“I didn’t know it was there until you mentioned it.”
“Then, where were we going to do the interrogation?”
“Somewhere in that general direction.”
“We need to discuss this habit of bad planning, Progenitor of the Dawn Fangs.”
Clyde opens his mouth to make a joke when he spots Luther wheeling away from the campsite and a single feather falling form his wings. The powerful vampire runs around the edge of the camp at a speed that makes him impossible to see. A strong breeze billows through the area, so he creates illusionary storm clouds traveling overhead to cover his presence. It is only when the youngest of the womb-born curl into the fetal position and cry that the others begin to think that something is wrong. Eighty is about to shout an order when twenty vampires are sent flying by Clyde, who moves so fast through the camp that he is nothing more than a faint, crimson haze. Warriors grab their weapons and those with elemental attacks begin casting wildly, which sets fire to many of the trees. Three vampires try to hide in a tent before it is split in half and they are left nursing foot-shaped puncture wounds to their bodies. A flyer takes to the air and circles around the clearing, but is unable to see any threat that her friends can converge on. The girl is about to land when another group of Dawn Fangs are scattered and fall to the ground in every direction. One of the unconscious bodies flies high enough to knock the airborne vampire out of the sky and into the distant river. Scared and confused, the army explodes into chaos and the single feather that would give them a clue as to what is going on gets trampled into the dirt.
*****
The small house at the edge of town is at the perfect distance for the vampires to perform their interrogation without interruption. Having gone inside through the back door, Titus has already checked for the owners by the time Clyde and Luther arrive. A thin layer of dust tells them that nobody has been home for a while, but they are still cautious due to the kitchen being partially stocked. With their prisoner chained up and stashed on the top floor, the Dawn Fangs quickly go about securing the windows and doors. Not wanting to make any noise, they attach the boards by pushing the nails into the wood using only their thumbs. Candles are lit and spread throughout the building while every curtain is drawn and pinned in place to prevent anyone from peeking through spaces. Whatever tall furniture they can find is moved behind the windows to prevent anyone who happens to pass by from seeing the lights. Once the meticulous preparations are done, Clyde and Luther make themselves comfortable in the kitchen while their friend makes his way up the creaky stairs.
“Do you know what a Chaoswind weapon is?” Titus asks as he enters the bedroom. Taking a knife from a dresser drawer, he slices his arm and lets his shimmering blood coat the blade. “It’s a powerful weapon bathed in demonic blood and put through a ritual. Once the enchantment is complete, the merest cut can cause agony to anyone who has any good in their heart. The level of pain is equal to the amount of goodness found in the victim, which is why it rarely works on old-world vampires. Now, Dawn Fangs are different because we are more in touch with our emotions. I can really hurt one of our kind with one of those weapons. Of course, Chaoswinds are hard to find since Duragians love to destroy them. Thankfully, as you may have guessed, I don’t need one to do this. My blood mimics the effect as long as it is on a weapon and hasn’t dried out. Now, imagine how much pain I can inflict with a fresh coating . . . Wait a second . . . Can you get in here, Luther?”
“Please don’t tell me you’re done already, boss,” the forest tracker says as he opens the door. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he shrugs and gestures at the prisoner, who is covered with a sheet. “You haven’t even started. What do you need me for? I’m not going to cheer you on because that’s rather crass. Seriously, why do you look flustered?”
“This is why,” the warrior answers before removing the sheet. The brown-haired Dawn Fang yelps and tries to cower, but the tight chains prevent him from curling into a ball. “It’s a kid. I know we’ve fought child vampires before, but I don’t feel comfortable hurting one of these womb-born. Not one that can’t be older than ten. Made a whole speech about inflicting pain too, which terrified the little guy.”
“To be fair, everyone is little to you,” Luther mentions, his tongue darting out. He grabs a chair and drags it to a corner where he can put his feet on a dresser. “In my defense, I thought he was a halfling because of the hair and build. Forgot that these Dawn Fangs are born, so they don’t only resemble children, but aren’t any older than sixteen. On the other hand, they are vampires, which means he isn’t defenseless and has probably killed before. You really don’t have the time for a moral quandary, but here you are.”
