"Have you forgotten what happened to your family because of him? Because of this 'slave trader'?" Katya asked, trying to pour fuel to the fire.
"You're right," she whispered. "Cosimo tortured me many times, even raped me and the other female clergy. After all, this is just a payback, nothing else," she murmured. With a cackle, Harma's fist shot out, catching him in the nose. An audible crunch reverberated through the room, followed by mute screams and wild laughter.
She pulled his head back and stuck two of her delicate fingers into his eye socket, pulling the eyeball right out along with the nerve endings. Blood gushed out as the Cardinal tried to flail around with his arms and legs, but the darkness had him tight in its hold.
"You bastard," Harma cursed. "I will do so much more to you if he lets me! For all the humiliation and suffering you've caused us!"
With a trembling hand, she reached for his robes and pulled them aside, revealing the fully erect member again. Cosimo tried to push her hands away but was soon met with a scalpel knife that cut cleanly through his right palm.
Harma looked up at me and then down at the Cardinal's cock. I nodded with a wicked grin plastered to my face as I sat down into the large, wooden throne the Cardinal had ordered in the torture chamber.
Harma hissed and screamed before she pulled at it, then sliced into the soft meat as he thrashed around. Blood sprayed her face as she knelt there, but she didn't seem to mind holding the piece of meat.
"Here it is, my Lord."
Chapter Nine
"Shit, he's going into shock," Katya cursed and rushed over to the two. She slapped Harma across the face and shook her awake. Harma looked up at me as if she had no idea what just happened. Noticing the member in her hand, she tossed it against the wall and wiped it off against the hem of her shirt.
"No, no, no! What the hell did I do? Now my parents are going to die for sure!"
"Hush, we're not done with him yet. Katya, feed him some of your blood. I still have no idea who the person of interest is."
"Sure, my lord," Katya replied as she held her wrist over the Cardinal's mouth. He coughed violently as the blood seeped into his mouth and slid down his throat. The wound started closing almost immediately, but to his bad luck, it wasn't regrowing. He should be happy to live for a few minutes longer if even that.
"Wake him up. Or prod his mind. Do whatever you want, Katya."
She sneered at me, obviously annoyed by the way this had gone. And knowing her very well, she, in turn, knew what I was up to, but didn't dare contradict me.
"It's a young woman, or at least she has the appearance of a young woman. Here, you can see for yourself."
A very unpleasant surprise struck me when the image of Bella appeared before my eyes. I could have gone all my life without seeing her again, but now I had two reasons to find her.
"Harma, torture him to death. I want you to strip him and torture him as much as you can over the next few minutes," I ordered. She looked ready to throw up but nodded slowly. "Once we're done, I'll have another job for you. If you perform well enough, we'll head for the dungeons. How does that sound?"
Her eyes lit up with a purpose. She knew my word was good, or at least I knew she hoped it would be. After all, I had no reason to make her do it if my shadows could take care of it quickly. And knowing the Cardinal was no fighting man, even a child could end his miserable life.
I reveled in the show Harma put up for us while Katya stormed out of the torture chamber and into his private room. The darkness that dwells in every single creature came out, and she loved it. Every slice, and every cut.
“Skin him,” I whispered in her ear. Her movements were erratic, but precise as if she’d been doing it all her life. His left cheek was first to go. The knife sliced into his fat skin just beneath the eye and exit at the chin. The Cardinal shook himself awake but started screaming bloody murder as the pain hit him. Her hand moved down his chest, carving him up like a pig.
“My Lord, you have no idea how much I needed this,” Harma whispered.
“Oh? Then show me. There’s a metric ton of him available, you see. Fingers, toes, his back, arms and legs. Show me what you’re capable of.”
I shuddered from anticipation. It wasn’t every day you could find someone who enjoyed this shit. I did it, but I didn’t enjoy it to this extent. It was a good thing I spared her life. Maybe I could find out some other interesting things about her.
