Abner’s eyes flashed red and he lunged forward. He grabbed Roni by the throat and pressed him up against the brickwork of the tower. “Because I just saved your lives, because I am the only one that can stop more of this from happening, and because if we don’t act together now as a unit, the Vampires that you swore to stop, on oath as a Hunter will have total dominion over Taagras!”
“They already do motherfucker, now let me go!” Roni said. “Boys! Shoot him!”
“You don’t want to do that, Roni,” Aj said. He stepped up and had a pistol pointed at Roni’s head. “Come on lads, you know Abner is right. I left to get us help, network with the other Huntrey’s and this is all we’ve got in Taagras. Renor was destroyed not too long ago, you know the Islands didn’t work out, that’s why you came here, and Alilletia and East Anacore either are dead to us or didn’t want to be known.”
“Motherfucker, what do you mean? We spoke to someone less than a week ago,” Roni said. He tried to scratch his head but Abner pinned his arm to his side.
“No that was us. Timmy, is your dad getting delusional?” Aj asked.
A young man in his early twenties stepped out from the tower with a rifle in his clutched in his hands. He barely had a beard grown and Abner held back a snort looking at the patches of hair on his face. He was shorter than all of them gathered, barely coming equal with Paige’s eyebrows.
“No we spoke to them, dad. But this is a surprise. You’re actually Toldar?”
Abner shrugged. “Apart from Zarazenih when have you heard of any other humans being able to do what I can do without changing into a Vampire?”
“No can’t say that we have,” Timmy said. “Can you let my dad go and we’ll be able to discuss things in private. Don’t know when any other Vampires will be drawn to the Red Sky.”
The underbelly of the Huntrey was much the same as the others. A simple design in the main shared area, however Timmy had made some improvements. On one wall above the monitor an old worn out tapestry depicted a Hunter, bearing a striking resemblance to Abner. He stopped and looked at a twisted reflection of his features that stared back at him. One corner of the room had been closed off and made into an almost separate room. Abner stuck his head inside and was met with a red glow, reminiscent of the Red Sky outside.
On a mat in the center of the room, sat a Vampire with his hands spread evenly across his folded knees. He wore no chains and sniffed the air, hearing Abner behind him.
“Half-blood, huh? You must be Toldar.”
“Yeah, that’s me. You’re one of the Lotu?” Abner asked.
“Of course, what else would I be? My name is Balticarn. I’ve been a Lotu for over two hundred years now.”
“So why can I smell the human blood in you?” Abner asked.
“The Lotu can drink from whoever they feel now, we are not bound by anything in particular,” Balticarn said. “We drink if humans willingly give up their blood, it keeps us stronger. Tal’davin has shown us that.”
“You’re not really Lotu,” Abner said. He readied his fangs and claws.
“Abner, stop!” Aj said grabbing him by the arm. “Balticarn is the one that trained me how to be a Hunter. He’s as much a Lotu as the rest of us.”
“He drinks human blood,” Abner said. “The Lotu were never permitted to.”
“Things change, it’s been over four hundred years since you were walking around Taagras. We need to do these things to keep them alive. Look.” Aj pulled down the top on his jacket to reveal his neck and shoulder. Along the left side he was covered in bite marks, each bite two needles no more than two inches apart. “Like I said times change and you have to learn to deal with it.”
“So you make yourself weaker. They’re playing you Aj,” Abner said.
“I’m one of the few who have given my body to the cause whilst you slept for years!” He covered the wounds again. “Don’t judge me for what I do to survive.”
“I’m surprised you’ve survived this long,” Abner said.
“Abner!” Gerard said. “It’s how the world works now, come out here, we have much to discuss.”
Abner snarled at the Lotu and Aj and moved back out into the living space. “You expect me to work with Lotu that don’t even follow their own rules!”
“Brother,” Zarazenih said. His voice carried a note of caution. “We cannot afford to ostracize one of our own. The Lotu now are more powerful than those from hundreds of years ago. Come, we have much to discuss.”
“Disgusting,” Abner said.
“Right,” Gerard said. “Now that’s sorted, we’re here to ask for you help.”
