Running in the Night Part 10

The room was silent, Jane and Liv both uncomfortably aware that Carmilla was right, if word got out… Finally Liv spoke.

"Given this secret is so important, why tell us?" There was a flatness, a note of finality in Carmilla's normally alluring voice.

"Vanchev's actions threaten that secret and by extension my people's survival. I will do whatever is required to deal with that threat. Normally I would dispatch arbiters to deal with a rogue and that would be the end of it, Vanchev however was too powerful, he killed them and now places us all at risk. Thus I turn to you; after all, you have a very personal stake in this matter"

Jane and Liv shared a look, before Liv spoke.

"Surely this isn't the first time this's happened, others must have gone rogue before"

"They have, however this is the first time in more than a century that someone of Vanchev's age and power has done so. The only ones more powerful than Vanchev are the elders and they are scattered across the globe, each responsible for the actions in their own areas. The North-eastern United States falls under my purview and thus I am responsible for dealing with it" She shrugged.

"Most of the time we track the rogue down and slay them before the human authorities become fully aware of the nature of the killer. Evidence is introduced leading your law enforcement compatriots away from the real culprit until the investigation peters out. Others are dealt with before the authorities become aware of it, after all, both of you have heard of numerous serial killers who start their killing spree, then it stops, with no clues as to who or why. That is often our arbiters dealing with the situation" Olivia leaned forward, her interest obvious.

"You said the North-east is your responsibility. How many vampires are we talking about here?"

"Our population is relatively stable, probably no more than 300,000 vampires throughout the entire North American continent. It's grows slowly, a few hundred a year, offset to some extent by the deaths of others, some by accident, some by misadventure, a few by suicide when they decide immortality has its own burdens that have become too heavy to bear" Carmilla shrugged. "We are a tiny group within the much larger population, unknown and unnoticed" Jane frowned.

"How can you do that when you need blood to feed on? Surely you'd be eventually found out?"

"Almost none of us actually drain blood from humans. Mostly our needs are met through the supply of blood diverted covertly from public and private blood supply chains. The actual draining of humans is both forbidden and taboo by our laws and customs, it draws attention to us which we then need to deal with. Draining blood from a human is a crime in our society, one punishable by death"

"Death" It was Liv. "How?"

"Just as you are police officers, sworn to protect your community and uphold the law and bring criminals to justice, so we too have our own police who undertake the same duties in our society; the arbiters. They enforce our laws, the first and most important being thou shall not feast on and kill humans" Jane nodded.

"Having them in the first place suggests you've got a problem" Carmilla tilted her head in acknowledgement.

"Indeed you are correct. The reason that our laws are so strict is that the temptation is so strong. Consuming blood from a blood bank is an intensely... satisfying act; many rituals have grown up around the consumption of blood in this way. The act of drawing blood from a living human is vastly more powerful in its emotional and physical impact. So much so that many who have done so cannot give it up, they forever seek out the euphoria, arousal and rush it brings, in a way it is as addictive a drug to vampires as crack cocaine is for humans" She shrugged gently.

"When a vampire turns rogue and attacks humans, starts killing them, we dispatch an arbiter to seek out the vampire and deal with them. One reason most vampires still partake of food and drink, in addition to enjoying the taste, is that failure to do so is seen as a the first signs of a potential rogue. Most of our arbiters are quite old, the older the vampire, the more powerful they are" Liv suddenly spoke up.

"Hang on; didn't you say this Vanchev was an arbiter?"

"Yes he was, the oldest of the arbiters. I am unsure why he turned or how long he has been preying on humanity, but I became aware that he had gone rogue and dispatched a team of arbiters to seek him out and kill him" She frowned. "They failed; their corpses now lie in your morgue back in Boston" Liv and Jane shared a look before Jane spoke.

"The fingerprints we found in Alex's office, they match a whole pile of unsolved murders across the states, the oldest goes back fifteen years" Carmilla leaned forward, interest in her eyes.

"Do you know how frequently they occurred, what interval between them?" The detectives shared another look before Liv finally spoke, her eyes unfocused as she searched her memory for the information she'd read.

"There was over a year between the first and second killing, then each time it's got less and less between deaths" Carmilla nodded.

"It would appear Vanchev killed once, then managed to hold off until the desire was too strong, each time he proved weaker and weaker, until now he kills when he feels like it, feeds when he is hungry" Jane and Liv glanced at each other, then back to Carmilla. Finally Liv spoke.

