by Debra Dunbar
Dario considered it for a moment. “She’s across town and this doctor will be here in less than ten minutes. Let’s choose someone from downstairs, maybe two or three, then we can take him through the tunnels to Leonora’s.”
I got the impression that Wolfram’s idea of not staying long and Dario’s were going to be at odds, but that was for them to work out.
“Who, then? Who should we bring up from the basement to go first?” Madeline asked.
“Justina,” Balen volunteered, his voice husky. “She’s one of our best fighters. I’ve known her since she was turned and it’s killing me to see her like this. Plus, I know she’d volunteer in spite of the risks. It’s right for her to go first and make sure this works and is safe.”
The others nodded in agreement. “Justina it is.” Dario moved toward the stairs. “I’ll need someone to help me—someone who won’t mind causing her the kind of damage necessary to make her safe for the doctor to heal.”
Balen had stepped forward only to halt at the last words.
“I’ll go,” Madeline announced. In spite of our rocky start, she was quickly becoming a favorite of mine—strong, capable, and ready to jump in without hesitation no matter how unpleasant the task. They headed downstairs and I felt Opal’s hand on my arm.
“Do you really think he can do it? Can he heal our brothers and sisters?”
I had to be honest. “I don’t know. Vampires don’t get sick so I doubt any of the conventional human treatments would work. He’s a Hospitaller, so he has God-given healing abilities, but neither of us are sure they’ll work on vampires. He might do more harm than good—that’s the risk.”
“They’re dead if he can’t,” Balen said woodenly. “Dario has been keeping them alive with the hope that this will work, but if it doesn’t we’ll have no choice but to put them down. Our family, our own brothers and sisters. Even if Simon doesn’t take us down, I’m not sure we’ll survive this.”
“You think the healing won’t work because we’re damned,” Opal said. “We’ve sold our souls for immortality and are no longer God’s creatures. Your Hospitaller won’t be able to help us. Anything he does will probably kill us.”
I couldn’t contradict her. In the Templar blessings I’d used to date, the vampires had been lumped in with evil in the range of effect, but I felt like I had to give the girl some hope. “The damned can be saved. Anyone can be saved. This doctor may not be able to help cure your infected, but either way I won’t abandon you.”
I’d meant to add that God wouldn’t abandon them either, but I couldn’t say that with any certainty. Maybe I was just an idealistic fool tilting at windmills, seeing grace where there was none. Maybe Wolfram was right and I was wasting my time. But no matter what they thought of me—just a human with a sword and some magical ability—they were still my pilgrims. And I was determined to lead them into the Holy Land.
The basement door banged open and Madeline appeared dragging the infected vampire by the shoulders. Justina’s arms hung at awkward positions by her sides, her head lolled at an unnatural angle. Even with the multiple fractures, she thrashed about, snapping teeth as she tried to reach Madeline’s arms. Her eyes were bloodshot and glassy with a yellow tinge to the whites.
Balen made a small noise and turned away while Jasmine and Zoe sprang forward to help. Madeline waved them away, half dropping Justina in the process.
“Stay back. If she bites you, you’ll be infected too.”
That held the pair back. We all watched as Madeline edged out of the basement doorway, Dario following holding Justina tightly by the hips. The vampire’s legs were broken in multiple places as well. They put her on the carpet, still stained with Aaron’s blood, and released her, jumping backward out of reach. Justina twisted and amazingly launched herself forward a few feet to squirm on the ground, still snapping at Madeline.
I couldn’t believe Dario hadn’t put her out of her misery. Glancing over at Balen I saw why. The vampire was so distraught. Clearly he and Justina had a past. Dario had spared her, holding out for a cure. And he’d done it because of Balen’s attachment.
We all waited for Wolfram to arrive, unable to take our eyes from the infected vampire. It was heartbreaking to watch her thrash around, desperate for blood, anything, to appease the hunger that would never be satisfied. I wondered who she’d been before this disease had taken hold of her, what she’d been like. There seemed to be nothing left of whatever humanity vampires retained. It was as if she were another creature, a hungry shark thinking of nothing but reaching the food just out of range.
