by Justin Sloan
“Hmm.” Valerie smiled. “I think you’ll serve as a perfect example for the rest here.”
The man sneered, then pulled a battleax from the doorway behind him and charged.
She waited until the last minute, then moved aside. The battleax sliced past her and split a support beam on the nearby store in half. With her claws, she tore large gashes in his cheek.
“Just a test, because I’d love to know. You didn’t feel that?”
The man turned with a roar and came at her again.
“I’ll take that as a no,” she declared, again moving out of the way of his attack. This time she kicked out his knee. “I don’t have to kill you. Ask my friends. They’ll vouch for my generous nature.”
She kicked him down and he pushed himself up again, trying to stand but flopping backward.
“Just tell me you give up, and introduce me to your gods.” Valerie took a step back, shaking her head with pity as the man lunged and fell again. “It’s as simple as that.”
A grunt sounded behind her and she smelled the thick odor of grilled meat and flowers—an odd combination—before the tattooed woman from before charged, thrusting with a short but wide blade.
Valerie sidestepped, then kicked out with her foot and sent the woman plunging right into the downed man, her sword piercing his good leg.
“Ouch! Good thing you can’t feel that.” Valerie saw others moving in, weapons at the ready. “I didn’t come here for violence, necessarily. You all would probably throw rocks at a dragon and be surprised when it breathed its fire upon you. Well, my flames are getting real fucking hot, so back the hell up.”
Two men shouted at her in Norwegian, another in a language that sounded different but which she could tell was related. The man at her feet tried to lunge despite that fact that neither of his legs worked, and she took another step back, glancing over to see that the woman had backed away, less certain now.
“I’m going to assume you understand me.” Valerie addressed the two men who had yelled. “And I’m going to hope that you want to live to see tomorrow, so I’ll tell you one more time. Inform the gods that I’m here. Change your ways.”
The man on the ground threw his battleax at her, but she moved her head and it clattered on the cobblestones behind her.
“This one has answered for you all,” she stated, then stepped up and kicked him across the face so hard that his head snapped. He fell back to the ground, limp. “Will the rest of you give the same response?”
Several hesitated, and the tattooed woman just put her hand to her mouth and took another step back. After a moment, she turned and ran.
“Coward!” one of the men shouted after her, while several others put the drugs into their mouths.
“I get it. You’d would rather die than face the changing ways of this world,” Valerie proclaimed with a sigh. “I just wish it didn’t have to be at my hand so often. But if it must be so…”
She drew her sword. “Let’s get on with it, shall we?”
The men charged. In their furs and with their tattoos, they almost looked like a pack of wild animals closing on their prey. Of course, in this case it was more like a bunch of stupid lemmings running into the mouth of their predator.
Valerie wasn’t going to waste any time. She darted through her attackers, sword a blur of steel, blood flowing in artistic sprays that dappled the ground in patterns that, Valerie thought, worked quite well with all the wolf symbols and patterns around the town.
Soon there was a pile of bodies behind her, forming a semicircle as if to enclose her own mini-arena.
It wasn’t pleasant to have been the creator of this work of art, but she recognized its intimidation factor. She turned, sword at rest, and held out a hand, palm up.
“Was this how you wanted your day to go?” She shook her head in dismay. “I sure as hell didn’t.”
“You attacked us!” a young man in a thick bearskin coat shouted.
“WRONG!” She pointed, finger shaking with fury at that comment. “You people in your airships came after me and mine. I came here to discuss how we could live in peace, how the world could move forward without bloodshed, without people getting hurt.” She gestured to the dead. “This was your answer.”
The man glared, chest heaving, and then he dropped his ax. For a moment the others looked at him in confusion, but then their weapons clattered to the ground as well. As one, they knelt and bowed their heads.
“Forgive us,” the man implored. “We didn’t realize you were one of them.”
“One of… Oh, no.”
“Yes.” The man bowed even lower. “We know better than to attack the gods, but we failed today. We failed to recognize you in this form. In the form of…a woman.”
She rolled her eyes. “For fuck’s sake, I’m not a god or a goddess, and neither are the Weres you worship.”
He looked up at her, brow creased in confusion. “How…how can you say that? We’ve seen what you can do. There’s no denying your divine power.”
She scrunched her nose at that, then shook her head. “Stand! All of you, just fucking stand.”
They did so in one quick motion, as if obeying a god rather than simply following her advice. Dammit.
“Listen closely, because I don’t often tell people this.” She put away her sword and wiped the blood from her hands on the back of her pants. “I am a vampire. What you worship, those Weres? They are simply humans. But we are what we are not because demons or gods changed us, and certainly not because we are gods. We are nothing more than modified humans. We have something in our blood that you do not, something that came, believe it or not, from up there.” She pointed to the sky, then shook her head, realizing that could mean the heavens. “Not up there as in gods or God, but as in space. Other beings reside up there, among the stars. I know this is a lot to swallow and you have no real reason to believe me, but that’s the truth.”
The man stared at her and the others fidgeted, casting cautious glances at each other.
