“Now that I have your attention,” Annalia began. “Let me make myself clear: I work for no one. I have walked the earth undetected for well over a millennium and I am long overdue for my payback that bitch owes me. So, before I finish the job that the other Slayers, who came before and after me failed to do, which was to behead all of you...Where. Is. Selene?”
Daemon carefully examined his fingernails before responding. “I told you Selene is building an army to attack The Academy. Once her army is complete and she attacks The Academy, you get two for the price of one: Selene and The Academy.”
Annalia inhaled sharply, her blue eyes becoming narrowed slits of bright yellow indicating a shift in her mood. “Fine. Call me when her army is complete. Until then do not waste my time.” She deconstructed into mist and filtered her way out of Petronius’ lair without a second thought.
Once she was gone, Petronius and Alex turned to face Daemon who remained motionless in his seat.
“If she kills Selene,” Alex warned, his tone grave and riddled with gloom. “We are all fucked.”
“Royally,” Petronius muttered.
“Don’t worry about that, gentlemen,” Daemon replied calmly. “Something tells me that there is plenty of fish in the sea and The Beast is fishing.”
****
Sanaya waited for her friends and teammates to join her in the room she shared with Maya. King was the first to arrive, followed by Bullet and Trent. Lisa and Charlie had just walked in from class and of course Danny and Maya were already there, waiting for the next big bomb Sanaya was about to drop. Troy and Maria were the last to enter, taking position in opposite corners of the room, arms crossed and ready. Sanaya sat lotus style on her bed with King lounging next to her. Trent and Bullet leaned casually against the dressers while Maya and Danny sat side by side across from King and Sanaya. Lisa took a position by the window with Charlie taking a seat on the edge of Maya’s bed and when all eyes were officially locked on Sanaya, she took a deep breath before beginning.
“I know today was already a lot to take in with the recent threat level and the senior Guardians basically panicking. I mean, today I was even thinking like what is the point of all of this? People are going to die and for what? Like, what is the point of all this training? Preparing for a war that the Guardians do not want to accept, is coming sooner rather than later, just seems so-“
“Fucking stupid!” Bullet hollered, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. “The senior Guardians have every reason to be concerned. None of them have the skills and talents you possess to set foot in the arena against enemies such as Selene or even Cain.”
“But you clearly forget that we do,” Maya added, receiving a supportive rub on her spine from Danny. “The Council enhanced all of our gifts, remember? So this is our fight too.”
“Yeah, together we are stronger,” Lisa added. “Sanaya’s role is to draw the heat to her while we bring the fire.”
“Which leads me to this,” Sanaya interrupted. “Aklia is talking about relocating me, possibly indefinitely.”
The explosion that hit the room was enough to make Sanaya’s ears ring. Her friends and teammates all jumped up in protest, surrounding her in protest and all she could do was close her eyes and try to think.
“What do you mean ‘relocating’ you, ma?” King demanded. “You ain’t going nowhere!”
“Great. The one person who has a chance at keeping The Academy safe will be leaving us for slaughter,” Bullet mumbled.
“Call Aklia,” Maya demanded. “Call her!”
“Ok guys you all need to chill!” Sanaya snapped finally. “She said she could move you guys too but let me explain why.”
“It better be a good effing reason,” Trent mumbled, receiving an evil eye from King.
Sanaya sighed. “Cain. I’ve honed in on Cain a while ago and he’s been corresponding with me.”
“WHAT?!” Everyone in the room shouted in disbelief.
“And you didn’t tell us?” Trent demanded, his eyes searching hers for answers.
“I needed to know more…” was all Sanaya heard herself say.
“More about what?” Maya asked. “We know the guy is wicked. Evil incarnate. What more could you possibly need to know?”
“He made a deal with me,” Sanaya began. “In exchange for his help in protecting The Academy, I kill Selene. He is the reason why I knew Archer was in trouble and why I was even able to recover after healing Archer…but now with recent events, everything makes sense. He can’t be trusted. Aklia wants to move me to a Guardian stronghold that is totally off the radar. So far off the radar, that even beings of Light have trouble finding it.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us ma,” Trent said shaking his head.
“I will do anything to protect you guys and this school,” Sanaya said softly. “And with everything going on and me still not being allowed to go on major hunts-“
“Hey, ‘Naya no one is judging you,” Maya said softly. “That takes a lot of balls to make a deal like that. Hell, I would have done the same thing. But why the drastic move though? It isn’t like he doesn’t know where you are and has yet to make a move.”
“Aklia believes that Cain is interested in more than an alliance with me, if you get my drift,” Sanaya shuddered.
“Oh hell no!” King jumped up, his brown eyes fixed with fury. “Fuck that! Over my dead body!”
“That is why Aklia wants to move me until I’m ready to fight Cain, and win.”
“Well if you are going then so are we,” Maya added. “You ain’t leaving me here by myself with all of these crazy people.”
“I’m for sure going,” King added. “The Academy couldn’t keep me away from you even if they tried.”
“I’m down for it,” Danny said. “We are family. Where you lead we follow.”
“Where is she talking about sending you? Hopefully back to the states somewhere,” Maya added. “We definitely could use a change of scenery.”
