The fire kept growing until I was consumed in a raging inferno. I fought against the instinct to run as the stench of my own flesh burning away overcame me. My skin boiled and blistered down to the bone. I was screaming and covering my face when the wriggling of the parasitic creature inside me came back. It felt different this time; whatever was inside me was trying to escape by any means necessary. But the cauterizing flames prevented the creature from oozing out of my wounds. There was pressure and then movement behind my eyes. I could feel them being pushed out of their sockets and soon my vision failed. The harsh growls of the parasite mixed with my own screams until a slithering in my throat silenced me.
I had to try to leave. I was going to die either way, but I’d rather it be quick. I thought of my mom and dad and wished this would be over soon so I could be with them again. Blind and mute, I clawed my way across the floor to try and leave the circle, not knowing in which direction I was headed. I could still hear the fire surrounding me and the faint chanting in tongues. A familiar numbness claimed me. While I was still somewhat aware, the pain had ceased.
I couldn’t tell if I was moving anymore, or even awake. Everything was quiet now, but there was no transition into unconsciousness. Something floated past my eyes in the darkness, leaving ripples trailing behind it. I could see myself now, but I wasn’t mutilated like I had expected. There were lights scattered in the distance above me and below me. Looking around in the dark, I realized I was floating too. Wherever I was went on for quite a while.
A deep booming noise came from far off. I turned to it while covering my ears, but the noise still made me tremble. What I saw couldn’t be described any better than a roughly aquatic animal the size of a moon or a planet, with three sets of eyes and rows of tentacles along its side in place of fins. The giant’s call must have startled more than just me, because a group of bizarre viral-looking creatures darted past, swimming in the air like a school of fish.
I couldn’t tell if I was dreaming or really in another world. A current pulled me along, making me question whether I was underwater or in outer space. Tiny wisps of light illuminated the blackness, like stars in the night sky. Still in the distance, the giant passed overhead toward what looked like a cluster of small planets. Even far away, it was so massive I felt terribly insignificant. This must be how an astronaut felt on his or her first time in space, but the living beings made this even stranger.
The current stopped and I began hurtling downward into the darkness. There wasn’t anything below me. Even the wisps of light were gone.
“Is he dead? I can’t read his mind,” I heard Noah’s voice say.
There was a bright light followed by a jarring sensation of whiplash. The world around me was gone, leaving me tumbling aimlessly through empty space. The sound of Noah’s voice grew louder. I squeezed my eyes shut waiting to crash into something, but the spinning feeling stopped without any impact.
“I’m not dead,” I answered, looking up at Noah, who was nudging me with his boot. “I thought I got dragged down to Hell. I had this really vivid dream. At least, I think it was a dream. I was in space or something and there were all these weird creatures.”
I hopped to my feet and looked myself over. The burns were gone, the bite mark was gone, and I felt great.
“It actually worked,” I whispered in awe.
“Of course it did,” Vance said from his workstation. He was so absorbed in studying something he didn’t even bother to look up. I still couldn’t forget what he did to Lyle, but for the moment I was overjoyed to be alive and well for the first time in a while.
“What you saw wasn’t Hell,” Vance continued. “The parasite is not from this world or even this universe. It comes from another dimension — more specifically, a place between two dimensions, a world between worlds called the Rift. What you saw was a glimpse of its native land as you two merged.”
“So, what the hell is he?” Noah asked. He was gawking at me like I was some alien.
“A critical success. Although still predominantly human, the fusion has changed enough of his genetic code to be classified as a new sub-species,” Vance answered. “I ran some tests while he was unconscious and the results so far have been uncanny.
“If you remember, I mentioned the parasite’s ability to stimulate bone and muscle growth. Soon after the ritual’s completion, Dorian’s body began to regenerate dead tissue. Even as I collected samples from him to examine, his healing factor continued to repair the damage at a rate I’ve never seen.”
Vance fidgeted with the equipment on his table and held a glass jar to the light, looking completely enamored with the red liquid inside.
“Typically, a parasite leeches nutrients from the host in order to sustain itself. Before the ritual, I found that the parasite was taking more energy than it needed to survive. The extra energy was just disappearing, which didn’t make any sense. It was then I figured out the parasite was doing more than feeding itself. It was sending that extra energy somewhere. The Rift, or something in the Rift, must send these parasites out to other dimensions to harvest food.
