Darkness Rising

by Cate Farren

  Clover shook her head, confused. “I don’t understand it. This is Loki. And yet...” She pushed further, finding odd discrepancies. “And yet he’s not. It’s like an echo of Loki, or a dream. I think Loki used the darkest of magic to infuse some of his actual flesh into this shapeshifter. He even gave it his memories, or at least some of them.” She looked into the fake’s eyes and shuddered. “He even made it think it was him.”

  The fake Loki smiled at her. She shuddered again.

  “He really thinks he is Loki?” Jared asked.

  Clover nodded. “And I’m not sure I can do anything about it.”

  The best solution was just to kill it. It may think it was Loki but it wasn’t invulnerable like the real thing. It was a danger to them all.

  And the way he just sits there, so calm. It’s really creepy.

  Gable Trent grinned. “Then that idiotic fallen angel has made the biggest mistake of his life. Inside that head is everything we need to know to defeat the real Loki. Every plan, every counter plan. We can discover it all.”

  “I thought we knew Loki’s plan?” Valeriu asked. “He’s supposed to be attacking Whitby!”

  “But what does he have planned after that?” said Trent.

  The fake Loki grinned and said, “I think not.”

  Before they had a chance to react the shapeshifter started seizing. They all watched in horror as it shuddered, convulsed, and changed back into is gelatinous, gloopy form. After a few seconds it started dissolving into the carpet like sugar in hot tea.

  “Do something!” Sutton screamed.

  Nobody could do anything. After a few seconds the shapeshifter was gone.

  JARED HAD TO GET THINGS under control. Clover was still freaked out about Jessica, and the rest were panicking over their predicament. If he was indeed to take over from Dracula one day soon he needed to be a leader.

  “We need to come up with a plan,” he said. His voice was loud and everyone immediately turned to listen, even Valeriu. “Any suggestions?”

  “Fey have magic," Daniel stated. “Creating a dimensional portal should be easy."

  Toren sighed with annoyance. "Fey magic is connected to the nature of the planet. Didn’t the king tell you this or were you too busy being his bottom bitch?” Several stifled giggles later she continued. “This isn't my planet, so therefore my magic is barely there." She clicked her fingers. A spark of fire flickered and then vanished. "See? I can't even conjure a fireball."

  Something akin to revelation passed Toren's face. She suddenly got up and left.

  "So what plan do we have?" Valeriu asked, staring at the front door as Toren left. He seemed as confused as Jared as to what was on her mind. "I can't be trapped here."

  Sutton glared at him. "You think I want to be trapped here with you? I'd rather have eternal diarrhea."

  Darin said, "Dracula knows more witches, some even more powerful than Zelda. He knows Circe! He has contacts. He will come looking for us." He looked towards his girlfriend. "He won't leave you. Right?"

  "It could be too late by then," said Sutton. "Loki could be attacking Whitby right now."

  “He might not even know we’re missing,” said Clover darkly. “When I was here I was told time passed differently. Two days here was one day back home. But after I got back and looked at a calendar I was confused. I was sure I’d spent a month here, maybe longer, but less than a week had gone by back home.”

  “So what does that mean?” Jared asked.

  Clover pondered for a moment. “I think Loki can somehow change how time works here.”

  “He’s not that powerful,” said Trent. His voice was menacing, almost a growl, as if even contemplating such power was an affront to him. “He’s not a god.”

  “That’s the only way I can explain what happened.” Clover sighed. “And if that’s true he could make it so we’re trapped here for years while only an hour goes by back home.”

  The room turned quiet again. Jared knew Sutton was right. Loki's plans hinged on them getting trapped here. Whitby and all the vampires who had turned up for the summit were as good as dead if they didn't think of a solution right now.

  Maybe it’s up to me to think of something. This is how I know I’m worthy to take over from Dracula.

  "Does anybody have anything?" Lovisa demanded.

  "Don't get worked up," Adrian advised her.

