Greg woke the next morning in a state of confusion. He stared at the ceiling, mind still fuzzy with fatigue as he tried to work out where he was. Soft fabric touched him everywhere, and eventually he worked out he was lying in a bunk bed. At arm's length to his left, a curtain hung from a rail, closing off the space in which he lay. His pulse returned to something like normal.
This is good! I can't remember the last time I slept in a bed. And no one's beating up on me, either.
The air smelled clean and fresh instead of the fetid reek of the slave pens. His skin and hair no longer itched with crud, lice and fleas. He moved his legs and winced when hot pain surged from his feet. Memory slowly returned, creeping into his conscious mind like a timid kitten. The steady purring of engines from somewhere helped him remember. Ah. I'm on the airship. It wasn't a hallucination.
The curtain rustled then opened. Greg turned his head, feeling his neck muscles ache with the motion. A man in a seaman's striped jersey looked down at him, and Greg recognized him.
"How're you feeling, mate?" the man asked.
Greg tried to speak, but his mouth felt like dried, cracked leather. The man nodded understanding. He poured a glass of water from a bedside carafe and helped Greg sit up to drink.
"Thanks." He smacked his lips. "I feel like someone's taken a mallet to my hide and beaten it flat."
The man chuckled. "You look much better than when you came aboard. My name's Conner, by the way, ship's steward. What's your name, mate?"
"Greg Cole."
"Okay then, Greg. Are you ready to eat?" Greg's stomach rumbled loudly by way of response and Conner grinned. "I'll take that as a yes, then. Give me a few minutes to rustle something up for you. I'll tell the Skipper you're awake. She wants to talk to you once you've eaten.”
Greg reached out and touched Conner's arm as he turned to leave. "Your skipper. Is she the tall lady with the tattoo?"
Conner nodded. "That's her. Captain Adena Nightingale's her name."
"Thanks."
Conner left. Greg laid back in the bunk, listened to the quiet thrum of engines and savored the first peace he'd experienced since coming to the world.
Conner returned a few minutes later bearing a tray with a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, an apple, fruit juice and something resembling coffee. Greg had wiped up the last bit of egg with a slice of toast when a knock sounded on the bulkhead outside. The curtain opened to reveal the woman he'd encountered on coming aboard. She wore different garb, a long seal-brown leather duster with black furred collar, and a top hat of brushed ocher felt. A pair of brass-bound goggles hung around her neck.
"Hello, Mr. Cole, I'm Adena Nightingale, Captain of Oculus Nightingale." She addressed him in a rich contralto. "Welcome aboard, sir."
Greg sat up, conscious that he didn't wear a stitch of clothing under the bedclothes. "Thank you, Captain."
They shook hands. The captain unbuttoned her coat, revealing a fine silken shirt in steel blue and fawn breeches secured with a wide leather belt. She pulled up a stool, straddled it and regarded him for a long moment. He studied her in return, noting the olive complexion, well-defined cheekbones and dark, intelligent eyes. After a moment, she smiled.
"You're not from this world, are you?"
"I don't think so." He rubbed a hand over his head, noticing for the first time his hair had been cropped short.
The Captain's smile turned lopsided. She pointed at his head. "Sorry about that, but you were literally lousy when you came aboard. It'll grow back."
Greg gave her a rueful smile. "It had to be done, I guess."
She nodded. "How did you come to be here?"
He grimaced. "It would help if I knew where here is, Captain."
"Of course. We call it BloodDark."
"Uh huh. I come from Earth."
She sat up straighter, her interest piqued. "Indeed? I suspected as much. You have the look of a lost soul about you, something you share with other Earthlings who've been kidnapped and brought here."
He narrowed his eyes and stared at her. "How do you know I was kidnapped?"
She shrugged. "Given how you look and what you've said, I'd say the odds of your not being kidnapped and brought to this world are astronomical. But we digress. You were going to tell me your story."
Greg breathed deep, relishing the taste of air clear of stink. He noticed at that moment the Captain wore a subtle, spicy perfume that he found pleasant. "I'll tell you what I know."
He collected his thoughts. "I'm a civil engineer by trade, working for a company out of New Jersey." Adena looked blank. "That's a place in my country, the United States."
"Okay. Go on."
"We have a contract to build an interstate bridge in Pennsylvania. I was on site late one night with my secretary, Cathy Kozinski. There'd been a hold-up due to subsidence in one part of the site, and we were finishing up the paperwork. Apart from the night watchman I thought we were alone. The crew had left for the day. Cathy and I were in the office cabin in the middle of the compound. Our night watchman was patrolling elsewhere. Someone came in through the door. He didn't knock or anything, just walked in." He shook his head, bemused. "How the guy got into the place beats me. It's surrounded by chain-link fencing with a gate that's locked at night. We stared at him and he... did something to our minds."
Adena nodded, her expression thoughtful. "That sounds familiar. What did he look like?"
Greg wrinkled his nose. "I don't think I can forget him. He was tall, thin to the point of starvation. Pale as a ghost, too. His hands looked more like claws than real people's. And his eyes!" He shuddered. "Blood-red instead of white. Hair kind of thin and slicked-down. His clothes looked like something out of a history book, maybe Victorian or something. He wore a cloak."
