《The Vampire's Apprentice》 The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 1
When Amanda finally awoke, it was to terror coursing through her veins. She looked around in a panic as her final memory before being knocked out flooded her mind. Ragged breaths escaped from her, but they were muffled by a cloth gag; the noise mixed with the sound of rattling chains as she tried in vain to free herself from the stone slab she¡¯d been lashed to, but to no avail. ¡°Shh, my dear,¡± someone said from behind her. She angled her head back towards him, and was met by a figure dressed in a black cloak looming over her, a dagger held in his right hand. Her eyes widened when she saw the blade was already encrusted with dried blood. ¡°Relax,¡± the man reassured her. ¡°It will all be over soon.¡± He raised the dagger, poising the blade directly over her heart. A muffled scream of sheer panic escaped from Amanda, and she thrashed once more, desperately trying to break free of her restraints one final time. Then the knife came down, and she was cruelly silenced. ¨C ¡°God, what a shithole.¡± The tall man adjusted his brown Stetson hat and took a drag on his cigarette before pulling the final stub from his mouth and throwing it on the ground, then grinding it beneath his boot, snuffing out what few embers remained. All around him, the city moved without a care, carriages and people hustling to and fro throughout the streets, nobody even glancing at him as he moved among them, out-of-place as he was. Alain shifted, adjusting the Ithaca double-barrel shotgun slung over his right shoulder. He¡¯d almost expected more people to be concerned at the shotgun on his back and the Single Action Army revolver on his right hip, but nobody spared him any attention at all, busy as they were. That probably shouldn¡¯t have surprised him the way it did ¨C San Francisco was a steel-and-concrete jungle, where the denizens dressed in well-pressed suits and dresses and everyone seemed to have something important to rush to or fret over. It was a far cry from his jeans and plaid and frontiersman lifestyle, and yet he¡¯d found himself here all the same, thanks to the work drying up. His brow furrowed at that thought. It seemed like wherever he went, there was less and less work for someone like him with every passing year. It was always the same ¨C he¡¯d settle in a new place for a bit, find some work as a rancher or a farmhand, and then without fail, just a short time later, the farm would die or be bought out by some big company looking to turn a profit, and he¡¯d be cut loose to find his own way yet again, with just his guns and the clothes on his back to keep him company. There were very few undiscovered places left to stake a claim in the United States these days ¨C ever since the California Gold Rush and the end of the Civil War. He hadn¡¯t been alive to experience the Gold Rush, and he¡¯d been too little to see much of the War, but they were still affecting him even decades after they¡¯d both ended. He¡¯d come to California in search of more work. He¡¯d found it for a bit, but then his circumstances had changed, same as they always did, and he¡¯d found himself heading north to try and start over yet again. With any luck, San Francisco would just be a stopping point. He¡¯d only been off the train for a few minutes and he already hated the place. There were too many people here, all fretting over things that were almost certainly inconsequential. The streets were thick with crowds, everyone walking almost shoulder-to-shoulder with each other. It was so loud, too ¨C always someone shouting or some machine going off in the distance, nothing like the quiet farms and frontiers he¡¯d come to appreciate over time. Oh yeah, and the city smelled, too. Couldn¡¯t forget that. Alain let out a sigh and tipped his hat a bit to keep the sun out of his eyes as he walked. He reached into his pocket for another cigarette and lit it, then took a drag. He could already tell it was going to be a hell of a task, trying to find a place to pick up an odd job for a day or two. ¡°Land of opportunity, my ass.¡± ¨C As expected, a few hours of searching had led to nothing fruitful. He¡¯d come up completely empty in terms of employment prospects, which wasn¡¯t surprising ¨C in a place like this, people wanted something more permanent than what he had to offer. Nobody needed a day laborer for just a few days, or even a few weeks; he¡¯d even inquired about that and still been turned down. No, they wanted someone willing to stay for months. Months. Weeks would be too long for him. And so, he¡¯d resigned himself to getting some fresh air to try and clear his head while he took stock of the situation. Money was always tight, but he had enough on his person to last him a few days. And if he got truly desperate, he could always part with his Ithaca for a decent price ¨C that¡¯d get him at least a week¡¯s worth of additional money. Not the Colt, though. He¡¯d never part with the Colt. Anyone who wanted it would have to pry it from his corpse. Alain¡¯s most recent cigarette finally burned out. He pulled the stub from his mouth and reached for a new one, only to find that his pack was empty. He let out a frustrated sigh, then tossed the empty pack on the ground and continued on his way. Little money, no prospects, and now no cigarettes. Just his luck. A sign up ahead told him he was entering the city¡¯s harbor. Alain barely spared it a glance before continuing on anyway. He wasn¡¯t much one for water ¨C in his opinion, if man were meant to swim, God would have given them gills and fins ¨C but it wasn¡¯t like he had anything else to do aside from explore. And besides, the harbor would hopefully have far fewer people milling about than the city streets did, even if it smelled like salt water and fish. It would have been a solid plan, were it not for the ship docking right at the moment he entered the harbor. A vein pulsed in his forehead as people began to disembark, pushing their way past him without a care in the world. They were all babbling in strange, accented languages he didn¡¯t recognize, though a few were speaking English, with varying degrees of fluency. Frustrated by the sudden flood of strange people, Alain turned and began to walk away when he heard a woman¡¯s voice call out to him. ¡°You there, with the hat! I demand you come speak with me!¡± Again, a vein pulsed in his forehead. Whoever this woman was, she clearly didn¡¯t understand a thing about minding her manners or not pissing off people armed with shotguns. Still, if she¡¯d wanted to get his attention, she certainly had it now. He turned towards her and was about to give her a piece of his mind when he froze. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The woman was approaching him, and he had to admit, he¡¯d never seen someone who looked quite as exotic as her. She was clad in a fancy white dress that looked like it had come fresh from the Victorian era. Somehow, it was spotless despite the grime that covered the pier they were standing on. She was short, standing just over five feet ¨C a far cry from his six-foot-four. Most striking of all was her appearance, however ¨C she had eerily pale skin and short golden-blonde hair that fell down to just past her ears, and her eyes were, against all odds, a very deep crimson. She was also carrying a small parasol to keep the sun off of her, though it seemed somewhat out-of-place on a day as overcast as this one. She looked absolutely otherworldly. He couldn¡¯t help but freeze at the sight of her. It was a wonder that the other people on the boat weren¡¯t staring at her the way he was, but then again, perhaps they¡¯d simply had time to grow accustomed to her during their voyage. She stopped a short ways away, giving him a haughty look. After a moment, she sniffed. ¡°You¡¯ll do, I suppose,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll do?¡± Alain echoed. ¡°What are you trying to tell me?¡± ¡°I am new to this land. My servant and I require a guide.¡± ¡°Your servant?¡± Footsteps from behind him caught his attention, and Alain whipped around, one hand instinctively falling to his holstered Colt. His eyes widened when he saw the giant man who¡¯d come up behind him so suddenly ¨C he was even taller than Alain was, standing about six-foot-seven, with a tan complexion and dull green eyes. He carried himself very stiffly, and had an even expression on his face despite the fact that Alain¡¯s hand was on the butt of his revolver. The giant man was dressed in an immaculate black suit that somehow fit him perfectly, with a deep red undershirt and a red tie. About the only thing he had in common with Alain was his black hair. ¡°Introduce us, would you?¡± the woman said dismissively. The tall man¡¯s mouth curled into what had to be a smile, though it looked utterly unnatural on him. ¡°But of course, my lady.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°Greetings, traveler. You have had the privilege to be directly addressed by Her Grace, the queen-to-be Lady Sable. If only most mortal men would be so lucky.¡± Alain was taken aback. He stared for a moment before clearing his throat. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°I am Az, butler to Lady Sable.¡± ¡°Alain Smith,¡± he offered, despite his reservations. His southern drawl sounded out-of-place compared to whatever exotic European accent these two had. ¡°And what¡¯s this I hear about her being a queen-to-be?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple, really,¡± Sable offered, coming up alongside him. She unfolded a small paper fan and began to softly wave it in front of her face, never once losing that stuck-up expression on her face. ¡°I am to be the future Queen. But until that day, I am simply a queen-to-be.¡± ¡°Queen of what?¡± ¡°Everything.¡± Again, Alain could only stare in surprise. ¡°Quite the lofty goal.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Most mortals would be satisfied with being the boss of their own company.¡± ¡°I am not most mortals. Now then, when can you depart?¡± ¡°Depart?¡± Alain asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The lady intends to hire you for your expertise when it comes to traversing the area,¡± Az interjected. Alain looked to him in surprise. After a moment, Az said, ¡°We need you to direct us to the next town.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry to say that you¡¯ve got the wrong guy,¡± Alain offered. ¡°I¡¯m new to the area, myself. Just got off the train this morning.¡± ¡°Trains¡­¡± Sable said, that same dismissive tone creeping into her voice. ¡°I do not trust them. Steel-metal death traps controlled by fallible, mortal men.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a big country, lady. Can¡¯t always travel by boat.¡± ¡°I prefer flying, actually.¡± That did it ¨C these two were nuts. ¡°Well, however you prefer to get around is none of my business. I¡¯ll just be leaving now.¡± Alain made it one step before Sable called out to him. ¡°Perhaps I can make it worth your while,¡± she said. Alain stopped. Without looking back, he said, ¡°How much money are we talking?¡± ¡°I do not deal in paper currency ¨C too easy to lose or damage. What I do deal with, however, is the currency of our forefathers ¨C jewels, gold, silver¡­ favors.¡± ¡°Jewels, gold, and silver are much more my speed,¡± Alain told her, turning back around to face her. ¡°I¡¯ll ask again ¨C how much are we talking?¡± Sable snapped her fingers. Az stepped forward, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small box and offered it to Alain, who accepted it with confusion before opening it. His jaw dropped at what he saw. ¡°Is this real¡­?¡± he asked. ¡°Hm. You would doubt the authenticity of something from my family¡¯s personal collection?¡± Sable demanded. ¡°No, no, I just¡­ that¡¯s a big diamond, lady. You can¡¯t blame a guy for wanting to make sure.¡± ¡°Take that knife on your belt and try to scratch it. That will tell you if it¡¯s real or not.¡± Alain did as he was told, drawing the massive hunting knife from the left side of his belt and gently scoring the steel blade against the top part of the jewel. To his amazement, it didn¡¯t leave a mark at all. Satisfied, he sheathed the blade, then closed the box and handed it back to the butler, who swiftly pocketed it. ¡°Let me just get this straight,¡± he said slowly. ¡°You¡¯re willing to offer me that diamond for, what, taking you to the next town?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Sable confirmed. ¡°Seems a little too good to be true, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°I am willing to pay handsomely for a man who carries himself the way you do. These other people walk and talk as if they have nary a clue how the real world works. You are not like that, however ¨C you walk like a man with purpose and confidence. That tells me that you are someone who can be trusted.¡± ¡°If you say so,¡± Alain replied. ¡°Alright, get whatever it is you¡¯re going to need and follow me. We¡¯ll head out now, if that¡¯s alright with you.¡± Sable nodded. She snapped her fingers again, and Az bent down to grab a giant bag. Alain expected him to buckle under the weight of it, but he didn¡¯t seem to care, instead picking it up and slinging it over his shoulder as if it were filled with nothing but air. He couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow at that, but ultimately said nothing, instead setting off at a brisk walk, Sable and Az following behind him. These two were certainly strange, not to mention suspicious, but that diamond was tempting enough that he was willing to take a chance. And besides, as big and intimidating as Az was, he didn¡¯t seem to have any weapons on him. The three of them started walking together, Alain still uncertain about where exactly he was supposed to be taking them. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he very nearly ran into someone as they rounded a corner. ¡°Sorry,¡± Alain said, sidestepping the man just in time. ¡°Wasn¡¯t paying attention.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite alright, my boy,¡± the man replied. ¡°In fact, I was just-¡± The man suddenly trailed off, and at the same time, Alain became aware of the fact that Sable and Az were no longer keeping pace with him. He turned around, and saw that Sable and the strange man were staring at each other. For the first time, Alain was able to take in the man¡¯s appearance ¨C he was a bit shorter than Alain, with a fading hairline and a large beard, and was dressed in some kind of military uniform, though it wasn¡¯t one that Alain recognized. He had a sword of some kind sheathed at his waist, but as strange as that was, it paled in comparison to his eyes, which were a striking red, similar to Sable¡¯s. Alain scarcely had time to dwell on the matter, however, before the strange man suddenly cleared his throat. ¡°Ah, but where are my manners?¡± he said, taking Sable by the hand. ¡°What is your name, my lady?¡± ¡°Sable,¡± she answered. ¡°Sable,¡± he repeated. He gave her hand a chaste kiss. ¡°It is an honor to make your acquaintance, my lady. And your two servants?¡± ¡°Az,¡± the giant man replied. Alain¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°I¡¯m no servant.¡± ¡°Ah, a difficult one? Fret not, my lady ¨C he will come around in due time,¡± the strange man told her with a smirk. ¡°Anyway, but I must be going now. It was good fortune that brought us together, friends, and I sincerely hope that we may all meet again under happy circumstances once more.¡± ¡°Yeah, okay,¡± Alain deadpanned. ¡°And who are you supposed to be, exactly?¡± ¡°You may call me Norton,¡± the man answered. ¡°Not my full title, of course, but there will be time for such formalities later. For now, as I mentioned, I simply must be going. Safe travels!¡± With that, Norton turned and left them, marching off down the street by himself. Alain watched him go for a moment, then let out a tired sigh. Wherever these people had come from, they were certainly out of touch and out of their element. It would pay for him to be on his toes around them for the duration of the job. Hopefully, it would be a short one. ¡°Weird-ass town¡­¡± he muttered as he began walking again. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 2 ¡°So where exactly are you trying to go?¡± Alain asked. They had just left San Francisco, exiting through the main road. Alain had used some of his personal money to purchase a map of the area, which would hopefully be enough to get them to wherever it was Sable and Az wanted to end up. Sable shrugged. ¡°The next town over. I have no preference.¡± Alain¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°That¡¯s not really a help to me. I need to know exactly where I¡¯m leading you if we¡¯re going to get there properly.¡± ¡°I just told you, it makes no difference. I do not know where anything is in this country. I simply need to keep moving.¡± Sable and Az were already weird, but they just kept getting weirder with every statement. Alain found himself wishing for another pack of cigarettes. ¡°My lady, if I may make a suggestion?¡± Az asked, coming up alongside them. ¡°Perhaps a small town would be the best destination for us, given your stated goal.¡± ¡°And what goal would that be?¡± Alain asked. ¡°Were you not listening when I said I wish to rule over everything?¡± Sable questioned. Silently, Alain amended his earlier wish for a pack of cigarettes to a carton of them instead. ¡°But yes, a small town makes sense,¡± Sable agreed with a nod. ¡°How small are we talking?¡± Alain said, pulling out the map. ¡°There¡¯s a town called Los Banos that¡¯s a few days away on-foot. If we take a train-¡± ¡°No trains.¡± ¡°Alright, no trains.¡± Her aversion to trains was stupid, in his opinion, but she was the one with the diamond, so who was he to judge? He could deal with some blisters on his feet and aching legs if it meant getting his hands on a diamond that large. ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll be on the road for a few days, most likely. That¡¯s assuming there¡¯s no rain, which¡­ well, it¡¯s California; it hardly ever rains here.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that, traveler?¡± Az asked, looking up at the sky. ¡°It seems very overcast today.¡± ¡°Trust me, we¡¯ll have to worry about the sun and the heat more than any rain,¡± Alain answered. ¡°But it won¡¯t be an issue, since there¡¯s plenty of spots along the way to rest and get some water.¡± Both of them nodded along with his words. Alain took a breath. ¡°Alright, then. Los Banos it is.¡± ¨C They spent most of the day walking, only stopping when the sun had started to set. They ended up setting up camp in the middle of a field, Alain putting up a small tent while Az set up a larger one for himself and Sable. As they worked, Alain couldn¡¯t help but note that neither of them were sweating at all. That made sense for Az, but Sable was clad in what had to be a pretty thick dress ¨C it was a wonder she wasn¡¯t sweating bullets under the heat, despite how cloudy the skies were. He certainly was. Alain crawled into his tent, then pulled his boots off with a grunt and set them aside. He gave a small sigh of relief when he noticed his feet hadn¡¯t quite started to blister yet. They¡¯d walked for around seven hours, stopping intermittently for food and water, with few breaks in-between those. Again, that made sense for an experienced outdoorsman such as himself, but he was surprised that his two traveling companions weren¡¯t having difficulties. ¡°Must be hardier than they look¡­¡± he muttered to himself as he shrugged off his double-barrel and set it aside. His Colt stayed on his hip, though ¨C he wasn¡¯t about to part with it just yet. Once he¡¯d had a chance to relax a bit, Alain stood up and marched outside, planning to get a fire going. He was surprised to see that Az had already started one, with small bits of tinder he¡¯d found scattered around. Sable was sitting on a smooth rock a short ways away from the fire, leaning in to warm herself by it. Alain blinked in surprise, then moved closer, taking a seat across from the two of them. He wasn¡¯t much one for small-talk, but with little else to do, his hand was forced. ¡°So,¡± he began. ¡°What country are you two from?¡± ¡°Romania,¡± Sable answered. ¡°Ah.¡± He paused. ¡°...Where is that, exactly?¡± ¡°Eastern Europe,¡± Az said. Alain nodded. ¡°And what brings you both here? You¡¯re pretty far from home, all things considered.¡± ¡°Family troubles,¡± was all Sable said. ¡°My parents are no longer around, and my sister is being¡­ difficult. We both thought it best that I leave for greener pastures for a while.¡± ¡°Sorry to hear that,¡± Alain offered. A thought occurred to him, and he sat up straighter. ¡°You drink?¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Ye-¡± Az suddenly cleared his throat, and Sable paused. ¡°...No, not really.¡± There was that weirdness again. Still, Alain was unperturbed ¨C the diamond was a convincing argument, after all. ¡°I¡¯ve got some whiskey in my bag,¡± he said. ¡°We can share it if you both don¡¯t mind sipping from the same bottle.¡± ¡°Whiskey?¡± Az questioned. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Again, Alain paused, though he soon caught himself ¨C maybe they simply didn¡¯t have whiskey in Romania or something. That¡¯d be far from the weirdest thing he¡¯d heard today. ¡°Hang on, I¡¯ll be right back,¡± he said. With that, he disappeared into his tent for a moment. When he returned, he was clutching a mostly-full bottle of whiskey. He uncorked it and took a quick nip from it, letting out a sigh when he felt the pleasant warmth settle in his stomach. ¡°You two want to try?¡± he said, offering them the bottle. ¡°Hm. The only alcohol I drink is wine,¡± Sable said dismissively. ¡°Yeah, well, I don¡¯t have any of that. It¡¯s whiskey or nothing.¡± ¡°I will try,¡± Az said. Alain nodded, then passed him the bottle. Az sniffed the liquor inside a bit, then before Alain could stop him, raised the bottle to his lips and took a deep sip. Alain expected him to be left a sputtering mess, but to his surprise, Az seemed perfectly fine ¨C he simply lowered the bottle and wiped his lips with the back of a hand, then passed it back to him. ¡°It is pleasant,¡± was all Az had to say. ¡°Uh, thanks,¡± Alain said. He took a big sip of it himself to make sure it was actually as potent he remembered, and just about choked on it. Still, he recovered quickly, if only to save face in front of his traveling companions. ¡°So, Alain,¡± Az began, getting his attention. ¡°Question for you.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°If one wanted to learn more about the way this country is run, where would one go?¡± Alain brought a hand up to his chin in thought, then shrugged. ¡°No idea. Library, maybe? Or perhaps a courthouse. You¡¯re asking the wrong guy, really ¨C I never went to school anymore once I hit thirteen. I started working in the fields instead. I can read and write just fine, though, which is more than a lot of the other field hands I¡¯ve worked with.¡± ¡°Quite,¡± Sable said. She sniffed. ¡°I can smell your alcohol from here. It smells vile.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t knock it ¡®till you¡¯ve tried it,¡± Alain said. He raised the glass to her, then took a swig from it. Safe to say that so far, he liked Az a lot better. ¡°So, big man,¡± Alain said, turning back to the giant. ¡°You¡¯re her butler?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Az confirmed. ¡°How long ago did that start?¡± ¡°A few weeks, I believe.¡± Again, Alain paused. ¡°...Seems pretty sudden. There a story there?¡± ¡°Not much of one.¡± And just like that, the conversation was dead again. These two certainly weren¡¯t much for small-talk, it seemed. Maybe it was a Romanian thing. Alain was beginning to really dislike Romanians thanks to these two. Off in the distance, a coyote barked. Both Sable and Az were on their feet in an instant, but Alain stayed where he was, drinking his whiskey. ¡°Relax,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s just a coyote.¡± ¡°How can you be sure?¡± Sable demanded. ¡°Because I¡¯ve encountered enough of them to know what they sound like, and that was definitely a coyote. If you don¡¯t know what that is-¡± ¡°I know what a coyote is!¡± ¡°Alright. Wasn¡¯t sure if they had them in Romania.¡± To be fair to him, they didn¡¯t seem to have a lot of things in Romania. Manners, for one. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s no big deal,¡± Alain assured them. ¡°If it gets too close to camp, I¡¯ll take care of it for you.¡± He patted his Single Action Army revolver for good measure. Across from him, Az¡¯s expression tightened. ¡°I was meaning to ask you about your weapons,¡± he said. ¡°How do they work?¡± ¡°What, you mean guns?¡± Alain asked. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ complicated. A lot of chemical reactions, or something like that. All I know is I load the bullet into the gun, then I pull the trigger, and then whatever I¡¯m aiming at dies provided my aim is true.¡± ¡°And these weapons are common in this country?¡± Alain couldn¡¯t help but snort in amusement. ¡°Yeah, you could say that. Damn near everyone owns a gun. I own two, myself. Would own more, but I can¡¯t carry any more than these two around with me. Lots of guys who have their own homes and land own an entire arsenal. Rancher I used to work for had dozens of the things lying around. And those are just the ones in private hands ¨C the entire military is armed with these things too.¡± ¡°This country¡¯s military is powerful, then?¡± Az asked. Alain nodded. He wasn¡¯t sure why Az was suddenly so interested in the capabilities of his weapons or the military, but considering this was the most conversation he¡¯d gotten out of the two of them yet, he was inclined to answer, if only to stave off the boredom for a bit longer. ¡°This country¡¯s military is still pretty unproven,¡± Alain answered. ¡°We just won our independence from Britain a little over a hundred years ago. We¡¯ve been getting established ever since then. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve fought a major war against an outside power yet. We did just get done fighting a pretty big one against ourselves, though.¡± ¡°Against yourselves?¡± Sable asked, suddenly interested in the conversation. ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ well, to make a long story short, the north and south parts of this country had a big disagreement over slavery and states¡¯ rights. The south seceded and the two parts went to war. It was pretty bloody, despite only lasting for a few years. But now the country¡¯s back together again.¡± Sable gave a dismissive huff. ¡°To think that a leader would allow his country to split in such a way¡­ intolerable weakness.¡± ¡°Plenty of people here would agree with you,¡± Alain offered. ¡°That guy¡¯s been out of control for some time now, though. I would avoid bringing it up if you go farther south, though ¨C wounds are still pretty fresh down there. A lot of guys won¡¯t appreciate being reminded of it.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Az said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Alain simply nodded, then went back to drinking. The conversation died down after that, but that was fine. He was perfectly content to drink in peace for the time being. ¨C A few hours later, Alain came stumbling back into his tent, the empty whiskey bottle slipping from his grasp and falling to the ground, thankfully not breaking when it landed. He let out a tired groan, then collapsed onto his bedroll and shut his eyes, intending to get some sleep. But then, outside, he heard voices. ¡°-can¡¯t just do it like that!¡± ¡°-not? You need to eat-¡± Alain blinked, bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes. A heavy yawn escaped him, and his vision began to swim from a combination of the alcohol and his own exhaustion. ¡°-only been a few days since I last-¡± ¡°-he won¡¯t miss a pint or two-¡± ¡°-not going to turn him!¡± ¡°-won¡¯t if you¡¯re careful-¡± Alain let out another yawn, then closed his eyes and rolled over onto his side. Whatever they were talking about, it didn¡¯t sound super important or like it involved him in any way. Even if it did, he was way too tired and drunk to worry about that at the moment. And so he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, confident that nothing would happen while he slept. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 3 The dream began the same way it always did ¨C Alain was down the street, just a short walk away, when the house went up in flames. He¡¯d been asleep in his dream, and it had been the stench of smoke that had awoken him, same as it always was. He knew what was happening the moment his eyes cracked open, but that had never stopped him before, and it wouldn¡¯t stop him now. The sixteen-year-old Alain climbed out of bed, then exited his uncle¡¯s house, looking for him. He found his uncle gathered outside, along with a crowd of townspeople, all of them staring at the smoke on the horizon as it curled upwards into the air. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, son,¡± his uncle told him, same as he always did. ¡°We¡¯ve already had some people go looking through the wreck, but we couldn¡¯t find any trace of your parents. In fact, the only thing we found was this.¡± His uncle offered him a small wooden box, and Alain opened it to find a single Colt Single Action Army staring back at him, complete with a leather holster and cartridge belt. He stared at his uncle in surprise, and his uncle furrowed his brow before letting out a sigh. ¡°It was the only thing untouched by the fire,¡± he said. ¡°No idea how it managed to escape. But your Pa always did say he wanted you to have it when you came of age, and¡­ well¡­ I guess you¡¯re of age now.¡± Alain stared at the gun, unmoving and unflinching. After a few moments, his vision began to blur, and his shoulders shook with silent sobs. The dream ended just as he fell to his knees, finally unable to keep his emotions from overwhelming him. ¨C When Alain woke up the next morning, it was to the worst headache of his life. He sat up in his bedroll, a low, pained moan escaping him as he clutched at his temples. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± he breathed through gritted teeth. It was funny ¨C he¡¯d certainly had a lot to drink the night before, but he¡¯d been more drunk in the past, and it hadn¡¯t hit him quite as hard as it had now. Part of him suspected that something else had gone on, but for the life of him, he couldn¡¯t remember what had happened past sitting down at the fire and talking with Sable and Az for a bit. The side of his neck suddenly started to itch really bad, and Alain brought a hand up to frantically scratch at it. He was surprised to find two small puncture wounds there. ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± he breathed. ¡°Did an insect bite me or something¡­?¡± That was the only explanation he could think of, because nothing else really made sense. After all, what other creature could have bitten him if not an insect? Groggily, Alain rose to his feet and grabbed his shotgun, then slung it over his shoulder as he stepped outside. Az and Sable were already waiting for him, seated next to the few remaining embers of the fire. It might have just been him seeing things, but Alain could have sworn that it looked like neither of them had slept very much the night before. Then again, that was none of his business. ¡°Morning¡­¡± he greeted softly as he took a seat at the fire next to them. ¡°Sleep well?¡± ¡°Something like that,¡± Sable muttered. Alain turned towards her, and his brow furrowed when he saw a brownish-red stain on the collar of her dress. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°What¡¯s what?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got red on you.¡± Hurriedly, Sable brought a hand up to cover the stain. ¡°No idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°No, I just saw it-¡± ¡°It¡¯s my mistake,¡± Az interjected. ¡°Cut myself shaving this morning. Got a little bit on her dress by mistake.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any-¡± ¡°When shall we set off?¡± Sable asked, impatient. ¡°I am growing tired of the wilderness.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s going to be a bit longer,¡± Alain volunteered. ¡°We¡¯ve still got a few days before we make it to Los Banos. It should be pretty uneventful, but days are still days, unfortunately. So you might as well get used to it.¡± Sable let out an annoyed moan. ¡°This was a mistake. I¡¯m roasting in this sun.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you mean in the heat?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°My lady, if I may offer a suggestion?¡± Az said. ¡°Perhaps Alain could allow you to borrow his hat ¨C keep the sun off of you.¡± Alain shrugged. ¡°I mean, hell, you¡¯re the ones paying with the diamond. You want my Stetson, you can have it for now. Just make sure to give it back before we part ways.¡± He pulled his hat off her and placed it on her head. The faded brown leather looked very out-of-place when taken in conjunction with her creamy white Victorian-era dress, but it had the desired effect ¨C Sable instantly let out a satisfied sigh, drawing the hat tighter around herself. ¡°Your queen-to-be thanks you,¡± she said. Alain rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, whatever. Let¡¯s just get moving, shall we?¡± Sable and Az nodded, and the three of them set off further into the wilds. ¨C As Alain had predicted, the rest of the trip was uneventful. There were no more instances of drinking to excess, mainly because he¡¯d run out of whiskey after the first night, but that was both a blessing and a curse ¨C a blessing because it meant no more hangovers, and a curse because it meant no more alcohol. Combined with his lack of cigarettes and the fact that he was walking for miles every day, and Alain was quickly growing frustrated with this job, not helped by the company he was keeping. Still, the diamond at the end would be worth it. So he endured regardless. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Eventually, however, they reached the outskirts of Los Banos, as indicated by a weathered wooden sign posted at a set of crossroads. ¡°You are now entering the town of Los Banos,¡± Alain read as they approached the sign. ¡°Population: 231. I¡¯m surprised ¨C I figured there¡¯d be far less of them. The sign does seem like it¡¯s missing a tagline, though.¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± Az asked. ¡°Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.¡± Alain looked off into the horizon, squinting to see if he could get a better look. Sure enough, he was able to make out the distant shapes of wooden buildings looming just on the horizon. ¡°Geez, this place is backwater. You two sure you want to stay here?¡± ¡°Positive,¡± Sable chimed in. ¡°My empire has to start somewhere, and where better than here?¡± ¡°If you say so,¡± Alain ventured. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get there already. My feet are killing me.¡± The three of them started walking again, and soon enough, they¡¯d entered the town. Los Banos was as small as he¡¯d expected it to be, though a bit more densely populated than anticipated. It looked like most of the people there were just passing through, however, if the lineup of carriages and horses were any indication. ¡°Wonder what¡¯s going on here,¡± Alain commented as they passed by a crowd of people. ¡°Perhaps we should find out,¡± Az ventured. ¡°You and Sable can certainly do that if you like. For now, this is where my journey with you ends.¡± ¡°You mean to leave us?¡± Sable asked, surprised. Alain nodded. ¡°The job was to take you both to Los Banos. You¡¯re both now in Los Banos. Therefore, the job is complete. Unless you wanted to hire me for something else?¡± ¡°Not at the moment, no.¡± ¡°Great. Then I¡¯ll be taking my payment.¡± For a moment, Sable looked as though she wanted to argue, but held herself back. Instead, she snapped her fingers, and Az handed him the small box. Alain cracked it open enough to confirm the diamond was there, then swiftly pocketed it. ¡°My hat, too,¡± he said. Sable puffed out her cheeks in frustration, but did as she was told, plucking the Stetson off her head and offering it to him. Alain placed it back on his own head, then adjusted it back to its proper orientation. Then, he tipped it towards both of them. ¡°Pleasure doing business with you both,¡± he said. Then he turned and left them standing there in the center of town while he went off on his own. ¨C Of course, the problem with being paid in jewels was that they weren¡¯t worth anything until they were converted to a usable currency. So while he currently had a valuable diamond on his person, it was next to worthless when it came to actually buying things with it. So until he found a jeweler who was willing to give him a good price for it, he was stuck living off his pocket change. That was no reason to despair, however, nor was it a reason to refrain from celebrating. In the end, the job had been easy enough, despite Sable and Az¡¯s eccentricities, and he¡¯d been paid with something that would likely sustain him for many months while he found more work somewhere else. Alain figured that was cause enough to treat himself to something nice. And so, shortly after parting ways with Az and Sable, he¡¯d found himself in a saloon, seated at the bar. ¡°No long guns on your person inside the bar,¡± the bartender said. Alain was unperturbed. He shrugged off his Ithaca, then offered it to the man. The bartender broke the shotgun open, plucked the two shells out, and offered them to Alain; he pocketed them and watched as the bartender placed his shotgun in a weapon rack behind the bar, along with several other rifles and shotguns. Once that was done, the man came over to him. ¡°What¡¯ll it be, stranger?¡± he asked. ¡°Just a beer,¡± Alain said, sliding a few coins over to him. ¡°And if you¡¯ve got steak and eggs, I¡¯ll take a plate of that as well.¡± ¡°Beer, steak, and eggs,¡± the barman said as he pocketed the money. ¡°Breakfast of champions. What¡¯s the occasion?¡± ¡°Job went well,¡± Alain grunted. ¡°Don¡¯t need much more of an occasion than that.¡± ¡°Amen to that. Hold tight, I¡¯ll get your food going real quick.¡± The barman disappeared into the back for a moment. While he was gone, Alain took the opportunity to look around the saloon. There were only a few other patrons there, which seemed out-of-the-ordinary to him, given how densely-populated the town was for something its size. The bartender came back a short while later, a frothing mug in his hand. He slid it over to Alain. ¡°Food¡¯ll be out in a bit,¡± he said. Alain tipped his hat towards the man, then took a sip from his bear. As he went to put the glass down, he winced, his neck having suddenly started to itch. He began to frantically scratch it, much to the barman¡¯s amusement. ¡°Bug bite?¡± the bartender asked. ¡°Must be,¡± Alain replied. ¡°Never had one this bad, though.¡± ¡°Let me see.¡± Alain obliged, leaning in to show the man his neck. The bartender¡¯s brow furrowed, and he brought a hand up to rub at his handlebar mustache in confusion. ¡°That¡¯s like no bug bite I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± he commented. ¡°You might want to see Doc about that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Alain assured him. ¡°Doesn¡¯t hurt or anything, it just itches really bad sometimes. Happened a few nights ago, when I was out on the frontier.¡± ¡°The frontier, you say? You ever hear of the Chupacabra?¡± ¡°The what?¡± ¡°The Chupacabra,¡± the man repeated. ¡°Old legend hailing from Mexico. Locals there say that it¡¯s some kind of odd creature that kills goats and drinks their blood.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a problem, then, because I¡¯m neither dead nor a goat,¡± Alain pointed out. ¡°So it must be bug bites.¡± ¡°Think what you want to think. All I¡¯m saying is I¡¯ve never seen bug bites that look like that.¡± ¡°What do they look like?¡± ¡°Two perfectly round puncture marks spaced a few inches apart. If those are bug bites, they¡¯re just about the most damn perfect bug bites I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what they are, but I know what they aren¡¯t, and that¡¯s Chupacabra bites.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Another man came out of the back, holding a steaming plate. He put it in front of Alain before returning, and Alain wasted no time in digging into his food with vigor. ¡°Just bringing it up because a lot of weird shit¡¯s been happening out here recently,¡± the bartender said. ¡°Weird how?¡± Alain asked through a mouthful of steak and eggs. That earned him a shrug. ¡°Locals say something strange has been going on in the cemetery. Say they can hear a woman crying out there in the middle of the night. A few people have even sworn they¡¯ve seen a pale-white apparition walking around there every now and again. Haven¡¯t seen it myself, but the people who live out that way are pretty spooked. They think it¡¯s a ghost.¡± ¡°They¡¯re just seeing things,¡± Alain said dismissively. ¡°Ghosts are about as real as Chupacabras are.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so confident if I were you,¡± the bartender warned. ¡°Some of the locals were talking about bringing a priest down to do an exorcism. Now, I¡¯m not Catholic, but if they¡¯re that concerned, there might be a kernel of truth to what they¡¯re saying.¡± ¡°There are so many wild tales around life in the frontier that you can¡¯t believe any of them,¡± Alain said. ¡°It¡¯s all a bunch of shit, if you ask me. Bunch of superstitious morons trying to scare each other with ghost stories and old wives¡¯ tales.¡± The bartender held up his hands in surrender. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot the messenger, buddy. I just talk about what I hear.¡± Alain finished his plate of food, then pushed it away. He turned to look out the nearby window, frowning when he saw a crowd of people dressed in fancy clothes walk by. ¡°Circus in town?¡± he asked. The bartender shook his head. ¡°Investors,¡± he explained. ¡°New gold mine is going to be opening up soon. The mayor¡¯s been heading into town, trying to drum up interest and attract some people who might want to throw some money at it in exchange for a return on their investment. Guess he¡¯s had some success.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± Alain replied. ¡°Little podunk town like this, getting all these rich people in it so suddenly? Must be causing quite a stir.¡± ¡°Ask me, I think it could do the town some good,¡± the barman said as he picked up a glass and began to polish it. ¡°Los Banos could use an injection of cash. Help us grow the town. If the gold mine can help with that, then I¡¯m all for it.¡± ¡°No complaints from me. I won¡¯t be staying long enough for it to matter.¡± ¡°Looking for work?¡± Alain nodded, and the man said, ¡°Could always volunteer to work in the mines.¡± Alain shook his head. ¡°Frontier life or bust for me. That¡¯s all I know.¡± ¡°I feel you on that.¡± The bartender stuck his hand out. ¡°Felix.¡± ¡°Alain,¡± he replied, shaking the man¡¯s hand. ¡°Well, Alain, if I don¡¯t see you again, it was good to meet you.¡± ¡°Likewise.¡± Alain finished his beer, then pushed his empty glass over to the man and tipped his hat towards him. ¡°Be seeing you.¡± With that, he turned and marched out of the saloon, looking for a place he could stay for the night. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 4
As it turned out, Los Banos had a few different inns located throughout the town. This was fortunate, because it meant Alain could both have a place to stay for the night, and he could rest without having to worry about bumping into Sable and Az. The night''s sleep he got after leaving Felix''s saloon was one of the best he''d had in a long time as a result. Alain sat up in bed, stretching as he did so. He looked out the window, noting that it was already late in the morning. Part of him wanted to go back to sleep, but at the same time, he knew he couldn''t. That didn''t mean he couldn''t relax in other ways, though ¨C after all, Felix''s bar had a few poker tables in it, and while he didn''t have much cash on him, he had enough that he could go a few rounds just for fun. With that in mind, Alain got dressed, then grabbed his hat and set it on his head. He clipped on his gun belt, slipping his prized Colt into its holster. It felt bad to leave his shotgun behind, but it didn''t make much sense for him to bring it with him if Felix was just going to confiscate it. Besides, he was just going for a few rounds of poker. What was the worst that could happen? ¨C "You''re back," Felix greeted, looking up from the bar as Alain stepped in. "What''ll it be? Same thing as yesterday?" "Not quite," Alain said. "I''m looking to play a few rounds of cards." "You''re in luck ¨C a few of the regulars have just started a game. I''m sure they wouldn''t mind you sitting in, provided you don''t win too much." "I don''t think they''ll have to worry about that," Alain mentioned. "I''ve only got a few spare dollars on me. I''m just looking to kill some time and have some fun more than anything." "That so? You know, Los Banos is the same as any other frontier town ¨C there''s a brothel if you know where to look-" "Thanks, but no thanks. Last thing I need is the clap." "Ha! Yeah, that''s understandable, I suppose." Felix looked around Alain, then focused on the back table behind him. "Hey, fellas! Got room for one more over there?!" "Send him over," the man serving as the dealer said. "Provided his money''s good, that is." "It''s as good as anyone else''s," Alain said as he moved to the table and pulled up a chair. He tipped his hat to the other players. "Good to meet you boys." They all nodded. There were four of them ¨C three players and a dealer. They were all dressed similarly to him ¨C jeans, plaid shirts, and leather vests, along with revolvers holstered at their hips. That was where the similarities mostly ended, however. "Introduce yourselves, fellas," the dealer implored. "It''s the least you can do before you take all his money." "Nice to meet you," one of them said. "Name''s Jack Williamson." Jack was a younger guy, around twenty-one if Alain had to wager a guess. He was short, about five-and-a-half feet, with green eyes and short blonde hair. He was clean-shaven, which showed off a jagged scar on the right side of his face. "He don''t care about you, Jack," one of the other men admonished. He was taller, standing a few inches shorter than Alain did, with black hair long enough to cover his ears, and a full beard. He had a cigar chomped between his teeth, and was talking around it. "How you doin''? Call me Rusty. I''d give you my last name, but I don''t want you huntin'' me down once I take all your money." Alain nodded, then looked over to the last player. He was an older gentleman just under six feet, with a shaved head and a handlebar mustache. He was so focused on his cards that he seemed to have not even noticed Alain sit down. "Hey, Hank," the dealer said. The older man looked up in surprise; the dealer motioned towards Alain, and Hank turned towards him, then nodded. "Pleasure to meet you," was all he said, before looking back to his cards. Stolen novel; please report. The dealer let out a gruff sigh. "Don''t mind ol'' Hank ¨C he don''t mean nothin'' by it, he''s just quiet by nature. Has been ever since he served in the war as a young kid." Alain was surprised. "He was in the war?" "Aye, he was," Rusty confirmed with a nod. "Served with General Beauregard, he did. Lied about his age to get in, even ¨C said he was eighteen when really he was fifteen." "Should we really be talking about him behind his back?" the dealer asked. Rusty waved him off. "Hank don''t mind, he''s too focused on the cards to care. Ain''t that right, Hank?" Hank didn''t even give a response. Instead, he picked up his cards and threw them on the table. "I''m out," he said, his voice quiet. "You ain''t even gonna see what the other cards in the river are?" the dealer asked. "Nope. Something tells me this hand isn''t going to go my way." The dealer shrugged. "Suit yourself, old timer." He looked back to Alain. "Name''s Gabriel Redd. Everyone calls me either Gabe or Redd, though ¨C which one depends on which town I end up in. Here, they tend to prefer Redd, unless they''re purposely trying to mess me up somehow." Alain nodded in understanding. Redd was also older, standing at about the same height as Rusty, but with a few extra wrinkles on his face, plus a heavy tan. He was slightly overweight, and had a receding hairline, but at the same time, he had a friendly expression on his face. "We''ll deal you in on the next hand," he offered. "Provided you tell us your name, of course." "Alain Smith," Alain replied. "Came into town a little while ago on a job. Nothing major ¨C just escorting some prissy brat and her bodyguard here." "The hell did they want to come here for?" Rusty asked. "Ain''t nothing out here." "Beats me," Alain said with a shrug. "Something about just wanting to get to the next town. I''ve learned not to question it ¨C they''re both weird." "Is her bodyguard that tall fella in the nice suit I''ve been seeing around occasionally?" Jack asked. "Because if so¡­ shit, I can see why he became a bodyguard." "You guys all ready?" Redd asked. "Because here''s the first three." He flipped over three cards one by one. "Ace of hearts, two of diamonds, five of diamonds." "Shit¡­" Rusty breathed. "Jack, you got all the good cards or something? I don''t have anything." "Nice try," Jack chastised. "You''re lying through your teeth." "What can I say? Poker is all about bluffing." "Then you should probably do a better job of it. Bet, twenty-five cents." "Raise to fifty cents." "Call." "One of you assholes is bluffing, I''m just not sure who," Redd chimed in. "Alright, next one. Queen of clubs." Jack let out a low whistle. "Bet, seventy-five cents." Rusty grinned, showing off a mouth full of missing teeth. "Call." "Last one," Redd told them. "Ten of spades. Well, shit, looks like the river ain''t gonna be of any help unless one of you was sitting on something good." He turned towards Jack. "Show ''em." Jack laid his cards out on the table. "Two pair, fives and aces." "Not bad," Rusty said. "Pair, queens." "Told you that you needed to do a better job of it," Jack chastised as he pulled his winnings in. Rusty shrugged. "Sometimes the cards just ain''t in your favor." "Alright, first deal goes to our new friend here," Redd announced, passing Alain his first card. "That is, I assume he''ll be a new friend." "Depends on how much he wins," Jack said, grinning. "Or how much I lose," Alain added. ¨C A few hours later, and against all odds, Alain was actually doing pretty good. He''d gone in with three dollars to play with, and was now up to almost twenty, much to the chagrin of the other players. "Some fellas get all the luck¡­" Rusty bemoaned as he stared at his cards. "Fold, again." "Alright, Rusty''s out," Redd announced. "Last card¡­ eight of spades." He looked to Alain. "Show ''em." "Aces and eights," Alain announced. "Son of a bitch¡­" Jack groaned. "Aces are fuckin'' stuck to his hand¡­ pair of nines." "Pair of kings," Hank offered. He looked to Alain, then gave him an approving nod. "Well played." "Thanks," Alain replied. "You know, fellas, I feel bad about taking all your money. Think it''s time I gave some of it back. You all like whiskey?" "Damn right," Rusty said with a nod. "Especially if someone else is paying for it." "Hell, might as well get something for my money, yeah?" Jack added. Alain cupped his hands around his mouth as he looked back to the bar. "Hey, Felix! Can we get a round of whiskey for all the guys at this table? And leave the bottle, if you don''t mind." "You''ve got it, high roller," Felix called back. Jack stared at him in surprise. "Hell, you know what? You''re alright, Smith." "Figured it''s the least I can do," Alain offered. "Good friends and a bottle of whiskey," Redd announced. "Don''t get much better than that. Right, Hank?" Hank looked up from his cards, then nodded. "Sure don''t." Felix came and dropped off the bottle, along with several glasses. Everyone filled up, then went back to the game. They had just started on their next hand when, out of the corner of his eye, Alain saw two people enter. The badges pinned to their shirts gave them away as lawmen. "Look sharp," he said to the other players. "Looks like we''re about to have trouble." "Well, looky here," one of the men said as he approached. He was about Alain''s height, with a bushy brown mustache and a sharp southern twang to his voice. "Who''s up so far?" "That''d be me," Alain offered. "Can I help you boys with something?" "Don''t think so, unless you''re willing to part with some of that whiskey." Alain hesitated, then offered the man his glass. "Help yourself." "Hell, don''t mind if I do." The man ignored Alain''s glass, instead reaching for the bottle. He took a big sip from it, then passed it to the other deputy who did the same before putting it back on the table. "There a problem, Deputy Timms, Deputy Brayton?" Redd asked, looking to each man in turn. "No problem," the other man, Deputy Brayton, replied. He was shorter than Timms by a few inches, with light brown hair and a five-o''-clock shadow. For the first time, Alain noticed that both men seemed to have unnaturally bright blue eyes, though he was quick to play it off as a trick of the light more than anything, since nothing else made sense to him. "Then why are you here?" Rusty questioned. "Lawmen need to relax, too," Timms said. "Besides, Sheriff Adams needed us out of the office for a bit. Something about patrolling for drunkards. Wouldn''t know anything about that, would you?" "No drunkards here," Hank said softly. "Just started on our first, ''fore you all showed up." "That so?" Brayton said. "Well, then we''d best get out of your hair. Don''t need to be throwing you off your game." He turned to leave, then looked over to Alain, a thin smirk crossing his face. "And this must be the newcomer. Welcome to Los Banos, mister¡­?" "Smith," Alain offered. "Smith. Just a warning, though ¨C don''t go causing trouble for anyone." "Wouldn''t dream of it," Alain said. Brayton nodded, then looked back to Timms. "Come on. Let''s go see what Felix has for us today." With that, both men walked off. The four of them watched them go, then Redd turned towards Alain. "Ignore them," he said. "They''re a pair of horse''s asses. How they got to be deputies, I''ve got no idea; all they do is stir up trouble wherever they go. Still, they''re a nuisance more than anything; nothing to worry about with them." Alain nodded in understanding, then turned his attention back to his cards. It didn''t really matter to him what the deputies thought ¨C with any luck, he''d be out of this town sooner rather than later. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 5
It was a strange noise that woke Alain that night. His eyes fluttered open, and a low, tired groan escaped from between his lips as he turned to face the window. Thin rivulets of rain trailed down the glass, the droplets gently drumming against the roof of the inn where he was staying. Off in the distance, a bolt of lightning illuminated the cemetery, the headstones standing out for just a moment against the backdrop of the night sky. And through the sound of the storm, Alain could have sworn that he heard a woman crying. A chill went down his spine as he recalled Felix''s story, but he was quick to brush it away. "Fucking bartender, trying to get me spooked¡­" Alain muttered to himself as he turned over and closed his eyes, eager to get back to sleep. Despite that, through the soft rainfall outside the window, he could almost swear he was still able to hear the occasional choked sob from off in the distance. ¨C When the sun finally rose, Alain finally stood up with a low groan and a yawn. He hadn''t gotten much sleep the night before, Felix''s story and the rain having kept him up far later than he would have wanted. But that was in the past, thankfully ¨C today was a new day, and it was also the day where he was finally going to leave Los Banos for greener pastures. Alain threw on his clothes and stowed his weapons, then placed his Stetson back on his head and marched outside. He intended to leave immediately, but naturally, the universe had other plans. "Hold, friend!" Alain paused, a tired sigh escaping him. He turned towards the person who''d called out to him, and found a man in a nice suit chasing after him. He was an older gentleman, probably in his late forties if Alain had to guess, and had on a thick set of eyeglasses over his blue eyes. He was bald, and slightly overweight ¨C enough that Alain took notice of it easily enough. A thick mustache covered his upper lip. Does every man here except Az and I have facial hair? He couldn''t help but wonder. "Can I help you?" Alain asked. The man stopped a short ways away, a friendly grin crossing his face. "I would certainly hope so! Couldn''t help but notice that it seemed like you were about to leave town. I was wondering if I could maybe convince you to stay by offering you some work?" "What''s it to you?" Alain asked. "Ah¡­ well, I''m the mayor of this town, Adam Ansley. It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Ansley stuck out his hand, and Alain reluctantly shook it. "Anyway, are you interested?" Ansley questioned. "Depends on the nature of the job, I guess," Alain said. "Excellent! Well, I''m sure by now you know about the mines-" "I do," Alain interrupted. "Felix told me about them. Something about trying to attract investors into town to fund the mine." "Precisely correct. Now, the plan is solid, of course, but there is one catch, as there always is." "Of course¡­" Alain sighed. "What do you need me to do?" "Well, there''s an old quarry where we were keeping the equipment for digging the mine," Ansley said. "However, some bandits broke in one night and stole the dynamite we were using. Without that, we can''t blast our way through the mine any further." "Alright, hold on," Alain said, raising a hand. "You want me to take an entire bandit gang by myself? What makes you think I''m capable of that?" "You seem to know your way around a gun," Ansley replied. "And, of course, you are always free to refuse if you so desire, but I would pay you handsomely for it." "How much?" "Two-hundred dollars, cash." Alain''s eyes just about bugged out of his skull. Two-hundred dollars was less than what he''d get for the diamond he''d earned from Sable, but that much cash could keep him going for a long time, at least long enough that he could find a buyer for the diamond currently burning a hole in his pocket. He had misgivings, of course, but that kind of cash was too good to pass up. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "...I''m going to need some backup," Alain offered. "And I think I know just the person." "You are free to hire whoever you like, just be aware that their payment will come out of yours," Ansley said. "That''s fine. I can afford to part with some of the money if it keeps me alive." "Very good. Come see me when the job is done, I''ll get you your money then." Ansley gave him a soft clap on the shoulder, then turned and walked away. Alain watched him go, then sighed, his brow furrowing. He didn''t want to have to speak with Sable and Az again, but if Az was even half as capable as he seemed to be, then he was going to have to get over himself. "This is going to suck." ¨C "Well, look who it is," Sable greeted as she opened the door to her room and placed a hand on her hip. "Come back to lick my boots, Alain?" "Not quite," he said. He was tempted to tell her to take her stuffy attitude and stick it up her ass, but since he was trying to hire Az, he thought it best to refrain. He peered around Sable and into the room. "Is Az there? I need to speak with him." "About what?" "A job." Sable rolled her eyes. "Do we look like we need the money?" "Money makes the world go ''round," Alain said. "And a hundred dollars of it ought to make a pretty convincing argument for you." "Hm. Az!" Heavy footsteps from inside the room signaled Az''s arrival. Sable stepped aside, allowing him and Alain to speak face-to-face. "Yes?" he asked. "You interested in a job?" Alain questioned. "I already have a job, serving my queen-to-be." "I meant a real job. You know, one that pays actual money." Sable scowled. "How dare you!" Alain ignored her, instead turning back to Az. "So, do I have your attention?" "What is the nature of the job?" Az requested. "A bit of pest removal, so to speak. It''d be us two versus a small bandit gang. Don''t know how you are in a fight, but you''re a big enough guy that I figured you''d know a thing or two about it." "I do not like to dirty my hands with such frivolities," Az said. "However, should my queen-to-be request it of me, I would take you up on your offer." Alain cursed under his breath. He probably should have expected that answer given how devoted Az seemed to be to her, but he''d been too blinded by the money and his annoyance with Sable to even consider it. In any case, this job appeared to be a bust at this point. There was no way Sable was going to agree to- "You have my permission, Az." Alain froze. "Sorry, what?" "He has my blessing to assist you," Sable said. "Right, right, I heard that. But¡­ why?" Sable shrugged. "Do I need an excuse to help in wiping the earth free of uncouth ruffians such as these? They would simply be an obstacle to my rule, in due time. They would need to be dealt with anyway; at least this way, we get paid for it." "If you say so." Alain looked back to Az. "Well, I suppose that settles it." "It does," Az confirmed with a nod. "Come, my lady. We shall depart at once." "Whoa, whoa, hang on," Alain said. "No offense, but why is Sable coming? This is going to be extremely dangerous. She should stay here, where it''s safe." "Where Az goes, I go," she said. "Unless you''d prefer to do this job on your own?" Alain shrugged. "Suit yourself. But don''t come crying to me if you take a bullet." ¨C A short while later, and the three of them were gathered outside the nearby quarry, watching the bandits from afar. Alain counted eight of them, split into two groups of four across the quarry. Most of them only had revolvers, but one had a shotgun, and another had a lever-action rifle. "Those long guns are going to be trouble¡­" Alain observed. He turned to Az. "Think you can take care of those two while I move in on the rest?" "Az has it under control," Sable said dismissively. "Of course, my lady," Az confirmed. "Let us move." "Uh, alright," Alain said. "I''ll go in first. Follow after me when you hear the first shot." At the mention of shooting, he paused. "Wait, where''s your gun?" "Unnecessary," Az replied. "What are you talking about? You can''t just-" "Again, Az has it under control," Sable said. "Worry about yourself, not him." "If you say so," Alain said. If Az wanted to get himself killed by going in unarmed, it was no business of his. If anything, Az would make a good distraction while Alain cleaned up the bandits, and he wouldn''t have to split the money with him afterwards. "Let''s move," he said. The two of them pressed into the quarry, moving as stealthily as possible. Alain had his Ithaca double-barrel in his hands, and was creeping along to the entry of the quarry. At the opening, there were two guards armed with revolvers, standing there and smoking. Alain spun out from around the corner and shot them each with one blast of buckshot. Both men fell, dead before they hit the ground. He broke the shotgun and thumbed in two fresh shells, then closed it and began to move in. But before he could enter, Az rushed past him, moving so fast he was almost little more than a blur. Alain was taken aback by his speed, but recovered quickly, instead moving into the quarry. Inside, the remaining bandits were calling to each other, having heard the two shotgun blasts that had signaled the start of the fight. As Alain made it inside, shots began to impact all around him, and he sprinted to his next piece of cover, just barely managing to avoid being poked full of holes. He sidled up against a slab of rock, only pausing to stick his gun out and shoot another bandit who had strayed too far out into the open. Off in the distance, over the sound of sporadic gunfire, Alain was able to make out a chorus of panicked screaming. Whatever was doing, it seemed to be completely decimating the opposition. Alain finished reloading his shotgun, then exited cover, expecting to be greeted by more gunfire. He wasn''t, however; the moment he left cover, the gunfire completely died down. Confused, Alain looked around. "What the hell¡­?" It was now dead silent, save for footfalls from up ahead. A bandit came sprinting into view, his shirt covered in blood and a revolver clutched in his grip. Alain immediately raised his shotgun towards the man, who froze and threw his hands up in surrender, the pistol slipping from his grasp. "Are you with them?!" the bandit shouted. "In a manner of speaking," Alain confirmed. "K-keep them away from me!" "What do you mean, them?" "The girl and the giant! They''re monsters!" "What girl?" Alain''s eyes narrowed. "How do you know about her? She was supposed to hang back." "She was with him! God, they''re both demons! You''ve got to help me!" "Calm down," Alain urged. "Where''s the dynamite?" "The dynamite?" the bandit asked. His eyes narrowed. "Did Ansley send you?" "He hired me, yes." "You can''t trust him," the bandit warned. "Forgive me if I''m not in the business of heeding cautions from a criminal." "Criminal? Me?" The bandit barked out a laugh. "What''s criminal is what''s going on in that town." "You mean the mine?" "If only it were the mine. So you haven''t heard about the missing girls?" Alain''s eyes narrowed. "First I''m hearing of it." "Why don''t you bring it up to him? See what he has to say." "Alain." Sable''s voice took Alain by surprise. He spun around, almost sweeping her with his shotgun in the process, but he managed to avert the gun at the last minute. Sable and Az were standing there, both of them somehow completely untouched. "Where the hell did you two come from?" Alain asked. His eyes narrowed. "And why did you not stay put, Sable?" She shrugged. "I told you, where Az goes, I go." "Oh God, it''s them!" the bandit said. "Shoot them both, now! Before it''s too late!" "Nobody else needs to get shot," Alain assured the man. "Calm down and I''ll let you go." "With those two walking around?! No fucking chance!" What are you-" Then, before Alain could do anything further, the man hurriedly bent down and picked up his discarded revolver, moving to point it at the three of them. Alain reacted immediately, firing both barrels of his shotgun into the man''s chest. He was dead before his body met the dirt. Alain stood there for a moment, staring down the smoking barrels of his shotgun, before giving a reluctant sigh and lowering it. "Well," Sable cut in. "That takes care of that." "What the fuck was he talking about?" Alain demanded, rounding on her. "What did you two do?" "We took care of the problem," was all Sable said. "Now then, shall we return for our payment?" "Lead the way, my lady," Az said. Both of them turned and began to walk away. Alain spared one last look back at the bandit he''d just shot, then followed after them. One thing was for sure ¨C after this, he never wanted to see those two again for as long as he lived.
The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 6
"The job''s done," Alain reported. Ansley clapped his hands together, a big grin crossing his face. "Excellent, my boy!" Alain showed no reaction to his employer''s praise, instead looking around the room. He was standing in Ansley''s office, on the second floor of the town hall. The office looked normal enough ¨C it was covered in expensive-looking furniture, along with a few fully-stocked bookshelves. The only things out of the ordinary that he could find were the taxidermy deer head hanging above the door, plus the small table with a bottle of whiskey and some glasses on it. Ansley reached into his desk and pulled out a stack of bills, which he counted out before handing over to Alain. "It''s all there," he assured him. Alain nodded, then took a moment to confirm his employer was telling the truth. Once he was finished counting the money, he pocketed it. "If you don''t mind me asking," Ansley said, catching Alain as he turned to leave. "Did you notice anything out-of-the-ordinary while fighting the bandits?" He certainly had, but somehow, he could tell that wasn''t the answer Ansley was fishing for. Alain hesitated for a moment before answering. "One of them said something funny," he offered. "About some missing girls." Ansley''s expression faltered for a moment. "Ah¡­ terrible business, that ¨C we have had a few women of ill repute go missing recently. We suspect it was a drifter passing through town ¨C the disappearances stopped after he left. We''ve already alerted the authorities about the whole thing. With any luck, they''ll catch him and bring him to justice." Alain frowned. How convenient that the missing women could be blamed on a transient with no ties to the town and no way to verify the story. Still, he nodded along with Ansley''s statement, unwilling to express his doubts to the man openly. "Thanks for the money," Alain said, before turning and leaving. ¨C As much as it pained him to have to admit, he owed Az and Sable for their part in eliminating the bandits. Still, that didn''t make it any easier for him to track them down and force himself to offer them half of the two-hundred dollars he''d been given. Then again, after what had happened with those bandits, the last thing he wanted was to stiff those two. Whatever they''d done to eliminate the bandits, he wanted no part of it. And that was how he''d found himself standing outside their room at the inn, knocking on their door. Sable opened it after a moment and stared at him. She did not seem at all surprised to see him there. "And the subject returns to his queen-to-be yet again," she said. "What is it this time?" "Came to offer you both your half of the money," Alain said. He held out a small wad of money. Sable stared at it, then sniffed dismissively. "Paper money is uncouth," she commented. "What happened to the old days of dealing in gold and silver?" "Died when it became clear that paper money was a lot easier to carry around, I suppose. Do you want the money or not?" Sable plucked the cash out of his hands, shivering when her hand touched his. Alain raised an eyebrow at that, but didn''t say anything. Most likely, she was just dismayed at having touched a commoner''s hands or something. "Will you be staying in town long?" Sable asked. "Why do you care?" Alain replied. "You have proven yourself to be quite reliable. I was wondering if you would be interested in more work." Truth be told, the last thing he wanted was to work with these two again. Sure, they probably had another valuable gemstone to offer him as payment, but at this point, it wasn''t worth having to put up with them anymore. Alain shook his head. "I''ll be heading out shortly." "Shame. We were hoping you''d be interested in those missing girls." Alain froze, staring at her in shock. He recovered quickly, however, a neutral expression crossing his face. "That''s none of my business. Besides, I spoke to the mayor ¨C he told me they already suspect who did it." "But they don''t know for sure, now do they?" Sable countered. "I''m curious as to why you care." "Why wouldn''t I care? I am a target, same as they were ¨C a young woman passing through town with no connections and very few who would miss her. That is cause for concern, if you ask me." "Well, I want no part of it," Alain said emphatically. "If you need a bodyguard, you''ve already got Az. If you''re looking for a detective, you''ll need to find someone else, because I''m going to be moving on." "Suit yourself," Sable said with a shrug. "But should you change your mind, you know where to find us." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. With that, she closed the door in his face. Alain immediately turned and marched out of the inn. He needed a drink. ¨C Hours later, Alain came stumbling out of the bar, his vision swimming. He raised up to his forehead, a groan escaping him. He''d gotten carried away again, but in his defense, a hundred dollars bought a lot of booze. He''d barely even made a dent in his finances, and he''d been drinking for hours. It was late at night now, and he was very, very drunk. Still, it was worth it, in his opinion ¨C anything to take his mind off the craziness of the past few days. At least, that was what he told himself to make the throbbing in his head hurt just a bit less. With nothing else to do, Alain began to stumble back towards the inn he was staying at, nearly tripping over himself with every step. The full moon above illuminated his path forward, as did the occasional light coming out from one of the nearby buildings. It had to be almost ten at night now, if he were to wager a guess ¨C far later than he normally stayed up, used to his schedule in the fields as he was. As Alain approached the inn, something caught his eye ¨C a small light off in the distance, in the cemetery. He stared at it with curiosity for a moment, unsure of what to make of it, before he heard something. In the middle of the cemetery, he could hear what was unmistakably a woman''s gentle crying. His breath caught in his throat, and his hands began to shake as he recalled Felix''s story. He''d dismissed it as pure fantasy cooked up by some superstitious locals, but that didn''t explain what he was seeing and hearing now. Movement caught his attention, and to his surprise, two figures began to move towards the cemetery. Through the darkness, he was able to tell that they were Sable and Az. He stared in stunned disbelief as they approached the graveyard. As they did so, the light intensified, and the crying stopped. That was all he needed to see. Alain turned and began to sprint away, trying to put as much distance between himself and the cemetery as he could. He ran through town, the only thought on his mind being to get as far away from the two of them as possible. Drunk as he was, he didn''t even realize where he was running, only stopping when he was out of breath. Alain doubled over, his hands on his knees as he gasped for air. He looked up and found that he was standing outside the sheriff''s office, and that against all odds, the lights were still on. That was a good sign, at least ¨C after all, who else would he talk to about this aside from the sheriff? If nothing else, this was two people desecrating the dead ¨C he wasn''t sure exactly what Az and Sable were doing in that graveyard, but knowing them, it was nothing good. He stood up, dusted himself off, and pushed his way through the doors into the sheriff''s office. There were three people inside, the sheriff himself and two deputies. All of them looked up at him in surprise. "Can we help you, sir?" one of them asked. "You can," Alain said, his words coming out slurred. "Graveyard¡­ two people there, doing something." The deputies exchanged a glance with each other. The sheriff let out a sigh, then stood up and approached him. "Easy there, fella," he said, his voice gentle. "You''re drunk. You sure you aren''t just seeing things?" "Drunk or not, I know what I saw," Alain insisted. "There are two people in that graveyard, and I know I heard a woman crying out there. Something''s going on, I just don''t know what." Again, the three lawmen exchanged a glance with each other before they looked back to him. "Have a seat, son," the sheriff offered. "Talk to us a bit." Alain obliged, taking a seat towards the back of the office. The three men sat in front of him, all leaned in and eager to hear what he had to say. Alain sighed, then brought a hand up to wipe sweat from his brow. "It''s like I said, there are two people out there, messing with the cemetery. No idea what they''re doing, but knowing them, it''s nothing good." "You know them?" one of the deputies asked. He nodded. "We came into town together. I did some jobs for them. But there''s something that''s not right about those two ¨C can''t put my finger on it, but something about them is just plain wrong." "This guy''s higher than a Georgia pine," one of the deputies declared. "What do you think, Adams?" The sheriff, Adams, crossed his arms. "I think he might need to spend a night here to detox." "Damn it, I''m not crazy," Alain declared. "I know what I saw." He shook his head. "There''s so much weird shit going on around here¡­ these two fucking people, ghost stories, missing girls-" "Missing girls?" Adams asked, leaning in. "You know about that?" Alain paused and looked around the room. It was like a switch had just been flipped ¨C the demeanor of the three men had just changed completely. They''d gone from being interested in his story to eyeing him with suspicion. Clearly, he''d said something very wrong that had set them off. He hesitated, then held up his hands in surrender. "I don''t know anything about that except for what little I''ve heard," he said. "You shouldn''t have heard anything about it," Adams replied. "That case has been solved. There''s nothing more to discuss." "Sorry for bringing it up-" "You''re not making any sense, son. What''s this ghost story you were talking about? Surely you don''t believe that bullshit." "I don''t, but-" "Then why bring it up?" "Because-" "And these two people you came into town with¡­ what''s their story?" "I have no idea," Alain insisted. "Said they were from Romania or some shit. I don''t-" "Romania?" Adams echoed, his eyes going wide. After a moment, his demeanor changed again, and he turned to his deputies. "Watch him." Both men nodded, and before Alain could do anything, they rose up and approached him. He jumped out of his seat and back up, holding his arms out to keep them at bay. "Get the fuck away from me," he growled. "What''s going on?" "Nothing that concerns you, son," Adams replied. He approached the nearby gun cabinet and retrieved a shotgun from it. " What are you doing with that? You can''t just-" "Shut up," Adams growled, turning towards him. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You have no idea what you''ve brought to our town, do you?" Alain froze at that. "I don''t-" "Thought so. Boys, get him under control while I take care of this." With that, Adams left, shotgun in hand. The deputies closed in on Alain once more, and he stared at them, unsure of what to do. His first was to go for the revolver holstered on his hip, but he pushed that thought away as quickly as it came ¨C there was no way he''d be able to get away with gunning down two lawmen in cold blood. He was going to have to find some other way out. One of the deputies suddenly lunged for him, and Alain swerved at the last minute, avoiding the incoming strike and lashing out with a blind punch of his own. He felt the deputy''s nose crunch underneath his fist, and the man reeled back, blood gushing down his face. The other man closed in on him, his fist rocketing towards Alain''s stomach; it hit with far more force than Alain expected, and he doubled over in pain, the air driven from his lungs. Both men approached him once more, but before they could reach him, Alain pushed through his pain and leapt to his feet, grabbing the chair he''d been sitting in just moments ago. He used it like a club, bashing both deputies with it a few times before the wood shattered. He stared at the two legs in his hands in dismay, then let them both drop to the ground. The lawmen were lying in a heap on the floor, blood dripping down their faces. That should have been the end of it, but to Alain''s surprise, they both began to pick themselves up again, their faces contorted in anger. One of them lunged for him and the other drew his revolver. Alain''s eyes widened, and just before the first shot rang out, he threw himself to the floor. The gunshot echoed through the building like rolling thunder, and he winced, his ears ringing. Still, he was quick to pick himself up, and this time, he didn''t bother holding back. At this point, they were trying to kill him, so he had no choice but to defend himself as best as he could. Alain threw caution to the wind and drew his own revolver. As the other deputy closed in on him, Alain opened fire, sending two rounds into the man''s legs. He fell to the ground, screaming. Before Alain could search for the next one, two more gunshots rang out, the bullets impacting the ground just a few centimeters away from his face. Alain reacted instinctively, turning and firing; three shots left his revolver as fast as he could pull the trigger and thumb the hammer. They all struck the deputy in the chest, and he fell to the ground, where he laid motionlessly. Alain''s eyes widened as he realized what he''d done. He rose to his feet, rushing over to the deputy to check him. "Shit, shit, shit!" he said when he saw the holes in the man''s chest, right where his heart would be. "I didn''t mean to-" Then, before he could finish his sentence, the dead deputy''s eyes opened. Alain froze in fear as the clearly-dead man began to rise up, reaching for his gun. Alain fell backwards, then scrambled away. He made it out the door just as a series of gunshots rang out from behind him, all of them thankfully missing him. Alain ran once again, just trying to put some distance between himself and the hostile deputies. By this time, people in town had started to leave their houses and investigate the commotion; he ignored all of them, instead running blindly for wherever looked the safest. Alain rounded a corner just on the outskirts of town and smacked into someone. He fell back, his Colt slipping from his grasp and landing in the sand below. Shaking the stars from his eyes, he looked up. Az stared down at him. He was covered in blood. That was all Alain needed to see. He scrambled for his revolver, pointing it at Az. The giant was unperturbed, however. "Put it down," he warned. "Stay the fuck away from me," Alain growled. "Get back!" Az didn''t listen, instead continuing to stand there. Alain thumbed the hammer back on his gun, his finger hovering over the trigger, just waiting for him to make a move. Then, there was a sudden pain in his neck. Alain fell backwards, his gun discharging harmlessly into the air as his vision swam. The last thing he was aware of before he passed out was Sable staring down at him, her red eyes seeming to glow under the light of the full moon. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 7
"-lain. Alain!" Groggily, Alain cracked both eyes open, a groan escaping from him as he did so. As he opened his eyes, he realized that he was lying in a field, staring up at the night sky. He blinked to clear his vision, then sat up, wincing when he felt pain lance through his head. Casting a glance around, he found Az and Sable standing nearby. Then the memories came flooding back, and he rocketed to his feet, ripping his Colt from its holster in the process and leveling it towards them both. "Take it easy," Az implored. "Fuck off," Alain snapped. "What the hell happened back there? The sheriff and his deputies attacked, then went after you! Where did you two even come from, anyway? What happened to the sheriff?" "One question at a time," Sable said. "Put the gun down." "Fuck you. I want answers, now." "And you''ll get them," Az assured him. "But first, you need to lower your weapon." Alain turned towards him, aiming the revolver at him in the process. Before he even knew what was happening, Sable launched herself towards him almost faster than he could even imagine it. He was on the ground in the blink of an eye, his gun ripped from his grasp. Sable stood over him as he winced, and glared down at him. "Never point a weapon at me again," she said with a snarl. Then, surprising him even more, she took him by the hand and pulled him to his feet. Alain stumbled for a moment, his footing uncertain thanks to the pain in his head, but was able to maintain his balance. He eyed her with curiosity. "What the hell are you?" he bluntly asked. "Whatever you are, it''s clear to me that you''re not a normal person." Az looked over to her. "My lady, shall we tell him?" Sable crossed her arms. "The Veil was lifted the moment the sheriff and his deputies attacked him. At this point, there''s no harm in it. The Tribunal will take their pound of flesh how they see fit, anyway." "What are you two-" "Stop," Sable commanded, silencing him. "Be quiet and listen. Can you do that?" Alain nodded, and she took a breath before continuing. "If you thought there was something odd going on around town involving those missing girls, then you were right," she said. "Az and I don''t know for sure what it is, but we suspect they were kidnapped and sacrificed to fuel a ritual of some kind." Alain''s eyes bugged out of his skull. "What the fuck¡­? What is this, witchcraft? Devil worshiping?" "Not quite. The thing you need to understand is that there is an entire other world out there, full of mystical creatures that most humans have only read about in fiction. The Veil exists to protect the two worlds from each other ¨C the mystical is meant to stay separate from the ordinary, for the good of both worlds. The two have intersected before throughout the world''s history and whatever good comes from it never lasts." Alain brought a hand up to rub at his face. "...Okay. Let''s assume that I actually believe this, because no matter how you look at it, it''s crazy to even suggest. But let''s just assume you''re telling the truth¡­ how does that explain what''s going on in Los Banos?" "Someone in town found out something they shouldn''t have," Az interjected. "They found a way to sacrifice human souls to fuel a ritual of some sort. To what ends, we don''t know yet. But that''s why we were headed over to the cemetery." Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "The cemetery¡­? What, were you going to try speaking to the dead or something?" "Yes, in fact," Sable said with a nod. "The dead tend to be quite talkative, if only mortals would take the time to listen to them." Alain stared at her. "You can''t be serious," he said. "That ghost story¡­ it''s true?" "Well, we wouldn''t know," Az explained. "We were attempting to get her to fully manifest and speak with us, but were unable to before the sheriff showed up." "And what happened to him?" Sable didn''t answer immediately. Instead, she snapped her fingers; Az withdrew something from his pocket and tossed it to her ¨C Alain recognized it as a shotgun shell. She handed it to him and motioned for him to inspect it. Alain turned it over in his hand, confusion filling his mind at what he saw. "What is this?" "It''s a specialized shotgun shell," Sable told him. "The projectile has been replaced with a piece of reinforced, sharpened wood. A very short-range projectile, but lethal to its intended target." "And what would that intended target be?" "A vampire." Alain suddenly fumbled the shotgun shell, dropping it onto the ground as he whipped around to face her in shock. "...Holy shit, you''re not kidding," he said. He brought a shaking hand up to rub at his face. "My God¡­" "I''m surprised you''re not more skeptical about it," Sable remarked. "It''s just¡­ suddenly, it makes sense ¨C the blonde hair, pale skin, red eyes, aversion to sunlight¡­" A thought crossed his mind, and he turned to her. "...Did you drink my blood a few nights ago, when I was drunk and asleep?" Sable hesitated, then nodded. "Vampires need to eat too, you know." "...That''s why you hired me, isn''t it?" Alain asked. "You fully intended to use me as a source for meals." "That''s a crude way of putting it, but yes," Sable confirmed with a nod. "Like I said, I need to eat, too." "Then¡­ does this mean I''m going to turn into a vampire, too?" "Only if she willed it to happen while drinking your blood," Az hurriedly explained. "Trust me, if you were going to turn, it would have happened by now." Alain nodded, numb. "This is too much to take," he admitted. "I just¡­ all this shit''s real? Ghosts, vampires¡­ what next? Werewolves?" "And more," Sable told him. "All kept hidden from the public and covered up, thanks to the Veil. Your own world governments and the Tribunal work hard to keep it all a secret, for all the good that''s doing now." "What makes you say that?" "Simply put, incidents such as what''s happening in Los Banos are becoming more common," Az explained. "Since the turn of the century, we''ve seen a large increase in instances of the ordinary world crossing over with the mystical world. It''s becoming extremely difficult to cover up. In due time, it will become impossible, and then the Veil will truly have been broken." "But we can worry about that later," Sable added. "For now, we need to focus on what''s going on in Los Banos. Whatever that ritual is, it can''t be good for anyone, mortal or mystical. We''re going to have to put a stop to it." "And we will," Az said. "With Alain''s help, of course." Alain''s heart just about skipped a beat. "Me¡­? You want my help?" "We''re going to need all the assistance we can get, and you''ve proven to be quite capable already," Sable assured him. "Are you in?" "I just¡­ I don''t even know what''s going on." "Neither do we. That''s why we need to find out." "But the deputies I shot-" "Are likely fine, if what happened to the sheriff is any indication," Az said. "And¡­ what would that be?" Alain couldn''t help but ask. Sable motioned to the shotgun shell lying abandoned on the ground. "Crazy fool thought he was dealing with two vampires. He wasn''t ready for Az. Of course, being completely torn limb from limb can only stop someone like that for so long." "What do you mean?" "I mean that whatever ritual they''re trying to cast was already tested on at least those three," Sable specified. "Because, while they can be killed, it won''t last forever unless you take care of them in a very specific way. Az was able to completely rip the sheriff apart, but he''ll be back. It generally takes fire to completely kill a wight." "A what?" "A type of undead," Sable explained. "That''s what the sheriff and his deputies are now. They willingly sacrificed three souls and their own humanity to turn themselves into pseudo-immortals who can''t age or be killed via conventional means. The only ways to put a wight down for good are to remove the head, destroy the brain, or burn it to a crisp. Anything else is just temporary." Again, Alain stared at her for several seconds, mouth agape, before shaking his head. "...This can''t be happening," he muttered. "This is insane. All of this is completely insane." "Call it whatever you want to call it, that won''t change the fact that it''s all very real," Az said, crossing his arms. "What do we do, then? If the sheriff and his men are behind all of this, who do we go to?" "For something like this?" Sable asked. "This is a large-scale incident ¨C several hundred people at risk, with potential to spread out beyond just this town. Generally, something like that would require intervention by a small group of specialized monster hunters, or a Tribunal unit. Unfortunately, we don''t have time for either of those. Monster hunters definitely wouldn''t get here before things got worse, and while a Tribunal unit would probably get here faster, they still wouldn''t be fast enough. No matter how you look at it, we''re the only ones who can stop whatever''s about to happen to this town." "So what do we need to do?" Alain asked. "First step is going to be getting more information," Az offered. "Much as I hate to say it, we can''t just march into town ¨C the sheriff and his men have undoubtedly already started speaking to the townspeople, giving them their side of events. There''s no way we''d be able to get back into town without violence in the first place. Even if we could, we''d still have no idea what we''re facing down there." "Then we should head to the cemetery when night falls," Sable added. "We can use the cover of darkness to sneak in and see if we can''t get that ghost to talk. Alain, what do you think?" "Why the hell are you asking me?" he demanded. "I''m still not entirely sure if this is a bad dream or not. Frankly, I''m the very last person who should be making any kind of plan about what to do next." "True. At the very least, you can handle yourself in a fight. Just remember ¨C when it comes to undead, the only way to stop them is to remove the head, destroy the brain, or set them ablaze. Keep that in mind and you''ll be alright." Alain opened his mouth to complain again, but Sable ignored him, instead turning back to Az. "Alright," she said. "Let''s go." The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 8
As soon as the sun finished setting, the three of them set off for the cemetery. Alain kept his head on a swivel the entire time, wary of anyone who would try to stop them. Frankly, he''d be surprised if there was nobody waiting for them at the cemetery. Alain was tempted to pause and consider the fact that he''d just accepted a man who''d been torn limb from limb literally pulling himself back together and continuing to live afterwards, but at this point, that was very low on the list of oddities he''d encountered in just the past few hours. Having to accept that creatures such as vampires, ghosts, and undead were very real was still very much throwing him for a loop. "Hey, so, I''ve got a question," Alain whispered as they walked. "About vampires, I mean." "Go ahead," Sable said. "How much of the folklore about them is true? I mean, I''ve heard some things, but I don''t know what I can trust anymore." "You want to know how to kill me?" "Not necessarily, but I do want to know if you''re actually fatally allergic to garlic." Sable let out a tired sigh. "No, I am not. That''s something made up by humans. Same with not being able to cross running water, not being able to see my reflection in a mirror, and having to be invited into someone''s home before I can enter. The Veil would have been broken long ago if any of those were true." "Then what is true?" "We need to drink mortal blood to survive. We can turn other people into vampires by drinking their blood, but only if we will it to happen during the act. Sunlight won''t kill us, but it is very painful. Fire, on the other hand, will kill us very quickly. The truest way to put us down fast with little collateral damage is to destroy our hearts, though. Traditionally, that was done with a wooden stake, but that had a lot less to do with the wood and a lot more to do with the fact that there was a sharp object penetrating the heart." "Oh, so a gunshot would work just as well?" "Provided it completely destroys the heart, because otherwise, we will regenerate," Sable warned. "I would know ¨C I was staked several hundred years ago and only just finished regenerating a short while before arriving from Romania." Alain stared at her, surprised. "That didn''t kill you?" "The vampire hunter did a shit job of it," she growled. "And that was almost worse than being killed. Imagine, if you will, being confined to a coffin six feet underground with a wooden stake through your chest, completely immobilized and yet also aware the whole time, while your body slowly regenerates over the course of several centuries. It was only the thought of my future conquests that kept me going." "Future conquests¡­? So that taking-over-everything bit wasn''t really a bit?" "I have high aspirations for the future." "No offense, but you might want to re-evaluate them, given what you''ve done so far." Sable bristled. "It''s a work-in-progress!" "And what about Az?" Alain couldn''t help but ask. "Is he a vampire, too?" "No," Az replied. Alain blinked. "...Then what are you?" "Something far different. I am not at liberty to discuss anything further at this time." "Uh¡­" "I can''t tell you," Az specified. "By which I mean I physically cannot tell you. I am bound by the terms of my contract with Sable to refrain from speaking about my true nature. Not even she truly knows what I am." "Well, if that''s not the most ominous thing I''ve heard yet¡­" Alain muttered. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "We''re here," Sable suddenly announced as they stepped through the front gates of the cemetery. Alain looked around, frowning as he did so. "It''s quiet." "Give her time, she usually starts crying around ten at night," Sable said. "That time must hold some significance to her as a spirit. It''s most likely close to her time of death." Alain couldn''t help but shudder. "This shit is eerie¡­ no offense to you both, but once this is over with, I hope I never see either of you two again. The less of this mystical bullshit in my life, the better." "Hmph. Typical mortal ¨C always so afraid of anything he doesn''t understand and can''t easily defend himself from. But very well ¨C we will take care of this threat and then go our separate ways, if that is what you desire." The conversation tapered off after that, all of them waiting and listening for the crying to start. And sure enough, once it got to around ten at night, Alain heard it ¨C a few sniffles at first, but then some choked sobs, all of them coming through the darkness around one particular grave. Sable motioned for him to fall in alongside her, and they all approached the grave. His heart was pounding in his chest, and one hand fell to his holstered revolver, for all the good it would do against a ghost. "Spirit, take form for us," Sable demanded. "We wish to speak with you." There was a pause in the crying, but it only lasted for a moment before the tears resumed. Sable scowled, then let out a tired sigh. "We''ve attempted to speak with her in the past, to no avail," she informed him. "She seems to be quite obstinate." "Maybe¡­ you''re just not asking the right way?" Alain considered. "What do you mean?" "Put yourself in her shoes ¨C if you were her, would you manifest for someone just because they demanded it of you?" "Hm¡­ a good point. Az, any suggestions?" "Try being more understanding of her perspective, my lady," Az urged. "Perhaps a bit more empathetic." "Very well." Sable cleared her throat. "Spirit, we wish to assist you. Please manifest for us so we may speak face-to-face." This time, there wasn''t even a pause in the crying. Alain sighed tiredly, then gently pushed Sable aside. "Let me try," he said. Sable glared at him for laying hands on her, but didn''t argue. Alain approached the grave, then read the name and epitaph etched across the headstone. He cleared his throat, doing his best to try and calm his beating heart at the same time. "Hello, Amanda," he said. The crying immediately stopped at that, and his breath caught in his throat at the knowledge that a ghost was listening to him talk, but he forced to continue on through his fear. "I''m so sorry for what happened to you. I wish we could''ve gotten here earlier and helped you. But maybe you can help us now ¨C we wish to bring your killers to justice, as well as prevent more people from being killed. If you''re interested in helping us do that, we would like to speak with you face-to-face." For a moment, there was no reaction. But then, as Alain watched, a sudden mist rolled into the cemetery out of nowhere. He took an involuntary step back, one hand again falling to his holstered Colt, though he forced himself to refrain from drawing it, instead watching and waiting to see what happened. The mist coiled seemed to suddenly coil around them for a moment before moving and surrounding the grave. The hairs on the back of Alain''s neck stood up, and a chill went down his spine as the temperature dropped by several degrees. He began to shiver, his breath coming out in a fine mist in front of him, despite the heat from earlier. Then, as he watched, the mist took on a human-like shape. Again, he took a step back, his heart reverberating against his ribcage as a figure in white manifested before them in the visage of a young woman. She was completely pale, dressed in a white shawl with a veil that completely covered her head. Alain stared at her, and swallowed the lump that formed in his throat as she took a step forward. "Nobody has yet expressed interest in helping to catch my killers," she said, her voice coming out with an almost ethereal echo to it. Alain couldn''t see her face thanks to the veil, but somehow he could tell she was staring right at him. "You are the first. What is your name?" "Alain Smith," he said. "I regret that we couldn''t meet under better circumstances, Amanda." Amanda said nothing in response, instead turning her attention towards Sable and Az. "You two have visited my grave and attempted to call to me before." "We have," Sable confirmed. "Your arguments were not convincing." "So we gathered. But you''re here now, spirit ¨C what can you tell us about the man who murdered you?" Amanda tensed. "...It was the mayor," she said softly. "The mayor?" Alain echoed. "Why would he do that?" "I don''t know. All I recall are the circumstances behind my death. Him and several other men cornered me one night while I was walking through town. They took me at gunpoint, then led me to a chamber down in the new mine. I was chained to an altar of sorts, and the next thing I knew, they were driving a knife through my chest and spilling my blood." Sable''s eyes narrowed. "Az and I were correct, then ¨C you were sacrificed as part of a ritual." "There were other girls, too," Amanda specified. "The altar was stained with dried blood when I was chained to it. That means there had to have been others." "I don''t doubt that for a moment," Sable said. "Thank you, spirit ¨C you have been a big help to us. We now know who our primary foe is." Amanda nodded. "What do you plan to do to him?" "Whatever it takes to get you your justice," Alain said. His hand was still perched over his revolver, but it wasn''t shaking nearly as much as it had when the ghost had first appeared. "You have my word." Amanda turned towards him, then slowly nodded. "Thank you, Alain Smith." With that, the mist began to fade, and in a matter of seconds, Amanda was gone. Alain let out a slow exhale once she had dissipated, and his hand finally drifted away from his revolver. "Alright," he said. "We know who we need to stop ¨C the sheriff, his deputies, and the mayor. Question is, how do we do it?" "That''s going to be tricky," Az commented. "We can''t just run into town, obviously. We''re going to need to be more-" Az was interrupted by, of all things, a sudden earthquake. All three of them stumbled as the earth began to shift beneath their feet. At first, Alain figured it was just a coincidence, but then he heard it ¨C the far-off, inhuman screeches that echoed through the night. His eyes widened at the sound of it, but before he could do anything further, he heard something else ¨C fingers clawing against wood, from beneath the earth underneath his feet. The earthquake suddenly stopped, and there was silence for a few seconds before the night was split by the muffled sound of splintering wood. As Alain watched, the ground in the cemetery began to shift once more, and before his eyes, rotting bodies began to tear their way through the dirt, trying to claw their way up to the surface. Alain scrambled to his feet, ripping his gun from its holster, but before he could do anything, Sable took his hand and began to run, far faster than any mortal would have been capable of. His arm felt like it was going to be ripped from its socket, but he bit back his cries of discomfort. "Where are we going?!" he shouted over the window rushing past his ears. "Back to town," Sable told him. "What?! But Az just said-" "I know what Az said. But we''ve got no choice. That earthquake just now was another ritual being completed. Those crazy fools just called every rotting corpse in the area to Los Banos. And they''re going to be hungry." That stunned Alain into silence for several seconds. He shook his head to clear his mind, then nodded in understanding as they continued to run towards town. Off in the distance, the screams began to cut through the night. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 9
By the time the three of them made it into town, the gunshots had started. Alain drew his revolver the moment they entered town in anticipation of a fight, and was instead met by a chorus of far-off screams and rifle fire. Sable motioned for them to follow after her, and they did, all three sprinting farther into town. They got there just in time to see the first reanimated corpses shambling down the street, moaning with their arms outstretched as they closed in on some of the townspeople. As Alain watched, a woman tripped and fell, and the undead were upon her in moments, fingers and jaws tearing at her flesh as she screamed. Alain didn''t bother to wait ¨C he began putting rounds into the corpses, trying to get them away from the woman, but his gun clicked empty before he was able to do any real damage. He could only watch in dismay as the unfortunate woman''s throat was torn out. "Aim for the head!" Sable reminded him over the sound of gunfire erupting throughout Los Banos. "That''s the only way to stop them!" Alain nodded as he began to reload his revolver. As he watched, the dead woman suddenly blinked, then began to rise to her feet among the other undead, her mouth open in a loud moan. Sable suddenly dashed forward, and with a quick swing of her arm, separated the woman''s head from her shoulders, putting her down instantly. Alain stared in shock for a moment, but it didn''t last, as more corpses came shambling down the road, jaws gnashing with hunger. Alain closed the loading gate on his Colt and took aim, taking care to align the sights with the nearest head. When he pulled the trigger, the round made impact directly between the corpse''s eyes, and the undead collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. Alain wasted no time in aiming at the next one, repeating his actions until his gun ran dry again. He paused to reload once more, nothing with dismay that the cartridge belt he had on was rapidly running out of ammunition. "Az, Sable!" he called out as he stuffed rounds into his weapon''s cylinder. "Take over for a second!" Sable came dashing up, a surprised look on her face. Alain noted that she was covered in fluids and gore, but she didn''t seem to care. "Where are you going?" "I need more ammo and a new weapon," he said. "I''ll only be a moment." Sable nodded. "Just don''t let those things scratch or bite you, and don''t get any of their fluids on you. If that happens, you''ll turn into one of them." Alain''s expression faltered. "Now you tell me¡­ Alright, I''ll be right back." With that, he took off running, aiming for the inn he''d been staying at. He burst through the doors, marching past the terrified receptionist and heading for his room. A brief kick caused the locked door to buckle, and he stepped inside, retrieved the Ithaca double-barrel from its spot leaned against the wall, and after a quick check to make sure it was loaded, turned and headed for the streets outside once more. "Might want to close up shop for the night," he said to the receptionist without looking back as he marched past. He emerged onto the road, the gun already at his shoulder. A corpse took notice of him and began to approach, a low moan erupting from its throat and flecks of saliva falling from its mouth. Alain put a shell of buckshot directly into its head, bursting it like an overripe watermelon and showing the area with bits of skull and brains. The sight and smell of it made him gag, but he kept moving, looking for someone he could help. As he rounded a corner, Alain came face-to-face with a small group of survivors, led by an older man wielding a Winchester lever-action rifle. The two men stared at each other for a moment, then Alain pushed past him to take out a corpse that was coming up from behind the group. The shotgun blast made his ears ring, and Alain grit his teeth at the pain and discomfort. He turned back towards the man as he broke the shotgun and thumbed in two fresh shells. "Get these people somewhere safe," he said. "Where is safety, exactly?" the man questioned. There was a series of gunshots, followed by several screams. Alain winced. "Anywhere but here. Go!" Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. The man nodded, then beckoned for the survivors he was leading to follow after him. Alain watched as they fled into the inn he''d just left. The survivors closed and locked the door behind them, then began to move some furniture in front of the door. Alain''s brow furrowed. "Son of a bitch, I was going to head back there." "Alain!" Sable''s voice from behind him nearly made him jump out of his skin. He fumbled one of the shotgun shells, but caught it and placed it in the gun''s second chamber, then closed it and thumbed the hammers back. He couldn''t help but glare at Sable as she stared at him. "Don''t sneak up on me like that when I''m armed," he warned. "We need to move," she said, ignoring his comment. Alain was about to ask why when another earthquake rocked the town. He stumbled, but managed to stay upright by leaning against a nearby building. The earthquake stopped almost as fast as it had come, and to his horror, the ground underneath his feet began to shift once more as even more corpses started to rise up. Without missing a beat, he nodded. "Lead the way," he said as he watched several dead bodies begin to pull themselves out of the ground. Sable took him by the hand, then began to pull him towards the first bit of sanctuary she could find, which ended up being Felix''s saloon. At some point, Az joined them, the giant man''s suit stained with gore the same way Sable''s dress had been. Together, they pushed their way through the door, though they only made it about two steps inside before the sound of a rifle being cocked forced them to pause. "Don''t fucking move," Felix warned from his spot behind the bar. "Are you serious?" Alain asked. "Do we look like one of them to you?" "No, but this shit is suspicious as all hell. You three arrive in town, and weird stuff starts happening. You three get run out of town by the sheriff and his deputies, and weird shit stops happening. You three come back, and this starts happening. Sound like a coincidence to you?" "We''ve been out there fighting those fucking things since making it back here," Alain pointed out. "If we had anything to do with this, do you really think we''d bother trying to do that?" A noise outside the door caught their attention. Alain looked over his shoulder and found a small horde of undead pressed up against the door, scratching and pounding on it, trying to make their way through. Alain grimaced, then looked back to Felix, who was still aiming his rifle at them. "Look, we don''t have time to argue about any of this," he declared. "If you''re going to shoot us, then just shoot us, already. Otherwise, we''re ready to help fight these things off." Felix hesitated, but then let out a sigh and lowered his rifle. Alain nodded appreciatively, then the three of them made their way deeper into the saloon. The four men from his poker game were here, though all four of them were obviously drunk, if their gentle swaying and the red in their faces was any indication ¨C no doubt they''d be of minimal help in any fight they got into. Still, that hadn''t stopped them from arming themselves and posting up near the windows. Alain noticed that they all had long guns ¨C Felix must have broken his moratorium on them given the circumstances. Somehow, he wasn''t surprised. "Alright, give it to me straight," Felix said as they approached the bar. "What the fuck are those things, and how do we get rid of them?" "Undead," Sable declared. "Corpses reanimated by a powerful ritual fueled by human sacrifice. Every earthquake is going to cause more of them to show up until we stop whoever completed the ritual." Felix blinked, then turned to Alain. "What the hell is she talking about? None of that makes sense." Alain stretched his arms out. "Look around you. Those are definitely walking corpses, and they''re absolutely starving for flesh. Unless you think a bunch of people came out of nowhere, got dressed up like dead bodies, and started trying to eat the townspeople for the fun of it?" "It''s just¡­ too far-fetched to even believe. I mean, rituals? Undead? What the hell is all this?" "Well, you''d best start believing," Alain said. "You wanted to know how to stop these things? Remove the head, destroy the brain, or set them ablaze. Anything else, and they''ll get right back up. Anyone they eat gets back up as one of them just a short while later. If you get bit or scratched by one, or otherwise get any of their fluids on you in the wrong area, you''ll turn into one, too. Do I have that right, Sable?" "That''s correct," Sable said. Felix turned towards her. "What would you know about it? I thought you had nothing to do with it." "I don''t," Sable declared. "My lady, perhaps it would be best to fill him in," Az offered. "The Veil has already been irreparably broken in this town. One more violation won''t hurt." "I suppose you''re right. I''ll give you the short version, bartender ¨C I am a vampire. My butler, Az, is not human. Alain is human, albeit a capable one. We came back because we discovered your mayor and his sheriff and deputies sacrificed those missing girls to fuel some kind of ritual. At the very least, the sheriff and his men have been turned into wights as a result; a wight is a type of undead, but with higher brain function than the ones currently breaking down the door to your bar." Her statement was punctuated by an undead bashing against the door. Alain jumped at the sound of it; Az and Sable were unperturbed. "So¡­ Ansley and his men are in on it," Felix surmised. "I don''t want to believe it, but given there''s currently an army of the walking dead just outside my saloon, I don''t really have a choice but to take it at face value. Those sons of bitches¡­ where are they, anyway?" "If I had to guess, they''re in the mines, still working to complete more rituals," Sable answered. "To what end, I have no idea. But I think that''s a fair assumption to make, given that the dead continue to rise." "Then what do we do about it?" "The only thing we can," Alain answered. "We head down into that mine and take them out." "There is one minor issue with that plan," Az pointed out. "We are currently stuck in a bar, besieged by the undead. We will have to get through them first." "Then that''s what we''ll do. I''m not becoming some fucking walking corpse''s breakfast." Alain patted himself down, letting out a small curse in the process. "Felix, do you have any spare ammo? I need .45 caliber ammo and shotgun shells." Felix nodded. "I''ve got some in the back. You''ll have to use it sparingly, I''m afraid ¨C I only have a few boxes of each." "I''ll make it last." Alain turned to Sable. "So, what''s the plan for the moment?" "We''re going to have to find a way to break through the horde," Sable answered. "For now, I think we''re going to have to hold here, however. Hopefully, we can find an opportunity to mount an offensive and head for the mines." There was another bang on the front door, followed by the sound of splintering wood. Alain couldn''t help but wince. "Yeah," he said. "Hopefully."
