by James Somers
“Adding to his heinous crime, West also killed his own wife, the beloved Queen of the Lycans, Sophia,” Liam continued.
Howls erupted from the assembly now as Lycans by the thousands cried out together for their fallen queen. Her people had loved her. They had accepted a non-Lycan as their king only because of their respect for Sophia. That trust had been betrayed.
Some had doubted the report at first. But a number of eyewitnesses had confirmed the matter. The evidence could not be denied. Brody West was guilty of murdering the King of the Leprechauns and the Queen of the Lycans.
“Just this afternoon, West returned to the scene of his crimes,” Liam bellowed angrily. “The very throne room chamber where he burned my father alive and strangled dear Sophia. We attempted to capture him, but he attacked us and escaped. The elf wizard, Laish and his troll companion, Redclaw, have chosen to aid this murderer. They were brought in to testify to these events, but left with West as he escaped.”
A wave of murmured protests and shouts of violence erupted at the news of Brody’s return and escape. Something had to be done most people shouted. Others wondered what could be done to stop this murderer. He was known to be very powerful. Were average citizens really safe? Would he strike again?
Liam wasted no time taking up this line of thought.
“We must protect the innocents before more people die,” he intoned. “What’s to stop West coming to kill as many as he likes? I’ll tell you what must be done. We must organize our efforts. Lycans and elves working with our Leprechaun warriors in a concerted effort to bring Brody West and his band of cutthroats to justice as quickly as possible.”
Cheers from the assembly. Fists beating the air.
“I’ve already received a formal offer from the Lycan Council of Elders,” Liam continued. “They have pledged their full support to bring down West. And that is exactly what I pledge to you. Working together, we will bring him in dead or alive!”
Chants broke out now. “Death to West!”
Liam stood back, nodding to the assembly, beating his fist in the air to their cadence. West might stand against a few, but he could not hope to hold out with the entire power of the Descendant clans brought to bear. Spell casters, werewolves, elf warriors, and Leprechauns of all manner of ability also.
He and his fellows would be overwhelmed. By sheer numbers alone, he would fall. And not even his Malak-esh would be able to stop it.
Escapade
Adolf and I had managed to survive the first trial Yusupov had put us to. All of the minotaur warriors had been defeated. Most were dead. The one who had survived was still unconscious. Slaves had been sent into the arena to remove the brute beast.
Yet, we were not taken from the coliseum. We were not set free. Yusupov wasn’t going to let matters stand as they were. I was going to be made to suffer, and Adolf would suffer with me.
Still, I was glad for my friend. Though we hadn’t had much time to talk out here during the battle, I sensed he was agitated by more than just our current predicament. Normally, this sort of situation would be right up our alley.
A good fight was something he and I enjoyed from time to time. Good practice to keep one’s skills from growing rusty. But I could tell his mind was preoccupied with something else. We just didn’t have time yet to discuss it.
Yusupov stood up from his throne speaking to the crowd in a booming voice that somehow carried even to the middle of the arena where we were standing. He sounded strained, angry. We should have died already, I suppose. I didn’t hate to disappoint the man.
“Release all of our captives into the arena!” he bellowed.
People began to materialize soon after this command. Dozens appeared in the arena through portal doorways all around us. Werewolves, elves, pixies. Even quite a few humans were there among the slave combatants.
“I will spare the lives of any and all who kill these two in the middle of the arena,” Yusupov boasted. “And you will return to your homes as rich as kings besides!”
As if sparing their lives wasn’t reward enough, he had promised wealth. I wondered how many would have tried to kill us, if it had only been a matter of saving themselves. But I could see that gleam come over them. The allure of riches. Avarice, like a harlot, had them in her clutches, promising all that these poor wretches could ever dream.
I didn’t want to have to fight these people. But we had no choice now. It would be our lives or theirs. Their choice, not mine. I wasn’t going to allow my friend Adolf to die here. And I certainly wasn’t going to leave Sadie to these bloodthirsty vampires. They might have been my people on my mother’s side, but I still knew what atrocities they were capable of committing.
