Fledgling (The Vampire Manifesto, Book Two) (18 page)

I looked down at my volcanic hand. “Not to me apparently.”

“She knows you’re supposed to open it.” The young one said.

“Enoch has been using our knowledge of the future to expand his conglomerate, CornerStone Development for years now.” The female walked over to the Argo. “Once we decipher how to input quantum ciphers into this device, we’ll be able to escape into our perspective timelines.”

I could hear a lock being turned, accompanied by several gears rotating and the entrance to the workshop opened. Heracles entered and when he did, the Rogers’ scampered away from him. The man loomed over me, nothing but muscle and I could see that the three of them were afraid of him.

“Come with me.” He commanded.

I remained where I was.

“Youngling, you must learn to distinguish between enemy and advisory if you are to endure.” He turned and walked off.

Hesitantly I followed after him, stopping at the door, turning back to the three John Rogers at the last moment. “I’ll come back for you.” I declared.

“I wish I remembered if you already did.” The female called out as Heracles closed the door, turning a huge gearshift to lock it.

He led me down a metallic, circular corridor that radiated a claustrophobic feeling off the very walls themselves. It was lined with windows and yet the glass was so tinted that I was not unable to see beyond them, nor did they seem to cast any sort of reflections as well.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked.

Heracles continued on, turning down different corridors when need be. “I have my reasons.”

“I’m sure you do.” I uttered.

“I know what that is on your arm.” He announced. “I have witnessed it before.”

We made another turn and found ourselves in a great ceremonial chamber. Towards the rear was some type of primordial, elevated, obsidian stone dais, with gilded cartouches and talismans emblazoned against its front. There were sandstone carved steps, thirteen in total that led up to the altar and on each side of them was a gigantic quadrilateral monolith which rose nearly as high as the ceiling itself.

On this altar in a sheer black, peignoir negligée was Girard, who lay their motionless. Her heartbeat was so faint that it was a miracle that she was even alive. Heracles closed the door to the chamber and pointed for me to remain where I was. From a concealed entrance closer to the raised dais, another door opened and Abigail was forced through. Behind her was Aiden, Frankie and Dakota. Connor was last. He was alive though the wounds to his face had not fully healed, as he still appeared broken.

Abigail was the first to reach me. “Madison!” She gave me a hug and as everyone joined us, I couldn’t imagine a better feeling then knowing that they were alive and well.

“What’s happened to Girard?” I asked.

“Some…creature attacked us.” Frankie said. “It slashed her up real good before crashing out the window.”

“That thing was Ethan.” I admitted.

“Ethan?” Aiden came closer. “That thing looked more like…”

“He looked like a Goddamn Werewolf.” Frankie blurted out. “What the hell is going on here?”

“More then you could possible perceive.” Megan declared.

We turned from our little huddle and saw them, standing at the base of the steps. Megan, Salome, Enoch and Heracles. The Coven of the Disillusioned in all its splendor and grandiose.

“What is that on her arm?” Megan asked. Everyone turned to look, my volcanic forearm and hand seemingly absorbing the light around it.

“Some type of healing salve.” Heracles stated. “The Oracle trio explained that it should flake off sometime by nights end.”

“Excellent.” Megan said.

“We are not your enemy.” Enoch proclaimed. “In fact, we are in a position to help you.”

“You sure do have a funny way of showing it.” Aiden called out.

“We…” Salome hesitated. “…may have been overzealous in our approach. So we are prepared to offer you a show of good faith.”

“Then you plan on letting us go?” I asked.

“In time.” Megan admitted. “But for now we offer you a trade. Something given for something taken.”

“What’s that supposed to mean.” I questioned.

Enoch pointed towards the dais. “An Immortal for an Immortal. The Werewolf…”

“You mean the traitor.” Connor clarified.

“Bold words.” Megan stated. “But we’ll address traitorous actions soon enough.”

