Deathless Read online

  “Maybe you will,” Leesa said. She looked forward to a day when everyone close to her knew about Rave’s true nature. She didn’t know if that day would ever come, however.

  “Are you thinking the things that have been happening to you—the dreams and moving objects—might have something to do with the waziri?” Dr. Clerval asked.

  Leesa stood up. She felt like pacing, but there was very little space to walk in the professor’s cramped office.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “It was something that came up, so I thought I might as well try to learn what I could about them.”

  “Well, apart from the question of how you suddenly acquired magical powers from a group that seems to have died out over a hundred years ago, there’s another problem. Every tale I’ve ever read or heard about them said the waziri were all men. I’ve never seen any mention of female waziri.”

  Leesa nodded. “That’s what my friend said, too.”

  She sat back down. “There’s one other thing. I don’t know if it’s related to any of this or not.”

  She told Dr. Clerval about the call from the man claiming to be her father.

  “I haven’t heard from him since I broke my phone,” she said at the end of her story. “At first, I was glad. I was hoping he’d never find me again. But now I’m wishing he would. Maybe he has some answers for me.”

  “It sounds like a long shot, but you never know.”

  “Yeah, I know it’s not much. But if nothing else, if he calls again, maybe I’ll be able to solve one mystery, at least.”

  “I’m sorry I’m not able to be more help. I’ll do some research on the waziri and see if I can find anything more. I’m afraid there’s not a lot of information out there about them, though. Like I said, they were pretty reclusive.”

  “Thank you, Professor. Every little bit helps, I guess.”

  Dr. Clerval picked up a pencil and placed it in the center of his desktop.

  “As long as you’re here, do you want to try one more time to move it?”

  Leesa shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”

  She closed her eyes and tried to picture the pencil rolling slowly across the desk. When she opened her eyes, the pencil was right where it started. Not that she had expected anything different—but a tiny part of her had hoped there might be.

  “Never hurts to try,” Dr. Clerval said, smiling.

  “I guess not,” Leesa replied, wondering if she would ever be able to do anything more than try.

  39. BAD NEWS

  Leesa sat on her bed, her back propped comfortably on a pillow against the wall, watching the news. Since her latest dream, she checked the news every evening, either the six o’clock broadcast or the late night one, looking for any story that might in some way match the nightmare. Sometimes she watched both broadcasts. The zombie attack on the two camping families had seemed even more realistic than her first two dreams. Since those two had apparently shown real events, she was afraid this one might, too.

  Two, then three, and now four days passed without any story. She hoped the absence of any news meant her nightmare was just that—a nightmare—and not some kind of special dream like the others. There was another possibility, though one she prayed was not the case. The lack of any story might just mean the kids and their fathers had not survived the horrible attack. With no witnesses, there would be no one to recount the tale.

  Still, even if everyone had been killed, six missing people should have been newsworthy. Of course, there was nothing in her dream to tell her how long the families had planned to camp—it was possible no one had even missed them yet. There was also nothing to indicate where it had taken place. If the attack occurred in a far away state, six missing people would probably not make the local news here in Connecticut, and might not make any national broadcasts, either.

  She was lost in her thoughts and only half paying attention when the words “missing families” suddenly registered in her ears. She grabbed the remote and quickly turned up the volume.

  The reporter, a pretty woman with black hair who looked very cold, stood a few yards away from a dark red SUV. The car was parked at the edge of a dirt parking lot adjacent to some barren woods. Yellow police tape had been strung around the car, keeping the reporter and a small knot of onlookers away. A longer barrier of tape snaked through the trees, marking off a large section of woods. Leesa tried to recall the color of the SUV from her dream, but she had been much more focused on the two dark forms stumbling toward the vehicle than on the actual car itself.

  The woman was in the middle of her story. Leesa leaned closer to the television.

  “Police report that there were signs of a struggle in both the car and at the campsite, but are not revealing what those signs are, other than to say no blood has been found in either place.”

  Leesa’s heart lightened at the no blood comment, but what she heard next did little to keep her mood up.

  “Lead Detective Tannis Conner has confirmed that no bodies have been found,” the reporter continued, “but that only heightens the mystery. Where did two capable adult men and their four children vanish to, leaving their car, tents and equipment behind? They were expected home Sunday night and have now been missing for four days.”

  The woman tucked a stray lock of raven hair behind her ear.

  “This is Teresa McMillan, reporting from the Berkshires.”

  The picture switched to two female anchors, who made sympathetic comments on the story and then segued to a commercial.

  Leesa stared numbly at television for several minutes before finally switching it off. She got up and began pacing around the room.

  Her worst fears had come true. Not only had her dream apparently come to pass, but the shadowy figures heading for the SUV could not have been the two fathers—which meant they were zombies instead. For some reason, the kids hadn’t escaped either, despite the father’s admonishment to drive away at the first sign of danger. Leesa imagined the two girls hoping against hope it was their dads approaching out of the darkness, and when they finally realized what was coming toward them instead, they had been too paralyzed with fear to drive away. She wondered what happened to the four kids, but quickly chased that thought from her head. She was better off not knowing.

