The Vampire's Heart (16 page)

“
No, she will be mine.”

“
Master, it is destiny,” Kellum pleads.

Kellum is calling me master? This is new, but it is right. If he truly believes that he must kill her...

“
It is a pity, but very well. Run, Witch, run like never before.”

And she does. Witch runs like hell, heading toward the door. I long to chase her down and make her suffer. She should never have thought of harming me. Kellum walks forward slowly, his head turning to look up at the quickly darkening light coming in through the trapdoor; suddenly he tenses and jumps up into the bar proper. His face looks down at me through the hole and he shakes his head.

“
My ‘Karalis, she will suffer. I will bring you her blood if you wish it?”

“
That will not be necessary, I am feeling stronger; her fear has fed me. Make her pay.”

And he disappears into the fresh night. A few moments later I hear Witch squeal. I strain my senses and manage to hear what is being said.

“
I do not want to hurt you, Witch, but that does not mean I won’t,” Kellum says.

“
Then let me go Kellum,” Witch pleads.

“
Sorry, did I say I didn’t want to hurt you? I lied.”

“
Kellum, please. There is no need to kill me, your master will never know. Just tell him you killed me,” she tries to bargain.

“
Unfortunately for you, my loyalties are strong and will not be tested so easily.”

“
But… Please, I don’t want to die. I… You could come with me, we could go together, and we never have to see him again.”

“
Witch, I do like you, but now you must scream; for me, for all the vampire Lys-Karalis, and for your master, Muzbeth.”

And then it comes, a deliciously tender scream, full of fear and desperation and best of all, pain.

Though I will never get to have her, I will always be warmed inside knowing that she suffered so much in her last moments.

***

Kellum and I made the final journey to Gatheck under the light of a full moon. Being unhindered by Witch meant we could move much faster and travel all night. We reached the Heartland coast an hour before dawn; its white sandy beaches a stark change from their rocky counterparts on the Cracked Isles.

To the east and stretching to the northern shore of the Heartland stood the mighty Gatheck Range, the mountains in which The Heart nestles. I’d never seen them before and they were, and still are, truly inspiring, hundreds of giants pointing at the blue sparks. I only wish that Witch could have been there to see them with us. Despite her stupidity in trying to betray me, she really was very attractive. But still, there will be plenty more women here in the Heartland.

I looked to the sky above the mountains to the east, and saw the first signs of the morning light beginning to crack the dark sky. I faced Kellum.

“
So where do we go from here?”

“
There is a city about two miles down the coast; we’ll head there. We must walk.”

And walk we did. We still walk. The Gatheck Range seems to have hardly moved. As we walk my thoughts turn back to my heritage and the myths surrounding Calcia.

“
So how could you become a Lys-Karalis?” I ask, kicking at the sand.

“
W-what?” Kellum stops abruptly, staring at me, I continue walking for a few paces before turning to face him. Walking backwards, I smile, and talk.

“
Remember, you told me that it was possible for a normal vampire to become a Lys-Karalis.”

“
Ah, of course.” Kellum rubs at his eyes, and jogs forward a few paces to come alongside me, meaning I can turn and walk forwards again. He continues. “Well, when a normal vampire challenges a Lys-Karalis and wins, they inherit the powers of the Lys-Karalis.”

“
I know that, but I want to know how. And if it can be stopped? And what’s Calcia got to do with it all?”

“
Oh, erm,” Kellum pauses, evidently thinking of how best to explain what he knows to me. I’m not even sure I’ll understand it, but I’d like to know regardless. He continues in less than a moment. “I don’t know for sure but from what I’ve gathered from my years around Lys-Karalis I would make an educated guess and say it was something to do with demon transference. You see, a Lys-Karalis is exactly the same as a normal vampire, technically. It just that they have ‘subservient’ demons within them. We normal vampires do not. I would guess they get swapped over somehow, hence transferring demons. As to whether or not it could be stopped, that I don’t know. I’m not sure even what the process of becoming a Lys-Karalis is; I just know that the other Lys-Karalis have to be involved somehow.”

“
Would you ever want to become a Lys-Karalis?” I ask, wondering exactly how high with the vampire ranks he’d like to climb.

“
Oh hell no, and I couldn’t,” Kellum replied, without a second thought.

Evidently he has no delusion as to his rank in comparison to me. Time for a bit of digging I think.

“
I thought you said-” I begin.

“
Trust me,” my mentor and subject interrupts, “if I could, I would. You see, you’re thinking I am this body. I am not, I’m a demon using this body. I, the demon, would just get chucked into another body and the subservient demon would get this body, and whoever I was before I died would be in control once again. It’s the body that becomes the Lys-Karalis. Many vampires have made that mistake and paid the price for it when their revived hosts want their revenge.”

“
Well I never. It’s so complicated, isn’t it?”

Understatement of the season, that. To be honest with myself most of this is passing me by. I can’t even really remember exactly what he just said. I guess I almost zoned out.

“
Oh, there’s more,” Kellum announces.

“
Go on.”

“
It’s not about becoming a Lys-Karalis or anything like that. It’s this city we’re heading toward, Midiar. I need to ask you something; would you please not kill too many people?”

His question surprises me, given all that we’ve done together. Great, he must have ‘seen’ something. I can’t think of anything that would stop me from killing, so why should I? Nothing can challenge me. I’m a Lys-Karalis. Though, perhaps I’d better find out why he wants me to not kill.

“
What? Why not?”

“
It is a city for a start, much larger than any village, and their clergy will be in greater numbers than those that pilgrimage to The Dirigir Oak, and they’ll be organised to boot. You’ll need to keep a low profile.”

