A Fork of Paths Read online

  “A specimen, huh,” Aisha said, glancing down at me with a frown. Then her expression lightened, the corners of her mouth curving slightly. Somehow, Aisha’s smile was far more disturbing to me than her scowl. “Very well,” she began slowly, “if you want to gather up a specimen, I’ll take you to the witch’s island… Let’s see how much you really want this.”

  I gulped, glancing over the bald, white-headed creatures.

  I was hoping that the jinni would help me with this at least. But doing it all by myself had at least one advantage…

  I could see that Arletta was still in transformation at the far end of the deck. My eyes shifted toward the main crowd and I scoured the faces in search of Hans’ brothers. I spotted Braithe at the forefront, the other two close behind him.

  I wanted to take them all with me, but I knew that would be too suspicious.

  But I was getting ahead of myself. Before thinking about saving all of them, I had to figure out how to get just one of them out of there.

  “I’ll need to use the box,” I said nervously. “But how? How would I do that without being bitten?”

  “Oh, I’m sure you’ll find a way,” Aisha said nonchalantly. “You have a rare talent for figuring out how to save your own skin.”

  I felt goosebumps as Aisha lowered me again to the boat, heart-stoppingly close to the Bloodless.

  “Okay,” I wheezed, trying to force my panicking mind to think clearly. “I will need to search for the box, and I’ll try to lock one of them inside and then… then you’ll need to help me lift the box away. There is no way that I can do this all on my own.”

  “Deal,” the jinni said. “If you manage to herd one of those things into your blasted box, I’ll help you get it off the ship.”

  Julie

  Mercifully, this time, Aisha lowered me onto the mast instead of the deck, directly above the trap door that led down to the ship’s lower levels. The trap door was flung wide open. I couldn’t be sure whether or not any of the monsters were down there.

  The moment my feet hit the mast, the Bloodless began hurrying toward me. Again I fought my every instinct to leap back into the ocean and swim like a maniac. This time, I would need to dive right into the fray.

  Tearing off a piece of sail using my claws, I wrapped it tightly around my throat to form at least somewhat of a barrier against the monsters, no matter how measly. The rest of my body would have to remain as it was—vulnerable and unprotected—because with the Bloodless encroaching, I had no time to come up with more makeshift armor.

  With one giant thrust of my legs, I flung myself from one side of the ship to the other. They all hissed and spat, turning to follow. But as soon as they neared me on the other side, I pulled the same trick, moving back to the previous side. I wasn’t sure what I was doing. I was flying completely by the seat of my pants, just hoping that my antics would disorient them and place me at some kind of advantage.

  But things didn’t exactly pan out that way.

  The Bloodless wised up, and, rather than follow me from mast to mast, they displayed an unnerving level of intelligence and split into two groups, positioning themselves at each one. I could no longer play this game, especially as the Bloodless began swarming up both of the masts. At least in doing so they left the deck clear. I took the opportunity to leap down and sprint for the trapdoor.

  It felt like I was committing suicide as I dove down the stairs. I couldn’t even pull the trapdoor shut above me to buy myself some more time. It was broken, splintered to pieces. Landing with a crash at the foot of the staircase, I loped along the hallway toward the small storage room where the box had been kept.

  I knew this ship like the back of my hand—it was my ship, mine and the Mansons’—but in my panic, my brain almost forgot my way around. The state of the ship didn’t help. Good grief… The whole lower deck was horribly disfigured. They’d wreaked havoc, shredding the walls and ceilings with their claws.

  My heart was in my throat as their footsteps descended the stairs. I reached the storage room where I’d left the box. A horrid, vile smell filled my nostrils even as I exhaled in relief to find that the box was still here. Its lid was open, and when I hurried up to it, it was filled with the rotting body of a werewolf. I felt nauseous from the stench. Who put this in here? I wasn’t sure how long the body had been lying there, but it was already riddled with maggots and flies.

