I didn’t give Andreas the chance to answer before I asked Rasputin, “Why are you so certain you should be the leader?”
He shrugged. “How many beings do you know that can walk among all worlds, living and dead? I can. And I saw the uprising of the humans coming before anyone else did. I can stop it. Who else can?”
“It’s nice to see you’re at least humble about it,” I mumbled.
He glared at me, “Humility is for those who don’t respect their own power.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Andreas look away; Rasputin’s words were very close to his own feelings on the matter, and that bothered him.
I turned my attention back to Rasputin. “There is no uprising! The humans weren’t going to take anything from the vampires. You started that rumor to scare them so they’d let you be in charge; but you’re going to create an uprising.”
His face was blank—that was his exact intention.
“Why are you sending souls to random afterlifes? We haven’t reaped a soul that’s stayed here in a long time. Why aren’t you just trying to make more vampires?” Might as well ask as much as I could while I was here.
“They aren’t random, I have deals worked out with some of the other gods in exchange for their support, if ever I need help. Does it bother you that people aren’t staying here, that they’re all going to other places?” He stroked his beard and seemed to be thinking hard about the matter.
“Well yes, it bothers me. If a person is supposed to stay here in this underworld, to work off time or whatever, they shouldn’t be sent to an afterlife of a god they didn’t worship or a hell they don’t deserve.” My stomach was in knots as I spoke.
Andreas jumped in again, his voice filled with mistrust. “Why are you telling us your plans so easily?”
Rasputin had been watching me, but now turned his attention to Andreas. “I don’t mind telling you my plans because there’s nothing you can do stop me,” he said matter of factly. Then he looked at me, “Don’t worry, Hel, I’ve sent the gods enough souls for now. I’ll let the new ones coming in stay…” he paused, pressing a sharp nailed finger to his lips, “and you won’t even have to lift a finger.”
I opened my mouth to ask what he meant by that, but Rasputin waved us away, saying, “Well, I have work to do. Please do visit again.” Then he shut the door in our faces.
As we turned to walk away I heard a loud tapping noise coming from the house. I looked over my shoulder to see Grace in one of the second story windows, with Boude at her side.
I nudged Andreas and pointed up to the window to show him where they were. I tried to convey my concern in a single look, and hoped the plan was still on. She smiled at Boude, then at Andreas and me, and gave us a thumbs up. That was good—really good. I hoped their plan went smoothly here, because I was pretty sure I had fucked up my end nicely. I just wasn’t sure how bad yet.
“How worried should be we be?” I asked Andreas as we walked back through the Quarter. This time my discomfort wasn’t due to the shadowed alleys and shops selling premium blood candy, or whatever.
Andreas sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. This was all starting to wear heavily on him. “Rasputin is a strong vampire. Somehow he immediately inspires either trust or revulsion in everyone he meets. If you scare people enough, they’ll start to see that revulsion as power. What concerns me: he was a sorcerer before he became a vampire. It’s his dark magic I worry about. I’m not sure what his limits are but if he can walk between the afterlifes so easily and meet with the gods, we are up against something that will be hard to take down.”
I stayed quiet for the rest of our walk until we got to Andreas’s door.
“Do you want to come inside?” he asked.
“No, I’m going to head back to the fields and try to figure out what we’re doing next.” I rubbed my temples and waved, then I headed back towards the city through the darkness of the Quarter. The shadows and darkness I had just been in made the normal gray of the sky seem almost bright.
I emerged from the Quarter and noticed there were more people on the street than normal. It was nothing to walk past people, and at times it could get a bit crowded, but it struck me as strange because they were all going the same direction. As a hundred or more people pushed by me, I looked over my shoulder to see they were all heading into the Vampire Quarter.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I grabbed the arm of one the men walking past me. “Excuse me, why are all of you heading into the quarter?”
The man was tall and slim, with salt and pepper hair, and blue eyes accentuated by a coral shirt. He looked me, blinked once, then pulled his arm away from my touch and continued walking without a single word.
I started walking back towards the fields, moving even faster as I made my way through the crowd. I said, “Hi,” and, “Excuse me,” several times, but no one said anything. It was almost like they were zombies. But I didn’t hear anyone asking for brains, and they all looked normal enough.
My horror grew as I pushed and shoved through the moving bodies, closer and closer to the fields. That’s where they all were coming from: the fields.
I searched the landscape for Soren and Billy; I even looked for the other reapers I occasionally saw, but had never bothered to learn their names. Finally, I spotted my lover and my friend out among all of the chaos and I ran towards them.
Soren’s face was ashen, and Billy had his old hat in his hands wringing it as hard as he could. Soren looked at me with his mouth half open, searching for words he couldn’t get out. I never thought I’d see the day he was speechless. He raised his arm and pointed out to the fields that went almost as far as the eye could see. Everywhere my gaze landed the dirt was rolling and shifting, and the bodies were getting up by themselves.
They were rising in droves, and all heading towards the Vampire Quarter. Soren was frozen in horror.
