The Bite of Vengeance (5 page)

The Capture of Maria

Darkness shrouded Italy, and a dim glow could be seen in the sky; the moon was hidden behind clouds. A young woman walked carelessly down a deserted path in Rome. She wore a long, hooded, black robe made of the finest silk, with golden broaches adorning her chest. Her destination seemed to lead into the depths of the dark Italy. As she walked, I shadowed her from atop the roofs of many buildings, leaping to the next when the need arose. I ran silently, and with a purpose.

She was becoming increasingly conspicuous. Her killings were done in the open and she did not care who saw her, or how the bodies were hidden. She was becoming careless, blinded by her hatred, and her lust for vengeance. Someone had to stop her, and that someone was me, leader of the Venetian vampire-clan. I knew the consequences of my actions. I was preying on the clan-queen, and the punishment for this was death. Nonetheless, I must do my duty for the vampire nation, I must save our species. If not, Maria would end up exposing us all, and every vampire would fall.

Maria walked on; she seemed oblivious to me following her. As she walked, a dark passage loomed on the right. It was a shortcut, and she did not appear to want to waste any more time than necessary.

I followed her down the alleyway. Now was the time to strike. She must be silenced. I knew you would find me soon, but I would gladly accept the punishment if it meant my own clan back in Venice would survive. I brought my hands to my lips and let out a short breath. The sound reverberated around the alleyway. It was the whistling sound a pigeon made. At once, ten men of my own clan appeared as if from nowhere and jumped Maria.

My plan used surprise as our advantage. But this didn't work out. Maria overthrew us immediately, almost as though she had been forewarned of the attack.

‘That's impossible,' I thought to myself, ‘how could she have known?' Maria fought her way out of the ambush. One of the men leant in for a bite. She grabbed his jaw and pulled. It ripped clean from his face. She threw it away as he crumpled to the floor. She kicked him into the other vampires, knocking them over in the process. Maria fled, but not before I had joined the battle. She hesitated for a fraction of a second, recognizing my face. I used this to my advantage, landing in a powerful slice to her face, with my hand. Blood spattered the wall behind Maria, my hood slipped down.

Her flawless face turned from shock to anger. She struck me in the chest with almighty force, cracking one of my ribs. I doubled over as pain seared through my body. Maria took her chance and ran at the speed of a bullet, sending many vampires soaring as she went.

The six remaining vampires pursued her, though none were capable of matching her impressive speed. Maria stopped, turned, and smacked a pursuer in the face, sending him smashing into a large house and through the other side. Despite her strength, she became outnumbered as a small number of vampires from my clan, joined the battle. Maria flipped and kicked her way free time and time again. Many had been killed, and I was beginning to doubt his plan. She could not be stopped. She was too powerful. I ordered a retreat to my men; I would face her myself and sped up the dark Italian street, where Maria had fled to. Three decided to follow me. Maria slowed down to face him.

This was my plan. I knew she would want revenge. She wanted it so badly that it would cloud her natural instinct to sense a trap. Me and my vampires shot round a corner and braced ourselves, when I ordered the retreat this was part of the plan, they would detour to this corner. Maria followed, but they were ready. A dozen vampires jumped on her, forcing her to the ground. Even twelve against one barely managed to subdue her.

She struggled against a dozen pairs of iron hands, but could not break free. Finally, they managed to talk to her, and she was told that she would be taken as a result of nearly exposing the vampires. Unable to fight off these elite vampires, she surrendered. Maria was taken to a hidden underground prison made of twelve-inch thick, titanium walls. And there she lay, unable to avenge her children, awaiting the rescue of her beloved husband. The clan-queen had been reduced to nothing more than a petty, weak vampire. Maria could not wait for freedom. She swore to take revenge against the Venetian clan. She would kill me.

The night was still young when I headed back towards Venice. I knew I would be tortured in the end. When I returned, I was surprised to hear the clan-king had been spotted in Venice. It could not be so soon. I sent Zaichari out to see if the rumours were true. I waited, praying that it was not so. But deep down, I knew my time was up, and I would die at the hand of Roconn.

The Pope's Party

Roconn spoke to Klomano with an icy voice. ‘Where is she?'

Klomano quivered under Roconn's penetrating stare. ‘My lord, I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you. She is a liability and cannot be controlled nor reasoned with. She must be imprisoned for eternity.'

He spoke with a plea in his voice, begging Roconn to understand. Roconn smirked as he heard this.

‘No. You're wrong, but I will not kill you.
You
will be imprisoned. Oceana, come here,' Roconn said.

Oceana was at his side right away.

