Heather Brewer - Tenth Grade Bleeds

Ignatius exploded.

But not in the now-wasn’t-that-convenient blood-and-guts-went-flying-everywhere way. More in the blind-fury kind of way.

He flew at Vlad with fists flying, and Vlad stepped back from each blow, wondering exactly why-whether vampire or human-things always seemed to end in a fistfight. Ignatius’s knuckles whispered by his face, but Vlad kept moving, kept dodging every attempted blow. Recalling the knife in his hand, Vlad tightened his grip on the handle and slashed the blade across Ignatius’s chest, managing only to catch the fabric of his enemy’s shirt. Soon the front of Ignatius’s shirt was shredded, and what tiny cuts Vlad had managed to make were already healing.

Vlad took another step backward-he was doing it; he was winning and could hardly believe it-and Henry cried out from his place near the car, “Vlad! Behind you!”

Vlad turned with that amazing speed, dodging another blow, still incredulous that he was capable of such a thing, and saw the ledge behind him. One more step and he’d have fallen backward, thirty feet straight down, into a delivery-truck dock. He kept turning, spinning as fast as he could manage, until he saw his target. Lifting the knife into the air, Vlad brought it down hard. The blade sang as it moved through the air, and then all sound ceased as it sank deep into Ignatius’s back. Vlad spun around again, feeling the gums around his fangs pulse at the scent of Ignatius’s blood, and kicked Ignatius hard in the back, driving the blade deeper still and knocking Ignatius over the ledge, into the shadows below.

Vlad stood there, catching his breath and searching the darkness for any sign of his attacker, for what seemed like an eternity. But nothing moved below. No sounds echoed up to him. He’d defeated Ignatius in one fell swoop and had barely suffered a scratch.

It had been too easy to trust.

His fangs shrank back into his gums. With careful, troubled steps, he walked over to Henry and said, “You okay?”

Henry’s eyes were huge and round. “Am I okay? I’m freakin’ awesome! How did you do that? You were moving so fast I could barely see you!”

Vlad shook his head, the corners of his mouth rising in a smirk. It was pretty cool, after all. “I figured out that I could do that the last time I saw that jerk. Pretty cool, huh?”

“I’ll say.” Inspiration lit up Henry’s face. “Dude, you should try out for the track team. You’d be a star.”

Vlad rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’ll happen. C’mon, we should probably get inside in case he comes back.”

Henry slapped him on the back as they turned toward the building that housed the Stokerton council. “Whatever you say, hero.”

As they walked, Vlad thought he heard a noise, a small rustle in the distance. He glanced back to the docking area, but all was still. He was about to mention it to Henry when a small breeze brushed against his left cheek. He looked over to his friend, panic rising in his chest. Instantly, he was overcome by confusion.

Henry was gone.

Vlad turned full circle, finally noticing his friend flying through the air, as if he’d been thrown. Henry hit the wall of an adjacent building hard, falling in a heap, as if the force had wounded him terribly. Vlad moved his eyes about the area but saw nothing. Then Ignatius’s hand flew forward out of the darkness, connecting with Vlad’s jaw. The force of the blow sent Vlad through the air, until his back collided with the car several yards behind. The car alarm blared into the night, alerting the world to their presence. Lightning shot through his muscles and Vlad cried out, both in surprise and in pain.

Then Ignatius was standing before him, his fangs exposed. He planted his foot on Vlad’s chest, and Vlad’s ribs screamed. With a growl, Ignatius pulled his hand back and let it fly, backhanding Vlad again and again. Vlad tried hard to wriggle free, but it was useless. He was stuck. Small bones in Vlad’s face cracked. His cheeks swelled. And with every hit, Ignatius dug the heel of his boot deeper into Vlad’s chest.

After he was done with Vlad, he was going to feed off Henry until Henry was no more than a memory. Vlad didn’t need to read his twisted mind to know that. The truth of it lurked hotly in Ignatius’s eyes.

Ignatius stood tall, but left his boot on Vlad’s chest, pinning him to the car. “Now, boy,” he hissed. “We finish this.”

Ignatius reached back with one hand and tore the curved blade from his back. He gripped it tightly, his own blood dripping from metal to flesh as he held the knife over Vlad, ready to strike the final blow.

Vlad closed his eyes and thought of his parents. It would be nice to see them again, at least. He tried not to think of Nelly, or of Otis. But his efforts were futile.

He knew he would die, Pravus or not. Because Ignatius wouldn’t stop until he did.

“Ignatius, stop.” A voice-familiar, cold, somewhat bemused. And then a dark figure appeared, moving closer through the fog-filled alleyway by the building.

D’Ablo met Ignatius’s gaze and uttered one word with all the strength of a man who is in complete control of a situation. “Enough.”

Ignatius stepped back, fury still lighting up his eyes. But he halted his attack, and that was what mattered.

Vlad gulped for air and scrambled away from his attacker to check on Henry. Henry nodded that he was okay, but Vlad was almost certain he’d sprained or maybe broken his ankle during his fall. He helped Henry to his feet and plucked his father’s journal from the ground.

D’Ablo gestured to the office building that housed the council rooms. “Please.”

They moved up the steps, Henry, barely able to walk, using Vlad’s shoulder for support, Vlad limping slightly. D’Ablo didn’t speak, only led the way.

As D’Ablo held open the door for Vlad and his drudge, Vlad gestured back to his attacker with his eyes. “Isn’t this getting a little old, D’Ablo? Sending your thugs after me? I gotta say, I’m getting really tired of it.”

D’Ablo paused, but just barely. “Actually, it wasn’t me. The council voted, and they sent him after you.”

Vlad furrowed his brow. “But you’re the president.”

“Elysia is a democracy, Vladimir Tod. And I am but one man.” A strange expression crossed his eyes-one that made Vlad feel almost sorry for him. Then D’Ablo cleared his throat. “Inside, please. The elevator.”

Vlad supported Henry as they made their way through the lobby and stepped inside the elevator. Once inside, Henry held onto the railing, giving Vlad a break. D’Ablo touched the glyph hidden in the wood and a second panel slid down, revealing additional elevator buttons. He turned, momentarily blocking Vlad’s view, and pressed one of them. The elevator began its ascent, to the tune of some Muzak melody that Vlad didn’t recognize.

Vlad exchanged glances with Henry, who was wincing from the pain but seemed to be holding up all right. Then he cleared his throat and looked at D’Ablo, who was quietly waiting for the elevator doors to open again. He wanted to say something, to let D’Ablo know that he appreciated his calling Ignatius off, that he was relieved to know that it wasn’t D’Ablo who had set Ignatius after him. But the words wouldn’t come. They were choked down with too many memories of the pain and fear D’Ablo had caused him.

The elevator doors opened and D’Ablo led them down the hall wordlessly, stopping only to pull open a large, ornate metal door. He held it open and gestured inside with a nod. Vlad helped Henry through the door, mentally kicking himself for so easily following the will of his mortal enemy.

But he didn’t really have a choice.

The room was dark, except for one corner that was lit by a single candle. D’Ablo stepped inside, closing the door behind him. As he lit several more candles, he spoke-his voice subdued, almost gentle. “Am I to assume you’ve had a change of heart about entrusting me with your father’s journal?”