Maeve was suddenly pulled back and turned around. Elizabeth raked Maeve’s jaw with two hard punches. The monk of the Order was dazed and wobbling. The menacing vampire lifted Maeve over her head and threw her behind the damaged bar and into the bottles on display. The breaking of glass frightened Bud. He feared for Maeve’s life with that last violent and powerful throw.
Bud rubbed his shoulder and stood up, ready to face the vampire. Or so he thought. Elizabeth kicked him back to the ground. She moved quickly. Too quickly. She kicked him some more, so hard Bud could feel his ribs nearly break.
“You are out of your league, kid,” Elizabeth whispered into Bud’s ear.
One last time, Bud felt the air rush around him. The vampire threw him into the stairwell. He fell hard on the steps then rolled down the last couple of them. Bud tried to assess his current injury status. He breathed deep then coughed up blood.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
DIFFERENT DANGERS
Maeve managed to get to her knees and shook her head to recover from being tossed into the bar. She could hear the footfalls of Elizabeth headed over to finish the fight. Maeve figured she had seconds to strategize a solution that didn’t end in burning the place down with her elemental power of flame.
“Oh, nasty bar wench! Come out from behind there. Let’s finish this, you weak bitch. I am thirsty for some blood. You look good enough to drink.”
Elizabeth’s taunts really didn’t bother Maeve. If anything, the verbal assault made her resolve stronger. Maeve grabbed for the water hose that the bartender used to either pour soda or water into drinks. Though much of the bottles of alcohol were broken, the smaller drink glasses were intact.
Maeve grabbed the glass and poured some water into it, then closed her eyes and blessed the water, whisper-quiet, and rapidly.
“Come out already. My favorite song is next on the set list. I want to listen to it in peace.” Elizabeth stomped closer. The vampire leaned over the cracked bar. “Oh, so you are still alive? Wonderful.” She let out a delightful and sinister laugh.
Maeve tossed the newly blessed holy water at Elizabeth’s face.
The burning skin, hair, and screams that emanated from the female vampire sated Maeve. Probably more than it should have for a monk of the Order.
“AHHH! You little bitch! No! No!” Elizabeth held her face in her hands and stumbled backwards.
“You said you were thirsty.” Maeve stood up from behind the bar. She held the hose in one hand and placed three more glasses on the angled and broken bar top.
“Fuck off. You ruined my face. My face!” Elizabeth ran to the stairwell.
Maeve followed her. The bouncer walked to the stairs to see what caused the commotion. Elizabeth shoved the bouncer, and he flew down the stairs much like Bud had. The vampire ran down the stairs and out of the ballroom, too fast for Maeve to catch up.
Maeve spotted Bud sitting with his head between his knees to the right of the stairs. “Bud. Let’s get out of here. Can you walk?”
“Yes, though not with any measure of speed as I am used to. I have already called Father Kieran to retrieve us.”
“You need to be properly trained in the ways of the Order, Bud. Starting tomorrow.”
Ivy Zheng pretended to work on the elixir. She measured various powders she’d created from crushed dried food containers and heated random mixtures in water with drops of mercury. She didn’t know what to make of the situation. Her father trusted Bela. A vampire bat had flapped in front of her with a dire warning condemning Bela. He had been in to check on her two times already. Each time she’d stalled and told him it would take longer to get it just right. She could effectively poison him with the mercury—the active ingredient of the elixir. Or she could try and find her way out and just swim the lake. She was a skilled swimmer. She could make it.
Ivy decided to take action. After being in the showcase room of amazing, world-class artifacts, she’d pinpointed the exact locations of the four surveillance cameras that recorded her every move. There were four masks that represented the four corners of the globe. A tiki mask for the South Pacific, a buffalo totem for North America, a Chilean Indian mask for South America, and a yeti mask for Eurasia. The decorations didn’t match the black wires pinned to the wall underneath their chins.
The college student grabbed a container of artifacts and left the room. Bela hadn’t locked her in to show his trust in her, apparently. Ivy walked swiftly down the hall away from the courtyard of Constantinius and away from her room and the part of the castle she’d already been in.
Without a doubt, Ivy figured the eccentric hunchback moved to intercept her, from somewhere in the bowels of the cold, grey, medieval castle.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
THE DUNGEON
The container she carried would be her excuse for exploring the castle. She needed more supplies was what she would she say. Ivy walked deeper into the opposite wing, frankly surprised she’d made it this far without interruption. Bela didn’t move particularly fast.
The other side of the castle looked similar. The torches were lit and protruding from the walls. The courtyard could be the center of the castle, and the center would essentially be closer to a door or a gate to exit. Ivy decided to turn around when she saw a door at the end of the long corridor similar to the other tower.
Before Ivy could take her first step, Bela called out from the direction of the showcase room and makeshift lab, “Ivy! Please! I can help you with whatever you need! Stop!”
Ivy turned around and kept walking down the corridor. She picked up her pace and headed straight to the tower door.
“Don’t! There is nothing over there!” Bela yelled.
Ivy reached for the door. She didn’t look back. Forward she moved. The door opened. As she suspected, stairs going up, but unlike the other tower, the stairs continued in the opposite direction. Down she went.
