The Diary of the Vam’pir Jacques (The Diaries of the Immortals #1)

Chapter Ten.

T he Kaltons hadn’t even stepped foot on Mora before they began to start trouble. The ungrateful assholes refused to be anywhere near us. It occurred to me that those who moved first were the ones who harboured the most hatred and fear towards the Vam’pirs. Despite our list of those who were banned from Mora, these were haters of Vam’pirs. But they were willing to believe the portend of disaster Marel had discovered.

They were proven correct about us, so they must be right regarding the comet, too. I am being sarcastic here . The Vam’pirs couldn’t believe what they were seeing or hearing. Gratitude was completely absent. Those who supported me, joyfully kept repeating ‘I told you so’ numerous times and with great glee.

Luckily, they didn’t land on Mora for a couple of weeks, as they wanted to pack all their goods and belongings. These Kaltons obviously believed there was some truth in what Marel had stated.

During that time, Li’zel and I, along with Ami and Nathan, had formed pairs, as had the others who mistrusted the Kaltons. We searched deep into the forest, looking for an ideal place to live.

Ami and Nathan soon located a set of caves set back in a wooded valley. As I looked down into it, I knew they had found our new home. The cave system was completely and utterly perfect.

The valley ran deep and wide. There, the trees grew wide and tall, and were in abundance. It would be an utter bastard to clear them, but it’d be done. The caves above the valley were deep, and no flicker of sunlight would touch us in their depths. We would be able to live in them and organise the valley in our own time. The valley was quite distant from Mora, and it would take them several days of travel to reach us.

Even better, there was a second set of caves at the end of the valley, that the Moran’s could shelter in during the planetary upheaval.

Indeed, there was no way of knowing the valley was there unless you stumbled across it by accident, as we had. The valley had narrow ends that could be easily defended if necessary. In the middle, the area widened, giving us ample space to build whatever we wanted. The walls were steep and were solid rock; you would have great difficulty trying to attack from above.

Also, the height of the trees meant, if we desired, their widespread branches would hide any buildings. It depended on how we built.

All Morans would reside here in peace—human and Vam’pir.

However, the decision was taken to separate the Vam’pirs from the Morans. Just for our protection.

The other Vam’pirs were shocked that we had searched and found somewhere. Needless to say, they were grateful we had, when the Kaltons faced us in heated anger and demanded we leave. The Morans couldn’t believe their ears and fell over themselves to apologise.

Morans offered to drive the Kaltons deep into the forest and leave them there to carve out their own life, but I reminded them that others would surely follow.

The agreement was to ensure the Kaltons lived far from both the Morans and us. We desired them at least three days away. If the Kaltons found their way back to the Morans, we would be warned they were coming. It protected both parties from possible attack.

Marel didn’t think the beach a safe place to leave the Kaltons. He strongly believed that there might be high tides caused by the collision of the comet. I’d have cheerfully left them to drown but was overruled. Leading them away from us, we found another wide valley that they could easily utilise. That offered at least five weeks journeying between the Kaltons and us.

I wished that I’d let the Kaltons rot, but general human generosity (not displayed by the Vam’pirs who were willing to let them die) refused. The Kaltons used emotional blackmail to push the Morans into looking for somewhere for displaced Kaltons to live.

It was Vam’pirs who found the New Kaltos for them. We would not help them build it; they would have to do that for themselves. Vam’pirs had given them some of our land; what more should we do for them?

Fuck them all, I say.

We did help build another Mora for our people, and they had decided that it should have a new name. They were to call it Har’ches—meaning hope in your language. Mora would be deserted. If it remained standing after the comet hit, maybe some people could come back and keep it as a border town.

Vam’pirs had just begun building Har’ches when the first boatload of Kaltons landed. Their ways remained unchanged during our absence. Instantly they began bickering with the Morans, not willing to understand the Morans had been prepared to help them.

Both Vam’pirs and Morans had discussed how the Kaltons were to be housed, and over a hundred tents graced the beach.

They were allowed to stay one night, and then they would begin the march to their new home. There, they could build it themselves, as I already have said.

This was met by outcries and several small riots. Fortunately, the Kaltons numbered only a hundred, whereas there were over three thousand Morans. (Quite a few were children, but the Kaltons did not know that.)