The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 10
Alain finished slotting cartridges into the loops on his belt, then slung a bandoleer full of shotgun shells across his chest. He checked his weapons to make sure they were both fully loaded, then turned back to Sable and nodded. "Alright," he said. "What''s the plan?" "For now, we''re going to have to hold here until we''re able to break through. Az and I will go out one of the upstairs windows and work to clear a path through the undead. Unlike you mortals, the two of us won''t need to worry about being turned if we get bit ¨C I''m already undead, and Az is immune to it thanks to whatever heritage he''s got. With any luck, we''ll get through them before they manage to break through the doors." There was another loud bang on the front door, followed by more splintering wood. Alain winced. "You''d better get going, then. I don''t think that thing is going to hold for very long." Sable nodded, then beckoned for Az to follow after her. The two of them ran up the nearby staircase; Alain heard a window open and something hit the ground, followed by the sounds of combat coming from outside. Several of the other patrons in the bar seemed concerned that the two of them had just gone out on their own, but they didn''t get a chance to voice any of their worries before one of the windows shattered, having finally had enough of the undead pounding on it. Redd was standing on the other side of the window, and just narrowly managed to avoid being grabbed by the living corpses as they tried to surge inward; he backpedaled, firing his rifle as he did so, a loud scream erupting from his throat. "Aim for the head!" Alain shouted over the gunfire. "That''s the only way to put them down for good!" Redd nodded, then took a moment to calm himself and actually aim his weapon. Alain watched as he began to steadily put the undead down one by one. He was being very efficient with his shots, but unfortunately, with every corpse he dropped, another stepped in to fill the newly-opened space, the only thing keeping them from breaching the saloon being the fact that the window was far too narrow for more than one of them to fit through. Instead, they were all stuck up against the window frame, their jaws gnashing and arms flailing as they tried to force their way in, to no avail. Glass splintered once more all around the saloon, the other three windows having been knocked out. The other men had taken care to put some distance between themselves and the windows after seeing what had nearly happened to the first, and so nobody got grabbed, thankfully ¨C instead, they all continued to backpedal while putting down aimed, accurate rifle and shotgun fire. Corpses dropped all around them, but it just wasn''t enough ¨C more continued to flow in. "Sure hope Az and Sable are still working to clear them out¡­" Alain muttered. Right as the words left his mouth, there was a deafening crash from the front of the saloon. His eyes widened when he realized that the front door had just collapsed, and several undead were already shambling into the saloon. All the other patrons immediately turned their attention to the door, ignoring their windows. Alain vaulted over the bar, then posted up at the door, taking out two undead with a shotgun blast each as they flowed in. He swiftly reloaded his weapon, then took out another two more. Felix backed him up with rifle fire whenever his shotgun ran dry, though it was barely enough to keep the crowd at bay. "Watch those windows, damn it!" Alain called out to the others. "If they breach through there, we''re all dead! The two of us will handle the door for now!" The men all gave a reluctant nod, then went back to watching their windows. Alain and Felix continued to keep an eye on the door, both of them pouring fire onto the crowd of undead, but it just wasn''t enough ¨C the corpses continued to come through, no matter how many they put down. Suddenly, there was more splintering of wood behind them, followed by a loud scream. Alain turned and saw that the back wall around the window frame had buckled, allowing undead to walk through it. Hank, who had been watching that window, disappeared under a crowd of corpses before any of them could do anything about it. Alain winced at the sight of it, but didn''t let the loss of his new friend stop him from taking command. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Upstairs, now!" he called. Nobody needed to be told twice. They all immediately broke ranks and sprinted for the stairs, bounding up to the top of them as fast as they could. Alain held back to make sure everyone else made it, and once the last man was up, he sprinted up them himself while the others fired around him, dropping some undead who had gotten too close for comfort. He stopped at the top of the staircase to join the others in continuing to fight the horde. His hands were a blur, emptying and reloading his shotgun with practiced ease. Next to him, the others did the same, their rifles and shotguns a chaotic symphony of destruction. Alain winced when he felt one of his eardrums finally give up and burst from all the noise. Blood trickled down the side of his head, and the pain arrived soon after, but he ignored it, knowing that if he lost focus for a moment, the undead would get that much closer to them all. There was nowhere left to go now ¨C that staircase was the only way out of the saloon unless they wanted to risk a two-story drop, and even if they managed to survive that, there were still more living dead outside, waiting for them. This was their final stand ¨C they had to hold off the undead here until Az and Sable came back, or they were all dead. Alain fired both barrels of his shotgun, then dumped the spent shells out and reached for more, only to find that his bandoleer had finally run dry. "I''m out of shotgun ammo!" he called. "Anyone have any spare shells?!" "I''m out, too!" Rusty added. "Running low on rifle rounds," Felix warned. "Same," Redd said. "What do we do?!" asked Jack. "Keep it together," Alain said as he drew his revolver. "We need to hold here until Az and Sable come back." "That''s your plan?! They jumped straight into a horde! There''s no way they''re coming back!" "You don''t know them like I do. They''ll be back, believe me. Unless you''d rather take your chances with the stairs or the window?" That shut Jack up. He instead continued firing his rifle until it finally clicked empty, then he threw it down and drew his own revolver. A few seconds later, Felix did the same, and soon, they were all down to just their sidearms. "Pace your shots!" Alain warned. "Fire at the ones on the stairs only! We need to buy time for them to get back!" Everyone let out a shout of affirmation, then began to focus their fire solely on the undead that were coming up the stairs. The approaching continued to fall and pile up at the bottom of the stairs, but the incoming tide didn''t care ¨C they pushed their way through the small mound of their brethren, continuing up towards the five men on the second floor. Finally, Alain''s revolver clicked empty for the final time. He desperately searched for more ammunition on his person, but he was completely out. Grimacing, he looked over to the others. "I''m out," he said. Felix let out a muffled curse as his revolver''s hammer fell on an empty chamber with a resounding click. He shook his head, then moved to hold it by the barrel, intending to use the grip like a club as the undead continued to climb the stairs. Alain followed suit, ripping his hunting knife from his belt. The other men did the same as them once their sidearms ran dry, either drawing knives or wielding their guns like clubs. The first undead finally made it to the top and turned towards them, a low moan erupting from its throat as it shambled over, one arm outstretched. Alain tensed, preparing to rush the monster down and die fighting, but he never got the chance ¨C a blur suddenly burst in through the front door and impacted with the throng of undead down below before racing up the stairs and decapitating the corpse that had started approaching them. The men stared in awe as Sable stood there, her entire body slick with blood and gore. She was covered in scratches and bite marks and was missing entire chunks of flesh from several areas of her body, but she was still up and active. Sable held there for a moment, shoulders slumped over as she panted heavily. Alain noticed that no blood was dripping from her wounds ¨C rather, it was a sort of black ichor. He tentatively reached a hand out towards her. "Don''t." At that, Alain froze. "What''s wrong?" Between gasps of breath, Sable managed to get out, "¡­The only way for me to recover from this is to eat. If you touch me now, I''m liable to lose control and drain you completely." Alarm bells began to go off in Alain''s head. He tentatively pulled his hand away and looked back towards the first floor. Az came charging through the door, several undead attached to his towering frame, ripping strips of flesh away from him. As Alain stared, Az managed to shake them all off, then crushed their heads underneath his feet. To Alain''s surprise, Az seemed completely nonplussed regarding his injuries ¨C his expression was as stone-faced and stoic as always. "Follow me," Sable said, interrupting his thoughts. "We have a way out, but it won''t last. We need to go, now." Alain nodded. "You heard the lady. Let''s move!" The men all took off after her as she ran, leading them through what remained of this current crowd of undead. They managed to make it out of the saloon, but that was just the beginning ¨C all around town, the living dead were continuing to siege the buildings, trying to get at the people inside. Several of them had already been torn open, but a fair few still remained, their occupants occasionally fighting back, as indicated by the odd gunshot every few seconds. Alain grimaced, knowing there was nothing they could do for those people currently. "What do we do now?" he asked Sable as they ran. "You all need to rearm," she said without looking back. "There''s a gun store in town ¨C I figure we need to use their wares more than they need to sell them." "If they''re even still alive to care about that¡­" Alain muttered. "Alright. We get rearmed, and then what?" Sable turned back to him, her eyes seeming to gleam in the moonlight. "We head for the mine," she said. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 11
Alain kicked in the door to the gun store, and they all flooded in. There was nobody there, as expected, so that gave them free reign to take whatever they needed. Alain immediately stocked up on ammo for his revolver and shotgun, slotting cartridges into the spaces on his bandoleer and belt. All the other men did the same, and a few of them grabbed an extra gun as well. "Everyone good?" Alain called. They all answered back in the affirmative, and he motioned for them to follow after him as he sprinted back outside. The remaining undead had taken notice of them now, and were closing in once more. Their group opened fire as Sable and Az rushed forwards. "Watch your fire!" Alain warned as rounds passed dangerously close to the two of them. "What the hell are they doing?!" Rusty called. "They''re clearing a path for us!" Alain shouted back. "Come on, we need to-" A pair of sickening gurgles from behind him caught his attention. Immediately, Alain turned around, and saw the two sheriff''s deputies standing there, their hands thrust through the backs and out the chests of Jack and Redd. Rusty raised his rifle to try and engage, but he didn''t get a chance to fire before one of the deputies drew his own revolver and put a round between his eyes. Alain could only watch in shock as he fell backwards, dead. The two deputies pulled their arms out of their unfortunate victims, then shook them to get some of the blood off as they advanced on Alain and Felix. Both men took a step back as they shouldered their long guns. "Deputies Timms and Brayton," Felix surmised, looking at each man in turn. "You know, I almost didn''t want to believe it when Alain first told me you were involved with all of this. The sheriff put you up to it?" Timms ran a hand through his beard, uncaring of how the blood and gore from his victim left a trail of slick red through it. "He told us what we stood to gain if we helped him. After learning about that, how could we refuse?" "And what would that be?" Alain growled. Brayton grinned, showing off yellow teeth as he twirled his revolver almost absentmindedly. "What do you think would coerce someone to sacrifice other people?" "I don''t know." "Ah, well¡­ it doesn''t matter; you''ll all be dead soon, anyway." "So confident of that, are you?" "I''m confident enough, we''ll say." Brayton turned to Timms. "You take the bartender, I''ll handle the drifter." Timms nodded, and then before Alain knew what was happening, Brayton had rushed towards him. He just barely managed to avoid the incoming arm thrust, the deputy''s fingers brushing against his shirt, tearing through the fabric with ease. Alain fell back, discharging his shotgun as he went; the load of buckshot struck Brayton in the chest, opening it enough to expose his blackened heart, and he stumbled back, but recovered quickly. Brayton let out a low growl, then drew his revolver and began firing off shots. Alain was forced to dive for cover behind a nearby building to avoid the incoming shots. Just as he reached concealment, however, a series of moans from nearby caught his attention. He turned and found several undead moving towards him. Without missing a beat, Alain fired off the remaining shell in his shotgun, taking one out, and then held it in one hand as he drew his revolver and killed the other two with a series of well-placed shots. Alain wasted no time in reloading his guns once the trio of undead had hit the ground. He broke his shotgun open and ripped the spent shells out, then shoved two fresh ones in and closed the weapon. Before he could cock the hammers back, however, the building behind him erupted in a shower of splinters, and Brayton came marching through. "I must say, you''re not making this easy," Brayton told him. "I thought you would''ve learned that by now," Alain replied as he cocked the hammers back on his shotgun. "After all, I did plenty of damage to you two back in the jailhouse earlier." "A shame it didn''t last." "This will." Alain shouldered his weapon and fired both barrels in the same motion. To his dismay, Brayton was able to duck back into the destroyed building at the last minute, avoiding most of the buckshot; a few pellets lodged in his throat and face, but it wasn''t nearly enough to kill him for good. It did succeed in getting under his skin, though. Brayton stepped out of the building, a scowl etched across his face. Without missing a beat, he advanced on Alain''s position, drawing his revolver and firing it as he went. Several shots rang out, and Alain felt a sudden, searing pain in his left shoulder; he turned and saw a bloody patch on his shirt that was growing more intense with every passing second. He only stared for a second though, then turned and began to run, desperate to put some distance between himself and Brayton. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "There''s no point in hiding," Brayton answered as Alain ducked back into Felix''s bar, stepping over a small mountain of undead corpses in the process. "I''ll find you eventually." Alain sat down behind the bar, then tore open his shirt to get a better look at the wound. Brayton''s round had apparently nicked his artery; it wasn''t spurting blood, but it was bleeding heavily. Alain didn''t waste any time, instead tearing his cartridge belt off his waist and cinching it tight just above the wound as a makeshift tourniquet. He then forced himself back onto his feet, and with shaking hands, reloaded his shotgun as he looked around. The undead horde seemed to have been thinned out substantially in this part of town. That led him to believe that Az and Sable had instead moved on to another part of town, most likely closer to the mines, and were working on clearing a path for the rest of them. That meant they''d be of no help to him anytime soon ¨C they were almost certainly too busy fighting the undead to realize him and Felix needed help. So the two of them were on their own. Alain grimaced as the thought crossed his mind. He needed to take care of Brayton and Timms, and fast. Alain vaulted over the bar, wincing when he felt the movement disturb the bullet in his shoulder slightly. "Not doing anything like that again any time soon¡­" he muttered as he propped himself up against a wall next to the opening where the door had once stood, then peered out into town. From here, he couldn''t see either of the deputies, but he could still hear sporadic gunfire throughout town, along with the moans of the living corpses that were still walking around. Cautiously, Alain stepped out from behind cover, his shotgun already readied against his good shoulder. He looked around once more, trying to see where either of the deputies or Felix had ended up. The click of a revolver''s hammer being thumbed back struck his ears, and Alain hit the dirt just in time for the bullet to scrape across the top of his head, taking a few of his hairs with it. There was little time to dwell on that, however, as another round came from out of the darkness soon after that one. Alain rolled to avoid it, and just barely managed to get out of the way in time for it to embed itself into the ground next to him. Dirt, pebbles, and bits of spall impacted against his back, but once again, he managed to avoid serious injury. A vein pulsed in his forehead, and Alain forced himself to stand up before firing off two shotgun blasts towards where he thought the shots came from. He was rewarded with the sound of buckshot impacting against flesh, and knew he''d hit his target. Before Brayton could have time to recover, Alain slung his shotgun and drew his revolver, then advanced upon his position. Sure enough, Brayton was busy pulling himself up off the ground; Alain emptied his revolver''s cylinder into the deputy''s head. Blood, bone, and bits of brain arced through the air, staining the ground and the nearby wall with a macabre mixture of crimson, white, and gray. By the end of it, the deputy''s head had been sheared almost in half, with the remnants of his brain exposed to the outside world. Alain stood there, wisps of smoke curling up from the end of his revolver''s barrel. That should have been it for Brayton ¨C no mortal would have been able to survive something like that. Unfortunately, Brayton was no mere mortal. He let out a shuddering breath, then began to lurch forward. His movements were sluggish and slow, and there was a dull expression of pain on his face, but he was still alive. Alain paused at the sight of it, his eyes wide with surprise. "Oh, you''ve gotta be fucking kidding me." That was all he managed to get out before Brayton raised his revolver once again. Alain dove for cover; the bullet scraped across his lower back, just a few inches away from his spine. He scrambled to his feet, and only once he was back up did he realize that in the confusion, he''d dropped his revolver. Alain went to reload his shotgun, but found that he was once again out of shells. He let out a muffled curse, then looked around for something he could use. Sable had told him that there were three ways to kill wights ¨C removing the head, destroying the brain, and¡­ Alain''s gaze landed on a nearby lantern hanging from an abandoned shop, swinging precariously from a rope. Even from here, he could see oil sloshing around inside it. A manic grin crossed his face, and he immediately made a mad dash for it. He got lucky ¨C the deputy was caught in the middle of a reload, and was unable to shoot him. Alain ripped the lantern off the building, then hurled it at Brayton; it shattered on impact, coating him with oil. Once that was done, Alain reached into his pocket and retrieved a match. "Mom always said those cigarettes couldn''t be good for me," he said to himself as he struck the match against the building, lighting it. He turned toward the deputy, still coated in oil, and his eyes narrowed. "I wonder what she''d say if she could see this." He flicked the lit match towards Brayton, watching as it soared through the air. The flame made impact with the oil-slick deputy, and he caught alight immediately. An inhuman screech erupted from Brayton''s throat, loud enough that Alain winced and had to cover both his ears. Brayton fell to the ground, his revolver dropping against the dirt and discharging harmlessly into the air as he rolled to try and put out the fire, but it was no use. In a matter of seconds, his movements stopped completely, his body reduced to little more than a charred corpse. That wasn''t enough for Alain. He sprinted over to where his Colt had fallen, retrieved it, and emptied the cylinder into what was left of Brayton''s head, just for good measure. The body didn''t even twitch as the rounds made impact, and by the end of it, his head had been reduced to little more than a jawbone still attached to the neck. Alain stood there for a moment, panting from exertion, before letting his arm fall. Footsteps took him by surprise, and he rounded on them, only to relax when he saw that it was Felix, and he was apparently completely unharmed. The two exchanged a glance, and Felix''s eyes widened. "Shit¡­" he breathed. "What happened to you? You''re covered in blood." "I killed Brayton." "Yes, I can see that. But did you have to put yourself through a meat grinder to do it?" "Is Timms dead?" Alain asked. "Yeah, he''s done." "How''d it happen?" "I shot him in the head a bunch with my rifle. Why didn''t you just do that to Brayton?" Alain just scowled. Before he could reply, there were more footsteps ¨C they both looked over and saw Sable and Az approaching. Both of them seemed a lot worse for wear, sporting more grievous injuries than they had before. Still, as Sable approached, her eyes widened when she saw Alain lying there. "What happened to him?" she asked. "Got shot," he grunted. "Hey, you needed blood, right?" "Well, yes, but-" Alain didn''t wait to hear anything else, instead loosening his tourniquet. The blood began to flow once more, and he motioned towards his shoulder. "Help yourself for a bit." Sable went red in the face, but her shame didn''t stop her. She immediately moved over to him, then latched onto the wound on his shoulder and began to drink. Alain winced when he felt her teeth lock into him and her tongue begin to lap up his blood, but he didn''t stop her. "I''m gonna be sick¡­" Felix said, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth as he watched the display in front of him. Thankfully, Sable pulled herself away shortly after latching onto him. Alain turned towards her, and was surprised to see that many of her wounds were healed, though not all of them. Before he could inquire further about that, Sable began tearing strips off her gore-soaked dress, taking care to search for the few clean parts only, then wrapped his wound with them. "You need a doctor," she declared. "But for now, that''ll have to do. You can sit this one out if-" "Stop," Alain managed to get out. "I''m not missing this. Help me up." "Alain-" "I said, help me up." Sable hesitated, but ultimately obliged, pulling him to his feet. Alain stumbled a bit, lightheaded from pain and blood loss, but managed to maintain his footing. He slung his shotgun and reloaded his revolver, then turned back to the rest of them. "Alright," he said. "To the mines." The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 12
A quick look around town confirmed it was just going to be the four of them heading into the mines. Everyone else was either dead or too busy pulling themselves together after the onslaught of the undead. Az and Sable had done an excellent job of clearing the living dead out of town, and now there was only an occasional stray gunshot to indicate that some of them were still walking around. The immediate danger seemed to have cleared, at least as far as Alain could see. "Are you sure you''re okay?" Sable asked as they started walking. "I''ll be fine," Alain insisted. "Worry about yourselves." "You''re the most heavily-injured one out of all of us," Az pointed out. "We''re right to be concerned." "It can wait. For now, we''ve got work to do." Az and Sable looked like they both wanted to argue, but refrained. Felix, meanwhile, drew close to Alain. "Hey," he said. "What are we expecting to see down there?" "That''s a question for Az and Sable," Alain answered. "You two hear that?" "We did," Sable confirmed. "And we have no idea. It could be anything." "Fucking great¡­" Alain muttered. They eventually reached the opening to the mine, just outside of town. It was completely clear, from what they could see ¨C no undead anywhere, and Mayor Adams was nowhere to be found. "I''ll take the lead," Az offered. "You three stay behind me. Especially you, Alain." Alain scowled, but nodded. He checked to ensure his shotgun was loaded, then fell in behind Az as he began to move through the mines. Felix walked alongside him, close enough that they were almost shoulder-to-shoulder. The entire time, Alain kept his eyes peeled for any threats, but the only things down there were the occasional stray undead, which were taken care of in short order by either Az or Sable. "Something isn''t right¡­" Alain muttered. "Why would they bother leaving the mines unguarded if whatever they''re trying to do is located down here?" "No idea," Sable replied. "And we won''t know unless we keep moving." Alain nodded, despite the reservations welling up in his mind. They kept moving, dealing with the odd living corpse or two, before they finally reached a massive opening at the base of the mine. They moved to enter through it, but an invisible force barred the way. "The fuck...?" Alain breathed as he ran right into it. It was completely invisible, and yet it felt like there was a wall in the way somehow. He tentatively raised a hand up to touch it, and sure enough, it was solid like stone. "It''s a force field," Sable said, her eyes widening in surprise. "I didn''t think they''d be able to successfully raise one¡­" "What does that mean, exactly?" Felix asked. "It means that whatever they''re doing down here, there''s layers to it. Someone was sacrificed to turn the deputies into wights; someone else was sacrificed to raise this barrier. The rest will have been used to fuel whatever they''re trying to do down here. That can only mean that whatever they''re trying to do, it''s really bad, otherwise why risk going after so many people?" "Correct," someone said through the darkness. Alain''s eyes narrowed. "Adams," he growled, pulling his shotgun into his shoulder. "Come out where I can see you, coward." "In due time, Alain. For now, I think I''d rather watch you all squirm like the maggots you are." The earth began to shake once more, and the ground beneath their feet started to shift as bodies dug their way through the dirt, clawing at them. "Everyone out!" Sable shouted. "Out of the mines, now!" "We can''t just-" Alain protested. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "If we stay here, we''ll be drowned under a tide of undead! We have to leave, now!" "But the ritual-" "We''ll come back," Sable promised. "They won''t get away with whatever they''re trying to do, trust me." Alain reluctantly nodded. Sable took off running, and the rest of them followed after her, retracing their steps back through the mine. Undead rose all around them, snapping or clawing at their heels. Alain narrowly managed to avoid being bitten, as did Felix; both of them fired their weapons as they went, taking down any undead who came too close to them. Eventually, the four of them emerged out from the mines. Thankfully, there was no further undead incursion yet ¨C the town was completely quiet. Felix and Alain doubled over, gasping for breath. After a moment, they stood tall, wiping sweat from their brows. "What do we do now?" Felix asked. "Because there''s no way we''re getting through whatever that barrier is as we are." "There must be some way around it," Alain urged. "Sable, Az, you''d know, right? Tell me we can get around that thing before it''s too late." "No ritual is truly impenetrable," Sable explained. "They all have some kind of downside in the end, even the really powerful ones. Of course, the downsides may be a bit esoteric or hard to discover, but they still exist, it''s just a matter of finding them." "And I have a suggestion as to where to look, my lady," Az interjected. "The mayor''s house should be fairly unguarded by this point. I say we start there." "And if there''s nothing there?" Alain couldn''t help but ask. Az''s gaze narrowed. "Hopefully, we find something." "That doesn''t answer my question. What do we do if we can''t find anything useful?" Neither Az nor Sable had an answer for him. Alain''s brow furrowed out of frustration, but he didn''t offer any further argument. "Alright, the mayor''s house it is, then." He turned towards Felix. "You know, you don''t have to come with us. You''ve done plenty as-is." "Fuck that," Felix declared. "I''ve come this far, I''m not stepping back any time soon. Where you three go, I go." Alain shrugged. "Suit yourself. So long as you''re insistent on coming along, you should take the lead on this one ¨C you''ll get us there faster." Felix nodded, then stepped in front of the group, reloading his weapons as he walked. ¨C The trip to Mayor Ansley''s office took just a few minutes given Felix was guiding them, but even despite the short walk, Alain''s feet were killing him by the end of it. All the excitement and exertion from the past undead incursions were taking their toll on him ¨C he was exhausted, and he could tell he wasn''t the only one. Felix was struggling to stay awake, Sable was letting out the occasional yawn as she walked, and even Az, stoic as he was, had bags forming under his eyes. By the time they reached the mayor''s office, the moon was high in the sky, casting a faint glow on the desert sands below it. Az wasted no time in bashing down the door, and the four of them entered, Felix and Alain with their weapons at the ready. "Doesn''t seem like there''s anyone home," Felix surmised as he holstered his pistol. "Don''t let that fool you," Alain warned, slinging his shotgun over his shoulder. "I wouldn''t be surprised if Ansley has something waiting for us somewhere in here." Sable looked around the house, frowning. "This is it? It only has a few rooms¡­" Felix turned towards her, mouth agape. "Lady, this is the biggest house in town. Are you used to castles or something?" "Yes, actually. But that''s neither here nor there." Sable brushed past Alain, peering into a nearby room. She frowned, then shook her head. "Searching this place is going to take ages." "We don''t have ages," Alain reminded her. "Tear this place apart if you have to, I don''t think any of us care about keeping it intact at this point. We just need to find something that can point us in the right direction." The others nodded, and then they split up, each taking a separate room for themselves. Alain ended up in what appeared to be the study, if the wooden desk lined with stacks of paper was any indication. He briefly rifled through the documents on the desk before dismissing them outright ¨C there didn''t appear to be anything useful there, just information about the mine for prospective investors. After a few minutes of searching through the room, Alain was beginning to grow frustrated with his lack of progress. He looked around, his gaze landing on a grainy black-and-white photograph of Los Banos; his eyes narrowed, and out of sheer frustration, he picked up a nearby paperweight and hurled it at the picture. The frame shattered, and it fell to the ground. Alain stared at it before his attention was drawn to something behind it ¨C a small, black, combination safe. He blinked, surprised, then called out to the others. "Hey, I think I''ve found something!" They all came running into the room. Alain pointed at the safe, then turned to Az. "Think you can get that open?" he asked. Az didn''t give a response, but just cracked his knuckles. He stepped over to the safe, then in one fell swoop, ripped it out of the wall. He motioned for Sable to come join him, and she held onto the rear end of the safe while he grabbed the dial. Together, the two of them pulled, and after a few seconds of straining, the lock broke and the door opened. Az reached inside the safe, then pulled out a small leather-bound book. He opened it, then began to read through it. "What is it?" Felix asked. "Some kind of ledger?" Az shook his head. "It''s a journal of some kind." "What''s it say?" Alain questioned. "Nothing at the moment. Let me read a bit-" Az suddenly trailed off, then looked up to Alain. He cleared his throat. "''April 30th, 1883 ¨C I visited that strange man, the gypsy, out on the frontier again. He calls himself a seer from the old country, whatever that means. He''s an odd one, but his wares are interesting to me ¨C all kinds of trinkets from somewhere in Europe. I purchased a few of them simply to sate my own curiosity. I wonder if any of his stories about them are true¡­''" "June 26th, 1883 ¨C I went back to the gypsy again, and this time I made sure to loosen his tongue a bit with some whiskey. Really, I just wanted to hear more of his stories about the old country ¨C those tidbits about the supernatural are really interesting, after all. Instead, I received far more than I expected. The old man claims to have discovered something akin to a fountain of youth. He clammed up immediately after mentioning it, however; nevertheless, he had my interest. Perhaps a bit more whiskey and money would loosen his tongue¡­''" "August 9th, 1883 ¨C I visited the old man for what I hope will be the final time. Sure enough, the alcohol and the money did it ¨C he was all too willing to tell me what he knew after that. Turns out there''s a ritual that needs to be performed in order to attain eternal youth, one that requires human sacrifices. It is unfortunate that innocent lives will need to be given up, but at the same time, there are people far more valuable than the sacrifices out there. After all, what is one prostitute compared to a wealthy businessman? Especially one so willing to pay for what I have to offer. And that''s to say nothing of myself ¨C one providing such a service for the world deserves to have a little something good come his way, I think¡­''" Az finished reading, then looked up to the rest of the group. And for the first time, Alain saw traces of emotion on his face ¨C disgust, mixed with a tinge of horror. "That son of a bitch¡­" Sable said, gritting her teeth. "We should have known that''s what he was planning. It makes sense ¨C the secrecy, the human sacrifices, the undead¡­ it all leads back to what''s in this journal." "So how do we stop him?" Alain asked. Sable shook her head. "We need to figure out how to get past that barrier first. The book didn''t mention anything about a ritual for that, but I think we can assume he got it from the same place as the other." "The old man," Felix finished. "Yes, I agree." "Then we know what we need to do," Alain said. He turned to Az. "Does the book say where to find the old man?" "In some of the earlier entries, yes," Az answered. "We should be able to track him down using this." "Alright, then we know what we need to do," Alain replied. "Let''s just hope we can get to him before it''s too late." The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 13
By Alain''s best estimate, it was just after midnight by the time the four of them left town, searching for the old man. They were all on foot, the town''s horses having been mauled and killed by the undead hordes already. Alain could only hope that they''d reach the old man before another wave of corpses washed over the town. "Do we know where we''re going?" Felix asked. "There were directions in the book," Az specified. "It said to head straight west through the desert until we see a covered wagon set up next to a tent." "That''s it?" Alain questioned. "That''s all it said?" Az nodded. "Yes. Let''s hope the old man hasn''t changed positions since it was written, otherwise we''re going to have a problem." "Understatement of the century¡­" Alain muttered. "Sable, is there a way to speed this up?" Sable hesitated. "...I suppose so." "What does that mean? Why do you sound so uncertain?" "You know some of the old folklore about vampires, yes?" Alain blinked, recognition crossing his mind. "...I recall that you confirmed some of it. That means you can turn into a bat, right?" Sable nodded. "The transformation is not pleasant, but in the interests of time¡­" The four of them stopped. Az, Felix, and Alain stared at Sable as she took a breath, then looked up at the moon. She said something in her native language, and then as Alain watched, her body began to shift and contort. Her joints and bones popped and cracked as they were forcibly compacted down to size, and her skin ruptured as her body was reshaped, black blood leaking from her skin. A scream wrenched its way from her throat, and Alain went to step forward, but Az stopped him by holding out a hand. "Wait," he commanded without looking back to him. "Let her transform." "She''s in pain-" Alain began. "She is used to it, believe me. You interfering would just make things worse." Az glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Leave it alone, Alain. Trust her." Alain reluctantly nodded, then took a step back. He looked over towards Sable again, and as he watched, her body seemed to suddenly collapse in on itself as she was re-shaped. It only took a second or two, and when it was done, there was a small black bat standing there, staring at them with red eyes. Alain took a tentative step towards it. "Sable¡­?" The bat, predictably, didn''t respond. Instead, it spread its wings and took flight, its silhouette backlit against the full moon and the stars. It soon disappeared into the night, the only thing marking its presence being the flapping of its wings. "Do we follow after her?" Felix asked. Az shook his head. "She will scout the way for us. Stay here and wait for her, no matter how agonizing doing nothing may be at the moment. Trust me, my lady knows what she''s doing." Alain let out a tired sigh, then took a seat on the desert floor. Felix sat down next to him and retrieved a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, then offered him one. Alain stared at it in surprise. "You had cigarettes this entire time?" Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. "Yeah," Felix confirmed. "Why do you ask?" Alain didn''t respond. He scowled, but accepted the smoke, then lit it and took a drag. Him and Felix sat there for several minutes, smoking, while Az watched the skies for any indication of Sable''s return. Eventually, the flapping of wings greeted them, and Sable landed between them. Alain took a step back to give her some space as she transformed again, trying his best not to retch at the sight of it. "What happened?" he asked Sable as she stood up straight, having finished her transformation. "Did you find it?" "I did," Sable confirmed. "Right where the book said it''d be. Come on, I''ll lead the way." Sable took off on foot, going slowly enough that Alain and Felix were just barely able to keep up with her. After several minutes of running, Alain saw it ¨C the covered wagon and the tent, out in the middle of nowhere. Curiously, there was a robed figure sitting out in front of the tent, warming themselves by a small fire. Cautiously, the four of them approached, Felix and Alain keeping their hands on their revolvers the entire time. As they drew closer, Alain opened his mouth to call to the figure, but the man beat him to the punch. "I was wondering when the vampire and her companions would come to me directly," he said, his voice heavy with age and fatigue. "Come. Sit. Warm yourselves by the fire. I will do you no harm." Felix and Alain exchanged a glance, but did as the man asked, tentatively taking a seat next to the fire. Az and Sable stood behind them, both still guarded. "You need not fear me," the man said to them. "I am but an old man." "You''re an old man who gave a madman the power to raise the dead," Sable growled. "Why should we trust you?" The man shook his head. "A mistake, one I intend to rectify now." He reached up and lowered his hood, showing them his face for the first time. He was olive-skinned, with dull green eyes and a shaved head. Bizarre tattoos covered his face ¨C Alain couldn''t make sense of any of them; they looked to be in a foreign language of some kind, though he couldn''t place which one it was. Still, the sight of it all gave him pause for a moment before he finally found himself able to speak again. "You knew Sable was a vampire," he said. "How?" "How many species of bat do you know that have red eyes?" the man answered. "Once you know what to look for, identifying creatures hidden by the Veil becomes as natural as breathing. Every creature has a tell, even though some may disguise themselves. It is almost impossible for one to completely pass as a human for very long." "Let''s cut to the chase," Felix said gruffly. "You gave Ansley the knowledge of those rituals." He nodded. "I did. It was a mistake." "Mistake or not, we need to know what he intends to do with them, and how to stop him," Alain emphasized. "Which is why we came to you. You''re the only one we can rely on." He shook his head. "You cannot hope to fight him, even with a vampire on your side." "We have no choice," Az remarked. "It will likely be hours before the Army or the Tribunal can send a force to assist. To our knowledge, nobody has yet given them warning. By the time they get there to render aid, Ansley will have completed the ritual, and the town will be no more." The old man was silent for a moment before a soft sigh escaped him. "...I am Xavier, son of Sakis and Sofia," he said. "My ancestors were fascinated by the Veil, as was I. I grew up exposed to it. And yet, I am old now, with no heirs to pass my knowledge onto. When someone came by expressing interest in it, I found myself enraptured." He shook his head. "It was a mistake to believe he had benevolent intentions. I should have known better." "That''s not important," Alain insisted. "I am aware. You wish to know what he intends to do with those rituals?" Xavier looked to Sable and Az. "Tell them, vampire and companion. I am sure you both know already." Alain and Felix looked back towards them. Sable hesitated, then let out a sigh. "...I was hoping to avoid telling you both," she said. "But from what I''ve been able to gather so far, Ansley and his men intend to make themselves immortal." Alain''s heart skipped a beat. "Immortal¡­?" Sable nodded. "Yes. His men ¨C the sheriff, mainly ¨C are already closer to it than, say, you and Felix are, but a wight''s immortality is imperfect. They can still be killed, though it is much harder than killing a normal mortal. I can only assume Ansley turned them into wights as a test. He likely intends to cast the correct ritual on himself later tonight." "Why wait?" Alain asked. "The immortality ritual requires a sacrifice and much preparation," Xavier explained. "The steps must be completed in a specific order and in specific intervals in order for it to work. Completing it properly requires the complete sacrifice of another person''s soul ¨C not an easy task. And the penalty for completing the ritual improperly is severe, to say the least." "Why not tell us this right away?" Felix demanded. "Why wait this long?" "What good would telling you earlier have done?" Az countered, crossing his arms. "And besides, if mortals have proven anything over the years, it''s that the idea of immortality is appealing to them. The idea spreads like wildfire from mortal to mortal. The ritual has been attempted again and again throughout history." "And¡­ has it ever worked successfully?" Alain asked. "We have no way of knowing," Sable said quietly. Alain blinked, then looked back to Xavier. "How do we stop him? He has some kind of barrier up, protecting himself from anyone who would want to breach and take him out." "The barriers are created by human sacrifices," Xavier informed them. "The solution is simple ¨C find what remains of those sacrifices and place them at the base of the barrier. Do this, and the barrier will dissipate." "And what about dealing with Ansley?" Alain asked. "If he manages to complete this ritual before we can get to him, how do we stop him then?" Xavier turned towards Alain. "If he manages to complete the ritual¡­ you will not be able to stop him, at least not with any methods known to me." "Fuck¡­" Felix breathed. "Hell of a time limit you''ve put us on, old man." "Then we''ll just have to cut this short," Alain announced, rising to his feet. "Thank you for the help, Xavier." "Wait," Xavier announced as they all turned to leave. The four of them looked back to him, and he motioned for them to stay for a moment as he disappeared into the back of his covered wagon. After a bit of searching, he came back with a large chest, which he placed on the ground and then opened. "That outfit is unbecoming of a true vampire such as yourself," he announced to Sable. "I think you will find something from the old country to be much more appropriate for what you are about to do." Sable moved to him and looked inside the chest. As Alain watched, a smirk crossed her face. "Yes," she said as she pulled several new articles of clothing out of the chest. "These will do nicely." The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 14
Sable changed quickly, and by the time she emerged from the inside of Xavier''s tent, she looked like a completely different person. Gone was the Victorian-era white dress, replaced with a frilled white blouse and red skirt, along with a flowing black cloak. Alain had to admit that she looked every bit the part of the vampire she was supposed to be in it, though that didn''t answer the primary question on his mind. "Why give her this now?" Xavier turned towards him. "That outfit belongs to her." "He''s right," Sable chimed in. "This is one of my family''s. Xavier, where did you get this?" "I met with your sister during my travels, several decades ago. She told me to give that to you when I saw you." Immediately, Sable''s demeanor changed. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "If you met her, then you''re lucky to be alive." "I am aware. She seemed to know we would cross paths eventually. Perhaps that is why she chose to let me live." "We can discuss this later," Alain insisted. "We need to go back to town, now." "He''s right, my lady," Az agreed. "Let us make haste back to town, before it''s too late." ¨C The return trip took them far less time than the initial departure, thankfully, though still more time than they could afford to spare. By Alain''s estimate, it was around two in the morning by the time they made it back. They''d entrusted Xavier to notify the Army and the Tribunal, and he had set off immediately; Alain wasn''t sure how he was going to get in touch with them, but he didn''t care, so long as he was able to do so. "We need to speak with Amanda again," Alain said as they stepped into town. "We need to know who was sacrificed to fuel the barrier ritual, and where we can find their body." "Agreed," Felix said with a nod. At that moment, the ground began to shake once more. All four of them paused, knowing what was about to come. Sure enough, a few seconds later, the earth beneath their feet began to shift as more corpses clawed their way to the surface. "Felix, Az, you two need to help the remaining townspeople!" Alain shouted. "Sable, you''re with me! We''re headed to the cemetery!" "Works for me!" Felix called. Him and Az split off, running into the center of town while Sable and Alain took off towards the cemetery. As they ran, undead rose up all around them; Alain fired his weapons as he ran, trying to keep the undead away from him. Sable moved in a blur, tearing apart undead with little issue; Alain could only surmise that the blood he''d given her earlier had left her rejuvenated, as there was now no trace of her earlier lethargy. After several minutes of running and fighting undead, they arrived at the gates to the cemetery. More walking corpses lurched around the cemetery, moaning as they shambled about, freshly risen from their graves. Alain and Sable wasted no time in engaging them all, cutting them down as quickly as they came. "Sable, watch the entrance," Alain said as he reloaded his weapons. "I''m going to talk to Amanda." Sable nodded, then turned away from him to keep watch. Alain approached Amanda''s grave, then cleared his throat. "Amanda, we need to speak with you, please." For a moment, there was only silence, but then that familiar white mist began to roll in once more, and the temperature dropped significantly. The hairs on the back of Alain''s neck stood up, and a chill went down his spine, but he held firm, rooted to his spot. In a matter of seconds, Amanda materialized in front of him, dressed in that same white veil as before. "You have returned," she said. "We have," Alain replied. "Listen, we''re still working on avenging you ¨C we need some help from you first, though. I''m sorry." This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. To his relief, Amanda nodded. "I understand," she said softly. "How may I assist?" "There''s a barrier blocking our way into the mines, where Ansley has holed up ¨C apparently, it was fueled by a human sacrifice. We need to know who was used to create the barrier, as well as where we can find their body." "You would desecrate the dead so callously?" "Not for no reason," he hurriedly added. "We need to expose the barrier to the remains of the person used to fuel its creation in order to destroy it. Unless we do that, we can''t get to Ansley." Amanda seemed to hesitate, but then gave him a solemn nod. "...You are standing atop her grave." Alain was taken aback. "You¡­? He used you for the-" "I believe so, yes." Alain stared at her, unsure of how to word his next question. "Then¡­ would it be okay if-" "Yes," Amanda said, cutting him off. "If you must dig up my grave for that, then go ahead. I do not mind." Alain nodded. "Thank you, Amanda. And for what it''s worth, I''m sorry." "Do not apologize for doing what has to be done. Just¡­ promise me that whatever you need to do with my body, you will make it count." "I promise." Amanda gave a shuddering gasp, then dissipated. The fog began to clear up, and Alain looked around for something he could use to dig up her grave. There was a shovel leaned against the nearby wooden fence ¨C he moved to grab it, but sudden movement out in the desert caught his attention. His eyes widened, and he threw himself to the ground just in time for a bullet to pass through where his head had been just a fraction of a second beforehand. "Alain!" Sable called. "I''m fine!" he shouted back through gritted teeth. "Go take care of whoever''s out in the desert, would you?! I''ve got the grave under control!" Sable gave an affirmative shout, then sped past him, rushing out into the desert. Muzzle flashes lit up the night as she ran, but Alain paid them no mind ¨C instead, he grabbed the shovel and began to dig at Amanda''s grave. He''d barely made it a foot down when more movement caught his attention ¨C undead were closing in on the cemetery from the outskirts of town. It looked like an entire horde of them, around twenty or so. Alain blanched, then reluctantly dropped the shovel and drew his shotgun. He fired several blasts into the crowd of undead from afar, reloading and shooting his weapon as fast as he could. A few of them fell, but the majority continued to shamble towards him, their bodies pockmarked with buckshot pellets, but their heads untouched. Alain slung his shotgun and drew his Colt, backpedaling as he fired. He cut down several undead as they advanced, but his weapon soon ran dry, and he was forced to retreat, hopping the fence around the graveyard and running out into the desert as he reloaded, trying to put some distance between himself and the corpses. They kept coming, however ¨C fatigue was getting the best of him, and his aim was no longer steady enough for him to consistently hit clean head shots from a distance like he was trying to. Alain continued to backpedal away from the undead, not even bothering to look at where he was going as he shoved rounds into his revolver''s cylinder. He was completely unprepared for someone to grab him from behind, then hoist him up into the air. Alain choked, the person''s hold constricting his throat, and he kicked his legs in a vain attempt to free himself. "Well, well," he heard Sheriff Adams say. "Decided to come back to town, huh? Thought for sure we''d succeeded in driving you all away, but you just keep coming back, like a band of cockroaches." "Fuck¡­ you¡­" Alain managed to gasp out. "Are those supposed to be your last words, Smith? Come on, impress me. I know you''re good for it." Alain went to angle his revolver towards Adams and squeezed off a shot, but it went wide, impacting against the desert sand. In front of him, the undead continued to close in, and his eyes widened when he realized what was about to happen. Unless he managed to free himself, Adams was going to personally feed him to a horde of living corpses. "You know, it''s a shame," Adams announced. "I was hoping the vampire would put up more of a fight than she did, but a few shots to the head was all it took to put her down, the same as any other undead." Alain suddenly paused as Adams'' words sank in. A grin crossed his face, and he began to chuckle, the laughter coming out as a low gasp thanks to the hand around his throat. "Hm?" Adams grunted. "What''s so funny?" "You don''t¡­ know much about vampires, do you?" "I know enough." "Clearly¡­ not¡­ if you did¡­ she''d actually be dead¡­" "What do you-" There was a loud, feral scream, followed by a sickening pop. Adams'' grip suddenly slackened, and Alain fell to the desert sands below, gasping for breath. Adams'' headless corpse followed him to the ground, his skull apparently having been burst. Sable was standing there, her hands pressed together, covered with gore. She was soaked in her own blood and heaving with exertion, but she only stayed there like that for a moment before charging into the rapidly-approaching crowd of undead. As Alain watched, she tore what remained of the horde limb from limb with her bare hands, finishing each one with a decapitation with nothing but the side of her hands. After a few more seconds of fighting, it was all over. Alain slumped down onto the sands below, still gasping for breath. Sable came up to him and went to offer a hand, but thought better of it after seeing all the blood and brains covering it. Instead, she hurriedly wiped her hands on the sand below to try and clean them, then motioned with her head for Alain to follow her. "Come on," she said. "We have a corpse to dig up." ¨C A short while later, Alain and Sable stepped back into town. Sable had a coffin slung over her shoulder, and was carrying it like it weighed nothing at all. Alain kept his head on a swivel, looking for any more undead, but the townspeople seemed to have cleared them out already, if the corpses lining the ground were any indication. "Hey!" Alain suddenly heard Felix call from a nearby building. "Over here!" Alain motioned for Sable to follow him, and the two of them came bursting through the doors. They were in another saloon of some kind, one filled with several other survivors, all of them heavily armed. They stared at the two of them with bewildered looks on their faces, but Alain and Sable just brushed them off, instead moving over to the corner where Az and Felix were posted up. "That her?" Felix asked, motioning to the casket. "Yeah, should be," Alain answered. "Sable, if you would?" Sable placed the casket on the ground, then opened it. Immediately, Alain and Felix recoiled from the stench of decay, pulling their shirts up to cover their faces as they coughed. "God, it smells¡­!" Alain managed to get out. "It''s a dead body," Sable deadpanned. "Did you expect it to smell like fresh lavender?" "Eugh¡­ never mind, just¡­ what do we do with it now? Do we just take some of her remains and hold them against the barrier, and hope that''s enough to get us through?" "No idea," Az replied, crossing his arms. "It might be a good idea to have a backup plan in case that one doesn''t work, though ¨C last time we went to the mines, we almost didn''t make it out. If we''re going in, it would pay for us to be sure we can get through the barrier this time." "So, what, you mean like weaponizing her?" Felix asked, pointing at Amanda''s corpse. "If at all possible, yes." "That''s crazy. How are we supposed to do that?" Alain looked out the window, and at that moment, his gaze landed on the nearby gun shop. A thought flashed through his mind, and turned back towards his companions. "I think I have an idea," he said. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 15
A short while later, Alain and Felix came marching out of the gun store, both of them sporting new bandoleers filled with shotgun shells. Felix had slung his Winchester rifle and instead opted to carry a double-barrel coach gun, similar to Alain''s. The two of them walked through town shoulder-to-shoulder, until they reached Sable and Az, who were waiting for them. "Took you both long enough," Sable said, impatient. "Can''t rush the art of reloading, Sable," Alain replied. "Are we ready?" Az nodded. "We''ve already told the townspeople to hold here and prepare for a fight in case things go belly-up down there. There shouldn''t be very many surprises." "Then what are we waiting for?" Felix questioned. "Let''s go." With that, the four of them headed for the mines. There was no resistance on the way there ¨C rather, it was deathly quiet. Alain couldn''t help but tense as the silence washed over him. Eventually, though, they reached the opening to the mines, then after a brief moment to collect themselves, pushed in. There were a few undead still wandering through the mine shafts, but Az and Sable made quick work of them as they all advanced. Within just a few minutes, they reached the barrier once more. "You all ready?" Alain asked. "Just do it," Sable commanded. He nodded, then broke open his shotgun and replaced the shells full of buckshot with the ammunition that he and Felix had reloaded. A pull of his gun''s dual triggers fired both barrels simultaneously, sending chunks of sharpened bone screaming towards the barrier. They made impact, and there was a loud sound like glass shattering as the barrier broke. Alain stood there for a moment, stunned that it had actually worked, only to snap out of it as the others rushed past him. He hastily reloaded his shotgun, then moved in after them. They all advanced down yet another mine shaft, though this one was completely barren of any undead. Still, they moved cautiously, unwilling to risk stumbling into an ambush. As they descended down, it got progressively darker, with only wall-mounted torches to light their way; Felix took one down and held it in his off-hand, illuminating the path forward as they walked. Alain couldn''t help but note that the floor underneath their feet was stained with dried blood, as if a body or several had been dragged across the ground. As they drew closer, Alain heard it ¨C a young woman''s muffled cries and pleas, followed by the baying of a small crowd. His eyes widened, and he rushed forwards with his gun already in his shoulder. The path ahead was suddenly illuminated with a wide array of torches, and he barreled on without a care, finally emerging into a large chamber. He only made it about three steps into the room when he felt cold metal against the back of his head, followed by the telltale click of a revolver''s hammer being cocked back. His eyes narrowed, even as his grip on his shotgun slackened. "Ansley," he guessed. "Wrong," an unfamiliar voice answered with a sneer. "Tobias, now is not the time to play with your food," Ansley called from off in the distance. "Our time draws short." Alain turned towards him, and his breath caught in his throat at what he saw. Ansley was dressed in a set of blood red robes and standing over a stone altar, a bloodstained dagger held in his hand. Just underneath him, a young woman clad in only her undergarments was chained to a stone slab, her bonds rattling as she attempted to free herself, to no avail. The slab underneath her was already soaked with crimson. Behind Ansley, Alain could see several wooden caskets piled up. "So, this is what you''ve been doing," Alain noted. "Ritualistic sacrifices?" "How astute of you," Ansley said dryly. "I''ll admit, you''ve been quite the thorn in my side ¨C you and your little entourage, that is. I was hoping those bandits would take care of you or at least keep you busy enough that you wouldn''t be a problem anymore, but I can see now that I severely underestimated you." "Enough with this," Alain replied. "I know what you''re after ¨C you want to make yourself immortal." A grin split Ansley''s face. "Talked to Xavier, did you? The old man always was too honest for his own good. But still, that''s only half of the plan." "And the other half?" "You''re a smart man. Look around you, see what you can figure out." Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Alain blinked, then did as he was told. He was stunned to find a small crowd of six people gathered nearby, all of them dressed in fancy-looking outfits and adorned with expensive-looking jewelry. His eyes narrowed, and he turned back to Ansley. "So that''s what this is about," Alain ventured. "I''ll admit, I''m disappointed." "Are you, now?" "I am. Your ledger made it sound so simple. I''m ashamed to know that it really is that simple, after all. Despite everything you''ve done, all the evil you''ve committed, it ultimately comes down to nothing more than money." "Of course it does," Ansley told him. "It all comes back to the almighty dollar. That''s how I attracted these people here, anyway ¨C with promises of gold and wealth beyond their wildest dreams. Imagine my surprise when I ran into the old man, and discovered there was something far more valuable than gold that I could sell to these people." He ran his thumb along the blunt edge of the dagger. The bound girl stared at the blade, her eyes wide and her chest heaving with panicked gasps. Ansley brought a hand up and ran it through her hair. "Shh, my dear," he urged. "It will all be over soon." Footsteps from behind him caught Alain''s attention, but he didn''t dare turn around with the revolver still pressed to the base of his skull. Ansley, however, stood up straighter, glaring into the darkness of the mine shaft. "Unless you want to see your friend''s brains painted across the stone, you''ll stop where you are and hang back," he warned. All three of them immediately froze where they stood. Sable leveled a glare at Ansley from just outside the entrance to the room. "Foolish mortal," she said. "You have no idea the kind of powers you''re meddling with by doing this." "On the contrary, my dear ¨C I know exactly what the consequences are for doing this. Why do you think I''m so dead-set on seeing it through to the end?" Ansley shook his head. "But enough talk. It''s good that you four showed up ¨C you''ll get to see our rebirth¡­ and at the end of it all, you will be the first ones to be brushed aside by us as we usher in a new age." Ansley suddenly raised the dagger, the point aimed square at the young woman''s heart. Her eyes widened and she thrashed against the stone slab, desperate to free herself from her restraints, but it was no use. The blade glinted in the torchlight as it came down hard enough to pierce straight through her ribcage. Her body tensed, but then slackened a second later as the breath left her. For a moment, nothing happened, even as Ansley roughly removed the blood-soaked dagger with a sickening squelch. But as Alain watched, the shadows in the room began to shift. They elongated, creeping out from the corners they''d been banished to by the firelight, steadily reaching towards Ansley. He eyed them with a wild, wide grin. "Yes!" he proclaimed. "I knew it would work!" Alain watched as several of the shadows diverted course, splitting off from the one headed towards Ansley. One of them began to move towards him, and for a brief instant, he was worried that it would make contact with him, but it didn''t ¨C instead, it bypassed him entirely, aiming for Tobias. "Fascinating¡­" Alain heard him mutter under his breath. "This is simply div-" Before he could finish his sentence, the shadow suddenly retracted into itself, then shot forward as a large, jagged spike. It passed just above Alain''s shoulder, causing him to flinch when he felt it barely graze his ear. Behind him, he heard Tobias give out a sick-sounding gurgle, followed by his revolver clattering to the ground. Alain instantly rounded on him, pulling his Colt from its holster as he did so, and was stunned to see Tobias lying there, the shadow steadily worming its way into his body through a hole in his throat. Tobias thrashed, his eyes going wide with fear and panic as the blackness forced itself into him. As Alain watched, Tobias'' body began to change, steadily going from human to some kind of darkened shadow creature. His whole body began to contort and shift; his bones shattered and cracked as they were reshaped and molded, blood leaking from the myriad fractures erupting throughout his body. He never got to finish his transformation, however ¨C Az suddenly stepped forward and stomped on his head, crushing it underneath his heel. That shook Alain out of his stupor, and he turned towards Az, who stared back at him with razor-sharp focus. "If you all have any sense, you''ll take out the rest before they can finish shifting," he growled. That was all Alain needed to hear. He scooped up his Ithaca shotgun, then raised it to his shoulder as he advanced. The other members of Ansley''s inner circle were currently suffering the same fate Tobias had, with all of them in various states of transformation; Alain took aim at the nearest one and blasted him with both barrels, which instantly stopped the transformation and killed the unfortunate host. There was a sudden rush of wind from next to him as Sable and Az advanced, leaping from person to person in an attempt to stop them before they could fully transform. Felix stepped up next to him as he reloaded and took out another person with his own shotgun before dropping back to load. "What is this¡­?" Ansley asked as he backed up into a corner, several shadows advancing upon him. His eyes widened as they drew closer, and he pulled a revolver from his holster and began to fire at them. Several of the shadows went down, but the remainder suddenly split into multitudes, all of them continuing to move towards him. Ansley screamed as he fanned his revolver''s hammer, but eventually, it ran dry. And the moment it did, the shadows pounced. Alain could only watch as the shadows all piled onto Ansley, who disappeared beneath the pulsating mass of darkness with a muffled scream that was cut short. He only stopped and stared for a moment, however, before Az and Sable came running up to him. "We need to leave, now!" Sable warned. Alain was about to ask what she was talking about when he saw several of the shadows suddenly pull away from the pile atop Ansley and begin to move towards the four of them. Without a word, he nodded, and then they all took off running towards the entrance of the mine. As they ran, the shadows followed. Thinking quickly, Alain pulled a lantern from the walls and shattered it, slathering the ground behind them with oil; in the same motion, he pulled a match from his pocket and struck it, then tossed it back at the oil-slick ground. Flames erupted in the center of the mine shaft, and by the looks of things, his intuition had been correct ¨C the shadows reeled from the sudden onslaught of heat and light, enabling the four of them to continue sprinting back to the entrance unimpeded. They emerged from the depths of the mine and back onto the world above just as the sun began to crest over the horizon. Alain doubled over, his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath, but it only lasted a moment before someone rested a hand on his shoulder. "Look sharp," Felix warned. "What do you-" Alain''s statement was interrupted by the sound of several dozen guns being readied. He paused, then looked up, and was stunned to see an entire US Army cavalry detachment standing there, their guns pointed at the four of them. Sheepishly, he raised his hands in surrender. "Army''s here," was all he managed to get out before they approached him and threw a burlap sack over his head, then began to muscle him away. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 16
None of them offered any resistance at all as the military led them away from the opening of the mine. Alain was sure that the thought had crossed their mind, if only because they were marching into something completely unknown, but none of them had dared to try and put it into practice ¨C him and Felix would have been cut down immediately, and even Az and Sable would have had problems getting through an entire heavily-armed detachment. Eventually, though, they stopped. Someone pulled the hood off of Alain''s head, and he blinked as light came flooding into his eyes. After a few seconds, his eyes finished adjusting, and he was able to get a clear look in front of him. Seated at a wooden table before him was a large, bearded man dressed in an officer''s uniform ¨C his rank insignia marked him as a Colonel. He was tall, with broad shoulders, but he was also an older man, probably in his fifties if the white in his hair was any indication. There was a large-bore revolver holstered on his right hip, and in the corner, Alain was able to see a cavalry saber and a double-barrel shotgun leaned up against some boxes of supplies. "Have a seat," the man offered. Alain hesitated, but ultimately obliged, pulling up a chair across from the Colonel. The man adjusted his glasses, then leaned in towards him, his hands folded in front of his face. "State your name," he ordered. Alain blinked, taken off-guard. "Why should I-" "Your name," the man insisted. "Then we can talk." "Alain Smith." He nodded. "Colonel Stone. I wish I could say it''s nice to meet you, but generally speaking, most of the people who meet me and aren''t in my unit tend to die cursing my name." "Is that a threat?" "It''s a statement of fact." Stone''s eyes narrowed. "We can be allies or we can be enemies, Smith. The choice is yours." "Tell me where my friends are, and then I''ll decide." "They''re in our camp, being questioned by some of my subordinates. You have no need to worry about their safety so long as none of them try anything crazy." Alain wanted to argue, but the fact that the camp hadn''t erupted with gunfire and screaming proved that Sable and Az were keeping themselves restrained, at least for now. And if they could reel themselves in like that, he had no reason not to do the same. Alain leaned back in his seat, then crossed his arms. "What do you want, anyway? I can only assume Xavier called you." "The gypsy? Yes, he did. Good thing we got here first, by the way ¨C we weren''t the only ones he contacted. You''re lucky to have met us and not the Tribunal. But that''s beside the point ¨C what I want is simple, Mister Smith. I want to know exactly what happened here that led up to the outbreak from the mines." "Shit, why didn''t you just say so?" Alain asked. He shook his head. "Frankly, none of the four of us have any reason to keep that information from you or lie about it. We just spent the entire night fighting off the people who were responsible for it. As far as I can tell, we''re all on the same side, here." "That we are," Stone agreed with a nod. "So, start talking. What happened here?" Alain told him everything, starting from the beginning. He left no details out at all; the entire story took quite a while for him to tell. Stone didn''t say much during the retelling, aside from the occasional question or two. Eventually, though, Alain''s tale came to an end, and he leaned back as he took a sip from a canteen of water someone had brought in for him earlier. "That''s about where we''re at now," Alain said, setting the canteen down and wiping his mouth. "Crazy-ass mayor and his little entourage thought they were going to make themselves immortal. All they succeeded in doing was getting themselves and most of the other townspeople killed." At the mention of the other townspeople, Alain''s eyes widened. "Hey, what''s going to happen to-" "They''ll be fine," Stone promised him. "Anyone who was infected by the undead will unfortunately need to be dealt with, as there is no cure for the undead plague. Everyone else¡­ once we swear them to secrecy, they are free to continue on as they see fit. We have no ill will towards them; we know they''re just bystanders caught up in all this." This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "And my friends and I?" Alain asked. "Something tells me the same courtesy won''t extend to us." "Unfortunately not," Stone replied. "You four were directly involved in taking down the mayor and his men. Two of your friends are supernatural in nature. We are going to have to take greater measures to keep the truth contained among you four. Nothing drastic, I assure you ¨C none of you will come to harm. We just need to make sure you won''t go talking about this to random people, and that the vampire and her servant can be trusted to walk among humans." "You know she''s a vampire?" Alain asked, raising an eyebrow. "She has pale skin, red eyes, and is wearing a ridiculous outfit complete with a cape. I''d know she was a vampire even if I hadn''t seen her fangs. The only reason most people don''t recognize her for what she truly is, is because they simply don''t know enough about the supernatural to place her as a vampire." "So you just want to make sure she can be trusted?" "I suspect she can be, given she helped defend the town and hasn''t turned anyone, despite having ample opportunity for it. But we need to make sure." "And how do you intend to do that?" "By showing her what she stands to lose if she goes against us. But that is a subject for later, Smith ¨C for now, we have other things to discuss." "Such as?" "Cleanup, of course," Stone said, leaning back in his chair. "Containment. How are we going to make sure you all stay silent about this?" Alain''s eyes widened. "You want to keep the Veil intact?" "We have no other option." "And what do you mean by that?" Stone opened his mouth to respond, only for a sudden commotion outside to catch his attention. He froze for a moment, his jaw tightening, before his gaze narrowed and he abruptly rose to his feet and pushed past Alain. "Follow me," he said. "What for?" Alain asked. "This meeting was going to happen eventually. We might as well get it over with." "What meeting? What are you talking about?" Stone stopped at the entrance to the tent, then turned towards him. "The Tribunal is here," he said simply. ¨C They gave him his weapons back. Alain wasn''t sure what to make of that, but something told him it wasn''t because they trusted him. After he''d been properly armed once more, they led him out into the center of town, led by Colonel Stone and flanked by a squad of soldiers armed with rifles and shotguns. Alain almost felt intimidated, even though he knew none of the weapons were for him. Really, though, his primary concern was still for his friends ¨C he hadn''t seen them since leaving the mine. Eventually, Stone stopped, and the others came to a rest behind him. Alain only had a moment to wonder what was going on before several figures clad in black cloaks and hoods rounded a corner at the other edge of town. Unlike the men flanking him, most of them were unarmed, but a fair few were carrying guns, and ¨C of all things ¨C crossbows and silver swords. There were seven of them, and as they closed in, the one who had to be the leader stepped forwards, lowering his hood as he did so. He was tall, and very dark-skinned, with piercing red eyes. His head was shaved, and his face was covered in scars. He glared at Stone and his men, then crossed his arms in defiance. "Colonel Stone," he greeted, his voice coming out with an accent that Alain couldn''t place. "For once, you seem to have beaten us here." "Happened to be in the area, dealing with something else," Stone said absentmindedly. "Perhaps if the Tribunal invested in some advanced technology for once, they''d make better time." He looked towards several of the other cloaked figures, his gaze lingering on their guns. "Then again, perhaps some of the old habits are finally starting to die out, after all. But then, that doesn''t explain why they''d keep you around, Lawrence." Lawrence''s red eyes narrowed, but he didn''t rise to the challenge. Instead, he looked over towards Alain. "This him?" "Depends. Am I to assume you want the usual treatment for all four of them?" "Of course. An incursion such as this warrants an investigation, does it not? You of all people should realize that." "I do, which is why my men and I are here. We will be handling this." Lawrence glared at him once more. "As you''ll recall, we have jurisdiction over-" "I don''t care what the damn charter says," Stone growled. "Undead incident or not, this occurred directly on American soil, and it was barely contained. That means we''re taking over." "No, you are not. Or shall I escalate this directly to the President and see what he thinks?" Stone''s eyes narrowed. "You don''t have the authority-" Lawrence grinned, showing off a set of sharpened teeth. "On the contrary. Or have you not heard? The Tribunal has been working very closely with the White House ever since the war. We now have a direct line to the Commander-In-Chief himself. But if you insist on stonewalling our investigation, I''m sure he will be very interested to know why his subordinates are trying to take over an investigation we have direct jurisdiction of." Stone let out a low, irritated grumble, but reluctantly nodded. "Damn bloodsucker¡­ fine. But know this, Lawrence ¨C these four are the reason this incident was contained in the first place. If anything happens to them, there''ll be hell to pay." "If they truly did as you say, then they have nothing to fear," Lawrence said evenly. He looked to Alain. "Come, human. We must make haste." Alain watched with surprise as Stone and his men began to back away. He looked back to Lawrence, unsure of what to think. "I''m sorry, what''s this about?" "The Tribunal has authority over any kind of large-scale undead incursion," Lawrence informed him. "We will be handling the investigation from now on. I suggest you and your friends come quietly ¨C we do not wish to use force, but should the gravity of this situation require it, we shall." Alain hesitated, but then reluctantly nodded. "Alright, fine. Just promise me there won''t be any more hoods over our heads this time." Lawrence smirked, and Alain had to bite back a curse as he realized what was coming. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 17
It was several hours later when the hood finally came off his head. Alain blinked, wincing as the sun hit his eyes and they began to adjust to the sudden light. When they did, he looked around, and saw his three friends gathered around. He only had a moment to enjoy the silence before Lawrence came up to him. "Your weapons," he said. "Hand them over." Alain''s eyes narrowed. "You couldn''t have just taken them before we got in the carriage?" "We had no idea if we would come under attack or not, and keeping you both armed was conducive to our safety at the time. Now that we are here, however, you will need to be disarmed. I say again: hand them over." "You can have my long gun," Alain insisted. "But the Colt revolver stays with me." Lawrence glared at him. "You have no authority-" "It has a lot of sentimental value," Alain explained. "And besides, do you really mean to tell me that you all can''t handle one man with a six-shooter?" Lawrence scowled, but ultimately acquiesced with a nod. "Fine. You both may keep your sidearms, but your long arms are coming with us. You will get them back at the conclusion of the trial." This time, neither Alain nor Felix offered any resistance as their shotguns were taken from them. Several of the Tribunal members broke them open and unloaded them, then took possession of the guns. "Follow me," Lawrence said without looking back as he began to walk. Alain exchanged a glance with the others, but did as he was told, following after Lawrence. As they went, he looked around. They were in a mountain range of some kind; given how long it had taken them to get here, he could only guess that it was some part of the Sierra Nevada range. "Guess that explains the bumpy roads earlier¡­" he muttered. Casting a glance back at Sable, he said, "So what''s this about?" Sable shook her head. "I don''t know. I''ve never been involved with the Tribunal before. At least, not directly." "You are all being hauled before the Tribunal to answer some basic questions and assist with our investigation into what happened at Los Banos," Lawrence suddenly answered without looking back. "It is standard procedure given an incident of this magnitude." "But why us?" Felix asked. "There were dozens of other people in that town, too." "But none that were as directly involved with the incident as you four," Lawrence explained. "The others are being sworn to silence as we speak. They will not mention the true events of what happened in the town to anyone, or there will be severe penalties for breaking the Veil. But this will all be explained further once you have had a chance to meet with the Adjudicators and speak with them." "Sounds ominous¡­" Alain said. "Where are we, anyway? If you don''t mind me asking. I''m guessing the Sierra Nevada mountain range, but-" "The true location of the Tribunal''s headquarters is supposed to be secret, hence why you were all blindfolded during the trip here. If you were wise, you would stop asking us questions and instead prepare to be asked them yourselves." Alain quieted down at that, instead continuing to follow Lawrence along with the others. The rest of Lawrence''s squad of Tribunal members brought up the rear, no doubt to keep watch over them all as they traveled. Frankly, at this point, Alain''s only real concern was how long the trip was going to take ¨C he was still exhausted from the fight, and his legs were about to collapse out from beneath him. Thankfully, though, they soon arrived at their destination ¨C a large cave opening in the side of one of the mountains. Alain blinked, then looked around, searching for anything of importance, but from what he could find, it was just a cave. He was about to ask Lawrence what was going on when he suddenly stepped forward and bit into his thumb hard enough to draw blood. Lawrence then smeared it across the stone wall at the back of the cave. For a moment, nothing happened, but then, the stone began to steadily slide backwards, revealing a large passageway deeper into the mountains. Lawrence motioned for them all to follow him once more, and they did, stepping into the darkness directly behind him as the stone slid back into place, sealing them off from their earlier path. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. It only stayed pitch-black for a moment before the room was suddenly lit by some kind of bright yellow stones embedded in the wall, however. Alain stared at them in amazement as he walked. "Wow¡­" he breathed. "What is all this?" "Magic," Lawrence answered. "Or did you truly believe there was no such thing, even after all you''ve seen these past few days?" "Shit just keeps getting weirder and weirder¡­" Felix muttered softly. The path soon gave way to a large chamber, and as they stepped inside, Alain was absolutely blown away. The interior was arranged almost like a government building ¨C it reminded him of a town hall or courthouse, but bigger. The room they were in was very obviously some kind of reception area, complete with a desk and a large, dark green-skinned woman with tusks sitting at it, filing her nails. As Lawrence stepped in, she stopped what she was doing and turned towards him. "Lawrence," she greeted. She peered past him to stare at the four of them. "Wasn''t aware you''d be bringing anyone back from that town." "Neither was I," Lawrence replied. "That bad, huh? I''ll let the Adjudicators know you''re requesting their presence. In the meantime, put those four in a room somewhere and get them to wait. Hopefully they don''t do anything stupid." "They won''t," Lawrence said. "That is, provided they''re smart enough not to." The green woman nodded, then stepped aside, allowing Lawrence entry. He moved past her, leading the four of them down the hall. They passed by several other strange-looking people, Alain flinching whenever one of them cast a glance his way. He''d come to trust Sable and Az in the time they''d spent together, but these people greatly unnerved him. Several of them were eyeing him up like he was going to be their next meal, which probably wasn''t that outrageous an assumption given that many of them appeared to be vampires. Lawrence eventually led them to a room, then ushered them all inside and shut the door behind them before leaving without a word. Alain blinked, then looked around. The room was small and devoid of anything save for a single bed, a few chairs, and a single lit oil lantern hanging from the ceiling. Alain hesitated for a moment, then sat down on the bed with a sigh. "You''re not going to sleep, are you?" Felix asked, raising an eyebrow. "Hell no," Alain retorted. "I''m way too on-edge to sleep right now." "The Tribunal is¡­ harsh," Az offered. "They don''t take kindly to anyone meddling in the affairs of the supernatural or threatening to destroy the Veil, particularly if that person is a mortal like you two." "Truly?" Felix asked. "Why is that?" "Because for people like us ¨C the magical creatures, that is ¨C skirting around the Veil is often part of our nature," Az explained. "Vampires, for example ¨C they need to drink human blood in order to survive. They''re expected to be discrete about it, but accidents happen from time to time. The Tribunal tends to give incidents such as that a bit more of a pass, at least from what I''ve heard, if only because the alternative is the vampire wasting away." "Meanwhile, mortals are supposed to be very firmly on the other side of the Veil," Sable added. "Your kind isn''t supposed to even be aware of our existence. Should you somehow happen to learn of it, you''re expected to keep your mouth shut and carry on with your life as if nothing has changed." "This wouldn''t happen to have anything to do with the Tribunal apparently being made up mostly of vampires, would it?" Alain asked. "At least, that''s what it seemed like to me, just wandering the halls. It looked like we passed more vampires than anything else." "You aren''t wrong," Az admitted. "That''s owing more to the nature of the vampires than anything, though ¨C as far as the mystical creature hierarchy goes, they''ve always thought of themselves as making up the nobility; something about it being able to better conceal themselves in human society." "That''s not to say they''re the only ones," Sable cut in. "The were-creatures tend to make up a large part of it, too." "And the green-skinned woman at the desk?" Felix asked. "Where does she fit in?" "She''s an orc," Az explained. "Not many of them left; I''m surprised one is even here, to be honest." "That so?" Alain asked. "Were they hunted down or something?" Sable shook her head. "From what I recall, orcs were always naturally drawn to conflict and war, both among themselves and in the mortal world. Combined with their naturally low birth rates, and what happened to them was unfortunately inevitable. Such is the case for many of the magical species throughout history, assuming they weren''t hunted down by humans first." Alain frowned. "I''m surprised you all never got together to try and fight against us, in that case." "How do you think the Tribunal began?" Sable questioned. She shook her head. "Fact is, as powerful as some of us are, we can''t compete against humanity''s birth rate or natural technological advantages. Eventually, when it became clear we had no chance of victory, the Tribunal threw in the towel and decided to try and work with humanity instead. That was several hundred years ago, and despite the desires of some to go back to the old ways, it''s stayed that way ever since." "No offense, but we''re getting off-track," Felix pointed out. "What I want to know is what to expect when they finally come fetch us from this room. Either of you have any idea about that?" Sable shook her head again. "None. Like I said, I have no experience with the Tribunal, at least nothing first-hand. I can''t speak for Az, but I assume he''s the same way." "You assume correctly, my lady," Az confirmed with a nod. "Truthfully, this is uncharted territory for us as much as it is for you two, as well." Alain scowled and crossed his arms. "Then I guess we''ve got nothing to do but wait and see what happens," he said grimly. "Hopefully it''s nothing too bad." The others didn''t respond, and a heavy silence filled the room as they awaited their judgment. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 18
The four of them sat in that room for hours, none of them saying anything as their thoughts ran rampant with possibilities. This was uncharted territory for all of them, which was cause for concern ¨C Lawrence had been agreeable enough so far, Alain supposed, but there was always the chance that this was just a pretense. Then again, he had to admit that didn''t make much sense ¨C after all, none of them were responsible for what had happened in Los Banos, and Lawrence seemed to know it. Eventually, though, the door to the room opened, and Lawrence stepped in. "Alain Smith, come with me," was all he had to say. Lawrence began to turn around but paused. He stared at Sable with a look of minor amusement, which she returned with a glare of her own. "Do not worry ¨C even if he were to upset your judges, we will be returning him to you shortly. Your Thrall will not be harmed during any of this, you have my word." Satisfied with himself, Lawrence''s attention was directed once again to Alain before leaving the cell. He motioned for Alain to follow after him, then began to step out. All Alain could do was give the others a shrug before following suit. The two walked for several minutes, passing by several closed doors and hallways. Occasionally, they passed a pair of guards blocking a door; Alain couldn''t help but note that they looked more like statues than anything in their surprisingly fancy outfits ¨C it reminded him of an old-fashioned military unit more than anything. Their demeanor only reinforced that thought ¨C the only thing that moved was their eyes, never blinking and always directed at him. Alain forced himself to refrain from allowing his hand to drift to his holstered Colt as he passed yet another set of statuesque guards. He didn''t expect them to try anything, and even if they did, he doubted he''d make it out alive. But he could at least empty his revolver''s cylinder and take one or two down with him if that were to happen. Lawrence eventually stopped, with Alain nearly stumbling into him. A sly smirk crossed the vampire''s face, which his amusement, but no words were exchanged between them. The door ahead of them opened by itself, slowly revealing a large, dimly lit room. Alain took a deep breath, adjusted his belt, and walked in. The room was larger than anticipated. It had vaulted ceilings that scraped to the top of the mountain where windows were placed to allow diffused light to come in along with fresh air. The architecture was ornate and confusing; the closest Alain had come to recognizing any of it was from a lithograph of The Notre Dame shown at a world''s fair he''d once attended long ago. In the center of the room were three stone thrones, built to loom downward to the entryway. Each seat was occupied by a person in black robes; they reminded Alain of his Sunday schooling back home more than anything. As if he needed yet another sign that this was likely going to end poorly for him. "The facade of your world and ours has been breached," one of the figures, the only woman among the group of three, said. Her eyes were red but with blonde hair, just like Sable''s; however, the streaks of gray throughout betrayed her age. How old she was supposed to be, Alain had no idea, but given that Sable was apparently several hundred years old, this woman had to be even older than she appeared. She had an accent that Alain couldn''t place, but it sounded like she may have been from the East Coast. "We three will divine the truth from you, and you will not resist," she added. Alain looked over the other two. They were both men, one of them with a pencil-thin mustache and hair slicked with oil. If it weren''t for the Bishop''s outfit, he could have looked like someone who owned a bank or a fancy restaurant. The other was less of a man, and more of a frail wrinkle. Marred with age, his eyes were milky blue and his vision looked distant. His face looked somewhat alert, but otherwise seemed to be concentrating on something else. "State your name," said the lucid man, a thick French accent permeating from his lips. "Do include any surnames, titles, or honors you have been given." "Uh, Alain Smith? I don''t have any titles. Hell, I don''t even have a middle name," he said, trying to warm up to the three. Without warning, his entire body suddenly froze, leaving unable to move a muscle. A heat began to build up within him; it was like he was back in the Arizona desert, only somehow, it was flaring up from inside him. He winced out of discomfort more than anything; it was painful, of course, but it felt more like a bad sunburn more than anything debilitating. Still, it was highly uncomfortable, enough that, had he been able to do so, he would have shouted. As fast as the pain flared up, though, it dissipated completely. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of him for a moment as he struggled back to his feet. The three seemed nonplussed, as if he didn''t just act like he''d been punched in the gut. Alain took several breaths to steel himself. Whatever had just happened, it was clear to him now that the Tribunal were not people he wanted to be messing with, even with the gun on his hip. No doubt they had something that could kill him before he could even get a shot off. No, he was going to have to play their game if he didn''t want to suffer through whatever they''d just done to him for a second time. "May I know the names of my accusers at least?" He asked. A wince escaped him in anticipation of what he was sure would be more pain, but nothing came. "We accuse you of nothing yet, unless you wish to confess something to us," the woman said. "I am Thorne. The man who asked you your name is Julius, and our esteemed elder Owen is presiding over this talk in a more passive fashion. Now, tell me of your master and her butler." Alain took a step back in confusion "My master? I''m not a servant, if that''s what you think, ma''am. Sable hired me as an escort." "And how did they commission you for this job?" Julius questioned. "A diamond about the size of my fist. I was to take them from San Francisco to Sacramento. Los Banos was a simple stop since it''s a well-known place for people to rest and restock on goods before traveling farther north. It was supposed to be a simple job, but¡­ well, you three know how it ended already. Hence why I''m here now." "Indeed," Owen said dryly. ""Do you have the diamond with you now?" Alain reached into his pocket and retrieved the small jewelry box, then tossed it to the Adjudicator, who caught it and opened it. He appraised it for a moment, then passed it around so the others could look at it. "Quite the pay for a simple escort mission," Thorne pointed out as she tossed the box back to him. Alain shrugged. "I didn''t dig any deeper. They held the diamond in front of my face; I knew better than to ask any questions about it." "And they never mentioned where that jewel was from?" "No." "You may want to take a closer look at it, then." Alain''s heart skipped a beat. He opened the box and retrieved the gem, turning it around in his hand as he held it up to the light. As he did so, he noticed something he hadn''t seen before ¨C a small inscription of some letters etched into the side. "C and S," he said. "What does that mean?" "It is short for Clan Sable," Thorne explained. "Clan¡­?" A thought occurred to him in the moment, and he looked back to the Adjudicators, surprise crossing his face. "Sable did mention a sister at some point¡­" "You know her as Sable," Owen said. "But while we kept you all confined in that room, I had Lawrence do some digging around in our records. We keep track of every vampire clan''s lineage as they are created or pass away. I figured her name sounded familiar, and I was correct ¨C Sable is her clan name; her first name is Lilith. Does that information mean anything to you?" "No, it doesn''t." "It shouldn''t unless she told you. After all, you are newly exposed to this side of the Veil." Owen shook his head. "Clan Sable is the most powerful clan in Romania. They were led by Lilith''s parents, until her sister Cleo killed them and usurped their positions. She was cooperative for a while, but recently, Romania has gone dark. We have sent envoys to try and make contact with her once again, but none have returned." "Respectfully, what does that have to do with what happened in Los Banos?" Alain asked. "This seems unrelated." "We are trying to establish why Lilith sought to make landfall here, in the United States," Thorne answered. Alain''s heart skipped a beat. "...You think her sister sent her," he realized, his eyes widening. "You think she''s somehow responsible for what happened to the town. Am I understanding that correctly?" "You have to realize how suspicious the timeline is," Julius implored. "Lilith is missing for several centuries-" "Because she was staked and left for dead, and had to slowly regenerate over time," Alain growled. "Look, I don''t know how else to tell you all that you''re wasting your time and effort by focusing on her. You want the truth about what happened? Here it is ¨C the mayor of Los Banos was dabbling in otherworldly forces he had no business messing with in the first place. He sacrificed many townspeople to try and make himself immortal, and when people tried to discover the truth and fight back, he summoned hordes of undead to descend upon them. In the end, his ritual backfired somehow; I''m not sure exactly how, but it did. And that''s what happened ¨C you can ask anyone in this group about it and they''ll tell you the same thing. Now, if there''s nothing else, I''d like to return to my friends, already." The Adjudicators exchanged a glance with each other, but said nothing. Figuring they were finished, Alain rose to his feet and marched towards the door. He was about to step outside when Thorne called to him. "Wait." He paused, then turned back towards her. "Yes?" "There is one more thing. It concerns you, in particular." Alain''s eyes narrowed. "I assure you, the only thing I did during the siege was-" Thorne shook her head. "This is unrelated." "What could possibly-" "It involves your parents." His eyes suddenly widened, and his breath hitched. Alain stared at her, frozen in shock for a moment, but then, his legs moved almost automatically. He stepped past the chair he''d been sitting in, marching right up to the trio of stone seats that towered above him. Standing in front of them, he crossed his arms and then uttered just two words in response. "I''m listening." The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 19
It was almost an hour later when Alain came stumbling out of the Tribunal''s chambers. He walked as if in a daze, his mind still reeling from what Thorne had told him. His head was so thoroughly scrambled that he scarcely registered Lawrence coming to escort him back to his room. When the door finally opened, the others turned to stare at him in surprise. Alain disregarded all of them, save for Sable. "Tell me," he said evenly as he approached her. "Did you know?" Sable blinked. "What are you talking about?" "Did. You. Know?" "I don''t understand the-" Alain cut her off by grabbing her by the collar, pulling her in close. Next to him, Az tensed; Felix stared at him, one hand drifting to the holstered revolver on his hip. With their faces close enough together to touch, Alain spoke once more through gritted teeth. "I will not ask again," he warned. "Did you know the truth about my mother?" Sable''s expression of rage turned to confusion immediately. "Your mother¡­? What did they tell you?" "Did you know or not? And be honest, Sable ¨C after everything we''ve been through, I think I''ve earned at least that much." "Alain, I swear to you, I don''t know a thing about her," Sable promised. "Unhand her," Az growled. "Now." A moment passed, but Alain was quick to heed Az''s warning, letting go of Sable''s outfit and allowing her to stumble back. Sable rubbed her throat softly, again looking to him in surprise. "What did they tell you?" she asked. "And what makes you think any of us would-" "My mother was a vampire hunter," Alain interrupted, silencing her. "And a famous one, at that, at least among the Tribunal." "They told you that, and you believed it?" Felix questioned. "They let me look at their records, Felix. They had everything about her ¨C age, weight, height, appearance¡­ known family and associates." A heavy silence fell over the room before Alain broke it with a sigh. "...I thought my parents died in a house fire when I was sixteen," he explained. "That made sense to me back then ¨C I had been away with my uncle at the time, and figured one of them had left a lamp on during the night or something, and the house had caught fire that way. But apparently not ¨C apparently, something else happened." "Did the Tribunal kill your mother?" Sable asked quietly. Alain shook his head. "No. They told me they had a contingency plan for if she came for one of their high-ranking members, but aside from that¡­ they didn''t want to directly move against her. According to them, they weren''t responsible for what happened, and they don''t know who is, either." Felix crossed his arms. "How convenient." "Yeah, I know ¨C it sounds like bullshit to me, too. But without any proof, there''s nothing we can do against them." "Even if we had proof, what are we supposed to do with it?" Az grunted. "The Tribunal has us dead to rights, at least as far as I can see. We''re stuck here for as long as they want us to be stuck here." "Ain''t it a bitch¡­?" Felix muttered. He looked back to Alain. "So, what''s your plan after we get out?" "Did they tell you she''s alive?" Sable questioned. Alain shook his head. "No¡­ they weren''t able to confirm anything about her, not even her death. There were two bodies in the house, but both were so badly burned that any kind of identification was impossible." "So she could still be out there," Az noted. Alain nodded. "Yes, she could be. The only problem is that I have no idea where to look." "No idea at all?" Felix asked. "No, not-" Alain suddenly paused, his eyes widening. "...New Orleans." "What?" "New Orleans," he repeated. "It''s where she was from, I remember that much. She never talked much about her past to me, but when she did, New Orleans always came up." "Perhaps it has some kind of significance to her beyond just where she was from," Az offered. "It''s worth a shot, at least," Alain said. "So, that''s your plan?" Sable demanded. "As soon as the Tribunal is finished with us, you''re just taking off to New Orleans, wherever it is?" "If you have a better idea-" "I''m coming, too." Alain paused, staring at her in surprise. "...You want to come with me? Why?" If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "Do I look like I have anywhere else to go?" "...I mean, I kinda figured you''d stay here at this point." "With the Tribunal? I''d sooner let myself get staked again. And besides, I do still intend to carve out my own kingdom." "You were serious about that?" "What''s this about a kingdom?" Felix asked, sounding concerned. Sable ignored him, instead crossing her arms as she stared at Alain. "Yes, I was serious about it. I am a vampire, Alain ¨C castles and kingdoms are what we''re known for." "You''re gonna have a tough time with that, then, because there have never been any of those here," Alain pointed out. "But if you insist on coming along, I won''t argue. Just¡­ try not to get us involved in anything crazy again, yeah?" "Let''s not get ahead of ourselves," Az warned. "We still need to deal with the Tribunal." "Of course. Any suggestions?" "Aside from hurry up and wait? None." Alain''s brow furrowed. "Then let''s hope we hear something soon-" Right as the words left his mouth, the door opened, and Lawrence stepped in. He appraised them all for a moment, then nodded. "The Tribunal has instructed me to allow you four a bit more leniency on how you come and go," he reported. "But do not mistake this small gesture of trust as anything more than that. We will all be watching you, and the moment one of you slips up, it will be your last. Do you all understand?" "We get it," Alain said. "Hm. See to it that you do." With that, Lawrence turned and walked away, leaving the door to the room open. He had been gone for just a few seconds when Alain suddenly stepped out of the room. "Hey, wait!" Sable called after him. "Where are you going?!" "The archives," Alain said without looking back. "Thorne said I might find something useful there. Don''t wait up for me." With that, Alain continued on his way, paying his friends no mind as he walked and left them behind him. ?XXX A yawn escaped him as he turned to look out the nearby window. The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, replaced by a crescent moon that was hanging high in the sky; the only thingw illuminating the ancient archives were a series of torches and light-emitting gemstones embedded in the walls. Alain let out a small grumble, then turned back to the series of tomes splayed out in front of him. He''d pored over several of them over the past few hours, and had come up empty ¨C there was nothing related to his mother, and very little about New Orleans, for that matter. "Fuck me¡­" he said quietly. "Something the matter, human?" At the sudden voice, Alain nearly jumped out of his seat, turning around with one hand on his holstered gun. Thorne was standing there, one hand on her hip. Alain blinked, then allowed himself to relax. "...Sorry," he offered. "Don''t be," she replied. "You mustn''t forget that this is our territory, not yours. There are several people here who would see you as little more than their next meal. They restrain themselves because of me, but even my influence has its limits." "I can imagine¡­" Alain muttered. "I''ll be careful." She nodded, then peered past him, her gaze landing on the series of books laying across the table. She shook her head. "Those will get you nowhere." "Of course¡­" he grumbled. "Alright, what do you want?" Thorne fell silent for a moment, turning to look out the window. "...You do not realize the kind of unique position you''re in as a human," she said. "You can go places and do things we cannot." "Going places, I''ll give you, but as for doing things? Sable can move almost as fast as I can blink, and I once saw her crush a man''s head between her palms like it was an overripe watermelon." "Physically, you are weak, but your technological ingenuity is¡­ compelling." Thorne turned back to him. "Our interests happen to align on this matter, believe it or not." He blinked, surprised. "...You mean you care about my mother, too? Even though she hunted your kind?" "She specifically hunted rogue members of my kind," Thorne pointed. "The kind of mad dogs who threaten the existence of every person who lives behind the Veil with their reckless actions. It was never personal, and I understand that. Now, that being said¡­ I wish for you to find her." "And why would you care if I found her or not?" "Because whoever was attempting to kill her, while unsuccessful, ultimately succeeded in forcing her into hiding," Thorne explained. "And we have no idea who that is. Do you see the problem here?" Slowly, he nodded. "I do. You''re worried that there might be a bigger threat out there that you aren''t aware of. But if that''s the case, why try to find her now, rather than earlier?" "We have tried earlier, but however she chose to hide herself, she has done an exceedingly good job of it. But that might change if her only son comes looking for her instead." Alain couldn''t help but bristle. "This sounds like a threat-" "It is not," Thorne insisted. "Like I said, our interests align ¨C you wish to find your mother for obvious reasons, and we simply wish to find out who attempted to kill her." "And if I do decide to work for you?" he asked. "What''s in it for me?" "Simple ¨C I will let you go. We will end the investigation into Los Banos here and now, and allow you to go where you need to in order to search for your mother." Alain hesitated. Something about this didn''t seem right with him ¨C Thorne had gone from being actively hostile during his interrogation to downright cordial here. And yet, the prospect of getting the Tribunal temporarily off his back and finally being able to search for his missing mother was too good to pass up. "You''ve got a deal," he said. ?XXX "Are you fucking crazy?" Felix demanded. "I just made a deal with yet another vampire," Alain retorted. "You tell me." "Is now really the time for jokes?" Az asked. "You just got us involved in Tribunal business, Alain. That can''t be a good thing." "I know, I know. But if any of you have a better plan for getting us out of here fast, I''d love to hear it." Sable let out an annoyed huff, crossing her arms. "The least you could have done was consult with the rest of us before agreeing to anything." "Yeah, well, I didn''t particularly feel like pissing Thorne off any more than I already had, given what she''s capable of. Figured it was best to stay on her good side." Alain sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, none of you have to come if you don''t want to-" "Yeah, not happening," Felix interjected. "I''m in." "As are we," Sable said without a moment''s hesitation. "You will not get rid of us that easily." Alain was taken aback. "You all understand what we''re walking into, right? It could be dangerous-" "And what happened in Los Banos wasn''t?" Felix asked, raising an eyebrow. "...Admittedly, you''ve got me there. Alright, fine, I guess we''re doing this." "Do we know how we''re going to get there?" Az questioned. "We don''t have transportation, you know." "I think Thorne mentioned to me that she''d be taking care of that for us," Alain said. "Whatever it is, I''m sure it''ll be fine." ?XXX "You cannot be serious." Lawrence crossed his arms. "Did you truly expect it would be anything else besides a horse and carriage?" "I mean¡­ yeah, I did," Alain said. "I was expecting something a bit more otherworldly. This is downright normal." "This is how we got here," Felix reminded him. "I know, but I can''t help but be disappointed." "What were you expecting, then?" Sable asked. "I don''t know, some kind of dragon or something." "Don''t be ridiculous," Lawrence chastised. "We''ll be taking you to a populated area, so of course it only makes sense to give you transport such as this. And besides, nobody here is capable of taming a dragon enough to ride one ¨C they''re far too intelligent for that." Alain stared at him. "...Dragons are actually real?" "You''re really surprised by that?" Az questioned. "After everything we''ve been through?" "Good point. Alright, let''s get this show on the road, I guess." The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 20
The trip to New Orleans was long, as expected, but thankfully uneventful. They traveled almost non-stop over a few weeks before eventually making it to their destination. By the time the entrance to the city came into view, Alain was fed up with traveling, and he knew the others were, too. "Thank the Lord¡­" he muttered as they passed through the city''s gates and into its crowded streets. "I don''t even like big crowds like this, but it beats the hell out of staying in this carriage for another day." "What is the plan?" Sable asked. "We''re here. Did you intend to search for your mother immediately?" "Of course. The only problem is, I have no idea where to start." Alain ran a hand through his hair, a tired sigh escaping from him as he did so. "Right¡­ I guess the best thing to do right now is try to take stock of where we''re at and who we should be talking to." "Do you know anything about any of that?" Felix asked. "Because I''d rather not be fumbling around, trying to find what''s basically a needle in a haystack." "Yeah, I know. Admittedly, my knowledge about this city is a bit lacking. What I do know is that there is a lot of old-timey mysticism here." "Such as?" Sable questioned. "Voodoo, mainly," Alain replied. "I know that''s different from what you and Az are probably accustomed to, but it''d be a good place to start. I figure if anyone here knows anything about the supernatural, it''d be the kind of people who are into that sort of thing." "Probably a fair bet," Az chimed in. "Of course, now we run into the problem of trying to find those people in the first place." "I wouldn''t consider it that big of a problem. From what I understand, they don''t exactly keep it hidden. Of course, we''re going to have to find some way to tell the genuine Voodoo practitioners from the charlatans who are only using it to make money, but we can figure that out after we''ve actually looked into this more." "And the Tribunal?" Felix asked. "What about them?" "I don''t think any of us are dumb enough to believe Thorne is going completely hands-off here," Alain answered. "I have no doubts that she''s sent people to follow us, whether that''s just to make sure we complete the job or for some other nefarious purpose. Whatever the reason may be, it''d pay for all of us to be on our guard, and also to make it look like we don''t know we''re being followed." "And if they attack us?" "Then all bets are off." Alain shrugged. "I haven''t made it this far just to get killed by some fucking bloodsucker. No offense to present company, of course." Sable rolled her eyes. "Hurry up and get the horses and carriage squared away, already. My back is killing me from riding in this thing, and I''m eager to stretch my legs." Thankfully, they soon found a spot to stow their horses, and just a short while later, they were on foot once more. "If I may make a suggestion," Felix said as they began to walk through the city streets. "I think we should start asking some of the saloon owners and bartenders where they believe we should look. Speaking from personal experience, people tend to open up when they''re drunk; I wouldn''t be surprised if a bartender was able to point us in the right direction purely because some idiot got plastered and told him way more than he should have." "That''s as good a plan as any," Alain conceded. "Alright. Pick a bar, I guess ¨C we''re in New Orleans, so every third building probably has a bar of some kind in it." Felix looked around, a hand going up to his chin in thought. After a moment, he pointed at one. "There." Alain followed where he''d motioned to. It was a small, out-of-the-way building situated between two much larger stores. It was in disrepair, its black exterior paint job having chipped and faded in many places, exposing green wood underneath. The word ''Inferno'' was emblazoned just above the door. "Seems topical," Alain noted. "Okay, let''s go." "Let me do the talking," Felix said as they pushed their way through the door. "I think the owner would appreciate it more if we were speaking bartender-to-bartender." A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "Suit yourself," Alain told him. "I''ll be right here, watching your back. Az, Sable, make sure nobody sneaks up on us." The two of them nodded, and took up positions near the door, Az leaning against a wall with his arms folded and Sable taking a seat in a nearby chair. While they did that, Alain and Felix approached the bar. The place was empty, save for a tall dark-skinned man in a nice suit standing behind the bar, polishing a glass. When he saw them approach, he set down the glass and rag, then leaned forward. "Welcome," he greeted, his voice coming out in a thick Creole accent. "Bit early to be drinking, isn''t it? It''s not even nine in the morning yet." "You tell that to all your customers who come in this early?" Felix asked. "Admittedly, that''s the decent thing to do, but it seems like that''d be bad for business." The bartender shrugged. "I ain''t asking for much in the way of money, just enough to keep me going. Besides, keeping people from drinking themselves to death is the least I could do." "A bartender with a heart, eh? I was right ¨C you are a good man." "I try." The bartender''s mouth quirked upwards with a small smile. "Name''s Jasper. You?" "Felix, and this is my friend, Alain." Alain tipped his hat towards Jasper, and Felix leaned in, resting a hand on the bar. "And now that we know each other a bit better, I was wondering if you could help us out with something." "I can certainly do my best. What do you need? Food, water?" "Information. I was wondering if you''d know where a man could go if he wanted to speak with someone who knows something about Voodoo?" Immediately, Jasper''s face darkened, his friendly smile fading. "...You''d be well advised to stay away from the stuff," he warned. "Voodoo is the Devil''s work. Ain''t nothing good ever come out of dabbling in it." "So you do know," Felix commented. "Yeah, I know. And that''s why I''m telling you, as a professional courtesy, to not get involved with it." "Why is that?" Alain interjected. "Seems like this is a personal subject for you." "You''re right about that,'' Jasper answered. "My younger sister, Tiana, was involved with it. Met the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans herself, a number of years ago ¨C apprenticed under her for a bit, even, before the Queen died. Tiana threw herself into it after that, convinced she could take the Queen''s place. Said she was going to move out into the swamp and everything. Eventually, she did exactly that¡­ and she never came back. That was five years ago; I haven''t seen her since." Jasper let out a heavy sigh, then looked back to Alain. "You want my advice? Forget about the Voodoo stuff, it''s never done anyone any good." "Believe me, I''d like to do exactly that, but we don''t have a choice," Alain insisted. "We''re looking for someone, Jasper ¨C someone very close to me. And I''m afraid that the only people who would know a thing or two about how to find her are the exact kinds of people you''re telling us to avoid." Jasper hesitated. "...I''m sorry, for what it''s worth. But¡­ I can''t in all good conscience direct you towards-" "Enough of this," Sable suddenly announced. She rose from her seat and approached the bar, then stared Japser in the eyes. "Look, we understand your misgivings, but this is important, and we''re not going to stop searching for answers just because you''ve decided to stonewall us. So either you can be part of the solution or you can keep being part of the problem, but either way, we''re going to get our answers from someone eventually. The only question is if you''re going to keep wasting our time or not." Again, Jasper hesitated. Finally, he heaved a heavy sigh of resignation. "...Head down to the slums and look for a building called Mystique. If you can''t find it, the locals will direct you. The owner is a woman named Ariana ¨C you''ll know her when you see her; older woman, big, with a thick Cajun accent. She knew the Queen personally, and when Tiana disappeared, she was the only one willing to tell me anything about what had happened. If anyone in New Orleans can answer your questions, it''s her." Alain nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Jasper." He turned to walk away, only for Jasper to suddenly lunge forwards and grab him by the wrist, stopping him. "Wait," Jasper urged. "Whatever you do¡­ stay out of the swamps and bayous. I don''t know what happened to my sister, but I know that she wouldn''t up and disappear like this on her own. Something out there got her, and I know it wasn''t just a gator. Be careful." Jasper released his hold on Alain''s wrist, and Alain again nodded, then turned and walked away, the others flanking him. "What was that about?" Felix asked. "I mean, I figured I''d be able to get him to talk, but he was much more open about all that than I ever suspected he''d be." "I don''t know," Alain replied. "Whatever the reason is, at least we know where to go now. Come on, let''s not waste any more time." XXX It wasn''t hard to find where the city ended and the slums began. Alain first noticed it when the rough cobblestone pavement gave way to bare ground and mud, and the buildings went from rough but functional to downright ramshackle. The streets themselves were also a lot clearer ¨C there was a lot less foot traffic here, and the people who were out and about were much more purposeful with their movements than the aimless city-goers from the nicer part of town. The lack of a crowd ended up being a blessing, because it let them all move a lot faster. New Orleans was a big city, but thanks to the streets being barren, they were able to search very quickly, and by the time night was about to fall, they had found the building they''d been looking for. "There it is," Alain said. True to Jasper''s word, there was no missing Mystique once it had come into view. Even if it hadn''t been for the large sign bearing its name, the decorations scattered around it gave away its intended purpose ¨C jars of incense set up on a shelf outside, fragrant herbs hanging from twine just in front of the door, and small pieces of jewelry and talismans scattered about on a table. "I''m surprised this stuff is still here even though nobody''s watching over it," Felix commented. "Seems like it''d be easy to steal." "Maybe they''re afraid of what would happen to them if they stole from a Voodoo practitioner," Az offered. "If Jasper''s story about his sister is true, then their fear isn''t exactly misplaced." "Whatever the case may be, we''ve got a job to do," Alain reminded him. "Come on, I''ll go first." Alain stepped up to the door, then pushed his way inside, the others following closely after him.
The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 21
If the exterior of the shop was unique, then the interior was downright weird. Several of the same products were laid out, but there were even more esoteric things scattered around ¨C black-bound books written in red ink, artwork made of animal bones, and jars of what appeared to be fake shrunken heads. At least, Alain assumed they were fake. These days, it was hard to tell. They milled about the inside of the small shop for a moment before a voice from deeper within called to them. "Come in, come in." Alain motioned for the others to follow, and they moved past the counter and into one of the back rooms. There, they were met by a large, dark-skinned older woman covered in a shawl, seated at a circular table, upon which several books had been scattered about. "I take it you''re Ariana?" Alain asked. "I''m Alain Smith. These are my friends Felix, Az, and Sable." Ariana''s gaze slid over each of them in turn, and for the first time, Alain noted they were unnaturally green. What that was supposed to mean, he had no idea; every vampire he''d ever met had red eyes, save for a single member of the Tribunal who had blue eyes. Perhaps Ariana was just a regular person blessed with an unnaturally bright eye color. Still, he couldn''t help the way his had steadily crept towards the grip of his revolver. "I must say, this is unexpected," Ariana replied in her thick Cajun accent. "We don''t get many vampires ''round these parts." They all tensed, but she hurriedly held up a hand. "Relax ¨C I am not your enemy. In fact, I''d wager that you''re here because you think we can help each other." "How did you know she was a vampire?" Felix asked. "Because she isn''t the first one I''ve met, child," Ariana said evenly. "No offense, but I''m in my early thirties." "When you get to my age, everyone else seems like they''re still young." Her gaze shifted back to Sable. "With a few exceptions, of course. This one looks young, but I suspect she''s far older than I could even guess. Tell me, when were you turned?" "I wasn''t," Sable replied, crossing her arms. Ariana blinked. "You were born a vampire? Interesting." "My sister and I, both. Unusual, I''m aware." "Is it?" Alain asked. "Genuine question." "Vampires are a type of undead," Ariana answered him. "They are incapable of giving birth the same way a mortal is ¨C their bodies lack the necessary function to sustain life. There are a few exceptions, of course, but most of them involve a ritual of some kind." She turned back to Sable. "Your accent places you from eastern Europe." "Romania," Sable told her. "My family was the leading vampire clan there, until my older sister usurped and murdered my parents. I would have stopped it, had I not been staked and left for dead years prior." "Not many vampires could come back from that." "Yeah, well, the vampire hunter hired to kill me didn''t do a thorough enough job, apparently, because I''m still here." "And your sister? What of her?" Sable bristled. "I don''t know what Cleo has planned, only that she''s since taken over the rest of Romania''s vampire clans and has cut herself off from the Tribunal and its envoys. It''s clear to me that she''s up to something, but nobody knows what it is. But that''s not the point of our meeting." Ariana leaned back. "Forgive me ¨C I find the other side of the Veil quite fascinating, as you can all probably imagine. Like I said, it has been some time since I have encountered a vampire, let alone a friendly one." "What''s that supposed to mean?" Felix asked. "Did you hunt them at one point?" "I dabbled in that world for a time. Ultimately, however, my calling was towards the medicinal and spiritual side of things more so than the physical." You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Then you must have networked with other vampire hunters," Alain announced. "That''s why we''re here ¨C we''re looking for one of them." "Then perhaps we can help each other after all. Who do you seek?" "Heather Smith." Ariana''s eyes narrowed. "I was not aware that Heather had a son." "Then you do know her." "I do. I wouldn''t call us friends, or even acquaintances, but anyone interested in vampires ''round New Orleans has at least heard the name. She''s part of the reason why we don''t see so many active nearby. Of course, there was never much activity here compared to the northern states in the first place. Makes me wonder why a hunter of her caliber would want to stay here. Running from something, perhaps?" "That''s what we''re trying to figure out." Alain crossed his arms. "Do you know how to find her?" "Generally speaking, Heather isn''t someone who you can find, she''s someone who will find you. If she thinks you need to meet with her, then she''ll eventually seek you out. Otherwise, good luck." Alain tensed. "Why wouldn''t she want to meet me? I''m her son." "Think about it, child ¨C she ran away from you in the first place for a reason. No mother does that unless they''re cruel or trying to protect their loved ones from something, and Heather never struck me as being cruel to anyone but the rogue vampires she was hired to hunt. If she truly thought that staying was a detriment to your safety, do you really believe she''d risk drawing you back into it now?" "That would depend on the circumstances," Az cut in. Ariana looked over to Az in surprise. "You¡­ you''re not a vampire, but you''re not a human, either. What are you?" "I am Az. Nothing more, nothing less. I exist only to serve my queen-to-be." "Queen-to-be¡­? Ah, so that''s what she intends to do. I must say, you certainly picked the wrong country for it, in that case ¨C America''s history with monarchs does not bode well for your future kingdom." "I shall worry about the details later," Sable answered. "What more can you tell us?" "That is all I can say regarding Heather''s whereabouts," Ariana replied. "If this is truly as important as you seem to think it is, then she will find you in due time. But until then, perhaps you could do something for me in return." "Oh, here we go¡­" Alain muttered. "Alright, what do you need?" "Do not act as though this is one-sided. What I ask of you would get you more involved in this city''s side of the supernatural. If you wanted to draw your mother out, this would be a good way to do it, provided she''s interested in meeting you, of course." "I get it. What''s the job?" "How familiar are you all with the swamps?" "We know enough to be aware of the fact that we need to stay out of them," Felix said. "That is not incorrect. I take it you''re aware of the disappearances, then?" "Only of Jasper''s sister, Tiana," Alain replied. "Does the name ring a bell?" Ariana nodded. "It does. I remember her ¨C smart girl; too smart for her own good, some might say. Excellent herbalist. Perhaps one day she might have replaced the original Voodoo Queen, were it not for her untimely disappearance. But that is neither here nor there ¨C you are correct in that she is missing, but while she may have been the first, she was not the last." "Enlighten us, then. What''s going on in the swamps?" "Truthfully, I don''t know. I''m much too old to be wandering outside the city anymore, and all the people who have tried to investigate have ended up going missing as well. All I know is that the disappearances started a few years ago with Tiana, but they were far fewer in number ¨C a tourist here, a drunk partygoer there, the usual. The local government was able to pass it off as people getting lost in the swamps and dying before they could be found, which worked for a while, but now¡­ now, we''re seeing several people go missing every week. And they''re disappearing closer and closer to the city and roads, rather than deep in the swamps like they were in the past. Whatever''s out there, it''s getting bolder." "And you''re convinced it''s something supernatural?" "Child, I assure you, there''s nothing natural about what happened to those people. One person every now and again would be expected ¨C the swamps are deep and easy to get lost in, not to mention inhabited by all manner of nasty wildlife. But this is something far worse, I can just tell." Alain nodded along with her words. "What do you need us to do?" "Head for the swamps," Ariana urged. "Poke around a bit. See what you can find. There are people who live out there ¨C see if you can speak with one of them regarding the disappearances; I suspect one a few of them know something, they''re just keeping it to themselves. Too many shamans and other supernatural creatures living there for everyone to be ignorant of what''s going on. I would go and speak with them myself if I weren''t so old." "And if we do encounter something out there?" "You''ve got guns and a vampire on your side. I''m confident you''ll know what to do in that case." "Very well." Alain tipped his hat to her. "Thank you, ma''am. We appreciate the information." "One more thing," Ariana said as they all turned to leave. "If, somehow, you do find Tiana out there, send her my way. Girl deserves a scolding for running off into the swamp the way she did." "We''ll see what we can do. Thanks again." With that, they all stepped out of the back room, gathering in the front part of the store. "Signed up for yet another job," Felix lamented. "How many does this make now? Two? You guys sure have a habit of attracting trouble." "Believe me, I''m not exactly happy about it," Alain lamented. "But we do need to draw my mother out, and if this is truly the best way to do it, then we''ll just have to deal with it." "You''re not wrong," Sable admitted. "Okay. We make for the swamps, and look for someone who lives in them that can tell us a thing or two about what''s going on. If we can''t find someone or they otherwise don''t know anything, then I guess we''re on our own." "We''ll make it work," Alain promised. "Speaking of which-" He suddenly paused, a glint from outside the window and down the street catching his eye. Alain turned to stare at it for a moment until he realized what it was, then immediately hit the deck. "Everyone down!" he called. They all threw themselves to the floor just as the first salvo of bullets tore through the store''s front windows. Alain grit his teeth as shards of broken glass and splinters of wood rained down on him. Bullets cracked by overhead, embedding themselves in the nearby wall just inches above where they were lying. Eventually, though, the shots tapered off, leading to complete silence from outside. Alain and Felix wasted no time. They jumped to their feet, unslinging their long guns as they rushed out of the store, Az and Sable hot on their heels. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 22
They all burst out into the street right as additional rounds began to ricochet around them. Alain and Felix sidled up against a nearby building, while Az and Sable did the same on the opposite side of the street. From where he was standing, Alain could see Az and Sable trying to steadily inch their way out of cover to advance, but he frantically waved to them and got their attention before they could. "Stay put!" he shouted. "Don''t risk moving up until we''ve cleared it a bit for you!" They both nodded, and Alain took a deep breath as he checked to make sure both barrels of hit shotgun were loaded. Next to him, Felix did the same with his lever-action rifle, then they both nodded to each other and peeked out from behind cover, and began to lay down fire. Panicked shouts sprang up from down the street, and the incoming stream of bullets began to taper off a bit. Alain hurriedly thumbed two fresh shells into his weapon, then him and Felix both began to step out from behind the building. They steadily advanced, occasionally loosing another stray shot just to keep their opponents'' heads down. They managed to move up about a block before their assailants regrouped, reloaded, and began to shoot at them again. "Can you see who it is?" Alain asked over the sounds of incoming gunfire. "No idea!" Felix said. "I see them moving around, but I can''t tell who they are!" Alain scowled, then chanced a quick look out from around the corner. A stray bullet skimmed across the wall just a bit away, showering him with small shards of wood. A panicked yelp escaped him as he pulled back, and he grit his teeth, forcing away the pain before it could fully set in. Alain dropped into a crouch, then once more peered out. This time, he was able to tell who it was. "It''s Jasper!" he said. "It is?!" Felix asked, confused. "What the fuck? I thought he wanted us to come here?" "Hey!" Alain shouted. "Jasper, it''s Alain! What are you doing?!" The gunfire suddenly stopped. For a few seconds, there was no more noise, until Jasper called back to him. "Did you really think I wouldn''t know a vampire when I see one? What were you thinking, bringing those two here?!" "It''s not like that!" Alain protested. "Bullshit, it''s not! You sound like her Thrall already!" "He''s not my Thrall!" Sable hissed. "Nobody is! I would never do that to someone!" "If you''re going to lie, at least try to make it convincing!" "Jasper, listen to me!" Alain shouted to him. "Whatever you think is going on, I assure you, it''s something completely different! I''ve seen her in action ¨C if Sable wanted you dead, you''d be dead. Or did you really think you could take on her and Az?" "I''ve got them both stuck behind cover, don''t I?!" "He''s got a point¡­" Felix admitted, which earned him a glare. He held his hands up in surrender. "Just saying." "Look, let''s talk this over," Alain offered. "I''ll put down my gun, and we can meet in the middle of the street to work this out." He received no response, but that didn''t stop him. Alain laid down his shotgun, then kicked it out into the street. After that was done, he waited a few minutes, then came out from behind cover with his hands up. "Hold your fire!" Jasper shouted. Alain tensed, but it soon turned to a sigh of relief when Jasper emerged from behind cover, a rifle held in his hands. He kept it leveled at Alain as he advanced, but didn''t fire. The two made it to within just a few meters of each other before Jasper held out a hand, stopping him. "That''s enough," Jasper commanded. "Alright, talk. I''ll give you this one chance to change my mind." Alain looked around. Jasper had apparently taken the time to gather together a ragtag militia group, of sorts ¨C there were about half a dozen other men posted behind buildings nearby, all armed with rifles and shotguns. A few of them were staring at him with suspicion, but the others were keeping a careful eye down the street, watching the building Sable and Az were hunkered down behind. "What do you want to know?" Alain asked, turning back to Jasper. "I want to know what the fuck a vampire is doing here," Jasper growled. "You said you''re not her Thrall, and yet you''re traveling with her. Why is that?" "It''s a long story." "I''ve got time." Jasper emphasized, motioning with his head to the rifle that was still pointed squarely at Alain''s chest. "Alright, fine, I guess I can try and shorten it a bit," Alain conceded. "We met in San Francisco. She initially hired me for a simple escort mission ¨C I was supposed to take her to a small town, receive my payment, and then we''d part ways. That didn''t happen, obviously; the mayor was involved in some very shady, very supernatural stuff, revolving around some way to make himself immortal using human sacrifices. We all had to work together to stop him." Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "That doesn''t answer why you''re all here now." "To put it simply, the Tribunal was very interested in us after what happened. They took us in and interrogated us, and then let us go with an ultimatum: they wanted us to find my mother. I have no idea why, but that''s what they told us to do. That part wasn''t a lie ¨C we really are here to track down my mother, at the Tribunal''s command." "So, what are you saying?" Jasper demanded. "You think we can trust her, even though she''s a vampire?" "She''s saved my life plenty of times already," Alain insisted. "At this point, I trust her more than pretty much everyone else I''ve met. If she wanted to kill me, or use me as little more than a source of free blood, or turn me into her Thrall, then she''s had every opportunity to do so by now, but she hasn''t done any of those. We''ve known each other for a few weeks by this point ¨C that doesn''t exactly make sense if she''s the way you think she is, now does it?" Jasper''s eyes narrowed, but after a moment, he gave a begrudging grunt, then lowered his rifle. Again, Alain breathed a sigh of relief, and lowered his hands. "Follow me," Jasper commanded. "Your friends, too." Alain nodded, and they all set off after Jasper and his men. ?XXX Jasper led them to a large abandoned building in the center of the slums. They all stepped inside, and found that it had been set up as some sort of command center. Maps and newspaper clippings were laid across several tables, and boxes of ammunition and spare weapons were scattered around as well, along with packages of food and water. At the sight of it, Alain couldn''t help but let out a low whistle. "What''s all this for?" "What do you think?" Jasper asked. "Take a seat, all of you." They obliged, settling down into several chairs that had been pulled out for them. Jasper sat across from them, his rifle laid across the table in arm''s reach. "As you''ve probably guessed by now, I''m not just a bartender," he told them. "In reality, I''m a hunter, of sorts. My men and I help deal with the various supernatural happenings around town, and in return, the government pays us a good amount to keep doing it." "I thought they had a special Army unit for that," Felix pointed out. "That regiment can''t be everywhere at once," Jasper replied. "Lots of the bigger cities have groups like ours ¨C just a few guys who encountered the supernatural and were lucky enough to survive, and then decided to turn it into a way to make a living." "So you''re all like vampire hunters, but not as specialized," Sable surmised. Jasper nodded. "That''s a good way of putting it. Nobody here is capable of hunting a vampire, at least not by themselves ¨C that''s a unique skill set that only a few mortals possess. Mostly, it falls down to the Tribunal to police their own, but again-" "They can''t always be there in time, so some people take it into their own hands," Alain finished. "Precisely," Jasper said with a nod. "Anyway, you can probably imagine why we went in guns blazing when we realized there was a vampire walking around, not to mention whatever Az is." "How did you know she was a vampire?" Alain asked. "Because I''m not an idiot. Have you seen her? Pale skin, red eyes, fangs¡­ either she''s the world''s scariest albino or she''s a vampire. Most mortals would probably think she just had a strange appearance, but I am not most mortals, and neither are any of my men. We''ve all crossed over onto this side of the Veil, and unlike most people, we were fortunate enough and skilled enough to survive in the end." Alain looked around again. Jasper''s men were gathered around them, all still holding their weapons. Most of them were smoking cigarettes, watching them and listening to their conversation carefully. He pursed his lips, then turned back to Jasper. "Be honest," he said. "Do you really not know anything about my mother?" "Nothing at all," Japser answered. "And that''s the truth, I swear. The most I''ve heard is Ariana mention her name a few times, but that''s it. I don''t know who she is or why she''s here, only that she''s one of the world''s premier vampire hunters and that for whatever reason, she''s here. I''ve never met her, and from the sound of things, that''s probably a good thing." "So why did you bring us here?" Az questioned. "Is this supposed to be intimidating?" "That depends. Are you intimidated?" Az looked around the room, then shrugged. "Los Banos was far worse." "So if you''re in charge of stopping supernatural threats, then why aren''t you investigating the swamp?" Alain asked. "That''s where all those people have gone missing." "Because if we were to leave town and head into the swamps, we''d be leaving the place defenseless against any supernatural threats that may pop up in our absence," Jasper explained. "Plus, if something were to happen to us out there, it''d be even worse. We did consider going out anyway, but ultimately, the needs of the entire city outweigh a few missing people." "Even if one of those missing people is your own sister?" Jasper''s eyes narrowed. "Watch it." Alain held up his hands. "Sorry; didn''t mean to offend. I was simply pointing out-" "Yes, the city outweighs even her," Jasper insisted without a moment of hesitation. "Much as it pains me to say it. Ultimately, she made her choice when she got involved with Voodoo; like I said, nothing good has ever come of that. I do miss her, and I would like to know what happened to her, but I''m not about to put the city at risk just to satisfy my own curiosity." "Which is why we''re going," Felix surmised. "At least, I assume that''s what you wanted to talk about at this point." Jasper nodded. "Indeed." "Bit of a tall order, considering you were all just shooting at us." "Then don''t do it for me," Jasper snapped. "Do it for the city. I just told you why we can''t venture into the swamp ourselves. You four are perfectly positioned to go in and help us out. I can''t make you do it, obviously, but it would be the decent thing to do for all these people." "You don''t need to tell us that, we were going to go anyway," Alain responded. "Just promise me the next time we come walking through town, your men won''t greet us with bullets. Give me your word on that and we can leave peacefully." "You have my word," Jasper answered. "But to tell you the truth, I''m still not sure I can trust a vampire running around with barely any supervision." "I wouldn''t call us unsupervised," Alain offered. "I''m pretty sure the Tribunal is keeping an eye on us, somehow. Probably from a safe distance, mind you, but they''re still there, I''d bet." "Was that supposed to reassure me? Because it doesn''t." "Then how about this," Felix said, stepping forwards. "The rest of your men stay here, and you come with us. They seem capable enough to take care of themselves in your absence, and traveling with us would help put your mind at ease." "Not to mention, if we''re looking for your sister, you could help us find her," Alain pointed out. "I know you said the needs of the city outweigh her, but I also know that you''re dying to know more about what happened to her. We can search for her on our own, but we can only do so much by ourselves. Having you along would definitely help with that¡­ that is, if you''re willing to travel with us." Jasper blinked, seemingly surprised by their offer. He looked back over to one of his men, who just shrugged; Jasper''s lips pursed, but after a moment, he turned back to Alain and nodded. "¡­I suppose that makes sense," he reluctantly agreed. "But make no mistake ¨C my sister is not the priority here. I''m coming along purely to keep an eye on the vampire and¡­ whatever the big guy is." "That''s fine by us," Alain insisted. "Hell, you can even stay in the back of the group, if you''d like ¨C be easier to keep an eye on us that way." "Sure sounds like you''re trying pretty hard to get me to go along with this." "We''ve got nothing to hide, that''s why. All we want to do is find my mother. If you''re willing to help with that, then fine. If not, then stay here. It doesn''t affect us at all." Again, Jasper pursed his lips. "...Very well. I suppose I can tag along." Alain nodded, then looked back to his friends. "Let''s go, guys. We''ve got work to do." They all stood and left the building without another word. Once they were down the street, Felix walked up alongside Alain to speak with him. "You seem surprisingly nonplussed about being shot at," he said. "Oh, believe me, I''m still livid about that. I''m just not showing it," Alain answered. "Fair enough, I guess." The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 23
It was dark by the time they made it to the outskirts of town and the very edge of the swamp. Alain stared ahead into the treeline, his eyes scanning through the haze and the murky water. There was no telling how deep it was in some places, made worse by the fact that there were no obvious footpaths for them to walk on. If they wanted to go deeper into the swamp, they were going to have to wade through the water and hope it wasn''t deep enough that they''d have to swim. "So," Felix said. "Who wants to go first? Because it ain''t gonna be me." "Az," Sable commanded. "Yes, my lady," Az replied. He was about to take his first step into the water when Alain stopped him. "Hold on, Az is enormous," Alain pointed out. "I don''t exactly trust his judgment on how deep this water is. Odds are, he''ll be able to wade through it while the rest of us will be in it up to our waists¡­ well, except for you, Sable; you''ll probably be swimming in it." She glared at him, but Alain ignored it. He gave a heavy sigh. "I''ll go first." "Let us know if there are any snakes in the water," Felix requested. "Wouldn''t want to get bit or anything." Alain flipped him off, then tentatively lowered one leg into the murky water. To his surprise, it only went down up to just above his knee before he felt solid ground underneath his feet. He tested it again with his other leg, even taking a few steps to be sure, but sure enough, the water was shallow enough to wade through. It was cold and uncomfortable, obviously, but they wouldn''t have to swim. "It''s fine," he reported. "Sable might have some trouble, but everyone else should be okay. Az, you''re tall enough that you probably won''t be affected by it at all." "Then I shall allow my lady to ride on my shoulders, should she request it," Az told him. "Oh, shut up, all of you," Sable said, rolling her eyes. "What am I, a child? I''ll be fine, the same as the rest of you." Without any further warning, she lowered herself into the water. She sank into it up to her waist, and was clearly uncomfortable at the sensation of the dirty water soaking into her, but she didn''t protest at all, instead wading over to stand alongside Alain. Felix and Az exchanged a glance, then they both joined them. "All good," Felix announced. "Let''s get moving." ?XXX The five of them moved through the swamp for some time, searching for any signs of life. They found none, aside from the various insects and small animals that called the waters and mangroves home. Alain, Jasper, and Felix were swarmed by gnats and mosquitoes, however, and spent most of their time batting them away. Predictably, they completely avoided Sable and mostly avoided Az, though occasionally a mosquito would try to bite him, only to immediately drop dead the instant it got some of his blood. Alain wasn''t sure what to make of that, but Az was trustworthy enough so far. And besides, anything that killed mosquitoes was a positive, in his eyes. The full moon was high in the sky by the time they first encountered movement up ahead. Alain suddenly held up a hand, stopping them all, then silently motioned for them to take a look around him. Sure enough, in the swamp water up ahead, there was a lone female figure standing there, twitching. Even from this distance, Alain could tell what she was. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "Undead," he reported, squinting to get a better look. "This one must be fresh; she doesn''t look decomposed at all." "What do we do?" Felix asked. "Where there''s one undead, there''s generally more," Sable pointed out. "I vote we send Az after her, he can move through the water easily enough and if he takes her out, it''ll be more quiet than if one of you shot her." "No complaints," Jasper grunted. "Agreed," Alain said. "Az, I guess that means you''re up." Az stepped forward, cracking his knuckles as he went. He trudged through the water like it wasn''t even there, approaching the undead girl with ease. She rounded on him at the last moment, a screech escaping from her mouth, though he silenced it after just a moment by crushing her head like a grape. The now-headless corpse dropped into the water with a loud splash, and for a moment, there was silence. "Maybe they didn''t hear the scream?" Felix offered. The instant the words left his mouth, a chorus of other screeches erupted throughout the swamp. There had to be dozens of them, and from the sound of things, they were all nearby and moving in closer. "I stand corrected." "You had to open your fat fucking mouth!" Alain hissed through greeted teeth as he brought his shotgun up. "I know, I know ¨C I''m an asshole, and I''m sorry." "We need to move," Sable reported. "Double back, it should be clear that way." She began to wade through the water once more, which caused Alain to roll his eyes. "Az, would you just pick her up, already?" Az did as he was told, taking Sable and putting her on his shoulders. She shouted in protest, but Alain ignored her, instead watching the path ahead with Felix while Az went back the way they came. As he started walking, more figures emerged from between the mangroves. From the way they were all moving, it was clear they were undead, but just like the girl before them, they seemed fresher than the corpses they''d encountered in Los Banos, for some reason. "Guess we found our missing people!" Felix said. "Shut up and shoot!" Jasper called to him. At that command, they all opened up, pouring lead downrange. The undead, as expected, didn''t react to the rounds that struck them in the body, only falling once they''d taken a headshot each. There were only five of them at this point, but it was very dark and they were moving erratically in the water, so many of their shots went wide or only struck the undead in the lower body. Before long, their long guns were empty, and they were down to revolvers. "Move!" Felix said. Alain didn''t need to be told twice. He followed after Felix and Jasper, turning and running through the swamp as fast as the water would allow him. It slowed his movements as he went, and all around him he could hear more undead closing in. He had just about made it back to where Az and Sable were when something tackled him out of nowhere. Alain fell to the ground with a startled yell, his double-barrel falling from his grasp and landing on a nearby riverbank. He fumbled in the dark for his holstered revolver, but wasn''t able to pull it out of its holster before there was a sudden, sharp pain in his shoulder. He grit his teeth, and then with a final grunt of exertion, managed to force the walking corpse off of him with one hand and draw his Colt with the other. He pressed the barrel of the gun flush with the undead''s forehead, thumbed back the hammer, and pulled the trigger. Blood and brains spattered against him, but he didn''t care; the corpse slumped against him, and Alain struggled to his feet, pausing only to grab his discarded shotgun with his free hand. He was just in time, too, as other undead had begun to close in on him, and were now only a few meters away. Gunshots suddenly ripped through the night, taking down a few of them by sheer chance. "This way!" Felix called. "Follow my muzzle flashes!" "Coming!" Alain called, charging after the flashes of light at the other side of the swamp. He stopped only to fire off an occasional revolver shot at any undead that got too close, eventually emptying the gun as he did so; once that happened, he slammed it back into its holster, hastily reloaded his shotgun while on the move, and continued on his way. Eventually, he made it back to the others. Once he did, Az rushed ahead, taking on any undead that had followed after him. Alain watched in wide-eyed shock before sinking down into the swamp, one hand clutching at the wound in his shoulder. Someone rushed over to him, and he just about shot them until he realized it was Sable. "Let me see," she said gently. Alain didn''t resist as she peeled away the torn piece of his shirt to examine the wound. Her expression suddenly fell, her face going pale, and Alain knew then and there what had happened to him. "I got bit, didn''t I?" he asked quietly. Sable nodded solemnly, and he let out a heavy exhale. For a moment, he searched for the proper words to sum up what he felt, but none seemed appropriate given the circumstances. Eventually, he settled on the only one that felt even somewhat right to him. "Fuck¡­" The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 24
