“How familiar be the two of ye with unspoken magic?”
Surprise! This was another subject I didn’t have to worry about in Texas. Fangs, claws, guns, yeah, those were the things that’d get you killed where I was from.
Not banshees and magic.
“Only a few witches in history have mastered that talent,” Radu said, solemnly.
Of course he knew about it. “Then ye understand the odds be in my favor,” she jabbed us with.
Radu narrowed his sights and then, without warning tackled me. Right where I’d been standing, a sharp spike made entire of rock appeared. As quickly and quietly as it appeared, it retreated back into the ground.
I now had a good idea what we were up against.
The two of us quickly scrambled to our feet and seperated. I tucked the knife Francisco tossed me in my jacket for the time being and focused on my gun. As the two of us began to circle Alura, I knew it was futile, but I pulled back on the hammer and let a slug fly. An evil grin overtook her face as she swatted it away well before it ever became a threat.
What she didn’t realize is that I’d always just been a distraction.
Radu was right behind her with the family sword held high. His strike was true, right at her neck.
As the blade was about to slice Alura’s head from the rest of her body, the witch disappeared into a puff of smoke. Radu’s swing hit nothing as he landed on the grass.
“Castor, behind you!”
I ducked just in time; Alura was there and a ghostly weapon swooshed right over the top of my head. I rolled away, towards Radu, thankful to still be drawing breath.
“Are ye two boys ready ta play?”
Chapter Seven
T he howls of the banshee behind us only added to the overall feel of the scene unfolding in front of Francisco’s abode; holy hell was being unleashed onto the green grass of Ireland.
“Radu, above!”
My warning paid off as Radu avoided another direct blast from the witch. She never stayed in one place for more than a moment or two. Her unspoken magic, which I’d gleaned from our battle was spells that she came up with on the spot, was a formidable foe. With Cassie trading dueling blows with the banshee, we were in this one by ourselves.
Alura vanished again. This was incredibly frustrating as we were constantly forced to defend, never able to attack. Even Radu looked gassed, though that may have just been annoyance starting to show. We needed a plan against a foe that I had no experience fighting against. If Radu had any ideas, he wasn't sharing them yet.
Speak of the devil, he made a sprint to my position. “This is futile,” he grumbled.
The witch hadn't returned and Cassie seemed to be handing her own battle better than we were. “The banshee seems to be on its last legs,” I observed.
That’s when Radu ran straight at me. Had he given up on trying to kill her and decided just to go after an easier target? “When I jump, boost me,” he warned.
He must’ve seen something I missed. Preparing myself, I widened my stance and interlocked my fingers. As the vampire jumped, I felt every muscle in my body tense up in anticipation. His booted foot hit my hand and with all my strength, I hoisted him as hard and high as I could. Radu’s own vampiric aided abilities took over from there as he soared high like a predatory bird. He had seen something, a pattern. Right as he hit the apex of his leap of faith, Alura appeared.
Radu was ready with his sword.
He sliced her in one swift motion. The witch, the one giving us all these problems, hadn’t prepared for the intellect of a Dracul to overcome her obvious advantages. Blood rained down as her body split, falling back to the ground with Radu.
“I’m comin,’ Cassie,” I hollered. With the witch dead, we could focus on the banshee good and proper like.
The differences between the two sisters was crystal clear after dealing with Alura. Cassie relied on brute force where Alura had been much craftier and more imaginative. The banshee seemed to have taken a bunch of damage but was still trucking along. Great claws attached to bony arms were visible now as it flew around, screeching and causing all sorts of havoc.
Our eyes met, Cassie and me that is. She saw me point my gun at the creature and she gave the slightest of nods to acknowledge that.
CRACK!
The bullet flew true towards the daemonic creature just as Cassie’s magic took hold. Whatever she did to it, the slug burned brightly as it ripped through the hood where I assumed the head would be. It didn’t stop there as the lead’s journey continued high into the early morning sky. The banshee hung there for a moment before it burst into flames, causing all of us to shield our eyes from the bright, short lived inferno.
“That was easier than expected.”
Of course, Radu would be disappointed that everything went easily. “Can’t you just take a victory when you get one?”
My irritation didn’t faze him. Instead he looked up, the orange glow of the rising sun beginning to crack the dark sky. A few crows circled us, probably looking for an easy meal. “She was either too confident or not practiced enough in her skill. She could have done greater damage to us if she had been better prepared.”
“That’s her fault, not ours,” I snapped back, exasperated.
“Alura was a strong witch, but overconfidence would’ve been her downfall,” Cassie agreed.
I was outnumbered. They were both defending a witch who was trying to kill us. I’d be the first to admit I’d killed some monster I probably had no business slaying due to luck, fortune, and the good Lord watching over me. I didn’t care how it got done, as long as they were dead and I was alive.
These two looked genuinely disappointed that the battle was over.
Idiots.
“The darkness... only retreated, not defeated,” Francisco warned ominously.
“Is he saying the witch is still alive?”
Radu snorted. “Castor, do you know any creature that can survive being sliced in two?”
“The vampire is right,” Cassie added. “Alura was many things, but not immortal.”
