Infiltration

I returned to the town with Kai, Carlito, and Saia in tow, by the time we reached the foothills, the sun was already sinking below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of blood orange. A chill wind whipped through the trees, carrying with it the scent of pine needles.

“You remember the plan?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Kai nodded gravely. “Yes, approach, tell the truth, find out more information.”

Not the whole truth, of course. They would say that they were from far south, from Columbia, and that they were sent north to search for other survivors. Make contact and share information, assess the situation. From there they would see what these people would do.

“Saia,” I turned to her drone, its metallic form gleaming faintly in the twilight. “You keep yourself out of sight in the forest, come if I call… or if you think I’ll need you.” Obviously she could hear me anywhere, her core was within me.

With that, we separated. Kai and Carlito shouldered their packs, supplies, and weapons. They had to make their trip believable.

The two headed into town, in the direction of where I’d seen a group with a wagon. From what I assumed, they were gathering supplies, and most of the groups were then returning to a large rock rising above the lake, where a large imposing castle stood on top.

As the two gained some distance, I followed along, keeping out of sight. The darkening sky was my ally, helping mask my presence. Quickly, as I reached the town, I could see signs and writing that told me where this piece of Earth came from.

The town was called Bled, in Slovenia. Or at least it used to be. Which would make the mountains around us the Alps. A fragment of Europe then.

I moved through the backstreets, giving Kai and Carlito space and time to make contact while I explored and got the feel for the situation.

There was death in the town, broken down cars, nature recovering buildings, and blood in the streets. The city appeared to be a resort town, which made sense with its location, the lake and the castle, named Bled Castle from what I read on the signs.

I encountered a group of humans with a wagon that had wooden wheels plated with metal—which surprised me, as it didn’t seem corroded at all—drawn by what I could only describe as a demon horse, with two horns on its head like those of a ram, red eyes, and wicked teeth in its mouth. The group had around a dozen people, all armed, and going through the buildings, taking supplies, looting. Blankets, clothes, and some small furniture from what I could see.

They bantered softly, but not about anything really important, not that I overheard at least.

I left them behind, and hurried to catch up to the others. As I got closer to the roads leading up to the castle, I saw that roads were barricaded with broken down cars, and furniture, as if someone was trying to make a wall. Which I guess they could be. I found Kai and Carlito in front of one such blockade, that seemed to be a kind of a checkpoint. I hid on a roof, crawling along the tiles and peering over the edge. A dozen people were standing near them, clearly alert as one of them talked with my people.

“—Long way from here,” the man, a tall dark haired human, said.

“Not that long,” Carlito said. “Mexico and Panama are gone, we had to cross a large Mongolian Steppe to get here, but honestly, it was relatively safe. A lot safer than where we came from.”

“Really? We haven’t sent anyone that far south,” the man said.

“Yup, even met another group of survivors, nomads,” Carlito grinned at the man, trying to appear relaxed.

“You said that your group made camp in Monroeville, south of here?”

“Yeah, we’re forward scouts. The rest is waiting back there. We found some signs of people living there recently, so we figured that they might’ve moved someplace else. So we headed this way, and here we are!”

“Oh, I heard that there was a crazy woman living there, all alone,” the guard said, and my blood ran cold.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, she attacked our scouts,” the man shook his head. “Even killed one of ours. It was a whole mess. Poor thing, not everyone could handle the entire world falling apart.”

“What happened to her?” Carlito asked.

“We sent a larger group to capture her, we take murder very seriously, and the Count wanted to talk with her. Rumor is she has a unique Mask, and we’re trying to figure out how all of that works. She’ll probably be put to work somewhere until she serves out her sentence.”

The man shook his head, then continued before Carlito could ask any more questions. “We need to get you up to the castle, the Count will want to talk with you.”

“Count? Like a noble or something?” Carlito asked.

The man inclined his head. “Yes, we’re part of the Sun Kingdom. You’ll see.”

“Huh, don’t hear that every day,” Carlito looked around at the others. Now that I paid closer attention, all of them had the same motif on their clothes, a yellow sun, stitched somewhere on their ragged clothing.

“Come, we’ll take you to him.”

“Sure, though we can’t stay for long, our people are waiting for us.”

“Of course, we’ll want to talk with them too.”

With that, the group split and they started walking toward the castle. I followed, knowing that Aurora was captured and probably imprisoned changed things. I was willing to do a lot more now.

I kept my distance, and their voices were too low for me to hear what they were talking about. I focused instead on the rest of my senses.

The castle loomed larger with every step, its stone walls rising impossibly high against the darkening sky. Torches along the road cast long, dancing shadows that allowed me to follow without being seen. There were a lot of people patrolling, most armed with swords or spears, but a few with hunting rifles. As we got to the base of the rock holding the castle, I saw large tents raised along the road and in the forest. People moved around, talking, laughing, preparing dinner from the look of it. I walked on the other side, away from them, and closer to the lake.

