After the Fall (31 page)

“Short notice and no manners.” He scoffed. “I’ll be back.”

It didn’t take me long to get back to the door sporting a three-piece charcoal suit.

“Are you going to wear that hideous thing?” He was referring not to the suit but to the wide-brimmed hat on my head.

“It’s been a faithful companion. Besides, you never know when it might come in handy.”

“Handy for what, a bad fashion pageant?”

“Love that wit, Luke. I’m still wearing it.” I also had the glasses and a folded bandanna in my pocket. It paid to be prepared.

We went back to the mansion, back to the large dining hall. The servants had moved the tables to the side, leaving the middle wide open. The whole council was here, as well as some of the senior-ranking Vampires who helped run the city. Everyone was so dapper it made me wonder if we were having another dinner party.

I looked at the huge mirror that hung in the middle of the room and realized that Lucretius was right, perish the thought! I really did look ridiculous in my suit and weatherworn hat. It was enough to make me take it off and hold it at my side. That was better.

“Ladies and gentlemen, fellow council members and senior leaders,” said Lucretius. The chatter in the room ceased. “I am sure some of you have already learned why I’ve summoned you here on such short notice.

“It has come to my attention that some individuals are dissatisfied with the status quo. Such individuals have been working against us under our very noses, lulling us into a false sense of security while they plant daggers on our backs.”

Please don’t be them,
I thought.

“Without further delay, let’s bring out the traitors so that you may look them in the face.”

Two muscular bullet-headed men left and came back with Jeb. They deposited him before Lucretius on his knees. He was in shackles and it looked like they had been using him for a punching bag. I breathed a sigh of relief. Rayna was not involved in this. The burly men left and came back with the death of my hope. They were dragging Rayna, and she looked ten times worse than Jeb. Her face was so swollen I hardly could recognize her. It would all be healed back to normal in a short time, but it still broke my heart to see her like this.

“This is what happens to those who challenge the rule of the Council. Rebellion in an insult, a spit in the face of the Queen herself.”

That couldn’t be. She’s underground
, I thought, and decided it was a good idea to keep that thought to myself.

“Anathorn is built on a lie!” yelled Jeb. A swift backhand silenced him, knocking him to the ground. Rayna mustered the strength to stand.

“Rayna, you stand accused just as much as him. Even if you had no hand in his actions, he is under your leadership. You will be held accountable for his actions as if you had done them yourself.”

“Can we just get to the punishment?”

Lucretius’s eyes flared in rage. “You should not be in such a hurry. It may be the last thing you do.”

Rayna lifted her chin and took up an indignant posture. I felt a mixture of pride and fear for her. Lucretius turned to address the audience.

“I will now prescribe the fitting punishment. For his actions, Keeper Jebediah will be sentenced to the pit.” There was a collective gasp from the crowd. “For her failure to maintain command, Head Keeper Rayna is sentenced to ten lashes. She will also be confined to a cell for a full day and forced to watch Jebediah with the aid of a camera. That is your punishment. Do either of you have any questions?”

“One,” Jeb replied. “Can we get this over with?”

“Anathorn is a great city. It stands among the ruins as a testament to our hard work and tenacity. The fruits of our labor did not come easily. Anna valued discipline above all virtues.
‘For by virtue of discipline all the others will come,’
she once said. Without discipline we are nothing.”

He walked over to the wall and moved a hidden rock to reveal a keypad. After entering the code, the wall disappeared into the floor to lead them into yet another staircase. This one descended straight down into a large chamber. Faint blue lights came on as they all descended.

The chamber was plain and rectangular. At the center of it was a large circular pit. Above it hung long chains with hooks at the end. Bits of flesh still hung from the hooks. 

The whole room was awash in bright white light. On the far wall was another mirror, this one much smaller. Who had time to admire their reflection while torturing others to death?

I took a breath and nearly gagged. The air was damp and smelled of decay. Clusters of black mold lined the walls. I wondered how many lives had ended here.

All the guests gathered around the ring, leaving a space for Rayna and Jeb. The two muscled Vampires brought them to the edge.

“Woe unto those who would betray their Mother. The blood of the Queen is upon your hands!” He walked up to Jeb. “Any last words?”

“You’re the traitor. All of you are. The Queen would never stand for any of this.” All the guests laughed at him like he had just told a great joke. “Go ahead, all of you. Laugh it up. When those things out there are on your doorstep, you’re gonna see we were right.”

Something out of the corner of my eye attracted my attention to the mirror. There was much commotion in the room. I’m sure I was just distracted by the reflection of all the moving people.

“That’s enough of you,” said Lucretius. “Throw him in.”

A bright flood light turned on right above the well and shone all the way to the bottom. The sight was revolting. Piles of bones lined the bottom. Most of the skeletons were almost picked clean. What was left was in an advanced state of decomposition. I saw the authors of this carnage. A dozen zombies were reaching up at us, groaning desperately. 

The burly man pushed Jeb into the pit. All twelve of them were instantly on him. They merged into a dog pile. Hungry mouths searched for places to bite while their hands ripped at the flesh. I wanted to look away, but felt compelled to watch. I wondered if the Queen was watching this, delighting in the spectacle. My eyes darted to the mirror one more time. I looked at my reflection staring in accusation. That’s when I realized it. The Queen
was
watching.

A collective cry came from the crowd. I looked back down to see the cause. Jeb had exploded out of the pile. He had been hurt but not severely. His mouth went wide open and he screamed, fangs projecting all the way out. He grabbed the nearest zombie and began to maul the others with it. The legs separated from the body, sending it flying into the wall. Jeb continued to use the legs as clubs.

