Chapter 28: The Key
by lightpathetic
THE ENTIRE cave stopped moving, then settled again. Ken couldn't believe his eyes.
"No!" He yelled, "Nooooo! Father!"
"Shut up." Gok-umaah hissed, slapping Ken hard across his face taking his breath away, "Your father loves you very much. That is good. For me."
Gok-umaah took the winded boy and threw him over his shoulder running quickly for the exit. He needed to go deeper and lock up the child in one of his special cells while he dealt with the intruders. He wasn't very concerned. In fact he relished a chance to show what he could do. He could defend his home against direct assault for fifty years. He knew which corridors to collapse, where to retreat to, where to attack from. And how to escape. Ken would never see his father ag…
KKKKRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAACKKKKKKKK!!
Gok-umaah was knocked to the floor as the mountain gave an almighty shake. He rolled to a wall covering his face as debris flew everywhere. A cave in!! Dammit!! That bastard has ruined his home!! He squeezed Ken "punishingly" enjoying the child's cries. He would pay them back for this. He would pay them all back.
Finally the rock fall stopped and Gok-umaah regained his feet, pushing stones and rubble away from him in disgust. He turned to survey the damage and stopped, gaping, all thought flying from his mind. Where he stood… How could it be?! The sky…!?
KANAME KURAN had considered bargaining with this pure-blood for all of one second. Then discarded the idea, ashamed of his weakness. This person wouldn't give up his advantage. A true pure-blood would know that they would never be allowed to walk away after offending another pure-blood like that. It would be an unforgivable sign of weakness on the part of the capitulator. He came to a decision.
Turning, he gave his spouse a look, knowing she would know what it meant, given the icy resolve in his veins. She stopped shouting and nodded. Let's get the bastard!!
Kaname turned back to Zero.
"Hide your face in my clothes. Now."
Zero hesitated, dying to ask what he was going to do. But Kaname didn't elaborate and from the cold look in his eyes Zero knew he wouldn't have tolerated an interrogation right this minute. Zero bent and pressed his face into Kaname's neck, feeling as Kaname drove his fingers into his hair to hold him there. Then…
GOK-UMAAH was so engrossed in his shock that he had totally forgotten about Ken. Ken recovered a lot more quickly. Sure the library suddenly had no roof, but it was something he would have done himself if he hadn't been robbed of his powers. He'd also noticed while Gok-umaah lay cowering that two figures had slipped in through the showering and exploding debris and were somewhere on the library floor. On their perch on the library steps, looking up, Gok-umaah would have yet to have seen them.
Rolling quickly onto his back, Ken kicked out with all his might hitting the elder pure blood. Gok-umaah turn quickly but it was too late. He was off balance and was falling to the floor below. He wasn't terribly concerned though. A fall like that would hardly faze him. He would catch up to Ken as soon as he landed and show him exactly how futile it was to mess with the Red Tiger. But wait. That scent… the ex-human…
Gok-umaah suddenly found himself pinned by an invisible force to the rock face behind him, staring into two pairs of cold, pure blood eyes.
"Darling, look at this pathetic creature. It really would be a shame to kill some-one who is already a victim of their own fashion sense."
ZERO had found himself deposited on the floor of rubble next to a massive shelf of old books. He looked up in wonder and then at the huge shelves nearby. My God, The creature must have collected every conceivable significant book in existence. Zero reached out to pull down a scroll and saw that it was written in hieroglyphs. What…?!
Zero came out of his reverie as he heard a bloodcurdling scream. Zero broke into a run even as he knew Kaname would have preferred he stay where he had been placed. Ken. That was Ken's voice…
"I SEE I have your attention now." Gok-umaah sneered as his fingers twisted in the air as if holding something between them. Ken screamed again from his perch on the rough-hewn stairs two storeys up. His back was… breaking… Make it stop… please…
"Ken!!" Sara screamed and disappeared. Kaname knew she had gone to their son. He didn't give in to this urge however. He had to find a way to kill Him…
"You are only making things worse for yourself. Release my son..." Kaname demanded.
"Look what you have done to my home." Gok-umaah seethed, emerald green eyes spitting fire in his near-insane anger, "Do you have any idea of how much you have already hurt me? I have built my palace from scratch over many hundreds of years. And you invade my territory, destroy it and have the gumption to start making demands?! You are lucky your son still lives!! I want you to feel half the pain I do.
