by Cory Barclay
“Yes, Lig, do you have something to report?” Constantin asked.
Lig nodded his big, wrinkly head. His eyes bulged and jumped about the room. “Pua Kila and her Nawao warriors have arrived, master. As well as some odd friends.”
“Speak of the devil,” Constantin said.
At that moment, the short, wiry woman entered the room, using her spear as a walking staff. Her taller, broader Hawaiian warriors stood behind her in perfect unison. It was an awesome sight, and more than a few people at the table gawked.
“I am not a devil, Lord Constantin,” Pua Kila said dryly, without a bit of humor in her voice.
Then a taller woman squeezed in through the crowd of Nawao beefcakes. She ran her hand along more than a few bared collars, shoulders, and abdomens.
Scarlet smiled salaciously. More gasps came from the congregation, albeit for an entirely different reason.
“I am, though,” Scarlet said sweetly.
It was clear more than a few men at the table instantly fell in love with the succubus in that moment. Her tone and appearance gave off a sexual energy that was hard to ignore.
Constantin smiled. “You are a devil, aren’t you, Scarlet my dear?”
The succubus giggled. “You’re too kind, Conny. How long has it been?”
“Eons, it feels.”
Steve’s eyes darted from the succubus to the vampire. With a creased brow, he wondered how these two knew each other. Conny?! He glanced back to the head of the table and saw a none-too-pleased look on Mariana Lee’s face.
Uh oh, Steve thought. Drama!
At that moment, another body pushed through the stoic wall of strapping Nawao fighters.
Dale’s head popped through two well-muscled chests, his face a mix of surprise and excitement.
Steve’s heart swelled at seeing his best friend. He nearly leaped from the table to embrace him, but didn’t want to come across as undisciplined.
And he didn’t need to, because Dale took care of that for him.
“Holy shit!” Dale exclaimed after scanning the packed room and seeing the multitude of races and mythical creatures. “It fuckin’ looks like FernGully in here!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Next morning, the first sounds of war broke the peaceful silence of the forest. Pua Kila returned to Manor Lee, as they called their base of operation, to give a report.
She was straightforward and unbothered about what she’d seen. She was a bit out of breath, though. Constantin and Mariana Lee were sleeping for a couple hours. They hadn’t expected any conflicts to take place so early in the day.
Pua Kila gave her report to Geddon, the de facto leader of the rebellion while the vampires slumbered. He’d finally gotten his wish: leadership of the Vagrant Kinship, even if it was only for a few hours.
“We’ve made first contact with the Brethren scouts stalking through the woods,” Pua Kila said. They stood near the stable behind the house. Steve and Selestria stood beside Geddon. Ten of Pua Kila’s Nawao warriors were with her.
“It was inevitable we’d run into their lookout party,” Pua Kila continued. “If Overseer Onyx did not know our force was congregating at Manor Lee before, he certainly does now. I suspect all attention will be focused on this house.”
Geddon absorbed the intel with one hand tucked under his flabby neck, pulling at the skin under his chin. He nodded slowly while he mulled over Pua Kila’s words. He said, “It seems this battle will rely wholly on guerrilla warfare.”
“That could work to our advantage,” Selestria said, tapping her quarterstaff. “We own the forest, after all.”
“True,” Geddon replied. He turned to Pua Kila. “Were there any casualties on either side?”
She shook her head. “A few arrows were loosed from both sides, but we were much too far to engage. We retreated here. I still have seven scouts in various pathways and entry-points surrounding the manor.”
“So their scouts escaped and they’ll be gathering their main force,” Geddon muttered. He sighed. “It seems this battle comes to us much quicker than we anticipated.”
He was talking too slowly for Steve’s taste. Steve stepped forward and said, “We have to round up the troops and prepare to defend the estate. I don’t think we should attack without Constantin here to lead us.”
Geddon bristled at Steve’s words. “I’m perfectly capable of sounding the attack, Steve. Everyone knows his or her part already—”
“I didn’t mean to imply you weren’t capable, Geddon, but we must put our forces into action,” Steve clarified.
