Bethrezen pulled his arm out and used the other to press down on the chest as Astaroth tried to free himself, but our body felt as if it weighed like a mountain. He couldn't even move it by an inch.
"You'll regret this, father. Maybe not in this life, but surely in the next!"
"I'm already regretting it, Astaroth. I should have killed you and that mother of yours the moment she said it was a son. But I'm rectifying that mistake right now."
His emotions conflicted with his words. It tore at me as if I was being quartered by four horses. Bethrezen's actions spoke enough for me to know he wanted him dead, but deep within, he wanted for his son to kill him so he could finally rest. That would be the way out he yearned for all these years, but Astaroth was too weak. He had just taken residence in the Human world, so there was no way for him to even come close in power. But it wasn't my place to comment on it, and if I did, it wouldn't make any difference. It was all over for him.
"Goodbye, father," Astaroth said. He didn't plead, nor did he curse. His voice was neutral as if he didn't care about the fact that he was about to die.
"Greet your mother when you see her," Bethrezen snapped and slammed his claw right into his son's throat.
Chapter Forty
A familiar figure appeared right before us deflecting Bethrezen's claw. His white, bony hands looked so frail that one would think he was about to fall apart. Though his looks could fool anyone, I wouldn't be fooled by his anymore.
"Nosferatu! What the hell are you doing siding with them? They're your enemies!"
"Maybe, but the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Demon. You would do well to learn a thing or two here and there. Not everything is solved by brute force, you know?"
"Unless you can!" Bethrezen snapped and slashed at Nos's chest. His hand went right through, but the bladed edge cut into his flesh. Nos cursed and jumped out of his reach while pulling Astaroth with him.
"You shouldn't overestimate yourself!" the old Vampyre snapped. "You may be strong, but that body is weak! The young one is barely holding on as is!"
I had no idea what he was talking about, but I didn't feel anything. At least not until he moved. All the while he'd been standing in place just moving his arms, but now that he did, the toll on my soul became almost unbearable.
"Maybe, but I still have enough to kill both of you!" Bethrezen roared as he charged the two. The lower half of his body turned to smoke as if disintegrating, but the upper half retained its 'structure' so to say. The pain disappeared as I drifted off into a dream-like state.
Nos threw out a shield that blocked our attack, but the Demon King didn't give up. He attacked relentlessly as the ancient Vampyre jumped around evading attack after attack. Astaroth finally got up again, the hole in his chest healed up around a large, round scar. His green armored skin looked as if someone had weathered it and plastered with a fine layer of soil. Just what did that mean? Was he hurt so badly that his whole skin took on a worn-down appearance? All of this was strange and bothered me as I knew he wouldn't reply since he was fighting.
Freya flashed appearing right next to us backhanding Astaroth and slamming her fist against Nos's chin. He flew right up against a thick tree-trunk and crashed through. Darkness appeared all around him, revealing dozens of dangerously-looking creatures. I recognized three of them, but not the rest. Just what the hell was with him and his army of Supernaturals?
"Go help the girls, they're struggling," Freya whispered in my mind. "I can take it."
"What? You think I'm going to let you fight my battle? Think again!"
"Ivan! You're going to die! I can't hold him back like last time!"
"What about the sacrifices we made?"
"They made a mistake with the rune. I didn't regain any of my power through that."
I groaned and cursed inwardly.
"Whatever. To the death, Freya," I said firmly.
"How about you regain control over your body first," she added and turned back to the Nos and Astaroth. The dozens of creatures still stood there in cover of his darkness glaring at us menacingly, but none of them moved.
"Bethrezen, I need control over this body. We can stay like this if need be forever, but I need to take over, please."
"I want him dead, Ivan. Once he is, you can have your body back for all eternity, since my life's mission will be complete.
"If any of my girls die because of you, I'll never go after him, that's a promise!"
"Don't you threaten me, Ivan! I saved your life!"
"Fuck my life if it's not mine!"
Astaroth finally stood with his head raised again beside Nos, flexing his arms and cracking his neck.