‘Yes, my lord, how may I help you?' She spoke with respect to the clan-king.

‘Stay here and keep an eye on Klomano. I'm leaving you in charge of the Venetian clan while I go and hunt for Maria.'

‘Of course, my lord,' said Oceana.

She then addressed her new clan with such authority that many would have believed she had been the leader for a while.

‘Listen up. I am the new clan-leader here. My word is law, and any of you who dare to disobey my orders will meet an untimely demise.'

Roconn smiled. Yes, she was perfect for the job. Knowing she was trustworthy, he set out immediately. He was soon on his way back to Italy to start his search. Roconn located the alleyway where Maria's blood was found, with no trouble, not far from the Vatican. His heart filled with sadness as he inhaled Maria's sweet scent.

‘Maria,' he whispered to the night.

A breeze blew in response, bringing with it Klomano's scent mixed with that of numerous other vampires; none were as prominent as Klomano's. Roconn tried his best to ignore his scent, but found it difficult. Soon he was shaking with anger. He suppressed a growl that had been building deep within his throat. He wished that he could find some conflict to help soothe the anger and hatred he felt for his old friend. He had to find Maria before it was too late. Looking down to the floor, something golden caught his eye. It was a ring, encrusted with jewels. It was Maria's, given to her by her mother. She treasured this ring, it was her most precious item, and now it lay on the floor, covered in dirt and forgotten. Roconn bent down and scooped it up. He would give this back to Maria as soon as he had the chance, for he
would
find her, and save her. He could not lose his wife as he had lost his children. Without Maria, he would have no one left, and he must continue his quest for vengeance alone, working to avenge the death of not only his children, but his wife as well.

Roconn put the ring into his pocket and left the alleyway, following the scent of his wife. It appeared she had fled. The scent led away from the alley; her scent was covered first, meaning she was first to go this way, and the others followed her. But why should she flee? Perhaps they outnumbered her. He knew this was more than likely to be the answer. He knew Maria better than anyone and she was not one to flee unless it endangered her life by staying. Following her scent proved difficult because she moved with such speed that there was not much to track, and it had been almost entirely diluted by the wind and the townsfolk. Nevertheless, Roconn continued to push his amazing sense of smell to its limits in order to trace his wife. Once in the street, he passed a large house which had a gaping hole punched through it. He tried to think positively, hoping this had not been caused by Maria's body. Roconn followed the scent, which grew fainter with every step he took, towards the end of the street where the scent bared off to the right. He rounded the corner. Maria's scent was gone, masked by the scents of a dozen other vampires. Roconn feared the worst, but with no evidence to prove him right, he tried his best to remain optimistic. He looked down at the stone floor, which was cracked. He assumed this would be where Maria was caught, the crater indicating she had been held to the ground with tremendous force. The time was now. He would go back to Venice and torture Klomano for information. He would find out where Klomano was keeping Maria.

A few nights later, Roconn had arrived back in Venice, and was standing in the Venetian clan's home when Oceana came running up to him at full speed. He wondered for a split second if she might run into him.

‘My lord. It's Klomano. He fled moments after you had left. I sent out a search party to find him, but without success. I then sent out Zaichari to tell you, but he couldn't find you, so he returned.'

‘I see. Oceana, come with me, I will need your help.'

‘Yes, my lord.'

Soon Roconn and Oceana were standing in the moonlight, flies buzzing around them as they walked along a cobbled path.

‘Tell me, did Klomano tell you anything? Did he let slip anything at all to do with Maria?'

‘No, my lord. Wait, I did find a note, it fell from his pocket when he returned from hunting. He looked distressed.'

Oceana put her hand inside her white linen dress into a pocket stitched inside and withdrew from it a piece of paper. She handed it to Roconn, who opened it hastily, and read it the words were written in hastily scribbled writing.

‘
Make sure she remains hidden and locked away. If he finds out, it will be all of our lives on the line. He will not forgive, and he will not forget. We will all die.'

He shook the paper and the scent of Klomano wafted from it. It made Roconn furious.

‘Thank you, you may have just saved the life of the clan-queen.'

Oceana looked taken aback; apparently she was not expecting to be praised. Roconn understood that he needed to act fast. He didn't know what his next move was going to be, but he needed to feed.

Oceana led him back to the hideout. Once inside, she walked off towards the end of the room. Roconn followed her over to a brass tap protruding from the wall. There she seized a crystal goblet, from a nearby table, and held it underneath the tap. She turned the tap carefully. Thick, red liquid poured out and into the goblet, which Oceana then handed to Roconn. He took it gratefully, sipping the liquid. It was warm; the barrels had been slightly heated to keep the temperature, and satisfying, soothing his throat. He gulped it down, it had a funny taste.

