Token Huntress (16 page)

              “Because of the glass roof and the large walls, the fog can’t get in. We never use fresh drinking water on the plants either. We keep the drinking water in storage in case for some reason we can’t obtain more for a long period of time. This water comes from under the main large bridge in the middle of the city. You know it? It was once called the ‘Golden Gate Bridge.’ We are looking for a way to connect a hose and pump from there to here. But for now we use those large blue drums,” he directed my gaze to where there were three drums standing next to the wall. “To facilitate the garden. Obviously we can’t grow anything too large here.”

I gave him a side glance, questioning why he was telling me all this. He had already guessed why I was staying, and that was to report back to my Guild as soon as I was able to escape. So why tell me so much? He gave me a cocky grin, suggesting he knew exactly what I was thinking. I frowned, now wondering if he was listening in on my thoughts.

              “I helped start these gardens,” Whitney said with a gleeful smile as she played with a pink flower.

              “You did a stunning job, my love,” Tythian said, watching her with admiration. She gave him a smile and picked the flower, offering it to him. He took it and placed it in his pocket.

              “Hey, do you want to see the training room?” Whitney asked me. This girl was making it too easy for me to uncover their foundations.

              “I do not think that is wise, my love. You know what she is,” Tythian reminded her patiently.

              “I know, but she is Chase’s familiar, so she won’t do anything to hurt us,” Whitney disregarded him. Tythian looked at Chase sharply. I hadn’t yet been explained to about what a familiar was. For some reason no one openly spoke about it to me. And I didn’t think it was a topic they would approach now.

              Whitney went to push toward the direction of the dining room again, but Tythian firmed his grip on the wheelchair holders and began pushing her again. I suppose he was leading us to the training room at Whitney’s request. The amount of control she had over this vampire was startling. I never knew such a relationship could exist.

              “The newer vampires are very clumsy. Since the sabers have been overpopulating, we have been required to recruit and build our numbers. A lot of them are trained daily. We need to protect ourselves from hunters and other covens. The more experienced ones such as myself and Tythian lead separate small groups when we need to find more humans or human supplies. Sometimes the sabers are close and hide within the dark buildings during day. So if it is suggested they are dwelling within the city, we go out to kill them. They can’t smell the humans within here because we are underground and the fog on the ground interferes with that sharp smell. A lot more have been coming closer frequently so we still cannot take any risks,” Chase explained.

At this point I wasn’t sure if he was trying to impress me with how much he knew. We walked around the large tables in the dining room and then through the wooden doors, back to the intersection. This time Tythian led us down to the right. We entered another room through more wooden doors. But instead of being covered by the normal white walls, it was all glass. The larger room was divided into many sections. I saw an archery area, a boxing arena, and an exercise area. The one on my right was for hand-to-hand combat. Twelve vampires practiced with one another.

              The next room on my left seemed to be some kind of torture room. Three vampires were tied to metal chairs. Fire was applied to their skin. They would scream for five seconds before water was thrown over them. Their healing quickly took away their wounds as they panted heavily.

              “It’s called the Tolerance Room,” Chase said, breathing hotly over my shoulder as I stopped to watch. “Fire is most effective. We train our vampires with pain so they are accustomed to it in battle.”

One vampire was standing still against the wall. A vampire on the other side of the room threw a dagger at him which plunged straight into the other vampire’s stomach. He didn’t even flinch, closing his eyes as it happened. He inhaled deeply, refocusing and nodded for another dagger to be fired at him again.

              “You seem kind of sadistic if you just stare,” Chase said with a cocky smile. “Don’t tell me you are one of those women who like it like this?” he said, clamping his teeth together to make a biting noise close to my ear. I looked at him abashed, but he only returned a cocky smile. Quickly he snapped out of his playful manner as Fier approached us from the other room.

Fier looked at me with an expression of surprise. “You told me she was fat,” he said, holding out his hand for me to grab it. I did not move. I would never touch him nor kiss his hand, if that was what he expected.

