Frank-SPrinces

by The Shadowed Princes [lit]

  Merissa started toward the house as the funeral ended. Where's Darmyk and Ros?"

  Malthus scanned the grounds and failed to spot them. I'll go look for them."

  Ossian interposed himself between Malthus and the barn. If you cross the Bonnie Draw, I will have you executed."

  "Both children have already been attacked by vampires once and barely survived. The creature could be out there now. I'm not going to sit on my hands when they might be in danger."

  Ossian's mouth twisted up. Go on. I'll get more people looking."

  Malthus went to the barn, saddled Devilton, and rode out into the night. Once alone, Malthus summoned his blades from the globe he wore around his neck, and threw a low-level scan toward the trees at the edge of the forest. Ros had to have taken Darmyk. He cursed silently. The boy was his to kill, not Ros', and he would punish her if she had killed him. A lingering aura of both Darmyk and Ros drew him deeper into the forest.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  REMATCH

  Darmyk tried to look brave, standing beside his weeping mother, but could not repress his sniffles. He heard a noise, glanced, and wished he had not. Ros smiled at him. It's your turn, she whispered in his ear and snared his mind.

  The boy shuddered with fear, but could not resist her. Her coercions were in too deeply.

  Ros extended her hand and Darmyk placed his into it. She led him through the crowd and into the forest. They walked deeper into the trees than Darmyk had ever been before, down among the slumbering stalks of the sweet pepper bushes along a nameless stream that fed into the Bonnie Draw River.

  She pointed at the ground. Lie down."

  Darmyk knew what was expected of him, and did not have the strength to resist. He had felt sick and weak all day. The cub lay down on the cold earth and opened his robe obediently. He remembered Ros telling them that she would kill him as soon as his grandfather died. I'm going to die now?"

  "Yes."

  Tears ran from his eyes, but he could not will himself to move.

  Ros covered Darmyk with her body and bit him savagely. She sucked his neck, hauling his blood out in huge pulls. Darmyk blacked out and went very still. Ros drank faster. She sensed his heart fluttering and knew it could not be much longer before she killed him. A large cat's savage yowl of rage made Ros look up. Her eyes saucered.

  In tiger form, Kerry came at Ros snarling. One swipe of his big paw sent her sprawling with her back torn open. She scrambled to her feet and fled deeper into the forest, moving as fast as her damaged leg allowed her.

  Kerry let her go, more worried about Darmyk than about catching her. He licked the wound in Darmyk's neck closed, changed into a mon, and carried Darmyk away, heading for the Lawgiver House where the assembled yuwenghau could protect him.

  A slender form loomed out of the gathering winter mist. Hand him over."

  Kerry stopped in his tracks. Get out of my way."

  "I don't think so. Zinzi's secondary nails slid from beneath her primaries, dripping venom. Lord Hoon wants the boy."

  "Lemyari."

  Kerry squatted and lay Darmyk on the ground. Before he could rise and change, Zinzi sprang onto him, sinking five nails into his right arm. Kerry's eyes bulged, he made a hiccupping sound, and convulsed. Zinzi scooped Darmyk up and ran off into the night with him.

  * * * *

  Kynyr rode his big warhorse, Bucky, deeper into the woods. Several of his guardsmyn had changed into wolves and ran ahead of him like hunting dogs trying to pick up the children's scent. Trevor and Queran rode with him. Jordan had gone off on foot alone.

  He did not like Ros, but neither could he abide the thought of something happening to a child.

  "You think they just wandered off? Trevor scanned the forest as they rode.

  "I don't know what to think. I can't imagine someone snatching them. There were too many guards around."

  "According to Audra Brawleigh, Silkie says that Hoon intends to snatch Cooley, Darmyk, and Merissa."

  "Darmyk is wilderkin. If something went after him in the forest, he could call the animals."

  "Maybe. Maybe not."

  "What do you mean?"

  "The vampire bit him before, right?"

  "Yes. Pandeena warded his room and his treehouse afterward."

  "Then the vampire can call him out if he were exposed ... Like he was at the funeral."

  Kynyr felt a rush of guilt and anger. I would never have allowed him there had I thought."

