Imperium (Caulborn) (6 page)

Double crap. These weren’t Midnight Clan vampires. These were Blood Runners, the other vampire clan that called Boston home.

“We are representatives of Galahad XI,” Megan said, positioning herself so that she could draw the weapon beneath her coat. “Remember the pact. You are not to feed on humans.”

“Oh, I’m aware of the pact’s terms and rules,” the leader said as he moved toward us. “However, we’re hungry, and really, the fun thing about rules and conditions is finding ways around them.” He took a step forward. He was tall and in the shadows I could see he had a muscular form. While I couldn’t make out his features, his eyes glowed red. “The simple truth of the matter is we can do whatever we want, so long as we don’t get caught. Now then,” he gestured toward Megan and me. “Let’s eat.”

Chapter 6

Begin Coded Transmission
Being the first non-Urisk to be able to speak their language, Lotholio brought Corinthos to the Bright Side. Details of what transpired there are unknown, but the believed outcome is that Lotholio established Corinthos as a god, one who would deliver them from the tyranny of the races that continually conquered their realm. Over time, Corinthos attracted a cult following and drew more power from the Urisk’s faith in him.
-NS
End Coded Transmission

“Oh, Leonardo,” one of the voices behind the leader said. “You never let us have any fun anymore. Look at the blonde, she’s too scrumptious to just feed on.”

One of the other vampires stepped up to the leader. This one was shorter with a wiry frame. They were about six feet away from us. The new speaker’s eyes flickered red and he spoke to Megan. “Come here, darling, let me show you the bliss of the Night.”

Evidently lover boy didn’t realize he was dealing with people who were immune to mental compulsion, because he was most surprised when Megan’s 9mm flashed out and shot him twice in the chest. He staggered backward and fell against the dumpster in a heap.

To my surprise, the other vampires started laughing. “Pete, you totally deserved that. Honestly, ‘bliss of the Night?’”

Pete grumbled as he stood up. “Bitch,” he hissed at her. “You’re going to regret that.”

“Actually, she’s not,” I said. “You are going to leave here right now.” I readied the Urisk’s faith in me. I might be able to take one or two vampires in a straight-up fight, but six? No, for six I’d need some special effects.

The leader, Leonardo, sounded amused. “Is that so? Or else what, tough guy?”

I smiled. “Remember you asked that question, Leo.” I tapped the Urisk’s faith in me, letting it flow along my body. It radiated out as a pool of shimmering blue light, encasing Megan and me. The vampires shied back. All except for Pete, that is.

“Oh, come on,” Pete said. “It’s just light.”

“Pete,” Leo warned.

“Don’t try to stop me, Leo,” Pete said. “The bitch is mine.” I was guessing Pete was a recently made vampire; it’s the only reason he’d be so brazen and ignorant of holy light. He lunged forward and Megan produced a second gun. No idea where this one came from, but it looked like a ray gun out of a 1950’s sci-fi flick. She never fired it, though, because as Pete came into contact with my light, he burst into flames. That’s the great thing about being a god; I’m a living holy symbol. None of the vampires could get close to us.

Pete’s shrieking, burning form staggered away from the light and collapsed to the ground. Blue flames wound around his body and the scent of burned, rotted meat filled the air. A few moments later, a charred skeleton was all that remained of him. Now, with the pool of light encasing us, I got my first good look at our assailants. They were dressed like they were going out to some goth club. I rolled my eyes.

“You guys are way too full of yourselves, you know that? So now, if I were you, the next question I’d ask is, ‘Can I outrun the expanding pool of blue light?’” I willed my faith radius to widen, and the vampires hastened backward. Then the one farthest away from me screamed. In the dimness, I could see that more forms had dropped from the walls and were killing the Blood Runners.

Megan brought her ray gun up and I could tell she had targets marked, but she never needed to shoot. The Blood Runners, held at bay by the Urisk’s faith, couldn’t run away. Their only course was through the other vampires, who had stakes and swords. Leo’s little pack was wiped out in just a few moments. In the glow of blue light, I could see headless vampire corpses collapsed in the alley, and other crumpled forms that were crumbling to ash.

“Caulborn Corinthos? Caulborn Hayes?” a woman’s voice asked.

“I’m Corinthos,” I said. “Are you with Tom Bruli?”

