“It’s easy enough to chalk these stories up as myths and legends,” Dorian said. “If you were a human who had never seen a vampire or a werewolf, would you really believe they were real? Based on a random story you heard in a pub once when you were travelling abroad?”
“Okay, but there’s still the issue of safety,” I said. “Even if these humans know about the things that go bump in the night, it doesn’t mean we should lead those things straight to their back doors.”
“You’d be surprised,” Dorian said. “With knowledge comes safety. There’s a local witch who lives here. She wards people’s homes. For a fee, of course. Anyone who lives on the perimeter of a graveyard will have seen things. And they’ll have taken the proper precautions.”
“Good enough for me,” Anastasia said with a sharp clap. She rubbed her hands together and smiled. “Time to trap some vamps. Bait, get into position.”
With a sigh, I gave a nod and moved to the center of the cemetery, waiting for a vampire to come and try to rip out my throat.
Chapter 18
Hours went by, and nothing happened. My feet were blocks of ice from standing out in the wintry wind, and I had to blow hot breath on my hands to keep them from curling into fleshy icicles. Stamping my feet, I turned in a slow circle and peered through the darkness. The moon had popped out from the dark clouds, and it highlighted the weathered headstones, and the fact that there were zero Nosferatu lurking in this place. Sunrise was only about an hour away, and so far, we’d come up totally empty on the fang collecting front.
“Guys, I don’t think any vampires are going to come. Maybe we should go. I’m starving, and I’m exhausted. I haven’t slept for days,” I called out across the graveyard. In response, a light popped on in one of the houses that lined the cemetery before a silhouette appeared behind a thin curtain. “And now I think we have an audience.”
Dorian slid into view from his spot behind one of the larger headstones. “I don’t understand. Last time I was here, the place was crawling with Nosferatu.”
“That was a long time ago, though, wasn’t it?” I asked. “I mean, you haven’t lived here in how long?”
“I’ve visited,” he said. “A year ago, I came to check up on things at the castle, and there were plenty of Nosferatu lurking around.”
“Where were they?” Anastasia asked. “Here? In this graveyard? Or somewhere else?”
“In this graveyard. Though…” Dorian trailed off and gave a nod. “I know where they are. Inside the crypts. Sometimes they go through periods where they spend months asleep in their coffins, building their energy back up for a next spree of attacks.”
The four of us slowly turned toward the cluster of crypts that we’d spent the past few hours mindlessly milling around, completely unaware that slumbering Nosferatu were among us.
“Yeah, that’s the kind of information I would have preferred to know when we first got here, dude,” Anastasia said, wrinkling her nose as she took a sniff in the direction of the crypts. “But now that you mention it, there’s a distinct rotting stench coming from the direction of those things. I didn’t notice it before because there’s a bunch of garlic hanging on the door, and that masked it.”
“Garlic?” Striding closer, I eyed the stone doors. Anastasia had been right. On each stone crypt door, a wreath of raw garlic had been hung on an iron rod. “What the fuck is that about?”
“It’ll be the people who live in this town,” Dorian said. “Like I said, they know how to take the proper precautions here.”
Laura strode closer to the crypts and leaned her ear against the solid stone. Frowning she said, “Think we can collect some fangs without waking them up?”
“Unlikely,” Anastasia said, “but if we’re fast enough, then we can do some stabby stabby before they realize what’s happening. They’ll likely scream, so we’ll need to split up and do it all at once, or else it’s just going to wake the others up. We each take a crypt.” She tossed me a sharp and pointed stick. “Open the coffin. Stab them in the heart. Easy peasy.”
“Sounds like you’ve done this before,” I said.
Anastasia shrugged. “Everyone in the Dogaru Clan has played vampire slayer at one point in time. In order to be a member of our family, we need to prove our worth. For us, that means taking out some of the demonic vampires. As much as it might surprise you, we don’t like them any more than you do.”
Anastasia never ceased to amaze me.
