Chapter 6
Remy
Life and death, that is what we are. The others of my kind do not deserve to live, that is why I am doing what I’m doing. That is why I have a human helping me. We shall kill them all then I shall destroy myself. My human companion, Demetria, is a wonderful person who I wish had been in existence when I was still alive. That’s all right though; I’ve lived with a lot of disappointment as of late. I haven’t been able to find Cian, which worries me. I need his blood, his power to beat Lucius. I tried to defeat him once before but was unsuccessful. He stripped me of all my power then left me to find my way home. I still remember the last words he said to me.
“Remy, I am going to leave you here. Perhaps when you get back to civilization you will know better than to hunt one of your own kind. Let this be a lesson to you. I am far older than you realize.” Then he was gone.
I haven’t seen him since but I know that he is alive. I gathered that from his children before I destroyed them. There is only one that has eluded me, Cian, his oldest and most favored child.
“Remy, what’s wrong?” Demetria asked softly, her voice holding that slight Russian accent that I’ve grown to love.
“Nothing.” I said, shaking my head, “Just a little hungry. I haven’t fed for a few nights. I’ll be fine once I feed.”
She nodded, “You shouldn’t wait so long. From what I understand you’ll need all your strength to best Cian. If we can find him before Vahn and Altan do.”
I shook my head, “Those two fools couldn’t find their brains if they weren’t locked in their skulls, no, what we have to worry about is Lucius finding him first. I cannot best him. I do not have the power to do so. If he knew what we were doing we’d both be in danger. He would take you, just to spite me. He is the one we have to be careful about.” I usually don’t talk all that much but when I’m with Demetria I don’t have the sense to close my mouth.
“Don’t worry so much. I heard that he’s been asleep for centuries.” She said with a laugh. I let out a low groan. “What is it?” She asked quickly, the smile fading from her face.
“Are you sure he’s been asleep?” I asked quickly. She nodded, “That’s not good. When we awaken from the long sleep we have less power for the first night as our bodies recover but the next night we have more power than we had when we went to sleep. Let’s just hope he hasn’t awakened. If he has then I have no hope, not even Cian’s blood, of beating him.”
“Don’t say that!” She said quickly, “Never say that! There is always hope. Remember the story of Pandora’s Box. The only thing left after it was opened was hope. Don’t give up! You know that you have my full support, you know that I will help you as much as I possibly can but remember, I’m only human.”
“You’re not just human. You have powers, abilities, that I can never possess.” I took her face in my hands, “You can work magic, something I could never do. With all my preternatural strengths and abilities I could never work magic.” Gently I kissed her lips. She was so warm under my touch, “You are filled with life. I am dead to the world and have been for two thousand years. I don’t want to lose you because of my foolish quest. Your magic will keep you alive as long as you use it when the time is right. Demetria, what is the one thing you want most?” I asked softly.
She kissed my cheek. Her lips sending a tingle of warmth through my skin, “You.” She said simply, “I don’t want to lose you when this is all over.”
“You know that I must destroy myself in the end, to end this pestilence upon the world.” I said softly, “We all must die sometime.”
“Stop being so fatalistic. Perhaps your race is not supposed to die out. What if that’s the case?”
“Then something will happen to prevent me from completing my quest.” I said with a shrug, “And if that is the case then the human race is doomed.”
She was about to open her mouth to speak when I held up a hand to silence her. Someone was there, listening to us. I listened closely, trying to pinpoint the sound of breathing. When I found it I moved with preternatural speed. Grabbing the collar of the culprit I hauled him out.
“Let me go!” He cried as I carried him above the ground.
I obliged him by tossing him easily to the floor a few feet away. Demetria put her hands on my arm to calm me.
“Don’t move boy.” I barked, “Answer me this, who are you?”
“My name is Sven.” He said softly. Demetria’s eyes grew wide, “I was sent by my master to speak with you.”
I examined him closely. There was something about him that was familiar. Then it dawned on me, he looked a lot like Demetria, but the accent in his voice was less pronounced.
“Alright, Sven, what is your business? Make it quick.” I said, pretending that I didn’t notice the resemblance.
He reached into his coat pocket. Pulling out a sealed envelope he handed it to me. The seal was not unknown to me, I had seen it before but I couldn’t remember where. Running my finger under the blood-red wax I broke it. A letter written in flowing script was revealed to me.
