Evolution (Demon's Grail Book 2) (6 page)

“Is that what your leaders have told you?” I ask. “Have they tried to make you brave, by filling your heads with stories of victory?” I press the dagger's blade against the side of his face. “Tell me your name. I want to know who I'm killing, so I can sing about it later.”

“My name is Ferran,” he says firmly, “and I am -”

“That's enough,” I continue, driving the dagger through his remaining good eye and into his brain, and then twisting the blade around before pulling it out.

He slumps down, but of course a simple wound to the head is not enough to kill a vampire. If I transformed to my spider form, I could finish him off by filling his body with venom, but then there'd be all the hassle of returning to my humanoid form for the journey ahead. Instead, I take a vial of venom from around my neck and unscrew the lid, before tipping the black liquid into the crack in the vampire's head. The venom immediately starts to burn through his flesh, but that's just superficial damage. The real damage comes as the venom spreads through his body and reaches his heart, which will now be burned away until there's nothing left.

That's
how to end a vampire's life.

Taking a step back, with the dagger still in my right hand, I watch as the wretch's body starts to tremble, with violent, loud hisses hinting at the violence of the venom searing his heart. He turns slightly and reaches out, as if he still thinks he can crawl away, but more blood is sloughing from his corpse now and I have no doubt that the venom is doing its job perfectly. A moment later, I spot flames rippling through his torso, but there's too much rain for the wretch to burn properly. I can't help but feel sorry for him, really; when a vampire dies, he should at least be given a chance to shine bright, but out here in the storm and the mud he has no chance. This poor specimen is more of a damp squib. His body keeps trying to ignite, but the rain overwhelms him.

Finally he falls still, his body little more than a pile of ash and sludge now, with just a few pieces of bone remaining. All things considered, his was probably the most pathetic vampire death in history. Taking a step forward, I grind the heel of my boot into what's left of his face, pressing his ashes into the rain-soaked mud.

“Ferran,” I mutter with a frown. “Ferran? That's not a particularly strong name. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't be too picky. I'm sure my second kill will be more worthy.”

With that, I leave the still-smoldering corpse in the mud and turn, walking away through the rain, heading back to the oak tree where Skellig is waiting to tell me I did a good job, and that my father will be proud.

I'm good at killing vampires. Some might even say that I have a talent. But Ferran was already injured, so in my mind his death doesn't really count. Abby Hart can still be my first proper victory.

Emilia

“No!” I shout, hurrying after Skellig as he makes his way along the dirt road a few minutes later. “I want to go after Abby!”

“What you want is none of my concern,” he replies, not even turning to look back at me. “Keller trained you well, but you still have much to learn. You will head to the ridge and wait with the others until your orders arrive. I am merely relaying the decision that has been passed down by your own father, Emilia.”

“Abby Hart is mine!” I hiss.

“You will head to the ridge -”

“I deserve her!” I tell him, hurrying past and stopping in front of him to block his path. The storm has begun to move away now, with just a few spots of cold rain falling as sunlight spreads through the forest. Still, my clothes are soaked, with cold fabric clinging to my human form. “After everything that has happened,” I continue, trembling with rage at the idea that this opportunity could be taken away from me, “I've
earned
the right to end Abby Hart's life myself! She must have left Jagadoon by now, so I can go and find her and I can finish her off. It won't even take that long!”

“Are you challenging my authority?” he asks.

“I'm reminding you of the truth!” I wait for him to admit that I'm right, but his empty eye sockets merely stare back at me with unblinking calm. “She's mine,” I continue finally. “I held back from killing her when I had the chance in New York, it was agony but I managed to control myself and Keller promised me that I'd be given another opportunity soon!”

“He was right, but the time has not yet arrived. Emilia, you must go to the ridge and wait with the others.”

“I'm sick of waiting!”

“Emilia -”

“Where's Karakh?” I ask. “Are you
really
any closer to finding it, or is that just another lie that's told to make us feel that we're making progress?”

“Karakh will be ours before the twelfth sun has set,” he says calmly. “That fact is written in the -”

“Don't tell me what's written in the Book of Karakh,” I snap, trying to hold back but unable to keep from letting my frustration show. “I'm sick of prophecies and all this talk of fate, and I'm tired of always being told to be patient. We've spent so long waiting for our chance to return, so why don't we just go and finish the vampires off right now? We're strong enough, we're more than ready, and if we wait any longer we'll be giving them a chance to regroup and come up with a strategy.”

“All of this has been considered.”

