by Moore, E. M.
“Go!” Soren shouted, his hands reaching out to grab mine. “Go and be safe, Young One.”
I clasped my hand over his, squeezing it once before taking off and running down the hallway. The echo of Dumont’s sinister laugh following me as I made my way forward. After all, there was no other way to go than ahead.
Chapter 26
I skidded to a stop in our library right in front of Stephan who I’d called and asked to meet me at this exact spot. He might as well have been a librarian for the amount of time he spent in this place. I’d be looking around the space for hours for the text Soren shared with me, and time was one thing we didn’t have.
His eyebrows furrowed. “What’s wrong?”
“Soren says we need to find the book where Dumont’s laws are written down. He says there’s a ruling, a law, in that book that might be able to help us save lives. Something about a way to challenge him that he won’t be able to resist.”
Without needing anything further, Stephan ran to the other side of the room, his finger scanning through books on the shelves. I joined him seconds later, my eyes trailing over the titles, trying my best to keep up with him. Finally, he said, “Here.” He handed me a book and I took it to the big, wooden table. “I’ll keep looking, but start there. That should have something in it.”
I opened the book up to the beginning. ‘Dumont Clan Reign: Notice of Laws’ stood out in old lettering. The pages were brittle and browned with age. I turned the next page softer than I had the first, hoping to find a table of contents or otherwise I was about to waste a good amount of time searching through every last text in this ancient thing.
My heart leapt when I saw a list. I scrolled down it, finding the words I needed and then flipped to the page it told me to. My finger scanned under the words as I read everything as fast as I could. Just as fast as my heart beat in my chest, it sunk lower and lower as the words I’d read chiseled out a place in my soul. Challenge. Fight. Warrior. Death.
No.
The color drained from my face and I sat back in the chair that was thankfully right behind me. I blinked at the words on the page, never before having seen such an inanimate thing like words change the course of my life so extraordinarily.
“Stephan…” He was by me in a second. I looked up, already feeling my lips tremble. “How did…how did the Ravanas take the reign from the Dumonts?”
He knelt in front of me, his worried eyes looking into mine. “What’s wrong, Ariana?”
“How did they do it?”
“They swept in and threw them out. The story goes that our grandfather and a few others hated Dumont’s controlling ways. He made poor decisions. As the number of vampires grew, he became hungry for power, not caring who or what they fed on. But several hundred vampires feeding on humans became more noticeable than just a few. He tortured humans like they were our slaves, our only source of food. The decision came to overthrow him when he organized a direct attack on the royalty line in England. He thought if they could take over the crown, they would rule the most powerful country in the world, thereby bringing the vampires in charge of everything. A few of the men, who knew this would end in nothing but the destruction of our entire kind, decided to overthrow him. They spared his life, but made him step down, removing and banishing him to Australia.”
I closed my eyes. Soren’s words coming back to haunt me. Both sides in a fight thought they were right. Each had their reasons and believed in them so implicitly that they would fight until their death. For Dumont, he’d waited all this time based on the slight to his honor. He sat back, waiting for the perfect moment in time to take his power back. If we didn’t want an all-out war on our hands, this was the only way. But was it even a way? Should it even be considered? “Read this,” I told Stephan, pointing to the start of the law that the Ravanas and their allies had broken so many centuries ago.
“Clan disputes shall be challenged with honor, dignity, and respect. The offending parties will battle until there is only one winner, determined so by death. Any uprisings or action against the leading clan will also be treated in such a manner.”
I sucked in a breath, waiting for Stephan to read the next part.
“The four best warriors from each side will be sent into an arena to fight against one opponent from the other clan until death. Whichever clan has won the most fights out of four will be declared victors and either shall keep their reign, or be overthrown. If the four fights end in the same amount of victors for each side, the leader himself of each side will don their armor and step into the arena to prove their honor to their followers.”
I watched as Stephan’s face went white. “Soren says this is the way.” He was right. This would certainly stop the senseless bloodshed of guards and vampires alike, but the other outcome? Deaths of our most skilled guards, or possibly even Gregor. It set my teeth on edge.
