Running From the Night (17 page)

“I refer to the higher half-bloods. They are born of a human parent and count or countess. They are not the weak spawn,
skiek
, but far more. The half-blood spawn of a human and a count or countess, are
dampeal
.
Dampeal
suffer the least from the thirst and share no vampiric nor human weaknesses and are stronger than all but their immortal parent. So uncommon are
dampeal
, that nearly all vampires think of them as myths from many millennia ago.”

“The same is true for counts and countesses. These are the Ancestors, the most powerful and oldest of all. They are possessed of abilities that are unfathomable by humans and considered impossible by most vampires. They are mostly reclusive, preferring to remain on their own lands and within their dwellings, venturing out in anonymity only when boredom takes its toll.”

“Of the vampiric weaknesses, the Ancestors have only one, silver. But it is not a fatal weakness.”

“What do you mean?” Daniel interrupted. “If someone were to stab them in the heart with a silver blade, they wouldn’t die?”

Saaya arched an eyebrow. “If someone were lucky enough to achieve such a feat, the result would be a death-like stasis. So long as the silver is in place, the count would remain immobilized in that state. Once the silver is removed, they would rise again. Angrily, I might add.”

“What about the blood thirst?” Jelani asked, entranced.

“Where a
dampeal
suffers less of the thirst because of their human heritage, an Ancestor suffers the thirst less than any other pureblood because of their age and power. Some need to feed no more than once every few months.”

“Wow,” Jelani said.

“And that brings us back to your other questions.” She looked at Daniel. “Vampires, by nature, have extremely thin blood. This is the reason they must feed. Just as your body replenishes itself from the nutrients of the food you consume, so too do vampires replenish by the drinking of blood.”

“Garlic thins the blood and, because the nature of a vampire’s physiology is far removed from that of a human, some vampires cannot withstand the simple smell of garlic. Weaker vampires would experience great pain, as the garlic would make them feel as though their blood is on fire. The effect is stronger or weaker, depending on the strength, and therefore the age, of the vampire.”

“Silver is not the mythical bane as described in human legend. It is simply that most vampires have a fatal allergy to it. As for fire, vampires do not have skin like humans. Though a human can certainly be fatally burned by fire, it would take longer. A vampire would burst into flames as though doused with fuel.”

“Okay, that all makes sense, more or less,” Jelani said. “But what about the sun? That seems to be the most illogical of all the weaknesses.”

Saaya nodded in agreement. “And it is also the least easy to explain. I believe it is similar to the weakness to fire. It is the type of skin a vampire has that makes them susceptible. In purebloods, the older, the stronger, the thicker the blood to a degree, and the skin changes, evolves.”

Jelani ran a hand over his head. There was a stretch of silence as Saaya allowed them to digest the information.

“I don’t know what to say about all this,” Jelani said. “For now, I guess the most important thing we’ve learned is that this Hunter who is on our trail is susceptible to sun, which is pretty much useless to us. But he’s also vulnerable to silver, fire, and garlic. We may be able to use that to our advantage and actually survive this.”

“Or compound the problem,” Daniel said. “Let’s say we manage to kill this guy. That might come with the possibility that they might send another, more dangerous person on our trail.”

Saaya looked as though she was about to burst into laughter. “If you are thinking of the Reapers, my lovely, don’t. Neither the Council nor the Elders would think of wasting the skills of a Reaper on a human. At most, they would simply send more than one Hunter, which is unheard of.”

“So you’re telling us that no one has ever survived being Hunted?” Saaya gave him a level look. “Okay, I get it,” Jelani said, holding up his hands. “If your brother hadn’t smacked that guy down twice already, we’d be dead.”

“Saaya,” Daniel said. “Is there something we can do, or say, that will convince you and your brother to help us? You seem to be interested in us in some way or another,” he glanced at Jelani. “We’re not asking you to handle the problem for us, but would you at least help us deal with this guy? Even if it means trying to reason with him that there is no threat of us blabbing to the authorities. That would likely get us into more trouble anyway.”

