The Toldar Series Box Set

by Matt Mememaro

  26

  Survival

  Abner jolted upright, not mistaking the sound of the knock for a second time. He looked over at Paige, who jolted upright in the same breath. She grabbed her knife beside the mattress and nodded at Abner. He got up, leaving his clothes in a pile beside the mattress. Tapping sounded on the roof, heavier than rain and then the Vampire’s smell. He twisted his head in the direction of a third knock from the door.

  “Don’t open it,” he warned Paige. “We’ve got Vampires.”

  He pushed his Vampire blood forward and even in the total darkness could see the outlines of the walls and the light switch. He flicked it on and the room was filled with light as the tapping became a bang. Paige scrambled to put on her clothes as a second bang came from the roof.

  “What the fuck are they doing?” she asked. “They don’t normally announce their arrival.”

  “They’re taunting us,” Abner said. “Get ready!”

  He stormed to the door and wrenched it open without a care of who was outside. A Vampire stood with its forefinger about to tap on the door again. Abner grabbed it by the throat and pulled it inside, slamming the door shut behind them. The latch hooked over and they were safe again.

  The Vampire tried to struggle, but Abner’s grip around its throat was unrelenting. It scratched at his forearm but Abner didn’t even feel the pain.

  “How many came with you?”

  The Vampire just threw its head back and laughed. It looked at Abner with its small angry red eyes. “You won’t be able to survive this Toldar. Tal’davin is angry that you stole his amulets. We are just the first of many to come for you.”

  “How many!” Abner shouted. He shook the Vampire and slapped it with the back of his hand.

  “Dozens. Good luck!” the Vampire said.

  Abner let out a shriek and brought his claws down into the Vampire’s skull. It went limp and fell silent. Abner shrieked again, his rage overcoming him. He looked at the fresh black blood on his hand and smiled. He took a deep breath and let his eyes return to normal.

  “What are you doing? You need your rage to fight! What do we do now?” Paige asked.

  “I don’t need my rage to kill them all,” Abner said. A fourth and fifth thud sounded in rapid succession, before a crashing came from one of the bedrooms. “Go and check it out!”

  Paige ran off to the rooms, scooping up her rifle as she went. Abner turned back to the door and her the clink as it began to slowly swing open. The scent was familiar and as he stepped into the room Valdmire looked around at the Huntrey.

  “Love what you’ve done with the place, father. Are you trying to leave your tomb so soon?”

  “My tomb isn’t here,” Abner said. “Yours on the other hand is.”

  “Look I just want the amulets,” Valdmire said. “My grandfather has lost his mind. I’m here to take them back to him.”

  “Your grandfather never had his own mind,” Abner said. “Tal’davin has always been in control.”

  “Yes, and he is lost without his amulets. Tal’davin’s power needs to return to his host body,” Valdmire said.

  “So he can continue this reign of terror over Taagras for another four hundred years?” Abner asked. “I don’t think so. It’s about time this came to an end.”

  Gunfire sounded from the bedrooms and Paige could be heard screaming in pain. The stream of gunfire continued and more thuds sounded from in the rooms.

  “Too bad you’re stuck out here with me,” Valdmire said. “You won’t be able to save her. She always used to idolize the idea of you, and now your image will be ruined. I hope you didn’t do anything she might regret later.”

  “She’s capable,” Abner said.

  Valdmire smiled and lunged forwards. Abner darted backwards mimicking Valdmire’s movements, the power of the amulets making him almost untouchable. Each strike that Valdmire threw missed, wind brushing past Abner’s sleeve. He blocked a strike and grabbed Valdmire’s wrist flicking him back.

  His son rolled, and Abner could now see the resemblance to Lois. His blonde hair was identical in color and he had her slender nose and jaw. Valdmire rose to one knee and smiled, the same twisted grin that Lois had given him during his time at the Citadel.

  “You’re fast. Why don’t you fight me without the amulets aiding you, father? Don’t want to lose?”

  “I came back for one reason only. I’m not about to die when I’m so close to my goal,” Abner said.

