“Let’s go, Andor.”
He began their walk out of the forest. They strolled together, hand in hand. The pair at the fire pit saw them immediately, and the male shook his head several times, trying to warn them off. He even used a hand signal, waving them off, attempting to communicate danger. They kept walking. The mother jammed fingers into her mouth to keep from sobbing aloud.
“Hello,” Andor called. “We were hoping to find fellow campers nearby. We smelled your fire.”
And your puppet. Lorraine pressed down the small bout of hysteria that wanted to well up in spite of her resolve.
The man tried again with a small shake of his head, but he gestured toward the fire. “Welcome. We’re just about to start cooking dinner. You’re welcome to eat with us.”
Andor indicated to Lorraine to keep the couple between her and the tent at all times. They’d gone over that safety issue already, so she knew what to do, but she nodded her head to reassure him.
“Thank you,” she called out aloud. “We’d be happy to join you. We didn’t bring anything to contribute, though.”
“We have plenty,” the man assured.
Andor kept walking, although Lorraine halted a little distance from them, pretending to tie her hiking boot. She stayed crouched low, giving her ample opportunity to study the ground around the tent. Insects crawled on the brown shoots of grass, looking a little drunk. They moved in circles, and some fell over as if they couldn’t get their legs to work properly.
“I am Andor, and this is my girlfriend, Lorraine.”
Lorraine was shocked. He hadn’t even hesitated. He sounded smooth and very modern, although he hadn’t used a contraction the way most people would have. She looked up from her shoe-tying and waved.
The man stepped forward to shake Andor’s hand. “I’m Neil Bennet, and this is my wife, Carol.” He leaned closer. “You have to leave now. Get your girlfriend out of here. There’s a madman—”
A bellow of rage and a child’s high-pitched scream had Neil swinging around toward the tent. His wife tried to run toward it and he caught her around the waist, just as the canvas shredded and all of them saw the three children, two huddled together and one struggling as a puppet tore at a shoulder with jagged teeth.
What appeared to be a man stood slowly. “You were told not to warn them,” he said as he came forward. “You knew the sacrifices.” He gestured toward the puppet and the thing began to drag the boy away.
Carol and Neil both tried to get to their son, but the man held up his hand and both jerked to a halt. He smiled, showing his teeth. They were dark, stained with blood. He bowed toward Lorraine and Andor. “I am Jannik Astor.”
I recognize the name. Fridrick and Georg took the name Astor. They turned with the Malinovs. Several cousins turned with them. This must be one. Andor filled her in on Carpathian sharing pipeline.
We have to stop the puppet, he’ll kill that little boy.
Gary will free the child. Concentrate. I am going to move the two children farther away from this Jannik. I have to be subtle. Hold his attention. Let me get closer again to the father.
“Jannik,” Lorraine said, moving out from behind Andor.
She kept back, so that the couple was still between her and the vampire, but she stepped out just enough to be seen. She needed his attention focused on her. The vampire thought he had the upper hand and would be able to get Andor and Lorraine to do anything he wanted in order to keep the other two children safe. “No doubt, you already know my name. Has your master told you to bring me to him?”
The vampire’s eyes glittered a deep red when she’d mentioned his “master.” Apparently, he wasn’t quite as happy serving under the leadership of Sergey. He had thought his master was Sergey’s brother Vadim, and that was a far more distinguished master, so much so that the vampire’s expression told her he was far from pleased to be reminded. She knew, from all the times she’d looked into the warriors’ minds, that vampires were vain.
“Sergey Malinov is a worm. Do you know what the ancients call him right before they laugh? He is known as kuly. In case it has been long since you spoke your own language, that means intestinal worm. Or better yet, a tapeworm. Or a demon who possesses and devours souls. He probably prefers the last to what he truly is, which is an intestinal worm.” She kept her voice low and even. Low, so that Jannik had to listen with all his concentration. “You must detest working for a tapeworm.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Andor moving slowly. Inch by inch. He was beside Neil, who held his sagging wife in his arms, refusing to allow her to put herself in danger trying to rush to the two remaining children, or after the puppet who’d carried off their oldest.
Lorraine saw Andor touch Neil’s arm, a brush of his fingertips, no more, but it got him the man’s complete attention.
