Vampires Don't Sparkle: Deathless Book 3

by Chris Fox

  Are you going to kill me? Steve asked, the thought echoing hatefully in Blair’s mind.

  “Nah,” Blair said, grinning wickedly. “I’ve never been very good at cruelty, and I want your death to be as painful as possible.”

  Steve looked confused, which only made Blair smile wider. “Hey Irakesh, guess what? You’re free.”

  Steve suddenly understood. He struggled into a sitting position and stared in horror. Blair turned to face Irakesh, who was pinned against a wall.

  Jordan turned, sized up the situation, and gave a wolfish grin. He released Irakesh, nodding in Steve’s direction. Irakesh’s face twisted in fury, and he blurred to Steve. Irakesh flew into a flurry of blows, punching, kicking, and clawing as Steve desperately sought to ward off the blows.

  Then Irakesh finally picked Steve up, drawing his face close. “You are an honorless cur. A stain upon both your kind and mine. I have long considered Isis and her bestial get enemies, but the Ka-Dun Blair has my respect. He is a worthy foe. You? You are nothing. Contemplate that as you die.”

  Irakesh tossed Steve high into the air, the arc carrying him over the railing. Before he could plummet to his death, Irakesh fired a thick pulse of green energy, melting Steve’s legs. Blair added a trio of blasts from the staff, unraveling Steve’s torso. Just like that Steve dissolved, his scream abruptly cut off. Blair began to laugh.

  “Man, I hated that fucker,” Jordan said, glancing over the railing as all that remained of Steve splattered to the ground below. Blair felt something stir there, a familiar energy that resonated with the key within his chest.

  A streak of silver shot from Steve’s remains, crashing into Jordan’s chest. Every last strand of blonde fur stood on end for a few moments, leaving Jordan looking like he’d just been through the dryer. Then the Commander heaved a deep sigh, blinking in wonder. Blair knew what he was experiencing, the sudden link to an Ark.

  Blair turned to Irakesh. “You have a choice, now. Help us end this, end Set. Or meet your own end here. You know you can’t take us all. Jordan, Trevor and I are all Ark Lords. Choose, and choose quickly.”

  “So be it,” Irakesh snarled. “There is peace between us, until Set is dealt with.”

  Chapter 81- Broken

  “You can set me down,” Sekhmet said, though her gaze was a little unfocused. Isis did as Sekhmet asked, placing her friend next to the central obelisk. It was the first time Isis had returned to the First Ark in over twenty millennia, and she couldn’t help but shudder as she saw what had been done to the place.

  Set’s demons had defaced the walls, destroying both the glyphs she and Osiris had carved, as well as those left by the much older Builders. The place reeked of feces and worse things, a foul miasma that seemed strongest in the central chamber. That, more than anything else, showed her they’d made the right decision. Sacrificing everything to stop Set was the only possible course.

  “Listen,” Sekhmet said, nodding at the doorway.

  Heavy booted steps approached. Isis had expected the battle between Set and Osiris to last longer. It seemed they’d underestimated their foe. Just how powerful had Set grown? Would even an explosion such as the First Ark might make be enough to kill him?

  “Iiiiiiississs,” Set taunted. A moment later, his armored form strode imperiously down the ramp into the central chamber. All damage to his armor had been healed, and the black metal looked as if it had been forged that morning. “Ahh, there you are. I’ve brought you a gift.”

  Set reached back into the shadows, dragging forth a limp body. He tossed Osiris on the ramp ahead of him, grinning manically as her husband rolled to a stop near the base of the ramp. Then Set tossed something golden and metallic. It flashed through the air, landing next to Osiris.

  Osiris’s mighty blade had been shattered. The piece Set discarded was nothing more than the hilt and the first foot of the blade. The rest was gone, cut off cleanly just as Sekhmet’s spear had been.

  “Oh, don’t worry, little sister,” Set said, all mock sympathy. “I haven’t killed him, not like last time. There’s no need for you to craft a virus to bring him back. I want him alive, just as I want you alive. Your torment will last millennia. I will make you kill everyone and everything you have ever loved. You will not only watch this world burn, you will participate. And when at last nothing of our species remains, I will sacrifice you to our new masters.”