  "Let's just hope we find him in time."

  * * * *

  In her mad flight to escape the tiger, Ros lost her way among the dense trees. She floundered among the roots near the Bonnie Draw River, falling to her knees.

  "Hello, Ros, said a familiar voice that Ros had not heard in a long time.

  Ros lifted her head and went cold with terror when she saw Sergei. What do you want?"

  "Is that any way to speak to someone who loves you? The vampire squatted down beside her.

  Fear raced through Ros. She wanted to scream, but if she did they would find Darmyk. You don't love me."

  Sergei gripped Ros shoulder hard, and shoved his other hand into her underpants to finger her vagina. I see you like little boys as much as I like little girls."

  Ros squirmed and struck out at him with her power. Sergei turned it with a disparaging laugh, and enveloped her in thick cords of scarlet force. Ros thrashed as he shoved her onto her back and tore her clothes away. Sergei jerked her legs open savagely, dislocating her hips and Ros screamed. The vampire stuffed a wad of her clothing into her mouth and then stroked her throat to mute her voice. He thrust his cock into her immature womanhood. Ros eyes teared up as he continued to shove at her, ripping her inside. He came quickly; his milk filled her to overflowing and leaked out as he pulled his cock from her body.

  "You'll make such a pretty corpse and your uncle will weep. He should not have threatened me."

  Sergei brought forth his secondary nails, detected the artery in her arm, and plunged them home. Ros sobbed as the burning venom flooded her blood stream. He exhausted the contents of five sacs and then yanked his claws out. Ros stilled beneath him, eyes glazed, barely breathing, yet completely aware of everything that Sergei was doing to her. She coughed blood and a crimson stream ran from the corner of her mouth. Sergei licked it off. He flipped her on her stomach and raped her anally as well. Finally, he gathered Ros in his arms, sank his fangs into her throat and began sucking. Reading her body as she died satisfied Sergei immensely. Ros turned pasty white and then blue. Her heart faltered and stopped. Her chest no longer moved.

  "We must make you presentable for your uncle, my dear. Sergei addressed the small corpse.

  Sergei walked deeper into the forest toward the refugee camp and Malthus old cottage carrying Ros.

  * * * *

  A bat fluttered around his head. Malthus extended his necromantic senses toward it and detected that it was undead. Zinzi?"

  The bat flew into the trees.

  Malthus dismounted, tied his horse, and walked into the copse. The Lemyari standing there was male and the very last person Malthus wanted to see.

  Sergei tossed the pouch to him. They're all for you this time."

  Malthus caught the pouch and threw it aside, scowling. I don't have your payment with me. I wasn't expecting you."

  Sergei smiled thinly. I've already gotten my payment. She was delicious."

  "Ros.... Malthus stomach clenched and then rage burned away the rest of his emotions.

  Sergei laughed.

  Malthus threw his strongest spell of undeath denial at Sergei to rip the undead soul out of him. Sergei threw up a shield and turned it. With a dismissive gesture, the vampire tossed a handful of fiery darts at Malthus. The sa'necari ducked, hit the ground, and rolled. Tossing a death web at Sergei's ankles, Malthus rose to his knees, drew his blades, and slashed Sergei's legs.

  Sergei staggered back cursing, and flicked his fingers with a word of command, striking Malthus with dart
s of dark energy.

  Malthus screamed in pain and lunged upward, driving both blades into Sergei's belly with a ripping twist. Sergei clutched his spilling entrails, the arcane acid on Malthus blades eating his flesh, and fled. Malthus sank to the ground, writhing, and breathing hard, certain that Sergei had killed him.

  "Malthus?"

  He glanced up at the sound of a shaky voice and saw Oswyl Beggins looking down at him. The last time that he had seen Oswyl, the mon had been fleeing into the woods insane.

  "Are you all right?"

  "No. Help me up. Malthus extended his hands.

  Oswyl knelt and grasped Malthus arms.