Adena gave him a wry smile. "You've just described a Pure Blood —what your people would call a vampire."
Greg shook his head. "Before that dude walked into the office I would've said vampires don't exist."
"Oh, but they do, Greg. They cast a glamour over people, tuning their minds to nothing but obedience to the Pure Blood's commands." She paused. "Tell me, did he pay more attention to you, or to your companion?"
Greg blinked. "Now that you talk about it, he seemed fixed on Cathy."
"Do you know if Cathy's a virgin?"
He felt his face grow hot. "I sure don't know."
"I suspect she is — or was. Are you virginal?"
Greg sat upright and stared at her. "That's a heck of a question to ask a guy!"
Her smile looked less than sincere, but he saw her eyes were serious. "I'm sorry if I offend you, but it's a valid question. Virgins are the favorite prey of the Pure Bloods. He homed in on her. They have the ability to detect virgins. You just happened to be there and, virgin or not, the Pure Blood thought you'd be useful. Otherwise you wouldn't be here." She waved a hand. "I digress. What happened next?""
He shook his head slowly. "You mean to tell me that stuff about vampires going for virgins and drinking their blood is real?"
Adena cocked her head. "Yes. Human blood is like food and drugs combined to Pure Bloods. A virgin's blood is the most prized of all. They really get drunk on virgin blood. What happened later?"
Greg sat back again. "The guy ordered us out of the office, and we walked after him like sheep. I couldn't resist obeying his every command. There was some kind of blue glowing thing in the center of the compound. The guy told us to walk into the light and we did. Next thing I know we're in some kind of stone building, like a church. It's lit by a few lanterns and freezing cold. No sooner had we emerged from the light than an ugly bunch of thugs the size of outhouses grabbed me and Cathy and whisked us away." Greg shivered. "I knew then we were no longer on Earth."
Adena nodded. "And then?"
"They stripped us of everything we had, including clothing. One of the thugs gave Cathy a robe to wear then took her someplace. I never saw her again. I was given a scrap to wear like a kilt and taken across a big courtyard or something to a building and thrown into a cell." He grimaced. "I wish we'd stayed together, maybe I could've protected Cathy."
"I doubt it, Greg." Adena's voice sounded sympathetic. "You, alone against a city full of Pure Bloods and their minions? They would've killed you."
Greg sighed. "They thrashed me, anyway. I was left alone in the cell for some time. I've no idea how long. Whatever spell the guy cast on me wore off after a bit and I went hoarse yelling for help and a lawyer. I lost track of the time." He looked at her. "Does this place ever see daylight? It's like it's always night."
"On this side of the world, yes, it is." Adena thought for a moment, then picked up Greg's uneaten apple. She stood and held it toward the light bulb set in a small grill directly over his bunk. "It's like this. Our world has one face permanently in sunlight. That's the day side. The other side is in perpetual darkness. We call it the Dark Side. Our world orbits our sun so..."
She demonstrated by swinging the apple up and around the lamp, holding it so one side was lit all the time. "The City of Night is almost in the center of the dark side. That's the realm of the Pure Bloods, and their influence stretches to cover most of this hemisphere. We," she gestured around her, "come from a place called Penumbra City. It's a mile or so into the Day Side. The Pure Bloods dare not venture there, or they'll die. The sunlight's fatal to ‘em."
"So that part of the myth — the one about them hating sunlight because it'll kill ‘em — is also true?"
"Oh yes. I understand you Earth people also believe Pure Bloods have an aversion to holy symbols. That's not true — or, if it is, it's not true on BloodDark."
"Uh huh? I sure wished I had something that would've worked against the scumbag who took Cathy and me."
Adena's face showed sympathy. "You never saw her again?"
"No. One of the thugs, a guy like something out of a Grimm's fairytale, came and took me and a bunch of other guys from the cell. They herded us onto a train out of God's train set and took us to the mining camp where you found me. They made us work until we dropped and were no further use. " He shivered again. "I don't know how much longer I would've survived if you hadn't come along."
Adena looked him over. "From your condition, I'd say that you must've been at the camp for around a couple of months."
"You have months, and days, and weeks?"
She smiled. "Yes, but I suspect not as you know them. You managed to escape. We saw the riot."
"Yeah. One of the ogre taskmasters at the work-face choked on his food. I took a chance and buried a pickax point in his chest. The rest you know, or can guess at."
She nodded and her eyes twinkled. "Indeed. It was well done."
He smiled out of modesty, liking her praise. "How did you come to be there at the camp, Captain?"
"We're on a cargo run to the City of Night. The fires alerted us to something going down in the mining camp, so we took a look-see." She shrugged. "Most times the Pure Bloods are busy bickering among themselves, and that's fine for us. We don't poke the nest if we can avoid it. Other times..."
She grinned, and Greg noticed for the first time how pointed her canine teeth looked. He found the effect unnerving.
"Other times," she went on, "we pick up what we can from them, when we can." Adena looked at him and rubbed her jaw. "You might be a bonus find on our run. Equally, you might not."
