by Unknown
I got to the doorway of Ops, having been unopposed since those three. There were four people inside, one of whom was giving orders to everyone else. He was obviously Alpha Leader. He would die last.
“Ah, so you’re him,” he said, attempting to sound casual, but I could smell his terror.
“I warned you what would happen,” I snarled, raising a hand to psychically grip the throat of one of his grunts on my left. I closed my hand into a fist, and the man gurgled, blood spilling from his mouth as his neck was crushed.
I dropped him to the floor, unaware of the blood pouring from my nose, my mouth, my eyes.
A pair of shots hit me in the side, and I made a grasping motion with my right hand. The shooter howled as something inside him twisted, and I gripped the air with my other hand and quickly moved both hands away from each other.
The sound of my assailant being ripped in two by psychic force alone was clearly discomforting to ‘Alpha Leader’, who grimaced as the blood of his companion spattered across his face.
Without waiting for another attack, I punched forward with my right hand, slamming the final hunter into the map wall with sufficient force and momentum to crack his skull and shatter his spine, and he slid to the ground lifelessly.
“I guess bribery is out of the question?” the leader said weakly, clearly unaccustomed to being challenged by someone who was actually a threat. He’d probably never faced a true vampire a day in his life.
“I warned you,” I snarled again, in a voice that no longer resembled my own. I walked towards him, pinning him place with my rage and my will, holding him at my mercy.
“You did not kill me when you had the chance, so now...” I held my hand out towards him, palm upwards, and began to close my fingers.
“Now...I feast.”
With a single psychic pull, I ripped ‘Alpha Leader’s heart from his chest, and I made sure I kept my promise to him.
I don’t remember how it tasted, because shortly after that I collapsed, a blissful darkness claiming my mind.
I have no idea how long I was out for, but eventually I woke up, my head pounding hard and my entire body feeling totally drained. Something felt odd at first, until I realised where I was - Corvi’s room, the one I had begun to share during my time at that base. I was in her bed, and my pain-fogged mind couldn’t remember why or how I got there.
A glint of metal beside me caused me to turn - and my heart broke in two as one memory in particular resurfaced.
Beside me, resting on her pillow, was Corvi’s pewter hair clasp, the one shaped like a raven. Dried blood still marked its outstretched wings, and I traced a shaking finger over the lines of the bird’s head, as tenderly as if I was stroking Corvi’s face. The memory of Corvi’s death - at my own hands, no less - played through my mind once again, and I wept uncontrollably as I clutched the small memento to my chest.
I lost track of time again, lost to grief and agony. After a while, a very long while, I crawled from the bed, found some clothes that someone had left for me - most likely Lev - and pulled them on without paying attention to them. With care and reverence, I found the pin that allowed the hair clasp to function as a brooch, and fastened it to the waistband of my jeans. I didn’t bother to clean it off. Not yet. The blood would remain as a testament of my wife’s sacrifice, and a reminder that more death was to come.
I looked at myself in the dresser’s mirror, and instantly wished I hadn’t. I looked like hell - my eyes reddened and sore from grief, and whoever had cleaned me up after my rampage hadn’t managed to clean all the blood from my skin - a small trace of it still stained my face around my eyes, and I yearned for a shower. As I walked toward the door, I spotted something on the chest of drawers - an ice bucket, containing a lot of ice and a blood pack, and a small glass. Someone had left a note on the glass: “Have a drink first. I’ll be in Ops, arguing. L.”
Numbly I obeyed the note, pouring from the blood pack and drinking it down like a shot of tequila. The sweetness suggested it had been a woman who donated it; the memories told me it was my sister, and while the gesture was sweet there were several memories in there I really didn’t want. I had no desire to witness her relationship from her perspective.
Despite that, I had another couple of glasses, mainly to keep myself from passing out. I had a feeling I would need my strength.
After having as much of my sister’s blood - and memories - as I could handle, I left the room and walked wearily to Ops.
The hunters hadn’t bothered with the residential wings of the base, instead focussing on destroying the operational side. I don’t know what they’d been after, but they’d evidently got it by the time we had arrived - Ops was a charred ruin, the computer terminals smashed and sputtering sparks, the lights flickering weakly.
And in the middle of it, five vampires were arguing, just as Lev’s note had said.
A lone Omega company soldier was standing at the doorway, cradling his shotgun. As soon as he saw me, he bowed to me as if he owed me fealty or something, muttering something about his condolences.
I didn’t reply to him, just indicated that he should stand. As he complied, I gently, politely took the shotgun from him, and patted his shoulder in thanks. At that, I went in to see what mess I had to sort out next.
“-then I see no point in continuing this foolish venture!” someone snapped, and I recognised him as Mikhail, the vampire Corvi had spoken to about needing to remove Sharriana. The average-sized, shaven-headed vampire was being backed up by two others I hadn’t met, who were currently echoing his sentiments.
“So you would waste everything that Corvina and everyone else has worked for?!” Kalin shot back, and I briefly wondered how my Vithenai had survived. I then realised I didn’t care, I was just glad that he survived at all.
