The procession stopped at the site and the casket was silently taken from the hearse. The six men carried it to rest above the grave, bedecked in flowers from end to end. The families filed to the grave site and seated themselves as the priest began his long ritual. The Rodriguez’s looked older by ten years than they had looked only two days ago, and both had a frail appearance.
Alandra herself hadn’t eaten a bite of food since that day. The tradition of fasting had been easy for her, having no will to eat or to do anything else. Her response to anything at all was wooden and automatic, and she was a shell of the vibrant, intelligent, lively girl of before. What the Rodriguez family didn’t know was that her grief was compounded by her recent heartbreaking discovery that Ian had married. That and the senseless death of a man whom she did love dearly were combining to depress her to a point that even the Rodriquez family couldn’t comprehend.
At long last the priest finished his litany and the families arose, each coming to the casket and put flowers upon it. Alandra put hers on it and then knelt beside it and began to weep silently. Her shoulders shook, but she stifled her crying so that not a sound escaped her. The others looked on at the stricken girl in great pity, and the Rodriquez’s pitied her, kneeling next to her in sympathy. Finally her father and mother came to her and helping her to stand they accompanied her to their carriage. As the carriage pulled away, she sat slumped between her mother and father, weeping and leaning on her father.
The wind sighed through the trees of the cemetery, accompanied by the distant sound of surf on the breakwater and a few birds singing. A carriage containing two young couples clattered by as they chatted normally, one even laughing at some remark made by one of the others. The world continued, oblivious to the depth of grief at this place on this beautiful morning.
***
A mile east of the site of the now-destroyed mansion was a small natural lake, fed by a small stream from the hills to the north. A figure lay in the deep shade, covered in fresh mud. She had red hair which by now had mostly regrown and her skin was now only a mottled pink shade here and there. Only two days ago she had been burnt severely, and had been covered with 2nd and 3rd degree burns after being kicked into a blazing pile of straw by a mud-covered vampire with piercing frosty blue eyes. She trembled with hatred at recalling the pain she had suffered during the attack, yet now she realized that she would have been cut down by that same vampire had he not kicked her away so easily.
Never had she seen such efficient fighters who could inflict such damage in such a short time. She was certain that at least two females had been with them too, having gotten a glimpse of them shortly before engaging the one with the frosty blue eyes. She thought damn your soul! I’ll find you and make you pay for what you’ve done!
Her mate now only had one arm, and was even now returning with a rabbit he had caught. She moved painfully to help him kill and drain it.
He said “You’re getting around better today and your hair is nearly regrown.”
“I hope you never went near that place. You stole those chickens the first night and we don’t need anyone looking about, as close as we are.”
“I can’t hunt now like I did before. We need to get back to Paris where I can find easier hunting because that gray-eyed witch cut my arm off. She and the one with her fought Alain and I to a standstill, even as we thought we would cut them down. They were too good with those swords for females!”
“I was thinking about how good they fought and how few of them there were. What are we missing? This is such a mystery!”
“That little blue-eyed muddy witch Alain fought was little bigger than a child but she handled her sword like a devil! If only we’d had swords instead of knives! I just don’t understand who they were and what in the hell they were doing there. How could they have known what Francoise was up to and why would they invade the place with all of us there?”
“Maybe they didn’t know us to be vampires and just thought to invade and do as they wanted?”
“That makes no sense at all. And they were all so damned good with weapons! Look at how many of us they killed, and they were only a few that I could see. I can make no sense of it, but I want to find them and to repay them for leaving me with one arm. I will gut that witch who did this to me!”
“That one that kicked me into the fire cut a foot off of one of ours like nothing. If he hadn’t kicked me away, he would have killed me shortly. I tell you, I saw him fight and I never saw one of us fight better.”
“From what I saw of their women the men must have been superb fighters.”
“They were unbelievable! Stefan, we’ll find them in time. We’ll need to make our way back to Paris soon. If we can find a coven to take up with first, then we’ll plan our revenge. We’ll need a lot of help against them.”
“They were saving those children, Yvonne.”
“What? You never told me that!”
“Yes. When Alain and I went after them, they were coming into a big room just when Francoise and his friends were leaving. We were bringing up the rear to guard them when the two came up from the cellar. They were each carrying one of the five girls from the cellar. We went after them and they put the girls down and fought us like two demons from hell!”
‘Do you think they wanted them for their own kills, to take and drain later?”
“At first I did, but it makes no sense. Why attack a place if you are outnumbered, just to eat; and such an isolated country estate at that? I know a vampire named Moreau who has an older brother who works for some very influential Adepts. His brother supposedly goes around killing vampires who attract the attention of authorities by killing humans.”
“I haven’t heard about this.”
“It’s supposed to be true. I wonder if this bunch works with that older brother doing that. If so, they are unbelievably well trained. I’ll ask him if I see him. His name is Arnaud Moreau and I know a place in Paris that he frequents.”
“Be careful now, Stefan. If his older brother does that, you’ll lead him to us with your questioning his younger brother. I want my revenge as badly as you do, but I don’t want that bunch knowing who we are and hunting for us! Let me see what I can learn from this Arnaud Moreau myself. I know of ways to persuade a man.”
