The Violet Line (13 page)

“
I’ll never hurt her; I couldn’t do that to her. You’ve twisted it somehow; I won’t turn her into something she’s not!” Sam’s outburst made them laugh harder. Oskaar continued to smile.

“
Well for now, you won’t need to do anything; I can take it from here. All I needed was you alive to get to Jade. Now that I have that, I don’t exactly have to make your stay comfortable. I believe Lissie was looking for a new toy to play with and the revenants get so lonely down in their dungeon. I’m sure you can all get along just splendidly. Put him in the car, Marianne.”

Marianne and Raphael approached him. Grabbing him by the arm, she attempted to pull him to his feet but Sam wasn’t budging. Raphael grabbed the front of his shirt and tried to swing him up but as he leaned in closer, Sam swung his free arm up. As it connected with Raphael’s jaw, Sam kicked his legs out and swept Raphael off his feet and onto the gravel. He jumped to his feet and swung Marianne around towards Oskaar. He still felt a little stiff, but the thought of this man using him to get to Jade gave him the strength he needed. Some of the other vampires began circling him and he crouched low. Stepping out of the way of Raphael’s angry swipe as he lumbered to his feet, Sam watched as Raphael prepared to charge him. He had never been the most graceful vampire, always relying on his strength as a descendant of the Vikings to get him through. He charged at Sam, his head low, preparing to tackle him to the ground, but Sam deftly side stepped him and kicked his lower back as he passed. Raphael fell into some of the other vampires that were circling. Two of the other male vampires waded into the fray, choosing to attack Sam at once. He jumped, kicking the first one in the jaw. He heard the crack as his foot displaced the bone. Narrowly avoiding the other guy’s fist, Sam dealt him a blow to the abdomen that sent him reeling.

“
Enough!” Oskaar’s voice split the air. “I suppose if one needs something done, one should simply do it themselves!”

Sam turned to dispatch the next vampire that lunged for him and found he was unable to move. The vampire rammed into him, causing them both to crash to the gravel. Raphael grabbed Sam by the hair and swung him up and over his head. Sam tried to defend himself, but still couldn’t move a muscle. The ground rushed towards his face as Raphael slammed him into the ground. Raphael’s kicked him repeatedly in the ribs; he lost count of how many gave way beneath the onslaught. Once more, Oskaar indicated that he should be loaded into the car. Raphael hauled him up by the arm, dragging him through the gravel. He laughed as Sam tried to swing out at him before he lifted the lid of the trunk, threw Sam inside and shut him into the darkness.

* * *

Sam woke to find himself chained to the ceiling in the dungeons that stretched out beneath the estate. Lissie sat on the steps. Her legs swung back and forth as she watched him, her blue eyes flickering curiously over his face.

“
Uncle Oskaar said I could play with you just as long as I don’t break you completely, I think were his exact words,” she told him smiling, her grin full of menace. “He said you were very naughty and wouldn’t bring him that girl that he wanted but secretly I’m glad I don’t want her here; I’ve seen what uncle Oskaar has planned for her and personally I think it’s really stupid. I’m not pretending that she is my queen and I don’t think she is more powerful than me.

“
Did you know I can make the ground open up and swallow people? I think if uncle Oskaar brings her here, I might accidentally let the ground open up and eat her. I don’t know why you stayed with her. I mean, she’s not even pretty and she’s human. That’s just silly; humans are so fragile. I’m glad I’m not a human anymore. Anyway, what do you want to play first? Do you want to meet my pets? I think they’ll like you! You smell like prey but I think that’s because you were fighting with Raphael. Nobody can beat Raphael; he is so big and mean and he’s part Viking! I mean, I haven’t met a real one yet but he says he knows a few. If Oskaar will just let me go home, Raphael said he would introduce us! It’s very exciting!”

She jumped up from her perch as she spoke and wandered over to a door at the side of the dungeon. “Oskaar said I can’t open the cages by hand but I like to talk to them through the doors, you know?”

