Death Banishes (Mortis Vampire Series Book Six)

by J. C. Diem

  “As you can see,” Gregor said into the silence, “Natalie has the ability to break herself down into pieces so tiny they can infiltrate any area.”

  One of the octosquids moved closer to examine me. Geordie blanched and shuddered when the appendages carrying the creature brushed past him. Tiny holes on its tentacles opened and closed like mouths that were perpetually seeking for food. Examining me without discernible eyes, the alien still wasn’t convinced of my danger. “This is an astonishing feat yet I am not sure how this could be used as a weapon against the Viltarans.”

  “This is just an example of how different Natalie is to the rest of her kin,” Gregor explained. “She is a highly skilled warrior and has strength and speed that is unparalleled. Her most useful talent is that she cannot die.”

  “That is not possible,” one of the octosquids said flatly. “All creatures die. Even we do not live forever.”

  Moving back to my tattered clothing, I made my form substantial enough to tug the rags on before reforming. I wondered just how long they were able to live but it seemed rude to ask. Geordie apparently didn’t think so. “How long does your kind live for?”

  The robot translated for my friends. “Several hundred thousand or more of your Earth years.”

  “That is a very long time,” Ishida said slowly. “I am not sure that I would want to exist for that long.” Realizing it was very likely that I would still be around when the universe finally imploded, he cut a glance at me. Luc’s hand tightened on my waist in silent support.

  “Believe it,” I told our tentative new allies almost curtly. “Every possible way to kill a vampire has been tried on me, including being zapped by a robot’s death ray. I just regenerate every time.”

  Apparently deciding to trust us, the octosquid holding Robert’s arm stretched its tentacle out and handed the arm back to me. I took it, being careful not to touch its black flesh. I wasn’t sure I would be able to contain my abhorrence if one of the tiny mouths brushed against me. “Do you have a plan on how you are going to infiltrate the Viltaran strongholds?” it asked.

  Thankfully, Gregor was ten steps ahead of me as always. “We will not need to. If we are clever enough, they will come to us.”

  .~.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “You mean to set a trap,” the Kveet elder speculated.

  “That is my intention,” Gregor confirmed. “Before we discuss the details, can you assure me that the droid will not be able to warn the Viltarans?” He nodded towards the crippled robot as it translated his words.

  Waving his hand, M’narl dismissed the dapper one’s fears. “We have disabled the return uplink between the droid and its former masters. It can still receive information but it is unable to convey any. It has been reprogrammed to obey our commands.”

  “You must be quite technologically advanced,” Ishida said with some surprise.

  His observation caused the Kveet some amusement. “We may be small in stature but we are fortunately well endowed with intelligence.”

  Geordie sniggered at the alien’s choice of words then cringed away from his mentor. Igor merely frowned at his protégé and turned his attention back to our allies. “Why did you remove his arms and legs?” Igor asked.

  “The droid is far easier for us to transport without the extra weight.”

  “Are you natives of this planet?” I asked M’narl.

  Instantly, their mood turned sombre again. “No. We were also snatched from our home world and brought to Viltar to be slaves and food for their clone armies.”

  “You have formed a resistance,” Aventius said. He’d been so quiet lately that it was almost a surprise to hear him speak. “Some of us saw you laying a trap for one of the robots.”

  “We do what we can to thin their numbers but they simply produce more in their factory.”

  Gregor thought for a few moments then altered his plan. “Destroying this factory should be our first task before we confront the Viltarans.” Even with my lack of strategic skills, I realized shutting down their ability to make more enemies for us to battle was an excellent idea.

  Most of the Kveet goggled at him. Presumably, the octosquids did as well. “That would require entering their most strongly guarded fortress,” M’narl spluttered. His voice went up several more octaves and Geordie bit his lip to stifle a smile.

  “Do you know where this factory is?” Luc asked.

  “It is several days travel away, deep within the blasted zone. Even we are unable to survive in the toxic atmosphere in that region.”

  “I guess it’s lucky for us that we don’t need to breathe,” one of Ishida’s warriors said.

  “Then only the droids are guarding the factory?” Igor queried.

  “Yes but there are many sentinels on patrol,” M’narl warned.

  Gregor’s fist came up to rest beneath his chin as he put some thought into his new plan. Even the Kveet remained silent to allow him to think. “Is there any way we could see the blueprints of the factory?” he asked at last.

  “What are blueprints?” the Kveet elder repeated in confusion.

  “Gregor is talking about a detailed map of the building,” Luc explained.

  Brightening, M’narl nodded. He’d only known us for a short time and he was already beginning to take on human mannerisms. “The droid will be able to assist us with this information.” He turned and headed towards a wider tunnel and his kin and allies followed. Several of the larger Kveet dragged the crippled droid by a rope that had been tied around his neck. They left deep drag marks in the soil.

  Expecting more primitive tunnels, I was astonished when we entered what appeared to be a workshop. Industrious Kveet stood beside metal benches that were at roughly my shin height. Some were tinkering with explosives, several were making clothing and the rest were busy with tasks I couldn’t even begin to grasp. All lifted their heads to stare at us mistrustfully. Sprinkled through their numbers were a number of females. They were smaller and more delicately built but not much different from their menfolk. Both males and females were hairless.

