by Megan Duncan
Liz, on the other hand, had given up on training after only three sessions, even after working earlier in the evenings with Robin. The third night I had to practically drag her to the mat. I was a little irritated, but I couldn’t force her to do it. She was happy staying at the Château helping oversee the redesign of the new wing. What really surprised me though, was her new… companion. I had asked Bennett to keep a watchful eye over her, and at first he looked like he wanted to eat her, but now and again I would catch them strolling through the halls together. Liz would be talking his ear off about decorating, movies or some other subject I knew Bennett had absolutely no interest in, yet, he looked riveted. Liz always fantasized about vampires, but I would never have guessed that Bennett would catch her eye. Beside the fact that he was a guard, he was not even close to her type, but people change. I was happy if she was happy, and since she wasn’t training, I was even happier to know that Bennett followed her around like a giant, ghost-like shadow. He could more than handle himself in a fight so at least I knew she was going to be protected.
“Sorry Louie, you can’t come with me this time.” I scratched my cat’s head as he rubbed his tubby body against my leg, purring noisily. He knew I was heading somewhere, and had promptly jumped into my duffle bag the second I put it on the bed. I started tossing my clothes in on top of him, pretending I hadn’t noticed he was there. He playfully poked his head out from under one of my shirts and started chewing on the zipper. I laughed aloud at his antics and dug him out of my bag before depositing him on the floor. He used to do the same thing when I was younger, packing an overnight bag to take to Liz’s.
“You about ready to go?” Arrick asked, strolling into the room with his black duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He tossed it to the floor by the door, and bent over to pet Louie who had bounded over to greet him. Louie plopped heavily to his side, rolling around like a puppy dog as Arrick rubbed his chubby belly. “You’ve got the strangest cat I’ve ever seen.”
“I know, but that’s what makes him awesome,” I said, digging in my underwear drawer and tossing some into my bag. Normally I would do my best to fold everything, but I had slept in, so stuffing was all I had time for. Plus, I didn’t really care if my panties were wrinkled.
I zipped up my bag and heaved a heavy sigh of relief knowing that I was finally done packing. I had literally just woken up and was still in a sleepy haze when I began packing in a hurried panic. I was so afraid of running late. This trip was beyond important and I didn’t want to delay our departure. I wasn’t exactly known for my promptness, thanks to growing up with Liz the queen of fashionably late.
“Where exactly are we going again?” I asked Arrick after jumping on my bed, belly first, and propping my chin up with my hands.
“Titan,” he answered vaguely, still fawning over his new furry friend. Since our evening on the beach, Arrick had slept beside me every night. For whatever reason, Louie took to him and followed Arrick around almost as much as he did me.
“Duh!” I sat up and tossed a pillow at him. “Nobody has told me where Titan is exactly.”
“Well,” he began to explain, as he took a seat on the couch, “the main city is south of here at an oasis in the desert. Way south.”
“The desert?” I said, completely shocked. A desert was the last place I would think a vampire would want to live.
“Yeah, don’t ask me why they live there, I have no clue, but that’s what Cathair told me earlier.”
“That’s bizarre.”
“You’re telling me.”
“How do the vampires survive there? Won’t the sun kill them?” I remembered my own experience with daylight and it was anything but pleasant.
“Oh, that reminds me!” He jumped off the couch and dashed over to his bag. After digging through it for a minute or two he pulled out a small glass jar. “With this,” he said, handing me the fist-sized container.
“What is it?” I opened the lid to reveal a jelly-like, translucent cream. It had a faint, earthy smell; something similar to mushrooms or moss.
“Think of it as vampire sunscreen.” He laughed at his words, but I just rolled my eyes. I dipped my index finger in the mixture and rubbed it around between my finger and thumb. It was oily, and difficult for my skin to absorb so I had to set down the jar and rub it through both my hands till it was finally gone.
“Yuck,” I groaned at the greasy feel on my skin as I made my way to the sink to wash my hands. “They actually put that on their skin? I might as well dip my body in pizza grease!”
