Bloody Marvelous - Chapters 9-12
The next night saw William out alone on the orders of his Sire. He felt like an errand boy but Drusilla had been most insistent that he should follow Angelus’ direction. He walked toward the library at the university through the misty night. The London Fog was out thick, complete with its unhealthy greenish black tinge and daunting odor. At least he needn’t worry about his health any longer. The breeze blew just hard enough to part the fog and reveal the doors of the building he wanted. The heavy doors and stone walls loomed over him as he stared at them in awe. It overwhelmed him no matter how many times he saw it, a monument to the knowledge of man.
He wondered if Angelus knew there was a certain irony in the first task he gave his new childe. Could he have known how many hours William had spent in that same reading room to which he was now dispatched? He knew his scholarly days were over. No more would he sit and pour over volumes of poetry and history, taking in the ambiance of the college. He came as a prowler this time, intent on stealing one of those precious tomes of history.
Down the hall, he saw it. The door to the reading room beckoned. He opened the doors on the room filled with dark wood and musty books. The large gothic window on one end of the room barely let in any light on a dark night such as it was. William wouldn’t have needed much light to find his way even without his enhanced nocturnal sight. He knew the room by heart. He followed the path on which his memories led him, across the room to the steps, up the steps to the balcony, to the end of the balcony and the books nearest the window.
He found the book he needed with little effort just before he heard the door creak open again. He turned his back to the stacks and saw Gilford, the night watchman, his lantern held out high in front of him, squinting into the darkness of the room. “Who’s there?” came that uncultured voice William had grown to love. William had spent much time in the library after hours with the watchman, who had allowed him to continue his studies at all hours of the night. He had even spent more time with this man than he had with his own father.
Maybe the old man had heard of his passing and would take him for a spirit. No. He had to get out of there. He heard Angelus’ words from earlier that evening echo in his mind. “This book is important, lad. Let no one see you or eliminate those that do. It cannot be traced back here.”
“Please,” William thought, “do not let him see me.” Vampire stealth took time to learn. Unfortunately, he had only been a vampire for days. One of the books on the stack behind him, set off balance by the removal of his prize, fell to the floor with a thump.
Gilford was at the steps quickly and up them to the balcony even faster. “I said who’s there?” Gilford walked across the balcony toward the sound, effectively cutting off William’s only route of escape.
He knew he no longer had a choice. Things were going to be as they would be. He stepped forward into the circle of light cast by the lantern, smiling. “Hello, Gil.”
Gilford jerked so sharply that he nearly dropped the lantern. “Will, William, that you, mate?” He paused and took a step forward, holding the light up again. “Bloody hell, I heard you was dead.”
William looked at him with sad eyes. “I fear you heard correctly.”
The old man stood agape. “What? Walking around all dead like, are you?” He laughed as if relieved. “You scared me to death, boy. What’s in your hand, then? Here to study ancient history tonight, are you?” He grinned. “Come on downstairs with me. If you’re lucky, I might even share my dinner. Lydia made biscuits just this morning. I know how much you like those.”
William walked toward him at a snail’s pace, setting the book on the arm rail as he walked. “I would let you go if I thought only I would suffer, Gil. I want you to know that. If he knew I let you live, having seen me here with the book…” William moved closer. “He must know I promised her to do as he asked. I have to protect her. Please understand.”
Gilford started to back away, fear creeping into his face. “William, what are you doing?” Gilford’s breath caught as William’s face changed. “Oh, hell.”
William walked in a daze. He had considered that man a friend and killed him anyway. Strange thing was, he liked it as much as he had liked the death the night before, if not more. The fear Gilford experienced only made the blood sweeter. He experienced no guilt, only immense satisfaction as the hot liquid made its way over his tongue and down his throat. He felt himself growing stronger every time he fed.
He had left the grounds of the university far behind before he knew where he was. The storefronts all around him were dark. At that time of night, nothing was open. Still, he found himself drawn to one of the stores, a small shop, on an alley corner, with a small window facing the street. This shop caught his attention despite its size and the fact that it normally would not interest him. There, nestled in the window display, he saw something he knew he had to have.
Breaking into the shop to get the item took almost no time at all. A new spring in his step, he headed home in the waning night.