“Adolf, are you ready?” I shouted.
“Let them come,” he growled.
“Strike fast and keep moving,” I said.
But Adolf was already moving. His teeth bared, his hands balled into fists. He went for the humans since they would be felled easier. Strike the weak link first.
The combatants rushed at us. There was no plan of attack, no course of action. They were led only by their own greed to kill us. Fortunately, this led to quite a mess on their part.
Adolf and I were able to move quickly among them, striking out here and there, remaining elusive. What followed was as much a melee between the humans, elves, werewolves and Leprechaun slaves as an attempt to kill us. They were actually fighting each other for the privilege of ending our lives first.
Everything was happening so fast. I had no idea how many people were actually in the arena at this point. A werewolf charged at me, bloodlust in his eyes, yellow-rimmed irises focused for the kill. I hit him with lightning and moved on.
A human came at me, seeming incredibly slow. I dodged the sword he had been given. A single blow to the throat sent him reeling, clutching the wound I had inflicted faster than he could observe. One moment I had been there. The next I was gone as a blur, and he was dying in the sand covering the arena floor.
Spell casters came at me even from distances nearly halfway across the arena. I deflected attacks in some cases, was hit by a few and dazed. Others I managed to dodge through teleportation jumps, even though the wards on the coliseum kept us here.
Adolf was making attempts, in his anger, to take on opponents more directly. While I was working harder at simply staying alive among so many attackers, he was in this for blood. He threw off calm tactics in favor of Berserker rage and overkill.
A brute of a werewolf hit my friend from behind as I attempted to call out a warning. He twisted in the Lycan’s grip so that he was breast to breast with the wolf. The Lycan clamped down on Adolf’s shoulder, bringing blood, barely missing his throat. He retaliated, throwing his arms around the beast, pulling the Lycan in closer.
In a moment, the werewolf released Adolf so that he could scream. My friend was crushing the ribs and spine of his attacker in his fury. He didn’t let go until the Lycan stopped moving.
By that time, others combatants had moved in. Several leaped at him before he could throw off the werewolf’s corpse. A mass of bodies suddenly erupted before I could get to him to help. Thrown in every direction, Adolf’s attackers were scattered as he emerged with fire in his eyes and bloody wounds across his body.
He was hurt, but he wasn’t feeling any pain at the moment. Adolf launched himself at the next and the next, killing unmercifully. I saw him only intermittently. Even though I knew we were simply defending ourselves, I couldn’t help but think how savage my friend had become.
I had never seen this side of him before. I don’t think anyone had. He had emerged unstoppable. His wounds were already closing faster than I had ever seen, his bleeding shutting down almost as soon as it started. His system was in overdrive, healing his body and diminishing his pain.
Purposely, I kept my distance, moving apart and drawing attackers away. If I could stop these without killing then I would make the attempt. Sometimes it worked out well. Employing Kalandra technique
s made it quick to incapacitate opponents in creative ways that left them unconscious, or in pain but living.
The arena was filling with downed slaves. They were killing each other and trying to kill us. It was a mess. When I stole a glance at Yusupov, I could see that he wasn’t happy with the results. Little did either of us realize that it was about to get much worse.
Brody appeared within Trinity’s prison complex, the same place where the heavenly angel had brought him earlier. Here he had seen both Adolf and his daughter confined in tiny cells. Dirty places with seawater washing beneath their grate floors to carry away waste.
The blood bond had brought him back to this place, the connection Brody naturally shared with his child. Redclaw and Laish emerged through the portal gateway behind him. No guards in sight at the moment.
“There’s the cell with Sadie,” Brody said, approaching the place.
They found the girl still lying on the cell floor unconscious.
“Sadie,” Brody called.
The girl didn’t respond.
“Inside voices, gentlemen,” Redclaw whispered.