“That sounds kinky,” he said, smiling suggestively.
“Oh, shut up!” I stuck my tongue out at him, and flicked the soapy water from my hands at his face.
“Hey!” He rubbed his face off with the sleeve of his shirt, and retreated out of the bathroom. “In all seriousness though, Claire, Leona told me that stuff will protect you down there, so if for some reason you need to go out during the day you’ll have to wear it.”
“Goddess I hope not.”
“You got everything packed? I’m going to take our bags down to the SUVs.”
“Yeah, I just got to grab one last thing; I’ll meet you down there.”
“You sure?”
“Yep,” I replied with a smile, before dropping a quick kiss on his lips and watching him walk out of the room, our bags in tow.
I’d wanted to pack the stones in my bag, but I hadn’t managed to do so before Arrick showed up. I knew he’d know what I was doing as soon as he saw the box so I had no other choice than to wear the stones. I shut my bedroom door quietly, and tip-toed to my closet. There was no real purpose in tip-toeing or trying to be quiet, but I was being secretive and it kinda went with the territory.
The box was hidden right where I had left it. I tugged it out between the extra linens, careful to make certain that everything stayed in place. I didn’t want anyone to know I’d been in the box. Hmmm… come to think of it, Robin was the only one who knew where I had hidden the stones and I doubted she would come looking for them. Either way, I didn’t want anyone to know I’d taken them.
The key still dangled from the thin, gold chain around my neck. I lifted it off, careful not to snag it in my hair, and inserted it into the lock. When it clicked open I lifted the lid and a strange vacuum sound sucked in a small pocket of air. Was this box vacuum sealed or something? I shook my head at the strange noise, and lifted the stones from the box. They swirled with shimmering light and I caught myself staring into them as they rested in my palm. I felt almost a little sorry that they’d had been locked up in that box, but an odd sense of relief emitted from them like they’d been asleep… or something like that. I knew the box was meant to block their power, but maybe it did more than that. Maybe blocking the power helped the souls find a bit of rest.
I shrugged my shoulders, deciding it didn’t really matter since I planned to find some way to release the souls in the end. They deserved to find peace. Maybe if we killed Baal they would be free.
The small, thumbnail sized stones were each looped on a glittering gold chain. I second guessed myself as I lifted the chains over my head, and decided to take only one. Returning all but a single stone, I draped it over my head, tucking it underneath my cream, knitted sweater. I sat up to stand in front of the mirror and examined my appearance. It wouldn’t be good if someone spotted the stone the second I walked out of the room, especially not my father. I adjusted the folded layers of my off-the-shoulder sweater, pulling them to one side so that only one shoulder was visible. I tugged my hair into a side pony and surveyed my work. The stone was concealed well below the collar of my sweater, and the chain was only slightly visible under my hair. I wasn’t too worried if anyone saw it, hopefully they would just think it was the key. The two chains did look the same after all. After locking the box, I tucked it back into its hiding place and looped the tiny key around my neck.
I took a detour on my way to the SUVs to say goodbye to Liz and Robin. They both wouldn’t le
t me leave without pinky promising that I would return safely. Liz had somehow wrangled Robin away from the library, and Robin had magically succeeded in zipping Liz’s lips about her decorating plans. They were both chatting like little school girls, having found kinship in their love of vampire hotties. Robin’s bed was covered in magazines from Noire, and she was pointing out all her favorite dukes and lords from Noire. I was sad to be leaving them, but I knew they’d be safe while I was away. Several members of the newly formed King’s Snake were staying behind with the Blood Guard to safeguard the Château and Naos. Kyri, whom I’d grown closer to through our training sessions, had been assigned as my mother’s personal sentry along with her father, Eli. Knowing they were watching over my mother made all my worries melt away.
Sidestepping the line of guards that were standing outside the detached carport, I launched myself into my mother’s arm. I could tell from the puffiness under her eyes that she was still sad we were leaving, but she knew it had to be done.
“Promise me you’ll be careful, Claire.” She squeezed me to her, before holding me at arm’s length to gauge my response fully.