“I would love to go to either Cali or New York,” Bullet said with a grin. “It would be nice to feel like things are normal…like eating American food and watching American games…I’m from Nebraska. You can’t get more American than that.”
“Fo’ sho’” Trent laughed while giving Bullet a pound on the fist. “This could be a good thing. We can get a break from this Academy life and breath.”
“Well, I hate to continue to rain on everyone’s parade but she is talking about the Bermuda Triangle,” Sanaya informed them, her eyes searching the group that surrounded her.
“Hey now! I’m down with that island life!” Maya chirped, receiving an appreciative glance from Danny and a few chuckles from the other members of the team. Trent focused his attentions to outside of the window overlooking the quad.
“She said there is a Guardian stronghold there and the great thing is any entity whether they are a creature of darkness or a being of Light, they will have some trouble tracking me.”
“Hmmm, I remember in class one day my professor talking about it,” Lisa added quietly. “The Bermuda Triangle is this unstable vortex of positive and negative electrons that render even the weather and overall environment unstable. Theoretically, there is a belief that it is one of the many hundreds of portals higher and lower level entities use but the problem with this one is that it is unstable. Like, no entity can travel through it without the risk of ending up in one of the other’s realms. Only the strongest of Archangels can travel through it without an issue – at least, that is what the professor told us.”
“Which is why Aklia wants to send me there,” Sanaya said blandly. “Plus, the Guardian team there must be some kind of awesome if they are manning a post in the Bermuda.”
“Well I’m down,” King declared. “Fuck it. We go to The Bermuda Triangle, train there and when it is time, we smoke Cain, his daughter and whoever else that comes our way.”
“Fo’ Sho’ bro’,” Danny added. “They don’t call me Diablo for not
hing. I got plenty of fire for their asses.”
“So when are they transporting us?” Trent asked.
Sanaya exhaled sharply. All eyes were once again on her. “She is supposed to notify the senior Guardians within twenty -four hours. After that, I have no idea when she will vacuum us up to the Bermuda.”
Bullet whistled. “I didn’t even have time to ask Lorena to the dance next week.”
The entire room groaned with Danny flinging a balled up gum wrapper in Bullet’s direction.
“Seriously dude?” He laughed.
Bullet shrugged. “Hey, she’s single…I’m single…”
“Dude, she just broke up with her boyfriend Craig,” Danny laughed.
“Still single though!” Bullet protested with a grin.
The room soon fell silent, everyone retreating to their individual thoughts with the single question still hanging in the air that no one wanted to ask: What was Archer going to do?
Chapter Twelve
Running, gasping for breath the older Guardian ran as fast as she could down the dark alleyway hoping to escape the gruesome scene that was left behind in the underground parking structure. That vampire was no normal vampire, and her two team members despite all of their abilities were simply no match for the entity. She needed to regroup and find somewhere to lay low to call for help. The others were back at the compound, but during the fight she lost her cell phone, and dropped her gun. Her legs began to cramp, which slowed her pace just a little but she would not stop until she reached the safety of a church or hallowed ground. However, the next church was not for a few more blocks and if she could just make it…
The familiar scent of sulfur and blood overwhelmed her olfactory system, and she gagged. There was no way she was going out like this. Where was this prophesized slayer? Guardians around the world needed her. They were slowly but surely losing the fight against The Darkness, as well as hope they needed to keep going. Leaping over a trash bin that was conveniently tossed on its side, she landed with a splash into a large puddle, but still managed to remain on her feet in a steady run.
Just one more block.
Gunfire rang out in the background, which was not uncommon for a neighborhood known for high crime levels, broken dreams and fatherless children. Drugs ran rampant on this side of town, and law enforcement had pretty much set up shop here. But what was chasing her could not be stopped by regular men in blue uniforms and a license to shoot. Her dark skin dripped with sweat, and her heart raced, pounding against her sternum like it was desperate to escape whatever fate awaited her if she did not make it into the church.
Something clawed at her from behind, tearing into her flesh. “Fuck!” She screamed, still running at full speed. The two -story white chapel came into view: Morningside Baptist Church of Saints is what the sign read. This will have to do, she thought to herself in a panic. Fortunately, despite the fact that it was well after midnight, whatever service they were having was still in session. She mentally sent a telepathic shot to another seer on her team to inform her that she was being pursued and where she could be found by dawn. Summoning up what little strength she had, she forced her way through the double door and screamed, “Sanctuary!”
All heads turned to face her, with the pastor looking up at her from the pulpit, unable to continue with leading the members of his congregation in prayer. The Guardian slammed the doors shut, and fell to her knees breathing heavily.
“Are you alright sister?” The pastor asked with concern, still standing behind the pulpit.
“I. Need. For. All. Of. You…” the Guardian heaved. “To pray. NOW!”
There was a long pause, followed by a series of murmurs. An older woman in her late sixties with beautiful cinnamon brown skin and a large white hat kneeled down next to her. Her soft brown eyes, kind and gentle, met hers as she offered to help her to her feet. “Come on, get up sweetheart,” she said softly.
The Guardian rose to her feet, but maintained a firm grip on the woman’s palms. “Pray. Please.” She pleaded.
