by A K Blake
Grunting, he nodded, patting his own stomach. “Well, you know, I worry about you giver girls. So young and pretty to be out here in the palace and working so hard.”
“Mm. Do you now?”
“Oh, you know what a softie I am.” He reached for her arm as he talked, gently moving it over his wine glass without asking and depressing the drip button. Lux flared her nostrils as blood began to rain into his cup but said nothing. “You know how I’d hate if something to happened to one of you. Just look at this business with that Hanishite girl.”
At first Lux was confused—the lovely drunk spins had begun to kick in, which wasn’t helping—but then she realized he meant Iona. People always assumed she was Hanishite, and the arena had been billing her fight as “the Hanishite barbarian in single combat.” It was in his usual tone-deaf way, but Lux was surprised and even a little touched that Drowan had kept up with their giver problems. “Yes, well. Thank you. I won’t lie, it hasn’t been easy.”
“I can’t imagine! It’s good she only managed to take one vampire down with her, though I suppose it’s two, if you count the arena. Beneficent Dieda, I shudder to think how many of you givers she could’ve killed with that pulsor knife if you’d been awake.” He shook his head, piggy eyes wide. “Thank Dieda you weren’t there when the berserker fit hit!”
“When the berserker—Wait, you blame Iona for this?”
“Well, what else? She murdered a vampire in cold blood! To think of all the times I’ve been alone with a giver and never thought to worry the little thing might be hiding a pulsor knife somewhere. It’s positively terrifying, I can hardly sleep. See how red my eyes are? Like I said, it’s good you weren’t there when she—”
Before he could finish, Lux was on her feet, pulling her veinguard arm away as her other hand flashed up, smacking him hard in the chest. Blood from her guard sprinkled across his black velvet jacket and began to puddle on the floor by their feet. Drowan stopped speaking, letting out a little hrumph of surprise.
Seeing his eyes widen, the gravity of what she’d just done began to descend on her. She had hit a customer—her, Lux Utempra, famous for her level head and rapier-sharp wit. Not only that, she’d hit Drowan Callandra, whose family owned half of Laemia and was older than the capital itself. Time slowed to crawl. She’d had literal nightmares like this. Her life flashed before her eyes, her reputation trashed, her career down the drain. Usually so eloquent, Lux suddenly had no idea what to say. There was nothing that could possibly smooth this over, and Dieda knew it was far too late to play it off as a joke.
Drowan’s surprise quickly dissolved into anger, his pupils expanding. Red-faced, he snarled, “Now see here, you do you think you are, you little bitch? I was just trying to be nice, but maybe all you givers are out of your minds. To think that I—”
Obrax appeared out of nowhere, pulled Lux backward by the waist as he stepped between the two of them. He hissed, “Get out of here,” before turning to the vampire with his hands raised in supplication. “I am so very, deeply sorry, Duke Callandra. This particular giver is going through a difficult time, the death of a close friend, you understand. Never should have been allowed back at work. As Head Giver, that is entirely on me. Please, allow me to make it up to you. I have a much more suitable young lady, a lovely blond from the Hyalthia Sea. She’s just the thing. If you’ll accompany me this way...”
Leaving the blood on the floor, Lux fled the hall.
***
Obrax came to see her later. She’d taken some more matra by then and had a hard time focusing on what he was saying. He went on for a while about how hard he knew things had been since Iona passed, how he shouldn’t have let her come back to work so soon except he’d thought she could use the distraction. She’d thought so too, had practically begged him to let her back. But everything felt fake, as if her life had become a holovid set, important people going about their carefully curated lives, chatting about weather and fussing over their clothes as if nothing had changed.
When he didn’t get much of a response, Obrax sighed a few times and told her she was officially on leave. It’s not that you’re in trouble, I just think you need more time. It’s for your own good. He waved a hand in her face. “Lux? Lux are you listening? Here, let me book you a ticket. It’s the least I can do. Where do you want to go, a nice beach maybe? How about we get you to somewhere with some sun.”
“No, no beach, thanks.”
“Alright, then where do you want to go?”
There was a heavy pause. It felt inevitable all of a sudden. She’d been avoiding her promise to Iona, but fate had caught up to her. Lux sighed. “Aequus.”
“Is that a city or—”
“It’s in the Rasuk Woods.”
“Ah.” He grimaced. “Look, I can understand if you want to pay your respects, but I’m not sure that’s the best idea. Going there isn’t going to bring her back, and don’t you think—”
“That’s where I want to go. Can you book me a ticket or should I do it myself?”
He sighed again. “Alright, if you’re sure that’s what you want. But do let me know if you change your mind.”
***
Waking up the next twilight, Lux felt clearer-headed than she had in several nights. So maybe her career, the thing she’d spent her life building, was in shambles. So what if she’d made an enemy of one of the most important vampires in Callidus. There was always New Gamen. She’d heard good things about the ocean air. Supposedly it did wonders for your skin. But anyway, she’d have plenty of time to regroup on her mandatory leave time. At least nobody would ask her about it in the woods.
