Holiday In Malancrav: A Wolfric Vampire Novel (The Wolfric Vampire Series Book 1)

by Jon F. Merz

  Closer.

  Ever closer now.

  Wolfric felt his heart thundering in his chest and knew that the moisture he felt at his hairline was sweat.

  The time was at hand.

  Wolfric just hoped he didn’t make a big mistake.

  Chapter 33

  The footfalls drew ever closer and he knew they were trying to be as soundless as possible. He steeled his nerve and when the first part of the body came into his vision, he was up and on them, clapping one hand over their mouth and jerking them back and down to the ground. The torch fell to the floor and cast its light across the scene.

  Felix took the person by the front while Wolfric held them from behind. He heard the surprised shouting muffled by his hand and felt the body struggling intently.

  Felix was quick; he held a knife to the throat of the person and grunted harshly. “Keep still and quiet if you want to live.”

  The struggling ceased and Wolfric looked at Felix who nodded. Slowly, Wolfric released his hold on the mouth but kept enough pressure on them to discourage any attempt at escape.

  “Who are you?” asked Felix. His knife didn’t move from the throat of the person who was swathed in black garments and a mask. Felix pulled the mask free and Wolfric heard him sniff.

  “Well…”

  “What?” asked Wolfric.

  “Let me go!” said a voice he knew all too well.

  “Mila?”

  She rolled free and came to her feet, dusting herself off. “Who else?”

  Felix eyed her carefully and his knife was still out. “How did you come to know this place?”

  Mila crossed her arms. “Why should I tell you?”

  “Hold her,” Felix directed.

  Wolfric did so before she could protest and Felix moved in closer, grabbing at the neck of her tunic and tearing it down to expose her collar bone. Wolfric saw his eyes narrow and after a moment, he nodded and stepped back. “Release her now.”

  Wolfric did so and Mila wheeled on him, aiming a kick at his crotch. He avoided it, but only just.

  “She’s not strigoi,” said Felix.

  Mila turned on him. “Of course, I’m not! What in the world would ever make you think that? It’s noon up above. Strigoi can only come out at night.”

  Felix nodded. “As you say.”

  He wouldn’t correct her, Wolfric knew. The less anyone knew about vampires, the better his people were.

  “Then why would you think that? And why would you look at my neck? I haven’t been bitten.”

  “I was just making sure,” said Felix. “My apologies.” He glanced at Wolfric and shook his head.

  He’d been looking for the birthmark that stained the skin of all vampires. It was small and largely unnoticeable by anyone but the most observant. It was a telltale mark that could never be disguised. And if Mila had had one, then it might have meant that she was responsible for the attacks.

  Wolfric was relieved that she wasn’t involved in them, at least as far as they knew. It would have broken his heart to have had to execute her.

  “Tell me how you knew about these tunnels,” said Felix.

  “I overheard Davo in the village talking to the old priest. Father Mirescu could barely contain himself. Said something about there being a tunnel under his church. And that you two were down here exploring them. I thought I might come down and, you know…help you.”

  “Help us?” asked Felix. “Do you know how angry your father would be if he found out where you were?”

  Mila shrugged. “I’m my own woman. I can do as I please.”

  Felix cocked an eyebrow. “I doubt he would see it that way.”

  Wolfric picked up the torch and handed it back to Mila. “Not the best way to conceal yourself. We saw you coming from far off.”

  “Well, I don’t have the luxury of being able to see in the dark, silly.” Her eyes narrowed. “Speaking of which, how are you two able to see down here?”

  “We lost our torch a ways back,” said Wolfric quickly. “We’ve been stumbling along ever since. When we saw your torch, we didn’t know if you were friend or foe.”

  Mila checked the torch over. “Well, I guess I can’t blame you for being careful. I probably would have done the same thing if I was in your place.”

  “Glad to hear it,” said Felix. “However, you’re not in our place. Moreover, your father will be outraged if he finds out you were with us. You need to go home now.”

  “Not a chance,” said Mila. “I want in on the action.”

  Felix shook his head. “This is not up for discussion. You’re a woman. Leave this to the men.”

  Mila eyed Wolfric. “Is that what you believe also? That women aren’t capable of holding their own in battle? Is that what they told Joan of Arc when she led the French troops to victory?”

  “They burned her at the stake,” said Wolfric. “I have no desire to see you endure such a fate.”

  “Shouldn’t that be my choice?” asked Mila.

  “I would hope that you never faced such a decision,” said Wolfric.

  Mila smiled. “You’re sweet, Wolfric. But again, the choice should be mine to make. And as much as I love my father, I am not going to live my life according to his whims. I have no desire to stay in this town any longer than necessary. Not when there’s a great big world out there just waiting to be discovered.”

  Felix frowned. “A young woman on her own in these parts would be kidnapped and raped in no time at all. You’d be lucky to live your first night out.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” said Mila. “Fortunately, I happen to think a bit more highly of my abilities than you apparently do. And I like to think I’d be fine.”

  Felix shook his head. “I’m not going to debate this any further. You need to go back to the inn and let us investigate this tunnel more. We’re already wasting time and we’ve also potentially alerted our enemies that we are close by. The sooner we continue, the better.”