  “He is immortal! Tal’davin built everything we have today. Without him we would still be in the shadows! What don’t you understand, father? We have our rightful place on top of the world. What’s so wrong with that?” Valdmire asked. “The humans had their turn, now it’s time we had ours. We’ve accomplished so much in the last four hundred years, nobody else ever has.”

  “He ruined my life and kept me prisoner, I couldn’t care what happens to the rest of you now!” Abner said.

  “You won’t harm him,” Valdmire said. “Now fight me!”

  Abner lashed out, a swift jab aimed at Valdmire’s jaw. The blow caught him on the chin and he took a step back. Abner followed through with a high knee, this time flooring Valdmire. He hit the floor and scrambled to his feet as Abner’s boot came flying down. Valdmire punched into Abner’s stomach, catching his father off guard. Abner toppled over and cried out as Valdmire raked his claws across his back.

  Abner recoiled and aimed a kick at Valdmire’s knee. Valdmire fell but not before running his claws across Abner’s face splitting him open. Abner jumped on the kneeling Valdmire, pinning him to the ground. Valdmire’s claws struck again and again, tearing their way through Abner’s gut. Valdmire rolled him off, Abner struggling to breathe.

  “Forget the girl, I have him!

  One by one the remaining Vampires piled into the room and gathered in a circle around the two Toldars. They stood in a silent vigil looking over Abner’s naked figure.

  Abner looked up at his son and smiled. “Thank you, my son.”

  He grasped the amulet in his hand and the familiar golden light sprung from it, entrapping all of the Vampires and Valdmire like Tal’davin had done to him previously. Some of the light circle around Abner’s stomach, mending his wounds, sealing them over before Valdmire had a chance to speak.

  “This was a trick?”

  Abner smiled at his son. “I needed to see what power the amulets held. You were deceived, my son.”

  “Abner!” Paige called out.

  Abner spun to see her crawling along the ground, blood dripping from dozens of wounds all over her body. Her hair was torn and one of her eyes had been ripped from its socket. She crawled towards him with an arm outstretched.

  “End me, I don’t want to become one of them,” she said.

  Abner looked back at Valdmire and the Vampires ensuring they were still held in the bubbles. He went to her side and pressed the amulets to her skin. The golden light washed over her and began to seal her wounds. Her eye was a different matter. Abner could only watch as a replacement grew from nothing inside the empty hole in her head and began attaching itself to the severed joints. She started to blink, both of her eyes now working in unison and then let out a squeal of delight.

  “Thank you!” She wrapped her arms around Abner’s stomach.

  “That’s alright.”

  He patted her on the back before getting back to his feet. As he rose, the Vampires bubbles all began to burst one by one. Abner looked down at the amulet and saw it was now no longer gold or red. He tapped it again, but to no response.

  Valdmire laughed. “Lost your power, Abner? I’ve beaten you once before, now you stand no chance.”

  “Get behind me!” Abner said to Paige.

  The Vampires hungrily eyed the pair off. Valdmire gave a nod and the Vampires attacked. Abner grabbed the amulet again and held it out in front of him. It started to pulse and a burst of gold escaped from it shooting towards the Vampires. It passed through the first and faded away. A second
burst shot out from the amulet and faded once it had passed through a Vampire.

  Valdmire watched on in horror as his guards were destroyed one by one by the amulet. None of them even got to within striking range of Abner before they were shot and turned to ash. Their armor was the only thing that remained behind. Two guards remained, and Abner smiled, dropping the amulet to the floor again.

  “Are you ready to face me now?” Abner said. He let his rage build through him again and his eyes turned red as his claws grew out again.

  Valdmire snarled and turned on his heel and fled, leaving the guards to Abner. They both shrieked and charged him like a pair of crazed bulls. They were stopped in their tracks as Abner thrust his claws forward into their face. They snuck to the ground, their blood spilling over Abner’s hands. He walked over to the sink and turned on the tap, washing away the blood.

