Chapter Three
The night seemed to go on for ever and Marius waited anxiously for the dawn. He spent the time listening in the darkness for any signs of disturbance outside the door, but it seemed as if they had chosen to leave him alone and for that he was immeasurably grateful.
As he waited for the sun to come up, he reflected on the woman’s warning to him when they had first heard the strange noise, and he knew without any doubt that she had known what horrors had lain ahead for them. And as he sat alone and afraid in the darkened room, the realisation dawned on him that he probably was on his own now, as Cassia had made it clear that Junius was well on the way to joining with those ungodly creatures. But he wouldn’t simply walk away and leave Junius to his fate, he would do whatever he could to save his friend and maybe there was still reason to hope.
As soon as the sun bathed the city in its healing light, Marius unbolted the door and went to his friend’s room.
The door was open, but though Junius’s clothes were ready for him, he wasn’t there, nor were there any signs of recent habitation. He was obviously with Belinda, but Marius had no idea where her room might be. Last night Cassia had taken him to a chamber drenched in moonlight and he wondered now if Belinda would have taken Junius to a similar place and if that was the case, then he knew that he’d find them on the top floor.
The palace was quiet as he knew it would be, so no one challenged him when he ran up the stairs that he’d fled down only a few hours previously. There were six rooms on the top floor. The first room was empty, the second was locked and wouldn’t open, but he found them inside the third.
In the shadowy room he could just make out that they were lying together on the bed. Junius was on his back with one arm thrown up above his head and the other was wrapped around Belinda who was snuggled in next to him. The innocence and normality of the scene reassured Marius, who had often found his commanding officer in similar situations in the past.
He entered the room and paused, noticing that as he’d suspected the night before, the walls were painted with garish and vulgar frescos which would have made even the brothel owners of Ostia blush. The huge openings in the wall and the roof had been covered with a dark material that blocked all light coming in, and kept the rooms shady and cool.
He moved quietly across the room to the bed and bent down hoping to rouse his friend into consciousness without disturbing the woman next to him, but he nearly recoiled at the coolness of Junius’s skin, which seemed only marginally warmer than Cassia’s had been. Now he was closer to them, he also noticed they possessed a stillness that seemed unnatural.
His first attempts to coax Junius awake met with no response, so he straightened and scanned the room to see if there was anything he could use to induce a response from his friend.
Seeing nothing, he dropped his gaze back to Junius wondering how he could rouse him, when he noticed that the Roman had puncture wounds at various points across his body, as if he’d been bitten by several snakes. Marius remembered Cassia’s furious snarl last night when he’d pushed her away, and his skin crawled as he remembered how serpentine that hiss had been.
A mixture of horror and dread settled in his stomach and he knew that he had to get Junius out of there right now before... he didn’t know what, but it had to be bad. Frantically he prodded the younger man in a way that was guaranteed to provoke a violent reaction from him, but to his chagrin, no amount of poking promoted a response from his friend, but the shaking did wake Belinda.
Hastily Marius stepped back as the woman lifted her head and opened her eyes. He watched nervously as she took in his presence. Then to his horror she threw her head back and hissed at him. He watched in appalled fascination as she pulled her lips back and hissed again, this time revealing fangs that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a snake. She rose and crawled on all fours until she was completely covering Junius’s prone body. Marius was reminded of a hunter protecting its prey from scavengers or a mother protecting her young. It was then that he noticed her eyes. They’d been dark brown, but they were completely black now, as if ink had spilled out across a scroll and obliterated the whiteness.
Carefully he stepped away. Passing her to retrieve his friend was out of the question, and so he had no option but to leave the room as quickly as possible. He moved quietly back towards the door, with the Belinda creature watching his every move.
But as he got to the opening, Junius stirred for the first time. He muttered something and Belinda turned back, whispering to him. This was Marius’s chance, he had to speak now to get his friends attention, but the words died in his throat when he realised what was she was doing. He stared in horror as she tore at her arm with her teeth, then clamped her wrist to Junius’s mouth. Marius held his breath, hoping against hope that his friend would pull away, but instead, after several heartbeats he began to pull and suck at the contents of her veins, slowly at first then with increasing enthusiasm. Belinda turned back to Marius and smiled triumphantly at him, and he could only watch in shocked revulsion when Junius used his hands to get better purchase on her arm and moaned in pleasure.
Marius knew that there was nothing more he could do for his friend, but he could get away and warn the army about the place and then direct a legion across the desert to destroy this corrupt and evil city.
