“Who survived, and has he said anything?”
“It was Tyler, who was on guard duty. Four unknown creatures decimated the place, led by a witch. A witch from your council.”
Xander was fuming. After what happened with Rachel less than a year ago, to have another traitor on the council was more than he could take. It wasn’t Dhane’s fault, but with dead members of the werewolf community, the community he was supposed to lead and watch over, anger was getting the best of him.
“Son of bitch! Who was it?”
“From the description he gave, I believe it was Elisabeth. I called the Grand and got hold of Cassandra. She said Algernon’s book was taken. With the carnage she caused, this has to be an ultimate power play.”
The question remained of how to find her and stop her. Nobody knew it, but Dhane had the ultimate counter-weapon to the book Elisabeth had taken. The real spell book contained so much more, though she may realize the other book was lacking and start searching for more.
“I’m going to go check out her new place, the one Charles moved out of. I have a suspicion that they’re connected somehow. Can you two get the remaining witches to someplace safe?”
“I have a safe house I’ve kept since the days Sebastian was in charge. Always figured he’d be the one to force me to use it by doing something reckless and stupid. Here’s the phone number. Call me after you check out Elisabeth’s place and we’ll go from there.”
Dhane took the slip of paper and shoved it in his pocket before getting back into his car and speeding off, leaving the werewolves to take care of the witches. Soon he was parked in front of the building that held the penthouse he needed to search. Darkness was quickly approaching, and he knew the best approach was stealth. He was tired of sneaking around, though.
With focus and anger, he charged into the building and to the elevator. He pressed the button and waited as the elevator climbed. His focus was distracted by the memory of coming here and almost being killed once before. That wouldn’t happen this time. At least the internal pep talk seemed to be working.
The doors opened and he marched up to the door and cast the spell to unlock it. Storming inside, he found... nothing. There were no furnishings, no unpacked boxes, not a thing. Room by room he searched, but she had never even moved in here.
Why the Hell did you come here then?
He remembered the safe and headed back over to the dining area. The door was unlocked, and inside it smelled like formaldehyde. There were numerous wall sockets, meaning a lot of power had been needed in here. But for what, he had no idea. After pacing for several minutes, trying to come up with another idea of where she might be, the realization sunk in that he had no clue. It was just like when Charles left.
No trace, and for all anyone knew, they could be starting their own council in another town, gaining power. Inevitably, they would come back here to finish what they started. At least Dhane could use the real spell book to prepare for that day. He strolled out of the safe and caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye. Without a second thought, he grabbed the figure by the throat and slammed it against the wall.
“So glad you remember that I like it rough.”
Dhane’s grip loosened and she proceeded to knee him in the groin and knock him to the ground. In a flash she was on top of him, pinning his arms out at this sides. She leaned in and smelled his neck, licked her lips and smiled.
“I remember how good you tasted before. Mind if I give it another go?”
“Yes, I do.”
Whether sheer willpower gave him the strength, or if she really wanted him to take control, he wasn’t sure. He was able to get his arms free and knock her off him. Pinning her down, he had to fight hard to resist the temptation to strike her.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Heather?”
“I thought you might have missed me.”
“Dream on. You’ve got great timing, you blood sucking psycho.”
He stood up, letting her go, much to her disappointment. With a huff, she got to her feet and walked over to the safe. Dhane dreamed of shoving her inside and locking her in it.
“You know, I have some interesting sources around town,” she began. “I heard of an attack on the witches today, by one of their own.”
“And?”
She had his attention now, and she loved it. If there were more time, she would draw this out for eternity, him needing what she had. Now wasn’t the time.
“I know where the witch is hiding. I fear to tell you, however. With the book, she’ll be too powerful for you.”
“She’s not the only one with a book. Now tell me where she is.”
Heather’s eyes lit up. “You do have it!”
“WHERE?” He was fed up with her and his anger was about to erupt.
“Okay, but I wouldn’t go alone. Her monsters are immune to your magic, so you’ll need some brute force. She’s hiding out at the old abandoned hospital. I’ll show you.”
Dhane grabbed her arm and led her back out the door and to the elevator. Once they were in the lobby, he pulled out the slip of paper and dialed Xander’s safe house. The arrangement to meet was made, and within the hour the four of them were looking over the hospital from a distance.
“You need to leave Elisabeth to me,” Dhane directed Xander. “With the spell book she has, she’s much more dangerous than a normal witch. However, I need you and Terrance to distract the monsters so I can get to her. After what they did at the Grand, this is very risky for all of us.”
“Don’t worry about us; we’re not just big dumb animals. Just watch your back with this leech around.”
The distasteful look he gave Heather only made her smile.
“Love you too, honey.”
Xander and Terrance transformed to wolf form and covered the ground to the hospital quickly. Dhane and Heather crept through the shadows, inching their way closer while they watched the werewolves. Out of the front door, the four monsters emerged, and the wolves split up. Around each side of the hospital they ran, with two creatures on each of their tails.
