Chapter Seventeen
~The Marble Twins~
For three days they trekked through the wilderness, going east and north. Headed towards the Canadian border, where Logan said there would be less people. With less people came less of an opportunity to be noticed.
Laura hadn’t seen any signs of their pursuers, but Logan assured her they were coming. He made haste, pushing the pace as often as he could to increase the separation between them… and whoever was coming after them.
Laura’s dress fit snugly, and Logan complimented her on it once or twice. More importantly, though, he said it was doing its job – by leaving her old clothes behind, Laura had less of a scent by which they could be tracked. Laura wondered how much of an advantage it actually gave them. Logan assured her it was significant.
She also wondered sometimes how Logan managed to procure the garment, but whenever she asked, he went curiously mum. No amount of prodding or urging would change his stance, and Laura decided to drop the subject eventually.
On the morning of the fourth day, while making their way through dense shrub and heavy bush, Laura noticed a strange gleam from among the branches overhead. She stopped, and squinted her eyes. There was nothing here she could think of that the sun could reflect off like that.
“What is it?” Logan asked, once he noticed she stopped following him.
“Look up there,” she replied, pointing to her left. “Do you see anything?”
Logan looked, and shook his head. “Just leaves and branches. Why?”
“I thought I saw light reflecting from there.” She moved her head to the side. “There it is again!”
“Really?” Logan picked his way back to her. She pointed in the direction of the glare. He looked that way. “You’re right,” he nodded. “I can’t see it as well as you, but that reflection’s definitely there.”
“Should we go see what it is?”
“We need to continue on, but…” he shrugged. “A few minutes won’t kill us.”
He started towards the source of light, and Laura followed. The reflection disappeared as they walked towards it, blocked by the trees, so after a while, Laura couldn’t be sure if they were headed the right way or not.
Unexpectedly, they stumbled into a clearing. Laura’s jaw dropped. Hidden deep in the seclusion of the woods stood a polished white tower. It looked like a marking of sorts, or perhaps a monument. A narrow base converged into a point high in the sky, doubling the height of any nearby trees. Laura thought if she wrapped her arms around the structure, her fingers could nearly meet on the other side.
“What is it?” Laura asked.
“I… don’t know,” Logan answered. Cautiously, he walked up to it. By the overgrowth in the clearing, Laura guessed they were the first ones to come upon it in generations. She followed Logan.
As they got closer, Laura started to make out symbols inscribed in the marble. They looked like hieroglyphics, and twirled all the way up to the top. Logan was studying them intently.
“Do you know what they are?” she asked.
“They’re hard for me to see, but… I think they’re here to ward against intruders.”
“A warning?” Laura asked.
“Maybe. I think this tower may have a twin around here somewhere.” He looked around. “You can see better in the light – see if you can spot another reflection.”
Laura looked around them. The clearing in which they stood appeared to be isolated from the growth of trees and vegetation around them. Then her eyes caught something: a twinkle, from not too far away. Had she not been consciously looking for it, she thought she would have missed it.
“Over there,” she told him pointing in its direction. “I saw a glimmer there.”
“Ok.” Logan started walking in the direction she pointed. Instead of going with him, Laura walked closer to the tower. Its vibrant shine called out to her, its pure white surface begging for her touch. She reached out to put a hand on it…
And she knew danger. Terrible images of death flashed in her mind. Danger! Humans being carved like pigs on a sacrificial stone, children hanging by their necks in chains with blood streaming out of their eyes. Danger! Women being skinned alive, their tortuous screams unaffecting their hooded captors. Danger! Danger!
Laura ripped her hand away from the stone, and the images died. She looked around wildly, searching for Logan. She was alone. “Logan?” she cried out. No answer. “Logan, where are you!?”
She ran in the direction she thought he went. “Logan? Logan!” She tripped on a root, and started to fall forward, right on her face – when a pair of strong hands caught her.
“There you are,” Logan said as he helped her up. “What’s going on?”
“Logan, the tower,” she began breathlessly, “I touched it, and there were images, images of death, and suffering, all the bodies, nobody was safe!” She collapsed sobbing into him, and he held her tight.
