The Chosen Ones

by Lori Brighton

I stared into the fire, watching the flames jump and dance, taking comfort in their warmth. But as much as I enjoyed the fire, it made me think about the others. Jimmy, and how much he would love the warmth. Kelly and Tony, and how they’d be snuggling by the flames. And Will…Will, who could have sat by and kept me company, making me think about anything other than my torturous thoughts. Yet, one of them had betrayed us, if Thane was right.

  It wasn’t Will. I knew that for sure. Tony was the obvious choice. It certainly wasn’t Kelly…was it? If I went by the books I’d read, it was always the sweet one, the one you’d least expect who was the culprit. Which would mean…Kelly. I rested my head in my hands, curling onto my wooden chair. No. Not Kelly. Not Will. I hated that Thane had done this to me...hated that he had made me distrust my friends, the very people who had saved me.

  I heard the door to the cabin open, the thump of his feet as Thane moved down the steps and toward me. He was being loud on purpose, so he wouldn’t catch me off guard. When his sweet scent hit me, I had to resist the urge to breathe deeply. His mere scent could make me weak-kneed and only reminded me of that dream I’d had this morning.

  “What do you want, Thane?”

  “He wants to meet you. To talk.”

  I couldn’t help myself and studied that cottage. My grandfather. My father’s father. The lights in the window shone brilliantly against the evening sky. I’d been sitting out here for hours, unable to go inside, unable to be near the old man without wanting to cry, hit something, scream. I had a grandfather. It should’ve meant something. It meant nothing.

  Then again, I had brothers and a sister and felt little more than mild affection for them. Why should I feel anything for this old man? Because, I realized, this was different. He was an adult, an adult who had knowingly left his own grandchildren to be tortured and killed, yet he had done nothing to try and save us. Where were the loving families I’d read about in my books?

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, staring at the cottage. It was a home. An actual home set amongst a fairy-tale forest. My grandfather had lived here for years, perhaps decades without fear, without war or strife. Safe and comfortable.

  “I didn’t know.”

  I jerked my gaze toward him. If he hadn’t known, then why had he repeatedly placed himself in danger to save me? I’d assumed, as I sat here lost in thought, that he had used me to get here.

  “I could only smell the similarities in your blood in that field.”

  “I see.” My mind spun. Thane hadn’t known I was related to Raven, yet had saved me anyway. Why? “And Will?”

  He shrugged. He didn’t fidget, didn’t shift uncomfortably. “If he knew, then obviously he realized if anyone could talk Raven into helping, it would be his granddaughter.”

  I released the breath I held, my shoulders slumping. Just as I’d thought. It was Will, not Thane, who had been using me. Anger, hurt and frustration swirled within, burning as bright as the fire. I picked up a stick and jabbed it at the burning logs, watching the sparks fly into the air, and wishing I could release my anger up into that dark sky. The joke was on him, because my grandfather probably didn’t give two figs that we were related.

  “Was he using me?” I demanded, knowing Thane had the answer. “Pretending to care just so I’d come here?”

  Thane sighed. “No. He wasn’t.”

  I dropped the stick. “How do you know?”

  “I know,” he snapped, almost as if annoyed. “Because whether you want to admit it or not, I am a man and I know what guys think. He liked you.”

  Startled, I looked up at him. It was the first time I’d seen Thane lose control of his emotions. Was that an actual flush to his cheeks? He spun around, pacing away from me and facing the woods. Why now, of all times, did he choose to act so human?

  Did this have to do with my relationship with Will? I took my lower lip between my teeth, lost in thought. Will cared about me. Will, who I cared for as well, but who I might never see again. I glanced toward the trees into the direction where I knew the shore lay. Could Will and I have possibly had some sort of relationship like I’d read about in those books? Tony and Kelly had something. But thoughts of Tony and Kelly made my stomach churn. One of them was a traitor. And if they had survived, Will had no idea what his friends had done.

