More Than Mortal (20 page)
Authors: Mick Farren
Renquist caught her easily with his left arm, as though they were about to dance. His right hand slipped into the pocket of his leather jacket, closing around the smooth silver tube. “You never will.”
“I don’t mind.”
The tube was out of his pocket, and he thumbed the button. The sharp steel spike snicked out. “I know.”
As the steel pierced her throat, she emitted a soft gasp, and she gave up her fantasies to drift like insubstantial gossamer balloons, regrets for what had never been and was never to be. A dreamland of purple romance, handsome men, expensive cars, and impossible idyllic and uncomplicated sexual gratification, shopgirl clichés of satin sheets, champagne, and silk lingerie. Renquist put his lips to the flow of blood from her throat and gradually reduced the images to pure pleasurable abstraction. Despite nostril and navel rings, her life had been deadeningly circumscribed, and she let it go like a Technicolor movie fading to black, or the sunset dying into night. Her body went limp, and he lowered it to the ground. She was gone, as though she had never been. Too many humans for every one of them to achieve even small significance. No wonder they killed themselves in such numbers. He turned and spoke into the mist. “Gallowglass?”
“Aye.”
Renquist glanced at the blonde. She was completely unaware of all that had transpired. To also feed on her would be excessive. Not that Renquist was averse to excess in its rightful place, but this was far from being the rightful place. One human would energize him and make him far more able to deal with the tag-team tactics of Columbine, Destry, and Marieko. Two would simply be gorging. It would show in his eyes and the color of skin. “I think the one will be enough.”
“Th’ Lord Fenrior specifically instructed two human lassies be supplied f’ ye.”
“I don’t need to prove my manhood with gluttony.”
“I din’a think tha’ was m’ lord’s intention.”
“Could I offer the remaining one to you?”
Gallowglass stepped from the fog he’d created, leading the black horse. He looked down at the dead girl at Renquist’s feet and then at the still-standing blonde. “I neither think tha’s what m’ lord had i’ mind.”
“Would you be insulted if we were to consider her a gratuity from me to you?”
Gallowglass all but smiled. “I’m never insulted by a gratuity, Master Renquist.”
He handed Dormandu’s reins to Renquist, and now it was his turn to move off to a discreet distance.
After a long silence, Gallowglass spoke. “Ride back t’ th’ lassies, Master Renquist. I will dispose o’ th’ leavin’s.”
He picked up both the corpses and tossed them effortlessly into the back of the car. Gallowglass was not only a mist-shifter, but immensely strong. Renquist stroked Dormandu’s muzzle and climbed back into the saddle. “Gallowglass …”
Gallowglass was in the act of getting into the Rolls himself. “Aye, Master Renquist?”
“Thank you for the mist. It was a nice touch.”
“There aren’t many o’ us left i’ these modern times.”
“You sound as though you don’t favor modern times?”
“D’ ye, Master Renquist?”
Without waiting for a reply, Gallowglass released the brake and let the car roll forward until it gathered some speed. He then must have let out the clutch, because the engine suddenly came to life. Dormandu arched his neck as though taken by surprise. Renquist petted the horse and turned him in the direction of Ravenkeep. “I don’t think I care to explain the last half hour to your mistress and her companions.”
Columbine knew in an instant. Renquist had fed. The signs were blatantly evident: the faint flush and the sheen of excitement on his skin, the slight veining in the whites of his eyes. They all told the story. Maybe Destry and Marieko wouldn’t have noticed, but Columbine had fed with Renquist in the old times. Although—to her initial chagrin and later fury—they had never bonded, she had seen him more than once immediately after a kill. It may have been a very long time ago, even in nosferatu terms, but it was something one didn’t forget. Her first reaction was one of proprietary outrage. Victor had gone off on Destry’s huge black horse and then, so full of himself he’d thrown all caution to the winds, actually stopped to feed on some human from the surrounding countryside. As she was starting to entertain visions of a massive police investigation, roadblocks, and a countywide manhunt, she abruptly realized, no matter how much she might resent or dislike him, she could not reasonably accuse Victor of being either stupid or careless. Quite the reverse. He was dauntingly bright, ultra-wary, and painstakingly judicious in everything he did. He would no more slaughter random humans so close to even a temporary home than he would attempt to fly in the air. If that was the case, though, on whose blood had he been so obviously feasting?
