Aris Returns

by Devin Morgan

  “Carlos.” She didn’t know what to say to him. There was a distance between them that had never been there before. The intimacy they shared at her apartment had somehow created a wall. She didn’t know how to break it down or even if she should try. “Carlos.” He still didn’t look at her. Not knowing what else to do, she picked the recorder up from the corner of her desk and moved to the chair next to him.

  She sat, turned on the recorder and began the usual induction to take him into the hypnotic state. As she spoke, his body began to relax and his breath grew steady.

  #

  “As you open the door, what do you see?”

  CARLOS HAVARRO, transcript, session 15, June 18

  As I crept into the sleeping chamber of the Cardinal, I could hear the old man snore. Nearing the bed, I saw two figures beneath the blanket. I couldn’t help but smile. It appeared the celibacy requirement of the priests of the church didn’t apply to this man sleeping with his mistress. And now, instead of just one human, there were two. I knew I must be very delicate and quiet as I went to work. Silence surrounded me as I moved closer.

  Wolsey slept on his back while his mistress slept as far from the snoring hulk as she could. Leaning over the bed, I was presented with the folds of his flesh lying in rings around the Cardinal’s neck like necklaces made of sausages. How to find the vessel in such a hunting ground? Such a task. I remember moving closer to him and the night smells of him.

  Silent as death, I watched the sleeping pair. The moonlight coming through the high window illuminated the covers and Wolsey’s hand and wrist as it lay exposed in the cool, white beam of light.

  “Ah, I’ll begin just here.” My thoughts continued in a stream as I kneeled silently next to the bed and softly placed my tongue on the Cardinal’s wrist. The saliva from my mouth numbed the skin and made it insensitive to pain. Slowly, I sunk my teeth into the soft, moist flesh of the man’s wrist. I was careful and only a small amount of venom entered the wound. A small bit daily would mix with his blood and no one would notice. Within hours, he would feel ill. Within days he would waste away. Soon he would be dead.

  I could not help but laugh softy under my breath as I moved to the window and climbed down the outer wall of Cawood Castle.

  For many nights I scaled the wall to the bedchamber of the doomed man. On my last visit, the moon was bright, illuminating the room as I crept through the window. I found only one mound in the bed. Wolsey’s mistress no longer slept with the Cardinal. She was sure he had the wasting sickness and she was afraid to be close to him, awake or asleep.

  The sleeping man before me was a shadow of the doomed Cardinal. He was thin; his flesh hung on his bones. He couldn’t eat. He barely slept. He knew he was dying yet he didn’t know why. His physicians had bled him. His servants had nursed him. His clergy had prayed over him. Still he wasted away. He tossed in his bed unable to find comfort.

  Suddenly there was the sound of running feet in the corridor. An evil tiding.

  The door swung open. “Your Grace,” a servant boy stood at the foot of his bed. “The King’s men are in the castle. They are coming for you. You must rise and dress.”

  I quickly stepped behind a large, ornate tapestry hanging on the wall. It was in the shadows and I was well concealed behind it.

  Wolsey rose, his night clothes hanging on him like a shroud. “The King’s men, you say?” He spoke with trepidation, “and who leads them?”

  “Lord Henry Percy.”

  George Cavendish, the Cardinal’s gentleman usher, rushed into the chamber. “Allow me to assist you in dressing, your Grace.” The sound of stomping feet grew louder. Before Cavendish could move across the room to his master, soldiers burst through the door.

  “You are under arrest, Cardinal.” Percy spoke. “Come as you are. No need for your red Cardinal’s robes. You are arrested for treason and for treason you will die.”

  The soldiers surrounded the Cardinal, marching him toward the door. He stumbled on the cold stone of the floor.

  “Boots. May I not have my boots?” he pled. “At least my boots?” He was a broken, sick, old man, but that did not stay the hatred emanating from the Lord of Northumberland.

  Percy snarled, “No boots. You will feel the cold on your body equal to the cold in your heart. And you will die hungry and alone like the traitor that you are.” He shoved the Cardinal ahead of him. “Now move.”

