The Zoey Chronicles: Discovery (Vol. 2) (4 page)

The deer’s scent flowed acro
ss the river and drifted up my nose and down my throat. I breathed deeply. No matter how many times I saw a deer, no matter how good I had become at restraining myself, I still loved the smell of deer’s blood.

The river was white and frothy, and flowed with an aggression that made it seem alive. Galahad had his hand on my arm, and it was hard to concentrate on the task at hand. I reached up and grabbed it, and turned to him.

We’d been travelling for a few days. The Council of the Undead gathered in the side of a mountain a few hundred miles away. We jogged around fifty miles a day and rested and had fun for the rest of the time. I got the sense that we could have moved much quicker; we were vampires, after all. But I was enjoying our time together

In a day we’d be at the Council, and I didn’t know what that meant.

I’d had another vision a few days ago. The woman with the sword had been in it. She’d stood in the middle of a room, surrounded on all sides by flickering torches and hooded men. A man had stepped out. “What say you?” he’d said.

“I am not sorry,” she’d said, but she’d stared at the ground and I could see tears in her eyes. Her face had been battered and scarred, and her clothes were tattered like she’d been in a battle. Once again I’d found myself wondering who she was, and once again towards the end of the vision pain had started to pulse through me. I hadn’t panicked this time, though, because I knew the words.

“Vuulish crishnuú kra!” I’d said, and in my dream I heard my own voice, bouncing around the forest. I awoke in a cold sweat.

I’d told Galahad what I’d seen. He nodded. “It was the Room of Judgement,” he’d said. “That was the day that the last of Mordrain’s disciples had lost, and had to answer for their crimes. They’d attacked a small town and murdered all the humans, and the Council had been forced to go to battle with them. We’d won, but they had to be punished. We executed them all, except the woman that you saw. She was bonded to one of the Council as a truce.”

“Bonded?” I’d said, confused.

“Married,” he’d said. “Except that in a bonding divorce is not an option.”

“Who did she bond with?”

Galahad had shrugged, and a strange look had come across his face before he said, “It doesn’t matter.”

I’d shrugged and pulled him close to me, and we’d made love under the stars. It was odd. We were more in love than ever in some ways; he held me tighter than he ever had before, made love to me with more passion, laughed more often, kissed me all the time, told me how beautiful I was, and a hundred other things that filled my heart with joy. But he also sometimes came across as distant and cold. Every now and again he would stare off towards the mountain, which loomed in the distance now, and his lip would quiver or his hand would shake. When I asked him what was wrong he just smiled a fake smile and changed the subject. It would worry me for a time, but then he’d turn back to his old self and I’d forget all about it.

“Zoey,” Galahad said, bringing me back to the present. “Quickly.”

I smiled and bounced on the spot. I actually enjoyed hunting now. It had become so much easier over the past few weeks that it was impossible not to. The river was wide and the current was high, and I could smell salt in the air, so we must’ve been near the sea.

I thought about taking a run up, but decided that it would be unnecessary. I took another second to judge the distance and aim at the deer. Its neck was stretched as it bent around to graze. That’s what I will get, I thought, smiling, and then leaped through the air.

I was airborne for less than a second and then I collided with the deer. I tore out its throat and immediately it slumped to the ground, dead, and blood poured from the gaping wound in its neck. I looked at Galahad and he nodded. I smiled and bared my teeth, and bent down to feed. He hopped across the clearing with an ease than made me embarrassed, and then bent down to feed with me. When we finished we were covered in blood, and so intoxicated that we fell back and stared up at the clouds.

After a while he edged closer to me and held me in his arms, and I nestled into him, instantly feeler warmer and more secure. His arms were so big and strong that I felt invincible when I was in them. I bit into them playfully, and felt his arm tense. I looked up at him and he nodded. Smiling, I bit hard and punctured his skin, and drank deeply.

