Talon: The S.S.Trinity (Talon Series Book 0)

by Jay Michael Wright II

  I lowered my fangs and smiled. “Aye, I do.”

  Tessa leaned over and kissed me, then she repeated the same ritual with Molly. Letting out a mad little giggle, Tessa said, “Come my children. It is time to do what we do best.”

  We stood and I gave Molly a long, passionate kiss. “Be careful,” I whispered.

  She curtsied and replied, “But of course, and you be careful as well.”

  Tessa and Molly left first. I gave them a five-minute head start and then started for the upper levels of the ship with my sword, Kamikaze, in hand. Kamikaze was a katana; twenty-eight cruel inches of flesh slicing perfection, magickly enhanced to do extra damage against Demons. It had been a gift from Tessa nearly two hundred years earlier, and in that time, I had become quite good with it–even if I say so myself.

  I darted from shadow to shadow, keeping my eyes open for the Slayer, but I saw no sign of her. As I got to the captain’s quarters on deck, I heard screams coming from one of the decks below.

  I smiled and thought, Well, looks like Molly and Tessa are having fun. Now it’s my turn.

  There were four sailors standing guard at the captain’s cabin. I suppose finding the ship in disarray and half the crew missing was enough to put everyone on high alert. I would have to go through the guards first, but that wouldn’t be a problem.

  I came out of the shadows and with one hack, sent one of the sailor’s heads rolling. Beside him, his buddy started to scream for help, but with one well-placed kick, I snapped his neck and sent him tumbling over the side of the ship. I stepped back into the shadows and crept up on the last two guards.

  I lunged out of the shadows, driving Kamikaze beneath the sailor’s chin and out the back of his skull. I placed my boot on his chest and forced him off my blade. The last sailor turned the corner and found me standing over his dead shipmate. He opened his mouth to scream, but I pounced on him and pulled him to the ground. I covered his mouth and sank my fangs into his neck. Within moments, he was dead, and I sat up with a smile on my face and belly full of blood. Now, it was time for the captain.

  I walked to the captain’s cabin, making sure the Bird of Prey was nowhere to be found before entering. I cracked the door open, and there he was, asleep in his bed. I wondered if he was having pleasant dreams because he was about to wake up in a nightmare. I let myself in, shut the door behind me, and walked to the bed. He was basked in the moonlight, which shone through the cabin’s porthole. He looked so helpless, like a baby nestled in its crib. I couldn’t wait to wake him.

  I placed my hand over his mouth and pinned the old man down. He awoke, terror in his eyes as he realized he was trapped. Despite all his struggling, he was unable to break free of me. I dropped my fangs and let the fun begin.

  “Oh captain, oh captain!” I said with a laugh. “Not having a good voyage, are you, sir? Well, you see, this is what you get for cooperating with those Catholic vermin and transporting them around to do their vile work. For this sin”–I lowered my talons and raked them down the captain’s chest–“you are going to have to pay.”

  As my talons sliced into the captain’s flesh, he flailed wildly and started clawing at my face. With one blow to the side of his head, his body went limp and his hands dropped to his side. He lay there groaning as the blood poured from his chest. He looked up at me and weakly spoke. “What are you?”

  I got nose to nose with him and whispered, “I am Hell on earth, and tonight, you will feel my fire.”

  I covered his mouth with my left hand and dug into his abdomen with my right. He convulsed madly as I began pulling his intestines out and laid them on the bed. His eyes began to flutter as I made an incision just below his sternum. I dug my hand into his chest cavity and carved through until I held his beating heart in my hand. I squeezed the beating muscle as I stared into the captain’s eyes.

  That’s right, let me see the light in your eyes fade to darkness.

  I plucked the heart from his chest and took a bite as the captain seized one more time and then became perfectly still. I smiled as his eyes became dull and lifeless, like a doll’s. I tossed his heart over my shoulder and shrugged. “What’s wrong, old boy? You look heart-broken.”

  I chuckled softly and had a little fun before I left. I decided to leave a message scrolled in blood on the captain’s wall. I smeared the words, “Come out to play, little birdie.”

