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Chapter Four
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The monastery is not exactly where I was informed it would be, but it is close enough, so I will not demand my money back from my informant. As I pull up on the driveway I see a massive grey building erupt from the mist. I think this is it. I get out of my car and marvel at the sheer size of it. It must be at least five centuries old – it is beautiful.
By now the cold is really getting to me, so I hurry to the gate and give a determined knock. If they indeed are vampires, they will not mind me showing up in the middle of the night. Might be prayer time though – I did not think about that. It matters not. I am here and I can wait for them to finish their silly rituals – as long as I am let into the warmth first.
The gate is opened by a young girl who looks no older than thirteen. Her eyes tell me differently. The metal grey in her eyes reveals that she has live long enough to have the colour of her eyes fade away – just as I fear that her hospitality has. She opened the gate half a minute ago and has still not said a word.
“Yes?” she says with a soft tone.
I am not deceived. This is a place of power. I must be cautious.
“Hello,” I say politely. “I’m looking for a Succubus. Do you have anyone around?”
I hope that my question does not sound as stupid to her as it does to me. I have travelled all this way looking for someone I can define only by breed. It is like going to a human party asking for a human – complete lunacy.
“Anyone in particular?” the girl asks.
This reply stuns me. Does this mean that more than one Succubus recides at this monastery? Have I managed to stumble straight into a nest of masters of seduction? I hope not. One Succubus I can handle, two maybe, three or more – not a chance. I should leave.
My silence seems to tell her more than my words would. She looks at me and smiles.
“Come with me.”
I take a last look at my car – my only means of escape. I did not get this far to flee. I just think that for the considerable amount of money I filled that bartender’s pocket with, the information about the Succubus nest should have been included. Perhaps he did not know. On second thought, I do not think he did. There would be no reason for these people to inform him of that – Succubuses or not. Though like Jackston I have come to question his sources. It is often good to second guess, but definitely not when standing at the gate of, what I would guess to be imminent trouble.
“It’s safe where it is. Don’t worry. We seldom get visitors,” the girl tells me, referring to my car.
She knew I was thinking about my car. Can she read me – is she a Reader? Or is it related to the strange force I feel emanating from this place? I should not have come unprepared. It is too late to turn back now. I follow her through the gate. It closes behind us.
The first thing I notice when we enter the monastery is that it is freezing in here. It actually sends a shiver down my spine. Unlike the cold outside, this cold seems to embrace both mind and body.
“Can you turn up the heat?” I joke, regretting the words as they leave my mouth.
Perhaps these sisters do not have a sense of humour, or perhaps they simply do not share mine.
“You’ll get used to it,” she answers platonically.
No reaction at all at my joke. I do not know what to make of that. Is it a good, or a terrible thing? Time will tell. Speaking of time – I hope not to spend much longer here. This place gives me the creeps.
As we walk through the halls of the monastery we pass a couple of living chambers. At least two more nuns live here, I gather. Always count the number of possible dangers, I have learned from the past. Even as I walk past a living chamber with a nun reciting in it, I sense no life. This is indeed worrying. A vampire’s senses are keen on detecting any form of life from great distances. But even though I know that I have passed one life form and am following another I sense nothing. This can only mean few things – none which I care to consider.
“Through this door sister Sarthimia awaits your arrival,” the sister informs me. “You may enter whenever you please.”
Is she the Succubus I have been looking for?
The sister leaves me standing before a thick wooden door. Everything I have learned during my three hundred years of living tells me not to open this door – but I know I have to. My hand shakes in nervous spasms as I reach for the door handle. It opens quietly, which I would not expect from a door of its age. Before stands three beautiful women, deeply engulfed in a conversation. The chamber reeks of power. I have come to regret my visit now.
“Am I interrupting anything?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.
The woman standing furthest away from me looks up from the conversation. She has stunning silver hair hanging down her shoulders, and her eyes remind me of those of the sister who brought me here. Only these are more like silver, whereas the other sister’s were more of an iron colour. I watch them gleam in the candlelight all the way from the other side of the chamber. This must be Sarthimia.
“Not at all. We were just done,” she replies, sending the other two sisters off.
The sisters leave in silence with a worried expression. Neither of them bother to even glance at me. I feel highly unwelcome. I am remembering Jackston’s words about this place and how it could not exist. I agree with him – a place like this should not be able to exist. Though I think that he was a bit too upset when hearing about this place; it is not like Jackston to get all worked up over such a small thing. Of course, it is not like Jackston to fall head over heels for a young pet either. He might be having an identity crisis.
“Please, have a seat,” sister Sarthimia points at a chair before her desk.
“Don’t mind if I do,” I smile nervously.
She is even more entrancing up close. Upon looking into her eyes I see that they do not reflect the candlelight – they seem to emit light on their own. It is as if I was staring into the night sky and was mesmerised by two stars on the sky blanket.
“I am Sarthimia,” she says with a serene voice.
“I’ve gathered as much,” I reply tensely.
