I felt his gaze shift to my face but didn’t dare turn to meet it.
I continued to rinse the wound until all of the venom swirled out of it, leaving silver trails down his broad chest between the lines of his muscles. I realised I’d let my gaze slip down to stare at his body and quickly flipped my eyes up to meet his.
His golden eyes burned with molten fire and took me captive.
He didn’t move an inch and I didn’t release my hold on his jaw.
I tried to blink or turn my head or do anything to break the connection between us but my treacherous body wouldn’t let me.
If he kisses me it will break my heart when he leaves. If he doesn’t kiss me I don’t think I can bear it.
I shifted my hand, my fingers sliding across his strong jaw as his stubble grazed against my skin. I slid my hand down to his neck and I could feel his pulse hammering away as quickly as my own.
I should let go. I should never let go.
Magnar released a deep groan and the sound of it tied a knot in the pit of my stomach. He caught my waist between his strong hands and dragged me forward so that the inch of space between us disappeared.
When his mouth claimed mine a fire lit beneath my skin. My grip on his neck tightened as I wrapped my other arm around him, pulling him closer still. He lifted me into his lap and I melted against him, giving in to him completely and letting the last of my resolve disappear.
His kisses chased away my doubts and made every inch of my body ache for more. I’d never felt anything like this and wanted as much of it as I could possibly get.
He moved his hands higher, his fists knotting in my hair as he pulled my head back and ran his mouth across my neck. My skin burned for him and I moaned as I let any remaining walls between us come crashing down. My own hands ran down his chest, feeling the firm lines of his muscles beneath my palms. I couldn’t get enough of touching him; the feeling of his body against mine was the most wonderful sensation in the world.
His mouth made it back up to mine and I lost myself in the feeling of his lips.
It was going to hurt a hundred times worse when he left me now but I didn’t care. I wouldn’t have traded this for anything.
Nine times I almost broke and tried to force my way out of the cave. But the gods were mocking me. They had sealed it themselves, I was sure of it. When my fingers tore at the rocks, they wouldn't budge.
Andvari whispered to me sometimes and his laughter made my bones weak.
I was a rabbit in a trap but it was a trap of my making. And I had to endure this hell if it would bring me salvation.
The hunger grew maddening as I'd predicted. Soon, I saw visions. Shadows. Light dancing in my periphery.
Sometimes I saw a girl who looked like the moon. Other times the sun. Andvari was taunting me and I began to despise him and all of the gods along with him. Their omniscient cruelty. Their punishment for a crime I didn't commit.
I cursed my parents' names. I scratched at my skin, trying to release my soul from this wretched body. Other times I lay still for days, weeks, months. Years perhaps.
Time was nothing. Time was a trick of the mind. A plague that killed humans, but never me. I would live on and starve and fall into insanity. That was my fate. The gods would never free me. The debt would never be paid.
Fabian visited less and less. Sometimes he called out to me, other times he only came near enough to listen for signs of life. There had been times where I'd begged him to release me, but he'd stuck to his word and kept me caged.
Now, I lay on my back, feeling weightless like I was floating in an endless abyss. The hunger had hollowed out everything else inside me. I could barely remember why I'd come here. But when I came too close to forgetting, Andvari would appear to remind me. Like he did right then.
“Draugr, you are cursed for your parents' blasphemy against me. You are starving yourself in payment of the debt owed to me.”
“Am I getting close to paying it?” I asked, my voice croaky like the snap of dry bark.
“That depends,” he purred and I felt his holy presence fill up the space inside the cave, drowning me in his powerful ambiance. “Do you feel you have the answer to the prophecy?”
“I think on it sometimes,” I admitted. “I try to find meaning but sometimes I fear there is none. That the prophecy is just another of your ways to torment me.”
“There is meaning, Erik Larson.”
I shut my eyes, going over the prophecy in my mind. “Twins of sun and moon. Sometimes I see such things.”
“Yes...” Andvari whispered. “And what does it mean?”
I rubbed my face, having no answer.
“I cannot have children,” I whispered. “It cannot be that.”
“Oh but you can, Draugr.”
My brow creased and my heart thudded once. “Children?”
“A human mother could bear you a child,” Andvari said, beginning to laugh.
“And what animal would that child be?” I growled.
Andvari's voice began to fade as he started chanting the first line of the prophecy. “Warrior born and monster made. Warrior born and monster made.”
“Stop!” I clawed at my ears, willing him away.
Silence fell. And Andvari didn't speak to me again for a long time.
“A circle of gold,” I whispered into the frozen air. “Shall join two souls.”
I repeated the line of the prophecy for a while, my tongue heavy and begging for blood instead of words.
The sun? Could that be the circle of gold?
“Two souls...twins...children,” I repeated what little I knew from Andvari's ramblings. I would never birth a child with a human, it was just another trick. Another lie to drive me mad.
“The slayers are rising in numbers. Many are awoken now,” Andvari's voice cut into my ears.