“We have multiple areas of contention blocked off by our forces,” Selestria said. “Steven is correct. We need to inform the leaders of our various regiments to be on the lookout. We have no excuse to be flat footed with this newfound information from Pua Kila.”
“We don’t need to attack,” Steve added, “but we need to have our defenses ready.”
“We’ve had our defenses ready since dawn,” Geddon spat. He sighed again. Even if he wouldn’t listen to Steve, he would listen to the woman he loved—even if that love wasn’t reciprocated. He said, “Very well, we’ll do it your way, Sela. Pua Kila, thank you. Return to the trees and make sure we aren’t flanked. Sela, if you could go inform our reserve force, I’ll give our vanguard the news.”
Geddon turned to Steve with a single raised eyebrow. “What’s your purpose here, again?” he asked, though whether it was intended as an insult or not was anyone’s guess. “I didn’t hear Constantin give you command of a troop . . .”
Steve pursed his lips. “That’s because he didn’t. I have other plans, important—”
“What could be more important than this battle, Steve? The Vagrant Kinship’s very survival is at stake.”
“Winning, Geddy,” Steve said, hands on his hips. “My mission is covert, so you don’t need to worry about it.” He hoped his vague words might piss Geddon off a bit, in return for his barb. Steve knew it was petty, but he also didn’t like or trust Geddon. He’d been backstabbed by the Myth Maker once already. He wasn’t about to spill the beans about his task at hand.
His words had the desired effect. The muscles in Geddon’s neck went taut as he tried to hide his swift anger.
Steve smirked.
None of the four people present said anything for a moment.
When the silence started to feel awkward, Steve said, “Well then . . . two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate?”
“What?” Geddon asked, tilting his head.
“Never mind,” Steve said. “Let’s break and get this ball rolling.”
The four parted in opposite directions.
Steve went back inside, to inform his small, “covert” group that it was nearly Go Time.
SCREAMS BROKE STEVE’S concentration. He whipped his head around and gazed out the window, looking down to the ground level outside. Trees stretched into the distance, to the horizon. Every once in a while he’d see canopies or branches shake, a telltale sign someone was moving underneath.
“What the hell was that?” he muttered under his breath. He stood in Annabel’s room, her dark curtains pulled aside. He impatiently tapped his feet.
From behind him, Dale gulped and said, “This is so fucked up. What did you get me into Steve-o?”
“I’m sorry, Fats.”
“I didn’t sign up to the Rebel Alliance to take part in some intergalactic war, man. Is Darth Vader out there?”
Steve suppressed a chuckle. He was feeling giddy, but Dale was right: this was no laughing matter. He knew there was a high probability that by the end of this day, he’d be dead. Oh well, he thought, at least I’m trying to make a difference. I guess.
The first sounds of steel clashing against steel rang into the air. More shouting and screaming followed. Steve felt a chill crawl up his spine. The sound was like nails on a chalkboard.
Scarlet joined Steve at the window, peering out. “Does that mean the main forces found each other?” she asked.
Steve shrugged. “Hell if I know. I can’t see shit through the trees.”
Aiden poked his head between Scarlet and Steve, resting his hands on their shoulders. “I studied our map a bit. We’re on the east side of the house, which means . . . no . . . we don’t have a big force stationed over there. Plus, it would be louder if hundreds of blackguards and rebels suddenly ran into each other.”
Steve could tell the leprechaun was right. At the moment, the shouts and clashes weren’t overbearing. They were infrequent and somewhat random. He said, “The scouting groups must be fighting each other.”
“Is that our cue?” Dale asked.
“We don’t have a cue, Fats.”
“Then how do we know when to go?”
A voice came from behind them. “Once our reserves draw the enemy to themselves and clear a path for you.”
They all spun around to meet the gaze of Constantin Lee. He stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. The vampire took a step inside, but a short one. He couldn’t allow the sun peeking through the window to hit him.
