Sloan exchanged knowing glances with Ashley. Both women stood ready with their blades.
Chapter Thirty-One
Leah
“Your Captain was misguided, fooled by those she wishes to protect. I know how popular Captain Sloan was to all of you. You all know how much I respected her, as well. That is why I am ordering you to bring her back alive, if at all possible.”
Leah stood back inside the palace room just outside of eye range. Her sister, the queen, gave her speech to the gathered soldiers on the balcony. Her ears were taking in every word her sister spoke, while her eyes roamed around the room. Her sister was everything she wasn’t, maybe that’s why they got along so well.
The room she sat in now was simple but ornate. There were golden chandeliers, gaudy tapestries, and thick rugs, and this was only one of the many side rooms in the palace. Leah allowed her eyes to wander to the scene outside. The queen was going on in eloquent speech to the one hundred vampire soldiers that stood below soaking in her words like thirsty sponges.
On one side of the queen stood Fenrick Trillion. The idiot, weasel of a man that was the queen’s treasurer. He was a spy for The Order. Both the queen and Leah had known it for years now, but it was helpful to feed him what they wanted him to know, and likewise, it was nice knowing in advance what your enemies had planned.
On the other side of the queen was The Scar, the mercenary who had been introduced to the military as an undercover operative. He was going by the name Logan Steel now. Commander Steel to his men. He would have been the one leading the charge on Term, but he was in need of some upgrades. Instead, a lower-ranking officer would lead the soldiers against Term. One was not expected to put their more powerful pieces on the board first. The pawns would go and assess the strength of Term first, and if they managed to succeed, all the better.
The vampires that would go on the attack were second-generation experiments, after all. Commander Steel was a first-generation experiment, and was now to be Leah’s first third-generation test subject.
“You are the first to go out and spearhead what will be a major movement in the Outland,” Queen Eleanor went on. “We will bring unity and prosperity to our neighbors. Of course, there will be those who need to be reassured. In this case, there are criminals who met our acts of kindness with violence. You have all been briefed on the slaughtering of our brothers and sisters in Term. To these we will act with swift justice. Good luck, be safe, your queen and your city thank you for your service.”
There was a familiar sound of a crowd moving at once as the queen was saluted. She waved as the soldiers turned and made their way from the city. Their path would take them through a city cheering them on and to Term. They would reach the Outland city the following night, when their powers would be unhampered by the sun. They would be at full strength when they attacked.
The queen entered the room, nodding to her sister. Fenrick was once more in her ear, talking about positioning and movements for the future. Commander Steel bowed his way from the two and approached Leah.
“I hate that guy. Even when he thought I was working for The Order, I’ve hated him. Why the queen won’t let me tear his limbs off, I’ll never understand.” Commander Steel was dressed in the normal city uniform of black-and-grey, a symbol of a black bat in front of two crossed swords emblazoned on his shoulders. “Are you sure I can’t go to Term? I feel like I could use some bloodshed in my life.”
Leah’s eyes rolled over the commander’s sharp features. Aside from the scar that ran down the side of his face, he wasn’t hard on the eyes. One thing was for certain, despite his name change, he was still the same cold-hearted killer.
“If we’re going to expect you to lead in the army, you’re going to have to curb that tongue of yours.” Leah stood and motioned for Commander Steel to follow. “More killing will come in time. So much, I promise, you’ll get your fill.”
“About my name change. What was wrong with The Scar, anyway? I thought it was fitting. I could have been Commander Scar.”
“Unlikely.” Leah led as the two maneuvered through the palace to one of the many stairwells leading down to the lower levels. “I’ve been working on a potion that will give you the upper hand in turning others to your will.”
“That sounds a bit cryptic,” Commander Steel said, following close behind. “What exactly does that mean?”
“It means Charlotte Sloan wiped the floor with you last time you two met. This will make you as strong and as fast as she is, but not only that, with a single bite, you’ll be able to turn others into vampires.”
“Interesting, and you plan on testing this theory, how?”
“The Legion has many enemies both within and outside of the New Hope walls. But let’s deal with one thing at a time, shall we?”
Leah led the former mercenary down the flight of steps and to a narrow hall. This portion of the palace’s underbelly Leah had reserved for her own experiments. It had thicker walls and was located under the palace’s kitchen and washroom. There was enough noise up there to drown out any stray screams or moans that might penetrate the thick stone.
Leah produced a key from within her dark robe. She went to a door set inside the long hall. It was like any other and would not have stood out at all, except when she placed her hand on this door and mumbled a certain phrase, intricate lines of purple magic crossed over the thick wood and metal. Ancient runes it had taken her a lifetime to learn allowed the door to be unlocked by the key she now inserted.
“Impressive.” Commander Steel followed Leah into her laboratory.
“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet.” Leah motioned with an outstretched hand, sending mage light dancing around the room. The power illuminated her laboratory, giving Commander Steel his first glimpse of her work area.
The room was gigantic, with steel holding cells to the right, and a large workspace that boasted a variety of tools and tables supporting even more tools. To the left were a dozen cylinder-like holding tubes filled with amber liquid and test subjects floating inside.
