Chapter 1 : DEATH'S SENTENCE
They were all around me, their overbearing presence suffocating me more surely than the dirty gag they had forced through my teeth. Vampires. The living dead. How correct the phrase was. For they looked like corpses : their skin as pale as a bone, and their chests resolutely still. They didn't breathe and their hearts didn't beat. And yet here they were, dead bodies moving and talking and yelling. They were dead and alive. And it terrified me.
One of them, a woman with brown hair and eyes as black as charcoal, was holding me still, one arm around my shoulders and the other holding my wrists together behind my back. The temptation to try and break her hold, to chance runing away was ever- present, but I didn't dare act on it. I knew, deep down, that it wouldn't help. I had no idea why I was here, what they wanted with me, but they hadn't killed me, yet. So I refrained from giving them a reason to and let them ignore my presence.
We all stood in the middle of a junkyard, in the middle of the night, watching a vampire pass judgment on others. The harsh glare of a floodlight ghosted over the place, creating menacing shadows that looked ready to pounce. The vampire judge was sitting on a cushioned armchair, in the trunk of an old, dark gray pick-up. He was dressed in an expensive looking suit and kept playing with a cane. His hair was short and white around an angular face. His forehead was high and wrinkles coursed through it. His eyebrows were thick, emphasizing the cold and sadistic spark present in his dark eyes. He was the one that scared me the most, as he seemed to be the most powerful vampire present and had not shown anything but a love for cruelty since I had gotten here.
« Next and last case ! » he spoke, his bored voice taking a more interested quality, as his gaze fixated itself on a young looking vampire. « Godric, sheriff of area 9, Texas, please step foreward »
The young looking vampire, Godric, as I now knew, did as he was told, his handsome face expressionless. An excited murmur passed through the crowd and my captors hand tightened its cold grip on my wrists.
« Sheriff » the judge started, « you've been summoned here to answer for your assumed part in the Berlin's case of 1921, have you heard of it ? »
Godric's face remained impassive as he answered :
« Yes, Magister, I have. »
« Good, but for those here who haven't, let's recap, shall we ? Eighty-seven years ago, one of the most prominent members of our kind, Appius Livius Ocella, and his new child, tsarevitch Alexei Nikolaievitch Romanov, were found finally dead in their Berlin home. We never learnt who was responsible for the murders. »
The Magister paused as the vampires within the crowd started to whisper among themselves, growing excited.
« However, a month ago, I received a very interesting visit. A certain Gertrude Karl, who pretended she was present that day and witnessed the crime. »
The Magister paused once more, his gaze flying amusedly over his audience, as he caught his cane with his other hand and gave it a twirl.
« I will admit that I was quite sceptical, at first. It had been nearly ninety years, since then, and she never mentioned it before. But, it seems that she didn't know the identity of the murderer until very recently. And, according to her, the killer just so happens to be you, sheriff. »
The assembled vampires went wild. Their fangs extended and they started yelling and growling.
« This is an outrage ! »
« Lies ! »
« Murderer ! »
Those were the first exclamations that I heard and understood, before the voices joined together in a uniformly deafening hubbub. I heard the woman holding me hiss like a cat, and I felt her still chest rumble as she growled loudly. The arm holding me to her pressed me harder against her body, and I winced in pain at the force exercised on my very human bones. Thankfully, any noise I might have inadvertently made was muffled by the bitter tasting gag I was wearing.
« What do you have to say, Sheriff ? » The Magister's voice cut through the racket.
« Nothing », the vampire named Godric answered.
« Nothing? » the Magister repeated, raising his dark eyebrows questioningly.
« Nothing » confirmed the Sheriff.
« So you do not deny that it was you who committed those murders ? »
« No, I do not deny it. »
The Magister hit the pick-up's trunk bottom with his cane, making a loud metallic sound, before rising from his throne-like armchair. He observed Godric silently for some time, as a hush fell on the crowd, that stood, once more, umoving and silent. All the vampires were staring at the confrontation, seeming to hold their non-existent breaths. Finally, the Magister sat back in his cushioned seat and spoke once more.
« That pauses a problem, Sheriff. May I know why you felt you had to commit those crimes ? One as old as you surely had very good reasons for acting so rashly. »
Godric did not immediatly answer the Magister. He seemed to lose himself in his thoughts for a few minutes, before, finally, he opened his mouth to speak.
« Appius was my vampire brother », he announced.
Once more, the assembly went wild, outraged exclamations flying, as animalistic growls and hisses resounded. The Magister hit the trunk with his cane once and silence resumed.
« Your brother ? »
« Yes, Magister »
« And why did you feel the need to end your brother's life ? You know as well as I do that the blood is sacred, and ending a member of your own bloodline is the worst crime of all ! »
« He held my child, and had been torturing him for weeks. He threatened to have him meet the sun.»
For the first time that night, the Magister seemed unnerved, shocked even. After a few moments, he took an unnecessary breath.
« I will not ask why, as this is irrelevant. The circumstances, however, do alleviate your case. You will not be put in a coffin, and by respect for your age and standing, you will not be meeting your final death either.