"We have options," Sable insisted. "This doesn''t have to be the end, Alain." Alain was barely paying attention. His entire body felt numb, as if he was still in complete disbelief about what had happened. He''d come this far ¨C gone through everything in Los Banos, plus the Tribunal ¨C and in the end, he''d been done in by some random undead in a swamp out in the ass-end of Louisiana. He''d gotten sloppy and careless, and now he was going to die because of it. He had to admit, he wasn''t sure whether to laugh at the absurdity of it or scream to the heavens about how unfair it was. "How long do I have?" he asked quietly. "Don''t talk like that," Sable chastised. "You''re not going to-" "Sable," he interrupted, silencing her. "Be honest with me. How long do I have before I turn?" She hesitated. Before she could respond, Jasper stepped forwards. "...The undead plague is spread via infection. It enters the bloodstream and circulates, steadily necrotizing any flesh or organs it touches. It''s almost like a particularly potent poison, only the difference is¡­ when it kills you, you get back up." He let out a heavy sigh. "...For a man of your size, with a non-fatal bite like this? I''d say you''ve got maybe six hours, possibly less." "Six hours¡­" Alain muttered. "Great. Fucking beautiful. Six hours before I become a fucking rotting, walking corpse." "Like I said, it doesn''t have to be this way," Sable insisted. "We could go back and talk to Ariana ¨C maybe she has some kind of herbal remedy or medicine-" "That would take too long, and you know it. Assuming we didn''t run into any trouble at all, we still wouldn''t get there in time. And that''s assuming she has something like that in the first place, which she very well might not." "That''s no reason not to try," she countered. Alain shook his head. "It won''t work, and even if it did, we don''t have the time for it. If it''s all the same to you, I''d much rather spend my last few hours trying to get through this mission. At least then, when I die, I can do so knowing I did everything in my power to help my friends out." "There have to be other options," Felix insisted. "There''s no way it''s going to end like this. I mean, after everything we''ve been through? Fuck that." "There is another option," Az said. "What do you mean?" Felix asked, rounding on him. Az gestured to Sable, and her eyes suddenly widened. "I-I mean¡­ I suppose it''d be possible for that to work, but¡­ if the undead infection is already circulating in his veins, there''s no telling what could happen if we introduce another variable to it." "What are you talking about?" Alain asked. "Az is¡­ suggesting I turn you into a vampire myself," Sable explained. They all went dead silent before turning to Az. He was completely unperturbed. "What choice do we have?" he asked. "He is already dying." "We don''t know what could happen," Sable argued. "If he''s already infected, then introducing another source of it could make things even worse. You could be speeding up the rate of necrosis, or worse than that, empowering it." "Has this never been done before?" Felix questioned. Sable shook her head. "Not that I''m aware of, no. Vampires tend to be choosy about who they turn; it is a very intimate act for us, very much akin to sex. Generally, a vampire will only turn their beloved, and only at their beloved''s request; it takes a particularly sadistic vampire to go against that and turn someone who does not wish to be turned. And generally speaking¡­ vampires do not ally themselves with people who hunt the undead, for obvious reasons." Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "So we''re in completely uncharted territory, here," Alain said. "Well, that''s fucking great." "Alain-" "Don''t," he warned. "Don''t even suggest it, Sable." "It could save your life-" "It could also make things worse, like you said," he reminded her. "And not to mention that you just told us that turning someone is a very intimate thing for a vampire to do to someone. That''s got to be a two-way street, Sable ¨C if you think of it as akin to sex, then forcing you to turn someone is like forcing you to have sex. And there''s no way I''m about to do that to you." Sable bristled. "You wouldn''t be forcing me to do anything!" she hissed. "If it''s to save your life-" "I don''t want to be a vampire," Alain said, silencing her. He exhaled sharply. "I don''t mean that as an insult against you, I just¡­ I don''t want it. I''ve seen how you get when you haven''t fed in a long time, and you told me yourself that sometimes, it gets worse. You have to prey on people in order to survive ¨C need to hurt them, because the alternative is, basically, allowing yourself to starve to death. And every time you feed, there''s a risk of you getting blooddrunk, losing control. and draining the person completely." "I would never-" "You were born a vampire," Alain recalled. "That kind of restraint had to come naturally to you, at least somewhat. Tell me right now that a newly-turned vampire would have that same level of control. Be honest." Sable bit her lip. "...I can''t." "Right. And how often does a newly-turned vampire drain someone completely by accident, because they haven''t yet developed that kind of restraint?" "Far too often." Alain nodded in understanding. "Do you see why I don''t want to be a vampire now?" "I can teach you," Sable offered, desperation creeping into her voice. "You could be my apprentice, and-" "Sable," Alain said, cutting her off once more. "I don''t want to be a vampire. I don''t want to be forced to prey on innocent people, and risk losing myself every time I do it. How many people do you think would have to die before I developed the kind of extreme self-control you already have? Ten? Five, maybe?" She flinched, and he shook his head. "Look at me. I am not worth five innocent people, Sable, and you know it." Sable grit her teeth. It could have been a trick of the moonlight, but Alain could have sworn that for a moment, he saw her eyes glistening before she blinked, and they cleared up. "Then¡­ what are we supposed to do?" she asked. "Let you die, or even let you kill yourself? You know we can''t do that." Alain shook his head. "Let me keep going for as long as I can, please," he said. "And when the time comes¡­ when the time comes, make it quick and painless." "Of course," she said softly. "And¡­ do you have any last requests?" "When you find my mother, tell her what happened to me. Tell her I don''t blame her for what she did, and that I still love her. And¡­ when the time comes, if possible, I want you all to burn me. I don''t want to be buried, or put in a fucking casket." He reached into his pocket and retrieved a book of matches, which he pressed into Sable''s palm. She stared at them with wide eyes, unsure of what to think. Alain''s mouth suddenly felt very dry, and he hesitated for a moment. "...I''m glad I met all of you," he said. "Sable, you can have your diamond back ¨C not like I can take it with me." He began to pull the box out of his pocket, but she stopped him by holding up a hand. "Keep it," she urged, her voice shaking. "J-just¡­ keep it. I don''t want it back." Alain blinked, but did as she asked, letting the box fall back into place. He was about to turn and start walking again when she suddenly lunged forward and hugged him. He was surprised, but after a moment, he returned the hug. It only lasted for a moment before he pulled away, turning towards the next person, which happened to be Felix. "Guess this is our last hurrah together, then," he said quietly. "Guess so," Alain replied. Felix exhaled. "Made it through all that shit in Los Banos and with the Tribunal just to get bit by some random corpse out here¡­ it ain''t right. A man''s one-way trip ought to be nicer than that." "We''ve all got to make it sooner or later, circumstances be damned." Alain offered him a hand, and Felix didn''t hesitate to shake it. "For what it''s worth, I''m glad I stuck with you, brother," Felix told him. Alain nodded, then looked over to Az. "Hey, big man," he announced. "Wish I''d gotten to know you better than I did." "Same to you," Az said, his voice coming out far softer than Alain would have ever expected it to. "A bit of advice before you go ¨C hold on tight to what''s left of your time here, of course, but in the end, don''t worry too much about your destination. You have nothing to worry about." Alain blinked, unsure of what to make out of what Az had just told him. Az had always been somewhat cryptic, and apparently he was going to keep it up right until Alain finally passed on. Still, whether it had been his intention or not, Az''s words did leave him with some semblance of peace, which he desperately needed. The two men shook hands for a brief instant before pulling away. Alain reached for his shotgun, checked to make sure both it and his revolver were fully loaded, and then let out a sigh. "Let''s not waste any more time," he announced. "Not like I have a lot of it left to burn, anyway." They all nodded, and followed after him as he led the way back into the swamp once more. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 25
Alain trudged through the swamp water, keeping the stock of his shotgun pressed tightly against his shoulder as he went. Behind him, the others moved as well, keeping watch for any more undead. They all knew there were more out there, but they seemed to have scattered after the four of them had managed to escape back the way they''d come. They continued on, eventually reaching dry land. As they pulled themselves out of the water and onto shore, Alain looked up at the moon, grimacing as he did so. "Five hours left, at most¡­" "How do you feel?" Sable asked. Alain checked himself over, then shook his head. "No different." "The infection can take time to set in, unfortunately. You might notice it by sight before you''d feel any different. If we had more time, I''d check you over myself, but-" "That wouldn''t do me any good, anyway. Let''s just keep moving." Sable nodded, and they pressed onwards. They''d barely made it onto shore when Alain heard another screech echo through the night, which made him tense and drop down, again pulling his weapon into his shoulder. "Here they come," he warned. "Watch through the trees." Next to him, Az cracked his knuckles. "My lady, perhaps it would be best if we cut loose now that we are back on dry land? Give Alain a show in his final hours." Sable looked to Alain for confirmation, and he shrugged. "Hell, if you two feel like going all-out for now, be my guest," he said. "Shit, I was wondering when we''d get to see this again," Felix said. He relaxed, lowering his rifle. "We''ll keep you covered and all, but-" "No need," Sable assured him. She looked back to the treeline, her eyes narrowing. "Now that I''m not being slowed by the water anymore, I can work at my fullest potential. And besides, these monsters owe me for what they did to Alain, and I intend to collect." "Hell, Sable, you make it sound like this is personal," Alain pointed out. "For me, it is." He stared at her, surprised. "...It is?" She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Perhaps it would be presumptive of me to say as much, but I think of you as a friend, Alain." "No, no, that''s not presumptive at all. It''s just¡­ I''ve met a lot of people I''d call friends in my life. Barely remember any of them; we all part ways eventually. I''ve had a lot of friends, is what I''m saying. What makes me so special to you?" "That''s one thing we don''t have in common, then." She turned her gaze back to the treeline. "You claim to have had lots of friends. I haven''t. Losing even one¡­ it bothers me, on a deeply personal level." "Sable, I didn''t mean it like that-" "Do not apologize," she ordered. "Just let me have this. Sit this one out; I need to blow off some steam." Alain wanted to speak with her some more, but he could tell she wouldn''t be swayed. Instead, he nodded, then lowered his weapon. "Okay," he said softly. "Do your thing, you two." That was the only confirmation they needed. Az and Sable suddenly took off into the swamp, almost faster than Alain could even follow them with his eyes. They disappeared into the darkness and haze, with the only sounds indicating they were still alive being their grunts of exertion and the screeches of dying undead. Alain couldn''t help but tense as he heard one of the walking corpses give a loud, feral scream, which was suddenly cut off by the sound of tearing flesh and splintering bone. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Jesus¡­" Jasper whispered. "Yeah, I know," Alain said. "It''s a lot to take in at first." "Have I ever mentioned that I''m glad these two are on our side?" Felix interjected. "Because I can''t imagine having to fight a vampire, or whatever the hell Az is¡­" Alain said nothing in response, instead clutching onto his shotgun just in case Sable or Az called for help. This proved unnecessary, however, as the two of them returned just a few minutes after they''d disappeared deeper into the swamp. When they came back, Alain couldn''t help but note that they were both spattered with blood and viscera. "Had your fun?" he asked. "For a given definition of the word," Sable answered. "Would it be hypocritical of me to say I hate the undead? Because I hate the undead." She punctuated her statement by brushing something off her right shoulder; Alain noted that it was a piece of shattered jawbone still clamped around her. She seemed completely unfazed by it. "The way ahead should be clear now," she stated. "Come on." This time, she took the lead, directing them through the swamp as best as she could. ?XXX It took them another two hours of walking before they saw something up ahead ¨C a series of lights. When they saw it, they all dropped into a crouch, staring at it in disbelief. "What the fuck¡­?" Alain whispered. "People really do live in this place¡­?" "I''m just as surprised as you are, frankly," Sable admitted. "How do we want to approach?" "Well, I''m already dying, so I''ll take the lead," Alain offered. "Figure the least I can do is take a bullet for someone, if it comes to that." "Let''s hope it doesn''t. How do you feel, by the way? You should have two to three hours left, by my estimation." "I feel¡­ completely fine, actually," Alain admitted. "Is that normal?" "It''s¡­ not unheard of," Sable said, surprised. "Different people react to the undead infection much differently than others. Perhaps you''re simply someone on the upper limit of tolerance for it? Then again, it''s also possible that the entire thing hits you at once down the road¡­" "So I am still dying," Alain surmised. "Great. Beautiful, even." He sighed. "Alright, follow me. Let''s get this shit over with while I''m still here." "Alain-" He ignored Sable''s call, instead rising to his feet and advancing towards the light, shotgun in hand. As he drew closer, he saw the source of the light ¨C it was a small wooden shack, in front of which a bonfire had been lit. From this distance, he could see that the shack was very similar to Ariana''s shop, with animal bones and herbs hanging down in front of it. Alain drew in carefully, leading with his shotgun as he went. As he got closer, however, it became clear that the hut was empty. Gradually, he allowed himself to relax, then turned back to the others. "It''s clear," he said. "Come on, we can rest here for a bit." They all came bounding over to him, Sable stopping by his side. She reached for his wounded shoulder, and Alain went to turn away, but she stopped him with a harsh glare. "Let me see how bad it is," she urged. "What''s the point, Sable? I''m dying either way." "Then what does it matter to you? We''re resting here, anyway. Quit being a baby and just let me take another look." Alain gave a tired sigh of resignation, but obliged her all the same, allowing her to peel back the collar of his shirt and take a closer look at his wound. "How bad is it now?" he asked. "It''s¡­ not bad at all," Sable said, sounding confused. "That makes no sense¡­ it''s clearly a bite, and by this point, it should have started to spread the necrosis across your entire body. And yet, I''m seeing no trace of any dying skin even around the wound¡­" Alain''s heart skipped a beat. "Maybe I got lucky and it was just a dry bite?" "Undead such as the one that bit you cannot give dry bites," Sable specified. "It''s all-or-nothing with them ¨C you''re either bitten or you''re not, and there is no in-between." "Perhaps I''m just somehow naturally resistant to the undead plague?" "You''d be the first, unfortunately," Sable grunted. She let go of his collar, then stood up. "Frankly, I don''t know what to make of this. I''ve never seen anything like it." "You have a lot of experience with undead, then?" Jasper asked. "I have enough experience to know what an undead infection looks like when it begins to spread," Sable countered. "And whatever''s happening to Alain, it doesn''t seem like it''s that. I''m at a loss." "Alright, that''s enough," Alain announced, rising to his feet with a grunt. "We''ve had a few minutes to rest our feet. Is everyone ready to head out?" "As I''ll ever be, I guess," Felix offered. "Lead the way, boss." Alain went to move towards the door, and was midway through reaching for the handle when he heard something from outside ¨C the rustling of nearby underbrush, followed by the sound of some kind of large animal padding across the ground. A few seconds later, a chorus of low growls went up around them, surrounding the shack. Slowly, Alain pulled his hand away from the door, instead pulling his shotgun back into his shoulder. "I think we''re about to have a problem," he announced. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 26
As the growls around them began to draw closer, Alain, Jasper, and Felix all rushed to whatever small opening they could find, their weapons at the ready. Az and Sable, meanwhile, were about to burst out from inside the shack, only for Alain to call out to them at the last second. "Wait, you two," he said, causing them to pause. "What is it?" Sable demanded. "We don''t know what''s out there. Whatever it is, it''s certainly not undead." "So?" "So I think it''d be best to hold back from bursting out until we at least have a better idea of what we''re facing," Alain specified. "Unless you both wanted to get yourselves killed?" "I''ve got movement," Felix suddenly called. Alain immediately turned his attention back to the small gap between the shack''s wooden boards he''d posted up next to, squinting as he tried to get a better look through the fog that had descended on the swamp. Outside, he was just barely able to make out what looked like several vaguely-human figures padding around, though something was very visibly off about them ¨C their bodies looked almost normal, but their hands and feet were elongated and tipped with claws, almost like a wolf''s paws. For that matter, their heads had the vague outline of a wolf''s head rather than a man''s, and they all had tails trailing behind them as they circled the shack. Whatever they were fighting, it certainly was not the undead. No, this was something completely new to all of them. "The fuck are these things¡­?" Jasper wondered aloud. "Good question," Alain gruffly replied. "Whatever they are, they''ve got us surrounded and dead to rights. I count at least fifteen of them." "Then why aren''t they pushing us? It should be a no-brainer - push in and eliminate everyone here. They''ve certainly got the numbers for it." A loud howl suddenly went up from deeper in the swamp, causing all of the wolf-men to stiffen. They all turned back to face the forest, then to Alain''s surprise, they all knelt down, their heads bowed. His brow furrowed at the sight of it. "I guess we''re about to find out." "What do we do?" Felix asked. "Should we shoot them?" "Hold your fire," Alain said. "If they haven''t pushed us yet, there must be a reason for it ¨C something else they want, maybe. In any case, I''d rather wait a bit longer and gather some more information before firing off shots at random." "Fuck that," Jasper declared. "This is our chance to start taking a few of them out, maybe clear a hole through their defenses. I say we ought to take it." "Have you completely lost your damn mind?" Sable growled at him. "Alain is right, we ought to wait and see what''s happening for now. The last thing we need is to make them actively hostile towards us." Jasper stretched his arms out, motioned to the swamp around them. "Look around you, sweetheart ¨C they''ve got us completely surrounded, I''d say that makes them plenty hostile to begin with. But if you all want to sit here and hope the monsters want to play nice, be my guest. I, on the other hand, have no intention of wasting this opportunity." Jasper snapped his rifle to his shoulder and took aim at the nearest wolf-man, his finger curling around his weapon''s trigger. Just before the trigger could break and fire a shot, however, a voice came out from the swamp, cutting through the night like a knife. "Stand down, Jasper." In an instant, Jasper''s eyes went wide with surprise. "T-Tiana¡­?!" Alain''s heart skipped a beat at Jasper''s declaration. He turned his attention back to the swamp, watching as a long figure ¨C one much taller than the other wolf-men ¨C came strutting out from between the trees, stopping a short ways away. It crossed its arms, tilting its head as it appraised the shack, and then spoke once more. "Hello, dear brother," the wolf-creature said, its monstrous visage giving way to a surprisingly feminine voice with a southern drawl to it. "Been a long time." Jasper''s whole body began to tremble. For a moment, Alain thought he would lower his weapon, but instead, he whipped around, taking aim at the tall wolf-creature. "What the fuck is this?" Jasper growled. "You dare to take my sister''s voice-" Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "Spare me the drama, brother," the wolf-creature said absentmindedly. "It truly is me." "Impossible. Tiana would never let herself turn into that." "You say that even after knowing I was so willingly following in the Voodoo Queen''s footsteps?" She shook her head. "Clearly, there is much about me that you do not know, or otherwise refuse to properly understand. But very well ¨C I shall indulge you." She took a step closer to the shack, and Jasper suddenly stiffened, his grip on his rifle tightening. "Not another fucking step," he threatened. "Not to possibly come between two siblings or anything, but lady, if you''ve got some way of proving you are who you say you are, you''d better make that clear, and fast," Alain called. "Because he isn''t bluffing." The wolf-woman paused mid-stride, looking over to where Alain had posted up in the shack. "And who are you, anyway? You presume to lecture to me about how to interact with my own flesh and blood?" "I''m just a guy who''s pointing it out as he sees it, ma''am," Alain retorted. "And right now, all I see is your so-called brother about to turn your head into a canoe. So unless you want him to put you in the dirt about as unceremoniously as he can, you''ll give him something to recognize you." "Hm. Very well." She turned towards Jasper''s part of the shack. "We lived in Texas back then. Father died when we were both very young ¨C tuberculosis. Mama did her best to raise us on her own, but it was hard. We both had to work at a young age ¨C you helped with the ranches outside of town, and I helped with the saloons. When Mama died, we both decided we couldn''t stay in Texas anymore, and hopped on the first train out. Turns out, it led to New Orleans. And that''s where we''ve been ever since." She crossed her arms. "Good enough for you?" Jasper stared at her in stunned silence for a moment. Then, to Alain''s relief, he lowered his rifle, a quiet sigh of resignation escaping from him. "...Good enough," he acquiesced. "Still, I have so many questions¡­ what turned you into this, and why? And for that matter, what are you?" "And, for that matter, why did you surround us and seem to be threatening us?" Felix added. Jasper gave him a sideways glance, and he shrugged. "Well, someone had to ask." "Come out and speak to me face-to-face, brother," Tiana urged. "I will answer your questions." "And the wolf-men outside?" Alain asked. "How can we be so sure that they won''t just tear us limb from limb the moment we leave the shack?" "Because they bow to me, and only me, and if any of them harms so much as a hair on any of your heads, the rest of the pack will eviscerate them. Is that good enough for you?" Alain grimaced, but ultimately nodded. "Yeah, I suppose that''s as good as it''s gonna get¡­ alright, we''re coming out." Sable bristled. "You can''t be serious. You really trust her enough to do this?" "No, but what choice do we have?" Alain asked. "Come on, we''ll need you and Az to back us up if this goes south." Sable didn''t seem happy about his decision, but didn''t argue, instead falling in behind him as they all left the shack, weapons still in hand, but held low and pointed at the ground. As they came filing out, Alain looked around, trying to get a count for how many wolf-men there truly were surrounding them. It quickly became clear to him that fifteen was a low estimate; from what he could see, it was closer to thirty. "God, I hope she''s as friendly as she claims¡­" Felix muttered to him under his breath. Alain said nothing, but nodded slightly in agreement. The five of them stopped a short ways away from Tiana. Jasper hesitated, then took a few steps closer towards her; some members of her pack bristled at his sudden movement, but aside from that, none of them made any moves towards him or any of the others. He stopped a few meters apart from her, then leaned in before finally nodding. "...It is you," he said, amazed. "I just¡­ why, Tiana? Why run into the swamp, and turn yourself into this¡­ this thing?" "That is a story in and of itself," Tiana replied. "What I want to know is why my brother is running around monster-infested swamps with three strangers and a vampire." Tiana peered past him, locking eyes with Sable. "We don''t get many children of Lilith around these parts anymore." Sable''s eyes narrowed. "Perhaps you mistake me for someone else. Lilith is my first name, and nobody calls me by it except for my sister." "It does not surprise me that one such as yourself is not aware of your own history. Sad, but again, not surprising." "Enough," Az stated forcefully. "You have one more chance to start talking sense before I tear your head from your shoulders." Alain was taken aback at Az''s sudden aggression, but chose not to comment, instead looking back towards Shaman. "What''s going on in this place?" he demanded. "We encountered several undead earlier ¨C is that what happened to the missing people?" "Undead?" Tiana asked, confused. "Oh, you mean the zombies." "Zombies? What are those?" "They are like undead, but still technically alive, for a given definition of the word. Their hearts still beat, and their lungs still take in air, but their brains are empty, victims of a Voodoo ritual. I am not the only shaman in these swamps, you see, and several of them are a great deal more unscrupulous than I." "So that''s what happened to those people?" Alain asked. "They were turned into these zombies?" "Some of them, yes," Tiana answered. "Wait a minute, wait a minute," Felix emphasized. "Tiana, you just said that these people aren''t undead. Does that mean they can''t pass along the undead infection?" "Yes, indeed." Alain''s eyes widened in surprise, a relieved smirk crossing his face. He was so relieved that he at first didn''t notice Sable taking him by the hand and trying to talk to him. As soon as he did, he shook himself out of his stupor and looked over to her. "Sorry, what?" "You''re not going to die," she insisted. "I know, I know. It''s¡­ a lot to take in, honestly. Give it time; for now, we''ve got work to do." He took a breath, then looked back to Tiana. "You said some of the people who disappeared were turned into zombies. What about the rest?" Her only response was to stretch her arms out and motion to the other wolf-people surrounding her. Alain blinked, taken aback. "...They''re part of your pack? You turned them into these things?" "First off, we are not ''things''; we are Rougarou," Tiana specified. "And second, I did not do so unwillingly. Nobody was turned who did not desire it." "And are we to assume you made them desire it?" Sable demanded, crossing her arms. Tiana shook her head. "I simply informed them of what they stood to lose if they refused my offer to join me. In the face of that reality, they all chose to do so willingly." "That''s bullshit," Felix interrupted. Tiana fixed him with a harsh glare, and he hurriedly added, "But I believe it." "Alright, slow down," Alain emphasized. "Clearly, there''s a lot going on here. Would you mind explaining it to us a bit more in-depth? You make it sound like there''s something at stake here that we''re not aware of." Tiana turned to face him, and paused for a moment. "...I knew you were familiar," she stated. "Your scent told me as much, but now that I see you in-person¡­ yes, there is no mistaking it ¨C you have your mother''s eyes, son of Heather." "You know my mother?" "Indeed, I do. We have worked together before; I would not call us allies, but nor are we enemies." "Then you must know how to find her," Alain insisted. "I do," Tiana confirmed. "But information is not cheap. I will put it simply ¨C you help me, and I will help you. Do we have a deal?": Alain''s brow furrowed. "Somehow, I know I should have expected this¡­ fine, we do." "So easily?" Felix asked, surprised. "Don''t sound so shocked ¨C we''re already partnered with a vampire and whatever Az is. This is just par for the course for us." "Fair enough, I guess." "Follow me, then," Tiana offered. "My pack shall escort you." "Is that really necessary?" Alain asked as the rest of the Rougarou closed ranks around them. "Danger lurks in these swamps, son of Heather," Tiana informed him as she turned and began to walk. "You would be wise to heed whatever warnings I give and accept whatever assistance I can provide." Alain couldn''t think of an argument against that, and from the looks of things, neither could any of the other four. With no other options, they began to follow Tiana as she led them through the swamps. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 27
Tiana and her pack led the five of them through the swamp for a while, taking them through thickets of trees and twisted mangroves before finally stopping at an old, overgrown plantation house. Alain stared at it in awe before she finally broke the silence. "Inside, you five," Tiana ordered. "Let''s get talking." She motioned for them to enter the house, and they all did as she commanded, filing into the foyer, and eventually, into a sitting room filled with run-down furniture. Alain took a seat on an old, faded couch covered with cobwebs, wincing when he noticed several large spiders scurry away from him and into the cushions. "Nice place you''ve got here¡­" he muttered. "Spare me your sarcasm, human," Tiana bitterly replied. "We are here to discuss business, nothing more." "So get on with it, then," Sable demanded. "What do you need us to do?" Tiana snapped her fingers, and one of her Rougarou emerged from a room deeper inside the house, carrying a sheet of paper under his arm ¨C Alain quickly recognized it as a hand-drawn map of the swamp. The man unrolled it on the old, dry-rotted coffee table in the center of the room, and they all leaned in to get a better look. "We''re currently here," Tiana said, pointing to one of the upper corners of the swamp. "This entire northern part is supposed to be our territory." "What do you mean, ''our'' territory?" Jasper asked. "You mean to tell me there are more packs aside from yours out in the swamps?" Tiana shook her head. "No, but there are other kinds of creatures out there. The shamans, for one ¨C they''re the ones making people into zombies." "About that," Alain interrupted. "We sort of¡­ killed a bunch of those people." Tiana stared at him. "So?" "So, we didn''t do anything wrong by doing that, did we?" Tiana shook her head again. "No. If those people were mindless enough to attack you unprovoked, then their minds were already far too gone to bring them back. If anything, you did them all a favor, putting them out of their misery before a predator could get to them." "What kind of predators?" Felix questioned. "Aside from the gators that lurk in the swamp waters? My pack, for one. And then there''s the matter of what I''ll be asking you five to do¡­" "Oh, here we go¡­" Alain muttered. "Alright, lay it on me. What are we doing?" "You''re looking for a creature called the Honey Island Swamp Monster." Silence fell over the group for a moment before Alain spoke again. "Alright, well, none of us know what that is," he said. "Care to explain?" Tiana rolled her eyes. "It''s a giant, bipedal, ape-like creature standing about seven feet tall, that''s made of muscle and filled with righteous anger at anything invading its territory." "Hang on," Jasper chimed in. "Honey Island¡­ that''s not very close to where we''re at. Why is it here now?" "That is the question, isn''t it?" Tiana asked. "True to its name, the Creature is native to Honey Island, but for some reason, it migrated into our territory a few months ago and has been staying here ever since." "And I''m guessing it''s too tough for your pack to get rid of?" "It''s tougher than it looks. I''ve already lost several pack members to it, and it showed no reaction to any of our attacks on it." "Oh, really?" Sable asked. "You''re saying the giant, seven-foot-tall gorilla monster is tougher than it looks? How quaint." Tiana glared at her, but said nothing in response before turning back to Alain. "Anyway, we''ve been trying to find a way to push it out of our territory for some time now, but have come up empty every time." "And what makes you think our luck will be any better?" Alain questioned. Tiana shrugged. "You''re here, might as well make yourselves useful to me. Unless you don''t want the information I have to offer?" Alain''s gaze narrowed, but he nodded all the same. "Fine, we''ll play your game." He leaned in to take another look at the map. "So where does this thing usually stay?" "Here," Tiana offered, pointing at a small lake in the uppermost portion of the swamp. "It''s nocturnal, by the way. It will be active by the time you all get to it, unless you wish to wait until morning. Even then, it''s a light sleeper, so good luck sneaking up on it." "Great¡­" Alain brought a hand up to rub at his eyes. "Alright, alright¡­ so all we need to do is kill this thing and you''ll give us what we came here for?" If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Not even that much," Tiana specified. "It makes no difference to us whether the Creature is alive or dead by the end of this, we simply want it out of our territory. If you can find a way to get it to leave without killing it, that would work, too." "Yeah, that''s a tall order. Damn thing sounds like it could go toe-to-toe with Az in a bare-knuckle brawl and emerge victorious." "Do what you will, then. It makes no difference to us." Tiana rolled up the map, then handed it to Alain. "Take that with you; odds are you''ll need it to traverse the swamps." Alain nodded, accepting the map and slipping it into his shirt''s breast pocket. Once that was done, he rose to his feet, reaching for his shotgun. As Tiana turned to leave the room, he called out to her. "Wait," he said, stopping her in her tracks. "Remember that we have a deal. Once we do this, we''re coming back for that information." "Of course," Tiana said evenly. "I would never dream of betraying any of Heather''s kin." With that, she left the room, leaving the five of them alone. After a moment, Felix cleared his throat. "So I''m not the only one who''s completely freaked the fuck out by these things, right?" ?XXX Alain winced as he felt yet another mosquito land on his neck, then brought a hand around to smack at it. It splattered underneath his hand, leaving behind a small splash of blood; he stared at the mangled mess of blood and mosquito in his hands, then without looking, offered his palm to Sable. "Here." She stared at the contents of his palm, a look of pure disgust crossing her face. "What in the hell am I supposed to do with that?" "I don''t know, figured you''d want a snack." "I''ll pass." "Suit yourself." Alain brushed his hand against a nearby tree as they marched past it, then turned a glance back to the map in his other hand. "Do you know where you''re going?" Jasper asked, jogging up to march next to him. "Vaguely," Alain replied. "This map is pretty shit, though. Looks like an eight-year-old drew it." "To be fair to the pack, did you see their hands?" Felix said. "I''d have trouble drawing with those things, too. Hell, the fact that the map actually ended up somewhat legible is probably a small miracle in and of itself." "I wouldn''t call this legible," Alain said. "There''s no way to measure distance on it, it just has a few sketches of what appear to be landmarks lining the way to the lake." "Landmarks?" Az questioned. "What are we looking for, exactly?" "A fork in the road marked by a large tree stump with a broken ax head embedded in it, it looks like," Alain reported, squinting to get a better look at the map. "At least, that''s what I think it is." "Let me see," Jasper insisted. Alain passed him the map without argument, and he furrowed his brow as he read through it before finally shrugging and handing it back. "Seems like that''s about right, I guess." "Mind if I ask you something?" Felix asked. "How do you feel about your sister being¡­ well, that?" "She''s still my sister, monster or not," Jasper retorted. "Though admittedly, it does make things harder, considering I''m supposed to be hunting monsters for a living. Then again, I suppose as long as she doesn''t do anything that would put her in my sights, it''s not an issue¡­" "She''s still recruiting people into her pack," Sable pointed out. Jasper bristled. "She said they all consented to that." "And I don''t believe her for a second, the same way I don''t believe she ultimately won''t double-cross us in the end when it comes to providing information on Alain''s mother. Tiana talks a big game, but I''ll believe what she has to say as soon as she''s proven herself to be trustworthy, and so far, she hasn''t." "What makes you say that?" Alain asked as he pushed his way through a section of dense foliage. Another mosquito landed on his throat, and he again smacked it, gritting his teeth when he felt its body splatter in his hand. "Was it the fact that everything about her seems suspicious and untrustworthy, or was it that she''s setting us up to be killed horribly by whatever this Swamp Creature is?" "She''s my sister," Jasper protested. "She wouldn''t put me into harm''s way like that." "Respectfully, you haven''t seen her in years, and I''m sure she''s changed more than physically since then. Unless you mean to tell me she truly was that closed-off and distant the last time you spoke with her?" Jasper said nothing, and Alain pursed his lips. "I''m not saying she''s completely untrustworthy, just that it would pay to be careful around her for now, at least until we have a better indication of what she wants." As Alain finished speaking, the five of them emerged out from the underbrush, stepping out into an old, weathered path that forked in two. True to the map, the tree stump was there between the two paths, the rusted ax head still embedded square in its center. Alain folded up the map at the sight of it, then motioned to the leftmost path. "That way. Jasper, Felix, keep your guns up; Sable, Az¡­ do whatever your closest equivalent is, I guess." Sable and Az pushed past him, Az cracking his knuckles as he went. "Stay behind me, my lady," he said. "I have been meaning to test my strength with a worthy opponent for some time now, and this is the perfect opportunity to do so. Besides, there is no need for you to dirty your hands dealing with riff-raff such as this." "I will determine when and how I wish to dirty my hands," Sable said dismissively. "But very well, your request is granted. You are clear to engage the Creature however you see fit, provided it proves to be hostile." "So what''s up with the two of them, exactly?" Jasper asked as they began to move down the path, trailing slightly behind Az and Sable. "Truthfully, we have no idea," Felix explained. "All we know is Az is her servant." "What is he?" "He''s an Az, and that''s all you need to know," Alain offered. "Not even Sable knows what he is, and he''s never seen a need to explain it himself, either. I can only assume that means we don''t want to know what he is, which I''m more than okay with, given he''s on our side." "And what about her? She''s awfully restrained for a vampire." "Being staked and left to slowly regenerate over several centuries has a way of forcing people to do some soul-searching and mellowing out. At least, that''s how she explained it to us. Again, we know better than to question-" The tress nearby starting to rustle made Alain pause. He turned towards the noise, shifting his shotgun to a firing position, then began to slowly creep towards it, Felix and Jasper just behind him. He was completely unprepared for an enormous, hairy, ape-like creature to come bursting out, a feral roar escaping from it as it charged at Az. For any other opponent, that would have been their end ¨C Az would have caught their incoming blow and then torn them limb from limb as easily as a person might pick apart a particularly juicy cut of beef. But not this monster ¨C it made impact with Az, shoulder-checking him at full speed, and to Alain''s amazement, Az went flying deeper into the forest. The Creature stood there for a moment, its breath coming out somewhat ragged from its wild charge. But then, it whipped around to face the four of them, another roar erupting from its throat before it began to lumber towards them. As he stared down the giant, seven-foot-tall, mountain of muscle that was stalking towards them with murder in its eyes, Alain''s thoughts suddenly involuntarily manifested themselves in four simple words. "Oh, fuck my life¡­" The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 28
Alain let out a loud, panicked shout as he was sent flying backwards from one of the Creature''s stray hits, his shotgun slipping from his grasp. Felix and Jasper opened up on it, pouring as much lead into its torso as they possible could, but the bullets didn''t even seem to be penetrating. Whatever the Creature''s hide was made out of, they had next to no chance of piercing through it on their own. Someone pulled Alain to his feet; he turned and saw that it was Sable, who was looking over him, concerned. "Are you alright?" she asked. "I''m fine," Alain told her, shaking himself out of his punch-drunk stupor. "Just a bruised ego." "Are you sure?" "Yeah, stop looking at me like that, you''re weirding me out." Alain shook his head once more, finally succeeding in clearing the haze that had settled over his mind. He looked around the shoreline, taking stock of the situation as it unfolded in front of him. The fight had just started a few seconds ago, and already, Az had been brushed aside like an insect, while apparently, Felix and Jasper were hardly even worth the Creature''s attention. Instead, it continued to stalk over to where Az was. As Alain watched, Az came stepping out of the forest, the faintest trace of anger visible on his face. "Oh, he''s pissed," Alain noted. "Indeed," Sable said dryly. "Come on, we need to-" A sudden, far-off screech cut through the night air. Alain grimaced, scowling as he did so. "Great, these guys again¡­" he muttered, already irritated. "Sable, go help Az. The three of us will take on the zombies." "But-" "Don''t worry about us. If anything, this is going to keep us safer than fighting the Creature, since it''s clear we can''t do anything to stop it." Sable bit her lip, but didn''t argue, instead nodding softly. "...Just stay safe." With that, she turned and rushed over to where Az was grappling with the Creature, both of them locked in a stalemate. As Alain watched, she barreled into the Creature, which knocked him off-balance enough that Az was briefly able to overpower him and force him to the ground. That was much as he got to see, however, because the sound of underbrush crunching underfoot suddenly tore him away from the fight. "Felix, Jasper!" Alain called, picking up his shotgun and pulling the stock to his shoulder. "We''ve got company!" "You can''t be serious!" Felix shouted back as he came bounding over, in the middle of thumbing loose bullets into his rifle. "Cajun bigfoot is one thing, but zombies, too? That''s just bullshit." "Focus," Jasper urged. "We''re all useless against the Creature, but someone needs to keep the zombies from making things worse." "My thoughts exactly," Alain confirmed. "Look sharp, here they come!" From deeper in the forest, several people came lumbering towards them, their arms outstretched and their jaws gnashing as moans and groans escaped from them. Alain wasn''t sure if zombies ate flesh the same way undead did, but he wasn''t about to find out. His shotgun barked twice, and each shot was punctuated with a zombie falling over, dead. "Cover me, I''m reloading!" he called as he broke his shotgun and fished around for some fresh shells. "Alright, we''ve got to talk about getting you a new gun after this!" Felix shouted over the gunfire as he took aim at zombie after zombie. "Seriously, this two shots thing is garbage!" You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. "Would you both focus?!" Jasper demanded, his own rifle firing as fast as he could pull the trigger and work the lever-action. "There must be two-dozen of the things closing in on us!" Alain finally snapped his shotgun shut, but it didn''t last, the gun running empty almost as soon as he''d finish closing it. His ears rang from all the gunfire, but he didn''t let that stop him, his hands continuing to move as a blur, taking aim and firing and reloading as fast as he could. It lasted for as long as it took for Sable to come flying into him from behind, sending them both sprawling. They ended up as a tangled mass on the ground; Alain was left with his head spinning once more, while Sable rolled over onto all fours and glared at the Creature, gritting her teeth. "Nenorocit!" she snapped. "Futu-?i pa?tele ?i dumnezeii m?-tii ast?zi ?i maine de nenorocit!" Alain blinked in surprise at the sudden tirade of what had to be angry profanity as it came spilling out of Sable''s mouth. He didn''t get a chance to dwell on it for long, however, as Sable soon launched herself at the Creature once more. He could only stare as she rushed the monster down once more, jumping onto its back and sinking her fangs into its throat before tearing outwards as hard as she could. Blood arced through the air, and the Creature let out an agonized howl that drowned out even the gunshots erupting from Felix and Jasper''s weapons. They all stumbled, clutching at their ears and wincing, though thankfully it was over fast. "What the fuck just happened?" Felix asked, gunning down yet another zombie as he spoke. "Did Sable just cuss that thing out in Romanian?" "I think so," Alain said, still dumbstruck. "I''ll admit, I didn''t think she had it in her." He picked up his discarded shotgun and reloaded it, but a quick look around showed that the zombies had stopped coming. With the area now mostly clear, he turned back to the Creature, intending to jump into the fray and help Az and Sable. He was just in time to watch both of them grab at the wounded Creature''s head with both hands, then tear upwards with all their might. There was a sickening tearing sound, and in the blink of an eye, they were both holding the Creature''s head, still attached to most of its spinal column. "Oh, God¡­" Felix said, retching. "That''s disgusting¡­" Sable, for her part, seemed inclined to agree. She stared at the head and spine in her grasp, shuddered, and then dropped it to the ground unceremoniously. Az, meanwhile, took a breath, then looked over to her. "Are you alright, my lady? That monster was tougher than I anticipated." "I am fine, Az," she confirmed. "If a bit irritated." "That''s one hell of an understatement," Alain said, the three of them coming over to join her and Az. "Do we even want to know what you said in Romanian back there?" "No," Sable said instantly. "It was¡­ unbecoming of me. Royals do not utter such profanity." "There''s an exception to every rule." Alain turned his gaze to the fallen Creature, carefully tapping its corpse with his boot. Naturally, it didn''t move. "Anyway, the job''s done. I say we head back." Felix shifted. "I''m inclined to-" Az suddenly stiffened, staring out into the treeline. "Movement." "Movement?" Alain echoed, following his gaze, his grip on the shotgun tightening. "What is it? More zombies?" "No. Far too fast to be a zombie." Az''s eyes narrowed. Without waiting for further confirmation, he began to march into the forest, stopping at a nearby tree. Leaves were still falling from it by the time he got there, which took Alain by surprise. "Whoever it was, they were fast," he said. "Tiana or a pack member of hers, maybe?" "Unlikely," Az grunted. "There''s only one type of supernatural creature I know of that can move that fast on such short notice." Alain caught on instantly. "Vampire¡­? What, you think the Tribunal was here?" "We already know they were going to be watching us," Sable pointed out. "Though admittedly, that does raise several other questions¡­" "We can worry about that later," Alain insisted, staring up at the sky. "Looks like the sun''s about to come up. I don''t know about all of you, but I''d rather get this done and over with and head back to town for some rest." "Finally, someone says it¡­" Felix said tiredly as they began to walk back to Tiana''s home. "I feel like I''m about to pass out¡­" ?XXX "The job''s done," Alain announced as they pushed their way through the door. A few Rougarou were standing guard in the foyer, and immediately turned towards the five of them, snarling as they did so. It didn''t last, however. "Stand down, all of you," Tiana announced, stepping into the room. She stopped a ways away from them, a hand on her hip as she appraised them. After a moment, she nodded. "Very well." Alain paused. "...Just like that? I thought you would have demanded proof." "You five look terrible enough that I can tell you''ve been in a fight. And given that there isn''t much out in the swamps that can do that to a vampire and whatever the tall man is, I''m inclined to believe you outright. Though if it makes you feel better, I will be sending some of my pack to confirm the kill." "Enough talk," Sable growled. "We''ve done as you asked. Give us what we came here for." Tiana shrugged. "A deal is a deal. You want to find Heather so badly? All it''ll take is the right bait, and as luck would have it, you happen to have that in your possession already." She motioned to Sable, only for Az to step forward. "No," was all he said. Tiana was unperturbed. "I am simply stating a fact. You want to draw her out, you''ll need to make it worth her while." "We are not putting my lady in danger-" "Az," Sable said firmly, quieting him. She turned back to Tiana. "What do we need to do?" "It''s quite simple, really," Tiana stated. "Come with me, I''ll get you all set up." The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 29
"Stand still, would you?" Sable fidgeted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable as Tiana placed small dabs of some kind of herbal mixture across her body at various points. Alain stood nearby, watching in confusion. "I''m sorry, I don''t seem to understand," he confessed. "What is this, and how will it help us draw my mother out?" "This is an herbal salve that amplifies some of the scents that vampires give off," Tiana informed him. "Normally, these scents are only recognizable by skilled vampire hunters. Our aim is to make it easier for your mother to know that there''s a vampire wandering around New Orleans." "Eugh¡­" Felix managed to grunt. "You didn''t mention that this stuff reeks, either. Seriously, I don''t know a damn thing about vampires and I can still smell it from across the room." Sable glared at him, and he held his hands up in surrender. "Sorry, but it''s true. It smells like really pungent rusted copper." "Good, that means it''s working," Tiana said. She finished placing some of the salve on Sable, then stood back to admire her work. "Okay, that ought to do it." "My lady, I am still not at all comfortable with this," Az said from alongside her. "We have Alain here with us, yes? Why not use him to draw his mother out?" "Heather went to all this effort to separate herself from her son specifically to keep him safe," Tiana pointed out. "She isn''t about to reveal herself to him again for no reason. If you want her to come out, it''s going to require the proper bait, and in this case, the proper bait is a powerful vampire." Az let out a grunt of displeasure, crossing his arms over his chest. Across the room, Felix looked over to him. "Don''t worry, big man," he offered. "We''ll be right behind her, keeping her safe the entire time." "See to it that you do," Az simply stated. Sable finally rose from her seat, a small shudder escaping her as she moved. "This stuff is so sticky and unpleasant¡­" "Sable, you drink people''s blood," Alain pointed out. "You have no room to complain about something feeling sticky and unpleasant." "I do that to survive, Alain. This is for something different entirely." She shook her head. "Look, we should be going. I want us to make it back to New Orleans so you, Felix, and Jasper can have time to rest." "Yeah, about that¡­" Jasper began. "I''m staying here for a bit." "You are?" Alain asked. "Yes, I am. I want to catch up with my sister for a bit. Don''t worry, though ¨C I''ll be back in town right behind you guys before you know it. You need any backup, I''ll be there." Alain nodded in understand. "Sounds good. Thanks for your help." "No, thank you for reuniting me with my sister," Jasper said. He offered Alain a hand, and the two men shook. "Like I said, I''ll be right behind you by a few hours. But for now, I want to speak with my sister." "Understandable. We''ll handle things on our own for now, then." Alain turned to his friends, and nodded. "Right," he said, "it''s time to get going." XXX Alain let out a big yawn as the four of them entered New Orleans once more. The sun had started to rise as they''d made their way back from the swamps, signaling that they''d once more had another day without sleep. Predictably, Az and Sable both seemed completely unaffected by it, but him and Felix were definitely feeling it. "Fuck me¡­" Felix groaned. "Whatever we''re going to do about the Tribunal, I''d prefer if we could do it fast, so I can finally get some damn sleep." "That''s entirely dependent on when my mother decides to show herself, unfortunately," Alain said without looking back. "But yes, for what it''s worth, I''d prefer if she''d do something soon, too." "It''s out of our hands," Sable commented. "You both should find a place to rest for a bit. Az and I can keep watch, in case the Tribunal decides to make a move." "I think I saw an inn a little way back," Felix commented. "If you both don''t mind staying up, we''d appreciate the opportunity for a little shut-eye." "Ain''t that the truth¡­?" Alain muttered. They all changed course, headed for the inn. As they walked, all of them kept their heads on a swivel, watching for anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. Alain saw nothing, however; New Orleans was full of people, of course, and while he was sure the Tribunal was watching somehow, nobody appeared strange or out-of-place to him. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. He was sure that would change in due time, but for now, he was going to enjoy the silence as best as he could. Him and Felix checked into the inn and went to their respective rooms, and Alain passed out as soon as he laid down on the bed. XXX It was a gunshot from downstairs that awoke him. Alain cracked both eyes open, then groggily scrambled for his shotgun in the darkness. After a quick check to make sure it was loaded, he threw open the door to his room and stepped outside. Felix was already there, Winchester rifle at his shoulder; both men exchanged a look, then gave each other a nod and began to push down the stairs. They moved past the terrified front desk worker and out onto the street outside. The street was illuminated by a series of lamps that lined the sidewalks, but they were muted thanks to a thick haze that had settled over the city during the night. Both men took a few cautious steps forward, leading with their long guns, looking for whatever had awoken them earlier. Az and Sable were nowhere to be found. "Shit¡­" Alain breathed. "I don''t see them." "Neither do I," Felix reported. "What do you think? Tribunal?" Alain shook his head. "I didn''t see any of them carrying guns when we were being held by them. So either it''s not them, or they''re trying to make it seem like it''s someone else who''s doing this." Another gunshot split through the night, this one from about a block away. Both men took off running towards it as fast as they could, searching for their friends the entire time. As they rounded a corner, Alain saw someone lying in the road; after a moment, he realized it was Az. "Az!" Alain shouted, rushing over to him. "Talk to me, big guy. What the fuck is going on?" "It''s her¡­" Az said through gritted teeth. He forced himself to sit up, showing a silver dagger buried in his stomach. "Shit, this hurts¡­" "What do you mean, it''s her?" Alain asked. "Do you mean-" "Yes. It''s your mother, Alain ¨C I know it is. And she''s after Sable." Alain blinked in disbelief, but he was quick to shake himself out of it, instead standing up straight. "Felix, watch him," he said. "What are you going to do?" Felix asked. "Whatever I need to," Alain said as he took off running. XXX He ended up following the gunshots more than anything. However Sable and his mother were fighting each other, they were doing so while on the move, because every shot was in a different location, and each one had a few seconds between it and the last. Still, though, he was getting closer with every passing second, and before long, he turned another corner and saw the two of them. Sable was on the ground, breathing heavily and covered with stabs, slashes, and gunshot wounds. Black ichor poured from her injuries and onto the streets below. Meanwhile, his mother stood over her, reloading a revolver. She seemed completely unharmed, somehow, though was equally as out of breath as Sable was, and was additionally covered in a layer of sweat. His mother looked different from how he remembered her. She''d always worn her hair very short in his youth, but now it was much longer, tied back into a brown ponytail that stretched down to the middle of her back. She was dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt, and was wearing two bandoleers full of bullets crisscrossed over her chest, plus a belt of additional ammunition on her waist. There was a spare revolver on her left hip, plus a double-barrel shotgun slung over her back. Finally, she had several long, sharpened wooden stakes held in a bracer on her left arm. She looked every bit the vampire hunter everyone had made her out to be. It almost defied belief, but here he was, staring at her with his own eyes. As he watched, his mother finished reloading, then angled the revolver down towards Sable. Alain''s eyes widened, but he didn''t hesitate. He ripped his father''s old Colt from its holster, then pointed it at his own mother and thumbed the hammer back. The sound of the weapon being cocked echoed through the night, and his mother immediately paused, lowering her guard. "That sound¡­" she muttered, in that same thick southern accent she''d always had. The sound of it almost brought tears to his eyes. She turned and stared at him in amazement. "Alain¡­?" "Mother," he said, the words coming out through a lump in his throat. She blinked in disbelief, her gaze trailing down to the revolver in his hands. "Son¡­ what are you doing?" "Lower the weapon, mother. Please." Her brow furrowed. "Do you have any idea what she is-" "I do," he confirmed. "She''s not just a vampire, mother. She saved my life and the lives of countless other people. Please, lower it." Suddenly, her face contorted with rage, and she looked back to Sable. "You turned my son into your Thrall?!" "It''s not like that!" Alain desperately protested. "I''m not her Thrall! We''re working together of our own accord, against the Tribunal." "The Tribunal¡­? You know about-" "Yes," Alain insisted. "Mother, you heard about what happened in Los Banos, I know you did. That was me, and her." He motioned towards Sable with his head. "We stopped it together, along with some others. She is not your enemy." "She''s a vampire," his mother growled. "You can''t trust them." "I know all about what happened," Alain said, growing increasingly desperate as he watched his mother''s finger tighten around her gun''s trigger. "I understand why you wouldn''t trust them. But Sable is different, you have to believe me. Because if you don''t¡­ you''ll leave me no choice." "No choice? What are you going to do?" "Put your gun down now, or I''ll shoot," Alain threatened. "You wouldn''t shoot me," she insisted. "Your own mother? You could never-" "Who said anything about me shooting you?" She gave him a confused look, but it soon turned to horror as Alain suddenly angled his gun up towards himself and placed it under his own chin. "You wouldn''t," she repeated, though she sounded much less certain than before. "You can''t take the risk, and you know it," Alain replied. "So I''ll say it again ¨C let her go, or I will do it." She grimaced, but finally lowered her gun. "...Fine." Gently, she thumbed the hammer down, then holstered the weapon. Alain let out a sharp exhale, then did the same, stowing his weapon. Once that was done, he approached the two women; Sable was struggling to her feet, grimacing from the myriad wounds that were scattered across her body. He pushed past his mother and over to her, letting her lean against his shoulder. "Easy," he said. "How do you feel?" "Terrible¡­" she muttered. "She''s a monster¡­ I didn''t think a mortal vampire hunter could move like that¡­" Alain looked back to his mother, who he noticed seemed extremely hurt by the fact that he''d ignored her in favor of Sable. That''d be something to answer for later, but for now, they needed to get off the streets. "Do you have anywhere we can go?" he asked. She nodded. "I do ¨C there''s a hideout nearby. We can head there, and¡­ catch up, I suppose." Alain nodded. "I''ll go get the others, and then we can head there. Can I trust you two to get along while I''m gone?" Both women grimaced, but nodded. He let out a tired huff, then turned and began to run back to where Az and Felix were. Somehow, he could tell that catching up with his long-lost mother was going to be like pulling teeth, and he suspected that his friendship with Sable was only going to be part of the problem. After all, his mother had a decade of absence to answer for. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 30
His mother''s hideout ended up being a storm cellar hidden behind an abandoned building. She led the four of them downstairs, pausing only to light a few oil lanterns as they want. It was small and cramped with five people inside, but it would do. "Jesus¡­" Felix said as he looked around. "You''ve certainly stocked up, lady." He wasn''t wrong, Alain had to admit ¨C his mother had filled the shelves of the cellar with various supplies, from food and water to medicine to weapons and ammunition. There wasn''t a single inch of space left bare on the shelves, so packed full of gear as they were. Him and Felix helped Az over to a nearby cot and laid him down on it. Before they could do anything to stop him, Az ripped the dagger out of his torso, then pressed a spare blanket against it to stem the bleeding. "Don''t worry about me, I''ll be fine," he insisted. "Check on my lady." Alain nodded, then moved to examine Sable. She was gritting her teeth due to the pain, and she was still bleeding, or at least the closest comparable thing an undead could do. "What do you need?" he asked. "Blood¡­" Sable breathed. "Assuming present company is okay with that." Alain''s mother bristled. "You want to drain my son-" "Mother," Alain said, cutting her off. "We''ve done this before. Sable has a lot of self-control. You can trust that she won''t suddenly lose it and bleed me dry." She let out a grunt, crossing her arms. "Very well. But if she drains you too much, I will stake her." "Hopefully, your aim is better than the last hunter who tried that," Sable spat. "Alain, if you would be so kind?" Alain lowered the collar of his shirt, then sat down next to her. Sable immediately latched onto his neck, and he flinched when he felt her pierce him with her fangs and began to drink. The sensation of being drained of his blood was unpleasant, but ultimately, it was necessary, so he didn''t complain. And even besides that, he still trusted her. It stopped just a short while later. Sable detached herself from his neck, and offered him a rag to hold against the puncture wounds. She wiped the blood from her mouth, then turned back to Alain''s mother. "Satisfied?" "Not at all," she said. "That was disgusting, made even worse by the fact that it was my son. Alain, how do you feel?" "Fine," he reported. "Having a vampire suck your blood isn''t exactly a pleasant experience, but it could have been so much worse. And besides, I think I''m getting used to it at this point." "Is that supposed to reassure me? Because it doesn''t." "Look, I think we''re getting off on the wrong foot, here," Felix offered. "Let''s just forget that particular thing happened and move on to discussing what''s actually important." "Before we do that, I have some questions for my mother," Alain said. "Mom, why did you leave? What happened?" "How much do you know?" she asked. "Just what the Tribunal told me before sending us here." Her eyes widened. "They sent you?" "Yes, I know ¨C we can''t trust them, except unlike with Sable, I''m inclined to believe you this time," Alain said. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. "I don''t understand¡­ how did you even get into contact with them? That''s the entire reason I left ¨C they were hunting me down, and had already gotten to your father. The one saving grace was that they didn''t know I had a son. You''re telling me that was all for nothing, because they found you anyway?" "It''s not like that," Alain insisted. "Mother, I stumbled into this world by complete accident. Sable and Az ¨C that''s the big guy ¨C hired me to escort them somewhere. I had no idea what they were, and from what they''ve told me, they weren''t going to reveal that to me, either. In fact, they were perfectly willing to let me go off on my own once the job was done, but the circumstances changed and we all got dragged into something much larger than we could have ever imagined. You heard what happened in Los Banos, right?" "I did," she confirmed with a nod. "In fact, that''s what got me to start poking my head out again ¨C I heard the Tribunal was investigating, and knew nothing good would come of it. You mean to tell me that all of you were involved there?" "We''re the reason why it was stopped, mother. All of us, Sable and Az included. Some madman was trying to give himself immortality through ritualistic human sacrifice, and we just barely managed to stop him in time¡­ at least, I think we stopped him; it was hard to tell." Suddenly, she lunged forward, grabbing him by the shoulders. "What did you say?" she demanded. "You all think you stopped him? Did he complete the ritual or not?" "It backfired," Alain reported. "He killed the girl, but whatever came of it, it killed him and everyone else in the room, too. We just barely managed to get away-" His mother released him, her eyes widening in fear. "No, no¡­" she muttered. "That damn fool¡­" "What''s going on?" "Thought I had more time, but this¡­ this is-" "Mother!" Alain demanded, getting her attention. "Talk to me. What''s happening? What did that ritual do?" She took a shaky breath to calm herself. "...The ritual did not backfire. It was completed exactly the way it was intended to be completed, at least from the sound of things." "But that can''t be true," Sable insisted. "We watched it backfire ¨C watched their bodies be consumed by some kind of¡­ creeping darkness. You''re telling me that was the entire point of the ritual?" "Yes, I am," she explained. "Look¡­ the ritual promised eternal life, right? But it didn''t say how they were going to receive it. That darkness? It''s¡­ something far worse than you can imagine. They got eternal life, at the cost of their freedom, their sanity, even their flesh. They are all now servants to something far, far worse than you can all even imagine." Sable and Alain exchanged a glance. "Mother, the fuck are you-" "Son, listen to me," she interrupted. "What''s going on here¡­ it''s beyond anything you can comprehend. This goes back centuries, to the very origins of mankind itself." "Are you joking? Is this Biblical in nature, or something?" "That isn''t far off. Look, ultimately, that''s not too important. All you need to know at this point is that we need to stop whatever the Tribunal is about to do, because it goes beyond even them." "Okay," Alain agreed. "Right¡­ what do we need to do?" "They''re going to come for me," his mother said. "We all know they are. The only question is how they intend to do it. So I think what needs to happen is that I need to make myself known, for once." Alain caught on immediately. "No," he said firmly. "Mother, you are not using yourself as bait-" "Son, for the love of God, just call me by my name," she said tiredly. "And second off, if you have a better plan, I''d love to hear it. Otherwise, it''s best if you just listen." "Fuck that," he declared. "Moth- Heather, I just got you back not even an hour ago, and now you''re telling me you plan to put yourself directly in the line of fire once more? And you honestly expect me to just be okay with that? Have you lost your fucking mind?" Heather bristled. "There is no other alternative-" "Yes, there is. If you''re going out there, then I''m going with you." "What?" "You heard me right," Alain stated. "I''ve found you, which means that at this point, as far as the Tribunal is concerned, I''ve outlived my usefulness. They''ll come for me at some point as well, not to mention my friends. If you honestly think that the smartest play here is to go off on your own to try and draw attention to yourself, then I''m sorry to say, but you''re delusional." "And what about you, then?" Heather demanded. "You expect me to be okay with you putting your own ass on the line?" "No more than you expect me to be okay with what you''re doing. Fact is, there''s no play here that doesn''t involve someone putting themselves in the line of fire. We''re all just going to have to accept it and move on." "Do we get a vote?" Sable suddenly interjected. "What makes you both think the three of us are okay with either of you running out there like idiots by yourselves?" Alain blinked. "Sable-" "Shut up," she commanded, fixing him with a harsh glare. "We all thought you were going to die not even a full day ago. Do you have any idea what that was like? And now you''re telling us that you''re planning to paint a target on yourself yet again. Well, I''m not going to stand for it. You''ve done enough, Alain, now let someone else put themselves on the line instead for once." "Sable¡­" She ignored him, instead turning towards his mother. "They''re going to be coming for all of us, like he said. That makes all five of us valuable targets for them. You need someone to be bait? Well, consider me on the hook." Sable turned back to Alain. "I''ll be the one going out there, and that''s final." Az bristled. "My lady-" "Don''t," she warned. "This is my decision, Az. Does anyone else have any objections?" "Several," Alain volunteered. "But¡­ you''re not wrong, admittedly. And I can tell you''re not about to be talked out of this, much as I may hate it. Okay¡­ so what''s the plan, exactly? How do you intend to draw out the Tribunal the way we want?" Sable''s only response was to smirk. For some reason, Alain felt a chill go down his spine. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 31
"You know, when she told me she had kind of a crazy plan, I would have never expected it to be quite this crazy," Alain said. Currently, they were all inside an alley, just down the street from where Sable had disappeared into the slums. When she''d told them what her plan was, they''d all decided to stick as close to her as possible without being seen, because they knew that the instant she went through with it, the Tribunal was likely to descend upon her. "Look sharp," Heather commented, peering out from inside the alley. "I think it''s happening." Alain tensed, checking to make sure his guns were fully loaded. After confirming they were, he leaned against the wall next to his mother in order to get a better view. A few seconds later, an old man dressed in dirty rags came sprinting down the street, screaming his lungs out. "Vampire!" he called. "I just saw a fucking vampire! Oh, God, she''s after me! She''s going to eat me!" "Is this seriously the plan?" Felix deadpanned as the panicked man sprinted past them. "Getting some crazy homeless man to draw their attention by scaring the living shit out of him?" "Yes," Alain replied evenly. "Give it a minute, we''ll see how it works." "This has got to be the worst-" Felix didn''t even get to finish his sentence before several shapes descended from the rooftops, landing below and taking off in the direction the homeless man had just run away from. "I stand corrected,'' Felix said. They all took off running after the shapes, who turned out to be four men in black cloaks. They soon realized they were being followed, as two of them turned around and began to move towards them. "Heather, Az, you handle these two," Alain said as him and Felix kept moving. "And try not to kill them ¨C we need them alive." "No promises," Heather growled, drawing a revolver in one hand and a wooden stake in the other. Alain didn''t get to see the beginning of their fight, as him and Felix rushed past the two vampires without stopping. Gunshots from behind them told him everything he needed to know about how it was going, though. "No offense, but your mother scares me," Felix commented as they ran. Alain didn''t offer a response, as the two of them approached the next city block. Sable was there, standing in the middle of the road, two other vampires closing in on her. Alain wasted no time in raising his shotgun and firing off both barrels at the nearest one. Buckshot rained down upon the man, causing him to flinch, and he turned around, his eyes ablaze with pure hatred. He began to rush towards Alain as he reloaded, but Sable cut him off before he could there, grabbing the vampire and slamming his head into a nearby building as hard as she could. "You two handle the other one, I''ve got him!" she called. Alain closed his shotgun and thumbed back the hammers just as the last vampire got to him and Felix. He raised his weapon, but the vampire was too fast, and grabbed it before he could fire off a shot, then ripped it from his hands. He went to break the gun over his knee, but Felix stopped him with a few shots from his rifle. The vampire was forced to drop the gun and retreat, and Alain retrieved his weapon as both men closed in on where he had run. The vampire suddenly lunged out from the darkness, his fist cocked back. Alain screamed as the man made impact with his leg; it felt as if someone had just smashed him with a sledgehammer, and he was amazed that his leg wasn''t instantly broken by the force of the impact. He accidentally discharged one barrel of his shotgun involuntarily, the buckshot flying harmlessly into the air as he fell to the ground. The vampire closed in on him once more, the time intending to crush his head, but he didn''t get a chance before Felix let loose with several more rounds from his rifle. The vampire fell off Alain, and he fired the last shell in his gun at the man at point-blank range. The vampire let out a pained hiss as buckshot pellets ripped through him, but none of them were lethal, or even incapacitating. He staggered back, in obvious pain, but still very much in the fight. Alain and Felix, meanwhile, both dropped their long guns and drew their revolvers. The vampire charged, this time aiming for Felix, who fell back just in time to avoid having his chest caved in by a powerful blow. Alain fired off several shots at the vampire, who was able to avoid them all. With a growl of frustration, Alain checked the cylinder of his weapon, noting he only had three shots left, and that there was no time to reload. "Felix, get his attention," he said. "Get his attention?" Felix echoed. "What the hell are you going to do?" "Something incredibly stupid. Hopefully it works." This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "Hell, your crazy plans have never steered us wrong before¡­" Felix cleared his throat. "Hey, buddy! Your leader is a bloodsucking bottom-feeder, and you''re all stuck hiding in a mountain because humanity kicked your asses so hard!" The vampire''s face contorted in rage, and he advanced upon Felix, intending to go in for a killing blow. Felix tensed, waiting for the pain to arrive, but it never came; Alain cut the vampire off, tackling him to the ground. They both fell, but before the man could get up, Alain pressed the barrel flush to his head, then thumbed the hammer back and pulled the trigger three times. The vampire''s head fell back, his brains painted against the pavement underneath his body. Alain stared at him for a moment before letting out a breath, then rising to his feet. "I thought you wanted them alive," Felix said, offering Alain his shotgun. "What changed?" "That guy was a huge pain in my ass, that''s what," Alain hissed. "Fuck me, my leg feels like shit¡­ bastard. Hopefully, the others had an easier time than we did." "Alain!" Sable called, running down the street. He turned to face her, and noted she was covered in small injuries, but nothing major. That being said, her hands were also dripping with black blood, though he could tell that none of it was hers. She stopped a short ways away, eyeing them both up and down. "You both alright?" "For a given definition of the word," he answered. "Honestly, if you think this is bad, just look at the other guy." Sable blinked, then peered past them. She scowled when she saw the fallen vampire''s body. "I thought the plan was to-" "Yeah, yeah, I know," Alain conceded. "But I figure we only really need one, right? So long as Az did his job right, we should be okay." "But not your mother?" Felix asked. "Felix, you''ve met my mother. There''s no way in hell she let that vampire live." XXX As it turned out, Alain was exactly right ¨C when they found Az and Heather, they were both standing over a fallen vampire, who had been riddled with bullets before a stake was driven through his heart. Az, at least, had the other vampire slug over his shoulder, clearly unconscious, with his legs bent in a very unnatural position. "At least someone did things right¡­" Sable muttered. "Okay, let''s get out of here." "Where are we taking him, exactly?" Heather asked. "You''ve got a perfectly good abandoned building that you''re staying out of. I say we put that to use." "That''s fine, just try not to stain the walls or floor too bad ¨C vampire blood is always so hard to clean off." "Yup," Felix commented to Alain as they walked. "Still scary." Again, Alain offered no response. XXX "Hold on, he''s waking up." They all watched as the vampire stirred awake, though it wasn''t gentle ¨C the pain in his legs made him grimace, and a low moan of agony escaped him, "Fuck me¡­" he breathed. He tried to look around, though the blindfold over his eyes made it impossible. "Where am I?" "Good question," Heather answered as she leaned over him. "Unfortunately for you, I''m the only one who''ll be asking those." For emphasis, she reached down and put pressure on both of his broken legs. The man screamed, and she reached up and grabbed him by the head. "Talk to me," she ordered. "What is the Tribunal planning?" "Filthy fucking human," the vampire spat. "Why should I speak with you? You''re so far beneath me it''s not even funny." "That''s odd, considering I''ve killed plenty of your kind. What does it say about you as a species if so many of you have fallen to a lowly, ordinary human?" The vampire fell silent, and Heather released his head. "I''ll ask again," she declared. "What is the Tribunal planning? I suggest you answer, unless you''d like for me to start taking pieces off of you." "Is this really okay?" Felix asked. Currently, they were all standing just outside the room, watching Heather''s interrogation. "Seems a bit¡­ heavy-handed, I guess." "Don''t feel any sympathy for him," Sable said without looking back at Felix. "Whatever the Tribunal is trying to do, it''s not going to be good for anyone but them, and he knows it." The man suddenly screamed again, and Alain winced when he saw what had happened ¨C Heather just taken one of his fingers. "Shall I take another one?" Heather demanded. "Who knows, sooner or later I might just get to a piece of you that you do care about. Like, hm¡­ that''d be a good one." She pointed her dagger at his groin, pressing the tip of the blade against it. The vampire''s breath hitched, and she smirked, knowing she had him. "My, my," she all but purred. "Seems men are the same no matter what species they are. Somehow, I''m not surprised." "Don''t," the vampire gasped. "Please, I''ll¡­ I''ll tell you everything." "Get to talking, then," Heather commanded. "I want to know it all. Who''s in charge, what are they trying to accomplish, how do they intend to get there, and where can we find them?" "It''s¡­ Thorne," the man managed to get out. "She wants to bring back the old ways, where vampires were the dominant species and could do whatever they want." "See? Now we''re getting somewhere." Heather leaned in. "Where can we find her?" "Not here," the vampire hurriedly said as Heather positioned the knife against his groin once more. "At least, not yet. When she learns we failed, she''ll come here herself, though ¨C she intends to lift the Veil once and for all in order to get rid of all of you. At that point, she figures that her plan will have advanced far enough that the Veil won''t matter anymore." "I see," Heather said with a nod. "A few more questions, then you can go¡­ how does Lilith factor into all this?" "Lilith¡­?" he echoed. "You know about-" "I''m a vampire hunter, honey. It''s my job to know everything about your kind, including the stuff you deliberately keep hidden from everyone. Answer the damn question, already." "T-Thorne intends to channel her power using a ritual!" he stammered. "It''ll require a lot of human sacrifices, but she thinks she has a way to do exactly that! What happened in Los Banos showed her there was a way, but I don''t know the specifics." Heather scowled. "How many members of the Tribunal are involved?" "It''s not all of them, just Thorne and some loyalists to her. The other elders don''t know a thing, and neither does Lawrence or his men. I swear, that''s everything I know!" "Well, that''s great." Heather stood up, pulling the knife away from the captive vampire''s crotch. "Thank you, you''ve been very helpful." Then, without warning, she drew her revolver and put a single bullet in the vampire''s head. He slumped over, dead, and she holstered her weapons before turning back to Alain and his friends. "Did that all make sense to you?" "It did," he confirmed with a nod. "Good Lord, I knew Thorne wasn''t trustworthy, but this¡­ I never could have expected this." "So what do we do now?" Sable demanded. "Wait for Thorne to show up?" "Afraid so," Alain said. "But somehow, I don''t think we''ll have to wait very-" He paused when he heard something outside ¨C it sounded like a chorus of panicked screaming. They all froze at the sound of it, but then rushed over to the nearby window. Outside, a horde of people were sprinting down the street, away from the city''s center. And off in the distance, a cloud of darkness was steadily spreading through the city. "Holy shit¡­" Felix breathed. "Guys, that looks just like-" "It does," Alain confirmed. "It''s just like the darkness we saw in Los Banos." The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 32
The five of them wasted no time in rushing outside, weapons at the ready. Upon exiting the building, they were immediately met by the sight of a cloud of dark miasma setting over part of the city. All around them, people were screaming in a panic, with many of them being cut short. The darkness made it impossible to see what was going on, however ¨C it completely blocked their eyesight for more than a few meters ahead. "Stick together!" Heather called. "Maintain line of sight with the others, no matter what! If you get separated, you''re as good as dead!" "What''s the plan?!" Alain shouted back. "Push towards the point of origin of whatever the hell this is and take it out! Any arguments?" Nobody raised any objections, and Heather nodded. "Didn''t think so. Follow me, and be quick about it!" With that, she began to sprint through the cloud of darkness, the others following close behind them. As they moved, Alain became aware of several shapes coalescing around them, as well as bodies peeling themselves off the pavement and beginning to advance towards them. His first thought was that they were undead or zombies, but that couldn''t be the case ¨C their movements were too normal to be either; they lacked the trademark shambling and limping that came with the undead, as well as the unpredictability of the zombies in the swamp. As one of them drew closer, Alain was finally able to make out what it was ¨C it was shaped like a standard person, but that was where the similarities ended. It was completely made up of some kind of inky-black ichor, which completely covered its body and dripped onto the ground below. The figure was tall and lanky, and completely lacked a face. As Alain watched, it raised one hand, and claws of darkness began to sprout up from it, the digits reflecting like a piece of sharpened obsidian in the thin moonlight that broke through the cloud of blackness. Alain didn''t wait to see anything further. He raised his shotgun and blew the creature''s head clean off. Ichor showered the city streets behind it, but somehow, it didn''t stop ¨C rather, it reeled from the blow, but continued to lurch towards him, its claws drawn back for a devastating strike. Alain fired the second shell from his weapon, cutting the creature in half at the waist. Even that wasn''t enough to down it for good, however, as its upper half began to claw its way towards him as he stared in confused disbelief. "What the fuck¡­?" "Alain, keep moving!" Sable called, taking him by the hand and beginning to pull him forwards. "We can''t get separated from the others!" "What is this thing?" "Now that I think about it, I''ve heard of these before ¨C they''re called darklings. Expose a human soul to the Underworld and this is what you get." "They look just like-" "The mayor''s little entourage back in Los Banos, I know I didn''t recognize them at the time, but now I''m positive. But you need to focus on that later." "How do we kill them?" "Light," Sable explained. "Fire is the only way to put them down for good, but light will stun them enough that we can get away." Alain''s eyes widened, and he slung his shotgun, instead drawing his revolver. As he did that, he also reached into his pocket, pulling out a book of matches. After striking one on a nearby building to light it, he offered the rest to Sable. "Use them sparingly," he cautioned. "I''ve only got about two-dozen in there, and something tells me we''re going to need them all." Sable nodded, then struck a match of her own, holding it out in front of herself. Several darklings that had started to approach reeled back from the flames, bringing their arms up to block the light. Sable and Alain paid them no mind, instead continuing to sprint through the city, looking for their group. All around them, people were screaming and guns were going off. Alain had to give the citizens of New Orleans credit ¨C they weren''t going down without a fight. As they ran, he turned to and fro, desperately calling out to anyone within earshot. "Use fire!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Fire kills them! If you have matches, or a lighter, or a lantern, or something, then light it up now, for the love of God!" To his relief, a few people heeded his warnings, if the sudden spots of light and heat that erupted through the miasma were any indication. It wasn''t enough, though ¨C even as the spots of light continued to spring up throughout the fog, he could hear more people being killed by the darklings. And just like the undead, anyone the darklings felled soon came back as one of them. Alain winced as he heard a woman''s screams off in the fog suddenly be cut short; it took everything he had not to rush in and try to save her, vain as it was. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "Focus," Sable urged. "We can still stop this from getting worse. Find the others, and exact your vengeance later." "Right¡­" Alain muttered. His match suddenly began to sputter, and he threw it on the ground before lighting a second; next to him, Sable did the same. The two of them paused at an intersection crawling with darklings, all of whom shied away from the lights in their hands as they looked around. "Think they went this way?" Sable asked. Alain motioned to several fallen darklings, all of which were missing limbs or heads or were otherwise riddled with gunshots, yet were still alive and crawling on the ground somehow. "I think it''s more than likely," he answered. "Okay¡­ follow me." She took his hand again, then the two of them began to charge through the intersection. Again, their matches saved them, though a few particularly daring darklings did manage to get close before the light and heat forced them away. As they ran, yet more darklings began to pour out from the side streets, attempting to surround them, only to be kept at bay by their matches. Alain fired his revolver at any that still managed to get too close, counting his shots the entire time to make sure he didn''t completely run dry. By the time he was down to his final bullet, they''d barely made it across the street. "Keep moving," Sable urged, continuing to pull him along. "This is bad¡­" Alain muttered as he scanned the area, taking note of all the darklings that had come for them. There had to be hundreds of them by now, if not more, and those were just the ones that were focused on the two of them ¨C judging by the sporadic gunfire still erupting throughout the city, there were still plenty of survivors standing their ground. "Focus on them later," Sable said without looking back. "For now, we need to find Thorne and stop her." "You''re certain it''s her?" "Positive. You heard what that vampire said before Heather killed him. And besides, nothing about this job she gave us ever sat right with me, anyway. If it''s not her, I''d be very surprised." Alain nodded, then struck another match. "Okay¡­ keep us going, then." Sable went to take a step forward, only to grimace and shake her head. "This is taking too long." "What do you have planned-" She looked around before Alain could finish, her gaze landing on a nearby tavern. "In there." Without giving him a chance to argue, she pulled him inside, then the two of them barricaded the door. Thankfully, the building was empty, allowing them to sprint up to the top floor. Once they were there, Sable threw the window open, then took a breath. "Watch out for me," she said to him. "Of course," Alain said. "But what are you planning to do?" "Something that''ll hurt like crazy, same as last time. Stand back and don''t interrupt." Alain caught on immediately, his eyes widening. Slowly, he nodded, then crept backwards. As hse moved, Sable''s body began to morph. He watched as her limbs contorted with the snapping and reshaping of bone, and the tearing and stretching of flesh. Sable screamed as she transformed, the feral sound erupting out of her throat as she held her head high, the moonlight reflecting down on her through the open window. Alain stood there, his heart pounding. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to step in and stop her, but he held himself back. He''d seen her transform once before, after all, and unpleasant as it was, he knew she had a reason for it. That didn''t make it any easier to watch or listen to, but it at least gave him reason enough to hold back from trying to help. With one final crack as her spine finished rearranging itself, the giant bat that was Sable turned to look at him, affixing him with a red-eyed stare. She said nothing, but a dip of her head towards the window told him all he needed to know. Keep them away from me and give me room to breathe as I take off and land. Alain nodded in understanding, then approached the window, retrieving several matches. He lit them up, then tossed them out onto the ground below. As soon as he''d done so, Sable took off past him, flying out into the night. A few of the darklings attempted to reach for her, their limbs elongating, but the light kept them away from her. Alain breathed a sigh of relief as Sable took to the skies, her obsidian-black form soon fading into the night. His relief was short-lived, as the sudden splintering of wood from downstairs made him jump. Immediately, Alain reloaded his revolver and shotgun, taking aim at the bedroom door with the latter as he holstered the pistol and struck another match. A few seconds after he''d done so, the bedroom door came flying off its hinges, and several darklings stepped into the room. Alain held the match out in front of himself, keeping them at bay; they shuddered and retreated out into the hallway as the light washed over them, and he wasted no time in cutting two of them in half at the waist with a shotgun blast each. With his Ithaca now empty, Alain slung it and drew his revolver. The match in his hand flickered, and the darklings drew closer. A bead of sweat began to drip down the side of his face as he realized what was happening. They were waiting for the match to go out. And once it did, they were going to pounce unless he was able to strike another one in time. The flame flickered once more, and Alain didn''t wait for it to go out. With his free hand, he took aim at the crowd of darklings and began to crank off shots. Heads exploded into showers of inky-black gore, the bodies stumbling backwards, yet still upright. Alain fired and fired, pulling the trigger and cocking the hammer back as fast as he could, all to try and give himself some time. His gun clicked empty just as the match went out. The mutilated darklings surged as one, and Alain''s eyes widened as he watched their claws draw closer, seeming to almost glint in the moonlight. They never made impact, however. Two shapes suddenly rushed into the room, then began to tear apart the darklings piece by piece. Alain quickly struck another match, one of his few remaining ones, and breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed it was Az and Sable, both covered in ebony gore, but otherwise unhurt. The darklings weren''t dead, but with the new light source suddenly present, what remained of them began to skitter away. Az stepped forward and took Alain by the shoulder, then began to muscle him out of the room. "Come on," he urged. "What''s going on?" Alain asked as they stepped back out into the main part of the tavern. "Felix and my mother, are they-" "They''re fine, but they need us," Sable insisted. "They demanded we both come get you, though." "Why?" Alain asked, suddenly on-edge. "What''s happening?" Sable''s expression darkened. "They found Thorne¡­ and I don''t think she''s going to give them much time to recover before she starts hunting them in earnest." Alain reeled from her words, his heart skipping a beat. It only lasted a second or two, but it was enough to leave him off-kilter before he managed to shake himself awake once more. He turned towards Sable and affixed her with a steely-eyed gaze. "Lead the way," he growled. "Let''s finish this." The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 33
Sable and Az led him through the winding streets of New Orleans, tearing apart any Darklings that got too close the entire time. They took him through several city blocks before finally stopping just outside a large, ornate building. "City hall," Alain noted, reading off the nearby plaque mounted on the wall. "My guess is she went for the local government first ¨C take care of the leaders and it''ll make everyone else easier to deal with." "Worry about that later," Sable insisted. "Felix and Heather are inside already, we need to-" A series of loud explosions suddenly erupted from inside the building. Alain went to go charging in, only for someone to call out to him from behind. "Alain!" He turned, and was stunned to see Jasper running towards him, a rifle in his hands. Alain stared at him in surprise. "Jasper?" he asked. "What are you doing here?" "I told you I''d be right behind you, didn''t I?" Jasper asked. He cocked his rifle, then motioned for Alain to head inside. "What are waiting for? Let''s go." Alain wasn''t about to say no to an additional set of guns, and so he nodded, and the four of them approached the building. Az ripped the front doors off their hinges, and together they all filed inside. XXX The interior of the building was darkened, full of that same inky-black haze that had settled over the rest of the city. Every step threatened to bring with it a coughing fit; it took everything Alain had not to begin retching from just how thick the rot had permeated the air. "Fuck me¡­" he managed to gasp out. "Sable, how bad is it to breathe this stuff in?" "I don''t know for sure, but it can''t be good for you," she answered. "Let''s hurry this up, I''d rather not find out what happens if a mortal is exposed to this kind of corruption for too long." Alain nodded in understanding, and he raised his bandana to cover his face. It didn''t help very much, but he figured every little bit mattered. More explosions rocked the building, and Sable motioned for the rest of them to follow her as she took off running. Alain double-timed it to keep up with her, his lungs burning the entire time thanks to the exertion and the haze; next to him, Jasper wasn''t faring any better, but he was managing to at least keep pace. Finally, they reached one of the upper floors of city hall, and right as they did so, something came flying past them and landed right at the top of the stairs; after a moment, Alain realized it was Felix. "Hey!" he called. "You alright?" Felix gave a grunt of pain as he picked himself up. "''bout time you all showed up¡­" His eyes landed on Jasper, and he blinked in surprise. "And you brought help, too." "What''s in there?" Jasper asked. "More of those things?" Felix nodded. "Yup. They hate light, by the way ¨C if you''ve got a book of matches or something, now''s the time to use it. Otherwise, you know what to do." Jasper nodded, and they all advanced into the room together. As they entered, Alain was finally able to see what had been shaking the building ¨C at some point, Heather had apparently found a small stash of dynamite, and was throwing lit sticks of it around in order to clear out as many Darklings as she could. But for every group she managed to stop, another rose up to face her. He watched as she darted around the room, pausing only to throw what appeared to be her last stick of explosives. He grimaced, then covered his ears just as it went off; the moment it did, he rushed into the fray, already firing his weapon as he fought to get to her. "Mother!" he called as he ran to her. She whipped around to face him. "About fucking time you all got here!" she growled. As Alain approached, he saw that she was covered in cuts and bruises, but nothing fatal. Still, she was heaving with exertion, and swaying from side to side unevenly. "Take a rest," he urged. "Here, get behind me." She didn''t argue, instead allowing him to put himself between her and a small group of Darklings that had started to close in on them. Alain struck a match and used it to light what was left of the rest of the matchbook, and then tossed it at the group; a few of them were destroyed outright by it, but the rest merely shied away from it. Before Alain could put a bullet in any of them, however, Sable swooped in and bisected them all at the waist, leaving them to do little more than crawl around on the ground. "We need to keep moving," she urged. "We can''t be wasting our time on an obvious distraction such as this." Alain nodded. "You''re right. We need to-" Suddenly, the whole building began to shake again. Alain stumbled, looking over to where his mother was standing, but she hadn''t thrown any more explosives. He barely had time to wonder what was happening when a massive hole opened in the ceiling, and a murky-black puddle of miasma came dripping down onto the floor below. Alain tensed as he stared at it, unsure of what was going to happen; he moved to place himself behind the still-burning book of matches on the floor, and as he watched, Felix and Jasper both did the same, lighting their own fires and standing behind them. No sooner had they lit the fires than did tendrils of darkness shoot out, aiming directly for their throats the same way it had happened in Los Banos. But just as the darkness was about to close in, it met the flames, and reeled back from the light and heat. The darkness suddenly shrank in on itself, but then it expanded outwards as much as it could, sending yet more miasma spilling over the room. Alain coughed and sputtered as it forced its way into his lungs, but thankfully, whatever corruption was present in it, it wasn''t enough to cause anything immediately bad to happen. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Then, through the darkness, he heard a laugh, followed by an all-too-familiar voice. "We meet again, I see. And so soon after our last meeting." Alain''s eyes widened. "Ansley¡­? Impossible¡­! I watched you die!" "On the contrary," Ansley taunted. "I have merely become more powerful than you could have ever imagined. My mistress has finally showed me the true path forward; I have seen and beheld it, and it is beautiful." "Your mistress?" Sable growled. "You mean Thorne?" "Ah, but if only you understood¡­ no matter, however ¨C an insult to my mistress such as you will only continue to be a blight upon this world for a short time. It will be nothing short of sheer bliss to-" Alain let out a tired grunt, then pulled his shotgun out and took aim at where he thought he heard Ansley''s voice through the haze. "You talk too much," he said, right before pulling both triggers. Twin payloads of buckshot went screaming downrange; he heard them make impact with something fleshy, but that was the only sign they''d actually hit anything. But then, just as he was about to question whether it''d had any effect at all, the haze began to dissipate enough that he could see again. As the miasma began to clear, he was able to make out a single darkened shape standing in the center of the room, convulsing. The buckshot had blown its head apart, but as Alain stopped and stared, it began to reshape itself, pulling itself back together before his very eyes. "My, my," the creature said, Ansely''s voice emanating out from it despite its lack of any kind of facial features. "So eager to get to the main event, are you? Very well, I suppose we can begin." Ansley raised his arms, and black ichor fell from it onto the floor. As it did, more Darklings sprouted up from it; Alain counted five at first, then ten, then fifteen¡­ and then, to make things worse, the fires all suddenly went out. His heart skipped a beat, and he turned to call to the others. "Everyone out, now!" Nobody needed to be told twice. They all took off in a dead sprint, tearing back through the town hall, Ansley and his Darklings right behind them. XXX They all emerged out into the city right as the entrance to the town hall exploded in a cloud of inky darkness. Alain felt it wash over him, the sheer force of it knocking him to the ground, but he was quick to pick himself up and look around for anyone nearby. The first people he saw were his mother and Jasper, and he wasted no time in calling to them. "You two, with me!" he shouted. "But the others!" Jasper called back. "They''ll be fine for now! We needed to find a light source powerful enough to take out Ansley!" He turned towards his mother. "Where did you find that dynamite?!" "That was the last of my own personal stash!" she told him. "Shit¡­" Alain looked around, his gaze landing on a far-off light in the distance, barely visible through the haze. "Okay¡­ Jasper, you go for that light. Grab it and bring it back." "On it," Jasper said. "And what about you two?" Alain''s only response was to break open his shotgun and replace the two spent shells with fresh ones. "Time to finish what we started at Los Banos," he growled. "Go!" Jasper nodded, then took off towards the light. Meanwhile, Alain and Heather ran back towards where Az, Sable, and Felix were. They''d ended up on the other side of the block; Sable and Az were locked in combat with Ansley, who was fighting them pound-for-pound, while Felix was doing his best to keep the Darklings off them. As Alain and Heather drew closer, they began to fire at Ansley, peppering his body with bullets, but none of them seemed to do anything. Their guns clicked empty, and they went to reload, only for tendrils to shoot out of Ansley''s back and aim for them. Heather was able to dodge hers, but Alain froze as the darkness closed in. It was just inches from his face when it was stopped by Sable, who threw herself in between it and Alain, the tendril impaling her through the stomach in the process. She grimaced in pain, and Alain stared at her in shock before shouldering his shotgun and firing off another twin payload of buckshot into Ansley, but to no avail. Az wasn''t doing much better, it seemed ¨C he was taking blow after blow as well, and his strikes were becoming erratic and weak. For the first time, Alain could have sworn he saw Az breathing heavily from exertion, and that came as a shock to him. Az had always seemed so invincible, but against someone like Ansley, even he was struggling merely to keep up. They needed to think of something fast, otherwise they were all dead. Alain looked around, desperate for something he could use, but found nothing; all he could see was Felix firing at yet more Darklings, his muzzle flashes cutting through the haze like a hot knife through butter. At that thought, Alain paused, his eyes going wide with realization. "Felix, Heather!" he called. "I need you with me! Az, you and Sable keep the Darklings away from us!" "What?!" Az managed to get out. "What are you-" "Muzzle flashes!" Alain called. "Just trust me, okay?!" Az gave a hesitant nod, and without another word, Heather and Felix began to fight their way over to him as Sable and Az took on the Darklings. Alain wasted no time, instead charging directly into Ansley'' and pressing his revolver flush with him, then pulling the trigger as many times as he possibly could before it went dry. Six bullets left the barrel, but he didn''t care about that. Rather, he just wanted the bright muzzle flash that accompanied every shot. Ansley let out a pained yell as the light cut into him, and Alain hurriedly retreated to reload. Heather and Felix instantly realized what he had in mind, and did the same, closing in and emptying their weapons into him at point-blank range. Ansley let out a scream of anger, and went to launch more tendrils of darkness at them, but as they left his body, Alain noted that these were different ¨C they were slower, and far less deadly than the last ones had been. He was able to leap out of range of the one headed for him, as were Heather and Felix. "It''s working!" he said as he holstered his pistol and shouldered his Ithaca. "Keep it up!" Felix and Heather gave him shouts of affirmation, then once again, they all closed in on Ansley at once. The incoming barrage of light proved too much for Ansley to handle; Alain watched as the shadowy figure began to melt into the floor, a pained, shuddering gasp escaping from him as he dissipated. Slowly, a grin of triumph split his face. It died just a moment later, when Ansley suddenly surged forwards and grabbed him. Alain''s shotgun fell to the ground as he grappled with Ansley, doing his best to prevent himself from being consumed. To his alarm, darkness began to creep up his arms, and he struggled in Ansley''s grasp, but it was no use ¨C he couldn''t break free, even as Heather and Felix continued to shoot at his assailant. "I don''t care if I end up back in the Underworld," Ansley breathed. "So long as I take you with me." Alain let out a pained gasp as he felt the bones in his arms creak. Weakened as he was, Ansley was still horrifically strong; it was only a matter of time until his arms gave out, and then he was done for. Ansley knew this, and went to apply more pressure, which caused Alain''s knees to buckle. A scream of pure rage, defiance, and pain erupted from his throat, one last act of resistance before he was finally consumed. But then, a split-second before Alain''s strength was about to fully give, an oil lantern came soaring through the air courtesy of Jasper, impacting against Ansley''s back. The lantern shattered, spilling its contents all over him; Ansley let out a primal scream of sheer agony, his grip strength loosening enough that Alain was able to free himself. He fell backwards, and was caught by Az, who helped him up. Together, they all watched as Ansley burned, writhing on the ground, the black ichor shrinking to nothing before long. And then it was quiet, save for the far-off sounds of fighting elsewhere in town. Alain breathed a sigh of relief, then began to massage his arms. "See you in hell, Ansley¡­" he muttered. Once he was sure it was clear, he looked around for the others. They were all in rough shape, but none more so than Sable; she came staggering over to him, a desperate look on her face, and Alain wasted on time in allowing her access to his neck. She drank greedily for just a moment, then forced herself to stop, pulling away with a grimace. "Are you okay?" Alain asked. "That was a nasty hit that you took. Thanks for that, by the way." "I will be," she insisted. "And¡­ don''t mention it." Alain nodded, then turned to the others. "Alright, people ¨C we''ve still got a vampire to take out before it''s too late. I know you''re tired, hurting, and low on ammo, but we don''t have time to rest or resupply. Anyone who wants to back out, now''s your chance." Not a single person said anything, and Alain nodded. "Didn''t think so." He took a breath, then turned back towards the city hall. And without a word, he began to march towards it, flanked by his friends. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 34
It only took a few steps back into city hall for Alain''s walk to turn into a labored limp. Every movement forward brought with it a raspy gasp of air from his lungs as he struggled simply to keep himself upright, his entire body screaming in pain and exertion. The others weren''t doing much better. Between the rest of them, only Jasper seemed to still be in good shape. Even Az and Sable weren''t immune; Az was wincing with every step, and Sable was biting her lower lip hard enough to draw blood as she followed after him. He couldn''t tell what, exactly, had her in so much pain, but whatever it was, it had to be bad in order to reduce her to this. Heather and Felix were doing better than he was, but only slightly. Both of them were covered in assorted bruises and scrapes that were weeping blood; Heather additionally had a black eye, and her breathing was coming out very labored. Whether that was simply because of exhaustion or due to something else entirely, he had no idea, and he wasn''t particularly keen on finding out at this time. They''d all made their decision, after all. Thorne had to pay for what she''d done, and it needed to happen fast, before things got any worse. Mercifully, the interior of city hall was now almost completely free of Darklings. Any that were still remaining were swiftly taken care of by Az, who merely rushed forward and ripped them into tiny pieces. They may have still been alive, but there was little they could do aside from writhe on the ground in agony as the rest of the group passed them by. Eventually, they made it to another room inside, which appeared to be a large circular atrium of some kind. And standing there in the middle was Thorne. She gazed out at them, but there was something odd about it, Alain noticed ¨C her eyes were absent their usual gleam, instead seeming almost fogged over. Before he could bring this up to the others, Thorne crossed her arms over her chest. "So you''ve finally come," she observed. "I was wondering when-" Alain didn''t wait for her to finish, instead bringing his revolver up and firing off a quick snapshot aimed directly at her head. To his chagrin, she was able to sidestep away from the bullet as it passed through the air; he had thought Sable was fast, but Thorne appeared to be even faster. "Hmph," she grunted. "So eager to rush to your deaths, are you? Well, don''t keep me in suspense¡­ I''ve been dreaming of this, ever since our first meeting in the Sierra Nevadas." "What do we do?" Sable asked him. "You and Az keep her busy," Alain growled. "We''ll try and put her down with a headshot. If you can both distract her long enough for us to get a clean shot, we can end this one quickly." Sable nodded, then turned to Az. "With me," she said. "Let''s finally put an end to this nightmare." Az nodded, and him and Sable took off as fast as their battered and bruised bodies would allow them. Thorne showed no reaction until they had both nearly closed in on her, at which point she moved. As Alain watched, Thorne easily sidestepped Sable''s incoming strike, then kicked her legs out from under her. At the same time, as Az came in for what would have been a devastating right hook, she grabbed his arm and twisted it; Az let out a grunt of pain as he was forced to his knees, the joint in his arm audibly groaning in agony. Alain didn''t need to see any more. He immediately raised his revolver and began to fire, as did Heather, Jasper, and Felix. That prompted Thorne to let go of Az, but to Alain''s dismay, she went from grappling with him to seeming to almost dance through the hailstorm of lead they were putting down range. By the time his revolver clicked empty, Thorne was right up in his face, and he was unprepared for the open-palm strike to his stomach that knocked the wind out of him and sent him flying back-first into a nearby wall. Alain laid there for a few seconds, choking and gasping for breath, his empty Colt slipping from his grasp and landing on the floor with a metallic clatter. With a wince, he pushed himself up onto one knee and watched as the others fought. Heather was trying in vain to engage Thorne in hand-to-hand, but Thorne was simply running circles around her, bombarding her with light strikes in order to disorient her and keep her off-balance. Heather tried to retaliate, but it seemed like every hit was coming from a different blind spot; there was simply nothing she could do. Felix and Jasper closed in with their rifles shouldered, but both held their fire out of fear of hitting Heather. Finally, Heather dropped down to one knee, and Thorne appeared and grabbed hold of her head, intending to either break her neck or simply tear it off in one fell swoop. It never happened, however, as Az suddenly came barreling in with a feral roar. He collided with Thorne shoulder-first, ripping her grasp away from Heather as they both slammed into a nearby wall and kept going out into the outside hallway. Eventually, however, Thorne drove her elbow into his chin with enough force to disorient him, which enabled her to tear herself free of his grasp and speed around behind him, then drive her heel into the side of his knee; there was a sickening crack, and Az fell to the ground, his eyes widening with pain. "Az!" Sable screamed as she took off running. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Sable, wait!" Alain called after her, but it was too late ¨C she''d already taken off running after the two of them. And this, as it turned out, was exactly what Thorne had wanted. As Sable closed in, Thorne''s eyes narrowed. She stood and cocked one arm back, clearly intending to counter whatever Sable tried to do. Alain desperately picked himself off the ground and reached for his discarded revolver, only to wince in dismay when he saw it was empty. Heather, Felix, and Jasper all had loaded weapons, but were holding their fire, again out of fear of hitting Sable. "Shoot, now!" Alain shouted to them. They obliged, pulling triggers and cycling actions as fast as their hands would allow them. Thorne was forced to dodge the incoming rounds, which dropped her out of the stance she''d taken. But it still wasn''t enough to completely save Sable. As she closed in, Thorne lashed out, again at her lower body. Alain heard it before he saw it ¨C the sound of flesh being torn and bone shattering, followed a split-second later by an ear-piercing scream of agony as Sable fell to the ground, clutching at both her legs, each one suffering from a compound fracture. Even in the dark of the night and the black of the ichor flowing out of her veins, Alain could still make out the white of Sable''s leg bones jutting out from her flesh. He froze, unable to believe what he was seeing for a moment. It only lasted for as long as it took for the others to again open up on her, pouring yet more lead downrange. But as she always had, Thorne was able to dodge through the incoming bullets without a care in the world. She simply twisted and turned as she moved over to where Sable had come to a rest, directly in front of Az. Thorne bent down, no doubt to finish her off. It was her first mistake. Az suddenly lashed out, wrapping a hand around her foot and pulling. There were a series of cracks as Thorne''s foot was suddenly rotated a full 180 degrees; she let out a pained grunt and leaped back, tearing her foot out of Az''s grip. Az glared at her for just a moment, then began to crawl over to where Sable was lying, clutching at her ruined legs with tears of pain streaming down her face. "My lady¡­" he breathed. "I am here¡­" While he attempted to get to Sable, Thorne was trying to put weight on her wounded leg, and wincing with every small movement. Alain was about to tell the others to fire on her, but they seemed to understand what needed to happen just fine on their own. All three of them shouldered their weapons once more, but unfortunately, Thorne still wasn''t completely defenseless. She took off towards them once more, her speed dramatically diminished thanks to her wounded foot but still far superior to anything even a high-level human athlete could have mustered up. Bullet after bullet struck her in the torso, causing little blossoms of black ichor to bloom across her front, but she showed no reaction aside from wincing. It only took a few seconds for her to make contact with the group, who all were forced to scatter as she barreled into them. It didn''t take long for Alain to realize what she was trying to do. She was trying to feed in order to regain her strength. And as it turned out, he was her target. She bypassed all the others, instead closing onto him as he tried to scramble away and rip the shotgun from off his back in the same move. "You have become an annoyance," she growled. "I am going to enjoy making you into my thrall and watching you finish off your friends, one by one." Bullets continued to bite into her flesh, even as she shifted from side to side, causing them to narrowly miss her head every time. She made it to him, then grabbed him by the throat and hoisted him up just as he was able to get the Ithaca off his shoulder and begin to angle it towards her head. Right when the twin barrels were right about aligned with her head, however, she reached out with her free hand and took the shotgun by the barrel, then crushed it and threw it away. Alain could only watch in dismay as his weapon was destroyed and tossed aside. "Shame," Thorne said. "I was hoping you''d put up more of a fight than this." And then she bared her fangs, clearly intending to bury them into his throat. She never got the chance, as both Heather and Felix suddenly charged at her, knives in their hands. Felix went for her arm, while Heather went for her head; Thorne was forced to drop Alain onto the ground once more, catching Heather''s knife just before it made impact with her eye, the blade puncturing straight through the palm of her hand, erupting out the other side. Felix''s blade, meanwhile, found purchase in her other arm, but when he went to pull it free, Thorne kicked him away, sending him sliding back, leaving the knife embedded in her arm. "How annoying," she mused as she pulled both knives free and let them fall to the ground. Heather stood in front of her, twin wooden stakes drawn from her belt and held in her hands, but every time she attempted to lash out, Thorne was able to avoid the incoming blows with ease. Finally, she grabbed hold of both of Heather''s wrists, clearly intending to break them. She was completely unprepared for Sable to come flying into her from behind, sending them both sprawling. Both vampires fought for dominance on the ground for just a moment before Sable won out, ending up on top as she pinned Thorne down. "Jasper, do it now!" she called. "Shoot her!" Jasper came running up, rifle in hand. As he passed, Alain caught a glimpse of the twin puncture marks on his neck that were still weeping blood, and immediately knew what had happened. It didn''t matter, though ¨C Sable had successfully pinned Thorne, finally, and now it was all going to be over with a single gunshot. Jasper raised his Winchester rifle, took aim¡­ and held his fire. "What are you doing?!" Alain called. "Her eyes¡­!" Jasper managed to get out. "Frosted over¡­ she''s being brainwashed!" "What?!" Jasper ignored him, instead looking over to Sable. "You have to knock her out!" "What the hell are you talking about?!" Sable growled. "Do you have any idea-" Alain suddenly surged forwards, wrestling Jasper''s rifle out of his grasp. Before Jasper could utter any words of complaint, Alain turned the gun around in his grip, then began to bash Thorne in the head with the stock of the weapon. He did this over and over again until she stopped moving, with the only signs she was still alive afterwards being the small groans of pain she involuntarily let out in her unconscious state. Alain spared one last look at her, then handed the rifle ¨C battered stock and all ¨C back to Jasper without a word. Jasper blinked, but said nothing in protest, even as Alain moved over to Sable and helped her up, then bent down to grab Thorne. "You can''t be serious," Felix said. "If Jasper''s right and she really is brainwashed, then she''s not the real mastermind," Alain grunted out. "Sable, help me." Sable obliged, bending down to support Thorne as Alain leaned her against his shoulder with a pained grunt. "And what if she isn''t brainwashed?" Felix challenged. "What if the bitch was just faking it, or what have you?" "Then we''ll take her down for real," Alain answered without looking back. "Can you two help Az?" "Sure," Heather said. "But where are you planning to go with her?" Alain looked around at the remnants of city hall, which were covered in black ichor, broken bits of glass and stone walls, and riddled with bullet holes. It only took a moment for him to come up with an answer. "Anywhere but here," he said. "Follow me, I''m ready to get out of this hellhole and get some answers." The others exchanged a glance, but didn''t argue. Instead, they all helped one another pick Az up, then followed after Alain as he began to step out of city hall and back into the city. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 35
"Seriously?" Felix asked as they moved down the street as fast as they could. "A sheriff''s office? That''s where you''re taking us? Did you forget what happened last time?" "If you''ve got a better suggestion, I''d love to hear it," Alain fired back. "Everyone, inside!" He went to try the door, only to find that it was locked; Jasper hurriedly pushed him aside, then bashed the door down with the stock of his rifle. Him and Felix filed in, weapons at the ready, but it was completely clear inside the darkened building, save for a few corpses that littered the floors. All of them cautiously pushed inside, but once it was apparent that there was nothing there, they allowed themselves to react. "What do we do with her?" Felix asked, motioning to the still-unconscious Thorne. Alain and Sable shared a quick glance with each other, both of them quickly coming to the same conclusion. Just a few moments later, and they were all gathered outside a locked jail cell, where Thorne had unceremoniously been dumped on the ground inside. Once she was secured, the rest of them set about treating their various injuries. "Fuck me¡­" Alain muttered as he took a seat at a nearby desk. "I think she might have bruised some of my ribs¡­" "Let me see," Sable said, heading over to him. "Sable-" "Don''t argue," she retorted. "Let me see it." Reluctantly, Alain obliged, unbuttoning his shirt and letting her take a look at his bare chest. Sure enough, a series of deep blue-and-purple bruises had started to form along his skin; Sable gently poked and prodded at each one, causing him to hiss with every ministration. "Are you done yet?" Alain asked, impatient. "Seriously, that hurts, you know." "I''m aware." She looked up at him. "And your assessment was correct." "Great¡­" He let out a sigh. "How about everyone else? Sable, you look fine." "I am, thanks to Jasper." For some reason, she sounded embarrassed when she said it. Alain wasn''t sure why, and he didn''t care enough to ask at the moment, so instead he focused on the others. "Felix, Jasper, Heather," he called out. "You all alright?" "Fine over here," Felix reported. "A little lightheaded, but I''ll live," Jasper said. "Honestly, my pride hurts more than anything," Heather admitted. "That''s the first time I''ve lost to a vampire in a very long time." Alain rolled his eyes at that. "I think you''ll be okay," he said. "Az, are you okay?" "Not at the moment," Az said through gritted teeth. "My lady, do I have your permission to deal with this?" Sable didn''t answer at first, prompting them all to turn towards her. To Alain''s surprise, she shrank under their gaze, which caused alarm bells to start going off in his head. "Alright, talk," he told her. "What does he mean?" "It''s¡­ difficult to explain," Sable weakly offered. "Can he actually fix his leg by doing this?" "Well, yes, but-" "Okay, so then let him do it." "It''s not that simple," Sable retorted. "Just¡­ promise me you all won''t freak out when you see it. It can be a bit¡­ jarring." The four humans all exchanged a glance with each other, all of them giving a brief shrug. Alain''s brow furrowed, and he turned back to Sable. "Let him do it." "Very well, but don''t say I didn''t warn you." She turned back to Az. "You have my permission, Az. Do what you must." "Very well, my lady. Thank you." Before Alain could ask what he intended to do, Az closed his eyes, and the atmosphere of the room began to change. The ambient noise seemed to suddenly quiet, and what little light was present in the room began to dim. Alain looked around, one hand instinctively dropping to the revolver on his hip, as the air began to pressurize. Then, from where Az was lying down, a red light began to form. It started small, but within just a few seconds of forming, it grew to encompass all of that side of the room. And as Alain stared, he could see something coalescing within it ¨C some kind of darkened shapes, swirling around Az. They weren''t Darklings, rather they were something else, though he couldn''t tell what. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. And then, in an instant, the sound came flowing back. Those darkened objects, whatever they were, began to scream in terror as they flowed towards Az, as if they were being involuntarily drawn into his own body. The ear-piercing noise sent chills down Alain''s spine, and caused him to freeze with fear at what he was witnessing. And as he stared, through the red light, Alain could have sworn he saw a set of blazing crimson eyes staring back at him. Then, with one final series of screams, it was over. The red light faded, as did the screams, and the sound and ambient light returned. Alain lurched forwards, leaning on a nearby desk for support as he gasped for breath. The others all did the same, save for Sable, who was mostly unaffected, though her eyes were wide with shock regardless. "What¡­" Felix began, his voice coming out strained. "What the hell was that¡­?" "Wrong question¡­" Alain managed to get out. He whipped around to face Az, who was now standing upright, curling and uncurling his fingers as he stared at his hands. "Az¡­ what the hell are you?" Az turned to look at him, unperturbed by what had just happened. "I am Az," he said, "nothing more." "Az-" "Alain," Az interrupted, cutting him off. "There are some things you are better off not knowing right now. Believe me." Alain was taken aback. He wanted to argue, but at the same time, Az was right ¨C they had more important things to worry about. "No offense," Jasper cut in, "but fuck that. I want answers. What we just saw-" "I''m in the same boat, but unfortunately, I''m also inclined to agree with Az," Alain grunted. "We have more important things to worry about than whatever the hell that was. For now, we still need to question Thorne." Reluctantly, Jasper backed down. Alain gave him an apologetic look, then turned to Heather and Felix. "Think you two can scrounge up some supplies? We''re in the sheriff''s office ¨C there has to be a stash of weapons or ammo somewhere, assuming it wasn''t already looted by desperate people." "We''ll look around," Heather promised. "And what about the rest of you?" "Simple," Alain replied. "I think it''s time we finally get some answers." XXX Thorne was awake by the time Alain, Jasper, Sable, and Az approached her in the room full of cells. She''d apparently made no attempts to escape, instead simply sitting in her cell with her head in her hands, letting out the occasional grunt of pain. "Thorne," Alain said as he approached, getting her attention. She looked up to him in surprise, and he noticed that her eyes were no longer misted over. "Human," she said, sounding confused. "Why are you holding me here?" Her gaze fell on Az and Sable, and confusion crossed her face. "And¡­ why is one of my own assisting you?" Alain paused. He turned over to Az and Sable, but they seemed just as confused as he was. He cleared his throat, then looked back to Thorne. "You mean you don''t remember any of us?" She shook her head. "Not at all. Should I?" "Yes," Sable cut in. "You should. We just met with the Tribunal a short time ago. You truly mean to tell us that you don''t recall any of that? Nothing about who we are, or why we met with you?" "I don''t recall meeting with anybody," Thorne admitted. "But since a human was involved, I can only assume that some idiot decided to pierce the Veil in some way. Am I about right?" "That''s an understatement, but yes," Alain told her. He turned to Jasper. "Is the memory loss normal?" "To a certain degree," he admitted. "The memories will come back eventually, but for the time being, it''s likely that the last thing she recalls is meeting with the person who brainwashed her." "Wait, what?" Thorne asked. "Brainwashed? You think I was brainwashed?" "We know you were," Alain emphasized. "The important thing is figuring out who did it, and why." Az stepped forwards. "Who was the last person you met with, Thorne?" She immediately bristled at that. "If you mean to accuse them of something as heinous as brainwashing me with magic, then-" "Answer the question," Alain insisted. "Unless you haven''t noticed, we''re currently in the middle of a massive incursion of some kind. Somebody is trying to use this city for some nefarious purpose, and a lot of people are dead; we initially thought you were responsible, but now we know you aren''t." Thorne''s eyes widened in shock. "But¡­ that can''t be true! And even if it were, I have no reason to give you that information. The veil-" "Lady, for fuck''s sake, did you not hear what I just said?" Alain growled, impatient. "This entire city is currently at risk, assuming there''s anything left of it to even save at this point. If you''re trying to maintain the Veil, or whatever, then let me tell you, it''s a fool''s errand at this point, because soon enough, the entire world is going to know, if they don''t already." Thorne blinked, then looked down. "Very well. Just¡­ please, give me the brief version of what''s happened, so I know I can trust you all with this information." "We don''t have time for-" Sable stepped forward, holding an arm out to cut him off. Slowly, she nodded. "It all began with a small California town called Los Banos," she offered. "The mayor there tried to cast a ritual to give himself and some others immortality. It didn''t work. That''s how most of us met and started working together ¨C we managed to survive that encounter, and then were whisked away for questioning by the Tribunal. From there, we were sent here, to try and track down Heather Smith. That was some time ago. None of this rings a bell?" Slowly, Thorne shook her head. "No¡­ but perhaps in due time-" "We don''t have any time," Alain insisted. "So start talking, please, before things get worse." Thorne exhaled. "Fine. The last thing I can recall before my memory fades away is meeting with Elder Owen in his room." "Elder Owen?" Alain echoed, surprised. "The old guy?" Thorne turned to glare at him. "You ought to show some respect-" "Enough," Sable spat. "If what you say is true, then Elder Owen is responsible for all this. He''s the one who brainwashed you, though for what end, I cannot yet place. Unless you''d prefer to shed some additional light on things?" "We know that some vampires want to return to the old ways," Alain told her. "Not him," Thorne insisted. "He was always outspoken against the old ways ¨C he knew that they''d lead to nothing good, that humanity would eventually wipe us all out if we tried to go back. If what you say is true, then something drastic has changed, though what it is, I have no idea. That he would do something as extreme as this¡­ it defies belief." "Whatever reason he had for doing it, that doesn''t matter at this point," Alain explained. "What does matter is that we need to know where we can find him. Do you have any idea-" "None," Thorne interrupted. "And that''s the truth, I swear." Alain was about to continue asking her some more questions, when a sudden commotion from outside caught his attention. Immediately, him and the others turned towards the door, only for Felix to come sprinting in. "Alain!" he called. "You have to come see this!" "What is it?" Alain asked, suddenly on edge. "The military is here," Felix told him. "And they''re asking for you." The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 36
Alain stared at Felix for just a moment before letting out a tired sigh, shaking his head. Still, he offered no argument as Felix led him outside, and he was immediately greeted by a US Army Cavalry convoy filing into the street on horseback. Hundreds of soldiers were posted nearby, armed with a mixture of rifles and shotguns, along with glass bottles filled with some kind of liquid on their hips. Alain only had a moment to take it all in before a voice rang out. "Smith!" Immediately, Alain whipped around, and was immediately greeted by Colonel Stone stomping towards him, rage etched across his face. As he stepped over to Alain, Stone grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close, getting right up into his face. "What the fuck is going on here?" he said with a snarl. "Start talking, now. We got reports of supernatural activity and came rushing as fast as we could, but this is unlike anything we''ve ever seen before." "Honestly, Colonel, we''re almost as clueless as you are," Alain admitted, unfazed by Stone''s aggressive demeanor. Compared to the things he''d faced since meeting Sable, Stone wasn''t even in the top ten most nerve-wracking things he''d encountered in the past few hours. He shifted in Stone''s grasp. "The short version is this: there''s an elder vampire somewhere in town, and he''s planning to use the entire damn city in a ritual, meant to do¡­ something. We''re not sure what, exactly, but whatever it is, it can''t be good if he''s planning to use the entire city to fuel it. And that''s about the extent of what we know at this point." "And you''ve confirmed this?" Alain nodded. "Turns out the person we thought was behind the whole thing actually isn''t. She''s a another elder vampire ¨C we''ve got her locked up in the jailhouse. She was being mind controlled by the other elder vampire. As far as we can tell, she''s completely innocent in all this, aside from being used against her will to kick the whole thing off." "You''re certain?" He nodded again. "As certain as I can be. If she was truly involved, I doubt she''d have let us keep her in the jailhouse the way she is now." "You''re placing a lot of faith in a vampire." "What can I say? It''s worked for me so far." "Hm." Stone released Alain''s shirt collar, then took a step back. He looked around town, his scowl deepening as he stared into the darkened haze, listening to the gunshots from within it. "Whole world''s going to shit¡­ there''s not going to be anything we can do about keeping the Veil intact after this. In a week, everyone on the planet is going to know about this." "Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we''ve got bigger problems than the Veil," Alain pointed out. "Something tells me that if we can''t stop the elder vampire, then the Veil being intact isn''t going to matter anymore." Stone shook his head. "You''re right¡­ very well. What do you need from us?" "What?" Alain asked, taken aback. "You''re asking me to-" "You and your group know this city better than we do at this point," Stone pointed out. "Much as I dislike you working with a vampire and her servant, whatever he is, I can''t deny that you all got results at Los Banos. I''d have to be some kind of idiot not to have all of you guide us along during this one." Alain blinked, unsure of what to say. "...Well, some ammo and weapons would be nice-" That was all Stone needed to hear. He motioned for Alain to follow after him, and together, the two of them headed for a series of carriages towards the rear of the convoy. Felix followed after them both, stopping a short ways away as Stone threw open the back of one of the carriages, revealing a series of leather cases. "Generally, the US Army frowns upon the usage of nonstandard equipment," he stated. "But as you''ve probably gathered, my unit isn''t a normal Army unit." He offered Alain one of the cases, a wicked smirk crossing his face. "Generally, I''m of the belief that a rifle is a better generalist weapon than a shotgun, but I know how much you favor scatterguns. I figure, if you''re going to arm yourself with one, then you might as well take the best one." Alain opened the case, then picked up the weapon inside, his eyes widening in surprise. "A lever action shotgun?" "Winchester Model 1887," Stone reported. "This one holds five in the tube and one in the chamber. Should pack a bit more of a punch than your old double barrel." Alain shouldered the weapon and dry fired it a few times, working the level each time. Once he''d done that, he turned to Stone with a grateful nod, only to find the Colonel offering him several bandoleers of shotgun shells. Alain hurriedly accepted two of them, draping them across opposite sides of his chest, then began to load up the gun. "You ought to be all set," Stone told him. "I''ve got guns for anyone else who needs them as well, of course. Hell if this goes well, I might even be convinced to ''lose'' them in the confusion." "If this goes well," Alain echoed. "Thanks." Stone waved him off. "Now then, tell me there won''t be any other surprises." Alain opened his mouth to respond, only for a far-off series of howls to catch his attention. Immediately, he stood up straighter, then turned to Felix. "Where did Jasper go?" "No idea," Felix answered. "I thought he was with you?" This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Alain''s brow furrowed. He looked out into the fog, only to be taken by surprise when Jasper came running through, frantically waving his arms. "Hold fire, hold fire!" he shouted. "You''ve got friendlies coming in!" "Friendlies?" Stone echoed. "Were you expecting reinforcements, Smith?" "No," Alain answered honestly. "But I have a feeling that I know exactly who this is." "Should we be concerned?" "Not if they''re on our side, no." That was as far as Alain got before a series of familiar shapes began to file in from within the mist. All of Stone''s men flinched, their grips around their weapons tensing as they watched the wolf-headed people step towards them. Still, the Rougarou showed no hostility towards them aside from a narrowing of the eyes and a faint snarl as they passed by, and the soldiers in turn held their fire. One of the Rougarou broke off from the others, stepping forwards with Jasper to approach Colonel Stone. The Colonel stared at Tiana with barely-disguised disgust as she approached, one hand falling to rest on the grip of his holstered revolver. "I wouldn''t if I were you," Tiana warned. "You may outnumber us, but the members of my pack are not to be underestimated." "Spare me, monster," Stone snapped. "I''ve fought werewolves before. Your kind doesn''t scare me." "Werewolves?" Tiana echoed. She shook her head. "You wound us, Colonel. Especially since we only wish to offer our assistance." "And why is that?" "Because we aren''t morons, that''s why. We sensed something was amiss in New Orleans the moment we saw entire throngs of people sprinting into the swamp for safety. We decided to investigate ourselves; imagine our surprise when we found the haze that had settled over the city and its outskirts." "Then you know what''s going on here?" "No, but whatever it is, it can''t be good for anyone," Tiana replied. "Hence why we wish to offer our assistance." Stone went to rebuke her, but Alain stopped him by holding up a hand. "You can trust her," he said. "You can''t be serious," Stone protested. "Look at her-" "We''ve worked with her and her people before," Alain insisted. "She''s trustworthy." Stone let out a low growl, though he finally took a hand off his revolver. He turned towards Alain, irritated. "You''d better be right about this," he growled. "And there had better not be any more surprises." "Believe me, I understand," Alain said. "And there shouldn''t be any more-" Just then, a series of large darkened shapes appeared overhead, barely visible through the haze; Alain was only able to see them because of the movement their wings made as they flew. He tensed, already knowing what to expect, and therefore it came as no surprise when the Tribunal members appeared just a few meters away. Again, Stone''s men tensed, but they held their fire, even as Lawrence began to approach. Stone gave Alain a look of sheer malice, and it took everything Alain had not to sheepishly grin in response. "Alain Smith," Lawrence announced. "We meet again, and so soon after our last encounter. You seem to be making a habit out of running afoul of the Tribunal." "Believe me, if it were up to me, I''d never want to run into you people again for as long as I live," Alain swore to him. "So, why are you here? Actually, let me guess ¨C you''re here to try and drag me back to your little hideout for interrogation?" "Not quite." Lawrence shook his head. "I and the rest of the Tribunal members I have brought with me have come to volunteer our services." Alain blinked in surprise. Him and Felix both exchanged a confused glance before Alain looked back to Lawrence and cleared his throat. "Well," he said, "this is unexpected." XXX After a hurried explanation to Lawrence about what was going on, they all decided the best thing to do was draft up a plan. The others finally joined Alain, having deemed it safe to leave Thorne by herself in the jail cell, and Heather found her way back to them as well, having apparently heard about Stone passing out weapons, which made her earlier task unnecessary. Together, they all gathered around a table in a nearby inn, with several members of each of their respective groups nearby for security. "Okay," Stone began, "Smith knows the most about what we''re dealing with here. I want him to fill us in. Any objections?" Tiana and Lawrence both shook their heads. Stone let out a slow exhale. "Alright¡­ Smith, what''s the plan?" Alain blinked, taken aback at having been placed in charge so suddenly. "...You''re asking me?" "Of course, you''re the one who''s been on the scene the longest." Lawrence glowered at Colonel Stone. "Sable has been here just as long. Moreover, she would have more experience dealing with creatures beyond the Veil than he would." Sable rolled her eyes. "Is now the best time for this kind of petty infighting?" she gruffly asked. "We''re all on the same side here. If you all have any sense, you''ll table this pathetic slapfight for later and focus on what''s important instead." Lawrence and Stone continued to glare at each other for a moment before pulling away. The moment they separated, Alain cleared his throat and stepped forwards. "Alright¡­:" he said. "Like I explained to all of you earlier, we''re looking for an elder vampire named Owen. I don''t know exactly how powerful he is, but given that he was able to brainwash another elder vampire, it''s safe to assume that he''s very dangerous." "Elder Owen¡­?" Lawrence muttered, taken aback. "You''re sure?" "Positive," Sable interjected. "Thorne identified him to us, herself. We don''t know why he''s doing this or what he plans to accomplish, but that doesn''t change that he needs to be stopped." "I take it that won''t be a problem for you?" Stone pointedly asked Lawrence. Lawrence glared at him, but ultimately shook his head. "Whatever his reason for doing this, that doesn''t change the fact that Owen has betrayed not just us, but everyone who lives behind the Veil. And for that, he must be punished." "Then it''s agreed," Stone grunted. "Owen dies." "Don''t get ahead of yourself," Sable warned. "We need to find him first. He could be anywhere in the city, which is why I''m suggesting that we put our newfound manpower to good use and fan out to search for him." "You would split us up?" Tiana asked. "I would. And I think the best way to do this is to separate into small groups ¨C we''ll say two vampires, two Rougarou, and however many human soldiers Stone can spare." Stone bristled at that. "You would have me send my men along with-" "Sable''s right," Alain argued. "It''s the only way we can cover enough ground in time to find him. Now, unless anyone has an objection-" Before he could finish his sentence, the ground began to violently shake. They all stumbled, only barely managing to remain upright as the earthquake struck. Alain grit his teeth as the city shook all around him, hanging onto the table for dear life. Then, after just a few seconds, it stopped. For a moment, there was nothing but silence. And then, the screams started. Alain froze. Whatever was causing the screaming, it wasn''t human ¨C if anything, it sounded exactly the same as the screams that had erupted out of the red light that had surrounded Az earlier. But this time, the screaming was sustained, the ear-piercing noise continuing to resonate all around them whereas whatever Az had done had lasted just a few seconds. "Outside, everyone!" Sable shouted. "Now!" Without waiting for further orders, they all stood and sprinted outside. As they burst through the doors, Alain froze once more at what he saw. The earlier darkened mist was now blood red, and through it all, he could see the moon full in the sky, engulfed in red light. "God¡­" Stone muttered. "What is this?" "Does it matter?" Sable hurriedly questioned. "Everyone, fan out and begin searching! We have to split up and find Owen now, before it''s too late!" Without another word, they all split up, hurriedly gathering into their respective groups and heading deeper into the hellscape that was now New Orleans.
