*****
Clyde and Xavier come out on opposite sides of the arena, which has been fully repaired and improved with towering statues that lean over the crowd. New viewing boxes have been built on top of the marble and jewel figures, all of them filled with citizens lucky enough to win a special seat. Held by diamond cords that are difficult to see in the light, a disc of flattened gemstones is suspended between the four corner pillars that are topped with bonfires. Sparks fly from the fires and run along the tethers to dance along the platform’s edge, which gives the jewels a golden shimmer. With Dean standing at her side, the Vampire Queen sits on her throne and watches as the combatants walk further into the arena. She frowns at how both men appear tired and worn, the reports of them refusing to eat or rest not doing the reality any justice. Glancing at the hourglass, Jewelz doubts they have enough time to hold an impromptu feast and make the fighters more presentable. She considers slipping more crush gems into the construct, but fears that any delay would be a sign of weakness in front of her people. Resigning herself to what may be a mediocre finale to her tournament, she sighs and pops a strawberry into her mouth as if to mock the starving combatants.
“You can hear their stomachs rumbling,” Dean says in a soft voice.
“It’s their own fault,” the Vampire Queen bitterly replies. Holding up a clear quartz to her eye, she examines each man in detail. “They keep staring at each other. If I had to guess, they were hoping to be rescued before things reached this point. Their precious final battle is being forced upon them and they are starting to acknowledge that fact. As if they need to save this event for a war that I plan on ending as soon as Mab is destroyed. One unexpected result of this is that being manipulated has created a rage in Clyde that is feeding my curse faster than his battle lust. Do you think I should tell them that this battle might not even be necessary?”
“Only if you wish to be the target of their wrath,” the butler answers in disgust. Opening his collar, he takes out a silver key and lets it hang outside of his shirt. “The other preparations have been completed. Your haven can only be accessed by the maze, which one can only enter with this key. I will head into the jungle to hide it right away. Mab will waste plenty of time hunting for this, which will allow you to prepare yourself. Enjoy the entertainment.”
“The more obstacles, the better,” Jewelz happily declares. Waiting for Dean to vanish in a puff of mist, she stands and takes in the sight of a packed arena. “One would expect a great speech for when we get our king. Yet, I find myself wanting this battle to start. I do apologize for the appearance of our combatants, but they have been training up to the final hour. Now, let us see who will help me rule Apelios and then all of Windemere.”
Instead of rushing ahead, Clyde takes a seat in the dirt and leans back to stare at the cloudless sky. The crowd starts to complain but they stop immediately once he picks up a small stone and flicks it through the head of a nearby guard. On the other side of the arena, Xavier summons a forcefield that shrinks until it is a shimmering layer around his body. The nobleman launches a small fist of air that hits the ground in front of his relaxing enemy, who smooths out the disturbed sand with his foot. Flopping onto his back, Clyde holds up his arm and tears the flesh away to see if the curse has grown any more since he entered the arena. With a shrug, he presses the skin back in place and jumps to his feet in time to catch a fiery blade between his fingers. Turning his back to Xavier, he tosses the weapon aside and gazes at the hourglass. Only those with superhuman eyesight can see that there are three grains making an agonizingly slow slide down the meeting of the two bells. Holding up his hand, the Dawn Fang progenitor does a countdown as the pieces fall one by one.
The instant the final grain hits the large pile, Clyde sprints at Xavier and delivers a punch that sends the nobleman crashing against the wall. He grabs the other vampire by the ankles to throw him at the hourglass, but a pulse of lightning knocks him away. Skidding to the middle of the arena, the deadly thief rushes back and becomes stuck in a barrier that leaves him exposed to a conjured orb of metal. With a loud crack, the dense ball hits his chest and splinters his crystalized sternum. The spell becomes coarse and barbed as it grinds against his flesh, which is torn away by the rapidly moving object. Smashing it between his fists, Clyde jumps at one of the statues and bounces off to come hurtling at Xavier. Once he sees the nobleman begin casting the expected shield spell, he briefly awakens his Lord’s Rage and smashes through the ephemeral obstacle. His foot narrowly misses his opponent, who bends out of the way and turns his arm into a boney blade. Clyde takes the slash in the side to catch the other man’s arm and pulls with the intention of yanking the limb completely off. Instead, the forearm stretches and he stumbles back with the flexible body part still gripped in his hands. At the same time that he crushes the rubbery flesh and bone, a javelin of fire hits him in the throat. The impact sends the Dawn Fang slamming into the wall where he is stuck by the burning weapon.
