Read Online Kardinal by Thomas Emson - Free Book Online
Authors: Thomas Emson
Tags: Fiction - Fantasy, Vampires
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darkness.
He kept descending.
Water dripped. Rats skittered. Lawton braced himself. He was ready for an attack. Human or vampire, he would deal with it. He feared no one. Vampires baulked at the sight of him, armed with the spear, marked by the red skin of the trinity – he was their nemesis. And no human worried Lawton. He had faced the strongest and the deadliest as a soldier, and, during the past three years, as an illegal bareknuckle fighter. He’d retired undefeated. But he’d come out of retirement if anyone fancied their chances. Right now , he was thinking. Right now. Bring it on .
Down he went, spiralling deeper into the bowels of the ancient church. Finally, he reached the bottom of the stairs. Ahead of him, another door, hanging off its hinges. It led into a dark room. Lawton threw a beam of light into the darkness. Images flashed in the illumination. He saw two rats eating raw flesh. He saw another rat cocooned in cobwebs. He didn’t want to imagine the spider that had trapped the animal in its silk.
Entering the room, the air grew colder. The sound of water dripping became louder. He scanned the room with the torch.
Something hissed. Lawton stiffened. It sounded like a voice, a whisper. He shook his head, dismissing his initial judgment.
It couldn’t have been , he thought.
He traced the beam around the room. The light fell on a pile of bones. Lawton froze, holding the remains in the torchlight. Even before he started to approach, he knew what animal the bones belonged to.
They belonged to a human animal.
He cursed as he surveyed the skeletons. There were dozens. Children among them.
Something scraped along the wall. Lawton jerked the flashlight towards the noise. He staggered in horror at what the beam showed.
Pinned to the far wall, there were more skeletons. They had been crucified. Their jaws hung open as if in eternal agony. He moved the torchlight along the remains and counted fifteen before the wall turned a corner. Shining his torch around the bend, he caught glimpses of more human bones, either piled on the floor or nailed to the walls.
“Jesus,” he said.
It was a charnel house.
These people had been murdered.
They’d been tortured.
But why?
“… voivode… ” came a whisper.
Lawton wheeled. The torchlight sliced the darkness. In its beam, Lawton was sure he saw a figure. But in that split second he decided it was his mind playing tricks. He had to keep calm. He had to stay in control of his body.
He kneeled, gripping the spear tightly, and raised the torch slowly towards the area where he thought he’d seen the figure. A cell was tucked into the far corner of the cellar. The bars were rusty. They were bent outwards. He lifted the flashlight slowly, and the beam settled on the hem of a white dress.
Lawton’s bowels turned to ice.
He stood.
He aimed the light at the figure in the cell.
He clenched his teeth, trying not to pass out.
The woman sat calmly. She had coal-black hair, and her skin was snow-white. Her red eyes burned in the gloom, and the dress she wore seemed to float around her.
Lawton’s throat locked.
It was the woman from his dream.
The one who had been calling him.
She was incredibly beautiful. He could not take his eyes off her. He was transfixed, and his body suddenly ached for hers. But there was something abominable about her. Something that made him sick. He was desperate to touch her skin, but knew if he did it would be cold and dead.
Then the woman smiled, revealing her fangs.
She said, “ Am asteptat 500 ani pentru tine, voivode .”
Lawton tried to say he didn’t understand. The woman rose and floated through the buckled bars of the cell. Lawton tried to move away. But he was frozen to the spot. He was terrified. He’d never known such terror. His hand tightened on the spear. But he felt weak, his body sapped of energy.
She came to him, and he smelled her – roses and death.
With one hand, she held his wrist, preventing him from
He kept descending.
Water dripped. Rats skittered. Lawton braced himself. He was ready for an attack. Human or vampire, he would deal with it. He feared no one. Vampires baulked at the sight of him, armed with the spear, marked by the red skin of the trinity – he was their nemesis. And no human worried Lawton. He had faced the strongest and the deadliest as a soldier, and, during the past three years, as an illegal bareknuckle fighter. He’d retired undefeated. But he’d come out of retirement if anyone fancied their chances. Right now , he was thinking. Right now. Bring it on .
Down he went, spiralling deeper into the bowels of the ancient church. Finally, he reached the bottom of the stairs. Ahead of him, another door, hanging off its hinges. It led into a dark room. Lawton threw a beam of light into the darkness. Images flashed in the illumination. He saw two rats eating raw flesh. He saw another rat cocooned in cobwebs. He didn’t want to imagine the spider that had trapped the animal in its silk.
Entering the room, the air grew colder. The sound of water dripping became louder. He scanned the room with the torch.
Something hissed. Lawton stiffened. It sounded like a voice, a whisper. He shook his head, dismissing his initial judgment.
It couldn’t have been , he thought.
He traced the beam around the room. The light fell on a pile of bones. Lawton froze, holding the remains in the torchlight. Even before he started to approach, he knew what animal the bones belonged to.
They belonged to a human animal.
He cursed as he surveyed the skeletons. There were dozens. Children among them.
Something scraped along the wall. Lawton jerked the flashlight towards the noise. He staggered in horror at what the beam showed.
Pinned to the far wall, there were more skeletons. They had been crucified. Their jaws hung open as if in eternal agony. He moved the torchlight along the remains and counted fifteen before the wall turned a corner. Shining his torch around the bend, he caught glimpses of more human bones, either piled on the floor or nailed to the walls.
“Jesus,” he said.
It was a charnel house.
These people had been murdered.
They’d been tortured.
But why?
“… voivode… ” came a whisper.
Lawton wheeled. The torchlight sliced the darkness. In its beam, Lawton was sure he saw a figure. But in that split second he decided it was his mind playing tricks. He had to keep calm. He had to stay in control of his body.
He kneeled, gripping the spear tightly, and raised the torch slowly towards the area where he thought he’d seen the figure. A cell was tucked into the far corner of the cellar. The bars were rusty. They were bent outwards. He lifted the flashlight slowly, and the beam settled on the hem of a white dress.
Lawton’s bowels turned to ice.
He stood.
He aimed the light at the figure in the cell.
He clenched his teeth, trying not to pass out.
The woman sat calmly. She had coal-black hair, and her skin was snow-white. Her red eyes burned in the gloom, and the dress she wore seemed to float around her.
Lawton’s throat locked.
It was the woman from his dream.
The one who had been calling him.
She was incredibly beautiful. He could not take his eyes off her. He was transfixed, and his body suddenly ached for hers. But there was something abominable about her. Something that made him sick. He was desperate to touch her skin, but knew if he did it would be cold and dead.
Then the woman smiled, revealing her fangs.
She said, “ Am asteptat 500 ani pentru tine, voivode .”
Lawton tried to say he didn’t understand. The woman rose and floated through the buckled bars of the cell. Lawton tried to move away. But he was frozen to the spot. He was terrified. He’d never known such terror. His hand tightened on the spear. But he felt weak, his body sapped of energy.
She came to him, and he smelled her – roses and death.
With one hand, she held his wrist, preventing him from
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