Empire of Blood (Book 2): Fading In Darkness (22 page)

“Each one is standing its local ground, awaiting orders. At this point our years of planning and strategizing have run out of usefulness. I mean we certainly never accounted for rogue or enemy vampires being in the mix. It drastically complicates making any concrete decisions when we have no idea where they are or what they’re up to.” Bill set his stick aside and sat back returning
Ishan’s
gaze with an expression of being backed against a wall and asserting himself.

“I completely understand, Mr.
Whindsor
, there’s no need to get defensive. We too have been acting on
impulse
,” he gave the blond vampire a bitter glance, “but the time has come for regrouping and decisive action. I would ask that you send every faction within a five hundred mile radius to help protect the hive as being near the Queen is the best chance any of us have of fighting back when they do finally attack.” Staring into the fire,
Ishan
stood and took his hand out of the flames and spit in his open palm creating a loud popping sizzle. Then he rubbed his hands together and faced Bill. “You might even consider sending the rest of your factions in an entirely different direction to help take some of the focus away.”

Bill nodded. “I’ll see what I can do. It’s not just up to me. But I think you’re right. But before we do anything I think you need to hear what George here has to say.” Bill turned to George and patted him on the back. George smiled at his new friend and looked into what felt like the heart of darkness: the vampires standing silently around him. But once he started talking the fear dropped away piece by piece the more he spoke. He told them about his days working with Caesar, about the book that he received. He told them about confronting Caesar and waking up in the hospital from the coma. They listened in anticipation as he told them what he had seen in the book. Bill began handing copies around to them as George described the things within their pages.

After several hours of discussion of what the Emperor could be, what could have kept him alive all those years, and what this information could do to wake the citizens from their religious slumber, Bill and George became worn out and were given leave to return to a nearby
safehouse
. There was still much to be decided and much to learn, but for tonight they had exchanged as much as they could. Tomorrow would be another day.

Chapter 32

Deadly Dreams

The familiar smell of sulfur was building again and Hank tried with every ounce of his being to will himself away from the trail he was following. A tall building near to crumbling told him it was time to turn the corner again and his body obeyed without a second’s hesitation as though he wanted to take part in what would happen. Toby’s heartbeat picked up again once Hank was past the corner. It drowned out the sounds of war that Hank so vividly remembered from before. Nothing was different from the last time he experienced this vision except for the fact that this time he knew how it would end and he simultaneously tried to stop himself and take in every detail he could. Maybe something important would help him find a way to prevent it.

Toby’s scent floated over the road, the mangled cars, and the huge pieces of concrete, steel, and mortar scattered everywhere. To Hank’s right, the blood’s odor came from an open alleyway almost powerfully enough to knock him back. And right there against the brick wall sat that blue dumpster where his little boy was trying to hide from his terrible monster of a father.

The anguish of every step closer distracted Hank from taking in the details and before he knew it, Toby’s body was being lifted from the dumpster by that pale, sculpted hand that couldn’t be pried loose. The smell of sweet young flesh hiding the most delicate life’s blood overpowered Hank then and he tore into the boy’s neck and began to suck the crimson nectar from within. Toby kicked and screamed and clawed at Hank’s hand.

“DAD!”

But Hank only drew the blood out faster, letting it pool into the back of his throat and then taking large gulps of pure ecstasy. And then as this future consciousness began to fade, the last thing he saw was the first memories of a little boy—his little boy—lying in the dark in a deceptively huge playpen and feeling so very scared and alone.

* * *

Hank jumped up from the hard dusty ground, gasping for air and choking on his own tears. When he’d seen the Queen before, he’d been under her spell and now he needed to know more than anything just what it would take to keep this terrible thing from happening. As soon as he could breathe again, he ran as fast as he could out of the room and stepped clumsily over stalagmites and rocks until he found himself in the firelight of the main open cavern.