“You want us to join you?” Roni asked. “We don’t have the resources or supplies to be able to wage a war on Tal’davin. Our rifles are fifty fucking years old. We’re hard pressed to keep ourselves away from Purestrains. We’re not joining you, not going to happen.”
“Father,” Timmy said. He rolled his eyes.
“What I’m proposing is a new collaborative Huntrey,” Gerard said. “A place where we can pool our resources and start over, nothing’s getting done out here on our own. You bring what you can put in, and we go about starting to take some of Taagras back.”
“I’m not leaving,” Roni said.
“You just bitched about a lack of supplies and weapons!” Paige said. “We’re offering you a chance to get more! You can do something with your life for once!”
Balticarn crawled out from his room and shook his head at Roni. “I for one am with the Sauriaans on this, Roni. Considering I take your blood, the least you can do is do what you’re told for once and follow them. You’re sworn to me.”
“He’s sworn to you?” Abner asked. His claw started to break through his skin again.
“Abner,” Gerard said.
Balticarn continued to walk towards the table, wrapping his wrists with a white cloth. “Yes, under new law brought in by Tal’davin a hundred years ago, a human that willingly gave themselves to a Vampire is bound to them. Decisions, actions, if the Vampire wills it, the human must comply.”
“Humans are slaves now?” Abner said. He turned to face the Vampire.
“To some degree,” Balticarn said. “But only if they’re willing to accept it.”
Abner let out a roar and swung at Balticarn intent on separating the Vampire’s head from his neck. His claw was stopped inches short, Zarazenih’s hairy outstretched arm had stopped him in his tracks. Abner looked into his brother’s brown eyes and froze. The wolf struggled, with Abner for a moment before he finally let go.
“Let it go, brother,” Zarazenih said. “We have work to do that isn’t fighting each other.”
18
Fireball
The following day the Sauriaan Hunters left the West Anacore Huntrey behind. After Abner’s outburst, and Balticarn’s persuasion, Roni had agreed to join them at the new proposed site of the Tyrian Huntrey along with the ‘Lotu’ as Abner had called them. Gerard had put calls through to his contractors, beginning to source supplies and the machinery that was needed to begin construction on the Huntrey. Aj took them through airport security once again before waving them off and they now waited patiently in their seats for the plane to take off.
Gerard rolled a pair of earphones around in his thumbs before inserting them, whilst Paige had pulled out a tablet and began tapping away on the screen, a piece of gum being flung from one side of her mouth to the other. Zarazenih and Abner both sat side by side, unaffected by the effects of the aircraft during takeoff.
Abner looked around at the other passengers onboard the flight. Abner smelt the air and only the stench of Vampires filled his nostrils. He looked at the Hunters trying to get their attention but only found his brother’s.
“I know,” Zarazenih said in a hushed tone. “Just act normal and don’t attract any attention.”
“And if I do?” Abner asked.
“Then we have a fight on our hands,” Zarazenih said. “And we’ll be in trouble.”
The plan
e began to take off, starting down the runway, soon picking up enough speed to rival that of a bullet. They left the ground behind and Abner was overcome with a sudden flush of nausea. He leant forward and grabbed the bag sticking out of the back of his seat.
A claw from somewhere behind him, pricked into his neck, drawing a spec of blood.
“You’re not one of us are you?” a voice from behind him said.
“No, I’m better,” Abner said. “You don’t want this, Vampire.”
A second later, a Vampire stood up from its seat and shrieked at the others on board. Abner rose and turned trying to silence it but was met with a claw to the side of his neck. He recoiled as much as he could and another raked his back. Zarazenih turned and picked up the first Vampire by its head and tossed it behind him.
Paige let out a scream and the sound of gunshots filled the air. Her and Gerard both hit the floor and began spraying the cabin with bullets. Vampires tried to crawl under the chairs to reach them, whilst others scrambled over the chairs, but each one was swiftly met with a rain of bullets.
