“Better move fast, Winthrop,” Clyde mutters as the viewing box and fighting area are filled with heavily armed guards.
*****
Hiding in a crate with no bottom, Titus checks all of the eyeholes before taking a few steps further into the port. He stops next to a pile of lumber and listens to a pair of servants complain about missing the tournament. The warrior has a clear view of the supply ship, which is smaller than he imagined. It has a single mast with a triangular sail and a figurehead that is a beautifully painted depiction of the Vampire Queen. The crew is no more than ten Dawn Fangs, each one wearing a jacket with a diamond emblazoned on the back. Thinking that he has a clear path, he rises and is about to run to a tower of crates when he spots Dean come out of a shack with the burly captain. The two men stand by the gangplank without getting in the way of the sailors, who have already unloaded more supplies than Titus would believe is possible from such a tiny vessel. With the butler standing directly in his path, the hidden vampire considers making a mad rush, but fears that a direct attack would result in the ship staying on Apelios. He curses under his breath about being so huge and having no powers that allow him to sneak through a crowd. Not for the first time since transforming into a Dawn Fang, the warrior tries to cast an invisibility spell, but the only thing that happens is he pops one of his knuckles.
Slowly walking backwards, Titus positions himself behind the damp logs and tries to see if he came make it to the water. There are at least thirty servants and guards between him and the ocean as well as a maze-like collection of crates. While checking the other sets of eyeholes, he wonders if he can sprint across the open area and disappear within the mess. He cannot think of a way to quietly take out anyone he comes across, but making a racket might help his new plan succeed. With Dean present, Titus prays that his initial instincts were wrong and that the cloaked vampire will send the ship away if enough destruction is inflicted on the dock. All he would have to do is get into the ocean and swim far enough at an angle that would bring him to the hull. The thought of there being monsters in the water gives him a little pause, but he knows that he is running out of options and time.
Licking his lips, the nervous Dawn Fang is about to rush into the open when his crate is jostled and he hears a pair of groans. Peering out of the eyeholes, he can see a vampiric ogre leaning down to lift his hiding place. Titus braces his hands and feet against the sides to avoid getting exposed and focuses entirely on maintain a steady push on the wood. A shout causes the worker to stop and turn, which gives the warrior a clear look at Dean. The butler is only inches away and arguing about where the box of chainmail has to be put, which is enough of a warning for the Dawn Fang to duck his head. Sun glints off his armored shirt, which presses against the wood and prevents anyone from looking inside. He bites his lower lip when he feels a finger push his shoulder through the hole and hears Dean complain about their supplier putting too much padding in the container. With an angry wave, the old-world vampire sends the ogre on his way and goes back to where the captain is smacking a clumsy crewman.
Instead of being put on the ground, the warrior is thrown to the top of a stack of crates, which gives him a clear view of the entire dockyard. Rubbing his aching muscles, Titus takes advantage of being able to sit down and not having to worry about getting discovered. He watches the workers finish unloading the ship and the crew enjoys a break while their captain brings Dean onboard to inspect the hold. Sensing that his window is closing, he checks every side in search of a way to finish his escape and sneak onto the ship. He curses at the sight of another squad of guards entering the dockyard, the warriors spreading out to take positions that prevent anyone from getting into the area. The only idea that comes to his mind is getting the tall stack of crates to topple towards the ocean. Judging the distance, he knows he will come up a little short, but a well-timed roll could make it look like he is nothing more than a container of armor tumbling into the water.
Pushing all of the potential problems out of his mind, Titus puts his hands and feet on the crate below him. He starts a gentle rocking that has no effect on the tower, so he tries to use more force without breaking the sturdy wood. Stealing a glance through the eyeholes, he notices three servants standing nearby and pointing in his direction. Fearing that they are about to move his crate to a storage room, he tries even harder to make the tower fall over. Making very little progress, Titus begins whispering for the trio to yank out the bottom crate and hopes that his inspirational voice can charm them into action from so far away. He is about to give up on both ideas when the three men stop talking, shrug, and march over to the containers. The warrior holds back a shout of victory as he feels the entire stack shake and hears the bottom container being pushed. Dean’s voice rings out to stop the workers, but they have done enough to allow for a single stomp by Titus to send everything crashing to the ground. Quickly bracing his hands against the sides of his crate, he waits until he feels a jarring impact and pushes off the ground with his feet to send himself rolling. He bounces off the edge of the dock and is about to plunge into the water when he is abruptly stopped in midair.
