A crowd of soldiers made their way into the cavern led by a tall confident looking man whose very posture hinted at years of discipline and leadership. His hair was short and brown and he had a small scar along his left temple. He was grinning in an almost absurd way when he walked up and put his hand out for Hank to shake. In an odd mental contrast, Hank couldn’t help but think of when he was introduced to the Emperor’s assistant, Jack Draper. Hank allowed the man to shake his hand and nodded to him. The man’s hand was sweatier than Hank had expected. Behind him all eyes were wide and focused on Hank.
“General Whindsor, honored to meet you, Mr. Evans.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too. But please, call me Hank.” Hank’s face flushed with red. He wasn’t used to this kind of attention and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.
“Hank, sorry. You can call me Bill if you prefer.” He took a deep breath.
“Okay, Bill it is. I honestly don’t know where to start…”
“Why don’t you two go speak in private in Hank’s quarters?” the Queen said. Hank turned to look at her and then back at Bill. Bill nodded and Hank said, “Okay,” and gestured for Bill to follow him.
When the two were in the quiet privacy of Hank’s cavern, Hank pointed out a large rock and waited for Bill to sit there.
“I didn’t want to say anything in front of everyone out there, but I’m going to be completely honest with you, Bill. I have no fucking clue what I’m doing. I’ve never led an army. Before I was sent to Necropolis, I was a fucking cabbie for Christ sakes. I don’t understand all this destiny shit and I don’t quite know how to deal with all of it yet. I know I have abilities—gifts?—that others don’t have and I want to do whatever I can to use those against the Empire, but I’m gonna need to be able to level with you and for you to level with me, okay?”
Bill looked up at Hank and grinned. “Yes, sir. Roger said you would say something like that. And I’ll be damned if you’re not exactly how he described you.” Bill let out a hearty laugh. Hank just looked at him bewildered.
“Roger?”
Bill’s laughter slowed enough for him to blurt out the words, “Roger Tresney.” Then with a look of thoughtfulness, Bill became silent for a moment. “Roger started the Foederati. He was a very gifted man, not all that much unlike yourself, Mr. Ev—Hank. This would sound crazy if I were saying it to almost anyone else, but Roger could see the future. And he saw you. He said a man would live to escape Necropolis. He would have inhuman strength and he would also be able to see the future. Roger said he would lead the Foederati to win the final war against the Empire.”
Hank stared at Bill for a long moment unsure what to say. As far as he had known, only the Queen and a handful of vampires knew that Hank had seen the future.
“Well, what happened to him, where is he now?”
Bill looked down at his feet and spoke in a solemn voice with overtones of anger and fear. “He’s been dead almost ten years now. He was found at home, strangled to death.”
Hank mirrored Bill’s posture and stared down at his own shoes as well. “I’m sorry to hear that. Sounds like he was a good man.”
“He was. He was one of the last true American soldiers left when the war ended. They had him on the run for a long time there.” Bill looked up at Hank and smiled. “It only made him meaner, made him fight harder. He was a tough son of a bitch. And if it weren’t for him, there wouldn’t be an army of men ready to fight this war with you, Hank. And we are.” Bill spoke between clenched teeth. “You bet your ass we’re ready to fight to the death to stop that cold-blooded son of a bitch.”
Hank thought about the day the Emperor threatened to kill his son with the coolest calmest voice whispering in his ear and he truly understood Bill’s anger. But his fear and self doubt kept him at bay. After a long moment of silence, he nodded to Bill in an awkward sort of way and then the uncomfortable silence grew heavy, filling the air of the cavern with a still sort of uneasiness that only amplified Hank’s most pressing concern.
Toby.
Whindsor sat quietly, expectantly. Hank turned, facing away from Bill, still trying to build the courage to say what was holding him back. A sudden loud static disintegrated the silence and a trebly voice filled the room.
“General Whindsor, do you copy? Over.”
“I copy. Go ahead, over.”
“Word just came in, fifteen more safehouses have been raided: Chicago, Indianapolis, Louisville—“
“Tell me the names when I’m there. Make sure the remaining safehouses are aware of the situation and clear them to execute any evacuation plans they have on hand. It’s best we all spread out for now and lay low. Over?”
“Copy, General. I’ll give the order.”
Bill looked at Hank as he rose and headed toward the entrance. “It’s probably best we rush the evacuation here as well. Can you help organize that?”
Hank hurried after. “Yeah, I can. Just let me get my son first.”
Bill nodded as they rushed into the murky corridor.
* * *
As Bellona neared the thick smell of swamp and ocean, a crowd of hundreds of men, women, and children followed behind her as if each of them were blindfolded and following the same beckoning sound. She reached out into their minds, down into their souls and filled them with fury and every vile image of hatred she could muster and sent them forward toward the smell of him. He was somewhere underground with the others, she knew that much. Dozens and dozens of people ran forward into the forest ahead until Bellona could hear them splashing in the thick muddy waters.
