“I will not die on this day or any other in the near future. My legacy will outlast yours, Sophia. Even more so through our son,” Barros said.
“Oh, thank you for reminding me about dear, Abner.” Sophia smiled, bearing her fangs. “My son will be by my side as I lead my race to victory. But for now, Barros you will die, I will reclaim my amulet, and fulfill the task I bestowed upon myself.”
“You’ve attempted to kill me three times already, once five years ago and twice within the past day. You will not succeed this time either,” Barros said.
He lunged forward, the sword’s runes glowing red, hungry for Vampire blood. Sophia laughed at the feeble attempt. She sidestepped the Hunter, pushing him away. Barros swore and regained his footing, raising the blade into a guard position across his body.
“Barros, how do you intend to kill me if you can’t even land a blow?” Sophia asked.
The Hunter struck again, trying to catch the Countess off guard. His sword attacked her from every angle, slashing apart nothing but air. Sophia ducked. Curling her hand into a fist, she unloaded on Barros, throwing the punch straight into his stomach. Barros collapsed, his sword falling from his hand.
Sophia took advantage of his temporary weakness and fired her other hand straight into the Hunter’s nose. Barros felt the bone shatter beneath the blow, blood running down his face. Before he had time to react she stood behind him. With one of her claws digging into his neck, her cold dead body pressed against his. Grayson sat before them, his finger ready to pull back on the trigger.
“Shoot him and he dies, little Hunter,” Sophia said. “Don’t shoot him and he dies also.”
“Barros, you’ve got this don't you?" Grayson asked.
“Course I do. Trust me.” Barros sighed and closed his eyes. He tapped two of his fingers together on his heart and then spread them no more than an inch apart.
Grayson nodded and without hesitation pulled back on the trigger. A bolt escaped the crossbow barrel, taking Barros in the heart. The Hunter dropped to the floor, Sophia’s claws sliding up his face as he fell. With Barros down, Grayson opened fire on the Countess. Three more crossbow bolts were in the air within seconds; all three finding their mark. The first buried itself into the Countess’ right eye, causing her to unleash a wild scream. She turned as the last two took her in the back, their sting no more than a mosquito bite.
“Get after her, Barros!”
Barros rose, tearing the bolt out of his armor, along with the amulet that was now pierced by the tip of the bolt. He collected his sword and sprinted after Sophia.
“Ha, of course.” Grayson let out one last gasp of air before collapsing.
“Sophia!”
She stopped and turned back to face Barros, her red eye hanging wildly outside her skull, the crossbow bolt still stuck inside it. It was the most gruesome of her wounds. The Countess was stuck somewhere halfway between her Vampire and human form, a beautiful yet dreadful mix of the two.
“We didn’t deserve this,” Barros said.
“You knew it would happen eventually,” Sophia said. “All things must die.”
“But not you.” Barros smiled, a tear forming in his eye.
“No, I will, in time. You can’t kill me Barros and I can’t kill you. Something always stops us. Love is a powerful weapon, one that can prevent even the worst of events from happening. Our son will have no love for me, it seems as he is now destined to learn your ways. Teach him well or I will corrupt him,” Sophia said.
“I promise,” Barros said. “This is your chance, flee now or one of the other Hunters will end you.”
“They aren’t strong enough, my love.”
“Don’t call me that ever again,” Barros said. “For five years, I loved you each and every day, but you ruined it. This is your only chance to escape, leave this all behind and live out the rest of your days in some kind of peace.”
“I should kill you,” Sophia said.
“Go.” Barros warned raising his sword pointing it at her. “Time is running out.”
Without giving Barros a second glance, Sophia turned. The Hunter stood transfixed as he watched her walk away.
