Vampires Don't Sparkle: Deathless Book 3

by Chris Fox

  Liz met Blair’s gaze. He raised an eyebrow. It all seemed a little too easy, but they couldn’t just say no. This could solve their immediate problems.

  “How do we pilot it?” Blair asked. His eyes widened when his fingers brushed the silver metal. Liz sensed more than saw a crackling energy pass between him and the ship. “Never mind.”

  “Ah, I see you begin to grasp the true worth of a slipsail,” Hades said, giving a chuckle as he clapped Blair on the back. He turned to Liz, sharing a warm smile as he explained. “Powerful shapers can bond with such a vessel. In many ways, they become the vessel. It is powered by sun or moon, and will carry you faster than the fastest bird can fly. I’m told you have the like, or had the like before the sun devastated your technology. It is much like one of your airplanes, though far more nimble.”

  Thunder rumbled in the distance, or something like it anyway. There was something off about it, like a gigantic sheet of fabric being ripped. It echoed and reverberated around them, and Liz raised her hands to her ears. “If it will carry us away from whatever that is, then I’m game. How do we board it?”

  Before she’d finished speaking, the silvered surface rippled, pulling Blair inside. Liz stretched out a tentative hand, laying it against the ship. A warm ripple passed over her hand, and the next thing she knew she was being sucked inside. She suppressed the hostile gut reaction.

  Inside was a comfortable chamber that looked a little like the inside of the Arks, save that the stone was white marble instead of black. It lined the walls, forming an inner shell the silvery metal must be bonded to. The decor was spartan, enough for a single person, or maybe a couple to live comfortably.

  The bed dominating the far side was smaller than the one in her chamber, but obviously cut from the same strange black foam. The sight of it reminded Liz how tired she was, but she refused to even think about that.

  Blair stood next to a strange obsidian pillar, with a diamond-shaped console at the top. It resembled the obelisks in an Ark’s central control room, though the glowing gems set into the console had a more advanced feel. Blair had already pressed his hands into two indentations that seemed made for that purpose. His gaze was far away.

  Hades wizened form slid through the same spot she’d entered, and he leaned heavily on the nightstand next to the bed.

  “Blair?” she asked, staring about her in wonder.

  “Sorry,” Blair said, blinking as his gaze focused. He turned to face her, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “This thing is amazing. Hades, you’re as good as your word. I can guide us up the shaft above us, and we’ll emerge above ground not far from where we entered.”

  “Excellent,” Hades said, clapping Blair on the shoulder. “Guide us to Olympus. Keep your distance, at least at first. We’ll need to sync with the temporal field in order to gain access.”

  “Temporal field?” Liz asked, more than a little alarmed. “That sounds dangerous.”

  “It’s a trivial thing for an Ark Lord,” Hades said, giving a shrug and an apologetic smile. “Your Ka-Dun should be able to manage the feat. The field is unstable, but predictably so.”

  “Maybe, but what is it, exactly?” Blair asked. His eyes were unfocused. There was a soft rumble, then the ship began to move.

  “The gods of Olympus knew we were weaker than your kind,” Hades admitted, though he looked like he’d swallowed something sour. “In order to survive the vast gulf of time, we needed to cheat. We decided the best way to do that was to slow time. For those trapped in Olympus, millennia would pass as years.”

  “Wow,” Liz said, blinking. “I’ve heard some pretty impressive things from Isis, but that sounds like a massive undertaking.”

  “It was by far Zeus’s most ambitious plan, but he had the full support of the pantheon,” Hades said, eyes growing watery. He paused before continuing. “Sustaining a field that powerful requires immense energy, the kind of energy only the Well could provide. I was asked to stay outside so I might protect the conduit, ensuring the survival of my brethren.”

  “Oh, God,” Liz said, catching herself as the ship lurched with sudden acceleration. “Osiris severed the conduit, and you want to return to see if your people survived.”

  Hades nodded, seemingly unable to find words.

  “We’re clear of the tunnel,” Blair said, voice distant. The front end of the ship flickered, then dissolved. She could see the sky around them, though she couldn’t feel the wind.