  “Why didn’t you tell Will that someone in the group might be a traitor? Is it because you think Will is the one working with Bacchus?” Yeah, my tone came out angry, but I couldn’t quite help myself. I was tired of the secrets and I cared for Will.

  “No. Will is blindly allegiant to the cause—he would never betray his followers. It’s one of many weaknesses.”

  One of many? I frowned, annoyed. It was easy to pick on someone who wasn’t here. I wondered what Will would say in response to Thane’s comment.

  “Come in.” Thane faced me. “We can talk. There are lots of questions he can answer. It’s warmer in there and he has food.”

  Food? That caught my attention, although reluctantly. I stood and followed Thane’s broad shoulders toward the cottage. I’d been so stunned, so angry, that I’d refused to enter. But there were times to set your bitterness aside, and this was one of them. Up close I realized the cottage was actually a lot worse off than I’d first thought. The wooden shingles were hanging off, some missing. The stairs creaked and groaned under our weight. Part of my anger wavered. What was it like to live here on this island completely alone, only the occasional rabbit and deer to keep you company?

  Thane pulled open the door and stepped aside. When I entered I was amazed to see it looked like the homes I’d read about. He had windows with curtains, and shelves with trinkets; shells, animals skulls, books. Two chairs flanked a fireplace and what looked to be a kitchen stood against one side. Even more surprising were the two doors that interrupted the far wall, as if he had bedrooms. It was an actual home. Not like the compound where personal objects were frowned upon.

  I took in the jars of rocks and shells, the animal skulls sitting on the shelves, the many, many books. This was my grandfather…a man of science and learning. A man I obviously took after. A man I would have probably enjoyed talking to in another life.

  “Sit,” he said gruffly as he settled in a chair he had somehow made of branches and leather.

  Impressed, I sat in the similar chair across from his, while Thane paced to the windows and stared out into the evening. A fire burned brightly in the fireplace and I was struck by how free he was here. Free to live as he wished.

  “Why did you come?” he demanded, his grip tight on the arms of his chairs.

  So much for the happy reunion with my grandfather. He obviously didn’t want me here. “Why did you let us rot in those compounds?”

  “What?” He snatched a glass from a small side table he’d made out of a cut log and drank deeply. “Did you think I should risk my hide to travel across the state to rescue you? I didn’t live this long by doing stupid things.”

  Anger made my cheeks flush. My own hands gripped the chair as I resisted the urge to leave again.

  “They say you know how to stop the beautiful ones,” Thane interrupted, which was definitely for the better as I was about to tell Grandfather exactly where he could stick his information.

  He slowly swooshed the drink around and around in his glass, lost in his thoughts. “Why would they believe that?”

  Thane was quiet for a few moments. “You are Raven?”

  Grandfather took another drink. “Why would I help you?”

  “Because Thane is on our side,” I explained. Yes, even I was shocked by how loyal to the dhampir I suddenly felt. “While you have been doing nothing all these years, he’s been fighting for us.”

  Grandfather released a harsh bark of a laugh. “There are ways of helping other than killing and fighting.” He tapped his head. “You can’t beat the beautiful ones by strength.” He glared at Thane. “You should know that. You’ll never be strong enough to fight th
em. You need to use your brains, girl.”

  The worst part was I knew he was right—not that I would admit as much.

  “How do you know you can trust him?” My grandfather nodded toward Thane, as if he wasn’t standing right there. Of course Thane didn’t look the least bit offended. I doubted he cared what anyone thought about him.

  I shrugged. “He’s had plenty of opportunities to kill me, but he hasn’t. In fact, he’s saved me upon many occasions.”

  The old man frowned at Thane, as if he expected trickery, or maybe didn’t believe me. Finally, his blue gaze shifted to me. “What do you know?”

  Was that actual curiosity I heard in his voice? I had the sudden feeling that he wanted to talk, that he was eager to share his knowledge. Perhaps he was lonelier than he pretended. “Very little.”

  “Jane has only been out of the compound for a little over a month,” Thane explained.