  Mila smiled. “Well, if you wish me to return to the inn, then I will have to go back with you the way I came. That’s where I found the ladder leading down from the inn.”

  “How did you not know about it before?” asked Wolfric.

  Mila shrugged. “We didn’t build the place. My father bought it some time back. It was here when we moved into the village when I was but a baby. As far as I know, the previous owner didn’t even realize it was there. It was only today when I heard Davo and the priest talking that I decided to make an effort to find it. And after all, there are only so many place a secret ladder can be concealed. In the inn’s case, it was in the larder behind a fake wall. A simple push and it opened right up.”

  “Did you tell your father about it?”

  “Of course not. Had I done that, I would still be back at the inn instead of enjoying my present company.”

  Wolfric smirked. Felix sighed.

  “Very well, then. But let’s not delay any longer. The sooner we get you back to the inn and Wolfric and I can continue, the better.” He paused. “But no noise as we move. The more silent we are, the better. Understood?”

  Wolfric and Mila nodded.

  They headed back down the tunnel with Felix taking the lead. Behind him, Mila held on to her torch and its flame lit the way. Wolfric didn’t mind the presence of the light since he could see if Mila was ever looking at him. But she seemed focused on the tunnel itself, studying the brickwork that made up the walls of the place. Wolfric decided it would be best if he concentrated on the environment rather than the woman in front of him. He made a point to look behind them every few steps. The last thing they needed was to be attacked from the rear.

  As they drew down the tunnel, several ladders led up to the surface at various points. And then finally, they came to a ladder that Mila pointed to as being the one leading up to the inn.

  Felix nodded for her to ascend and Wolfric felt disappointed as she moved to the ladder and started up. She turned and waved once more before vanishing
up the ladder. They heard a thunk and then the torch light was gone, leaving them once more in the absolute darkness.

  Felix cupped his hand over Wolfric’s ear. “Now we must pretend for several minutes that we are also gone from this tunnel. As if we ascended with the girl.”

  “So whoever else is down here thinks we are gone?”

  “Yes. I have no doubt that she attracted the attention of anyone who might be hiding.”

  Wolfric nodded. Mila had compromised them, no doubt. But she couldn’t be blamed for it. Her curiosity and zest for adventure had led her down here.

  Felix hunkered down on one side of the ladder and Wolfric did the same on the other side.

  And they waited.

  Chapter 34

  They moved out after several minutes when Felix felt enough time had passed. They resumed their standard formation for traversing the corridor and moved steadily down it now. The entire passage was blanketed in darkness, but their eyes could see everything just the same.

  It always amazed Wolfric how his eyes could use the most minute amount of light to see. Bits of it filtered down from where the ladders had been positioned leading up to the surface above them. It wouldn’t be enough for any human being to see with, but for Wolfric and Felix, as well as those they hunted, it would be more than enough.

  They came to another branch leading off away from the main complex and Felix paused. Wolfric did the same and his nostrils quivered. The scent came to him at once.

  Blood.

  Felix looked at him and nodded. They would follow the branch and see where it led.

  Again, the crossbow pistol appeared in Felix’s hand while Wolfric drew his sword. Felix pointed out a small ditch in floor beneath them and they carefully stepped over it. It had been lined with small twigs that would no doubt crack under any pressure, potentially alerting anyone further down to their presence.

  As they moved, small sounds started finding their way into their ears. Wolfric’s nostrils flared as the scent of blood grew more pronounced. His mouth started salivating involuntarily and he wondered if Felix’s would be doing the same. While he’d had a taste from his supply of blood within the flasks before they’d started out this morning, the scent of it would hunger him just the same.

  The air grew warmer, almost humid, and now a scent of water mixed with that of the blood. From the ceiling, Wolfric saw a tangle of roots pushing down into the tunnel branch. And the bricks that had made up the walls fell away revealing only hard-packed dirt and clay. Here and there, large wooden supports buttressed the ceilings, but Wolfric wondered about the distinct possibility of a cave in if there happened to be a small explosion down here. The last thing he wanted was to get buried underground.

  Was this where the strigoi lived? Did they have a hiding place down here where they waited for dark to come when they would venture forth and hunt? He had to give credit to the offender: at least they kept playing into the local legends by not appearing during the daylight. They probably knew that doing such a thing actually helped them by keeping the locals afraid of anything happening outside after sunset.

  It was a wonder the entire village hadn’t been bedecked with crucifixes and strands of garlic, he thought with a grin.

  And then a fresh wave of blood scent washed over him and Wolfric felt himself go light-headed, so fresh did it smell.

  Felix paused and Wolfric froze as well.

  He heard something.

  Not far off.

  Like a creaking of some sort. And a telltale dripping sound. Was there a source of water nearby? Wolfric could still smell it just under the scent of blood. Perhaps a small stream ran underground here providing a source of water for those hiding in the passageway.

  Another creak sounded. Metal. He realized it now as his brain struggled to process the sound and compare it to the vast catalog of sounds he had inside of his brain. But yes, metal. And more. A chain. He glanced at Felix and saw his teacher frowning.

