Sacrum
Chapter Thirty
The Assassin's Bullets
I felt myself floating in the darkness. A strange-yet weirdly satisfying-sensation. A completely weightless body moving at the pace of a cloud.
If this was death, I liked it. It was peaceful. Quiet. Nothing like real life with all its ceaseless noise and strife.
And then suddenly Vinicius was floating beside me, looking as calm and serene as I remembered him in real life.
"This is nice, isn't it?" The sound of his voice nearly filled my eyes with tears. "I imagine that if we could actually remember what being in the womb feels like, it would be exactly like this," he said, glancing over at me with the hint of a smile.
"Professor, am I dead?" I asked.
"No, dear boy. Your body is simply in a temporary state of shock."
"Because of the silver bullets?"
"Yes. Pesky little things. They don't quite agree with vampire chemistry. Thankfully, they're not deadly. Good enough to incapacitate someone for a period of time though."
"So I'm going to live?"
"Barring any other unfortunate circumstances, yes, I believe you are going to wake up in a little while," he said in his gentle voice.
"Was it the same person who killed you?"
"I imagine you will soon find out, Dani."
"It's all so confusing. Nothing has been right since you left. I don't know what choices to make. What do you want me to do?" I asked and immediately cringed at the obvious tone of desperation in my voice. He smiled wisely.
"Oh, I would never presume to tell you what to do, Dani." His calm blue eyes twinkled with good humor.
"Is Vincent irredeemable?" I asked.
"Is anyone irredeemable?"
"I don't know. Probably," I replied, frustrated. "If they've caused enough damage and terror to the universe. How long can I allow someone like that to exist?"
He took a while to answer.
"The thing about playing God, Dani, is that it always comes back to bite you in the behind. Us Earth dwellers - whether human, vampire, or any other creature - don't have the capacity or the knowledge to properly judge one another."
"You're not giving me any answers," I groaned. He chuckled faintly.
"No, I'm not much help, am I? You're right, Dani. I apologize for the ramblings of this old man. These days my brain is tired from holding on to centuries-worth of information," he replied kindly. "Vincent is both good and evil, just like most of us. He is comfortable dwelling in the darkness because that is where he's been brought up. But he has within him great potential. Just like his grandfather, he is a born leader. Yet the question remains, which side of him wins the battle in the end?"
"You still haven't answered my question. What you just said...it sounds like I've heard it before." He smiled.
"Of course it does. I am only repeating your thoughts to you, after all."
"So this...this is just a dream?"
"Oh, it's much more than 'just' a dream, dear boy, for there is much that lies within dreams. From our hopes, to our fears, to our most secret desires-before anything comes to be, it is first just a dream."
"I wish you were still alive. I need your guidance." He seemed touched by the statement.
"All the answers you seek are already within you, my boy," he replied, then slowly faded away.
Suddenly my body wasn't weightless anymore. It dropped like a lead balloon, causing me to scream out in fear that I would hit some unknown bottom and crash.
"It's okay Dani, just hold on," I heard a familiar voice in my ear-it was Vincent's.
The Vinicius in my dream was right. This wasn't death. I had passed out from the pain, but I was still very much alive-or as alive as one without a beating heart could be considered.
And I was slowly coming to my senses and feeling the painful fiery sensation spreading though my body once again.
I wanted to wake up, but the pain kept me in the dark. The school was under attack, and I had failed to protect it. I couldn't even protect myself...
I felt someone lifting my now heavy body and taking me somewhere. And then my mind went back to sleep once again, as my body worked to regenerate itself.
When I did finally wake up, I found myself in a small dark bedroom, covered in dark blue sheets.
There was a familiar face staring at me from the chair next to the bed.
Perhaps familiar wasn't the right word, as I'd never actually seen the vampire before in my life. But the strong jawline, black hair, and mischievous glint in the eyes-characteristics that were so prevalent in the Carandini blood line-let me know that it was a relative of Vincent I was looking at.
