by Sarah Noffke
“If you’re here, then you’ve met Ata and know that Chibale is a traitor. He should be punished for what he did. We all followed him blindly when King Ata disappeared. We didn’t know,” Nenet said, her tone hot with anger.
“Chibale made a mistake. Yes, he was selfish and lusted for power, but you of anyone should know that sometimes we can’t control our desires. He had no idea his spell would put Ata in such danger—I’m sure of that. Whether he is punished is not my decision, but this should be a time of great compassion for those who make mistakes. If we can’t forgive them, then we will battle each other and the vampires will no doubt win,” Azure said, resolution ringing in her speech, the words rushing out of her quickly and unrehearsed.
Nenet studied Azure for a moment, taking in her words, and finally she nodded. “I believe you might be right. My thirst makes it increasingly difficult for me to think clearly. I’m glad you spoke those words, which I needed to hear. Now I have words for you, Queen Azure.” Nenet pulled a flail from the pocket of her gown. “This is twin to my sister’s crook. Twins are issued these instead of wands in New Egypt because of the power we share. It’s believed that the great pharaohs enhanced our powers by making us separate. I want you to return this to my sister Nefertiti. You have met her, have you not?”
“Yes,” Azure said solemnly. “She misses you very much.” Azure didn’t think it a good idea to also mention how angry Nenet’s twin was with her for being bitten.
“Since I no longer have my magic, Nefertiti should have my flail. Her crook will be stronger with this nearby.”
“But she’s not as strong as she was before, is she?” Azure asked.
“No. When I lost my magic, I decreased her power. I was a tributary to the river, and when I dried up the flow of magic diminished,” Nenet explained.
“I’ll return this to Nefertiti, do not worry.” Azure accepted the flail and placed it in her bag.
“There’s something else.” Nenet reached out to touch Azure, but the motion halted a few inches away. “As I’ve communicated to you, this life is not for me. It is torture. And although I might come to appreciate it in time, as Cordelia tells me I will, I don’t want to become a monster.”
Azure stepped back, sensing what the vampire was going to say next.
Nenet closed the space quickly, her eyes desperate. “Queen Azure, I believe you’ll fight to find a solution, but if you don’t then I have a request. If there is no way to save us, if vampires are truly doomed, then I need you to do something.”
Azure’s eyes widened in both shock and heartbreak. She found herself shaking her head before the request was even made.
“Yes, Queen Azure,” Nenet said, nodding adamantly. “If you cannot save us, then I need you to kill me. You have to erase me from this world before I cause too much harm. Please, you must promise me that.”
Azure almost choked on a sob, but swallowed it. How could she do this? Promise to kill Nenet when the time came? But how could she not grant this wish for peace to this woman? She was a witch, after all, and it could have been Azure who had been changed forever and made to thirst. Finally she nodded, unable to say anything.
“Thank you. Now we should get you out of here, if that’s what you wish to do,” Nenet strode for the door, listening.
The vampire turned, her face not at all hopeful. The white streak across her green eyes, her soul mark, chilled suddenly. “Queen, there are followers in the hallway. I hear the voices of Lux and Devo. They are the founders’ most trusted minions. I think you should stay here until the vampires sleep at dawn. That would be the best time to escape.”
Azure shook her head at once. “No, I have to go now. Cordelia and Hamilton have gone after my own, Monet and Ever. I have to help them, or at least join the fight.” Azure was sure that Ever and Monet would put up a fight. She worried for them, but they were strong, and Monet had the orc’s knife.
“Okay, I get it. I’d risk my life too, if it were Nefertiti,” Nenet said.
“Lux does know who I am, though. He was the one who brought me here in the first place,” Azure explained.
Nenet pulled the shawl from her head. “Then he’d recognize you. Place this over your blue hair and keep your head down. Stay at my side. There are others here, but they’ll think you’re one of them unless you draw attention to yourself.”
