The Vampire Hunters Academy: The Shadows

by Delizhia Jenkins

  Archer waited for her by the exit, as nausea threatened to make her lose what was left of her breakfast.

  Images of Cain’s conquests through the ages still flickered in the backdrop of her mind: villages burned to the ground as bodies that were completely drained of their life essence were cast about, countless beautiful women collected to add to his vampire harem, his rage, centuries of pain and loss …

  She staggered closer to Archer, who caught her by her shoulders, escorted her outside to a set of benches, and encouraged her to sit. She opened her mind to Archer, bombarding him with the vision, even providing him with the surround sound, along with the opportunity to feel what it was like to be inside the mind of the world’s top predator.

  Archer severed the connection and stumbled back. “I feel like he is trying to send a message,” Archer said. “Any idea what that could be?’

  Sanaya inhaled sharply. “I think he wants me to understand him, to see where he is coming from.” She exhaled and shuddered. “To know what I’m up against.”

  “He knows you will go hunting for him soon.”

  She closed her eyes and nodded. Cain knew ultimately that she would come for him. It was her job as the Slayer to hunt and kill vampires, especially the Father of all vampires and any other supernatural threat to humanity. But why would Cain want her to know his thoughts and feelings? Did he think it would make her less inclined to hunt him?

  “Go back inside and rest,” Archer said. “You are done for the night.”

  Sanaya took her time returning to the gym.

  Archer waited until she disappeared into the building before looking up into the sky as the last rays of sun disappeared beneath the horizon. “Heaven help us,” he said into the breeze. “We are in deep shit.”

  Chapter Ten

  “We got her!” Natasha shouted, raising her blade to meet the dark energy blast sent in her direction.

  “Surround the she-demon!” Aklia roared as she manifested in corporeal form to help a dozen fleeing humans. “Run! All of you! Get out of here!”

  Twelve warrior women surrounded Selene, who stood eerily still, her eyes focused on a prisoner attempting to drag his bloodied body to safety. With laser focus and a flick of her wrist, she froze the terrified inmate on the center of the floor and yanked him closer to her as if he had an invisible chin wrapped around his throat. The prisoner screamed and struggled to break free of the hold, while the Council went on the attack.

  Selene deflected all of their attacks with ease courtesy of the fresh human blood coursing through her system. She blasted an invisible energy force that sent the warriors flailing away from her in different directions.

  Aklia was the first to recover, and with her sword in hand she sprang into the air, swung, and missed slashing Selene’s throat by mere millimeters.

  Selene avoided being decapitated, but she was unable to dodge Raya’s swift kick to her gut or Natasha’s punches to her back.

  Angered by the miss, Aklia’s hands crackled with electricity. She poised for another strike when gunshots rang out behind her as a specialized Army combat unit came bursting through the steel doors, dropping the battering ram behind them.

  “Fall back!” Aklia called as she dodged a rain of bullets whizzing by her. “This is our fight!”

  Selene tried to snatch one of the soldiers into her awaiting palms, but Raya deflected the attempt by shooting her in the chest with a silver-tipped arrow. As Selene’s screams bounced off the walls and a hail of bullets pierced the air, several entities materialized in front of her, shielding her from the soldiers, Raya, Maya, and Aklia.

  “Silver!” Selene screeched. “That bitch shot me with silver!” She snatched the arrow from her chest.

  “Retreat!” Daemon called as he scooped Selene into his arms. She thrashed about in a fury, but he held her tightly in his grasp.

  “I will devour your spirit, you bitch!” Selene spat at Raya, who flung a small dagger in Daemon’s direction. He deflected the weapon with a flick of his wrist before dematerializing into the airwaves.

  “I will have the heart of the new Slayer you wish to protect!” Selene vowed, her voice echoing throughout the cells.

  Gunfire still rang out against the remaining vampires who had infiltrated the prison. Natasha led three other women into the shadows to put an end to the creatures that had taken advantage of the situation and targeted vulnerable humans.