“The one you call Ethan Blackwood. He is a Werewolf, an Immortal who acted as the eyes and ears of the Translucent Man. He attacked this woman. She will not survive.” Enoch walked up the steps, then around to the back of the dais. “The Werewolf transformation did not fully take, her body has partially rejected it, which is known to happen and so the bites and wounds that she received are killing her instead of transferring the Wolf bloodline into her own.”

Enoch motioned to Girard’s body. “It is in my power to save her. My tribute to the Clan of the Rose.”

This wasn’t even a choice. “Do it.”

“Madison…” Connor began.

“Shut up.” I gave him a cold stare. “I’m not going to let her die.” I looked at her body, how peaceful she looked upon the dais and it reminded me of my mother’s body on that slab in the morgue. “I promised to protect her.”

“Know that if I do this…” Enoch explained. “…she will be neither Vampire nor Werewolf, but something else entirely.”

“I don’t care.” I yelled. “If you can help her then do it.”

“Very well.” Enoch drove his hand deep into her chest.

“NO!” I screamed.

When his hand emerged from inside of her, he held Girard’s still beating heart in his hand.

“Oh my God.” Frankie exclaimed.

Enoch held her heart towards the sky and began to chant over and over again in a language that I couldn’t understand.

Unspecified language specified. Atlantian dialect. Circa 25,975. Year of the Broken Butterfly. Ninth verse / Third chapter of the Necrorubicon. Harmonics of the selected verses cause vibrations in the embryonic division between this and the sixth dimension. Translation available…

There it was again. That voice inside of my head. If I didn’t know any better I’d think that the Blade of Osiris was plugged directly into my brain. I glanced around, just to be sure, to see if anyone else could hear it, but they were just looking up at Enoch mortified.

Translation available…

His chanting was getting louder and it was only then I noticed that Girard’s heart, which he held cusped between his hands high over his head, was still beating. Further up, above Enoch, the air began to shimmer and displace. A dark circle appeared in the middle of the shimmer that crackled with electricity. There was more disarticulation in the atmosphere as the airstream picked up and the circle broke apart into three pieces, two moving horizontally apart from each other while the third rose directly up. Lighting flashed from one to the next, connecting them all in the form of triangle.

Enoch’s voice had become muted and yet his fervor only increased. From the triangle, lightning flashed forth, a bright sphere of current and from this electrical tempest, a form materialized. An ebony Pegasus emerged in the air, its body a hulking mass of muscles and sinew. Growing from each side of its body was an enormous feathered wing; spread out it all its glory, the wingspan of the Pegasus reaching fifteen feet easy. Rooted at the center of its head was a sparkling diamond encrusted horn that grew forth from three separate places. The horns became entangled together to form one massive Unicorn horn.

The Pegasus came to ground just before us, beautiful and majestic. There was a dense feeling as reality itself seemed to fold back into place and the area above Enoch’s head was as it was before he began the ritual.

“The black Pegasus.” Enoch declared as he made his way down the sandstone steps and towards us. “It is said that if one can find it and exchange your heart for its own, you will be granted eternal life.” Enoch came close to it, stroking its mane gently. Salome came over to him; scalpel in hand and carefully did a small incision on the side of the Pegasus. The creature jumped somewhat and yet still remained calm.

Slowly Enoch slid both of his hands into the open wound. One hand held Girard’s still beating heart while the other was empty. He maneuvered inside the creature, moving his hands this way and that, until he began to withdraw and cupped between his palms was a beating golden heart, him having exchanged one for the other. Enoch gripped the Unicorn horn and began to pull, the horn tearing free without much resistance.

“Unicorns are Immortal.” He whispered comfortingly into the ear of the Pegasus. “You do not need this anymore.” From above there was a portion of the ceiling that slid apart revealing the night sky beyond. “Go my friend. Live life like every day is your last.”

