“Oh shit!” Paige yelled from the front.
The car jerked to the right, Abner slamming into the door. Paige accelerated, swerving in and out of traffic. Abner looked behind them, looking through the back-glass window and saw three other black cars chasing them. Gunshots came from the lead vehicle as Paige continued to weave in and out of the traffic.
“Will you fucking shoot them back!” Paige asked.
“Yeah righto boss,” Gerard said. “Oy Dale!” He elbowed the chair beside him.
Abner saw the legs kick out and a hand appeared from inside a dark robe that blended in with the interior of the car. The man that Gerard had just hit let out a gasp of air.
“Fuck, shit, what! Oh Gerard, it’s you. What the fuck do you want?”
“Get on the roof. We’ve got Vampires trying to kill us!”
“Fuck, we’ve already got him?” Dale asked.
“Abner Toldar,” Abner said. He extended his hand.
“Bah, fuck we don’t have time for that,” Dale said. “Nice to meet you mate.”
Dale opened the side door and pulled a short silver tube from inside his robe. He pressed a button on it and it extended to become more than three feet in length. A moment later Dale had turned around and pulled himself up onto the roof with a resounding crash.
“Won’t he fall off?” Abner asked.
“Not unless he's pissed as a fart,” Gerard said. “So, happens that’s how he always is now days.”
“But he’s shooting,” Abner said. “Won’t he miss his target?”
An explosion rocked the car behind them and it was engulfed in a ball of flame, burning pieces of the car falling onto the two following it. They drifted around the damage, remaining true to their course, however the passengers now directed their shooting to the roof.
“Nope,” Gerard said. “He won’t miss. Paige stay straight on here.”
“Not going to the usual den?” Paige asked.
“Need to make sure our friend is who he says he is,” Gerard said.
“Do you want to go to Oldtown?”
“Absolutely, we need to check his blood. We can’t do that in the city,” Gerard said. “How far out are we?”
“Going to have to turn around!” Paige said.
“Do it!”
Without taking a second to slow down, Paige spun the car into a one eighty-degree turn, the cars full of Vampires screaming past them. Dale shot his second car, another explosion erupting from where he had hit his mark. The second car flipped, smashing into the other sending it spiraling off the road. Dale let out a shout of excitement and smacked the roof of their car.
“Fucking hell,” Gerard said. “That was a good showing. Hope you’re liking your time here so far in the new Rhorn, Toldar.”
“This is Rhorn?” Abner asked.
“Yep, always has been always will be. Renori took it once but we fought them out again. The general population in this modern, mostly peaceful time, has no need for walls anymore, but you and I both know they work. As a Hunter they’ve saved our asses more times than you can count,” Gerard said. “Besides I’d also like to see my son again. So many happy memories.”
“It’s where I made my first kill,” Paige said.
“Doesn’t count,” Gerard said. “You had my help.”
“If you keep saying it Gerard, it doesn’t make it any less true,” Paige said. “Is there any particular entrance you want me to go through?”
“Yeah, go via the bush. We need something to throw our trail off,” Gerard said. “With the ruckus we’ve caused, I’ve got no doubt that Tal’davin will want our heads for this, especially yours Abner. We need to get you caught up with the events of the world ASAP and get you geared up. I’ve got a feeling business is about to pick up,” Gerard said.
“Why I’m just one-half Vampire, half-human,” Abner said.
“Back when you were a fully-fledged Hunter under the old order you managed to kill the plague wolves off almost entirely just by yourself with a small group of Hunters. When you were a Hunter the Vampire threat was at an all-time low. With you, if we can recruit the right people to fight back with, I believe we can make our world what it once was again. Full of people, not monsters. You’re the Hunter to get it done.”
Abner puffed out his lips and let out a sigh. “It’s a big ask. But I’ll come with you to your Huntrey and see how you operate. I’ve got no stake on either side of this war. From what it looks like the Vampires have won and my only motivator is revenge.”