  "I'm not getting worked up. I'm tired. I've just gotten engaged and I don't want to spend my life here, dying and bored and forgotten." She looked at Jared, scared. “Adrian and I aren’t immortal like the rest of you. You could spend fifty years trying to find a way out but by then we’d be dead.”

  Adrian took her hand in his and kissed her palm. “It won’t come to that.”

  He couldn’t stay here and watch Adrian and Lovisa grow old and die. They needed a happy ending. They all needed a happy ending. Jared just couldn’t think of a solution.

  He was reminded of the time he, Clover, and Trent had been trapped in the hell dimension. All hope had seemed lost then too but they’d made it back after almost being obliterated by a nuclear bomb. If they could survive that then they could survive this.

  The Hell dimension...

  "We will get out of here," Jared promised them. He stood up, the seed of an idea working its way through his head. "You have my word on that."

  "How can you be so sure?" Sutton asked him.

  Even the unflappable Sutton is starting to despair.

  Jared looked towards Clover and Trent, smirking. "The dimensions are connected in more ways than one. We saw that ourselves in Loki’s prison dimension and the hell dimension. There could be another way out of here other than the way we came in."

  "Like what?" Valeriu asked.

  "Our own world is riddled with natural pathways into other dimensions," Jared explained. "You only have to look for them. This dimension isn't that big. I'm sure if we all split up and looked we could find something."

  Clover nodded and he smiled. It was good to see her looking hopeful again.

  Valeriu nodded. "Excellent plan. Let's get right on it." Jared glared at the vampire prince, who was once again trying to take the lead. He looked away, chagrined, and Jared grinned.

  They all nodded. It was the only plan they had at the moment. Even if it didn't pan out it would keep them busy and stop them from worrying. They were about to leave when Valeriu cleared his throat.

  "What is it?" Jared demanded.

  If this guy wants a pissing contest, then so be it. I’ll take him out faster than he can tweet about it.

  "I'm hungry," the vampire prince announced. "I haven't eaten in twelve hours."

  "We're all hungry," Sutton snapped. "What's your point?"

  Valeriu smirked. "If I am to traverse this world like a poor hill climber then I need sustenance."

  Quiet reigned once again. This was something Jared hadn’t considered. Vampires needed blood to live. They couldn't head to the local vampire den and order a pint. The non-vampires had bits of food left in the kitchen to keep them going, but even that would run out in a few days.

  Someone is going to have to volunteer to give blood.

  "There are no humans here," Jared stated. "Human blood is best for vampires."

  Valeriu had his eye on Clover. "She is half human. I'm sure she'd do in a pinch."

  Jared growled at the prince. "Harm her in any way and I'll rip you limb from limb."

  Jared knew he had to keep the vampires as far away from clover as possible. Valeriu must never know her blood could make vampires fertile. Never. The prince would start another war over it.

  Sutton laughed. "You do know that human/shapeshifter blood is poisonous, right?"

  Valeriu looked towards Clover, eyeing her with suspicion. He was going to pounce on her and rip out her throat any second. He had the look of a predator about to feed.

  Give me an excuse to kill you.

  “It’s true,” Daniel added. “I myself have seen what happens to a vampire
who feeds on one. It’s not pretty.”

  Thank you, Daniel.

  Valeriu sighed. "Then what do we do?"

  Trent watched him venomously before saying. "Before we resort to barbarism may I add you can last without blood for another few days at least. By then we should be gone from here. Stop making this situation out to be worse than it already is."

  The others consented. Valeriu didn't look too pleased. Jared vowed to keep an eye on him. If he so much as gave Clover a hungry look he’d kill him.

  Chapter 45

  Three days passed. They searched the small dimension from top to bottom, three times over. Jared and Sutton, in their bat forms, even flew as high at they could to search the skies. They found no evidence of any naturally occurring portals or wormholes.

  “There has to be something,” Clover complained.

