by K. T. Tomb
“I am.”
“Very well,” Alfred responded. “When you are transformed, you will be fed, be shown to your new quarters, and allowed to rest. The following night, you’ll begin your training. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
“Should you decide to be transformed, you will not see me again until your training is complete or the Duke calls you into service. We are pressed for time on a particular matter, so your training might, in fact, be cut short. It isn’t the preferred scenario, but it might be necessary.
“Who will be my trainer?”
“The entire coven will take part in some of your training, but Andrik will handle the bulk of it. Are there any more questions?”
There were dozens, but they weren’t questions she wanted to ask aloud. “No.”
“I will see you later this evening,” Alfred said with a gentle smile as he rose up and left the room.
***
“An exciting evening, don’t you think?” Andrik had joined her on the balcony overlooking the tumbling surf, dimly lit by the light of the moon. “If you’re thinking of jumping, you need to wait until the proper time.”
Even though she knew he was only teasing, Nora didn’t respond. She was much too pensive to produce a response.
“I was only kidding, Nora,” he said in a softer tone.
“I know,” she replied.
There was silence for several minutes before Nora finally spoke.
“I don’t think I could do it,” she said.
“You don’t think you could do what?”
“I don’t think I could jump.”
“It wasn’t easy for me either.”
“Was it worth it?”
“You mean, was being transformed worth it? For me, yes, but it’s not for everyone.”
“I’m afraid.”
“Naturally. Taking one’s own life is something that ought to be feared. We were born to survive and that’s the manner in which we live.”
“That’s not why I’m afraid. I’m afraid because once I make this decision there’s no going back...”
“What if you make the wrong choice?” he asked, finishing her thought.
“Yes. What if I make the wrong choice?”
“I don’t think it’s a choice of good or bad. It’s really a choice of better or best. One choice is a better choice and the other is the best.”
Nora turned to face him. The intensity of his florescent eyes burned through her, but they offered no answer. What they did was to draw something else out of her. They drew out a longing she hadn’t felt in a very long time. It was not an erotic desire, but a desire to live and to thrive. She wanted to have meaning and purpose. She wanted to leave her life of torment and failure behind. In many ways, she’d already put off the burdens which had kept her weighed down, kept her miserable and made her want to escape. She was ready to face a new life. She was ready to move forward. But was she ready to become a vampire to achieve that?
“The hour has come, Miss Kelly,” Alfred announced as he stepped out onto the balcony.
Nora looked at him and nodded. She glanced at Andrik as well. The vampire turned and extended his elbow for her. “Shall we, then?”
Chapter Sixteen
“Coven!” Sir Augustus John Foster, the Coven Master called out, clapping his hands together sharply to draw everyone’s attention. “Gather round please.”
He guided Nora to the stone table in the center of the room, where the coven members formed a circle around them. Nora looked at their faces, recalling the names that accompanied each, even though a few days ago, she’d been certain she wouldn’t be able to recall them again. Each had spoken kindly to her and had been quite honest without pushing her toward one decision or the other. Now, as she completed her scan of the circle, she noted that Alfred was absent, as he warned he would be. No, not quite. Through a window, she spotted him standing alone against a low stone wall, his hair whipped into a frenzy by the stiff winds. She wanted him close, even right beside her, just as he’d been there for her for the past several weeks. But, alas, it was not to be. Not tonight.
“It has been a great pleasure for me, personally, to get to know Nora over these past days. I’m sure you would all agree,” said Sir Augustus.
Those in the circle expressed their agreement briefly. Nora smiled at them and nodded several times as she turned to look at them again.
“Selfishly speaking, of course, I would be devastated if she left us, but I know that all must choose their own path to follow. Each of us has chosen ours for various reasons. We will respect whatever path Nora chooses.”
Again, those in the circle expressed their agreement.
“Very well then, Nora Kelly,” he began. “Do you desire to be transformed?”
It was the moment of reckoning. Her mind whirled in every which direction. There was no moisture in her mouth and something was stuck in her throat. Her heart thundered a rhythm in her chest, which mocked her as she repeated the question in her mind. What do I want? What do I want? What do I want? She looked outside the circle toward Alfred, hoping that some help might come from him. When she saw him smile, turn away slowly, and disappear beyond the window, she knew she had his answer. But was it the right answer?
She swallowed the lump in her throat and finally nodded. She kept nodding as she said, “I do.”
“Very well then,” the Coven Master replied, and she noted the relief in his voice. “Will you give your own life or do you wish to be transformed by another?”
“By another,” she replied.
“Please name your guide.”
“Andrik.”
“Andrik, please enter the circle and join us here.”
Andrik stepped forward, and walked with solemn purpose toward her. Although his face was expressionless, his eyes danced with merriment. Nora felt her knees weaken. The thundering in her chest, though it seemed impossible, had picked up in pace and intensity as he stopped before her.
