It was exactly the opposite.
Jane backed up even more. “You’re just too big a risk.” She told him, her voice unsteady.
If she handed him everything and he let her down, what would she have left? Slade was too important to her already. If she gave anymore and he walked away, she could never recover. And everyone always walked away. She had to be smart. Be a survivor. It was better to have nothing than to gamble on such a crazy, shiny, impractical longshot.
Right?
So why did she want to jump off that bridge and trust that he’d catch her?
Jane was so frantic that she didn’t pay attention to where she was going. In her panic, she inadvertently left the Corpse Road. Her feet came down in the too-green grass at the edge of the path.
Instantly, she knew she’d made a massive mistake. She tried to scramble back onto the gravel, but something blocked her. An obstacle now stood between her and Slade. Her hands flattened against the invisible wall that had been erected, dread filling her. Once you left the safety of the road, there was no way back on.
“Jane,” Slade shouted, “you will be alright!” He tried to reach through the barrier and grab her, but it didn’t work. He could touch her arm, but he couldn’t pull her back through. She saw concern cloud his features, as he tried to figure out how to help.
“Do not come out here.” She ordered, reading his mind. “I mean it. There’s no sense in both of us being screwed.”
Slade’s grip tightened on her arm. Even though it was pointless, he wasn’t releasing his hold. “You are not screwed, Jane. Just give me a moment to come up with a plan to rescue…” His voice trailed off, his attention fixed on the endless vegetation behind her.
She whirled around and immediately spotted the problem. Something moved in the tall grass. Something dark and big and headed her way. The figures looked almost human, but their bodies swirled like small tornadoes. The shifting, twirling forms bore down on her, red eyes glowing amid the black smog of their faces.
Shadowmen.
Oh Christ…
Jane’s gaze flashed back over to Slade. There was no way she was getting out of this alive and, if her death scene was coming at the hands of some cheap visual effects, she’d die looking at him. Slade was the final image she wanted to take with her. With a start, she realized that even if she died in her bed, seventy years from now, her final thoughts would still be of him. Crazy as it sounded, Slade was it for her. She knew that. She’d known it from the beginning.
Her Prince Charming.
“I’m sorry.” Jane murmured and knew she was apologizing for not being brave enough to tell him how she actually felt. “Slade, I… Stop!”
Her words ended in a shout of alarm. Apparently intent on proving he was stupidest Vampire in the universe, Slade silently stepped off the trail.
Jane’s jaw dropped in horror. He’d left the road! Once you left the road, it was all over. Mutant ghosts were set on devouring them and he’d just deliberately put himself at risk.
“You fucking idiot!” She instinctively tried to push him back onto the path. “I told you not to come out here.” She swore when the invisible barrier kept him from crossing back onto the gravel. “Goddamn it!” She gave his shoulder a frustrated shove. “I told you I’m not your Eternal-One. It’s completely pointless for you to sacrifice yourself for me. It’s not worth it! Why in the hell would you…?”
Slade cut off her rant, his eyes on the Shadowmen. “Because you’re Jane.” He said, moving in front of her. “Even if you never accept our connection, you will still be Jane and that is worth everything.”
She stared up at him, having no idea what to say to that. There was nothing to say. The guy was a colossal lunatic, but he was also something more. Something a whole lot rarer than a Vampire and much more important than a king. Something that came straight from the core of him and that nothing could ever change.
Slade was something Jane had never believed in, until that very moment…
An honest-to-God hero.
Chapter Twelve
INT- ROLAND’S BLACKSMITH SHOP- NIGHT
As he has for several scenes, ROLAND restlessly bounces a rubber ball off the wall. He isn’t sure what to do next, so he isn’t doing anything. It seems like the easiest option and ROLAND likes easy. The camera stays on him as minutes tick by. It’s not very interesting, but at least it shows the audience that ROLAND is thinking.
What is he thinking about? Well, if he goes looking for SLADE, he knows one of them will perish. Is confronting the Vampire worth the risk? Honestly, this quest thing is getting old. Does he care about ruling this dumb kingdom enough to die for it? The whole place is kind of lame, ya know? ROLAND’S an artist. He doesn’t do –like-- taxes and laws and shit.