  Well, that should get the Bird of Prey’s attention.

  I stood there admiring my work when I heard a noise outside. Could it be? Was the Catholic schoolgirl onto me? I pulled Kamikaze from its sheath and approached the cabin’s door, filled with both apprehension and excitement. I opened it and slipped quietly outside, ready for anything.

  Come out, come out, wherever you are…

  It didn’t take long for her to do just that. From behind me, I heard, “Be still, Vampire! The eyes of God are upon you!”

  I turned and there she was, standing on top of the captain’s cabin, my precious little play-pretty—the Bird of Prey. She was barely five feet tall, if that, and had long, flowing blonde hair. She didn’t look very threatening, but I knew better than to believe that. She had spent her whole life training for one purpose, and one purpose only: to kill Vampires and other assorted creatures of the night.

  I scoffed. “Oh no! Not the eyes of God! Whatever will I do?” I held Kamikaze in front of me and my tone darkened. “If you’ve come for my head, little girl, you’re going to leave here very disappointed.”

  The Slayer did a cartwheel off the top of the captain’s cabin and landed on the deck, about ten feet from me. She raised her blade, a silver-edged gladius–similar to the ones the Romans used long ago–and smirked from behind her helm. “I’ve come to end your eternal suffering, Demon.”

  We slowly circled each other, waiting on the other to make the first move. “I am many things, Slayer, but suffering is certainly not one of them.”

  She was dressed in your traditional Bird of Prey armor: a skirt made with leather straps of varying lengths, what resembled a leather and chainmail corset, and a helm with swooped back angel wings on either side. This particular Slayer had added a chainmail headpiece to the ensemble, which helped protect her neck from my bites. Looks like I was up against a crafty one.

  She feinted an attack and then stepped back, a smile illuminating her face. “You only live to kill. How much blood is on your hands, monsieur? How many innocents have you slaughtered?”

  During our first encounter, I had never noticed her French accent, but when she said "monsieur," it came out as clear as day. So, the little French girl wants to play the blame game, does she?

  “How much blood is on my hands? How much blood is on the church’s? The Spanish Inquisition, the witch hunts, the crusades… have I made my point or shall I go on? The church has more blood on its hands than I could ever cause in an eternity, and you dare think of me as the evil one? Apparently, during all that training, the priests never gave you a history lesson.”

  The Slayer tightened her jaw and a fire burned in her eyes. “How dare you-”

  “How dare I what? Tell you the truth? Facts are facts, le petit, whether you like them or not.”

  “Enough!” the Slayer screamed. “Let’s end this.”

  She charged me, her gladius lunging forward with deadly accuracy. I deflected her blow with my katana and spun forward, putting some distance between us. She spun to face me and once again, we began circling each other.

  I seemed to be getting under the Slayer’s skin and I reveled in seeing her frustration. I decided to keep it up. What can I say? I like to play with my food.

  “My family was murdered by religious zealots. Did you know that, Slayer? They were murdered in the name of your God, an empty god, a god of lies and deceit. He abandoned me in those cold, dark woods, and what emerged from that sorrow and darkness is the creature you see before you now. You say you have come to kill me in the name of God? Well, I say God is the one who made me what I am. I will never bow
my head to the likes of Him, and I will never lose my head to the likes of you. So go crawling back to your keeper while I still feel merciful enough to let you live, mon chéri.”

  “I am not your darling!” she screamed as she blindly charged at me, full of rage.

  I stepped to the side and swept her legs out from beneath her. She fell face-first, and her helm went rolling across the deck. I thought about pouncing on her while she was down, but I remembered Tessa’s orders. She wanted the Slayer saved for the grand finale, so I let my opportunity pass.

  The Slayer rolled to her back and looked up at me. To my surprise, she was actually much prettier than I had expected. Behind that helm was the face of an Angel. So there we were, Angel and Demon, face to face, continuing to fight a war that had been waging for centuries.

