by J. N. Baker
“Zoe! Get up!”
Feet shuffled around me as I slipped deeper into the mud. A black boot splashed in a puddle to my right, and then one to my left. The sound of metal colliding with metal echoed above my head, tormenting my ears. Alec stood hovering over me, trying to shield me from oncoming attacks.
I wanted to tell him to stop, to let the thousands of blades ravage what was left of my body. In fact, I almost did. But something stopped me, something that I still wanted. Something I needed. Revenge. And I would have it. I would kill Baldric for all he’d done to me—all he’d taken from me.
If it weren’t for him, I would not be the monster I was today. If it weren’t for him, Cindy and Josh would still be alive. Everyone would still be alive. If it weren’t for him, none of this would have happened in the first place. I was going to make him answer for what he’d done. I was going to rip his fucking head right off his shoulders, even if it was the last thing I did.
I screamed as I leapt to my feet, burying my blade deep into the heart of one of Baldric’s soldiers. I twisted the blade and the vampire howled. I wanted him to suffer as I was suffering. To feel just a hint of the pain I felt. I twisted it again before ripping it free and taking his head. In the distance, I could just make out the dark silhouettes of the two Baldrics on their high horses and a snarl ripped through me.
I barreled through the seemingly unending legion, unleashing my wrath upon it as I made my way to their so-called “king.” I sliced through flesh and bone, stealing life that was rightfully mine to take. Baldric would pay. They’d all pay. I was relentless, unmerciful. I swung my blade from one poor, unfortunate soulless creature to the next. I would not stop until it was over, not until I reached him. Until I watched Baldric take his final breath. I’d make him wish he’d killed me when he still had the chance.
A blade pierced the small of my back and I reversed the direction of my sword, thrusting it into the woman’s gut. I withdrew it and she collapsed to the ground behind me in a lifeless heap. I didn’t bother looking back. I listened as her heart stopped beating. Whether she was human or shift didn’t matter, she was dead now. Just like anyone else who got in my way.
Something stirred deep within me, a power so intense it was almost palpable. I could feel the electricity racing through my veins, sparking along my nerves as the power called out to me, begging to be unleashed. I held out my left hand, directing all of my pain and rage into it. With a burst of bright light, bolts of lightning shot out from my palm, burning through my flesh and anything else they came in contact with. The white-hot lightning coiled around the hundred-plus soldiers charging toward me, stopping them in their tracks. They convulsed on the ground, smoke rising from their charred lips.
I smirked, sheathing my sword and holding up both hands as I shifted to the left.
“No, please don’t kill me!” a man cried out, cowering away from me. Withdrawing my hands, I took a step toward him. My right hand snapped out and my fingers tightened around his throat until I saw him struggling to draw breath. His face was an inch away from mine. I breathed in his fear. Human. I was surprised at just how many Baldric had enlisted.
“If you switch sides, there will be no turning back,” I growled. He bobbed his head frantically and I released him. The man, along with a handful of his companions, moved hastily around me to join our ranks. It wasn’t enough to tip the scale in our favor. It didn’t even the playing field in the slightest. But it did give me great satisfaction knowing that Baldric’s own people were turning on him.
As I reached the lake, I locked onto my target.
I could see Baldric in the distance—both of them. My eyes darted back and forth between the two monsters, one on either side of the small lake, each heavily guarded. Both watched as the battle raged on, long hair tangled around their necks and smug grins etched into their pale faces. My mind raced, trying to determine which one to go after—I only had one shot.
And then it hit me.
Both Baldrics sat tall on their matching black beasts, high above their guards. High above everyone. Perfect targets. Baldric would never put himself in danger like that, no matter how powerful he was. It was too much of a risk. They had to be duplicates, both of them. So then, the question was, where was the real Baldric? I knew he had to be here somewhere. No way would that sadistic bastard miss this. And no way would he be unguarded.