Maybe he should just let FANG and SLADE duke it out for the throne, and save himself the noise. Seriously, ROLAND’S young and handsome and he’s got a horse. He could go off and have rocking adventures someplace tropical. Maybe even start a new band. A better band. (JAMES THE ORC sucks on bass. Why is he the only one who sees that?) For realz, ROLAND could write some hit songs. Meet some babes. Go bungee jumping. He doesn’t need all this freaking pressure, man.
Those philosophical thoughts cause ROLAND to pause and consider something new. Hang on… If he walks away from Infinia, SLADE will to get to nail the princess. Oh hellz no! ROLAND’S eyes cut over the pin-up spread of ALLANDRINA on the wall. All she’s wearing is a tiara and a come-hither smile, and ROLAND suddenly recalls his earlier voiceover. That chick does have a killer rack. And she’s sure to thank-you-fuck the guy who saves her from FANG. No way is he just handing her over to the Vampire. If anyone gets a piece of that sweet ass, it’s gonna be ROLAND.
He’s the damn hero of this quest, bitches.
Redrafted Film Script- “From Here to Infinia”
The Shadowmen came closer and Slade wasn’t sure how to kill them. He could defeat regular ghosts, but he had never even seen this type of creature before. They didn’t seem to have a permanent shape. They moved like an encroaching fog, only with clawed hands and feral eyes. There would clearly be no reasoning with them and it would no doubt prove difficult to wound a being made entirely of smoke. He had no idea where to even begin.
From out of nowhere, the doubts struck. The insecure thoughts that he refused to even acknowledge most of the time screamed louder than they ever had before. The voices that told him that he could pretend with everyone else, but they knew he was really a failure. He wasn’t smart enough. Wasn’t worthy enough. His own people didn’t want him. His grandmother had forsaken him. His Eternal-One thought he was a joke. He was nothing. Slade was about to screw everything up and Jane would pay the price.
He was supposed to be the greatest warrior ever born. He was supposed to win any battle he entered. …Except he always seemed to lose the ones that mattered.
“I can’t believe you did this.” Jane hissed at him. “You were safe on the damn road and you deliberately left it. You have the IQ of a comatose fruit fly, you know that?”
“You would prefer I stand by and watch you die?”
“I would prefer you survive.” She sounded incensed. “I’m still going to die, but now you’ll be joining me. Do you think I want that? Huh?”
Slade’s mind was racing. “Neither of us will die today, Jane Squire.” He vowed… only he had no clue how he could keep that promise.
The Shadowmen were drawing closer. They seemed to appear right out of the ground, changing positions instantly. Their misty bodies materialized in torrents of air, surrounding Jane and Slade. A terrifying howl went up as they closed in; the victorious cry of predators about to feast. The ghostly appendages reached for them, wanting to pull them deeper into the grass.
Jane’s fingers found Slade’s and he glanced at her in surprise. In what was very possibly their last moment alive, she linked herself to him. Jane Squire --the prickliest, least sentimental, most contrary human ever born-- planned to die holding his
hand. She might deny their connection, but the truth was so clear. Deep down Jane knew it, too.
They belonged together.
Her palm tightened on his and Slade felt his heart turn over in his chest. A strange clam came over him, driving out his doubts. No matter what, he could not lose to the Shadowmen. He wouldn’t. His whole world was at stake.
Slade’s eyes narrowed in determination. The creatures moved too quickly to outrun and they had no heads to lop off. Dashing across the field would be suicide. Returning to the Corpse Road was impossible. So, there was only one choice.
Slade grabbed Jane closer, sweeping her up into his arms. “Hold on to me.”
She gave a startled yelp as he lifted her against his chest, her arms circling his neck. “What are you doing? You can’t pick me up. Only thin girls get picked up. You’re going to throw your back out and the monsters are going to…”
“Jane, be quiet and hold on.” Slade interrupted. With a surge of power, he propelled them straight up into the air.
