The Complete Vampire Project Series: (Books 1 - 5)

by Jonathan Yanez

  “He taught you how to jump buildings?” Jack asked Abigail. “Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy?”

  Abigail made quite the opposing figure in her all-black, skintight clothing. She looked like an assassin ready to make her next kill.

  “Yeah, he did, actually.” Abigail shrugged. “Come on, it’ll be all right. We can do this. If not for us, then for the people who are counting on us to pull through. If not for them, then for the people we’ve lost along the way.”

  Jack just nodded. His stomach was doing backflips as he moved to stand next to Abigail on the waist-high ledge. The wind brushed against his clothing. Saber was right. His cloak would have flapped in the breeze, creating extra movement and even sound.

  “Together?” Abigail looked over at Jack.

  “Together,” Jack agreed, already channeling the magical power that set him apart as a sorcerer.

  As one, the wizard and the warrior leapt from the building.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jack

  Lifting himself and moving his own body over the rooftops wasn’t as hard as he thought. He had already grown accustomed to lifting himself off the ground thanks to the books provided by Saber, and Saber’s own mental training.

  The hard part was pushing himself through the air, and harder still, lifting someone else and maneuvering them through the sky.

  The trio, led by Saber, stuck to a long route that would lead them across multiple taller buildings while keeping them away from busier parts of the town. Even though it was in the early hours of the morning, a city like New Hope still had a nightlife. The bars would just be emptying out at this time.

  It was near one of these bars that the trio of black-clad thieves met their first major obstacle. They were on a three-story building, some kind of factory whose roof was marked by dozens of smokestacks and vents. Across the street from them was another three-level building they needed to get to. The first floor of the building was a bar called Mendoza’s, the other two stories looked like apartments, all with their windows closed and curtains drawn.

  Music from the bar permeated the air and reached Jack’s ears as he prepared himself for what he knew Saber was going to ask next.

  “I’ll go first.” Saber leapt onto the ledge of their building like it was nothing. “Keep it steady, kid. You got this.”

  Jack took a deep breath. Calling on the power that lived inside of him, he motioned upward with his right hand. Slowly, Saber lifted from the rooftop. Unlike before, this kind of magic took a great deal of strain on Jack right away. It was like he was trying to lift Saber’s actual weight, but instead of with his body, he had to use his mind.

  Jack gritted his teeth as he motioned forward with his hand. Truth be told, the hand motion wasn’t anything he actually needed to do to perform the deed, it just felt right and helped him focus.

  Slowly at first, and then picking up speed, Saber sailed over the wide street. When he was over the building with the bar on the bottom floor, Jack made a mental error: instead of lowering him to the roof, his concentration lapsed and Saber fell the five feet to the rooftop with a loud thud.

  Everyone held their breaths. This close to the palace, they couldn’t afford to be caught. Three people running around on rooftops, dressed in black, and carrying weapons would surely be reported.

  Nothing.

  Jack let out a sigh of relief. Saber was too far away to make out his expression, but Jack could guess his one good eye was not pleased.

  “It’s all right.” Abigail squeezed his hand before assuming the same position on the ledge. “Shake it off. No one heard.”

  Jack nodded, this time focusing on Abigail. She was lighter than Saber and thus easier to lift and maneuver through the air. Halfway between the buildings, the bar door banged open. A wide-eyed, middle-aged man walked out into the street with a drunken swagger.

  He stared up into the night sky to a passing Abigail that hovered in the air.

  Abigail looked down at him with a wave and a smile, then pressed her finger to her lips.

  Jack pushed harder, sending her to a soft landing beside Saber.

  The drunk’s eyes looked as though they were going to pop out of their sockets. He opened his mouth as if to scream a warning, but instead of words, vomit poured out of his mouth. He hunched down on all fours, spewing out the remnants of a night filled with alcohol.

  Jack took the opportunity to launch himself into the air and glide across the street. As soon as he landed, Saber gave the hand signal to keep moving.

  The man retching in the street could still be heard behind them as he continued to empty his stomach.

  The three thieves didn’t waste time on words. Each understood how important it was to put as much room as possible between themselves and the drunk. Hopefully, the man was too incoherent to realize what he had seen, much less put into words, to a city soldier.

  Seconds, then minutes, passed with no alarms sounding in the distance. Jack was breathing hard, a thin layer of sweat made cold by the night air gathering on his brow.

  Seven blocks later, with a series of interspersed hovering tricks by Jack, the three found themselves on a five-story building opposite the palace. Jack came to a halt beside an out-of-breath Abigail. Saber looked as though he had gone for a stroll in the park. His breathing was steady; the only thing about him that proved he had exerted any energy at all was a glistening of sweat on his forehead that ran into his one good eye.

  Jack looked down at the palace. It was a massive, multi-story structure with an outer gate made of wrought iron. Four guards were stationed at the front with at least two more Jack could see making rounds around the perimeter.

  Past the gate, a long driveway led to a water fountain, and past that, the doors to the palace itself where two other guards were stationed. Jack had no way of knowing how many of the guards, if not all of them, were vampire soldiers.

