“Is she still going berserk?” Kai asks as he joins Xavier on the balcony. He looks down at the heavily warded courtyard where Lost is screaming and throwing whatever she can lift over her head. “Nice to see we figured out how to contain her, but I’m still concerned. All this over a bunny makes me wonder if all womb-born Dawn Fangs will be this unstable. It could be due to her being raised by mortals, but this is a terrible introduction to such a creature. We need to be careful that this encounter does not color our opinions in the future.”
“Funny how you ask me to remain unbiased when my goal is to wipe these abominations out of existence,” the Lord of Nyte mentions with a sigh. Looking up at one of the towers, he casts a spell that allows him to see through the walls. “My wife and Stephanie are searching the room to see if they can find anything that Lost brought on her own. For now, it appears she traveled only with the clothes on her back. Perhaps it was to garner sympathy from us, especially with the missing child story. Did you find those gnomes?”
The wards crackle when a marble bench is hurled at the sky and pushes against the magical barriers. For a moment, it appears as if the spells are about to shatter, but they shove the furniture away with explosive force. Lost takes one step to her left and swings her arm out to her side, the movement sending the seat flying across the courtyard. The blow is enough to turn the stone into powder, which drifts through the air and momentarily plunges the rampaging Dawn Fang into a trance. She releases quick puffs of air that make holes in the thick cloud and dissipate against the wards. Once the white flakes settle, she screams for her bunny and rips up a chunk of the ground to stomp in the dirt.
“This girl is both fascinating and terrifying,” Kai whispers to himself. He jumps back when she throws a potted plant in his direction, the barrier ballooning out enough to skim his nose. “I found those gnomes, but Clyde and Luther were there. All I could do was listen in without revealing my presence. It wasn’t easy since my disguise attracted a raven that tried to make a meal of me. The story she told us is true unless she altered their memories. It’s difficult to uncover the facts when dealing with a telepath. Clyde appears to believe her, but it concerns me that he is already on her trail. It’s possible that she crossed paths with him or one of his people before coming here.”
“It’s just as likely that she is a spy,” Xavier calmly states. Taking a seat on the railing, he stretches his limbs and shivers at the sensation of stress tugging at his tendons. “Clyde could have been checking on her handlers to see if she reported to them. She would not be the first to pretend to be crazy in order to gather information. Although, I cannot see how this outburst can help her gain our trust. Such a confusing and mysterious creature, which makes me fear that she is more dangerous than we realize.”
Seeing a spark on his master’s fingers, the balding old-world vampire quickly grabs the Lord of Nyte by the wrist. “I am urging you to remain patient. Destroying Lost does nothing to help us, especially if she is not a spy or an assassin. As a man who has been both of those things for centuries, I can assure you that she is not acting like one. Yes, I could be wrong and she is using a tactic that I don’t recognize. That doesn’t mean we kill her outright and hope the situation goes away. In fact, it’s entirely possible that eliminating Lost will lead to another, improved agent being sent to Nyte. That one might not be as obvious. Besides, she isn’t attacking anyone specifically. Nothing more than a child screaming for her lost toy.”
“That does not concern you?” the nobleman asks, his lightning spell lingering on the tip of his nails. A crack of his knuckles undoes the magic, which leaves his fingers burnt and covered in smoke. “A third option is that she is a living explosion trap. Not one that bursts in fire and sound, but rampages like a wild beast. For all we know, there was never a bunny and her controller triggered her from afar. While you were out, Nadia tried to give her several rabbits from the forest, but she devoured all of them while crying. Nothing has been able to appease the girl, which is why I-”
Both vampires are thrown to the ground when a flying object strikes the wards with enough force to shake the castle. Dazed and aching, they use the railing to stand, but are thrown into the bedroom when the barrier bursts with a ground-quivering blast. Shouts from around the city can be heard, the noise temporarily drowned out by the sound of the drawbridge coming loose and crashing into the moat. Covered in glass shards, Xavier and Kai remain on their backs and listen for signs of an attack. Instead, melodic clapping and gleeful laughter rise from the steam-filled courtyard. They are about to stand when Lost leaps onto the railing and holds out a glassy-eyed bunny. At first, the vampires think the decrepit animal is dead, but its nose suddenly twitches and one of its back legs kicks out. It becomes more frantic and starts biting the Dawn Fang in the hand, which causes her to giggle. The rabbit eventually goes limp when it is patted on the head and placed on its owner’s shoulder.
