by Jon Herrera
Chapter Five
"Master Walengrave.” A low voice said from beside the Dodge. "What can we do for you?"
I looked up and saw Tyler, one of Carlo's fledglings. I shook my head. I needed to start paying more attention to my surroundings. I got out of the car and looked down at Tyler. He was almost a foot shorter than me, but he clearly spent a lot more time working out than I ever had. His muscles didn't intimidate me and my stare didn’t intimidate him.
"I meant no offense.” Tyler said and lowered his eyes. "I merely wanted to say that we are honored to be visited by the Master of the City of Fort Worth."
"It’s more an honorary title.” I said and relaxed. I leaned back against one of the Dodge’s big dents and crossed my arms.
"Whatever you say.” Tyler said and nodded.
"Do you know anything about what happened to Fredric?” I said and tried to sound a little bored by the whole thing.
"I think he was decapitated.” Tyler said without emotion. "By someone who looked a lot like Kilestra."
"You don't sound too tore up about it.” I said and tilted my head.
"Fredric wasn't always an easy man to like.” Tyler said. I waited, but he didn't volunteer any more information.
A few moments later Carlo walked out and joined us. He looked around as if he hadn’t left the safety of his castle in years. He seemed surprised by the city that surrounded him.
"What are you doing here, Wilhem?” Carlo said and looked at me with a long face. "My house is in mourning, as I'm sure you're well aware."
"It's a nice night.” I said and meet his gaze. "And I’m always looking for something new to photograph."
Carlo looked up the street and back down at me. He reached over and laid a cool thin hand on my shoulder. I almost flinched, but managed to suppress it. He patted me a couple of times in an almost friendly manner.
"You are always welcome, Wilhem." Carlo said and stepped away from me. He made a follow me motion to Tyler. The two of them walked back to the former church with its glowing colored windows.
I waited a few minutes and followed them. I had been planning on the direct approach anyway. I found a small private garden and a short winding path that ended at an ornate door. I pulled a black chain and heard a gong sound from inside. A moment later the door swung open.
"Master Walengrave.” A vampire trained in the art of being a butler greeted me. He was dressed in a formal suit and seemed to have a permanent snarl on his lips. "We've been expecting you."
"Have you?” I said as the butler stood aside and allowed me to enter the building. "Odd, since I hadn't planned on stopping by."
"What Henry means, Wilhem.” Carlo said as he gave the butler Henry a cool look. "Is that the Master of the City is always expected and welcome in my home."
I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. I nodded my head the way I had seen countless mob bosses and other big wigs do in the movies. My real experience with any kind of power structure was pretty much nil. Carlo returned a small bow and spread his arms in what I took to be a welcoming gesture.
Carlo Acerbi was turned during the days of the Holy Roman Empire. He had classic Italian good looks from his curly hair to his aquiline nose to his muscular body. He was a little short by modern standards, as almost all Ancients were. He was a little less than five feet tall, but a vampire’s strength doesn’t come from his body. He was a vampire of many talents. One of his talents was the ability to feed off fear and many people were afraid of Carlo. That he had chosen to move to my City had made me afraid of him as well.
"Join me in the Library?” Carlo said with a little bit more obsequiousness than I had ever seen before. The Butler, Henry, led the way. We walked across the large open room outside what had once been the sanctuary. The floor was covered in colorful tiles. Ornate columns rose up to a vaulted ceiling. A complicated mosaic of geometric patterns gave the room a holy feeling.
We turned off down a narrow hallway. The curving wall was lined with several larger than life sized statues. Leftover holy men from the days when Carlo's humble abode was still a church. I was a bit surprised when the hallway ended at a small elevator. The ding as the door slid open seemed oddly out of place.
We rode up in silence, well, except for the old elevator’s small jerks and rattles. The car missed the third floor by a few inches and dropped back down into place as the doors slid open. I have never trusted elevators and I closed my eyes for a moment to steady my nerves.
"I know.” Carlo said as he laid his small hand on my shoulder. "I'm going to have this thing replaced with something a little more modern. I just haven't found the time to deal with it yet."
"Maybe we could take the stairs when we head back down.” I said running a hand through my hair.
"Of course, whatever you like.” Carlo said and offered an understanding nod.
We followed Henry down a long curving hallway. Closed doors lined the walls. High hanging lights that had a gothic flavor cast a cream-colored light. The ceiling was at least fifteen feet high and the hallway was about eight feet wide. And yet all the open space felt confined.
