Lord of Shadows book 2: Bloodlines

by Jaeger Mitchells

  "So, what are you waiting for? I'll take the Fiend while you do the Modeus."

  She chuckled and nodded, then unleashed a new wave of frost directed at the two. The first threw up a shield of flame to stop the cold but seeing it had little effect, the Modeus dodged the attack. Boris sent a poor soul flying in two pieces after ripping him apart at the waist.

  "I'll be your opponent," a chattering, high-pitched voice said. A dangerously looking two-handed sword struck Boris's right shoulder from behind. The weapon dug deep into his flesh, but Boris wouldn't go down after such a small wound. A second, chattering sound came from his side. Skeletons kept appearing every few seconds. He backhanded the first one, shattering it into hundreds of pieces before stomping the second flat.

  Turning back to my opponent, I swung my spear and slashed it right across his front claws, but it deflected the blow. Poison dripped down the blade and the tips of his nails as he slammed his snout into my face, then tore at my forehead with its massive teeth. I kicked out against its side and broke a rib or two, but it didn't seem to feel the pain. However, Nosferatu's eyes looked like they were about to pop as he snarled at us. Desperate to gain the upper hand, he summoned another round of 'children' and placed his arms around Elizabeth Bathory and Bella. Shadows surrounded them and first swallowed Bathory, Vladimir and then Nos.

  "No!" I growled and threw my spear more out of anger than great marksmanship, but the tip caught Bella's shoulder, anchoring her against the wall in place. Nosferatu and his 'prisoners' disappeared, leaving a frightened Bella behind. "You stay there!" I snapped at Bella and backhanded the woman. Her head snapped back against the wall, cracking open like a ripe watermelon before she lay there motionless.

  "What do we do with her?" Selene asked as she sent a group of icicles into the Modeus.

  "Freeze her to the ground if possible and stay alive!" I replied and darted at the Fiend again. Using the shadows, I bound it in place and jumped on its back, sinking my teeth in its neck. Poison and death entered me, but I didn't care. I ripped at the head and thrust my claw into his flesh, then pried at the hole, cutting his spine in half. The Fiend shuddered for a moment and died with a shriek.

  Three more strange-looking supernaturals lay beneath Boris' feet. Just then a howl announced the death of a Modeus and was momentarily by the second. I turned my head to the second group Nosferatu summoned before he fled, but they didn't seem so interested in fighting. Still, they didn't escape. They stood there defiantly baring their teeth at me.

  "You're not following after your master?" I asked, straightening myself. I still held the Fiend's spine in my hand, so I threw it before their feet. One of the men who looked like he had half an idea of what he was doing made a step forward and crunched the bones beneath his boot.

  "I have no idea who you are or why we should be fighting. You see, Nosferatu froze us in a type of eternal sleep. Now that he's gone, it only means that we're free from him," he said while holding eye contact with me all the while. "What is he to you?"

  "It's the other way around. I'm the next Dracul, so to say," I replied with much more confidence than I felt at that moment. Sure, we'd beaten them off and to a standstill, but things definitely hadn't been going to plan. "What do you plan to do now?"

  "I don't know. Speaking of which, I don't know most of these people around me. But I don't want anything to do with either him or you. I want to live my life in peace, just like I had-- whenever it was that he took it from me."

  A couple of the others beside him murmured their approval, but one, a tall, beautiful young woman with ash-grey hair started laughing. I could immediately tell something was off with her from the power that she radiated. She snapped her fingers as if to draw attention and turned into a green and black ghost with scythes for hands. She threw herself at the group and circled it just once. Nine of the twelve died with their heads cleanly cut off. She opened her mouth and let out a putrid dark mucus that moved around and gathered the dead before devouring them. Within moments, she towered over Boris.

  "Shit, that's not good," he said more sarcastically than to the point. It was always good to see that he didn't lose his spirits so quickly, but this time, sarcasm was uncalled for.

  "You want to join in?" I asked the young man who stood there dumbfounded. He nodded his head half absently as his body started changing.

