Sacrum

Sacrum

Chapter 34

The Danish Gambit Ð Part I

"Why doesn't he like me?" I asked Vinicius as a tiny black puppyÑthat had somehow found its way into the Valentini Academy and into my Mentor's green gardenÑbacked away from us both in fear.

The little four-legged rascal had floppy ears and the small boy in me wanted to do nothing more than to pick him up and play with him. I'd never had a pet before, but the book Vinicius gave me on dog breeds made my heart yearn for an animal companion.

Vinicius smiled as he watched me try to beckon the animal back towards me with no success.

"Ah, it's an animal instinct," he replied, gently placing his hand on my shoulder. "They are warm blooded creatures who rely on their sense of smell and sound to acquaint themselves with those around them. You and I don't have a natural smell or a beating heart. We are the walking deadÑan anomaly. It's natural for them to be afraid."

I kneeled and tried to pull the puppy towards me, but he yelped out in fear, and I quickly let go, not wanting to scare him any further. Vinicius noted the desperately sad look on my face.

"It's a hard lesson to learn Dani, but an important one. See, love doesn't exist if it isn't given of one's own free will. Only then can it move mountains," he said, smiling mysteriously.

He stepped out of the room and returned momentarily, carrying a piece of cooked chicken. We had human visitors at the Academy at times, and I assumed that's where the food came from.

He sat down on the floor, tore a smaller piece of it away and put it far in front of him.

After a while, the puppy slowly moved and grabbed the tasty morsel with his small mouth. When he was done, Vinicius repeated the gesture, but this time he placed the treat a little bit closer. Once again, the puppy grabbed it.

After 5 minutes, he was eating out of Vinicius' hand and wagging his tail. I watched in awe.

"Only with free will and trust can love overcome any obstacle in front of it. Even the cold, scentless skin of a vampire," my wise teacher told me then, as he handed me the remainder of the chicken so that I could feed the puppy.

I thought of that moment now, as I was looking at Vincent's perfectly furious face. I thought of the lesson my Mentor was trying to impart on me. You cannot force love, it must be given freelyÑotherwise it is nothing more than an abomination, or the sad and ugly cousin of the real thing.

"Go, Dani," Vincent said, although I could tell it pained him beyond anything else. "Go!" He yelled when I still didn't move. "I know you want to."

"It doesn't have to be like this," I said, trying to plead with him and change the outcome. "There is still time to turn around."

"No, there isn't. We have both chosen our paths. And I can't force you to stay, no matter how much I want to. I could never force you to be unhappy at my side."

"You're making a mistake, Vincent. We're not meant to be enemies."

2 Days Earlier

The Danish GambitÑas I would later come to find out from DemetriusÑwas also known as one of the most aggressive openings in chess. It requires the sacrifice of two pawns in order to launch an early attack on the opponent. A risky move one decides to make to get themselves positioned better.

It is not an opening you use on a master, who can easily guard against such a wildly volatile move. However, when used on an unexperienced opponent, it is genocide on a board.

"We used to exist only as scary stories, or to frighten children. That's what Vinicius told me once," I said to Vincent and Ciprian, after they revealed their plan to me. "Now I know why. Sitting here with you I finally realize; our kind truly is monstrous."

It was my fault. I should have never left the compound with Demetrius. That's how they got the idea in the first place.

"Dani, I know it's a lot to take in at one timeÑ" Vincent started, but I put my hand out to silence him, which made both faces sitting across from me flash with a look of surprise.

"I realize that you're fine sending out two people to their deaths, but I'm not interested in hearing your justifications," I replied. Something was changing in me. I spent enough time away from the Academy and Baritone, and the real world was slowly dawning upon meÉand it was ugly and dark.

Now I was finally starting to match it. Gone was my innocent and trusting nature. I was willfully entering the lion's den nowÑjust like Vinicius had prepared me to do. With nothing other than faith in my Mentor's teachings guiding me along.

Without giving it much thought, Demetrius and I had quite easily breached the Protection League Patrol's headquarters and managed to escape intact. It was quite the feat apparently, because it gave Vincent and his uncle an idea. The building was wide open to outside penetration. They'd send two people in there and test the League's strength one more timeÑa move Deadnus would not be expecting. If they got lucky, they might even take her out on the first go. If not, they'd have a better idea of what they're up against.

The mission was to get in and kill as many as possible. That was their grand plan. Take out Deadnus first, then take out anyone else unwilling to follow a new rule. The Carandini rule.