By the time the knock came on the door Madeline and Dario had stepped in twice to re-break Justina’s legs and arms. Wolfram entered, the stereotypical black bag in his hand.
“That’s the doctor?” Opal eyed him in appreciation.
Yeah, he was hot, but he was also a jerk. And there was one other problem. “He’s a Hospitaller, Opal.”
The girl shrugged. “So? You’re a Templar and you’re banging the boss.”
Great. Did everyone know? Should I take out an ad in the paper just in case?
“Not interested,” Wolfram told her with a cold glance, brushing past the vampire as he entered the room. Opal followed behind him, a look in her eyes that said she was undeterred by the doctor’s rudeness. I thought about warning Wolfram away from dark alleys and empty building lots, but decided not to. It would serve him right to be stalked a bit.
The doctor halted a few feet from Justina, looking down at her in disgust. The vampire’s thrashing increased to a frenzy as she realized a human was right in front of her.
“Who did this? She looks like she was hit by a car that came back to run over her a few more times, just to be sure.”
“We can’t risk her biting anyone, human or vampire, and spreading the infection,” Dario replied smoothly. “The broken bones will heal on their own. I’m hoping you can help with the infection.”
Wolfram set down his bag, muttering under his breath as he pulled out vials and a crucifix.
“Heal her, not kill her,” I reminded him.
“I’m going to try a pharmaceutical remedy before I move on to the more drastic methods.” He attached a needle to one of the vials and tapped it with a finger, squirting a bit from the top.
“Get her hips,” Dario commanded.
Madeline grabbed Justina and held her down while Dario did the same to the vampire’s shoulders. Wolfram moved in to inject the medicine into her arm, then they all sprang back. Justina continued to squirm, baring her fangs at the doctor. I noticed she was starting to move her legs again.
“How long until it takes effect?” I was worried Dario would need to break her legs again, and I’d seen enough of that to last me a lifetime.
“As soon as I injected it.” Wolfram calmly stored the hypodermic in a plastic case marked with a biohazard sign, then picked up the crucifix. “Here goes nothing.”
“Wait.” I put out my hand and turned to Dario. “This might kill her.”
“Unless it works, I’ll need to kill her myself.” He echoed Balen’s statement.
The vampires moved again to hold Justina down and Wolfram knelt before her, lifting the crucifix in the air and placing a hand on her chest.
“Curar corpo e espirito.”
Justina screamed, her eyes bulging. She went rigid under Wolfram’s hand.
“Curar corpo e espirito.”
Black poured from her mouth, trickling in a line from her ear. “Stop. Stop. It’s not working. You’re killing her,” I told him.
“Keep going,” Dario commanded. “This is our last hope. Keep going.”
“Curar corpo e espirito polo noso Salvador, curar corpo e espirito.”
Justina’s eyes filmed over. Her face grew gaunt, her body caving in right in front of my eyes. Wolfram shook his head and got to his feet. “Oh well. Sorry.”
He didn’t sound sorry. I wanted to punch him in the face, but instead hid my balled up fist behind my back. “
Is there anything else you can try? There must be some other blessing, or maybe another injection—”
“No.” He put the crucifix in his bag and shouldered it as he faced me. “I told you this probably wouldn’t work, Aria. I said I’d try, and I did. Now I need to get back to my real patients—the humans.”
I really hated this guy. I longed for my shield to bash him in the face and darken the fading purple under his left eye. Instead I watched him go, then turned to see the other vampires watching me. I’d let them down. I’d given them hope for a cure and there was none. I’d let them down.
“I better get started,” Dario said. “Madeline can you call the other houses and tell them to go ahead and end their infected? Might as well put them out of their misery and eliminate the chance that anyone else will get this disease.”
Madeline went off to a corner, pulling her cell phone from her pocket. I wanted to cry, but now wasn’t the time. What more could I do? I didn’t heal, and I wasn’t sure Dario would want me to help kill his family. That seemed like something that shouldn’t come from the point of a Templar’s sword.
