Blood Land, J.R. Lawson [electric book reader .txt] 📗

me.  While he was gaining lots of vampire followers, he was caring for me.  I started craving blood and at first he gave me some of his to appease my hunger.  We really didn’t know what the implications of that would be until I started getting more and more vampire-like tendencies.  Sometimes I would even go on hunts with him.  Eventually it was almost impossible to distinguish me from a real vampire, other than some obvious differences.  One being that I could change into my hellion form whenever I wanted; I wasn’t at all restricted by the daylight.  And even though I craved blood and wanted to hunt, it wasn’t necessary for me to need human blood to survive.  Since I was connected to a vampire and already possessed quantities of vampire blood, I could heal myself almost as easily as any vampire.  It didn’t matter if I hadn’t had any human blood at all.  However, we hybrids can’t heal quite as fast as a normal vampire, but it is still an improvement over the speed that a human can heal themselves.  But the fact that I didn’t need human blood at all in order to do it was almost a revolutionary discovery.  At least, that’s how Charlie saw it.”

“What else is different?” Kale now asked.

“Well, of course, the abilities that one acquires are a quite a bit of a difference from a normal vampire.”

“Abilities?” Nora now questioned.

“Yes, each hybrid, before they become completely transformed, usually obtain a sort of unique ability,” Caroline answered, “Most hybrids are different but what ability a hybrid obtains is completely dependent on what their personality is.”

“How do you know that?” Kale inquired.

“Once I had obtained mine,” Caroline began, “Charlie had really become curious about the implications that ‘my kind’ could have on the vampire world.  During the period of time when he and I were moving around quite a bit, at one of the cities we stayed in Charlie had decided to volunteer himself to a science lab that was trying to do experiments to create some kind of cure for the hellion virus.  However, the only thing Charlie was really interested in was sneaking into the lab late at night to do experiments of his own; ones concerning his ‘hybrid theory’.  That’s what he called it.”

“He did experiments on people?  That he turned into hybrids?” Kale asked.

“Yes.”

“What did he do with them when he was done?”

Caroline hung her head low a bit and sighed before answering, “Killed them mostly.  He’d turn them into a hybrid, take notes on what abilities they obtained, their personality, how often their specific trait turned up in other subjects, and then he’d eat them.  Since they were technically human, he could use their blood for sustenance just like any human kill.”

“God…” Nora now spoke, “That’s awful.”

“I know.  Believe me it was at this time that I really didn’t like the person Charlie was turning into.  The person that was my brother was gone.  But I was attached to him, I couldn’t just leave,” Caroline responded with a slight bit of shame to her voice.

“Back to the hybrid abilities…” Kale then interjected, “You said certain abilities occurred more often than others?”

Caroline nodded. “Yes.  The abilities were triggered by a person’s personality but there were lots of abilities that came up more often.  Speed and strength being two of the most common.  Less common, but not completely rare were abilities associated with controlling the elements; fire, water, air, etc.  Mine, being able to track extensively well, was one of the few rare ones.  Only popped up maybe twice more in all of the trials he did.”

“What do you mean when you say you can track well?” Nora then asked.

“I can smell where a vampire or person or anyone has been.  Even if they’ve been through water, or even in flight.  I can find someone just about anywhere and know where they’ve been.  I’m not restricted by things that complicate the scent to a normal vampire.”

“O.k. so…Dagon does these trials and these tests on hybrids.  Then what, he decides to make his own hybrid army or something?” Kale then spoke up.

“He’s trying to,” Caroline answered, “After his discoveries and we moved here, he had already recruited Kari and Caldwell.  They were the first to join besides me.  Once he was sire of this Blood Land he made the No Vinculum Law.  At this point in time a lot had been discovered about vampires and the Vinculum was one of them, however, the hybrid theory hadn’t been discovered by average vampires and Dagon was determined to keep it that way.  He didn’t want to run the risk of anyone else figuring it out so he made the law.  After the first few vampires were killed for doing it, no one ever did it again.”

“So that whole ‘it’s counterintuitive to our survival’ reason was all bullshit?” Kale pieced together.

“Yes and no.  It is true that it is a good reason for vampires to not preform the Vinculum, but it wasn’t the main reason for Dagon creating the law.”

“Son of a bitch,” Kale cursed, “And now he wants Nora to be one of his minions?”

“Yes, however, there’s a little more to it than that,” Caroline hesitated to answer.

“What do you mean by that?” Kale asked.

“Well, Dagon wants Nora specifically.  Because he believes she will obtain a certain rare ability that only popped up once in all of the trials he performed,” Caroline took a slight pause before she continued her sentence. “He believes she’ll have the ability to heal.”

“So what?” Nora now scoffed, “All vampires can heal.”