Laish looked in the cell door through the little window at eye level. “Don’t worry, Brody, I believe I can wake her. Frog venom from the rainforest, no doubt.”
“And you have something with you?”
“Brody, my boy, I’m not so far removed from the wizard out in the forest everyone came to see for just the right remedy or spell. However, this cell has wards I can’t bypass like those in the Shade King’s palace.”
Brody drew Malak-esh, carving a hole through the solid cell door. He caught the piece of heavy metal with his mind, settling it silently to the floor inside before moving into the cell after his daughter. Laish knelt down to follow.
“You might want to check on Adolf,” Laish said to Redclaw. “I think this would be too tight a squeeze.”
The big troll looked at the door. “I can fit through, if you can, old man.”
“I was talking about inside the cell, you big oaf,” Laish said. “Do you want to crush us all with your ponderous bulk?”
“Bah,” Redclaw grumbled and turned, starting down toward the other end of the hall where Brody had indicated seeing Adolf earlier.
Inside the cell, Brody lifted his daughter’s head off of the grate where she had been laid. There was dried blood in her hair and on the metal grate floor, but a closer examination showed him that the wound had healed already. A testament to the speedy healing of Lycans.
He tried to rouse her, but the poison dart frog venom still had her in its grip. Another reason he was glad for her Lycan heritage. The same venom would likely have killed him.
Laish worked quickly, rummaging through a dimensional storage closet. Potions in vials of varying colors and luminosities appeared, were rejected and vanished again to be replaced by others. Finally, he found what he was looking for.
The vial hovered in the air. Laish grabbed it, giving it to Brody. He took it, raising Sadie’s head to support her while he poured the liquid into her mouth.
“Not too much,” Laish said.
Brody put the vial to her lips, parting them slightly and allowed the luminescent yellow liquid to seep into her mouth. After only a few seconds, Sadie’s eyes sprang open. She lurched up to a sitting position, spitting the antidote onto the grate floor.
“Ugh! What is that?” she said, sputtering and spitting.
Laish looked at Brody. “It’s not exactly an antidote. Potent and putrid is more like it.”
Brody grinned. “As long as it works, I suppose.”
“Father,” Sadie said, surprised to see him. “How did you know?”
“It’s complicated,” he replied.
“Has mother come with you?”
Brody grimaced, eyeing Laish.
“No, sweetheart,” I did not bring her with me.
“Cole is here and Adolf,” she said, never noticing his hesitation regarding her mother.
“I know,” Brody said. “We’re going to find them and get all of you out of here.”
They helped her to her feet, making sure she was steady before leaving the cell. Redclaw’s face appeared back at the hole in the door. He peered inside, looking concerned.
“All of these cells are empty,” he said. Then he saw Sadie awake. “How are you, girl?” he said affectionately.
“The boy?” Laish reminded the troll.
“Oh yeah. I smelled where he was being kept, but he’s nowhere to be found now. Must have moved him to another location.”
“We’ll find them both,” Brody said.
“Vampires,” Sadie said.
“Yes, we know,” Brody answered, moving toward the door.
“No, they’re here!” she shouted.
Redclaw was tackled outside the door. Several Breed warriors rolled down the hall with him. He cried out, as did at least one of the vampires attacking him.
“Watch out!” Brody said. With the cell’s wards broken by Malak-esh, he pounded the door with a concussive blast that burst its hinges and sent the metal door into the opposite wall.
Laish had backed away, allowing Brody to take the lead. The gas lamps in the hall were extinguished as he came to the shattered door frame. He could barely see Redclaw among the vampires attempting to overpower him.
Sadie shot out of the cell room past her father in her werewolf form, growling. Vampires dropped from the ceiling in the dark, lunging at them both. Sadie’s eyes were superior in the dark, but Brody could still see much better than a normal human.
She leaped into one of the Breed warriors attempting to flank her father. Brody forced his will into the blade of Angel Fire, making it glow brightly, illuminating the hall around them. Vampires were everywhere.
