Expect death, he told them. Expect death.
They moved towards the clearing, towards a clear drift of white snow absent trees. Absent dead winter foliage and twisting stygian branches. They caught a trail of blood, tiny droplets in the white that sparkled beneath the dim moonlight. With axes in hand, they pushed through the brush to meet a starless black sky and the bloodless eye of a tireless moon staring down upon two figures in the midst of something passionate.
Or deadly.
A white head of flawless crystalline hair reared up, ashen face dripping with crimson. A stark contrast against the white of her colorless skin. White irises bled droplets of crystal as she threw back her head and uttered a cry that pierced their ears. That forced them to hunch their shoulders and slap their forearms against their ears in defense.
In the clearing of snow and alabaster white lay Noel, head turned away from them. Belly open, from chest to naval. Ripped open, skin hanging from his sides like a ropy curtain of fetid flesh. Viscera spilled from his midsection, the lavender tails of slimy intestines springing forth from his belly like the scraggly limbs of a fleshy spider. He still wore his surcoat, his gauntlets. His weapons were strewn about him like harrowed talismans, his ax to his left, his shield to his right; as if they could protect him.
Bertrand was the first to roar—to charge at the woman with his shield planted firmly before him. “Get off—beast—fuck off!”
But the creature simply laughed. Pale skin sparkling beneath a gale of moonlight as she stood before her kill and opened her palms before the sky. White hair slithered down her shoulders, covering her breasts as she focused her palms before her with a twisted sneer upon her ashen face.
“Come no closer.” the creature sang as Kat tensed in her place—watching Bertrand charge towards the beast. Towards the woman.
Hetaera—vampire. The words crossed her mind, but she was sure they were simply myths. That they did not exist. Yet, here stood a monster feasting on her shieldbrother. A humanoid looking thing, its womanish body naked and stained from mouth to chin in blood.
Bertrand froze, shield forward. Slamming the head of his ax upon his shield, he screamed, “Get back!”
As the hetaera vanished in a cloak of white smoke, her laughter leagues behind her. Echoing in the wintry wasteland.
Kat took her place beside Bertrand, suddenly unafraid. Heart racing in her chest as blood warmed her body. “How do we kill it? How do we do away with it?”
“The heart. Get it square in the heart.” he muttered, eyes scanning the field. “Don't let it—,”
Before them, Noel moaned. Thrashed his head about the snow as he tried to roll up.
Kat rushed to his side, almost dropped her weapons but thought better of it. Kneeling near his forehead, she looked at the damage. Almost vomited at the putrid soup of blood and entrails slithering around him. It reminded her of something bad—something worse than this.
It reminded her of home.
Kat bit her tongue to keep the contents of her stomach down. She bit her tongue and used her shield hand to touch him.
“Noel?” she whimpered. “Noel—what has it done to you?”
Noel's eyes snapped open. His eyes were not on her face.
Kat felt a presence and braced herself. Spinning around on the balls of her feet, Kat kept low to the snow in a squat with her shield angled slightly above her head. A white hand curved around the round shield, talons springing from fingers sticky with red.
Kat angled the sharp edge of her ax towards the arm—bit her tongue and moved her ax backwards.
Aim to kill, Coz. Never to injure.
Horace's voice ricocheted within her mind, crowding out her thoughts, her worries.
Gaining momentum, she swung the ax towards the approaching hand, uttering a shrill warcry, only to miss. Only to hit vapor as another hand appeared beside her opposite shoulder and raked it's talons hard across her throat. The sheer force of the blow slammed Kat into the snow and air rushed from her lungs as her eyes cracked open. Crimson stained white.
Kat kept her shield above her, straightened her back against the white drift as her skin crawled.
As Bertrand roared from some feet away, plunged through the snow, charging at the hetaera as the beast let out a sharp cackle. Let out a measure of surgically sung words, “I cannot let you leave.” before vanishing into thin air.
Bertrand's ax slammed into the snow. The weapon stuck for a moment before he wrenched it out. Trudging over to Kat's side, he offered her the hand of his shield arm. She took it, hefted herself up and slapped a palm to her bleeding neck. It burned. Suddenly everything burned.