The Pegasus started beating its wings, lifting off the ground, rising up into the air and flying into the night’s sky. We all watched until it was out of eyesight and then slowly the ceiling began to close, blocking that view from us.

Enoch made his way back towards Girard’s body and slowly he began to place the golden heart into her chest. Salome walked up to the altar and slit one of her wrist, placing it over Girard’s mouth, letting the blood drain into her. One, by one they all did this, Enoch followed by Megan and once it was completed, the wound in Staci’s chest sealed shut, entirely healed.

There was a moment of silence and then Girard breathed in sharply, a dazzling golden radiance emanating from her eyes and mouth as her back arched upwards. She grasped at her chest, sitting up on the dais as the glow diminished, her breathing coming in rapid gasps. Enoch took hold of Girard’s hand and helped her from the altar, leading her down the sandstone steps. She was in a daze, not fully comprehending what was occurring around her and yet she seemed to be pulling information in as she took each step towards us. I rushed over, taking her hand from Enoch.

“Are you okay?” It’s seemed like she was looking at me or rather she was looking through me. “Girard?” She blinked and when she did her brown eyes began to change, starting at the center then getting larger, a lustrous golden hue replacing her original iris color. She turned towards Enoch and he took hold of her hand again, kissing it gently.

“A souvenir.” He handed her the diamond encrusted Unicorn horn. I gently led her over towards Abigail and Frankie so they could keep an eye on her. I could see Connor staring at her, examining Girard’s every move.

“What’s wrong with her?” I asked.

“She’ll be fine in an hour or two.” Enoch explained. “Her body is…adjusting.”

Enoch walked back towards the rest of the Coven of the Disillusioned, taking his place among them.

“I hope this somewhat makes up for our introduction.” Megan said.

“It’s a start.” I acknowledged. “But letting us go would be a better way to prove yourself.”

“Possibly.” Megan seemed unconcerned, focusing her attention on Connor.

“There something you wanna say?” He asked, not appreciating the way she was looking at him.

“Bring out the next tribute.” Was her answer.

From behind one of the gigantic monoliths another person appeared. Someone I had hoped to never see again. I looked at Connor who seemed equally surprised. This new individual came closer to us and when he stopped only a few steps away, it took all my strength to not attack him on sight. My pulse had started to race and more than once I had to focus my emotions so not to materialize the Blade of Osiris into existence.

It wasn’t the time for that just yet.

“Bartholomew Kruger.” I gritted my teeth. He was the Pack leader we ran into in San Francisco. The man who ordered my murder and in a way, is the reason that I was turned into a Vampire to begin with.

“So how do you like your little upgrade?” Kruger asked. “Being a Vampire must sure beat the hell out of being human.”

“I’m confused, Megan.” I yelled out. “Unless you are offering this Werewolf up as Sacrifice, I am at a lost as to how this counts as a tribute.”

“Sacrifice?” Bartholomew Kruger gave a smug laugh. “I think you might want to hear what I have to say. I’m predicting your opinion on who gets sacrificed may change.”

“Continue.” Megan declared.

Kruger risked coming even closer, except instead moving towards me he went to Connor instead. “See, my Wolf Pack had been on to little Madison for a while, just watching her, gathering intelligence so we could report it back to the Translucent Man.”

He turned his back on Connor, admiring the chamber we were in. “Wow, this is some breath taking shit, you know, but anyway, the Marauders had given us the heads up about a certain Vampire fire starter that lived in Palm Coast. Said he had a…hot temper, excuse the pun.”

Connor was deathly quiet, nothing but hatred etched across his face.

“They advised me to avoid him if at all possible, yet they gave me the go ahead to put him down.” Kruger turned back to me. “If it came to that.”

“But I’m a business man you see. No need for the ultra-violence when it can be avoided, so I had intended to contact the young man…” Kruger cocked his head towards Connor. “…or old man depending on your point of view, but regardless, I wanted to talk to him, see if we could, oh, I don’t know, work something out. Business man to business man.”