by James Somers
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” she said. “Perhaps, he’s been careful enough to stay hidden.”
“My father once told me that Satan could only afflict a man as God allowed him to,” I said. “Job, for instance, could not be killed by the Devil because God would not allow it, though the enemy very much wanted to do so.”
“Why do you know these things?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“We are forsaken, Brody,” she added. “God does not want the Descendants of the Fallen. Why would you bother to keep His word in your heart?”
This sounded so much like Tom that I was taken aback by her statements. “I am not forsaken, Charlotte,” I said. “And I cannot believe that you are either.”
“I know what I am, Brody. I know my place within the order of things.”
I stammered for an answer, unwilling to accept her words. “You’ve been taught your place,” I said finally.
Charlotte grew angry then. She squeezed my shoulder so tightly that it began to ache within her grip. “Salvation is for humans…mortals.”
I held her gaze, pushing back the fear I felt toward this Breed girl. “We are mortal,” I said. “We might be Descendants of the Fallen, but we are also descendants of Adam.”
Her grip slackened suddenly, her eyes beholding me as though in a new light. I couldn’t help but wonder if she had ever considered that side of things before. I wasn’t sure why I had said what I had said—only that it came to mind and the words came out of my mouth. Nevertheless, it made perfect sense. In my thoughts, I thanked the Lord for helping me. However, my victory was short-lived.
The entire house shook violently, as though a bomb had been detonated out in the street. Charlotte stood firm as I fell onto the floor off balance.
“He’s begun his attack,” Charlotte said.
I crawled back to the window and peeked out. “What’s happening?”
“He’ll pound the house until he breaks down Oliver’s wards,” she said. “Then my brother and his Breed warriors will swarm in to kill us. I’ll try to defend you, but it will quickly prove useless.”
“I can take care of myself,” I assured her.
She looked me up and down. “Really?”
I had to concede the point. Even knowing that she was of the Breed and quite strong, I didn’t feel any better having to rely upon a girl to fight my battles for me. It just wasn’t the way my father had raised me.
The house shook again, like a giant sledgehammer pounding the walls. Whatever sort of magical barriers Oliver had placed upon this place would fall very soon. I had to be prepared to fight.
I stepped away from Charlotte and the window, looking at the sofa across the room. I reached out for the power that had obeyed me now on several occasions, hoping that I might somehow control it. Tom’s instructions to bend these furious energies to my will and project them into the real world came to mind. I missed him. Surely Tom would know what to do, a way to fight, or some trick that would allow us to escape.
I pictured fire in my mind and opened my eyes to find blue flames burning several inches above my upturned palms. I turned them out toward the couch, hoping Oliver would forgive me for ruining it. After all, this whole house was about to be destroyed. Surely it wouldn’t matter.
I pushed with my will, feeling resistance for a moment. Then, like a barrier breached, I pushed through that resistance and felt it give way. Azure fire ushered forth like the breaking of a dam. The sofa was engulfed and incinerated within seconds. But now flames were climbing the walls, cascading against gravity across the ceiling above us.
“Wonderful,” Charlotte said, now standing beside me. “You’ve set the room on fire—the room we’re in.”
The smile I had briefly been wearing for having accomplished the task faded. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to do that.”
“Come on,” she said, streaking forward.
Charlotte crashed through the side wall, leaving a hole big enough for me to follow. I passed through as debris began to fall from the crumbling ceiling I had set ablaze. We came into Oliver’s bedchamber, but Charlotte was already knocking the door out of the way leading to the stairs beyond.
Trying to stay on her heels was a useless endeavor. Charlotte was simply too fast. Nevertheless, I did my best, following her through the house. When we passed the open front door, I saw the house servants running down the steps out into the courtyard. I started to veer after them, but Charlotte’s vampire strength held me fast.
“Don’t,” she said.
As soon as the words crossed her lips, I saw Breed warriors descend upon the servants from out of nowhere. It was all very messy.
“The fools,” Charlotte said. “They crossed Oliver’s wards. This way!”
We were off again through the hall beneath the dual staircases, running into the dining room. I had no idea whether or not Charlotte was searching for something specific, or just trying to get us as far from the fire I had started as possible. Either sounded good to me at this point.
The dining room was quite enormous, as though the dimensions of the room would not even fit within the house. I chalked it up to Oliver’s power again and left it at that. Many trophy animals lined the walls, having evidently fallen prey to Oliver during hunting expeditions. Several large bears were on display, as well as deer, and a moose. A number of fish set upon wooden plaques hung in various places around the room. There were swordfish and sharks and others I could not identify.
Charlotte paused here, scanning the room in a distracted way. “He’s not here either,” she muttered.
“Who?”
“Oliver, of course,” she replied.
The house shook again. Almost immediately the lifeless, stuffed carcasses of the animals around us came to life. They swung their arms, kicked hooves and flapped fins, all the while laughing maniacally at Charlotte and me as we stood before the great stone hearth where a large fire boiled within. I was terrified at this point, but prepared to fight back if necessary. None of the trophies came away from where they were planted.
“Stay calm,” Charlotte instructed. “It’s just Black trying to frighten you into coming out.”
