The Four Realms (37 page)

"Thank you," said Maureen.
 
"Now run before I decide to put a lightning bolt up your behind."

The troll's eyes grew even wider before he trotted out the alley as fast as he could.

"Wait," wailed Gary as he fought his way out of the now disintegrating vines.
 
"Don't leave me.
 
Don't let her kill me!"
 
He ran crying down the alley after his friend.

Maureen smirked.
 
She couldn't have asked to be mugged at a better time.
 
Her first real taste of combat, though a little one sided, it gave her chance to evaluate her abilities.

She was pleased with her spell casting.
 
She hadn't needed to repeat any incantations.
 
That was good.
 
She remembered it had been a major problem for Ernest and his friends when they were boys.
 
Her speed was a question though.
 
She'd seen the pace that wizards fought, and she was far from that.
 
This meant she couldn't really expect to go head-to-head with any of the elves.
 
She could only hope that Joseph hadn't told them of her abilities.
 
That would give her an element of surprise.
 
She should also make them think that she wasn't alone.
 
Then finally there was her selection of spells.
 
She knew that good spellcraft was all about clever counterattack of a rival's spell, fire magic with water magic, air magic with earth magic.
 
Maureen felt she knew a decent number of spells, but they were all fairly basic.
 
Yes, they might be the staple of a wizard's arsenal, the meat and potatoes of spellcraft, but they were nothing more than what a first year acolyte could cast.
 
And would you really send a first year acolyte up against a bunch of elite elves?

You can't afford to get into any fights
, she told herself.
 
Distraction and diversion only
.
 

The other problem she had was that following the encounter her handbag full of plants were now just full of dust.
 
She'd not been economical with her spells, some of them needing huge mana reserves.
 
Trouble was that whilst she remembered the spells and the incantations, she couldn't for the life of her remember what the mana cost was.
 
There was so much Maureen didn’t know.
 
She'd just have to play it by ear, or pray that she ended up standing next to a cornfield again.

She sighed, jingling the coins she'd been given in her hands.
 
The incident might have been a good test for her powers, but it had highlighted just how ill-prepared she really was.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE - D’Toeni

D'Toeni eyed Darwin with contempt.

"Oh it's you," he said.
 
"They told me to expect a vampire."

It had to have been a good five years since D'Toeni had last seen Darwin, so Darwin took the fact he recognised him as a compliment and ignored the obvious insult.
 

Of course, since then, a lot had happened.
 
D'Toeni had challenged Metzger for leadership of the then Vampire Council and lost, and Darwin had got a lot older.

"Hello, D'Toeni," he said.

The vampire scoffed, ignoring Darwin in favour of Ryan.

"Where's my food, boy?"

"I had to go and fetch our guests," Ryan protested.

"And now you can go and fetch me some food.
 
Preferably something a little more substantial than sheep.
 
Or perhaps you’ll offer yourself up to me?"

He looked at Cassidy.
 
"You might do instead, but I sense something very odd about you."

Cassidy just smiled, giving nothing away, but Ryan snapped to her defence.

"You leave her alone."

"Or what?
 
Boy, I could snap your back like a twig."

"Well, you wouldn't get fed then would you."

"I'm not getting fed now.
 
I hardly see what difference it would make."

"But you don't know what time it is.
 
Open that hatch and find it's daylight outside...
 
bye, bye Mr Vampire."

Darwin was amazed at the way Ryan talked to D'Toeni.
 
In his youth, Darwin had seen the way vampires cowered in D'Toeni's presence.

"How droll," D'Toeni lamented.
 
He looked at Darwin.
 
"What say we toy with this one.
 
Fuck with his mind."

Darwin thought he might actually enjoy that.
 
But the fact that D'Toeni was so passive depressed Darwin.
 
Where had that fearsome warrior gone?
 
Had the years turned him into a puppy dog that rolled over and played dead for mere humans?
 
Or had he misjudged the person he equally admired and feared?

"You're not gonna believe it, Cass," Ryan said.
 
"But D'Toeni here's an honest to God vampire."
 
He made fangs with his fingers to enforce the point.

"Really?" said Cassidy, feigning surprise.

D'Toeni sighed.
 
"Oh do knock it off," he told her.
 
"Of course she knows I'm a vampire.
 
She hangs out with one after all."

Ryan looked at Darwin.
 
"You?"

Darwin took great satisfaction in giving Ryan the biggest smile he could.

"But how can that be?
 
He can go out in daylight.
 
I saw him."

"Some are less vampire than others," D'Toeni responded.

"But... But..."
 
Ryan looked scared, moved Cassidy behind him and started backing away.
 
Darwin was enjoying this, though he wondered why Ryan would be frightened of him and not D'Toeni.
 
It was only then that he saw the shackle round D'Toeni's ankle.

"You're keeping him captive?"
 
Darwin wondered how D'Toeni even allowed this to happen.
 
He was after all, supposed to be one of the best fighters the vampires had ever known, more than a match for weedy little Ryan.

Darwin turned to face the shirking Ryan, "Pretty impressive," he said with a nod toward the shackle.
 
"I wouldn't like to try and cage a vampire."

"It weren't me."
 
Darwin sensed fear in the boy’s voice.
 
He liked that.

"Listen, Ryan, I don't care what they told you or what they promised you, but you're in way over your head."

Ryan stepped forward in protest. "I can look after myself."

"Not against these guys, Ryan.
 
They've already nearly killed every vampire."

"So?"

"So?
 
