Blood Moon, page 16
part #1 of Lord of Shadows Series
“Screw the civilians! You two get Vera and run! Don’t you dare die on me!”
She was quiet for a long moment, but I could still feel her presence.
"Hey Ivan, stay safe, alright? I need much more of you than just tonight. I lo--"
An excruciating pain struck me as her voice disconnected from my mind. Her power faded rapidly, hung on for one last breath, and finally disappeared. My heart stopped beating in my chest, as bloody tears streamed down my face. No, it couldn’t be. Not Katya, not her! Something in me broke and I lost control. With a deafening scream, I paralyzed every single living being in the clearing. It didn’t last long, but I could feel it, their terror, their fear. No, their will to fight was gone.
"You all die tonight!" I growled and reappeared in their midst. The shadows enveloping my arms extended into massive claws, five feet in length as an impenetrable wall of darkness came down on me. My back was wide open, but I didn’t care. If they wanted to kill me as well, they could have me.
Soldiers turned around to run but were trampled by their own horsemen or struck down by the count and his light magic. In between my shockwaves of pure black death and the clergy, most troops were dead in the next minutes. But I didn’t care. I raged and raged some more as Katya’s face lingered before me. Not my Katya, my beautiful girl.
A massive ball of light struck my chest and sent me stumbling backward. The armor cracked slightly but repaired itself in a heartbeat. I pressed on toward the count and his entourage. The three priests jumped off their horses and darted my way, extending blades of light from their own daggers and short swords. It would do them no good. No god would save them this night.
Slipping into the shadows and out of them as I rushed the enemy. Two veered off to the sides, while the biggest of the three, a bald brute at least a head taller, swung his sword right at me. I blocked his attack and clawed at his chest, but the barrier of light deflected my attack with ease. More beams shot out from the two on my flanks, striking my sides and chest. I could feel that the shadows were down to about half, and weren’t replenishing as quickly because of the bright light surrounding the three.
Feigning a slash at the woman on my right, the other two clerics attacked from by back and left, lashing out with whips of light. I disappeared from sight and slid under their weapons and into striking range.
My left claw struck the small, bald priest from his groin and cut him open along his back. Meat, skin and a part of his spine hung from my claw as I stood there, grinning. Before they could respond, I sunk my teeth in the dead man and drank. The others didn’t give me much time, but a couple drops here and there was more than enough, I hoped. The light around the man’s dagger disappeared as i shoved him in between the remaining assailants.
"More, more, more!" I screamed, lost in the bloodlust. The second man didn’t lose his cool and lunged in. Both his weapons struck against my left arm, penetrating the shield. The female priestess darted in to use the opportunity and cut open my other arm. The blade stopped halfway through the meat and bone, shadows barely able to hold it back.
I twisted around the woman and put my right arm around her neck and cupping her chin with my claw.
"You shouldn’t have done that," I whispered sinking in my teeth into her neck. This time, the bald brute hesitate as she was still alive. A flood of power fueled me on, refilled me with new power and the will to finish this. Yes, I needed to avenge Katya. My dear Katya. They took her away from me, so I would--
What was this? Who was this woman? Why did she have memories of Katya? No, please, don’t hurt her! Why are you hurting her? The images rushed before my eyes as I stood there motionless, her barely living body dangling in my arms.
"Who are you? What-- are you to Katya?" I whispered stepping back. Her head turned slowly, meeting my glaring eyes.
"She’s my sister."
Chapter Twenty-Six
I threw the woman aside as a bolt of light singed my shadow armor. The last man to remain standing, he must have been a veteran. The way he moved and used his magic as well as the sword, conserved energy and calculated his every move.
He came in low and stabbed at my chest, removing roughly a third of the shadow armor. His movements were too quick and the light ate through the darkness with ease. With every renewed attack, he kept forcing me back, no matter how hard I tried to press him.
