Apotheosis, page 6
After she had finished, Ondřej sat in quiet consideration for a few minutes before speaking. “An intriguing possibility,” he allowed, “if the Ardisi implement the plan you describe in the way you describe.”
Ana sighed inwardly; she was a soldier, not a courtier. She wondered whether it was appropriate to take umbrage on Luka’s behalf, but eventually decided to explain the Ardisi position in more detail. “Your presence here helps to maintain the status quo, which we want to maintain. The plan I have outlined accurately describes our intentions.”
Sofija, who had been standing silently to the left of Ondřej’s throne, studying the Ardisi, suddenly laughed a silvery, mocking laugh. “Of course we don’t think that you would be aware of whether Lady Tamar was being duplicitous. You would be merely a pawn in her machinations, best serving her interests if you were unaware of your true role.” She shook her head in amusement. “Nor do I believe that you are capable of hiding secrets if Luka had said something to you that hinted at a longer game.”
Ana’s eyes smouldered at the insulting rebuke. “If you believe that I believe that this offer is genuine, then we are at an impasse – how do you hope to determine whether this offer is indeed what it seems?”
Tomas Černý spoke up. “We must see the Ardisi commit to achieving control over the Dnieper before we will begin ramping up our aggression in Belarus. Otherwise, we risk overextending our forces by escalating our conflict with the Yuskevich while leaving our border forts unprepared to defend against a possible incursion by the von Runstedts.” He stared at Ana with quiet intensity, as if willing her to understand the gravity of that risk to the Matoušek.
After a moment of silence, Ondřej continued where Tomas had left off. “But, if the Ardisi can control the Dnieper, and send us several units of bonded human soldiers and hardware to help defend our western border, then we will assault Minsk and exert control over the rest of Belarus.” Ondřej smiled questioningly at Ana. “I bear you no ill-will personally, Ana. Your reputation as a fine commander precedes you, and I meant it when I said that I am in your debt for saving commander Anton Horak. Luka Sidamoni, however, is an altogether different matter: where he is concerned, my trust must be bought with blood, not words.”
The sense of what they said, and the risk of utter destruction that the Matoušek faced if they were to show any weakness to the von Runstedts to their west, decided the matter for Ana. She glanced at Tomaz, who gave her a quick nod of support, before she spoke. “I apologise for my lack of manners. You are, of course, correct to be wary, and were Luka in your situation, I am certain he would respond in a manner similar to your own wise response. I will carry your message back to Luka, then we will begin ridding Ukraine of the dregs of Karpati and Yuskevich who erroneously lay claim to those lands.” She flicked her hand noncommittally as she continued. “I cannot predict when we might finish that task, or when we can start to integrate the first units of our bonded human soldiers into your command and control structures, but I look forward to meeting with you again when that time comes.”
Ondřej smiled good-naturedly once more. “Thank you, Ana Kvaratskhelia. I, too, look forward to that time. For now, your journey has been long – feel free to rest and refresh yourself here in the palace for some time before returning to Odesa.”
Ana bowed before backing away two steps and turning on her heel. The rest of her squad followed her out of the hall.
The journey back to the lands of the Ardisi took almost as long as it took to get to Rundāle Palace in the first place, and spring was giving way to a humid summer by the time they arrived at their destination – Narikala Fortress in Tbilisi, the current administrative centre of the Ardisi. Luka managed the day-to-day activities of the clan from Narikala while Tamar and Mikhail spent most of their time resting in their coffins in their ancestral manor house, hidden deep in the Caucasus mountains, a location known only to Luka and the Sleepwatch Guards who maintained their security. The Narikala complex had been expanded in recent years, but the church of Saint Nicholas was still its centre point. Luka was holding court there, seated in an iron chair placed where the altar had been, surrounded by human petitioners and young or low-ranked Ardisi vampires hoping to be given assignments to improve their standing within the clan hierarchy. There were currently an unusually large number of petitioners, and the church felt cramped. As Ana entered, the court fell quiet, and the silence was broken only by the clicking of her boot heels on the flagstones. A path to the altar opened as the petitioners made room in front of her, and she strode to place herself in front of Luka, bowing deeply to him. When she straightened, she half glanced around at the assembled court, before raising an eyebrow to Luka, asking him whether she should speak of her mission in front of them, only speaking once she saw him nod his assent.