  Malthus jerked Oswyl down and sank his fangs into the lycan's throat. Oswyl gasped and struggled, but Malthus wrapped his arms around him, imprisoning the lycan in a grip like steel. Malthus pain retreated as he drank the warm, rich blood. Oswyl's thrashing slowed. His skin turned clammy. Malthus sucked harder, trying to get every single bit of the healing juice. The lycan went limp across him and still Malthus drank. Oswyl became a gray, withered husk. Malthus wiped his mouth on Oswyl's robe and pushed the corpse to the side. He stood, dismissed his blades, and headed back for the manor, hoping that someone had found the children.

  Malthus saw guards searching the grounds and Merissa in tears.

  "Are they still missing? Malthus demanded.

  "Yes. Merissa grabbed at him and he set her aside.

  Malthus chest tightened and his stomach soured. Darmyk was no loss, but Malthus loved Ros. Get everyone looking, Malthus ordered. Get the villagers to help. The more searchers there are, the more likely we are to find them."

  * * * *

  Despite his overwhelming similarities to his father in both temperament and appearance, Jordan Sinclair was not without inheritances from his mother. He had a sensitivity to the presence of magic. He could see the patterns of magic when a spell was cast, smell the places it had been, and taste its nature in the back of his throat.

  He came upon an area of ground where the snow had been churned into mud by fighting. A blood trail led off to his left; someone had run off wounded. Jordan circled around the edges, trying not to disturb whatever signs might remain and glimpsed a mon sprawled upon the ground. Jordan moved nearer. The grayed flesh and shrunken appearance made it clear the mon was a corpse.

  Circling back, he found the blood trail again. Two had fought here. One died and the other fled.

  Jordan knelt, scooped up a handful of blood-flecked snow, and sniffed it.

  Vampire. Lemyari, if I'm not mistaken.

  He pulled his right axe, shifting into his transitional form as he moved into a thicket of evergreens. It seemed too quiet. There should have been winter birds in the trees.

  Unless the beast is still close.

  He drew the left axe. Scattered footprints appeared along the trail of blood; the right deeper and the left more shallow, indicating that the creature was limping. Jordan knelt again, sank an axe in the snow, and scooped another splotch of bloody snow into his hand and sniffed.

  Minutes old. Wound seems to be bleeding out faster than the damn thing can heal it. Why?

  His ears, now pointed and hairy, twitched at a noise behind him. The snow scattered from his hand as he snatched up the axe, dodged to the side, and spun about to face the direction of the sound.

  Sergei came leaping out of a tree, entrails bulging through the tears in his belly, and landed on damaged legs that buckled beneath him. His face had a greenish tinge from the effects of the acids and poisons on Malthus blades. He lunged at Jordan with the unthinking precipitousness of the dying; desperate to glut himself on lycan blood for a chance at healing.

  Jordan cross-stepped, avoiding Sergei's rush, and brought the kendaryl axe smartly down on the vampire's left shoulder, shattering the upper edge of the shoulder blade, and severing the arm. Sergei twisted, shrieking, and sank his claws into Jordan's forearm. The Bane Shepherd chopped that arm off and backhanded the axe into Sergei's neck, beheading him.

  The expected burn of Lemyari venom did not come. Jordan dropped the axe on the ground, and pried the claw from his arm. He squeezed the fingers of it and nothing came out of the venom sacs.

  "Used it up on someone already, did you?"

  He cut lengths of cloth from Sergei's clothing and used them to tie the severed pieces of the vampire together, making a bundle of him. Then Jordan cleaned his axes, shouldered Sergei's remains, and headed toward the manor.

  * * * *

  As dusk arrived, Ossian and Ultan came to Malthus with long faces. We found her. Ossian had a look of infinite sorrow. I'm sorry."

  "Where? Malthus demanded, clutching at Ossian's arm.

  "On that table in front of your old cottage. She's dead."

  "Oh gods, noooo. Malthus ran off with the two lycans following him.

  Waid and Luciano were waiting at the cottage. The small body lay on the table, covered by Ossian's cloak. Malthus lunged toward it. Waid grabbed him, holding on tightly. You don't want to see her."

  "Ros. Ros! Malthus screamed.

  "There's pieces of her missing."

  Malthus lips quivered, and his brow furrowed. Let me go."

  Ossian walked up. Let him go. It's his right."