“You almost made it,” Jewelz says as she lifts the crate over her head. She hurls it at a nearby building, which is reduced to rubble. “I don’t know whether to be impressed that a beast like you managed to get this close to freedom or laugh at how badly you’ve failed. Clyde and Lord Tempest were found out as well, so all three of you will be punished. I feel like you should get the worst.”
“I already have to listen to you insult me and my sister, which is torture since I can’t rip your head off,” Titus claims as he climbs out of the wreckage. He draws his claymores and eyes all of the guards who have gathered to block him from reaching their master. “Hiding behind your servants. Shouldn’t be surprised since that’s what you planned on doing with me centuries ago. You do realize that this makes you appear weak and pathetic, right? My sister doesn’t have others fight her battles, which is why she can be Clyde’s partner. Someone like you would never be able to meet his standards.”
“Those will change once I have him under my thumb.”
“I doubt that will ever happen.”
“The torture I inflict on him will speed up my curse.”
“And get a few laughs out of him.”
“You won’t be around to see it.”
“Because you’re going to have your men finish the job you started?”
Controlling the gems in their armor, the Vampire Queen parts her army wide enough that a few slip and fall into the water. Having her amber skirt split and transform into a pair of pants, she beckons for Titus to attack. Seeing that the supply vessel is getting ready to leave, the warrior quickly slices his sides to enchant his blades and rushes forward. He attempts a thrust at his enemy’s head, but she easily leans away and tries to deliver a kick to his arm. He quickly raises the limb out of the way and swings his other weapon at the underside of her foot. The sword clangs against her diamond encrusted shoe, which sprouts a spike that she tries to slide down the blade and into the man’s forearm. Titus releases his claymore to grab Jewelz by the ankle and throws her to the side, but still receives a long cut up his arm. The Vampire Queen nimbly flips and lands on her feet to skid towards her men, who she shoves back with her powers. Bending down, she casually wipes some dirt off her leg and checks to make sure her clothes are still intact.
Titus gets his blades up to block whatever comes next, but refuses to make the first move after their last exchange. He notices a gap in the circle of soldiers that he could use to escape into the ocean, but he is sure the opening is a trap. The darting of his eyes is enough of a distraction for Jewelz to stomp the ground with all of her strength and propels herself towards him. Pumping more blood into his arms, the warrior braces his body for a powerful blow that he hopes to use as a way to launch himself into the water. His pulse quickens when his maker plants her foot and skids the rest of the way. Swinging both claymores at her head, Titus gru
nts when the blades mysteriously stop an inch from his target. His intestines burst when he is kicked in the stomach and he tries to collapse, but he finds that he cannot fall. With a snap, his arms are twisted to press his weapons against his throat and he can barely make out a layer of powdered gemstones on the keen edges.
“Did you really think I would let you walk around with your gear and not have a leash on you?” Jewelz asks with a patronizing pat to the man’s cheek. She has the swords fly from their owner’s grasp and circle him like a pair of vultures. “Don’t think this is going to be a quick death. You owe me a lot more suffering. That brings up a question that I’ve had about your abilities. Are you susceptible to your own Chaoswind blood?”
The claymores plunge into Titus’s legs and he falls to his knees, but is unable to talk due to the blood flowing from his mouth. He winces at the warm tickling sensation that runs up his body, but it never develops into any type of pain. Mustering enough strength to flash a gore-dripping grin, the warrior is slammed in the face by both of his weapons’ hilts. A shake of his head clears the dizziness, but he is violently struck repeatedly until his features are barely recognizable. Held up by the gem dust covering his armor, Titus’s head slumps forward and he can only groan as he is dragged behind the Vampire Queen.