Finding Aequus was simpler than she’d expected. Someone on the FreeNet had apparently spent an inordinate amount of time collecting reports of freedman settlements and mapping out their locations. Lux couldn’t think what for. She supposed there were always a few nutjobs who wanted to escape “the grid,” but surely if your town was searchable on the FreeNet you were never truly on your own. Then again, when she was the last passenger dropped off at the final station—a rundown, one room building that seemed to cower before the massive wall of trees behind it—she thought she’d never felt quite so alone.
Lux thought, only once, about turning back. Standing there on the edge of the wilderness, towering foliage that seemed to go on forever, she considered all the bad things that could happen in there with no one to call for help. Her spore was already getting bad reception, the signal dwindling the further she got from civilization. And, really, who was there to hold her accountable if she changed her mind? Iona was the only one who would know, and dead men didn’t tell. A shiver ran through her. But then she squared her shoulders, glaring into the woods. She had survived vampire bites and palace politics. A few hillbillies didn’t scare her.
***
The hovercamper she rented at the station turned out to be a hunk of junk. It barely went above walking speed, and its wide backend kept getting stuck between trees trunks. It also made a loud sputtering noise that she was sure could be heard for miles. Lux hoped it was enough to scare away predators, because she wasn’t getting far if anything attacked.
Parking in a spot of forest that looked just as good as any other, she pressed the “camp” button. A tent exploded from the back end of the vehicle, gears whirring as it expanded to almost the size of her giver room. At least there was one good thing about this rundown piece of crap. Still, the tent didn’t look like much against the vast darkness. Despite having spent her entire life awake at night, Lux couldn’t get used to how pitch-black it was here. In the city there were always lights, neon and LED on all the time. Here, she felt blind, constantly peering and squinting toward the darkness as if that would help.
Shivering, she tried to ignore the feeling of being watched. She flicked open her spore, only to be treated to a red “No Service” message. At least she wouldn’t be getting any more ads. Then a twig snapped a few yards away. Flicking her spore shut, she dove into the tent, closing th
e flap and hastily calibrating it to her digiscan. She hoped it was stronger than it looked. The rental guy had assured her it was made of “the highest quality” para-aramid fiber, just like gladiator armor. But standing there, surrounded by who knew what kind of monsters—not the least other humans—it felt incredibly flimsy.
Crawling into the bed the back of the hovercamper had become, she rummaged through the front seat until she found her stash. She’d been good, mostly stayed out of it while driving. It had been easy when she was focused on navigation. Now, however, Iona’s face swam into view. She took a drink and squeezed her eyes to shut her out. Iona had that shocked look, her face bleached by the spotlight as she crashed slowly to the arena floor. Lux hissed, taking another pull. “I’m out here like you wanted, so just leave me alone already.” But it was a long time before she fell asleep.
***
She found the first carcass in the morning, just next to her foot as she stepped outside the tent. It took her a minute before she could see anything, her eyes weak from her hangover and a life nocturnal. Even the hideous, floppy-brimmed hat she’d brought along did nothing. It was hard to believe this was the supposed natural state for humanity. Right now it felt like hell. When her tears finally stopped, the body was still blurry. Bending down, mopping her eyes with her sleeve, she jumped back when she saw fur.
It was brown, something small with a bushy tail and spindly legs. A fox maybe. Lux backed away, trying not to breathe through her nose. She wanted to get moving, had planned to make the village with enough daylight to interrogate everyone. Most likely Jedrick was dead, and if she could pin everything down today, then she could light a candle, say a quick prayer, and be on her way. Anywhere else had begun to seem increasingly welcoming in comparison with this place.
Skirting the body, she consulted her spore. Her FreeNet access was nonexistent, but the navigation seemed to be working. She was so absorbed, taking in the daytime view and squinting at the screen as she walked, that she didn’t see the next animal until her boot went straight through the ribcage. It shattered, rotting flesh and bits of bone spraying in all directions. Screaming, Lux stumbled back and nearly fell. Careening to the side, she righted herself just in time, one hand coming to rest only a few inches from another skull. She inhaled sharply, which was a mistake. Her nose filled with the overwhelming stench of decay. Lux gagged, swallowing hard as she raised her head to look around. The wind must have been blowing the other direction before, because there was no way she could’ve missed the scent of at least a hundred dead animals piled together.
Most were thrown haphazardly, their necks broken or spines snapped in two. Bits of white—skull and vertebrae—showed through the fur. However, in one area some maniac had tried to organize them. They were more or less stacked, bigger animals at the bottom, with foxes and feral dogs in the middle, and some squirrels on top. Maggots wriggled in their eyes. Losing the battle with her stomach, Lux threw up several times, one after another, scotch and ham sandwich coating the ground and the fancy hiking boots that had cost her 250 cc’s. Well, she’d known they were going to get ruined, though perhaps not in quite such a spectacular fashion.
