Pure (Book 1, Pure Series) (39 page)

           
"The little one is safe," the man said lightly.

           
"Get out of here," William snarled.

           
"As I said, the little one is safe.
 
We have not had much success feeding on your kind.
 
Or in turning them either – though as you well know, there are exceptions."

           
William turned to me, startled.
 
"My kind?"

           
"Yes, William," the man said patiently.
 
"She is part Sídh.
 
Your senses are not as keen as they should be – otherwise you would have detected that fact yourself.
 
That's what you get for not feeding properly."

           
William looked at me as if I had betrayed him.
 
I was at a loss to understand his expression.

           
"You must not blame her," the man said.
 
"From what I understand she didn't know herself, until recently."

           
I felt a little stab of panic run through me.
 
The idea that this strange, light-eyed man had heard news about me was not a pleasant one.

           
"You know about me?" I asked.

           
"Yes, Katie Wickliff, we know you are the Little Sun.
 
New travels swiftly in the supernatural community."

           
The look on William's fact changed to shock.
 
"Katie's the Little Sun?"

           
A tiny smile curved the man's lips.
 
"Such a pity.
 
Not either one, yet you could be stronger and sharper than both if you chose.
 
Please try to think, William.
 
Why do you imagine that Gleb Mstislav has been tracking her?"

           
The lines in William's face hardened.

           
"Who are you?" I asked the strange man before us.

           
The man gave me a stately nod.
 
"My friends know me as Innokenti."

           
Following an instinct that left me feeling uneasy, I asked him another question.
 
"What are you?"

           
"I am a vampire," he said simply.

           
Fear lanced through me.
 
"Really?"

           
Innokenti smiled broadly so that I could see his very sharp teeth.

           
He was indeed a vampire.

           
"Don't look so shocked," Innokenti said in amusement.
 
"We have lived in these woods since long before you were born."
 
He titled his head to the side.
 
"I think you may not quite understand us.
 
Ultimately, we are beneficial.
 
Your friend William here is a vampire, too.
 
Well, he is after a fashion.
 
His situation is rather complex."

           
I looked up at William.
 
"Is this true?"
 
I felt a chill slither down my spine.
 
"Are you a vampire?"

           
William's face seemed set in stone.
 
He didn't answer me.

           
I turned back to Innokenti.
 
"Why are you here?"

           
He glanced up at the clear fire.
 
"I was attracted by the bright light, and I had to see what it was.
 
Speaking of bright light, would you mind dimming that thing?
 
It hurts my eyes."

           
I didn't know how to do what he asked, and I stared at him in a way that I hoped looked defiant.
 
I had heard that the clear fire wasn't harmful to vampires, but I'd also heard that they didn't like it and could be driven away by it.
 
It seemed to me the only defense I had against him.
 
I didn't want him to see that I didn't know what I was doing.

           
"Very well," Innokenti said.
 
"If it makes you feel safer, leave it on.
 
But I can assure you that you have nothing to fear from me or others of my kind.
 
On the contrary, I am very pleased that you have made your discovery.
 
A kost, when he is unleashed, will make no distinction between the supernatural and the mundane.
 
He preys just as freely on vampires as he does on more fragile humans."

           
Innokenti turned his attention to William.
 
"You see?
 
This all works to the good.
 
You need not look so miserable.
 
Our Little Sun here has found what is known as the 'clear fire.'
 
You may have heard of it, but you haven't seen it before, I am sure.
 
I have seen it, and I know what it can do.
 
Katie's purpose is the same as yours, William.
 
The two of you should work together."

           
I seized on his words.
 
I still didn't want the vampire to know how little I understood about the clear fire, but I felt it was worth questioning him.

           
"Galina Golovnin," I said, before I lost my nerve.

           
Innokenti raised his eyebrows.

           
"Do you know her?" I asked.

           
"Yes."

           
I went on in a rush.
 
"She said I can use the clear fire to separate the evil spirit from the body of the kost and stop it for good.
 
Is that true?"

           
Innokenti smiled.
 
"Yes.
 
There are two ways to stop it – one is open to you, the other to William.
 
With the clear fire you can drive out the evil spirit, but you must make it glow with the fire of a thousand suns.
 
That takes a great deal of power."

           
Innokenti's eyes flicked to William for a moment, and then back to me.
 
"As I said, the other method is open to William.
 
He must wrestle the creature back into his grave.
 
Gleb died and was buried and rose again as a kost.
 
He must be forced back into the Mstislav crypt and then into his stone tomb – not an easy task, considering the kost's power.
 
No human could do it, nor an ordinary vampire.
 
In ancient days, we would have said it required the strength of a hero."

           
His eyes flicked to William once again.
 
Then he smiled at me.
 
