by Jasmine Walt
Evina massaged her temples and sighed. “Look, Koa. Jax is the only prophet in the Netherworld, he saw what our father had in store for you when he forced your father to bring you here. We all helped you escape because we believe in an alternate future for both worlds—”
Evina gasped when Koa wrapped her arms around her, embracing her.
Evina sighed, she rested her head on Koa’s. “I did miss you,” she whispered.
Koa was overwhelmed with emotion. There was something unnatural about remembering so much at one time. Her body was filled with both sorrow and joy. When she pulled away from Evina, Koa was smiling. She felt whole somehow.
Evina wiped a tear and took a deep breath. She threw her hand out, pointing at her brother. “Jax loves you. But we all know that you are the key to changing the Netherworld. You are the key to our ability to coexist with the human world. Father locked Jax up in here so that he couldn’t change the future that he predicted. Now, Koa, you’re the only one that can release us from this prison, because you wield the ancient Lyrinian sword. Its power is the only thing that can cut through that portal’s power.” Evina looked back at Jax. “Oh yes, I almost forgot, the Lyrinian Royal Guard marches on the corridor as we speak.”
“They’re here? So soon?” Jax rushed over to a telescope and peered into the glass lens. He stood. “They’re here.”
“Yes!” Evina clapped her hands together. “Now, can we get moving?”
Jax gave a single nod. He rushed over to a cabinet near the fireplace. He pulled out a couple of tightly wound scrolls and stuffed them in his suit’s inner pocket.
Koa’s breaths quickened. She could hear them coming. Lyrinian Royal guard? She could only mention what monstrosities were coming for her. She rushed over and grabbed her sword from the ground. She hid a grin as she remembered the way she and Evina used to play and compete.
She gave Evina a look that was full of mischief. “I’ll slice your hands off if you do that again.”
Evina grinned, catching on to their old game. “You’re not quick enough little girl.”
Koa took Evina’s sword, and sliced a chunk of her hair off before Evina could blink.
“See? I can do it too.”
Evina looked appalled. Koa grinned triumphantly as Jax grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the portal. Her grin faded as she watched Evina’s hair immediately grow back.
Evina winked. “Bet you wish you could do that, don’t you? You forgot just how spectacular I am.” She laughed.
“Enough Evina!” Jax’s voice boomed, making them both freeze. He quickly composed himself. “Let’s go.”
37
JAX RAN FOR THE PORTAL. He waited for Koa to catch up.
“You must lead the way.”
Koa thought of how that black mass had almost suffocated her, and took a deep breath. Evina tapped her feet. Horns blew in the distance.
“Get on with it!” Evina shook her head. “We have to get out of here quickly!”
Koa took another deep breath and plunged in. Koa nearly panicked when she was lost in the black, oppressive, darkness again. Jax took her hand and she felt a slight comfort. She glanced down at her sword. She hadn’t noticed it before, but it started to glow. The light it emitted was dim but it lit the way.
“Keep going, Koa.” Jax had his hands on her waist. She felt safe. “Don’t stop.”
The black mass tried to grip Jax as she pressed on, but somehow Koa’s presence was distracted it. It soon forgot about him and focused all of its attention on her.
Evina was completely fine. If she was uncomfortable, she hid it well.
Koa wondered why their father trusted Evina over Jax. Her lungs started to itch, and burn.
Koa’s lungs ached and when she saw the light at the end of the portal she felt as if she’d never been happier. Time seemed to stand still. How long was the portal? How long did it violate her with its smothering hands?
Jax gave her the final push that she needed to emerge from the darkness. She fell to the ground and the black mass evaporated from her skin as she coughed and cleared her throat and lungs of its presence.
There wasn’t time to recuperate.
Footsteps thundered down the corridor. Koa looked over her shoulder.
“God, I hate them,” Koa said under her breath. Dozens of Syths charged toward them.
The Lyrinian Royal Guard.
“Are you all right?” Jax whispered into her ear as he helped her to her feet.
“I’m fine. It’s not the first time I’ve dealt with Syths.” She’d never seen that many in one place before, and her hand shook as she gripped her sword.
