Rule 9 Academy Series Boxset: Books 3-5 Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy (Rule 9 Academy Box Sets (3 Book Series) 2)

by Elizabeth Rain

  I shoved a huge bite of waffle into my mouth and chewed, staring at his alarmed expression while I relished the sweet deliciousness with a long swallow of my second cup of coffee.

  “Yeah, probably. But she has a point, and the daughter as well. Odd duck, that one,” I admitted, shaking my fork in his direction.

  Over breakfast I’d shared my meeting with Elise and her crazy grown-up daughter that should have been less than a year old and instead was closer to nine. He hadn’t taken it well.

  “We left all that behind us in Wyndoor for a reason. We sealed the portal, I watched it happen. How did she even get here in the first place?”

  I shrugged, “Not sure myself. Another portal, I suppose. We should ask her, right?”

  “Wrong. We should avoid her crazy vampire ass like the plague.”

  “Don’t forget the daughter, she’s involved too.”

  Nick looked like he was gasping for air, his knife suspended in the air, forgotten. “And that’s just one more reason. Who does that? Grows that fast. That’s just weird. Probably affected her brain or something. Do we know if she’s all right in the head even?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Oh yeah. Nothing wrong with her faculties at all. But listen, I don’t think we can ignore this and before you say anything, do you really think I’m champing at the bit to spend my vacation chasing baddies again? No way. But what if they’re right? What if the crazed vampires make it across the dimension portal like she did? Can you imagine the damage an army of bloodthirsty, out-of-control vampires would do to Bitterroot and Rule 9 Academy.

  “We’re a town of Magicals and Other, but most are still civilians and unprepared for a fight…” I didn’t finish the sentence. I was confident I didn’t have to. Nick had been every place I had and like me, he’d seen the destruction evil could visit on the innocent.

  His mouth snapped shut and I knew he was grinding his teeth in frustration. He put his fork down and closed his eyes for a moment to compose himself. He seemed calmer when he opened them back up.

  “Well, now that you’ve shared your great next idea for getting us all killed, I have something for you. I didn’t think it really meant anything, and maybe it still doesn’t… but Fino Vas has been in town.”

  I frowned at the familiar name, trying to place it. “Who?”

  He growled and tore at the slice of bacon he’d picked up, attacking it furiously. “You remember. The vampire judge that sentenced Elise and her family to death? His real name is Fino Vas. He’s also the head of their Council. I overheard dad talking to mom. He’s in Seattle right now, and the council isn’t happy with him. I guess he just sentenced two more of his kind to death, and for minor offenses. Dad shared that the council isn’t real happy with Fino’s heavy-handed ways. Elise better watch her back. She might be free in Wyndoor, but here she’s still on death row if she’s caught.”

  I bit my lip. I remembered my conversation with Elise about him sneaking up the steps of The Commons at the academy. He was right. I wondered what that would mean for the daughter if they caught her.

  “Still, I don’t think we can afford to sit back and do nothing.”

  Nick shrugged. “I’m not eager to get involved either. Maybe we should tell my father. Let him deal with it with the weight of Rule 9 council behind him. I mean, they wouldn’t be real enthused about a bunch of marauding vamps in town either.”

  I scowled at him. “Stop passing the buck, Seul. I’m not ready to tell daddy Lucas yet. It may come to that later. First, I want to visit Jerry and see if he has any ideas for what could be causing the madness in Wyndoor. Maybe it can be reversed, you know through good old-fashioned science? Not everything has a Magical solution.”

  He grinned suddenly. “Sure it does. Sorcerer’s rule, Cross.”

  My dragon growled inside of me. My vision blurred and I felt my eyes change for a split second. Nick jumped and I smiled in satisfaction.

  “Well, I’m going to see him. You can do what you want and bow out if you feel it’s too much for you.” I offered, knowing his response before he blasted me with it.

  “And let you have all the fun? Why do you throw that gauntlet down every time?”