I kept to the shadows as they, and I, approached the castle, moving with a predator's grace. Noticing more and more commotion up in the castle. My enhanced senses were a symphony of information: the crunch of gravel underfoot, the distant murmur of voices, the rhythmic clang of a hammer against metal. I saw guards patrolling the ramparts, their silhouettes stark against the fading light. I smelled the fear and anticipation clinging to Kai and Carlito as they were led through a parking lot filled with broken down cars and a small campfire in the middle where a group of guards sat, and then up through a gate that led up into the castle.

I could hear a lot of people up there, hundreds, it sounded like.

That was where I had to stop. I couldn’t follow through the same way. So I went right, thankfully the forest surrounded the castle. I went around the rock, then found a good spot to climb on the other side of it. I debated flying up, but didn’t want anyone to notice, nor did I want to reveal that form to these people. The nomads were a carelessness on my part, that didn’t turn out too bad. But these people could be foes in the future.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

I climbed up the rock, my claws finding holds with ease. When I got up to the wall, I peeked over to see a large courtyard stretching in front of me. People were gathered to the side sitting on benches where dozens of tables were covered in food.

Most people seemed busy with dinner, but there were guards. I climbed higher, along the building wall and then on top to the roof. I could hear Carlito’s voice, speaking somewhere deeper, and I followed it to a central building and an open window. I leaned down and listened.

“Indeed,” Kai spoke, probably answering some question. “We have witnessed much death, much destruction.”

“The same as everywhere, sadly,” a soft voice said. Immediately, I frowned. I heard only three heartbeats inside, Kai, Carlito, the leader that escorted them probably, but this voice didn’t match—The scent of blood hit me, then the sound of someone drinking.

No heartbeat, no sound of lungs breathing. The count was a vampire. That… changed things.

Once the vampire was finished drinking, he continued speaking. “Marko said you come from the south, from Colombia, yes? You have a large group of survivors?”

“We do, yes,” Kai answered.

“That is great, we’ve heard stories from the south, from some travelers,” he paused, and I heard the rustling of clothes, but was unable to see what was happening inside. Then, he continued. “That you’ve come all this way, must mean that you have a solid foundation, yes? A large organized group?”

“Yes,” Kai answered, I’ve instructed her to keep to the truth. It was easier, and it wasn’t like they had much to hide. “We have a town, and we’ve been expanding, looking for survivors. Much like you here.”

“Of course! It is only natural. I’ve done the same, it’s how I got my new title of count! I gathered survivors here at Bled, looked for more, and eventually the Sun Kingdom found us. Now we all strive for the same goal, to survive and grow in this new world!”

“You joined them?” Carlito interjected. “I figured, with you being a vamp and all that, you would’ve wanted to be the one in charge.”

“One thing that this world needs now is strength,” the vampire Count replied. “And King Proximus has that, even if he is just a human. But then again, Masks changed so much.”

I blinked. That was a lot of information.

A vampire was following a human. I wondered why, I couldn’t imagine a human being stronger than the count, but then again there is more to strength than just physical.

“Now,” the count continued. “Tell me more about your people! Who are your leaders? I’m very much interested in making contact, the Sun Kingdom is very keen on expanding and offering shelter to all the survivors we can find.”

I narrowed my eyes. That sounded a lot like he was already thinking about absorbing us.

“Our leader is a vampire,” Kai said. “Like you.”

“Oh really?” The count added. “That is interesting. What is their name, perhaps I know them, or have heard of them?”

Neither Carlito nor Kai answered immediately.

“Come now,” the count said. “We’re all friends here.”

“We’ve come to make contact,” Kai started, choosing her words carefully. “But we aren’t the leaders of our group. We don’t have the authority to divulge more than what we’ve said already. We really should return to our camp, inform our leaders and set up a proper meeting. If you’ll grant us leave, Master, we can reach the town by morning and have someone with more authority here by sundown tomorrow.”

This was our fallback plan, in case things went south. And I could feel it veering in that direction.

“Nonsense!” The count raised his voice. “The wild is dangerous, we can’t risk you dying on the way. You’ll be our guests. I’ll send a group that knows these woods. They’ll contact your people and invite them to join us here.”

I grimaced, I didn’t know if this was genuine concern, or if he just wanted to have them here as bargaining chips. A way to negotiate from the place of power. It really could be genuine, but… They’ve captured Aurora, so the way I viewed it was painted by that knowledge.

I wasn’t going to let him keep them. Now, the question was do I intervene now, or wait and try to free them later.

“We apologize, Master,” Kai said slowly, her voice laced with deference. “But we’re under orders, I’m sure you understand.”

The count chuckled, a dry, humorless sound that felt out of place in his tone of voice. There was no warmth in it at all. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m old, and sometimes I forget the silly notions you humans have.” His voice turned glacial. “I wasn’t asking. I was telling you what will happen.”

And that was my cue. I wasn’t going to let him speak with them like that. I grabbed the wall below me, making noise and swung myself through the open window and into the room.

The vampire reacted immediately by straightening and taking a step back.

“No,” I said. “That won’t happen.”

The human guard reacted instantly, he went for his gun, but my people were faster. They grabbed him and restrained him. Carlito leaned a dagger against his throat, to prevent any potential outcry.

“Well,” the vampire count said, his eyes fixed on me. “I guess that we have more guests.”