The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 37
There hadn''t been much time to split into evenly-sized groups, of course. In their haste, Alain and his companions had split apart and tried to muster the various disparate personnel into something resembling even a halfway-cohesive squad, and they''d mostly failed miserably, which was evident the moment Alain had started taking off running and had realized that Sable was still sticking to him like glue. "So much for splitting up into even groups," he told her as they sprinted through town. "Give me shit for it later if you must," Sable grunted. "I picked a direction and started running the moment I had another vampire, some Rougarou, and some soldiers along with me. Not my fault we ended up together." At that, Alain looked over his shoulder and saw the squad the two of them had inadvertently assembled together. True to Sable''s word, there three vampires ¨C four, including her ¨C along with four Rougarou, and twenty dismounted cavalry soldiers armed with long guns. "Hey," he said to the group of Rougarou. "I need you four to try to find Elder Owen." "How do you expect us to do that?" one of them asked. "Hell if I know," Alain confessed. "I figure you guys are part wolf, right? That means you''ve got to have a much better sense of smell than anyone else in this town does. Think you can track him if you know what a vampire smells like?" "Without getting his scent confused with the other vampires now in the city, you mean?" "Well, Owen is an elder vampire. I figure that''s got to have some kind of specific scent to it compared to a normal vampire." The four Rougarou exchanged a quick glance with each other. After a moment, they all shrugged. "Worth a shot," one of them confessed. Then, without warning, each of the Rougarou drew close to the nearest vampire and began to smell them. Alain didn''t miss how the vampires ¨C Sable included ¨C suddenly shrank back as the Rougarou approached, but decided not to comment. After a few seconds, they all separated, and then began to talk among themselves for a moment before looking back to Alain in surprise. "...You may be on to something, human," one of them confessed. "This city reeks of vampire, but there is something distinct beneath it. It is difficult to describe, but there''s something there. Two things, in fact." "Does one lead back to where we just were?" The Rougarou nodded. "That''s Thorne, the other elder vampire. You can ignore that one." "Very well¡­ then follow us, we''ll-" Off in the distance, Alain heard the far-off staccato of sudden gunfire, and braced himself for a fight. "Get ready," he said to the others as he unslung his new shotgun and worked the lever, chambering a shell. "Keep moving and don''t get cornered, whatever you do. The vampires will need to clear a path for the rest of us, with the soldiers providing backup. We''ll need the Rougarou to track Owen as best as they can." The others all shouted an affirmative as they readied their weapons and kept moving through the haze. As they continued to press on, they eventually emerged into the center of a city block, and as they stepped foot onto the street, a series of inhuman screeches echoed around them. Alain tensed, shouldering his new Winchester. He wasn''t a moment too soon, as several figures came running for them out of the haze. They looked like the Darklings from earlier, only this time, they were all blood red instead of a deep black, and they were fast. Whereas the other Darklings were far more lethargic and sluggish in their movements, these new crimson Darklings sprinted at them, arms outstretched and screeching the entire time. "Open fire!" he shouted. A chorus of gunshots sounded from behind him, and Alain winced as his hearing was nearly obliterated in the blink of an eye. Still, despite the sudden onset of tinnitus, his aim was true ¨C the first Darkling to enter his sights had its head disintegrated by a blast from his Winchester. He hurried cycled the action to chamber a fresh shell and transitioned to his next target, only to find the Darkling in the midst of being torn apart by two Rougarou. The other Darklings weren''t faring much better. Between the Rougarou and the vampires tearing them limb from limb and the hail of bullets coming from Alain and the soldiers, they didn''t have a chance. In the blink of an eye, every Darkling was lying on the ground in pieces, still mostly very much alive but now utterly incapable of doing anything to harm them, at least temporarily. "Keep moving!" Alain called. "Rougarou, to the front! Don''t stop tracking Owen!" The four of them shouted affirmations, then they all grouped together again as Alain and the soldiers hurriedly reloaded and continued on their way. XXX Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. It may have just been a trick of the light, but Alain could have sworn that the deeper they got into town, the darker it became, despite the fact that it had to be close to morning by now. As they ran, he turned to Sable. "Hey," he said, getting her attention. "How are we going to kill this guy once we get to him?" She blinked in surprise. "We''ll have to think of something. You know a vampire''s weaknesses ¨C fire, headshots, the sun¡­ for now, worry about tracking him and stopping whatever ritual he''s about to try and perform first." Alain pursed his lips, but didn''t argue. Sable had a point, after all ¨C if they couldn''t find Owen in time and put a stop to the ritual, then it almost certainly wouldn''t matter how they tried to kill him afterwards, since they''d all likely be dead by then, anyway. Or even worse, turned into one of those damned Darklings. The Rougarou led them through town, taking them past yet more of those crimson Darklings. Alain couldn''t help but note that there were no longer any people out on the streets ¨C either they''d all fled the city by now, barricaded themselves inside, or were currently dead on the ground outside. "Jesus¡­" he muttered as they passed by one such scene, corpses of men, women, and a few children having piled up on the pavement, each of them having been torn to bits by the Darklings. He locked eyes with the glassed-over gaze of a young girl, who was staring lifelessly up into the air, and held that view for a moment before Sable put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn to her. "Focus," she insisted. "There will be time for them later." Alain blinked, but nodded, hefting his shotgun once again as he continued running. Off in the distance, he could still hear sporadic gunfire ¨C a sign that, if nothing else, the other groups were still around. He couldn''t tell who was in which group, but there were enough gunshots for him to know that plenty of them were still up. "I don''t get it¡­" he muttered. "This is too easy." "Perhaps Owen blew through his resources early?" Sable mused. "I doubt he expected the Tribunal to arrive, let alone be so willing to work with others." "Even if he didn''t, this still seems too easy. The entire damn city was drowning under Darklings just a short while ago, and now all he has to throw at us is a few small hordes of these new red ones?" Alain shook his head. "Something isn''t right¡­" "We''re getting close," one of the Rougarou suddenly announced, getting Alain''s attention. He immediately ran over to her to confirm. "You''re sure?" Alain asked, earning a nod. "Positive." The Rougarou raised a finger, pointing forwards. "He''s in there." Alain squinted, trying to peer through the haze. After a moment, he was able to make out the outline of what appeared to be a large prison, of all things, the stone walls and guard towers stretching high into the sky. But more than that, he was able to see the various bodies that littered the ground just outside the gates. And that was enough for him. "Come on," he urged the others as he hefted his shotgun once more and began to cautiously move towards the prison, the rest of the group following after him as he went. As they drew closer, Alain saw that the corpses were the remnants of two of their groups. Bodies of vampires, Rougarou, and human soldiers alike were strewn about the entry to the prison, all of them in various states of disrepair; it looked as though they''d been caught by surprise, if the expressions of fear frozen on what was left of their faces were any indication. "Shit¡­" one of the soldiers behind him breathed. "...What the fuck took these guys out?" "I don''t know," Alain offered. He turned to Sable. "See anyone from our group? Felix, Az, Jasper, or Heather?" She shook her head. "Nobody. Still, that doesn''t change the fact that-" Just then, a series of gunshots rang out from inside the prison. Alain immediately pulled his weapon''s stock into his shoulder once more, then began to advance. "Sable, you''re with me," he said. "The rest of you, stay out here. If we''re not back out in five minutes and you don''t hear any gunfire after that, go find some of the other groups and come in after us." "W-what?" one of the soldiers said. "You''re just going to leave us out here and go in by yourselves?! That''s crazy!" "We''re just going to check things out," Alain said without looking back. "But I suppose we can take a few of you with us if you''d like. Any takers?" The rest of the group exchanged a quick glance with each other. Alain didn''t expect any of them to accept his offer, and was surprised when two of the Rougarou, one of the vampires, and five of the soldiers stepped forwards. "Alliance or not, I won''t let some hot-shot mortal outdo me," the vampire said, striding forth like he was at a fancy banquet. Alain blinked, but nodded nonetheless. "Alright. Fall in behind Sable and I and watch our backs." They all nodded, and together, the ten of them pushed their way inside the prison. XXX The first thing that hit Alain was the overpowering stench of blood. The second thing was the sheer sight of it all. It was everywhere ¨C the floor, the walls¡­ even the ceiling, somehow. "God¡­" one of the soldiers said, gagging as the smell hit him, too. "What the fuck happened here?" Alain ignored the question, instead signaling for the others to follow him. They moved past the administrative area and towards one of the cell blocks, and things only got worse as they did. Apparently, Owen had started the attack on New Orleans here, with the prisoners themselves still stuck in their cells. Every single one of them had been hideously mutilated beyond recognition, their gore painting the insides of their cells, making the entire building resemble an abattoir more than anything. They continued on through the cell block, the humans retching the entire time. Somehow, even the vampire and Rougarou, while not sick in the same way, seemed taken aback by the entire thing. "Hell below¡­" the once-cocky vampire muttered as they passed by a pair of cells which were now full of little more than an ankle-deep puddle of blood and gore. Again, Alain ignored the exclamation, instead focused on moving through the prison as fast as he could. And his pace only quickened when he heard a loud burst of rapid-fire, panicked gunshots, which then tapered off into nothing but silence. For a moment, there was no noise throughout the prison aside from blood droplets falling from the ceiling. And then, the stillness was interrupted by a pained scream, one that Alain recognized. His eyes widened as he turned to Sable. "Felix¡­" he muttered. And before she could tell him to wait, he sprinted off once more, heading deeper into the prison. XXX It didn''t take long for Alain to find the source of all the noise. The winding path through the gore-soaked prison eventually led him out to the interior courtyard. Predictably, the entire area was surrounded by bodies, both prisoners and members of the various groups they''d assembled to find Owen. But that wasn''t what got Alain''s attention. There, in the center of it all, was Owen. He was standing tall, staring up at the sky. And in his arms, he held Felix, who was futilely grasping at his chest, Owen''s hand jutting out of his back. As Alain watched, frozen in shock, Owen withdrew his hand, the sickening squelch echoing through the courtyard. Felix fell to the ground, writhing and groaning in agony as he clutched at his wound. Owen raised a hand and went to lick Felix''s blood off it, and as he did so, he caught sight of Alain. Slowly, a wide, wicked-looking smirk crossed his face. "Hello, Smith," Owen greeted. "I''ve been waiting for you." The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 38
Alain stared at the scene before him for a moment, his eyes wide with shock. Felix continued to writhe on the ground, blood continuing to pool around him, all while Owen simply stood there, his hands behind his back and that same smirk on his face. "Nothing to say, Smith?" Owen asked, tilting his head. "Nothing to-" Before Owen could finish his sentence, Alain hurriedly shouldered his Winchester 1887 and began to fire off shells towards him. He worked the lever-action and the trigger as fast as he could, taking just enough time to aim at Owen''s head; the elder vampire, however, was able to dodge through the incoming storm of pellets, moving so fast that he seemed to almost teleport from spot to spot, until he was right up in Alain''s face. A darkened blur suddenly raced past him, and Alain knew Sable had gotten there. She went to rush in direct for Owen''s throat, but he merely backhanded her, sending her flying back into the prison walls, where she crashed right through the concrete. Alain''s heart sank, already expecting a killing blow to come his way after that, but it never did ¨C rather, Owen simply lashed out and grabbed him by the throat, then hoisted him high into the air with a single hand. "I was hoping you''d prove yourself to be suitable," Owen said to him. "And I am pleased to see that you''ve exceeded all expectations. Yes, you will make for a worthy sacrifice." Alain kicked in Owen''s grasp, clawing at the hand around his throat the entire time, but to no avail. Finally, out of desperation, he reached for the shotgun still dangling from its sling in front of him, then grabbed it and began to angle it towards Owen''s head. Finally, just as Alain felt himself about to pass out, he pressed the barrel of the gun flush with Owen''s temple and pulled the trigger. A dull click echoed through the prison courtyard. And that should have been it for him ¨C the last of his strength faded, the shotgun again slipping from his one-handed grasp to hang by its sling once more. Black crept up to the edges of his vision, and Alain began to slump over in Owen''s grasp. But then, Owen let him loose, throwing him across the courtyard. Alain rolled across the ground as he hit the dirt, turning over several times before coming to rest at a wall. He laid there, gasping for breath, desperately taking in air the entire time even as Owen continued to advance on him. "I''m surprised," Owen mused, even as Alain managed to push himself up onto one knee and draw his revolver; Owen didn''t even flinch as Alain cocked the weapon''s hammer back with his thumb and leveled it towards him with shaking hands. "Surprised¡­ by what?" Alain managed to get out, his voice coming out as little more than a thin rasp. "Don''t you want to know why, Smith? You''re not curious what all of this was for, not even a little bit?" "I¡­ couldn''t give less of a fuck¡­ if I tried." Alain''s gaze narrowed. "The why doesn''t matter to me¡­ You''re doing this because you''re evil¡­ because you enjoy death¡­ I look forward to putting you in the dirt alongside the innocent people you''ve killed." Owen raised both hands and began to applaud him, that same wide smile returning. "Yes, yes! I knew you were suitable for her! Oh, how she is going to enjoy claiming your soul¡­ I look forward to watching-" Alain had heard enough. He began to slam on his revolver''s trigger, working the hammer between every shot. Again, Owen was able to easily sidestep each shot and close the distance. But this time, something intercepted him before he could make it to Alain. "Alain, go!" Sable called as she came barreling into Owen, the two of them falling to the ground together before separating from each other. Alain blinked, and just like that, they were both on their feet again, circling each other like a pair of apex predators, both looking for an opening. "Sable¡­" Alain breathed. "You can''t-" "Go check on Felix, Alain," she commanded without looking back to him. "I''ll handle Owen." "By yourself?" "Who said I was by myself?" As the words left her mouth, someone else came bounding into the courtyard; it didn''t take much for Alain to recognize Az as he charged into the fray to support Sable. And, for the first time Alain could remember since he''d seen Az, he looked pissed. "Heed her words, Smith," Az said as he stomped past Alain to stand by Sable''s side. "Go check on your friend. We''ll keep him distracted." Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "Oh, but you wound me," Owen said, placing a hand over his heart. "To separate me from him at such a crucial hour¡­ how insulting. Even worse that one of you is a vampire, herself." "What are you blathering on about?" Sable demanded. Owen let out a tired sigh. "Such a shame that you do not know your own history¡­ I suppose there was a reason your sister usurped your parents, after all." As soon as the words left his mouth, Sable launched herself at him, a feral yell forcing its way out of her mouth. Alain blinked, trying to follow as her and Owen collided in a massive blur that soon began to travel through the entire courtyard, their one-on-one fight carrying them through the length of the prison. "Alain, go!" Az said as he sprinted by. Alain didn''t need to be told again. He hurriedly rose to his feet and rushed over to where Felix was lying. As he reached Felix''s side, Alain''s heart plummeted ¨C Felix was extremely pale, shivering and grimacing on the ground, and the pool of blood surrounding him only continued to grow with every passing moment. "Hey¡­" Felix said through gritted teeth as Alain knelt down alongside him. "Don''t talk," Alain warned, setting his bag on the ground and beginning to rifle through it. "I think I''ve got some bandages." "Alain." "-Get that wound fixed-" "Alain, look at me." Alain paused, then turned towards his friend, who was giving him a sad smile. Slowly, Felix shook his head. "You could have all the bandages in the world and it wouldn''t fix this," he said. "And you know it." Alin just froze, continuing to stare at Felix, unsure of what to say. In the background, he could still hear Az, Sable, and Owen going at it, their ongoing fight continuing to carry them through the courtyard. And yet, somehow, he found it impossible to focus on anything but his fallen friend. After a moment, Alain lowered his head, heaving a shaky, tired sigh. "...I''m sorry," he offered. "What for? It was short, but we had a good run together." Felix let out a small laugh, one that turned into a series of wet coughs that sent small droplets of blood flying through the air. He recovered after a few seconds, then turned to Alain. "I don''t regret any of it, you know." Alain''s look turned to one of surprised confusion, but Felix just shook his head again. "We all die sooner or later, Alain. At least I can say I died trying to stop that evil fucker." Despite himself, Alain couldn''t help but give a small laugh at that. "Yeah," he said, even as tears filled his eyes. "I suppose you''re right." Felix again broke into another coughing fit, this one louder and more drawn-out than the last. When it finally subsided, he turned towards Alain, any sense of joviality he may have had in the past replaced with nothing but determination now. "Hey," Felix said. "I don''t¡­ have much time left¡­ do me a favor?" "Anything," Alain said, leaning in to listen better. Felix grimaced once more, the mere act of trying to form words apparently painful for him now. Despite that, he still managed to force them out, even through his own agony. "Send this fucker¡­ straight to hell for me¡­ would you?" Alain didn''t hesitate for a moment. Instead, he merely nodded, even through the tears that had begun to spill freely down his cheeks. "...Sure," was all he could manage to say. Felix sucked in a deep, shaky breath, then gave him a small nod. Then, as Alain watched, Felix looked up to the sky and burst out into another coughing fit, this one lasting for just a few seconds. And when it finally ended, Felix seized one last time, then stiffened, his body going still. Alain watched his chest rise and fall one final day, and heard the final breath leave his body; his hands curled into fists when he heard it escape from Felix''s lungs, his own fingernails biting into his palms deeply enough to draw thin rivulets of blood. For a moment, Alain stood there, gritting his teeth as tears continued to trail down his face and silent sobs wracked his body. It only lasted a few seconds, however ¨C after that, he finally collected himself, then reached for Felix''s body and unhooked his gun belt, hurriedly fastening it around his own waist, Felix''s revolver now sitting comfortably at his left hip. Once that was done, Alain rose to his feet, wiped his tears away, and reloaded his weapons, then looked around for where Sable, Az, and Owen had ended up; he found them a short ways away, Az and Sable doubled over and panting for breath and covered in small scratches and bruises, but otherwise unharmed. Owen, meanwhile, didn''t even appear winded, and was completely uninjured from what Alain could see. But that didn''t matter to him ¨C he''d made a promise to a friend, and he intended to see it through. And so, Alain worked the lever on his shotgun to chamber a round, then began to march over to where Sable and Az were standing across from Owen. XXX "And the prodigal son returns," Owen observed as Alain came over to join the three of them. "Just in time, too ¨C the hour grows-" "Shut the fuck up, old man," Alain said, cutting him off. Owen''s brow furrowed slightly at that. "Such insolence¡­! Well, no matter; I will-" Alain turned towards him and fired off a shotgun blast. It didn''t make impact, but he hadn''t intended it to; rather, he simply wanted to cut Owen off again. And judging by how Owen gave him a short, unamused look, he''d succeeded. Alain thumbed another shell into his weapon''s magazine tube, then worked the lever action once more before turning to Sable. "Felix is gone," he said simply. "I''m sorry," she offered. "Yeah." Alain looked over to Az. "How are you both doing?" "We''re alive," Az said, his gaze landing on Owen once more. "He doesn''t have a scratch on him¡­" "I know. We''ll have to figure something out, and fast." Alain looked back over to the doorway to the prison, which was still open. "Think you both can keep him busy? I think it''s going to take more than three of us to bring him down." "We''ll do our best." "Good. Give me a few minutes, and I''ll-" "Smith." Alain''s gaze narrowed, even as he turned back to Owen; Owen stood there, his hands once again held behind his back, though his usual expression was gone, replaced with one of annoyance instead. "You''re the one I want, Smith," Owen explained. "Just you, and nobody else. None of your other friends have to die today. Give yourself to me willingly, and I shall spare them." Alain hesitated. "Tempting offer-" "Alain!" Sable hissed. "-But you''re forgetting one thing," Alain said. "And it''s that my mother would kill me if she found out I agreed to it." Owen''s expression faltered once more. "Is this all funny to you, Smith? All these dead people, and your fallen friend¡­ and yet you would sit there and continue to joke about it?" "Believe me, Owen, the only funny part about this is that you''ll be dead by morning," Alain growled. "I''m not sure how, but I know that it''s coming." "Ha! Such confidence¡­ you continue to-" Alain cut him off with yet another shotgun blast. This time, when Owen dodged out of the way, Alain took off running for the door. "You two, keep him busy!" Alain shouted. He didn''t hear them shout any affirmations, but judging by how the sounds of combat resumed all around him, he didn''t need to. Alain sprinted for the doorway as fast as he could, the whole time praying that he''d be fast enough to alert the others and make it back before Owen succeeded in killing Sable and Az. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 39
Alain ran through the prison at a dead sprint, trying to will himself to go even faster than he already was. His breath was coming out ragged from exhaustion and fatigue, but he didn''t care ¨C not when Az and Sable were busy fighting for their lives. And judging by the sounds coming from the exterior of the prison, they weren''t the only ones. He''d heard it from the moment he''d begun to run through the prison halls ¨C the gunfire had started up throughout the city once more, with most of it coming from right outside the prison, where he''d left the remainder of his and Sable''s group. Alain''s heart reverberated in his chest as he reached the front door to the prison and pushed it open, his shotgun already tucked into his shoulder. The first thing that struck him was the sheer noise of it all; the second was the carnage. All around him, people were engaged in combat with those crimson-colored Darklings. Colonel Stone''s soldiers were firing and reloading as fast as they could, while vampires and Rougarou leaped into the fray, tearing at the oncoming surge of Darklings. But the red figures seemed damn near endless, from what Alain could tell ¨C for every one that was cut down, another sprang up to take its place just a few seconds later. They were sprinting in from the depths of the fog, each one heralding its arrival with that same inhuman screech. Combined with the sound of gunfire and combat, it was a deafening cacophony straight from the gates of Hell. But even the noise couldn''t compare to the level of carnage on display. All around him, mutilated bodies ¨C of humans, vampires, and Rougarou alike ¨C littered the ground, in various states of disrepair. Blood and gore soaked the cobblestone roads, flooding them with an ankle-deep crimson tide of lifeblood. Alain wasn''t sure how many people they''d lost already, but he could tell right away just by looking at the scene before him that they were running out of time. And so, despite his concern for Sable and Az, Alain didn''t hold himself back. He pushed into the fray, firing off shells from his shotgun and working the action as fast as he could. With every shot, a Darkling fell, its head having been torn from its shoulders by a storm of buckshot. This wasn''t enough to kill them, though it did provide an opportunity for those soldiers who were carrying torches or some other form of light to finish them off. "Jasper!" Alain called as he hurriedly thumbed shells into his weapon. "Tiana! Heather! Are you all here?!" "Smith!" At the sound of Lawrence''s voice, Alain turned. He found the dark-skinned vampire rushing towards him through the crowd of fighters, a look of concern on his face. Lawrence had two wounded human soldiers leaning onto him for support, grimaces of pain etched across their faces; the deep gashes that covered their bodies told him everything he needed to know about what had happened. "Lawrence," Alain said, even as he finished reloading and snapped his weapon back up to his shoulder, then continued sending payloads of buckshot pellets downrange. "Have you seen the other members of my group?!" Lawrence set the two wounded soldiers down next to the prison, then hurriedly shoved some abandoned revolvers and ammo belts into their hands. Once he was finished with that, he turned back to Alain, a grimace crossing his face. "We can''t stay here," he said. "We''re getting chewed to pieces!" "I know!" Alain shouted over the gunfire. "But I need you to hold the line for us! We''ve found Owen, but taking him out is going to take some time!" "Hold the line?!" Lawrence echoed. "How much time do you need?!" "No idea! Right now, what I need from you is to help me find Jasper, Tiana, and Heather! Once we''ve done that, I''ll need you to coordinate things here! Can you do that for me?!" Lawrence scowled, but nodded nonetheless. "...Yes," he offered. "Okay, follow after me, Smith. Let''s go find the rest of your group." And with that, Lawrence took off, moving through the crowd of Darklings like he was wading through a deep river of blood. As he moved, he snapped out with his hands, each strike cleaving a Darkling''s head from its shoulders or tearing off a limb. Still, despite his advances, Alain could tell it was ultimately for nothing ¨C every Darkling was soon replaced by another, and Lawrence himself was not spared from retaliatory strikes from the rest of the tide. Still, Alain knew what he was doing ¨C Lawrence was clearing a path for him. And he wasn''t about to squander the opportunity that had just been provided. Alain took off after Lawrence, taking care to stick close to him as they both moved through the sea of Darklings. Alain fired off his shotgun into the crowd as he went, the large muzzle flash serving to drive the Darklings back. "Heather!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Jasper! Tiana! Are you guys here?!" There was no response after several seconds, and Alain''s heart skipped a beat. But finally, just as he was about to repeat himself, he got an answer. "Alain, we''re over here!" Alain instantly snapped towards where he''d heard his mother''s voice. Sure enough, he could hear the familiar report of her revolvers, along with Jasper''s rifle, as well as see their muzzle flashes illuminating the nearby streets. Alain cautiously approached Lawrence, giving him a pat on the back. "To the right, thirty meters!" he shouted. "Think you can clear a path?!" Lawrence nodded, then before Alain could ask any further questions, he diverted course to the right. Alain continued to follow after him, hurriedly loading his shotgun and firing it as he went, trying to keep the Darklings away from them as they made their way to the rest of his group. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Eventually, Alain found them backed up against a storefront, a single torch lying on the ground before them, almost burnt down to embers. Corpses of Darklings littered the ground around the three of them, along with the bodies of the rest of their respective groups; they were the only three still alive, and none of them were unscathed. Heather had a black eye and several deep cuts along her upper body, while Tiana was covered in small scratches and various bruises. Jasper was the worst off out of the three of them, however ¨C as bad as the gashes across Heather''s body were, Jasper had several that were even worse, mostly across his torso and legs; from what Alain could see, it would be difficult for him to even walk at this point. On top of that, he appeared to be very lightheaded as well, if the way he was staring straight through Alain was any indication. Alain didn''t waste any time. He immediately ran over to the three of them and helped Jasper up, then threw one of his arms around his own shoulders to support him. "You two, help Lawrence clear a path back to the prison," he said. "I''ve got Jasper." "Alain?" Jasper managed to get out. "Fuck me¡­ my aching head¡­" "Don''t talk," Alain warned. "Here, walk with me. We''ve got to get back to the prison." With that, he and Jasper began to steadily limp forwards. Heather, Tiana, and Lawrence helped keep the Darklings off of them as they went, and coupled with the incoming covering fire from the prison, they were eventually able to make their way back to the front of the building. "Lawrence, you have to hold them here!" Alain said as he threw open the prison doors and stepped inside. "I know!" Lawrence called. "Just make this quick, would you?! We won''t be able to hold them for long!" Alain nodded, then him and the others closed the prison doors behind them, shutting off the outside world. And just like that, it was quiet again. XXX "Talk to me," Heather said, coming up alongside Alain as he gently set Jasper down. "What''s going on? Where are Az and Sable?" "Fighting Owen," Alain said. "We need to get to them, and fast. I don''t know how long they''ll be able to fight him by themselves." "You left them alone?" "I had to in order to find you three. Az, Sable, and I weren''t capable of fighting him by ourselves; I figured we needed some backup." "Only you three¡­? What happened to Felix?" Alain said nothing, instead just lowering his head. Heather blinked, then gave a quiet sigh before shaking her head. "Damn it¡­" she muttered. "You really think we''ll be enough to turn the tide?" Tiana questioned. "Truthfully? I have no idea," Alain admitted. "Especially since we''re down one." "The fuck is that supposed to mean?" Jasper growled, forcing himself to his feet. "I can still pull a trigger just fine." "Jasper-" "No, don''t start. You''re not sending my sister in without me. If I''m going to die, then so be it, but I will not sit here and let you send her in alone, so don''t try to stop me." Alain hesitated, but then turned towards Tiana. "It''s your call, I suppose." "I''m not sitting this fight out," she growled. "And if I''m going in, then so is Jasper. That clear?" "Crystal." Alain sighed. "Okay, then let''s-" A loud bang from the prison courtyard caught their attention. They all turned towards a nearby wall, just in time to see Az come flying through it and land in a heap on the other side. Alain took a step forwards, but Az was already on his feet, his hands balled into fists. Alain didn''t miss the trail of black blood that led back to him from the courtyard, though. Owen stood on the other side of the new hole in the prison wall, his arms crossed over his chest. His gaze landed on Alain, and his expression suddenly brightened. "There you are," he said. "Spare me," Alain growled, readying his weapon. Next to him, Jasper and Heather did the same, while Tiana bared her claws, a low growl rumbling out of her throat. For a moment, Alain wondered what had happened to Sable, but he didn''t stay curious for long ¨C movement from the other end of the courtyard caught his attention, and he was just in time to see her come rushing in for a blindside strike on Owen. To his dismay, Owen sidestepped the attack with ease, grabbed Sable''s arm, and threw her over next to Az. Sable picked herself up quickly, and as she did so, Owen shook his head. "Enough of these games," he announced. "Smith, my offer from earlier still stands. Give yourself over to me willingly and I will spare your friends." "Fuck off," Alain spat. "Mm¡­ disappointing," Owen said. "And here I thought you cared about them. But then again, perhaps what happened to Felix should be proof to the contrary." Alain took a step forward, snapping his weapon up to his shoulder, only for Heather to hold out a hand, stopping him. He gave her a questioning glance, but she shook her head, instead motioning with her eyes to the horizon. Alain followed her gaze, his eyes widening when he realized what was happening. The sun was starting to rise. Even through the thick fog that had settled over New Orleans, he could see the first rays of sunlight cresting over the horizon. And as he stared, his heart began to pound. Perhaps they still had a chance, after all. Sable and Tiana were the first to make a move, both of them sprinting for Owen. Again, Owen moved even faster than they could, easily dodging his way out of any of their incoming strikes. Heather, Alain, and Jasper opened up with their guns, taking care not to hit either Sable or Tiana. Shots ricocheted around the courtyard, some of them coming dangerously close to taking a chunk out of Owen''s flesh, but all of them frustratingly going just a little bit wide. Finally, Alain''s shotgun clicked empty, and he began to reload, taking note of his dwindling ammo count as he did so. Heather and Jasper were doing no better; he could already see that both their ammo bandoliers were rapidly being depleted, the round count on them already desperately low. Alain finished reloading and shouldered his weapon once more, only for Az to take off running past him. As Alain watched, Az barreled directly into the fray, going not for a strike, but simply trying to reach out and grab Owen to immobilize him. He very nearly succeeded, too, but at the last second, Owen spun away from his grasp and lashed out with a retaliatory strike of his own directly to Az''s left arm. There was a loud snap, and Az grit his teeth, falling to one knee as he clutched at his shattered arm. "Az!" Sable called. "I grow weary of this," Owen said as Sable once again threw herself at him. Every incoming blow, he managed to either dodge or parry outright, as if he weren''t even trying to fight her. "The hour grows short¡­ time to end it." Sable went in for a blow that surely would have decapitated Owen if it had hit, but he managed to catch her hand just inches away from his neck, stopping her dead in her tracks. Sable tried to wrench herself free, but Owen merely twisted, ripping her arm from its socket. Sable fell to the ground with a scream as her arm was dislocated, one which only intensified in volume as Owen twisted again, breaking it. With the two of them out of the fight, at least temporarily, Owen tossed Sable aside, then began to advance upon Tiana. To her credit, Tiana didn''t flinch back, instead baring her teeth and claws, a low growl rumbling up from her throat. Owen tilted his head inquisitively as he approached. "That man over there is your brother, is he not?" he asked. "Hm¡­ perhaps I can spare some time for pleasantries, after all." Tiana leaped at him with a loud roar, claws outstretched. Owen tensed, waiting for her to close in, but he didn''t get a chance to do anything before Alain, Heather, and Jasper opened up on him with their guns. Suddenly, whatever retaliatory strike he had planned for Tiana was abandoned in favor of dodging the incoming rounds. Tiana landed, her claws swiping at nothing but air, as they all looked around for where Owen was heading. With a start, Alain realized far too late. "Jasper, watch out!" Jasper''s eyes widened, and he turned around, drawing his revolver to replace his empty rifle. He angled the gun towards Owen as he closed in, but he wasn''t quick enough. Owen reared back to sink his fangs into Jasper''s neck, but didn''t get a chance to do so before Tiana barreled into him, knocking him off Jasper. The two of them fell end-over-end, Tiana''s fangs locked around his arm. She didn''t get the chance to take advantage of it before Owen plunged his arm into her chest and pulled it out. "Tiana!" Jasper called out in horror. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 40
It had happened so fast that Alain almost hadn''t realized it was over. Crimson arced through the air with every one of Tiana''s heartbeats, and she grimaced in agony as Owen pulled his arm free of her chest. But still, she refused to let go of her arm. Owen scowled, cocking his arm back to finally finish her once and for all. And then, with the last of her strength, Tiana tensed, bit down on his arm even harder, and tore it right from its socket. Tiana fell to the ground, Owen''s arm still held tightly between her jaws. Owen stumbled back, a pained grimace on his face as black ichor fell from the empty socket where his arm had once been attached. He grit his teeth, the fangs grinding against each other as he turned his gaze back to Tiana, fully intending to finish her off now. His expression only grew more annoyed when she gave one final gasp, then stopped moving, her eyes glassing over as she stared up at the sky. "No!" Jasper shouted, jumping to his feet to try and race over to her, only for Heather to grab hold of his arm, stopping him. "Don''t," she warned. "Let go of me!" "If I do, you''ll just get yourself killed." Heather''s eyes narrowed. "Your sister just gave her life to save you. Don''t let it go to waste." Jasper whipped around to face her, his eyes missing over as the full weight of her words sank in. He let out a choked sob as he turned back to his sister''s body, but stayed rooted to his spot, even as his hands tightened around the grip of his gun. Next to him, Heather turned to Alain. "What do we do?" "No idea." She looked at Alain in surprise, and he glanced at her out of the corner of one of his eyes. "All I know is I''m not letting anyone else in this group die today. Losing Felix and Tiana were enough." Heather shook her head, dumping the empty rounds out of her revolver as she slid in new ones to replace them. "I''m out of rifle ammo. All I''ve got is revolver ammo at this point, plus my knives and various other small weapons. You?" "I''ve got a few shotgun shells left, but not many. Got plenty of revolver ammo, though." "Fuck¡­" She let out an exhale. "Do you have a plan?" Alain looked back to the horizon, noting the sun''s position in the sky. A grim expression crossed his face as he turned to his mother. "I''ve got an idea," he said. "You''re going to hate it." She stared at him in surprise. "What are you going to do?" "This." Alain stood up straight, lowering his shotgun as he turned towards Owen. "Hey! I''ve thought about your offer a bit ¨C does it still stand?" "I didn''t intend for it to, but at this point, I''m willing to extend the offer a little," Owen conceded. "I take it that you intend to turn yourself over to me?" Alain nodded. "Yeah." "Alain!" Heather called. Alain ignored her, instead dropping his shotgun on the ground and then setting his two revolvers down after it. He held up both his hands in surrender, then began to walk towards Owen. He only made it about halfway before Owen motioned towards his waist. "Lose the knife, too." Alain didn''t hesitate. He drew the knife, then threw it to the ground, where it stuck in the dirt. Once he was completely unarmed, he continued the walk over to Owen, stopping about twenty meters away. "So, how''s this going to work?" Alain asked. "You mentioned something about a sacrifice. I know what that means, but I just want to be sure that my friends will be okay if I agree to this." "Of course," Owen offered. "You have my word that I will not harm them." "Good. And this ritual¡­ it will hurt?" "Only for a moment," Owen explained. "I have the sigil already drawn up in another room. I would need to drain you of your blood and splash it across the sigil. That is the last aspect of this ritual I need ¨C most of the cost has already been paid by the souls of the people of New Orleans; all that''s left is the lifeblood of someone truly righteous. It sounds painful, and it would be, but not for long. After a few seconds, the blood loss would cause you to pass out, and you wouldn''t feel a thing after that point." Slowly, Alain nodded. "Okay." "You''ll do it willingly?" Owen asked. "Yeah. Of course, there''s just one thing." Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "Name it." "However you plan to do it, you''d better do it fast." "And why is that?" "Because the sun''s up, asshole." Owen''s eyes widened as Alain''s words sank in. He hurriedly turned around to confirm for himself, only to shrink back as several rays of the sun suddenly came bursting through the fog. Owen let out a scream as his flesh suddenly began to boil, steam rising off him as he burned. Alain took a few cautious steps forward. "Sable mentioned to me a while back that the sun was anathema to vampires, but she never explained why it only ever seemed like a discomfort to her when the legends around vampires acted like it was their mortal enemy. But it was so obvious as to why ¨C the more powerful the vampire, the more they''re affected by the sun. And since you''re probably one of the most powerful vampires in the world¡­" Alain trailed off, but the way Owen affixed him with a harsh glare told him he was on the right track. Owen went to raise the hood of his cloak and roll down his sleeves to cover himself, but it was too late ¨C the damage had been done, and he was already moving far more sluggishly than he had been before. Heather, thankfully, saw her chance. She drew her revolver and began to fire at Owen, and this time, he was too slow to dodge the bullets. Six rounds impacted against his torso, tearing out the other side; he lurched with every impact, his eyes going wide as he stumbled back, black blood spouting up from his wounds. He looked down at himself to confirm that he''d just been shot, then turned back to Alain. And then, to Alain''s disbelief, he turned and began to run for the prison. "Heather, don''t let him get away!" Alain shouted. "I''ll be right behind you!" "Right!" Heather called back to him, running after Owen as she reloaded. Without missing a beat, Alain ran for Sable, pausing only to pull the hood of her cloak over her head. She raised her head, giving him a grateful look. Alain didn''t waste any more time, and exposed his neck to her; Sable understood immediately, and Alain winced as she latched onto his neck and began to feed. Within moments, the air was full of the sound of splintering bone as her arm pulled itself back together. Alain didn''t miss how she hitched with every movement, but he also didn''t pull away, even as her feeding became much more erratic and greedy. Finally, after a few seconds, Sable pulled away, wiping the last traces of his blood from her lips. She gave him a grateful nod, then looked over to Az. "Az, are you okay?" "I will be, my lady," he said through gritted teeth. "Just¡­ give me a few moments to get my bearings. I will join you all shortly." "You heard the man," Alain said. "Come on, let''s go after Heather." "Are you sure?" Sable asked. "I just fed from you. You''re bound to be lightheaded, at the very least-" "I am, but I''m not about to let my mother fight Owen alone," Alain growled. Sable nodded, and they both stood up. Alain paused only to look back at Jasper, and found him kneeling at his sister''s body, cradling her head in his lap, his shoulders heaving as he cried. A pang of sorrow flowed through Alain''s heart at the sight of it, but he couldn''t let that stop him. Together, him and Sable began running for the interior of the prison. Far-off gunshots echoed off the walls, and Alain and Sable instantly took off towards them. XXX After a bit of running, they both emerged in what appeared to have been the mess hall. Tables had been pushed out of the center of the room to make room for a large sigil drawn in blood of an inverted pentagram in a circle. Mutilated corpses of guards and prisoners lay scattered around; apparently, Owen had tried to find someone properly ''righteous'' among them before, but had failed with all of them. Standing a short ways away from the sigil was Heather, who was in the middle of reloading her revolver. "Where is he?!" Alain shouted as they both ran over to her. "No idea," she answered. "Fucker jumped up into the rafters¡­ can''t see anything up there, it''s too dark." Alain looked up to the ceiling. Just like Heather had said, the upper parts of the room were darkened and impossible to see through. However, he did notice one thing ¨C parts of the roof were in disrepair, and had been crudely patched over by a mess of wooden boards as opposed to the stone that the rest of the prison walls were made out of. He didn''t get much of a chance to focus on that, however, as movement from the shadows caught his attention. Heather noticed it, too; they both had barely enough time to hit the deck before Owen came swooping down for them, though thankfully he only took a few strands of Heather''s hair as opposed to her entire head. Owen landed and stood up, a dismayed look across his face. His body was still smoking and had started to blister along those parts that were exposed to the sun ¨C mainly his face, though from the few patches of exposed flesh Alain could see elsewhere on his body, those hadn''t been spared, either. Owen was still moving very lethargically as well, wincing with every step. Clearly, between Heather''s bullets and the sunlight, he''d suddenly found himself on the back foot for the first time. "You all¡­ have become an annoyance¡­" he managed to get out. Alain opened his mouth to reply, but didn''t get a chance to say anything before Owen rushed him, running into him with an open-handed strike. Alain felt several of his ribs break as he was forced backwards, and landed in a heap upon the sigil, gasping for breath. Something slipped out from his shirt pocket; Alain noticed it was the box that held the diamond Sable had given him earlier. The box broke upon impact with the ground, and the large yellow diamond rolled across the ground, coming to a stop a short ways away. Sable and Heather were both fighting Owen now, the room suddenly filled with the noise of gunshots and hand-to-hand combat once more. And this time, it was a much more even fight ¨C for as much damage as Owen was giving out, he was receiving plenty of it, too. Bullets continued to tear into him, while Sable ripped chunks of flesh off him with every strike. But even then, it was clear to Alain that this couldn''t last. From the looks of things, Heather was down to her last few rounds of ammunition, while Sable was taking plenty of hits and becoming fatigued as well. Alain turned his attention back to the patchwork parts of the roof. His eyes narrowed, and he reached for his shotgun, which laid a short ways away. He grabbed the gun and angled it upwards, then spent the very last of his shells blowing holes in the roof. Sunlight came pouring in through it, but it wasn''t enough ¨C Owen was nowhere near any of it, and Alain knew he wouldn''t be easily baited into walking into it, either. A loud shout of pain from Heather caught his attention, and Alain whipped around to face her, his eyes widening. Owen had scored a deep gash across her stomach, nearly disemboweling her; Heather fell to her knees, clutching at her wound as blood poured out from it and onto the ground below. Owen didn''t finish her off, however; instead, he began to advance upon Sable, who had been downed at some point in the fight and was now trying to crawl away. Desperate to do something, Alain looked around for some way he could save her. His eyes landed on the diamond, lying just within his reach. Alain didn''t think twice. He grabbed the diamond, then held it up in the sunlight. Light began to reflect through it, shining throughout the room. The light illuminated the room like a kaleidoscope as the beams began to tear through Owen''s frame. His stunned form drew back and recoiled as the light swung once again to his face and his eyes which grew and exploded out of his skull, the gentle pops drowned out by the elder''s screams. It was only for a split second, but Sable saw her chance. She darted forward, her hand cocked back, and then brought it forwards as she passed by Owen. Owen''s body stiffened, and as Alain watched, a split second later, Owen''s head rolled off his shoulders and onto the ground below. Alain''s heart skipped a beat as he watched Owen''s body collapse a moment afterward, coming to a rest next to his decapitated head, an expression of pure shock still etched across its face. He stared at it for a moment, and then let out a sigh of relief as he collapsed to the ground, the diamond slipping from his grasp. It was over. The Vampires Apprentice - Chapter 41 (Book 1 Finale)
Alain laid there for a moment, his chest heaving, every motion causing his broken ribs to scream at him. A few seconds ticked by before he forced himself to sit up, groaning in pain as he did so. "Sable¡­?" he called out. "Heather? You two okay?" "Fuck me¡­" he heard Heather mutter across the room. "That son of a bitch nearly got me¡­" "I''m alright, thanks to you," Sable said as she ran over to him. "Here, let me help you. Lean on me." As she pulled him to his feet, Alain noticed her struggle as her vampiric strength now waned to that of a normal mortal. Once he was upright, they made their way over to where Heather was lying, the gash in her stomach still leaking blood across the floor. Alain dropped down to one knee, then began to rifle through his pack, pulling out some bandages. "Here," he said as he started wrapping them around his mother''s torso. "It''s not much, but it''ll hold for now. We need to get you to a doctor." Sable offered her a hand, pulling Heather to her feet. Heather gave her an appreciative nod, then looked past Alain, staring at Owen''s headless body. She let out a soft exhale. "...I guess that''s it, then," she said quietly. Alain nodded. "Looks like it." Footsteps from outside the mess hall caught their attention, and their hands fell to their revolvers as Sable tensed. But thankfully, it was just Jasper, and Az; they came bursting through the doorway, ready for a fight, only to freeze at the sight of Owen''s headless body a short ways away. "...God damn," Jasper muttered. "You three actually did it¡­" "It would seem so," Alain replied. "Jasper, I''m so sorry-" Jasper held up a hand, stopping him, even as his lip quivered. Slowly, he shook his head. "...I''m just glad I got to see her again before all of this. Means more than you might think." Alain blinked, then silently nodded. Slowly, he looked over to Az. "And you? Everything alright?" "I''ve been better," Az confessed. "My arm is fine, at least¡­ though I wish I could have been here to help you all." "Don''t feel bad," Sable told him. "Owen''s dead, at least." "Should we burn the body?" Jasper asked. "Just to be sure." "I imagine Lawrence and Stone will want to confirm he''s dead first," Alain said. His eyes suddenly widened. "Shit, I forgot about the people outside! Come on, we need to check on them!" Alain took one step forwards, only to nearly collapse; Sable caught him before he could fall, keeping him from face-planting on to the blood-soaked ground. Alain stood there for a moment, gasping for breath. Sable met his gaze, then shook her head. "You''ve done enough," she urged. "You and Heather stay here and rest. We''ll go check it out." "I can''t just-" "Stop. I command you, Alain ¨C stay here, let yourself get some rest. You need it." Sable''s Eyes glowed dully as they bored down to the man''s very soul. Alain hesitated, but ultimately gave in. He let out a long sigh as he gently lowered himself to the ground next to Heather. Alain looked back to Sable and gave her a nod. "You three hurry back." "We will," was all she had to say. Then the three of them turned and left, leaving Alain and Heather alone with Owen''s corpse. And despite knowing Owen was dead, Alain didn''t dare tear his eyes away from his body. XXX It was just a short time later that Alain heard more footsteps from down the hall. From his position leaned against a nearby wall, he sat up straight, taking a drag from a cigarette as he did so. Az, Sable, and Jasper entered the room, though this time, they were flanked by Stone and Lawrence as well. Lawrence, for his part, took one look at Owen''s body before bounding over to it, as if to confirm for himself that what he was seeing was actually true. After a moment of examining it, he looked up, then gave Alain a slow nod. If the vampire was impressed, he hid it well. "Well done," was all he had to say. Stone, meanwhile, stepped forwards, his eyes widening as he took in the room around him. "Sweet merciful Christ¡­" he muttered. "It''s like an abattoir in here¡­ what was he planning? Does anyone know?" "I can take a guess," Lawrence said, turning his attention towards the sigil drawn in blood on the floor. "This symbol serves as a door to the Underworld. Either he was trying to open it in order to get through himself, or more likely, he was trying to let something out. I have no idea what he could have been trying to free, but suffice to say, it can''t have been anything good." He turned towards Alain. "You stopped him just in time." "Believe me, I know," Alain replied. "He intended to use me as the final piece needed to complete the ritual ¨C something about needing a righteous and worthy sacrifice, or whatever. Apparently, I was the only one who qualified for whatever the hell that meant." "Well, whatever the case may be, it''s done now," Stone interrupted. "At least, I hope it is." Lawrence stood up, dusting himself off as he did so. "It would certainly seem that way, Colonel," he said. "How are the others?" Alain asked. Stone shook his head. "I''m still counting my losses. I don''t know exactly how many of my men were cut down by those things, but safe to say, it''s not a negligible amount. I''m guessing I lost at least half of my fighting force." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "I would estimate the same for the forces the Tribunal sent," Lawrence admitted. Alain felt a pang of sorrow pass through him at that information. He took another long drag from his cigarette, then exhaled. "...I''m sorry," he offered. "They were all good men and women. They didn''t deserve to die because of Owen." "Hell, I''m just glad he was stopped," Stone told him. A heavy silence fell over the room for a moment before Sable cleared her throat. "So, what happens now?" she asked. "This is generally the part where you try to cover things up, right?" Stone shook his head. "Normally, yes, but there''s not going to be any covering this up. This was the largest incursion in the last couple hundred years. In the past, we could have maybe kept it relatively quiet, but with how fast news can travel these days? There''s not a chance of us keeping this incognito. The whole world is going to know about it within the week." "And that doesn''t worry you?" Heather asked, surprised. "The Veil would have been lifted." "I know," Stone told her. "But, truth be told¡­ I think it was on its way to disappearing already. All this did was hasten it, really." Alain let out a breath. "...There''s going to be mass panic around the world. You know that, right?" "I am aware," Stone answered. "But the people will adjust in due time. They''re just going to have to get used to the new reality around them." He looked over to Lawrence, and then to Jasper, his expression softening when his gaze landed on the latter. "Of course, it helps that a few of them were here, fighting to defend the city and its people as well. I''ll admit I''m no fan of their kind¡­ but, if nothing else, I can recognize when I should be thanking someone for their efforts. If it weren''t for you both and the sacrifices your people made, Owen would have succeeded. And for that, you have my gratitude." Lawrence blinked, taken aback by Stone''s words. After a moment''s hesitation, he nodded. "...I could say the same to you, Colonel. Without your men assisting, not to neglect their iron will, this would have ended in disaster." His gaze shifted over to Jasper, Heather, and Alain. "To say nothing of the other humans who more than pulled their weight today. How are you all feeling, by the way?" "We''ll live," Alain grunted. He finished what was left of his cigarette, then flicked the stub away and struggled to his feet, stumbling and nearly falling over as he did so; Sable rushed over to support him, and he gave her a grateful look before turning back to Lawrence. "How''s it looking out there? Are the Darklings still around?" Lawrence shook his head. "They dissipated when the sun rose. Just in time, too ¨C we were all on the verge of being overwhelmed." Alain breathed a sigh of relief at that. "Good." He turned to Stone. "So, if you don''t mind me asking¡­ what happens now?" "As far as you all are concerned? Nothing," Stone said. "If you''re smart, you''ll get out of town and find somewhere you can all lay low for a while. There''s going to be a lot of cleanup to do, not to mention what comes after in terms of revealing the truth to the rest of the world, and I doubt you all want to be part of any of that right now. So, that''s my advice ¨C take some time for yourselves, get your bearings, think about what you''re going to do next." "What do you mean?" "Well, consider what just happened. You''re all experts at fighting the paranormal at this point. That kind of experience is going to be very in-demand once people finally learn the truth. You do the math." Alain blinked, his eyes widening as Stone''s words sank in. Slowly, he nodded. "Makes sense." "Good. Now then, respectfully, all of you need to get lost. Lawrence and I will handle things here." "If you''re sure-" Sable put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from speaking. "We''ll leave it in your capable hands, Colonel. Come on, Alain ¨C let''s get going." With that, she took him by the hand and began to usher him out of the prison, the others following suit. XXX "So, what was that about?" Alain asked as they all stepped outside. The fog had cleared, and the sun was now blazing overhead; for a moment, Alain was worried about Sable''s exposure to it, but she merely drew her cloak around herself and raised her hood, which was enough to shield her from the worst of it, thankfully. "You talk too much," Sable explained. "I could tell you were about to offer to help them. Good intentions and all, but you need a break, so consider this me forcing you to rest up." Alain''s brow furrowed, but he nodded nonetheless. "So, about what Stone said¡­" "Thanks, but I''m out," Jasper replied. "No offense to any of you, but I''ve had enough of this to last a lifetime. Besides¡­ I have to go bury my sister." Alain nodded in understanding, his expression softening. "Makes sense. And, for what it''s worth, I''m sorry she''s gone. She didn''t deserve to die." Jasper said nothing, instead giving him a small nod. Alain let out a small exhale, then looked towards Heather. "Mom?" he asked. She hesitated, then shook her head. "...Sorry, Alain. I know this sounds rough, but I''ve still got a life of my own I need to keep up with for now. I know we''ve been apart for a long time, but-" "Mom," he said, interrupting her. "I get it, okay? Just, for the love of God, whatever you do, please keep in touch with me, even if it''s just a letter every once in a while." She blinked in surprise, but nodded. Alain shared a glance with her before looking over to Sable and Az. "And what about-" "Do you even need to ask?" Sable said with a huff. "Of course we''re in." Alain stared at her. "That was fast." "Oh, save it. We''ve watched each other''s backs a lot these past few weeks. I figure, if I''m going to go into business with anyone, it might as well be someone I can trust. And currently, you''re at the top of my list." "Oddly altruistic of you. Whatever happened to becoming queen of everything?" "Oh, don''t get me wrong ¨C it''s in a vampire''s nature to establish their own dynasty. I haven''t given up on that¡­ but, perhaps, there is a better way to achieve it than simply taking things by force. And until I figure that out, I suppose there''s no harm in tagging along with you. Perhaps, in due time, I might even take you on as my dedicated apprentice. But we''ll see ¨C being a vampire''s apprentice is a difficult path for a human, though I suspect that if anyone could handle it, it''s you." Alain blinked, surprised at Sable''s sudden generous streak, but ultimately, he decided to refrain from arguing about it. Instead, he looked to Az, who seemed nonplussed. "Wherever she goes, I go," Az replied evenly. "I guess that''s it, then," Heather surmised. "I suppose so," Jasper quietly agreed. "Good luck out there, to all of you." A round of affirmations went up through the entire group. After a moment, they all started to walk once more, looking for a way out of the city. All around them, bodies littered the streets, the scent of decay already setting in across all of New Orleans. And yet, somehow, despite them managing to stop Owen, Alain could tell that things had only just begun for them. Alain tried to walk once more, only to stumble, his ribs crying out to him in agony. A low groan of pain escaped him as he doubled over; Sable and Az were at his side in an instant. "Alain!" Sable called. "What''s wrong?!" Alain gazed at her, and in that moment, recalled with horror that the sun was out. The hood of her cloak was still up, covering her head, but he could tell that it wouldn''t be enough; already, her face was beginning to redden. And so, with no small amount of effort, Alain reached up, took off his hat, and placed it on her head. Sable blinked, surprised, before giving a small, irritated huff and looking away, crossing her arms as she did so. "Idiot¡­" she muttered. "Spare some care for yourself once in a while, would you? You''ll get hurt less that way." Despite the pain, Alain couldn''t help but grin. Footsteps suddenly began to ring out around them, and Az and Sable drew closer to him, all while Alain''s hand again drifted to one of the revolvers on his belt. To his relief, however, it was only a small group of Colonel Stone''s men. "Smith," one of them said. "The Colonel sent us to check up on you all. Are you wounded?" "I''ll live¡­" Alain managed to gasp out. Again, Sable rolled her eyes. "He''s wounded," she surmised. "Broken ribs would be my guess, not to mention the blood loss from when he let me feed off him. I suppose the adrenaline finally wore off." The lead soldier nodded. "Hang on, I''ll get a wagon for all of you. We''ll have a doctor take a look at him while we get you three out of town." Alain blinked, surprised at the sudden development, but no less grateful for it. He watched as the soldiers doubled back, no doubt to find a doctor and a wagon; Sable, meanwhile, gently helped him down to the ground. Alain, for his part, gave her a grateful nod. As he sat on the blood-soaked ground, Alain glanced over at Sable and Az. And despite the grisly scene around them all, he couldn''t help but feel reassured with them at his side. Whatever the future had in store for them, uncertain as it all was, he knew that with the three of them together, everything would be just fine. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 1
With one final pull of the trigger, the final undead''s head burst like an overripe watermelon, showering the area with a spray of blood and gore as its body fell to the ground, lifeless. For a moment, there was nothing but silence, before it was broken by the sound of a lever-action shotgun being cycled, the noise of metal-on-metal splitting through the night like a bullet, followed by the sound of the spent shell flying out of the action and rolling across the floor. "Forty-two," a man''s voice muttered. He shuffled a bit, slinging his shotgun over his shoulder, then fumbled in his pocket for a cigarette. Once he had one, he struck a match and went to light it, the dim blaze from the flame illuminating his face. He paused, catching a glimpse of himself in a nearby broken vanity mirror. He should have looked the same as he always did ¨C just over six feet tall, with black hair, a short black beard, and dull blue eyes. And yet, somehow, he looked different ¨C not quite more tired, but certainly more weathered. The bit of gray in his hair didn''t help with that; worrying, considering he was only in his mid-twenties. It had only been eight months since New Orleans had been all but destroyed and the Veil had been lifted, and yet he looked so much older already. Then again, that probably wasn''t surprising ¨C Colonel Stone had warned him that serving as a professional monster hunter would age him like nobody''s business. That didn''t mean Alain was ready to catch a few strands of gray in his hair already. Shaking those thoughts from his mind, Alain took a long drag from his cigarette before exhaling it, then turning back to the door he''d entered through. "This room''s clear," he called, his voice echoing through the dilapidated mansion. "Sable, Az, you both good?" "Good here," Az confirmed from a few rooms away. "That should be the last of the undead," Sable added from the other side of the hallway. Alain took another drag from his cigarette. "Good," he said. "Let''s go get paid." XXX "H-how much money?!" the bald man all but screeched. "You can''t be serious!" "The deal was five dollars per undead we killed," Alain reminded him. "We killed forty-two undead. You do the math ¨C forty-two times five is 210 dollars. Ask me, that''s more than honest pay for honest work." "B-but¡­ I didn''t know there were that many¡­" "Hm." Alain brought a hand up to his chin in thought. "Tell you what, we''ll knock the last ten off, as a nice gesture. So now you''re only paying 160 dollars for the bunch. And that''s more than generous, if you ask me." The short, bald man hesitated. "...Perhaps we could haggle a bit more?" Alain took another drag from his cigarette, but nodded. "Sure," he said. "Who would you like to haggle with?" "S-sorry?" "I asked, who would you like to haggle with? I''ve already gone as low as I''m willing to go, which means your options now are the giant man who''s built like a brick shithouse, or her. And if I were you, I''d be very careful about who you pick." Alain motioned to the two people next to him. One was a short woman, standing just under five-and-a-half feet tall, with short blonde hair and skin so pale that it looked like she was made out of porcelain. Her most striking feature, however, was her deep red eyes, which marked her as something more than a mere human. She was still dressed in that same outfit she''d acquired a few months back, from the traveling seer ¨C a deep black-and-red leather cloak that she kept drawn around herself, with the hood thrown over her head to keep the sun off her. Meanwhile, on Alain''s other side, there stood a large, musclebound man. Alain was taller than average, but this man dwarfed him by several inches, standing just over six-and-a-half feet. He wore an immaculately-kept black suit, complete with an ascot, which was somehow still spotless despite the carnage they''d all just been through with the undead. The man in front of Alain blinked as he took in both Az and Sable. Slowly, he looked over to Sable, then nodded. "You seem reasonable enough." Alain let out a tired sigh as he shook his head. "They always do this¡­" "What?" "They always make the wrong choice¡­" The man paled as he looked over to Sable. She merely grinned, showing off a set of pointed fangs. Alain didn''t think it was possible, but somehow, their client went even paler. "So," she said, her heavy Romanian accent doing nothing to mask just how predatory her grin actually was. "Let''s negotiate." This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. XXX "One-hundred for me, one-hundred for Az, and one-hundred for Alain," Sable counted out, passing each of them a stack of money, her grin still plastered across her face as she did so. Alain ashed what was left of his cigarette, tossing the stub onto the ground. He reached for his stack of money, stuffing it into his pocket. "You know, you can be pretty mean when you want to be." She rolled her eyes. "Oh, spare me, Alain. We''re running a business, not a charity." "Still, these are supposed to be our clients. We don''t want to get a bad reputation with any of them." "You''re the one who put me in charge of the money in the first place," she reminded him. "And I know why you did it, too-" "You''re too nice," Az finished for her. Sable nodded. "Yeah, exactly right. If it were up to you, you''d probably do most of this work for free." "You''re not wrong," Alain admitted. "See? You know when you''ve been beat. That''s probably why you left me in charge of our finances in the first place." "No comment." Alain stood up from his spot at the table. "First round''s on me, as usual. Don''t tell me, either ¨C wine for Sable, and gin for Az?" "You know us so well," Sable said, her tone sarcastic. "But yes. And none of the cheap stuff, either." Alain raised an eyebrow. "Weren''t you just giving me a speech about how I''m bad with money?" "Money spent on good booze is money well-spent." She flashed him another grin, showing off her fangs once more. "Hurry back, please." Alain just sighed as he made his way over to the bar. The other patrons gave him a very wide berth as he passed by them all, speaking in hushed tones as he walked through the tavern. It would have bothered him, but at this point, he was used to it. Traveling with an obvious vampire tended to alienate any potential would-be friends. In the time since the attack on New Orleans, the whole world had come to learn about the creatures that lurked on the other side of the Veil. Naturally, there had been more than a little bit of chaos when that news had first broken, but eventually, normalcy had won out once it was clear that nobody was really in any immediate danger. Plus, the knowledge that several supernatural beings had helped take back New Orleans hadn''t hurt, either. Granted, most people were still deathly wary of the creatures that had lurked on the other side of the Vale in secret, but at this point, there wasn''t much they could do about any of them. Sure, a few enterprising ones among the bunch had immediately tried to band together for their own safety, but once it was clear that the majority of the supernatural creatures were content to be left alone, any kind of open hostilities had quickly been tempered. That wasn''t to say it was all smiles among the two sides, however ¨C rather, tensions between them had simply been reduced to a level closer to a slow boil rather than a simmering hatred. Both sides were still very wary of each other, but for the moment, at least, they were also content not to push the envelope by doing anything too stupid. Alain approached the bar, laying a small stack of bills on the counter. "Evening," he said to the bartender. The man behind the counter said nothing. Alain''s brow furrowed, even as he pointed at a few bottles lined up behind him. "I''ll take those three, if you don''t mind." Thankfully, the bartender nodded, then turned and retrieved all three bottles, setting them on the counter between the two of them. He quickly pocketed Alain''s money, only to pause when Alain flashed him another bill. "You strike me as the kind of man who knows a lot about what goes on in this town," Alain said. "My friends and I just cleared out an old mansion full of undead. Now, I don''t know how much you know about undead, but they don''t just come up out of the ground for no reason. No, someone summoned them. Now, if you happen to know anyone in town who might have started to dabble in necromancy once the Veil was lifted, well¡­ let''s just say it''d be in your best interests to tell us who it is, and not just because Henry Clay is the one asking you." The bartender snapped up the fifty dollar bill and hurriedly stuffed it in his pocket. He looked around to make sure nobody had seen him do it, and once he''d confirmed that it was all clear, he motioned for Alain to lean in. "If anyone asks, you didn''t hear this from me," he said. "But the butcher''s boy, Adam, has started acting strange these past few weeks, always coming and going at odd hours of the night. Folks have said they''ve seen him pacing outside the nearby cemetery, just before several graves were dug up and their occupants'' remains stolen. If you were going to look for whoever''s responsible for this, I''d start with him." Slowly, Alain nodded. "Much obliged," he said. He went to walk away, only for the bartender to reach out and gently take him by the arm. Alain turned back around, leaning in once more. The bartender hesitated before speaking again. "...This ain''t gonna end up being like what happened in New Orleans, is it?" Alain blinked. That was one of the most common questions people tended to ask him, particularly since they''d been dealing with so many undead incursions ¨C everyone was always so concerned about their town becoming the next New Orleans. He couldn''t exactly blame them for it, no matter how technically wrong it was. After all, the government had never outright said exactly what had attacked New Orleans. Everyone had seemed to infer that it had been some kind of undead, and the government had apparently seen fit to let them keep believing that rather than try correcting them. Alain didn''t need to think too hard about why that might have been the case. Somehow, he doubted that people learning that the Underworld was real and occupied by true evil would have been preferable. Still, he looked back to the bartender and nodded. "We''re not about to let that happen," he said. "Count on it." The bartender stared at him for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief and nodding. He let go of Alain''s arm, and Alain tipped his hat to him before gathering up the three bottles of alcohol and making his way back to the table where Sable and Az were sitting. "Making new friends?" Az asked. "Not quite," Alain said as he sat down and began passing out the bottles. "But I did get us some information." "Oh?" Sable said as she uncorked her bottle of wine and took a swig straight from the bottle, setting it down once she was done. "Do tell, Alain." "Bartender recommended we look into the butcher''s kid, some young man named Adam," Alain said to them in a hushed tone so the other patrons wouldn''t hear. "Said that the kid might have been dabbling in some freaky shit." "Necromancy?" Az asked, earning a nod. He let out a slow exhale, then shook his head. "You mortals¡­ always so eager to mess with things you don''t understand." "Luckily for us, otherwise we''d have a much more difficult time finding work," Sable added. "Alright, so I guess we''ll be looking into the kid tonight." "Yup," Alain replied with a nod. "Though, if you ask me, there''s no way one guy was responsible for this. There were almost fifty walking corpses in that old mansion, and they were pretty fresh. No way he was able to dig up that many graves by himself that quickly. I think it''s plain to see that he had help of some kind, the only question is who." "I suppose we''ll figure that out tonight," Az mused. "But until then¡­ congrats all-around, for another job well-done. It may not yet be finished, but at least the mansion is clear." "And we got paid," Sable reminded him. "Don''t forget that." They all clinked their bottles together, then drank deeply of them. Alain gave a content sigh as he felt the whiskey flood through his system, leaning back in his chair with one hand still wrapped around the neck of the bottle, his face reddening as the alcohol did its work. Another day, another dollar, he supposed. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 2
Later that night, the three of them left their respective rooms in the inn and set off for the cemetery. As they walked, Alain looked around town, frowning as he brought a hand up to his chin in thought. "Ever wonder why these people always pick small towns like this?" he asked. "Seriously. First it was Los Banos, and now it''s Bandera." "Makes it easier for us, I suppose," Sable mused. "Less red tape to worry about." "You can''t be too disappointed," Az pointed out. "Aren''t you originally from this state, whatever it''s called?" "Texas," Alain replied. "And yes, I am. And as you''ll recall, I left for a good reason. This whole state has nothing but bad memories for me¡­ though, admittedly, they''ve lessened a bit since I found out my mother survived the house fire, after all." They all passed by the saloon where they''d been drinking earlier, each of them keeping an eye out for anything suspicious as they walked. The entire time, the other locals gave Az and Sable a very wide berth. Alain couldn''t blame them for it, however; if he hadn''t known the two of them personally, he probably would have done the same, just out of caution. "Doesn''t that get old?" Alain asked Sable as they rounded a corner and several people who''d been playing cards at a nearby table outside suddenly retreated inside, leaving their game unfinished. Az shrugged. "Not really. And besides, people will acclimate in due time." "If you say so. All I''m saying is, we''re in the south. People down here aren''t much for change, generally speaking. Hell, the entire nation nearly permanently split in two over that not too long ago, among other things." "There''ll be time to worry about that later," Sable urged. "Come on, let''s not waste any more moonlight." Alain nodded, and the three of them began to double-time it over to the cemetery. XXX "See anything?" Sable shook her head. "Nothing yet. Give it time, I''m sure he''ll show up eventually. And if not, we can always just come back tomorrow¡­ or take a more proactive approach." Alain grimaced, then shook his head. "I''d rather not rough up a young man like that." "Not even if he''s a necromancer?" "Even then. We all do dumb shit when we''re that age¡­ it''s just that what he''s doing happens to be really dumb. Point is, if we can avoid the direct approach, I''d rather do that." "Surprised you care so much," Az noted. "You were the one saying earlier that he couldn''t have been acting alone. Seems like it''d be worth getting some of that information out of him by any means necessary." "On the contrary," Alain replied. "If he''s not working alone, then he''s probably being set up by someone far more dangerous than him. At least, that''s my assumption. Teenagers don''t just start dabbling in stuff like this out of nowhere without prompting." "How would you know?" Sable questioned. "Sable, in all our time killing the undead these past few months, how many young necromancers have we fought? None, that''s how many." Alain turned his gaze back to the cemetery. "Point is, I don''t think this Adam kid is fully responsible for what he''s doing, and I''d rather not beat his ass over what could ultimately be a stupid mistake on his part." Next to him, Sable rolled her eyes. "Since when did you become such a bleeding heart?" Alain said nothing, instead just shifting to make himself a bit more comfortable. Currently, the three of them were perched on the roof of a nearby three-story inn just across from the cemetery. They were lying prone on the roof, with just their heads exposed over the edge of the building. After a few more minutes of watching, Alain finally gave a frustrated sigh and shook his head. "Alright, so I can''t see shit anymore," he admitted. "It''s officially too dark at this point for me to be of much help here." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "Cry some more, why don''t you?" Sable taunted. Alain flipped her off, and she grinned at him, showing off her fangs. "All I''m saying is, it pays to be the apex predator." "Oh, is that what you are?" Alain asked. "Must be why most of your important figures were hiding in a mountain in the Sierra Nevadas for so long." "Alain, remind me again, between the two of us, who feeds who?" "I feed you, which is why you should be nice to me, because otherwise you''ll have to find a new source of blood." "Hey," Az suddenly said, interrupting their friendly bickering. "I think I see movement." Alain suddenly paused, then carefully pulled himself back to the ledge of the building to try and take a look. He squinted, trying to make out what was happening through the darkness. At that moment, the clouds covering the moon parted just enough for him to see a few figures moving about the cemetery. From what he could see, there were three of them, and two were obviously forcing the third to go along. "That guy''s hands are bound behind his back¡­" Sable muttered. "Looks like he has a hood over his head, too." She turned to Alain. "What should we-" Alain didn''t wait to hear more of her question. Instead, he jumped over the roof, landing on the balcony a few feet underneath him, then began to climb down. By the time he hit the ground, he was already drawing his shotgun and advancing into the cemetery. And from the sound of things, Sable and Az weren''t far behind him. XXX By the time Alain actually made it across the street to the cemetery, he was able to clearly tell what was going on. The third figure had been forced to kneel on the ground, all while the other two stood over him, one with a wicked-looking dagger in his hand. That was all Alain needed to see. He shouldered his Winchester Model 1887 shotgun and fired, sending a spray of buckshot screaming downrange at the knife-wielding man. The pellets made impact, tearing a chunk of flesh out of the man''s shoulder, but to Alain''s amazement, he stayed standing; Alain had just a moment to question it before the man turned towards him, his eyes glowing blue through the hood he was wearing over his head. "Oh, fuck me¡­" Alain groaned as he cycled his lever-action shotgun, ejecting the spent shell and chambering a fresh one. "Of course it''s wights¡­" The dagger-wielding man suddenly shoved his hostage aside, and then him and his accomplice began to race towards Alain. For his part, Alain was completely unperturbed; he merely took aim and fired, turning the dagger-wielder''s head to paste. He watched as the now-lifeless body fell to the ground among the headstones, his blade falling uselessly to the dirt next to him. The second wight suddenly paused, his eyes going wide as he stared at the now-headless body of his former accomplice. Slowly, he turned to look at Alain. "You didn''t really think nobody knew how to deal with wights, did you?" Alain asked, raising an eyebrow. "Sorry to say, but you fucked up." And then he raised his shotgun and disintegrated the second wight''s head with another shell of buckshot. The second lifeless body hit the ground just a short ways away from the hostage. Alain again cycled the action of his weapon, the dull sound of metal-on-metal echoing through the night like rolling thunder. The man kneeling on the ground tried to get up and run, even with the hood still on his head and his arms still bound behind his back; Alain managed to catch up to him and stop him by putting a hand on his shoulder. "Easy there, buddy," Alain said as he slung his long gun over his shoulder. "Here, let me get you out of this." Alain drew his knife and cut through the ropes binding the man in one fell swoop, then yanked the hood off his head. He didn''t recognize the person under the hood, but in the moonlight, he was able to see that it was a young man, probably around sixteen if he had to guess, with short red hair and bright green eyes. He was tall for his age, standing just under six feet, and his face was pockmarked with freckles. "So," Alain said, unslinging his shotgun to reload it. The boy flinched with every shell he slid into the weapon''s action. "Alex, I presume?" "Y-yes, sir," Alex said, giving a nervous nod. "Alright. So, Alex, you fancy yourself a bit of a necromancer." Alex''s eyes widened, and he immediately turned to run away, only for Alain to sigh tiredly and stop him by putting a hand on his shoulder, then turned him back around so the two of them were facing each other once more. "You''re not in trouble, son," Alain told him. "At least, not yet. Now, tell me who''s really running the show around here so I can keep it that way." Alex swallowed nervously, but nodded. "A-alright¡­ the ringleader''s name is-" "Alain!" At the sound of Sable''s voice, Alain turned around to face her and Az. As he did so, he scowled. "You both took your damn time," he noted. "You looked like you had it under control," Az replied. "Did you dispose of them all yet?" Sable asked. Alain was about to say something in response, but never got the chance to before Alex suddenly pointed at Sable with a shaking hand. "V-v-vampire!" he managed to stammer out. "You''re¡­ you''re a real-life vampire¡­!" Sable blinked. "Yes, I had noticed. But thanks for pointing it out anyway." If it were possible, Alex''s eyes suddenly widened even more at her confirmation. For a moment, Alain fully expected him to try to take off running yet again, but he didn''t. Instead, he immediately pushed past Alain and knelt down at Salem''s feet, prostrating himself to her. Sable blinked in surprise yet again, then turned to Alain. "Alain, what''s this guy doing?" "I think he''s attempting to worship at the altar of Sable," Alain noted. "Ah." "That''s all you have to say? I thought getting people to worship you was your whole thing." "It is, but¡­ this is just a little-" "My lady, please hear my plea!" Alex said. "-Weird," Sable finished. "Alright, uh¡­ sure. First things first, on your feet; it''s hard to talk to you when I can''t see your face." Alex obliged, rising to his feet. Sable reeled back when he leaned in to get a closer look at her. She peered past him to look at Alain, silently begging for help, only for Alain to shrug. "This is your scene, not mine," he explained. Her gaze narrowed, but she said nothing. Instead, she gave a heavy sigh, then looked back at Alex. "Okay, kid," she offered. "What do you need from us?" Alex hesitated for a moment, then exhaled before looking to her again. "Can you bring my dead sister back?" he begged. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 3
Sable blinked, completely taken aback by Alex''s statement. Again, she looked to Alain for help, and this time, he sighed tiredly. "Hate to say it, but you''ve got your mythical creatures mixed up," Alain offered. "If Sable can raise the dead, I''ve never seen her do it." Alex turned towards him, a crestfallen look crossing his face. "Oh¡­ but it is possible, right?" "It''s possible, but not in a good way," Az warned, finally breaking his silence. Alex turned to him, and Az motioned to the two now-headless wights on the ground. "When it comes to necromancy, most of the time, you just end up with a mindless corpse that''s barely even loyal to the person who reanimated it. Best case scenario, you get a wight. And believe me when I say that the cost to get even that much is steep, and you don''t strike me as the kind of person willing to pay it." Alex was taken aback. He stared at Az for a moment, before softly saying, "But¡­ they promised¡­" "Slow down," Alain urged. "First of all, who''s they?" "The necromancers in charge of the group." Alain let out a tired sigh. "Necromancers, as in plural? As in there''s several of them? Fuck me¡­" He shook his head, even as he reached into his pocket for a cigarette and a match. "Things are never easy, are they?" "If it was easy, everyone would do it," Sable replied. She looked back over at Alex. "Start from the beginning. What happened?" Alex took a breath. "...My older sister, Camille, died a few years ago ¨C bad case of tuberculosis. Doesn''t really matter how she died, only that she''s gone. That should have been it, you know? But then¡­ that thing in New Orleans happened a few months ago, and suddenly, there was a chance. I-I mean¡­ if you had the opportunity, wouldn''t you bring back you loved who died young?" "Me? No," Alain answered with another shake of his head. "But then again, I know how necromancy tends to turn out. Most regular people don''t. I suppose I can''t blame you too much for what happened, then." "Either way, keep talking," Sable urged. "How''d you get introduced to the necromancers?" Alex shifted, uncomfortable. "...I was visiting Camille''s grave one day," he said. "They all approached me ¨C said they were just passing through town on their way to some other state, can''t remember exactly which one. Suppose it doesn''t really matter either way¡­ but anyway, they approached me, and offered me a chance to reunite with Camille if I joined them." "And you believed them?" "Not at first. But they told me to come back to the cemetery that night and they''d prove what they said. So I did, and¡­ they brought a dead person back to life, right in front of me. After that, I couldn''t say no." "Why did they try to kill you?" Az questioned. Alex bit his lip. "...Because I started to get cold feet with some of the things they were talking about, that''s why. It was really weird stuff, like occult stuff¡­ now, I may have been trying to raise the dead, but Mama raised me to be a God-fearing man, so once they started talking about that kind of stuff, I was out. Guess they didn''t appreciate that." "Sounds like they also planned to use you as fuel for some kind of ritual, too," Sable pointed out. "Must be why they brought you back here. My guess is, they planned to bleed you dry and use it to resurrect the whole cemetery. What they planned to do with that many corpses, I have no idea, but it can''t be anything good." "Figures¡­" Alain muttered as he lit up his cigarette and took a drag from it, then slowly exhaled. "And where could we find these necromancers?" Alex turned to him, surprised. "You''re going after them?" "Won''t get paid unless we do. Now, you know where to find them?" "Uh¡­ yeah, I suppose," Alex offered. "There''s an old mill not far from town, to the east. That''s where you''ll find them." Alain reached out and patted Alex on the shoulder. "Good man," he said, before pulling his hand away and brushing past Alex. "Do yourself a favor, son ¨C either leave town or find someplace safe to hole up in while we take care of business." If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "What¡­?" Alex breathed. "You think they''re going to come to town?" "I wouldn''t bet against it," Alain said without looking back as him, Az, and Sable all began to walk away. "Trouble has a way of following us wherever we go." XXX True to Alex''s word, there was indeed an old mill just to the east of town. It was situated at the base of a small hill, next to a dried-up river bed. Alain knelt at the top of the hill, shotgun held loosely in one hand, as he peered down at the mill, his face just barely illuminated in the night by the burning stub of the cigarette in his mouth. "You should probably put that thing out if you don''t want to be seen," Sable said as she knelt down next to him. Alain let out a small grunt. "Won''t matter. Clouds are out again; I can''t see shit, which I take to mean they can''t, either. Besides, it doesn''t really matter ¨C in a few minutes, they''ll know we''re here, anyway." "Going in loud, then?" Az asked. "Is there any other way to do it? Stealth doesn''t particularly suit any of us, if you ask me." Alain rose to his feet, dusting his jeans off as he ashed what was left of his cigarette, then threw the stub on the dirt and ground his heel on it. "Sable, you''ve got keener senses than I do. Can you see anything?" Sable leaned in a bit, squinting as she peered into the mill. After a moment, she gave a small nod. "Not much, but yes. Looks like there are some people wandering about down there. I think they''ve got guns." "I''m not surprised," Alain mused. "We are in the south, after all, specifically Texas. Everyone''s armed down here; you kind of have to be when you share a border with Mexico, to say nothing of the supernatural creatures that live out here." "Still, that presents a problem," Az pointed out. "Getting shot might not immediately kill Sable or I, but it''s still not pleasant for either of us, not to mention that you''re nowhere near as sturdy as we are." "So, how do we want to do this?" Sable asked. "Any ideas? Alain thought for a moment, bringing a hand up to his chin as he did so. He looked down at the mill once more, taking note of how wide-open it was ¨C there were several large buildings scattered across the premises, and given how necromancers tended to operate, he suspected there was probably at least one basement there, too ¨C if one hadn''t already existed when they''d moved in, then they''d almost certainly built one by now. In any case, the mill being so open was both a blessing and a curse. It provided an opportunity for them to approach from almost anywhere, but it also meant that they''d be spotted almost instantly unless something were to distract the occupants somehow. At that thought, Alain''s gaze slid over to Sable and Az. Slowly, a plan began to come to mind. "I''ve got something," he said. "Don''t tell us," Sable replied, "we''re going to hate it?" "Possibly. But unless either of you have something, I''m at a loss otherwise." Az and Sable exchanged a glance, then looked back over to him. "Let''s hear it," Az said. Alain nodded, then took a breath and began to speak. XXX Alain''s first indication that the plan had gone off without a hitch was when he looked out from his spot behind some rocks and saw Az standing there, his hands raised above his head, with several men in black cloaks pointing guns at him while barking orders. His second indication was when the screams started from inside the camp. The plan had been simple ¨C send Az in to distract the necromancers by approaching the mill, and when they were all sufficiently focused on him, turn Sable loose and let her do her thing. And from the sound of things, she was doing exactly that. Of course, the gunfire started not long after, and that was Alain''s cue to rush in. Az was already taking sporadic fire, but most of the necromancers had instead turned their attention towards Sable, and it wasn''t exactly hard to see why ¨C Alain didn''t know what was going on inside the camp, but it had to be a bloodbath, just based on what he could hear even this far away. "Az!" Alain called as he ran up alongside him. Az was currently sheltered in the river bed, keeping his head down as bullets whizzed by all around them, each one kicking up a clod of dirt and dust as it landed dangerously close. As Alain arrived, Az turned towards him, then motioned with his head. "Guess this is where you take over," he said. "I''ll head around back and join up with Sable." Alain nodded, and Az rolled over onto his stomach and began to crawl away through the river bed. Alain watched him go for just a moment, then hefted his shotgun and began to lay down some fire over the top of the river bed, aiming towards the mill. The gunfire began to taper off as he did so; the necromancers clearly hadn''t expected a fight, especially not one of this magnitude, which gave him the opportunity he needed to move out. After just a few shots from his Winchester, Alain felt safe enough to move out from cover. He climbed over the edge of the river bed, then began to sprint for the mill, firing off shotgun blasts as he ran. Whatever incoming fire was aimed towards him stopped completely as he ran, the shooters either too intimidated or simply too dead to do anything to him at this point. Alain made it to the mill in just a few seconds and flattened himself against the side of one of the buildings, huffing and puffing as he fumbled to reload his shotgun. He took a few seconds to thumb shells into it, then spun out from behind cover, his weapon''s stock already up against his shoulder as he peered down the bead sight and scanned the area. It was clear, at least for now, but he could still hear sporadic gunfire from inside the mill. Alain took a breath to calm himself, then began to steadily move into the mill. Predictably, the entire area was full of mutilated bodies ¨C a sure sign that Sable had been here. A few of them were wights, but most were just regular people dressed in those black robes and wielding firearms. Alain stepped over one such body, showing no reaction even when he realized the man had been bisected at the waist and his legs were lying several feet away. "Just another day at the office¡­" he muttered as he continued to push into camp, his weapon at the ready. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 4
"Sable, Az!" Alain called as he moved through the camp. "Where are you both at?!" There was no response, save for some far-off sporadic gunfire and screaming at the other end of the mill. It faded after a few seconds, and when it finally did, he let out a tired sigh, then began to double-time it over to that side of the camp. Upon arriving, he found Az and Sable standing there, covered in blood, none of it their own. Neither one seemed even the least bit winded by what they''d done. Alain looked around, shuddering when he saw them standing in the middle of a field of mutilated bodies. "Alright, one of these days, we''re going to have to have a serious talk about teaching you both to shoot, if only to cut down on the mess," he said. "Because this shit is downright disturbing to me. For real." "Really?" Sable asked, putting a gore-covered hand on her hip. "After everything we''ve been through already? I would have thought this wouldn''t faze you anymore." "You''d have thought wrong." Alain shifted, looking away from the pile of corpses littering the ground. "Let''s keep moving, I expect there''ll be plenty of underground areas around here we''re going to have to clear out. You know the drill ¨C be careful down there, watch for undead, and try not to get shot." "Az, you''re in front," Sable said. "We''ll move as one, but you''re the biggest out of all of us, so I want you to take the lead." "Not a problem, my lady," Az replied. "Follow me." With that, he walked off, leading them to the largest building in camp. XXX Naturally, the door to the mill itself was locked, though that was hardly a problem for Az, who merely reached out and crushed the steel padlock with his bare hands before ripping it off the door in one fell swoop. He then kicked the door in, sending it flying backwards, completely flattening a cultist who had been posted up on the other side as the three of them filed in. The moment they stepped into the building, they started taking fire from the upper levels. From what Alain could see, the mill was made up of a basic floor where all the equipment was kept, plus a level where the foreman would have watched over the workers, and a final upper level that appeared to be dedicated for maintenance. Not that the specifics mattered at this point in time, as currently, they were taking fire from all three levels. Alain ducked down behind a piece of machinery as rounds began to ping off the bits of metal scattered around him, each one leaving a trail of sparks behind it. Sable and Az took off running through the mill; Alain only paid attention to them for a moment before turning back to the necromancers still firing at him. He tried to poke his head out from behind his impromptu cover, only for a trio of rounds to impact just above him, forcing him back down as he grit his teeth. Alain hunkered down behind the machine, trying his best to think of something, when movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned just in time to see a wight charging at him; without even a moment of hesitation, Alain fired a blast from his shotgun, reducing the wight''s head to pulp. He cycled the weapon, then looked around. Several of those incoming rounds were now getting dangerously close to hitting him, even behind cover; the necromancers must have been trying to change positions and angle themselves to get a better shot at him. At this rate, he was a dead man if he stayed where he was, so that left him only one thing to do. Alain took a breath to steel himself, then took off running down the path the dead wight appeared to have taken. It was dark inside the mill, with the only light coming from the various muzzle flashes scattered throughout. Therefore, Alain wasn''t surprised when he turned a blind corner and immediately tripped and fell end-over-end down an underground tunnel that was almost invisible in the blackness. He fell several meters, eventually coming to a rest head-first at the base of the tunnel. Alain picked himself off the ground with a groan, his head swimming; thankfully, there were no injuries save for a new headache and the matching bump on his head. He supposed that made him lucky, but he didn''t feel like it at this point in time. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Fuck me¡­" Alain muttered as he looked behind himself, trying to determine whether or not to climb up the way he''d come. Unfortunately, it didn''t seem possible to reach; one thing he''d learned about undead was that even the lower-powered ones such as wights still outperformed humans in terms of sheer physical ability. From what he could tell, the wight had jumped several meters straight up in order to get out of the tunnel, which was something he was not capable of doing. "Clearing the tunnels it is, then¡­" he quietly said to himself. He took another breath. "Okay¡­" With that, Alain started to move, carefully creeping through the tunnel. If he knew his necromancers as well as he suspected he did, then underground tunnels such as this almost certainly meant more undead; an assertion that was backed by the wights they''d killed already. It was no surprise, then, when he heard low moans from around a corner up ahead, followed by the telltale shuffling of feet against dirt floor. Alain grit his teeth as he flattened himself against the wall and peered out from behind the corner. Through the darkness, he could just barely make out several human-like shapes, all of them with strips of old clothing and rotten flesh hanging off of them. The smell hit him all at once, nearly making him gag; he''d killed hundreds of undead by this point, but the stench of decomposition never got any easier to deal with. That didn''t stop him from stepping out from around the corner and firing off his shotgun, however. The tunnels were cramped, but not so cramped that it was impossible to make fine movements while inside them. In addition, they were also surprisingly long, around twenty-five meters if he had to guess; the undead were peppered throughout, around twenty of them by his count, with most of them clustered towards the end. This was a benefit to him, as it gave his shotgun pellets room to spread. As Alain watched, three of the undead were cut down with a single blast from his shotgun, each one taking a few pellets direct to the head. He cycled the action and took aim once more; the undead had noticed him by now, and were beginning to shuffle towards him, their arms outstretched and jaws ready for his flesh. Alain stood his ground, however, continuing to fire off his Winchester even as the crowd of undead drew to within just a few meters of him. Finally, the shotgun ran dry. Alain let it dangle from its sling and ripped one of his revolvers from its holster, then began to fire and fan the hammer as fast as he could. Each round was another headshot, and another undead reintroduced to the soil. And when that revolver ran dry, he holstered it and drew his second, then repeated the feat. Within moments, the crowd of almost two-dozen undead was no more, having been reduced to little more than corpses yet again. Alain stood there, panting with exertion, before reloading his weapons and continuing on his way, his ears ringing the entire time. "Should''ve taken Mom''s advice¡­" he muttered, wincing at the sudden onset of tinnitus. "Note to self: next time, get some earmuffs, or at least stuff my ears with cotton or something¡­" Still, Alain did his best to shake the feeling away, instead continuing to move through the tunnels. Thankfully, the path widened a bit past the initial part he''d started in, and aside from the occasional undead, there was really nothing for him to fight; he could only assume the brunt of the necromancers were already busy with Sable and Az, not that he''d complain. Alain fired off one final shot as he rounded a corner, cutting down yet another walking corpse that''d attempted to grab at him. He took a split-second to confirm the kill, moving on once he''d verified the undead had a fresh .45-caliber hole drilled through its skull. As he did so, however, he became idly aware of something off in the distance. "Chanting¡­?" he muttered. The thought made him pause for a moment, but he didn''t dwell on it, instead continuing on his way, shotgun in hand. He advanced towards the ominous-sounding chanting, taking note of how the tunnel he was in tapered off to a single path at the end, one that was well-lit with blue light. Something told him that whatever awaited him at the other end, it was nothing good. Alain eventually stepped into the next room, and was met by a large chamber illuminated by deep blue candlelight. And standing there in the middle of the room was a man dressed in a crimson robe, hunched over some kind of altar, chanting in some unidentifiable language as he flipped through an ancient-looking back. As Alain stopped a ways away, the man stopped chanting and looked up from his book, allowing Alain to get a good look at him. He was old, appearing to be in his sixties, and had a large gray beard and deep blue eyes, which gave him away as a wight. And as Alain watched, the old man cracked a wide smile and stretched his arms out. "Welcome, welcome!" the man greeted. "We have been waiting for-" Alain just rolled his eyes. "You talk too much." Then he shouldered his shotgun and fired a single blast, one which cut the old man''s head nearly in half when it made impact a split-second later. Alain watched as the man''s corpse fell like a puppet with its strings cut, and after taking a moment to load a fresh shell into his weapon, Alain advanced upon him. The old man was certainly dead, that much was true; Alain had never seen a wight survive having its brain destroyed like that before, and he had no reason to think this one would be any different. With that established, he turned his attention to the book the man had been flipping through, his eyes narrowing as he leaned in to try and read it. It was written in some kind of unidentifiable language, and moreover, from what he could tell, it was written in blood and bound in human flesh. He couldn''t tell how old it was, but it didn''t seem to be that old; the blood was still red rather than a dull rust-color, so it hadn''t oxidized yet, at least from what he could tell. As Alain examined the book, whispers suddenly filled his ears, and he whipped around, shouldering his Winchester as he did so. There was nobody there, however; it was just him and the dead wight. Just to be sure, Alain kicked the dead body at his feet, but it continued to show no reaction. Alain blinked, then shook his head. "Just hearing things¡­" he muttered to himself. Whatever the case was, the old man had clearly been obsessed with this book, and that meant that he couldn''t afford to leave it here. Without a second thought, Alain picked up the book and slipped it into his bag, then stepped off the altar and headed back for the tunnels, intent on reuniting with his friends. The whole time, he did his best to try and ignore the whispers rising up in the back of his mind yet again. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 5
"Alain? Alain, where are you?!" At the sound of Sable''s voice, Alain knew he''d successfully found his way back through the twisting tunnels underneath the old mill. He slung his shotgun across his front, then cleared his throat. "I''m down here!" he called. "Don''t worry, I''m okay! Just need someone to get me out of this hole!" As soon as he''d finished speaking, Alain heard Sable take off running towards the sound of his voice. A few seconds later, he watched as she jumped down the hole and joined him in the tunnel. "Good," she said, looking him up and down. "You''re still alive." "Sable, after what we went through in New Orleans, you should know better than to think a few undead and some wights would be enough to put me down," Alain told her. "Just saying. It''d be pretty bad if we lost you, considering how you''re a third of the business. And speaking about being difficult to put down, we nearly lost you in the swamps that one time." Alain rolled his eyes. "That was just a bite from a voodoo zombie, not an undead." "Yeah, and you got lucky that''s all it was. Anyway, stand still, I''ll get us out of here." "What are you planning on-" That was as far as he got before Sable grabbed him by the waist and then jumped, propelling herself several meters up in the air and out of the tunnels. Alain paled as the wind rushed by around him, only for it to pass as soon as it''d arrived when they touched back down on the ground again. "Simple as that," Sable declared. "Land¡­" Alain breathed, falling to all fours. "Oh, sweet, glorious land¡­ how I missed you¡­" She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Laugh it up all you want, just remember that I''m in charge of watching your back more often than not." Alain picked himself up off the ground, dusting himself off as he did so. He grimaced when he saw the state of his clothes; they were covered in dirt, grime, and blood and guts courtesy of the undead he''d put down. "Eugh¡­" Alain breathed, letting out a shudder as he did so. "Have I ever told you how much I hate dealing with the undead? Because I really hate dealing with the undead¡­ present company excluded, of course." Sable just rolled her eyes again. At that moment, Az came around the corner. Through the darkness, Alain was able to make out that he was just as dirty and grime-covered as the two of them were. Az seemed to notice as well, as he stopped and stared at them for a moment. "...You both look awful," he volunteered. "No offense, my lady, but it''s true." "What is this, gang up on Sable day?" Sable asked, crossing her arms. "Whatever. Let''s just get the hell out of here, get our payment, and then go get clean. I smell like the walking dead." "You are the walking dead," Alain reminded her. Sable''s only response was to flip him off. XXX "I''m sorry, who are you three, again?" the portly, mustached man behind the ornate oaken desk asked. "We''re the three who just solved your little problem with a cult of necromancers down at the old mill," Alain told him. "Ah." The man paused. "...And what exactly, pray tell, is a necromancer, anyway?" Alain let out a small, tired sigh, even as he reached into his shirt pocket for a cigarette and a match. This was always the worst part of the job ¨C taking care of something far in advance of it becoming a problem, and then having to haggle with ignorant people about payment for it afterwards. As much as he hated dealing with the undead, he''d sooner take dealing with another undead incursion over having to debate the value of wiping out a coven of witches with someone who swore up and down that the last of them had been set ablaze at Salem or something. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Alain pushed that thought from his mind as he lit up his cigarette and took a drag. Once he felt the nicotine flood into his system, he turned back to the mayor. "Look," he said, "we''ve been around the block a time or two when it comes to things like this. We can tell when something supernatural is about to become a problem. And, buddy, let me tell you, what was going on at that old mill was about to be a major thorn in your side. You ever hear about what happened at Los Banos a few months back?" The man thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Can''t say I have." "Exactly, because we were there and we were the ones to clean it up. You didn''t hear about it because, in the grand scheme of things, it wasn''t that big a deal, especially since New Orleans turned into hell on Earth not even a few weeks after." "Which we were also at, by the way," Salem chimed in. "Sure you were," the mayor said, incredulous. Alain let out another sigh of annoyance. That was part of the issue with haggling ¨C most people refused to believe they were talking with a group who had not only been at New Orleans, but who had helped put a stop to whatever the vampire elder responsible for it had been attempting to do. Alain still wasn''t sure what Elder Owen''s plan had been, but at this point, he supposed he was better off not knowing. It didn''t matter, in any case; Owen was dead and his plan, whatever it was, seemed to have failed. And aside from a bit of a social upheaval, what with the Veil being lifted and all, things were mostly back to normal, aside from there suddenly being a huge market for what the three of them had to offer. As it turned out, freelance supernatural bounty hunters didn''t exactly grow on trees. The mayor suddenly leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Look, I''ll level with you both," he offered. "Bandera isn''t exactly a wealthy town. We have a few well-off people who live here, in fact from what I recall, you three have already met one of them and pretty much bled him dry in exchange for helping him out a bit." "He did that to himself," Sable argued. "That fat moron tried to stiff us on our job. What happened after was strictly business." "I''m sure," the mayor said dryly. "In any case, assuming what you''ve said is, indeed, true, and that we were about to have a Los Banas on our hands, or whatever you called it¡­ I would need someone to verify you''re telling the truth first, and even then, the most I could give you is 200." Alain''s brow furrowed. He exchanged a glance with Sable and Az before looking back at the mayor. "200, plus room and board for the next few days," Alain said. "We''ll take the room and board up front." "Fine, fine," the mayor said dismissively. "Just¡­ please get out of my office; you three smell like a graveyard." With that, Alain took another drag from his cigarette, then stood up and motioned for Sable and Az to follow him. They did so, the three of them leaving the mayor''s office just as he slammed the door behind them and locked it. And the moment they were out in the hallway again, Sable rounded on Alain, glaring at him. "Are you crazy?" she demanded. "We did way more work than what he was paying us for. Between the necromancers, the wights, and the undead you killed, that was at least a 500-dollar job, plus the room and board you asked for." "I''m inclined to agree," Az said. "I know you prefer to keep your prices low, Alain, but at the same time, there has to be a limit to this sort of thing." "And there is," Alain specified. "But I wasn''t willing to argue about it with him. And besides, I''ve got a feeling that I might have a lead on something bigger than this job." That got their attention. They both leaned in expectantly, only for Alain to grunt and shake his head. "Not here," he said. "We''ll talk more at the saloon. And as always, first round''s on me." They both nodded, then the three of them began to walk out of the town hall. Alain stopped only to tip his hat towards a young, terrified-looking secretary at the front desk, who just about fainted when she saw the gore spattered across the three of them, and then they continued on their way. XXX "Alright, so start talking," Sable demanded as Alain sat down at the table with their drinks of choice. He''d opted for bourbon again, while she''d gone for her usual expensive wine. Az, meanwhile, had forgone the gin in favor of Irish whiskey. Why he seemed to have an obsession with European liquors, Alain had no idea. He could only assume it came about from serving Sable. Shaking that thought from his mind, Alain poured himself a quick shot of bourbon and knocked it back in one go, letting out a content sigh as he felt the alcohol begin to heat him up. With the first one down, he poured a second, though he was careful to just sip at it this time. "It''s simple, really," Alain told the two of them as he nursed his glass. "The way I see it, those necromancers didn''t just pop up out of nowhere. They were far too organized to have been a simple fly-by-night operation. Ask me, I think there''s something a bit bigger going on with them than we might have initially expected." "Interesting¡­" Az mused. "And you have proof of this?" "Well, just think about it. When''s the last time we ran into a cult that big that just appeared out of nowhere?" "Well, there was that coven of witches-" Sable began. Alain shook his head, cutting her off. "That was a small coven compared to this, they were only about a dozen strong and they could barely even cast basic spells." "Says the man who had his hat lit on fire by one of them." Alain grit his teeth at the memory, but held his tongue. "In any case, that coven only came about because one of them discovered an old text in the library, and given what happened to New Orleans, figured they might as well take it seriously and try it out along with a few friends. That was pretty small-time even compared to this, I think you''ll both agree with that." "So what''s your point?" Az questioned. "My point is this: I don''t think these guys stumbled upon this knowledge. Rather, I think that someone deliberately passed it on to them. And I think I know how they did it, too." Before the others could ask any further questions, Alain reached into his bag and pulled out the book he''d taken from the altar underneath the old mill. As his fingers brushed its flesh-bound cover, those same whispers forced their way to the surface of his mind. It only lasted for a moment before Az, of all people, snatched the book from his hands. "Hey!" Alain protested. "What are you-" He froze when he saw Az staring at the book, his eyes wide with what appeared to be shock. For all the situations the three of them had been in already, Alain was struggling to remember a time when he''d seen Az shocked about something. Maybe during the incident at New Orleans, but even that was a strong maybe. This, though? This was definite as it got. Something about that book had Az worried, that was for sure. Alain didn''t get a chance to ask, however; Az hurriedly stood up, still staring at the book. And then, before either Alain or Sable could do anything to stop him, he moved over to the burning fireplace and tossed the book inside. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 6
"Az!" Alain protested. "What the hell-" That was as far as he made it into his statement, as a loud, high-pitched wailing suddenly filled the entire saloon. The other patrons jumped at the noise, while Alain and Sable tensed. It only took a moment for him to realize where it was coming from. The book itself was screaming, somehow. As it continued to bellow its death shriek, somehow the room began to grow colder as the light seemed to be sucked away, leaving only a dark blue hue to the saloon. Alain''s hand fell to the grip of one of his revolvers, and he had to hold himself back from drawing and putting a bullet through what was left of the book, just to shut it up. He grit his teeth as the noise continued for a few more seconds, eventually reaching a crescendo before finally tapering off as the book finished burning. And then, just like that, it was over. The book was no more, save for a small pile of ashes atop the burning logs in the fireplace. Az, for his part, seemed satisfied with what he''d done, and wiped his hands together before making his way back to the table, sitting down, and draining half his bottle of Irish whiskey in one go. Alain, meanwhile, could only stare at him in complete disbelief. "What the fuck was that about?" he demanded. Az offered no answer to him, and instead continued to sit there and drink his Irish whiskey straight from the bottle. Alain stared at him once more before turning to Sable, who cleared throat. "Az," she offered, "care to explain what we just witnessed?" "Respectfully, my lady?" Az finally said, turning to her. "No, I would not." Sable blinked, taken aback. For his part, Alain was confused as well. In all the months he''d known Az and Sable, Az had never been anything short of completely servile to her. That had mellowed out a bit after New Orleans, enough that he would occasionally offer a point-of-view contrary to hers or otherwise serve as the voice of reason in their group of three, but he''d never outright refused to do something Sable had asked of him. And that had Alain spooked. He wasn''t the only one, either, if the way Sable was staring at Az was any indication. Alain was about to say something when she cut him off. "How serious is this?" she questioned, keeping her voice low enough that the other patrons couldn''t hear her. Az simply shrugged. "It depends on how many of those books are out there. If it''s just a few of them, then it isn''t serious at all. But if there are more than that¡­" "Can you at least tell us what we''re dealing with?" Alain asked. Az gave him a small grunt, then shook his head. "Respectfully, Alain, some things are better left dead and buried. Those books are one of them." "There a reason for that?" "Indeed, though trust me, you''re better off not knowing what it is." "O-kay," Sable interjected. "From the sound of things, Alain might have been on the right track, then. Whatever''s going on with that book, we should definitely do something about it." "The trouble is, we don''t know where to even start," Alain reminded her. "I doubt those cultists left anything particularly incriminating in the book, and even if they did, it''s now little more than a pile of ash in the fireplace, so there''s no way we''re getting anything out of it unless one of you happens to know a necromancy ritual that can resurrect a dead book or something. So we''re back at square one." "Not necessarily," Az reminded him. "The butcher''s boy might know a thing or two about it. He said that a bunch of men in robes were the ones to induct them all into the field of necromancy, yes? Perhaps he''d be able to tell us where they came from." "It''s worth a short, at least," Alain admitted. "Okay¡­ first thing in the morning, we stop by the butcher''s place and talk to Adam, see if he can''t shed some light on what''s been going on. But first¡­" Alain turned his gaze back to his glass of whiskey. Without a moment of hesitation, he picked it up and downed it in one go. Across from him, Sable and Az did the same with their liquors of choice. Whatever they were getting into now, something told Alain that there wasn''t enough booze in the world to drown out his anxiety about it. XXX That night, Alain came stumbling back to his room, bursting through the door as he did so before slamming it behind him and leaning against it, a low sigh escaping from him. After a moment, he peeled himself off the door, then began to walk over to the bed, swaying from side to side as he did so. His head swam the entire time, and his throat felt like he''d just swallowed a mouthful of sand, but he didn''t care. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The hangover was going to be absolute hell, but even then, getting drunk had been worth it. Whatever Az was refusing to talk to him and Sable about, he could only assume it was something suitably bad. Alain shook those thoughts from his head, instead kicking off his boots and removing his hat, which he set on the nearby bedside table. Next came his belt, along with the two revolvers holstered on either side of it. As his hand brushed against the one on the left side of the belt, Alain couldn''t help but pause and stare at the gun, his reflection staring back through the polished nickel finish. This gun had belonged to his friend, Felix. They''d met in Los Banos; Felix had been the bartender at a local tavern there when the mayor had unleashed an undead incursion on the town. Him and Felix had ended up fighting side-by-side together, and after the incursion had been successfully dealt with, they''d ended up sticking together. Of course, only one of them had made it out of New Orleans. Alain let out a small, wistful sigh as he tore his gaze away from the revolver, then set it on the nightstand thanks to its twin. Now unarmed, he stretched his arms out above his head, groaning as he did so, before beginning to unbutton his shirt in preparation for going to bed. He didn''t get far before a knock at the door interrupted him, followed by a familiar voice. "Alain? It''s me. Can you open up?" "Give me a moment, Sable," Alain called back as he stood up and made his way to the door, taking care to grab one of his revolvers, just in case. He trusted Sable and Az implicitly at this point, of course, but if his new line of work had taught him anything, it was that it paid to be cautious more often then not. The last thing he needed was to open the door and find someone was impersonating her or something. Thankfully, as he opened the door, Alain was quickly able to tell that it was just her. Still, that didn''t change the fact that he was surprised to see her here by herself. "Sable," he greeted. After a moment, he peered out into the hallway, looking around. "Is Az out there somewhere?" "No," she reported. "May I come in?" "I don''t know. I thought I wasn''t supposed to invite vampires in." She glared at him, and he blinked. "Tough crowd tonight, I see." Without another word, she pushed her way past him, then entered his room and took a seat on his bed before letting out a tired sigh and staring up at the ceiling. Alain looked at her, unsure of what to do. "Alright, now I''m really confused," he admitted as he closed the door. "What''s going on, Sable?" "Like you even need to ask," she replied. "I''m worried about what Az isn''t telling us, that''s all." "You''re not the only one." Alain set his revolver back on the nightstand, then took a seat on the bed next to her. "I''ve never known the big man to be that guarded and confrontational about something. Whatever''s got him riled up about that book, it must be pretty serious." "But then there''s what he said earlier," she reminded him. "About how it wouldn''t be that bad if there were only a few of those books floating around." "Sable, you of all people ought to know by now that we as a group collectively attract bad tidings," Alain pointed out. "If there''s a chance this thing could get really bad, then I wouldn''t bet against it actually happening to us. Maybe not on the same level as what happened in New Orleans, but another Los Banos probably isn''t out of the question." "You really think so?" "I think it''s worth at least preparing for the possibility. Of course, that doesn''t explain why Az is acting so strange all of a sudden. That, I can''t explain, nor can do I think we can properly prepare for it, either. We''re just going to have to take it as it comes." Sable fell silent at that. For a few seconds, she didn''t say anything, until finally she turned to him again. "I never told you about how Az and I met," she said. Slowly, Alain shook his head. "You didn''t, at least not the full story. All I know is that you finally woke up after being staked, and then you took him on as your servant." "That''s the abridged version, yes. The full version¡­ I did wake up in my coffin after having been staked, because like I said, the vampire hunter who tried to kill me did a very shit job of it. I finally crawled out of my coffin a few hundred years later, fully regenerated and eager to take on the world. But in order to do that, I needed a servant, and so¡­ I summoned one." Alain stared at her in confusion. "You¡­ summoned Az?" "I did," she confirmed with a nod. "You remember that my family was a powerful clan, yes? We have access to certain knowledge that others in the area do not. Part of that knowledge includes the ability to conduct a ritual to summon a servant." "Summon them from where?" "The underworld." Alain''s eyes just about bugged out of his skull. He hadn''t had much experience with the underworld aside from the little taste of it he''d encountered a few months ago, but that had been enough for several lifetimes. And now Sable was telling him that, this entire time, he''d been working with someone who''d been called out from its depths. "I know what you''re thinking," she said, getting his attention. "But Az is bound to serve me. And even if he wasn''t, he doesn''t strike me as the type to spend his newfound freedom going on a rampage and dragging people down with him." Alain hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to ask in light of this new information. After a moment, he finally settled on something that seemed appropriate. "Sable¡­ what is he, exactly?" "Truthfully? I have no idea," she said. "And that''s me being completely honest. He''s never told me; I don''t know if he simply doesn''t want to or if he can''t, for some reason. Whatever the case is, I suspect that I''m better off not knowing, and so I''ve never tried to pry too deeply into it. Instead, I take it all at face value ¨C denizen of the underworld or not, Az has been nothing but helpful to me, and therefore, I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt. Wouldn''t you agree?" "Of course," Alain said. "But at the same time, it is worrisome." "I know, but there''s not really anything to be done about it." Sable let out a small sigh. "Anyway, I just wanted to speak with you a bit before you fell asleep, if only to reassure myself that things aren''t actually that bad." "Sable, you know what our line of work is like. Things aren''t usually this bad¡­ they''re worse." "I suppose so." She rose up from her spot at the end of his bed, then gave him a nod. "Sleep well, Alain. I''ll see you in the morning." "You as well, Sable. Good night." With that, she turned and left the room, gently closing the door behind her as she went. Alain watched her go, then let out a slow exhale before collapsing against the bed. He wasn''t sure what the future held as of yet, but hopefully speaking to the butcher''s son again would help shed some light on what was happening. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 7
When Alain awoke the next morning, it was to a mind full of uncertainty. Initially, his plan had been to pursue the lead the book had provided them, but now without the book, they didn''t exactly have anything to go on in that department. And as if that wasn''t bad enough, Az''s sudden, unexplained animosity towards the book was still very much present. Much as he hated to admit it, they were going to have to focus their efforts elsewhere for now. The only question was where, exactly. With a groan, Alain rose out of bed and began to pull his gear on. Given that nobody was at his door yet, he could only assume that Az and Sable were either still resting, or that they''d seen fit to let him sleep in a bit. Part of him sincerely hoped it was the latter, even though he knew it was a slim chance at best. He wasn''t sure exactly what their sleep schedules were supposed to look like, but whatever the case was, they always seemed to go to bed after him and somehow wake up before him every day. "Fucking supernatural people¡­" Alain grumbled as he slung his Winchester over his shoulder and stepped out of his room to start his day. And the moment he did, he was nearly bowled over by a short, blonde-haired woman charging past him. "Whoa!" Alain exclaimed, swerving to the side to avoid her. "Everything alright, Miss?" At the sound of his voice, the woman paused, then turned around to face him. Immediately, Alain was taken aback by her appearance. She was somewhat tall, about five-foot-eight, if he had to guess, with sandy-blonde hair done up in braids. She had bright green eyes, and her face was pockmarked with freckles. The two of them stopped and stared at each other for a moment before she let out a gasp. "It''s you¡­!" she managed to get out. "It''s really you!" Alain brought a hand up to rub at his beard, confused. "Yeah, it''s me. Who are you?" If the woman heard his question, she didn''t seem to care enough to respond to it. Instead, she took a step forward; Alain took an involuntary step backwards as she advanced on him. "I wasn''t sure if I''d actually found you here," she told him, her voice quiet. "But here you are." "Here I am," Alain ventured. "Care to explain why you were looking for me?" "I didn''t think I''d actually find you here. I mean, I''d heard the rumors of a gunslinger traveling here with two vampires, but-" "Lady, please," Alain said, exasperated. "Please just answer my question as straightforwardly as you possibly can. Who are you, and why are you looking for me?" That seemed to snap her out of the trance she''d fallen in. The woman blinked, a confused look crossing her face, before she pulled back, a faint blush dusting her cheeks with red. "¡­I''m Danielle Silvera," she offered. "I came looking for you because I wanted to hire you." That got Alain''s attention. After all, he wouldn''t say no to a well-paying job. "Okay," he said. "What''s it worth to you?" Danielle bit her lip. "...I can''t pay you anything up-front¡­ or immediately after, for that matter." Alain glared at her. "Look, if your sole intention in coming here was to waste my time-" "No, no!" she protested. "I can pay you, just¡­ it''ll take a while. Please, won''t you at least hear me out?" "Sorry, lady, but this sounds an awful lot like charity work to me," Alain said as he reached into his pocket for a cigarette and placed it between his lips, then went back for a match. "Now, I''m willing to reduce my prices by quite a bit for a good cause, but I don''t work for free." He turned and began to walk away, lighting his cigarette as he did so and taking a drag on it. Just as he reached the stairs, however, Danielle called to him once more. "My father is a United States senator!" Immediately, Alain froze, choking on the puff of smoke he''d just inhaled. He coughed and sputtered for several seconds, the cigarette falling from his mouth and onto the ground below as he doubled over and pounded himself in the chest, desperate to stop his own coughing. Finally, after several seconds, the coughing fit tapered off to a point where he could actually speak again. Once he''d recovered somewhat, he stood up straight and looked at Danielle with pure shock etched across his face. "I''m sorry, did you just say-" This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "My father is a senator," she emphasized. "For the state of Louisiana, specifically." Alain couldn''t help but scowl. Somehow, it all came back to Louisiana. Still, he tried not to let his displeasure show. "Okay," he said. "And why are you seeking me out?" "Because my father, despite his status, is also currently missing." Again, she had his attention with just a few words. He gave one final cough to fully clear his lungs before shaking his head and turning back to her. "And you want me to find him?" he asked. "Why is that? There are plenty of people out there who could do that ¨C actual detectives, private investigators, probably some governmental organization¡­ why come to me?" "Because I don''t think my father went missing because of something normal, if you catch my drift," she emphasized. Alain nodded. "Yeah, I''m following. So, what makes you think the supernatural is involved with this?" "Because, over the past few months, after what happened in New Orleans, my father started to get really heavily into the occult." "I''m not surprised. Plenty of people started getting involved with it after New Orleans-" Danielle suddenly shook her head, cutting him off. "He wasn''t involved like you think he was," she insisted. "My father was heavily involved with the archdiocese of New Orleans, and he was the head of the local Knights of Columbus chapter there." Alain blinked. "...He made it out of New Orleans? Not many did." "He wasn''t there at the time, he was in Washington DC," Danielle emphasized. "In any case, he saw what happened in New Orleans and was horrified. Even more so when the Veil was finally lifted not long after, and he became aware of what lurked in the shadows. He became a very outspoken critic of the supernatural in Congress, as you can probably imagine." Alain blinked once more. "...Alright, I think I''m following you, here. Correct me if I''m wrong ¨C you seem to think that he went missing because of his views on the supernatural, yeah?" Danielle nodded. "Exactly." "Admittedly, that''s probably a fair assumption to make," Alain confessed. "I doubt he''ll have made himself any friends among, say, the Tribunal, if he was constantly bloviating to the rest of Congress about how much he hated the supernatural or how they needed to be stopped or something. And that''s why you want me to look for him, isn''t it? You think something supernatural is responsible for his disappearance, and you don''t trust someone to find him if they aren''t already exposed to that world." He paused, then looked back over to her. "How am I doing so far? Does that sound about right?" "That''s¡­ actually just about dead-on," she admitted. "Though, there is something else." "Name it." "You were at New Orleans," she said. Alain let out a tired sigh. "I was. Believe me, I know." "That makes you the single most qualified person to find him. I don''t know anything about what really happened there, at least what''s beyond the public record, but I wouldn''t be surprised to find out that the Tribunal were responsible for the whole thing." Alain shrugged. "You''d be half-right. Parts of the Tribunal were responsible ¨C really, just the eldest member¡­ and, I suppose, one other member, though I don''t hold it against her, since she was brainwashed at the time. Besides, I''ve gotten to know Thorne a bit since then, and she''s got a good head on her shoulders¡­" He trailed off, then shook his head. "Anyway, I think I''ve heard about enough, save for one last thing." "Name it," she said. "What kind of pay are we looking at if we do manage to find your father?" Danielle put her hand on her hip. "A United States senator owing you a favor isn''t enough?" "It''s nice, to be sure, but I can''t put a favor in my bank account," Alain pointed out. "So you''ll have to sweeten the deal a bit beyond that." "Fine," she hissed. "My father, as you can imagine, has deep pockets and connections. And beside that, the government has put out a reward for information leading to his safe return. They''re offering a thousand dollars for any information that leads to him. I imagine that if you actually manage to bring him back yourself, we could sweet-talk them into doubling it." Alain let out a low whistle. "Two grand isn''t bad, I''ll admit that much¡­ especially if that favor is still included. Alright, you''ve got a deal. Now let''s shake on it." With that, he extended a hand. Danielle stared at it with uncertainty for a moment before accepting the handshake. XXX A short while later, and Alain was down in the tavern, enjoying his breakfast, when Az and Sable came marching in. They spotted him almost instantly and made a beeline for his table, taking a seat across from him. "You both will be happy to know that I got us a job," Alain informed them as they settled into their seats. "And now, it doesn''t involve the book, Az." Az''s eyes narrowed, but he didn''t say anything. Sable, meanwhile, stared at him in surprise. "You got a job for us already?" she asked. "How?" "Admittedly, this one found me, not the other way around," he said. "Apparently, some woman has been tracking us for the past few days. She lives in a nearby town, and upon hearing we were here, well¡­ she went digging." "What''s the job?" Az asked, impatient. "I was getting to that," Alain replied as he swallowed a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "Let me put it this way ¨C how would you both like to do your civic duty and help rescue a United States senator?" Across from him, Sable and Az exchanged a glance with each other. "...You cannot be serious," Sable told him. "Oh, I''m serious," Alain replied with a nod. "Moreover, this one''s got a real payday attached to it. The federal government is offering a thousand dollars for information leading to his return, and his daughter ¨C the one who gave me the job ¨C thinks we''ll probably be able to talk them up to at least double that if we can bring him back ourselves. Not to mention that he''s going to owe us a huge favor afterwards, and I don''t know about you, but having a senator in my back pocket sounds like a pretty good deal to me." Again, Sable and Az exchanged a glance with each other before turning back to him. "We''re listening," Az said. Alain grinned. "Thought you might." He hurriedly finished his breakfast, then pushed his plate aside before clearing his throat. "Alright, so we''re in Bandera right now," he explained. "The senator, Samuel Silvera, was last seen in San Antonio ¨C according to his daughter, Danielle, he was coming into town to see her for a few days but had to stop in San Antonio for business first. Trouble is, he stepped off the train in San Antonio and never showed up to his destination there." "Sounds interesting," Sable commented. "So I take it that''s where we''re headed next?" "Unless someone has a better idea?" Neither Az nor Sable had any arguments. Finally, Az crossed his arms. "I suppose it''s time we do our civic duty, then," Az announced. "To San Antonio." "About that," Sable said. "How are we supposed to get there? If I remember right, that''s quite a distance away; I doubt we''ll be able to walk or even take a carriage there." Alain smirked at her, and she glowered at him. "Don''t say it." "Okay, I won''t say it. But you know what it is regardless." Sable scowled at him, and Alain''s smirk widened.
