“I think you need to relax,” Eighty whispers when he catches up to Lost. Seeing a frenzied look in her eyes, he takes a step back that he tries to mask by pretending to sneeze. “As thankful as we are that you called for us, I am worried about your health. Let me be the one to lead the army while we march and you can rest up for the battle. You defeated that giant monster on your own, so that’s where your strengths lie.”
“Are you saying that I have a bad direction sense?” Lost asks in a voice that she thinks is pompous. She attempts to puff out her chest, but immediately deflates at the sight of her sweaty army. “I may have overreacted to all the socks I saw. So many of the ugly, evil things just hanging in the forest. I didn’t know they grew naturally. That or Xavier knows my weakness, so he set all of that up to drive me away. Jokes on him because I ran directly to Nyte. Did you see that Archillious cloud too?”
“I thought I saw something before our people blasted it,” the boy admits as he starts walking away. He is thankful that Lost hurries to get ahead of him, which prompts the army to continue their march. “There will be plenty of traps and soldiers around Nyte. We can handle them, so don’t worry. We’ve burned thousands of socks on your behalf, including the ones we wore before we met you. It shows how all of us are loyal to your cause. This is going to be the beginning of our war, right?”
Nodding her head, the vampiric half-elf does a three-finger salute that the other womb-born return. “I promise that this is the start of our real journey. My time with the other vampires shows that we need to force a change. Nyte will be the first target since they are demented enough to work with a man like Archillious. I think the Duragians should be next, which means we’ll have to take out the Sun God too. I don’t know about Clyde and Nytefall though. They’re strange people, but they treated me well.”
“Will they join us?”
“I doubt it because they want to stay hidden.”
“Then, we’ll have to fight them at some point.”
“Not if there’s nobody left to hide from.”
“This is why you’re our Princess General.”
Lost smiles and is about to respond when a flood of noises echoes in her head, the pain making her wince. Recognizing it as thousands of voices talking at once, she wanders towards a hill and practically crawls to the top. She remains on her knees and stares at the city of Nyte, which seems to rise out of the fog. There are fewer trees than she remembers, but she can make out the silhouettes of stumps near the dark wall and the smell of sawdust is in the air. Flags bearing the fanged orchid crest of the Tempest family wave from atop the castle, which is being patrolled by soldiers. More enemies wander through the streets, which are devoid of the activity that one would normally see even during the day. Lost picks up an acorn and throws it to test for wards, the nut sailing into a quiet marketplace and cracking the head off a fountain statue. The lack of defenses is odd and makes her nervous until she remembers how easily she tore down the previous spells. Waving for her army to begin their advance, she skips down the hill and has her bunny perch itself on top of her head.
“Sorry, but somebody wants to speak to you,” a hazy voice whispers in Lost’s ear.
She tries to skid to a stop and look around, but finds that something is pulling her towards the city. Sensing a trap, she focuses on Nyte and watches as it transforms into an ancient fortress that is surrounded by rubble. A moss-covered dome of white stone is over the ruins, which reek of mildew and death. There is an open doorway placed every ten feet along the wall and the one that the womb-born army is charging towards is flanked by Clyde and Mab. The older Dawn Fangs are casually leaning against the ruins, their presence only exposed to Lost, who tries to scream and finds that her mouth is being held shut by an invisible force. Seething with anger, she glares at the two vampires as her body is awkwardly made to race into the ruins and launch itself into a dark pit that her army runs by without a second thought.
*****
“What happened?” Lost asks as she gets to her feet. It takes her a moment to realize that it is only dark because she cannot open her eyelids. “I don’t want to talk to you. There are too many important things for me to do. Just go back to your life and forget you ever birthed me. It isn’t like my existence changes anything for you.”