“Thanks for putting this all on my shoulders,” the other vampire mutters. Cleaning off the blade, he crouches in front of the prisoner and does his best to smile. “Pretty sure you’re just following your friends, which makes sense. All of you have survived this entire time by listening to the strongest in your pack. I can’t really relate since I was turned into a vampire instead of being born. In fact, I was changed in order to betray my sister, but that plan didn’t work. You see, I’m loyal to my family just like you. I’d do whatever it takes to keep her safe even if I had to answer questions as a captive and endure torture. Think you can be honest with me to help your friends?”
“That was horrible.”
“Shut up.”
“Even staying low, you’re looming over the kid like a troll about to eat a squirrel.”
“Not helping, Grathan.”
“He’s smiling, which is a good sign.”
“Maybe you’re-”
The child bares his fangs and throws himself backwards by driving his feet into Titus’s stomach. It is a painful blow, but there is not enough force to do more than get the seasoned warrior to stand up. Rolling onto his side, the kid sprouts thick tentacles from his sides and uses them to scurry for the exit. He is stopped by a rocking chair getting thrown across the room, the curved rails slamming into the wall and door to prevent it from being easily opened. Leaping onto the ceiling, the womb-born extends a forked tongue that narrowly misses Titus’s face and punctures the floor. The next attack grazes the man’s side, which distracts him enough that the younger vampire can unleash a psychic scream that threatens to scramble his brains. Turning his back, the warrior has his double leap out of his body and slash at the startled Dawn Fang. The phantasmal blades cut through the ceiling and the chunk that the child is sticking to falls onto the bed. Still chained to the chair, he is unable to stop himself from bouncing into Titus’s hand and getting slammed against the wall.
“I suddenly feel better about wringing information out of you,” the enraged Dawn Fang growls. Drawing one of his claymores, he tosses the prisoner over his shoulder and spins to sever the tentacles. “Hope that hurt you as much as that scream hurt me. Next time you try anything, I’m ripping your tongue from your head and stabbing you with it. I swear, kids these days have no respect for their elders or the common sense to use their innocent looks to their advantage. All you had to do was not attack me and this would have gone a lot smoother.”
“The Princess General or the Second Sergeant Twice Removed will come for me!” the kid shouts, his voice strained from the pain of getting cut. He pushes and strains against the chains, which are threatening to break. “None of you ancient monsters will be able to stop us once we take over. The old-world vampires are worthless and destined for destruction now that the Dawn Fangs exist. As for those born of fang and blood, all of you will pay for creating a world where the purest of your kind were abandoned.”
“So, this war is against everyone,” Titus says as he approaches. Coating his claymore with his blood, he sticks it into the chair between the prisoner’s legs and gently leans on it. “One slip and this goes into your face. Now, Lost has been more interested in finding her father than starting a war. She doesn’t sound like someone who wants to wipe out, enslave, or whatever it is you want to do t
o the other vampires. In fact, your leader has been enjoying her time with others of her kind. Well, she’s fighting with her birth mother, but not in the way that all of you would do it. Why is that?”
“The Princess General is pure of heart,” the boy declares, his eyes locked on the sword. His stomach rumbles and he comes close to licking at the deadly blood, but he stops himself by breaking one of his fingers. “She always promised us a war, but it is Eighty who tells us what has to be done. We need her to stay true to herself while he gets himself dirty. Once all of you are taken care of, the Princess General will take the throne and rule us without the guilt of hurting others. All we need is for her to return when we need to go into battle.”
“Won’t she be hurting people if she fights?” Luther asks from the corner. Feeling a chill in the air, he creates a phantom and points at the window. “Scout. As I was saying, this doesn’t make much sense. You want Lost to remain pure, but also enter battles where that purity will certainly be tarnished. Have any of you considered that she was playing a game with this war and finally stopped to live her life?”
