by Elena May
But then what? How would they get out? The plan was to destroy the Wizard in daytime, so that the weather would become unstable and the outer ring of guards would scatter in fear. Myra had believed it would work when she’d heard the plan, but now, looking at this vast army, terror rose inside her.
A blond woman, dressed in black, caught her eyes. A woolen bracelet, red and white like blood drops over snow, encircled her wrist. One of Ila’s vampires. She seemed to be moving freely around. Had she integrated inside the camp and gained their trust?
Soon, the ring of fires, tents, and fighters was behind them, and Vlad stopped the cart. He came to the back and pulled the flap aside. “We are past the guards, but try not to wander around too much. Ila will pick you up at dawn.”
Myra’s eyes darted to the sky above. “Should we expect a golden sky or some other crazy spectacle to match the big battle tomorrow?”
He smiled. “I admit I was tempted. Sadly, it would raise too much suspicion, so I had to stick with boring old clouds. I have produced the yellow sky only a handful of times, and never over the Wizard itself. It would be a strange coincidence if I happened to do it exactly on the day when a group of rebels attacks.” He winked. “Practicality comes before drama.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Wow, Vlad. I never thought I’d hear you say that.”
“I suppose I will never stop surprising you,” he said and disappeared, as quickly as if he had been nothing more than a gust of wind in the night.
Myra blinked and stared into the darkness, where he had been a moment ago. The starry sky stretched above her. They still had a few hours until dawn, when the WeatherWizard would cover the sky with clouds for the very last time.
She stepped out of the cart to stretch her legs and took a few steps away from the fires in the distance. Myra stared at the stars, the many constellations she now recognized after all the lessons the Prince had given her, and took a deep breath of the fresh night air. So clean, it seemed to purge all the filth that had clung to her lungs after almost two decades at the Resistance.
Myra gasped at the sudden cold touch of metal to her throat.
Chapter Fifty-Three
On the Brink of History
“What do we have here?” a female voice crooned. “A human, unchained? And isn’t it the Prince’s protégé?”
Myra tried to look behind her, but the darkness was thick. What had happened to the other humans in the cart? Someone lit a lantern nearby, and she blinked, surprised. Why? Vampires needed no light. Did they wish to torment her somehow?
She could now see her attacker—a short vampire, skinny and childlike. She had pixie hair, dyed bright pink, and was wearing tight-fitting red leather from head to toe.
Next to her stood a male vampire with a lit lantern in his hand. He was wearing a black tank top, revealing a lion-head tattoo on his bare shoulder. The bottom half of his head was shaven, and the blond hair at the top was tied back in a short ponytail.
Myra’s heart was at her throat, but then something caught her eye. Both vampires wore the red-and-white bracelets Vlad had distributed. She pulled away. “You’re Ila’s people.”
The female vampire pouted and tugged at her bracelet. “I should have removed that. It ruined my joke.”
The tattooed vampire laughed. “Perhaps you should stop playing jokes at the expense of unwitting humans.”
“And, perhaps, a certain human should have been more careful,” Leo called as he approached the scene. He smiled at Myra. “I see you’ve already met Anne and Alex. Forgive their poor manners. They are good friends of mine, but that’s no excuse for scaring you. Although, in all fairness, you shouldn’t be out in the open.”
Myra felt blood rush to her face. “The Prince said there would be no guards around here.”
“One can never be too careful,” Anne said. “Perhaps you should at least tie a rope around your neck, so you can pretend to be a captive the Prince brought along for lunch.”
“Ah, yes,” Leo said, frowning. “I have no doubt His Vileness often brings human lunchboxes, so that should look believable.”
“We would have found you anyway, Myra,” Alex said. “I must confess we were looking for you.”
She scanned his face, worried. “Looking for me? Why?”
“We were just curious,” Anne said, running a hand through her bright pink hair. “We wanted to see the brave humans who have withstood the Prince for so long. And rumor has it you and your friends even captured Pretty Boy once?”
