“Four…thousand…years?” asked Emily, slowly trying to wrap her head around that information. “She was in her early forties when she left us; it’s not possible!”
“It is very possible,” Xander said. “And if we leave, right now, I will explain everything.
“Not good enough,” stated Emily, crossing her arms in defiance. “I’m not going anywhere, until you tell me exactly what happened that night.”
Xander looked down, weighing over his options. Deciding it was best not to steal her away in the night; he looked at her, and said, “All right, I will tell you what you wish to know.”
Chapter Seven
The vampire crushed the hood of the vehicle, as he torn the windshield away from the car.
“Stay back!” warned Amanda, her hands trembling in fear. “Come any closer and it will be the last thing you do!”
The vampire snarled, as he attempted to leap into the car.
A bright white stream of energy sent him flying back into the blackness, as Amanda desperately tried to crawl out the front of the car.
“C’mon, Jason, we don’t have much time!” shouted Amanda, offering her husband a hand. “You have to hurry!”
She grabbed hold of Jason, and the two of them hopped out of the windshield, and down to the mucky forest ground.
The pouring rain made it difficult for them to see, but a bolt of lightning lit up the night sky, revealing dozens more vampires, all licking their lips in anticipation.
“I said, stay back!” yelled Amanda, holding Jason’s hand tightly. “You know what I am capable of—!”
“My dear summoner,” interrupted Simeon, stepping out from the shadows. “We’re all prepared to die for our cause. Are you?”
“I have lived for over four thousand years, vampire,” stated Amanda, as a white light engulfed her eyes. “I’ve been prepared to die for longer then you’ve been dead.”
“Fair enough,” Simeon smirked, as he signaled for the others to advance.
“I want you to know, that I love you very much,” said Jason, tightening his grip on his wife’s hand.
“In four thousand years, I never imagined I would love someone as much as I love you,” Amanda replied. “You gave me our children, and my only hope is that they grow up, healthy and happy. Maybe now…they will have that chance.”
“No!” shouted Xander, dropping down from the trees in front of the couple. “You shall not harm them!”
The vampires stopped there advance, uncertain what to make of the situation. They paused, looking up towards their leader for guidance.
“What are you doing, Xander?” asked Simeon, motioning for the vampires to check the area. “You’ve never openly defied the council before. What game are you playing?”
Amanda knew she had little time, and used this time to channel as much energy as she could manage. The power was nearly tearing her apart, as she tried to conceal the energy from the surrounding vampires. She would be lucky to get one chance, and needed to take advantage of the situation.
“I’m playing no games, my old master,” said Xander, strolling towards Simeon. “You have no idea what this woman means to the world; you never did. You seek to destroy what you do not understand. I pity you.”
“You pity me? You pity me?” Simeon asked, bellowing in laughter. “If you stand in my way, I will have your head—!”
Amanda threw her hands into the air, as a swirling white light enveloped her from above. The light lit up the forest, revealing a hundred more vampires, hidden in the shadows.
She shook violently as the light burned through her entire body; the power overwhelmed her as she collapsed to the ground.
“Amanda!” screamed Jason, dropping to his knees. “Are you okay? What happened?”
Jason ran his fingers through her hair, as he looked down upon his fallen wife. She was still alive, but barely. Whatever she did, it consumed almost all the energy she had left.
“It’s okay, Jason,” Amanda said softly, slowly drifting away. “It needed to be done.”
“What needed to be done?” asked Jason, desperately trying to awaken Amanda. “I don’t understand!”
It was no use, as Amanda was now unconscious on the ground. Jason sobbed, his tears mixing with the rain as it continued to pour down on them.
“It’s just you against an army,” said Simeon, staring Xander down. “Do you really want to risk everything, for this woman?”
Xander growled, remembering the last time Simeon had taken someone in front of him. This time, he was going to make a stand, however feeble it may be.
Simeon charged towards Xander, knocking him back with a blow to the chest.
Xander flew back, smashing into a large pine tree. He hit the ground, but before he could pick himself up, several vampires jumped him.
He struggled against their combined might, as they held him in place.
“I am doing this for your own wellbeing,” said Simeon, looking down upon Xander. “You will thank me for this, one day.”
The vampires continued to subdue Xander’s rage as the others swarmed the couple. All he could hear was the sound of Jason screaming as they stripped him of his flesh, as they consumed the summoner and her husband.
“After two thousand years,” Simeon smirked. “We are finally the true gods of this world! There is no one that can stop us now!”
The rest of the vampires cackled under the moonlit night. Believing they had killed the last summoner, they looked up into the sky as the blood ran down their monstrous faces.