"So what happens now?" Carmilla sat back, exuding an air of calm.

"As I promised, I have every thrall and chattel of the New York coven searching for him, in numbers we are talking many hundreds of vampires and thousands of humans at every strata of New York society, all bending every effort to finding Vanchev. As soon as I have word of their location I will convey that to you, so that you may affect a rescue of your lovers" Liv frowned.

"You keep calling them our lovers" She flicked a glance at Jane and then continued. "I can only speak for me, but Alex isn't my lover, she's my friend, that's all" Jane nodded.

"Yeah, Maura's just my friend, well my best friend, but that's all" Carmilla smirked as she spoke, her voice light with an undertone of vast amusement.

"As one of the elders, I am gifted with certain abilities, the ability to shift my shape that you saw earlier being one of them. Another is that I can see into your hearts. You may not have consummated your all-consuming love for these women but that means nothing, the love you feel for them is far beyond a simple physical thing, it is both your greatest weakness and your greatest strength" Jane felt her jaw drop, looking up to see Liv's face was wearing a similar look of shock. Camilla's eyebrow lifted, amusement in her voice.

"Oh don't be surprised, from what I have learned your lovers are both beautiful women, only fair all things considered given you both are as well, no doubt together you would be amazing" At their surprised looks she laughed.

"You really don't understand yourselves do you? Beautiful, strong, brave and modest, if your hearts weren't already taken I could imagine seducing you both, to be the centre of your attention would be a rare experience, teaching you all the pleasure three women can bring to one another" She grimaced slightly.

"Unfortunately your hearts are owned by others and that is why we are here, placing business before pleasure. You have no idea how it pains me to do so, I am a hedonist, one who seeks out pleasure in numerous forms, forms such as yours, but this time I must forego my own gratification for weightier matters"

Jane and Liv exchanged a series of 'what the hell' glances before Liv dragged the conversation back on track.

"You say this Vanchev has our friends" she laid particular emphasis on the word, ignoring the smirking twist to Carmilla's lips that it brought. "Why has he taken them?"

"I would hazard a guess that it has to do with your doctor 'friend' Maura" Carmilla gave the word friend an ironic tone. "She is a coroner; I believe her title is Medical Examiner yes?" At Jane's nod she smiled. "As such, she would be in a position to hide evidence of his work, ruling his victims as death by other means, sending those investigations she cannot stop off on the wrong direction, allowing Vanchev free reign to continue his killing spree" She paused, looking across to Olivia.

"As for why he took your barrister 'friend', I am not so sure, it may be he has a plan I am not aware of, it may have been a spur of the moment decision, after all your 'friend' Alexandra is a beautiful woman, Vanchev may have been simply attracted to her in that capacity" Jane was still grappling with Carmilla's words.

"Maura wouldn't falsify evidence, no way" Carmilla sighed.

"She may have no choice. If she has been turned, if Vanchev has bitten her, but not drained her, your friend will by now be a vampire herself. As such, she would be under his power" Both detective's leaned forward, Jane's question marginally faster.

"What do you mean, under his power?" Carmilla sat back and swirled her glass again, her voice taking on an instructive tone.

"When a vampire bites a human there are two possible options. The first is death, if the vampire drains them dry. The second is the creation of another vampire, by biting them and tasting their blood, but not draining them, the victim will rise 24 hours later as a vampire themselves. As such, they are under the domination and control of the vampire that created them, they are what we call a thrall" She sighed.

"As a thrall their master can compel them to do things they would not otherwise do. I believe that may have been what has happened in this case, he may have made them into his thralls to allow him to dominate them, allowing him to compel their actions" Jane shook her head, her disbelief obvious.

'Your joking right" Carmilla shook her head.

"The older and more powerful the vampire the more control the master has over their thralls" She looked first at Olivia, then Jane. "Remember when I compelled your return to your seats earlier?" Both women shifted uncomfortably in their chairs at that memory as Carmilla's lips curled. "I see you do. As an elder I have some small ability to compel those within my presence through force of will, even those who are not my thralls or chattel. As a thrall's master Vanchev's hold is vastly more powerful, he could force them to do anything he wants"

"Is there any way to free them, if what you're saying's true?"

"Kill Vanchev; the killing of the master frees their thralls; they become what we call free-willed. Kill Vanchev and you will make them free" Liv looked dubious.

