Hair, Greg - Werewolf 03 (5 page)

Chapter 9: Requiem

Standing nude among the mass of shredded dresses, kilts, and bodies, Nicholas surveyed his scene of destruction, the aftermath of the royal wedding. The village of Dalmally had, in essence, been wiped off the map.

“Tsukiko,” he said, “you can turn off the camera now.”

He heard a lone survivor’s labored breathing, only feet from him. The blood-soaked ground squished beneath him as he made his way to the dying Scotsman, reached down, and snapped his neck.

“This is just great,” said Serinda. “Did your ego get its fill today, Nicholas? I don’t know why I went along with this. All these people gone before we’ve even beaten Landon.”

“So?” remarked Nicholas.

“So, it’s gonna attract a lot of attention.”

“So?”

“You’re an attention slut, that’s what you are. I think all of this that we’re doing is about feeding your ego.” Serinda turned to Jamie. “I don’t think he knows what he’s doing.”

“Hey, I know exactly what I’m doing,” said Nicholas, pointing at Serinda. “You just need to stay out of my way, and do what I say. You think that just because you married Jamie, that you get to call the shots now?”

“I’m looking out for his best interest, and what’s going to get him to where he needs to be—in charge. I don’t see the point of what happened here today. I don’t see the point of a lot of things that you do.”

“I’m going to get him to where he needs to be, not you. And you don’t need to see the point, you only need to do.”

“Well,” said Serinda, looking at the field littered with bodies, “you’ve certainly made a mess of things now.”

“A mess, Serinda? You haven’t seen anything, yet. Tsukiko, I want you to upload the video on as many internet sites as you can think of.”

“What?” yelled Serinda.

“What?” asked Tsukiko, retrieving the electronic voyeur from the chair. “Upload it? I thought this was just for you to watch.”

“Just do as you’re told. Don’t be like her.” Nicholas nodded toward Serinda.

He watched Tsukiko walk away, video camera in hand, shaking her head.

“Now,” Nicholas began, turning toward Jamie and placing a hand on the teen’s shoulder, “if there are no more interruptions, you need to choose your successor.”

“Do what?” Jamie asked, nearly tripping over a severed leg.

“Choose your successor. You need to pick someone you trust to take your place should something happen to you on the field of battle. This person will acquire all your powers, the ones you will gain from Landon once you kill him.”

“You think I’m going to die?”

“No, of course not. We shall be victorious. Plus, I am here to protect you. But, when you kill Landon, because you are his child and of age, you will then become Consul, gaining all that he has. If something should happen to you, it won’t, of course, but if it should, then the Senate, their Senate, will have to vote for a new Consul, and you know it will be one of their own. You will be replaced by a werewolf of their choosing. Thankfully, his other two children are too young to take his place, but they will still need to be disposed of in order to eliminate any future threat.

“Therefore, you must choose someone to inherit your gifts, to ensure they do not gain the upper hand.”

“Oh. Okay. Who should I pick?”

“Well, it should be someone you trust. Someone you’re close to. Someone who you believe can carry on and complete our mission.”

Serinda approached Jamie from behind, taking his hand.

“Okay,” Jamie began, “I choose my wife. I choose Serinda.”

“What?” Nicholas felt his potent blood begin to boil, his powerful heart speed up, his arteries nearly bursting under the sudden increase of pressure. “I’m sorry,” he said calmly, “what did you say?”

“I pick Serinda as my successor. It makes sense to pick my wife.”

Nicholas watched Serinda, returning his stare, plant a kiss on Jamie’s cheek, never taking her gaze off the dark werewolf.

“Thank you, my love,” she said. “But nothing will happen to you. I will be here to make sure of that. We will rule together. And nothing, or no one, will stand in our way.”

Nicholas turned around, feigning an inspection over the dead around him, shielding the uncontrollable burning red of his eyes from the couple.

“That is your final decision then?”

“Yes.”

“So be it. King.”

Nicholas left the two lovers in the field of dead, returning inside Kilchurn. Storming past Tsukiko as she uploaded the video to numerous social sites, he made his way to the ubliet, and to Annelise.

Opening the heavy door, nearly jerking it from its hinges, the nude werewolf entered, and grabbed Annelise by her jaw.

“You will die. Your friends will die. Everyone you love will die. The whole world…will…die.”

Annelise mustered a slight smile.

“Something didn’t go your way?”

“I don’t know what’s worse—that he chose a woman, or that he chose a vampire.”

“You would never trust a woman to lead?” she asked in a low whisper.

“Women are good for two things: sex and birthing. And vampire women can only fulfill one of those,” he said, whispering the last part in her ear, making sure she heard the insult.

Nicholas started his exit when he stopped, hearing Annelise trying to find the strength to speak again.