From behind him, came a roaring sound. Barros looked back. A small whirlwind appeared around the Tal’davin amulet. As he watched, the swirling rotations became faster. The red glow was sucked from the atmosphere back into the amulet. Quickly the heavens returned to its normal state. Barros looked up at the skies knowing full well he had just saved Taagras from Vampire enslavement. As he contemplated what he had done, the Hunter remembered the legend of the day Tal'davin had been defeated. The great Vampire’s seven amulets he had all combined into one entity and shattered apart when stabbed with a dagger, losing their power for several moments. The crossbow bolt must have done the same.
Grayson raised his head and Barros rushed to his side once again. The Renori Hunter struggled to open his eyes as Barros cradled him.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked, looking up at the blue sky.
“Aye, the world has returned to what it was meant to be,” Barros said. “It is for man, not for monsters.”
Grayson frowned, trying to focus his eyes as his stump lost more blood. “They talked about you, Barros. My father mostly did. He was one of the Hunters that helped you get through the Pass, wasn’t he?”
“Aye, Sebastian Yold. You’re exactly like him,” Barros said.
“He talked a lot of shit. Said that you were weak, unable to kill a Vampire. I believed him.” A tear ran down Grayson’s face. “And here I am, dying; the strongest of my family. Who would have thought? Hah, all because of a leg. If I can't walk I can't be a Hunter and there is no point in living anymore.”
“We just stood down the most powerful Vampire since Tal'davin. Your family will be proud of your sacrifice,” Barros said.
“I don’t want to die, Barros. I’m too young, my time shouldn’t be now.”
“No man thinks it’s his time but with what we achieved here today, it will be a standing ovation to you and your family.”
“Thank you, Barros. It has been an honor to serve with you,” Grayson said.
“Rest easy brother,” Barros said.
There was silence, as life slipped from Grayson. For a moment, Barros felt out of time, watching as Grayson left the world. The countless Vampires that had not dissolved as a result of the Fyndfire lingered around them, never to rise again.
“Barros! Barros!” Piero ran towards the Hunters, his footsteps echoing off the buildings in the silence.
“Piero, you’re still alive,” Barros said.
“It takes more than a Vampire to kill me,” Piero said. Then he spotted Grayson’s leg. His smile turned into a look of horror. “What happened to him? He wasn’t bitten, was he?”
“No, a Vampire clawed it off. There’s no chance he’ll turn.”
“Thank the gods. At least there’s a tiny bit of good news. I’ve never had to put down one of our own that’s turned,” Piero said. “He was a good lad, one of our finest prospects. The good always die young.”
“Explains why you’re still alive.” The Hunters both paused and took a moment to laugh. “What about your novices?”
“Rico is dead, torn to pieces. It was a bloody mess. A pack took him down and that was the end of it. Maria, the poor girl, won’t leave him. Two of our own dead in a day, what a waste. Could have been a whole lot worse,” Piero said.
“Aye, it could have been.” Barros brandished the amulet. “But we now have one of the seven Tal’davin amulets in our possession.”
“They’ve eluded us ever since Lars hid them all those years ago,” Piero said. He looked at the amulet, mystified. “Do you think it’s true?”
“What? That when all seven are combined they can bring back Tal’davin himself? By all records, he was more knowledgeable than any other being that lived. If anyone could have found the secret to immortality, it would have been him,” Barros said.
“If one amul
et has finally been discovered, there’s the possibility of the other six being located as well,” Piero said. A frown crossed his brow.
“We have one in our possession. Tal’davin can’t rise unless all seven are together,” Barros said.
“This is true. How would you like to come back to West Anacore with me and study the amulet? Our library is the biggest and if there’s any reference to where Lars hid the amulets it will be there,” Piero said.
“You want me to come back to the Huntrey with you?”
“Of course, from your efforts here today, you’ve severed your ties with the Countess and considering you saved not only a city but basically all of Taagras, I dare say that earns you a spot back where you belong,” Piero said, smiling. He grabbed Barros’ arm and pulled him to his feet. “Do you accept the offer to become one of the West Anacore Hunters, Barros Toldar?”
“I do,” Barros said shaking Piero’s hand.
