by TJ Green
“I agree,” Avery said, meeting his worried gaze.
Briar looked at the crowded streets with sorrow. “Maybe that’s one positive thing to take from tonight.”
“What did Genevieve say?” Reuben asked, glancing over his shoulder. Avery had phoned her before they left.
“She agreed that they’re unlikely to turn from their injuries, but she can’t help us tonight. I told her that was okay and that Caspian will help.”
For the past few days Avery had kept her up to date with their findings, and Genevieve had been coordinating with the older witches, too. But so far, she hadn’t had much to share.
“I’m going to park at the back of the marina,” Reuben said as he slowed down to navigate the lights. “This is where Newton said the last body was found.”
Newton had left a good half an hour before them, as they had needed to gather equipment.
“I wish the shifters were still here,” Alex said, twisting to look out of the window. “If anyone could sniff out a vampire, it would be them. It might give us the upper hand.”
Avery glanced at Briar, who returned her glance slightly sheepishly and said to the group, “Hunter is going to come and visit after Christmas, but I could see if he’s free before.”
El leaned forward to look at her. “Really? That’s great! You kept that quiet.”
“There’s not much to say,” she said nonchalantly, but looking pleased.
“Sounds bloody brilliant,” Reuben said as he parked. “I like Hunter. If you can ask him to come, why not?”
Briar nodded. “I’ll call him tomorrow.”
They all exited the car and clustered around the boot, each of them taking a stake, and Reuben pulled out a large water gun loaded with holy water.
El stared in disbelief. “I cannot believe you’ve got that.”
“You’ll be glad when it works. I think I should get you all one.”
“Give them to the ghost-hunters. I’ll stick to my sword, thanks,” El answered as she patted the scabbard that hung at her side.
“Good idea,” Reuben said, slamming the boot shut. “I spot Caspian, over there on the corner.”
Caspian’s tall, distinctive profile was highlighted against the streetlights, his shoulders hunched against the cold.
They crossed the road to join him, Avery calling, “Caspian, thanks for helping.”
He looked pale. “This is bad news for all of us. Unfortunately, my family is out of town on business, so it’s just me.”
“Six are better than five,” Reuben told him.
“Maybe. But our chances are better in the day. Tonight will be ugly.”
“It’s already ugly,” Briar said, looking at the police cars lined up along the road, their flashing lights garish.
Alex shouldered his backpack. “We should split up. We’ll cover more ground that way.”
“I’ll scope out the marina,” Caspian suggested, “or as much of it as I can get to.” He pointed to the uniformed officers patrolling the area. “They’ll be crawling all over this place for hours.”
“Which means the vampires will have moved on. It’s too bright and busy here now,” Avery put in. “They could be prowling the back streets of the main centre, or they could be in the harbour. There’s too much area to cover and not enough of us.”
Alex was eager to get moving. “We have to try. Me and Avery will head to the square by the harbour, all the main streets join that, and we’ll check out the smaller Clearwater Marina while we’re there. Briar, you search this marina with Caspian. El and Reuben can head to the harbour. We’ll check in with each other in thirty minutes.”
They separated, and Alex and Avery hurried down the dark streets, their stakes hidden in their backpacks. There were less people around once they left the quayside, and they were alert and watchful as they walked.
“This is insane,” Avery said. “I don’t know what we’re thinking.”
“We’re thinking that we don’t want any more people to die,” Alex answered.
Avery zipped her jacket closed, and wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck. She had decided to wear her leather jacket rather than her wool coat, but it wasn’t really keeping her warm. The night was clear and cold, the stars above bright pin pricks in the sky. She considered using the warming spell she had used before, but the brisk walk soon warmed her.
