Vamps: Dark Horizon, page 29
Ace, hidden shield flaring bright for once, appeared suddenly, swooping in just as Zach roared with fury and flipped away from his opponent’s vicious fangs. As they both rushed to help Mahina, Zach flew across Ace, sending him into a spiral that Ace only just recovered from.
In the chaos, seeing Zach go after Mahina, Chiro glanced round, searching for Dillon, momentarily breaking his concentration. Alexandru took the opportunity to lunge at Chiro, his fully extended fangs dripping with a molten substance that shimmered as it caught the moonlight. Chiro, normally so fleet, so agile in the sky, twisted away clumsily and Alexandru caught him, plunging cruel fangs into Chiro’s throat.
Chiro hung suspended for one long second. His eyes, full of anguish, met Dillon’s across the sky.
Dillon yelled out as Alexandru slashed through Chiro’s throat and Chiro began to plummet, wreaths of wispy smoke pouring from his wound. Fear and a flood of adrenaline kickstarted an immense dark wave of energy. As it consumed him, the firestone at his neck responded, searing his skin with instant heat. Another vision of a grey, rough sea rushing underneath flashed into his mind and he felt the sudden sense of familiar steel. Bibiana had responded.
Too late, he screamed at her in his head as he hurtled towards to Chiro, his golden shield fiery around him.
Chiro transformed into his beloved bat form as he fell, his gossamer wings slowing his descent as he spiralled down. Just before he disappeared into a mist-filled crevasse, Dillon, still ripping through the air, caught him in one outstretched hand.
Leave me, Chiro insisted into his mind.
I can’t, Dillon replied, flying below the mist, out of sight of the vampires above.
Leave me, join the others, fly under the cover of the mist and escape. Bibiana will find you. He wants you, Chiro insisted again, delicate wings opening and closing in his agitation. His voice inside Dillon’s head was becoming fainter as his life blood escaped, flowing over Dillon’s hand.
Chiro, you’ll be fine, I’ll give you my blood. Bibiana’s coming. I saw her.
Chiro’s wings opened again. There’s no time, they’re here for you. Alexandru’s fangs are coated in silver and something else. It’s in my blood, I can feel it. He intended to kill me tonight – to hurt Bibiana and leave you unprotected.
Dillon landed clumsily and laid Chiro gently on a frozen spring. As if he no longer had any control over it, Chiro’s bat form flickered again and he transfigured back into his vampire form. Blood and faint wisps of smoke still pulsed from the wound in his throat that the deadly coating on Alexandru’s fangs prevented from closing. He was too weak now to lift his head, the burning embers of his eyes fading.
Furiously, Dillon bit into his wrist and held it over Chiro’s mouth. ‘Chiro! Drink, please, for me; for Bibiana,’ he begged as Sade’s shadowy form appeared through the mist, landing next to them.
He almost wept with relief at the sight of her. ‘Sade, can you help him?’
Sade, grey with fear, fell to her knees next to him on the hard ice. I’ll try.
But when she placed her fingers on Chiro’s wound, her beautiful white healing energy spluttered and faded. ‘Why can’t I do it?’ she cried, pulling her hands away in panic.
Dillon fought to control his own fear. ‘There was something on Alexandru’s fangs,’ he explained, feeling for the blood connection between them. When it opened, Sade gasped and he allowed the golden energy circulating in him to flow into her, feeling the firestone burn, lighting the mist as he fortified her strength. A vision of an iron-grey sea flashing past disconcerted him for a second, but he pushed it out of his mind.
Sade. You can do it, he insisted.
Her trust in him pierced his heart. Without taking her eyes off his, she replaced her fingertips on Chiro’s forehead and her beautiful energy, as ethereal as the floating mist around them, fortified by Dillon, streamed into him.
Chiro’s eyes fluttered open, but his agony panicked Sade. She pulled her fingertips away; she couldn’t do it.
Yes, you can. Dillon’s soft Irish burr in her head calmed her.
She glanced at him, kneeling next to her, his blue eyes shimmering gold. The intense connection between them and his belief in her, calmed her. Trembling, she replaced her fingers and closed her eyes again, feeling the healing power surge in her veins.