Chapter Eight
“I’m sorry…I never knew,” said Emily, tearing up at Xander’s story. “I was so willing to believe the worst in you.”
Xander’s lips may have smiled, but his eyes were filled with sorrow. He looked at Emily, and said, “Your parents left you that night, so that the vampires searching for her would not harm your brother and you. She left you that night to save your life.”
“Why didn’t they come after me?” Emily asked, crossing her arms. “If my mother was a summoner, shouldn’t they know I would be one as well? What about my brother?”
Xander slowly walked up the porch steps, and said, “Summoners do not breed. She gave up her powers, so that you may one day finish what she started.”
“What do you mean?” Emily asked. “What was she involved in?”
“We don’t have any time to discuss the matter,” said Xander, reaching for Emily’s hand. “They are almost here, we don’t have much time.”
“Who is almost here?” Emily asked, slowly reaching towards Xander. “You’re not making sense—.”
“I’ve got you now!” shouted Samuel, leaping out from the side of the house.
Before Xander had any time to react, Samuel threw a silver net in his direction, sending him to the floor, burning and in agony.
“No!” screamed Emily, pleading for Samuel to stop. “I’m sorry! I’ve made a terrible mistake!”
Xander gazed up towards Emily with a look both sadness and regret. His skin burned underneath the silver net, which he was unable to lift.
“You’ve killed a lot of people, Alexander Franson,” said Samuel, drawing his sword. “I’m here to bring you to justice.”
Xander growled in rage as the silver melted down to his bones. His ferocity shook the floorboards as Samuel closed in on him.
“Please don’t kill him,” said Emily, clutching at Samuel’s coat. “I made an awful mistake; I don’t want to help you anymore!”
“Don’t worry, Emily, he’s not going to be killing anyone,” said Xander, franticly trying to escape from the silver deathtrap.
“Oh, you’re sure of that, are you?” inquired Samuel, dragging the tip of his blade along the porch. “I’ve killed several vampires; I don’t see why you’re any different.”
“…And I’ve killed hundreds of vampire hunters,” Xander snarled. “But that’s not what I meant.”
“Please!” Emily shrieked, running over to stand between them.
“You can’t do this!”
Emily held out his hands in defiance, trying her best to hold up Samuel’s advance. She pressed her hands against his rock-hard chest, as she begged him to stop.
“How can you say that, after seeing the torn up bodies left in his wake?” asked Samuel, pausing his advance.
“I didn’t kill those people, you fool!” yelled Xander, writhing in pain.
“If you didn’t, do you want to tell me who did?” asked Samuel, pushing Emily aside.
Xander looked back towards the driveway, and said, “Them.”
Samuel tried to look through the shadowed driveway, but the blackness overcame the area, and he found himself unable to see what Xander was talking about.
Suddenly, the sounds of several monstrous beasts snarling could be heard; and they were rapidly getting louder.
Through the darkness, he could see three demonesque wolves dart towards them, their large fangs glistening under the moonlight as they came closer and closer.
“Let me free!” shouted Xander, clawing at the net in a frenzy of blood and sweat. “Let me go… or we’re all going to die!”
The End
Council of Elders
Chapter One
She walked down the alleyway, under the mask of the night sky. Her long brown hair blew in the cold breeze as she continued down the dark corridor.
She passed by a homeless man, coughing up blood as he tried to nestle into his damp cardboard. She stopped, turning towards the sickly old man as she licked her lips.
“T—take a picture,” the homeless man choked. “…It’ll last longer.”
She smiled, kneeling down in front of the man. She stared into his eyes, and said, “I think I’ve found exactly what I’m looking for.”
“A psychotic, old, war vet?” the homeless man asked. “That’s what you’ve been looking for?”
“Well no,” she said, shaking her head. “Those are all just bonuses…you could say.”
“Get out of here, lady,” said the homeless man, turning over in his cardboard box.
“Is that how you treat a lady?” she asked. “No wonder you’re homeless.”
“Buzz off!” shouted the homeless man, turning back to face him as he tried to push her back.
She grabbed hold of his arm, and tightened her grip as the man tried to desperately shake himself free.
“Who…are you?” the homeless man asked, clenching his teeth.
“My name is Amata Gemeti,” she said, barring her fangs. “…And I want you.”
“W—what for?” the homeless man asked, trembling in fear.
“For an army,” Amata said, as she grabbed the man’s head, and sunk her teeth into his neck.
The destitute man screamed in pain as Amata consumed his very essence. Blood splattered against the stone walls, as the life drained from his body.
“Ah!” screeched Amata, as she pulled herself away from his cold, dead body. “I love my second life.”
