Master Dragon, dressed as a ninja with traditional face-covering, carried two Japanese swords of different lengths. In one leap he cleared the expanse between the tunnel entrance and the middle of the arena, landing in a crouched position. Rising as the stadium lights brightened once more, Dragon lifted his swords, revving up the audience until the cheers were deafening.
From the western tunnel, three cyborg-zombies entered the arena, outfitted with flamethrowers on one arm and chainsaws on the other. In support, twenty berserker-zombies dressed in Falcon football uniforms appeared, wearing helmets with antennas. Somewhere in the press box, a doctor sat holding a remote control. Ten vampires riding motorcycles roared into the arena, driving in circles around Dragon, all carrying spears.
The berserker-zombies headed straight for Dragon. The cyborgs spread out, shooting flames toward him, as the vampires continued circling.
Dragon attacked. Faster than the vampires, he vanished and reappeared in the center of the zombies, swinging his swords and lopping off heads. The three cyborgs advanced on Dragon, spewing fire from their arms as they tried to keep him occupied while the vampires roared toward him. With a leap, Dragon unseated a vampire, confiscated his motorcycle, and zipped around the field.
“This is new,” Logan said. “I didn’t know Dragon could ride a bike.”
A vampire in front of him spilled her bottle of blood and turned to wipe her chair. The man seated next to her shouted in excitement, jumping and knocking her over. Logan caught the bundle of blonde hair and curves. As Logan helped her back to her seat, the excited fan next to her glared at Logan.
“Thanks,” she said. The blonde stood up and yelled, “Dragon! I love you!”
Dragon leapt off of the bike, letting it slam into a cyborg. Both exploded in flames. Blood splattered the crowd as Dragon eviscerated another cyborg with his long sword. A stroke of his shorter blade beheaded a third, sending its head flying into the stands. The audience screamed Dragon’s name as he pursued the motorcycles on foot. The vampires tried to outmaneuver Dragon, but he was too fast. Using his invisibility, he kept everyone guessing where he would appear next, striking fear in the vampires and raucous fervor in the fans. One after another Dragon destroyed the bikers until he alone remained standing. The crowd erupted in riotous fanfare, chanting Dragon’s name.
“Next week, on Christmas Eve,” announced a male voice over the speakers. “Our very own Master Dragon will face his most lethal opponent yet, Aries of Athens, the Cyborg from Hell! Place your bets early, folks. It’s happening right here at the Citadel’s Christmas Eve Death Games!”
Dragon collected bouquets of flowers and a giant white teddy bear tossed to him by fans before he waved at the crowd and disappeared into the tunnel. A full squad of Shadowguard accompanied him. Ecstatic fans tried to follow and were clubbed to the ground by guards, ending any riot before it began, as new contestants entered the arena.
“Christmas is overrated,” Logan said. He stood and motioned at Bechtel. “Come on. I don’t want to see the grand-melee. You can only watch so many zombies die in a night. Pit Dragon against the Dynamic Duo and you’d have a real fight.”
With Bechtel in the lead, they headed toward the exit. The crowd started to cheer as zombies were let onto the field. Logan quickened his step. Bechtel caught Logan by the arm, dragging him past the concession stands and vampires toward the Falcon’s old baseball locker room. He handed a program to Logan.
“Have a souvenir, my friend. Let’s see if Dragon will sign it for you.”
Logan flipped it open. The program’s headline article featured the upcoming Christmas Eve match between the champions. The stats told how many opponents each had killed, and both fighter’s strengths and weaknesses. Dragon didn’t have any weakness, but Aries had lost both arms in a prior fight. His new arms were made of titanium and the man looked like a tank. Logan placed the program in his coat pocket as he approached a blue door with a large red star. Dragon’s name was beneath the star in black.
“Why are we doing this?” Logan asked. “I’m not that big a fan. Dragon doesn’t like me, and I don’t want to give him a chance to cut off my head.”
“We’re going,” Bechtel said. “This is business.”