Once again, it flowed into Chiro and this time she saw his body ripple with relief. Just as his eyes recovered some of their red glow, a vampire shot out of the mist.
The vampire paused, her long, blood-red mohawk damp with mist. As her eyes fixed on Sade, still healing Chiro, she crouched low.
‘No!’ Dillon cried as the vampire’s lips pulled back, exposing the full length of her cruel platinum fangs. Faster than Dillon could react, she sprang at Sade, ripping her away from Chiro and tossing her like a rag doll into the icy mountainside.
Dillon projected his still burning golden energy, darkened now with fury, at the vampire. She jolted as it hit her, throwing her backwards into the rocky side of the crevasse. There was a sharp clang of metal as one of her platinum fangs snapped and spiralled through the air, piercing her skin like a knife as it landed in her neck.
Dillon turned back to Chiro, who was now as translucent as the ice beneath him. ‘No, no, no,’ he sobbed.
Chiro, please try to take my blood, Dillon begged, holding his wrist over Chiro’s blue lips once more. He felt a strange disconnection as the mist cocooned them, sealing them off from the sounds of the battle raging far overhead.
Chiro’s eyelids fluttered. You need it to fight them. Tell Bibiana I’m sorry. You will become great one day. It is written in your destiny – in your bloodline.
He cradled Chiro’s head in his other arm. Take it, Chiro, please.
At the sound of a low, growling hiss, he glanced up. Another vampire appeared out of the mist. He pushed back his hood, revealing eyes black with hatred.
‘Bram. Please, not now. Let us help Chiro,’ Dillon begged.
Chiro’s gleaming black aura flickered and the last glowing embers of his eyes faded to a dull ash. Agony ripped through Dillon. Instantaneously, Bibiana’s blast of steel fury set the firestone alight.
Bram glanced at Chiro lying in Dillon’s arms and blanched. Lifting his eyes back to Dillon’s, he saw the firestone blazing and he filled with fury.
‘Bram, no!’ Dillon heard Sade pick herself off the ice and stumble towards them as Bram, stronger than Dillon had ever seen him before, sprang at him and ripped the firestone off his neck in one savage jerk. Numbly, Dillon saw it go cold as it left his skin. And as he looked down at Chiro lying motionless, his immense golden power froze deep inside him.
Bram pocketed the firestone and wrenched Dillon away, allowing Chiro to fall back against the ice. ‘No one can help you now,’ he hissed.
Chapter Fifty-Two Remote VSS Training Camp, Eastern Carpathian Mountains
Sade
Sade watched Bram take off with Dillon. ‘Bram! Don’t!’ she screamed, struggling to stand.
She fell silent as the leader of the mercenaries shot out of the mist and landed next to the female who still lay next to the mountain face where she’d fallen. Growling continuously, he pulled the metal fang tip out of her neck and stroked the red hair off her forehead.
Sade tried to stand but now he turned to her, his cruel eyes ablaze. Slowly, his heavily pierced lips pulled back to reveal the full extent of his metal fangs. With a blast of energy he launched himself at her.
Her shield was down. She’d used everything to help Chiro.
Jeremiah, roaring with savage rage, swooped out of the mist in front of her. He shuddered as he absorbed the advancing vampire’s entire blast.
‘Go after Dillon,’ he shouted, revealing his own lethal, gold-crested fangs as he faced the vampire.
Sade hovered, torn between Jeremiah and Dillon. Jeremiah, facing a vicious, unnaturally strong vampire, alone. Dillon being taken further away by Bram with each passing second.
‘Go!’ Jeremiah snarled. ‘Allow me to protect Dillon, my way.’
As much as she feared for Jeremiah, she responded to his fierce pride, trusting in his huge strength. Without daring to look back, she flew into the mist after Bram and Dillon.
A cloud of black bats glowing with spectral light descended past her, coming for Chiro. ‘May your blood return from whence it came,’ she whispered.
Blinded by tears, she panicked as she realized her blood connection to Dillon had disappeared. She burst above the mist, unnoticed by Zach, who was taking on Alexandru, the battle raging around them. But there was no sign of Bram.
