Forever Young The Beginning (43 page)

From there since it was a hilltop,
they both could see Paris and the Seine River. There was a barge
traveling downstream and it looked barely bigger than a speck on
the silvery trace of the Seine.

He reversed himself and they were down
from the tree in three descending jumps. Away they flew like a
flash and ran for some thirty minutes still toward the northeast.
They came to a stream which was descending through some small
rapids to collect in a sizeable pool which drained off slowly at
its far end.

“
Let’s eat
lunch.”

“
What do I have to
do?”

“
Gather some dry sticks,
some tiny, some medium some larger. Pile them on that flat rock
over there.”

After snatching four fish from the
stream in a few minutes he busied himself and soon enough they were
skewering some fillets with green poplar sticks. He handed two to
Celeste and took two for himself. They settled back to roast their
fish.

“
Ian?”

“
Yes.”

“
What did you learn when you
followed that bad man yesterday?”

“
He’s a bad one and he has
friends who are going to hurt someone soon. I’m going to stop
them.”

“
How can you do that
alone?”

“
I have a talent for killing
them. I’ll kill all of these if I get the chance. Don’t dwell on
this, little one. It’s a dark subject, not suitable for you to
entertain.”

“
Ian, do you like doing
this? I mean running and seeing new places?”

“
Yes. I’d like to see
America. It’s so big that no one knows how far it goes. As far as
anyone knows there are hundreds or maybe even thousands of miles of
forest, never seen by any but the native people there. I’ve wanted
to see that for nearly as long as I can remember, ever since
hearing of it as a boy.”

They began to eat. “Think of it,
Celeste. A virgin continent, never explored. No maps of it exist.
It is a giant mystery, much like Africa I suppose. Imagine what it
would be like to roam through such a place. Imagine the people who
live there, what they must be like. Imagine the wildlife and the
sights. How big must the rivers, the canyons, the waterfalls and
the mountains be there?” His eyes had a faraway look.

“
I’d like to see it with
you.”

“
I’d love to take you. I see
no reason why you can’t go to America when you’re grown if that’s
what you want.”

They continued eating. “Your schooling
and learning are very important and must be mastered for you to
have a better life. After that’s done, you may do as you
wish.”

“
Ian, you don’t eat just
food, do you?”

“
No.”

“
Do you…”

“
Hush little one. It will be
only a few years and I’ll tell you everything you want to know
about us. One thing I’ll tell you though and that is that I was
once human.”

“
Did you…..”

“
I had no choice. It was to
become like…. this, or die.”

“
So I could…become …like
you?”

He looked gravely at her then. “You
have a choice to make when you’re grown. You have time to be a
child yet, and to make that choice when you’re of age. To be forced
to become as I am is not a good thing, Celeste. I once loved
someone, before Cosette. I was forced to never see her again by
what happened to me. That should never be done to
anyone.”

“
But you have Anna now and
she is human.”

“
Anna’s nearly twice my age,
more mature than that other girl was. She’s been married and had a
child. She has lived, Celeste. This other girl was only seventeen
and hadn’t really lived to the fullest yet. Anna chose me. I have
to deceive her all of the time and can never make a mistake while
I’m in her presence. I don’t like that, but I do it to protect
her.”

“
You mean that others would
come…”

“
Yes. Others could learn
about her knowing about us and would try to kill her and her
household staff and her son too. I’m selfish too I suppose. I want
to be with Anna as often as I can. She’s been good for
me.”

“
You two make a fine couple,
and she truly loves you.”

“
I love her too. There is
more about this subject which you’ll learn. You already know how
important it is to keep my secret as I do for you. Even my Uncle
Angus doesn’t know about your ability. With Cosette, I didn’t have
to be secretive that way. Do you see what I mean here?”

“
Yes.”

“
You’re wise for your years,
and will have no trouble knowing what you want when that day comes.
Until then live and love every minute of your life Celeste, knowing
that so many love you and want only the best for you.”

“
I always feel your
love.”

He nodded and smiled warmly as he
continued. “You have the choice that I didn’t have.” Fastening his
eyes on hers he said “Very few humans ever get to make the choice
that you will one day make.”

They had finished eating so he kicked
out the fire and scattered the coals.

It was dusk and Ian had done some
shopping after leaving Celeste at her home. He had bought a small
roll of black veil-gauze. It was the type used to make women’s
funeral veils and he had modified the hood-mask he had made earlier
by eliminating the eye-holes. He made just one wide hole to see
through and had stitched the gauze into place. He could see out of
it just fine, but it concealed his face and most importantly his
distinctive eyes, and was not near as bothersome as his earlier
design had been.

Locating a small foundry which both
made and sold swords and other cutlery, he had purchased a short
sword. He rigged a crude sling for it where it hung from the back
of his neck in the middle of his back. The hilt stuck up around
shoulder-high so it was easy to draw and the tip of the sheath was
secured via a cord tied around his waist.

He also bought a blunderbuss pistol.
The firearms maker said it was called a Dragon. It was a short
piece with a huge bore that shot lots of small lead pellets instead
of one larger ball. He thought it an excellent piece for
close-quarters fighting. So he had four pistols besides the dragon,
his sword, his knife, and four full flasks in his ruck sack. Buying
some garlic oil he had put a tiny bit of it on his shirt and pants.
It was just enough to make him seem to stink to another vampire up
close. He didn’t want his scent to be recognizable should he not
kill all of these, because one or more could easily get away.
Thinking through his plan he couldn’t add any other precautions
other than to just walk away from it and let it happen. That wasn’t
acceptable.

