After the Fall (25 page)

Alaric bent down and kissed the rocks that covered her tomb. He gasped. I saw the blade that ran through his chest. Blood started to flow down the sword. He collapsed to the ground. The blood was pooling up on the floor, and I knew he was dying. He set his hand down and caressed the spot above where her face would be. A smile brightened his face. He was happy for the first time in ages. If there was one way to go, it was this one. He closed his eyes and died right there, next to his beloved.

“Hey, wake up!” yelled Rayna. “We’re here.”

I didn’t know where we were, but wherever
here
was, we had arrived. This was not the house from before, but it was just as opulent. I had mentally traced our route on the way back last time, and this was in a completely different direction. A servant waited for us at the door. I could tell he was human from a distance. He exuded the scent of his kind, the scent of the living human flesh, the smell which kept on drawing hordes across the land in search of a meal. His heart beat in a normal cadence, which told me he was quite used to our kind. My first instinct was to size him up as prey, but I knew better than to give to my instincts and walked into the house.

The inside looked more like a museum that a dwelling. It was not uncommon for older Vampires to decorate their homes in this way. The house was luxurious and exuded Old World extravagance. I could only guess who owned this place. He or she had to be a very high-ranking member of this council.

“Bunch of fancy crap. They waste so much time collecting all this stuff and for what? Nothing. It doesn’t do us a bit of good. Should be collecting something you can use, like guns and bows.”

It was galling to hear her voice. There was an assortment of things here, from Ming vases and katana swords, to ancient Egyptian scrolls. It was like a summary of ancient human history, as told in artifacts. I wished I could educate her on the contents of this room. What did she know, anyway? She was just some hick town Vampire who probably never left her town until the Fall.

She picked up the Ming vase and examined it carelessly, even twirled it in her hand like it was some kind of plaything. One of the servants saw her and started to say something when she put it down, clearly off the spot where it belonged. The servant came over and reset it before moving on. I stared at her.

“What?” she asked.

“That is authentic Ming dynasty. Putting a price tag on something like that would be an insult.”

“Doesn’t look all that fancy. I could buy one of those at the thrift shop for a buck or two, clean it up real good and put it up for display.” She erected herself upright and mimicked a refined woman. “Look at me, I’m a fancy cultured woman.” Now her accent became a hilarious mix of Oxford and back country. “Good sir, how would like to look at our fine artifacts and join us for a repast?”

“Will you stop? You’re being obnoxious.” At this time, several of the servants had come into the room and were staring at us, some with contempt and others with plain amusement.

“Okay, fine. I’ll just go get some grub. Where’s the dinner table? I’m ready to eat!” I let out a groan and smacked my forehead.

The butler came ready to meet us at the door. He cleared his throat to announce himself. “If Miss Rayna is quite finished, would the two of you be good enough to join me?”

She straightened up and said, “Yes, all finished.” I was amazed at the change. She went from backwoods princess to young aristocrat in a heartbeat.

“Right this way.”

He escorted us through a large set of double doors. I couldn’t help but stare at the ornate white marble archway as we passed under it. It was a detailed carving of skulls crowded together. It reminded me of the catacomb walls in Europe.

The large hall on the other side was no less impressive. It could have held a small house inside it. Large round columns adorned the walls all around. Between them were several showcases of medieval weapons. Most impressive was the giant statue of an armor-clad knight holding a two-handed broadsword.

“Oh, this is what I’m talking about right here! Oh, look at this!” She grabbed hold of a great claymore, which she could swing as easily as a stick.

“Rayna!” I yelled. Now I knew how parents felt at a department store.

“Okay, Mr. No Fun.” She made a pouty face and strolled off to see the other displays. I stayed closely on her tail to prevent any mishaps. We passed an antique crossbow collection which caught my eye. I paused to admire them for a second and lost track of her.

“Wow, this is the good stuff! I like this room.” My eyelids opened so wide I felt like my eyeballs would pop out. She had brandished a large mace and was swinging it around the room with childish abandon. I caught the handle and plucked it out of her hand. She reacted with surprise, then anger.

“Wanna fight?” she said, a smile spreading across her face as she took up a halberd against me.

“Ahem!” It was the sound of the butler. “If you two are done trying to wage battle, would you be good enough to accompany me to the yard?”

Caught. I was as guilty as her and all I was trying to do was prevent her from breaking something…or someone.

“I was just trying to take this stuff from her before she broke it!”

“No, you were trying to play around,” she replied.

“Play around? You’re juggling priceless antiques that are centuries old and you say
I’m
the one playing around?”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.” She put down the halberd and crossed her arms.

“That’s immaterial,” said the butler. “There is a courtyard out back where you two may spar, if you like. Would either of you like a drink?”

“I’ll take some brandy—make that two!” The butler sighed and walked away.

“Why are you ordering that? We can’t drink that stuff.”

“Relax. We take all the drinks secondhand.”

We sat down at a table out in the back courtyard. It was night and all manner of life chirped and buzzed around us. This was the equivalent of a summer day picnic for a human, which was impossible for us for obvious reasons. We had to settle for the next best thing.

The butler brought us our drinks and hurried back inside. He seemed relieved to have us outside, where he would not have to keep such close tabs on us. Some time and two drinks later, Lucretius came for us.

“Rayna! Mordecai! What are you two doing out here?”

“He got us kicked out,” she said, pointing her finger at me.

“Did he, now?” He scratched his chin for a moment. “I have a hard time believing that. At any rate, are you two ready to come out of exile?”