A line of fans waited to meet Dragon, ladies first. Guards were posted outside the fighter’s door. Bechtel held out a gold pass, and he and Logan were ushered in without question. An oriental theme dressed the locker room. Banners with dragons hung from the walls, red carpeting covered the floor, and a gold table and chair sat against the far wall. Dragon autographed black and white photographs for his female fans. A group of self-indulged vampires were drinking champagne and lounging on red couches, acting like common groupies.
“Hold out the program,” Bechtel said. “Have Dragon sign it for you.”
“You want his autograph? Fine. I’ll get it for you.”
Logan pulled out the program, and a fan gave the human a dirty look. It was evident the vampires all revered Dragon as a celebrity. When it was Logan’s turn in line, he stuck out his program to the star.
“Hey, Dragon,” Logan said. “Can I get your autograph? I’m a big fan.”
Dragon lifted his head. Shirtless, his tattoos were exposed: a red dragon inked on his right arm, and a green one on his left; he was damn good-looking. Logan offered a glancing smile as Dragon caught his eyes. Hatred reflected back at Logan as the top-ranked fighter yanked the program from his hand. With a gold pen, Dragon scribbled onto an interior page and thrust the program back at Logan.
“I love you to death, Master Dragon,” a woman said, pushing Logan out of the way. “Would you sign my program?”
“Let’s go,” Bechtel said, grabbing Logan by the arm and leading him out.
Once outside, Logan breathed in the crisp, fresh air. Vampires were leaving by car or in tight pedestrian groups, chatting about the fights.
Bechtel pointed at the program. “What did he write, Agent Logan?”
“I can well imagine what he wrote.” Logan opened the program, flipping through the pages. He frowned. “‘Make it happen.’ I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean,” closing the program. “Does that mean something to you?”
“You aren’t as bright as Rose claims. It simply means that he’s ready to leave. You have a reputation for making things happen. This is our sign that Dragon agrees to leave. You’ll have to plan something fast. We are running out of time.”
“Me?” Logan grimaced. “How the hell am I supposed to arrange for that?”
The idea was ridiculous. Dragon was the most powerful fighter in the arena. Being asked to help someone who could turn invisible seemed stupid. Dragon didn’t need help to leave.
Logan wanted to tell Bechtel what his real thoughts were about that plan, but kept his mouth shut. They walked back to his building in silence.
“I thought you agreed to help?” Bechtel was angry. “Dragon trusts you more than you think, Logan, or he wouldn’t have written that message. We’ve been waiting for this for quite a while. Now that you’re on board we should be able to make it happen.”
“Look, pal, you’ve come to the wrong man. I never agreed to anything.”
They arrived at Logan’s building. Bechtel put his hand on the door, keeping Logan from entering.
“The fight is rigged,” Bechtel said. “Dragon is meant to die. I can’t do this alone, Logan. I need your help. Dragon needs your help. So does Rose.”
Logan tried to push Bechtel out of the way. It was like pushing on a boulder. “Do you mind? We’re through here. I’m not the guy to rescue the champion. If Dragon wants out, he can just leave. Will you move?”
“You owe Rose,” Bechtel said, stepping aside. “And Dragon.”
“I’ll think about it, Bechtel, and let you know tomorrow, okay? Right now, I just want to go to my room, open a bottle of scotch and drown my thoughts of Rose. It won’t make me feel any better, but I need to get her off my mind. She’s one woman that knows how to get under a
man’s skin.”
Bechtel patted Logan on the back and opened the door. “Go on up. I’ll see you tomorrow night. The Dynamic Duo are fighting. I can’t wait.”
“Bloodsucker.”
Logan nodded at the guard posted to his room, went in, and made a beeline to his desk. He grabbed a bottle of scotch and poured a drink. Instead of downing the drink, he changed into pajamas and slippers. Who did Rose think she was, asking him to plan the escape of three people who hated him? Three fighters who were popular with both their fans and sponsors. Logan didn’t have any idea how to make it happen. He needed a diversion, yet no matter how many scenarios he thought up, he was always the weakest link. He was only human, after all.
Standing by the window, Logan pulled aside the curtains. His building was “L” shaped, and he could see Salustra’s window. Her drapes were open. Salustra was wearing a red silk robe, and she appeared to be talking to someone behind her. Dragon was Salustra’s fighter and lived with her, so Logan assumed he was there. She spotted Logan. He lifted his glass, mouthing the words, Hey there, pretty lady. The drapes closed.
