Atlantis: The Beginning (The Atlantis Saga Book 1)

by A. Royden D'souza

  I was a monster who drank the blood of monsters. But I did not care. All I cared about is getting my parents back and killing Viktor.

  ''Let's go!'', said Lucas, giving me a nervous glance. ''The rest of them must be nearby''.

  I wiped my lips, before jumping back on my saddle. I grabbed the reins and urged my horse forward.

  ''Scar, you know vampires are not supposed to drink vampire blood, right?'', asked Alice, as we rode behind the lycans.

  ''Yeah, I know'', I said, ''but I couldn't stop myself''.

  ''You must be one of a kind. Maybe it's because you are part human'', she said thoughtfully.

  ''Alice, they are near. Probably half a mile ahead'', I warned. ''Be ready''.

  The pack stopped at the edge of the forest. I was able to hear the sound of wagons just beyond the trees.

  ''You know what to do'', said Lucas, addressing the company. ''If there are any captives, free them. Kill the soldiers and bring back the supplies''.

  The lycans started morphing. Tremors passed along their spines and their faces elongated into snouts, as hair sprouted all over their body.

  Lucas was the biggest werewolf, with his brown colored fur. He was bigger than my horse. He raised his maw to the sky and howled. The rest of the werewolves answered the cry. The air trembled with their howls as they charged.

  I nodded at Alice and spurred my horse forward. The warhorse broke into a trot, slowly gaining speed, almost keeping up with the wolves. Alice was right behind me.

  The wind whipped at my face as Blackflame galloped towards the enemy. I was charged with anticipation and excitement.

  The Empire's soldiers were frozen in shock. We had taken them by surprise. I spurred my stallion directly towards the group of vampires at the back of the convoy.

  They raised their weapons, baring their fangs at me. I slashed off two of their heads, before I pulled on the reins. Blackflame neighed nervously and reared, pawing at the ground.

  I jumped down from the saddle, just as a vampire charged towards me. I lunged forward, slashing with my sword, but the vampire parried the blow.

  He raised his sword and struck at my breastplate. I ducked and caught his wrist, twisting it till he dropped the blade.

  I grabbed his shoulder and sank my fangs into his neck. He convulsed for a moment before he went limp. I ran my tongue over my lips and snarled. The other vampires staggered back in horror.

  ''Who's next?'', I snarled.

  I picked up the body and hurled it at the vampires. They scattered, breaking their group. I slashed off one of their heads, before driving my blade through the chest of another. Both disintegrated on the spot.

  I saw Alice a few yards away from me. She was fighting three soldiers at once. She seemed to be doing well. She was fending off their attacks with her back to the wagon. A russet werewolf came to her aid, bringing down one of the soldiers.

  I sensed a vampire charging towards me from behind. I ducked and his spear just missed my head. I grabbed the shaft and thrust my sword at his ankle. He howled in pain, sinking to the ground.

  The rest of them charged at the same time, waving their weapons. I could sense their fear. I braced myself, gripping Shadowfang firmly in my hand. Just as the first soldier approached, I struck his shoulder, cutting right through his chain mail.

  The remaining three spread out, coming at me in different directions. I grabbed one of their spears and parried the blow of the second one, but the third vampire was fast.

  I screamed in pain as I felt the spear pierce right through my leather armor.

  I slashed through the arm of the vampire who's spear I was holding. He fell on the ground, clutching the stump, before he started disintegrating.

  The one who had stabbed me was trying to pull out the spear from my back. I whirled around and drove my blade through his throat.

  Before I could draw back my sword, the second vampire swung his blade. I let go of my sword and blocked his blade with my arm guard, but it pierced right through the mail. I ignored the sharp pain and grabbed his sword with my gloves, snapping it in half.

  ''AAARRRGGGHHH...'', I groaned, as I pulled out the spear from my chest. I threw it aside and lunged at the still standing vampire, sinking my fangs into his neck. I felt my wounds closing as I fed on the vampire's blood. Power coursed through my veins, reviving me completely.

