It must have taken only minutes, but it felt like hours, when I was sure my shields were holding enough for me to try to figure out who or where this thing was coming from. I decided to try the who first, so allowed my senses to flow out and seek it. I was surprised, although in retrospect I'm not sure why, that it was evil. It was very evil, like one of the evil vampires I can seek using my Sanguis Vitam Cupitor powers. In fact, I had no doubt sought this thing before. But, the surprise was how close he was, how determined he was to get to me and then something small fell into place, like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. It had been there all along, but I'd overlooked it and now it was staring me in the face I couldn't see anything else.
The power that I recently received on the way back from Paris felt like a door opening in my mind and when it was wide open and hinged back, I could feel all the evil vampires throughout the world turning towards me and wanting to come to me. None of them had taken that first step, they had been too scared, too unsure of what they felt, but now, this vampire, this thing attacking me, was doing more than just watching and waiting He had taken that first step.
If I had been scared of the power before, now I was petrified. I knew, without even thinking about it, that this was the first of many to take that step. And once they started, would it be like dominoes? One tipping over the next and then the next and then the next, until they all landed on top of me.
I was panting by this stage, with fear and effort. I vaguely heard Erika come in the room, Amisi saying something in reply to her query, but all my concentration was now on determining where this creature was, because if he was as close as he felt, then I was going to be in trouble. Deep trouble.
I had to work hard on calming myself enough to sink further into the black nothingness, to let myself not only seek what he was but precisely where he was, but I got there in the end. Sweat staring to trickle down my temple, my fists bunched so tightly I could feel my nails digging into my palms. He was in Auckland, he was in the CBD and he knew the only way to get me to come out and play, was to call me using my pull.
As soon as he sensed my understanding of the situation, he ceased his attack and I felt like I had been released from a great height and had suddenly fallen back down to earth with a crash. I ached all over, I was trembling from head to foot, but I could breathe. And talk and focus on my surroundings again.
“Kiwi? What was that?”
My breath was still rapid and I had to swallow a couple of times before my dry throat would allow me to make any sounds.
“That new power, it just got a wake up call. One of those vampires watching me, has finally realised he doesn't need to wait.”
Nero looked really strange, a little pale and quite confused. I understood, it sounded kooky to me too, but there was more to it than that. He was looking at me as though I had sprouted two heads. And he was shaking his back and forth at an alarmingly fast rate.
“It can't be. This is not right. Nothing has indicated that this would happen. It is not right.” He was almost saying it under his breath, just to himself, but we could all hear it.
I glanced at Amisi and she was awash with concern, but when she noticed me looking at her she just shook her head and shrugged. She had no idea what he was talking about either.
Erika handed me a glass of water. I hadn't realised how thirsty I was until it was right in front of my nose. Man, she was taking this looking after the master's Nosferatin seriously, wasn't she? I just smiled weakly and downed the whole glass in one.
That felt a hell of a lot better. If every time one of those nasty vamps knocked on my metaphysical door and I reacted like this, then Nut help me. It was sudden, unexpected and I had absolutely no chance to prepare for it. Had I been driving or fighting at the time, I would have been toast. Shit. It didn't bear thinking about.
Finally, Nero seemed to have gotten himself back under control and he lifted his face to mine. The confusion from before was gone, now there was just resolve and as his hand came up to cup my chin. I also saw surprise and awe. He looked at all of me, my face, my neck, my arms, my body. His gaze travelling everywhere, intense and sure. I wasn't certain what the hell he was doing, where this was going, but I was starting to get a little uncomfortable under all the scrutiny. Erika had also started shifting uneasily at my side, having stepped closer, maybe within a foot now and looming over both me and Nero, who was still on his knees in front of me.
“Nero?” I asked, wanting to bring him back to reality before he did something really embarrassing in front of Amisi and Erika.
He laughed and brought his gaze back to my eyes. His own were a blaze of cooper and cinnamon, dancing before me in hypnotic waves.
