“Jesus Christ!” Mathias rubbed his shoulder and groaned. “What the hell was that for?”
Nosferatu gently landed on the ground in front of Mathias. “It is time for you to fight the way the Queen will surely fight you. She doesn’t care that you aren’t even in your sixteenth year. She is going to fight you the same way she fights anyone else. She is going to try to kill you. Keep that in mind.”
Mathias was tired. Politics, cruelty, and revenge swam around in his brain. He was tired of having to look over his shoulder every time he turned around. It had all been about her, and it was about her again. It wouldn’t stop until she was dead, but he wasn’t allowed to do anything to her. He didn’t care what other people thought. He had to fight to survive. There was no other choice. If he got the chance, he would kill her, whether Nossy liked it or not.
He picked himself up off the dirt and returned to the opposite side of the clearing and bowed.
* * * * *
Nosferatu saw the coldness in the young creature’s eyes and felt that he had finally come home. Now, this was the Mathias he knew. He returned the bow, Mathias charged. The speed with which he struck was incredible. Nosferatu did everything he could to counter the attack, but it was as if Mathias grew before his eyes. With every strike and every step, Mathias grew into the visage of the friend, warrior, tyrant, and King he knew so well.
He flew through the air to try to create a break from the attack, but Mathias followed. He flew backwards, keeping his eyes on his opponent. Mathias flew through the air with the speed and the grace of a master. Nosferatu slammed into a tree from behind and flapped his wings to keep himself aloft. Mathias pinned him against the tree, holding him by his throat.
* * * * *
Nosferatu struck, slicing downward. Mathias blocked the sword with the top of his wing- allowing the blade to cut deep. He flapped his broken wing backwards causing the sword to fall to the ground. Mathias brought up his sword and held it to Nosferatu’s neck, letting the blade cut into the elder vampire’s skin. Blood fell to the ground, gently spattering the dirt.
“Like that?” the new Mathias asked.
Nosferatu swallowed. “Yes... Exactly.”
Mathias let Nosferatu loose and they landed softly on the ground; the dirt of the clearing wasn’t even disturbed. Mathias noticed something odd was going on. He was standing flat on the ground, but he seemed to tower over his mentor. “What... what happened?”
Nosferatu shook his head. “I honestly do not know. I have never seen anything like that before.” Nosferatu grabbed Mathias’ wing and spread it out fully. He readjusted the placement of the bone and allowed it to knit back together before releasing it.
Mathias walked over and sat down on the log. “I thought that I was only supposed to age on the New Year?”
Nosferatu nodded. “I have been alive for a very, very long time. My only explanation is that with the stress you’ve been under, maybe the magic within you sensed the danger coming and decided to give you every advantage by aging you now. It is a mystery.”
“So what, I’m old?” Mathias then noticed that his voice was deeper.
“Not old, you have just finished your development into adulthood.”
Mathias rolled his eyes. “But what does that mean exactly?”
“It means that you have physically gone through all of puberty and your final vampiric transformation early. Nothing more.” Nosferatu joined Mathias on the log.
“This is so screwed up.” Mathias stared off into space.
“Mathias, look at me,” Nosferatu waited until Mathias turned his head in his direction. “The world is an imperfect place. I have seen vampire children reach maturity at a physical age when they are only seventeen years old. In your case, you just did it a few years early. Look at this as the blessing it is. You will be operating as one hell of a surprise for the Queen. But remember what I said, whatever you do, do not kill her.”
“Just one question, Nosferatu.”
“Yes.”
“Are you a member of The Order?”
Nosferatu smiled. “Anyone who is of royal blood is a member. But there are terms, and certain members sit on the board of The Order for certain amounts of time. Right now, our family is being represented by Stuart.”
“So now what?”
“We prepare.”
* * * * *
Over the final days before the test, Mathias was kept in Nosferatu’s rooms except for training. Training was now being conducted in a room that Nossy had created to the exact specifications of the Ring of Immortality.
Mathias was scared. He knew how to fight. He knew how to conquer pain. But the Queen had been the one to overpower him before. If luck was on his side, all of it would end up being enough.
“Mathias?” Nosferatu called from his sitting room.
Mathias walked in, pushed a stack of books off a nearby chair, and sat down. “What’s up?”
“With tomorrow being the test, Vlad and I... well, thought that this last night should be something special. No matter what happens, know that we are with you.”
Mathias swallowed hard. “That’s good to know.”
“So go get on something comfortable. Get out of your training clothes. Then we’ll blink over.”
“Huh?”
Nosferatu looked at the six foot six tall man with the flowing black hair, sapphire eyes, and laughed. “Mathias, you know what blinking is. You’ve seen me do it enough. Basically, it means to make something happen or appear. Being fully grown, you will now be able to do it. You simply think about what it is you want or what it is you want to do, and it happens. That’s how I open doors and call items to me.”
Mathias looked at Nosferatu like he’d just swallowed a turtle. “Well, what’s with all the hand waving?”
Nosferatu laughed. “Nothing really. I just always thought it looked better that way.”
Mathias snorted, got up from the chair, and went into his room to change.
