by Peter Dawes
“Now, you’re starting to sound like the old Flynn.” A knock sounded at the door, cutting off our discussion. “And the hour of decision is upon us.”
“Are you with me, then, dear brother?”
He nodded, looking at the door when another knock followed. “Let us make haste, seer. You work your magic and I’ll protect our prize.”
“Good.” Walking to the door, I gripped tight onto the sword’s hilt and lingered. Another steadying breath set my focus to the events about to unfold. “Hold onto that with all your might,” I said, glancing at Robin out of the corner of my eye and receiving a nod from him in response. My head turned with the acknowledgement, attention directed forward once more.
“Here goes nothing.”
Chapter Six
The woman at the door persisted when her second knock failed to garner a response. “Master?” she called. “Isabelle wants to know if you’re ready to begin yet.” Regardless of what she might have heard from the other side, it had not been enough yet to force her hand, which boded well for us.
As such, I determined it would be remiss to waste such an opportunity.
Had I a few additional moments, I might have searched for her name before throwing open the door and plunging the sword into her. As it was, the sudden onslaught of pain summoned a look of utter bewilderment from the guard. “Excuse me, if you please,” I said with a smirk as I extracted the blade from her chest.
She flaked to ash, and fell to the floor as little more than dust. The second guard sprang to action when he caught sight of my sword, but I swung it to the side before he could free his own weapon. The blade tip sliced open his throat and another thrust drove through his chest and made his scramble all in vain. His dust joined his compatriot’s, leaving a path of escape open before us.
I slipped away from Zachary’s quarters. Robin followed in my wake, cradling the ornamental box in the crook of one arm while he crouched to free one guard’s sword from their remnant. It slid from the confines of its sheath with minimal effort. A nod from my brother indicated we could continue once this task had been completed. “Are you ready?” I whispered as we reached the end of the corridor.
“As much as I believe I can be,” he said, his posture stiffening. I fought against a warm smile at the way he squared his shoulders, reminded of the mentor who had first taught me how to wield a blade. He nodded. “Lead the dance, seer.”
“We shall try not to step on each other’s feet.” Where Robin’s air turned more formal, mine relaxed, the tension of the situation washing out of me, giving way to the bold confidence with which I had strode into the building. Pushing open the door leading into the common area, I walked in and paused, waiting to garner the attention of at least a few of its occupants before projecting my voice. “Ladies and gentlemen,” I said, a broad smile on my face, “Rumor has it there is a seer afoot. Has anyone else heard this?”
Every eye in the room quickly shifted to me, everyone stupefied once they took in the full sight of me. Had I been apt to listen to their thoughts, I might have been plagued by a cacophony of confusion, as each expression soon boasted a furrowed brow or a fearful look in their eyes. Slowly, one came to their feet, joined by two and four until all but a handful stood before me. None gave any hint of marching forward yet, though.
“Somebody summon Vincent,” a blonde female toward the back of the room said.
“Yes, please do,” I said. My gaze shifted to a man standing closer to the exit. “You. And tell him to bring my sword while he’s at it.”
He nodded emphatically, inching away and pivoting into sprint once he felt certain I would not murder him simply out of spite. I stepped a few paces further into the room and paused again, starting a quick head count. “I must say, dear brother, it is a very good thing the guards are so attentive,” I continued. “Keeping seers out and what not.”
“Yes, the Fates have been kind to this collective,” Robin murmured. He remained in place, barely visible in my periphery with the sword in his clutch lifting. I saw his posture shift into a defensive stance. “Is there some version of this scenario where not all of these people need to die, brother?”
A frown tugged at the corners of my mouth. “But if they pursue us…”
“They won’t. Look at them. The fools will perish and the innocent will flee.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but the sound of heavy footfalls preempted any response. Turning my attention toward the far edge of the room, I saw Vincent scurry into the room, stopping abruptly once he took in the sight of my unadulterated appearance. Emerald green eyes and brandished sword – yes, I knew I had to be an unsettling surprise and I smirked at the momentary waver of his confidence. What struck me most was not the sight of his trepidation, nor the absence of the messenger I had sent after him. I saw the sword in his hand and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Perhaps some might be spared after all,” I murmured, hopeful my brother would hear me.