  Liz looked up, shocked by how quickly they were approaching the city in the sky. Olympus grew larger, and as it did her heart sank. The buildings were pitted and scarred, with more than one column toppled to the ground.

  There was no sign of movement, not so much as a bird. Olympus was a tomb.

  Chapter 36- Into the Storm

  Blair guided the ship higher, keeping the prow aimed at the floating city as he circled Olympus. He could feel the wind along the hull, the hot breath of the approaching storm. It was getting closer, though he guessed they still had an hour or two before it arrived.

  “Head for that platform,” Hades’s voice sounded muffled and distant. “Go in slowly. You’ll feel waves of energy washing over the ship. You need to match the slipsail’s modulation perfectly. Your beast can guide you.”

  He is correct, Ka-Dun. Allow me, and I will guide us.

  Blair relaxed his control, allowing the beast to surge through his mind. He studied what it did, feeling the strange pulses of energy from Olympus. They crackled blue as the slipsail entered, buffeting the ship far more than the wind.

  He began to panic as the waves grew rougher, but the beast took action before Blair had to. The slipsail emitted a series of counter waves, a split second before the temporal field. Each wave grew closer to the pulse, until they were in perfect sync.

  “Well done, Ka-Dun. Well done,” Hades said. Blair felt a hand on his shoulder, though it was far more muted than the senses coming from the slipsail. “Guide us to that dock, the white stone platform. We can set down there.”

  Blair did as asked, feeling a strain as he forced the slipsail the last few feet through the field. There was a sudden lurch, then they were free. He gazed in wonder around him, though gaze might not have been quite the right word. He sensed Olympus from the slipsail’s perspective.

  The city was perhaps a mile across, stretched across gentle, rolling hills. There were dozens of buildings, all shaped from the same white marble they’d glimpsed from below. Wide gardens stretched between them, or what had once been gardens. They were withered and brown, the skeletal branches of stunted olive trees dotting patches of barren soil.

  Some of the buildings looked like they’d been through a war. Scorch marks dotted their sides, and a few were now rubble. Most of those that were not still had damage, ranging from a single singed hole to entire missing walls.

  “What happened here?” Blair asked, guiding the slipsail into a landing. It hovered a foot or two above the platform, bobbing gently up and down. He released the vessel, returning to his own senses.

  “War,” Hades said, sadly. He wept openly, and Blair wanted to look away. “I can imagine what happened. For the first years all was well, but once the conduit was cut the flow of time grew much closer to that below. Years became decades, and my brethren’s strength failed them. They likely drained their batteries and artifacts dry, siphoning strength to stay alive.

  “When that failed them,” Hades said, voice cracking. He paused, mouth working for several moments before could continue. “They turned on the last source of available strength: each other. The weakest probably died first, but in the end time claimed them all. The city is a graveyard. Osiris murdered my people.”

  “What will you do now?” Liz asked, resting a hand on Hades arm.

  “I’ll stay, and try to rebuild,” Hades said, clearing his throat. He wiped the tears away with the arm of his cloak, then turned to Blair. “My people are dead, but their sacrifice doesn’t have to be in vain. Convince
Isis to ally with Ra. Tell her of Osiris’s evil. Do not let old loyalties trick her, or the world will pay a furious price. You have no idea the depths of Osiris’s depravity.”

  Blair gave a sharp nod, moving to put an arm around Liz. “We’ll do our best. If you’ll debark we’ll be on our way. It looked like that storm was about to start.”

  Hades gave Blair a guilty look. “I’m sorry, Ka-Dun. The temporal field is much weaker, but still potent. Hours have passed outside olympus, perhaps days. The storm may have already passed, or it could still be raging.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Blair said, struggling to contain his anger. “We can’t change it. All we can do is get out of here. Let’s go, Liz.”

  Hades gave another apologetic nod, then started for the ship’s hull. Blair ignored the old man as he rippled through the slipsail’s wall. He focused on the console, willing the ship to depart Olympus and head back into the storm.

