CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
I fumbled the leather box out of my satchel and squinted at it in the light of Ida’s receding torch. The grimacing gargoyle on the front of the box glinted in the light. Below it, the silver plaque: 1066 Rue de Mort. The hidden home of the vampires.
“Damn it,” I muttered. “Damn it, damn it, damn it all to hell.”
“What’s the matter, John? Scared of the dark?” Chesa called over her shoulder.
“Ches, come here for a second.” I answered. When she furrowed her brows at me, I waved her back furiously. “I’m serious!”
While Chesa ambled back, I took a second look around. This chamber certainly looked like the kind of place you’d meet a vampire. Spiderwebs draped gothic statues guarding crypts that were straight out of the darkest part of the Dark Ages. Tall, imperious-looking warriors stared down at me, pointing stone swords in accusation, as if they knew the secret I was about to reveal. Even with Ida’s torch, the shadows here were ink-dark, clinging to every surface.
“Seriously, John, I don’t want to get too far behind. What’s your deal?” Chesa asked.
“This. This is my deal.” I produced the box, tapping the plaque before pointing at the inscription over the door. “We’re heading right to Esther’s hidden cabal.”
“Ah.” She scanned the space in front of us, seeing it in a new light. “Yeah, I think you’re right. You did see that vampire at the bakery. Maybe the bloodsuckers really are behind all this.”
“Feels weird. Why would they use a machine to turn the bakers? Why not just . . .” I mimed biting a neck. “You know?”
“Covering their tracks? Looking for a new way to harvest human flesh?” She shrugged. “What am I supposed to know about the motivations of thousand-year-old undead bloodsuckers?”
“Why would they want to draw attention to themselves, though? I can believe they might be looking for another way—”
“Are the two of you done flirting?” Evelyn reappeared at the mouth of the tunnel, hellhounds at her side. The beasts’ glowing eyes were bright red pinpricks of light in the gloom. “We have vampires to kill!”
“Sorry! Just arguing about, um . . .” I stumbled into silence.
“Take your pick,” Chesa said. “Plenty to argue about with Rast.”
“Well, get a move on,” Evelyn said, then turned back and disappeared into the tunnel. Ida’s light was a distant glimmer.
“So what do we do?” Chesa asked, whispering.
“I’m not sure yet. Maybe it’s just bad luck that the dampener is near their refuge,” I said. “Just keep your eyes peeled. We may have to improvise.”
“Sounds terrible,” Chesa said. We hurried to catch up with the other two.
Ida and Evelyn had gotten ahead of us. Ida was sticking her head into every nook and cranny with no consideration for the distinct possibility that the shadows may conceal all manner of vile creatures, while Evelyn strolled placidly down the middle of the chamber, one hellhound on either side, examining the surrounding tombs like a tourist. I sheathed my sword and slung my shield over my shoulder, then pulled Ida out from behind a dusty monument. She yelped and dropped her torch, leaving it sizzling in the dust of the stone floor. Once we were in the middle of the room, Ida just stood there, staring at my hand around her wrist for a few moments, then looked around curiously.
“Is there something over here that I’m supposed to be looking at? Because I don’t think the dampener is here, in the middle of the room,” she asked.
“I’m just trying to watch out for you,” I said. “There’s no telling what’s lurking in here.”
“Dead people. Obviously,” Evelyn said. “Dead for a very long time.”
“John’s just the nervous type,” Chesa said. She gave me a stern look. “Aren’t you?”
“Well, you still can’t be too careful,” I said, grimacing at the darkness. “Dead doesn’t mean not dangerous.”
“My father liked to hide things,” Evelyn said. “We are going to need to poke around a little if we’re going to find it.”
“Yeah. So do you want to help, or would you rather stare meaningfully at the shadows while I do all the work?” Ida asked.
“I’m . . . I’m guarding.”
“Great. You continue guarding.” Ida slipped her wrist free of my grasp, shaking her fingers out. “Odds are you’d break the dampener if you looked at it funny, anyway.”
I gave Chesa a nervous look. She shrugged, and started walking around the perimeter of the room, right at the edge of the light thrown by Ida’s torch. Evelyn simply stood imperiously in the middle of the room, regarding the whole operation with amused disdain. The hounds lay at her feet.
“This does look familiar,” Evelyn said. “I believe I saw that statue in my father’s notes.”