              “Sorry, she doesn’t like it if anyone else touches her beside me, if you know what I am saying,” Chase said, embracing me. His hand slipped around my waist. I had the urge to flip him over and slam him into the ground for fumbling his hands over me where they did not belong. I gritted my teeth, enduring it as I knew I had to act as human as possible. And like Chase said, I had to appear as
his
so I would go unnoticed.

              “She doesn’t seem to enjoy your touch,” Fier said, his green eyes searching over my face. “She is very pretty,” he continued, his hand coming to touch my hair. Chase pulled me tighter into his arms possessively. Although I could’ve held my own ground, I couldn’t have done so without Fier being suspicious of me. I was grateful for Chase pulling me back. Fier arched an eyebrow at Chase in challenge. A small breeze swept through the hallway, making a low howl. The two vampires who walked with him looked at one another, slightly concerned.

              “A little possessive, aren’t we, over a meal?” Fier asked, his fangs now revealed.

              “If I may speak with you privately, Fier, I would like to speak about actual important matters, such as the teams finding the hunters?” Tythian interjected.

“I will be seeing her tonight at the rave, after all, that is where all these young vampires take their humans to dry hump them,” Fier said as he continued to stare at me.

              “I am not a young vampire,” Chase said intimidatingly.

              “It was not a question. I will be seeing her tonight,” Fier said, eyeing Chase before walking around us to speak privately with Tythian. Whitney watched them as they walked away, deep in conversation already.

              I grabbed Chase’s fingers, using all my strength to pry his fingers off me. Small cracking noises began as I had him in a firm grip. He had to slowly dip to the ground to get away from me.

              “Ow, what do you have, mutant fingers? That hurts,” Chase said, now his carefree self again.

              “Do not grab me ever again,” I hissed, releasing my hold of him. I had to put distance between us because my heart pounded at his lingering fingers. I was upset with myself for not being uncomfortable by his touch. When he faced Fier in my stead, I did feel protected. This was bad and I had to break the spell.

              “Ah, I see, you like it rough,” he said with another playful smile. His comments didn’t help my situation in the slightest. It was as if he knew it boiled my blood. I tried my hardest to hide my desire for him, but every time he touched or embraced me it became harder to push him away. The longer I stayed within his presence, the further I felt I was being consumed by his world. I had to break away. I couldn’t comprehend my yearning for him. I felt him within the pit of my stomach. His touch made me flutter. I was becoming nervous and suspenseful around him.

              “Why the glass rooms?” I asked Chase, trying to take a more serious tone. I needed to dispel my tension. I made sure my voice was low enough for Fier and Tythian not to hear. The vampires who followed Fier were standing idly by the doors, holding them open for him. I now understood that Tythian used himself as a distraction so Fier stopped applying pressure to Chase. “And why does Fier ask you so many questions?”

              Chase gave a half-cocked smile. “So many questions, and your next one will be: what is a rave?” he mocked. I stood there silently and then he realized. “Oh, you really don’t know what a rave is. Well, diva, the rooms are glass, so Fier can regularly walk through and check on their training and combat skills. In here there are eighteen rooms.” I looked further down the hall, which was lengthy and could accommodate many rooms. “The two end ones are weaponry, and no I can’t take you there, only vampires are permitted. A rave is well, a lot of music, dancing, and lights stretching across the floor. This is something the vampires have enjoyed for many years. In the technology age it was the easiest way to scout out our desired victims for the night and toy with them for a while before we took them. Fier is Fier. He wants a lot of things and chucks a tantrum when he doesn’t get them. I will not lie to you; I am uncomfortable by how he stares at you, so please never approach him. Especially without me. You just really stand out from the rest of the humans. I think it is your golden-blonde hair. Even though we are vampires, we are still men, and you are beautiful, Esmore.” His tone was sincere but he was trying to cover the actual issue — Fier’s interest in me could prove fatal.