These macabre forms ranged anywhere from a fully grown human male, to a deformed gnome. They all appeared to be sleeping in the fluid.
Commander Steel stared open-mouthed at the scene from a nightmare. “You have issues. What have you been doing down here?”
“Well, lucky you. You’re about to see first-hand.”
Leah brushed by the commander. She made her way to the center of the room where an exam table stood upright. It was padded with brown leather cushioning. Straps for the occupants’ wrists, ankles, midsection, and forehead hung off the table like brown snakes.
“You’ll need to remove your shirt.” Leah didn’t bother gauging the commander’s level of fear; she knew his kind too well. He realized he was in too deep to pull out and a part of his sick drive for power even wanted to be experimented on if it meant his evolution. “The first installment of enhancers will mean a series of injections. The straps are there to ensure you don’t break any of your own bones during the spasms.”
“How reassuring.” Commander Steel obeyed, taking off his shirt to reveal a pale canvas of crisscrossed scars over his torso and arms. He stepped up into the standing bed.
Leah wasted no time securing the straps. No matter how sure she was of Commander Steel’s resolve, there was something about being tied down that even the most stalwart warrior hated. She maneuvered deft fingers through the straps on Commander Steel’s wrists, ankles, midsection, and forehead.
“Aren’t you going to buy me a drink first?” Commander Steel grinned at Leah. “What exactly are we expecting to happen from this procedure?”
Leah worked a circular crank at the base that brought the exam table to a parallel resting position. On the table next to her was a gun-like instrument of her own making. Instead of a barrel, four needles poked out from the front. Each needle connected to a vial of different colored fluid—slime green, bright pink, faded yellow, and translucent blue.
“Ar
e you going to inject me with the different shades of the rainbow?” Commander Steel asked with a hint of doubt in his voice. “Seriously, what kind of results are we anticipating here?”
Leah lifted the gun of vials and stabbed Commander Steel with the needles. The slick steel spikes ran through his pale flesh like meat skewers through a freshly slaughtered pig. Her placement was perfect, right over his heart.
Commander Steel looked at her with eyes full of pain and regret. He couldn’t move, but Leah guessed that if he could, he would strike her across the jaw.
Leah pulled the trigger on her gun with her left hand, while her right hand covered Commander Steel’s mouth.
Animal-like screams were already coming from somewhere deep inside his chest.
“I don’t really know what to expect.” Leah smiled down at her victim. “But if you do survive, you will be something to be dreaded by the rest of the world.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Jack
There was no time to come up with a battle plan. Jack and Abigail stood back-to-back, facing down the guards who had chased them from the inside of the bar, as well as those who had been unluckily waiting for them in the alley.
“Take them!” ordered the soldier leading the group from inside the bar. He was young for a commanding officer, clean-shaven, a boyish look of excitement in his eyes. “Take them, now!”
Jack could feel Abigail tense behind him. Back-to-back, her hips lowered against his, the muscles in her back tightened.
Jack allowed the familiar magical warmth to race across his body. Green flames erupted from his hands as the first set of guards arrived.
Jade flickering flames of magical energy hit each of his targets in the chest, sending them careening into their counterparts behind. Jack trusted Abigail to hold her own as he moved to finish off the soldiers on his side of the alley.
He had the easier of the two tasks. The guards Jack faced were those simply out for a smoke. Four were half drunk, without weapons, and totally unprepared for a fight. He struck the two remaining guards, who struggled to their feet, across the temple and jaw. The magic covering his fists added an extra layer of toughness to his hands.
When Jack’s blows landed, he didn’t even feel the impact. What he did feel was the familiar drain of energy. When he didn’t have an item such as a wand or a staff to channel his magic through, the act of using any magic became ten times as tiresome. How Leah Noble was so strong as to not require any kind of magical item was beyond Jack.
A grunt from behind made him change his train of thought. Abigail was already bleeding from the right corner of her lip. The meager amount of training she had received from Sloan wasn’t enough to fend off the group of trained soldiers.
It was only Abigail’s resolve to stay free and to find her sister that carried her through this fight. Jack raced to action. Five soldiers stood on Abigail’s side, all armed and ready to kill if need be. One of the five was already on the ground, thanks to Abigail. The other four pressed in.
A muscular-looking guard saw Jack break off from his own fight to come and help. He raised a long-barreled rifle to his shoulder and took aim.
There was no room to maneuver in the narrow alley. In a raging rush of energy, Jack forced the magic in him to his hands. Emerald flames shone bright as he crossed his forearms in front of him and did his best to make himself small behind this untested barrier.
BOOM!
The shot from the soldier’s rifle rang out loud in the alley, echoing off the brick walls. Jack felt the impact of the bullet strike the magical force around his hands and bounce off. Jack and the soldier looked at one another, each just as shocked.
Jack was the first to recover. Pushing both hands forward, he channeled a beam of magic. It hit the soldier square in the stomach. The soldier doubled over and fell in a heap to the gravel ground.