“I don’t like that, Yvonne, but I do want my revenge.” She reached to him and pulled his face to hers to kiss him as their eyes glowed brightly. “Won’t it be worth it, Stefan?”
Chapter 48
An owl hooted in the darkness as four shadows flitted across a broad lawn area towards a sizeable chateau with only a few lights showing here and there on both floors. Ian spied an attic dormer and leaped to the rooftop. The others heard a muffled tinkling of glass as they watched him vanish into a dormer. In seconds he emerged and beckoned.
In no more than thirty seconds all four were inside the chateau attic, and they soon knew that the only person upstairs was a woman asleep in the master bedroom. The rooms were otherwise empty but there was the sound of conversation from the servant’s wing. They glided that direction and it was a group of some six servants that were sitting about a small kitchen talking about the big fire at the Francoise mansion. The two waited a bit, remembering how they had mistaken a large group of vampires for human servants only a few nights before. One spilled a drink and cursed as he tried to mop it up, and that convinced them that this time these truly were human servants.
They glided back down the steps to rejoin the other two and they made their way stealthily to the rear of the house. There was a sizeable office there and there were two men talking. The five silently edged ever closer, stopping only a short distance from the door which was standing open as the conversation continued.
“No, I tell you. I questioned every servant myself. I counted fourteen men and twenty three women who said they were a part of your staff.”
“That’s all of them then. And no one saw or he
ard a thing?”
“No.”
“They had to be vampires then. There must have been a small army of them. I had seventeen of those for bodyguards, just for this occasion. Four were females and thirteen were males. The males were big ones and armed with swords. I just don’t understand it. I got a glimpse of one as I left the ceremonial room. He was dressed in dark clothing and covered with mud. I took them for some wild ones who had left Paris and were hungry. I wonder if they were just a large swarm of street vampires, maybe so many that they overran my detail?”
“But why your place, Monsieur Francoise? That seems to be quite a coincidence.”
“I may have a rat in my barn.”
“One you know?”
“Yes. His name is Moreau.”
Ian sensed Henri to suddenly stiffen and he then grabbed Ian’s arm and nodded. Ian took it to mean that Henri knew that name.
“One you chose?”
“Actually he came to me. He won’t tell me who he might have worked for in the past, but he has been useful to me from time to time. I always tried to have several of my bodyguards around when this one came. There is something about him that makes him …different from others that I’ve known. He seems to want the money, but I sense that he has an agenda and is…. more deadly than the others somehow if that makes any sense. But regardless, if you had been there that night, you’d have seen for yourself.”
“I would have, but my wife’s family was here and I just couldn’t suddenly leave them without an excuse that would truly hold up. They’re not really friendly toward me as it is.”
Stepping into the room, Ian said “Neither are we you devil-worshipping bastard.”
The effect of his sudden appearance was to startle the pair. They were paralyzed in fear as they saw three more glide into the room, eyes glowing fiercely. Although cowering from his frosty glowing eyes, yet they weren’t able to look away. There was no mistaking the menace in his low timbre voice.
“Is that your wife asleep upstairs?”
“Y-y-yes.”
“Does she share your love of tormenting little girls?”
“S-s-s-she knows n-n-nothing of it.”
“What of your children?”
“I-I h-have two daughters. Neither knows of my… habits.”
“Your family will live on in peace. Your love of the devil has brought hell to your life this night Mayor, just as it brought hell to the house of this maggot recently.” he said, turning to Francoise and fastening his icy stare on him. “Have you any wine in the house?”
“Yes; in the dining room there is some.”
Ian turned his head and nodded to the others. Marie slipped away and returned with a nearly full bottle, handing it to Ian.
“Drink now, your worship.” he said, handing the bottle to the mayor and fastening his icy stare on him again. The man took the bottle in trembling hands and took a long drink.
“More.”
Again he took a long drink.
“More.”
He did that three more times having by now taken over half of the bottle. Ian flashed around the desk to his side and snatched the bottle from him before he could even blink.
“Now lean back, your worship.”
The man leaned back and Ian poured a little wine on the front of his shirt. He then set the bottle on his desk and taking one finger, knocked it over. Fastening his icy stare once again on the man he said “It seems you had a bit too much to drink this evening your worship. It was a tragedy that you fell down the stairs yonder and broke your neck.”
Quick as a flash, he grabbed and twisted the man’s head and snapped his neck. It sounded like rotten wood breaking. He nodded to Li, and Li took him up as if he was a rag doll, vanishing with the body instantly. Ian looked at Francoise and said “Now what will we do with you, Monsieur Francoise?”
“I-I-I can pay you more money, more than you can ever imagine. I…I know you!” he said to Henri. “You’re a banker. My God! Y…You’re also a vampire!”
“Tonight I’m only an angry vampire.” he said, his eyes blazing.
Ian’s hand struck faster than any serpent and snatched away the front half of Francoises’ shirt and jammed it into his mouth. At vampire speed he ripped both sleeves of his jacket off and ripping them into long strips bound his hands and feet and secured the gag. He tossed him onto his shoulder as if he had picked up a small pillow.