“It makes sense why the Dumont Clan was never overthrown before the Ravanas did it. Who else would have warriors at their disposal like the reigning royalty? It would’ve been a bloodfest. The other clans weren’t warriors, they were farmers, noblemen, or peasants.”
“We have to show your father this. We have to give him this other option.”
Stephan filed his finger in the book, and then shut it. Outside, sounds of angry men on both sides permeated the stone walls of the estate.
“Go,” I told him, knowing he would be quicker. “Go now, and I’ll be right after you.”
Stephan swooped down to kiss the top of my head and then was gone from the room. He moved with such quickness it took my breath away. Guardians were to go against those who could move like that? We trained for it. But what Stephan said about the past still rang true for the current times. Dumont had spawned warriors. Had centuries to prepare for this where we hadn’t. Our guardians were tough, fierce even, but who knew what kind of men Dumont would throw in front of us?
I ran a hand down my face and took off after Stephan, my mind already filled with which four warriors our side would send in to fight for the good of our people. It would’ve been Lex, T.J., and Matthews with one other, but since Matthews was still slowly recovering from his injuries, he was out. Sending him in would be a sure loss for our side. So now there were two obvious choices, and two who would have the great honor, yet great sacrifice of all time, to fight for the way they wanted to live. The two would have to be the best of the best. Sending Gregor in to fight was not an option. I’d never seen him lift a hand in fighting. I didn’t even know if he knew anything about it. Sending him in would mean certain death. Then what would become of our people, of my princes, of the path laid out in front of me?
And me? I wouldn’t pretend to be unafraid. I wouldn’t pretend to be anything other than petrified for my life against the warriors of Dumont’s Clan. But if chosen, I would do everything I could to secure a victory for us.
After I took the stairs three at a time and pushed past others until I got to the Council meeting room, I walked in to find Gregor pacing again. A guard came in right behind me. “Sir, they’re at the gate.”
“Hold them!” Gregor bellowed. His eyes locked on mine after the guard cowered out of the room. Then, he moved to Lex. “What is your opinion?”
“It would save lives, Sir. We send out everyone now, we may not have the guards or people left to protect. If what Soren and our other informants have said hold true, he will agree to this and abide by the rules because they are his. He outnumbers us and has had centuries to prepare for this fight that we knew nothing about. Right now, this might be our only chance to survive without a complete decimation of your people.”
Gregor’s shoulders fell forward. I’d never seen the impact of such a decision hit someone so hard. He’d taken control over the Council to bring a better world and equality to the vampires and guards, and now he was faced with their utter annihilation. For myself, I didn’t think Dumont would stop any other way. His army would breach the estate. They would free him and take us all out. Not without
a fight, of course, but with a victory out of sheer numbers. All the monitors surrounding us showed a wall of people just on the other side of the gate. When they decided to come at us, no matter our strength, no matter our heart, or who was right, we would lose. Nicolai was correct. There was just too many of them. An army created while Gregor stayed cocooned in his own world. But, who would have thought this would happen? Time passed differently for vampires, but centuries was a hell of a long time to wait for revenge. It was unfathomable.
“Bring Dumont to me,” Gregor said.
Isabelle walked up to him and grabbed his hand. Lex and T.J. left the room, and the princes surrounded their father. The knowledge was already written all over their faces. This was how it would end, with us, our backs against the walls, allowing Dumont to demand the way in which this fight would be won. At least this way we had a chance. One against one instead of several against one. It didn’t matter how good you were, a fight against one opponent was better odds than a fight against many.
Hope surged inside me again. Christian caught my eye, his thin lips turning down at the sides. He turned to his father. “Who will we send to fight, Father?”
Gregor’s shoulders deflated even more. “Let us see if Dumont will accept the terms first. Then arrangements will have to be made.”
The four princes all peeked back at me. Isabelle, eyes sad, did too. I took a deep breath and held it in my chest. So, I was on their radar then. I’d never been one to boast about my abilities. They were so new and hard fought, but if they gave me this opportunity, I would do the best I could. I wasn’t familiar with the other guards though. Maybe I was low on the list of possibilities. My hands clenched at the thought, and determination pricked my skin.
No, if a fight was what they wanted, it was a fight I wanted to give. I had a lot to lose, so why shouldn’t the burden be on my shoulders?
