Toska

by A. R. Kingston

  “I’m sorry, what exactly are you trying to tell me. Aren’t all vampires the same?”

  “No, not at all. Just like all spirits are not the same. All supernatural creatures, including vampires, are very different. You see…” he leans back against the wall “…for the most part almost all vampires can be placed in one of the five clans.”

  “Clans?”

  “Yes, Katya. I see that spirits are not familiar with the history of supernatural beings here on earth. Can’t say I blame you, you spend most of your mortal life as average humans, blissfully unaware of the world that is kept hidden from you. But do not fret my young friend, I will briefly relate it to you so that you can follow along with what I need to tell you next. Now sit back and listen close, this is very important. All this can be traced back to the first ancient civilizations when this all began.

  “At some point in time, beings from other parts of our galaxy came and settled on earth, interbreeding with the original inhabitants of the planet. In rare cases, the genes of the so-called Gods had an unexpected reaction with the locals, creating races of supernatural creatures in the process. Vampires were amongst the rarest and the most dangerous. At first, there were only five of them in existence, that is until they figured out how to turn ordinary people into creatures like themselves. They set off to create a race of vampires who could eventually take over the planet, each new vampire capable of siring countless others.

  “These vampires formed clans, based on the original king or queen who created their race; it is this original sire that we must look at when judging a vampire. Each clan is governed by a different set of principles, and each possesses a unique set of abilities. A few of the clans eventually broke away from wanting to dominate the world; these live peacefully amongst the living. That’s why when we first met I told you it could be easy to break Victor free, depending on who his grand sire was.”

  “But you just said that he is not a typical vampire, so, does this mean that he is not part of one of the five clans.”

  “You catch on quick Yekaterina. To answer your question, no, I’m afraid not. You see, the mark on Victor’s chest signifies that he is the property of a Vourdalak.”

  “I’m sorry.” I rubbed the temples of my aching head. All of this was way too much to process. Vourdalaks, clans, my Victor being someone’s property, it was just a jargon of words that were tumbling in my skull like clothing in one of the washing machine things. “I’m trying to understand here, I really am.”

  “I know Katya. I realize this is a lot of information all at once, but you must hear me out. Tell me when you are ready for me to continue.”

  I nod my head, I was still not sure I wanted to hear it, but I pushed myself to let him continue. Whatever he needs to tell me is important in helping Victor lead a normal life, so I must try to make heads or tails of all this somehow. The time for being weak ended at my death; I needed to learn how to be strong for once. No matter how bad this news was, I needed to take it with a grain of salt so my Victor could go back to having a normal life.

  “Alright, I’m ready.”

  “The Vourdalak is a vampire who has become one from unconventional means, for very evil and selfish reasons. This makes them especially corrupt, even for the conventional blood sucker. Normally, Vourdalaks are women, though there have been cases of a few men as well, but their story is always the same. These people were scorned by someone they loved and sold their soul in order to gain the power to control the people who they desired to possess.”

  “Sold their soul? Who on earth would they sell their soul to?”

  Shawn moved his glasses down on his face and peered at me with his caramel eyes as if I had just asked the dumbest question he had ever heard.

  “Well, I suppose that depends on who you ask. This is a creature who goes by many names. To the vampires, this creature is their God, their creator. The legends told amongst my kind simply refer to it as the worm, the bringer of the apocalypse; it is a monster we live to fight. One of the tribes of ancient settler wrote about this being too; they knew little of it back then, so they just called it the dark force or the darkness. But, I think the term that you might be more familiar with is, the devil.”

  “Really Father McAllister…” I scoffed at him not willing to believe the fairy tale he was trying to sell me “…are you seriously trying to tell me that Nadia sold her soul to the devil so she could gain control over Victor?”

  “I did not say it was the devil. I just figured that with your religious background…” he pointed to the gold crucifix around my neck “…you would be more familiar with that term over any other.”

  “Alright, say I believe you. How exactly does one even go about selling one’s soul to the devil? It’s not like the Bible provides us with any instructions on how to contact the dark prince, and Nadia was not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed if you catch my drift. The chances of her figuring out how to do this on her own are slim to none.”

  “Now that my dear friend is a good question.” Shawn waves his finger in the air. “Tell me, when this Nadia girl vanished from your village, were there gypsies around?”

  I had to think hard about this one for a while, some of my memories were still a bit fuzzy, and I did not exactly concern myself with the village bully going missing. However, if I recall correctly, there was a caravan of them passing through the night she vanished. I pick my brain harder and remember papa saying something about there being speculation that either they took her or she left willingly with them. The people of Dedinovo were always apprehensive around gypsies; there were superstitions about them being involved in the dark arts, now I find out that they were not as unfounded as I had thought.

  “I think so.”

  “Just as I expected.” Shawn shook his head with disappointment “You see, not all gypsies are bad, for the most part, they are harmless. Nevertheless, all gypsies are witches; if you wish to get technical, they are a sect of mages who chose to not confine themselves to cities. This also means that gypsies are not bound by the laws of their kind, so they can perform dark magic if they choose. And for a small price, they will even teach mortals how to perform particular spells.”