Who was on the list? Could be Chief Counsel Nathaniel GoldÑthe man who took over the Specials program after ViniciusÑcould be Attorney General Dominic Grant, could be Andrei Chirilov, the President of the Governing Body, could be Secretary of Defense Lee Choi, or even the headmaster at the Valentini Academy, Arcadius Nomad. Anyone that might oppose a Carandini king back on the throne. There would be no negotiations. Such an entranceÑwhich I assumed was the offspring of Ciprian's demented mindÑwould help everyone else fall in line much more quickly, and thus bring about less casualties overall.

When I inquired about the total number of casualties, Ciprian said, "All wars have casualties." The actual number was irrelevant to them. Making a point to say that this approach would mean less death was said only for my benefit and no other reason.

"You're starting to sound like a dictator," I said to Vincent, after he revealed the details of the attack.

"It's not going to be pretty at the beginning. But if I have you and the other Specials, it also won't have to get too ugly," he replied.

He was right, Demetrius and I could control people and ensure they wouldn't have to take a bullet. Maurizia could heal those that got hurtÑat least some of them. Of course, it would come at a great cost to her, as using the power still continued to drain her energy. Antoine and Luciana could help as well.

I marveled at the irony of it all. The five of us were created to prevent this very thing from happening. Would we truly agree to go against our teachings and help Vincent ascend the throne?

"Who's the lucky two?" I asked.

Vincent glanced at Ciprian.

"Luciana and Demetrius," he replied, confirming what I already suspectedÑthat Luciana was on the Carandini side. "They have the highest chances of survival and actually getting the mission accomplished," he quickly added when he saw the furious look on my face.

I felt myself grow hot with rage.

"No Carandini volunteers then? Katarina and Giovanni don't feel like risking their royal behinds, I suppose, and you wouldn't dare compare them to pawns, of course," I said with as much malice as I could muster. Ciprian smirked.

"My cousins don't possess special powers, Dani. They'd be taken out right away."

"And you think Deadnus is just going to let Demetrius waltz back in there and kill her? Right after he just managed to escape. You truly don't think she'll be anticipating another attack."

"She won't. She's still mostly in the dark about what's going on. She won't see this coming, and definitely not this quickly. As far as she's aware, she still has Luciana, and two other Specials working for her when they turn 18."

I thought about it. I hated Arani Deadnus. It wouldn't matter to me one bit if she was gone. Still, that wasn't the fair and just system Vinicius had fought for all these years.

"I will join you under one condition," I said.

"What is it?"

"You will capture her alive, and she will be put on trial with her fate to be decided by a judge. Same with anyone else who opposes the new rule. They need to be given a chance. I will not be joining an execution squad," I said, reminding myself of the words my mentor had told Arcadius Nomad in my dream.

Ciprian's face widened with a smile meanwhile Vincent sighed.

"Dani, first of all even if I wanted to grant you that promise, we don't have that type of power at the moment. The system is currently in her favor. And in case you've forgotten, we're not setting up another Democracy."

"Let's set up advisors for you then, some type of checks and balances system, a goddamn council of peers to keep your decisions in check. Why else would I ever support this, Vincent?"

"We will set that upÉeventually. But first, Arani Deadnus has to die. She will serve as an example. If everything goes smooth from there, I'll let you set up the council yourself, Dani. I'm not on a power trip. I want what's best for the vampire community, just as you do."

I was still unconvinced that what was best for the community was another Carandini in power, but I kept silent.

"In the meantime, I would like your help getting the other two Specials on board. They trust you and your judgement."

"What happens when Deadnus is gone?"

"I will declare myself King, we will take over the remainder of the League soldiers and have them work for us, and we can set up your council of advisers. We will go about making a new government. One that doesn't end in an immediate death sentence for every little crime."

"What about our human alliances?"

"Everything will remain the same with those. I'm not interested in killing humans, Dani."

"What if your uncle is?" I asked boldly looking over at Ciprian. With his nephew in power, what would stop the vampire from drinking blood and killing its source if he felt the desire to do so?

"My uncle is aware that killing humans will not be allowed under the new rule."

"What about killing other vampires?" I asked, wondering if Ciprian told Vincent about our little detour.

"Blood must be shed before a new order can begin, blondie. It's a baptism of sorts," Ciprian replied.

"I'd say that sounds sacrilegious."

"Doesn't it ever get boring being so self-righteous?" Ciprian asked, his tone amused. "I just know there's another side of you in there," he said, mysteriously looking me over. Once again spinning some wild theory in his mind about my origins. I had to stay silent, I couldn't let them know about Dahlia and Romero's offspring. I had to keep the "child" safe.