“How long ago did this happen?” Tal’davin asked. His eyes were red surveying the scene before him. He could still smell the freshness of the Hunter’s path.
Tal’davin and Aldo stood in the middle of the road, amongst the wreckage that the Hunters had left behind. Two Vampires had managed to crawl from the two-car demolition, what little of their skin remained still smoldered from the flames.
Aldo was crouched, examining his fallen brothers, picking up a piece of their armor looking at a bullet hole near the shoulder. “Looking at everything Tal’davin, I’d say no more than two hours ago. We were informed almost immediately. The jet ride was only just over an hour. Abner Toldar didn’t take long to make his escape.”
“And you put the call out to everybody that was available, did you not?” Tal’davin asked.
“Obviously, sir. As far eye witnesses can count, we had at least fifty Vampires with the appropriate clearance answer the call. Another twenty were making their way to the city and what we see here in the cars, were local mobsters, nothing more,” Aldo said.
Tal’davin frowned. “Has law and order fallen into such a low place that we have humans running amok without cause?”
“No, I don’t think you would have willingly allowed it to happen, but you have been quite withdrawn from your world,” Aldo said. “I can root out any that would try and disrupt your vision.”
“Get the local police to look into it,” Tal’davin said. “I have more pressing matters to be concerned with. These Hunters for instance, Aldo. They should not be taken lightly, especially now that they have my son on their side. I was rather hoping when he awoke he’d willingly join me, considering the mess that Zarazenih has been partaking in over the past few years.”
“I will do what I can,” Aldo said. “At your request I have been training over a dozen humans that we can use to infiltrate their ranks and open the doors to us.”
“How long until they are ready? If I was my son the first thing I would do would be to recruit more to my cause. Not that he’s ever needed help in the past,” Tal’davin said.
“Very soon, sir. I imagine that once the new moon turns they’ll have completed their final test and be ready for anything, including your son,” Aldo said.
“Nobody is ready for Abner,” Tal’davin said. “You’d best remind your agents of that. I am curious to investigate the security footage from the lab to see what he is capable of now with modern technology in his hands.”
“Should we send someone after the Hunters now, sir? If Abner is a threat we can’t let him get his feet back under him.”
“Yes, send some Vampires to try and flush out their position. If they succeed or fail we will know where the Hunters lie,” Tal’davin said. “The game is afoot, Aldo and for the time being I am sacrificing the pawns for the purpose of the greater good. I have no doubt that Abner will do the same, until only he, the King remains.”
“Will you be sending him a Queen?” Aldo asked.
“In time we will see, for now, let us probe his defenses.”
4
What Remains
The Hunters continued to travel well outside of what Abner had come to know as the city of Rhorn. The past four hundred years had only seen the city grow exponentially, thousands of houses and other nonresidential buildings being passed by the Hunters as they drove. A short while later, the sun had begun to set and Paige turned off the main road into a side street, slowing right down.
The car crawled
along the now gravel road, downhill towards a stream. A deer looked up from its grassy meal, not concerned by the car as it drove past. The three Hunters in the car seemed indifferent about the scenery but Abner was fascinated as to how much the world had changed since he had left it. They came to a stop towards the bottom of the stream, at the base of a small white wall. Behind it Abner could see the Rhorn Pass looming in the distance.
“We’re here. Get him to do it,” Paige said.
“Where are we?” Abner asked.
“This is the outer wall that once protected the old city of Rhorn. We’re still technically in it, but this is where the Renori first breached the walls to claim the city as their own,” Paige said. “The city itself has moved around a lot and only grown bigger since you’ve been gone.”
“Right, Gerard said. He pulled a knife from his pocket and held it out expectantly. “Get out of the car, I don’t want blood everywhere. Do you know what to do?”
“Of course, how could you ever forget?” Abner asked.