All the while she reached out ahead and below the ground searching for minds. It was like flipping a switch when she found them. One moment there were none and then there were many. They were to the east. She sent out new instructions to her growing army of mindless followers. They all began running to the east as Bellona rose to the sky. Sifting through the different memories of the humans underground, Bellona saw his face.
Simon.
She could wait no longer to get her revenge. Her body accelerated sending wind whipping and howling all around her. She could see them now from this distance. Most were fleeing the cave and leaving in large black semi trucks yet still many minds remained underground including his. Down below the followers were starting to catch up to her. They were ripe with hatred and ready to tear apart whoever might get in their way. The crowds of people and the trucks they were filling were growing closer. One by one the semis started to drive away each one following the last. There were three trucks still sitting as the fourth drove off when Bellona hovered over them.
Then, without any warning to the people inside, there was a loud thud as a large group of the mindless followers rammed themselves into the first truck. The truck leaned sideways from the impact and then fell back on all four tires. The followers pushed into it again, this time leaning it a bit further before it fell back into place on the ground. They pushed it again and still gravity brought it right back down where it had been, this time crushing two men and one woman who fell too close during the initial push.
Screams erupted from inside the truck and the driver scrambled to start the engine. Bellona watched from on high as the followers pushed the truck one more time, managing to get it over its tipping point and sending it sideways, its trailer crashing through the next truck’s trailer like a wrecking ball tearing through a papier-mâché wall.
Satisfied they were getting results, Bellona turned back to her main objective. She sent an urgency out to another crowd of followers headed for the cave. They ran faster, eventually disappearing into the dark opening in the ground. Bellona soared forward toward them until her feet were again touching the ground and she broke into a run.
* * *
Hank caught up with Whindsor, nearly out of breath followed by a wide-eyed Toby. “Everyone who wanted to go is outside in the trucks and on their way out of here.”
“Okay, good. My men and I are heading out now, you two should come
with us. We’re gonna need your help.”
Hank hesitated for a moment and then an idea hit him. “Okay, great, thanks.” Then he turned to Toby, “Come on, son, and stay close to me, just in case.”
Toby nodded as they began to jog toward a cavern Hank hadn’t seen before. A loud distant crash nearly tripped them as they ran along in between stalagmites and slipped in mud and slick clear rock.
“What the hell was that?” Hank said.
“Probably nothing good. We need to get moving, now,” Bill said.
Hank wasn’t about to argue with that logic. He wanted nothing more than to protect Toby at all costs. And if his plan worked out, he would be able to protect his son from the Empire and himself very soon.
* * *
The Queen watched as Hank and Toby fled the main cavern. A spark of guilt hit her for the first time in centuries as she watched them go. But she had made her decision long ago and there was no turning back now. Too much depended on her silence. The young one would meet his destiny today like it or not and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. And if they did. There would be little hope to remove the Emperor from his place of rule. She cleared her mind and instead focused on the cavern entrance. Soon they would come—soon she would come. And there would be much to watch. She grinned in bloodthirsty anticipation as a chill ran through her body.
My children, it is time. She is here.
* * *
Simon and Ishan flashed in front of the Queen faster than anyone in the room but probably the Queen herself could see. A dozen or so other vampires took places around the cavern in preparation for attack as the bonfire continued to pop and sizzle in the center of the room. A moment later, what had to have been nearly a hundred humans, men, women, even small children, rushed into the cavern and charged the nearest vampire in sight. The vampires slashed throats with their claws and teeth but they were far outnumbered by the humans and eventually several vampires were knocked to the ground and torn to pieces by the ravenous crowd.
And then she was there right before Simon’s eyes. Every bit as beautiful as the Queen but much different and yet he could feel nothing but hatred for her as she tried now to attack his Queen’s home and place of safety. But it didn’t take long to realize that she wasn’t here for the Queen.
As soon as her eyes locked with Simon’s she blasted forward at him like a bullet. Before Simon could move out of the way her teeth were locked on his throat and she was viciously sucking the life from him. The faint yellow light within the cave began to fade as the sounds of this other queen’s suckling and the feeling of becoming lighter all overwhelmed what little sensory input Simon was receiving.
And then there was an eruption of silent movement and Simon felt his body fall to the ground as Ishan pulled her away, blood gushing down her chin, her face contorted into a raging thing. Rocks began to slice at his flesh and cool wet mud slid beneath him as he realized he was being dragged backward. He looked behind himself and saw only darkness. The Queen. He closed his eyes. Then the thought of Ishan gripped him with fear and he opened them to see the ancient vampire swinging and slashing at the other queen, each blow landing with precision but barely moving or damaging her small solid body.
Chapter 38
Spare the Rod, Hate the Child
Hank, Toby, and Whindsor came to the end of the tunnel. They were greeted with open nighttime air, several black vans, and the sounds of utter chaos. Screams and machine gun fire erupted almost immediately and before Hank knew it, a man with long curly hair and a gray polo shirt and two young girls in summer dresses with vacant eyes jumped for the three of them. Out of pure instinct Hank jumped and somersaulted over Toby and Whindsor to shield them from the oncoming attack. Before he could do anything else a blast of gunfire mowed down the ravenous-looking trio and Toby screamed. It was horrible to watch, but Hank was somehow sure they weren’t running toward them to get help.