*****
“An example must be made!” Jewelz declares as a crystalline bridge grows out of the viewing box. Walking to the edge, she holds up her hands to stop the audience from talking. “We have several crimes here. Two of these men have played a trick on your beloved Queen in an attempt to make her feel like a fool. I would have them executed, but both are important to the tournament. There has also been a greater crime committed against Apelios. Titus Winthrop, my own child, has spit in the face of my hospitality. Although he lacks the strength, intelligence, and charm to be a ruler, I gave him an opportunity to rise above his station. In return, he attacked the dockyard and attempted to run away. While he has the right to leave, it must be with my knowledge and not in a way that harms my people. If such rudeness is not bad enough, we also have evidence of treason. Sir Pendrac has discovered that Titus Winthrop planned on revealing our location to the Great Corrupter. She, who has plagued my heart and mind with her evil deeds, would arrive on our doorstep before my preparations for our final battle were complete. Because of this, I have decided that this man must be eliminated!”
A spear prods Titus in the back and he is about to fight back when he sees Xavier and Clyde shake their heads. Positioned on the railing like gargoyles, the pair are contained within energy-sapping crystal. The slight movement cracks the tight prisons, which hum and grow an inch thicker to prevent it from happening again. Another poke to his back causes the warrior to summon his phantom, which knocks the guards off the walkway. More try to swarm through the narrow opening, but skid to a stop when Clyde breaks out of his crystal by sneezing. Wiping the dust off his arms, he steps off the railing and slaps Xavier’s prison to free the nobleman. Both Dawn Fangs turn away from the soldiers and remain at the bridge’s entrance, the nervous jabs to their backs having no effect. Unsure if his companions are going to interfere or not, Titus continues walking until he is within reach of Jewelz. The instant his hands move for his scabbarded blades, his entire body locks up and he feels tiny pinpricks along every inch of his skin.
“Another precaution since you already tried to kill me once,” the Vampire Queen whispers to the warrior. Gripping him by the collar, she lifts the towering man over her head with a single hand. “There is only one thing to do. Titus Winthrop must be given to Dark One. It has been a long time since the demon I enslaved has feasted on a living being. I’m sure it will play with its food and enjoy every morsel. Long ago, I saw this beast spend an entire day devouring a halfling who remained alive until the very end.”
“Could be worse. You could make me live with you again,” Titus retorts through his clenched jaws. He struggles against the crystal slivers in his skin, his efforts forcing the stone-faced woman to sweat. “Do you really think executing me is going to make things easier? These people are your slaves, so they don’t need an example. All this is going to do is make my sister a hundred times angrier.”
“I hope so because people make mistakes when enraged,” Jewelz says, her eyes darting to the other prisoners. She scowls at how Clyde is sitting on the floor, his eyes closed and legs folded. “Looks like your friend refuses to witness your final moments. He won’t be able to save you with an illusion thanks to me being aware of such a trick. I doubt Xavier will lift a finger either. You’re all alone, my failed child.”
“Please stop calling me that.”
“Does it upset you?”
“Makes me want to puke.”
“Well, it seems we have something in common.”
“Just toss me to your pet and get it over with.”
With a stomp of her foot, the Vampire Queen opens the floor of the arena and exposes Dark One’s shadowy lair to the light. Instead of cheering, the crowd screams and hurries to get as high as possible to avoid the shadowy tentacles. Ripples run along the darkness and an ear-wrenching bellow erupts from the beast, which sprouts a bulbous eye that is only slightly lighter than the rest of its body. With a sharp whistle, Dean brings the demon’s attention to the other bridge that he is standing on. The cloaked vampire unceremoniously tosses in the charred remains of the competitor that Xavier had defeated. Unsatisfied with the burned meal, Dark One shrieks loud enough to explode the eardrums of everyone with heightened hearing. Sensing that there is more for it devour, the creature stretches its tentacles towards Jewelz. Enjoying the suspense, she lets it get within reach before wiping some of Titus’s sweat off his face. Flicking the droplets to the demon, she smiles as her pet gurgles in happiness that it will finally get a meal that will wriggle and scream in agony.