“You're alright.” Bertrand told her, shield arm up. “You're alright—keep your mind on the beast. If your vision goes all blurry just stick near me. We'll make it out of this, you and I.”
“Right.” Kat murmured, her head becoming light. It's not too much—it's not too much blood, she told herself, swallowing. We'll come out of this alive. We'll bring these two lean-wits to camp and all will be right once more.
The wind began to pick up, began to cast white mist all around them as their eyes scanned the clearing for the she-beast.
“Why do you fight?” her high-pitched voice sang, the melody soothing and wintry. “Bring down your weapons, humans, and I will make your endings painless. Swift...” she materialized between them, brought her lips to Kat's scarred side and splayed cold fingers over the girl's aching wound. “...beautiful.”
Both twisted, slammed their shields towards the voice at their backs—but she was gone. No longer there as her cackle twisted and writhed through the night, cutting through the wintry mist that began to shower them like snow.
“I cannot let you leave.” she repeated, her voice fluttering upon the wind. “For, you have seen too much.”
NINE
Back to back, Kat and Bertrand scanned the glittering field of white as the hetaera's cackles died in a whisper of swirling wind.
“We must work as one against it.” Kat hissed, gaze sliding to Noel's slumped body in the snow. “You've fought something like this before...yeah?”
Kat could hear him snort—could hear him bite back a laugh. “A fairy tale? Right, Sis. Fuck—old wives' tales and the like. Sure, sure—I've even fought dragons from fucking nursery rhymes.”
A wisp of smoky white tumbled through the mist as Kat braced herself, wincing at the tear in her neck. “Don't be an ass—,”
“Don't be daft!” he half roared, half hissed. “Vampires aren't real, girl. At least—they aren't supposed to fucking be!
“Dammit, we should've listened to Manuel—fuck.” Bertrand whispered, his back hunching as he heaved a heavy sigh. “Look—we trick it. Any wounds you get will exacerbate it—make it see red. When it thinks it's got you, get it down into the snow and I'll cleave it in two.”
Kat grunted her response as the hetaera materialized from a cloud of white smoke and spread her claws, the sharp talons lengthening. Stretching towards the snow at her naked feet.
Slamming her ax into her shield, Kat uttered a shrieking warcry as the creature's face twisted, white irises darkening as it's crimson stained mouth elongated, the bones of her jaw crackling. The unnerving cracks of bones reforming and reshaping mimicking stone being smashed upon stone as twisted incisors erupted from its pale gums like serrated tusks.
“Come! Come silly egiduls!” the hetaera sang, spreading her naked arms as she threw back her head and set free an ear piercing screech that made the snow at their feet shiver. The call was thunderous, intoxicating as it slammed into their eardrums and forced the two to protect their ears against the blunt booming force of her piercing cry.
The screech made Kat want to shut her eyes—and she blinked. Automatically regretting it as the screech cut away to a severe ringing in her ears and the hetaera vanished.
Only to reappear inches from Kat's face, grinning a disgusting smile. “You will go first.” she sang, rearing back her arm as she flashed long wh
ite talons.
Behind Kat, Bertrand roared. Came to Kat's shield side and swung his ax at the hetaera's naked breast. It sidestepped him, slammed itself into the path of Kat's ax as she swung it in an arching circle. Silver cut through muscle, bit bone and the creature spat forth a cry—another ear piercing screech with a gust of raw power behind it. The cry shoved them both back, brought Bertrand to his knee as Kat braced herself against the blow with her shield firmly planted before her face.
It was angry now, squawking and screaming as it enveloped itself in mist and prowled the field of snow. Backstepping to Bertrand's side, Kat offered him her shield hand and he took it. Thrusting himself up, Bertrand cracked his neck as he brought his round shield before him once more. Kat watched the smoky white wisp bubble and grow only to shrink, repeating the pattern over and over with each breath Kat hissed out and took in. The hetaera was watching them, deciding what to do next as she shifted upon the snow-white field.
It spoke in a language Kat did not know, whispering and murmuring to itself as it materialized before Noel's limp body.
“For the good of E'lunn, I cannot let you leave. I cannot let you live.”
“Can it be reasoned with?” Kat asked, staring squarely at the beast's naked form.