"You shouldn't have gone against me, young Vampyre," he said, snapping his fingers and releasing a whole side of his creatures. The darkness withdrew and left them standing to his right.
"Fuck you, Nosferatu. Failure will always remain a failure," Bethrezen replied. "And you are nothing but a relic of the past. Today you die along with my son."
The Demon King darted right at Astaroth, reaching for him with my claws. Nos stepped in and deflected the blow, twisted around and slammed his fist against my chin. Freya stepped in and sent him flying with a kick and turned right up into Astaroth's face, sending him crashing into Nos's group of slaves.
"That's enough, sister. You will not touch my protege unless you want me to fight yours," an old voice said, sending chills down my spine.
"Brother? I thought you were up north doing shit like always."
"Not this time. I've been lurking in the shadows, waiting for you to make a mistake. And here it is."
"What are you talking about? I was just defending myself," Freya protested.
"Sister dear, don't. Please. It's so unbecoming of you," the man berated her. It didn't take much for me to understand who, or what he was. To be totally honest, I wasn't happy to meet him at all.
"So, what now?" she asked after an uncomfortable silence. To my surprise, no one moved. No one even twitched a finger.
"Now, we finish this. The only one you're allowed to put a hand on is that Nosferatu. The same way I'm not allowed to attack those three beautiful women of his, or those defenders atop the walls. You see, if our word means nothing, then we're no better than the mortals."
She snorted and shook her head slowly. This was the first time I really had no idea what was going to happen. Would she lash out, or would she do what she promised at the start and stay out of this.
"I think your people need to leave us the hell alone, Belobog. I'm sick and tired of our own turning on one another that I'm really tempted about going down and killing that Pope myself," she snapped. "You see, I'm trying to have some semblance of life here. They aren' t giving me a chance, and I should just sit back and take it? You should know better than to ask for the impossible!"
"I can, and I did. Stay out of it, or I'll do the same to the other side," he replied coldly. I could see in his eyes that the man was no pushover or used to be talked back to. When he wanted something, he took or destroyed it.
"Ivan, I have no idea what to do. I can't take both of them on. I don't even know if I could take my brother today in my state."
"Then don't. Get him out of my face, and we can see how to deal with this nasty bastard. Or you can fight your brother while I fight the two of them," I replied mentally. Her right eye twitched for the shortest second before turning to her brother.
"Take him and leave. Move this battle up ten years. Let us have the time to create something worth fighting for. Let them build up an army that could stand against the Vatacan's for when the time comes."
"What do you say, Dominiq?" he asked calmly. "If you explain the situation to his holiness, he might understand and agree to it. You're his son after all, no?"
"Damn it! Why did you have to mention it in front of them?" Dominiq cursed. He was still transformed into Astaroth, but his features were slowly returning as the rough skin dissipated.
"If they had killed you, the Pope himself would have
come for them. I don't think it's something they're ready for yet. And you should be grateful for what I'm doing. You get to live a while longer."
"What? That's it? You want to save someone who came knocking down my walls and killing everyone I care for?" I snarled. "I won't stand for it!"
"Ivan! Shut up!" Freya snapped. "You can't even dream of touching him in the state you're in, even less defeat the man. Go take care of the rest. They aren't part of this deal, are they, brother?"
Belobog slowly shook his head, all the while grinning wolfishly.
"No. You can do whatever you want with them, including the Nos. But I don't think you want to kill him quite yet, or how will you find Vladimir and lady Bathory?"
I cursed inwardly, angry at the whole mess the god just created by visiting. We utterly failed to kill either Dominiq, Astaroth and the Nosferatu. Bethrezen was seething with rage, but he didn't move. I could feel control over my body return slowly. It was as if a colony of fire-ants crawled up my body, eating away at my skin. The layer of Onyx evaporated into thin air as my body turned back to normal, just like Dominiq's had. But I felt different than before, tougher and stronger in any way imaginable. Had I awakened? No, I'd known as would they.