“Then why -”

“Your place for now is in the ranks,” he continues, interrupting me. “There is no shame in standing shoulder-to-shoulder with your peers.”

“My peers?” I stare at him for a moment, filled with revulsion. “What are you talking about?” I hiss. “I'm more than just a soldier, I'm the daughter of one of the greatest spiders who ever lived! In case it slipped your mind, my father is waiting for us to recover Karakh so we can bring him back from the other side of the void, and I'm pretty damn certain we wouldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for my work! I'm so much more than just another grunt in the army!”

“You have done very well, Emilia,” he says, still sounding calm and in control, “but others can take charge for now. You have lessons to learn, you are not -”

“I'm special!” I hiss.

“You make mistakes!” he replies, stepping toward me with a flash of anger in his eyes. “I see it, the others see it, your father sees it... You have potential, but you're nowhere near the level of achievement that was expected of you!”

“I just killed my first vampire!”

“Slowly! I heard you, Emilia. You stood over him and you gloated.”

“I had to learn his name!”

“No, you had to kill him, and that was all. His name was completely immaterial. You should have walked over to him, driven the dagger into his back, poured venom into his heart, and then walked away. Every second that you wasted grandstanding and taunting him was another second that proved your gross immaturity.”

“No, I...” Pausing for a moment, I realize that he's serious, and that maybe he has a point. “I wanted him to know his death was in vain,” I stammer. “I didn't want him to die thinking he'd contributed to some greater cause.”

“Your father sees such behavior as a sign of weakness,” he replies. “You don't dare go against your father's word, do you?”

“My father...” Taking a deep breath, I realize that I need to be careful. “My father barely knows me,” I continue finally. “He hears reports from you, and from the others, and he dips into my mind sometimes but... He doesn't see me on a day to day basis, he doesn't know what I'm really like.”

“He sees more than you realize,” Skellig replies, “and he is gravely concerned. You should be thankful that you have no living siblings, or by now you would have been replaced in your father's esteem. Fortunately for your sake, he persists in hoping that you will measure up to his expectations. For now, at least. When his doubts grow, I tell him to have faith in you. I hope that is not a mistake on my part.”

I want to argue with him, but I know he has the authority to punish me further.

“You will spend some time in the ranks,” he continues, as if the matter is settled, “and perhaps there you will learn how to control yourself a little better. This ignominy will not last forever. A day or two, perhaps, just long enough for you to learn your place. There will be another chance for you to prove yourself, Emilia -”

“And I will!” I hiss.

“I hope so, because if you fail again, there will be no further chances. Our forces are gathering for a major assault against the vampires, one those pitiful creatures will never see coming. If all goes well, we can strike a critical blow from which they can't possibly recover. You have a part to play, but...” He pauses, before another faint flicker of anger crosses his face. “Set off for the ridge at once, and try to learn from your mistakes. Your father wants you to play an important role in the coming battle, but he will dispense with your services if necessary. Don't take my word for it, though. He's waiting to speak to you.”

I turn and look along the road I must take, and I can't help but notice that darker clouds are gathering ahead, darker than the night itself, almost as if they're clouds that are breaking through from some other world.

“Where is he?” I ask, trying not to let my voice tremble.

“He will come to you the way he always comes to you.”

I look back over at him, and now there's a hint of amusement in his eyes, as if he enjoys the fact that I'm going to suffer.

“You can't back away from your fate, Emilia,” he continues. “For all your failings, I never thought of you as a coward.”

“I'm
not
a coward!” I hiss.

“Then take the road that has been marked for you.”

As he turns and walks away, I realize that there's nothing left for me to do except prove myself once again. I'd hoped that my time with Keller was enough for Father to see that I'm ready, but now it appears that he wants me to be even stronger. I've already improved so much since New York; how much further does he expect me to grow?

Perhaps Skellig is right.

Perhaps I should have merely killed the vampire Ferran quickly, but it felt so good to taunt him.

Skellig isn't a spider, he doesn't feel our hatred for the vampire race. He can never know what it's like.

Slipping the dagger onto my belt, I turn and look toward the trees. The Navarian ridge is a full three days' march from here, and my limbs already ache from my recent travels, but I know that Father will want me to move fast and I also fear that perhaps he is watching me more often than I had realized. After adjusting my armor, I set off along the empty road, with only my regrets and dreams of Karakh to keep me company. Already, after a few paces through the mud, I can feel my anger and indignation starting to churn. I am
not
some ordinary spider who belongs in the ranks, I am the daughter of -

Suddenly a sharp pain bursts through my head and I drop to my knees, crashing into the mud. I wait for the pain to fade, but instead it builds and builds until I feel as if my skull is about to burst. Falling forward, I support my weight on my elbows while closing my eyes and grimacing, desperately trying to not cry out. Father has punished me many times, of course, but this feel worse, as if he's pushing me closer to death itself. I can even feel patches of darkness bursting through my mind, brief moments of nothingness that seem almost like teasing glimpses of the end. The harder I push back, the more they threaten to envelop me completely. It's as if the vast storm that has gripped this land is now, suddenly, inside my head.