He opened the door and slid out of the car. Gerard followed him with the knife in hand. Now that he was standing, Gerard appeared to be just shorter than Abner, but much stockier and well built. He led Abner to the wall and stopped him several feet away from it.
“Hand,” Gerard said.
Abner opened his hand and held it under the dagger. Gerard brought it down and sliced through Abner’s skin, Abner not reacting in anyway. The Hunter flicked what blood he had on the dagger onto the invisible wall where it began to smoke and fade into nothing. Abner then pressed his hand against where his blood had vanished and began to see a building materialize in front of his eyes.
“No walls to defend you?” he asked.
“What good would it do?” Gerard asked. “Vampires can jump over the walls or punch through it. Wait until you get inside, then you’ll see what we’ve come up with in the last few hundred years. I think you’ll like it.”
“Good to be home,” Paige said. She got out of the car and stretched. She wore a black top that revealed her belly, Abner spotted a jewel flashing in the late afternoon soon. A small gold ring stuck through her nose. Paige by no means was tall, her petite frame, only coming up to Gerard’s shoulder. She carried a gun on each of her curvy hips and carried a scabbard sword in her hand. “This yours, Toldar?”
She tossed the blade at him, Abner caught it and in one motion had the blade out, glistening in the afternoon sunlight. The Dreyth blade he had become accustomed to over his life was unique, each rune carefully carved into the side of the blade. But the weight and size of this blade were wrong. The hilt was longer, the blade slightly wider.
He shook his head in disappointment. “No, this isn’t my sword. If anything, it is a clever fake or a different blade all together.” He slid it back in the scabbard and threw it back to Paige. “You take it.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I like them long and thick anyway.”
She got back into the car as a white sliding door began to open. Gerard made towards the front door of the greyed out building and let himself inside. Dale pushed in through after him and Abner follow suite. The inside of the building was dark, a wall met Abner as soon as he walked in.
“Turn left,” Dale said. Abner turned and was met with another wall. “Right.” A corridor opened up in front of him, narrow, almost no wider than he was. At the end Dale stood with his hands on his hips. “Don’t get lost!”
He turned and walked down the corridor to his right, moving deeper through the labyrinth. Abner sped up to fall in behind him, committing the path he took to memory. Silver objects appeared at random throughout the blacked-out maze, all of them either looking similar to the guns the Hunters carried or other traps that had no doubt been deactivated. After what seemed like minutes of turns and going around in circles, Dale and Abner stepped into a large room, an array of weapons and technology all on display. Paige and Gerard were already in high back leather seats gathered around a glass table. Two other men inhabited two of the remaining three. One who looked no older than his early twenties, wore his sideburns thick with next to no hair on his head. His piercing black eyes felt as if they looked into Abner’s soul. He wore a grey singlet, his veins almost as big as his muscles.
The second man looked slightly older than Gerard, a few grey hairs sprinkled throughout his beard. He wore glasses on his face and looked like he could be snapped by a light breeze if he was ever caught in one.
“Well shit,” the muscular man said. He rose from his chair and strode over to Abner. “It is you. Fuck me I never thought I’d see the day.”
The spectacled man tapped away at a device on the table and a mechanical arm came to a pause over Abner’s head. There was a loud buzzing sound and a small white light spun around Abner’s head three times before coming to rest between his eyes.
“Well it’s looking positive that he is who he says he is.”
“Do you have any more of your equipment here, Gabriel?” Gerard asked. “We need to know for sure.”
“Of course,” Gabriel said. He tapped more buttons on his device and a buzzing came from other part of the Huntrey. A small white machine flew forward at head hit and jabbed Abner’s forehead with a needle. His blood swirled around in the machine for several seconds before it returned to hover by Gabriel’s side. “It’s a match! Welcome Abner!”
“Why did any of you doubt me?” Abner said.
“We’ve been deceived before. Several close calls over the past few years, all set as traps by Tal’davin. I’m Valdmire by the way.” The muscular man stuck out his hand. Abner grasped it and shook firmly. “You don’t look like much.”