* * * * *
When Mathias stepped out of his room, he found Nosferatu standing there, tapping his foot impatiently.
Nosferatu looked up. “Well, it took you long enough.”
Mathias laughed. “Well, I don’t think you wanted me to show up naked did you?”
“Well lucky for you that some of your old things were still wearable with some minor alterations.”
Mathias was wearing a black t-shirt that was a little tight and some plaid pajama pants that had been let out at the sides. The length was short still, but it worked.
Nosferatu grabbed Mathias, not trusting him to be able to blink himself properly without letting himself be seen.
Mathias felt as if his soul grabbed onto something, and then found himself standing in Vlad’s sitting room staring at an ornate cake covered in pomegranate seeds. It was sitting on its own platform in the center of the room.
“Holy shit!” Stuart stood from his chair. “You’re huge!”
Nossy laughed. “I told you he was big.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t say how big.”
Vlad shook his head. “Come. Sit,”
Mathias turned around and saw that Nosferatu was already seated at the table looking amused. He sat, and the others soon followed.
“So how did it happen?” Stuart asked.
Nossy cleared his throat. “We were training, and in the middle of a heated battle, when he suddenly began to change. Right before my eyes he got larger and began to hit harder. Believe me; I was just as shocked as you are now.”
“It’s just one more weird thing on the list. I’m starting to wonder if my life ever was normal.” Mathias said, reaching over and plucking a pomegranate seed from the cake.
“Did you hear that Vlad? He’s keeping lists.” Nossy said, grinning.
“What?” Mathias asked.
“You always made lists of things. Lists so you wouldn’t forget what you needed to do each day, lists of people you hated, lists about lists. You drove us crazy with them.”
Vlad said, as he began to cut the cake.
“Did you keep any?” Mathias asked.
Stuart sighed. “There is only one left. I’ve held onto it for a long time. The first thing on it is, ‘play with Stuart’.” Stuart smiled sadly.
“I’d like to read it sometime,” Mathias said, looking down into his cake.
“Anytime you like.” Stuart said.
* * * * *
Later that evening, after the cake was long gone, Nosferatu, Vlad, Stuart, and Mathias sat around the fireplace gazing into the fire.
“Mathias, I know that I’ve made many mistakes over the time I’ve known you. I...just hope that you know that no matter what happens tomorrow, you will always have a home with me,” Vlad said, wiping a tear from his eye with the back of his hand.
“It’s strange for us too, you know Mathias. For us, it’s like we are about to lose you all over again. I’ve done everything that I can to ensure your survival. I can only hope that it’s enough,” Nosferatu tossed a small white velvet box to Mathias.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“Just open it. Think of it as a good luck charm. It was something that you’d once given me.”
Mathias opened the box. Nestled amongst ivory silk was a silver chain. He took the chain from the box. The only ornament on the chain was a charm to which was attached the fang of an adult vampire.
“You gave it to me years ago, when I first met you, as a sign of peace. I’ve always left it near my heart, never letting it leave my side.”
Mathias stared at Nossy. That was a little too mushy. He coughed.
Nosferatu nodded. “My way of keeping your memory alive I guess, but since you came back, maybe it truly is lucky,” he looked into Mathias’ eyes, almost as if trying to memorize them.
Mathias looked down, he pulled the chain over his neck and the fang fell against his breast. He looked out the window; the colors of the coming dawn could be seen in the distance. “If she kills me—“
“No! You can’t think that way!” Vlad jumped up from the sofa and stood by the window, letting his head rest against it.
“Goddamnit. There isn’t any sense in thinking that it can’t happen, because it might.” Mathias glared at them. “You said it yourself. You’ve done everything you could and you hoped it would be enough. None of that matters right now. It’s going to turn out one of two ways. Either I’ll live or I’ll die.” Mathias grabbed Nosferatu by the chin. “Whatever you do, promise me, if she kills me, you’ll have her head.”
Nosferatu swallowed. “I promise.”
Chapter Sixteen
Mathias stayed in his old room at Vlad’s. There was more room to move without knocking over one of Nossy’s various piles. He slept until well after noon. When he woke, he took a shower and looked at the clothes that had been laid out for him. There was a black fencing shirt and pants. At this point, he was just glad to have clothes that fit, even though he wasn’t sure if he liked the tightness or not. They were lightweight and allowed him to move in any direction he wanted to. He had no mask, only his sword.
A knock sounded on the door. “Mathias, can I come in?” Stuart said.
Mathias opened the door and allowed Stuart into the room.
“I just wanted to say it’s going to be all right. Not great, but all right.”
Mathias nodded. “Just do what I said, Stuart. If she kills me, take her head.”
“We’ll do more than that if she kills you Mathias, you can count on that.”
Mathias looked at the clock on the bedside table. “It’s almost time.”
Nosferatu knocked on the door frame. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
Nosferatu blinked Mathias into the cold room that was known as the Ring of Immortality. It must have once been part of a castle tower. The room was completely circular. It was made of stone that was centuries old and looked it. Something about it was not unlike the cell in his memories. And recognizing that gave him a chill that stretched from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. The room itself was so cold it was almost icy. And the walls were stained with the juices of forgotten battles. Nossy’s mock room had been very close, minus the stains, the musty smell, and the cold.