Belinda had turned her attention back to Junius, so she didn’t see him leave. Marius had only one recourse left and that was a vague hope at best. He dashed down the stairs until he came to the main hall and then, checking he was alone, he walked determinedly to the servants’ area.
The house slaves were an enigma, they were all completely covered from head to foot in dark material so that only their eyes were visible and they averted their gaze and had always studiously avoided him in the past. But he needed them now.
A small one, which he assumed was a woman, came out of one of the openings in front of him. He raced to catch up, then overtook her, forcing her to stop and look at him.
“Please,” he said in Aramaic, “I need your help. I have to get away. They have my friend, but so far I’ve avoided them. There’s a woman in the city, she said that she’d keep our horses for a moon. But it’s only been a few days. Please can you help me get to her?”
The delicate set of the hazel-coloured eyes, which widened in understanding and compassion, confirmed that he was indeed speaking to a woman. To his relief, she nodded and gestured for him to follow her. He’d had time to consider the wider implications of what was happening, and some of Junius’s words were beginning to worry him, especially the bit about bringing them back to Rome and sharing information. He had no idea if Junius was aware of what he was planning to bring with him, but he had to be stopped, as there was no telling what horrors he could unleash on them all.
Cold fear filled his heart when he realised that he might have to kill his friend rather than let him return to the Empire. Junius was from one of the ancient patrician families, his father was a senator, an ex-consul and an influential man at the court and Junius would follow in his footsteps when the paterfamilias finally ran out of patience with his son’s heroics. Even by himself, without the Kin, if he was one of those creatures, he could easily infiltrate Rome at the highest level and spread their malevolence. He recalled with dread what Junius had said about the Emperor’s court. How many years would it be until Rome became like Persepolis: a city of the dead?
His increasingly hysterical thoughts were interrupted by the woman, who told him to wait outside a door. She disappeared inside and was gone for so long he began to think that he’d been abandoned. Eventually though, just when he was about to despair of her ever returning, she reappeared from an opening further down the gloomy corridor.
They entered a room filled with sunlight, which came streaming in through an open door, and the unexpected sight of it after the shadowy palace made Marius smile, despite the fact that it had blinded him for a moment. When his sight adjusted he saw that there we
re three other people in the room, all of whom whore cloaks to conceal their features.
“You’ve asked for help to leave this place,” a short squat man said brusquely. “How do we know that you’re genuine?”
Marius glanced at the others and took a breath. To anyone else, what he was about to say would have sounded crazy, but he had a feeling that these people would believe him. “Last night, I was alone with a woman and she tried to make me drink her blood. Only it didn’t look like any b ….”
“Did you?” came the response from another.
Marius turned to meet the man’s gaze.
He shook his head. “No. I ran. She tried to force me, but I got away and locked myself in my room.”
The woman who had shown him in nodded. “He’s telling the truth, we’ve been told to provide for him for a few more days, then the Master will try again with another one.”
Marius’s stomach lurched at her words and silently resolved to die by his sword rather than succumb to whatever they had in mind for him.
“But did she drink of you?” the small man asked again.
Marius didn’t know. He certainly didn’t remember anyone taking his blood, then a hazy memory of the metallic taste in his mouth when she’d kissed him that last time. He recoiled at the memory, his face contorting in disgust. “Yes, she did, but I didn’t realise until you asked.”
The man nodded. “You weren’t meant to. That’s why you were given the wine. It dulls certain senses and heightens others. As you found out, it’s very effective.”
Marius felt his panic return; he needed to get out and fast. “Please, you have to help me get away. I have to warn my people. My friend, I think he’s become like them and if he goes back, he’ll take them with him and...”
“We can’t trust him,” another voice said. That was the third man: they’d all spoken now.
“You saw his reaction to daylight. Yes, we can.” It was the woman again, who was obviously on his side.
“Come outside. If you can walk unhindered in sunlight then we know we can trust you.” The small man who was obviously the leader walked to the door and stepped into the light. Marius followed without hesitation and then stopped, blinded once again by the intensity of the glare. Eventually, his eyes adjusted and he followed the man into the garden.
The leader turned to face him and removed his headdress, revealing greying short hair. He ordered the others who had followed to do the same. Under the material their skin was honey coloured and healthy, not at all like the silver pallor of the other residents in the palace.
“It seems you are worthy of our trust. Good, now we can discuss your escape.”
“I have horses…” Marius began.
The man nodded. “Yes, we know. It’s our custom to keep the animals of all visitors in case they require them to leave. You’ll not be the first my people have helped. Unfortunately most remain here. We’re loyal to the masters but we are allowed to help those who do not wish to stay, but only if they seek our aid. It might not be too late to save your friend. Are you sure he is one of them?”