Since Miss Karl came to see me, I have been reflecting on what punishment to give you, should you prove guilty. It was not easy to determine, let me tell you. You are one of the oldest vampires in America and while chaining you in silver for a few decades would have worked well enough, it seemed so unoriginal and unworthy of one such as you. »
The Magister posed in his soliloquy, twirling his cane and caressing the ivory lion head that served as its handle. The crowd hanged on his every word, a shiver of anticipation running through the vampires.
« I did research on you, Godric. And I heard the most interesting things. It seems you have been rather depressed, of late. »
Godric did not answer, but I saw his jaw clenching slightly.
« Apparently, you have become quite disgusted with our kind. That is something I can use. »
I saw the Sheriff's right hand clench in a fist, denoting his anger at the Magister. The vampire behind me gave a low hiss through her fangs at the news imparted by the Magister. She was imitated by quite a few members of the assembly.
« First of all, Sheriff, you are fired. Your first lieutenant, Isabel Beaumont, will take your place as Sheriff of area 9. You are not to return there, and all your Texan properties will be given to your king. »
Godric said nothing, but looked oddly relieved.
« Bring her ! » the Magister ordered suddenly.
My captor suddenly moved and dragged me in front of the Magister. My fear rocketed. What were they going to do ? Why me ? Were they going to kill me ? My heart thundered in my chest, its beat hard and unforgiving as it pushed useless adrenaline through my veins. My whole body trembled as I struggled to keep my whimpers under control. My throat tightened and my eyes burned.
I was sure the vampires could smell my fear. Their fangs had snapped in anticipation, and their pupils had darkened with what I could only call lust. They surrounded us, looking like an army of devils ready to partake in some sacrilegious ceremony. The only vampire that looked remotely human anymore, was, ironically enough, the murderer, Godric. His fangs were still safely retracted, and if anything, he looked sad, resigned.
« Lovely, isn't she ? » asked the Magister. His question was clearly rhetorical, as he did not wait for a response. « You see, Godric, since you took the life of two vampires, you should compensate the world by giving it two vampires in exchange. You have already made one. The girl shall be the second. »
At last, Godric's fangs snapped out and he growled in anger. My eyes widened at the Magister's words. They wanted to turn me into a vampire ? They were going to use me as a punishment ?! What the... ! I lost control of my fear, and started to struggle uselessly against my captor,who quickly put an end to it by choking me with her arm.
« You should rejoice » the Magister continued. « She was chosen especially for you. »
Once more, Godric growled, but said nothing.
« You were a Gaul, were you not ? »
No answer came.
« Well ? Were you or were you not, a Gaul ? » asked the Magister once more, tilting his head to the side as he observed the younger looking vampire.
« I was », came the forced reply.
Shock ran through me. I knew perfectly well what a Gaul was. And that meant that the ex-Sheriff, whatever that meant, was at least two thousand years old.
« Well, then you will be pleased to learn that so is she. Well, she's french, really, but that's only a different name for the same origin, is it not ? »
The Magister gave a small, dark chuckle, and started twirling his cane once more.
« She was so convenient, almost as if she was reserved especially for you »
I gulped in fear and disgust and saw Godric's eyes darken in anger.
The Magister stopped playing with his cane and searched his vest pocket for something. He retrieved a small paper and started to read :
« Astrid Groult, eighteen years old, french, on vacation in Dallas for ten days, alone. »
The Magister put the paper back in his pocket and leaned forward.
« No one will notice she's gone before it's too late. »
And I knew he was right. I still had a week to go before going home, and as I was on vacation alone, no one would notice my absence.
« Turn her ! » the Magister ordered suddenly.
« I will not ! » Godric protested, speaking at long last.
The Magister's fangs extended as his face creased with anger.
« You have no choice ! Either turn her, or I will let all the vampires present here have their way with her ! »
I whimpered in fear. I really didn't want to know what he meant, exactly, although I had a pretty good idea. Tears welled in my eyes and slowly rolled down the curve of my cheeks. Godric hissed at the Magister, before closing his eyes. He turned towards me, his expression an odd mix between sadness, anger and resignation. My body shook as he grabbed me and pulled me in his arms.
He riped the gag from my mouth, and I coughed. He took my jaw in his hand and forced me to look in his eyes. They were blue, I noticed for the first time.
« Pardonne-moi », he said, before suddenly biting my neck.
I screamed. Pain and fear overwhelmed me. I felt his fangs burried in my throat and I heard him swallow my blood greedily. His wet tongue caressed my skin, but it did nothing to dull the pain. Black dots started invading my vision, as I grew weak from the blood loss. My legs collapsed under me and cold invaded me. My breath became shallow, and I realised, dimly, that I was dying.
He stopped drinking, eventually, and laid me down on the dirty ground of the junkyard. What a place to die !
« Bois ! » I heard him say, before I felt something wet on my lips.
Automatically, I obeyed. I started to suck on the strange liquid, and then, I knew no more.
Translation :
Pardonne-moi : Forgive me.
Bois : Drink