  Once again, she cursed this stupid power that continued to torment her with images she did not understand and had no power to stop. She sat back down on the bed and drew her feet up in front of her, hugging her knees to her chest. What good was it to see such horrid events but not be able to do anything about them? The old refrain “ignorance is bliss” had never sounded so wise to her. If those waziri wizards had been burdened with powers anything like this, she thought, they had probably wiped themselves out simply to put an end to their frustration.

  She did not know how much more of this she could take.

  40. EDWINA’S REVENGE

  Barely a week after receiving her warning from Stefan, Edwina slipped out of the vampire caverns into the gray morning light. Thick clouds blanketed the sky from horizon to horizon, bringing a smile to her lips. The sun’s absence would make things that much easier and more comfortable for her today. Only the barest hint of a breeze brushed her cheeks, lending hope the clouds would remain in place the entire day.

  Heading north, she glided silently through the woods along the river’s edge, in no real hurry. Her pace betrayed no indication of her eagerness, lest one of her fellows happen to see her leave. Nor would her speed draw attention from any sharp-eyed humans who might be watching from across the river. With the leafless trees providing little cover, a dark blur racing through them at vampire speed would raise eyebrows—and questions. Questions the coven would not be too happy about.

  When she felt she was far enough from the vampire lair, she pulled a cell phone from the pocket of her black hoodie. The phone belonged to the guy she had killed in Hartford a week ago—he certainly had no more use for it. Keeping the cell for herself broke another of the coven’s rules, but she did
n’t care. Most of her brethren would not know how to work a phone even if it was allowed, but she used one now and then during her interactions with the humans. Today, she definitely needed one for her plan. She had turned it off and removed the battery, leaving no chance the phone could suddenly go off and reveal her transgression, or that its location could be traced.

  Sitting down on the smooth trunk of a fallen tree, she pushed the battery back inside the cell, making several attempts before it slid in properly. She switched the phone on and tapped in a number, waiting anxiously while it rang. If she got no answer she would have to disassemble the cell and hurry back to the caverns, hoping her brief stay outside would not be noticed by Stefan, or if it was, would not count as the one last outing he had allowed her. If her target answered, she would proceed with her plan.

  The ringing stopped, replaced by a familiar female voice. Edwina smiled and licked her lips. It was time to put her plan into motion.

  Just before noon on Saturday morning, Leesa lay on her bed reading “Catch-22” for her lit class. She was having a little trouble following the book’s unusual narrative style, but she was enjoying its absurd, satirical humor. She had just reached the part where the actual “Catch-22” rule is first explained when Pink’s “Perfect” suddenly sounded from her cell, startling her. Slipping her bookmark into the book, she wondered what Cali wanted. They already had plans to get together later that afternoon. She hoped Cali wasn’t cancelling.

  She pushed herself up from the bed and grabbed the phone from her desk.

  “Hey, what’s up?” she asked.

  “Hi, Leesa,” said a female voice on the other end that was not Cali. The girl sounded familiar, but Leesa could not identify her voice.

  She looked down at her cell, checking the caller screen. Only Cali’s phone should have played “Perfect.” The screen confirmed the call was from Cali—or from her phone, at least.

  “Who is this?” Leesa asked.

  “It’s Vanina, Leesa.”

  Now that Vanina had identified herself, Leesa recognized her voice. Vanina had always called Cali in the past, so Leesa had never heard her voice through the phone. She wondered why Vanina would be calling her now—and from Cali’s phone.

  “What’s going on, Vanina? Where’s Cali?”

  “She’s right here,” Edwina said. “But she can’t come to phone right now.”

  “I don’t understand. Why not?”

  “She’s in a spot of trouble,” Edwina said. “There’s no time to explain. We need to you to come out here as quickly as you can.”

  Leesa paced in a small circle around her room. Vanina’s call made no sense. Spot of trouble? Who talked like that? She had heard the phrase in an old movie or two, but never in real life. And what kind of trouble could they be in? If something dangerous was happening, Vanina had the cell—why didn’t she just dial 911? If it was something else, why wasn’t she telling Leesa what it was? And what did they expect her to do, anyhow? Was there something she should bring? Someone she should tell?

  “I don’t get it,” she said after a moment. “What do you want me do to?”

  “Just get out here to Brennan Field as fast as you can. We’re at the far end, by the edge of the woods. Please hurry.”

  Brennan Field was the grassy field where Leesa and Rave had lain on the blanket a week ago. It wasn’t very far. She could make it there in less than fifteen minutes if she hurried. There was no one she could call who could get there any faster.

  “I’m on my way,” she said. “Call me back if there’s anything else you need to tell me.”

  She hung up and shoved the cell into her pocket. Still puzzled by it all, she grabbed her parka and knit cap and rushed out the door.

  Rather than wait for the elevator, she raced down the stairs as quickly as her limp would allow. Outside, the day was cloudy, but not overly cold. She pushed her cap into her pocket and hurried down the sidewalk. While she prided herself on being able to walk as fast and far as almost anyone, her leg prevented her from running at anything faster than an awkward half-walk, half-jog pace. She knew she probably looked ridiculous clomping across campus, but she didn’t care. She had to get to Cali and Vanina and find out what was going on.

