Vampire Hunter D: Dark Nocturne (17 page)

Giving the youths just a quick glance, D then turned his face to a higher spot.

“Watch yourselves,” said the voice of the one from outside. “Even I didn't notice this guy as he was approaching. What's more, just having him near me made me flinch. He's something from another world.”

“Is it
him
?” another one of them asked. It was a bizarre voice, seeming to come from both above and below. Anyone trying to locate him by voice alone was likely to quickly succumb to confusion, perhaps even forgetting about where they themselves were.

“No,” said the third and most solemn of the voices. “This is someone else. However—this one just might be even greater than
the other
. . .”

“Impossible!”

“There are fearsome characters out in the wide world. That much I've always known, but when you actually see one in the flesh . . .”

The third speaker actually sounded quite impressed.

“We'll introduce ourselves. I'm Duran,” he said. The voice was that of the man from outside.

“Very well. I'm Sabey.”

“Understood. I'm known as Crumb.”

This wasn't done to be nice—each and every voice had a ring of hostility to it. And yet, they didn't let the tiniest sign betray their presence.

Then, for the first time, they showed some sign of being upset. D had just spun around on his heel. Could any act have matched that for sheer discourtesy—or for daring?

Having ascertained that the three young men were still alive, he was finished. After that, it would simply be a matter of summoning the villagers—that was reasoning that D alone could follow.

As if to show him his error, a black figure dropped down from directly above him.

“Stop!” Sabey called out, but he was either too early or too late.

A glint of white split the darkness lit till now solely by the light off the snow, and something thudded to the ground on either side of D.

“You're good,” groaned the one who'd identified himself as Crumb. However, that voice came from the piece that'd fallen about six feet to D's right—the man from the waist up. From the waist down, he lay to D's left.

“My turn next,” Sabey said, his voice falling from the ceiling as he made no further efforts to conceal his presence.

“Oh—don't do it!” Crumb's upper body shouted.

“Hurry up and get out of here,” Sabey snapped back at him at the same time the sounds of destruction filled the entire warehouse.

Each and every cage had broken open in unison. No external force had undone the bolts or snapped the high-voltage lines—that had been done by the mindless fury of the accursed creatures within them.

“Very well, then—go, my little friends!”

At Sabey's bidding, the bizarre monsters charged the gorgeous silhouette that stood there motionless. Anyone familiar with their respective species would've been startled by the ordinarily unimaginable swiftness and agility the beasts displayed.

But even more amazing was the speed that far exceeded theirs. The din of flesh and bone being hewn sounded like a single continuous sound. D moved in a circle with a diameter no wider than his own shoulders. Each flash of his blade dealt lethal wounds to several supernatural creatures, and after four glittering strokes the assault was at an end.

A hoarse and haughty laugh came from someone they didn't even know was there. To the contrary, the impressions that radiated down from the ceiling seemed to indicate the three adversaries were so tense they might not have even noticed the laughter.

“Unbelievable . . .”

“Damned freak . . .”

And even these remarks weren't muttered until they'd drawn several breaths.

With the stink of blood beginning to pervade the chill air of the warehouse, the figure in black headed back to the entrance without a sound.

As he was about to cross the threshold again, Duran's voice called out, “Wait—at least give us your name.”

“D,” he replied succinctly before stepping outside.

“Those guys weren't too shabby,” said a hoarse voice from the vicinity of the Hunter's left hip. The same voice that'd laughed earlier. “The first one was in a great position to cut you. Ordinarily, that only would've been the start of things, you know. The second was a ‘beast master'—but he's capable of a lot more than what we saw. He was just testing the waters. And the third is the scariest of the bunch.”

D looked at the girl who was standing right in front of him.

“All three of them will live. But you should get someone out here.”

And with those words he walked past her.

“Please wait. What happened to the other three?” a doleful voice inquired.

“Are they connected to your family?”