“Hold this,” Ida said, shoving the torch at me. I sheathed my sword and took the torch. Even through my gauntlets, the device was hot to the touch, especially around the coupling that spouted blue flame. I held it away from my face. Ida unfolded her tool kit at the base of the tomb that Evelyn had indicated. That girl carried more tools than a dwarven rogue. “This is going to take a minute.”
The statue was of a beheaded knight, carrying its own head in its hands. The moment of decapitation was still captured in the horrified features of the statue’s face. I suppressed a shiver. The mechanical torch flickered and dimmed.
“Maybe not the best idea for me to be holding this,” I said. “Complicated stuff tends to break in my hands.”
“Not just in your hands. My car used to stall every time I drove past you,” Chesa said. “You thought I was flirting.”
“You were flirting. That’s how we ended up dating, remember? Your car died, and I walked you home.” I sniffed indignantly. “In the rain, I might add.”
“I should have seen the signs,” Chesa muttered. “If only I’d kept driving . . .”
“Will the two of you shut up for a minute?” Ida asked. She had some sort of device, which she was slapping enthusiastically into the palm of her hand.
“Hm. My pneumohydralizer isn’t working. And the readings on the aetheratic are flat.” She looked around curiously. “It’s like my technology doesn’t work here.”
“The Unreal,” Evelyn whispered. “The two of you must carry it with you. Fascinating.”
“This happened at the bakery as well,” I said. “The vampire thing was spreading the Unreal like a fog bank. Be careful.”
“Well, I’m going to have to do this the old-fashioned way.” Ida produced a screwdriver as long as her arm and started tapping at the base of the statue. “Surely there’s an access panel around here somewhere.”
After a few moments, Ida found what she was looking for and began to tinker. From the other side of the statue, all I could see was her face light up with a green glow.
“Huh,” she said. “That’s weird.”
We huddled behind her, Chesa and I directly over Ida’s shoulders, Evelyn behind us. The statue had a panel built into its base. What I at first took for the glow of a circuit board turned out to be something much more in line with the Gestalt. A long glass cylinder ran horizontally in the space beneath the statue, its ends capped with whirling metal arms that supported brass orbs. Thick glass windows in the cylinder revealed a sloshing reservoir of glowing blue liquid. Pistons and gauges regulated the cylinder, while a series of valves hooked up to automated bellows huffed and hummed at the base of the device. But that’s not what caught my attention.
The aetheric dampener was crawling with beetles. Dime-sized scarabs clung in thick clumps to the cylinder, or scrabbled over the spinning arms of the generator caps. They had chewed holes in the bellows, and were swarming in and out of the cylinder like angry bees. And at the center of the dampener sat the largest scarab I had seen yet. Its abdomen was swollen and shiny, and its carapace glistened with ethereal light. The lesser beetles nestled beneath its thorax.
“Well. I think we found the problem,” I said softly. “Do you think we should—”
“Destroy it!” Evelyn shouted. She shouldered us aside and struck the beetle with the haft of her surveying rod. The metal tip went through the scarab’s body with a loud crunch. She ground the base back and forth, cracking off limbs and shattering metallic wings. The beetle burst, sending out a shimmering wave of iridescent baby beetles. They flowed over the dampener, out of the compartment, and washed over us in a wave of clicking, scuttling shadows. Chesa shrieked, Ida gasped, and I let out a manly yelp. We all hopped back, all except for Evelyn, who continued to smash the mother scarab to pieces with her stick. The wave of beetles spread out into the darkness, scuttling into cracks in the wall or disappearing into the shadows.
Once they were gone, I composed myself and held the sputtering torch closer to the beetle’s corpse. All that was left were broken cogs, fragments of iridescent carapace, and a smear of green-and-black liquid.
Ida sighed. “I was really hoping to examine that,” she said. “I could learn a lot by studying it. But you guys keep breaking them.”
“Well, this is probably for the better,” I said, straightening. “Wouldn’t want those baby beetles loose on the Silverhawk, anyway. Imagine the trouble they could—”
One of the shadows moved in the corner of the room. I caught a glimpse of red eyes and a dark cloak, crouching on top of a broken pillar at the other end of the corridor. As soon as I saw it, the figure leapt into the air, disappearing behind a crypt with a flutter of black cloth.
I dropped the torch, which hit the stone floor with a crack, and drew my sword. A violent hissing sound erupted from the device. Ida swore and grabbed at it, yelping in pain before cranking the flame into a bare flicker. Chesa and Evelyn spun to face me, and the hellhounds leapt to their feet and started to growl.
