by F. J. Gale
Unable to repress the agonizing pain in his chest any longer, Mathias collapsed. He gazed at where she had been and where she no longer was. The one consistent person in his very long existence had perished. Tears filled his eyes and he sobbed as he lay immobile on the cold, muddied ground. Exhausted and alone.
***
Mathias! Mathias! Wake up! Mathias!
A voice thundered through his subconscious, urging him to awaken. It was persistent. Merciless. It wouldn’t take no for an answer. He had to wake up.
His eyes snapped open.
“Good. You’re awake. Daylight's coming!”
Mathias fought to see through blurred vision, his senses dulled. His body was spent. He was severely wounded, and beyond exhausted.
He felt arms around him. Someone was lifting him up, carrying him away.
“General?” he choked out.
“Hold steady,” was the brief response.
He felt himself being lowered onto a hard surface and then being pulled inside to a dark place.
“This will protect you from the light until we reach the base,” the General mumbled, covering Mathias with a couple of heavy blankets. He started to move away, but Mathias gripped his arm. His grip was weak, startling the General.
“Where…what is…happening…?”
“You’re in the back of Luke’s truck. When you didn’t return to the base, your army became concerned. Daylight was too close for them to search for you, so I did.”
“You’re saving me?”
“Get some rest,” the General answered.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
“My son!” Silas bellowed, his voice echoing through the throne room with such ferocity that it caused the candelabras to shake. His security guards stationed around the room couldn’t suppress a shudder of fear.
He studied the muddied, beaten figure of Tanya kneeling before his throne. The air moved and a fraction of a second later he was upon her. She gasped from the surprise of it. He gripped her neck and held her off her feet.
“You let him die? He was the heir to my throne, my second in command, and you let him die?”
“He raised the stakes, wanted to kill them,” she choked out. “She’s strong.”
“She? The Hunter killed him, not Mathias?” he asked with surprise.
“Yes, Sire. I had just come to after she’d knocked me out and I saw Arthur about to kill Mathias and that was when she…”
“When she what?” He shook her roughly.
Tanya gulped and looked away. “She ran them through with a tree branch.”
“Them?”
“Mathias and Arthur. Arthur took it in his heart and Mathias in his chest, but not his heart.”
“Mathias still lives?”
She nodded frantically.
As he took that in, distracted, he dropped Tanya and she crumpled to the floor. He walked back to his throne.
“My Lord,” she rasped, “I will kill her for you.”
“There is no need. She will be close to death after taking my son’s life.”
“What?” she dared to ask as she shakily climbed to her feet.
Silas sank into his throne, highly agitated and barely managing to rein in his temper. “The Hunter is linked to me and all those who I sire. Killing Arthur will have almost killed her. There is no honor in my killing a weak opponent.”
“What about retribution?”
“All in good time, my dear.”
She wondered what he meant.
“He will come to me.” And, I will be ready. “Now leave me,” he ordered. “All of you!” he added, when only Tanya started for the doors.
As soon as they had left he buried his face in his hands. My son. My son.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Mathias awoke groggy. He could feel that it was daytime. That added an extra element of fatigue to his already exhausted state. His head was fuzzy and it took him longer than normal to ascertain his surroundings. Painkillers. Dammit. He hated medications violating his body. They interfered with his normal state and, because his heart was a dead organ and didn’t pump his blood, it took a long while for drugs to leave his system. He eased himself up to a seated position in the familiar bed. He was in his former chambers at Eternus’ base.
He felt an uncomfortable pull within his chest. Stitches. He looked down to see a wealth of bandages encircling his chest, constricting his movements. He gazed around the room. Heavy black drapes covered the window off to the right of the room. The carpeted floors matched the drapes. The white walls were covered with medieval paintings and tapestries depicting Eternus’ great victories. He eased himself onto the edge of the four-poster bed that took up most of the room. He pushed one of the velvety curtains hanging from the bed aside and struggled to his feet. His body hurt. He gripped the ivory bookcases hugging the wall for support as he made his way to the double doors.
His journey was interrupted when the doors opening slowly. Luke peered into the room, trying his damnedest not to make a sound, which was a strange thing for a vampire to make an effort about, since it was an innate skill. Suddenly he caught sight of Mathias clutching a bookcase just opposite the door.
“You’re up.”
“Why are you tiptoeing about?” Mathias asked, perplexed and amused at the same time.
“Because you're a notoriously light sleeper.”
“What?”
“You once awoke from a nap and, a fraction of a second later, killed an intruder who had barely even reached the front door of your estate.”
Mathias grinned. “You should have seen the look on his face.”
“So you can understand my caution.”
“I wasn’t pumped full of drugs then.” Mathias shook his head with disapproval.
“Not my doing. Jax wanted to keep you asleep as long as possible so that you’d recover faster.”
“How long have I been out?”
“Three days.”