“I’m going inside to find her and finish this,” Dhane spat out. “You can do whatever the hell you want, as long as you stay away from me.”
“You don’t think those monsters are the only beasts she’s working with, do you? You’ll need my help.”
“No, I just need you out of my way.”
Sprinting for the front door, his spell book hidden in his jacket, he reached the front door and peered inside. There was no one to be seen, but he was sure that wouldn’t last long. This was it, what could be his final moments of life. With a deep breath, he opened the door and slipped inside.
35
There were small noises all around in the hospital, the creaks and moans of any old building. That made it difficult for Dhane to distinguish if there were any real threats waiting to attack. He crept quietly through the hall from one end to the other and didn’t see anyone within the rooms.
At the stairwell, he glanced through the window of the door and saw lights coming from downwards. Once in the stairwell, he stood in a corner and didn’t move for several minutes, listening carefully. Still there were no signs of life, so he started down the steps and into the morgue hallway.
Above, several of the lights were buzzing and flickering. It’s what you would expect from an old hospital like this. The inconsistent lighting made it hard to see, but he wasn’t about to use the illumination spell and alert anyone down here to his presence. As it turned out, he didn’t have to.
Two vampires leaped through a door and pounced on Dhane, sending him sprawling to the ground. The two men lurked over the mage and looked at him like dinner.
“I’m the only one who feeds off him!”
With a leap, Heather flew at the men, a knife in her hand. She slashed at them violently and the men scattered and ran out the door and up the stairs. The vampire woman, his antagonist and sometimes intimate partner, stepped over to him and hel
d out a hand to help him up.
“Still don’t want me here?”
“Thanks,” he said with disdain.
Once he was back to his feet, he heard sounds from a room at the far end of the hall. The two of them crept silently down to the last doorway and peered through the window. Inside, Elisabeth had the spell book open and was practicing various things.
“Killing most of the spell casters today, she must’ve been able to force her way through the last few spells to get the book open. She’s trying to master the spells. I have to get that book before she learns too much. Hold this and wait for me here.”
Dhane handed the real spell book to Heather and stood up. With a deep breath, he stormed into the room. Elisabeth was startled, then looked infuriated that he would dare confront her. But then, a smile crept across her face.
“I was hoping you would show up.”
While Terrance used an uncanny climbing ability to head to the roof of the hospital, the monsters chasing him seemed confused as to how to pursue him any further. Instead, they simply stood and watched from the ground. Once he reached the roof, Terrance took a deep breath and was happy to have some distance between him and the beasts.
He roamed around looking over the edges until he just caught a glimpse of Xander climbing through a window. The other monsters were nowhere to be seen.
Xander had spotted something, or rather someone, through one of the windows. Now he was inside, having ditched his monsters in a nearby parking structure, he could see if his eyes had deceived him.
“Well, well, isn’t this a surprise.”
Sebastian stepped into view, his usual arrogant smile on his face. Leaning against a wall in the hallway, he partially transformed so his hands were claws. There was a time when the werewolves proved their superiority with a vicious fight as part humans, part wolves.
“You want to play this old school, huh? That’s fine. But this won’t be about who gets to be the bigger dog. This one is to the death. I’m tired of your games and murderous ways.”
“Ha! I haven’t actually murdered anyone. Oh, I’ve been aligned with those that did, but that’s a technicality, you know? You always did want to take my place, so here’s your chance.”
The two circled each other, measuring the resolve of the other, when finally Sebastian leaped forward and swung. Xander was too quick, dodging the strike and putting an elbow into his opponents back when he landed. A backhand by Sebastian was ducked, and he took a boot to the chest instead. Landing with a thud against the wall, he knew he was no match for Xander.
“Come on then, finish it if you have the balls.”
Xander stepped forward and reached down. Pulling his fellow werewolf to his feet by the throat, he proceeded to punch several times into the ribs of his enemy. He wanted to make him suffer as so many others had. In his haste to dish out pain, he nearly failed to notice a figure sneaking up on him.
With a last second slash behind him, his claws cut deeply through the face of Rachel, sending her sprawling to the ground and dropping a silver chain she had planned to wrap around Xander’s neck.
“Stupid tramp, that’s only half of what you deserve for what you’ve done.”
Sebastian took advantage of the distraction and pulled a silver dagger from a sheath on the back of his thigh. With a powerful thrust he sent it into Xander’s lower back, hitting the spine. One final instinctive swing caught Sebastian’s throat, spilling blood everywhere.
Normally a fatal hit, a werewolf could possibly recover from the wound. Sebastian stumbled to where Rachel laid crying and holding her face. He grabbed her arm and dragged her behind him as he staggered out of the hospital. It was anyone’s guess how far they might make it, if they made it at all.
Xander, meanwhile, was struggling to keep his feet. The dagger had done some serious damage, and he was going into a panic. He dropped to his knees while he desperately tried to find the dagger in his back, but he just couldn’t find it.
Into the window climbed Terrance, hoping the monsters hadn’t seen him. When he stepped into the hall, he spotted his leader and froze. He couldn’t hide the expression on his face as Xander looked to his friend from over his shoulder.