They entered the square and gasped. The square was surrounded on most sides by large, wooden buildings that contained shops and restaurants, the space in the centre reserved for bands, markets, and other gatherings. Tonight a Christmas Market was in full swing. Lights glowed and customers strolled through the narrow aisles between the stalls. She could hear a brass band playing somewhere, and delicious smells filled the air. Had they not been hunting vampires, Avery would have liked nothing better than to stroll and shop, but Alex pulled her to the edge of the market as if reading her mind. “No time for shopping, Ave. We’ll come back next week when we’re not in danger of being dinner.”
They walked to the less well-lit areas looking for anything unusual, and then on through the square to the streets on the far side where Harecombe Museum sat. It was quieter there, and Avery could hear the sea. They explored around the museum but again saw nothing suspicious, and headed towards Clearwater Marina. The entrance was secure but they passed through it, unlocking the gates easily with magic as they headed to the yachts bobbing on the water. Lights illuminated the area in patchy spots, and for a moment Avery stood silently, watching the shadows, hoping to see or hear something. However, all was still, other than the gentle lapping of the waves against the wall.
Alex waited behind her, staring at the wharf over the water, part of the main harbour. He called softly, and pointed. “Avery. I can see something moving along the quay. Over there.”
She ran to his side, and saw he was right. “Are you sure it’s not a dog?” The creature looked low down, but they were too far away to see details.
“It’s keeping to the shadows around the shipping containers. A dog or a cat wouldn’t care. We need to get over there.”
“We’d have to walk right around the quay, and by then we might have lost it,” Avery pointed out. “There’s no direct access from here. But I could fly us there.”
“Witch-flight?” Alex asked, glancing at her briefly, unwilling to take his eyes from the creature. “Can you take us both?”
Avery hesitated. She’d been practising a lot, and had no problems on her own now. She travelled without nausea or passing out, and had landed where she wanted to all the time. From here, she could see exactly where she was going, too. But could she manage Alex?
“I think I can. We should let the others know what we’ve seen before we go.” She pulled her phone out and called Briar first. “Have you found anything?” she started without preamble.
“Nothing,” Briar said. “We’ve seen Newton, discretely, but there’s nothing in this marina now. We had to break in around the back just to make sure.”
“Head to the harbour,” Avery instructed. “We think we’ve seen something. We’ll liaise when you arrive.” She described the spot as best she could, and then phoned El and Reuben, who should already be there.
“That wharf is big,” Alex said as she was waiting for El to answer, “and very secure. They might have had trouble getting in.” And then he paused, worried. “Shit. I can’t see it anymore. I think it’s moved further in. We have to go.”
Before Avery could respond, El answered, her voice low. “They’re here. We can see Bethany. She seems to be stalking a couple of dock workers.”
“We’re on our way,” Avery said, starting to panic. “We’ll find you, stay safe.”
“Alright we’ll—”
El’s voice broke off with a muffled cry, and the line went dead.
“Bollocks,” Avery said forcefully as she pocketed her phone. “Something’s happened. We need to go now. Hold on tight.”
Alex looked like he was going to protest, and the
n he hugged her close, pulling her so that her back rested against his chest as she gazed out across the dock. Avery tried to remain calm. This will be fine. Absolutely fine.
There was a rushing sensation as both she and Alex were swept up into a vortex of air. She was aware of his presence next to her, part of her almost, and then it was over and they landed next to a huge container, both falling into a heap as Alex dragged them both down.
Avery struggled out of his grip. “Alex! Are you all right?”
He lay on the floor, white and breathing heavily. “I feel as sick as a dog.”
Avery glanced around nervously, aware they should be running to find El, not crouched on the ground, vulnerable to attack. She grabbed Alex’s hand. “Can you stand?”
“Give me a minute.”
Sweat beaded on his forehead, and she knew exactly how he felt, but when Caspian had transported her before she had felt fine, and so had Briar on Samhain. She must be doing something wrong.
A scream broke the silence, making her skin crawl. “Alex! Get up!”