“Stop them!” One of the bigger Syths with a golden spear on his helmet gave out the orders. They wore armor: thin, black and metallic.
Jax straightened his suit jacket. He checked his watch. “Excellent timing. Thank you for this, Koa. You won’t regret it.” He casually sauntered into the center of the hallway.
“What are you doing? There are too many!” Koa held her sword in one hand. She snatched a dagger from her boot and held it ready as well, in case there was some close combat.
Jax grinned. “Really? You’d have to be pretty quick to take all of those things down…” He shrugged. “I suppose I can show you a thing or two.” Jax reached into his pocket. He pulled out a fan much like Evina’s. It flicked open and turned into a hovering disc. He stepped onto it and outstretched his arms. Two blades slid out of his sleeves. They were blood red, with crystal hilts. “Just watch me, my love.”
There was a blast of wind, knocking Koa backwards. She gasped. Jax moved too quickly for her eyes.
Screams.
Gulps of pain.
Crunches of bone, and spurts of blood.
Koa blinked and all of the Syths were dead. Blood still sprayed in the air and Jax darted past her. He caught her by the arm and yanked her up into the air. Koa’s voice was caught in her throat.
Dumbfounded, Koa looked at him with such respect that she rarely felt for anyone but Halston. No one was that quick. To behold the skills of Netherworld vamps was sobering. She thought the special skills she’d witnessed from New World vampires was something amazing, she had no idea what pure blood vampires could do.
Koa looked over her shoulder at the carnage. In a trance, she shook when she looked up at Jax’s face. Not a trace of blood tainted his white skin.
“What was that? How?” Koa looked down at his daggers. They dripped with blood.
“What?” Jax gave her a sidelong glance, and then looked at his daggers. “Oh, nothing really.” An eerie grin crept onto his lips. “I’ve been locked away for a long time. I think it’s only fair that I get to stretch a bit.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
Koa smiled.
“Fly!” He shouted and let her go.
Halston warned her against revealing her secret power. The time for secrets had passed. All Koa needed was the permission to soar. Koa’s ducked and flew away as Jax grabbed two Syths by the necks and crushed their windpipes. Jax dropped them to the maroon carpeted floors without a second look.
Koa should have been frightened by his power. Now that she remembered the love they’d shared and the passionate night when she lost her virginity to him, she couldn’t help but feel a tingle of affection flood her body as he displayed his power.
Koa’s eyebrows furrowed when the same two trails of children came out into the corridor. She paused in the air. “Jax,” she called.
He sped up.
“Jax! What are those things!”
“You better use that sword of yours, Koa! Those are not children!” He jumped from the disc and barely missed a step. He ran into their ranks without a second thought.
This is crazy, Koa thought.
“Wait—” Her voice sucked into her throat as the corridor turned into chaos. The scene before her went mad.
Koa frowned in confusion. Even in her Scayor suit, she couldn’t tell what their aura was. Their eyes went black and t
heir mouths turned into snarling openings filled with sharp fangs. Those little monster were definitely not children.
They swarmed Jax. They threw silver darts at him, yelling and growling like animals. Jax dodged the darts and killed two with one swirling arm.
The blood, it made Koa feel queasy. She cursed at herself, letting her morals get in the way. She should have known that it would be ridiculous to have children here.
An abnormally large Syth came crashing down the corridor. Koa’s mouth opened in awe as he slammed through the double doors, sending shards of wood and brass into the air.
That wasn’t a Syth. It was a giant.
Giants don’t exist anymore!
Apparently, Koa was wrong. The floor trembled with each stomping step the giant took. He picked up Jax by his hair with a massive hand covered in rings on each finger. Jax clenched his jaw and he stabbed the giant in its gray-haired chest, slicing him as he slid back down to his feet. Intestines spilled onto the carpet and the giant crashed to the floor with a deafening thump.
Koa flew as fast as she could when the childlike creatures jumped onto Jax. They tried to bite him and stab him with their tiny daggers.