Seeing a flicker of panic on the prisoner’s face, Titus clears his throat for attention. “We don’t want to imply that your Princess General is going to abandon you. It’s more likely that she wants to find her family and then return to you. After all, she marched at the head of your army after finding her father. Still, what if she doesn’t want to fight anymore? It’s possible that Lost has a plan that involves leading all of you to a new home where you’ll be able to live among your own kind. After all, some of you had to have figured out that none of you were abandoned on purpose. Nobody knew Dawn Fangs could give birth and I’m betting your parents assumed you were dead just like Chastity did with Lost. Since we know the truth now, we can make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“All of you are liars!”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because we remember our mothers, so they have to remember us.”
“We’re still trying to figure that out.”
“The only good adult is a dead one!”
“Let’s calm down a little, kid.”
“This is our world and we’re going to kill all of you now!”
Before Titus can respond, Luther suddenly rushes across the room to grab the chair and prisoner. He kicks the bloody claymore free of the wood before hurling the kid out the boarded window with enough strength to clear the dirt road. The Vengeance Hounds watch as the shrieking vampire lands in the branches of an oak. Within seconds, shadowy forms can be seen diving towards the boy while distant voices carry on the wind. The sky becomes filled with birds and the nearby animals come into view as they retreat from the area, their senses warning them that danger is coming. A streak of fire sails over the town to hit a distant house as Titus rushes to the door and kicks it down, the rocking chair briefly getting stuck on his leg. In his raven form, Luther flies around his friend who takes up most of the narrow stairwell. With the sound of an advancing army getting closer, both vampires rush into the kitchen, which is where they last saw Clyde.
“Where in all the Chaos Void and beyond did he go?” Titus mutters.
*****
Entering the open-air tavern on the other side of town, Clyde finds himself faced with one of the last people he thought he would see. Nadia’s friendly smirk makes him angry that the noblewoman has dared to take him away from his friends. He is tempted to attack, but the presence of so many mortals keeps his rising fury at bay. Crushing the messenger moth in his fist, he takes some enjoyment out of the wince of pain on the orc’s face. The dusty remains of the dead insect float to Nadia and go up the sleeve of her white shirt to become a scab over a patch of missing skin. Deciding to play along until he figures out her plan, Clyde takes a seat at her small table and is immediately presented with a cup of tea. He glares at the waiter in the hopes of silently getting a mug of ale, but notices the vacant expression under a mop of hair. Waving the intricate golem away, the Dawn Fang tries to make himself comfortable by slouching in the chair, which causes the noblewoman to briefly scowl. The brood siblings continue staring at each other for a minute before they sense that the mortals are beginning to take notice. Fake smiles plastered on their faces, the vampires clink their glasses and have a drink without breaking eye-contact.
“It has been such a long time since we saw each other socially, brother,” Nadia says, her final word nearly getting stuck in her throat. Sipping at her tea, she tries to lean back and show off her entire outfit. “Do you like this look? Shirt and pants like I used to wear when I was mortal, but no dirt or sweat stains. That life was so long ago and I don’t miss a single minute of it. Yet, I do find it nice to put on the old style from time to time. By the way, my husband sends his deepest apologies. He feels that you would try to kill him on sight, so I agreed to come alone.”
“Guess he isn’t a total idiot,” Clyde replies as he watches the other diners. The handful of people who look suspicious are nothing more than thieves working the crowd, which brings back memories of his own. “Makes sense to send my brood sister. Gregorio made us promise not to kill each other. The old fang takes his neutrality very seriously. Although, I always get the feeling that he prefers me to you. You should really visit him more often. In fact, let me know and I can send Mab to greet you. Pretty sure she’s been waiting for a chance to spend some friendly time with you.”
“I’d love to be in the presence of that mouthy piece of trash again,” the noblewoman declares with a cheerful laugh. She takes a brush off her belt and tends to her crimson hair after undoing her sloppy ponytail. “Enough of the pleasantries since you appear to be in a rush. You probably know we had an encounter with a bizarre Dawn Fang named Lost. We know at least one of your people has met her too. Considering she claims to be the daughter of Lord Tempest, we feel that you should return her to Nyte if you run into her. As cruel a warlord as you’re pretending to be, silly brother, I doubt you would break up a family.”