Finally he relaxed and cocked his head, analyzing her. “A vampire?”
She nodded.
“And we shouldn’t be afraid of you because?”
“Because vampires and Weres are nothing like the legends of old say they are. As I explained, we are nothing more than genetically modified humans. More than that, I have been given a mission to bring justice to our world. Well, specifically what was called North America long ago, and will be again, but it’s flexible. We’re restoring this world as best we can. I’d like you all to be a help in that mission, rather than a hindrance.”
The man glanced at the remaining townsfolk and warriors, then nodded.
“I’m with you. The others can choose for themselves, but I’ll be honest… I’ve always had my doubts.” He fidgeted now, eyes nervous. “But the thing is, they’ll come. The fact remains that they call themselves gods and will destroy anyone who says otherwise. If we stand with you, can you protect us?”
“You bet your ass I can.”
He blinked, confused by that turn of phrase.
With a laugh, she clarified, “That means ‘yes.’ How many of them are there?”
“A few dozen, at least,” he said.
“Hans,” one of the men said, addressing him and then speaking in Norwegian. Hans replied in kind, then turned back to Valerie.
“The others are concerned you’ll get us all killed. They’ve seen your power, but don’t believe that means you’ll stand up against the gods, er, Weres, for them.”
Valerie considered this, looking around at the scared faces.
“Allow me, if you will, to shed some light on my powers and why you have no reason to be afraid.” She smiled at the excitement of this moment, having never really put on a display of her powers. Part of her said to stop showing off, to just shut up and go kill the Weres, but she also knew the show would help these people. It would reassure the ones who wanted to follow her and put the necessary fright into the hearts of those who sti
ll considered her their enemy.
With a deep breath, she pushed just enough fear to cause them to clench their butt cheeks to avoid shitting themselves, then drew her sword and moved as she rarely did when not worried for the life of someone close to her. She was likely a blur in their eyes, a blur of moves, but she paused here and there, sword extended in various positions she had learned during her training in France.
Each time she let them see her she received another gasp from the crowd, finishing in a flurry of moves just slow enough for them to follow, eyes flaring red and teeth fully extended.
“Those Weres are so fucked,” the man exclaimed, a smile taking over his face.
Others stared with jaws hanging open, while a few started to cheer and applaud.
She felt like such a turd at that moment. She was the world’s biggest showoff. However, her actions seemed to have had their intended effect, so she just nodded, put her sword back in its sheath, and curtsied to them in a fun way that she hoped would show them she wasn’t all about swords and death.
A woman disappeared and returned with a fine fur coat a moment later. “For you.” She presented it across her arms.
“No, I couldn’t.” Valerie tried to refuse, but when the woman held it out, she couldn’t help run her hand across the smooth fur. Damn, she wanted that coat.
“We insist.” The man stepped up next to her. He shouted something over his shoulder, and another person ran into the building opposite, returning moments later with a fine belt with a hook for her sword. “Yours looks slightly worn.”
She glanced down, noticing for the first time how ragged her belt was.
“Please, it would be an honor to us,” the man stated, lowering his voice. “To accept means you are one of us, in a sense. Our protector.”
That hadn’t been her intention at all when she had set out for this town, but she had learned a long time ago that sometimes it made sense to just roll with it. She nodded and accepted the coat, then dropped her old belt and put on the new one. The sword hung perfectly, and she had to admit that it didn’t pull on her hips as it had with the old belt.
“You’re too kind.” Spinning, she almost giggled. “How do I look?”
“Like a hero straight out of the old books, here to defend us against the evils of the world.” The man was likely joking, but something he had said got her attention. “Old books?”
“We have a whole library full of them,” he confirmed. “Come, I’ll show you.”
Before he turned to lead the way, he gestured to the bodies and shouted something in Norwegian. Several men and women nodded and moved toward the corpses.
“They’ll…take care of the mess.”
She pursed her lips and shook her head. “I wish it hadn’t come to that.”
“We all feel the same, I’m sure, but sometimes a garden needs to be weeded.”
“One day we won’t have so many weeds on this earth. One day.”
He gave her a wistful smile and motioned for her to follow. They went toward the back of town, past the church she had seen on the way in, to a large building behind it. When they entered she was hit by an old, musty smell, but it was beautiful. More books than she had ever seen in her whole life lined the walls. She felt like jumping onto the wheeled ladder and riding past them while dragging her fingertips across their bindings, but instead she just smiled and breathed it in.
“It’s wonderful,” she said.
The man nodded. “My collection, you could say. Not all of us are cultureless cave men.”
“I’m glad,” she admitted. “And pretty damn happy I didn’t have to kill you.”
“Me too!” he agreed with a hearty laugh. “Some of those men you killed were like family—the kind you hate, if you know what I mean. It’s not like everyone would accept you right away, but I imagine you won’t be staying long anyway.”
“Correct. I plan on dealing with your little werewolf infestation and leaving. I have to find my friends, but if I hear you have gone back to your old ways, I might have to return.”