Spot lights swung toward their building, lighting up Salustra’s window revealing a large, monstrous shadow. Logan watched it slither across the side of the building, darkening frosty panes of glass, then vanishing around the corner. Either his eyes were playing tricks on him, or he had seen the shadow of a winged, horned demon.
* * * * *
Chapter Seven
Raven sat in the middle of her canopied bed, flipping through books from the library, reading up on vampires. Across the room, Star watched her from a chair. No matter how nice the Kaiser had been, Raven couldn’t stop thinking about what she learned after the party. It was the third night in a row she left dinner early to retire to her room. Everything she read, either fiction or myth, didn’t mention anything about an Anax demon named the Kaiser. There were many recorded sightings of vampires in history, but only Dracula was a nobleman. The demon high lords were impressive. None matched the Kaiser’s description, and she knew he wasn’t Dracula. He went by a title, not his real name. She desperately wanted to send word to her friends.
“This is harder than I thought,” Raven said. “I can’t find a thing on the Kaiser in vampire lore. Nor can I find anything about Anax demons. Why have you stopped looking? We have a dozen more books to go through, Star. If we want to learn what the Kaiser is, we can’t stop.”
“Are we talking now?” Star pulled her legs up and rested her head on her knees. “Just because you’ve confided in me doesn’t make us best friends. I’m still your slave, and you’re still the Kaiser’s mistress. I thought you were going to send for Luna. Are you aware they keep her in a cage and don’t let her change back into human form? It’s cruel and inhumane.”
Raven closed the book. “I feel horrible for how I’ve treated you and for what’s happened to Luna. Must you remind me every second that I’m a total bitch? I said I was sorry. All I want is to find something useful about the Kaiser. If he’s as old as they say he is, and fought against the gods, there must be something about it in these stupid books.”
“Don’t forget, you’re relying on what you were told by vampires,” Star said. She pulled a book out from behind her. “I’m not blaming you for being turned, Raven. But you haven’t talked to me like a real person in weeks, and now you tell me all of this crazy stuff about the Kaiser. Honestly, I don’t care what the Kaiser is. He’s sent bounty hunters to capture Cadence, and we have to get word to her.”
“Just keep looking for something helpful. If we kill the Kaiser, Cadence will be fine.” She glanced at the book beside her on ‘Ancient Culture.’ It seemed irrelevant so she closed the book.
“We can kill him later. I’m worried about protecting Cadence right now. Can you imagine what Dr. Leopold intends to do with her? You said Logan goes to the lab every day, but you can’t get close him. I want to know what they plan to do.”
“Logan is a backstabber, plain and simple,” Raven said. “I hate him. He was never nice to me. Besides, I’m not allowed to talk to Logan. Not about Cadence, and certainly not about the Kaiser. It’s a shame, too. He’s so rich and powerful.”
Star hurled a book at Raven in disgust, just missing her head. “So what? The Kaiser doesn’t love you. He’s using you. Thor loved you. Luna loved you. Demons aren’t capable of love.” She sounded exasperated. “The book on demonology I read listed the name of over forty different demons. Nothing on Anax demons.” She lowered her voice. “For all you know, the Kaiser is Lucifer.”
“No. He can’t be. It’s just too terrifying to consider.”
“Maybe he serves Lucifer,” Star said, starting to grin. “The Scourge was the end of the world. Then the dead rose, just like it says in Revelation, and the Kaiser is certainly evil.”
Raven rolled her eyes, threw back her head onto the pillows, and stared at the canopy. “Well, Cadence isn’t some Savior. I wonder how many battles were fought against the Kaiser. It’s a rather weird title to choose. Maybe he’s the real Kaiser, you know, the German leader in World War I? Hitler, too. They were both short. So was Napoleon.”
“So are dwarves, and this isn’t helping,” Star groaned, massaging her face. “If he made us in his image, then he’s a type of vampire demon. All we have to do is get close enough to stab him in the brain and heart. It’s best to do it while he’s sleeping. We could kill him today.”
