We kept running all the way to the water’s edge and I eyed it nervously.
“Do you think there could still be Biters in there?” I asked.
“Nah. Why would they hang about at the bottom of the Hudson? That was purely for our benefit before. They’re either dead at our hands or they fled now they’ve lost us.”
I nodded, clinging onto his certainty as I prepared to swim for the island.
“Well if you wanna beat Magnar and Montana, you might want to hurry up.” I took a running jump and dived straight in, the freezing water swallowing me whole as I let my ancestors guide me once more.
I breached the surface and started swimming for the statue as fast as I could. Julius kept pace beside me, his powerful arms carving through the water with ease.
I tried not to think about grasping hands reaching for me from the murky depths and before long we were striding out of the water beneath the giant statue.
“Oh hell no!” Julius took off and I started laughing as I spotted Magnar racing towards the statue on the far side of the island. He’d lost his shirt somehow on his way here and I bit my lip as I eyed his muscular body appreciatively.
I jogged over to meet Montana and pulled her into my arms as we were reunited.
“Are you okay?” I asked as we turned towards the statue ourselves.
“Thanks to Magnar. But we ran into Valentina on our way here,” she replied gravely.
“What?” I gasped. “Where is she now? Did Magnar kill her?” I asked hopefully.
“Sadly not. She ran away, but before she did, her followers tried to catch Magnar. I don’t know why, but she definitely wants him for something.”
I looked over at Magnar with concern. He’d fallen into a scuffle with Julius and their laughter carried to us, making my heart lift with joy. He’d been so sad when I’d first met him but now that he had his brother back I could see that pain lifting from him more and more.
“Well let's hope the Belvederes manage to track her down and kill her before she comes for him again,” I growled.
Montana nodded in agreement and we started walking towards the slayers. “Are you alright?” she asked.
“Still in one piece,” I confirmed as we closed in on a door at the foot of the towering statue.
Magnar and Julius were shoving each other and bickering in low voices as they waited for us.
“Tell this cheat who won,” Magnar demanded as we reached them.
“I err, wasn’t looking.” I shrugged at him unhelpfully and they both turned to Montana instead.
“Won what?” she asked.
They stared at us in disgust and stomped away into the building whilst continuing their argument.
I looked at Montana with an eyebrow raised and she pursed her lips, hiding an amused smile before we followed them inside.
The ship swayed gently as we gained some respite from the journey and both Elissa and Valentina slept. We had members of the Clan of Storms and Clan of Oceans on each of the ships in our fleet but as the strongest of their kinds, they travelled with me. When they wielded their powers, the vessel moved so quickly that it had been enough to turn many warrior’s stomachs and more than one had given their meals up to the sea.
Their skills had made for a quick and safe crossing as Elissa gave us a strong current beneath the keel and Valentina drew the wind to our sails.
Idun had lit a glimmering golden star in the sky at the edge of the horizon so that we could keep our aim true. I eyed it with my arms folded as I lost myself in memories of my father. Sometimes it seemed the closer I got to paying the debt for his life, the further I felt from him.
I was losing the shape of him in my mind. Had we stood eye to eye or was I taller than him in the end? Had his laugh been as deep as I thought or was it softer than that? Were his eyes the colour of his blade or the same shade as the depths of a fire?
No matter what happened when we finally tracked down the Revenants, I would never get that back. They had stolen him from me, from all of my family. And there was no amount of blood that could pay for his return.
“What are you thinking about?” my mother asked softly, placing a hand on my arm and pulling me back to the here and now.
“Just that in the end, all men die. All are lost and forgotten to time... or at least they should be.” My frown deepened at the thought of our immortal enemies and I scowled at the calm water which surrounded us.
“We may forget some of the details,” she replied. “But those we love will always live on in our hearts.”
“But what about once we are gone too? Who will remember him when no one remembers us?”
“It is enough to know that we loved him. His life was full and happy because of us. And we will be reunited with him in Valhalla.”
I nodded vaguely. The hall of the gods didn’t hold as much desire for me as it once had. Idun was cruel and cunning despite claiming to love us as her people. And what of Andvari? He had created the creatures responsible for my father’s demise. Would the afterlife truly be great if I had their company to look forward to?
“Land!” Aelfric cried from his position up on the mast. “Land, Earl Magnar! We’ve made it!”
I squinted at the horizon as my blood hummed with anticipation.
“Wake Elissa so that she can hasten us to shore,” I said and my mother squeezed my arm before hurrying below deck to locate the Ocean Stirrer.
I moved to grip the railing as I squinted towards the horizon and a dark smudge came into focus. He was right; we’d made it.
I strode away from the glorious sight of land and headed to my quarters to collect my swords and fighting leathers. If luck stayed with me, I’d be bathing my blades in Revenant blood within the day.
I hurried into my room and quickly changed. As I pulled Venom into my grasp it sang with knowledge of my enemies. I hadn’t felt the presence of the parasites through my blades in three years and they were hungry for blood.
The ship suddenly shot forward as Elissa commanded the waves to propel us onward and I almost tumbled onto my bed, catching myself at the last moment.
