This work is a direct sequel to "No Truce With The Vampires: Those Who Sleep" (which accidentally ended up on another part of Reedsy). It described a dystopian Earth which has been taken over by the vampires to prevent the human race from destroying it through nuclear war. After the takeover, the humans were relegated to the status of farm animals, confined to blood farms and forced to give up their blood on demand. However, a human resistance has developed determined to win back the Earth. And they have discovered that there is a third race which preys upon vampires. And now the two races have combined to age war against the vampires. This volume tells of that war and its unexpected conclusion seen through the eyes of a high-ranking female vampire and a vampire who used to be a man. It is dark tale, not for the faint-hearted.
This work is a direct sequel to "No Truce With The Vampires: Those Who Sleep" (which accidentally ended up on another part of Reedsy). It described a dystopian Earth which has been taken over by the vampires to prevent the human race from destroying it through nuclear war. After the takeover, the humans were relegated to the status of farm animals, confined to blood farms and forced to give up their blood on demand. However, a human resistance has developed determined to win back the Earth. And they have discovered that there is a third race which preys upon vampires. And now the two races have combined to age war against the vampires. This volume tells of that war and its unexpected conclusion seen through the eyes of a high-ranking female vampire and a vampire who used to be a man. It is dark tale, not for the faint-hearted.
'My name is Serafina Ginevra. I am of the Activator Echelon of the Elite High Command. I am a Guardian. My Callsign is White Phantom.â I looked across at Charles, who was sitting on the couch, head in hands, obviously deep in thought. âFor several years I have been keeping Charles Gray under observation. Some months ago I made myself known to him as I knew the time for his Activation was near. I instructed Aiyana to find a position for me in the Marinetown Police Force to make my observations easier.â
He looked across at me, his face a mixture of conflicting emotions.
âPlease donât talk about me in the third person, Serafina. Come and sit beside me. Talk to me. Give me a crash course about everything I need to know. Please.â
I smiled and crossed to him. He looked so different now he knew who he was. The soft flabbiness had departed, but there was something I wanted him to see, something to prove he had truly rejoined us. I took his hand, opened my mouth and ran his fingers over my canines. His eyes opened wide.
âFangs! You have fangs! But how?â
âCharles, I have the ability to retract themâand how I hated having to do that! Every time I looked in the mirror, I despised those flat, blunt, human, things filling my mouth. It takes time to re-establish them, but you have the same power. Just imagine them growing out of your gums, sharp and beautiful, ready to sink into a throat! Imagine them returning so you can reclaim your heritage!â
He was silent for a while and then looked at me with the beginnings of a smile.
âI can feel them! Itâs like theyâve been sleeping, but they are stirring! How long will it take?â
âIt varies, a month or so, but letâs not waste time talking about teeth. There is so much more we have to discuss.â
He looked at me with an expression that was almost coy; an expression that did not belong on his rugged features, features which were growing into hardness.
âYou say we were always meant to be lovers. But if thatâs so, why did you give me so little in the way of signs? All you ever did was get up my nose!â
âWell, you got up more than that last night!â I said, revelling in our newfound intimacy. Then I was serious. âI couldnât give you anything in the way of encouragement, no come-ons. I dropped hints about your actual status, but you didnât pick up on them. In fact, part of the problem is you were very difficult to activate, and so weâre behind schedule. But as for getting you interested in me as a female and not just your subordinate, that had to come from you. I couldnât initiate it.â
âWhy not? Thereâs no difference between male and female vampires in sexual matters. Theyâweâare completely liberated.â
âItâs to do with mentalic fields are generated. Itâs just the way it is.â
âMentalic fieldsâI keep hearing about those, but Iâm no closer to understanding. I can remember more and more things from my past, when I was a child, and I wasnât at all sure of what was happening to me. I can remember many things from the time I thought I was a human, a simple flatfoot cop with a feisty subordinate who got under my skin and I wanted to see the back of.â
(âYouâve changed your mind now, I guess,â I said, fishing for compliments, but Gray was lost in his thoughts.)
He looked directly at me, his face earnest, troubled.
âYou keep saying weâre short of time, that every second counts. Why donât you just cut to the chase, and bring me up to speed, even if it means I just sit here while you give a lecture?â
I nodded. I had enjoyed the intimate words lovers give to each other in the splendour of their joy, but we were at war, war with an immensely powerful, implacable enemy. Maybe there would be time for teasing, loving, talk later.
Or maybe there would be no later.
And so I swept the smile from my lips (The ones he had kissed so lovingly!) I drove all thoughts of light-hearted pleasure from my mind, and sent them outwards to the horrors that lurked in lustful anticipation beyond the Barrier.
âFrom the beginning,â Gray said. âDonât miss anything out. I might see things you thought were unimportant. How did we win the last war? What is the Barrier? Is Edward a vampire? Why was it necessary to disguise me as a human? What is a Guardian? What is âActivationâ? Why was our having sex so vital? How do we hope to defeat the Vetusians?â
I felt the carefree joy of the last few hours we had spent together slip away, and black thoughts of the war replace them. I wanted to cling onto the happy thoughts and pretend there was no war, no Old Gods.
But I could not. We in the High Command can have no personal happiness at times like these.
I spoke flatly, dully, without emotion, without intonation.