“Yes! Let’s do this next!” she exclaimed running over to the toolbox. Harma rummaged through the torture instruments picking out particularly rusty tongs. In a heartbeat she knelt before the Cardinal holding his right foot in her free hand. With each breath, she pulled out another toe-nail, and once she was done, the sound of ripping flesh followed as she pulled each toe, one by one.
What followed over the next minutes, was Harma using a rod on more than one orifice on Cosimo’s body. In the end, he'd gone into shock and passed due to heart failure, but not before he'd shit himself. What a weak way to go out. But there it was in her eyes, that glint, that spark. She had loved getting back at the bastard, what was more, she had loved inflicting him pain. I might just have found myself a rough little gem.
"What now?" she asked, standing before me. Her clothing was almost non-existent. She'd damaged herself in the process as well as her dress. Wild little thing.
"Take the cleaver and chop off his limbs at the elbows and knees, then cut his head off. Once you're done, I'll rearrange him in a nice little statue, and we're off to save your parents."
She nodded and walked over to the table with the tools picking up the heavy cleaver. What little blood had remained in Cosimo's body, seeped out from the gaping holes.
"There," she said, breathing heavily once she was done. Katya looked away, disgusted at the sight of the 'statue' I created. I was proud of the way it hung from the ceiling chandelier though, but everyone had their own taste.
"Once you wake up, run to get the guard and bring them here."
"What do you mean when I wake up, my lord?"
"Once he's here, and all hell breaks loose, go get dressed and meet us at the dungeon. I need to check the portal out in the meanwhile."
"Sure, my lord. But--"
That's as far as she got before I struck the back of her head. Harma's body hit the wall, shattering her left arm and collarbone. She dropped like a sack of meat to my surprise.
"Shit. I should have let you hit Harma instead or something," I cursed.
"Seriously, what the hell is going on? What are you up to?" Katya hissed as she got up into my face. "I barely recognize you anymore."
"Oh, but you will always recognize me, my love," I growled and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her in close for a deep kiss. Our lips met, cold and hungry. "Say, what do you think we fuck in here?"
Katya pushed me away and stormed out of the room, leaving me standing there by myself. Had I pushed her a bit too far? Maybe, but I didn't care. This was the way it had to be. They had done enough to hurt me when I was weak and powerless, but never again.
I walked after Katya and put my arms around her, then shifted into the realm of darkness, slipping through the corridors, peeking into rooms and the chapel. There were more than a few young boys and girls on cleaning duty, mopping the floors and wiping the dust. They were clothed far too immodest for where they were, but I reckoned it wasn't by their own choice.
"Still think I went overboard?" I asked.
"No. I never did, but it doesn't mean I have to like it, no?"
I sighed and pulled her closer into an embrace. She let me do it and even cuddled up against me. We both knew how deep our love for each other ran, so there was no questioning it, but still, sometimes I had the feeling that I was the elder Vampyre, and not her.
"Do you think there's anything of value inside the keep? Artifacts? Or those glowing crystals they use?"
"Hmm, I think so," she replied. "I mean, if the Cardinal moved over to this place, he surely must have brou
ght his possessions with him. But where would he hide them? I didn't see anything in his quarters."
"Do they have vaults or some kind of rooms where they keep the riches? I have no idea how the Vatacan works."
"Well, from what I know, there should be a room deep underground that should be warded against everyone and prohibiting them from entering."
"But shadows aren't everyone. We're not even human."
She sighed audibly as if annoyed by the prospect of going underground, but then shook her head and placed her head against mine.
"Here, I extracted it from his mind. Though I don't really know how much worth all of it is combined. He really did use up most of his wealth to get this position, for one or the other reason."
"I'm mostly interested in the crystals. I wonder if we can imbue them with darkness or something, or if we can study them closer, maybe we could come up with better protection for their light attacks," I explained.
"I know, no need to tell me what you need them for," she sighed. "How long do you think she'll be out?"