The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 8
"Alain, you are very lucky I consider you a friend, because otherwise, I would have absolutely bled you dry for even suggesting this." "I know, Sable, I know," Alain said tiredly. "You''ve only been saying that all morning." "Because it''s true." She affixed him with a piercing, red-eyed stare. "You owe me one after this." Alain let out a sigh. Ever since he''d explained to both Sable and Az that they really had no choice except to take a train to San Antonio, he hadn''t heard the end of it. Apparently, Sable was still reticent to use the train at all; she still considered them to be little more than steel-metal death traps. Az, being Az, had agreed with Sable; it had taken a lot of convincing before Alain had managed to win them over to his side, but finally, after the tenth time explaining that San Antonio was landlocked and that they''d never make it there in time if they traveled exclusively on-foot or even by carriage, they''d both eventually acquiesced and decided to take the train. That didn''t mean they were going to like it, though, as Alain was rapidly finding out with every complaint that came pouring out from between Sable''s fangs. "-coal power! Can you believe it? Who trusts a machine that runs on coal, anyway? And the tracks ¨C don''t get me started on the tracks!" "Sable," Alain interrupted, getting her attention. "First off, the boat you traveled to San Francisco on was almost certainly powered by burning coal, too. Second, why were you okay with taking a boat across the ocean, but taking a train across a single state is too much for you? That doesn''t make any sense." "It makes perfect sense," Sable argued as the three of them queued up in line to get their tickets. Naturally, the other passengers gave her and Az a very wide berth, not that either of them cared. "You humans have been sailing the high seas for thousands of years. At this point, sailing is in your blood. These machines, though? Much less proven. I trust one about as far as I could throw one." "Well, believe me, taking a train is far safer than taking a boat," Alain insisted. "Seriously, just give it a chance, and for the love of God, please stop complaining about it so much, would you? This train ride is going to be long enough without having to listen to you bitch the entire time." "Hmph." Sable crossed her arms and turned away from him with a huff. "You''ve gotten bold, you know." "I''ve always been bold, Sable. It''s just gotten a lot easier to express it, given all we''ve been through together." Finally, the crowd in front of them parted enough that they could make their way to the front counter. The unfortunate woman at the desk instantly paled when she saw Sable and Az approach. Alain, for his part, tipped his hat to her. "Howdy," he said. "Three tickets, please." XXX "Does it ever get old?" Alain asked as the three of them stepped inside the train and began making their way to the private compartment he''d purchased for them. "Does what get old?" Sable asked from behind him. "You know, the weird looks everyone gives you. I''d be pretty damn annoyed by them at this point." Sable shrugged. "You get used to it, I suppose. And besides, people will grow accustomed to our kind over time." "If you say so. Oh, right here ¨C this is where we''ll be staying." Alain slid open the door to the private compartment, revealing a sizable room with a bunk bed on one side and a single bed on the other. There was a desk between them, with a single chair placed in front of it. Alain breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of it all. "Thank God," he said aloud as he unslung his long gun and set it on the top bunk, along with his pack. "I was hoping we''d get to take a load off. Glad they still had this room available." "Was all this really necessary?" Az questioned. "It looks expensive." "It wasn''t cheap, but yeah, it pretty much was. Something tells me the other passengers wouldn''t have appreciated sitting next to you two, and you wouldn''t fit in the regular seats anyway, Az. So, as expensive as this little room was¡­ I say it was worth it." The train suddenly lurched, the whistle blowing as it moved. Sable stumbled and reached out to grab hold of the nearby bed to steady herself; Alain, seeing this, raised an eyebrow. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "You feeling alright, Sable?" "It startled me, that''s all!" she hissed. "Wow. Good to know that, between the actual hellscape that was New Orleans and the army of undead we''ve torn through over the past few months, a little movement is all it takes to rattle you." She glared at him, even as she picked herself up and stood up straight. The train began to move in earnest, chugging along the tracks as it went. She opened her mouth to say something, only for a knock at the door to interrupt her. Instantly, they all paused, Alain''s hand dropping to his holstered revolver. "Who is it?" he asked. "It''s me," an all-too-familiar voice replied. "Open up." Alain let out a low groan, bringing a hand up to rub the bridge of his nose. "Oh, you''ve got to be kidding me¡­" "What?" Sable asked, confused. "Who''s that?" Alain climbed out of bed, and without answering her question, stepped over to the door. He threw it open, and was immediately met by none other than Danielle Silvera, standing there with a sheepish grin on her face. "So," she said, "I take it you aren''t happy to see me?" Alain sighed tiredly. "Be honest ¨C why are you here?" "Why wouldn''t I be here? I want to find my father, too." "That''s why you hired us, Danielle." "Wait, hold on," Sable interjected. "This is who hired us? The senator''s daughter?" "That''d be her." Alain looked back to Danielle, glaring at her. "And she still hasn''t really explained why she''s here." "I just told you, because I want to find him, too," she insisted. "So can I come in?" Alain cast a glance back at his friends. They both shrugged, and he let out another sigh before stepping aside, allowing Danielle entry into the room. She immediately stepped inside and dropped a large bag from her shoulder onto the ground; Alain stared at her, not amused in the slightest. "You''re not staying with us." "What?" she asked, sounding scandalized. "Come on! This room is big enough for four people." "Not the point. You shouldn''t be here, Danielle. That''s why you hired us in the first place." "I mean, yeah, but¡­ I can take care of myself!" Alain raised an eyebrow, and she puffed her cheeks out at him. "I can! My father taught me how to shoot. I''ve got my own gun and everything. I''m a regular Annette Oakley." "Annie Oakley," Alain corrected her. "You''re not exactly inspiring much confidence, you know." "Look, I just really want to help you find my father, okay?" she insisted. "Really, I want to find him myself, but there''s no way I''d be able to get very far on my own. But with a professional monster hunter and two vampires on my side, well¡­ it''ll help even the odds." "And why would we want to bring you along?" Sable asked, crossing her arms. "Because just from what I can see, you''re a liability." "Because I can convince my father to double the reward money out of his own pocket." Sable blinked in surprise, then looked over to Alain. "I mean¡­ maybe this isn''t the worst idea." "No, it is," Alain insisted. He motioned with his head for Danielle to leave the room. "Look, if you know what''s good for you, you''ll get off at the next stop and forget about this whole thing. Not trying to be mean to you or anything, but seriously, the stuff we get involved with is extremely dangerous. It''s in your best interests to let us work rather than try to tag along." Danielle''s expression narrowed, and for a moment Alain thought for sure that she was going to try and argue the point, but she didn''t. Instead, she bent down and picked up her bag with a huff. "Fine," she spat. "I can see when I''m not wanted. But just know that you''re saying no to a lot of extra reward money." "I can live with that so long as it doesn''t carry the risk of getting an innocent person killed," Alain said. "You''re making the right choice, Danielle." She said nothing further, instead turning and marching out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Alain watched her go for a moment before letting out a small exhale, then turning towards his bunk, intending to climb up into it and get some extra rest. He was stopped by Sable reaching out and putting a hand on his shoulder. "And where do you think you''re going?" she asked. "Bed," he answered. She shook her head. "Nope. We''ve got things we need to do." "But¡­ bed," Alain protested. She gave him an unamused look, and he rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, fine. What''s so important that it overrides a healthy sleep schedule, though?" "First of all, your sleep schedule is only unhealthy because you''d rather stay up all night drinking or fighting the undead," Sable pointed out. "To say nothing of that one time you tried to do both. Still got that horseshoe-shaped scar on your ass, by the way?" Alain bristled. "You said you weren''t gonna bring that back up!" "Yeah, well, I''m not the one who signed up for a job without consulting my friends. Still can''t believe you did that, by the way ¨C just put your trust into a random stranger like that. No proof, no credentials, no checking to make sure the story made sense, nothing; you just trusted her to be telling the truth, presumably because you were blinded by dollar signs." "Which is unlike you," Az interjected. "But then again, that is a lot of money." "Not if we aren''t alive to spend it." Alain let out another sigh. "Alright, alright, I get it ¨C I should have consulted with you two and done my due diligence first. My apologies. But, my mistakes or otherwise, we''re involved now." "And not only that, but Danielle is here, too," Sable pointed out. "You neglected to mention how strange she is, too. That''s an important bit of information, wouldn''t you agree, Az?" "Indubitably, my lady," he said. Alain grit his teeth. "Okay, fine, I get the point. Now, are you going to actually explain what''s so important that you''re going to keep me awake for it?" "Simple," Sable told him. She looked over her shoulder at Az. "Could you give us a minute?" "Of course, my lady." he said. "I''ll be outside." With that, he stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. Alain blinked, surprised at the sudden development, only for Sable to cut him off with a quick shake of her head. "I''ll tell him about your apprenticeship later," she insisted. "For now, I''d rather keep it just between us." "Uh, okay," Alain ventured. "Still, you haven''t answered my question yet." "I said it was simple, and it is ¨C as my apprentice, you are entitled to specific feats of knowledge I would otherwise be forced to keep hidden from mere mortals. As you can imagine, these kinds of relationships don''t happen very often. Generally, we just eat you and call it good." "Ha ha," Alain deadpanned. "Seriously, can you just give it to me straight?" The corners of her mouth quirked upwards. "If you insist." She cleared her throat, then looked him in the eyes once more. "How''d you like to learn a bit of magic, Alain?" The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 9
Alain stared at her, taken aback by her sudden declaration. "Magic¡­?" Sable rolled her eyes. "Yes, magic. Come on, after everything we''ve been through, the realization that magic exists is enough to make you confused?" "No, no, it''s not that. Really, it''s more like¡­ how am I supposed to learn actual, real-life magic?" "Because I''ll be teaching you, for one," she explained. "Now come sit at the desk, would you?" "Uh, okay," Alain said. Sable gestured for him to take a seat, and he did, settling into the chair in front of the desk. As he did so, Sable slid over a piece of parchment paper from the nearby stack, along with a pen and inkwell. "Listen carefully, because this is important," Sable began. "For the most part, magic has to be cast using a catalyst of some kind." "A catalyst¡­?" Alain echoed. "What, like a wand?" To his surprise, Sable nodded emphatically. "Yes, like a wand. Unfortunately, making a wand takes time ¨C you can''t just go to a store and buy one. Generally speaking, a wand has to be created by imbuing something sentimental with magical energy." "That¡­ doesn''t make much sense," Alain pointed out. "If using magic in the first place requires a catalyst, and magic itself can''t be cast without a catalyst¡­ well, then it seems like we''d be kind of stuck." "And ordinarily, you''d be correct. But there''s a way around it." Sable reached past him, then picked up the pen and dipped it into the inkwell before beginning to scrawl it across the page. Alain stared at what she was doing for a moment before he frowned, his brow furrowing. "Your handwriting is awful," he admitted. "It looks like you''re just drawing scribbles. Didn''t they teach you how to write the language over there? I mean, you did live in Europe." Sable rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up. Learning to speak English fluently was bad enough, now I have to listen to you critique the way I write it, too?" "I''m just saying-" "Well, don''t. And besides, these aren''t even words I''m writing, they''re symbols." Alain squinted, then leaned in for a closer Sure enough, Sable hadn''t been writing out actual words, but rather had been making small drawings on the paper. Again, Alain''s brow furrowed. "...It looks almost like Egyptian hieroglyphics," he said. Sable paused, then turned to him in surprise. "...You all know about those?" "Uh, yeah? They were just discovered by westerners around the beginning of the century, if I remember right. I saw some pictures of the hieroglyphics from a traveling historian one time, when I was younger. Why do you ask?" "No reason," she said, a bit too hurriedly. "Sable." "Look, let''s just say that ancient Egypt and the other side of the Veil were more closely intertwined than some might have expected, and leave it at that, okay? Besides, that''s not even the proper origin for these symbols." "Then why do they look the same?" "Because runes like this are the foundation for every form of basic magic across the entire world," Sable explained. "You''ll find similar runes across the ancient parts of the world no matter where you go ¨C Asia, Scandinavia, South America, India¡­ they all have similar runes, most of which accomplish roughly the same thing, but with a minor twist owing to the slightly different way they''re written." Again, Alain looked down at the page. "...It still just looks like you''re drawing scribbles," he confessed. He went to point at one. "Seriously. This one here looks like a fire-" Sable quickly batted his hand away, and he let out a hiss of pain as she did so. "Ow!" he proclaimed, massaging his rapidly-bruising hand as he did so. "What was that for?" "Don''t touch it," she warned. "That rune has been imbued with my own inherent magical abilities. If you touch it, it will go live." "What does that mean? It''ll start a fire?" The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "A small one, just big enough to consume the paper it''s been written on, but yes." Alain''s eyes widened. "Whoa¡­ seriously?" "Yes, seriously," Sable confirmed with a nod. "I''ve written out a few other basic runes. You''ll notice they all have a basic element in mind ¨C fire, water, and air." She motioned to each symbol in turn, taking care not to actually touch the paper as she did so. Alain once again leaned in, and this time, he was able to see what she meant. The fire rune looked like a small tinge of flame curling upwards, while the water one looked like a small droplet, and the wind rune was several upward-swept squiggly lines. They were crude, but then again, from what he was able to gather, that was the idea in the first place ¨C after all, these were the basic building blocks of the fundamental types of magic, so keeping them simple made sense. "Okay," Alain ventured. "So, what happens now?" "Touch the wind rune," Sable told him. "And only the wind rune, please." Alain looked to her in surprise, and she motioned for him to hurry up; after a moment to brace himself, Alain did so, placing his finger against the paper, right on the upward-swept lines. The moment he did so, a small gust of wind emanated out from the page, just enough to blow some of his hair back and cause him to close his eyes in shock. It only last for a second, but that was enough. Alain sat there, his heart hammering in his chest out of excitement, and a grin crossing his face. "Whoa¡­" he said. After a moment to bask in the glory of casting real, actual magic, he turned to Sable. "So, how does it work?" "Easy there, cowboy," Sable said, holding out a hand to calm him down. "You''re a long ways away from being able to get anything like that. For now, we''re going to focus on something even simpler." "Like what?" "Well, for one¡­ improving your spiritual stamina." "My what?" "Your spiritual stamina," Sable repeated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You''ve never used magic before, so your stamina is non-existent. Think of it like this ¨C the first time you worked in the fields, you came back extremely tired and sore, right?" "Of course." "It''s the same principle with magic. When you first start out, it''s extremely hard to cast anything, because you''ve never done it before; your body, and more importantly, your soul, aren''t used to the sensation of doing so." "My soul¡­?" "Yeah. Where do you think magic comes from? It''s not your brain, and thank goodness for that, because you''d never be able to cast anything." "Ha ha," Alain deadpanned. "Anyway, what do I need to do in order to increase my spiritual fitness, or whatever?" "Spiritual stamina," Sable emphasized, correcting him. "And right now, the best way to do that is to practice with that wind rune. Here, I''ll draw another one out for you. What I want you to do is rest your finger against it and try to channel your soul through it." She reached for the parchment paper and tore off another strip, then began to scribble on it once more. As she did so, Alain stared at her again, confused. "Channel my soul through it?" he questioned. "How the hell am I supposed to do that?" "You''ve been to church, right?" Sable asked, taking him by surprise. "Uh, yeah," he answered. "Course, it''s been a while¡­ Mom would probably go rabid if she learned I haven''t been to confession since the house burned down¡­" "Be that as it may, it''s the same thing as when you pray ¨C the same feeling, that is; the sensation of calling on a higher power for assistance. The only difference here is that you''re trying to grab that sensation and focus it." "So, I''m basically calling on God for a favor?" Alain asked as she passed him the new piece of paper. "Sounds blasphemous." Sable shook her head. "No, it''s not like that. For one, magic isn''t a miracle; anyone can do it if they practice trying to harness it, and it''s nowhere near as powerful as an actual miracle is ¨C for one, you won''t be raising the dead using magic, at least in the way you''d expect. It''s more of a lost art than anything, purposely hidden behind the Veil long ago by people whose reasons for doing so have been lost to time." "A lost art¡­?" Understanding dawned on Alain, and he brought a hand up to rub at his face. "Ah, shit¡­ now I feel stupid¡­ necromancy is magic, isn''t it?" "It is, but a very perverted form of it," Sable explained. "Magic can technically raise the dead, but it can''t put a soul back in the dead person''s body. What you end up with as a result is an empty, rotting husk, hungry for any flesh it can get its hands on. But that''s neither here nor there; the point is, magic is very powerful, but nowhere near as powerful as an actual miracle. So no, this is not you calling on God for a favor, or whatever it is you just said. This is more like you harnessing something everyone is capable of doing, though it''s since been mostly lost to time." "Makes sense, I guess¡­" Alain muttered. "Okay, so I just need to rest my finger against this rune, and¡­ I don''t know¡­ pray for my soul to flow into it?" "Kind of," Sable said. "You''re correct about resting your finger about it, but when you try to put your soul into it, try to keep it under control and not let the wind blow immediately. Instead, you want to try and draw that magic into you, and then when you''re ready, release it." Alain perked up at that. "Oh, I think I get it." "Just be careful," Sable warned. "The longer you keep the magic held within you, the more potent it will be when it''s finally released. As you hold it inside your core, it will mingle with your soul; the two will feed off each other, with the magic steadily becoming more powerful and unstable until finally you can''t hold it in anymore, and it releases on its own." "What happens then?" "Wild magic." Alain stared at her. She shrugged. "Truthfully, that part is hard to explain. All you need to know right now is that if you hold it in for too long and it eventually comes out on its own, well¡­ weird things happen. Not the least of which is the magic imploding, reducing you to a red smear on the ground." "Ah." He paused. "So it''s dangerous, then?" "Very much so, but only if you''re stupid enough to hold in a powerful spell for far too long," Sable emphasized. "Magic is unstable, but that rune is a weak one, so it should be perfectly safe to hold in for as long as you want¡­ within reason." "You don''t sound too sure of yourself." "If you don''t want to believe me, then don''t," Sable said. "Besides, you shouldn''t be trying to hold it in for that long, anyway. For now, it should be a few seconds at most; anything more than that and you probably won''t be able to hold it back, anyway. So what that means is that you should practice taking in the energy, holding it in, and then releasing. Do that over and over again, and watch as your spiritual stamina gradually improves." "Sounds easy enough," Alain said, turning his attention back to the piece of paper. "And after my stamina is improved? What then?" Sable gave him a smirk. "Then, the fun can-" Just as she was about to finish her sentence, a series of loud bangs rocked the train, followed by a chorus of panicked screams. Alain and Sable exchanged a wide-eyed glance with each other, and a split-second later, they were both on their feet, Alain reaching for his shotgun as they headed for the door. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 10
Alain and Sable both stacked up right next to the door, one of them on either side of it. From outside, they could both still clearly hear gunfire, along with the screams of the passengers. "What do you think?" Sable asked. "Bandits?" Alain shook his head. "My guess is no; we''re not that lucky. Alright, we''ll go on three. One¡­ two¡­ three!" As soon as he''d finished counting down, Sable threw the door open, and they both rushed out into the hallway, Alain going left and her going right. Alain brought his Winchester 1887 up to his shoulder, scanning the area for threats, but the only thing he could see from his position were dead passengers strewn across the train car ahead of him. Whoever had done this, they''d moved fast, and by sheer chance, had completely missed their compartment. "Sable," Alain said. Footsteps from behind him heralded her falling in closer to him; without looking back, he motioned for her to stick close. "I''ll take the lead. Be a dear and keep anyone from coming up behind me, would you?" "But of course," she offered. "After all, what would I do without my new apprentice?" "Didn''t think you cared that much," Alain said as the two of them began to carefully move through the train car. "Don''t give yourself too much credit ¨C if you died, it''d be a stain on my reputation." Alain rolled his eyes. "Glad to hear you care about me so damn much." They pushed to the next train car, the one littered with bodies. Spent shell casings rolled across the floor as the train lurched across the tracks; apparently, whoever was doing this had either left the engineers and conductor alone or had replaced them with men of their own. Whatever the case, it only solidified Alain''s belief that they weren''t dealing with average train robbers and bandits. "Hey," Sable said, getting his attention. "Where did Az go?" Alain shook his head. "No idea. If I had to guess, he probably went to the dining car for a drink." "What makes you say that?" "That''s what I would do if I were in his position." He couldn''t see it, but he imagined Sable probably rolled her eyes at that statement. "Be serious, Alain." "I am," he retorted. "He''s been really moody lately. Something has him worked up. Knowing that, the bar is a natural choice." "So that''s where you want to go first?" Alain shook his head. "First, we need to secure Danielle. I''d prefer not to let a payday that big slip from our grasp, if you catch my drift, plus she''s exactly the kind of person who''s liable to do something stupid and get herself in trouble. Once we have her under control, we''ll start looking for Az, assuming he doesn''t find us first. Agreed?" "Agreed," Sable said. "Okay¡­ do you want to split up?" "No, but we''ll cover more ground that way, so unfortunately, that''s what we''ll be doing," Alain stated. "Go back the way we came and check the cars up front. I''ll check the ones in the rear." "Right. Try not to get yourself killed ¨C like I said, I still have a reputation to uphold." And with that, Sable took off. Alain listened to her run off for a moment before letting out a sigh, adjusting his hat, and then tucking his shotgun''s stock back into the pocket of his shoulder before pressing on. It was time to go to work. XXX As Alain threw open the door to the next train car, he reeled from the stench of what awaited him inside. "Jesus¡­" he muttered, as the scent of gore, coppery blood, and smokeless powder hit his nose. In an enclosed space like this, it was overpowering, even with the windows open and the train still moving. Alain pressed further into the train car, taking note of the corpses that littered the floor. There had to be about a dozen of them, all riddled with bullets, but there was no sign of the people who had murdered them. He could certainly hear them, though ¨C gunfire continued to echo through the train cars like rolling thunder, drowning out even the sound of the train as it careened along the tracks. Alain double-timed it to the next car, and was about to throw the door open when a series of bullets ripped through it. The rounds missed him by inches, and he hurriedly flattened himself against a nearby wall, sliding down to a seated position on the floor as he did so. And not a moment too soon, at that ¨C another hail of gunfire tore through the paneling where his head had been just a moment before. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Thinking quickly, Alain threw himself back-first onto the floor, and again, cheated death for a third time as more bullets cut into the space he''d just been sitting at. Gritting his teeth, Alain threw caution to the wind and took aim at the door, then blind-fired three payloads of buckshot through it, cycling his weapon''s lever-action as quickly as he could. Three spent brass shells hit the floor, steam still rising from them, just as several pained shouts filled the air. Alain knew better than to press on this early, however; he hastily rolled out of the way and into cover as his adversaries began to blind-fire at him in turn. Rounds gouged out jagged wounds in the floor of the train, exposing its mechanical underbelly and the tracks below.. Alain, for his part, took the opportunity to reload, thumbing loose shells into his weapon as fast as he could. He wasn''t a moment too soon, either, as the door to his train car suddenly opened, and several people came marching in, their boots resounding against the train''s metal flooring. Alain didn''t think so much as act; he spun out from behind cover and pressed the barrel of his shotgun flush with the first man''s head, then squeezed the trigger; the gunman''s skull simply ceased to exist as a shell full of buckshot utterly pulverized it, showering the area and anybody nearby with blood, gray matter, and bone fragments. Alain didn''t waste any time trying to chamber another round, and instead dropped his Winchester and drew his revolvers, one in each hand. The remaining two gunmen were still reeling from seeing their ally''s head get disintegrated, and so were utterly unprepared when Alain put a .45 caliber round through each of their skulls; both men slumped to the floor like puppets with their strings cut. Alain didn''t dwell on what he''d just done, and instead holstered his revolvers before picking up his shotgun. He cycled the action to eject the spent round and thumbed in a fresh one, then continued on into the train car ahead of him. Here, he was finally able to see the aftermath of his initial salvo of 12 gauge; there was another revolver-wielding man here, though one of his legs had been reduced to something closer to ground beef with shards of bone sticking out of it rather than a human limb. He was clearly dead, as well; his eyes were glassed over and his skin was pale, which combined with the blood pool he was lying in, told Alain everything he needed to know. However, as he stared at the corpse, Alain took note of something he''d initially overlooked ¨C all four men were dressed in matching cloaks. Three of them were wearing black, while one was wearing white. "What the fuck¡­?" he muttered. "More cultists¡­?" It certainly seemed that way, at least to him. In his travels with Az and Sable, he''d learned that cloaks were like one massive calling card, signifying some kind of unnatural activity associated with the other side of the Veil. He wasn''t sure why that was, but every cult they''d ever run into over the past few months had certainly loved their cloaks. Not that the three of them were complaining, since it made identifying their targets that much easier. Of course, the cloaks alone weren''t much to go on; he''d need something a bit more concrete than that before he was absolutely certain that a cult was involved. Alain took a few steps away from the black-clad corpse with the shredded leg, intending to continue on his way, only to pause when he heard the unmistakable growl of an undead behind him. His eyes narrowed, and he turned around to find the man whose leg he''d all but shot off had reanimated behind him, and was now crawling towards him, his eyes empty and his jaws gnashing together, hungry for fresh meat. Alain, for his part, simply let out a tired sigh as he shouldered his Winchester. "Suspicions confirmed, I suppose." And then he pulled the trigger, reducing the newly-living corpse''s head to mulch. Alain stared at the new-headless undead for just a moment, then cycled his weapon and continued on his way, renewed vigor in his step. After all, Veil activity meant another payday. XXX Naturally, the next car full of passengers featured nothing but dead bodies. That earned an eyebrow raise from him; initially, he''d suspected that the cultists were wights, based on how quickly the one he''d just killed had reanimated after death, but that didn''t explain why they''d opted to simply shoot the passengers rather than try to eat them. Sure, wights were more intelligent than standard undead, not to mention able to rein in their base instincts much more easily, but that didn''t explain why exactly none of the dead passengers had so much as a single bite taken from them. "What the hell kind of wight simply guns down this many people¡­?" Alain muttered aloud as he walked through the train car. He passed by the bodies of a family, complete with two small girls, all of whom had been riddled with bullets; as he did so, his expression tightened. Oh, yes. A whole lot of wights were going to die today. That, he was sure of. A wave of gunshots from up ahead caught his attention, though it was quickly cut off by a round of panicked screaming; the screams continued briefly before being silenced forever, though. Alain didn''t panic, however; instead, he approached the door to the next compartment, sidling up to the wall just in case, before clearing his throat. "Az, you in there?!" For a moment, there was no answer, but then he heard that all-too-familiar, deep voice. "Took you long enough," Az grumbled from the other side of the door. "I was wondering when you and Sable would show up." "Just me, unfortunately." Alain peeled himself away from the wall, lowering his shotgun as he approached the door and opened it, coming face-to-face with Az. The two locked eyes for a moment, then Alain looked past him, taking note of the headless cloaked corpses scattered around the train car. "I take it you''ve discovered their dirty trick?" "Mm. I must say, I''ve never seen a reanimation quite this rapid. Whatever they''ve cursed themselves with, it means business." Alain looked back to Az, taking note of how he was pockmarked with bullet wounds, bite marks, and scratches across his torso. None of them seemed to bother him that much, however; Alain wasn''t surprised by that. "Well, it''s just me and you for now," Alain offered. "Come on, let''s go find Danielle." "Danielle?" Az echoed. "You''d prefer to look for her over Sable?" "Sable can take care of herself," Alain pointed out. "Besides, I''m not letting a payday like that get killed so easily." "Hm¡­ I suppose you have a point. Very well, lead the way." With that, Az stepped aside, allowing Alain to take point. Alain nodded in understanding, and the two of them continued on to the next train car. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 11
Alain pushed through the train cars, the stock of his shotgun pushed into his shoulder as he went. Thankfully, the cultists Az had killed stayed dead, and so there was no danger of any of them rising up to attack them from behind. "So," Alain said without looking back as the two of them moved through the train. "Any idea what these people want?" "None at all," Az replied. "And that''s the truth, Alain." Somehow, Alain had his suspicions about that, but he knew better than to question Az right now. Instead, he merely let out a soft exhale and continued moving on. "Where''s Danielle''s room?" Alain asked. "Just up ahead," Az answered him. "She''s towards the very back of the train, I caught a glimpse of her ticket when she went to show it to the staff." "Of course she is¡­" Alain let out a tired sigh. He was about to start talking again when gunfire up ahead caught his attention; without hesitation, he took off running towards it. The door to the next train car was closed; he threw it open, and very nearly had a chunk of flesh bitten off by an undead man who had been lurking on the other side. Alain fell to the ground with a panicked yelp, the living corpse falling on top of him, gnashing its teeth to try and reach him even as Alain held the man back. Thankfully, it didn''t last long; Az picked the corpse up by its head, and then crushed it like a grape, spilling its contents across the floor before unceremoniously dropping the now-headless body onto the train car below. There was no time to rest, though ¨C moans from up ahead caught Alain''s attention, and he turned to find that this train car had been almost completely turned into undead. "Fuck me¡­" he breathed as he scrambled to his feet, again tucking his long gun against his shoulder. "Always undead, isn''t it?" "It would seem that was," Az replied as the corpses continued to shamble closer. "One of the cultists must have been taken out by a guard, then turned and proceeded to infect the people in this car. Bad way to go." "How do you want to handle this?" Alain asked. "I''ll take care of the undead. You push forward and find Danielle. And if you see any cultists, don''t leave them alive." Alain''s thoughts drifted back to the family in the other train car, the dead children still fresh in his mind. "Believe me," he said, "I won''t." And with that, Az launched himself into the crowd of undead with a roar, tearing into them like a hot knife through butter. Alain, meanwhile, took off through the crowd, pausing only to shoot any that got too close for comfort. Within mere seconds, he''d made it to the end of the train car and stepped into the next one, throwing the door shut behind him. The moment he stepped into the next car, a bullet ricocheted off the wall next to his head. Alain reacted immediately, throwing himself to the floor as his shotgun barked once; in front of him, a black-robed cultist''s left calf was disintegrated in a spray of blood and gore, and the man fell to the ground, screaming bloody murder as he clutched in vain at what was left of his ruined leg. More bullets came his way, and as Alain rolled into cover behind a row of seats, he was able to see three more cultists in the back of the train car, all armed with revolvers ¨C three more in black robes, and one in white. His eyes narrowed, even as he ducked back into cover and reloaded. Once his weapon was topped off, Alain stuck it around the corner and blind-fired a single shot to try and keep his opponents'' heads down. The incoming stream of gunfire tapered off just enough that he was more confident in stepping out into the open, and so Alain stepped out from behind cover, cycling and firing his shotgun as fast as he could. The onslaught of buckshot pellets forced the cultists into cover; as his shotgun ran dry, Alain let it hang from its sling and ripped both his revolvers from their holsters, holding one in each hand as he advanced. A black-robed cultist popped up from behind cover and Alain didn''t hesitate to turn his head into a canoe with a single shot. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The dead man fell to the ground with a crash, his revolver slipping from his grasp and clattering to the floor. Alain re-cocked his revolver, the mechanical sound echoing through the train car like a clap of thunder. "Who''s next?" he demanded. "Hm? Anyone feel like trying their luck?" For a moment, there was silence, but then one of the cultists did something unexpected ¨C he tossed his revolver away and raised his hands above the row of seats he was hiding behind. "I surrender!" he shouted. "Just don''t kill me-" That was as far as he got before a gunshot cut him off. Alain flinched at the suddenness of it; that hadn''t come from him. Of course, he didn''t have to wonder about what had happened for long, as the white-robed cultist suddenly leapt out from behind cover, a manic grin on his face as he leveled his revolver in Alain''s direction. Both men took aim and fired at the exact same time. The only difference was that Alain''s aim was true. The white-robed cultist fell to the ground, a fresh .45 caliber hole bored straight through his heart. Alain, meanwhile, felt wetness blossom against his right cheek and wiped at his face with the back of a hand; it came back slick with crimson, and his heart skipped a beat at the sight of it. He''d just been grazed by a bullet. A few more inches, and he would have been killed. The thought would have made him shudder, if it weren''t for the fact that there was still another one left. Alain''s eyes narrowed, and he re-cocked his weapon. "Step out. Now." For a moment, the last remaining black-robed cultist did nothing, but then, just like his ally before him, he tossed his gun away and stood up, his hands raised in surrender. "Don''t shoot!" he shouted out. "Please, have mercy!" Alain''s grimaced, his grip tightening on his pistols. "You mean the same way you had mercy on that family of four earlier?" The cultist blinked, recognition crossing his face. "W-wait, I didn''t-" Alain didn''t wait to hear the rest, instead firing both revolvers into the man''s head. He slumped to the ground, dead before he''d even hit the floor. Alain didn''t even spare the body a glance, instead stepping past him as if it were the most casual thing in the world. He paused only to put a bullet in the white-robed cultist''s head, then moved on to the next train car. XXX Thankfully, Alain didn''t run into any more opposition as he made his way through the rest of the train cars. Apparently, the cultists had started on both sides, then tried to work their way towards the middle of the train; the three of them had gotten lucky that their room had been in the middle, otherwise things would have been much more difficult than they''d ended up being. He could only hope and pray that Danielle had been similarly lucky. The next train car he approached had a few undead in it, but he was quick to dispatch them all with a shot each, grimacing as he did so. The world had certainly gotten a lot more dangerous in the time since the Veil had been officially lifted; now, civilians were openly being caught in the crossfire. This was a brazen attack for a cult to perpetrate; he could only guess as to what their goal had been. Not that it mattered, of course; they needed to be stopped either way. Finally, Alain reached the second-to-last train car, just in front of the caboose. This one was much more ornate than the others he''d passed through had been, surpassing even the car that him and his friends were staying in. There were a few rooms on either side of the car; he counted four in total. Two of them had already been opened and their occupants murdered, but the remaining two were still closed. Alain approached the nearest one and gently knocked on it. "Anyone in there?" he asked through the door. "My name''s Alain Smith, I''m here to help. Danielle, if this is your room, please say something!" He got no response, which wasn''t much of a surprise. Alain furrowed his brow, then moved on to the next one. He was about to knock again when a gunshot tore through the door, grazing his abdomen; Alain winced and fell to the ground as pain blossomed across his stomach. Good thing, too, because the next series of shots would have torn directly into his chest. Alain drew his revolver, wincing as he rolled to the side and posted up near the door, behind the thickest part of the wall. "Danielle, is that you?!" he called. "It''s Alain!" "Nice try!" she shouted, squeezing off another round; Alain winced when he heard it pass by, though thankfully, the wall protected him. "It''s really me, damn it!" he growled. "This is no time to be acting crazy! Come on, you know who I am ¨C you hired me to find your father!" There was a pause before she answered again. "Oh, so now you want my help?" she demanded. "Help has nothing to do with it," Alain snapped. "I''m here to make sure you''re okay." "Yeah, well, I''m doing fine, thanks for asking. So you can go ahead and stop the train now, because I want to get off." "Believe me, I would if I could, but I can''t right now. Az and Sable are on it, I''m sure." "Hmph. Whatever you say." Alain breathed a sigh of frustration. As he did so, a wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over him, complete with some more pain from the wounds in his face and abdomen. He winced, pressing a hand against his most recent gunshot wound; it truly had been a graze, same as the other one, but that didn''t make it pleasant. "Look," Alain offered, "I''m gonna go help my friends clear the rest of the train. You stay here, and don''t open this door for anyone except one of us. If someone tries to force their way in, shoot them in the head, otherwise they''ll probably come back as a living corpse. Understand?" After a moment, Danielle replied. "Yeah, I''ve got it." "Good." Alain forced himself to his feet, letting out a heavy breath as he did so. "Okay, let''s-" His statement was cut off by the sudden grinding of metal on metal. The ear-piercing noise made him wince, and he went to protect his hearing, but he didn''t get the chance to. The train suddenly jumped the tracks, and just like that, Alain was airborne. The last thing he remembered before hitting his head on the ceiling was the train cars decoupling and leaving the track all around him. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 12
When Alain finally stirred awake, it was to a throbbing pain in his right leg. He let out a low groan as he cracked both eyes open and looked around. Surrounding him were the remnants of the decoupled train cars, reduced to little more than slags of overturned metal. Somehow, he''d managed to avoid being killed when the train had derailed; he''d been thrown around the interior of the car, if the myriad bruises across his body were any indication, but he was still alive. Just another day of cheating death, he supposed. "Danielle¡­?" he managed to rasp out. "Danielle, you in there¡­?" The door to her room had come flying open in the crash, and Alain forced himself to his feet, wincing when waves of pain lanced up his leg. He was no doctor, but it sure felt like his leg was at the very least fractured, if not outright broken. Still, he willed himself onwards, limping to Danielle''s room to check on her. At first, he thought she was dead, the way she was slumped against her bed. A quick look revealed her chest gently rising and falling, however; she was covered in bruises the same way he was, but she was alive, which was good. Alain hobbled over to her, wincing and biting back cries of pain the entire time, and gently shook her awake. Danielle catapulted upwards, hyperventilating as one hand went for where her revolver would have been holstered on her hip, only to come up empty; clearly, the gun had been lost in the crash. Alain had been lucky ¨C his revolvers were still in their holsters, and his shotgun was slung across his back, as always. "Relax," Alain urged, trying to calm her down. "It''s me." Danielle stared at him for a moment before taking several deep breaths to calm herself. "Where the hell are we?" Alain went to look out the window, but was unable to see anything aside from smoke; the engine compartment must have caught on fire when it had been decoupled. As if that wasn''t bad enough, he had no idea where Sable and Az were either; there was certainly no sign of them nearby, that was for sure. "I wish I could tell you," he said. "Can you walk?" He offered her a hand, but she brushed it off, rising to her feet on her own. As she did so, she eyed him up and down, seemingly taking note of how he was heavily favoring one leg over the other. "What''s wrong?" she asked. Alain let out a grunt. "Fucked my leg up in the crash. I think it''s broken. Safe to say, I''m going nowhere fast." He shook his head. "Let''s get off this damn train, first. Then we can re-evaluate what we need to do." Danielle nodded, then threw one of his arms over her shoulder and began to help him walk forwards. It didn''t take them long before they had reached an exit, and the two of them carefully stepped out into the desert sands, Alain biting back a cry of pain as he landed on his bad leg. Waves of agony reverberated through his entire body, and he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood as black spots danced on the edges of his vision. "Sorry," Danielle offered, a look of remorse crossing her face. "It''s fine," he said through gritted teeth. Pushing the pain away as best as he could, Alain looked around. Just as he''d thought, the train cars were in disarray; it had been a very large train, and now every single one of the cars was overturned and in a completely different location away from the tracks. That wasn''t what got his attention, though ¨C from what he could see, off in the distance, there was a town. And more importantly, there were several dust clouds rapidly approaching their position. Alain''s eyes widened at the sight of them. No doubt those were people approaching on horseback. Now, he wasn''t one to say no to the hospitality of a stranger, but given that they''d just fought off a train full of cultists, his gut was telling him that it would pay to be cautious for the time being. "Quick, under the train car!" he urged. "What?" Danielle questioned. "Just hide!" Alain gave her a small shove towards the train, and thankfully, Danielle obliged, crawling underneath the car and flattening herself against the tracks. Alain did the same, again forcing himself to deal with the pain in his bad leg. And he wasn''t a moment too soon; as he finished scrambling underneath the overturned train car, the riders finally reached them. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. There were five of them, from what Alain could see. And most striking of all, they were all wearing cloaks ¨C three black, and two white. Next to him, Danielle''s eyes widened, and he brought a finger up to his lips, indicating her need to stay quiet, even as he carefully drew one of his revolvers with his other hand and slowly cocked the hammer. The robed figures milled about for a few seconds before finally, one of them let out a sigh that was equal parts irritated and annoyed. "This is a waste of time," the man declared. "Nobody could have survived a train derailment like that." "You never know," another answered. "Besides, Father Keenan-" "I know what Father Keenan said, I just disagree with it. If he''s so convinced that any of our brothers and sisters could have survived this, he should come check the crash site out for his own damn self." "Watch your tongue, brother," a third man warned. "You are new to our order, but Father Keenan will not forgive you your apostasy if he hears you speaking like that." "I know, I know¡­" The first man let out another sigh. "Come on, let''s check inside." Alain carefully brought his revolver around as the five figures stepped inside the train car. Danielle, meanwhile, looked to him for some sign of what to do, but Alain simply shook his head, then drew his second revolver and offered it to her; she eyed it with surprise, but a quick look at his face confirmed what he was thinking. They couldn''t stay under the train forever, and they couldn''t just make a break for it without being spotted, either. This was only going to end with violence, and they both knew it. It didn''t take long before the cultists gave up on searching the interior of the train car. They stepped outside one by one, and Alain counted them as they went, until he was certain all five were out. "Okay," one of them said. "You two, take the car over to the left; the rest of us will take the one on the-" That was as far as he got before Alain slid forward, just enough that he could poke his upper body out from underneath the train car, and centered his revolver''s sights on the man''s head before pulling the trigger. The shot broke, and the cultist fell, dead before he hit the ground. Alain didn''t waste any time; he turned from target to target, firing and working his Colt''s hammer as fast as he could, until all five were dead. And just like that, it was over ¨C five shots, and five fresh corpses with holes between their eyes. Alain pulled back into cover and began to reload, all while Danielle watched him with wide eyes. "Wow¡­" she muttered. "You''re an incredible shot¡­" "Have to be if you''re going to be in this line of work," Alain grunted as he slid loose cartridges into his weapon''s cylinder. Danielle went to offer him his gun back, and he accepted it, sliding it back into its holster before motioning for her to step out. "Take one of their guns," he said. "Something tells me we''re going to need it." "What makes you say that?" Danielle questioned, even as she pulled herself out from underneath the train car and approached the group of dead men. "Call it intuition, or something along those lines. Those five men emerged from town way too fast for nothing to be wrong there." "You think the town is in on it?" "I don''t know for sure, but I wouldn''t be surprised if it were. Believe me, it wouldn''t be the first time¡­ or second¡­" He thought for a moment. "...Or fifth, for that matter. Safe to say, we''ve dealt with a lot of cults over the past few months." With a pained grunt, Alain pulled himself out from under the train and struggled to his feet, then hobbled over to where Danielle was looting the bodies, a grimace on her face as she took gear and ammunition from the dead men. Alain, meanwhile, looked around, his eyes lighting up when he found a long, thin piece of timber that must have fallen from the train during the crash. It looked to be about the right size to him; he limped over to it and picked it up, then returned to Danielle''s side. "What are you doing?" she asked as he knelt down next to one of the cultists. "Making a splint," he replied as he tore off several strips of the dead man''s robe. He specifically went for the black-colored one, figuring it''d stand out less than the stark white robes some of the other men had opted to wear. "Hold this piece of wood in place for me, would you?" Danielle obliged, pressing the piece of lumber against his leg while Alain tightly wrapped the strips of torn cloth around it, then tied them into knots. He tested the makeshift splint out a bit and the cloth seemed to hold; he wouldn''t be going anywhere fast, that was for sure, but it was better than leaving his leg untreated. "So, what do we do now?" Danielle asked as she finished clipped two holsters to her belt. Alain thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Honestly, I don''t like our chances at all, no matter what our options are. At the very least, we''ve got horses now, but I have no idea where we are or which direction we need to go in order to find help. At worst, we''d just be wasting time riding through the desert, and considering neither of us has any food or water¡­" He trailed off. Danielle caught what he was saying and pursed her lips. "What''s the alternative, then?" she questioned. "We go into town and try to find my friends," Alain explained. Seeing the look that had come over Danielle''s face, he added, "I know, I know ¨C I don''t like it any more than you do. But we don''t have a lot of options, and my friends are still missing. I''m not leaving them behind, either. If they''re in town, I figure there must be a reason why they didn''t come searching for us in the first place." "So your suggestion is, what, ride right into the hornet''s nest and hope we don''t get stung?" Danielle questioned. "Unfortunately," Alain replied. He approached one of the horses. "You know how to ride, right?" "I do." "Good, because there''s no way I''d be able to make that walk on this leg. I figure we''ll ride to the outskirts of town, then leave the horses and continue on foot. With any luck, I''m wrong and the cultists coming out in force that early is just a coincidence." "And if you''re not wrong?" Alain didn''t answer; he didn''t have to. Still, that didn''t stop Danielle from saddling up and following him as he began to ride into town. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 13
Night had started to fall by the time Alain and Danielle rode their horses right to the outskirts of town. They left the horses there, out of view behind a nearby rocky outcropping, then began to make their way into town. It was slow going, made worse by Alain''s wounded leg. "Are you sure you should be walking on it?" Danielle whispered to him. "Probably not," Alain hissed between gritted teeth. "But I''m not leaving my friends behind. If they''re in town, I''m getting them out, even if it kills me." "That''s the dumbest thing I''ve ever-" "If you think it''s so stupid, then don''t come," Alain pointed out. "I''m not forcing you. If you want, you can stay behind with the horses." "Hmph. And take my chances with the desert heat?" Danielle crossed her arms, then shook her head. "I don''t think so." "Then I guess we''re doing this, then. Stick close to me, and for the love of God, don''t shoot anyone unless you absolutely have to. The last thing we need is to draw the whole fucking town onto our position. You got that?" "I''ve got it, I''ve got it¡­ let''s just keep moving." Together, they crept into town, Alain looking all around as they sidled up to the rear of a nearby building. Whatever town they''d ended up in, it was very small ¨C just another of the myriad frontier towns that seemed to pop up overnight out in the wilderness. By Alain''s estimate, this town could have held maybe a few hundred people at most. He was about to wonder where all the townspeople were when the all-too-familiar stench of decay his his nose. "Urgh¡­" Danielle gasped out, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth and nose as she turned green. "What is that stench?" she asked, her voice coming out muted. "Carrion," Alain whispered back. From what he could tell, it was coming from inside a nearby building; he leaned out and peered through the window, his eyes narrowing when he saw several bodies lying in a dried pool of blood inside. As far as he could see, they had been shot in the back of the head execution-style. "Guess we know what happened to most of the townspeople¡­" he muttered. "Danielle." "Yes?" "It probably goes without saying at this point, but treat everyone in this town like they''re hostile, whether they''re wearing robes or not. Something tells me that there''s nothing normal about this town, at least not anymore." Danielle blinked, but nodded all the same. Seeing that she seemed to get it, Alain motioned for her to follow him. "Come on," he said, "let''s start looking around." XXX The two of them left their hiding spot from behind the first building and began to move through town. Alain kept one hand on his holstered revolver as they went; it was slow going thanks to his leg, but it was still some progress, and in any case, there weren''t very many people out and about. "Where is everyone¡­?" Danielle quietly wondered as they ducked into a nearby alley together and peered out, looking around for any signs of life. Alain saw a figure in a black robe down the street, but the man didn''t seem to realize they were there; he simply stood on the corner, enjoying a cigarette. "Good question," Alain replied. "I killed five of them earlier, not to mention all the ones that were on the train. And considering they took down this entire town, there has to be more of them than that. The only question is where they are now." Alain kept his eyes on the man down the street. He watched as the cultist took a drag from his cigarette, embers illuminating his face. He was younger man, around Alain''s age; stocky, with a full beard and a receding hairline. Alain''s first instinct was to draw his revolver and put a bullet through the man''s head for what him and his friends had done to this town, but he held himself back. It would do him no good to compromise their position so soon, not to mention that if anything, he was better off trying to get some answers from this man instead. With that in mind, Alain looked around for something to use, and eventually spied a small rock. He picked it up and tested it by tossing it up and down a few times. "What are you doing?" Danielle asked. "Getting his attention," Alain replied. "What?! I thought you wanted to keep things quiet-" "I do. If this goes well, nobody will know we''re here except him." "But-" Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Alain didn''t wait for her to keep complaining, and threw the rock. It sailed through the air, across the street, and impacted against the wood of another building with a dull thud. The sudden noise had the desired effect ¨C the cultist instantly perked up, one hand drifting to his holstered gun. "Who''s out there?" he called. "Henry? That you, brother?" The cultist began to creep towards where the noise had come from; as he did so, Alain stepped out of cover, moving as quietly as he possibly could, following along with the man. Every step one his bad leg made him wince and bite back a pained hiss, but Alain was able to close the distance without making a sound. He pulled his revolver, thumbing the hammer back in the same motion, and pressed it flush with the base of the man''s skull. "Don''t move," Alain warned. "I''ve got my gun pressed against your brain stem. One pull of the trigger, and you''ll be out like a puppet with its strings cut. You won''t even be able to scream on your way down." "That so?" the cultist challenged. "You really think that if you shoot me, you''ll be able to get away?" "Can you afford to take that chance?" Alain''s gaze drifted to the holstered gun on the man''s hip. "Nice piece. Schofield?" "Yeah." "Get rid of it, and be quick about it. And if you even think of trying to draw that thing and point it at me, just know that I''ll have already put a hole in your head before you''ve even cleared leather." The cultist let out an irritated growl, but did as he was told, dropping the revolver in the sand below. Once that was done, Alain pressed the muzzle of the gun against his neck. "Into the alley," he commanded. "Now." The cultist didn''t resist, following along with Alain''s command. The two of them stepped back into the alley, where Danielle was waiting for them; the man couldn''t help but pause when he saw her. "Who the hell are you people?" he demanded. "Are you from the train?" "I''m asking the questions here," Alain commanded. He holstered his gun, drawing his knife in the same motion and pressing it flush against the cultist''s jugular. "Let''s start with an easy one ¨C we''re looking for two people, a tall man in a suit and a short blonde woman. See anyone like that recently?" "Why the fuck would I tell you anything? I-" Alain responded by making a shallow cut across the man''s throat. He gasped as a bit of blood spattered against the nearby wall, and tried to bring a hand up to cover the wound, only for Alain to intercept, forcing his arm down. "Let it bleed," Alain commanded, his eyes narrowing. "Well, looks like someone cut themselves shaving this morning. Don''t you hate it when that happens? Now, admittedly, I''m no barber, but I think I can cover this up. Maybe just a bit off the top¡­" "Wait, wait," the cultist managed to croak out. "I¡­ yes, I think one of them mentioned finding a blonde woman in one of the train cars ¨C said something about her being a vampire?" Alain''s heart skipped a beat. "What did you do with her?" He pressed the knife against the man''s throat once more for emphasis; the cultist winced. "She''s in the basement of the temple ¨C the old church!" he gasped. "I swear, I''m not lying!" "So she''s still alive?" "Of course! S-she''s sacred, after all¡­" Alain quirked an eyebrow at that. "Sacred? You think she''s sacred somehow?" "All vampires are. She''s a daughter of Lilith ¨C a child of night." Alain''s brow furrowed. He''d heard the name Lilith before, back when he''d first interacted with the Tribunal. He couldn''t recall the specifics of it, since it had been several months ago, but he was at least familiar with the name in a passing sense. "And why are you keeping her alive?" he questioned. "L-like I said, vampires are to be revered." He fell silent after that. Alain felt a vein pulse in his forehead. Clearly, that was the most he was going to get out of this cultist, at least as far as Sable was concerned. "And the big man in the suit?" Alain asked. "You haven''t seen him around?" "Not at all." That was a silver lining, he supposed ¨C if nothing else, Az had apparently managed to get away. Alain didn''t know where he''d ended up, but anywhere else had to be better than here. "Look, I''ve answered your questions," he cultist suddenly said. "So are you going to let me-" Alain replied by jabbing the blade of his knife directly into the base of the man''s skull. Instantly, the cultist fell silent, going limp in his grasp; Alain unceremoniously dropped the body to the floor, then cleaned his knife on the man''s clothes before motioning for Danielle to follow him. "Let''s go check out that old church," he told her. Danielle said nothing, instead eyeing the fresh corpse warily before following after Alain as he stepped out of the alley. XXX It wasn''t hard to find the old church ¨C it was the only building in town that was lit up bright enough to see for a mile at night. Of course, calling it a church at this point was being generous. "What the hell¡­?" Danielle muttered, fear creeping into her tone. "Yes, I believe you''re right," Alain observed. While it had once been a church, it had since been desecrated by the cultists. Latin runes had been inscribed upon its doors in what appeared to be blood, and inverted pentagrams had been drawn across the church itself. Alain couldn''t help but feel his blood boil at the sight of it. He would be the first to admit that he wasn''t exactly a pious man, but a small-town church like this was supposed to be a place for family and friends to gather and worship. Instead, it had been utterly deconsecrated by a group of murderers. "I call thee, of Hell, to burn all things and grant us life anew," Danielle said. Alain whipped around to face her in surprise. "What?" "That''s what the Latin on the church says." "You can read that?" "I''m a senator''s daughter, remember? The perks of a classical education¡­ I mean, if we can call understanding that a perk¡­" Movement from inside the temple caught Alain''s attention. The doors to the temple suddenly flew open, and a throng of cultists stepped out; Alain counted at least two dozen of them, mostly in black robes, though a few were in white. The one that really caught his eye, however, was the older-looking man dressed in blood red. He looked to be in his early forties, and was tall, standing around Alain''s height. His head had been shaved, though he had a black well-kept beard and mustache adorning his face. And as he walked, he carried a familiar-looking back tucked under his arm. Alain''s eyes narrowed at the sight of it. He was going to have to get some answers from Az at some point, but for now, there were other priorities. After a few minutes, the cultists disappeared into the town. Alain motioned for Danielle to follow him. "Wait, you can''t be serious!" she said. "You really want to go into that¡­ that devil-worshiping building?" "First off, it''s a building. It''s not alive, so by definition, it can''t worship the devil," Alain pointed out. "Second off, if Sable might be in there, then yes, I''m going to go check it out. You''re welcome to stay-" Danielle paled at that, and she shook her head. "Don''t¡­ don''t leave me alone," she begged. "Alright, then," Alain said, drawing his revolver as he stood up from behind the rock where they''d been hiding. "Stick close to me," he warned her as the two of them began to advance towards the ruined church. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 14
Alain and Danielle crept up to the church together, sidling up to its side, taking care to stay out of the moonlight as best as they could. The front doors to the desecrated chapel were slightly open; through a crack in the door, light spilled out onto the ground, and within it, there was one shadow, moving back and forth as its owner moved about the church. Alain motioned with his head for Danielle to follow after him, and together, they both stepped up to the front of the church, and Alain gently opened the doors. Inside the church, a single black-cloaked cultist stood at an altar, knelt in prayer beneath the large cross, which had been burned and inverted, then spotted with what appeared to be human blood. Alain''s blood boiled at the sight of it, but he didn''t allow his rage to overcome him; instead, he carefully moved up to the cultist, going so quietly that the cultist didn''t notice him until it was too late. In one motion, Alain drew his knife and plunged it into the side of the cultist''s throat. Instantly, the man''s eyes flew open in shock, and his hands went to the stab in his neck to try and stem the spurting blood, but it was no use. Arterial spray rocketed through the air, spattering against the nearby pews and walls while the cultist gasped for breath. Alain simply watched it happen; he sat back and waited for the man to lose consciousness, which happened within just a few seconds. As soon as he was down and motionless, Alain gave him one more stab straight to the brain for good measure, then motioned for Danielle to follow him. "Come on," he said, flicking his knife a bit to clean some of the man''s gore off the blade. "Let''s keep moving." Danielle swallowed nervously, but nodded and continued to follow after him as he moved further into the church. The way forward was lit only by a few sparse candles; shadows danced along the walls as they both advanced, Alain keeping his revolver in one hand and his knife drawn in the other. Eventually, they came to what appeared to be a storm cellar; Alain carefully reached out and opened the door, and they both stepped inside, their guns at the ready. Like the earlier rooms, this one was lit only by sparse candlelight; one on each wall, from what Alain could see. Through the shadows, he was able to tell that they''d converted the cellar to a makeshift prison of some kind, with a wall of thick iron bars separating one half of the room from the other. And within the prison, a single figure sat, their leg chained to a spike in the floor. It didn''t take much for Alain to recognize who it was. "Sable!" he said, his voice coming out as a harsh whisper. Sable lifted her head, surprise creeping across her face. "Alain¡­?" she whispered. "You''re alive?!" "Not so loud," he hissed. "Yes, I''m alive. Hang on, I''ll get you out of here-" "Wait!" she insisted as he reached out for the door to the cell. "There''s a ward on those bars. It''s preventing me from breaking out." "What do you mean?" "I mean that they cast some kind of binding ritual on them," Sable explained. "It''s draining my strength simply by being near them. Normally, I''d be able to break my way out of here, either by going through the ceiling, or the walls, or the bars themselves, but I feel like my strength is being sapped just by being here. It''s also preventing me from turning into a bat, so I can''t get these damn shackles off, either." She motioned to her leg, and to the chain attaching her to the floor. At that moment, a thought crossed Alain''s mind. "The train crash," he realized. "Are you hurt?" Sable shook her head. "Not badly, I just got knocked out for a bit¡­ have a bit of a massive headache, but nothing too bad, all things considered. You?" "The usual ¨C some scrapes, bruises, and a broken leg. But I''ll live." Alain looked around. "Az isn''t here?" "No, I thought he was with you." Sable''s eyes widened. "Hey, in the crash, you don''t think he-" "It''ll take more than a train crash to put Az down, and you know that to be true," Alain said confidently. "He''s out there somewhere, we just don''t know where. If I had time, I''d investigate the rest of the train cars myself, but¡­" He trailed off, but Sable shook her head. "Worry about him later. For now, we need to figure out how to get out of here, and how to stop the cult." Alain blinked, surprised. "You know what they''re planning?" "No, they wouldn''t tell me anything. But that guy in the red cloak ¨C you say he had-" "Yeah, I saw the book." Alain''s eyes narrowed. "Az has some explaining to do, that''s for sure. But for now, like you said, the priority is getting out of here. Do you know how to break the ward on those bars?" "No, I don''t," Sable said, grimacing. "But¡­ the man in the red cloak was the one to set it up, that much I''m sure of." If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "How can you know?" "Because he''s the one who keeps coming to see me." "What?" Alain asked. Sable grimaced once more. "Honestly, I don''t know what to make of it¡­ He keeps trying to talk to me; says we''re some kind of kindred spirits, and that he wants to tap into my power, whatever that''s supposed to mean. All I know is that he''s almost certainly the one to set all this up, and that if you can get to him and either force him to undo the ward or kill him, that I should be able to break out without issue." Alain let out a muffled curse under his breath. "Geez, Sable¡­ ask something even harder of me, why don''t you?" "What can I say? I trust my best servants with my hardest battles." She flashed him a grin, showing off her fangs. "By the way, I''m going to have to feed after this." "How bad is it?" "I won''t lose control any time soon, but I am getting very hungry¡­" "Alright, alright¡­" Alain let out a tired sigh. "So now I have to break you out of jail and get you your dinner as well. And I have to do it by getting my hands on the guy in red. Just another day at the office, I suppose¡­" "Wouldn''t be one of our jobs if it was easy." Sable looked past Alain, surprise crossing her face when she saw Danielle standing there. "She made it, too?" "She did," Alain said. "I know ¨C I''m just as surprised as you are." "Hey!" Danielle protested. "What''s that supposed to mean?" "Just surprised at how hardy you are, that''s all. Most people wouldn''t have survived a train crash like that." "You survived it." "I''m not most people," Alain pointed out. He looked back to Sable. They both paused, then turned towards Danielle. "What?" Danielle asked. "Nothing," Alain hurriedly added. He turned back to Sable. "Stay here, we''ll be back in a bit." Sable rolled her eyes. "Do I look like I''m going anywhere, Alain?" "Good point." Alain looked over to Danielle, then motioned for her to follow him. "Come on. Let''s check out what''s going on around town." XXX Alain and Danielle left the church, leaving Sable behind. As they walked back to the outskirts of town, Danielle drew closer to Alain. "So, what''s the plan here?" she asked. "Because there''s an entire town full of cultists, not to mention the one leading them, who''s almost certainly a cut above the rest. Plus, you''re still injured." "I''m aware," Alain said without looking at her. "So what do you plan to do, exactly?" "Right now? Try and get a read on how many people we''re going to have to kill, and maybe take a few of the stragglers out before they become a problem." Alain looked up to the sky, frowning when he saw the clouds begin to part and give way to the full moon above. "Shit¡­ we''re losing our cloud coverage." "What does that mean?" "It means that sneaking around just got a lot harder. You should stay back on the outskirts of town." "What?! But-" "Don''t argue this with me," he advised her. "Sneaking around is going to be hard enough with my bad leg, keeping an eye on you as well is just going to make it even harder. It''ll be best if you hunker down and wait for me to come get you." Danielle fell silent for a moment. "...And if you don''t come for me?" Alain let out a heavy sigh. "...If morning comes and I haven''t come to get you, assume the worst. Take one of the horses and start riding; hopefully you can find someone who can help before the desert heat gets to you." Danielle stared at him. "That''s it? That''s your genius plan?" "Do you have a better one?" Alain asked. She offered no response, and he shook his head. "Look, if you really want to help, then go search through the other wrecked train cars and try to find Az. I have no idea if he''ll be in one of them or not, it''ll be worth checking out regardless. Me, I''m going to search through town on my own; don''t wait up." With that, Alain turned and began to limp away, leaving Danielle alone in the moonlight. XXX With a flash of the blade, Alain slit another man''s throat, covering his mouth as he choked on his own blood. It was over in seconds, the white-robed cultist going still and his struggles ceasing completely; Alain took the limp body and dragged it back into the shadows, then wiped his knife on the cultist''s robe before continuing. So far, things weren''t looking good. He''d killed three more cultists without anyone being any wiser, but from what he could tell just from scouting around town, there were still around two-dozen left, not counting the man in red. Speaking of that man, Alain hadn''t seen any trace of him around town at all. It was slightly unnerving, he had to admit; logically, Alain knew he was probably just sleeping, but at the same time, experience had taught him to expect the worst, and in this case, the worst was that he was planning something sinister involving that book of his. Alain finished the dead cultist with a stab to the brain to prevent him from reanimating, then continued on his way, limping through town. It was around one in the morning now, by his estimation; the entire town was now quiet as the grave, presumably because the cultists were asleep, save for a few that were still patrolling. As Alain moved through town, he saw something up ahead ¨C a light that suddenly came on in a building down the street. His interest now piqued, Alain steadily crept over to the building; it had only one story, and from what he could tell, it was the local reverend''s house, though naturally, all the religious iconography had been perverted or desecrated in some way. The most striking thing, however, was the lone figure seated at a desk with his back to Alain, just a few meters away. It was the man in red, illuminated by a nearby fireplace. Alain stared at the man, his blood running cold when he noticed the book in his hands. Alain hesitated, then sheathed his knife and drew his revolver. The moment his gun cleared leather, the man in red stiffened, and Alain froze; he had drawn his weapon silently, so he wasn''t sure how the cultist leader would have heard him. And yet, somehow, he knew to turn towards Alain, a sinister-looking grin on his face. "Well, well," he said. "A lost lamb." Alain didn''t waste any time; he cocked the hammer back on his revolver and pulled the trigger, but to his dismay, the cultist leader dove to the ground, the bullet doing little more than grazing him across the shoulder as he hit the deck. A second after the gunshot broke through the night, a chorus of shouts went up around town, and Alain''s blood ran cold. He holstered his revolver and went for his shotgun, then began to retreat as fast as his legs could carry him. And all around him, he heard people scrambling for their weapons in the dead of night. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 15
Alain limped away from the building, moving through the night as gunshots erupted all around him. Clods of dirt and sand were kicked up in the air as bullets impacted the ground nearby; Alain fired his lever-action shotgun as he ran, desperate to simply put rounds downrange in an attempt to cover himself. A few shouts of pain greeted him through the darkness, indicating that at least a few of his shotgun pellets had found their intended targets, but he didn''t stop to confirm it. Eventually, Alain was able to duck behind another building, flattening against it as he reloaded his shotgun. No sooner had he inserted the final shell than did a cultist round the corner, a Henry repeating rifle clutched in his hands; Alain took his head clean off with a single blast of buckshot, then worked the action as he poked the muzzle of his weapon around the corner. A few more cultists were rushing throughout town, trying to set up a perimeter around him, potshots being taken to try to flush him out from his cover. Alain grinded his teeth in frustration as he realized that he was slowly but surely being flanked. Alain tried to push his way out from behind cover, but no matter which way he went to look, more bullets came to greet him. Faced with no other option, he was forced back into cover, unable to move anywhere while splinters and chunks of brick lacerated his skin. Again, Alain pressed himself against the building, his heart racing as he tried to make himself as small of a target as he possibly could. The air around him was absolutely full of flying lead; he had nowhere to go, and he knew it. At this point, his only option was to go down fighting. As that thought crossed his mind, Alain paused and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He''d been in these kinds of situations before, some of which had been worse than this, and yet this was the one that on its face looked the most like it was going to be the end of him. Try as he might, he simply couldn''t think of a way out of this situation. The cultists had him dead to rights; he was stuck behind this building with nowhere to go, and even if there was a way out of his impromptu piece of cover, he was still stuck hobbling on a broken leg. So this really was the end, then. He was going to die alone, in a Texas ghost town, surrounded by cultists who would probably reanimate his body for some nefarious purpose. And yet, somehow, Alain''s only thought was taking as many of them with him as possible. Alain bit his lip hard enough to break the skin as a vein pulsed in his forehead. Suddenly, rage had filled his system; he no longer cared about what was going to happen to him, only that he got to send as many cultists straight to hell as he possibly could. And so, after one final check to make sure his guns were fully stocked, Alain stepped out from behind cover, firing at muzzle flashes in the night as fast as he could pull the trigger, work the action, and move between targets. His mind was absent of any emotion aside from sheer anger and the desire to kill as many cultists as he possibly could. He continued to fire his shotgun, and the moment it went dry, he dropped it to the ground below and drew his revolvers, then continued to advance out from cover as he fired them, one in each hand. And suddenly, all around him, the bullets stopped as he left cover. Alain was taken aback, so much so that he found himself pausing for a split-second as he tried to reassess what was going on. Just like that, the rounds had stopped; there were no more muzzle flashes in town. The realization caused his brow to furrow. He knew he hadn''t killed them all; there had been too many muzzle flashes for that, not to mention that he knew his shots hadn''t been quite that accurate. He got his answer as to what was going on when he heard a chorus of footsteps echoing through the town all around him. Alain whipped around, leveling his revolvers at the noises as he went. Shapes darted between the buildings, and he wasted no time in firing at each of them in turn. A few of his shots hit their mark, and some other cultists fell to the ground either dead or screaming in agony, but the few he took down were a drop in the bucket compared to what had to be the other two-dozen or so still circling him. His guns clicked empty, forcing Alain to holster one in order to reload, and that was when they struck. The cultists suddenly moved, closing in on him from the shadows; Alain had no chance to react before one of them brought the stock of his rifle against Alain''s bandaged leg, forcing him to the ground as he screamed bloody murder. Once he was down, another cultist kicked the revolver from his hands, and a third ripped the knife and holstered revolver from his body. Alain laid there, staring up at them all, a grimace crossing his face that was equal parts frustrated and angry. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. And as he laid there on the ground, the man in red forced his way through the crowd, staring down at Alain with a smug smirk on his face. "Well, you''re certainly an interesting one," he observed. "It will surely be a pleasure to see what information we can glean from you." Alain didn''t bother to listen any further, instead lunging for the man in red, a wicked snarl crossing his face as he did so. He didn''t get far; another cultist brought the butt of his rifle against Alain''s head, forcing him to the ground yet again. Alain laid there, his head spinning and his vision blurring as the cultists drew even closer to him. Then one of them struck him across the head a second time, and everything went black. XXX It was the smell of incense and blood that eventually awoke him. Slowly, Alain stirred awake, both eyes gently fluttering open. Dim red light met his gaze; it didn''t take him long to realize it was coming from burning red candles. He was back in the desecrated church, he realized, though this time, they had him chained across the altar. "So the heretic finally awakes." Alain''s eyes finally finished opening, and he glanced over to where he''d heard the voice, his expression narrowing in rage when he saw the man in red standing a few feet away, his hands clasped behind his back. Despite knowing he was chained to the altar, Alain still tried to lunge for him, for all the good it did; the man flashed him a cocky smirk as he watched him struggle. "There''s no need for that," he said. "We can keep this civil, I hope." "Civil," Alain spat. "Your men killed an entire train full of people, not to mention this town." "Necessary sacrifices for the greater good, I assure you." "And what would that greater good be? Wait, don''t tell me ¨C some kind of ritual meant to deify one of the many various creatures of the night?" The man''s smirk finally faded, and Alain grinned at him. "Believe me, you cultist types are all the same. You aren''t the first ones I''ve dealt with, and you won''t be the last." "You''re awfully confident for someone who''s chained to the altar." "Because I know you''ve all made a mistake, taking me alive. If there''s one thing I''m sure of, it''s that by the end of this, I''m going to have killed all of you." Alain wasn''t sure if it was just his delivery, but something about that seemed to have genuinely unnerved the man in red. It was only for a second, and he recovered soon enough, but for just a moment, he looked the slightest bit concerned. "Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot," he offered. "I am Father Keenan, chief acolyte of our order. And you are?" Alain let out an irritated huff. "Blow it out your ass, Keenan. You''re about the furthest thing from a priest there could possibly be. I''m not dignifying your title even for a second." "Are you always this confrontational with someone who could easily have you killed?" "If you''re going to do it, then do it, don''t try to bore me to death." A vein pulsed in Keenan''s forehead, but he managed to maintain his composure. "Be that as it may, we have an interest in you, specifically your relationship with the vampire." Alain rolled his eyes. "My relationship with her is that we''re friends and business partners. She saves my life, I save hers, suddenly we''re in business together. Not much more to discuss about it. And if you think for a moment that hurting me is going to get her over to your side or even impress her, then you''ve got another thing coming. Hell, at this point, she''d gut you all alive just for what you''ve done to those innocent people." Keenan''s brow furrowed. "We have no interest in getting her over to our side." "Then what do you care about her for? Or are you just some of those weirdos who worship what they don''t understand?" Absentmindedly, Alain looked up, his eyes landing on the inverted cross above him. "By the way, I won''t claim to be a good Catholic, but even I know that honoring Saint Peter isn''t exactly conducive to worshiping something from the other side of the Veil." "Enough!" Keenan roared. "The only reason you are alive is because-" At that moment, there was a chorus of screams from outside the church, followed by a few rounds of gunfire, before everything went silent. Everyone froze, nobody making a move. And then the wall behind Alain exploded. A cloud of dust filled the air, along with pieces of splintered wood. All around the room, cultists began to let out hacking coughs as they breathed in the dust; Alain, for his part, did the same, though his coughs were soon buried beneath a wave of gunfire that filled the area. Alain struggled in his bonds, desperate to free himself before he took a stray bullet. Through the midst of combat, he felt something shatter the chains around his arms and legs, and just like that, he was free. Alain rolled off the altar, taking cover behind it. He only had a moment to settle in before someone called his name. "Alain!" He turned towards Danielle''s voice, and was surprised when a rifle came flying at him through the dust. He caught it in one hand, then checked the chamber to make sure it was loaded. Now armed, Alain poked his head out from around the altar, leading with the muzzle of his weapon. The dust had started to clear by this point, allowing him to see what had happened. To his surprise, Az was moving through the room, tearing cultists limb from limb, uncaring of the rounds impacting against him and leaving trickles of dark black blood trailing down his once-immaculate suit. Alain centered the sights of his borrowed rifle on the nearest cultist and fired twice, driving two .44 caliber slugs through the man''s chest. He caught a flash of red out of the corner of his eye as he did so, and turned just in time to see Keenan fleeing from the church out the front. "Az!" Alain called, getting his attention. "Go after the man in the red cloak!" Az nodded, then took off after Keenan. Alain, meanwhile, looked around for Danielle, and spotted her hunkering down behind an overturned pew, her revolver drawn. The cultists had mostly been dealt with by this point, save for a few who were still writhing around on the floor in agony. Alain silenced them all with a single shot to the head, then pushed over to where Danielle was in cover. "You okay?" he asked as he came limping over to her. "Fine," she said. "Good. Stay here, I''m going after Az." "What?! But-" Alain didn''t wait to hear anything further, instead rushing out of the church in pursuit of Az and Keenan. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 16
Alain limped through the night as fast as his wounded leg would let him, leading with his rifle as he went. There were still a few cultists scattered throughout the town, though he easily made short work of them thanks to the rifle Danielle had tossed him. Soon enough, the only muzzle flashes still erupting through the night were those from Father Keenan as he tried desperately to fend off Az, but to absolutely no avail. Eventually, the pursuit had to come to an end, which it did when Az increased his pace as much as he could, apparently having finally grown tired of dealing with Father Keenan. He caught up to the man in red and bowled him over, then roughly tore the revolver from his hand; the sound of shattering bone filled the night, joined shortly thereafter by Keenan''s agonized screams. Alain got there just in time to find Az standing over Keenan''s crumpled form with his fist cocked back, no doubt intending on delivering a lethal blow to him. "Az!" Alain called out, stopping him. Slowly, Az turned towards him, then gave him a nod. "Alain," he said gruffly. "Don''t interfere; this doesn''t involve you." "But it does involve you, then?" Az said nothing in response, and Alain''s gaze narrowed. "Az, I trust you with my life. So does Sable. You know this, so why try to hide something from us?" "You wouldn''t get it. He has information that rots the brain and turns the most noble souls dull," Az grunted as he turned his attention back to Father Keenan, his gaze narrowing. "Some things are beyond comprehension even to those who lurk on the other side of the Veil. A great many of those things, in turn, should be left well enough alone by all involved. Unfortunately, some people don''t seem to understand what they''re trying to mess with." "Then talk to me," Alain all but pleaded. "Help me understand." Az shook his head. "Even if I wanted to, I can''t." "What does that mean, Az? Are you somehow sworn to secrecy on this, the same way you can''t tell Sable or I what you truly are?" Az said nothing. Alain stared at him in dismay before turning towards Father Keenan, who was cradling his shattered hand, small grunts of pain escaping from him as he winced in agony. "At least let me question him," Alain said. "If nothing else, I want to be sure that we can free Sable before you kill him." Az let out another grunt, but did as Alain asked, stepping away from the man in red. "Very well. But be swift." Alain nodded. "Much appreciated." He stepped over to Father Keenan, still carrying his borrowed lever-action rifle. Alain stood above him, the two men staring each other down for a moment, but saying or doing nothing else. That ended when Alain raised his boot and roughly stomped on Keenan''s injured hand. A yowl of sheer agony broke through the night, and it only grew in intensity as Alain ground his heel on the injured man''s hand. "Do I have your attention?" Alain demanded. "Fuck!" Keenan managed to get out. "Yes, yes, you do!" "Are you going to answer my questions?" Keenan said nothing at first, prompting Alain to press a bit more of his body weight against Keenan''s hand; the resulting scream told him everything he needed to know about the kind of cooperation he was about to get. "Good," Alain said dryly. "First question ¨C who the hell are you people, exactly? I want the name of your cult, who runs it, and what you all believe in." "We¡­ are the Acolytes of Leviathan," Keenan breathed. "We¡­ believe that Leviathan is the one who will destroy all things, and in so doing, will grant us unimaginable power over the underworld." Az let out an irritated growl as Keenan spoke and took a step forward, no doubt intending to finish him off, but Alain stopped him by holding out one of his arms. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "Wait," Alain told him. Az hesitated, but ultimately did as he was told and backed down. Once he was no longer an issue, Alain looked back to Father Keenan. "So, you''re all trying to worship some kind of world-ending monstrosity from the underworld in the hopes that it''ll grant you power over another plane of existence in return. Am I understanding that bullshit correctly?" Keenan glared at him. "You dare insult our faith-" "It''s a yes or no question, Keenan; I expect a yes or no answer." Alain pressed a bit of his body weight on Keenan''s hand once more, and the red-cloaked man sucked in a pained breath before finally spitting it out. "Yes!" he said through gritted teeth. "Now, was that so hard?" Alain asked. "For the record, this isn''t anything new for us; seems every other job we get is breaking up a crazy cult similar to yours. Though, that begs the question ¨C why revere vampires so much if you worship this Leviathan thing, anyway?" "Vampires are children of the night," Keenan breathed. "The very embodiment of all that is unholy, as well as a symbol of the underworld itself. To idolize them is to idolize destruction in its purest form." "If you say so," Alain said absentmindedly. "Frankly, the only things I''ve ever seen Sable destroy are undead and expensive bottles of wine. But sure, I''ll take your word for it. Of course, now I have to wonder¡­ for as many cults and covens as we go through on a monthly basis, I must admit, yours is the one that''s been the most successful of the entire bunch. Now why would that be, hm?" Keenan said nothing. Alain leaned into his hand, earning another scream of pain from him. "That was a genuine question, Keenan," Alain said, his eyes narrowing. "Answer it." "Fuck you," Keenan said with a snarl. "I''m done answering your questions. Kill me already and be done with it." "You know what I think?" Alain asked, ignoring Keenan''s request for now. "I think you''re not the one who''s really in charge. I mean, at this point, I don''t know who would be, but it''s certainly not you; you''re competent, but not nearly competent enough to pull off something like taking over both a train and a town with a crew this small. No, I think there''s someone else pulling the strings. The only question is who." He shook his head. "Though I doubt you''re going to give me that much. Still, at the very least, I imagine I can pry how to free my friend from the basement of that church out of you." "Go to hell. I''m not telling you anything else." Alain shrugged. "Okay. We''ll do it the hard way, then. Az, I''m done with this guy; he''s all yours." He turned and began to walk away, his mind suddenly flooding with images of the murdered family from the train. As an afterthought, he said to Az, "Make sure he feels it on his way out." "With pleasure," Az said, cracking his knuckles as Alain stepped past him, heading back for the desecrated church. He made it back just as a fresh chorus of Keenan''s screams filled the night. XXX Alain winced as he made his way down the steps to the church''s storm cellar, each movement jostling his wounded leg a bit, causing waves of pain to radiate through his entire body. "Fuck me, I need to get this looked at¡­" he muttered through gritted teeth as he carefully descended the stairs. Danielle was already there waiting for him, a rifle still in her hands. She pointed it at him as he reached the bottom of the steps, and Alain glared at her as he took the barrel of the gun and angled it so it was pointed away from him. "For the record, don''t ever point a weapon at me again," he sternly told her. "Sorry," Danielle told him, lowering her rifle. "Had to make sure you weren''t one of them." "What, the Stetson didn''t give it away?" Danielle didn''t say anything, and Alain simply stepped past her, heading for the makeshift jail cell. "Sable." She was still seated on the floor, leaned up against the wall. When he called her name, she looked up, her brow furrowing. "This isn''t as fun as it looks, you know," she told him. "Yeah, I''m aware. Don''t worry, Keenan should be dealt with at any time-" Before he could even finish his sentence, Sable suddenly seized. Instantly, Alain was up against the bars, grasping them as he called her name, though she was quick to wave him off as she rose to her feet. "I''m fine," she assured him. "Just¡­ feels like I''m suddenly myself again." Recognition flashed across Alain''s face. "Guess that means Az finally ended Keenan." "Probably. Hang on, I''m going to break out of here." As an afterthought, she added, "You both might want to stand back." Alain and Danielle did as she told them, stepping back towards the stairs. Sable pulled on the chain connecting her to the floor, shattering it with minimal effort, before stepping forwards and focusing on the bars to the makeshift jail. She grabbed hold of them and took a breath, and then pushed; several of the bars instantly went flying, impacting against the back wall and giving her just enough space that she could slip between the remaining parts of the cell. Now freed, Sable breathed a sigh of relief as she stretched out. "Finally¡­ you have no idea what it was like in there. It felt like I was sick and my whole body was cramping up at the exact same time." She cast a glance over at Alain, then gave him a nod. "Thanks for getting me out of there, and I''m glad that you''re still in one piece." "Barely¡­" Alain said, again through gritted teeth. "My leg feels like it''s about to tear itself off." Instantly, Sable''s demeanor changed, and she was at his side. Before Alain could protest further, she had picked him up and was carrying him the way a mother might carry her injured child. "You should''ve said something sooner," she told him. "Don''t worry, though ¨C we''ll get you some help for your injured leg." "I can walk just fine," Alain protested. "Not on that leg, you can''t." "Being carried like this is beneath me." "So is injuring yourself further." Alain glared at her. "You''re enjoying this, aren''t you?" Sable''s only response was to laugh, which was all he needed to her to know she was having the time of her life. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 17
"Sable, would you put me down already?" Finally, after having carried him like a baby for several minutes, Sable obliged. She carefully Alain on the ground, making sure not to disturb his injured leg. He looked around; the sun had just started to rise, illuminating the town all around them. For the first time since arriving there, Alain was able to see it clearly. Dead bodies littered the area, both the fresh ones from the cultists they''d stopped as well as a few older ones ¨C stray civilians who''d been murdered when the cult had first arrived in town, and whose bodies had yet to be moved. Bullet holes were clearly visible across many of the buildings in town, reminders of both the fight that had just occurred a short while ago as well as the earlier massacre. And through it all, the desecrated church loomed a short ways away, sticking out like a giant scar even in comparison to the rest of the town. Alain stared at the church for a moment, then shook his head. He turned to Sable and was about to say something to her when Az came running up to them. "Town''s clear," he informed the two of them. "I''ve checked all the buildings. There''s nothing alive in any of them, unfortunately." "And the cultists?" Alain asked. "None of them came back to life?" "A few did, but I put them down easily enough."Az stared down at Alain, frowning when he saw his leg was still injured. "We should get that fixed." "I mean, hell, if you know where we can find a doctor around here, I''m all ears," Alain said. "Otherwise, one of you is going to be stuck carrying me back to the horses, because there''s no fucking way I''m going to be able to walk on this thing." "I can try something," Az said. "What do you mean, try something?" Alain paused. "Actually, you know what? Knowing you, I probably don''t want to know the specifics. Just, tell me if you think it''ll actually get me fixed up." "Oh, I''m sure it will. It won''t be pleasant, but it will fix your leg." Alain sighed tiredly. "Alright, fine." "You might want to bite down on your belt," Az informed him. "And close your eyes, too. This is going to hurt like hell." Alain did as he was told. He pulled off his belt and clamped it between his teeth, then closed his eyes. And not a moment later, his entire world erupted into pain and screaming. Alain bit back an agonized yell as he felt some otherworldly force begin to stitch his leg back together from the inside out. And through it all, there was that screaming ¨C the same screaming he''d heard back in New Orleans, when Az had done something similar to fix himself up in the midst of the fighting. Finally, the pain became too much to bear, and Alain passed out. XXX "Quiet, quiet! He''s waking up!" Alain let out a pained groan as he cracked both eyes open and angled his head up. "Eugh¡­ Az? Sable? Danielle? That you?" "Who else would it be?" Sable asked. "How do you feel?" "Like I just went for ten rounds with a professional bare-knuckle boxer specifically hammering my leg and then had my blood drained by you." He let out another pained groan. "Fuck, my aching head¡­" "Can you walk?" "Yeah, just give me a moment¡­" Alain sucked in a breath, then nodded. "Alright. Help me up." Sable did as he asked, carefully pulling him to his feet. Alain stumbled as he was pulled upright, wincing when he put weight onto his injured leg, though thankfully, it was simply more of a dull ache now rather than the surge of agony he''d been expecting. He breathed a sigh of relief at that. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "Az, I don''t know what the hell you did to me, but thanks," he said. "Don''t mention it," Az replied, in that same near-monotone grumble he used for almost everything. "Least I could do, really." Alain gave him a nod, then turned to Sable. "So, what happened on the train, anyway?" Sable''s eyes narrowed. "I don''t have much to report, though I will say what little there is¡­ well, it''s embarrassing for me. When the train was derailed, I was knocked unconscious; when I woke up, they already had me in the cell." "And that begs the question: what caused the train to derail, anyway?" "Cultists took out part of the rail line," Az informed him. "I''d wager that I woke up later than you both; it was already dark by the time I climbed out of the wreckage. How they didn''t find me, I have no idea; perhaps the train car I was in was just too mangled for them to go digging through it at the time. I certainly had to fight my way out of it." He shook his head. "In any case, I happened to wake up near the cultists who''d taken out the train tracks. I fought with them until Danielle found me and directed me towards the town. You know the rest already." Alain let out a breath. "You got here just in time, I''ll give you that much. I wasn''t going to stand a chance for much longer, and who knows what would have happened after that." He looked around again. "Everyone''s alright? Nobody else is injured?" "We''re all good," Sable informed him. "Az took care of his own injuries while you were out." "Speaking of which," Danielle said, causing them all to turn towards her. She blanched a bit when Az''s gaze landed on her, though she was quick to recover. "What was that, anyway?" "Good question," Sable told her. "I doubt you''ll get an answer; we''ve asked him before and he''s been very reticent with that information." "Speaking of which," Alain interrupted, turning back to Az. "I know you know something about what''s going on around here ¨C with the cult, and the books, and all that shit. I also know that you want to keep it to yourself, for some reason. I''m willing to respect that this is personal for you, but given that it nearly got us all killed, I think we''re entitled to at least a little bit of an explanation." Az''s expression narrowed slightly. "You aren''t entirely wrong," he admitted. "Though you have to understand¡­ it isn''t just that I want to keep this a secret, it''s that I have to." "You have to?" Sable echoed. "What does that mean?" "Part of the terms of my contract with you, my lady. There are certain things I am forbidden from discussing openly. For the most part, this is one of them." Alain and Sable exchanged a quick glance with one another. "Well, what can you tell us about it?" Alain ventured. "There has to be something." "There is, but it''s very little," Az specified. "What I can say is¡­ the book is to fuel a summoning ritual of some kind. I can''t tell you what they''re trying to summon or from where, but that''s what it''s for." Alain let out a low groan. "Fuck me, more ritualistic bullshit¡­ I had enough of that garbage back in Los Banos, to say nothing of New Orleans¡­" He shook his head. "How dangerous is this? Can you tell us that much?" "Normally? It''d be more of an annoyance than anything," Az explained. "Most humans are not capable of completing this ritual, and most of the creatures on the other side of the Veil know better than to mess with these kinds of forces. Earlier, I was under the impression that this was an isolated incident, and that it would be solved simply by destroying the book¡­ I can see now that I was wrong. Someone is working to spread this cult and conduct this ritual, though for what purpose, I am unable to explain." "As in, you don''t know, or as in you can''t tell us?" Alain questioned. Naturally, Az provided no answer for that. Alain heaved a frustrated sigh. "Well, in any case, I suppose we''ll just have to keep an eye out for more of these books. Father Keenan wasn''t going to tell us much, and with him gone, our lead into the cultists is gone as well." "So what do we do now?" Sable questioned. "What we''re being paid to do, I suppose. With any luck, we''ll stumble on more of the cultists and figure out what they''re doing, as well as how to stop them." Alain turned back to Danielle. "Unfortunately, it looks like this little detour cost us time more than anything. We''re no closer to finding your father." Her face darkened. "Believe me, if my father knew we''d known about these people and left them alive, he''d be furious." "Well, be that as it may, we''re now behind on schedule. The one silver lining, I suppose, is that the plan hasn''t changed; we can still make it to San Antonio and start looking around there. Hopefully, whoever has him is still local and hasn''t covered their tracks too professionally, otherwise we''ll have some trouble." "Are you trying to make me panic?" Danielle asked. "Trying to temper expectations, more like," Alain said. He patted himself down, looking for a pack of cigarettes, and after finding it, popped one into his mouth and lit it. "I''ll leave this decision up to you, Danielle ¨C do you want to rest up here for a bit, or head straight into San Antonio?" "Is that even a question?" "It is, because if we get into another fight there, we''re all still pretty beat from the last one. I''ll need to buy more ammo as well, for my-" Alain suddenly paused. "Az, did you see my weapons around here somewhere?" "No, but I''ll help you look for them," he offered. "That''s fine. In any case, unless we take five, we''re going to have to just hope nobody picks a fight with us once we get there, because otherwise, it might get ugly fast." Danielle crossed her arms. "Well, since you''re giving me a choice¡­ I''d rather not wait on this. I say we head off now." Alain shrugged. "Alright. Don''t say I didn''t warn you." "You''re being dramatic," Danielle chastised as they all began to head for where the cultists had left their horses tied up. "How bad could it be, anyway?" The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 18
The ride to San Antonio took them a few days in total. Thankfully, the cultists had left enough supplies around town that they were able to scrounge enough together to make the trip without issue. By the time they finally made it to the entry point of the city, Alain was wincing with every step his horse took. "Fuck me¡­" he said. "If I never have to ride on a horse again, it''ll be too soon¡­" "Were you not a cowboy?" Sable asked. "I thought horseback riding was basically in your blood." "Not quite. I''ve been just about everything there is to be in the outdoors, at least job-wise ¨C frontiersman, outdoorsman, farmhand¡­ you name it, and I''ve probably done it. But I wouldn''t consider myself a cowboy. And besides, you of all people ought to know what''s in my blood." Sable let out a tired sigh. "You and the stupid vampire puns¡­" "Consider it revenge for carrying me like a baby a few days ago," Alain replied. He looked over his shoulder. "Az, Danielle, you both doing okay?" "We may need to stop soon," Az reported. "I think my horse needs a break." "I''m not surprised; that horse basically has a brick shithouse riding on it. How about you, Danielle?" "I''ll be fine," she said. "We''re almost there, anyway." "Yeah, about that¡­'' Sable began. "Where are you leading us, anyway?" "To where my father was last staying," she said. "Like I told you earlier, he was only in this town for business. He was staying at a hotel with armed guards." "He was?" Alain asked, surprised. "You didn''t mention that part earlier." She shrugged. "It didn''t seem important." A vein pulsed in Alain''s forehead. "Look, Danielle ¨C at this point, you should consider everything important. It''s possible one of those guards was in on your father''s disappearance." "No, it isn''t," she retorted. "My father personally hired and vetted all of his guards, and he paid them extremely well in order to keep them loyal." "Perhaps they simply received a better offer from someone else," Az observed. Danielle gave him a side-eyed glance, and he shrugged. "I''ve been around humans enough to know how greedy they can get. Every soul can be bought; Judas'' was for a mere thirty silver coins." Alain suddenly caught sight of something on the main road into town, and stopped his horse. The others stopped behind him; he leaned in, squinting as he did so. "Looks like there''s a checkpoint set up leading into town," he said. "I''m not surprised," Danielle told him. "They probably locked the entire place down after my father went missing." "Yeah, well, let''s hope they''re friendly to vampires, because otherwise this is going to be a lot harder." Alain snapped the reins, and his horse took off at a trot once more, the others falling in behind him. XXX "Halt," one of the guards said as the four of them approached the checkpoint. There were around ten of them, all dressed in Army uniforms and with rifles slung over their shoulders, though none of them seemed to be from Colonel Stone''s unit; a shame, as it probably would have made getting into San Antonio much easier. "State your name and your business here," the guard added. "Alain Smith," he replied. "We''re here looking for the missing senator. The three of us were hired by his daughter; I have her here with me." Danielle peered out from behind Alain, waving at the guards. Instantly, they all blanched, exchanging a glance with each other. "O-of course you do," one of them, a Corporal judging by the two chevrons on the shoulder of his uniform, said. "Our apologies, Miss Silvera." "It''s no big deal," she assured him. "Though, if you boys could just stand aside and let us through, we''d be very-" "Wait," another soldier said; Alain turned to the sound of his voice and was met by a gruff-looking Sergeant approaching him. His gaze landed on Sable and Az, and his eyes narrowed. "Those two are vampires." Instantly, the other nine men all reached for their rifles, snapping them up into their shoulders as they took aim at everyone but Danielle. Slowly, Alain raised his hands above his head, and Sable and Az did the same behind him. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Easy," Alain implored. "We''re just here because Danielle hired us to look for her father." "Like I''m expected to believe that," the Sergeant said with a snarl. "I''ve read about what vampires are capable of ¨C apparently, they can control someone''s mind with just a bite." "Not necessarily," Sable said, sounding very unimpressed. "We have to will for it to-" "Shut up," the Sergeant growled. He turned to two of his men and motioned for them to step up. "Check the cowboy and Miss Silvera for bite marks on their necks." "So you are a cowboy after all," Sable said to Alain. He scowled, but offered no resistance as one of the two soldiers approached him and checked his neck. "He''s got puncture wounds!" one of them reported. Instantly, the Sergeant''s eyes went wide. "Miss Silvera-" "She''s clean," the other soldier reported. "Oh, enough of this," Sable said, rolling her eyes. "Are you really trying to get in the way of official Tribunal business?" "Tribunal?" the Sergeant asked, his eyes going wide. "Tribunal?" Alain echoed under his breath, equally as confused. Sable gave him a knowing look, and he decided the best course of action was to be quiet and let her keep speaking. "Honestly," Sable began, "do you bunch of morons really believe the senator''s daughter would hire just any pair of random vampires off the street to help look for her father?" "Wait, she hired you?" the Sergeant asked, perplexed. "I thought this was official Tribunal business¡­" "If you''re good at something, never do it for free," Sable replied without missing a beat. "She wanted the best, so she hired some Tribunal members; the Tribunal, for their part, figured it might as well be made official. So, consider the two of us envoys to your little town." The Sergeant''s brow furrowed. "Right, well, we''ll need to confirm-" "Do you not realize how little time we have?" Az questioned from behind Sable. "The man''s been missing for several days now, that means each and every second matters. And the more time you waste holding us here trying to verify a story is yet more sand draining from his proverbial hourglass. Now, are you going to keep being a part of the problem, or are you going to start being a part of the solution and let us through?" The Sergeant blinked once, then turned back to consult with his men. After a few seconds, he turned back to them with a nod. "Okay, fine, I suppose your story checks out, especially since you have Miss Silvera with you already," he agreed, though he sounded none too pleased about it. "That being said, I''ll need to record your names to have a record of who entered the town. I already have Miss Silvera and Mister Smith, but the other two-" "Az," he answered. "Just Az. A-Z. Nothing more, nothing less." "Sir, I''m going to need more than-" "That''s all you''re getting from me. Take it or leave it." "If I were you, I''d take it," Sable advised. The Sergeant heaved a tired sigh. "...Fine. And you, ma''am?" "Sable." "I''ll need a last name, too." "That is my last name. Don''t ask for my first name unless you want to know what a member of the Tribunal is really capable of. I assure you, whatever gory possibilities you may have just conjured up in your mind pale in comparison to the amount of paperwork I can drown this town in with just a telegram back to the others." "Y-yes, of course¡­" The Sergeant stammered out. "My mistake; you may all pass, now." With that, his men stepped aside, allowing them entry. Alain tipped his hat to them. "Much obliged," he said. "Let''s get going, y''all." "You''re doing the cowboy thing again," Sable said as they rode past the ten dumbfounded guards and entered town. "Fuck off, Sable." XXX As it turned out, San Antonio was much smaller than Alain had anticipated. It was nowhere near as hustle-and-bustle as San Francisco or New Orleans had been, although it was still plenty busy ¨C people moved through the streets with purpose, so much so that many of them barely offered Sable and Az more than a passing glance, though the few who did recognize them immediately took off running in the other direction. "No, seriously, that has to get old fast," Alain observed as what had to be sixth person ran away from them. "I don''t know, I kind of like it," Sable observed. "Keeps things quiet, you know?" "I suppose." Alain looked over his shoulder. "Danielle, where''s this hotel, exactly?" "Right in the center of town," she confirmed. "I think it''s called The Silver Buffalo, or some fancy southern shit like that ¨C you''ll know it when you see it, believe me; you honestly can''t miss it." "I''ll take your word for it," Alain replied. The four of them continued riding on until they turned a street corner and were immediately met by a large, multi-story building that seemed to take up an entire block on its own. As if that wasn''t conspicuous enough, the large metal buffalo on its rooftop gave it away immediately. "Well, you were right about one thing, Danielle," Alain observed. "That is certainly impossible to miss." "Right?" she asked. "Come on, I see some of his guards still milling about. I''ll go talk to them." Danielle rode her horse over to the front of the hotel, then stopped in front of it and attached its lead to a nearby tether; Alain, Sable, and Az did the same, then followed after her as she approached a tall man in a dark suit carrying a double-barrel shotgun. "Hey, Murphy," she greeted. Murphy''s jaw dropped. "M-Miss Silvera?! What are you-" "I came looking for Dad, obviously. Know where he is?" "N-no, that''s¡­ I thought you were out of state! You can''t be here, what if the kidnappers come for you next?!" Danielle rolled her eyes. "Oh, lighten up, I can handle myself just fine." She patted her hip, where her revolver was resting in its holster. "And besides, I hired some help of my own to watch over me." Murphy turned just in time to see Alain, Az, and Sable approaching. His eyes bugged out of his skull, and he snapped his shotgun''s stock into his shoulder, taking aim at Az. Immediately, the three of them froze, and Alain raised his hands in surrender. "Murphy, wait!" Danielle called out. "Those are my bodyguards!" "So now we''re bodyguards, too¡­" Sable muttered. "Technically, that was part of the job already," Alain said. "Babysitters, more like. This girl''s a menace." "She''s also our ward," Az grunted. "Though I wish she''d speak up sooner so people would stop pointing guns at us." "Somehow, I think being held at gunpoint is going to be a theme during our time here," Alain said, his voice dry. After several seconds, Danielle managed to talk Murphy down, and he lowered his shotgun, exhaling as he did so. "...Well, if she''s willing to vouch for you, then who am I to argue?" he said. "Sorry about that." "It''s fine, it happens all the time at this point," Alain offered. "At least you didn''t actually pull the trigger this time. Last time that happened, I was picking shotgun pellets out of Sable''s stomach for days." Sable cast him a baleful glance, then turned back to Murphy. "Mind if we take a look around the senator''s hotel room?" Murphy shook his head. "Knock yourselves out. The rest of us along with the local police have the scene secured, plus the government sent in some kind of hotshot private detectives from DC to help, too. I doubt you''ll find anything they haven''t already, but it couldn''t hurt. If anyone gives you grief about poking around in there, just tell them I said it was okay." "Sure thing, Murphy," Danielle replied, giving him a familiar smile. She motioned for the others to follow her. "Come on, let''s get to work." The three of them said nothing as Danielle led them into the hotel and up to her father''s room. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 19
In typical human fashion, everyone in the hotel recognized Az and Sable as being different right away, and made sure to steer clear of them. Even the investigators and armed guards milling about around Senator Silvera''s room made sure to give them all a wide berth. Frankly, Alain was surprised that none of them even tried to stop their group of four as they stepped into Senator Silvera''s room, though he supposed it made at least some sense. After all, at this point, everyone at the very least had a basic idea of what the average vampire was capable of. Alain could only guess, but he assumed that nobody wanted to be the one to risk pissing off someone as strong as Sable or Az for what amounted to a basic paycheck at the end of the day. Having Danielle there certainly helped as well, but when it came down to it, he was positive that what kept them unbothered more than anything was the fact that nobody in the entire hotel wanted to risk their lives against Az or Sable. And, having known what they were capable of by this point, he was inclined to agree. The four of them stepped into the room, and immediately, Alain was struck by how clean and orderly it was. Nothing looked out of place in the slightest; it hadn''t been cleaned in a few days, the thin layer of dust across the furniture was proof enough of that, but that was the only thing that seemed out-of-place, and only because this hotel was so nice. "Alright, does anyone else think it''s weird that this place is damn near spotless?" Alain questioned. "Believe me, you''re not the only one," Sable replied. "Everything is so¡­ immaculate. It''s all right where it should be. The bed''s even been made." "My father did like to keep a clean home¡­" Danielle offered. Alain shook his head. "If he truly was kidnapped like you said, then this place would be in complete disarray. Instead, it''s downright normal, at least for a high-society, upscale hotel like this one is. The only reason it even looks out-of-place is because nobody''s lived here for a few days, and because we know the occupant of this room is currently missing. If it weren''t for those, you wouldn''t be able to tell that anything was wrong here to begin with." "So what does that mean?" Az questioned. "Well, to me, it means a few different possibilities," Alain answered. "The first is that the kidnappers came back and cleaned the place up once they were done with it." "Which is ridiculous," Sable pointed out. "They wouldn''t have had the time to get it this spotless, plus there were guards all over the hotel." "Right, which to me, at least, means one of two things," Alain said to her. "Either Senator Silvera walked out of here of his own volition, or he knew his kidnappers well enough that they were able to coax him out somehow, and then make their move." "Wait, you''re saying he knew his kidnappers?" Danielle asked, tilting his head. "It''s just a theory," Alain insisted. "My guess is that the detectives already checked it out, too. If he''d had any visitors the night he went missing, one of the guards would have seen them." "Unless that guard is lying," Az said. "That is true, as well," Alain admitted. "So our theories remain unchanged ¨C either he knew the person or people who kidnapped him, or he walked out of here on his own and went missing afterwards." "But that doesn''t make sense¡­" Danielle said quietly. "My dad doesn''t stay out late; from what I know, the guards said he went missing some time after midnight. He''s a creature of habit, and he''s always in bed before ten. He would have been asleep at the time he was supposed to have gone missing." "Well, what about someone waking him up?" Alain asked. "Was your father close to anyone in town? Maybe someone he''d know, but who also might have held a grudge against him, for whatever reason?" Danielle shook her head. "I mean, he was here on business, but that was to visit a business partner of his ¨C I think his name is Steven Wicks? He runs a series of steel-making factories that run across the southern states, Wicks Metalworks." "And he had a good relationship with your father?" Alain asked. Danielle nodded. "They''ve been in business together for over a decade by this point. My dad was an early investor in Wicks'' company ¨C said he saw a lot of promise in what he was doing, and gave him some money to work with in exchange for a stake in the company." "What kind of stake?" "Thirty percent, last I checked." Alain let out a low whistle. "Now, I''m no businessman, but I know enough to realize that a man''s own company is his heart and soul. Thirty percent is an awful lot of your heart and soul to sign over to someone in exchange for some starting cash." "But is it enough to kidnap them over?" Sable asked. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "I guess that depends on the person you''re asking," Alain conceded. Danielle''s brow furrowed. "Steven Wicks is a multimillionaire at this point, even with my father taking a thirty percent stake in his company," she insisted. "What reason would he have for trying to get rid of my father if he''s already so rich despite losing a third of the company? Millions of dollars is a lot of money, you know." "Yes, I''m aware," Alain said dryly. "But if there''s one thing I''ve learned in the past few months, it''s that you shouldn''t underestimate the depths of human greed. That''s how we got Los Banos, after all." He turned back to Sable and Az. "I vote we pay Steven Wicks a visit and see what he has to say. All agreed?" "It''s the only lead we''ve got," Az said with a grunt. "Might as well exhaust it before heading back to the drawing board." Alain and the others nodded, and together, they stepped out of the hotel room and began heading for Wicks Metalworks, searching for some answers. XXX "And I thought the hotel was impressive¡­" Alain couldn''t help but stare as their group approached the factory. It was huge, stretching out for hundreds of feet in seemingly every direction. Tall smoke stacks lined the top of its roof, thick black smoke belching out of them and into the sky. Alain wasn''t sure what was in it, but he could tell breathing it in wasn''t good for him; he hurriedly took his bandanna and raised it to cover his mouth, then reached into his pocket and offered a spare to Danielle, who mirrored him. "Is that wise?" Sable asked. "Between the bandannas and the guns you''re carrying, you both look like bandits. If you''re not careful, the guards might draw on you." "Wouldn''t be the first time¡­" Alain muttered, his voice coming out muffled. "And anyway, I''ll take the barrel of a gun over whatever that shit is that''s in the air, making my eyes water and my throat burn." Together, they all approached the front gate, at which a group of armed guards were stationed. Alain expected to be hassled by them in some way, but to his surprise, they barely even spared them all a glance before stepping aside and opening the front gate for them. He blinked, then turned towards Az as they stepped through the gate and onto the factory grounds. "I think Mister Wicks might have been expecting us," he ventured. "I would wager that you''re right," Az replied. Two more guards passed them by as they walked, and his eyes narrowed. "This place has a lot of security for a simple metalworking factory. Does anyone else find that suspicious?" Nobody said anything out loud, but Alain knew that they were all in agreement regardless. XXX If being let right in through the front gate hadn''t been proof enough that Steven Wicks wanted to speak with them, then the fact that the guards were content to just let them all wander through the grounds sealed the deal. For a place that was as concerned with security as this factory was, Alain simply couldn''t believe they''d be allowed to walk around freely unimpeded unless the man in charge had specifically ordered that they be left alone. After a few minutes of walking, they found themselves on the factory floor, where the noise and heat hit a crescendo. Alain wasn''t sure exactly what the purpose was for the machines he was seeing, but they all looked to be very busy, churning out pieces of metal as fast the workers could operate them. Of course, he didn''t get much chance to dwell on it before a tall, silver-haired man in a nice brown suit came striding over to them with a large grin on his face. "Welcome, welcome!" he greeted. "I''ve been expecting you!" "Steven Wicks?" Alain asked, earning a nod. "Please follow me into my office, all of you," Steven requested. "We have much to discuss." XXX And so it was that, just a short while later, the four of them found themselves crammed into an office, alone with Steven Wicks. There were already four chairs set up for them, which made Alain raise an eyebrow. "I knew you seemed to be expecting us, but I didn''t think we''d get the red carpet treatment," he said. "Anything for the daughter of the man who made me what I am today," Steven replied, standing over his desk as he fished out several shot glasses. "Do you all drink bourbon?" "I do," Alain asked. "But don''t worry about it." "No, no, I insist. Any friends of Danielle''s are friends of mine." Steven eyed her out of the corner of his eye, then gave her a small grin. "Your father speaks very highly of you. Some of my workers were chatting about how you made it into town flanked by a cowboy and two vampires, and I knew you were likely going to come here at some point." Despite Alain''s earlier comment, Steven poured him a glass of bourbon, which Alain reluctantly accepted. He took a tentative sip from it; he wasn''t sure who made it, but it certainly tasted expensive. "So, I suppose I''ll be frank with you all," Steven said. "I have no idea what happened to Senator Silvera. We were supposed to have a business meeting the morning after he disappeared; obviously, he never showed up for it, unfortunately." "Yeah, about that," Alain offered, setting his glass aside. "We heard that he took quite a bit of your company in exchange for getting you started." "Yes, that''s true," Steven confirmed with a nod. "I can even provide you with the tax documents myself, if you''d like. I have nothing to hide, there; if anything, I have every reason to shout it to the heavens, given how he''s the one who''s responsible for the man I am today." "Sure," Alain said. "But however you look at it, thirty percent is a lot. Certainly enough to kidnap someone over, in any case." Steven shook his head. "I can see why you''d suspect that of me, but it couldn''t be further from the truth." "Hm. And I suppose this is the part where you tell me you don''t know anything, either?" "Unfortunately, yes," Steven replied. "If it makes you feel any better, I''ve got my own set of private investigators looking through town for him as well. After all, he''s my business partner ¨C I can''t let something happen to him." Alain simply nodded. He reached for his glass and knocked back what was left in it, then set it aside. "Well, thanks for your time, regardless," he said, offering Steven a hand. The two men shook before separating. "Sure," Steven said. "I hope you find him. And, for what it''s worth, if you four need anything while you''re in town, please feel free to ask me." Alain tipped his hat to Steven, and the four of them stepped out of his office before closing the door behind them. "He''s hiding something," Sable said the moment they were all out of earshot. "Big time," Alain replied. "Either he''s the single most generous person I''ve ever met, or there''s something hidden underneath the surface that he''s not showing us. But it doesn''t really matter either way; we''re going to have to search somewhere else for now." "Where would you suggest?" Danielle asked. Aalin looked out a nearby window, frowning as he did so. "It''s getting pretty late. Might be best to call it a night for now; I doubt we''ll find anything else out before tomorrow. Once we''re up in the morning, we''ll try to retrace your father''s steps as best as we can. Sound good?" Danielle hesitated, though she eventually gave him a nod, and the four of them began walking back to town. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 20
By the time the four of them made it back to San Antonio, the sun had fully set. It had been a long day for them, Alain had realized ¨C they''d come into town and immediately started investigating, with no breaks from the time they''d first entered through the checkpoint to now. That explained why he was starting to feel it in his legs, he supposed, though he was fortunate enough to have it much better than Danielle. "You okay?" he asked her. "Fine," she said through gritted teeth as she continued to walk along. "Just¡­ not used to being this active¡­ my legs are killing me¡­" Alain rolled his eyes. "Az, would you mind?" Danielle let out a small yelp as Az suddenly picked her up and began to princess carry her. "Thank you," Alain said without looking back. "Hmph." Danielle crossed her arms. "I was fine on my own." "No, you were not," Alain replied evenly. Before she could reply, he added, "So, where''s a good place to stay?" "Well, there''s the hotel my father was at-" Danielle began, only for Alain to shake his head. "I''d rather not stay somewhere there are armed men patrolling," he said. "They seemed cordial enough to us back then, but given how wary people are about vampires, I wouldn''t put it past them to try and take a shot at the three of us at some point just out of pure fear." Danielle thought for a bit. "...There''s this smaller inn my father used to stay at, before he struck it rich. It''s just down the street from here." "And you think it''d be a good option?" "It''s nearby and it''s not the place you just refused to stay at." "Point taken. Okay, let''s head there." Danielle ended up directing Az on where to go, the two of them taking the lead while Alain and Sable stayed back a bit, keeping their eyes peeled for any movement across the various rooftops as they walked. "I see you''re just as vigilant as ever," Sable commented. "Have to be at this point," Alain replied. "I know better than to take my chances." She gave him a nod. "You''ve become an adept learner, my apprentice." "The way I see it, I was either going to adapt or die." Alain thought for a moment. "Wonder if this is how my mother felt for all those years¡­ I''ve been doing this for a few months, and she did it for over a decade. I can''t imagine¡­" Sable''s expression tightened. "I never mentioned this earlier because it wasn''t my place, but¡­ Alain, I do not care for the way your mother acts towards you." "Hm?" Alain asked, looking over to her. "She abandoned you for over a decade, and then when you invited her back into your life, she refused, saying she had other stuff to take care of," Sable pointed out. "I stand by my statement." Alain blinked, then gave her a shrug. "You''re not wrong," he admitted. "But at the same time, my mom has been a vampire hunter since before I was born, apparently. We have no idea the things she''s been up to during that time. For all we know, she could be facing down a possible world-ending event on her own right now. So you''re not wrong, but at the same time, I''m willing to give my mother the benefit of the doubt." "Then you''re a nicer person than me," Sable told him. "But then again, what else is new?" She quickly looked over to Az and Danielle to make sure they were just out of earshot, then leaned in to speak quietly with Alain. "Have you been practicing with the runes?" "A little," Alain admitted. "Just enough that I won''t get caught." "Good." "You know, all the secrecy bothers me," Alain said to her. "Az deserves to be brought into the fold, too. Is there a reason why you''re not letting him in? Because initially it was due to him hiding something from us, but now we know that''s not his fault." Sable hesitated, then gave a small sigh. "¡­Truthfully? I don''t want him getting jealous of you." Alain just stared at her, and a faint dusting of red crossed her face. "Look, Az has been my loyal servant for quite some time now," she insisted. "I owe him a lot¡­ but ultimately, I took you on as my apprentice, not him. I did this out of necessity, sure, but at the same time-" "You''re worried he''ll think you''re replacing him," Alain finished. Sable nodded. "Yes." "Well, no offense, Sable, but that''s kind of stupid. I guarantee you Az won''t care about this. You should tell him." "I will," she promised. "Just¡­ not right now; not when we have so many other things to worry about. When the time is right, I''ll let him know." Slowly, Alain nodded. "Alright, then. Let''s keep on-" Movement across one of the rooftops suddenly caught his attention. A shadowy figure jumped from roof to roof, closing in on their position; Alain was able to make out a silver dagger held in the person''s hand, glinting in the moonlight as they moved. And they were moving fast, too ¨C not as fast as a vampire, but much faster than a regular human could ever hope; if anything, they reminded Alain of how a professional vampire hunter like his mother would move. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Sable, look out!" Alain shouted, shoving her aside and reaching for his holstered revolver just as the figure leaped off the roof, aiming for Sable. Alain''s shove saved her, as the dagger passed by within inches of her head, nicking her across the cheek. Black blood dripped from her wound, staining the ground below. Alain, meanwhile, went to finish drawing his revolver, only for a length of chain to come flying out of the darkness; it snaked around his arm, and before he could do anything else, he was pulled to the ground by it, then started to be dragged away. Alain struggled to free himself; in the background, he heard the telltale sounds of fighting, and shots being fired. But his struggles were in vain; he was pulled across the street and into a shadowy alley. The last thing he saw before being knocked unconscious was a boot descending directly onto his head. XXX "Wake up." Cold water was splashed onto his face, and Alain awoke, sitting bolt upright and sputtering. He looked around, though he wasn''t able to tell where he was, exactly; only that it was some kind of basement, lit by a single lantern hanging above him. He''d been stripped down to his underwear, his weapons and clothes having been removed from him. And sitting across from him, there were two people, both dressed in robes, an older man wearing white and a younger man wearing black. The younger man was tall, about his height, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and a few days'' worth of blonde stubble lining his face. Through the stubble, Alain could see a few thin scars dotting the sides of the man''s face, along with a large, jagged chunk missing from the top of his right ear. The older man, meanwhile, had short gray hair and dull green eyes, and was slightly overweight compared to his compatriot. At first, Alain wasn''t sure what to make of the two men before him. His initial thoughts were that they were connected with the cult from that other town, but that thought died when he saw what they were wearing atop their robes. Both men had a silver crucifix hanging around their necks. And moreover, they were both wearing a priest''s collar. That earned an eyebrow raise from him. Slowly, Alain turned towards the older man. "Let me guess," he began, "Lutherans?" The younger man scowled at that and went to take a step forward, but the older man held him back. "Very funny," he deadpanned. "But if it''s all the same to you, we''ll be asking the questions here." "Don''t tell me ¨C you want to know why I''m traveling with two vampires and the daughter of the missing senator. No need to confirm it, I already know that''s what you''re wondering." The older man sat back in his chair. In spite of that, he kept a solid poker face and wouldn''t give Alain any tells if he was right, or if he was dooming his friends. "Then if you''d be so kind?" "To put it simply, Danielle hired us," Alain said. "The three of us were at New Orleans, you see, and since the Veil was lifted, we decided to go into business, rooting out the more unsavory creatures that lurked on the other side. Business has been good ¨C good enough that she tracked us down and hired us to find her missing father." "How compelling," the younger man said dryly. Alain turned to him. "You know, I figured the Catholic Church would take an interest in this sort of thing at some point, but I never suspected¡­ well, whatever this is." "I thought we were Lutherans to you." "Buddy, I was raised Catholic. Believe me, I can smell the guilt emanating off of both of you." Alain mirrored the older man, leaning back in his chair. "So, that''s the story in a nutshell. Now are you going to tell me why I''m here, and what you''ve done to my friends?" "Miss Silvera is upstairs," the older man answered. "As for your so-called friends, the two vampires¡­ we have them in some of the neighboring rooms for questioning. We want to see if your stories line up." "Well, by all means, take your time," Alain said. "Not like a man''s life is on the line or anything." The old man''s expression narrowed. Before he had a chance to say anything else, though, the door to the room opened, and a nun came walking in. "Father Alex, the others have finished questioning the vampires," she informed him. "How timely of them," the old priest said. He motioned to the young priest at his side. "Father Corrin, watch him. I''m going to go confirm the stories with the others." Father Corrin nodded, and Alain watched as Father Alex left the room, closing and locking the door behind him, leaving the two of them alone with each other. "So," Alain said. "Are you the one who knocked me out earlier?" Father Corrin said nothing, instead merely giving him a baleful look. Alain scowled, but offered no further words of resistance. Something told him that unlike the cultists he''d fought earlier, these priests meant business and had the means to back it up. Alain sat in silence for a while before the door opened once more and Father Alex stepped in. To Alain''s surprise, he motioned for Father Corrin to leave, which the younger priest did. Father Alex took his seat, settling in across from Alain before leaning forwards to address him more directly. "The female vampire mentioned something of interest to us," he said. "She told us that you are her apprentice." Alain blinked, surprised. Immediately, questions began to race through his mind. Sable had always been careful to keep that a secret from everyone else, so why bring it up now, especially when the priests could just as easily mention it to Az, which he knew she didn''t want? She was playing at something here, he just wasn''t sure what. "Is that true?" Father Alex demanded. Slowly, Alain nodded. "Yes, it is," he said. "It''s a new development, though. I''m still very unpracticed with even basic runes." "My interest in this does not lie in your rudimentary ability to cast basic magic," Father Alex said, sounding very unimpressed. "You have no idea what being apprenticed to a vampire actually means, do you?" Alain stared at him, saying nothing the entire time. Father Alex''s eyes narrowed. "It means she intends for you to serve alongside her when she develops her kingdom." "I''m sorry, what?" Alain asked. "I mean, I knew about the kingdom thing ¨C she''s mentioned it enough times for me to know already ¨C but serving alongside her? We''re friends, but in no way are we equals ¨C she''s much more capable than I am." "Clearly, she doesn''t see it that way. Now, you tell me ¨C why, of all the options available to her, would a vampire pick a lowly human to serve as her apprentice? Especially when she has the tall man in the suit at her beck and call as well." "You make it sound like he isn''t a vampire." "Because we know he isn''t. We''re not sure what he is, exactly, but he''s no vampire." Father Alex leaned in once more. "Now answer the question." "I can''t, because I don''t know the answer," Alain insisted. "And that''s the truth." "Hm. Another thing ¨C you mentioned that the two of you were friends. That is unusual, to say the least, though I assume you already knew that." "What''s your point?" Alain asked, impatient. "My point is that nothing about your relationship with those two makes any sense," Father Alex growled. "You claim to be good friends with your natural predator, to the point where you allow her to feed on you. You place a lot of trust in someone who could easily snap your neck and bleed you dry in a heartbeat." "Sable wouldn''t do that," Alain insisted. "And besides, it''s different ¨C the two of us have fought alongside each other basically for as long as we''ve been traveling together. I know I can trust her, because if she was going to try anything, she would''ve done it already. Hell, it would have been easier for her to have done it back then, if anything; her betraying me the way you seem to suspect she would makes no sense." Father Alex shook his head. "Regardless of her intentions, you ought to thank her for telling this to us." "And why is that?" "Because it just saved all your lives." Alain''s eyes widened just as the door opened again and Father Corrin stepped in, holding his clothes. He placed them on the table in front of Alain, then stepped back. "Get dressed," Father Alex commanded. Alain eyed his clothes for a moment before turning back to Father Alex. "What about my weapons?" he asked. "You''ll get those back later. For now, get dressed and follow us. We have much to discuss." Alain gave him a suspicious look, but ultimately decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Father Alex unlocked his shackles, and Alain set about getting dressed. Once he was finished, he looked back to the two priests and gave them a nod. "Okay," he said. "Take me to my friends." The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 21