  “And we’re just going to walk in, huh?” Abigail reached behind her right shoulder and let her fingers drum on the pommel of her katana. “I don’t think they’re going to welcome us in for a sleepover.”

  “Here,” Saber reached into a pouch that was strapped to the outside of his right thigh. He produced three black bandannas. “Put these over the bottom of your faces. And don’t worry about the guards. Our friends are going to take care of them before they leave for Azra.”

  Jack accepted the dark silk bandanna. It was all black except for a design of fangs on one fourth of the fabric. Jack tied his behind the lower half of his face. He looked over to Abigail to see what she looked like.

  She was adjusting the fabric over her mouth. The design of a full set of white animal like teeth showed on the fabric over her own mouth. Abigail looked like some kind of black beast.

  “Get ready.” Saber slowly pulled his katana from its sheath on his shoulder. He placed it lengthwise across his body. A moment later, the blade caught the faint moonlight that showed through the angry clouds overhead.

  Jack followed Saber’s gaze to the soldiers below. The pair of guards patrolling the palace had just turned the corner. Their path would take them around the perimeter. Even if they jogged their entire route, it would be a while before they returned.

  A flash from one of the soldiers at the gate below caught Jack’s eye. It was too far away to make out who the soldier was, but he or she was returning Saber’s signal with what Jack guessed was a small mirror.

  “Get ready. Remember, the vampires will be faster and stronger. We have to keep the element of surprise on our side, and be smarter.” Saber climbed out onto the ledge of the roof. “Move when I move. We have a small window for this to go right.”

  Before Jack could ask his mentor any of the dozen questions he still had about their heist, Saber threw himself off the roof’s ledge.

  Abigail and Jack ran to the ledge, looking down at Saber’s dark figure descending the building’s face. The leader of the New Order let himself drop level by level in quick succession. Each tim
e he allowed himself to plummet to the next level, he grabbed on to a window ledge to temporarily pause his fall. In seconds, he was on the ground and sprinting toward the palace gates.

  Abigail looked at Jack with a shrug. “You look ridiculous in that mask.”

  A moment later, Abigail followed Saber’s lead in vaulting over the side of the building.

  “I’m stealing into a coven of the queen’s vampires with a pair of psychos,” Jack said out loud to himself.

  Jack could feel his heart beating out of his chest. He lifted himself with his magic, positioned himself over the roof’s ledge, and allowed himself to descend. Although his concentration was on the action of lowering himself to the ground, his eyes were on the scene in front of him.

  The palace guards were just beginning to notice Saber as he came at them from the dark. There were four guards at the gate—two in front of the steel fence, and two on the inside.

  In quick succession, one of the guards on the outside knocked out his counterpart. A fraction of a second later, one of the guards on the inside followed suit. Jack squinted through the dark night to see who they were. There were mage-powered lanterns and lamps placed around the perimeter of the palace, but the night’s shadows still warped faces.

  Private Pia stood over the downed soldier on the outside of the gate. Sergeant Harrison was already opening the black iron gate to let himself out.

  Jack’s boots touched the ground in front of the palace at the same time Abigail dropped the remaining story to the ground. As one, they crossed the street. Jack picked up on the rushed conversation Saber was having with the two.

  “No time to waste,” Saber whispered to the pair of soldiers. “Get out of the city and head for Azra.”

  Pia and Harrison nodded. They ran in the opposite direction of Jack and Abigail now.

  “Be careful,” Pia said to Jack as he passed.

  Harrison gave a quick nod before the two were lost in the night.

  Jack’s breathing was beginning to pick up again as he ran in a crouched position beside Abigail. The two crossed the large palace courtyard, still following in Saber’s lead.

  Lieutenant Baker was standing over the unconscious body of his counterpart when they reached the palace’s front entrance.

  “You’re on your own from here.” Lieutenant Baker looked down at the timepiece that hung from his left pocket. “Two minutes, forty five seconds.”

  “Let’s go.” Saber looked over at Jack and Abigail.

  The wizard and the two warriors entered the palace, taking off at a sprint once again. With Saber in the lead, they ran down long hallways with thick carpets and gaudy paintings.

  Jack was trying to remember the route to the armory, but there was no need. Saber knew exactly where he was going. Things seemed too easy at first. At this late hour, there didn’t seem to be anyone patrolling the palace halls.

  It made sense for people to be sleeping at this time of night. Still, shouldn’t there be someone up? Servants, other guards—someone?

  A feeling like someone was watching them tingled at the back of Jack’s neck as the trio of thieves reached the armory doors that were already open.

  “Saber, this feels like a trap,” Jack whispered as he peered into the dark armory interior. “Everything’s wrong.”

  “I couldn’t agree more, kid.” Saber unsheathed his katana, motioning for Abigail to do the same. “At first, I thought we were just lucky. There’s no way we’re this lucky.”

  “Please, come in,” a familiar voice said from somewhere deep within the dark armory. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jack

  Abigail was the first one to rush inside the dark room. The voice talking to them belonged to her sister, Elizabeth.

  “Abigail!” Jack ran in right after her. “Be careful.”

  As soon as Jack ran into the shadow-bathed room after Abigail, brilliant, white light flooded the armory. Mage lights both overhead and on the walls exploded to life, stealing away Jack’s vision for a moment.