“There, there,” he said soothingly, “nobody’s going to hurt you. Not when you’re with me.” Laura felt the sincerity in his words, and gripped him even tighter. For better or for worse, he was all she had.
“Now, you said you saw images?” She nodded vigorously. “And they came when you touched the tower?” Again, more nodding. “I want to see for myself.”
He held her close as he walked towards the tower. She stopped a good ten yards short, not wanting to come any closer. Logan, however, marched right up to it. He reached out to place a hand on it…
And nothing happened. He looked back to her quizzically. He took his hand off, and placed it on again. He tried a few more times, but then shook his head and came back to her.
“Are you sure, Laura? Perhaps the travel is getting to you.”
“I’m sure.”
“I felt nothing.”
“I felt… danger. A warning. For me to stay away. Far away from this place.”
“That’s interesting,” Logan mused.
“Interesting? It’s terrifying! Have you ever heard of anything like it before?”
“My own gift,” he said absentmindedly. “I have a suspicion…” he trailed off. Then he grabbed her hand and led her away.
“The other tower,” he explained. “I got sight of it when I heard your cries, and rushed back. But I have a feeling… well, you’ll see.” He led her through the dense forest, around thick trees and right through heavy shrubs. Finally, another clearing appeared ahead of them.
This one was smaller; much more compact. But a near-identical tower stood right in the middle. Except that this one was pure black. Again, the stone gleamed in a marvelous luster.
“I don’t want to come any closer,” Laura said.
Logan looked at her, and nodded. “I understand.” Leaving her at the clearing’s edge, he marched up to the tower. And bent his head close, examining its surface. “There are markings here, too,” he told her. “Just as I suspected. And I think I can understand them.”
“You can? How?”
“Come closer and I’ll show you.” She hesitated. “You needn’t worry; I don’t think this tower will have any effect on you.”
Cautiously, she inched her way closer. Just close enough so she could make out the inscriptions. She saw foreign letters and shapes, completely different from the ones that adorned the white tower. They spiraled up in much the same way, but in an opposite direction.
Logan ran a finger along one line. “These,” he said, “are ancient vampire symbols.”
“They are?”
“Yes. It is a language that has been long forgotten in favor of the human tongue, but I’ve picked up bits and pieces of it over the years. Not many of my kind even know it exists, now. But I think I can make out enough…” he paused, studying the letters. His finger ran up, following the twisting text, and he walked around the tower slowly, reading. “This predates the elders,” he said to himself with awe.
“The elders? You’ve mentioned them before, but you never explained to me who they are.”
“Ah. Well, just as it sounds. They’re the most ancient of vampires, and they watch over our race. We answer to their demands, and they administer justice over matters of… importance. They provide their wisdom, and ensure the unity of the Vassiz. They are highly revered. Almost as much as the vampire creed.” He smiled at Laura knowingly. “Which I broke.”
“How long have the elders had control?”
“Since our history started being recorded. Perhaps longer. There is not a single vampire alive who can say they lived in a time when the elders did not rule. But this…” he looked to the tower “… this, I have not heard mention of before.”
“You said the markings predate the elders?”
“Yes. I believe so. If they do – if these towers do – it is a monumental discovery. There is no consensus as to how the elders came to power in the first place. But there are whispers, uttered in only the darkest of crevices, and under penalty of death, that their ascent to power was not peaceful. In fact, some say it was much the opposite. They say our race paid a great price for the overseers.” He turned his head back to the tower, and continued reading. “I think… I think this was a place where great rituals once took place. And I think there’s more to it than just these towers.”
“What do you mean?”
“If we look, I think we can find it. A sanctuary, maybe. A part of the writings, they say… ‘Come hither, Thou who seek Respite, and Fear Not for your Mind.’ I think… that this was a safe-place for the Vassiz, once.”
“A safe place from what?” Laura could not imagine a single vampire – a Vassiz – needing to hide from anything.
“Maybe if we find it, we’ll find out.” He set off, but Laura caught his arm.
“Logan, wait. I don’t think this is a good idea. What I felt, what I saw, when I touched that tower…” she shuddered.
“You’re with me, remember?” he said reassuringly. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Besides, I suspect that part of the power of the sanctuary is to keep humans away.”