Iceland 2170.
“Death certainly is eternal, and I should know. I’ve been dead for a very long time," the vampire said as she looked down at her former companion. Kristos, the tall Grecian who had looked after her every whim, lay on a stone slab. Beside her was Inga, Kristos’ replacement. She was tall and blond as the man on the stone. The vampire smiled inside. Kristos knew what she liked.
“How long was he your companion?” Inga asked.
The vampire paused before answering.
“Over three hundred years.” She touched his beautiful but hard face. “He stepped off a boat just outside New Orleans. Walked across the town until he found the tailor shop down a forgotten alley.”
“Tailor shop?”
“Yes. You see, us creatures that stalk their prey are not animals. We dress in only the best clothes. This shop catered to the unusual and supplied hard-to-get wear.” The vampire paused. “In the back of the shop was a small speakeasy. I was there with my friend and fellow blood drinker, Romero, when this fine specimen walked in. He walked right up to me and presented me with a parchment. An offer of employment.”
Inga remained silent as the vampire gazed upon her companion. She could see the vampire struggling for tears.
“It was a reference from Mr. Fox. An acquaintance who was in the transportation business. I looked up from the parchment and agreed immediately.”
New Orleans, 1820.
“Of course you will have to have a formal interview," Cassandra said as she led Kristos out of the speakeasy and out into the alley. They flagged down a horse and carriage and an hour later they disembarked at a large estate. She led him into the house and straight to her bedroom.
“Is this where the interview is to take place?” he asked.
Cassandra dropped her dress, ripped off her corset and lay naked on the bed. She smiled at the young man standing in front of her.
“Fool, you already have the job. Impress me with your disrobing.”
Kristos smiled and slowly undressed. Her eyes yearning. When he was naked, she motioned to him. He climbed on the bed, his eyes bewitched by her beauty. Soon he was in her arms and inside her. Their lovemaking was animalistic. When they climaxed, she bit into his neck, increasing their pleasure.
In the afterglow he asked.
“Have you turned me?”
“No,” she answered. “I just marked you. You’re mine.”
“For the rest of my life?”
Iceland 2170.
“For the rest of your life,” Cassandra said as she touched his chest. Her cold vampire heart cracked as she spoke.
“You loved him,” Inga said.
Cassandra nodded slightly. She closed her eyes and willed the tears to come, but they did not. The pair stood in silence as the Icelandic fires raged beneath them. It was the perfect place to send him to the afterlife. After a moment, Inga asked.
“What did he do for you?”
New Orleans 1840
The masked ball was in full swing as Kristos navigated his way through the crowd. Cassandra had taught him to be patient, to seek out the perfect victim. Someone who wouldn’t be missed, even by high society.
He found the young woman in a corner by herself. He recognized her as one of the minor families in Louisiana. Within a minute, he had seduced her and offered her a dance. The young lady felt she was in a dream as the other dancers were gazing at her and this handsome stranger.
When the dance was over, Kristos led the young woman to a waiting carriage down the road from the hall. When they arrived at the estate, Kristos brought the young woman to the bedroom where she was shocked to see a naked Cassandra stalking toward her. Cassandra bewitched the young woman, who under her spell, allowed the vampire and Kristos to have their fun.
In the morning, Kristos took the unconscious young woman to edge of the swamp where he was met by a loathsome creature. Payment was made and the young woman was brought to a place on the edge of New Orleans. She would be found several hours later with no memory of the night before.
Iceland 2170
“Usually, I would have killed the victim, but Kristos wouldn’t allow it. It was one of the few things I allowed him to counsel me on,” Cassandra said, smiling to herself. “They were amazing times.”
Inga stayed silent. After a few moments Cassandra asked, “How did he find you?”
Inga stared at Kristos.
“I don’t know. He just did.”
Sweden 2170
Inga stepped out of her house and wandered down to the water. As she gathered water from the sea, Inga saw one of the new airships sail over her small village. It landed in the large field and many of the villagers ran to it. As the crew dropped off mail and other supplies, Inga noticed a tall man exit the ship. He briefly looked around and brought his gaze upon her.
Inga was shocked to see the man walk in her direction. She turned and ran to her small hut. She raced inside and shut the door. She sat at her small table in silence. Suddenly, she heard the crunching of boots outside. A knock on the door soon followed.
“Miss Inga Berg, I know you are in there. My name is Kristos and I have a job offer for you.”
Inga stood up and slowly went to the door. She opened it to see the tall man smiling back at her. He was handsome and disarming. After an awkward moment, she asked him in and offered some cold tea. He accepted.
“What kind of job offer?” she asked.
“Well, you see, I am about to leave my employer and she needs a replacement. You seem perfect.”
“How did you find me?”