* * * * *
The Queen paced around her room. She couldn’t wait for the “test” to begin. After today, she would stop being nice and really rule her kingdom.
She walked into her ornate bathroom. It was covered in ivory hand painted wallpaper. All the fixtures were gold and every wall contained a mirror. She let her white velvet robe fall to the floor and she stepped into the bath. She soaked until her skin wrinkled.
When she left her bath, she walked naked to her closet, the water evaporating from her as she walked. She dug through her closet for the perfect outfit. She needed to look strong, powerful, and intimidating. Finally, she spotted the pongee that an Emperor of China had given her years ago. She couldn’t remember which Emperor; it had been too many years ago. The pongee was made of unbleached silk, and felt light against her skin. She finished tying the front tie of the shirt and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked beautiful as always. She grabbed a couple of black chopsticks from a shelf in her closet and twirled her hair up and secured it with the chopsticks.
She looked at the clock. It was time.
* * * * *
Before he was even ready, Mathias felt a breeze whip by him, and there she was. He made sure he did not start at her sudden appearance. Doing so would let her know that she got to him. The Queen stood in front of him, bedecked in a flowing ivory martial arts suit. He couldn’t remember what they were called. She looked fierce, except for the confusion and surprise in her eyes.
“I see that you’ve grown up on me,” she said, walking around him, almost as if she was looking for trick wires or something.
It was nice to know that the surprise worked, but not as well as he thought it would. He’d been silently hoping that his sudden growth spurt would make her change her mind. He was wrong. “It was a bit of a surprise to me too,” Mathias said, trying to keep his voice from wavering and letting her hear the fear in it.
“Very well. You do know, Mathias, that I’ll not allow you to walk out of here alive.”
Mathias grunted. “I figured that was your idea.”
The Queen nodded. “How horrible it must be to still be a little boy trapped in the body of a man.”
Mathias allowed the coldness he felt to reach his eyes. She knew nothing about his life. She was an evil bitch, and he wasn’t going to die without making her hurt. “How difficult it must be to be a little bitch wearing the mask of a monarch.”
“Very well then,” she snarled. “Now you die.”
A long black katana sword appeared in her hand. She didn’t bow to Mathias, she simply charged. It was no matter, he was ready for that. The blows were fast, but something was off in her movements. It was almost as if she could not separate herself from her mind on the fight. But Mathias made the mistake of relaxing his guard. She slashed her katana sword across his sword arm and flew up to the ceiling.
The blood dripped from his flesh until it started to mend. It felt like a flame licked up his arm.
She laughed. It was too much for Mathias. He’d always hated her laugh, and he especially hated it when she laughed directly at him. He allowed his mind to access the cold place in his head he’d found the day he bested Nosferatu.
Again, the past and the present began to merge. Watermarked on top of the Ring of Immortality was an ancient battlefield. Men in armor surrounded him on all sides. He popped out his wings and took flight, speeding as fast as he could toward her place on the ceiling. She flew backwards, easily countering his attacks. Out of the corner of his eye, underneath the battlefield, was a little red flash of light on the wall, blinking ever so often. Mathias didn’t know why, but he felt compelled to get the Queen near that flashing light. He didn’t make a move until he saw the shadow of Nosferatu’s head move along the rock.
>
He turned to the Queen and snarled. He flew close to her, and then hurled her to the wall on the other side of the room where he’d seen the light. He pinned her, the light began flashing on her throat. Like her son had done, she slashed down and hacked at Mathias’ wing, but she was too fast for Mathias to counter with his sword. The pain seared through Mathias’ body. This was it. He had to hold on.
He sunk his claws into the wall behind him and breathed as she flew away from him. She laughed at the blood pouring from Mathias’ wing. Mathias breathed through his nose and allowed the pain to fuel him. Nothing mattered but living. He vaulted himself from the wall and flew into the air with new determination. In her laughter, she could not keep the pace and found herself pinned against the wall again.
She did not hesitate, and swung her sword hard. Mathias was able to move only slightly when the blade hacked into the side of his neck. His sword fell to the ground. His sword arm no longer worked. He did the only thing he knew; he grabbed her sword with his other hand and let his own body fall. The weight of his body pulled the sword from her grasp. He hit the ground hard, and stayed conscious long enough to hear her laugh cut short by a gurgle.
* * * * *
He opened his eyes. There was no pain, only a blinding white light. And then the light seemed to dim. After a moment, he realized that he was in the infirmary, the same place he’d started out in at that damn school.
“He’s awake!” He heard a nurse yell.
Suddenly, Vlad was peering down at him. “Mathias?”
Mathias tried to move.
“Don’t. Don’t move yet, we need to make sure you are all right.”
“Is she...”
“Yes. You don’t need to worry about that anymore.” Vlad patted Mathias on his shoulder. It wasn’t long after that when Mathias drifted back to sleep.
* * * * *
When he woke again, he was aware of someone holding his hand. Carefully, he turned his head, surprised that it didn’t hurt. Nosferatu was sitting in the chair, asleep, a silver dragon medallion with emerald eyes hanging from a chain around his neck.