‘This is vampire blood,' thought Roconn.

‘But it doesn't make any sense, we vampires only drink human blood, not that of another vampire!' The clan, apparently, did not notice. Curiosity consumed Roconn, who blurted out the question before he could stop himself.

‘Why are we drinking vampire blood, may I ask?'

Oceana looked puzzled. Steadily she poured herself a glass full and raised the goblet to her lips and took a sip.

‘My lord?' she asked, feeling confused.

‘I repeat, why are we drinking the blood of a vampire?' Oceana continued to look puzzled.

Roconn changed the question. ‘Where and how do you source this new way of feeding?'

‘My lord, it is run by a cleverly placed room of spikes, underneath the Vatican. In the room, the roof is spikes and the floor is filled with holes. We place up to ten humans in the room and release the trap. The roof falls, impaling the humans until all of their blood is drained. It is then fed through tubes into barrels, and transported here.'

Roconn thought this was a brilliant new way of delivering blood to the clan members.

‘And how do you collect the humans? Surely the townsfolk would notice?'

‘Quite the contrary, my lord. You see, when the Pope holds a gathering, a mass of cardinals attend, and we pick them off. During the euphoria, no one notices ten or twenty cardinals disappear, they all dress the same and everyone is very distracted, many come and go anyway. We call the room the Blood Chamber, and put them in there. We also pick random people from within Venice to join in our meal.' Oceana gave a light chuckle at the last word and resumed her sipping.

Roconn, on the other hand, gave a start. A sudden realization gripped him and his heart sank. He was horrified. No, he thought, she could not be! Roconn's hand clenched involuntarily, the goblet creaked for a split second, and then shattered in his palm.

Oceana gave him a curious look.

‘My lord, is there something wrong?'

‘No. I mean yes. I don't know,' concluded Roconn, somewhat lamely.

‘I need to find out where the Blood Chamber is. I fear Maria may be held captive in there. You must help me, before it's too late!'

Oceana, who finally understood, put down her half-empty goblet and snapped her fingers. A man was at her side within seconds, carrying a red, hooded travelling-cloak.

‘Of course, my lord. We must save her! I will assist in any way I can. Actually, I do believe the Pope is holding one of his little parties right now. This should make it easier to slip in unnoticed.'

The Blood Chamber

Oceana left The Den and signalled for the gondola to take them back to Italy, which arrived within minutes. She and Roconn hopped aboard and were soon on their way back to Italy, where they used unlimited power in the gondolier's arms to propel the gondola at impressive speed. Roconn wanted the ordeal to be over, to have Maria back. He wanted to have Maria safely back home and in his arms where she belonged. Roconn decided that if they both got through this, then he would end his quest for vengeance. He had learned that there were more important things in life than revenge. Although he undoubtedly still missed his children, he would have Maria, and that was enough for now. At times, Roconn and Maria had formed plans to kidnap a baby and raise it as their own, away from everyone else. But no, he would not take someone else's child away from them, like his had been taken from him.

The gondola bumped gently against the side of a bridge. He and Oceana climbed out onto a moonlit path. They kept to the shadows as much as possible when they reached Rome. While walking up, through the impressive entrance to the Vatican, Roconn noticed the obelisk had been repaired.

It felt like only yesterday Maria had stood beside him, fighting Rosse, and speaking of plans to infiltrate the Vatican and kill the Pope. But that was gone now. His lust for revenge against the Pope had disappeared when he first discovered his wife had been captured.

Oceana slowed to a walk as they neared the great Vatican. Music could be heard coming from outside and the sound of laughter and conversation filled their ears. Listening hard, Oceana turned to him as they slipped inside the courtyard unnoticed. The courtyard was wonderfully decorated; many tables had been pushed into the courtyard and covered with white linen cloth. The table had many candle holders and silver jugs full of wine, goblets of silver surrounded each doily that had been placed on the cloth. Each cardinal seemed to grasp an identical silver goblet. Banners of red and gold had been hung from any place that could be reached. Cardinals were in abundance here, drinking merrily and talking to one another. Many lanterns had been lit and spread around in such a way that they seemed to light up the night sky.

‘The Pope is on the balcony. Kill him if you wish. But, remember, it's either him, or your wife,' said Oceana.

Roconn was now torn between the Pope and Maria.

‘Whom do I choose? I have been planning this for centuries.' Roconn thought.

On the other hand, he had been with Maria for most of his existence. She was his world. He would save her.

‘Where is she?'

Oceana smiled.

‘Right this way, my lord.'