  When the chamber was empty, I moved to the window. There were horses and a wagon waiting in the courtyard below. Wolsey would be exposed to the freezing air of winter on the road to London with nothing but straw to cover himself. He was weakened and I knew he would never survive the journey.

  “But I will trail along behind just to make sure.” I spoke to no one other than myself as I crawled out the window and down the steep wall.

  The Cardinal died in Leicester and was buried there. There was no pomp at his burial as there was none at the death of my dearest Elizabeth, entombed in the sea so very far from English soil. It was justice. After all his years as servant to the Pope and the King, the once wealthiest man in England died a pauper and a traitor. King Henry wept. Queen Anne cherished the day and called for a masque ball. And I, Aris the vampire, rode south to London.

  When Anne was told I had arrived, she summoned me to her. I entered into the dark audience chamber. She was there, standing in front of a huge blaze in the hearth, a warm, welcome scent of burning applewood logs filling the room.

  “So, you have accomplished the deed.” It was a statement, not a question.

  I bowed low before her, smiling as I lifted my head to look into her eyes. “Yes, my lady. I have.”

  “A job well done.” She was dressed in a red robe lined with fur and her long dark hair reached her waist. The room was chilly in spite of the fire. Moving closer, she wrapped the robe around her legs then sat. “And was it difficult?”

  “No, it was my pleasure to do your bidding. Pity he didn’t live to arrive in London.” I saw her black eyes glistening in the dancing light of the burning logs.

  She laughed, “Yes, it is a pity.” She lifted the goblet from the table and tasted the wine. “You must help yourself. I do not wish any servant to see you in my chamber.”

  “Thank you my lady, I do not have a thirst.”

  “You will be given a rich reward for your service.”

  Again, I bowed to her compliment. “You are most gracious.”

  Her laugh was harsh. “Yes, I’m sure Wolsey would feel the same way. I understand Percy was the one to bring him into Leicester. Is that true?”

  “It is true.”

  “Circumstances can be so strange, can they not?” Replacing the goblet on the table, she rose from the chair and began to pace. “And what if I should ask you to perform another task? Would you be up to doing it?”

  I tipped my head in acknowledgment. “Most certainly, my lady. I am loyal to you in all things.”

  “Precisely what I want to hear. You are a good man, Aris, a good man.” She moved into the shadows, and then turned to stare at me. ‘”I will call on you again when the time comes. Until then, you are most welcome at court.” She swept from the room leaving me staring after her.

  After a moment, I too left the room and as I walked the darkened corridor my thoughts were of Anne, the look in her black eyes. “The undead are not the only cold ones.”

  #

  “Man, she sure is somebody I wouldn’t want to cross.” Carlos laid back on the recliner after his return to present time. “She is one bad-assed broad. I’ve been up against some really tough people and let me tell you, she is somebody I wouldn’t want to have pissed at me.”

  “You can’t be a mouse and displace the ruling Queen of England and that’s just what she did.” Sarah leaned forward. “Carlos?”

  To avoid any personal conversation, he spoke quickly. “And she wasn’t even much to look at, except when you saw her eyes. They were almost black in this snow white face. She could have been a vamp exc
ept she still had a heart.” He smiled a sardonic smile. “A heart beat anyway.”

  “Carlos?”

  He stood immediately. Crossing the room, he lifted his hand in goodbye. “See you next week.”

  He quietly closed the door behind him leaving Sarah to ponder this new turn in their relationship.

  CHAPTER 25

  “I don’t really know what happened. We just sort of lost our connection.” She couldn’t bring herself to tell Colleen about the kiss. She was almost certain her friend would think it was great but Sarah wasn’t sure how she felt about it even now. “He shows up for session without fail, but I don’t feel as if I can touch him anymore.” She swiveled her desk chair to face the window as they chatted on the phone, looking at the city and hoping for a distraction.

  “I don’t know, hon. He seems the same to me. Well, not the same. Better than I ever thought he would be. Hold on a second, Bob’s calling me. He’s in the kitchen and I can’t hear him. Hang on.”