Chapter Two
“Get in the house!” shouted Samuel, holding Emily back as she tried to run over to Xander, still trapped underneath the silver-lined net. It was burning through his skin and down to the bones; in mere minutes there would be nothing left of him.
Emily desperately wanted to save Xander, but the werewolves were barreling down on them, snarling as they licked their twisted lips in anticipation. She looked Xander, and said, “But, I can help—.”
“Now!” yelled Xander, growling in anger. His eyes were bloodshot, but Emily could see the seriousness in his eyes, and she soon found herself running back towards the house.
Three werewolves had descended upon Samuel, circling around him as they stalked their formidable prey. They were large, standing at least eight feet tall on their hind legs; but on all fours they were faster and more agile, as they stayed out of Samuel’s line of sight, sneaking around in the corner of his eyes.
He watched Emily slam the front door shut, and returned his gaze towards the werewolves. Reaching into his long coat, he unclasped his sword and brandished it in defiance. The cold steel glistened in the moonlight, catching glimpses of beady red eyes and frothing fangs in the sword’s reflection.
The first wolf made his move, parting from the pack as he dashed towards Samuel. He lunged at the vampire hunter, barring his sharp teeth as he went for Samuel’s neck.
The steel hooked the wolf’s mouth, cutting a yawning path down the side of his body. Blood poured from of the creature as it dropped to the floor, writhing in pain as it died a quick and gruesome death.
Samuel looked up at the two other wolves, both of them in shock and disbelief that their pack mate had been so easily defeated. They howled in rage, their piercing cries reaching out to the mountains and beyond.
Xander could smell his own flesh sizzle as the silver burned through his skin. The pain was excruciating, enough to take down a lesser vampire, but Xander fought through the agony, unwilling to give his aggressors the satisfaction of his defeat.
He could feel the fire smoldering his lips, melting them away slowly, as he grit his teeth and clenched his hands into the dirt.
Samuel sliced sideways with his sword, narrowly missing one of the werewolves. The other pounced at him from behind, but he was able to avoid the attack, rolling to his side as he parried the blow.
The first wolf sprang forward, chasing Samuel down as he rolled on the ground. Catching him by surprise, the wolf snapped at his sword, sending it sliding across the grass. Inching towards his face, the wolf was desperately held at bay by Samuel as he stared it down eye to eye.
With one hand on the throat of the roaring werewolf, Samuel ran his free hand down his leg, hoping to find his concealed dagger.
“Not today,” said Samuel, drawing a crude dagger from his pants.
The wolf howled in anguish as Samuel stuck him in the gut with the rugged blade. He arched his back and howled to the moon, crying out for his pack as the blood drained from him.
This distraction gave Samuel enough time to throw the werewolf off him, and quickly pick himself up. He growled back at the remaining wolf as it circled around him. Slowly, he picked up his sword, not once letting the monster out of his sight.
“You caught me off guard,” smirked Samuel, his sword pointed towards the werewolf as they circled each other.
Samuel looked over towards Xander, now almost completely ablaze, still trying to lift himself from underneath the silver net. He didn’t know if he could trust the mysterious vampire, but he reluctantly came to the conclusion that he could use the vampire’s assistance. He knew that werewolves rarely travel without their pack, and if these wolves found them, the rest wouldn’t be far behind.
He also knew that getting to Xander was an entirely different issue, as the werewolf would attack the moment he took his eyes off the menacing creature. They were at a standstill, both waiting for the other to make the first move.
The werewolf grew tired of waiting and darted towards Samuel, his thundering paws tearing up the earth below him as he went in for the kill.
Samuel’s sword sliced downward, but the wolf managed to evade the blow and went quickly for his throat.
His sword was knocked out of his hands as the powerful beast crashed against his body. Thrown onto the ground, Samuel clasped his hands around the werewolf’s jaw.
The wolf’s sharp canines dug into Samuel’s head, trying to close his mouth around the head of his prey.
“This… isn’t quite how I planned things to go,” grinned Samuel, trying to remain calm under pressure. The werewolf could smell his trepidation, and Samuel feared the one drop of sweat and the wolf’s jaw could lock tight around his head. “Usually I make someone wine and dine me before I let them get this close—.”
The werewolf jerked backwards, a pair of scorched hands grasped around his throat, pulling him off Samuel. It was Xander, barely alive, but still he managed to exact his fiery vengeance.
Xander stared down Samuel, his skin slowly started
to heal from the ghastly burns. Extending a hand towards the vampire hunter, he appeared willing to put aside generations of hatred in order to save the summoner’s life.
“Keep your fangs in your retracted and we’ll be just fine,” warned Samuel, as he accepted Xander’s help and was lifted to his feet.
“That… coming from the man who almost killed me,” mumbled Xander, his lips still charred.
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