“Enough words, you lunatic.” Aareth took a step forward. “I’m going to rip your tongue out of your mouth.”
Elijah gave the slightest flick of his wrist and the mutated wolf ran forward, its eyes fixed on Aareth.
Sloan charged, slashing at Elijah, but the preacher was faster than he looked. Dodging the attack, Elijah struck back with a jab of his own. Sloan batted the attempt away and the two combatants circled one another.
Jack witnessed Sloan and Elijah clash. He had to make a split second decision on who to help. Just as quickly as the question came, he knew he had to assist Aareth. Sloan could handle the preacher on her own, but ending the genetically engineered killing machine would be a hard task.
Jack aimed his wand at the charging monster. His eyes narrowed as he chose his shot and fired. Previously, when the creature attacked his father, Jack fired his shots in a hurry. They hit the beast but in places that were not necessarily life threatening.
Now as the monster and the assassin ran toward one another, Jack took his time to aim. Magic flew through the air as Jack chose his targets with care. Green fiery blasts found their marks. Magic tore through ligaments and flesh.
The creature howled in pain as magical strikes connected with its jaw, nose, and forearms. Jack chose the forearms of the animal to slow down its unearthly force before it collided with Aareth. The nose was chosen because it would blur the animal’s vision, blood spraying into its eyes. Jack chose the jaw as a target because that was the animal’s greatest weapon. If Jack could break a jawbone, the animal wouldn’t be able to bite down on Aareth.
In the matter of only a few seconds, Jack’s energy was spent. Monster and assassin met in the middle of the church in a head-on collision. Aareth’s mage gauntlets found the creature’s throat. Both combatants fell sideways as blue crackling magic filled the interior of the church.
The soft candle light flames were greeted with blue smoke and steam rising from the creature’s skin and fur.
Firing more blasts from his wand would be too dangerous now with Aareth and the monster locked in combat. Jack clicked the button on his wand. In a second, the ends elongated and a black staff was in his hands.
Screaming in pain, the creature’s large jaws found one of the gauntlets protecting Aareth’s hand and forearm. Huge teeth crunched on the hard metal and tore at the steel. With a violent shake of its head, the animal managed to tear off one of the steel gauntlets.
As the two wrestled and rolled, the monster found a dominating position on top of Aareth. Now with one gauntlet gone and the other out of electric charge, Aareth was in trouble.
Jack ran forward, his staff ablaze with dancing green magic. With every blow landed, a loud crack filled the room. The creature’s hide was crossed with multiple burn marks from Jack’s attack. It wasn’t enough to deter the beast. The animal bled from a dozen different wounds, but still it ignored Jack and grabbed Aareth’s unprotected arm in a vise-like grip. Aareth screamed in pain as he beat the creature’s face with his free arm.
Jack was exhausted. The green magical energy across his staff was mirroring how he felt as it faded. He wasn’t sure what to do next. Think, Jack! Think! You’ve already lost your father; now you’re going to lose Aareth too.
Jack was interrupted from his thoughts of doubt and worry by someone yelling his name. Jack turned and saw Sloan and Elijah, both bloody messes. Sloan was standing on her feet, with Elijah on one knee, gathering himself for another attack.
“Jack, catch!”
Sloan threw her mage sword through the air across the six yards separating them. Jack raised his right arm and caught the heated sword hilt first. The monster was shaking Aareth by his right arm like a rag doll. Jack raised the sword high overhead with both hands on the hilt. With all the force he could summon, Jack brought the sword down on the monster’s neck.
Edison’s invention did him proud. Jack cleaved through bone and flesh as he separated the creature’s head from the rest of its body with a roar that started deep in his own chest. Jaws immediately opened and released Aareth’s arm, and the rest of the creature’s body wriggled and slithered on the ground.
A scream so intense and full of pain filled the room that Jack thought for sure Sloan was dead.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Jack
Seeing that his enemy was without a weapon, Elijah pushed the attack and managed to sink his blade hilt deep into Sloan’s left thigh. Even as she fell and screamed, Jack was already on the move.