She led him off to one side, underneath a pillar. Just as Roconn got there, intense pain burned through him, piercing his body in twenty different places. Then, all of a sudden, a different kind of pain tore through his heart. Roconn's knees buckled and he fell to the floor.

‘My lord, what's wrong?' Oceana kept repeating with worry.

After a few seconds the pain started to ebb away, he was feeling Maria's pain; the transformation must have enhanced their connection. Though Roconn had never experienced this before, he knew almost instinctively this was the cause.

Roconn lay, shaking, on the floor, breathing in the scent of dirt and tasting it in his mouth. A sadness filled his heart, compelling him to get up and find Maria, though he knew it was too late, she was gone, he could feel it. Every muscle in Roconn's body told him that going any further was pointless. He ignored them and pushed himself up off the floor. His body seemed to weigh him down as though the weight of the sea was upon him. With every step he took it became harder to carry on. Roconn resisted the urges to stop and pressed forwards. He would at least bury his wife's body. Though he knew she was gone, a small voice in his head told him not to give up. There was still a chance that she was alive.

Roconn reached a loose paving stone after what felt like the longest ten steps he had ever taken. The Pope's party carried on, reflecting the opposite of Roconn's emotions and he felt he would never be happy again. Roconn wrenched up the paving stone which (given that he had super-strength) required a lot of effort, and slipped down the passageway with Oceana hot on his heels. She was unaware of his feelings and seemed oblivious to the pain he had just endured.

It was pitch-black down the passageway, but his eyes quickly adjusted, and he could soon see clearly. He was standing next to Oceana in a vast room. Many barrels (which Roconn assumed were full of blood) had been pushed against the walls. Empty barrels lay scattered around, their lids taken off waiting to be filled. A cardinal moaned in the corner, but Roconn didn't pay attention. He didn't care anymore. He had no fight left in him, his vampire muscles seemed to reject the idea. Roconn forced himself to walk over to a door at the other end, the only other one in the room. It was thick, made of solid metal, with a rectangular hole in the middle which was probably for viewing. There was no glass in the hole.

Oceana seemed to understand how Roconn felt at that moment and stood back, giving him some space. For this, he was grateful. He peered in through the glass-free window and into the room beyond. What he saw was worse than he could have imagined. His whole body filled with grief as he looked at the bloodless body of his wife. Her green eyes were dry and lifeless. They were staring, empty. A look of horror was set upon her white face. Her clothes were dirty and stained scarlet. A dozen holes were punched through them and through her body. Roconn watched in horror as the last few drops of blood fell from Maria's body.

It was over. She was gone. He had lost everything.

‘My lord, I…' Oceana began.

She seemed lost for words as she stared into the room. She looked away as her eyes welled up with tears.

‘I know,' Roconn was able to mumble.

He felt his own eyes fill, tears splashing on to the floor. Oceana put a comforting arm around him, but he shrugged it off. He didn't want company at the moment. He wanted to go home, by himself, and sit for a hundred years, mourning the death of his wife, his love, the clan-queen. Roconn opened the door. The room had been created so it seemed to hover over the ground, leaving a gap between the floor and the chamber to collect the blood. Underneath it this time, stood a large container. It looked like one of the other barrels to collect blood, but this one was golden and encrusted with gems and jewels. It was filled to the brim with Maria's blood. Roconn ducked underneath the chamber, secretly hoping it would not somehow collapse on top of him. As Roconn extended his arm to grasp the golden barrel, he noticed that, beside it there was a note, it read:

This is the blood of the clan-queen. Take it to the place I wait. By now, Roconn will have surely discovered the plot and the fact I am the one who betrayed him and Maria.

The note was signed with Klomano's name. So this is why he was after Maria, he thought, for her blood, to make him stronger. ‘I should have killed Klomano when I had the chance.' He thought angrily.

He scooped up Maria's body, tears falling from his eyes, and retreated into the courtyard, not bothering to be discreet. He had no care for anything anymore. Roconn walked on, into the light of the lanterns. The music stopped playing and the cardinals gasped, a few even dropped their drinks. The Pope, chatting quite happily to someone, was obscured behind a large pot-plant, turned to face the courtyard.

‘What is all this?' he screamed to Roconn, pointing a long bony finger in his direction.

‘My wife has been murdered, but I will not stop! You shall die! I will come back for you, mark my words, and you
will
fall.' Roconn walked towards the exit of the courtyard.

The Pope looked taken aback and, in truth, a little frightened. Roconn had had enough. He wanted solitude, to be alone for eternity. He wanted his wife. Oceana followed him out of the courtyard, carrying the vessel containing Maria's blood.