by N. P. Martin
As quickly as I could, I went and picked up the book of death magic and ran for the door, just as Iolas shouted after me. "Stop!"
Amelia hit him with another blast of her magic and he shouted once more, but this time in pain. "Why Amelia?"
"You know why!" she screamed at him. "You killed my parents! Why?"
Iolas shook his head. "They meddled in my affairs, that’s why."
In a rage, Amelia blasted Iolas with more of her magic, sending him skidding across the floor into the wall. Then she turned her head to me. "Go!"
Opening the door, I looked at Amelia one final time, and she nodded at me before turning her attention back to Iolas, who was almost back to his feet now.
Then I rushed outside into the darkness and the chaos, slamming the door behind me.
Chapter 28
I went through the door and stepped out into the thick, dark fog that seemed to cover everything, and which made it hard to see more than a few feet in front of me. As I did my best to navigate along the gravel drive, I was patently aware of people rushing through the fog around me, shouting and in some cases screaming as they went. The reasons for their screams was the large creature that was haunting the fog, picking off orcs and elves as it found them. The creature sounded like it was off to my left somewhere, though because of the fog, I couldn’t see what it looked like. The only thing I saw was a massive dark shadow that seemed to rush through the fog at great speed, grabbing whoever it came across and tossing them up in the air like rag dolls.
Still hurrying, I almost tripped over the curb at the edge of the garden, and as I did, an orc seemed to fly over my head as something plucked it from the darkness. I followed the orc’s trajectory up and ahead of me, and then I saw what had gripped him, or rather who.
Dalia.
She was floating in mid-air, up above the thick fog she had created. Her own dark energy seemed to be holding her in place as it swirled around her, which she whipped down to wrap around the orcs and elves who were trying to defend the place. She lifted her victims high into the air before tossing them far away into the gardens somewhere. As I stood staring up at her, I marveled at how awesomely powerful she seemed, and also how damn scary she was. I’d never seen her flex her powers to such an extent, and it made me wonder just what else she was capable of. At one point she spotted me from her high vantage point, smiling wickedly down at me as she tossed another screaming elf far into the distance.
At that point, a path opened up in the thick fog that led right to the front gates, and I nodded my thanks to Dalia as I started running through it. Before I reached the gates, however, a huge orc jumped in front of me, holding a spiked club about three times the thickness of a baseball bat. As the orc came running at me, ready to swing the club and take my head off, I thrust my hand out and shouted, "Ventum exquiris!"
A split second later, the orc was hit with a powerful gust of wind that sent him flying back onto the gravel several feet away. As I kept running, a thick tendril of Dalia’s dark energy swooped down and wrapped itself around the orc before lifting him up off the ground. The orc cried out in shock and fear as he was hauled over my head, about to be tossed away by Dalia like so much garbage.
Soon, I made it to the front gates to find Monty standing there with a huge grin on his face. "This is fecking awesome!" he shouted to me as he held up his phone.
I stared at him in disbelief. "Are you fuckin’ filming this?"
"T'be sure, bro. It’s not every day you get to witness such awesomeness."
"Put the phone away, Monty!"
He shook his head as he stopped filming. "I see you got the book then."
"Yeah, I got it… just about."
"You run into trouble?"
"You could say that," as I had a sudden vision of plunging the Druidic dagger into Iliphar’s chest. "I’ll tell you later."
I looked behind to see that Dalia was no longer floating up in the air, and that the thick fog surrounding the whole house was beginning to dissipate, revealing as it did a number of bodies lying on the gravel drive and various places around the gardens. Monty’s monster seemed to have headed around the back of the house as it chased after the remaining security.
"I think you should mae your pet disappear now, whatever it is," I said.
"But he’s me finest creation yet!"
"I’m sure it is, but we don’t need a bloody monster running around the countryside do we?"
"Aye, I suppose you’re right." Monty closed his eyes for a moment as he mumbled a few words. "Bye bye, me mucker."
Dalia joined us then. "Well, that was exhilarating," she said with a wicked smile.
I shook my head at her. "Glad you enjoyed it."
"Where’s Iolas?" she asked.
"Still in the house," I said. "With Amelia."
"Let’s leave them for the Council to sort out then."
"Grand idea," Monty said. "C’mon, let’s get out of here."
As Monty and Dalia went to walk away, I remained by the gates, staring up at the house.
"Corvin," Dalia said. "Are you coming?"
"No," I said with a shake of my head. "I have to go back."
"What?"
"Amelia is still in there with Iolas. He’ll kill her."
"He’ll probably kill you too if you go back up there," Monty said.
"She knew what she was getting into," said Dalia.
I gave her an angry stare. "I’m not leaving her."
"Fine," Dalia said coming toward me. "Let’s go save her, then."
"No, I’ll go. You two need to get this book to Benedict." I handed Dalia the book of death magic along with my phone. "Call him on my phone. He’ll tell you what to do."
"You can’t go up there alone, Corvin," Dalia said. "I won’t let you."
"Yes, you will. You two have done enough. Just take the book and go meet Benedict."
"You’re not the full feckin' shillin' headin' back there, bro," Monty said.
