The Lost Centurion (The Immortals Book 1) (2 page)

A metallic rail stood between Marcus and the Forum below. At first, he had questioned the informer’s decision to call a meeting at such a famous archeological site, but tonight, he could see why it could work. The place was so crowded nobody would have noticed a few people sneaking under the fence and entering the Forum. The Roman ruins were several meters below the street level from where he was standing, guaranteeing privacy from onlookers if he took care to remain in the shadows. Once down on the ancient road, the Forum continued toward the Coliseum, where anyone could safely exit the archeological site. The informer had chosen wisely.

Marcus looked right and left. Nobody looked back, and he raised the metallic mesh and slid under the fence. His shirt caught a broken chain from the mesh, and he heard the fabric rip, but didn’t slow down. Instead, once on the berm—the strip of eroded bricks barely large enough to contain the square heels of his boots—he prepared for the jump. He landed on his feet, knees slightly bent to absorb the impact. He kept to the wall, walking with his back to it to remain invisible. Everything was dimmed down there, the lights muted, even the sounds from the swelling crowd, that until a moment ago had surrounded Marcus, were dimmed. He welcomed the peace.

In the relative quiet, he could hear his heart thrumming against his chest and commanded it to slow down. On his right, several meters from where he was, he thought to have seen movement between two columns, but the space was partially hidden by a large portion of a collapsed wall. He squinted, then when he didn’t see anything, moved toward the columns, being careful to follow the shadows and not expose himself. A few minutes later, he crouched by the collapsed wall. Nobody was there, but a faint noise resonated to his left at the end of a paved road that once had led to the Rostra, the speakers’ platform decorated with prows of ships. Marcus followed the noise and was rewarded by the sight of heels rounding the corner.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered, “Virgil?” Hurried steps skated over the pebbles that covered what remained of the cobblestones paving the road. When the sounds moved away from him, Marcus swore under his breath. He took his cell phone from the rear pocket of his jeans and dialed Alexander’s mobile number.

As soon as Alexander took the call, Marcus hurried to say, in the lowest voice he could manage, “I don’t think your informant wants to talk to me.”

On the other side, the party was still in full swing, judging from the loud merrymaking almost covering Alexander’s words. “What did you do?”

“Nothing. I’ve just arrived. I think it’s better if you hurry up.” Marcus ended the call and crouched lower, attuning his ears to any sound betraying the informant’s whereabouts. For several seconds nothing moved, then one of the many stray cats roaming through the Forum angrily hissed and jumped off the top section of a leaning column, landing over the metal lid of a garbage can. A second cat joined the ruckus, and then a third. The felines weren’t fighting against each other; they were, in fact, retreating from the scene. Masked by the hissing before, soft cries and harsh words could now be heard. Marcus rounded the corner and hid behind a brick wall, then slowly leaned toward the edge until he could take a look at what was happening on the other side. Two men were holding a small body on the ground. A third man was restraining a fourth with manacles that sparkled of a silvery light.

The man being restrained was fighting the other, but didn’t seem to make any progress toward freeing himself. A moment later, he was on his knees. “Don’t hurt her. I’m the one responsible for this.”

“You know it doesn’t work that way.” The third man pushed the beggar on the ground as well.

“I’m so sorry, my love—”

The third man hit the beggar hard with a baton that also sparkled silver under the night sky. The small form on the ground cried softly, then moved, revealing a shaven head that belonged to a young woman.

One of the two men holding the woman forced her down again. The beggar screamed.

The man, his hands now around the girl’s neck, turned toward the beggar. “You should’ve known better than trying to turn her against nest’s rules, Virgil.”

Nest. Virgil. Vampires. Marcus ran into the melee without thinking. Those men couldn’t kill his informant. The vampires saw him at the last moment as Marcus was already grabbing the beggar’s arms to pull him away. He left the dazed vampire by a marble step, then turned to confront the one who had been at Virgil’s side. Marcus knew how to deal with vampires and went for his chest, but the man had anticipated his move and dropped to the ground before he could grab him. The other two vampires soon joined the fight, flanking him at both sides, with the third frontally hitting him. The odds weren’t in his favor, but it wasn’t Marcus’s first encounter with their race, and it wasn’t his first fight. He dropped as well, extended his leg, and kicked the one on his right side on his exposed ribs, and the one on his left in the groin. He spun and administered a series of roundhouse hits on all their vital parts, and finally leaned over and head-butted the third vampire.

