I felt myself twitch slightly and looked at the other guys, right she was, Nixon was smiling staring over towards me, Nickel was staring, Dolphus was though to me he didn’t count it was more of a ‘You’re so pretty!!’ look from him. Talon though wasn’t really paying any attention, actually his eyes were shut and he was just sitting there with his arms crossed and his legs stretched out.
“Yeah, um, can I just sit down and hide myself somehow?” I asked Layre
“I’d say yes but, you’d jump back up to kill him.” She said inclining her head to what was behind me
Raven came over looking from Morana to Layre then me and just stared before he let out a whistle. “Man I thought you look good when you come over to my house, but now, damn.”
I rolled my eyes, this was going to be a fun evening with him involved, Nixon came over and looked at his brother “If she came alone you could flirt, but she came with me.”
“Really now?”
“Yes.” I hissed between my teeth
“Now why would you want to go to something like this, with a lame guard who’ll probably just end up dead?”
“Such a lovely way to talk about your own brother.” Layre piped.
“He made his own choices just like our sister did, he can live with them too, I want nothing to do with family that decides to do this for a living,” He said gesturing to the other guards “It’s pointless and you’ll just die faster, why not enjoy the immortality that you have?”
“Because, doing this has more of a point to it, don’t you have tons of other girls you like to flirt around with?” Nixon asked.
“Yeah sure, though this doesn’t mean I can’t try still little brother.” Raven said patting him on the head before he left.
“And that doesn’t mean I won’t break your neck when we get home.” Nixon muttered turning around and putting and arm around my bare waist pulling me towards where they were all seated, and gestured for me to sit down, so I did.
I looked over at Dolphus who was giving me a look that made him look like an angered god; it was odd, “Tell me I don’t have to kill a dhampire?” He asked.
I shook my head and he nodded, Talon moved and my attention went to him as he straightened himself sitting up “Let me guess, Raven’s eyeing Raine.”
“M’hmm.” Morana replied practically laying on Tom I shuddered a little watching her, Tom was so transfixed on her that he didn’t even watch anything around him.
“Well then, I guess this won’t be such a boring night then.” Talon said before leaning back against his chair again and closing his eyes.
I looked over at Talon for a moment then shook my head, my gaze turned towards Morana and Tom and all I wanted to do was scream at them, they were way too touchy at this point and it was bothering me.
I mean yeah sure I want Tom to go out and stuff, have a girlfriend all that, but for Christ’s sake, One, we’re in a different universe all together, Two, I don’t want to see what should go on in a closed off bedroom.
“What’s up with Mora?” Nickel asked
“Noticed she’s acting weird too? I thought it was just me.” Layre said eyeing Morana and Tom.
“Sure you’re not just jealous?” Nixon asked
“Completely.” Layre looked at him then back at Tom and Morana as they stood up
“We’ll be back.” Tom said following a giddy Morana quickly
“I know she’s usually happy and all, but since when does she throw herself at men?” I asked “I mean I’ve known her only a few weeks but she didn’t seem like that type.”
“That, is because she’s not.” Talon sat up straight, his gaze fixated on the two watching as they disappeared around a corner
Nixon looked from me to Talon, the two of them locked gazes and nodded, Nixon’s lips turned into a thin white line before he stood up quickly and looked at Layre then Nickel.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes; I need to talk with Fang.” He said “Talon’s going to stay back here incase….anything happens.” with that he took off and I was left with the others, Talon looked over at Eyloff and Dolphus then let out a groan.
“Can’t you two do your jobs right, hey wolf boy be useful, make sure he’s not getting killed.” Talon snapped.
Eyloff growled and stood up “He’s fine, this is your region isn’t it, and he’s safe.”
“No one’s safe anywhere dumbass.” Talon hissed
“Show’s how well protected you are then.” Eyloff glared at him
“For fuck’s sake wolf, there’s obviously something wrong as all hell with Morana, now get off your sulking ass, and go protect him!”
Eyloff’s face flickered for a moment then he thought it over, before he could get mad again he took off after Tom around that same corner and it donned on me, Amamai she had the power to change into anyone she wanted that she thought was the most gorgeous of a region, and Morana was, she just tried to hide it.
“What are we going to do?” I asked quickly
“We’re going to send out the rest of the soldier’s, and keep you where we can see you, as of now, I’m in charge of you.” Talon said
“I’m going to help the wolf, she’s my sister I want to know what’s going on, Nickel can stay here with you and you four can keep safe here.” Layre stood up and moved before anyone could protest with ease down the hall and around the corner everyone else went to.
I sat there ripping out anything I managed to get a hold on, my nerves were shot, half the guards in the room disappeared and I had a feeling something really, really bad was going to happen, not just this but something far worse, in a lot of ways.
“Aw, Nixon decide to ditch you and leave you for me, how sweet of him, I’ll have to remember to thank him.” Raven smirked, he wasn’t what I thought was the bad feeling but he was bad enough to have to deal with.
“Not right now Raven! Go bug someone else.” I snapped
“Feisty are we now? I like ‘em that way.” He moved closer, his hand brushing along my shoulder.
