Vrolok moved into the office dragging two long black bags, one in either hand. Unlike my uncle, who made me think of a stone statue when he walked, solid and purposeful, Vrolok seemed to shift from one place to another without moving, as though the room just bent and allowed him to be wherever he wished. It was soundless, and the sight of it was nauseating.
I turned my attention to the bags he was carrying. They looked like the kind of thing the police would put a dead body in. I could tell by the way they were moving that people were struggling inside. The Baron pushed each to the floor and I heard two muffled cries. The people inside, their mouths must have been gagged. I recognized that sound right away. I’d heard it before. During the drive with my uncle, noises just like that had come from inside his trunk. He’d covered it up with a bunch of hooey about the police radio, and I’d fallen for it. But it wasn’t the police radio I’d heard. It was these two.
The Baron looked down and saw me on my knees. “Ah, a true penitent.”
The words stabbed inside my mind. His voice seemed to come from everywhere at once so that you couldn’t really tell where he was.
“Such faith is a rare thing in this age of skeptics. In a vampire, rarer still. Do they not call us soulless creatures?”
I had no idea what he was talking about. Then I realized that he thought I was praying. I probably should have been.
“You do well to concern yourself with such things,” he said. “You will be meeting your God soon. I hope you will send Him my regards.”
The Baron started moving towards me. I tried to stand up, but my head was reeling and I fell over sideways.
“It is just as well, my son,” he said. “God cannot help you here.”
He reached down, grabbed the front of my shirt and hauled me off the floor. With his other hand he snatched my necklace, then he tore it over my head and let me drop.
“This was a gift to my wife . . .”
He paused and stared at the window. It was exactly where the sun would have been. His expression was vacant.
My wife . . . The words echoed in my head almost too quietly to notice.
He saw me on the floor and seemed to remember where he was. When he spoke, the necklace dangled from his fist.
“Your father killed her. Then he stole this necklace and gave part of it to your mother. He had no right!” When he looked at me his eyes were black. His lips moved a little, revealing the long incisors underneath. I couldn’t tell if he was smiling or snarling.
“I understand you have been talking to your uncle. A most useful man . . .” The Baron bent so that he was crouched down beside me. “But perhaps a little too trusting?” He reached out and brushed the side of my cheek. The touch of his skin made my insides squirm. “You must forgive him for his weakness. Few men cope well with death. Only those of unwavering faith. Or those who have suffered much. He is neither. He seeks immortality. I have offered him this, in exchange for you.”
He picked me up and set me on my feet. When he let go, I fell to my knees again.
“For what has happened, blame no one but yourself,” he continued. “The day your father died, I should have perished. Burned to ashes. But fate brought you to me, and with your blood I endured. What an irony! To become that which your father once hunted. And to fall into the power of a vampire he himself would have destroyed had you not interfered. God is quite a trickster, is He not?”
He turned his back to me and drifted away. As soon as his eyes were off me, it was like I could suddenly breathe again. But the feeling of relief didn’t last long. When he turned and fixed me with a dark stare, I froze again.
“Fate has bound us together, my son. I am your doom.”
He then bent and picked up one of his hostages. With his other hand he ripped open the black bag so that I could see the person inside. It was Charlie! He was bound and gagged, and his eyes were wide with terror. I could see two small, red dots on his throat, as though he’d been bitten, and his skin was horribly pale. Vrolok pushed him to his knees, then grabbed the second bag and tore it open. It was Luna. She didn’t look frightened. She was past that. She was in shock. Her clothes were still covered in blood. I could see the same red holes in the side of her neck. She glanced around the room with a face as white as chalk. I couldn’t tell if she had any idea what was happening.
The Baron pushed Luna to her knees so that she was shoulder to shoulder with Charlie. “To see old friends, is it not wonderful?”
I raised myself to one knee. I could almost stand up. Almost.
He shook his head, as though I’d disappointed him somehow.
“You know the fate of most vampires. I see that. But no one recognizes madness in themselves. That is for others to discern. And so we have brought your friends along to test you.”
He sucked a breath in past his teeth. The sound of it made my stomach tighten. He watched me with his bulging eyes and I felt them burning into my head.
“You were careless, you see.” He scratched a finger under Charlie’s chin. “You told this one you were infected.” Then he glided past Luna and grabbed a handful of her hair. “And this one saw enough to divine the truth herself. Tragic, but fate isn’t always kind . . .”
He raised one hand towards me. His fingers were long and gnarled with age, but I had felt them pressing down on my chest. They were strong. His eyes widened for just a second, and again I couldn’t breathe.
“It isn’t safe for humans to know this about us, and so I am giving you a choice. Consider carefully.” He flicked a finger towards Charlie and Luna. “There were two halberds on the wall earlier. It was most kind of you to bring them to my attention. I had them fashioned into blunt stakes. There are three of you here. Two will be impaled for my amusement. It is for you to decide who will receive this honour.”
The Baron stared at me while I crouched on the floor. I didn’t whimper, but I couldn’t stop tears from rolling down my cheeks. I pushed myself to my feet. I wasn’t going to face him on my knees.
“Good,” he whispered. “Good.”
He waited while I got my balance. The whole time I kept wondering if this was really happening, if I really had to choose. My uncle’s words kept coming back to me—that this was a test. It was about my mental state. What was I supposed to do? Argue? Fight? I looked at the Baron to see if there was something in his face that might give me a clue. It was a big mistake. His eyes dug into my brain. What he saw there made him smile, and that’s when I realized that my uncle had been duped. My sanity was just fine. I didn’t need a test to tell me that. Neither did the Baron. This was about revenge. It was about cruelty. It was about evil and torture and death. And unfinished business.
The Baron nodded. “Quite right,” he said. “Now make your choice. Who lives? And who dies?”