Abner finished his original attackers off and now looked for his next kill. Humans that sat in the rows around him now lay dead, killed by either bullet or fang. A young girl with a short brown fringe and dark blue eyes, directly behind him looked up, a bullet opening her throat. She held out her hand as the wound forced her to drown in her own blood, stealing the life from her eyes.
“We’ve got to get off this plane!” Gerard said. “Tal’davin will know we’re here!”
“How?” Abner asked.
“They’ll signal him and we’ll be shot out of the sky!” Gerard said.
“I’ll get to the cockpit,” Zarazenih said. “Clean up in here.”
Gerard and Paige now rose from behind their seats and began to shoot up the rest of the cabin. Vampires ducked for cover, leaving Abner free to chase them down. Gerard continued to fire. He missed a shot and the bullet went flying through the nearby window. Immediately alarms began to sound and orange air masks dropped from the ceiling. The cabin was filled with the sound of air rushing from it until a Vampire filled the gap. It wailed, it’s claws digging into the metal of the plane, holding it in place.
“Let’s move!” Paige said.
“Follow Zarazenih!” Gerard said.
The three of them fought their way to the cockpit at the front of the plane. Zarazenih had cut a path of Vampires, leaving a trail of entrails and innards behind him. A bloodied hand greeted them on the door the slightly ajar cockpit which Abner slowly wrenched open. More blood was splattered across the controls, and Zarazenih sat in the Captain’s chair fumbling with what was left of the controls.
“They’ve disabled the plane,” he said. “We’re going down!”
“What do you mean disabled the plane?” Gerard asked.
Zarazenih thumped the controls and shrugged. “Nothing works, they’ve overridden every system and sent a message to the air control tower already.”
“Well, no time to lose,” Gerard said. “I thought this would be the case!”
“No, I can land the plane,” Zarazenih said. “The steering is still operational.”
“But what about the landing gear?” Gerard asked.
Zarazenih fumbled with some of the controls and checked the dashboard. “Won’t need to worry about that. Strap yourself in Hunter. You two, do the same and hold on!” He looked at the monitor beside the wheel. “Might want to clear out the company we’ve got.”
Abner and Paige turned back around and ducked into the flight attendant’s seats. They pulled the belts over their chests as the plane took yet another dive. Now more Vampires made their way to the cockpit. One stuck its head around the corner only to have a smoldering hole appear next to its ear. Another jolt and this time the plane hurled up before plummeting again.
Another Vampire launched itself towards the cockpit and as it sailed past, Paige fired another round, this time taking it in the chest. It fell to the side with the violent motions of the plane and fell into the cockpit. There were more gunshots from inside as Gerard realized what had happened. The plane now flattened out, and cracking sounds filled Abner’s ears. He looked out the window and saw trees flashing past the plane. He grabbed the side of his seats, gritting his teeth, hanging on for dear life.
“Brace!” Zarazenih called back from the cockpit.
They hit the ground at speed, Zarazenih mostly keeping the plane on course. It rocked from side to side, with the trees slowing its momentum. A bang filled Abner’s ear and a fireball erupted from the left side of the plane, tearing off part of the wing. Wind filled the cabin with a renewed ferocity as the door was ripped from its sockets. They continued to slow until the plane came to a complete stop.
“Ah shit,” Paige said. She clutched her arm in an awkward position. “I think it’s sprained. That was rough.”
Abner unclipped his seatbelt and knelt in front of her. “Let me look at it. Haven’t been through anything like that before. Where are we?”
“In the middle of fucking nowhere,” Gerard said. He emerged from the cockpit as white as a ghost. He was cut open across the top of his head and under his jaw. Blood flowed freely from both wounds. “I’m never flying again.”
“We might have to,” Abner said. “She’s hurt. Can we get another plane?”
Gerard shook his head. “We’d be at least half a day’s walk from the city now. Good luck getting back there without getting caught.”
“I’m fine! I’ve had plenty worse. Zarazenih, what did you say before about them sending a message?” Paige asked.
Zarazenih’s silver white hair poked through the cockpit door. He was unhurt. “We need to leave, immediately. They’ve sent a reply. They’re on the way right now! Girl can you walk?”
