The Rise of the New Bloods, From Dark Beginnings (20 page)

I was in a moment that I had always feared.

It took my mind back to Finlan
d when I saw their ashes blow away in the snowdrift. What was I to do? I clenched the sword tightly and thought of taking it by surprise.

Would I get there in time? It was less than five yards away.

  Draven tilted his head towards me as the moonlight highlighted his blue eyes. He lay there, quite still, looking at me as if it was a goodbye, but I was not ready to say goodbye to him again.

All that kept going through my head was that I must try to get us both out of this mess alive.

But how?

I could no
t focus on anything. The wolf was now standing on top of him and I was certain he smirked at me, as he lowered his head towards Draven’s neck. I knew he was enticing me to make a quick move, but I am far too smart to fall for his tricks, besides, my body was in some kind of shock, and I could not shift out of the uncomfortable position I was in on the floor. As I shifted my gaze from Draven towards the trees, I could see something heading towards me in mid-air. The next thing I knew the wolf was lying down on the floor, dead.

  They were all gone. Just like that. 

The prophecy was now surely broken.

I felt my chest, and looked down where the Ankh should have been resting. A twinge of sadness swept over me as I realised this was the start of a new beginning
as a mortal. I turned around and raised my eyes up towards the bridge and there stood April reciting an Ancient Egyptian text.  

  I lowered my head to my knees, allowing the old language to envelope me, as if it were washing away my sins.

I bent over slightly, arching my back that was still stinging from my wounds. I let out a sigh with relief that it was all over, but somehow I did not feel any different.

Not yet.

  I could hear Stride hollering something at me, as he came running down the steps towards me, but with all that was going through my head I could not quite make out what he was saying.

Everything that had happened tonight somehow felt like a dream. I was weak, exhausted and in a lot of pain, but at least Draven was still there.

I got to my feet and walked over to him. Something did not seem right. I knelt down beside him when my hands began to shake. He was still looking at me, but there was no life in his eyes. 

 
‘Oh no, Draven do not dare die on me…’

I turned him over onto his side and
saw the wolf had taken a bite out of his neck, draining him of his blood. I should have known what they were capable of doing.

‘This cannot be happening to me again,’ I wept.

I could hear the faint tapping of the rain as it converged with the water in t
he fountain next to me. I placed Draven back on to the ground, and walked towards the statue. The rain belted down hard, and the Angel looked as if she was crying, sharing my pain.

Stride rested a hand on my shoulder, which prompted me to glance up over th
e park. I saw a dark figure approaching me and waited anxiously at who it could be.

 
‘Ryder…’ I whispered.

I noticed his eyes widened as he looked in Draven
’s direction, and as I glanced down again where he was laying, he had gone.

 
‘You threw the sword?’ I said

 
‘Yes, he was my father.’

I looked towards Stride, who had a tear in his eye.

  ‘I'm sorry lad, I’m really sorry. I loved him like a son.’

 
‘Jyrki, has it worked? Are you any different yet?’ April cried

 
‘I really don't know,’ I said, I was in pain and now I had lost my brother for the second time. It was far too much to comprehend.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

‘A sacrifice. Just like she said.’

I dropped the sword on the floor. It fell, clattering as it hit the concrete. I stood amongst th
e aftermath of a whirlwind of an event that did not seem quite real in my mind just yet.

As I lifted my arm to my face to wipe away my tears, I became alerted to the smell of their blood, which had stained my hands. I pulled it away immediately and looked
down.

The front of my body was drenched in red.

A cold wind had picked up rustling the trees around us, breaking the silence. It was only then I had looked and realised the wolves bodies had disappeared.

‘
Er, Jyrki? What about him?’ Stride pointed to Ryder. ‘What shall we do with him? Is he harmless?’

I had completely forgotten about Ryder standing there.

I raised my eyes in his direction.