  Clenching my jaw, I held my breath and dove my hands into the box. Grabbing hold of the thick fur around the wolf’s neck, I tugged with all my strength. The body was heavy and bloated, and though I could handle the sheer weight, I was physically much smaller than the beast. I managed to pull it out of the box, but as the body flopped to the floor, it crashed down against my shins and feet. I lost balance on the slippery floor and collapsed onto the werewolf’s body, which, to my horror, squelched like a water balloon. A burst of brownish liquid burst forth from the werewolf’s mouth and doused me. Although I was trying to keep quiet, I couldn’t help but shriek. The corpse’s smell was overpowering as it was, and now to be soaked in its putrid body juice…

  Footsteps sounded outside in the corridor. I hurtled to the other side of the room and jammed a shelf against the door. That would do nothing to prevent them from entering, but at least it would act as a slight deterrent. The door handle rattled and fists pounded against the door. My blood throbbed in my ears as I turned away from the door to face the corpse of the werewolf again. If my adrenaline had not been raging so much, I probably would’ve passed out by now just from the smell alone, never mind the crowd of Bloodless about to break in.

  My eyes fell on the white box. The “Elder box”, as Benjamin had called it.

  I’ve found the box. But now what? I hadn’t thought further ahead than this. Aisha hadn’t given me the time to. Wood splintered. The pounding was growing heavier and more violent against the door.

  Think! I ordered myself, although all I wanted to do was scream.

  And then it was too late.

  The weight I’d barricaded the door with gave way and the Bloodless began spilling into the storage room.

  This was the end. I was a rabbit cornered by a pack of wolves. There was no point in even fighting. What could I do in this tiny room? There weren’t even any windows here.

  I closed my eyes tight, praying that at least the pain wouldn’t be too unbearable. And whatever I emerged as after this, my brain wouldn’t have turned into a vegetable.…

  My whole body tensed as I steeled myself for the monsters’ claws to slice my flesh and fangs to sink deep into my neck.

  But neither happened.

  Daring to open my eyes, I was shocked to see that the Bloodless had stopped still, about three feet away from me. Braithe was near the front of the crowd that had burst into the room. They stared at me, their small eyes fixed on me intently. I didn’t know what they were waiting for. And I was even more clueless when the Bloodless began to back away out of the door. As though I’d somehow just become… Uninteresting to them. Unpalatable.

  I gazed down at my own form. I was covered in rotten corpse fluid. The smell—obnoxious as it was—could that really have put them off me?

  Emboldened by this sudden, unexpected turn of events, I left the room too and cautiously followed them. Braithe had been among the last to leave the room, and now he was the closest to me in the corridor. I didn’t know what madness possessed me, or rather what desperation, but I found myself quickening my pace and extending my hand. I reached up and closed it around Braithe’s rawboned shoulder.

  He let out a hiss and whirled around to face me, his fangs bared, his nose wrinkled in a snarl. My pulse raced, but I did not flinch. I remained rooted to my spot, staring at the abomination who’d once been my lover’s brother. Though he appeared agitated, Braithe was still making no move to launch at me.

  The other Bloodless who’d been loping down the corridor also turned around to look me over, but they soon got bored of me and turned around. Braithe, on t
he other hand, stayed watching me longer. I wanted to believe that a small part of him remembered me, but more likely, it was because I had reached out and touched him. After several moments, he also appeared to get bored of me and turned around to follow after the others.

  The moment his back was turned to me, I reached out and clutched his shoulder again. Only this time, I didn’t let go. I was sure that I had lost all sanity at this point, but all I could do was act on my raw instinct. He hissed more loudly this time, but on turning around, he still did not attempt to lash out at me. If anything, he looked like he just wanted to squirm away, the way one would shrug away from a hairy spider.

  He tried to shake off my grasp again, but I held on tight. My hand slid down his arm and settled around his right wrist. I tugged on him. He was strong—frighteningly strong for a creature of such meager build—and he didn’t budge an inch. I pulled on him harder—much harder than I was comfortable with. I managed to move him a bit this time, even as his almost nonexistent lips curled.

