That claim is so ludicrous, it knocks my fear back for a second. I scrunch my brows.
“Uh-huh.And what is it you want to do, exactly?”
A fang peeks out from under his lip. “It’s simple, really. I wish to reopen a channel to Ah Puch, God of the Dead, and restore his connection to the world.”
Collin sucks in a breath. “Jaysus!”
I dip my chin to hide my face and shoot the Avatar another sidelong glance.
He grits his teeth and spills the tea. “Ah Puch was the Mayan name for Savadeva, the god of corpses—a great power who holds dominion over all the horrific and terrifying aspects of death. He inspired desperate fear in every human culture that became aware of him, but like all the other Old Gods, he’s been prevented from interfering in our world for centuries. I have no idea why he’d want to bring him back, but it won’t be for anything good.”
“Mm.” I take a beat to make sure my voice remains steady before I raise it to address Valiente. “A god of death, huh? And why exactly do you think Rafa and I would want to help you two get in touch?”
His face lights up. He seems genuinely pleased I asked. “Because when his connection to the world was severed centuries ago, every single member of the undead became a vicious monster. Monsters my son and I pledged our lives to fight. But if I can restore even a small amount of Ah Puch’s power, then the minds of the undead would return. They would be themselves again and would no longer continue to exist as what they are now: mere soulless abominations.” He gestures around to the vampires holding the kids at gunpoint.
I follow his hand and take in the coldly hungry eyes of the other vamps who, for a lack of a better word, do indeed seem “soulless.” And now that I think of it, the vampires who attacked me in the Lake Street house didn’t seem all that special, not like Valiente. Same with the Hunter’s Point vampires. Maybe they were followingsomeone’sstrategy, but I saw no intelligence looking back at me then or now—only relentless, mindless hunger.
But Mr. Valiente seems sharp as a tack. So, why is that?
“I see,” I say. “Well, your mind seems more or less okay…”
His smile is bittersweet. “Ah. That is because of this.” He removes an amulet from under his collar, revealing the source of the ozone-flavored magic I sensed under his shirt the last time we faced each other. It’s the same taste of magic that emanated from the evil tome I left back at Stryker’s office. The amulet itself is an irregular chunk of amber on a thin string of silver, and in the center is a tear-shaped globule of dark red.
“This stone contains one of the last remaining drops of Ah Puch’s blood. The necklace was obtained by the original monks of the Benevolent Society and concealed here for decades, until a curious or bored caretaker decided to try it on. It eventually transformed the man into a vampire, one clever enough to realize that his safety depended on neutralizing the Monster Hunters at his doorstep. Through cunning, he and the vampires he brought with him were able to catch my clan by surprise.”
A wave of bitter anger crosses his face before he continues. “They tore through us as we slept, and in mere minutes, the former monk was able to turn all my dearest friends into monsters. I was the last to fall, but he got careless. His clothing was torn and, just as he finished turning me, he allowed the amulet he wore to touch my bare skin. It immediately restored my senses, so I rippedthe stone from his neck to distract him and plunged the wooden stake still in my grip directly into his heart.”
He smoothly tucks the amulet back under his shirt with a satisfied smile and shrugs. “I was going to stab the same stake through my own heart. I couldn’t allow myself to fall into madness and risk hurting… those I loved.” His eyes fall on Rafa, who he has very much hurt. The Hunter meets his father’s eyes, but I can’t read his expression. Valiente gazes back with a twisted look of affection. “But then I realized that because of the amulet in my hand, I was still myself. That I had no desire to cause harm to anyone. And that the friends I lost that day, and there were many”—he gestures again at the undead Hunters around the room—“that they all could be restored. If I had the right tools. The right magic.”
I squint, deeply skeptical. “Wait. So you’re saying what you’ve done”—like him, I gesture to the children and armed vampires that surround us—“kidnapping little kids for some ritual to summon an ancient god—it’s all just to get your buddies back?”
He huffs, bitterly. “Notjustmy buddies. My wife. The love of my life. And Rafa’s mother. They turned her, too.” He looks to his right and a raven-haired Hunter in her thirties lowers her gun and steps forward, leaving the slight teen boy she was holding to tremble behind her. Her eyes are both cold and wild—and completely devoid of humanity. She stands there like a ravenous, hate-filled robot.
Rafa twists his head to see her, and his lips part with shock.
“Oh, God,” he whispers, tears welling up. Just like with his dad, it looks like he didn’t know about her, either.
“The amulet lets me control them. But that’s all. She doesn’t recognize me. I can’t talk to her.” Mr. Valiente’s voice hitches. “She’s gone, completely.” He returns his gaze to me. “But with a little more of Ah Puch’s power, Rafa and I could have her back.” He blinks back his own tears, tinged pink with blood, but his face fills with hope. “And we could have her backforever.”
He motions for her to return with a wave of his hand, and she resumes her position with her double-action Beretta raised to the boy’s temple. When I check, I realize she’s surrounded by that ozone-flavored magic. It’s all over this room. Around Valiente. Around each of the vamps. Sprawling clouds of chlorine stink.Thatmust be how he’s controlling them.
Not like I can do anything with that information, though.
Valiente’s voice rises. He’s become as fired up as a church pastor. “And not just my wife.Allof them. There are tens of thousands of vampires now, all around the globe, each one a rabid killer. But if we could restore them, they would no longer be monsters. They would think like humans again. Like the mothers and fathers and sons and daughters they used to be. Hell, humanity might even choose to embrace vampirism! This could be the start of a world without disease or death. Of never losing a loved one again. You’re young, and I won’t pretend the path would be easy, but surely you can see the benefit of such a tremendous chance for redemption and healing!”
He finishes with a grin, standing tall, hand extended toward me, practicallyglowingwith the possibilities.
I’m beginning to get a good idea why he built himself a stage.
When I walked in here, all I felt from him was bitter, superior cynicism—but he really seems to believe what he’s saying. And it’s not like he doesn’t have a point. If the minds of vampires could be completely restored to them, it’s not unreasonable to think they might be less dangerous than other paranormals. They aren’t demons—they were born human. And there are probably lots of ways they could get the blood they need. I should know better than anyone that labeling someone a monster and calling it a day isn’t right.
But there are a few minor details he’s leaving out. This guy has abducted kids, locked them up, fed on them, and currently has them at gunpoint. He also tortured Collin, ceaselessly, mercilessly, for years. And he clearly didn’t have a problem with beating up his own son and using him as bait. Maybe he does have his intelligence back, but he’s still been acting an awful lot like a soulless monster.
If he truly were restored, you’d expect this former Monster Hunter to behave a bit better, no?
I glance up at Rafa to see if he’s buying any of this. He’s pressed his lips into a thin line, and his eyes dart from his father to the raven-haired vampire, clearly conflicted. What exactly that conflict is, I can’t tell.
I look to Collin. He wanted time to figure out what Valiente wanted, and I managed to trigger a full supervillain monologue. The Avatar of Knowledge is supposedlythe smartest being in the universe. Surely, he hassomeanswer for me by now!