He leaped and landed on the roof of
the house behind the target. In another second he was atop his
target. The street in front of the house was empty. He flitted back
to the roof access and found it still could be opened so he settled
at the front edge of the roof and waited, motionless in typical
vampire fashion.

A little over an hour later, he heard
and then saw a carriage approach. It stopped at the house and a man
climbed out. He assisted a lady from the coach and they went up the
stairs into the house. Ian flitted back to the roof access and
picking up his bag, he silently entered and closed the access hatch
quietly. He flitted to the bottom of the stairs and quickly tucked
three loaded pistols into his sash. Carrying the other two, he
cracked the door slowly. In seconds he was in the kitchen. He
glided through a dim hallway lit only by lamplight reflected from
the parlor and foyer. Hearing voices in conversation he froze
behind a tall armoire in the hallway even as he heard a man’s’
voice offering wine to his guest.

He thought
how many are in there?
while keeping his back to the wall so that he could see the
kitchen and could occasionally peek out to look toward the foyer.
That way he was less likely to be taken by surprise in case one of
them happened down the back stairs. He hoped that some of the
others had left for the evening, but dared not believe
it.

Shortly he heard the woman
say “Mauritarius, who are these men?” He wondered if he had heard
that voice somewhere before. Mauritarius said what sounded like
five names.
Good: maybe there are six
instead of seven
he thought. Mauritarius’
voice became lower just as someone scooted a chair across the
floor, so Ian never quite heard the ladies’ name. There was the
murmur of conversation and the sound of wine being poured in to
goblets.

Suddenly the woman’s voiced was raised
and had a stressful sound. “You want me to do what! That is insane.
I want you to take me to my home at once!” Laughter followed but by
then Ian was gliding into the parlor out of the dark hallway like
an apparition from hell. He shot the two who were flanking the girl
between their eyes and dropped his pistols whipping two more out to
shoot two more between their eyes. During the shooting, the woman
shrieked and shrank back in terror. The other two scattered in a
flash toward the foyer and the dining and sitting rooms beyond. He
turned to scoop up the girl and stared at her in shock. It was
Alyssa!

Grabbing a hassock he threw it through
a window that looked out over the tiny side yard facing the side of
the house next door. She was sitting in shock staring at him in
utter dread. He flashed to the sofa and scooped her up whispering
“Be quiet!” as he rocketed back through the kitchen and up the
three flights of stairs to the roof access. He raised the hatch and
quietly laid it flat. Then he scooped up Alyssa and rocketed out of
the access opening to the end of the gable and leaped across the
alleyway to the adjacent house. From there he leaped again to a
single story carriage house adjacent to that house. He sat her down
and whispered “Stay here until I return. Don’t make a sound;
understand?” She sat frozen in shock and dread.

“
Do you
understand?”

She nodded, wide eyed. Then she saw
the black form stand and seem to fly up into the
blackness.

In seconds, Ian was again going down
the stairs. With any luck the others would think he had taken the
girl out through that broken window. He readjusted his weapons and
tested the sword to be sure it wouldn’t bind. Then he checked the
dragon pistol and tucked it back into his sash.

Stealthily he glided down the access
stairs into the upper hallway. He glided out into the hallway and
froze, listening intently. For a while there wasn’t a sound. He
glided to the back stairway and crept down two floors into the
kitchen. Two men were talking excitedly saying “They took her and
went right out that window.”

“
They? I only saw
one.”

Ian reached up and removed his black
hood, securing it in his sash. He wanted one of them in particular
to know who he was.

“
One wouldn’t come in here
and do this.”

Rocketing from the dark hallway to the
parlor, eyes glowing a frosty blue, Ian said “One just did.” as he
struck the nearest one’s head from his body. Before he could turn
he felt a hot pain in his side and heard the roar of a pistol
behind him. In pain he nonetheless turned in time to see the
vampire with one foot bearing down on him with a short sword raised
over his head as he shouted “You?”

Ian just kept turning and made it into
a blurring spin away from the attacker as he drew his short sword
and rolled over the sofa. He rocketed around the room so fast that
he was running on the walls themselves in a blur of speed. By force
of will alone, he ignored the pain and rocketed toward the vampire
sword drawn, driving him back, his sword a glittering blur in the
light of the oil lamps. Ignoring the pain he fought with all of the
skill and power he had, twice switching his sword to his left hand
so fast as to barely be seen.

Soon he had inflicted four wounds on
his overmatched opponent. The vampire stumbled as he backed over a
chair in the dining room and that was all Ian needed. His foot
flashed up in a powerful blur and he kicked his opponent in the
stomach with all of his power. The vampire flew through the dining
room and landed flat on his back. Drawing the dragon pistol as he
leaped on top of him, Ian shot him in the face from less than a
foot away. There was a gurgling scream that was choked off when Ian
lopped off his head. Quickly he went to the other vampires who were
moaning, tossing and twisting, even as they were healing. He struck
the heads of all five from their bodies.

Stopping he took nourishment, draining
all of his flasks. There was a surge of energy and the pain receded
as the healing of the gunshot wound accelerated. Wasting no time he
quickly gathered the six heads. Snatching the tablecloth from the
table, he made a makeshift bag to carry them, knotting the four
corners. Scooping up all of the pistols he dropped them into his
ruck sack. Rocketing to the roof he leaped twice landing beside
Alyssa kneeling there in the dark. “I’ll return shortly.” he
whispered. Again to her wondering eyes he seemed to fly upward into
the blackness. She saw the knotted tablecloth and in curiosity she
reached over to touch it, recoiling with a whimper when realizing
what its grisly contents were.