  I laughed and stabbed a bite with my fork. “Because you always pick it up,” I said around a mouthful of syrupy sweetness.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Emerald glanced in her mother’s direction as they emerged onto the path in front of the portal back into Wyndoor. She was pale and looking more worried than she remembered.

  “Momma, are you alright?”

  Elise glanced at her child and tried to smile. Memories of remembered fear ran through her mind. But it was only that, a memory. It hadn’t happened.

  With a sigh, Elise snatched Emerald close for a quick hug. “Nothing sweetheart. Let’s get back through. Eyes sharp now. We have no way of knowing what’s on the other side waiting for us to come through.

  Emerald turned towards the portal as Elise took her hand. “We should run.” Emerald reminded her.

  Elise rose one fine brow in confusion.

  “Don’t forget how we got here. That leap of faith goes two ways.” Before Elise could question what she meant, she was running down the hill and jumping straight out towards the lake. A sizzle and snap crackled in the air for a brief instant as she disappeared into thin air. Frowning, Elise followed.

  They came out on the other side, landing in a tangled heap only a couple feet from the drop off into the canyon. They were vampire’s. The fall wouldn’t kill them, probably. But it would wreck their world’s for quite some time. And that was something neither of them had much of.

  Elise got to her feet, pulling her daughter along with and dusting them both off. “Come on, I don’t like being in the open and exposed like this. Let’s see about getting back across the plains and to the woods again. Safer.”

  Emerald didn’t argue, instead they both took off at a ground-eating lope towards the dark shadows that seemed too far away against the horizon. It was early morning and the sun hadn’t been up for long. It should mean that most of the Juggat’s had retired to their dens and were sleeping as they were nocturnal. But Juggat’s weren’t the only monsters that lived in Wyndoor. There were others that could be equally deadly. It was smart to pay attention to one’s surroundings.

  Their luck held as they made the edge of the forest, crossing the plains with vampire speed and stealth in a matter of minutes. Elise heaved a sigh of relief as they took their bearings. Elise pulled a bottle of water and a couple strips of jerky wrapped in wax paper from her pocket, offering Elise a piece. She took it with a frown. It wouldn’t quench a vampire’s hunger, but it would buy them more time before they needed the real deal. Besides, it had only been a matter of days since they’d last eaten.

  “How long before we get back to grandpas?” Emerald asked. She had paid little attention on the way there the first time, everything passing in such a blur.

  Elise looked at the sun and responded, “Maybe three or four hours, barring any mishaps.”

  Emerald didn’t answer. She was looking back behind them the way they’d come with a slightly vacant stare.

  Her eyes cleared and she looked hard at her mother. “Right. We should get going now, then.”

  Elise didn’t ask questions. She took the lead along the trail that would take them back through the poisonous path in Jordan’s Spine. They moved slower than before, on foot rather than horseback. The sharp-edged thorns were no more forgiving this time than the last, ripping at tender skin and drawing blood until it ran in thin rivulets along their arms and the unprotected parts of their face. The thorny vines pulled at them and tried to hold them back, but they pushed on.

  From the front of the dense vine covered thicket along the trail up ahead, Elise could see light. “I think we’re almost out,” she said over her shoulder to her daughter.

  “We need to move faster,” was the flat response.

  Dread pooled in Elise’s stomach and despite the pain of the
pulling sharp branches, she quickened the pace.

  It was the whispering that came first. The movement of small bodies through the thicket on either side of them, worming their way in. Not Juggats. They wouldn’t dare enter the thicket. Despite their thick hides, the thick crush of vines that made up Jordan’s Spine held no allure for them. But smaller creatures navigated its treacherous innards. Animals that were small enough to worm their way through the labyrinth of spiked foliage. The distant chirps and chitters made Elise’s breath hitch with fear.

  A Weis pack. Usually they ran in herds upwards of thirty. Though not much bigger than a large house cat fully grown, their teeth were like needles and they had three inch claws that could gut a Juggat Dragon’s tender underbelly in one swipe. Their greatest power was in their numbers, and their ability to herd their prey into a trap.