“According to the desire of Nora Kelly, Andrik will guide her to her transformation,” the Coven Master announced, glancing at the coven’s most recent vampire. “Please proceed.”
Andrik nodded, took her hands, and stepped in closer to her. No other being existed within the room than the two of them as he released her hands and his arms moved up behind her; at least, that’s what it seemed to Nora. One hand was on the small of her back and the other reached between the blades of her shoulders. He drew her body into his. Nora felt herself growing faint.
“Are you ready?” he whispered.
She had no clue if she was ready. Did his touch feel intoxicating? It did, more so than she was prepared for. Despite her earlier apprehensions, the feel of her body pressed against his was right; so very right. “I am,” she whispered. With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes, raised her chin and relaxed in his powerful embrace.
Never in her life had she experienced such erotic pleasure as the feel of his fangs penetrating through the tender skin of her neck. There was a momentary burning, which made her cry out with a short gasp, just as he bit down. The burning quickly turned into a sensation that went well beyond the most intense opium high she’d ever experienced. Soon, she felt weightless, boundless. She felt herself being set free. And then darkness closed over her. In that moment, every burden, every pain, every fear and every doubt passed from her. She welcomed that darkness, and felt the dull beating of her heart begin to fade away. As it did so, she released a final breath.
***
“Rise, please?”
Confusion raced through her brain. She had breathed her last, hadn’t she? Her heart had stopped beating, hadn’t it?
She felt a hand touch her open palm. The sensation was energizing. She opened her eyes and looked up at two faces hovering above her. She knew the faces of course, and a smile spread across her lips. She moved to sit up. With Andrik on one side and August on the other, they helped her up, and soon her feet dangled from the table’s edge. She sl
id forward and touched her feet to the floor.
“How long have I been...”
“Lying on the table?” asked August.
“Yes.”
“An hour or more.”
“But it felt like seconds...”
“Of course. There is no time in death, child,” he said.
Andrik smiled warmly at her, and reached for her hand. “The transformation is complete, Nora.”
“Complete? But I...”
“Don’t feel any different?”
“Maybe a little light-headed.”
“The full effect will settle upon you soon, child,” said August.
“The full effect of what?”
“Your transformation, of course.”
“So then...”
“You are one of us, child.”
August took her in his arms in a tight embrace. “Welcome, Nora.”
“Th-Thank you,” she replied.
“Coven,” said their leader, stepping back from her and presenting her to them. “I present to you, Nora.”
Andrik smiled and embraced her. “Welcome, Nora.”
Her name followed by an embrace was repeated to her by all of those in the circle as each took their turn welcoming her. Nora couldn’t believe the peace and pure joy that flowed through her. Is this happening? Is this happening? She felt weightless and more alive than she’d ever felt. Most curiously, she could feel real power surging through her veins, although was not sure what that meant.
“Is it always like this?” she asked Andrik after the greetings had been exchanged and they stood alone for a moment.
“Like what?” he asked.
“I feel so... powerful,” she replied.
“It gets even better,” he laughed. “Especially when you transform into another animal, like a rat, for instance.”
“Never,” she retorted.
He chuckled.
“Nora,” August asked, coming up behind them and touching her on the back. “How do you feel?”
“I was just telling Andrik that I feel strong. Very strong.”
“It is a delicious feeling, is it not?”
“It is,” she replied.
“I have brought you something to eat. It might not be easy for you to take in at first, but you will get used to it.” August, extended a silver goblet with a dark liquid inside of it.
“Is this…?” She wasn’t able to say the word.
“Only a swallow for now,” Andrik said, encouraging her. “It will seem entirely against all of your nature, at first. But you need it now to maintain that power in your veins. In time, you will come to crave it.”
Nora wasn’t sure if she believed Andrik about craving blood, but she took the goblet from him. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and lifted it to her lips. When the thick, warm liquid entered her mouth, she was sure she had gone straight to heaven.
Chapter Seventeen
The sound of grating stone caused Nora’s eyes to snap open. Above her hovered the handsome face of the smiling Andrik. “Good morning.”
A smile spread across her face. She sat up in bed, itself enclosed in the stone walls of a sarcophagus. “Good morning.”
“It’s not morning, of course, it’s really a little after dusk.”
She rubbed her eyes. What an unusual night of dreamless sleep. Never had she felt more rested. “As you might have guessed, I tended to sleep during the day too, so this is nothing new to me.”
“Another reason you were chosen, I assume.” He gazed down at her with those intense eyes of his for a long moment. “You’ve already become more beautiful.”
“Nonsense,” she said, and was certain she had blushed, although her cheeks, for once, did not heat up.
“It is true. Vampirism brings out the best in us. Restores health and vitality in the body. In truth, it is the blood that does so, and will continue to do so, until the end of time.”
“Pardon?”
“Did you not know, madam, that you will now live forever?”
She had heard stories, but never believed...
“Some of the vampires in our coven are hundreds of years old.”
“Hundreds?”