Myra laughed. “We did. Though it led us nowhere.”
“Still, I’m certain you disrupted Vladimir’s plans,” Leo said, “and that’s an achievement in my book.”
Myra felt heat rise to her cheeks. It felt strange, vampires complimenting her as if she was some kind of a folk hero fighting the Prince. She thought she was the last person to deserve a badge of honor—all she had done since meeting Vlad was to fall into his traps and make the moves he expected and wanted her to make. “All of our small victories are meaningless,” she said. “All depends on tomorrow.”
“It does,” Alex said. “Should we let you get some sleep, then? We only have a few hours before dawn, and, as far as I remember, humans need lots of sleep.”
Myra doubted she would get any sleep. She stood on the brink of history—the very last night under the vampires’ reign of terror. How could she spend it sleeping? She remembered Vlad’s worlds about his family’s destruction—history is written by the victors. What version of events would vampires write down if they won? But it would not come to that—it could not.
“I suppose you’re right,” she said. “And I better return to the cart in case any unfriendly vampires are walking around.”
Anne grinned. “Or just put that rope around your neck.” She made a gesture with her hands, as if she were grabbing and squeezing her own neck, and stuck out her tongue.
“I’ll consider it,” Myra said. “I’ll see you at dawn, then. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” the three vampires replied in chorus. Laughing, they walked in the direction of the bonfires far behind.
Myra followed the three unlikely companions with her gaze—one blond, tattooed, and half-shaven, like one of the Vikings from Vlad’s tales, one pink-haired and mischievous, and one dark, with warm, velvet eyes. How had they all found the strength to resist human blood, when so many others had failed? And if someone had turned her against her will, would she have done the same?
A knock tore through her muddled thoughts, and Myra blinked sleep away. When had she fallen asleep? Knock. Knock. Light from the cloudy day seeped inside the cart through the fabric, and Myra looked around. Some of the others were still sleeping, while others were putting on boots and vests, strapping weapons to their belts.
The flap flew to the side, and Ila’s head popped in. “It is time.”
Myra collected her weapons and walked out. Zack and the other Resistance members, as well as many animal-eating vampires, had gathered around them.
“Is everyone armed?” Ila asked, and Myra nodded. She had a gun, a crossbow, and a quiver with both wooden and metal bolts, and a long knife. She hoped it never came to using the knife—it would likely be the last thing she ever did.
“Where is the Prince?” she asked. “I thought he’d see us off.”
“Apparently not,” Ila said. “And it’s for the best if you ask me. Come.”
The humans and vampires followed Ila across the rocky plain, towards a steep rock in the distance. A stony desert stretched before them, a thick mist hanging above the surface, underneath the black and grey clouds in the sky. A few dead trees rose along the way, their branches black and gnarled. The air was cool and moist, soaking the lungs like a frozen river. Myra felt every stone through her boots.
They followed Ila to the rock and through a deep gorge. Walls of unbroken stone rose high above them, and the path was narrow, forcing them to stay in one column. Myra’s hand kept flying to her crossbow—if anyone ambushe
d them on this road, they would be easy prey.
Finally, the rocks widened, and they reached the edge of a cliff. Myra stood frozen, her heart threatening to fly out of her chest. Her mouth grew dry as she stared far ahead. A narrow suspension bridge, swinging lightly, started from their edge, leading over a deep pit. Across the pit, a high hill rose—the Central Peak. The bridge ended some distance below halfway to the highest point.
Myra’s eyes traveled over the peak, sliding along bare rocks. There, on the very top and almost disappearing into the clouds, rose a five-story construction. On top was a large white half-sphere, turned with the round side towards the ground. A dozen long antennas jutted out of it at odd angles, sometimes bending at several points.
That was it? The thing they had sought for so many years, the thing they had fought so hard to destroy. The WeatherWizard was barely bigger than a large house; much smaller than the Palace, or the mansion where Casiel had taken her. How could something so simple be the cause of so much suffering and death?
