Hunting For The Sun

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

The Vampires

It was dark and it was cold. I couldn´t sleep despite Persephone´s assurances that we wouldn´t be eaten during the night, and I kept my stake close by my side. My eyes scanned the door frantically as I sat up on the wooden crate-bed, my back leaned against the moist stone wall. The threadbare blankets under which we slept wouldn´t have kept a fire warm they were so old. I chewed on my lip and went back to raking a brush through my hair. We had been able to have a wash, which made me very glad. My hair was still damp, though, and the clammy odour of wet hair pervaded the entire room. I was also getting colder, which was saying something, as my breath was already misting before my eyes. I wrapped my arms around my knees and muttered a warming spell, but it only took the edge off. My power wasn´t strong enough to do any more until I´d had some sleep, so it looked like I was screwed.

I considered getting up and walking around to warm myself, but the thought of encountering any of the creatures with whom we were staying chilled me more than the cold, so I stayed put. The thought that I wouldn´t see the sunrise brought back several bad memories, so I blocked it out. Clearly there was no choice. Draco was the one who knew what to do, and he told us to stick with Persephone. Still, the cold, dank air was enough to give anyone the wibblies. I shuddered again and settled back to wait for my body clock to tell me that it was morning.

I wish that at this stage I could say `the morning dawned bright and early´, but I have no idea when it dawned or how bright it was. Skye turned over in her makeshift bed and blinked a few times groggily.

`Morning,´ she croaked.

`Maybe,´ I sniped.

`Point,´ she admitted, chuckling. `Cold in here, isn´t it?´

`Yes,´ I drawled. `Yes, it´s fucking freezing.´

`We should really find Persephone,´ she noted. `They should be coming back about now.´

`You mean they were out?´ I demanded, then remembered. Bugger.

Skye gave me a knowing smile and didn´t answer. `Come on, let´s go.´

I nodded and snapped my aching bones back into life. I waddled out after her like my legs had no joints until I managed to loosen up a bit. We found our way eventually back to the chamber, but not before all of the vampires had flown back in and settled around the edges of the room. Virginia sat regally in her throne, auburn hair spilling over her shoulders and glinting in the light from the braziers. She wore a long scarlet silk robe, cut deeply at the front to show off her milk-white cleavage. The vampire queen gave us a cherry-coloured smile as we entered and gestured for us to come and speak with her.

`How was your night?´ she asked us. `I´m sorry that it´s cold here. We have no need for the fires.´

`We understand,´ Skye nodded. `Don´t worry. We can take this sort of thing, can´t we?´ She nudged me in the ribs.

I nodded then went back to examining the toe of my boot.

`May we talk?´ Persephone asked us.

`We´d love to,´ Skye answered for me.

Persephone snapped her fingers and two chairs were positioned behind us. We sat down and I warmed my hands by a brazier.

`How long have you been a vampire?´ Skye asked.

`That´s to the point,´ Persephone laughed. `Well, it was when I was seventeen, so about ten years ago, in the war.´

We fell silent again. The war: No one wanted another one, but we could see it had to be coming. It had been brewing since the Light lost the last time. I bit my lip and scratched at my fingers.

`What time is it?´ I asked, looking back to the other two.

`About nine in the morning,´ Persephone answered after sniffing the air briefly.

`Can I go outside?´ I asked, desperate for fresh air and light.

Persephone wrinkled her nose. `Can´t see why you´d want to. There isn´t much to see up there.´

`I just want some air,´ I told her, getting more uncomfortable in the stale cellar every moment.

She shrugged. `Be on your guard,´ she cautioned. `The streets are no place for a lady these days.´

I nodded, deciding not to make any comment about where I grew up or what I had done with my life since then. I´m no lady, and I don´t pretend to be. What´s the point?

I made my way back through the trailing passages to the tiny hole in the stones and squeezed through it. The second I left the crypt, I felt the cool air on my face. It was like rain and just as pleasant after the darkness. I rushed up to the surface, almost laughing.

The light blinded me at first, but I grew accustomed after a minute. The street was somehow much less dingy this time. The sky was still scudding and grey overhead, but that didn´t seem to matter.

But when I brought my eyes back down to street level, the scene was nothing like as appealing.

Death Eater guards patrolled stiffly down the street. They carried all sorts of weapons the like of which I had never seen before. They were clearly magical, but some of the guards looked quite capable of disembowelling someone with a look. I tried to step back, but my body was frozen. Shiiiiiit!

A hand reached out and grabbed me before anyone reacted. I was pulled behind a pillar then into an open drain. I landed on my bum with a groggy splash. Pressed against the curved pipe wall before me was a young man, although, considering the locality, he could have been anything from about twenty to two hundred and twenty. He flashed me a quick smile and pulled the grate back in place with one hand. It clanged shut, and bars of light streaked over the dirty water. He shrank away and climbed the wall slightly. I looked down and saw that the grubby water had soaked fully up to the knees of his jeans, and his long leather coat trailed in it.

`Vampire, then?´ I asked, getting to my feet. He nodded.

`Mortal, then?´ he mimicked.

`Sure am,´ I nodded.