I scanned both sets of guards—ten on the left, thirteen on the right. Bingo. The men to the right shifted on their feet, holding up their weapons in anticipation, ready to defend their “leader.” Only their leader wasn’t sitting above them…he was standing with them. My eyes fell to the three guards huddling extra close together, two with swords drawn and ready, and one with long black hair peeking out from his pulled-up hood, sword still at his hip.
“Gotcha.”
I made my move, pushing forward through the masses with the real Baldric in my sights.
Only, I was so fixated on my target that I hadn’t noticed someone making a target out of me. Not until it was too late.
My patchy foe stepped in front of me, blocking my path. He chuckled, his one good eye staring me down. Roland. Before I could lift my hands to fry the fang-faced fucker—the one who had poisoned me with the Sythen blood—he was on me, his arm striking out at my abdomen.
My eyes bulged as he twisted the wide double-edged knife in the already gaping wound on my stomach, ripping clean through the blood-soaked bandages and everything behind them. I screamed and he laughed, tearing the knife from my flesh in a purposeful downward motion. Fresh blood seeped from the hole in my body, pooling at my feet. I stumbled back, teetering on the edge of consciousness.
“How does it feel, pet?” Roland sneered. “Hurts like a bitch, don’t it?”
I slowly found my way back to the earth’s surface, slipping into a pool of my own blood, hands gripping my stomach. I tried to push the pain away so it couldn’t control me, becoming one with it as William had taught me so long ago. But it didn’t work. The pain fought back, struggling to stay on the forefront of my mind—an ever-present reminder of how weak I really was.
I knew I had to keep going; I had to end this. Baldric had to die. And yet, my body didn’t move. I tried to find my feet but it was useless. I had lost all ability to function. A haze crept along the outer edge of my vision as everything faded. The sounds of battle, the screams of the Sythen, the world itself.
Was this really how it would all end, me lying at the feet of the enemy, mere feet away from killing him? After all we’d been through, this couldn’t be how it ended. God couldn’t possibly have a sense of humor so twisted. And yet, here I was, lying face down in the mud, drowning in a pool of my own blood.
A heavy boot plowed into my ribcage, snapping me back to reality, if only for a second. I howled, rolling onto my back. One of the broken ribs punctured a lung and I struggled to get air. Roland hovered over me, dragging the edge of his blade along my throat. “I’ve dreamt of this day, warrior. You don’t know how badly I want this.” He raised the sword above his head.
“Roland,” Baldric snapped from somewhere not so far away. “You know I want the girl alive!”
My patchy foe growled. “This isn’t over, pet,” he hissed before storming off.
“Cease!” Baldric’s voice boomed, echoing across the land.
And, just like that, the ghastly sounds of battle faded into the wind, replaced only by the sound of rain pelting the bloody battlefield. Boots stomped toward me.
“Bring them to me,” Baldric ordered. His voice had grown even closer as if he were standing right beside me now. A commotion broke out in the distance and I longed to see what was happening.
“Zoe!” Alec called out to me.
Baldric raised his voice in response. “Do not even think about it, teleport,” he spat. “I would not fight if I were you. You fight back—any of you—and I will kill her and all the rest of your people right here and now without so much as a second thought.”
“Much better,” Baldric purred. “Now, where is the other one—the redhead?”
“Died in battle,” I heard William respond, his voice tight.
“A pity. I had hoped to let you watch me kill her.” Baldric shifted beside me, his boots squishing in the mud. “Roland, check the castle, just in case.”
William growled and I heard the very distinct sound of a boot connecting with ribs. At least two of the ribs broke.
“You’re a fucking monster,” Jade spat.
“No,” Baldric sneered, “I am King.”
I rolled onto my stomach, mud seeping through the torn bandages and into my very open wound. I muffled my screams with my shoulder, thrusting my fists into the ground. I pushed the pain to the back of my mind as best I could and inched my way toward his voice.