She heard another muffled call from Bela.
Ivy descended the tower stairs. She picked up the pace. The air felt warmer the farther down she went.
“Ivy!” Bela, this time from the tower stairwell.
With the end of the winding stairwell in sight, Ivy jumped two steps at a time.
Another door.
Ivy took a deep breath. The air warmed more. Sweat beaded on her forehead.
She opened the door. The light in the vast room was dim, an orange and red hue akin to Dante’s version of hell. Support pillars lined the long corridor. Black iron doors lay open from dungeon cages no longer imprisoning anyone.
She stepped into the hall. There were many people working and a large, bulbous cauldron spewing embers and sparks from whatever its contents were. Most of the people were young, with the exception of one old man who appeared to be directing the madness. Creative madness. Ivy spied different tables with various gadgets and gizmos.
She began to walk farther in.
“I really wish you would not have done this.” Bela’s voice sounded sullen and grim.
“Oh, Bela, I was just trying to get more supplies.”
Bela just nodded.
Ivy felt a powerful force lift her up by her neck. The container fell to the floor. Bela shook his head. Ivy’s worst fears were real.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
ORDERLY TRAINING
Bud slept like a rock. The steady stream of painkillers provided by Father Kieran helped. Ibuprofen tended to make Bud sleepy. He hadn’t suffered any broken ribs, but they were severely bruised. His shoulder was sore and not dislocated, though he decried that after one of the tosses of his body that his shoulder did dislocate then was reset by a subsequent throw.
In short, Bud got his ass handed to him.
“Time to get up! Let’s go, now!” Father Kieran’s voice woke Bud, and the school bell he rang severely startled and annoyed him.
“Jesus Christ!” Bud jolted off the single bed in Bannockburn Seminary.
“Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain. Blasphemy is not allo
wed here, Mr. Hutchins. Up you go. Maeve is ready to train you. Now go. She’s waiting for you outside.” Father Kieran threw the Burberry trench coat at Bud’s face.
“Must you be this intense, Father.”
“These days, Bud, one must be alert at all times. Danger is on the horizon. An unholy darkness has crept over this land. A bleak, bitter black that drains any heart of its vitality.” Father Kieran placed the school bell on the ground. He looked Bud in his eyes, his face ever serious, focused, with a slight tinge of worry.
“That sounds rather grim, Father. Ouch. You have any more ibuprofen?” Bud stood up and put his jacket on.
“Mr. Hutchins, you need to take this training to heart. It’s not to be taken lightly. The ways of the Order date back to Ancient times when Romans ruled these lands. We need strong young people to join the cause and beat back the darkness.”
“You keep repeating the darkness over the land. It appears dawn’s light is about to break. I still can’t believe you woke me this bloody early.”
A newspaper flew at Bud’s face.
“I tire of projectiles. Why the hell did you do that?” Bud pulled the paper off his head.
“Read the headline.”
“More college students missing from UK campuses,” Bud read, then kept reading the article. His eyes grew wider.
“That is the darkness I speak of. A student went missing last night right here in Glasgow. He was with his friends at a concert,” Father Kieran said.
“It appears we have a consistent pattern. I assume these students were brilliant and at the top of their respective fields of study just like Ivy, my friend. Fascinating.”
“Bud. Return these kids to their families. Now go and learn how to fight this evil.”
“Why not just call Scotland Yard and tip them off that we have a possible suspect in Evince and his people? Well, not possible, I did just get a beating from a vampire.”
“They would be slaughtered and disappear like the rest. This occasion merits the Order of St. Michael’s expertise. Enough. Go.”
“I thought the Order just babysat old trees. I didn’t know vampire hunting was on their list of skills.”
“You do now. Go!”
The forests to the west of Glasgow seemed as fitting a place to train as any. The faint light of dawn broke through the tops of the branches. The birds chirped loudly.
“How much longer are we going to hike, Maeve? Surely no one will see us doing any magic tricks this deep into the forest.” Bud panted and grimaced with pain but kept churning his legs.
Maeve remained silent as she led them deeper into the woods.
“I see you aren’t listening to me? I shall repeat my question: how much further will we hike? My injuries from last night’s brawl make this difficult. Lots of pain here, Maeve. Much pain.”
Maeve said nothing. Kept walking.
Bud shook his head and followed.
Maeve walked with a purpose now. Bud thought this might mean they were close to their destination. After a few minutes of a faster pace, Bud realized that Maeve had slyly and gradually increased her speed. Bud kept pace, through much pain. He tried to honor Father Kieran’s plea to take the training seriously.
Their hike lasted another forty-five minutes. Bud realized they were moving in circles.
Bud’s pace slowed, and he fell to the leafy ground. “Maeve. What is the point of this?”
Maeve turned to Bud. “My uncle would take me on hikes all the time. I asked the same thing. He never actually told me why. I know why I have taken you on this hike.”
“To torture me? I am in immense pain and now exhausted.”
“Would that pain stop you from saving Ivy and looking for your grandfather?”
“If my physical body couldn’t take anymore, I suppose I would be of no use to them.”