The room we were in was small, but opulent. Thick carpets lined the floor and decorative ones the walls. The furniture was sparse, but more because this seemed to be a receiving room of some kind. There was a large chair with long back on the one side, a sword leaned against one of its arms. It was raised on a platform, with a small table next to it. The count stood in front of that chair, holding a golden goblet filled with blood.

“You do,” I said slowly as I reached up and pulled off my glasses and mask.

He was tall, with long black hair and a typical Slavic look. His eyes were pure blue, those of an Elder Vampire of the Sky bloodline. He watched me warily, swirling the blood in his goblet.

“Guests usually enter through the front door,” he observed, his voice smooth but laced with a subtle threat. “The manner through which you entered might make one assume that you had nefarious intentions.”

I shrugged. “I had concerns, reasons to be wary of your group. Concerns that were proven right when you attempted to keep my people here against their will.”

“Against their will? Not at all. I spoke the truth; they would’ve stayed as guests. But I guess that is not needed anymore. You would be their leader then?”

I narrowed my eyes at him, then inclined my head in confirmation.

The count didn’t look afraid, merely thoughtful. He couldn’t know anything about me, but my eyes revealed me as an Elder Vampire, the same as him. “I thought that I knew all the Elders in the Americas,” he mused. “I don’t know you.”

“I don’t particularly care,” I said, perhaps a bit more antagonistic than necessary, but I was still gauging the situation.

His eyes narrowed, a flicker of anger momentarily breaking through his carefully controlled facade. “There are rules, customs that you have already broken. Giving your name is the least you should do for barging into my home in this uncouth manner.”

“Well, the world is changed,” I countered. “The rules change with it. And besides, I follow no rules but my own.”

“Surely we could be civil enough to introduce each other properly?” He gave a fanged smile that held no warmth.

I thought about it, then decided that it didn’t matter. “I’m Marianna Rojas.”

He blinked, the tilted his head. “I’ve heard of you. Your name was on top of the list, and… de Andagoya mentioned you. Though he said that you’re just a Fledgling.”

I grimaced at the mention of my old Master, and I narrowed my eyes. When could he have had a chance to mention me? How did he even… I remembered what my sire told me. That my former Master headed north, trying to return to Europe. “He came this way?”

“He passed through a month ago with his coven. Just about the time when the first Challenge arrived,” the vampire said.

The urge to hunt him down, to make him pay for his betrayal... I pushed those thoughts aside. I had to focus on the matter at hand.

“Andagoya knows less than he thinks,” I said, my voice firm.

“I can see that,” the Count said slowly. “I’m Cazimir Volkov, of the Carpathian Coven.”

“Pleasure,” I said.

“So, how may I help you?”

“I would have answers from you.”

“Oh,” Cazimir raised an eyebrow mechanically. “Brave to demand things in the heart of my castle, surrounded by my people.”

I could hear people moving on the outside, obviously someone had noticed my arrival. Perhaps there was another vampire in the castle. It didn’t really matter. If there was one thing I was confident it, it was my strength.

I didn’t really know what my sire had meant before when he said that I’ll recognize my strength before. Now, I knew. I could feel this vampire’s thirst, and I knew that I was greater.

I shrugged in indifference. “You mean the people outside, preparing to charge in? They don’t matter.”

“Confident,” Cazimir nodded. “I’m guessing that your Mask somehow advanced your maturity? Or you found something on other continents, Kirios, yes?”

My brows twitched.

“Yes,” he smiled, a wooden expression that held no real emotion. “I know about… what were you called again? Exemplars? The way de Andagoya described your disappearance fits with you being taken. Luck shines on me today. Proximus will be glad to have another of you around.”

“You seem to think that you have this all figured out,” I said, my voice dangerously low.

He waved a dismissive hand. “Your eyes might reflect power, but there is more to being a vampire than that, and I can see that you are young. You don’t carry yourself like someone who has lived for centuries. You don’t speak like we do. You are… a child.”

He shook his head. “Arrogance of youth, it is a shame. But I’m sure that I’ll be able to beat it out of you eventually. The Sun Kingdom needs powerful people.”

I couldn’t help it, I laughed. A full-bodied laugh that echoed through the room, forcing me to brace my hands on my knees to keep from doubling over.

“Oh, that was good,” I said once I managed to get myself under control. I raised my head and looked at the vampire. A spark of anger flashed over his face, but was quickly smothered, suppressed as all emotion was for vampires like him. “You speak of arrogance,” I grinned widely at him, which I could tell unnerved him. “Yet you can’t even imagine that you’re the one that lacks information.”

“You… you’re in the grip of the thirst,” Cazimir said slowly. “In the grip of your emotions. You’re broken. Nadja!”

He yelled before I even had a chance to say anything. I realized that perhaps I shouldn’t have pushed it that much. Vampires like him feared emotion, and those that fell under its grasp were fit only to be put down.

I forgot that.

The door behind me exploded open and another vampire rushed in. Any chance of resolving this peacefully was over. But deep inside, I knew that this was what I had always wanted to happen. I craved this, a real test. And besides. They took Aurora, I couldn’t let that slide.

I grinned and turned to meet the new threat.