  She stared into the pond she’d found with Jessica. The colorful fish in the water were playing, teleporting even, in a game of tag. She’d never seen magical fish before. It was quite beautiful.

  “Sheriff Trent thinks this dimension is too young,” said Jared. He was sitting beside Clover on the purple grass, her hand in his. “It hasn’t had time to evolve properly yet.”

  Clover pulled out a piece of grass and tossed it in the pond. Several fish fought over it. “Then we’re screwed.”

  She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Jessica and Loki’s cruel prank. What lies were they feeding her? Were they trying to turn Jessica against her? She hated to think that her daughter despised her or was upset over being left behind. What could she have done at the time?

  “They’re going to turn her,” Clover admitted. She could feel the bile in her throat as she said it. “She’s going to be upset that I left her, and they’re going to use that. I’m going to lose her, Jared.”

  She leaned into his shoulder, trying not to cry. She had to be strong if she was going to survive this.

  “There’s something I never told you,” said Jared. His voice was soft. He was looking away from her, at the clouds. “It’s something bad.”

  “Is it about Jessica?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “It’s about you. In the future I learned that you joined Loki. You were only with him briefly, but...You were considered a great traitor.”

  She nodded, accepting this new revelation.

  “I admit, if it wasn’t for Jessica, then maybe...” She sighed heavily, hating herself for even thinking this. “Loki is a master manipulator, but he’s also a victim of many counts of treachery too. It’s hard not to be swayed by him. What Gable Trent did to him was...Forget that. All the players in this are different people now. Trent is my friend and my ally and Loki is the enemy. What happened before, or was meant to happen, is moot.”

  “I NEED YOU,” TOREN called.

  Valeriu was sitting cross legged by the Primordial Womb crater. He looked almost peaceful, despite the fact he was hungry for blood. Toren figured he must be desperate right about now for sustenance. All the vampires must be. The humans were fine. They’d found candy hidden away in Saskia’s room and were rationing that out. Still, that wouldn’t last long either.

  “Hello?” said Toren, marching up to him. “I’m talking to you.”

  He opened his eyes and stared up at her. “Leave me alone.”

  “I have an idea to get us out of here,” she said, impatience threatening to ruin her calm. “But I need your assistance.”

  “Find someone else.”

  Toren considered kicking him into the crater, but he wasn’t worth the bother. When they finally left this place she was tempted to leave him behind. Their home world would be a much nicer place without him in it.

  She headed back to the house, finding an odd sight; Darin was feeding off Lovisa. The succubus didn’t appear to be in any pain, though she didn’t look entirely comfortable. Sutton and Daniel were waiting close by, their eyes feverish with hunger.

  “What’s going on?” she asked Trent.

  “Lovisa has agreed to offer up some of her blood to the vampires,” Trent explained, watching the scene with distaste. “Adrian has offered to feed her so she doesn’t die from the feedings.”

  She glanced at Adrian, watching the scene. His hands were bunched into fists. He was ready to turn into a wolf at any second should things turn rowdy. It would be a sight to behold, that beautiful wolf fighting against a group of starving vampires.

  “So basically Lovisa and Adrian have to have lots and lots of sex so the vampires can live,” said Toren, smirking. She was already mentally undressing Adrian, and her imagination was conjuring up some intensely steamy images.

  Trent grinned. “It’s a hard life for a werewolf.”

  “The PC term is wolf shifter.”

  “Shut up.”

  Toren put away her lascivious thoughts about Adrian when she saw Wynn. He was training by the side of the house with Clover. The young girl was determined to be in fighting shape when they confronted Loki, which was admirable. It wouldn’t do her any good. Loki was a fallen angel, and she was just a half-breed with an anger problem. She’d be dead within minutes.

  “You wanted to talk to me about something,” Trent stated.

  “I think I can get us out of here,” she said. “But it will require a sacrifice.”

  He nodded. “Blood magic.”

  “If we’re to escape from this place someone has to die.”