“And yet,” she struggled, “it’s a vampire woman that is beating you at your own game. Good for her.”

Unable to contain his rage, Nicholas stormed back over to the pair of bodies hanging over the dark pit. Reaching up, he separated an arm from the dead, teen girl, and stripped the flesh from it with one swipe of his claw.

“Don’t worry,” he said, “I’m still not going to kill you, yet. And what I’m about to do would mean more—if where I put this weren’t already dead.”

With a great stab, he trust the bone into Annelise’s stomach, where her living womb would be found, had she had one, and left it there.

Nicholas stormed out the same way he had stormed in, past Tsukiko, who now stood, watching from one end of the hall into the ubliet, out Kilchurn Castle. This time, though, he left Annelise screaming.

Chapter 10: Requiem

Jamie awoke the following morning, from his lust-filled night spent with his new bride, to the sound of multiple voices in the Kilchurn’s Great Hall.

He stood outside his room, and listened, eavesdropping, to the conversations taking place.

“But he’s just a kid,” said one voice, in a British accent. “He has no experience in leading. He’s barely been one of us for a period of time.”

“Let not his age fool you,” Nicholas responded. “He has demonstrated an ability to learn quickly, and his anger and hatred for those that have tormented him, when focused, is quite powerful. What is the oft quoted phrase? Oh, yes—And a child shall lead them.”

“Spare us the Christian rhetoric. We liked what we saw on the video, but we liked what we saw of you. We didn’t see much of him. Does he have what it takes to get this done? I mean, we’re talking about going to war against our own kind—“

“For our own kind,” Nicholas interrupted. “I am staking our entire future on Jamie. He is the one that will lead us out of the valley of the weak.”

“Why him and not you, is all we’re saying?”

“Because, an ancient prophecy foretold of his coming and that he would be the one.”

“Is that true?”

“No, it’s not true! I’m not going to get into all the why’s, but trust that I picked him for a reason. That’s all you need to know.”

“Fine. But can he, will he, show us in him, what we saw in you?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself? He’s listening down the hall.”

Following the voices, he found, gathered with Nicholas, several men and women. He counted ten. Every voice stopped when he entered the room.

“What’s going on?” he asked. “Who are all these people?”

“Remember the video I took yesterday of the wedding,” began Nicholas, approaching, “and Tsukiko posted it on the internet? This is what I hoped would happen. These people are the first of your followers. They’re from here, in Scotland, and England.”

“My followers?” he asked. My followers, he thought.

“It’s time, Jamie. It’s time for you to lead.” Nicholas stepped aside, casually nudging Jamie to take center stage.

The teen stepped forward, watching all the strange eyes that watched him. He heard Serinda come up from behind. Her hand fell on his shoulder. Tsukiko stood in a far corner. Jamie prepared to speak when someone suddenly cleared their throat from among the crowd.

“Excuse me,” came an unfamiliar voice, a young man, a teenager really, not much older than Jamie, stepping forward.

“Yes?” asked Jamie.

“I have to ask—why should we follow you? You’re about my age. Now, I watched the video like everyone else, and I saw what Nicholas can do, so why should we follow you? I don’t even know this Landon guy, so I don’t care that you’re his son. I like the idea of being more than we are, which seems to be Nicholas’ idea, and I’ve got nothing to lose. So I’m not sure what makes you so special. I’m not looking for a fight or anything, I just want to know, why you?”

Jamie saw Nicholas, and felt Serinda, start to move toward the young man. Taking a cue from his mentor, Jamie raised his hand, motioning for his wife, and teacher, to back down. He composed his thoughts, and stepped forward, nearer to the Doubting Thomas.

“Nothing electrical. Werewolf, huh? So, you’ve seen what Nicholas is capable of and that’s what you like. Even though, I was on the same video, which you seem to conveniently forget. Well, it looks to me like your real problem is a lack of vision. You are blind because you have not seen what I’m capable of. You have not seen me demonstrate what I’ve learned. Have you ever heard that, when one is blind, their other senses become amplified to pick up the slack caused by the loss of another?”

“Yes, but I don’t understand what you’re saying,” said the boy. “You’re talking in riddles.”

“I wasn’t finished,” said Jamie, turning his back on the man. “You say you have nothing to lose when, in fact, you do. The questions are, how do I, as your new king, get you to see the vision and how do you get someone who says they have nothing to lose, to realize that quite the opposite is true? You get them to realize what they didn’t know they had, what they took for granted, by taking away that which don’t see.”

“I’m afraid I still don’t follow.”

“Well, since you are afraid, let me ask you another question—is it better to be feared or loved?”

“I don’t understand.”

“You’re about to. I think that, since you lack the vision, I need to help your other senses become magnified in order to aid your understanding of why you should follow me.”