  Still, I persisted. Grabbing hold of the doorframe, I used it as support to yank harder. This worked. The force of my tugging took him by surprise and he stumbled, losing his firm stance. I managed to drag him back into the storage room, where I slammed the door shut behind us. By now his snarls were becoming growls and as he bared his fangs, I was beginning to fear for my life. If he decided to overlook the scent of the body juice, it would only take one bite to discover my blood underneath…

  I had to move faster. He was close to the box now. So close. I just needed to get him inside. He yanked his wrist away from me and tried to back up a step. I moved around him, standing directly in front of his path to the exit. I stepped closer to him, and, still apparently repulsed by me, he was forced to take a step back. One step closer to the box.

  I worked cautiously, moving closer step by step until I had cornered him against the container. He had no room left to back away. The backs of his legs pressed against the edge of the box. My arms shot out and I jabbed him in the chest, causing him to lose his balance and fall backward into the box. He hissed as he fell, and as his back hit the bottom of the container, he immediately gathered himself to spring out. But due to the surprise I’d given him, he was slower than me. Careful that neither of his hands was in the way of the lid, I brought the lid crashing down over his head.

  Now the key. I need the key!

  I gazed wildly around the room, relieved to spot a chain of keys on the floor. I fumbled for the right one and slid it into the lock, clicking the lid shut. Braithe beat the box’s lid hard. But it didn’t matter how strong he was. He wouldn’t be able to get out of this box unless I opened it with the key. I’d learned that much from when I’d locked Benjamin in it. Benjamin was strong, stronger than most vampires. I’d been afraid that after he came to from the drug we had injected him with, he might be able to smash his way out of the box, even though he carried the essence of an Elder inside him. His inability to do so confirmed my belief about the box—its creator had caused its walls to be impervious to both subtle and physical beings.

  I heaved out a huge sigh of relief and took a step back, eyeing the length of the box. Now I needed to get the box out of this room. Vomit was rising at the back of my throat from the amount of time I’d been forced to endure the werewolf’s stench and from how wet and sticky my entire body felt from the vile fluid. I couldn’t wait to get out of here and rinse myself off in the ocean.

  But for now, I extended my claws and drove my fists though the exposed belly of the dead werewolf. There was another sickening squelch as I burst through bloated skin and more fluid sprayed onto my face. Biting my lips together so hard they almost bled, I pulled out two handfuls of the werewolf’s decaying insides and smeared them over my body. As much as I wanted to cry in horror at what I was doing to myself, I was about to return to the deck where all the Bloodless would likely be—and I needed to make sure that I was topped up on stink.

  Once I was satisfied that the new layer was thick enough, I slid the key to the box off the keychain and slipped it safely into my bra. Then I left the room. The corridor outside was empty now. I climbed back up to the deck to see that the Bloodless had returned here. Before I looked up at the sky to search for Aisha, my eyes were drawn to the part of the deck where Arletta still lay, her transformation now more terrifying than ever. She was pulling out huge clumps of her long hair with one hand while the other ripped away the clothes from her body, rendering her emaciated form stark naked. Her breasts had flattened, and in fact all fat on her body had shriveled away. Her once rounded cheeks had closed in on themselves, and she now looked gaunt as a ghost.

  I looked around for Colin and Frederick. I wanted to take them all with me to the witch’s island, but it would look too suspicious to Aisha if I handpicked Frederick and Colin—especially because they bore a slight resemblance to Braithe, even in his wraithlike form. She might even guess that they had been my companions, or “accomplices” as she had referred to them. As it was, she was ignorant of the fact, and I had to try to keep it that way.

  Now that I was above the deck, a crowd of Bloodless noticed me but, to my relief, shuffled further away from my reeking self.

  “Hey,” Aisha called down to me. I looked up to see the jinni hovering over me. “What happened to you?” She glared at me with disgust, wrinkling her nose. “Augh. What did you just take a bath in?”

  “The fluids of a werewolf corpse,” I replied darkly.

  “Ohhh.” A contented smile lit up Aisha’s face. “I forgot about that little surprise. So did you manage it?”

  “Yes,” I grunted, uncertain how she knew about the werewolf—or heck, how she’d even escaped the box to begin with. “I managed to get one Bloodless into the box.”