“Excellent, it will be an honor to have you with us,” Piero said. “Now we need to give our dearly departed friend a proper burial.”
“And I need to see to my son. Do you know where Maria is? We need to give Rico a proper send off as well,” Barros said.
“Aye, I’ll collect her. Rico is a big man. There’s no way Maria will want to or could move him by herself and we don’t want a stray Vampire taking one of our deceased back to a lair,” Piero said. “Where’s your house?”
“Not too far from here. I’ll meet you in the main square and I’ll take you there.”
“I don’t want you attacked again; there’s been enough bloodshed for one day. You should probably get those wounds looked at,” Piero said.
Barros touched the side of his face and felt the hot blood on the open wounds. “They’ll heal in time. They’ll serve as a painful reminder.”
Piero shook his head. “Think with your head next time. I’d better get going. I’ll see you soon.”
10
Burial and the Mountains
Barros rolled the motionless body of Grayson off his shoulders, moments before Maria and Piero arrived with the lifeless Rico. The young Hunter was almost unrecognizable, lacerations covered his entire body and his face was crisscrossed with bite marks. Maria stared at her twin’s body as Piero set him to rest beside Grayson, tears obscuring her vision.
“Did you run into any trouble on the way back?” Piero asked.
“None. What about you?” Barros asked.
Piero shrugged. “All of the Vampires that we didn’t kill have either gone underground or fled the city all together. When the Red Sky vanished, so did they. It seems like a lot of them were present only because Sophia was, the cowards.”
“We should send word to the Sauriaan Huntrey, tell them to watch Rhorn for a while,” Barros said.
“Aye, you’re right,” Maria said. “I have no purpose now. I can ride to them and relay your message.”
“Good, tell them exactly what happened here, every detail. Ride to the east of Saur and you will find it on a plain very similar to West Anacore,” Piero said. “Lovely people there.”
“Understood, Piero. Can we get the farewells over with?” Maria asked.
“Of course, my dear. Barros, do you have wood around here?” Piero asked.
“Aye, but we don’t have time to build a full-sized pyre. Just one of the small ones will do,” Barros said. He headed around the side of the house to where he kept the massive piles of firewood.
He returned with large pine logs under each arm, while Piero began to set up a make shift fire pit, using stones from the street. Barros quickly piled the logs together, until they were a foot high and able to support both the dead Hunters. Piero pulled a small bottle of Fyndfire from the insides of his cloak and poured it over the pyre.
The old grizzled Hunter stood so that he was looking down the bodies. Rico and Grayson, lay side by side with their respective weapons clutched in their hands over the center of their chests. When it came to these rituals, the most senior Hunter needed to uphold the tradition of recognizing the fallen Hunter’s sacrifice.
“Here lies Rico Amberain and Grayson Yold.” Piero began in a slow and calm voice. “These two men led the fight against the Vampire hordes and we have avenged them here on this glorious day. They have not died in vain. They died so that we may fight on. Without these two men, we would not be standing here.” Each Hunter bowed their head, paying their respects. “Rico and Grayson died as heroes, liberating this city from tyranny under the Countess’ fist. Do not forget their sacrifice so that these Hunters may live on forever inside of you! Now Maria, if you could kindly do the honors, please?”
Maria raised her tearful face, nodding at Piero’s request. She produced a Fyndfire bolt and ran it along the wood, causing a spark. Simultaneously fire erupted, running along the pyre engulfing both bodies in orange flames.
“It is done,” Piero said. “Barros, don’t you have something you should be attending to before we leave?”
“Of course,” Barros said, ducking inside the house.
The other two Hunters followed him, both eager to see the child that had started the war. Abner was in the cradle where Barros left him, oblivious to what had happened in the city around him. The child lay quietly, letting out a small gurgle when Barros raised him. Maria scowled over his shoulder at the newborn that had inadvertently caused her brother’s death.
“This is the half-breed?”
“Aye, it is and if he’s anything like me, you’ll be thankful that you fought to save him,” Barros said. “This child could be the future of the Hunters. He could have all of their power, whilst still remaining human.”