It was amusing that the Kaltons actually thought they’d be able to move into Mora and take it from the Morans. The sense of self-entitlement was disgusting. Kaltons were unwilling to work and construct a new home. They expected it done for them. Well, they got the shock of their life!

The situation the Kaltons were in was clearly explained to them, and if they didn’t like it, then they’re free to leave. Why should we care what they did?

Marel spoke to a few of the calmer and more rational people and managed to calm everyone down. Which was lucky, because we were quite willing to return them to the boats and defend our land.

It turned out that there were only forty-six dissidents among the first load that arrived. But those assholes were loud! The remaining Kaltons feelings were fuelled by fear that we would enslave them—or worse. The fact they were incredibly upset at leaving their homes back on Kaltos also made them erratic.

When most calmed down after being told Vam’pirs and Morans meant them no harm, they managed the dissidents themselves.

Indeed, they left a few gifts in a way of thanks for our help. The next night, one of the Morans teleported himself to New Kaltos, as it was to be called, and began to start teleporting Kaltons to where he was. I personally would have made them march for five weeks, but the Morans simply wanted rid of them, and so made their journey easier. It also left them not knowing where they were.

It was true they could attempt to teleport back. But camping on the beach, they hadn’t got a clear view of Mora. It was more likely they’d make a mistake when teleporting. Accidents had happened in the past when people had teleported themselves into rock faces or other immobile stuff.

Of course, it killed them outright.

Generously, we had given tools for the Kaltons to clear the woodland away and gave them other essentials such as grain and food.

Me? Personally? I’d have let them die.

The place we had chosen for the Kaltons, as I said, was a large, wide valley that would give them protection from the weather. It also had huge flat parcels of land that they could use as fields for growing food and rearing animals. They should be capable of using it effectively.

The land was big enough to hold thousands of people, and that was one reason we had chosen it for them. Vam’pirs meant for the Kaltons to stay where they were and not roam about the countryside, looking to expand and maybe finding the Morans.

As the New Kaltons were transported, the Morans made only one demand. The New Kaltons were still expected to donate their blood. They agreed willingly, thankful for somewhere safe to live.

This happened within the first four weeks after Marel had approached us. There were only six weeks to go till the comet hit, and changes were already apparent. Kaltos and Mora were struck by several large storms and tides were high over at Kaltos.

More individuals now trusted Marel’s words, causing a rush for spots on the boats. Every night, a thousand individuals sailed to safety, mostly older families without infants.

Marel came to us in despair. He didn’t know how to convince those with children to leave, and he was terrified at the potential loss of young life. The decision was made for the Vam’pir to rescue the children the night before the comet was supposed to strike. Even if it meant stealing them from their families.

Marel was horrified by this idea, but we didn’t see why the children should suffer for the blindness of their parents. The adults had become adept at burying their heads in the sand. Even now, they refused to believe that there was a comet, though it was clearly seen in our night sky.

People only saw what they wanted to. Two weeks before the comet was due to hit, we moved the bulk of the Morans to their new home. Mora became a ghost town with only fifty to a hundred people living in it. These had stayed behind to help move the rest of the Kaltons coming over. Morans knew they were in danger not only from them but also from the elements and were prepared to risk their lives. Each evening, as we had before, we helped build Har’ches just like we had built Mora. But we left a couple of Vam’pirs at Mora to protect our people.

To see Mora empty caused grief, but we hoped that we would be able to return and live there again. Tragically, that was not meant to be. The penultimate night before Kaltos was destroyed in the Reckoning, we moved the rest of the Morans to safety and kissed them goodbye.

Vam’pirs hadn’t started to build our own home yet; we were more concerned that the good-natured Har’chens were settled first. There was no denying that the comet meant to hit Earth square on, as the night sky was filled with white fire, and the sight of it frightened everyone. Morans, Kaltons and Vam’pirs alike. Although we had scientific evidence that Mora was the safest continent, we were all still scared.

After transporting the Morans to safety, we took a boat and sailed the sea over to Kaltos. The seas were some of the roughest we’d ever sailed, and Vam’piric strength was needed to keep them on point.

Vam’pirs planned to stay the night in our old coven in the cellar, where we would be safe. We landed on a deserted beach and silently made our way back to our first home.