He shuddered as I sucked on his arm, his blood flowing down my throat. My whole body tingled. A thought came to me then. What was better, this or making love? It was a hard choice. This was incredible; I felt connected to him, like we were part of one being, but I also felt like that when we made love. I drank more eagerly and felt the beginnings of a blood frenzy coming on.

I grabbed his arm with both of my hands and pulled on it hard, savouring the blood. His moans of pleasure intensified, and I found myself wondering why he enjoyed this so much. What was in it for him? I got the pleasure of his blood, but what did he get? He’d tried to do it to me couple of times before, and I’d let him, out of curiosity. It’d been painful and unpleasurable, and I’d asked him to stop.

I was drowning in his blood, and every second I felt like I was getting stronger. He was moaning. His moans filled my ears as his blood filled my mouth, and both were sweet. His voice was deep, like the boom of a heavy drum. After a long while my vision started to go hazy and my heart started to slow down.

No, I thought. Not a blood frenzy. But then he pushed me away. “Zoey,” he said. “Drink some water. Clear the blood out of you, now.”

I looked at him for a few seconds. His eyelids were drooping and his head rocked back and forth like it wasn’t connected to his neck. Something deep inside me was screaming out to pounce on him and carry on feeding, but I was no longer a base vampire who couldn’t control her urges. With an effort I bent down and drank from the river, swilling the water around my mouth and spitting it out.

It took a while for my body to go back to normal, and when it did I felt foolish for letting myself get so close to a blood frenzy.

I walked over and fell into him, and his arms opened to hug me. His body was warm and I could hear the deep monotone of his beating heart through his muscular chest. He stroked his fingers through my hair, and each finger sent shivers of pleasure all over me.

He lifted my chin and stared down at me, and to my astonishment his eyes were filled with tears. “What is it?” I said.

“It’s just,” he said. “I don’t know if I should say this, but I love you, Zoey. I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” I said, without having to think. Warm tears of happiness streamed down my cheek as I allowed him to wrap his big arms around me. He was crying too, although not as much as me. This is perfect, I thought. This is perfect.

One thing niggled at me as we went to bed that night, falling exhausted into our bedroll after making love; why had he been unsure if he should tell me? It didn’t make any sense. If he loved me, why would he be unsure if he wanted to tell me? I turned it over in my mind, and I couldn’t think of any possible reason. I thought for a second that it might’ve been shyness, but dismissed it instantly. He wasn’t exactly shy!

“It doesn’t matter,” I said to myself.

“What doesn’t matter?” Galahad said, spooning me.

I pulled his embrace over me, like wrapping myself in a blanket. “Nothing. I love you.”

“I love you too, Zoey.”

Ben

Johnny came at me with a sword, and I deflected the blow with ease. I laughed, and so did he, regaining his position. Wood hit wood as he came at me again, and once again I deflected him. “You’re getting slow, old man,” I said.

He smiled, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “No,” he said. “I’m just giving the little boy a chance.”

I attack
ed then, unleashing all my strength and speed. He jumped back, struggling to defend himself against the onslaught. My blows came quick and hard, and soon I had him backed into a corner. I could feel my muscles tensing and shifting with each blow, and I was amazed not for the first time at how effective Johnny’s fitness regime had been.

I’d come here every day after school, like we’d agreed, and when school’d broke up for summer, I’d been here every day all day, training and honing my skills. Now I could barely recognise myself when I looked in the mirror. I felt great. My father had even stopped beating me when he’d realised I had gotten too big and could now defend myself.

Johnny’s face was fixed into a grimace as he struggled to defend the blows. Eventually I got through his defence and struck him in the throat. “Well done,” he said, rubbing at the red mark the wooden-sword had left. “Well done, Ben.”

I smiled. “You fought well too,” I said.

“I know,” he said, smiling back at me. “But you have done amazingly, much better than I ever thought you would. You’re so much stronger and faster than you were only a few months ago, and your skill with the weapons has exploded. You should be proud. I think it’s time.”