Chapter 10
Angelus stood looking out the window from the drawing room, glass in one hand, the curtain held open by the other. The sky paled in the distance. He let the lace curtain fall from his hand and back into place. He spoke with his back to the other occupants of the room. “The sun is almost up, Dru. Your boy has been gone a long time. Perhaps he has failed.” He turned to look at the two women.
Drusilla sat on the sofa, eyes closed, trying to see into the night. He face contorted due to her concentration. “He must come.” Hands in her lap, she was playing with a white cotton handkerchief between her fingers, shredding the edges. Darla, sitting next to her, placed a hand over Drusilla’s to stop the frantic motion. Drusilla cried out and opened her eyes. “Why can I not see where he is? The deadly fog hides him from me. All I see is blackness.”
Darla smiled at her. “Better to lose him now than after you grow attached to him.” She paused at Drusilla’s pout. “Really, Drusilla, I jest. He will be back.” Drusilla closed her eyes again searching for some clue to William’s fate.
Angelus sat in the chair facing them. He took a long drink of his cognac and grimaced. Darla laughed. “You know, Angelus, you are supposed to sip that drink.”
Angelus emptied the glass, managing not to grimace a second time. “Nonsense. Why would one sip alcohol?” He set the empty glass beside his chair.
Darla watched Dru begin to worry at the handkerchief again. “Why worry? The University is a long way; he might have had to spend the day somewhere.”
They all turned as they heard the front doors open. Drusilla jumped off the couch. “Back from the crusades.” Darla grabbed Dru by both arms before Dru could reach William, who stood in the drawing room doorway. He held a book in one arm and his overcoat, bunched up, in the other. William just barely beat the sunrise. He knew he had almost not made it home. The light began to show around the edges of the curtains.
Angelus walked to stand in front of him. He looked the boy up and down with a smirk firmly planted on his face. “So, you made it, boy. We had almost given you up for lost.”
William held the book tighter against himself. He felt the demon rising in him at his anger. His eyes glowed yellow. “Was losing me your intent, Angelus?”
Angelus changed faces and grabbed William by the front of his shirt, causing him to drop the book and the coat, to pick him up and slam him against the wall. “I will not have your insolence, boy! What did you call me?”
His demon pushed back, he was engulfed by fear. William’s voice was barely a whisper. “Sire. I got your book, Sire. History of the Crossbow.” Angelus released his hold so quickly that William fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. Angelus went to pick up the book but all William could think of was how he wished he were strong enough to fight back.
Drusilla knelt next to William. She put a hand up to his face. “Poor baby. I asked the moon where you were but she would not tell me.”
Angelus took the book across the room and promptly flung it into the fire. He watched as it started to burn. William was shocked at this behavior. “What was that? Was it the wrong book?”
Angelus answered William without turning around. “No. It was the right book.” He then turned to look at Darla. “Sun is up. Ready to go upstairs?” The two of them left for their room without another word.
Drusilla helped William stand after the others had gone. She let go of him with a wave of her arms. “The book was illusion.” She twirled across the room, arms out wide around her. “It was the dance that mattered.” She spun back the other way and came to a stop in front of William.
William grabbed her by the shoulders lightly and looked at her. “He wanted to show me I have to do what he says. That is all this was about. He never even wanted that book, did he?”
She pulled his hands off her shoulders and placed them on her waist. “Dance with me?”
He smiled at her warmly. “No music, pet.”
She began to sway within the circle of his arms. “I always have music.” She hummed for a moment and stopped to speak. “I can share it with you.” She pulled him into a waltz, humming a tune she obviously knew well as he began to lead her around the room. One waltz became two, which became three. William could not remember ever having been happier.
He stopped dancing on a pass by the doorway. “Part of why I was so late arriving is that I was drawn to something. Would you like your present?” When she looked at him expectantly, he reached down to pick his coat up from the floor where it had fallen earlier. He handed it to her, feeling suddenly shy and awkward. “It is not much.”
She unwrapped the item from within the coat, tears coming to her eyes. A porcelain doll looked back up at her. She threw her arms around him, crying. “You found her. I have my Edith back. Thank you.”