"Butcher! It’s time for you to come home, one way or another!" a familiar voice mocked. I didn’t give him the satisfaction of meeting my eyes, instead, I stayed silent, trying to keep my breathing even and my hands steady. "Don’t kill him, Devon," the count called out again. The priest turned his head slightly toward the count and nodded. I used this to dart in and slashed my claw across his neck. His blade sang and caught my attack mid-air, extinguishing the shadow around my hand.
"What the fuck is it with you, light people! Why is it so effective during the night?” I snarled, trying to catch him off guard and reveal possible information. But he remained silent as a grave. He didn’t grunt, shout or curse, he just fought as a ruthless killer only could.
The sound of battle from behind drew my attention. Surely, a small group of the count’s soldiers had made it to the barricade and was fighting the defenders. They weren’t many, about a score of them, but they were trained men, unlike the two dozen to stand against them.
I cursed and turned my back to the priest. I knew I’d pay a heavy price, but I needed to help the defenders. We didn’t need to lose more lives tonight if I could help it.
"Bind and shred them!" I ordered and pointed my palms at the attacking soldiers. New tendrils shot out the ground and enveloped the soldiers, piercing them or holding them in place. The defenders, emboldened by my help, rushed out and attacked the count's soldiers.
"You shouldn’t be looking away from your real opponent," a voice whispered into my ear. Before I could turn around, a blade of light entered my back and slowly came out my chest. I coughed violently, blood spilling from my mouth and wound. Dropping to my knees, I couldn’t breathe, speak or move. Seeing me on my knees, the defenders rushed in to help, but I couldn’t let them die in vain, not after sacrificing myself. With what control I had over the shadows surrounding them, I erected a barrier and pushed them back.
"Did you really think that you could take us on?" the count asked as he brought up his horse next to me. Again, he looked down on me from up high. I despised it, loathed and hated it. But there was nothing I could do. Katya was dead, Hana would be too any moment now. There would be no one else to protect Vera and Andrej. He would take them back and rape her until he’d had enough. And Andrej? He would serve as an example to the rest.
"I-I hate--you," I muttered as a rage built up within me wanted to be released. The man I hated so much, despised, and loathed, had the power to decide over my life once again.
"I know. I hate you too, little boy. Speaking of boys, let me tell you a secret. See, a long, long time ago, there was this beautiful dark-haired maiden I couldn’t get enough of. She was something really special. So, I did what every normal man would do, and went about my business trying to seduce her. See, back then my father was still alive, so I had to be careful. But one night, I took her in the stables. Yes, so hard. She cried and screamed, but no one would help her. They were afraid of my father, afraid of me."
I narrowed my eyes on him as fresh blood gushed from my wound and drizzled down my chin.
"Just one-- of many, no?" I spat. But he didn’t flinch. The count stared back at me, his eyes speaking volumes. He hated me, despised the sight of me in equal measure as I did with him.
"That woman was your mother. See, when she told me she was pregnant, I shunned her into the forest. But rumors began to spread that she was a witch. No one dared burn a pregnant witch, or it could have brought misfortune down on us, so I visited her once you were born, dragged her back to the estate and burned her at the stake."
My mouth hung open, eyes bright red as I stared at the count. No, the way I had felt about him before this story was comparing a chicken to a wolf. I felt unbridled rage, hatred, and fury. He needed to die, die here and now by my own two hands!
"You-- killed my mother? And that man? He hadn’t been-- my father? Just someone taking-- care of me?"
"Sure. He thought of you as his son, that’s why you inherited his debt, no?" the count laughed. I could feel the blade stir in my chest as the priest’s hand moved slightly with his laughter.
"I’m going to kill you-- count. Even if its the-- last thing I do!"
I spat again and tried to force myself up, but the priest’s magic was too strong, and I had lost too much blood.
"No, my son, you won’t. I’ll be the one doing the killing today, not you. See, my servants just told me that the Moroi was just beaten, while Katya had been killed earlier."