He shook his head. “No, taking care of the Weres should deal with that tendency. There are other communities like ours, but the majority of us were operating out of fright or greed more than true worship. The ones who continue to fight will be dealt with, I imagine. I know I plan on doing my part.”
She ran her hands through the fur of her new coat again, glancing around at the books.
“There might just be hope for us all. If we can separate the rotten apples from the barrel, that is.”
With that, she pulled off the coat and draped it over her arm.
“What’re you doing?” he asked.
“Preparing. I’d hate to get Were blood on the fur.”
He laughed, and with that she walked back outside, lodged an ax into a wooden post, and hung her coat on it. Next she sat down cross-legged in the main street and waited for the Weres. She needed to replenish her energy a bit after that display she had put on, so she closed her eyes and waited.
A cool breeze tossed her hair and she felt the sun break through the clouds, if only for a moment.
She focused her breathing, clearing her mind of all negativity. Too much killing. Too many dickheads in this world.
But she had hope. She had faith.
And she had her badass sword to help change it all.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Meldal
It came as no surprise that the Weres didn’t arrive until well into the night. As far as Valerie knew, they had never dealt with vampires and didn’t know that many preferred the night. They probably also knew that she had attacked during the day, which by most definitions would mean that she couldn’t be a vampire.
Day-walking vampires were rare in every corner of the world.
Either way, they were ill-prepared.
She hadn’t moved from her spot in the center of town, so when they strolled in wearing their trench coats and fur caps, acting every bit the gods they thought they were, that was where they found her.
It was hard not to laugh at the one who approached her first, with his long gold necklaces and bracelets, leather coat, and thick eyebrows. He must’ve thought himself some sort of gangster before they had decided he was a god and adorned him with so much jewelry. Now he looked every bit the part of a straight-up douchebag.
Valerie held back her laugh and calmly stood instead, waiting for him to speak.
To his credit, he didn’t bother. He simply swung a knife at her.
She preferred directness.
Instead of having to beat him with words, she maneuvered out of the way, grabbed his wrist, and bent it back far enough to make him roll with it. When he was on his back, she stepped forward and snapped the wrist.
He let out a long howl of pain and the others moved forward, brandishing knives.
“Please, join your friend here,” she invited them. “I would love nothing more.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?” the Were on the ground growled.
“I’m the one who’s going to prove to everyone watching that you’re no god, simply a man who bleeds and dies like the rest of us. But first I’d like to give you a chance to live. Bring me to your den, introduce me to the head Were, and I’ll decide your fate then, along with that of the rest of the Weres here.”
“I have a counterproposal,” he spat. “I take a chunk out of that pretty face of yours and maybe you die, or maybe I keep you around for breakfast tomorrow.”
He twisted and transformed to a wolf, for which she was glad. For some reason it was much easier on her to kill when her opponent looked less human.
Before he had a chance to attack she was on him, one hand on his upper jaw and one on the lower.
“Weres aren’t invincible,” she informed the crowd watching from their windows and doorways, cautious about getting too close yet wanting to see her fight. “Observe.”
She pulled the jaws apart and they snapped, then flesh tore and blood flew as the Were fell,
dead. She had ripped his head in two.
A Were cursed in Norwegian and ran forward, and two more joined the charge. More behind them took the drug, then they ran forward too. The approaching Weres tore off their coats and other garments and transformed halfway to her.
The first to reach her got a nice surprise as she took a defensive stance with her claws out, teeth bared, and eyes glowing fiercely. Pushing fear, she hissed and moved in for the attack.
The poor Were whimpered like a pup, and by the time she had drawn her sword and cleaved his head in two, the others were reacting as well.
Those in wolf form arranged themselves in a semicircle around her, pausing in their assault while the ones in the back ran for cover. Others still in human form pulled out rifles and pistols, along with one crossbow.
Shots rang out, but Valerie was too fast to be hit—she used the noise as a distraction to dart to her right and flank the first shooter. Her sword sank into his shoulder and she caught the gun as he dropped it.
With a backward thrust to finish him, she lifted the pistol and put two bullets into the head of the next one, then shot a third that was leaping for her. She amped into vampire speed again, cutting down two more and shooting another three before emptying the first gun.
There were two more guns at her feet, but she really preferred her sword.
A werewolf was at her side, about to leap, when she lifted the sword and brought it straight down into his head, pinning it to the ground.
She pulled the sword out as one of them shouted, “Retreat!”
Another argued, but she cut him through and the rest fled.
“I don’t think so,” Valerie hissed, and then ran down the closest one, grabbing him by the tail and unexpectedly pulling it right off with her strength. She finished him off when he spun on her, but it was more of a mercy kill at that point.
“What the fuck is she?” one of them shouted to the apparent leader, but she didn’t give him time to answer.
She was at the leader’s side in a split-second, smiling to show her teeth, and replied for him. “Vampire, Justice Enforcer, and all around nice gal.” She sliced into the leader, cutting him in half before tearing off his head. “I like long walks by the water and nice strolls with my victims before I sink my blade into their faces. What are you?”