“You are truly Nut's child, Kiwi.” Well duh, I knew that, but what the hell?
“You are more. You are the Prohibitum Bibere.”
Chapter 19
You Called?
“The what?” That was Erika, no longer shifting uneasily next to me, but standing stock still, glaring down at Nero.
Amisi had her hands up to her mouth and her beautiful chocolate brown eyes were big and wide.
Nero was just smiling.
“Yeah, the what?” I said for emphasis, as he hadn't bothered to answer Erika yet.
“The Prohibitum Bibere or the Forbidden Drink. I didn't think it was possible, none of the scrolls have indicated that one Nosferatin could be two of the Prophesy components, but here we are. Here you are and it's obvious,” - he indicated the length of my body with a swish of his hand, - “your glow when you felt the vampire answer your call, it's obvious.”
OK. It might have been obvious to Nero, but I was still at a loss.
My head was spinning, my body ached from the recent attack and nothing made sense at all. I had a million questions swirling around inside my skull, all of them tumbling over each other, none of them making any sense at all. I took a deep breath in and then another, then another and organised my thoughts. I was sure I had myself sorted, but when I opened my mouth it all came spilling out one after the other in a torrent of questions.
“How come you haven't been able to see this before? I've told you about this power. And what is the Forbidden Drink? And, by the way, how many parts to this Prophesy is there? Am I to expect some more Nosferatin juice in the near future? Am I going to get every god-damn bit of this Prophesy to myself? Is it all to be on my shoulders? Where's the support you spoke of, Nero? Where are the other Nosferatins who are meant to lend a hand?”
I had stood up and started pacing and wringing my hands at the same time, not a good combination. The electricity in the air had become tangible, I hadn't realised I was letting off such energy, but the room did seem an awful lot brighter than it had before. As though my Light was building inside me, the more agitated I got.
Nero stood and raised both hands in a placating manner. “Calm down, Kiwi. Nut has a plan.”
Oh God. If he mentioned the goddess one more time I would scream. I was so sick of this crap. I had barely got my head around being a Nosferatin, having to join with a Nosferatu - hell the truth is, I haven't got my head around it at all, evidence of that is back in Wellington - when I was landed with the first key to the Prophesy, the Sanguis Vitam Cupitor or Blood Life Seeker. And now this? Prohibitum Bibere, bloody Forbidden Drink. What the fuck was that all about? How much more did Nut want to test me, how much more did Nut want to push me? Was she insane? I was only one girl, I couldn't do this.
I'd been counting on the other Nosferatins with Prophesy related powers to come forward and take up some of the slack, but now? Now I was getting a sinking feeling that there would be no other Nosferatin, that I would be it. That made me stop pacing and just stand there.
Holy shit. Crap. Crap. Crap. This was not happening.
“Kiwi?”
I looked over at where Nero was still standing, still holding his hands out in front as though trying to calm a jumper down off the balcony railing. Not a bad analogy, I really did feel like I was about to fall
a long, long way, but it wasn't intentional. I sure as hell did not want to jump. Loss of friggin' control.
“First of all, how many Prophesy components are there?” My voice was even, well controlled.
“Three. The Sanguis Vitam Cupitor, the Prohibitum Bibere and the Lux Lucis Tribuo or the Giver of Light.”
I sank to my knees on the floor and just stared at him. He smiled ruefully and came over to kneel down in front of me.
“We can assume you will be all three. You have already more Light in you than any other Nosferatin I have ever met. Plus you can do things with Light I have never heard nor read of before. I had just assumed it was part of who you were; your strength of power, the combination of you and Michel joined. But it would be foolish to think it is not related to the Prophesy now.” He took a long deep breath in and I just thought, don't say it, please don't say it. “You are the Prophesied, Kiwi. The Light will capture the Dark and will hold it dear.”
I felt numb, totally removed from the situation. This was surreal, not happening, not to me. Farm girl, turned business banker, come vampire hunter. And now the Prophesied.