She skipped back up the steps. Sam watched her progress through half opened eyes. She had babbled on and on and he had only half listened. He watched as she reached the top step and pulled a lever down. The door swung open and the revenants sloped out of their cages, sniffing and snarling along the floor. Lissie began to jump up and down, clapping her hands like an excited child in a sweet shop. She cooed and called them pet names. These creatures could not be considered pets, Sam thought to himself as they edged along the floor cautiously towards him. Sam watched them and remembered the lessons he had been taught often in fight training against the Revenants. They were vampires. Most had been human at some point, others were large animals like wolves, but many of them were far too unpredictable and could not be kept. Normally, they were created by a human being bitten by multiple vampires; they were almost drained and then fed the blood of the vampires that had bitten them. This meant that when they woke, they were completely driven by blood lust; they lost all discerning human characteristics. A few vampire clans in the old days during the feuding had created these monsters to fight the war for them, but mostly now they were kept as pets and as party entertainment. Sam watched the revenants as they crept closer to him. Lissie had a fine collection of revenants and Sam could see that not all of them were human. Fur matted with blood and dirt clung to their large misshapen forms. Their nails tic tacked across the stone floor as they cautiously approached him. Fangs dripped with saliva as they watched him with yellow and red eyes. Sam felt pity for the more human like revenants, they did not deserve to be turned the way they had and now they lived a life of torture.

“
Not all of them are human?” Sam’s voice was stiff from being unused and came out in a whisper.

Lissie beamed at him. “You noticed! Yes, some of them were never human. I know the council never wanted me to keep them, but I just couldn’t let them be destroyed; they are so hard to replace these days. There aren’t many animals large enough in this country to turn and make it worthwhile.”

She sighed as she watched her pride and joys. One of them had reached Sam’s leg and sniffed along the leg of his jeans before sinking his teeth into his thigh. Sam screamed out as the pain ripped through him; its razor sharp teeth had sunk straight through to the bone. The other revenants, smelling the fresh blood, attempted to join in but many of them were held back by the chains wrapped around their necks. When they couldn’t reach him with their mouths, many of them began to mewl in high pitched voices, choosing instead to grab out at him with sharpened claws. Sam tried desperately to move back but his own chains prevented him from passing out of their reach. He watched Lissie dance with glee on the steps as her pets attempted to eat him alive. Sam closed his eyes and prayed for Jade’s safety against these monsters.

Chapter Fifteen

I was snatched backwards and away from the icy depths. I could hear the sea screaming in my ears as though it knew it had been cheated. Covering my ears with my hands, I stood there, held in his embrace. I could hear his heartbeat thundering against his ribcage as he held me tight. He shouted something at the water’s edge and the screaming subsided. Taking my hands from my ears, I stepped away from him and looked up into his face. He grinned at me with a smile that would have made any Hollywood heart throb proud and envious all at once. His curly blonde hair stood on end as he pushed it back from his face and revealed a pair of sparkling green eyes. My neck began to stiffen as I stared up at him, open mouthed. My first thought was that my would-be saviour was a giant; he was huge in comparison to me at least over a foot taller than me and I was a healthy five foot six. He shoved his hand towards me, the grin still plastered all over his ruggedly handsome face. “Lorcan Fitzgerald, at your service.”

Shyly, I placed my hand in his and he gripped it so tightly and shook it so vigorously, I expected at any moment to follow my hand and be swung up and down like some sort of rag toy.

“
Thought you looked like you could do with a bit of help there. Some of them mermaids are right bitches; whoops, excuse my language.” He continued to grin as he chattered. “They like to lure people who are feeling a bit sad to the water’s edge and then grab them, dragging them down to the bottom of the water never to be seen again. I’m not much fond of them myself, to be honest; a bit stuck up in themselves. And boy can they talk; they never shut up! I met this one once and she’d talk the hind legs of a donkey, as my mam would say. Utter rubbish, too; all this stuff about them and their ‘eternal feud’ with the sprites. I don’t get all that stuff myself. I mean, why bother feuding and fighting all the time? I much prefer to play some sport, sort it all out on the pitch. That’s my motto; works every time, too. I don’t think I’ve ever stayed mad at someone for more than two minutes!