Myra raised her crossbow and loaded a metal bolt—Vlad had demanded they were to spare his people’s lives if possible, so she saved the wood for later. Here, at the beginning of the suspension bridge, they would meet the first pair of guards. Vlad had said another two would be waiting at the end.
Only, the bridge was empty.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Field of Bones
“What’s going on?” Zack whispered. “The Prince claimed there would be two vampires here.”
“Maybe he was mistaken,” Ila said, but from her tone of voice it was clear she did not believe that.
“I don’t like this,” said Leo. “We should turn back and investigate before we go on.”
Myra agreed, and yet she could not bring herself to say it. They were so close. The Wizard was right over there. If they turned back now, they would never get another chance.
“We have to do this,” Lidia said. “We have come this far, we can’t turn back now.”
“That’s faulty logic,” said Thomas. “If something is obviously wrong, we need to go back.”
Ila stepped forward, squinting. “I don’t see guards on the other side either.”
Maybe they’re hiding, Myra was about to say, but she kept quiet. There was nowhere to hide.
Nimah walked next to Ila and narrowed her eyes, staring at the hill ahead. “They may be inside the caves.” All eyes turned to her, and she went on. “I’ve been here, before the Nightfall. I remember a large cave system at the base of the Peak and in the surrounding cliffs. Some caves are natural, and some are man-made. Humans stationed to work here used them for storing supplies and sometimes as living quarters.”
“Are any of those caves near the bridge?” Ila asked.
Nimah nodded. “There is a large one on the left. We would need to descend the hill to reach it. The rest are on the other side.”
Ila placed her hand on the rope railing, throwing Zack a sideways glance. “I think we should go and check if there are two guards on the other side, and if not, search this cave. Any thoughts, General?”
Zack was quiet for a moment, locking eyes with Thomas, Myra, and Lidia in turn. “I agree,” he said. “If the cave is empty, we can regroup there and decide our course of action.”
The “if not” hung unspoken in the air as Ila took the first step over the rope bridge. Humans and vampires followed one by one. Myra lowered her crossbow and strapped it to her belt as she watched the bridge swallow her friends one by one.
A wind rose, swinging the bridge left and right. Myra held the rope railing and took the first step. The wooden planks swam wildly underneath her feet, and she grabbed the rope with both hands. The wind blew her hair away from her face, and she stared down. A deep dark pit stared back, ready to swallow her whole. Sharp, jagged rocks waited for her at the bottom. The world swam in a whirlpool of colors and death. A large raven flew before her face with a blood-chilling caw.
Once Myra finally reached solid ground, she collapsed to her knees, taking deep, desperate breaths. But there was no time to relax. The two guards Vlad had warned them about were nowhere in sight.
“That’s it, then,” Ila said. “We need to find this cave and search it. Everyone, draw your weapons and be prepared.”
Myra raised her crossbow once again, but this time she reached for a wooden bolt. If this was an ambush, all plans and agreements were off.
As they walked down the hill, stones and gravel detached from the ground and rolled down with a growl. Mushrooms grew among the stones, some sickly pale like moonlight, others a strange, dull red. A flock of ravens circled above them, pure black against the grey clouds, cawing as if their throats were torn open. A cold wind rose, seeping through their clothes, carrying dry, dead twigs and branches to the valley below.
They had almost reached the foot of the hill when Nimah stopped in her tracks and pointed at a large rock. “There.”
Myra squinted, her finger tense on the crossbow’s trigger. She saw it, a black gaping opening, so narrow that a person could barely pass through. Nimah raised her own crossbow and stepped inside.
The others approached slowly, weapons raised. A raven descended and landed on top of the rock at the entrance, staring at them. Ila walked to the entrance and paused, raising her palm to the others. “Wait until I call,” she said and followed Nimah inside.
Thomas stepped closer to the entrance, the gravel screeching underneath his boots. He placed his hand on the rock and peeked inside but yelped and fell onto his back.