“He’s a high demon lord. Pallaton says he can’t be killed, and I trust him. Until we’re sure how to do it, we just keep pretending to be obedient servants.”
“Then talk to the Kaiser. Use your charm to get close to him. Really close. In a moment of passion, he may reveal something we can use to kill him. It’s not that difficult, Raven. Or wait until afterwards. It’s called pillow talk.”
“Yuck,” Raven said. “He has nose hairs. And bad breath.”
“Is this about Pallaton? I’ve seen how you stare at one another when you think no one is watching. Keep it up, the Kaiser will catch on.” Star slid out of the chair and began picking up books, placing them in a large plastic container to be returned to the library. “Did you forget, he’s the one who killed Cadence? There’s nothing nice about that guy.”
“Cadence didn’t die. She’s immortal. Don’t be so judgmental.”
“Don’t be so stupid.”
Raven and Star looked at one another and started to laugh. They never got along at camp or even hung out back at Pike’s Peak. Funny how trying to kill a demon-vampire-lord could bring people together.
A knock made both girls scream. Star ran over to the bed, ducking behind it, leaving Raven to deal with whoever it was. Raven pulled on a black silk robe and walked to the door.
“Who is it?” Raven asked.
“Room service.” It was a man’s voice.
Annoyed, Raven unlocked and opened the door. A Shadowguard stood holding a tray with a pitcher of blood and a bowl of limes. A champagne bottle stuck out of a bucket of ice. With contempt, Raven tossed back her silky black hair and pulled the tray from him.
“I asked for this two hours ago. What took you so long? Never mind. Back to your duties and stop bothering me. I’m busy.”
The guard opened his mouth, closed it, and then stepped back. Glancing down the hallway, he flinched. Raven acted as she always did and pushed the oaf out of the way, charging out into the hall, prepared to throw a fit.
Pallaton was standing there, dressed in a black suit. He dismissed the guard and gave her a frosty look. “You’ve caused a great gossip with this sudden interest in books. What are you up to? The Kaiser has serious doubts about you, Raven. He thinks you’re playing games with him. He’s starting to look elsewhere for a new wife.”
“Good,” Raven said. “I don’t want to marry him. He’s bald. And he’s too old.”
“Shhh! Get inside, you stupid girl. We need to talk.”
The Captain of the Shadowguard was fast as a serpent, sweeping forward, catching Raven and
slamming the door behind them. Pallaton sent her tumbling to the floor and towered over her, a dangerous look distorting his pale face. Star didn’t make a peep.
“You actually asked the Kaiser to give humans to that little queen and her moron consort?” Pallaton glared at Raven as she gathered herself. “Right now the Kaiser is putting men and women on a bus and sending them to Miramont Castle on your behalf. Whatever happened to helping people? You said you wanted to help. Of course you were talking through your fangs, as usual. It didn’t even cross your mind what will happen to them. A silly request by a silly girl with no idea how the real world works.”
“Me?” Raven asked, incredulous. “How many humans have you killed in the line of duty, Pallaton? Your Shadowguard attacked the camp several times, and people died. You’re the reason Star and I are here. In fact, it’s your fault Luna is in a cage, and the Vikings are all but dead.” She wiped bloody tears away. “Why are you so angry? You don’t care about me, so stop acting like you do. What are you doing here anyway? You’re not allowed in here.”
Pallaton scoured the room furious, reaching for a priceless Egyptian vase, hurling it against the wall. The clay dust showered over the bed and Star peeked from behind the bed.
“How dare you!” Raven stood up hissing, exposing her fangs.
Without warning, Pallaton gripped Raven’s arm and pulled her against his body, leaning in to kiss her. He changed his mind and gave her a push that sent her flying backwards. She landed on the bed, scattering books across the floor. Her hand found a heavy volume, and she threw it at his head. Pallaton knocked it away. His fangs released, and his eyes glowed, turning bright yellow. Raven launched another book, striking him in the head.
“Will you stop that? I’m here because I care, so stop being childish.”
“Leave my room this minute,” Raven shouted. “Get out!”
Dead Hearts (Book 3): Vengeful Hearts Page 7