“Not at all. About two weeks ago they suddenly came to my house. And—”

Saying no more, D continued to walk away.

“Please. I'd like you to get them to leave. At this rate, Papa and I won't be able to go on living in the village much longer!” she said.

But the young man had taken a left at the corner, and her words never reached him.

 

I

 

Blue light was just beginning to spill through the gaps in the blinds over the windows facing east when a monocled gentleman called on D's room.

Through the door the Hunter asked, “What's your business?”

While the voice froze him in his tracks, the man replied, “Brewer's the name. Just a little while ago, I heard some talk about you at the tavern. I suppose the sheriff's done with you by now. You'd best open up,” he ordered haughtily.

There was no reply.

Clearing his throat, Brewer then changed his tack. The voice that spilled from between his thick lips was coaxing.

“I'm sorry, please forgive my rudeness. The fact of the matter is, I'm a recruiter. The girl you're said to have helped—Raya, was it? She's already been paid six thousand dalas to take employment in the Capital. I even have the contract I drew up with her father. However, when I came back a week ago, I find three strange farmhands there who simply won't let me have the girl. Worse yet, they've gone and left no less than five young men with all sorts of broken bones. As for Raya, she's not shaking her head and refusing to leave her father or anything. I was at my wits' end when I happened to hear about you, and I prayed the whole time I was running over here. So, what say you? You'll be handsomely rewarded. Would you be good enough to somehow deliver Raya to me . . .
Mister D
?”

The last part of that was one of the aces he'd been holding. Not a soul in the village knew the Hunter's name.

There was no reply.

Looking quite dissatisfied, the recruiter fiddled a bit with his sharp little bow tie before saying, “Actually, I had the pleasure of seeing you from a distance once a long time ago. That's when I learned your name and what you looked like. The dashing Vampire Hunter ‘D,' famed throughout the Frontier. My, it truly is an honor to have another chance to meet you. I would appreciate it if you'd open up.”

Again, no answer came.

Brewer went to his second ace.

Lowering his voice and bringing his mouth closer to the door, he said, “While I may be a bit imprudent, I certainly wouldn't ask the greatest Hunter on earth to involve himself in mundane matters. Mister D, the girl—Raya—actually has the shadow of the Nobility hanging over her.”

A minute later, Brewer sat at a beat-up table across from D. His mouth hung open—a natural enough response—and it didn't close for quite some time, as if leaving it that way were a form of courtesy.

“You mentioned the Nobility, didn't you?” asked the Hunter.

“Yes,” the man replied, his jaw finally moving.

The horribly beautiful gaze remained locked on him.

“I needn't lie or conceal anything; not from anyone as stunning as yourself. Seeing you up close is almost enough to make another man melt like butter, you know. The government official in the Capital who wants the girl is actually a researcher studying the Nobility, and on checking some ancient documents, he discovered that she definitely has Noble blood in her. As a result, I was hired to bring her back in the utmost secrecy.”

“What's the name of your employer?”

Brewer smoothly replied with a ridiculously long name.

“And where's this document?”

“I've seen it personally. You may not be aware of this, but in the forbidden zone in the Capital, vast remains of an ancient city were discovered about three years ago. Particularly conspicuous among the theaters and halls was a massive library, which I believe was called Alexandria or something to that effect. The document in question was discovered in its subterranean storerooms. Bugs had eaten through it in places and it looked to me wholly illegible, but my employer is an expert in such things. He was remarkably successful in deciphering it. In it were detailed lineages of various Noble families scattered across the Frontier.”

“And the girl—she's a Noble?”

“From what I was told, she's probably not a pure Noble. He said she may be an abductee, although I'm not particularly well-versed in—”

“So you ain't interested in anything but a payday from this government official?”

“Huh?”

The reason Brewer knit his brow was not only because the hoarse voice was both like D's voice and unlike it at the same time, but even more because it sounded like it was coming from the vicinity of his waist, which was concealed by the table between them.