“With all due respect, Corvina was the one who was holding this insane notion together,” a man I didn’t recognise said with slightly more calm. “She was a true leader, but without her we cannot continue with this plan.”
Lev, looking somewhat more drawn and weary than I had seen her before, opened her mouth to argue back, but I didn’t give her chance.
Taking a leaf out of her book, I fired a shot into the ceiling, instantly halting the argument and causing everyone to look at me.
There was a brief moment of silence, and I worked the action to chamber another round. You could never be too careful.
“So that’s it,” I said sarcastically, walking slowly into the room. “My wife dies, and now the rest of you want to cut and run? I had no idea she dealt with such a bunch of fucking cowards.”
That set them off. The three who weren’t close friends of mine started yelling back at me, and I shouted back twice as hard.
“You are cowards!” I accused, the anger in my eyes daring them to prove me wrong. “If you weren’t, you would choose to carry through with this and preserve her memory, not spit on everything she fought for!” Fresh tears stung my eyes, but I kept them in check for now.
Mikhail was the first to respond to me.
“Fine words, coming from the man-”
I was in front of him in an instant, the barrel of the shotgun pressed against the underside of his jaw.
“You want to choose your next words very, very carefully,” I hissed, and he swallowed hard.
“I mean,” he began, more tactfully this time, “that while Corvina’s death affected us all, she was holding us together. Without her, our little rebellion is over.”
“No, it isn’t,” I told them steadily, using a strength in my tone I certainly didn’t feel. “You have me.”
Mikhail laughed, while the other two looked incredulous. Kalin and Lev silently dared them to offer good reasons why
I shouldn’t.
“You?!” the Russian scoffed. “What makes you think you have any more right than anyone else? All of us here were close to Corvina, probably more so than you, since we knew her far longer!”
I could sense my two friends stiffen at the insult, but Mikhail didn’t notice. I relaxed a moment, turning from him as if to walk away, before spinning round and slamming the shotgun’s grip into his stomach. As he doubled over I brought the weapon up to meet his face, breaking his nose and spattering blood across his cheek. As he reeled back, I gripped the back end of the weapon like a club and swung it, hard, smashing it into the side of his head. He collapsed to the floor, and I swung the shotgun again, this time striking him so hard the casing shattered. I threw the broken remains at him as he lay on the floor, and I didn’t care if he was conscious or not.
“She was my wife!” I yelled at him, tears coursing down my cheeks again. “My wife! Do not tell me she meant more to anyone than she did to me, or I will fucking end you!”
“What my uncouth comrade meant,” the polite one said, “was that while we all grieve for your wife’s death, your personal grief may render you blind to the necessities of our insurrection. Perhaps to say we cannot continue was a bit strong, but we need to step back while we work out how best to honour her legacy.”
“I am her legacy!” I snapped, once again rendering them silent. “Her blood is in my veins,” I told them quietly. “I hold her memories, and I bear her mark. Who better to continue her work than me?”
“A lot of people,” Mikhail said weakly, until Kalin punched him.
“You three listen to me, and listen well,” I announced. “As Corvina’s Blood-sworn husband, I claim command of this base as is my right. With it, I intend to continue with the insurrection against Sharriana Grey, to remove her from leadership and install someone more stable and loyal to The Order’s ideals. I will do this with or without your help, but anyone who stands in my way will feel the fullest extent of my wrath. So I have only one question for any of you.”
I paused, letting my words hang in the air for a moment.
“Do any of you really want to tell me ‘no’?”
Shortly afterwards, I was sat once more in Corvi’s room - it would take a long period of grieving before I called it ‘my room’ - looking down at the hair clasp in my hands.
One of the worst things in the wake of Corvi’s death was the silence - the void in my mind where there would have been at least a background murmur of her. Even when Irenae had blocked me, her presence was still there, muted and diminished but still in my mind. At long distances, her mental voice was silent but she was still there. It had been like carrying a small piece of her mind around with me, no matter what happened she was always there.
But afterwards, there was just...nothingness. I felt empty, like something vital had been stolen from me, and the endless silence in my mind was as unsettling as it was painful.
“Did I make the right move, my love?” I asked of the unmoving raven in my hands, its eye glaring at me as if in silent accusation. “I sure as hell haven’t got a clue how to lead these people, your people, but I had no choice...I was just trying to do what you wanted.”
Fresh tears stung my eyes, and I didn’t bother trying to stop them again. I closed my eyes and kissed the crow’s engraved head, picturing Corvi’s gentle smile as I began to cry once more.
After a few minutes, someone knocked at the door, and knowing Lev’s obsession with sticking to times I figured it would be her. Well, the three people I needed most at the time, of which Lev was one.
I wiped the tears from my eyes, and fastened the clasp back to my waistband. I stood up, brushing any creases out of my clothes before calling for my guests to enter.
