Demon Vampire (The Redgold Series) (65 page)

With many deadly and unique gifts at his disposal, Malio set his eyes on Teresa. He knew that any direct attempt on her life would instantly lead Martin's armies to his island. From there, Martin would hang him with just cause. Malio thought long, for endless days, eventually coming to the conclusion that he must lure her of her own twisted accord. Malio had to take something that was to capture her own selfish attention. It had to be something that would drive her without the need to inform Martin.

Malio sat in his study, thinking out loud. “A tryst, no. She would have a ready supply of lovers at her back chamber door. A family member?” Malio tapped slowly twice on his granite desk. “Possibly. Now who?”

A messenger from his father arrived at the front of the island castle. He was staggered inside. The news was important. Something that Malio needed to hear.

Malio ran, opened his window, and causally stepped out. He fell quickly and struck the ground with a thud. The messenger turned around in surprise. The new castle staff merely tried to hide their disdain. Malio did not pay them enough to dig graves. Let alone, act calm as a new girl was brought in to be slaughtered for the night.

“Lord Malio, Lord Malio, I have news about the king.” The messenger knelt down on one knee and raised a rolled parchment into the air with both hands.

“You mean from
a
king.” Malio corrected him. “To say 'about the king' would mean something entirely different. And to suggest that ill luck has fallen on my father.”

“But it has my lord. It is about Ifrin Signante. That is why I am here.” The messenger said with hesitation.

Malio took the letter from the messenger's hands. The seal was from Martin's kingdom. Malio broke open the note and read it with speed. Malio spoke out loud as the words rang in his mind. “By decree of the royal Lord Martin of the three united kingdoms. The kingship and all lands once held under the first vampire lord Ifrin Signante have been collected so that they may be added to high king Martin's increasing new domain. Lord Martin has taken these lands after the first vampire lord Ifrin Signante recently perished from natural causes a few days ago. He feels a great sadness for your loss, Prince Malio. Therefore he is asking where to send a large shipment of gold as payment for your previously entitled lands and holdings. Do not worry about your servants, most have already become adjusted to the change in throne. As for your personal belongings, we will of course be shipping them with the gold. King Martin is sorry for you loss, but hopes that this transition will be smooth and without objection. Signed, High King of the Three Kingdoms, Martin.”

The anger was evident to all present. Most of the staff had gathered out of sheer curiosity to Malio's reading of the parchment. Everyone was there, everyone heard the contents of the letter. Malio no longer had a kingdom, a father, or a home to go back to. His exile had become his reality. Malio had been causally dethroned without any military upset at all. No one held loyal. No one defended his right to the land. Not one advisor, not one of his father's personal guards. No one argued that Malio should take control of his father's kingdom. This was unheard of in Malio's experience.

A bright shade of red covered Malio's face. One of the older male cooks spoke up. “Are you okay Lord Malio?”

The question itself was enough to set Malio off. He was no longer a lord at all. He was now a rich commoner with no title and no country. Malio said nothing. The fury gathered in him with a cold acceptance. As suddenly as this had come upon him, Malio lashed out. Every person, every living thing near him, including the cows in the adjacent stable and the horse the messenger rode in on. All of them were subject in Malio's overwhelming hatred made physical. With one action, all of them sank into themselves. The objects in the people's hands fell suddenly to the ground. The next moment, their skin began to blacken and char. Small pockets of water formed above them, dowsing them. The water turned to slick oil and then quickly caught fire. The shriveled masses crackled and popped as Malio walked away. His courtyard turned hell-scape.

“Teresa is behind this.” Malio concluded. “Vampires don't die of natural causes, ever. She had to of had something to do with it. She poisoned him somehow, weakened him, and killed him. I have no qualms about using her family anymore. I want someone close to her. I will capture them. She will come and I will enact a horror with no equal upon her. A damning state of eternal loss from which death is not an escape. She will know my hell and pay for what she has done to all those who suffer her mark. Blood shall spill and her name will fall..”

Malio gathered the stockpile of gold he had left in the castle. He tossed together several robes and outfits. He prepared the frozen vampeal blood for a long journey and threw everything into his personal carriage. The horse stable was located at the side of the castle and the stable boy, as well as the four horses there were still alive and unaware of what had happened at the front of the castle.

Malio stormed up to the carriage. “Open it, now.”

The young boy, no more than ten jumped up from an afternoon nap. “Yes, my lord.” The boy was dressed in tan linen and a brown vest. He didn't even have shoes on. The boy was fair skinned and had light brown hair and hazel eyes. He opened the carriage door.

“Get the horses ready, we leave immediately.” Malio barked the orders at the boy.

“Yes, my lord.” The boy answered.

Malio sat back, and relaxed in the regal carriage. He thought of the long term and what this coo meant to his plans. “Also, bring some bread and water for yourself, this will be a long trip. And we will not return.”

The boy peeked around from the front of the carriage reigns. “Yes my lord.”

“Boy, what's your name?” Malio asked on a whim.

“Willum, my lord.”

“Willum.” Malio chuckled. The name bore a keen resemblance to the first vampeal he had spent so much time with. He knew that this boy would be his only servant for many years to come and by far his only conversation. “Will, your name will be Will from now on.”

“Yes my lord. My name is now Will Stableborn.” Will said with pride.

“Hah!” Malio yelped out loud and chuckled a few times. This kid had either a great sense of blind obedience, or a good sense of humor. “I think we will get along quite nicely Will.”

“It is my pleasure, my lord.” Will continued to place the bit and tackle on the horses.

Within moments, the carriage burst out of the castle stable. Malio headed towards the shipping dock where the supplies arrived. His plan was to buy passage to the mainland and then to head back to Martin's newly formed country. It seemed that given the situation, Timothy and Phillipe would eventually trade their lands for a place at Martin's side and a full treasury.

