Without A Heartbeat

Over the course of the next week Scarlett learned to control the predatory side of her nature. With the Fury gone, it became a lot easier. Whenever she felt herself become angry to the point where she felt she might lose control, she allowed the thought of her father holding her to return and the rational side of her was able to prevail. It was not a cure - the feral side had become a part of her and would always be there. Rather, it became a tool she could call on to aid her when needed, rather than being a constant victim to the irrational whims of her darker nature.

Henry and Doctor Hudson taught her to use a similar technique to still her mind when the hunger came. They did this by depriving her of blood to the point it became all-consuming, and then locked her in a room filled with buckets of blood. At first it was impossible, she would always drink ravenously until she vomited from her fullness. Eventually however, she got to the point where she could last for a few hours in the same room without moving from the chair she sat on, even though it was like somebody dying of thirst refusing a glass of water.

“A few hours is more than enough time to leave the situation and find somewhere to take blood, even that of an animal if necessary,” he explained. “The idea is to control the urge enough to prevent unwittingly attacking a human. It can never be ignored completely. To do so is against our nature and would have fatal results.”

As time went on, Scarlett found herself to be less emotional and started to feel her spirits lift. It did not mean that she did not experience sadness, or a deep yearning for her family, it was more that she started to reclaim the person she had once been.

Rachel and Larik came to visit her the following week. It was early in the morning and Scarlett was sitting at her desk, reading Pride and Prejudice. With the supernatural now a part of her everyday life, it was refreshing to read something normal, and she found herself rather enjoying it. She could imagine her father’s face beaming at the prospect of her reading something other than the ‘ghoulish’ books he had tried to ineffectively steer her away from.

There was a knock at her door and Doctor Hudson opened it. “You have some visitors,” he said. Scarlett closed the book and stood up, smiling when she saw Rachel and Larik enter the room.

“I told you I would come and check up on you,” said Rachel with a grin. “So how are they treating you? Do I need to get some oak coffins delivered?”

Scarlett laughed. “They have been excellent. Henry says that I am making marked improvement.”

“We just spoke with him and he said the same to us,” said Larik with a nod. “You look better. Happier.”

“Happy is a strong word, but I do feel much better than I did when I first arrived in London.”

“Good to hear. Listen, we have some information for you,” said Rachel, sitting down on the chair by the desk. She gestured for Scarlett to sit down on the bed, which she did with a frown. Larik hovered by the door, folding his arms across his chest.

“Firstly, I wanted to tell you that we sent a Guardian from the Sciath Outpost to visit your parents.”

“Why?” Scarlett said, her stomach tensing. “Is something the matter with them?”

Rachel gave an appeasing smile. “Not at all. You have been away for almost two weeks and as such we figured that they might start to worry when you didn’t return home.”

“Oh, of course.” Scarlett felt the nibbling of guilt when she realised that she had forgotten that the day she was supposed to visit them had been and gone. “Everything is so intense here, I have barely had enough time to think my own thoughts.”

“Of course and we were aware of that,” said Larik. “Which is why we sent a Charm Chosen to speak with them.”

“You mean the ones that can manipulate minds. What did he tell them?”

“That you had received a promotion and were away from Oakley Manor on special errands for a while.”

“A promotion after a month? That seems quite unlikely doesn’t it?”

“Charmers are very convincing when they tell a story,” said Rachel with a chuckle.

“He told them not to worry about you,” continued Larik. “He explained that that you will return to see them as soon as you are able. The Guardian told us your parents were two very proud and happy people when he left.”

Scarlett felt touched by what they had done for her. “Thank you so much.”

“Our pleasure,” said Rachel. “There is one other thing that we have to tell you.” She glanced to Larik for a moment. “Outleader Kodessa, who runs the Ireland Outpost has been focusing all resources on catching Gabriel.” She took a deep breath. “They found him trying to abduct a factory worker two days ago. Scarlett, the Alliance caught him.”

The girl felt her mouth drop open. They got him. It took her a while to produce words and when she did, they were flecked with emotion. “Have they sentenced him to death?”

Rachel shifted on her seat, looking down at her clasped hands. “No.”

“No?” Scarlett stared between the two Guardians with an incredulous expression. “He abducted people! He killed an innocent old man and turned me into a Vampire, which by the way I read is a capital crime in your organisation. Your Sage was ready to have me burn in a pit for less! How can this be?”

Larik shook his head. “We are as confused by the Magistratus’ decision as you are. The Sage didn’t even act as Indicter this time.”

Scarlett forced herself to calm down, using the method Henry had taught her.

“What was his punishment?”

Rachel gave her chin an awkward scratch. “He was sentenced to thirty years in Sinner’s Vault.”

“Only thirty years?” Scarlett shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t understand.”

“Neither do we. I spoke to Faru who said there was nothing he could do. I got the impression that he was being evasive, which is very unusual for him. He is normally very forthright,” explained Larik.

Why would Faru allow this to happen? He was so sincere when he said he would make Gabriel answer for his crimes. Thirty years is the blink of an eye for a man who can live forever.

“I am sure they had their reasons,” Scarlett mumbled.

