Sacrifice

by Michel, Mayandree

  I had to keep busy or I’d go mad wondering what was happening, so I checked on Phoebe and Christopher. Surprisingly, they were awake and they were worried about Victor. The depressed and fearful expressions on their innocent faces made me even angrier.

  “What’s wrong, Chris?” I asked as I took a seat at the edge of his bed. I smoothed his rumpled hair and waited for him to finish yawning.

  “I couldn’t sleep while cousin Niko stomped around, looking for Victor. Niko said Victor was playing Hide-n-seek. I asked if I could play, but he said no and that if I didn’t go to bed, he wouldn’t tell me anymore satyr stories.” Christopher paused to yawn, again and I shook my head at the thought of Nikolas telling my little brother wicked stories.

  Christopher was half-asleep, but continued. “Then I heard Niko say that he was going to kill Victor when he finally found him. He sounded very angry. Is Victor alright, and is Niko still mad?”

  “Victor took the game outside, and Niko went to look for him. You’ll see them both tomorrow and they’ll be poking fun at each other, as usual,” I said reassuringly, and kissed him on the forehead. “Now sleep tight.”

  It wasn’t that easy getting Phoebe to go back to sleep. She required a full explanation on tonight’s excitement and a story, not realizing that the tale of Niko and Victor playing Hide-n-seek was indeed a story itself. I was yawning by the time I left her room.

  I was halfway down the staircase when Bethany suddenly appeared – beautiful and poised as always – in the main hallway. We stared at each other for a moment. I wondered why she wasn’t with her team. No one had permission to abandon the mission unless a warrior’s strengths were compromised.

  First Victor is missing, and now I had to brace myself for whatever Bethany had to report.

  “I know that you’re surprised to see me here and now.”

  “I'm surprised to see you here at all,” I said. I eyed Bethany suspiciously, but not because she held a grudge against me for not pardoning her parents. I wanted to know why she wasn’t on the mission.

  “Look, I wouldn’t have come unless it was important,” she said, and I could feel her emotions ripple through me like the turbulent waves of the ocean. “I know that we are forbidden to leave the mission, but I saw something tonight. It was something that you’d want to act on, immediately.”

  “Let's talk in the parlor.”

  “Is Victor here?” Bethany asked after I closed the door behind her.

  “Why does that matter? He’s a part of our family and I wish you’d get over your aversion to him,” I snapped. Bethany’s face flushed and I knew that I was wrong to snap at her. She had every right to her unfavorable feelings toward Victor after what he had done to her, but just the mention of his name along with the fact that I haven’t heard a word from Evan or Nikolas was making me jumpy.

  “I–I’m sorry. No, Beth. He’s not here. He’s missing,” I said as I peered through the curtains as if I expected to see Victor coming through the towering gates and up my porch steps.

  “I saw a vision. It was of him,” Bethany said. Besides having the strength of several strong men combined, she had the gift of sight and could see the near future.

  “Just tell me what you saw,” I demanded, lightly.

  “I saw flashes of Victor at the Bucket O’ Blood. Then I saw him in the woods. He's going to get hurt. Quite badly. The gashes on his body will spout his blood like a fountain.” I should have known that this was why Bethany had come here. Her gift was always precise.

  “When did you see the vision?” I asked, anxiously.

  “I teleported as soon as the vision ended.”

  Oh no. It must be happening now.

  “Did you see anyone else?” The anticipation is killing me.

  “The Lykanos were in the woods and shifted.”

  “The entire pack?” I ask, shocked. If they all showed up, it must be that they don’t want to underestimate Victor, in case he has power. Those mangy, beastly, stupid cowards.

  “Yes.”

  “Bethany?” I gulped, almost unable to ask my next question. “Does he die?”

  “I don't know. That’s all I saw.”

  “Thank you Beth. Thank you for coming here and telling me. I know that you… well, I know how you feel about him. I know how hard it must be to forgive him.”

  “I haven’t forgiven him. I could never forgive him. I’m completely devoted to you, our empire, and its safety. His powers are essential. However, what he did to me… will never be forgiven. That’s all.”

  “I understand and I’ll never ask you to. You should get back,” I said. She nodded and disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.