"Besides, if you kill me you will never be able to cure him. He will stay sealed and in pain until he dies in a few years. And believe me just that thought alone will make me very happy to die now; right this minute.
"However if you leave here now, I may recover from my trauma enough to show mercy. I may even release him to you unharmed."
Kaname watched this creature closely as he spoke. He needed to find a weakness. It was hard trying to concentrate with your son's agonized cries in the background, echoing persistently, but Kaname forced himself to block it out. This creature was out-numbered. A full on assault would probably subdue him, but could also kill him. Was he speaking the truth about his hold over Ken?
Kaname heard Zero running behind him. He located him quickly and strongly and was gratified when he fell to his knees. Kaname couldn't deal with another hostage now. Gok-umaah was so far ignoring him as insignificant. If he sense Kaname's partiality it could be even more disastrous.
Zero lay coughing on the ground behind Kaname, his chest on fire. Kaname had done that deliberately, he knew, but it still upset him. He couldn't just stay on the sidelines, he had to do something. His eyes focused on the scroll and the hieroglyphs that he had forgotten he was still carrying. This must be so old. Probably came from that ancient library in Alexandria; heavy with ages old secrets. Zero rolled onto his back and let his eyes run over the shelves. It was rough but everything in the library looked well cared for if covered in dust and bits of rubble. Even the scroll in his hand looked "hot off the presses". This vampire had taken good care of this for a long time…
Zero rolled over quickly and stood. He looked overhead at where Sara cradled her crying son and yelled.
"Sara! The books!! Torch the books!!"
Sara looked up as if Zero had gone mad. What did she care about this dusty old crap when she couldn't even comfort her son? Tears of frustration slipped from her eyes. Ken spasmed in pain as she held him. She was considering torching him.
"Your ex-human is losing his mind. Perhaps I should help it the rest of the way."
Gok-umaah was done playing. What that ex-human had said made his blood run cold. He decided he would add all of them to his collection. He opened his mouth, pulling air into his lungs. He had resisted doing this before because he was unsure of the new conditions, and he hadn't wanted to show his hand by letting them see what his powers were. But now he was sure, and he wanted to end this before they did anything… rash. Gok-umaah let loose a high-pitched scream he was certain to liquefy the soft tissues in the ears of any being, the pain to the nerves rendering them unconscious. He "encouraged" the sound waves to amplify, making sure they would do maximum damage. Hopefully he would knock everyone out he readied himself to quickly subdue whoever survived the blast.
KANAME heard as the vampire inhaled and prepared himself as he and Zero had discussed before the attack. He stayed still, just holding the crazed green gaze as it slowly dawned on the other vampire…
GOK-UMAAH STOPPED as he ran out of breath, his eyes widening as he looked uncomprehendingly at the sight before him. Nothing!! Absolutely nothing!! Gok-umaah was beside himself. That should have worked!! There was nothing that would have withstood it. Nothing!!
Kaname opened his mouth and then closed it, realizing the other vampire wouldn't be able to hear him. He had given Zero's suggestion some thought and realized, especially from Gok-umaah's reaction, that there was something to this vast library that he was missing. Maybe… maybe this was the vampire cherished possession, his child, his… weakness.
He looked to the side and "pulled" a volume towards him. Looking up at Sara he spoke quickly and suddenly the book burst into flames.
"NOOOO!!" Gok-umaah screamed. He rushed forward and hit a barrier that was almost as jarring as hitting a brick wall. What?!
Kaname waited for the vampire's attention then "pushed" the air out of the small prison he had created around Gok-umaah. Gok-umaah suddenly found he was in a vacuum. That he couldn't hear… anything. His eyes widened as he realized what had happened. The being had somehow created a vacuum between him and the others. Without a medium for sound to travel in his own powers were useless.
Kaname watched as the other vampire turn red and swell up from the lack of air pressure for about a minute before letting the air back in. Gok-umaah rolled over gasping for breath. He was furious. He was cornered. But he still had their son. They wouldn't kill him. He grinned.