“I said, not right now!” I grabbed his arm and twisted it before slamming my heel clad foot into his shin. “Don’t you understand English?!”
Raven winced pulling his arm back and rubbing his shin for a moment before his eyes darkened and he glared at me, “You shouldn’t have done that, you know.”
I stared at him uncaring, until he opened his mouth and he practically snarled at me, his eyes were dark, a deep red color had taken over his pupils, and by god did he look ready to kill.
He went to grab me and instead he was grabbed, Talon managed to grab him, yank him from my reach, and slammed him into the ground and never once turned into anything more than a blur in my vision in doing so.
“Get off me asshole!” Raven hissed
Talon glared at him, his eyes weren’t red like his were, instead they were nearly black, and he leaned in close to Raven’s ear and opened his mouth to speak. I could see his incisors now fully extended into fangs along with the teeth next to them; I’d never seen a vampire with their fangs unsheathed until now. “She said leave her alone, am I wrong?” He asked his voice like ice.
Raven froze, and his expression changed to one of something with a bit of fear etched into it “No, you’re not.” He said.
“And am I wrong when I say I saw that you were about to attack an unarmed woman, all because she turned you down?”
“No.”
“Then, what do you think I have to do in a situation like this?” Talon’s voice nearly dropped down lower, the deadly edge to it growing.
“I… I have no clue.”
“Hm, you’re lucky that I like your family, or you’d be no better than dead right now.”
“Talon, I-I”
“Shut up, Lane, and get out of my sight.” Talon said releasing him and standing up. “Now.”
I stared at the two of them, in all honesty I knew Talon was a bit scary, just by the way he fought and moved and he had an eerie silence to him for the most part, but th
e way he had spoken to Raven, there was just something so cold, and so deadly to it that it even made a chill run down my own spine.
Raven scrambled to his feet and took off blending in with a group of people across from us, a few women stopped and stared towards me and Talon then followed where Raven went, Dolphus and Nickel came over towards me after walking off to get a drink and just stared at the enraged Talon.
“We were gone no more than five minutes, and Talon looks like he’s about to fall victim of bloodlust.” Nickel said.
Talon looked at him relaxing a bit, his eyes changed back to their brown color and he shrugged a little bit “Had to put someone in his place.” He said.
“Really now.” Nickel raised an eyebrow then looked at Dolphus “Suppose we shouldn’t leave anymore or we might miss Talon murdering someone in front of Raine.”
“That’d be something to see.” Dolphus said.
“Did you see Fang? Nixon? Tom?” I asked looking at Dolphus and Nickel putting aside what had just happened.
“No... Not yet.” Dolphus frowned.
“Just tell her.” Nickel said.
Dolphus looked at him and began to nervously rub the back of his neck.
“What? Tell me what!” I looked at the two of them quickly.
“It’s like Morana and Tom vanished into thin air, with the guards too...” Dolphus said.
“Not even Eyloff or Layre have been seen or found yet, something’s going on and I’m not sure what but whatever it is I don’t like it.” Nickel said.
I stood up as soon as he finished and started past them as quickly as I could, nearly knocking Dolphus over when I shoved my way past him not caring to look back to see if they would follow me or not.
I heard Dolphus call out my name but I kept going, I was at the door when Talon moved to it without me ever so much as seeing him, his body blocking my way.
“Where are you going?”
“To change out of this dreadful dress, and look for my brother.” I hissed between my teeth.
“No you’re not.”
“Yes I am, you can either kill me or let me through.”
“Letting you through would be killing you.”
I just stared at him clenching my jaw tightly as I looked around for another way out, scanning past the hundreds of oblivious demons and vampires.
This room was like prison it’s self no window’s unless you counted the ceiling’s entire glass window, and there was no way in hell I was getting out a near twenty foot roof. My gaze shifted back to Talon and I assessed how badly it’d be to try and get past him.
“Don’t even think about it Raine, you’re not getting through.” He said.
“Want to bet on that?”
“Try me.”
I went to lunge forward before Dolphus and Nickel came over, Nickel grabbed my waist right as I went to jump towards Talon.
I watched as his whole body tensed and then uncoiled , his eyes scanning the two who’d finally caught up to us.
“I had it handled.”
“Looked like it.” Nickel frowned, letting me go.
“Just let me go, you need both me AND Tom in order to do anything, or save anyone so why don’t we all just look for him?” I snapped, “He’s my brother” and the only family I have left now, though I didn’t say it out loud.
“We can’t just go out there, if they disappeared what will happen to us?” Nickel said
“But, the guards went out with them, they all could’ve went up, Eyloff and Layre went out at different times, if we go out together maybe we can find out what’s going on and try to stop it!” I plead.
Dolphus looked at me thinking it over then locked his jaw for a moment before speaking “She has a point.”
“Yes, if her point is getting us all killed.”
“Don’t be that way Talon, I think they’re right, but we need to actually stick together in a tight formation.” Nickel said frowning deeply at Talon
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Talon muttered.
