A mound of snow lay behind her, about two feet high and three feet wide – probably a snow-covered rock. Maddy jumped off the bike, unscrewed the fuel cap and kicked the motorcycle on its side. Petrol went everywhere, sloshing all around the base of the rock. She leapt up onto the rock, reaching into her backpack at the same time. The vampires were almost here.
As she landed on the rock, she pulled the box of matches out of her rucksack, but her gloves were too thick and she fumbled, dropping the box into the snow. She ripped off her gloves with her teeth and scrabbled around to retrieve the small box. Finally, her hand closed around it and Maddy took out a match. If she could surround herself with fire, keep the vampires at bay until the sun came up…
As the first vampire stared her in the eye, she struck the match and tossed it into the gasoline. The fuel instantly ignited and eager flames rose up around Madison in a burning wall of fire. That first vampire, a young male, was immediately engulfed in the flames and he screamed, flailing backwards into the snow. Maddy crouched down on the rock, making herself as small as possible. The fire had formed a ring around the rock and flickered dangerously close to her. She hadn’t anticipated it being quite so vicious and quite so hot. But she was glad of it, because through the yellow and orange wall of fire, she saw that she was completely surrounded by vampires.
*
The frozen bite of winter filled his nostrils. Snow, a faint wisp of woodsmoke and the sharp odour of martens and foxes. Alexandre tried to ignore these peripheral scents and search further afield. He heard the intermittent patter of loose scree on the hillsides and the swish of an owl’s wings as it swooped and missed its prey. Where was she? Why couldn’t they find her?
Zoe had told Maddy to head east and so she and Alex now headed in that direction, but the snow was making things difficult to scent. He was also mindful that they would soon be pursued by the Cappadocians. There was too little time.
‘My mobile phone,’ Alexandre said. ‘They took it. Did you …’
Zoe shrugged. ‘Sorry, I never saw it.’
‘We need to get to a phone so I can call the others. Maybe Maddy’s with them already. Come on.’
Alexandre and Zoe moved quickly through the desolate landscape, until they reached a small village, set into the side of a hill in the typical Cappadocian style. All was silent in the dark night. No lights, no movement, but Alexandre sensed the warm pulsing blood of the sleeping villagers. He was hungry, but now was not the time. One of the buildings looked like an inn or restaurant of some kind. Alexandre crept around the back and forced open the door as quietly as he was able. It still made a loud cracking noise as the wood splintered, so he paused, waiting to see if he had disturbed anyone. No one came and he was glad. He could do without any kind of confrontation at the moment. After a brief search, Alexandre soon discovered a phone and he called Isobel.
‘Belle, it’s me.’
‘Alexandre, thank God! I was beginning to get worried. What’s this number you’re calling from? I’ve been ringing your phone but it’s going straight through to voicemail.’
‘No time to explain. Is Maddy with you?’
‘No. But she’s left messages on all our phones. She’s escaped! Can you believe it? We’re in a village called Akarsuli. She was here, but the couple who helped her said she’s now making her way back to the hotel. So that’s where we’re heading.’
‘Good. We’ll meet you there.’
‘Are you alright, Alexandre? And who’s ‘we’? Are you with someone?’
‘I’ll explain when we get there.’ Alex hung up. He’d heard footsteps on the staircase and he motioned to Zoe that it was time for them to leave.
Chapter Thirty Five
Cappadocia, 575 AD
*
All she could hear were her ragged breaths echoing on forever, curling around her and out into infinity. She was burning and freezing, too weak to throw up, no longer human, just a thing existing. A thin imperious voice cut through her pain.
‘Why do you bring me this creature?’ The question hung in the air for a few moments.
‘Your Imperial Highness, I request a making.’
‘You dare to come here requesting a making for something so pitiful.’
Aelia forced her eyelids open. She was kneeling, slumped forward, her forehead resting on an intricately patterned rug. From the reverberating sound of the voices, they were in a large room, possibly a hall. She didn’t possess the strength to lift her head to see, but she needn’t have worried, for suddenly she was hauled to her feet and dragged along the ground, her head lolling and her eyes flicking open and closed.