  Fortunately he didn’t add that half that time I was out of my mind insane. Some things Grandfather didn’t need to know.

  “I see.” He nodded slowly and stood, heading into the kitchen. “Then I’ll start at the beginning.” He picked up a bowl and spoon and scooped some stew from a large pan. My stomach grumbled, my mouth watering. “Humans ran this world over two hundred years ago. The beautiful ones, or vampires as they used to be called, kept to themselves. They were a mere myth.” He shook his head. “A myth that humans wrote about, made movies about, something to scare children and titillate women.”

  I frowned. “Movies?”

  He waved aside my question and shuffled toward me. I didn’t miss the way he favored his right leg. “Not important. But one of those vampires decided he was sick of living that way. Why should they, he wondered, when vampires were so much more evolved than humans?”

  I had to admit my grandfather could spin an exciting tale. If it had been mere fiction, I might have been able to curl up and enjoy the story. But no, it was a horrifying reality. The fire crackled, warming my left side. Shadows leapt and danced across the cottage walls, as if reacting the tale and adding to the eeriness of it all.

  Grandfather handed me the bowl. Grateful, I lunged toward the food, my wariness fleeing as quickly as it had come. My hands shook with need as I took the meal, holding it close and breathing deeply the erotic scents. I wasn’t so proud that I’d turn down food, not when food was the link between life and death, health and illness. The first spoonful was like heaven. Chunks of meat, potatoes, carrots and herbs I couldn’t identify. Dear God, I’d never tasted anything so wonderful.

  “And so they began to attack,” my grandfather continued. “Small, sly attacks at first, testing how far they could push the humans. People were afraid. They said aliens were invading, they claimed it was the devil, demons, and a variety of other ridiculous notions. As people started mysteriously dying, their throats ripped out, humans panicked. Cultures started fighting amongst themselves and the vampires realized they didn’t have to work at all. The human’s fear would destroy them. Then, as vampires became more confident, they took over cities at a time. Within a decade, humans were rounded up; some taken in as servants, others kept in compounds as food.”

  I still shivered at the thought. “What are they? Are they demons?”

  He stood and hobbled toward a shelf. It was obvious he had a bad leg or hip. I wondered how old he was and how much longer he could possibly last here alone. Who took care of him when he grew ill? I wondered mostly why he had never tried to save me or my siblings. Did he really place his own life so far above others? At the compound we’d been taught to work as a whole, put others first. But here he worried only about himself.

  He pulled a book from a shelf. “You see this?”

  Taking in the many novels, my appetite shifted from the food to the books. He started toward us, the large novel in hand. “We believe that thousands of years ago humans and vampires shared a common ancestor.”

  He placed the book upon the small side table next to me. Notes were written between sentences, while drawings covered any white area. I didn’t quite understand the scribbles and not for the first time I wondered about my grandfather’s sanity.

  “The vampires were merely a different branch, a more evolved branch. Their senses are better, they’re stronger, and they’re faster.”

  “And they feed off blood,” I whispered. The same information Thane had already said. If we already knew as much as this old man, why were we here?

  “Yes, the life force. That thing that connects us all.”

  “And dhampir,” I asked, glancing at Thane. “How are they different?”

  He shrugged. “Perhaps not quite as strong, or fast. They can feed on blood or on normal food. But if they feed on blood, they’re stronger.”

  What Thane had said. I swallowed hard and looked once more at Thane. How often had he fed on blood? When was the last time he had sunk his teeth into some innocent human? He was looking out the windows as if our conversation didn’t have anything to do with him.

  “For both the blood has to be fresh, living. Once the person dies, the blood begins to die. But the biggest difference is that dhampir, in my opinion, have a soul.”

  I shook my head, confused. I’d remembered reading about souls a time or two, but hadn’t truly understood. This was something Thane hadn’t mentioned. “What is it?”

  “A soul, which you and I have, is something that is almost inexplicable.” He stood, pacing the room. “It’s what gives us a conscience. It’s what makes us love another, feel pain and empathy for another.”