“You are taking this remarkably well,” said Rachel. “I would be furious.”

“Rachel!” barked Larik with a glare.

“What? I would!” she said with a shrug.

“There is no point getting angry about it. I can’t change anything.” She gave the smallest hint of a smile. “Besides, I will still be alive when he gets out.” Rachel looked at Scarlett and gave a tiny smile of her own.

There was another knock at the door. Larik stepped away and opened it to reveal Doctor Hudson. “Sorry to interrupt, but are you both ready to begin?”

“Both?” said Scarlett, confused.

Larik cleared his throat. “That is the other reason I came here. It’s the start of your combat training today.”

“Oh, alright.” Scarlett stood up, smoothing down her petticoat. “Why does that involve you though?”

Larik held the door open for Rachel, who stepped outside to join the doctor. He gestured for Scarlett to follow him outside.

“Because you will be fighting me.”

A pair of linen trousers and a simple blouse sat folded on a bench behind a room divider. Scarlett made sure no one could see and then removed her petticoat, changing into the new garments. There were no shoes, so she stepped out barefoot into the circular training room. It was of simple design, with a varnished wooden floor and a single, curved bench by the door. That was where Henry and his secretary, Doctor Hudson and Rachel all sat. Larik was waiting in the centre of the room, wearing only a pair of leather trousers. Scarlett felt her face flush as she took in his exposed, muscular body.

Henry stood up and spoke. “Combat training is a necessary part of your convalescence, Scarlett. It will allow you to hone your natural skills to make you an even greater foe. There are many dangerous species in this world and many of them will match or surpass your strength. Learning these skills will keep you alive. In addition, combat training will teach you restraint and control. Not all battles need end in death.”

“I’m a girl. I don’t want to fight anyone,” she argued.

“You are also a Vampire,” countered Larik. “Plus it isn’t always a choice I’m afraid. Many creatures will catch your scent and be drawn to you. Not all of them will do so with good intentions.”

“Like the Fae,” Scarlett said, remembering a passage she had read in the handbook.

“A lot of my race aren’t as civilized as me,” Rachel said with a wink. “They will attack anything remotely Umbra.”

“I am not Umbra though.”

“Trust me, you smell like one.”

“Good to know, thank you Rachel,” said Scarlett sarcastically.

Larik called for Scarlett’s attention. “Normally you would receive training from one of the Vampires here at the clinic. However, as you are Faru’s ward, he has tasked me with this part of your convalescence. As a Guardian, I have been trained in martial arts over a number of years. Bloodlings can learn skills quicker than most, but what I teach you in this room will be basic. Unlike Chosen, we have no shortcuts to becoming a deadly fighter; that will take years of practice and dedication. I will make you able to focus your raw strength and speed in the most effective ways, but it will require a lot of training…and it will hurt. I am sorry, but leniency is pointless.”

Scarlett nodded. “I don’t want you to be lenient on me. If I am going to learn, it should be in the proper way.”

“That is very refreshing to hear. Now please come stand here,” he said and pointed to the spot a few feet in front of him. “I want you to lift up your hands and make fists. One low, covering your chin and the other extended slightly, to lead. Whichever way around is most comfortable for you.”

Scarlett raised her hands and curled them into balls. “Like this?”

“Perfect. Now Mister Marlowe is going to start a three-minute timer and we are going to spar. At first I am going to repeat the same pattern of attacks, my left fist, followed by my right and then a kick. I want you to avoid or block them. If you can find an opening, hit me back as hard as you like.” He raised a finger. “Fists and feet only, no nails or teeth. The idea is to wound, not kill,” he said with a wry smile. “Are you ready?”

Scarlett was unsure a battle with a vampiric martial arts expert was something you could ever be prepared for, but she nodded regardless.

Henry pulled his pocket watch from his suit and stared down at it for a moment.

“Begin.”

Larik jabbed his left fist towards Scarlett. It broke through her guard and smashed into her mouth, snapping her head back and sending pain rushing down her jaw. She staggered away and wiped her lip with the side of her hand. Larik shook his wrist and blood flicked from his knuckles to the floor.

“Fists up. Use them to block attacks you can’t avoid.”

Scarlett lifted her hands and curled them tight.

Larik fired his fist towards her again. Scarlett jerked her head to the side and it missed.

“Good!”

He followed with his other hand and she slapped it away with her palm. A foot stamped into her abdomen and Scarlett felt her feet leave the floor as she was sent flying onto her back. She drew her knees up and clutched her stomach as agony bloomed like a fire in her gut.

“Larik, go easy on the poor girl,” called Rachel.

“You know as well as I do that this is nothing compared to what others would do to her.” He appeared over Scarlett. “The threat of serious pain is a fantastic motivator. You will learn faster this way.”

Scarlett nodded, rolling onto her side and taking his extended hand. Larik pulled her back to her feet. The pain in her stomach was already subsiding, as her nourished body healed itself. Compared to what Faru had done to her, it was nothing.

“Fists up, let’s go again.”

