by Jen Pretty
"The two began to fight, at first with swords and then with speed and magic but there was no victor that day because both were injured fatally. The strange woman fled, but the fae king's men were so distraught with the loss of their king they raided and killed many vampires, and the vampires retaliated, and so the Great War began.
“Too many fae and vampires have been lost in this war. We fight now for no reason other than we have always fought. Neither king has been replaced in all this time though; the fae have their elders ruling, the vampires have no ruling leader, so they just fight when they feel like it.
“I would like to seize control of the vampires and bring us back to peace. I have spoken to the fae elders, and they are in agreement, but first, we must remove Joshua and release the hold he has on those vampires he turned. That is how we end this ancient war."
Everyone was silent. All this over a woman most people have never even heard of. This was crazy.
“What a load of shit,” I mumbled, breaking the shocked silence. This was ridiculous.
Armond looked at me with sadness, and I realized he hadn't known this either, and his whole life just came into question. He's been fighting this war for nearly 100 years and thought it was a noble cause when really it had all started because two asshole kings wanted a pretty girl.
I reached over and took his hand, and He squeezed mine.
"This has to end," He muttered, but everyone heard him.
Agreements were heard all over the room. Then silence as we each considered the story once more privately.
“Alright,” Armond said. "We need to get back to work. Each of you will work your hardest for three more days. That is all the time we have according to the elders. So, use it wisely. As soon as we are back to earth, we are moving to take out this vamp."
Then we were all moving. Hunters were heading out the door, I had to change first, so I went back to my room but before I could change there was a light knock on the door.
"Come in," I called, and Armond came through the door quietly shutting it behind him.
"Do you believe Henry? That this war started because of two idiots? And vampires just need a good leader to direct them, and they will step in line?" he asked looking more confused than I had ever seen him. His purpose had been taken away, his foundation broken, and he had no solid ground to stand on. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down to me.
"I believe him, but more importantly I believe in Evan. He wouldn't steer us wrong. I don't know why Henry hasn't tried to take control of the vampires before now or where he has been, but if we can end this idiotic war, we have to."
Armond sucked in a huge breath and let it out before straightening and looking down at me. "You're right. Of course, we have to end it; I just wonder what life will be like for my hunters and me in a world without an enemy." He looked at me a bit sadly and then turned and left.
I got changed quickly and walked out to find Henry waiting for me. Everyone else had already gone ahead.
“I’ll walk you to the clearing,” he offered “I have some things I’d like to talk to you about.”
“Ok. I have some questions too.”
"I thought you might." He opened the door, and we walked out to the woods, following the path.
Finally, I asked the burning question. "Where have you been?"
He stopped walking. Sighed wearily and turned to look at me. "I have been in hiding. Living in the mountains of Russia where there are no other vampires or fae. I didn't want to fight in the war, so I ran away. I'm not proud of what I did, but at the time I was young and not powerful enough to go against any of the older vampires. Five years ago, the only vampire who was older than I, and a long-time devotee of keeping the war going was killed in a raid lead by the previous leader of the hunters. I believe even your Armond and Fritz were there. It was a big win for the Fae, but it produced an opening for his first lieutenant to take up the reins. Joshua is very old and very powerful but not as old or powerful as I.
"I only recently learned of these events, or I would have come sooner. Perhaps before Joshua had managed to get so many vampires under his power but I was tucked away so far from the war that by the time I found out, he had already established himself fully with a large base of devoted followers."
“I understand. I would rather go hide in the mountains than face him again,” I said with sadness.
He laughed. "I don't doubt it. However, we both must face our fear now that we are both stronger."
“I’m not strong enough,” I whispered.
"I'll tell you a secret," Henry replied "I doubt myself too, but you and I were meant for this. It has been prophesied among the fae for generations. The girl who will end the war,” He smiled at me “they spoke of you. You will be successful.”
I was quiet for a moment. It was a bit staggering to hear that your future was already set but it was also encouraging. If I was the one who could help end this, then I would do whatever was necessary. "Thank you, Henry."
We shared a smile as we walked into the clearing.
We practiced all day for the next three days. The power from the ground was coming quickly now. I still hoped I would have a bit more of it when it came time to face the monster of my nightmares but maybe it would be enough.
Before I knew it, our time was up. Armond had heard from the elders again, and they said we had to go. They would know, I suppose, but it was still hard getting in the SUV to leave my protected cottage in the safety of Homeland.
Armond stopped me beside the SUV.
"I have something for you," He said biting his lip "actually, Margot told me to get it, so I did as she asked."
“Ok. What is it?”
He took out a small leather sheath with a dagger in it. When he pulled the miniature dagger out, I saw it had a ruby embedded in the tang that was visible from both sides of the grip. It was only about 8 inches long, but it was wicked sharp and had a thick guard on top and bottom. He put it in my hand and closed my fingers around it.
He brought the sharp end up towards his chest until the tip was just below his sternum and it was angled towards his heart.
“If you have to use it, don’t hesitate. Stab first and ask questions later, ok?”