Marel had promised to line up as many boats as he could to save the children the next night. Although looking at the high waves of the sea, it would be hard to sail them. Worryingly, tomorrow would be worse than what we had just sailed through. But we had sworn to try to save the Kaltos youth, and we would do our hardest.

When we saw our old coven, we couldn’t believe our eyes. It was utterly destroyed. Not a single wall was left remaining. Vandals had done their job well and completely tried to wipe our very existence away. The glass windows had been smashed to smithereens, and ceilings were pulled down.

As we scrabbled among the ruins, we found the cellar had been filled with rubble from the outer walls.

Vam’pirs had nowhere to stay that was safe. Out of desperation, we turned in hope that my father’s old villa still stood, but Anton had been right. It had burned the evening we left in that desperate chase.

Finally, we hoped Marel would be alone and chanced going to his home for hope that he would house us for the day. Marel was surprised to see us, thinking that we were coming the following night, but readily agreed to house us. It was the least he could do, he insisted, as we had helped him and the Kaltons.

The words were sour in my ears.

Remember, I and four others hadn’t wanted to aid and were quite prepared to watch Kaltos go to the bottom of the sea. (Which we did, eventually.)

Marel kept to himself all throughout the next day, even when people came pounding on his door demanding entrance as the comet filled the sky. Now, the fools believed, when it was too late.

Marel stubbornly refused to speak to them, and he had the foresight to anchor the ships out of reach with trusted people on board. I imagine they had a rough time of it, seeing that terrible thing in the sky, and holding firm and not fleeing. But Marel had chosen well, and they stuck to their duty. By midday we were awake as the sun had disappeared behind the comet. Changing our timeline, we began implementing the plan.

Sneakily, we began creeping about, going to dark houses and stealing the children within. We had to hold our hands over their mouths, frightening them deeply. They must have thought that their worst nightmares were coming true. Soon, the boats were full of crying and hysterical children. Of course, this alerted the Kaltons who had refused to leave, that something was happening, and soon, we had to flee for our lives.

By sunset, we’d saved as many as possible.

Marel had kept count of the youth that we had saved, numbering over five thousand when we fled with a mob on our tail.

We were all good swimmers, fortunately, and swam with ease towards the boats. Then we set sail for Mora.

Angry parents cried and cursed, but we were not taking the children back. Tragically, many of them had to be sedated as they tried to climb overboard into the heaving sea.

Halfway to Mora, a curse struck as a large wave upended one of the boats. We lost fifteen children, but the Vam’pirs had immediately dived in, knowing that we could not drown. Luckily, the boat had only been half full and had three hundred children on board, but to lose even fifteen was a tragedy in itself.

I swear the Creator helped us that night because we made it back through storm-ridden seas and huge waves to reach Mora without any further loss.

That journey would stay in my mind forever. The cries and screams of the children were heart-breaking to hear, and there was nothing we could do to reassure them. It was as if they knew they wouldn’t see their families again.

I didn’t believe in taking youngsters away unless it was absolutely in the child’s best interest. This was one situation that was necessary.

The waves made sailing perilous, and we were lucky only to lose just one boat. They rose higher than the ships, and we were tossed about like matchsticks.

Several times, Vam’pirs jumped in the roiling waves to balance a ship or stop one tipping over. Our strength kept the fleet alive and together. This was a miraculous feat in itself.

Finally, we were glad to see the shores of Mora in the darkness. Some thoughtful people had lit flares that would survive anything the weather could throw at us. The lights were like a welcoming beacon, and we steered for them, relieved to be home and safe.

As we dragged the children onto the beach, there was a bright flare. The impact of the comet in Iceland was so strong that it was felt worldwide. We were all knocked to the ground and prayed nothing more would happen. The children who’d been drugged were wide awake now and hysterical.

We desperately tried to regain order, and we adults feared that something else would happen. Mercilessly, we bullied the children into lines and made them begin to march through the forest towards high ground. Towering above Mora were huge cliffs, and they were what we were aiming for.

Marel, who had made it onto one of the boats, much to our relief, forced the youngsters to jog. He felt that something momentous was going to happen, and panic rose in him. It was best to listen as Marel was not someone to panic needlessly. Three hours remained until daybreak, and Vam’pirs could easily transport to our caves when we needed to. We could wait until the very last minute since it would only take a second or two.