He knew with Aareth out and Sloan down, it was up to him. Mage sword in hand, he vaulted over church pews. Elijah had his back toward him. All Jack could see was a hand holding a bloody knife raised over Sloan’s body.
Jack launched himself the last few feet. From the top of a pew, he flew through the air and collided with Elijah hard.
A new emotion was forcing its way to the surface from deep within Jack’s being. Until now he had felt numb, almost defeated at the loss of his father. Now, as the only hope for their survival rested on his shoulders, as he collided with the man responsible for his father’s death, anger boiled inside.
Sorcerer and preacher rolled and tumbled over each other. Jack was young and lean, but the preacher was lanky and managed to twist his body to the side and land on top of Jack. Both sword and knife were shaken free on point of impact, but that didn’t seem to bother Elijah.
Fists rained down on Jack as he tried to shield his face. He twisted and did his best to roll, but Elijah was consumed with a wrath and determination Jack hadn’t seen before. Blood ran into Jack’s eyes from multiple cuts being opened across his face.
Then the blows stopped and Elijah grabbed Jack around the throat with thin strong fingers, literally squeezing the life out of him. Jack gasped for air and tried to fight the grip on his throat.
“Shhhhhh… go back to the fold, little sheep. Your time in this world has come to an end. Embrace the darkness that waits for you now.”
Jack’s vision was blurring. Elijah’s face twisted into a wicked grin. As Jack was giving in to the darkness that clawed at his vision in all directions, he heard a voice, a voice that belonged to his father.
Get up, Jack. This is not how you go. You still have a lot of good to do in this world. Get up, Jack. Get up, son.
Jack heard the voice as clear as day. He heard the voice of his dead father like he was right there next to him. A father that had been murdered by the order of the man that was now ending his own life. Anger swelled in his chest. Pain, not from his wounds, but at the loss of his only surviving parent drove him back to consciousness.
“Nooooooo!” Eyes flicking open, Jack screamed into Elijah’s face.
Elijah was taken aback for a brief second. He was so sure of victory, Jack’s sudden outburst was the last thing he expected.
Jack channeled what magic he had left into his hands. He clawed at the fingers around his throat. Getting a grip on one of Elijah’s middle fingers, he twisted it back past its intended range of motion. The bone snapped in half with a loud crack.
Elijah howled in pain. Seizing at his chance of escape, Jack turned his body and rolled over on top of the man responsible for taking his father’s life. Jack was enraged. A force consumed him, the likes of which he had never felt. Anger, pain, retribution, vengeance all held him close as he hammered away at Elijah’s horror-filled face.
Jack wasn’t sure how many times he hit Elijah, but by the time he was done, Elijah was struggling to breathe through broken teeth and a twisted nose. Jack’s chest heaved in and out, taking in breath as fast as he could.
Elijah moaned in pain under him as Jack looked around the room in a daze.
“Kill him, Jack.” Aareth struggled to his feet, one arm dangling uselessly by his side. He made his way to Sloan’s still body. “Kill him for what he did to your father.”
Jack looked down at Elijah and slowly took the metal chain the preacher wore around his neck in his bloody hands. Jack gripped the whistle used to call th
e now deceased beast and twisted the chain tight.
“Kill him, Jack!”
Elijah struggled to fight off Jack’s grip. Jack pinned the man’s arms to his sides and sat on top of his chest. The steel chain twisted hard in his hands as Elijah’s heart rate slowed. The chain dug into the pale flesh of his neck.
Elijah’s eyes rolled to the back of his head. His heavy gasps for breath began to dull.
Jack twisted the chain so hard, it cut into the skin of his own hand as well as the skin of Elijah’s neckline. Vengeance drove him; it told him to end Elijah’s life there and now, but his father’s voice was still too fresh in his mind.
He deserves to die. For what he did to the town of Burrow Den and for what he did to my dad. But is this what Dad would do? Jack’s mind was torn from what he desired to do and what he knew his father would want.
Hands trembling with frustration, Jack released the death hold on Elijah’s chain. The preacher came to with deep gulps as he coughed and choked in oxygen.