"Maybe, but I have to do it." I handed the book and phone to Dalia and then looked at each of them for a short moment. "Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine."
"Bullshit," Dalia said. "You don’t know that."
"I can’t let her die, D."
She put her free arm around my neck then and pulled me in tight. "You better come back to me," she all but whispered.
I said nothing as I hugged her back, and then clasped hands with Monty as he pulled me into a hug. "Be careful, bro."
After giving them each a final look, I turned and sprinted toward the house, having no idea if I was going to find Amelia alive or dead.
Chapter 29
I had no idea of what I was going to find when I went back inside the house. Before I left, Amelia seemed to have been getting the better of Iolas, so I was hoping that was still the case. Or better yet, that she had killed him. The bastard deserved it after all. Just in case, though, I readied myself to use a Death Spell before I went inside. I had no wish to fight someone as powerful as Iolas if he was still standing. The quicker I could put him down the better.
When I stepped into the hallway, nothing could’ve prepared me for what I saw. In the middle of the foyer, jammed into the marble floor, was a wooden crucifix obviously conjured by Iolas, and on it was Amelia, her hands and feet nailed to the cross, her clothes half-torn from her, her face and body dripping with blood. I was so shocked by what I saw, I almost didn’t see Iolas standing to the side of the crucifix, his shirt torn and bloody, his long blonde hair disarranged and hanging around his blood-speckled face. I was so shocked, in fact, that I also completely forgot about the Death Spell I was supposed to use.
"You!" Iolas shouted when he saw me, using his magic to slam the door behind me, making sure I couldn’t escape. "This is all your fault!"
Forcing my eyes away from Amelia, whom I still wasn’t sure was alive or dead, I looked at Iolas and saw the madness in his eyes. "What have you done to her?" I asked him.
"What she deserves. She betrayed
me!"
"You betrayed her long before she betrayed you, just as you betrayed me ma as well."
Iolas shook his head as if he was sick hearing about it all. "You have no clue, do you?"
Confused, I shook my head. "About what?"
"About why I had your mother killed."
"You killed her because she found out about your plan to create a fascist state along with the vampires."
Iolas came closer. "Yes, that was one reason, no doubt, but not the only one… Serpent Son."
Now I was completely confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"There’s much you don’t know," Iolas said smiling. "And sadly for you, never will know."
He said something in elvish then, and out of nowhere a huge red-backed serpent suddenly appeared in front of me, its yellow eyes staring right at me, its frighteningly long fangs bared as it hissed menacingly. "Jesus Christ!" I shouted as I went to scramble back, but the serpent was fast, and before I could do anything, its body was coiled around me as it squeezed tight, its massive head now swaying as if it was trying to hypnotize me.
Iolas came over to stand next to the serpent he had conjured so easily. "It’s fitting you should die this way."
Hardly able to breathe, I said, "What, you can’t kill me yourself so you… conjure some… monster to do it?"
He smiled as he stroked the serpent’s back. "It doesn’t matter how you die, as long as you do. But before you do, where is the book you stole from me?"
It was my turn to smile. "The Council… has it… now. They’ll… be here… any minute."
The smile disappeared from his face, just as the serpent coiled tighter around me. "You meddling little shit; you’ve ruined everything!"
As I felt my ribs begin to crack, I still managed to smile. "You’re finished… Iolas."
The serpent moved its head closer to me as its jaws opened wider, its fangs ready to pierce my skull. I closed my eyes as I prepared myself for the inevitable.
But then there was a loud bang behind me as it sounded like the front door was kicked in, and then the sound of men shouting loudly for Iolas to get down. My eyes opened to see men in tactical gear swarm into the house, their guns pointed at Iolas as they screamed for him to get down on the ground. Not that the serpent still holding me was fazed by any of this, as it opened its jaws as far as they would go in preparation to do what Iolas had conjured it to do, which was kill me. Once again, I shut my eyes in fear, but opened them again when I heard a loud bang. The serpent’s grip began to loosen around me as its head fell to the side, having taken a bullet to its skull. The top half of the serpent collapsed onto the floor, and I fell over with it, still trapped in the coils of its body.
"Get him out of there!" a familiar voice shouted, and I looked up to see Benedict standing over me, just as two men in black began to pull me out of the dead serpent’s grip. When I was freed, I remained on the floor for a second as I caught my breath.
"You took your damn time," I said to Benedict. "That thing was about to bite my head off."
Benedict smiled as he held his hand out to help me up. "Lucky we arrived when we did, then."
I shook my head at him and then looked around for Iolas, spotting him lying facedown on the floor, surrounded by men in black. But I didn’t care about Iolas anymore. I was more concerned for Amelia. Benedict’s men had managed to get her down from the crucifix and had laid her beneath it on the floor. As I rushed over to her, I saw she was still breathing, if barely conscious. Kneeling down beside her, I took her hand. "Amelia," I said, unsettled by the amount of blood on her. "Can you hear me?"
Her eyes barely opened. "Corvin?" she whispered.
I squeezed her hand tight. "It’s me, you’re going to be okay. These people will take you somewhere to be healed."
