The Dark Magical World of Alamptria (6 page)

In a corner of the room at a booth was Vernon Goncool. He had a clear sightline to the two and stared unabashedly through the smoke of the cigar he was holding.

After about five minutes, the waiter brought ale to Caprius and Calista. He plunked the glasses down and walked away. They sipped tentatively. “At least the ale is good,” said Calista.

“Yes, quite good actually,” said Caprius. They savored their ale not knowing when the food might come. After some time, the waiter reappeared with two plates of food. Calista stared at the meal, unsure of what it was. “What is this stuff?” she muttered.

Caprius dipped his fork in. “It tastes like… I’m not sure, but I think it’s meatloaf.”

Calista lifted a limp brown thing with her fork. “Sautéed with long-stem mushrooms,” she said in an arrogant voice. “Oh, come on. This is awful.”

“Well, it’s the only Greasy Spoon in town, so eat up,” grinned Caprius, digging in.

“I’m sorry, but this isn’t at all something I want to eat!” said Calista. She was hungry, tired, and annoyed she had to choke down such a dreadful meal. Everyone in the place immediately turned around to look at her. While the pair was occupied by everyone else’s eyes, Vernon Goncool stood and left the pub. He was light on his feet, almost as if he were floating.

“Come on, Calista. This is all the food we’re going to get for who knows how long. I suspect we’re going to need our strength,” said Caprius, his mouth full.

Calista pursed her lips. She chewed and swallowed until everything was gone. At that moment, a woman who was eyeing the two of them approached their table and sat down.

“Well, hello there, Caprius,” she said.

Caprius’s eyes widened. “What are you doing here? Are you spying on me?” he asked.

She laughed. “No, merely a coincidence that we’re meeting here. I’m on mission. I had a lead that brought me to this part of town.”

“Still, there’s more to you than meets the eye,” said Caprius.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your lady friend?” she asked, rubbing Calista’s hand.

“Of course. This is my partner in crime, Calista,” he said. “Calista, this is… well, I’m very sorry, but I don’t know your name.”

“Very well, Caprius Seaton. If you must know, or rather if you should try to remember, I am Cynthia Davenport.”

Caprius thought for a moment. “Oh, my god. Little Cynthia Davenport. From high school?” he said, astonished.

“Yes, well, not so little anymore, as you can see,” she chuckled.

“Yes, and quite beautiful,” he said.

Calista shot Caprius a look. “Now that we’re acquainted, Cynthia, you say you’re on a mission?” she asked, turning to her.

“Yes, do tell us more about this,” said Caprius.

“Of course, but I have to make it quick.” She plucked a chair from the neighboring table and sat down. “I’m on a case, which I’m calling the Colburn Affair. A man named Cyril Colburn is in the process of manufacturing a drug to enhance animal intelligence. It also builds strength and stamina. He uses this drug to inject creatures, such as Droges, to give them super strength and hyperintelligent thinking. If you thought Droges were already dangerous, you wouldn’t want to encounter a super Droge. Anyway, if this drug gets into the hands of the vampires, they’ll create an army of them. We have enough trouble with the undead as it is.”

“This sounds important,” said Calista.

“Yes, very,” said Caprius. “If this serum gets out, we will definitely have more trouble than we thought.”

“What’s Colburn’s ultimate goal in doing this?” asked Calista.

Cynthia shook her head. “Money. Colburn has arranged a meeting with Alamptria’s biggest scums. The highest bidder gets the drug. I just have to wonder what will happen if the drug gets into another set of wrong hands.”

“I hope you can stop this from happening,” said Caprius.

Cynthia rose from the table. “It’s been great seeing you, but I must go quickly,” she said.

“Where are you going?” asked Calista.

“North. Just past Quanta-paloose,” she said.

“But… that would lead you back to Quantum Heights,” said Caprius.

“Yes, it’s near there,” Cynthia said, shouldering her bag. “I have to dash off. Calista, it was very nice meeting you.”

“Nice to see you again, Cynthia,” said Caprius, his eyes a bit wide at this new version of the gawky young girl he’d grown up with.

“Perhaps we’ll meet again,” said Cynthia before turning and leaving the pub.