Azure fixed the shawl over her head, tucking her hair under it. She gave a reassuring nod to Nenet just before she pulled open the door.
Broken furniture lined the hallway. The once-pristine walls of the hotel were scarred with marks of abuse, including long scratches.
Azure stepped into the hallway and on the other side met a vampire. He was tall, with narrow shoulders and a full head of brown hair. The man wore several loops in his eyebrows, nose, and lip. His beady eyes narrowed at the two girls and he threw a knife in their direction.
Azure’s heart leapt and she ducked as the knife soared overhead.
“Devo! Are you mad, you fool?” Nenet yelled down the hallway to the man.
He laughed loudly. “Of course I am, but are you dumb? It’s just a fun game.”
“Throwing knives isn’t a game,” Nenet said, gesturing for Azure to get behind her.
“They can’t really hurt you. That’s why it’s fun. You’re a vampire—or don’t you remember, newbie?” He pulled another knife from his belt and threw it.
Nenet reached out and grabbed it with incredible precision when it was just in front of her chest, and in one swift movement she flicked the knife in the opposite direction. It spiraled through the air and thunked straight into Devo’s arm.
“Ouch! Damn it, you got me,” he said, mostly laughing. He winced a bit in pain as he pulled the blade free. “See, it’s a lot of fun!”
“You’re an idiot, and you and Lux have destroyed the hotel. You’d do better to take care of it. This is our home,” Nenet said, backing up. Azure tried to hide behind her inconspicuously.
“It’s our home for now,” Devo said. “We were given this floor to do what we liked, and I like to throw knives.”
He unleashed another blade and it soared down the long hallway. Nenet reached for it but missed this time. The blade tore past her and through Azure’s hair, nearly grazing the skin of her face.
She stumbled back, unnerved by the realization that she had nearly been stabbed.
“Who is that behind you?” Devo asked.
“It’s no one,” Nenet said too fast.
“No one? That’s curious,” the man said jovially.
“Devo!” Lux’ voice rang from behind him.
“What?” he called.
“We’ve got to get ready to go to Lancothy. You said there were bats in the caves there?” Lux asked.
“Yep.” Devo held up another knife, weaving it forward and backward through the air as if about to unleash it.
Lux appeared next to Devo, a frustrated expression on his face. He looked at him, and then followed his line of vision. At first Lux turned, not giving Nenet or the figure behind her much attention, but then he took a second look.
“Who is that with you, Nenet?” Lux asked.
“It’s Maat,” Nenet said, supplying a random name.
“Maat? We don’t have a ‘Maat.’” Lux strode forward, his expression curious.
Azure backed up quickly, nearly tripping on her own feet. She was almost to the bend in the hallway when a figure sprang between the two men.
“She’s escaped! Queen Azure is loose,” Ata yelled. He came to a sudden halt when he spied Azure at the other end of the hallway, a new fury on his face.
He lifted his crook and began muttering under his breath.
Nenet turned back to Azure. “Go! I’ll hold him off!”
Azure took several steps backwards, recognizing the curse she heard him muttering. He was going to freeze her again, and this time she’d be unable to speak or open her eyes. He was going to imprison her for good.
“But—”
�
��GO! You have to get out of here,” Nenet yelled, cutting her off.
Azure nodded and bolted in the opposite direction as she saw the young vampire launch herself at the wizard.
There was a great commotion. Shouting. Destruction. Banging. Nenet screamed in pain.
“Run, Queen Azure! Run!” Nenet yelled, and then everything went completely quiet.
Azure ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time. She burst into a great lobby, where several vampires stopped and regarded her with mild interest. Some were feeding on victims. Others lounged under windows through which the moon shone, and it bathed them in its light. Azure didn’t stop running, leaping over bodies as she made her way to the exit.
From the other end of the room, a great shuffling echoed.
Azure turned back at the exit, knowing that she’d never make it through the city if she didn’t do one last thing.