The pastor, sensing the Guardian’s distress obeyed her request and began a fervent prayer. His voice rich, deep and soothing, captivated the attention of the congregation while the Guardian remained standing in front of the door listening, expanding her supersensitive hearing for any signs of trouble just beyond the walls of the church.
“Dearest Heavenly Father,” the pastor said with his eyes squeezed shut and his head bowed. “There is trouble in our neighborhood and we are asking for-“
“Pray for protection!” The Guardian shouted, her ears picking up the faintest sound of footsteps. “Request the covering of The ‘Blood’!”
“Lord, we ask that you cover this sanctuary with The Blood of the Lamb who died on the cross, that no sin be bared…that each ailment and disease be healed. Cover us, oh Lord with-“
Suddenly the door hinges were ripped from the doorway, interrupting the fervent prayer of the pastor and the members of his congregation. The Guardian braced herself. This was a church that was like so many, rocky in faith and lost in the ways of the world. She should have known better than to come here. She just signed not only her own death certificate, but those who decided to come to this service tonight. May the lord have mercy on her guilty soul.
The lights flickered on and off as the dark entity slowly walked up the few stairs that led to the entryway. Behind her was a small army of maybe twenty or so fresh turns, and the Guardian stepped back before turning around to face the congregation. “Run!” was all she could say before the entire church went dark and terror struck.
The last thing the Guardian saw before a pair of fangs sank deep into her jugular and she began to choke on her own blood was the crimson stare of a female with dark locks and a wicked smile. “You my dear will make an excellent recruit for my army,” the vampire chuckled as she snatched her with a telepathic grip.
“Feed, my darlings,” Selene encouraged as she drank from the Guardian. “Not even a ‘house of worship’ can stop the Daughter of Darkness. I do enjoy a good church service, too…”
Chapter Thirteen
Eve closed her eyes and sighed when she read the ticker tape from CNN’s broadcast regarding another bloody massacre, this time taking place inside of a church just outside of Seattle. Several of the victims were the very senior members of the church, one victim having been in her ninety’s. Congo slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a hole the size of a crater behind and one more thing The Academy would have to pay to fix. Archer’s phone had been ringing nonstop, with Guardians from every region demanding to know whereabouts of the Slayer and requesting to know more intel on how this new threat would be addressed. Eve plopped down at Archer’s large desk and leaned against the comfort of the large leather chair. Congo just stood where he always stood: against the wall, his muscled arms folded against his chest, his expression unreadable.
“We should just send her along with a team of senior Guardians for backup,” Congo sighed. “I mean, The Darkness is coming for her -much harder than we thought they would. This is what she was born to do…”
“She is not ready Congo,” Eve argued. “She has only been here a little over a year-“
“But she fights like she’s trained all of her life for this!” Congo protested, still leaning against the wall. “You’ve seen her fight Eve. The girl is a master at combat. Plus, she was born with every skill necessary to hunt what we cannot.”
“I know that Congo, but there is something else you don’t know,” Eve told him carefully. “Yes, she may have matured- but not fully. There is still one missing piece to the puzzle. Her last phase is one that deals with her ability to reproduce. She may be immune to vampire bites, but right now she is vulnerable to a vampiric pregnancy.”
Congo’s eyes widened as he fumbled to find the words to speak. “What are you talking about?”
Eve sighed, and ran her fingers through her long dark hair. “Right now, yes she can kick some serious ass. We all know that. She
is strong. She is fearless. She can do a lot of things that we cannot. She is our champion. But, if we send her into battle now before she hits that final phase, and let’s say- I dunno someone like Cain snatches her or somehow seduces his way into her heart – which I doubt because her bond has already been formed with King – her body will fight off the toxins from his bite to prevent it from turning her. But the unborn fetus would be greatly affected and she could give birth to a day walker.”
“A day walker? That’s all a fable, Eve…an old wives’ tale,” Congo said shaking his head...
“Oh no, it is not some dark fairytale read specifically to children Congo. It happened before, centuries ago. Another huntress- not one of The Seven we talked about- but one held of high esteem. She could not have been any older than Sanaya, when she fell in love with a vampire. She ran away with him even, stealing away into the night and later on somehow word was received from her Guardians that she was pregnant. It is written in the Guardian Archives and is a story that obviously no one wants to tell. But, it is true.”
“So that is why you and Archer are so hell bent on keeping her here on campus…”
“That is correct. It has nothing to do with us being afraid of her abilities or even questioning her skills. We just do not want history repeating itself. Archer will die if she ever became tarnished and would go after Cain and any vampire daring enough to do that to her.”
“What is the plan boss lady?”
“We will schedule a conference via Skype with the head Guardian of each team updating them on Sanaya’s progress here at the school so that they can know and understand that we are not sheltering her from the world for the hell of it. We will let them know that help is on the way: food, supplies, ammo, men…whatever they need, we got them. And we will just take it from there.”
“This shit is getting crazier by the minute,” Congo mumbled to himself.
“Tell me about it,” Eve said with a yawn. “Tell me about it.”
*****
The Vampire Hunters Academy: The Reckoning Page 7