Billy paced around not knowing what to do. “They, they just—we were out here digging, and I started to shine the light on this one lady, and before I could, her eyes just popped open and she took off. I couldn’t stop her no matter how hard I tried. Then they just started digging their own way out.” He ran his fingers through his hair and stared at me, wild-eyed. “I don’t know where they’re going.”
“I do,” I said, and was surprised at how calm my voice was. “They’re going to the Quarter. Rasputin is behind all of this.” I shook my head, recalling how he told me I wouldn’t have to lift another finger.
“What does he want them for?” Billy asked.
I shrugged. “Maybe he’s making an army;, maybe he wants them to look like they’re coming to seize power over the vampires, like he told everyone the humans would do.”
“What do we do?” Soren asked as he stared out at the rising bodies.
“I don’t think there’s anything we can do just yet,” I said. “Why aren’t they more conscious? They seem almost mindless, not how they are when we raise them,” I asked.
“Their souls are gone; they’re zombies,” Billy answered.
“How can they be here, or rise at all, if their souls are gone? And what the fuck is a zombie—a real zombie?” I called it quits at zombies. I could bury the dead, dig up the dead, deal with vampires and such, but no: no fucking zombies. “Are they after brains?” I had to ask, I just had to.
“Zombies are animated corpses without souls. I don’t know anything about them other than if you bury a zombie here, they’ll rise in the living world, and that’s when they want brains,” Soren answered.
“OK, well that’s good to know. What makes them different from vampires?” I asked.
“Vampires willingly give up their souls, and have to have blood from another vampire to turn.”
“I’m guessing people don’t willingly give up their souls to become zombies. In that case, how does it happen?”
“Some kind of magic, I suppose,” Billy answered.
I sat down on the ground and put my head in my
hands. “Even if we kill Rasputin, how do we fix this? Where are their souls?”
“We need to find another sorcerer,” Billy said.
Soren and I looked at each other: he was exactly right.
“Do you know where we might find one?” Soren asked Billy.
Billy shook his head regretfully.
“Who could we ask that might be able to tell us something?” I asked.
Both men looked thoughtful, but didn’t come up with a suggestion.
I sighed and stood up. “Well, there has to be someone. I’m just going to go into town and start asking people if they know anyone who still practices magic.”
“Are you serious?” Soren looked at me like I had to be joking.
“Do you have a better plan? We need help: hundreds of zombies are clawing their way out of their own graves, and are under the control of a madman. We don’t even know what he’s planning to do with them yet, or what he’s done with their souls,” I shrugged. “If you have something better in mind, I’d love to hear it.” We all turned to watch a woman with long blonde hair and purple painted nails sit up next to us and dust herself off.
Soren closed his eyes. “I’ll come with you. Maybe if we spread out we can get answers faster.
“I’ll come too,” Billy chimed in. “Not like the fields need a reaper right now anyway.”
I smiled at both of them and went to kiss Soren. Then we all headed back towards the city, weaving in and out of the zombie hoard.
In the city, people weren’t exactly panicking, but they were standing back, not quite sure of what was going on.
The three of us agreed not to try to explain the situation to anyone. Simply ask the question and move on.
Of course the moment we approached people asking where we could find practitioners of magic they wanted to know if we knew what was happening. I just said I was trying to help, and repeated the question. All I received was a lot of strange looks, and heads shaking the answer no.
After I asked about fifty people, one by one, I finally just yelled out to as many people that could hear me, “I’m trying to help! Does anyone know a sorcerer or magician?”
More strange looks, more “no” head-shaking, and one man who caught my eye and started walking away from the rest of the crowd.
I followed him through the people, and although he never changed his pace, I had a difficult time catching up. I followed him down the streets until the crowds had dwindled, being too far away from the Quarter to see any action.
I thought for a moment that I had lost him when I didn’t see him walking ahead of me, but after a quick glance around I saw him leaning against one of the store buildings.
He watched me approach, but didn’t say anything.
“Do you practice, or know someone who does?” I asked.
The man was very average looking, but dressed nicely. He was about 5’8, bald with glasses, and on the slim side. Age wise, I put him at early forties.
His simple blue eyes blinked at me. “Why do you want a sorcerer?”
I hesitated to tell him. What if he’s somehow on Rasputin’s side? Or what if he just doesn’t care enough to help us? What other choice do I have? None.
I asked the stranger, “Do you know Rasputin?”
He inclined his head towards me. “I do.”
“The zombies—” I pointed back towards the streets behind us, “Rasputin did that. People are being separated from their souls because he’s made deals with all the gods.”
The man crossed his arms and his eyes widened; I had his attention. Good.
“How is Rasputin able to make deals with the other gods?”
“He said something about being able to walk among all worlds. He can pass through the wall,” I told him.
“Oh my.” His words held no enthusiasm, but seemed genuine just the same. “What is it you’re trying to achieve?”
“I want to kill Rasputin, and I want to restore the souls to the dead, if that can be done,” I didn’t hesitate in telling him my plan.
He nodded.
“Can you help me?” I was getting a little irritated.