“One last chance,” Baldric shouted, addressing what I could only assume was our people. “Bow before me. Bow down to your king and I shall spare your lives. You have shown great bravery here today. Each of you has survived because you are the true warriors. Join me, and you shall be rewarded abundantly. Ask any of my followers. I am quite a fair and merciful king.” He wasn’t giving them a choice, not really. It was either death or selling their soul for one more day on this hell on Earth.
“But, not you, my fellow Chosen,” he continued. “No, your chance has come and gone. I am going to kill each one of you, as slowly as I possibly can. You will suffer. I promise you that. I will have you begging for death before it is through. You will pay for what William and the others did to me. I will have my revenge. Make peace with God, warriors. It is time to pay for your many sins!”
“What about me?”
Baldric gasped, stumbling back. His wide eyes traveled down to the sword protruding from his chest. My aim was perfect. Straight through the heart—stabbed by one of the Chosen. I’d done it. I killed him. Or, at least, so I thought. Baldric’s right hand gripped the hilt of my blade and a low growl erupted from his lips.
“You missed…” he snarled.
Baldric ripped the blade from his body, his blood splattering at my feet. Dead or not, it still brought me great joy to see him bleed. I laughed faintly, staggering back a step on weak legs.
“Even kings bleed,” I sneered, spitting at his feet.
He threw my blade aside and spun on me and the laughter fell away from my lips. He grabbed me by the neck, lifting me off the ground before slamming his free hand into my open wound. I screamed until my throat went hoarse. The pain was so great—there were no words. Hell or not, death would have been a blessing.
He pulled my face to his, my toes scraping the muddy ground. His breath was hot against my skin as he spoke. “You will pay for that.”
There was no point trying to escape. And to be honest, I never planned to. I knew I didn’t have the strength to survive. I went limp in his hands and he laughed at my misery.
“Kill him,” I growled, my voice barely audible over the pouring rain. “Fucking kill him!” I said again, a little louder.
Baldric chuckled. “They will do no such thing. They would never risk your life for mine. Your peoples’, perhaps, but never yours. The teleport loves you too much and William, well, even he sees your true potential and would never risk losing it.”
That’s when I noticed that Baldric was holding me directly in front of him. He was using me like a damn shield.
“But,” he continued, eyeballing the blood trickling from the corner of my lips, “you are mine now.”
“I will never be yours,” I spat. “I’d rather die.”
I could only hope that Alec and the others would hear my words for what they were. Truth. I needed them to realize that if it came to death or being taken and used by Baldric, I would choose death every time. Couldn’t they see that I was dead already anyway? They needed to kill him—now, while he was distracted with me.
“Yes, you will,” Baldric purred. “You will love me as she was never able to.”
His tongue darted out, following the trail of blood up my neck, over my jaw, and back to my mouth. He moaned against my lips, savoring every drop. As he pulled away, he licked the excess blood from his own lips and his eyes damn near rolled back in his head. “God, you taste so good. So powerful.”
“Now, Ryuu!” I screamed.
Ryuu’s blade moved so swiftly that I almost didn’t see it as it sliced down through the air, falling hard upon Baldric’s wrist. I fell away from him, doubling over on the ground at his feet, his cold hand still wrapped tightly around my neck, his blood covering my face. I tried to pry the fingers loose without success. I was too weak.
“Attack!” William bellowed.
Baldric howled, stumbling over his own two feet. “Fall back!” he roared. “Fall back!”
As our people stormed forward, Baldric vanished into thin air.
“Find and protect the king!” I heard Roland shout.
Hundreds—no, thousands—of soldiers scrambled to their feet and fled our small kingdom, crawling back to the darkness from which they came. Back to their precious “king.” Their retreat was swift. Even the Sythen vanished from the sky, their angry shrieks fading into the night.
The rain faltered before stopping altogether.
The night stood still.