Paige shrugged. “Probably. Get me out of my seat.”
Abner unclipped Paige while Zarazenih walked to the plane door and kicked at the handle sending it flying before disappearing into forest below. “We’re clear,” the wolf said.
Gerard followed suite and looked up with his arms outstretched when he landed beckoning for Abner to throw Paige down. “I can walk,” she said as Abner held out his hand. She lowered herself down and dropped from sight like Gerard before her.
Abner looked behind him to see one Vampire crawling towards him, barely conscious, a bullet hole in one of its eyes. Abner walked over to it and as the creature reached out to attack him Abner put his claws through its hand. It shrieked and tried to bite down on his foot. Abner’s response was a swift kick to the jaw.
“Tell your master I am still alive, tell him I am coming for him, and tell him, he’d better be prepared to lose everything he’s worked for,” he said. “And he’s going to need an army to bring me down.”
“Abner!” Zarazenih said. “We have company!”
Abner ran over to the door and stuck his head outside to the sound of silence. “I don’t hear anything, what’s going on!”
Zarazenih pointed to the sky and in the distance black specs moved towards them, sunlight reflecting off the matte black roofs of the helicopters. Dozens marked the afternoon sky, in a loose formation, covering as much ground as possible.
“How’d they get here so fast?” Abner asked.
“Tal’davin has fire bases all over Taagras. Just so happens we’ve landed just outside one,” Zarazenih said. “You humans can ride on my back. Abner, we need to go now.”
Zarazenih began to change into the wolf lowering himself so Paige and Gerard could climb onto him. Abner hit the ground and took off heading deeper into the forest. Seconds later Zarazenih was right behind him, the larger wolf easily able to outrun his half-Vampire counterpart. They quickly lost all sight of the plane and the smell from the fire that it had started to cause with its destroyed engine.
“Are we far enough away?” Abner asked.
“Probably not,” Gerard said. “They’ll be sending out drones and we’re easy to track.”
“I can fight them of
f whilst you three make your escape,” Abner said. “Shouldn’t be any more Vampires than what I’ve faced down before.”
Gerard shook his head. “The guns on the helicopters would tear you to shreds, immortal or not. You can’t function with half a body.”
Zarazenih paused. He looked around uncertainly at the trees and growled. Out of the trees something collided with the ground only meters away from them and ticked. Abner blinked once and an explosion rocked him blowing him off his feet. He looked up and saw an orange gas filling the air, falling around him. Abner struggled to regain his footing, feeling no stronger than a child. Zarazenih began to change back into his human state, who looked over at Abner also struggling to regain his footing.
“I didn’t change back voluntarily,” he said.
“What?” Abner asked.
“Fyndfire, specially designed for us. How Lois stabbed you. Get out of here! Use your rage!”
“Abner, Zarazenih! Get up!” Gerard said. He was back on his feet and raced over to try and help Zarazenih.
“Don’t try to run, Hunters,” Tal’davin called out. He calmly stepped into view, Barros’ face smiling at them out from underneath the black hood he wore. “Brave what you tried to do, reconcile with the other Huntries, making attacks against my facilities. But I have to ask. What were you trying to accomplish?”
“To remove your head from your body,” Abner said.
“And yet here I am,” Tal’davin said. “What did you think? You could walk up to me and slice my head off? I am Tal’davin! I am the Immortal!” A flash of light shot out from Tal’davin and hit Abner and engulfed him, lifting him to his feet. Zarazenih was also enclosed in his own bubble as were Gerard and Paige. “I’ve been meaning to thank you in person Abner, your family has made this all possible. Gathering the amulets for me, having all of them in the same place, without them I wouldn’t have this much power. Now nothing is out of my reach, including you. It was terribly easy to follow you.”
Tal’davin started to walk towards them again, Abner unable to move towards him, the effects from both the Fyndfire and amulets slowing his movements to almost a stand still. Tal’davin quickened as he approached Zarazenih’s bubble and stepped straight through it. Zarazenih tried to push back, attempting to raise his hands to Tal’davins throat.
The Toldar Series Box Set Page 70