“You’re awake!” Steve said. “I never thought I’d say it, but thank God. It’s chaos out there.”
“It only looks and sounds chaotic, Steven,” Constantin said. “Everything is going according to plan, at the moment. We are drawing the enemy to the west side of the manor with our scouts. Our main force will join them shortly. Then the real battle will begin.”
“And us?” Steve asked.
“You will take your team and chart a path east, away from the conflict. Give yourselves a wide berth as you head to your destination.”
Steve nodded. It was reassuring to hear the confidence and calmness in Constantin’s voice. At least that made one of them who wasn’t currently losing his shit.
“And our guide?” Steve asked.
“Preparing himself for the . . . adventure.”
Steve scoffed. “Good, because we can’t do it without him.”
“I know that, Steven.” Constantin took one hand away from his chest and tapped his chin.
“What is it, Conny?” Scarlet asked.
Constantin’s eyes flickered to the succubus, then over to Steve. He seemed unsure of himself. Finally, he said, “If things go awry, and your adventure turns into a . . . misadventure . . . I want you to flee. There’s no point in everyone dying if it looks like you’re embarking on a suicide mission.”
The group standing before Constantin said nothing.
“Is that understood, Steven?” Constantin asked. Clearly he considered him the “leader” of this ragtag operation. The vampire added, “Annabel would never forgive me if I sent you off to get yourself killed so carelessly.”
Steve nodded. “I appreciate the sentiment, Constantin. If only Annabel could hear you say it . . . that you care so much about me . . .”
“That’s enough of the antics, Steven.” Constantin shook his head, clearly not amused. “I’ve gathered weapons for you downstairs. Don’t forget them. Your rate of success will drop to dismal levels if you’re—”
“I got it . . . Conny,” Steve said with a wave of his hand.
Constantin frowned. He looked past Steve, to Scarlet. “Make sure you arm yourselves, yes?”
Scarlet’s lips curled. “I will, hun.”
“Don’t let this idiot get you all killed.”
“I won’t, hun.”
“Hey,” Steve said, stepping between them and turning on Constantin. “Don’t you have an army to lead or something?”
Constantin’s cold frown slowly vanished, replaced by a smirk. “Yes, and don’t you have a banshee to save?”
“THE THINGS I DO FOR you, wafer-man,” Lig muttered as he stomped along, his head bobbing. He wore a little backpack that was almost as big as him, apparently in case they had to camp out or something.
The sun reached its zenith and it was a hot day as the group traveled through the woods.
Constantin’s plan must have gone off without a hitch, Steve ventured. It’s quiet in this part of the forest. Eerily quiet.
He kept pace behind Lig, with Aiden, Dale, Scarlet, and Shepherd making up the rest of the group. It was the “O.G. crew,” as Dale had exclaimed before they’d left Manor Lee. The big man had been excited to reunite with everyone. But Steve could tell it was a farce: he was scared shitless and his usual jokes were falling flat.
“I sure hope I get to see Shannon again,” Dale murmured. He swatted a fly away from his face and trudged on, stepping over a fallen branch. His eyes were on the ground.
Steve’s eyes were darting around the forest: between the trees and bushes, under and over the branches. He wanted to keep a continuous line of sight on everything around him.
The further they walked, the denser the forest became and the slower their journey became. He started to lose recognition of where he was, or what direction he was going. He hadn’t been to this part of the woods yet.
But Lig seemed to know where he was going. Despite being a “house” brownie, he was surprisingly capable in the wilderness.
Steve glanced down at the long knife that jumped and slapped against his thigh. He shook his head. He really hoped he wouldn’t have to use that.
“What?” Steve said aloud, realizing Dale had said something within the last thirty seconds.
Dale scoffed. “You give me little hope, Steve-o. I said I hope I get to see Shannon again.”
“Oh.” Then, after a moment, “You will, Fats.” Steve didn’t entirely believe himself. Who knew what the future had in store for them?
