Vampire Girl 6, page 9
"They don't look like they're here to talk," he says.
I can't completely argue with him, but… "There's got to be a way. If they're here to save me?"
"What makes you so sure they're here for you?" he asks.
I pause at that. I just assumed. "Why else would they be here?"
At that, the wind around us increases, ripping into foliage and riling up the water into a frenzy of unsteady waves. Thunder drowns out our voices for a moment as lightning cuts through the sky. The dark clouds hovering above continue the deluge of rain pouring over us, obscuring our vision.
Even the Rider, in all his meticulously chosen armor, looks like nothing more than a drowned rat in this weather.
"There is great power on this island. We've kept it hidden for centuries. Until today," he says.
"This is the first time anyone's been here?" I ask, incredulous.
"Yes. And now we have been attacked twice in as many nights." Again, he glares at me like it's my fault. "You must have pulled Elias here with your power."
"Well, buddy, you're the one who dragged me here in the first place, so check yourself before casting blame." I stick a finger in his chest for good measure, and he looks annoyed and bemused simultaneously.
"It is true. I have wrought havoc on my people. I must protect the Storm Spirit. You have to go to the village and warn my parents. Tell them to get the people to safety. All are in danger, both from the attack and the storm. They will already be preparing for the storm, but won't know about the attack."
That's fabulous. "So, no to the diplomatic resolution? They are the good guys, remember."
He frowns as another bolt of lightning splits a tree near us. "You overestimate my brother. He is a villain who has committed heinous acts. He has no code. He is not like you."
"And you haven't?" I say.
"Much of my misdeeds are rumors, lies and speculation. I am not as evil as you would like to imagine me, nor am I good. I am necessary. That is all I can claim. I have done what needs doing for the greater good."
"Funny, he would say the same about himself. You two are more alike than you give yourself credit for."
He pauses, as if he's going to say more but changes his mind. "Go, warn the others. I will handle my siblings."
I'm torn. On the one hand, I totes have to save the innocent. That's like my whole job description basically. On the other hands, I don't want Arias hurting Elias or Aya. They don't know what's going on here. Someone needs to talk them down, and it sure as hell isn't going to be the Rider.
But…
Shit.
Innocent people verses my boyfriend and his sister.
Damnit. Of course I have to save the innocent.
Arias could have killed his brother, but didn't. And I've seen there's some good in him.
I grab the Rider's arm and squeeze. "Don't kill them. Fight if you must. But try to talk. Try to explain. I will warn Kayla and Tavian and then I'll be back. Do. Not. Kill."
"It is not my intention to kill," he says, which does not reassure me in the least.
"Make it your intention not to kill anyone, mmkay?"
I accept his half-assed nod as the best I am going to get, and then I run inland, hoping I remember my way in the rain and darkness.
I need to find the Rider's parents. And I needed a way to communicate with Elias so that he will not do the thing he's about to do. I know him. I know he won't forgive himself if he hurts the people of this village.
Whether it's to save me or for some other reason.
There has to be a better way.
And I am going to find it.
As I slip and slide through a tropical forest searching for the most direct path to the village, I don't hear the enemy chasing me until it's too late.
The storm covers his tracks too well.
When he approaches, it is with doom and malice.
And I fear the worst.
A demon.
A blood sucker.
Then he shows up.
The destroyer of worlds.
The butcher of armies.
The —
Oh, it's only Imenath. Sorry, I thought it was actually someone dangerous.
"We meet again," screams Imenath, stepping forward from behind a tree, his entire body covered in silver armor resembling a skeleton. His face masked behind a helmet sprouting horns. He carries his giant spiked mace on his hip and grips it with his hand.
"Imenath?"
"Imenath the Great has returned for you, Watcher!"
Lightning blazes in the sky, striking at the tree next to me, which groans as it prepares itself to collapse.
I'm about to hop out of the way when Imenath plows into me, knocking the air out of my lungs and landing on top of me in all his—very heavy—armor.
"Get. Off. Of. Me." I push and strain until he rolls over, then sit up, panting, wet, covered in mud now, thanks a lot for that. "What are you doing here, buddy? How… " I'm perplexed. How did he hop worlds and find me on a secret island? This dude might be more useful than I gave him credit for. "I can't fight you right now. I'm on a pretty important mission and a lot of people's lives are at stake."
"I came here not to fight the great Watcher, but to save her. I am your hero! Your knight in shining armor!" He puffs out his chest to show how shiny his armor indeed is. "Fear not, Watcher, Imenath the Great is here! See? I have already saved you from this ferocious and terrifying tree! Now I shall save you from your kidnappers."
I try not to laugh. I swear I do. And I think I cover it well, what with the thunder and storm raging and all. He doesn't notice. Instead, he sees me smile. "You're amazing, dude. Truly." I groan as I stand and brush off what I can of the gunk. This white outfit isn't going to survive. "But right now, I don't need saving, I need to do the saving. We have to warn the village. We're being attacked and there's an unstable power on the loose here."
Imenath roars into the storm. "I am greater than any powers. And that ship is here to help. I snuck on to it and came here, secret like. Imenath is truly a master of stealth."