“
Are you saying that they’re going to be a threat to us?” I ask. I’m not sure if that worries or excites me. Provided the cowled man isn’t there, I don’t see how anything could be a threat.

“
No, they’ll be a threat to you,” Kellum says.

“
What about you?” I ask.

“
I’m afraid we must part company,” he says simply.

“
What?” I ask, shocked. This is turning out to be a really disappointing conversation. First I don’t understand, then I’m not allowed to kill, and now I’m going to lose the foresight Kellum grants me. This is just fucking fantastic. Can this possibly get any better?

“
It is our future. I have seen it. But do not worry; in Midiar you will meet a more ‘forthcoming’ accomplice. You and she will get on very well indeed.”

She? Maybe it will get better after all. I hope she is more forthcoming than dear Witch was. And hopefully she’ll be just as attractive. But what of Kellum; why has he suddenly decided that we must part?

“
So where are you going?”

“
I am going to find the other Lys-Karalis. I have seen things that they need to be aware of; threats to the vampire race.”

“
I am a Lys-Karalis; tell me, I will deal with these threats. It is my job as ruler of the vampires.”

“
No offence Muzbeth, but for this we’ll need more than one Lys-Karalis. You will meet the others one day, and you and I shall certainly meet again. But know that we must now part. I do not wish for you to follow me, and from what I have seen, you will not. So I thank you, for it has truly been an honour to serve you.”

“
I would say the pleasure was mine, but that’d be a lie,” I say with an honest smile.

Together we share a chuckle, which dies out far too quickly, and both of us fall into the silence of our thoughts.

A mid-hour later, we are about to enter the coastal city, Kellum’s voice penetrates the gentle crashing of the waves.

“
It is time I left you, my good friend,” Kellum says, showing his teeth to me once more.

“
Indeed, you have served me well,” I say, resisting the odd urge to engage in a manly embrace. Instead I merely clap him on the shoulder.

The tall odd accented gentleman turns and walks away toward the dull lights of early morning in Midiar. I stand and watch until he disappears between the buildings, gone to hide from the sun.

He never answered my question about Calcia. Damn.

- Holste -

The pews are hard and a cold draft is blowing on the back of my neck, making it stiff and achy. My team and I are in the Lighthouse chapel, up on the eleventh floor. Penk, Sin, and Iniar are lit up with excitement. Lorien and I are not so thrilled.

Every seat is taken; even the isle is filled with bodies crouching shoulder to shoulder, so that more can have a decent view. We are all here to listen to the words of our leader; Grandfather Kestaris. Obviously some would rather be here than those that have to be.

The ancient, wizened old man is stood on the podium at the head of the room, leaning heavily on the lectern in front of him. Surrounding him is his four-strong honour guard, staring impassively out at the faces staring intently back. Kestaris’ dark hair is the only thing that contradicts his age; it is well known that Calcia has blessed him with an unnaturally long life. His hair, by all rights, given his age, should be as white as snow. Grandfather Kestaris has a deeply lined but oddly youthful face, but his body has been crippled by so many years.

There is a slight murmur of hushed voices, but the majority of us are silent, waiting for the words from the Grandfather.

The heat in the room is oppressive; it is the heat given by the sheer weight of bodies in the vast room. An eerie silence falls as Grandfather Kestaris clears his throat. Even the sound of breathing seems to stop.

“
My children, I thank you all for gathering here on this ChurchDay. Calcia smiles down upon you. Today I will relate to you a tale of joy. But it is not my joy. It is the joy of our Lady, Calcia. Her joy comes not from watching our lives and the joy therein. Her greatest joy is that of the repentant sinner; for there will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ten that need no repentance. And so I ask all of you, here before me, to take this with you when you stride out into the lands of Gatheck. To tell this to every sinner you come across. For even if only one person repents...”

And so on and so forth. I know Calcia must hate me for ignoring our Grandfather, but I cannot stand sermons like this; when I have to give them I prefer to orate upon the older times of Calcia; the stories of brimstone and ash; the good stuff that puts the fear of Calcia into you, not this namby-pamby stuff of forgiveness and repentance. I shuffle in my seat and try to gain an ounce of extra comfort.

I massage my neck; I could be here a while.

- Satch -

Meth stands on the makeshift podium, surrounded by the people from the village. None of them knew Thack, but still they are here to give their thanks and respect to a good man who helped to save their village. I will thank them for that later.

Meth clears his throat, drawing the accumulated attention, and speaks his peace.

“
Thank you all for coming to give your respects to our dear brother Thack. Next year will be the first year I spend with only one brother by my side, and so when spring comes again, a year from now, I’ll be holding on to anything I can. I’ll be waiting for the rains to wash away the pain and the bad memories of the coming year.”

I’m surprised at how touching Meth is being. For the most part of their lives my older and younger brothers hated each other. But I guess they still loved each other too. Family is family, after all is said and done. ‘Family’; how are we going to tell father? Can we even afford to do it in person while the vampire is on the loose? I return my attention to my brother.

“
An angel got his wings at last, and we all should know that he’s fine and in the embrace of Calcia and those that he has loved and lost. We will be in his embrace one day, when Calcia cares for our souls. When we cease to grieve, does that mean we do not care for him anymore? I think not. In my heart he will be with me forever, and I hope he will live on that way in yours. Thack’s death makes me think about the life I’ve had, of all the things I’ve done and said; of the regrets that will always haunt me. But the winter snow melts even now and the spring showers fill rivers that will flow on for years to come. The winter comes to an end, and the spring will make life easier on everyone as it brings new life with it. Friends, you will only ever have each other, do not forget that; your family is as much the people around you as it is your siblings and parents. Thack will always mean so much to me, even if he didn’t know it. All I ask is that you all give a thought for Thack-Rayva on this day, as he gave his life for yours.”