He stood a few yards from the statue staring at me with a fearful look on his face. As if, he was expecting me to
lash out at him. I eased up my stance a touch, and brushed my hair away that had become stuck to my face with the blood.

How could I hurt him?

He was the image of Draven, and if that was not enough, he was the only family I had left. It was then the realisation hit me.

I was human.

‘The Ankh has gone,’ April said.

‘
Does that mean you're now human?’ Blaze asked.

‘
And him. Is he human now?’ Stride asked again with a little anxiousness.

‘
Ryder, come over here,’ I said. ‘What about you? Are you any different?’

He walked nervously towards me and nodded.

‘So it's been broken? No more vampire?’ I exclaimed.

It sounded almost too good to be true. Over a hundred years and with most of that spent on the run, I sunk to the floor
in merciful relief, completely content with the fact that the human race were spared from the apocalypse. Although my body was aching with exhaustion, I sat back against the Angel fountain, and smiled.

‘
I guess this means you're my nephew right?’

I look
ed up towards Ryder standing there.

He was very much on edge.

‘Yes, but I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to know me.’

My head was not ready to deal with all the details right now. I was well aware he had killed the clan, but what could I possibly d
o to him. He was family - my only family.

‘
Then family sticks together. Are you with me?’

‘
Of course,’ he smiled, looking relieved.

‘
Then I’ll introduce you to your new family. Guys, come and meet Ryder.’

‘
Alright son,’ Stride said, looking slightly spooked by the likeness.

‘
This is April, my... girlfriend.’

‘
We’ve already met at the hotel,’ she said.

‘
And Blaze. My good friend and fellow band member.’

‘
Alright mate,’ Blaze said.

April knelt down beside me on the floor. I pulled her in close to me and kisse
d her on the forehead.

‘
So how does it feel to be human?’

My back throbbed with a dull ache, but I managed to force a smile.

‘Better with you,’ I whispered.

‘
Here, let me help you up,’ Blaze said, ‘I'm really sorry about Draven. He was a good guy, for a vampire.’

‘
Thanks. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised,’ I said, remembering what the gypsy woman had told me.

‘
I hate to ask at a time like this but are you up to the gig. You know, you really don't have to?’

I was covered in blood and I felt like shit.

‘Of course I am. The band means just as much to me y'know. It kept me going.’

‘
Wow. What a fucking night eh?’ Stride huffed, as we walked out of Central Park.

‘
Yep, at least the sun will still shine tomorrow,’ I said.

April clenched my hand tightly, and r
ested her head against my arm.

‘
I’m so glad this is all over. I’m going to cancel the exhibition tomorrow and book a holiday.’

‘
A holiday would be nice as long as it’s not Egypt. So do you have the last piece of the prophecy with you?’

‘
Yes, it’s safe don't worry. Why?’

‘
Because I think I'd like to know what's in it, wouldn’t you.’

‘
Are you sure? I think it’s best not to know.’

‘
Well, after tonight, I think you may be right.’

‘
So from now on then Halloween has another meaning for us I guess,’ Blaze said.

‘
It certainly has. It shall now be known as the night of the undead. So are we still playing tonight?’

‘
Yes, in half hour. Once you clean yourself up. We're not a black metal band y'know.’

We walked a few blocks down the road to the venue.

Izzy was standing outside the back entrance waiting for us.

‘
Where the fuck have you been?’ he said

‘
Oh just finishing off some business. We’re here now anyway, so chill out,’ I said pushing the door open.

‘
You’re full of blood? This isn’t  part of the act is it?’ Izzy said, looking perplexed.

‘
No,’ Blaze said, ‘I changed my mind about that on the way here. Oh Jyrki, I left your stuff in here all right,’ he said, as he opened the door to the changing room. ‘I’ll be at the bar ok. I could murder some pints now.’

B
laze left the room, closing the door shut behind him. I had only just removed all of my bloody clothing, when there was a tap at the door.

‘
Jyrki, is it okay if I come in?’