A pathetic cheer erupted throughout the land, survivors celebrating their breathing lungs and beating hearts. A small number would survive, for the time being, at least. But it was far from over. We’d won the battle, but the war…the war hadn’t even begun. It didn’t really matter to me, I doubted I’d see much more of it.
“Zoe, hang on,” Alec pleaded with me, lifting me into his sturdy arms. He kissed my forehead over and over, as if it would jump-start the life that had faded within me. “Don’t you die on me. I can’t lose you.”
That was one order I didn’t think I could obey. In fact, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to.
I tried to make sense of what was going on around me as the darkness crept in. Voices blurred together until I was unsure who was speaking. I thought I heard Annie and Jade. Someone was holding my side with a cloth, but I was unsure who those gentle hands belonged to. Stone ceilings flashed before my eyes. We were in the castle. Before I knew it, I was on dry ground, lying beside a body that was eerily still. There’d be plenty more where that came from. Mine included.
“Why isn’t she healing?” Annie’s panicked voice asked.
“Heal, dammit!” Alec raged, his fists slamming into the ground beside me. “Heal!”
Jade peeled away what was left of my shirt and bandages. It felt like she was peeling away my skin. Maybe she was. Either way, I couldn’t muster the energy to scream. Shock was setting in. Another body moved into the crowded room. Before I could tell whose, hot liquid poured over my body. It stung like a thousand bees. I convulsed, thrashing about on the stone floor until a pair of rough hands restrained me.
Using the last of my strength, I forced myself to become numb to the pain, tucking it away in the dark corners of my mind as I’d done so many times before. There it would stay for the next ten seconds, until I took my final breath.
I forfeited my ability to live, to heal. I hoped the others would forgive me when I was gone. Would there be anyone left to take my place? Would there be anyone left worth saving?
As the darkness consumed me, I felt cold…alone. And like six years before in a poorly lit parking garage, I begged Death to take me. I welcomed it.
My heart hitched in my chest as I watched Josh stumble through the trees, limping and bloody. He gripped his side with both hands, drops of blood staining the snow-white ground. I ran for him.
He pulled me into his arms, and I choked back a sob. “I told you I’d come back to you, Zoe,” he whispered into my hair. “I promised. I’ll never break a promise to you.”
His smooth, deep voice brought goose bumps to the surface of my skin. T
hey trailed up my spine and down my arms. He tightened his grip on me like we weren’t close enough. He wanted more. He wasn’t the only one. I could spend the rest of eternity just like this, curled up in his safe embrace.
I opened my mouth to speak but no sound came out. Josh ran his hands over my shoulders and up my neck, my skin tingling wherever our flesh connected. God, I missed his touch.
He pulled my face to his, one hand snaking around to the back of my head, fingers threading through my long hair to keep me from pulling away. He traced the line of my jaw with his thumb. “Tell me, Zoe. Tell me what it was you wanted to say to me,” he whispered, placing a light kiss on my forehead, on the apple of my cheek, on the corner of my mouth.
“I-I just,” I stuttered, finding it difficult to breathe.
His lips lingered over mine. “Go on.”
“I wanted to tell you,” I continued. What was it I wanted to tell him? It was on the tip of my tongue. “I wanted—”
Josh pressed his lips to mine ever so softly, teasing—no—tormenting me. I needed him like I needed air. I couldn’t take the distance any longer. I molded my body to his, kissing him as if something in me knew it would be the very last time.
“Josh,” I murmured into the corner of his mouth, gripping onto his strong shoulders so he couldn’t disappear. A tear raced down my cheek, and then another. “It feels like you’re leaving already. You can’t go. I just got you back.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he assured me, placing another soft kiss on my lips.
“Then, why does this feel like goodbye?”
“Because,” he said, releasing me, “it is.”
I gasped, stumbling back and gripping my bleeding chest with both hands. I tore the dagger from my flesh and stared at it in disbelief.
“W-why?” I choked on the blood pooling in my mouth, collapsing to my knees.