Stomach finally empty, Lux staggered away, lurching into a run as soon as she could manage. She ran for a long time, not caring if she was going the right direction, as long as it was away from that horrible...whatever it was. The first thing her mind jumped to was that the humans living here were savages. What if they worshipped some kind of murderous god? Then again, Iona had been from here and had always seemed relatively normal. As long as they weren’t cannibals, she supposed it didn’t really matter. Just all the more reason to get to this stupid village, get out as fast as possible, and go spend the rest of her vacation drunk on the beach. Steeling herself, she opened her spore. Only a mile away. Things could be worse.
***
Aequus was bigger than she’d expected, marked by a fence twice her height with a reflexor field on top and a ring of solar panels so bright her eyes started tearing up again. It stretched into the distance with no gap in sight. Sighing, she trudged on until she reached a door, which was, of course, boarded up.
“Stay back.” A voice startled her, seemingly coming from nowhere. “This reflexor field goes all the way to the ground, and it’s enough to fry your brain like an egg. Who are you? What do you want?”
She realized it was coming from a speaker next to a camera next above the door. So much for a warm welcome. It was generally harder to work her charm without a face to assess, but she hadn’t become a palace giver for nothing. Blowing hair from her eyes, Lux flashed the camera her most winning smile. “Hello there! My name is Lux. I’m just stopping through, and I was hoping you could help me. I’d rather not talk out here, it’s a bit cold. Do you think I could come in?” She held up her hands to show they were empty.
“Oh sure, nothing suspicious about you.” The voice came out tinny, but she could still hear a drawl. “Sorry, lady, you’re not getting in. Just say what it is you want.”
“I assure you, I’m not asking for anything for free. I’ve brought payment.” Taking a bottle from her backpack, Lux held it up to the camera. “Scotch, aged almost eight hundred years. Straight from Dieda’s teet, I swear it melts on your tongue.”
There was a pause. “How many of those you got?”
“As many as it takes. There’s more where this came from.”
The voice sighed. It sounded male, maybe early forties. “Well, I do love a good scotch, but I don’t know you, and you’re still not getting inside. You say you want to talk, so talk. If I got answers and you want to go ahead and leave that bottle when we’re done, that works for me. Otherwise, you can clear out.”
“Fine, if that’s how you want it. I expected country folk to be more hospitable, but I guess we’re doing this the hard way.” Lux scowled, dropping the act. “I’m looking for someone named Jedrick. He may no longer be with us, and if that’s the case then I’d like to pay my respects.”
There was sudden screeching sound, like the microphone crashing against something. Lux ducked, covering her ears. She heard scuffling, then a hoarse voice as the mic clicked back on. “You say...Jedrick?”
“Yes! Dieda take it, can you fix that? I think I’m deaf in one ear already.”
“Hang on a minute.” There was more scuffling. “No, actually...uh, put your teeth up to the camera.”
“Put my—ah.” Lux rolled her eyes. Pulling back her gums, she flashed her canines back and forth. “Satisfied? You know, that doesn’t prove anything. Fangs are retractable. What you should really look for is the eyes.”
“Oh, yeah, right! Ok..uh, show those too.”
Lux opened them as far as they would go, making a face as she blinked pointedly at the camera.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s good. That’ll do. Alright, I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere, you just, uh, stay put! Don’t try any funny business either.”
Presently she heard noises on the other side of the fence, talking and a banging sound. Then a square panel in the top part of the door opened up. On the other side was a burly man with a red beard that stuck out in all direction. Regarding her with a suspicious stare, he grunted. “Who are you? What do you want?” His voice was deeper than whoever she’d been talking to before.
“Oh yes, hello there, so nice to meet you too. As your friend may have explained, my name is Lux. I’m looking for someone named Jedrick.”
“There’s no Jedrick here anymore. Jedrick’s dead, I buried him myself.”
“I see. Well, I’m very sorry to hear that, Dieda soothe his soul. I’m actually here for a friend who couldn’t make the trip. Are you familiar with an Iona Meranto?”
The man’s face contorted suddenly, nostrils flaring. His eyes went wide, morphing into a half crazed expression that made Lux suddenly glad there was a wall between them. “That little southie is still alive?”
“Actually—”
He lunged forward, railing against the confines of the w
indow. “At least she knows better than to show her face here after what she did! It’s because of her that Jedrick’s like this. She’s the reason they made him into this, this demon, I know it! He dies, and then she disappears, and that demon with his face shows up. When I get my hands on her, she’ll wish she’d never been born. Trouble from the start, that darkie was!”
“I don’t...demon? Didn’t you say he was dead?”
“He is dead!” His voice was suddenly hoarse. “My sweet boy is gone. They’ve done something to him, taken his body and ripped out his soul somehow, made him into a monster like them.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
“Aren’t you listening? They’ve turned my son into a Dieda-forsaken vampire!”
That gave her a pause.
“All the time, it haunts this place! That thing tries to talk to us, with those horrible...black eyes in Jedrick’s face.” He was getting hysterical now, running his hands through his hair until it stood nearly straight up. “It’s always leaving things in the night, dead animals and flowers, taunting us. The whole village is in an uproar, can’t leave for fear we’ll get sucked dry. We’re running low on supplies, and we haven’t slept in weeks!”