Lig managed to create a gap between himself and the rest of the group. Even though he had tiny, short legs, he negotiated the bumpy forest floor better than anyone else.
Steve heard shouting from across the forest, echoing through the trees. Even at this distance, the sounds didn’t seem to die down. It was as if the battle was taking place right next to them. Steve hated being in the dark, not knowing how the Vagrants were doing.
But he knew he had to focus on the task at—
Lig abruptly stopped walking and held up a tiny fist. The five travelers halted, bumping into each other as they meandered to a stop. Steve’s eyes followed the tilt of Lig’s head.
First he heard the rustling of branches—and not echoes from afar, but nearby. His stomach tightened into a knot and a wave of adrenaline nearly caused him to stumble.
Then he could hear voices. Two voices, murmuring to each other.
His eyes scanned around. A large tree, its trunk much bigger than those near it, was to his immediate left.
Lig turned his hand around and waved backward, the universal sign for “hide.”
Steve didn’t need to be told twice. Neither did his group. As patchwork as his team was, they knew how to make themselves invisible.
All five of them scurried over to the tree, pushing each other to hide behind it. Ahead, Lig scattered behind a smaller tree—he didn’t need the same diameter to hide as the bigger people.
As the voices grew nearer, Steve poked his head out and squinted. Through tree limbs he could see two people in the distance. They wore black cloaks and black helmets.
Blackguards.
They walked nonchalantly, side by side, speaking to each other in loud voices. It was like they knew no enemies would be around this part of the forest, so they didn’t need to be quiet.
How wrong they were.
With his heart thumping in his ears, Steve put his hand on the hilt of his knife. He unsheathed it, then felt a moment of intense alarm when he saw a shape moving to his right.
Scarlet was walking away from the tree, directly in the path of the blackguards.
“Scar, what the hell are you doing?” Steve whispered harshly.
But it was too late.
When the two blackguards spotted Scarlet, less than twenty paces away, they froze. They bent their knees in a battle stance and drew their spears from over their backs.
“Name yourself!” one of the blackguards
shouted. There was a bit of fear in his voice.
Scarlet, however, showed no fear. She smiled and put her hands on her hips. Then she bent one of her knees closer to the other and stuck out her hips. It was quite seductive.
The blackguards stepped closer, until they were parallel with the tree Lig hid behind. Their eyes hadn’t moved from Scarlet.
“Oh, boys, thank goodness you’re here,” she said innocently. Her voice seemed to float across the breeze, like pollen raining on flowers. She sounded different than Steve had ever heard her sound.
For the first time, the blackguards seemed to realize who they conversed with. The woman before them wasn’t a battle-hardened rebel. On the contrary, she was a beautiful woman, curvy and pale, with bright red lips.
And she was alone . . .
The blackguards glanced at each other. Then they straightened their knees and relaxed a bit.
“Who are you?” one of the blackguards demanded, trying to regain a semblance of order in the tense situation.
Scarlet grinned wider. “I’m lost.”
“Are you a Vagrant?” the blackguard asked stupidly. His friend had yet to speak, and seemed entranced at the voluptuous woman before them.
Scarlet shook her head. “I’m looking for Lord Obsidian.”
The blackguard chuckled and took a few more steps forward. They were now about ten paces from Scarlet. If they turned around, they’d see Lig. If they looked right, they’d see a smattering of limbs and body parts sticking out from the sides of a larger tree.
But they couldn’t turn. They were stuck.
“Oh, girl,” the blackguard said casually, “you really are lost. You’re on the complete wrong side of the forest.”
As the guards moved closer, Steve slid around to the other side of the tree, so he was now flanking the blackguards. He gripped his knife tightly in his hand.
“And what are you two strong men doing way out here?” Scarlet asked, trying to prolong the conversation.
The blackguard that hadn’t spoken looked shamefaced. The speaker’s proud expression melted. Then he said, “We’re . . . lost too. We got separated from our scouting group.”