“I have a gift of finding people that satisfy my employer. I stood on the tarmac in Iceland and picked this airship. When we arrived here, I stepped off, spotted you and here we are.”
“That’s quite a gift, but how do you know you I am perfect for the job? I could be happy here.”
Kristos looked around the small hut.
“Happy?” he asked. “Let me see, family gone, destitute and you barely scrape a living off of laundry and other menial chores.” Kristos continued, “You’re alone despite your good looks because there isn’t anyone around here worth loving. If you were to marry someone, you would be a prisoner in a loveless marriage.”
“Who says I won’t be prisoner with your employer?” Inga asked.
“Good question," he answered. “However, take my word for it. I’ve worked for her for a long time, and I have never felt like a prisoner.” Kristos took out a small parchment and handed it to her. “Now, I must be on that airship. I expect you in a month.”
Inga was about to protest when Kristos stood up. He gave her a small peck on the cheek and left the hut. After he was gone, Inga unfolded the parchment. It contained enough money for passage to Iceland and the duties the job entailed. She read the duties and was intrigued.
Iceland 2170.
“I never thought leaving your employment involved killing himself,” Inga said to Cassandra.
“He didn’t kill himself. He just allowed himself to die.”
Inga stared at Cassandra. The vampire nodded her head toward a large glass decanter sitting on a small table. It was a mixture of blue and red liquids that flowed around each other.
“The elixir of life,” Cassandra said. “It was my friend Victor who discovered it. He replicated it in his laboratory just before Kristos came to me. One glass a month led to a lifetime of adventures.”
“Or servitude,” Inga said.
“Kristos was never my slave,” Cassandra countered. “He was my companion, lover, confidant. He ran the household with discipline and kindness. My staff loved him.”
“Why stop taking the elixir?”
“He said he was tired of life. He had lived many lifetimes and was ready for the afterlife.”
Inga stared down at Kristos. He looked peaceful.
“He didn’t look tired to me,” Inga said.
“He always put on a brave face. He never let anyone outside of me know his true emotions.”
Cassandra bent down and kissed her companion one last time before standing up and pulling a small lever. The stone slab tilted up and Kristo slid onto the ramp that led to the fires below the mountain. The two women stood in silence for a moment. Cassandra pulled the lever and the slab returned to its position. Turning to Inga, she said,
“Now, it is time to interview you properly.”
Cassandra took Inga by the hand and led her out of the room. They strode up a long ramp that led into the main part of the castle. Inga was taken with the place when she arrived. The large castle was carved out of the mountain by ancient hands. Kristos had familiarized her with the palace but not every nook and cranny.
Ingo pulled her coat close around her neck. Despite the mountain fires, there was still a chill hanging from the rock. Cassandra wore her long fur. When Inga asked why she wore the garment, the vampire answered.
“At my age, even my vampiric tolerance to heat and cold has started to fail. A thousand years of living will do that.”
At the top of the ramp, Cassandra pulled Inga down a small hallway which led to a large bedroom with a roaring fire, the four-poster bed being the centre piece. On a small table to the left of the fireplace was a decanter like the one in the fire room. Beside it was a small glass. Inga glanced at the vampire who nodded while she stripped off her clothes.
As Inga poured the liquid into the glass, Cassandra studied her new companion. Tall, blond, blue-eyed and fit. She felt a warmth build in her insides. As she put the glass to her lips, Inga asked.
“Why did you move to Iceland?”
Cassandra smiled and lay back on the bed.
“Think of the world as a slightly bent coin. We, the monsters occupy the concave side. The ordinary people on the other. There are those out there that walk along the side of the coin. The hunters.”
“Have you been hunted?”
“Yes.” Cassandra paused. “It all started with a young woman named Willow MacDaniel. She and her brother Hugo killed Victor and used the elixir for themselves. We’ve many battles with them but, I am sure the archives will answer all your questions. Kristos was quite the chronicler.”
Inga paused as she put the glass to her lips. She glanced at Cassandra whose dark eyes called to her. “I don’t know if I can measure up.”
“Drink, you fool. You already have the job.”
Inga drank deeply. The liquid burned her throat, but she felt elation rise from within. The next thing Inga knew she was naked and in bed with her new employer. Inga’s heightened senses gave her amazing pleasure and soon she was marked.
In the afterglow, she asked.
“Will we be hunted?”
“Yes, but tonight, you’re my only bounty,” Cassandra answered and kissed her new companion.
Two days later, a large ship entered to Icelandic capital. As it disgorged its supplies, two figures walked down the gangway. Once on the pier, the tall bald man and his female assistant took stock of the city. He smelled the air and smiled.
“She’s here.”
“Are you sure, Master Hugo.”
Hugo MacDaniel smiled, picked up his bag and led his assistant into the city.
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