A ridiculous amount of time. There was so much to do. How could they have forced him to sleep for that long? The painkillers had induced a coma-like state making him sleep. He saw Luke tense as he waited for Mathias' characteristic harsh reprimand. But he couldn’t think clearly while one overwhelming thought was consuming him.
“I’m hungry,” he announced, unable to suppress a throaty growl as he uttered the words.
“I figured. That’s why I brought this.” He held up a four-liter bottle of blood.
Mathias staggered towards him and snatched the bottle out of Luke’s hands. He hurriedly screwed off the top. He sniffed it and paused, then glanced at Luke. “It’s human.”
“You need human blood to regain your strength,” Luke insisted.
“Where did you get this? We have an agreement; no feeding on humans until they stop hunting us.”
“Eternus has a supply of willing human’s blood. Sex for blood, you know?”
“I remember.”
“Drink,” Luke encouraged.
Mathias let the demon take him. His fangs tore through the bottle's narrow opening, ripping it wider so he could consume the blood faster.
Luke watched with relief as Mathias downed the blood with an unrestrained feral appetite, the result of not feeding for several days. In seconds the bottle was drained dry, devoid of every drop. He watched Mathias' demon face retreat as he released a satisfied sigh.
Mathias licked his lips clean. “Much better. Thanks.”
“Why don’t you rest until dark?”
Mathias shook his head. “We have a war to prepare for.”
“The base is asleep, Mathias.”
“Take me to The Hunter.”
Luke broke eye contact and tried to look anywhere but at his boss.
“I asked you to protect her. Did the General not deliver my message clearly?” Mathias demanded, feeling a sudden fear take hold of him.
“I did, despite you deciding to send her—a human—to a base housing a vampire army.”
“There was no other choice. She killed Arthur.”
“I know. Don’t worry, we all saw your mark on her,” Luke said, unable to hide the distaste in his voice. “What are you doing with her? Please tell me it was just a taste borne out of curiosity.”
“It wasn’t.”
“The Hunter, Mathias? Eternus’ respect for you is the only thing keeping her safe here. She's our enemy, your enemy.”
“The battle lines have been redrawn.”
“Because of your personal feelings? That is not the Mathias I know. Nothing has ever usurped the stakes of war for you.”
“She is the key to stopping Silas. She possesses our strength, but none of our weaknesses, Luke. There's no one in existence like her. There is no stronger ally!”
Luke was reassured. Mathias cared for her, but the coming war transcended that for him. His priority was still taking out Silas.
“Oh, I see,” he responded sheepishly. “Jax was able to make her comfortable, but—”
“But what?” he demanded, his fear resurfacing.
“She’s not...healing.”
“Take me to her and summon Jax to her room. Now!”
***
Mathias stood outside the room isolated at the very top of the fortress that was Eternus’ base. He hesitated briefly and then opened the door. He closed it behind him quickly. This was much smaller than his, just about managing to fit the tiny twin mattress that Jenna lay on by the boarded up window. There was a door that led to a small bathroom off to the left. And that was it. They had put her in the least luxurious room of the entire base. But it was also the most isolated, which was a necessity, given the fact that she was a human in a place full of vampire soldiers. Removing the temptation was the most effective form of protection.
As he approached, he saw she was awake, her eyes half-open. Weak.
“Jenna,” he spoke softly.
She winced as she turned her head to look at him. A relieved smile spread across her lips.
He climbed onto the bed beside her and took her hand in his, kissing it tenderly.
“Sorry I ran you through with a branch. It was all I could think of in that split second.”
“It’s okay,” he assured her. “I’m almost completely healed now.”
“I couldn’t let you die.”
Mathias smiled warmly and started to stroke her hair gently.
“How are you?” he asked.
“Fine. Just tired.”
He forced a smile. She was a convincing liar, but he knew better.
“Jenna,” he pressed.
But before anything more could be said, the door opened and Luke strode in, followed by Jax.
Mathias snatched his hand from Jenna’s and quickly stood up.
Jax barreled towards Mathias and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. He glanced back and forth between Mathias and Luke, clearing his throat to compose himself. “Glad the General hauled you back here. You seem better. I mean, you definitely need a shower—or two—but all in all you look like yourself again.”
“I missed you, too,” Mathias admitted.
Mathias shot him a discreet glance and Jax nodded. He approached the bed and studied Jenna.
“Luke, I'll see you and Valta at nightfall,” Mathias said.
Luke was a little confused. Why was he being asked to leave? He was Mathias’ right hand man.
Mathias picked up on his confusion. “Your presence unnerves her.”
“Of course,” he said, accepting Mathias’ explanation. It was a half-truth. Luke didn’t like Jenna and still saw her as an enemy, despite Mathias’ insistence that she was not. Of course, Mathias doubted that Jenna gave a crap about Luke being in the room.
Once Luke had closed the door behind him, Mathias pulled Jax into the bathroom, out of Jenna’s earshot.
“Luke told me some unsavory things,” Mathias said, hoping that Jax would dispute them, or at least offer a possible solution.