She saw the far-away ceiling, the frescoed walls and felt the echoing space around her. It was indeed a hall and it was a hall fit for a king – lavishly decorated and thronged with people or demons, she couldn’t tell, all richly attired in beautiful robes. Their eyes darted back and forth from her, to the end of the hall. She followed their gazes until her eyes found Mislav standing before a raised dais, his back to her. In front of him, seated on a glittering throne was a boy. He was beautiful, like the carved statue of a god. He wore an elaborate headdress, embroidered robes of blood red and a shimmering golden cloak. His eyes were heavily rimmed with black kohl and he was staring directly at her, unblinking. She lowered her eyes once more to the carpeted floor.
‘Your Highness,’ Mislav spoke, his usual confidence gone. ‘She will not last the day, but I pray you drink from her and you will know why I request it.’
‘Very well. Bring her to me. But if you are wrong I will strip you of your privileges for wasting my time.’
Aelia felt herself propelled forward again, towards the boy emperor. They held her in front of him, but after a quick glance, she dared not look again. It was too unnerving to see those dead eyes in such a young face. His movements were all at once fast and slow, blurred but measured. She didn’t quite understand it. The warm metallic smell of blood was all around him. Perhaps he was the devil, the ancient God from her childhood terrors, banished to live underground forever. She closed her eyes and yet again willed death to come and deliver her.
The boy emperor tipped his head back and then threw it forwards again, towards her throat. If she’d had the strength to scream she would have – this demon was not gentle. She felt the flesh on her neck tear and rip. The pain was sharp, excruciating. She wanted to cry out to her mother and her father, to a God who wasn’t listening anymore. The swoon came. Hopefully this would be the last. Hopefully she would never wake up again.
*
Her eyes opened. So, she was still alive. But this time something felt different. Her body no longer hurt. She felt … not quite normal, but almost. She was back in the blue and silver chamber, lying on the cushions.
‘Thirsty,’ she whispered. ‘So thirsty.’
Laughter. Mislav’s laughter.
‘Thirsty,’ she repeated. If she didn’t get a drink soon she would go mad. She sat up.
‘Hello, little one,’ he said. ‘Here. For you.’
Aelia looked up at him, expecting to see him holding a cup. Instead, he pushed a young man towards her. The man was shivering in fear, but he leant towards her and closed his eyes. As he came close, Aelia breathed in the most wonderful sweet scent she had ever experienced. It was as though her whole body was infused with a need so great it couldn’t be denied. Suddenly she was slaking her terrible thirst with something beautiful, something created just for her. She opened her eyes to see Mislav smiling.
What was happening? What was she doing? There was blood everywhere. But not her blood. Aelia’s mind cleared and she realised she was drinking the blood of this terrified man and it was good. It was what she craved. It was as if her whole existence had been leading up to this moment. As if she’d been waiting for this blood all her life. It answered all the questions, banished all the fears, gave meaning to life itself.
‘No,’ she whispered. ‘No!’ she said. ‘No!’
‘Yes,’ Mislav smiled. ?
??Now you know. Now you are one of us.’
Aelia pushed the unconscious man away from her and rose to her feet. She was strong and healthy again, her skin unblemished, her body new and perfect. She wiped her mouth and ran from the chamber, Mislav’s laughter ringing in her ears. She ran and ran, wanting to tire herself into oblivion, but exhaustion didn’t come. Thoughts of the blood pulsed through her mind, her need for it mingled with her disgust. How could she be one of them? This was not the plan. If her plan had succeeded she would be dead by now, in peaceful oblivion. Instead, an even worse fate had befallen her. She must have been cursed. No one could suffer this much misfortune in one lifetime.