I strapped my scabbards across my back and placed my blades into them before running back up to the deck.
The sun had begun its ascent into the sky and I smiled as the view ahead of us was revealed more clearly.
The smudge on the horizon had grown into a sprawling landscape thick with tall trees and a pristine sandy beach which called us towards it.
“By the gods I’m looking forward to setting my feet on dry land again,” Julius exclaimed as he moved to my side.
“And eating a meal made with fresh ingredients,” I replied. The stores we’d brought with us were growing beyond stale and though we hadn’t gone hungry, my stomach ached for some fresh fruit and vegetables.
“We’ll take this land for our own once we’ve destroyed our enemies,” Valentina said as she joined us too. Wind filled the sails and our speed increased further as she raised a hand to direct it. “Our children will grow up enjoying the wealth of this country.”
I grunted in a non-committal way and Julius smirked at me. She always knew how to sour the best of days.
“Perhaps you should focus your mind on the wind instead of eyeing up my brother’s potential parenting skills. Though if his horse is anything to go by then he may bring his children up to be a bunch of savages so you might be better not to marry him at all,” Julius said. He always tried to give Valentina reasons to doubt my suitability as a husband but she never took any notice of him. I appreciated his continued efforts all the same.
“I can be pretty savage myself when I have to be,” she replied dismissively.
The boat sped towards the coast and the wind Valentina had conjured picked up as if she were proving a point.
My blades grew warmer on my back as we closed in on the Revenants. I was sure they were more than just somewhere on this land; they were within close range.
I walked away from Valentina and climbed up o
nto the rigging as we drew close to the shore. The sun rose higher as our destination became clearer and I drank in the sight hungrily.
When we finally made it as close to land as the ship could manage, Elissa used her power over the waves to bring us to a halt.
Cries went up as the anchor was dropped and everyone prepared to disembark.
I gazed down into the crystal blue sea and leant forward to watch as a giant turtle swam alongside our ship before diving beneath it. The rising sun shone down on us and I could already feel its warmth reaching out to me. This land seemed like it had been made for the people of the sun and I found myself glad to be here. My vow had driven me to cross the sea and I’d never really considered whether I could be happy leaving my homeland behind but something about this place seemed right. Like I was destined to be here.
I glanced back over my shoulder and noticed Valentina weaving her way towards me once more. My lightened mood was a fragile thing and I wished to hold onto it for as long as possible.
“Mother?” I called, spotting her directing the clansmen at the front of the ship.
She turned to me with a faint smile and I couldn’t help but be reminded of the radiance which had been absent since Father’s passing. She’d lost something of herself when he’d been taken from us and it saddened me to know she’d never smile like she used to.
“Running off again?” she guessed and I couldn’t help but smirk. She was so much better at the day to day running of the Clans than I was anyway. I was built to lead our people into battle, not organise the layout of our tents.
“Scouting the area,” I explained, though we both knew it was a job I could easily designate to someone else.
“We’ll look forward to your return around nightfall no doubt,” she replied teasingly.
“No doubt,” I agreed before diving off of the boat into the pristine water.
The tang of salt met my lips and I opened my eyes to look at the shimmering light beneath the waves. Schools of small fish darted around me, drawn close by the glimmer of my blades then frightened off again by my movements.
I powered through the water towards the land and walked up the golden sand, feeling the solid land beneath my feet with glee.
I quickly crossed the beach and pulled my swords from my back as I entered the swaying palm trees. Everything was a much more vivid green than I was used to from my homeland and the smell of the flora was sharper too.
I drank in all the details with joy as I began to discover this new place and its secrets.
Blood thieves close, Tempest growled through my mind and I stilled.
Murderers near, Venom agreed.
The Revenants were closer than I’d dared to hope.
My blades urged me on and I chanced a look over my shoulder towards our fleet. It would have been sensible to head back and gather my people before hunting them down. But if they caught on to us approaching they might just run again. And a single man would be much harder to detect. Besides, I’d never been one for sensible.
A fierce smile captured my features as I pressed on into the jungle. Perhaps this was the day that I paid the debt I owed my father and ended them for good. They were about to find out just how far my wrath would take me.
We headed through a dusty old museum inside the statue and Magnar started breaking up wooden display cases for a fire.
I was shivering more violently now that the adrenaline had worn off and Callie kept giving me concerned looks. The slayers were annoyingly unaffected by the biting cold. Even in their damp attire, they barely seemed bothered.
“You need to get out of those clothes,” Julius commented, helping Magnar to build the fire a few meters from a broken window.
“Y-you'd l-like that, w-wouldn't you?” I teased, but my joking tone was lost to my chattering teeth.
Julius snorted a laugh. “I can always warm you up once you're naked?” he offered and Magnar thumped him on the arm.
“Do something useful or shut the fuck up,” he joked.
We soon had a fire going and I sat before it in my underwear, having had no real choice but to strip off. Thankfully, the others did the same so I didn't feel alone in my nudity. We'd hung our clothes and the contents of our packs up to dry on a few glass cabinets and they fluttered in the breeze that sailed through the window.