  Next, we passed through their sleeping quarters. Metal barriers had been erected that were high by Kveet standards but that I could easily glance over. They had created tiny homes for their families that looked like oversized doll houses to me.

  A dank, low tunnel led us to an underground lake. The water smelled almost stagnant to me. Weird insects about the size of my hand with gigantic eyes and short, stubby wings, crouched on the surface of the water. Iridescent fungus grew on the walls, bathing the cavern with greenish light. “This is our food source,” M’narl said and indicated the fungus. He and his kin had worn a path around the edge of the lake. An island sat in the centre of the lake and glowed softly under a covering of more fungus.

  “Yummy,” Geordie said then shared a giggle with Ishida.

  At a barely perceptible splashing sound, I turned just in time to see the last of the octosquids slipping into the water. They disappeared beneath the surface with only a tiny ripple to mark their entry.

  At the end of the next tunnel, we entered their command centre. Flat, thin monitors, presumably stolen from the Viltarans, hung in mid-air over to one side. Some featured the ruined cities. Others showed flat, lifeless ground. A couple even showed the petrified forest. I had a feeling the monitors had been set up at strategic points where the Viltarans sent their robots out to hunt for Kveet to feed to their clone armies. They’d be able to set up ambushes where they would be the most effective.

  Another pool of water, only twenty feet or so wide, sat off to one side. Tentacles suddenly appeared and the ocotsquids heaved themselves silently onto dry land. I figured the pool connected to the lake through a sub-tunnel.

  Being dragged towards the monitors by several of the Kveet, the droid was unceremoniously dumped on his side again. A Kveet that was far less grizzled than M’narl, came forward with another, smaller screen. He spent a few moments tinkering on it then several of the larger monito
rs joined together. They went blank for a few seconds before coming to life again. When they did, they showed a confusing three dimensional map of what had to be the robot factory. It seemed to be gigantic with multiple levels both above and below ground. I despaired that we would actually be able to shut something that large down.

  “What is the most effective way to obliterate the factory?” M’narl asked the droid.

  “Simultaneously destroying these three areas with explosives will result in the factory being damaged severely enough that repairing it could prove to be impossible,” the Robert clone replied. Three red dots appeared on the screen, supposedly zapped there by an uplink from the droid. All were on different levels but that was about all I could tell from the diagram.

  Ishida stepped forward to examine the map. His eyes flicked from one red dot to the next, possibly assessing their location. “If I could take one of these monitors with me, I believe I could navigate my way to these areas.”

  Sharing a whispered conversation that they had no idea I could both hear and understand, M’narl discussed the pros and cons of allowing us to use one of the monitors with the other elders.

  “What harm could it do?” one asked.

  “They are so primitive they would have little chance of figuring out how to use the device effectively,” another argued.

  “I can program it to display the quickest route to the factory and the ‘blueprints’ they require,” the Kveet controlling the robot arm told the elders. He was much younger than they were but they listened to his council anyway.

  “Agreed,” M’narl said finally.

  They re-joined us and the younger Kveet reached up and grabbed another monitor. It shrank down to a size he could hold easily and he rapidly moved his fingers over the bottom section of the screen. Ishida watched him keenly without being too obvious about it.

  When he was finished, the young Kveet made the monitor larger by grasping the edges and stretching until it was about twelve inches wide and six inches high. “I have programmed the monitor to lead you to the factory,” he said. “Once you reach your destination, the blueprint will automatically be displayed.”

  He handed the screen to Ishida and the teen gingerly reached out and grasped it by the edges. It settled into his hands and the screen went blank. The Kveet might be willing to help us battle the Viltarans and their droid army but they clearly didn’t trust us and I couldn’t really blame them. Once they saw we only meant to rid this world of the Viltarans rather than taking over from them, they would hopefully realize we weren’t a threat.

  “You will be able to make most of the journey beneath the surface,” M’narl told us. “When their air became unbreathable, the Viltarans forced their slaves to create a vast network of intersecting underground dwellings.” I could just picture tens of thousands of enslaved Kveet digging out miles of passageways and building the belowground dwellings. “When they turned against each other and began to decimate their own people, many of their residences were abandoned. There is no telling what you might find within the underground facilities during your travels.”

  Gregor nodded at the warning. “We should head towards the factory and strike before the Viltarans become aware of our intention.”

  A female Kveet entered, carefully carrying a bowl that was large for her but cup sized to us. It was full of a familiar thick liquid that made my stomach try to cramp in anticipation even if it was the wrong colour. “I’d better try their blood first,” I said to my friends and allies. Everyone stared at the bowl longingly. Kneeling, I took the bowl and took a careful sip. Dark brown, the liquid was rapidly cooling but it tasted a lot like human blood, if sweeter than usual. I drank half of the cup and waited for something horrible to happen.

  Luc hunkered down beside me to study my face. “How do you feel?”

  “I feel fine. It might be a strange colour but it’s pretty tasty.” Relief swept through the group as I downed the rest of the contents without suffering from any obvious ill effects.

  .~.