  My gut wrenched as I thought of what may happen to Victor if Evan and Nikolas don’t reach him in time. I was about to send them a message explaining what Bethany envisioned when I felt tremors run up and down my back.

  Finally, I could feel Victor's aura.

  It must be happening now, I thought. Dear Gods, please let him survive, I prayed. My heart ached in a way that I had never felt before. I couldn’t breathe for what seemed like a long time.

  Seven - Victor

  Paint the Town

  I didn’t think it would be that easy, but I guess I have Christopher to thank. That child loved listening to Nikolas tell him stories about Dionysus. If Delia had heard Niko narrating his not so child-friendly, but god-tastic excursions – pertaining to some wild satyrs and maenads, she would’ve whipped out her bolt and torched that mighty centaur, making him a pony.

  Luckily, I made it into town without a shadow in tow. The Apolluon vampires were out feeding and couldn’t detect my aura. I was home free. Delia and Evander underestimated me if they thought that I was going to be baby-sat while they were out on the town. Delia loved the opera and Evander pretended to enjoy it in order to spend time with my betrothed. I knew how to have a bit of fun too, and the opera wasn’t what I had in mind.

  It had been over a month since I’d been to the saloons and from the looks of things, not much had changed. The Bucket O’ Blood was packed as usual. The old vamp Matthias, stood at the bar, toiling away at keeping his patron’s plastered. I saw many familiar faces and they all looked at me with fear. They feared the old Victor, who wouldn’t have made it through the door without an entourage of make shift disciples. That person no longer existed. Here stood the mortal Victor, but not for long.

  I scoped the bar. Several tasty dolls, which I used to bed, were scattered around on bar stools. Although they seemed harmless as they hung over poor drunks, never underestimate these crafty tarts. They waited either for the poor drunk to buy them a drink, or for a chance to lift his wallet. I also looked out for unfriendly meat-eaters – members of the Lykanos pack. Any sight of them, I’d have to get out of here quick. Nevertheless, I didn’t want to dwell on the negative. I just wanted to take in the scenery and enjoy a night out on the town.

  Matthias noticed me almost immediately and motioned for me to sit at the bar. I ordered my usual – straight bourbon. The liquid went down smooth and I almost felt like myself. Almost. A shot of bourbon felt best when I was fully powered. Like this, a mere mortal, the kick was lost. I knew how many it took before I had to be carried home when I had my strengths, but as a mortal, I had no idea. I assumed a lot less. Anyway, I eyed Matthias as he poured me another.

  “I must admit,” Matthias said, opening another bottle of bourbon. “I wouldn’t have expected to see you here so soon.”

  “No?” I knew how Matthias thought. He only feared one Ischero – the only one who could kill him. Moreover, I hoped that she hadn’t realized I left her house tonight.

  “Are you here alone?” Matthias asked, moving a little closer so that the two drunks I sat between didn’t overhear.

  “Yep. Any action tonight?” I knew that Matthias understood what I meant.

  “Two of the wolves – Jarod and Kalisi, just left, but I don’t think I’ve seen the last of them tonight,” he said, turning his gaze t
o the saloon doors.

  I followed Matthias’ gaze, and quickly turned back around to my drink which rested on the bar. He could feel them. Unfortunately, as a mortal I couldn’t. I turned the collar of my jacket up. I knew there wasn’t anything left to do at this moment. I didn’t have to worry about being too drunk to see my way home because what just walked into the bar would never let me leave here without an escort.

  “You can leave out the back,” Matthias whispered. “The side door will take you straight into Madame Clairy’s Secret.” Matthias was trying to help but I could think of a few better places to hide than a seedy brothel.

  “I won’t make it to either door,” I whispered back.

  I smelled the putrid scent of the Lykanos pack as they closed in on me. I kept my head forward, facing the bar. I had to admit that I was a bit afraid, although the werewolves weren’t what I feared. I feared dying and enslavement by Hades.

  “Kalisi, look who we have here,” Cail snickered, shoving the neighbor on my right off the stool and onto the floor. Cail, a giant at six foot and seven inches and a neck as thick as a tree trunk, took the now vacant seat.