He sent out another war cry that drove the spectators back but did nothing for his assailants. They continued to come as quickly as he repelled them. A smile drew across his face, but it twisted into a grimace. He looked down to see the legless zombie biting his leg and screamed. The others stumbled their way back over and joined in the carnage.

“Jeb!” screamed Rayna, who had remained silent until now. Her voice was just barely audible over the cheering from the crowd.

Down below, the dozen zombies piled upon Jeb and continued to feed. His screams stopped at some point. I guessed they had ripped out his throat.

Lucretius watched the crowd go silent and raised his hand. “The evening is not quite over yet. We have one more punishment to administer.” One of the servants brought him a whip and left in a hurry. Lucretius looked at it with relish. Sharp pieces of metal had been embedded in it for maximum damage.

“Ten lashes,” he announced. “Prepare her.”

Their idea of preparation consisted of ripping her shirt and leaving her uncovered. She brought her hands to her chest to cover her nakedness while they shoved her against the wall. Lucretius cracked the whip against the floor a couple times to test it. The crowd drew back a bit to avoid catching a stray lashing. He squinted his eyes and drew his hand back.

“One!” The whip contacted her back and removed a trail of skin. She gritted her teeth and made no sound.

“Two!” Another crack left a second line, making an X pattern.

“Three!” Her stoic resolve was faltering.

“Four!”

“Five!” This time she did scream, for a second. Lucretius smiled and bared his fangs.

The next five lashings came in quick succession, each leaving a new line on her back until it was raw. She collapsed on all fours and took a series of gasping breaths.

“Let it be known that treason will not be tolerated!” announced Lucretius. The crowd had had enough. Some had left during the flogging and the rest were leaving now. I stayed behind to watch after Rayna. Her shirt lay discarded on the floor. It was just the two of us. I helped her into her shirt and held her for a while.

For some reason unknown to me, they let her go. They must have figured she had been put in her place and allowed her to go back to her apartment. I took her back and fed her before bandaging her wounds. I set her in bed on her stomach.

“Mordy,” she whispered. Under these circumstances, I didn’t care what she called me.

“Yes?”

“Don’t go. Please?”

It was too much to see the iron woman reduced to this. I was planning to stay whether I had her permission or not. The rest of my evening I spent sitting at her chair reading. Some hours later, I fell asleep until the next evening.

Sway

When I woke up, she was already out of bed. I could hear her doing something downstairs, probably having breakfast. She came back upstairs not too soon after, wearing only a brassiere on her upper body. Without even acknowledging my presence, she went to the closet and grabbed a loose white shirt to put on. I could still see the pink scars from the whip marks. I couldn’t imagine how she had slept with all that pain. She buttoned up the shirt all the way to the collar and left the room. I followed her out.

She was sitting on the armchair downstairs, drinking from a large goblet. Her eyes were narrowed to slits and focused on something miles away from here. I passed right in front of her without drawing even the involuntary flick of the eyes. This was serious.

I poured myself a cup and took the armchair next to her. She let out a small sound that sounded like a groan.

“Why are you still here?” she asked, her head and eyes still focused on that faraway place.

“You’re welcome,” I replied. “Or who knows where you would be right now.”

“I didn’t ask for your help.”

“Maybe you didn’t say you needed help, but you did.”

“I didn’t want your help,” she said through gritted teeth.

“You didn’t seem to object last night.”

“I could hardly stand, much less fight you off. You’ve gotten stronger since I first saw you. I guess you’re not as much of a sissy as I thought you were.”

“Well, thank you. I’m flattered…I think.”

“I don’t give a damn if you’re flattered or not.”

I nodded and finished the rest of my drink. My tolerance for abuse is high, but it is not unlimited. I got up to wash the goblet and put it away. She obviously wanted to be alone and at this point, I was quite willing to let her have her way.

“Mordecai,” she said, holding onto my sleeve. I stopped and turned around. For the first time this morning, she was actually looking at me. Right in the eyes, no less.

“Yes?”

“I know I’m not the best at these things,” she said. I could see her face twist slightly, as if she were under a great strain.

“Trust me, I know. It’s quite all right.”

“No, it’s not. I’ve been a bitch to you.”

No argument there,
I thought.

“Thank you,” I said.

I could tell there was something else on her mind, but I started to walk away again. She held on to my sleeve in a death grip. I would have to rip it off to get away from her.

“Would you mind letting me go?” I asked.

“Mordecai, I want to ask you something.”

I took a deep breath to prepare myself. “Yes, what is it?”

“I want to get them back. I know they made you part of their council, but I can tell you don’t have any more love for them than I do. That’s why I want to ask for your help. For Dan…for Jeb.” A tear slid down her face as she said the last part, but she did not break down.

“That’s suicide,” I said. “Those are the oldest Vampires in the world, plus their army of living servants. Even if we were to live, where would we hide?”

She turned away from me and went back to staring off in the distance. “Never mind. I don’t even know why I bothered to ask. I’ll find somebody else, or I’ll just do it myself.”

I walked up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. 

“Get your hands off me,” she said.

“Do you realize you’re playing right into their hands? That’s exactly what they want you to do. They made an example out of Jeb, so they killed him. They couldn’t do that to you because they knew it would cause problems.”

“What are you getting at?”

“They want you to give them an excuse to kill you off. Destroying you for no good reason would probably cause more unrest in the lower ranks, but if they could just get you to attack them…”