Once again, Victor had interrupted the three of them in the large drawing room. Destry had straightaway left to check on Dormandu, to see that the horse had suffered
no ill effects from being ridden by Renquist. As Destry made her exit, Renquist had stepped more fully into the light, and Columbine had known. Coolly deciding that a planned but seemingly hysterical confrontation was probably the only way to elicit the truth, she flung out a theatrically accusing arm worthy of Sarah Bernhardt in her prime. She could only just resist placing a clenched fist to her forehead. “You have killed tonight, Victor.”
no ill effects from being ridden by Renquist. As Destry made her exit, Renquist had stepped more fully into the light, and Columbine had known. Coolly deciding that a planned but seemingly hysterical confrontation was probably the only way to elicit the truth, she flung out a theatrically accusing arm worthy of Sarah Bernhardt in her prime. She could only just resist placing a clenched fist to her forehead. “You have killed tonight, Victor.”
Renquist’s response was glacial rather than guilty. “I really don’t think that’s any of your concern.”
Columbine was momentarily fazed, but she quickly recovered. “You’re a guest in my damned house, Victor. It’s very much my concern if you intend on galloping around in the night, slaughtering the locals like the headless horseman.”
“You know very well, my dear, I would do nothing of the sort.”
“But you’ve fed. You don’t deny that, do you?”
Columbine had half expected Marieko to be reacting with embarrassment to what could be looked on as a second angry encounter between her and Victor in twenty-four hours, but she was gratified to find her also staring intently at him, also wondering where he might have found a victim while on horseback on the open downs.
“How and where I might feed is simply none of your business, Columbine. Assure yourself I’m both tidy and circumspect, and that’s all you need to know.” Before Columbine could formulate a reply, he turned to Marieko. “I realize tempting me with the Uzbekian was a ploy to get me away from the house so the three of you could talk in private, but I really think it’s time you took me to see this supposed artifact. I’ve come a long way. My entire interest is to discover the nature of this alleged power source, and I certainly don’t intend to stand here and be subjected to some overwrought interrogation. So
shall we go, or do I hire a car to take me back to London?”
shall we go, or do I hire a car to take me back to London?”
Columbine wasn’t exactly sure what she intended to do. Renquist may have played all his cards, but he also seemed to have won. Afterwards, all she could recall was an overwhelming red rage. Fortunately, Destry came through the door before she could act, just in time to catch the end of the conversation. “I wouldn’t call the cab quite yet, Victor.”
Renquist at least had the decency to look a little disconcerted. “No?”
“Not until you explain why Fenrior’s closest henchman should be bringing you a brace of warm victims as a gift.”
Columbine let out a slow hiss. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. She expected Renquist to be arrogant and overbearing, but not to openly betray them. “He met with—”
“He met with Gallowglass.”
“Gallowglass? Fenrior’s creeping shadow?”
“That’s the only Gallowglass I know.”
Columbine slowly turned and faced Renquist. Destry moved up beside her. At the same time, Marieko got to her feet. Columbine couldn’t believe the sudden and radical change of course. Without the slightest effort on her part, Victor had seemingly done the impossible. He had united the entire troika against him.
Renquist found himself again facing three dangerously angry females. An undivided and savagely united force, they dared him to talk his way out of this predicament. Columbine hissed a second time, threatening and reptilian, and reality receded as a perilous anger turned the room scarlet and purple. The air cracked with furious energy, and rationality was lost in the movement to physical conflict. Renquist knew, if the three attacked him with equal determination, the odds were definitely in their favor. Should he manage to emerge without
having suffered complete destruction, he would still be badly mauled. Fangs were already extending and hands tensed into damaging claws. Without looking, he judged the distance to the crossed sabers on the wall. He wondered, if worst came to worst, could he leap for one or both of the blades before the troika dragged him down? Perhaps with a weapon in each hand, he could fight his way out. If he could decapitate one very quickly, ideally Columbine, he might just make it out of Ravenkeep intact.
having suffered complete destruction, he would still be badly mauled. Fangs were already extending and hands tensed into damaging claws. Without looking, he judged the distance to the crossed sabers on the wall. He wondered, if worst came to worst, could he leap for one or both of the blades before the troika dragged him down? Perhaps with a weapon in each hand, he could fight his way out. If he could decapitate one very quickly, ideally Columbine, he might just make it out of Ravenkeep intact.