“Have some tea while I talk,” he suggests while holding up his own. He smiles as he watches the orc gingerly raise her cup and take a quick sip. “Guess you’re too quick for me, foolish sister. Lost is already with us and Gregorio checked her out to see if she’s telling the truth. She’s not related to Xavier, which you already knew. The surprise is that Chastity is her mother, which means her family is on our side. You will be upset to know that we have a lot of valuable information on these new Dawn Fangs now. Maybe even more soon if Titus gets our prisoner to squawk his guts out. Got us a halfling too and you know how much those love to talk once you get them started.”
“This information can’t change the war, Clyde.”
“I think we both realize that it does.”
“Not if all of us know how these Dawn Fangs came to be.”
“True, but there is an easier way for you to figure it than coming to me.”
“And what is that?”
“Have sex and get pregnant. Maybe even do it with your bastard of a husband.”
Nadia flashes a fake smile while one of her feet transforms into a swarm of ants that crawl across the grass. They crawl into Clyde’s pantleg and start biting as his skin, but he merely yawns and scratches the back of his neck. The golem returns with a plate of biscuits that the vampires calmly share while the insects make their way into the Dawn Fang’s shirt. With a sigh, he pours himself a scalding cup of tea and slowly moves it to his lips as if he is about to cool the drink off. Instead, he coughs and sends the hot water splashing onto his clothes, which become too hot for the ants. Her forehead dotted with sweat, Nadia calls her swarm back and reaches down to squeeze her shoe. The scalded foot hurts at the slightest pressure and the skin sticks to the inside of her shoe until she focuses on healing.
“I really wish you would reconsider,” Nadia says before tossing a cloth napkin across the table. She recoils in disgust when Clyde blows his nose and throws it back, the entire thing covered in snot. “Very mature. As I was expla
ining, it’s too dangerous for either side to be in the dark about the womb-born. It is not like every Dawn Fang is with Nytefall. We have a fair number in our ranks as well those who have decided to be loners, which is why all of us agree that avoiding unnecessary attention is essential to survival. Knowing how we breed reduces the chance of both our worlds being exposed to the mortals. Honestly, I’m surprised these children made it this long without an incident.”
“I’m forced to agree with you there,” Clyde admits under his breath. Fearing that this conversation will not end without giving her some information, he leans back and swings his feet onto the table. “This is a difficult situation. You are right that everyone should know about what is a basic part of life. On the other hand, I don’t like any of you and my friends would be angry if I played nice. How about you visit Gregorio and ask him? He knows it all and he’d share for the sake of staying neutral.”
“And to think most of the Dawn Fangs fear your wrath and consider you a great leader,” the noblewoman mutters loud enough for only the other vampire to hear. She spots a faint twitch of her brother’s lips, which causes her heart to flutter in excitement. “The great Clyde is filled with doubt. Nobody believed me when I said you are merely playing at warlord. You could barely run your old gang, which people would have realized if they paid attention. Titus controlled most of your people while you went galivanting off with Mab. Did you finally realize that ruling a city requires a level of maturity and responsibility that you’ve always been lacking? To think you want to lead the entire vampire nation. I should tell my husband that the best way to win this war is to simply wait for you to self-destruct.”
Refusing to take the obvious bait, Clyde grabs a biscuit and rapidly flicks pieces into the orc’s thick hair and down her shirt collar. “That is the coward’s way. I’ll admit that I haven’t figured out all of the quirks to being in charge of an entire species. Not like you and Xavier knew how to run Nyte as soon as you took the thrones. I distinctly remember a few fires and uprisings within the first few years. Who was it that helped you out of those messes? You two always managed to keep your hands clean thanks to me and my gang. Unlike you, brood sister, I can’t call on a talented thief to do my dirty work. Thankfully, I don’t mind doing my own grunt work and I have some of the best friends a fledgling ruler could ask for. Since you’re my sister, I’ll give you a chance right now to walk away from this war. After all, you know how smoothly my gang operates when we really get our act together.”
Lost (War of Nytefall Book 2) Page 18