“Holy shit!” Jane clutched him in a death-grip, her eyes the size of plates. “You’re flying!” She looked down like she couldn’t believe it. Clearly, few beings in her world could leave the ground. Why did she miss such a magicks-less place? “Oh my God, you can actually fly, Slade!” She shook her head in astonishment. “I knew you were lying about Infinia blocking your powers.”
He supposed it would be too much to ask that she’d forget that ridiculous deception. The woman had the lamentable habit of recalling every stupid thing he uttered. “Right.” Slade cleared his throat. “I apologize for the untruth. It was wrong of me.”
Jane’s gaze stayed locked on the thwarted Shadowmen far below. “Well, Superman-ing me away from certain death is a great way to say you’re sorry.” She spared him a quick glance. “Just don’t drop me.”
“There is no chance of that happening.” Slade held her close, breathing in the scent of her hair. She was safe. He couldn’t believe that he’d actually done it. “I will never let you fall.”
She swallowed, her constrictive grip lessening to a merely suffocating one. For Jane, it was an incredible show of faith. “Thank you.” She whispered. “I had no clue how we were going to get out of that one. The next time I start complaining about one of your idiotic ideas, feel free to remind me of this moment.”
Slade gave a serious nod, shocked that it had been so easy to escape the Shadowmen. The more he thought about it the more amazing it seemed.
“You okay?” She prompted, staring at his profile. “You look kind of weird.”
“I expected to fail.” He said honestly. “When it’s important, I always seem to fail.”
“Fail? You are the most absurdly successful…”
Slade cut her off. “No, it’s true.” He’d tried to deny it or pretend otherwise, but he knew in his heart that he was a disappointment. He’d always known. “The Vampire Isle exiled me, because they did not want me as their king. My grandmother practically disowned me. Rather than battle Fang at my side, the Infinia rebels fled at the first sign of danger. My own Eternal-One says she does not love me.”
“Slade…”
He interrupted her again, not wishing to hear her pity. “I am not blaming you.” No one had ever really loved Slade, so he wasn’t even surprised by her lack of feelings. Hurt but not surprised. He’d hoped that it would be different. Maybe for a second he’d thought it could be, but Jane was so damn extraordinary and he was never quite enough. Not for anyone. “My point is, when something is important, I am guaranteed to screw it up.”
“Slade.” Jane lifted a palm to the side of his cheek, her eyes tracing over his face. “How could you ever feel insecure? You’re brave, and smart, and handsome. Hell, you can even fly. You’re as close to perfect as a guy can get.”
“Except, you do not want me.”
And Jane leaving him would be a defeat from which he’d never recover. Usually, he’d just sigh over his lack of success, pick himself up, and go on. Despite everything, Slade was a naturally optimistic person. No matter how many times he failed, he always looked on the bright side. Not even losing his homeland had quashed his positive outlook for long. But, there’d be no “going on” without Jane. Without Jane, his life would just… stop.
Dark Instincts stirred, hissing at him to do whatever it took to keep her.
Vampires never gave up their Eternal-Ones.
In retrospect, he’d been idiot not realize how ridiculous his relationship with Melessa truly was. The woman had been as much his Eternal-One as a puddle was the ocean. When she left, all he’d felt was a bruised ego and a massive amount of relief. If Jane tried to divorce him, he’d end the universe. She owned everything inside of him and more.
Beautiful gray eyes stared up at him. “It’s not that I don’t want you. It’s me. I can’t…” She stopped mid-word, something catching her attention back towards the tree-line. “Okay, I hate to contribute to this movie’s dialogue thievery, but… Infinia, we have a problem.”
Slade turned and immediately saw the army. Black banners flapped in the breeze. Armor glinted. Hundreds of Goblins marched forward in relentless formation. Fang’s men had reached the edge of the Endless Woods and they were starting straight across the field. Clearly no one had warned them about staying on the road.
Jane shook her head. “It’s going to be a bloodbath once the Shadowmen see…”
She didn’t even get to finish the sentence before the screaming started. The ghostly creatures swarmed the Goblins. Black mist swirled around Fang’s henchmen, dragging them downward. Desperate Goblins tried to fight them off. Swords swung out, passing right through the thick fog of the Shadowmen. Arrows and axes were equally useless. No matter what they tried, the Goblins couldn’t stop the onslaught.