  Isis licked her chops, rising to her feet. She was a terrifying beast, yet it was she who quailed. She glanced at Sekhmet, who’d risen as well. Sekhmet looked exhausted, but she drew a small golden dagger from her belt. Isis gave her a quick nod, and the two turned to face Set.

  “Is that your plan?” Set asked, clearly amused. “Make me kill you? It won’t work. I’ll thrash you as I have your husband, but you won’t die. Not yet. Come, let us dance one last time.”

  Isis winked at Sekhmet, and her sister shot her a quick smile. They were all about to die.

  Chapter 82- Detonation

  Blair looked up from Steve’s remains on the valley floor with a grim smile of satisfaction. In so many ways, killing Steve represented atonement for Blair’s monumental fuck-ups in Panama and San Francisco. The job wasn’t done yet, though.

  He took a moment to survey the rest of the combat. The last active fight was between Liz and Wepwawet. Blair’s hackles rose and he began sprinting along the railing when he saw Wepwawet crush Liz to his chest. He blurred, crossing the space between them in a couple heartbeats. Blair was fully prepared to tear Wepwawet’s armored form apart, but slowed to a halt when he got close enough to see what had happened.

  Liz had been crushed to the black-armored chest, and it looked like several ribs and both her arms had broken in the process. However, she’d rammed the sword Blair had given her through Wepwawet’s heart. As he watched, bright pulses of sickly green energy flowed up the blade, just the way they’d done when Liz had mercifully ended Cyntia back in San Francisco.

  Wepwawet twitched weakly, then lay still. Liz pushed his body off her, the armor tumbling to the walkway with a clatter as she rose to her feet. Blood matted her auburn fur, but her bones were already popping back into place. If anything she looked stronger than she had at the start of the fight, strengthened by consuming the essence of an elder god.

  “Oww,” she said, rolling her shoulder as it popped back into place. She turned to look back up the walkway. “So we won?”

  “Looks that way,” Blair said, shifting back to human form. Liz did the same, her black t-shirt and camo pants replacing thick auburn fur.

  Jordan shoved Irakesh up the walkway toward Blair. Irakesh looked like he might say something, but apparently seeing both Jordan and Trevor ready for a fight gave him pause. His shoulders slumped, and he marched up the walkway until he stood just a few feet away.

  “Thank you,” he muttered sullenly. Blair assumed the words were meant for him, though Irakesh didn’t meet his gaze. “You freed me from that pompous fool. More than that, you allowed me to exact revenge on the treacherous Ka-Dun. You could have claimed that vengeance yourself, but you gave me a chance to redeem my honor. I owe you a debt for that.”

  “Good,” Blair said, giving Irakesh a grin. “Don’t think I’ll forget it.”

  “So what’s the plan?” Jordan boomed. He’d shifted back to human form. “I’m guessing you guys have a way of dealing with Set.”

  “We’re going to blow up the First Ark,” Trevor said, leaning on the railing next to Liz.

  “Come again?” Jordan asked, blinking.

  “Are you mad?” Irakesh asked, jaw falling open. He looked comical, despite the razored teeth and glowing green eyes.

  “You guys explain it to them. I have work to do,” Blair turned back to the stone on the platform, inserting the Primary Access Key into its slot once more.

  He closed his eyes, thinking to his beast. Any advice?

  What you seek to do is beyond me, Ka-Dun. Beyond even the Mother, I think. You must draw upon your knowledge
of this age, of technology. Perhaps there you will find an answer.

  “Thanks,” Blair muttered, trying not to be too sarcastic. He wasn’t much for technology. Sure, he could use a computer, but his geek-fu was weak.

  He focused on the system itself, a vast array of mental options sort of like a folder full of computer programs. After a little bit of study he thought he understood how the system worked, more or less. A conduit extended deep into the earth, like some sort of power line piping energy into the Ark’s enormous battery.

  It didn’t look like it would be possible to overload the battery, because it seemed to have a nearly infinite capacity. So how could he blow this place up? Why couldn’t there be some button labeled ‘self-destruct’?