Jack stood up, still staring at Elijah.
“Jack, what are you doing? Kill him! He deserves to die!” Aareth yelled from Sloan’s side.
“Maybe,” Jack looked down at Elijah’s bloody face, “but it’s not what my father would have wanted. It’s not what he would have done.”
“Thank—thank you,” Elijah gasped, still lying on the wood floor.
“Don’t thank me. Thank the man you murdered. His memory is the only reason you’re still alive.”
Jack found himself disgusted with Elijah’s grateful expression and turned his back. Aareth was helping Sloan as the captain came to.
Jack’s eye caught motion in the doorway. Abigail walked toward him. Her face pale, but she walked with purpose. In her right hand, she held an ancient powder lock pistol. She held it pointed in Jack’s direction.
There was no time for words as the pistol shot rang out. Smoke slowly rose from the weapon in Abigail’s left hand as tears spilled down her gentle face. The expression Abigail wore was one of sheer remorse even as she walked into the room.
Jack only had a split second to understand what his eyes told him. There was no time to process what he saw, no time to duck or hide. There was only time for his jaw to drop. Even as he looked down at his chest, Jack felt like an idiot.
He had trusted Abigail and now she had repaid his kindness with death. Jack looked down, expecting to find blood gushing from his torso. Instead, he heard a gasp behind him. Jack turned to see Elijah standing, knife in hand, looking down at a red spot that grew over his heart.
“I had to.” Abigail’s voice finally broke the silence. “He was going to stab you in the back. I—I promised your father I’d take care of you.”
Elijah fell to his knees, and with a gurgle, landed face first onto the hard floor.
Jack stood dumbfounded. Abigail ran to his side. She stared at her father’s limp form. Jack wanted to thank her. He wanted to tell her that she had done the right thing. He wanted to hold her, to kiss her, but the world was spinning around him. Blood still dripped from the cuts on his face and a deep gash in his head. Before Jack could say anything, the darkness came for him.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Jack
Someone was humming. It was soft and sweet. The melody was one Jack had never heard before, but he knew he was safe. Opening his eyes, he found himself in the bed he slept in the past few nights in the mayor’s mansion. Light streamed through the open window. His body felt like he was hit by a mage-powered locomotive. Wincing, he reached a hand to his head, where most of the throbbing originated.
“Careful; Abigail took a long time cleaning you up and dressing your wounds.”
Jack looked to the foot of the bed, where Elizabeth sat slowly rocking herself in a chair.
“Elizabeth, what—what happened?”
“After Abigail killed our father, you passed out.”
“Elizabeth, I’m so sorry about your father. I—”
“He was a bad man, Jack. Of course I’m sad, but the end of his life meant that other innocent people would be spared. Hopefully, with the mental abilities I have from the experiments done on me in the laboratory, I can do some good to right his wrongs.”
“You’re the subject that they wrote about in the journal?” He looked at the fiery-haired girl in disbelief. “The girl they found?”
“Yeah, it’s hazy and comes and goes, but it would mean a lot if we can keep this between us for now. There are a lot of crazy people out there. Who knows what they would do if they knew.”
“Sure.” Jack’s head pounded now not only from the injury sustained but with the realization of who and what Elizabeth really was. “Aareth and Sloan— are they?”
“They’re in as bad a shape as you, but they’re alive.” Elizabeth rose from her chair. “Come on now, let’s not be lazy. Get out of bed and get ready. I’m sure my sister would like to see you.”
Elizabeth left the room and Jack slowly got out of bed and maneuvered into his clothes. His garments were clean and folded for him at the edge of the bed. With every step, his body ached, with time, Jack managed to dress and head downstairs. Aareth was waiting for him. The tall man wore a sling around his shoulder and right arm. Multiple bruises and cuts ran across his smiling face as he saw Jack come down the stairs.
“Glad to see you walking.”
“Glad to be able to walk. How’s the arm?”
“Don’t know. The town doctor said he’s never seen a bite like this. It came with a raging fever for the first few hours. I thought I was going to burn from the inside out, but now it’s healing strangely fast.”
