Blood Curse (Pulse #8) (12 page)

          Nereti's expression was gradually changing, the features contorting in slow motion. She had previously sported a look of utter fury; now that fury was muted. Instead her face bore the signs of shock, of horror, even of fear. Quickly, with the nimble lightness that befit her status as Mother of Vampires, she withdrew her bloodied hand from Octavius’ broad chest, from which now gushed forth new torrents.

          For a moment, she stood in shock – utter shock. Kalina looked at her in wonder. She had never seen Nereti so shaken, so overcome by anything at all.

          But then Nereti regained control of her body. She immediately took both of her palms and placed them against Octavius’ chest, against the sweat and the skin. No sooner had she done so than a glowing golden light appeared, radiating outward from her fingertips. The light shone upon the wound.

          Slowly, surely, the skin began to close together; the wound began to heal. Kalina could see Octavius’ face – how the pain was slowly leaving him, replaced instead with slightly dazed self-possession. Octavius was being restored to life.

          It hit Kalina like a thunderstorm. All at once she began to hear Nereti's thoughts, loud as cannons, landing surefire into her brain.

         
What am I doing? This is not like you, Nereti. This is not behavior befitting the Mother of Vampires. You are above all things, higher in your solitude than all desires. You are the mistress of yourself, and no man has ever defeated you on the battlefield. No man has ever defeated you. You are strong; you are ancient; you possess the old and atavistic forces of the old world. You have never once faltered. Never once have you shown mercy.

            Until now.

           
Kalina heard the echo; it reverberated in her brain.

         
Until now. Until now. Until now.

            You do not love him. He is your minion, nothing more. He is a source of pleasure, a mere toy. If he dies you will have another. There is nothing special about him, nothing singular, nothing to be preserved. What could possibly make you think that you have anything for him except the knowledge that you are Queen and he is merely Subject. You owe him nothing.

            You do not love him.

            But why have you saved him, then?

            He was defiant – he stayed your hand – is this alone not reason enough to rip out his heart and stamp it beneath your feet, beneath your heel that has stamped out so many thousands and turned their broken bodies into ash and dirt? He deserves to die, Nereti.

            But you wished to save him.

            You saw the pain in his eyes, and you wished to take it away.

            You saw the blood in his chest, and you wished to close the wound.

            You saw him weakened, and this is what you do?

            You – who never once have felt fear – you feared losing this man, this vampire, this rogue? It cannot be.

           
Nereti's face was a mask. Her expression betrayed nothing. Her lips, ruby-dark, were pursed; her eyes were staring straight ahead in imperious triumph. But Kalina knew her secret, now.

          Nereti had feelings for Octavius. She didn't know where they came from, what they were, what they even meant, but she knew – true as anything – that they were there. Not that she could blame Nereti – she knew all too well the intoxicating effect of Octavius on those who came into contact with him. But to spur an evil being like Nereti into doing an act of good?

         
You have never in your life healed. You have only destroyed. This golden light – it is strange to you – you do not know it. You heard tell of it, when you lived in that other world, that other creatures of your kith and kin could undo the damage that you'd done, could create when you could only destroy.

            Do you miss it, Nereti? Do you miss that other world, that world which you once knew and which you once called home? Do you wish you were there again, there in a place that you truly belonged to, that you loved so much that you never needed conquer it, for it was yours already, a part of your soul? There was a time when you were not wicked. There was a time when you were not cruel. There was a time when you were in a place where you belonged, and that place was home.

            But where is all that now? Is not that self gone, vanished, broken beyond repair? You are no longer that young girl, that young immortal being, alive with the promise of her immortality, among the gardens of the Old Place, smelling the flowers that were scattered around you as you walked, smelling the clean air high where the trees did not even grow, watching the twin suns dapple the light in the sky all around you.

            It is gone.

            You are wicked, now; that is all you are.

            All of this is gone.

           
Kalina felt her muscles tense up. Now was the time, she knew; now was the moment to strike. Nereti was distracted – perhaps for the first and only time in her long, long life.

          She let the blow fall. She let the Life's Blood course through her, giving her new strength. Her kick sent Nereti flying across the cavern, landing straight into a pile of rocks, her body a projectile breaking them apart.

          Nereti screamed as the rocks fell down around her.

          Immediately Kalina was at Octavius’ side. It was her turn to tend him, now. She felt her desire meld with true compassion, true love for this man who had saved the lives of those she cared about, who had even risked his own. She pressed her hand against her forehead; she kissed his cheeks, his neck, his shoulders. She kissed all of him, hoping that he would feel her love.

          “Are you all right?” she breathed.

          He looked up at her, adoration in his eyes. “Better,” he said, his voice hoarse with the memory of pain. “Much better now that you are here, my darling.”

         
How can this be?
Nereti's voice was still so strong in Kalina's head.
The bitch is still alive. How is it that I cannot defeat her? How is it that she returns from the very brink of destruction, always to torment me again? It is as if there is some magic in her that prevents my killing her – it is as if the ancient forces themselves have determined that I shall not be victorious. Look at her, how she stands, with my General under her hands. Look how he looks up at her, like a sick little puppy dog, how he gives her all his adoration, all his need. How is it that he loves her so? How is it that he has chosen her over me? What is so special about this girl, this mere mortal, this slip of a thing, that makes her worth choosing over me, me the Mother of Vampires?

           
Her jealousy lit a fire in Kalina's heart. She was pleased, deep down, to know that Nereti considered her such a threat. But she felt, too, a pang of compassion for the goddess – a goddess who had at once shown her human side.