Suddenly, Jamie spun around, his eyes blazing and hand half transformed. With a single swipe, he wiped the man’s eyes from his face, his two organs rolling across the floor as a shudder passed through the room, and the now blind werewolf fell to his knees, screaming, in front of Jamie.

“There. That’s better. Now you have learned to kneel before your king.

“Do not let my age trouble you,” he said, voice raised over the cries of the sightless, to the rest of the group. “I am your king. I am the one who will kill Landon Murphy and restore you to greatness. I have united the two species, werewolf and vampire, and with my queen by my side, we shall retake what was once stolen from us—our holy glory.

“If I will remove the eyes of one who merely questions, what will I do to him who holds us back, wanting us, all of us, to live in secret, in shadows and dark corners? Follow me and your authority over all beneath you will be restored. We will take the power from the few who possess it and redistribute it among the faithful masses. We…shall…rise again.”

Jamie turned, returning to Serinda, grabbed her hand, and led her back to their chamber.

Nicholas motioned for Tsukiko to help the blind teen to his feet, and to the kitchen.

“While my assistant cleans our comrade up,” he began, “I want the rest of you to leave here at once and spread the word to others, those who have seen the video and are still unsure, and those who have not seen. Share what you have seen and heard here today. We need as many troops as possible, for you can be sure that Landon Murphy will not come here alone and unaided. Tell them where we are. Tell them to join us. Tell them Landon is coming and we must band together to withstand the tide.”

Nicholas watched as the remaining nine werewolves and vampires prepared to head out the door.

Suddenly, Jamie returned to the room, walking briskly to the group about to leave.

“One last thing,” said the teenage king. “Kill those who will not follow.”

Chapter 11: Requiem

“Landon,” said Connor, entering the clearing where the Consul and LillyAnna sat, “there’s some people here to see you.”

“Who?” Landon asked, getting up.

“Don’t know. There’s five of them, asking for you. They just got here.”

“Alright.” He began to follow Connor back to the main building. “Lilly, you stay here. I don’t know if they’re looking for trouble.”

“I’m not staying here,” she said, jumping up and running to his side, grabbing his hand. “You’re so paranoid. I doubt five would show up to an island full of werewolves and vampires. I’m coming, too. I wanna see who it is.”

Reaching the tiny group of strangers, Landon reached out his hand.

“Landon Murphy,” he said. “And you are?”

“Friends,” said the only female, taking his hand. “I’m Piper.”

“You’re English. What are you doing way down here?”

“Are you taking the piss? Brits can’t holiday in Italy? Look, we were in the area when we saw the video. We heard of you, and we know who Nicholas is. Word spread about Burghausen and we got wind that you chaps set up camp here. So here we are.”

“Okay,” he said, his hand letting go of hers, as he looked at her small band. “Great. Thanks. What video?”

“You must be joking. You haven’t seen it? Got a computer?”

“We’ll have to go across the water,” said LillyAnna. “What’s it of?”

“Can’t explain, ma’am,” said another from the group. “You’ll have to see it for yourself. But, it’s why we’re here.”

Landon motioned for the group to enter a gondola, when Catalina came running up.

“Landon, I got the international manhunt called off. Wasn’t easy, but they’re not after you anymore.”

“Really? That’s great,” he said. “Thanks, Catalina. How’d you do it?”

“Like I said,” she began, seemingly annoyed at the prospect of having to explain the process she went through, “it wasn’t easy. Seamus and Jacob’s connections at Langley said they’ll get the word out. They want us to take care of Nicholas as soon as possible, though.”

“How do they know about Nicholas? We haven’t told them.”

“I don’t know really. Something about a video.”

Landon looked back at the gondola’s passengers, all looking at him with a told-you-so stare.

“Okay. I gotta go. Thanks, Cat.”

Reaching a plaza on the other side of the lagoon, Landon, LillyAnna, and their guests climbed out of the boat, and headed toward the nearest wi-fi connected café.

“Is it that bad?” asked LillyAnna, taking a seat at a small, blue, round table under a green umbrella, shielding her from the bright, golden, Italian sun that washed over the city.

“Just watch,” said Piper.

The computer wirelessly connected, Piper swiftly navigated to the posted video.

Landon and LillyAnna watched, their jaws dropped, in horror at the scene that unfolded on the screen. For several minutes they said not a word, Landon never taking his eyes away. LillyAnna, turned her head, and never looked back, once the carnage began.

Landon noticed over his shoulder, the stares of passers-by, locals and tourists, that noticed the video and the horror onscreen. Some gasped audibly, others brushed it off as something some kid created in his parents’ basement. A couple of teenagers gave the obligatory ‘cool’ reaction, which Landon clearly understood, even though it was in Italian.

“Oh my God,” Landon said, once it was all over. “People are watching this?”

