“It’s a story I’ve not heard before,” Vlad said, “but it seems consistent with what I know about Deadulus.”
“You must use all your skill to defeat him, my boy!” the beggar said. “But eat first.”
When the Mimic fish was ready, Vlad held it to his nose and savoured the scent of cooked food in his nostrils. It smelled even better knowing it had tried to eat him earlier. He was about to take a bite. Vlad chuckled to himself and sat down to consume his fish. He ravenously munched on the fish. In no time at all, not a morsel remained. He licked his fingers clean and wiped them on his garments. Vlad stretched and looked around the forest. Vlad was not sure of the old man with him (at least Vlad assumed Norvad was old). It was difficult to see his features properly with all the grime on his face.
The old man scooped great dollops of food out of a pot for himself. He had made it earlier, before encountering Vlad, and it was cooked to perfection. He put it into a makeshift bowl. “Broth tonight, sloth tomorrow, I say,” Norvad said laughing.
It made Vlad think of Mattna, and a cloud of sadness crossed his face.
“Was my joke that bad?” Norvad asked.
“No,” Vlad said, “you just remind me of someone I lost.”
“Oh,” Norvad said, wisely not digging for any further information.
There had been no time to take in all that had happened. Vlad’s eyes glazed over as he stared into the distance in a daydream. His eyes refocused and went wide with fear.
“There is a vampire behind you,” Vlad whispered to Norvad. “Don’t move. I’ll grab a stick from the fire to drive it back.”
Before Vlad reacted, something sprang from the dark crevice and landed beside the campfire and between the two frightened campers. It stared Vlad in the eye and sniffed. It put its snout right up to Vlad’s hair and sniffed down the rest of his body. At close quarters, Vlad studied its physical features. It differed from the other vampires. Its skin was pale white, unlike Deadulus and his breed. Its method of detection was also different. Deadulus also sniffed, but the use of the nose complemented the eyes. With the vampire before Vlad, the sniffing seemed to be its only way of detecting food. Vlad still had the fish in his hands and he held it up, curious whether it would eat. When it got a scent of the charred fish flesh, the vampire gently moved back from the proffered morsel. Vlad was astonished. He knew he was encountering a new species of vampire. He was even more surprised when it crept over to the beggar and the old man stroked it affectionately.
“There you are. Good boy, good boy,” the old man said happily.
Vlad disbelieved what he was witnessing. “He’s your pet?” Vlad said, half bewildered and half amused.
“This is my friend, Anamis,” the beggar said. “He is the reason I can escape the detection of the snake. He alerts me every time. I have had him since he was a baby. I fed him and reared him like a human child. He is very affectionate.”
“I can see that,” Vlad replied, as the albino vampire rubbed its head gently on the old man’s shoulder.
“What a wondrous creature,” Vlad said. “He has the face of my enemy, but I sense no malice from him.”
“Anamis is a placid creature,” Norvad agreed. “I owe my life to him.”
The fact that it had lived in a cave all its life explained its pale skin. After the display of mutual fondness between the beggar and the beast ended, Anamis jumped alarmingly into the bushes behind them. Vlad lay flat on the ground as the creature sailed over his head.
“What’s he doing now?” Vlad breathlessly enquired.
“He’s catching his breakfast,” Norvad said with a grin.
The bush shook with the creature’s activities, and there were audible munching sounds.
“What does he eat?” Vlad asked.
“Insects, berries, nuts, roots, you name it,” Norvad replied.
Vlad looked back to where the small vampire was and shook his head in amazement.
“He does not survive on blood?” Vlad asked.
“Nay,” the beggar replied. “He consumes the fruits of the forest.”
“So this vampire is not an undead creature,” Vlad said. “Perhaps Deadulus and the others are not undead, either.”
“So why do they need blood then?” the beggar asked.
“Food and to make a mockery of Christ’s everlasting covenant, I guess,” Vlad said, “but this creature’s existence has thrown everything I know about vampires into doubt.”