Sarthimia places a bowl of fruit on her desk before me, clearly offering me one. I decline politely. She nods gracefully and puts it away and then she looks at me with great sincerity.
“I know why you have come,” she says.
“You do?”
“You come for guidance, do you not?” she says.
“Actually,” I twitch nervously. “I’ve come looking for a Succubus.”
She smiles understandingly at me, like a mother about to explain something to her child.
“You have been misguided,” she says with the same serene tone. “A vampire is not the answer – it lies elsewhere.”
She has got do be kidding me. Of course it is a Succubus. What else could it be? However, I find Sarthimia to be a more urgent subject – she is freaking me out.
“What are you?” I ask, realising that curiosity has gotten the better of me.
“Think of me as a friend,” she replies with a smile.
I seriously doubt that this is something I will ever do. I have a tendency not to trust those more powerful than myself. Jackston is an exception, though he has been acting weird lately. I smile nervously at her with appreciation. She obviously has no intention of killing me – yet.
“Know that our monastery always will be here if for you if you are in need of us,” she says as if she knows something I do not.
“Do you know of the abnormalities in London?” I wonder.
She nods.
“I have heard of them,” she replies. “It’s a regrettable fate for such proud beings as vampires.”
She speaks of us as if she was not one of us. Despite her appearance, which reminds me of no other vampire I have ever seen, I know in my heart that she is. Yet, it is almost as if she is something more, something other than vampire.
“A scourge is plaguing your people,” she says to break the silence. “It has recently arisen and will remain until removed by the Ancients.”
“The Ancients?” I ask dumbly.
“It matters not. You must rid this plague from your people,” she says.
There is a hint of sadness in her eyes as she says this. I see the hint of a tear escaping her silvery eyes.
“So it’s not a vampire but a disease?” I ask.
She looks at me with a sad expression.
“I can tell you no more,” she says.
“But—,” I attempt.
“Forgive me, but this is all I know,” she tells me with a sad tone. “You may leave now, but you are always welcome to return.”
“I have need of you now,” I say, somewhat aggravated. “Tell me more.”
“I know little else,” she says. “Please leave.”
“Not until you’ve told me more,” I demand. “Will this disease spread?”
In my excitement I forgot who I am dealing with and what she seems to be capable of doing. Sarthimia looks at me with disappointment. I do not know what she had expected of me – I do not even know how she knew that I would come here in the first place.
But I refuse to leave until –
My eyes go black. When I wake up again I am standing outside the locked gate of the monastery. I look at the time – 1:10 a.m. How long was I out? I entered the monastery at a few minutes to 1 a.m., and I must have been in the monastery for a good while longer than fifteen minutes. What did she do to me? Have I really been out for more than twenty-four hours?
I look at the monastery one last time before heading to my car. It is still shrouded in mist and it is still freezing outside. Despite the cold, my car starts nice and easy and I pull out of their driveway just a moment later.
“Remember – return to us when you have need of us,” I imagine hearing, echoing from the monastery as I leave.
That place was a bit too much for me.
I practically race back to London. I long to feel the warmth of civilization and get as far away as possible from that monastery. Something is seriously wrong out there. I do not normally frighten easily, but that place had my bones shaking from the moment I entered it. What were they –vampires? I have never felt such power before. Not even the Lords can rattle me like that. I swear to myself never to return – but I know that this is as lie.
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Back in London I learn from my answering machine that Jackston has informed Ariane of my little trip to the countryside. She has left a rather aggravated message for me, ordering me to see her at her office as soon as I hear her message. Had I not been aware of the dire consequences of refusing to co-operate with the Council’s pet I would have gone to bed instead. My talk with Sarthimia has rattled me enough for one night. I do not wish to see another bone shuddering creature tonight.
Ariane is alone in her office when I arrive. I half expected Jackston to be here, considering how he seems to adore the very ground Ariane walks on. Ariane gives me a serious glare.
“You should’ve told me,” she says coldly.
“I didn’t think you wanted to go on a picnic on the countryside with me, Ariane,” I mock.
“It’s a waste of time. We have more important things to do than run around chasing goose eggs,” she says angrily.
She is right, but somehow I feel that I was meant to go there, even though I did not enjoy it while on location.
Ariane stares at me with a poisonous look before informing me of the real purpose of this meeting.
“We’re going hunting. Grab your gear.”
“Hunting?” I ask before realising what she means.
“Hunting,” she states. “You said that the freaks create vibrations in the air, right? You and I are going for a walk to see if we can pick up any of those vibrations, and this time I’m coming with you to make sure that you don’t kill another one. It’s our only chance in finding the source.”
I look at her in disbelief. She cannot possibly mean that we are single handily going to search for one being in entire London. It would take months to find something, if there actually is something to find. Besides, I am beginning to doubt that we can pin-point this abnormality to just one source. The disease theory is sounding more and more likely to me. Especially since I have faced two of them and know that a Succubus would not willingly create something as hideous as those creatures.
“It might not be a Succubus,” I mutter.
“What?” Ariane demands.
“At the monastery, I was told that it is a disease,” I say.