  Sarah waited while Colleen checked with her husband. “Dinner is almost ready. I’ve got another minute but I haven’t seen Bob in two days and he cooked for us so I’ve got to go.” Colleen covered the mouthpiece on the phone as she spoke to her husband, then returned to her conversation with her friend. “Quit worrying. He’s better than he’s been since I got him. He’s doing better than I thought was possible and it’s all because of you. Hang in there babe.” She heard Bob say something unintelligible to Colleen. “Okay, coming.” Her voice called to the next room, then quietly, back into the receiver, “Hey hon, got to go. See you soon.”

  Silence filled Sarah’s dark office as she stared out the window and contemplated how different her life was now from the normal lives of all the people who lived outside her strange reality.

  #

  It was late when she got off the train. Her day was long, exhausting. Her thoughts were always returning to Carlos and the kiss. She worked diligently to remove the memory from her mind but she couldn’t. The thought of his warm mouth nagged her with the question of ‘what if?’ ringing over and over.

  As she cleared the turnstile, she felt a presence in her shadow. She turned and saw a tall, Latino man a few steps behind her. He looked angry, his pockmarked face twisted in a scowl. She left the stairs moving into the street. He stayed close. As she walked under a burned out street light, he stepped in front of her, grabbing her hard by the shoulders. She opened her mouth to scream.

  “Carlos will be hurt if you make a sound.” His eyes looked her up and down. He smiled a crooked, yellow toothed smile. “So, you’re the little shrink messing with my boy?” He held her firmly, but his hands didn’t hurt her.

  Her voice was stable when she spoke. “Who are you? What do you want?” She marveled at how steady her words sounded in her own ears while her body was paralyzed with fear.

  “I want you to lay off. He doesn’t need your help.” His face moved closer to her as he whispered. “If you don’t back away, somebody is gonna’ get hurt real bad.” The smile disappeared. His black eyes bored a hole into her blue ones. “You hear me, shrink lady?”

  Sarah nodded, afraid to form words, knowing if she spoke again, she would no longer be able to control her voice.

  “Now, go home. Remember, I know who you are. I know where you work and where you live. I’d hate to hurt a pretty piece like you, but I will if I have to. Stay out of his business.” He released her, pushing her away from him. He moved down the street without looking back. Tears of fear and relief filled her eyes as she watched the tall shadow on the pavement change as he passed under first one lit street light, then the next.

  #

  The sun was hot as Sarah rode her bicycle down the path in Lincoln Park. The humidity was formidable and the blond hair at the nape of her neck curled in tendrils in defiance of the pony tail she wore. Thin rivulets of perspiration ran down her back, still she pedaled faster. No matter how hard she pedaled she was unable to outrun her thoughts.

  Her emotions ran from fear to outrage to disbelief. Did it really happen to her? Could he really have meant that she would be harmed if she continued her sessions with Carlos? She prayed it was only a threat.

  For the first time in Sarah’s life, she was unable to formulate a plan. Telling Colleen was out of the question. Her friend would tell Bob, the police would be brought into it and Carlos would never trust her again. If the police became involved, she wasn’t sure he wouldn’t be implicated somehow. One thing she was sure of, Carlos had nothing to do with any of it.

  Telling Carlos was impossible. He would want to protect her. God only knew what that could mean in his life. He worked so hard to stay out of trouble, she was determined to help him at any cost, to continue seeing him regardless of the threat. But why? Over and over, the question rang through her mind. Why was he so important to her? Why was her own safety secondary to his? Why was his success and freedom the most important thing in her world? And finally, was it really Carlos or was it a need to continue speaking with Aris? Questions without answers, all questions without answers.

  #

  “You look exhausted.” Scowling as he spoke, Carlos slouched in the chair across from her desk. “What’s going on with you?”

  Sarah avoided his eyes, picked up the recorder and stood. “Nothing. I just haven’t been able to sleep very well the last few nights. It happens sometimes.” She gestured toward the recliner, “Let’s get started. I’m anxious to hear the next episode in the ‘Adventures of Aris’.” She smiled a half smile as she sat.