"Goodbye," Belobog said with a slight nod as he places his hand on Dominiq's right shoulder. A glowing white circle appeared below their feet and moved all the way up their bodies, ending above their heads.
"See you soon, Ivan. I won't have to wait for ten years to beat you, no, I give you five. The next time we meet, you're dead meat," Dominiq snarled. An incredibly blinding beam of light burst from beneath their feet before they disappeared as if they never even been there.
When I could see again, the two were gone, along with Nosferatu. A rage beyond what Bethrezen felt rushed over me as I saw how he treated his minions. The bastard fled once again while leaving his slaves behind.
"All of you have three choices," I yelled, taking the initiative as I summoned my spear into my hand. "You either die here today, you run without ever coming back, or you join me. I know Nosferatu had you under his control, but he's gone now, fled just like last time when we faced off."
"Who the hell are you then?" a tall, brutish man asked. He could smoothly pass for an Ogre if he were a little uglier. "A little Vampyre wants to order us around? I eat the likes of you for--"
I didn't let him finish, instead threw my spear right at his head. The tip caught his right eye-socket and went right through the back and flew off into the distance. I snapped ceremoniously, and it appeared right back in my hand.
"You were saying?" I asked, leaning over him as he lay in a crumpled heap choking on his own blood. He didn't manage another word out before dying to the shock of the others. Then a young woman made the first move.
"And what do you offer us if we stay?" she asked, stepping in much too close for comfort. Freya put herself in between us and pushed the woman back a step.
"You get to be on the same side with the bad guys," Freya chuckled. "You see, we're the ones who are gonna burn down the Vatacan so no supernaturals will have to fear for their lives. At least from the Humans. What happens in the supernatural world, well, that is up to them."
"Join me, and you can stay at Castle Bran. My Human servants are housed at Rasnov, while a Dark Stone, one of your brethren called Renato, is keeping Orsova safe. I would prefer if at least two or three joined him there. He's got the previous Countess manor all to himself and is rather lonely."
"Oh? So we are supposed to safeguard your assets?" the same young woman asked.
"Yes, you are," I replied. "And in turn, you get our protection, power, and respect. You need blood for sustenance? No problem, there will be enough lined up to feed you every day. You need raw meat? You will get it. You need-- something else? You'll get it. But make no mistake. You have duties like in any army. Keeping the citizens safe and training our soldiers is of utmost importance. Then, depending on your qualities and skills, you will be assigned a job."
"And what kind of job could a summoner get?" she asked again, pointing her palms to the sky and chanting something I couldn't make out. Three large circles appeared around us, humming and radiating light. The ground opened up as three creatures rose from the depth of mother earth. They were similar to Shadow Knights. One wielded a sword and shield, one a wicked-looking bow, and the third a long battle staff with an incredibly large ruby at the top.
"What are they?" I asked curiously. They were-- strange to say the least. Their bodies weren't fully solid, but I could feel their power radiate.
"Shadow soldiers. A defender and two ranged attackers. As to what they are, I have no idea. I have never met someone like me, so it wasn't like I could ask them."
"She's a Specter, Ivan," Freya explained. "Those are the souls of a dead general and his companions. They're quite powerful when that large."
"So, we got a deal?" I asked curiously. Her body language didn't betray much, except for her finding it all rather amusing.
"The name is Vivian. Vivka for short. I want to serve with the Dark Stone guy. That way, my summons can practice against him.
"How do you know what he is?"
"Because there's two more where he came from," a thick, short man said interrupting us. He stepped past her and up to me. "My sister and I are Dark Stones. Maybe you could let us go there as well if we came to an agreement?"
"Maybe. But what about the rest of you. I can't help but notice some are running as we speak, but that doesn't matter much. They'll be hunted down and killed if they ever approach my lands again."
Five men and women remained. Neither of them looked interested in running, so I gave them a chance. In the end, four remained while the last one decided to go as well. I sighed in relief and turned to my girls. They sat atop a group of dead Clerics. I was angry at the fact that I took so long to check up on them, but they would have to understand, and if they didn't, tough luck. It wasn't like I had been doing nothing, but it sure felt like it.