"Alright," I sheathed the dagger and tucked it into my belt. Hopefully, I wouldn't have to do any actual stabbing.
We had 3 SUVs to take us to the gateway back to earth. Thankfully, Luke, Victor and Margot stayed behind, but I was surprised to see Evan and Henry hop into the back seat of the SUV. I suppose it made sense they would come, Evan wasn't a fighter, but he was old and powerful, and Henry needed to be there to take over once we all took out Joshua; if we took out Joshua.
I was nervously bouncing my feet on the floor and tapping my fingers on my thighs as we drove.
“It will be alright, princess,” Armond said quietly.
“I know,” I replied putting on a brave face for him. I knew he would stay close to me, but I would also have to be close to Joshua to slow him enough to kill him.
Knowing that the dagger was Margot's idea, I would probably need to use it, but maybe she also saw me successful with it. Perhaps the testing was over, and now I would finish this.
When we arrived back at the portal, we all got out and, as customary, every hunter got out their weapons.
"Fritz is on the other side with three teams, we called in extras for today from overseas, but maybe have your dagger out," Armond grinned at me reassuringly.
Holding the dagger was easy after training with Armond's sword. The dagger was light and fit my slightly crooked hand as though it were made for me, which it probably was. The guard fit snugly against the fleshy part of my hand, between my thumb and first finger, so my grip didn't have to be as strong. It made me feel more confident.
We travelled through the portal, and luckily no evil vamps were waiting to attack us on the other side. Just Fritz smiling widely and a bunch of rough looking hunters.
“Well, it’s Good
to have you all back on earth,” Fritz said as he slapped Armond on the back and gave a friendly smile to the hunters behind us.
“Good to be back,” Armond replied, "let's kill some vamps."
“Yeah,” came a chorus of voices from all around us.
“This is Henry,” Armond spoke loudly so all could hear “he is a vampire but is to be protected. We are aiming to end this war with the vampires by taking out Joshua and his group and hoisting Henry here into the leadership position. I have confirmed with the elders that this is the right path for our people, so we will protect Henry as our own and bring peace to our worlds.”
Cheers rose from the gathering. They all wanted this to end.
"Today we will start our journey to the house that Lex was held in. Every single hunter will go plus Henry and master Evan who I presume will wait in the car?" he looked back at Evan for a reply, but Evan just smiled and started whistling a tune. Armond raised and single eyebrow at him before turning back to the gathered group “Master Evan will do as he pleases, like usual,” Armond concluded.
“It’s a long drive so let’s get started.”
Hunters all divided up into the nine black SUVs, and we headed out for a road trip. I didn't remember how long it took to get back with Victor after I escaped Joshua's house since I was asleep through some of it, but I knew it was long.
We stopped every 2 hours which made the trip longer but kept the hunters from cramping up. They needed to be able to fight immediately if required.
We finally stopped for lunch at a tiny cafe just off the highway. We filled the restaurant with big tall, muscular men and the waitress looked a bit nervous.
I could hardly blame her. I waved over the waitress and said "they are completely harmless. Just big tough looking teddy bears, I promise."
Armond snickered. “Don’t let them hear you say that.”
"It's ok, there are just a lot of you," the waitress replied, "the wait for food will be longer than normal."
"No worries, we aren't in a rush," I assured her. We all placed our orders which took quite a while, and the first table of food was coming out as the last group got their drinks. We all ate our lunches and chatted quietly then left a huge tip and hit the road again.
By nightfall, we were pulling into a hotel one town over from the giant building that Joshua had called his home. It was quiet in the hotel as most of the hunters went to bed early. We sold out the hotel too and had to bunk up in pairs. Armond and I shared a small room and took turns in the shower.
Once I was clean and in pyjamas, I slid into bed and waited for Armond. When he came out in his pyjama pants, and without a shirt, I almost drooled. His status as a Greek god was still intact.
He climbed into the bed beside me and wrapped me in his arms.
I sighed. “Are we going to raid the house first thing in the morning?” I asked.
"Yes. We will have breakfast first, and then all go in together. We have some surveillance photos from satellite, but no idea how many vampires will be in there."
"Probably a lot" I mumbled, remembering the group in that large warehouse when Joshua gave his speech. Holy shit I didn't want to be here anymore. I changed my mind. I was so close to him now and his house of horrors. I couldn't walk back in there, could I? What was I, an idiot?
"Deep breath, princess. We are all going to be ok. We just have to do this one thing, and then we will all be safe on earth again. You can bring Luke to your favourite coffee shop and show him your condo," He reminded me as I started to calm down.
“I don't know why you always believe I can do these things. What if I’m not strong enough?”
He smiled "I know you are born to fight, just like a hunter. You know, I only ever called you princess ironically after that first time. You were never meant to sit on a pedestal; you were meant to punch full grown men in the mouth and make them scream and run away like little girls."
I laughed. He had a point. “Tell me we will win tomorrow,” I begged.