“Daddy, this is bunny. Bunny, this is my dad,” Lost says with a wide grin. She spins and flips high enough to touch the ceiling with her toes, the rabbit never budging from its perch. “He said he made a wrong turn when we ran away from the clawed shadow. He was found by the Horse-Elf after he fell asleep in some mushrooms. Then, someone I don’t want to talk about showed up saying he was my friend and bunny decided it was time to come back. Isn’t he adorable? I’m going to go to the kitchen and feed him some tomatoes.”
“It is down the stairs and two hallways to the left,” Xavier replies, his eyes never straying from the animal. He waits until the girl is far away before he relaxes and casts a spell to dissolve the broken glass. “That’s the second time she has broken my wards. Another reason I want her destroyed. Imagine if she sides with Clyde and they attack Nyte together. None of our defenses can stop her. Do you still think there is a benefit to keeping her here?”
“First of all, it means she wouldn’t be with them,” Kai points out, refusing to give an inch in the debate. Walking to the balcony, he stares at the charred stone and cracked walls below. “I think this revelation eliminates that possibility of her being a spy, assassin, or whatever it is you called her. There’s no reason for any of those things to have this bunny even for a distraction. It’s obviously a pacifier for her rage and anxiety. Like I said, it really is similar to a child with her favorite toy, which means we can turn her into one of our agents. All we have to do is manipulate her through the pet.”
“Forgive me if I think putting a dangerous beast down before it attacks is the best course of action,” the nobleman says as he continues casting repair spells. A wave of fatigue washes over him, so he leans against the wall and takes a deep breath. “Watching this girl, I fear that she is stronger even than Clyde. He is a physical danger, but she can attack the mind. The possibility of putting Nyte and all of my people at risk again does not sit well with me, Mr. Stavros. The fact that she claims to be my daughter makes this feel personal since I never sired such a freak. Were you able to confirm that she was born from a womb instead of by fang or blood?”
“Yes, the gnomes said they found her as an infant.”
“So, she ages as well.”
“That means she could have a mortal lifespan.”
“Perhaps all Dawn Fangs are like that and our situation may be reversed in time.”
“Except that you and Lady Sylvan look the same.”
“That could be due to us being blood-born.”
Feeling that he is not going to win the argument, Kai can only nod and agree, “That would make sense. You were already immortal, so aging would have killed you instantly. Not to mention that Clyde and Mab would have been turned to dust before infecting you. Dawn Fangs created by fang or womb could have this new weakness since they weren’t old-world vampires to begin with. The easiest way to prove this is to keep Lost here and watch to see if she ages through the years.”
“I wondered if you would turn this to your advantage,” Xavier mutters in amusement. He takes a comb out of his back pocket and runs it th
rough his hair to remove the tiny glass shards that poke at his scalp. “Very well, we will hold onto Lost, but only for this reason. I don’t want her leaving the castle, so someone will watch her at all times. If Clyde and his people attack then she will be locked in a hidden room that you will have the servants construct by the end of tomorrow. The girl will be our prisoner and experiment while thinking she is a guest. I may even play the doting father until she no longer serves a purpose.”
The smell of burning flesh drifts into the castle and brings the vampires’ attention to where a pillar of smoke is rising from the city. There are no screams as another plume appears, the eerie silence continuing even when the top floor of a house explodes. Xavier growls and casts a powerful spell to erase whatever is blocking the noise, which returns with jarring clarity and causes the unaware guards to react. The clash of weapons and eruption of elemental magic shakes Nyte as the mysterious invaders crash into the soldiers on the fallen drawbridge. Flying forms rocket through the sky to drop glowing orbs that are destroyed by archers who are still struggling to climb into their fortified nests. Erecting a dome of acidic blades over the castle, Xavier kills two of the soaring enemies while the rest of the flock scatter and disappear into the distance. Worrying for his wife, the Lord of Nyte leaps off the balcony and races across the damaged courtyard, his loyal spymaster only a few steps behind.