          Kalina tensed,  bracing herself for the next attack. Nereti would strike back – of this she had no doubt.

          But to her surprise, Nereti was rising high, faster than lightning, flying away from the cave.

          Was she running away in retreat? Was she afraid?

          Then Kalina heard an echo of Nereti's thoughts.
If I cannot kill her, perhaps these cave walls will. Even if it is not given to me to have victory, nature will take its course.

           
What did that mean? Kalina looked around, wildly.

          Then she noticed it. The cracks in the cave walls. The trembling fractures. The walls were about to crumble – to bury them all inside!

          “No!” she cried out. “We have to get...”

          But Nereti's thoughts were getting louder again, getting nearer.

         
You cannot leave him. You cannot leave this General, although you do not know why. You know only that he cannot die like the others, you must save him...

           
Nereti was coming back.

          “Run!” Kalina cried.

          But Nereti was already upon them, her wrist tight around Octavius’ wrist.

          “Back off!” Kalina heard herself shouting. “Can't you understand, woman? Octavius isn't under your control any longer? He doesn't want you!”

          “Like it or not,” Nereti spat back, “he will be, and soon you all will be under my control, too. Look around you, fool, the walls are crumbling down. Soon you will all be trapped here for ages, and nobody will know – no one except.”

          She grabbed Octavius, poised to fly out with him – but Octavius had grabbed Kalina's wrist, too.

          By the time the rocks came tumbling down, all three of them had been pulled from the rubble.

          “Max!” Kalina cried out. “Justin!”

          But it was too late. They had vanished beneath the rubble. Whether they were alive or dead Kalina could not know. All that she knew was that she was flying through the air with Octavius and Nereti, higher and higher; that she was leaving the rest of them behind.

Chapter 15

         
K
alina's heart began to beat faster and faster as terror coursed through her veins. What had happened? The shock of the incident had hit her all at once. She had been fighting Nereti – she had been winning – she had at last made a show of superior strength. And then in an instant Nereti had outsmarted her. Nereti had lured her away – she had been prepared to go in for the final blow, to kill Nereti at last – but at what cost? Behind her, beneath her, all around her – the boulders had collapsed. The cave had crumbled. All those she had loved were buried within the cavernous expanses of the labyrinth. She could not hear their voices – either with her ears or with her mind. She could not think. Her mind had gone blank, as blank as the desert.

          Her body kept on flying, chasing after Nereti, going faster and faster, but her mind wasn't there at all. She was vague, detached; her anger was directionless; her hatred of Nereti had rendered her virtually unaware of all that was happening around her.

          And then she heard it. The cry. The cry of the man she loved, echoing through her eardrums.

         
Kalina.

           
Jaegar's voice. Jaegar's low, deep voice – the sound of which made her melt, made her knees weak and her heart beat too fast for her to stand. Jaegar was alive – Jaegar was fine.

          At once she forgot her mission. At once she forgot her promise to destroy Nereti, whatever the cost. She had to go back – to help Jaegar, to save him, to save the others.

         
No.

           
Jaegar's voice was determined, full of pain. She could hear the tears in his voice.

         
What do you mean, no? I've got to come back. I've got to save you.

            No.
The voice again, as steely as a sword.
You are the Chosen Girl. You must fulfill your mission. That is more important than any of us. You must leave us – now. You must destroy Nereti.

            I have to save you!

            You have to save the world.

           
Kalina felt herself pulled in two different directions – a pull so strong it almost caused her physical pain. The wrenching in her heart was too great for her to bear. Part of her wanted to keep chasing after Nereti, to destroy her now while she still had the chance, to kill her now that she had the advantage. Who could say when she'd ever get the upper hand again? And Jaegar was right – how many people, innocent people, would be killed if she didn't stop Nereti in time. The fate of the whole world hung in the balance – she knew that.
Of course
she knew that.

          And yet...

          How could she leave Jaegar behind? How could she leave any of those she loved – Max, Justin, her mother and her brother – how could she say goodbye to them like this, leaving them to their fate?

         
You have to save the world.

           
Jaegar's voice was firm, strong. He did not allow for any other option. She had to leave him behind – she had to say goodbye – she had to do what was best...

          Then she heard Jaegar's voice drifting – he wasn't speaking to her, now, but to someone else.
Max, Max, hold on, please hold on. Samson – Samson, where are you? We need your help. We need to lift this boulder...

           
Kalina's heart stopped within her chest. Max – hurt? Max – trapped beneath a boulder? The image was so strong within her mind that she felt as if she had received it telepathically: an image of Max, of her mother, trapped, pinned to the floor, blood trickling from the corners of her mouth.

         
Max? What's wrong with Max?

           
Kalina heard the silence that was worse than any word could have been. She waited, her heart refusing to so much as beat, for a reply.

         
Kalina – you need to go! You need to chase after Nereti!

            Not until you tell me what happened.

            She's hurt. It's fine – she'll be okay.

            She won't, will she?

           
Another silence – another silence she could hardly stand.

         
I don't know. It's pretty bad. She was crushed by a boulder.

           
She was a Carrier. She was a human. She was not an immortal. It hit Kalina, all at once.
Max could die.

            Any other human would have died immediately. But Max is strong. She's got Life's Blood in her. But...I don't know if it's going to be enough. She still has a pulse --- but I don't know how long it's going to last. Her bones are broken; her vital organs have been crushed.