  “Well, that is surprising,” Aisha murmured. “I didn’t expect you to make it out alive.”

  I looked at her sourly before returning my gaze to Arletta. Maybe I could try to bring her with us at least… I cleared my throat, still holding my nose to avoid the stench. “It occurred to me that we ought to bring a female too,” I said, trying to make my voice sound casual.

  Aisha furrowed her brows. Suspicion had already sparked in her eyes. “Why do you say that?” As her gaze shifted to Arletta, I saw that she’d already guessed the answer.

  “I just thought—”

  “You just thought nothing,” she interrupted. She shook her head, her eyes narrowing on me. “I wasn’t born yesterday. You simply want to bring your friend along.”

  “No,” I protested, albeit unconvincingly. “We could take another female. It doesn’t have to be Arletta.” I should’ve just shut up. Aisha had already seen through me regarding Arletta, and by trying to save face, I was just digging a deeper hole for myself. I didn’t want to have to go hunting after another one of these creatures—likely needing to cover myself with another few handfuls of maggot-ridden intestines in the process.

  Thankfully, Aisha wasn’t in the mood for waiting around longer. “No. You’ve caught one. He’ll be enough of a specimen to take to the witch.”

  I decided that it was best not to press the matter, even as I looked back over at Arletta, now completely bald. She’d left her spot in the corner of the deck and had wandered over to the rest of them.

  At least I’d managed to get Braithe. Aisha had no idea that he was one of my comrades. I didn’t see how she would ever find out.

  Now we could take him to the witch and perhaps, just perhaps I could strike a deal with her and persuade her to find a cure for him.

  “So where’s the box?” Aisha asked.

  “I’ll take you there,” I said. Aisha thinned her body until she was in her subtle state—a state that allowed her to pass through solid walls. I led her back down through the trap door and along the corridor to the storage room where I’d left the box.

  “God in heaven!” Aisha cried, coughing. “Ugh, that is so gross!”

  I was in no mood to listen to her grumbling, as I stood here w
ith practically every inch of me covered with bits of the corpse. I pointed to the box. “You should know it well enough by now,” I muttered darkly.

  “And whereabouts exactly is the exit that leads to the lifeboats?” Aisha asked. “There are a few strung up over the edge of the ship.”

  “Lifeboats?” I was taken aback by her question. “Why do we need lifeboats?” Why can’t she just use her magic to vanish us all away from here?

  “Just answer the question,” Aisha snapped.

  “Uh, okay. Follow me.” I led her to the exit she requested. When I opened the door, it led out onto a small balcony, on either side of which were steps leading down toward hanging boats.

  “All right,” Aisha said coolly, eyeing the boat. “Now go bring the box here,” she instructed me, with a nod of her head toward the door.

  “Can’t you do it by magic?” I asked, looking at her in dismay. “It would be a lot faster.”

  She shot me another glare. “Just do it.”

  Blowing out in irritation, I gave in—what other option did I have?—and hurried back along the corridor. The soles of my feet were moist with blood and grime, and I almost slipped as I reached the storage room. Planting my hands on either side of the huge box, I gained as firm a grip as I could before dragging it out of the room, along the corridor and to the balcony where an impatient Aisha waited. Here, thankfully, she helped me lower the box onto one of the boats but strangely, she still didn’t bother to use her magic. She resumed her physical form and manually helped me lift it. Although it confused me, I was too distracted to think much of it.

  Once the box was in the center of the small boat, Aisha and I moved into it. Grabbing hold of the ropes that held the boat in place against the side of my ship, I lowered us down slowly into the waves. But now we needed an engine. Still holding onto the ropes that lined this side of the ship, I maneuvered us around it until we reached the bow where the sharks swam. I pulled us closer to the dangling reins and grabbed two of them, snatching them for ourselves. These two sharks would be more than powerful enough to give us good speed. The lifeboat being specifically designed for vampires, there was a small covering to give shelter from the sun. But I hoped that we would reach the witch doctor’s island well before sunrise.