I wanted to believe them, but when I looked back at Francisco, his expression seemed to agree with my feelings.
Then again, this was a guy who thought chicken feathers was a fashion statement.
Over the horizon, the first rays of the sun’s warm light hit us. “We lay low here today and resume our journey at sunset,” Radu commanded.
Cassie rolled her eyes and I gave him a mock salute, but we knew we had no alternatives. Besides, Cassie looked quite worn from the duel with the banshee. Getting some well-deserved rest would do us all a bit of good. Francisco already had the door open to his home and waved for us to join him. I didn’t feel wonderful about returning to that house, I wasn’t going to lie. When the rest went in without pause, I bucked up and followed.
Radu was already perched in a dark corner with his eyes closed as I closed the door. Francisco was doing whatever the hell a Santeria shaman did in his spare time. I wasn’t going to ask.
That just left me and Cassie, standing there awkwardly in the middle of the room. “Good fight,” was about I could think to say.
“There was nothing good about that fight, but I understand your sentiment,” she responded.
Again, not knowing what to say, I just shuffled around a bit. “Would you like to take a walk with me?” she asked.
I didn’t have a real reason to say no to the request. “Sure, I reckon I will.”
Some of the night’s chill had disappeared as the morning moved along. Cassie seemed to be content with a quiet stroll into the rest of the abandoned village. I followed along a few steps back, really taking in the place we were at for the first time. Maybe it was the fact we’d just got here, but I swear to God the place didn’t look this decrepit at first glance. Most of the homes were in some state of despair; from on the brink of collapse to out and out ruins. The only house that looked livable was the one Francisco called home.
“Wha
t happened here?”
“This used to be our home, Castor. Me, Alura, my family, we lived in this little village for a time.”
Whoa, waves of sadness crashed down. “No offense, but it doesn’t look like anyone’s lived here in years.”
“They haven’t.”
The sky around us began to blacken, the village and everything around us began to disappear except for Cassie. “Let me show you,” she said, her hands lifting over her head.
Magic! We were thrust back into the village, but it was no longer in shambles. She was using her gifts to playback a memory of sorts. Two teenage girls ran by, laughing and giggling. An older lady was hot on their tail, scolding them.
“Alura, Cassandra,” she said in a very thick address that her one daughter didn’t acquire. “Ye get yer bottoms back here right this moment, ye hear?”
“She canna catch us, Cassie!”
Young Alura was nothing like the witch we just slain. This girl looked happy, friendly; dare I say loving? Her sister giggled as the two of them kept circling the town’s center. Their mother, with every passing moment, looked even more annoyed.
The fun came to an end when the mother figured out their pattern and moved in to block the girls. “I gotcha!” she howled, grabbing the sisters.
“Come now, Momma! Cass and I were just havin’ a bit of fun,” Alura pleaded.
There was nothing fun about the mother’s face. “Girl like ye donna have fun,” she scolded.
“What does she mean by that?” I asked Cassie, standing next to me.
“Unlike most witches, our magic didn’t come from our mother, but our father,” she told me. “Mother was a normal human and hated the magic Alura and I had.”
“What was your mother’s name?” I asked, figuring full well the woman was dead.
“Martha,” Cassie answered. The cold way she responded was all I needed to know.
I stopped asking questions and let the rest of the memory play out. Martha had a good hold on both of the girls, yanking their arms with little regard for their well-being. Cassie was fighting back, trying to get away but Alura; there was something quite different in her eyes.
I’d seen it before; the same wild expression that an animal with nothing to lose gets. Something very, very bad was about to happen.
“Alura, ye best tell yer sister to knock it off or else!”
“Or else what?”
I felt the goosebumps on my skin rise when she told off her momma. With her arm still fully in the grip of Martha, waves of magic rushed off the girl. This was the moment that Cassie wanted me to see. The moment that Alura went dark. She’d been pushed to the edge and leapt off. The girl we killed was as much a victim as anyone else.
The village was torn to shreds as Alura’s wrath exploded. Cassie protected herself accordingly, but everyone else suffered for the briefest of moments before being burned away for all eternity. The hate, rage, pain, whatever that was released, hell even I could feel it. I felt like an intruder though, someone who didn’t have a right to witness this.
“You don’t have to show me anymore.”
Cassie was looking straight ahead, at the two sisters who were the only ones left. “Her hate consumed her so much. Right after this, she marched right up to our cottage and killed Father without a second’s hesitation. Alura blamed him for Mother making her a monster.”
There was no way I was going to come to a conclusion about a person from one scene. Granted, it was a terrible scene to witness, but it was just one page of the story. “You’re on the edge too, you know.”
“I told you before, I’m not a good person,” she said. “Killing those people in that hotel, that was just a means to an end. Alura’s dead because of that choice and the banshee has been sent back to Hell. I’d do it again without even questioning my intent.”
“I know.” We were getting to the heart of what she wanted to say.
“I want you to stop looking at me like I have redeemable qualities - I don’t. Promise me you’ll just view me as the witch who foolishly agreed to help you in exchange for your service. It’ll serve us both better.”