  “Like selling one’s soul to the devil?” I mused “You give Nadia too much credit, I don’t think she ever had it in her to sell her soul.”

  “Perhaps not, but I doubt she went to a gypsy to get a dark spell. I’m willing to bet Nadia went to see them for a love spell, except love spells don’t exist, you can’t manipulate something that isn’t there. Not willing to lose out on gold, the gypsy probably ended up selling her a spell to make a deal with the devil. Once the worm had her in his clutches, it would be easy for him to convince her to pledge allegiance to him. After all, who would not desire the powers that it offers. Now, thanks to her selfish desires the fate of the world hangs in the balance.”

  “You lost me again Father. What does Nadia, and this worm have to do with the fate of the world? And what does any of this have to do with my Victor?”

  “I guess it’s time for another long story,” he takes hold of my hands clasping them tightly in his. “I’m afraid Victor’s life is in peril, along with the soul of every person in Moscow. And if the worm can consume every soul in this city, then nothing will stop the apocalypse from descending upon us. You see, the worm infects us all, it hunts for its victims while they are still in the veil, marking them so it can corrupt them in this life. Once a soul has become so polluted that it is no longer welcome in the veil, the worm devours them, drawing off their energy and becoming more powerful.

  “He needs this energy if he is to cross over into the physical plane of existence, he almost managed once, but a mage corrupted his plans and sealed him in the void between the veil and your world. So, for years he has gone around the universe, devouring misguided souls. Unfortunately, supernatural being are a lot more susceptible to his mark than most, as our energy is far more potent, the more of us he can devour the faster he can materia
lize in our world. I know you see him here now, and I know you can feel him deep inside your core. If you have ever wondered about those inner demons you have that whisper evil thoughts into your ear, you know what they are now, that’s the worm trying to spoil your spirit.

  “Right now, Victor is especially vulnerable to his corruption as he is directly linked to the worm’s servant. This is why he has been sick. Nadia has been manipulating him by harnessing the power the worm provides her; she is luring him back to her. I’m also willing to bet that you have seen Victor lose control on more than one occasion, giving in to his hunger and becoming something he’s not. There is a clan amongst my spices which suffers the same effect. As they are linked directly to the veil, they are easily corrupted by the worm’s power. It’s become such a problem, that now there is only a handful of them left. For once you fall to the corruption of the worm, there is no coming back.”

  “So, the growing darkness, the hellhounds, and now the hooded figures with glowing eyes; they are all linked to the worm?”

  “Yes, those things you describe are ghouls, they feast on doomed human souls, feeding their energy directly to the worm. The walls are breaking down between the two worlds; evil has found a way in. And if the worm has his way, by the start of the new year all souls in the city will be consumed, and he can make his way into the world to reign supreme.”

  “And what shall become of Victor?”

  “I am afraid that if the worm has his way, Victor will be sacrificed for the darkness to have a vessel which it can use in the physical realm. If that happens, the apocalypse can’t be stopped, not even by me.”

  My head is aching again and I have the most unpleasant feeling in the pit of my stomach, almost like someone is tossing boulders around in there. Victor is a sacrifice; the city is doomed, the start of the apocalypse, this is all insane. The safety net of my little world had been yanked out from under me. I feel like I stepped off the edge of the precipice and am falling through space and time, into some endless pit of despair. It would appear that all is lost when I remembered the nice orderly at the clinic.

  “There is a man, Vasily; he belongs to some organization, perhaps they can help.”

  “I am well aware of The Order of the Shadows, Katya, just as they are well aware of me. But, I am afraid they have no way of handling this situation either, the darkness holds powers way beyond anything that they can handle.”

  “So now what?” My shoulders drop, I feel deflated, like the last ounce of hope has been sucked out of me. “Am I just supposed to sit idly by and lose Victor all over again?”

  “No, that’s why it was imperative that I spoke to you before night fell. I have been scouring Benedict’s journal for a week now. It has been most informative, and I think I found a solution, one which will free Victor and save the city.”

  “Tell me how. I’ll do anything,” I said rising to my feet.

  “I did not know this at first, but Benedict defeated the worm once, at the cost of his own life. That is why the church chose to keep this hidden. Can you imagine what would happen if the God-fearing citizens of the time were to find out how close they were to the end of days? But you my dear, you hold the power to stop it.”

  “What power? I didn’t even know how to cross into the physical plane until you showed me. What can I possibly have to defeat a being that even The Order of the Shadows can’t handle?”

  “It’s very simple, the same thing the worm uses to corrupt us can also become the greatest weapon we have against him. This is something my people have figured out a while ago, that’s why they put the clues in your religious text. You and Victor are the key to breaking his hold on the city; I think that’s why he has been so interested in you. When the time comes, you will know exactly how to conquer the worm, but first, you must sever the bond Nadia has with Victor.”

  “How do I do that?”

  Shawn gets up from his chair; he does not go far, the bed is within arm’s reach. Sitting next to me he reaches under the bed by my feet, yanking out a worn, brown leather duffle bag, and rummages around inside. With a mischievous grin, Father McAllister pulls out a sharp, pointed stick that he placed it directly into my hands.