Behind us, there came a loud noise and when we glanced back, there was a huge wave rushing towards us. From our vantage point, it looked to be at least a mile high, possibly even two. The jog broke into a frantic run as we grabbed the babies and toddlers, who lagged behind and screamed at the children to hurry. There was no mistaking a tsunami.

It was a desperate race against time because, although the wave was a way out, it was gaining momentum and getting higher. I thought my heart would burst as the Vam’pir’s transported one and then another child.

We were dizzy but kept going as the younger children who couldn’t run that fast were in danger of drowning. I had just grabbed one of the last who had fallen and hurt his knee when the wave hit.

The scene resembled something from a film.

The noise of it was horrendous and sounded like a thousand planes crashing at once. A roar deafened us and some even burst their eardrums, literally. The noise drowned out our terrified cries, and some children fell unconscious on the floor. They were the lucky ones.

Others watched with fear-filled eyes as the waves hit the beach with tremendous force and wiped Mora completely from sight.

The wave knocked trees and boulders down as if they had been merely daisies in the sun.

I looked, scared, as the wave swept further and further inland, completely wiping any evidence of civilisation away.

I was afraid it would reach us on the high cliffs, and although it came three-quarters of the way up, we were safe. It was fascinating, I must admit.

I was filled with wild, primal feelings; nature was doing what she did best. Cautiously, I hugged the edge of the cliff, watching awe-struck.

The waves were a dark blue, and the white of the swells shone clearly into the night sky. Then, as we looked out to sea, we saw another huge wave coming. Despite our desire to stay, it was deemed that the children had had more than their share. Wearily, we made our way back to our caves while the remaining human adults transported to New Kaltos and told them we needed help.

The New Kaltons were deeply angry and upset at the fact the children had been taken without their parent’s permission. This caused more heated words between the Morans and New Kaltons, but they still took the kids in.

Fortunately for the children, there was at least one person (if not family) that they knew, and so they weren’t housed with complete strangers.

Brothers and sisters were kept together, and that made the experience a little less frightening for them. Vam’pirs were not monsters and wished to minimise the trauma as much as possible.

I considered the feelings of Mihal or our other children if any of them had been in that situation. I knew his heart would be broken, and he would be terrified of his kidnappers. Logically, I suggested we leave the New Kaltons alone for a few days to let things settle.

Although concerned about the children’s welfare, we were also grateful not to have to look after them.

Marel had not gone to New Kaltos. He chose Har’ches as he felt Kalton people would not want him anymore.

This held true in multiple ways.

Once more, the New Kaltons failed to acknowledge the good intentions behind our actions, focusing solely on their own perceptions. They thought we had helped to rescue the children so we could have a steady supply of blood.

The idiots believed we wanted to them to owe us something. A simple thanks would have sufficed. Apparently, asking for gratitude was too much, providing them with yet another reason to resent us. We gave up and let them get on with their petty jealousies. Vam’pir’s had tried repeatedly, but fuck them for once and for all. Vam’pirs were finished with them for good.

The rough seas prevented us from travelling to check on Kaltos in the upcoming months, but we weren’t in a hurry anyway. The only reason that we were bothered was because we felt we owed the children to see if their parents were still alive. If they were, then we could return them without that much damage.

Mora, unfortunately, had been totally and utterly destroyed. What remained were piles of rubble from the demolished buildings. The whole continent shuddered with earthquakes and after the first few days after the comet had hit, the land decided to reshape itself completely. The comet must have struck deep in the Icelands as the tectonic plates shifted. Put like that, it doesn’t sound too alarming, but it was.

At first, we had no idea what was happening when the land beneath our feet began to rumble.

Then there was a God-Almighty screech. I suppose that was the best way to explain it. As the plates shifted, land that had been previously under the sea rose, and land above the water sank.

Volcanos that had been dormant for thousands of years erupted, covering the sky in a dark haze. Thousands upon thousands of tons of lava were spat out, and volcanic ash dusted the sky. The haze lasted ages and made a permanent night that not even the sun could pierce.

Vam’pirs stayed awake the whole time, not needing to sleep because the sun was hidden away and, therefore, could not hurt us.

The absence of the stars we depended on was disorienting.