“
Oh Jesus, would you look at me; not even letting you get a word in edgeways. What were you doing that close to the edge anyway? I thought you above all people would know what the mermaids are like.” Turning away from me, he shook his fist in the direction of the water. “I don’t want to see you lot hang around here in future! If I do, so help me I’ll -- I’ll --” He swung back towards me, making me jump when he threw his arm over my shoulders. “To be honest I don’t know what I’ll do with them. Probably nothing, but sure a few threats won’t hurt them.”

He began to lead me in the direction of the car, talking nonstop until he came to a stop and was forced to look closely at me.

“
What’s wrong? Was it something I said? Look, sure, if you’re friends with the mermaids, I’m sorry. I just thought you looked sad and well, I know what they’re like but sure if you know them.”

“
I don’t know them to be honest, Lorcan; I have no idea what you’re talking about. You seem lovely and thanks for not letting me fall into the water, but I should go now.”

At the mention of thanks, colour flooded his cheeks and he turned a delightful shade of pink. He began kicking some of the dirt around his feet and couldn’t meet my eyes as he answered me.

“
Well sure, that was no problem, Jade. You don’t have to thank me. Sure, I’d have done it for anyone; you just happened to be the one standing there.”

“
Wait,” I stammered, “how do you know my name? I never told you!”

“
Ah well, you see, that’s a long story. Damn it, I can’t tell you a lie.” At this, his face became even redder; until he clashed with his strawberry blonde hair. He reminded me of a small boy who had been caught doing something he shouldn’t. I felt some sort of affinity with him but he also struck me as a little mad.

“
Look, Lorcan, I have to go. It was lovely meeting you.” With that, I ran full tilt towards my car, leaving him to call after me.

Jumping behind the wheel and starting the engine, I spun the tires so they sprayed gravel high up into the air. I headed for Annie’s apartment. I hoped she would be up. Glancing at my watch, I realised it was half passed eight. She should be up but just in case, I decided to stop for coffee first. I needed something to steady my nerves after the crazy morning I had just experienced.

Chapter Sixteen

Sitting in my car I sipped the coffee thoughtfully, running back over everything that had happened to me. Sam leaving me had been a huge shock but I hadn’t once thought that I would kill myself. True, I wanted him, back but I knew dying wasn’t the way to do it. The little voice in the back of my head piped up, “what if he’s already dead?” I pushed the thought away, refusing to listen to it; he just simply couldn’t be. True, I had seen the blood and it would appear that the vision had been real, but I still felt deep down inside my heart that if he was dead, I would know for certain and I just couldn’t feel that anywhere inside me. I slipped out of the car and headed for Annie’s apartment. I had gotten her some tea. I couldn’t remember if she drank it anymore or was it all herbal tea nowadays; my brain was so addled but I knew she’d at least appreciate the gesture. Climbing the stairs, I switched my brain off and simply counted the steps I took to get to the apartment.

I was still a little bit freaked out by the guy I had met down by the pier. I didn’t know how he had known my name or even what he had been talking about, but I suppose I had seen stranger things in the past; surely creatures that lived in the water called mermaids wouldn’t be a step too far. I knocked on the door and Annie answered, bleary eyed and bed ruffled.

“
Jade, you’re here awful early. What’s wrong?” Her concern sent me over the edge and I broke down in an emotional mess on her doorstep.

“
He’s gone,” I managed to get out before I lost my voice in a cloud of tears.

* * *

Sometime later while sitting on her couch, I had told her everything through my racking sobs. She sat there facing me, her face white and tears silently running from her eyes. Twisting the tissue between my hands, I finished up with what had happened that morning.

“
So it looks like he’s dead, but I just don’t feel it. I know I’d feel it if he was. I still think he’s out there somewhere waiting for me. If only I could find this Graham guy; I’m sure he must know something that might help me to find him. I just don’t think I can sit around and wait, you know?” I wasn’t sure if she did know, but I had no one else to turn to.

“
What about the other guy, Lorcan is it? Are you sure he doesn’t know anything? I mean, it’s weird that he knew where to find you and that he knew your name.” She trailed off, her face becoming thoughtful.