  “Raya!” Aklia shouted. “I need you to accompany me to The Academy! We have to retrieve Sanaya and her team! She may be in danger!”

  Raya rammed her blade into the side of an all-too-stupid vampire’s neck and watched with quiet satisfaction as the entity incinerated almost instantly. “All right,” she said, cracking her knuckles. “Natasha and the others can finish here. Let’s go!”

  After blinding the police and soldiers with a ray of golden light, the two former Slayers disappeared into the ether and made their way to The Academy.

  When Archer blew his whistle to signal the young Guardian team that training was over for the day, the team released a collective sigh of relief. King and Sanaya sat on the bleachers, exhausted, leaning against each other for support while the rest of the group collapsed on the gym floor.

  “All right, everyone,” Archer said, pacing anxiously. “Class dismissed. If you need medical assistance, follow Eve and Congo. Otherwise, go straight to your rooms.”

  The group released a collective groan. Charlie rose to her feet, offering her hand to help Lisa off of the gym floor. Trent struggled to stand while Bullet remained sprawled out on the floor moaning.

  “Man, dawg, I don’t see how you are the fastest person on the team and you still get your ass beat,” Trent said with a smirk.

  “Screw you, buddy,” Bullet retorted. “I may be the fastest, but that means I burn out faster, too.”

  “Leave him alone, traitor,” Charlie snapped.

  “Cut it out, you two,” Congo commanded with a frown.

  Trent opened his mouth to speak when a gust of wind blew through the gym followed by a blast of blinding golden light. Students and Guardians watched in awe as three former Slayers stepped through the light and stood before them, bloodied and out of breath.

  “Aklia!” Sanaya jumped up to greet the ancient warrior, almost knocking King over.

  “Sanaya!” Aklia approached her warmly and gave her a tight hug. “I am so glad you are well, young one. You must come with us now.”

  “Wait a minute,” Archer said, stepping between them. “Sanaya is not going anywhere.”

  The rest of the students shared uneasy glances, and a few of the Guardians shifted stances nervously.

  “Guardian Archer,” Aklia began, her gaze unwavering. “You were entrusted with her care because you have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are the better fit for our Slayer. But we have just come from the institution where Selene escaped with another ancient one. There were twelve of us all together, and yet we were unsuccessful.”

  “And we had her!” Natasha unleashed a frustrated sigh.

  “Selene is strong now,” Aklia said. “We wounded her with silver, but she is still powerful. Sanaya will have to receive special training from us and—”

  “She is not going anywhere,” Archer interrupted, meeting Aklia’s stare. “You just can’t bust in here and take her on a whim.”

  “She needs to come with us so we can instill into her thousands of years of fighting techniques that she will need in battle!” Aklia roared. “Who are you to demand anything from us?”

  “But she has a team here that needs her,” Archer said. “You take her away to leave her own team behind in skill when she is already advancing at an exponential rate. She might as well fly solo then!”

  “You dare challenge me, Guardian?” Aklia stepped forward, but Raya intervened, gently placing a palm on Aklia’s shoulder.

  “He has a point, Aklia,” Raya said. “She needs her Guardians just as much as they need her. Why don’t we train
them all, give them all a boost in their skills? As she grows so will they as their bonds strengthen. We can help them.”

  Aklia exhaled sharply and stared into Archer’s eyes. “You do know who I am.”

  “I do,” Archer said. “And I am Sanaya’s Guardian. Even from you.”

  The tension in the room was so thick that no one dared to breathe.

  “If you wish to train her,” Archer said, “you must train her here with her team.”

  Aklia relaxed her shoulders. “We chose you wisely, Archer.” She offered her hand. “We have a deal.”

  Sanaya felt relief enter her body when Archer grasped Aklia’s hand.

  “I know you want what is best for her, but so do I,” Aklia said. “Selene will come for her and anyone who stands in her way.”

  “I know,” Archer said. “But let’s talk about that later. The team is exhausted. Our Slayer is exhausted ...”