"I want to talk to Graham and Demetrius," I said ignoring him and speaking to Vincent.

"No," Ciprian replied on his nephew's behalf, surprising both of us. The smile on his face vanished suddenly. "Time for talk is over. Make up your mind kid, are you with us or not?" He was intimidating, but I was growing increasingly tired of being treated like I had no say in anything.

"You're not in charge here," I replied calmly.

"We need an answer," he said.

"And IÉneed to talk to Graham and Demetrius," I repeated, as we both stared at each other.

"What is it that you think they're going to tell you that you don't already know?"

"I trust their opinion."

"And you don't trust Vincent's?" Ciprian asked.

"Well, he has you in his ear," I replied, and Vincent scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Vincent asked, growing upset.

"It means I don't trust him," I replied, still staring at Ciprian.

"Oh but you trust Demeterius, someone you barely know," Vincent continued, and if I wasn't mistaken, I thought I heard a tone of resentment in his voice.

"That's right, I do trust him. He has never lied to me," I replied. "Not even when he had to hide your little secrets from me. At least he was honest about not being able to talk about it."

Vincent shot up in frustration and walked away from the table and towards the window. Ciprian sat on the other side, too calm for my liking.

"No matter how you spin this kid, the bottom line is we need an answer." I laughed at the absurdity of it all.

"Don't make me repeat myself," I replied. My skin was tingling with frustration.

"Don't forget who you're talking to," Ciprian replied in a low and threatening tone of voice.

"You're a smart man Ciprian, take your own advice," I replied, the rage inside me boiling over, just waiting for another comment to send me over the edge. I glared at him in defiance.

Just when I thought he would lunge across the table and kill me, his lips curled up in a smile.

"OhÉthere she is," he said his eyes twinkling. Once again with the confused association to Dahlia.

I wanted so badly to tell him how wrong he was, how dumb the whole theory seemed. But I couldn't risk pointing him to another trail. I'd have to keep quiet for now.

"Enough," Vincent finally said from the corner. He sounded tired. "I'll get Graham and Demetrius to come over so you can talk to them. However, after that, you will have to decide one way or the other. The time for playing games is over. I need to know who I can count on," he stated.

"Ah, I can't wait to host Eddie at the house yet again. I hope it's as fun as the last time, don't you?" Ciprian said chuckling as he got up. He patted Vincent on the shoulder then left them room.

"I wish you'd stop making me look like a fool," Vincent said when his uncle was gone, his eyes burning with anger.

"I haven't made you look like anything," I replied calmly. Before I could even blink, he was an inch away from my face. His full lips lingering dangerously close to mine, and I tried to hold in the shiver that I felt spreading through my body. I wasn't sure whether it was fear, or excitement.

"Just say you're on my side," he said, staring into my eyes. "Say that you are mine. I'll give you everything. I will give you the entire world. Just say the words," he whispered seductively.

When some people think of hell, they envision unimaginable physical torture. Burning in eternal fire, being devoured by the devils. But this was my hell. The unimaginable longing I felt, and the certainty of knowing that I couldn't give into it. The sweet pain of the most alluring attraction. I sighed, my body exhausted from the craving it was constantly being denied.

I gently touched his face with my hand. His eyes shone with a spark of hope. He was just waiting for the words.

"I can't," I replied. He grabbed my hand and threw it away from his face then took a vase from the table and hurled it at the wall, violently smashing it into a million little pieces.

"If you had a different plan, I wouldn't hesitate, VincentÉa plan that focused more on the people, and less on revenge."

"You don't understand, Dani. What Deadnus has done to my familyÉto my mother. There is no moving on from that without some form of revenge."

"That's not true, and you know as well as Vinicius didÑrevenge won't bring you the peace you crave." I thought I had gotten through to him, but then he said something that cut me deep.

"You wouldn't know. You don't have a mother," he replied, leaving me speechless. "She gave up everything to save me. Do you know what they did to her?"

"Exactly," he replied when I remained silent. "I'll get Graham and Demetrius to come speak to you tomorrow. After that, you're either in or you're out," he said, then left me to my own thoughts.

I felt exhausted after the encounter and decided to go back to the bedroom and get some rest. Neo was already sleeping peacefully by the fireplace in the corner.

I needed to speak to Demetrius and GrahamÑbut not for the reason Ciprian suspected. I wasn't looking to get their approval or insight. I wanted to make sure they were going to be okay with my choice. Because during my conversation with Vincent and Ciprian, I had already decided.