Other hallways branched off here and there, and we took the last one before the hall ended. A short walk brought us to a large wooden door with oversized black metal fixtures. Henry pushed the door open and held it as we walked in.
The west wall was made up of old style windows. There was a view of trees, and behind them, the lights of downtown Fort Worth. Several tables made of yellow wood filled the room’s center. The remaining three walls were filled with floor to ceiling bookcases. Locked bookcases.
The books were mostly leather-bound and had a feeling of age and power about them. Books of power. The kind of ancient tomes witches and wizards like to write in their fading years. A way to pass on their knowledge to those that want to follow in their footsteps. Not usually the kind of things a vampire had much interest in. We tend to carry our power around inside us and don't care who or what will come after us.
“You know, Master Walengrave.” Carlo said and walked to the window and gazed into the night. “I understand why you might have been displeased with Fredric. You could have contacted me directly. I thought you were a more modern vampire who didn’t go in for the Old Ways.”
“I try to keep my involvement to a minimum.” I said. The sounds of distant traffic and the rustling of leaves floated in from outside.
“Were you unhappy because we didn’t cut you in on the deal?” Carlo said and turned his face to me. There was a flash of vampire power in his eyes. “I talked to Fedor, he said you didn’t like to be directly involved. Your disguise as a lowly Code Enforcer had me fooled.”
“Cut me in on what deal?” I said and images of vending machines drifted into my mind.
“Yes.” Carlo said and let his shoulders sag. “A small business venture involving distribution.”
“Oh.” I said and tried to sound like I knew exactly what he was talking about. “Something Fredric learned about from one of these books?”
One of Carlo’s eyes flinched for a moment and he clenched his jaw. His control only slipped for a moment. He bowed his head in my direction and led me over to the bookcase with the magical volumes.
I was impressed by his collection. Well, as impressed as I could be with a bunch of books with titles I couldn’t read. Locked behind thick plates of bullet proof glass. The text on the spines looked Elfish and that made me nervous. Waves of magical power wafted into the room like a sticky fog on a cool night.
“These were Fredric’s last great passion.” Carlo said with a dismissive wave of one hand. “He claimed to have learned some interesting things while reading these manuscripts. They hold little interest for me.”
"I kind of like these books.” A woman said as she strode into the library. "You never know what you’ll read next."
I turned and looked at her. My heart stopped for a moment. I stood stock-still and stared at her. She wasn’t floating in midair and she wasn’t glowing with power, bu
t she was my Elf. I turned my head from the Elf to Carlo.
“Her father told me her name is Desiara, but she goes by Katie.” Carlo said and held his hand out toward the small woman. She took his hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She smiled at me and I could see those many teeth in the mouth that was a little too wide. She was a bit too thin, just the way I like my women. Her eyes were an alien green color and her heartbeat was a bit too fast. She looked to be about fourteen human years old, but I knew looks could be deceiving. I swallowed at a dryness in my throat.
"An Elf, Carlo?" I said and tried to keep my heart from skipping another beat. Maybe Desiara was a common Elf name. "I haven't seen one of her kind in years."
"I'm standing right here, Vampire.” Katie said and pouted at me.
She tilted her head and gave me a stare. I stared back. She was small and radiated a confusing mixture of energies. She was wearing tights printed to look like blue jeans and a gray hoodie. The thick strap of a leather messenger bag crossed her upper body. The bag had lots of flaps and pockets. She didn’t look like a Goddess.
"Carlo tells me you’re some big wheel around here." Katie said and narrowed her eyes at me. "But you don't look like anything special to me."
Carlo pulled his arm away from Katie. He delivered a slap to her face that sent her sprawling across the floor. I froze again, waiting for the Goddess to appear. But Katie just glared at Carlo in impotent rage and rubbed the side of her face. My eyes opened a little wider. Not because I had never seen a woman slapped before. But because I feared the consequences of striking this particular woman. Nothing, however, happened.
"Apologize to our guest, my dear.” Carlo said in a voice that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up in fear. Carlo was using one of his powers in a situation where it clearly wasn’t needed. Katie froze for a second, then turned her gaze toward me. She laid her forehead on the floor near my feet so that her small round ass rose in the air.
"Please forgive me, Master." Katie said without raising her head. "I meant no disrespect. I thought..."