"I-Iolas?"
I looked over to see Iolas being taken away in handcuffs, at least three automatic weapons pointed at him at all times. If he tried to make a move, magical or otherwise, he’d be shot instantly. Our eyes met as he looked over his shoulder at me, and all he did was smile as if he hadn’t lost at all. Except he had, because he was going to be locked up for the rest of his long life.
"It’s over," I told Amelia. "We got him."
She barely managed a smile before slipping into unconsciousness again.
Benedict arrived over then, along with a man and a woman who were dressed in surgical gear. As I got out of their way, they carefully lifted Amelia onto a stretcher and took her away.
"Don’t worry," Benedict said. "We’ll heal her."
I nodded. "You had better."
Benedict smiled at me. "I want to thank you for everything you’ve done here," he said. "Thanks to you, we now have Iolas and the book."
"What about Constantine? He was involved in this as well."
"We’ll get to him."
"When?"
"When we can." He put his hand on my shoulder. "Take the win, Corvin. You got justice for your mother."
It didn’t feel like that as I walked out the door.
Dalia and Monty were waiting for me by the gates of the house. Dalia ran up and hugged me before I’d even reached her. "I’m so glad you’re okay," she said.
"I’m fine," I said smiling as I kissed her on top of the head. "Or at least I will be."
"Well, bro," Monty said as he walked up to me. "Yer did it."
"We did it," I corrected him. "I couldn’t have done this without you both."
Monty smiled, looking pleased with himself. "Your ma wud be proud."
I nodded, thinking about what Iolas said, all that talk of serpents. "I know."
"Cum on," Monty said. "Oi tink we’ve earned several drinks. First roun' is on me."
"That’s a first," Dalia said smiling.
"Don’t git used ter it," Monty said smiling back.
As the two of them headed for Monty’s BMW, I smiled to myself. I didn’t have my mother, or my father, but at least I had my friends.
Chapter 30
I spent the next two days in the flat, mostly sitting around playing my guitar as I mulled over everything that had happened. I expected to feel differently now that I’d got justice for my mother—jubilant even—but in reality I didn’t feel much of anything. Even though Iliphar was dead and Iolas was in custody, the fact remained that my mother was still dead and gone, and I still missed her terribly. It was going to take more than justice to fill that hole.
The day after Iolas’ arrest, Benedict phoned and offered me a job of all things, working for the Council as part of his team. His offer, although flattering, felt like too much too soon, so I told him I would think about it and get back to him. He seemed happy enough with that answer and told me to give him call when I’d made my decision.
Amelia was still residing in a Council med center off Dame Street. She phoned to tell me that she was doing okay, but that it would take another while to fully heal the injuries Iolas had inflicted on her. She also thanked me for saving her, and said she would come see me when she was able. I at least felt good about that, having been able to save her.
Inevitably, my mind kept turning to what Iolas said at his house. He had called me Serpent Son, and I had no idea what that even meant, or what he was implying when he said it. He said that he had my mother killed for a different reason, but never said why. Now my mind was spinning with possibilities and new fears arising out of my ignorance on the matter. Was this something else that was going to come and bite me on the ass?
Time would tell.
That night, as I slept in my bed (the first proper sleep I’d had in ages), I was awoken by something cold around my throat. As I flung my eyes open in shock, I was confronted by a pale face hovering over me, and burning red eyes glaring down at me. It only took me a moment to recognize the face as belonging to Prince Constantine. When I tried to speak he tightened his grip around my throat and brought his face down closer to mine.
"You ruined my plans," he hissed in a Northern accent. "I shoul
d kill you like I did your father."
Despite my fear, I struggled against his grip, but he was far too strong and held me down without even trying.
"I don’t want to hear you speak, mortal. Just listen." He paused as his eyes seemed to glow brighter, until it felt like there was two burning suns above me. "I’m not going to kill you, simply because you are not worth it, and because despite myself I respect your tenacity. You managed to take Iolas down, much to his surprise and no doubt extreme annoyance. But know this." His hand squeezed tighter. "If you try to come after me, I will destroy you and everyone you have ever loved. Take my advice, and stop meddling in affairs that don’t concern you. You’ll live longer that way."
He sunk his fangs into my neck then, his hand now over my mouth so I couldn’t scream. I could only lie there as he sucked a disturbing amount of blood from my veins. When his face appeared above me again, his mouth was dripping. "Stay away if you know what’s good for you."
Before I could even blink, he was gone in a gust of wind, leaving me to lie there in shock, chilled to the bone even as warm blood ran down my neck.
Chapter 31
The next day, I was still shaken up by my visit from Constantine. I could still feel his fangs in me as I tried to busy myself around the bookshop, arranging shelves and idly dusting the first editions. I was about to pour my third whiskey of the day when the door of the shop opened and in walked Dalia, looking as scared as I’d ever seen her.
"D," I said, rushing over to her. "What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."
Dalia held onto me for a second while she seemed to gather herself. "I have," she said, looking up at me.
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Get me a whiskey."
I brought her over to the desk and poured a drink, along with one for myself. When she drank it, she seemed slightly calmer.