  “Okay, me too, I guess.” He brushed her shoulder with his hand as he passed her. It was a casual movement, but it was the first time he had touched her since their kiss. It unsettled her.

  He lay back in the chair. Closing his eyes, he began to breathe deeply. His face softened in relaxation as he waited for the familiar words that would raise the vampire.

  #

  CARLOS HAVARRO, transcript, session 16, June 25

  After I returned to the palace from York and met with Anne, I sat before the fire in my retiring room wondering at what I had become. There was a sound at my window as if a branch scraped against it, but I was high in a tower, no trees nearby. I knew it was a visitor. I crossed the room and threw open the glass. Sebastian climbed over the sill. He stood before me, tall and foreboding.

  He was sent by the counsel. In the service of the oldest ones of all, he came to tell me I was summoned. We left the confines of the human court and I was led to the court of the undead. We descended deep into the tunnels beneath the city. I was certain that I was called to the council to answer for the death of Wolsey.

  “Don’t deny anything Aris. They know.” Sebastian spoke softly and still it echoed off the damp stone walls.

  “There’s nothing to deny”. One step at a time, we continued down.

  “The death of Wolsey, Aris. They know.” He forced his words through clenched teeth. “Richard told you not to do it. He told you they would find out.”

  “No one at Henry’s court is the wiser for it. It was accomplished without any suspicion.” I spoke more lightly than I felt. I knew the power of the council, the power of life and death. I heard of one such execution. During the time of my education, I was told of a woman who killed from spite. She was tried for murder, her sentence was elimination. The tale of her dismembered, burned body was a symbol of what horror was possible, even for the undead. Only through burning did the vampire cease to exist. Dismembering alone left the essence, the true being of the vampire, continuing forever, a lone entity floating through time and space. I knew dearly of that bleak existence. I feared it. And after losing my sweet Elizabeth, that was all that I feared.

  Sebastian embraced me and spoke with a sad voice. “Good bye my friend.” He turned and left me to my judgment.

  “And so you were executed? Is that why you are without a body now?” Sarah was leaning forward in her chair so as not to miss one word that he spoke.

  “No. Although murder was puni
shable by death, Queen Akira, stood for me.

  I entered the chamber, bowed then knelt on the cushion in front of her. She sat on her throne still as a sculpture. When she finally broke the silence, she demanded I explain myself, her beautiful voice hard as stone. I felt the deepest fear at her displeasure yet my words were confident when I replied. When I finished speaking, she rose, taking all who were judges at my trial into another chamber. I was left on my knees before the thrones. There I waited while my fate was decided. My mind escaped into the timelessness of the vampire void.

  A soft shuffle of fabric brought my attention to my surroundings once again. She stood unmoving in front of me, at last touching my shoulder. I raised my eyes to meet hers. She rebuked my rebellion. Her cold short words cut to the very heart of me. I recoiled at her anger. Her condemnation complete, she stood in silence. I waited for my sentence. And, to this day, I know not why, I was allowed to go free. I believe if Khansu had been present, my fate would have taken a different direction. The truth to that, I will never know.

  After a time of silence, she dismissed me from the council chamber. Sebastian walked with me down the long corridor to the stone staircase. I praised the devil for my fortune, promising myself I would never put myself into jeopardy again for any one. Not even the King himself.

  I returned to the palace, to my rooms, climbing the outer wall of the tower so no one was the wiser I was gone at all.

  “And now Sarah, you have knowledge of a great deal of my existence.”

  “Yes, but you had a body. You had a human body that you inhabited and now, you don’t, at least not one that belongs to only you. How did that happen?”

  “And that Sarah my sweet, is another story.”

  And she knew the vampire had left the session. She sat quietly for a few moments then brought Carlos back to real time.

  #

  Sarah now made sure she left the office long before dark. Her run in with the frightening stranger was a warning well taken. Just as she went through the turnstile, her cell phone rang. She was surprised to see it was Carlos.