‘
Ryder! Of course you can.’

‘
Um, I wanted to say thanks for, you know, being alright with everything.’

‘
That's ok. Do you want talk? I think we have some catching up to do?’

‘
Yeah, I’d like that.’

I could see there was more worrying him.

The way he stood nervously with his hands in his pockets, and how he glanced around the room, unable to look at me for all the guilt he kept inside for all these years. Part of me was feeling very sorry for him.

‘
What’s wrong, you know you can talk to me don’t you?’

‘
I...I just feel guilty, about you know…’

‘
That you killed the clan? Oh sorry, I didn't mean for it come out like that.’

‘
No, you're right, and you have every reason to be angry with me. I did kill the clan, but I was made to do it. It wasn't because I wanted to kill them as I knew they were different, just like me. Jimmy found me when I was five years old wandering in the woods. I was his connection to the Ankh he kept telling me. I didn't know what he meant by this, but one day I started asking questions about who my father was. Stupidly he told me everything, even what he was planning on doing. So, that day at the compound, I overheard someone call Draven. He was standing just feet away from me. Immediately I knew he was my father. Well, what could I do, I had to save his life. So without Jafar seeing anything I picked up the nearest thing I could see and knocked him unconscious. I then hid him under a mound until I could go back for him later. My loyalties may have looked like they were with Jimmy, but they weren't.’

‘
Okay, I suppose it couldn’t had been easy for you either, so let the past be alright. There's nothing we can do about it now.’

I returned to the sink to continue trying to scrub all the blood from my hands when I felt a nudge on my arm. I looked down and Ryder was holding out his palm.

‘I still have this.’

I looked at him, and then down towards his hand again, he was holding out a piece of a blade.

‘The sword?’

‘
Yes, I thought you may want it.’

I took it out of his palm and wrapped it in my bloodstained shirt. It was after all Draven's favourite thing he po
ssessed.

‘
I’m sorry you didn’t get a chance to know Draven…he was a very special person that deserved more than the life he led offered him.’

‘
I’m thankful I managed to save his life that day, it was the least I could do. I’m just sorry I couldn’t save your dad.’

‘
Yeah, well I still don’t know what happened to him. He wasn’t there at the compound when I saw them all turn to dust. Anyway, enough of that talk for now. Would you pass me my jacket?’ I asked.

‘
Ready?’ Blaze shouted from the doorway.

‘
Always.’

‘
Oh hey,’ he said, opening the door again, ‘you’ll never guess who's here? Jules. I called her a few nights ago. Which was a mad thing to do when we didn’t even know if things were gonna turn out okay. Well, see you out by the bar, there’s a Guinness waiting for ya,’ he said quite happily.

‘
Nice one, I'll be out in a second, ok.’

‘
C'mon you, I guess you can keep the girls away from the stage, make yourself useful.’ I sniggered.

‘
Sure uncle. I can call you that right?’

‘
Jyrki is better. I reckon uncle makes me sound old.’

The bar was full tonight, which was not much of a surprise as we had gained quite a following in the city.

I looked out over the sea of heads to find April and Stride talking by the bar. I walked up behind April and put my arm around her.

‘
Ah here he is, our new human friend.’

‘
Stride, I just want to thank you for everything...’

‘
Now, now lad, I'm just glad to help, but I will be sorry to say goodbye.’

‘
Goodbye? Why?’ I said, feeling quite stunned.

‘
Well, you see, I still have some business I’ve got to sort out, so I was thinking of going travelling for a bit on the old girl...’

‘
What’s the old girl?’ April laughed.

‘
It’s my motorcycle love, what did you think I meant?’

‘
Just remember, you'll always be welcome here.’ I said

‘
So you're staying in New York then?’

I looked at April.

‘Well, for now at least.’

‘
It's good to see you happy, and you have a bit more colour in them cheeks. You look after him love, he's something special.’

‘
I will do, you can count on that,’ April said.