“What, going back to her house so you can have a little slumber party?”
“That’s not true and you know it.”
“Do I? Because there’s a lot about you I don’t seem to know.”
“I had no idea they were recording the conversation, I swear to you.”
“You mean the Queen doesn’t tell you about all her secret operations?”
“I told you, I didn’t know. You have to believe me.”
“I don’t have to do squat except get as far away from you as I can.”
“I’m not letting you go in there.”
“Try and stop me.”
“I just might. There’s no way you can get in. The place will be crawling with guards.”
“There’s gotta be an opening somewhere. There’s passageways I don’t even think the Queen knows about.”
“And you would?”
“I could figure it out.”
I grabbed her wrist. “There’s somebody who might know. Let’s go pay him a visit.”
Lucretius
Lucretius’s mansion was a well-defended stronghold, as were all the council members’ homes. The complex took up a whole block of real estate. There were high brick walls topped with razor wire around the entire property. Those brave enough to reach them would have to contend with the platoons of soldiers and guard dogs patrolling the area.
“Eight-foot walls should be no problem. Now, assuming we can get across the open yard, past the guards and attack dogs, we should be fine, right?”
“Yeah,” Rayna replied. “A walk in the park, really.”
“How do you figure? You have some secret weapon I don’t know about?”
“No, but I used to do security for Lucretius. I know about weaknesses and secret passages even he doesn’t even realize exist.”
“You never cease to impress me.”
“Whatever.”
We scouted the perimeter. There were cameras placed at regular intervals on top of the wall. It would be easy enough to bypass those as long as we moved quickly. We hid behind a hedge by the sidewalk and wondered how we would proceed. Between the two of us, we had one rifle and what was left in the clip for ammunition. Compared to what the small army was carrying inside those walls, it was a recipe for suicide.
“We need some kind of distraction,” Rayna said.
There were some rustling and shuffling sounds. A dark figure approached us. I aimed the rifle at it. The thing turned out to be a zombie hobbling towards us. My index finger started to press the trigger when my heart nearly jumped out of my throat.
Another zombie came up behind us. Instead of attacking, it stood there, breath wheezing in and out of its lungs. Two more came up behind them and I was able to identify one of them. It was Dan, or at least the walking corpse that used to house Dan. I lowered my weapon.
“What are you doing?” asked Rayna.
“Look at them. They’re not attacking us,” I said.
Her jaw dropped. “Then what are they doing?”
“I don’t know, waiting for instructions, maybe?”
She gave me a dirty look. “O-kay. You four, go cause a diversion. Go on, shoo.” She waved them away, but they stayed put. “Go. Attack.”
“I don’t think they understand word commands.”
“No shit. What now?”
“I guess we’ll try to ignore them and go back to our plan.”
“Ignore them? They’re just standing out in the open. The cameras will spot them soon, if they haven’t already.”
“Okay, just hurry up. We’ll let them cause the diversion out here while we slip in.”
Rayna thought about it. “Okay. That might work.”
The four of them seemed to disapprove of her plan and walked away.
“Hey, where are you going?” I whispered, as if they would turn around and answer, ‘We’re just going to grab a quick bite and come back, Mordecai. Just sit tight.’
“Okay, so they’re gone. Let’s just do this. We’ll jump the fence and try to rush our way inside. We’re much faster than any of them.”
I gulped. “What the hell. Let’s do this.”
We jumped the fence and the alarm went off. At first I thought we tripped some sensor, but the guards started to rush out to the front of the property. There was a barrage of shots coming from that direction.
I added, “I think we have our diversion. Let’s go.”
We rushed through the wide open space without seeing one guard. The scenery was a blur around us. I started for the windows, but Rayna pulled me to the side of the house.
There was a door leading to the basement. It burst open and a squad of men ran out to secure the outside. We hid behind the open door and entered the house when they were gone. The door shut and locked behind us. We had snuck into the house, but I didn’t believe for a moment it could be this easy.
We walked through the basement level into the house. The blaring alarm seemed to announce our presence to all, but no one came. Rayna led the way to Lucretius’s study on the upper floor.
“You really think he’s in there?” I asked her.
“If not, at least that’s where the damn alarm panel is. We can make a little more fuss for them.”
“After you,” I said, motioning to the door. She huffed at me and entered the room.
The study was as empty as the rest of the house. I started to doubt if Lucretius was even here. The cold gun barrel I felt in the back of my head clarified that for me.
“Don’t move a muscle unless I tell you. You might be fast, but I’m faster,” Lucretius said to us. “Both of you, go on inside. Don’t even think about trying some hero stunt. These are fifty caliber hollow points. You won’t even have a head left after I press the trigger.”
My fists balled up in rage. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins, but it was of little use right now. He walked behind me, with the gun pressed so tight it felt like he was trying to ram it through my skull.
“You mind easing up on that thing?” I said.
“Just be grateful you can still feel this. Go sit down, Rayna. I’ll take that,” he said, yanking the rifle from my arms. He was quite strong, far stronger than me.
