Elixir of Flesh

by Joseph Kranak

  * * *

  As Constanta sat within the net, she watched the forest retreating behind her. She tried unsuccessfully to hold back her tears with all her might. She’d managed to quiet herself, but truth was she was completely petrified. Then, out of nowhere, with a suddenness that startled her, she saw movement from out of shadows high in the tree and a streak of color flashing in her direction. An arrow lodged itself into the upper thigh of Lea, one of the vampires holding her. As Lea faltered and started to trip, Constanta was tossed about inside her net. Another quick flash of color and an arrow was lodged in Fane, the vampire to the other side of her. Though Fane winced with profound pain, he didn’t falter and continued to run.

  Then Constanta saw falling from the tree a human shape that dropped to the ground, raised a bow and arrow, and in a blink lodged another arrow in Lea’s buttock. Lea this time didn’t just falter but fell. Fane completely took Constanta from Lea’s grasp and reached out a hand to help Lea. Picking herself up, Lea continued, but the arrows didn’t stop.

  From his vantage point in the tree, Vasile was able to place a crossbow bolt in Lea’s side, thinking this might finally take her down. But Lea continued, undeterred, though deeply wounded. The failure to bring Lea down and free the prisoner was more frustrating than Vasile could take. Out of pure spite, he decided to hit at their most vulnerable spot, the small vampire that rode on Vad’s back. It was clear to him that she was a vampire, and just as clear that she was newly initiated and thus preeminently impotent. So, he put a crossbow bolt as close to her neck as he could, landing it high in the center of her shoulder. The bolt pierced so deeply through her that it poked Vad, just before he felt a moist cough spew from Lina’s mouth.

  This attack on Lina compelled Vad to turn and face his attackers. He pulled Lina from his back, wounded and bleeding, and he handed her to Sil. Sil gingerly cradled her in his arms, and kicked up a flurry of dust as he sped away. Lea and Fane were on Sil’s heals, limping along, but still alive. But Vad, seeing Anton with bow and arrow in hand and poised, ran towards him. Anton had time to fire one arrow, lodging it in Vad’s shoulder, before Vad was on top of him. Vad choked Anton’s neck while he beat his head to the ground.

  With Anton’s consciousness quickly fading, Vad hurried to lean in. He wanted to macerate Anton’s neck before all his life went dark. But just then, arrows started to rain from the sky. Vasile was reloaded with two bolts and placed them both in Vad’s body, one quickly after the other. The first one landed just as the base of his neck, and the second landed high in his neck and pierced through below his chin. Blood spurted out of Vad onto Anton who was below him.

  The debilitating pain of this latter wound, made Vad cry out a squeal of pain. The agony of the wound sapped his will to fight as energy drained out of him, and he let Anton go. But he wasn’t ready to die. Vad leapt up to the ground and ran. Moments later, two more crossbow bolts pierced his left buttock and right thigh, but he was blind to this pain now, and simply ran, directly aiming for the coven.

  When he entered into the coven, arrows sticking out of him in every direction, blood pouring in long rivulets down his chest and back, his vampire comrades stood back stunned, immediately grabbing him to have his wounds tended. But all he wanted was to know was: “Is Lina alright?”