“That bad, huh? I can’t find the damn handle to pull it out.”
“That’s because the handle is on the ground.”
Sure enough, the handle was laying a few feet away, with no blade attached. That meant there was no getting the blade out, at least not right now. It also meant his exceptional werewolf healing wouldn’t work right until they could get the blade out.
“I’ve got to get you out of here,” Terrance insisted as he hurried over to help.
“No, we’re not leaving Dhane.”
“The monsters could show back up at any time, and you’re in no condition to outrun or fight them.”
Xander grabbed Terrance by the front of the shirt. “Then I’ll distract them until Dhane can do what needs to be done.”
The door at the end of the hall broke in and two monsters stepped inside. Terrance knew they were fucked now. He wasn’t about to leave the fight, leave his friends. With a quick prayer, he changed to wolf form and stepped between the monsters and Xander.
“I always knew there was something I didn’t like about you,” Dhane faced off with Elisabeth.
“That’s actually quite funny. You and me, we’re the same. I think it’s time we joined together, instead of fighting each other for control. It’s time for the reign of an Algernon offspring. We can do it together, or I will rule alone.”
Dhane was confused as he tried to understand exactly what she was saying. The look on his face must have revealed as much, which led Elisabeth to laugh loudly.
“Still don’t get it? In all of the children Algernon had, forced and otherwise, did you really think only one would have survived? I’m his daughter, your half-sister. My mother was raped into madness by our father, and eventually taken away. By some stroke of luck, I wasn’t born with the same defect as so many others. So now, you and I stand on the threshold of greatness. You seem reluctant to grab hold. I have no such hesitation.”
“You are a crazy bitch, aren’t you? Look at what happened last time one person became so powerful. He was blind to his own actions until he reached damnation. When he was finally stopped, it was a relief to him, I’m sure. The monster he became was one that even he himself couldn’t stop.”
Elisabeth walked towards him and stopped directly in front of him. After looking him over with an innocent look on her face, she put her hand up to his cheek and gently ran it down to his neck. Leaning in, she whispered in his ear.
“What makes you think I don’t want to be the monster he despised?”
With a wicked smile, she walked back across the room, and Dhane decided the time for talk was over. He began spouting words of the disenchanting spell when arms grabbed him from behind and teeth sunk into his neck. It was now that he realized he didn’t check the room very carefully before, or even after, he entered it. The feeling of vampire fangs tearing into his flesh was beginning to get old.
Grabbing for the person behind him, he struggled to get a grip before the loss of blood began to weaken him. Soon he fell to his knees and the sucking stopped. The vampire walked across the room and stood next to Elisabeth. Struggling to stay on his knees, heart pounding in his chest, Dhane fought to look up and knew he had been a fool for far too long.
“I always knew you were trouble. Why didn’t I get rid of you when I had the chance?”
“Because you were just too nice, too pure,” Heather grinned, “Which is also why we weren’t meant to be together. I needed someone strong, who would willingly take Algernon’s throne. Your mother had hoped it would be you, but alas, you are soft.”
“Bitch.”
“Now now, that’s no way to talk to royalty. Heather is now Queen of the Vampires, and Sebastian shall be King of the Werewolves.”
Heather moved closer to Elisabeth, putting her hand on the witch
’s neck and kissing it gently. Elisabeth put her arm around the vampire and smiled at her, wickedness shared in their eyes. The mage tried to pull himself to his feet, but just didn’t have the energy, so he tried to stall as long as he could.
“And what exactly does that make you?”
“Why, goddess, of course.”
She smiled at him as Heather walked out the door and returned with the real spell book. Handing it to Elisabeth, Dhane knew they were all doomed now. Nobody would know those spells except her, and countering them would be a large task for the entire council. Now that it was mostly destroyed, they had no chance.
Charles entered the room with the two vampires Heather had “fought off”, and they were carrying an awful torso, with no arms or legs. They dropped it on an autopsy table and Elisabeth ordered the vampires to start fires at certain locations. Then she spoke to the unmoving torso to destroy key portions of the hospital. The thing suddenly moved, giving a single nod.
“Amazing, isn’t it,” Charles mused. “It’s your father’s greatest creation.”
“You piece of garbage. What did you do to Lila?”
“Oh, don’t worry about her. She should be dead any time now. My intent was really to just poison her slowly, it seeping through her skin as she wore the cross. She sped up the process by getting it into her bloodstream, otherwise she would’ve lived. Oh well, she’s only human.”
Shortly, the vampires returned, and soon the four monsters entered the room. One by one, the monsters tore off the horrible greenish body part that didn’t match, and once it was removed, the remainder of the corpse collapsed. The vampires then held the body parts up to the torso, and what looked like threads came out of both the torso and the body parts. The threads grabbed each other, pulled tight, sewing itself back together, and soon the torso was a full body.
The whole place would burn and collapse within twenty minutes, and Dhane would be left to die a horrible death. Elisabeth looked over and winked at him.
Magestorm: The Embracing Page 11