"An hour at least. She really did-- well, I really hit her hard."
"How about we use half an hour to search for the vaulted room and try to get in. If we can't find it by then, we go straight for the portal. Speaking of which, the outside is eerily quiet. One would think that after such a ruckus, they would be searching the grounds and turning everything upside down."
"Whatever. We take one thing at a time," I replied. Closing my eyes, I focused all the shadows inside the building to travel as far as they could and search for the room. Five long minutes passed, and I didn't manage to find anything. But then, as if waiting for me to finish my search, a wall slid aside after I turned over a book stand.
"Come," I said, not even checking what was behind it. I knew there would be something hidden worth our time behind the wall. And indeed, I wasn't disappointed. In one corner lay a heap of bright glowing crystals, while in the other a much smaller that gave off pure darkness.
I walked over and took one of the black crystals in my hand. It gave off a tingling sensation as if calling out to me. I looked up at Katya, who shook her head.
"I think you got what you wished for, but how do we transport them?"
"Inside my shadows. Once Harma causes the ruckus, I'll transport them along the wall and leave them there in a heap, hidden under the darkness of night."
"If you say so. Weren't we planning on razing this keep to the ground?"
"Yes, we were, but how do you plan on doing so?" I asked.
"I have no idea. Maybe cause an explosion on these crystals?"
"Can you ask your sister while I prepare everything? See if she's available."
She sighed and sat down on the only chair in the room and closed her eyes. I turned back to the trunk in front of me and the racks lining the walls. Chalices, candle-holders, knives and all kinds of books arrayed the shelves. Everything seemed interesting at first glance, but nothing really was.
I tried to open the trunk, but it wasn't working. No matter how much force I applied, it wouldn't budge.
"It won't work," Katya said. "Marya told me that the crystals can't be used like that. They can fuel wards and traps, maybe even a common type of explosion, but she doesn't know how to do it, and neither do I. We can kill everyone here, free the prisoners and take home the loot, but that's about it."
I growled, annoyed by the fact that nothing was really going to plan.
"Whatever. Let's check the portal. Even if we can't do anything with it, I want to see for myself."
"Alright. But don't do anything stupid to put us in harm's way," she replied, putting her arms around me.
We slid through the winding corridors and up the last flight of stairs when a commotion up ahead forced me to a halt. I could hear Harma's screeching voice yelling for help. What's more, she really was in pain. I could feel it all the way here, the pain and the rage.
The Captain's voice took over for a second as a dozen or more of footsteps rushed past us and to the Cardinal's private chambers. I ordered the shadows to start moving the dark crystals and the trunk while we slipped past the guards and were forced to stop at the outer door.
A ruckus from outside made me stop for a moment. Lights lit up all along the walls and the front, forcing most shadows to dissipate.
"Fuck, this isn't good," Katya cursed. "I have no idea how good these people are, but I doubt they're as weak as the last group. And what if they call for help?"
"Whatever. Can you cast a blizzard or something outside? Force the lights to dim?"
"I could, but why don't you use the shadows on the outside to crush the light?"
"They'll detect the use of such a large-scale power. But whatever. Come," I said and called on the shadows around the keep. They flooded the lights and extinguished all of the ones in the near vicinity. Wards went off, showering the outside in sparkling light as more and more clergy rushed from the outer part of the keep into the inner one. We slid past them and down the side of the internal walls, ending right under the portal.
The construct shimmered with a blue and white thundering light, rippling at the air, sending sparks flying in all directions. Then a wave crashed over the light and expanded outward before it settled on a flat, mirror-like surface. I could see a group of fodder, as I thought of them.
On the other side stood an army, ready to come our way. They were the same duplicates as before, all neatly lined up in rows. Well then, I might use this to our advantage, I thought and tried to force shadow through the portal. But it didn't work. I frowned, annoyed by the barrier.
Then, one by one, the troops started marching up a ramp leading to the portal. I cursed and looked back at Katya, who was trying to hide as well as possible into the shadow.