  Chapter 37- Master

  Hades waved at the departing slipsail, wiping at the tears on his cheeks. He watched as the vessel passed through the temporal veil, back into the boiling orange clouds on the far side. He hid his smile until it had disappeared.

  The first seeds had been planted, but a wise farmer scattered many, knowing not all would bear fruit. Schemes were much the same, and even if the Ka-Ken and her Ka-Dun convinced Isis to attack Osiris there was still work to be about.

  Hades cackled to himself as he made for the ruins of the central amphitheater. He knew his brother well, and if Zeus had met his end it would have been there. Eventually Hades would need to return to treat with Ra, but first he needed to recover the crown. It would be drained of energy, but that hardly mattered. He would expose it to the Well, and eventually it would brim with the power he needed to stand on equal footing with the Ark Lords.

  He cast aside the staff he’d been using. It was an effective prop, but he wouldn’t need it again until he returned to the surface to meet Ra. Gone too were his quavering steps, replaced with sure and powerful strides. Hades had been careful to retain his bedraggled appearance, knowing it would cause others to underestimate him. He could have bent light to achieve the same appearance, but there was too much chance that such shaping would be detected.

  Better not to cloak his true form, lest a powerful shaper pierce his illusion. He could labor as an old man for a few years more until his schemes were mature and his power unquestioned. Then he’d return to youth and vitality, when it wouldn’t matter what any thought of him.

  He trotted along the charred road, weaving around the worst of the pitted surface. It took only moments to reach the archway leading into the amphitheater, though he knew much more time was passing outside. There was nothing to be done about that, save being as quick as he could here.

  The archway was shaded, and it took his eyes a moment to adjust. He stepped over someone’s ribcage, probably one of the last to assail Zeus. Aphrodite, maybe. Or Poseidon. Hades couldn’t help but grin as he emerged into the amphitheater itself, rows of stone seats overlooking a simple stage.

  A single white marble chair dominated that stage, and his pulse quickened when he saw the flash of gold atop the skeleton’s brow. “Oh brother, you poor fool. You waited here until the last, withering away until there was nothing left.”

  Hades trotted down the walkway, leaping atop the stage. He paused before the throne, grinning widely as he stared down at the slack-jawed skeleton. Zeus had been the mightiest. The most handsome. The most charismatic. He’d easily commanded their brethren, none of whom respected Hades. They’d feared him of course, but that was different.

  Now they were all dead, and only Hades remained. He plucked the crown from the skull and dropped it over his own brow. It settled there, instantly resizing to fit him. He felt the stirring of power within it, though it wasn’t enough to accomplish much.

  It would be enough. Hades took a deep breath, focusing on the energy he’d been gathering for the last several weeks. It would tax him to his limits, but he had little choice if he wished to escape the tomb Olympus had become.

  Hades concentrated, willing his strength to fill the crown. He tapped into one of its many abilities, envisioning his destination. There was a crack of thunder, then he stood in a wide cavern.

  “I’ve done it,” he cried, thrusting a fist into the air. The Ka-Dun had enabled him to recover one of the mightiest artifacts from the previous age, all without alerting anyone that he’d done so. Not even his master would know.

  He turned his attention to his surroundings. Most of the ground was covered by a bubbling cauldron of thick, viscous, black sludge. That sludge was equal parts oil and water, and it held a portion of the Well’s trapped energy. It was here that most of his more powerful workings took place, for without access to Olympus or an Ark it was the only means of achieving his mightiest shaping. Hades knelt next to the water, peering carefully at the far end of the cavern before beginning his work. The corridor on that side led to Vulcan’s forge, and thus far his compatriot was still ignorant of Hades’s true loyalties. The time was coming when he could end that deception, but for now it was still useful.

  A particularly vile bubble burst near Hades’s feet, splashing his dark boots with the noxious liquid. He could feel the horror and loathing in the boots, which brought a smile to his face. He’d shaped them from a man who’d once offered him insult.

  He knelt next to the sludge, thrusting his right hand beneath the dark surface. Deep within him the last reserves of stored energy surged, linking with that contained in this tiny pool of the vast Well. Hades created a swirling vortex around his hand, which rippled outward as it greedily drew in more power. It flared an unnatural green, easily the size of a man now.