Marcus’s cell phone rang in the middle of a punch he was delivering to the vampire’s jaw. The sound distracted him long enough for his enemy to move right and avoid the blow. As a result, he was punched under the chin instead. He didn’t see who had hit him, but the vamp had a strong upper jab and an equally strong lower jab. Marcus was thrown backward, kicks and punches raining over him. He hit a hard surface with the back of his head, and everything went black before his eyes.

“Who’s this fool? A friend of yours, Virgil?”

“I mean, I knew you were an idiot, but involving an immortal in nest quarrels? Seriously?”

“I don’t know who this man is.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Air whooshed to Marcus’s right, the sick sound of a hard surface making contact with another resonated in the air, then the beggar, Virgil, cried, “I swear. I’ve never seen him before.”

“Do you think Claudius will think that it’s just a coincidence an immortal was strolling by tonight, here, of all places?”

Another sound slashed through the night, Virgil moaned, but never uttered a word.

“Let’s finish him.”

Marcus’s sight cleared and he saw the third vampire tying a silver cord around Virgil’s neck. The man pulled the loose ends of the cord with his gloved hands and Virgil’s eyes, nose, and mouth bleed a dark, viscous liquid. Marcus jumped on his feet and barreled through, dislodging the cord from the vampire’s hands. He grabbed the cord and in a swift movement, circled it around the attacker’s neck, and pulled until the silver went through first the skin, then the sinews, and finally the bones. One last pull and the vampire’s head fell from his body. Being a renegade had its perks. He wasn’t subjected to the Peace Pact’s laws that would have required him to incapacitate his attackers and forbade him to kill them. He stepped back and watched as the body exploded in a fine mist.

Meanwhile, Virgil, freed from the restraining silver, had managed to incapacitate the second vampire by pressing the manacles over his attacker’s eyes. Marcus made a lasso out of the silver cord and directed his attention to the remaining attacker. Swinging the lasso in a large arch, he caught the man at chest-height on the second try and pulled the trussed-up vampire closer to him. Then he let the cord rise to the man’s neck and closed it tight around it to decapitate him as well. Marcus was tired and his hands were covered in blood. It took longer this second time to get the job done. When he finally admired his handiwork on the ground, his upper body ached, and he barely moved out of the way when the corpse disintegrated.

“I need some help here.” Virgil was struggling to keep his hold on the last vampire.

The vampire was blind and in terrible pain, but he was resisting Virgil’s efforts to disable him. Marcus marched toward them and laid one booted foot over the vampire on the ground to keep him down while Virgil finished him. Without notice, the girl screamed. The sound, coming from something so small, was frightening. Virgil left his prey and ran to her side. Not impaired by the silver manacles, the vampire hit Marcus behind his right knee and toppled him over and away from him. The girl screamed again, this time louder. A blink of an eye later, the vampire was gone.

Marcus turned to Virgil. “You.” He walked the three steps dividing them and stopped to tower over the vampire cradling the girl on his lap. “You owe me a few answers.”

Despite the closeness, the vampire didn’t seem to notice Marcus’s presence. Then, he raised his head to look at him. “Promise me you’ll save her.”

Marcus fought the urge to laugh. “I don’t make promises to your race.”

“She’s innocent.” Virgil stroked the girl’s temple and shushed her as if she were a child.

Something primal awoke in him at the sight, but Marcus pushed it away. “Not my problem.”

“Please—” Virgil’s head dropped to his chest, his hair covering his face like a dark curtain.

Marcus crouched down, put a finger under the vampire’s chin, and pushed it up until their eyes met. “Tell me where Claudius lives.”

“You have to promise you’ll take care of her.” Virgil’s eyes were glassy, his words slurred.

