by Tricia Barr
“No one betrays me,” Draven said softly.
Kendall’s knees buckled, and Myreen followed him to the ground, feeling useless as death dug its clutches into Kendall’s soul. He looked up at her, and a strange spark of understanding lit his beach blue eyes.
“This was my vision,” he said, his voice cracking and weak. “All this time...” He shook his head.
Myreen forced a dry swallow. “I-it’s okay,” she stammered nervously. “I’ll just pull it out and you’ll be fine.” Her head nodded so vigorously that it made her neck hurt. But it should work. Kendall was a hybrid now, his flesh would seal as soon as she removed the feather. And if it didn’t, she could heal him with her harpy magic. He’ll be fine, she repeated in her mind to convince herself.
She wrapped all ten fingers around the feather, not caring at all that it cut into her flesh and blood spilled down her arms. She wrenched it out, and keeping her eyes glued to the puncture in his chest, she could see the skin slowly begin to close.
“See?” she said.
But just as Kendall looked back up at her, his chest jerked forward at the same time that she heard a disgusting bone-crunching sound.
He gripped her arms so tightly that it should have hurt. “Myreen...uh...love you.” His voice faded before the last syllable left his lips, and the light left his eyes completely. He fell limp to the ground, dead.
Completely baffled at what just happened, she caught him in her arms, cradling him like he was something frail and precious.
A shadow loomed over her, and she looked up with frantic questioning eyes. Draven stood over them, and in his hand was Kendall’s oozing heart.
All the blood drained from Myreen’s face. It might as well have been her heart that Draven ripped out.
“He was weak,” Draven said as he took a step toward her. “What a waste of my venom he turned out to be.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she took one last longing look at Kendall’s empty face. Despite everything, she still truly cared for him. And now he was gone.
A thousand thoughts sped through her mind. She was a harpy. If she could somehow put his heart back inside his chest, she could heal him. Right?! Kendall couldn’t be dead, he just couldn’t!
But she knew the truth. Even for a vampire, this kind of death was final.
Anger coursed through her veins like a poison, making every inch of her seethe and burn. Storm clouds appeared overhead, swirling and rumbling threateningly, mimicking the way she felt inside. She gently lay Kendall down and rose to her feet, narrowing her eyes at her father as a rogue wind whooshed through the empty lake bed and whipped at her hair.
“Let’s finish this.”
Chapter 56: Oberon
As a child, roiling storm clouds, booming thunder, and rushing wind terrified Oberon. His younger self knew that someday he’d be able to control the elements—that they’d follow his instructions as a horse follows its master’s bridle and reins.
Tonight, the elements listened to him. But the wind that pushed him and Serilda’s family through the night sky was not the force of one gryphon, but that of many. Oberon had never flown so fast in all his life. And, like when he was a child, it was terrifying.
He kept it together, but Ren—who happened to be in a full-body hold by Oberon—was currently freaking out. He’d been in and out of consciousness during the rapid journey, and Oberon kind of wished he’d have remained unconscious for the duration.
“This is not normal!” Ren screamed. “There’s too much air, but it seems like it’s going past me faster than I can breathe it!”
“It probably is,” Oberon yelled back so he could be heard. Somehow, he managed to keep his own voice steady.
Craning his neck, he checked on his niece, June, who was still technically learning to fly. She seemed to have no problems keeping herself perfectly balanced on the racing wind, and looked to be enjoying the freedom of the air without her parents having to interfere. The eyes of the other zooming gryphons glowed a brilliant purple. Chills ran through Oberon’s body, and not from the wintery air. He liked to think that this was how his species used to charge into battle as great warriors, working together.
Bringing his attention to the ground far below, Oberon spotted a series of large lakes approaching.
“That’s Lake Superior,” Oberon said. “And Lake Michigan is—”
The sight of the empty lake caused Oberon to release his hold on the wind, and a decrease in velocity came as a result. Which was okay. They needed to slow down anyway.