  I stuck the tip of my katana into the deck of the ship and propped on it as if it were a cane. I very calmly said, “Well, are you going to get up or not?” When she didn’t respond immediately, I added, “Of course, from what I’ve heard, Catholic girls are at their best when they’re down on their knees.”

  She jumped up to her feet and tossed a hollowed-out egg full of silver powder at my feet. The cloud that it kicked up not only blinded me, but it burned my eyes and mouth. As I tried to refocus my vision, the Slayer appeared in the dust cloud as a whirlwind of blades.

  She had me on my heels. I was barely getting my katana up in time to block her blows, and with every step backwards I took, she was getting closer. To my chagrin, she actually spun her blade around mine and disarmed me. As Kamikaze fell to the deck, I knew I had better do something quick.

  With my left hand, I grabbed her dueling wrist. I placed my right hand beneath her chin and pushed with all my might, ramming her back-first into the mast of the ship. We stood there, struggling against each other, and I was impressed with how strong she was. Whatever the Catholics do to these girls makes them a bitch to deal with.

  I ripped the chainmail headpiece from the Slayer’s head, getting nice and close to her face. Instead of going for the bite, I blurted out, “You know, if you weren’t trying to kill me, I’d be quite stunned by your beauty.”

  The Slayer’s jaw dropped and she froze momentarily. “Wait! What?” She gasped, apparently stunned by my comment.

  I took the opportunity to force her arm down as I raised my knee. The blow to her wrist was mighty enough to force her to drop her gladius. I thought I had the advantage, but she surprised me by ramming her forehead into my face. I immediately released her and took several steps backwards as the flash of white light from the blow blinded me.

  When my vision returned, I saw a gladius cutting through the air, straight for my throat. I ducked beneath the blow and rolled to my feet. When the Slayer spun to face me, I took a step towards her and hit her with a side-thrust kick beneath the chin. The blow knocked her off her feet and gave me time to retrieve my sword.

  She was back on her feet much quicker than I expected. I had to give it to her. She was a tough one. It was a shame she was going to have to die.

  Screams echoed from the lower decks and I smiled. It sounded like Molly and Tessa were having a little fun while I kept the Slayer busy. My adversary looked at me and then looked at the steps leading below deck. Back and forth. Over and over. She was torn between taking my head and doing her duty to protect the innocent.

  I lowered my blade and asked, “So, what are you going to do? Let your pride over winning this fight rule you? Or are you going to do your duty and go help those below deck?” She paused to answer, so I propped myself against the mast and sighed. “I can wait forever, you know. Unfortunately, those below deck don’t have anywhere near that long.”

  The Slayer howled in frustration and started towards the steps. “Wait!” I cried out as I ran over, grabbed her helm, and tossed it to her. “You might need this.”

  She scowled as she caught her helm and put it on her head. She pointed at me and said, “I’ll be back for you,” before disappearing below deck.

  Oh, darling, I’m counting on it.

  “Last night went beautifully!” Tessa remarked as she took Molly by the hand and caressed my cheek. “And you,” she whispered, “my darling Talon, you kept that Slayer distracted long enough for Molly and me to kill all but a handful of survivors. Things are going far better than I had hoped for.”

  Tessa leaned in close and pressed her lips to mine. I bowed my head and said, “Thank you, my Sire.”

  “So,” Molly asked, “what’s the plan tonight?”

  Tessa pursed her lips and scratched her chin. “The Slayer will be on her toes tonight, but she can’t stop us all. If we split up, we can draw her out, and the others can strike. Do you understand?”

  Molly and I nodded and then Molly approached me. With a gleam in her almost gold looking eyes, she interlocked pinkies with me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Be careful, my love,” she whispered. She stood on her tiptoes and rubbed her nose against mine, just before planting a soft kiss on my lips.

  I ran my fingers through her hair and held onto her by it. “And you do the same. Happy hunting, my darling.” We kissed one more time and then it was time to go out.

  I started on the level that used to house the ship’s crew. The place was completely abandoned. Splatters of blood on the wall showed where Molly, or Tessa, or perhaps even both, had been there earlier.

