“That was weird,” Mab says while shaking her head clear. Taking off her jacket, she does her best to cool off, but her body remains hot. “It was as if I could talk to your illusions, which made me feel like my bones were turning to ice. The moment I stopped, my blood began pumping faster and heated up. Just another mystery that the two of us need to figure out. I don’t want to depend entirely on Gregorio because our powers are special. We should be able to discover them on our own. Why don’t you forget about being the vampiric savior and focus on understanding yourself?”
“You’ve definitely gained a lot more wisdom while I was gone,” Clyde teases with a half-hearted grin. Catching familiar scents on the breeze, he gets to his feet and keeps an eye on the surrounding forest. “We’re about to have company, so let’s decide on what we’re going to do. I think we should keep this a secret like before. No real food, wear our night cloaks, and I’ll mask our pulses with illusions. That means we’ll have to stay relatively near each other too. We’ll probably be getting scryed by Stephanie for a few weeks since some of our friends are going to be suspicious. Don’t even practice with your shadow powers unless you fake some kind of gestures first. Your claws and my illusions won’t bring as much attention as that. There is the option of you staying here and me saying you’re still recovering.”
“And be left out of whatever comes next?” Mab asks, her crossed arms still quivering. A cough behind her makes the burglar spin around, but she can only catch a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. “Let’s stay with Gregorio until tomorrow night. That way he can run a few more tests on me and I can practice being careful. If we have to keep this Dawn Fang thing a secret then I don’t want to ruin it as soon as we get back. Why do you keep looking at the forest?”
Pointing into the distance, Clyde sniffs at the air to make sure he is not mistaken. “Titus and Bob are heading this way. Only reason I know is that one smells like horses and the other is similar to you. See if you can sense them too by pumping more blood into your nose. It’s a lot more effective now than when we did it before our transformation. We should be able to use these kinds of powers without drawing any attention. You’ll have to really hold back your strength though. Me slaughtering an army won’t surprise anyone since I’ve done it before, but we’ll have a problem if you do it too.”
“There you go hogging all the fun like when we were more than partners. It’s just as infuriating now as it was back then,” the burglar states while she tracks her brother. When the two figures emerge from the bushes, she whistles and waves for them to climb up to the ledge. “I don’t like lying to my little brother, but this could get him killed. The fewer who know about this, the safer everyone is. All I ask is that you let me bet there when the times comes to tell Titus the truth. There will be a time when we reveal ourselves, right?”
“One day,” Clyde replies, keeping his voice low. He scoops up the hydra-skin jacket and dusts it off before handing it over in a way that hides his face. “Hopefully, it will be when we’re done with this war and on our terms. Considering what happened at Shallis’s castle, I have a bad feeling that our hand will be forced at some point. Do whatever it takes to keep up the façade, but always be ready to defend yourself.”
Mab is about to ask why Clyde is suddenly so worried, but their conversation is cut short by Bob landing between them. Titus grunts and curses while he pulls himself up, the muscular vampire barely able to stand on the narrow ledge. The exhausted pair hold up their hands to stop their friends from talking, the grueling journey pushing them to their limits. Needing to sit down, they slump against the wall and notice the mountain lion staring at them from far above. A deep hunger causes Bob to scramble up the wall after the agile beast, which rushes away from the slavering elf.
“We need to get you two back to Nyte,” Titus gasps, his stomach feeling like it is drying out from lack of food. He is about to call Bob back when the other vampire slips and crashes to the ground. “Okay, we need some food and then we have to get you back to Nyte. We got a message from Stephanie Talon that Xavier is starting to think both of you are traitors. I don’t know why he’s saying this, but you need to come with us to make sure the situation doesn’t roll out of control. By now, Decker is trying to smooth things over and I’m hoping Luther got the message too, so he’s leaving a . . . special assignment. Do either of you have anything to eat? I swear, both of you smell like fresh blood.”
“Uh, we just ate,” Mab swiftly replies as her heart pounds against her ribs.
