“How does Lost fit into this when she’s on her own?”
“I’m starting to worry that she’s caused more trouble than we realize.”
With neither Dawn Fang knowing what to say, they head for the nearest door in the hopes of finding more clues inside the building. Passing through the entrance, they each feel a hand abruptly grabbing their shirts and pulling them into the shadows. Clyde is about to yell at Mab until he sees that his partner is covered in blood and dirt. A trail of butchered monsters is in her wake, which has helped to keep the others lurking far in the distance. It is clear that she has been pushing herself to travel further than she ever has before, the strain of being in the shadows for so long making her appear gaunt and sickly. Ignoring the pain in her body, the burglar kicks her legs with all of her strength and sends herself hurtling into the darkness with her friends gripped tightly in her hands.
*****
Mab clumsily exits the void using a shadow that is on the underside of a large cliff, which causes the stone to bloat and shatter. She is barely conscious as the blast sends them over the shallow shoreline, but she still feebly stretches a clawed hand towards the mountainside. While Luther becomes a raven, Clyde pulls the burglar into his arms and kicks with all of his inhuman strength. The force of his swing pushes him backwards while the compact gale pulverizes a low flying cloud. He hits the stone façade with his back, but plants his feet in order to stand and slide towards the ground. Mab mumbles a warning about corpses an instant before her partner notices the butchered forms spread across the narrow beach. Crabs, gulls, and crows have gathered to feast on the bodies, but Titus has managed to protect a few from the scavengers. Unable to stop without breaking his legs, Clyde whistles at the towering warrior and tries to throw the groaning burglar to him. A surge of pain runs up his arm and across his shoulders, the exhausted vampire having plunged a claw into his side and her fangs into his wrist. Quickly running out of sandy shoreline, the pair continue sliding on top of the water and travel twenty yards offshore before they finally lose their momentum. Clyde mutters a curse as they go under and he does his best to swim back using only his legs. He eventually gives up and sinks to the bottom where he can walk to the beach, his feet repeatedly getting sucked into the shell-filled muck.
“We really have to talk about you feeding off of me,” Clyde growls as he violently tears Mab away. He looks out to sea and into the sky in order to get his bearings, but the area is too isolated for him to figure out their location. “So, what exactly is going on that it required your sister nearly killing herself? Nothing could be that urgent, especially since Luther and I were looking into something. Lost grew up with mortal gnomes instead of Dawn Fangs and we found what looked like barracks near the house. Far too many mysteries are surrounding this kid and I’m getting a headache.”
“I told her not to attempt the trip in one shot,” Titus says before tossing his friend a decanter of blood. Waving a hand in front of his sister’s glassy-eyed face, he takes a few steps away when she releases a guttural snarl. “You guys were pretty far inland near Vorgabog and we’re on the southwest coast. The jungles are right up there. In case you forgot, this spot is where we set up a small Dawn Fang encampment in the hopes of establishing a presence here. Old-world vampires don’t like this area, so it’s completely open for our kind. The territorial tribes make it easier . . . That’s not important now either. My point is that Mab did her biggest shadow journey in one shot to get you here. Did she explain anything?”
“All she did was grab, pull, and off we went,” Luther replies while returning to his human form. Kneeling next to one of the bodies, he gently wipes sand off the woman’s face and pulls back her upper lip to reveal fangs. “Considering the lack of rapid rotting, these are definitely Dawn Fangs. There isn’t any clear sign as to how they died, which worries me. We aren’t easy to kill and it typically requires destruction of at least three-quarters of our body or decapitation. A few of the corpses have been torn apart, but these are intact.”
“Show him the soup and I’ll do the second reveal,” Mab whispers to her brother.
Gently moving his friend away, Titus lifts a corpse by the leg and hangs it upside down to let the liquefied insides flow out of the mouth. “Those that are in one piece have had all of their organs melted and most of their bones are very brittle. Probably a powerful heat spell, which makes me think either a caster or other Dawn Fangs. Not happy about that second option, but it has to be on the table. At this point, the only enemies I don’t think it could be are hunters and Duragians. Those groups wouldn’t leave the heads attached even if the insides were mushed. The worst part of this massacre is that the death and destruction is only the beginning. The suicidal one over here stumbled onto this thanks to a crab getting into one of the dead bodies. You up to showing the messages?”