  I continued moving through the shadows, finding nothing but empty rooms and the smell of death. I wondered if the girls were having any better luck, and that’s when I felt the barrel of a gun pressed to the back of my head.

  Oh shit.

  “Do not move, Vampire! Now, put your sword down on the table.”

  I almost laughed. “Now why in the world would I do something as foolish as that?”

  She replied, “Because there’s a silver bullet in the chamber of this gun that’s pressed to the back of your head, and I won’t hesitate to find out what happens to you if I pull the trigger.”

  You know, I have to admit, she provided a very convincing argument. “Alright, I’ll do it.”

  “Put it down slow, Vampire. No tricks or treachery.”

  As I moved very slowly, laying Kamikaze down on the wooden table in the middle of the room, I responded, “I dare say, I’m not in the position to try any trickery at the moment.”

  I was certain she was about to scatter my brains all over the walls, and I prepared for the worst. Instead, she spun me around and put the pistol in my face. There was a fire burning in her eyes, but there was something else that I couldn’t decipher.

  She never lowered her pistol, but backed me into a corner. She sighed as if she was having some kind of internal battle going on in her head and then asked, “What you said, about the Church, was it true?”

  Is she really asking me this?

  Not answering her quickly enough, she shook the pistol furiously in my face and screamed, “Answer me!”

  If it wasn’t for the fact I had a gun in my face, I might have laughed. “Well, mon chéri, we have ourselves a bit of a dilemma here.”

  “Whatever do you mean?”

  “A liar would swear they were telling the truth. A person telling the truth would do the same. So why ask me a question when you know what the answer is and you’ve probably already made your mind up of whether or not you’re going to believe me?”

  She hesitated, and then took her helm off to lay it beside my sword. “I want to look into your eyes when you answer me. I have to know the truth. So I ask again, Vampire, was what you told me about the Church true?”

  I stared into her blue eyes and said, “Yes, it was true. The church has murdered thousands, maybe millions, to spread its agenda.”

  She looked stunned. “I… I can’t believe the Church would do that.”

  I folded my arms. “Do yourself a favor, girl. Pick up a history book and do some research. The Church has been one of the most destructive forces in all of history.”

  “You’re lying! Yo
u’re a Demon. Demons lie.”

  At this point, I didn’t care if she shot me or not. I shouted at her, “And the Church murders innocent people, like my mother and sister, in the name of God! At least I have the common decency to put down the wicked people that I cross. Now which of us is the evil one?”

  Her voice became soft and solemn. “The Church murdered your family?”

  I fought back the tears that tried to well up in my eyes and I said, “Not the Church exactly, but a fat man with a Bible who fancied himself a preacher. He accused my mother of witchcraft and burned her alive in front of me. He then tied my thirteen-year-old sister and me to trees and left us out in the middle of the woods in the dead of winter. I was the only one to survive, and the only reason I’m here isn’t because of God, or some angel coming to my rescue, despite the fucking fact that I prayed with all my might for that to happen. God had every chance to save me, but instead, he sat on his fucking ass and watched as everything I loved was taken from me. My salvation came in the form of a Vampire. She offered me life and a chance to get the revenge my family deserved. Tell me, if you were me, wouldn’t you have done the same thing?”

  The Slayer leaned against the wall and was speechless. Eventually, she muttered the words, “I… I’ve never thought of Vampires as anything but Demons. I honestly can’t say what I would have done in your shoes, Vampire.”

  “You know, I do have a name.”

  “Is that so?” the Slayer said with a grin. “And what might it be?”

  “Nicholas Watson.”

  To my surprise, the Slayer offered me her hand. “Well, Nicholas Watson, I am Marie Durand.”

  I stared at her hand held out to me, suspiciously at first. I slowly reached out and took it, expecting a trap, but she simply shook my hand and gave me a little curtsy in the process. “I’d say it was a pleasure to meet you, Marie, but we seem a wee bit too busy trying to kill each other for this to truly be an enjoyable moment.”