9
Clyde stops short at the entrance to the dining hall when he sees that it is only Xavier waiting for him. The nobleman is busy waving his hands to control a swarm of wind spells, which are hanging decorations for an upcoming celebration. He can tell that the silver-haired man is in a foul mood since there are five drained bodies in the corner. The only times he has seen the Lord of Nyte gorge on so much blood and leave the evidence are when he is under extreme duress. Marching tables force Clyde to enter the room, the animated furniture having returned from being polished by the servants. With a flurry of movement, the tired nobleman finishes arranging long banners that depict the symbols of every vampire lineage. Most are against a red background while the families who have been wiped out are on yellow. Xavier snaps his fingers at stacks of chairs to get them to hop into position, the rattling noise causing his right eye to twitch. Holding up a finger to stop his guest from speaking, he focuses on a neat collection of boxes behind the dais where he will be sitting with Nadia. Crystal lanterns pass through the sealed packages and are followed by black candles that ignite when they are put in place. The lights spread throughout the air and remain hovering in place of the chandelier that a lone rag is trying to dust.
“As tradition states, I must prepare the yearly gala even though my fellow councilmembers wish me dead,” Xavier explains while removing his shirt. The wrinkled garment is sent into the hallway while he picks up a half-full goblet. “So, can you tell me what happened? You and Mab disappeared for days without making any attempt to contact me. Then, I begin hearing rumors that you have switched sides because Lord Shallis gave you a gift. At first, I did not believe it since you are not the type to honor a dead man that you never liked when he was alive. My suspicions grew as your silence continued.”
“Those two banners are dipping lower than the others,” Clyde mentions as he crosses the room. Leaping onto the wall, he fixes the decorations and remains standing on the narrow windowsill. “There isn’t that much to tell. As you heard, the job went south because the Duragians and the hunters arrived. Mab got hit by enough holy magic to burn her from head to toe. She tried to feed off a priest, but they’re enchanting their blood to hurt us and that made things worse. It took a lot out of me to hide her and fight through the army. We nearly didn’t make it out of the forest because of the second wave. By the time everything was done, I was starving and Mab was nearly dead. Neither of us had the strength to do more than go underground. The only way we could have contacted you is by messenger, but that could have revealed our location to our enemies. I’m sure you heard that the Duragians were patrolling the surrounding villages for days afterwards.”
“Yes, and we lost many others who were trying to hide like you,” the noble states, his body slumping as he relaxes. The days of stress and worry seem to wash out of his skin, which develops a thin sheen of red-tinted sweat. “Your words are a true relief, my friend. I do not think we can survive this war without your help. To imagine that you would turn on us drove a knife into my heart. Kai was unable to find proof of you joining the other side, but that was not enough since the attacks on us have become more aggressive. By the way, how did you make it to Gregorio’s lair if you were so injured?”
Seeing that he is still under suspicion, Clyde calmly drops to the floor and leans against a table that tries to move away. “Always hated when furniture was given minds of their own. Stand still or you’re kindling. So, Mab was the injured one and I simply nee
ded food. Once I fed enough to regain my strength and she was stabilized, we made our way to Gregorio. I should point out that we didn’t have our night cloaks, which made the journey much more difficult. We had only been there for a few hours before Titus and Bob arrived.”
“Nyte would have been a shorter trip.”
“And the Duragians would be watching those routes.”
“Yet, they were searching more to the east.”
“We didn’t know that.”
Xavier taps his finger against the side of his goblet before gesturing at a chair that is spinning in a circle. The piece of furniture shatters into a thousand pieces and the enchantment becomes a mist that floats to the vampire. He examines the magic and runs his hand through it to remove a glittering flaw in his creation. Sending the energy back to the pile of shards, he finishes his drink while the chair becomes whole. As if scared of being dismantled again, it rushes to the nearest table and knocks another seat away to take its place. The shoving causes a small fight amongst the furniture, the skirmish ending when a lightning bolt ripples along the ceiling. Everything in the room stiffens and moves back into position, the effect causing Clyde to laugh so hard that his stomach hurts. It takes a minute before Xavier starts chuckling, which grows in volume to match those of his less refined guest.
