Best New Vampire Tales: Vol 1 Part 8

"Wine. A very rare vintage."

Audrey licked her lips and said, "Let me see that."

She walked over, looked at the label and nodded, as if in approval.

"Good wine," she said.

"I'd be willing to trade it for some help," I said.

"What kind?"

"I need a curse undone. Can you do it?"

"I can't. That's not my department. But maybe Marjorie can."

"Who's Marjorie?"

"The head of our union."

"Union? I thought it was a coven."

"We have labor unions too, you know. Magicless aren't the only ones who get exploited by an uncaring bourgeoisie."

"Right, I'm sorry."

Great, I thought. Just what I needed. A socialist witch and her labor union. I wonder if werewords had labor unions as well.

"This way," Audrey said.

I followed her over to the edge of the railing. She vaulted over it and flew out of sight. I looked up and a rope dropped down in front of me.

I looked down and shuddered.

Did I neglect to mention that I don't like heights?

"I can't climb," I said.

"Who said anything about climbing? Just grab the rope."

I did as she said and it hoisted me up onto the roof of the s.p.a.ce and deposited me on top. Suddenly a group of witches flew down from the sky and surrounded me. Their garb ranged from elegant socialite with three-piece charcoal gray suit and high heels to punk rocker leather b.i.t.c.h G.o.ddess with one hundred body piercing and every variant in between.

Say what you will about witches but at least they are very snappy dressers.

To reinforce the fact that I meant no harm, I held up the wine as a peace offering. The wind up there made me shake and s.h.i.+ver and I had to struggle to keep my balance.

"Who is this mortal?" an old, beautiful black woman with silver hair said. She floated towards me and stopped just above my head.

"He says he's a verbpire with a curse, mistress Marjorie."

"Lawrence," a voice cried.

I turned and saw my worst nightmare floating behind me.

"I ... it ... you," Diana said. " ... out of here."

"Is this your fiancee?" Marjorie said.

"Ex-fiancee!"

"Look, I'm sorry, Diana. But this was my last choice. I had no place else to go-"

" ... out of here right now before I ... "

"Wait a minute. I only came to get this curse undone."

"Did you harm one of our own?" Marjorie said. Her eyes burned like hot coals and my blood grew even colder.

"It was an accident, I swear. She wanted me to prove to her that I was a verbpire and I did it. But I never meant to hurt her. I swear to you. Please, don't blow me off. Literally."

" ... him off," Diana cried. "I ... him."

"But he says that he meant you no harm. Is this so?"

"He ... my verbs. He ... them!"

"Only after you told me to," I said, and spread my arms to keep my balance. "I swear to you, I never meant to hurt you. I just came here because I was starving and I didn't have any other place to go."

"Why did you bring us wine?" Marjorie said. "Did you wish to bribe us?"

"Not bribe. Deal with you. And besides, before last night, I didn't know that she was a witch. I just want the curse lifted. Really, that's all I want." I sighed and lowered the bottle. "Besides, no matter what you might think, I still care about you, Diana. Even after what you did to me."

"Liar. You ... me."

"He does sound sincere," Marjorie said. "And I sense no lies from him. If I had, I would have pushed him off the needle already."

A strange mix of relief and terror swept through me.

"I believe we should lift the curse from him in exchange for the wine," Audrey said.

"No!" Diana cried. "He ... my verbs."

"You'll get them back," I said. "I promise you."

"Normally we would side with one of our own," Marjorie said. "But in this case, we believe that you were the one who was wronged. And in the past we have known Diana to have a rash temper."

"He ... not ... any punishment."

"We will ask that you leave the city. Can you do that much in exchange for us lifting the curse?"

"Of course. I'll even throw in the wine."

"You will also leave and never come back to our city."

"If you say so."

Diana glared at me while Marjorie and the other witches closed their eyes and whispered in some strange language. And suddenly I felt different, as if they had reached in with their collective magic and dissipated the curse. Suddenly I felt free again.

"And now you will leave us to our business," Marjorie said. "Remember, you may not come back here."

"Yes, I'll remember. I held up the bottle of wine. "Do you still want this?"

"Of course."

Marjorie held out her hand. The wine disappeared from my hand with a rush of displaced air and then reappeared in Marjorie's hand.

Diana screamed and flew at me.

"No, I ... not ... him ... away."

"Stop!" Marjorie said and held up her other hand. Diana froze in mid-air. "He has paid his debt. Let him go in peace."

She kicked and spat and struggled, but in the end I managed to get off the roof and down to the bottom in one piece. And I even managed to get some verbs from the security guard on the way down. So I can't say the night was a total loss.

But Diana ...

Women like her could drive a verbpire like me into taking a vow of silence.

But at least Diana taught me a valuable lesson.

Always let your date have the last word.

Especially if it's a verb.

A Candle Lit in Sunlight.

DAVID NIALL WILSON.

Lucifer watched with deep interest, and some concern, the arrival of The Christ upon the Earth. Well aware that he could not prevent it, and unwilling to forego the amus.e.m.e.nt, in any case, he set about sowing the seeds of jealousy, fear, and distrust that would later lead to the crucifixion. Once satisfied, he waited for the child to grow. A small mountain of dead children grew on Christ's birthday, sacrificed by those who feared the birth of a king.