“Floating in the air?” Ren finished. “It looks like a giant wall of water hovering over Chicago!”
That was alarming, but Oberon was more disturbed with the sight where the water should be. From this distance, it seemed like ants were pouring into a hole at the top of the exposed school, but Oberon knew very well what they were.
“Look at the Dome,” Oberon said, not entirely sure Ren could see what was going on in the darkness of night.
“Vampires,” Ren hissed, confirming that the moonlight was enough for his eyes. “How did they drill a hole into it? And look at all the cracks!”
It pained Oberon to see his home and life’s work in such disarray.
The wind suddenly died down, indicating that others had stopped using their elemental abilities to increase their speed. Oberon flapped his large wings, circling back so he could communicate with the other gryphons.
They followed his lead until their bodies formed a perfect circle.
“We might be too late,” Oberon said. “The vampires are already within the school. Our time to aid them is now.”
“We are ready,” Gabriel said. “What is your plan?”
Oberon had been considering this the entire flight from Alberta, but was unfamiliar with strategy among a team of gryphons. But their combined abilities got them to Lake Michigan in record time.
“We combine our powers again,” Oberon concluded. “If we can summon enough thunderclouds, perhaps we can chain our lightning to stop any more vampires from entering the school.”
The gryphons’ glowing purple eyes returned, and together they summoned one giant black cloud that crackled with unbridled electricity.
“Think the vampires are ready for a light show?” Ren asked.
“Ready or not,” Oberon said, “here we come! Gryphons! This is your time for payback for the wrongs the vampires have committed against you! Now, fly with me!”
He dove, causing Ren to scream out loud again, and Oberon chuckled. Hearing the fox’s frightened squeal never got old.
Oberon found Gabriel at his left, and with a quick look to his right, he spotted Tobias matching his speed. Savannah lined up next to her husband, as did Gwendolyn. Even Grandma Vogel and June arranged themselves on the ends, preparing to take on the foes that had kept them on the run over the years. Oberon would do whatever it took to protect them.
Inhaling deeply, Oberon released a piercing call louder than any that had ever escaped his beak, and he was shocked to hear a chorus of equally loud gryphon calls surrounding him.
The seemingly endless vampire forces stopped their charging and looked up to the sky.
Reaching a safe enough distance from the lake bed, Oberon released Ren, whose nine-tails instantly charged with electricity mid-air. The kitsune landed elegantly and began his fluid attacks against the surprised vampires.
Oberon and the others pulled up from their dive, and Oberon yelled, “Summon your lightning and chain your bolts with one another!”
Looking up, he called upon the dark cloud overhead that blotted out the stars and moon. Gladly releasing its barely-contained power, multiple lightning bolts streaked out of the sky. Like static manipulation, Oberon felt his feathers pull at the energy plummeting to the empty lake.
Fearful shouts came from the vampires, and as the bolts struck them at random, Oberon made sure to tether his bolt to the next closest—one summoned by Savannah. The connection shot through a dozen vampires, holdin
g them in place and causing them to seize up. Tobias’s bolt bridged with Oberon’s on the other side, and soon, the sizzling electric current was holding at least forty vampires pinned in place.
Oberon swooped higher, taking a glance at the linked lightning that was now making a rough, uneven circle straight through countless vampires. So many more were trapped within.
“Fill in the gap!” Oberon called.
Summoning more lightning from the cloud in the sky, they each pulled on the electricity, then pushed outward, connecting one side of the ever-changing circle to the other. As the other gryphons did the same thing, their combination of lightning looked like a wagon wheel of light.
But Oberon knew the lightning would only freeze these vampires in place. No amount of electricity could kill them.
And then heads began to roll.
Ren Suzuki phased in and out of the gryphons’ lightning bolts, whipping his electrically-charged nine tails about in a blur. The kitsune made short work in such a quickness, but things got even better as a portion of the shifter military made its way to their location and helped. Dragons, harpies, weres, phoenixes.