“Except for that fact that I’m responsible for you,” Chastity replies before releasing her daughter’s body. Floating a torch above her head, she moves it around the ancient dungeon to light several lanterns. “I don’t know what happened between you and Archillious, but he’s gone now. There’s no longer a reason to go through with your war. In fact, if you’re determined to attack Nyte then be smart about it and work with Clyde. Otherwise, you will cause trouble for everyone. That city is too big and infamous even among mortals to be destroyed without there being some consequences. Archillious probably isn’t even there considering he betrayed Xavier when he ran off with you.”
“They still worked together, which means they agree that people should be destroyed,” the silver-haired vampire stubbornly claims. Searching for her bunny, she is relieved to find it sitting in a nearby cell. “Maybe it doesn’t matter anymore. I tried to find a place to fit in and make a family, but everything fell apart. The only place I belong is with the other womb-born, who are obviously lost without me. Kind of ironic considering my name. I think you’re too old to understand the situation. They want a war, I’m their Princess General, and Nyte is the biggest target. No reason to make things more complicated.”
Chastity telekinetically taps Lost on the shoulder to distract her from an echoing slap across the face. “Grow up! If you’re really going to lead these kids then you have to do what’s right for them. Not give in to their demands, especially if it will get people killed. I’m talking about the other womb-born as well as mortals and innocent vampires who happen to get in your way. Do you even know what a war is? I’ve been alive long enough to see plenty of those and they always create a high death count of both soldiers and civilians. Quite frankly, only a child would be foolish enough to think such a thing is a game.”
“I know it isn’t a game.”
“What about your friends?”
“They have to know the same thing.”
“You don’t sound very confident.”
Lost’s eyes seem to catch the flickering torchlight and become a deeper red before she charges Chastity. A rusty cell door flies off its hinges to get in the way of the girl’s punch, which gets her arm stuck between the bars. The metal frame bends in order to repeatedly smack her in the head, every blow making her madder until she rips the thing in half. Leaping at her mother, Lost strengthens her limbs and slaps the wall to sail away from an incoming chunk of stone. She hits the ground with one leg to launch herself, the impact leaving a dent in the ancient floor. The wild punch nearly makes contact with Chastity’s face, but it is stopped an inch short and the younger vampire finds herself knocked onto her back. Without wasting a second, she flips backwards and plants her feet into her mother’s stomach. The blow sends the curvaceous Dawn Fang crashing into a far wall, the tumbling pieces hanging in the air instead of falling on the groaning woman. The dusty rocks hurtle forward, but are aimed at Lost’s bunny, which is still sitting in its cell. Panicking too much to use her powers, the girl dives on top of her pet and rolls into the corner. To her surprise, the projectiles only knock down the bars and move to form a solid wall.
“I’ve had these powers longer than you’ve been alive, so don’t think you can win with strength alone,” Chastity announces through a small hole in the barrier. Sticking a finger inside, she releases her charm mist until it fills the cell. “I want you to tell me the truth. With any luck, our conversation will last long enough for Clyde, Mab, and the others to handle your friends. We aren’t going to kill them unless we have to, but they are pushing their luck. Mab peeked in on you while we were traveling through the shadows. Explain to me why you tried to attack a small village. Again, I demand the truth.”
“Who are you to order someone like me around?” Lost growls, a searing pain rippling through her brain. The wall shakes when she rams her head into the stone, the impact helping to jog her senses. “I don’t know. My friends were hungry and Eighty said it would be okay if nobody was left alive. Old-world vampires use mortals for food all the time and it was an emergency. It isn’t like Dawn Fangs are any better since I’ve seen all of you drink blood. Whether it comes fresh or from a bottle, the source is the same. They promised that they wouldn’t eat anyone younger than sixteen though.”
“And you believed them?” her mother asks in amazement. Holding her tongue, she takes a deep breath and removes her finger from the wall. “Of course, you did. They are your friends and you have never had a reason to doubt the other womb-born. Mortals, old-world vampires, and Dawn Fangs have all turned on you, but these kids were your family. That’s why you can never believe that they would go too far. Honey, I’m sorry to tell you this, but they may have already done that. If you really want to keep them safe then you need to have them stand down and come to Nytefall with us.”