"So, what''s this about?" Alain asked as the two priests began to lead him through the building. He looked around as he went; from what he could see, they were all underground, though in typical Catholic fashion, that somehow hadn''t stopped them from trying to make everything at least somewhat aesthetically pleasing. Religious iconography adorned the walls, along with what had to be at least one crucifix on every available surface. Incense burned throughout the area, no doubt to fight off the scent of damp cavern. All around him, priests and nuns moved about, hustling to and fro; Alain didn''t miss how some of the priests were armed with holstered revolvers. And, naturally, his question went ignored, Father Alex and Father Corrin continuing to lead him along in silence. Alain, never one to be perturbed, decided to press his luck a bit. "So, what''s going on with all of you?" he questioned. "Looks like this is some kind of paramilitary organization made up entirely of Catholics. That about right? And if it is, I''m guessing we''re in some kind of religious center-" "Do you ever stop talking?" Father Corrin snapped at him without looking back. "All of your questions will be answered in due time. Besides, I thought you wanted to see your friends again?" Alain''s gaze narrowed, but he nodded nonetheless. He fell silent, continuing to follow the two priests as they walked. Eventually, they led him up a winding staircase, and to Alain''s surprise, they emerged in what appeared to be a large cathedral. "Geez¡­" he muttered. "What is this place?" "San Fernando Cathedral," Father Alex finally answered. "I take it the big underground section is a new development?" He didn''t receive an answer, both priests remaining silent. Alain pursed his lips. "So, you let us live because I''m her apprentice," he surmised. "I take it that''s more substantial of a statement than I understand it to be?'' "Vampires generally do not take human apprentices," Father Alex told him without looking back. "The last time something like that happened was several hundred years ago." "Okay. And the significance of that is¡­?" "She has told you of her family name, has she not?" "She has. Clan Sable, of Romania." "Clan Sable is well-known among those on the other side of the Veil," Father Corrin interjected. "Someone like her taking you on as her apprentice is significant enough that we are willing to spare your lives in order to find out more, ourselves." Alain''s eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Somehow, I get the sense that''s not the entire truth." "And you''d be correct. The truth is, vampires have an intimate connection to the Underworld, in ways that most other creatures from the other side of the Veil do not. There is a reason why they are referred to as children of night. To have one from a family so powerful be willing to take on a human apprentice¡­ it is worth keeping an eye on all of you, if only to see how this continues to develop in due time." Alain opened his mouth to say something else, but didn''t get the chance to before someone interrupted him. "Alain!" At the sound of Sable''s voice, Alain whipped around to face her, and watched as she came running up along with Danielle and Az. Oddly enough, Sable seemed completely fine, whereas Az looked incredibly tired and fatigued for some reason. "Hey," Alain said, getting Az''s attention. "You alright, big guy?" "Fine," Az replied. "You sure? Because I''ve never seen you-" "Alain," Az said, cutting him off. "I am fine." "As am I, thanks for asking," Sable said, rolling her eyes. "Are you okay? They didn''t hurt you, did they?" "I''m alright," Alain assured her. "And Danielle? What about you?" "Also fine," she said. "Of course, I got let out pretty quickly once they figured out who I was." "Must be nice¡­" Alain muttered. Shaking his head, he turned back to the two priests, who were waiting nearby. "Now, I believe you mentioned that we had much to discuss?" "Indeed, I did," Father Alex said with a nod. "First off, I believe some explanations are in order. To begin with, you are correct ¨C the underground section of the cathedral is a new development. As in, within the past few months." Alain let out a low whistle. "You all work fast, then. It can''t have been easy to build something like that in such a short amount of time."Stolen story; please report. "Indeed, we do. But what else would you expect from the world''s premiere monster hunting organization?'' That got Alain''s attention. He blinked in disbelief. "...Hang on," he said, "you''re telling me that the Catholic Church actually boasts some kind of organization dedicated to hunting creatures of the night?'' "That is exactly what I''m telling you," Father Alex confirmed. "And it''s been that way for thousands of years, almost since the first day of the church''s formation." "Hm¡­ I guess that might explain where my mother gets it from, then¡­" "Your mother?" Father Corrin suddenly asked. "Who is-" His eyes suddenly widened in recognition. "Smith¡­ your mother is Heather Smith." "You know her?" Alain asked, confused. To his surprise, Father Corrin nodded. "Yes, I do. We trained together, when we were both young, before I entered the seminary." "Alright, that''s going to require an explanation," Alain demanded. "How did you two meet?" "The same way most prospective monster hunters meet, I imagine," Father Alex interrupted. "They happened to survive an attack by the supernatural and were brought into the fold as a result. Your mother is Catholic, and so the church got to her before the Army did, otherwise she would have been a part of Colonel Stone''s regiment, I''m sure, as are most Protestants who survive an encounter with the supernatural in this country." "You know Colonel Stone, too?" "We''re the Catholic Church," Father Alex reminded him. "We have reach across the globe. That is to say, we are at the very least acquaintances with every large government''s monster-hunting organizations." Alain brought a hand up to rub at his forehead. "Pardon me for cussing in the Lord''s house, but what the hell¡­?" "It''s really not that hard to understand," Father Corrin pointed out. "No, I get that, it''s just¡­ hard to believe." Alain let out a sigh. "So, you knew my mother. Any reason why she''s not an official part of your group?" "Because she wanted to raise a family," Father Corrin said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I don''t know if you remember it, but the church requires its priests and nuns to be celibate, which naturally precludes us from raising families." "So your entire monster hunting group is made up of priests and nuns?" Sable asked. "Aside from our support roles, yes," Father Alex confirmed with a nod. "And there is a reason for that, too ¨C a lot of what we deal with comes from the depths of hell itself; it pays to have a close connection with God, in that case. And even beyond that, everything we face is extremely dangerous; we wouldn''t dream of sending married men and women out to willingly face any of it as a result, not when they have families to raise." "And I take it that my mother disagreed, which is why she went off on her own rather than stay affiliated with your order," Alain surmised. "Correct," Father Corrin said. "Now then-" "If I may?" Az asked, impatient. "I was under the impression that you had something you wished to discuss with us aside from all of this." "Indeed, you are correct," Father Alex confirmed with a nod. "As you can probably imagine by the fact that we''ve established a base of operations here, we have reason to believe that a cult is operating in the area." "A cult¡­?" Alain muttered. "No offense, but I think we''ve already dealt with those guys." "You have?" "Yeah. Did you hear that train derailment a few days ago, the one that killed everyone on board? We were a part of that. Cultists took over the train and began massacring everyone on it, then raising them as undead; we managed to fight them off, but the train derailed shortly after, and we were stranded in a small town out in the desert. I guess that''s where the cultists had been heading, because it turned out that they''d taken over the town as their base of operations." Father Corrin''s eyes narrowed. "And the townspeople? Dead, I presume?" Slowly, Alain nodded. "Unfortunately. We did manage to deal with all the cultists there, at least. I take it that''s who you were talking about?" To his surprise, Father Alex shook his head. "No, actually. We did hear about the train derailment, as well as the massacre of a small frontier town, but this is all new to us. No, we''re specifically discussing cult activity here, in San Antonio." "Hm¡­ is it possible the two are connected?" "It''s very likely," Father Alex confirmed. "We have reason to believe that the cult is using San Antonio as a staging area from which to spread out to the outlying areas in Texas." "Which would mean that the so-called leader we killed was really just a slightly higher-ranked underling." Alain let out a tired sigh. "Answer me this, Father ¨C what''s with the explosion in cult activity, anyway? Do you think that''s a natural occurrence?" "That should be obvious enough," Sable interjected, crossing her arms. "Once the Veil was lifted, people were probably equal parts frightened and curious. I imagine that the ones who were truly terrified flocked to religion for comfort, while the others saw¡­ opportunity, for lack of a better word." "The vampire is correct," Father Corrin said. Sable bristled at that. "I have a proper name, human. You should use it if you wish to speak about me." Father Corrin ignored her, instead looking back to Alain. "It''s as she said ¨C people got curious about what lurked on the other side of the Veil. For some, that meant digging deep, looking into esoteric knowledge for things man was never meant to uncover¡­ and hell itself was all too happy to provide." "So that''s where the books are coming from?" Alain asked. Father Alex shook his head. "Not quite. We suspect there is a demon lurking behind the scenes, leaking knowledge to key people who are then compiling it in these books and handing them out to whoever wants them." "And that''s why you''re here, then?" Alain questioned. "We''ve been here in San Antonio since the middle of the eighteenth century, at the very least," Father Corrin replied. "And we''ve had a monster-hunting operation going for at least that long, too. But it''s only recently that we''ve been able to push it farther than we ever have before, up to and including operating in plain sight. Traditionally, the church has always treated us as the black sheep of its organizations ¨C our job is a necessary one, but that doesn''t change the fact that we are, at our core, hunters of abominations. But ever since New Orleans, that''s changed; we are now more necessary than ever, and we can no longer work purely in the shadows." "I can imagine," Alain said. "So, you think there''s a cult operating here, in San Antonio, that''s being led by a demon. Do you know what they''re trying to accomplish, exactly?" "If they''re doing the same things they were doing on that train and in that town, it can only mean that they intend to fuel a ritual of some kind," Az interjected. "It''s roughly the same thing as what happened in New Orleans, and to a lesser extent, Los Banos." "That''s exactly what we suspect," Father Alex confirmed. "We believe this cult is trying to fuel a ritual through the use of human sacrifice." "Great, another one of these¡­" Alain sighed tiredly. "We''ve been dealing with a lot of these since New Orleans. Generally, it''s nothing more than some idiot and maybe a few of his friends cutting their wrists with a dagger to try and summon a succubus or something, but occasionally we come across something truly dangerous like this. Whoever this cult is, they''re obviously well-connected and probably well-funded." Danielle suddenly bristled. "Are you saying what I think you''re saying?" "I''m not saying anything at this point, aside from the obvious," Alain promised her. "We don''t know what happened to your father, Danielle. It''s entirely possible he''s completely innocent in all of this, and we won''t know for sure until we find him." He turned towards the two priests. "I don''t suppose you two would know anything about the disappearance of Senator Silvera, would you?" "If he''s involved in this, then it''d be the first we''re hearing about it," Father Corrin grunted, crossing his arms in the process. "Frankly, we''re just as mystified by his sudden disappearance as the rest of the city is." "Great¡­" Alain let out another sigh. "Alright, then ¨C what is it that you want us to do about this cult, exactly? Because, much as I''d like to help, we''re already searching for the missing senator." "We''re not asking for much," Father Alex assured him. "Just that if you learn anything more about the cult, that you come to us with that information. In exchange, we will provide you with whatever we know about the missing senator. Is that agreeable?" "Yeah, I suppose. Now, if that''s all, I think we should be on our way, if you don''t mind." Father Alex waved him off. "Go in peace." Alain tipped his hat to him, and then beckoned for his friends to follow as he left the cathedral. He didn''t miss how Sable and Father Corrin spared each other one last pointed glance before separating, however. Still, they were free to go now, though he wasn''t optimistic enough to believe they weren''t also still being watched. The church had eyes all around San Antonio, apparently; as far as he was concerned, it''d pay for them to be cautious after the way their first meeting went, especially given how badly they''d been beaten. For now, though, all he wanted to do was find a place to rest his head. There''d be time for more investigating in the morning. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 22
"Fuck me¡­" Alain groaned as he pushed his way into the room he''d rented for the night. They''d thankfully managed to find a small tavern a few blocks away from the church that was willing to accommodate them for a few days. It had been easier to arrange than expected, though presumably that had a lot to do with the handful of cash they''d offered the proprietor to ignore the fact that he was hosting a vampire and Az. In any case, the four of them had retired to their rooms almost the instant it''d been made clear that this was where they''d be staying. Alain let out a wide yawn as he made his way over to the bed and kicked off his boots, undid his gun belt, and went to pull off his vest. He''d just started to disrobe when there was a knock at the door. "It''s me," Sable said quietly. "Open up." Immediately, Alain paused midway through removing his vest, then slid it back up onto his shoulders and made his way over to the door. He unlocked it and threw it open, and was met by Sable standing there; she didn''t even wait for his permission before stepping into his room. Alain shut the door behind her, then turned back to her. "Something on your mind?" he asked. "Because we''ve been meeting like this a lot more frequently than usual." Sable shrugged. "Figured now was as good a time as ever to check how you''ve been progressing with your magic." "Oh. Well, sorry to say, but aside from practicing with that one small rune occasionally, I haven''t had much of a chance to do anything else." "That''s fine, Alain. I don''t expect you to do much more than that for now. I just wanted to make sure you were at the very least continuing to ''play around'' with the rune a bit, even if it''s just slipping a hand into your pocket and trying to conjure something incredibly small using it." "Well, good to know that I''m still keeping to your standards, at least." Sable took a seat on the edge of the bed, and Alain joined her, sitting down next to her. A moment passed before he cleared his throat. "So, what''s on your mind?" he asked. "I''m just thinking, is all," she offered. "Trying to piece together what we''ve learned since getting here." Alain shook his head. "Somehow, it just keeps getting more complicated, doesn''t it?" "It does," Sable confirmed. "And honestly, I can''t seem to make it all fit together. I mean, we''ve got that thing with Az and the books, and these cultists, not to mention the missing senator¡­ it all seems so separate from everything else, you know?" "Yes, I see what you mean. I suppose the important thing now is to focus on the task at hand, though. We''re here in San Antonio, so we might as well focus on the cult, first and foremost." "I suppose you''re right¡­" Sable''s brow suddenly furrowed. "By the way, what''s your take on the Catholic Church being involved?" "Honestly, I don''t know how I feel about them," Alain admitted. "They seem to have good intentions, at least, though the thought of them all being professional monster killers is worrisome, given that you two are here with me." A thought occurred to Alain, and he looked back over to Sable. "Not to change the subject, but that little tidbit of information we got from Az¡­ I don''t know how I feel about that, either. I mean, I always figured he was connected to the Underworld somehow, but I get the sense that he''s far more connected than either of us would have expected." "No way to know for sure at this point, unfortunately," Sable grumbled, crossing her arms. "Not to say that I don''t trust him, more to say that I''d like to know more about what he''s unable to tell us. But I suppose that will have to wait."This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "Unfortunately. But anyway, to bring it back to your original question¡­ the Catholic Church, or at least the priests and nuns who make up its monster-hunting organization, seem more than competent enough. I''m less worried about that and more worried about them directing that competency towards us instead, if you know what I mean." Sable gave him a nod. "Yes, I think that''s understandable. For now, at least, they seem helpful enough. A watchful eye is probably warranted when dealing with them, but there is no need to make them hostile to us yet." "I can agree with that." Alain stretched his arms out, his joints popping a bit as he did so. "By the way, what''s your take on where we should go next? I think Mister Wicks could be investigated a bit more ¨C just a funny feeling I have ¨C but I have no idea how to do that." "He''s a successful businessman," Sable pointed out. "I''m sure he has holdings all throughout town. Maybe we could start by checking some of them out?" "That''s as good a lead as anything else we''ve got, I suppose," Alain admitted. Realization flashed through his mind, and he sat up a bit straighter, turning to her in surprise. "Hey, when''s the last time you''ve eaten, anyway? You must be hungry." "I¡­ could stand to feed," she admitted. "Well, shit, all you have to do is ask." Alain loosened his collar, lowering his shirt enough to expose the side of his neck a bit. "You know the drill ¨C try not to make me light-headed," he teased. To his surprise, Sable hesitated, staring at him with a strange look on her face. Before he could ask what was wrong, her expression tightened. "...You know, I don''t think I''ve ever established just how unusual this arrangement is," she admitted. "I mean, I know it''s weird-" "Not just weird, but unprecedented," Sable amended. "Most humans would never willingly offer themselves to a vampire in such a way ¨C they fear us losing control and turning them into a Thrall, or otherwise giving into our bloodlust and draining them completely." "I think you''ve proven already just how much you can be trusted," Alain told her. Again, she hesitated. "...I have never thanked you properly for doing this, have I?" she asked. Alain blinked, surprised. "Well, no, but I always thought it was implied. I mean, saving my life ought to be proof enough that you''re thankful for it." "Still, I just want you to know that I appreciate you putting this much faith in me," Sable said. She turned towards him, and did something unexpected. She gave him a small, thankful smile, just wide enough to show off the tips of her fangs. "Thank you, Alain," she said. Again, Alain blinked as he stared at her for a moment. A few seconds ticked by before he cleared his throat and turned away, a faint dusting of red crossing his face. "Yeah, don''t mention it," he said. And then he leaned towards her, offering her his neck. She was quick to oblige him, latching onto his neck before gently biting into him and beginning to drink. Alain let out a small grunt of discomfort, but did his best not to move too much as she fed. He''d done this for her many times, obviously, but it never really got any less uncomfortable, even though he was more than willing to keep doing it. After all, Sable still needed to eat, and it was either him or preying on some random person. And between those two options, he knew which one he preferred. Thankfully, it never took her more than a few seconds to drink her fill, even though he knew that if she wanted to, she could have absolutely given into her baser instincts and bled him dry. That had to have been hard for her, he suddenly realized; it was entirely likely that she could drink more than she did even without it being dangerous to him, enough to leave her satisfied for far longer than she ordinarily was, and yet she refrained from doing so, presumably because she didn''t want to cause him more pain or discomfort than she absolutely had to. In all likelihood, Sable was probably choosing to mostly go hungry because of him. She pulled away from his neck, licking the last few drops of blood from her lips. Alain clamped a hand over the bite marks, then with his other hand, reached into his pocket for a small bandage and began to wrap it around his neck. "Was that enough for you?" he asked her. "It was plenty," she confirmed. "Are you sure? Because I can give you more if you need it. I know I said not to make me lightheaded, but I''m about to go to sleep, so-" "It''s more than enough," she insisted. Alain couldn''t help but narrow his gaze at her. She had never been a great liar, but he wasn''t about to press the issue if she didn''t want to discuss it now. "Alright, fine," he conceded. "But I just want you to know that it does you no good to be on the verge of starving yourself just because you want to save me a little discomfort. If you ever need more, just let me know, I''ll accommodate you." Sable seemed taken aback by that. She stared at him in confusion for a few seconds before giving him a small nod. "...Thanks," she said quietly. "Yeah, don''t mention it." Alain finished securing the bandage to his neck, then cast a glance outside the nearby window, looking for the moon''s position in the sky. By his estimate, it was now just after nine at night; pretty early for them to be turning in for the night, though not surprising, given they were all absolutely exhausted. "Was there anything else you wanted to discuss, Sable?" he asked, turning back to her. She thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No, nothing that I can think of. I guess I''ll leave you at that, then." She stood up off the bed and made her way to the door, only to pause when she was at the threshold. Alain watched her for a moment, and she looked over her shoulder and back to him. "Thanks again," she offered. He waved her off. "Yeah, don''t mention it. Anything for you, Sable ¨C you''re my friend, after all." "Friends¡­" she muttered. After a moment, she shook her head. "Goodnight, Alain. I''ll see you in the morning, Alain." "See you then, Sable. Rest well." With that, she left him, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind her as she went. Alain stared at the door for a moment before shaking his head and returning to disrobing. Sable had always been a bit strange, as was befitting of a vampire, but tonight felt different, somehow. He wasn''t sure how or why that was, but it was a feeling he just couldn''t shake. Still, he supposed it made no difference; they had an important job to do, and with any luck, they''d be one step closer to completing it once the sun rose and they were able to poke around San Antonio just a bit more. Hopefully, it led them to something helpful. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 23
When Alain awoke the next morning, he found himself surprisingly well-rested. It was so surprising, in fact, that upon awakening, he could only stare up at the ceiling in surprise, shocked that his dreams hadn''t been plagued by nightmares like they usually were. "What the hell¡­?" he couldn''t help but mutter to himself. His nightly routine hadn''t really changed, aside from Sable coming to see him before he''d gone to sleep, so he wasn''t sure why his rest had been free of the usual bad dreams that plagued it. Whatever the case was, it was time to get up, regardless. Alain stepped out of bed and dressed himself, then pulled on his weapons before stepping out into the hallway. As luck would have it, he emerged from his room at the same time Danielle came out of hers. The two of them locked eyes, surprised to see each other, before Alain cleared his throat. "How are you holding up, Danielle?" "I''ll be better once we''ve found my father," she insisted, looking around. "Are the others around?" "They have names, you know. But to answer your question¡­ I wouldn''t know; I just woke up, myself. I was going to go downstairs and get some breakfast." Alain thought for a moment. "Hell, we''re in a tavern; odds are that Sable is already down there, drinking whatever wine she can find. And if she''s down there, then you can bet your bottom dollar that Az is with her." "Then what are we waiting for?" Danielle asked, impatient. She stormed past Alain, who could only watch her go in surprise for a moment before letting out a tired sigh and shaking his head, then took off after her. XXX "Alain!" Sable called out from across the ground floor of the tavern. "Over here!" Naturally, her and Az were seated at a table in a far-off, shadowy corner, situated with their backs to the wall so they could both watch the front door. It didn''t take much for Alain to wonder why; the priests had gotten the drop on them once before already, after all. He tapped Danielle on the shoulder and motioned to where Az and Sable were sitting, and together, the two of them crossed the tavern floor, eventually ending up at the table, where they sat down across from them. "Glad to see the locals are still giving you both a wide berth, as always," Alain noted, looking around the tavern as he did so. Sure enough, all of the tables between each side of the room were completely empty, with the normal human patrons having pressed themselves nearly up against the wall to try and get away from the two of them. "I keep telling you, we''re used to it by now," Sable insisted. "That doesn''t make it right." "Right or not, it is what it is¡­ and in any case, it doesn''t matter." Sable raised her glass to her lips, taking a sip of wine as she did so. The corners of Alain''s eyes quirked up a bit at the sight of it, and she gave him a confused look. "Something the matter?" "Nothing," he told her. "Just thinking about how, if you were human, you''d be considered to have one hell of a drinking problem, going in for the good stuff this early." Sable waved him off. "That''s a bunch of nonsense. I''ve seen humans order ale for breakfast."The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "You''ve seen ranch hands and cowboys order ale for breakfast," Alain amended. "They''re basically a different breed from the rest of us. I should know, I lived that life for a time before most of the work dried up." "Do you miss it?" Alain paused. "...Is this you asking me a personal question? At a time like this, even?" Sable rolled her eyes. "Alright, then don''t answer it." "No, it''s fine, it just caught me off-guard¡­ truthfully? I miss not being shot at or nearly killed on what seems to be a daily basis, but I don''t miss the shitty hours and terrible pay." "Understandable, I suppose." "Is this what we''re doing now?" Danielle interrupted, her arms crossed over her chest. She fixed the three of them with a harsh, unamused glare. "What do you mean?" Alain asked. "I''m just saying, my father is still out there, and we''re in here, wasting our time shooting the shit when we could be looking for him." "If they were going to kill your father, they would have done so already," Az grumbled. "Us taking the time to get some breakfast isn''t going to make a difference to his chances of survival, given how long he''s been missing by now." "And you know this for a fact?" Danielle demanded. Az shook his head. "No, but it makes sense. Your father''s been missing a few weeks now, correct? If he isn''t dead by now, then they either have no plans to kill him at all or they''re saving him for something in particular. Either way, us taking an hour or so to get some food isn''t going to make much of an impact, especially when we don''t currently have any leads." "No, no, she has a point," Alain conceded. "You''re right, Danielle ¨C we shouldn''t be wasting any time, not when your father''s life could be hanging in the balance without any of us even knowing it. That being said, we still need to eat, so taking some time off every now and again is expected." "Hm." Danielle uncrossed her arms. "Just don''t take too much time at once. I''d rather not feel like my father''s life is slipping away a bit more with every passing second." "Sure. Of course, it''d be easier if there was actually someone coming around, taking orders." Alain looked around the room, his brow furrowing. "Sable, you didn''t threaten to eat the server if they weren''t quick about it, did you?" "Oh, bite me," she said. "I did that one time as a joke months ago and you still haven''t let me live it down." "Hard to live it down when the server got scared and called the sheriff." "Well, if you must know, she was just here, hence why my glass is mostly full." Alain eyed Sable''s half-empty glass for a moment before looking back to her. "Tell me that thing wasn''t filled to the brim before I sat down." "Does it make a difference?" "It does to me." At that moment, the tavern doors were flung open. What little conversation there was inside the building immediately died as several men in white vestments with crucifixes hanging around their necks stepped inside; Alain instantly recognized Father Corrin as one of them. His expression narrowed, and under the table, one hand drifted to his revolver as the group of Catholic monster hunters made their way over to the four of them. "What is it?" Alain asked as the priests ¨C all five of them, he counted ¨C stopped a few feet away from their table. "Come to spread the good word, Father?" "In a way," Father Corrin said. "We''ve got a lead that may be worth following up on. We were wondering if you four wanted to tag along." "Hang on, you''re inviting us to be a part of your investigation?" Sable asked, tilting her head slightly out of confusion. "We promised we''d be open with you, so long as you do the same for us," Father Corrin specified. "And besides, we could use the extra manpower." "Why is that?" Alain questioned. "Did something happen?" "You could say that. We got word of a large undead incursion in a small town about two hours away from here. That town doesn''t have a Catholic church of its own; we''re the closest ones to it with enough manpower to truly make a difference. Father Alex dispatched a contingent to the town earlier this morning. It was the right thing to do, but it''s left us short-staffed." "And so you''ve come to us out of desperation," Az surmised. Father Corrin grimaced. "Desperation is the wrong word for it. Consider this a show of good faith between us. Like it or not, we''re in this together, so we might as well make the most of it." Alain exchanged a glance with the other three members of his group before shrugging and looking back to Father Corrin. "Alright," he said. "What''s the lead?" "We did some digging early this morning with some of the early risers at mass. Turns out, one of the congregation members heard some rumblings about some suspicious activity on a farm just outside of town." "What kind of suspicious activity?" Danielle asked. "Apparently, this congregation member has a friend who lives not far from the farm. They''ve allegedly seen a large group of people arriving there in the middle of the night every few weeks." "How many people is it?" Sable questioned. "Apparently, it was hard to tell; they were all wearing white cloaks, so it was impossible to get an accurate headcount. But the way we see it, either this is something to do with the cult we''re looking into, or some burning crosses are about to start showing up outside houses around town. Either way, culling this particular problem before it becomes something bigger can only be a net positive to the entire town." "You can say that again," Alain agreed. "Alright, we''re in. When did you want to leave?" "Now," Father Corrin said. "Come in, we''ll lead the way." Alain didn''t even have to think twice. Together with his friends, the four of them rose out of their seats and began following after the five clergy members. Hopefully, whatever this lead was, it would take them somewhere helpful. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 24
The walk to the outskirts of San Antonio took them the better part of most of the morning. They''d started early, and by the time they''d made it to the farm, it was almost one in the afternoon. The sun was blazing overhead, casting a bright glow down on the fields dirt road and the fields of grain that surrounded it. And through it all, Alain and his friends trudged alongside Father Corrin and his four priests. "Fuck me¡­" Alain grumbled, bringing a hand up to wipe the sweat from his brow. Sable had long since claimed his Stetson for herself; it looked funny on her, contrasting horribly with her ever-present black cloak, but it at least kept the sun from roasting her alive, so he wasn''t about to disparage her for stealing it from him. Father Corrin''s brow furrowed. "Must you swear like a sailor in my presence?" "Father, come on, swearing is the one vice we get as Catholics," Alain pointed out. "That and drinking. You of all people ought to know that." Father Corrin said nothing, but his expression betrayed his annoyance. Someone tapped Alain on the shoulder, and he turned to find Az staring at him. "It is probably not a good idea to irritate the professional monster hunters," Az pointed out. Alain shrugged. "Just taking the piss a bit. But yeah, you''re right ¨C I''ll lay off for now." "Hm." With that, their group went silent, save for a few of the priests whispering to each other. Occasionally, one of them would give Sable or Az a pointed glance, though they didn''t try to make any moves towards either of them. Alain could only imagine that was because, despite outnumbering them slightly and being practiced against all forms of creatures from the other side of the Veil, Sable and Az were still comparative unknowns to them. Of course, it probably helped that Father Alex had almost certainly told the rest of them about Alain''s relationship to Sable. They had to be curious about why a vampire of her status would take a human as an apprentice. Alain couldn''t blame them for it, either; after his talk with Father Alex, he was curious, too. Sable had to have a deeper reason for inducting him as her apprentice aside from simply respecting him. Moreover, she had to have a reason for keeping it secret from Az, too. What that was, he couldn''t quite figure out, though it didn''t help that she''d been acting somewhat strange around him ever since making it official. She''d come to speak with him alone at night not even a day ago, and even now, he could see her watching him out of the corner of her eye, only to avert her gaze when she caught him staring back. "What the hell is going on¡­?" Alain muttered. Someone softly shoulder-checked him, and he whipped around towards them, only to refrain from telling them off when he saw it was Danielle. "Are you blind, or just stupid?" she asked as she moved past him. "Seriously." Alain blinked, somehow even more confused than he had been before. Danielle very rarely took a pointed tone with him like that, though he supposed that she had to be on-edge, given they''d made very little progress towards finding her father so far. He was willing to forgive her slight, given those circumstances. It didn''t make her language towards him any less strange, of course, but at least there seemed to be an explanation for it this time, unlike what was going on with Sable. "We''re nearly there," Father Corrin suddenly announced, raising a hand to stop them all. They came to rest behind him, and he turned around to face them, then began to point to the other four priests who had accompanied him. "Father Jones, Father Simmons ¨C I want you two with me. Father Michael and Father Gabriel, I want you in the fields providing cover for us."Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "And us?" Alain questioned. "What do you need us to do?" "Hang back," Father Corrin answered. A vein pulsed in Sable''s forehead. "You can''t be serious," she protested. "You have Az and I right here, and you''re not willing to put us to use?" "Because I don''t trust either of you, that''s why." "That''s-" "Sable," Alain said, cutting her off. She gave him a look of dismay, but ultimately let her impending line of questioning die, instead falling silent. Alain took a breath, then looked back over to Father Corrin. "I take it you just want to talk to him for now?" "Correct," Father Corrin said with a nod. "Then I agree, it''s best that Az and Sable hang back for now. The last thing we want is for them to scare him to death with their mere presence, or otherwise cause him to clam up." "That''s¡­" Sable hesitated, then gave a reluctant sigh. "...I guess that makes sense. Alright, fine, we''ll stay hidden. But if we hear gunfire, we''re running in to help." Thankfully, that seemed agreeable enough to Father Corrin, as he nodded and then looked back over to Danielle. "I want you to stay back with them." Danielle bristled at that. "And why should I? If my father is in there-" "I doubt that very much," Father Corrin explained. "But if he is, we''ll bring you to him in due time. For now, the safest place for you to be in the event that bullets start flying is close to those two." "He''s got a point," Alain said to her, only to pause. "I just noticed that you didn''t tell me to hang back." "You''re coming with us," Father Corrin said. "This is supposed to be a show of good faith, after all. It''s hard to accomplish that if you''re hanging back with your friends." "Alain-" Sable began, only for him to cut her off with a shake of his head. "I suppose that makes sense," Alain conceded. "Alright, I''m with you five. Lead the way." Sable gave him a look of sheer indignation, which he wilted under as he stepped past her and began to follow Father Corrin further down the path. In her defense, she did keep telling him to stop putting himself in the firing line so frequently, but at the same time, Father Corrin was in charge of this particular operation, so it wasn''t like there was much of a choice either way. XXX Together, Alain and Father Corrin walked down the path, flanked by two of the four priests on either side. Alain could just barely make out the fields of grain moving slightly as the remaining two priests followed after them, stocks of their rifles tucked up against their shoulders. "Be honest, Father Corrin," Alain said under his breath. "Do you all get odd looks, walking around town in vestments while also carrying guns?" "Occasionally," Father Corrin answered, taking him by surprise. Naturally, he didn''t elaborate any further on it, which caused Alain to let out a sigh. "Should''ve figured that''d be the most I got¡­" he muttered. The six of them eventually made it to the edge of the path, emerging out past the vast fields of wheat and corn. Before them stood a large wooden homestead; it was three stories tall and in far better shape than Alain would have expected a simple farmhouse to be. Not only that, but there was also a barn in the distance, some stables, and even a smaller house, no doubt intended to be used by whichever ranch hands were sharing the land with the owner. At the sight of it, Alain couldn''t help but let out a low whistle. "Someone''s got money," he observed. "I take it this farm is pretty successful, then?" "That''s the thing, isn''t it?" Father Corrin questioned in reply. "We checked the city tax records for this property. It hasn''t reported a profit in years. But at the same time-" "This place looks far too nice and well-kept to be at risk of going under any time soon, and the money paying for it all has to come from somewhere," Alain finished. Father Corrin nodded, and Alain''s brow furrowed. He looked back to the farmhouse, frowning as he did so. "The top two floors of that house are relatively new construction," he observed. "You can tell because the wood is a slightly different color on them compared to the ground floor ¨C they haven''t been weathered or aged compared to the ground floor either. The same goes for those stables, the barn, and the smaller house off in the distance ¨C they all look too new and untouched to have been here for very long. My guess is that they were just built in the past few months." "Which fits with the timeline of when New Orleans turned into hell on earth and the Veil was lifted," Father Corrin added. Alain gave him a nod. "Well, this certainly seems promising so far, I suppose," he said. "How do we want to approach?" Father Corrin turned his attention to the upper levels of the house, a scowl crossing his face as he did so. "That house has a wide field of fire over this entire part of the cornfields. If he''s got people stationed at the windows, then we''d be sitting ducks if we approached from this side." "Then we''ll have to go around," Alain ventured. "But at the same time, if he''s watching us now, he might get suspicious if he sees us heading away from the front of his house and towards the back instead." "It''s your call," Father Corrin offered. Alain thought for a moment, then shook his head. "We should take the front," he said. "We''ve got your men covering us already, plus Az and Sable waiting on standby. I would suggest that you have your other two priests hang back as well, though. Let them hunker down in the fields; they''ll be more useful there if we start getting shot at." Father Corrin nodded in agreement, then motioned for the other two priests to head back into the fields. They both did as they were told, slinking back into the cornfields along with their two other brothers in arms. And once they were alone, Alain turned to Corrin, taking in a breath to steel himself. "Okay," he said, "let''s get this over with. Hopefully, they don''t start shooting at us." Father Corrin gave him a nod, and together, the two of them began to approach the farmhouse. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 25
Alain was the first to step onto the porch of the farmhouse, flanked by Father Corrin. Corrin went to step in front of him, only for Alain to stop him. "Wait," Alain said. "If this guy really is working for the cult like you seem to think he is, then I doubt the first person he''s going to want to see would be a priest. I think it''d be best if you were to hang back for a bit." "Respectfully, this is our investigation first," Father Corrin pointed out. "We brought you along as a show of good faith-" "And I appreciate that, but at the very least, I should be able to get him talking before you make yourself known to him. If nothing else, it''d probably help with putting him at-ease a bit." Father Corrin hesitated, considering Alain''s words for a second, before he gave him a slow nod. "Alright. I''ll be on the side of the house, just out of view. If you need anything, call for me, I''ll come running." Alain gave him a nod of appreciation, then watched as Father Corrin stepped off the porch and moved around to the side of the house. Once he was out of sight, Alain took a breath, then knocked on the front door of the farmhouse. A few seconds passed with no indication that his knocking had been heard by anyone. Alain tilted his head slightly, confused. Part of him wondered if the owner of the home wasn''t there, in which case, Father Corrin would almost certainly want to check around the property regardless, just to be sure. Just as Alain was beginning to consider the spiritual ramifications of a priest committing burglary, the door opened. He turned, and just about jumped out of his skin when he saw an old man with a double-barrel shotgun slung over his shoulder standing there, the stub of a cigarette clenched between his teeth. "What do you want?" the old man asked, his voice thick with a southern accent. Alain blinked, surprised that the man had actually opened the door, but he was quick to snap out of it with a shake of his head. "Just had some questions for you, about suspicious activity around the area." The old man exhaled, blowing a ring of smoke up into the air. "We don''t got no suspicious activity ''round these parts, stranger. Most suspicious thing to happen in the last few weeks is you showing up." "You sure about that? Because I''ve heard reports of some white-hooded figures prowling around your property." The old man paused, his eyes widening. "...You sayin'' the Klan''s settin'' up shop in my fields?" "It''s either them or something far worse," Alain informed him. "Now, I understand that you''re suspicious of a random stranger showing up on your porch and telling you this, but-" The man eyed him up and down, blowing another ring of smoke as he did so. "...You look like someone who knows a thing or two ''bout runnin'' a ranch, yourself," he said. "I ''spose that makes you trustworthy enough to listen to. Alright, then ¨C come inside, I want to hear more about this." With that, the old man beckoned Alain inside; Alain, for his part, was suspicious at first, until he set the double-barrel aside and continued to walk on. Alain weighed his options for a moment ¨C if he went inside the house with the old man, then his friends and the priests wouldn''t be able to cover him. But at the same time, he didn''t want to risk losing a possible lead to his own paranoia. He wasn''t about to underestimate someone like the old farmer, though ¨C experience had taught him that the deadliest enemies often looked the most unassuming. Elder Owen had looked like a walking corpse more than a supremely-powerful vampire, and yet he''d been the one responsible for the loss of New Orleans and the death of one of Alain''s friends just a few months ago. Alain grit his teeth as those memories came bubbling up to the surface once again, and was quick to push them away. Losing New Orleans and his friend Felix had been tragic, not to mention the loss of the sister of another of his friends, but dwelling on them would do no good, not when there was a job to do. Without wasting any more time, Alain stepped into the house, though he was careful to leave the door open behind him. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Hey," he said, walking through the first floor of the farmhouse. It was cramped inside; clearly, the house had once been designed on a budget, though apparently, the owner had recently come into some serious money. Expensive-looking furniture was scattered haphazardly throughout the first floor, lining the path towards what looked to be a very rudimentary kitchen. Alain took a few steps towards the kitchen, though there was no sign of the old man; slowly, his hand began to drift to his holstered revolver. "What did you want to discuss-" And just like that, there was a sudden loud shout from inside the kitchen, and the old man came barreling out, a meat cleaver held in his hands. Alain ripped his gun from its holster and thumbed back the hammer, intending to fire off a shot at him, but the farmer got to him first, pressing the cleaver against Alain''s throat just as his finger finished pulling the trigger of his weapon. A round discharged into the floor, and Alain winced, his ears ringing from the sound of the gunshot in such an enclosed area, though the old man seemed completely unperturbed, instead continuing to press the edge of the meat cleaver against Alain''s throat. "Drop the gun," he said. "Now." Alain hesitated, but ultimately obliged, his Colt Single Action Army clattering to the ground. The farmer gave him a manic grin. "Good," he said. "Now, you''re going to tell me-" That was as far as he got before Father Corrin came barreling into the farmhouse, his own revolver held tightly in his hands. He came to a stop in the middle of the threshold, leveling the barrel of his gun at the old man; immediately, the farmer spun around, placing Alain between the two of them, the blade still at his throat. "Don''t fucking move!" the farmer shouted. "I''ll kill him, I swear I will!" Father Corrin seemed unfazed, instead thumbing back the hammer of his gun. The dull click of the hammer settling into position and the cylinder rotating into place echoed through the ground floor of the house like a gunshot. And through it all, Father Corrin remained completely stone-faced. "Drop the knife," he commanded. "You''ll kill me if I do," the farmer growled. "You have my word as a man of God that I will not." "A man of God¡­? What kind of priest carries a gun?" "The kind who''s been ordained specifically to fight creatures of darkness." "And I''m expected to believe that you''re harmless, then?" the old man insisted. Father Corrin shook his head. "A shepherd must tend to his flock, even if that includes keeping the wolves at bay. And yet, I can look at you and tell that you are no wolf." "What makes you say that?" "You''re sweating, for one." The old man blinked, then raised his free hand to his forehead. His eyes widened when it came back slick with sweat. "You''ve never actually killed anyone before, have you?" Father Corrin asked. "I can see it on your face ¨C you''re not sure if what you''re doing is the correct thing." "It doesn''t matter if it''s correct or not," the old man replied. "It''s what I have to do to keep myself safe." "Safe from who? Me?" Father Corrin shook his head. "I just told you that I will not kill you." "Then put the gun down." "I will, on one condition ¨C you tell me your name first." The man hesitated. "...Patrick. My name is Patrick Clay." Without hesitation, Father Corrin thumbed the hammer of his revolver back down, then holstered it. Once it was holstered, he raised his hands in surrender to show he was now unarmed. "Talk to me, Patrick," Corrin said, lowering his arms a second later. "What will you do now? I''m unarmed, and my companion there is at your mercy. Are you going to kill us anyway?" Patrick hesitated. "...I¡­ I don''t-" "No, of course not; you''re no killer. You just got drawn into a bad situation, didn''t you? Someone offered you a lot of money to look the other way while they used your land for something, and you agreed, because you needed the cash. Is that about right?" Again, Patrick hesitated. "...I couldn''t say no," he muttered. "I knew it was wrong, but the money was too good¡­ and I just knew that if I refused, they''d kill me¡­" "You had to do what was best for yourself," Father Corrin said with a nod. "Well, I''ve got news for you, Patrick ¨C you haven''t crossed any lines just yet; you can still be redeemed for what you''ve done. All you need to do is let go of my companion there and speak to me a little bit more. Think you can do that for me?" Immediately, Patrick tensed. "They''ll come back and kill me-" "They won''t," Father Corrin promised him. "We''ll get you out of town for a bit, send you somewhere they won''t be able to get to you. I swear it as a man of God." Patrick continued to stare at Father Corrin for a moment, but then gave a reluctant sigh. Alain felt Patrick''s grip on him loosen and the cleaver be pulled away from his throat, and didn''t hesitate to break free from Patrick''s grasp. Part of him was screaming that he needed to draw his gun and end it permanently, but a look from Father Corrin held him back. Instead, Alain simply retrieved his dropped Colt and holstered it, then gave Corrin a nod. "I''ll be outside," he said. Corrin offered no response, instead stepping over to Patrick and taking the knife out of his grasp. Alain cast a glance over his shoulder as he headed back outside. The last thing he saw before closing the front door was the two men standing together, their heads bowed and their hands clasped together. XXX "Alain!" He wasn''t surprised to find Sable there waiting for him. She came running up, Az and Danielle in tow, and immediately began looking him over. "Sable, I''m fine," Alain insisted. She glared at him. "I''ll be the judge of that," she declared, right before going back to patting him down. "We heard a gunshot and came running," Az said. "What happened?" Alain let out an annoyed huff. "Let my guard down for just a moment and the old man got the drop on me." "Then I take it he''s dead?" Danielle asked. "He wasn''t when I last saw him. From what I saw, he was with Father Corrin." Sable paused. "Really?" she asked. "What were they-" The door to the house suddenly opened, and Father Corrin came striding out, looking no worse for wear in the slightest. "He told me to check the back end of the wheat fields to the south," Corrin informed them as he walked past their group of four. Alain was surprised. "That easily¡­? What did you do to him, exactly?" "My job." Father Corrin offered no further explanation, instead continuing on his way. Alain shared a glance with his friends, then ventured towards a nearby window so he could look inside the house. To his surprise, Patrick was still alive inside, and of all things, he was knelt in prayer, his head bowed and tears streaming down his face as he clutched at a small crucifix and muttered something under his breath. "Alright," Sable said from her spot beside Alain. "Remind me not to mess with the holy rollers. Whatever he just did to this guy, it must have been serious for him to turn to God so suddenly." She shuddered. "This is weird¡­" Somehow, Alain was inclined to agree, even as they peeled themselves away from the windows and followed after Father Corrin, heading for the wheat fields. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 26
They all traveled as a group, moving through the fields together. The priests kept a perimeter around Danielle, who seemed very annoyed at essentially being coddled, but thankfully didn''t make a point to confront them about it. Alain, for his part, continued to bring up the lead alongside Father Corrin, while Sable and Az followed close behind. "Did he say what we should expect to find out here?" Alain asked. Father Corrin shook his head. "No. All he said was that they were buried out in the fields." Alain let out a tired sigh. "So from the sound of things, we might be dealing with undead again. Great¡­" "All the better, I say. Any opportunity to put down the unnatural like that is a good one." Sable bristled. "Unnatural, you say?" "Indeed, I do," Father Corrin replied. "The dead ought to stay dead. God claims our souls for a reason, after all." "Hey," Alain said, interrupting. "Let''s not start this now. We all ultimately want the same thing here. Let''s not ruin it all by fighting among ourselves." Sable gave a reluctant grunt, but thankfully let the issue die there. Father Corrin, meanwhile, turned back to Alain. "I understand that you consider those two your friends, but you would be wise to keep your guard up around them." "Noted," Alain deadpanned. "I''ll remember that the next time I''m willingly offering my veins to Sable." Father Corrin''s expression narrowed, but he didn''t say anything else, instead continuing to lead them through the fields, quickening his pace enough to put some distance between himself and them in the process. "Damn priest," Sable spat as she drew closer to Alain. "He acts as if I chose to become a vampire in the first place." "Ignore him," Alain advised. "And hey, at least he''s on our side." "For how long, though? In case it''s not already clear, I fully expect this little partnership to end with him trying to drive a stake through my chest." "I won''t let that happen," Alain declared. "Nor will I," Az chimed in. "My lady, I understand your frustrations, but you mustn''t let it get to you. The humans simply fear that which they do not understand. Alain is a rarity, in that regard." "Oh, believe me, there was plenty of fear at the start¡­" Alain muttered, before shaking his head. "We''re getting off-track. Let''s keep moving, we can''t be far now." XXX As it turned out, their destination was only a few minutes away. They emerged at the edge of the wheat fields, just on the outskirts of a small outcropping of trees. There was a clearing between the fieldst and the underbrush, and in the center of that clearing, there was a large mound of freshly-disturbed earth. "Someone''s been digging here," Alain observed as he drew closer, enough to stand beside Father Corrin. "Indeed," Father Corrin concurred. He looked around, his gaze landing on a pair of shovels lying on the ground nearby. He pointed to two of his priests. "You and you, start digging. We''ll keep watch." Both men nodded, then set their weapons inside before picking up the shovels and beginning to dig. Instantly, Alain''s hand drifted to one of his holstered revolvers as he looked out across the treeline. He wasn''t able to see anything through the darkened woods, but experience had taught him that it was better to be safe than sorry. "I''ve got nothing here," Sable muttered under her breath. "Same," Alain agreed. "Of course, that doesn''t mean-" Just then, the stench hit him. Alain couldn''t help but gag softly, one hand coming up to cover his nose. He''d dealt with undead before, but the smell of fresh decay still hadn''t gotten much easier to deal with. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Danielle retching, doubled over as she dry-heaved; a pang of sympathy flashed through him, but he was quick to push it away. Instead, he pulled his bandanna up to cover his mouth and nose, then drew closer to the hole the two priests had dug.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. And the moment he saw what was under the earth, he froze, his eyes widening. "Please don''t tell me that is what I think it is." Father Corrin didn''t answer. In fact, Father Corrin said nothing, instead continuing to stare into the pit. He was gritting his teeth, his hands curled into white-knuckled fists as they shook at his side. And it wasn''t difficult to understand why. Inside the pit were the bodies of several young children, each around the age of thirteen years old, at least from what Alain could tell. From the looks of things, they''d been dead for at least a few days each, clean bullet holes bored through each of their skulls. Alain only looked for a moment, but it was enough. Without another word, he turned and began to march back through the wheat fields, heading for Patrick''s house. XXX Patrick let out a loud yelp as Alain grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall with one hand. He opened his mouth to say something, but didn''t get a chance to utter a single syllable before Alain drew his revolver and stuck the barrel down Patrick''s throat. "Give me a fucking reason, right now," Alain demanded. "One single goddamn reason why I shouldn''t paint your brains all over the wall of this house." Patrick''s eyes widened in shock and fear, and he began to say something; Alain couldn''t tell exactly what it was, but from the words he was able to make out, it was clear that Patrick was claiming no responsibility for what they''d found in the fields. Alain let out a low grunt, then reluctantly pulled the barrel of his Colt out of Patrick''s mouth, enough that he could form complete sentences. "-Swear I didn''t know what they were burying until recently!" Patrick insisted. "And that''s the truth, I swear on God''s name!" "You know, the priests outside probably wouldn''t take too kindly to hearing you say that," Alain noted. "And neither do I. You know what I think, Patrick? I think you''re completely full of shit. There''s no way you didn''t know what they were burying on your property." "All they said was they had some bodies to bury!" Patrick said, his voice coming out in a panic. "I thought they were just being figurative at first, you know? But then I saw the packages they were bringing with them ¨C the boxes¡­ they were adults to begin with, but eventually they got smaller and smaller¡­" "And you just let them keep doing it." It wasn''t a question. Patrick swallowed nervously. "...Yeah," he answered softly. "I just¡­ I knew they were dangerous people. If I spoke out against it, they''d have killed me!" "They''re dangerous people whose money you were all too fucking willing to accept and then spend." Alain''s gaze narrowed. "You''ve got a lot to answer for, Patrick. Good thing you seem to have converted to Christianity recently, thanks to Father Corrin. May God have mercy on your soul, because I won''t." "No, wait-" Alain shoved Patrick against the wall once more, pressing the barrel of his pistol against the old man''s forehead and thumbing back the hammer as he did so. Patrick''s breath caught in his throat as the two men looked each other in the eyes. Alain''s finger fell to the trigger of his gun, and he began to gently squeeze. "Alain!" Only to pause when he heard Sable''s voice from behind him. He didn''t turn around, though, instead maintaining his position, his finger halfway through breaking the revolver''s trigger. "Sable," he said. "Good of you to finally show up." "We didn''t realize you''d left for a minute or so," Sable said. "Put the gun down, Alain." "And let this piece of shit go free? Come on, Sable. You know that''s not an option." "If you shoot him now, we''ll lose access to whatever other information he may have." "Bullshit. If he had any other information, he would''ve given it to us already." "T-that''s not true!" Patrick managed to stammer out. "I can point you towards the guys who were burying them! They''re the ones who did the killing, anyway!" "Oh, how convenient," Alain said dryly. "Believe me, I don''t want to let this piece of shit live any more than you do, but for now, we need him," Sable insisted. "So put it down." Alain grimaced, but did as he was told. He rode the hammer of his pistol down with his thumb, then holstered it and let Patrick go, stepping away from him in the process. Patrick fell to his knees, staring up at Alain with wide eyes. Just then, the priests came rushing over, Father Corrin breathing a sigh of relief when he saw Patrick was still alive. "Good¡­" he muttered. "Now, what''s this I hear about you having additional information for us?" Patrick averted his gaze, suddenly ashamed. "...I didn''t want to tell you at first. I know that if they find out I gave them up, that they''ll kill me." "Uh-huh," Alain deadpanned. Patrick swallowed nervously. "¡­I''ll tell you absolutely everything I know, but on one condition." "Name it," Father Corrin invited. "You get me the hell out of this town until all of this is over. Hell, you know what? Get me out of Texas, and permanently, at that. This entire state is one big hellhole." "What makes you say that?" "Things I''ve heard," Patrick explained. "Do we have a deal or not?" Alain crossed his arms. "Father, don''t tell me you''re actually considering-" "Yes," Father Corrin interrupted, looking down at Patrick. "We have a deal. Now, tell me what you know." Alain''s jaw dropped. He opened his mouth to protest, but didn''t get the chance before Patrick began to speak. "...The truth is, there''s a lot of weird and creepy shit going down in San Antonio right now," Patrick said. "Has been since that incident in Louisiana a few months back. I don''t know exactly what they''re planning, but what I do know is¡­ when a bunch of strangers in white robes come knocking on your house while carrying guns in the middle of the night, and they offer you a burlap sack full of money to bury stuff on your property and ask no questions? Well, anyone would know better than to question it." "Especially if they planned on spending the money above all else," Alain spat. Father Corrin gave him a pointed glance out of the corner of his eye, but said nothing, instead looking back at Patrick and giving him a nod, signaling him to continue. Patrick took a breath. "...The head guy''s name, or at least the head guy who leads the others who come here, is a man named David Gibson. You can''t miss him ¨C he''s about as tall as the man in the nice suit back there, though he''s got about fifty pounds on your friend, too. All muscle, as well; I think he used to be some kind of circus strongman in his youth or something." Az scowled, but said nothing, instead continuing to listen in. "No idea what he does now, but he''s worth some serious money¡­ Anyway, yeah, Gibson is the one in charge," Patrick assured them. "He''s the one who''s giving the orders, and he''s also the only one in a red cloak rather than a white one." Sable and Alain looked over to each other knowingly, but neither one said anything. "So we''re looking for a man named David Gibson and his associates," Father Corrin surmised. "Know where we can find them?" Patrick winced, then shook his head. "Not exactly. But I know where you might be able to dig up some information. They kept mentioning this tavern, I think it''s in the seedy part of town¡­ they called it Valhalla, whatever the hell that means." "Care to clarify on that?" Father Corrin asked. "Because it sounds like you''re telling us to go crack some skulls in a run-down, rough-and-tumble bar and see what comes spilling out." "Your words, not mine," Patrick replied. "There are a few other names, too, but Gibson''s was the big one; the rest were just members of his entourage, I think." "Is that everything?" Alain asked, impatient. Slowly, Patrick nodded. "Yeah. I got nothing else for you." "Then we''ll be on our way," Father Corrin said, before Alain could reply. "Patrick, I want you to stay here and wait until tonight. I''m going to send for some other priests, they''ll escort you by wagon to one of our convents a few states away. Nobody will be able to touch you there." Patrick breathed a sigh of relief at that. "Thank you¡­ thank you, you''re an angel¡­" Somehow, Alain got the sense that Corrin was about as happy to hear those words as he was. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 27
"What the fuck was that about?" Alain demanded as he and Father Corrin walked away from the house. "Huh? You''re just gonna let him go, after he fucking admitted to it?'' "Yes," Father Corrin replied without looking over to him. "That''s bullshit!" Alain growled. "You know as well as I do that he''s just as culpable as Gibson and his cultists are. Patrick may not have pulled the trigger, but he''s just as guilty as they are." "We need him alive so he''ll talk." "Well, he just talked," Alain pointed out. "And now you''re telling me you''re going to keep him alive, despite everything? What the fuck kind of priest are you?" Father Corrin suddenly paused, then turned, lunging towards Alain. He grabbed Alain by the throat, picking him up and hoisting him into the air. Alain struggled in his grasp, desperate to reach one of his revolvers, but he wasn''t able to. "I understand what you''re saying," Father Corrin said with a snarl. "And believe me, I dislike this as much as you do. But at this point, that man is defenseless, and I will not kill him in cold blood." "That''s really fucking nice," Alain spat. "Too bad his friends didn''t show those kids the same mercy." "His friends will get what''s coming to them in due time, in both this life and the next," Father Corrin insisted. "As will Patrick." "So much for saving his soul." "Patrick is damned by his own actions, should he not sincerely repent and seek to make amends for his sins in some way." "You''re seriously willing to redeem him, even after he helped those men cover up the murder of those kids?!" "I seek to redeem him the same way I seek redemption for all sinners. You are correct ¨C he helped facilitate the cover-up¡­ but he did not kill them himself. Moreover, the fact that he was so willing to turn to God earlier proves that there is still some shred of good in him ¨C some glimmer of light remaining, however small it may be. And I will not see that light snuffed out so easily. Not like this." "Then I guess that''s where we differ," Alain told him. "You seek to bring sinners like that to God¡­ me, I''d rather send them to Him." "And that''s your prerogative. But so long as it is within my power, I will not see that man come to harm, by you or anyone else." "Alain!" At the sound of Sable''s voice, Alain turned, still held in Father Corrin''s grasp. Sable''s gaze landed on him, and she stared at him with wide eyes before turning back to Father Corrin. "Let go of him," she demanded. She took a step forward, and at the moment, the group of priests surrounding them leveled their weapons towards her. She blinked, taken aback by their sudden aggression, though not for long, her gaze soon narrowing dangerously. Az moved up next to her, cracking his knuckles as he did so. Danielle stood back a ways, though her hand hovered over her holstered revolver the entire time. Alain eyed all his companions, each of them prepared to square off with the priests surrounding them, then took a breath and turned back to Corrin.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "...Put me down," he said. "Please." Father Corrin thankfully obliged, dropping him on the ground. Alain picked himself up quickly, dusting himself off as he rose to his feet. He gave Father Corrin a baleful look as he stood up straight. "...Okay," Alain ventured. "I know this is supposed to be a joint operation, but at this point, I don''t want to fucking see any of you for a while. And I take it that the feeling is mutual." Father Corrin simply nodded. Alain let out a small sigh. "...Alright. So here''s what I suggest ¨C we''ll check out the tavern. You take your group and go search wherever else you think you''ll dig something up. Hell, maybe try putting the screws to Patrick a bit more¡­ just not literally, because God forbid someone like that face the music." "That sounds like a wise move," Father Corrin agreed, seemingly unfazed by Alain''s insult. Instead, he pushed past Alain and began moving towards Patrick''s house again, signaling for his men to fall in behind him. Alain wasn''t sure if he was truly planning to question Patrick yet again or if he was simply trying to make it clear that he wasn''t to be touched, but at this point, Alain didn''t care. Alain spat on the ground where Father Corrin had been standing just a few seconds ago. "Piece of shit¡­" he muttered. "Alain?" Sable asked, tentatively approaching him. "Are you hurt?" "No, but I am very fucking pissed. Fucking priest wants to protect that piece of child-murdering garbage from me; says he sees some kind of light in him, whatever the fuck that means." Sable''s brow furrowed. "Did Patrick really-" "Does it matter? He helped the people who did, and that''s more than enough for me to consider him the same as them. Unless you wanted to tell me I''m wrong?'' Sable shook her head. "No." "Good." Az and Danielle approached the two of them, neither one looking too pleased about what they''d just heard. Az in particular had shed his usual stone-faced expression, replacing it with one of annoyance. "So," Danielle ventured. "Where are we going now?" Alain shook his head. "For all his faults, Patrick at least gave us something to work with. Granted, I had to make him damn near piss his pants to get it out of him, but I got it." "Lovely imagery," Sable deadpanned. "Thanks, I try," Alain replied. "Anyway, he told me about some bar the lead cultist of this little group likes to visit. It''s called Valhalla, or some shit like that. He said it was in the rough part of town, which is perfect, because I need to blow off some steam." He reached into his pocket for a cigarette, only for Sable to pluck it out of his hand before he could light it. Alain turned towards her, glaring at her as she held his smoke in her hands. "What the fuck was that for?" he demanded. "You need to calm down," she said. "I understand you''re absolutely livid about this thing with Patrick, but you''re not thinking straight." That was enough for Alain. He couldn''t help but grit his teeth at her words. "You know what, Sable? Fuck you," he said. "I figured you of all people would have my back on this-" "I do," she insisted. "I completely agree with you that Patrick is scum and that he deserves a bullet in the head and a one-way ticket straight to hell. But now is neither the time nor the place." "So you''re okay with just letting him fucking walk away?" Alain demanded. "Because that''s what''s going to happen. The fucking priests are going to take him to some secret monastery somewhere he can''t be touched by anyone. He''ll get to live the rest of his natural life as a penitent instead of rotting in a cell or in the ground where he belongs." Sable grimaced. "I like this about as much as you do-" "You sound just like Father Corrin." "-but we have more important things to worry about," Sable reminded him. "We still have a job to do. Moreover, whatever this cult is planning, it can''t be good. We might have another New Orleans on our hands at this rate. I don''t know if you''ve considered that as a possibility, but it''s definitely on the table. And getting into a fight with the Catholic Church is not helpful." Alain glared at her for a moment before leaning in and taking his cigarette back. He lit it up and took a long drag from it before exhaling. "...Fine," he conceded. "Alright, you want me to calm down? Well, this is me being calm. So what do you think we should do now, Sable?" "I think we should head back to town and get some rest," she said. "It''s been a very long day. Plus, if I remember right, you really haven''t eaten anything all day." "Some things are more important than food." "Alain." He held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright." Sable waited for a moment, clearly expecting him to say something more. When he didn''t, she continued on. "Tomorrow night, we''ll head for this tavern," she said. "Why tomorrow night?" Danielle asked. "We''ll have a better chance of running into this guy if we show up during the day, won''t we? I mean, he apparently does his thing at night, so if we''re trying to find him, then we should go during the day. We can find him and his men, kill them all in one fell swoop, and be done with it." "And miss out on any information he may have about your father," Az reminded her. She turned towards him, and he crossed his arms. "I don''t know where they''re keeping Senator Silvera, but they''d be stupid to keep him at that tavern ¨C too many people coming and going all the time, plus it''s still within city limits. No, Sable is right ¨C we should show up at night, when he likely won''t be there, and poke around a bit. See what we can dig up. And then, when he least expects it, we can ambush him in the morning." "And in the meantime, he''s free to keep killing," Alain reminded them. Slowly, Az nodded. "Yes, that is the drawback of this plan. But unfortunately, I don''t see another more suitable plan available for us. Hopefully, he and his men aren''t active tomorrow night." "Yeah, hopefully." Alain took one final drag from his cigarette, then threw the stub on the dirt and ground his heel against it. "Alright, then. I guess we know what we''re doing now. Fuck me¡­ I hate this fucking job¡­" None of the others argued with him. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 28
The next day came and went, and soon enough, it was nightfall again. Alain pulled the remnants of what had to be his twentieth cigarette of the day out of his mouth, then placed them in a nearby tray before reaching into his pocket for another one, only for Sable to grab his hand and stop him. "I think you''ve had enough of those for one day," she admonished. Alain glared at her. "What are you, my mother? I''ll smoke if I want to smoke." "No offense, but I''d rather you didn''t. The room already smells like a chimney thanks to you; God only knows how I''m going to get the stench of cigarette smoke out of my clothes and hair. And don''t get me started on how it''s going to cling to Az''s suit, either." "Yeah, well, you should''ve known this was what you were signing up for when you managed to convince me not go after a child killer." Alain crossed his arms. "Serious qestion ¨C how many do you think he''s up to by now? Since we came back from the farm and decided to look the other way, I mean." "Alain." "I mean it, Sable. We should be out there stopping this guy, but instead, we''re stuck waiting for information." "We have a job to do," Az reminded him. "You''re lucky Danielle isn''t around to hear you express your concerns like this." True to Az''s word, Danielle had split off from the rest of them and headed for her room earlier to get some sleep, apparently having figured that she''d need to be well-rested beforehand if they were possibly staying up all night. She was the smart one of the group for it, Alain had to admit, but at the same time, he knew that even if he''d tried to fall asleep, he wouldn''t be able to. The images of those murdered kids were still haunting his dreams. An involuntary shudder suddenly wracked his body, which didn''t go unnoticed by Sable. She tilted her head, confused. "Is something wrong?" "Only everything¡­" Alain muttered. "Did it not bother either of you? The mass grave full of dead kids, I mean. We''re seen some awful shit, I''ll fully admit, but that one got to me, I won''t lie." Sable exchanged a quick glance with Az before turning back to him. "...Admittedly, I could have gone the rest of my un-life without seeing that," she said quietly. "But this is our chance to stop their killer. I regret that we''re forced to wait in order to do so, but mark my words, David Gibson is not long for this world." Az, meanwhile, simply shrugged. "Horrible as it was, I have seen worse in my time." "Oh, really?" Alain asked, disbelievingly. Az pursed his lips, but offered no answers. At this point, Alain knew better than to even try to ask him. With a tired sigh, Alain looked out the nearby window, searching for the moon through the cloud coverage above in the sky. After a moment of looking, he found it; judging by its position, it was approaching ten at night. He gave a small grunt, then stood up, patting himself down to make sure he was fully equipped as he did so. "Alright," he announced. "I think that''s enough time spent waiting." "Are you sure?" Sable questioned. "Because, just based off of every other bar we''ve been to, this likely a busy hour for them." "Today''s a weekday, which means people are supposed to be working tomorrow. Whoever''s there right now, they''re likely so drunk they''ll be seeing triple. I doubt they''ll even remember us showing up. Besides, even if they do, we can handle them."If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Not what I meant, Alain. What if there are innocent people there?" "If this bar is anything even close to how Patrick described it, then I don''t think we''ll have to worry too much about that," Alain replied. "And, I''ll be honest¡­ if I stay in here any longer, I''m likely to go completely stir crazy and disappear in a cloud of cigarette smoke." "Alright, alright, point taken¡­" Sable let out a small, annoyed huff. "I''ll go wake Danielle, and then we can go." With that, she left the room, leaving Alain and Az by themselves. Alain went to pick up his Winchester 1887 and sling it over his shoulder, only for Az to call out to him the moment he hefted the shotgun up. "So, what''s going on between you two, anyway?" Alain just about jumped out of his skin at Az''s sudden question. He fumbled his shotgun, only narrowly managing to catch it in mid-air before it could hit the ground. After breathing a sigh of relief that the chamber was empty, Alain finally slung the weapon over his shoulder, then turned towards Az. "What do you mean?" "Oh, I think you know already," Az replied, his voice even. "There''s something between you two." "What makes you say that?" Alain couldn''t help but question. "Is this just a hunch you have?" "Partly. But it''s also the fact that you two have been at each other''s throats a lot more than ever before. That leads me to believe that something has developed between you two, though I cannot tell what it is." "There''s nothing between us," Alain promised. "Aside from us being friends, that is." "Truly?" Az asked. "Do you usually angrily cuss out your friends the same way you did to her yesterday?" "Only the really good ones." "Alain." "I mean it, Az," Alain swore. "There''s nothing going on between us aside from us being really good friends. If there was, I''d tell you." "Hm. Forgive me if I don''t fully trust you." "Hell, you can believe what you want to believe for whatever reasons you want to believe it, but it doesn''t change the fact that there''s nothing new between me and her." "So I don''t need to worry about walking in on the two of you, then?" "Walking in on us doing what?" Az just stared at him for a moment, then shook his head. "Okay, I suppose you''re right. Forget I even brought it up." With that, Az stood up and began to walk out of the hotel room, leaving Alain behind him, still confused. "Az¡­?" Alain asked, following after him. "Hey, wait up! What did you think was going on between us, exactly?" In typical Az fashion, he received only silence as his answer. XXX Once they''d woken up Danielle, the four of them set out, walking through San Antonio under the cover of nightfall. There were few people out on the streets at this time; just a few months ago, before the Veil had been lifted, a large city like this would still be bustling even at this late hour, but not anymore. Not since the world had discovered that the monsters that lurked in the darkness were very real. Unfortunately for them, it turned out that the worst kinds of monsters still took human form ¨C a thought that was at the forefront of Alain''s mind as they made their way towards the tavern Patrick had mentioned to them. If he got his hands on Gibson, Alain knew that it was only going to end one way. Hopefully, Sable or Az would be there to hold him back, because he certainly wasn''t about to keep himself under control. Not after what Gibson had done to those kids who''d been buried at the farm. They walked on in silence, the only noise from any of them aside from their footsteps being the occasional yawn from Danielle. Alain couldn''t relate, in this case; he was as awake as he''d ever been. Over the past few months, he''d developed an almost sixth sense when it came to telling which job was going to end in violence. Generally, that was most of them anyway, but a few of them, he could tell just by the demeanor of the person hiring them that there was going to be blood, and a lot of it. He was getting the same feeling tonight. It must have showed on his face, because Sable suddenly reached out to take him by the shoulder as they walked, getting his attention. "Hey," she said. "Can we trust you to not simply kill whoever we see there tonight?'' Alain''s eyes narrowed. "Sable-" "I mean it, Alain. We need to know you''re not going to just start shooting people down. Even if they deserve it, we can''t be gunning down an entire bar full of people." "Why not?" "Alain." He held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright¡­ message received; I''ll reel it in a bit." Sable breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." She let go of his shoulder, and they all continued walking. The entire time, Alain couldn''t help but wonder if she''d be just as mad if he merely kneecapped everyone who got in their way instead of killing them outright. XXX Eventually, they found themselves in what had to be the seedier part of San Antonio. Dilapidated buildings lined the streets, all of them in various states of disrepair, whether it was from rain-rotted wood to mold to broken windows, as well as everything in between. There were still no people out on the streets, however; it gave the entire town an almost eerie sensation about it, enough that Alain saw Danielle shiver as she looked down a nearby road. "Nervous?" he asked. "...Apprehensive, more like," she admitted. "This place is like a ghost town¡­ where is everyone?" "Inside away from the creatures that lurk in the shadows, is my guess. Someone should probably tell them that vampires have nothing on the monsters that wear human skin, though." Alain looked around the block they''d ended up on, his gaze narrowing when he saw a building at the end of the street. It was clearly a bar, and a run-down one at that; boards covered several of the windows, allowing small rays of candlelight through them, which spilled out into the streets, casting shadows across the block. Above the front door, there was a small sign; he drew closer to read it, and scowled when he saw that it had clearly once read ''Valhalla'', though the first A and one of the Ls had apparently long since gone missing, and nobody had bothered to replace either. "This is it," he said. "Az, you''re with me. Sable, Danielle, keep an eye out. We''ll just be a-" He went to head into the bar, only for Sable to reach out and take him by the shoulder once more. He paused, turning to look at her a moment later, and found her leveling a crimson-eyed glare at him. "Remember what I said," she told him. "You promised you were okay to do this. Don''t go ruining it because you got trigger-happy." Alain blinked, but gave her a nod. "I''ll be careful." Sable considered his words for a moment, but then returned his nod with one of her own and let go of him. Alain gave her one last glance, then entered the bar, Az not far behind him. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 29
Alain had been in a lot of bars and taverns in his life, many of which he''d have even considered to be seedy. He''d been in bars where he''d had weapons pulled on him or otherwise been in fights with aggressive, drunken patrons. He was used to dealing with the general array of seediness that came from off-the-beaten-path taverns and bars such as this one. And yet, as he and Az walked through the front door, something about this bar stood out above all the rest. Alain wasn''t sure what it was at first ¨C between the shady-looking, burly, armed men sitting at the counter and the taxidermy animals set up around the place, it was hard to tell what, exactly, was putting him on-edge. As if that wasn''t enough, the bar in general was in disrepair; most of the windows were cracked, if not outright shattered, and the wooden walls and floor were covered in knots, scuffs, and chips, to say nothing of the outright missing pieces of wood. The furniture hadn''t been spared, either ¨C the various tables and chairs were in no better a state than the rest of the bar was. Alain instantly honed in on the bartender, a man about his age with a jagged scar over his right eye and a nasty look on his face. He couldn''t have screamed his displeasure at the two of them entering his bar harder if he''d tried. Alain was unperturbed, however; he approached the bar and took a seat, Az settling in next to him, the decrepit wooden chair audibly groaning as the big man sat down in it. "What the hell do you want?" the bartender asked. "Depends on what you''ve got behind the counter," Alain said. "I''ve got a double-barrel behind the counter. Feel like picking buckshot out from between your teeth?" A few of the burly men from the other end of the counter immediately turned towards Alain, their gazes settling on him in an attempt to intimidate him. Unfortunately for them, he''d seen far more frightening things over the past six months of his life alone; they didn''t even rate among the top twenty. Alain turned away from the men and back to the bartender, giving him a small nod. "Didn''t mean anything by it." "Why the hostility?" Az questioned. "Our money''s as good as anyone else''s." The bartender turned towards Az, his gaze narrowing. "We don''t get many outsiders ''round these parts, stranger. And you two are definitely outsiders if I''ve ever seen ''em." He eyed Az up and down. "How much is that suit worth, by the way?" "More than you can afford," Az answered without missing a beat. He gestured behind the man, to the top shelf of the bar. "I''ll take a glass of that whiskey." The bartender eyed him incredulously. "Twenty bucks for a glass of-" Az didn''t hesitate, instead reaching into his pocket and pulling out a twenty-dollar bill, which he laid out on the counter. Instantly, the bartender''s eyes widened, and he reached out and pocketed the money almost as fast as Alain could blink. "Coming right up," he said. He gave Alain a quick glance. "You?" "I''ll have what he''s having," Alain said, placing a twenty of his own on the counter. The bartender snatched up the second twenty-dollar bill as quickly as he did the first one, then set up about fixing their drinks. As he did so, the men from the other end of the bar ¨C all five of them ¨C stood up and marched over to where Az and Alain were sitting, forming a circle around them. "Well, well," one of the men said. "Looks like we''ve got a couple of high rollers, here. It''s not every day that two strangers come in and drop twenty bucks each on a single glass of whiskey. How''d you two come across that kind of money?" "Earned it," Alain replied without looking back. "Ah, of course," the man said with a nod. "Say, friend ¨C why not share the wealth a bit, hm? Maybe buy the rest of us a round or two?" Alain looked to Az out of the corner of his eye. Az had a slight frown plastered across his face, but said nothing, instead giving Alain a small nod. Alain returned it with one of his own, and then for the first time, looked back at the men who''d surrounded them.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Sorry," Alain said. At that moment, the bartender placed his and Az''s glasses in front of him, and he picked his up with one hand. "I don''t take charity cases." He raised his glass to his lips and took a deep sip. Az did the same next to him, the two of them completely unperturbed by the armed men who''d surrounded them. The feeling wasn''t mutual, however; the man Alain had been talking to, who had to have been the leader of the group, scowled, one hand drifting down to his revolver. "Sorry, friend, but I wasn''t exactly asking," he said, a wicked grin crossing his face. "See, we don''t usually get people with your kind of money in Valhalla, here. Gotta take advantage of it when we can." "Oh, I''m sure," Alain replied, taking another sip of whiskey. He watched the man''s hand curl around his pistol''s grip, then let out a sigh and shook his head. "I wouldn''t do that if I were you." "And why''s that?" "Just trust me on this one. Whatever you''re about to try, a few rounds of drinks isn''t worth it." "Says who?" "Says me and my friend, here. If you lot know what''s good for you, you''ll turn around and leave through that front door, there. If you don''t¡­ well, we''re not responsible for what happens next." For the first time, the man''s expression faltered, and he eyed Alain with uncertainty. "...The fuck are you talking about?" Alain held up his glass again. "Look, all I''m saying is that I don''t think this is a train that you guys want to ride. Think long and hard about what you''re about to do." Out of the corner of his eye, Alain saw the bartender pause, then begin to reach under the counter, no doubt reaching for the shotgun he''d mentioned earlier. Az saw it too, however; his gaze was locked onto the bartender, and his hands had already started to curl into fists, the hand still wrapped around his whiskey glass gripping it hard enough for small cracks to start appearing throughout it. Alain turned back to the leader, who was deep in thought, apparently considering his options. After a moment, he shook his head, then turned back to Alain. "You asked me if I really wanted to ride this train?" he said. "I think I do." Alain let out a tired sigh. "Well, I warned you. But before we get started in earnest¡­ how about I give you a bit of a tasting?" "The fuck is that supposed to-" Alain suddenly lunged forward, his whiskey glass still in his hand, and flung it against the leader''s face as hard as he could. The glass shattered on impact, sending shards of glass and rotgut whiskey into the man''s face; he fell to the ground screaming as blood poured down his head and onto the floor below. Alain didn''t waste any time, and neither did Az. The other four men went for their revolvers, but Alain was faster, drawing his knife from his belt as he launched himself out of his chair. The knife seemed to almost sing as it flew through the air, driving deeply into the first man once, twice, then three times, before he, too, joined his leader on the ground, and Alain moved on to the next man. They had barely had time to clear leather by the time Alain made it to his next target. The man tried to level his revolver at him, but Alain thrust his blade through the man''s arm, the point erupting out the other side of his limb. The man''s gun slipped from his grasp as he fell to the ground, his screams joining his leader''s in a macabre chorus of suffering. Alain didn''t bother with the knife after that; he quick-drew one of his Single Action Armies, thumbing back the hammer as he did so, and then point-fired two rounds rapid, one into each of the other two men who was still upright. Both men fell, a bullet buried into their stomachs, their guns clattering to the ground a split-second later. Just as Alain finished up, there was a loud snap, followed by another uproarious scream. Alain turned towards the source of the noise and found Az standing over the bartender, a double-barrel shotgun clutched in his hands. The bartender was clinging tightly to one of his hands, the fingers on it all jutting out into the complete wrong direction; apparently, Az had tried to simply wrench the gun from his grasp, but had either broken or dislocated all the man''s fingers at the same time. As Alain watched, Az broke open the shotgun and ejected the two shells from within it, then laid the now-empty gun on the counter top. "He''s all yours, Alain," Az offered. Alain nodded, then sheathed his knife and holstered his revolver before jumping over the counter. The bartender''s eyes widened as Alain began to approach him, and he tried to shrink back, only to run up against the nearby wall back-first. "J-just take whatever you want and go!" he pleaded. "I won''t tell a soul, I promise!" Alain simply shook his head. "I don''t want your money. All I want is information." "Information¡­?" "Yeah." Alain leaned in, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he rested one hand on his holstered Colt. "What do you know about David Gibson?" he demanded, his voice coming out cold. At first, the bartender just stared at him, continuing to clutch at his injured hand as he did so. He ground his teeth, small gasps of pain still escaping him every few seconds. Alain stared down at him unflinchingly the entire time. "It''s in your best interest to speak up," Alain informed him. He motioned to the rest of the bar for emphasis. "My friend and I just took out everyone here without even breaking a sweat. And we did it without even killing any of you, in fact ¨C imagine how easy it''d have been for us if we really had been trying to kill you." The bartender bit his lip. "...Gibson will kill me if I tell you anything." "Uh-huh," Alain deadpanned, again motioning to the rest of the bar. The man lying before him hesitated before giving a tired sigh. "...I need your word that you won''t let him get to me." "I can''t do that. What I can do is give you this ¨C you tell me what you know about him, and where we can find him, and we''ll do the rest. Believe me when I say that we don''t plan on letting him live for very long once we''ve found him." The bartender looked up at Alain in surprise. "...What did he do to you that''s so bad?" "To me personally? Nothing," Alain answered. "But the dead kids he''s been burying? That''s a different story entirely." The wounded man''s eyes went as wide as dinner plates. "Dead kids¡­? Whoa, whoa, I had nothing to do with that, I swear! I didn''t know that was what he was doing out at the farm!" "Relax, relax," Alain told the man. "I believe you." Out of the corner of his eye, Alain saw Az give him a disbelieving look; Alain shook his head, and Az looked away. "I''m not going to kill you. But I need some information, and I need it quickly. Now, what''s say you-" "Alain!" Sable announced as her and Danielle came bursting through the doors to the bar, Danielle''s revolver already at the ready. "Are you both okay?! We heard shots, and-" She suddenly paused, looking around the room as she did so. Slowly, her look of concern faded, replaced with one of disbelief first, and then another of barely-concealed rage. She brought a hand up to tiredly rub at her eyes as a heavy sigh of exhaustion and disappointment escaped from her. "What the hell did you do?" she demanded, her hands on her hips. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 30
"Sable-" Alain began, only for her to suddenly round on him, a snarl crossing her face. "One thing," she growled. "I asked one thing of you ¨C that being that you control yourself ¨C and you can''t even do that for me. What''s wrong with you?" "You told me not to kill anyone," Alain reminded her. "I even promised not to kill anyone. Look around you, Sable ¨C there''s nobody here who''s dead." "They might as well be! Especially since once David Gibson learns of this, he''ll be going after them!" "He''ll what?!" the bartender suddenly exclaimed. Alain gave Sable a glare, then turned back to the bartender. "She has a crude way of explaining things, I''ll admit, but she isn''t wrong," he explained. "Yes, Gibson is going to come after you once he learns you''ve been talking to us. Hell, he''ll probably come after all of you, just for getting your asses kicked so badly and being unable to stop us." "Shit, shit¡­ I had no idea that-" "Calm down, would you?" Alain growled. "We can provide you with safety¡­ or rather, some friends of ours can. You know where the Catholic cathedral is downtown?" The bartender thought for a moment, then nodded. "Head there. Tell them Alain sent you and that he said you''d be provided safe passage. They''ll know what to do with you after that." Alain thought for a moment. "And while you''re at it, get them to send some people to tend to these four, because something tells me they won''t be walking anywhere fast." The bartender nodded. "I''ll get on that right away-" "Hold up," Alain said, reaching out and taking the man by the shoulder as he suddenly sprang to his feet and tried to rush past them all. "The information first." "Y-yes, of course," he stammered out. "Well¡­ Gibson''s a successful businessman. He owns multiple properties around town. Odds are, you''ll be able to find him at one of those in the morning." He hesitated. "...Christ alive¡­ he''s really out there killing kids? That''s what he''s doing at night?" "At the very least," Alain confirmed with a nod. "It''s probably safe to assume they''re not his only victims, though." "God¡­ I had no idea¡­" "I know. What else do you have for us?" "He''s in good with a lot of strange people," the man answered. "Not so much strange in demeanor, more like¡­ people you wouldn''t expect a wealthy businessman to associate with. Lots of whorehouse owners, even though I don''t think I''ve ever seen him with a woman, himself¡­ maybe he owns one of them. I don''t know. But he''s also really interested in the occult." "Oh, here we go¡­" Alain muttered. "Interested in what way?" "I couldn''t tell you, and that''s the truth," came the response. "Even before all that shit with the Veil came to light, he was always getting in with fortune tellers, medicine men¡­ the works. He liked to carry around a deck of those¡­ what are they called? Tar-something cards?" "Tarot cards," Danielle replied, crossing her arms. "Yeah, those." "And none of that ever struck you as suspicious until now?" Alain asked. "Look, I always knew he was a weird guy, even before all this shit with the Veil kicked it up a notch," the bartender replied. "I mean, he was a fucking strongman, for Christ''s sake ¨C that''s about as far from normal as you can get. But he owns the bar, so I was content to just sit back, shut up, and take whatever money and business he sent my way." "Money for what?" Az said. "And what kind of business?" "Hell if I know," the bartender answered. "All I know is, this bar was specifically built with him in mind. There''s a private room in the back reserved only for him and his friends; it''s supposed to stay locked basically all the time, aside from when I''m cleaning it, and he specifically told me not to go poking around in there." "Interesting," Alain surmised. "So you have a key for it?" This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The man paled, but before he could say anything, Alain shook his head. "You''ll be on your way out of town within a few hours, courtesy of the Catholic Church. Unless you specifically go looking for him, Gibson won''t be able to find you. Now, the key, if you wouldn''t mind." He hesitated for a moment, but then heaved a tired sigh and reached into his shirt, pulling out a key on a chain that was looped around his neck. He yanked the key from the chain, then offered it to Alain. "Is that it?" the man asked. "One more thing," Alain assured him. "These properties of his¡­ do you know any more of them?'' "I do. He owns several of them; mostly, they''re those smaller fortune-telling and occult businesses I mentioned, but he also owns a few serious money-makers in town. Off the top of my head¡­ there''s a whiskey distillery to the west that he owns, plus a jeweler''s store downtown, not too far from here." "Hokey religions, alcohol, and jewelry," Alain confirmed. "Interesting combo. I look forward to meeting the man behind it all." He motioned towards the door with his head. "Get out." The bartender didn''t need to be told twice. He immediately took off running through the night as fast as his legs would carry him, to the point that Alain was surprised he didn''t leave a trail of flames behind him as he ran. After a few seconds, he was gone completely; Alain looked down at the key in his hand, then shrugged and turned back to his friends. "Shall we?" he asked. XXX It took them no time at all to find the door. When they did, however, Alain was suddenly glad he''d made sure to take the key instead of just have Az or Sable bust through the door or its surrounding walls ¨C this part of the bar was made out of stone, and the door itself was a solid piece of iron equipped with a heavy-duty lock. "Looks like David really doesn''t want anyone getting in here," Alain mused, pulling the key out of his pocket. "Wonder what''s inside." As the others watched, he inserted the key and turned. The lock clicked, and Alain wasted no time in throwing the door open and looking inside, the room itself being lit purely by the light spilling in from the lamps in the outside hall. "Well," Danielle said. "That''s anti-climactic." Inside was little more than a room set up for secret gambling sessions. There was a large table in the center, surrounded by a dozen chairs, with several decks of playing cards laid out on it. Bottles of expensive-looking alcohol lined the walls, and a large safe sat on a counter top towards the rear. "Guess even crazed murderers need a hobby," Alain surmised. He looked over towards Az. "Think you can get that safe open?" Az''s only response was to crack his knuckles as he approached the safe. A few seconds later, and the door to the safe was in his hands; he set it aside, then stood back as Alain approached and began to rifle through its contents. There wasn''t much inside, mainly just stacks of money, though one thing in particular caught his mind. "There we go," he said, pulling the final object out of the safe. It was a book of some kind; Alain leafed through it a bit and saw that it was a ledger of sorts, though a scowl crossed his face as he read through it. "What is it?" Sable asked. "It''s some kind of record, but I can''t tell what it''s for," Alain said, continuing to read. "Tell me if this makes sense to you ¨C ''Experiment number five: child, approximately age nine, malnourished, height of approximately four-and-a-half feet. Resulting yield: half a barrel. Additional practice and refinement needed for best results.'' Does anyone know what that''s referring to?" "Obviously, the child was the victim," Sable spat. "But the part about the barrel? No idea." "Blood, maybe?" Danielle asked. Sable shook her head. "The bodies we found would''ve been in a much worse state if they''d been bled dry, but they weren''t. The barrel clearly refers to something else." "Whatever it is, it''ll probably have to wait," Az said. "I''ve got movement outside, and I don''t think it''s David himself. I think the locals'' curiosity has finally overwhelmed their survival instincts and they''ve decided to see what the noise earlier was about." "Alright, I get your point," Alain said, slipping the ledger into his pocket. "Let''s get out of here." Nobody argued, and together, they all slipped out through a back door, running through the night to make it back to their hotel rooms before the sun rose. XXX Alain strode into his hotel room, a heavy sigh escaping from him as he shrugged off his shotgun and leaned it against the wall, then began to undo his pistol belt. His two revolvers went on the bedside table, still resting in their holsters, as did his knife. He was just about to begin undressing to go to bed when there was a knock on the door. He sighed once again. "Knew this was coming¡­" he muttered as he approached the door. "Sable, if this is about earlier-" He paused as he threw open the door and was met with Danielle instead of Sable. He blinked in surprise. "Danielle," he said. "Not who you were expecting?" she asked, tilting her head. "Not quite, no. Was there something you wanted to discuss?" "In a manner of speaking." Without waiting for an invitation, she pushed her way in, then laid down on his bed. Alain''s brow furrowed. "Yeah, make yourself at home, no problem," he said as he shut the door and turned towards her. "So, what''s on your mind?" "Are you feeling okay?" she asked. Alain blinked, taken aback. "...What brought this on?" "Because you''ve been acting fucking crazy, that''s why." "I think it''s justified, given what we witnessed at the farm." "And you''re not wrong, but at the same time, you need to dial it down." "And what makes you-" "She''s really mad at you, by the way." Alain paused. "...Come again?" "Sable," Danielle specified. "She''s really mad at you right now." "Why? Because I incapacitated those guys in the bar?" "Alain, you mutilated them," she pointed out. "And that was after she specifically told you to control yourself." "She told me not to kill anyone, and I didn''t," Alain pointed out. "And you''ve already tried pointing that out to her, if I recall. How''d that go for you, by the way?" Alain fell silent, and she sighed. "Look, would you just go talk to her in the morning?" "Okay, seriously, what brought this on?" Alain asked. "Because, no offense, but you seem like the last person who''d care about the interpersonal stuff between the three of us." "Because this has the potential to affect how quickly we find my father," Danielle growled. "And don''t forget, I''m the one paying for all of this, and I''m also part of the group until it''s over. That means, for the time being, I am your employer." "Is this you pulling rank on me?" Alain questioned. "If that''s what it takes for you to go talk to her, then yes, I am," Danielle replied. "I''d tell you to promise me that you will, but the last person you made a promise to was Sable, and we know how that went." "Alright, I get it." Alain sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fine. I will go talk to her in the morning." "See to it that you do." Danielle said. She stood up off his bed and approached the door, only to pause as she reached for the doorknob. "Oh, one more thing." "Yeah?" Alain asked. "You''re a dumbass. That statement probably doesn''t make sense to you now, but it hopefully will sometime in the future." Before Alain could ask her to clarify what she meant, Danielle threw open the door and stepped out into the hallway, disappearing into her own room a second later. Alain watched her go before letting out a heavy exhale. "Women¡­" he muttered as he shut the door and resumed getting ready for bed. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 31
The first thing Alain did after waking in the morning and immediately getting dressed was go look for Sable. She''d booked the room down the hall, farthest from him; he could only assume this was her way of being as passive-aggressive towards him as possible. That didn''t exactly inspire confidence that this was going to go well, but Danielle had a point with what she said the night before. And so, Alain found himself standing outside Sable''s door, his fist raised up to it, although he couldn''t will himself to knock just yet. He stood there like that for several seconds before he heard an irritated huff from the other side of the door. "Are you just going to stand there all day, or are you going to come in and talk to me?'' Alain blinked. "...How''d you know I was out here?" "Because I know your scent by now, plus the floor in this hotel creaks like nobody''s business and I heard you coming from a mile away." Alain said nothing, instead lowering his fist. "I''m coming in," he said. "If you''re naked in there, now''s the time to tell me before I open the door." After a few seconds of his joke receiving no response, he let out a tired sigh and pushed his way in, only to immediately pause at what he saw. "...I meant that as a joke," he managed to get out, his face flushing red. She was under the covers and he couldn''t see anything, sure, but Alain could tell just from her bare shoulders that Sable was naked in her bed. He blinked, then hurriedly averted his gaze as he crossed his arms, then cleared his throat. "You could''ve warned me," he said. "Why are you naked, anyway?" "Because it''s really hot and the only clothes I brought with me make it worse," Sable answered. "I put up with it for as long as I was rooming with you and Az, but now that we''re well-off enough that I can afford my own room, well¡­" "I see." Alain paused. "...Do you want me to leave so you can get dressed, or¡­?" Sable rolled her eyes. "Quit being a baby about it. I doubt I have anything you haven''t seen before." "Even so, the least I can do is let you preserve your modesty around me. I''ll be out in the hall, let me know when you''re dressed." With that, Alain stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. A minute passed before Sable called out. "I''m decent. You can come in again." Alain breathed a sigh of relief, then opened the door and stepped into her room once more. True to her word, Sable was dressed in her usual outfit and seated on the edge of her bed, looking very unamused. "So, what''s this about?" she asked. "Come to peek at me, you pervert?" Alain bristled. "I didn''t even know that you were-" He caught himself and paused, then let out a tired sigh. "...Okay, look ¨C I wanted to come talk to you about last night. I know that may be hard to believe, given how this conversation has started, but-" "Alain," she interrupted. "It''s fine. Just get to the point, please." "Alright, then." He took a breath. "I''m sorry, Sable. I made a promise to you, and then I went against it immediately after. I was angry, and that''s no excuse for betraying your trust the way I did. So, I''ll say it again ¨C I''m sorry." Sable stared at him for a moment before letting out a small sigh. "...I understand your rage," she said, "it''s not misplaced. But there''s a time and a place for it, Alain. We need you to be focused, in-control, and thinking rationally." Alain nodded along with her words. "You''re right," he conceded. "I just¡­ lost control, I guess. It won''t happen again." "No offense, but don''t make a promise like that," Sable chastised. "I''d much prefer you to be aware of when it''s happening and to keep it under control than to force yourself not to feel what you felt last night, if that makes sense."Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. "Yeah, it does." Alain shifted, trying to make himself more comfortable as he sat on her bed. "If you don''t mind me asking¡­ what brought this kind of concern on, anyway? I mean, I get that you need me staying in-control for obvious reasons, but am I wrong in saying there''s something else, too?" "No, you''re not," Sable said, shaking her head. "Truthfully, I was worried about you doing something stupid and getting yourself injured or killed in the process. New Orleans wasn''t that long ago, Alain ¨C we''ve already lost two members of the group, one of whom had been with us since Los Banos; I don''t want to lose you, too. You''re my friend, and I care about you¡­ odd as that may be for a vampire to say to a human." "Sable, our entire relationship is an odd one," Alain told her. A thin smile crossed her face. "Yes," she replied, "it is." She was silent for a few seconds before she shook her head again, then began to speak once more. "Even beyond that¡­ you are still my apprentice. That relationship goes deeper than you might think." "How so, if you don''t mind me asking?" Alain questioned. Sable placed her hands in her lap, then turned to stare out the nearby window. "...It''s not just a relationship between a teacher and a student," she said. "A vampire and their chosen apprentice are deeper than that, Alain. Think of it as a craftsman passing on his art to someone else so they can eventually take over from him ¨C the goal is similar to that." "It is?" Alain asked. "I mean, I always figured you had a reason for picking me as your apprentice, I just wasn''t sure what it was." "I want you as my right hand," Sable instantly replied. "I mentioned back when we first met that I wanted to build a kingdom¡­ that isn''t entirely untrue, though perhaps my understanding of what it should look like has changed since then." "How so?" Sable bit her lip. "...My sister, Cleo, rules a kingdom of her own back in Romania. She usurped our parents, murdered them, and claimed my father''s throne for herself a few decades ago. I didn''t learn of this until I awoke from being staked. When I did, I knew it wouldn''t be long before she came for me, too. I tell you this to illustrate what I don''t want out of a kingdom ¨C my sister rules through fear and violence. She subjugates those beneath her, and murders those who would stand against her. She is very powerful, obviously, but at the cost of whatever traces of empathy she may have had. Does that make sense?" "I suppose it does," Alain answered. "But that doesn''t explain what you''re looking for in a kingdom of your own." "I was getting to that," Sable replied. "And¡­ at this point, calling it a kingdom would be mistaken. Empire would be more appropriate, and not necessarily in the sense of borders or boundaries." "What did you have in mind, then?" "To put it simply¡­ who says my empire needs to be purely territory-based?" Sable asked. "We have a good thing going right now, with this business between the three of us. I''d like to see it continue to be successful and to expand it in due time." Alain nodded in understanding. "Probably a good move. No offense, but you aren''t the type to be a heavy-handed ruler like your sister." Sable breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." "Also, if you were to claim a piece of territory for yourself and try to expand your borders, I suspect the United States government would have a lot to say about it." "That too," Sable nodded, a thin trace of a smile crossing her face. Alain couldn''t help but blink at the sight of it. It was probably just a trick of the light, but a small part of him couldn''t help but think that she looked even better when she was smiling. Alain quickly shook that thought away, then looked back at her. She turned back towards him at that moment, their eyes meeting. They held the gaze for a second before she cleared her throat. "...Speaking of being my apprentice," she said, "have you continued to practice with the rune I gave you?" "Hm?" Alain asked, still trying to collect his thoughts. A second later, it came rushing back to him, and his eyes widened in recognition as he shook his head. "Uh, no. Sorry." "That''s okay. I understand things have been hectic since our arrival here. Frankly, I would have been surprised if you''d managed to keep up with it, given all that''s been going on." "Still, I know I should be putting more into it," Alain said. "I need to be the best apprentice I can be for you, after all." Sable hesitated, a faint blush crossing her face. "...Honestly, you already are," she said. "I can''t think of many apprentices throughout history who would have done the things you''ve already done for me. I mean, offering to let me feed from your veins is one thing, but the things we''ve been through together, the way you''ve trusted me¡­" She shook her head. "Like you said earlier, we certainly have an odd relationship. And I''d like to see it continue on." "I understand," Alain offered. "Just¡­ what do you need to see from me in order to make sure that it does?" "I need you to listen to me," Sable urged. "No more of what happened earlier - of giving into your rage, and defying my orders. Ultimately, you are the apprentice, not the other way around. I have no problems deferring to your judgment at times, when appropriate, but I need to know that I can rely on you. I cannot do that if you are defying me." Slowly, Alain nodded. "I see. And you''re right ¨C I''ve been¡­ unstable, recently. I don''t think it''s entirely misplaced, but still. I can''t be doing that; not when it puts myself and the rest of you at risk." Sable gave him a nod in response. "Exactly. These are evil people we''re dealing with, Alain ¨C they can and will kill you without a second thought. We need to be careful when dealing with them. That means keeping our emotions in-check, and not acting crazy." "I get it," Alain insisted. "And you won''t have anything to worry about from now on, Sable. I''ll rein myself in." She let out a small sigh of relief. "Good¡­ see to it that you do. You and Az are the only ones I can trust, and I''d hate to lose you." "I know." Alain loosened his collar and leaned in, offering his neck to her. "Here. I think you need to eat something." Sable hesitated before accepting, leaning in and latching onto the side of his throat. Alain felt her fangs poke two small pinpricks into his vein, and she began to drink. He winced as she did, a few stray droplets spattering against his clothes and the bedspread beneath them, but he said nothing, instead letting her drink as much as she wanted. And to her credit, she seemed to heed his words; Alain had no way of measuring how much she''d taken from him, but it certainly felt like more than usual, and as she pulled away, he saw that she looked more satisfied than she usually did. "You know," Alain offered, clamping one hand over the fresh wounds on his neck as he reached into his pocket for a bandage. "You can always drink from someone else if you''re still not satisfied¡­ since, you know, I can only give you so much at a time." "No," Sable instantly replied. Alain blinked out of confusion, and she hurriedly added, "...You''re more convenient. Plus, I trust you and you trust me. I don''t have that kind of relationship with anyone else." "I mean, you could ask Danielle-" "No." "Okay, forget I said anything," Alain said to her. "Well, I can''t force you to do it¡­ but please don''t starve yourself just to avoid making me uncomfortable. Alright?" "I know," she said, giving him a nod. "Thanks, by the way." "Yeah, don''t mention it." Alain finished putting the bandage on his throat, then stood up and offered her a hand. "Come on, let''s go join the others." Sable nodded and accepted his hand. Alain pulled her to her feet, and together, the two of them headed downstairs, searching for Az and Danielle. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 32
Naturally, Alain and Sable found Az and Danielle already downstairs, seated at a table and eating breakfast. The two of them paused as Alain and Sable stepped into view, then Az motioned for them to come over. "Make haste," he said, "or it will get cold." Alain raised an eyebrow as he strode over to the table and took a seat. "Surprised you bothered to get me something." "I figured you''d be hungry, that''s all. So, what''s the plan for today?" Alain blinked, then looked over to where Sable was seated. The two of them met each other''s gaze, then she turned back towards Az and gave him a nod. "The most we know about David Gibson is that he owns a few businesses around town," she said, keeping her voice low enough that the other patrons couldn''t hear. "I don''t know about all of you, but I say the best place to start looking would be one of those." "Didn''t we just do that?" Danielle asked. "Yeah, and it actually got us somewhere. Hence why I think we should keep doing it." "Speaking of which," Az said, turning towards Alain. "Have you read through more of that book we got from the bar?" "Not yet," Alain said. "But I do have it on me. Here, let me check it out¡­ hopefully it doesn''t start screaming like the last one did¡­" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the book, then placed it on the table. Everyone else leaned in so they could get a better look at it as Alain started to flip through the pages, skimming it for anything that looked useful. Danielle stared at the book, her brow furrowing. "Nothing in here makes sense so far," she stated. "It''s all the same shit¡­ just a record of a bunch of people, their approximate size, and their barrel yield, whatever the hell that''s supposed to mean." "Keep looking," Alain urged as he continued to turn the pages. "We''re barely even halfway through the book at this point. There has to be something else in here we can use." Danielle pursed her lips, but didn''t argue as he continued to look through the book. To Alain''s dismay, most of the pages were indeed just David Gibson taking inventory, so to speak. He wasn''t sure what, exactly, Gibson was trying to take inventory of, but it was clearly a ledger of some kind, likely one keeping track of his victims. Alain did his best not to focus too much on the estimated age of each victim, though he still felt his blood boil a bit more with every turn of the page. It wasn''t until they got to the last few pages of the book that they came across something actually useful. "Hold up," Sable urged, reaching out to keep him from turning away from one page. "Go back one." "Sure," Alain said, turning back to the other page. To his surprise, this one was different from the others ¨C rather than listing out another victim, it was something entirely different. "What is this?" Danielle asked. "It almost looks like an invoice of some kind, I think," Alain answered, pulling the book closer to himself so he could more easily read it. "A few of the wealthier ranchers and farmers I used to work with had to fill these out when they were buying feed for their animals in bulk." "So what is this invoice for, anyway?" Sable asked, leaning in. "You tell me. Looks like he was bulk-buying a lot of wheat, barley, and corn. Three guesses as to what that was all for, and the first two don''t count." "I don''t see how this helps us," Az said, crossing his arms. "We already know he owns a distillery, we just don''t know which one." "We do now," Alain said, turning another page. "Right here, on the next part of the invoice ¨C ''please make delivery to Archer''s Distillery downtown.''"Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. "Then I suppose we know where we need to go next," Sable declared. "Let''s head out, then. I see no reason to wait." The others nodded in agreement, except for Alain, who merely gave a forlorn look at his plate of bacon and eggs before sighing and pushing it away. "One day, I will finish breakfast before we start doing this," he declared as he rose to his feet. "Just not today, apparently." "Lighten up," Sable told him as they all approached the door. "With any luck, you''ll get to fight someone. Maybe kill them, too, assuming they open up on us first." Alain simply sighed tiredly as they stepped outside and began to walk down the street, searching for the distillery. XXX "This looks like the place," Alain said about an hour later, as they all approached a multi-story brick building downtown. "Are you sure?" Danielle asked, incredulous. "It looks so¡­ plain and boring. Mundane, even. Definitely not what I expected." "Believe me, the worst kinds of places often put up a front of appearing as normal," Az replied with a grunt. "We''ve taken down plenty of small-time cults that have set up shop in boring-looking buildings just like this one." "How do we want to do this?" Alain asked. "What do you mean?" Sable replied. "We''re going in through the front door, of course." "Is that wise? Because if they know we''re coming-" "Then they''ll start shooting at us, in which case they will all surely die. But somehow, I suspect that won''t be the case. If I''m right, most of the employees here merely think they''re distilling alcohol rather than anything nefarious." "Bold assumption to make, Sable," Alain told her. "Not really," Sable said with a shrug. "The bartender barely knew anything about what was going on in that private room, and that was mostly a one-man operation. If Gibson wanted to operate out of the distillery openly, he''d probably have to cut all the employees in on it." "But he''s rich," Danielle pointed out. "He could afford it." "Not the point," Sable explained. "The problem is¡­ every employee you pay off is another weak link. It only takes one of them getting disgusted and going to the cops to sink the entire operation. No, it''s much easier to pay off the higher-ups to look the other way while you and your men work out of the building at night or something." Alain couldn''t help but blink. "Wow. That, uh, was surprisingly in-depth." Sable waved him off. "I''m used to working in the shadows, remember? Years spent having to do so back in Romania. It was centuries ago, of course, but some things about criminals never change." "Well, then," Alain said, adjusting his shotgun''s sling a bit to make it sit more comfortably over his shoulder. "Let''s not waste any more time." His friends all nodded, and Alain fell in behind Sable as she stepped up to the front and began to approach the distillery. He was careful to watch the windows and doors as they drew closer, but thankfully, nobody popped out and began shooting at them. In fact, all he could see through the transparent glass was the occasional worker going about their day, distilling alcohol. That helped put him slightly at-ease, but he still remained tense even as they stepped up to the front door and Sable threw it open. Immediately, all activity on the floor stopped as the workers turned towards them with wide eyes. For a moment, nobody moved, until a tall, mouse-faced, balding man dressed in a suit and tie approached them, a disdainful look etched across his face; Alain immediately guessed he was the floor manager. "I don''t know who you four are, but you can''t be here right now," he said. "Tours aren''t until-" "We''re not here for a tour," Sable said. "But we will still be taking a look around, if you don''t mind." She grinned widely, showing off her fangs as she did so. Immediately, the mouse-faced man paled, his eyes going as wide as dinner plates. For a few seconds, he said nothing, as if weighing his options, before finally swallowing nervously and giving a small nod. "Y-yes, well¡­ do try not to break anything," he said, his voice coming out as little more than a mortified squeak. "Please?" "No promises," Alain replied as he pushed past the floor manager, his friends all coming up behind him as he did so. The distillery wasn''t that large, but it was still a multi-story building, about the size of a house. It was going to take some time to check over, though thankfully, the people here seemed more focused on their work than on trying to stop them. Of course, Sable''s little show of force was probably more responsible for that rather than their collective desire to get paid, but Alain wasn''t about to argue with results. "Danielle, Az," he called. "Do you two want to take the upstairs? Sable and I can take downstairs." "Sure," Danielle said with a shrug. "Come on, big guy." Az nodded in understanding, and the two of them headed for the stairs. Sable fell in alongside Alain, then motioned for him to get behind her. "Just in case someone comes out shooting," she told him. "Somehow, I doubt we''ll have to worry about that right now," Alain replied, though he did as she asked anyway. "Better safe than sorry, Alain." "Whatever you say. Anyway, where are we looking?" Sable started walking, and Alain followed after her. "I figure there was to be some kind of office around here somewhere," Sable told him. "That or something else we can look through." Alain nodded in understanding. The two of them continued to walk through the first floor for several minutes, searching for anything that appeared useful, though unfortunately, they came up empty. Contrary to Sable''s belief, there didn''t appear to be any kind of office on this floor; for the most part, the entire area was dedicated purely to making alcohol and nothing more. "Well," Alain said after several minutes of fruitless searching. "Guess this might have been a dead end." "Maybe," Sable said. "I suppose we could look through the book again and try to see if we find something-" As she spoke, Alain went to lean against a piece of machinery, only to feel it suddenly shift as he did so. He stumbled, but managed to catch himself before he fell to the ground. A grimace crossed his face, and he couldn''t help but look over to Sable. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered. "Laugh it up-" But to his surprise, she wasn''t laughing. Instead, she seemed surprised at something; Alain blinked, then turned around, and was stunned to find a small hidden door behind where the machine had once sat. It wasn''t very big ¨C more like the door to a storm cellar than anything ¨C but it was just the right size for a person smaller than Az to crawl through. "Well," she said, "this certainly changes things." "I''ll say so," Alain agreed. "Watch over me for a second." "Wait, what are you-" Alain tuned her out, instead approaching the small door and lifting it up enough that he could look inside. Naturally, the interior was too dark for him to see anything, but the stench of decay immediately struck him, and he grimaced, pulling his head back. "Well," he announced, "I''m not going in there." "And why is that?" Sable asked. "Because it''s dark and smells like decay in there. For all I know, it''s an undead breeding center." Sable rolled her eyes. "Undead cannot breed, Alain." "You know what I meant. Either way, walking into a place like that is stupid for a mortal like Danielle or myself." "And Az is too big to fit through the hole." Sable''s eyes narrowed. "You are lucky you''re my apprentice." "Thanks, I aim to please." Alain tipped his hat to her. "I''ll watch over you while you clear it out." She gave him a dirty look, but didn''t argue even as she approached the small door, then lifted it up and crawled inside the tunnel. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 33
It took all of about ten seconds of Sable crawling into the tunnel for her to let out a pained yelp. Immediately, Alain turned towards the entrance, his grip tightening around his shotgun. "Sable?" he asked. For a moment, there was silence, but it was soon interrupted by the sound of tearing flesh and splintering bone. Alain jumped from how loud it was, along with how many times it repeated itself, but after several seconds, it was silent again. "Sable?" Alain repeated, taking a step closer to the entrance. "I''m fine!" she finally called back. "Just a few undead, is all." A wave of relief washed over Alain at that, and he let out a slow sigh. "...Good," he offered. "See anything down there?" "Yeah, there''s a tunnel.." Alain shook his head, wincing as he did so. "Fucking necromancer tunnels¡­" he muttered to himself, even as he slung his shotgun and approached the entrance. As he began to climb into it, he became aware of the workers around the distillery staring at him, and he paused. "Yeah, uh, just tell our friends that we''re down here," he said. The workers all exchanged a confused glance with each other, but thankfully, none of them seemed too keen on arguing with the vampire or her human companion who was loaded down with weapons and ammo. Seeing that they''d all been successfully placated, for lack of a better term, Alain finally finished lowering himself down into the hole. He slid down several feet, but eventually landed at the bottom, where Sable was already waiting for him. He blinked, then looked around, and through the darkened underground, was just able to make out several shapes lying on the ground. The stench hit him a moment later, and he brought a hand up to his face to cover his mouth, coughing as he did so. "Have I ever mentioned that I fucking hate the undead?" he asked, his voice coming out muffled through his sleeve. "Because I really do. Present company excluded, of course." "I''m aware," Sable replied. "Do you have a match, by the way? My night vision is better than yours, but still not great." "Yeah, give me a moment." Alain reached into his pocket and pulled out his matchbook. He hadn''t quite quit smoking cigarettes yet, but he''d cut back over the past few months at Sable''s request, since she apparently hated it when he walked around smelling like an ashtray, and it also gave his blood a very unpleasant aftertaste. Despite that, he''d kept a habit of carrying a book of matches or two around on his person at all times ever since the incident at New Orleans, where they''d come in handy. He struck the match, then looked around. Sure enough, there were several mangled bodies lying on the ground, all of them undead. Alain didn''t linger on them too much, though; his attention was soon drawn to a nearby oil lantern hanging on the wall. He walked over to it and checked it, grinning slightly when he realized it was nearly full. "Well, that''s helpful," he said, opening the small door on its front and dropping the match inside. Instantly, the small pinprick of light in the darkness swelled to something more akin to a campfire. Alain took the lantern in one hand, and drew one of his revolvers with the other. "After you," he said to Sable. She nodded, stepping past him as they both began walking. "You know, most apprentices would volunteer to take the lead." "Most apprentices aren''t at risk of being turned into an undead," Alain pointed out. "We already had a scare like that a few months ago, and something tells me you''re not too keen on repeating that again." "You guessed right, Alain. But still, what kind of mistress would I be if I didn''t occasionally poke fun at my apprentice?" "A good one?" This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. She gave him a pointed look over her shoulder, and he just grinned at her. "Come on, you set me up for it." "Whatever you say," she told him, turning her attention forwards. The two of them walked on in silence for a few more seconds, though to Alain''s surprise, they didn''t find any other undead in the tunnel. That certainly earned a raise of the eyebrow from him ¨C part of him had suspected that David Gibson was meddling with the undead in some way, hence the apparent need to acquire lots of bodies, but he''d figured that the need to bury them on the farm had been as a result of failed experimentation more than anything. And yet, there were a few successful undead in the tunnel already, which meant his earlier theory didn''t make much sense. Moreover, there were only a few of them rather than an entire horde; most necromancers they''d encountered had raised a horde of a few dozen undead the moment they''d figured out how to, yet apparently, Gibson had seen fit to restrain himself from doing so. "One Leufor your thoughts," Sable said. "Hm?" Alain asked. "What''s going on?" "You''re pretty quiet right now," she observed. "Generally, that only happens when we''ve either seen something horrible or when you''re lost in thought. And given how many undead we''ve killed over the past few months, I''m inclined to believe it''s the latter. So, talk. What''s going on?" "Nothing, it''s just¡­ this seems weird, doesn''t it?" Alain asked. "I mean, why only have a few undead down here? He clearly cared enough to try and hide the entrance to this place, so why not leave it more heavily guarded than this?" "Good question," Sable replied. "Hopefully, we can find the answer to it at the end of this tunnel¡­ which, I must admit, is stretching on for much longer than I thought it would." "Gotta give it to the man, he certainly knows how to dig a necromancer tunnel," Alain muttered. Sable suddenly held up a hand, stopping him. "I think I see something up ahead," she told him. "It looks like a makeshift door." "Okay," Alain ventured. "Is it clear?" "Seems to be." "Let''s get it open, then." "Alright. It''s covered in padlocks, though ¨C I''ll need a moment." "Do what you need to, I''ll watch your back." Sable nodded, and Alain turned around, keeping his revolver at the ready. He didn''t expect anything would come to attack them, but given all they''d been through together, it paid to be prepared for anything. A few seconds passed, and then from behind, he heard the sound of metal shattering and chains falling to the floor. A moment later, Sable tapped him on the shoulder. "Door''s open," she told him. "Well, you work fast," Alain said to her. "I try. Here, stay behind me ¨C I''ll go first again." Alain nodded, then fell in behind her as she threw open the door. To his surprise, it led to nothing but a large crater in the ground, with only a ladder leaned against a hole in the floor above them.. Just from what he could see, it appeared that the tunnel led from the distillery to the basement of a nearby abandoned building. At least, he suspected it was abandoned ¨C this floor was certainly in disrepair enough that it looked abandoned, if not condemned. "Up the ladder?" Alain asked, only for Sable to give him a funny look. He barely had time to wonder what she was getting at before she crouched down, then jumped up to the next floor. He stared at her for a moment, then shook his head. "Show off¡­" he muttered, even as he holstered his gun and clipped the lantern onto his belt, then began to climb the ladder. He arrived at the top in just a few seconds, joining her as she looked around the room. And that was when the stench hit them. "God¡­!" Sable gasped, a hand going to her mouth. "What is that?!" "Smells like decay," Alain said, mirroring her action with one of his own, bile rising up in his throat. He swallowed it, then added, "And a lot of it." "Urgh¡­ let''s just look around, already. I want to get out of here as fast as possible." Alain nodded, then unhooked the lantern from his belt. It took everything he had not to clamp his hand back over his mouth and just keep the light affixed to his waist, but keeping it in his hand made it easier to see, and so he was willing to deal with it. Together, the two of them looked around, their attention instantly being drawn to a series of barrels that had been set up in a corner of the room. There were around a dozen of them, if Alain had to wager a guess; he motioned for Sable to follow him, then they pushed over to where the barrels were resting. "They''re from the distillery," Sable observed. "Guess we know one of the reasons why he wanted to connect this building to it, aside from just making it easier for him to move around¡­" Alain muttered. "Now, the big question ¨C do we really want to know what''s inside these things?" "Not particularly, but I don''t think we have a choice." That earned a sigh of resignation from him. "Alright¡­" He took a step closer, frowning when he saw the lid had been nailed shut. "You''re gonna hate me for asking this of you, but think you can get it open?" he asked. Sable glared at him. "A curse on you and your house, Smith¡­ fine. But if I regurgitate your blood, don''t be surprised." "Believe me, it''d take more than that to surprise me at this point," Alain told her. Again, Sable gave him a dirty look, but didn''t argue any further, instead stepping over to the barrel and taking hold of the lid. With a quick pull, the lid came off in her hands, exposing the contents of the barrel to them. If the room had smelled bad before, now it smelled like hell on earth. The two of them coughed and gagged, tears of disgust stinging at Alain''s eyes, but he was quick to blink them away, and against every instinct of his telling him not to do it, he drew closer to the barrel so he could look inside. Instantly, he wished he hadn''t. Inside the barrel, there was little more than some kind of disgusting black slurry. At first, he wasn''t sure what he was looking at, but then he noticed the human skull floating atop it all, and it clicked. He coughed again, swallowing the second round of bile that had risen up in his throat. Sable did the same, and he reached out and tapped her on the shoulder, then pointed up at the ceiling; she got the hint instantly, and the two of them immediately made a beeline for the nearby stairs leading up. They burst out of the basement and onto the first floor, doubled over and gasping for breath. Thankfully, it was still just the two of them inside the darkened, abandoned building, which gave them time to catch their breath. "Alright¡­" Alain managed to get out between lungfuls of air. "What the fuck was that? He''s down there, what, turning people into some kind of liquid? Am I understanding that right?" "It would seem so¡­" Sable quietly agreed. "But why, though? Is he just a sadist?" Sable gave him a pointed look, and he furrowed his brow. "Okay, dumb question," he said. Sable shook her head. "Whatever the reason, something tells me this place isn''t something that should be left standing." "What do you propose we do, then?" "Simple," she said. "You''ve still got that oil lantern and those matches. I say we put this place to the torch. With any luck, maybe it''ll draw Gibson out of hiding." "Maybe," Alain conceded. "But at the same time, I doubt the workers at the distillery will appreciate having it burned down." "Well, whatever''s going on down there, it''s unholy enough that I feel content in trading their employment status for its destruction," Sable said to him. "And I know you feel the same way. Besides, if Gibson succeeds in whatever it is he''s trying to do, something tells me being jobless will be the least of their concerns." "Alright, point taken," Alain replied. "Let''s get this little light show started, then." The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 34