“Don’t let the prisoner escape!” A woman called from the other end of the corridor. She was tall, with a shaved head revealing tattoos. She wore red armor and pointed at Jax with the muzzle of a long red gun.
The exit was so close. Koa was just thinking of how frightening that woman looked, when Evina came up behind the woman and lopped her head off. Her curved sword sliced through with expert ease, spraying red blood into the air. The body crashed after the head and Evina smashed the face of that severed head into the ground.
Evina stood and tossed her hair out of her face. “Jax! Hurry it up! We don’t need to kill everything we see. Let’s just fly away!” She yelled at them before running back the other way.
Koa tightened her hand around the hilt of her sword and clenched her jaw. She didn’t know what those children really were, but she no longer felt any sympathy for them. One bit her leg and she cried out. The bite stung like hell.
Koa kicked that abomination into the wall. She took a deep breath and ran into the chaos. Evina and Jax were skilled, and Koa had to keep up. She wanted to show off, just a little, to not appear weak in comparison. She couldn’t help feeling inadequate in the midst of the royal Netherworld vampires.
The sounds of squeals and yells were overwhelming. More and more of those little creatures poured into the corridor from every direction.
Koa dove into the masses. Her sword screamed with yearning. Koa swirled in the air and caught the throats of four of those creatures. She sent their decapitated heads flying in different directions. Koa took a breath and embraced the pain of the Lyrinian sword.
Too much evil.
The Lyrinian sword begged her to quench its thirst. Koa would not let it down. She closed her eyes and the sword took over. Koa’s mouth was open as she focused on the feeling of the sword. Its power soared through her veins as she slashed through bodies and listened to the satisfying sizzle. No one could touch her when she was lost in the trance.
A loud bell broke her from the trance, leaving her feeling empty. Not enough blood had been spilled.
She stood and opened her eyes. She’d killed at least seven more of those creatures. She took a look around. One of them stabbed her in her thigh.
“Little bastard,” Koa cried out and covered the wound with one hand and ran her sword through her assailant’s face with the other. Four toppled onto her with sharp daggers and Koa could barely catch her breath.
Koa growled as she fought her way out of their huddle. She reached out her sword and sliced them all across their middle in a circular motion that resembled a dance. When she emerged from the huddle, she was covered in blood. Cuts covered her arms. They would heal.
A loud bell went off again. It was an alarm.
Koa looked up. Down the corridor ran Scayors. Koa paled. Robotic yells filled her ears. Five of the giant, metallic monsters stopped at the beginning of the corridor. A long, metal finger pointed at Koa. She started to panic.
Evina stepped forward. The Scayors all turned in unison and looked at her. Koa narrowed her eyes, curious to see what the vampire princess would do.
Evina tossed her sword in the air. Her tattoos moved just as they had before. She closed her eyes and waved her arms around slowly. The sword hovered in the air. With the movement of her arms, it started to turn in a circle. Purple haze surrounded Evina as her tattoos danced. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be in deep focus. The Scayors fell to their knees and bowed with their heads low.
“What is she doing?” Koa shouted over the alarm.
Jax caught his breath and nodded to his sister. “A blade dance,” he replied. He smirked. “She’ll have them fighting for us before the dance is done.”
Koa now saw what purpose Evina served in their new ‘crew.’ She watched Evina and couldn’t help but feel impressed. That woman could bend anyone to her will.
Evina didn’t stop. Her eyes remained closed. She spoke softly, calmly. “I will run out of energy in about two minutes. Do something now, to clear a path. The Scayors are programmed to resist my dance, but they are not completely immune. They will be free from their trance the moment I stop.”
Halston’s voice whispered in her head. Focus. Focus. There’s always a way out, Koa.
The Scayors blocked the exit. The gate was shut and Koa could see more Scayors lining up outside. They had half a minute to think of a way out.
Koa felt around in her pocket. She felt something smooth, and warm. Koa’s eyes widened. “Jax, Evina, get down!” She grabbed the fire stone from her pouch and tossed it. She held her breath and rolled onto her stomach. The explosion made the Ivory Tower tremble. It destroyed the tapestries, walls, carpets, and everything in its path.