“Yes, my name is Lucille. I was sent here to find you when you did not arrive on time. Are you well?”

“Fine,” I said, releasing the Urisk’s faith. The light vanished and the alley plunged back into darkness. It took my eyes a moment to readjust to the dimness, and let me tell you something, a moment can feel like an eternity when it’s dark and you’re surrounded by vampires.

“I am relieved to hear that,” Lucille said. I couldn’t make out Lucille’s features, but her form was slender, and she moved with the unearthly grace that only vampires and cats possess. I could also see that two of her vampires had Leo pinned to the ground. He looked to be the only survivor. “I would hate to think that anything would have happened to the Galahad’s people. The Galahad’s forgiveness only goes so far.”

Leo groaned as Lucille’s vampires hoisted him to his feet and pushed him back down the alley. Lucille stopped ten feet away from me. “Caulborn Corinthos, you have my personal word that no harm will befall you or Caulborn Hayes. If you will please accompany me, I will take you to Mr. Bruli.”

“Of course, Lucille, and thank you for the assist.” She nodded and the group of us continued down the alley and into a better lit parking lot. Megan gave a quiet gasp and almost missed a step. Yep, she’d pierced their illusions. We moved up to an older three story office building. I was surprised that the place had as many windows as it did, but if my hunch was right, they’d be blackened somehow on the inside.

Lucille and her group led us up the stairs and into the building. We crossed through a foyer with several heavily armed guards, and then into a larger room beyond. It looked like it might have been a cube farm at one point. The place was dark, but there were scattered pockets of dim light. I sensed more than saw the other vampires. At a word from Lucille, one of the vampires flipped a switch and lights flickered on. Given their highly acute night vision, the vampires probably only used the overhead lights when they had human visitors.

The dim light I’d seen was coming from computer monitors, and there were half a dozen vampires tapping away on keyboards. I could hear faint music coming from several places all around me. The vampires had eclectic tastes in music, as I distinctly heard the closing bars of a Metallica song followed immediately by Barry Manilow.

“Before we proceed, agents,” Lucille said. “I would ask that you relinquish your weapons and holy symbols, per our arrangement with the Galahad.” Megan placed her 9mm on the metal tray that another of the vampires held out. I noticed she didn’t put her ray gun down, but didn’t say anything. I set a cross on the tray. It was best to let the vampires think that’s what I’d been using to hold our attackers back. Then I set my switchblade on the tray, which earned a curious glance from Lucille. “A knife fighter? There aren’t many of you left in the world.”

“What can I say? I’m old fashioned.” My gaze swept the room again, and then came back to Lucille, who instructed the vampire with the tray to store our weapons. Lucille looked to be about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old. She had gray eyes and flawless pale skin. Her dark hair was braided, and her clothing was by a designer whose name I couldn’t pronounce.

I relaxed my eyes and let my caul filter out her illusion. Lucille’s skin withered and yellowed, and her brilliant white smile browned. Deep hollows formed beneath her eyes, which were a dull pink. Her fangs peeked out over decomposing lips. I let the illusion return. Staring at the walking dead can get unsettling. Other vampires, clad in similarly stylish clothing, moved around us. I counted at least nine more, and they were all armed with swords or guns. I was grateful for the Urisk’s faith, but just the same, I wouldn’t want to have to fight my way out of a place like this.

“This way, agents,” Lucille said as she gestured down a hallway. Several members of her group broke off, but the two pushing Leo stayed with us. We walked through several more sets of doors before we came to a stairwell. Three more vampires joined us. They cuffed Leo’s hands behind his back and clasped more chains around his ankles.

Lucille noticed Megan eyeing the chains. “They’re a special titanium alloy,” she said. “He’s probably strong enough to break them, but it will take him a few minutes to do so. And in that time, every one of my people will have put a stake through him. Twice.”

Leo glowered at her, but made no moves. Maybe he thought he could talk his way out of the problem when he saw Bruli. More likely, he knew that if he tried anything, he’d be dead in a flash.

