Without A Heartbeat

Huntmaster Faru stood within the infinite space of his mind, going back over the things he had seen and trying to piece it all together. In front of him were two moments of extreme importance.

The first was the grizzly murder scene from just over one week ago, where the body of the unfortunate groundskeeper and the glass shard had been found. So far, even through meditation he had been unable to work out exactly what item the tiny shard had split from. The second moment had come from yet another murder that they had been called to only that morning. He knew that they were somehow connected, but at the same time they were different enough that he was struggling to fit them together. He waved his hand over the second scene once more and then stepped into himself, recreating it as if it was occurring for the first time.

“Master Clarke contacted us again,” said Outleader Kodessa, climbing off his horse. “Ironically it was the missing girl’s parents who reported this murder. I have a Chosen using Charm on them as we speak.”

A knot tightened in Faru’s stomach. For a moment he thought that the missing girl herself had been the one murdered and discovered by her own family. When he walked into the tiny homestead and saw the truth, he wasn’t much appeased. Not one missing sixteen-year-old, but a violently murdered couple.

The aftermath of the attack was so brutal, in comparison it made the last murder seem as if it belonged in a child’s picture book. The entire room was stained with blood. It covered every wall, even reaching the ceiling in thick, elaborate sprays.

The body of the female victim – who Faru discovered was named Lisa Granger, was lying in an unnatural position at the end of the drenched cot. Her body was showing the classic signs of vampiric exsanguination: skin as white as milk, but tinged with blue at all the extremities and tattooed with patterns that resembled tree branches, where all of her capillaries had burst simultaneously. A part of her throat had been torn out, which Faru figured had been the actual fatal wound.

Michael Granger was in a far worse state. Faru couldn’t even tell what the various entrails and shattered bone that had once formed a person were meant to be. The only part he recognised was a section of bloody jawbone that lay abandoned below the shattered window. On the grass outside, his Guardians had discovered a large shard of glass – this one coated in the thick identifying blood of a Vampire.

Even before Two had informed Faru that he suspected it was not the same Vampire who had committed both the recent attacks, the Huntmaster had drawn the same conclusion. The first was no doubt brutal, but also carried out with skill and restraint. The attack on the Grangers had been psychotic, full of pure anger and confusion. As far as Faru could tell, the second Vampire had not been in control of their mind at that moment. As much as the Grangers had been victims, the attacker had themselves been a victim of the Fury. Which meant one thing.

They were dealing with a newborn.

“How long after rebirth does a Bloodling need to feed?” Faru asked Two, as they stood on the damp grass outside the homestead. Red streaks of rising sunlight were spreading out into the horizon. There were no humans around – all had been Charmed into returning to their homes for the day to allow the Alliance to do their work.

“Almost immediately,” Two replied, clasping his hands behind his back. “It is the most intense addiction I have ever experienced and I have experienced several in my years. It cannot be ignored.”

Faru nodded. “What would be enough to satiate the thirst?”

“It depends on the size and demands of the individual and their mental state. At least one full sized adult. Maybe more.” He pointed a thumb at the Granger house. “The wife would be enough for someone of smaller stature. The husband…well….it seems he wasn’t needed.”

“How far could a Bloodling travel to get their first meal?”

“Not far. Even though it might not appear so, a Bloodling’s body is very weak after the change. They would need blood straight away.”

“Any type of blood?”

“Human”

“Not animal?”

“Animal blood is a poor substitute. It’s like forcing a human to eat flowers and grass instead of proper food. It might keep death away, but it would only make the individual more desperate for the real thing, more desperate the longer they went without it.”

Faru looked around, staring at the woods. “How far away would you say the Bloodling was rebirthed to come here for their first meal?”

Two looked around him. “Unless they were bought here purposefully, I would say no more than three miles.”

Faru pulled himself out of his meditative trance and back into the physical world. He had travelled back to the scene of the second crime, and was standing at the edge of the potato fields, near the cottage of the murdered couple. The light was dimming now, the rising sun in his memory replaced by a sinking orange orb that drew in shadows as it slowly disappeared. Rain was pattering down, making tapping sounds against his cloak. The Huntmaster barely noticed.

He stood like a living shadow, staring through the cottage window at family of the missing girl. They were blissful, having been Charmed into forgetting what they had discovered and believing that Scarlett Reid was still safe in Oakley Manor.

I will find out what happened to your daughter and save her if I can, just like all the others who were taken. I will honour them by finding the person who did this and bringing them to swift and harsh justice. This I promise you.