Several vampires that Hank didn’t recognize crowded around the Queen as Hank made his way closer. There were humans in the cave too. They spoke of some coming attack from the Empire. But right now, Hank didn’t care at all about the Empire, he only wanted to stop the monstrous thing he now knew beyond a doubt he was going to do to his only son. Pushing his way through the crowd, the many eyes of the group started to turn to him including the Queen's. She looked at him without even a hint of curiosity. No doubt, she’d been expecting him. Their eyes locked and she spoke.

“The time will come for your concerns later, my child. Right now we must—“

Hank shoved the remaining few vampires out of his way and took one long step up close to her and before he could say the words screaming to come out of his mouth, arms of monstrous strength grabbed him from behind. Hank only responded by letting his muscles relax and gritting his teeth.

“Now, as I was saying, young one.
You will wait your turn to discuss the matter of your concerns with me privately. Right now more important issues are at hand.
Ishan
, you may release him, he will obey me or he will die—and your mother doesn’t need you to do her bidding without request.”

The grip on Hank loosened and he stepped away from the crowd without looking at any of them. However, a faint whisper in a language Hank didn’t recognize slid into his right ear and sent chills throughout his body. Because whatever had been said in that ancient tongue was pure guttural hatred made speech.

* * *

After a couple of days and nights staying underneath The Blue Mermaid, the reality of just how close they were to the coming frontlines of war was hitting Toby like a brick wall as he lay in bed. It was the closest thing he could imagine to living in some kind of bunker.
Even being as far underground as they were, the slightest provocation called for complete quiet and every single person that passed by from time to time seemed to be on alert if not completely on their last nerve as well.

Dustin helped to keep him calm. He now had two stake guns armed and ready and was always trying to keep Toby in high spirits with his good humor. It wasn't easy to let go of the stress but Dustin could dislodge that hard sense of anxiety often enough to take the edge off. They had been given a small enclosed room with bunk beds much like the one they stayed at in the last
Foederati
facility.

It wasn't the most comfortable situation but Toby kept himself focused on the anticipation of being with his father again. Jonathan had come by their room the night before to tell them about the meeting. Toby couldn't help but envy Jonathan for being able to go where his father was. But more and more with every conversation Toby listened in on between Dustin and Jonathan or any of the other
Foederati
, it was becoming obvious that they were just on the brink of battle, possibly full on war erupting right here in New Orleans. Maybe even the whole country. The
Foederati
were apparently standing by all over the country.

Did they even have a chance against the "Avengers" and the Empire? Toby tried to imagine life without the Empire. He was surprised to find the thought
  jolted
his stomach with  fear. He'd never lived without the Empire. He couldn't help but fear what could possibly take its place. But in that fear there was some hope too. A dim hope, but one he could hold on to.

Toby was tracing lines in the brick wall as he lay in bed when the first screams came. They weren't screams of pain or horror, but almost a warlike screeching. And in the next instant everything changed right before his eyes. One moment he was lying in bed lost in his own thoughts and the next
Foederati
were scattering around, warning everyone to take cover in their rooms and telling Dustin and Toby particularly not to come out for anything.

Shortly after that, the screams of pain and slaughter brought Dustin to full attention. Toby recognized several of the voices to be some of the people he had met since arriving. Each one of them with their own life of hopes and dreams and now they were suffering and they were supposed to stay in this room and do nothing. It was more than he could bear.

"Dustin, give me one of those stake guns. Can't we do something?" As if to further accent Toby's words, a deep bellowing
sloshy
scream erupted close to their door and a puddle of blood began to ooze into the room from underneath. Dustin grabbed Toby and stuffed him into the corner where he couldn't really see much. What he could see was Dustin waiting with both stake guns raised between Toby and the door with his back against the wall.

The next second the door seemed to explode and the room filled with black flowing shapes. Dustin screamed and fired several stakes into the black mass of movement. At least one of them hit its mark and one form fell to the ground screeching in fury.

Sharp claws snapped around Toby's ankle and pulled so hard he nearly felt his leg pull from its socket. His body started to slide away as Dustin turned around. Dustin shot off a single stake into the creature whose terrible grip was now excruciatingly getting tighter.