  Paige came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling her head into his back. “Thank you for saving me.”

  “Don’t even worry about it, we need all the Hunters we can get, Paige,” Abner said. “I’m not surprised that Valdmire is working for Tal’davin, I saw him at the Citadel when he was meant to be with you.”

  “But he trained most of us, he’s been as much of a help to us as you were to the Hunters back in the day,” Paige said.

  “He’s a traitor,” Abner said. “I’ll rip his head off myself.”

  “What do we do now?” Paige asked.

  Abner let out a sigh and walked over to his clothes and began to pull his shirt on over his head. “All we can do, warn Gerard and the others that Valdmire knows everything and is working for Tal’davin and get them to run, and I’m going to go cut the head off the snake.”

  “You’re going after Tal’davin now?” Paige asked.

  Abner pulled on his pants. “Someone has to. Hopefully I can lure Valdmire as well and kill both of them. Then all we need to worry about is Lois.”

  “And you’ve got a plan for her? She’s crazy,” Paige said.

  “I’m going to rip her heart out, like she did to mine all those years ago,” Abner said. “How did you get back here?”

  “Stole a bike,” Paige said. “We need to go to Tyrian. Do you know how to ride one?”

  “I can figure it out,” Abner said.

  “Alright, well there’s nothing left here for us now,” Paige said. She rattled the keys in her hand. “Let’s get moving then, daylight’s wasting.”

  27

  Separate Path

  They retraced the path Abner had taken the day before back towards Tyrain. Once they had left the buildings of the city behind, the road opened up into the countryside that Abner had been familiar with. Roads cut through lush green fields, a black tear in the fabric of the world. Paige sat cuddled up to Abner as he maneuvered the bike through the landscape towards the looming volcano on the horizon.

  They pulled into the valley that the Hunters had now claimed as their own. Two black clad figures stood watching over the entrance to the cave. Ansel and Gabriel could be seen at the entrance, the former seated on the ground waving his arms in a circle above his head. Abner cut the bike off and rolled to park beside the others gathered outside. Gabriel spotted them and drew a pistol, raising it to Abner’s face.

  “You better have a good reason for bringing him here,” he said.

  Abner raised his hands. “I came here at my own request. Valdmire has exposed himself. He’s the traitor.”

  “Valdmire? What? He works with Tal’davin you idiot,” Gabriel said. “That’s what we’ve been telling you this entire time.”

  “Gabe, he tried to kill us. Bought a whole lot of Vampires to the old Den and they almost ended up killing us. Abner held him off with the amulets of Tal’davin,” Paige said.

  “Don’t tell me he’s controlling you now as well, Paige!” Gabriel said.

  The two Hunters clad in their body armor now had their rifles raised at the pair. Gabriel still hadn’t budged.

  “Relax,” Paige said. She slowly put her hand down her jacket and tugged on the chain. She revealed the amulets around her neck and held them out in the palm of her hand. “I’ve got them, and nobody is controlling me.”

  “I’m going after him,” Abner said. “Paige seems to be the best bet we have at keeping them safe. I don’t want to risk them falling into Tal’davin’s hands again. There’s every chance he could still kill me even without them wrapped around his neck.”

  “Keep them safe,” Gabriel said. “You two better come inside and tell Gerard. Ansel’s almost completed the shielding, it shouldn’t be too much longer before we’re protected.”

  They walked into the cave, the temperature dropping severely the further they went inside. The Hunters had already dug several passages, none of them adequately protected, the bare rock still the prominent feature. Lights had been dug into the rock at random intervals providing the Hunters with enough light to move around. Gerard sat at the old table in a center room with two pieces of electronics in his hands, trying to put it together. He looked up from his work as he heard the three Hunters approaching.

  “Ah, good to see you’re alive, but why the fuck is Toldar here?”

  “Your favorite half-Vampire has been working for Tal’davin all this time,” Abner said.

  “What?” Gerard asked. “Impossible, he’s never done anything to harm us. Tell me the truth.”