A dark, gray dragon swooped close to him. “It’s good to have you back, Oberon.”
“Malkolm Dracul,” Oberon replied. So even the students were defending the school. Just how it should have been at La Framboise Island, he thought. “I’m happy to fight at your side.”
“Me too,” Kol said. “I just wish it would have been sooner.” The young dragon hovered for another couple of moments, then shot away, ready to incinerate more vampires. But Oberon wondered at Kol’s words.
It was almost unfair how easy the battle was. But this was only one part of the battle, and more of the Dome was damaged than he’d originally thought. Metal still kept the structure in its shape, but a good portion of the glass was either cracked or completely shattered. He’d have to find out what exactly happened to cause such destruction.
Off toward the middle of the broken Dome, lances of water and light caught Oberon’s attention, and he gasped. Draven was elevated on a disc of water. The vampire leader must have stolen thruster technology or something—unless...
Months ago, Leif had told him that Draven’s goal was to make vampire-shifter hybrids. Had the vampire leader figured it out?
Oberon’s train of thought was shattered as he saw who Draven was fighting against.
“Myreen!” he cried out. The girl was holding her own against Draven—moving as fast as a vampire. She weaved light, and so did he. Their attacks clashed against each other like swords. Lances of water flung at Myreen, and with unseen rapidity, she dashed the water away, turning it into falling rain.
They seemed to be at an impasse—father and daughter tangled up in a dangerous dance. And who knew how long it would go on?
But this was the moment—the culmination of Delphine’s vision. Myreen was the prophesied siren.
And she needed help to tip the scales in her favor.
Oberon nearly let go of his bolt of lightning, but a swirling drop of water big enough to contain a person inside stopped next to him. Narrowing his eyes, he could see Delphine within due to the light shining from the bright lightning. She was in mermaid form, protected in her cocoon of water, her fiery red hair floating every-which way.
Poking her head out of the water, she said, “I’m glad you made it.” She nodded toward the other gryphons. “And I’m glad my vision held true for you. Seeing your team of gryphons come diving in to save the day was indescribable. And your timing was none too early.”
“I was afraid we were too late,” Oberon said. “After we win this battle, we’ll have plenty of time to catch up. But we have a siren who could use our help.”
Delphine smiled, pushing her water carriage away. “I’m already on it. Keep mopping these vampires up, will you?”
Oberon nodded. “We’ll stop their attack here, but it will all be in vain if Draven gets away.”
“Then we’ll make sure he doesn’t,” replied Delphine. She slipped her head back into her swirling watery transport and sloshed away toward the fight raging between Draven and Myreen.
Quickly analyzing the lightning circle of death he was still linked to, Oberon saw that the vast majority of vampires in the area had been killed. They needed to move on to other areas.
“Spread out!” he called to his family. “Spread out and divide by twos! The other shifters will take care of the vampires if you can pin them with lightning.
The breathtaking wagon wheel of electricity fizzled away, and the gryphons did as Oberon suggested. Even June was right there with her dad. Oberon suspected she’d had training with her weather manipulation abilities, at least a little.
Gwendolyn and Savannah set out together, leaving Gabriel and Grandma Vogel as the final gryphon duo.
He looked about for other recognizable shifters in the battle. He’d spotted Kol, but where was Eduard? He should’ve been out among his forces, leading them, but Oberon didn’t see his familiar black-scaled body anywhere. Sure there were other black dragons flying about, but they were smaller and didn’t have Eduard’s spread of black spikes on the side of their jaws. Fortunately, Paskal Candida was picking up the slack with the dragons fighting. It had been a long time since he’d seen Nikolai’s father. Their last communication had been over the phone when he’d demanded his son be taken out of the school and made Eduard’s personal assistant.