  Another glance at the system revealed something interesting. The massive aquamarine in the valley below was designed to create life. It channeled huge amounts of energy to do so, and could make everything from a dinosaur to a twelve-legged dragon. But the gem had limits. There were safeguards put in place so a shaper didn’t channel too much energy.

  What if he removed the safeguards? Blair focused on the Primary Access Key, willing those safeguards to lower. They obligingly disappeared. Blair smiled, then he focused on pouring all the energy from the conduit into the crystal. The flow was immense, a torrent of power that rivaled the nuclear detonation back in San Francisco—only this flow was continuous, not the quick burst he’d seen there. Once the flow to the gem was stable, he disengaged from it.

  “What did you do?” Liz asked.

  Blair wasn’t sure what she meant, until he felt something begin to vibrate behind him. He turned to see the enormous gem in the center of the valley begin to glow. It gave off a brilliant blue light, emitting a high pitched whine.

  “Uh,” Blair said, turning to face the others. “I have a feeling we’re not going to want to be here when that thing blows.”

  “I still cannot believe it. You’re detonating the Ark,” Irakesh said, grabbing the rail with both clawed hands. “This place is priceless, and you are destroying it.”

  “Yeah,” Trevor shot back, already starting up the walkway back to the passage that led out of the room. “Better we blow this place up and kill Set along with it, than leave it here for him to use to enslave the world.”

  Irakesh still looked pissed, but he gave a nod and started after Trevor. Jordan came next, with Liz and Blair bringing up the rear. They ran for all they were worth, sprinting up the walkway.

  “Where to now?” Trevor asked, once they’d all reached the hallway.

  “The light bridge,” Blair said, taking the lead and darting up the corridor. “It’s not far from here. We can use it to get back to the Nexus before this place blows.”

  The high pitched whine had grown louder, which was all the motivation Blair needed. He turned to Liz. “Ride my shadow. The rest of you get ready to blur. I’m guessing we’ve got under thirty seconds to get the hell out of here.”

  Liz flowed into his shadow, and Blair didn’t wait for the rest to respond. He blurred, zooming through corridor after corridor until he emerged into the chamber with the light bridge. It looked like a low-tech version of Object 3, just like the one back in his own Ark.

  Blair waited on the light bridge as the others appeared one by one. Trevor arrived last, and the instant he appeared Blair triggered the light bridge. Brilliant white light flared around them, but something was different. Blair could feel the power surging through the Ark, overloading every system at once. Including the light bridge.

  He struggled to control it, praying he could somehow master the flow. If he couldn’t, they were doomed.

  Chapter 83- Gloating

  Isis shifted back to human form, praying it would somehow lessen the pain. She was only half-conscious as Set hoisted her body into the air. He stared at her with those flat black eyes, no trace of compassion or humanity lurking in their depths.

  “I’ve waited a long time for this, Isis,” Set purred, reaching up with his free hand to remove his helm. She flinched as he exposed his horrible face. The too-large head was like an evil, pasty version of Ka. It, more than anything else, showed that his humanity had been sacrificed on the altar of power. “You know, I’ve never really forgiven you for choosing Osiris. I wonder how things would have been different if you’d chosen me. Perhaps you’d never have gone to the Valley of Hidden Voices. Perhaps we’d never have discovered this place.”

  A high-pitched whine began in the distance, and Set cocked his enormous head. He seemed curious, but not alarmed. “It seems your companions are up to some mischief. Perhaps the Ka-Dun I recruited is less competent than I hoped. I may have to deal with this myself.”

  “I’d never have chosen you,” Isis said, drawing his gaze back to her. She had to stall, for just a few more seconds. If they succeeded in detonating the Ark the center of the blast would be here, in the central chamber. It would flow up the obelisks around her, obliterating them all. “Even if I’d never met Osiris. He wasn’t just the better man; he was the only choice. You were weak even then. Flawed. That hasn’t changed.”