Ciprian would have to die.

The conclusion pained me, but it would have to be done. He wasÑin my estimationÑmore dangerous than Arani Deadnus. She was driven by pure hate and rageÑtwo emotions easy enough for me to understand. He was driven by something else, something entirely unpredictable.

There wasn't a pattern to him. He was the biggest threat to the vampire StateÑnot Vincent. Without him, Vincent would have a shot at being an actual decent KingÑas long as there was a legitimate counsel behind him to help him make just decisions.

Deadnus I would have to deal with as well. It was clear that she could not be in a position of power. She would have to be stripped of her title. If she had anything to do with Vinicius' and Van Sant's deaths, I would make sure that she'd be put in prison.

How I was going to accomplish all of this was another matter.

Exhausted with my own thoughts, my body gave way to sleep. But sleep provided me no more peace than my waking hours. I tossed and turned and continued to dream the same strange and disjointed dream over and over again.

Everything was blurry, but I could see an orange light somewhere. And it was almost blinding.

I was sure that I was looking at Vinicius, yet he was hazy, as was everything around him. Then there was a voiceÑa voice that sounded familiar, yet I couldn't place it.

"You should have known better than to chase Dahlia's wild dreams," it said. A while later there was a single gunshot. I dreamt it on a loop, until I woke up disoriented and confused. Was this my imagination, or did I just catch a glimpse of what may have happened to my Mentor? It didn't make much sense. A gun? Silver bullets wouldn't have killed him. Did the person incapacitate him and kill him somewhere else? Was it the same person who came after me?

Once again, the elusive Dahlia was mentioned. What dreams of hers was Vinicius supposedly chasing?

I wrote down everything in my dream journal, then I went back a few pages. I had previously dreamt about a conversation between Vinicius and Van Sant, in which my Mentor had revealed something he'd been working on for years. Vinicius had said it had been "all for her." Meanwhile Vant Sant had replied that she was the "inspiration" then he said "it is because of her that the revolution will begin."

So Vinicius pursued "Rebirth" for the mysterious Dahlia, but why? Every time I dreamt of her, she was human. Did Romero turn her into a vampire eventually? Did she yearn to reclaim her humanity at some point? It still didn't add up.

Before I could make sense of it, there was a gentle tap on my door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me," Vincent replied.

"Come in," I said.

He opened the door quietly, then walked in wearing boxers and a t-shirt.

"Mind if I stay with you for a while?"

"Not at all," I replied, and scooted to make space for him on the bed. He got under the covers with me, and we laid facing each other.

"I didn't mean to be rude earlier," he started. "I know your choice isn't an easy one. And I know your destiny isn't as clear cut for you as it is for me. You have other things to consider, I understand."

"VincentÑ" I began to reply, but he stopped me by pressing his lips against mine. They felt warm and soft. "Is this your way of bribing me?" I joked, when his lips left mine.

"No. You have a tough choice to make tomorrow, but whatever happens, we still have tonight," he said, gazing into my eyes with need.

To my surprise, he slowly took off his shirt and threw it on the floor. The outline of his firm abs illuminated by the glow from the fireplace.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I have needs, Dani. Very pressing needs. And I want you to fulfill them," he said, taking off his boxers. I covered my eyes with my hand in shock and he laughed.

"Will you stop? We're not children anymore. We're grown now. Look at me Dani," he ordered. I slowly moved my hand and took a look at the vampire next to me, holding back a gasp.

He was a living and breathing work of art, right down to the manhood standing at command in between his legs. I felt faint at the sight of him.

"It's just me and you, Dani," he said. "And I'm so very tired of waiting. SoÉveryÉpainfullyÉtired," he said. I stared, mesmerized. I had never seen anything more alluring in my entire life. "It's been painful, having to stay in this constant state of frustration," he expressed playfully, "Very painful. And you don't want to cause me anymore pain, do you?" I automatically shook my head no. It took all my willpower not to touch him, stroke him, kiss him, feel him, and taste him.

"The things I dream about doing to you every night," he stated, moving his face towards my ear, "They would make you blush."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"I think about you every single night. I think about how amazing it's going to be when you finally say yes, my love. When you agree to be by my side, and I'll make all of your dreams come true, I swear to you."

I involuntarily licked my lips, making him groan in response.

Yes, it was clear to me now that he was my hell. A living and walking temptation, making me question all of my choices.

But I was just as sure of another fact: he was my heaven too.