Chapter 14 Time
Time
They were falling. The ground was coming up impossibly fast. Grayson had just grabbed his power when someone grabbed him and Hue. It was Fiona. He saw a flash of her teeth in the darkness and then the world spun.
They were teleported to the bench where Rachel and Eiji were sitting.
It appeared that Nero had left them so no one would claim he was “helping” them win the game, Grayson guessed.
Both humans opened their mouths in gasps at their unexpected appearance.
Hue stumbled beside him, not used to being teleported, understandably. Grayson caught and steadied her.
“Grayson, how–” Rachel began.
“What has happened?” Eiji cut directly to the chase, knowing that he would not be here like this if everything was fine.
“I’ve got something… ah, something I need to handle. I need you to keep the others focused on the game, Eiji. Fiona and I will handle this other, ah, thing,” Grayson explained, which he knew was hardly an explanation at all. “Oh, and this is Hue. She’s part of our team now. She’ll help you.”
“That thing in the doorway is after you!” Hue sliced a hand through the air to point back towards the Helm mansion. “You’re the one that needs help! I’m not playing a game when you’re in danger!”
“You’re in danger?” Rachel shot up from the bench. “What can we do to help? What thing is after you?”
He saw genuine concern in her eyes. For a moment, he remembered her back in the day so keenly, how she was always up for an adventure, even if she was scared.
Like one time, he’d been determined to investigate a cave people swore had treasure in it.
Used condoms and rusting beer cans were the only things actually there.
But Rachel had appeared at his house with helmets and elbow and knee pads for both him and her.
If they were going into danger, they would be as safe as they possibly could be.
But this was not something she–or any other human–could help with.
“If we could help Grayson against whatever this is, he would tell us. But we cannot,” Eiji countered. “Or rather, continuing on as if nothing is wrong is the most important thing we can do.”
“Bingo,” Grayson said. “I know you all want to help, but keeping this quiet and controlled is the way you help me best. Can you all do this?”
Reluctantly, Hue nodded. “I knew that entering the World of Vampires would not be as safe as the reporters kept saying. But I don’t care about that. In fact, I’m here for it.”
“Yes, I can see you are.” Grayson grinned. “Anyone who free climbs houses here is brave.”
“And crazy.” Hue returned his grin.
“If there’s danger here, people need to know,” Rachel said with a shake of her head.
She was clutching her notebook, not opening it yet, but it was clear the reporter in her wanted to expose what she saw as unshared risks that the public needed to know.
Before Grayson could say anything, Eiji spoke, “We are all here to die, Rachel. You do understand this, do you not? It is the ultimate danger and the ultimate adventure.”
“And when we come through the other side, we’ll be predators,” Hue added. “There’s nothing safe about this place. And anyone who thought it would be isn’t here.”
Rachel blinked. “But the Vampires sold it–”
“They sold whatever they sold to people not here,” Eiji answered firmly. “Those of us who were accepted knew exactly what we were signing up for.”
Hue nodded and then took Rachel’s pen and notepad from her hands. “But you are not going to write about any of this.”
“I wasn’t going to–”
“Just in case you have the urge, I’ll keep this for now,” Hue said. “We don’t want anything to get in the way of the academy.”
Grayson knew that Hue and Eiji both had very definite reasons for wanting to become Vampires that other students did not.
Both of them were dying or near enough that this was their last chance to continue on in this world.
Rachel had no idea about this. She looked between the two of them, uncertain why they were so determined to keep the Vampires’ secrets.
“They’re here to become Vampires, Rachel. You see this as an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ situation but Eiji and Hue want to become ‘them’,” Grayson reminded her gently.
“And what about you?” Rachel asked.
Somehow, this was a more loaded question than it had any right to be.
He was here too as a student. Surely, she knew he wanted to become a Vampire based upon that fact alone.
But she knew him. She sensed that there was something about him that was different from these two.
He thought about lying to her, but he just couldn’t do it. He hoped he wouldn’t regret it later.
“I have been them all my life,” Grayson admitted with a sad laugh.
“Them?” Rached reached for him as if to touch him to remind herself that he was human, too.
But surely she guessed he wasn’t normal. He couldn’t be normal. After what he had done to his stepfather that was off the board. But she didn’t know what he was.
“We need to go, Grayson,” Fiona said. She had cocked her head towards the Helm house. “It’s coming.”