  I looked over at Alice. She was completely surrounded and the wolves were occupied in their own fights.

  I grabbed my sword and called Blackflame. The stallion came galloping towards me. I grabbed the reins and hoisted myself onto the saddle, before urging him towards Alice.

  I gripped Shadowfang in my hand as the war horse charged towards the soldiers. At least these were just human.

  As soon as we reached her, I pressed my shoes against Blackflame's side. The horse reared, burying its iron shod hooves into the back of a soldier.

  His armor caved in and he collapsed to the ground, his bones crushing under the weight of the warhorse.

  I jumped into their midst, sinking my fangs into anyone who came in my way. Rest of the soldiers scattered, but before they could escape, the werewolves bore down on them, tearing them to pieces.

  ''Are you alright?'', I asked Alice.

  ''You are the one who got stabbed'', she said, rolling her eyes.

  ''You saw that, huh?'', I grinned.

  ''I am not going to forget that soon'', she said, imitating me, clutching an imaginary spear at her chest, with a shocked expression her face.

  ''There are still some soldiers left'', I said, mounting my horse. ''Let us see who defeats more of them''.

  ''I am right behind you'', she said, giving me an evil smile.

  With that, we charged into the melee, slashing through the soldiers who were not being mauled by the werewolves.

  As soon as all the soldiers were dead, Lucas ordered the lycans to burn the bodies.

  Some of the wagons were closed, with only a small window at the side. I heard the sound of loud breathing coming from inside. The back doors of the carriage were locked. I snapped off the chains and opened the door.

  At the back of the carriage, there were around a dozen civilians huddled together. They looked at me with fear in their eyes.

  ''Lucas, you might want to see this'', I called.

  He was not surprised to see the captives. ''Probably fodder for the vampire soldiers at the base. They used to take only criminals before. Now they have even started abducting the civilians'', he said, grimacing in distaste.

  ''Free the captives!'', he shouted to the rest of his pack.

  Two lycans were dead, Vossen and Aron, who had been stabbed with a silver sword through their hearts. They were buried in the forest, beneath a huge oak. The rest of the bodies were gathered into a mound and burned.

  The townspeople informed him that some of the soldiers had remained in Ithacus, so Lucas picked ten lycans from his pack to take back the town.

  ''The rest of you, take the wagons back to Lycaonia'', he ordered. ''We will catch up with you in a couple of days''.

  ''We will come with you'', I told Lucas.

  ''Are you sure?'', he asked. ''It is going to be dangerous''.

  ''We are Hunters'', said Alice, rolling her eyes.

  ''Alright'', he shrugged.

  The thirteen of us headed towards Ithacus, along with the civilians. Lucas asked them about the attacks on their town.

  They told him that the soldiers had arrived some five days back. They had killed all the guards and taken their resources, along with the captives. They had threatened to burn the town if they resisted.

  ''According to them, there are less than fifty of them in Ithacus'', said Lucas. ''Be careful though, there might be vampires too''.

  ''Lucky we have a vampire hunter with us'', whispered Alice, winking at me.

  ''How many did you get?'', I asked.

  ''Eight. You?''.

  ''Ten'', I grinned.

  ''Damn it'', she swore. ''Not to
worry, there are still more in Ithacus''.

  By the time we reached Ithacus, it was already past midnight. Lucas ordered the lycans to set up camp at the outskirts, under the cover of trees.

  ''Get some rest, we will attack at dawn. I do not want any more casualties''.

  The lycans obeyed him without question. The battle could have been over within an hour, but he did not want to take any chances.

  The lycans were tired. Even the civilians camped with us, since they couldn't sneak back into town without alerting the soldiers.

  ''I am sorry about Vossen and Aron''.

  ''It's alright. They died in a battle. That is what they wanted'', said Lucas. ''You two get some rest''.

  I nodded, before spreading my bedroll on the ground. I slumped down, leaning against my backpack. I tucked Shadowfang under my bedroll.

  I heard Blackflame pawing at the ground. I had tethered him nearby, beside a stream. Alice was already asleep, snoring peacefully.

