Immortal Earth (Vampires For Earth Book 1) by Sarah Warden Page B

past, was unavailable. Any time machine that they built would serve such a small number of people, that it was clearly nothing more than a one-man getaway car for Mortterra. No scientist would touch the project, but Isi … Isi cut a deal. In exchange for building the Infinmachine for Mortterra, she secured funding for Project Immortality. As her work with the nanobots moved ahead successfully, her work with the Infinmachine encountered glitch after glitch, and delay after delay.”
    “She was sabotaging it,” Nanook said.
    “That she was, my brother,” Afon said. “And Mortterra could tell what she was up to. He couldn’t attack her directly, or he’d lose the chance to save his own life by fleeing the wreckage of this world and running away to the past, but he needed to keep Isi on a very short leash.”
    Nanook made a noise of disgust, “So, every time she acted up, he executed one of us, right? Ninety-seven men …”
    “Most of them innocent volunteers, sheep to the slaughter,” Afon said. “The few so-called murderers were set up by Mortterra, and used as an excuse to cull the rest of the herd.”
    “I can’t wait to kill that fucking bastard,” Nanook said.
    “You’ll get your chance soon enough,” Afon said. “Right now, we’ve got a mess of our own to clean up.”
    “Yes, we must find Harland,” Nanook said. “Do you think we should go check out that other pub that he liked?”
    “We can check there if you like, but I think, according to this,” Afon said, tapping the London Times article with his finger, “our best bet might be to walk around the Whitechapel area tonight, and see if we can’t run into him on his hunting grounds.”
    “Ugh, I’d rather check the pub first, if it’s all the same to you. My stomach has had enough blood and gore for a lifetime, just in the past few days,” Nanook said.
    “We can check, but he won’t be there,” Afon said. “He’s an animal now, he feeds at night.”
     

 
     
    SIXTEEN
     
     
     
    Afon and Nanook had been not so casually strolling the streets of the Whitechapel area of London, for the better part of an hour. They’d spent most of their time dodging the propositions of prostitutes – any one of whom could be Harland’s next victim. Jack the Ripper was making his name by attacking ladies of the night, and if Afon and Nanook waited long enough, they were sure he would appear.
    It was close on two am, and the streets, so full an hour ago, had quickly become deserted. The only sounds were the barking of a dog, a few blocks over, and the occasional shuffle of drunken feet as they slouched home from the nearest pub.
    The dog …
    Nanook and Afon exchanged a look and, wordlessly, headed toward the loud, incessant barking. Up ahead, under a streetlamp, a dark, black, windowless carriage was parked. A single, high-pitched, human scream reached Afon and Nanook’s ears, before it was quickly silenced.
    Coming closer, they saw Harland Fergusson crouched over the bloody body of a woman. His face was covered in blood, and fresh drops fell from the canine teeth in his open mouth.
    “Harland!”
    A pure animal growl came from Harland. The corners of his mouth pulled back, and the streetlamp illuminated his magnificent teeth, a display against the voice from the dark that he had heard as a threat.
    “Harland! No! Drop it!” Nanook said. Falling back instinctively on the time in his youth that he had spent training dogs to hunt, Nanook’s voice held a commanding tone that Harland instantly responded to.
    He stayed in a crouch over the body of the woman he had just killed, guarding his prey, but Harland looked up and met the eyes of the man calling to him from the darkened street.
    “The Indian! Mr. K’eyush, if I remember correctly?” Harland said.
    Afon stepped out of the shadows.
    “Ah, and Count Solovyov as well,” Harland said. “And where is the Countess?”
    He wiped the blood from his lips, stood, and attempted a normal human