Flying towards the rugged mountain peaks, she searched for Dillon’s mind but there was nothing. She strained to find any hint of their blood connection, usually so strong. The silence was deafening until, flinching in surprise, she found a faint glimmer of Bram’s mind instead. He was the only other one who’d had more than a few sips of Dillon’s blood; somehow the three of them were connected.
As she crested the mountain tops, the clear expanse of night sky on the other side revealed Bram not far in the distance. She could hear his thoughts buzzing like angry hornets, and underneath, she felt his rage that Dillon and Cora had got together again. Deep in the pit of her stomach, she wrestled a wave of confusion, forcing herself to put it aside to deal with later.
Bram was struggling to fly fast, hampered by Dillon who hung limply in his arms.
Bram! she screamed down the connection, hoping it would work. She hadn’t attempted it across such a big distance before. Don’t do this. Think of Madame Dupledge.
He visibly jolted and she sensed an unusual black energy in him.
She pushed herself to fly faster than ever before, gaining on him as she shot over a long expanse of wild forest. She had almost caught up when Bram stopped suddenly and twisted to face her, clutching Dillon to him in an oddly protective gesture. Warily, she slowed to a hover. Far below, a wolf howled, sensing their presence.
Sade tried again to connect with Dillon, but his normally bright blue eyes were dark and vacant. With a pang, she noticed the burn on his throat still hadn’t healed; it looked strangely naked without the firestone.
Bram glared at her. His intense black eyes, like his energy, seemed different. ‘Leave us,’ he hissed. ‘My father has no wish to hurt you, but he will not hesitate if you stand between him and what he wants.’
‘Don’t do this, Bram,’ she begged. ‘You pledged loyalty to Madame Dupledge when you took her blood – you’re one of us.’
Bram’s eyes flashed and Sade experienced the tangled, shadowy emotions swirling through his mind as if they were her own, felt the anguish and guilt coursing through him as he replied, ‘Not anymore.’
‘I’m not leaving Dillon,’ she insisted.
‘I’m warning you, Sade, my father will join us soon. He will hurt you if you stand in his way.’
Dillon remained blank-eyed, as if he wasn’t aware of what was going on. Desperately, she tried to project her energy to wake him, aware that she was still depleted after Chiro.
‘Stop!’ Bram hissed. He lunged suddenly towards her and projected a remorseless stream of energy at her. Unprotected, Sade froze with shock as the pain overwhelmed her.
Chapter Fifty-Three Remote VSS Training Camp, Eastern Carpathian Mountains
Cora
Once again, Cora rose above the vicious clashing fangs and grunts of pain and transfigured into a hawk. As she spread her wings wide, circling high to gain perspective on the fight below, she gave a piercing cry.
Below, Alexandru hissed as he attacked Zach again and again, pushing him backwards with the force of his rage. Hearing Cora’s cry, Mahina dematerialized, reappearing seconds later next to Zach.
Alexandru paused long enough to make sure Zach was watching, then he directed an unnaturally strong stream of energy at her. Immediately, Cora dived, pulling her wings tight to her sides, screeching with a wild fury. Mahina valiantly attempted to absorb the blast but, just as before, it appeared to short-circuit her ability to connect to her power.
Throwing caution to the wind, Zach threw himself in front of Mahina. With a roar of triumph, Alexandru projected everything he had at him instead. The force caught Zach by surprise and threw him backwards, sending him crashing into the mountainside. Cora screeched again, plunging her vicious talons into Alexandru’s eyes.
With Alexandru temporarily blinded, Cora put everything she had into taking off again, flapping her strong wings hard to gain uplift. Cursing her and hissing in agony, Alexandru grabbed blindly at her beautiful feathers, tearing with savage ferocity at one of her wings. As she fought to free herself, she glimpsed Bram in her peripheral vision, shooting out of the mist, dragging Dillon with him. Alexandru must have felt the bolt of horrified recognition rip through her. He turned his bloodied eyes towards them just as Sade shot out after them, racing for the mountain peaks.
Instantly Alexandru let go, leaving Cora’s wing to flap uselessly. The pain transfigured her back to her vampire form. ‘What have you done to Bram?’ she hissed, holding her broken arm to her side. ‘You’ve ruined him.’
‘No, you did that.’ Alexandru smiled cruelly. ‘He’s never been stronger now he’s realised what you are.’
