She buried herself deeper into her thick cloak as she surreptitiously searched for some weakness or break in the guards lining the streets. If she could get past the guards on the trails above, she’d easily be able to get lost amongst the mountains and slip away into the wilderness.
She didn’t know how long it would take her to find another town once she was free; she’d never wandered that far before. She didn’t know if anyone would believe her, but she had to try to do something to save her loved ones.
“You!” Her head shot up at the barked word.
Across the way, the ugly vampire who had taken up residence in the orphanage strode toward her. Over the past two weeks, she’d learned his name was Kane, but she still considered him the ugly, malicious troll. She glanced around to see if he’d been yelling at someone else, but his beady hazel eyes were focused on her as he moved in on her.
She threw back her shoulders when he stopped before her. “Where are you going?” he demanded.
“I simply wanted some fresh air and a walk.”
His gaze raked over her before returning to her face. Tempest had to fight the urge to pull the cloak tighter around her, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing his lecherous stare made her feel like scrubbing herself in a bath until her skin turned pink. “Go back,” he commanded.
Tempest opened her mouth to protest but bit back her words. She’d never be able to slip free of here if she was thrown into prison with the others. “May I ask why?”
“Go back.”
I’ll take that as a no. She turned on her heel to head back toward the orphanage.
Around her, she began to realize the vampires who had invaded her town were moving down the street toward the hotel. She wanted to turn and see what they were doing, but she didn’t dare let her curiosity show to them. She also wasn’t above admitting she was a little afraid of what she might see there. The only ones who weren’t on the move were those patrolling the mountains, the ones in front of the barricade, and a dozen or so others who remained in front of some of the homes and businesses.
Her pace increased until she almost jogged up the steps of the orphanage. She thrust open the door and hurriedly closed it. Pallas and Abbott looked up from where they were sitting with the children in the living room. All of the children had books open in their laps.
“What’s going on?” Pallas asked.
“I don’t know,” she murmured and hurried to the window.
Pallas rose to her feet and followed behind as a growing swell of the vampires in white gathered before the hotel. She recognized some of the vampires from town, now dressed in white, amongst them. She hadn’t seen a human since the first day they’d invaded town and locked them all within the blood bank. Blood was delivered to them, not much, but enough to get them through the days. Normally she would have gone into the mountains and supplemented the meager supply with animal blood, but that had become impossible now.
Her gaze ran over the mountains again. From here, she could tell there weren’t as many vampires patrolling up there as before. Even those vampires were coming in to witness whatever was about to unfold.
Turning toward the children, she walked over to them. “Nora, take the children upstairs.”
“Oh,” Nora moaned, but she rose to her feet with the other kids.
Tempest closed the doors behind them before hurrying back to the window. “Now might be my chance to escape,” she murmured.
Pallas glanced at her before focusing on the street again. “If you’re caught…”
“We can’t stay here and do nothing,” she whispered. “I think they’re going to kill those of us who don’t join them no matter what. I’m more concerned about what will happen to all of you when they realize I’m gone.”
“We’ll be fine,” Abbott replied. “There’s no reason to worry about us.”
“They may throw you in jail because of me.”
“That’s a chance I’m willing to take.”
“Abbott…”
“You’re right, Tempest. They’re either going to integrate us, or they’re going to kill us, and I refuse to stand here and take it. I’ll go if you don’t. We have the cloak,” he reminded her. “It will help one of us to blend in with them.”
“You’re not fully matured yet,” she reminded him.
Throwing back his shoulders, his green eyes burned with determination when they met hers. “I don’t care. I’m not going down without a fight, not like those other saps out there.” He waved his hand at the window and the vampires walking by. “It’s like they’re brainwashed or something. Besides that’s a big part of the point, I’m not mature yet, and neither are the other children here. I know you’ve noticed that there were no children with them when they entered this town.”
She had, she’d just been hoping the children hadn’t noticed. She should have known that detail wouldn’t have slipped by them; they were far too astute not to have noticed. Whatever was going on out there, it didn’t include anyone who wasn’t strong enough to fight.
She liked to believe the children in the towns the invading group had already passed through were all safe and sound, but she couldn’t bring herself to buy that lie. These vampires were ruthless. They were also trying to work under the radar and not draw attention to themselves until they were ready for their presence to be known.
They wouldn’t be recruiting in her little town, in the middle of nowhere, if they were ready to reveal themselves yet. They definitely wouldn’t take the chance of leaving behind any survivors who could tell the tale of what they’d seen.
“The people in town are scared,” Pallas whispered. “That’s why they’re joining them.”
“They’re not even putting up a fight,” Abbott protested hotly.
Tempest rested her hands on his shoulders to calm him. “No one understands what is going on. They don’t know what to do or where to turn.”
“I know, but we can’t stand by and do nothing, like they are.”
She focused on the few straggling vampires still moving down the road. “There may be others trying to do something. That’s most certainly the reason why some of them are in the stocks and in jail, but we can’t talk to each other about it.”
