Judas and the Vampires (48 page)

“So, you’re saying there’s no one else like me? Garvan and Armando said something about a few other girls somewhere in France.” I thought about what the two had said last week when they visited me in my dorm room. I also recalled what Grandma Terese told me, that my two cousins had been killed.

“You are indeed the last one to survive…the
very
last one,” said Gustav, a sad smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “May ‘
Les Amantes de Vampire
’
live on!”

The rest of the room erupted into applause. Nothing like center stage to jack up my confidence, made worse since I had done absolutely nothing to deserve the fervent accolade. The vampires continued to celebrate my presence, some floating toward me as they cheered and clapped. Most clinked their goblets together, spilling crimson droplets to the floor, and all of them smiled. The only exception was Racco, who looked out of place as he studied me in silence from across the table.

“That’s what you all call me? I’m one of the ‘vampire lovers’?”

I know…what kind of name is that, anyway? And my French isn’t quite strong enough to know what the phrase stood for. But, I remembered the monster Ralu defined it for me in my dream the other night. I never anticipated hearing the same phrase so soon.

“Yes,” he said, his tone much softer. “You are the last living descendant of this sacred bloodline. I hope you will allow me to be frank and speak clearly to the point regarding matters which concern you most…matters which you need to understand in order to continue to survive.”

I nodded for him to go on.

“The bearers of the teardrop birthmark have always been treated to elite status among your Basque ancestors, and before that, it was considered a holy sign which Turkish and Hungarian rulers used to determine who would maintain the royal lineage,” he explained, waiting for me to acknowledge my understanding. His eyes seemed to dance with intense energy as he studied my face, finding something there to elicit a brighter smile. Then he continued. “The bloodline you carry is far more ancient than that, Txema. In my youth in Mesopotamia, nearly five thousand years ago, there were those among us who bore the same mark you have on your neck.”

“Does that mean the birthmark originated in the ancient world?” 

Pretty obvious, I know. But, heady information like this needed to be explicitly defined, and not taken merely at face value. After all, imagine how this sort of thing would come across if it had been part of the ‘tell us about yourself’ introduction I had to participate in, during UT’s freshman orientation this past August.

“Yes, it did,” he confirmed, chuckling, as if privy to my latest musing. “According to our legends, vampires and this mysterious mark originated within a century of each other. It is unclear as to which came first, but the advent for both took place thousands of years before my birth, and they have always been dependant on each other. Once prevalent among both males and females at the time of Atlantis, the mark eventually changed to where it became a dominant female trait in ancient Egypt and India. During the past four thousand years, I have watched the birthmark diminish to near extinction six times, as the carriers spread northward into Europe. Those occasions were natural events that the vampire kingdoms weathered. This most recent crisis, however, has been brought about by those who want the separate distinction between privileged vampires and those less fortunate to end.”

Not necessarily a terrible thing, I thought to myself. Peace and harmony seem like desirable outcomes for most citizens of the world, in my humble opinion.

“What makes it such a big deal for you to need the ones who bear the birthmark?” I said. “I know you need to feed on people and all, but why is it so imperative to keep someone like me around?”

Gustav released a long, low sigh before answering me. 

“Without the slight mixture of your blood in with our normal dietary intake of human plasma, we eventually lose the part of us that is ‘human’,” he said, glancing at my female companions sitting next to me and across the table. “We become savage, without any control over the primal urges at war with our limited humanity.”

He arose from the table, and I wondered if I had somehow offended him by my latest question.

“It is more than just the fact we would no longer keep our youth and our enhanced allure,” he resumed. “Eventually, we would have no self control in regard to how we treat the citizens of your world. I am afraid it would turn into a feeding frenzy upon human flesh and blood. Truly, if our enemies are successful in finding you before we can secure your permanent safety and prosperity, then very soon the human race shall be in grave danger. The tens of thousands of untamed vampires lurking in the shadows will feast without restraint until the last of your race is gone…forever.” 

***

Talk about raining on a parade. I didn’t know how to respond, and could only nod respectfully. If I had managed to open my mouth, I’m not sure anything would’ve come out.

Gustav was about to go on with more information, but one of the other vampires rushed up from the rear of the room and interrupted him. I didn’t recognize this particular creature, a young male with long dark hair and features similar to Garvan’s. Unlike most of those in attendance, he was dressed like most of the guys you see every day, back in America, wearing blue jeans and a green polo sweater.

“If you will excuse me, I must attend to something important,” Gustav advised. After a subtle bow, he was gone.

I wish I could say that I was getting used to this ‘here one moment, vanished the next’ routine among the undead immortals. Maybe someday….

With so much to think about, and the prospect of going home anytime soon seeming more and more remote, I was ready to return to my room. But my female companions wouldn’t let me go so readily.

“Come with us, Txema—come see the hidden treasures kept here in the castle!” urged Chanson.

Hard to resist her smile…even harder the collective charm of all three of these ‘ladies of the night’. If charm wasn’t enough, their ironclad grips on my wrists ensured my complete cooperation. They whisked me out of the dining hall and back out into the grand corridor before I even said ‘yes’ to their invitation. From there, we visited nearly a dozen chambers containing rare sculptures, paintings, and other works of art created by many of the world’s most famous classical artists—some French like Morel and Goujon, along with Italian masters Buonarotti, Titian, and Raphael. 

Not all works were haunting and dark, as might be expected. It surprised me to see full oil portraits of my three hostesses as well as Garvan, Franz, and Armando created by master painters that includes those mentioned above. The grandest, of course, was a full wall portrait of Gustav that was rendered by Raphael. This famous master also created a smaller wall painting featuring Racco and an unknown female, whom I assumed to be a former love from centuries past, together sitting on a horse.