  Wait a minute! Alice never snored. She was faking sleep, which meant she was up to something. I lay back and closed my eyes.

  After a while, I sensed a movement in her direction. I slowly opened my eyes. She was stealthily walking towards the spot where we had tethered our stallions.

  I waited for a few moments before I grabbed my sword and started following her.

  She took her armor from Graybolt's saddlebag and started wearing it without making any sound. She jammed her head into a helm and lowered the visor. She fumbled in the bag till she found a dagger, which she strapped to her belt and started walking in the direction of the town.

  She kept to the shadows, as she crept towards the wall. Once she reached the barricade, she slowly edged towards the lone sentinel, who was standing guard at the gate.

  She crept up behind him and grabbed his shoulder. I saw a flash of steel and the next moment, the guard was lying on the ground with his neck slit open.

  ''What are you doing, Alice?'', I muttered to myself.

  I was still staring with my jaw hanging open, when I realized that she was trying to kill all the soldiers by herself. Typical of Alice. I sighed in exasperation and dashed towards her.

  I kept my distance, following a few paces behind. She crept towards the large building down the street, which the soldiers had turned into their temporary base. It looked like an inn.

  She crept into an alley beside the building and climbed in through a window. I was able to hear raucous laughter coming from inside, and a foul stench of alcohol hung in the air.

  I peered in and saw that all the soldiers were focused on a spectacle occurring at the front. A drunk soldier was harassing a woman, trying to pull her clothes, and another was beating a civilian, who was probably the innkeeper and the woman's husband.

  There were at least thirty of them in the lounge. There was no way she could take down all these soldiers.

  Alice was fuming. She pulled out her sword and stabbed one of them in the back. As he crashed to the floor, all the attention was diverted to her.

  It was a moment before they recovered from their shock and started reaching for their weapons. I jumped inside and snarled, baring my fangs. The ones who were standing near the window, staggered back in fear.

  ''Scarlett! What are you doing here?'', asked Alice, her eyes narrowing.

  ''I was feeling a little thirsty, so I came here for a drink'', I replied, winking at her.

  ''Kill them!'', shouted their leader.

  Alice gripped her sword in one hand and the dagger in other. The soldiers charged at us, brandishing their weapons. One of them swung at Alice, who easily parried the blow and slashed the dagger across his throat. He collapsed to the floor clutching his neck.

  The woman screamed and tried to run, but the drunk soldier slapped her across the face and she fell on the ground, sobbing.

  A feral snarl ripped from my throat as I lunged, sinking my fangs into the first on who got in my way. I fed on his blood, as it sharpened my senses, filling me with energy.

  I ran my tongue over my lips and grimaced at the soldiers, who stared at me in horror.

  They backed away, terrified. I drew my Shadowfang and charged, slashing and cutting through their armor.

  The innkeeper grabbed the woman's hand and dragged her outside, away from the melee.

  One of the soldiers tried to follow. The next moment, he was lying face down on the floor, with Alice's dagger protruding from the back of his head.

  As soon as we had killed all of Viktor's men in the lounge, we dashed out into the streets. Just when we were about to pursue the ones who were trying to escape, I heard a howl, followed by loud snarls.

  Suddenly, the air was filled terrified screams as the werewolves bore down on the escaping soldiers.

  ''Uh oh!'', muttered Alice, looking at the huge brown wolf loping towards us.

  The werewolf started morphing back into its human form.

  ''Are you two out of you minds?'', he scolded, glaring at us. ''There could have been vampires among them''.

  ''Scarlett started it'', said Alice, pointing at me.

  ''I don't care'', snapped Lucas. ''Now go back and get some sleep. We will take care of the rest''.

  ''Sorry'', I replied, throwing a murderous glance at Alice.

  She was still snickering under her breath, as we headed back towards the camp.

  ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

  11. The Lycan Council

  I was sitting by the docks, leaning against a tree and gazing at the boats moored nearby. The sound of water lapping against their sides was soothing.