Glaring at her brother, Mab struggles to her feet and limps over to the nearest body, which is lying face up in the sand. Extending a single claw, she leans down to carefully slice along the corpse’s torso. Stopping an inch below the ribcage, the burglar makes another incision in order to carefully peel the skin away from the fragile sternum. She waves for everyone to gather around, her eye twitching as an angry spirit shouts obscenities in her ear. Hooking a finger around a rib, she snaps the bone in order to silence the obnoxious ghost and glares in the direction of the voice to make sure it knows she is serious about tearing its former body to pieces. Satisfied that her threat has been received, she gently wipes the gore away from the bones to reveal a faint inscription. The handwriting is sloppy, but enough of the letters are discernable to make sense of the two words.
“Lost Tempest,” Mab growls before crushing the ribcage. Hearing a howl in her ear, she screams until the terrified spirit leaves her alone. “I wouldn’t be surprised if every victim has that name etched into the sternum. Do I have to explain what this means? The girl is the daughter of our greatest enemy. That makes me think assassin. We’re probably supposed to hunt her down and bring her back to Nytefall, which will reveal our location to Xavier. Next thing we know, an army is at our doorstep and she’s dropping trees on our heads.”
“Not going to let that one go, huh?” Luther asks with a chuckle. Walking over to a tattered body, he picks up a durable femur inscribed with the name. “I’m sorry to disagree with Mab, but this doesn’t prove anything. It could be a message that Lost is going to Nyte, which would make sense since she’d hear about that city before our home. Given how confused the girl is, she could have heard Nytefall and thought Xavier’s kingdom is the same thing. The chances of her being his daughter are slim, especially when you factor in that she was raised by mortal gnomes. Our former friend is more the type to raise and train his children himself. Could he have created Lost and misplaced her?”
“The girl isn’t a hat,” the burglar snaps, her temper flaring. Sensing that she is about to lose control, she plunges her hand into a shadow and pulls out a tiny creature to drain of blood. “It’s possible that she’s innocent, but someone could have done something to her. Lost may have a false personality that will disappear to reveal an assassin when the time is right. We’ve dealt with sleeper agents before and Kai keeps getting better at making them. All I’m saying is that we need to be careful. Don’t just bring her to Nytefall once we find her. We need to find a place to stash her until it’s confirmed that she’s safe. The Scrumptious Siren is a good choice for simple storage or we can ask Gregorio take a crack at her. He’d be able to tell us if she’s really a Dawn Fang or something else. What do you think, Clyde?”
Wandering among the bodies, he casually kicks a few over to see if they are on top of any clues. “Xavier coming to our doorstep would certainly put an end to this war. Might even mean I can get some relief from this leadership headache. Still, the assassin theory doesn’t sit right with me. Not saying you’re entirely wrong, Mab, but it’s just as likely that Lost is an experiment who got away from our enemies. Luther and I learned that she was found as a
n infant. What kind of vampire starts as a baby and grows like a mortal? This isn’t to say Xavier didn’t create her and embed some spells that can be triggered by her meeting me or arriving in Nytefall. Doubt he would let a weapon like her wander around Windemere though. Too big a chance of her disappearing or getting killed early.”
“How does an infant travel from Nyte to Vorgabog?”
“That’s another flaw in my theory.”
“Why wouldn’t Xavier take her back at a younger age?”
“I have no idea.”
“Nothing about this girl makes any sense.”
“That’s probably the only thing that does make sense about her.”