As usual, Jane was right. It was a bloodbath.
One at a time, the Goblins vanished. It was as if the grassland opened up and swallowed them. The survivors fled back to the Endless Woods, but most of them didn’t make it. The Shadowmen devoured them as they retreated. The ground turned to quicksand, pulling them under and slowing their steps. Within two minutes, half the force was gone.
Jane shuddered. “I am so glad you can fly right now.”
A bloodcurdling howl cut through the night. “Vammmmmpirrrrre! Come and out plaaa-aayyy!”
Slade’s gave a low growl, his gaze unerringly finding the source of that idiocy. Fang was standing in the safety of the trees. He didn’t give a shit about his slaughtered men. His lupine gold eyes were fixed on Slade.
No.
Fixed on Jane.
The Werewolf was staring at Jane with a mesmerized look on his face. Even over the distance separating them, Slade could see Fang’s wild hunger for her. He was too far away to pose a threat, but supernatural beings had excellent eyesight. Jane’s hair blew around her face, the curls dancing, and the Werewolf was entranced. Slade knew the feeling, but it still pissed him off.
He bared his teeth and shifted Jane, so his body was between her and Fang. He did not want the other man even looking at her. Slade’s Dark Instincts surged closer to the surface, wanting to destroy any threat to his Eternal-One. His mind whirled for some way he could kill the bastard without endangering Jane.
“Not until we have the Silver Sword.” Jane told him. “Don’t be reckless.” It was uncanny the way she could do predict what he was thinking. Or maybe not so uncanny, considering that she was the other half of him. Of course she could read his intentions. They were destined to be at each other’s side for eternity. “Please, Slade. Let’s just get out of here.”
Slade’s attention stayed fixed on Fang. “You will not be safe until he is dead.”
The Werewolf moved forward, so the toes of his boots were right on the edge on the field. It was as close as he could get to her without being attacked by the Shadowmen and the barrier infuriated him. “You can’t keep me from my woman, Vampire!” He bellowed. “I’ll claim her, if I have to tear this whole kingdom apar
t!”
Slade’s fangs sharpened. Goddamn it, no other man got to call Jane “his.” “I will see you fucking dead before I let you touch her!” He roared back.
“That sounds like the kind of dignified dialogue I’d use.” Jane said quietly, but Slade heard the tension in her voice beneath the dry words. “Fang didn’t take a hint from that note, did he?”
Slade’s arms tightened around her. “He cannot hurt you, my One. I won’t allow it.” Jane’s personality made her a force of nature. Strong and sure. But, compared to a Werewolf or Vampire, she was so damn vulnerable. It would take no effort at all for a supernatural being to break Jane’s small body and rob the universe of her light.
Slade abruptly realized that he’d been wrong to bring her to this land. He’d complained that she took no risks, but he’d never intended to place her in harm’s way. That was the last thing he wanted. He’d been too arrogant in thinking he could keep her safe. Infinia was no place for such a delicate creature. Jane had been far safer in her own ummagickal world, surrounded by weak humans, noisy technology, and ice cream cartons.
“This really is all your fault, you know.” Jane groused, as if reading his mind, again. “Fang thinks I’m your Eternal-One, so he’s planning to hurt you by hurting me.”
“No.” Judging from Fang’s face, this went far deeper than revenge. “The Werewolf wants you, because he wants you, Jane. And once his kind settles on a mate, nothing dissuades them short of death.” His jaw ticked. “Luckily, I intend to slaughter that son of a bitch, so the problem is easily solved.”
Lurching movements in the forest suddenly caught Slade’s attention. Wooden automatons lumbered from behind Fang’s line. Their arms outstretched, their stiff legs unbending, they looked like a bizarre, mechanized mixture of trees and humans. At first Slade assumed they were some new monsters Fang had enslaved. Then, the Goblins started retreating from these creatures, too. Shadowmen in front and the wooden men behind, Fang’s army descended into chaos. Soldiers ran screaming in every direction.
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