“So, what brings you two here?” he asked in a more relaxed tone.
“Oh, just thought we’d pay our old buddy a visit,” I said.
“Shut up,” he said, jamming the barrel into my head. “I’m asking her.”
“I was coming to get answers out of you and kill you when I was finished.”
“Hmm. That sounds more like it.” He safetied the gun and threw me onto a nearby seat. I rammed into it like a rag doll. He walked over behind his desk and stowed his gun before taking a seat. He continued, “I don’t want to kill either of you. Just ask whatever you came to ask and go the way you came.”
“We need to get into the Queen’s mansion,” she said.
Lucretius chuckled. “Is that it? Girl, you never ask for something simple.”
“What do you mean?” Rayna asked.
“Never mind. I know you mean to kill the Queen. I agree. You have my blessing.”
“Because you want to take her place?”
“No, that’s not what I want,” he said. “Remember that mockery of a trial at the square?”
“No. Refresh me.”
“There was that recording the Queen played, the one where you say she’s an impostor.”
“The recording someone made,” she added, snapping her head in my direction.
“I didn’t make that,” I said. I might as well have been talking to the wall.
“Setting aside whatever quarrel you two have, you’re absolutely right, Rayna. The Queen is an impostor.”
“What? I swear to you that—wait, did you just agree with me?”
“That’s right. When our beloved Queen passed, I didn’t know what to do. I turned a mortal woman with Elder blood and had her surgically reconstructed. I really thought I was doing a good thing, but her re-education didn�
��t take too well. She has been slipping off the edge for many years. I’m afraid she might have gone over for good.”
“Why are you telling us this?” Rayna asked.
“I’ll be the first to admit it was a mistake. It was foolish, trying to hang on to the past. If we don’t fix it now, I’m afraid Anathorn will fall apart, along with any hope for the future of either human or Vampire.”
“Let’s pretend for a minute I believe a single word of what you say,” I replied.
“Why do you think you were on the council? It wasn’t because the Queen needed a boy toy. She could have had that without making you a council member. The reason you were appointed is because I put it in her ear. I wanted you close to the center so you could help me change things.”
“For all the good that did,” I said.
“Well, the past is done. All we have is the present moment and the future before us. Now, I ask you again, how can I help you?”
“Get us in that mansion,” Rayna said.
He smiled, baring his porcelain fangs. “You’ve got it.”
Rayna and I looked at each other, then around the room. We could think of nothing else to say. Lucretius was staring at Rayna, looking relieved. All the gloom from the execution was gone. I wondered what was going on there.
“Did you two cause all this fracas?” he asked us. We nodded. The alarm was still blaring, but the gunshots had ceased. They must have gotten them all, at least for now. I muttered a silent prayer that the zombies might surprise some of the guards. “Will you excuse me for a moment?”
“Do you believe him?” I asked. She shook her head. “You see it, too. All of a sudden he’s ready to go up against her.”
The alarm stopped, much to the relief of our ears. Rayna gave me a frantic nod and hushed me. Lucretius came back looking even more relaxed. He had this silly smile like he had just had a few drinks, or maybe smoked something a little sweeter than a cigar.
“The guards said there were undead out there. For all the shooting I heard, they are either the worst shots in the world or these thing can vanish at will.”
“There’s no telling,” I replied. Now I was beginning to wonder if they were apparitions after all. Undead that show up at the right time, to do exactly what we tell them, and now Lucretius ready and willing to help us depose the false queen. I was either dreaming…or walking right into a trap.
“I know you’re wondering, ‘why the sudden change of heart?’”
“That crossed my mind,” I said. Rayna was quiet, but her eyes agreed.
“I told you the truth about the Queen, not the real Anna Thorn but this impostor I put in her place.”
“Why did you really do it?” Rayna finally spoke. “And don’t tell me it was because you were all weepy about losing the Queen.”
Lucretius let out a dry chuckle. “Nothing ever gets past you, never did. The truth is, when we lost Anna, we lost much more than our leader. There was a power struggle. The Vampires started breaking into factions, dragging the humans with them.
“I saw the future, and it was not a bright one. We needed her back, but that was impossible. I gave them something close. Only the highest members knew at first, but she refused to see anyone else. The Queen remained this mysterious, inaccessible oracle. That is, until Mordecai came to us.”
I looked up to find Rayna giving me another withering look.
“What?” I asked.
“Don’t try to act all innocent.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Sure you didn’t. The Queen just fell head over heels in love with you just by looking at you? Don’t make me laugh.”
“Make you laugh? Why? What’s wrong with me?”
She eyed me up and down. “Where should I start?”
Just as our argument was on the verge of escalating to violence, the phone rang.
“Will you two be quiet for a moment?” I made a zipping motion over my mouth. Rayna made a cutting motion with her thumb across her neck. I couldn’t help but chuckle. I was probably digging myself a deeper hole, but I didn’t care.
“Am I all right? Yes, I’m all right. Where did you hear that I was attacked?” He mouthed his disbelief to me. I shrugged. Rayna followed that up with another dirty look directed at me.