"Kill him. Just like that? I thought vampires were difficult to kill?"

"While not as difficult as some of the legends suggest, nor as easy as Hollywood makes out, there are several ways to do so" She carefully ticked off her long, slim fingers.

"One, behead him; with the severing of the spinal column the brain's control of the body ceases and both parts die" She ticked off another.

"Second, force him into bright sunlight and hold him there, exposure to direct sunlight burns the body and we are unable to heal the damage caused until we are once again sheltered from the sun" Another finger.

"Thirdly, burn him, immerse him in flame and keep him ignited, the damage being done by the flames does more damage than his regeneration can keep up with" Jane frowned.

"Wait, regeneration?"

"Yes, vampires regenerate from damage quite rapidly, the older the vampire, the quicker the regeneration" Liv and Jane exchanged a nervous look. "Quite honestly, you could pull out your weapon and shoot me repeatedly, only to watch as my body's wounds closed, after expelling the bullets" She smiled. "Though I would appreciate it if you do not put that to the test, not only would it disturb the diners downstairs…" Carmilla ran her hand down the 'V' of her business suit, drawing the eye to her voluptuous cleavage with a sly smile. "it would put some very nasty holes in this rather lovely suit" She paused for a moment, then nodded to herself.

"Perhaps this will suffice" Carmilla turned and held out her hand, as one of her silent guards stepped forward and handed her a long, narrow-bladed dagger. Carmilla handed it to Liv. "Please examine the knife, see that it is indeed real and very, very sharp" Olivia did, testing the point and nodding. Taking it back Carmilla passed it to Jane. "Please, you as well Jane" Jane tested the edge and the point, pulling her thumb away from the razor-sharp point, then nodding at Carmilla.

"It's real" At a gesture from Carmilla, Jane handed it back, Carmilla taking it with one hand and taking hold of Jane's wrist with the other, holding Jane's hand open where they both could see it.

"I see you have been scarred badly" Jane just pulled her hand away abruptly, her voice harsh.

"Old injury" Carmilla nodded at Jane's brusque tone.

"Perhaps, however I apologise for any pain that what I am about to do may cause you"

Before Jane could reply, Carmilla had dropped one hand to the table, before driving the dagger straight through the palm and into the table beneath, hissing at the pain and wincing in agony. Jane was marginally faster than Liv.

"Shit"

"Oh god" In a flash both cops were on their feet, reaching out, only to stop when they realised there was no blood, the knife sticking out of the unstained palm. Carmilla waved them back to their seats.

"Thank you for your concern, but while it does hurt, I felt I had a point to prove, if you will pardon the pun" With a grunt Carmilla yanked the blade out, pulling the savaged hand into a fist for a moment, before opening it up and displaying it to both of them. Even as they watched the skin was melting back together again, in ten seconds the gap was closed, in twenty there was no sign that there had ever been an injury.

Carmilla held the blade out and it was retrieved by the guard who had handed it to her, sliding it away as he stood back.

"As you can see, healed, as if it had never been" Jane nodded numbly, while Olivia noted the small hole the blade's point had made in the table top, leaving no doubt it had gone all the way through. "Please, be seated" Both woman dropped back into their chairs, still dealing with the reality of what they had seen.

"There are several other ways to kill a vampire, massive trauma that overwhelms the regeneration abilities being the best one. I understand one of the arbiters killed in Boston was crushed repeatedly in a garbage crusher. That is the sort of trauma required" Liv nodded.

"Any others"

"Most of the Hollywood methods are false, crucifixes, a stake through the heart, garlic, silver weapons and such. The four I have mentioned are the most likely to be fatal to Vanchev. I should warn you though; he is through his age both powerful and able to shrug off wounds that would kill a lesser vampire" Liv frowned.

"Ok, I get what you want; we clean up your problem because we have to if we're going to rescue Alex and Maura. Correct?"

"You are correct, it serves both our purposes" Liv nodded slowly.

"How tough is Vanchev really?"

"He is powerful enough to have overpowered your 'friends', thrown them over his shoulders and jumped three stories to the street, before sprinting away with them while carrying both of them" Jane and Liv exchanged a worried look, each thinking the same, 'oh shit'. If he was that strong, they'd need backup. Jane looked at Carmilla again.

"If Vanchev has turned them like you say he has, how can we turn them back, make them human again?" Carmilla shook her head.

"Oh, I'm afraid that's not possible, once bitten, the process is irreversible"