Haldred Chronicles: Alyssa (24 page)

“Drop it now!”
bellowed Malak, his K-12 and those of three of his brethren being quickly aimed
in Horna's direction.

“Best do as he
says Horna.” said a new voice, its volume thunderous and its tone commanding.

From behind the
line of Tornarian mercenaries, strode a formidable figure glad in grey robes
and red fur, his face covered by a thick ginger beard and his eyes a piercing
blue.

Kane Maldor,
Master of the Internal Investigation Department.  Master of the Tornarian
Mercenaries who had just broken up Horna Gladwell's little party,

The plan had
worked.

It was a rather
simple plan in the end.  Whilst Victoria had been keeping an eye on things at
the library, Malak had rushed back to the Council of Peace and raised the alarm
with the Internal Investigation Department, Victoria having already put them on
alert during the day.  Kane, whom Victoria knew to be a long term rival of
Horna, had jumped at the chance to catch Horna in the act of corruption of the
highest order.  The only issue, had been timing.  Fortunately, they had
obviously organised relatively quickly and her delaying tactics had been
enough.

Victoria had not
found out just who Horna was working for, as Glynis had not been privy to that
information, but she could guess that whoever it was had access to Darnhun
mercenaries, or it was the Darnhun themselves.   Either way, it was a party
outside of the Council of Peace.  An outside element for sure; a textbook case
of corruption and one she had banked on Kane Maldor leaping at.

Bloody good
to see you Kane.

Victoria could
see fingers tensing on crossbow triggers.

Then Horna did
something no-one expected.  He aimed his pistol, but not at any of the mercenaries
or even at Victoria.  No, he aimed for Alyssa.

Oh shit!

Victoria dived
for the pistol.  Horna saw her coming.

The pistol
fired.

* * * * *

* * * * *

Victoria
mumbled, her eyes flickering open.  Immediately she shut them again as she
noticed how bright the place was.

“Gods.” she
moaned.  “Turn off the light!”

“Victoria!”

It was Malak's
voice.

“Malak.” she
said weakly.  “What?”

“You,” he was
saying, though she couldn't see him.  “are one bloody lucky woman.  Proper
bloody stupid one as well.”

“I aim to
please.” she said, her head groggy.  “What happened?”

“You took a
bullet that was going for the girl.  Went straight through your arm.  You
blacked out with the impact.  You've been out most of the day.”

“Yay for me.”
she replied, now registering a dull pain in her left arm.  “Ouch.”

As her eyes
started to focus, she found she was in a long room with beds arrayed either
side.  Malak sat beside her, a number of mead mugs beside him on a small table
and a pillow case propped by the bed.  As she became used to the light of the
window in front of her, Victoria found her arm was in a sling and she was
dressed in bedclothes.

“Horna?”

Victoria's eyes
had focused enough to see Malak grinning.

“Oh yeah, took
the bastard myself.  He survived.  But it won't be a good life.”

“Which was an
accident you understand.” he added quickly, his expression mock serious.  “I
simply happened to shoot him in the base of the spine.  After all, he did shoot
you”

“Accidents do
happen” she agreed.

You cruel
bastard
,
but
I think I would have done the same.

She grimaced
slightly, feeling her arm.  “I take it the Internal Investigation Department
will...”

“Press charges,
oh hell yes.  He'll hang regardless.  Or worse.”

“What about
Glynis?”

“She took the
immunity.” he assured her.  “She owes you big time.”

Victoria smiled
at that.  She had suspected Glynis was only a pawn and in order to get the
'big' fish she saw no need to slam the elf in with him as well.  Corruption at
the highest level of the Council of Peace.  Who'd have thought?  She'd always
fancied him as a professional idiot but not a professionally corrupt idiot. 
None the less, they'd got him.  Probably mean a lot of reports due and follow
up investigations.

“What about the
girl?”

Malak nodded
across to the other side of Victoria's bed.

“See for
yourself.”

