Three Days of Night (6 page)

We made our way through the other door and I nearly ran into a troll. I stood there for a moment just staring down at him before realizing how rude I must seem.

“I’m sorry, but I thought trolls were extinct. You are a troll, aren’t you?” I asked.

“The last of my kind.” He shrugged and his greenish skin rippled. “But there are other kinds of trolls.”

“He’s a troll?!” Morgan exclaimed. I had forgotten he couldn’t see anything.

“That’s right,” the troll replied. “A short little green one. Any more questions, smart ass?”

“Nope, that about covers it,” Morgan replied.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “We didn’t mean to offend. I’ve just never seen a troll before.”

“It’s understandable. I’ve never seen a real vampire. Of course, I’ve seen those Velkan creeps, but they aren’t the same thing.”

“You know what I am?”

He laughed, a surprisingly deep sound coming from such a little creature. “There are very few beings who could see me unaided in the dark. Those are just uv-goggles, aren’t they?”

“Yes, they are.”

“Could I see your face? There is no sunlight down here.”

“On the way out I’ll even show you my fangs. But if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not remove my hood until I feel the sun go down outside.”

He shrugged again. “Suit yourself. The party is this way.”

Chapter Five

We followed the little troll for what seemed like forever before I could hear anything besides the echo of our footsteps. It sounded like we were approaching some kind of party, just like he’d said. I could hear voices, loud music and was that an explosion?

“So, what are you doing with this guy?” the troll asked, gesturing back to Morgan. “I hear he’s a superhero. I didn’t know those were real.”

I smiled and the hood felt tighter against my face. I was seriously reconsidering showing the troll my face, just to get some air.

“It’s complicated.”

“He can’t even see in the dark. Seems like an odd choice for a vampire.”

“Hey,” Morgan said from behind me, “I can hear you, you know?”

“Who says we’re a couple?” I asked.

The troll only laughed in response and turned his back on me again, leading us farther down the hallway. Finally we came to a door. It was an old fashioned door, one that used a regular metal key. The troll swung it open and with another laugh said, “Have fun.”

The scene in front of us could not be taken in at first. This market really
was
underground! It was in a dome with an artificial atmosphere and everything! It was massive. There was one stage to my right where animals of different sorts were being auctioned off. The ones I recognized were thought to be extinct. The others I’d never seen before. The prices being called out for these were truly astounding. To my left looked like some sort of antiquities auction. But it was the stage directly in front that caught my attention.

Even though Morgan could see now, he kept his hand on my hip. I was glad for the contact, it made me feel safer. It’s strange that I felt I needed protection in this place. I mean, I’m a vampire, superhuman strength and all that. But something about this place felt
violent
. Maybe it was the explosion I’d heard on the way in. Either way, I was grateful to have someone else with me. Because if they didn’t give D back, I planned to start trouble.

Just as we entered a female cyborg led D onto the stage. I felt what could best be described as rage coursing through me. When I actually use my vampire abilities, such as strength or speed, I feel a sort of rush just before. It’s a little bit like the “fight or flight syndrome.” However you want to describe it, I knew something bad was about to happen. And if they didn’t give my friend back, it was going to happen to anyone who got in my way. Just then an announcer began to speak.

“Nothing like him as far as we can tell,” the announcer said. “So, it’s reasonable to believe he is the last of his kind. And just take a look at that body!”

“We’ve got to hurry,” I said, pulling Morgan along through the crowd.

I pushed past anyone who was in my way, no longer caring who I offended. That was my friend up there, my oldest friend other than Bob. Like me, Dr. Death didn’t age. I wasn’t about to let them auction off the only other immortal I knew.

At first glance I thought they had stripped him naked, but then I realized he was wearing a thong that matched his marble-white skin. His white hair seemed to blow in a breeze that touched him alone. As I ran up to the stage, Dr. Death turned his glowing blue eyes toward me.

It was at this moment that I felt the sun set outside and my strength began to return. Good. If I had to fight for him, I was now fully capable.

“The auction will now proceed.”

“The hell it will,” I said.