Caprius waited another interminable amount of time until the waiter waddled over and gave them their check. Caprius counted out the coins and put them on the waiter’s tray. The waiter looked at them, frowned, and shook his head. “Was the service not to your liking, sir? Did the food not meet your exacting standards?”

“Caprius, just tip him so we can get out of here,” hissed Calista.

After Caprius clinked additional coins on the tray, the waiter brightened measurably. “Thank you. Come again. I hope your stay was a quiet one,” he smiled. While he was reaching down to put the money in his satchel, the church bells beside the pub began to chime for the one o’clock hour. Everyone who had been nearly comatose earlier suddenly became animated, shrieking and holding their ears. Even Caprius and Calista covered their ears against the din and bolted from the pub. Outside the tolling bells were even louder. When they finally stopped, Caprius said, “At least now we know why they like to keep things quiet.”

“Yes, that would explain it. Remind me never to enter this pub again,” snorted Calista.

“Because of the food or the church bells?” asked Caprius.

“Both,” said Calista. Laughing, the two untied their horses and brought them out to the main road. A man was standing in the center of the road, watching them. Caprius and Calista looked at one another as they trotted toward him. When they were close enough, they finally recognized him. It was Vernon Goncool. Caprius shouted. “Now!” and he and Calista dug in their heels and went at full gallop to run him over and kill him. Not budging from his spot, Vernon calmly unsheathed his sword and held it at the ready. Caprius wondered why the man didn’t move, but before he could consider that more fully, he realized something was wrong with his saddle. He was sliding off his horse. The straps had become undone, or, he quickly realized, they’d been cut. Caprius fell off the horse hard onto the ground, directly onto his knee. Calista turned around in her saddle to look at Caprius, but her horse, so spooked by the mishap, bucked and threw her off. She lay on the ground, winded and gasping from the searing pain shooting up from her ankle while both their horses galloped away.

Vernon Goncool slowly approached Calista. Caprius tried to stand, but his knee gave way, and he fell back. Vernon edged closer. Caprius dislodged his claymore of power, held it to his knee, and murmured some words. The claymore vibrated, and, within seconds, his knee was healed. He stood and ran toward Calista. She was trying to scoot away from Vernon but was clearly in too much pain to move quickly. Just as the Goncool put his sword to her neck, Caprius channeled his powers and sent a bolt of energy through the man’s body, causing him to fly through the air and onto his back.

Caprius rushed to help Calista. Her eyelids were fluttering as she struggled to maintain consciousness. Vernon sat up, grinning fiendishly, and transformed himself into a raging, bloodthirsty vampire. Now hulking and powerful, he charged at Caprius like a lion at its prey. But Caprius was empowered with his sword, and he charged as well. They hit each other with the extreme force of two blazing stars and fell back, dazed. Caprius immediately got to his feet, swinging his sword. Vernon brandished his, too, and their weapons clashed. Caprius swung wildly and severed the Goncool’s right arm. Both arm and sword fell to the ground. Vampire Vernon screamed. Caprius reared up for another swing, but before his sword could make contact the vampire spread its wings and flew away.

Caprius and Calista watched the creature fly off until it was nothing more than a dot on the horizon. Calista looked down at the creature’s severed arm, the hand still clutching the sword. Seconds later, the arm began to move. It struggled and grew until it had evolved into a complete human form. Caprius seized the brief respite granted by this gruesome transformation to deal with Calista’s injury.

“I’m sure it’s broken,” whispered Calista.

Caprius held his claymore against her ankle. The claymore shined with a bright yellow light and, within seconds, she was able to wiggle her foot. “It’s fine,” she said incredulously, scratching her head. Caprius helped her up, and they readied themselves for further battle with the newly formed creature.

They turned around and paused in shock. In the sky, over fifty vampires were approaching. “Oh no!” she shouted.

Caprius’s claymore began to vibrate and hum violently. “We’re in for quite a fight,” he said. The vampires landed, creating a circle around the two. There were over a hundred of them—so many that they ran out of space to land on the street and began landing on rooftops and in trees. They salivated and made excited, high-pitched noises.

“I didn’t think it would end like this,” said Calista, looking at Caprius. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you and your family from the start.” She took Caprius’s hand and held it tightly against her heart. Then she held it to her lips. “Let’s die with honor,” she said quietly.

