The Phoenix Rising (30 page)

“
I am
the First
!” said the taller strigoi,
who had originally spoken to the newcomers. “I will not go against
Savetnik’s wishes in this matter. And neither will you. We shall
let
him
decide.”
The First didn’t speak loudly, but his deep voice was commanding,
and the other strigoi seemed to get the point. The First was the
alpha, and the others were obliged to accept his decision. Though,
from the brief glimpse Calvin got of him when Pellew moved the
light, Calvin guessed the second strigoi was displeased—as were a
few others. But they all fell into line.

“
Yes.
You
are the First,” said the second.
“They must be taken to Savetnik, as you wish.”

“
That is wise,” said the
First. He then addressed Calvin’s party once again. “Follow me,
unclean ones. Touch nothing. And do not fall behind. Stay close. If
you go any other way, you will die. And no one you know will ever
find you.”

***

The feeling that the strigoi lair was a
haunted catacomb only increased as they wandered the twisted path,
following the First blindly in the darkness.

Calvin caught glimpses of things every now
and then, as Pellew’s light shined on them, but the sights only
added to the creepiness of the whole experience. The walls were
painted in tapestries of blood. And signs of death, including human
skeletons, were arranged artistically, almost elegantly.

They passed many other strigoi along the
way, most of whom were asleep. Or meditating. Or something. If they
were curious about the newcomers, or noticed them, they showed no
sign. Perhaps because they weren’t conscious. Or perhaps because
they dared not challenge the First.

Part of Calvin was intrigued by the apparent
social structure of the Enclave. He’d always heard that the
strigoi, and really all of the Remorii, were purely feral, wild,
savage animals that were creatures of pure instinct. But they
seemed to have a genuine order here, almost a civilization—though
Calvin hesitated to use that word to describe them. What he
remembered of them was ferocious bloodlust, not civility.

Eventually they reached a chamber. A sliver
of light leaked out from under the crack in the door.

The First knocked.

“
What is it?” a muffled
voice asked.

“
Savetnik. There are some
unclean ones who would see you. If you will let them,” said the
First.

“
Be right with you,” said
the muffled voice. It had a pleasant tone, perhaps even
human.

The First looked not to Tristan but to
Calvin. As if he somehow knew that Calvin was the group’s leader.
“You may enter. And when you wish to leave—should Savetnik wish to
allow you to leave—you may call upon me. I will wait here.”

“
Thanks,” said Calvin, not
sure what to say. He relaxed his grip on his pistol, which he still
held, and waited.

Chapter 18

“
What business do you have
with the Khans?”

“
Look at this photograph;
you see this man?”

“
Yes. What of it?—And get to
the point swiftly;
time is
money
.”

“
We do not wish
him
, or any of the others
with him, to leave Tybur alive.”

“
Yes, that is a service we
sometimes provide. Tell me, how has he wronged you?”

“
What does it
matter?”

“
It affects the price. Tell
me or we have no contract to discuss.”

“
He knows of the Enclave,
that is enough. He and his friends must be eliminated. How else can
we protect our existence?”

“
Fair enough. How
many
bodybags
will
we need?”

“
There are six who must
disappear.”

“
Six? Very well, I am
writing my offer on this paper. When I hand it to you, either
accept or decline. We do not negotiate. Is that
understood?”

“
Yes.”

“
Here is my
offer.”

“
That is very expensive, but
I understand. It is only fair.”

“
I’m glad you think
so.”

“
I will pay half that amount
again if you keep this deed from being found out.”

“
Intriguing... who are you
afraid of learning of this?”

“
Savetnik. He must never
know about this meeting, about the killing, about any of
it.”

“
Savetnik is extremely
well-informed. It will be hard to keep such a secret from him. I
will agree to no less than double your offer. And you must tell me
why Savetnik would concern himself with this...
individual
.”

“
His name is Calvin and he
is... cut of the same fabric as Savetnik. If you get my
meaning.”

“
Calvin Cross?”

“
Yes. That is his
name.”

“
Calvin Cross is here on
Tybur?”

“
Yes. Why is that
surprising?”

“
It isn’t surprising, it’s
serendipitous. We have a mutual acquaintance who owes us much. If
Calvin is here, then
he
is here also.”

“
I don’t care about your
other business with Calvin and those who remain in his tainted
company. I simply want assurance that none of them will leave Tybur
alive.”

“
You have my
word.”

“
I want your word, and I
want to send someone with you. To make certain the deed is
done.”

“
That is acceptable. As soon
as you pay me, we have a deal.”

“
Half now and half on
completion.”

“
No, all of it now. That is
how we work. If you don’t like it, go elsewhere.”

“
Very well. But you’d better
be able to live up to your end.”

“
Rest assured, my friend.
Calvin and the five fools travelling with him will be dead by night
cycle.”

***

“
What is taking so long?”
asked Calvin, deciding whether or not he should knock again. He
guessed it had been ten minutes.

“
At least the bastards
haven’t decided to suck our blood,” said Pellew.

“
They don’t really suck
blood,” said Calvin. “They rip into you with their teeth and
partially devour you. If you’re lucky, the injury will be severe
enough that you die. If not, you’d better hope your body rejects
the toxins they put inside you.”

“
Wouldn’t that kill you?”
asked Pellew.

“
Oh yes,” said Calvin.
“Which is a far better fate.” He thought of his old mentor, the man
who’d been the Trinity’s executive officer, the same man who’d
gotten Calvin assigned to the Trinity in the first place. How vile
he had been after his transformation. Savage, feral, contorted, and
dead inside. Calvin shuddered at the memory.