There, across
from her, was Alyssa, looking back at her.  She wasn't in a position to talk
though as her mouth was covered by a thick looking bandage.  Victoria assumed
she was smiling.  She could already tell the girl had changed.  Her cheeks were
reddened instead of pale, and she had seemingly chosen the most well lit area
of the dormitory.  Alyssa looked over at the window, from which bright sunshine
came straight down on top of her and looked back at Victoria.

Victoria
nodded.  She understood and allowed the girl one of her smiles.

Job done.

* * * * *

Both of them got
out of the hospital at different times, but ensured they both came to the same
celebration at the Elk’s Horn.  Victoria wasn't entirely sure if she was
supposed to be drinking whilst her arm was still healing but she'd made an
executive decision that in this case, stuff it, she was going to enjoy this
bottle of wine and damn the consequences.  Around her everyone and anyone was
talking, dancing and drinking across the length and breadth of the tavern.  The
music was loud from a group of bards in the corner, the ambience cheery and the
company plentiful.

Malak was over
to one side, regaling some of the barmaids on his momentous adventures and
soundly enjoying himself.

Men.

Gretna, unable
to stop working, had at least a mug of mead in one hand as she cleaned tables
and barked orders on the other side of the busy tavern.

She's still
in charge then.

Katy was being
courted by a young militia man and was obviously enjoying the experience,
grinning from ear to ear and letting her pigtails bob from side to side.

Good for her.

James was in his
element, surrounded by a cohort of militia men and engineers.  He looked no
longer as shy as Victoria had seen him.

The lad's
come out of his shell.

All kinds had
come in this evening, to hear the tales of the
real
last vampire.

Council of Peace
members from every department, engineers from James' work, barmaids and friends
from other taverns, militia and army troopers, particularly the Tornar who had
brought Horna Gladwell to justice.  Malak's friends and colleagues, who were as
professional as he had said.  Somehow, news of the party had spread and this
little gathering had seen its numbers swell.  People were particularly jovial
because unlike a lot of other news these days, this was a good news story.  An
Evil tyrant at last laid low, a young girl released from the curse of the
vampire, a corrupt Council of Peace Department Overseer convicted and justice
restored.

The state of the
post-war economy was forgotten, at least tonight.

Good front page
stuff.  It had rattled a good few of the senior members of the Council of
Peace, and caused a degree of reshuffling in the departments.  Maybe that was a
good thing.  Victoria certainly didn't mind.

She sighed and
sipped her wine.  She wasn't one for…

“Hey.”

Victoria looked
up to find Alyssa standing beside her.  The girl had a small smile on her now
no longer deathly pale face.  The bandage was gone, allowing a beautiful smile
to shine.  Victoria could see, behind said smile, that the teeth now seemed
healed if a little crooked.  The healer mages had done a fast, and fine job. 
Just a pity they hadn't done the same for her arm, though what could you do? 
She was allergic to the damn healing potions they used and so regrettably her
arm had to heal the natural way.

Damn.

Victoria
nodded.  “Hey” she said and, after checking those nearby were not looking her
way, returned the smile fleetingly.  She'd a reputation to keep, after all. 
She couldn't have people thinking she was going soft!

“I never
properly thanked you.” Alyssa said.  She was still just as nervous now as she
had been whilst a vampire, not that Victoria was surprised.  The girl had kept
her humanity well through that year.

“It's my job.”
shrugged Victoria.  “Keeper of the peace and all that.”

“Yeah but
still.”

Alyssa paused,
as if searching for her next words, but instead opted for action.  Quite
unexpectedly, she practically leapt on top of Victoria to hug her tightly.

I
'm not a
hugger
! Victoria wanted to say but she could hear the girl almost
immediately crying on her shoulder so decided maybe that wasn't the best
response.

“It's ok.” she
settled on.  “it's over now.”

Alyssa continued
to cry, the occasional 'thank you' heard between sobs.

Victoria,
reluctantly, returned the hug, patting the girl’s back with difficulty as she
was having to use her wounded arm.