She surveyed the room. “I suppose this is as good a place as any.”
“As good a place for what?”
“To die,” she said. “Soon they will breach the house.”
Oliver rushed through the undergrowth. Massive gnarled trees stretched high toward the night sky where a waning moon hung like a sickle reaping souls. Labored breathing and the rustle of many footsteps dogged his heels all the way from the portal where he had entered this particular realm. In the distance, the jagged spires of Blood Reign Castle stood upon the fog-laden moors of Wolf’s Bane.
A pixie with a long spear leaped down from a nearby tree, wearing clothing wraps made from human flesh. He had grayish skin, a long nose and recessed eyes. The Pixie hurled his weapon as Oliver ran by. Oliver batted the spear away with his cane just in time to avoid becoming the pixie’s next meal. More of the foul creatures followed hard in pursuit.
Of all the various races descended from the Fallen, pixies were some of the worst. Cannibalistic by nature, they considered human flesh a delicacy. Conflicts like war made for easy pickings, but they took their prey however they could find them. Many a missing person from the realm of mankind had actually been abducted by Pixies, never to be seen or heard from again.
Myths about them were far from true. Though smaller in stature than a normal person, they were not tiny and did not possess wings. Neither were they precious to look at. And what most referred to as pixie dust was nothing more than a concoction of herbs that had the effect of paralyzing their prey so that they could be consumed alive. After all, Pixies enjoyed their meals best when they were raw and wriggling.
Reaching the edge of the forest, Oliver huffed and puffed as he descended onto the moors. The fog was heavy and far more dangerous things dwelt here. Oliver heard a final vo
lley of spears, arrows and faerie curses fly astray into the fog after him, but the pixies had lost their meal. They wouldn’t dare follow onto the moors.
Almost at once, a lone howl rose above the mists. Both its range and direction were difficult to pinpoint. At least a dozen more calls answered it, coming from every direction around him. Wolf’s Bane was the domain of the werewolves, and Oliver had just run right into it.
Again, the house shook as Black buffeted the magical wards placed there by its owner. Plaster cascaded down from the cathedral ceiling overarching the cavernous dining hall. The stuffed trophies had gone quiet by now, resuming their lifeless existence, while Charlotte and I remained poised for battle. The smell of smoke had already filtered down to us from the burning room upstairs, but the Breed would almost certainly reach us before the flames ever did.
I practiced reaching for and grasping hold of the power that dwelt somewhere within me, finding it easier with each new attempt. Fire was my only trick so far, but watching the room around me had given me some ideas. A stuffed panther became the model for my next endeavor. I had no problem developing the mental image. I just concentrated on the form of the animal before me.
A moment of skin-crawling sensation later I had become the twin of the stuffed panther.
“Impressive,” Charlotte said as she watched me transform back to my human self. “Can you do any animal, or only the panther?”
“I’ve been several so far with Tom’s help,” I said happily.
She motioned toward the far side of the room opposite the fireplace. “What about that Kodiak?”
The massive animal before us stood at least nine feet high with paws as large as my entire torso.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “Although, I have been a mouse. So, I suppose sizing up shouldn’t be any more difficult to perform.”
Another quake shook the room, sending the crystal chandeliers above rocking back and forth. I took hold of the power while gazing steadfastly at the huge bear, contemplating its form and willing myself to become a living version. The tingling gooseflesh sensation I had always felt turned now to a dull ache in the pit of my stomach. Still, despite the increased difficulty, I kept pushing for the transformation.
The high stained glass windows around the dining hall imploded. Each gave way to a Breed warrior on his way through. Beside me, Charlotte shot into the air, taking the form of a large raven. I had not realized that she possessed the ability to transform into animals.
I concentrated even more on my own transformation as the sounds of battle erupted in the room. Charlotte soared high toward the distant ceiling, coming down again upon one of the emerging vampires in her human form with long fighting knives drawn. She dropped upon his back like a rider in the saddle, lopping off his head with one stroke of her left knife.
Meanwhile, other Breed warriors were en route to me where I stood rigid, staring at Oliver’s prize trophy in the room. I could suddenly feel their heat, sense the movement of air at their approach, and hear their nearly silent steps and the fevered grinding of teeth bared to drain the blood from my veins.
With the sudden voracity of a dam breaking forth, the form of the great Kodiak bear burst out of me. I roared wildly as the sensation overtook me. Turning on my pursuers, I found several leaping back from their attack with surprised faces. Another I slapped away with a giant paw, streaking his face and chest with jagged claw marks.
Breed warriors came back into the fight with the bear, hammering me, knocking me back with strength I hadn’t realized they possessed. Still, I fought against them, killing several. Others remained elusive, too quick for my heavy movements. Charlotte flew back into the fray in her raven form, becoming human again with blades slicing through her opponents.
Realizing they were matched against more than they had assumed, the vampires began to use their own swords and weapons as well. Charlotte fended off some, retreated, drove back into them and evaded again. Strike and run was clearly her strategy, and after surviving for all of sixty seconds I couldn’t blame her.
Vampires leaped at me. I batted them away, wounding some, angering others. Swords were leveled on me, and I knew that I wouldn’t survive long in this guise. The first stab came at my back. I whirled upon my attacker, throwing him off. More moved in from the other side.