“All I know is that Anamis is a good friend,” Norvad replied. “I would not be without him.”
“A bloodless vampire?” Vlad said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Now, I’ve seen everything! I wish all vampires were like him.”
“Yes,” Norvad agreed, “we would all feel safer.”
The creature returned with red juice stains on his milky-white lips, the result of consuming berries. He stopped where Vlad stood.
“You can pet him if you like,” Norvad said as he munched on his food.
Vlad reached up a trembling hand to pet a creature he always had assumed was purely evil. The little vampire looked up, aware that something was above his head. He sniffed Vlad’s hand, and Vlad nervously withdrew it.
“Fear not,” Norvad said. “He will not harm you. Keep going.”
“Petting vampires is a new thing for me,” Vlad said. “I am more accustomed to driving stakes into their hearts!”
“Oh, yes,” the beggar smiled, his eyes warily watching Vlad.
Once again, Vlad placed his hand over the vampire’s head. This time he gently brought his hand down and stroked the willing animal. The delicate creature made an appreciative sound, like the purring of a cat. Vlad smiled and petted him more forcefully. A cautious trust developed between them as Vlad got used to the creature’s sudden movements.
“Warm,” Vlad said. “He’s warm. When Deadulus or any of the other vampires touched me, they felt ice cold to the touch. It was at night though, and the night air could have chilled their skin. Anamis seems to be different.”
Vlad got so absorbed in studying the new creature that he forgot about the time. When he became conscious of how many hours had passed, it was late afternoon. The sun was starting its descent in the sky. He decided he should get going. If he pushed himself, he believed he would reach Mortis by nightfall. If not, he would have to take his chances in the woods. Vlad was reluctant to leave his new friends, and they were unwilling to let him go, but a large city was no place for two souls of the country. They would receive cruel treatment there. A beggar and a supernatural beast would be ridiculed and attacked, probably even killed. He thanked them both, shook hands with the old man, and petted Anamis. Vlad looked back with sad eyes as he left. He waved from the forest and was gone from view in no time.
Chapter Nine
Half an hour later, Vlad was moving at full speed on the road to Mortis. The sound of panting behind him made Vlad stop and look back. It was Norvad and Anamis. Vlad noticed the scalp of Anamis was throbbing from his exertions.
“What’s wrong?” Vlad asked.
“We’re coming with you!” the old man said.
“Why?” Vlad asked.
“We were climbing back down into the cave, when the serpent blocked our way,” the beggar said. “We didn’t fancy being vampire bait, so we decided we had a better chance if we caught up with you.”
Vlad was pleased to see his friends again, but he knew his fellow travellers would slow his progress. While there was a modicum of safety in numbers, the group also presented a bigger target that was easier for the vampires to see from the air. For the first time, though, Vlad had a vampire on his side, and the keen senses of Anamis were a priceless new warning beacon against approaching threats.
“Very well,” Vlad reluctantly said. “Let’s go.”
Vlad would have to spend the night in the forest and hope to reach Mortis in the morning. As the trio of travellers made their way along the ever-darkening road, they heard the vampires’ distant cry drift
down from on high. They stopped dead in their tracks and looked at each other. Anamis sniffed the air and adjusted his head accordingly.
“Let’s get off the road,” Vlad said.
The vampires would be upon them soon. The friends trudged through the undergrowth, scanning the area frantically for a haven. Vlad raised his arm and his companions halted.
“What is it?” the old man said breathlessly.
“Do you hear that?” Vlad said.
“Is it the vampires?” the beggar asked.
“No,” Vlad said. “That thumping noise...What can it be?”
When they rounded the dense foliage, they saw a group of five woodcutters chopping massive logs with axes. Their noisy work halted the moment the trio came into view.
“Who are you?” the head woodcutter asked.
“I am Vlad Ingisbohr,” the young man said.
“And him?” another asked.
“This is Norvad,” Vlad said as he pointed to the beggar.