              “Chase, I want you here now,” Fier commanded over Tythian’s shoulder.

Tythian came to Whitney, bending himself on one knee to speak with her at eye-level. “Whitney, I will be back shortly, my love. Why don’t you head back to our room and rest for a while?”

              “I have to go also. Keep close to Whitney or go back to my room,” Chase said seriously. He gave me a smile. “No hug?” he teased immaturely. I now understood that if Chase felt threatened or uncertain about something he would state the concern and then try to cover it with humor. Not that I wanted Chase’s protection, but my heart felt empty when I thought of him leaving. My stomach turned. I did not understand this feeling. How could he so easily creep under my skin?

He hunched over, whispering in my ear, his hot breath spreading over my skin and blazing desire. “I will make you fall for me; you will only wish you committed sooner. I will show you what ‘hard play’ is, my golden bird.” Chase’s lips brushed against my ear and then he pulled back with a smile, assessing my rigid body. I had frozen on his words, desperately trying to bring forth my mature mind. But my body pulsed for him; it longed for his touch. And as he smiled at me hungrily, I knew he could sense that. If others weren’t surrounding us, I think I would have been very tempted to take him in that moment. It was Chase who walked away, leaving me startled and hungry for more. That hungry darkness within me rose, now tainted with lust.

W
hitney led me to the water fountain where we had met earlier in the morning. “Don’t worry, they won’t be too long. It is probably just to inspect a part of the city or attend a Council meeting,” she said with a smile.

              “I am not worried,” I asserted. I was relieved to have Chase gone so I could hide my beating heart and focus on my hatred for all vampires. Such a union between vampire and hunter could not happen. And I could not be unfaithful to James. But the longer I stayed within Chase’s presence, the darkness within grew, growing because of desire, instead of the anger it usually fed off.

Now that we were alone I could also finally ask her what all of this ‘familiar’ stuff was about and why I kept being objectified as such. I guessed it was like some kind of lovers, which we obviously were not. I had to make sure that would never happen.

              “What is a ‘familiar’?” I asked Whitney. She smiled, looking down at her twiddling thumbs.

“I really can’t explain it to you; it honestly is not my place. But you will find out soon enough. I do hope you plan to stay with us, Esmore. I often worry about Tythian. I am to leave him soon. I am worried he won’t cope and I need someone I can rely on to look after him. I can’t have him slipping over to a saber after my death. In that sense, he is so fragile.”

              “You just diverted my question with a request,” I noted, watching as two vampires walked past, looking at me curiously. Never did I think I would be standing in the middle of the Council casually chatting amongst these filthy creatures.

              “So I did,” she giggled to herself in amusement. “Come to my room, I think it will be safer for you there until Chase gets back, you draw too much attention. No one would dare come into Tythian’s room.”

              I wanted to do more snooping, but Whitney was right. I was too noticeable it seemed and that discouraged me from venturing off, especially because I hadn’t yet found an escape route. Whitney could be very useful for me. She had now been here for many years and without Tythian’s eyes watching over us, I could ask her so many questions.

              “It’s this way,” Whitney said politely as Gardar, the large vampire that had attacked me only yesterday, walked past. He paused for a moment, staring at me. He distracted himself and walked toward where we had come from. I wonder if he also was in charge. He did seem like an older vampire, that much I could remember clearly from his great strength when he attacked me.

              Whitney led me past the giant tiger statue I had hid behind only yesterday. We walked past the wooden doors where Chase and Fier last met. They were now closed, making me question if they were indeed having a meeting. I followed her down the white hallway, where on the left only three doors were. She opened the first one, revealing a much cleaner and homely room in comparison to Chase’s doll-collecting weirdness.

              On my left were a small wooden table and a brown, soft-looking couch. There seemed to be a small kitchen with a wooden table and chairs. The flooring was a white marble and there were a few paintings of flowers hung up. In the left corner was a large king bed and on the right seemed to be where the bathroom and a walk-in wardrobe were.