"I'm genuinely impressed. But can we walk and talk? I gotta get to the village stat, dude. And this storm is making my progress slow."
Imenath reaches into the bag tied around his waist and pulls out something small and fluffy. "Imenath also brought Watcher's trusty companion."
"Theo!" My eyes fill with tears as the little ball of wet fur meows at me plaintively, clearly unhappy with his current circumstances. I grab him and hug him close to me.
"You did good, Imenath. Great, even! When this is all said and done, there might be a place for you with the Hunters. What do you think of that?"
His eyes widen and joy fills his face. "Truly?"
"Truly!" I set Theo down and give him a look he knows well. The tiny meow turns to a mighty growl as Theo shifts from pint-sized to Manticore, gray and white fur turning gold, wings growing from his back. "Now, let's get to the village and save the innocent!"
I hop onto my baby, so happy to see him and have him here finally, and Imenath joins me as we take to the sky.
9
Elias
The sun has set when we are close enough to see the shores of the island that match the coordinates Callie gave me.
Aya has been preoccupied with her crew, so we haven't discussed our strategy for approaching shore.
When a cannon launches from our ship and explodes on the sand a distance from us, I realize she decided the strategy without me.
I can see someone at the edge of the ocean. A woman in white. But then my focus is pulled towards an outcropping of rocks, where a giant sea creature is emerging.
Can it be? Does the Water Druid live here?
I holler for Aya's men to cease fire as I seek her out, but she is nowhere to be found. Smaller boats have already left the ship with members of the crew on them. "Where's my sister?" I ask one of the men. He shrugs. "Dunno. She be telling us to bomb the place, then loot and riot. My boys be more than happy to oblige," he says, grinning with a mostly toothless smile.
This makes no sense. If Iris is on the island, we can't just blow it up. We might kill her. Plus, there are likely innocent people living here. Why didn't she consult me? Why are we going to war without knowing the facts first? Facts such as whether or not she's actually here, or are we just bombing an innocent village, or both?
There are too many missing pieces, and I can't wrap my head around it all. Her approach makes no sense, which is probably why she didn't tell me about it. I shout at the crew once again to cease fire, but they ignore me, too caught up in their blood lust.
I search the ship—and her private quarters—seeking my sister, but do not find her. So Duke and I slip away from the men and take a small boat, making our way to shore as far away from their war party as we can. I don't want to be seen with them. I want to find out what's going on first.
The water is brackish and the storm makes paddling difficult. Taking a roundabout way also adds time and tedium to the journey, and we are both soaked to the bone when we dock on the white sand.
At first glance, it's a beautiful place, especially so if the weather wasn't destroying it.
At sea, the Water Spirit coils around the rocks it first appeared near, pulling someone out of the water. The warrior raises his hands and rides the water, maneuvering it to his will.
That must be the Water Druid. But on closer inspection, it looks like…
No. It can't be.
Arias, the White Rider, is also the Water Druid?
I'm stunned. Frozen in place. If Arias is here, then Iris must be as well.
At the far end of the shore, some men have made it to the beach and will begin their raiding.
There are likely people here who must be warned.
But I have to capture Arias and find out what happened to Iris.
I look to him, and then inland to where I assume a village would dwell.
I see smoke rising from fires, so I know my assumptions are right.
I must choose which path to take.
Callie told me to seek the truth and not the easy lie. Could my brother be the easy lie right now? What is the truth?
Iris would protect the people.
The hardened part of me would go after my brother and make him pay for nearly killing me twice and kidnapping Iris.
I turn inland and begin to run.
Duke is more surefooted than myself as we traverse the tropical forest that separates the village from the ocean. But I hold my own, as my sword slaps against my hip, ready for battle and blood.
I hope it doesn't come to that.
I'm here to fight the Rider, not my sister's men, and not innocent villagers.
As I make my way inland I hear the sounds of life, of people, of children.
Just as I feared.
How did my sister know there would be people to attack? Why would she do this without talking with me first?
I make fast time and arrive at the village before Aya's men.
The village already looks like it's been attacked. Which makes no sense. But huts have been destroyed, people are injured. What's going on here?
A child cries out and points to the sky and I look up just in time to see a giant Manticore landing in the middle of the village, with Iris on his back.
"Iris!" My voice carries over the voices and Iris looks my way, her face beatific as it breaks out in smile.
"Elias!" She slides off Theo and comes running. Some kind of demon dude awkwardly falls off behind her and raises his sword by way of greeting the villagers.
Duke, for his part, gives a happy wag at Iris, but heads straight for Theo, as they play and greet each other.
But my thoughts are completely consumed by only one person as Iris throws herself into my arms and I catch her and hold her tightly. I never want to let go of this woman. Being without her, not knowing how she fared, it nearly broke me.
I bury my face in her shoulder, her hair tickling my nose. She's covered in mud and as wet as everyone else in this storm, and as the rain pelts us I kiss her deeply.
When we part, she cups my face. "I've missed you. I thought you were dead." Her voice breaks at that.