Grayson nodded. “Eiji, you have everything you need. Win the game.”
Eiji nodded. He urged Hue and Rachel away from the bench–away from him and Fiona–down the lane.
He saw Amana and Mairead running towards them from the opposite direction.
Rachel looked over her shoulder several times, but Eiji kept her moving forward.
Mairead was doing that brow-furrowing thing, but Hue and Eiji distracted her.
More explanations would need to be forthcoming.
“Where to?” Fiona asked. “Balthazar wasn’t quite clear about what that thing is or how to get rid of it.”
“Out of the city, I think,” Grayson said. “But make sure it follows us. So don’t go too far or too fast that it loses sight of us. We don’t want it attacking anyone else.”
“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” she said as her head whipped around towards the Helm mansion. “It’s after you, Grayson. Completely focused.”
Found you, the sexless voice was in his head.
And that was when he saw the dark figure with the blue-white eyes standing on the lawn. It was seven feet tall and its silhouette was strange. Its form was that of a narrow “V”. He didn’t see arms or legs or anything like limbs.
Until it spread its wings.
Its wingspan was double that of its height. Though he could not see terribly well, he got the impression of gray skin stretched tightly over bones. It was sexless and had massive, clawed feet.
Mothman. That’s what it reminds me of. What is this thing? Why is it after me? Is it a trap the Sect put together or just a bad chance?
Grayson didn’t get a chance to study it more as Fiona was teleporting them a hundred feet away from it towards the east wall.
The creature launched itself up into the air and took after them.
Fiona teleported them again to the spire then next to the roof of another mansion then to a tower then to the wall. The thing kept coming. Remorselessly.
Balthazar! Grayson sent. Have you spoken to Daemon? We’re leading this thing out of here, but I have no idea how to stop it.
He’s communing, Balthazar sent back. I got something garbled back from him, nothing more. He’s deep into it. Julian is going to rouse him, but–
Not in time unless Fiona keeps teleporting us forever, Grayson said.
I can do that, Fiona reminded him. We’ll just keep you out of its clutches.
Grayson gave her a grateful smile. Balthazar, where is Caemorn? This thing was in a weapons’ box. He loves all those old things–
He’s with Ryder. But there’s another problem, Balthazar sounded exasperated. We’re pretty sure that this is a ruse to get everyone dealing running after you while Legion or the Sect get into the Kaly Palace.
How could they do that? Caemorn has complete control—
Roan Tithe, Balthazar answered with bitter certainty.
The final Kaly slice?
That we know of. There could be more of them out there.
Slices of slices. Who the hell knows! Balthazar cursed.
Sometimes Kaly is too clever for their own good.
But needless to say, Caemorn and Ryder are going to deal with that.
Christian, Elgar and I will help you two.
Christian has taken a shine to the weapons.
And he’s got some ideas. Elgar actually used to make some of them.
Great, we–
“Have to go!” Fiona warned before teleporting them over the wall and into a clearing into the woods.
The creature had suddenly increased speed and had almost been upon them.
It flew over the top of the wall, flapping its wings as it scanned for them.
He knew when it caught sight of him again, because its blue-white eyes burned hotly and it started to fly again.
A panther appeared from out of the trees to their right and it transformed into a man.
Demos shook his dreads out. Siban materialized out of the forest beside him.
“What’s the word?” Demos asked.
“That.” Grayson’s right hand shot up towards the creature.
Demos followed his hand. He grunted. “What is that other than very bad news?”
“It reminds me of something,” Siban said, eyes narrowing.
“It was in a weapons box in the Helm basement. It’s taken a disturbing liking to Grayson,” Fiona said.
“I thought the weapons were swords, bows, knives, and all that. Fella doesn’t look quite like that,” Demos said.
“Some of them were imbued with spirits,” Siban said. “That’s what gives some of them their power. Maybe this one escaped from its prison.”
“Of course, it’s got to be a Kaly weapon. Okay, thoughts or ideas on how to deal with it?” Grayson said out loud, but also sent to Balthazar.
Go to the Shrine of Eternity, Balthazar sent. Caemorn says that its power will be weaker there if it is a spirit.
“Do you know where that is?” Grayson asked Fiona.
She nodded. He had only a vague recollection that it was by the sea.
“What do you want us to do?” Siban asked.
“Should we come with you?” Demos added.