Saaya listened to him quietly, her face thoughtful. When he finished, she looked from one to the other, then sighed. It was the first time either of them had heard her make any type of breathing sound since they’d started talking. “I must be honest with you. When first I saw you,” she looked at Jelani, “I found you interesting to watch, so I asked Kafeel to intercede. Your life was not spared out of a moral responsibility that I felt toward your situation.” She saw the disappointed look on his face, on both their faces.

Despite the letdown of what he was hearing, Jelani couldn’t help but take note of Saaya’s guilty reaction. It was the first time he’d seen her show anything resembling an emotion.

“Try to understand that vampires do not think as you do. How most humans would view a small and fragile animal, that is similar to how we view you.”

“I think most people would feel compassion toward a small and fragile animal,” Daniel said.

“But many view them as inconsequential,” Saaya countered, “wrong though that thinking may be. Vampires think in this way. The similarities between your kind and mine are little more than appearance and some coincidence.”

“And so we’ve come back around to why you are here,” Jelani said.

“I am not sure why I am here, to be honest. I thought I would discover the answer to that question by coming to visit you. I have interacted with you more than I had intended since first I saw you, and I certainly had no intention of involving myself and my brother in your situation.”

“So you really don’t care what happens to us then?” Daniel asked. “Is this whole predicament some kind of thing to pass the time?”

Saaya seemed to really consider that question. “I cannot, in honesty, tell you for certain why I am here or why I have helped you. Perhaps it is because I find you interesting. Perhaps more. I don’t know. But once again I have offered you my help today, and I hope you will find it useful. I …” she hesitated, and Jelani saw the conflicted feelings going on insider her. “I believe I care whether you live or die. I believe I do not wish for you to perish.”

She stood and moved to the window, her short curvaceous form silhouetted against the waning daylight. “I find that I wish I could tell you more. I wish I could tell you that there is more to what I intend, but I am not given to lies. I cannot pretend to feel differently. I am as I was born.”

Jelani and Daniel looked at one another in bewilderment. “So,” Daniel said, “I guess it just comes down to us hoping you don’t lose interest in us, then?”

She looked over her shoulder. “That may well be the truth of it.”

Jelani couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She found them interesting? She helped them because she didn’t want something she found interesting to be done away with? He didn’t know whether to be angry or hurt. How could someone not care whether another person lived or died? It was beyond his ability to grasp.

“I should go,” she said. The look she gave him suggested she felt what he was thinking. “I understand if you think poorly of me, but I cannot change what I am.” She crossed the living room, making her way to the door. “The Hunter has left the area. I’m not sure why this is, but I suspect it involves me and my brother. He sees us as a barrier between himself and you two.”

“So it’s possible you will be Hunted right alongside us?” Daniel said. Her look of amusement surprised them.

“He cannot Hunt what does not flee. It is a strong possibility that he will move against us. If that happens, your problem may indeed be solved for you.”

“I hope not,” Jelani said, and Daniel and Saaya both looked at him. Saaya’s expression suggested curiosity, Daniel’s suggested he had gone insane. “Don’t get me wrong,” he added quickly, “I’m not saying I actually want to deal with this without your help. I’m just saying I wouldn’t wish for anyone to be attacked, that’s all.” He smiled. “But hey, if you and your bro deal with the guy, I won’t mind.”

“Of course,” Saaya replied, moving to the door and slipping into her tiny shoes.

“Thank you for visiting,” Jelani said. He didn’t know whether to hold out his hand or give her a hug.

“You are welcome,” she said, stepping closer to him. She lifted to her toes and kissed him on the cheek. She turned to Daniel and did the same. With soft and silent footsteps she glided down the hallway and opened the door. Jelani and Daniel followed her out and smiled mechanically.

“Hope to see you again,” Daniel said.

“It is likely,” came the response. With fluid grace she turned and glided down the hall, the tiny bells of the
paayal
jingling around her ankles with every step. Despite themselves, both men admired her until she rounded the corner.

After she had disappeared from sight, Jelani followed Daniel back inside. They each dropped on a couch and sat quietly for a time, staring blankly at the floor and mentally processing all that Saaya had shared with them.

“I really have no idea how I’m supposed to feel,” Jelani said.

“Same here,” Daniel said. “I think the best thing is to hope that the Hunter goes after her and her brother. From what we’ve already seen, I think the chances are good they’ll be able to take him down.”