Both men keep their distance in order to heal, neither one believing they have gained an advantage over the other. Freeing himself from the javelin, Clyde snaps it with his thumb before repeatedly darting towards Xavier at lightning speed. Every attempt is met by a barrier that he shreds, but the destruction sets off a counterspell that knocks him away. It takes the thief several minutes to figure out that his enemy is reading his mind before each assault. Scratching his head, he wonders how the Lord of Nyte can react almost instantly to his spontaneous plans. For the first time, he notices that Xavier has not spoken an incantation and his gestures have become so brief that they are nothing more than slight flicks of the finger. Meeting the other Dawn Fang’s eyes, he catches a glint of pride and superiority that he remembers from when they used to be friends. It had only ever been aimed at enemies, so being on the receiving end of the brief experience stirs a new level of fury in Clyde’s heart. The red mist flows from his pores and his fangs turn the purest of silver, which reflects the light whenever he bares them.
“Do you really wish to make this our final battle?” Xavier asks while elemental spells swirl around his body.
“No, but I’m in the mood to kill someone,” Clyde replies with a barely restrained growl.
“So, this is the true monster of Nytefall.”
“Shut up and give me a challenge.”
Blasts of fire and lightning explode around Clyde, who runs to the side at a speed that only a handful of people are able to follow. He can still feel Xavier tracking his thoughts, so he gives in to his instincts and lets his mind go blank. There is barely enough activity for the nobleman to erect shields to block the strikes, but every attempt comes closer and none of the barriers are able to survive more than one blow. Clyde skids to a stop when a paralysis wall billows out of the silver-haired Dawn Fang’s body. Leaping over the attack, he lunges as soon as he hits the ground and delivers a punch that pulverizes one of Xavier’s legs. Spinning around to grab his enemy by the face, he is knocked away by a whirlwind that fills itself with sand and starts to flay the skin from his bones. With a primal roar, Clyde destroys the twister with his voice and catches a fireball, which explodes in his hands. He wipes the flames from his body while gracefully dodging a barrage of attack spells that send plumes of dirt into the air. To confuse Xavier, he creates illusionary doubles that jump towards all of the viewing boxes while he disappears from view. Spiraling blasts of raw magic strike the fakes, but immediately reappear a few inches from Clyde who has to stop charging towards his enemy. Running backwards, he delivers a flurry of punches that destroys all of the teleported spells within a second. The massive explosion leaves him covered in smoke with his hair gently burning at the tips.
The crowd cheers while the combatants circle each other, Xavier’s body becoming more muscular and developing a golden hue. Unsure of what the nobleman has planned, Clyde tries to keep his distance, but the rage he has unleashed refuses to be corked once more. Giving in to his bloodlust, he races forward and delivers a punch that is
caught by his enemy. He catches a fist aimed at his face and is surprised by the power behind the blow. Bone-crunching kicks are delivered as the pair wrestle for control of the fight, neither one willing to move away. An echoing strike to the waist causes Xavier’s body to bend awkwardly, which nearly costs him his leverage. His malleable body wobbles and flexes in an attempt to pull Clyde off-balance, but it only results in his upper half being pressed to the ground. Spikes burst from the noble’s knees to pierce the thief’s gut, but they are snapped off with a flex of the man’s stomach muscles. With a maddening grin, the Dawn Fang progenitor prepares for a kick that will split his greatest enemy in half.
It is a creaking groan that silences the crowd and causes the combatants to freeze, their keen senses picking up on how the island is starting to tremble. A strange sensation runs through the air and it is enough to snap Clyde out of his bloodlust, but he refuses to release Xavier until he is sure this is not a trap. Everyone glances at Jewelz, who is already on her feet and licking her lips in anticipation. One of the statues violently shakes and bloats as the figure head of a ship punches through its shadowy underside. Maintaining the momentum it had gained by racing along the current, the vessel bursts from the darkness and shatters the leaning figure. Those in the viewing box are sent tumbling to ground as the battered ship crashes into the arena and sends a billowing cloud of dirt rolling across the entire island.