“Perhaps you are right that I should not have made them so independent,” the noble admits, his laughter cutting off abruptly. Taking his spare shirt off a nearby wall hook, he approaches the other vampire and bows his head. “You and Mab have my deepest apologies. My faith should have been stronger. I would like to discuss our next move. This is not an offensive mission, so it might not appeal to you. Yet, I can only trust my guards and soldiers to do so much. Would you and Mab watch over the gala? Nothing obvious, but I wish for you to be hiding within the room using illusions. I would ask that you come in after the event starts and the other nobles have had a chance to drop their guard. It is very risky because their bodyguards will be watching for hidden danger.”
“If it means getting a few days of rest then Mab and I will be happy to help,” Clyde says, his eyes already searching for hiding places. He frowns at how the floating lanterns erase most of the shadows and the curtains are too sheer to hide behind. “We might need to set up a few special decorations for us to hide behind. If the guests are looking for illusions then it’s best not to use them. Luther can help too by hiding on a window ledge. Keep in mind that we won’t act unless it’s necessary. No need to provoke them any more than we already have. Besides, you don’t want it to look like you’re setting up an assassination.”
“And that would be a bad thing?” the noble asks with a crooked smile.
Clyde is about to answer when the smell of burning bones hits his nose and he hears a faint crackling from the hallway. Stepping in front of Xavier, he strains his senses to pierce a silence barrier that was not there when he entered. Flickers of light can be seen under the door, but they are too faint for him to discern the cause. It is a coolness on the back of his arm that causes Clyde to whirl around and lunge at a window that is starting to open. He punches the hunter so hard in the knee that the limb shears off and the woman plummets to the courtyard below. Avoiding the sunlight, he waves for Xavier to run to the dais where an escape tunnel exists. The nobleman does not react quickly and is driven back by another hunter jumping through the stained-glass window. Weakened by being fully exposed, he is easily tackled and stares at the man’s raised dagger in the hopes of dodging the strike. Clyde roars as he swings a flailing table with enough force to splatter the mortal against the wall.
The silence spell shatters as a trio of priests and a paladin burst into the ballroom. Light beams and enchanted crossbow bolts fly towards the vampires, who barely manage to escape the barrage without injury. With the attackers focused entirely on Xavier, Clyde is able to get within reach of them before they abruptly put up a holy barrier. He snarls when is he knocked away and digs his fingers into the stone floor in order to skid to a stop. Afraid that tearing the spell apart would reveal his secret, he sprints for his companion and scoops him up. Clyde tries to create multiple images of them to throw the mortals off, but the protective shield billows out to erase the decoys before going back to its original form. The Duragians resume their attacks and make their way into the room as more hunters come through the windows, which remain open to bathe the room in sunlight.
Realizing that they have to escape, Clyde jumps to the ceiling and pushes off with his feet to rocket towards the dais. He smashes through the stone as a volley of sunbeams converge on them, the strength-sapping rays missing by inches as the pair fall into the exposed passage. All of their enemies gather around the hole and aim their glowing weapons at the darkness, which is unaffected by the light. Three of the hunters leap inside and are swiftly sent back into the ballroom as chunks of bleeding meat. With a roar, Clyde jumps back into the room and plunges his hands into the rafters above the passage. He pulls with all of his might to tear down a chunk of the ceiling and drops back into the hole while the debris prevents the Duragians from following.
*****
“Are we really going to do this?” Clyde asks, his eyes never straying from the fireball in Xavier’s hand. He sweats from the spell being an inch from his face, its intense heat already burning away the nearest cobwebs. “I have no explanation for the Duragians being here. Maybe they put a tracking spell on me or Mab. It wouldn’t be the first time the trick has been used to locate a lair. Then again, it isn’t like Nyte is a hidden location. I’d rather know how so many enemies got into the castle. You do have guards in the city, right?”