Innokenti's smile was a disturbing thing.

           
"As for Galina, be careful how much you associate with her."

           
I remembered what Aleksandr had said.
 
"You are suspicious of her?"

           
Innokenti inclined his head.
 
"Yes."

           
"Why?"

           
"In our capacity as the protectors of these woods and these people, we vampires watch everything.
 
We knew of your mother.
 
We knew what she was.
 
We also watched her grow sick and weak.
 
But her illness was not natural.
 
The Sídh do not succumb to sickness the way ordinary mortals do – not even the half Sídh.
 
She was poisoned, and she was poisoned on a regular basis.
 
Her Sídh strength protected her for a time, but her body eventually failed.
 
Anything with a body can die.

           
"Galina gave out that your mother was poisoned by Gleb, though she claimed she did not know how exactly.
 
But we watched your mother everywhere she went, and we kept watch over everyone who passed by her house.
 
Neither Gleb nor any of his agents ever went anywhere near your mother."

           
"You think Gleb couldn't have poisoned her," I said.

           
"Exactly so.
 
We think the poisoner was someone she knew well – someone she saw every day.
 
You and your cousin were surely too young.
 
Your father died weeks before your mother did – so if he were the poisoner, her symptoms should have begun to decrease.
 
But they actually grew worse.
 
That leaves your grandmother and Galina.
 
We can't entirely discount your grandmother.
 
However, it's a rare woman who would poison a grown daughter – especially when she had been a loving and attentive parent in that daughter's childhood.
 
To us, the likeliest suspect is Galina.
 
She had plenty of access to your mother, and she has a kitchen full of strange items.
 
In addition, Galina, more so than anyone else would know what would work on an unusual person like your mother."

           
I was horrified.
 
"You have to be wrong.
 
Why would Galina do something like that?"

           
"Who can know the human heart?
 
Perhaps it was jealousy.
 
Galina studied the supernatural for a long time.
 
She wanted to be special.
 
Your mother actually was.
 
We believe that it is possible that Galina has been secretly working for Gleb for a long time.
 
And someone let Gleb out of the crypt – Galina has that type of knowledge, too."

           
"A vampire could open the crypt," William said.

           
"True," Innokenti replied.
 
"But none of our number would to it.
 
After all, Gleb can destroy us, too.
 
The spirit within Gleb is far older than we are."

           
I hadn't known Galina for a very long time, but the way she had talked about my mother made it hard for me to believe that she would have poisoned her, or let Gleb out of the crypt.
 
But a little voice in my head reminded me that she had led me into a trap that very morning.
 
Still, I shook my head.
 
"I don't believe it.
 
I can't believe Galina would do such a thing."

           
Innokenti spread out his hands.
 
"We are not the law.
 
We do not gather evidence.
 
We do not put people on trial.
 
In our capacity as protectors we watch and observe.
 
We don't know, but we suspect."

           
I frowned.
 
"You said something like that before.
 
What do you mean by your 'capacity as protectors'?"

           
Innokenti smiled broadly again, showing his teeth.
 
"As vampires, we have certain gifts – advantages that humans do not have.
 
For example, we have greater speed and strength, heightened senses, powers of persuasion.
 
And there are darker things than vampires in these woods – things that are dangerous to humans.
 
We can't handle everything, but we do keep many truly horrible creatures in check – creatures I hope you never have the misfortune to encounter."

           
"So, you're saying you're beneficial?"

           
"We like to think so.
 
We consider our condition a calling.
 
As I said, we have advantages that humans – including part humans such as yourself do not have."

           
There was a feral gleam in his eye as he spoke, and I fought the urge to run.

           
Innokenti continued.
 
"Our ranks have been growing – there are new vampires every day.
 
That means something is coming.
 
When supernatural conditions grow more dangerous for humans, our kind grows thirstier.
 
I have seen it before.
 
So, yes, I do believe we are beneficial."

           
I felt like my line of questioning was a dangerous one, but I also felt compelled to go on.
 
I had to know what I was dealing with.
 
"You say you are beneficial, but you still—"
 
I stumbled over my words.
 
"You…you actually feed on humans.
 
Sometimes you even kill them."

           
Innokenti shrugged.
 
"There's a price to be paid for everything."

           
He surveyed William and me for a moment.
 
"Well, you two seem to have everything in order.
 
Incidentally, if I were you I wouldn't attempt to fight the kost tonight.
 
Don't seek him out in his own lair – he isn't alone.
 
Wait till he comes for you.
 
He will be alone then.
 
And he will come for you, little one.
 
Good night."

           
Innokenti took a step backward, and then melted into the darkness beyond the stone circle.

           
After the vampire disappeared, I felt myself breathing easier, and yet there was still one standing next to me.