After she’d doled out the stakes, each of us moved to one of the crypts to take down the sleeping vampires. Once inside the dark enclosure, I stared at the wooden coffin that almost looked as though it had been shoved unceremoniously in the corner. Inside, I would find a sleeping Nosferatu, who had no idea the fate we were about to bring upon him. For a moment, I felt a pang of guilt. These creatures were evil, sure. And they existed without the slightest hint of humanity or soul. So, why should I feel this way about killing one? Especially when his teeth would be used to save humanity?
With a deep breath, I shook my head and threw open the coffin. Inside, a female Nosferatu slept with her arms crossed over her chest. Her long red hair cascaded around slender shoulders, and her full lips were painted a deep red, giving her the effect of a fiery goddess. In this state, she didn’t look demonic at all. She looked almost…normal.
The vampire opened her eyes and darted out her hand, snatching my wrist in her grip. She squeezed tight and pain flashed down my arm. Her fingernails were sharp enough to slice into my skin. Blood spilled onto her face.
Gritting my teeth, I yanked my wrist out of her hand and she rose from her coffin with a hiss. Her eyes were wild as they locked on the blood that had fallen around her. She’d been asleep for who knew how long, and she was hungry.
“Sorry,” I said as I threw all my weight behind my throw. The stake hit her square in the hart, and screams shook through the crypt. From outside, a half a dozen screams answered in respond as Dorian and my friends made their moves. The vampire began to crumple in on herself, her body folding like a deflated balloon. She shook and trembled, her screams falling into whispers as her demonic body turned to dust.
With a deep breath, I ripped her fangs from her mouth and shoved them into a bag. We’d gotten our weapons, but nothing about tonight felt victorious at all.
Chapter 19
“Laura and I will take the first patrol in and around the cemetery. That area of the city seems to be a hotspot for demonic activity,” I said to the crowd gathered in the coven headquarters. “There are a few other areas highlighted on the map, and I’ve listed assignments for the evening. Everyone is to go in pairs, and no one should wander off alone. If anyone runs into any trouble at all,” I said, holding up the cell phone, “call if you can. Send a text. Whatever it takes. I’ll alert the other teams on patrol, and we’ll come to you for backup.”
“But what about you? Who will you call if you and Laura run into trouble?”
“This is why Dorian and I are splitting up.” I gazed across the room at my partner. At first, I hadn’t wanted to go along with it. Splitting up with Dorian felt like tearing my heart in two. But I knew it was the right call. Out of everyone here, we were the most trained in combat, and we were the strongest fighters other than Anastasia. We’d make one hell of a team, but it wouldn’t be fair to everyone else. We needed to split up our firepower. “If we run into trouble, he’s our first point of call, and he’ll get everyone together.” Taking a deep breath, I gave my partner a nod. “Dorian? You’re up.”
Dorian gave me a grim smile and stepped into the center of the room. He held up the jar of Nosferatu fangs, some bloody and some not. Gasps punctuated the silence as he turned in a slow circle for everyone to see.
“Professor Ivan Wagner has developed a way for demons to become corporeal in our realm,” he said slowly. “This means that our usual banishment spells no longer work against them. However, since Nosferatu are demonic in origin, we’re able to use their venom in order to destro
y these creatures. We’ll pass these out. Each team takes a pair of fangs. If you come across a demon, you’ll need to get close enough to stab them with this.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” one of the mages murmured.
“This is why we need your help,” I said, levelling my gaze at the mage. “These are no normal demons, and we don’t know how many of them we’re up against now. It could be a handful, but Wagner could have gathered several hundred by this point. Luckily, he still seems intent on targeting Boston for now, so we don’t have a huge amount of ground to cover.”
The older mage who had saved me from Wagner’s minion lifted his hand in question. “Why do you think that is? If he has a hundred demons, why not go everywhere on this planet?”
“To be honest, we’re not completely sure.” I exchanged a glance with Dorian.
“We’re operating under the assumption that he wants to get rid of as many mages as he can,” Dorian said. “He could see the coven as a threat.”