The guard blinked at me, then glanced around the room at the collection of immortal statues. “Well?” he asked, using my sword to gesture at me and Robin. “There’s only two of them.”
“Yeah, and one of them is a seer,” the blonde who had spoken up before said.
I perked an eyebrow, pointing at her with my unencumbered hand. “This one appears to be exhibiting some form of intellect,” I said. “Perhaps you might listen to her?”
Vincent narrowed his eyes and looked back at me. “I might if not for the fact that I know where you got that sword,” he said.
“Ah yes. Hardly a trophy, but I needed something in case the lot of you had a death wish.” Glancing at the borrowed sword, I dropped it onto the ground and held my arm aloft; fingers spread and palm facing Vincent. “You have what I want anyway.”
“What do you m –” I cut him off before he could finish the comment. The katana in his grip yanked free and sailed across the room, narrowly missing a few of the others before I caught it and promptly unsheathed it. Tossing the scabbard aside, I gave the blade a few twirls mostly for show and took hold of its hilt with both hands. My brother might have assumed the defensive, but not me.
I was on the offensive this time.
“Now, listen here,” I said. My voice rose only to indicate what I was about to say was directed toward everyone. “Your Master has been killed at my hand and I promise it was as merciful of a death as anybody aiding a dark magician deserves. You can thank my brother for that. You can also thank him for the fact that I am extending this one chance to the lot of you. We mean to leave your coven and not darken your doorstep ever again, the Fates permitting. But we shall leave here and we shall cut through any of you who mean to stop us. If any of you has half a wit – and I know at least one of you does – you shall take this chance to get the bloody hell out of here. And heaven help anyone who thinks to ambush or follow us. I am not above finding creative means to punish you.”
The blonde turned almost immediately, attempting to walk past Vincent and being met with an evil glare by him in the process. She shook her head, pushing at him until he moved out of the way and cleared a path for her and a handful of others to depart. “Cowards,” he spat at them, but most still departed. One or two met his gaze and turned back to reenter the room. I perked an eyebrow at the remaining tally. When we had first entered the coven, there were at least a dozen and a half vampires. The number had increased during our visit with Zachary, but still left us with approximately the same amount now that a few had been given the chance to walk out.
Vincent strode into the center of the room and paused. I tilted my chin up at him in recognition of the challenge and he smirked, extending his arms and motioning for the others to assemble around him. They followed his lead, gaining in confidence as they used the full measure of their numbers to intimidate, a few of them pausing to push chairs and couches out of the way before joining the others. This still left the carpets under foot, and a few pieces of furniture about to be violated, but opened a l
arge expanse of room for our brawl.
“I trust this means you have no moral dilemma over these souls perishing, brother,” I said.
“No,” Robin said, an edge to his voice in place of the pulse which should have been racing in his silent chest. “No, I think I care much more for my own skin at the present.”
“Good. I would be devastated to offend you.” Freeing one hand from my sword’s hilt, I flexed the fingers and pointed my palm at the assembly of vampires before us. Confidence, like a river, crested over me and any nerves which might have thought to assemble in the interim were swiftly chased away. I felt the energy of the room surging through me and gathered it for a telekinetic push.
What resulted, however, exceeded my expectations.
I had expected to knock a few of them back. Perhaps create enough of a ripple to displace a few others behind those directly in front of us. The force with which they dispersed, however, reminded me of Zachary’s flight across his private quarters. Some were jettisoned in opposing directions while others impacted walls and slid to an unconscious rest on the floor. The remainder of the furniture in the way blew backward and landed in haphazard patterns. I glanced at my hand in time to see sparks dancing across my fingertips before extinguishing of their own accord. My brow furrowed, concentration so set on the peculiar sight that I let my guard down for several seconds.
