place here between villagers who opposed Lord Vlad and the lord’s soldiers. The villagers were backed by Nobility from the western Frontier. Right in the very center of the plain they clashed—”
“When was it?” D asked, his voice making the woman’s body grow rigid.
“At night.”
“The Nobility’s time.”
The villagers would’ve been fighting as humans. Yet the time of the battle favored the Nobility.
“And the villagers were defeated. All the survivors were captured and buried alive out on this plain. They numbered more than a thousand. Some say the ground is red due to the blood they shed.”
How this woman who’d been far beneath the castle knew this was anyone’s guess.
Driving his heels into the horse’s flanks, D spurred it forward. Before the Hunter had gone five hundred yards, he felt a minute but distinct vibration where he sat on the horse’s back.
“Run. Get over to that big boulder!” the woman exclaimed, her voice falling sharply.
The ground had collapsed like sand. The way the dirt was sucked into the countless cracks, it looked like a sugary confection collapsing in on itself.
The woman let out a low gasp.
As they fell, the horse continued galloping. Its hooves pounded the collapsing ground, striking the earth just as it was about to fall away, and in that manner they were making their way across a pit that had to be a hundred and fifty feet wide. Was it due to the strength of th
e horse or the skill of its rider?
But once they were halfway across the hollow, only a black abyss yawned before them. They fell. The woman, however, was quite calm.
The ground had already crumbled deep into the bowels of the earth, but the horse and its riders floated in the abyss like something out of a painting. Around them, the wind groaned and bellowed angrily. And then the two riders and their mount drifted upward.
Looking up, the woman gave a louder cry of surprise this time.
A massive pair of wings had sprouted from D’s back. The wings of the glider.
She realized he’d slung them over the horse’s neck. And she also knew the device would open with the single touch of a button. However, this glider had no body—there hadn’t been enough time for that. And it would be impossible for this type of glider to safely keep something in flight without tail fins, because it was the tail fins’ job to stabilize and control heading.
D—this beautiful young man—completely disregarded the immutable laws of physics. What’s more, he had his legs wrapped around the barrel of the cyborg horse and supported the weight of the woman as well, as they made a clear and powerful ascent out of the abyss.
“The Noble warriors who were supporting the villagers were swallowed by that hole. And the villagers were left here without any allies.”
It wasn’t clear whether or not D was listening to what the woman said.
Once they’d barely risen to the brink of the great pit, they coasted another thirty feet, and then quickly attempted a landing. The wings had already been folded up and their buoyancy lost by the time the cyborg horse touched its hooves to the ground, but the horse went right into a gallop. Flawless was the only way to describe the way the animal was handled without even a second’s delay.
D yanked back on the reins and the horse came to a sudden halt right next to the big boulder the woman had indicated. But it soon became clear that the Hunter wasn’t about to stop.
Vampire Hunter D: Pale Fallen Angel Parts Three and Four Page 17