“Fine.”
“I need to change first, no way in hell I’ll be able to fight if something attacks me in this.” I said.
“Right, I’ll go in with you incase anything happens, I saw you naked before remember.” Dolphus said.
I turned shades of red then that I didn’t even know existed “Yeah ok.” was all I could say as we started out, we got half way to my room before I asked “What about everyone in there?”
“Someone will report within the next hour that guards have been missing for longer than normal.” Nickel said.
***
I nodded as we stopped at my room, Nickel and Talon stood outside and I and Dolphus stepped in, I grabbed a shirt and pair of pants and ran behind a screen that I had put in the room, changing out of my dress.
Draping it over the screen before yanking on the pants and my shirt, pulling my hair up as I walked out from behind the screen, once I was done I slid my feet into a pair of boots and laced them quickly looking towards Dolphus.
“Remember that sword I confiscated and gave you?” Dolphus asked.
I nodded, “Yeah it’s in the dresser.”
“Now’s the time to get it out and keep it with you.” He said “I can sense whatever it is, it may not be here yet, but take no chances.”
I turned and went to my dresser yanking the drawer open and pulling out the sword as fast as I could before returning to Dolphus, he nodded and we headed back out.
“Where’d you get that?” Nickel asked eyeing my sword.
“I got it almost three weeks ago and gave it to her for protection.” Dolphus shrugged
“And you found it where?”
“Now isn’t the time for questions!” I said. “We have to go now!”
“Right, let’s go, they all went towards the courtyard, so we should head that way, we can take the back route.” Nickel said and Talon glared at him “Same thing you were thinking right General?”
Talon sighed and began moving “Follow me, and stay quiet.”
Talon started forward slowly, there was a murmuring coming from ahead, the closer we got the louder and more distinct it became, it was a woman’s voice talking to someone, Talon looked back towards us signaling for us to stay close and stay silent, and we did just that.
Talon held up a hand to stay where we were and he looked around the corner, I was closest and didn’t much care to listen, there were all the guards, Layre bound at the woman’s feet, she was no longer Morana, but she was stunningly beautiful that it actually almost hurt to look at her.
Amamai? I thought.
All the men around her were frozen just staring at her spellbound, Tom was standing next to her practically throwing himself on her, his eyes were glazed over almost like a zombie’s and Amamai only laughed as she leaned into Tom’s kisses along her neck.
“We shall wipe these fools from existence.” She announced.
A roar of agreement followed after and Talon even agreed, I stared at him horrified and pulled him back turning him towards me, his eyes went slowly from glazed over to their natural brown color, and he looked confused.
“What happened?” He demanded silently
“I think, when you looked at her you were spellbound by her, literally.” I said.
“Why weren’t you affected then, obviously you were looking to.”
“Because, I’m not a man nor am I interested in women.” I answered.
He just stared at me then locked his jaw “How the hell do we fight someone we can’t look at?”
“By not looking at her.” I said instantly, “By listening to what someone tells you and trusting them with your life.”
“What on earth are you planning in there, Raine?” Dolphus asked.
“Dolphus, come here for a moment.” I said motioning him towards me.
He walked over and looked at me with a look of a warrior.
“I want you to look at her,” I said “I want to see if you’re affected to.”
I smiled uneasily, “Dolphus, Nickel and Talon, they’re going to have to depend on us.” I told him.
“We’re the only ones who can look at her head on, aren’t we?”
I nodded.
“So, let’s find Nixon and Fang from here, that way we can go at her three on each side, and then from there we’ll attack and get Layre and Tom back.” Dolphus said “Eyloff’s right there.”
I watched where he pointed, and sure enough Eyloff was standing right next to us nearly, he’d be an easy grab but we’d be spotted if we didn’t move silently enough, that’d be bad if we didn’t have Fang and Nixon with us yet.
“So, I take it Talon’s going to step down and make Raine captain for this?” Nickel asked smirking.
Talon scowled but said nothing “I suppose so.” I answered instead,
“What’s the plan then, General?” Nickel smiled.
“Nickel you and Talon stay here for a moment, me and Dolphus are grabbed Eyloff so we can move in with another set of hands, this I think, just may turn into a battle against our own comrades.” I grimaced.
“Great.” Talon growled.
“Hurry then, she’s getting ready for something.” Nickel grew tense as he spoke.
I nodded and I and Dolphus began slithering along the sides of the walls watching Amamai making sure the goddess was busy with her own crowd, we got to Eyloff and Dolphus slammed a hand over his mouth making his protests and growls become quiet against his hand.
I kept an eye out the whole time as Dolphus and Eyloff struggled around the corner, Eyloff’s eyes never falling from Amamai’s until they turned the corner, I followed quickly and watched as Eyloff’s eyes came back from glazed to yellow, and his anger was purely towards Dolphus.
“What was that for?” He hissed.
“You were under a spell, and you need to help us.” Dolphus began “Or you could easily die with whomever else when dealing with Amamai’s plans, she did after all capture Layre and others.”
The Darker Side: Short Stories Page 5