At that point, Renquist caught himself. He realized his own, mindless, undead gorge was rising, and very shortly, no one in the room would be thinking clearly if they were thinking at all. He had to make one last attempt to restore sanity before all was a heedless ripping hell of steel, flesh, and bone.
“Wait!”
But Columbine’s rage had driven her past judgment or language. She sprang at him with a sound between a hiss and a howl. Renquist deftly sidestepped, at the same time throwing all his energy into the voice of command. “I SAID WAIT, DAMN YOU!”
Columbine actually recoiled, but she instantly recovered and came back at Renquist. The only positive factor was that her response was at least verbal. She retained the tone of an angry cobra, but did form words. “Wait? Why? So we can listen to more of your deceits?”
“How do you know I met with Gallowglass?”
All previous empathy had gone from Destry Maitland, but even when psyched to kill, she retained an essential colonial cool. “The horse gave you away, Victor. Dormandu has a memory, and he lets me read it. That’s part of the bond.”
Marieko felt a need to amplify. “The horse is like a recording machine. Destry went to the stables and she saw. She saw Gallowglass arrive in the Rolls. She saw the victims. She saw him create the mist.”
Renquist played his ace. “And does Dormandu speak English?”
The females looked at each other. Destry raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“You saw what happened, but did you hear what was said?”
“It seemed fairly obvious. Gallowglass came from Fenrior and provided you with prey.”
“And you think that was at my request?”
The fire in the air receded as thought took over. Auras became slightly less intense, but Renquist knew his position was still fraught. Perhaps, though, he now he had a chance.
“How could it be otherwise?”
Marieko had asked the question, and with her it was possible to argue logic. “You ask how could it be otherwise, and I can only respond ‘How could it be?’ I arrived in England a little more than forty-eight hours ago, but you seem to think I’ve had time both to travel down here and consummate a conspiracy with a clan in the remote Highlands of Scotland, and then have one of their retainers drive all that distance, picking up a pair of human nightclub trash on the way, to meet me and feed me on a random hillside, when I just happened to be out riding because you three had felt the need to get me out of the house so you could talk about me in private. Wouldn’t that seem something of a challenge even to my supposed diabolic powers of duplicity?”
Marieko was clearly impressed by the cleanliness of Renquist’s reasoning. She glanced at Columbine. “He makes a persuasive case.”
Columbine merely hissed. “I still think he’s lying.”
“It could well be Fenrior was aware of Victor’s arrival in this country and sent Gallowglass to intercept him.”
“He’s the very worst kind of liar. He uses the very hollowness of his lies to give them the ring of truth.”
“Fenrior would be naturally curious why Victor Renquist should be visiting us.”
Renquist said nothing. He could let Marieko make his case for him, even if it cut no ice with Columbine. He preferred it when they were one against another rather than all bearing down on him.
Columbine was shaking her head, keeping reason at bay. “I still believe he’s in cahoots with Fenrior.”
Renquist knew he must not in any way react. He had divided the troika, and they hadn’t noticed. If he let slip even the faintest twitch of triumph, they might be back to reckless tooth and nail in an instant. Now he pressed to put the females on the defensive. “Words like
betrayal, conspiracy
, and
cahoots
would tend to indicate a state of hostilities. I wasn’t aware Ravenkeep was at war with Fenrior, and such a thing was definitely not mentioned in any of your letters. Is there some disharmony with the Highland clan? Don’t you think I should have been warned if such was the case? I might have thought twice about walking into a war.”
betrayal, conspiracy
, and
cahoots
would tend to indicate a state of hostilities. I wasn’t aware Ravenkeep was at war with Fenrior, and such a thing was definitely not mentioned in any of your letters. Is there some disharmony with the Highland clan? Don’t you think I should have been warned if such was the case? I might have thought twice about walking into a war.”
Marieko and Destry looked at Columbine as though it was her place to explain. When she remained silent, Marieko attempted to be diplomatic. “It’s not so much we and Fenrior are at war—”
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