He sat up in alarm and clutched the blanket, remembering his nakedness almost too late. "You're heading back to that city? I don't want to be retaken by those scumbags!"
She held up a hand. "We won't let it happen. Finder's keepers, I think you say."
Her eyes closed until they were mere slits. She appeared to be thinking. Greg ventured a question that had been weighing on him. "Captain, is... is there any way I can rescue Cathy and get back home?"
Adena opened her eyes fully. "There's always a chance, Greg, but I'm sorry to tell you it's small. The Portal's in the center of the City of Night, and it's the only way on and off this world. The great Houses of the Pure Bloods vie for control of it. Some are more lax at guarding it than others. As far as I know, the current controllers are House Alpha. They're tougher than most, but under Pure Blood law they have to let others use the Portal. All the Houses who hold control tax those who use it. It's what makes controlling it so good for them. Did you see an emblem anywhere after you arrived through the Portal? I might be able to tell you who took Cathy."
Greg thought. "I did see a badge on the vampire guy's cloak. It looked like a Gothic arch with two white hands in prayer underneath."
She nodded at once. "House Caronel. They're one of the minor Houses, but that's not to say they're weak."
"So, we're heading back there." Greg's voice sounded flat to his ears.
"We are. Should be there in two days."
"It's not like I have much choice." He sighed and looked Adena in the eye. "I owe you a huge debt, Captain. I don't know how I'll repay you."
"Something will come in time, perhaps." Adena stood to go then paused and touched his hand where it lay outside the bedclothes. "You must rest. I don't expect you to work your passage, so be easy. If you need anything, Conner's just a call away. Use the bell button on the wall above you. When you're feeling up to it, and if your feet don't hurt too much, we'd welcome you at dinner. There's only one other passenger on this run. He might like the company."
"Thanks."
Adena left. Greg sipped some water then laid down, the effort of talking so much tired him. His mind turned to Cathy with an attached sense of guilt at not thinking of her earlier. I wonder if she's even alive? Whatever happens, I'll try to find her!
Adena walked through the lounge on her way to the flight deck and found Zared waiting for her. As she entered he stood and drew a sealed envelope from the interior pocket of his jacket. "We are one day out from Penumbra City, Captain. As promised here are the directions to the location in the City of Night my uncle wishes you to fly to."
He handed her the envelope. Using her thumb, Adena broke the wax seal and opened it. She scanned the few lines of directions and her eyebrows rose. "The location written here is quite deep within the city. It's risky."
Zared shrugged. Adena thought he'd matured since coming aboard. His nervousness had quite disappeared, evident in the way he stood straight and looked her in the eye. "It's what my uncle requires, and I need hardly remind you he is paying you quite well for this voyage."
"Of course. If this is what Erasmus wants, it's what he'll get." She pointed to the doorway to the flight deck. "My navigator is layin’ the course right now."
"Thank you. I shall retire to my cabin until lunch."
He gave her a full bow and departed. Adena shook her head and walked through to the flight deck. Hsu-Li Oliphant occupied the navigation booth at the rear, her head lowered over the drift scope that peered down at the desert. A chart of the area laid spread on the small navigation table beside her. Adena rapped on the flimsy screen separating the booth from the rest of the flight deck.
"Hsu-Li, we have the coordinates." She handed the young Asian woman the paper. "Lay in a course, please."
Hsu-Li looked at the coordinates and raised her eyebrows. "This location won't be easy to get to, Skipper. It's House Caronel territory. Those Pure Bloods have all kinds of nasty stuff in the area."
"I know. Ours is not to reason why, ours is just to do the job and get the heck back home to collect our pay."
She clapped her on the shoulder and went to the helm. Standing with her hands behind her back, Adena stared out at the scenery passing below. Wide beds of rough gravel alternated with crumbling rocky outcrops and patches of pale sand. Away off to her left higher outcrops rose to form a unified chain of rugged mountains. It all looked familiar from previous runs to the City of Night. For a few moments Adena thought about Oculus Nightingale's destination, the problems they would face getting into — and out of — the City of Night.
But we'll cross that chasm when we get to it. Do I allow Greg to slip the leash, to go find his friend? I rather like him. He seems like an educated guy. He'd be an asset to the crew once he's recovered and got some meat on his bones. Troubled, she shifted her stance. I fear his friend may be dead — or as good as — already, and I'd sure hate to see him killed in a futile rescue attempt.
His duty discharged, Zared returned to his cabin and turned out the lamp. He opened the shutter over the single window and gazed down at the desert. The blue-silver starlight and pools of deep shadow between the dunes and rocks entranced him. His mind felt hot and alive with possibility.
Leaning away from the window long enough to fetch his pistol, he sat and commenced stripping and cleaning the weapon. He did so without conscious thought, paying the task little attention as he gazed out at the perpetual night.
With everything in hand, I can finish my uncle's business, then begin my own. The City of Night holds no terrors for me now.
He picked up the pistol and sighted down the barrel at his reflection in the window pane. His reflected smile looked colder than the night outside.