“When the ritual amalgamated Dorian with the parasite, it stopped the flow of energy back to the Rift, but left the gateway open. You can’t read Dorian’s mind because of interference caused by all that energy he is attuned to in the Rift. I’m sure you noticed his aura is already several times larger. If he could learn to channel it to fuel his own powers … well, even I could not fathom the outcome.”
Vance sounded like he was no longer willing to let me just walk away. Noah looked annoyed, giving me the same squinty-eyed expression as when he read my mind. Now was my chance to at least be rid of one of them.
I glared at Vance, slamming him and the table against the wall and expecting him to die the same way the others did, but it wasn’t as easy without the parasite in control. In the reflection of the glass around the room my eyes temporarily reverted to the way they looked when I was infected. Vance got up from the pile of broken beakers and splintered wood, trying to preserve what he could of his samples, with no regard for his own life. I went after him before he could try to get away, but Noah stood in the way.
“Get out of my way,” I told him, keeping my focus on Vance.
“As much as I’d love to watch this happen, I still need him.”
I didn’t have the effect I was looking for with Vance, and I didn’t even want to try it on Noah, but I wasn’t about to let him interfere either.
“He’s never going to leave me alone. You said it yourself; once you’re part of this you can never get away. Lyle died because of him. Am I supposed to just let him keep killing friends of mine when they get in the way?”
Noah put his hands on his hips and watched Vance crawling on the ground, scooping things into little jars.
“Ah, yeah … The cop isn’t dead. I just said that to piss you off. I wanted you to attack this guy before I knew he was useful.”
“I told you,” Vance said, pointing at Noah. “Do you think this is the first time he’s lied to manipulate you? They have you caught in their web to do their bidding.”
Noah swung around and threw one of his
wakizashi
right through Vance’s heart to shut him up.
“But I saw him being burned to death,” I said.
“Nothing a little blood couldn’t fix. Vivi is taking extra-special care of him.” He walked over and lifted Vance’s paralyzed body off the ground with one hand.
“What else did you lie about? How do I even know Lyle really is alive and you’re not just saying that to preserve Vance?”
“I guess you’ll have to follow me if you want to find out,” Noah said before vanishing with Vance over his shoulder.
There were still a few usable cars left relatively unscathed after the battle upstairs. I was in a race against the world’s fastest man, but the sunrise would soon be on my side. I pictured Lyle obliviously trying to woo Vivian, but at least he was safe for now. They’d keep him alive as bait to draw me back in, but I was sure if I didn’t show up one of them would have him for a snack.
I had little doubt that Vance was also as good as dead once he finished the exorcism on Rozalin. It was one less thing for me to worry about, but my anger toward him was waning now that I knew he had told the truth about Lyle. There were still so many questions I had that only he could answer.
I sped down the highway, looking like a deranged homeless foreigner. It would be a miracle if I wasn’t pulled over. My clothes were almost completely burnt off except for a dusty jacket I had found in the facility. My cell phone and wallet were destroyed, along with any ID and money I had left, and I had no idea how to speak anything but English and Lyle’s tourist dialect of “louder, slower English.”
To top it all off I couldn’t keep my eyes on the road for more than a few seconds at a time. I kept glancing at every passing shadow, expecting to see a face looking back at me. Driving into the sunset after spending hours on the road was making me paranoid about the darkness looming ahead.
With a little luck, and a lot of missed turns and wrong exits, I got to Aurelia’s estate just as night rolled in. The main house was dark inside, save for a few lights flickering on the top floor. It didn’t look like anyone was home there, or at the guest house either. The grounds went on for miles in all directions. I was about to get out and walk when I finally saw lights beyond a gathering of trees.
Another house stood just off the bank of a large body of water. I ditched the car and ran to the double doors. There was no way to tell if this place was haunted now too without going inside. As lavish as the other two houses, this building was smaller, but a lot more opened up inside. The majority of the first floor formed a large common area that branched out into private rooms. Directly across the common area, two staircases gave access to the overhanging floor above.
There weren’t any voices or footsteps to be heard anywhere. Upstairs, ceiling-high windows spanned the entire back wall, looking out over the water. A grand piano was surrounded by lounge chairs, end tables, and well-kept potted ferns. Not a leaf was out of place, and there was not a speck of dust anywhere. This place was too maintained to be have been abandoned for long. Just how many residents and servants lived on this estate?
A single corridor branched off from the piano area. Portraits of an ageless Aurelia attired in clothing from different time periods lined the walls. All the doors down the hall were closed except one. I entered the room to find Lyle relaxing by the fireplace.