  “With this.”

  “Is…is this a stake?”

  “An ash stake to be precise.” He pushed the glasses back up on his curved nose and gave me a sincere look “The only way you are going to sever the connection is to kill her, and the only way to kill a Vourdalak is with a stake of ash, right through the heart. Once the connection is severed Victor will become a rogue vampire, the worm will no longer have its grasp on him, and then you can send the beast back where it came from.”

  I nodded my head while grasping tightly onto the wooden spike with its bark still on it. Reaching behind my back I slip it into the sash of my dress, concealing it from view. I will have to maintain physical form to get it out of here, and there is no need to attract more attention to myself than need be.

  “You have to promise me that you will be careful. Vourdalaks are powerful beings, capable of dark magic that would put most mages to shame, and Nadia has the backing of the worm on her side tonight.”

  “I don’t care what she has. She can have God on her side for all I care; I will not let her get away with what she did to us.”

  “Right, then.” Shawn reaches in his bag again and pulls out a tan trench coat, draping it over me. “This will help you blend in a bit better on the outside. I will go speak with The Order of the Shadows and see if they will lend us a hand.” He gives me a pen and a piece of paper, “Write down the address of where Nadia is, and I will meet you there.”

  “But, I don’t know the address.”

  “Do you know how to get there from here.”

  “Yes.”

  “Then write down the directions and the description of the house. I will meet you there as soon as I can.”

  I nod and take the notepad and pen from him. I scribble down a makeshift map of how to get to the house and put in a detailed description on the side. Handing the pad back over to Father McAllister I steal a look at the window. I can’t tell for sure, but I think that the sun has set, it seems like the shadows gained another dimension of darkness to them. Along the side of the building, more black tentacles seem to be stretching their way to the sky.

  “Blin.” I know exactly what this means, Victor is at his most vulnerable now, I can’t stay here much longer. “I have to go, I shall see you in a bit.”

  I turn and run out the door, bounding my way down the hallway. This cursed dress is extremely difficult to run in. If I was a spirit, I could just float off the floor, but I need a physical form to get the stake over to the house and kill Nadia. In my rush to get down the stairs my foot catches on the hem of the skirt, and I tumble forward, rolling down to the first floor. The woman at the desk looks up at me with her blank stare; she doesn’t say anything, I doubt she can. Sitting myself half way up I glance at the door, paying no attention to her.

  Shoving myself back up on to my feet I bolt out the front door without stopping to look back to see if the woman was following me. I sprint down the narrow street headed for the apartment; an uneasy feeling creeps over me knowing that I left Victor alone in the empty building, defenseless. After the fall I am severely sore, my knees wobble in misery with my every step, for some reason I am not able to heal at all. Even the gashes on my hands have not gone away; they continue to tingle as if they were still fresh.

  The pain is intense, but I refuse to stop, I have to get back to Victor, so I continue to push myself. I no longer see the ghouls, but I certainly feel them, and now I can hear them in this plane of existence too. They are growing stronger, the veil that separates our worlds is breaking down, releasing its prisoners on the unsuspecting city. The worm’s power has increased as well; I feel the slimy tentacles grasping at my ankles, wrapping themselves snugly around me, trying to trip me up. Without stopping I shake my legs to get them off and continue to push forward.


  The streets have become empty now, there are a few people here and there, but most of them are out to celebrate the upcoming year. Any other time and I’d go watch the fireworks from the bridge; I love the way the Kremlin lights up on New Year’s Eve, as the colorful flowers bloom over the Moskva River. I only wish I could indulge in such frivolous pursuits, but unless I stop this thing, this will be the last celebration the city will ever have. Worst yet, Victor would become the vessel for this so-called devil.

  Sprinting through the alleyways to reach the apartment building faster, I pass by a small group of people gathered for a drink. Most of the people I pass ignore me, too preoccupied with getting drunk and having a good time. The ones that do pay attention to me just give me a vacant stare, their eyes are blank, completely devoid of their soul. These are the people who smell of death the worst, even if I do manage to send the worm back where it came from, these people will perish by the end of the night.

  Ten minutes in human form go by a lot slower than they do in spirit form, not sure if that’s because our time flows differently, or because running in heels is just a genuine pain in the butt. Much to my relief, I see the old apartment complex peeking through the narrow alleyway. Pushing myself harder I dash through the slim opening and out into the street without looking, nearly getting hit by a car traveling towards the Kremlin. The man in the car leans on the horn, gesturing angrily at me. Apologizing, I stumble back onto the sidewalk by the building as he drives hastily away.

  I rush for the small entry door, flinging it open violently against the wall and scaling the stairs heading for the apartment. Skidding to a stop at the top landing I look on ahead of me, fixed in place I feel the color drain out from my face at what I see. The door leading into Victor’s apartment sits open, I can see all the way in, to the bare mattress on the floor in front of me. My jaw drops down; the door doesn’t look like it has been forced open, I am too late. I know what I am going to find, I know the apartment is empty, but despite all that I run in, hoping for once I am wrong.