  And then moving forward again.

  The dripping sound got louder and then Wolfric saw the passageway open up into a small sort of room almost, but still with earthen walls and several wooden buttresses.

  From one of the buttresses, a length of chain dangled down.

  Attached to it was a corpse hung upside down, slowly rotating.

  Dripping the last remnants of blood into a puddle on the floor. The ground was soaked and most of the dirt underneath the corpse was a bloody mush of mud. Felix kept the crossbow up and stepped around the corpse, checking the scene. Wolfric did the same.

  From the opening, the passage continued for maybe twenty meters before starting to slope upwards.

  An exit?

  Felix motioned for Wolfric to stay with the corpse while he scouted ahead. While he did so, Wolfric stood in the opening and watched the corpse dangling there, obviously dead for some time. The body wasn’t anyone that he recognized, but he knew someone would know who it had been.

  He frowned. He hadn’t thought about the cost to humanity of his people. Vampires needed blood, it was true, but there had to be a way to get it without hunting and killing humans. After all, how could Wolfric’s people possibly continue to live if they preyed on humans like this? Eventually, humans would discover the secret and hunt his people to extinction rather than allow themselves to be hunted. And there were far more humans than there were vampires.

  Felix reappeared within a few minutes, his crossbow stowed away again. He looked at Wolfric and then at the corpse. “Not what I expected to find.”

  “Nor I,” said Wolfric. “Is this common practice?”

  “Not for our people who obey the laws handed down by the Council. Most assuredly not.” The look on his face told Wolfric that his teacher was extremely upset. “This is the sort of barbarism that cannot go unchecked. This is why we do what we do, my young apprentice. This is our cause for being. If this sort of butchery continues across this great planet, then we will surely be hunted down and put out of existence.”

  “Agreed,” said Wolfric. “Who could have done this?”

  Felix sighed. “There is much that concerns me and not all of it do I understand. The presence of this and these tunnels leads me to think that we may have much more to contend with than I originally thought. And certainly, the Council did not anticipate such a thing.”

  “Should we get the corpse down from there?”

  Felix shook his head. “No. Doing so would alert our opponents that we have been here.”

  “So what do we do?”

  Felix gestured to the passageway leading up. “As far as I can tell, the corridor extends another twenty meters before coming to an exit. I haven’t ventured beyond it, but if I had to guess, it must lead back up to the surface.”

  “We’ll follow it then?”

  Felix nodded. “Wherever it leads. We must find these criminals and put them down. This cannot go unpunished. No matter who we discover to be involved.”

  “Understood.”

  Felix readied his crossbow again and nodded at Wolfric. “Ready?”

  “I am.”

  “Then we go.” Felix turned and led the way up the corridor.

  As they ascended, the passage again changed from earth and clay to solid rock. Wolfric frowned and ran his hand along one side of it. It was jagged in parts and smooth in others, but he had the distinct impression it hadn’t been hewn this way. It felt…natural.

  And then it came to him.

  A cave.

  The passage was going to bring them into a cave that would presumably lead them back outside. He wanted to tell Felix, but he suspected his teacher already knew this. Fifty meters further on, they started to level out and then more light started spilling into the passage as it shrank first and then grew in width and height. He heard the dripping of water as the scent of blood fell away behind them back in the deepest part of the tunnel.

  It was also significantly cooler now. They had to be close to the surface.

  But where would
the cave lead them? How far away were they from the village? If the cave was readily accessible then why hadn’t the locals discovered the passage before this? Surely they must have known about it if they had worked these lands for many years?

  Too many questions, not enough answers, Wolfric decided.

  By his feet, a small stream sluiced past him, its waters running fast before disappearing into the rock around them. More water dripped down on them from above. Wolfric could see his breath now, staining the air before his face with steam. Surely they were now at the surface.

  Felix slowed his movements as Wolfric became aware of the noise.

  But it was weirdly distorted by the acoustics in the cave.

  Felix held up his hand and Wolfric froze. Felix kept the crossbow pistol up in front of him and came around the edge of an outcropping of rock, looking as though he was ready to fire.

  It was only then that Wolfric saw the form detach itself from the side of the cave and come up behind Felix so swiftly, that his teacher had no time to react.

  Chapter 35

  Wolfric moved without thinking, drawing his sword and plunging forward even as the figure started to wrap his hands around Felix and tried dragging him back and off of his feet. But Wolfric got there first, driving his sword into the figure’s side and running him through. The figure’s mouth drew back in a shriek that echoed off the walls of the cave as the blade pierced through its organs.

  Felix went with the energy of the attack and spun, shooting his crossbow pistol into the figure’s heart. It dropped and writhed on the ground, its shrieks dying even as it did. It spasmed once and then lay still.

  Wolfric drew his sword out of the corpse and knelt closer. Felix did the same thing.

  The figure was swathed in mottled gray and brown bits of cloth from head-to-toe. It had blended so easily with the cave walls that neither of them had been aware of it until it was almost too late. Felix looked up at Wolfric and clapped him on the back.