“Sloan, is she—”
“Sloan’s already out meeting with the town and appointing new officials to get the city back on track. You would think a knife wound in her thigh, one deep enough to put her in crutches, would stop that woman. She’s still at it. She wants to leave for New Hope tomorrow, crutches and all.”
Jack nodded, immediately regretting the action as the throbbing in his head worsened.
“Jack,” Aareth said in a low tone. “I wanted to say that you did the right thing when you let Elijah live. That’s something I wouldn’t have been strong enough to do. Your father was a great man and I know he’s proud.”
“Thanks, Aareth. It wasn’t easy.”
Aareth was about to open his mouth, when the door opened and Abigail let Sloan inside. The captain was wearing her uniform with a wrapped left leg and a nasty bruise on her right temple.
“Jack, glad to see you’re up and ready. We’re leaving tomorrow bright and early. The sooner we get to New Hope, the better. I have a feeling the events here are the beginning of something much larger.”
“How are you feeling?” Abigail made her way to Jack’s side. “Your head doesn’t hurt too much, does it?”
“Oh, he’s fine,” Elizabeth chimed in as she walked down the spiral staircase with a suitcase in hand. “Are we ready? I packed up Aareth and Sloan’s stuff.”
“Well, Elizabeth, we’re not leaving until tomorrow.” Sloan noticed Jack’s bewildered expression. “I should probably let you know, Jack, that Abigail and Elizabeth are coming with us to New Hope.”
Jack was about to ask how that had come to pass, when Sloan addressed the inspector. “Come on, Aareth, I can use your help getting the town back to running properly. We have a lot of work still to do this afternoon. We have to make sure Burrow Den is in the hands of the right people.”
“Come on, Red.” Aareth massaged his shoulder with a wince. “Let’s leave these two alone. You can help us talk crazy to some people.”
“My name is not ‘red’ and I’m not crazy. I’m eccentric.” Even with the exchange between the two, Elizabeth dropped the bags and skipped out of the room, following Sloan and Aareth.
The door closed behind them. Jack and Abigail were left alone.
“Thank you.” Jack turned to Abigail, searching for the right words. “I’m sure there are better words to fit the moment.
All I have is thank you. Thank you for saving me at the cost to your own family.”
“I cried all last night and even some this morning.” Abigail swallowed hard. “I know the hurting will be there, but I have a peace that I did the right thing. Sure, I have some wonderful memories with my father, but over the last few years and especially the last few months, he hasn’t been the same man I knew and loved. I’m not sure if that makes any sense at all.”
“It does make sense.” Jack placed a hand on her slender shoulder. “I’m going to have to come to grips with my own father’s death soon. It still doesn’t seem real. In the next few days, weeks, and months, I’m sure it will.”
“Well, we’ll have each other now.” Abigail took Jack by surprise as she stepped forward and nestled against his chest.
Jack let himself relax in her embrace as he rested a cheek on the top of her head. Her hair smelt like vanilla and spice.
“How did you manage to talk Sloan into you coming with us anyway?” Jack couldn’t help ask. “I mean, not that I’m anything but happy to hear the news. Sloan isn’t the easiest person to befriend.”
Abigail pulled away from Jack’s embrace. She gave him a smile, warming him from the inside out. “I think the captain has a heart in there somewhere. After everything that has happened here, I talked her into taking my sister and me to New Hope. I told her we could help during the travel process—I mean, with the three of you barely standing and all.”
“Smart. Playing the helpful card, I mean.”
“I can’t wait to go, Jack, to see the world outside of Burrow Den and to leave all of this behind.”
“Ahhheeemm.” Jack coughed.
“And to be able to go with you, of course.” Abigail grinned.
“I’m glad you’re coming. Maybe dealing with our fathers’ deaths will be easier with someone to talk to, who can relate.”
“I know it will, Jack. Besides, I made a promise to your father that I plan on keeping.”
The Complete Vampire Project Series: (Books 1 - 5) Page 19