“Is it only the two of us against Rasputin?” he asked.
“No, there are two more reapers, and three vampires. Two of the vampires are in Rasputin’s home and he believes they are on his side. Their plan is to hunt with him and take him down in both the above and below worlds,” I explained.
“Not a terrible plan, but that would still leave the issue of the souls,” he mumbled.
“Is that something you could help with?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” he mused.
I crossed my arms and sighed, “Who are you?”
“My name is Thaddeus Broche. And you are…?” He extended his hand.
“Helena Pierce, Hel for short.” I saw something spark in his eye, but only for a fraction of a second.
He took my hand in his and laid a gentle kiss on my fingers. “Pleasure to meet you, Hel.” He made my name sound longer than it needed to.
“OK, Thaddeus, how can you help us? I don’t want to be rude, but if you can’t help, I need to stop wasting my time and find someone who can.”
“I work for someone who can help you,” he answered. “If they’ll agree, that is.”
“Who is this person?” I asked.
“A very wise, very powerful, sorcerer,” he said.
I didn’t like this: I didn’t want to be running back and forth between people begging for help. “That’s great but they’ll be useless to me if they don’t agree to help. And why did you let me believe it was you that could help me?”
“Am I not being helpful by offering to take your case to the sorcerer I know?”
I rubbed my temples. “Well yes, but you could have been more direct about it. However I don’t have time to waste. Can we go see this person now?”
“Let me take the information I have, and if they’ll see you, we will be in contact.”
“What part of urgent do you not understand? I can’t just sit around and hang out while I wait for whatever god-awful thing is getting ready to happen!”
“You won’t have to wait long. I have a feeling their interest will be piqued.” Thaddeus smiled at me, nodded, and walked down a nearby alleyway.
I resisted the urge to follow him. Everything was about fucking waiting.
I headed back towards the action and heard my name being called. I saw Soren looking for me, his face a mask of panic.
“Here!” I yelled and waved my arms, trying to get his attention over the crowd.
He spotted me and immediately looked calmer. After shoving past everyone, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me. “I was so worried when I couldn’t find you.”
I told him about Thaddeus as we walked towards Billy. I asked the men how their own search for a sorcerer went.
Billy replied, “I found a couple of people who practiced witchcraft, but they said it isn’t the same as sorcery, and they certainly weren’t willing to take on Rasputin.”
Soren just shook his head.
I relayed my own story once again, and then studied my companions for a reaction. We all looked tired—tired of trying so hard to help, and hitting wall after wall.
“I want to check on Andreas, and I need to find a way to check on Boude and Grace. I’m terrified this is too much for them to take on alone,” I said, looking across the street at Andreas’s boutique. I hoped he was in there.
“I’m going to go check on Margaret. Who knows what’s going on at the Assignment Hall,” Billy said, and I saw the worry in his expression.
“I’ll go with him.” Soren gave my hand a squeeze before walking off with Billy.
“Meet at the fields in a few hours?” I asked before they were too far to hear me.
They agreed and disappeared back into the crowd. I didn’t look to see if the zombies were still migrating. I didn’t want to think about it.
I crossed the street and went into the boutique. It was quie
t and cool inside. All the customers were out on the streets, and I guess I hadn’t realized how stuffy all the people made it feel outside. I breathed a sigh of relief and started looking for Andreas.
I didn’t see him behind the counter in his usual spot, so I headed towards the back room and called, “Andreas? Are you in here?”
“I’m here,” he replied. But his voice didn’t come from somewhere in the back; it came from just a couple of feet away
I looked to my left and saw him sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. His loose white shirt billowed around him, and his knees were pulled into his chest. He had his head down in his hands.
Calmly I walked over and tried to gracefully ease myself down beside him. I put my hand on his back, and was glad when he didn’t flinch or pull away. I gently rubbed his back, and didn’t interrupt his breakdown with words of reason or logic. Sometimes we just needed to freak out.
We stayed like that for what seemed to me like a long while before Andreas broke the silence.
“What’s our next step?” he asked. “How the hell do we deal with zombies?”
I told him about my meeting Thaddeus, and that I didn’t know how that would play out. I also told him that I was concerned for Boude and Grace.
He shook his head again in frustration, his mane of golden hair looking wild and unkempt. “Are we waiting for Boude and Grace to just off Rasputin when they get the opportunity?”
I shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. I didn’t count on not being able to talk to them again once they spoke with Rasputin.”
“Yeah, I think we should have seen that coming,” replied Andreas.
“I’m at a loss. What do you want to do while we wait to hear from this mysterious sorcerer?” I asked.
“Let’s follow the zombies into the Quarter and see what’s going on.”
My face showed him just how little I wanted to do that.
“Hey, you said that you were out of ideas,” Andreas retorted.
“Fine, maybe we’ll run into Boude and Grace.”
Things looked very similar once we made it into the Quarter. Vampires were lined up and down the streets watching the zombies. I had no idea there were even this many vampires in the Quarter; I’d never seen this many at once.
Digging Up the Dead (The Gravedigger Series Book 2) Page 10