“You’re alive!” We greeted each other with the same enthusiastic shout.
“Never better, actually,” Lyle said, hopping out of his seat. “I guess Noah made it to you in time.”
“Sort of. It’s a long story. Is he here?”
“I don’t know. Didn’t you two come together?” Lyle asked, and then pointed to my arm. “Your bite’s gone. You look, uh, different. What’s going on?”
I checked in the mirror above the fireplace. It wasn’t as obvious as with the Archios, but my complexion was flawless and had a healthy glow despite still needing a tan. My hair had a shine to it, and even though it was well beyond my regular bed-head by now, it somehow looked right.
“I was cured, but I’ll explain later. I have to stop Noah from killing someone and then we need to get out of here.”
“Welcome back,
chéri
. You are looking well.” Vivian walked in just in time to hear me announce my plan to escape. No doubt she had a leash around Lyle’s neck and was ready to compel me to stay.
“Is Noah here yet?” I asked her, ignoring the pleasantries. She paused, gazing into my eyes. I knew exactly what she was trying to do. “That won’t work on me anymore. Tell me where Noah is and we’ll be on our way.”
“He’s busy at the moment. I came to offer you our hospitality on behalf of Aurelia.”
“Aurelia wouldn’t even look at me after I couldn’t defend myself in the garden. If she’s suddenly interested in me again that means Noah already told her what went on.”
“Dorian, chill. Vivi’s just trying to be nice. Show a little respect; she saved my life,” Lyle said.
“She’s using you as bait to keep me here.”
“Why would she do that? Everyone here has been trying to help, even Noah. What’s wrong with you?”
“He responds to hospitality with hostility. His body is healed, but the Strigoi have poisoned his mind against us,” Vivi sighed. “I told you this might happen.”
So that was how it was going to be. They were always one step ahead. Not only did they have Lyle here, but she had gotten him to believe my thoughts weren’t my own, when it was really the other way around.
“My mind isn’t poisoned. I was made in a lab by a bunch of magical lunatics who want me back now, okay? A lot happened and now they’re all dead except one. Noah is going to kill him after the guy gets rid of the ghost in the chateau.”
“Why are you trying to save someone who’s used excessive force multiple times to try and kidnap you?” Lyle asked.
“Because that is what he was created to do,” Vivi interrupted. “Even if it is the same man who almost killed his friend in a fire.”
“You’re twisting it. I’m doing this because I want to, not because he told me to. I have questions that only he can answer. Lyle, you have to believe me. They only want to keep me here to use me because I might be more powerful now.”
“Have you already lost so much faith in humanity that you have trouble believing our help was genuine? Leave if you want, but our doors may not be open to you a third time,” Vivi said.
“You’re not even human.”
“Neither are you, but if you don’t act it then what will you become? The difference between man and monster is not what we are made of, but the choices we make.”
“Come on, Lyle, let’s go.”
“Where do you think we’re gonna go after this, Dorian?” he asked. “New York is a mess, you’re homeless, and I’m a fugitive. Or did you forget that? This is all we’ve got, and if you look around it’s a bit of an upgrade.”
“What about your family?”
“When the heat is off I’ll call them to let them know I’m okay. Getting family involved will only complicate things even worse. The less they know, the better. At least this way they won’t have to lie to the police for me.”
“If you stay here they’ll kill you once I’m gone. Don’t you understand? That’s why they’re going out of their way to be so nice to some human.”
“Some human? I see. So now you think you’re better than me? Just accept that this might not be all about you for once.”
“That isn’t what I meant,” I said apologetically. “Promise me you’ll stay here at least until I come back. I need to get to Noah before it’s too late.”
“You can’t go in there,” Vivi warned. “It’s too dangerous.”
“I’ve heard that before. I should be dead five times over, but I’m still here.”
“Yes, because people have helped you, whether you choose to realize that or not,” she said.
“It isn’t the help I have a problem with. It’s the motive behind it.”
I left the room and ran out of the house to the car. If Lyle wanted to stay behind with Vivian for now it was fine by me. She wouldn’t pull anything while I was here if she still wanted me around, and he would be out of any immediate danger.
“He saved your life because he took pity on you.” It was Vivian again, right behind me.
“Who are you talking about? Lyle?” I asked.
“Noah. He has a more personal stake in this than he’ll admit.”