Andrik threw back his head and laughed. “Come. You’ll want to be getting out of your bed. We have so much to cover today.”
Nora rose up from the soft, silk lined bed. She stretched, placed her hands atop the stone sides and raised herself up from her covers and sheets. She felt power rushing through her veins once more. In addition, her mind was clear and fresh. She was truly rested and, for the first time in a long time, at peace. There were no regrets, there were no doubts and there were no fears. Indeed, even her need for opium seemed to have diminished.
No, she thought. It is gone. I am sure of it. It has been replaced, instead, by...
But she pushed the thought aside.
Instead, she said to Andrik, “So, where do we start?”
“We’ll start in the gymnasium,” he replied.
“I’m not really the athletic type,” she answered, though something inside of her told her that what she was in the past no longer had any bearing on what she had become.
“You might not have been athletic before, but you are now,” he laughed as he led the way from her private chamber and into the hall. “Besides, unless I miss my guess, you are probably itching to try out some of that new power of yours.”
“You’ve guessed right.”
“I’ll show you some of the new things you can do,” he began as he led her down a series of hallways. “And you’ll make your first attempt at a transmutation. Additionally, I’ll explain a few things about your duties as an agent. Once I’m done with you, you’ll be turned over to one of the others for more training. This will be your daily routine. When your progress has reached a certain level, you’ll be sent into the field for your first mission; a practice mission, really. It will be something simple; just to get your feet wet, you know. You’ll come back for more training and then we’ll meet with Alfred and the Duke of Cambridge to discuss your next mission.”
“Are there many missions?”
“There are many that are needed. However, there is one that is taking precedence at the moment, but there’s really no need to get into that just yet.”
“You’ve been on a mission?”
“I’ve been on three,” he replied. “Not counting my practice mission.”
“Were you successful?”
“There are two things that you need to learn right up front, Nora. We only complete the mission we’re given, we do not judge it as being a failure or a success. The second is, learn to blend in.” The moment the words were out of his mouth, he changed into a fat rat and scurried on ahead of her.
Nora drew back from him. In spite of the new feeling of peace and power, the sight of the rat was detestable. Andrik transformed back into his normal state, laughing the moment he was able to make the sound. “Don’t tell me you’re still afraid of rats.”
“Not afraid, disgusted.”
“You find me disgusting?”
Surprisingly, Nora hadn’t lost her disdain for members of the opposite sex. So, for now, she elected to just give him a smile. Truth was, she didn’t find him disgusting at all, but felt it was best to leave those feelings inside, where they were safe. Nora was used to locking up her emotions.
Andrik seemed to sense her caution, and bowed slightly. “A silly question. Why, I was only a rat a moment earlier.”
She smiled again.
“We’ll put off the transmutations until later,” he said, turning to open a door on the left side of the hall. “Let’s try out that incredible new body of yours.”
“First my hair and skin, now my body?” Nora teased as she strolled toward him and then paused in front of the open door. “Before long you’ll be asking for my hand in marriage.”
“That will never happen,” he responded.
“You don’t fancy me?” she teased, and hating herself for reverting
to her old ways of seduction.
“It is not that. Marriage is forbidden for our kind,” he said, giving her a sad grin. He next pointed to a large wooden box next to the far wall. “Do you see that platform?”
Nora followed his extended finger with her eyes. The top of the box was, at least, twenty strides away and appeared to be more than four times her own height. “I see it.”
“Get up there,” he commanded.
“But how?”
“Jump.”
“Jump? I couldn’t jump up there if I was standing on another box two-thirds its height.”
“You couldn’t before, but now you can,” he grinned. He sprung from where he was standing, flew through the air and landed on top of the platform. “It’s easy. Jump.”
“Okay,” Nora replied.
She was pretty sure that she would only leap a few feet forward and then come down again. No doubt falling awkwardly in a heap—and no doubt looking stupid. And so she jumped, perhaps not as hard or as high as she should have. After all, she was just proving a point to Andrik. The point being that she wasn’t like him; at least, not yet. And that she knew her body, and she knew her limitations—
Except, she never came down; indeed, she only continued sailing up, and up. She felt weightless, free of earth’s gravity. Her body sailed forward, faster and faster, and she saw herself headed directly at the wooden box with Andrik squatting on top. She covered her head just before she crashed into the box... and then fell in a heap, alas, from a great height. She landed with a thud, all of her air bursting from her lungs. She stood on wobbly legs, struggling to breathe.
“Easy?” she finally gasped, after willing her lungs to work again.
“Go back and try again,” said Andrik, looking down at her as if from a great distance. “But this time, focus on me and the platform.”
She found her feet and marched to the point from which she jumped, many dozens of feet away. I really jumped that far? Wow! Encouraged by the results of her first leap, she jumped once more, this time a little higher and further. To her excitement, she saw the platform racing toward her. Unfortunately, she overshot her jump and hit the wall above the platform with a heavy smack. She tumbled backward... and onto the platform with Andrik.