  Emerald panted behind her. “Faster momma, we have to clear the thicket before they cut us off on the other end.” Elise wanted to shout back, but she didn’t want to waste her flagging breath. But what then? What were they going to do when they were out in the open and the Weis, as fast as a Vampire, simply ran them down? Especially Emerald, who was younger and hadn’t reached her full potential for speed and strength.

  The opening expanded in only fifty yards, but both could hear the Weis as they drilled through the underbrush, angling closer to the slight path that ran through its middle. Soon, they’d be on the same path behind them and their smaller bodies would prove the advantage in the tangled mess.

  Together they burst into the open. They were still in the woods, but the trail widened considerably here. Elise grabbed Emerald’s hand and gave her a tug, encouraging her to run faster as the sound of small pounding feet closed behind them. The sharp nails of the Weis cats made clacking sounds as they encountered the hard-packed earth and stones, scattering them along the way. They were closing in.

  Elise followed behind her daughter. Emerald reached up and putting her fingers to her lips gave a sharp whistle, the sound bouncing through the trees. Elise had no breath to ask her what she was doing.

  The roar when it approached from the west vibrated beneath their feet. Up ahead to their right, it looked like a storm was weaving through the trees as the branches bent and the trunks of smaller trees swayed. Elise tucked her head and pushed her daughter faster. The Weis were almost on them; she imagined she could feel their fetid breath on the back of her neck, preparing to take a bite. The tornado of wind that whirled past them created a welcome breeze. With it came the heavy smell of damp dog. But Elise had no more time to wonder at the oddity. With a scream they emerged into the open plain and they both whirled to make a stand. Elise came to a staggering halt, her breath heaving and her own vampire claws expanding. Her teeth grew and filled her mouth as a snarl issued from her soft lips.

  She froze in shock. The Weis were just—gone. The woods behind them looked like straight line winds had torn a hole in the forest, toppling saplings and tearing up the earth in an explosion of debris. But there were no Weis, every one of them had disappeared.

  Elise stood trembling, trying to process it all.

  “Momma, we should go.” Emerald spoke quietly behind her. When she turned, her daughter stood quietly holding the mane of her gelding, daisy. They had a ride.

  They doubled up, Emerald taking the front and holding onto Daisy’s thick mane. As they moved out, Emerald looked behind and gave another sharp whistle, different from the first.

  Elise vowed to ask her daughter what she’d missed at the first opportunity. But that time was not yet. They broke into a canter for Sarin Castle, Morei’s stronghold.

  #

  The first body lay draped half on—half off the stone bridge inside the cavern that led to the castle. Elise wondered how the vamp hadn’t succumbed to gravity and fallen into the abyss below. Maybe the amount of blood covering the corpse had helped glue it to the flat, rough stones that formed the bridge.

  It wasn’t the last one. Elise recognized a few residents from Wyndoor, their heads grossly separated from their bodies. A foolproof way to kill a vampire. She grimaced.

  “Off with their heads.” Emerald murmured. Elise cringed. She had such a sweet child.

  “We need to find grandfather.” Elise murmured. But she moved with more caution. The smell of so much blood thick in the air made her nervous. The bodies dotted the courtyard and occupied the halls and main floor. They left Daisy in the main courtyard as they looked around inside, and as they moved up the stairs, they heard him whinny in distress. Emerald’s mouth firmed, but she said nothing. Elise wasn’t ready to give up. There should be some sign of her grandfather. They hadn’t been close—not ever. But he was the only family she had left other than Ab’et and Jorta—and Emerald.

  In his bed chambers she found the remains of the maid and a young vampire named Morty. She remembered he’d been easy going and full of good humor. Now he was covered in blood and minus his noggin. To her it looked like he had died defending the young maid. She remembered he’d had a sweet spot for her.

  After a quick search of the upper levels, they returned to the bottom.

  A scream of anguish in the main courtyard made them freeze. It had sounded like a horse.