“If we can capture and maintain control of the Dnieper River and the surrounding lands, then several units of bonded human soldiers with armoured vehicles could be sent north,” she offered, trying to be circumspect.
Luka smiled his understanding. “I had predicted this and have been making arrangements. At the start of spring, I sent word to our covens throughout Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Greece and Bulgaria to send all the brothers and sisters of low rank they could spare. Most have arrived, which explains the current…” – he gestured around at the crowd – “lack of empty space in here.”
Ana bowed again, acknowledging his prescience, before asking: “Have the Karpati retaliated for our actions in Lviv?”
The smile drained from Luka’s face. “Unfortunately, yes. They have overrun our coven in Skopje, murdering everyone there. We don’t have forces in position to retake it, currently, and as we are turning our attention northward, I suspect that we will have to settle for trading Macedonia for central Ukraine. I have tasked Gabor Nemeth with personally applying pressure around Skopje to ensure they don’t attempt to leverage their advantage there any further,” he explained. Gabor was the leader of the Istanbul coven, and similar in age to Luka, although lacking Luka’s power and prestige. “Sandor has also sent word of Karpati raids along the Danube and between Varna and Odesa, but he has been successful in repelling those. I deliberately chose not to pull any warriors from those covens for the northern campaign, as they need all the soldiers they have for defence.”
Ana nodded, knowing that the Ardisi were in as precarious a position as the Matoušek. She hoped that the risk was worth the reward, but accepted that if the Matoušek were to fall, then Ludwig von Runstedt would turn his full attention either toward the Cordova or the Karpati, and either scenario spelt chaos and bloodshed in letters a mile high. It was likely that House von Runstedt would be able to destroy each remaining House one by one, with the possible exception of the Sibirsky, if unfettered from the knife named Ondřej Matoušek at its back.
Luka stood and turned to address the silent crowd. “Gather your equipment and organise yourselves into the squads you have been assigned. You leave tonight by truck to Batumi, from whence you will take ship to Odesa, and then begin our Dnieper campaign.”
FIVE
Clearing the Way
Janek sat with his back to a tree on a hillside bordering the old radiation exclusion zone north of Chernobyl. It had been a bloody two months as squads of Ardisi vampires had spread out across a swathe of land from Chișinău in the west to Sevastopol in the east and pacified every village and town northward to the old Belarussian border. The headman of every village and the governor of every town had been bonded by spitting into their mouths, and human soldiers were then garrisoned in every town and village, with communication schedules and dog patrols organised. Squads of vampires prowled the countryside looking for Karpati or Yuskevich spies and operatives, and blood was spilled generously on both sides as skirmishes broke out in dozens of locations. It had been a trial by fire for many of the younger Ardisi vampires, some of whom were less than two decades old: seeds that had sprouted during the Upheaval. Almost a third of their number had been killed, as snipers and landmines claimed victims even as the dregs of enemy forces pulled back. Those who had survived had gained valuable skills and experience but were still green, by any measure. Now they had an even greater challenge: driving back the Yuskevites who were mobilising against them from Bryansk and Gomel.
Ana was in command of the operation around Kyiv, coordinating the squads taking control of the countryside and the army that was currently engaging with the Yuskevites in the north. She had sent each member of her squad out separately to scout the Yuskevite positions, and now she was stuck between an army on one side and a melted nuclear reactor on the other, near the abandoned town of Khoiniki. A column of human soldiers was passing through the town, headed south toward Kamaryn. The sun would set in a few short hours, and Janek expected them to set up camp on the south side of the town before sunset, whereupon he would circle around them and head further north to count how many troops were headed southward. Ana had set up radio masts on the hills north of Kyiv to provide communications coverage for the combat theatre, and Janek would radio in the counts of hostiles once he had established their numbers.