  "I sure do, Lord Vampyre," he replied as he stepped away from the creature. The other two that remained alive ran direction city square, and wouldn't most likely stop anytime soon.

  "What's your power? What are you?" Boris asked as the man outgrew him and turned to living marble.

  "I'm a Stone Golem, or rather a Dark Stone. We're quite special in that our bodies are literally indestructible."

  "Oh? That's quite the interesting power," I commented. "What's your name?"

  "Renato, at your service. So, do you have any idea what this woman is?"

  "She's a Reaper Shade," Freya replied for me. Of course, I hadn't known what it was, but it was dangerous for sure.

  "So, what now? We're back to lovers, or to 'I'm your boss, and you do what you're told' status?" I couldn't help but ask. She chuckled.

  "Whatever you prefer, but for now, go and deal with her. I can't interfere as she could actually kill me."

  "What?" I snapped. "How are we supposed to kill it then?" She shrugged.

  "I don't know. There are four of you. I think you'll be fine if you keep Selene safe."

  I sighed and looked back at my subordinate.

  "Selene?" She shook her head and shrugged.

  "Magic? And lots of it?" she asked and pointed both palms at the Reaper Shade, unleashing bolt after bolt of icy fire. The Reaper brushed it off with her scythe-like hands and darted right at our new ally. He brought his stony arms up and deflected the strike with relative ease. Boris climbed up his back and launched himself at the Shade. His meaty claws passed right through her body and fell on all four.

  "Hey! That's not fair!" he growled. "I can't touch you!"

  "And that's why she told us to keep Selene safe!" I said summoning back my spear and taking up my place beside her. Selene put up her hands and launched more flame at the Reaper. Its body started shimmering as the flames caught. Renato's enormous fist came flying and rocked her body as it connected. She grabbed the edge of his stony fist and jammed one of her scythes in, then ripped the joint free, slicing through his left hand. Boris was there again in mid-flight. He tackled the shrieking Shade and brought her to the ground.

  "Let me!" I said and summoned a pool of pitch-black darkness that tried to swallow her whole. "More fire, Selene!"

  "I can't! I'm almost depleted," she protested, but still fired off one last blanket of icy flame all over the Shade's body. I sidestepped and brought my bladed edge down from her temple to between her legs, slicing her in half. But she had no organs, no nothing, only darkness, and green smoke. The claws turned back to hands as her body changed back and became smaller. The shadows turned to flesh and skin. It stank to high heavens as the Shade started rotting quickly before it disappeared in mere moments.

  "That could have gone any way if they had decided to fight," I murmured. My hand was gripping the spear so hard that I felt like it was about to shatter. Still, I couldn't help it. This night was a hell of an eye-opener.

  "It sure could have. I depleted all of my energy fending that Bathory woman off along with Nosferatu. They have no idea how close they were to beat me once the fighting started," Freya said as she appeared next to me, her body battered and bloody all over.

  "Never do that again. I know you have your reasons and your expectations, but never play me again or that's the end of us," I said. Freya shrugged and put her arm around me.

  "Whatever you say, my Lord," she chuckled. "Speaking of which, you've got yourself quite the ally in that Dark Stone. He literally has a body that can't be destroyed. Might be smart move to leave him here in the mayor's care."

  "Oh, shit!" I cursed. "I forgot about the
mayor!"

  "I didn't," she replied as Boris, Renato, and Selene all walked up to us. "They've taken over the city as well as the mansion."

  "Good, good. The mayor would have annoyed the hell out of me for not including him and his army into the fight. But seriously, what help would they have made? We barely managed to fight them off, and we're equipped for it."

  "But they can be so too. How about you take the better jewelry for yourselves and hand the rest to him? He can give them out as rewards to his best soldiers," Freya offered. I nodded slowly as I looked up at the tower.

  "There must be tons of spoils up there, as well as at the mansion," I replied. "But yeah, we need this place as secure as possible. Especially if we want to reap the rewards."