Jax grabbed Evina and spun her out of her trance. She cried out, grabbed her sword from the air, and they both ducked into the outer hall that led to the exit.
The ringing in Koa’s ears was deafening, but she didn’t have time to recover. She was on her feet within half a second. Her face was set. The creatures doubled over on the floor.
Koa ran a finger along the blade of her Lyrinian sword, spilling blood onto its blade. It absorbed the blood and screeched with pleasure. The blade turned red and Koa was lost in a trance. The lights flashed and the wails filled the hollow corridor. The night air of the Netherworld bit at her and she didn’t care.
No one was safe. Scayors filed in, stomping and pointing their fingers at her. Koa gasped. Blue light shot out of their fingers. Koa watched as the light seared what was left of the Ivory Tower floor. She held her sword up and blocked the light. It bounced back and the Scayor was eviscerated. Koa breathed with relief.
She kissed the blade of her sword. “Thank you,” she whispered to it. She shook her head with a smile and ran out with newfound confidence. Through the remaining fire from the fire stone, Koa jumped and ran her sword through the middle of a Scayor.
The sound of metal meeting metal made her ears hurt. She gritted her teeth as she sawed through and left the Scayor in two pieces. He crawled away on his arms and met his legs again. Koa cursed as the body fused back together. Sparks flew as the pieces became one. The Scayor stood and towered above her.
“Shit,” she whispered.
Koa grunted as Jax grabbed her from behind. He held her with both hands. “No use trying with those things,” he said to her as he looked up at the Scayor’s face. “Your sword can’t kill them.”
Koa nodded. She shivered. Jax cupped her chin and brought her face up to his. Koa closed her eyes to his touch. She remembered the softness of his palm on her cheek and moaned. She had no idea how much she had missed him, and now, she remembered.
“Don’t worry, my love,” he said softly, even as the Scayors filed into the tower in perfect battle formation. “We haven’t come this far to lose.” Koa couldn’t believe how optim
istic he was, even when death seemed imminent.
The ground shook.
Jax pulled her close. Evina covered her mouth.
“Oh no. They let the Wraith out!”
Koa looked up at Jax’s face in alarm. “What’s a Wraith?”
Jax gulped. “Fly Koa! Fly away now!”
Koa shook her head. “I’m not leaving you here.” She couldn’t believe she had just said that. She was frightened. Still, she could no longer picture life without Jax.
Jax looked down at her and his eyes sparkled with mist. He smiled. “My Koa. You’re back.”
38
HALSTON AND TRISTAN gathered all of the supplies that they could carry from Tristan’s home. They tucked away knives and guns, filling their bags with stakes and various vials from the Alchemist. There was much to do, and so little time. Koa should almost be done in the Ivory Tower. They needed to get back in case Evina’s assistance wasn’t enough.
Tristan lived alone. He had taken a wife, and she had been executed. Halston couldn’t get Tristan to tell him why. He had an idea, but kept his mouth shut. Halston also didn’t ask why Tristan had chosen to live in an abandoned storage building with creaky staircases and boarded up windows. The furniture was sparse and there was an old, musky, smell of rot.
“How long has Greggan been gone? Has anyone in Lyrinia noticed his disappearance?”
Tristan nodded. “I’ve noticed. I’m sure others have noticed something strange happening as well. Of course he took some of his best men and women up to the human world. I’d say Greggan has been back and forth for the past six months. But Greggan was never a very social king. He doesn’t exactly walk the streets of his kingdom shaking hands with his subjects.”
Halston sighed. Greggan would have assembled his own army up there by now. The humans would be defenseless. Tristan was close. For the past year Halston had been keeping track of the disappearances and the murders. Greggan was taking innocent people and farming them. Greggan was merciless.
To Greggan, humans were like cattle, mindless meals that he could do what he pleased with. Not only did he feast on humans, but he was also creating more vampires and turning them into eternal slaves. He was trying to single handedly repopulate the world of vampires after Halston and Alice’s centuries of ridding the world of them.