`I think I saw you last night,´ he confirmed. He ran a hand through his chestnut-brown hair, grinning slightly. Then he gave me an evil look. `You´d make a very beautiful vampire,´ he grinned, his blue-brown eyes flashing with mirth. I blushed.

`What´s your name?´ I asked loudly, trying to cover the moment.

`Ori,´ he answered, face straightening again. `You?´

`Rae,´ I told him.

`Oh, you,´ he nodded. I blushed again.

`So.... You the one shagging Draco?´ he asked directly.

I gaped at him. `I don´t see where that´s any of your business!´ I blustered.

He put up his hands. `Just asking!´

We did not, as you can see, get off to a very good start. In fact, it was a bad start. In fact, it was an awful start. Oh, screw this. I hated that vampire the moment I met him. That´s when I knew he´d be perfect. Well, I didn´t actually know, because I didn´t know it was possible, but you get the idea.

And now I realise that I´m rambling about something you don´t understand yet, so I´ll shut up. You´ll see later, though.

`Why did you bring me down here?´ I asked, ignoring his innocent puppy-dog-eyes.

He took on a conspiratorial air. `Secret,´ he said, tapping the side of his nose with one finger. `We wait here until they come.´

`Wasn´t it a bit lucky that I came out?´ I asked. He held up a hand, indicating that I should wait, while he lit up a fag. He sucked on it and looked up and down the pipe before shaking his head.

`No such thing,´ he told me. I tried to ignore the cloying smoke in that tiny area but found it hard and started to cough. He gave me an amused look.

`Sorry,´ I choked.

He shook his head again, dropping the cigarette into the water and crushing it with a boot. `Perse won´t let me either,´ he said. `She doesn´t like the smell.´

`She has a good sense of smell,´ I said, remembering her smelling what time it was.

`But she´s prissy,´ he added, putting one hand in his pocket and leaning back against the wall, crossing his ankles.

`She´s too clever,´ I agreed.

`But she´s as fit as hell,´ he grinned, sweeping his hand through his hair again. I guessed this was some kind of gesture to ward off the need for a fag. He licked his teeth.

I shivered. No one wants to be trapped with a vampire that´s desperate for a fag and is only not having one because of your presence, then starts licking its teeth.

`Cold?´ he asked, frowning.

`Uh... No,´ I lied.

He raised an eyebrow. `Suit yourself.´

`So...´ I began, shifting my feet out of the muck. `Why do you all live here?´

He pondered it for a moment, ramming both hands firmly in his pocket.

`Well, I guess this is a bit of a haven. The citizens don´t bother us, and we only take what we need from them. No children, no young women and no pregnant women.´

`Are you from all over the place? Only a few of you sounded Russian.´

`Well, I´m from Israel,´ he answered, tipping his head back to think. `Perse is from England. I think Louis was from America. There are lots of us. Perse founded the colony, though. Don´t know what she did.´

Ori gave another impatient glance up the tunnel and looped his thumbs through his belt.

`What about Draco? How do you know him?´ I asked.

`Gods, I only hope that when you get Joined you´ll stop asking so many questions,´ he laughed.

`Joined?´ I asked, panicking slightly.

`Made one of us,´ he explained slowly, looking at me with a frown. `Isn´t that what you´re here for?´

`No!´ I half-shouted. `NO!´

`That´s odd,´ he said, cocking his head to one side. `Oh well, too late now.´

`There must be some mistake!´ I protested. `You´ve made a mistake!´

`Shame,´ he said, shaking his head. I heard yells and turned to see Louis and a few others carrying Skye up the tunnel. `Off we go, then,´ he said brightly. He grabbed my arm so tightly that I fell to my knees.

`Rae!´ Skye screamed. `RAE!´

`What´s going on?´ I shouted. Ori smiled and smacked me in the mouth.

`I didn´t mean for this to happen!´ Skye cried. `I didn´t know what we were doing!´

One of the others broke away and helped Ori to lift me into the air. I couldn´t even thrash. I wasn´t ready for supernatural strength creatures yet. We were marched down the sewer to a large chamber, where a waterfall ran down to a lower pool as black as night and a concrete block rose above the ankle deep murky waters. Ori and his vampires carried us to this and threw us down. Ori stood behind me, holding me by the tendon between my neck and shoulder. Another vampire I didn´t recognise stood behind Skye, doing the same.

We squirmed into silence and waited with all the others. They were looking towards the tunnel through which we had entered, hungry anticipation on their faces. I began to sift through my memories of sunrise, and tears flowed. I bit down on my lip. What was happening to me? I was a simple sewer-girl, lost in the middle of Russia, part of a prophecy to save the world, with my own religious following and in love with my sworn enemy, just about to be made a vampire. Great. That´s what happens to normal people. My arse.

The chatter was muffled, and then Persephone came in. Well, she flew in. The little bat wheeled and plunged down to the far end of the aisle, where we had come in. She began a stately glide towards us, her mouth slightly open. Her sharp little teeth protruded over her bottom lip, and she gave us an eerie smile. She spun to face the gathering crowd.