*****
Unable to cast spells without hurting his own guards, Xavier conjures an icy longsword and charges into the hallway. He tries to stab the nearest invader in the back, but the gaunt elf transforms into sand and sinks through a crack in the floor. The nobleman turns in a slow circle and tunes out the sounds of battle to focus on his elusive enemy. It is when a single grain falls on his shoulder that he thrusts upwards and stretches his arm a few extra inches to pierce the stone with the sword tip. A blast of ice coats the ceiling in frost and a rain of frozen sand falls out of the cracks to shatter against the floor. Xavier hears a solid footstep behind him and is about to whirl around when a volley of arrows slams into the approaching invader, which is a fang-bearing fireskin. The barbed points make it impossible for the scaly Dawn Fang to remove the projectiles without tearing out chunks of flesh and organs. Enraged by the pain, it tries to continue its attack, but is struck by a crimson dagger that sends a roiling flame throughout its veins. Fiery blood spews from the dragon-man’s mouth and eyes before it slumps over and gradually melts into a steaming puddle. The show of power is enough to scare the other Dawn Fangs, who leap out the windows and in the opposite direction, their frantic retreat knocking most of the gathered guards to the ground.
“These are not Clyde’s people,” Xavier says as he hurries ahead. Feeling a pain in his arm, he stops to snap his dislocated shoulder back into place. “An attack like this by him would require that at least one of his Generals be in charge. None of them are foolish enough to attack Nyte without Clyde and the low-ranking scum fear him too much to retreat. Even in the face of my strength, they would rather die than return to Nytefall in cowardice. Have your men sent you any information, Mr. Stavros?”
“I have just received some intelligence,” Kai announces as he finishes listening to a black-feathered sparrow. Casting the bird away, he pulls an arrow out of the quiver on his right hip and nocks it in case they are ambushed. “There are about three-hundred Dawn Fangs that are moving in groups of ten to twenty. Most of them are still in the city and they are causing more damage to buildings than people. Those that are in the castle are killing, but only if they are cornered with a few rampaging exceptions. It appears they are looking for something, but none of them are willing to talk.”
“I want to make sure my wife is safe before we bring our full wrath down upon these abominations,” the nobleman states, his right hand sprouting a shield of bone. Coming around the corner, he sees that there is already a squad guarding the door to the tower where he last saw Nadia and Stephanie. “Cover the rear and I will flank the enemy. It is not the most elegant or complicated strategy, but I have been told that simplicity usually works best when you are the defender.”
Xavier is about to charge forward when parts of both walls are shattered and he is driven away from the tumbling debris. From his left, he sees Decker wrestling with an acid-drooling orc that is shrieking at the pain of having a flaming axe in its thigh. The soldier ignores the flurry of blows that fall on the back of his burly arm, the Dawn Fang’s hands having turned into metal hammers. Freeing his weapon, the dwarf flips his enemy over his back while jumping to come down with a stomp to the larger warrior’s stomach. He foot goes through skin and bone, which leaves him open to getting grabbed by the knee. The orc stands and swings Decker into a broken window before whirling around to throw him into the far wall. Showing more agility than his stocky frame suggests, the dwarf twists in midair and plants his booted feet against the cracked stone. The bricks crash to the floor when he launches himself across the hallway and cleaves the invader across the waist. Not wanting to take any chances, he delivers several more precision chops and sets the pieces on fire to make sure the Dawn Fang is reduced to tiny piles of smoldering ashes.