It didn''t take long for them to completely evacuate the distillery. Really, all Sable had to do was show her fangs again and make a few stray comments about being very hungry, and that was all it took for every employee to go sprinting back home. That left just Alain and his friends, and they wasted no time in helping themselves to some of the barrels of alcohol lying around. "Are you sure about this?" Az asked as he picked up yet another barrel. "Positive," Alain replied. "Whatever''s going on down there, it needs to be stopped. And moreover, if anything is going to get Gibson''s attention, it''s this. Or am I wrong?'' Az stared at him for a moment, then shook his head. "No, this will certainly get him to come looking for us. The question is, are you prepared for when he finally goes hunting for you?'' "As I''ll ever be." Az''s gaze narrowed. "I''m serious, Alain. This man is dangerous, and for all we know, he could strike at any time." "Then it''s a good thing I have both of you with me," Alain pointed out. "Unless you mean to imply you won''t be around?" "We can''t watch over you every hour of every day," Az warned him. "Sooner or later, you''re going to have to separate from us, and I''d bet money on that being the time he finally decides to strike. What will you do then?" "The same thing we always do," Alain replied. "Kill him before he can kill me." Az let out a tired sigh, then shook his head. "Forget I said anything¡­ where did you want this?" "Pour it down the tunnel," Alain told him. "And that should be the last of it that we''ll need." Az nodded, then marched over to the tunnel and cracked open the barrel of whiskey, dumping its contents down the hole. It was the final barrel out of many; they''d collectively taken it upon themselves to commandeer all the alcohol they could find, then dump it around the distillery and the nearby abandoned building, as well as the tunnel connecting the two. Combined with the oil from Alain''s lantern, and he suspected they were in for quite the fireworks display when all was said and done. "Alright," Alain said, getting everyone''s attention. "I suggest you all get out quickly, because this is about to get pretty dangerous." "How were you planning to do this?" Sable couldn''t help but ask. "Simple ¨C I''m going to throw the lantern through an open window, right onto the big puddle of booze we''ve got going on inside the distillery. The flames should spread from it to the abandoned building, cleansing everything down in the basement. And before you offer ¨C I''m going to do it. I know Sable is undead, and fire is a sure way to put her in the dirt for good. Az, I don''t know what you are, but I suspect you''re the same way." "You''d be surprised," Az said, crossing his arms. "But I will indulge you, sure. Have your fun, I suppose." "What makes you think this is fun for me?" "Because you''re a man and you''re blowing something up," Danielle said in a bored tone as she examined her nails. "Seriously. You''re all basically the same when it comes to that sort of thing." Alain was taken aback, both at how bored she sounded and at how correct she was. "...Yes, well¡­ let''s do this, then," he announced. XXX A few minutes later, and they were all gathered outside the distillery. The three of them had taken up a safe position a ways away, while Alain approached one of the windows to the distillery, lit lantern still in hand. After a moment to take in a breath, he heaved the lantern through the window, watching carefully as it landed in one of the puddles of bourbon they''d poured out earlier. The glass shattered upon impact, and the oil and flames began to spread, quickened by the high-proof alcohol they''d spread around the building. Alain began to walk back to his friends, watching as the distillery burned the entire time. By the time he joined the three of them, the flames had spread to the abandoned building, and they were both blazing. "Alain," Sable said, getting his attention. "Yeah?" he asked. "What''s-" If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. He was taken aback when she pulled a bottle of whiskey from within her cloak, then tossed it to him. He cast a glance down at the label, his eyes widening when he saw that it was an aged bottle. "Whoa¡­" he breathed. "Where''d you get this?" "Stole it from the floor manager''s office," Sable replied with a shrug. "It was going to burn anyway, so I figured I''d rescue it instead. Don''t drink it all in one place, and be sure to share it with the rest of us." "Okay, Mom," Alain replied sarcastically, even as he opened the bottle and took a whiff. It was certainly strong, but not enough to stop him from taking a big sip before passing it around the group. They must have been quite the sight, drinking a stolen bottle of aged liquor in front of two buildings they''d set ablaze. But somehow, all Alain could think of was how this was little more than the calm before the storm. XXX They only stood outside the two burning buildings for a few minutes before deciding they''d seen enough. Once the moment had died, they began the trek back to where they''d been staying. Naturally, Sable had taken the bottle of good liquor back after Alain had taken a few swigs from it, almost certainly to make sure he wasn''t getting drunk off of it. To his credit, he''d maintained his composure and managed to hold himself back from indulging too much, even if he''d really wanted to. Still, Az had a point about what he''d said earlier ¨C that this was almost certainly going to get David Gibson out of hiding, one way or another. And when that happened, he was going to have to be prepared for it, which meant keeping his vices in check for the time being. That didn''t change the fact that he was disappointed at not getting more of the alcohol, though. "I don''t know what we were thinking..." Alain lamented. "We could''ve easily made off with some more bottles before burning the place to the ground." "Alain," Sable warned. "I''m just saying. They''re all smoke and ashes now, anyway, so it''s not like we can go back¡­ but if I''d been thinking, I would''ve nabbed a few more at the very least." The four of them continued down the streets of San Antonio. Others gave them a very wide berth as they walked, as was the norm, which Alain was more than thankful for, since it meant they''d notice threats much easier. Which meant it took him barely any effort to notice the priest following behind them. "Look alive," he said to his friends. "We''ve got company." "How bad?" Danielle asked. "Depends on whether you''re a sinner or not, I guess." Alain came to a stop and turned around to face the priest, as did his friends. The priest continued to approach, eventually stopping just a few meters away from them. Alain did not miss the two revolvers holstered at his waist; clearly, this was one of Father Alex''s men, come to find them. "What do you want?" Alain demanded, crossing his arms. "Alain Smith?" the priest asked, earning a nod. "I''ve come with a message. Father Corrin wants to see you." "What''s this about?" "He wouldn''t say, only that he has information¡­ and that it concerns your soul. He wants you to come alone to the church to meet with him." "Yeah, that''s not happening," Alain told him flatly. "We just painted a target on our backs. I''m not about to give up on the added security of having a vampire and an Az by my side." The priest''s brow furrowed. "...If it makes you feel better, they can wait outside the church. It makes no difference to us, so long as some of the things he has to discuss with you remain private." "And why is that?" "Because the sacrament of confession is supposed to be between you and God, with the priest there as a facilitator." Alain blinked, suddenly taken aback. "...Confession? Seriously?" "Those were the terms for him providing you this information," the priest said. "But if you''d like, you can refuse, and I will tell him to keep it to himself." Alain let out a tired sigh, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Good Lord¡­ fine, I''ll do the stupid confession. Is that good enough for you?" "I suppose so," the priest told him. "Though I take issue with-" "Yeah, I don''t care." Alain turned back to his friends. "Guess we''re making a stop before heading back home." They all exchanged worried glances with one another, but didn''t argue, and together, they all took off after the priest as he led them to the church. XXX "Are you sure about this, Alain?" Sable asked as they approached the cathedral. "Nope," Alain replied. "But if these are his terms, then so be it, I guess. Hopefully, this''ll be quick." Alain looked over to Az and Danielle. "Watch my back for me. I doubt he''d be dumb enough to try anything here, but you never know." They both nodded, and Alain took a breath before entering the church. It was empty inside, and lit only by a series of flickering candles; all the other priests and nuns were nowhere to be found. He could only assume that Father Corrin had requested they give the two of them a little privacy. "I can''t believe I''m doing this¡­" Alain muttered, even as he searched for the confessional. He found it tucked away in a darkened corner of the church, and stepped inside before closing the door. "Alright," he announced. "What is this-" "You and I both know those aren''t the words," Father Corrin replied from the other side of the opaque screen. "You can''t be serious," Alain protested. "You''re really going to make me-" "Yes. Now, the words, please." Alain let out a grumble of frustration, but knelt and did the sign of the cross all the same. "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been many years since my last confession." "How many?" "I can''t even remember. Twelve or thirteen. Does it matter?" For a moment, Father Corrin said nothing before finally letting out a sigh. "I see. What are these sins?" "I mean, geez, where to start?" Alain asked. "Missing twelve years of mass, for one. Cussing like a sailor, for another. Then there''s all the killing I''ve done. Justified, of course, but still. Taking human life isn''t easy." "And what of your relationship with the vampire and her servant?" "What do you mean? She''s a friend¡­ and, I suppose, my mistress as well. Come on, you know this already. And is that really a sin?" "To some people, it is." ''Well, some people are stupid," Alain declared. "Sable has been nothing but good to me, and she''s saved me and saved more human lives than I think either of us could count. If that''s wrong, then fuck it, I don''t want to be right." Immediately after the words left his mouth, he paused. "...Sorry for cussing in the house of God, by the way." Corrin let out an exasperated sigh. "Is that all?" "I suppose so. Is this the part where you tell me to do thirty Our Fathers and twenty Hail Marys, then tell me to go in peace? Because I was under the impression that you had something else for me." "David Gibson isn''t working alone." Alain paused. "...I mean, I figured, but-" "No, you don''t understand," Father Corrin emphasized. "He has an entire network of buyers out there." "Buyers? For what?" "You visited the distillery, did you not?" "In a manner of speaking," Alain answered. "What does that have to do with-" "Then you found the barrels." Alain froze. "...How did you know about those?" "Because we found them throughout several of his other properties," Father Corrin emphasized. "So¡­ what''s he doing with them, then?" "It took us a moment to figure it out, but we think we know. He''s using people to make oil, Alain ¨C high-quality at that, fueled by necromancy. Did you encounter undead there?" "Yeah." "Failed experiments of his. The barrels, though? Those are the aftermath of his success." Alain couldn''t help but shudder at that. "And I take it he''s turning around and selling the oil to the highest bidder?" "Precisely," Father Corrin said. "He''s-" Heavy footsteps outside the confessional caught their attention. Both men paused as the steps stopped just outside of Father Corrin''s side. And then, the confessional exploded in a shower of wooden splinters. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 35
Alain was sent sprawling as the confessional was shattered. He fell onto the floor, his shotgun slipping off his shoulder as he made impact. Without missing a beat, he drew his revolver and thumbed the hammer back, but didn''t get a chance to get a shot off before a large chunk of wood was thrown at his hand. The heavy piece of wood smashed into him with a sickening crack, and Alain let out a cry of agony as he felt his hand break, his Colt revolver falling to the ground, where it discharged harmlessly into the air. Blinking away tears of agony, Alain looked up as a tall figure stood over him, cracking his knuckles. He stood almost seven feet tall, and was made of muscle. His head had been shaved bare, save for his mustache, which curled up at the corners of his mouth. His hazel eyes stared down at Alain with a look of sheer malice. As Alain stared, the man cracked his knuckles once more, a wicked-looking smirk crossing his face. "I''ve been waiting for this," he said, his words coming out layered in a thick accent Alain couldn''t place. "Let me guess," Alain said. "David Gibson?" "In the flesh. Pleasure to make your-" Gibson didn''t get a chance to finish, as Father Corrin suddenly sprang up from where he''d apparently been knocked unconscious just a few seconds ago. He charged Gibson, drawing his own revolver and firing off several rounds. Alain watched in dismay as the bullets made impact with Gibson, and yet seemingly had no effect; he stood tall regardless, even with several trickles of blood running down his upper body, staining his white collared shirt red. To Alain''s amazement, Gibson didn''t even bother trying to retreat. Instead, he charged Corrin and met him head-on. Father Corrin hadn''t seemed to have expected this move, and was taken by surprise when the former strongman ran right into him, bowling him over. Father Corrin managed to maintain control of his revolver even as David Gibson picked him up off the ground with a single hand; Corrin went for the only shot he had available, which was a point-blank shot straight to Gibson''s midsection, right above his lungs. The shot rang out, causing Alain to flinch from the noise, but again, it seemed to have had no effect. David Gibson was remaining upright even after being shot five times, at least one of which should have been debilitating, if not outright fatal. Alain''s eyes widened at the realization. "Corrin!" he called. "Headshots! Go for-" Gibson suddenly swung around, picking up a nearby lit candlestick with one hand and throwing it Alain''s way. He managed to avoid it in time, but the candlestick collided with a nearby wooden pew, instantly scattering hot wax over it, which soon caught flame. Smoke began to fill the area, and Alain brought a hand up to shield his mouth even as he struggled to draw his second revolver with his off-hand. He heard something hit the ground, and then heavy footsteps running after him. Alain had no time to move out of the way as Gibson came rushing at him through the smoke; instead, he stood his ground, pulling his revolver''s trigger as accurately as he possibly could. He watched as a pair of stacked rounds tore off the right side of Gibson''s jaw, but that wasn''t enough to stop him. He continued to charge, closing the distance far faster than a man of his size should have been able to; Alain tried to take aim again, but Gibson merely reached out, grabbed Alain''s hand, and squeezed; there was a loud snap as that hand was also broken, followed by a second shout involuntarily escaping from Alain''s throat. Gibson yanked the revolver from his grasp, emptied the cylinder, and then tossed the gun away while Alain sat on the ground, gritting his teeth. "This is it?" Gibson demanded. "Come on, you can do better." At that moment, Alain was idly aware of several people banging on the doors to the cathedral. Something was keeping his friends out, though he wasn''t sure what. Whatever it was, he had no doubts it wouldn''t hold forever. The only question was whether it''d keep them out long enough for Gibson to finish the job or not. Gibson suddenly reached out, taking Alain by the arm, and began to pull. Alain screamed, feeling as though his arm was about to be ripped from its socket. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. His joints audibly popped as Gibson continued to pull, and Alain struggled in his grasp, fumbling to get a grip on the hilt of his own knife at his belt, but with a broken hand, it was all but impossible. And then, just as he felt his arm about to give way, a series of shots rang out through the smoke. Three bullets came screaming downrange, each one meeting its mark, embedding themselves in Gibson''s back and neck. Black arterial spray arced through the air, and Gibson hurriedly dropped Alain in order to clamp a hand over the fresh hole in his carotid artery. He turned around, just in time for another bullet to pierce his jugular. But even that wasn''t enough to put him down. Father Corrin emerged from the smoke, bloodied and beaten but still alive. As Alain watched, he thumbed back the hammer of his revolver for another shot, right as Gibson rushed him down once more. His fifth shot tore off what remained of Gibson''s jaw, but Gibson just kept going. The strongman closed in and took Corrin''s head in his hands, and with a manic grin, began to squeeze as hard as he could. Father Corrin, for his part, merely thumbed his revolver''s hammer back again, then pressed it flush with Gibson''s head and pulled the trigger. Both men''s heads erupted in a shower of gore at the exact same time. Alain watched breathlessly as the two bodies fell to the ground, completely lifeless. He stared at Corrin''s body for a moment, his heart pounding in his chest. "Father¡­?" he called out. But there was no response, and it wasn''t hard to see why ¨C Corrin''s head had been crushed like an overripe watermelon. Alain winced at the sight of it, then turned towards David Gibson''s body. The former strongman wasn''t in much better shape, the top part of his head having been all but sheared off by Father Corrin''s final bullet. Both men were clearly dead, that much was certain. But Alain didn''t have much time to dwell on it before the doors to the front of the cathedral exploded. "Alain!" Sable called out. "Alain, where are you?!" Alain opened his mouth to respond, only to break into a coughing fit from the smoke. "Over here!" he managed to get out between intakes of breath. Sable came rushing over to him, and wasted absolutely no time in helping him up, then throwing one arm over shoulders so he could walk out. As she helped him out, a veritable horde of priests and nuns came charging into the cathedral, armed with buckets of water so they could put out the steadily-spreading fire. "You''re okay," Sable assured him. "I know," Alain said, even as his hands and arm throbbed in pain. "Father Corrin isn''t." Sable looked over at him in surprise. "Is he-" "Dead. Him and Gibson killed each other." "Gibson? He was here?" "You mean you didn''t see him come past you?" Sable shook her head. "No¡­ he must have been waiting somewhere in the cathedral for us to show up so he could ambush us. When only you showed up, he must have seized the opportunity to seal the doors shut in order to take care of you and Corrin at once." "Son of a bitch¡­" Alain muttered, shaking his head. "Well, he''s dead now¡­ shame that Corrin is, too¡­" "You''re sure?" "As positive as I am that Gibson is dead." Sable let out a long exhale. "Damn it¡­" she muttered. "Now what do we do? We needed Gibson alive so we could question him." "Oh, I wouldn''t worry about that," Alain mused. "Something tells me his friends will come knocking again sooner rather than later." XXX Sable helped him outside the cathedral, gently laying him on the ground. Alain gave her a nod of appreciation, then turned back towards the church. He watched as nuns and priests rushed to and fro, doing their best to put out the fire before it could spread any more than it already had. Luckily, it seemed as though they were succeeding; there was still plenty of smoke billowing out of the open doors at the front of the church, but as Alain watched, it was clear that the flames were contained. It was probably the one stroke of good luck they''d had so far. Alain closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. When he opened them again, he found Az and Danielle rushing towards him, carrying his weapons. "Is he alright?" Danielle asked Sable. "He will be," Sable replied. "His hands are broken, though. Az, think you can do that thing you did back when we fought the cult? You know, the one that healed his broken leg?" "I can," Az confirmed. "But not here. Let''s head back to the bar, I''ll get you fixed up there, Alain." Alain was confused. "Is there a reason why we can''t do it-" "Alain," Az interrupted. "I need your trust on this, please? Not here." Alain blinked in surprise, but nodded nonetheless. "Okay," he acquiesced. "Sable, help me up. Let''s get out of here." XXX A short while later, and Alain was lying on his bed, gasping for breath. Az had just healed him the same way as before, and just like the previous time, it hadn''t been easy to be a part of. Alain took in a few deep breaths to calm his beating heart, then sat up and looked at each of his friends. "So," he began, "what happens now?" "Good question," Sable said with a grunt. "Gibson was our best lead, but he''s dead now. So at this point, aside from hunting down the rest of his properties or waiting for the rest of his men to make a move, I''m not sure what we can-" A knock at the door interrupted her, and instantly, they all rounded on it. Alain reached for a revolver perched on the nearby nightstand, while Danielle''s hand fell to the gun on her belt. Alain and Sable both kept a watchful eye on the door, waiting to see if whoever was on the other side would make a move. "Smith, it''s me," Father Alex announced through the door. "Open up." Alain exchanged a glance with the others, but then gave them a nod. Immediately, Sable stepped over to the door and threw it open, revealing Father Alex flanked by several other priests, all armed with long guns. "I need to talk with all of you, back at the cathedral," he insisted. "It''s important." Alain didn''t even need to think twice. After a quick confirmation from the rest of his friends, he turned back to Father Alex and gave him a nod. "Lead the way," was all he said to him. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 36
Father Alex led them all back to the cathedral. Smoke was still billowing out of its windows by the time they arrived, although the fire had been contained. Armed priests and nuns milled about, keeping a watchful eye out for any more attackers. None came, however; so far, they had been left alone, and as far as Alain could tell, it was likely to stay that way for the time being. "In here," Father Alex commented, all of them following him inside the church. The interior was a disaster, as Alain expected it''d be, although Father Corrin''s body was nowhere to be found. "What happened to Corrin?" Alain couldn''t help but ask. "He''s in the basement," Father Alex replied without looking back. "We''re preparing the body for burial." "And Gibson? What of his corpse? He is dead, right?" "He is," Father Alex confirmed. "However, we have no way of knowing whether he was afflicted with any kind of undead curse or not, given that he was apparently a necromancer. His body will be burned, just to be safe." Alain gave him a nod of understanding. Father Alex led them downstairs to the underground area. He took them down the winding halls, eventually stopping before a set of double doors. "The others are inside already," he stated. "Others?" Alain asked. "What''s going on here, exactly?" Sable demanded. "You owe us an explanation, at the very least." Father Alex grimaced. "I guess you could say we''re undergoing a schism, of sorts." Alain blinked. "...What, like a religious schism? You guys already did that once." "Twice, more like, but what our Orthodox brothers and sisters do is not the concern right now. No, this isn''t about a matter of religion, at least not really. It''s much more personal than that." At that, Father Alex threw open the double doors and stepped inside, flanked by his priests. Inside, there was a large round table, around which several other priests and nuns were seated. Alain didn''t miss the age difference between Alex''s group and the others ¨C the ones seated across from him were younger by several decades, with a few of them even appearing close to Alain''s age. "Have a seat, all of you," Alex implored. "We have much to discuss." Alain exchanged a glance with his friends, but the four of them did as they were told, taking a seat next to Father Alex. Across from them, one of the younger priests ¨C a young, blonde-haired, green-eyed man with a scar across his right cheek ¨C scowled, then crossed his arms. "I thought the others were exaggerating when they said you''d allowed two vampires and their wards to enter the house of God," he said. "I can see now that, if anything, they undersold it." "I understand your concerns, Father Vash," Alex offered. "But, creatures of the night or not, they have proven to be valuable allies so far." Father Vash scoffed. "I''ll believe it when I see it. Allowing sons and daughters of Lilith to live among us is one thing, but allowing them into the Lord''s house?" He shook his head. "Our Lord was quick to drive out money-changers and thieves from the house of his father, and now here we are, allowing entry to the children of his enemy. This is an insult that strikes at the very heart of the faith itself, and you know it." Father Alex''s gaze narrowed. "''The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.''" Father Vash rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, we''ve all read the same passages, Father Alex," he said dismissively. "You seem to have forgotten that the Devil himself can quote scripture when it suits his own purposes." "And you seem to have forgotten the divine mercy of the Lord," Father Alex retorted. "If these two wish to turn away from the transgressions of their ancestors and live a righteous life, then who are we to judge?"Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Az suddenly scowled, something which didn''t go unnoticed by Alain. However, he held his tongue. There would be time to ask Az about what was bothering him later. For now, there were more pressing matters. "In any case, the presence of two vampires in the cathedral is not the purpose of this meeting," Father Alex announced. "No, but it does play a part," Vash answered, again crossing his arms. "You don''t seem to understand, Father ¨C everything you''ve done recently reflects poorly on your judgment skills. Between allowing Father Corrin to grant that farmer protection, letting two vampires into the house of the Lord, and refusing to be properly aggressive towards Gibson and his group, we''ve grown to question your leadership skills. And now the best of us lies dead within the cathedral''s walls, and you insist that we need to be more discrete?" Father Vash shook his head. "The time for discretion is over, as far as we''re concerned. Now is the time to be aggressive ¨C to be proactive, rather than reactive. And if you can''t see that, then we will go our own way." "Hold on," Alain asked. "That''s what this is about? You''re fighting with each other because of Corrin''s death?" "Ah yes, the cowboy speaks," Vash said with a sneer, causing Alain to bristle. "Who are you to interrupt this meeting? This is an internal matter regarding the church. You have no say in this. Are you even Catholic?" "Technically non-practicing, but yes," Alain replied. Vash raised an eyebrow. "Technically non-practicing? What does that mean?" "It means I haven''t been to mass in years and that my last confession was cut short by someone murdering the priest, but at the same time, I like to think God smiles a little bit whenever I put a nice .45 caliber hole between a cultist''s eyes." "That''s enough, both of you," Alex said sternly. "We shouldn''t be fighting. Ultimately, everyone at this table wants the same thing, we simply disagree on how best to do it." "And what is the nature of this disagreement?" Sable asked. "Aside from the presence of myself and my faithful servant, that is." "It''s exactly what it sounds like," Vash spat. He motioned to the priests and nuns around him. "Everyone on this side of the table is of the opinion that we ought to be aggressive. David Gibson just killed one of our own. And while he himself is dead, his followers are still out there, and they''re not going to stay dormant for long. They''re planning something, and we don''t know what it is. And that bothers us." "A sentiment that the rest of us share," Father Alex assured him. "However, now is not the time to be running around town, shaking down Gibson''s businesses and properties on a hunch that we may find something." "And why not?" Vash challenged, his voice rising. "Everything we know, we''ve learned as a direct result of investigating Gibson." "Because the investigation is ultimately nothing more than a pretense for you all to get into a fight with Gibson''s followers," Alex replied evenly. "A fight that, I must add, you will likely not emerge from victorious in the end. Gibson himself took down Father Corrin, who was one of the best and brightest of your order. We have no idea what the rest of his followers are capable of, and I will not sign off on sending young men and women to their deaths purely because they wanted vengeance and were too impatient to wait for the right time to strike." "And when would that time be?" Father Vash demanded. "When we know more about their capabilities-" "We don''t have the time," Vash growled. "What part of that don''t you get, Father Alex? They''re out there, planning and making moves, probably preparing some big ritual similar to the one that leveled New Orleans." That got Alain''s attention. Immediately, he sat up straight, locking eyes with Father Vash. "Do you have proof of that?" Vash was taken aback. "What?" "I asked, do you have proof that they''re planning a ritual similar to the one from New Orleans?" Alain motioned around the table to himself and his friends. "We were all there, as you might already know." "What does that have to do with-" "Humor me, would you? And answer the question, while you''re at it." A vein pulsed in Vash''s forehead. "Fine," he spat. "We don''t have any kind of concrete intelligence suggesting that''s ultimately what they''re planning, but it makes sense to us. San Antonio is a nexus for this kind of activity. Do you know what that means?" "No." "It means, similar to New Orleans, that the supernatural are drawn to a place like this. Whether that''s because it''s simply a large congregation of people or there''s something else at play, we aren''t quite sure yet, but one thing is certain ¨C if there''s anywhere in Texas they''d want to put together a ritual, it''s right here." "That''s strange, because just from what we''ve seen, the only rituals they were interested in were the kind that made them a lot of money," Alain mused. "I''m not saying your line of thinking doesn''t make sense, I''m just saying that, from where we''re standing, there''s no reason to suspect they''re prepping for something like that." "See?" Father Alex said. "Even he thinks that-" "I wasn''t done," Alain replied, interrupting him. "All that being said, these are cultists we''re dealing with. Rituals connected to the Underworld are kind of their thing. We may not have any concrete evidence that''s what they''re planning, but it''d be stupid to dismiss it outright. If you ask me, we should assume that''s exactly what they want to do and react accordingly." "Then it''s settled," Vash insisted. "We''ll head out and-" Sable suddenly shook her head. "If you go out in force, then not only will you simply be making yourselves targets, but you also run the risk of driving the cult underground as well. And if that happens, you may not be able to find them again in time to prevent whatever they may be trying to do." Vash glared at her, but said nothing at first. Instead, he turned back to Alain. "What should we do, then?" "If you ask me, I think this is going to require a bit of a delicate touch," Alain told him. "We can''t operate too openly, but we also can''t sit back and wait for them to do something. We need to be proactive, but not aggressive. Sable, any ideas?" "A few," she said. "First, continue to watch Gibson''s properties from afar. If you see anything suspicious during the day, report it. And then at night, we can poke around them and try to dig up anything helpful." Vash rolled his eyes, but thankfully didn''t disagree. Instead, he nodded. "...Fine," he agreed. "I suppose that''ll work." With that, Vash and his entourage stood up and left the room without another room. Alain blinked in surprise. Vash had been far too agreeable out of nowhere for his liking; something about it didn''t make sense. "Well, I suppose that settles that," Father Alex said. "Thanks for your help, all of you." "Sure," Alain replied. Father Alex motioned for his men to follow him out of the room, and they exited, leaving Alain and his group alone. After a moment, Sable spoke up. "I trust Father Vash about as far as Alain can throw him," she growled. "He''s planning something stupid." "Oh, I don''t disagree," Alain said. "But unfortunately, there''s not much we can do to stop him." "So then what happens now?" Danielle questioned. Alain let out a tired sigh. "Now, I suppose we can do what Sable suggested, even if Vash and his group will make it hard for us. For now, though, all I want is to eat something and then get some rest." Thankfully, nobody thought to argue that point with him. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 37
It was a nearby crash of thunder that woke Alain from his deep sleep. Immediately, he catapulted awake, his chest heaving. Blearily, he blinked, looking around his room, only to find that there was nobody there. After a moment to collect himself and take a few breaths to calm his pounding heart, Alain went to lie back down again, his eyes fluttering shut. Barely a few seconds later, another flash of lightning and deafening crack of thunder from overhead made him wince. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he sat up straight in bed, weighing his options as he did so. Something about this storm didn''t seem entirely natural. Maybe it was the frequency and sheer volume of the thunder, or perhaps it was the way every flash of lightning made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He wasn''t entirely sure what the problem was, but there was some kind of sixth sense about it ¨C some feeling that told him something about this situation was decidedly wrong, and that he needed to check things out. Still groggy, Alain climbed out of bed. He was dressed in his nightclothes, but that didn''t stop him from pulling on his boots and slipping his pistol belt around his waist. As he finished hooking the belt around himself, footsteps from outside his room caught his attention. Alain paused, listening carefully to them. By now, he''d grown accustomed to his friends enough that he knew their distinctive tells ¨C Sable tended to walk at night while making hardly a sound, no doubt due to her natural predatory instincts; Az, meanwhile, tended to make a lot of noise when he moved, owing to his massive stature. Danielle, on the other hand¡­ moved fairly normally, he supposed. And whoever was outside his door sounded like none of them. Carefully, Alain moved over to the wall next to the door, pressing his back against it even as he drew one of his revolvers and thumbed the hammer back. He sucked in a breath. "Sable?" he asked. "That you?" The response came immediately, in the form of a shotgun blast tearing through the wooden door, scattering shares of lumber throughout the room. Alain instantly threw himself to the floor and began to return fire, pulling the trigger and thumbing back his revolver''s hammer as fast as he could. Several shouts greeted him as he blind-fired through the door and wall; whoever had come for him, it clearly hadn''t been just one person. His first revolver clicked empty, and Alain holstered it before drawing his second. Shots were still tearing through the wall and door towards him, but they must not have expected him to have flattened himself against the floor, as they were all going several inches over his head. Alain continued to fire off what was in his pistol''s cylinder, even as he pushed himself towards where he''d leaned his Winchester 1887 against a nearby wall. His second pistol ran empty just as he reached the shotgun. Alain holstered his other revolver, then grabbed the shotgun, working the lever to chamber a shell as he sprang to his feet. From down the hall, he heard the sound of splintering wood, followed by heavy footfalls resounding against the hardwood floor; a moment later, the screaming started. Sable and Az had entered the fray, it seemed. As soon as the gunfire had started, it suddenly stopped, a deathlike silence settling over the room instead. For a moment, Alain heard nothing except for the ringing in his ears and his own pounding heartbeat. "Alain! Are you okay?!" Thankfully, that changed as Sable called out to him. Taking that as a sign that it was all clear, Alain marched over to the door and pulled what little remained of it away from the frame, then stepped through. Sure enough, through the frequent flashes of lightning from outside the windows on either end of the hallway, he could see that Sable, Az, and Danielle were all standing there; Danielle had her own weapon drawn, smoke curling up from its barrel, while Sable and Az were both spattered with dark red blood, none of it their own. Alain breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing a bit as he saw them. "Hey," he greeted as he looked around. There, on the floor between them, were what had to be a half-dozen bodies, all dressed in black cloaks. It was difficult to tell exactly how many there were; Sable and Az hadn''t been clean with these people. He couldn''t help but scowl at the sight of them. "Guess they''re getting bolder," he stated. "It would seem that way," Az confirmed.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Alain went to respond, only to pause. As he was about to reply to Az''s statement, he caught sight of something strange-looking outside the window. Curious, he stepped over to the window, only for his eyes to widen when he noticed the rain impacting against the glass. "Uh, guys?" he asked. "What the fuck¡­." His friends stepped over to where he was stationed at the window, their eyes widening when they noticed it, too ¨C the rain falling against the window wasn''t water; rather, it was blood. Slowly, Alain turned back to face the three of them. "Well," he said, "clearly, something bad has happened. The only question is what-" More footsteps from the floor below instantly made everyone tense up, though they soon relaxed when they heard Father Alex''s voice. "Alain!" he shouted. "Are you up there?!" "Right here, Father," Alain said, stepping up to the stairway. Sure enough, Father Alex was standing at the base of the stairs, flanked by several other priests, all armed with rifles. "What''s going on?" "We don''t know for sure," Father Alex told him. "The storm started about an hour ago ¨C first just the blood, and then the thunder and lightning. We think it''s part of a ritual or some kind. And to make matters worse, all those young priests and nuns we were talking with yesterday? They''re gone." "What do you mean, they''re gone?" Alain asked. "I mean, they all appear to have left in the middle of the night, and nobody else knows where they are," Father Alex specified. "And they all took their weapons and equipment with them, too." It didn''t take long for Alain to put two and two together, enough to realize what Father Alex was trying to tell him. "...You think they went off on their own, and something bad happened to them?" "It''s possible," Father Alex admitted. "Probably even downright likely. All of them disappearing and taking their weapons with them, then this storm popping up shortly after is too much of a coincidence otherwise. And then there''s the cultists who just attacked you." "You knew about that?" "We heard the shots from outside. We were already coming to look for you regarding the missing clergy members and the storm, and just so happened to be nearby when the fighting started." Alain looked Father Alex up and down. His vestments were covered in blood, no doubt from the rain, as were the vestments on the other priests as well. His story was certainly more than a bit suspicious, but Alain wasn''t sure if that was just him being paranoid or not; Father Alex had never given him a reason to doubt him before, and he couldn''t afford to start now. "Alright, what do we need to do?" Alain asked as his friends came up behind him. "That''s the thing," Father Alex specified. "The storm is intensifying, that much is certain. There''s no telling what will happen when it finally hits its apex." "Do you know where we need to begin searching for the missing clergy members?" Sable asked. Father Alex grimaced, then shook his head. "...I wish I did. If I had that knowledge, believe me, I''d be leading the charge there myself." "Then we''re stuck," Alain begrudgingly admitted. "Alright¡­ I think the only thing we can really do is start poking around some of David Gibson''s other properties, like we originally planned on doing. Let''s all go ahead and-" Another crack of thunder, this one even louder than the last, rang out overhead. It was deafening and sustained enough that all the humans present were forced to cover their ears, wincing as they did so. Outside, several bolts of lightning flashed, impacting against the ground. And when they cleared, several tall figures emerged from the craters they left behind, then began to march towards them all. "What the hell are those things?!" Danielle called out, raising her pistol and thumbing the hammer back. Alain was inclined to ask the same thing. They were tall, about Az''s height, with dark red skin, and were rippling with tightly-corded muscle. Pointed horns curved up from their foreheads, and leathery wings and bladed spade-tipped tails poked out from their backs. All of them clutched obsidian weapons in their hands ¨C greatswords, halberds, spears, and even the occasional longbow and arrow. As Alain took it all in, pulling the stock of his shotgun into his shoulder, Father Alex took an involuntary step backwards, his eyes widening with shock. "...Demons," he growled. "They''re all lesser demons." Az suddenly tensed. Alain turned towards him and found him grinding his teeth, clenching and unclenching his fists as he did so. But there was no time to worry about that, as the lesser demons suddenly surged forwards, feral yells erupting from their throats as they screamed a challenge in some harsh, unidentifiable language. They all reacted all at once. Alain, Danielle, and the priests all opened up with their guns. Each round fired met its mark, Alain''s shotgun even tearing entire chunks of flesh off as payload after payload of buckshot screamed downrange, but the lesser demons hardly reacted to being mutilated by gunfire. They just kept coming, their obsidian weapons poised and ready to strike. Desperate, Alain cycled his shotgun''s action, then slowed down and went for a headshot on one, as did the priests and Danielle. He pulled the trigger, sending his final loaded shotgun shell full of pellets directly into a demon''s skull. The demon''s head erupted like a volcano, the top half shearing off from the sheer force of the impact. And yet somehow, it wasn''t enough. The demon''s body came tumbling to the ground, its obsidian sword slipping from its clutches. It laid there for just a second before it began to writhe, and then to Alain''s dismay, the body began to lurch upwards. It didn''t get far before Az darted over to it and wrenched off what was left of its head in one fell swoop. With that, the demon finally laid still. Without a second wasted, Az turned to Sable. "With me, my lady," he said. She blinked in surprise. "Az? What''s-" "I''ll explain as best as I can later, my lady. For now, we must make haste." Two other demons closed in on Az, and he turned around just in time to avoid their strikes. As he moved, he lashed out with both hands, burying one each into the demons'' chests before wrenching them back; his hands came back into view, grasped tightly around twin black, still-beating hearts, but only for a moment before he crushed them both, spattering the nearby area with inky-black blood. As the two freshly-killed demons fell backwards, Az looked over his shoulder at Alain and the priests. "Understand how to kill them?" he asked. "They''re tougher than undead, but they''ll go down with enough punishment, same as any other living thing." Alain swallowed nervously. "Az¡­ how do you-" "Later," he growled. "For now, we need to focus on what''s important." As if on cue, an obsidian arrow came screaming at him through the night. It never got the chance to impact, as Sable suddenly darted forwards and batted it out of the air. She was about to take off after the archer, but Az beat her to the punch, and sprinted through the night after him before she had the chance. Alain watched him go for just a moment before turning back to the priests and his friends. "You heard the man," he said. "Let''s move out." They all nodded, and after a moment to reload, they ran off after Az. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 38
As he emerged out onto the street, all Alain could think of was that San Antonio had turned into a literal hell on Earth. The sky was still raining warm blood, the scent of copper overpowering in the air around them, thunder and lightning cracking overhead; every time lightning struck the ground, another lesser demon rose up from the crater. All around them, gunshots and screams of panicked people filled the night, joined by bestial roars in incomprehensible tongues as the demons clashed with the citizens of San Antonio. Several of the priests called out warnings, then turned and began to pour fire down a nearby street, towards a demon who was attempting to corner a young woman. Rounds embedded themselves in the demon''s back, though it showed no reaction to any of them until a few strays hit it in the back of the skull, leaving craters in their wake. The demon slumped over, dead, and several of the priests went to assist the woman, only for Father Alex to call them back. "Leave her!" he shouted. "We have to find the source of the ritual, otherwise the whole town is finished!" Alain winced. He hated having to abandon innocent people, but Father Alex had a point. The other priests seemed to begrudgingly accept it as well, as they all regrouped with the rest of them soon enough. Off in the distance, Alain saw a flash of movement; he focused in on it and found Az, soaked with demon blood, fighting off several other demons as he stood in a small pile of corpses. To Alain''s amazement, Az seemed completely uninjured. But more than that, his usual stoic demeanor had changed completely. Gone was the cold neutrality, replaced with sheer anger. It was easy to see on his face ¨C the veins pulsing in his forehead, the clenched teeth, the red color across his face¡­ Az was mad about something, and more than that, he was on the warpath. "Sable, Danielle," Alain said. "Let''s get going." Both women nodded, and together, they all ran for Az, sprinting across several city blocks as they went. The sheer stench of blood was completely overwhelming, and after gagging on it one too many times, Alain raised his bandanna up to cover his nose and mouth, for what little good it would do. Danielle was in a similar state, though she was able to pull a handkerchief out of her pocket and tie it around her face, too. Sable, at least, was unaffected by the overpowering smell, though it didn''t take a genius to figure out why. Eventually, despite the carnage around them, they managed to reach Az. They got there just as he finished tearing the head off of one demon, then tossed the two halves of its body away. He stood there for a moment, panting and covered in black blood, before turning towards them. "Took you all long enough," he growled. "Easy," Alain said to him. "We got held up, but we''re here now. Mind explaining what''s going on?" "Even if I wanted to, I couldn''t explain most of this ¨C terms of my contract with Sable. But what I can tell you is this¡­ these idiots are directly messing with the Underworld." Az spread his arms out, motioning around them. "All of this? It comes right from there. You can consider San Antonio its own little piece of hell right now." Danielle''s eyes widened. "This is what hell is like¡­?" "Not exactly. This is one of the nicer parts of the Underworld. Usually, there''s much more wailing and gnashing of teeth." Sable stepped forward. "Az¡­ how do you know this?" "Like I said, my lady, I''m not at liberty to discuss much of this with you, given the terms of my contract. It''s not that I don''t want to, it''s that I literally can''t." This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "What can you tell us, then?" "I''ll make it simple ¨C why do you think it is that I suddenly know so much about the Underworld? Why do you think I always act so strange whenever we have to head inside the cathedral and speak with Father Alex and his priests? You know I''m supernatural in some way, yet you''ve never actually tried to put the pieces together." Az looked up to the sky. "And unfortunately, as much as I''d like to keep it a secret, I don''t know if I''ll be able to much longer." "We''ll worry about that when the time comes," Alain insisted. "Can you tell us anything about what Gibson''s men may be doing?" "Based on all this? They''re attempting to open a door to the Underworld itself. And I hate to say it, but they''re steadily succeeding." "Why would they want to do that?" Danielle demanded. "Are they just stupid?" Az shook his head. "They want power. It always comes down to that. It''s the same as what happened back in that small town, before we arrived here in San Antonio ¨C those cultists wanted to summon their dark god in the hopes that it would reward them for it. It''s the same principle here, I''m sure. That or they just want to watch the world burn." "Does the why of it really matter all that much?" Sable asked. "They need to be stopped, and that''s that." "No, it doesn''t matter," Az declared. "Sable is right. Whatever their reasons are, they can''t be allowed to succeed. The question is, where do we go to stop them?" Lightning flashed across the sky once again, followed by another deafening crack of thunder. Alain winced, covering his ears. It was over as soon as it began, thankfully, but his ears were still ringing seconds later. "There has to be something around here pointing us in the right direction," Alain declared. Before anyone else could reply, a chorus of nearby gunshots cracked through the night. At first, he thought they were the priests firing at more demons, until he realized that Father Alex and his men still had yet to join them, and had almost certainly split off to search for a way to end the nightmare around them. He only had a moment to think about it before a flash of color across the street caught his eye. There were several cultists, all dressed in red robes, traveling through the streets, firing at any windows they came across. To Alain''s amazement, they were being flanked by several lesser demons, who were refraining from attacking them, and instead seemed to have partnered with them. That was all he needed to see. Alain immediately shouldered his shotgun and began firing, sending a cloud of lead screaming downrange. Pellets struck cultists and demons alike, a few of the humans even collapsing to the ground dead or injured, but it wasn''t enough; at that moment, the entire crowd of cultists, about five in total, snapped towards him and started to return fire. Alain pressed himself up against the wall of a nearby building, gritting his teeth as rounds cracked by his head. He was about to call out to Sable and Az for help when they both sprinted past him, aiming directly for the crowd of enemies. Alain started to reload his shotgun, which was made harder by the blood raining down from the skies; it got all over his ammunition and inside his weapon''s action, making it harder to get the shells inside the gun. After taking about twice as long as he normally would to reload, Alain again shouldered his weapon. Danielle fell in alongside him, and the two of them focused on clearing out the cultists while Sable and Az dealt with the demons in the crowd. They were swift, and without mercy. In a matter of seconds, the demons were all dead on the floor, either missing their heads or their hearts. Az was still uninjured, but Sable was covered in steadily-forming bruises, and was panting heavily. Alain hurriedly rushed over to her side to check on her, while Danielle kept her revolver trained on the wounded cultists squirming on the ground. "Sable," Alain said. "How bad is it?" "I''ll live," she retorted. "You?" "Still uninjured, thankfully." Sable let out a small exhale. "Some people have all the luck." "Not the word I''d use." Alain looked around, his gaze landing on one of the injured cultists, who was trying to crawl away. He stepped over to the man, then stomped on his injured leg, causing him to howl in pain. "Talk," Alain demanded. "Fuck you," the cultist replied through gritted teeth. Despite the pain he was in, he turned towards Alain and grinned. "You''re all gonna be dead soon enough, and then we will rule over your ashes." "You''re opening a door to the Underworld. If you think they''re going to let you rule over anything, you''re delusional. But then, what else is new for cultists?" Alain shook his head. "What happened to the priests and nuns earlier in the night?" "What do you think happened to them?" the cultist replied, his grin growing wider. "Those fools thought they could stop us. They were wrong. And now, our master picks his teeth with their bones." "I figured as much¡­" Alain lamented. "And where would we find your headquarters?" "Fuck off." "Come on. I''m thinking of joining you guys. I mean, I''ve already got my own vampire and Underworld denizen here with me." Alain motioned to Sable and Az. The cultist looked past him, glaring at the two of them, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he snarled. "Traitors to your kind, both of you," he spat. "The master will have no mercy for you. Antenora awaits the two of you, and-" Danielle rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay. Just tell us where we can find the rest of your group, before we let the vampire and the big guy do what they want with you." "As if I would betray my brothers-" Alain, finally fed up with the entire exchange, clubbed the man upside the head with the stock of his shotgun, knocking him out cold. He''d intended to simply leave him there to bleed to death from the shots to his legs, but Az apparently wasn''t it, as he walked up, raised his leg, and crushed the man''s head beneath it in one fell swoop, never losing the disgusted look on his face the entire time. "Let''s keep looking," Az stated. "Before we truly run out of time." That was all he said before taking off again. Alain exchanged a glance with Sable and Danielle, but they seemed just as confused as he did, and merely offered him a shrug each. Alain''s brow furrowed, but he said nothing, and instead they all again took off after Az as he once more began to sprint through the streets of San Antonio, searching for a lead. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 39
Alain, Sable, and Danielle caught up to Az just as he turned around a street corner and ran right into a crowd full of blood-soaked demons. Dead civilians littered the streets, as did fallen demons. Spent brass casings and shotgun shells were scattered across the cobblestone, a sign that the humans hadn''t gone quietly, but Alain didn''t care about that. As his gaze landed on the children among the fallen civilians, all he saw was red. Alain snapped his shotgun up to his shoulder and began to fire, moving from target to target as fast as he could. When his shotgun ran dry, he let it hang from its sling and ripped his revolvers from their holsters, and then continued to send rounds downrange. His entire being was cold precision, his mind focused on nothing but killing. And in the state he was in, he simply couldn''t miss ¨C his bullets flew as if guided by sheer rage; every round fired met its mark, boring into demon flesh and scattering gore across the pavement. By the time all of Alain''s guns ran dry, it was over. Over a dozen demons lay lifeless on the pavement, their blood and gore mixing in with that of their victims. Alain stood there for a moment, gun barrels smoking and his shoulders heaving, before he began to reload, all while searching for his next target. "Alain." Sable''s voice only just barely managed to snap him out of it. He paused in the middle of sliding a .45 caliber round into his Single Action Army, then turned towards Sable, only to find her staring at him with concern. "Are you okay?" she asked. Alain blinked. He stared past her and found Danielle and Az were eyeing him with concern as well. He let out shaky breath, then nodded. "I''ll be fine," he answered. "Just as soon as we can end this nightmare." "If you''re sure-" "I am." Alain finished sliding the final round into his revolver and snapped the loading gate on it shut, then holstered the weapon and continued on with his other two. "Just as soon as we can figure out where-" He didn''t get a chance to finish his sentence, as the whole city began to shake. The four of them nearly lost their footing; Alain only managed to remain upright because he was able to lean against a nearby building for support. Meanwhile, Sable had to be supported by Az, and Danielle fell to the ground. "What''s happening?!" Danielle called. "Is this an earthquake?!" "If it is, then I''d be stunned if it were natural!" Alain shouted back. "Az?!" "Be ready!" Az warned. "We don''t know what''s coming! Only something with real power would summon such a reckoning" Alain grit his teeth, trying his hardest to maintain control even as the ground continued to shake. Off in the distance, he watched as the floor suddenly shifted and the pavement split, a jagged gouge tearing a deep scar through the road ahead of them. It was over almost as soon as it began. After a few seconds, the ground stopped shaking, and a heavy silence fell over the city, interrupted only by the blood that continued to fall from the sky and impact against the ground below. But then, Alain heard it ¨C a chorus of screeches, apparently coming from inside the jagged gouge that had just been torn in the road. Az took a step back, his eyes widening. "Get ready," he said, "The Scions of Hell approach." "What do you mean?" Danielle questioned. "Is something coming?" Az didn''t answer, but then, he didn''t have to ¨C the screeching came up again, this time closer. Alain swallowed nervously, pulling his Winchester''s stock into his shoulder. Danielle readied her revolver, and Sable stepped up, placing herself between Alain and the scar in the road. A few seconds later, the first of the new demons came flying up out of the gouge in the pavement. They were smaller than the other demons they''d been fighting, but they had thick leathery wings, which carried them through the air easily, and wielded bows of midnight-black obsidian. Alain and Danielle didn''t waste any time ¨C they both opened up on the demons, managing to down a few before the arrows began to fly. Az and Sable, to their credit, dove for the two of them, pushing them out of the way of the incoming arrows just in time.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "Fall back!" Az growled. "We need to regroup with the priests!" "Alright!" Alain agreed. "We''ll head back to the cathedral, and-" A series of gunshots suddenly split the night, and several of the flying demons fell. Alain turned towards the source of the noise, and was stunned to see Father Alex moving forward, flanked by his cadre of priests and nuns. Their normally-white vestments and habits had been completely stained red with blood, but they were all upright and uninjured, and were advancing as they poured fire on the demons. "You four, fall back!" Father Alex shouted as there was a lull in the gunfire for a moment. "We''ll keep you covered!" Alain didn''t get a chance to argue, as Sable suddenly picked him up off his feet. "You heard the man, get moving!" she called. Alain didn''t need to be told twice. Him and Danielle took off running, flanked by several priests and nuns, while Az and Sable followed after them. XXX They arrived back at the cathedral in record time, the four of them filing into the church''s walls. Father Alex and the rest of his men and women weren''t far behind; the moment they were all inside, the doors were slammed shut and barred from the inside, allowing them all a chance to breathe. "Okay¡­" Alain managed to get out through the gasps of air he was drawing in. "What now?" Father Alex didn''t say anything at first, instead focusing on reloading his own lever-action rifle between heaving breaths. After a moment, he shook his head. "We need to find out where the ritual is taking place." "Well, then we''ve got a problem, because we don''t have the slightest clue as to where these idiots have set up shop. We even tried to interrogate a cultist and got nowhere." Again, Father Alex shook his head. "Trying to interrogate them won''t get you anything. Anyone who had even a small amount of sense no doubt left the organization already, or was otherwise dealt with by them; anyone who remains now is little more than a die-hard fanatic." "Then what do we do?" Sable asked. "I think it''s simple, we-" Again, the ground began to shake, this time even more intensely than before. All the humans clutched their weapons with white-knuckled grips as they leaned against the nearest wall, when there was an ear-piercing screech that tore through even the thick walls of the cathedral. Alain let his shotgun hang from its sling, and slammed his hands over his ears as he grit his teeth, desperate to keep the noise out. The other humans did the same; in the back of his mind, Alain couldn''t help but hope that no demons tried to attack them at this moment, because they would have all made for easy prey. Just like the first time, it was over after a few seconds. Tentatively, Alain pulled his hands away from his ears, pressing his shotgun against his shoulder in anticipation of an incoming assault. But it never came; rather, another heavy silence fell over the city for a few seconds, before it was interrupted by the demons screeching in unison. To Alain''s confusion, the screeches seemed to increase and decrease in pitch and frequency. "What is this¡­?" Alain asked. "It''s a chant, it sounds like," Father Alex growled. "But what they could be chanting about, I have no-" He suddenly trailed off as he looked out a nearby stained glass window, his eyes going wide. Alain followed his gaze, freezing at what he saw. Through the stained glass window, he saw the outline of some kind of large, wicked-looking black spire, looming overhead and jutting out from the center of town. "Well," Alain said slowly. "I guess we know where the ritual is taking place¡­" Father Alex let out a low grunt, then stepped away from the window and began to march through the cathedral. "Alain, I need you and your friends," Father Alex said without looking back. "Of course," Alain said, the four of them following after him. "What do you need us for?" Father Alex just kept walking, even as he spoke. "I think it''s time we start issuing some of God''s gifts," he said. XXX Father Alex led them down to the underground area. To Alain''s surprise, he didn''t take them to any of the rooms he expected; rather, he directed them towards the end of the hall, where a large, reinforced-steel door with multiple locks stood. As Alain watched, Father Alex began reaching into his vestments, retrieving a series of keys, which he used to steadily unlock the door. "What is this¡­?" Alain asked as he continued to undo the various locks on the door. "Like I said, these are God''s gifts, the treasure of the church," Father Alex replied with a grunt. "Feel free to help yourselves." With that, he undid the final lock and threw the door open before stepping aside. And the moment he did, Alain''s eyes went as wide as dinner plates. Inside the room were racks upon racks of weapons and boxes of ammunition. Just from what he could immediately see, they had rows and rows of repeating rifles and shotguns, many of which he couldn''t even recognize. The ammunition boxes, curiously enough, were all marked with a cross, which he found ironic. But the crown jewel of the entire arsenal stood in the center of the room on a tripod. Tentatively, Alain pointed at it. "Pardon my language, but what the hell is that thing?" He was motioning towards a large, brass-coated, multi-barreled gun operated by a crank of some kind. Father Alex stepped up alongside him, and crossed his arms. "That''s a Gatling gun," Father Alex said, sounding for all the world like a proud father. "It fires .45-70 caliber ammunition at a rate of 200 rounds per minute and can fire 36 rounds before needing to be reloaded." Alain let out a low whistle. "And the other stuff?" "Repeating rifles and shotguns, mostly," Father Alex confessed. "But that''s not the real treasure." He stepped forwards and reached for a box of ammunition, pulling the top off and retrieving a bullet from inside, which he tossed to Alain. Alain turned the round over in his hands until his gaze landed on its base, where a cross had been stamped into the brass. "Cartridges and shotgun shells, courtesy of the Vatican itself," Father Alex reported. "Each of these rounds has already been consecrated. A single one of these will put down a lesser demon as easily as you or I would squash a bug. And like I said, feel free to help yourselves." Alain nodded, and together with his friends, stepped into the room. He immediately breached his shotgun and emptied his revolvers before loading up on consecrated munitions, while Danielle gravitated towards one of the nicer-looking lever guns and grabbed a bandoleer of consecrated rifle rounds. To Alain''s surprise, Az immediately moved over to the Gatling gun, ripping it off its tripod and throwing it over his shoulder. His eyes widened at the sight of it. "I didn''t think you were interested in using guns," he said. "I greatly dislike dispassionate savagery," Az replied. "This, however?" The corners of his mouth quirked upwards as he motioned with his head to the gun on his shoulder. "This savagery puts a smile on my face." Sable, for her part, understood what Az was getting at right away. She followed him into the room, and after a bit of direction from Father Alex, started loading up on .45-70 ammunition. Once they had all loaded up, they regrouped next to Father Alex, who gave them a nod. "Excellent," he said. "I''ll get the rest of my men and women, and then it''s time we took the fight directly to them." His face suddenly darkened. "First, we must prepare our final communion." The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 40
Alain and his group finished arming up, and Father Alex led them back out to the church. A few priests and nuns rushed past them as they stepped into the room, no doubt heading for the armory. A fair number of the other people eyed Az with no small amount of suspicion as he stepped into their church lugging the Gatling gun over his shoulder, but nobody even thought of protesting Alex''s decision to let him have it. As they moved into the church, Alain was confused to find the priests laying out bread and wine for communion. He stared at them for a moment, then turned to Father Alex. "What is this?" "It''s exactly what it looks like," he said. "We must fortify our souls as well if we are to prevail over the forces of evil." Before Alain could do anything, Father Alex reached out and put a hand on his head, then said a quick blessing in Latin before making the sign of the cross. Alain blinked in confusion. "Thanks, I think," he offered as Father Alex pulled away. The older priest simply nodded, then moved on to Danielle and did the same to her. The other priests and nuns, meanwhile, partook of the bread and wine, downing each before reaching for their respective weapons. A few seconds later, the others returned from the armory, carrying boxes of ammunition with them, which they began to hand out to everyone who still needed it. By the end, every box was empty, and all the people there had been absolutely loaded for bear with bandoleers and belts of ammo. Once they were all properly armed, Alain stepped back over to the stained glass window, peering out at the spire looming over the city. Even now, he could see demons pouring out of it and taking to the skies, while yet more appeared whenever lightning struck the ground. And through it all, the sky continued to weep blood. At the sight of it, he let out a low grunt, then shook his head. "Father Alex, what do we need to do?" he asked. "Aside from get to the spire and stop whatever Gibson''s group are trying to accomplish?" Father Alex replied. "I don''t know. That needs to be our priority right now, above all else." "And the civilians?" Sable asked, her eyes narrowing. "What about them?" "I hate to say it, but if we don''t stop whatever they''re planning, I doubt there''ll be any civilians left to try and save," Father Alex pointed out. "Now, we need you four backing us up. We''ll go in together. Make sense?" The four of them nodded. Father Alex sucked in a breath, then turned towards the nearest priest. "Get those doors open," he commanded. "It''s time we take the fight directly to them." XXX The doors to the cathedral came flying open, and when they did, they were followed immediately after by a hail of gunfire. The crowd of demons that had been congregating outside were cut to ribbons, many of them outright bursting into flames as the consecrated bullets tore into them. Blue fire enveloped all those demons who weren''t killed outright, and they fell to the ground, writhing and screaming in agony as they desperately tried to put themselves out, but to no avail. Alain stepped forwards, working the lever on his shotgun, and took aim at one of the demons who was still crawling across the ground in pain, only for Father Alex to walk by him. "Don''t shoot," he warned. "Let them burn. They wouldn''t show you mercy in their domain; you have no reason to show them mercy in ours." Alain considered his words for just a second, then nodded, pulling the barrel of his gun away from the burning demon and leaving it to steadily be incinerated. At that moment, the remaining members of their force ¨C around thirty members of the clergy in total, plus his three friends ¨C came filing out of the church. They moved as one, marching across the city blocks, aiming for the spire.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. As they moved, demons would try to swoop down at them or fire an arrow at them from a distance, but each time, they were swiftly put down with ease by a single well-placed shot. After one such incident, Alain looked around as he began to thumb loose shells into his weapon''s open action. "They''re pulling back," he noted. Father Alex nodded. "No doubt they can sense the ammunition we''re using ¨C this kind of thing is anathema to them. They know exactly who we are and where we are, but they simply have no way of dealing with it yet." "Yet?" "Oh, yes. These are merely lesser demons ¨C the kind that any two-bit cultist could summon after a s¨¦ance. Their strength is in numbers and how quickly and easily they can appear. But make no mistake ¨C this is merely the tip of the iceberg of what the Underworld has to offer. No doubt they''re planning to summon something bigger in due time." The thought gave Alain pause. He looked around the city as they moved. Dead civilians still littered the streets; if this was what the lesser demons alone were capable of, then he shuddered to imagine that there might be something greater lurking in the darkness, merely waiting to be unleashed. "How long do you think we have until they start throwing the really dangerous demons at us?" Alain asked. Father Alex shrugged. "It''s tough to say. It all depends on how far into the ritual they are¡­ and unfortunately, I don''t know the answer to that." "The spire is up," Az pointed out. "The greater demons are still sealed away, but not for long. We need to end this before they''re able to escape." Alain turned towards him, surprise creeping across his face. "How can you be so sure?" Az''s face darkened. "Believe me, I''m sure." That was apparently all he was willing to say, as he didn''t provide any kind of elaboration beyond it. Alain scowled, but said nothing, instead continuing on with the rest of the group. Off in the distance, the spire steadily grew closer as they moved. It wouldn''t be much longer until they reached it. Alain just hoped they''d get there in time. XXX Their group faced little resistance as they continued to move towards the spire. The occasional group of demons would try to attack, but they were always easily put down. Still, it didn''t take long for a major issue to make itself known. "They''re bleeding us dry," Alain noted as he reached to his belt for more ammunition, only to find it empty. Instead, he resorted to one of the bandoleers he''d thrown across his chest, and used that to top off his weapon. "They must know we only have a limited amount of this ammunition." "It''s the same principle as dealing with a group of entrenched archers," Az growled. "Sooner or later, they''re going to run out of arrows." "Great¡­" Alain sucked in a breath. Together, their group had already collectively killed several dozen demons who''d tried to swarm them, but they just kept coming. Even off in the distance, he could see more demons spawning from the lightning strikes, crawling up from the gouge in the ground, or flying out of the spire''s upper levels. There seemed to be no end to them; for every demon they put down, another rose to take its place, joining the ranks of its brethren as they all ran off to continue assaulting the city. The thought of it made Alain sick. New Orleans had been bad enough; was this truly the world they were going to be stuck in now, one where power-mad cultists constantly tried to open a door to the Underworld for their own evil plans? He hoped he was wrong, but it certainly seemed to be heading that way, despite his misgivings. Eventually, his musing was interrupted as they drew to within a few blocks of the spire. At that point, another chorus of screeches tore through the air, courtesy of a large number of demons up ahead. The bloody rain had picked up, making visibility beyond a few meters all but impossible; Alain had to squint to make out the source of the noise through the fall of blood. In the moonlight, he was just barely able to see the outlines of a multitude of demons, all clustered together, their weapons raised high. One of them, apparently dressed in a set of regal-looking, obsidian-black armor ¨C the only one adorned as such ¨C raised a jagged sword high in the air, then pointed it forward, a deep rumble escaping its throat. And then thunder filled the night as the demons all rushed together as one giant onslaught. Alain and his group stopped, their weapons at the ready, and they all opened fire in one giant volley, which cut down several dozen demons in one fell swoop. It wasn''t enough to end the immediate assault, but that was where Az came in. "Az!" Sable called out. "Use it!" "With pleasure, my lady," Az said. He hefted his Gatling gun, stepping past Alain as he did so; through the rain of blood, Alain could have sworn he saw a grin plastered across Az''s face. As he watched, the big man cradled the front of the giant gun in the crook of his arm, then began to work the crank with his free hand. Large-caliber .45-70 rounds came spewing out of the gun''s rotating barrels as fast as Az could work the crank. Bullets fired and casings ejected faster than Alain could count them; all he saw were puffs of dark red mist as .45-70 bullet after .45-70 bullet found its home in a demon''s flesh, followed by blue fire as whatever servant of the Underworld had been unfortunate enough to take a direct hit was incinerated by cleansing flames. In some cases, the heavy bullets tore directly through one demon and impacted another, multiplying the effect of the fire. It was the awesome and destructive display of firepower Alain had ever seen, he could only watch with sheer awe as Az single-handily stopped an entire offensive all on his own. By the time the Gatling gun ran dry and Sable rushed over with additional ammo to reload it, the fight was over. Dozens upon dozens of demons littered the ground, including the one with obsidian armor, who was now missing a head and whose skin had been charred as midnight-black as its armor by holy fire. Alain stared at the display in sheer shock before turning back towards Az. "Oh, I''ve gotta get myself one of those," Alain said. "It is rather nice, isn''t it?" Az mused. "My lady, how much ammunition do you have left for it?" "Two reloads," she answered. "Then we shall make the most of it. Come, the path ahead is now clear; let us make haste into the spire." Alain didn''t even think of arguing as Az again hefted his Gatling gun, then strode through the sea of burned and mutilated corpses he''d created to get to the spire''s front gates. They all fell in behind him, and together, they stepped up to the gates and pushed their way inside. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 41
Alain was the second one of them to enter the spire, just behind Az. He wasn''t sure what he''d expected inside of it, but it certainly wasn''t this. Somehow, it was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside ¨C the exterior of the spire took up a city block, while the interior stretched to cover multiple. It was nearly pitch-black inside, with the only sources of light coming from the holes in the walls, where the moonlight mixed with the falling rain of blood cast a dim crimson glow across the floor; this provided just enough light that they weren''t moving around completely blindly, but even then, their sight lines were massively reduced even compared to how things were on the outside outside. One thing was clear, though ¨C the spire was far too big inside for them to move as a group and expect to cover all that ground in time. They were going to have to split up. "Okay¡­" Father Alex ventured. He pointed to several of his priests. "You, you, and you ¨C split into groups and start searching. I''ll take a group of my own." He looked over to Alain. "You four as well. If you find the right path, send someone back to alert the others." Sable''s eyes narrowed. "Is splitting up truly wise at this point in time?" "No, but we don''t have a choice. This place is enormous ¨C we won''t be able to cover enough ground in time to find what we''re looking for, especially not if we run into opposition like I expect us to." "He''s right," Alain interjected. He motioned with his head. "Come on. Let''s not waste any more time." With that, they all split into groups, each of them taking a different part of the spire to investigate. Alain, for his part, looked around until he found a set of stairs leading down further below. He swallowed nervously at the sight of them; they''d entered at ground level, meaning that the stairs were going to take them deep underground. Of course, he didn''t get a chance to back out, as Az suddenly pushed past him and began to descend. "Into the belly of the beast, it would seem," Az grunted as he began to move down the stairs. Sable went after him, and that was enough for Alain to swallow his fear and apprehension and follow their example. Danielle required no coaxing as well; she simply brought up the rear right behind him, though judging by the way her grip on her rifle was shaking, he could tell she was afraid. Alain was about to try and reassure her when a series of far-off gunshots shattered the silence that had fallen over them, causing Danielle to jump a bit, her grip on her rifle turning white-knuckled. "Easy," Alain assured her. "Those aren''t nearby." "I know," she replied. "But just the thought that some of the others have already encountered resistance¡­ Christ alive, this place gives me the creeps¡­" "Yeah, you and me both. But we''ll get through it in the end ¨C the three of us have been through worse, after all." "You sure about that?" Sable asked without looking back. "Because last I checked, it wasn''t raining blood in New Orleans." Alain''s brow furrowed. She certainly had a point ¨C for as bad as New Orleans had been, it hadn''t been quite this strange. Something big was coming, the only question was what it was and how close it was to making its appearance. The staircase began to wind down, and through the darkness, Alain was able to make out pinpricks of light down below ¨C torches hanging on the walls. That was enough for the four of them to double their pace, all to reach the light a little bit sooner. Once they got to the first torch, Alain slung his shotgun and drew his revolver in one hand, then took the torch off the wall with the other, then continued walking. "Is that wise?" Sable asked. "You''ll be painting a target on yourself by carrying that thing."If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "That may be so, but at least we''ll be able to see easier," he said. "Personally, I''d rather not be in the dark in here. Just a bad feeling I''ve got." "You''re not the only one¡­" Danielle muttered. "Doesn''t anyone else find it strange that we haven''t encountered anything yet? I mean, the outside world is swarming with demons right now." "It''s not just you. They''re planning something, we just don''t know-" At that moment, they finally reached the base of the stairs. And the instant they did, Alain realized they were at the end of a long hallway. They''d inadvertently walked into a perfect firing position for anyone set up at the other end. "Down!" Alain called, tossing the torch down the hallway as far as he could before diving to the ground. The moment he hit the floor, bullets began to fly at them from down the hall. Rounds cracked over Alain''s head, missing him by inches; he grit his teeth as he carefully unslung his shotgun, then looked around at his friends. Az was the only one who hadn''t bothered to take cover; instead, he''d opted to simply soak up as much ammo as possible, all while readying his Gatling gun. His front side had been riddled with bullets, but he remained standing, injured but very much still alive. And then he began to operate his gun''s crank, and the incoming rounds vanished under a trail of .45-70 rounds. The earlier gunshots had been loud, but in these confined spaces, Az''s gun was downright deafening. Alain winced, covering his ears with his hands; Danielle did the same, all while Sable rushed over to Az with more ammunition at the ready. After just a few seconds, his Gatling gun ran dry, and he began to reload, all while Alain carefully uncovered his ears and reached for his discarded shotgun. "Sable, I need you with me," he said. "Danielle, Az, keep us covered." "What are you going to do?" Danielle asked. "Make sure it''s clear," Alain answered as Sable came up alongside him. Together, the two of them advanced through the hall. It was dead silent, with not even the sounds of wounded men there to reach their ears; either Az had killed all of them with his initial volley of fire, or the survivors had gotten wise and retreated after being met with an onslaught of bullets. Either way, one thing was clear ¨C the end of the hall held nothing but bullet-riddled bodies. "Guess we know where the cultists are¡­" Alain muttered, his gaze landing on a figure in a red robe who was now missing most of his head. Sable nodded, then turned back down the hall. "It''s safe!" A moment later, Danielle and Az came running up. Danielle visibly recoiled at the sight of the mutilated bodies and gore coating the floor and ground, but offered no protests. Alain, meanwhile, couldn''t help but eye Az carefully. He was covered in bullet wounds across his front, though thankfully, none had struck him in the head. His upper body was a mess, and his suit was ruined, but he seemed no worse for wear. Still, Alain couldn''t help but be concerned for him. "You okay?" Alain questioned. "Perfectly fine," Az replied. "Shall we keep moving?" "Are you sure? Because you''re currently riddled with bullets and leaking like a sieve-" "I will be okay, believe me." "You sure you don''t want to do that thing you did to heal yourself-" Az''s eyes narrowed. "Not here and not now. Come, we should press onwards." He stepped past Alain, continuing down the hall. Danielle went after him; Alain paused long enough to share a glance with Sable, but she only shrugged. He let out a small, tired sigh, and then the two of them kept moving. XXX Alain covered his ears yet again as Az''s Gatling gun roared, the sound reverberating off the walls of the underground. Bullets soared through the air, impacting against flesh and bone, leaving nothing but carnage in their wake. It hadn''t taken them long to find where the surviving cultists from the first room had fled to. They''d retreated deeper into the underground, and tried to set up a chokepoint at another hallway. Apparently, they hadn''t expected Az to have enough ammo to spare for them. They''d been wrong, which was why they were all currently lying on the ground, dead or dying. With the fight now over, Sable helped Az reload, then advanced upon the few dying men still clinging to life and finished them with a stomp to the head that shattered their skulls. A disgusted look crossed her face as she kicked brain matter and bone shards off her boots, but she otherwise showed no reaction to what she''d just done. "Come," she said to the rest of them. "The way forward is clear." Alain stepped up to her, the rest of them flanking him. Az again moved up to the front, prompting Alain to take a careful look at him. He didn''t seem to be slow or lethargic in the slightest; if anything, he actually seemed to be slowly but surely healing. The rivers of black blood from his myriad bullet wounds had tapered off to little more than even flows, much to Alain''s shock. "Az," Alain said, getting his attention. Az looked back at him from over his shoulder, prompting Alain to say, "Why are your wounds healing on their own?" To Alain''s surprise, Az actually hesitated before letting out a small sigh. "...Don''t ask questions you''re not prepared to hear the answer to, Alain." "You say that all the damn time," Alain growled. "However bad you think it is, we can handle it-" "No," Az replied, cutting him off. "No, you cannot. And even if you could, the terms of my contract are not up to me. Or did you forget that?" "Az," Sable gently chastised. Az let out a short, sharp exhale. "...Sorry, my lady; I did not intend for my tone to be so sharp." "That''s not what I meant. Alain has a point. When are you going to start telling us?" "Again, that isn''t up to me. But even if it was, there are certain things that I still cannot reveal, for reasons I cannot say." "Alright, fine, whatever," Alain conceded. "Just as long as you''re on our side." "You have my word that I am," Az instantly replied. "Fine, then. What''s your ammo look like?" "I believe I have enough to handle another engagement or two like that." "Good. Hopefully, we don''t-" Alain suddenly paused as the four of them turned down another hallway, a strange sound washing over them. It only took a moment for him to realize what it was ¨C there were more cultists up ahead, and they were chanting. Instantly, Alain snapped his weapon to his shoulder and took off running, the others following after him. He came bursting out into a large chamber well-lit by numerous torches, in the center of which about two dozen red-robed cultists stood gathered around something. Alain was just about to raise his weapon and start firing when Danielle cut him off with a single word that made him freeze. "Father?!" The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 42
For a moment, Alain just sat there, surprised, as Danielle''s words reverberated off the walls around the room. There, in the center of the cultists, was an older man in a suit, knelt on the floor with his hands bound behind his back. His suit was dirty and had been torn in places, but he himself was untouched ¨C Alain could see no cuts or bruises on him at all; even his gray hair and beard seemed to still be in order. If nothing else, he at least hadn''t been tortured during his time with the cultists. That was of little consequence, however, given the swirling mass of black-and-purple energy on the floor between them. Alain wasn''t sure exactly what the vortex was supposed to be, but whatever it was, he knew it couldn''t be anything good. He brought his Winchester up and took aim at the nearest cultists, only for the one immediately behind Danielle''s father to pull a revolver and cock the hammer back, then press it flush with the senator''s head. "I wouldn''t do that if I were you," the cultist warned. "If anyone fires off a shot, then he dies." Az scowled, then took a step forward, leveling his Gatling gun towards the cultists as he did so. "You can''t kill him," he stated. "Not if you want your ritual to be a success." "Oh, I beg to differ. The ritual has already been a success; as we speak, the gap between the Underworld and the mortal plane lessens." "You wouldn''t be able to summon a true demon," Az proclaimed. The cultist smirked. "It would be a setback, to be sure, but look around you. Already, the Underworld''s influence is spreading. Soon enough, this entire town will be under its control. And then there will be nothing stopping us from marching on the rest of the country with as many legions as we want. Losing the senator now would hurt, but in due time, it won''t matter." Az let out a low growl and went to begin cranking off shots from his Gatling gun, only for Sable to reach out and grab hold of his hand, stopping him firing the weapon. Az turned to her in surprise. "My lady-" "Don''t," she warned. "We still need to get Danielle''s father out of here." "My lady, if we don''t do something now, then it won''t matter. One human dying is worth-" "What?!" Danielle demanded. She instantly rounded on Az, leveling her rifle at his head. "What did you just fucking say?!" "I spoke the truth," Az told her. "Bullshit," Danielle growled. "You are not killing my father, no matter what." "He is already dead, you just can''t see it. And if they complete this ritual, his fate will be worse than simply receiving a bullet in the head." "I don''t care. He''s still alive now, and that means there''s still a chance to get him out of here." "Enough!" Alain shouted, silencing them both. He glared at Az. "Either you start talking now or things are about to get way worse for us." Az scowled. "You want the truth? Fine, here it is ¨C these fools are trying to summon a greater demon from the depths of the Underworld. They intend for the senator to be the demon''s vessel in this mortal plane. They are going to offer his body and soul to the pits of hell, leaving him hollow, and then allow whatever is left to be filled by whichever demon answers the call." Az tore his gaze away from Alain, then looked back over to the cultists. "You do not know the kind of powers you''re meddling with. These are powers man was never meant to come into contact with in the first place. Whatever you believe you will receive in exchange for essentially opening the gates of hell, you are sorely mistaken." "And you would know?" the lead cultist taunted. Az''s expression darkened. "More than you could ever believe. And that is why I cannot allow this to happen."Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Before Alain could stop him, Az tore his hand away from Sable''s grasp, moving it towards the crank on his Gatling gun. He grasped hold of it, and was just about to begin turning it, when a shot rang out. Alain jumped at the sudden noise, snapping over to the cultists, but to his surprise, the gunshot hadn''t come from them. Rather, it had come from Danielle. Alain could only watch as the world seemed to move in slow-motion. All of them watched in Disbelief as Az''s body fell to the ground, a hole bored through the back of his head and a lifeless expression on his face. Even Danielle was watching in disbelief, as if she couldn''t believe what she''d just done. Az''s body hit the ground, where it laid motionless for a second before Sable''s scream shattered the heavy silence. "Az!" she shouted, rushing to his side and trying to check on him, but to no avail. Alain, meanwhile, turned towards Danielle, who was still standing there, stunned. "What the hell did you just do?!" Alain demanded. Danielle blinked. "I¡­ he was going to kill my father¡­ I didn''t¡­ I had no choice¡­" Alain grit his teeth, but before he could say anything, Sable suddenly rushed Danielle down, tackling her. Both women fell to the floor; Sable landed on top, where she straddled Danielle, one fist cocked back and her fangs bared. Alain could see tears on the edges of her vision. Before she could strike Danielle, however, Alain shouted. "Sable, stop!" Sable turned towards him, her red eyes seeming to almost glow in the darkness of the spire''s interior. "She killed him" Sable growled. "Give me one good reason not to do it, Alain." That gave him pause. Alain weighed his options, but found no suitable answer. He''d trusted Danielle through this journey, and yet she''d all but betrayed them by gunning Az down in order to save her father. But at the same time, allowing Sable to kill her didn''t seem right to him. Luckily for him, the cultists made his decision for him. "Well, this has certainly been entertaining to watch," the lead cultist said. "But we simply must move on." He snapped his fingers, and the sea of cultists parted, revealing another person. To Alain''s surprise, it was Stephen Wicks, and he was being pushed forward, his hands bound behind him the same as Senator Silvera''s. Unlike the senator, however, he had been roughed up ¨C his suit was torn and covered with dried blood, and he had several cuts and scratches across his face. Most striking of all, however, the once-jovial expression he''d had plastered across his face back at the steel mill was now gone, replaced with one of sheer terror. "What are you doing?!" Stephen shouted, struggling in his bonds to try and free himself, to no avail. "I did everything you asked of me! We had a deal!" "Indeed, we did," the lead cultist confirmed with a nod. "But unbeknownst to you, the blood of a traitor and his payment are two of the final keys to the ritual." The cultist stepped forward, pulling out a small leather pouch from within his robe. Alain shouldered his shotgun and went to take a shot, only for the other cultists to ready their weapons and take aim at the three of them. Alain grit his teeth, withering under the prospect of being killed by a volley of fire, and as distasteful as he found it, he couldn''t help but let his finger off the trigger of his weapon. The lead cultist saw this, and the corners of his mouth quirked up in amusement, though he said nothing, instead simply up-ending the pouch. To Alain''s confusion, several silver coins fell into the swirling vortex of purple and black below. The energy showed no reaction, even as it swallowed the coins ¨C at least two dozen of them, by Alain''s count. "Thirty pieces of silver," the cultist noted. "The same payment received by the Hanged Man for his betrayal, and the same amount used to purchase the place of his burial, now offered to you, great Leviathan." Once that was done, the lead cultist turned towards Stephen Wicks, who wilted under his gaze. "And now," the man in red declared, "the blood of the betrayer himself." "W-wait!" Stephen managed to get out. "I can pay you! Everything I have, it''s yours, just please don''t-" The cultist didn''t bother to listen further, instead raising his revolver and putting a bullet through Stephen''s head before he could even finish his sentence. Stephen''s body fell like a puppet with its strings cut, and the moment it hit the ground, the cultist rolled his corpse into the vortex, which swallowed it as easily as it had the coins just a few seconds earlier. This time, there was a reaction. The surface of the vortex began to bubble and emit a black haze of some kind; Alain coughed, the stench of smoke now filling the room. It was overpowering, even though there was no immediate source for it. The cultists seemed unaffected, however; in fact, many of them looked downright excited about what was coming next. "Finally," the man in red stated, "the body of the one who will be the vessel." "No!" Danielle shouted. "Alain, stop him!" But there was nothing Alain could do when faced with more than twenty rifles, all pointed at him. Dismayed, the only option he had was to watch as the cultist kicked Senator Silvera in the back, sending him tumbling into the vortex, where he quickly disappeared under the surface. "No!" Danielle screamed, thrashing under Sable''s grasp. "Father! Father!" But despite her protests, the senator didn''t resurface. Alain could only watch as the black mass in the center of the room began to bubble even more furiously, haze leaking out of it the entire time, until suddenly, it stopped. The vortex of black and purple suddenly froze, seeming to lighten a bit to an almost dark gray. Then it shattered, as if it were a mirror that had been struck with a hammer. Haze filled the room once more, this time making it impossible to see anything. Everyone began to cough as it filled their lungs. But just as soon as it had started, it cleared, revealing a figure floating above where the miasma of black and purple had been just a moment ago. It was Senator Silvera, and yet it wasn''t. His suit was now immaculate, and he looked far more youthful than he had mere moments ago, all traces of gray having left him, replaced with black. Even the wrinkles around his face were gone; he looked more like a man in his mid-thirties than one in his early sixties, like he had before. Most striking of all, however, were his eyes, which had gone from green to blood red encircled with black. He stayed in the middle of the room for a moment, floating there motionlessly before turning to the cultists in red, a wicked-looking grin crossing his face. "My children," he greeted, stretching his arms out. "You have summoned me, and for that, you have my thanks. You shall receive your reward." The cultists began to cheer. Alain couldn''t help but note how macabre it sounded ¨C the sound resembled baying animals more than anything. The thought only lasted for a moment before the man possessing Senator Silvera''s body turned towards him. To Alain''s shock, however, the demon looked past him and Sable, instead focusing his gaze on Az''s body. Surprise crossed the man''s face, though it was soon replaced with grim happiness. "My, my," he noted. "To think, after everything we went through together all those years ago, this is where you ended up." He shook his head. "I wish I could say I was surprised, but then again, you always did have a sentimental side for the mortals, Azazel." The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 43
The possessed Senator''s words hung in the air for a moment. Nobody said anything, or even bothered to move, for reasons Alain was uncertain of ¨C whatever Leviathan had just told them, it clearly carried some weight to everyone else in the room but him. Finally, Sable took a step forward, her eyes wide with shock. "You''re lying," she declared. "Az¡­ he couldn''t-" "Is that what he''s been calling himself in this world?" Leviathan asked, shaking his head. "In any case, that matters not ¨C the truth is that, indeed, he is the greater demon Azazel. He may have gone to great lengths to conceal that truth from you, but that does not mean it is not the truth, whether you are willing to accept it or not." Leviathan motioned to Az''s body. "Even now, his soul has returned to the Underworld, and is awaiting another summoning. I can sense it ¨C his contract is not yet fulfilled. He is bound to you, daughter of Lilith." He cracked a small smile. "To think one as great as him would allow himself to be bound to a child of night as lowly as you¡­ my, how the mighty have fallen. And to what end? It cannot be a simple defiance against his mistress, not that I expect an answer from any of you; his motivations, whatever they are, are likely beyond your comprehension at this point in time." "Then why tell us all this?" Alain demanded. "The man is dead. Are you truly so petty that you''re willing to sully our memory of him like this?" "Only his physical body lies dead at this moment," Leviathan countered. "A greater demon, even a treasonous one such as him, is not so easily defeated. And as for the why of it¡­" Leviathan grinned, showing off a row of sharpened teeth in Senator Silvera''s mouth. "Is it truly so hard to believe that I hate the man so much that I would take joy in turning his friends against him in their final moments?" "How petty of you." "Call it what you want, human ¨C it matters not to me. All of you are dead, anyway. Now, do you intend to go down fighting, or are you planning to make it easy on me and-" Leviathan didn''t get to finish his sentence, as Alain suddenly fired a series of shotgun blasts directly into his head, emptying his Winchester in the process. The greater demon reeled back, and for a moment, Alain truly thought the consecrated buckshot had managed to put a dent in his defenses. His hopes were suddenly dashed when Leviathan simply whipped around to face him again, half of his head blown clean off, his brain exposed. As Alain watched in morbid fascination, Leviathan''s flesh and bone stitched themselves back together, pushing the remains of the buckshot pellets out as they did so. "I see the Church has progressed since I was last on Earth," Leviathan noted. "Consecrated projectiles moving faster than sound¡­ whatever will they come up with next? Ah, but time grows short ¨C unfortunately, I must be leaving you now, and-" "M-master!" one of the cultists suddenly cried. "Please, a request from your faithful followers!" Leviathan turned towards the man and nodded. "Speak." "Allow us to deal with the apostate and her two disciples for you! They have insulted your honor with that attack ¨C we beseech you, allow us to fight on your behalf!" Leviathan thought for a moment, then grinned that same wicked-looking grin. "Very well. Do not disappoint me, my faithful." With that, Leviathan finally came down from where he''d been floating in air, landing behind the cultists. He turned and began to walk off down another hallway by himself, all while the cultists rounded on Alain and his grip. Alain instantly bristled, pulling one of his revolvers out and thumbing the hammer back, while Danielle cycled the action on her rifle to chamber a round. But before any of them could get a shot off, gunshots rang out from the hallway behind them. Several cultists fell, cut down by well-placed rifle fire in a matter of seconds. Surprised, Alain turned back to the hallway, only to find Father Alex and several of his priests rushing towards them. "You three, get out of here!" Father Alex shouted. "We''ll go after Leviathan!"This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "What?!" Alain shouted. "You can''t be-" "Just go!" Father Alex shouted as he rushed past Alain, still firing his rifle as he went. By now, enough cultists had been cut down that the remainder had started to break rank and try to escape, leaving just a few enthusiastic true believers behind to be shot to pieces by the advancing priests. Alain tried to call out to Father Alex and his men once more, but to no avail; they disappeared down the hallway, leaving just the three of them there surrounded by dead bodies. As distasteful as he may have found it, Alain knew better than to turn his nose up at the opportunity they''d just been given. Instead, he turned towards Sable, a grim expression on his face. "Can you carry Az''s body?" he asked. Sable was taken aback. "Alain-" "Can you do it?" Slowly, she nodded. "Yes." "Good." He let out a tired sigh. "¡­We''re heading back to the start of the spire. We need to put some space between ourselves and Leviathan." "Why?" Danielle questioned. "What are you planning?" "Truthfully? I don''t know yet, at least not exactly. But I do know one thing." Alain looked down towards Az''s body, his expression narrowing. "Whatever we do, we''re going to need him for it." XXX The three of them faced absolutely no resistance as they moved back towards the beginning of the spire. It wasn''t hard to see why ¨C no doubt the demons outside were still focused on massacring civilians and generally causing chaos, having been emboldened by the sudden appearance of one greater than themselves. The remaining cultists, meanwhile, at least what few were left, were almost certainly converging around Leviathan himself. All told, Alain wasn''t surprised when they were able to move through the interior of the spire without incident. It was slow going, as Sable was still carrying Az''s body with her as she went, but eventually, they made it back to the start. Alain peered through the doorway, and was not surprised to see the entire city in chaos. Plumes of thick black smoke covered portions of the city, curling up into the crimson sky above. Blood continued to fall like rain down onto the streets below, and demons kept clawing their way up from the scars in the roads and out of the craters left behind by lightning strikes. And through it all, Alain was just barely able to make out the occasional gunshot or pained scream. Slowly, he pulled himself away from the door and looked back towards Sable. She''d set Az''s body down on the ground and was fussing over it, all while Danielle continued to stand nearby, clutching her rifle and looking nervous. "I''m¡­ I''m sorry," she muttered. "I just¡­ he was going to kill my father-" "Perhaps it would have been better if he had," Sable growled. "Your knee-jerk reaction may have just damned the entire world to complete ruination." "Hey," Alain interrupted, getting both of their attention. His gaze narrowed. "Don''t start with that now. We need to be focused." Sable let out a tired sigh. "You''re right¡­" "Okay," Alain confirmed. "Sable, what do you need to bring him back?" "Assuming he can even be brought back in the first place-" "Leviathan said he was waiting to be summoned again, and that the terms of his contract weren''t complete yet." "You of all people should know better than to take his words at face value, Alain," Sable growled. "I''m willing to try this, if only because we have no other options at this point. We need Az back, if only to tell us exactly what Leviathan is planning and how to stop it. But to answer your question¡­ let me see your knife, Alain." Alain obliged, pulling his knife from its sheath and handing it to Sable hilt-first. He wasn''t surprised when she suddenly took the blade and dug it into the palm of her hand, but he was when she began to press the blood against Az''s face. After a moment, he realized what was going on. "You''re using a rune," Alain surmised. Sable nodded. "This is old magic, passed down to me from my mother. Its purpose is to summon a familiar from the Underworld to do one''s bidding. The blood serves as a binding contract with whichever demon agrees to the summoning conditions." "And you think this is enough to get Az back?" "I know it is, because this is how I did it the first time." She turned her attention back towards Az''s corpse, frowning as she did so. "Of course, the initial casting of the ritual was supposed to summon a lesser demon, not Azazel himself¡­ I have no idea why it presented him to me the first time." "So you can''t control who it gives you?" Sable shook her head. "Not the first time. But now that we have his body here, I''m hoping that tilts the odds in our favor." "Okay. What''s the worst thing that can happen if you''re wrong?" "Hell if I know, Alain. You want my best guess? Worst case is that a completely different demon possesses his corpse instead, and we have to put him down a second time. But I have no idea if that''s actually the case or not." Sable stood up, handing Alain his bloody knife back. "Be ready with those guns," she warned. "We have no idea what we''re getting out of this. If it really is a lesser demon, or even a greater demon, then we need to be prepared." Alain and Danielle both nodded, then readied their long guns. Sable took a breath, then rested her hand atop the blood she''d smeared across Az''s forehead, and began to chant something under her breath. Alain couldn''t tell what it was, but it sounded like she was reciting some strange spell. For a moment, there was nothing, but then, the room was filled with an explosion of black. It consumed the torches laid out across the walls, snuffing them all out instantly, and plunged the entire floor of the spire into shadow. Danielle let out a frightened yelp, while Alain stood his ground; lightning strikes outside served as a source of illumination, revealing Sable and Az''s corpse still lying there. He kept his weapon trained on Az''s head as best as he could, waiting just in case he needed to start shooting. Then, after a few seconds, Az suddenly sat bolt upright, and took in a deep gasp of air. Alain tensed, his finger hovering over his shotgun''s trigger, but he held his fire. And he was thankful for that, as Az suddenly turned towards Sable. "No offense, my lady, but what took you so long?" he asked. Sable didn''t respond. Instead, she rushed forwards, throwing her arms around him. Az seemed surprised by the gesture, but after a moment, reciprocated her hug by placing one arm around her. It only lasted for a moment before she pulled away, and the two of them stood up. Right as he finished rising to his feet, Az wiped the blood off his head, then turned towards Alain and Danielle, giving them a nod. "We don''t have much time, so I''ll keep this short," he warned. "I owe you all an explanation, and now Leviathan has seen fit to reveal some of the secrets of my contract to you three, I am no longer bound by portions of it, and am free to discuss them." "Az-" Alain said, only for Az to shake his head. "Like I said, we don''t have much time," he urged. "Listen for now, please. All will be revealed in due time." They all didn''t hesitate to give him a nod of affirmation. Az took in a breath, then began to speak. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 44
"To begin with, Az isn''t my real name," he said. "Though I presume Leviathan already told you what that is?'' Slowly, Alain nodded. "He said your real name is Azazel. I take it that''s the truth?" Az returned Alain''s nod with one of his own. "It is. Do any of you understand the significance of that name?" Sable bit her lip. "...I''ve heard it before," she admitted. "A long time ago. Several centuries, I believe." "I''ve never heard of it," Danielle said, her brow furrowing. "I''m not surprised," Az answered. "It''s not common knowledge. I believe you''ll find it in a few religious texts throughout the world, but all of them miss the mark, even if only barely. In truth, I am the one to introduce humans to the art of war." A chill went down Alain''s spine at that declaration. "Wait, you¡­ what does that mean, Az?'' "It means, before I came along, you all hadn''t yet perfected the art of killing each other," Az explained. "I changed that. It wasn''t hard; all I had to do was point out how much better one tribe had it than the other, then show them all how to make primitive weapons, and all bets were off. And from there, it has been nothing but thousands of years of misery for you lot." Sable paled at his admission of guilt. "Why would you do that?" "Because my mistress told me to," Az explained. "You all have to understand something ¨C the Underworld is governed by, essentially, a caste system. All of us do the bidding of the Supreme Mistress of the Night." "And who is that?" Alain asked. "Lilith herself." Again, Sable stared at him in shock. "...That name keeps coming up," she recalled. Az nodded. "Indeed, it does," he said. "Lilith is the first Child of Night ¨C the progenitor for all other vampires in the world. She is, on a certain level, your ancestor, Sable. Hence why you are named after her. Why she created vampires, I have no idea ¨C perhaps she merely wanted children of her own, and sought to create them out of the very humans she so despised." Alain took a step forward. "Hold on," he said. "You said Lilith despises us. Why is that?" "She hates your innocence," Az stated. "Hence her desire to corrupt you all into little more than a mirror image of herself. Lilith fell from firmament, along with her followers, and was cast into the Underworld, never to be unsealed again. She saw this as the ultimate betrayal ¨C an eternity spent serving the Supreme Creator, and in the end, all it got her was a prison at the deepest layer of the Underworld." Az shook his head. "Humans, on the other hand¡­ you were built in the Creator''s image. You all are, on a certain level, his reflections. Lilith realizes she cannot strike at her former master in her current state, so instead, she seeks to pervert his creations any way she can." "The Supreme Creator¡­?" Alain echoed. "You mean-" "Yes," Az confirmed. "You humans call him by many names ¨C Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, God¡­ all lead back to the same being, in the end." Danielle swallowed nervously. "Okay¡­ this goes against everything my religion taught me growing up, and-" This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "I understand that," Az said. "But no one religion has all the answers. You humans find that hard to believe, but it''s true. I''d go so far as to say that none of them are truly correct, in the end. Some come closer than others, but all of them have their faults." "So what you''re saying is we''re all going to hell," Alain stated. Az stretched his arms out. "Look around you, Alain. There''s no need for you to go to hell ¨C it''s already come to you." "How do we stop it?" Sable asked. "And, for that matter, what''s Leviathan''s plan, anyway?" "Truthfully, I can''t claim to know every little detail," Az admitted. "But I do know one thing ¨C Leviathan and the other demons exist solely to serve Lilith. Every facet of their beings at this point is devoted to this cause." "And what does that entail?" "Doing her will, of course," Az answered. "And her will, if you haven''t already surmised, is that humans be either twisted in some way or destroyed completely. There are other things as well, of course, but primarily, that is what she wants more than anything¡­ well, that and to eventually break free of her prison." "So, which is it?" Alain questioned. "Honestly, it is tough to say," Az admitted. "As far as I can tell right now, all they''re trying to do is sow chaos amongst the city and its citizens." Danielle crossed her arms. "Mission accomplished, in that case." "Not quite. I think what they''re trying to do here is tear open a permanent door to the Underworld, through which its denizens can enter and exit this mortal plane as they see fit. Think of it as a staging area for the Underworld''s many legions of demons." Az''s brow furrowed. "Of course, how that is supposed to lead into releasing Lilith herself, I have no idea. Like I said, nobody has ever gotten this far in the ritual; generally, someone key to the plan gets cold feet and backs out at the last minute, or they mis-cast the ritual itself, or someone high-up in the church finds out about it and puts a stop to it before it can progress any farther." "However you slice it, a literal permanent gate to hell opening right here in Texas is bad news for everyone," Alain surmised. "And how do we stop it?" Sable asked. "That is a good question," Az replied. "This is hardly the first time the ritual has been attempted, though like I said, this is the furthest anyone''s ever gotten with it. Truthfully, this is as much uncharted territory for me as it is for you all." "Great¡­" Alain sighed. "What''s your best guess, then?" "Leviathan is the one in control right now," Az emphasized. "Take him out and it''s likely this entire plan folds then and there. He''s the one directing things ¨C without his leadership, all we''re left with are cultists and lesser demons, which should be easy enough for us to clean up once the cavalry arrives." Alain''s eyes widened. "You mean Colonel Stone?" "And the Tribunal," Az added. "I have no doubts that they''ve heard about all of this and are en route right now." "There are still a few things that bother me about all this," Sable admitted, interrupting them. "It''s clear Lilith hates humanity and wants to see them all either destroyed or corrupted. How does she plan to do that, exactly?" "It''s a vexing question," Az explained. "My guess, though? Block out the sun, first and foremost; cast the entire world into eternal night and then use her magic to mold almost every mortal into her children. Imagine, if you will, hundreds of millions of vampires walking the earth, with only a select few mortals kept alive to serve as breeding stock so they can all continue to feed forever. Past that¡­ I don''t know what her plans are. All I know is that she''d like nothing more than to eventually strike at the one who cast her down into the Underworld." Alain turned to him in alarm. "Wait, hold on, I want to make sure I''m understanding this correctly¡­ are you telling me that Lilith is going to try and convert almost everyone on the planet into her servants, and then launch an assault against Heaven itself?" "In my few conversations directly with her, that was what I understood her ultimate goal to be, yes," Az replied with a nod. Alain just stared at him. "...And I take it you didn''t approve, hence why you''re allying yourself with us?" "That''s a simple way of putting it," Az admitted. "In truth¡­ I spent a great many years living among you, disguised as one of you, teaching you the very basics of war and how to hate each other. Spending that much time around you all, living as one of you¡­ I don''t know, exactly, but your kind altered me. I grew fond of you, and your simple natures, we''ll say." "And that was enough for you to turn your back on your mistress forever?" "Sometimes, that''s all it takes. Humanity as a whole was my wake-up call. The way I see it, everything I do now is atonement for the evils I''ve inflicted upon you all through the centuries." "Is that why you allowed yourself to be summoned and bound by the contract to me?" Sable asked. Slowly, Az nodded. "Your contract sent out a call for a lesser demon. I saw it as an opportunity, and muscled my way to the front of the line, so to speak. I did the same thing just now, when you sent out the call for a second time." "So you mean to say that we can''t actually kill you?" Danielle questioned. "Or any demon, for that matter?'' Az shook his head. "Lesser demons die the same way as mortals do. When their lives are snuffed out, they simply cease to exist. Greater demons such as myself, however¡­ things get complicated at that point. We are, on some level, bound to our mistress. We cannot simply die; instead, we return to the Underworld when killed, bound to serve her for eternity." "So you''re unkillable?" Alain asked. "No offense, but that sounds like a pretty good deal to me." Az''s face darkened. "It isn''t. We are destined to spend an eternity serving her; no matter how much we may long for death, it will not come. We will continue to serve her long after this world has had its final judgment and been turned to ash, whenever that may be. Imagine, if you will, longing for sleep and never being able to have it. The same principle applies here." Az shook his head. "But we are getting off-topic. Come, we must make haste. Leviathan awaits." The three of them nodded, and then followed after Az as he began to march through the spire once again. Outside, the storm picked up even more than it already had, the bloody raindrops hammering against the walls of the spire, and the demons turned downright feral, screeching as they worked themselves into a frenzy. Alain wasn''t sure what was happening, but he knew one thing. Whatever the four of them were going to do, they needed to do it quickly. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 45
The four of them pressed on through the spire, eventually making their way back to the chamber where Leviathan had first appeared. Az''s Gatling gun was gone, much to Alain''s surprise. When he realized it was missing, he couldn''t help but grimace. "What are the odds the cultists took the Gatling gun?" he asked. Nobody answered him, which told him everything he needed to know. Alain let out a sigh of resignation, then turned towards Az. ''What''s the plan here?" "You three need to handle the cultists and demons," Az insisted. "Leave Leviathan to me." "Are you sure?" Sable asked, concerned. Az nodded. "Positive. My lady, you are the only one who could hope to stand a chance again him. Danielle and Alain would be wiped out within moments if they were to face him head-on, consecrated ammunition or not." "Then we''ll leave him to you," Alain said. "Good." Az looked around, frowning as he did so. "They are likely already at the top of the spire¡­" "What does that mean?" Danielle asked. "I don''t know for sure, but it can''t be good. I suspect the ritual is nearing completion, and when it''s finally seen through to the end¡­" "It''ll be hell on Earth," Alain finished. Az nodded. "Precisely. Come, after me; we do not have time to spare." The rest of them nodded, then followed after Az as he doubled his pace, leading them through the spire once more. XXX To Alain''s dismay, there was no resistance as they advanced through the spire. He wasn''t surprised by this, however; the cultists had proven they were more adept at ambushes than outright man-to-man fights. He had zero doubts that they were posted up around a corner or something along those lines, just waiting to move them down with Az''s own Gatling gun if they ventured out too far at too quick a pace. "Be on your toes," Alain announced as they ascended a darkened flight of stairs up to a deeper part of the spire. "I just know they''ve got something planned for us now." "What about Father Alex and his men?" Danielle asked. "What do you think has happened to them?" "I don''t know, but given we haven''t seen the ritual even be paused, I think it''s only safe to assume that they''ve failed." Alain shook his head. "Let''s not allow their sacrifice to be in vain. We need to put an end to this, before it gets any worse." "No offense, but I''m not sure how it could be much worse than this¡­" Sable muttered. Az''s expression darkened. "Believe me, my lady, where the Underworld is concerned, it can always get worse." "How reassuring," Danielle said dryly. "Well, at least if we die here, we won''t have to watch the world be damned." "Hey," Alain said, interrupting her. "Cool it. We''re going to put a stop to this." "What makes you so sure of that?'' Alain opened his mouth the reply, but didn''t get a chance to before voices on the floor above him interrupted his speech. He paused, his eyes going wide, and then threw himself to the ground right as a series of rifle rounds began to tear through the ceiling above them. Alain hissed when he felt a stray round scrape across his shoulder, taking off a chunk of skin but thankfully not actually penetrating and doing any damage. Behind him, he heard Sable let out a hiss as a round struck her in the leg, but luckily, it seemed to just be a through-and-through that just barely avoided missing any bones.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Immediately, Alain and Danielle began to return fire, the two of them pumping rounds up through the ceiling into whoever was shooting at them. Az and Sable, meanwhile, sped past the two of them, making their way to the top of the stairs before disappearing into the room. A chorus of panicked and pained screams followed after them, joined almost immediately after by a round of staccato gunfire that echoed through the halls of the spire. It ended as soon as it had begun, however; the gunfire tapered off, and after a moment, Sable called out to the two of them. "It''s clear! Hurry on up!" Alain exchanged a glance with Danielle, then the two of them bounded their way up the stairs, weapons still at the ready. Az and Sable were standing a ways away from the staircase, both of them covered in blood and riddled with gunshots, though thankfully nothing seemed fatal. As Alain watched, Az closed his eyes and proceeded to use what Alain now knew were the powers of the Underworld to heal himself, while Sable managed to limp over to him, then latch onto his neck. Alain didn''t resist as she drank, greedily at first, but then much more measured after a few seconds. Before long, Sable peeled herself away from his neck, and Alain began to wrap a bandage around his puncture wounds as he surveyed the damage on this floor. He numbered a half-dozen dead cultists in total; a far cry from the numbers they''d cut through already, but they''d been in an advantageous position and had taken the four of them by surprise. Really, it was a small miracle that they hadn''t been wiped out by that ambush. Although, the knowledge that they hadn''t yet deployed Az''s Gatling gun was cause for concern. Still, Alain shook that thought from his mind as he surveyed the damage. Both Az and Sable seemed to have healed just fine now, which meant they were okay to keep moving. Alain motioned for the others to follow after him, and led the way down the hall. By the looks of it, they were now on the top floor of the spire; at any rate, he couldn''t see any additional floors above them, and they were certainly far enough above the streets below for him to believe it. Alain chanced a glance out a nearby window, and wasn''t surprised to still see lesser demons spawning and running rampant through the city of San Antonio. To make matters worse, he could see a number of them had diverted away from the city streets and were now heading for the bottom part of the spire, no doubt moving to reinforce their newly-formed master. "Hey," Alain said, getting everyone''s attention. "Not to alarm you all, but we''re about to have company in a bit. We need to pick up the pace." Az nodded. "Okay¡­ Sable, with me. Let''s go." Immediately, alarm bells went off in Alain''s head. "Wait-" But it was too late. As Az and Sable sped up to superhuman levels and went to turn around a nearby corner, a long burst of gunfire came to greet them; Alain immediately recognized the sound as having come from Az''s Gatling gun. As Alain watched, Az hurriedly turned back around, grabbed hold of Sable, then hunched over, allowing his body to block the incoming storm of lead from hitting her. Az jerked with every hit, the large-caliber .45-70 rounds tearing entire chunks out of him, but he was able to keep moving, and muscled Sable and himself back over to the hall they''d just come from before collapsing, his chest heaving with every breath. He wasn''t dead, but he was close to it, his body having been absolutely pockmarked with gunfire over the few seconds he''d been exposed. Sable hunched over Az, looking him over, only for him to weakly raise a hand and wave her off. She got what he was telling her instantly, and backed off while he brought his hands together, again calling upon the powers of the Underworld to heal him. Something was different about this time, though ¨C Alain still heard the screams of the damned and watched their souls coalesce around Az, but it was far weaker than it had been before. By the time it was over, the most grievous of Az''s wounds had healed, but the rest were still open and weeping black blood over his suit. A few seconds later, Az struggled to his feet, still injured and disoriented but very much alive. "I can''t¡­ keep doing that¡­" he managed to gasp out. "The powers¡­ I can only call upon them so often in a short period. I will not be able to heal myself like that again for some time." Sable gave him a nod of grim resignation, then went to look around the corner he''d just come from, only for Alain to roughly grab her and force her back. He was just in time, too, as a burst of Gatling gun fire tore through the spot where her head had just been a half-second ago. The two of them came falling back into the hallway, Alain glaring at her the entire time. "What were you thinking?!" he demanded, his voice audible even over the sound of gunfire echoing across the halls of the spire. "They damn near took your head clean off!" Sable grimaced. "Sorry¡­ I needed to get a better look before heading down there, but I wasn''t able to see anything-" "You are not going down that hallway," Alain warned her. Sable stared at him in surprise. "Then what do you-" Alain didn''t hesitate. He looked over to Danielle, then motioned for her to fall in with him. She gave him a questioning glance, but did as he asked, the two of them creeping over to the very edge of the hallway. Just as they got there, Alain dropped into the prone position and poked his head around the corner for a split-second before hurriedly pulling it back. The cultists opened up on him, as expected, but it was too late; he''d already gotten all the information he needed from them. He turned towards Danielle, then gave her a nod. "They''re right down that hallway, posted up just around the rightmost corner," he reported. "There''s two of them, a gunner and an assistant. They''ve both got their heads exposed; it''s about a ten-meter shot on each." He let out a short exhale, then added, "Don''t miss, Danielle." Danielle stared at him for a moment, but then nodded, hefting her rifle. Alain sucked in a breath, then took off running across the threshold, not even bothering to return fire as he ran for the other side of the hallway. As he expected, the Gatling gun opened up on him¡­ but that was exactly what he wanted. Right as he reached the safety of the other side of the hallway, Danielle spun out from behind cover, dropped down into a crouch. She took aim and fired two shots from her lever-action rifle, cycling the weapon as fast as she could. The moment she''d cranked off her two shots, she retreated back into cover, a shocked expression on her face. "They''re both down!" she called out. "Go now!" Alain nodded. "Sable, Az! Do it!" That was all he needed to say, as the vampire and the greater demon took off down the hallway. As they ran, Alain and Danielle stepped out from cover, their weapons roaring. The cultists at the other end were too busy trying to get the Gatling gun back up and running, and were utterly unprepared for the sudden assault. Together, Danielle and Alain were able to cut down anyone who tried to so much as point a weapon at Sable and Az, while the two of them closed the distance and tore whoever was left limb from limb. It was over in a matter of seconds. By the time the gunsmoke cleared, there were another ten bodies lining the floor. Alain and Danielle paused long enough to reload, then sprinted over to Sable and Az; Alain wasted no time in checking them both over, and was relieved to find that neither one had sustained any additional injuries from what they''d already had. Without a word, Az stepped over to his Gatling gun and retrieved it, pausing only to top it off with a reload. Once that was done, he looked back to Alain and gave him a nod. "Come on," he said. "Let''s finish this." The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 46
With the cultists now dealt with, there was no resistance at all as Alain and his three friends continued through the tower. That wasn''t to say there was no danger, but the brief reprieve was welcome to them all, even as they heard the demons progressing through the lower floors beneath them. "Christ¡­" Danielle muttered. "That''s a lot of them¡­ it''s about to get busy." "It is," Az confirmed without looking back. "That''s why you three need to hold the line." "How do you intend to defeat Leviathan, anyway?" Alain questioned. "He''s trying to open a portal to the Underworld. The way I see it, all we have to do is get him through it and then seal him off from the mortal world before he can make his way back through the portal." Az''s brow furrowed. "Obviously, that is much easier said than done, but that''s the only real option we have." "We can''t just kill him?" Sable asked. "It''s certainly possible, but we don''t have the kind of firepower we''d need to do so," Alain grunted. "My weapons didn''t even so much as scratch him earlier, even with the consecrated ammo. I doubt even the Gatling gun would do much to him unless we emptied it into him, and good luck getting him to stand still long enough for that to happen." "And I''m not powerful enough to finish him," Az pointed out. "To be honest, with my current level of strength¡­ I''ll be lucky to hold him off for very long. Unless¡­" "Unless what?" Alain asked. "...It''s possible to cast a sealing ritual on him," Az said. "Possible, but dangerous." "Dangerous how?" "Do it wrong and you''ll seal yourself in the Underworld along with him." "Alright, so, that''s bad," Alain surmised. "What do we need to-" "I''ll do it," Sable announced. "What do you need from me?" "It''s simple," Az said. "Do you remember the runes you used to summon me?" Sable nodded, and he added, "That was a summoning ritual, intended to summon lesser demons. The only reason I was able to use it was because I have effectively been demoted as a result from Lilith''s grace. Normally, that isn''t enough to summon a greater demon. Generally speaking, it will require a greater sacrifice." "Okay, but how does that help us?" Sable questioned. "Like I said, it''s simple ¨C you know the runes for summoning a demon. What do you think the runes for dispelling one are?" Sable thought for a moment, then turned back towards him, her eyes widening. "...You''re kidding." Az shook his head. "Draw the runes out in reverse and it will be enough, assuming you''re able to pay the cost." "What kind of cost?" Danielle questioned. "The oldest kind of cost there is ¨C blood, and a lot of it." Az turned to Alain, a stern expression on his face. "She will need to feed off you a great deal if this is to work." "Hell, it''s literally raining blood," Alain pointed out. "We''ve got that in spades already." To his surprise, Az shook his head. "It must be fresh from the vein," he stated. "And it must also come directly from the person performing the ritual." "We can''t use a mixture of her blood and mine?" Alain asked. Again, Az shook his head. "No, that will dilute the ritual; the best case is that it simply wouldn''t work, and the worst case is that it would backfire." Alain felt a chill go down his spine at that. "Point taken. Danielle, are you okay to hold the line by yourself?"Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "For as long as I have ammo, yes," she said. "Good." The conversation tapered off after that as they all continued through the spire. Eventually, however, they reached an opening on what seemed to be the top floor. There was an open room right at the top, followed by a long hallway, and then what looked like a second smaller open area and another walkway that led to an outside portion of the spire. The barest hint of torchlight spilled through it, illuminating the way forward. Az paused only to set the Gatling gun on the ground, then motion to it so the rest of them could see. "I know you can''t heft it, but at the very least, pointing it down the hall and turning the crank as fast as you can should help even the odds in your favor a bit," he said. Alain and Danielle nodded in understanding. Then, as one, they all moved through the doorway, through the hallways and rooms, and out onto the top of the spire. XXX Alain had thought he''d known what to expect, given he''d been out on the streets of San Antonio during the attack, but he wasn''t prepared for just how much things had intensified since they''d gotten to the spire. The floor was slick with blood so deep that it nearly came up to his ankles. Dead bodies littered the area ¨C corpses of men and women in vestments and habits; no doubt these were the remains of the priests and nuns Alain had met just a short while ago. There was little time to dwell on it, however, as a series of pained moans caught his attention. Alain turned, and found what had happened to Father Alex. He and a few of his men had been crucified, their hands and feet nailed to wooden crosses that had been erected at the edge of the spire. They were all covered in wounds, though none of them were immediately fatal; rather, it was clear that the intent had simply been to torture them and then allow them to die a slow, agonizing death by crucifixion. Alain went to take a step forward, only for Az to stretch out a hand and hold him back. "So, you''ve finally come," Leviathan greeted, his tone sounding more like a snake''s than a man''s. He stepped out from behind the row of crosses, and Danielle tensed, still clearly unnerved at the sight of the demon possessing her father''s body like a suit made of flesh. From this distance, it was easy to see why ¨C he looked less like a human and more like an imitation of a human, his skin almost wax-like as it stretched and morphed in an attempt to get used to a human''s bone structure and physiology. "Indeed," Az replied. "You and I have unfinished business, Leviathan." Leviathan cracked a wide grin, showing off a row of sharpened teeth. "You''re not wrong, Azazel. I still owe you for your desertion and betrayal of our lady." He gazed out across Alain and his friends, his wicked-looking grin widening as he did so. "I knew you''d gone soft, but to so willingly throw your lot in with humans like this¡­ it makes me sick." He glanced behind him at the three priests who''d been crucified. "And to think that you''d even ally with those who directly oppose Lady Lilith on a fundamental level¡­ such treachery deserves nothing but the most intense punishment I can dole out." Az''s eyes narrowed. "Lilith''s plan is doomed to failure, Leviathan. She failed to strike at the Supreme Creator once already, after all." "Indeed, she did. But that was before she had numbers on her side. What do you think the Creator will do when He sees His creations have been perverted, and twisted into becoming her followers?" Leviathan shook his head. "It will be a battle worthy of echoing in eternity¡­ especially so when she succeeds in usurping him." Az grimaced. "It figures that she would be so blinded by her own hatred that she was incapable of seeing reason. But no matter ¨C whatever the reason, I will take nothing but joy in sending you back to hell where you belong." "Such a bold statement," Leviathan replied. "We shall see exactly how bold you are when your so-called friends join the holy men on crosses of their own. I am going to enjoy watching them expire, and then escorting their very souls down to the depths of the Underworld. You will watch for an eternity as they writhe in unimaginable torment, unable to save them. A fitting punishment for one who so willingly turned his back on our mistress." Az crossed his arms. "What are you waiting for, then? Make your-" He was not given a chance to finish his sentence, as Leviathan suddenly launched himself at him. The two demons grappled each other, wrestling for dominance in a display that Az was quick to find himself losing. Alain could only watch in horror as Az, normally so unshakable and near-invulnerable, was forced back, slowly but surely. "Go!" Az grunted as he tried his best to counter-attack. Alain knew better than to argue. Despite his trepidation, he swallowed his anxiety, and together with Danielle, the two of them took a few steps back into the hallway. Danielle got onto the Gatling gun, aiming it down the hall, while Alain stood there with his shotgun pulled into his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sable kneel down and bite into the palm of her hand, tearing a strip of flesh off of it. Black blood dripped down her arm, but she paid it no mind, and instead began to scrawl a series of runes into the ground. There was no time to focus on that, however, as just a moment later, an ear-piercing chorus of demonic screeches rang out from down the hall. A second later, and Alain saw the familiar dark-red forms come barreling towards the three of them, weapons at the ready. Danielle didn''t waste any time; she instantly began to work the Gatling gun''s crank, sending a stream of molten-hot lead screaming downrange. The high-caliber rifle rounds impacted against flesh and bone, each one ripping entire chunks away from the demons. Those who weren''t killed outright were instead incinerated by the cleansing flames left behind by the consecrated ammo the gun had been loaded with. In mere seconds, the entire corridor had gone from a simple hallway to an abattoir; blood and gore coated the walls, floor, and ceiling, and yet still, more demons kept coming. Danielle suddenly stopped firing, and Alain turned towards her, only to find her still working the crank, despite the fact that no bullets were coming out. A moment later, she called out. "Reload!" He didn''t waste any time, and neither did she ¨C Sable still had a bag of spare ammo slung around her body, and Alain hurriedly took it from her, then began to reload the Gatling gun. Danielle, meanwhile, continued to pour fire downrange with her lever-action rifle, firing and working the action as fast as her hands would let her. And yet, it wasn''t enough ¨C in those few seconds the Gatling gun had run dry, the approaching demons had started to close the distance, and were now just a few dozen meters away. "You''re back up!" Alain called. "Let ''em have it!" Danielle needed no further confirmation. Again, she started to turn the crank on the gun, sending bullets into the approaching horde once more. Alain joined her this time, firing off blasts from his shotgun, and eventually his revolvers when that one went dry. Between the two of them, scores of demons fell, but to his dismay, even more kept coming. They needed to do something else, and fast. "Sable!" Alain shouted out. "How''s it coming?!" "Slow!" she called back. "Well, hurry up!" "I can''t! You know how delicate this is!" Desperate, Alain tried to think of something he could do to help even the odds. Thankfully, it came to him after just a few seconds of thought. "Sable, take a break for a minute and help Danielle!" he shouted. "What?!" Sable demanded. "Where are you going?!" "To get some help," Alain answered as he reloaded his weapons. "Or maybe some divine intervention." Sable went to question him again, but there was no time for it. Instead, Alain finished reloading everything, then turned and took off running back to the open part of the spire. Hopefully, the priests were still somewhat in fighting shape. Otherwise, they were all dead.