Julius took his phone from the strap on his arm, his face lighting up as he pressed something on the screen. “Full charge,” he announced.
My eyes dropped briefly to his golden chest as it glimmered under the firelight. I couldn't stop looking between him and Magnar. They were so muscular, it was impossible not to stare. I noticed Callie's gaze drifting to Magnar more than once too, so at least I wasn't a solo pervert.
“Maybe you should check on the royals? They could have found Valentina if she ran into the city,” I suggested, hoping the real reason I wanted to do that wasn't written all over my face. I shifted toward Julius as he pressed something on the screen, feeling Callie's eyes on me.
“Yeah, good idea,” she said a second later and I was relieved as she dropped down on Julius's other side. Magnar grunted, but made no further comment. His clear mistrust of technology didn’t seem to be waning and I wondered what it must have been like for him to try and adjust to so many things changing since he’d woken. Idun had given Julius the knowledge he needed but Magnar still eyed the cellphone like it was some kind of dark magic.
“Party boy is having fun,” Julius said, enlarging the box so that the dining room in the castle came into view. The place was thronging with people and I spotted Miles at the heart of them, rubbing up against Warren as they danced. “He doesn't slack off even when his whole empire is going to ruin,” Julius muttered. “Makes me sick.”
“Yeah all those scantily-dressed women must really be turning your stomach,” I laughed.
“Vampires,” he corrected me sharply and the bottom dropped out of my stomach.
“Monty! How can you even joke about that? They're disgusting,” Callie agreed and my lips pursed with annoyance.
“They're just people,” the words slipped out before I could stop them and Callie's mouth fell open.
“What did you say?” she hissed, her eyes narrowing. I'd rarely been on the receiving end of Callie's anger. We'd always been on the same side growing up, and I'd been more than grateful for that. She'd once reduced Jeremy Harper to tears after he'd pushed me in the mud. But now she was staring at me with the full-force of that fiery rage and it made me sad.
“I just...” I sighed. I didn't want to lie. And I didn't want to pretend I hadn't been changed by my time with the vampires. Telling her I loved one of them was out of the question, but maybe I could explain myself a little.
“I just don't think they're all bad,” I said, my heart thumping in my ears as I stood up for the vampires to a bunch of their sworn enemies. It wasn’t like I was sticking up for the Biters. They were true monsters. But Erik and some of the others weren’t like that.
Great idea, Montana. Now you’re going to have to explain yourself.
Callie gaped at me, then her eyes softened. “It's the mark,” she said, reaching for my hand.
I inched it away from her and she frowned.
“What's going on?” she asked.
“Nothing.” I shook my head as Julius glanced between us, looking awkward. I dropped my gaze to the cellphone, grinding my teeth as I felt everyone's eyes on me. Slowly, Julius and Callie returned their attention to the security feed, but I didn't feel any less scrutinised.
Heat crawled up and down my spine. I was a traitor to everyone in this room. I couldn't bear it. My heart was crying out for someone I couldn't have. Someone they thought was an abomination. But he wasn't. And I wanted to stand up for him. I wanted to scream my lungs out until they believed me. But they never would.
“Here's Prince Charming himself.” Julius nudged me and my eyes whipped to Erik as he strode through the castle with Fabian at his side. His brother looked pale and moved wi
th a disjointedness that said he was in pain.
“Oh good! He's alright,” Callie sighed, then clapped a hand to her mouth.
Magnar grumbled something from across the fire, but she didn't look at him, clearly pained by what she'd said.
“Turn the volume up,” I encouraged and Julius complied, filling the room with their voices.
“You don't have to come with me, you know?” Erik said to Fabian.
“I want to be there,” he growled. “I want to rip out his fangs and see him bleed for what he did to Callie's father.”
Erik gave him a sweeping glance. “Firstly, I will be the one to de-fang Wolfe. And secondly, you are acting like a madman since the gods bound you to Montana's sister, so please keep it together in front of the cameras. We need to set an example to the people.”
Fabian turned suddenly, grabbing Erik's arm and staring intently into his eyes. “I love her. I didn't get it before when you said you had feelings for a human. But I know now. And you understand this pain, don't you Brother? You know how this feels.” Fabian pressed a hand to his heart as if it hurt.
Erik nodded and a darkness entered his eyes that reached right into my soul. “Yes, but we can still act like rational people, Fabian. You are behaving like a love-sick puppy. For example, did I hear correctly that you're having a statue built of Callie Ford in Realm G?”
Fabian grinned widely. “Not just Realm G, Erik. All of the Realms! The whole of the human race will praise her name.”
“Fucking hell,” Callie muttered.
Erik's eyes narrowed dangerously. “You are losing your mind. Don't you think that money would be better spent improving the Realms?”
“Er- yeah. I'm dealing with that too. Plus your men are already there taking care of that. No harm in a little side project.”
Erik scowled. “If you're going to insist on coming with me to banish Wolfe, you must keep it together. I don't want you causing any...embarrassment.”
Age of Vampires- The Complete Series Page 90