Ata was the first to disembark from the staircase, but she couldn’t harm him. That would be like hurting an innocent person or a prisoner. Before he could raise his crook, Azure held her wand up and yelled, “Somnum.”
Ata, the target of her spell, swayed, stumbling forward and then backward. He teetered, trying to lift his crook and point it at her. He mumbled, but the right syllables didn’t pass his lips. Then he fell forward, crashing hard onto his chest. The vampires around him fell over one by one, all of them hit by the sleep spell Azure had cast. She’d used all her reserves to ensure it worked and it had, so well that it had connected with Ata and everyone in his vicinity.
Feeling that she might fall asleep as well, Azure forced herself to turn for the exit. She burst into the open air of the New Egyptian night, where stars twinkled in the black sky and a foreboding silence met her ears.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Azure didn’t stop running until she arrived at the hallway where her suite was located in her hotel, and then she nearly fell to her knees. The destruction outside the suite told her what she didn’t want to know—she was too late. Cordelia and Hamilton had already been there.
There was a spot of blood just on the other side of the threshold. Black blood. Hadn’t she heard that pookas bled black? Her heart sank.
In the doorway she saw more that brought questions to her mind. The scene seemed to tell an incomplete story, one her imagination tried to fill in. A destroyed bookshelf with contents scattered everywhere. Someone had been thrown into the shelf, maybe?
The bank of windows had been blown out and broken glass was everywhere. Had Monet used magic to destroy the windows? Why?
Fire damage scarred one wall. It had destroyed much of the furniture, some of Monet’s potion supply, and the paintings that had decorated the space. Someone had extinguished it before it had taken out Monet’s vodka supply. Azure turned slowly, scanning the destruction as she wondered where her friends were. Did Cordelia and Hamilton have them? Was she too late? Would she become a vampire if that fate had already been forced on Monet and Ever? She almost thought she would, but there was her kingdom to consider.
Her eyes fastened on the ground, and then Azure bent down and retrieved the orc’s knife. Its blade was covered in blood. Azure lifted it, eyeing it for any hints of what had happened in the battle tonight. She grabbed the hem of her gown and wiped the blade clean, and then her eyes flitted to the case of vodka. There was one missing—that she knew—so her friends were out there. They had to be. She pulled the knife close to her chest before launching through the suite and hallway and outside.
Azure was ready to run all the way back to the hotel she’d just escaped from, if necessary. She’d tear through it until she found her friends. Until she’d saved them. But given the missing bottle of vodka, she decided to stop at the stables just in case.
She sprinted, feeling the icy desert air on her exposed arms and chest. The knife was firmly clutched in her hands. She was aware that the white gown was covered in the blood from the knife, but she didn’t care. Then the red and gold carriage came into view—it was still here! Even if nothing else had gone well, it was still here. Azure hadn’t lost everything.
As she got nearer, she made out the figure in black standing next to the carriage. Was that Oak? She didn’t see the black hat on his head. All she saw was his black hair. But still, Oak was there. The dragons… Would they be in the stalls for the night? Questions continued to trail through Azure’s mind as she neared the carriage.
In the glow of the moonlight, she saw the figure look up. He’d heard her footsteps on the bricks. It was like a dream. Better, actually. After everything she’d seen, the destruction she’d witnessed, this was the best thing she could have hoped for.
Relief broke across her face. The figure straightened, taking her in.
Azure halted, staring at Ever as if she were seeing him for the first time after a long journey. Had it only been this morning that she’d traveled to Earth and been abducted? She dropped the knife, unable to hold onto it any longer. Exhaustion would overwhelm her soon. The clattering of the metal on the pavement served to awaken the night and make the sun rise.
Ever stepped forward, running his eyes over the white gown stained with the blood of a vampire.
“Are you…” he tried to ask, but continued to study her.
She nodded. “Are you?”
He nodded and took an almost tentative step in her direction as if he were afraid she might vanish if he approached too quickly.