How many vampires have you killed?"

"That's not the point."

"Isn't it?
 
Because if they can do this to an entire race, you think they're really gonna care what happens to you?
 
You're gonna get yourself killed."

Darwin’s plea seemed to strike a chord with Cassidy.
 
"Listen to him, Ryan," she pleaded.
 
"Please."

Ryan turned on Cassidy.
 
"That's rich, coming from you," he spat.

"What do you mean?"

"You wanna know what they offered me?
 
What I would risk my life for?
 
Revenge.
 
That's it.
 
To be able to see you again and tell you how much I don't need you in my life anymore."

"Look, I know you're hurt, Ryan..."

"Hurt?
 
We had a good thing going on, then... then... .
 
I thought you were going to die.
 
Until one day... bam, you've woken up and walked out my life."

"Do you blame me?
 
Honestly?
 
You were so off your head most of the time, I doubt you really know what you were like."

"I seem to remember a few cars we stole.
 
You were no angel, either," he bit back.

"No, I wasn't, Ryan.
 
But you left me there bleeding to death.
 
Do you have any idea what that did to me?"

"Come on.
 
That was one silly mistake.
 
I was scared.
 
I thought they were going to kill me."

"Still happened though, didn't it, Ryan?"

D'Toeni looked up at Darwin.
 
"Are they always like this?" he asked.

"Apparently so."

"Well look who’s laughing now," Ryan continued.
 
"Got myself sorted out and got myself a proper job and everything."

Cassidy huffed.
 
"By proper job, you mean one where you go and bring us here?"

"Well I hate to break this up," said Darwin, "but we all need to leave now."

Ryan fumbled in his pocket and brought out his gun.
 
He pointed it at Darwin.
 

"Ah no man, can't let that happen," Ryan said, fighting to hold back the tears.

Darwin had taken all he could take of Ryan.
 
He didn't like how he upset Cassidy.
 
In one swift move Darwin snatched the gun from him, pointed it backward toward D'Toeni without even looking and shot three times.

"Fuck," D'Toeni screamed as the bullets hit him.

Darwin threw the gun back at Ryan.
 
"Something to remember.
 
Vampires can't be killed with bullets."

Of course, that didn't strictly hold true for half-vampires but he wasn't about to tell the boy that.

"I'm going to kill you, Darwin," D'Toeni spat, still yelling in pain.

"What you need to know, Ryan, is that these people you're dealing with, have killed just about everyone I care about.
 
They'll kill Cassidy without as much as a second thought.
 
So if you really, really want to see her dead, you just carry on."

Darwin lent in close and whispered to the boy.
 
"But just know this.
 
Anything happens to her and I'll kill not only you but anyone
you've
ever loved.
 
I'll make them suffer too."

He was serious too.
 
Ryan looked back at Darwin, hatred dancing in his eyes.
 
Good, Darwin thought.
 
Now we have an understanding.

He walked back to D'Toeni.

"Right, we need to get this shackle off you," he said.
 

"Cassidy, go see if you can find an axe in this complex.
 
Failing that, something very sharp.
 
Failing that, a big rock."

Cassidy saluted.
 
"Aye, aye mon capitan," she said.
 
Darwin smiled.
 
He didn't know how Cassidy’s emotions bounced back so quickly, but he liked it. How he missed those carefree days of them just running around London.
 
Things were so much simpler back then.
 
They seemed like an age ago now.

“Ryan, you stay where I can see you,” he said as the boy went to leave with her.

D'Toeni dabbed at a spot on his arm where Darwin had shot him.
 
Other than the ripped and bloodied hole in his shirt, there was no evidence of the shot.
 
The wound had entirely healed.
 

"Looks like you have your little troops all trained," he said

"We're here to rescue you, remember?"

"And why would anyone want to rescue me?"
 
His voice sounded tired.

Darwin looked at the vampire incredulously.
 
"You're D'Toeni.
 
One of the greatest vampires that ever lived.
 
And more importantly one of the few vampires that still live."

"And your purpose of rescuing me is what exactly?"

"We've got a group of survivors together.
 
Just a handful.
 
We're gonna make a break for Venefasia.
 
Make a new start.
 
Get away from those... things."

"A little band of vampires.
 
How droll.
 
My days of community are long gone."

"Really?" Darwin asked.
 
"You attempted to be leader once, and I was guessing that perhaps you still might?"

"Leader?
 
Of your little pack?"
 
D'Toeni didn't sound excited by the prospect.

"We can build back up again.
 
A new start.
 
And I thought you could be in charge of it."

"You know what your problem is, Darwin?"
 
the vampire said.

Darwin shook his head.

"Acceptance.
 
You have always craved acceptance.
 
You want to be a vampire, but you're not. You never will be, and no amount of do-gooding and preening will ever change that.
 
You think that because I am a vampire, I should give a shit about what happens to all the other vampires.
 
I don't."

"But then why challenge Metzger for the leadership?"

"Because that little Nazi cocksucker needed to be taught a lesson."

"A lesson?"

"Yes.
 
The vampires weren't the Hitler youth, weren't something to be controlled and ordered.
 
If I'd beaten him, I would have disbanded the Vampire Council.
 
What a stupid fucking name.
 
I mean there hasn't been an actual council meeting for nearly a hundred years."

Darwin felt his plan start to unravel.
 
He'd come all this way, had gone along with Ryan because he believed D'Toeni was worth saving, believed he was the leader the survivors needed.
 
He wasn't so sure now.