“Maybe I’m not smart enough to see the big picture, but I have a simpler theory,” Titus announces with a smirk. Not hearing anyone try to claim he is intelligent, the muscular vampire shrugs and picks up a body. “Lost claims to be looking for her father and all of a sudden she is connected to Xavier. If they are really related and her goal has always been the same then it means she is going to Nyte. Yet, the secret assassin idea would require that she come looking for Clyde, which isn’t happening. She’s doing the opposite. My idea is that she’s really a confused Dawn Fang who was abandoned and doesn’t understand what she is. Somehow, she’s gotten it in her head that the answers are with our enemies. Besides, wouldn’t she have stuck with Bob in order to get closer to her true target instead of running away?”
“This could be two names next to each other instead of one,” Luther suggests while holding up a broken pelvis. A gust of wind almost knocks him down and he turns around in time to see Clyde sprinting up the mountain. “Ten diamond spheres says he’s heading for Nyte because he’s getting impatient. As frustrating as his recklessness is at times, I prefer this Clyde to the one moping around the fortress. Take one of my phantoms, so I can find you later. This may get messy, so I want to retrieve Bob from his search.”
“Why is everybody ordering the two of us around lately?” Mab asks her brother as she starts trudging up the mountain.
*****
Bob frowns as he examines the two femurs in his hands, the slight difference in length forcing him to choose. He tosses the longer one over his shoulder and goes about rummaging through the rest of the bone pile for matching bones. The vampire occasionally looks up to watch the antelope herd that is grazing a mile away in a patch of clovers. Whenever one of the barrel-bodied animals runs, he freezes and hungrily licks his lips. It takes him a few minutes to find what he needs and he gleefully skips over to a smaller pile of parts that are topped with a polished saddle. Meticulously pressing the bones together, sinew-like strings drift out of Bob’s hands to bind the pieces and become invisible muscles. He sews pieces of discarded flesh onto the skeletal torso to give his new creation some protection, but knows that it will not be as good as full pelts or leather. Picking up the head, the vampire wipes dirt off the short horns and breathes into the nostrils. Yellow orbs appear in the empty sockets as he fastens the skull to the neck, which begins to weave from side to side. Repetitive clicks can be heard every time the creature shifts, the sounding stopping as its movements become more fluid. Using his backpack in place of stuffing, he straps on the saddle and takes a step back to admire his work.
Satisfied and worried that he has been gone for too long, Bob kicks his lance into his hand and leaps onto his newest steed. The undead antelope snorts and shudders at the heavy weight, which it is unable to handle until more sinew strings are added to its stocky frame. A kick to the sides sends the mount sprinting towards the herd, which runs away from the rapidly approaching creature. Bob is surprised that the squat beast is faster than most of his horses, but he finds it more difficult to control the wilder animal. Whenever he attempts to get the antelope to turn, it bucks and tries to throw him off until he gives it another kick. Hearing a crack, he looks over his shoulder to see that one of the hind legs is too brittle for such pressure. The vampire leans back to press his hand against the splintering bone and infuses it with enough aura to prevent more damage. Placing his lance in a sheath that puts it across his upper back, the Dawn Fang checks the rest of his creation for weak points and reinforces whatever needs the help. Having become more accustomed to its new existence, the antelope stops fighting beyond a few shakes of its head and rushes at top speed without showing signs of fatigue.
It is only after he goes around a hill that Bob realizes he is going away from the forest, which is on the horizon. The sharp turn causes one of the front knees to pop out of its socket and the antelope nearly trips over the useless limb. Leaning to the side, the vampire grabs the two bones and twists them back into place. It takes a minute for his steed to regain full control of the leg, but it easily returns to its breakneck pace and rushes into the forest. The uneven terrain forces it to slow down and it does nothing to keep its riding away from low branches and narrow gaps between the trees. Tired of getting hit in the face, Bob goes back to hanging off the saddle and uses his lance to knock obstacles out of his way. It is a faint tuft of fur in the center of a mushroom-covered stump that causes him to whistle for the antelope to stop. Unfamiliar with the signal, the animal continues running until he jams his weapon into the ground and flips. Gripping the beast’s sides with his legs, the Dawn Fang swings and stays in the air until the mount’s legs stop wind-milling in vain. Whispering soft words, he gradually lowers himself and leaves the antelope to eat from a feed bag filled with clovers. The food is chewed up and falls out of the skinless neck, but it is enough to keep the antelope happy and calm.