“Bud, you would let Ivy be kidnapped by vampires and possibly murdered? Would you really? Are you just going to lay there?”
“Oh, I get it. I get it. Fight through the suffering. Jesus suffered. Get up and put the cross on your back. Keep going. Blah. Blah.”
Maeve knelt down next to Bud. “If you don’t start taking this seriously, the Danu cult will win. Ivy will die. Those other students will die. The cult will spread their evil over the earth. There will be no Order left to combat evil of this magnitude. It is your choice, Hutchins. God gave us free will.”
An awkward silence increased the tension between them.
Bud pulled himself up onto his knees. Maeve put her hand out.
The ornery genius grabbed her hand, and they both stood.
“I am sorry. Let’s keep going.”
Chapter Thirty
PERSUASION
Vincentas rested his chin on his fist and simply stared at her. He found her brazen and her silky hair beautiful. The soft lines of her face from her cheekbones to chin… He delighted in the overall structure of this young woman, one Ivy Zheng. She was exquisite from head to toe. Good thing, too, since Elizabeth had been ruined last night.
“Bela, I really wished you would have handled her better. I thought you and Quint had a perfect story.”
“We did. It was working. She worked on the elixir for quite some time. I haven’t any idea why she suddenly decided to go poking around. I left the door open to gain more trust and make her feel more comfortable.” Bela talked quickly, nervous due to possible punishment.
“I hope she wakes soon. I simply must get to know her better. She will continue working on the elixir. I need it. It would have been nice to get it done without having to... Ah, well. Your way failed, Bela. You failed me again.”
“In my defense, you said you wanted this one handled with care. That she was too valuable to violently force into making the elixir.”
“Yes, I told you to do it that way, and you failed me, Bela. We have to do it the old way. The boring way. The way we’ve done things for so long. Now get away from me, you shit. Get the fuck out of here, you worthless fool.” Vincentas turned to Bela. Fangs bared. Eyes red.
Bela ran out of the dungeon cage and up the steps of the tower.
Vincentas resumed his gawking at the unconscious Ivy who lay on the cold, stony ground. He’d decided the current situation was unnecessary. He gently slid his arms under her knees and back and picked her up. He would move her to a more comfortable resting place. His bed.
Bud and Maeve hiked farther into the forest to a clearing with a singular giant old tree with gnarled bark and curled, thick roots at its base.
“Here. This is it!” Maeve seemed delighted and ran to the tree.
“I don’t have to run, do I?
Maeve recited St. Michael’s prayer then kissed her crucifix and touched it to the tree’s bark. The ground rumbled beneath Bud’s feet.
“Oh dear, what did you do?”
“Watch.”
Two beams of light shot out from the roots of the tree. Bud covered his eyes with his forearm.
From one beam of light, a sword formed. A Roman gladius. The short sword that built an empire. It floated towards Maeve. She grabbed it, and the sheath followed from the light. Maeve secured the sheath to her back then secured the sword in it.
The second beam of light produced what looked like a walking stick. It floated towards Bud.
“Oh great. I get the stick, and you get the sword!” Bud’s jaw dropped.
“Just wait,” Maeve said.
The stick spun, and two curved splinters shot out from the sides. Bud realized its true form: a crossbow. From the light came a strap and a bag full of bolts.
“Incredible. Absolutely miraculous.” Bud held the crossbow tight and marveled at its very existence and the craftsmanship it took to create such a weapon.
“These are the original weapons that were used in the formation of the Order of St. Michael. The founding members used these to expel evil from this land in the 300s. Now we must use them to do the same again.”
“You sound rather…epic,” Bud said facetiously.
“I suppose I did.” Maeve laughed. “Shush. We have much more to do. You are definitely too big of an idiot to figure how to shoot that thing.”
Chapter Thirty-One
GRACE POWER
The afternoon fast approached. Bud and Maeve had been in the woods all morning. Bud shot bolt after bolt from his crossbow at makeshift targets Maeve wrapped around the trunks of trees at varying distances.
“I gotta admit. You picked up on this shooting thing pretty quick,” Maeve said.
“There is simply no substitute for brain power. I listened to my teacher and applied the knowledge you conveyed to me.” Bud aimed another bolt at the farthest target and hit it. Not a Bull’s-eye, but close.
“So, what you are saying is I am a good teacher. You are actually paying me a compliment, Bud.” Maeve thrust her sword into the air then back down and repeated the motion.
“I believe you just gave yourself the praise. I provided the opening. Although, with utmost sincerity, thank you for helping me and for being a good friend.” Bud lowered the crossbow.
“Thank you, Bud. Same to you. You did save my life. The least I could do is be a good friend to you, even though you can be a giant pain in the ass.” Maeve smiled then sheathed the gladius. She walked toward him.
“Please don’t move in for an embrace. I am simply not fond of people touching me. And I am sore.”
“Chill, Bud. I need to give you something. Something that will be especially useful in fighting vampires.” Maeve pulled out a chain with a Celtic cross attached to it.
“Didn’t Elizabeth chide you in your use of the cross as a weapon?”
“She did but she lied. It impacted her. Let me help you put this on.” Maeve unclasped the chain and placed the cross around Bud’s neck.
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