Down the road, she saw the doors of the hotel open. She couldn’t see what was going on over the sea of heads, but the murmuring voices of the crowd ceased abruptly. Tempest’s hands fell from Abbott’s shoulders as they all stepped closer to the window. She fought the urge to press her nose against the glass in order to get a better look, but it wouldn’t do anything to help her view.
“Hello everyone.” A man’s clear voice traveled down the street and carried with it an air of confidence and authority. She placed her hands against the window and craned her head to try and see better. “Thank you all for joining us here tonight and for your unwavering support toward our mission. For helping to fix the wrongs this new regime has placed upon vampires by forcing us to deny our true nature. When the one true queen is restored to the throne, vampires will once again know their rightful position in this world.”
Abbott glanced at her, but she didn’t look at him as the mob pushed closer to the hotel. The excitement of the crowd pulsated out in waves so fierce she could feel the vibrations of it against her skin.
“Good evening everyone!”
A woman’s sweet and melodic voice flowed over the crowd. Even if Tempest hadn’t already heard the power and self-confidence resonating in the woman’s voice, she would have known the supposed queen was speaking when all the gathered vampires bowed as one. It was like watching a flock of birds following their leader and moving with the same rhythmic flow. The sight of it made her stomach turn. Her hands fell away from the window as the woman continued to speak.
“I am so happy to see so many new faces amongst us today. So many who know our proper place is at the top, above the human vermin we’ve been forced to coincide with and treat as our equals.”
The sick feeling
in her stomach grew. Judging by the vast crowd out there, and their growing enthusiasm, there were many who believed this woman’s twisted words.
“We will take back what is rightfully ours!” The woman’s zealous tone caused the crowd to erupt into applause.
The woman waited until the cheers died down before speaking again. “We will be the top of the food chain again; vampires will no longer have to pretend to give equal rights to a species far inferior to ours!” The woman’s voice rose with her ardent words. “As you can see, our numbers are swelling to encompass more and more who realize being ruled by a king weak enough to fall in love with a human, a former blood slave, is no king at all. We are vampires who refuse to be led by a turned human, a woman weaker than us in every way. We will not be kept down. We will not be forced to accept a race who kept us locked away for thousands of years, and who would do so again if given the opportunity! We will be number one again!”
Cheers erupted through the crowd. They vibrated so vigorously down the street that the glass in the window before her vibrated with the force of their shouts. Their feet stomped on the snow-covered ground, causing resounding thumps to shake the floor beneath her. Tempest rested her hand against her chest; she didn’t know what to do as acid burned its way up her throat.
After five minutes, the excitement of the crowd calmed again. “Bring forth the traitors!” The queen declared.
Traitors? Tempest didn’t have much time to ponder who the traitors were before the invaders began to unlock the stocks and remove the vampires from them. The crowd parted to let the invaders pass as they led the prisoners down the center of the street toward the hotel. A choked sound escaped her when the vampires within the crowd began to spit and beat at the vampires walking by them. The prisoners threw their hands up in an attempt to protect themselves, but before they were halfway through the mob, bruises and blood marred their faces and clothes.
“What are they doing?” Pallas gasped.
“I don’t know.” Tempest said the words, but a niggling horror was already forming in the back of her mind.
The crowd continued to part in order to let them pass, but she could no longer see the prisoners within the sea of angry vampires. She stood, unable to move, as she waited to see what would happen to those poor, beaten souls.
“This world will become ours again!” The woman somewhere at the front of the crowd declared in the same excited, passionate voice that roused the crowd to more cheers. “And we will do whatever is necessary to take it back!”
Tempest jumped as flames burst upward from the courtyard outside of the hotel. Horror chilled her bones when agonized screams rent the air. The flames soared nearly to the tops of the houses before coming down to ten feet in height. The flames leapt and danced in the glass; the light from the fire played over the three of them.
Over the top of the snapping fire and the crackling wood, the screams continued to echo through the night. The crowd shifted, moving just enough so she caught a glimpse of one of the prisoners straining against the ropes binding him to a pole seconds before the pile of wood beneath him burst into flames.
Her hand flew to her mouth. More screams echoed through the night as the flames licked over his body, sizzling and blistering his skin. Tempest had never seen anything so gruesome in her life, yet the crowd had begun to stomp their feet and cheer again. Another fire erupted from somewhere to the left, more shrieks pierced the air and reverberated off the mountains.
“And anyone who stands in our way will be dealt with swiftly!” The woman vowed. “I am the most powerful vampire alive and those who follow me will know superiority once more! They will follow the one true leader and be rewarded for their loyalty!”
The shouts of joy and bloodlust from the crowd swelled ever higher, making it almost impossible for her to think. This was far beyond her scope of comprehension.
She’d experienced cruelty at the hands of some of the vampires who had run the orphanage. One had locked her in the attic for a week when she’d been late, another had once beaten her so badly she’d been unable to walk for two days, but never had she imagined such brutality as what she witnessed now.