  Aklia released Archer’s hand. “Fine. You and I will discuss my concerns tonight, and we can guarantee the school twenty-four hours of Council protection. And afterwards, we train our Slayer and her team my way.”

  “As you wish,” Archer said.

  Aklia turned to face her warrior sisters. “See to it that this young team has a night of peace. Call in reinforcements. I have some hunting to do.”

  “You shouldn’t go alone, Aklia,” Raya protested.

  “I have been thousands of years removed from the land of the living,” Aklia declared. “But I promise you, sister, I will not do anything foolish.”

  She turned to face the multiple sets of eyes that stared back at her in amazement. “Be well, children and Guardians. I will return unto you later.” With her palm she opened up a portal of white light, stepped through it without looking back, and vanished as portal winked shut behind her.

  “We will be calling in more of the Council members to act as sentries while you all rest and recover,” Raya said. “Rest well, Slayer. Guardians.”

  Natasha and Raya disappeared into another portal of white light leaving students and Guardians completely stunned.

  “All right, ladies and gents, head back to your rooms,” Archer said. “You heard the Slayer. You have twenty-four hours of rest and recovery before your training with the Council begins.”

  “But what about class tomorrow?” Bullet asked.

  The entire room groaned.

  “What?” Bullet asked. “I wanna know.”

  “If I wasn’t so mentally exhausted, boy, I would make you run five miles for asking that question,” Archer said with amusement. “Let’s go get you guys stitched up, showered, and fed so I can do what I have to do as Head Guardian.”

  As the team dispersed, Sanaya found her way back to King. “I think we need to see about getting our bumps and bruises checked about.” She smiled. “Don’t you?”

  “Yeah, let’s go,” he whispered. “And that will give us some extra time to be together.”

  As they walked arm-in-arm, Sanaya released a long sigh and tried to force herself not to think about this evening’s events. The situation was growing realer by the minute, especially with the Council getting involved. She idly shook her head

  “Are you okay, boo?” he asked, bringing her closer, no longer caring who might have been watching.

  “Yeah. I’m good. Just thinking.”

  Sanaya thanked the powers that be for the twenty-four-hour reprieve. Her team needed this, because Lord knew what would be coming for them. And with her birthday only a few days away, she knew something monumental was going to happen.

  Something is coming, she thought. Something other than Selene. I hope Archer and the senior Guardians are ready, and I hope my team can be ready in time.

  But most of all, I hope I’m ready.

  Chapter Eleven

  “At least one hundred inmates and staff at the Louisiana State Penitentiary are dead or critically wounded after last night’s shoot-out with an unidentified woman, possibly of African-American descent, standing at only five foot seven and weighing less than one hundred pounds. Authorities are investigating the violent incident, comparing it to the horrific scene at Café du Monde, but they don’t believe the two incidents are connected. Authorities believe the uprising at ‘The Alcatraz of the South’ may have been the work of a cult working within the walls of the penitentiary. Most of the prisoner brought to area hospitals suffered from lacerations and bite wounds to the throat and shoulders, as if bitten by wild animals, and severe blood loss. Other victims were violently ripped apart, and the FBI and state officials are reviewing the gruesome footage for clues to the woman’s identify. Stay tuned as we bring you more information on ‘Riot at The Farm,’ but now back to our coverage of ‘The Massacre of New Orleans’ ...”

  Archer hit the power button on his remote and sighed. “Not related? Are they kidding? Wow.”

  What was left of the New Orleans teams was being transported across state lines into Texas for their protection. Eve, Congo, Lois, and a few other senior Guardians were preparing to fly to New Orleans to track Selene and hopefully put her down. But with the Council making another impromptu appearance, Archer seriously doubted that even the most seasoned Guardians would be capable of destroying Selene. All they could do was offer moral support, do research, and report their findings to him. There was no way he was losing more Guardians on his watch.