Turning swiftly, he flew after Bram and Sade, leaving Cora hanging in the air. Below, Ace swooped with incredible speed to help Zach and Mahina as Ásta, Aron, Bik and Angelo fought off Alexandru’s brutal mercenaries. Fred flitted between them, shoring up the strength of their shields with his own, protecting them as they fought. Blood from both sides sprayed across the sky as they slashed at each other with their fangs.
Cora hovered, gathering her senses. Then, she remembered Sade, on her own, heading after Bram and Dillon. Seeing that Ace was protecting her brother, she ignored her injuries and flew after Sade.
Chapter Fifty-Four Remote VSS Training Camp, Eastern Carpathian Mountains
Jeremiah
Jeremiah lowered into a crouch. Beneath a heavily tattooed forehead, the mercenary leader’s eyes blazed with hatred. Expecting another blast of energy, Jeremiah stiffened, shoring up the protective shield he’d worked so hard on.
The leader snarled and sprang, but at the last minute, he twisted away, looking upwards and disappeared into the mist.
Jeremiah took off after him, choking up as he flew past the circle of bats that had descended around Chiro and now lifted him up into the mist, taking him with them.
It fuelled his rage. Bursting straight back into the furious battle above, he realized instantly that Sade and Dillon were nowhere to be seen. Nor was the VSS instructor. Peak Two were on their own, fighting for their lives. There was Zach, protecting an injured Mahina, his fangs bared against the pierced and tattooed leader Jeremiah had just faced. A badly injured vampire who was struggling to stay airborne explained why he’d suddenly left Jeremiah and was now staring at Zach with murderous intent. Not far away, Bik, screaming with rage, ripped her glasses off, just as Borzak had taught her, and turned on the vampire who had mistakenly judged her as easy prey.
Ásta and Aron, fighting side by side, knocked a blood-spattered vampire back into the mist below. Then they flew to help Fred and Angelo, back to back, looking worse for wear, but still fighting bravely.
Ace was everywhere, using his superior skill in the air to make one darting attack after another. With a bittersweet pain, Jeremiah recognized the aerial techniques Chiro had drilled into Ace. Chiro, who’d taught them all everything he knew.
Jeremiah was their VE. Guilt that he hadn’t protected them welled up in him, stoking his rage into something dark and savage. As the vampire attacking Bik finally broke through Bik’s defence, that part of himself that Jeremiah usually kept so well suppressed burst out of him. Discovering flying speed he’d never found before, he closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds.
‘Jeremiah!’ Bik screamed.
In one savage lunge, he gripped the vampire and ripped at his throat, spitting bitter blood from his gold-crested fangs.
As the vampire began to fall, his surprise still frozen on his face, the other mercenaries unexpectedly withdrew from the fight. Silently, mysteriously, led by their leader, they gathered up their damaged comrade, reformed the ominous line formation they had arrived in and swooped below the mist, disappearing within seconds.
Bik flinched as Jeremiah turned to her and he understood that his eyes must still reflect the dark rage that had taken over him. As he cooled down, shame began to replace his fury. He’d acted out of pure, uncontrolled vengeance.
‘No,’ Zach spoke up, surprising him. He hadn’t noticed the others form a circle around them. ‘You turned the fight. They got what they deserved. Any one of us could have been killed. You did what any VE would have done – what I would have done.’
The sound of something whistling at speed through the air made them all jump, fearing the mercenaries had returned. Instead, the VSS, flying in tight formation, streamed over the mountain, led by Bibiana.
Though her eyes were bloodshot from flying at high speed over a long distance, she was still ferociously beautiful. She stopped by Zach and Mahina. ‘Where’s Dillon?’
‘Alexandru and Bram took him over the mountain towards the west. Cora and Sade went after them…’ Zach’s face paled. He hadn’t protected Dillon or even Cora in the heat of the battle.
Bibiana glanced at the sky and when she spoke, her low voice reflected the incandescent fury on her face. ‘I will go after them. Dawn is not far off. The VSS will accompany you back to camp. Madame Dupledge is on her way.’
Then, without a backwards glance, she left them, her outer cloak streaming behind her as she flew fast and alone. A mother on her way to avenge her son.