Fabian hadn't visited for many weeks, but the last time he had he'd spoken of the battles between the slayers and my family. Clarice and Miles had joined him in the fight. When he'd visited, he'd asked me to help them, but I'd refused. If I was killed in a battle, the curse would never be broken. And I would never die a human death with my soul intact.
“Why are you telling me this?” I breathed.
“They will come for you if your brothers and sister are defeated,” Andvari growled, seeming frustrated by that fact.
“And then you will have no one to torment,” I said, realising why it bothered him so.
“All the answers you seek are in the prophecy.”
“Am I on the right path? Is starving here helping at all?” I pleaded.
“A debt must be paid,” Andvari whispered, but I didn't know if he was confirming or denying what I'd asked.
“Is this the debt?” I demanded, my anger rising.
I stood and hunger gripped me in an unyielding fist. I dreamed of blood. It was all I'd thought of when my mind began to fade and I could hardly recall the words of the prophecy.
“Please,” I begged when Andvari didn't answer. “If I am wrong then tell me so that I can find another way to pay the debt.”
Andvari chuckled and began to recite the prophecy again. At some point, I snapped. The words broke me or perhaps it was the lack of blood.
I roared, punching stone and tearing at the wall. It didn't buckle even with all my strength behind the blow.
“YOU'RE KEEPING ME HERE!” I bellowed at Andvari. “You won't let me out! You'll never let me out!”
“You chose to come,” Andvari said sharply. “I am helping you keep your promise.”
I sank down to my knees, my mouth burning and my throat so tight I was suffocated. “You're not helping me. If you were helping you'd tell me what to do.”
“A riddle hides a secret in its words. It is there in plain sight if only you would pay attention.”
I groaned, pressing my forehead to the icy floor. “The words are branded in my skull. I see them in the darkness bearing down on me. And still I cannot find the answer!”
&nb
sp; “Erik...” A warm presence floated around me. “I admire how you try, I come here because you are the only one of the cursed who attempts to pay his debt.”
“Then help me,” I snarled. “Help me pay it.”
“The answer lies between the moon and the sun, Draugr. You will find your answer there.”
I laughed bitterly. “On earth you mean? Somewhere on earth is my answer, is that supposed to be helpful?” I spat.
“You see things too literally,” Andvari sighed. “Look into the space between the words, what does that tell you?”
I shut my eyes, wishing he'd leave me alone. “I don't know,” I sighed. “I don't know.”
“A river can be water, but it can also be a life force. Do you see better now?”
“I see that your words hold more riddles. I see that you take pleasure in my pain. I see that the gods are cruel and unforgiving.”
“That is where you are wrong, Erik. I can forgive. And I will forgive. But you must pay the debt...” He drifted away and silence found me once more, wrapping me in its lonely arms.
A cold wind blew in from the north and Baltian whinnied in soft protest beneath me. I patted his neck absentmindedly as I continued to watch the road.
The sun was bright in the blue sky despite the time of year and I was fairly certain it would keep the parasites out of sight until nightfall. Not that I’d be against taking a few of them out if they showed up.
My small band of warriors waited anxiously behind me on their own horses. To have been given charge of the six of them despite my sixteen years was a great honour and I was determined to prove myself.
Father had promised me a surprise if I managed to complete my first mission to his satisfaction and I was determined not to disappoint him.
I pulled my furs closer about my neck as the day wore on. It wasn’t like the Sacred Followers to deviate from their route. They believed their passage was assured safety by the false god they followed.
The evergreen trees were dense around us, concealing us from view as we waited for our prey. The landscape was dominated by the dark green pines interspersed with lumps of grey rock. We were south of the mountains here but the icy chill of the wind still reached us from their snow-crested peaks.
My lip pulled back in distaste as my mind wandered to the vampire Miles. He may have thought himself a god amongst men but I was determined to burn every last alter to the ground.
I would have been tempted to release his Followers from this earth too if I didn’t have to follow our laws. No human shall die by my blade lest my life itself is at risk. I snorted in disgust. The Sacred Followers dreamed of becoming vampires. No doubt I’d be killing them in the end anyway. Why wait for them to gain immortality and become more difficult to dispatch?
I sighed as I forced my mind away from the thoughts I’d had a hundred times before. I’d tried voicing them to my father and his response had been clear. Our laws would be followed. Our opinions weren’t relevant. Taking the vow meant forfeiting my own thoughts or feelings on my actions. I was a weapon to be wielded now. And I would follow orders.
My brother was the only one who I could share my thoughts with on such subjects now. Though my opinions never meant that I would deviate from my path, I needed an outlet for the injustices I saw in our work. So many of the slayers followed the path blindly. I was adamant that I would always keep my mind open despite the fact that I couldn’t choose my actions. I would still own them. And I would still question them.
A faint noise sounded around the corner as a wagon drew near.
I pointed to Cassian and Eldred, indicating for them to head further up the hill and cover us with their crossbows. The two warriors followed my directions without complaint despite the fact that they were both over ten years my senior.
Bells sounded and the Sacred Followers began chanting. I beckoned for the remaining four warriors to follow and nudged Baltian into motion beneath me.
