SNAP: The World Unfolds

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Sandor met me at the French doors to the terrace.  He was a Hungarian, wide and solid as the Danube, and just as chatty.  He returned my smile then gestured down the steps into the garden.  “We can walk as far as the edge of the woods,” he said in an almost accentless low voice.

“You speak English very well.”

“The Baron makes sure we speak several languages because we can get assigned to one of the vampires who move,” he said.

“You are a demon?”  How weird was that, conversationally asking that question.

“Yes.”

“What do you do beside be a bodyguard?”

“That’s about all.  I’m strong, fast, loyal.  We go through a training session on weapons, tracking, hand-to-hand combat, driving skills.  We guard the Baron’s properties, too.  The estate is surrounded by watch posts and motion detectors.”

The edge of the forest was now a dark smear blocking out the stars.  Sandor touched my arm as though to pull me back and I heard a soft rustle like a small breeze raising the leaves.

“Leave us,” Sandor commanded.

Faint mocking laughter answered him.

“Damn these Huszar people,” Sandor muttered and said something else in another language that I assumed was Hungarian.  His tone made me glad I couldn’t understand.  “They’re always pushing at our perimeter.  We tried using dogs many years ago.  The Huszars discovered that their blood could substitute for human in a pinch and we gave it up.  It wasn’t sensible to pit poor dogs against enemies that they couldn’t fight.”

“How do you fight them?’

“We’re stronger and as fast on the ground. Usually we just break an arm, even a finger snapped backward will slow them down.  Silver wire and knives take them out for a longer time.  Killing them is a last resort., the rest get snitty and go on a rampage.  That gets all the villages around here up in arms and leads to collateral damage  Over the years we’ve both found that keeping our disagreements and skirmishes out of sight of humans serves all of us better.”

While we were talking we walked along the edge of the lawn not watching the boundary where it ran up and into the forest.  A fast whirr and I found myself airborne, skimming between trees with strong arms binding the back of my ribs against some black fabric.  The mocking laugh was back, this time next to my ear.  My arms and legs were free, hanging down over the strong arms, but the speed and twists through the trees were jerking me sideways.  The force of our flight made my hands ineffectual as I tried to pull myself away, screaming all the way, “Put me down!  God damn you, you’re hurting me!  Put me down!”

Suddenly, I was down.  Down in a heap with the wind knocked out of me from the fall.  I fought panic to try and breathe and made myself focus despite the roaring and screaming that was going on around me.  After hours—maybe 20 seconds—I was able to suck enough air in that my lungs stopped seizing and took in clean air.  The panic in my chest lessened and the noise around me separated into several individual bouts.  Two of Sandor’s fellow guard-demons had two black shadows on the ground and were cheerfully snapping small bones to the shrieks of the vampires. 

I kept sucking deep gasps and willing my body to stop shaking.  Sandor leaned over me with concern in his eyes.  “Are you alright?” he asked, putting one of his strong hands on the side of my throat. 

“Don’t touch me,” I shouted as I tried to roll away.  The roots of trees and drifts of fallen leaves gave me no traction and I slithered around like a landed fish.  I’d been saved by the demons only to have them go for my throat?