Chapter 11
He woke in the late afternoon to the sound of her singing. He lay still just to listen to her for a while. She didn’t sing very well at all but it was a beautiful sound to him. He pushed up in the bed and looked over at her. She sat at the table, Edith cradled in her arms. She sang a song he didn’t recognize, rocking the doll gently.
“Sister thou wast mild and lovely
Gentle as the summer breeze
Pleasant as the air of ev'ning
As it floats among the trees
Peaceful be thy silent slumber
Peaceful in thy grave so low
Thou no more wilt join our number
Thou no more our song shall know”
He decided interrupting her might actually be a good idea when he realized just how melancholy this tune really was. “Love, why are you awake already?”
She shushed at the doll in her arms, one finger placed over her own lips, before answering him. “Miss Edith woke me to tell me about her dream. I was trying to put her back down to sleep but she still misses Mummy.”
He thought about the portents Edith’s dream. Did that mean Drusilla had another vision? He patted a hand next to him on the bed. “Why not come sit with me and tell me about her dream?”
Drusilla brought Miss Edith with her to the bed, sitting next to William with a sigh. She placed the doll carefully on the bed beside her with its head propped up by the pillow. She looked at the doll like a mother watching her child sleep. “I know you hoped it was the end of the tale but we shall see her again.” She stroked the doll’s hair with her fingers.
William had to ask, “Who will we see?”
Drusilla looked up to William’s eyes. “Your possible catastrophe.” She put a hand over his heart with a feather light touch. The next words came out hushed and sympathetic. “The one who put the pain in here and sent you to me.”
She was right. He had been hoping he would never see Cecily again. Now, he was no longer so sure. After what he did to Gilford, he knew he would feel no guilt in letting Cecily be killed. If Drusilla wanted her, maybe he should let Drusilla have her. “When will we see her? Have you seen what will happen?”
Drusilla closed her eyes. “Worry not, sweet William. I no longer wish to hurt her. She shall hurt far more without my help. She will die but not die and not at any of our hands. Your part to play is still great. Not just one of them but all must fall. Only then can she see what she has put in motion.” She picked the doll back up, rocking it in her arms once again. “Shhh, Miss Edith. Not to worry. I shall be your Mummy and William can be your Daddy. He will do what is right for us. No need to cry.”
William, a bit unsure of what he was doing and why, gently took the doll to hold in the crook of his arm. He put the other arm around her shoulders. “What do you want to do tonight?”
Drusilla smiled broadly so that all her teeth showed. “I want someone delicious.”
It took him some time to convince her the doll did not need to come downstairs with them that evening. His idea of leaving Miss Edith with the Nanny she quickly answered with the memory that Angelus had eaten the Nanny. He had dressed her in one of Drusilla’s finest gowns and put ribbons in her hair, leaving her at her post, watching over the child with dead eyes.
Darla sat alone in the drawing room drinking a glass of wine, staring into the fire. William and Drusilla entered the room, her hanging on his arm. Drusilla looked at Darla and said, “Mummy would have said naughty girls should not look so closely at the fire. God would take their eyes away as penance.”
Darla made an irritated sound in the back of her throat. “Your mother was a zealot with weak tasting blood and my eyes will heal.”
Drusilla giggled like a child. “Rusted metal thorns, poking at me.” She released William’s arm and moved to the couch to sit next to Darla. “Where is our guardian Angel?”
Darla answered, “Dressing. He has big plans for tonight.” She set the glass down on the sofa table.
Drusilla clapped her hands. “Oh. Is there a party? What shall we do?”
Darla grabbed Drusilla’s hands in hers, effectively stopping the excited clapping. “Not we, Dru, they. The question to ask is what they will do.”
Dru pouted. “They? But I want to play, too. Why do I have no invitation to the ball?”
Darla released Drusilla’s hands. “You and I will find something to amuse us.” She picked the glass back up and held it out toward Dru. “Start with some wine?”
William finally spoke. “Pardon me, but…” Angelus’ hand clamped down on William’s shoulder.
Angelus’ voice boomed loud in the small room. “I am sure two lovely ladies such as yourselves will have no trouble finding amusement for the night. The boy and I should be back before dawn comes.” He released William’s shoulder. “Ready, lad?”
William was decidedly nervous at the prospect of a whole night alone with Angelus and glanced at the women, wishing they were to come, as well. “Where are we going, Sire?”