“Manx? I saw the blood. Is he…”
“He’ll be fine,” Ever said with a relieved smile on his face. “Everyone is fine, Azure. You’re back, so we’ll be okay.”
And just like that he closed the space—like the curse had been broken and he could grab her now. She allowed herself to be pulled in, allowed his arms to engulf her. Her heart suddenly beat faster and harder. She felt like she could finally rest after a long and horrible nightmare, Azure crashed into Ever, letting him absorb her body weight, and the two stayed like that for a long time, relieved they were all okay. They had survived, even as the night inched past with its curses lurking in every shadow, waiting to attack again.
EPILOGUE
When Cordelia and Hamilton strode into the lobby of the hotel, the sight that met their eyes was unacceptable at best. It spoke of further defeat. Not only had they failed to abduct Monet and Ever to add them to their coven as founders, they’d also lost the queen.
Cordelia marched over to the figure lying face-down by the stairs and toed Ata’s unconscious body. He was breathing—she could hear that with her enhanced senses—but if he was here then Azure had escaped.
Lux and Devo had started to wake and now pushed themselves sluggishly to their feet. Many in the lobby were stirring, but Ata had been hit by the major blast and would not be able to use magic for a while. He stirred, but only slightly.
The damn witch had done this. She’d escaped, and her friends had eluded the ancient vampires. This was not how things were supposed to go.
Cordelia spun to face Hamilton. “We have failed.” She mouthed the last as if it were a dirty word.
He ran a finger over a table and looked at the tip like he was inspecting it for dust. “On the bright side, this place has been compromised, so we can upgrade to a better one.”
She pursed her lips. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. We only have a bit more of the night, so we had better get a move on.”
She clapped her hands, and like statues coming to life the half-dozen vampires in the room came to attention. They straightened, their eyes sharp and resting on Cordelia.
“Hamilton and I are going to find a new location. You all will stay here and prepare. When you are summoned, come to us,” she said and turned to Lux, who was brushing his shirt off.
“You and Devo will follow us. Tomorrow night I want you in Lancothy. We need more bats,” Cordelia ordered.
“You’re not giving up on the queen, then?” Lux asked.
“Of course not. I’m even more determined now that she’ll be ours.” Cordelia m
oved toward the exit, taking Hamilton’s arm as she passed him. She paused a few feet from the doors, but didn’t turn. “Oh, and Ata?”
The wizard was just getting to his feet, the deep slumber having made him quite groggy. “Yes, master, I will stay here and watch over the coven. I will follow them to the new location when they are summoned. I am forever your faithful servant,” Ata said, his voice robotic.
Cordelia offered a satisfied smile to Hamilton. “Isn’t it wonderful, darling? Even when it all falls apart, we can so easily put it back together.”
“Indeed, my love,” Hamilton said as the two strode from the hotel.
FINIS
Author Notes - Sarah Noffke
Written December 3rd, 2017
I did a very naughty thing. I abandoned my characters for a whole month, maybe more…I can’t remember. If they were puppies, then I put them in a kennel and walked away, leaving them to hound at the gates as I slid into my RV and headed to the hills on vacation. Okay, you’re wondering what I’m talking about? I’m wondering what I’m talking about. I didn’t actually go on vacation, don’t be crazy. I don’t get one of those. The holidays came. Other projects too. My backlist told me it needed some air to breathe. What I’m saying is that I took a break from this series and it made me ever so lonesome for my Oriceran family. It wasn’t easy to board these characters, but that’s what my life called for.
The good news, for this horrible analogy that I’ve beaten over the head with a stick, is that I’m back. I missed Azure and the gang so much and when I let them back into my head they had so much to tell me. There’s a flow to characters that a writer only finds when they’ve written multiple books with them. I’m starting to call it “hitting my stride”. I’ve never written more than five books in a series, well, unless you count my Ren series (wow, shameless plug, much). I was surprised at how effortless the character voices came to me. It was like I was recording scenes rather than creating them.