  He slumped into the chair behind his desk and reached for the hard whisky that he only indulged in during stressful occasions. He tilted his head back and took in a huge gulp of the potent liquid, his insides feeling as if they were being torched as the fluid made its way from his esophagus to the empty pit of his stomach. This would indeed be a rough night. He was so mentally exhausted that he didn’t flinch when a blast of white light flashed into the room and faded until Aklia, the first Huntress, stood before him, glaring at him and shaking her head.

  “I expected better of you, Guardian,” Aklia said, crossing her arms against her chest.

  Archer took another huge gulp before setting the glass down. “Times are hard,” he said, “Or hadn’t you noticed?”

  “These are hard times, indeed,” Aklia said, “but now is not the time for drinking away your sorrows.”

  “I oversee Guardians all around the world, and have done so for years, battling every entity imaginable,” he said, shaking his head. “I know what comes with the territory of guarding a Slayer. We all do. I know what comes with being a Guardian, but now …” He sighed. “This shit is too real.”

  “I am surprised at you, Archer,” Aklia said, her eyes softening. “You shouldn’t be second-guessing yourself and discrediting the talents of each individual Guardian team member. You have trained them well.”

  “It won’t matter, and you know it,” Archer said.

  “Not if we train them properly,” Aklia said.

  “So many Guardians gone,” Archer said. “So many …”

  “Archer, there have always been more Guardians than Slayers, and there have been long periods when a Slayer had not yet been sent to earth. Hundreds of years have gone by without a Slayer, but who were the ones fighting back evil?”

  “The Guardians, of course, but—”

  “But what?” Aklia interrupted. “Guardians hold The Darkness at bay until the birth and development of the next Slayer. I have witnessed hundreds of thousands of Guardians across the ages go up against demons and vampires of even the most fearsome levels, and they did so valiantly. Some battles were won, others were lost, but had it not been for the Guardians around the world, humanity would have been lost eons ago. You have already lost the battle if you admit defeat now.”

  “But we just aren’t prepared for this,” Archer said. “You think you can prepare them in a day? There’s no way.”

  “You’re right,” Aklia said. “I cannot do it alone. Only together can we defeat Selene to spare our Slayer the burden of tracking and killing both Cain and his offspring. We can do this. I will dispatch my Slayers to stand guard over the
wounded Guardians and to slaughter anything that springs from the shadows. In the meantime, I will send my best huntresses to root out all of Selene’s potential protégés and to locate her lair. Once we locate her lair, you can send your own team, and I will send reinforcements so we can finally put an end to this. In the meantime, our Slayer and her team will be safe, and the school will be safe, and you and I will make sure her team is ready.”

  A smile crept slowly along Archer’s face as the two locked eyes. “In only twenty-four hours, huh?”

  “It can be done,” Aklia said. “It must be done.”

  “I know, I know,” Archer said. “So tell me your plan of protection.”

  “Sanaya and her team will have their own personal sentries, including her mentor, Natasha,” Aklia said. “Twenty-four Council Slayers will guard each of the cardinal points of the school, including all entrances and exits. They will, of course, remain invisible to the other students and staff unless there is an emergency.”

  “Yeah, I think that would be best,” Archer said. “We wouldn’t want to scare anyone, would we, what with Selene and Cain out there.”

  “You have so little faith,” Aklia said.

  “I have plenty of faith,” Archer said. “I also have plenty of doubt. I am a realist, Aklia. I don’t live in the spirit world. I live in this world.”

  “We will also watch over you, Head Guardian.”

  “Me? Why me? I don’t need protecting.” He pointed at his whisky. “I have this holy water here.”

  Aklia sighed. “I do not want you to worry about sending war parties to exact vengeance. Simply rescue, recover, and research.”

  “That’s what I plan to do,” Archer said. “That’s all I plan to do.”

  Aklia handed him a gold chain that held a small star-shaped amulet and gently placed it into his hand. “If you hold this in your palm and say ‘I summon The Council of the Past,’ you will gain entrance into Council Chambers should the need arise for our assistance.”

  “‘I summon The Council—’”

  “Surely you don’t need our help right now,” Aklia interrupted.