He realized that, despite everything, he’d been fooling himself. He ached to touch her lips with his fingers, to wind his hand in her hair and smell her clean, earthy scent one last time. All around them, the vampires cackled wetly.

Suddenly, one of them changed himself into human form. It was Thornin Goncool. He walked casually over to them. “Oh, you two. Go ahead and take a final moment for some passion. It is the least I can do for you, given that your death is going to be extremely unpleasant.” He smiled graciously.

Caprius and Calista looked into each other’s eyes. Just then, in the turbulent clouds swirling above, the face of Grongone, the great wizard of Petoshine, appeared. “Caprius, it is time. The time to endure a greater power has come,” he boomed.

Thornin Goncool hunched down, frightened. “What is this?” he asked in a panic.

Seconds later, a great light shined down from the sky onto Caprius and Calista like a perfect beam of sun. Caprius spoke to Grongone privately, inside his head. “No, this cannot be,” said Caprius. “She is not a Seaton. Why her?” he asked.

“Yes. Yes. Yes, I know,” replied Grongone, nodding.

“Then, I shall do as you ask of me.” Caprius looked into Calista’s eyes. “Calista, kiss me.”

“But, what about—”

“Don’t argue,” said Caprius, grabbing her around the waist. He brought his face to hers, and, as their trembling lips touched, they realized a passion that had been stirring between them since they’d met. They held each other close, their tongues searching, their lips pulsing, and suddenly lightning struck with feverish intensity all around them—the sign of a great power being formed.

“What the hell is going on?” asked Thornin. The other Goncools were petrified. Caprius’s and Calista’s bodies glowed bright white. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the storm was over. All light vanished, and the world was engulfed in pitch blackness. When daylight returned, Caprius and Calista stood in glistening new armor, poised and ready for combat. Grongone had disappeared. But they knew what had happened. Caprius looked at Calista inquisitively, as if to say, “Are you ready for this?”

She smiled with serenity and power. “I am ready.”

The vampires stood hungry and ready to attack. “Put your back to mine,” Caprius said, turning around. The vampires edged closer.

Thornin began to laugh. “Oh, your Grongone has deserted you,” he minced. He transformed back into a beast and flew up onto a rooftop. From there, he peered down at them. “This is a job for a master.” He pointed at them and shouted, “Destroy them! Attack!”

The vampires swarmed Caprius and Calista. Within seconds, it was an all-out war between the knight masters and the vampires. Caprius and Calista swung their swords, slicing apart any vampire who approached them. Calista jumped into the air and bashed her legs into the faces of two vampires simultaneously. She swung her sword, decapitating one, and went on to kill several others.

Caprius brought his sword down through a creature’s head, splitting it in two. He dislodged the sword in time to swing it before him, slicing three vampires through their middles. To his side, Calista decapitated another, then another. Then Caprius and Calista turned back to back again and, with their claymores aloft, created an expanding force so strong that the creatures coming at them were blown away as if caught in an explosion. Some of them crashed into the shop windows. One went headfirst into a wooden tabletop with such force that his head splintered the wood and came out the other side. He stood with his head still caught in the table. Unable to force his head back through the hole, he went ballistic. Around him, Caprius set vampires aflame. The screaming was deafening.

The creature caught in the table kept trying to break free as he ran scattershot in Calista’s direction. Seeing the large, round tabletop with a vampire head stuck through the center, Calista shot flame at it. It was engulfed within seconds. To be sure the vampire wouldn’t give them any more trouble, Caprius drove his sword through the creature’s face. He got two for the price of one as, yanking his sword free, he accidentally sliced through another’s legs. It lay on the ground, writhing. For good measure, Caprius set it on fire, too.

Then came a team of fourteen vampires. Like football players, they ran en masse, their bodies thick and brutish. Just before they were able to reach out and grab him, Caprius leaped into the air, and while aloft, he channeled his powers from the sword to freeze the line of vampires into a wall of solid ice. He landed atop it and slid down as easily as a skier down a mountain.

Not even aware she was able to do this, Calista extended her arm and, out the end of her claymore, shot a surge of blue electricity so powerful it penetrated twenty-five vampires all in some way touching one another, sizzling their flesh into bacon.