At the last moment, Titus fights against the slivers in his body and tears his muscles apart ejecting them from his flesh. He lands on wobbly legs and tries to punch Jewelz, who lazily smacks the blow away. Letting his weakened body slump backwards, the warrior manages to avoid a swinging kick and musters enough strength to lunge. Using his massive size, he slams into the Vampire Queen and pushes her to the edge of the bridge. At the sight of their leader being struck, the loyal crowd howls for Titus’s destruction and throw whatever they can lift at the warrior. Debris falls into Dark One’s lair, which causes it to roar and shake the arena with powerful blows to the walls. Fearing that the demon will find away to escape, Jewelz waves her hand to shatter most of the gemstone bridge and remain hovering on her small section. She snarls when Titus leaps and gets three of his fingers onto the edge of her perch. With an echoing stomp, the Vampire Queen severs the digits and sends him falling towards the swirling shadows.
Knowing that he cannot fight the demon with his injuries, Titus closes his eyes and thinks hard about his sister. The instant a rough tendril wraps around his waist, the warrior’s mind shifts from Mab to Lost. Clenching his jaw and screaming in his head, he tries to send the womb-born an urgent call for help. More of the cold limbs grip his body, which causes him to imagine using his powerful voice in his own mind. Dragged into the darkness, Titus curses at the idea of dying alone and being digested within the putrid gut of a demon. The desire to live gives him enough strength to opens his eyes and reach for his swords, but he can only tap at the hilts. He is about to roar in frustration when a pair of bright pink hands burst from the shadows, grab him by the chest, and yank most of him out of Dark One’s maw.
12
Feeling weak and ragged, all Decker can do is lean on the ship’s railing and use his axe to launch fireballs at the rotting giltris. With the island splintering and floating away, the creatures have followed a primal sense of self-preservation and taken to the ocean. Nobody can see an end to the hissing monsters, but the soldier refuses to let the sight of endless enemies erode his desire to survive. Hearing a cough, he turns to see that Archillious is reaching his limit and running out of extra
fangs to launch at the swarming zombies. The assassin refuses to show his weakness and casually draws a small crossbow that is loaded with toxic bolts, the switch allowing his body to refill his natural weapon. Decker considers telling his companion to rest, but knows that both of them are suffering from a touch of wounded pride. The only reason the ship has not been overrun already is due to Lost’s bunny racing through the horde and destroying them in groups. Decker is about to tell her about a fairly large giltris when she was struck by a psychic message. To his horror, the womb-born stops her assault and remains standing in the middle of the deck with her eyes closed. The tears that flow down her cheeks send a chill down the soldier’s spine, so he goes back to hurling fireballs in order to distract himself. Pausing to catch his breath, he looks up at the crow’s nest where Stephanie is sitting within a shifting bubble composed entirely of the blood seeping from her eyes. The ritualist’s white tattoos have developed green spots as she battles to undo the corrosive magic that has animated the giltris.
“I feel rather useless here,” Decker mutters under his breath.
A halfling whistles and points at the shore where a disturbance in the horde has caused the rest to stop advancing. The creatures that are still on land have converged on a single point and steadily grow into a large pile. Stopping their barrage, the exhausted vampires gather on the island side of the ship and brace themselves for a devastating attack. Feeling uneasy, Decker sends a bolt of lightning into the sky to see if it disturbs the distracted giltris, but they continue with the odd display. A loud crack echoes an instant before the heap of ravenous corpses falls into the hollowed land. Those still in the ocean slowly turn and swim back to begin digging at the fragile shore, the groans of the others filling the air. For the first time since the chaos began, nearly everyone onboard lets some of the tension flow from their bodies and several crewmen find themselves needing to sit down. Bottles of blood are handed out to help everyone regain their strength and prepare for the next leg of their journey. Only Decker remains alert, his eyes darting from Lost to Stephanie and then back to the shore where he fears some new threat is about to emerge.
Rivalry (War of Nytefall Book 3) Page 21