Remy,
Don’t be foolish. Cease attempting to throw your life away. Seeking your own kind so that you may destroy them is not beneficial to your health. You are an amazing youth, just as you were when you were created. I should know, I was there. But enough about that. Your creator was right in choosing you but not in the way he raised you. I’m sure it was he that instilled in you an unbridled contempt for our kind. His behavior was quite unusual. He has long since been dealt with. You really should rethink your quest for vengeance. I wonder, how did you decide that you should destroy us all? It would be interesting to know if you even know the reason why. I do not wish to destroy you Remy. If you continue down this path I may be forced to do so.
Your creator can in no way represent the rest of us. The majority of us are not insane or driven by a lust for blood. True, we must feed, but we do not kill unnecessarily. How would you feel if you were the one being hunted because someone had the wrong impression? Have you ever gone on a killing spree? I can tell you honestly that I have not. You destroyed my children. Drained then killed them. Why? Why do you kill innocents? Ask yourself these questions and answer them honestly. When you have answered them decide if you will continue with this foolishness.
Your creator lies in the dust. I could show you where. If the whole reason you’re doing this is to get back at him then stop. If it is not I hope that you have a good explanation. I would like to hear from you but I will understand if you don’t respond. Please, think this over.
Lucius
I narrowed my eyes as I finished. Crumpling the letter I threw it over my shoulder. Lucius was awake. I was burning with rage. Demetria laid a hand upon my shoulder to wait for me to calm down. Sven had gotten to his feet to wait to see if I was going to reply.
“Sven.” I spat. He looked at me with ice blue eyes, “Tell him that I am pleased to know that Justus is dead but I will destroy all of our kind. We do not deserve to live. Tell him that for me. Now leave.” I growled.
He bowed slightly before turning to go, “Sven, wait.” Demetria said quickly.
He turned, “What is it Demetria?” He asked softly, “I don’t have time to spare.”
“Why are you with Lucius?” She asked softly, “Why are you helping him?”
“He is my master.” He said with a shrug, “He saved my life so I help him. Perhaps, someday, I will be given his gift. Good luck, Demetria, be careful. Do not throw your life away.” He said as he snapped his fingers, summoning a rose to hover an inch above his hand. He held it out to her, “Here.” He said softly as she took it, “I hope that you survive your friend’s folly.” With those words he disappeared.
“Is he your brother?” I asked softly.
She nodded, “Yes.”
I closed my eyes, “So he can use magic as well. Does he realize that if Lucius ever turns him he will lose his innate abilities?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he does. To him, immortality would be a blessing; life itself would be a blessing. He is dieing. There are only a few more years left to him before the end. The disease that he is inflicted with has no cure. No one even knows what it is. It eats at you from the inside, takes years to devour you. He was born with it but it lay dormant for thirteen years. He got sick very quickly and very suddenly. Upon his sixteenth year he was taken from us for a crime he did not commit. I suspect that Lucius took him from there, before he reached Siberia.” She said softly, sadness creeping across her features as she spoke, “He’s my only brother. I don’t want him to die but then again I don’t want him to become one of you either. He would be nineteen now, so many more years ahead of him. He uses his magic to keep himself alive, at least that’s what I think. Perhaps Lucius is helping him stay alive. I don’t know how though.” She looked into my eyes, “How would one of your kind keep a dieing man alive?”
I swallowed hard, “By giving him some of our blood. Trying to counteract the disease’s effects. That is the only way. If he does not get the blood then he will most likely die sooner. Who knows how Lucius is doing it. He has power that I could only dream of. Perhaps he is doing it another way but the giving of blood is the only way that I know of.” I said slowly, trying to figure out how to tell her that her brother was as much a blood drinker as I. Although mortal he was still a drinker of blood, “I’m sorry Demetria but your brother most likely drinks blood but only Lucius’.”
She nodded, “It’s alright. It’s his choice.” She said softly, “I don’t think I would make the same one but I cannot tell him what to do.”
“I know.” I said softly, “We shall find a way to defeat Lucius. Perhaps then your brother can die in peace.” I held out my hand for her to take, “Come, let us see if we can’t find Cian or his child, Darius. When we find them, we shall destroy them.”
She bit her lip as she took my hand, “We should discover if they know where Lucius can be found before you kill them.”
“Of course but I don’t think we will have the chance to do so with Cian. Perhaps I can glean enough power from Cian and his child in order to beat Lucius but there is a high chance that I will be unable to defeat him at all.”
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” She said as we walked into the night street.