Faru slipped into the woods. Rainwater dripped from the branches of the evergreen trees above him, drawing forth the intoxicating scent of dampness from the soil and moss below. The Huntmaster breathed it all in as he slipped between trees, his footsteps not making the slightest bit of sound. In his mind he kept thinking, trying to piece everything together, but he knew he did not have enough pieces of the puzzle. Not yet.

He broke through a line of trees and found himself on the same path to Oakley Manor he had rode in on the night of the groundskeeper’s death. His horse was fastened to a nearby tree where he had left her, nibbling at the grass that lined the edges of the woods.

“Good girl,” he whispered, pressing his head to her hers and stroking underneath her chin. The horse made a whinny of contentment and nickered into his hand. Faru sighed and straightened up. I need to solve this, I am running out of time.

As in response to his thought, he heard his voice being spoken in the back of his mind. It was the harsh, demanding tone of his Sage. The horse gave a whine and backed away from the Huntmaster, shaking her head as she sensed what she couldn’t see. Faru took a deep, calming breath before answering.

Yes Sage, I am here.

I need to speak with you, now.

One moment sir.

He felt his body waver and become light. When he opened his eyes, he was in the office of his leader. It was filled with black wood and the mounted heads of several beasts that the proud Chosen had slain throughout his long career. The Sage was just being released from the aftereffects of the mind merge, his large frame still shuddering. He stared out the window at the grounds of the Warren, where the rain was falling with just as much enthusiasm as in Ireland.

“You asked for me sir.”

“I am very disappointed,” said the Sage in a flat tone. “I expected much faster results.”

“I am narrowing in on the perpetrator. We will have a suspect soon, I am confident of it.”

The Sage folded his arms behind his back and turned around, his thick eyebrows descending. “Yet you still chase phantoms. I have been informed that there have been two more deaths since we last spoke. It is beyond acceptable.”

“I apologise sir.”

“Do you at least have proof that the perpetrator is a Bloodling Guardian operating at the Outpost, as you claim?

Faru paused. “I have no proof as yet sir. However, all signs point towards it and I am confident that-”

“Do you know what I am confident of, Faru?” interrupted the Sage. “That thus far you have wasted over two weeks of Alliance time and resources.”

“Sir, with all due respect you must trust my ability to get the task done.”

The Sage narrowed his dark eyes narrowed until they almost disappeared and glared at Faru. “With all due respect Huntmaster, you normally have the task done in an acceptable time.” He squared his jaw. “Sixteen days is not acceptable time.” He walked over to his desk - a large black slab of oak wood with the crest of the Alliance carved on it. The usual motto underneath had been substituted with the famous Latin phrase, Si vis pacem, para bellum.

If you want peace, prepare for war.

There was no doubt that Sage Blackwood was a warrior. However, he was one that revelled in the glory of war, and the trophies it wrought. Faru would kill – and he often did – but he did it because it was his duty, not because he wished to. Sage Blackwood craved war. He craved being the victor and collecting the spoils. He was that way with physical battles and the metaphorical ones that the Alliance had to fight. He demanded results and would not accept losing.

The Sage slammed his hand down on the table for emphasis, but it had no effect on Faru. “Two weeks! I have the Council of Sages asking me for results, but as yet we have no one in custody and nothing to show from our investigations except more dead innocents! I do not expect this kind of delay with my best Huntmaster.”

“I apologise sir.”

“Stop apologising and just do your job Seelian.” He leaned forward - his imposing frame pressing against the desk - and pointed a finger. “You have twenty-four hours to clean up this mess. Either have the traitor in custody or at the very least someone I can present to the Council of Sages who is related to it, or I am calling a halt to the whole thing. The Alliance simply cannot afford this kind of commitment what with the stirrings of an organised rebellion group coming into play. Have I made myself clear?”

Faru could hardly believe what he was hearing. “Sir, this individual or group is abducting innocent people for unknown reasons. Surely we need to-”

“Am I clear?”

Faru let his words fall away. “You have made yourself perfectly clear, Sage Blackwood.”

“Good. Now do what you are supposed to.”

Like the snap of elastic, Faru felt his connection to the Sage sever. He closed his eyes and let himself be comforted by the peace that existed in the depths of his mind. Letting out a long breath, he removed all thoughts of his leader and continued the task at hand.

It was nightfall before Faru found what he was looking for.