“I wouldn’t wish that guy on anyone, but you’re right. We’ve seen her brother. I think it’s a good chance he could knock him off without much of a problem.”

Daniel let his head fall back and stared at the ceiling. After a moment, he looked back at Jelani. “Do you really think we’re that lucky?”

Jelani didn’t think so.

***

Chapter Twenty

At the top of one of rainy Vancouver’s many high-rise apartments, Yako squatted near the edge, watching. His eyes flicked up, then to his left, then right. In each of those positions were three other figures, similarly crouched and watching.

Yako had been surprised at not only Mariska’s timely return, but that she had come not with a summons for him to appear before the High Council, but with two additional Hunters in tow.

“The High Council knows of no Elder such as I described to them,” she had said, “nor do they acknowledge that any true Elder would interfere with a Hunt. They suspect you have encountered a particularly powerful pureblood, nothing more. The punishment stands the same for a pureblood as any other who interferes with a Hunt.”

And so they had sent her back to him with Nikko and Steja. Yako approved of the High Council’s choice in sending the two. Nikko was possessed of a speed and cunning that made him a valuable asset, while Steja was slower, but brutally strong. The two complimented each other quite well, and with the well-balanced Mariska at his side, Yako had no doubt that he would be able to dispatch the half-breed and her powerful brother—whatever he was—and finish this business.

Despite the fact that he would destroy them both, he found himself curious about such an unusual pair. Though not unheard of, it was rare that a vampire would sire a pureblood child, and later a half-breed.

Thoughts of the Indian woman drew his gaze in the direction of Coal Harbour, and the building in which those two humans lived. They should have been dead by now, and Yako long since gone from this wet city. He hated the rain, and it had nothing to do with humans’ foolish stories about water being lethal. Yako often marveled at the stupidity of the stories surrounding his species.

Since the early ages, humans had a tradition of explaining away with religion anything they feared or could not understand. First it was holy water and the cross. Since vampires were obviously undead lapdogs of their Satan, the godly power of the cross and holy blessed water was the most powerful vampire bane. Some of the less religious stories simply told of vampires’ aversion to water in general. Yako narrowed his eyes. Could there be a more ridiculous myth? If vampires could not bathe in water the odor would betray their presence.

He wished he knew for sure if that Indian woman had visited his targets. How much had she told them? The more he thought about it, the more determined he was to finish this. If she had spoken to them about their existence, the repercussions could be disastrous, and Yako would be forced to walk in the sun. He didn’t fear uncreation, but the shame of such a tremendous failure was more than he could bear.

Water dripped from his short black hair to slide down his stony face. Umbrellas ranging from small to ridiculously large milled about the streets, pitifully fragile humans walking beneath them as they made their way to whatever destination their pointless existences led them to. A vampire from birth, Yako had not even the tiniest understanding of what it was like to be human. There was no point of reference, no flicker of remembrance of what it was like to walk in the light of the sun, or to be aware of the ephemeral nature of his own existence.

Of course, a lowly
shaquora
could claim such, but they were little better. Worse, actually. Virus-like though they were, at least humans could strive for balance within their own populous. If left unchecked, the insatiable turned vampires would feed with little discretion, killing at least two of every five humans they fed upon, and turning the rest. Yako didn’t want to contemplate what such a world would be like. If he was given the choice, he would simply hunt and eliminate every
shaquora
he could find. They were a plague, nothing more.

He spotted the tall one, the brother, once again standing atop the Shangri-La building on Georgia Street. The statuesque vampire was imposing, even from this distance, but Yako was the highest ranking Hunter in the Order for a reason. Elder or not, that one would die, and the annoying little
skiek
fly would follow him in uncreation.

His eyes flicked straight ahead. Mariska was looking directly at him. He shook his head, knowing that she would be able to see him, even from so far away. She signaled to the others to hold their positions.

Yako wanted badly to put this business behind him now, but his instincts warned him to wait. Several minutes later he was proven right, when he spotted the half-breed girl walking among the humans approaching the building. When he looked back up, the brother was gone. Seconds later, he had joined the girl on the street and they continued on in the knot of people.