“Yeah I know.”
she said desperately trying to stop Alyssa from making any more of a scene.

Gods, why
me?  Do one good deed and everyone thinks you're 'nice'!

Something was
wrong.  The noise in the tavern had suddenly dropped.  Slowly, Victoria looked
around.  Her eyes widened as she noticed every, single pair of eyes now on her
and Alyssa.  Victoria did not get embarrassed very often, but tonight was a big
exception.  She couldn't prevent the colour rising in her cheeks.  Malak, the
git that he was, was smirking at the far end of the room and enjoying the
spectacle.

I'm going to
beat you later
she resolved.

“Three cheers
for the hero!” bellowed Gretna across the bar

O
h Gods no!

Across the
tavern mugs were raised and voices cheered.  Victoria wanted to crawl into a
hole and die right there and then, but she simply couldn't escape being the
hero of the hour anymore, however much she wanted to.

I'm never
going to live this down now.  People are going to think I'm approachable!

She waved,
half-heartedly with her good arm, hoping that was enough.  Alyssa had stopped
crying and seemed to suddenly realise that both of them were the centre of
attention.

“Ah.” she said
in Victoria's ear.  “They're cheering us, aren't they?”

“Yes...Yes they
are”

Thankfully
Victoria now had someone else to turn red with.

Gretna strode
over as the cheers continued.

“Get up the both
of you!” She ordered. “Take a bow for Grogra's sake!”.

Alyssa complied
immediately and Victoria wasn't given much of a choice as Gretna rather cruelly
used the injured arm to help Victoria out of her seat.  At least it was less
awkward than being hugged from a seated position, just much more embarrassing. 
Now standing, Victoria felt like a newborn child being presented for the first
time, with what felt like the entire world looking at her.  She exchanged
glances with Alyssa who was now feeling just as exposed, but bowed to the
assembled crowd regardless.

“This is your
fault” hissed Victoria though a forced smile and a red face, though without
menace.

“Sorry!”
whispered Alyssa back.  “How long do you think they'll make us stand?”

“Till they get
bored.” replied Victoria.

Soon, I hope!

It took two
agonisingly long minutes for the final clapping and cheering to end, the
continuation prompted mostly by Malak.  He approached Victoria as the clapping
abated.

“I will never
let you live this down.” he said with a superior smirk

Well, that
just won't do.

“Really” she
said.  She took her mug and downed the remains of her drink in a single long
gulp.  Malak should have realised that she was about to do something, but he
just wasn't quick enough off the mark.

“Wrong answer.”

With a speed
that took the entire room off guard, she took his face in her hands and brought
him in for a long, passionate and forceful kiss.  One that left his eyes
bulging, his mouth agape and his chances with the Barmaids well and truly
shattered.

“Now we're
even.” she said with smug satisfaction as she finished.  “Proper, even.”

The whole room
whooped in excitement, except of course the barmaids Malak had left behind at
the other end of the bar.

“He said he was
single!” one of them piped up as Victoria swooped past them to the bar.  Her
honour well and truly satisfied.  Just once, just for a fleeting minute, she
allowed herself a wide and joyous grin.  She concluded something rather
important.

I did enjoy
that.

Gretna nodded as
she passed.

“Nicely done.”
she whispered. “Very nicely done.”

* * * * *

Alyssa used the
distraction that Victoria provided to slip away, back into the corner of the
Tavern, straight into James’ arms.  The kiss they shared was just as passionate
if not more so than the one Victoria and Malak had shared, and a lot more
sincere.  He had become a lot more confident now.  Parts of that she liked but
she kind of missed his awkwardness.  Then again, it was a small price to pay
for humanity.  A very small price to pay to walk in the sunlight, all the time,
every day.  She took James’ face in her hands, looking intently into his eyes.

“I am truly,
truly happy.” she said.

So she was. 
Alyssa the vampire was no more.  She was human once again.

“Now,” she said
after few more glorious moments of kissing her beloved.  “I'm hungry.”

* * * * *