Katya was dead, and Vera would be next. There was no justice in this world, and no one to stop or punish him for his evil deeds. Where was Bella now? Or Tierney? Nowhere to be seen. Did we mean so little to the world?
I wouldn’t go down like this. The least I would do was to take everyone with me into death.
"So, you’re my father-- huh? Sure is fitting. You were there when I-- came to be, and you’re here to-- witness my death," I stammered, trying to buy a few extra seconds of time while I drew on all of the shadows in the vicinity.
Images the shadows brought from where I’d pulled them flooded my mind. Katya lay there in the grass, Hana just to her right, their hands outstretched toward each other.
"You don’t say. I’m overjoyed by this turn of events myself. My heart is as large as the blood moon up in the sky. Especially after crushing in my face, you maggot."
I barely held back my laugh and snorted instead. Just a bit more now, come on, draw him out for a bit longer.
"That was an unfortunate turn of events," I replied apologetically, coughing more blood. "You tried to make me do something I-- wasn’t really fond of. And you threatened my friends. What would you have done in-- my position, father?"
The count remained quiet for a little while.
"The same, most likely. That doesn’t change the fact that you did something very nasty. Anyway, it’s time to get this over with. How would you like to die, butcher boy?"
Twenty seconds to go.
"Is there any chance I-- could see Katya one last time before I die? I know she’s dead," I pleaded, my voice wavering. It was funny how I had become used to controlling my emotions when I needed to.
"No, there isn’t. Cut off his head and be done with it," the count hissed and turned his head from me.
The priest nodded and slid his blade out, all the way through my back. I smirked, ready to fall dead.
“What? You can’t stand the sight of your dead son? Look at me!”
Count Dvorak snapped his head around and hurled a bolt of light magic right through my chest. I staggered and fell on my arms.
"Do whatever you want with him,” I whispered. The shadows stirred beneath me, hungry for more blood and shot out straight through my body.
"Watch out!" the priest shouted as he put jumped in between me and the count. A massive blade of pure darkness slashed right through his shield. The light blade snapped under the onslaught of thousands of shadows and extinguished its light. He looked down at his missing arm and sword, then at the blade that was stuck right inside him. His body slid down the blade, eyes wide in horror as what remained of his body was sliced in two. His steaming innards spilled to the ground below and on the mass of shadows. They writhed in satisfaction, along with me. At least I had killed the bastard priest.
"You heathen!" the count exclaimed, putting up his ringed hand and the orb with the other. His palm was pointed right at me, as it started glowing viciously. A massive sunburst was the only way I could describe the cone of light that struck me in the back. Every single layer of darkness and shadow was banished instantaneously. The light passed right through me, scorching both my back and chest, leaving countless smaller puncture wounds all over my torso.
I gasped for air as blood sprayed the earth beneath me. My face was distorted by the pain, and even worse, from the smirk on the count’s face. So this was it, then. At least I had no regrets, having given it my all. I’d killed the attackers and saved what people I could. I felt bad for the queen, though. She had put too much faith in both me and Katya. And in turn, she got two dead Vampyres for her trouble. Though she might have come and lent us a hand if we were so important.
"How does it feel, son? How does it feel to die at your own father’s hands?"
He steered his horse up to me and loomed over my battered body like an avenging angel, preying on a sinner. I grinned through all the pain, my teeth dirty with dried blood.
"It feels-- good, father. I’ll wait for you in-- hell, and show you the same courtesy once-- we meet again."
The count grinned as he brought his palm up once more. The crystal orb’s light faded as one last cone of light shot out from his palm.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
My eyes burned from the intense light and heat were to go first as the light struck me. They disintegrated against the heat from the spell. I put up my broken hands to shield myself, but it was no use. The magic was too strong and passed right through my body. What little remaining shadow and darkness remained around me, wrapped itself around my chest, trying to shield me from certain death. They evaporated like all of it before them.
Death, I welcome you, I thought. At least I wouldn’t have to look over my shoulders anymore, awaiting a dagger between my shoulder blades.
"No!"