"I'm a hard man to kill. You of all people should know that," I say with a grin.
She sighs in exaggerated exacerbation. "Seriously. How did I get this blood thirsty reputation? I. Don't. Kill. Trust me, Prince, if I'd wanted you dead, you'd be dead."
I chuckle at that. I've missed our banter. "Oh really?"
She winks. "Really. You're just lucky that goes against my code."
"I love you for your code," I say, the words coming out more serious and emotion-laden than I intended.
Her eyes widen and she kisses me again, a quick kiss that sends a jolt of desire through me. But there's no time for that now. "My sister is attacking this village. I thought to save you, but now I don't know. She's disappeared and her men won't listen to me. We have to protect the people."
Iris nods and pulls away from my arms. "I'm glad you're here to help."
She turns as two familiar people walk up. I raise an eyebrow. "Kayla? Tavian? What are you doing here?"
They look at each other and shrug. "It's a long story, one that will have to wait until after this is dealt with."
The sky rumbles with thunder and a great lightning bolt too big to be natural strikes at the center of the village, setting huts afire even in the rain, and cracking open the earth. "What kind of storm is this?" I ask, having to shout to be heard.
Iris grabs my hand. "I'll explain on the way. Kayla, you and Tavian help the people and get them to safety, if there is such a thing right now. Use Imenath, he can help. Elias and I will go assist Arias."
Everyone seems comfortable following Iris's command, which doesn't surprise me at all. This woman has a way of leading that would make a king envious. We jog over to Theo and Duke who are playing in the mud together.
Iris laughs and gives a hug to the great wolf. "Good to see you too, buddy. But we've got to get out of here." She climbs onto Theo's back and I join behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist.
I'm just about to ask what we should do about Duke, when he hops up behind me and takes a position on Theo's neck, in front of Iris. She wraps an arm around him and we take to the sky.
I have to scream in her ear to be heard, but this is too important to wait. "Why are we helping the White Rider? Isn't he the enemy?"
"It's complicated," she says. "You'll see."
We fly back to the ocean as Aya's men are clamoring up the shoreline to pillage the town and wreak havoc on the people there. By the rocks that jut out past the surf, a figure dressed in black armor with a gold helmet faces off against the White Rider, his serpent spiraling around them.
Theo hovers over the crew and begins picking them off four at a time, one for each giant claw, disemboweling them and tossing them into the water. It doesn't take him long to eviscerate the entire crew, save the ones left on the ship who are not shy about loosing their cannons on us.
"Bloody hell, good work, Theo!" I scream over the howling winds.
Duke jumps off his friend and picks off any of Theo's victims still left, then howls into the night as Theo carries Iris and I across the waters to the rocks where the worst of the storm seems to be centered.
"There's a fifth Spirit," Iris screams. "The Storm Spirit. That's the Tempest, the one you've been seeking, and he's trying to claim the Storm Spirit for himself, but it's unstable. It will destroy the worlds. We have to stop him. That's what Arias has been trying to do all along. Stop the Tempest and protect the Spirit."
Her explanation, choppy as it is over wind and storm and thunder, slides some pieces together I didn't know I was missing.
It's still hard for me to accept that the White Rider is on our side. But right now, I have to trust her.
And I do. We hop off of Theo and run to join Arias who is locked in battle with the Tempest.
Iris dives into the fight full force and knocks the Tempest off a jutting edge, but the Tempest rises from the sea foam, a cloak of shadow draped around him, defying gravity. He cackles, his voice low and ominous. "You cannot stop me. I will have what I seek. I can feel the power seeking me out even as we speak."
With a thunderous jolt, the rock below us cracks open as lightning tears it apart.
Iris falls from the rocks into the water, and the sea serpent lifts her out as Theo plucks her up and carries her into the sky.
Arias lunges for the Tempest but strikes nothing but shadow as he disappears into nothing, reappearing behind me with a sword to my neck.
"Surrender or he dies."
The White Rider laughs, the shredded white cloth overlaying his white armor dancing behind him in the wind. "You think I care about him. I already slit his throat once. Do it again and see if that matters to me."
"Hey now, let's all talk this through a minute. I quite like my throat where it is, thank you very much," I say as I fall back into the Tempest and use the momentum to pull him over me and slam him into the rocks. At the same time, Iris drops down with Theo, who picks the Tempest up with his claws, but the Tempest once again uses whatever shadow magic he has to vanish, reappearing at the far edge of the rocky cliff. As he does, the lightning from under the ocean rises up and focuses its aim, driving itself into the Tempest's chest.
The Tempest screams, and it is a sound to topple mountains. His body shakes, spasms, and lights up with the glow of a sun exploding in space.
Theo lands next to me and Iris slides off, her sword in hand, eyes fixated on the spectacle before us.
The Tempest's mask cracks as the lightning makes its way through him, and when the light dims and the man falls to the ground, the power of the Storm coursing through his blood, I see through the convenient lie into the truth.
The Tempest was no man at all.
For I stand staring at the face of my sister, Aya.
10
Iris
"Aya?" Elias stands, his dark hair whipping in the wind, as he faces his sister.