*****
The ringing in her punctured eardrums makes it impossible for Mab to hear the chaos that is going on outside of the ship. Having smashed her way inside before they landed in the arena, she has become buried under everything in the hold. Too groggy to move through the shadows, the burglar digs and slashes her way through the mess until she finds the stairs. Shaking her head clear, she gradually makes her way through the lower decks and waves to any of the rattled halflings that she comes across. None of them dare to talk to Mab, so she goes to her room and checks herself in a mirror to make sure her clothes have not been shredded. Seeing bleed going down the sides of her head, she grabs a broken bottle and drinks what is left to help heal most of the internal damage. A loud crack can be heard from outside and the ship tilts, which causes her to slide against the wall. Still slightly dazed from her arrival, she never thinks to look out of the porthole until a silver blur goes by with an echoing giggle. Stumbling to the opening, she sticks her head outside and is struck by a sudden moment of surreal clarity.
Mab watches as guards and citizens run in various directions, all of them trying to avoid the thin tendrils that are stretching out of a hole beneath the ship. The clanging of blades draws her attention to the stands where Bob and Luther are battling a group of swordsmen. A blast of fire hits another squad before they can reach the two Dawn Fangs, the source of the explosion hidden by a chunk of debris. Feeling a gust of wind pass her face, Mab spots Lost’s bunny soar through the thick darkness that is releasing more tendrils by the minute. She is unable to see the womb-born until a piece of the ground falls to reveal her battling beneath the arena. As the fresh hole is filled in by the shadows, the burglar sees Decker and Archillious standing back-to-back in the subterranean chamber. The sight of them working together fills her stomach with dread and her mind jumps to worrying about Clyde and Titus. Not seeing or hearing either of her friends, she cracks her knuckles and turns away from the chaos.
Sprinting through the hallways, Mab bursts onto the deck to find her brother battling the guards by himself. The warrior has already slain ten enemies, but they continue to jump onto the grounded ship. Not seeing Jewelz anywhere, the burglar is hesitant to help and tries to believe that Titus has everything under control. The moment he receives a glancing blow to his shoulder, she growls and dives into the fray. Fighting with more ferocity than she planned, Mab slices off limbs and plunges people into their shadows. Whenever she sees an opening to behead one of her rival’s followers, she sprints with superhuman speed and ends up several feet away with the body part stuck to her claws. Spotting an archer hiding behind some crates, the burglar runs through the guards and leaves a trail of shredded corpses in her wake. The terrified bowman fires and hits Mab in the chest, but the blow is not enough to slow her down. Without thinking, she tackles the man through the fragile railing and plummets towards the battle below while angrily slashing at him. The body is barely recognizable by the time they hit the ground and the victorious woman is left gasping for air. Yanking the arrow out of her lung, she snaps it with her thumb and prepares to jump back onto the ship.
A shout in her ears warns Mab about an invisible enemy approaching from behind, the guard’s axe missing her head by an inch. Spinning around, she tries to stab her unseen attacker, but finds only empty space. Fearing another slash to her back, the burglar rolls to the side and accidentally knocks someone over. The surprised woman materializes and whips her boney tail to keep Mab away until she vanishes again. Not wanting to waste her time, the burglar jumps for the wall, but feels a tug on her ankle that throws her back to the ground. Hoping to end the fight quickly, she falls into her shadow with the intention of feeding the guard to the monsters. Having underestimated her opponent’s strength, she is abruptly yanked back into the light where she braces for an attack. All she sees is a splattered corpse with half of a tail, which makes her turn around with the intention of seeing Clyde for what feels like the first time in years. Her heart sinks when she sees that it is Xavier covered in gore, the nobleman barely able to stand due to his wounds and the amount of magic he has unleashed.
“I heard you saved my beloved Nadia, so this is me returning the favor,” he says in a scratchy voice. He musters enough strength to send a wall of lightning into a charging pack of vampires, but the power of the spell is only enough to knock them out. “My people and Lost fell underground where a demon named Dark One is kept. I saw Stephanie was with them, so I believe they will be okay. Not that you care, but Bob and Luther told me to let you know while they continue looking for Clyde. He was next to me when the ship came through, but he was gone a few seconds later.”