Having smashed through the wall to the right, Lou flails at a pair of vampiric goblins that swarm over his hairy body. The blood from other invaders drip from the ogre’s hands that slap at his skin and repeatedly miss the ivory-horned creatures. He roars when one of the small vampires gets on the bodyguard’s face and bites him in the cheek. With arms spread wide, Lou drives his thick head into the floor and smashes the goblin into pulp. Licking the remains off his face, he snorts in disgusts and spits the bloody pieces out the nearest window. As if he has forgotten that there is another Dawn Fang poking at his ribs with its horns, the ogre starts to walk over to Xavier and opens his mouth to ask for orders. A jab to his armpit brings his attention back to his determined opponent, which shrieks when it is grabbed by its stump-like tail. Lou starts to crush the flailing goblin into a ball when a swarm of identical creatures charges through the broken wall. Covered entirely in the small Dawn Fangs, the powerful vampire snarls and thrashes until abruptly stopping to sniff at a breeze. Catching a strange scent, the ogre leans to his right before suddenly lurching to his left and punching at the bottom of the wall. His fist splatters the invisible goblin, which causes the copies to dissolve into a foul-smelling mist.
“That was rather impressive,” Xavier tells the bodyguard. Handing the ogre a jar of blood to help him heal, he waves his sword to create freezing barriers in the gaping holes in the wall. “I will take the lead and break through the enemy. The rest of you watch my sides and flank then hold the door with the guards.”
Not waiting for his men to reply, Xavier runs at the crowd that is battling at the entrance to the tower. He is halfway to the fight when a blast of wind crashes through the ceiling above the armored defenders and sucks them out of the building. With nothing left in their path, the seven Dawn Fangs sprint for the doorway and scramble up the stairs. Kai shoots the last one in the shoulder, but the invader does not slow down to inspect the barbed arrow. Xavier bares his fangs and runs at full speed to become a silver blur, but he only makes it as far as the door before he smells fresh blood. A rumbling from above is enough of a warning for him to drop his sword and leap onto the wall above the entrance, his fingers plunging into the stone. The crimson ichor blasts out of the opening along with the shrieking Dawn Fangs, who are melting within the acidic flood. Before they are struck by the attack, Decker swings his axe and unleashes a wave of arctic wind that freezes the dangerous liquid.
“What are we going to do now?” the General asks while tapping at the ice. With a growl, Lou punches the wall and shatters it into a fine powder. “You’re full of good ideas today, big guy. Makes me not want to ask about those bows on your horns. I assume Nadia and Stephanie are behind whatever that attack was. Looks like the flood went out the windows and hit some of the people on the ground below.”
“Those are our guards,” Xavier mentions as he d
rops to the floor. Hearing a footstep behind him, he whirls around and nearly beheads his wife, who is carrying a dried husk that is feebly swishing its thin tail. “Decker, I want you and Lou to bring Mistress Talon to her ritual pool before she turns to dust. The rest of us will search for whoever is leading this army. If we remove their General then the rest will retreat. At least, I hope that is what will happen since we are not sure why they are attacking. It could be an enraged mob that thinks they are helping our enemies, but now is not the time to guess at their motives.”
“Actually, my love, it is a lot quieter outside than before,” Nadia says before handing Stephanie over to Lou. Fearing that her servant will not survivor the short walk across the castle, she slits her wrists to the bone and pours some of her blood into the ritualist’s mouth. “That should give her enough strength to make it to the pool. I would suggest staying away from fights, but I can’t hear any nearby. That is very strange and unnerving since the siege started no more than an hour ago. I don’t know much about battles, so can someone with more experience tell me if this is normal? Did Mistress Talon’s attack happen to kill the leader?”
“I doubt the Luck Goddess is that friendly to us,” Kai answers with a smirk. Sticking his head out the window, he whistles for a black sparrow to fly onto his head. “The enemy has already retreated and the guards are spreading out to handle the damage. None of my agents know why they attacked or who they are. One of my newest recruits is joking that General Decker may have angered someone during his last outing. It wouldn’t be the first time that happened, but I disagree only because he was obviously not the target.”
Letting Lou walk off without him, Decker scratches his beard until a single question comes to mind. “Where is that girl I knocked out yesterday?”
*****
“Lost is gone and so are all the tomatoes in the kitchen,” Kai announces as he walks into the throne room. Taking the only empty seat, he stops when he notices that everyone is staring at him. “I wanted to be thorough and note that she was serious about the tomatoes. The strangest thing is that there were no signs of a struggle. In fact, the kitchen is the only main room in the castle that appears to be untouched by the battle. Maybe the attack was meant to distract us from a kidnapping.”
Lost (War of Nytefall Book 2) Page 11