He half smiled when he noticed that I was awake.
"Burns good, doesn't it?"
I looked down at my naked torso. All signs of the bullet wounds were gone. I touched my skin-which was back to its perfect porcelain color-and it felt smooth underneath my fingers. But there was indeed an uncomfortable stinging sensation under the spots where the bullets had penetrated. A strange phantom pain of sorts.
"It will go away in a few hours," the familiar-looking stranger said. "They make the bullets pretty potent these days. Load them up with extra silver. Tough for the body to get rid of. But it does, eventually."
"Where's Vincent?" I asked, sitting up and feeling quite vulnerable in front of this stranger. I needed to figure out what happened. I needed to know who tried to kill me and why. Most importantly, I needed to find out if everyone else at Baritone made it out safe.
"He stepped away to attend to something, but he was here the whole time. It was kind of adorable, really. I haven't seen that type of devotion in centuries," he said in what I perceived to be a sarcastic tone.
His smile was almost blinding and revealed a row of perfect large white teeth that made me shudder inside. It's as if I could feel the sheer strength and beastly power of his frightening jaw, and the damage his mouth could inflict on a human being.
He continued, "The grim-faced one came by as well."
"Demetrius?" I asked, suddenly feeling more chipper.
"Right, that's his name. Your little Special buddy. Let me tell you, that boy is not a whole lot of fun to be around. It's all business with him. Can't get him to smile to save my life."
"Who are you?" I asked. He snickered while faking an offended facial expression.
"I'll forgive your insolence on the account that you, my friend, have just survived one scary assassination attempt. That's not something we go through every day, even as vampires. It can leave one feeling a bit...confused."
I took in his appearance. He wore black pants and a loose black button up. His hair was wet, as if he just got out of the shower.
"You're related to Vincent; I know that much," I went on. His head gave a slight nod.
"Funny thing-genetics. They can reveal the truth without anyone having to speak tedious words," he said in a mysterious tone, as his eyes curiously flickered over my face.
"Are you his cousin then? Giovanni?"
He laughed, but in a flash, the sound was gone.
"What do they teach in school nowadays? Did they wipe out Vampire History from the curriculum?"
"Never been much good at history," I replied.
"Well that much is clear," he said in a loud voice that sounded amused.
Then suddenly I remembered something from a previous dream. It all had to be connected somehow.
"Ciprian," the name escaped my lips, and his mouth spread into a smile once more.
"See, you do know."
"What happened?" I asked.
"What happened is you took three silver bullets from an assassin's gun," he replied.
"But...I survived?"
"Once again, sharpen up on that knowledge my little friend. Vampires don't die from a couple bullets."
"How did I get here?"
"Well, after that sneaky little coward shot you while you were in bed, you passed out. Thankfully your King, who is my handsome and badass nephew, fought the faceless creep off and dragged your lifeless body over here-in spite of the great risk that type of heroic act would put him at-so that you could heal in peace," he revealed.
"Is everyone else okay?"
"At the school, you mean?" I nodded. "Yes, seems as if our masked friend was only interested in you. Though, sadly, he did finish off one of your bodyguards with a wooden stake."
"Declan," I whispered, horrified. Someone died trying to protect me.
While I was still digesting the information, Ciprian continued, "Listen, I'm here so that I can ask you one very simple, yet very important question. Because see, we're done playing little games here, and though my nephew is exceedingly patient, I am much less so. Especially after spending 18 years in a coffin. Now, I need to know, my little blonde friend, are you with us?"
There it was-the question I had been successfully avoiding up until then. I thought I had made up my mind, but before someone attempted to kill me, I had that dream with Vinicius and Arcadius Nomad. The things I heard them say... did I really want to help bring about that type of government again? The type of government they conspired to take down for good? Could I commit to joining Vincent on his mad quest to reinstate the royalty?
It wasn't something I could answer then and there. I had to speak with Graham first. I needed counsel.
"Where are we?"