Anamis hid in the shadows, as strangers made him jittery.
“I don’t know if you have ever heard of vampires,” Vlad said, “but they are on their way here right now. You should put down the tools and find a secure hiding place with us until morning.”
As Vlad expected, they all laughed at him like he was insane and resumed their work.
“Our families starve if we don’t work,” the head woodcutter said. “You’re not in charge here! Leave!”
“Anamis?” Vlad said.
The little vampire was frozen with fear.
“It’s okay, Anamis. Come out, let them see you,” Vlad said.
The albino vampire was nervous from the strange voices, but after a little coaxing from Norvad, he crept out of the bushes. The woodcutters backed off and mumbled to each other. One of them even raised an axe to defend himself.
“He means you no harm,” Vlad said, as the gentle animal sniffed the air for signs of danger, “but the vampires that are on the way do. They are twice his size and a thousand times fiercer.”
Although the men lived nearby, it was the first time the vampires had ever ventured that far from Nocturne. They had no reason to. Food was readily available, and no one ever had made a break for the capital to bring back help.
“Are you from Nocturne?” the head woodcutter asked.
“I am,” Vlad replied with a smile.
“You have brought death upon us,” the woodcutter said scowling. “They are following you.”
“Blame me or not,” Vlad said. “There is no time to argue. If we don’t unite like the vampires have, we will all die. They will be here soon.”
There was an unsure pause from the men, but they agreed to do as Vlad suggested. They then took to the woods to await the arrival of the embodiment of supreme evil. Vlad had the men spread out in the bushes, so at least if one got caught, the others might have time to escape. There was silence as they sat in the bushes nervously waiting. The majestic moon illuminated the fawning clouds beneath it and shone through the canopy of trees around Vlad. He welcomed the civility of its light in the feral darkness with all its lurking dangers. However, Vlad knew it also was a guiding light for the vampires to find them.
The woodcutters grew restless and whispered to each other or whistled
quietly to pass the time. Vlad had to tell them to be quiet. They reluctantly complied with his wishes, but still the vampires did not come. Their hiding place was in a dense part of the forest, and it would take time for the vampires to negotiate their way through to their exact location. A vampire lunged out of the darkness at Vlad. For a moment, Vlad thought he was dead. It was only Anamis.
“Oh,” the young man gasped. “It’s only you, boy!”
He stroked the beast on the nose and resumed his vigil for the vampires. Ten more minutes passed, and still, nothing happened. The woodcutters started asking Vlad questions.
“Does it usually take this long?” one of them asked.
“Maybe they don’t operate this far from Nocturne,” another helpfully
suggested.
Vlad was about to tell them to shut up when Anamis went into a convulsion. Vlad quickly brought his finger to his lips, and the men fell silent again. He then pointed out across the forest and the men understood that they were about to meet the vampires. Anamis sniffed the air and his head jerked like a bird’s. Vlad tried to calm his new vampire friend to keep him as quiet as possible, but he stopped when he saw figures squatting in trees across the thicket.
The vampires were close, and they hopped from tree to tree, getting closer all the time. When they came close enough to see, one of the men gasped. A vampire stood on his hind legs and sniffed. He then bounded over to where Vlad and his terrified companions hid. Vlad waited until the creature was as close as possible without being able to see him and then struck. He raised the enormous axe above his head and decapitated the beast with one swift swoop. The other vampires roared and charged towards Vlad, and it made the woodcutters bolt from their sanctuary and hurl two of their axes. They spun unerringly through the air. One hit its target, splitting the vampire’s chest open. The creature pulled the axe from its gaping chest wound, and with his last amount of energy, launched the projectile back from whence it came. The woodcutter was unprepared for the speed and power of the attack, and the razor-sharp blade cleaved his skull in two. Brain matter showered his colleagues, and a stunned silence fell over them. The vampire caught the other axe thrown its way. He thrust it back at the workmen and they hit the forest floor with lightning speed.