“The Bone Coven?” the older mage frowned. “Why not start with Blood or Shadow then? They’re larger and much more dangerous than we are.”
“We’ll be sure to ask him when we have his head on a stake,” Anastasia said as she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. When several mages flicked nervous glances her way, she merely raised her eyebrows and laughed. “Oh, come on. Don’t be such tight-asses. I know we aren’t really going to put his head on a stake, though you can’t lie and say you don’t kind of want to. At least a little.”
“Continuing on,” I said as I cleared my throat and shot the vampire a look, “let’s all meet back here at sunrise, and we can compare notes. If you see anything out of the ordinary, investigate and keep a note of it. Because while we could spend every night of the rest of our lives patrolling for demons, the end game is to find and neutralize Ivan Wagner. Until he’s stopped, the demons will just keep coming.”
“You know, you’re pretty good at that,” Laura said as we strolled along the winding path of the cemetery. “The whole leading thing. Those mages back there are looking up to you.”
“Let’s not get carried away,” I said with a snort. “They’re not looking up to me. We’re just in a crappy situation, and there’s no one else who can take charge right now. As soon as this is all over, they’ll get a real Magister to sit at the head of the coven.”
“No, I’m serious, Zoe,” she said. “Don’t forget, Dorian is there, too. He’s been an Enforcer much longer. Plus, he’s a big muscly man. But while they respect him, they are definitely depending on you to get them through this. Don’t sell yourself short.”
I sighed and shrugged my hands into my coat pockets. “They would have been the same way toward anyone who had stepped up right now. They’re scared. Hell, I don’t blame them. I’m scared, too.”
“Maybe so,” she said. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re the one who stepped up. That means something to them, whether you want to admit it or not. When we make it to the other side of this whole thing, I wouldn’t be surprised if they voted to keep you as Magister.”
My stomach flipped and my heart beat harder. Right now, I wasn’t the true Magister. No one was. I might be sitting in Salvatore’s chair, but I hadn’t taken up the title, and I knew I never would. “I’m not a bone mage, Laura. That might be a plus right now when we need to battle demons, but it isn’t going to be a positive thing when it comes to leading the coven in day-to-day life. Old prejudices will crawl back in from the shadows, and they’ll want me gone. Not just from my place at headquarters but from the coven entirely.”
“Well, I hope you’re wrong,” she said, kicking at the stones we passed. “I like it all more mixed up. Bone mages and shadow mages merging with blood mages and Daywalkers. I don’t understand why we can’t all just get along.”
I pursed my lips. “Yeah, I bet you want us all to get along with the Daywalkers, particularly a specific Daywalker. Maybe one named Anastasia.”
“Hush.” Even in the darkness, I could see the reddening of Laura’s cheeks. “I’m not ready to go public with it yet.”
“No one can hear me,” I said with a smile. “Except the people in the ground. And maybe Belzus. He’s probably lurking somewhere nearby.”
Laura stopped suddenly, her back going straight and stiff. She grabbed the fangs that were hanging around her neck and sucked in a sharp breath, her entire body trembling.
“I’m just joking, Laura,” I said, frowning. “If the fae were here, he probably would have shown himself just so he could figure out a way to irritate me. He has a habit of doing that.”
“Not the fae.” She shook her head so hard that her long hair slapped her face. “There are some dark shadows up ahead. And they look a hell of a lot like demons.”
Frowning, I followed her gaze to the tree-line in the distance that rose up behind a cluster of crypts. Several dark shadows shifted behind them, tall and thick and flanked by wings. My heart flickered in my chest as my breath stilled. Those were demons, alright. Maybe four or five, though it was hard to tell from this distance.
“Text Dorian,” I said as I grabbed my weapon. “Tell him we have a group in the cemetery.” I glanced up at the sky. “Eastern side. Maybe half a mile from the crypt where we first faced the demons.”
“Got it,” she said, typing into her phone furiously. “Where are we going to wait for him?”