Worse, she’d never expected for so many to take pleasure in what was being done to their fellow vampires. Either far more of them had agreed vampires should take over the top position than she’d realized, or they were being swept up by this woman’s promises and the excitement of the moment. She would like to believe they would come to their senses later, but she wasn’t so sure that would happen.
More cheers erupted from the crowd as another fire surged into the air.
“Tempest…” Abbott started; his skin looked oddly green in the reflection of the window.
“I’m going,” she whispered. “I’ll go now.”
Maybe she could have justified staying with the children instead of trying to get help before, but there was no doubt now they would either join the mass outside or die, and she certainly wanted no part of this, nor did she want to be burned alive. The children would have no choice, now more than ever she was convinced the children in the other towns had not survived.
“I’ll need the cloak,” she murmured.
Pallas walked over to the piano and pulled up the lid. From inside the piano, she pulled the pieced together white cloak she’d sewn from whatever white clothes, sheets or pillows she could find. Pallas had started to piece the cloak together on the second day after the invaders arrived. It was nowhere near as fine in quality as the cloaks the invaders wore, but Tempest would pass a cursory examination, and it would help her to blend into her environment.
She hadn't been certain she’d ever attempt an escape. Who was she kidding, she had as much courage as a cat most of the time? She’d survived by living like a cat too, slinking through the shadows, keeping her head down, and hunting for her food. Like a cat, she’d also learned how to be sneaky, and how to survive by bringing as little attention to herself as possible.
Not once had she ever stood up to any of the vampires who’d run the home and abused her. She’d never envisioned leaving the security of her village behind for the unknown, and aside from these mountains she’d never dreamed of adventure or being something more than what she was.
Years ago, she’d accepted her lot in life and been content with it. She’d never dreamed she’d one day be looking to flee her village. She tried not to shake like a leaf at the realization of what she was doing, and what would happen to her if they caught her.
This was about more than just her, she reminded herself as she tugged off her heavy black cloak and dropped it on the couch. She pulled on the much lighter, makeshift one Pallas handed to her and clasped it at her neck. When she was done, she shoved her heavier, wool cloak into the waistband of her pants, against her back. The thicker material of her cloak would be a lot better for her once she was free of these mountains.
“Are you sure you have everything you need in the caves?” Pallas inquired.
“Yes.” Turning away, she rested her hands on Abbott’s shoulders. “Take care of the children, if it becomes necessary to turn me in, do so.” He opened his mouth to protest, but she continued before he could speak. “Protect them first.”
She turned to Pallas and hugged her. “The same goes for you.”
Pallas hugged her forcefully. “Be careful.”
“I will,” she vowed.
Pulling the hood of the cloak over her head, she slipped through the dining room and into the mudroom behind the kitchen. Her gaze drifted to her snowshoes stacked neatly with the children’s, but she didn’t grab them. None of the invading vampires used them, and she would have to discard them once she reached the trails anyway.
She glanced back at Pallas and Abbott to find them watching her with troubled eyes from the doorway. She gave them a wan smile before twisting the knob and stepping into the night. Goose bumps broke out on her flesh, but at least she wouldn’t die from the cold.
Her gaze went to the vampires patrolling
the mountains, but all she could do was hope they were too busy watching the twisted celebration to keep an eye out for a lone figure amongst the shadows.
Trudging through the snow, she made her way toward the mountains. She didn’t have to glance back to see if the flames were still raging from the fires. The screams resonating through the night and the glow of the flames playing over the snow told her they were. Finally making it to the mountainside, she pressed her back to the jagged rocks. She stayed within the shadows as she moved, hoping her hastily made cloak would make them think she was one of their own if they spotted her.
She was almost to the end of the street when she slipped into a crevice in the mountain. Turning sideways, her back pressed against the rock wall as she slid through the cave. Her nose almost touched the rocks across from her. The mineral scent of the rocks and the damp cave filled her nostrils; the steady trickle of water against rock sounded from somewhere within. Through her thin cloak, she could feel the coolness of the rocks surrounding her.
The close confines of the walls gave way enough to let her walk straight through the cave. She took four steps forward, before kneeling and turning to her right. There, a rock rested against the wall. Fumbling with it, she pulled the rock away from the wall and grabbed the canvas bag tucked within the hole behind it.
Over the years, it had become easier to store her things within the mountains instead of trying to sneak them out of the orphanage every time she escaped into the caves. The beating that had caused her not to walk for two days had been a result of being caught trying to sneak rags out for her torches.
The beating hadn’t stopped her from doing it again, but she’d learned to keep a constant back up of supplies on hand afterward. It had been three years since she’d left the orphanage behind, but she’d been unable to break the habit of stashing extra provisions in some of the caves. Maybe a part of her had always known she would need these supplies in the future.
Digging through the bag, she wrapped her hand around the lighter within and pulled it free. Flipping back the top, she flicked the flint and a small flame blazed to life. It barely lit the gray, jagged walls across from her. Returning to the contents of the bag, she pulled out a rag. She wrapped the rag around the end of the waist high stick she pulled from the hole and lit it on fire. As long as she stayed within this cave system, she could use the torch to light her way.