Chastity feels the wall quiver and jumps back when her daughter’s fist breaks through holding the bunny. The animal leaps at the surprised vampire while its master finishes getting out of the cell, but it is quickly knocked to the ground by a telekinetic blast. Seeing her pet twitching on the floor, Lost screams and tackles her mother onto a crumbling bench. Both women grab large pieces of rotting wood and smack each other in the head, which stuns them for an instant. Chastity tries to jump away to gain some space, but is grabbed by the hair and dragged across the floor. She is slammed against a support pillar, which cracks and threatens to crumble. The vampires stop when they fear the ruins will collapse, the pause broken when Lost gives a violent tug on her mother’s hair. She is stopped by an old bucket hitting her from behind and Chastity flipping her over her shoulder. A haphazard punch to the chest sends the older Dawn Fang flying away across the dungeon and she crashes against a pile of garbage that was once a weapon’s rack.
The sweat-covered vampires struggle to their feet and glare at each other while wiping dirt from their clothes. Fangs bared and fists clenched, Lost is the first to charge with enough power in her limbs to make them bloat to twice their size. Every piece of debris rises from the floor to whirl through the air, which creates a vicious storm. Chastity stands her ground while she forces her daughter to dodge and strike the flying objects. Stones are reduced to dust and metal is turned into shards, which slice at Lost’s skin as she pushes through the thickening cloud. She tries to take over her mother’s mind, but a plank of damp wood flies out of the haze and strikes her in the neck. Feeling her throat collapse, the Dawn Fang gasps and tries to stay on her feet. The rotting weapon is smashed into her face, which leaves her ears ringing. Fearing that she is about to be killed, Lost claps her hands with enough force to clear the debris. Eyes filled with tears caused by the irritating storm, she stumbles forward and throws a punch that goes through the far wall.
Whirling around, she sees no sign of Chastity and wonders if the woman has escaped up the shaft that she was dragged down. Healing her injuries as she walks under the dark hole, the young vampire stares into the shadows in search of her mother. It is a gentle shift of stone that causes her to spin around and see that the wall she hit is falling apart. Sending the stones ahead of her as a distraction, Chastity bursts out of the crumbling façade that she had hastily erected. She concentrates her telekinetic power into her palm and strikes her daughter in the chest with the intention of shattering all of her bones. Instead, her energy comes in contact with something softer inside Lost, which trembles from the destructive blow. The sound of tearing flesh terrifies both vampires before the girl’s entire back splits open and a vine-like mass is violently ejected from her body. The squirming tendrils reach out for their whimpering host, but Chastity smashes them into pulp with a large chunk of the ceiling.
“I don’t remember eating that,” Lost groans, her hands reaching back to inspect her frayed skin. She is about to stand when she realizes that her shirt is destroyed, so she stays facedown on the floor. “The voices aren’t being nice now. I hear anger . . . and hate . . . and fear. Why are they getting so loud? Did I do something wrong? Mommy, I think I’m getting scared. Can you make the screaming go away?”
“I’m here, honey,” Chastity replies as she takes off her overshirt. Putting it on her daughter, she strokes the girl’s hair and glances at the mashed plant in the corner. “Whatever that was, it’s gone now. It must have been messing with your powers. I can only guess that Archillious put it in you for some reason. He did use a lot of poisons, many of which came from plants. I think we should talk to Gregorio about-”
“What are you doing down here?” Mab asks as she rushes out of the shadows. Seeing Lost on the floor and Chastity stripped down to her shift, the burglar can only hold out her hands in disbelief. “You ripped her back open? I thought this was going to be a talk with some slapping and screaming involved. Look, the womb-born just went berserk. I’m talking mindless rage and smashing everything in sight. Clyde is outside the ruins and maintaining an illusion that there are no doors, but that won’t work for long. Eventually, one of them is going to find an exit and they’re going to escape. They keep calling for their Princess General, which means we need to get her out of here now.”