  I had just come back from hunting in a forest nearby. Animal blood was not as pleasant as vampire blood or human blood, but I liked the hunt. It took my mind off the troubles.

  Even the Wolf King had appeared shocked when Lucas had told him about my craving for vampire blood. According to Julian, vampires only consumed human blood. He had never heard of someone like me.

  ''Maybe it's because you are a half human'', he had said, thoughtfully, but he was not sure.

  Alice had seen the whites of my eyes turn completely black when I had fed on that vampire. She was opposite of worried. She was actually thrilled that I could feed on vampires.

  ''You are the apex predator now. Soon, even vampires will tremble at the sound of your name'', she had said, winking at me.

  It had been six months since the pack had starting raiding the Empire's outposts. Almost all the cities south of Lycaonia had been freed from Viktor's rule.

  The lycans had taken over the bases at Rockden and Stonehall, thus strengthening the hold of Lycaonia over the south.

  Stonearm had taken command of the base at Westerport, along with one of the Alphas.

  Scouts had reported that the Empire's soldiers had gathered at Whitebridge. A temporary command base had been built at Feon, and the Wolf lord, Alistair Talbot had been stationed there, from where he commanded the forces of Lycaonia.

  I jerked back to the present when I heard someone cussing, a few paces down the bank.

  An old woman was trying to lift a bucket of water. I rose to my feet and went towards her.

  ''Let me help you. I am headed towards the city anyway'', I said, offering to carry it for her.

  ''You are so kind, my child'', she said, giving me a gentle smile.

  Her skin was wrinkled and her hair was almost gray, with a few streaks of reddish brown in between. She was hunched and looked very old.

  We set out towards her house, which I assumed was outside the city. She walked beside me, holding my arm.

  ''You remind me so much of my daughter. She had your red hair'', said the old woman, in a sad voice.

  ''What happened to her?'', I asked.

  ''I wish I knew'', she sighed. ''She was slightly older than you are now. She went out one day and never came back. We searched everywhere, but we never found her and I never saw her again'', she said, her voice cracking up. ''My only child'', she sobbed, raising her sleeves to brush off the tears.
<
br />   ''I am very sorry'', I said.

  ''It is alright'', she said, regaining her composure. ''That is my house'', she pointed at a small cottage. ''Do you want to come in?''.

  ''No, It is getting late and I have to be inside before sundown'', I said.

  She thanked me again, as I turned to leave.

  ''May good fortune be always with you, child'', she said, smiling.

  I returned the smile, before heading back towards the city.

  Tomorrow was the Eclipse. All the alphas had been summoned to the Wolf Capital for the Lycan Council. The war had begun and I was not ready, but I had to fight. At least for my family.

  The standards on the ramparts flapped in the wind as I walked towards the gates. I could see the sentinels patrolling the battlements. Scouts and travelers passed by. Even a couple of werewolves darted past me towards the citadel. Probably messengers from the south.

  I saw Alice walking towards me. She was waving her hand trying to get my attention.

  ''What are you doing here?'', I asked.

  ''I was looking for you'', she replied. ''Anyway, I am hungry. I have to eat before I return to the citadel'', she said, grabbing my arm and dragging me towards an old tavern.

  It was almost full. I looked around and spotted Julian sitting in the corner. He was leaning over a mug of ale.

  We went over to his table. He looked up at us in surprise.

  ''What are you two doing here?'', he asked.

  ''I could ask you the same question'', replied Alice.

  ''I came back with the Wolf Lord'', he said, ''to attend the Lycan Council''.

  ''So who is in charge of the forces?'', I asked.

  ''Alistair has appointed Cora Talbot as a temporary commander at Feon''.

  Alice went to get her food. She returned a moment later, carrying a plate laden with a roast duck and a mug of ale.

  ''Have you tried eating normal food?'', asked Julian, looking at me.

  ''Yes, but it doesn't taste as good as before. Even animal blood barely sates the thirst''.

  ''What about control?''.

  ''I don't have a problem with that, as long as I am not thirsty''.