  “Fellas, if it isn’t our old and dear friend Victor Iptian, the new emperor of the Ischero Empire. Oh, wait a minute, that can’t be right. Because if that was right, he’d be wearing a dress since I hear some bitch is running that clan.” Kalisi let out a high-pitched, hyena-like laugh.

  “You’re the bitch, you mangy poodle,” I snapped. The nerve of her referring to Delia as a bitch.

  Kalisi’s eyes glowed a bright ruby-red and started growling under her breath. “Who are you calling a bi-?”

  “Kalisi! Not here,” Jarod scolded, looking around the bar to see if anyone had heard her. Jarod snatched me by the back of my neck and then grabbed the stool on my left which had suddenly become vacant.

  “Mind if I sit down?” he asked as Kalisi continued to pant and snarl in my direction. I looked her dead in the eyes and blew her a kiss.

  “You should ask the owner of the bar,” I said, eyeing Matthias. He watched the horrific developments of my demise from the far left corner of the bar. I couldn’t blame him. He was out numbered and smart enough to be wearing silver cuff links and silver pocket watch.

  “Who? That ancient vampire?” Jarod asked, laughing. “Hey Mattie, keep an eye on my bar, we’re going to make up for lost time with our old comrade here, so no need to alert anyone.” That was Jarod’s way of warning Matthias to not call on the Ischero. “Victor is amongst old friends. Right Vic?” Jarod smirked. All of a sudden, Matthias was busy drying glasses with a rag.

  “Come on Victor, you heard him. Let’s go for a little walk,” Cail spat. He pretty much blocked my view and any attempt to escape. I had no choice but to leave with them.

  “How’s about that kiss Vic?” Kalisi asked, pretending to pucker up. I gulped down the rest my bourbon. “For old time’s sake?” She drawled. “We had some fun didn’t we? Especially, when you finally came to your senses and agreed that wolves are more fun than cats.” There was that ear-piercing hyena cry she considered a laugh, again.

  “Not tonight, darlin’.” I winked, as her blue eyes turned crimson. I bet she could almost taste my flesh.

  Kalisi and I had a bit of history. I messed around with her while my ex-girlfriend Sacha, a werepanther, were sort of on a break. Then I dumped Kalisi, rather badly, and took Sacha back. Actually, I haven’t thought of Sacha in a while. Both she and her twin brother, Lucas, had been loyal disciples and had gladly given up their lives for me. Right now, as I was being ushered out by a pack of monstrous werewolves who were prepared to tear me limb from limb, it all seemed so very long ago and not only a month since I had them all under my divine control.

  To the mortals in the bar, my departure may have seemed normal – just a group of old acquaintances leaving together. To someone who was a part of the immortal world, I would be considered to be a dead man walking. Once we were out of the bar, both of my arms were pinned behind me in a vice-like grip, and I was led around to the back of the saloon. The intensity and desperation of this moment was heightened by the glow of the full moon. I had only one thought on my mind. I shouldn’t have left the sanctuary of the Tieron estate.

  I was led into the forest. I had expected them to take me there – their playground. The forest was shadowy and barely lit by the full moon, which was eclipsed by numerous pines. I sensed no other beings around us as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. If not for the occasional hoot of an owl, breaking the still of this warm and breezeless evening, the forest was virtually quiet. The woods was dense and the perfect place to murder someone. I would have chosen it myself if killing someone had been on my agenda tonight.

  “We knew you couldn’t stay away for long. You missed the night life and your old friends,” Jarod said as he looked me in the eyes. “Well, the ones you didn’t get a chance to kill.” Obviously, I didn’t have the best reputation in Nickel City.

  “Friends? Is that what we were?” I asked, trying not to laugh. “Somehow I remember it all quite differently.”

  “Really, how so?” he asked, cocking his head to one side and looking at me, and then at his pack.

  Werewolves were the lowest species and sometimes considered the least intelligent. They couldn’t be trusted and lacked the discipline in maintaining control of their emotions, even within their own pack. Naturally, they would tear each other apart. No one in his or her right mind would tempt Jarod by acting like a jerk, but I figured if I was going to die then it was pointless to play Mr. Nice Demigod. At least Ares would be proud.