“Enough already. I don’t want to hear any more reasons why I should stay and be your pet. You’re getting desperate if you think I’ll believe Noah is really my friend.”
“Throw your life away; it may be a shame, but I’m not telling you this for your sake.” Vivi glared at me with a burning conviction in her eyes. Whether it was one of her powers or simply a dire sense of urgency in her voice, I was compelled to listen.
“I was there the night he became one of us. It was the summer of 1848 during the California Gold Rush. I was escorting Aurelia on a journey there to lay claim to the riches the land had to offer.
“Aside from the financial gain of our trip, Aurelia also had an interest in acquiring another progeny to be my successor. I had been in her service a little over four hundred years and begun to grow weary of the demanding lifestyle.
“Even in the most demure ladies’ attire for the period, we drew the attention of every man around for miles. The plan was to incite a riot among the sex-starved mortals clamoring for our hand and see who had potential to be a diamond in the rough.
“It wasn’t difficult to strike a match with the local drunkards at a crowded saloon on our first night there. A brawl broke out that practically engulfed the town. I had my eye on a particularly handsome young cowboy who was doing his best not to get involved in the nonsense.
“As the crowd grew more violent, several of the men tried cornering us. Noah came to our aid in the first act of chivalry that night. He fought off our would-be attackers and brought us to safety with the riot following closely behind. He seemed of clear mind, not frenzied like the rest, and continued to fight on our behalf even after taking a gunshot to the shoulder.
“Eventually he was overwhelmed by the remaining men, who beat him and left him for dead. Aurelia and I watched the scene from the shadows. After the crowd dispersed, it was just the three of us under the moonlight. The young cowboy had barely a breath in him. Aurelia knelt before him and offered him immortality in exchange for remaining by her side for eternity. No man or woman has ever been able to resist her grace, and so he accepted.
“I could see the familiar look of love in his eyes despite all the blood from his injuries as she leaned over him to seal their arrangement with her fangs.
“Aurelia charged me with raising him, and I did as I would my own. We left that very same night, with no time for goodbyes or explanations. I taught him everything about surviving in our world and all the nuances of our politics. He was a quick study, but always kept his sights on Aurelia, patiently waiting for her attention once more.”
“Noah was patient once?”
“
Oui
, but I feel he expended all he had in waiting for her. He was a different man back then, but in many ways still the same. Our enemies in Europe knew just as much about war and espionage as we did. Aurelia knew that what we needed was something nobody had ever seen. The Far East was still a mystery to our kind. She instructed Noah to travel there and return only when he had mastered their art of war and combat.
“He returned a battle-hardened warrior and expected to win her praise, but she had long since forgotten him. I could sense the pain from his broken heart. He left behind his family and everything he knew to enter our world under false pretenses. Rarely do people become one of us out of choice. Noah is still young by our standards, but he has had a particularly difficult time leaving the past behind him.”
This painted Noah in a completely different light, assuming Vivian wasn’t making this all up. I didn’t understand what her point in telling me was.
“I don’t get what this has to do with me,” I said.
“Noah rises every night knowing he is worth no more than the blades at his side. Personal desire is irrelevant and acts of free will are forbidden. He is a warrior that exists only to serve his master — a tragic existence that he has yet to come to terms with.
“Although he will never admit it, I feel he has taken pity on you for that same reason. He pushed you toward failure so you would not share his fate, but still you have managed to succeed.”
“You let me leave after I was bitten, but Noah forced me to stick around to learn how to fly,” I said.
“You were bitten because he lured the creatures to your position before disappearing into the mist. We may have released you after that, but Noah knew it wouldn’t be over so easily. He was attempting to scare you off when you returned to the chateau. If he could further prove your incompetence to Aurelia, she would be more likely to become disinterested and forget about you.”
“That must be why he threw Lyle off the roof. He’s got some really messed-up ways of showing sympathy. I thought he was just being an asshole.”
“Noah has his moments, but he also has his reasons.”
“I’m not going to kill him, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I assured her. “I just want answers from Vance.”
“Hardly!” she laughed. “I’m afraid even on his worst day you still couldn’t do him harm. My concern is that the odds are against him in there. I would appreciate if you don’t get in the way or cause a distraction that may endanger him.”
“You feel guilty that he bears your burden. You feel responsible for him. Is that what this is about?”
“My feelings are a private matter and one I’m not inclined to discuss. It is neither secret nor sin that I have an attachment to someone I have known well for centuries. Emotions are what keep us human, but I won’t be judged for them.”