“They must have been wiped out,” Xavier replies, refusing to drop his arm. Looking down at his wedding ring, he clenches his fist and fights the urge to attack. “I swear, someone will pay dearly if anything has happened to Nadia. You better be right that this is an accident and you were used without your knowledge. If I find any evidence that you or Mab turned on us then I will execute you both. Do you understand, Clyde?”
“Stress always makes you a paranoid jerk, Tempest,” he says before angrily batting the fireball away. The flames ripple along the walls as he turns his back on the stunned noble. “I will admit that the coincidence makes me look bad. Yet, I still take offense to having my loyalty called into question. Do that with the grunts and bootlickers who can be paid off with the promise of a single virgin. I’m not that easy to turn and you know it. Now, follow me and we’ll get Nadia from wherever she is.”
“That would be the bedroom.”
“Will she stay there or go into hiding?”
“In that case, she might be somewhere in the tunnels.”
“Great, like I need this to be any worse.”
“Do you have any other ideas?”
“Maybe we can . . . Duck!”
Having heard nearby chanting, Clyde shoves Xavier down the tunnel an instant before a beam of light punches through the tunnel. A smoking circle is left between them and the sounds of clanking armor can be heard in the courtyard above. The cornered vampires stare at the large patch of sunlight and try to back away while keeping an eye on the opening. With a high-pitched whine, the Duragians attempt another strike that blasts through the ground and narrowly misses Clyde’s back. The damage is enough to cause a small collapse that lands on his head. Crawling out from beneath a narrow piece of crumbling rock, he waves for Xavier to leave and creates the illusion of putting on a night cloak. Seeing that the noble is not moving, he curses under his breath and waits for their enemies to attempt another holy attack. The instant the vampire hears the telltale sound, he leaps through the solid stone and grabs two paladins who happened to be standing over him.
Spotting the chanting priestesses, Clyde hurls the struggling warriors at the circle and manages to hit three of the unsuspecting women. It is enough to weaken their spell, which lacks the power to punch another hole in the tunnel. With a bellowing voice, the strongest of the Duragians wrestles control of the
beam from the others, who collapse due to their auras being absorbed by their determined ally. The light thickens and moves to follow Clyde as he races throughout the courtyard, his fists and feet striking every enemy that is in his path. Hurling hunters and paladins into the spell, the vampire frowns at how they are vaporized instead of passing through unharmed. The other soldiers get out of the way to avoid suffering the same fate and gather around the edges of the holes to stop the vampire from escaping. He is nearly backed into a corner when he barrels through a wall and rushes down the empty hallway to come around the attack. Becoming annoyed at being chased, Clyde jumps out an open window and charges the priestess while the spell twists until it is on his heels. Before he can reach her, a lightning bolt bursts from the nearest hole and scatters the warriors in its path. The crackling spell strikes the woman in the head and leaves it a charred skull as she topples over. With no aura to power it, the beam of light jerks to a stop and blinks out of existence.
Hurling fireballs and blood-draining arrows from the shadowy passage, Xavier tries his best to help Clyde while avoiding the sun. Paladins and hunters drop down to face the nobleman, but they are blocked by a shimmering barrier. Those who touch the oily obstacle are sent flying by a battering ram of energy, which dents metal and breaks bones. More fall into the passage as Clyde dives into the mass of enemies and tears many of them apart. He eventually leaps into the hole to finish off those who have been injured and are trying to use the tunnel to escape. Seeing that his friend is safely underground, Xavier moves his arms so quickly that they are blurs and unleashes a swarm of spells on those above. The explosions shake the castle and cause the weakened pieces of the passage to collapse. One large chunk falls against the barrier and is shot towards the melee where it is pulverized by a single punch from Clyde.
Loyalty Page 16