Within a month, Malio and Will had made it to the outer border of Martin's country.

“Find a cave and hide. I will come looking for you in two days. Stay there and I will find you.” Malio dressed himself in long dark purple robes. A gold sash covered his mouth and a large black hood most of his face. The sun was setting behind him, in the direction of Martin's castle. It would be night soon.

“Is there anything else, my lord?” Will asked eagerly.

“Yes.” Malio said as he walked off towards the lands he once called home. “Have food and water ready for another.”

“Yes, of course my lord. I will be ready.” Will rode off to find a shallow cave to hide in.

Malio made his way to the front gate of Martin's castle on foot.

“Stop. Who goes there?” The four human guards at the gate called out.

“Let me pass. I am Lord Malio Signante of the Pennino Kingdom.” Malio answered.

“There is no such person.” One of the guards replied.

Without falter, Malio raised his left hand. The four guards clenched their throats. Malio tightened his fist and all four of them began to choke and fall to the ground. Malio kept up his gait as he strode up the steep hill that lead to the castle keep. The guards lay dead, slowly rolling down the incline of the hill.

Malio reached the castle door. Two more daylight guards stopped him with crossed spears. Malio shot the spears directly as they were pointed, into the opposing guards' head.

Malio kicked open the door to see a lavish scene. A ball was being held to commemorate the newly formed lands under Martin's rule. Malio recognized faces, he remembered names. The vast amount of candlelight coming from the hall reflected on Malio's gold sash. It seemed as if he was screaming without words or sound. Silent and with purpose, he walked in.

“How dare you intrude on such a sacred event. Guards, seize him!” The royal usher raised his voice against Malio.

Those were his last words. Forcefully, Malio struck out into the air with his right hand. The usher's neck broke to his left side. Malio's arms lifted up as the usher's body arose sideways. With a powerful jolt, Malio brought his arms down as he knelt to one knee. The body of the usher snapped at the midpoint. Malio stood and the usher's body fell, rolling off the short pedestal he had been perched on for the length of the party. Malio's complete disregard for the present royalty had sent the entire room into an uproar. Not to mention the fact that he just killed the usher, which was a full blooded vampire.

“Who is it that disturbs my hall during this celebration?” Martin's voice was unmistakable.

Malio looked around to find Martin standing at the far end of the hall. Teresa was by his side. Malio had caught the usher off guard, he had no chance against the remaining vampires in the room. They knew he was as dangerous as he was, there was no surprise left to him. Within a moment they could rip his head off before he might have a chance at killing Teresa or Martin. Beyond that, there was still Timothy and Phillipe. They all had to pay for Malio's torment, and death was just not punishment enough for their brand of cruelty towards him.

“I have come to know why my father was killed and to demand blood in return for his unnatural death.” Malio's voice rang out in his high tenor range.

“Who the devil are you, worm? Speak and your death shall be less painful.” Teresa's words clearly stood out among all the small gossip flying about the room.

Malio flipped up his hood and pulled his sash away. “I am Malio Signante of the First Vampire Kingdom of these lands. And until last month, I had every right to be here as Martin himself.” A hush fell heavy on the crowd. “Now tell me where my father is and how he died.”

“Malio, this is not the time or place to settle such matters. Please let us retire to my chamber. There we will lead you to the answers you seek.” Martin suggested.

“No guards, no one except you, me, and that treacherous bitch.” Malio was brash.

One of the guards near Malio rushed towards him. He intended to kill Malio for the insult to the queen in front of such a large audience. There were no words, only the action of Malio's fingers plunging into his chest. Boring though the back side to reveal a still beating heart in Malio's hand. The guard may have been a vampire, but Malio had put everything behind the attack and focused the gift to push his arm through. He was swift in his sheer audacity of the act. Using shock to instill a level of hesitation in all who witnessed. The body fell to the floor and Malio kept walking, with the severed heart in his left hand.

“Fine, let us go now before more blood is spilled.” Martin had grown uneasy from Malio's violent actions.

Martin, Teresa, and Malio made their way to the back of the hall. A single door with one guard beside it lay open for them. All of them entered with speed, the door shut quickly.

Martin was the first to speak. “Well, I see you have finally come into your gift Malio. It has a frightening presence. It fits you.” These were words Malio did not expect from Martin. He was usually calm and collected. The evening had changed him.

“So what do you want from us?” Teresa stated rudely.

“My father back, or your flesh and blood Teresa.” Malio shouted.

Martin stood quietly, letting the argument continue.

“Why the hell do I have to give you anything. You're just a wealthy pauper now. No more royalty than your kitchen staff.” Teresa was mean and knew exactly where to hit Malio to make it hurt.

“You killed my father, I want vengeance or payment in flesh.” Malio yelled at Teresa.

“You want to have a throw with the queen? Oh, Malio I didn't know you got it up for me. But if that's all you want, then come and get it!” Teresa pulled the front of her dress up to expose her leggings. She tilted her head to the right, mocking Malio's dire point of view with that of a simple mental wound to be nursed with a carnal evening.

“You common whore! How dare you kill my father! How dare you poison him and mistake my hatred for lust! You vile creature!” Malio was screaming at Teresa.

Martin waited, keeping calm, anticipating something yet to happen.

“No, you see you've got it all wrong. You're the commoner now. As for being a whore, I don't think I need the money, do you?” Teresa gestured with both hands around her.

“No, you never did. You always gave it away. Yes, I seem to remember now, 'The Royal Slut' is what the townspeople would say. 'The high and mighty, the loose and never tighty,' is what I recall them singing to pass the time during the wait to your chamber.” Malio knew where to hit her back.