  I wondered, briefly if my grandfather had one. After all, he was perfectly content to let us die in those compounds. I scooped up another spoonful, eating the stew as fast as I could before it went cold. “And vampires don’t have that?”

  “How could they?” He glanced at Thane. “Dhampir do. Perhaps not as much as humans, but it is there.”

  “How fortunate for us,” Thane said blandly. “Do you or do you not know how to kill them?”

  Apparently he’d had enough of talking about souls and whether or not he had one. I found the talk fascinating, and wanted to learn more. I itched to go to that shelf and pick up a book. Instead, I took my last bite, wishing for more stew, and set the bowl on the table.

  “You’re welcome to read them,” Grandfather said, noticing my attention. “I had to recopy some because they were in such bad shape, but I wrote them exactly as they were.”

  I didn’t need to be told twice. Thrilled like I hadn’t been in weeks, I stood and went to the shelf. “Where did you get the supplies to copy?”

  “Same as you: stolen merchandise from the beautiful ones.”

  So he either did go to the mainland upon occasion, or someone brought him supplies. I pulled a book from the shelf and read the spine. Osteology. When I flipped open the book, there were skeletons and a variety of bones pictured on the pages. My eyes went wide. So much to learn. Thane thought I knew a lot. I didn’t know anything.

  “Who brings you the supplies?” Thane asked.

  I heard the wariness in his voice and slowly replaced the book. Something was bothering Thane.

  “Friends,” Grandfather said. “I’ve been known to go to the mainland but not for long and not far.”

  “Unfortunately we can’t all live on an island,” I said, with a tad bit of bitterness. “Besides, I’m sure the beautiful ones would find a way onto the island if the food source disappeared.” Frowning, I turned toward Thane. “Why don’t they come here?”

  “Because,” Grandfather interrupted. “If there is one thing they’re afraid of more than anything its death.”

  Aren’t we all?

  “There are only two ways a beautiful one can die within an instant. One, cutting off their head. Two, drowning. There’s no coming back from drowning. Fire,” he shrugged. “It’s a slow death. Too slow. They can heal themselves and make it out of the flames. But water, usually not in time.”

  “Good to
know.”

  “Alright.” Grandfather stood, drawing our attention to him. “Come with me.”

  He didn’t wait but headed toward a back room. His excitement had me warily glancing at Thane. When he started to follow my grandfather, I shoved the book back onto the shelf and went after them.

  “Careful,” Thane whispered as I fell into step beside him.

  “He’s my grandfather.”

  He didn’t respond.

  And I realized how stupid I sounded. Yeah, he was my grandfather, but in this world that didn’t mean anything. I moved into the room, Thane at my back. My grandfather was sliding his hand around the wooden plank wall, mumbling under his breath. Crazy indeed.

  “Here it is.” Suddenly the wall opened to reveal a hidden room. I gasped, surprised, when I shouldn’t have been. Nothing this crazy old man did should have shocked me.

  “Well, come on,” Grandfather muttered, shuffling into the room.

  I moved hesitantly forward and peeked inside. It was small, but cluttered with shelves, bottles, skeletons and other things I didn’t recognize or understand. Two tables and shelves with a variety of jars filled the wall farthest from us. “What is this place?”

  “My lab.”

  Lab. I searched my mind, trying to define the word but the only thing that came to mind was Frankenstein, and that made me more than nervous. It was a place where he worked, studied, obviously. Thane moved into the room even more cautiously than I did. Either he was showing his emotions more often, or I was actually coming to understand the dhampir.

  I went to the shelves and picked up a jar. What seemed to be an eyeball floated in some sort of liquid. Swallowing down the bile in my throat, I quickly replaced the jar and turned toward my grandfather. “You’re a scientist?”

  “Doctor. Or I was a doctor, at one time, for the chosen ones.”

  He’d been a doctor? He’d seen those compounds, had known why they were there. When he’d escaped, had he bothered to try and help anyone else, or had he immediately hidden away, thinking only of himself?