As we began to walk, her arm in mine, I began to sense a power. A young power but it was a power still the same. From the feeling I suspected that they were only three hundred years old. There was another with it, even younger still. These two would be easy to deal with; perhaps the small amount of power they possessed would help me in defeating Lucius.
“Demetria, wait here. There are two young ones nearby that I shall deal with.” I said softly, removing her arm from its place intertwined around my own.
She nodded as I began to walk towards the source of the power. As I rounded the corner I saw them. The woman was the older of the two. The man was only a few days old. He was bent over the form of a young woman, feeding. The woman that he was with was waiting for him to finish, leaning against the wall patiently. I waited in the shadows, wanting him to enjoy his last meal. The woman jerked her head up quickly and looked in my direction. She knew I was there but didn’t say anything. Intriguing. I was fascinated by her reaction. Not a word passed from her lips as the man withdrew. Gently he ran a hand down her face. She grabbed his hand and shook her head. Slowly I stepped out of the shadows.
“Hello young ones.” I said softly, “I am here to destroy you but first I have some questions I would like answered.”
The woman glared at me, “What are they?” She asked softly, knowing that she could not escape me.
“What are your names?”
“I am Acacia and this is Brad. What else do you wish to know? We shall go peaceably, there is no use in resisting one as old as you.” She said softly.
I nodded, “I am Remy. Do you know where I can find Cian?”
She scowled, “I have heard of him but I do not know where he is. I met him once.”
I sighed, “Do you know of anyone who might?”
She was silent for a moment, deep in thought, “My creator, Viktor, he might know. As far as I know he returned home.”
“Where is home?” I demanded.
“A mansion on the outskirts of town. You cannot miss it. Now end my life, if you must.”
I nodded as I took her against me to drain her. Brad watched in horror as I drained her before grabbing his arm to stop his escape. When I finished his young blood I removed their heads. That would not kill them but it would prevent them from getting up before sunrise. I could feel her power, not much but enough for me to feel it. After my deed was done I returned to Demetria. She was waiting patiently for my return. We didn’t say a word to each other, she just took my arm, and I led her towards the outskirts of town, to where Acacia had said Viktor was. Perhaps he would know where I could find Cian. As we approached I noticed that there were no lights or sounds coming from the decrepit old mansion. Scowling I stopped and closed my eyes. I tried to focus but for some reason found myself unable to do so. There was something about this house that wasn’t quite right but I knew that there were none of my kind here. There was another presence though, something just as supernatural as I. I had heard tell of spirits but I never believed that they existed. Looking over at Demetria I noticed that she was running her fingers over the stones of the nearest wall. I raised an eyebrow but waited patiently for her to say something to me. After a few minutes she stood. Turning to face me, a look of fear was upon her face.
When she finally spoke her voice was very quiet, “There are evil spirits here. They’ve only been here for a day or two. If I could have a few minutes perhaps I could speak with them.”
“Is that safe? If they’re evil would speaking to them be alright?” I asked softly, I didn’t want anything to happen to her.
She nodded, “It is safe.” She said after a moment of thought.
“Alright. You can talk to them then.”
She kneeled next to the wall before slowly beginning to run her fingers over the stones. She began to whisper but I didn’t listen, this was between her and the spirits. I began to walk around the outside of the house, looking for any sign of life. As I got back around to the front I noticed that there were drag marks in the soft ground as if something had been pulled from the inside of the house outside. I had a feeling that they were caused by coffins but in order for them to leave marks like this they would have to be full. Who would transport a coffin that was full? It would be difficult unless there was a hearse but there were no tire tracks to suggest a vehicle of any kind had been here. Patiently I waited for Demetria to finish her conversation. Although her voice was quiet I could tell that she was having an argument with them, more like a heated discussion than an argument though. If she kept this up much longer than I would have to find a place to sleep, morning was on its way. She finished just as I was about to leave.
“They say that they took this house from the ones that lived here, that they took their coffins outside and opened them to the sun. I suspect that they’re lying on that account but they did tell me the pervious owner’s names. Viktor, Zarek, Acacia, and Katryn. They say that Acacia left two nights before they removed the others. They also spoke of another that came but they don’t know who he was. He left before they destroyed the others. I couldn’t get them to tell me any more.” Demetria said softly, “If you would like I can keep trying.”
I shook my head, “No, that’s alright. You can do what you like for the remainder of the time. I have to find a place to sleep, the sun is coming. You can stay here if you like.”
“Alright. I’ll keep trying to find out about the ones that were here before them.”