Beside her, Bertrand gawked. “It has Noel's blood on its lips, Kat. His lifeblood. Are you sure you wanna reason with a fucking monster?!”
“It's too quick—it's too cunning. It'll kill us both.”
She knew she had a point—she knew. Bertrand knew as well and understood—understood her fear of possibly dying.
“Why must you fight us?” Kat called out. “Why have you killed our brothers?”
It froze. Cocked its head in thought. “They...you...have come too close.” she mused with a melodic lisp. “Egidul...” she continued, bringing her hands before her chest. “...you have simply stumbled...” she began to walk, began to approach Kat. “...into the inevitable.”
Kat twisted her face as her right arm began to ache beneath the weight of her shield. “What do you mean, creature?”
“Enough talk.” it hissed, gnashing its long white talons together. “Your blood runs cold.”
And it sprinted towards her, zigzagged through the soft shower of flurry dust at a speed that caused Kat to see two of her. Holding her ground, she heard Bertrand snort as he tensed beside her—watching the hetaera's trick. Waiting for it to come closer before making a move, before attempting to injure it again.
Kat saw the whites of its eyes before she tumbled out of the way, Bertrand rolling opposite as the creature cackled. “Slow, slow, slow!” and disappeared, only to materialize behind Kat's back and rake at the taut muscle behind her knee. Her hamstring snapped with a thwack. Made he right knee slam into the snow drift as it went limp—a flash of searing pain shocked her. Made her go blind for a moment before her entire leg spasmed. Crying out, Kat fell backwards hoping to isolate the creature behind her. But as her back hit snow, she lost feeling in her right leg as ashen hands pressed her shoulders into the snow and shook her.
Black eyes burned her, delved into her soul and froze her. Kat could feel the cold now, slithering beneath the thin fabric of her bloodstained chemise, she could feel the icy cusp of winter.
As Bertrand hollered, charging through the snow with his ax angled over his head. A second passed as he hovered above the hetaera, face twisted into a sneer before he plunged the ax into the creature's bent back. Black eyes widened. The hetaera's flat nostrils flared as she whispered her way back into a smoky cloud of white—but froze mid-whisper, her legs covered in smoke. Her back dripping with oily black blood.
Kat rammed her left knee into the beast's chest before it screamed. Before it reared back its head, blanketed itself in mist and reappeared before Bertrand's frozen form brandishing its needle like claws. With a screech, it plunged five sharp points into both of his eyeballs.
A watery squelch followed as it rammed it's talon ends farther into the sockets of his eyes before vanishing again. Before screaming in a watery language Kat couldn't discern. Couldn't recognize.
As Bertrand fell to his knees—screaming, palms glued to his eye sockets as blood trailed down his face as red tears.
Kat couldn't stand—not with her right leg. The beast had crippled her—she realized with a grunt. Crippled her and made her feel winter. Made her feel fear.
“D'wonne asa! Egidul asa itha'ann!” it screamed—cursed as it materialized behind Bertrand and slammed its trembling hands upon his shoulders. Shoving him down into the snow, it hovered over him, black blood dripping from its back as it grinned. As it bit its bottom lip and breathed in the smell of his bloodstained fear.
“Fresh...fresh.” she sang, giggling as she bowed to hands and knees, Bertrand thrashing in the snow beneath her. “You will taste splendid, egidul. You will not die in vain...”
Kat's gaze flew to the ax in the snow. The bloodstained silver head glinted beneath the light of the retreating moon as she crawled towards it. Planting her elbows in the snow, she grunted as she pulled herself towards it, heart slamming into her ribs as her face twisted at the roaring pain in her right leg. It was useless now—cold and numb and dead. Useless.
Kat heard the creature scream, heard the hetaera call out to the night.
As Kat grabbed the silver head of Bertrand's discarded ax and brought her gaze to the beast.
“Get off.” Kat croaked, hand curling around the wooden shaft as she slowly dragged herself through the drift. “Get off, monster!”
The snow cut through her chemise, brushed against her chest in biting agony.
The creature cackled a sigh, laughed with blind gusto. “So, ambitious. So charming and full of life...” its voice became a growl, low and guttural. “...your blood will be sweet—”
“F-fuck off beast!”