A large crowd of people just as vacant and hungry as the three they’d just seen was surrounding them just past the black vans. One of the vans backed up and then burst forward into the crowd running down a small fraction of them. Whindsor, now openly armed with a small machine gun, yelled for Hank and Toby to get in the second van as he fired into the crowd coming around the back of it. The two jumped in and a moment later Whindsor was inside sliding the side door shut. The van took off, hands and fists slapping at the windows from outside as they went.
“Any idea what the fuck all that was about?” the driver of the van yelled back.
“Not a clue, Reynolds, keep fucking driving and pretend those are Imperial soldiers you’re about to run over.”
“Ten-four!”
The next moment there was a huge thumping as the van shook and jolted upward several times. Gurgling screams and the revving engine sent a chill down Hank’s spine as he squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to think about what was happening. Toby sobbed and Hank held him close. “It’s okay, Toby. We’re gonna get out of this. It’s okay, it’s okay.” Toby was shaking and sobbing all the more. They rocked together there in each other’s arms as the van made its way to solid ground again and sped away.
* * *
As soon as Simon’s body slid away into the darkness, Ishan turned and took another swing at Bellona. Now he would be able to concentrate completely on the fight without interruption. All around them humans tore pieces of his fellow vampires away and left them to bleed and occasionally one or two would wander up to Ishan and he would push them away or slash into them. A gurgling splash of blood that only increased the animal instinct in him to kill would follow. Bellona was swift, but he had quickly found her weakness. She was so fueled with hatred that she wasn’t calculating her moves only acting and reacting.
Her red eyes bounced up and then disappeared as she somersaulted toward him. Ishan timed his movements so that when she landed his fist struck her in the gut and sent her backwards. But before she could hit the ground she used the momentum to spin herself back to her feet and the next moment she was gone. Ishan spun around scanning every crevice behind every living being still managing to ravage in the bloodfest going on all around them. He hoped Simon and the Queen were safely below in the main lower cavern of the hive. Because what he was about to do, although it couldn’t kill them, it could trap them for an unknown amount of time.
He turned and struck the nearest cave wall with all his strength. The whole of the cavern ceiling caved in on the entire room putting out the fire in a loud never-ending crackling that made it hard to concentrate on anything else. But a moment later the sound he was waiting for belted out from the falling rocks of salt. The other queen’s voice squealed in pain. Ishan’s ears noted the direction of the sound and he leapt over and under falling rock as he went, running toward her voice. When he made it to the section where she should be, he found nothing but a huge pile of fallen rock. Was she unconscious under there?
He watched and waited for sound or movement.
Nothing.
Human and vampire screams called out all around but none of them were hers. She couldn’t be dead. He knew she wouldn’t die so easily. But he could hope she was at least knocked out. A small sound dissonant with all the others gave her away just before Ishan could react and she was on him tearing into his neck with her teeth. Ishan let out a scream of anguish and then punched her in the face, tearing her away from his shoulder, her teething taking some of his flesh in the process. He turned and jumped tackling into her midsection and sending her down into the ground with a thud that clearly broke several bones in her rock solid body. She screamed out in fury.
“You will die for what your brother has done. And then—”
Ishan punched her again. Blood spurted from her nose, a drop of it falling on Ishan’s tongue. It was every bit as intoxicating as the Queen’s but an earth-shattering revelation made it even sweeter.
He could have it all.
With that thought engulfing every cell of his body, Ishan leapt at the other queen�
�s throat and began to drink with a ravenous abandon only a fledgling bloodlust could match. She struggled desperately with teeth, feet, and claws.
* * *
Nearly an hour later the van sat in a dark parking lot alongside the other two. Whindsor was outside talking to the other men for a long time as Hank and Toby sat not speaking for a long time.
“Toby, I need to tell you something. It’s really important.”
Toby didn’t respond, he only stared off into space tears still sliding down his cheeks.
“I’m going to see if there is some place safe you can go until things calm down.”
Toby looked up at Hank then. “But what about you?”
“I have to help these people in any way I can. I’ll be with you soon.”
“No! What if something happens to you? What if the Emperor finds out you’re still—”
“Toby, I’m far more concerned that something’s going to happen to you right now. You have got to go somewhere safe.”
“Fuck that. I’m coming with you wherever you go. I’m not going to be somewhere else waiting and constantly worrying whether you’re going to die anymore. I won’t do it.”
Hank stood and opened the sliding door. “I’m sorry, son. But this is for your own good.” He spotted Whindsor and called out to him.
“Yeah, what’s up?” Whindsor said as he came running.
“Is there somewhere safe where Toby can go?”
“Yeah, Johnson is just about to go pick up some of the other families that need protecting, he can go with them.”
Empire of Blood (Book 2): Fading In Darkness Page 23