Imperium (Caulborn) by Nicholas Olivo Read Free Book Online Page A

Megan said. “How can you do that?”
    I tried not to chew my lip. Galahad wouldn’t have sent her along if he didn’t trust her. “I get my powers from the Urisk. Their faith means that anything they can do, I can do, too, on a much bigger scale. If I really wanted to, I could command every rat in this city to dance in the streets.”
    “That’d be something to see. I suppose you could make quite a living as an exterminator.”
    “Now there’s a career I’d never considered. But never mind my job options. I sent the rats to investigate the vampires’ lair.”
    “I figured. How much detail can you get out of them? Will they give you an exact count of sentries, potential traps, that sort of thing?”
    “Not exactly. It’s more like being able to see what they’ve seen. So think of it as if I were looking through their eyes. If one of them spots a trap, I’ll notice it, but they don’t know that a wire running across a set of stairs is something to be wary of. They’ll just go around it. They’ll avoid people, though, and that will give me a feel for where the sentries are. Now we just need to wait.” We went back to Megan’s car. The vehicle’s warmth and pine air freshener were a welcome change from the cold, smelly alley.
    The rats came back a short while later. I got out of the car and crouched down in front of them. I let the images of the building run through my mind, let my brain translate the smells and sounds the rats had heard to something comprehensible. Once I was confident I understood everything they had showed me, I dismissed them with a wave of my hand. They squeaked and scampered back down the alley.
    I opened the car door and said to Megan, “They told me where the guards are, and doesn’t look like the vampires are planning anything sneaky.”
    “I thought you said we’d be under their protection.”
    “That’s true, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to take chances. Come on.” She got out of the car and started down the street. We entered a connecting alleyway when the first of the shadows detached itself from the walls above us. It dropped down silently and resolved into the form of a man about six feet tall. Two more appeared behind him. Crap. Next time I’d need to get some crows to check the surrounding buildings’ rooftops.
    “Two behind us,” Megan whispered.
    “Actually,” a voice called, “there are four behind you.”
    Did I mention that vampires really did have super acute senses? “We are here with Tom Bruli’s permission,” I said.
    “Well then,” the leader said, “I guess it’s too bad we don’t care what Tom Bruli says.”
    Double crap. These weren’t Midnight Clan vampires. These were Blood Runners, the other vampire clan that called Boston home.
    “We are representatives of Galahad XI,” Megan said, positioning herself so that she could draw the weapon beneath her coat. “Remember the pact. You are not to feed on humans.”
    “Oh, I’m aware of the pact’s terms and rules,” the leader said as he moved toward us. “However, we’re hungry, and really, the fun thing about rules and conditions is finding ways around them.” He took a step forward. He was tall and in the shadows I could see he had a muscular form. While I couldn’t make out his features, his eyes glowed red. “The simple truth of the matter is we can do whatever we want, so long as we don’t get caught. Now then,” he gestured toward Megan and me. “Let’s eat.”
     
     
     
     

Chapter 6
     
Begin Coded Transmission
Being the first non-Urisk to be able to speak their language, Lotholio brought Corinthos to the Bright Side. Details of what transpired there are unknown, but the believed outcome is that Lotholio established Corinthos as a god, one who would deliver them from the tyranny of the races that continually conquered their realm. Over time, Corinthos attracted a cult following and drew more power from the Urisk’s faith in him.
-NS
End Coded