  Trent laughed. Toren couldn’t stop herself from joining in. It actually felt good to release some of her pent up emotions. When was the last time she’d found something funny?

  “I have a candidate in mind,” she suggested.

  They both turned to look at Valeriu, who had noticed what was going on with Lovisa and was coming over to investigate.

  “His death would create problems,” said Trent. “His father...”

  “His father would be powerless against us,” said Toren. She turned to look into his eyes. “Are you frightened of one little vampire who is nothing but a gnat to your power? Besides, this might give us the excuse we need to get rid of that vile, loathsome family once and for all.”

  She knew this would persuade him. Trent hated the Groza family. Several of the ancient vampires that had been killed in the war they’d started had been some of his closest friends.

  Trent nodded. “Fine. Valeriu dies.”

  “WHAT’S GOING ON?” VALERIU demanded.

  Adrian noted the vampire’s imperious tone. The way he was staring at Lovisa made him nervous.

  “We were going to fetch you,” said Adrian.

  Valeriu pushed Darin aside. “I am a member of the vampire royal family and...”

  “Your father is the brother of some English king who died over a thousand years ago,” said Sutton dryly. “Besides, Darin is the son of the oldest being in the universe.”

  The vampire prince crossed his arms and pouted, but didn’t move. Adrian knew he’d have Gable Trent to deal with if he made a fuss out of this. Nobody wanted to be on the Prime Demon’s bad side.

  “How...how does her blood taste?” Valeriu whispered. He watched Darin feed with curiosity. “I’ve never had succubus before.”

  Darin grinned as he wiped at his mouth. “I feel...really, really horny.” He grabbed hold of Sutton’s hand. “I want you now!”

  “That’s how it makes you feel!” Sutton shouted, running away with Darin.

  Valeriu watched with jealousy before taking his turn. When he was finished to stared at Adrian with such a leery grin that the werewolf felt a little violated.

  “I’m with her,” Adrian stated.

  Lovisa grinned. “And we’re going to be busy for the next hour or so.”

  TOREN NODDED AT TRENT, who walked away to perform his part in the plan. She waited while Valeriu had finished feeding on Lovisa and he was alone before going over to join him. He seemed genuinely lonely. She might normally feel sorry for him if he wasn’t a bastard and she wasn’t currently in the throes of the Black Fey.

>   “You know we’re both royalty,” she commented.

  His eyes were bloodshot and feverish with lust as he said, “Fey lovers are the best lovers.”

  “You’ve never been with a Fey like me before.”

  Toren wanted to cringe. She’d watched human pornography before and this felt like the scene before the sex. Still, she had to admit he was attractive.

  “Follow me,” she whispered, turning away from him. She began walking in the direction of the Primordial Womb. She didn’t look back. She knew he was following her.

  She climbed down into the crater. She was sad there wasn’t anything left of the Primordial Womb. It would’ve been a wondrous sight to see the stuff of creation. Still, there was the real Primordial Womb out there, not this tiny, awful off-shoot that Loki had created himself. Perhaps one day.

  She felt a hand on her shoulder. She shivered.

  “Take your clothes off,” Valeriu ordered.

  His breath was on the back of her neck. He smelled of metal and blood.

  She turned to him and grinned. “So forceful.”

  He was about to reply when Gable Trent grabbed him from behind, locking his arms in place. The huge demon laughed as Valeriu struggled in his arms like a helpless baby.

  “What are you doing?” the prince demanded. “Let me go this instant!”

  “You’re going to be a hero today,” said Toren. “You’re going to help us save the world.”

  She drew out her sword, feeling the tiny percentage of magic left in her willing itself to come out. The Black Fey relished moments like these, the instant before she performed blood magic. The victim knew what was coming and their fear was palpable. They couldn’t escape their fate. Killing Valeriu was even more orgasmic because this creature was the worst of the worst. She’d actually be doing the world a favor by ridding it of him.

  “What are you doing?” Valeriu asked again. He was scared now.