Toby screamed and before Dustin could stop it, another black form, this one's yellow eyes visible beneath its dark cloth-like exterior, grabbed hold of one of Dustin's stake rifles and crushed it to pieces. Dustin turned to aim the other gun when the ground began to shake violently, breaking loose large chunks of brick from the walls and sending them in various crashes along the floor.

The next instant the vampire was on Dustin. The man fell to the ground with a thud and the vampire followed, its teeth firmly pressed deep into the flesh of Dustin's neck. Toby ran up to the creature and kicked it as hard as he could but it only continued to suck at Dustin's neck, paying no notice to the boy's attempts to stop it.

Just then a bloody and bruised Jonathan rushed into the room took one look at Toby, the heap of vampire and Dustin on the floor and then blasted a stake into the creature's back, sending it somersaulting over Dustin's motionless body.

Toby dropped to Dustin's side. "Dustin, can you hear me? Dustin, please?"

Jonathan was watching outside the door and kneeling just behind the wall, glancing back at the two of them from time to time. Toby, unsure how to check for a pulse, cupped his hand over Dustin's mouth and felt a slow steady warm breath. Toby nearly gasped with relief. "He's alive!"

"Good.
Maybe.
Listen, kid, we may have to leave him behind. I don't think the two of us can lift him and he doesn't look like he's going to be getting up very soon. And my first priority is to make sure you live."

"
I will not leave him
," Toby said glaring up at Jonathan.

Jonathan sighed in response, and began looking over Dustin with calculating eyes. "Tell you what, kid. Help me roll him over and up into a sitting position and maybe we can get him conscious enough to get the hell out of here."

Toby smiled as he moved into position to push Dustin over. The two of them shoved at Dustin's hip and shoulder. Eventually they managed to knock him on his side and from there he went to lying on his back with very little effort on Toby and Jonathan's part. The next moment he gasped and coughed up a big spurt of blood. Jonathan and Toby pushed at his back so he could sit up.

After coughing up much more blood and black fluid, Dustin went to his hands and knees spitting long black and crimson lines of drool from his mouth and gasping in between. Jonathan turned to Toby.

"Stay right here. I'll be back. I need to check the status out there real quick. If we're clear to go, we'll need to move
quick
. So try and help Dustin get up on his feet, okay?"

Toby nodded.
"Hurry."

"I will."

Then he was gone and Toby was pulling Dustin up with all the strength he had and some he didn't until Dustin was up and sitting on what was left of the bottom bunk of the bed. His skin was so white it contrasted starkly with the black hair of his beard and on his head. He looked like a man who had just came in from an ice water swim. And that's when Toby noticed the gash in his neck. The flesh was mangled from where the vampire's mouth had been pulled away from its target with great force due to the stake gun.

If Dustin didn't get help soon, he would surely get an infection from hell, as far as Toby could tell. After several long gasps and a strange sort of belch, Dustin looked up at Toby with a vacant look in his eyes.

"Dustin? You still with me, man?"

Dustin simply stared back in response as if he didn't know what to say or how to say it. All the while it was mostly quiet outside of the room and Toby wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Nonetheless the lack of sudden movements gave him some relief from the stiff tension that was causing his every muscle to twitch. Just as quickly as he'd disappeared, Jonathan came rushing back into the room followed by a woman in a white T-shirt and tight jeans with auburn hair pulled up into a ponytail. Toby felt a rush of guilt as he found himself unexpectedly checking out her body as she kneeled in front of Dustin who sat, mouth gaping and confused.

She shined a pen light in both of his eyes and tried speaking to him with the same result Toby had. Toby nearly laughed at the thought that if a beautiful woman couldn't get
Dustin’s
attention maybe this really was serious.
But as funny as that was it was painfully and frighteningly true.
But not as frightening as what happened next.

The woman pulled out another tool Toby couldn't quite make out from a belt at her hip. Then with the flip of a switch and a deep swoosh, a directed blue flame shot out from the tip of the blowtorch and she began to burn the flesh of Dustin's neck wound and the sound and smell of it sent Toby vomiting in the corner of the room.