  “Did you know he was my son?” Abner raised his eyebrows waiting for a response.

  “Of course, we’ve known him for years. Thought it would be best to keep it from you until we’d finished the mission,” Gerard said.

  “Just like you thought it’d be best to let him run around at Tal’davin’s request unchecked?” Abner asked. “What the fuck did you think he was doing? He tried to kill me and his Vampires almost got Paige!”

  “He’s the reason why the Huntrey hasn’t shit itself,” Gerard said. “He’s one of us. Fuck we lost all of our best hopes when I was a child. He trained most of us here today!”

  “He’s a fucking traitor!” Abner said. “Did it possibly occur to you that he was only keeping the Huntrey afloat to keep the Hunters active until I woke up? You know just in case I chose the wrong side? That way there’d be someone close to tell him where I was and who was left of the resistance?”

  “Oh shit,” Gerard said.

  Abner nodded. “Oh shit.”

  “Well what the fuck are we going to do then?” Gerard asked.

  “Chances are he’ll be hunting me,” Abner said. “I came here to get what I could and set out after Tal’davin. That’s my next point of call.”

  “So you’ll bring him here? We’re only getting the shielding around the cave now,” Gerard said. “We’re still exposed!”

  “Do you want Tal’davin dead or not?” Abner asked. “Now is the time to strike. Grow a pair of balls and stop hiding, Gerard!”

  “I’m not hiding,” Gerard said. “I’m trying to stay alive so that our strongest enemies will not wipe us out entirely. If you’re gone then we have nothing left, even less than we had before. No Zarazenih, no Valdmire and no you. We can’t do shit!”

  “Then stay put and let me do what I was put on this earth to do,” Abner said. “If Valdmire comes knocking, run. He knows how you fight, he knows where you hide and he just as strong as I am,” Abner said.

  “This isn’t what I wanted,” Gerard said. “He was good to us. How quickly can you get to the Citadel, kill Tal’davin and be back here?”

  “A day at the absolute most,” Abner said. “Hopefully he’ll think I’m working out how to make them work and won’t see me coming. Doubtful but worth a shot. And I’ve also got a trick up my sleeve.” He palmed the amulet and showed it to Gerard, the dull metal catching the light in the cave.

  “I thought you gave them all to Paige,” Gerard said.

  “I did but I managed to split them. She holds six. This way nobody should be able to hold all seven,” Abner said.

  Gerard
looked around at the other two Hunters beside Abner. “Your thoughts on this?”

  “I can keep the amulets safe,” Paige said. “And like he said, if nobody holds all seven, Tal’davin will be weaker because of it.”

  “What she said,” Gabriel said. “We need to make something happen and its better now than ever. We’re a part of something bigger than ourselves here Gerard.”

  “Fine,” Gerard said. “We’ll do it your way, Toldar, but if you end up on your back with Tal’davin ready to claw your head off, just remember I told you so.”

  “Duly noted,” Abner said. “Can I take my leave now?”

  “Of course, go and free Taagras.” Gerard dismissed him and turned back to his trinket.

  Abner turned with both Paige and Gabriel encouraging him. Paige was smiling whilst Gabriel had a grim look on his face.

  “I have no doubt you’re going to succeed,” Gabriel said. He shook Abner’s hand and patted him on the back. “Good luck.”

  “I can’t believe you’re doing it!” Paige said.

  “It has to be done,” Abner said. “I’m the only one that can shut him down.”

  “Alright, but before you go I’ve got something for you,” Paige said. “Come with me.”

  “Good luck,” Gabriel said again.

  Abner followed Paige back out towards the entrance of the cave to a large weapons stash that the Hunters carried. She shifted through some of the items before she retrieved a long scabbard, a familiar looking hilt sticking out from it.

  “Is it the real one?”

  Abner drew the blade from the scabbard and held it in both of his hands. The weight felt right and the curve in the blade looked exact. The runes that raced up and down the side were identical with the blade he had lost only what seemed like days ago. He turned from Paige and cut several practice strokes with it in the air.