“We’re not waiting,” I said as I took off in the direction of the demons. “We need to get closer and make sure they don’t kill anyone until our backup arrives.”
“Get closer. Right.” Laura swallowed hard and shoved her phone into her back pocket. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“We won’t launch an attack,” I said. “I just want to see what they’re doing.”
And if Professor Ivan Wagner is anywhere nearby.
When we reached the tree line, Laura and I crouched down behind a cluster of thick brush. Four demons were up ahead, surrounding a crypt that looked at least a couple of centuries old. They wandered aimlessly around the clearing, like mindless zombies with nothing to hunt. What the hell were they doing?
Wagner was clearly involved, most likely controlling them from wherever he was currently hiding. Demons didn’t just stand around doing nothing. Could he be somewhere in the cemetery? That crypt, for instance? Maybe they weren’t doing nothing after all. They could be guarding the crypt and standing watch for Wagner in case anyone wandered through the cemetery.
A rustle sounded in the brush behind us, and my muscles tensed. A warning blared through my head as a familiar sense of dread pooled in my stomach. I’d been an idiot. This spelled trap no matter how you looked at it. Wagner had been watching, and he knew that Laura and I were headed into the cemetery. Alone and without backup. And he’d hoped to lure me in, playing me like a fiddle.
“Zoe Bennett,” a smooth and familiar voice said from behind me. I whirled to find Belzus standing in the shadows, his silhouette backdropped by the light of the moon. “As much as I wish you to rid my graveyard of these demons, you shouldn’t be here. Something doesn’t feel right in the air.”
“Ivan Wagner is trying to kill me,” I said matter-of-factly, as if we were discussing the weather or the latest episode of Game of Thrones. “He keeps setting traps and hoping I’ll walk into them.”
Belzus raised his eyebrows. “Is this another of his traps? Because it looks as though you are walking into it.”
“Not this time,” I said, flashing a glance at the demons. “Though I’m dying to know what’s in that crypt.”
“There’s a body in that crypt, just like all the others,” he said with a shrug. “Not really much of a mystery if you ask me.”
“So, he isn’t in there?” I asked. “Are you certain of this?”
“There are only dead men in this graveyard,” he said. “Other than you two and me, that is.” He cocked his head. “You look disappointed.”
“Well, we were hoping
that Wagner was in there,” I said. “That’s why we’re out here in the first place. We need to track him down and stop him from cutting more holes in the veil.”
“He is not in there,” Belzus said with a frown. “If you go into that crypt, I have a feeling that you will never make it out alive.”
“Well, so much for the theory that he has to be close to the demons in order to control them,” Laura muttered more to herself than to us.
“Oh no, that part is true,” Belzus said. “He cannot control them if he is far away. There is a small gate just on the other side of that hill. You can’t see it from here because it’s hidden by some thick bushes. He’s likely watching from there. If I were to guess, he was hoping you would come to your favorite Belzus-manned graveyard and that you would spot the demons lurking around.”
“So, he was waiting for me to go inside the crypt, and then he was going to trap me in there,” I said with a nod. “Not a bad plan.”
“I dare say it would have worked.” Belzus gave me a patronizing smile. “If I hadn’t shown up, that is.”
“You know, one day we’re going to have to have a chat about all these manipulative moves you keep making against me.”
“One day.” Belzus said. “But not today. For now, I suggest you go back to the safety of your coven. Until next time, Zoe Bennett.”
After Belzus disappeared into the darkness, I rolled my eyes and let out an irritated sigh. “As much as I hate to admit it, Belzus might be right. This is obviously a trap. We shouldn’t fall for it. Let’s alert backup not to go charging in, so we can come up with a better plan of attack.”
“Not so fast,” a voice rang out from the shadows. The witch who had attempted to assassinate me slid into view, her mouth wide in a Cheshire cat grin. And this time, she had a sword.
Chapter 20
Witch's Fury (The Bone Coven Chronicles Book 4) Page 9