  "I'll put up a high-end ward in place so Nosferatu can't enter just like that. Anything less and this guy should be able to handle it," Freya said, picking up the Dark Stone's hand and re-attached it. "If you want to serve our Lord Ivan, I mean. We won't force you, but if you ever wished to serve someone just and good, it's him."

  He scratched his head and shot me a sheepish smile.

  "I'm not a soldier, nor am I a big fighter. I just want to live a peaceful life. If I can have that here, great, if not, I'll be moving elsewhere," he replied earnestly.

  "But you won't be the only one protecting the city, Renato," I said. "Beside you, there will be hundreds of soldiers who will be armed and ready to fight. We'll give you enchanted jewelry which will make you much stronger than you already are."

  "Hmm. How about you let me meet that mayor first and decide afterward? I'm tired and hungry."

  I couldn't help but laugh.

  "Ain't we all. I've lost quite some blood, so I'll need a couple of willing humans to feed off. And we'll need to have the mayor's men gather all the Countess' belongings, as well as scour the dead Supernaturals for any valuables."

  "Speaking of which, there he is," Freya said nodding at the edge of the alley. Surely, the elderly man walked as fast as he could our way, all dressed in armor and carrying a long, thin sword in his right hand. Behind him, over a hundred of the soldiers I fed earlier escorted him.

  "Ugh, this is going to be one long night," I murmured as we all turned to the mayor and his small army.

  Chapter Thirty

  We drank, and ate, we rested, and we bathed, donned new, fine clothes and finally went to bed. I was restless all night, thinking about Nos and the guard Captain, what's more, I couldn't get Vladimir out of my head. At one moment, he looked like he was about to join me, but then those wretches ruined it for me. I would make sure that after we were back at Rasnov, I'd torture Bella for days. When I was finally done, Tierney could have her fun with the witch. But before everything, I needed to know what Nos wanted with Vladimir, and what Bathory's game was. So many loose ends to tie up and no end in sight.

  The morning came much quicker than I thought it would. The soldiers and even civilians loyal to the mayor had gone out to celebrate and help with 'looting' the place. All the jewelry, minus what the odd looter kept for himself, was brought to the mayor's place. I doubted many expensive pieces would find the light of day, knowing how valuable they were to the war effort.

  The living room was bustling with activity, servants and soldiers were taking the place apart and putting it all back together again. Three dinner tables sat at the center of the room with over forty chairs surrounding it. One was much larger and decorated. It would be a fun thing to see if the mayor would dare sit in the throne while in my presence.

  "Lord Ivan!" Selene called from the entrance. "Please come outside. We need to go over some of the spoils." I had to say that she got my attention at the word spoils. Since last night it sat there at the back of my mind. I wanted to know what we had to work with, be it both manpower and enchanted items.

  "Where is everyone?" I asked as I walked up on her. She put her arm under mine and pulled me along. It sure was a strange feeling to have her lead me outside where the crowd would be waiting. I didn't mind, though. She was an ally, and one of the strongest I had. So even if she demanded something I wasn't quite willing to do or give it to her, I'd seriously consider it.

  "Out front. Boris is already drunk and asleep. Imagine how much he must have had to drink to get wasted," she whispered.

  "Probably all of their stock," I replied, knowing how much the man, or rather Werewolf, liked to drink whatever he could get his paws on.

  "You got it. But they didn't seem to mind," Selene chuckled. "Anyway, there are a lot of interesting things among the loot. There's weapons, armor, clothing, jewelry, and even gems. I've put some things aside for the ladies and for some of our men. But the largest pile are weaker things that add some extra endurance, power or defensive magic. Nothing we would even feel, but to Humans, it's quite a difference."

  "I see. Did you pick anything for yourself?" I asked as she pushed the door open. She shook her head.

  "No. I'm good as is."

  "I insist. Pick the best item for yourself, but don't tell anyone about it."

  "No worries. There's nothing of real value that would trump what I already have. Most of the things are for you Vampyres or Werewolves. Or for people like Renato."

  "The offer stands until everything is given out. So suit yourself. Oh, and thanks for showing up when you did. It was stupid of me to underestimate the enemy. Or rather think that the Nos wouldn't have his fingers in this."