They came at him terribly fast. But Brody had fought vampires before. He had trained with Cole and several others during the days of Charlotte’s reign in Greystone. He was just as fast these days, so their movements did not blur beyond his ability to see.
Using Malak-esh, he carved through his attackers. Even those who bore swords lost in their exchanges as Angel Fire cut through their weapons like paper. Vampires were falling as fast as they could come at him.
Sadie was busy ferociously keeping several at bay, wounding them as they struck. She had been trained well during her youth. No doubt her years of sparring with Cole had made her even more fierce. The vampires couldn’t handle her, even two and three at a time now.
Brody noticed a flash behind him in the cell and then a similar light down the hallway where Redclaw had been driven by the first attackers. He saw Laish appear and begin to throw lightning liberally around him at attacking vampires. Redclaw was not visible.
“Sadie, help Laish and Redclaw!” Brody shouted.
She looked at him, struck out one last time at the vampire she was engaged with, and then vanished. Teleporting down the hall, she appeared with Laish where he was still fighting, hurling lightning in every direction.
Moments later, Sadie screamed. Brody was startled. He had never heard his daughter make such a sound. This was terror, or unbearable pain. He couldn’t tell at this distance in the dark. The light of Malak-esh had allowed him to see the vampires near him better, but worked to blind him to the scene unfolding far down the hall.
Thinking his daughter must be dying, Brody threw out a sphere of flame that drove every vampire around him into the walls on fire. He launched himself down the hall toward the fight there. Laish was still fighting furiously. Sadie, to Brody’s surprise, was up and pounding a vampire mercilessly.
It was when his eyes found the hulking figure lying upon the floor nearby that he realized why his daughter had cried out and why she fought so hard now. Redclaw lay motionless in a dark pool in the half light created by the lightning flying from Laish’s fingertips. He didn’t appear to be breathing.
Brody sank to his knees beside the troll’s body. He paid no mind now to the vampires burning in the hall behind him, or the last two fleeing from Laish
and his daughter. His friend, Uriah’s brother, had fallen in battle. As Brody laid his hand upon the troll’s chest, he understood the awful truth. Redclaw was dead.
Laish illuminated the hall with a conjured aura around his hand, shining yellow like a lantern. The vampires had been allowed to flee. No doubt they would return with reinforcements. Those Brody had left behind him on fire had stopped screaming by now. They were quite dead.
Sadie’s tears streamed across her cheeks as she returned to human form, kneeling beside her father. Laish’s glowing hand trembled as he looked down on his long time friend. They had bantered with one another so often some had supposed they couldn’t stand each other. But the opposite had always been true. They had been the best of friends.
“They must have gotten him in the surprise attack at the door,” Brody said. He was the only one who seemed capable of saying anything at the moment. “Multiple sword wounds, but he still lasted long enough to carry the fight to them all the way down here.”
Sadie sniffed, wiping her face. “We can’t leave him here,” she said.
“Neither can we take the time to haul him out,” Brody answered.
“They’ll return quickly with many more,” Laish said, “And there’s still Cole and Adolf to retrieve.”
“We were his only family,” Sadie said to her father. “Can you take care of him before we go?”
Brody looked her in the eyes and then nodded. Standing, he said, “We’ll leave them nothing for a trophy. Stand apart.”
The three of them moved away, stepping over several vampires in the process. When they were a sufficient distance, Brody ignited a fire in Redclaw’s body, a terrible burning that became white hot in moments. “Goodbye, my friend,” he said. In less than twenty seconds, Redclaw’s body had been reduced, bones and all, to ash.
The stone floor now bore a radiating scorch mark. The nearby walls had buckled with the intense heat. One of he Breed corpses had caught fire in the process, but they took no care for it.
“Let’s get out of here, before more Breed come,” Brody said. “My blood bond, made with Cole as a boy, should bring us to him.”