31
The Death of the Father
Abner circled around Tal’davin, drawing closer to the Vampire with each step. Tal’davin eyed Abner, adjusting his body to match Abner’s. There was no doubting the experience of the ancient Vampire. While most Vampires fought with brute force and weight of numbers, Tal’davin looked to fight with guile.
The volcano flared up as did Tal’davin’s eye, turning a deeper red than they had before. Tal’davin’s eyes darted to the amulet and Dreyth blade, both discarded on the ground.
“They won’t save you,” Abner said. “You’re at the disadvantage.”
He leapt forward, swinging with both his claws, but even without the amulets, Tal’davin was still almost as fast as he had been the first time the pair had fought. Tal’davin ducked away from the next two of Abner’s strikes, before driving his claws home into Abner’s stomach. Abner recoiled and stepped back.
Tal’davin pressed the advantage and kept raining blows down towards Abner. The power was still unmistakable, but without the amulets, Tal’davin was weaker. Abner could feel the heat of the volcano behind him and pushed back. He threw a fist at Tal’davin’s knee, his claws cutting through the Vampiric flesh, issuing a howl from the Vampire.
Tal’davin clasped the wound, unable to heal it due to the lack of amulets he carried. He looked up at Abner, shocked.
“You took my power from me. None the less I will have all of the amulets in my possession soon.”
“There’s one there, take it,” Abner said.
Tal’davin’s eyes darted to the lone amulet resting beside the sword. He dove for it, scooping it up in his hand just before Abner reached him with a boot. Tal’davin flew backwards, his head bouncing off the dirt, the amulet not leaving his grip.
Abner roared and drove a knee into his back, and then started clawing away at Tal’davin’s flesh. The Vampire cried out in pain again, but his calls went unanswered. Abner continued to tear away at Tal’davin. He rolled over, trying to shift the weight of Abner off him, to no avail. Tal’davin grabbed Abner’s wrist and twisted. Abner screamed as his bone snapped under the pressure feeling his lower arm go limp.
He hammered down with his one good arm, trying to batter away Tal’davin’s attacks. Abner bit down on Tal’davin’s neck, sending the Vampire into a frenzy. Abner shock and tore away at the flesh, spitting out a chunk when he lifted his head. Tal’davin began to shake violently and gasp for air. Abner snatched the amulet from Tal’davin’s hand and stood up. His arm began to heal, a tingling sensation racing along it. His other wounds also began to heal.
“Give up, I have you beaten,” Abner said. “Let’s finish it.”
Tal’davin continued to spasm, clutching at his neck. “What have you done to me? You’ve infected me!”
“Infected you? How?”
“Your blood! It’s killing me!” Tal’davin screamed again.
Abner shook his head. “Oh, stop being overdramatic.”
He walked over to Tal’davin and grabbed him by the back of his skull. Tal’davin continued to panic, kicking his legs and clutching at his throat as blood streamed from it. Abner continued to walk over to the ledge of the volcano, dragging Tal’davin behind him. When he stood at the edge he picked up Tal’davin and held him over the edge.
“This ends now! You are not immortal and you will never step foot on Taagras again!”
Tal’davin’s face softened. Suddenly it was Barros back before him. Abner looked his father in the eye as Barros opened his mouth to plea.
“I’m sorry,” Abner said. “He’s corrupted you. Tal’davin needs to die.”
“Do what you need to,” Barros said. “End the fight our family has fought for so long. Kill them all.”
“I missed you,” Abner said. “But I’m not sorry about this for the lies you told me.”
He let go of Barros and watched as he plunged into the boiling magma below. Barros spread his arms out as he fell backwards into the volcano, smiling up at his son until he vanished beneath the swirling red mess. A plume of smoke rose up above the magma and Abner saw an uncharred hand rise from beneath it.
He frowned, expecting it to be Barros, but as the rest of the arm rose from underneath the magma, Abner could see a golden bubble wrapped closely to the skin and the remnants of an old Hunter’s uniform, one that looked like it had predated Abner’s. It was black and brown around the cufflinks, looking suited to blend in with many of Taagras’ surroundings.
The arm continued to rise from the pit of the volcano and the rest of the body began to materialize. A man with long greasy black hair emerged with a beard down to well past his neck. He looked sick and almost ghostly and he continue to rise until he was level with Abner. Abner could see an amulet resting on his chest underneath the Hunter’s coat, shining through the leather.
“You’re Lars Hunter,” Abner said.
“And I’ve got no fucking idea who you are,” Lars said. His voice was rough and he could barely make out the words. “Thought I threw myself into the volcano so the amulet would be destroyed and Tal’davin could never reign, but its kept me alive. What year is it?”
“Lars, I’m Abner Toldar and you vanished more than one and a half thousand years ago. You’ve been inside this volcano for over a millennium,” Abner said.
“No that can’t be right,” Lars said. “It only feels like I’ve just jumped off. Yet I’m floating here? How is that possible? Are you the son of Axel Toldar?”
“No he was fought with you in the first war. I’m descended from him. From what I know of the amulets that gold around you can slow your body down. I’ve had it used on me before by Tal’davin,” Abner said.
“What!” Lars asked. “He’s come back? Did you kill him?”
“Yeah, right before you came out of the magma,” Abner said. “I’m not understanding how you’re still alive. You carried that amulet, but there was only seven of them.”
“No, I lied to my brothers when I killed Tal’davin and took his amulets the first time. I told them there were only seven in the hopes that if somebody could find them and reunite them that they’d be one short and ultimately stop Tal’davin from being at his full power,” Lars said.
“Well Barros only found seven and he did a pretty good job of ruining the world,” Abner said. “Everything you can see was his design.”
“Who’s Barros? I hope you killed him to if he managed to secure the amulets,” Lars said.