“Do you have any proof she's an abductee?”

This time the voice was unequivocally D's.

“Only the official back in the Capital would know that for sure. Since I never expected to find myself in the current situation, I don't have any proof with me. Of course, I'd be happy to send one of my young assistants to the Capital to fetch the document, but I doubt whether the owner would allow it out of his possession.”

“And what would you know about those other three characters?”

“Oh yes,
them
. Well, you see,” the recruiter began, lowering his voice with great purposefulness, “before I left the Capital, what my employer told me was that abductees with Noble blood sometimes have these mysterious guardian-types looking out for them. Sometimes it might take the shape of a beast; other times, a sudden bit of good luck that protects the descendant of the Nobility. Now, my guess would be that they're probably some variation on this.”

“Hmm. That would make sense,” the hoarse voice said again, shocking Brewer.

“How long have you been trading in flesh out on the Frontier?” asked D.

“What do you mean by that? I'll have you know I'm a perfectly respectable mediator in matters of employment and—” The man then shut his mouth and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling as he said, “Thirty years.”

“If you've been out here three decades, you should know just how few abductees ever come back alive. Do you have any evidence of that happening to her?”

“Since you asked, there is
this
.”

Taking an electronic recorder out of his jacket pocket, he flipped on the switch. On it was a recording of discussions between Brewer and the sheriff, the doctor, and various influential people around the village. In response to the flesh trader's questions, each of them declared that in her infancy, Raya had disappeared for a whole year.

When the machine finished relating their testimony, Brewer said he wanted to hire D outright to take Raya back from those three characters, adding, “Two weeks ago, those three show up out of the blue. I wouldn't be at all surprised if their boss—a true Noble—was coming, too. I want you to take care of all of them.”

__

II

__

The next day, Raya's eyes bulged when she saw the highly unlikely pair that paid a call on her farm.

“What about those three characters?” D inquired.

“When I got back from visiting the sheriff, they were gone. I haven't seen hide nor hair of them today,” Raya's voice bounced back to him.

But the departure of the mysterious strangers wasn't the only thing that made her dark eyes glow with enthusiasm.

“That's just dandy. Well, will you come along with me then, just like your father agreed to in our contract?” the flesh trader said, still trying to take the girl by the arm.

“I realize that. But please, just wait a little longer,” Raya beseeched him. “I have to give the matter of my father some thought, and I have to say good-bye to a few acquaintances. Give me another week at least.”

“I guess that can't be helped. Oh, very well then,” Brewer replied, conceding easily.

Needless to say, that wasn't how he really felt. But he'd promised D he'd wait at least a week to see if the Nobility showed up. He didn't really intend to wait that long, and he kept insisting he wanted to head back to the Capital immediately, but the Hunter told him in that case he wouldn't accept the job. Keeping any remarks about how ruthless he was for such a handsome man locked away in his heart, Brewer accepted the Hunter's conditions. As long as he had this young man on his side, he was completely covered where those three weirdoes were concerned. If he just waited out the week, later he'd be able to keep playing up the Nobility angle and hopefully get the Hunter to come along as an escort all the way back to the Capital.

In his heart, he secretly stuck his tongue out at D. The whole story of abductees and the Nobility was a complete fabrication. The voices on his recorder were simply some local folks he'd hired to play along for ten gold coins. His sole concern was that the handsome Vampire Hunter was unlike so many others plying the same trade, but since he really couldn't put his finger on what made D different, there was no point worrying about every little thing.

“Very well, I'll stay in town for another week then,” Brewer told the girl. “But the damned hotel bills are liable to break me.”

“I know,” Raya replied.

Just then, the door to the next room opened roughly and the smell of liquor hit the noses of all. The middle-aged man who appeared with a ruddy face was Raya's father.