  "Ahh! There he is!" the mayor's voice boomed, followed by a chorus of cheers and laughter. It was a rather strange feeling, one I'd forgotten how it felt. Sure, torture and brutality were still my favorites, but that didn't mean I couldn't do 'some' good every now and then. Primarily if it served my own purpose.

  "Mayor," I replied with a nod and turned to the soldiers. "Men and women. You did a good job last night. It was a hard battle, but they won't be coming here anymore. At least not any time soon. I'll be working toward ridding this world of that scum for as long as I breathe, so stay brave, and stay strong."

  "Wow, who would have thought you'd be able to deliver a speech," Freya mused from beside me. "Even such a short one. I sure wouldn't."

  "You're one to talk. Acting all high and mighty, push me away, and then to go as far to save me. Again."

  "I'll explain everything another time. How about you get this over with so we can go back to Rasnov?"

  I nodded and turned back to the crowd, who were eagerly awaiting my next words.

  "The mayor and I have come to an agreement. This city will be a tributary and under the protection of me and my allies. We'll give you the means to defend yourselves, as well as leave someone in charge of those forces. If something should arise that you can't take care of yourselves, I'll do it for you. Is there anyone who wants to object to this agreement?"

  No one spoke. They had seen us in action, or at least the aftermath of our battle, so no one was stupid enough to oppose me now. Not that it would bring them any good in the end.

  I nodded and looked over the crowd.

  "The spoils will be shared among the survivors, and the families of the fallen will be compensated. It's just that I have the first pick at the loot, after which my subordinates will get their picks. Whatever's left will be shared equally among you. Does anyone have any objections?"

  Again, the crowd remained silent. Good. I liked the discipline and hated greed or at least greedy Humans. So I approached the two piles with that in mind and looked down at the items. Every part had a written note on what it would do, so I observed the right collection, the one Selene had separated from the useless stuff.

  Tiara's, crowns, earrings, jewels, and rings. Even three weapons. I only had my ladies in mind, so I searched for the perfect gift. There were three almost identical tiaras laid out next to each other. Selene, the sly fox, surely knew how to get me to do something. All three had unique properties which seemed somewhat overwhelming. The tiara with a red gem at the center added to the wearer's physical power, while the blue added to one's ment
al prowess. Lastly, the black embedded tiara did both. I would have to make sure neither of the three knew what the jewelry did for their users.

  Further, a strange-looking sword lay right next to the black embedded tiara. Its hilt was made from gold and was imbued with two gems to either side, giving the user extreme physical power and speed. I grinned, knowing my first lady would worship this item. Next was a sword with a three-foot slightly curved blade.

  "That comes from the far east," Selene explained. "It's blade can cut through anything, especially if she would wield it. It does require extensive care, though that's the only downside I can think of."

  I snorted and nodded appreciatively.

  "I guess she will," I replied and read the note. Extreme speed, precision, and power. Excellent for Hana who liked to get up close and personal. Lastly, a great staff cast from pure gold. At the top, it held a ridiculously large gem, while the butt end was sharp and carved into a cross blade. The note said extreme magical and mental power.

  A couple of earrings and rings had similar but weaker characteristics according to Selene, and I chose two more for each of my women. Then I had to think about Petrov, Harma, and Marek, picking a cudgel for the lady, a two-handed sword for Marek and a long, curved blade for Petrov. Two rings for each and that was it.

  "I'm finished," I said after separating the items from the still large pile.

  "What about Gamayun?" Freya asked. "Want me to pick something out for her?"

  "Sure, go ahead," I replied. As Selene snapped her fingers, two rings floated up and moved to the pile I created moments ago.

  "Oh, and everyone here gets the first pick at any enchanted weapon. Whatever remains goes back to Rasnov," I added and turned to Boris and Selene. "You two?"

  Boris shook his head along with Selene.

  "We already had our share stripping the dead up at the tower."

  "Oh? What about me?" I asked half-annoyed and half-curious.