  Brennan Field was empty, except for two figures standing at the far end. When the weather was warmer the field was a popular spot for throwing Frisbees or kicking soccer balls, but it got little use in the dead of winter—unless you happened to have your own portable volkaane heater with you, Leesa thought. She could not imagine what had brought Cali and Vanina out here today.

  Cali was leaning against a slender tree, her hands behind her back. Leesa was surprised to see a scarf wrapped over Cali’s mouth and chin—it wasn’t that cold out. Vanina stood a couple of feet closer, watching Leesa approach. They did not seem to be in any immediate trouble, so Leesa slowed to a walk. As she drew nearer to her friends, Cali began shaking her head vigorously back and forth. Leesa had no idea what that was about. She noticed a black hoodie lying on the ground behind Vanina, who was wearing only a charcoal gray long sleeve shirt and dark blue jeans.

  “What’s going on?” Leesa asked, trying to catch her breath and talk at the same time. She wondered why Cali was still leaning against the tree.

  “Oh, just a little surprise for you,” Edwina said, smiling.

  Something about Vanina looked different today. Nothing Leesa could put her finger on, but somehow the girl looked less friendly. The word “sinister” popped into her head.

  “What do you mean?” Leesa asked. She looked over at Cali, who still had not moved from the tree. “What kind of surprise?”

  Edwina crossed to Cali and pulled the scarf from around her chin. Cali immediately spat a wadded up rag from her mouth.

  “I’m so sorry, Leesa,” she said. “I didn’t know.”

  “Didn’t know what?” Leesa asked as cold fingers of fear began to prick at her.

  “Didn’t know this,” Edwina said. Two curved fangs slowly descended from her mouth.

  Leesa’s jaw dropped. Her stomach felt hollow. She could not believe this was happening. Suddenly Vanina’s strange behavior at the mall when Cali pricked her finger made sense. Vanina had not been disgusted by the blood—far from it. She had turned away to hide her desire for it.

  “You’re a vampire,” Leesa managed to say finally.

  “Aren’t you the bright one,” Edwina said, smirking. Her fangs retracted back into her jaw.

  Leesa did not understand why Vanina had gone through this elaborate ruse, befriending them, going to mall, hanging out with them. Oh, Rave, how I need you now, she thought. She remembered Rave saying he could sometimes feel her thoughts, but that would do her little good now. Even if he did feel them, he was two hundred miles away.

  “What do you want with us?” she asked.

  “With you? Not much…not much at all. Just that you suffer, that’s all. From Cali I will take more—much more.”

  Leesa glanced at Cali, who was straining to pull herself away from the tree, but with no success. Leesa could see now why Cali hadn’t moved. Her hands were tied to the slender trunk of the tree with thick cords of rope.

  “Haven’t you figured it out yet?” Edwina asked. “Who I am?”

  Leesa turned back to Vanina and stared hard at her face. She looked evil now, yet still beautiful, in some macabre, exotic way. Exotic—the word echoed familiarly in Leesa’s head. She had heard that word before. People had described Bradley’s girlfriend Edwina as exotic. Edwina… Vanina. The two names were too close. It was starting to make sense. Horrible sense.

  “You’re Edwina,” Leesa said bitterly. “You took Bradley.”

  “Yes, I did. And then he was taken from me—taken from me because of you, Leesa. I miss your brother. His blood was sweet.” Edwina grinned, but there was nothing pleasant about her smile now. “Did you know my kind can tell whether someone is a good person or a bad one by the sweetness of their blood? Bradley was one of the good ones—
one of the very good ones.”

  Leesa stepped closer to Edwina. “Then why not take your anger out on me?” she asked. “Why punish Cali? She doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

  Edwina’s eyes darkened. “Because I’m forbidden to hurt you. But that doesn’t mean I can’t make you suffer. And making you suffer will make Stefan suffer.”

  The pieces began to fit together in Leesa’s head. Stefan had taken Bradley from Edwina—his part of his bargain with Leesa. He was probably the one who had forbidden Edwina to harm her, so Edwina was going to take Leesa’s best friend instead—and make Leesa watch while she did it. The third dream finally made sense. She knew why the girl in the cavern seemed so familiar and why the rock wall had been replaced by a tree. The girl was Cali, and the dream had foretold this moment. The full horror of Edwina’s plan hit Leesa like a punch to the stomach. Edwina was going to make Cali her feeder.

  Edwina grinned again. “I can see by the look on your face that you finally understand. Cali will replace your brother. But not here in Connecticut, where your volkaane boyfriend knows how to find our caverns, and where Stefan has the power to release her. No, I’ll keep her far from here, in a place where none of you will ever find her.”

  Edwina’s fangs descended slowly from her jaw again, glistening with saliva this time. She moved closer to Cali. “Say good-bye to your friend, Leesa. But do not worry, I’ll take very good care of her, I promise.”

  “No!” Leesa shouted, stretching her hand out in front of her chest. “Get away from her!”

  Suddenly, Edwina flew backward, soaring through the air with her arms outstretched until she crashed into a tree twenty feet away with a loud thud. Her face bore a stunned, bewildered look.