Alex dragged himself to his feet, and leaning on her arm, they ran as best they could down the dark passages between the stacked containers. Echoes of their footsteps reverberated around them, and when the scream came again, Avery froze at a junction, unsure of which way to go. It was a maze. Another shout resounded to their left, and they ran again, finally stumbling to a halt as they came upon carnage. A man lay on the ground ahead of them in a space formed on three sides by the containers, the fourth by the sea. Blood poured from his neck, and in front of him Bethany snarled, like a cat over its prey. El stood a short distance away, her sword raised and blazing with a fiery white light, while in her left she held a fireball. She hurled it at Bethany, who easily dodged it, leaping out of the way with inhuman speed, before running towards El.
El crouched, ready for the attack.
Alex turned to Avery, his voice low. “Bethany hasn’t seen us. Call Briar, and I’ll distract her.”
Before Avery could protest, Alex sent a force of white-hot energy at Bethany, which slammed into her back and smacked her against the side of one of the containers. Bethany slid onto the ground, dazed.
Avery called Briar, glancing around to make sure another vampire wasn’t close by.
Briar answered, “We heard a scream, where are you?”
“Over on the far side of the harbour, behind some containers and next to the sea. I’ll send up a witch light. Come as soon as you can.”
She hung up and sent half a dozen lights high into the air, not caring who else would see them at this moment. Hopefully the area was poorly staffed, although no doubt that scream would get someone’s attention.
Bethany was already rising to her feet, as if smashing into a container was nothing, and she raced at Alex. He and El sent more fireballs towards her, but she rolled with freaky agility, dodging all of them.
From her position in the shadows, Avery saw a coil of rope lying on the pavement. She lifted it with a gust of wind and hurled it at Bethany. The vampire didn't see it coming and it dropped on her, sending her sprawling.
Alex still looked pale, but he pulled a wooden stake out of his pack and ran towards Bethany; she didn’t stay down long enough. She threw the rope aside and leapt to her feet again.
Where was Reuben? Avery glanced around anxiously, and saw him crumpled against a wooden crate on the edge of the harbour, a large cut on his head. Just as she was considering how best to reach him, he struggled to his feet, and raised his ridiculous water cannon to his shoulder.
Bethany leapt at El, but she defended herself by slashing the vampire’s stomach with her sword. Unfortunately, it was as if Bethany hadn’t been stabbed at all. She side-stepped and snarled again. For the first time, Avery could see the vampire’s face clearly and her breath caught in her throat. Her skin was white, almost translucent—what she could see of it anyway, beneath the smears of blood over her chin and cheeks. Bethany’s eyes were dark pits, devoid of any humanity, and her jaw opened wide to reveal long canines that dripped with blood.
Before her courage faltered, Avery sent a blast of wind at the vampire that swept her up and pinned her to the side of the container. She extended her power, closing her hands like a vice, and the vampire struggled to break free. Reuben followed up with a blast of holy water that he enhanced with his magic, the water spreading like a fan. It hit her face and body, steaming and hissing as it bit into her skin. The vampire screamed and writhed, but still couldn’t break free of Avery’s grip.
Alex hurled the stake, and it arced through the air, his magic holding the aim true, but inches from its target another vampire leapt over the side of the container, moving so fast it was a blur of motion. It snatched the stake out of the air, landing on its feet with unnatural strength and grace. It turned to face the group, grimacing and snarling, its long teeth exposed.
There was a momentary pause in the fight as they all stopped in shock, assessing each other for the briefest of seconds.
It was the vampire from the other night, the older, male vampire. Tonight, the monster more closely resembled a human, dressed in a black shirt, trousers, and a three quarter-length coat. It was old-fashioned clothing, from a century or so ago at least, although the clothes themselves did not seem old or damaged. The vampire’s hair was dark, falling over its face, making its pallor more marked. Its skin was stretched across its skull like a cadaver, and its limbs looked equally thin, but with the strength of steel. It stalked up and down in front of Bethany, guarding her, and assessing them.