Other areas they took me to included an immense library that featured some very old books and loose parchment manuscripts, along with a full array of modern titles from the past few years. I made a mental note to come back there in the next day or so, after seeing several MACs with the latest software and hardware upgrades. It could be my window to contacting my family and friends back home, as well as finding out the latest news in America and the world. 

Seeing the computers reminded me of how deprived and ignorant I had become in regard to current events, outside of what had been told to me by my vampire entourage and our alchemist host. In other words, except for the conversation with my grandmother and what Chanson shared with me, I didn’t know shit about anything going on outside of the castle and the ship that brought me there. 

Around eleven, Chanson dropped me off at my room. The closest thing to a confidante I would find in my new world, I could tell she was growing to like me more and more each day, as well. Maybe it’s because of our shared ancestry, and the fact she often reminds me of me. I wondered if it’s the same for her.

I was pleased to find a warm blaze burning in the fireplace upon entering my bedchamber. A thick terrycloth bathrobe had been laid out on my bed, along with a rose and a white envelope next to it. The rose was real…fresh. The envelope contained a short parchment note, from Racco.

“Txema, hopefully this will cheer you up. If interested in picking up where we left off yesterday, meet me in the main foyer at noon. You will find a snowsuit and boots in the armoire. Be sure to wear them, as an excellent adventure awaits you! Yours faithfully, Racco.”

All the warnings from my vampire protectors evaporated as I read the note a second time…and then a third. By the time I immersed myself in a hot bath in the Jacuzzi tub, I had already made my decision. 

I accepted Racco’s request for a date.

Chapter 17

I’m not sure when exactly I fell asleep that night. But, I can say it was sometime after midnight. It was one of those blissful experiences of slipping out of a tired mind and into the world of wonderful dreams. I loved the way it started, where I ran through a field of golden wheat up to my waist. Racco waited for me with his arms opened wide. His muscular chest was exposed within his unbuttoned, long-sleeved white shirt, like what the men in France wore two centuries ago.

But, then something happened in the dream. Darkness descended rapidly from an ominous cloud above, and Racco turned away in terror. He ran for his life, screaming, while the darkness increased and filled my vision. Brisk, frigid air embraced me, and I felt the icy surface of a stone floor beneath the tips of my toes, and the unforgiving contours of a primitive wooden chair under my butt. 

“Well, how nice-e-e-e!” rumbled a deep, and unfortunately, familiar voice. “Txema, you decided to drop by for another visit-t-t-t!!”

“What?! No way in hell would I ever want to visit with
you
, you sick bastard!” I hissed, while part of me worried that my mouth would surely bring a quick and premature end to my life—regardless of the fact I knew this was a dream. A very real and terrifying experience, but a dream nonetheless. A fucking horrid nightmare, more like it. “Why don’t you get out of my head and go screw yourself, and leave me the hell alone?”

The rumble deepened, becoming a guttural laugh. At the same time, the darkness lifted somewhat. I found myself sitting in the same damned room I visited in my last encounter with the demon vampire named Ralu.

“As much as I appreciate your discomfort with my presence, you are in no position to make such a demand!” he replied, his tone iced with contempt. 

I could make out the outline of his hulking figure sitting behind the primitive desk I had seen in my last dream with him. Unlike last time, the fire burning in the fireplace was a mere collection of smoldering coals that emitted short flames barely illuminating the room—this same chapel from my last ‘Ralu experience’, with ornate tapestries along the walls. But, more than last time, streams of moonlight poured through the stained glass windows.

“There’s nothing you can do to make me become some defiled blood princess for you!” I shouted, in no mood to go through the same shit as last time. If this son of a bitch was going to slice my throat open again, I wanted him to do it right away, so I could wake up and be done with this nightmare.

“It is the
only
way you will survive, Txema!” he retorted, allowing himself to chuckle sardonically before going on. “Otherwise, you
will
die when Gustav’s kingdom is overthrown. It is inevitable that my army, which is growing in numbers every night, will become too great a force for your measly protectors to overcome. When they are destroyed, I will add your pretty face to my collection!”

I could feel the depth of his hatred as he said this, which made me wonder why in the hell he would even offer me a privileged place in his kingdom in the first place. His chuckle grew steadily into a fit of laughter as he threw his head back, leaving no doubt that the thoughts in my head were fully open to his discernment. His facial features looked more hideous than I previously recalled, stretched grotesquely as his malicious joy reverberated off the walls and filled the air around me.

“I will leave you with two things to consider during the last days of your pitiful existence!” he sneered, once the laughter faded. “Gustav’s centuries of uncontested prosperity and tyranny will finally end before dawn, two days hence. That is the first thing to remember, Txema, and you can tell them all that the alchemist’s preferred residence will be nothing more than a charred pile of wood and rubble. My army of thirty thousand angry souls is on its way, getting closer to you each night.”

He waited for me to acknowledge his warning before going on, and I offered a weak head nod. The picture in my mind of an enormous mass of Nosferatu vampires storming the castle in the darkest hours of the night scared the holy shit out of me—which brightened the mirthful grin on his face.

“Here is something else that will give you pause to reconsider my offer, if I am so inclined to extend it again in the near future,” he said, and in the next instant his shadow shifted. I gasped when I found him standing less than a foot away. There was no escape from the decaying flesh scent wafting toward me. “Meet your cousins, Sorne and Nere!”