top of the nearest building and pick our way over loose shingles and gaping holes. Sometimes, where the space between buildings was too far to jump, we had to drop to ground level, but only until we could get to the next building and scale the walls. On the rooftops, the path was fairly clear, the moon lighting our way as we traveled above the streets, following Azura’s map.
Below us was a different story.
Rabids roamed the tangled streets, skulking between cars, climbing out of windows, loping along crumbling sidewalks. They snarled and hissed at each other, blind in their rage and driven mad by the Hunger. There didn’t seem to be any humans beyond the fence; I wondered if the ones in Azura’s fortified house were the only humans left. An unfortunate cat tried scurrying across the road and was instantly pounced on by a rabid, who shoved the feline’s head between his jaws and ripped it in two. The smell of blood drew several more rabids to the area, and a vicious fight erupted, with the rabids screaming and tearing at each other for the remains of the animal.
“You’re not very talkative.”
I ignored him, keeping my gaze straight ahead. Jackal strode easily next to me, sometimes glancing at the map as we traversed the rooftops.
“Nothing to say?” Jackal went on. “That’s a surprise. You were so verbose the first time we met. I must admit, I’ve killed a few siblings, but you’re the first one I actually thought I could get along with.” He sighed. “But then, of course, you killed my men and ran off with those humans I worked so hard to acquire. You and that boy.” His voice took on a slight edge. “What was that kid’s name again? The old preacher’s son, the one the humans kept crying over, thinking he was dead? Something biblical, wasn’t it? Jeremiah? Zachariah?”
Ezekiel, I thought, as my stomach went cold. And there’s no way I’m ever telling you about Zeke. I shouldn’t be here, helping you. I should take my sword and shove it through your sneering face.
“So, whatever happened to your humans?” Jackal inquired after several more minutes of tense silence. “Did they leave? Run away? After you went through so much trouble to get them out of my city?” He grinned. “Or did you wind up eating them all?”
“Shut up,” I finally snapped, not looking at him. “They’re safe. That’s all you need to know.”
“Oh?” I could feel his sneer, sense the gleeful smugness as we continued over the broken rooftops. “Got them to Eden, then? How very charitable of you.” He grinned at my sharp glance. “What? Shocked that I know about Eden? Don’t be. I always knew it was out there—a city with no vampires, just a bunch of fat little humans scurrying around, pretending to be in charge. I knew that old man was looking for it, too, and that, eventually, he would slip up and land right in my lap. He and his little band couldn’t run from me forever, I just had to be patient. And it paid off—we finally got them. Everything was going to plan.” His eyes narrowed. “Or, it was, until you showed up.”
“Yeah, sorry to ruin your plans to take over the world.”
“That is not true,” Jackal said, sounding affronted. “I was trying to find a cure for Rabidism.”
I snorted. Any living thing bitten by a rabid would Turn rabid itself, but that wasn’t the only way to create one. Vampires, through the result of the mutated Red Lung virus, were all carriers of Rabidism, as well. Just biting or feeding from a human wouldn’t Turn them, but for most of our kind, attempting to create a new vampire through the exchange of blood would birth not a vampire, but a rabid. Only the few Masters, the Princes of the cities, could spawn new offspring anymore, and even then, they were just as likely to spawn a rabid. Kanin, our sire, was a Master himself, but I was still very lucky to have made the transition to vampire instead of rising again as a monstrous, mindless horror.
“That old
Below us was a different story.
Rabids roamed the tangled streets, skulking between cars, climbing out of windows, loping along crumbling sidewalks. They snarled and hissed at each other, blind in their rage and driven mad by the Hunger. There didn’t seem to be any humans beyond the fence; I wondered if the ones in Azura’s fortified house were the only humans left. An unfortunate cat tried scurrying across the road and was instantly pounced on by a rabid, who shoved the feline’s head between his jaws and ripped it in two. The smell of blood drew several more rabids to the area, and a vicious fight erupted, with the rabids screaming and tearing at each other for the remains of the animal.
“You’re not very talkative.”
I ignored him, keeping my gaze straight ahead. Jackal strode easily next to me, sometimes glancing at the map as we traversed the rooftops.
“Nothing to say?” Jackal went on. “That’s a surprise. You were so verbose the first time we met. I must admit, I’ve killed a few siblings, but you’re the first one I actually thought I could get along with.” He sighed. “But then, of course, you killed my men and ran off with those humans I worked so hard to acquire. You and that boy.” His voice took on a slight edge. “What was that kid’s name again? The old preacher’s son, the one the humans kept crying over, thinking he was dead? Something biblical, wasn’t it? Jeremiah? Zachariah?”
Ezekiel, I thought, as my stomach went cold. And there’s no way I’m ever telling you about Zeke. I shouldn’t be here, helping you. I should take my sword and shove it through your sneering face.
“So, whatever happened to your humans?” Jackal inquired after several more minutes of tense silence. “Did they leave? Run away? After you went through so much trouble to get them out of my city?” He grinned. “Or did you wind up eating them all?”
“Shut up,” I finally snapped, not looking at him. “They’re safe. That’s all you need to know.”
“Oh?” I could feel his sneer, sense the gleeful smugness as we continued over the broken rooftops. “Got them to Eden, then? How very charitable of you.” He grinned at my sharp glance. “What? Shocked that I know about Eden? Don’t be. I always knew it was out there—a city with no vampires, just a bunch of fat little humans scurrying around, pretending to be in charge. I knew that old man was looking for it, too, and that, eventually, he would slip up and land right in my lap. He and his little band couldn’t run from me forever, I just had to be patient. And it paid off—we finally got them. Everything was going to plan.” His eyes narrowed. “Or, it was, until you showed up.”
“Yeah, sorry to ruin your plans to take over the world.”
“That is not true,” Jackal said, sounding affronted. “I was trying to find a cure for Rabidism.”
I snorted. Any living thing bitten by a rabid would Turn rabid itself, but that wasn’t the only way to create one. Vampires, through the result of the mutated Red Lung virus, were all carriers of Rabidism, as well. Just biting or feeding from a human wouldn’t Turn them, but for most of our kind, attempting to create a new vampire through the exchange of blood would birth not a vampire, but a rabid. Only the few Masters, the Princes of the cities, could spawn new offspring anymore, and even then, they were just as likely to spawn a rabid. Kanin, our sire, was a Master himself, but I was still very lucky to have made the transition to vampire instead of rising again as a monstrous, mindless horror.
“That old
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