"So how do you know you can trust us?" the Specter asked.
"You'll go through a binding ritual," Katya said as the girls approached. "If you harm Ivan or anyone of our supernaturals, your body will go up in flames from inside out. So think this over very carefully. Once it's there, nothing can remove it."
"Alright then," Vivka said. "Count me in.
"First thing tomorrow. Now, go let out some pent-up frustration and rage on the remaining attackers. I'll go with you, but I won't join in as you help the defenders. That's your first task to prove your loyalties."
"Very well then," she replied. "Boys, let's go!"
Once the battle was over, half of the outer walls were damaged or blown to bits. We managed to round up about three thousand of the zealots and put them to sleep with magic. They would never know what even happened to them, but the world would know what I did. It wasn't like I cared about it though, as I needed Freya at the top of her game, so this time we overlooked the ritual ourselves. It wasn't a pretty sight, so I put up a dome of darkness all around the area.
Three hours in, we were finally done and sitting in the throne room of Castle Bran. The girls, Boris and Gamayun, sat all around the large oval table and stared up at me. I couldn't help but sit there with my mouth closed. The battle had drained me, even more, the failure of getting my revenge on either of my two archenemies.
"Our casualties were minimal thanks to the fire," Boris said, trying to get the conversation going. "We lost a couple of hundred during the exploding zealot's stage, but once that was over, we wiped them out badly. The jewelry, armor, and clothing really helped."
"Good, I'm glad it did," I uttered before I closed my mouth again. "You-- just talk. I'll listen to what you all have to say."
"I'll take it from here then," Hana replied before anyone else could. "Unless anyone has a problem with it?" No one answered and instead most slumped back into their chairs. "Good. To start off, we need to repair the portcullis and fifteen feet of the wall along with the batt
lements. Next, we lost twenty-nine archers and two-hundred-seven ordinary soldiers, while Rasnov will need about seventy feet of a new wall along with the gate. They lost close to three hundred mixed troops and about a hundred archers." She stopped for a moment to take a breath when Katya spoke.
"Is this even important? We cheated death today, so I don't really think a bunch of stone needs mention."
"No, but the loss of life does. Speaking of which, only three of those supernaturals survived. That Spectre girl, a shifter who can turn into a bone-bear or whatever you want to call him--"
"A bone-bear?" I asked, sitting upright. "What the hell is that?"
"Well, his whole body is covered with bone on the outside. It's like attacking a mountain. Anyway, the third one was a young woman that had ultimate control over all elements. She cast torrents of flame, brought down thunder and lightning, then froze the enemies and shattered them by showering the area with rock debris. I have no idea what she is, but even we don't have such control over the elements."
"Which means that she'd be a perfect support for Renato. Vivka should stay here, but send the bone-bear to Orsova as well," I ordered. "That way they have two fighters and a magic-user as support."
"I already thought you'd say something along those lines. In any case, Vivka is taking a bath right now together with Harma. You can talk to her whenever."
"No need, Hana. I have my hands full with you ladies, so assign her to whomever. Give her a unit. I don't care as long as she's of use."
"What about us?" Tierney asked, finally breaking her silence.
"We go take a bath ourselves, then have some sexy time. Unless some of you rather not," I joked. Not one of them needed to be asked a second time. Finally, some well-deserved time off, now if only it could last for a while. We had a lot of work ahead of us, and waging war while trying to rebuild and expand didn't go well hand in hand.
The danger still loomed over our heads, but at least I knew what to expect next time, or at least I hoped I understood. This time I was caught off guard by Bethrezen and Astaroth, then Belobog, but not next time. Unless the Pope had another son, who was worse than Dominiq. But we'd take everything one step at a time both with my girls and with recovering what was lost. Vladimir. I'd find him one day, and then I'd rip him a new one. After all, who was I going to leave the empire I'd create to?
Lord of Shadows book 2: Bloodlines Page 32