Avery’s hand was still outstretched, pinning Bethany to the container several metres above the ground. The old vampire focused on Avery, and she felt as if its cold, dark eyes penetrated her soul. For a moment, it felt as if time stood still, and then it hurled the stake at her. In order to protect herself, she raised her other hand to knock the stake away with magic, but the distraction was enough for her to lose her hold on Bethany, who dropped to the floor in a panther-like crouch.
Two of them. We can take two, she reassured herself. And then a third vampire entered the fight, slipping out of the shadows like a nightmare incarnate, and Avery’s blood ran cold. It was a young man; it must be the man who’d gone missing. They couldn’t cope with three.
The older vampire smiled at her with a strange, rictus grimace, and then charged across the ground so quickly that she barely had time to respond. Neither did the other witches, as Bethany raced towards Alex, and the other male vampire charged at Reuben and El.
Avery hardly knew what happened next, other than she saw movement as Briar and Caspian ran around the corner of the farthest container and joined the fight.
Powerful blasts of magic surged across the space as they fought to repel the attack. Avery raised a wall of fire in front of the old vampire who was closing the distance between them, but it passed through unscathed, threw her to the ground, and straddled her with its powerful legs as it pinned her down. It opened its mouth, its teeth bearing down upon her neck. She could smell its foetid breath, foul with the stench of rotting meat and the metallic smell of blood.
No one could help. They were all fighting for their own survival. Avery couldn’t throw it off, but she could use witch-flight, and in a flash she vanished, re-appearing on top of the closest container. The vampire squirmed on the ground, bewildered at her disappearance. While it was still confused, Avery pulled the stake from her backpack, smothered the point in fire, and hurled it towards the creature, using her magic to make the blow more powerful. It pierced its back and it screamed with anger, flailing wildly as the stake immobilised its body temporarily. She followed it up with a huge, swirling fireball, and it ignited in flames, screaming with an inhuman howl.
The scene below was chaotic. Bursts of fire and pure energy zigzagged across the space, but as the old vampire howled and burned, the other two vampires immediately disengaged from the fight, their eyes narrowed with hate and confusion, and running to the side of the burning vampire, th
ey all fled down a narrow passageway.
Avery had no urge to follow; she was exhausted and injured. Her chest ached from where the vampire had straddled her, her shoulders felt bruised, and her head throbbed from where it had hit the ground. She looked down on the other witches and saw they were all bleeding and dishevelled, too. The concrete had been torn up by Briar’s magic, and ropes, oil drums, and tools were strewn around as if a tornado had hit, water sloshed across the ground from where Reuben had pulled it from the sea, and the sides of the containers were dented where the vampires had hit them.
The dead man still lay in the shadows at the edge of the area, a pool of blood beneath him.
Alex looked around, shouting, “Avery?”
She materialised at his side. “I’m here.”
He jumped as he saw her. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that. Are you all right?”
“Bruised and battered, but I’ll survive. You?”
Alex’s hair was wild and tangled around his face and his pallor had gone, his skin now flushed red with cold and action. “Annoyed as hell, but fine.”
Shouts and running footsteps sounded in the distance. “Time to go,” Caspian said, running a dirty hand across his face. “We snuck in, and can leave the same way. Follow me.” He ran, and the others followed without a backward glance.
Although they used magic to escape, and were deeply cloaked in a shadow spell, it was still a close call. The witches emerged on to the busy road outside the harbour, breathless and nervous. They took a moment to gather themselves, and then slowed to a walk, stakes stashed back in their packs, looking as if they were out for an evening stroll. Police cars were already whizzing past them, the darkness broken with bright blue and red lights.
Avery wanted to go home, but Caspian headed to his business headquarters, calling, “Follow me.”
They entered the warm, dark lobby and backed away from the glass doors, watching the scene of chaos outside. While some people seemed oblivious to what was happening, others were running away, looking panic-stricken.