As she ran for miles through the tunnels and caverns, she came across nobody. It was as if she could sense where to go in order to avoid meeting anyone. Everything was clearer and sharper, as though her previous life had been fuzzy around the edges, but now she could see and feel with a clarity like nothing else. Aelia took herself to the farthest corner of the city and finally came to a stop at the end of a rock tunnel which led to nowhere.
Rolling up her sleeve, she looked at her arm, at the place where the infection had entered her blood. Where before the skin had been black, it was now like new – creamy and unblemished. The scabs and pustules too had disappeared. Her hair was lustrous and golden like never before. She hesitated before bringing her fingers to her mouth. Feeling her teeth, she discovered what she knew she would find – sharpened fangs, like the demons had. She was someone else’s nightmare now.
She should cry. She should sob and wail and throw herself on the floor at the injustice of it. But she couldn’t. Part of her was a little intrigued by the situation. Those other beings were evil, but she didn’t feel that way about herself. She felt like her, only better. Would she continue to feel this way, or would the need for blood alter her and turn her into a monster? She listened to the air … Mislav was nowhere near. He had not followed her. Good. She needed some time to plan what she would do next.
Chapter Thirty Six
Present Day
*
Crouched on the rock inside the circle of fire, Maddy swivelled her head and saw vampires all around her, fangs bared and faces pale against the dark morning. There must have been at least ten of them, their features and figures distorted through the flames, like a hall of mirrors.
The rock beneath her feet now oozed with slush, as the snow melted in the fierce heat. Maddy’s face glowed and she was terrified she might catch alight. But the fire was both her enemy and her saviour as it was all that lay between her and imprisonment or death. How long would the gasoline burn for? Would it last until dawn? For now, it looked as though the vampires were happy to play chicken with the sun. Was it her imagination or was the sky beginning to lighten?
Large sparks flew over Maddy’s head and she squealed, convinced she was going to burn to death. She unwound Zoe’s scarf and dunked it in the slushy water at her feet. Then she wrapped it back around her head and face, just leaving her eyes visible. She reached around to take the rucksack off her back, and from it she dug out the knife. It wouldn’t do any good against them, but at least she felt a little better with a weapon in her hand, especially one with a good sharp blade.
With a lurching heart, she realised the vampires were now trying to douse the flames with armfuls of snow and she worried they would succeed. But their efforts seemed to make no difference – the fire burned just as fiercely. At least they hadn’t tried to walk through the flames to get to her.
Just as Maddy formulated that thought, a dark shape came flying down toward her. She screamed, pointing the knife wildly upwards, fighting the urge to jump up and run away through the fire. One of the vampires had leapt over the circle. But the flames were so high, they almost formed a canopy over the top of Madison. The vampire instantly caught alight and he yelled out in agony and frustration, rolling away from her through the flames. Another one tried the same thing and Maddy stood up shakily, ready to defend herself again. Not that she would stand a chance, but she had to try.
Standing there, with the knife thrust out in front of her, Madison blinked and stared. She blinked again and turned to look around. The second vampire hadn’t made it into the circle. In fact, she could hardly believe it, but they had all disappeared. Not one vampire remained. Was it a trick? She spun around again, trying to glimpse them through the flames. She stared upwards, terrified they were about to swoop down from the sky en masse like birds of prey diving in for the kill. But after a moment or two, she realised it was true. The vampires had fled. And now she saw the reason why, as a faint white disc crept over the far horizon. Dawn had arrived.
In a flash of hatred, Maddy hoped the vampires had been incinerated, that the sun had caught them out and that they were now nothing more than ash on snow. But Maddy’s problems weren’t over. As the flames roared and spat, the heat became unbearable. Her fingers and toes tingled and burned, her face flushed and her skin prickled. She dropped the knife and made herself as small as possible, hugging her knees to her chest and burying her face into her arms. She was going to be barbequed.
Suddenly, there was an almighty explosion that almost made Maddy lose her footing and go tumbling into the fire. The bike. It was the dirt bike. It had become an orange and black fireball behind her. Another explosion came immediately after the first and Maddy winced, cringing down to try and escape the flying, burning debris.