The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 47
Alain stepped back out into the open-air part of the spire, just as Az went flying past him and into a nearby wall, leaving a crater behind as he impacted against it. Alain wasted no time in raising his shotgun and cranking off shots at Leviathan as he approached, but the greater demon simply shrugged off the incoming storm of buckshot pellets like it was nothing. "Out of the way, whelp," Leviathan said, continuing to advance through the wall of lead Alain was putting out with every shot. "I will deal with you in due time, but for now, my fight lies elsewhere." Alain stood his ground, however; when his shotgun eventually ran dry, he slung it and switched to his revolvers, drawing one in each hand and firing off bullets as fast as he could, all in an attempt to serve as enough of a distraction that Az could regain his faculties and get back into the fight. It must have worked a bit too well, as Leviathan suddenly surged forwards and grabbed him by the throat, then hoisted him up into the air, holding him at eye level so the two of them could stare each other up-close. "You are becoming an annoyance," Leviathan insisted. "But if you are so desperate to meet your end, then who am I to deny it to you?" He began to squeeze. Alain gasped and sputtered as he felt the life be choked out of him, his throat constricting as Leviathan began to slowly apply an inhuman amount of pressure to him. It only lasted for a few seconds before Az came sprinting out of the crater in the wall, however, and barreled into Leviathan. His grip on Alain''s throat weakened, and Alain was able to shake himself free. He landed in a heap on the ground, taking in deep gulps of air, but still very much alive and unharmed save for the bruises forming around his neck. Alain turned towards the melee that had just resumed, watching as Az and Leviathan grappled with each other. It started simply enough ¨C two giants pummeling each other with inhuman strength ¨C but after just a few seconds, they both separated, backing up a few paces each to stare each other down. "You continue to hold yourself back, Azazel," Leviathan noted. "Or perhaps you are simply incapable of using your true potential, now that you''ve turned your back on our mistress?" Az shook his head. "I simply do not wish to turn my back on the tinges of humanity I''ve earned by resorting to my baser instincts." Leviathan stared at him, his smug grin fading for a moment, replaced with shock. That, too, gave way after just a second, with anger taking its place instead. Leviathan grit his teeth, a low growl rumbling up from his throat. "You turn your back on her gifts, and for what? To play at being human, whatever that means?" Leviathan shook his head. "She would be so very disappointed in you." "I''ll take that as a compliment," Az retorted. "Why bother with these lesser life forms, anyway? Have you not seen what they''re capable of, in the end? They are no better than demons themselves ¨C dangle the smallest hint of power in front of them and watch as they eat each other alive." Az''s expression narrowed. "Is that why you told them to spread those books around? To corrupt them?" "Of course," Leviathan replied, giving him a toothy grin. "The Veil being lifted was the best thing to have ever happened to the Underworld. Suddenly, all these mere mortals were attempting to make contact with us, trying to grasp our power for themselves. It was all too easy to sow the seeds of mankind''s destruction in their mind ¨C simply promise them a world in which they can rule over the ashes of everyone else, and you would be surprised at how eager they turn on each other¡­ or perhaps not. After all, you are the one who initially taught them war." Leviathan''s grin widened. "In a way, all of this comes back to you, Azazel. For all the suggestions I implanted into their minds, you were the one to teach them how to truly wage war and use it to grasp power for themselves. You are humanity''s original sin made manifest. Tell me, how does it feel, knowing you will be the one responsible for their undoing?"If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Az said nothing, instead continuing to glare at Leviathan. Finally, he let out a small sigh. "...There is nothing I can truly do to atone for the evils I have inflicted upon these people," he stated. "But I must try regardless. The alternative is ending up like you. And I would sooner allow the Supreme Creator himself to pass final judgment on me for all my sins than allow that to happen." Again, Leviathan''s smirk faded, replaced with surprise, and then rage. Slowly, he shook his head. "You always did care too damn much," he said. "And that will be your undoing in the end. We shall see how long your bravado lasts when you are forced to watch your friends burn in the lake of fire for an eternity." Again, Az said nothing, but as Alain watched, he didn''t miss how the greater demon''s demeanor suddenly changed. His shoulders tensed, and his eyes narrowed. Alain took an involuntary step back, unsure of what to expect, but knowing it was likely going to be something big. He was right. Black energy began to swirl around Az, and then around Leviathan. Ear-piercing screams of pain erupted from within the blackness, as it seemed to merge with both men. Alain was forced to cover his ears, gritting his teeth the entire time, the screams too much for him to bear. It only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like hours; time seemed to slow down as it happened, and that was enough for Alain to realize what he was watching. This was the power of the Underworld itself, fueled by the souls of the damned. He''d seen enough. Alain took off running, and not a moment too soon, as both Az and Leviathan charged into each other, both of them now fully rejuvenated with newfound vigor. The two of them clashed, their arms ablaze with black fire; every ensuing hit caused more screams to echo through the spire, forming a macabre symphony of pain and terror fresh from the Underworld. Alain did his best to block it out, instead running for the priests, still crucified at the edge of the spire. By some miracle, they were still alive. Not only that, but they seemed to be in far less pain than Alain would have expected. Their faces were still twisted in grimaces of discomfort, and the occasional agonized groan escaped from them, but all things considered, they didn''t look too bad. Alain approached Father Alex first, stepping up to take a look at his hands and feet. Nails had been driven through them, as expected, but their heads were sticking out just far enough for him to grab hold of them and pull them out. "Father, are you able to fight?" he asked. "We all are," Father Alex confirmed. "This is a fight on behalf of the Lord, Himself. We wouldn''t want to miss it for the world." "Good. Once I get you down, we need to go back up Danielle and Sable. Let Az handle Leviathan for now; we''ve got a plan to get rid of him." Father Alex''s brow furrowed. "To think he was Azazel all along¡­ he always struck me as distinctly odd, and off in some way. Now I see why ¨C the mere act of walking within the confines of the cathedral must have been anathema to him." "Good thing he''s on our side, then," Alain said. "In any case, we''ll worry about that later." He grabbed hold of the nail impaling Father Alex''s feet to the cross, and then as an afterthought, looked up to him. "This will hurt like hell." Father Alex simply nodded, and then Alain began to pull. The nail was covered in blood, and it was driven in deeply, but a few good pulls was all it took to free it. Alain nearly fell back as the nail finally came loose in his hands. Father Alex let out a pained gasp as he felt it be roughly yanked free, but otherwise showed no indication as to how badly it had hurt. With his legs free, Alain moved on to his hands, and pulled the nails out of them as well. Father Alex fell from his cross, landing on one knee before picking himself up. Without a moment wasted, he rushed over to one of the other priests; Alain did the same, heading for the third. The two of them were free within moments, and it took no time at all for them to gather up discarded weapons and ammo from their fallen brothers and sisters, then look to Alain for guidance. Alain opened his mouth to direct them, but a chorus of screeches from down the hallway cut him off before he could. The others, for their part, needed no direction after that, and instead took off running. Alain followed after them, pausing only to spare a glance back at Az. He was just in time to watch him catch a nasty blow to the face that tore off the bottom right half of his jaw. Alain''s eyes widened as Az fell to the ground; he went to shoulder his shotgun and rush in to support his friend, but in that moment, Az simply locked eyes with him, then shook his head. Reluctantly, Alain lowered his weapon, letting out a low growl of discontent as he did so, then followed after the priests and back into the hallway. XXX Alain had only been gone for a minute or two, and yet that was all the time it had taken for Sable and Danielle to be almost completely overrun. Demons had closed to within just a few feet of them, their claws lashing out for flesh, held back only by Danielle''s rapid-firing of her guns and Sable''s sheer speed and aggression. The Gatling gun laid on its side, its barrels smoking, apparently out of ammunition; Danielle was firing and reloading as quickly as she could, while Sable was dashing around, tearing demons apart in close combat with her bare hands. Alain could see she was absolutely covered in wounds, from deep claw marks and bites to stab wounds and bruises. At the sight of it, his face contorted in rage, and he rushed forwards, firing his shotgun into the horde of demons as he went. The priests joined in, and together, the five of them were able to put out a volume of fire similar to the Gatling gun itself. Hot lead screamed downrange, tearing into demons like a knife through butter. It was just the amount of breathing room Sable needed, as she hurriedly doubled back and made a beeline straight for Alain. He offered zero resistance as she latched onto his neck and began to drink deeply, her wounds closing as she did so, though to his surprise, she took more than she usually did; by the time she pulled away, he was lightheaded and could feel a headache coming on. "Sorry," she offered. "Needed more for the ritual." Alain did his best to shake himself out of his stupor, and only partially succeeded at it; his head was still spinning even as he spoke. "How much longer?" "Not long. Just need to-" At that moment, there was a loud crash behind them. Alain whipped around, and was stunned to see Leviathan standing there, leering over a downed Az, who while still covered in demonic energy, was clearly worse for wear. Aside from the missing portion of his jaw, he was riddled with deep gouges and bruises, the upper part of his suit was completely missing, and his left arm had been nearly completely torn off, left hanging by mere sinews. A low, pained groan erupted from his lips, and Alain could only stare at him in shock. They were out of time. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 48
Leviathan gave a wicked-looking grin as he stared down at Az''s battered and broken body. "How shameful, Azazel," Leviathan all but taunted. "Your empathy for the humans has made you as weak and pitiful as Lady Lilith has always claimed you to be. I hope your time spent among them was worth it, because the age of man draws to a close, here and now." Leviathan took a step forward, and Alain cast a glance over at Sable. She was in the process of tearing another strip of flesh away from her palm, trying desperately to complete the ritual''s rune before it was too late. Unfortunately for them, they didn''t have enough time. Not unless one of them did something desperate. As Danielle continued to lay down fire on the approaching horde of demons from her position at the front of the walkway, Alain sucked in a breath, then shouldered his Winchester and prepared to start firing at Leviathan once more. He never got the chance to, as the three priests beat him to the punch. They all leaped into the fray as one, their guns having been discarded entirely, replaced instead with cross-shaped daggers. One of them jumped onto Leviathan''s back and began to stab him, over and over again, while the other two continued to dart around him, going in for additional slashes and stabs wherever he looked even remotely vulnerable. Leviathan reeled from the blows at first, but as Alain watched, the wounds the priests had opened across his body began to smolder, and before long, they had erupted into blue fire. Leviathan howled in agony, even as he summoned more of the Underworld''s magic to try and counteract the effects of the holy fire. Black energy swirled around him, and the priests hurriedly separated, putting distance between themselves and him; a few seconds later, an explosion of darkness tore through the area around Leviathan, carving a deep gouge into the spire''s floor, but thankfully not hitting anyone. Leviathan rounded on the priests, his eyes narrowing as he snarled at them. "Filthy humans," he spat. "You use your faith as a weapon, and think it will be enough to save you in the end?" "You make the same mistake as the rest of your followers, Leviathan," Father Alex retorted. "We fight not to be saved, but because by the grace of the Lord, we are already saved. Our devotion and love for Him overpowers your seething, blind hatred of Him. And if we shall fall here, we do it knowing that our final breaths were spent not only defending His legacy, but protecting His children as well." Alain locked eyes with Father Alex, who gave him a small nod. Alain blinked, then winced, lowering his shotgun and turning back towards Sable. She was still hard at work on the rune, though from what he could tell, it was already close to completion, if the nearly-closed circle encompassing the unidentifiable symbols in its center was any indication. With one final glance over at Father Alex and the other two priests, Alain rushed over to Sable. "How''s it-" That was as far as he got before Sable latched onto his neck again, and also before there was another explosion of dark magic from nearby. As Sable drank, Alain could only watch what happened between Father Alex and Leviathan. "Your Lord lies!" Leviathan roared, rushing after Father Alex and the other two. "He always has! Why else would we have been banished from his kingdom, after an eternity of service?! He promises salvation, and instead, we are left behind, as are the rest of you!" "You and the rest of the demons down in the Underworld refused to see the gifts He had given you, and were rightfully punished for your greed and lust for power," Father Alex retorted, as he narrowly rolled out of the way of Leviathan''s attack. Upon landing, he drew a revolver from inside the belt underneath his vestments where he''d stowed it earlier, then cranked off all six rounds from it as quickly as he could; the bullets made impact, and Leviathan rounded on him once more, his eyes ablaze with fire, though Father Alex showed no reaction to it. Leviathan let out another fierce roar, then conjured more energy in his hands. A split-second later, he directed it towards one of the other priests, who hadn''t seen it coming and wasn''t fast enough to evade it. He was immediately swallowed up by the darkness, with only his muffled screams to indicate he was still alive underneath it all, though even those faded after just a few seconds, when the mass of damned souls surrounding him suddenly dissipated, leaving only a pile of his desiccated bones behind. At the sight of it, Father Alex grimaced, while Leviathan barked out a laugh. "Tell me, priest, where do you think his soul has gone?" Leviathan asked. "Do you have any idea?" "I know only that my Lord will grant His mercy as He sees fit," Father Alex replied. "And I can think of no one more deserving of His mercy than a man who would willingly give his life fighting against someone like you." At that, Leviathan''s smug look faded, replaced with one of sheer rage. He suddenly conjured yet more energy in his hands, then launched himself towards Father Alex. In that moment, Sable pulled herself off Alain''s neck, then with her newfound rejuvenation, hurriedly tore open her palm once more and added one final flourish to the rune before shoving Alain backwards and away from it, then pressing her bloodied hand down on the rune''s center.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. The rune suddenly sprang to life, red light spilling out from its middle, illuminating the entire floor of the spire. Alain was forced to shield his eyes from its brilliance, but only for a moment before the light dissipated, leaving an image behind in its place. The vision defied explanation ¨C all Alain could see was a sea of boiling blood, and dark-red clouds over a crimson horizon. Countless people floundered in the ocean of burning sanguine, their flesh having long been stripped away by the sheer heat of it all; their mouths were open, their faces contorted in pain as they screamed in unimaginable torment for salvation that would never come. This was the Underworld, Alain realized ¨C a small snapshot of hell itself. This was what Leviathan had been planning to turn Earth into. And now, it was where they were going to have to return him to. The sudden flash of light, coupled with the appearance of his prison, had taken Leviathan off-guard, giving Father Alex just enough time to scramble away before he made impact. Leviathan''s hands, still coated in the dark magic of the Underworld, met nothing but the floor of the spire, where they proceeded to burn part of it away in a flash. Leviathan whipped around to face the two of them, surprise crossing his face. "You¡­!" he growled. "What are you doing?!" "Sending you straight back to hell," Alain said, readying his shotgun while Sable fell in alongside him. "Such insolence¡­! Very well; if you cannot wait for me to spread hell to you here, on the mortal plane, then I suppose I will simply have to drag you all back to it mys-" A gunshot suddenly rang out, and a bullet struck Leviathan directly between the eyes. Alain looked behind himself and found Danielle standing there, her shoulders heaving with exertion and the barrel of her rifle smoking. The incoming horde of demons had thinned out, leaving just a few stragglers behind; as Alain watched, they all stared at Leviathan with wide, fearful eyes, then turned and ran the opposite direction. Alain wasn''t sure what to make of that, but he knew one thing ¨C Leviathan''s forces had just turned tail and run, and that meant they all had a chance, however small, of ending things now. Black energy again began to mass around Leviathan, and Alain tensed, pulling his weapon''s stock into his shoulder as Danielle worked her rifle''s lever-action, chambering a round. But before anyone could make a move, Az suddenly reached out from his spot on the ground and grabbed hold of Leviathan''s leg. Souls massed around him, and Leviathan didn''t have a chance to try and get away before Az released them in a massive explosion. Alain shielded his face from the blast, as did the others, but he was unable to protect his ears from the sheer cacophony of screams that met them when both greater demons called upon the Underworld''s powers at the same time. He grit his teeth and bore it, even as his ears screamed for mercy and his head pounded, though he only had a moment to focus on things before the black souls that had coalesced in this part of the spire began to dissipate, revealing what had happened. Az''s final effort had managed to disrupt whatever Leviathan had been trying to do. Both demons were now lying in a heap once more, with Leviathan''s leg hanging on by mere threads, and Az reduced to a nearly-unrecognizable pile of flesh and bones. Alain''s heart pounded in his chest, and for a moment, he honestly thought it was all over. But then, Leviathan began to stir. He didn''t waste any time, and neither did Danielle. Both of them began to pour shots into him, joined shortly thereafter by the two priests. Their bullets went screaming across the room, impacting against Leviathan''s body, tearing chunks away from him and leaving cleansing flames wherever they hit, but it still wasn''t enough. Leviathan rose to his feet, and despite favoring one leg heavily over the other, began to march forwards towards Alain once again. "You all¡­ have become an annoyance¡­" Leviathan managed to get out. He raised a hand, pointing it at the three of them, and was no doubt about to launch yet more energy towards them when Father Alex suddenly surged forwards, cross-shaped dagger in hand. He put his entire weight behind the incoming stab, sinking the blade down to its hilt into Leviathan''s ribs. The sheer force of the blow, coupled with Leviathan''s bad leg, left the demon on unsteady footing, and he was pushed backwards towards the newly-formed image in the middle of Sable''s rune. Sable, meanwhile, saw her chance. She rushed forwards to help Father Alex, and the two of them began to push even more, all while Danielle and the other priest continued to pour fire downrange into Leviathan''s body. And yet, it still wasn''t enough. Leviathan was being pushed towards the portal, but not nearly quickly enough. And even now, Alain could see him massing more souls for yet another eruption of dark power. That was when he remembered it ¨C the wind rune in his pocket that Sable had given him a number of days ago. Alain''s eyes widened, and it only took him a moment of consideration before realizing what he needed to do. He tossed his shotgun aside, tearing the piece of paper with the rune on it from his pocket as he rushed forwards. "Sable, Alex, move!" he called out. Sable didn''t need to be told twice. She hurriedly disengaged right as Alain was about to make impact, putting enough distance between Leviathan and herself that she was clear of any danger. Father Alex, however, was unable to do so in time; Alain could only watch in horror as he continued to grapple with Leviathan, even as Alain slammed the paper into Leviathan''s torso, then poured all his energy into activating the rune. The effect was immediate. Leviathan went flying backwards, directly over Sable''s rune, which seemed to grab hold of him, pausing his momentum in midair. Leviathan roared in frustration, thrashing as he tried to free himself, even massing yet more souls for one final attack, but it was no use ¨C whatever otherworldly force had a hold on him was refusing to let go. And as they all watched, Leviathan began to slowly sink down into the Underworld. Unfortunately, so did Father Alex, who was still locked in his grasp. All three of them rushed forwards to try and save them, only for the priest to call out to them. "Stop!" Father Alex commanded, causing them all to freeze. "Leave me." Alain was taken aback. "Father, we can''t-" "You can, and you will. Someone needs to make sure he can''t get out¡­ and besides, I think it''s time a small part of the Lord''s judgment came to pay the Underworld itself a visit." Alain stared at the old priest in shock for a moment before giving him a solemn nod. "Godspeed, Father." Father Alex simply gave him a stoic nod in return, and then stopped struggling, allowing himself to be dragged down into hell along with Leviathan. In that moment, a bright light appeared in the center of his chest; Alain had no chance to question what it was, as it soon began to emanate outwards, surrounding Father Alex with a heavenly glow. In a matter of seconds, he was gone, and the portal that had swallowed the two of them up closed, leaving nothing behind it, not even Sable''s rune. Alain breathed a sigh of relief before doubling over, gasping for breath. His relief was short-lived, however, as a chorus of gunshots suddenly seemed to fill the entire city. Alain tensed, looking around for his discarded shotgun, but before he could reach for it, he heard footsteps come pounding down the nearby hallway. They all turned to face the source of the noise, and Alain''s eyes widened when he saw who had been causing it. "Smith!" Colonel Stone shouted as he came bounding down the hallway, flanked by a squad of men carrying long guns. "What the hell did you idiots do?!" The Vampires Apprentice - Book 2, Chapter 49 (Book 2 Finale)
Alain could only stare in shock for a moment as the Colonel marched down the hall towards them, sheer rage plastered across his face. Alain cleared his throat right when Stone reached them, then stretched his arms out, motioning to the scene around them. "Colonel, we''re prepared to explain everything," he offered. "I would hope so!" Colonel Stone replied. "There''s a gateway to hell open in the middle of downtown San Antonio!" "And it would have been worse than a mere gateway, had it not been for our intervention," Sable pointed out, her eyes narrowing. "A greater demon was summoned here. We only just narrowly imprisoned him back in hell once more." Stone gave her an incredulous look. "What''s stopping him from simply clawing his way out through the giant gaping opening directly to his domain down below?" "We sealed him using a binding ritual. He isn''t going to be able to free himself any time soon." Danielle''s face darkened at that. "And it only cost the soul of my father." "Your father was already dead the moment his body was possessed by Leviathan," the sole remaining priest offered. "What you did was a mercy more than anything. His soul is with the Lord now." Colonel Stone gave the priest an incredulous look. "And who are you supposed to be?" "Father Michaelson," the priest replied. "Sole surviving clergy member of the entire city, it would seem." "Hm." Colonel Stone seemed to think of something, and turned to Alain in surprise. "Where''s the big guy?" "Az gave his life to help send Leviathan back to hell," Alain stated. "Did he, now? Shame; a good man like that is hard to find." "He isn''t technically dead," Alain hurriedly added. "We can get him back." Stone stared at him. "...What are you implying, Smith?" Alain let out a heavy sigh. "Az is a greater demon, himself. You might know him by his true name ¨C Azazel. He turned his back on the other demons and denizens of hell after being charmed by humanity. Despite his demonic nature, he''s a staunch ally of ours." "We can summon him back," Sable insisted. "All it will take is another ritual using his corpse." To Alain''s surprise, Colonel Stone nodded. "Very well. Do it." "Just like that?" Alain questioned. "You''re not worried about him being a greater demon?" "At this point, I will take any staunch allies I can get, be they benevolent demons or not; the fact we work well together is just a bonus," Colonel Stone growled. "Call him back as soon as you can." Sable and Alain exchanged a glance, but after a moment, Sable made her way over to Az''s remains, then began to cast the ritual again. A few minutes later, and demonic energy once more massed around Az''s body before dissipating outwards in an explosion of black magic. When it cleared, Az was standing there again, a relieved look on his face. "Glad to see you all-" That was as far as he got before Sable surged forwards and wrapped her arms around him. Az paused, then cleared his throat. "My lady, this kind of physical contact is highly inappropriate-" "Shut up," she said. "I''m glad you''re back." "And I am glad you all prevailed." An uncharacteristic grin crossed Az''s face. "Leviathan''s scream of rage echoed throughout the entire underworld when he realized he''d been sealed once more. It was music to my ears." "I''ll bet, big man," Alain said, stepping over to Az and offering him a hand. The two shook just as Sable pulled away from him. "Bit of advice, though ¨C next time, I''d prefer it if you warned us before blowing yourself up like that." "Duly noted," Az said. He turned towards the squad of soldiers who''d appeared. "Nice of you to join us again, Colonel." "Yeah, if only it were under better circumstances," Colonel Stone lamented. "You seem to be the one who''d be the most knowledgeable about whatever the hell is going on with this city right now. How do we close the opening to hell?" A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. At that, Az''s grin faded. Slowly, he shook his head. "I do not know, Colonel. The ritual was nearing completion; I am not sure it is possible to close that particular portal anymore. Though, if I may make a suggestion¡­ the Church may be able to help. I would be surprised if they were not able to." "And which Church would that be?" "The oldest one there is." At that, Father Michaelson stepped forwards. "I have direct contact with the Vatican," he insisted. "I can get as many clergy members down here as we need. This is obviously a crisis; they wouldn''t hesitate. I''d wager that I could get everyone except the Pope himself down here once I communicated exactly how bad this is¡­ as well as the sacrifices our brothers and sisters made to keep things from getting any worse." Colonel Stone nodded. "Go, then. We have an outpost set up outside town, complete with a telephone; my men will walk you through how to use it, should you need instruction on it. We will get that message delivered as soon as possible." Father Michaelson nodded, then followed after several of Colonel Stone''s men as they began to lead him through the spire. Alain watched them go before turning back to the Colonel. "What''s it like out there?" he asked. "I can only assume that with the doors to the Underworld open, there''s still plenty of fighting to do." "Oh, yes," the Colonel replied. "Even now, more demons continue to claw their way up into our world. My men have cordoned the area off and are repelling them as they come, but there is no telling whether things will get worse or not. We need a way of closing it for good; hopefully, Rome can come through for us." "If it is any consolation," Az interjected, "the gates to the Underworld, while opened, have not been fully demolished. You will see lesser demons continue to come through until this has been resolved, but the true horrors remain dormant for now. That being said, you will have to cordon off more than just that one area." "What do you mean?" "I mean that this entire city is going to become a hotspot for cult activity in very short order," Az warned. "They all want the same thing, and will stop at nothing to get it. You are going to need to contain it if you want to keep things from getting worse." Colonel Stone''s eyes widened. "You want me to blockade the entire city?" "Indeed. It is a drastic measure, I know, but it is also the only way to be sure at the moment. The safest way to keep things from worsening is to ensure that nobody gets in until the problem has been dealt with." Colonel Stone blinked, then nodded. "I''ll make the call. Until then, I''ll need all of you to follow me back to the outpost we''ve got outside of town." "Why is that?" Sable asked. "Because you all look like shit, and I can tell you''ll be no good in a fight. Plus, I''m going to want a full debrief as well." Alain let out a tired sigh. "Of course¡­" "Smith, there is a portal to hell open right in the middle of one of America''s cities," the Colonel pointed out. "I want to know everything that led up to it, so I know what to tell Congress when they inevitably come asking about it." A chorus of roars suddenly echoed through the city, followed immediately after by a round of gunfire. It was weaker and more muted than it had been at the apex of the gates to the Underworld opening. Moreover, Alain couldn''t help but notice that the skies had stopped weeping blood by now; it was still overcast, but the clouds had begun to dissipate and the moon had started to peek through some of the cloud coverage. Slowly, Alain turned back towards Colonel Stone, then nodded. "Lead the way, Colonel. Let''s get the hell out of this city, already." XXX Thankfully, the Colonel had done a very good job of securing the city, apparently ¨C they weren''t impeded by any demons as they moved through town, eventually making it back to the outskirts. That didn''t mean their journey was an easy one, however ¨C dead bodies continued to line the blood-soaked streets, and by now, many of them had started to putrefy. It wasn''t quite as bad as facing the undead, but it still wasn''t pleasant. They also passed by a convoy of people on their way out of the city, as well. Most of them were soaked in blood, as were their belongings; many of them were on-foot rather than in a wagon or on horseback, no doubt because they hadn''t been able to get to their horses before the demons had arrived. As they passed, Alain saw tears in the eyes of many of them, as they''d been forced to abandon their homes. He didn''t doubt that most of them had lost somebody in the attack, either. "Jesus¡­" Alain muttered as he passed by a large crowd of people. He could see many unaccompanied small children traveling alone, looking incredibly lost and confused; no doubt they''d lost their parents in the attack and simply didn''t know what to do anymore. "They''ll be taken care of," Colonel Stone insisted. "The government will do everything in its power to ensure they get the care they need, same as with the refugees from New Orleans." "I hope you''re right¡­" Alain could only mutter. Eventually, Colonel Stone led them back to an area that was full of soldiers. Alain could help but let out a low whistle at what he saw. "Looks like they''ve given you a bit more to work with," he noted, trying to count out the groups of men he was able to see. He stopped once he''d made it past a dozen different squads. "I guess you could say New Orleans put the fear of God into Congress," Stone answered. "They''ve had me out mobilizing additional regiments ever since. We''ve grown a lot since then, though obviously, not under the circumstances I''d have wanted." "Of course." The Colonel stopped just outside of a large tent, then turned to them. "Wait here," he said. "I need to contact DC. I''ll come speak with you once I''ve learned more; hopefully, it won''t be too long." With that, he disappeared into the tent. Alain let out a sigh, then took a seat on a nearby box full of ammo, burying his head in his hands as he yawned, his exhaustion seeming to hit him all at once. "So what now?" Danielle asked. "Good question," Alain said as he peeled his hands away from his face. "Truthfully? I don''t know." Danielle bit her lip. "I suppose I owe you all some money." Alain waved her off. "Keep it. We didn''t complete the job properly." "You did your best-" "And it wasn''t good enough." Alain turned to look at her. "Keep your money, Danielle. Or, if you feel like you need to use it for something, maybe go give some of it away to the refugees, particularly the kids. Something tells me they''ll need it more than we will." Danielle blinked, but then gave him a nod. "...You''re a good man," she noted. "All of you¡­ I appreciate everything you did for me, even if we couldn''t bring my father home in the end." She turned towards Az, a look of deep shame crossing over her face. "Sorry for-" "It''s okay," Az insisted. "Do not beat yourself up over it, alright? I''m still here, and the threat was stopped. There is no sense in reliving your mistakes like that¡­ but, that being said, do not ever do it again." Danielle blinked again, then nodded in understanding. "Right¡­" She let out an exhale. "I don''t know what I''m going to do now¡­" "Neither do we," Alain stated. "Something tells me things have just escalated, however. We got let off the hook pretty easily back in New Orleans; I doubt we''ll get that lucky here." Silence fell over the group after that, at least until Az cleared his throat. "So, Alain," he said, "you are Sable''s apprentice." Alain paled, then looked over towards Sable. To his surprise, she simply nodded. "He is," she confirmed. "I apologize for keeping it a secret. I did not want to offend you by implying that you were unworthy-" "You have nothing to apologize for, my lady. Your choice in apprentice is yours and yours alone. And besides, I would not make for a particularly good one." Az glanced over at Alain. "And to further make my point, I struggle to think of someone who can better fill the role than Alain." Alain stared at him in shock for a moment before clearing his throat. "Well, I appreciate that-" At that moment, the flap to the Colonel''s tent came flying open, and Stone marched out. Alain instantly stood up when he saw him. "Colonel," Alain greeted. "That was quick." "Yes, it was," came the reply. "And not in a good way." "What do you mean?" "I mean that they didn''t want to hear about it from me. I offered to get a debrief and present it to them, but they refused. No, they want to hear from all of you in-person. It makes sense, much as I hate to admit it ¨C you three were at both New Orleans and San Antonio; it makes sense that they would want to get the information right from the source." Alain''s eyes widened. "Are you telling me what I think you are?" "I am, indeed," Colonel Stone confirmed with a nod. "You''re going to Washington, Mister Smith." The Vampires Apprentice - Book 3, Chapter 1
All around him, the city burned. Alain could only watch as the flames engulfed everything, consuming buildings and flesh alike. Men, women, and children screamed as the sea of fire washed over them, burning their flesh down to bone, and then their bones down to ash, the entire time spewing acrid inky-black smoke into the sky. Alain took a step back, his heart hammering in his chest as one hand fell to his hip, reaching for his revolver. His hand curled around the grip, and he went to pull it free of its leather housing before a small voice interrupted, just barely audible over the crackling of the fire and the screams of the injured and dying. "Alain¡­" His eyes went even wider, and he froze the moment the strained voice reached his ears. A moment later, he turned, yanking his Colt out of its holster as he did so. But there was no enemy standing before him; rather, it was Sable, impaled to the ground with a large wooden stake through her chest. She grimaced in agony, trying vainly to lift her head. She opened her mouth once more, black blood pouring from it, and said only two words to him. "They''re¡­ coming¡­" And then her body seized one final time, and she laid still. Alain stared at her body for a moment, shocked beyond the point of being able to even move, before rushing to her side and trying to rouse her. "Sable!" he called, tears stinging at his eyes. "Sable, please!" But she remained silent as the grave, her eyes blankly staring up at the smoke-filled sky, one final expression of pain forever etched across her porcelain skin. Alain grimaced, grinding his teeth as he forced himself to stand up. His other friends were nowhere to be found, but if Sable hadn''t managed to survive, then he doubted any of the others would have managed it, either. Then, from within the smoke and the flames, he heard it ¨C the galloping of hooves colliding against the cobblestone streets of the city. Alain braced himself, leveling his revolver towards the first one that came erupting out of the blackness as he thumbed the hammer back. It was a demon of some kind, that much he was sure of, but he couldn''t tell exactly which kind; all he knew was that it was humanoid in appearance. It was covered in blackened iron armor, stained red with the blood of the countless innocents it had already killed, as was the midnight-black sword held in its hand. Its mount ¨C a skeletal horse, held together by some kind of dark magic ¨C turned towards Alain and fixed him with a glare, its empty eye sockets blazing with hatred. Alain let out a feral yell as he pulled the trigger, his sights centered directly on the demonic rider''s head. A dull click echoed through the streets. Alain looked down to his gun in surprise, only to find that the cylinders were full of fired casings. Frantically, he opened the loading gate on his weapon and tried to push the rounds out to reload, but it was too late; the rider began to advance towards him, his sword glinting from the nearby firelight as he raised it high in the sky. "Alain." Time seemed to move in slow motion as Alain watched the blade come down. The sword inched towards him, the wicked-looking edge aimed directly for his throat. "Alain." His life flashed before his eyes. He saw everything, as far back as he could remember ¨C his childhood, working on the farm with his parents¡­ the fire that had changed everything in his life by taking his parents away. He saw his first meeting with Sable and Az, as well as their journey together. It passed by in a split-second, and somehow, in that moment, it all seemed so insignificant. This was the way the world was going to end, he realized ¨C with his head rolling across the city streets as an army of demons spread forth from the Underworld. It had all been for nothing, after all. "Alain!" XXX Someone shook him, and coupled with the sound of his name being called, that was enough to rouse Alain from his slumber. He catapulted awake, sucking in deep breaths of air in a futile attempt to calm his pounding heart. His eyes darted around, like an animal caught in a trap; it took him a moment to realize they were still on the train. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. It had only been a few hours since the gates to the Underworld had opened right in the middle of San Antonio. Colonel Stone had ushered them all onto a train to Washington DC, and after a moment to address his men, had joined them along with a small contingent of soldiers. It was of little reassurance, however; the Underworld was being contained, but nobody was under any illusions that the situation was completely under control. And now it was time to answer for it all. To that end, the four of them ¨C Alain himself, Sable, Az, and Danielle ¨C had all been summoned to appear before Congress. It was almost funny ¨C part of him had always wanted to see the nation''s capitol back when he was a boy, and now that he was actually going there, he was dreading it. Not that it was difficult to understand why, of course. Someone gently nudged him on the shoulder, and Alain blinked before turning to his left. Sable was seated there, all but pushed up against him due to how tight the train car was, and she was giving him a concerned look. Alain, for his part, hurriedly averted his gaze, grunting as he did so. "How long was I out?" he asked. "A few hours," Sable reported. "We''re nearly there. Shouldn''t be more than an hour by now." "Hm¡­" Sable hesitated. "...You were dreaming," she said. "It didn''t sound good." "It wasn''t," Alain told her. He let out a wide yawn. "Then again, I doubt I''m the only one." "Contrary to belief¡­?" Az gruffly said. "You''re the only one of us who''s slept at all so far." Alain blinked, taken by surprise at his statement. Sable and Az weren''t a surprise in that regard, but Danielle certainly was. He turned towards her; she was utterly exhausted, he could tell, with dark rings under her eyes, to say nothing of the fact that she was still covered in demon blood, small cuts and bruises, and had a small trickle of blood leaking out of her ears. "Don''t," she warned him. "I wasn''t going to say anything," he explained. "Good, because I''m not sleeping right now," she stated. "Tired as I am, I''d rather not see what''s waiting for me on the other side." Alain scowled, but he couldn''t fault her logic, not when he''d just fallen victim to his own mind. At least, he was hoping it was just a dream more than anything. He''d never had a premonition before, but with the state of the world now, he wouldn''t have been surprised to begin experiencing those as well. With shaking hands, Alain reached into his pocket for a pack of cigarettes and his book of matches. He lit one up and took a drag from the cigarette, savoring the smoke as it entered his lungs. Next to him, Sable''s brow furrowed, but she said nothing. He knew she hated it when he smoked ¨C apparently, whatever chemicals were inside the cigarettes made his blood taste foul for some time afterwards. Normally, he''d indulge her and try to quit, but not now. Not when he''d just seen her die, and the world end. Alain went to take another drag from his smoke, only for a sudden crack outside to take him by surprise. He jumped a bit, fumbling to keep hold of the cigarette held in his fingers, and only just barely managed to avoid dropping it as his other hand reached for his holstered revolver. He didn''t get a chance to clear leather before a chorus of shouting erupted from a nearby train car, followed shortly thereafter by a long burst from what had to be a Gatling gun. Alain winced as the ear-piercing sound rattled his already-pounding head, though he didn''t take his hand off the grip of his pistol, an act which didn''t go unnoticed by Az. "Relax," the greater demon told him. "Stone''s men have it handled." "I''m sure they do," Alain replied. "But I''m not taking any chances. Not after what we''ve just been through." "And I understand your misgivings, but there is little you can do to assist." "What was that, anyway? Someone taking potshots at the train?" Sable shrugged. "Probably cultists. I imagine they''ve all been quite emboldened by the recent events in San Antonio." Alain let out a breath. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Probably¡­" He shook his head. "Do we have a final death toll yet?" "Alain-" "I know, I know. But it''s bothering me. I want to be sure of exactly how many people we lost." "It''s not good for you to dwell on such things." "I''m aware." He placed the cigarette back between his lips, then let out a sigh, running a hand through his unkempt hair. "...I just¡­ I don''t know, Sable. It''s bothering me." She pursed her lips, then shook her head. "There''s nothing final yet. There likely won''t be for some time. I imagine tallying up the dead is probably very low on the list of priorities compared to keeping the disaster contained. But if I had to imagine¡­ this has to have dwarfed New Orleans by an order of magnitude." "What does that mean?'' "It means this is the single largest Underworld incursion since thousands of years before Jericho fell," Az interjected. "You would have to travel back to before the advent of written language to find something similar to this." Alain paused, then turned to him in surprise. "...That bad?" Az nodded solemnly. "Quite frankly, the only reason this was stopped was because your weapons have improved to the point where the Underworld does not yet have a suitable answer for them¡­ and, moreover, because several brave men sacrificed their lives, if not their very souls, to return Leviathan to his prison." Alain fell silent at that information. Slowly, he took one final drag, reducing his cigarette down to little more than a stub, which he then threw onto the floor of the train car and ground beneath the heel of his boot. "You might hate me for saying this, but I guess you''re proud of us," Alain said softly. "Humanity as a whole, I mean, because we have weapons that hell itself isn''t prepared for." "Quite frankly, I wish there had never been a need for them," Az lamented. "I wish I had never spread the knowledge of how to make war among your people. But you know this already." "Yeah, I do. For what little it may be worth, it means a lot that you''ve turned your back on your former masters." Az said nothing, instead crossing his arms. Alain let out a tired sigh, then reached for another cigarette, only for Sable to clamp her hand around his wrist. Her superhuman strength making him wince briefly. "Please don''t," she said. Alain stared at her for a moment. "Hate to say it, but it''s either the cigarette or the bottle, and I don''t see any liquor around here. Probably a good thing, too ¨C I''d be unrecognizable by this point if I''d had access to a bottle of whiskey after waking up." Sable grimaced, but didn''t let go of his hand. Alain considered glaring at her, only to think better of it. Reluctantly, he let out a sigh, then pulled his hand out of his pocket. The rest of the train ride continued on in complete silence. It lasted another hour or so before the train finally came to a screeching halt at the station. It was a small mercy when it eventually did, though that was soon tempered by Colonel Stone appearing in the hallway next to their train compartment. "You four all set?" he asked. Alain was surprised. "You want us to go now?'' "Unfortunately, time is not on our side. Congress wants a debrief, and they want it yesterday, to say the least." Stone motioned with his head for them to follow after him. "Come with me. My men and I will escort you there." None of them bothered to ask whether or not an escort was truly necessary. Stone turned and began to walk off, and they all followed after him. Alain wasn''t sure what was about to happen, but he knew one thing. There was going to be hell to pay. That much, he was sure of. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 3, Chapter 2
Alain was prepared for any kind of danger that would have come to meet them, at least in the mental sense. They''d faced down the denizens of hell itself already; compared to that, there wasn''t much that could surprise him or leave him feeling rattled. He''d been fully aware that they''d be persons of interest upon arriving in Washington DC, and on some level, had taken care to brace himself for what was coming. Absolutely nothing could have prepared him for the absolute media onslaught that awaited them all the moment they stepped off the train, however. Colonel Stone threw open the doors for them, and in that instant, what had to have been dozens of cameras went off all around them. Alain blinked, surprised by the sudden onset of so much attention, and it only got worse when the reporters all around them began to bombard them all with a series of questions so intense that Alain couldn''t even make out one sentence from another, the words blending together into some kind of verbal soup that hung in the air and enveloped the four of them like a wet blanket. Colonel Stone, for his part, looked downright apocalyptic as he took in the scene before him. "Away, all of you!" he shouted, waving his hands as he did so. "Get out now or I''ll have you all arrested for interfering in official military business!" A few of the reporters took some wary steps back, but the remainder stood their ground, this time turning their ire and attention towards Colonel Stone. Some of them began to shout something about the First Amendment, but Colonel Stone wasn''t having it; he scowled, then looked inside the train and motioned to several of his men who were standing guard. "Get out there and break up this mob," he growled. "Arrest anyone who doesn''t immediately leave." The soldiers exchanged a worried glance with each other. "...Sir, we have no grounds to-'' "Did I stutter, Private?" Stone demanded. "I don''t care if you can only put them on a brief hold, I want them dealt with now. Do you understand?" The men swallowed nervously, then pushed out past Alain and his friends and waded into the crowd, along with several other soldiers from the other train cars. As Alain watched, the Colonel''s men began to engage the small army of reporters, wrestling them to the ground and taking them into custody. Cameras fell to the floor of the train station, where they shattered into pieces, all while the media continued to swarm, now taking pictures of the soldiers who were arresting their cohorts. At the very least, that gave Alain and his friends an opportunity to get away. Colonel Stone motioned for them to follow him, and led them through the train station while the reporters were distracted. "Where are we going, Colonel?" Danielle asked. "I''ve got transportation lined up already," he informed her without looking back. "Nothing, just a carriage for the five of us, but hopefully it''s nondescript enough that we''ll be able to make it to the Capitol Building without the media finding us." "And what of Father Michaelson?" Az questioned. "I take it he will be questioned as well?'' Colonel Stone nodded. "He will be, yes. But first he had to go speak with the Archdiocese of DC about what happened. Normally, I would have ordered him to testify before Congress first, but something tells me we''re going to want to keep the Catholic Church happy at this point." Az nodded in understanding. "Makes sense. Now, shall we go before the media vultures begin to congregate?" "Or something worse¡­" Alain muttered. Sable gave him a sideways glance, but otherwise didn''t say anything as Colonel Stone continued to guide them through the station. Alain couldn''t help but notice that for a large train station in the heart of Washington DC, it was pretty empty; there was the occasional traveler or maintenance worker milling about, but nothing like what he would expect to see in a city such as this. "I take it the place being empty is your doing?" he asked the Colonel. Stone nodded. "It is. I had the station all but shut down before we set off. There are still a few travelers arriving here that I wasn''t able to completely ward off, but nothing like it usually is. Figured you''d all appreciate the peace and quiet." "You figured right¡­" Alain said quietly. Sable, meanwhile, stepped up to walk alongside the Colonel. "So, what is the nature of this questioning?" she demanded. "I understand that the people who make up this Congress are your leaders." "Part of them, yes," Stone confirmed. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "What does that mean?" "Each state gets two senators, plus representatives proportional to their population. They make up a single branch of government. We also have the President, who leads the country, plus an entire system of courts dedicated to administering the law. Together, they make up the other two branches." Sable''s brow furrowed. "And we will not be meeting this President?" Colonel Stone shook his head. "No. I imagine he''s probably hard at work, trying to keep the disaster in San Antonio contained. You might speak to him later, but not right now. For now, you''ll be facing Congress, specifically the Senate." "And is there anything we need to know about them?" At that moment, they emerged from the train station and out onto the streets. Apparently, Stone''s request to clear the station also extended to the nearby roads, because there were very few pedestrians nearby, and whichever ones there were all took off running the moment they saw Az and Sable walking out of the station. Stone didn''t pay them any mind, however, instead motioning towards a carriage parked across the street. "There," he said. "Get in, all of you." The four of them obliged, hurriedly crossing the street and climbing into the carriage before the Colonel joined them. Then, with a snap of the reins, the carriage was off, carrying them through the city. "The Capitol Building isn''t far," Stone told them. "I''ll have you there in no time." "Wait, wait," Alain said. "This¡­ this is happening pretty fast, Colonel. We don''t get any time to prepare?" "You had all the time I could give you during the train ride over here," came the response as the Colonel crossed his arms. "Don''t tell me you did nothing but sleep the entire time." Alain hesitated. "...Not the entire time, but-" Colonel Stone let out a heavy sigh, then pinched the bridge of his nose. Across from him, Sable bristled. "None of us have ever stood before world leaders like this," she pointed out. "Not even myself. The closest I have come to these kinds of men of power was dealing with other royal families back in Romania." "For what little it may be worth, I have dealt with something similar," Az volunteered. "And my father was a senator," Danielle said. Quietly, she added, "Before his possession and passing, at least¡­" "Well, at least you all have some experience dealing with this sort of thing," Stone grunted. "That''s more than I can say for Smith." "Is such experience truly necessary?" Sable questioned. "In a situation like this? Yes. Not only yes, but hell yes," Stone bluntly replied. "You don''t seem to understand ¨C Congress can absolutely make your lives a living hell if they so desire, and I don''t mean with simple imprisonment. They have the unique ability to bring down the full might of the United States government on you and your loved ones." "Forgive me if I''m not intimidated after we just stared down the legions of hell," Alain interjected. Colonel Stone gave him a pointed glance, but didn''t rebuke him, instead turning back towards Sable. "Safe to say, but it''s in your best interest to tell them the entire truth. Don''t leave anything out, and don''t try to dodge their questions. They''re going to want to know everything." "Will they try to hold us accountable for what happened?" Danielle questioned. "If I know Congress the way I think I know them, specifically the senate, then they''re going to be looking for scapegoats more than anything." To Alain''s chagrin, the Colonel nodded. "That''s a fair assessment, I''m sorry to say." "What?!" Sable protested. "This wasn''t our fault! Not in the slightest!" "We know that," Stone assured her. "And, to an extent, I think most of Congress understands that, too. That won''t stop them from trying to pin the blame on you all, especially once they figure out exactly who Az is." Az stiffened at that. "Must we tell them?" "Would you rather risk them finding it out on their own?" Stone asked. "How would they figure that out?" Alain asked. "Not even Sable knew who Az was until Leviathan revealed it to us all, and she''s the one who summoned him in the first place." "Don''t underestimate them," the Colonel warned. "If you truly think you can get away with keeping that secret from them forever, then be my guest; it''s your ass, after all, not mine. But personally, I wouldn''t take the risk of them finding out you''ve been lying to them, especially not if it''s under oath, which it will be." "What kind of oath?" Az questioned. Colonel Stone didn''t get a chance to answer before the carriage suddenly stopped. "We''re here, Sir," the driver up-front said. Stone let out a small grunt as he threw the door open, then stepped out. The others exchanged a glance, but followed after him. Alain looked around as he stepped out onto the street. The Capitol Building loomed just up ahead, surrounded by armed guards; the press hadn''t shown up yet, but he suspected they''d soon find their way here as well. "Let''s not waste any more time," Stone said. With that, he began to climb the steps up to the Capitol. Alain sucked in a breath, then followed after him. XXX "Please remove any weapons and ammunition you are carrying before entering the Congressional chamber." Alain couldn''t help but meet the gaze of just one of the small army of guardsmen who had been summoned to meet them all. Currently, they were standing in the lobby of the Capitol Building. There were five of them, including Colonel Stone, and what had to be around thirty different guards, all standing there and staring at them with barely-concealed fear on their faces; the white-knuckled grips they had on their shotguns and rifles betrayed exactly how frightened they all were, of course. Not that Alain could necessarily blame them; he and Danielle were still covered in dried blood and gore, whereas Az and Sable spoke for themselves through sheer presence. "You can''t be serious," Alain deadpanned. He motioned towards Az and Sable, who were standing nearby. "Whatever damage I could do with my guns and my knife, these two could do way worse with just their bare hands." "Orders, sir," the guard emphasized. Alain let out a tired sigh, then pulled one of his revolvers from its holster and offered it to the guard grip-first. To his annoyance, the guard shook his head. "Show me it''s empty first." Alain gave him a baleful look, but then opened the gun''s loading gate and proceeded to empty it, dumping all six cartridges out on the floor before placing the gun on the desk in front of him. He then did the same with his second revolver, then his shotgun, and finally unclipped his knife from his belt and placed it on the table. "I''ve got a straight razor in my pack," Alain said bitterly. "You want me to turn that over, too?" "That won''t be necessary, sir," the guard replied. He turned towards Danielle. "Ma''am?" "I know, I know..." Danielle replied, shrugging her rifle off her shoulder and beginning to unload it the same way Alain had. Once they''d both been successfully disarmed, the guard nodded, then motioned for them to be allowed into the chamber. Much to Alain''s dismay, he allowed Colonel Stone to keep his revolver, though that bitterness soon faded once the doors to the Congressional floor were opened. And immediately, that emotion was replaced with one of sheer apprehension. 88 pairs of eyes all turned towards the five of them as they entered the room. All the senators were seated in a semi-circular arrangement of desks and chairs, all centered around a much larger desk, in front of which a podium stood. Alain froze, unsure of what to do, until the Colonel tapped him on the shoulder and motioned towards an unoccupied table. "That''s where we''ll be sitting," he said quietly. "Go." Alain swallowed nervously, but did as he was told. Much to his annoyance, the table they''d been given was on the very opposite side of the room from where they''d entered, which had no doubt been purposely done. Everyone in the room stared at the five of them as they walked back, several of them whispering to each other. Az and Sable were the last ones to enter, and as they walked to the other side of the room, several senators made the sign of the cross and began to quietly pray. Alain had barely settled into his seat when one of the men at the large table suddenly cleared his throat. "Let us begin," he said. "Alain Smith, please approach the stand." The Vampires Apprentice - Book 3, Chapter 3
Alain was taken aback by the man''s sudden declaration. His eyes widened, and he stared across the room, locking eyes with the congressman, who returned it was a look of his own that was downright smoldering. "Senate majority leader Chris Davis," Colonel Stone whispered to him. "Go on and approach the stand. Not like you can get out of it, anyway." Alain heaved a gentle sigh of resignation, then stood up and marched over to the podium. Once he was standing in front of it, the majority leader addressed him once more. "Raise your right hand." Alain obliged, the whole time keeping his gaze locked on the man. "Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you will give before this Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" "Yes," Alain instantly replied. That, at least, seemed to placate the senator, as he nodded in understanding. Alain took that as his cue to sit down, though he had barely taken his seat before the man spoke again. "From my understanding, you were at the locations for each of these incidents," he stated, running a hand through his black beard as he did so. Chris Davis was a young man for a congressman, Alain surmised; he looked to be at least a decade younger than any of his compatriots, probably in his late-forties if Alain had to wager a guess, with piercing blue eyes and a head full of black hair. Alain nodded. "I was. All of us were except Danielle, actually." "Then you understand how suspicious that looks, yes? I mean, one time is coincidence, two times is happenstance, but three times?" Senator Davis shook his head. "That seems more like enemy action to me." Alain''s gaze narrowed. "Are you accusing me of having some kind of responsibility for what happened at each of these locations"'' "Don''t act so offended or surprised; it''s an easy assumption to make," the congressman fired back. "You were at Los Banos during the incursion there. Just a few weeks later, you were at New Orleans as well. Finally, you just came from San Antonio. I think that would warrant an explanation, wouldn''t you agree?" "I''ll give you an explanation," Alain growled. "Los Banos was a complete coincidence, for all of us. Sable, Az, and I just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Believe me when I say I think all of us wish we''d never gotten involved in it." "And yet, you did get involved," another congressman seated at the big table pointed out; his nameplate read ''Jeff Harding.'' He was an older man, probably in his sixties, with thin white hair, dull green eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses, and no facial hair. "If I remember right, the mayor of Los Banos was attempting to not only make himself immortal through some kind of ritual, but sell immortality to others as well, and he was willing to use the entire town as a sacrifice for it in the process." "That''s correct, senator." "So what drove you three to get involved?" Alain''s expression narrowed. There was an unspoken accusation of some kind attached to that statement, he was sure of it, but he couldn''t tell exactly what it was, at least not yet. Instead, he adjusted himself to sit a bit more comfortably in his chair, then looked Harding right in the eyes. "I stand by what I said earlier," Alain stated. "I think, if any of us had been given the option to just walk away, we would have taken it in a heartbeat. But we didn''t get that option. From the moment Ansley began messing with powers beyond his control, we were in a fight for survival. I guess that means you can consider the entirety of our actions there to be self-defense, more than anything. We got involved because, if we hadn''t, we would have all surely died. Does that answer your question?" "About Los Banos, yes," Harding replied. "New Orleans and San Antonio are much murkier, however." "Not nearly as much as they may seem. New Orleans happened because the Tribunal ¨C I''m sure you know who they are already ¨C sent us there on a mission that we now know was a setup to draw out my mother. They ¨C or rather, the elder at the time ¨C wanted to get us all out of the way in one fell swoop so he could cast a ritual." The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "And the nature of this ritual?" "If I knew, I''d tell you," Alain swore to him. Harding pursed his lips. "Very well, then. And your mother? Why was she so important, enough that the mastermind behind all of that needed her gone?" "My mother is the world''s premiere vampire hunter," Alain explained. "Or at least, that''s the impression I got. Hard to say; I hadn''t seen her in almost a decade and a half. I thought she was dead for that entire time, to tell you the truth. The knowledge that she was still alive was a major shock." "And where is she now?" "Again, I couldn''t tell you. She went off on her own after New Orleans. Haven''t even gotten a letter from her over the past few months. For all I know, she really is dead this time." Congressman Harding shuffled a few papers on his desk and adjusted the pair of thick-framed glasses that sat across the bridge of his nose. "I see," he offered. Harding said nothing else, instead letting Davis take over again, which he did just a split-second later. "Explain San Antonio to us," he demanded. "What happened?" "The same thing that''s been happening in smaller doses across the entire country, that''s what," Alain said. "Some idiot started meddling with powers he couldn''t possibly comprehend. The only difference here is that the idiot in question was a lot more connected and resourceful than the others had been, and was therefore a lot more successful at it." "Elaborate on that." "I don''t know how to do that without outright stating their intended goals, but okay. To put it plainly: they wanted to open a door to the Underworld, and they succeeded. And now part of Texas is, quite literally, hell on earth." A heavy silence fell over the entire senate as Alain finished his sentence. It lasted for several seconds before Congressman Davis cleared his throat. "And¡­ you''re sure of this, how?" "Because one of the greater demons himself told me as much," Alain growled. "Two of them did, in fact. It''s just that one of them is on our side." "You truly expect us to believe that?" "Given that he is currently doing nothing but patiently waiting to answer your questions, even though he could probably tear you all limb from limb before the guards had a chance to stop him? Yes, I do." Again, silence reigned over the entire senate floor as eighty-eight pairs of eyes all simultaneously turned to look towards Az. Az, for his part, was nonplussed by it, instead giving them his best approximation of a warm smile, which unfortunately still had far too many teeth for Alain''s liking. "Pleased to meet you all," Az greeted. "Is it my turn for a soliloquy?" A loud murmur went up through the senators, with a few openly making the sign of the cross and beginning to pray once more. Davis, for his part, rolled his eyes. "Order!" he called, silencing the scattered whispers in the room. He turned his gaze back to Alain. "You may stand down for now. Just know that we can recall you at any time we deem fit." He motioned towards Az. "You, up front. I want to hear from you now." Alain simply nodded in understanding, then rose from his seat and marched back to where the others were. He passed by Az on his way there, and couldn''t help but notice that Az, for his part, looked completely at-ease. Then again, that made sense ¨C no doubt that, compared to the other things Az had been through since the dawn of humanity, this was nothing. Az stopped at the podium right as Alain made it back to his seat, still looking completely nonplussed. "Raise your right hand," Davis commanded. Az obliged. "Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you will give before this Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" "No," Az instantly replied. Senator Davis blinked in surprise. "You refuse to tell the truth?" "I refuse to swear an oath before the one you call God." "And why is that? Do you not believe in Him?" "Oh no, I know He exists. He goes by many different names, including the one you just referred to Him by, but He most certainly exists. No, I refuse to swear an oath before Him on the grounds that He may not appreciate hearing it at this time." "What do you mean?" "Well, Senator, how would you feel if one of the men you expelled from Heaven came groveling back before his atonement was fully completed?" The whispering in the chambers suddenly grew to a fever pitch, turning from mutters to outright shouts, several of them screaming that Az was a blasphemer, a heathen, or servant of Satan himself. Az, for his part, let the insults roll off him, showing only indifference to every syllable. "Order! Order!" Davis shouted, over and over. He continued to do so for several minutes, with Az standing there stone-faced the entire time, until finally, the shouts began to taper off when it became clear that Az wasn''t about to make a move. Finally, when the noise had died down, Davis let out an exasperated sigh. "I don''t understand," Davis stated. "Who are you, exactly?" "My full name is Azazel," Az stated. "I go by Az for short, for obvious reasons. And, true to my word, I was one of the original demons cast out of Heaven and down into the eternal prison you call the Underworld, or Hell." "And what makes you so special among the rest of the demons, anyway? You don''t seem all that powerful to me." "Looks can be very deceiving, Senator. I have taken care to cultivate this image over the years for a reason ¨C it makes it easier to move covertly, without raising suspicion. And before you inquire¡­" Az hesitated. "...For thousands of years, I dedicated myself to the destruction of humanity, in ways my brethren never could have imagined, with all their crudeness. My malice was¡­ measured. Cold. Calculated, even. Whereas my brethren sought to destroy you directly through physical means, I chose something different. I taught you all how to wage war against each other." "You expect me to believe that?" Davis growled. Az nodded. "I do, because it is the truth. I recognized early on that it is humanity''s nature to destroy itself, and I seized the opportunity that realization provided me to bring you all to ruin in ways my crude brethren never thought possible." Az brought a hand up to rest over his heart. "You can consider me the architect of most of humanity''s misery through the ages, perhaps second only to the Serpent himself convincing Eve to eat of the apple." "And you serve the Serpent?" Az shook his head. "No longer." "And why is that?" "Because, as impossible as it may sound, in my time spent living among your ancestors, I grew fond of you all ¨C of your innocence, and of the light that remained no matter how hard I tried to snuff it out permanently. And in time, I grew to deeply regret my actions. I realized the great evil I had committed ¨C how I had permanently sullied humanity''s innocence in a way that could never be repaired. And in that moment, I realized my folly, as well as the need for my atonement. And that is what brings us here now." Davis stared at Az in wide-eyed shock, as did the rest of the Senate. Again, silence reigned through the room for several seconds before Davis cleared his throat again. "Yes, well¡­" He hesitated, seemingly unsure of what to say in the face of Az''s declarations. Finally, he seemed to settle on something. "...Tell us, in your own words, what happened at San Antonio." In an instant, a deep scowl crossed Az''s face. He crossed his arms, then let out a long, heavy sigh. "Where to begin?" he asked himself aloud.
The Vampires Apprentice - Book 3, Chapter 4
Az told them everything, with as much clarity as he possibly could. He talked for quite some time ¨C Alain had given them a brief summary of what had happened, but Az was somehow capable of recalling every detail, and accounting for every action they''d taken. Every question that came his way, pointed or otherwise, was fielded in such a way as to leave no doubt to the authenticity of his answers. Finally, after about an hour of letting him talk almost non-stop, Congressman Davis motioned for him to sit down. "You may take your seat, Azazel." "Az," came the response. "What?" "Do not call me by Azazel," Az requested. "Please." Davis stared at him for a moment, but then nodded. "Very well." Az returned his nod with one of his own, then stepped down from the stand and made his way over to where Alain and Sable had been sitting. Alain could only stare in surprise as Az took his seat, still completely nonplussed by the questions levied at him. "No offense, but you seem like you have experience with this sort of thing," Alain told him. Az shrugged. "Sit through one of these meetings and you''ve basically been through them all. The decorum may change from century to century, but the strategy remains the same. Personally, I''m just glad they didn''t attempt to take my head this time; I do so hate having to clean stains out of my clothes¡­" "Next," Davis announced, motioning to Sable. "You, approach the stand." Sable stared at him, her eyes narrowing. "I will do so when I have been shown the proper amount of respect owed to me." "You owe this Congress and the American people as a whole an explanation-" "An explanation for what? How we stopped hell itself from fully consuming this world?" Sable crossed her arms. "Do not attempt to intimidate me, boy ¨C it will not work." A vein pulsed in Congressman Davis'' forehead. Alain leaned in to whisper to Sable. "What are you doing?!" he hissed. "Establishing that I am not a pawn to be pushed around by the likes of him or anyone else," Sable hissed back. "You may have forgotten it, but I am royalty. I will not be addressed so informally by someone who has done nothing to earn even a slight modicum of my respect." "Are you making a mockery of this court, vampire?" Davis suddenly demanded. "Believe me, I have nothing but mockery for this court," Sable answered. "But if you must know¡­ I do not appreciate being put through all of this political theater, especially not when we are the only reason you lot are not currently being picked out from between a demon''s teeth. And make no mistake, this is theater ¨C I served in my family''s royal court long enough to recognize when those in charge are looking for a scapegoat. Believe me, if you wish to pin the blame on anyone here, you are going to have to try a lot harder than this." "Sable," Alain interjected, getting her attention. She turned towards him, and he let out a reluctant sigh before looking back over Congressman Davis. "She''ll approach the stand." "What?!" Sable demanded. "Alain-" "Sable, I''m sorry, but these men are not going to back down just because you rightfully point out what they''re doing," he emphasized. "Both of you, shut up," Colonel Stone grunted. "Alain is correct, unfortunately ¨C the only way this ends is once they''ve had a chance to hear from all of us." Sable gave him a baleful look, then turned back towards her friends. "And what then, Alain?" Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. "I don''t know, but I know we won''t get the chance to find out if we''re all rotting in a jail cell because you felt like making a statement over this," Alain told her. "And your solution is to volunteer me yourself?" Sable growled. "You have a lot of nerve-" "I know, and I''m sorry. But with all due respect, you can chew me out for it later." "Indeed," Davis announced with a snarl. "Approach the bench, or you''ll be in contempt of Congress." "And the consequence for that is¡­?" Sable questioned. "Sable, please-" Alain began, only for her to cut him off by suddenly standing up, slamming her hands on the table before them hard enough to crack it as she did so. She gave him an angry look out of the corner of her eye, but said nothing, instead stepping out from behind the table and approaching the stand. Congressman Harding cleared his throat as she approached, her hand already raised. "Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you will give before this Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" "Yes," Sable replied. A small murmur went up through the crowd at her declaration, and her brow furrowed. "What? I do not have the same qualms about swearing before God as Az rightfully does." "Fascinating¡­" Congressman Harding muttered. "You mean to say that divinity does not harm you?" "Define divinity. Religious symbolism does nothing to me, if that''s what you''re wondering." "And why is that? Vampires are children of the night, are they not?" "Do not deign to use terms you do not fully understand the meaning of," Sable warned him. "Vampires are descended from Lilith, the first vampire, but there is enough separation between us and her by now that the effects of religious symbolism and iconography do nothing to us. And before you ask ¨C no, I do not know why this is. Perhaps it is because she herself was cast out of Heaven, while the rest of us simply have to live with the mistake she made." "Like your own version of original sin?" Sable nodded. "Precisely. Of course, I do not know this for sure; it is merely an assumption on my part. In any case, all I know is that I can march through a Catholic church, for example, and feel nothing, whereas merely even being in the vicinity of one is enough to cause Az discomfort." "Which brings me to my first question," Davis interrupted. "How do you and Az know each other?" Sable stared at him, fixing him with a blood-red gaze. "These are the questions you wish to ask me, human?" she asked. "Personal relationships and whether I can be banished with holy water and an exorcism? Come on, you can do better." "Answer the question." Sable let out a tired sigh. "I am the one who summoned Az, upon waking from my centuries-long slumber. I had been staked, you see, though the vampire hunter who did it, frankly, did a shit job of it." "Mind your language, please." Sable grit her fangs, but nodded regardless. "Whatever the case, he merely nicked my heart. Painful, as you can imagine, and very nearly fatal, but not immediately so." "And what happened then?" "I was not dead, but I was paralyzed. He didn''t seem to realize this, however, and put me in a casket and buried me six feet under, the stake still embedded in my chest. I spent the next few centuries slowly regenerating, until I had the strength to burst out of my own grave and rip the stake from my chest." A frightful murmur went up through the rest of Congress. Congressman Davis called for order, then turned back towards her. "Sorry, you said you regenerated over several centuries?" he asked. Sable nodded. "Yes. Vampires have the ability to slowly regenerate and heal from their wounds. It is much quicker and easier if we have blood available to feed off of; otherwise, it is painfully slow. And we can only regenerate so much ¨C destroying our hearts or brains will kill us easily enough, as will burning us alive." A few of the congressman wrote something down as the words left her mouth; Alain didn''t miss the annoyed look that crossed her face when she noticed them doing it, but she didn''t bother to raise a fuss about it. Davis nodded in understanding. "And you said you summoned Az?" "I did, upon freeing myself from my own grave," Sable growled. "I used an old ritual passed down through my family for generations to do it. The way he tells it, the ritual was supposed to summon a mere lesser demon¡­ but with his status having diminished over the few centuries prior, it didn''t discriminate towards her, and he seized the opportunity when it was presented to him." Slowly, Davis gave another nod. "I see¡­ and your relationship with Alain?" "He is my apprentice," Sable answered. "He serves me in exchange for certain perks." "Such as?" "My friendship, for one. An education in how to use magical runes, for another. And those are simply the beginning." Alain couldn''t help but sit up straighter at that bit of information. Sable had never mentioned anything more to their relationship than him learning to use magic in exchange for providing her with a steady supply of fresh blood, along with whatever else she needed. He didn''t know what else she had in mind, but he made a mental note to ask her later, when she was done giving him hell for forcing her onto the stand. Congressman Harding cleared his throat again. "And what of yourself?" he asked. "Your accent is not one I recognize. You are certainly a long way from home, I imagine." "You would be correct," Sable confirmed. "Home is ¨C or rather, was ¨C Romania. I was forced to leave because my sister, Cleo, usurped my parents. She murdered them both, then claimed their spot as head of my family, and has been ruling over its supernatural underworld with an iron fist ever since. That wasn''t that long ago, only a few decades, I believe, but that was enough for her control over Romania''s underworld to not only solidify, but begin expanding out to other European countries." "What do you mean?" "I mean that I know for a fact that the Tribunal here in the United States has had no contact with Romania for some time, and that any envoys they send to try and initiate contact never return," Sable said to him. "I know not what it is my sister truly wants, nor do I know how powerful she actually is, but I do know that she must be strong if even the Tribunal is unable to get through to her kingdom." "And that''s why you left?" Harding questioned. "You knew she''d try to kill you once she found out you were alive?" Sable nodded. "Yes. As soon as I discovered my parents were dead and she was actively looking for me, I knew I needed to leave for greener pastures, at it were. I got on the first ship out I could book safe passage on, uncaring of where I ended up; as it turned out, that was San Francisco. And that is where I met Alain. I asked him to be my guide, and the rest was history." "I see¡­" Harding muttered. "And what is it you want?" "You mean aside from my sister''s head on a spike?" Sable growled. "I want the same thing every vampire wants, deep down ¨C a kingdom of my own¡­ but in a different sense. I have no desire to rule in such a manner, at least not anymore. But running a successful business? Having a legion of followers and workers who obey me, and an apprentice of my own? That, I can do." Another murmur went up through the other Congressmen at that. Sable, for her part, merely crossed her arms as she stared up at Davis. "Was there anything else?" she asked. Davis shook his head. "No further questions for you." He turned back towards where Alain was seated. "Colonel, if you wouldn''t mind?" Colonel Stone nodded, then stood up and approached the stand. Sable passed by him a moment later, then settled into her seat next to Alain. "Sorry," he said to her as she took her seat. Sable didn''t say anything, but the look she gave him from the corner of her eye made it clear that his apology was still far from being accepted. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 3, Chapter 5
Colonel Stone stepped up to the stand, his right hand already raised. "Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you will give before this Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" Congressman Davis asked. "I do," the Colonel replied before lowering his hand. Davis nodded. "Good. Now, tell us about what you saw in San Antonio upon your arrival there." The Colonel''s brow furrowed. "Respectfully, Senator, I doubt I have anything to add that much different from what the others have already said." "Be that as it may, we would like to hear it from you regardless." Stone frowned, but gave a nod nonetheless. "Very well. Truthfully, I wasn''t in town personally for very long. But upon my arrival, it was as the others described ¨C literal hell on earth. Dead bodies, demons clawing their way out of a gateway to hell, blood falling from the sky¡­ it was a nightmare." "And you were able to find Mister Smith and his friends easily?" "It wasn''t hard," Stone answered. "I figured that if they were going to be anywhere, it''d be at the top of the wicked-looking spire that had risen up out of the ground right in the middle of the city. And I was right." "And what else did you encounter?" "You mean aside from the aforementioned demons? Not much. But let me just say this ¨C I''ve fought my fair share of the supernatural before, Senator." Stone motioned to the rank insignia on his shoulders. "You don''t get to my position in my unit without experiencing some of the absolute worst the other side of the Veil has to offer. And out of everything I''ve seen, this was the worst, by far. The sheer scale of it almost defies belief. If I hadn''t been there myself, I''d have said whoever was describing it to me was exaggerating." His eyes narrowed. "There''s no exaggerating what happened there. It was an absolute massacre, in every sense of the word. And that''s before we get into the fact that it was literally hell itself connecting with our mortal plane." "We can only imagine, Colonel," Senator Harding stated. "What would you say the worst part was, however?" Stone let out a grunt as he crossed his arms. "I''d say whatever was going on in that spire had to be the worst of it." "And that was¡­?" "Some kind of ritual. I don''t know; I wasn''t there to experience it firsthand." Stone motioned over his shoulder, to where Alain was sitting. "They were, however. They can tell you all about it." Davis'' eyes narrowed. "You seem awfully willing to put them in front of us yet again." "Don''t read too deeply into it, Senator ¨C the fact of the matter is that they were there for it, and I was not. By the time I got there, they''d already put a stop to it. As far as I can tell, it was an attempt to summon a greater demon, similar to Az, but malevolent and actively opposed to humanity''s existence." "And that''s all you can tell us about it?" "It is," Stone assured them. "I have what Alain and his friends told me, of course, but that information is better heard from them directly rather than from me." "Very well," Davis begrudgingly acquiesced. "Then, in your professional opinion, how would you say Mister Smith and his friends handled the situation?" "Is that even a question?" Stone challenged. "In my professional opinion, they did everything they could to prevent further tragedy. What happened there is not their fault, not in the slightest, and to try to hold them accountable for it in some way would be to actively penalize the people who are, to put it simply, the only reason why hell itself is not currently flooding into the entire country as we speak." "And what of New Orleans, then?" Congressman Harding asked. "I understand you were all there as well." "That would be correct, and my testimony regarding that is the same ¨C they did everything they could to prevent it from getting even worse than it already was," Colonel Stone insisted. "Senator, believe me, if the four of them were in any way culpable for what happened in either location, I would be the first to denounce them for it. But the fact is that they simply aren''t." You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Respectfully, Colonel, we will be the judge of that," Senator Davis interjected. "But make no mistake ¨C what we want here is the truth, and nothing but." "May I make a suggestion, then?" the Colonel asked. "What is it?" "If you ask me, there are two other people who should be here to speak on their behalf." "And they are¡­?" "Heather Smith and Jasper Kincaid." Senator Davis blinked, surprised. "His mother" Colonel Stone nodded. "Indeed." "And we could trust her to be unbiased?" "She''s his mother, so of course not. But you can trust her to be truthful, at the very least. And if nothing else, she needs to be here if we''re discussing New Orleans. Same for Mister Kincaid." Slowly, Senator Davis nodded. "Very well. I will have them brought here, and-" Just then, the doors came flying open. Everyone turned to stare at them in surprise, Az and Sable rising to their feet in case they needed to jump into action, but there was no need; the two relaxed almost instantly, having recognized the newcomer entering the room. And they weren''t the only ones. "Mother?!" Alain exclaimed. Heather turned towards Alain, a cigarette clenched between her teeth. She took a long drag from it, smoke curling out from the end as she did so, then exhaled, sending a small cloud of it billowing out into the room. Once she''d had her fill, she plucked the cigarette out of her mouth, then threw it on the floor and ground it underneath her heel, the spurs on her boots jingling the entire time she did so. Idly, Alain noted that she still had her revolvers on her, somehow. A murmur of discontent went up through the throng of congressmen as they stared at her. Alain met her gaze, and she grimaced before turning away, much to his surprise. Meanwhile, Senator Davis was staring at her with barely-disguised malice. "And who let you in?" he asked. "We are in the middle of a committee meeting-" "I let myself in," Heather Smith answered, venom dripping from every syllable. "I figured it was only prudent, given you''re questioning my only son and trying to make an example out of him and his friends." "You are out of order-" "Whatever you say, Senator. Now, were you planning to call me to the stand, or what?" Senator Davis ground his teeth. "Colonel Stone, you may stand down. And please, do go check on the guards outside." "The guards are fine," Heather assured him. "Probably nursing a bad headache each, but I did warn them about trying to take my guns away." "What gives you the right to walk in here like this-" "Respectfully, Senator, my tax dollars pay all of your salaries, as well as for the maintenance and upkeep of this building. I think I''ve earned the right to walk its halls how I see fit, particularly given the horrors I''ve stared down in the name of keeping this country safe. You all are very welcome for that, by the way." Again, the Senator grit his teeth in rage. "Approach the bench, then. Let''s get this over with." Heather nodded, then stepped up to the stand and raised her right hand. Senator Harding cleared his throat. "Do you swear-" "I do," Heather stated. "Let''s hurry this up, already." "Very well. What happened at New Orleans?" "A bunch of malevolent Tribunal members tried to cast a ritual of some kind," Heather answered. "We still don''t know exactly what it was for, and probably never will, but whatever it was, it had the side effect of absolutely ripping New Orleans a new one, as I''m sure you''re already aware." "Quite," Senator Davis replied dryly. Senator Harding leaned in, bringing a hand to his chin. "You are supposed to be a well-renowned and highly-regarded vampire hunter, yes?" "Among those who are aware of my existence, yes, that''s correct," Heather said to him. "And yet you expect us to believe that you didn''t know what the ritual was for?" "Yes, because it''s the truth," Heather replied. "I don''t know how else to put it. You could put a gun to my head and threaten to kill me unless I told you exactly what they were planning, and I still wouldn''t be able to do it, because not a single soul knows anything more about it." "Hm¡­ seems convenient." "If that''s the word you want to use to describe the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent people, as well as the destruction of a major city, then that''s your choice," Heather said to him. "Personally, I''ll continue to refer to it as the tragedy that it is." Senator Harding glared at her. "You are acting very hostile-" Heather rolled her eyes. "You have my son and his friends on trial. Frankly, you all should consider yourselves lucky that you''re congressmen instead of Tribunal members, because if it were the other way around, I would have just kicked the door in and started shooting." A series of angry shouts and exclamations filled the room at that remark, and Senator Davis once again had to spend several minutes yelling for order before everyone had calmed down. Once silence reigned throughout the room once more, he sucked in a deep breath, then turned back towards Heather. "How did you get here so quickly, anyway?" he demanded. "I was in the area," Heather answered. "And why was that?" "Because I already happened to be up in Maryland, rooting out a coven of witches and dealing with a rogue Tribunal member. News started traveling about what had happened in San Antonio, and I figured my son would be involved somehow. I''m not surprised to see I was correct. Then one of my contacts happened to pass along word of a Senate committee meeting going on, and I figured I''d stop in and see what was going on." Heather reached into her pocket for another cigarette, which she lit and took a drag from. "Glad to see I was just in time to watch my son get railroaded. Really inspires confidence in the justice system, I''ll tell you that much." Senator Harding, for his part, ignored her snappy comment, instead leaning in once again. "Tell me, how does a woman such as yourself even become a famous vampire hunter? Seems like that''d be a man''s profession." Heather shrugged. "Funnily enough, the Catholic Church doesn''t seem to discriminate too much when it comes to creating vampire hunters. If you''ve got the aptitude for it, they''ll take you, so long as you''re either Catholic or willing to convert. But that''s off-topic, is it not? Unless the goal was to get a rise out of me, in which case, I assure you, diminishing me because of my sex is nothing compared to what you''re trying to do to my son. But I repeat myself." "Hm¡­" "I''ll take that grunt as a concession." Heather looked over to Senator Davis. "Was there anything else?" Davis glared at her once more, before finally shaking his head. "We will take a short break for now. None of you will leave this building during the course of it. Meet back here in thirty minutes." With that, the congressmen allowed themselves to react, and Heather began to step away from the stand. Alain, meanwhile, stood up. "Mother!" But to his dismay, Heather simply gave him that same grimace, then turned away and began to walk in the other direction. Alain watched her go for a moment, questions racing through his mind the entire time, only for Az to cut him off by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Let her go for now," he recommended. "Whatever''s going on with her, you''ll have time to speak to her later." Alain''s brow furrowed. He turned back just in time to see his mother disappear into the main hall. "I sincerely hope you''re right about that," he said. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 3, Chapter 6
Colonel Stone led them out to the building''s main hall, taking care to keep them away from the congressmen as best as he could. Alain wasn''t sure why; they weren''t about to make things worse for themselves by lashing out at politicians, and he sincerely doubted that any of the politicians in question were willing to take a shot at them, given how afraid they all seemed to be of Sable and Az. Not that he could blame them, of course, especially not after all the revelations that had just come out over the course of their testimony. The knowledge that Az was actually the greater demon Azazel had come as a major shock to him, and he''d known Az for several months by that point; he could only imagine how hard it must have been for the senators, all of whom were likely freshly initiated into the other side of the Veil. At least, that was his assumption. Even if he was wrong about it, that wouldn''t change the fact that knowing they were walking the same halls as one of the major architects of humanity''s misery, and they now knew it. Alain sat down on a bench in the middle of a long, empty hallway. He leaned back, staring up at the ceiling, and let out a big, tired sigh. Off in the distance, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a few congressmen congregating, speaking in hushed tones as they stared at him. His brow furrowed in annoyance, but he said nothing to them, and did his best not to even acknowledge their existences. "There you are." At the sound of the Colonel''s voice, Alain turned towards him. Naturally, he was being flanked by Az, Danielle, and Sable; Alain had expected nothing less. "Sorry to disappear like that," Alain offered. "Needed a few minutes to myself, that''s all." "Understandable, I suppose, but now is not the time to be going off on your own, unfortunately." Alain blinked. "...You really think I''d be in danger here?" "Alain, look around you. This place isn''t exactly bulletproof, to say the least ¨C hell, your own mother just beat up a bunch of the guards to get to you. I understand that she''s anything but an average human, but she''s still only one person. If that doesn''t concern you, then I don''t know what will." The Colonel shook his head. "I''m going to put in a request to have some of my own men bolster the building''s defenses. The last thing we need is for some bold, enterprising cultist to kick in the door and start shooting." "Do you have the manpower for that?" Danielle asked. "Most of my men are still in San Antonio, of course, and last I heard, they''re moving a lot of regular Army units there as well," Stone answered. "But I do still have the men I used to escort us here, plus a few stragglers I can round up and put to work. It isn''t much, but it''ll hopefully deter anyone who gets any stupid ideas about coming after you all. And if not, Az and Sable are still here, not to mention your mother." At that mention of his mother, Alain sucked in a breath, then slowly exhaled it. "...So, what happens next?" he asked. "Well, that''s simple ¨C they''re going to keep questioning you all," Stone informed him. "Probably for at least a few more hours until they''re satisfied." "Anything we need to know about the next round of questioning?" "It''s probably what you''d expect ¨C they''re going to call in several witnesses. They''re going to ask questions about you all, and they will likely be invasive. Their goal is to see if you act evasive or otherwise try to change your answers, as well as try to see if you all contradict each other." Next to him, Sable scowled. "Wonderful. And I suppose we''re expected to just sit there and take it?" "You can give a little pushback, I suppose, but you''ll need to keep it in-check," Colonel Stone advised. "You''ll want to pick your battles, otherwise you''ll be in contempt." "And what are the consequences of being in contempt?" Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "I''m not quite sure, to tell you the truth, but given that this is Congress we''re talking about, they absolutely can make things very painful for you for as long as you''re in this country. Especially since, officially, neither you nor Az are United States citizens. I suppose they could always deport you back to Romania, if they felt so inclined, and then kill you if you tried to resist." Danielle let out a small grunt. "That''d be incredibly stupid of them, so you can probably expect exactly that to be on their minds at this point." Alain scowled. "And I don''t suppose you have any further advice for us?" "Aside from making sure that you keep your stories straight?" Stone asked. "Maintaining a good poker face probably couldn''t hurt." Sable crossed her arms. "This entire thing is an exercise in frustration. These men are nothing but power-tripping petty tyrants, judging in leisure that which we had to do in haste." "They''re just looking for someone to blame," Danielle explained. "Put yourself in their shoes ¨C they just learned that the other side of the Veil existed a few short months ago. Then, not long after, San Antonio gets turned into a little slice of hell on earth. They need someone to blame, because otherwise, they''d have to admit that this is something they can''t control. And for men like them, nothing is scarier than that." Sable glowered at her, affixing her with a crimson-eyed stare. "I am surprised you''d be so willing to rush to their defense, given you are being questioned right there alongside us." "I''m not defending them, I''m simply explaining how this all works. My father was a senator; I''d wager I''m more personally familiar with how they think than all of you are." "That is a bold statement, coming from one as young as yourself." Before Danielle could respond, Sable turned towards Alain, glaring at him this time. "You and I have much to discuss, by the way. In private, at that." Alain let out another small exhale. "Sable-" "Do not try to wriggle out of this one, Alain. I am owed my pound of flesh, and I intend to collect." She motioned back to the others without looking. "If you wouldn''t mind leaving us for a few minutes." It wasn''t a request. Stone, Danielle, and Az all shared a glance with each other, but then turned and began to walk down the hall. Once they had disappeared around a nearby corner, Alain let out a long sigh. "Sable, I''m sorry-" "Don''t," she warned. Her eyes narrowed at him. "You seem to be forgetting our arrangement, Alain." "Sable, we''re friends-" "We are, indeed. But we are also master and apprentice. That is not an arrangement to be taken lightly, the way you continue to do so." Alain bristled. "I understand that, but it wasn''t like they were going to just let us leave without questioning us-" "Did you truly think I didn''t know that?" Sable demanded. She shook her head. "Alain, I may not be familiar with politics in this country the way its citizens are, but I do have experience in politics ¨C it comes with being a part of a ruling family back in Romania. I knew from the get-go that they weren''t going to let us off the hook like that. Being difficult was my attempt to buy time for the rest of you to consider your answers, as well as to put them on the backfoot early on. Instead, you cut that short by volunteering me to begin answering their questions. Do you see the problem there?" Alain stared at her, then let out a sigh. "Shit¡­ I really did ruin your plan, didn''t I?" To his surprise, she shook her head. "It wasn''t just that. Rather, it was also that you didn''t trust me when you should have. And, regrettably, this seems to be a common theme with you. Why is that?" Alain blinked, having been taken by surprise. "I, uh¡­ I''m not sure how to respond to that, Sable." "Hm. I''m not surprised; that is a very personal question to have asked you. I don''t require an answer on it; rather, I need you to consider the question itself, as well as realize when you need to begin trusting me. And it isn''t just me, either." "What do you mean?" "Your mother," Sable pointed out, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Did you not realize what she was trying to do, the way she burst into the room and immediately began antagonizing them all?" "No." Sable stared at him for a moment, then shook her head. "Clearly, magic is not the only thing I need to be teaching you¡­" "Alright, I get it, I''m an uncultured cowboy who doesn''t know anything about high society," Alain deadpanned. "What does that have to do with how my mother made her entrance?" "I will state it outright, then ¨C she was purposely antagonizing them for the same reasons I was¡­ although, in her case, I suspect her feelings of bitter hatred were far more genuine than mine were." Alain let out a small, amused huff at that. "That''s saying a lot." "Indeed." Sable offered him a hand, and he accepted, allowing her to carefully pull him up off the bench. As he rose to his feet, she stared at him again. "Remember what I told you, Alain ¨C our relationship is one of master and apprentice. That requires you to trust in me, the same way I have often trusted in you. I have been lenient with you, but I cannot continue to do so easily." "Why is that?" Alain asked. "Is there some kind of magical element to this relationship?" "No, but it must have clearly defined boundaries between the two of us," Sable emphasized. "Such is the tradition¡­ and, for that matter, I am attempting to reign in your worst impulses ¨C the ones you do not realize you have. I would not be a good teacher to my apprentice if I allowed them to continue unabated as they are now." That took him by surprise. "...Wow. I, uh¡­ I didn''t think of it that way. And what would those impulses be?" To his dismay, Sable shook her head. "In due time, I''m afraid; I believe we are set to head back to the chambers soon." "Fine." The two of them began walking back towards the Senate chambers together, though a thought soon occurred to Alain not long after they began the march back. "I suppose this is one of those additional perks of being your apprentice that you mentioned earlier?" he asked. "During your testimony, I mean. That is what you meant, right?" "In a manner of speaking, yes," Sable replied without looking back towards him. "Instruction in magic is just one of the many perks of being my apprentice; general self-improvement is another." "I see¡­ now, forgive me for asking, especially if this sounds too greedy, but are those the only perks I should expect?" Again, Sable didn''t answer, as at that moment, they stepped back into the Senate chambers and were quickly drowned out by the congressmen speaking to one another, sending undisguised baleful glances towards Az and Sable as they did so. Alain couldn''t make out what they were saying exactly, but he knew none of it consisted of pleasantries for the two of them. He turned his gaze back to Sable, only to pause when he saw a faint dusting of red across her face. It only lasted for a moment before it was gone; Alain stared at her for a moment, then shook his head, unsure of what to think about it. The two of them took their seats together, and a moment later, the committee meeting resumed as Senator Davis settled into his seat and began to speak again. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 3, Chapter 7
"Is everyone present and accounted for?" Senator Davis asked as he looked around the room. Nobody tried to say anything to the contrary, and so he settled back into his seat. "Very well. We shall resume." He turned towards Danielle, and motioned for her to approach the stand. "Miss Silvera, if you would be so kind?" Danielle grimaced, but offered no arguments, instead rising from her seat and approaching the stand. Sable grit her teeth in anger the entire time, and it didn''t take Alain much to realize why. The Congressmen, on some level, were familiar with Danielle, given her father had been a Senator as well. They were already showing her a level of respect that hadn''t been given to anyone else, not even Colonel Stone, and something told Alain that it wasn''t meant to catch her off-guard ¨C rather, they were genuinely being respectful of her in a way they hadn''t been to the rest of them. It was no wonder Sable was irritated about that ¨C she was technically royalty, even if she''d been forced to leave her kingdom back in Romania. "Sable," Alain said, getting her attention. She turned towards him, and he gave her a sympathetic look. "Don''t let them get to you. They''re doing this on purpose." Sable stared at him for a moment, but then took in a deep breath to calm herself before turning back towards the Senate floor. As she did so, Senator Davis swore Danielle in, and then began to speak to her. "Miss Silvera, can you explain in your own words how you came to be associated with this group?" Danielle nodded. "Well, to put it simply, I sought them out on purpose." Senator Davis seemed taken aback by her declaration. A surprised murmur went up through the rest of the Congressmen present there, and it lasted for a few seconds before they''d all recovered enough to continue that line of questioning. "You¡­ sought them out on purpose?" Congressman Davis repeated. "Might I ask why?" Danielle''s eyes narrowed. "My father was missing and nobody seemed very intent on finding him." "That is a strong accusation to make, ma''am-" "Is it? I can see you''ve already replaced him. I count eighty-eight Senators here when there should only be eighty-seven." "He was missing for several weeks," Senator Harding explained. "We needed another Senator from his state, and-" Danielle let out a huff. "You can just say your care for him only extended as far as the way he voted. I wouldn''t even blame you for it ¨C I mean, it''s not like any of you truly knew the kind of man he was the way I did. Don''t get me wrong, your callousness disgusts me regardless, but at least I can understand it on some level." Senator Harding and Senator Davis exchanged a glance with each other before turning back towards her. Senator Davis cleared his throat again. "Yes, well¡­ what made you decide to seek out Mister Smith and company?" A vein pulsed in Sable''s forehead, but thankfully she kept her anger and irritation under control. Danielle, meanwhile, was completely unperturbed. She simply crossed her arms and affixed Senator Davis with a harsh stare. "The Veil had recently been lifted," she told him. "That didn''t seem like a coincidence to me. At any rate, I figured that the worst thing that could have happened was that the three of them would act as additional private investigators to help find him. Best case scenario, I ended up being right about it being something supernatural." "And why those three in particular?" "Because they were running a kind of¡­ I guess bounty hunting business, where they cleaned out the supernatural wherever it had taken root and started to spread its malevolence. If you can name another group of people doing that in the American south, I''d love to hear it." Senator Davis frowned, but didn''t argue. "Well¡­ I suppose your rationale for specifically seeking them out makes sense. And you insisted that you travel with them?" "I did," Danielle confirmed. "They initially didn''t want me to ¨C said it was too dangerous. They were right, of course, but eventually, that choice was made for us." The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. "How so?" "Cultists attacked a train we were riding on and derailed the entire thing. Killed almost everyone on-board in the process. We ended up outside of a town they''d taken over, which we cleared out before making our way to San Antonio." "Wait, there was another encounter with cultists before San Antonio?" Senator Harding asked. "And you said they took over an entire town?" "I did," Danielle said. "It wasn''t a big city or anything ¨C just a small frontier town a ways away from San Antonio. I''m not surprised it mostly escaped your notice, given what happened just a few days later." "Perhaps you could elaborate on that as well?" Senator Davis requested. "We want to hear what happened in your words." Danielle let out another huff. "To tell you the truth, my story is the same as Alain''s, given that I was with him almost every step of the way. I don''t have much to add." "Humor us, then," Senator Harding said. "Tell it to us from the beginning, if you wouldn''t mind." Danielle pursed her lips, but didn''t argue, and instead reluctantly launched into the tale of what had happened to San Antonio. True to her words, it was nothing that hadn''t been spoken about before ¨C the details of her story matched everyone else''s almost perfectly, with just a few small insignificant details and matters of personal opinion that differed. Her entire testimony lasted for quite some time before Senator Davis finally motioned for her to step away. "Thank you, Miss Silvera, that will be all," he informed her. Danielle nodded, then stood down, stepping away from the stand and heading back to her chair. As she did so, Senator Davis turned towards Colonel Stone. "I understand you had one more for us today," he said. "The priest, I believe?" Colonel Stone stood up and cleared his throat. "Yes, Senator ¨C Father Michaelson should be arriving shortly. He had to speak with the local Archdiocese first." "And this was more important than having him testify before Congress on this matter?" "In my professional opinion? Yes." Colonel Stone''s eyes narrowed. "The Catholic Church is one of the reasons why San Antonio as a whole wasn''t even worse off than it ended up being. If it hadn''t been for the efforts of the local diocese there, none of us would be standing here now testifying before you, and the little slice of hell that formed in the middle of the city would be much bigger. Ask me, I think it''s in our best interests to maintain a close working relationship with them." "You speak very highly of them," Senator Harding noted. "Their efforts impressed me. And I say that as a Baptist, myself." Just then, the doors to the Senate chambers opened once more. Alain turned and found Father Michaelson as he walked through them, heading for the stand. He was still dressed in his vestments, though the set he''d been wearing had been replaced by a clean set free of blood and gore. Normally, Alain would have been frustrated that he''d been given an opportunity to clean himself before testifying, unlike the rest of them, but in this case, he supposed it made sense. After all, the sight of a gore-soaked, bloodied priest walking down the street probably wouldn''t have inspired much confidence in the people there. Father Michaelson himself stood about six feet tall, with short brown hair and brilliant green eyes. He was fair-skinned, and even underneath his vestments, Alain could tell he was very fit; no doubt a product of his monster-hunting lifestyle. He had no weapons on him, but Alain could see two empty holsters on each hip, along with an empty sheath for a blade, and a cartridge belt for rifle rounds slung across his front. "Sorry I''m late, Congressmen," Father Michaelson said as he approached the stand. "Had to speak with the Archdiocese first." "As we''re aware," Senator Davis replied. "Hold up your right hand, please. Let''s get you sworn in, Father." Father Michaelson nodded, doing as he was asked. After he was sworn in, Senator Davis immediately launched into questioning. "Tell us about what you do for the Church," he said. "We understand that you have some kind of¡­ I guess paramilitary organization the rest of the world didn''t know about?" "Calling it paramilitary is going a bit too far," Father Michaelson stated. "We aren''t capable of going toe-to-toe with something like a conventional military force ¨C we don''t have the numbers for that, and we wouldn''t want to involve ourselves in politics in such a matter. No, our organization was developed specifically to combat the threat of the supernatural creatures lurking on the other side of the Veil." "I see. And how long has this organization been around?" "Since the Council of Trent. We''d had smaller local organizations before then, but that was when it was determined that we needed something more official." "For those unaware, could you put a date on that Council meeting?" "It was a series of meetings, actually. The first was held in December of 1545, and they lasted until December 1563. One of the first orders of business was formally organizing all the various monster hunting units under one umbrella organization within the church ¨C that happened very early on." "And how does one join this organization?" Senator Harding requested. "That depends," Father Michaelson answered. "Most of us are inducted into it at a young age ¨C we kind of have to be, if we''re going to undergo the kind of training needed to fight against the creatures on the other side of the Veil. But if someone shows the aptitude for it at a later age, they''re welcome to join as well, provided they are either already Catholic or willing to convert." "And this training¡­ what does it consist of?" "Physical training, weapons familiarization, and lessons on theology and spirituality," the priest informed him. "Anything one would need to combat creatures of darkness, basically." "Creatures of darkness¡­" Senator Davis echoed. "How does it make you feel, having worked with both a vampire and someone like Azazel?" Father Michaelson hesitated before letting out a sigh. "...Honestly, it almost feels wrong to admit it, but I don''t have a problem with either of them. Not after seeing how hard they fought to defend the rest of the world. Azazel, in particular." To Alain''s surprise, Father Michaelson turned towards Az, locking eyes with him. "Your quest for redemption is¡­ inspiring," Father Michaelson admitted. "Even more so because you are a demon ¨C a literal fallen angel. I do not know if it''s possible for you to truly make amends for what you''ve done, but your efforts to try despite that are incredible, and I wish you nothing but the best for it." Az seemed taken aback by his words, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. After a few seconds, he nodded, and Father Michaelson turned back towards the Senators. "Was there anything else, Senators?" he asked. "Indeed, there was," Senator Davis specified. "Tell it to us from the beginning, please. We want to know exactly what happened in San Antonio from your own point of view." Father Michaelson nodded. "Alright, I suppose I can do that. For me, at least, it all started when three strangers walked into town¡­" XXX A few hours later, and Alain''s group came marching out of the Senate chambers. Alain let out a wide yawn as he pushed his way through the doors, a wave of lethargy washing over him. "Fuck me¡­" he grumbled. "Hey, Colonel ¨C where do you have us posted up?" "I''ve got a hotel for you all nearby," Stone informed him. "My men are guarding it already; they''ll escort you wherever you need to go, within reason. I would caution you not to stray too far, however ¨C both because the Senate won''t take kindly to it, and because my men won''t be able to protect you as effectively if you do." "Point taken," Alain noted. "Mind leading us there, then?" "Not at all. Now, let''s-" At that moment, they stepped back out into the main hall, and immediately paused. Just outside, Alain was able to hear the roar of a crowd, punctuated by men screaming orders. He only had a moment to wonder what was happening before Colonel Stone stepped past them all. "Wait here," he growled as he made his way to the front door of the Capitol Building, one hand resting on the grip of his revolver as he went. "Colonel?" Alain asked. "What''s going on?" "It''s simple, Alain," Colonel Stone answered without looking back. "You were worried about something worse than the media showing up? Well, I think your fears have just come true, because it sounds like the protesters are here." The Vampires Apprentice - Book 3, Chapter 8
Alain watched as Colonel Stone stepped out of the Capitol Building, still keeping one hand rested on the grip of his revolver as he went. For his part, Alain hesitated before carefully sidling up to a nearby window. Az and Sable went to do the same, but Alain motioned for them to stay back. They understood what he was trying to tell them immediately, and did as he asked, staying put towards the center of the building''s entrance hall instead, taking care to keep away from any of the doors or windows as they did so. Alain looked out the window, and was taken aback at the size of the crowd he was able to see. There had to be hundreds, if not thousands of people lined up outside the building, some of them carrying weapons ¨C he spotted a few rifles and shotguns among a sea of revolvers and pocket pistols, along with the requisite torches, bladed implements, crucifixes, and wooden stakes. "What the hell is this¡­?" Alain couldn''t help but mutter as he stared out at the crowd. "I guess we can consider that your welcoming party," Father Michaelson answered as he stepped over to where Alain was standing. That earned him a confused look, and the priest shook his head. "Put yourself in their shoes for a moment ¨C you three were at every major instance where something like this happened. Not only that, but one of you is a vampire and the other is a greater demon. Now, the people out there may only know a fraction of the truth about what happened at those places and who you all truly are, but it''s enough to scare the hell out of them. Personally, I''m surprised this didn''t happen sooner than it is now." "If you say so¡­" Alain muttered, turning his attention back to staring out the window. Outside, Colonel Stone was standing at the top of the steps leading up to the entrance of the Capitol Building. Alain could see him trying to speak, but the roar of the crowd drowned him out. Finally, Stone grit his teeth, then drew his revolver and fired a single shot into the air. A cry of shock went up through the crowd, but they quieted down afterwards, instead turning their attention back towards the Colonel, who was already in the process of holstering his weapon. "Do I have your attention now?!" he shouted. "I''d better, because I''m only going to say this one time ¨C the people in this building are under my protection, and that does include everyone in the building. I know why you''re here, and I can promise you this ¨C there will be no lynchings under my watch." His expression narrowed. "Any of you who so much as moves onto the steps of this building is going to get shot. And if you don''t believe I''ll do it, then you''re free to try it and see what happens." Nobody moved a muscle. After a moment, the Colonel let out a gruff sigh. "You all have five minutes to disperse," he announced. "After that, my men will arrest anyone who''s still here and shoot anyone who resists. Do not test me on this ¨C now is not the time, nor is it the place. Your five minutes begin now." With that, the Colonel turned and stepped back inside the building, while a squad of his men closed rank around the entrance, keeping their rifles trained on the crowd. A few seconds passed, but as Alain watched, the crowd slowly began to disperse, starting from the back and continuing on over the next few minutes until only a small amount of gutsy protesters were left standing, most of them continuing to shout and hurl obscenities towards the Colonel''s men and the building itself. A few of them spotted Alain staring out at them from behind the window and turned their attention towards him, but he merely grimaced and pulled away from the window before the harsh words could hit him. He didn''t know any of these people, but already, he could tell it wasn''t worth his time to worry about them. Especially not when, as minute four of Stone''s five-minute ultimatum came around, the rest of them finally decided they had better things to do than risk ending up in jail or catching a bullet, and so turned and ran away. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. As the last of them disappeared around a nearby city block, Alain heaved a sigh of relief and collapsed against a nearby wall, then let out a wide yawn. He hadn''t done anything physically demanding since San Antonio, but he could feel the aches, pains, and general overexertion from it, not to mention the added exhaustion of having to sit through a Congressional committee meeting almost directly afterwards. He''d gotten a few hours of sleep on the train, and nothing more since then. Despite that, he knew he was the lucky one of the bunch ¨C none of the others had slept at all. "You okay?" Colonel Stone asked from beside him. Alain cracked one eye open and gave him a confused look, and the Colonel shrugged. "Moving quietly is a skill you acquire rapidly when hunting the supernatural, for obvious reasons." "I suppose¡­" Alain muttered. "I''m fine, just exhausted." "I can imagine. I imagine you all could probably go for a hot meal, a warm bath, and a nice bed right now. Fortunately for you, I''ve got that all waiting for you at the hotel already." "Is it safe to travel there?" Sable asked, crossing her arms. "Because I refuse to believe a mob like that would be so easily dissuaded in such a manner." Colonel Stone let out a small grunt of acknowledgment before nodding his head. "Believe me, those people weren''t nearly as angry as they were frightened. Give them something else to be more afraid of, and their fear will dissipate into thin air like nothing else." "And that''s what you did?" Az questioned. "Gave them something more to fear than a vampire and a demon?" "It''s hard to fear much else when you''re staring down the barrel of a gun and a man who''s more than willing to use it on you if you make a wrong move," Colonel Stone answered. "Anyway, let''s get moving." "What?" Alain asked. "I thought you just said the crowd had dissipated and there was no danger?" "I said they dissipated, I didn''t say there was no danger." Stone''s expression narrowed. "Alain, you need to understand something ¨C right now, there is no shortage of people out there who want to kill you all for some reason. Whether that''s because they''re afraid of you or angry at you, or because you''re working directly against what they want, you are in a very vulnerable position right now. All of you are. And it''s not helped by the fact that these stupid committee meetings are far from over." "Stupid?" Danielle echoed. "If the Congressmen heard you say that-" "The Congressmen already know my thoughts on this matter, believe me," Stone growled. "I think I made them clear during my own testimony, even if I didn''t speak them aloud. And besides, it''s going to take a lot more than some desk-bound living suit and tie to scare me at this point." "Wish we could say the same¡­" Danielle muttered. "One day, when you can arrange a direct meeting with the President of the United States, you can," Stone assured her. He shook his head. "A shame he''s in support of these meetings, though¡­" "Colonel," Az announced, staring out a nearby window overlooking the street below. "Yes?" Stone asked. "What is it?" "There''s another crowd gathering outside." Colonel Stone''s eyes widened, and he rushed over to the window to get a better look at what was going on. Alain did the same, heading for a window of his own a short ways away. To his surprise, Az was correct ¨C there was indeed another crowd forming on the street below, though this one was much smaller, numbering in just a few dozen, by his estimate. As he watched, one of the members ¨C a tall, fair-skinned man in a nice suit ¨C stepped out from the rest and began to walk forwards. Immediately, Colonel Stone tensed. "What is that idiot doing?" he growled as he peeled himself away from the window and ran for the entrance. "Hold your fire, hold your-" He suddenly paused, and instantly, Alain got the sense that something was wrong. The others did as well, apparently, as all of them except Father Michaelson fell in behind him as he raced for the entrance, drawing one of his revolvers as he did so. The four of them approached the front doors and threw them open, only to be met by a strange sight. Colonel Stone and all his men were standing there, their weapons pointed up and away from the crowd. To Alain''s amazement, they were speaking cordially to the man in the suit, though oddly enough, something about it seemed forced, in a way Alain couldn''t quite figure out. The strange man suddenly noticed all of them standing there, and locked eyes with Alain. In that instant, Alain felt a strange warmth radiate out from his heart, spreading across his entire body. The feeling put him at ease, and his grip on his revolver slackened enough that he nearly dropped the gun on the floor then and there. Out of the corner of his eye, Alain saw the rest of his friends were having a similar reaction to this man''s presence, except Az, for some reason ¨C somehow, he seemed completely unaffected, save for the look of surprise etched across his face. The man in the suit suddenly gave them a warm smile, and began to speak. "Greetings," he announced. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, at long last. We have been waiting for you to show up here." Alain felt his mouth go dry for some reason. It took him a moment to recover, but he eventually did, finally shaking the feeling off that he could speak through the feeling of warmth that had crossed over him. "Who¡­ are you?" he asked. The man''s friendly smile widened. "I am so glad you asked. My name is Carl Campbell, and at this moment, I believe we have much to discuss together." The Vampires Apprentice - Book 3, Chapter 9
Alain stared at the man before him in disbelief. His heart was still going a mile a minute, and yet for some reason, he felt completely at-ease with Carl''s presence there. He couldn''t tell why; something about the man simply felt peaceful and calming to him. Az suddenly stepped forwards, crossing his arms as he placed himself between Sable and Carl. He leveled a harsh gaze in Carl''s direction, crossing his arms as he did so. "Stop with your games, incubus," Az demanded. "If you want to speak to us, you will do so without the use of your aura." Carl froze at Az''s words, his eyes widening in surprise. After a moment, a look of shame crossed over his face, and averted his gaze, grimacing the entire time. "...Sorry," he offered. "Sometimes it had a mind of its own¡­" "I care not. Deactivate it at once." "Of course, of course. My apologies." Carl sucked in a breath, then exhaled slowly. Instantly, Alain felt that sense of calmness and peace abruptly leave his body, as if the feeling had flown out of him all at once. The sensation blindsided him, and he jolted slightly, taking a step back. It only took him a moment to recover, his hand falling to his revolver as he stepped out from behind Az to meet Carl''s gaze. Slowly, Alain''s expression narrowed. "What did you do to me?" he demanded. Carl raised his hands in surrender. "It was an accident, I swear-" "I don''t care. What was it?" Carl hesitated before letting out a sigh. "...I am an incubus, though I may not look the part right now. I am capable of using magic to affect people''s feelings towards me; I refer to it as my aura. That is what you felt just a few moments ago. I sincerely apologize for it ¨C as an incubus, it is extremely hard for me to keep it in-check willingly; like I said, it sometimes has a mind of its own." Alain was unconvinced. He looked towards Az. "Is he telling the truth?" "From what I can tell, it sounds like it," Az confirmed. "Of course, that begs the question¡­ how did an incubus make it out of hell in the first place? You certainly didn''t arrive with the others from San Antonio." "I''m only half-incubus," Carl explained. "My father was an incubus; my mother was a normal human." "Truly? And what happened to them?" "They both died when I was very young. I don''t know the circumstances; I barely remember either of them. I grew up an orphan and didn''t discover the true nature of my heritage until I was an adult." "And why are you approaching us, exactly?" Sable demanded. "Surely, you must understand how bad this looks." "I''m not here to fight with any of you, I assure you," Carl promised. "Rather, I was hoping we could help each other." That earned a look of confusion from Alain''s group. They all exchanged glances with each other, none of them sure of what to think, before turning back towards Carl. "And why do you think you''d be able to help us?" Colonel Stone demanded, his men once again rallying behind them, their weapons leveled at Carl''s group. "It''s simple, really," Carl stated. "I happen to believe our interests align quite nicely in a few areas." "You''ll understand if we''re wary of trusting you," Alain pointed out. "You just admitted you were half-demon, after all. Every demon we''ve known except for one has been nothing but completely malicious." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "I''m not like them, I assure you," Carl stated bluntly. "Let me put it to you this way ¨C you all currently have legal problems, yes? I can help with that ¨C in fact, I happen to have a lawyer with me right now." He motioned towards one of his followers, a short, black-haired, bearded man dressed in a nice black suit. The man gave them a friendly wave. "Greetings," he offered. "Rufus Cooper, at your service." Alain blinked, suddenly taken aback. Slowly, he turned towards Carl. "I don''t understand. You show up offering us legal counsel¡­ what do you want in return? And for that matter, who are you, anyway?" "All questions I''m happy to answer, of course," Carl said. "But if you don''t mind, could we do it inside? Something tells me standing out on the street is a very bad idea, for all of us." "I won''t argue with that," Colonel Stone grunted. "Alain, it''s your call. Do you want to hear this guy out or not?" Alain thought for a moment, then turned towards Sable. "What are your thoughts on this? Think we can trust them to answer a few questions?" "I don''t see why not," Sable acquiesced. "A single half-incubus and a group of humans wouldn''t be enough to stop Az and I if things went south, not to mention the other firepower we have on our side. If they''re offering us help, I see no reason not to at least attempt diplomacy." Sable looked back towards Carl, then nodded. "It''s your lucky day, I suppose." With that, she turned and marched back inside the capitol building, the others following after her. XXX "So, what''s this about, anyway?" Alain asked as they all filed into the Capitol Building''s main hall. "It''s clear to me that you want something in exchange for providing us with your lawyer." "A correct assumption," Carl surmised. "Simply put, I think you are all people of great influence. I mean, when I heard the rumors of the tragedy in New Orleans being stopped by the same people who also stopped the one in San Antonio, well, I was suddenly very curious." "You heard about that?" Colonel Stone questioned. Carl nodded. "Don''t sound so surprised, Colonel ¨C your lower enlisted men leak like a sieve around me, as does everyone else. But I''m getting ahead of myself ¨C for starters, I think an introduction is in order." Carl motioned to himself. "As previously mentioned, I am Carl Campbell. And before all this nonsense started in New Orleans, I was a Senator." "You were?" Alain asked, surprised. "Indeed. Care to guess the state?" "Hell, I don''t know. Nevada?" Carl paused, looking at him in surprise. "...You assumed because of Las Vegas, didn''t you?'' "I did. Was that a correct assumption?" "It was a fair one, but not even close; I am from Michigan. Anyway, I suppose that doesn''t matter too much. What matters is this ¨C prior to the events of San Antonio and the Veil being lifted, I served in the Senate for a number of years. I did so faithfully and with as much patriotism as one could reasonably expect of me, same as any other Senator should have. And yet, when the Veil was lifted, my service meant nothing, and it all came crashing down upon me." Carl lowered his head, his hands balling into fists. "...Something happened after New Orleans. I don''t know what, but suddenly, I couldn''t control my aura as easily as I used to be able to, and that led to me being¡­ discovered." He shook his head sadly. "Once that happened, my Senate career was over; they ousted me faster than I thought possible. Frankly, I was fortunate it stopped short of physical violence, such was their rage at being deceived, but that doesn''t change the fact that I felt an injustice had been done." "What makes you say that?" Danielle questioned. "Think about it ¨C decades of loyal service to this country, which I love as much as any other American, spat upon and pushed aside due to something as simple and yet as out of my control as my own demonic heritage. Can you even imagine what that''s like?" Carl let out a sad sigh, then shook his head. "So, what, you want us to help you get your job back?" Alain ventured. "That''s easier said than done-" To his surprise, Carl shook his head again. "My old job is beyond my reach at this point," he said tiredly. "They will never give it back to me, no matter what I do¡­ but it doesn''t have to be that way forever. Not if we can make a positive change, at least." "What do you mean?" "What I ask of you is simple," Carl ventured. "First, accept my offer of legal assistance, because you will need it in the days to come. And second¡­" He turned towards Sable and Az. "All we ask in return is that you both serve as a good example of what supernatural people can be, outside of the superstitions and fears of what lies on the other side of the Veil. We need people like you for our cause, even if you aren''t directly supporting us." "And what is this cause?" Sable said tentatively. This time, Rufus stepped forwards. "We fight for a future in which those who live on the other side of the Veil no longer need to live in fear of what their own countrymen might do to them if their true origins are discovered," he said. "You of all people should know ¨C not everyone from the other side of the Veil is a monster. Far from it, in fact; most of them simply want to live the same way we humans do. For too long, you all have been vilified and feared because of something out of your control, and that''s what we seek to stop." "And you truly believe this is a goal you can reach?" Danielle asked. "It''s certainly admirable, don''t get me wrong, but it is also the definition of an uphill battle, given what happened in San Antonio." Rufus was unfazed by her comment. "Just a few decades ago, many people would have said the same thing about slavery," he reminded her. "And yet, today we live in a United States of America free of it. Unfortunately, it took a horrifically bloody civil war to get there, but we believe firmly that nothing of the sort will happen here." "Hate to tell this to you, but San Antonio already happened," Alain pointed out. "They weren''t responsible for it, but a lot of people won''t see it that way." "All the more reason for the two of them to serve as positive examples of people from the other side of the Veil," Carl gently argued. "Look, I don''t expect an answer right away ¨C I''d be foolish if I did. Instead, I implore you to think on it for a bit. You can still make use of Rufus'' services during this time, of course, but for now, take your time and think about my proposal." With that, Carl motioned for his followers to fall in, and together, they turned and left the Capitol. Rufus lagged behind just a moment, and turned towards them. "I will be here in the morning," he assured them. "We''ll be ready for tomorrow, trust me." His piece having been said, he followed after Carl, leaving them all behind. A second passed before Sable let out a sigh. "...I''m far too tired and hungry to deal with this right now," she said. "Colonel, I believe you said you had a hotel room for us?" "I did, yes," he confirmed. "Follow me, I''ll take you there." Stone and his men led the way out of the building, carefully guiding them through the streets as they went. By the time they made it to the hotel, night had started to fall. Alain was thankful when they finally finished checking in and he was shown to his room, allowing him to collapse onto his bed and pass out in the blink of an eye. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 3, Chapter 10
t was a loud crash from outside the hotel''s window that woke Alain from his slumber. He let out a low grumble of discontent as his eyes fluttered open. Judging by the thin rays of light spilling through the blinds over the windows, it was just after six in the morning. That was far from the earliest he''d ever woken at, but given everything he''d just been through over the past few days, it was still far too early for him. Still, there was no getting out of it now ¨C he needed to be awake for his next meeting with the Senate. That thought earned another grumble of discontent from him, even as he rose up from bed and stretched out, then began to pull on his clothes and his equipment. As he slid his second revolver into its spot in the holster at his hip, there was a knock on the door. "It''s me," Sable announced through the door. "Are you awake in there?'' "Yeah," Alain answered. "Come on in, I''m decent." There was a momentary pause, then Sable opened the door and stepped inside. Alain had just finished getting himself situated, and was in the process of slinging his shotgun over his shoulder when he turned to look at her. He couldn''t help but pause at the sight of her ¨C something seemed different, for some reason; it took him a few seconds to realize her hair had been cut a bit shorter than from when he''d last seen her. "Hey, you cut your hair," he said. "When''d you have the time for that?" Sable''s eyes widened. "Last night, before I went to bed," she told him. "I''m surprised you noticed." "Yeah. It looks really good on you, actually." It may have just been a trick of the light, but Alain could have sworn that a faint blush crossed her face for a fraction of a second before it faded. "Don''t bother asking what the occasion is," she said to him. "It was just getting a little long for my liking." "And here I thought you''d decided to try and make a good impression on the Senate," Alain replied. Sable rolled her eyes. "I think that ship has sailed." "Don''t be so sure, Sable. You''d be surprised the kind of things men will let pretty women get away with." This time, he definitely saw a blush cross over her face, though it faded before he could comment on it. The sight of it took him by surprise; he''d never Sable flustered before. For a moment, Alain wasn''t sure what to say, before ultimately shaking that thought from his mind, instead focusing on the discussion at hand. "So," Alain said, taking a seat on his bed. "What brings you here?" "I can''t stop in and see my apprentice?" Sable questioned. He shrugged. "I mean, I won''t complain about it." "Good, because you''re stuck with me." "You make it sound like a threat when you put it that way." "Depends on who''s interpreting it," she replied. "Anyway, I take it you''ve seen the peanut gallery gathering outside?'' "I haven''t, actually. I''ve certainly heard them, though." "Mm. I imagine the Colonel is probably going to have them disperse before it''s time for us to head out." "Yeah, probably. Hell, maybe this time he''ll even arrest a few just to prove a point. Maybe that''d get them to stop gathering like this." If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "One can hope." There was another knock at the door. "Smith, you in there?" Colonel Stone asked. "I am, Colonel," Alain replied. "Time to go?" "It is. Meet me downstairs in five, along with the others." With that, the conversation ended. Alain rolled his eyes as he heard the Colonel''s heavy footfalls moving away from his room. "Man of few words," he commented. He turned to Sable and motioned for her to follow him. "Come on. Let''s not keep him waiting." Sable nodded, and the two of them stepped out of Alain''s room, heading for the lobby of the hotel. XXX Thankfully, Colonel Stone had thought ahead when putting them up in this hotel, and had rented the entire thing out on the government''s dime. Alain could only imagine that his superiors hadn''t taken issue with it; after all, it wouldn''t have done anybody any good to allow guests to stay in the hotel at the same time as Sable and Az. The mob being outside was bad enough; he didn''t even want to consider how ugly things would get if it bled over to the inside of the hotel, too. Alain and Sable were the first ones to get to the lobby, joined soon after by Danielle and Az as they descended the stairs. The few hotel staff still present in the lobby froze in a panic at the sight of Az, then hurried away. The sight of it made Alain''s blood boil, but he didn''t say anything. Meanwhile, Father Michaelson wasn''t staying with them, having instead sought refuge at a nearby convent for the night; Alain figured he''d see the priest later. To his dismay, there was also no sign of his mother, though that unfortunately didn''t surprise him, given her recent behavior. The way he was looking around for her didn''t go unnoticed, however. "Is her vanishing act getting to you?" Sable asked quietly. "You''re damn right it is," Alain growled. "I was okay with her doing her own thing for a time, but to not write or anything, or otherwise even try to contact me?" He shook his head. "And then there''s the way she''s been acting since we got here¡­" Sable gave him a sympathetic look. "I hate to say it, but give her time. She''ll come around. I''m sure she has a reason for doing this." "Yeah, well, it''d better be a good one." "Morning," Az greeted as him and Danielle approached. Before Alain could return his greeting with one of his own, Az peered past him, looking out at the crowd outside. "Ah. I see the circus is still in town." "Sable made a similar remark earlier," Alain noted. "Don''t worry about them," Colonel Stone announced as he stepped over to them. "My men are working on dispersing them now; they''ll be of no concern within the next few minutes." "Is this going to be a regular thing, do you think?" Danielle questioned. "Unfortunately, I''m inclined to say yes," the Colonel answered. "People fear what they don''t understand, and they really don''t understand Sable and Az." Sable crossed her arms. "Hmph. You''d think they''d learn this is a waste of time." "People can be stubborn in the worst of ways," Alain noted. At that moment, Alain caught sight of several of Stone''s men affixing bayonets onto their rifles, then advancing towards the crowd, carefully prodding at them with their blades as they went. It wasn''t enough to cause serious damage, but it was enough to draw blood, as well as prove to the protestors that the soldiers meant business when it came to dispersing them. Sure enough, the effect was immediate ¨C most of the crowd decided to cut and run, while the few stragglers who stayed behind were very quickly wrestled to the ground and apprehended without much fuss. There was one strange exception, though. As Alain watched the crowd of protesters be broken up, he couldn''t help but note a suspicious-looking figure towards the back, standing at the opening to an alleyway. He was dressed in a large tan trenchcoat, despite the warm weather. Alain squinted and leaned in a bit, trying to get a better look at the man. The two of them locked eyes for just a moment before the suspicious man turned and disappeared down the alleyway. "What''s going on?" Danielle asked, having noticed Alain staring out the window. "See something?" Alain shook his head. "It''s nothing," he replied. "Colonel, are we good to move out?" "We are," he confirmed. "Let''s get moving." XXX The rest of the morning went by relatively uneventfully, their testimony before Congress included. Before Alain knew it, it was midday, and they were being dismissed from the Senate chambers for a one-hour recess before questioning resumed. As he was leaving the chambers, he passed by a few Senators speaking in a hushed tone, and was barely able to pick up a bit of their conversation as he continued on his way. "-news about the Freemasons?" "Still nothing. Whoever did it has balls, I''ll say that much." "Was it all of them?" "It was. And their building was ransacked." "Hm¡­ and it''s being investigated?" "Of course. There just aren''t any leads yet. Whoever did it was good." Alain didn''t pay the conversation any mind, instead focusing on trying to clear his mind as he walked through the halls of the Capitol Building. "Alain." Or at least, he was trying to clear his mind, only to have that plan shot to pieces when his mother called out to him. He exhaled sharply, then turned towards the sound of her voice. "Mother," he greeted. Heather stood before him, looking very uncomfortable with herself. She brought hand up and ran it through her hair, then let out a sigh. "Look," she said, "I''m not very good at this whole thing-" "Believe me, mother, that much is obvious." "But I just wanted to say¡­ despite what it might look like, I''m not ignoring you." "Oh, really?" Alain demanded. "What do you call what you''ve been doing, then? Because it sure seems like you''re ignoring me." Heather bristled. "I assure you, it''s all to keep you safe-" "Mother, I am perfectly capable of keeping myself safe," Alain insisted. "Seriously. I have been through some heinous shit, and come out alive. I have a greater demon and a vampire on my side. I will be fine." "You can say that all you want, but-" "Was there a point you wanted to make by approaching me?" Alain asked, impatient. "Because I was already having a shit day, and this isn''t helping at all." Heather winced. "Look, I just¡­ wanted to tell you that I know I haven''t done right by you-" "That''s an understatement." "-But I swear that I''m going to make it up to you. Okay? It''s just¡­" "Now isn''t the time," Alain finished for her. That earned another wince from her. "Yeah." Alain stared at her for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "...Look, mother ¨C you can do what you need to do. I understand that this shit is bigger than I am, and on a certain level, I don''t fault you for it. But don''t act like you''re doing me a favor when you pull shit like this. If our little reunion has to wait until later, then so be it, but don''t test my patience by trying to tell me you''re working on it when I know you aren''t." Alain turned to look out the window, frowning when he noticed what time it was. "We''re due back in the chambers soon. We''ll talk later." Heather merely gave him a small nod, and then Alain turned and continued on, leaving her behind. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 3, Chapter 11
After a few more minutes of wandering through the halls, Alain rejoined his friends just in time for Congress to resume proceedings. They all filed back into the Congressional chambers, taking their seats as Senator Davis called them to order once more. However, no sooner had they all been seated than did the doors to the chambers open once more, and a familiar face came walking through them. Alain couldn''t help but stare in surprise as the newcomer stepped into the room. "Jasper¡­?" He''d known the man from New Orleans would be arriving at some point, but he hadn''t expected it to be this soon. Jasper gave him a side-eyed look as he passed by, and Alain returned it with a small nod; he knew they''d talk later, but for now, Jasper had testimony give. He approached the podium and was sworn in quickly enough, and then Senator Davis got to work on him in the blink of an eye. "How do you know Mister Smith and his associates?" The abruptness of the question did not take Jasper off-guard in the slightest. He stood his ground, completely unfazed. "We met in New Orleans," he stated matter-of-factly. "He was looking for his mother, and we happened to cross paths. Our initial meeting didn''t go well." "In what sense?'' "I noticed he was traveling with at least one vampire, and as one of New Orleans'' resident vampire hunters, I took it upon myself to try and cut the head off that particular snake before it became a problem." Congressman Harding leaned in, surprised. "You tried to kill Miss Sable?" A vein pulsed in Sable''s head, but to Alain''s relief, she thankfully held back on the tongue-lashing she no doubt wanted to give Harding. Jasper, meanwhile, nodded. "I did the most reasonable thing a vampire hunter would have done in that situation, and attempted to end the threat before people could be killed. I was wrong, of course, at least on some level ¨C there were vampires out attempting to inflict evil upon the city and its people, but Sable was not one of them." "So you hold no ill will towards her, despite her being a vampire?" Senator Davis asked. Jasper shook his head. "None at all. And I suspect that goes both ways, for what it''s worth, though you''d have to ask her to confirm that, obviously." "Indeed," Senator Harding replied dryly. "What happened after that?" "We realized it would be best if we joined forces," Jasper answered. "I threw my lot in with them temporarily, so Alain could find his mother. And I don''t regret it, because doing so not only saved the city from an even worse fate, but also enabled me to see my long-lost sister again before she was killed." If Jasper''s statement had affected any of the congressmen in attendance, they didn''t show it. Instead, Senator Davis simply continued on to the next round of questions. "In your own words, what went wrong at New Orleans?'' Jasper''s eyes narrowed. "Are these really the questions you want to be asking me right now? I was under the impression that this hearing was about San Antonio, not New Orleans." "It is. New Orleans is relevant to the topic-" "Only in the sense that you''re trying to pin that on these people as well." "Enough!" Senator Davis shouted, banging his gavel in the process. "One more outburst and I''ll hold you in contempt of Congress. Now, answer the question." Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "You want to know what went wrong at New Orleans?" Jasper spat. "A bunch of power-mad old people tried to throw their weight around to get what they want, whatever the hell that may have been, and a bunch of innocent people died horribly as a result of it. I''m sure that''s something everyone here can relate to already, but I digress ¨C if you''re trying to figure out who to pin New Orleans, my answer is the same now as it would have been back then ¨C the dead elder vampire who masterminded the entire thing, and who is currently dead because of these two right here." Jasper motioned to Sable And Alain, causing a murmur of discontent to go up through the crowd. His eyes narrowed even further at the sound of it. "If anything, you should be throwing these people a damn parade," he spat. "Considering they''re the only reason we''re not all swimming in fire and brimstone right now." "We''ve heard that line before," Senator Davis said dismissively. "It didn''t work then and it won''t work now." "Then what''s the point of all this?" Jasper demanded. "If you''re going to nail them all to the cross anyway, then why go to the trouble of doing all of this in the first place? At this point, you''re just dragging it out for no reason other than to satisfy your own curiosity and sadism." Senator Davis'' eyes narrowed. "Watch yourself." "Or what?" Jasper challenged. "Go ahead, arrest me. Prove to everyone here how much of a sham this whole thing actually is." Senator Davis grit his teeth and was about to bang his gavel when Senator Harding stopped him. The two men exchanged a quick glance; Harding shook his head, and Davis reluctantly backed down. Harding turned back towards Jasper, then gave him a nod. "You are excused," he said. "And we will break for the day. The hearing will resume tomorrow." And with the bang of a gavel, it was all over for the next few hours. XXX "Not that I don''t appreciate it, but were you trying to get yourself arrested?" Alain asked. Across from him, Jasper shook his head. He took a drag from his cigarette before exhaling, then turned back towards Alain. "Sorry," he offered. "I know I got a little heated in there-" "Hell, I''d say a little heat was called for," Colonel Stone interjected. "If nothing else, you got us out of there for the rest of the day so everyone could cool down a bit." "Yeah, about that¡­ do you think they''re done with me?" "For now, yes. But you can be recalled at any time, so they''re going to keep you here, in DC, until the hearings are over." Jasper let out an annoyed grunt at that. "Shit¡­ I had a job lined up back in the bayou and everything¡­" "You did?" Alain asked, surprised. "Mhm," Jasper confirmed with a nod. "I''m taking a page out of your book, actually. Just opened up my own supernatural bounty hunting business a few weeks ago." "No shit?" Alain asked. "How''s it going?" "Lucrative, as you can imagine," Jasper confirmed as he took another drag from his smoke. "Everyone''s so on-edge after San Antonio that they''re asking for me to clear their property if they so much as hear a bump in the night or see a strange shadow dancing across the wall." Sable crossed her arms. "At least one good thing came out of the disaster that was San Antonio, then. Shame you''re reaping the benefits instead of us, though." Jasper waved her off. "Give it time. Once all this is done and over with, you three will absolutely be cleaning up again, I''m sure of it." Sable''s only response was to nod. Alain took another drag from his own cigarette, then looked around. Currently they were all standing in one of the Capitol Building''s hallways. Danielle, Heather, and Father Michaelson had gone off on their own; of the three of them, only Danielle had made any mention of where she was going, though it had been brief, and the only snippets Alain had been able to pick up had been her desire to speak with an old colleague of her father''s. As far as Heather and Father Michaelson were concerned, Alain knew nothing. "So, tell me," Jasper managed to get out around the cigarette stub in his mouth. "What actually happened at San Antonio? Was it as bad as everyone says it was?" "It was bad enough that the ruling class of this country detained and transported us halfway across a continent to question us about it," Az replied. "They didn''t do that after New Oreans." "That''s true, but New Orleans was different. For one, just based off of what I heard about San Antonio, New Orleans was peanuts compared to it. For another, the Veil had just been fully lifted for the first time in human history; they had a lot of questions of their own to answer, not to mention a ton of damage control to do. If they''d tried to haul you all before a committee at that point, it would have been too obvious that they were trying to use you all as scapegoats." At that moment, Alain caught sight of Father Michaelson as he turned around a nearby corner and began moving towards them. To Alain''s surprise, the priest made a beeline for Az, of all people. "Azazel," Father Michaelson greeted. "Do you have a moment to speak with me?" Az, for his part, seemed taken aback. He shared a glance with the others, who all shrugged, having been left equally as confused as him. After a second or two, Az blinked, then looked back at Father Michaelson and nodded. "I suppose," he said. "What is this about, Father?" "Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to discuss among the others," he said. "It will make sense when I speak more in private, however. That is, if you''re willing to hear me out?" Az hesitated for a second, but then nodded once more. "Very well, Father." Father Michaelson gave him a small smile. "Excellent. Come with me, please." With that, the priest led Az away, the two of them disappearing into a nearby room. Everyone watched them go for a moment before looking back at each other, still confused. "...I have no idea what I just witnessed," Sable confessed. "I wouldn''t worry about it," Alain offered. "If it''s that important, Az will tell you later." "Yes, I suppose you''re right." Alain went to finish what was left of his cigarette, when a sudden noise from outside caught his attention ¨C several loud bangs, going off in quick succession. His eyes widened in surprise, the remainder of his cigarette falling from his hands onto the ground below as the screaming started up outside and the crowd that had gathered around the Capitol Building began to panic. A moment later, more gunshots ripped through the night. Colonel Stone, to his credit, didn''t hesitate. He immediately drew his sidearm, then took off running towards the noise, barking orders to any soldiers he encountered along the way. Alain, meanwhile, found himself reaching for a gun that wasn''t there; he hadn''t yet retrieved his weapons from the men stationed at the security checkpoint up front. "Shit¡­" Alain muttered. "They still have my gear¡­" "Mine, too," Jasper added. "Then you both should stay behind me," Sable instructed. "Because I think things are about to get busy." Alain was about to ask what she''d meant when he caught sight of some movement outside a nearby window ¨C a flash of white, just barely visible out the corner of the glass pane. He had no time to ask what it was before the window exploded in a shower of glass, and bullets began to rip through the hallway.
The Vampires Apprentice - Book 3, Chapter 12
Alain had barely any time to react as rounds began to tear through the nearby walls. Panicked shouts erupted from several Congressmen down the hall, who all cut and run as soon as the shooting started; Alain couldn''t tell whether any of them had been hit or not. All he could do was throw himself to the floor, as he reached to his holsters for revolvers that weren''t there. Next to him, Jasper did the same, both men gritting their teeth as bullets passed by just inches overhead. Sable suddenly rushed past them, moving as fast as she could. Alain followed her with his gaze, watching as she closed in on the figure in white. To his surprise, the person who had attacked them almost seemed to be dressed as a priest; he had on the white vestments, and Alain caught sight of a crucifix hanging around his neck as he moved. Even more surprising, the man was keeping up with Sable, if not outspeeding her completely. Alain could only stare in amazement as the priest moved. He''d seen mortals keep up with Sable before ¨C even his own mother had nearly taken her out, though that had required her having the element of surprise on top of using everything she had in the physical sense ¨C but never before had he seen someone completely outmatch her like this. The priest suddenly brought her to her knees with a nasty punch directly to her throat. Sable doubled over, and as she fell, the man in white drew an ornate-looking revolver and pressed the barrel flush against her forehead, then thumbed the hammer back. "No!" Alain shouted, jumping to his feet. He was too late, however; a fraction of a second later, and the priest pulled the trigger. A dull click echoed through the halls. Sable seized the opportunity she''d been given. She lunged for the man, knocking him off-balance; the two of them tumbled end over end as they fought for dominance, with Sable ending up on top. Normally, that would have been the end of it, but this priest was anything but normal ¨C he was able to keep her from squeezing the life out of him with one hand, and with the other, reached for the inside of his vestments. Alain caught sight of a silver blade moments before it carved through the air, scoring a deep gouge across Sable''s midsection. A pained gasp escaped her, and her grip slackened enough that the man in white was able to overpower her and throw her off of him. Alain reached the man at that point, and despite being completely unarmed, still lunged for him even as he pulled another revolver out from within his vestments. Just before he could make contact, however, the priest rounded on him and fired off a single shot. Alain''s eyes widened as he felt the bullet rip through his midsection and erupt out his back. He fell to his knees, clutching at the entry wound as it gushed blood, a pained groan escaping from him. "Alain!" Sable screamed, even as the priest rounded on her and began shooting once more. Bullets tore through her midsection, leaving blue fire in their wake. Alain watched through rapidly blurring vision as she fell, screaming in agony as she burned. At that moment, rapid footsteps from down the hall caught his attention, and he turned to find Az, Colonel Stone, Father Michaelson, and several of the Colonel''s men advancing, weapons at the ready. The man in white took one look at them, then cast a baleful gaze back at Sable, still burning on the ground, before grimacing and retreating back out the nearby window. The Colonel and a few of his men continued after him, but somehow, Alain knew he was already long gone. Az, meanwhile, ran right for Sable, as did Father Michaelson. Alain couldn''t hear what they were saying through the blood rushing in his ears, but it was clear they were arguing about how to help her. Eventually, Father Michaelson seemed to win, as Az reluctantly stepped away and Michaelson moved to stand over Sable, then clasped his hands in prayer. Alain''s vision began to darken, even as Az approached him and picked him up, then began to carry him away into a nearby room. He was saying something, though Alain couldn''t hear what it was. It was easy enough to guess what he intended to do, however, and in that case, Alain agreed with getting him away from the others. For this, it was best if none of the Congressmen witnessed it. They were fearful enough of the Underworld as it was; there was no need to reinforce it by showing them just what Az was capable of. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. After a few seconds, Az ducked inside a nearby office, laid Alain down on top of one of the desks, and then shut the door behind him. The blood finally stopped rushing in Alain''s ears, enough that he was able to tell what Az was saying. "Relax," Az assured him. "I''ll get you healed, Alain. You go ahead and rest now." As if on cue, Alain closed his eyes, and allowed himself to drift off into unconsciousness. XXX When Alain awoke, it was from a completely dreamless sleep. Both eyes flew open, and he sat bolt upright in bed, his most recent memories having been of the priest trying to kill him, and nearly succeeding at that. If Az hadn''t been there, he would have died. He knew that, and yet it wasn''t his primary concern. "Sable¡­" he managed to gasp out. His throat was incredibly dry, but he didn''t care; all that mattered to him right now was making sure she was okay. A quick look around confirmed he was back in his hotel room. Whoever had brought him here, they''d stripped him of most of his clothes and gear, leaving him in just his underwear, though they''d thankfully left a spare change of clothes nearby. Alain hurried over to them, patting himself down as he did so. The bullet wound that had nearly killed him was gone now, with only a thin patch of scar tissue there to indicate he''d ever been wounded in the first place. In the past, that would have unnerved him. But not now. Not when he still didn''t know what had happened to Sable. Alain finished dressing himself, then reached for one of his revolvers and slipped it into his waistband, just in case. Once that was done, he ran for the nearby door and threw it open. "Sable!" he called out as he stepped into the hallway. "Sable, are you here?!" For a moment, there was only silence, but then one of the doors at the other end of the hallway opened, and Colonel Stone stepped out. "In here," the Colonel said, beckoning him to follow. "And be quick about it!" Alain nodded in understanding, then ran after the Colonel. He entered the room, and was stunned at what he saw. Sable was lying in her bed, covered in nasty-looking burns. Seeing her now, she looked every bit like a common undead, rather than the downright regal vampire he''d known her as. The only thing separating her from the many undead he''d put in the ground already were the sharpened fangs, visible through her burned lips. Tentatively, Alain approached her bedside, unsure of what to say or do at first. The others were there, too ¨C Danielle, Az, even Father Michaelson. Alain turned towards Az, a questioning gaze on his face. "Az," he said. "Did you already-" "I did," Az confirmed. "But the powers of the Underworld are nothing compared to those of Heaven." A jolt of panic shot through Alain''s heart. "Then is she-" "No, she isn''t," Az stated. "But she came very close; it was only Father Michaelson''s prayers that extinguished the flames, and just in time, at that. My lady will need blood, and a lot of it, if she is to regenerate properly from this." "Then give her mine," Alain declared. "I don''t care how much she takes, she can have it." "Slow down," Colonel Stone told him. "That''s very noble of you, but we still need you here as well. We can''t have you sacrificing yourself for her like that." "Then let her drink as much as she needs without killing me." "It isn''t that simple," Az said, shaking his head as he did so. "With injuries of this extent, she will be bloodthirsty. If she latches onto you, then she will not let go until you have been completely drained. We will need to give her a little at a time, at least until she is at a point where she is no longer ravenous for it." Alain looked around, his gaze landing on a nearby decorative vase full of flowers. Without a second thought, he took the vase and up-ended it, spilling the flowers and their water onto the floor. He then reached for the knife on Colonel Stone''s belt and ripped it from its sheath. "What are you-" the Colonel began, only to pause in shock when Alain suddenly dragged the blade of the knife against his wrist. Immediately, the blood began to pour. The others shouted out in alarm, but Alain didn''t care; rather, he positioned his wounded arm above the vase, then allowed the blood to flow into it. The others caught on immediately, and their protests died down, instead replaced with looks of shock. "...You could have at least told us you planned to do that," Danielle protested. "You''d have probably tried to stop me," Alain argued. "She needs this blood more than I do. I don''t care how much it hurts me, she''s gonna get it, even if it''s just a bit at a time." Colonel Stone brought a hand up to this face. "Stubborn bastard¡­" he muttered. "Hang on, I''ve got some bandages in my pack¡­" "No need," Az replied. "I will heal him." "You will?" "Yes. Bandages and the natural way are too slow, especially given that my lady is going to need more blood than this throughout the day." Slowly, Colonel Stone gave a nod of acknowledgment. "Very well." After a few minutes, Alain began to feel lightheaded enough that he knew he needed to stop, at least temporarily. The once-empty vase now had a respectable amount of blood in it; without thinking, he passed it over to Danielle. "Here," he said, his words coming out slightly slurred, almost like he was drunk. "Pour that down her throat, slowly and carefully. Try not to waste any of it." Danielle grimaced as she accepted the vase full of blood, but didn''t argue. Instead, she carefully approached Sable''s side, and as delicately as she could, began to pour the container of blood down her mouth. Alain only watched for a moment before Az got to him, taking him by the shoulder. "Easy," Az told him. "I know¡­" Alain said. "Just get this over with, please¡­" "Of course. The rest of you may want to close your eyes and cover your ears." They all obliged, and Az once again called upon the powers of the Underworld to heal him. It was far less intense this time than it had been ¨C likely a combination of Az having already used it once just a short time ago, but also due to Alain''s injury not being as severe or life-threatening as the first one had been. Whatever the case, it was over in a matter of seconds; Alain''s light-headedness faded, as did the wound on his arm. He clenched and unclenched his fingers a few times to make sure everything still worked right and there was no pain, then gave Az a nod of appreciation. He then turned back to Father Michaelson, his eyes narrowing. "I think we have some things to discuss, Father," he noted, a slight tinge of venom seeping into his tone. The Vampires Apprentice - Book 3, Chapter 13 Father Michaelson blinked in surprise, as if he couldn''t quite believe what he was hearing. "What do you mean, Alain?" he asked. "I mean that the man who attacked us was obviously a priest," Alain growled. "And you think that means he was connected to me somehow?" "Put yourself in our shoes, Father ¨C you''ve been separating yourself from us for quite some time now, ever since we arrived in town. You go off on your own at the end of each day. We don''t really know anything about you. And on top of all of that, you spirit Az away for a few minutes, right as we come under attack." Alain shook his head. "Now, I''m not usually one to assume the worst about someone, but that seems awfully suspicious, does it not?" Father Michaelson seemed taken aback. "Now, wait just a minute. I have been going off on my own every day specifically to brief the archdiocese of Washington DC as to the threats they''re now facing. The Archdiocese has a line directly to envoys from the Vatican itself. If you sincerely think I would be so daft as to keep the Vatican in the dark about this, then I don''t know what to tell you." "And that requires you to go off on your own every day?" "Yes, because the things I discuss with the Vatican are specifically for those who have been ordained." Father Michaelson''s gaze narrowed. "You are a good man, Alain, I know this for a fact, but you are not an ordained priest, nor are you an actively practicing Catholic. I am not allowed the kind of leeway necessary to get you involved in official Vatican business-" "I would say it''s a little late for that, Father, wouldn''t you agree?" "As a matter of circumstance, yes. However, protocol dictates I keep you out of the loop regarding the internal affairs of the Church. This is a tradition dating back several thousand years, and I am not about to break it purely to disprove your harebrained theories about me." "Oh, so now they''re harebrained?" Alain demanded with a snarl. "Would you prefer I use another word to describe them?" Father Michaelson asked evenly. He shook his head. "I fought alongside you in San Antonio. I watched my mentor personally walk a greater demon down to the depths of hell, damning himself in the process. I watched a friend of mine be reduced to little more than a red smear on the ground. And that''s to say nothing of the rest of my order; it would be merciful if they were all merely rotting in the dirt, and yet somehow, I suspect they are also going through a kind of torment in their unfortunate afterlives that we cannot even imagine." "Where are you going with this?" "I''m simply pointing out everything I''ve lost to help keep this contained, as well as my efforts to do so," Father Michaelson growled. "I understand your misgivings, at least on a certain level, but the idea that you would level these accusations against me is downright insulting." "Father-" "If that man was indeed a priest, then he was not a part of my order. I would hope you of all people would be wise enough to realize that instantly." Father Michaelson''s eyes narrowed. "I do not know all the secrets the Vatican has under lock and key, but I very highly doubt that they would specifically send someone to kill you and your friends, given the great evil you all helped banish. You''re welcome, by the way ¨C I held nothing back in my assessments regarding not only yourself, but Sable and Az as well." Alain blinked, taken by surprise at Father Michaelson''s statement. "Father-" The priest, however, merely let out a grunt and shook his head, then turned towards Az. "Much as I would like to stay and speak to you further, I have business with the Vatican to attend to," he stated. "We will discuss things further later on." Az, for his part, merely nodded. Father Michaelson gave Alain one last baleful look, then marched past him, leaving the room. He slammed the door behind him as he went; Alain heard him walk down the hallway, his footfalls echoing against the walls for a few seconds before falling silent. After a moment, he let out a sigh. "You owe Father Michaelson an apology," Az stated blithely. "I''m aware," Alain replied dryly. "I''ll give it to him tomorrow; something tells me he doesn''t want to see my face right now." A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "Probably right," Danielle concurred. She turned towards Az. "What did you two discuss, anyway?'' "Unfortunately, I''m not at liberty to say," Az told her. "It''s nothing bad, I assure you, but at the same time, it needs to remain strictly confidential." "That important, huh?" "Indeed. Please do not pry." Danielle held up her hands in surrender. "Wouldn''t dream of it, big guy." Alain, meanwhile, turned towards Colonel Stone, who had watched the entire exchange with Father Michaelson in complete silence. "Colonel," Alain said. "Father Michaelson''s comments about the Vatican don''t concern you?" "Not at all," Colonel Stone answered. "The Vatican has always been its own independent entity when it comes to these sorts of things. They have a history of monster hunting dating back at least hundreds of years, and that''s just to my knowledge. Everything we''ve learned about the profession, they''ve passed down onto us, either directly or indirectly. If they want to remain autonomous, as they traditionally have been, then I see no reason to step on their toes." "Even if one of their own is against us?" Stone''s eyes narrowed. "If that was truly a Catholic priest, then I can assure you, he isn''t operating under orders from the Vatican. I don''t know who would have sent him otherwise, but I assure you, it wasn''t them. Not after what you all did in San Antonio." Alain let out a breath. "Great¡­ so we still don''t know what''s going on." "If it helps, I can start calling in some favors," Danielle offered. "I have some pull with a few of the Senators in Congress. I''ve been waiting until later in the questioning to cash in a few favors they owed my father, but if we have someone actively hunting us down at this point, then I think they''d be better put to use trying to dig up a thing or two about what''s going on around town." "You really think that would help?" Az questioned. Danielle nodded. "It couldn''t hurt. Besides, don''t the rest of you get the feeling that something isn''t right?" "What do you mean?" Colonel Stone asked. "Well¡­ it''s been way too quiet around here, wouldn''t you agree?" "Not the word I''d use," Alain interjected. "I mean it in a relative sense," Danielle argued. "Think about it ¨C what''s the worst we''ve encountered since getting here? A few overzealous protesters and a really pissed-off holy man?" She shook her head. "It just doesn''t feel right to me. At this point, everyone ought to know we''re here. The fact that our enemies, whoever they are, haven''t tried to send anything more than a single priest after us is bothering me, and I intend to get to the bottom of it." "Alright, well, not like we can talk you out of it or stop you," Alain told her. "Besides, getting a better idea of what''s going on under the surface around here probably wouldn''t hurt just in general. If you want to burn a few favors just figuring out what''s going on, be my guest." Danielle nodded. "Okay. I''ll see about speaking privately with a few of my father''s debtors tomorrow, see if I can''t get them to spill regarding some news about what''s going on in town." At that moment, there was a small pained moan from Sable''s bed. Immediately, Alain and Az pushed past the others, crowding around Sable as she stirred awake. "Sable," Alain muttered. "How are you feeling?" "Like I just lost a fight with an entire steam engine¡­" Sable moaned. She brought a hand up to rub at her forehead, a pained hiss escaping from her. "What happened, exactly?" "You can''t remember any of it, my lady?" Az asked, concerned. Sable shook her head. "I remember a flash of white, gunshots, and then burning alive." Her brow furrowed. "How do I look, by the way? Hopefully not like a charred corpse¡­" Alain blinked in surprise, but was quick to look her over. Truthfully, she looked a lot better than she had before she''d gotten a large helping of his blood. Her burns had mostly healed, with only a few patches of reddened skin and scar tissue remaining to indicate she''d even be burned in the first place. She was going to need a little bit more blood to truly finish healing, but that would be easy enough for him to give her. "You look better than you should, considering you were just burning with God''s own holy wrath and judgment," Alain told her. Sable grimaced. "Guess I''m lucky to still be alive¡­" "It would seem so," Az commented. "Still, we are glad to have you back with us." "And I''m glad to see you all again." Sable looked around, her gaze landing on Alain. After a moment, she motioned to the door. "Everyone but Alain, out," she said. "No offense intended, but he and I have things to discuss." "Of course, my lady," Az replied. He motioned for the other three to follow him, and together they left the room, exiting out to the hallway. Once they were gone, Alain turned back towards Sable. "What did you want to-" That was as far as he got before she threw her arms around him. Alain''s eyes widened in shock; he half-expected to feel the all too familiar pinpricks of her fangs sinking into his neck a moment later, but he was stunned when they never came. Instead, Sable simply held him for a few seconds before breaking away, the two of them staring into each other''s eyes as she laid back against her bed. Alain hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "Okay," he ventured, "not that I didn''t appreciate that, but¡­ what''s the occasion?" Sable rolled her eyes. "As if I need one to hug my own apprentice." "Well, no, but at the same time¡­ you''ve never really been much of a hugger, save for a few specific circumstances. What changed?" "You took a bullet for me," she reminded him. "Or did you think I wasn''t aware of that?" Alain''s heart skipped a beat as he thought back to the encounter with the priest. Slowly, he nodded. "I did," he recalled. "And as you can imagine, it wasn''t fun." Again, Sable rolled her eyes. "Would it kill you to take these things seriously for once?" "Sorry." "It''s fine." She sighed. "I just wanted to make sure you understood I appreciate you stepping in to defend me, even though you were unarmed." "Jasper helped," Alain pointed out. "Remind me again which of you was the one who ended up getting shot?" Alain pursed his lips in response. "Alright, so you have a point, even if I don''t know what that is yet." At that, Sable did something completely unexpected. She cracked a thin smile and gave the tiniest of laughs. Alain stared at her in absolute shock. In all the months that he''d been traveling with Sable and Az, he''d never known her to do either of those things. Especially not the laughter ¨C he''d occasionally catch her with the barest hint of a grin on her face, but it never lasted, and it had never once been accompanied with even a specter of laughter. "Sable, are you feeling okay?" he asked. "I am fine," she said. "I just¡­ wanted to make sure you know that your efforts did not go unnoticed." "Sable, even if they had, I wouldn''t have cared. The knowledge that you''re still here is enough for me." "I know." She paused for a moment, then sighed, a faint dusting of red crossing her cheeks for some reason. Alain blinked at the sight of it; he''d never seen Sable flustered before for any reason. Then again, she had nearly been killed and was currently lying in bed while she slowly healed, so in all likelihood, it was probably due to fatigue more than anything. "Alain," she said, shaking him out of his thoughts. "...If you wouldn''t mind, I would like to get some rest now." "Of course," he said instantly. "See you in the morning." With that, he turned and began to walk out of her room, leaving her alone. Once he was out in the hallway, he let out a tired sigh, then slumped against a nearby wall. "...It has to be due to fatigue," he muttered. "It has to be¡­" Somehow, even he couldn''t fully believe it.