“Brother, attend!” Robin called out behind me.
My head shot up, eyes focusing on the first half dozen to come to their feet. “Stay close,” I said.
“Hold the front. I’ll deal with the stragglers.”
“As you wish.” Stepping forward to guard Robin, I lifted my sword. “Very well, the rest of you. Come and get me.”
And come at me, they did.
A growl preceded the flash of one immortal running at me from the side. He drew a dagger, and I spun to face him in time to swipe my blade at him, slicing a clean cut across his chest. The blow enough to injure, it made ending him simple – one thrust of the blade through his chest which rendered him into ash. Before I could issue any commentary on the matter, three vampires charged for me and one, for Robin. “Dear gods,” Robin exclaimed while poising his sword to engage his adversary.
Fighting against a smirk, I focused on my opponents instead, confident my brother could hold his own against a single contender. They pounced, granting me the opportunity to slide onto my knees and knock one of them to the ground. I sprung to my feet in time to plunge my blade through the chest of another. A fluid orchestra of sword-wielding kept me in motion, my weapon slicing the head off the last of the trio right before I spun around to impale the first through his back. A flurry of ash surrounded me as I stood straight, waiting for my next challenger.
A rush of footfalls echoed in the far stairs and another dozen vampires poured into the fray – other members of the coven, I reckoned, who had not yet emerged from their rooms. I sighed, engaging two who dashed for me; one the guard who had been handed my sword and the other, another male I had not seen yet. I glanced at Robin, watching him best his attacker and shoot his gaze quickly in my direction. In the exchanged look, a plan of attack was forged; he nodded and I set the wheels in motion.
Summoning my telekinetic abilities in much less dramatic fashion, I threw the stranger toward my brother, barely seeing him be impaled by Robin out of the corner of my eye. Another vampire charged for him, but necessity dictated my attention stay on the task at hand when the second guard drew his own blade. Lifting mine, I deflected his shot before pushing him away. He swung for me again, and this time we engaged in a clash of blades not once, but twice. Two she-vampires appeared in the corner of my eye, coming too close for comfort. Spotting Zachary’s discarded blade, I reached for it and hurtled it at one of their chests. It sank in, buying me an additional second, but precious little more.
The guard took advantage of the distraction to vie for my head. I ducked at the last moment, arching my back and relieved when I felt nothing more than the faint displacement of air. His failure to land home the shot spun him on his heels. I pivoted to thrust my sword forward. It caught him between the shoulder blades, ending one challenger with several more stumbling to their feet again. For the first time since the engagement commenced, I felt the slightest bit of nerves encroaching on me.
The she-vampire who jumped at me from the side drew me back into battle.
Acting out of instinct, I bent to throw her over my head and drove my sword into her when she landed. Turning swiftly when I sensed movement at my other side, I decapitated one and kicked another down, leaving him at my mercy. As their form became ash, I flipped my sword around and thrust it backward, penetrating another I felt creeping up on me from behind. This bought me a slight lull to assess the welfare of my brother.
A smirk played across my lips at what I found. Robin continued to wield his sword one-handed, the other arm still wrapped protectively around the box. Knocking the blade from his adversary, Robin ended them in one sound blow, nodding at their remnant when they turned to dust. Hair fell free from his meticulous ponytail, his eyes wild when they found mine. “You aren’t the only one who can have his fun with a sword, dear brother,” he said, punctuating the comment with laughter.
“I never claimed exclusivity,” I said, bemused. Another vampire charged for me, ended with little effort. “And you were becoming bored as an immortal. You see, I was right. All you needed was a bit of fun.”
“Oh, stuff it, before I am tempted to call you Flynn again.”