  Chapter Sixteen

  It took time to feed twenty-nine vampires and dawn arrived before the last of Ishida’s warriors drained his bowl. Blinking owlishly, Geordie was weaving on his feet. I hadn’t slept properly since I’d woken up as a vampsicle on the ship and we had a lot of work ahead of us. Rest would be a good idea. “Do you have somewhere where we can sleep for the day?” I asked our tiny hosts.

  Clearly uncomfortable at the thought of welcoming us into their homes, the Kveet exchanged hasty words. “If it would not offend you too greatly,” M’narl said when their discussion wound down, “the quickest access back to the surface is in the cavern where we imprisoned you. This would be the most suitable area for you to rest.”

  Gregor had bypassed the cells entirely so had no input to offer. Igor, Luc and Aventius nodded to indicate they were ok with the idea so I accepted the offer. “That will be fine, thank you.”

  M’narl himself guided us back through the maze of tunnels. Several of the younger Kveet trailed along behind us, dragging the droid so he could continue to act as a translator. All were armed with their explosive devices and watched us closely. “Some of your bombs would come in handy when we try to blow up the factory,” I said to M’narl when we reached the mouth of the tunnel that led to the cells.

  “A supply will be left on the surface for you,” he said. “I wish you every success in destroying the factory.” With that short speech, he and his entourage left.

  Waiting until the small group had disappeared from sight, Geordie made an observation that I agreed with wholeheartedly. “I am very glad to be away from the jellyfish creatures.” He shuddered and I put my arm around his narrow shoulders. His instincts were finely tuned for someone who could be so childish at times. “The Kveet seem to be trustworthy but I am not so sure about their allies. I do not like them very much.”

  “Then we should make sure we do not give them any reason to turn on us,” Igor said and led the way through the tunnel to the cavern with the cells.

  Instead of rows of cells, the cavern was empty. Only the squares of metal flooring indicated the cells had ever existed. The Kveet had full control of their lair and seemed to be able to manipulate it at will. There was no sign of transportation that would carry us to the surface but I didn’t let that concern me. Right now I just wanted to lie down and try to get some sleep.

  Choosing an area of soft soil to lie on, I curled on my side and Luc lay down behind me. His chest covered my bare back, not that he had any warmth to offer me. His arm went around me and I snuggled against him. All around us, our kin either settled down to sleep or stood watching guard. Closing my eyes, I succumbed to weariness.

  Walking through grass that was long enough to brush against my knees, I wrinkled my nose at the smell of sulphur that hung in the air. I was in a large field that had been left to run wild. The grass was dead and dry, just like the trees that were dotted here and there. Dark clouds roiled overhead and the sky was a sickly, familiar yellow colour.

  Reaching the edge of the field, I found a path and followed it. The trail wound through lifeless trees that were tiny compared to the ones in the petrified forest. Leaving the path, I picked my way through the grass to a small copse. A long strip of bark came off when I tugged at it, revealing the sickened flesh of the tree beneath. Wherever I was, it had been bombed far more recently than the planet of Viltar.

  I wandered back to the path and it led me to the edge of a road. Skyscrapers that had once reached for the stars lay in ruins. Glass, metal and other debris were strewn across the road. Cars, most of them yellow, lay crushed beneath the rubble. I realized I was dreaming about Earth when I saw the bodies. Humans lay dead on the streets and sidewalks everywhere.

  I was pretty sure I’d never been to this city before but it was somehow familiar anyway. One of the yellow cars was only partially crushed. The driver hung limply through the window, as if he had been trying to crawl free. On the door beneath the dangling hand
s were the words; NYC Taxi.

  “NYC?” I puzzled out loud. New York City, my inner voice said when it became obvious I wasn’t going to figure it out on my own in a hurry.

  Sitting up with a start, I found most of my kin were already awake. This was far from normal since the sun was still burning away in the sky far above us. Geordie was still out of it but he was frowning, which also wasn’t normal. I put my hand on his arm and his frown smoothed out as he sensed my presence.

  Luc, Gregor, Igor and Aventius huddled together and were talking quietly. Ishida lay beside Kokoro but his eyes flickered open when I crept past him. It shouldn’t have been necessary to creep at all but it appeared the vampires weren’t subsiding into a deathlike state when they lay down for the day.

  Taking the hand Luc held out to me, I was in time to overhear Gregor offering a theory to the small group. “It appears that the Viltaran blood has altered all of us. Those I have spoken to agree their rest felt more like true sleep than the usual blank states we are reduced to upon daylight.”

  “Did any of you dream?” I asked them as casually as possible.

  Luc shook his head. “My slumber was deep and dreamless yet I woke when I detected movement nearby.”

  “That has to be a good thing, right?” I directed my question at all of them.

  Igor was the only one brave enough to answer me. “Being able to awaken at will can only be to our benefit. Yet we cannot help but wonder what other changes might occur due to ingesting the blood of our ancestors.”

  The thought of being related to the Viltarans in any way was repugnant yet undeniable. We shared their DNA and drinking even a small amount of their blood had initiated changes within our makeup. I mentally crossed my fingers that nothing horrible would happen to my friends due to this.