  Waid released Malthus. He walked to the table, flicked back the cloak, and shrieked in horror and grief. Ros was pasty white from being completely drained; and there were bites all over her body. Her hips lay at an odd angle as if they had been dislocated and Malthus could see the crust of semen on her thighs and the tiny little vagina. The worst was that her chest had been opened and her heart taken. Malthus dragged her into his arms and wept.

  * * * *

  Pandeena walked in a widening pattern through the forest. Bodi had all of his animal friends looking, but it was still taking time. Word had reached them that the little girl had been found dead, the victim of a vampire. She worried that the vampire had also gotten Darmyk and they were searching for his dead body.

  As they neared the Bonnie Draw River, Pandeena spotted a nude mon writhing on the ground in the grip of convulsions. When she got close, Pandeena recognized the feline scent emanating from him. She did not recognize him in human form, so Pandeena guessed that this had to be Kerry. Five necrotic punctures in his arm spelled Lemyari attack. Just five years ago, the Lemyari were believed extinct. Now, everyone knew otherwise. The vampires referred to as royals were indeed the dreaded Lemyari of legend.

  Kerry's eyes had a glistening half-mad look. Help ... me. Lemyari venom. She ... took Darmyk. Oh gaaahds ... help me."

  "There's an antivenin if we can get it into you fast enough. Pandeena lifted Kerry into her arms as if he weighed nothing and Jumped to the infirmary at the Maguire Estate.

  Sha started when Pandeena appeared out of thin air, and had her hand upon a loaded crossbow. She was up in a flash, directing Pandeena to a bed, and shouting to her assistants as soon as she saw the punctures.

  "We've had a fifty percent survival rate with the oral antivenin. However... Sha loaded a syringe. We recently developed one for intravenous injection that we hope will work faster and more effectively."

  Sha talked as she worked, delivering the antivenin into Kerry's good arm. Qaseem debrided the punctures; removing the necrotic flesh, and washing them out with an astringent.

  "Can't suture immediately, Qaseem told them, applying some of the salve Pandeena had brought them called Idyn Gold to the wounds. Five day observation for signs of further infection."

  "Meanwhile, we treat the symptoms."

  Myn were assigned to sit with Kerry and they settled in to wait out the night with him. Sha returned to her desk to transcribe the memory stone she had used to make notes about Kerry's condition. The little girl's remains had been brought in an hour ago for Sha to issue a coroner's report on before releasing them for burial. She and Toniqua had begun operating by Guild protocols in dealing with questionable deaths; and assembling three independent statements on each of them.

  Jorda
n Sinclair sauntered in with Russa hanging on his arm, periodically digging her heels in and attempting to drag the massive lycan along. He refused to move at any faster pace than he wished to. She shook her finger in his face. You have to let them look at it, Uncle Jordy."

  He gave her a dubious glance. We're here. They can look. But I tell you, there was no venom in his sacs."

  Jordan came to a halt in front of Sha's desk and unshouldered the bundled pieces of Sergei.

  "What's that? Sha came around from her desk and squatted beside the bloodstained package.

  "Vampire meat. My niece wants you to look at my arm."

  "Lemyari? Sha's initial reaction was fascination at the opportunity to dissect the pieces, and then Jordan's second statement registered. It stuck you?"

  "Ayup."

  Russa pushed his sleeve up, revealing five punctures, but not a sign of blackening flesh.

  Sha ushered Jordan to a chair, and Read him. No venom."

  "I've already said that."

  "Uncle Jordy! Russa put her hands on her hips and gave him a rebuking look. Cooperate."

  Jordan responded with a tolerant smile.

  Pandeena came down the aisle of beds and poked at the bundle. That's the one killed the little girl. There were two. A male and a female, and the female escaped with Darmyk."

  "Damn."

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  TRAITORS IN MY MIDST

  Jordan Sinclair sat in a cozy second floor parlor sipping mead. A bitch pushed Finn MacIver into the room in a wheel-chair with a plate of pastries on his lap. Jordan stared at the chair.

  Finn flushed and patted the chair arm. It's temporary. Sha says my arms and shoulders aren't healed enough to handle crutches."