              “I will show you Tythian’s collection before he gets here,” she giggled to herself. “I thought it was strange at the start as well. But when Tythian explained it to me, it made sense.” She was leading me toward the walk-in wardrobe. When she opened it, I saw that many various colored silk formal shirts were hanging.
Hundreds.

              “Tythian is eight hundred and twenty-seven years old. So after about two hundred years, he began collecting things. He explained that it made it easier to grip onto humanity. Every year there is an annual anniversary of some kind where you gift yourself with something. He said it made it easier to count the years, especially when humanity was literally destroyed. A lot of the vampires here still collect things, it isn’t uncommon. Chase does the same with his bobble-head dolls,” she said behind me as she waited by the door. I ran my finger over the silks of the shirts. All of them did look very old and the material was something I hadn’t felt before. We wore practical clothes which hunters had been wearing for many years before. My attention was grabbed by a different fabric. Nine shirts were collected together. The style was much different to the others and none had buttons.

              “They are called ‘sweaters,’” Whitney said, coming behind me. The material had an odd image on the front and I realized it was a flower. “I know they are not silk, but it is so hard for him to find them now. So ever since I met him I have made this for him annually. I found how to create them in an old book Tythian stole for me from a library. Of course he had to teach me how to read then. I create him a special one every year.”

              Looking at them I said nothing so I wouldn’t offend her, but I couldn’t imagine such a shirt on the proper and handsome Tythian. Yet for Whitney I imagined he very well might wear it. She pushed through two of them, revealing a box hidden behind them on a small shelf. “This is the one I am working on for him now,” she said with great happiness, revealing an almost completed one. “I started it a little early this year but I will finish it while he is away sometime today.”

              She placed it back in the box she had removed it from and hid it amongst the clothes again. Walking out of the large room of shirts, I peered into the bathroom. In there, from what I could see, seemed to be a large tank, attached to it was tubing and a mask. Whitney noticed me staring and looked almost ashamed.

              “It helps me breath when I most need it,” she admitted, still staring at the ground.

              “What is wrong with you?” I asked gently.

              “Well, it has been very slow, I had medication for it that Tythian tried to administer, but it doesn’t help anymore. He told me he saw it a lot in the eras before. He is almost certain it is a disease called ‘cancer.’ Apparently, in the technology era they could help with it and most survived from it when aided by the medication. But now, there is no such thing.” Suddenly she perked up, as if defiant against the sadness. “But that’s okay, I mean my papa always told me that everything happens for a reason. And as much as I love Tythian, I have no fear of dying to be with my family again. So I find no sadness in any of it, only for Tythian. He still cannot accept my decision, although he respects it, he doesn’t want me to go.”

              “Why don’t you let him turn you into a vampire?” I asked. Their love seemed undying and as much as I hated the thought of Whitney being turned, I was curious as to why a human would not take such an opportunity. I had seen many humans offer themselves, wanting the chance of elongated life, one that could last for thousands of years. Some humans I had met wanted that more than anything. One would think a young woman who was dying would want that more than anyone.

              “Because although I love Tythian, sabers were what killed my family. I could never allow myself to be turned into a vampire, to only eventually turn into that exact same creature. I am peaceful and like flowers, in fact I am almost simple. I do not need a full lifetime, nor the possible chance of eternity to know that I am blessed to have life. I love Tythian but I think defying death is not natural. I could not ever be disgusted by him, but I do not think I would have the will power to stay humane for hundreds of years. I mean, when you think about it, after so many hundreds of years, what do you think it is they live for? I couldn’t imagine any goal that would need eternity to complete it,” she looked at me innocently, seeking my answer. But I did not have one. Every word and question she spoke was true. What would take so many hundreds and thousands of years to accomplish? Could you really just ‘be’ indefinitely? Vampires could be killed, but they had the option to live a very long existence.