“Balen, I’m sorry.” Dario put his hand on the other vampire’s shoulder. “I had hoped for a cure. I know you were close to Justina.”
Balen nodded mutely, then straightened his shoulders. “Let’s get this done.”
“Boss!” Madeline shouted. “Simon’s attacked and he’s brought hundreds down from Philadelphia. Federico’s and Stuart’s houses have both fallen. They’re dead along with Holly, Anne-Lee, and Theresa. Simon is in Leonora’s house right now and they’ve found the tunnels.”
Dario’s jaw firmed. The tunnels that connected her house with this one. They were coming and we were only five vampires and a Templar. I was suddenly wishing Wolfram hadn’t left. He might be an ass, but he had a good sword arm.
“Who from our Balaj was at Leonora’s?” Dario asked.
“Charlotte is the only one left out of the ten that were there. Once the others fell, she retreated.” Madeline told him.
“I need her to do something. It will probably be a suicide mission. I’m not her Master, so I understand if she’s unwilling.”
Madeline spoke into the phone, then looked up. “If it will help save the Balaj, she says she’ll do it.”
Dario’s face got that hard, unemotional set once again. “I need her to sneak in and release Leonora from her safe spot. She should wait until Simon and his crew are in the tunnels, then lead Leonora to them and urge her to protect her Balaj one last time.”
Madeline hesitated. “You said Leonora is infected?”
He nodded. “Charlotte will have to be careful that the Mistress doesn’t attack her. She’s still rational, but she’s starving and not in control of her hunger.”
“You do know Simon has most likely left one or two behind to guard the tunnel entrance. He wouldn’t want to be attacked from behind in an unfamiliar enclosed space.”
Dario smiled. “He’s about to be, whether he wants it or not. They’ll take their time before coming down the tunnels, just to be safe. Charlotte just needs to time this right. It’s our one chance to knock out Simon and his Balaj once and for all.”
“Sneak in past Simon’s group. Time this perfectly. Release the Mistress and lead her to the tunnels without getting killed. Take out whatever guards, and sic Leonora on the other Balaj.” Madeline arched an eyebrow. “This is Charlotte, Boss. She’s more of a retreat kind of gal. Let me go instead.”
And Charlotte probably heard that. I winced, thinking that Madeline wasn’t the most diplomatic of Dario’s family.
“There’s no time. I need Charlotte. Her whole family needs her.”
Madeline turned to speak into the phone while I was beginning to think Charlotte’s methods had merit. “We can get out,” I told Dario. “Hide out somewhere in the city and regroup for tomorrow night, when there’s more than six of us to fight them.”
Dario shook his head. “No. We finish this now.”
“She’s in,” Madeline said, her eyes wide. “What do we do now, Boss?”
“We prepare and we wait.” Dario turned and headed for the basement stairs.
And we pray, I thought as I followed the vampires.
Chapter 36
I was the last one down the stairs, pulling Trusty from the scabbard on the way. There were three occupied cages—two with infected vampires, and one holding Dylan. Balen picked a huge hunting knife off a table and went over to one of the cages, no doubt ready to put down the vampires inside.
“Hold on that,” Dario told him. “We’re going to open the tunnel entrance and kill every vampire that comes through, but just in case things go wrong, I want you to turn them loose.”
“You can’t do that,” I argued. “What if they get out and start killing humans?”
“They’ll be killed first, but I’m hoping they infect as many of Simon’s crew as they can.” He reached out a hand to touch mine. “You’re our last line of defense before we set the infected free. If this turns bad and we have to do that, I want you to leave.”
“I won’t leave you,” I protested. I still wasn’t happy about turning the infected loose, but I saw his reasoning. I just hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
“You will.” He squeezed my hand. “I’m counting on you to avenge us and make sure Baltimore doesn’t fall to Simon’s Balaj. Don’t die and leave your city vulnerable.”
He was right. Dario waved for silence and opened the door to the tunnels. All the vampires listened, sniffing the air.
“I hear them. Quiet, moving carefully,” Balen mouthed.