Angelus let his face change and smiled around his fangs. “Hunting.”
Chapter 12
Dark alley after dark alley, dimly lit street after street, they walked across the town. They had started in the newer middle class area where there were many row houses, some of which looked just like their own home although within were held families very different from theirs. Then they passed through a neighborhood of larger buildings, partitioned into flats. At last, they came to a wealthier part of London, grand homes with land and tall iron fences. The fog hung thick in the air again, holding in any available light, keeping the number of people on the streets down. Nobody went out on a night like this if they had any excuse to stay home, which only made it a better night for a hunter. Moving about the city undetected was child’s play on the night of a Fog.
William had followed Angelus for miles, wondering if there was really a destination or if getting him to follow blindly was the only plan. When they had been walking for well over an hour, he could hold his tongue no longer. He spoke, cringing inside at what the reaction to his speaking might be. “I was wondering, Sire. Where exactly are we headed? Is it too much further?” He subconsciously moved out of Angelus’ arms reach just after saying it, just in case the older vampire was quick to anger just then.
Surprisingly, Angelus laughed in response to the question. “You must learn to have a little patience, boy. A truly good kill takes studying and planning. It takes time. I’ve had my eye on this particular family for months.” They approached the gate of a well appointed home. Angelus quickly opened the gate and began walking up the path.
William was a bit confused. This made no sense. What about the rules? He remembered reading somewhere that there were rules for vampires. “Are we just to enter? I thought we needed an invitation.”
Angelus led the bewildered childe around to the side of the house. “I never said we were going to walk in the front door. We go in that window.” He pointed to the only window through which light was visible. “I have an invitation and will get one for you soon enough.” He paused and grinned lasciviously. “Eldest daughter is a naïve little thing. All the more fun to break her.”
Darla stood waiting while Drusilla picked the lock. The girl might be crazy but she was certainly not without her strengths. It hadn’t taken them long to decide a night with Angelus away was the perfect time for some after hours “shopping.” He said he preferred that they simply take whatever lovely things their dinners left behind. He could never understand why they wanted to rummage through the stores. The women, however, found their occasional excursions fun. Darla, anxious to get inside, was entirely willing to show her impatience. “Can you please hurry? I want to take my time inside and that will not happen if we are discovered too soon.”
Drusilla wasn’t listening but Darla didn’t have to speak again. Dru finished soon after and the door opened with a pop. “It sounds like a Christmas Cracker.” She walked through the open doorway with Darla on her heels.
Darla closed the door and locked it behind them in case a bobby came by and checked it. “I wonder where we should start.” They didn’t know that the shop’s owner lived upstairs until they saw him coming down the steps. Darla smiled at the man. “I guess we start with you.”
The sight before him was the most horrible thing he had ever seen. Angelus, mentioning how the girl’s beauty did not reach beneath her skin, had flayed her and left her on her bed. A person really didn’t look like a person anymore with no skin. If William had seen this a week previously, he would have certainly retched. As it was, he still found it a little disturbing even if it made him hunger deep inside. He watched Angelus cleaning and straightening the room until the only thing out of place was what lay on the bed. Angelus didn’t seem disturbed by this at all; he seemed pleased. “Why not simply feed from her, Sire? Why do all this? It makes her no more dead.”
Angelus chuckled. “Because, boy, this is art. The kill is about the art. Artists are immortal because their works are remembered. The art of the kill makes us doubly immortal, even if they never find out who did this, which they will not.” He headed for the door. “Come, lad. There are three more children to deal with.”
William couldn’t stop himself. “Children? Why prey on those who cannot defend themselves? Wouldn’t it be better to take on someone who could fight back?”
Angelus turned back to look at him. “Why? You just do not get it, do you, boy? You will learn to love it. You will learn to crave a good kill like this. Imagine his reaction when his entire family lies dead in his home. The father will be inconsolable. That, my boy, is the art. That is true beauty.”
They made the journey home in complete silence. William had cuts and blood on him everyplace that was visible and some places that were not. Angelus had turned the knife on him when he had refused to take it to kill the infant. The bodies had all been arranged. The stage had been set. Angelus had left a note downstairs for the father. William had one thought about the whole night. He knew he was nothing like what Angelus wanted him to be.