`Friends!´ she began, cutting through the babble. `Today, we have two new members!´

They all cheered. I felt sick to the tip of my toes and I was scared out of my wits.

`As is customary, we will all feed from them!´ she announced.

Uh oh. Deeeep shit. I began to develop a prickling along my neck.

`Until they die,´ she confirmed. `Then they will be raised by whoever desires them and shall become their slave until they are approved.´

That didn´t sound too good.

`Any takers?´ she asked, looking around.

Behind me, Ori cleared his throat. `I´d like this one,´ he said, giving my shoulder a painful clench.

`Any others?´ Persephone asked, spreading her hands to the crowd. Many hands went up, but Ori, who was clearly some kind of leader, just glared at them, and most of them went down again. Persephone ignored all claims for Skye, saying she would take her herself. My vision was swimming and I couldn´t register my indignation at being sold off. I wanted to cry, but I was frozen.

`Persephone, a request?´ Ori said loudly, cutting through the excited conversations going on about drinking our blood.

She turned red eyes on him. `Anything,´ she said.

`I wouldn´t want this beauty defiled,´ he said, stroking my cheek with an icy hand. `Can I keep her to myself, if I promise you another one?´

Persephone considered this, seemingly.

`I feel the same about my Human,´ she decided finally. She turned back to the crowd. `Others will be brought!´ she told them. They looked angry, but Ori bent his head to my neck, pushing my head over to one side, and they fell silent in anticipation of the sight.

I screwed my eyes tight and clenched my teeth. But then I felt his breath against my neck.

`Don´t panic,´ he whispered. `Look as though I´m really hurting you.´

I tried not to frown, telling myself that this was just a way out. I nodded slightly.

`Ready?´ he muttered. I nodded again.

Then he plunged his gaping mouth down to my neck and sank his teeth into the skin. I screamed in pain, feeling hot needles stab into my flesh, then proceed to burn me fiercely. I felt warm blood pour over my skin and soak into my clothes.

Even so, I could tell that he hadn´t really hurt me. It was too far over. He drew his teeth out, hurting badly. I kept screaming for effect.

`Fall down,´ he muttered into my hair, then stood up. I collapsed to the ground, closing my eyes. I felt an arm slide under my chest and another behind my knees. Then the floor moved away from my back and I was lifted up. Ori was walking, but I didn´t open my eyes to see where. I hoped that some arrangement had been made for Skye too, but I wasn´t about to break my code of honour NOW, was I? Not after all this time.

Ori shouldered a door open and dropped my on a bed, going back to lock the door.

`Are you alright?´ he asked, kneeling down beside the bed.

I peeled my eyes open and looked at him.

`Oh, sure I am,´ I drawled. I sat up, pressing a hand to my bloody neck. `Why did you save me?´

He shrugged. `I know we´re not done with this yet,´ he said. `Besides, I couldn´t spoil your lovely face with these stupid buck-teeth, could I?´

`Your teeth are fine!´ I shrilled. `Bloody sharp!´

He grimaced. `I know. Have you ANY idea how painful it is to bite your tongue with these babies?´ He flicked one with a nail.

I laughed, then winced at the pain in my neck. I touched a hand to it and focused on the funny healing spell thing. The cuts stung as salt from my sweaty fingers got in, but I ignored it. The tingle melded the cut back together again, leaving it raw and throbbing. Ori used his sleeve to wipe the blood from my skin, and I smiled at him.

`Thanks,´ I said. He shook his head.

`That´s what friends are for,´ he shrugged.

`You´re my friend?´ I asked, surprised.

`I know what I have to do,´ he said, shrugging again.

`You have to do?´ I frowned, sitting up fully.

`Don´t you know?´ he asked, puzzled. `But can´t you feel it?´

`Know what? Feel what?´

`That I´m one of the Blessed Ones too,´ he told me.

`Blessed Ones?´

`The ones in the Prophecy!´ he snapped, exasperated.

`How do I not know that you´re one of us?´ I frowned, repeating his question.

He didn´t even nod.

`I can´t feel anything. What am I meant to feel?´

`You should just know,´ he told me, shaking his head and burying it in his hands.

`You have no patience!´ I protested.

He looked at me from between his fingers. `We vampires aren´t too renowned for our patience,´ he grinned. Bloody changeable.

`I can tell that,´ I drawled.

`So, how´s old Draco?´ he asked.

`I think he´s fine,´ I said stiffly.

`Enjoying the... sunsets?´ he asked slyly.

`I shall ignore you,´ I sniffed, closing my eyes and looking away.

There was silence, and I was on the verge of looking back before I felt a cool hand slide up the back of my coat against my skin. I gasped, and he slipped his other hand around my stomach. He pulled me back against him until I was sitting in his lap, totally helpless. He rested his chin on my shoulder and took a deep breath in my hair.

`You must be tired,´ he said in a hypnotically smooth voice. Suddenly, that was so clearly true. My head lolled back against his shoulder and I slid down a little.

`That´s right,´ he murmured. `Get comfy.´ His cool hands caressed my skin, and I shivered, smiling.

`Now, when you get back to Draco, tell him that Ori´s got one up on him, and the score is thirty-five thirty.´