In truth he hadn’t known what he hoped to find, just that searching the woods that stood between both crime scenes again was the right thing to do. They had done it once – a team of his Guardians – searching for clues and found only the ravaged remains of several animals, which could just have easily been the work of wild dogs. Instinct alone had compelled him to come back again and search by himself. If there was one thing that Faru had learned during his many years of existence, it was to never ignore his instincts.

He knew he was doing the right thing when he felt a presence in the woods with him. The source was too distant and the trail too faint to track, but he knew it meant he was on the right path. It served to invigorate his search, making him move faster and with more determination.

The first thing he found was a cloak. It hung from the branches of a sapling tree. The bottom had been ripped to shreds and was covered in dirt and pine leaves. He took it off and dusted it with his palm. There was a spray of human blood on the front that ran diagonally up the chest to the collar fasteners. He could not be certain that the blood was not from the wearer, but the pattern suggested it had come from someone else. The cloak was also narrow and designed for a woman. Faru’s heart thrummed in a mixture of anticipation and fear. Could this belong to the missing girl? He took the item back to his horse and deposited it in the satchel that hung from the saddle. He then returned to the same spot and threaded his way through the woods.

It did not take him much longer to find the elusive thing that had drawn him back to the woods.

The answer to his abstract question appeared to him as a shimmering pit of blackness bathed in an undulating sea of green and white. The well was hidden among a cluster of shrubs that had long since reclaimed the glade that had once existed. The stench that poured from within was one that carried with it the decaying scent of many things that had become trapped and died. Placing his hand on the mossy lip, he jumped over and fell twenty feet, landing with a splash and sending thick mud spraying against the grey walls. Small patches of red vapour hung in the air around him. He reached out a hand and touched one. It was warm and gave off a slight vibration, before it evaporated between his fingers.

Someone has been here…recently.

It was remnants of their lifeforce. Faru could see lingering energy in a similar way to how humans could catch the scent of something even after the source had been removed. Red was not the colour of human energy; it was of something darker and far more powerful. A Vampire.

His white eyes shone like orbs in the darkness of the foul pit. The walls had been broken away, and not by natural decay. Someone had smashed them on purpose to drain away the water and make it habitable.

This is a home for them.

His heartbeat accelerated as he kept scanning the dim pit; the excitement of being so close to the end of the chase was exhilarating. The first thing he saw were scratch marks at the back of the well – hundreds of thin grooves chipped from the grey wall and intermingled with blood. They were erratic in their placement – frenzied. The person was terrified and driven half mad by their ordeal in here, Faru deduced. No…that doesn’t feel right. Something else…

A moment later he caught sight of a glimmering shape wedged into the mossy wall further around the well. He moved over, his footsteps heavy against the sucking mud. The moss was stained with thick, dark blood and patches of black residue. The blood was too dark to be that of a human. It was from a Bloodling, no doubt about it. He ran a thumb over the black substance and a thousand miniscule flakes broke off into the air.

Skin…burned skin.

Finally he pulled the object out of the wall and stared down at it. It was a large piece of glass – and like the one he discovered – was stained with black marks. This one also had the remnants of oil clinging to one side. Holding it in his palm, he closed his eyes and crossed over to his private world. Once there he gathered everything he knew into one place and rearranged it until it all began to make sense. The two pieces of glass hovered in front of him. Together it was enough evidence that slowly his mind began to recreate the full object. Soon he was staring at a mental reconstruction of a glowing lantern.

The scorch marks were from an oil lantern – of course! How could I have not seen it before?

One by one, the answers slotted into place like a jigsaw puzzle and a sequence of scenes played out in his mind, appearing in front of him like moving images inside a zoetrope.

The dead groundskeeper.

The girl is being taken from outside Oakley manor, but Herbert interrupts. The Vampire kills him brutally in front of her.

The lantern.

Herbert is carrying a lantern that he drops when he is killed. It doesn’t break, but the oil scatters, setting the interior on fire. In the confusion, Scarlett picks it up and strikes her kidnapper, not realising just how much damage fire does to a Vampire.

The cloak.

The girl runs into the woods in her panic. She cannot see well in the dark and her cloak becomes caught on the tree. She tears it off and continues to run.

The well.

Unable to see she falls into this well. Or the attacker catches up with her and it is they who throw her in. If it was a Guardian then they must leave to check- in. They know she won’t be able to get out.

The nail marks. The blood and skin.

The marks are not from her panic. The marks are the agony of her change – she made them without realising. The attacker came back to finish what he did not have a chance to do before. This place is where the missing girl became a Vampire. The attacker left her once again with a view to retrieve her later. A person with extensive burns.

Faru snapped his eyes open.

I know who the traitor is.