"We will win tomorrow. Win our freedom and our future, and I’m looking forward to starting a new path once this war is over. Maybe I’ll stay on earth and find a job doing something boring.” He laughed, “maybe I’ll even go out to clubs and dance and drink too much. You know, follow the Alexandra Everest life plan.”
I raised my eyebrows and looked up at him. “I can’t imagine you dancing.”
He laughed out loud. “I probably have a fun care-free side. You have only met the tactical warrior side.” He looked down at me before poking my nose and making me giggle and then tucking me into his side and whispering, “sleep time.” Then he dozed off.
I fought sleep stressing about what the morning would bring but finally drifted off too.
Chapter fifteen
The next morning was full of adrenaline and testosterone as the hunters had breakfast and laughed and chatted animatedly. The hunters were ready to fight this battle and win the war, I wasn't so sure, but I tried to stay positive and not think about it too much.
After we ate, we climbed back into the SUVs for the final 45 minutes to our destination. Henry had laid out a detailed sketch of the interior of the warehouse. Everything from the cells, to the giant room that had been filled with vampires, to the place I was kept in was there on paper. This was apparently what he was doing when he sent me out alone in the forest, mapping the whole complex in preparation for this day.
There were nine entrances to the complex, and we only had five teams of hunters and one timekeeper, so we split up the best we could. I was the only one who was nervous; everyone else was ready and willing to run into that building.
The drive was too short. I blinked, and we were there, even though I hadn't used my magic. Some days, time was sneaky all on its own. We parked on the highway closest to the building but not so close they would know we had arrived.
We all navigated the forest together until we could just make out the building in the distance, then we split off into teams, and all got into position. Then we waited. It was the longest wait ever. I thought maybe I had stopped time, but everyone else was still moving so it must have just been my fear playing tricks on me.
Once everyone was ready we all moved at once, rushing the building as we broke through the doors, hundreds of vampires appeared, and the battle began. I slowed time, so the hunters could take care of the vampires in our area and clear me a path. The plan was to let the hunters work, and I would move through the building until we found Joshua. I was on my own this time though with no hunter to direct me. Armond had faith I would be where I needed to be.
I was sure Joshua was going to be in the large room full of vamps. He would be protected by his minions. That’s why he created them, after all.
We fought our way into the building and towards the giant room. The hunters were in their element and working hard. I had my dagger out but still hadn’t used it.
Fritz moved ahead and pulled open the massive door and what was revealed inside was a shock to all of us. The vampires filled the room alright, but they were all dead.
A note was left on a body straight ahead, so Fritz picked it up and read it out loud.
"Alexandra, I have declared war on the humans. You will join me or watch them all die. This is just a small example of my power. I'll meet you at your old home, and you can surrender to me, or you can watch as I travel from town to town killing everyone. Come alone. Master Joshua."
There was a sarcastic snort from behind us. “That vampire is not a master,” Henry said.
“He’s pretty sensitive about his name,” I said softly. Then I asked no one in particular. “Why would he kill his own vampires?”
"He knows I've turned against him and he's lost you, so it was probably a fit of rage. He's prone to them and doesn't value vampires besides himself," Henry said sadly "they might have been good members of society under a different leader."
It was a sad truth we were learning too late. The hunters had killed so many vampires, but what choice
did they have? As far as any fae knew, all vampires were evil monsters who destroyed everything they crossed paths with. I had been trying not to think of my friend Vanessa and how I could have saved her after all, with this new information from Henry
Fritz was the first to break the silence “We have to drive back,” Fritz sighed.
“I have to go alone,” I said turning my resolve to steel. I wasn’t going to stand by while Joshua slaughtered people like he did these vampires.
"We will all go back, and we can discuss the strategy on the way," Armond said.
“First we need to go to the cells and see if anyone is still locked down there,” I said turning away from the sea of dead bodies.
“Alright, let’s go," Armond took my hand and squeezed it. When he noticed how tense I was, he said "we could just let the hunters go look. Or Fritz."
It sounded brilliant to my inner scared little girl and my guilty conscience. I had aided in the death of a hunter down there and nearly gone crazy left in the dark cell. It wasn't a place I was happy to return. But, since I was facing my fears, it was time to face this one.
“I have to do this.”
I paced slowly, sure Joshua or some other boogie man was going to jump out of every shadow. Armond walked patiently beside me without rushing me. We got to the cells, and Armond flicked on a flashlight. I opened the first door, and it was empty. So was the second one. It went on like that until we were halfway down the corridor. We opened a door, and a woman lay on the floor. She was covered in bites and bruises. I knelt beside her and felt her throat, but she was dead. A dead fae woman. I found two more fae already deceased before I came to the last door and opened it to reveal a woman no older than I. She was in bad shape but was sitting up against the wall.
“Hello,” I said softly averting the flashlight when she closed her eyes and turned away. I felt it then. She was fae, and she felt like home.
I walked closer and crouched in front of her. She was skeletal and so small. "My name is Lex," I told her, but she still didn't speak.