Men seem often given to strange excesses in the solving, or prevention, of problems. I saw it as a shame; Lucifer saw the destruction not at all. His eyes were turned Heavenward in search of a glimpse of the anger he knew his actions would spark. I walked the Earth in his shadow, watching. In the Christ, he saw another part of his enemy, another work to corrupt. I saw beauty, a piece of something forever lost to me. Lucifer saw none of that; his hate had become too great. I saw him as he was, and I loved him. The Christ was very beautiful.

{From the Book of the Gospel, According to Judas Iscariot} Judas 1:1 And it came to pa.s.s that Jesus went alone into the desert to be tempted of the devil. He remained there forty days and forty nights, fasting, and on the fortieth night, he hungered. The tempter came before him then, asking, "If you are truly the son of G.o.d, turn these stones to loaves of bread" Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of G.o.d.'"

Then the tempter led him to the highest point of the temple. "If you are truly the son of G.o.d, cast yourself down, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you, And they will lift you up in their hands, So that you will not strike your foot against stone.'"

Jesus answered, "It is also written, 'do not put the Lord your G.o.d to the test.'"

The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all of the kingdoms of the world in their splendor. " Bow down and wors.h.i.+p me," he said, "and I will give them all to you."

Jesus replied, "Away from me, Satan, for it is written, 'Wors.h.i.+p the Lord your G.o.d, and serve him only.'"

The devil laughed and gestured, raising from the sands a temptress. "See here the things craved by man," he said, waving his arm to include the cities below. "You are Son of man, does she not please you?"

And Jesus, seeing that she was fallen from Heaven, and sorely used, beckoned to the temptress, saying, "For all who would follow me, there burns a light in my father's house."

And the temptress fell to her knees, forsaking the devil and his darkness. In an awful rage, Lucifer laid upon her a curse, bringing a great thirst which could be sated only by the lifeblood of man, and saying, "Feast you upon the fruits of his labor, for I say unto you, you shall be his undoing." Then the devil left them, and angels came and attended Jesus. Fleeing into the desert, the temptress wept.

I hid for many days among the burning sands, and the thirst grew, grasping at my thoughts and twisting them beyond my control. I heard echoing laughter in the pits below, but had no concentration to spare it. As the sun dipped a final time, on the eighth day, I came to the fringes of the city of Galilee. At that time, the horror of what had befallen me was not clear in my mind. I slipped through the shadows of the city as a silent mist, searching for that which could end the thirst, hungering for freedom to follow him who had promised me hope.

Isabella, late in returning to her home from that of her sister, Jessamine, stopped at the sound of footsteps in the night. No direction lay in the sound. It seemed to echo from every shadow. When her steps ceased, the others ceased as well. Her heart sped nervously, and she called out to the night. "Who is there?" Straining to hear an answer, she heard the whispering rustle of silk, nothing more. More loudly, she called out again, "Please, who is it? May I pa.s.s in peace?"

A figure melted from what had seemed only mist, moving slowly and silently forward. It was a woman. Isabella's shoulders loosened somewhat. As the woman approached, Isabella caught sight of her eyes, tormented, anguished eyes, lost. Catching her breath, she reached out, wanting somehow to help.

"Who are you, lady, and what is wrong?" She asked, stepping forward. "May I help? I ... "

The eyes were horrible in their pain. She felt drawn to them by more than compa.s.sion, unable to pull her gaze from their depths. Far, far too late, she forced her eyes down, down to where trembling lips parted, lips of deepest, darkest red, framing teeth that gleamed and sparkled with captured moonlight.

She struggled against the control of the eyes, against her fear. Her lips formed words, screams, any sound to negate the horror. They left her only a whisper, caught in the night breeze and borne away. The teeth were long, curved and sharp, inhuman. They drew nearer now, shockingaa The morning dew misted on the chill, pale skin of Isabella's motionless form. She lay, awaiting the morning sun, broken and lifeless. There were twin punctures in the softness of her throat, and a ghastly contortion of absolute fear masked the innocent beauty of her face. There was no blood, but the shadows had lifted.

Judas 10:20 As he spoke, a ruler came to him and knelt before him, saying "My daughter has died. Come and lay your hand upon her, and she shall live." Jesus rose and followed him as did his disciples. As he walked, a woman who had bled for twelve years reached out to touch his cloak. She said to herself, "If only I touch his cloak, then I shall be healed."

Turning, Jesus saw her and said, "Take heart, daughter, for your faith has healed you." And the woman was whole from that moment on.

When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the musicians and the noisy crowd, he moved them aside. Seeing that no color remained in the girl's cheeks, and seeing also the marks upon her throat, he said, "Go away, for the girl is not dead, but only sleeping." They laughed at him. After they had been put outside, Jesus closed the door behind himself, barring it from within.

After touching the girl's throat, which was still and without pulse, Jesus felt a tug at his heart. A shadow pa.s.sed the window and he raised his eyes, now wet with tears, to meet those that faced him. Weeping also, the temptress only watched to see if he would smite her, removing the hunger, ending the pain.

"Why?" he asked simply, brus.h.i.+ng the soft strands of the girl's hair with tender fingers.

"You heard the curse, Lord," she responded, unable to hide the bitterness in her words. "Lucifer saw in my heart that I would die for you. He took steps to insure that I could not. Each night the hunger grows. I am too weak to fight it. I seek only to follow you."

Feeling the sincerity in her words, Jesus heaved a sigh of deepest resignation, feeling suddenly the great weight thrust upon his shoulders.

"She may walk again," he said, simply, and the girl's eyes fluttered and opened. She did not smile; her expression was one of needaaof desperation.