Larik repeated his pattern of attack. This time Scarlett was better prepared. She stepped backwards on the first punch and blocked the second. As he drove his foot out she pivoted to the left and kicked Larik’s side as hard as she could. With an open mouth she watched him stumble and collapse to a knee. Scarlett heard clapping and turned to see Rachel rise to her feet. Henry had an impressed look on his face. He leaned over to his secretary and she wrote something down in the ledger.

“Well done,” Larik said, wincing as he stood up. “You might well be more competent than most.”

Scarlett spent every morning of the next ten days with Larik, receiving enough punches and kicks that had she still been human, she would have been lying dead on the wooden floor. In the afternoons she would leave the training arena - battered and dizzy - returning to her room to rest until she had recovered enough to attend her urge control and emotional acceptance classes. Pain became the tool that Larik used to carve away at Scarlett, crafting and shaping her into a stronger and more deadly version of herself.

Larik circled around Scarlett, spitting blood onto the floor. His lip was split and his eye swollen closed from a jumping knee technique he had taught her several days earlier. Scarlett moved with the Guardian, her raised arms trembling from the pain that came from dozens of different coloured bruises covering her alabaster skin. Two of her teeth were scattered against the walls of the room, forced from her mouth by a roundhouse kick to the jaw. She was amazed when she touched her tongue to the gaps and felt the sharp edge of enamel as two more grew in their place.

“Final round,” announced Henry. “Begin!”

Scarlett ran forward and threw a series of punches at Larik. He weaved his body away and each attack missed by inches. She stamped the sole of her foot into his knee, sending his leg sliding backwards and unbalancing him. With a grunt of exertion, she thrust her palm upwards and connected with his chin. His head jerked backwards and blood seeped from the corners of his lip as he bit his tongue.

Scarlett tried to follow with another punch, but Larik recovered quickly, grabbing her arm and spinning her away from him. He kicked her in the centre of her back and agony swept down her spine. On all fours, Scarlett flipped over and scissored out her legs, dropping Larik to the ground. She drove a knee into his groin and from the bench she heard Henry suck in air through his teeth. Larik’s fangs shot down and he hissed, throwing Scarlett off him with such force that she flew through the air and crashed into the wall, sending cracks streaking outwards and showering her in brick dust.

Groaning, Scarlett crawled along the floor, trying to summon the energy to climb to her feet. Larik was running towards her like a charging bull. Get up, get up! Scarlett used her shaking arms to push against the floor and rose up onto unsteady legs. Larik drew back his arm and Scarlett ducked at the exact moment he sent it thundering towards her. It sank into the wall with a deafening crack. She jerked upwards and unleashed a series of punches to his stomach.

Larik doubled over and with a shriek Scarlett charged upwards, grabbing his arms and butting his shoulder with enough force to send them both sprawling onto the floor. Larik drove his head upwards and water streamed into Scarlett’s vision as her nose crumpled from the impact. Blind and bleeding, Scarlett smacked her fists out as hard as she could, feeling them connect with flesh and bone, and hearing Larik grunt as each blow landed. He grabbed Scarlett’s arms and launched her to the side, sending her sliding along the wood. Rolling towards her, he unleashed a rib-cracking punch into her sternum. Blood spewed from her lips as she coughed up pain.

Blinking away tears, Scarlett caught Larik’s hand as he attempted to deliver another overhead punch, and her wrist gave a nauseating crack as she felt one of her bones break. She pulled him towards her along the floor and thrust both knees into his stomach. Stunned for a moment, Scarlett used her advantage over Larik to twist behind him. She hooked her arm around his throat, using the sharp edge of her forearm to press against his jugular as he had shown her. It couldn’t kill a Bloodling as their was no air supply to cut, but it could starve blood supply to the brain – the only working organ in a Vampires body – for long enough to render them unconscious.

Spittle flicked onto Larik’s lips as Scarlett drew him in tighter to her, screaming from effort. I can do this. I can beat him. Larik raised his arms and wrapped them around the back of Scarlett’s neck. Her world flipped upside down as he wrenched her over his shoulder and reversed the attack. His arm pressed against her throat like an iron bar and a gurgling noise escaped her throat. Scarlett dug her elbows into his sides, but it made no difference, he kept pulling tighter. The edges of her mind were growing dark as unconsciousness closed in.

With every ounce of strength she had left, Scarlett fought against her opponent, climbing to her feet and dragging him with her. Running forwards, Scarlett spun at the last moment and slammed Larik into the wall. Pushing her lower body outwards, he was forced to loosen his grip. Breaking free, Scarlett turned and delivered a kick to Larik’s face that sent him ricocheting off the wall and tumbling to the floor. Staggering away, the girl blinked as she held her wounded throat, trying to keep herself conscious. Larik was up in a split-second delivering a punch to Scarlett’s temple that made her legs fold. He dropped onto her and she thrashed out, slamming her fist repeatedly into his cheek and sending blood spraying across the wood. He staggered off her, struggling to stay upright as his legs trembled.

“Stop!” shouted Henry, holding up his pocket watch.

Scarlett stared at the ceiling as every patch of her body screamed in agony. Larik sank to the floor, bowing his head and giving a chuckle.

“There is nothing left to teach you.”