"There is no need to share your thoughts, Katie.” Carlo said and pulled her up by her hair until she was kneeling before me. I had another one of those tremors I was having a hard time hiding. Katie stared at me, but I saw no sign that she was either repentant or pleading for help. She kept her mouth shut and lowered her eyes.
“She is a good girl.” Carlo said and smiled for the first time. “She can be a very good girl.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” I said and gave the room one last look. “I think Henry can show me out now.”
ANDY WAS IN the Consulate parking lot when I walked out. He was putting a fresh coat of wax on his 1985 Custom Deluxe Chevy Pickup Truck. It was dark blue with a clear coat finish. It had a soft sexy glow that had nothing to do with magic. Andy has done about a million careful hand washings and waxings. He's one of those people that likes to think of his cars as an extension of himself. I tend to think of them as a temporary means of transportation. Andy noticed the dents in the Dodge’s side instantly.
"What happened here?” He walked around the Dodge while he wiped his waxy hands on a red shop rag. "Those dents almost look like someone kicked your car."
"Yeah, someone did.” I said and walked over and stood by him. We both stared at the dents. "It was Vladlena, the slightly crazy vampire Fedor wants me to bring in."
"If someone did that to my pickup.” Andy said and shook his head. "Well, there wouldn't be much to bring in."
"It's only a car.” I said and put my hands in my pockets. “It’s not a big deal.”
"Pagan.” Andy said and shook his head. “I’ll get someone to have a look at it tomorrow. I still have a couple ‘Auto Mechanic to the Master of Fort Worth’ signs I can trade.”
Andy walked back to the Custom Deluxe. He opened the chrome toolbox that nestled close to the pickup’s cab. He reached inside and pulled out a Desert Eagle 44 Magnum automatic. He popped the mag to make sure it was loaded and reinserted it with a loud click. He then put the large black automatic into his shoulder holster. He nodded at me. "We need to pay Vladlena another visit."
Before I could object to Andy's plans for Vladlena, Gerald rolled up beside me.
"I went to Kilestra's house.” Gerald said as he hopped out of the Corvette. "A few of her people are still there, but she's nowhere in sight. I was going to take her Chosen as hostages. Maybe keep one or two at my place, but it turns out none of them were home."
"I'm sure they're all broke up that they couldn't spend some time with you.” Andy said and took out the Desert Eagle and buffed the barrel with his rag. "And I'm sure you'd get all broken up if you actually had found any of Kilestra's Chosen."
Gerald ignored Andy and stared in my direction. He stood with his feet a bit too wide apart. He crossed his arms so that his biceps looked bigger than they already were. It's the kind of pose that comes from reading way too many comic books. And watching a little too much wrestling on Saturday nights.
"You’re gonna help me, Willy.” Gerald said and pointed a beefy finger at me. "Where can I find Kilestra?"
"Hmm.” I said and stroked my beard in an attempt at looking wise. "Have you tried her fledging’s house in Azle? She lives near one of those gravel pits. It's a good place to hide the occasional body. Lots of rock haulers out that way, talk to a couple of them, see if they know anything."
"Azle?” Gerald said and furrowed his brows at me. He shifted his square jaw from side to side for a moment. Then he nodded as he made up his mind. "Yeah, it seems like I heard about Kilestra hooking up with some redneck that ran a beer joint out there. I'll check it out. Thanks."
Andy and I watched Gerald get back into the Vette and peel off into the night. Andy looked at me with a question on his face.
"What?” I said, going for innocence and not quite making it.
"Kilestra doesn't have any fledgling in Azle, does she?” Andy said and raised an eyebrow.
"Anything's possible.” I said and walked around to the Custom Deluxe’s passenger side.
"And isn't there a group of Hunters out that way who work as gravel haulers?"
"Now that you mention it, I do recall hearing something about that.” I said. "I hope Gerald will be alright out there. All alone. Surrounded by people who want to kill him."
"Funny.” Andy said and climbed behind the wheel of the Custom Deluxe. "I was hoping he suffers a horrible death and we never see him again."
"I THINK WE should just kill her.” Andy said and patted his Desert Eagle in its shoulder holster. "Blow off enough limbs and you can slow down even an old vampire."
"I'm not sure that would be a good idea.” I said and rubbed the spot on my shoulder where Vladlena had given me the Vulcan Death Grip. "Vampires close to a thousand years old are a pretty rare breed. We tend to take serious revenge on humans who kill an older vampire. Even those that really need to be killed. Besides, we don’t have an Execution Order."