I leapt onto the stage in a single move and stepped in front of D. Morgan moved between me and the auctioneer as I turned to face the crowd.

“There has been some kind of mistake,” I began. “This man is a member of my crew. He was sent to pay the toll.”

“And he
is
paying it,” the auctioneer said. “Now step aside.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Morgan said. “He was sent down with currency to pay the toll in order for our ship to make port. He was
not
sent down to be auctioned off as a slave.”

The crowd erupted around us. Morgan reached to his belt and removed what we called his lightning rod. It was a metal rod about two feet in length with a large ball on the end, a perfect conductor for the lightning he controlled. As he walked to the center of the stage, lightning danced in his dark eyes, causing them to turn white. Sparks flew from his feet with each step and when he held the rod high, a bolt of lightning shot straight through the artificial atmosphere, knocking dirt loose from the surface.

“Dr. Death is going back with us. If any of you has an objection to that, I’ll bring this whole fucking place down.”

“You would die for him?” a deep voice echoed above the crowd.

“Who said anything about dying?” Morgan replied.

The crowd grew silent at the sound of the voice. In that moment of silence D put his hand on my shoulder and whispered in my ear, “Vivian, I was robbed. I am paying the toll the only way I know how.” His voice reminded me of rushing water. There truly was no way to describe it. It was deep, yet soft and subtle. Always there was the sense of water flowing, although it sounded nothing like it.

I reached behind me and patted his bare thigh. “We’ll talk about it later. I am
not
letting this happen.”

“Kik, is this your doing?” the voice asked.

Apparently Kik was the auctioneer, because he started to tremble when the voice spoke his name. A few gasps were heard throughout the crowd and I turned my attention to where everyone else seemed to be looking. There was a dark corner in the back of the room that even I could not quite see. This was where the voice was coming from.

“Who are you and what is this man to you?”

Somehow I knew the voice was speaking to me. Morgan and I had already said D was our crew member, so this question must be personal. A very tall dark figure became visible in the back of the room and I directed my answer toward it.

“I am The Crimson Kiss, and this man is
mine
.”

As I spoke I removed my hood and shook out my long red hair. I figured it would be wet and stick to my face and shoulders. But as I felt my hair fall down my back and heard the gasps from the crowd, I almost smiled. Sometimes being undead was really worth wild. Especially when you always managed to look good when you
knew
you should look like shit. Let’s hear it for vampire powers!

“So it is true.” The voice spoke so softly, so intimately that I fought the urge to glance behind me. I could have sworn someone besides D was standing there. Someone who wanted to touch me, to own me in a completely different way.

I watched as the dark figure drew closer. Up until this point, Morgan was the tallest man I’d ever seen in person. D, Ash, and Dark Dream were all over six feet tall. Bob was almost exactly six feet, so I was used to everyone being taller than me. But this shadow had to be at least seven feet tall. Talk about intimidating.

The figure glided up onto the stage, looking like it didn’t even take a step. Sparks still flew from Morgan. Strands of his dark hair rose as if floating. The crackling sound was scary enough. I could feel the electricity radiating from him and knew he was keeping it under control.

The figure stopped directly in front of Morgan and turned toward me. A dark hand stretched out to me. I’m not sure why, but I extended my hand toward it. The instant I touched him the darkness fell away as if he were shedding a cloak. Before me stood someone, like myself, who was rumored to not even exist anymore. Seeing him next to the six-foot-five Morgan, I felt I had estimated his height correctly. His skin was blue, like the clearest sky I could remember. And his eyes were like the depths of the ocean. A tempest raged there and I found it difficult to look away. He had a body to die for. Then again, I’m already dead. His chest was completely bare. A simple golden gauntlet on each wrist was his only decoration. He wore what looked like a long skirt that touched the floor. It was deep blue, darker than his skin, with a golden belt and a piece of golden cloth that trailed down the front of the material. When he moved again I noticed that he was barefoot. I’m not sure why, but I liked seeing his feet.

Normally, someone standing before me barefoot in only a long skirt would appear weak or unarmed. He was neither. His long fingers curled around my hand gently as he pulled me toward him. I wondered why Morgan didn’t stop him. Then again, I didn’t really want him to.