“You’ll never know unless you-”
She placed her fingers on my lips, stopping me from saying anymore. “Be more like Radu; calculating and suspicious. You’ll live longer.”
It was clear that the message wouldn’t be changing. “Okay, I can do that.”
“Good.”
I pulled out my gun. “My turn to talk. I can be a good friend, yet I can be a deadlier enemy. Remember that.”
Cassie almost smiled. “We should rest. We have much to do over the next five days and Radu won’t let us slack.”
Without even waiting for me, she strolled back to the house while I stayed behind and wondered just what in the name of God happened.
Chapter Eight
**Nazi Germany; 1941 the year of our Lord**
T he spell the witch created shimmered overhead. “They be with Cassie, Gerhard. The boy is even more skilled than ye gave him credit for.”
I hated speaking English, yet what choice did I have with Alura? “And they think you are dead?”
“Just as ye asked; lure Radu out and see if the Brinza came along.”
“We know the players. Will Cassie continue to travel with them?”
One of Alura’s annoying birds cawed, hurting my ears. “She knows her part. Cassie be too bright ta leave ‘em before the rest of yer plan comes tagether,” she answered.
“The Brinzas took a great power from this world. Make sure when they are found, they are all killed.”
She looked unsettled as I began to lose my temper. “Ye okay, Gerhard?”
“I will be fine,” I barked back. “You two do your jobs correctly and you will be rewarded.”
I’d have enough of speaking to the uncouth witch. Even as she was still there, I left to handle more pressing matters at hand. “Come along, Otto,” I called to the man in the shadows. “Let us see if our prize soldier is ready for his first assignment.”
**Ireland; 1941 the year of our Lord**
“Paddy, my friend! It has been too long,” Radu greeted the crazy looking Irishman.
“I didn’t think the vampire was capable of cheer,” Cassie snickered. I couldn’t help it; I laughed along with her.
He gave us a dirty look and proceeded to talk to Paddy, away from us. It probably didn’t help matters that Shaman Francisco had tagged along with us. He claimed it was his calling, however, I was skeptical. I think he was still worried about me.
The three of us waited as the two men laughed and patted themselves on the back more times than one could count. I wasn’t much up for speaking to Cassie after our last conversation and I’m pretty sure she caught the drift. She didn’t say much to me except asking if I knew how long this would take.
“You’ve known the guy for as long as I have. None of the stories I’ve heard made him out to be the friend making sort.”
“Being exposed like this makes me nervous.”
We weren’t really exposed. We were in Dublin, in some crappy little watering hole that Paddy had picked out. We had a few hours until morning, but I was getting antsy. Finally Radu shook the man’s hand and rejoined us.
“I have made arrangements for us to get to New York. Once there, it will be up to us to figure out a way to Texas,” he explained.
Crossing the Atlantic was a huge step in the right direction. “I reckon we’ll have time on the plane to get that straight.”
“When do we leave?” Cassie asked.
“Righta way, lass,” the man named Paddy said as he walked back over. “Me plane’s gassed up and ready ta go. It’ll be a bumpy ride but I’ll getcha there in one piece.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I groaned.
“Pick up your bags, Castor. You will learn I never joke.”
I didn’t need to learn anything - I already knew Radu wouldn’t, or hell, even couldn’t joke. “Francisco, we’re saying a blessi
ng before we step onto any flying contraption.”
The journey up the coast from Nowhere, Ireland had been pleasant in hindsight to getting on an airplane with this Paddy character. I didn’t mutter a sound the entire trip over to the hanger where our “escort” was awaiting. When Paddy opened the hanger door and revealed the plane we’d been taking the cross Atlantic trip in, I nearly cried.
“Mother of God, you’ve got to be joking…”
“I’m with Castor on this one,” Cassie agreed.
Radu ignored us and began loading the few things we had into the cargo hold. When he put the case that held the Santae Crucius inside, I felt a jolt of concern. “That’s a family heirloom and all, I’d rather it not be swimming at the -”
“I am going to ask this once of both of you,” he rasped. “Do not question my judgement. Time is not on our side, there is a war going on, and our safety is not with the plane. Our safety is making it to America without getting into the crosshairs of a German squadron.”
“Trust me laddy and lass, I know whata I’m doin.’”
“Paddy is in the Royal Air Force and one of the best damn pilots I know. Get in the plane and not another word.”
He didn’t bare his fangs or go all vampire on us; he didn’t have to. I kept my head down and boarded the old plane, privately hoping I wouldn’t be meeting my ancestors via a plane crash in the ocean. I sat in one of the five seats in the body with Cassie and a very amused Francisco taking their places in the seats next to me.
Francisco took my hand. “Que San Cristóbal nos cuide.”
“Saint Christopher, huh? The patron saint of travelers; not a bad idea, Francisco,” I agreed.
Another new person appeared from behind us. “So, ye all be Paddy’s mystery guests. Pleased ta meetcha,” he said as he offered out his hand.
I gave it a few good shakes. “I’m Castor and these two are Cassie and Francisco. Are you part of our crew?”
Rise of the Seventh Reich Page 5