“Four hundred plus years in a tank will do that to you. Bet I could still break you in half,” Abner said.
“I’ve had four hundred years of training, little man,” Valdmire said.
“Alright what are you, you’re too short to be a Ghost. Did Barros create some other kind of monster that he bred you from?” Abner asked.
A red wave surged through Valdmire’s pupils. He clenched his fist but didn’t strike. “I’m a human and Vampire hybrid. One of the very few that walk the earth.”
“And you think you’re as strong as I am?” Abner asked.
Valdmire smiled at Abner. “No I’m stronger.”
“And you haven’t taken down Tal’davin yet? If you’re so strong why wait for me to return?” Abner asked.
“I’ve tried getting close to him, it seems he’s taken a liking to me. He carries the amulets on his person at all times. I’ve been able to rip Counts and Shades apart with ease, but Tal’davin is something else entirely. If we could somehow separate him from the amulets, I feel like we would stand more of a chance,” Valdmire said.
“You’re stopped by the amulets?” Abner asked. A rage surged through him. It was his fault that Tal’davin had managed to claim all of the amulets. “We need to dismantle his operation then.”
“That’s going to be next to impossible I’m afraid,” Gabriel said. “Take a seat. He gestured to the empty chairs beside him. Abner and Valdmire both sat side by side. “Since you’ve been asleep, your father, Barros Toldar as you knew him has managed to build an empire. Literally everything he’s touched has turned to gold.”
Gabriel tapped away at the device in front of him again and see through, three dimensional images shot into the area above the table, floating until around Gabriel commanded them away.
Valdmire saw Abner’s confused look and leant in. “They’re holograms.”
Gabriel continued ignoring the interruption. “He has everything the economy could need under his control. Anything that benefits Vampires and humans, from meat production to blood storage. Chances are, if you see it Abner, it’ll have your family name on it somewhere. He often conducts business as Barros Toldar, a front of course to keep his politics and business separate. But they are the same person, or Vampire, I should say.”
“So it’s easy then, we expose him and take his businesses down
,” Abner said. “Draw him out into the open.”
“If you want to have your head on a spike hanging above his Citadel sure,” Gerard said. “We have Valdmire as a high executive inside Toldar Corp, original name I know. They develop weapons and all sorts of futuristic technologies for Tal’davin, that is the best bet we have to beat him at this stage. If Valdmire was to pull the plug on the company, that’d take away a lot of Tal’davin’s resources.
“It won’t be enough to stop him completely, but we’re putting enough potholes in the road so that when you’re ready we can take him down,” Valdmire said. “With Tal’davin tied down and his world begin to crumble around him we imagine we could start to destabilize him more and then look at taking the last source of his power away, the amulets.”
“For what purpose? Did you lot never hear the legends of Tal’davin? He is essentially a god. You’re playing with something you can’t understand here,” Abner said. “As far as I can see the Vampires have won. Myself and Valdmire would be fine in this world as it is, and the rest of you would do well to integrate,” Abner said.
“I already have,” Valdmire said.
“Look like we’ve said before, with both you and Valdmire I think we have a good chance,” Gerard said. “We can start the fight back.”
They were interrupted by a rattling from behind them and a small boy of no older than ten, rushed into the room from where the drone had come from. He looked white and was out of breath. The boy was covered head to toe in blood and shaking from the loss. Cuts run all up and down his arms, inflicted from a knife. Gabriel gestured to him.
“Ansel, what’s wrong? Come here.”
“Vampires everywhere. They’re headed this way, I’ve seen them all,” he said before collapsing.
“Shit!” Gabriel said. He dove to the floor and nursed his son’s head off the floor.
“Is that boy a Seer?” Abner asked.
“Yep, don’t ask questions, he’s had the training. Our last Seer died in a Vampire raid on our old den. We had Ansel step in as a replacement,” Gerard said.
The Toldar Series Box Set Page 61