âWe will not win this war. Our task is not to defeat the Vetusians, much though we long to do so. Our task is to thwart their invasion and subjugation of this world; no, this Universe. Some of our clearest thinkers have seen a possible way of inflicting actual defeat upon them, but at the moment, it is just a set of free-floating equations, ungrounded in reality. You will learn about them, in time.â
Gray ran his hands over his forehead and looked around with an expression verging on despair.
âI donât know, Serafina. Why are they picking on us, when they have a whole Universe to plunder?â
âBecause we are alone in the Universe; vampires are the only sentient species in the entire cosmos.â
âHow could you know that? Have you visited the farthest star?â
âThere is no need. We could detect their mental emanations if there were such. Mentalic fields are not constrained by lightspeed; they are instantaneous. If others like us existed, we would be bombarded by their thoughts, but there is only silence. A great silence.â
âThis is all too much for me. So many mysteries, so much to learn. Goddammit,â he added as he smashed a fist down upon a nearby table, âso much to unlearn!â
I held his hands, partly to comfort himâbut mainly because I wanted to.
âIt will become clear to you, darling. Your mind is like a machine that has lain unused for decades; one that has become clogged with dust and dirt. But the mechanism is sound: it will soon function just the way it was designed for. Trust me!â
He shook his head, without looking at me.
âNo, perhaps youâve got the wrong man. Itâs not me.â
Did I feel angry with him then? Yes, I did. So much depended on him, perhaps the outcome of the entire war. I desperately tried to think of ways to raise his spirits, for I knew if I lost him now, I would lose him forever. And with his loss, perhaps also our last best hope of repelling our dreadful foe. (Although I used the term ârepellingâ in my whirling thoughts, I still clung to the hope of a far better, a far more noble wordâdefeat.)
(Yes, even we of the High Command have our dreams.)
Then I had an idea. I smiled and said, âThere is something I can give you; something you havenât had for a long time.â
He did look at me then and smiled; a weak smile, but still a smile.
âWhat, sex? I know itâs something immeasurably important to the Elite, but Iâm not quite up to more just yet.â
I was annoyed at the implication it wasnât important to him, but I didnât show it. Instead, I crossed to the cabinet and, with my back turned to him, took out two goblets and filled them. I handed him his glass and watched, perhaps with a mischievous smile on my lips. The goblets were filled to the brim with a rich red liquid in which ruby highlights glinted as he raised the glass and stared into its contents.
âIs this what I think it is?â
âOf course. Blood. Not just any old blood. Human blood.â
âThen it must be a long time. I canât remember how it tastesâif I ever did taste it. It must have been before I became a cop.â
âOne way to find out.â I leaned towards him and clinked our goblets together. âHereâs looking at you!â
He frowned.
âYou are looking at me.â
âYes. Itâs just an expression humans use when they drink that vile beer of theirs.â
âOh.â He shrugged and took a sip. I expected his face to light up, but it did not.
âWhatâs the matter?â
âYou were right: I do remember what blood tastes like. But this: it tastesâI donât knowâit tastes so thin. Is it really human?â
I felt embarrassed, as if Iâd let him down.
âYes, it is human. But,â and I lifted my hands, palms up in apology, âit comes from a blood bank. I didnât think youâd notice after so long away.â
âA blood bank. Likeâlike the Diodati Institute?â
âYes,â I said, as if an admission was being wrung out of me.
He drank about a quarter of it and then put the glass down.
âI understand now why I used to suffer from anaemia. But sorry, Serafina, this stuff: itâs a joke.â
I put aside my combined feelings of annoyance and disappointment, for I had already realised what had to be done. I had to ensure Gray fully accepted his new status. Only then could he fulfil the tremendous mission that lay ahead. His old life must be fully swept away.
I rose and beckoned to him to follow.
âYou are still confused, my love. But now I know what we have to do.â
No Truce With The Vampires: Those Who Wake by Martin Rhys Vaughan further delves into a dystopian version of Earth where vampires rule over the human race. These superior beings swooped in to save Earth and their food supply from nuclear destruction. Humans have been relegated to blood farms or other lesser positions. They live poor lives at the hands of the vampires, but have started to organize a resistance. And they're not alone in their efforts.
This exciting sequel follows Seraphina Genevra and Charles as they prepare for war against a third, more monstrous race of beings. This mysterious race has plagued the vampires for so long, but have been thwarted time and again. Now they're very close to wiping out the vampires and it's up to Seraphina and Charles to save their people.
Seraphina is about as insufferable as a person can get, which makes it difficult to enjoy her as a main character. She's haughty in every possible way. She believes to her core that she (and all vampires) are superior to humans, and she doesn't let anyone forget it. Seraphina even exerts that superiority over poor Charles who has a soft spot for humans and isn't as knowledgeable as his female counterpart. However, these traits suit Seraphina as a character. It makes sense for a vampire, who is stronger and smarter than your average human, to feel they are in fact better than humans. It really helps set the stage for what kind of beings the other vampires possibly are like.
Exploring this dystopian Earth, the psychic abilities, and higher intelligence of the vampires makes for a fun story, too. There's a little bit of explanation for the vampiric abilities and some of the vampiric technology that adds a touch of realism to the story. Never mind that watching a powerful race of beings struggle with survival after subjecting humans to a horrible existence is pretty satisfying. Of course, you'll find yourself rooting for the vampire's victory anyway.
This book (and the series) is great for folks who want a fresh new type of dystopian story. The survival of humans isn't the only thing on the line this time.