Lucretius spoke on the phone for a few more minutes. The rest of the conversation consisted of him nodding and agreeing.
“Very well. I’ll see you later. Toodle-oo.” He chuckled. “Okay, buh-bye.” He hung up.
“Looks like you get your wish,” he replied. “The Queen insists that I would be safer at her house.”
Reunion
Lucretius called his servants into the room and whispered some instructions in their ears. The men nodded and left the room in a hurry. They came back with a plastic case. Inside were two sets of the same gear his guards used.
“Go ahead and put them on. I will be back in a few minutes.”
We helped ourselves to the clothes in the case. Everything was there, from silky synthetic undergarments to the stiff kevlar clothing with thin plates of armor on top. The full-face helmets, originally designed for hand-to-hand combat with the undead, also served to conceal our identities. There wasn’t an inch of our skin exposed that would give us away. My only regret was giving up my customary outfit, to include my hat and glasses.
“I bet we could even go out in daylight with these,” said Rayna.
“The sunlight might not kill you, but the heatstroke probably will. These things breathe as well as a wetsuit.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. Couldn’t be worse than wearing that ridiculous hat.”
“What’s wrong with my hat?”
“What’s not wrong with that hat? It looks like something I killed.”
“That ridiculous hat has let me walk around in the day time probably longer than you’ve been alive.”
“And how long is that?”
“I don’t know…you couldn’t be older than the Fall. You are mighty strong for a young one, though.”
“Okay, I get what you’re saying. I’m just not some fancy Elder. Sorry I’m not up to your standards, is that it?”
“Why do you have to turn everything into an argument?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot to ask first, are you recording this, too?”
“I didn’t—” I growled and balled my fists. I had to walk away from her. That woman just had a way to get under your skin.
Lucretius came back, breaking up the tension. “Ah, don’t you two look sharp. Are you ready to go?” I nod and walk out the door.
The ride back to the Queen’s mansion was dead silent. We rode in an armored vehicle instead of Lucretius’ luxurious Bentley. Anathorn was under martial law. The only vehicles left on the road were the Queen’s APCs.
It startled me to see how quickly the city became deserted. There was still food on the restaurants’ outdoor tables. Bars and nightclubs boomed with music, but no one was waiting outside. Store owners had bothered to lock their doors, but the lights were on and the display props were still outside, beckoning the nonexistent shoppers to come inside and browse. The city looked like it had been swept by the rapture, taking everyone but leaving behind their prized possessions.
Every few blocks we would see another patrolling APC with the flashing police lights. To some, they might have been a symbol of safety, but I knew better. The Queen was using this “crisis” to her greatest advantage.
We arrived at the mansion after having spent the better part of an hour circumventing roadblocks. I had not sighted one wandering zombie since we got out on the road, but that changed when we arrived at the Queen’s mansion.
The place was surrounded. There must have been a whole legion of them just outside the fence. The soldiers had stopped firing on them. They probably realized the futility of trying to kill them and decided to conserve ammo.
We pulled up to the gate, fully expecting them to rush the vehicle, but they ignored us. In fact, they seemed to be stepping
aside, allowing us to go inside. When the gates opened, the guards stepped out and began to lay aggressive cover fire for us to enter the grounds. As soon as we were in, the fence door shut. A few of them had managed to enter, but the guards had no problem disposing of them. A couple of them escorted us to the house while the others watched over the bodies lest they resurrect while we were still out in the open.
“You two!” said one of the guards, his voice muffled through the face mask. “Give us a hand securing the perimeter while we dispose of these bodies.”
I nodded. Rayna almost got away, but I tugged at her arm and pulled her back. This was no time to make a scene. We walked around and pretended to patrol the area. The other guards picked up the bodies and heaved them over the fence and into the crowd.
“Why do you not burn them?” I asked the head guard.
“We don’t know if it transmits through the air. It’s not a chance I want to take right now.” I pretended to agreed with him. I knew better than that, but I could not tell him. He would just have to remain in ignorance.
I was back in the Anathorn mansion, not as a dignified council member but as a fugitive in disguise. The doors of the main hall were locked. They must have snatched Lucretius as soon as he walked inside. We waited outside, but one of the Queen’s guards leaned his head out of the door and waved us in.
“Come in, you two. Councilman Lucretius wants you two in there with him.”
He ushered us into the hall. The lights were dim, to simulate moonlight. Flickering artificial lights simulated the candles of old. There was soft chamber music playing in the background. The scene was a stark contrast to the gloom in everyone’s faces. Marie-Evangeline’s smirk had been wiped off her self-righteous visage. I wish something like this happened to her more often. A hint of suffering showed through the cracks in Katerina’s stony façade. Fortunato just sat there looking wilted.
“Have you heard from Teófilo?” the Queen asked Lucretius.
“No, he hasn’t contacted me.” He looked around the table. “Where is Gustaf? Is he still at his home?”
There was silence around the table. Everyone looked to one another to see who would tell him.
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