“All truths,” Jax admitted.
“She must take on Silas for the Sorceress to honor our new agreement.”
“Silas? She’d be lucky to best a newbie vamp in her current state.”
“Then help her.”
“I’ve tried anything and everything, my friend. Believe me; I don’t want her to die either. I know how much she means to you. This magic is beyond me. Aside from the Sorceress, the only person powerful enough to be able to help is Alna.”
“She’s dead.”
“What? That wasn’t reported by the General.”
“He wasn’t there to witness it. He didn’t have confirmation to report anything.”
“You’re sure? You know Alna.”
“I watched her engulf herself with her own magic, Jax. Unless her power can transcend life and death, it’s fair to say that she’s gone.”
“Well—”
“Only the Sorceress has that kind of power.”
“Alna was never that far off. Perhaps she touched it when she was battling Orion? Or, perhaps the change took her at the last moment and she became vampire.”
Vampire? She was extremely close to changing then. It could have happened. No! Stop it! She’s dead. Get a grip! Mathias struggled to push away the memory of Alna dying before his eyes. The more they spoke about it, the more he recalled it. And Jax offering up false hope that she somehow hadn’t perished was too much to bear. “She’s dead, Jax! Dead!” he found himself yelling.
Jax held up his hands and took a step back. “All right.”
“I’m sorry.” Mathias apologized. “It’s just hard to talk about.”
Jax laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Listen, you don’t have a lot of time until nightfall, before the whole base wakes up. Spend it with Jenna.” While you can. “I'll keep Luke occupied.”
Mathias thanked him. He followed Jax to the door and locked it after him. He climbed into bed with Jenna and gently pulled her into his embrace. Her body was so weak and he could barely feel her pulse.
“Thank you for saving my life,” he whispered in her ear.
“I don’t want you to see me like this,” she said, trying to push him away.
“Like what?”
“Weak.” She struggled feebly to break free.
He released her and climbed off the bed, watching her efforts to get up. Instinctively, he started to help her but she held up a hand for him to stay back. He watched her grip the mattress for support. She drew in a couple of sharp breaths as she fought against her body’s desire to yield to weakness.
“You said you would teach me,” she rasped.
“Teach you?”
“To take down Silas. You said it would require an approach different than my usual one.”
“Jenna…I can’t.”
“This is your fault!” she yelled.
“Because you were forced to kill Arthur?”
“No. That was my choice. I’m glad I took him out. I meant my not being able to accept that I’m dying. I had prepared for this moment for years. I was at peace with it. Until we met. But now all I hear is your voice in my head, telling me to see this through, that death in this war may not be my fate. Now, I'm fighting to stay alive, so don’t go back on all that hope you exposed. Tell me how to beat him.”
Mathias was startled. He wanted to humor her, but he knew he couldn’t allow her to fight in the final battle now. He looked at her sadly. “I can’t clear you for battle.”
“I'm not a soldier of Eternus. You have no authority over me when it comes to battle.”
“I’m your Guide. You're my responsibility.”
Her fists clenched. “I’m no one’s responsibility, Mathias. I’m not a fragile little woman. I’m a warrior.”
“I know. Your strength rivaled mine. But...now...you’re too weak, my darling.”
Their eyes met and she absorbed this harsh reality. She looked away and leaned over the bed, burying her face in her hands in an eff
ort to hide her emotion from him. Emotion was nothing but weakness in her eyes.
“I can tell you how I imagined it,” he offered, crossing to her and caressing her back.
“Okay,” she mumbled into the mattress.
He sat beside her. “First off, with Silas, it’s all about age-old tactics. He respects the classics, but he rarely expects his opponents to entertain that form of battle, making it a sure-fire way to catch him off guard. He knows his opponents’ weaknesses better than they know their own. Yours are two-fold; your defense is naturally weak, because you're mortal, and you're reckless.” He paused when she lifted her head and rolled her tear-filled eyes at him. He gently wiped the tears away and laughed at the expression on her face. “Whether you choose to admit it or not, knowing your weaknesses means he can easily predict your approach in battle. So, we would have worked on changing your approach. Silas’ greatest weakness is his temper….”
He continued to impart his wisdom of battling Silas to her. But even as he did, he couldn’t completely suppress his worry at losing such a powerful ally. The fact that she could no longer go to war alongside Eternus was a huge blow to his strategy. Just knowing that if he returned victorious from battle she would not be with them anymore nagged at him furiously, even as he tried to keep things light-hearted for her benefit.
They had been so close, but now all that was lost. She would die.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
“Are they ready?” Mathias asked Valta as the two stood outside the huge dining hall where the entire army had been ordered to convene.
“Yes.”
“Good. The sun has only just descended. It’s an hour to Silas’ estate. We march tonight.” For any other army, at least three to four hours would be required to get there, but not a vampire army. Not Eternus.
“Immortalia outnumbers us, Mathias.”