When he looked down at me I realized that what appeared to be long blue dreadlocks were actually made of flesh. They were thin, hair-like extensions of his scalp. It really did look like hair until you got as close as I was. That meant he could feel everything his “hair” touched. How interesting.

His smile may well have been the true death of me had I not remembered that I don’t
have
to let someone hypnotize me.

I shook my head and focused on his chest instead, which was right in front of me.

“You’re not supposed to be real.” My voice was breathy. I sounded all hot and bothered. Come to think of it, I was.

“I could say the same about you,” he replied. “If you say this man is yours, then he is yours. This auction will not proceed.” Lightning crackled behind us and he raised his other hand. “You can lower your guard, Jester. I mean you no harm. At least, nothing worthy of sending me flowers.”

It was then I understood that he was the new leader of Tarnak. He never released my hand as he turned his attention back to the auctioneer.

“Kik, you have not answered my question. Did you trick this man?”

The auctioneer shook so badly that I thought he might fall. “Y-yes. I had my men take the toll from him. P-p-pretend that they were the city guards.”

“So when he came to the real guards they had no choice but to bring him here.” It wasn’t a question. He sounded disgusted. When the auctioneer went to speak again he held up a hand. “Silence. I will decide what to do with you later.”

He looked back down at me and my heart leapt. How strange.

“You’re a djinn,” I whispered.

His smile was like switching on a light in the darkness.

“So few people even know that word anymore. How is it that you know it?”

I felt like we were the only people in the room. That our conversation was just between us.

“A long time ago, before I left Earth, I enjoyed the library. One of my friends used to work there. I’d help close up at night. I liked the really old stuff, the books you had to wear gloves to even touch.”

He seemed intrigued. “And you learned of me there?”

“Yes. What is your name?”

That was a stupid question to ask a djinn. They never tell people their true name. According to legend, knowing a djinn’s name is one of the ways to control them. Of course, there is a lot more to it than that, but it is a dangerous thing for them to reveal.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

He stroked the back of my hand and I ached with longing. I wanted to fuck him right there on the stage in front of everybody. And then I wanted to do Morgan too. This was dangerous. This was
very
dangerous. I licked my lips, wondering what he would taste like. Not just his blood, but his flesh.

He smiled again, a slight curling of his full lips. “You can call me Hud.”

He turned then to greet Morgan, but he still didn’t release my hand.

“I should thank you,” he said to Morgan. “If it were not for you, I would not be in charge.”

The sparks flying from Morgan’s extremities died down and so did the lightning behind his eyes. He laughed at Hud’s greeting and extended his hand. They shook and briefly exchanged pleasantries. But I still couldn’t get my mind off of his name. It rang a bell somewhere in my memory.

“Is it short for something?” I asked, tugging his arm gently.

“What’s that?”

“Hud, is it short for something?”

His eyes widened slightly and I could hear his heart beating faster. He seemed alarmed by my question. Hud put his arm around me and took a few steps away from everyone else. When he spoke, his voice was for my ears only.

“What do you know of me?”

“It
is
short for something, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” He stared down, deeply penetrating me with his gaze.

“I know your name,” I whispered. I’m not sure how, but I
knew
that the name I remembered from the old text was his. I just
knew
.

He leaned in closer and I placed my palm against his chest. My heart raced at the contact. His skin felt so good beneath my hand. I stood on tiptoe, straining to whisper in his ear. He bent closer to accommodate. I cupped my hand around his ear, my lips almost touching him as I whispered, “Ahihud.”

He pulled back and the look on his face told me I was right. Things just kept getting stranger. I mean, what were the odds?

“No one has known my name in a long time. It is a very dangerous thing for me.”

“I understand. I won’t tell anyone, I swear.”

Hud stroked my face and I leaned into his touch. “You really wouldn’t. How touching. You don’t even know me and you would keep my secret.”

“The book I found it in listed the names of angels, demons, and djinn. But a fire destroyed the library where it was kept. The librarian said it was the only copy known to exist. So, I’m probably the last person who knows your name.”