A muffled question came from the darkness: “What do we do now, Vlad?” a woodcutter asked.
“Follow me,” Vlad said as they retreated.
They retired to the clearing where they had been chopping the logs. There was no escaping what was coming their way. The woodcutters would not make it to their houses in time. They would have to be individually in their own homes as in Nocturne, or it would afford them no protection. The vampires would hit the dwelling from all sides and come in and get them. That was out of the question with no time left anyway. There was no cave to hide in, no garlic, hawthorn, or witch hazel, no holy water, nor any crucif- …Wait, there’s plenty of timber here. “Gather as many small pieces of wood as you can,” Vlad said.
“Why?” one of them asked.
“Just do it, hurry!” Vlad said.
The men quickly gathered anything they found. “What now?” they asked.
“Bind it together with something, make a crucifix out of it,” Vlad told them.
While they did that, Vlad searched for one of the woodcutter’s torches. They were all extinguished, except one on the far edge of the clearing. Vlad ran towards it. As he did, he heard the bat-like screeching and beating wings of the vampires as they discovered the bodies of their fallen comrades.
Vlad grabbed the torch, but could not move it. On closer inspection, he saw nails hammered through it attaching it to the tree. Vlad sprinted back and grabbed the first axe in sight. Vlad jammed the blade in between the tree and the fastening and heaved back with every sinew in his body. The nail shot out, and the torch crashed to the ground. For a second, Vlad thought it had gone out, but when he picked it up, the wind revived the flame. He ran back towards his friends. Vlad searched the treetops for any sign of the vampires. He noticed activity just behind a large oak and then looked at his companions. They were piecing together makeshift crosses. A vampire swooped over the treetops, and spotting Vlad’s group, it descended towards them. Vlad shouted to his men and pointed at the beast.
The crosses were not yet ready. So, they wound reeds around the wood with greater urgency. The beast continued its relentless approach as Vlad rushed to save his new friends. The vampire had stretched his claws out, ready for the kill, and dove to a spot just above the woodcutters’ heads. Vlad leapt through the air and landed right under the enormous beast. Vlad turned to face the screeching creature and held the torch in front of his face. The vampire swiftly averted its dive an
d took to the sky again. The men all breathed a sigh of relief and clapped Vlad on the back.
“We’re not out of this yet,” Vlad said. “A long night lies ahead of us.”
Vlad helped the others to fashion the crucifixes and lit more torches from his last remaining one. They stuck them in the ground to form a holy circle of protection around them. The vampires tried dive-bombing the group. Anamis left the circle’s protection without warning and flew towards one of the giant beasts.
“No, wait Anamis!” Vlad screamed after his tiny friend. “Come back!” An evil vampire hovered in midair as Anamis approached, watching him the way a cow watches a fly as it attempts to land on its nose. When he was close enough, Anamis used his elongated head like a battering ram to land a crunching blow to the dark vampire’s ribs.
The creature let out a blood-curdling roar and attempted to retaliate against his tiny assailant. To Vlad’s amazement, the bigger vampire could not catch Anamis. The little creature’s manoeuvrability was incredible. Anamis landed a second blow and a third that stunned the huge beast. With a snort of frustration, the vampire gave up and retreated behind the clump of trees. Vlad believed the other vampires were told about his secret weapon Anamis, as they did not attack again. He knew they would plan a different form of attack, though. The resilience and ingenuity of the vampires seemed limitless. While the physical battle was over, a game of wits had just begun. It was a test of who had the greatest mental strength. Eventually, they all fell asleep inside the protective sphere. Several hours later, Vlad awoke. The unnatural silence was punctuated by the snoring of the men. Vlad saw something moving through the bushes on the far side of the clearing.
It appeared to be a feminine form approaching him. She had a familiar countenance, and her arms stretched out ahead of her. She wore a light blue dress that clung tightly to her body. When she stepped into the light, Vlad jumped back.
The Vorbing Page 11