"Come. We'll cause some havoc and step back through the portal," I said and jumped up the ramp. Getting an idea, I rushed up and only stuck my hand through, releasing a piercing attack at the enemies in the front row. They didn't expect it and went down as tendrils shot through their necks, faces, and groins. Blades of shadow rose from the ground adding to the carnage. In mere seconds, I awakened the dead using shadow pitting them against the living. Fodder quickly turned on their own comrades, biting their necks and faces, arms and legs.
I pulled my arm back, but the hand felt like it was stuck in place. I pulled again, but it wouldn't go through. I cursed and pulled again. Katya, seeing my distress, pulled at me, but I wasn't budging.
"Shit, this isn't good," I cursed. "You think the Vatacan researchers can use my hand if I give it to them?"
"Wait, what?" she hissed. Are you insane?"
I shrugged and grinned. Seeing no other way out of it, I gathered shadow around my stuck arm and pressed down. Blood gushed from my stump as an excruciating pain shot up my body. Soon it dulled out but still felt as if someone held a hot poker to the wound.
"Ivan? What the hell is with your wound? Why isn't it healing?" she hissed.
"That wasn't so smart of you, lord of Vampyres," the now familiar voice of the guard Captain came from behind us. "I knew something was off the moment I saw Harma in distress. And the little act up there on the ramparts didn't fool me either. Just so you know."
"I see. And what's your rank?" I asked. "Are you a Bishop as well?"
He shook his head slowly drawing the blade on his right side and the shield on the left. I couldn't help but get agitated at the wicked grin he sent my way.
"I'm a Captain, Vampyre. The Captain of the Pope's personal guard. I'm his right-hand man if you will."
Chapter Ten
I would be lying if I said I was more than a little flabbergasted. This was a turn of events that I hadn't foreseen or even could imagine. If this man was truly as high ranking as he made us believe, then we were in deep shit. Still, I was more than a little bit curious as to some things, so I had to see if he would indulge me.
"Did you really see me when we slipped past you at the entrance?" I asked.
"Not
really. It was more like a blur, but it sent the hairs on my back standing upright. I knew that something was horribly wrong, but to find out that the Lord himself came to raid this place, I was awestruck."
"Oh, you've seen nothing yet. Though I have to admit I'm in a little bit of a predicament right now. I hadn't expected to lose my left hand."
"Yes, that was a rather fortunate turn of events. In any case, since you're about to die, it won't matter if I divulge some information regarding the gate just so you can curse your bad luck even more."
"And what's that?"
He smirked, eyeing Katya and ogling her body. It only served to piss me off even more. No one got to look at my girls like that and lived to tell about it.
"You just had to wait a couple more seconds until you could pull back your hand. See, there's a barrier that prevents one from running in and out. A minute needs to pass before one can return."
"I got to say you really got me there. I could have done so much better with those few extra seconds. But not that it matters. One hand is enough for you."
"We'll see about that," he replied grinning wickedly. "Don't hurt the woman, she's mine," he snickered as the remainder of his guard appeared. Two of them held Harma in between them. Her face was bruised and bloodied.
"I see. All of you really are scum, huh?" I asked. "Starting with the zealots and all the way up to the top. Maybe I should do the same with you as with the Cardinal."
"You can try," the Captain cackled as he lunged at me. I brought up my good arm and created a shield of shadow just as his sword slashed at my chest. The sword bounced off but cracked the barrier with ease. I doubted it could even hold out against another hit.
"Very well then," I whispered and shot forward. My forehead connected with the Captain's nose, cracking the bone. He staggered back but slashed again. I darted out of the way and refreshed my shield as he changed stance and brought his arms close together. A brilliant ray of light shot out from the shield as he slammed the sword against a crystal embedded inside the metal. My barrier disintegrated under the assault, forcing me to evade.
Lord of Shadows book 2: Bloodlines Page 7