“I promise, mother. I’ve got father and Arrick here with me, they won’t let anything happen.” I pointed to the two most important men in my life who were gathered in a very animated conversation with Rennek, Eli and several members of the King’s Snake. Not to mention, my secret weapon, it was just one more thing to insure our safety while we were away.
“I know you do, but I still worry,” she admitted.
“Everything is going to be fine,” I assured her. “We’re going to Titan to get help, this is a good thing.” I soaked in the certainty of my own words, as a smile blossomed. I didn’t believe anything would happen on this trip, and if it did, I knew I’d be able to stop it. With a stone in my possession, I felt I had the power to overcome any obstacle.
As if he was reading my mind, I caught Arrick turning around to give me a curious glance. I smiled innocently at him, offering a little wave as if I hadn’t been thinking about my little secret. We’d been getting along so well I didn’t want him upset with me. He was just as paranoid about the stones as my father was.
The bustle of everyone loading into the black SUVs broke Arrick’s concentration. I kissed my mother goodbye, and as Kyri approached I offered her a small grin which she acknowledged with a nod. I couldn’t help frowning as I turned around and made my way to the middle SUV. Kyri was so serious, which, considering what was going on was probably a good thing, but I hoped that some day after everything was over she might actually smile.
***
When Arrick told me that Titan was in the south, he wasn’t kidding. It took us the better part of a day to drive all the way through the entire Zakarian region. It was lovely seeing the countryside, and passing through so many of the regions cities. They were all very similar to Naos in the way they were all located as close to the coast as possible.
Because the SUVs had blackout windows that blocked out the deadly rays of the sun, it was easy to sleep during the day, although twice I tried to stay up to see the sunrise. I always fell asleep. It didn’t help that the rest of the guards in the vehicle talked battle tactics with Arrick constantly. That was enough to bore anyone to sleep.
After passing through our region we spent two days driving through what my father referred to as the ‘divide’. “It is the space of uninhabited land between our two regions.”
“Looks creepy. I can see why no one lives here,” I commented as I looked out the open window at the dark landscape. The bright moon lit the area revealing a canopy of skeletal trees. They all appeared to be half dead, only some of their branches growing spindly foliage, while others were completely bare. My guess was that the putrid smelling water the trees were growing out of didn’t do much for nourishing the plant-life. To make the place look even more like a nightmare; large, black birds cawed evilly from their perches among the half-dead trees.
“You wouldn’t believe it, but it was actually quite beautiful here once,” my father said.
“No, I wouldn’t believe it,” I replied, a laugh escaping out of Arrick at my words.
“It’s true. The river that used to feed these wetlands dried up decades ago. The water that remained grew stagnant, creating these swamps and nearly killing all the vegetation.” I stuck my head back out the window trying to imagine what the terrain used to look like, but I couldn’t picture it.
“We will be arriving in the Titan region soon your majesty,” one of the guards told my father over a two-way radio.
“Thank you,” my father replied, then released the radio and set it on the dash. “Tomorrow night we should be arriving in the capital, if I remember the distance correctly,” he said, looking back at me from the passenger seat.
“What is it like? The capital, I mean,” I asked, curious about visiting this new region and secretly wishing it was everything we were hoping it would be. Or rather, the help we thought they would be.
“I’m glad you asked,” my father said with a smile in his voice. I swallowed hard, realizing that I had a history lesson in my immediate future. “The region is named after its king, Kass ‘Titan’ Locke. He got his name during the war, being that he was the largest vampire anyone had ever seen. He was a fierce warrior, who fought with such savage tactics it was hard to believe that he was on our side.”
“But, he was, wasn’t he?” I asked.
“Oh, yes, he was. Titan was one of the few among us who was willing to fight fire with fire; as your friend Bennett would say. Where we were afraid to resort to devious tactics; Titan crushed the enemies before him without reserve. He was like a machine with no other thought than to destroy Baal and his followers.”
“He was a badass!” Arrick chimed in. My father chuckled loudly, nodding his head in agreement.