Charlotte was too busy being chased all over the room to come to my aid. I considered other forms, though I was unsure if I could pull off the transformation so quickly with these vampires trying to kill me. A fly was small but too fragile, a bird the same. The bear had size, but wasn’t as quick. A lion or other great cat wasn’t powerful enough against swords and this many well trained killers. My hope was failing. My prayers were unspoken but many. Our ship appeared to be sinking fast and Charlotte and I had no way of escape left to us.
Then the billowing fire within the stone hearth changed color to blue then purple then green as a portal opened up within. Large creatures that I assumed must be wolves came leaping into the room from the fire. More than a dozen sprang into the battle from the portal, taking on the vampires as quickly as they found them.
My earlier speculation, though, had been incorrect. These wolves were standing on their hind legs, having sinewy muscles like a human, dark skin and the heads of wolves. All over they were covered with varying amounts and shades of fur. Werewolves had come to our aid, and I knew enough of the stories told about them to know that they and vampires were mortal enemies.
I gained hope again as the tide seemed to turn somewhat. The vampires were forced to divide their efforts in order to fight the werewolves. I retained my bear form, taking the Kodiak on the rampage. Now, I was attacking, swiping with meaty paws, knocking vampires aside as I tried to get to Charlotte.
Oliver walked through the flames then, carrying his wolf’s head cane before him like a baton. A vampire leaped toward him, choosing a human target over the others in the room. Oliver swung the cane toward him, sending a lightning bolt from the wolf’s head into his enemy. The Breed warrior’s chest became a smoking crater the size of my head. He didn’t get up.
“Oliver!” I shouted.
He considered me a half second before realizing that the bear was actually the boy he had left with Charlotte.
“Behind you!” he shouted back.
I turned, warning off an approaching vampire with a sword in his hand. After swiping several times at him, he moved away. Charlotte beheaded him on a near pass while he wasn’t looking. Surveying the scene now, the odds seemed a great deal more in our favor. But I couldn’t help wondering why Mr. Black himself had not come to this party.
“Shall I go in, my lord?” Sinister asked.
Black stood upon the factory roof, watching the large manor house where Breed warriors had moments ago charged through the windows into battle. Now that the building’s magical wards had been dissolved, the house appeared as it was rather than as the condemned tenement it had worn as a disguise. Though disproportionate in many ways, the house was elegant in its design. However, it was clearly not human in origin as expressed by its odd angles and weird embellishments. Part of the upper floor was also on fire which gave Black an idea.
“No,” he said finally. “That won’t be necessary.”
Black raised his hands toward the house. Flames leaped up from the wood. Almost instantly, the entire structure became an inferno.
Sinister stepped forward then felt the press of his master’s power upon him, halting his advance. “The Breed, my lord,” he said urgently. “My brothers are—”
“Expendable,” Black said.
Just as the fight began to turn in our favor, flames erupted everywhere around us. The walls were burning altogether in a moment. Fiery debris began to rain down upon all of the combatants in the room. The warfare quickly dissolved as every person sought a way of escape from the furnace we now found ourselves in.
The vampires immediately withdrew to the windows where they had entered the house, but they were repelled b
y unseen barriers at every attempt at escape.
“To me!” Oliver called.
The remaining werewolves, as well as Charlotte and me in human form again, immediately gathered to him. He turned and led us all into the raging fire within the hearth where multicolored flames licked at the stone but did us no harm. One by one, we each took our turn passing through the portal.
I paused with Charlotte just on the house side of it. We watched as her Breed kind stood together, having no way of escape. They huddled together resolutely as the structure collapsed, engulfing them in fire just as we passed through to safety.
Black stood with his hands outstretched toward the manor house, watching it collapse upon everyone inside. Once the structure had begun to burn in earnest, a powerful shockwave of his power was all that had been needed to send it crashing down. The mountain of rubble burned even more fervently than before.
Sinister stood behind his master, his eyes wide with horror, contemplating the loss of his Breed warriors, many of whom had been lifelong friends. He swallowed against the gathering lump in his throat, staring at his master’s back with hatred burning in his chest. For a brief moment, he considered the repercussions of attacking the fallen angel before him.
Black straightened knowingly. “You might consider it, but you’ll never do it,” he said menacingly. He turned toward Sinister. “You belong to me.”
Sinister held his ground, but the press of Black’s power upon him was becoming almost overwhelming. He knew with certainty that he had no hope of defeating a fallen angel. It was impossible. How could he fight the man when he wasn’t even alive in the mortal sense?
“Forgive me, my lord,” Sinister said, dropping his eyes.
“The word does not exist in my vocabulary,” Black retorted. “However, you are a useful servant to me. I will allow you to live on in that capacity for now.”
Sinister felt like biting his tongue, but the words came anyway. “Thank you, my lord.”
Black grinned and then disappeared in flame.
Alone upon the factory roof, Sinister continued to watch the remains of the house burn. He felt helpless—a feeling he had not truly experienced before. A half hour later, his self loathing exhausted, he rose into the predawn sky on raven’s wings.