I ran a hand over my face hoping to wipe away some of the fog that had descended. So many thoughts running through my mind. I rifled through them, trying to get some order, trying to make sense of the chaos inside. Michel, I needed Michel. It was the one thought that kept repeating in my mind. I wasn't surprised. I was about to have a little conniption, my Bond was calling for Michel to calm me down. But, I had made my choice to battle this without him by my side. I would be strong.
I would be strong.
I was taking deep breaths in and not even realising it, almost hyperventilating. Nero had stood again and looked like he wanted to reach out to me, but I just raised my hands to ward him off. I couldn't bear anyone touching me right now, I couldn't stand the distraction. I needed to think this through. There had to be a reasonable explanation, a loophole in the contract, we'd made a mistake. Why would Nut put all of her eggs in one basket? It just didn't make sense.
Start at the beginning, or near enough. “What does the Prohibitum Bibere do?”
Nero relaxed a little, this was familiar ground for him, he knew the Prophesy through and through and although it had thrown him tonight, defining the titles was old news, easy to do.
“The Prohibitum Bibere is another name for a Siren.”
I raised my eyebrows at him, you're shitting me?
He just smiled, his Nero-light-up-the-world smile. “In this case, Kiwi, you are not luring the sailors onto rocks, you are luring vampires to the Light. That is why you are called the Forbidden Drink. To drink of your Light would be to allow the Dark to fail, therefore you are forbidden to them, by the Dark itself.”
I let another long breath out. “You've talked about the Dark as though it is a sentient being before, just who is the Dark, Nero?”
“We do not know for sure, there are no records of where the Nosferatu has come from. We, of course, are Children of Nut, we know our heritage. We are born of the Lord of the Light. But, is it not feasible that the Nosferatu are born of a Lord of the Dark? And if so, who is their God? Who directs their lives as Nut directs ours?”
“OK. How come you didn't see this before? I told you about this power and you just clammed up. Why?” I wasn't being demanding, or trying to rub it in, I just needed to understand. Really.
Nero looked a little sad. “It's not that I didn't believe you, Kiwi, I just couldn't make that leap of faith. Everything and I mean everything I have read, indicated three Prophesied, not one. I did not want to believe it. I did not want you to bear this burden alone. But, seeing is believing, so they say and having witnessed you receiving a caller, a vampire seeking the Drink, I cannot fail to see that this is so. I am sorry, if I have disappointed you.”
I wanted to tell him it was OK, he was just trying to protect me, but dammit, he is my Herald, he recognises the keys and starts the Prophesy in motion. It was his job to recognise this and he had chosen not to. I did feel a little let down.
But, what difference would it have made? More time to digest it maybe?
“So, what do I do with this? I am what I am, I guess, what now?”
Nero didn't say anything for a moment, he just stood there watching me, as if he had expected me to forgive him and now that I hadn't, he didn't quite know how to go on.
He cleared his throat slightly. “You can seek the evil, tell where they are, how much evil resides in each one. You can also call them to you, although they need to take the step that brings them closer. And, if we are correct in our assumption, you can give them Light. You can banish the Dark and flood them with Light.”
Sounds easy, doesn't it? But, I know what my Light is capable of. Sure, it can make you have a fantastically orgasmic experience, or it can kill. I'm not sure if there is a spot in-between. I'm not sure that I have the ability to control it like that. So what? I kill all those vampires coming towards me? Or, I flush them with my desire and lust. Stuff that, I'm not that free living.
And that brings us back to kill, then, doesn't it? I am a vampire hunter, killing the bad creatures of the night is what I do, but I've met a lot more vampires since I started down this road. I've befriended a lot more vampires and not all of them are Dark or evil, or deserve to die. And even those I have met who seemed so very evil, have turned out to be OK. Gregor, when I first met him was reeking evil, but now? Not so much. So, do I kill them straight up, because they are evil and that is all I have ever killed? Or do I try to find a way to bring them more Light, to allow them the choice to live?