We went up the stairs, Lucille, Megan and I at the front, while the group of other vampires pushed Leo up behind us. We got to the third floor and were led into a pitch-black hallway. Lucille turned on another set of dim overhead fluorescents and took us into an office. There were several male vampires standing at various points in the room, but I picked out Tom Bruli right away. He was seated on a couch, feet propped up on a table, swirling a martini glass filled with blood. Two females were lounging on either side of him. I had to give Bruli credit, he could craft a convincing illusion. He appeared as a prosperous man with slicked-back hair, dressed impeccably in a suit that cost more than Megan’s car.

The women were just as extravagant, clad in designer dresses and sparkling with jewelry. Their illusions gave them milky white skin and elaborate hair styles. They looked like they were ready for a night out in some Hollywood bar. The women giggled and pawed playfully at Tom’s suit and hair, then sat back with sulky expressions as we walked in. Tom gave me a look up and down and then turned his attention to Megan. His gaze lingered on her for much longer and a smile flicked across his lips. It was obvious he was thinking that Megan looked tasty.

I relaxed my eyes again, and saw the cadaverous forms on the couch across from me, complete with glowing red eyes and fangs. Bruli’s skin was dull gray and rotted in several places. His perfect hairdo was also an illusion. He only had three or four clumps of hair left on his head, and these looked greasy and tangled. His fangs were dark yellow and long. And sharp.

“Caulborn Corinthos and Hayes, I presume?” My caul let me hear two versions of his voice. The first was the one he wanted me to hear—smooth, calm, commanding. The other was a harsh, grating rasp. They were like echoes of one another, and to keep the conversation straight in my head I focused on the voice I knew was the real one. The unpleasant one. Megan and I nodded, and Tom turned his attention to Lucille and the bound Leo. “And this?” he asked as he sipped his drink.

“Blood Runner, sir,” Lucille responded. “Caught a group of them attacking the Caulborn.”

Bruli’s eyes flared red. He was in front of Leo now, holding the other vampire by the throat. Megan’s eyes were huge; neither one of us had seen him move. One of his female companions caught the glass that he’d dropped before moving. It only fell an inch or two before she snatched it. “You dare to attack Caulborn?” Bruli hissed. “Have you no idea of the ramifications of such an action?”

Leo sneered. “Ramifications? You’re a fine one to talk about ramifications, Bruli. How many Blood Runners did you think you could kill before we’d get wise to you?”

A look of genuine confusion flickered on Bruli’s face. “What are you talking about?”

“Three of our clan have gone missing over the last two weeks,” Leo said. “They all vanished in this area. What have you done with them?” I had to give Leo credit, he had guts. I didn’t know if I could puff out my chest like that if I were chained up.

“I could ask you the same question,” Bruli said. “Two of my own have disappeared this month.” Leo’s confusion was genuine, as well. Tom saw it. “So perhaps here we have a misunderstanding.” He snapped his fingers and one of the lounging female vampires flashed across the room and returned with a silver thermos. “However, you cannot attack people within my clan’s boundaries and expect no consequences.” He took the thermos from the woman and carefully unscrewed it.

Lucille and the other guards forced Leo to his knees. Tom poured the thermos’ contents over Leo’s head and took a few quick steps back. The clear liquid caught fire as soon as it touched Leo’s scalp and began to eat its way through his head like acid. The air was filled with the scent of burning undead flesh and Leo’s dying shrieks. The fire burned through his head, exploding through his eye sockets and mouth, then continued to burn down his throat and into his torso. The burned out form that collapsed to the floor a few moments later only vaguely resembled anything humanoid.

Tom carefully capped the thermos and handed it back to the woman. “Holy water,” he smiled. “It really is remarkable what one can purchase on the Internet.” He gestured to a pair of lounging males, who began cleaning up the mess.

Bruli’s little display was just for our benefit. I could tell that he was trying to reassure us that the Midnight Clan followed the pact and would enforce its terms. Just the same, I was straining to keep my face smooth. What had just happened was absolutely stomach turning, and I hoped it didn’t show. I glanced at Megan. Her face was a mask of cool indifference. “Mr. Bruli,” she said, her tone matching her expression. “We understand you are busy and certainly do not wish to take up any more of your valuable time than necessary.”

Bruli looked at her as if seeing her for the first time, and his red eyes widened slightly. “Do call me Tom, my dear,” he said smoothly, taking his place back on the couch. “And I do apologize for any unpleasantness you experienced en route here.”