“Titan was also one of the only ones who never believed Baal had been defeated. He tried to convince the rest of us that our enemy was still out there, but…”
“You didn’t believe him?” I questioned.
“No,” my father answered, regretfully.
“How come?”
“Titan had become consumed with revenge. We believed that his hatred would turn him into the very thing he sought to destroy.”
“Did he?” I found myself asking, oddly enthralled by my father’s tale.
“No, I don’t believe he did.”
“Baal couldn’t defeat any of our forces when they were led by Titan, so instead of retreating he chose different tactics,” Arrick continued the story. “He sent the Jackal after Titan’s wife.” I gasped at his words, not happy about the turn the story had taken. My father had mentioned that Baal targeted Titan’s wife, but he never revealed what had happened.
“Did he kill her?”
“Killing her would have been a kindness,” my father interjected. “He poisoned her.”
All I could do was stare at my father in shock. I didn’t even think such a thing could be done to a vampire. We never got sick, and as long as we were able to feed, nearly every injury could be healed rapidly. I figured I really shouldn’t be surprised by the depth of Baal’s wicked acts, but it was hard not to. He was capable of anything. He attacked the capitals of two great regions; controlled monstrous, mutated beasts that were once vampires like me; and commanded unimaginable power thanks to a vile necromancer. Everyone else might have doubted him, but I agreed with Titan; there was no other way to defeat Baal than to focus on our hatred, and channel it through every blow we threw at him.
“What happened to her?” I asked, not sure if I really wanted to know the answer. Being poisoned by Baal could only lead to one thing.
Death.
“I don’t know,” my father answered, a hint of pain in his tone. I looked to Arrick, but he just shrugged his shoulders. Did anyone know?
Chapter 12
The swamp eventually broke way to a flat desert surrounded by barren mountains, dotted with sparse vegetation that grew denser
the closer we got to the capital city. Tall, palm trees lined the dirt road that led to an illuminated cityscape in the distance.
I grew more and more anxious the closer we got. The sounds of music and a bustling night-life filled the darkness, and I leaned forward between the front seats to get a better view. My eyes focused on the glow that cast shadows along the sandy dunes. It didn’t sparkle like Naos did, though. The lights of the city burned orange, reminding me of the bonfire we had at Palace Noire for the dead dark vampires. Maybe that had been Titan’s intention. I couldn’t help but feel the hatred Titan had for Baal radiating off this city in waves of heat.
For some reason I expected there to be armed guards waiting for us at the city gates, but as we approached I discovered I was wrong. Stone walls soared at dizzying heights around the city, separated only by a colossal wooden gate. Our drivers slowed our caravan of steel as we drove through the wide entrance.
Towering buildings of stone and plaster lined the road, and I gazed out the window curious how people lived here. I was met with the same curious expression I had; some children even waved as we passed by, their innocent nature oblivious to the evil in the world that was planning to kill us all.
Above us, connecting the buildings, were lines of drying laundry or banners in a text I’d never seen. Wooden shutters were open to glowing apartments above the street, the smell of aromatic herbs flowing vibrantly from them. It smelled of bold spices I’d never known, and for the first time since becoming a vampire, I craved human food. The scents were so intoxicating, so… fresh that it gripped my senses in ways I’d never experienced.
“It smells amazing here!” I sniffed the air as we drove through a market place, working our way toward the center of the city.
“Yeah, it does,” Arrick agreed, hungrily. My father chuckled quietly at our words, but didn’t say anything except point our driver down the correct roadways that led toward the center of the city.
We passed by colorful booths that sold baskets full of spices, fresh baked breads, candles, and even fruit that looked more alien than anything I’d ever seen. I couldn’t figure out what the boldly colored objects were until I watched as a vendor hacked through the stubborn husk of a round, lumpy red fruit and handed the mushy insides for the customer to try. Visually it looked like watermelon from the inside, but the outside… anything but. I knew we were in an entirely different region, but this city was so different than Naos or Noire that I felt I was on a completely different planet.