"You're the Boss," Andy said and put both hands on the steering wheel. "But if it looks like you or her, I'm gonna have to save your ass."
"Good to know.” I said and drummed my fingers on the dashboard.
"So.” Andy said and did a few neck rolls that filled the truck’s cab with small cracking noises. "You wanna hit the drive thru before we head off to your certain death? Seeing friends get whacked always gives me a good appetite and I want to be ready."
"We don't know Vladlena wants to kill me.” I said and kept an eye out for a hamburger joint. "But we can swing by Whataburger and get you something, just in case."
"Yeah.” Andy said and rubbed his hands together as we idled at a stoplight. "A nice combo number 5 with jalapenos should just about do the trick. And just for the record, Kilestra doesn't have to trade info with Fedor to get by."
"Yeah, you've mentioned that before.” I said. I looked out the back window and saw Izumi and Raoul's black Suburban. They kept a steady distance between us. "Do you know how
to shake a tail?"
"You mean dancing or do you want to get rid of those numbskulls in the Suburban?” Andy said while he looked in the rearview mirror. "What's the big deal? We know every street in the Metroplex. We take a few back roads and a couple of quick turns and then park in some dark alley. At least, that's how they all do it in the movies.”
"And how would you do it?” I said without thinking it through.
Andy pulled out the Desert Eagle, leaned out the window and fired off a few rounds in the Suburban’s general direction. A loud pop sounded as a tire was shot out. The Suburban wobbled to the curb.
"Wow.” I said. "That worked out pretty well."
"Yeah.” Andy said as if he never had a doubt. "On a related note, I'm gonna need to stop by a junk yard tomorrow and pick up a new tail light."
"And why are you telling me?” I said.
"It's a business expense.” Andy said. "The Truck seems to have a lot of mechanical issues when you ride along."
THE SKY WAS cloudy and gray. A steady wind tugged at our clothes when we stepped toward Vladlena's McMansion. None of the windows showed any light. A scattering of dry leaves made the gothic lines look less regal and more haunted.
Now that I had a chance to give it a closer look, I could see the grass needed a little trimming. And stacks of newspapers sat by the front door. And the windows were dirty. We wandered around for a few minutes. We found a For Sale sign laying behind the privacy wall. Lying next to it was a broken chain with a padlock still attached to it.
"Looks like this isn't exactly Vladlena's house.” Andy said as he peered up at the dark mansion. "Times are hard. I heard many people are trying to do a bit of urban homesteading on houses like this."
"Vampires can always do a bit of mind manipulation.” I said and moved up the long driveway. "A home owner won’t report you to the authorities if they think you’re a guest."
"Right.” Andy said and looked around. "This is one big ass house. I don't think the two of us can cover it. Hell, I'm not even sure the two of us can cover one side of it. So what's your plan?"
"Last time Vladlena just kind of popped out of thin air.” I said as we walked up to the house. "I'm guessing she'll just show up, sooner or later. We can do a little recon while we wait."
"Yeah, that's a good plan.” Andy said as he walked up to a large window and peered inside. "This place is empty.”
"Makes you wonder.” I said as we walked around the house to a large wooden deck. The door leading into the kitchen was open. It was dark, which was not a problem for me, but Andy stopped and pulled out his Desert Eagle.
"I'll wait for you on this nice redwood bench.” Andy said and sat down. The old boards creaked under his weight, but the wood held.
"I won't be long.” I said and walked into the darkness.
Empty rooms and silence greeted me. I found a utility room in the house’s center that doubled as a storm shelter. A coffin was sitting neatly against one wall on a pile of dirt. Vladlena was an Old School vampire. You didn't find too many vampires who still liked to sleep on native soil. Room by room, I moved, quickly working my way to the top floor and the master bedroom. Here, floor to ceiling windows faced the lake across the street. It was a lovely view, even in soft moonlight.
"It was the sight of still water which seduced me.” Vladlena said from a dark corner of the empty room. "People jog in the darkness, some find a secluded spot and make love in the open. I could never stay in a place that didn't have some kind of water nearby."
"Since I moved here before the lakes sprang up.” I said in as close to a conversational tone as I could get. "Water wasn't that important to me. I liked the area when it was still a little wild. It used to be more of a challenge to find people."