Malachai could be seen leading a group of phoenixes. A few weres were following them on the ground, clawing and taking bites out of vampires as they went. He recognized a few other shifter military officers stepping up.
At least there’s some organization going on, he thought.
Getting his head back into the game, Oberon’s first instinct was to work with Ren—just like the old days. A pained scream ripped his attention away, and Oberon’s eyes focused on the fight between Draven and Myreen.
Myreen had been thrown to the side and was trying to regain her bearings, but the scream hadn’t come from her. Draven was rising on his watery platform. Above him was Delphine in human form, her watery shield completely stripped away. Two spears of light held her tacked to the air by the shoulders, and blood dripped like tears from the wounds.
Harpy abilities? Draven could manipulate light?
“No,” Oberon stammered, keeping a steady beat of his wings going. He seemed frozen in place, unable to move in to help.
Delphine wriggled uselessly in the air, her chest heaving up and down in a mix of panic and shock. The platform of water Draven was standing on suddenly submerged him entirely, and Delphine’s attack broke Oberon out of his helpless trance. He flapped his wings hard. Perhaps if Draven could be contained in the water for long enough, he’d drown.
To his horror, Oberon watched as the shadowy legs of Draven formed into a long, black tail. Which also meant he had gills. The vampire leader couldn’t drown. He was a chimera hybrid.
With even more resolve flowing through him, Oberon flew as hard as he could, calling upon the lightning stewing in the clouds overhead.
Faster than he could bring a bolt down, a single hand jutted from the watery pod containing Draven and grabbed a hold of Delphine’s neck.
“No!” yelled Oberon, directing the crackling electricity he’d summoned straight at Draven. Before the bolt struck the water, Draven’s hand twisted. Delphine’s head instantly jutted off at an odd angle, and Oberon could hear the audible crack that accompanied the movement. Delphine’s struggling legs went limp.
Oberon’s lightning struck its mark, but too late. The staves of light pinning her to the air disappeared, and she fell, tumbling from the sky until her body slammed into the floor of the exposed Dome.
“Delphine!” cried Oberon. But there was nothing he could do for her. Not now. His heart felt as if it would burst, and with the rage of having lost so much to this monster, he pummeled the water with as much electricity as he could pull from the thundercloud above.
He le
t loose a piercing call, then saw Myreen get to her feet close to where Delphine’s still, broken body lay. Tears were in her eyes as she looked up and peeled back the water containing Draven, causing him to fall from the air, too.
Oberon kept the vampire leader pinned to the ground, recalling how he’d done this same thing to the vampire leader after he’d killed his wife and parents. He wouldn’t let go this time, not until Draven was dead.
“You killed my wife!” Oberon growled. He had no idea if Draven could hear him, but he didn’t care. “You killed my parents. You killed my unborn child. And that’s just the tip of the feather on how much blood is on your hands.” He edged closer to the hybrid creature he was pouring enough energy into to power the city of Chicago with.
He looked at Myreen who was hunched over Delphine’s body, heavy sobs causing her body to quake. This was too much for the girl. She wasn’t ready. Whatever Eduard had tried to teach her, it wasn’t enough to deal with what had happened tonight.
Suddenly, Oberon’s electricity jumped away from Draven by a foot, as if an invisible field were deflecting it. Oberon gritted his teeth and pushed harder, but his bolt veered off to the side. Just beyond, he saw Draven stand up and throw him an evil smile.
“Oberon Rex—gryphon of legend—has returned,” mocked Draven. A sudden movement revealed that the hybrid was using the light of Oberon’s lightning to bend the destination of his lightning bolt. Slowly, Draven bent it in such a way that it reflected the electricity right back at Oberon.
It felt as if a million burning, freezing needles slammed into him from beak to tail, and he felt himself get flung back. He tried to force his wings out, but they wouldn’t respond. The electricity in his body stripped his ability to control himself. Fortunately, losing control of his body also severed his connection of bringing down more lightning from the sky.