Madeline looked down at her phone, then turned the screen toward us.
Mission accomplished. Leonora doesn’t seem interested in going down the tunnel. What should I do?
I realized what Dario was trying to do. Simon’s forces coming through the tunnel in an organized fashion would overwhelm us. Simon’s forces panicked and fleeing an infected vampire on the rampage wouldn’t be so organized.
Dario took the phone, typed something and turned it to us, pointing at Opal. Get Erica. Bring her down here.
She raced up the stairs with a blur of speed. Why did he want Leonora’s partner? I doubted the girl knew how to fight and I was worried we’d have to spare valuable resources in guarding her.
Opal returned, leading a perplexed Erica by the hand. The woman was just as beautiful as she’d been at the party, her petite form overwhelmed by an oversized T-shirt, her blond hair a tangle around her heart-shaped face.
“What’s going on?” she whispered looked nervously at the infected moaning in their cages. I winced, thinking that Simon now knew we were here and ready for him.
“You wanted to see me?” Erica asked. “Is it about Leonora?”
“Yes, it is.” Dario grabbed her arm, and before I could take a breath he’d sliced it open with a box cutter from a nearby shelf.
Erica screamed. The sound echoed in the room and down the tunnel. The infected went wild at the smell of fresh blood.
“What are you doing?” I demanded. Erica struggled to free herself, but Dario held her fast. The girl’s scream had turned to loud cries.
“I’m calling our Mistress in a way that, even in her lost state, she’ll recognize. Her blood-slave is injured, bleeding and afraid. She can’t help but come to her defense.”
He handed Erica off to Opal who tried to soothe the girl. Erica sobbed in a corner as the vampire stroked her head. By this point the infected were snarling and slamming themselves against the cages, stretching arms out toward the human woman. The bars started to bow outward from their onslaught.
There was also a sound that even with the all the noise in the room I heard—a rushing noise. A breeze blew from the tunnel and the vampires all tensed.
They were coming.
The first of Simon’s vampires burst through the tunnel door, barreling full speed into Dario. The rest became a blur and more and more poured through the opening. I swung my sword, tak
ing out any that came my way past Dario’s Balaj. Then another sound came from the tunnel—screaming. The next vampires through the opening weren’t attacking, they were running away, and they were covered with bites and claw marks. Dario and Madeline continued to fight the initial wave, while Jasmine, Balen, and I took on the injured ones, easily killing them.
Was this Leonora’s handiwork? Holy cow, I didn’t want to meet that woman in a dark alley if this was how she fought. Of course she was infected, starving with nothing to lose at this point. Plus she was coming for Erica.
The third wave of vampires staggered through the opening begging for mercy. Dario killed each one and tossed their bodies off to the side. Finally, there was silence once more from the tunnel. I counted headless bodies and piles of ash and came up with twenty-five. The six of us had killed twenty-five vampires.
But where was Simon? Had Leonora caught him in the tunnel? Had he even been in the tunnel?
“I think that’s all, Boss.” Madeline wiped a knife on a nearby rag and looked over to the cages. “Can we? I can’t stand to see Hugo and Federico this way, especially now that there’s no hope for a cure.”
Dario nodded, still at the opening of the tunnel and poised to attack. Madeline and Balen took care of the two infected vampires, leaving Dylan wide-eyed in his cage.
“All done, Boss,” Balen told him, his voice husky with grief.
“No, we’re not all done. We have one more of our family that needs a merciful release,” Dario said softly. “Bring Erica up here.”
Jasmine led the woman, who struggled and pleaded the whole way.
I hated to see her hurt further. “Don’t cut her,” I begged Dario. “Please. She’s done enough.”
“I have no intention of cutting her again.” Dario reached out a hand and smoothed Erica’s hair. “I promised you that we would take care of you, and I meant it, but I need you to help us with one more thing. I need you to call her. Call your Mistress. Let her know that you’re okay, but that you need her.”
Erica shook her head. “Please don’t. She’ll be okay. She’s not infected. Maybe she’ll get better. Just give her some time to get better.”