"I know you carry your food with you wherever you go.” Vladlena said and I could hear the disgust on her face. "No one should keep their own family as pets. That's not right. One of my first acts was to kill my family. My father sold me to my Makers. Maybe it would have been more of a punishment to keep him around."
"I'm not punishing my family.” I said and turned toward Vladlena. I could see her sitting with her back to the corner and her arms hugging her knees. "I just couldn't stand the idea of living forever without them."
"Isn't it time to cut the cord?” Vladlena said and laughed. "That was what Mikhail said to me. Right before he left me. Right before he threw me away like a loaf of moldy bread."
"Uh, yeah.” I said and moved a little closer to Vladlena. "That first separation can be a bit traumatic."
"Oh, yes.” Vladlena said and nodded. "I still have the occasional fantasy of tracking him down and killing him."
"Some dreams are best left unrealized.” I said and stood in front of Vladlena so she had to look up at me. When she did, we locked eyes and I let my power flow into her. I saw her relax, watched the tension leave her muscles. The anger disappear from her face. She was really quite beautiful, when she wasn't trying to kill me.
"Oh yes.” Vladlena said to me as she leaned toward me. "Mikhail found me beautiful as well. He took me when I was seventeen. A bit old for the times, but still young enough to entice a vampire as old as him."
Vladlena ran her hands across my chest. She drug her fingers down my abdomen and made my muscles twitch. She didn't break eye contact as she let the surprising warmth from her power dance across my skin. I felt her energy even through the denim and leather of my clothes. She ran her tongue over her lips and raised an eyebrow.
I leaned into her and put my mouth to her neck. I took a little nip of her flesh. It had a tired taste, like it had seen too many years and not enough rest. With the connection open I felt her many powers. I grasped at the largest one and a sense of time drifted my way. I had a moment to sense her use of this power over time and I wanted it.
Then she pushed me away, before I could get more than a nibble of that power. I was thrown into the wall across the room. I found myself on the floor with a ringing in my ears.
"You are cute, Wil.” Vladlena said and walked slowly toward where I lay sprawled. "But I’m no longer a mere child who can be robbed so easily."
"Ok, so much for Plan A." I said and sat up. "I'm guessing you've fed recently and you've got a bit of a buzz going. So maybe now would be a good time to tell me a little more about Mikhail."
"Let's just say he took everything from me.” Vladlena said and leaned over and put her hand against my chest. I couldn't move. "Mikhail was a little bit ahead of his times. He liked strong women. He liked to be dominated. He liked to be controlled. I get the feeling you also like strong women, Wil. Do you want me to show you what Mikhail liked best?"
A blast of sound and light from a gun's muzzle lit up the empty room and filled my ears with white noise. I looked up at Vladlena and she looked down at me. We did a quick scan and found neither of us had been shot. A second shot sounded. It was followed by the sound of someone yelling and then cursing in Spanish. Vladlena looked at me.
"Friends of yours?” Vladlena said.
"Alright, Kilestra.” Izumi yelled in our general direction. "You’re coming with us."
“I know that it is dark in here.” Vladlena said in her thick Russian accent. "But I am not Kilestra."
"I got you covered, Wil.” Andy said and a moment later, another gunshot echoed in the room.
"Stop firing, already.” I said. Wood splintered, glass broke, and someone cried out.
"Oh.” Izumi said and stumbled in the dark before falling down. "That hurt and now I've got glass in my hair."
"Glass in your hair?” Raoul said from somewhere in the darkness. "That son of a bitch shot my leg."
"It’s been fun, Wil.” Vladlena said and let her hand caress my face. "Don’t force me to kill you."
One moment Vladlena was holding me and the next she flashed away. I had to get Andy and get out of here, before he ended up shooting me next.
I found Andy in the doorway and pushed him back into the hallway. Izumi and Raoul w
ere still yelling as we moved down the stairs and back out the door I had come in. Andy still had the Desert Eagle in his hand. He moved around like an extra on Law & Order or maybe someone playing paintball. We were almost at the truck before Andy relaxed and put the Desert Eagle back in its holster. Izumi and Raoul's Suburban was parked behind the Custom Deluxe. It had a couple of holes in it, but otherwise seemed OK.
"They went in another door.” Andy said as we headed back to the Consulate. "As far as I can tell, Vladlena left everything unlocked. I followed when I heard them talking."
"And why did you shoot them?” I said while I shifted my jaw around to try and pop my eardrums back into place.
"It was a diversionary tactic.” Andy said and nodded. "It worked, too."