A ghastly screech rose from the darkness, and Myra gasped and jumped aside as a black mass flew towards her face. Panting, she turned around to avoid another one. Her heart pounded. Was this some dark magic? No, a bird? But no, it was far too massive, far too solid, far too monstrous.
A rat. Large and terrible, carried in the air on a pair of wings of a paper-thin dark membrane stretched over narrow bones.
The screeching mixed with a clear peal of laughter, and Myra turned to see Anne grinning broadly, her pink hair a beacon of brightness amidst the gloom. “Cute little bats!” she cried. “Aren’t they beautiful?”
Alex raised his hand and caught one in the air. “Marvelous.” He stroked its hideous head and handed it to Anne. “You want one?”
“I see no one so far,” Nimah’s voice sounded from deep inside the cave. “Come in. We need to search more thoroughly.”
Myra followed the others into complete darkness. The wind flew through the cave, coming through the narrow entrance and leaving from some unseen hole with a high-pitched wail. Dust hung in the air, dry and grating. Myra felt sharp edges underneath her boots. She took a step further inside, and something snapped beneath her feet, like a dry twig. All she saw was deep, impenetrable black.
“Light,” she said. “We need light.”
“Oh, sorry,” Ila’s voice sounded from somewhere ahead, followed by a shuffling noise. “Not much to see, anyway.”
A bright light appeared, and Myra saw Ila holding a torch. She froze. While she could not see the ground around her, she saw what surrounded Ila on all sides.
Bones. White or yellowing, some streaked with brown, and all stripped of flesh. Long and short, thick and lean, straight and curved. Gasping, Myra moved her foot and another crack sounded underneath.
More lights appeared, and the vampires passed torches to each other and the humans. The light danced over the bones that covered the entire floor and parts of the walls. Myra froze in her place, heart hammering, as she stared at two black, empty sockets gazing back at her. The skull was large and white, and two long horns rose from it.
Alex laughed, the sound mixing with the wind’s bloodcurdling howl. “Cows,” he said, walking to the skull to pick it up. “These are all cow bones.”
“Not all,” Sissi said, shaking. She stared far ahead at an intact skeleton sitting against the wall. Its legs were crossed beneath, and long arms rested alongside the torso. “A human.”
“Or a vam
pire,” Nimah said. “Take torches and come. We need to search every nook.”
Myra took a torch and raised it to the wall, her eyes running up and down the uneven stone. She spotted a wide crack and stepped forward, casting her light over it. Her heart stopped, and her breath caught in her throat as something lunged at her.
Another bat, huge and gruesome. “There’s nothing here,” Leo called from far ahead.
“I’ve reached the end,” called Ila. “All empty.”
They examined the cave a few more times, to make sure there was indeed no one inside, and gathered in the center. “Now, what?” said Zack.
Ila secured her torch against the wall. “We can’t just go on blindly.”
Anne stepped towards the center, a large black bat in her hands. She ran her fingers down the animal’s back, and it screeched. “Why don’t we send scouts?” she said. “If there is an ambush, they’re expecting our whole army. A few spies could go unnoticed.”
“It’s too risky,” Nimah said. “There might still be guards at the Peak or along the way.”
“Then send volunteers only,” said Anne. “I volunteer.”
Ila frowned. “It looks like this is our best bet. I will send volunteers. Vampires only,” she said as Lidia raised her hand. “It would take a human over two hours to hike up to the top. One of our people can make it in forty minutes. We don’t need large numbers for this task, and I would bet on speed.”
“What about a full-strength vampire, fed on human blood?” Myra asked. “Are they faster?”
Ila nodded. “They could make the hike in twenty minutes, perhaps even fifteen. Do we have another volunteer?”
Almost half of the vampires raised a hand, Leo and Alex among them. Ila shook her head. “No, I won’t send so many; we need to remain unseen. Maria, Serhan, you will go with Anne. Learn what you can and come back. If you see any guards, do not engage them, no matter the number. Return to report.”