  He blinked, bringing up an shielding arm. As he grew accustomed to the light, he could see the armory had changed since his last visit with Edison, a meeting that seemed like an eternity before. The long room was divided into aisles, with crates, tables, and shelves making up the rows.

  Brown boxes labeled with different black stamps sat next to one another. Swords rested in shelves, and firearms on tables. Whoever was running the armory now was neat and orderly to an annoying extent.

  As far as Jack could see, there was only one other person in the room with them. Elizabeth’s small frame stood on the opposite side of the room, her long, black cloak hiding most of her body. Her fiery red hair was a piled mess on top of her head. Dark bags hung under her eyes.

  “I’m glad you finally decided to come back,” Elizabeth taunted. “It’s a pity you didn’t remember to take me with you when you fled the palace.”

  “We tried,” Abigail sputtered. In one fluid movement, she sheathed her katanas back into the case on her back and tore the bandanna from her face. “We were being chased when we escaped. But we were always going to come back to find you. That’s why we never left New Hope. We’ve been training with the New Order to come back and save you.”

  “She’s telling the truth,” Jack said. He felt his hot breath against the black bandanna on his lips. He pulled it down to his neck. “We never forgot about you. We were always coming back.”

  Elizabeth looked at them with an air of indifference. Her arms were folded into her cloak, but Jack sensed movement beneath the fabric.

  “And what about you, Mr. One Eye?” Elizabeth looked over to Saber. Out of the three, he had made no move to lower his weapon or take down his bandanna. “Were you always planning on coming and rescuing me, as well?”

  “They were.” Saber never took his eye off Elizabeth. “I couldn’t care less.”

  Elizabeth erupted in a gale of laughter that held no mirth. “That’s the first honest thing that’s come out of any of your mouths!”

  “Elizabeth, no, this isn’t you.” Abigail started forward. Her arms were opening as if she were going to hug her little sister. “Leah has warped your mind. We’re here now. We can help.”

  “I don’t need your help,” Elizabeth roared. For the first time, she extended a hand from her robe. It held a back wand etched with ancient yellow runes. The runes glowed with a sick, pale light. “I don’t need any of you!”

  “Abigail, watch out!” Jack sprung into action as he witnessed Elizabeth channel a ball of energy into the tip of her hand. He flung himself at Abigail just in time to knock her out of the way of the beam’s path.

  The fireball sailed so close over Jack’s right shoulder, he felt the hair on his head singe from the heat. It struck a box behind them, turning the crate to a ball of flames.

  Jack landed on top of Abigail before rolling off.

  “No, no!” Abigail found her feet, still unwilling to draw her weapons against her sister. “Elizabeth, stop!”

  But there was no stopping the younger Ahab sister now. Saber ran to block the next blow sent from Elizabeth’s wand. He was just in time to deflect the magical projectile with his sword.

  Sparks filled the air as Saber’s katana succeeded in absorbing the magical strike, but paid for the act. The katana the one-eyed warrior held in his hand was melting. It seemed even the strongest steel had no place in a magical fight.

  Elizabeth fired at Saber over and over again. The warrior ducked and weaved, spinning through the air to avoid the onslaught. All around, the warehouse shelves toppled over and boxes burst into flames.

  BOOM! BOOM!

  A series of explosions went off somewhere behind Jack. He was just regaining his feet when the first wave of vampire soldiers flooded the room.

  Saber made use of the two pistols he carried, emptying them both toward Elizabeth.

  Abigail screamed.

  Elizabeth didn’t even move. With a flick
of her wand, she stopped the bullets, mid-flight. The two steel balls fell to the stone floor.

  “Anything else?” Elizabeth smirked at Saber. With another flick of her wand, she lifted him into the air and sent him crashing against the far wall.

  Everything was happening so fast, Jack barely had time to track the movements. He was brought back to the moment with Abigail’s voice.

  “There!” Abigail pointed to a table along the far wall, where lay Jack’s own wand that had extended into a staff. “Hold off the vampire soldiers. I’ll take care of my sister.”

  Abigail didn’t wait for Jack to respond. She was already in motion. Disregarding the steel katanas that still peeked over each of her shoulders, she plucked two mage swords from the wreckage of a wooden table. They hummed to life in her hands, each glowing a faint white.

  As much as Jack wanted to help the woman he loved, he understood she needed to do this on her own. There were at least a dozen of the vampire soldiers already surrounding him. They were all pale with red eyes and mouths full of teeth all pointed into deadly angles and glistening in the light of the flames.

  “Surrender! Leah would prefer you alive, but that’s only a request, not a command.” One of the vampire soldiers, a woman wearing the black-and-grey uniform of New Hope, took a step forward. “No more warnings.”

  Jack eyed the black wand he had used during the hunt for the Burrow Den beast. He could hear the fight between Abigail and Elizabeth raging behind him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Saber stirring from the position where he had fallen after Elizabeth had flung him against the wall.

  Jack knew what he had to do. He would never have considered himself a hero before, but this was his chance. This was an opportunity to let go of the pain he still carried for the death of his father.