              “I don’t know,” I said honestly. It shocked me that she didn’t pass harsh judgement on the vampire kind, especially after what had happened to her family.

              “Why did you come here, with Tythian, into where all the vampires are? Any of them could lose control and trigger into sabers?” I asked.

              “Well, at the time when Tythian saved me, I was drawn to him instantly, and honestly would have followed him anywhere. At fifteen I was mesmerized by his handsomeness, but also by having someone so willing to protect me. Without my father I was alone. When I did begin to question everything, I realized it was wrong to hold a grudge against Tythian or any other vampire here for what had happened. Although they are a race and did overpower the humans, we live in a time of survival. It is what it is. None of these vampires within the Council took my family from me, it was sabers. I could not curse their race because of what some sabers or individual vampires have done. Tythian helped me realize that. I have seen a few vampires slowly turn into sabers here. Not all of them are so strong to hold on to their humanity. From what I have seen, sometimes it is too easy to be persuaded by a much hungrier side. I have seen the signs of them being turned, and by then there is no hope for them. It is like a sickness that breaks them down and turns them. Some endure it for longer than others. But once it is noticeably there most of them give up. Having sabers within the Council is a liability. They would kill all the humans here and it is known that the Council does not approve of sabers. They are the creatures which are further killing the food supply, so the Council actively kills them. It is Tythian’s role to kill them as he is the oldest here; he will have no issue with destroying them quickly. The other vampires can smell the sickness within those vampires who have begun to slip into a saber. They are killed before they can fully turn. Once that sickness has started it will inevitably claim them. They are creatures without purpose. All they do is kill and murder. They are the darkness within vampires, not the vampires who live within the Council. But every vampire here could be affected if they do not keep to their humane side and disallow the hunger to take over.”

She paused before continuing. “For those who simply disobey the rules here, such as torturing humans, going on a blood frenzy, or even challenging other vampires, they are killed also. Liability to the humans’ lives here is not taken lightly, they are, after all, the Council’s meal source. We don’t live in an age of human law, we haven’t for over three hundred years. But here there is some structure and rules. I feel far safer in here than out there where there is nothing but death.”

              Whitney began coughing harshly into her hand. After hearing her words I didn’t think much more could be said. Everything she said was very thought-provoking, yet at the same time I could understand her. It reminded me of when Dillian and I had spoken of such things and his concern for the humans. I now had an insight into what it was they actually feared. Although it was our task to save them and take them to the human camp, we did not place much structure for them. And here, looking at all the white walls and clean living, they were somewhat safer than the outside world. Obviously humans did not feel safe without structure or security of some kind, and their payment was simply blood.

              “Excuse me,” Whitney gasped over a handkerchief she had pulled out. A few droplets of blood grabbed my attention before she hid it in her small hands, smiling at me. “I have a few items of food here, why don’t we simply eat here instead?” She positioned herself at the head of the table, offering me a seat next to her. She pulled out a few pieces of fruit from a small shelf which had very few items on it. There was a small bowl of fruit, a few bottles of some red liquid, a few plates, bowls, glasses, and cutlery. Her hands trembled as she tried slicing the fruit on a plate.

              “Let me,” I said, taking the knife from her and slicing thin pieces of the apple and then pear. After only taking one bite of the pear, the door opened and Tythian and Chase entered. They had been lightly debating something that had obviously been said at the meeting they had.

              “Obviously what Fier says will go, but I must admit I am losing respect for his decisions lately. He is acting like a child who simply wants a bigger throne,” Tythian said, walking over to the shelving and grabbing one of the red bottles. He poured the thick syrup like substance into two thin glasses and I then realized it was blood.

              “Well, I guess we will figure out what Fier is up to when it comes to it… we can’t exactly challenge him, we don’t have the numbers,” Chase said seriously. He took the seat beside me, as did Tythian beside Whitney, giving her a kiss on the forehead in greeting. I saw Chase looking at me from the corner of my eye, thinking the same.