“Yes, very much.” I was out of my seat before Rayna could say anything else. 

Even before I walked back through the glass pane doors, I saw that the room was full. It was a much larger group than before, at least thirty people, all Vampires. Some of them were fairly young, no doubt children that had survived the Fall, but I could also sense the Elders. I felt like I was but a pup in the company of these Old Ones. It was a humbling feeling, but Rayna did not seem to share it. She was walking around and talking to them without any semblance of decorum. This was a good time to distance myself from her and get to know these people. Perhaps I would see some old familiar faces. Then again, after remembering some of the people who had crossed my path, I hoped I wouldn’t.

Lucretius introduced me to some of the members of polite society. There was the man with the mutton chops, whose name turned out to be Clifford Greaver. Another woman with a marble face and an expression just as hard was introduced to me as Katerina Romanova. There were others, though far less memorable. Teófilo Bustamante, Gustaf Thoresen, Marie-Evangeline Larousse, Fortunato Cavalcanti, and a few others I can’t recall at this time. Maybe I’ll remember later, if they were relevant.

Rayna seemed to have a good time, but I couldn’t tell if it was the liquor-infused blood speaking. It couldn’t have been the vibrant company. They were as exciting as rock-watching. I had forgotten just how dull the polite aristocracy could be.

There really wasn’t much else to tell. People talked about the same dead horses they had beaten to a pulp over the past decades. Someone would ask me my opinion, and I would give the most conservative answer I could find. All would nod and continue on with the conversation. Towards the end of the night, I became emboldened and started to give off edgier answers, but the most I would get was a perplexed look followed by “interesting.” It was no use trying to rile this bunch of stiffs. Undead couldn’t get any deader than this.

The night ran its course and our host mercifully decided to end it. Guests began to issue their standard goodbyes before getting into their glossy black chariots and driving off. As the crowd thinned, I tried to catch a glimpse of Rayna and could not find her. Remembering her mischief from earlier, I set out to find her at once. Left unchecked and under the influence of alcohol, there was no telling what trouble she might cause.

All I needed to do was follow the sound of off-pitch singing broadcasting from upstairs. It was a very bad rendition of “Whiskey in the Jar.” She was dancing and prancing around, swinging around the columns like a monkey. The spectacle was so hilarious I couldn’t help but stop and watch. I could still hear all the guests saying their goodbyes to Lucretius downstairs. They all did their best to ignore the noise.

“Oh, Mordy! How are you doing this fine night?”

“Not as good as you, I bet. What are you doing up here?”

“Oh. I was just, you know, it was so boring down there. I had to go somewhere and let loose.” She picked up a goblet filled with blood and drained it. It slipped off her fingers and shattered on the floor. “Oops! Careful, there’s broken glass!”

“Yes, I gathered. How about we get ready to go? It’s getting late.”

“Late? Well, we can sleep here. Can’t we, Luke?”

He stood behind me at the stairs, his arms crossed and a stern look of reproach on his face. His hooked nose made him look rather like a menacing hawk.

“I’m going to guess
no
. Come on, Rayna. Let’s take you home.” I reached for her arm and she snatched it away before stumbling over to a life-sized statue. It was Anna, the Mother. She knelt down and put her head on her feet.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I could have done better.”

“That’s enough spectacle for the night.” He turned to me. “I was meaning to pull her aside to speak to her, but there’s no use now. Take her home. I will send word to her in the morning.”

“About what?”

“Of her assignment. Please, just take her home. Good night.”

Lucretius watched me carry her downstairs and drag her out the door. He got ready to leave as well. This wasn’t his house any more than it was ours. This house, this palatial museum, had belonged to Anna Thorn herself.

I dragged her over to the car and set her in the backseat. She grabbed hold of my collar and took me with her.

“Hi, there. How are you doing?” she said with that candid smile only the utterly crapulous can manage.

“I’m just fine. Would you mind letting me go?”

“What if I don’t?”

“I suppose you’ll have to let me go at some point, or I can just lose the shirt.”

“Ooh, I like the way you’re talking!”

“No, not like
that
!”

“Oh. You’re no fun.”

“Yes, that’s me. Will you let me go now?”

“It’s gonna cost ya.”

“What’s gonna cost me?” Before I finished asking, she locked lips with me. She wrapped her arms and legs around me and gave me a savage kiss. I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it, but it was all too sudden.

She wouldn’t let me go, so I kissed back until she relaxed. I took advantage of the opening to squirm out of her death grip and shut the car door. While she was trying to register what just happened, I sat up front next to the driver and instructed him to drive home.

Hangover Morning

The next morning found me back on Rayna’s couch. Even though there was a whole bedroom where I could have slept, I was comfortable here. I felt reluctant to treat myself like a guest because I wasn’t. This whole arrangement had been forced upon her. For what reason, I do not know. The council had a mind of its own.

She came out of her door groaning and cursing. Right now, she looked like one of the living dead, shuffling downstairs and shielding her eyes from even the faint electric light. As much as she had drunk, I wondered if there was any blood in her or if it had all turned into alcohol.

“Good evening,” I said with a smile. It was wrong of me to provoke her, but she deserved it.

“Take your good evening and shove it where the sun don’t shine,” she fired back at me. It was far from unexpected. She ambled over to the kitchen and poured herself the contents of several of the blood bags into a large glass.

Her phone began to ring. She covered her ears and started to groan in pain. I answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Mordecai, good to hear from you. Did you two arrive well?”

“Well…enough,” I said, earning myself a glare from Rayna.