As the sun started to sink, the sound of men hammering and setting up tents rang through the valley. Janek continued to wait patiently. As the sun dropped below the horizon, a gust of wind brought a scent to his nostrils that made him hug the ground – a Yuskevich vampire squad was hopping out of the back of a truck in the camp below and fanning out to begin a sweep of the surroundings. He watched carefully to see where they began to move to, then slowly crept his way around the hillside until he was completely hidden from view should they chance to look his way. To be seen by them was to die. Once he had the ridgeline between him and them, he began running to the north-west – he would have to circle back around to the east after he had evaded their patrol. The moon was bright, and moths and bats were plentiful in the air. He tried to stay away from trees, as autumn was in full swing and the forest floor was carpeted with crunchy leaves. He stopped every few hundred metres, listening for any strange noises or patches of unusual silence in the forest that might signal the presence of another vampire, and smelling the air. He knew that there would be more than one squad out on patrol that night. Eventually he decided that he had circled far enough away to the west to be beyond the arc of their patrol sweep and turned north-east. It was approaching midnight by the time he reached the main highway south from Rechytsa, and he waited until the moon was obscured by clouds before quickly scampering over the other side and into the forest beyond. He could see the dark smudge of an army camp further up the highway and estimated its size before heading further east toward the road that ran parallel to the Dnieper. Creeping through the forest, he was able to count two more camps of troops camped along the second road and decided that he needed to radio the intel back to Ana: a very sizeable force of Yuskevich-bonded soldiers was headed south.
He slunk back into the forbidding forest for several kilometres, hunched down into the roots of a large tree, and rested for a few minutes before taking out his radio. Just as he was about to switch it on, the sound of soft footfalls reached his ears. He melted into the deepest shadows and glanced around slowly, avoiding any movement that might attract the eye. Finally, his ears guided his eyes toward a vampire who was patrolling this part of the forest. Her movement was practised and deliberate – moving from one dense stand of trees to another, avoiding stepping on their fallen leaves, and pausing systematically to listen and look for hostile movement, headed directly past the copse within which he crouched. Janek breathed a silent sigh of relief: it was sheer luck that they had not crossed paths while he was still moving, which could have resulted in her detecting him first. As it was, he had the advantage, and a choice: evade her and allow the Yuskevites to believe that this sector was clear of Ardisi spies, or to kill her quickly before she smelled him and raised the alarm. The latter option was much higher risk, and even if successful would give some information to the enemy when they found her body – but it was an opportunity for him to feed, and Janek’s hunger was suddenly stronger than ever. He recalled the last time he had properly fed on a vampire soldier, almost two years ago, and he ached to feel properly satiated again.
Keeping trees between them, Janek stalked closer and closer to where her path would intersect with his. Holding his breath, he waited behind the last tree, counting her footsteps and estimating her position. With a sudden, vicious turn, he reached out and grabbed her by the hair and mouth, clamping her jaw shut and stretching her neck out for his fangs. She spasmed in shock and alarm as his teeth pierced her artery, but barely had time to whimper before going limp. He drank deeply of her blood, savouring the salty flavour and the sticky warmth covering his face and neck. A slow ecstasy spread through his body as he sucked, far stronger than the pleasure received from drinking mere human blood. Long minutes passed until he was done, and he dragged her corpse deep into the stand of trees and covered it with leaves. He realised he was shaking as his body absorbed her blood, and the virus in his cells fought against the virus in the blood he had consumed, integrating some useful pieces of Yuskevich DNA into his own Ardisi strain. His cells would soon begin to express the updated genomic code, and he would be faster and more powerful than he had been before. She wasn’t a particularly old or powerful vampire – certainly much younger and weaker than he – so Janek knew that the most debilitating part of the digestion process would only last a few days, and he would not need to rest properly in a coffin for weeks or months in order to digest his meal; nonetheless, he needed to be careful during that period as his senses would be dulled, his reactions slow and his strength minimal. He returned to his spot in the roots of the tree nearby and rested for a few minutes until the worst of his shaking and weakness had passed. He knew that her presence would be missed within a couple of hours at the latest, so he only had that long to report to Ana and then leave the area, probably deeper to the north where he would not be expected to run to. With trembling hands still sticky with blood, he switched the radio on, raised it to his lips and, in a quiet voice still husky with satiated hunger, began his report.