“Were you now?” she says ironically. “And I suppose you’d like to place this entire investigation in the hands of some rambling nuns?”
“That depends – would it make you unhappy?” I ask with a smirk.
She snorts in dislike. I smile at this – another score for me.
“Despite your various speculations on the matter, I have my orders – we’re going hunting,” she snaps.
“The Council ordered it?” I ask in surprise.
It does not sound as something the Council would have asked for. If they were getting that desperate they would dispatch a team of Officials to deal with this matter. But then again, it might just be a way for the Council to tell me that I am not progressing fast enough. It is foolish either way – my time is not best spent hunting the streets of London for shadows. I would say that my time is best spent at The Bloody Thirst with something warm to drink, rather then out in the cold with the queen of ice.
“We’re leaving,” she says, grabbing her coat.
“No weapons?” I ask.
“I’ll manage,” she says. “What about you?”
“Never leave home without them,” I simper.
This is true. I always carry a weapon with me. The world is a dangerous place to live in, especially with blood-weepers running around spreading terror in London. Normally I carry a stake in my coat, which the Council has questioned a number of times, wondering why I would carry a weapon meant only for dusting vampires. I simply tell them that it is a precaution. One never knows when a vampire will go nuts – abnormal or not. Tonight I leave the stake in her office. I do not want to take any unnecessary risks in dusting whatever we run into. My knife is a different matter; it may not be as lethal to a vampire as a stake, but it could very well mean the death of someone. Still, it ‘slips my mind’ to remove it as I place my stake on Ariane’s desk. She gives me a weird look as I place the wooden stake before her.
“Turns you on?” I grin.
She snorts at me again.
“You’d be so lucky,” she replies with a smirk.
So the queen of ice has some sense of humour. Good to know.
The streets are as empty as yesterday due to the cold. Yesterday – it makes me think of something.
“What day is it today?” I suddenly come to wonder.
“Thursday, why?” she replies.
“Nothing,” I mutter.
It is the same day as when I entered the monastery. But it cannot be.
“Are you sure?” I persist.
“Yes. Why are you wondering?” she asks, annoyed.
“To annoy you,” I say with a smirk to cover myself up.
Strange, but I choose not to think about it anymore. I have to focus on the hunt or I might get ambushed as I got last time. After a few minutes I cannot resist mocking Ariane some more.
“You know, if we do find something and you get attacked, you’re on your own,” I say.
“I can handle myself,” she states coldly.
“I bet,” I chuckle.
We spend a minute in silence.
“The same goes for you, by the way,” Ariane states.
“Don’t worry, I’m a big boy.” I reply.
“Very well,” she says.
After having covered twenty blocks around the southern entrance to the Asylaum and having spent two hours in the freezing cold we agree that we shall continue this so called hunt another night. We walk swiftly to the Asylaum, yearning for the warmth of the Great Hall.
Crossing a street I spot a newspaper soaring in mid-air, then suddenly falling to the ground.
“Look!”
“What?” she asks tiredly.
“Over there, it mov—”
A loud bang is heard behind us. I barely have time to turn around before I spot a large moving object heads straight towards me. It slams me across the street a moment later. It hurts. This one is good. When I get up, it is gone, and so is Ariane. Very well, it is not a big loss—
It slams into my right side and send me into a brick wall. I feel something crack – my rib. This one is really good. My rib will heal in less than half a minute – one of the perks of being a vampire. But I think not of that, rather I am stunned to see who my foe is. With blood pouring out of its eyes onto the ground I still recognise its face – the Elder from The Bloody Thirst some nights ago, the one who was accompanied by the cute Reborn. It affects Elders too? That means that no vampire is safe from it.
I hear Ariane moan around the corner – at least she is alive. The Council would have dusted me if she was not. Speaking of dusting – it will not be an easy task to fight this Elder without dusting him. It would not be easy to fight him even if I was indeed allowed to spread his ashes with the wind. I should not have left my stake at the Asylaum.
When I look up he is gone – and there is no sign of him. Only a few leaves are rattling on the pavement by the remnants of the vibrations. I should make sure that Ariane is all right. After tonight I have earned a nice, hot bath. I look around the corner and see Ariane leaning on against a wall, groaning.
“Are you all right?” I ask, though not particularly caring.
“Yeah, I’m fi— Look out!” she shouts.
The leaves on the pavement suddenly dance above the ground as if caught in a vortex, dumpsters are bumping into each other and trash is soaring freely in the air.
He comes at me behind my back – there is no chance to react. He slashes my coat apart and rips my skin open with his claws. That bastard – this is my favourite coat. I swing my fist at him but miss him by far – he is already on the other side of the street. I take a few steps at him, but the world starts spinning. I feel dizzy.
“What-t,” I stutter, “what did you do t-to me?”
Everything spins faster and faster, I can feel the ground budge beneath me. I am falling. The world turns black. I feel warm liquid pouring out from beneath me – I am bleeding. This is bad.
I moan as darkness embraces me.
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Chapters
Prologue | 1
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Epilogue