Tonight was not the night,
he decided. If they had chosen to attack then they would have either been an instant too late and been discovered or the fight might have inevitably been taken to the street, among the humans. Yako was not impatient. The opportunity would arrive, and he would be done with those two and on his way to pay a visit with his original targets.

O O O

Two days had gone by since Jelani and Daniel had been visited by the ever mysterious Saaya. Although a considerable amount of time had gone by since last they had encountered the Hunter, neither men could allow themselves to truly relax. To the puzzlement of everyone they knew, Jelani and Daniel had become insistent on living nighttime hours. Being that he worked the physics engine at EA, Daniel had the autonomy of adjusting his hours. Since he could do some of his work from the laptop issued to him, he stayed indoors more often, and when he had to go in to the office, he would go at dusk, and work with the evening crew, oftentimes not leaving until daybreak.

Jelani led a similar existence, sleeping a good deal of the day and doing his work at home in the late hours. The irony was not lost on him that he and his roommate had begun living like the vampire who’d been after them these past weeks. Despite their current situation, he and Daniel had attempted to normalize their lives as much as possible while not forgetting to remain cautious.

Jelani thought about the time he’d spent with Alisha yesterday, and couldn’t help smiling. They’d gone to see a matinée and then went to a show that one of his actor friends was starring in. After that, they’d gone to one of the most popular falafel shops in town and went for a walk around Stanley Park while enjoying their sandwiches. Despite the enjoyable company and the good food, Jelani had found himself less than relaxed as they followed the paved path around the perimeter of the park. He’d tried to hide his nervousness, but he could tell Alisha had picked up on it, though she didn’t say so.

Today they were going to spend the day together again. After arriving back in town, Alisha had been uncharacteristically eager to spend time together. At first, he had wondered if Daniel and Wen had informed her about Melinda, but he dismissed that thought. Alisha didn’t strike him as the type that would compete for a man. Either it would work out or it wouldn’t.

He picked up his phone from the counter and pulled up her name.
I’m about to step out the door. I’ll see you in ten minutes,
he typed.

A minute later the response came.
Why not just meet me at the Lost Lagoon, closest to you? I’ll wait for you at the lookout area by the bike underpass at Georgia Street.

That’ll work. I’ll see you in a few.
He pocketed the phone and slipped into a jacket, heading for the door.

It was brisk outside, but sunny and dry. To the relief of all the rain-soaked Vancouverites, the forecast showed no rain for the next ten days.

He made his way to Alberni Street, then continued on past Denman. Jelani waited for several inline skaters and a few cyclists to pass by, then crossed the path.

Alisha leaned on her elbows against the rail, looking out at the water fountain, spewing streams that misted upon their descent back to the lake below.

“Damn, girl!” Jelani joked as he leaned beside her. “Can I get your phone number?” She laughed and gave him a playful shove.

In the middle of the large, placid lake, a flock of seagulls argued about whatever seagulls argue about. Directly below them, a mated pair of ducks quacked, looking up at them expectantly before moving on as a huge white swan came gliding behind them.

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” Alisha said, gazing at the great white bird.

“Yes,” Jelani agreed. “Though I hear they’re pretty mean.”

“Maybe they’ve had a bad experience.”

Jelani chuckled. “Maybe. But then, pretty girls are just mean anyway.”

Alisha gave him a sideways glance. “And how do you know that’s a girl?”

Jelani jerked his chin at the swan. “Look at her bill. A pen has a smaller bill than a cob. They also don’t have a big black knob on their bill either.” He pointed further to the left, where a larger swan was making his way toward them. “See that one? Bigger bird, bigger bill, black knob.”

She looked at the birds, then looked at him. “Aren’t you just smart?”

Jelani made a show of brushing his shoulders. “Ha, well you know, all those endless hours on Wikipedia.”

Alisha laughed again. “You’re in a silly mood.”

“Yeah, I’m having fun. Are you?”

She nodded. “Yes, I am. I’ve enjoyed spending time together. It’s nice to just go for a walk and enjoy the quiet. Not many people like to do that.”

“It’s because people make their lives too busy and have to scramble. Life can be hard if you let it get away from you.”

“But having something like this,” she waved a hand out to encompass the lake and the trees beyond, “helps you deal with life.”

“Exactly.”

They stood in silence for a while, enjoying the peaceful lake and its avian residents gliding across the water with grace only a bird could manage.