“He was a Hunter that thought he could stop Tal’davin by taking the amulets for himself,” Abner said. “My father.”
Lars snorted. “We had warning and we had time to stop Tal’davin before he achieved his full power but didn’t. I only got lucky when I got close to him. Seems like Toldar’s have been idiots throughout all of time.”
“I have a lot of work to undo what he did. Come with me and we can recruit Hunters to train,” Abner said.
“You need to destroy the amulets first, boy. I can see one on the ground behind you, and I have one here, now go get it,” Lars said.
Feeling like a child, Abner retrieved the amulet he had dropped earlier when he’d lifted Barros into the volcano. He returned to Lars and held it out in front of him, holding it in his hands.
“Excellent, but I can’t move,” Lars said. “Can you take the amulet off me?”
“If I remove it you’ll fall and die,” Abner said.
“I’ve lived long enough and done enough for the Hunters,” Lars said. “I’ll be glad to be rid of this at last.”
“You’re sure?” Abner asked.
Lars nodded his consent. “End it.”
Abner reached into Lars’ bubble and ripped the amulet off from around his neck. The bubble burst and Lars let out a cry of pain. Then he fell from sight into the magma below, following Barros before him. Abner took a step back from the edge and looked down into the volcano, checking to see if either Lars or Barros remained. Nothing but molten rock surged beneath him.
He looked a
t the two identical amulets he held in his hands. Paige still carried the others and she needed to bring them here where they could be separated and destroyed. Abner went to turn and heard feet running towards him. He looked up and saw Valdmire flying towards him with a cocked elbow ready to strike. Abner ducked underneath the first blow and clapped the amulets together, pointing them towards Valdmire.
His son paused momentarily, blinded by the fusion of the amulets. Abner threw them on the same chain around his neck and fought back. Even with the amulets, when Abner attacked Valdmire grabbed his arm, holding him in place. Valdmire smiled, beginning to crush Abner’s hand under his own strength.
“Happy to see me, father?” Valdmire asked. From inside his jacket he revealed another amulet. It shone trying to connect with Abner’s. “Paige was more than happy to provide me with the rest. Now I just need yours and Tal’davin will be unleashed upon the world.”
“What have you done?” Abner asked. “We’re supposed to keep Tal’davin from coming back and destroy the amulets!”
“I was never truly on your side, Abner, or Barros’ for that matter. I have always wanted Tal’davin to return,” Valdmire said. “Now give me the amulets and I’ll let you live.”
“Not happening.”
Abner groaned and chopped away at Valdmire’s elbow, forcing him to break his iron grip. Abner swung around raining blow after blow down upon his son. Valdmire darted backwards away from the cliff edge and scooped up the Dreyth sword as he ran. He held it out behind him keeping Abner a blade’s length away.
Valdmire looked at the sword in his hands, the runes on the blade still glowing a deep red. Abner held his hands in the air as a sign of surrender, looking for a way to take the blade from Valdmire. Valdmire smiled again and swung the sword around his head aiming to cut Abner in half from his shoulder down. Abner was fast enough, and the blade whistled past him by a hair’s length, a breeze blowing into his face.
Valdmire kept swinging the sword down in a fury, trying to cut Abner in half. Abner continued to duck and dip until he felt his foot on the edge of the volcano. He looked down and saw rock giving way to him. Valdmire held the sword less than an inch away from his throat.
“The game’s up, father, I win,” Valdmire said. “Hand over the amulets.”
“I fall in, you’re going to have a hard time getting these two back,” Abner said.
“I control them now,” Valdmire said. “Tal’davin always told me that they will react to your will. He groomed me for centuries to take over his mantle if you were to ever kill him. I haven’t unlocked all of their power, but I have enough so that I will control all eight, whether you fall in or I take it from you now.”
“No!” Abner said.
“I’m sorry, Abner, father. This was always going to be your final hunt,” Valdmire said.
Abner tried to push the sword aside, but Valdmire reacted. He jerked the sword forward just enough and left a scratch on Abner’s neck, but enough to remove the amulets on their thin chain. Abner grabbed his throat in shock and he staggered, teetering on the edge of the cliff. A boot from Valdmire to his midsection sent him tumbling over the edge.
Abner tried to catch himself, but his hand slipped straight past the rock face and he continued to fall. Valdmire joined the amulets as Abner fell, the golden light firing out in all directions, blinding Abner as he fell to his death. The roar of the volcano beneath him began to swallow him just as a red vortex began to swirl over Valdmire’s head as the Red Sky began to form over Taagras, putting the foot of Tal’davin at the throat of the world once more.
THE END
Acknowledgments
Wow what a journey it’s been. Eight years of my life I’m never going to get back. But that’s alright. It’s my first series done and dusted. Time and time again I wouldn’t have gotten through this without Angela pushing me to get it done, so a big hats off to her. She’s done everything I couldn’t do (literally everything but the words) so without her there’d be no Toldar Series. I’d also like to thank everyone reading this page. Without you again, there wouldn’t be no Toldar Series. But for now that’s a wrap and I’ll see you again soon with many more fun filled adventures on the way.
About the Author
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Mememaro is a prolific fantasy and action author working out of Brisbane, Australia. With his first major series completed, Matt has his sights set on future projects. Matt enjoys his times sharing memes and playing Warhammer. You can find out more about Matt and his future projects below:
Never miss an update from Matt and join his mailing list at www.mattmememaro.com
Also by Matt Mememaro
Hunters
The Taste Of The Hunt
Hunted
Final Hunt
Making An Exile
The Unbound
COMING SOON
St Nick – Born to Sleigh
Kameryu Dreamer
The Kai Flint Series
The Toldar Series Box Set Page 78