Chastity is about to argue and point at the remains of whatever she knocked out of Lost’s body when her friend grabs her wrist. Unconcerned with the girl’s injuries, Mab puts her under her arm and dives into the nearest shadow. A minute passes before the burglar returns and starts mumbling about wanting to go back to Nytefall. Spotting the bunny, she storms over to the limp animal and kicks it into her hand before vanishing once again.
15
“I don’t know how much time we have,” Clyde announces when he hears footsteps coming up behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he is not surprised to see that the agents of Nyte are no longer with his people. “Had a feeling those three would go back home once the danger had been diverted. To be fair, we’d have done the same thing if the roles were reversed. So, anybody have an idea?”
“The womb-born are still searching for Lost,” Mab reports as she leaves the shadows. She tosses the bunny to Chastity, who places it in her daughter’s shivering hands. “They’re covering ground pretty quickly too. I give them about fifteen minutes at most before they finish searching the ruins and figure out that she’s gone. Thankfully, they’re still too crazed to consider Clyde has them trapped with illusions.”
“Thank the gods for small favors,” Titus mutters after freeing the oxen. Smacking the animals on the rump, he sends them galloping into the forest. “I know we’re still on the fence about wiping them out, so what about collapsing the ruins? We can station an agent here to watch the area for anyone who digs themselves out and work on them individually. It should let them cool off for a year or two. Kind of like putting the kids in the corner until they learn to behave. Not the best idea, but the only alternative is eliminating them.”
Putting his cloak over Chastity, Luther licks at the wind and wrinkles his nose. “The rage and fear I taste are very potent. The womb-born wouldn’t stay buried for long, especially with their powers. That being said, containing them might be the best way to go. A slaughter would upset Lost and could force our hand in dealing with her. Perhaps Gregorio could create some slumber bombs after analyzing residue from Archillious’s poison. Only problem is that I have no idea how to keep the womb-born here to give him time.”
“Offer pony rides?” Bob asks with a shrug.
The Dawn Fangs are surprised when Lost chuckles and starts to get to her feet, which wobble like a pair of saplings. Blood flows out of her gaping back to drench her borrowed shirt and run down her legs. Dislocating her shoulders, the girl stretches back to press her flesh together and focuses on mending her flesh. She abruptly throws up when she feels as if something is squirming within her
body. Reaching under her shirt and into the partially healed wound, Lost grabs a wooden object and yanks it out along with one of her kidneys. She holds out the growing mass of roots, which wraps around her hand and makes it easier for her to crush them. A chorus of loud screams erupt from inside the ruins, one voice lasting longer than the others. Instead of throwing the oozing plant matter onto the ground, she offers it to Clyde while trying to put her kidney back in place.
“I feel sick and drafty,” Lost says, falling backwards. She tenses when Clyde catches her arm and leans her over, but relaxes when he cuts his wrist and pours his blood directly into her wound. “There are more seeds in me. They’re telling me that all of my friends are angry and infected. Eighty did this to make sure nobody was abandoned again. He’s always been scared of being alone, but he doesn’t show it because he didn’t want to upset us. Everyone will be better if they lose their seeds. Can you not hurt them?”
“I don’t like making promises that depend on other people behaving,” Clyde admits before handing the girl to Chastity. Seeing that she is about to cry, he sighs and looks to Mab for help that never comes. “I’ll see what I can do. At best, I can say that nobody will die. Those who attack us might get hurt because we need to defend ourselves. We could end up having a problem with this Eighty as well. If he doesn’t want to release you and the others then we’ll have to eliminate him.”
“Sounds like we’re going in,” Titus mentions, his attention mostly on the ruins. He watches as blasts of fire and lightning punch through the domed roof, which groans as if it is on the verge of collapsing. “I know I’m repeating myself, but we could sit here and do nothing. Their rampage is likely to bring the entire place down if it goes on long enough. Please tell me I’m not the only one who doesn’t like the idea of wiping out an entire generation. We all know it’ll come down to that if we go inside.”
Lost (War of Nytefall Book 2) Page 26