Small figurines lay on the map where Tomaz, Janek, Marianna and Zsolt had reported seeing military units. Ana drummed her fingers on the table as she considered the best plan of action. She knew that the information she had about the enemy’s disposition was a vital weapon that the Yuskevich did not know she had, and she believed that they would not have as much information about the location and strength of her own forces, since she had more vampire squads combing the countryside for their spies than they did. They were likely to underestimate the commitment of the Ardisi to controlling this region and thus the amount of hardware they had brought. The plan began to take shape in her mind as she considered a feint north-east toward Chernihiv with half her army, which would suddenly turn west, while the other half of her army marched through Chernobyl to pincer the enemy at Kamaryn. Vampire units would pounce out of the radioecological reserve to kill messengers and fleeing soldiers, assassinate commanders and cause havoc. The tank and artillery unit she had – small, consisting of only three tanks and two self-propelled howitzer artillery vehicles, but priceless in this age where such weapons were almost unheard of, most having been long since destroyed – would lay suppression fire up the length of the highway to Brehin. Once the enemy had been routed, they would roll them back to Rechytsa, harry them across the river to Gomel, encircle it with her forces, and burn the city down around them. Ana smiled with anticipation: it would be a long few days, but they would all have their fill of blood by the time it was all said and done.
Ana’s squad was reunited once Gomel lay in smoking ruins, with no building left standing, pummelled by the artillery and tanks. Dust and smoke lay thick in the air, and the screams of wounded and dying soldiers filled the air. The human army had led the assault during the day, while at night the squads of vampires had stalked the city, street by street, drenching it in the blood of the enemy who cowered there. The general of the Ardisi-bonded human soldiers saluted Ana. “Ma’am, the pacification of the city is complete. We estimate total enemy casualties at just over one and a half thousand, including upward of forty vampires all told. We were unable to capture any equipment aside from a few AK-47s, unfortunately, as all of their hardware was destroyed by our bombardment. Total casualties on our side were relatively light, with only two hundred and eighty-seven soldiers dead, and another fifty-odd wounded. Nineteen irreplaceable Ardisi have unfortunately fallen to the enemy during the campaign so far, according to my reports – please accept my humble apologies for my failure to ensure their safety!” he said, shaking with fear.
Ana nodded impatiently, keeping her face impassive despite the wrenching feeling in her gut at hearing of the deaths of her brothers and sisters. Of the forty-two vampires she had brought north, almost half of them were dead. “Thank you, General Guramishvili, and your apologies are unnecessary: my brothers and sisters died in service to our Lady Tamar and together we have achieved a great victory for our House.” She pointed north. “Set up a patrol schedule and establish a fifty-kilometre perimeter. I want scouts with radios to let us know if any enemy mobilisation is discovered – two squads of vampires will also be provided to help for this purpose. The remaining four vampire squads will take up guard stations over the length of the Dnieper. But half of the remaining human army, including the tanks, need to get ready to move, for tomorrow we head west.” She turned to her squad, who waited patiently to the side. “We will all travel together some distance, but then Marianna, Janek and Zsolt will take a truck and head north to Rundāle Palace, while Tomaz and I will lead the army to Brest, then to Bialystok, and integrate it into the Matoušek command and control structure before joining you at the palace.”