“Yeah,” said Piper. “But, if you read the comments posted with it, unless you’re one of us, no one seems to be taking it seriously. It’s getting a lot of positive reaction.”

“Positive reaction?” LillyAnna asked, appearing disgusted by the banality of humanity.

“Well, people seem to think it’s not real. That it’s a trailer for a new movie, or something. Like the kids that passed by here a moment ago. They think it’s cool. They don’t understand that those people they’re watching are really dying. And that’s not their fault; we’ve kept our world from them. We have become the product of Hollywood, when the truth is that it’s the other way around.”

“That’s a good thing, though” Landon said. “We don’t need a panic.”

LillyAnna turned away again, looking out over the shimmering canal.

“What’s Bianca gonna do when she finds out Jamie’s married her sister?” she asked.

“She’s not going to find out,” said Landon, standing and closing the laptop. “We’re not going to tell her. The stress may harm the babies.”

“What are you two talking about?” asked Piper.

“It’s complicated,” said Landon.

“Look at what Nicholas has done to the sanctity of marriage,” said LillyAnna. “Look at what he’s done to the ceremony itself. He’s completely marred everything it stands for.”

“No, he hasn’t,” Landon said. “He hasn’t done a damn thing to marriage or the ceremony. What they did, before everything took place, only affects them. It has absolutely nothing to do with any other married couple.”

“Sorry, honey, but you wouldn’t know. You’re not married.” She breathed a heavy sigh.

Landon stood there, alternating his gaze between the setting sun and LillyAnna, until he finally locked his eyes on her, not turning away.

“Piper,” he began, “I need you guys to take a ride back to Poveglia. Lilly and I will be back soon.”

“What are we doing?” LillyAnna asked.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“What do you want us to do once we get there?” asked Piper.

“Tell people what you’ve seen on the video. Tell them I’ve seen it, and I’ll be back shortly. But, find Catalina, the one that stopped me before I got in the gondola, and tell her to make sure that Bianca doesn’t hear anything about the wedding. Make sure Jacinda and Connor know that, too.” He noticed the puzzled look on the British werewolf’s face. “Just ask around for them. It’s a small island.”

Landon, taking her by the hand, led LillyAnna to a different gondola. After whispering in the boatman’s ear, the vessel pushed off, and began its journey.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Somewhere where I can prove to you that some things still matter. A place where the ideals that you care about still exist.”

Their gondola drifted through the waves of plucking mandolins and Venetian serenades swept along by the romantic, physical exchanges of tourists and locals alike.

Landon and LillyAnna’s boatman pushed them along, making eye contact with the elder werewolf periodically, seeming to check if the male paramour would like to have their own personal concert. Landon shook his head each time.

As the vessel traversed the waterways, the couple watched the bustling plazas—the shops, restaurants, and cafes. Landon and LillyAnna observed the street musicians, the dancers, the painters, and the obvious drunk study-abroad college students.

LillyAnna reclined into Landon, and he held her close, running his hand up and down her arm.

“I’m feeling better,” she said.

“Good. I’m happy to hear that. I’m happy to be here, in Venice, with you. There are some magical places here, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to capture some of the magic from one special place tonight.”

Turning a corner, the gondola slipped into a small, watery alleyway, slowed, and came to a stop.

“Do you know where we are?” Landon asked.

“No.”

“Look up.”

Above their heads, spanning two buildings, was a bridge. The various faces that jutted from the bottom stared back at the couple.

“This is the Bridge of Sighs,” he began. “It connects the Doge’s Palace to what was once the prison. It got its name from the thought that those prisoners, who were led from one side to the other, would look out through the bridge’s windows and sigh at their last sight of their beloved city, before being ushered to dark cells below. All hope they had was left with that view.

“But, now, a legend says that when a couple kisses under the Bridge of Sighs, at sunset, their love will last forever.”

LillyAnna looked back toward the setting sun. Landon put his hand to her soft cheek, turning her back to face him.

“I want to give you hope again from hopelessness. That seems to be what we keep doing for each other, and I cannot think of a better definition for love. I love you. I have nothing, not even a ring. I have no fortune to give you.”

He watched her start crying, uncontrollably, as he continued.

“There is nothing special about me. I have countless faults, and I honestly don’t know why you stand by me. But, I don’t have to understand, I just have to accept. You bring life to this empty, broken shell of a man. I love you, LillyAnna.”

Rocking the gondola back and forth, Landon stood, then dropped to one knee. He looked into her brown eyes like he was staring into her soul.

“I love you, and want to spend the rest my life, however long that is, with you. You are the best parts of me that I will never be. LillyAnna McCourt, will you marry me?”

Any mortal man would have asked LillyAnna to repeat her answer, unable to discern what she said through her soft, quiet voice, and the sobbing, but Landon Murphy, with his heightened hearing, heard that most important word he waited for.

“Yes.”