The first person through the door was Tisiphone, who ran straight to me and hugged me tightly. Something warm and damp began to spread through my T-shirt as she too began to cry, and not for the first time if her reddened eyes were any indication. I held her tightly, my own tears moistening her hair as we comforted each other. She truly felt she had lost a sister; I had lost my wife. I had never been more thankful for my sister’s presence.
As soon as she let me go, Lev also offered comfort with a hug, albeit slightly less vigorous due to the items she carried in one hand. She parted with a subtle kiss to the side of my head, not a romantic one but purely the affection of a friend. She always was softer than she let on.
Kalin, as one of the younger vampires, was somewhat less used to offering comfort to those in grief, so he just patted my shoulder awkwardly. The attempt was still appreciated, however, and I offered them all a weak smile.
“Thanks for coming, guys,” I told them, crossing over to Corvi’s dresser and ignoring how I looked. “Can I get any of you a drink?”
I began to pour a drink from the last bottle my wife had opened, a Scottish Malt whiskey from 1880. I was certain it would probably make a better paint stripper than a beverage, but I poured anyway.
“I will,” Tisiphone said, drying her own eyes. Lev simply looked at my quizzically.
“I thought you hated that stuff?”
“I do,” I answered, “but she didn’t.” That was all I offered as explanation, and the other two accepted as well.
Before we began talking properly, I raised my glass slightly.
“To Corvi,” I said. I had wanted to say more, but I didn’t trust myself not to break down again.
“To Corvi,” the others repeated, and we knocked back our drinks in one swallow.
As I suspected, it burned like a mixture of acid and actual fire going down, but despite my belief that it would be back up later I poured myself another one. I think I saw it as some way of remaining close to her.
“So,” I started, taking a seat on the bed again. “Does anyone have any problems with my decision?”
“I’m sure Mikhail does,” Kalin responded, cracking his knuckles pointedly, “Seraph and Edrin didn’t seem too pleased either, but they are on board for now.”
“And you three?” I included Tis because she had already made it clear that her loyalties lay with The Order, and not purely because her girlfriend was with us.
“You know I’m always behind you, big brother,” Tis said first, her tone suggesting she would never be anywhere else but at my side.
“As the one who helped train you, and as your friend, I can honestly say I’d rather you than anyone else.” I smiled at Lev, whose very vocal support for me would be instrumental in establishing my command.
“Corvina was the best commander this base has had,” Kalin stated matter-of-factly, “but as her Blood-sworn husband, and one turned by her, there is no-one more appropriate to assume her mantle. Besides,” he added with a cruel grin, “I will happily kill anyone who dares to challenge you.”
“Thank you, all of you,” I told them. “I’m going to need all three of you, now more than ever. With Corvi-” I choked for a moment, and I forced the emotion back down. I couldn’t break down again, not while they were all present. “With Corvi gone,” I managed with only a slight quiver in my voice, “I’ll need you three to advise me, to help with the transition...everything.”
“Speaking of which,” Lev said, bringing up the items she held and offering them to me, “you...you should have these. They might help.”
The main thing she passed me was a slender wooden case, engraved with Corvina’s initials. On top of it was a photograph of Corvi and me, from some time during our wedding party. I didn’t know anyone had even taken pictures.
“Lorelei took it,” Lev explained. “Said she wanted a record of Corvi being genuinely happy for a change. I had her email it to me while you were recovering.”
My hand shook as I
held the picture, unable to take my eyes from the image of Corvina. She had looked so beautiful that evening, her silvery eyes catching the candlelight, her dark hair shimmering as she had moved. We had even enjoyed a brief dance, as was customary in most weddings, and how she endured my clumsy steps I never knew.
I set the picture aside before I began crying again, and picked up the next item.
Beside the picture on the case had been a carefully wrapped package, which I opened to reveal an exquisite pewter picture frame, the edges of which were engraved with small birds - crows, I noticed, and smiled weakly.
“Thought you’d approve of that touch,” Tis said, sitting down next to me. “Lev and I bought that for you - apparently she ‘knows a guy,’ which I think is code for ‘I slept with him once and now he’ll do anything for me,’ but I promised not to pry.” She winked at her girlfriend, who blushed and looked away, implying there may have been some truth to the joke.
I undid the fastenings on the back of the frame and placed the picture inside, placing it on the bedside table when I was finished.
That left the case itself, and I already knew what it would be before I opened the catches.
As I suspected, inside the case, on a bed of black satin, was Corvi’s sword and scabbard.
Seeing them up close for the first time, I saw that the scabbard itself was dyed red as well, following the design of the scabbards used by the ancient Japanese for their iconic katanas. A ribbon of black silk was wrapped around the top, much like the ribbon on my own sword’s scabbard, being intended as the primary means of attaching it to its bearer.
The blade itself was no different up close, although I could at last see what the vampiric glyphs engraved into it actually were. They were the sword’s name, ‘Crimson Raven’ - somehow I was not surprised at the choice of moniker. It seemed Corvi took the etymology of her name to heart.