  Isis spit in his face, smiling at the sudden rage. It didn’t matter what he did to her, not after what he’d already done to Osiris and Sekhmet. The pair lay a few paces away, neither moving. Both were still alive, though Isis knew if it were in their power they’d choose death over what Set had planned for them.

  Set hurled her into the central obelisk with bone crushing force. Isis mercifully blacked out for a moment, but came to with his face mere inches from hers. He wore a too-wide smile with a million tiny teeth, ready to rend her psyche as well as her flesh.

  “That was unwise, Isis. You will have centuries to consider the wisdom of provoking me, I assure you.”

  “I doubt that,” Isis forced a smile. Every part of her hurt, but that didn’t matter. “You’re a fool, Set. Easily deceived. Now, it is you who will pay.”

  Set looked confused. The high-pitched whining was much louder now, and confusion became concern.

  Something rumbled deep beneath the Ark, then the loudest sound she’d ever heard split the air, split her ear drums. The entire room vibrated, until she was engulfed in painful white light. Her last thought was of Yukon.

  Chapter 84- TSDS

  Blair stumbled from the light bridge, catching the wall as he sought to right his center of balance. He was dizzy, though not sure why. That hadn’t happened during previous light walks.

  “Wh-what happened?” Liz asked, blinking as she lurched from the platform. Blair caught her, helping her into a sitting position. A moment later she emptied the contents of her stomach all over the floor next to the platform.

  The others were in the same state. Even Irakesh tripped, sprawling to the ground between Jordan and Trevor.

  “I don’t know,” Blair said, licking his lips. He felt more than a little queasy himself.

  “I can explain,” came a hollow, disembodied voice. Blair glanced toward the door to the chamber and found a holographic projection of Ka hovering there. “What you are experiencing is a type of distortion that was once theorized by scholars among the Builders. They called it temporal spacial displacement sickness, or TSDS.”

  “What’s the cause?” Trevor asked. Blair wasn’t surprised. Trevor would always be a scientist first, even if he did look like some crazy redneck vampire.

  “Theoretically, TSDS would be caused by the destruction of an anchoring Ark during transit,” Ka said, cocking its strangely oblong head to the side. The eyes were more than a little terrifying, especially after having seen Set. “The fact that you survived at all is a testament to the redundancies of the system.”

  “Wait a minute,” Blair said, weaving drunkenly across the chamber to stand before the hologram. “You said temporal. I get the spacial displacement, that makes sense. Temporal displacement is time. When are we?”

  Ka cocked its head the other direction, eyes flickering as if calculating. “It has been four years and eleven months since
you last passed through the Nexus.”

  Blair sank to his knees. He felt Liz wrap him in a hug, but he was too numb to respond. Five years, just gone. What had happened in that time?

  “What happened to The First Ark?” Jordan asked, seemingly unfazed by the sudden news. “Was Set killed?”

  “Unknown,” Ka said, giving something like a shrug. “Observe.”

  A second hologram appeared, this one showing a view of earth from orbit, centered over the British Isles. A moment later something red and white bloomed in the south of England, working its way outward. It covered much of the island, and it wasn’t a stretch to imagine what it was.

  “My god,” Trevor whispered. “Look at the size of that explosion. There’s no way Set could have survived that. Most of England didn’t survive that. It might have taken Wales and Northern France with it too.”

  Blair rose to his feet, forcing himself to concentrate on the present. He couldn’t change what had happened, only move forward. “Has there been any sign of Set, Isis, Osiris, or Ra since the explosion?”

  “Negative,” Ka said, voice far too cheery.

  “Who controls the Ark of the Cradle?” Irakesh asked, pulling himself to his feet.

  “Unknown,” Ka said, turning to Irakesh. “If a new Ark Lord has arisen, they have not established a conduit to the Nexus.”

  “Ra could still be alive,” Blair said, cautiously turning to face Trevor. He knew Trevor had been close to her before the end.

  “It’s possible,” Trevor said, shrugging. His face shifted into a scowl. “There’s only one way to know, though. I need to go to the Cradle and speak with Anput. If anyone knows, she will. Besides, I have the key. I guess that gives me a responsibility.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Irakesh said, giving a magnanimous smile.