My body tensed up. This was what I had been waiting for. I had never stopped thinking about Zoey. When I’d started to get stronger, I’d been thrilled for two reasons. The first was that it was nice to not feel like a little dweeb. The second was that I knew that Zoey liked muscles. In my mind it was another step towards claiming her as mine. My love for her hadn’t waned over the past few months; if anything it had only got stronger the more I missed her.

I wondered what she was doing. Did she miss me too? The thought of her and that man together made me sick, but I dismissed the idea. She wouldn’t do anything with a vampire, would she? She wouldn’t forget her humanity so quickly. I was sure of it.

I hoped that she was waiting for me, hoping for me to follow her. I imagined the reunion countless times. She’d see me and be thrilled at what I’d become, and she’d fall into my arms willingly. I’d kiss her then, and she’d moan and coo and tell me she loved me.

“We’re leaving for the Council,” I said, barely able to contain my excitement. “When?”

“Tomorrow,” he said. He looked at me like a proud father, and I realised that that’s how I saw him: the father I never had. “Go home and pack your things. I’ve got most of the things we’ll need, survival gear and all that, but bring some other clothes and any bags you can find.”

“Okay, Johnny,” I said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” he said, taking my hand.

I was surprised, but shook it anyway. The formality of it was strange. “You’ve done well, soldier,” he said. “Congratulations.”

I laughed. This was my graduation ceremony, I realised, and his handshake was my parade. “Thank you, sir,” I said, saluting. I did it as a joke, but he saluted back, his face hard, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I’d been joking.

I left and went home, excited about tomorrow.

When I got through the front door the smell of sweat and beer was overwhelming. I wasn’t surprised to see my father sitting on the sofa, staring at the turned-off television. He grunted as I walked in, and I ignored him. I was about to walk upstairs when something strange happened.

I got really, really angry.

I don’t know what triggered it, but suddenly I started to remember all the times he’d beaten me. My entire childhood I’d been a punch-bag to him. He’d never shown any remorse or any sign that he cared about me. And now that I could defend myself he barely spoke to me. He was a coward, I realised for the first time in my life. He was a cowardly old man.

I walked back into the front room. “Hello,” I said.

He looked at me, undisguised disgust on his face. “What do you want?”

I’d never felt like this before. Anger was coursing through my veins. My mind was a cloud of red, a cloud that wouldn’t let me think clearly. All I could think about was throttling my father, and then I did.

I leapt at him, screaming like a wild animal. He tried clumsily to duck out of the way, but he was fat and old and I’d been training. He caught my arms, and I laughed as I easily pushed them away. How had I once thought him strong and frightening?

He whimpered like a hurt puppy as I strangled him. I stared down into his eyes, and to my delight he was staring back up at me. “Mercy,” he said.

I tightened my grip and shook him. “When did you ever give me mercy?” I said, and my voice was cold. “You deserve to die.” I killed him in a matter of minutes. He thrashed towards the end, lashing out at me, but I held him firm and it was only a matter of time before he stopped thrashing.

I thought that I might feel guilty once the bloodlust had passed, but I didn’t. I looked down on his corpse and I smiled. I’d just killed my father and it felt great.

I knew that I couldn’t stay here tonight, lest the police come round and arrest me. I hastily gathered the things I needed and ran back to Johnny’s warehouse. When he opened the door his face was one of confusion. “Ben, we aren’t leaving until tomorrow,” he said.

“I killed my father. We need to leave tonight.”

I thought that he might tell me what I’d done was wrong or disown me or something like that, but his expression didn’t even change. It merely hardened. He was a soldier, a killer, like me. Death wasn’t something that bothered us anymore. I wondered when that had happened. Johnny’s training had clearly done more than just hone my body. It had honed my mind. He nodded. “Then we leave tonight.”

“How far is the Council?” I said.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “But what I do know is that it’s going to be a hard journey, and we may not survive it, even with our training. Are you ready?”

I didn’t have to think about it. “Yes, I said.

When we set out my thoughts were full of Zoey. She’d be mine, I told myself. She’d be mine.