“
Actually they do suck your
blood,” said Tristan. “If they want to.”

Calvin looked at him in disbelief. That
sounded a little too close to the ancient vampire folklore—which
the strigoi had been colloquially named after—to be real. “How
could sucking blood confer any kind of survival benefit?”

“
Some bats live off of blood
as their primary food source,” said Tristan.

“
Plus maybe you’re thinking
about it the wrong way, Calvin,” said Pellew. “The Remorii aren’t
the result of natural selection, they were designed. A science
experiment gone horribly wrong.” He looked at Tristan. “No
offense.”

“
None taken, the type two
Remorii did go horribly wrong. And they’ve stayed that way. But
Calvin is at least partially right in this case. The strigoi don’t
feast on blood because they have to. They do it because they enjoy
it. Even though pathogens commonly found in blood can make them
sick. It’s an acquired taste, a hallmark of the fiercest
strigoi.”

Calvin shook his head. “That’s
disgusting.”

They waited another minute or two and
finally Calvin gave way to his impatience and knocked on the door
again.

No answer.

“
Well this is stupid,” said
Calvin.

“
Do you think we should just
go in?” asked Pellew.

“
Out of the way,” said
Tristan. He pushed past Calvin and threw the door aside. “I’m tired
of waiting.”

They followed him into what looked like a
small apartment. There were various conveniences, appliances, and
furniture. Calvin had to squint, since his eyes had become so
accustomed to the darkness.

“
Oh good god,” said
Tristan.

“
What is it?” Calvin moved
around Tristan to see what he was looking at. He froze up at the
sight, his whole body stiffened. His mind spun circles—almost
unable to process what he was seeing.

A man was passed out on the floor. He looked
about fifty years old and some of his light hair had gone
white—almost like highlights. Stress wrinkles creased his face and
he was a bit over-weight. Other than those differences, it was like
looking in a mirror.

“
Dad
?” whispered Calvin. A flurry of mixed emotions flew through
him. Concern and eagerness buried under a mountain of resentment
and an ocean of surprise.

Pellew ran to the man on the floor and
immediately checked his vitals and began rendering first aid. “He’s
alive but his pulse is extremely weak,” said Pellew. “Go get
help!”

Calvin just stood there. Staring down at the
man who had abandoned him and his mother and dropped off the edge
of the universe so many years ago. All the empty gestures and
broken promises...

“
Calvin,
go
and get help, Tristan
get—”

“
There’s no need,” said
Tristan. He walked over to the table the man had presumably been
sitting at when he collapsed. He picked up a syringe that lay on
its surface and, after moving Pellew out of the way, administered
the shot.

Calvin blinked. Could it be?

“
What did you do?” asked
Pellew. “What did you just inject him with?”

“
This is a drug manufactured
by the Khans that the strigoi have a fondness for,” said Tristan.
“Once a person’s body has gotten used to it, it can’t live without
it. The heart shuts down. It’s an excellent means of
control.”

There he was. Samil Cross. The man who had
walked out all those years ago. The man who’d dragged him off to
Aleator and all sorts of other places a child shouldn’t go. The man
who’d broken his mother’s heart... and it turned out he too was
chemically dependent. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,
Calvin supposed. In this painful, and wrenchingly confusing, image
of his father lying broken before him—a man Calvin had believed
long dead and gone from his life—he caught a glimpse of his own
future. Would equarius do this to him, in the end?

“
What the hell’s wrong with
you, Calvin?” asked Pellew.

With a blink, he snapped out of it. Like
awaking from a trance. “I’m sorry,” said Calvin. “I just didn’t
expect—”

“
What?”

“
Nevermind.”

“
No, say it,” insisted
Pellew. He stood up and walked over to Calvin, actual concern in
his eyes. “Are you alright?” As if the fight they’d had on the
freighter was a thing of the distant, irrelevant past.

“
Isn’t it obvious?” said
Tristan. “Calvin clearly didn’t expect to find his father here.”
Samil Cross was now waking and Tristan assisted in propping him
up.

“
But
you
knew...” said Calvin, slowly
putting together some of the pieces. “You knew that my father was
here, that’s why you said it would be safe for us because I was
coming along. That’s why you pointed me out to the sentinel who
gave you the Key, and to the First.”

“
Are you alright, Savetnik?”
asked Tristan.

Samil coughed and opened his eyes. He sat up
and hit his chest a few times, then cleared his throat. “Yes,” he
said hoarsely. “Yes I think I’m fine. Help me up.”

Tristan helped Samil to his feet. Once
standing, he looked up and spotted Calvin. His face brightened and
he smiled. Calvin didn’t. Neither looked away.

“
My dear boy...” said
Samil.

Calvin folded his arms. Not sure what to
say; he held his tongue.

“
Come now,” Samil opened his
arms. “Give your old man a hug. It’s been ages!”

Calvin didn’t budge, nor did he open his
arms. When it was clear he wasn’t coming, Samil relented and
lowered his arms. “I suppose I don’t blame you. I wasn’t always the
best father.”

Calvin’s eyes narrowed. What a profound
understatement. While his father had never physically beaten him or
his mother, he had deeply wounded them emotionally. His
disappearance made Calvin’s mother cry for weeks on end, and she
never quite came to terms with his absence. Calvin would never
forgive his father for that.

“
Still, I’m so glad to see
you. How did you find me?”

“
I’m not here for you,” said
Calvin icily. “I’m here to see Savetnik.”

“
That
is
me.”