“What was the point of that?” Ida yelled. “You’ve compromised the seal. We’re lucky it didn’t blow up!”
“I need more light!” I answered. With my light source practically gone, I couldn’t see beyond the tip of my sword. Chesa and Evelyn were bare outlines in the gloom, and the hellhounds’ glowing eyes disappeared completely. Stones scraped together nearby, then something clanked against the ceiling to my right. I whirled in that direction, only to be drawn back to my left by clattering pebbles. “Chesa! Light!”
“Stop yelling. Geez, you’d think—”
The creature came out of the shadows, barreling into my shield at full speed. It knocked me back into Ida, and we both went into the stone coffin. Whatever had run into me swiped at the shield a couple times, its claws throwing sparks off the steel face. Ida screamed directly into my ear.
“Who’s yelling now?” I spat, then braced my shoulder against the tomb and pushed back at the beast. It rolled off my shield and onto the ground, coming up in a swirl of fabric. The torch had fallen once again. Ida lunged for it, then cranked it to full power. A tongue of blue flame erupted from the end, turning the dark chamber as bright as day.
The creature standing in front of us was a hulking monstrosity. Broad shoulders strained against the blood-spattered fabric of a white linen shirt, with a neck like a mountain range erupting out of the frayed collar. He was as bald as a bowling ball, with pale white skin, and enormous bloodred eyes. The rest of its body was out of proportion: hips and legs too small to realistically support those shoulders, and dainty feet in patent leather buckle shoes. When the torch burst into life, the vampire threw an arm over its face, backing away reflexively.
“That’s right, bitey-boy!” Ida marched forward, holding up the sputtering torch. “Fear the power of sci—”
The beast lunged at her, striking the torch and sending it spinning into the darkness. The light clattered behind some statues and faded into a dim glow. Ida screamed in pain. I punched at the vampire with my shield, barely deflecting the second strike from its claws with the bright steel of the buckler. Ida crumpled to the ground, nursing her hand. The vampire growled at me as I put myself between it and the injured mechanic.
“Are you okay?” I shouted, keeping my eyes on the monster.
“I’ve had worse from a blown compressor,” Ida said, but her voice was strained. “Oh, I think I can see bone. That’s cool.”
“Trust me, that is very not cool. Especially when we don’t have a healer around. Next time, leave the fighting to the guy with the sword.” I slid warily to the side. “Ches? You out there?”
Chesa’s answer was an arrow out of the darkness that thumped into the vampire’s meaty shoulder. The creature howled, then vaulted into the darkness. I heard Chesa gasp, followed by a frantic scramble of boots and claws on stone. In the dim light, all I could see were shadows leaping from statue to tomb to ceiling then floor, too fast to follow.
“Ches?” I shouted in panic.
“Do something, John!”
“Stay here,” I ordered Ida. “And see if you can do something about those lights.” Then I charged into the darkness.
The whistle of flying arrows clattering off stone gave me some clue where to go. I skidded to a halt beside a large statue, pressing my back against the wall. Something vaulted over me. I got my shield up just in time for a heavy foot to land square in the middle, crushing me to the ground. Apparently whatever had stepped on me didn’t expect their foothold to collapse, because there was a strangled gurgle and crashing stone to my right. In the dimness I caught a glimpse of bloodred eyes, each the size of the palm of my hand. I rolled to my feet and swung at it. My blade glanced off something heavy.
The vampire lunged at me, claws curled to strangle my neck. I reached for my magic, but I had forgotten to open up the taps in my amulet after we landed, and was still recovering from the fight in the bakery. It was like trying to suck on a straw when all you had left in the cup was ice. Nothing came through. Instead, I caught the grip with the rim of my shield, then poked at his belly with the flat of my sword, slicing along the waist. Steel went into muscled flesh, but the creature didn’t relent. It felt like stabbing cold mud. He shook the shield back and forth, nearly dislocating my shoulder, before rearing back with his right arm and punching the shield square in the center. The impact shook my bones and sent a shiver through my lungs. I tried to hack at his fingers, but before I could land the blow, he tossed the shield like a Frisbee.
I was still attached to the shield.
I spun foot to head and back again before coming to a sliding stop at the base of a broken statue. From this angle the knight looked less threatening, and more like he was going trick-or-treating with a gag candy basket. When I started laughing at that, I realized I must have taken a knock on the head.