“Not like this.  The hybrid that showed the ability to heal in the tests could heal wounds that a normal vampire couldn’t.  Like Vinculum wounds after the vampire host had died and even vampire bites.  Even a bite that a vampire gave to another, one that would ordinarily be fatal.  The hybrid could reverse it; like it never happened.  She could perform this on herself as well as others.”

“And Dagon thinks Nora will have this?” Kale questioned.

Caroline nodded. “He’s about one hundred percent sure.  Her personality is in line with the sympathetic nature toward vampires that the test subject he had years ago possessed.  However, he didn’t know that particular ability would be so rare and he killed that subject before he found that out.  No other hybrid ever obtained that ability.  In all the tests he did.  It is the rarest of the rare.  And when he had heard about Nora helping Kale that one night, he knew he’d found another candidate for the healing ability.  And he wants it.”

“So basically, if he had that healing ability at his disposal…”

“He’d be unstoppable, yes.” Caroline grimly finished.

“But even if he were to get Nora,” Kale continued, “Why the army of hybrids?  What is he hoping to accomplish?”

“I believe he wants to eventually replace our vampire species with hybrids,” Caroline established, “With the hybrids not needing to survive on human blood there will be no need for humans anymore.  And if all the hybrids have Vinculums with Dagon he’ll be ruler over everyone.  He’ll be able to feed on them for sustenance and if any of them were to die, he’d have Nora to heal his Vinculum wounds.  And she’d have to do it.  She’d be attached to him and if he dies so would she.  Everyone would have to obey him. He’d basically be a god.”

“Jesus Christ…” Kale said in awe.  It was then quiet for a few seconds as all three of them sat in absorption of the information and dealt with the gravity of their situation.

“Well, at least we know one thing,” Kale then said, breaking the silence, “Dagon can’t get Nora.  We can’t let him.”

“So, what, I’m supposed to just sit here and hide from him?” Nora then blurted out as she looked over at Kale.

“What do you propose we do?” Kale responded.

“Well, I don’t know but I know I don’t want to just be some damsel in distress who just sits here and lets everyone else protect her.  I want to protect myself.  I want to fight too.” Nora offered.

“No.  No way,” Kale abruptly stated.

“Come on, just hear me out!” Nora begged but Kale just shook his head as she spoke.

“No, I’m not entertaining the possibility that you might get hurt.”

“I wouldn’t get hurt if you’d train me.  Teach me how to be stronger.  And maybe even if you let me….become a full hybrid….”

“No!” Kale then shouted, cutting her off, “That’s not happening.  No way.  No arguments!”

“Come on!  If I could become what Caroline is, I could help fight!  And what if…what if I don’t get the healing ability…” Nora then began, but trailed off a bit at the end of her statement.

“What do you mean?” Kale asked.

Nora then turned to Caroline. “Caroline, if I didn’t end up getting the healing ability, if Dagon was wrong and I got something else, do you think he would leave us alone?  Do you think he would give up on trying to get me to join him?”

Caroline sat and thought for a few seconds before she responded. “It’s possible.  He may just try to get you in order to stop Kale.  I think he’s afraid that Kale has figured out the same secret he has and is worried about him trying to take over but it’s very possible that he wouldn’t want you anymore if you didn’t have the ability to heal.”

Nora then turned back to Kale. “See?  If I don’t get the healing ability he may not want me anymore.  And if he still comes after us, I’d be a hybrid.  I could help fight!”

“But what if you still get it?” Kale argued, “He’s going to want you more than ever.”

“But I’d be on your side.  I’d have the Vinculum with you.  Not him.  It’d be an advantage to us.”

“I…” Kale said, “I just don’t want to risk it.  I think it’s a bad idea.”

“I don’t know, Kale,” Caroline then interjected, “I think Nora has a bit of a point.  It might be to our benefit to train her and let her get some hybrid abilities.”

“What?!” Kale barked, “You agree with her?!  Making her a hybrid would be reckless and dangerous!”

“Look, let me offer a compromise,” Caroline calmly continued, “You let Nora drink your blood…she gains some hybrid abilities, you teach her how to use them, train her but she doesn’t get her ability yet.  She’s not a hybrid.  She’s still her, just…stronger.  She can help us fight.”

Kale sat thinking to himself for a minute. Nora looked over at him as she watched him consider it. “Please, Kale,” Nora then pleaded, “I don’t want to be a weak human anymore.  Last night, I was helpless.  I couldn’t do anything when Aaron and Jay took me.  I don’t want that to happen again.  I want to fight for myself.  I want to help.  Please.”

Kale kept silent but looked over at Nora.  He could see the earnestness in her face.  He really didn’t want to agree to anything that would include changing her.  He didn’t want her to become less human.  Finally, however, he sighed in submission. “O.k.  I guess that’ll be alright.”

Nora smiled at him from under her layers of blankets. “Thank you, Kale, for understanding what this means to me.”

“Yeah…” Kale somewhat wavered in response as he then looked away from her so she wouldn’t have to see the obvious worry across his face.

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