  Elise realized then just how dumb she’d been. She’d led her own daughter into a trap. As if they’d been cued, both girls watched as three vampires eased into view from the open door to the courtyard. Their eyes gleamed firebrick red, a crazed bloodlust in their eyes as they closed in. That she recognized them as some of her best friends and acquaintances from home didn’t matter. They didn’t remember her and she couldn’t let sentiment impede survival. Elise drew her knife. Beside her, Emerald drew her bow. Neither weapon would be effective against another vampire. The knife wasn’t big enough to decapitate them, and an arrow would only slow them down if it hit dead center in their heart. Neither would stop them permanently.

  The three vampires closed in, circling them with fangs gleaming, spittle dribbling off the edge of their chins as they narrowed the distance. Elise was wondering if she would have been better off taking her chances with Judge Fino Vas.

  They were almost on them when an enormous crash sounded behind. Elise and Emerald whirled as three burly vamps burst free from one of the closets Elise was sure they’d checked out earlier. Foolish though, to imagine the castle wasn’t riddled with secret passages and alternate routes of escape.

  Arret stepped into view and nodded in her direction and then towards the closet. “Go, run and don’t look back. We’ll hold them off as long as we can.”

  Emerald moved, but Elise hesitated. “What about grandfather?” she asked.

  He turned towards the nearest creature, ready to pounce. “Go, close and lock the passage behind you. He told me to remind you of who you need to see.” And then the vamps were attacking, claws tearing, jaws snapping for their necks to feed. Whatever afflicted them hadn’t abated. It seemed to be getting worse. A gurgling scream cut short as the door slammed behind them and the lock slid home.

  The passage tunneled for close to a mile beneath the earth, traveling deeper until they felt they were in the bowels of the earth. They reached water, the damp wetness seeping into their clothes and soaking them to the bone. Eventually they started to climb again. Their vampire vision was acute, but still they struggled to see bare inches in front of them, skirting rocky protrusions that would have landed a sizable concussion to a normal human.

  Elise wasn’t sure whether to celebrate or start panicking all over again when the faintest sliver of light wobbled into sight around the next corner, still a hundred yards more in the distance.

  They emerged into the bright sunlight of early afternoon, their eyes watering in the brightness. They were halfway around the side of hills that concealed the cavern system and Morei’s castle home. It seemed likely that he was dead, though she hadn’t seen his body.

  “What now, Momma?” Emerald asked, shivering and clutching her arms close to her body, cold despite the
warmth of the day.

  Elise pushed her damp hair back out of her face, clawed fingers slipping in the snarled strands. “We run, Emerald. Back the way we came to meet Sadie Cross. We’ve run out of options in Wyndoor...

  The general council filed in and took their seats one at a time. Mayor Seul watched them enter. Noting who was missing and who was present. Feather caught his eye and tipped her slim chin in his direction.

  Marcus Tannon likewise gave a sharp jerk of his head in acknowledgment. “Mayor. Good to see you.”

  Beside him, his wife sat. Wendy Seul didn’t touch her husband. Here their relationship differed from at home. Still, he could feel her unspoken support and he took comfort from her presence, his eyes moving over her slim straight shoulders and the ribbon of red silk that cascaded down her back.

  He looked at those that had not made eye contact. Carol Shamon sat with lips pinched, and fingers steepled in front of her, white knuckled with tension. Not that her demeanor was anything out of the ordinary. Lara Bing, one of their newest and youngest members, was more difficult to read, her expression inscrutable as she looked around the room, blond head nodding at the others.

  Lucas cleared his throat to gain everyone’s attention. The faster he covered the necessities of their Tuesday meeting, the quicker it would adjourn. He planned to get home to his wife’s meatloaf, cooking on low in the oven, with all the fixings he loved. His stomach gave a loud rumble and he slanted an apologetic glance the length of the table. Several titters and answering grumbles let him know it was past most of their supper times and the quicker this meeting finished, the better.

  “I’ll try to make this quick so we can get out of here, since we weren’t supposed to meet for the next couple of weeks. Most of you have vacations you are looking forward to enjoying, so I apologize for the inconvenience.” Several nods. He wouldn’t have called the meeting at all had he not felt it was necessary. He was no happier to be here than the rest.