Before Marius could speak one of the other men stepped forward. “No, he’s still being guarded in one of the rooms of Becoming. He’s put up a fight, but they’re certain he’ll submit tonight.”
“But I saw him take her blood,” Marius cut in.
“Becoming takes time and has several stages. Your friend has succumbed to the first part. I have no doubt, though, that despite his best efforts to resist, he will surrender to the second stage. They won’t let him leave the chamber and his only recourse will be death, which they will try hard to avoid. Of course he may not fight, most don’t at this point and welcome the final phases of Becoming.”
“Help me to take him now then, before tonight,” Marius urged.
The woman shook her head and came to stand in front of him.
“It’s too late to leave today if you take him with you. When night comes they’ll come after you and claim him and probably take you as well. They’ll allow you to leave, as you have resisted, but not your friend.”
Marius frowned; already another question was forming.
“You can take your friend with you tomorrow,” the tall, darker-skinned man informed him. “It’ll be risky, but Becoming takes time and he still won’t yet be completely one of the Kin.”
The grey-haired leader spoke again. “It’s best if you take your friend tomorrow at first light. That way you’ll have a whole day between you and the Kin. Your friend will still be able to travel, though he’ll need to be covered, otherwise the sun will hurt him. He’ll also still be willing to leave, but when night falls, you can no longer trust him. The Kin have a collective consciousness, what one learns they all know, so they’ll call to him and he’ll answer, he won’t have a choice. But as long as you keep him away from moonlight, he won’t feel the full effect of their influence inside him. Nor can he be allowed to consume anyone’s blood, if he does, he will complete the Becoming and will have to die.”
“You won’t be alone,” the tall man assured him. “We’ll send with you some trusted men from local settlements who help people to get away. They’ll know what needs to be done and will advise you.” Marius nodded, somewhat reassured that he wouldn’t be having to deal with a deranged Junius by himself.
The third, quieter man spoke up then. “These men will kill your friend rather than let him be retaken by the Kin. We can’t allow one of them to infiltrate Rome. The consequences would be cataclysmic, but you’ll be allowed to live and return to warn your people.”
Marius sighed and let out a stream of air, but he had another question. “Will Junius be all right eventually, if we manage to get him away?”
The woman touched his arm. “You’ll know when he is, you’ll see it in his eyes and the colour of his skin. He’ll also move freely in daylight as well.”
The leader nodded. “I’ve seen many people make a full recovery. But I’m afraid there is too much at stake for our people and they may not be willing to fight for him. I hope that you understand?”
Marius nodded. “Yes. I realise that. He would agree as well.”
“Take this,” the tall man said holding a wooden stick out to him. “This is one of the only things that kill them. If in doubt, cut off his head as well.”
“It needs to go through the heart,” the woman said looking him directly in the eyes. Marius frowned, appalled for a moment, then set his face in determination. She gave him a sad smile and touched his arm again.
“We’ll come for you at sunrise. We’ll bring everything you need. The horses and our men will be waiting here. If, when you go to your friend, he’s still being guarded then, you’ll have a choice, either to wait, or go without him and warn your people.”
“But what will happen to Junius if I go?”
The leader understood his question, but was already readying his headdress along with the others.
“Once the Kin leave this place they’re vulnerable. We’ll see to it that their convoy’s attacked and they’re all destroyed.”
Marius had one last question and it was one that had been troubling him throughout the whole conversation. “Why do you put up with them? Why don’t you just kill them now whilst they’re asleep?”
The tall man laughed and walked away. “I often ask that myself,” he called back.
The others left as well until it was just the leader standing opposite him. “We serve them and in return we have their protection. We have an agreement, which protects my tribe from them.”
“The people in the city?”
“Yes, and others scattered around nearby. Others don’t have this understanding and are often hunted. We try to mitigate the destruction the Kin can wreak on them and some of us offer ourselves instead. We allow them to feed but not to kill.
“We could destroy them easily. But others of their kind live elsewhere across the desert in more hostile terrain. They’re all connected through blood and these other
s would hear the destruction of their cousins and come to avenge their deaths. That’s why we serve them and save people like you.”
He turned to go then stopped. “Stay in your room tonight. They probably won’t come for you, but if you leave they will try again. We’ll ensure that you have everything you need for the night before the sun goes down.”
Then he walked back into the palace leaving Marius alone in the sunny courtyard to try and make sense of the information he’d been told and to prepare himself for the next day.