By god, no! What the hell was she doing here? It wasn’t possible! Dread washed over me, hurting even more than the light. Vera? It was her, I could smell it!
"Get out of the way, you wench!" the count yelled. An audible slap resounded in my ears, followed by a cry of pain and a thud.
"Vera? Is that you? What are you doing here?" I asked panicking. “Ve--” My cry died out with a third burst of light that pinned me down to the ground. I couldn’t move anymore, no, not even breathe. My heart was slowing down steadily as I lay there, dying.
"Someone help him!" Vera cried and pleaded. Silly girl. Why the hell hadn’t she run? That way at least one of us would have survived.
The pain lessened as my body went numb. This was it. I had over-reached and would pay the ultimate price. If only the women had been spared, I wouldn’t have cared about myself. Katya, Vera, Hana. I’m sorry.
A soul shattering howl echoed out in the cold night. The wave of light dissipated, or had it just shifted? The sensation of pain clung to me like a tick to a dog. A pair of small, thin hands grabbed my arms and let me go again instantly.
"Oh shit, you’re like a banana. Your skin is peeling right off!" Vera whispered. "And your eyes. Oh my god. What did they do to you, to my baby?"
"What's going on," I wheezed. Breathing had become extremely painful but talking infinitely worse.
"I don’t know. Enormous wolf-like creature swarmed down the camp and are attacking the count’s men. There’s only four of them from what I could see. The biggest one is ripping the remaining clerics apart while the other three are rounding up his men.
I tried to rack my brain for a moment, mulling over what she just said. Monstrous wolves? I tried to call on my shadows, but none of them responded. I was too weak. I felt with my fingers around me, but the area had been scorched clean. There was only dead earth beneath my body.
"Here, take. Please," Vera whispered as she leaned in and pressed her neck against my mouth. But I couldn’t bite her amidst the shrieks of terror and death. And suddenly, everything was oddly quiet as the first drop of blood touched my tongue. Yes, a single shadow leaning in between her and me. It was all I needed to see. But wait, what the hell was she doing?
“S-Stop,” I coughed and shuddered from the pain. But she wouldn’t drop the piece of steel from her hand. She cried out as her skin gave way and blood dripped down my throat. An urge so powerful swept over me that I couldn’t hold back. I grabbed Vera and sank my teeth where she’d cut herself.
"Yes, yes, yes! More!" I growled as the blood flowed down my chin.
A sudden pain stopped me as my body went into shock. Blood flowed through my veins, revitalizing me, passing through my flesh and restoring my skin. Fluid oozed up into my eye sockets and repaired the burnt eyeballs, restoring sight.
“Get me a corpse, I need more, much more,” I growled. Then I noticed him, Count Dvorak sitting on his horse near the tree line shooting light at a monstrous creature. A cone of light shot out again on full power, searing my freshly regained sight. The Werewolf flew through the air and landed a dozen feet short of me. It growled low and got up, eyes locked on mine.
"Who the fuck are you?" I whispered.
The creature got up on two legs and stood nine feet tall, bristling with muscles and black hide, covered with long, glistening hair. It looked like something out of a nightmare, but somehow beautiful at the same time, primordial. In all its wickedness and horror, the beauty of its strength was apparent.
"Fight!" it growled and turned toward the count. The speed with which it darted toward the old man was nothing short of what we were able to achieve.
“Shit, is that Boris?” I cursed. But who are the other Werewolves? His pack?
I drank from the corpse Vera dropped beside me and turned toward the creature.
"Is the north secure?"
Without sparing me a glance, it growled in return.
"Yeeees!"
Its gigantic body slammed into a wall of light the count put up expertly. It enveloped the werewolf and bound tightly around it, squeezing the life out of him.
"Shit," I cursed and drew on what shadows were present. Luckily, the forest had replenished and had a lot to give, but I was far away. Still, I lunged toward them and focused on the shadows.
"Help me!" the Werewolf bellowed as the light threatened to choke the life out of him.