Noel's voice—Noel's scream before the hetaera's cry split through the coming morning. The howl accompanied by a reverberating crack of white bone as Noel's bloodstained hands twisted the beast's ashen ankle.
Already, the sky was on fire as Kat tore through the snow on hands and her one good knee. The hetaera screeched as Bertrand wreathed beside it, hands still to his face. Eyes still weeping blood as the hetaera brought its right leg up to meet its chest.
The hetaera's ankle bled, white bone seared through her ashen skin as she shoved her heel towards Noel's wide eyed face. A thunderous crack made Kat's skin crawl as she gave up on pulling herself through the drift and forced her one good leg to move under her. Forced it to propel her towards the hetaera as it hissed out a heavy breath and turned its gaze back to Bertrand.
Sharp knives of pain ricocheted up Kat's bum leg as her free hand slammed into the snow near the hetaera's white haired head. With her other hand choking the wooden shaft of the ax, she brought it down blindly—screaming. Howling as her gaze bored into the hetaera's soulless black eyes.
Silver connected with bone, connected with the hetaera's clavicle as the creature screamed—voice erupting into a violent blast of power that threatened to blow Kat away. Digging her own nails into the hetaera's skin, she brought the ax back up as her ears began to ring—began to bleed as the creature kept screaming. Kept screeching at her until its eyes began to water with tears. Widening her eyes, Kat screamed back and slammed the heavy blade of the ax into the creature's torso. Breaking bone—splintering it—as black blood erupted in a geyser, coating her face. It was cool—icy as it painted her, as it tried to blind her as she shook the liquid away and kept ramming the blade into the creature's chest. Over and over, bone cracking, blood spurting as she aimed for its heart. For the black vessel beating beneath its skin and bone.
She found it. Crushed it with a squelch and a splatter of black blood erupting from the hetaera's heaving chest. Kat dropped the ax. Lost her will to move as she rolled off its body and into the snow. Face to the sky. Ears ringing. Everything hurting, her body broken and torn. Crippled.
The sun was rising, the night ending as the sno
w reflected peach and plum hues.
TEN
Kat trembled, fingertips going numb as she pulled herself through the snow towards Bertrand. Up above, gray clouds began to crowd a dawning sky of delicate amaranthine as the sun peaked upon the horizon.
Bertrand still had his hands to his eyes, but had ceased murmuring as his blood stained face twisted into a sour smirk. “You've gone and done it.” he croaked, somewhat stammering as his arms shook. Pulling herself up beside him, Kat dropped herself in the snow and brought her gaze back to the sky.
“Yeah...” she murmured, wincing at the stabbing pain shooting through her right leg. “...we did it.” she corrected him, smirking “We did it.”
She watched the sun rise, gasping quietly as she realized that he couldn't see it. “The morning's come.” Kat told him, the wound upon her neck still dripping. Still drooling blood. “I think we've lost.”
“Damn it all.” Bertrand cursed. Pulling his hands from his empty eye sockets, he reached for his temples. “Katell,” he whispered, right hand feeling its way through the snow. Tapping Kat's head with his fingertips, she instinctively pushed herself up as his fingers felt for her shoulder and grasped it. Pulling her towards his chest, Kat let her right arm embrace him. Let it slide over the wide expanse of his chest and hug his side. “let me die in peace.” he told her.
Placing her cheek upon his chest, she felt his heart wobble and beat. Heard the muscle hiccup. “They'll find us.” she yawned, turning her gaze back to the sky as she gave him her warmth—whatever little she had. “Besides,” she muttered peacefully, feeling the cold rush over her. “you can walk.”
“I can't feel my legs.” he told her matter-of-factly. “I can barely feel my arms.”
“Are you feeling sluggish? Sleepy?” she asked him, eyes following the sunrise. “Alan's fucked, Bertrand. Alan's fucked...Horace's fucked...Manuel probably died in the snow...”
“Just let it go.” he moaned back, voice booming in his chest. “I can feel warmth on my face,” he told her, squeezing her shoulder. “I wish I could see the sun...wish I could watch it ride across the sky once last time...”
Winterskin: A Dark Fantasy (Kindred Souls Book 1) Page 5