“Come on, you’ve got to move,” Ida said. She pulled me to a sitting position. There was a lot of blood streaming down her arm.
“You’re hurt,” I said blearily. She patted me on the shoulder, leaving bloody handprints on the steel. “Where’s Chesa?”
“I don’t know. And that thing is still out there.” She tugged at my elbow, dragging me to my feet. “Great. Now . . .” Ida pressed my sword into my hand. “Hero stuff. Shoo.”
“Need my shield,” I mumbled.
“Your shield is wrecked. Couldn’t stop a stiff breeze.” She kicked at the rumpled scraps of my shield. “Going to have to make do with your sparkling personality.”
“That’s a good way to get dead. Besides . . .” I took a deep breath and felt at the reservoir of magic in my soul. There was a glimmering pool, shallow but ready to be tapped. “Check this out.”
I scooped up the shield and opened the valve into my domain. A wave of light traveled through my body, burning away the dozen or so injuries I had sustained in my fight, then renewing my shield. The valkyrie’s steel shimmered as it regrew. Ida whistled in appreciation.
“See? Magic ain’t so bad.” I tightened the enarme straps, shook out my wrist, and faced the darkness. “Now. What happened to big, bad, and bitey?”
Chesa’s scream cut through the silence of the tomb. I ran toward it, my armor clattering loudly with each footfall. I went around a corner, just as a flarrow whistled into the ceiling, guttering harshly as it roared to life. In the sharp light, I could see Chesa kneeling at the base of a tomb with the vampire towering over her. She was trying to nock another arrow.
I barreled into the vampire, knocking it prone, though the force of the blow sent me reeling backward. Before I could recover, the vampire hopped to its feet and started toward me.
“Wait!” I shouted, dropping my sword to grab at the box stuffed in my belt. I pulled out the embossed box and cranked it open like a holy relic, holding it up to the vampire. “Stop! We’re here to help!”
The vampire’s eyes barely flickered to the dangling key before he charged me. I dropped key and box, bracing my shield with both hands. The impact sent me skidding backward. I came up hard against the wall. The vampire stepped over the fallen box and bore down on me.
“Idiot! Esther MacRae saved you and your kin! She sent us to warn you!” I threw my shield aside and tried to stand. “Will you just listen for a second, before Ida hears us?”
“I have heard all I need,” the vampire growled. “Knight Watch killed my kin and scourged my bloodline. That she felt a pang of guilt at the end hardly redeems her genocide.” He wrapped meaty fingers down the front of my breastplate and yanked me upright by the straps. “Why are you hunting us, small man?”
“Someone is setting you up,” I said. “Making it look like the vampires are attacking again. You have to hide!”
“He’s telling the truth,” Chesa said from the side. “They’re using machines to turn people into vampires. Tesla sent for us to help.”
“We know of the scarabs. My brother was there when you arrived, looking into it.” His voice was surprisingly urbane, given his bulk and the blood spattered across his shirt. My blood, at least in part. “Why should we trust you? If Tesla is behind this, it means—”
“Guys?” Ida’s voice wavered from the other room. “I think you need to see this. There’s a door.”
The vampire growled deep in his chest. “The demesne. I must kill her, before she—”
“You’re not killing anyone, and especially not Ida,” I said, ignoring his challenging glare. “You have to trust us. We’ll take care of this.”
“Hm. We shall see.” He dropped me. “We are watching you, knight. If you cross us, there will be cold blood in the halls of your domain.”
Without another word, he bounded away. I waited until he disappeared before I picked up my sword and shield. Chesa retrieved the key and its box, handing it back to me.
“Pretty good, John. You didn’t piss yourself,” Chesa said with a smile.
“Much,” I answered. “What do you think he meant? If Tesla is behind this, it means . . .”
“Don’t know. Come on, before Ida gets suspicious.”
Ida stood behind one of the tombs, apparently retrieving her torch. The device sputtered, throwing long shadows across the ceiling. We circled the tomb. She was deep in thought, examining a door hidden in the wall. She glanced up as we approached.
“What do you guys make of this?” she asked. “Some kind of secret entrance?”
I glanced nervously at Chesa, then fumbled for the key. “Look, we can explain everything. It’s not . . .”
That’s when I noticed the door was already open. Something had torn apart the lock, and the hinges were bent at a crooked angle. The door had been forced. Violently.
The secret of the vampires was already out, apparently.