The chestnut stallion had been a gift from my mother for my thirteenth birthday. He had been as wild as a storm; untameable by the three men who had tried before me.
The clan had laughed when he was presented to me, yanking against his lead rope and frothing at the mouth in his desperation to be free. No one had thought I would be able to tame him. They believed my mother was playing a trick on me, making me look like a fool. But I knew better. She was giving me the opportunity to show them my mettle. They were the fools to doubt me and they soon learned such.
No one had questioned my grit since that day. And no other man could ride my horse. I smiled at the memory as we waited for the carriage to draw closer. I was about to prove myself again.
It had been a week since I’d taken my vow. No warrior younger than eighteen had done so in over a hundred years. But I’d known my own destiny since I was a boy and when the leader of the Clan of Prophecies had visited us three moons ago I’d asked her to show my father my future. She had foreseen my rise to greatness, my path as a leader of men and destroyer of vampires. My future was entwined with that of the Revenants so completely that even my father had had to agree I was ready. I was never going to be anything but a slayer and there was no need for my vow to wait.
Despite the assurances of the prophet, I refused to leave my future up to fate. Each day I would work harder than the last. I would prove to all men that I deserved my place amongst our people.
Miles was about to learn of me too. I’d spoken to my father of my hatred for the Sacred Followers and he had given me permission to discourage their worship in any way I saw fit. I might not have been able to take the life of a mortal but I would happily take everything else from them.
The chanting and ringing of bells drew closer and the carriage appeared on the road. I eyed them for several long seconds, noting their flowing white robes and ornamental weapons. I doubted any of the silver swords would stand a blow from a slayer blade.
I silently drew my blade from the sheath on my back and my warriors followed suit.
As the carriage passed our hiding place, I finalised my count. Twenty-four Followers to seven slayers. It almost didn’t seem fair.
A savage smile pulled at my lips and I indicated for my warriors to move into the road behind the carriage as I pulled Baltian around. I kicked the stallion into a canter and we sped through the trees to the front of the group of Followers.
The stallion leapt onto the dirt road and reared up, sending the two cart horses into a frenzy of panic. I pointed my heavy blade, Tempest, at the man driving the cart and smiled.
“We’ll be taking everything from here. I suggest you don’t resist.”
Shouts of confusion started up and the Followers fell into panic. A few of the braver men ran at me with their ridiculous swords raised. I batted their strikes aside almost lazily. One of them got too close to me and I kicked him squarely in the face, knocking him into the mud.
His white robes were coated in brown filth and I barked a laugh at him as he flailed around, scrambling to get up.
Baltian aimed a kick at another man who tried to circle around behind me. He was lucky the horse missed him; Baltian was a savage bastard and a solid kick from him could break a man’s ribs or worse.
I spun towards the man as he tried to stab Baltian’s flank and bellowed a battle cry as I swung my blade around, knocking his weapon from his hand. He ran from me, screaming in terror as he raced back towards the rest of his twisted congregation. I bared my teeth at him like a beast; no man would harm my horse and live to tell the tale. Laws be damned. If he’d managed to strike Baltian his head would have parted company with his shoulders. He should thank the gods he’d missed.
My warriors surged in behind the carriage, blocking any Followers who tried to run.
I whistled a signal and Cassian and Eldred loosed arrows from their positions on the hilltop, striking the wooden carriage. The heavy arrowheads buried themselves deeply within the frame of the cart and several of the women screamed in fright.
“Thos
e who surrender need not be harmed!” I shouted loudly enough for all of them to hear me over their own panicked cries.
The Sacred Followers all turned to look at the man who sat at the reins of the cart. I guessed that meant he was the leader of this branch of devotees. The Sacred Father. His eyes darted between my warriors fearfully and I could tell he was wondering why I was the one addressing them.
“I may be younger than my men, cretin, but I assure you I am more than a match for any one of them. You would do well not to disrespect me by looking to them for help,” I growled. This was my first mission against the Sacred Followers and I couldn’t expect them to know who I was yet. But they would. Soon they would all cower at the sound of my name and turn from their vile master rather than risk crossing me.
“Don’t you know who we are?” the man asked incredulously. “Don’t you know whose protection we are under? We follow the Immortal Creator, giver of eternal youth. He drinks the blood of those who deny him his offerings!”
“I should like to see him try,” I growled. Immortal Creator was it now? The last I’d heard, Miles called himself the Benevolent Saviour. Perhaps one egotistical lie wasn’t enough for him.
I signalled for my men to start stripping the Followers of everything they owned and directed Baltian away from them as I oversaw their work.
As most of their belongings were already loaded on the cart, it didn’t take my warriors long to gather the rest. They forced the men and women to place everything, including the clothes from their backs, onto the cart and then directed them to stand by the side of the road.
Holbard jumped up into the cart and a high-pitched scream sounded as he dragged a young woman out of hiding by the scruff of her neck.
“Please sir!” she called desperately, her eyes seeking me out. “I’m not a Follower! Please don’t leave me with them!”
Age of Vampires- The Complete Series Page 33