“Have you decided what to do with him yet?” Piero asked, changing the subject.
“My brother lives in Tyrain on the Bulldrag Lake,” Barros said. “He can take Abner. Him and his wife have been unable to fall pregnant, and I imagine they’d make great parents for him.”
“I’ve heard about him,” Maria said. “They call him Malvrok. He lives in some sort of refugee camp that he set up. They say it’s a safe haven for deserters, traitors and wanted men. If you’re being hunted that’s where you go.”
“Right on all counts, Maria,” Barros said. “But my brother wouldn’t take in traitors. He’s the finest swordsman in all of Taagras and was once a Hunter like us. We need Abner battle hardened and ready to kill when he comes of age and Malvrok is the perfect man to train him. There’s no place for him inside the Huntrey yet. Hunters will know what he is and shun him for how he was bought into this world. It wouldn’t be right.”
“You’re right,” Piero said. “A hard, realistic childhood would be the perfect tool to turn him into what he needs to be. We’ll take him to Malvrok. Maria, you have your mission.”
“Yes, Piero. I was wondering if I could wait and take Rico’s ashes with me. His favorite place was always the Grawlwood,” Maria said.
“Of course,” Piero said. “Take your time. If you aren’t back at West Anacore within a month I’ll send someone to find you. Return when you’re ready and we’ll complete the ritual.”
“Thank you.” Maria took her leave.
“We should have gone with her,” Barros said.
“She’s a strong girl. She does what she wants to do.” Piero lowered his voice. “Maria rather reminds me of you in that regard. I know you made the choice not to kill Sophia.”
Barros felt his insides turn with guilt. “I killed the bitch. I did my job.”
“Where was the body?”
The tension increased in the room. “The Fyndfire killed her. She was weak from the fall. Grayson shot her and that was the end of it.”
“Bullshit,” Piero said. “Fyndfire can’t kill a Countess. You didn’t have it in you to cut off her head or run her through the heart like you should have done.”
“She’s dead to me, any part of the women I loved is long gone,” Barros said. He shot daggers at Piero.
Piero’s backhand came spinning out of nowhere. “If
that was any normal hunt, my hand would have been a crossbow bolt. Letting a dangerous Vampire like that go when you could have killed it. It is treason in my eyes.”
“I couldn’t kill her,” Barros said. “She changed me, but it won’t happen again.”
“She was a Vampire,” Piero said. “You let your feelings get in the way.”
“Then you’ll know why I couldn’t do it.”
Piero sighed and shook his head. “If anyone finds out, you’ll have hell to pay.”
“If I find her again, I know how I will deal with her,” Barros said. “I should have killed her like I was ordered to as soon as I set eyes upon her. She won’t get away from me again.”
“Good to hear, but you're a shit liar, Barros. Now we need to get out of here and put the past behind us. What do you want to do? The Pass will be full at this time of year. There’s no way we’re getting through two armies.”
“I thought it was hard enough getting through the Pass when I had two hundred Hunters at my back. Fuck going back through it with just the two of us and a newborn child.” Barros shrugged. “I was rather thinking we should head into the Highlander villages and see if we can sort out the trouble that’s up there. Grayson told me about it when I met him. I think it might be Vampire related.”
“Ah, want to save the world twice, do you?” Piero asked.
“It’ll go a long way to three times, if I get Abner safely to Malvrok,” Barros said, cradling the infant in his arms.
“I hope you know what you’re getting into. The Highlanders are dangerous people to outsiders. Luckily for us, I know some of the local languages as my mother was a Highlander before she died,” Piero said.
“Well then, things might be easier for us up there. Let’s head to the stables.”
The Hunters arrived at the base of the Rhorn Mountains several hours later, just as the sun was passing midafternoon. As they made their way up the mountainside, Barros turned back to look at Rhorn. “It really is a beautiful place.”
The Toldar Series Box Set Page 7