Standing, he looked back smugly at Kaname holding his gaze daring him to do anything. This was when the entire book shelf to his left burst into flames. Gok-umaah fell to his knees. NOOOO!! That was the roman collection!
"Stop!!" He yelled, forgetting himself in his anxiety, "Stop. You don't know what you are doing!!"
Kaname wore an expression that seemed like detached interest as Gok-umaah fell apart. And that was one shelf. He cupped his ear comically as if trying to hear and then pointed to another book shelf. It too went up in a tower of flames. Gok-umaah gaped as the smoke and ashes trailed into the sky. They couldn't know. They couldn't know what he went through to get those!!
"Alright!! Alright!! Please!!" Gok-umaah gestured, releasing the crushing sensation on Ken's back, but he didn't remove the spell. That would be foolhardy. He knew it worked as he saw the relief on Kaname's face, even if briefly. Gok-umaah gestured to talk. Kaname's face registered doubt. He wanted to kill this creature there and now. But his son…
Kaname removed the vacuum between them, but concentrated on the other vampire's breathing.
"Release our son." Kaname said as Sara launched herself off the stairs to join him with their son. He "caught" them and allowed them both to land softly. She nodded in acknowledgement.
"I will. I know I am no match for you." Gok-umaah whined in apparent defeat, his mind churning furiously. How could he best them? Think!
Zero saw the surrender and walked forward gun in hand. Kaname was aware of him but didn't stop him. Gok-umaah was all but beaten.
"Our son." Kaname prompted again, growing impatient, "Release him. My wife is itching to turn this little study of yours into a bonfire."
Little study!? "Yes. Of course. I will do it immediately."
Gok-umaah stooped to the floor calculating the distance to where the ex-human stood. He could smell the type of shield on him from here. Gok-umaah tried not to smile… He only had to shake the dark one's concentration…
"Kaname," Zero warned, "I don't think you should let him…"
"It's alright Zero. He won't be able to do any..."
Zero's eyes widened as his hand rose on its own. He tried to yell but he couldn't. No-one was looking at him. Even Ken, who was concentrating on deciphering the circle the elder vampire was drawing on the ground. Ken didn't recognize it. He wondered if it was going to work. He had said he was the key. He was… the key.
Ken jerked around as a shot rang out and his father toppled to the side clutching his chest. Suddenly he himself was flying back hard again the stone wall as something propelled his mother backwards and landed on top of her.
"Mother!! Nooo!!" Ken yelled, struggling to his feet. The creature had taken advantage of his mother's distracted mind at seeing her husband fall motionless to the ground. He gained the upper hand, punching her repeatedly to the face, his strength showing in his besting of her. Ken ran forward, his battered body aching at every turn. Did he ever detest being sealed. Normal wounds took ages to heal.
He ran towards Zero who stood still, the gun still aimed at his father. He switched targets as Ken approached.
"No, Zero. You don't want to kill me do you?"
Zero's eyes were dilated in distress his breathing was shallow and quick. Kaname. He'd killed Kaname! A tear fell from his left eye, as he trembled trying to fight the "hold" but having no success. He hated this body. Hated what they could do to it. His anger increased. But it was fruitless. He was trapped…
Ken saw as Zero's finger tensed. No, Zero. Fight!
The creature had been having fun pummeling the bitch that had, with a single thought, erased two millennia of careful work and sacrifice. But he'd seen Ken heading towards the ex-human and shifted his attention. It would be a shame to kill the child. However this woman could better suit his tastes…
Zero gave a small strangled cry of anguish as his finger continued to tighten against his will. What was Ken doing? He knew he couldn't fight it. He knew… Zero closed his eyes… and fell backwards. His body suddenly free. He spun quickly aiming for the creature and saw that it was headless, lying next to Sara who had rolled to her side crying. In relief. Zero followed her eyes and saw that Kaname was awake…
"Kaname!! Kaname!!" Zero fell onto him rolling him onto his back. The bullet must have missed… his heart…
"Zero... It is… a good thing… you are stubborn… even when you… are under our control…"
"Kaname. I… I…" Zero began to cry. Kaname pulled him down to him.
"Sssshhh. I know. I know. I just wish it didn't sting so much." Kaname looked past Zero to his son who stood over him with an expression on his face that seemed like anger…
"I'm fine Ken. Don't be angry at Zero. He couldn't help it. Go check on your mother."