Why had she poured out so much fuel? The temperature was insane now, like a furnace. There was no snow left on the rock which gleamed under the heat, slick and warm. This was it. After everything she’d been through, it had all been for nothing. She was going to die out here. Alone in the burning snow.
*
A dull sliver of light pooled on the floor of the van. It would be safe to leave now. Morris’ wrists and ankles had been tied up tight but he wasn’t worried about that, for in the inside pocket of his coat sat his penknife. He wriggled out of the blanket Leonora had placed so carefully around him and he lay on his side. Then he jiggled and shook until the small implement slipped onto the carpet with a dull thud. Morris sat up and shifted towards the knife. His gloved hands were behind his back, but he managed to pick up the knife easily enough and flick out its blade. Next he set to work scraping it against the twine on his wrists. The strands quickly flew apart and he was then able to cut through his ankle ties.
Leonora considered him slow-witted and Morris hadn’t liked to deprive her of that notion. He was of the opinion that it was better to keep quiet and observe. That way you didn’t miss anything and you didn’t let things slip.
Morris rubbed his hands together and blew on them through his woollen gloves. His body couldn’t take the cold like it used to. He was getting on a bit now. Not too old to know what was what though. He lifted the latch on the van door. Lenora thought she’d locked him inside. She didn’t realise these vans were designed so you couldn’t get locked in. and he hadn’t mentioned that fact to her. Sloppy of her not to check these things properly. He climbed out slowly, no panic in his mind, no thought but the job in hand. Just take it one step at a time. Nice and steady, that’s the way.
*
Contrary to her fears, Maddy didn’t burn. She didn’t melt or pass out or self-combust or any of the things she’d imagined so vividly. She just crouched there, uncomfortable and scared as the flames burned around her, waiting for something to happen or not to happen. She ate some of the food that Eren and Derya had given her and she sipped at some water, pressing the side of the bottle to her cheeks and forehead to try and cool herself down, but the bottle was warm and did nothing to relieve her discomfort. She took out Eren’s phone several times, but there was no signal at all and no new messages. For now, she was stuck.
Maddy waited and eventually the flames died down enough for her to leap across the circle and away from the flickering prison. It was a blissful relief to escape the fire and she immediately threw herself down onto the snow to cool her roasting body. She k
new it would only be a matter of time before unbearable heat would be replaced with unbearable cold, but she couldn’t help herself. The snow felt so good against her burning hot face and limbs.
She knew she couldn’t stay sprawled in the snow for long. She had to keep moving. The bike was toast and her gloves were gone. Maddy dragged herself to her feet, dusted off the snow and began to walk, shoving her hands into her pockets. The bikers were still out there and she knew they could return at any moment, but she couldn’t summon up any fear. Exhaustion lay too heavy on her. If they came, they came. She had a knife. This time she’d use it.
The storm had ended, but the snow lay in deep drifts and every step was hard going. Her boots sank down with each stride and Maddy realised the bike would’ve been useless out here anyway. Her jeans were sodden and frozen and she could no longer feel her toes. Tiredness settled deep inside her bones and all she wanted to do was curl up and sleep. How long had she been out here running away from people? Or running to find people? She couldn’t remember. She didn’t care. Madison squinted into the distance. The snow was white, the sky was white, the sun was white. Her mind went fuzzy. Sleep would clear her head. Just for a few minutes. A little nap and then she’d feel much better. She gave a half smile as she sank down into the snow. This was all she needed. What a luxury to just lie down and sleep.
*
Morris left the van and walked back through the snow to the hotel. It was morning now, so he knew he was safe from Leonora and the others. They couldn’t leave their suite and so he wasn’t worried about returning. Once back at reception he asked if there was somewhere he could buy a phone and hire a car. Leonora had been sloppy again and hadn’t bothered to check his pockets, so he still had his wallet. Unfortunately his phone was back in the hotel suite. The woman on reception said the nearest town for those things was a couple of kilometres away and that she could order him a taxi.