Jack was sweating. His heart pounded in his ears. He was testing the boundaries of his magical ability now as he prepared for the next engagement.
To her credit, Abigail was still on her feet. She fought like a woman possessed, biting, scratching, and kicking at the last three men who had her pinned up against the alley’s far wall. Two of the soldiers held her, while the third was failing to maneuver her wrists into a set of manacles.
Jack kept his hands burning bright with the magic. He struck the first soldier in the back of the head. The soldier crumpled. Jack brought his fist down onto the next soldier’s jaw, sending him to his knees, where he hit him once more in the nose. Blood squirted everywhere as the man rolled on the ground, both hands on his broken nose.
Abigail had an answer to the last soldier. It was the young commanding officer. He looked at the two, taking a step back, the empty manacles swinging in his hand. “Wait just a minute now, I had the opportunity to fire on you and I didn’t. You owe me—”
Abigail took a step forward and sent a powerful kick to the man’s nether regions. Whatever he was going to say was lost in a high-pitched gasp. He fell to his knees, grabbing at his crotch.
“Let’s go.” Jack finally allowed the magic coursing over his hands to fade. He was exhausted, but they had to move.
“Go where?” Abigail pressed the back of her left hand to her bleeding lip. “We don’t have any friends in New Hope.”
“We might have more than we thought.” Jack motioned to her to follow as he made his way down the alley.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Jack
The two had managed to lose themselves among the crowded streets of New Hope. With a few directions pointed out to them by wary store owners, Jack and Abigail made their way to 2999 Martelle Street.
While they were traveling to the address, both Jack and Abigail had done their best to straighten their clothing, but it was clear they had been part of something out of the ordinary that day. Abigail’s new dress was ripped at her right shoulder. Jack’s coat was spotted with dark dried blood.
The whole time, Jack couldn’t shake the feeling they were being watched. Every look up to the rooftops or behind his back led to the same result: nothing. Still, Jack’s imagination ran wild with the possibility of spies lurking in the shadows. Just as he was about to suggest to Abigail that they double back, the pair of weary fugitives arrived at the address.
Jack’s stomach did a backflip as he realized he still hadn’t eaten that day. The sun had long set, making the residence in front of them look more sinister than it should. The two were in a low-end residential area of the city. Single-story homes stood squeezed together with not so much as a walkway between the buildings.
The mage lights that added illumination to the moon and stars overhead cast weird shadows on 2999 Martelle Street. The brick structure looked ancient with cracks spider webbing up from the overgrown yard that touched the foundation of the house, to the sagging roof that looked as though it could collapse with the next heavy rainfall.
“Are you sure Lieutenant Baker said this was the address?” Abigail looked up and down the deserted street. “You don’t think this is a trap, do you? I mean, Lieutenant Baker wouldn’t try to trick us, would he?”
“No.” Jack couldn’t imagine a scenario where they couldn’t trust Lieutenant Doyle Baker. “He wouldn’t have let us go at the bar, only to trap us here. He’s a good man.”
“Well then, do we just knock?”
Jack looked over at Abigail. Her face was in the shadow of the house, but he could imagine her determined eyes staring back at his own.
Together, the two made their way through the shabby yard to the front door. Jack stepped over a spider as it scuttled across the cement walkway. Once, long ago, the door had at one time been painted a bright, cheerful blue. Now, the paint chipped and flaked off the pitted wood.
There was a window on either side of the door, dirty drapes obscuring their view inside. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack caught movement from the window on his left. By the time he turned to see what it was, it was too late. The only thing there was the
last sway of the stained curtain as it fell back into place.
Had he even seen anything at all? Jack had to wonder how much his imagination was toying with him at the moment, and whether or not there was actually someone staring at them from the other side of the window.
Abigail missed the interaction. She raised a fist, striking the door three times. The sound of her knocks reverberated inwards.
The pair of fugitives waited. Jack looked over his shoulder. Besides a few random pedestrians crossing the street a few blocks down, there was no one.
Abigail raised her hand again, but this time, before she could make contact with the wood, the door swung open in a rush. Two scarred hands reached out, grabbing both Jack and Abigail around their collars. In a heartbeat, they were pulled into the dark house. The door shut behind them.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Sloan
“When was the last time you ate or slept?” Ashley asked as the two women surveyed the perimeter of the town. “I’m only asking because I can’t remember the last time I did either.”
“Food’s not really been my thing lately.” Sloan avoided eye contact with the woman. “I took a nap earlier today. I don’t know for how long.”
That seemed enough for Ashley. Instead of chatter, the two warriors scoped out what would serve as their battleground.
The town of Term was hedged in on two sides by the forest and on two sides by a kind of dead, rolling grass that eventually turned into desert. There were no natural barriers. The small town simply began where the first building started and ended where the last street came to a stop.
It would be near impossible to fortify the town from attack. There was no time to dig ditches, no time to build walls. Even if there had been time to raise defenses, who would man them? Sloan’s objective was to buy the townsfolk time to flee to Azra.
The Complete Vampire Project Series: (Books 1 - 5) Page 48