  “You were my lapdogs.” I said, holding Jarod’s gaze.

  Everyone was silent as we waited to hear his response. When he didn’t say anything for a second or two, I braced myself for the worst, knowing that I’d be shredded from head to toe just for stating the truth. I wasn’t lying. They used to jump at my every beck and call. Most dogs loved to please their master, and Jarod had proved to be one very cooperative pup.

  An eruption of laughter mixed with howls, coming from somewhere to my left and from behind several pine trees, was what held my attention right now, not Jarod’s silence. The howls cut through the night air, prompting the pack to howl in response. Finally, the howler emerged from the shadows – cast by pine trees, and he was not alone. Now there were five more Lykanos, bringing the total to eight. Sadly, the numbers made no difference to me since I had all the power of a mortal.

  “I see you haven’t lost your divine sense of humor, along with your magic tricks, Vic,” David noted. He was the new leader of the werewolf pack, and had decided to join in the festivities.

  “No, the empress let me keep that,” I chuckled. David laughed and howled even louder than before. Soon the entire pack was howling. I even dared to chuckle a little.

  “I hope you bid the empress a final farewell when you left her this evening,” David said.

  “Actually, I hadn’t thought to.” I tried to shrug, although my arms were bound and already aching from Cail’s hold.

  “Won’t the goddess be looking for you?” Jarod asked, and then cowered away as David glared at him.

  “Actually, she doesn’t know that I’m gone.” I said sheepishly.

  “Hmm… you are brave, and bravery should never go unrecognized,” David said eyeing me closely.

  “Nor should stupidity,” Kalisi added, and David gave her a silencing look.

  “Victor, we have a score to settle. You held us under your captive spell after killing our leader, Donatella. Death has its price and the time has arrived. You must pay,” David declared. Their howls and barks of joy shattered the calm of the night. These pooches couldn’t wait to dig in.

  “The spell was necessary since you wouldn’t have volunteered,” I said innocently. I thought to stall them for a moment longer.

  “Volunteer? Why would we want to be paraded around town as your pets?” David asked, incredulous.

  “Well, when you put it that way it does sou
nd rather insensitive of me.”

  “So you thought we had forgotten. Is that why you finally came into town alone and without the big stallion by your side?” David asked. His eyes were the color of blood.

  I might as well die now, I thought, since I won’t survive an argument with Cordelia for not allowing Nikolas to chaperone me.

  “Actually, the pack had nothing to do with me wanting to paint the town red tonight.” I said, smiling, although I was trembling in my steel-toe boots.

  “That’s what we’ll do with you once we kill you,” Jarod said. The intensity in his eyes led me to believe that they wouldn’t be able to hold off any longer. By now, I had hoped that someone would have shown up in my defense. Perhaps, my aura couldn’t be sensed this deep in the woods.

  “I’ll take the first bite,” David said, ominously.

  Suddenly, he threw his head back. He beckoned to the full moon, which must have been a glorious sight for these ravenous pooches, letting out a bone-chilling howl. My first impulse was to run, but my feet just scraped the branch littered ground as Cail gripped my arms fiercely behind my back. The thought to run was futile anyway. I couldn’t out run them as a mortal.

  My thoughts of escaping stopped for a moment. Although I had seen them shift in the past, the sound of bones cracking and breaking, and the deafening, painful cries was what held me captive, not Cail’s firm hold on me. David screamed in agony as his skin tore away from his slim frame, and he shifted into an enormous gray wolf. His blood-curdling growls were heart- stopping and his blazing, red eyes bore into me. I knew what I was in for, regrettably. Death seemed so far away if you considered the terror and torture of being bitten and mauled to pieces. I prayed to the gods that death would come quickly.

  “NO!” I yelled, as he sunk his teeth into my torso. I had expected an immeasurable amount of suffering, and David didn’t disappoint.

  The first bite burned and the pain was mind numbing. There were many more as the wolves fought over a chance to chomp into my flesh. The screams were deafening even if they were all coming from me. I my skin tore, and I could no longer focus. I began to succumb to the excruciating pain.