“What were you two doing when we arrived?” Mab asks while getting the bone tail off her leg. A bare-chested warrior leaps out of the stands to attack, but lands on Bob’s lance as the elf materializes. “Never mind. Everyone who isn’t fighting a demon needs to get on that ship. I think the crew is already doing minor repairs, so we only have to get it into the water. I know, you don’t want to take orders from an abomination, but you don’t have a choice. Nadia wants me to bring you home and I might as well since you’re alive. Clyde must have gone after Jewelz or she took him with her. Either way, I’ll probably find them together.”
With a sharp whistle, Bob gets Xavier to duck and he bats a pouncing gnome out of the arena. “We reached the top of this place, but there’s no sign of Jewelz. I mean, we don’t know what she looks like, but you’d think a Vampire Queen is easy to spot. There’s a lot of noise and smoke coming from the castle if that helps. No luck seeing Clyde either, but that’s not the worst news. I can’t sense any horses on Apelios. What kind of nightmarish island is this? Sure, you have people barely clothed and the food might be tasty, but you can’t have a beautiful paradise without horses.”
“Can you tell me where her room is, Xavier?” Mab asks as she puts a clawed finger to the elf’s mouth.
“It is the top floor of the tallest castle tower,” Lord Tempest replies with a wide wave of his hand. A blast of force explodes from his fingers to shatter part of the stands, the attack nearly hitting Luther. “That was supposed to be more controlled, but your partner has pushed me to my physical and emotional limits. I would be careful getting across the lagoon. It has been peaceful this whole time, but you never know if our host has added something. As much as she wants to face you, the Vampire Queen seems obsessed with putting up obstacles.”
“She always has to be overly complicated.”
Mab leaps to the top of the arena and takes a second to make sure she knows exactly where she is going. She ju
mps to a piece of debris in the lagoon, which causes a school of jewel-covered piranha to explode from the water. Tight swipes take out many of the fish, but she growls at the sensation of three gnawing on the back of the head. Ripping them from her flesh, the burglar escapes the next attack and lands on a floating door. Tentacles rise from the lagoon and she destroys them with a single spin that moves her far enough to avoid getting hit by the leaping piranha. Sighing at the sight of an approaching fin, she waits until she can stomp where she thinks the swordfish’s head is going to be. The slender body is flipped into the air and it thrashes until it crashes back into the lagoon. Not wanting to waste any more of her time, Mab dunks her head into the water to see that there are more gemstone creatures waiting around the other pieces of debris. Gripping the edge of her platform, she flips it over and enters into the shadowy underside with one fluid motion. Less than a second later, the burglar comes out in the middle of the jungle with a blast of water that sends her into the branches. Coughing and hacking, she feels a piranha chewing on her thigh and blindly smacks it off before dropping to the ground.
“It’s about time you showed up,” Dean states as he walks by the burglar. Holding up a silver key, he waves for the Dawn Fang to follow him. “Please don’t ask any questions until we reach the maze. Enough time has been wasted with these silly games and distractions. All you need to know is that I’m your friend.”
“Don’t you work for Jewelz?” Mab cautiously asks.
Chuckling at how she ignores his request, the butler nods his head and replies, “Yes, but things change. Now, come along, Ms. Winthrop.”
*****
Beneath the arena, Decker struggles to keep Dark One’s tentacles from getting a solid hold on his body. He has stopped backing up in search of a wall due to the creature’s shadowy expanse being endless. Cycling through the elements of his axe, the soldier has yet to discover if one spell works better than the others. Having lost sight of his companions, Decker tries to advance and go in search of them. A tendril whips up from the uneven ground and catches his knee while a toothy maw opens a few inches in front of his face. Getting his weapon up in time, he jams it into the mouth and wrestles it to the ground. As he strikes what he doubts is a killing blow, the vampire is dragged back and more shadowy projections wrap around his legs. He stretches back to hack at the tentacles while a pair of ivory eyes appear in the ceiling. The slit of a large mouth appears, but is driven away by several crossbow bolts that drip a numbing poison that has no effect on the demon. Taking advantage of the distraction, the dwarf frees himself with a single chop and rolls backwards to come up behind Archillious.
Rivalry (War of Nytefall Book 3) Page 25