I kind of liked the idea of allowing them a choice. No loss of control. Not like me.
So, that would be my plan, my big modus operandi. I could even start my own mantra with that one: Bring them more Light. Let them choose Life.
Or maybe I could flog one: I am the Light to the Dark. You call to me as I call to you. I will always hold you dear. Another Nosferatin saying, specifically relating to the Prophesy.
Well I'll be buggered. Nut had been telling me all along what I was. But now that I knew, how did I carry out my goal? My Light can kill or it can pleasure, I had to find a way to the middle ground between those two. I had to learn to control my Light.
“Well, this has been very educational, hasn't it? I need to process this, but in the meantime we've got a vampire wanting a drink from the fountain of Light and for some reason he doesn't want to come to me here at St. Helier's. So, I'm going to have to go to him in the CBD. He hasn't done anything yet, but the impression I got, was if I didn't get there soon he would, just to tick me off.”
I stood up and dusted my uniform down. I hadn't had a chance to change and I thought I could just quickly slip into some hunter gear now and then we'd all head into the city. I was about to voice that as I headed towards the door and my bedroom, when I felt it. We all did. Well, everyone except Erika. The evil-lurks-in-my-city pull called to me, it called to Amisi and it called to Nero. We all stopped what we were doing and just stared at each other.
“I guess he's got tired of waiting,” I said into the silence and reached over to the couch to pick up my hunting jacket, already laden with stakes and a knife. I slipped it on over my uniform, watched as both Amisi and Nero checked their own gear and then led the way back out to the car.
“You coming, Erika?” I called over my shoulder.
“Oh, I wouldn't miss this for the world, chica,” she said fingering her Svante sword in its sheath at the back of her neck.
The trip in was quick, traffic was light, maybe coincidence, maybe a higher power at work making our job that much smoother. But the road was clear and there were no cop cars to be seen. The BMW made it into town in less than ten minutes. A definite record from St. Helier's Bay. I wasn't complaining, the more time it took, the stronger the pull. Nero and Amisi were quiet, riding the sensation, biting their lips, wanting above all else to be near that vampire before he struck.
I knew exactly where he was: Fo
rt Street, at the bottom of the main CBD thoroughfare, Queen Street. A popular location for massage parlours and all sorts of nefarious deeds. The vampire had chosen well. It was easy to get to him, park the car and be on foot, without further delay.
I don't usually think of a plan of attack when about to face evil vampires fanging an innocent. My Nosferatin hunter skills just take over. But, there was three of us tonight, so not wanting to waste the numbers, I directed Nero and Amisi to come in from the other end of the road, Queen Street side. And Erika and I came at him from Customs Street. We had him cornered, bar a couple of minor side streets, but I got the distinct impression that this one wouldn't run, he wanted me there, he was waiting, eagerly.
Bizarre did not cover the sensation at all.
Erika and I slowed down our approach, she had her Svante sword out, I had my stake. Anyone watching from the shadows would have copped an eye full, we weren't trying to hide ourselves or our weapons and the energy in the area was off the scale, making us both jumpy and unable to hide it. This vampire was evil, but there was something more.
I tried to calm myself to sense the area. I managed to determine we were alone, he was on his own, no other Nosferatu nearby, but he was sending confusing signals. Sanguis Vitam fluctuations and a buzzing that just didn't sound right. Vampires always buzz to me, or hum, it's just a sound in the background you get used to. The bad ones have a more annoying noise, the OK or good ones, a kind of musical accompaniment, kinda nice, but this chap, he sounded like an orchestra tuning up in the pit at the Aotea Theatre. It was all wrong and yet in amongst the strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion, there was the odd note of beauty, a straining chord trying to break free. The potential for wonder existed, but it was drowning in the cacophony of clashing noises, unable to be heard clearly, washed away and lost forever.
I paused, trying to catch that note again, that beautiful sound, but the rushing noise of opposing notes just kept hammering away. It almost made me cry, I wanted that note, I wanted it badly.
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