Is this death?

The pain builds and builds, rippling through my body as wind and rain howl around me.

“You will serve the cause,” Father's voice roars in my head, with other voices whispering in the background.

“Please,” I stammer, “the pain...”

“Skellig was right,” he continues. “You are on the brink of failure.”

“No,” I reply, trying not to panic as the agony in my head gets stronger, “Father, Skellig is an outsider, he's not like you and me.”

“He is my trusted representative,” he replies, “until I am able to return to your world.”

“But he -”

“This is just a taste,” Father's voice continues, “of the pain you will endure if I am forced to end your life. You can still make me proud, Emilia, but you can also disappoint me. The choice is yours.”

I try to reply, to tell him I'll do anything he wants, but the agony is paralyzing every fiber of my body and all I can manage is a faint gasp.

“She is weak,” another voice hisses. “She will fail us. We cannot rely on her.”

“She has
already
has enough chances,” adds yet another. “She is a failure.”

“Do you hear their advice to me?” Father asks. “Constantly they tell me to give up on you, Emilia. I defend you, I tell them that I still have faith, but I tire of your weakness. I was right before, there
is
something in your heart, something you're trying to hide from me.”

“No,” I stammer, “please...”

“Your hatred for Abigail Hart is commendable,” he continues, “but why does her brother not make you feel the same way? You had him under your control once, you could have killed him yet instead you hesitated, constantly making excuses to keep him alive, and now he is free. I can think of no reason why you would have done that, except...”

“Please,” I whisper, as I feel a trickle of blood running from my nose. The pressure in my skull is immense, and I can feel hairline cracks developing around my brain. “Father...”

“If I thought for one moment,” he adds, “that you felt anything less than hatred for the son of Patrick, I would have no choice but to kill you instantly. Do you understand?”

I try to reply, but the pain is too great and I can barely get any words at all out of my throat. I can't even breathe.

“Do you understand?” he roars.

For a moment, I swear I can feel him rooting through my thoughts, dredging up memories of the time I spent torturing Jonathan in the basement of Keller's house. I try to push back, but I'm powerless to do anything as Father relives every moment of that time, and I know he must be able to read my thoughts. The more I try to resist, the more he must realize that I genuinely came to care about Jonathan. I can hide such things from anyone else, but I've always know that my own father is able to uncover every secret in my heart.

I'm a disgusting failure.

Suddenly the pain bursts, flaring through my mind and then fading, and I let out a gasp as I feel Father's mind lifting a little from my thoughts. The storm, still raging all around me, feels so much weaker in comparison.

I struggle desperately to get air back into my lungs.

I no longer hear Father's voice, but I know he's still here.

He knows.

And if he knows, he'll have no choice but to kill me. I've let him down, and I've let our species down. There's no honor in my soul, not if I felt sympathy for a vampire. Closing my eyes, I wait for death.

“Go join the ranks,” Father whispers finally, sounding tired. “Prepare yourself for your final chance to make me proud.”

“I -” Pausing, I realize that for some reason he seems to be ignoring what he found when he entered my mind. There's no reason for him to do that, not unless...

Not unless he loves me, and he can't bring himself to follow through with his threats, which case I have one final chance to prove myself. Opening my eyes, I feel a flash of honor.

“I'll serve you with true commitment,” I stammer, struggling to my feet. “Father, I swear -”

“I believe you,” his voice replies, sounding so weary now. The effort of speaking to me from the void is clearly too much for him to maintain for so long. “When the chance comes for you to redeem yourself, you must strike hard and fast. I will be watching.”

“Of course.” I pause, waiting for him to continue, but finally I realize that he has fallen silent. “And Father,” I add, “I... Thank you.”

“We must find Karakh soon,” he replies, his voice already starting to drift away into the storm. “Every second that I am left to wait is another second of unimaginable agony. I need to return to your world, to take a new body and begin the work of resurrecting the great spider empire. You have no idea how long I have suffered in darkness. I can taste victory now, and patience is difficult to maintain.”