  At last he released the energy, now that it was strong enough to be self-sustaining. Hades guided it, forcing the vortex to establish a link with a far away part of the Well. This distant part was in the far north, beneath the First Ark. It resonated as someone on that far end joined with the energy. Hades could feel that person, knew their resonance as well as his own.

  “I have news, my master,” he intoned, sinking to his knees in genuine supplication. The day might come when he could overthrow the mighty Set, but Hades doubted it. Not that it concerned him overmuch. He’d spent millennia in servitude to his brother Zeus, quietly gathering strength while Zeus dealt with the mind-numbingly dull minutiae of ruling. It was much the same now. Hades paid Set nominal tribute, and in exchange was left alone to rule his own kingdom.

  “Speak, vassal,” the voice rumbled back, thick and powerful. More powerful than when last Hades had heard it, which stirred a bit of fear. How had Set grown so much stronger so quickly?

  “I have spoken with the emissaries of your sister by marriage. Isis now believes the conquest of the underworld is the work of her husband. She is yet ignorant of your survival,” Hades explained, bowing his head.

  “Excellent. You have done well, vassal. What else have you to tell?” Set asked, voice tinged with dark pleasure.

  “Ra approaches Olympus even now. I shall sow further seeds of discontent. She will believe that Osiris is the true evil, and that Isis seeks to be in league with her husband. War will come, weakening those who might oppose you,” Hades explained, smiling in spite of himself. Oh, how he loved sowing discord. So much more effective than direct combat.

  “This is to the good, my vassal,” the voice said, still more pleased. “I would have you plant one further seed. Tell Ra the forces that drove you from the underworld have fallen back. You fear they are massing for an assault, and if she hastens to the First Ark she may find it undefended.”

  Hades immediately grasped the plan. Make her think Osiris controlled the First Ark, that he was taking his army to assault someone, thus leaving his stronghold undefended. “It shall be as you say, master.”

  “When Isis and Ra are disposed of, you will have the first of many rewards,” Set said, voice thrumming with power. “Tell me, mighty Hades, what would y
ou wish of me?”

  “The Ark of the Cradle will have need of a new lord, my master,” Hades said, cautiously. Only those with a Ka had ever served as Ark Lord. He was only a lowly shaper, a sorcerer who’d grown strong through artifice and ingenuity.

  “Interesting,” Set replied, then was silent for a long moment. “And what of Olympus? When first you came to my service you desired to reign there. Is this no longer so?”

  “By cutting off the conduit to that place I have murdered my brethren. I would rule over a dead city, my master,” Hades offered, again cautiously.

  “True,” Set said, silent for a long moment. “I will grant you the Ark of the Cradle, the moment Ra is dead. You will have her key, and you will rule the vast desert continent.”

  Hades rejoiced inwardly. Better to reign in hell, than to serve in heaven.

  Chapter 38- Big Ass Worm

  “So that’s a sunstorm,” Trevor muttered, leaning out of the Howdah’s flap to peer at the northern horizon. It was a wall of billowing orange clouds, like a dust storm that stretched from the ground to the tip of the sky. It blotted out everything in that direction, as if the very air had ignited.

  “Forgive me for speaking, mighty deathless, but will Ka-Dun Jordan and I survive the sun’s fury?” Steve’s ingratiating voice came from behind him. Trevor turned around immediately, eyes narrowing.

  Steve had his head bowed deferentially to Irakesh. Trevor had assumed Irakesh was too cunning to fall for Steve’s crap, but it appeared he was wrong. Irakesh ate up the dutiful servant routine, acting as if it was only right for someone of his station.

  “You will survive it, as will the mammoths. Ra will erect a bubble of force over our camp,” the deathless replied, settling more comfortably atop his small mountain of pillows. He swirled the contents of a golden goblet, staring disdainfully at Trevor. “Trevor is a yokel, with no knowledge of such things. Let him gawk, but you needn’t fear the sun’s coming fury. It will be unpleasant, but it will pass over us quickly.”