“If it wasn’t so cold,” Jelani said, “I’d feel like I could stay here indefinitely.”

“Spoken like a true California boy. You need to go home and get your big coat? Maybe some mittens?”

“There you go with the jokes again,” Jelani said, shoving a finger into her underarm. Alisha squealed and jumped away.

“Hey! That’s a good way to catch an elbow in the mouth!”

“If a few lost teeth is the price to pay to be so close to such a sexy elbow, it’s a price well paid.”

Alisha wrinkled her nose at him. “You’re weird!”

“You know you like it,” Jelani said, narrowing his eyes in exaggerated sexiness. He puckered his lips. “Now gimme a kiss, baby.”

“Yuck! Get away from me with that face!” she exclaimed, laughing. “Stop making your voice sound deep.”

Jelani puffed out his chest. “This is my Michael Clark Duncan voice, baby,” he said.

“No it’s not. It’s your just out of puberty and now I’m a man, voice.”

“Ouch.” Jelani pressed a hand to his stomach and doubled over. “Now that hurt.”

Alisha slapped him on his hand, still giggling. “You’re so silly.”

“No. I’m just solemnly challenged.”

“What?”

“C’mon.” Jelani placed a hand on her back and spread his other arm out. “Let’s walk through the park. Have you ever seen Beaver Lake?”

“Beaver Lake?” Alisha shook her head. “You know, as many times as I’ve walked around Stanley Park, I haven’t walked all of the interior trails.”

“Then you’re missing out!”

Alisha smiled at the sudden enthusiasm in his face. He must’ve looked like a child excited to show off his new toy.

“It’s a small lake in the middle of the park, covered in lily pads and tall thin blades of some type of grass. Ducks mostly like to hang out there, and you’ll see the occasional raccoon family also!”

“I can’t believe I’ve never seen it.”

Jelani’s smile widened. “Well, Stanley Park is just over a thousand acres. I imagine you could miss some stuff.” He looked at the sky, then pulled out his phone, checking the time. “We’ve got about four hours till it gets dark. Let’s go check it out.”

“Do you have a curfew?” Alisha asked him as they started on the dirt and gravel path.

“No, it’s not that. I just …” he hesitated. “I just have some work to do pretty soon.”

Alisha glanced at him, and there was an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. “Jelani,” she finally said. “You’ve been acting a little strange since before we went on that trip to Whistler, and you’ve been getting worse since then. Is something going on with you? Wen says Daniel is acting unusual too.”

Jelani was thinking fast. He certainly couldn’t tell her the truth. “Things have been a little ‘all over the place’ at the job, that’s all. We’ve just been a little upside down.”

She looked up at him with those piercing hazel eyes, and as soon as they made contact, he knew she had easily read the lie. “Well,” she said, looking forward again, “you can tell that lie if it makes you feel better, but I hope you don’t think I’m the one that’s going to believe it.”

When Jelani didn’t respond, she stopped. After a few steps, he stopped and looked back at her. “What’s going on with you?” She asked. It wasn’t a demand, and he could see the genuine concern in those beautiful eyes of hers. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her bangs curled over her forehead. Her beautiful round brown lips pressed together in concern while he admired her.

“Um, I didn’t ask you how I look in these pants,” she said, looking down at herself and then back at him. “I asked what’s going on with you?”

Jelani had no answer for her. “I’ve been under a lot of stress these past weeks,” he improvised. It wasn’t a lie at all. “I’m just trying to deal with a very difficult situation as best I can.”

“Maybe I can help you.…” she trailed off at the frantic look that crossed his face.

“No,” he said, his voice calmer than he felt. “There’s not really anything you can do to help, but I appreciate it.”

She tilted her head and looked up into his eyes, unblinking. “Are you in trouble with the law or something?” A bit of scorn drifted into her tone.

Nope. Not human law, anyway.
“No, it’s nothing like that. I’ve just got some personal stuff I need to work out is all.” She cast him a dubious look but let it go, for which Jelani was grateful.

Walking the rocky dirt trails, they passed redwood trees so large in diameter that it would have taken five people holding hands to encircle. The smell of the woods filled the air, and Jelani took a deep, satisfying breath.