“What’s wrong with you?” Marcus’s hands shot to the vampire’s chest where black blood oozed out from a wound. “Stay with me! You must tell me where Claudius is.” He tore Virgil’s shirt aside to reveal a silver dagger stuck to the hilt in his heart. “Don’t you dare die.” His fingers probed the edge of the wound, and the vampire barely moaned. Throwing caution to the wind, he dug inside to remove the dagger, but only cut himself on the blade. Screaming in pain and frustration, he redoubled his attempts, but couldn’t dislodge the weapon. In the distance, steps could be heard approaching.

“Marcus!” Alexander came running, only to stop before him. “What happened?”

Marcus looked down at the dying vampire in his arms and felt rage growing inside of him and threatening to explode. He pushed the man on the ground, stood on unsteady legs, and backed away from him several steps before looking at his friend. “Where were you?”

Alexander passed his hand over his jaw, then through his short, blond hair. “Looking for you.”

Virgil emitted a low, choked sound, and his chest heaved and expanded. Marcus and Alexander moved away at once, but weren’t distant enough when the vampire exploded, covering them in matter that soon transformed into ashes.

“It always stings.” Alexander dusted his face with the hem of his white shirt, leaving a dirty smear on the fabric. Several burnt marks dotted his skin.

Marcus didn’t bother trying to clean himself. Nothing less than a hot, long shower would do the trick anyway. The girl cried and he looked down at the corner where she was curled up and shaking.

“What is this?” Alexander was at her side before Marcus. He bent over the girl and gently pried her hands away from her face, then swore a long streak of profanities in Greek. “A vampling—”

Marcus pushed away Alexander and examined the girl for the telltale signs of a freshly turned vampire. “For Jupiter’s Jewels.”

Alexander followed Marcus. “Someone will come to claim her.” He made to turn and leave.

Marcus took him by the elbow. “They were going to kill her.”

“Why?”

“From what I understood, she was turned against the nest’s approval.”

Alexander took another step away from the scene, his face turned toward the exit by the Coliseum’s side. “We can’t be involved in the nest’s business.”

Marcus applied pressure on his hold. “She might know where Claudius lives.”

“It’s a terrible idea.”

“If we leave her here, she’ll die.” Marcus pointed at the girl who had curled up again and was trembling so hard, he couldn’t help walking back to her and laying a hand on her shoulder to calm her. The girl reacted to his touch by leaning into it.

Alexander shook his head. “No. It’s one thing to be looking for Aurelia’s murderer to bring him to justice. It’s another to get involved in the vampire’s politics.”

“She might be the only chance I’ll ever get to catch him.”

“You’ve waited two thousand years. There will be other leads.” Alexander raised his hands in the air and walked away.

Marcus left the girl to reach Alexander and stopped in front of him. “I can’t wait anymore.” He shrugged. “I won’t live like this a day longer.”

“Don’t talk like that.” Alexander placed both hands on Marcus’s shoulders and shook him hard. “You’ll catch this Claudius, and we’ll see him sentenced for his crime.”

“I never meant to bring him to justice.” Marcus sighed at his friend’s dismayed look. “Come on. You must have known my intentions when I had my status rescinded.”

Alexander removed his hands from his shoulders and took a step back. “You can’t go against the Council.”

“The Council doesn’t have to know. I intend to be discreet.” Marcus tilted his head toward the girl on his back. “You weren’t here.”

“What the heck…?” Alexander closed his eyes and sighed. “I can’t let her die anyway.”

“I’ll help her find a safe place somewhere.”

“If anyone saw me coming here, I arrived too late and missed you.”

“Which is not far from the truth.” Marcus waved him away.

Alexander pointed a finger at Marcus, gave him one last warning look, sighed again, then finally left, sprinting away.

“What am I going to do with you?” Marcus stared at the shaking form that resembled a lost stray. “You must collaborate, little thing.” He bent and slid his arms under her back to pick her up.

The girl didn’t resist; she barely seemed aware of what was happening around her, but cried when he lifted her. She weighed nothing in his arms, and from what he could see, her body was covered in bruises. The most prominent ones were around her neck, where the vampire had tried to strangle her, but her skin was marred all the way under her blouse. The long-sleeved garment was made of heavy cotton, almost as thick as the type used to make pants and was seasonally inappropriate. The sight of it made Marcus sweat, but he cradled her to his chest and started walking toward the exit, hoping nobody was wandering around.