“How could you work for him? Jannik, clearly, you’re so much more intelligent. Where is he? He sends his best to do his battles because he can’t fight them himself. Why have you aligned yourself with this worm?” She poured flattery and interest into her voice.
“He is indeed a worm. I am slowly recruiting others who understand that just because he carries the Malinov name, doesn’t mean he is one of them. They were leaders. He crawled on the ground for them, eating their table scraps. He inherited their mantle of leadership. Even now, he waits on his brother.”
She felt Andor stiffen. The reaction was in her mind and echoed by all the ancients, Dragomir in particular. She didn’t understand why, but she pursued it. “I don’t know what that means. What brother? You have to remember, I don’t know very much about why your master would want me. Is it his brother who does?”
“He is not my master. Vadim was. Vadim had a vision for all of us. We cannot find our lifemates, but we can have women to serve us. To give us children, an army of them. We will have human males serving and protecting us as well. It was to be our century. We were poised on the very brink of destroying the Carpathian people.”
“Vadim did that?”
Jannik nodded. “Not his brother, the miserable worm. Vadim must be a prisoner. No one sees him but Sergey. Now Sergey has demanded we get his slave back and along with her, you. He wants two women for himself.”
“I am very confused.” Andor was now close to the children and between them and the vampire. She wanted to jump up and down for joy. “I thought it was Vadim that wanted women for all of you.”
“It was his plan. His woman has been taken by one of the Carpathians. She is pregnant with his child, the first of its kind. I will free Vadim and retake his woman. That child is the beginning of our army and symbolizes that we are not rotting flesh and worms.”
“I don’t think anyone is called that but your master.”
She could see Andor weaving a protection circle around the two children. They sat quietly, looking up at him without fear. She knew he had taken control of them, distancing them from what was happening. That was the first step for the two of them. The second step, before they engaged the vampire, was to encircle the parents and make it clear to them that no matter what happened, they couldn’t leave until Andor or one of the others said it was safe.
Gary had to defeat the puppet and rescue the oldest boy and then place him in a protective circle. He needed to get to Isai, heal him and give him blood so he could make the journey home. The others each had specific tasks, but until Andor, Lorraine and Gary ensured the children and their parents were safe, no one could engage in battle. If they did, it would trigger Jannik into making his move, and they weren’t ready.
“I told you, he is not my master.” Jannik’s voice, all sweetly pitched before, turned nasally and whining. Spittle ran down his face and he forgot to wipe it clean. Fury twisted his features into a malevolent mask. He jerked at his hair with one hand and a huge tuft came off. He looked at it as if puzzled.
“That’s right, of course he’s not. How could he be? I’m so sorry, Jannik.” She kept her voice appeasing. “I didn’t mean to make that same mistake.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Andor weaving his safeguards around the couple. Neil had coaxed his wife to sit on the ground. He kept his arms around her and rocked her gently, but both of them had their gazes on the distant forest.
When Andor was finished he turned to face the couple. “Your children are safe. A friend is securing your oldest son and destroying the abomination that took him. Stay where you are no matter what is happening around you. If you move, you will die and so will your children.”
He strode over to Lorraine’s side. “Te kalma, te jama ńiŋ3kval, te apitäsz arwa-arvo—You are nothing but a walking maggot-infected corpse, without honor. I have come to free you.”
Lorraine stepped back to give Andor fighting room. More, she did as he’d suggested earlier and went back-to-back with him, facing outward toward the forest, knowing the others would come.
11
The children are secure. Andor’s voice moved in his mind and Gary Daratrazanoff breathed a sigh of relief.
He waited in the cool of the forest for his prey. The scent of blood was strong as the puppet dragged the screaming child toward him. The boy was tough because he was giving the creature a difficult time. Puppets as a rule were slow and lumbering, but they were unusually strong. Kicking and punching, raining blow after blow, the boy made it difficult for the puppet to drag him. It was good for the boy, but bad for Gary, as the puppet continued to struggle with him and finally came to a halt a good forty feet from Gary’s position.
The puppet ripped at the child, and the boy’s cries sent birds reeling into the air in alarm. Droplets of blood spewed into the air, further maddening the creature. Gary waved his hand toward the vampire’s handiwork while he emerged from the forest, bursting out with the frightened birds. The brains of the puppets were so far gone, most of the time magic and power didn’t work very well on them. Gary only wanted him slowed enough that the boy had the opportunity to run.