“We’d best leave the same way we came. Last one out closes the window.” He rocketed out of the room and up the back stairs to the attic in seconds and was out the window in a flash, leaping to the ground. He landed running, his figure a blur that was in the woods in seconds, tossing his bundle down. Marie and Li were only seconds behind him and said “Henri is looking through his records.” Ian and Li nodded.
Presently Henri appeared, holding three ledgers which he raised up for all to see. “Who knows what is in here, eh? Where to Ian?”
“Somewhere out of earshot. Can one of you bring my rucksack?” He snatched up Francoise and tossed him over his shoulder as if he was a blanket. Turning then, he bounded away and proceeded slowly until the others had caught up before increasing his speed. They rocketed some six miles back into the deep woods to the northeast of Lyon, ascending steep foothills.
Ian stopped at a clearing that was atop a rocky bluff of around seventy feet height. He produced a knife and slashed the bonds and stood Francoise on his feet, plucking the gag from his mouth. The moon shone down on them, casting a ghastly light on the scene.
“Monsieur Francoise, you have wet yourself. That’s what those little girls do when they find themselves in your cellar, isn’t it?” The man was silent, trembling.
“You don’t wish to talk? What about all of the people along the way that helped you, changing teams of horses to bring your victims to your home more quickly? Who are they?”
“I…I wrote them in my ledger book. It was a green ledger book, but it burnt in the fire.”
Henri laughed then and reaching into his ruck sack he pulled out the ledgers. “One of these?”
“Yes, the green one with the tab that snaps shut to keep it closed.”
“So their names are in here under what?”
“Pierre Aristide found and arranged all of the transport this time. I…I have money, more than you can imagine. Only let me live and I will pay you all handsomely.” Henri silently put the book back into his ruck sack as Ian spoke then.
“Cockroach. You think that money can buy your way free of this abomination. Think about all of those little girls you tormented to death. My wife burned to death in your house that night. Think about that and examine your heart.” The man remained silent, trembling even more.
Ian tipped his head to one side, and then said “Maybe you don’t have a heart.” He stripped the remainder of Francoises’ shirt from him in a flash, ripping it away as if it was wet paper. Whipping a large knife from his sash he grabbed the man by his throat in a vise-like grip, and from his neck to his belt he sliced him in the blink of an eye. Francoise screamed at the top of his lungs even as Ian instantly bore him down. Grabbing both sides of the gaping wound he ripped the man’s skin back as if he was peeling a banana as Francoise thrashed and screamed like an animal in torment. His blood poured from him as a black flood in the moonlight as Ian continued to pull until the skin was ripped away from his ribcage and his ribs exposed. He rapidly sliced off both halves and flung them off of the bluff. The screams continued unabated, rising and falling in a rhythm.
Ian turned and ripped his saber from the bag that Marie was carrying and lopped off both of his hands and feet. The screaming took on a different character becoming a babbling blubbering sound rising and falling. Ian stood then and watched the man suffer for an indeterminate time, eyes glowing a brilliant frosty blue. The screams echoed from the surrounding hills.
“Go ahead and scream, maggot. Remember how your victims screamed?
This is how it feels to be helpless and tormented by one who’s stronger. I still can’t see your heart though.” He then drove his fist so hard into the man’s sternum that it broke into several pieces. Instantly Ian drove his hand into the man’s chest and ripped out his heart, holding it in front of his horrified face.
“This is how it feels to die badly, Monsieur Francoise. Burn in hell with your father.”
Chapter 49
Jean Pelleau closed his blacksmith business early and took his horse south, towards the Angels’ Care orphanage, which was along the way to the dilapidated house where the vampires lived.
Arriving at the forlorn looking house in a half hour, he dismounted and threw a rock at the side of the building. He waited a bit then threw another. Then he threw a third rock. He had never had to throw three rocks, ever. Something was amiss, so he went to the dilapidated outbuildings and found a crude wooden ladder. Using it he ascended to the roof of the porch and entered the window.
No one was there, so he made his way down, calling out twice and went to the cellar door. Opening it, he smelled something disagreeable. He hollered again but got no answer, so he went down the stairs and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim light from one oil lamp that was burning. The other lamps were out, but he saw stains on a large table and some scraps of rope lying in the middle of it. Looking around, he took down the oil lamp and walked about in the cellar. It was apparent that there had been a real battle fought there. Large chunks of wood were chopped out of some of the supporting timbers and stains were apparent in the dry dirt everywhere. Puzzled, he went back upstairs and looked around again, seeing nothing.
He left the place climbing back down the rickety ladder. After walking around the house, he noticed a blackened patch of earth some ten to twelve feet across. Within this spot were nine belt buckles and the charred remains of maybe a dozen or more boots. He puzzled over that as he went to his horse. As he rode away he thought of how he would have to fill this next order himself. It was to be picked up in five days. He hated the thought of bringing a child this far. There was too much danger of getting caught. He could keep one or maybe two at his shop for a short while, but it was risky business.