  A skeleton in the far corner caught my attention. A full-sized body. “What is that?”

  “A skeleton,” he said gruffly.

  “A human?” I asked, feeling slightly ill. How the hell had he gotten a skeleton?

  “No,” Thane replied. “A beautiful one.”

  A beautiful one. A monster. Yet, now a mere pile of bones. I moved slowly toward the object and stared hard at it. I had to remind myself that it was dead, it couldn’t hurt me. The huge gaping holes for eyes, the laughing mouth of teeth, all harmless. “How is it different from ours?”

  “It’s not. Not really.” He moved toward it. “That’s the odd thing. These ridges, they’re where the muscle attaches to bone. They’re bigger than in most human skeletons, but that’s it as far as I can tell.”

  “What does it mean?” I asked. I really wanted to know where he had gotten it, but didn’t dare ask for fear of his response.

  He lifted the arm, making it wave. “It means that it’s not the skeletal structure giving them their strength.”

  “What is?”

  “Their blood, their genes, the brain… I’m not sure.”

  I glanced at Thane to see how he was taking this all, but he was leaning nonchalantly against the door frame, arms crossed, face passive. I took in a deep breath and faced my grandfather. “You were a doctor. Is that how you escaped? Or did someone help you? Like Thane?”

  “On my own.” He moved toward a shelf and pulled down a bunch of books. “When I had my chance, I took it. This was before we had help. Before your Thane.” He paused near his jars of specimens, his back to us. I didn’t miss the way his hands trembled as they rested on a shelf. “I was making sure humans were healthy, only to know that it didn’t matter. They would be murdered anyway. It was slowly driving me insane.”

  I wasn’t quite sure if he was sane even now, but I was glad to know he had a conscience. I thought about our doctor back at the compound and how odd he seemed, how anxious and timid. I wanted to hate him, but couldn’t for I knew that one day they would have no use for him.

  Thane strolled toward the shelves, and picked up a jar that looked deceptively like part of a brain. “They’ve decided to use blood suckers now as doctors. No more humans.”

  “Yes, I heard.”

  Heard from who? It was new to me. I wondered what had happened to our doctor, but pushed the thought aside. We had more important things to worry about, and as much as the room fascinated me, I wondered if Grandfather had brought us here for a purpose other than showing off his collection.

  Thane replaced the jar. “They use the chosen ones less and less these days. They don’t trust them.”

  “Imagine that,” I whispered.

  Thane looked at my grandfather. “You said you have something?”

  “Yes!” He struggled to his knees and gripped the corner of a floorboard. I shifted, uneasy. But surprisingly, the slat lifted and he pulled out a black case of some sort that had been hidden.

  With a grin, he stood. “The ground keeps it cool and the floorboards hide the case.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “You’ll see. So impatient.” He settled the case on top of the table. Thane still stood by the shelves, but I moved closer, unable to resist. “This, is the answer to our problems.”

  He flipped open the lid. The case was filled with bottles and bottles of clear liquid. At least fifty, maybe more. Water? Vaccines? What was he getting at?

  He just stood there, grinning, as if we should understand.

  “What is it?” I finally asked.

  He huffed out a breath of annoyance. “Our way of destroying the beautiful ones, of course.”

  When we didn’t respond, too confused to speak, he sighed loudly, raking his hands through his white hair so it stood like a puff of a cloud atop his head. “If we can taint the human blood so that vampires can’t ingest it, yet it doesn’t make the humans sick…well, we might have a fighting chance.”

  Taint human blood? That sounded dangerous. “How does it work?”

  “Simple. We merely need to inject the liquid into the blood stream.” He pulled a bottle free with trembling fingers, that wide, demented grin back in place. “This,” he said, holding up the long needle, filled with liquid. “Will save us all.”

  I slid Thane a glance, hoping he would respond. But he seemed just as surprised and unsure as I did. In other words, no help.

  Grandfather looked at us expectantly. “So, who’s first?”

  Chapter 14