“Go on and get the hell out of here already,” her father bellowed despite the fact he could barely work his tongue. “If Raya sticks around, there's no telling when more of them freaky bastards will come barging in. That kind of trouble I can do without! Thanks to them, the whole village must think I'm the lowest of the low. When I heard you wanted to take my girl with you, I was genuinely relieved. So why the hell are you still hanging around?”

“Actually, sir—let's discuss the matter elsewhere.”

After Brewer had disappeared to try and get the father to go along with the story he'd told D, Raya remained staring sadly at the Vampire Hunter.

“What's wrong?” asked D.

It was rare for this young man to show any interest in others—actually, it was more like an earth-shaking event.

“Nothing. I just thought it would've been nicer if you'd come alone—”

“He's my employer.”

“I realize that. He's going to take me back to the Capital.” And then, as if cradling a certain expectation, she suddenly asked, “Will you be going with us?”

“I don't know.”

The color that'd suffused Raya's countenance for an instant swiftly faded away.

As she got to her feet, she said, “I'm sorry. I haven't even offered you tea.”

Disappearing into the kitchen, she quickly reappeared with a steaming kettle and a teacup. Pouring the contents of the kettle into the cup, she said, “Here you go.”

Her eyes were turned down as she offered him the drink.

Taking the cup in hand, D said, “Could I trouble you to put some tea leaves in it?”

With a stunned look she peered down at the cup, her face swiftly growing more and more flushed.

“I can't believe I did that—I'm sorry.”

Opening the lid of the tea canister, she pulled D's cup closer.

Still looking straight down, she said, “There you are,” and then set the cup before him once again.

D looked down emotionlessly at the cup filled to the very brim with black leaves, then brought it to his lips without saying a word.

“Oh, no! I've done it again, haven't I?”

Her dumbstruck expression twisting, Raya covered her face with both hands and dashed outside through the front door. Her sobs streamed out behind her. Dashing down to the end of the porch, Raya cried out-loud. She didn't know exactly why. Her tears spilled down into the snow that was piled as high as the floor of the porch, digging a tiny but deep hole.

After about five minutes, she returned to the house.

Still in the same spot as before, D was just taking the cup away from his lips. The tea leaves had been left on the table.

“This is delicious tea,” said D.

“Huh?”

“I'm not just saying that to be polite.”

“Honestly?” Raya asked, her eyes still aimed at the floor.

D nodded. Though he said nothing, Raya knew exactly what he meant.

“I'm glad,” she said, her eyes turning to D naturally. “I'm sorry you had to see me like that.”

“Does it pain you to have to go off to the Capital?”

Though the question actually had no bearing on what Raya had just done, it did serve to lighten her load.

“It's not a problem,” she said as she took a seat. Her voice was flat, devoid of intonation. “I—Well, it just doesn't matter. I could stay here and keep living like this, or I can go work in the Capital. Papa sold me, but I don't mind. He'll be able to live off that money, and it'll be easier on me, too. Once I've gone to the Capital, there won't be much point in me worrying about him any more. Tell me—how old do I look?”

Raya looked up at D as she said that. The earnest expression the girl wore seemed to have come completely out of the blue.

“I'm seventeen,” she told him. “Do I look it? Everyone says I look over twenty. And everyone's always surprised when I tell them my real age. Does that sound right? Am I that much of an old hag? I can't take it anymore. Having people ask my age, then getting that look on their face. I've had it with hauling water from the well day in and day out, tilling the fields with a hoe, and scorching myself trying to keep the electric fences up against the monsters. I was relieved when Papa sold me to that guy. If I go to the Capital, if I go anywhere but here, I'm sure it can't be as bad as all this.”

D listened quietly as she confessed emotions she'd probably never shared with anyone before, but then he said, “It probably hurts your father to do this.”

All the strength ebbed from Raya's body. The violent emotions of the moment had passed.

Looking down, the girl said in a flat tone, “I suppose you're right. But he'll forget about me soon enough. After all, that's what happened when my mother died.”

“Is that when his drinking got out of hand?”