He frowned for a moment.
"We're at the current Carandini headquarters. Which, hopefully, will soon be upgraded to something a bit less lower-middle class, and a bit more vampire-fucking-royalty worthy," he replied, looking around at the room with obvious contempt. "Now back to my question. Are you with us?"
"I don't know," I answered truthfully, looking around to see if my clothes were nearby.
"You don't know?"
"I don't know," I restated.
"See, I do not like the sound of that," he said, smiling once again.
He was one of the only vampires I knew who looked more terrifying with a smile than with a serious face. "That type of uncertainty is going to cause a lot of problems for us."
"How so?" I asked, but he ignored my question and replied with his own.
"What is it exactly that's stopping you from committing? You and I both know you do not want to be stuck working for Arani Deadnus. See, that type of sad shit would make me abandon eternal life really quick," he said, snapping his fingers.
"So what, you're the lesser of two evils?"
"Ouch! The insults you throw at me, blondie. Lesser?" He asked, cocking his head to the side in playful amusement. "The word 'lesser' does not apply to anyone in the Carandini line, get that in your pretty head. Whatever we do, we're the best at it. If we decide to be evil, we're the best evil there is," he stated passionately.
"Like I said, I haven't made up my mind yet. I'll need for Vincent to tell me exactly what you're all planning."
"The balls on you kid...really impressive to demand that kind of information from your King," he said, his teeth gleaming brightly. "Still, I will forgive your lack of manners, once again, because I know that you grew up completely in the dark and don't quite understand the dynamics at play here."
"You don't know me or how I grew up," I said, defensively.
"Please, spare me. I spent 18 years in slumber, I did not come back to the world of the living to endure your boring tales. Now...tell me how he died," he said, changing the subject so fast I felt myself getting whiplash.
"How who died?"
"Vinicius. How did he die?" He asked, his face serious.
I was enraged by the question, but something made me reply.
"They said he took his own life," I answered.
"I know what they said, kid. How did he really die?"
"I don't know," I replied, "but I will find out. Just like I'll find out who tried to kill me."
"That's going to be a little difficult without our help, don't you think? It's not exactly like you have the connections or resources to launch an investigation on your own."
"I already told you, I haven't made up my mind yet," I replied firmly. He glanced at me curiously.
"Stubbornness-genetic trait, I'm told." I didn't quite understand his meaning. He went on, "I want you to know, I am sorry about Vinicius."
"Why, you two weren't exactly friends, were you?" Was he seriously using the memory of my dead Mentor to try and get me on their side?
"You don't have to be friends with someone to respect them, Goldilocks. His loss is a loss for the entire community. It's like someone burning down libraries with ancient knowledge-that's some irreplaceable shit. You don't cut down a valuable resource like that."
He sounded sincere.
"Then why don't you help me figure out who did it? It could be a sign of good faith," I suggested, and right away he laughed.
"See, that's not on my to-do list, kid. Let's get something straight, I'm not here to prove myself to you as worthy. You will join us. There is no other choice for you. And if you do-for some unknown and very foolish reason-decide to side with Arani, then you will most certainly die. You coming with us is the only viable option, capiche?"
"You sound very sure for someone who spent 18 years hiding from her."
"Oh, now you're trying to rile me up. Hiding? I prefer the word 'waiting'. Or maybe 'relaxing,'" he said, and the tone of his voice changed to one dripping with derision. "Arani isn't worth the dirt on my shoes. She is less frightening than the spider in my cupboard. Do not insult me by suggesting that I should be afraid of her."
"She is responsible for killing most of your family, is she not?"
He frowned. "Ah, you give her too much credit," he said, more wistfully now, as his eyes continued to hold mine. "She may have assisted the men who drove the wooden stake through my brother's heart, but at the end of the day kid, we are the architects of our own misfortune." Then he swiftly got up and began walking toward the door.
Right before he walked out, he turned back to look at me and said, "I'm going to need your answer soon."
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.