"I'm okay, Kaname. Just disgusted with myself. I can't wait to torch the rest of this place and these clothes and take a bath."
Ken was limping over to his mother anyway to help her to her feet. He didn't want to say anything yet, but…
Zero looked up remembering. He noticed that Ken was still bleeding.
"Ken. Are you okay?"
Ken looked up at Zero. But looked away again. He was scared and he wanted so badly to be where his father was right now. All eyes turned on him. They had forgotten about what the creature had said.
"Ken…"
"No. No I am not. I am still sealed."
ZERO WAS tugging frantically at the pockets of the dead vampire trying to find the "key". Ken had explained that was all that he had said. I am the key. What did he mean? Did the secret die with him?
Kaname sat bleeding and looking miserable. He had seen that vampire hitting his wife and about to kill his son and had acted, without remorse. He was certain it wouldn't have helped them. But he had removed all possibility and was now afraid for his son.
Ken was trying all the known seals after Zero had berated him for believing the psychotic vampire when he said the anti-spells wouldn't work. "You can't be so gullible!!" Zero had yelled, smacking him. But Ken was on his last anti-spell… and nothing. He sat back on his haunches and looked at Zero in despair as he tugged frantically at the dead body. His dream. Zero wouldn't look at him the same way now he was weak, would he? His father would be a god compared to him. He'd have no chance now. Plus he would be like this for the rest of his life. He didn't know how humans could stand to live…
Zero stood and kicked the vampire's corpse in frustration. They were stuck. There were no notes, no keys, no riddles, no tattoos. Nothing. Nothing!! This body that would degrade soon and all would be lost… Zero's mouth dropped open. It couldn't be so simple could it?
"Ken! Come here!" Zero went over and dragged the youth to the body for good measure. Ken found it hard to hope in his despair. He was annoyed at Zero for being so enthusiastic.
"Zero, just forget about…"
"Eat it. Eat him. Drink his blood, swallow some flesh. Hurry!"
"What?" Ken looked at the dead body, quite revolted. Even on his worst days he wouldn't countenance picking at a corpse.
"Dammit Ken. 'I am the key'. He told you to remember that. Well maybe he is. Literally. A pure-blood would consider eating flesh as a natural thing. Maybe it was a joke. Like: 'over my dead body' would you be free."
"You are not seriously thinking I would..."
"Ken listen to him!" shouted Sara who was over in the library looking around, "What choice do you have? Besides in a minute or so it will be too late and our chance would be gone. You have tried everything else."
Ken looked from Zero and Sara's excited faces and down at the dusty, bloody, headless corpse. He had nothing to lose. It was just that being sealed as he was had another evil. Even the thought of drinking blood was… not doing it for him. He sighed. He was going to have nightmares if he survived.
Ken knelt beside the vampire that had caused him the most severe trauma he would ever feel in his entire life. Bending he knelt near the pulverized neck where the flesh was softest, grimaced and…
Zero watched eagerly, hopefully, as well as the rest of the chamber's inhabitants. The area darkened as the sun had begun to set. Everything was in an eerie shadow. Zero could hear Kaname's laboured breathing but beyond rinsing the silver from the wound there was nothing more to be done than wait. Kaname had been shot before so he wasn't worried for himself, so Zero tried not to worry as well, merely feeling guilty. He wondered if he had placed the shield properly. If only he had…
Ken finally sat up as his hand punched through the dessicated remains, the dust flying everywhere. Gok-umaah was now a distant memory. Over six millennia on this earth and now he was a pile of dust blowing in the mountain breezes with no-one to mourn his passing.
"Let's go home." Ken said rising to his feet.
"But…" Sara began, afraid to finish. Afraid to ask.
Zero looked up at the tall teenager anxiously.
"Ken…?"
"Zero. Let's go. I have had enough of this place. Besides," Ken paused, turning to grin suggestively at Zero, his fangs glinting in the spreading gloom, "I need something more… palatable to wash the away the taste of this cretin from my mouth, and, I can only get that at your place."
to be continued
lightpathetic wrote this but Sara, Kaname, and Zero are not my characters. They belong to VK.