“What do we have here?” Bob asks himself. Reaching into the stump, he pulls out a familiar rabbit by the ears and pokes at its cold nose. “You’re the one I saw with Lost. Guess you died and she buried you. Although, you two ran in the opposite direction of my campsite, so I don’t know how you got here. Maybe you were separated by the falling oak, but I’m surprised she didn’t come looking for you. Not to mention it’s strange that I found you. Do you know anything about antelopes? I just made one and I keep thinking I’m missing something besides the innards, natural muscles, and flesh.”
“Oh, thank the gods you found my friend’s pet,” a melodic voice declares from the other side of a willow. Stepping out and bowing to the Dawn Fang, Archillious opens his jacket to reveal that he is unarmed. “Lost has been searching for her bunny since they were separated. It isn’t the first time this has happened, but she is truly distraught. As her oldest and dearest friend, I promised that I would find it and bring it home. By the way, how do you know Lost? I assume you’re a recent encounter due to me never having met you before.”
“She stumbled into my camp a few days ago and we shared a meal,” the Dawn Fang replies, his ears picking up on a bird’s warnings. His eyes dart from side to side, but he cannot spot the source of the danger that has upset the warbler. “I’m rather worried about her, so could I travel with you? Give me an hour and I can create a mount for you. There was a dead moose not far back that I can animate. It will cost me a horse back home, but a friend of Lost is a friend of mine.”
“I would if I could, but she never likes people seeing her upset,” the grinning man states while reaching for the bunny. His nose twitches when the vampire steps back, the move causing him to move further away from his lurking army. “You know how teenage girls can be. All about keeping up appearances and being seen as cute. Lost may come off as unique, but she’s truly a normal kid when you take the powers away. Besides, I’m sure you have more important things to worry about.”
“Not really.”
“Aren’t you investigating those massacres?”
“Yes, but solving that mystery quickly won’t bring the dead back.”
“Fair enough.”
“How did you know about them?”
“A great man like myself is always aware of current events.”
“Oh, I thought you were this Archillious guy, but I guess I was wrong.”
The Utukku coughs and puts his arms be
hind his back in order to pinch his palms, the pain driving away the urge to reveal himself. “That’s a name I’ve heard before. A cunning and charming maniac, who has been hunting Lost for a long time. I do my best to keep him at bay, but you know how dangerous geniuses can be. Wouldn’t surprise me to learn that he is searching for that bunny too. Best to let me take it before you’re forced to deal with such a glorious monster. No sense dragging you into our problems after all.”
Bob is about to hand the rabbit over when the dead animal suddenly comes to life and screeches at the top of its lungs. Biting the Dawn Fang in the hand to escape, the red-eyed creature falls to the ground and launches itself into the trees with a single hop. Archillious pulls out a fife and blows the loudest note he can to call his fellow warriors to action. He smacks Bob across the face as the other Utukku emerge from behind the trees to their leader’s right. The blow is not enough to hurt the vampire, but he stumbles far enough away that he is no longer within reach of the sneering man. The ground shakes as the army breaks into a charge that tramples the underbrush and threatens to crush anything in its path. Concerned more for his steed than himself, the lanky elf whistles to the antelope, which stubbornly continues eating its snack. He takes a deep breath and does his best to imitate the howl of a wolf, the echoing noise sending the undead beast charging blindly towards the open hills. Unable to catch up to the beast, Bob jumps into the biggest tree he can see and narrowly avoids getting caught within the bellowing mob of Utukku. Clinging to the thick branches, the Dawn Fang becomes invisible in the hopes that his enemies will quickly forget that he exists. For a moment, he spots Archillious walking in the middle of the sea of bodies, but the man swiftly disappears from view. The only trace left of him is a cackling laugh that manages to cut through the deafening sound of stomping feet and toppling trees.
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Lost (War of Nytefall Book 2) Page 10