I barked out a laugh, my eyes straying to the hand from where the sparks had danced before shifting back to the crowd. A new challenger dashed for me, holding a sword I parried when he thrust the blade at me. Shifting to the side with his next blow, I swung my katana for his neck and swiftly ended this opponent as well. “One of these days, you bloody bastards will challenge me,” I said, murmuring. “As it stands I am the one growing bored.”
“Allow me to help you with that.”
Spinning around at the sound of the taunt, I had no time to dodge before a punch connected with my jaw. The force sent me staggering back, stumbling to the ground before I could center my balance again. A large vampire loomed above me – Vincent – sneering with fangs elongated. Scratches littered his face, blood trickling from his cheek.
“Did the flight sit poorly with you?” I taunted, springing to my feet again.
Vincent hissed and charged for me again. Narrowly avoiding the attack, I swung my sword to do the bastard in, but staggered forward when a force impacted me from behind, causing me to miss my target altogether. A set of hands clawed at my face, breath hitting my neck while Vincent crouched to retrieve one of his fallen compatriots’ swords. My jaw clenched, focus meeting with frustration as my hand tightened around the hilt of my katana.
Lifting the other hand, I pointed the palm at my antagonist.
I do not know what I had been expecting with the gesture; that I assumed the sparks of energy I generated meant I could make these invisible shoves more violent, at the very least. The sparks crackled and danced this time, however, generating a brilliant pulse of white light which impacted Vincent. Eyes widening with surprise, I almost forgot about the vampire on my back until he made a swipe for my sword. I threw him onto the floor, plunging the blade into him and ending the immediate threat.
A few tentative steps marked my walk to the fallen Vincent. He groaned, burns covering the scratches I had already inflicted, making him a seared and bloody mess. Thrusting my sword downward, I pinned him to the ground, releasing my hold on the weapon while lifting my eyes to survey the rest of the room. A sliver of my focus became aware of his form turning to ash, leaving just a sword jutting from the floor. The other vampires gathered had either started a retreat, or still laid strewn about in ash and broken bodies. As it was, the fight itself seemed to have ended.
I stared at the palm of my hand again, counting the same amount of digits as had always been present any other day before. Five long f
ingers, which had held the tools of a doctor, used the blades of an assassin, and now bore the power of a seer – a power I suddenly found sobering. A shudder ripped through me, my hand lowering to slide against the fabric of my coat a few times. I glanced around for Robin, attempting to regroup.
My older, and not quite as regal-looking at the moment, brother thrust his sword through the last adversary remaining. The she-vampire turned into dust, with Robin’s eyes glinting as he bore witness to the spectacle. A smile betrayed any attempt at sobriety, as did the sweeping bow he delivered to his fallen foe. “And goodbye to you, my dear,” he said. “When you get to heaven may the Devil be your judge.” His eyes rose to meet my gaze before shifting away to regard our surroundings. “It would seem our challengers have found themselves outmatched.”
“Yes, it would seem so.” Reaching for my sword, I plucked it from the floor and walked over to where I had tossed its sheath. I paused to secure the weapon to my side again, but did not close the distance between me and Robin. Instead, I regarded my hand once more, taking another deep breath while riddles spun dizzily inside my mind.
Robin dropped the sword in his hand, drawing my attention back to him. Walking to one of the displaced chairs, he set the box down on the floor so he could flip the chair upright. As he sat, he worked on restoring order to his hair. I shifted my attention from his fingers to his steady gaze when I felt the weight of it settle on me. “Is something troubling you, brother?” he asked.
I swallowed against the lump forming in my throat. “No, everything is fine,” I said, wincing at the obvious lie. “I have no notion of what they did with my knives, but I suppose looking for them would be stupid. We should probably leave before the others decide to join their friends in the afterlife.” I cocked my head in the direction of the damaged couches and injured vampires.
“Agreed.” Robin finished tying back his hair and frowned, the look in his eyes skeptical, but a silent debate continuing until he released his hold on his ponytail and picked the box back up again. An eyebrow remained arched as he stood, but whatever questions he had, he chose to delay pursuing them. “After you, master seer.”