Volcanos rose that had been hidden safely in the depths of the sea and also erupted. Others sank beneath the waves, which remained huge. Nothing would settle, and we found ourselves facing a new planet. Hit by the comet during its journey, our atmospheric satellite left us vulnerable to nature’s forces, and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

We had to live in caves and couldn’t build anything, as the earthquakes kept knocking buildings down that we thought had been sturdy. It was like we had been taken back to the beginning of time as Earth reformed herself.

Mora split as a continent as parcels of land broke apart and shifted miles away from their previous position. Then, one day, as we watched from a safe height, our part of Mora moved. The tectonic plates settled, allowing millions of gallons of water to seep in, and that was when the English Channel was formed.

Our section of Mora became what is known today as Great Britain. I can’t say that we were too reassured by watching Britain form.

Earthquakes continued till our island settled, but what it did do was separate the New Kaltons from us in what is now called France.

The ash made it hard for anyone to breathe and caused more than a few deaths. The Har’chen people hid in the deep caves we’d found and marked the paths they used with bright yellow dye. It stopped people getting lost in the vast cave system. Each night, we checked they were still alive. (During the day, with the sun blocked, we hunted for them, so they had food to eat.)

Several cave-ins buried our people.

Vam’pirs dug them out and found some people okay, but cave-ins caused more deaths than anything else. However, we all concurred that the caves offered more safety compared to the risk of suffocating outside.

We had tried to shore the caves up with metal rods and support beams, but once again, they just buckled, and then, one day, the sun shone.

Luckily for us, we’d had warning as we had been checking some people in a cave when, as we approached the entrance, we saw slivers of sunlight. At once, we fled into the depths of the cave and sent the occupants out to check.

They returned, excited that the ash was indeed clearing.

Three years passed before it became breathable. Adding up the time that had passed, we were shocked to discover we had spent more than twenty years hiding in the caves. I’m not saying that the sun shone and everything was all right, but it was at least safe to go out without suffocating.

We need not worry anymore whether another earthquake would come and knock you off your feet or topple a tree down on top of you. It had been a terrible and frightening time, known as the Reckoning.

The Har’chen felt the Creator had been punishing the New Kaltons and vice versa. We all pointed fingers at one another, but the argument never was resolved.

What was completely awful to accept was that over two hundred Har’chen had lost their lives. When we finally sailed across the English Channel, over half of the New Kaltons had died. This again was laid at our feet, as they felt we had deliberately put them on the most dangerous part of Mora.

This, of course, is untrue; we had no way of knowing what was safe and what wasn’t.

Har’chen were the lucky ones. Even though we lost people through the cave-ins and other accidents, at least they had us who’d check on them. It was effortless for Vam’pirs to explore the outdoors and observe the elements, as we didn’t need to breathe in the ash-filled air.

Everyone had experienced multiple losses. A clear example is the lives that were lost. But we had lost so much more.

We had moved most of the technology to Har’ches, but once again, toppling buildings and other such disasters had destroyed it. We had lost the means with which to replace these things, and we had returned to the equivalent of the Kalton Stone Age.

Finally, after discussions, it was decided to go back to Kaltos to try to regain our lost technology.

The New Kaltons were invited, and they readily accepted, and a boat was built. The fleet that we’d once owned had been completely wiped out. There was no sign of the boats ever existing. Har’chens refused to allow the New Kaltons on their island, and vice versa. Which meant Har’chens, who at least had the sense to take the wood and stonecutters into the caves with them, built the boat.

It took several weeks to build a seaworthy ship, where back on Mora or Kaltos in the past, it would have taken just one. Another example of the technology we had lost.

We had sun-tight coffins loaded on board made out of wood. In the past we wouldn’t have needed them, but we had lost all the solar power sheets and had to rely on sails. Very primitive.

The journey would take weeks, leading to the construction of the coffins . The New Kaltons had sent a small but trustworthy (in their eyes) delegation to sail with us.

Unfortunately, it was the Kaltons who hated us. They were thoroughly searched for weapons, and a Har’chen delegation twice their size, made mainly of warriors to protect us, sailed too.

We had to sail by the stars as we had lost our navigation charts and compasses. During that time, we were at a disadvantage and heavily relied on guesswork. But we had some sailors who recognised the stars, and that allowed us to sail with some amount of confidence.

When we arrived at Kaltos’s co-ordinates, we got the shock of our life.