Footsteps sounded in the hallway and within a few moments, Dumont was brought in front of Gregor. They stared one another down, their gazes cold, calculating. At last, Gregor motioned toward the ancient book on the steel table. “Do you recognize this?”
Dumont looked down at the text, his lips tipping up. “Ah, yes. Back when life was more for the civilized vampires and not for the traitorous.”
The veins in Gregor’s neck protruded. “You are familiar then with the law you wrote so many years ago regarding attempts to overthrow the ruling family?”
“Of course.”
“Why have you not followed these rules?”
Dumont barked out a laugh. “Because it has been many years since I came to grips with the conniving traits of the Ravana Clan. You are just like your father. Stubborn, egotistical… I will treat you as yours did to me. To be overthrown and cast away like some sort of slave!” Dumont’s face reddened and his face shook with the ferocity of his tongue. “You deserve nothing more than that. I hear my clan outside. I hear them at your doors. They’re knocking, Gregor, which is still better than what yours did to me. I was betrayed, usurped by those I thought were on my side. There is no greater sin.”
“You and I have a different definition of the word sin.” Gregor’s nostrils flared, but he checked his anger, once again returning to the decision at hand. “But I will allow you a second chance, a second chance to act with honor. I propose we end this once and for all in the way you imagined all those years ago.”
“Four warriors?”
“Four warriors.”
Dumont’s lips curled into an evil smile. “I wonder if it shall come down to us, Gregor. I would’ve liked to run your father through, but I suppose you can atone for his sins.”
Nicolai stepped forward, his fists clenched at his sides, but Christian held him back. Gregor gave his son a warning glare, then returned his attention back to Dumont. “Only time will tell.”
Dumont looked at the scene with nothing but humor in his dark eyes. It was as if he orchestrated this from the beginning, but he wasn’t counting on our winning. “I hope you have trusted warriors, Gregor. I admit I may have more than a few to choose from. Vicious ones who’ve been training all their lives...”
Gregor shrugged off his comment. “You agree to tell your people to stop, and we will abide by this ancient law of yours. If you win, I will step down. No harm will come to those who supported me. My family shall not be held responsible in any way and will be left alone to live their lives. If I should die, I would like an honorable burial. The same commitments will also be made to you.” Gregor made a writing motion in the air. Stephan stepped back and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from a nearby table. “Do you agree with those terms?”
“Add in that the other clan’s subjects will not interfere with the new ruler. Punishable by death. I cannot abide by anyone who will not give in to a fight justly fought. You will have my word that my people will not attempt any more action against you so long as you win fairly, or unless another challenge is made.”
Gregor looked quickly around the room, catching each of his family member’s gazes as he went. “Agreed,” he said finally. He set pen to paper and began to write out the terms of the fight.
Lex and T.J. still held Dumont, but when the time came for him to sign next to Gregor, he pulled his hands from them with an air of superiority. After signing, he held his hand out to Gregor. “May the best, most powerful, clan win.”
Though Gregor took his hand in return, he did not return his sentiment. I didn’t wonder why. This wasn’t about the best clan winning or even the most powerful. This was a means to an end, a way to save lives that were in immediate danger. If Gregor wasn’t able to get Dumont to agree to this, we all would’ve been punished. Sometimes the best way out of situations wasn’t what you thought. It wasn’t the most obvious, or the easiest. Often times, you had to work for things you shouldn’t have to. Good, your own happiness, your own safety were things you’d think were a given, but at any moment, there were people like Dumont out there to take these things away. Sometimes, the things you fought the hardest for were worth the most, even though they were the simplest.
Love.
My throat burned as I stared at my princes. So much to lose, but so much to gain as well. There was no turning back now.
“If you will, I would like to address my people now.” Dumont shrugged his shoulders out of the reaching hands of Lex and T.J. and pulled his suit collar up. Gregor made a motion for those around him to back down. We had his word now. And I supposed that was one thing we could be sure of. Even though it went against everything in me to trust the bad guy, it seemed his word, his honor, was the one thing we could trust.
We had Dumont. Finally. But in order to win the bigger picture, we had to give him up and prove ourselves the old-fashioned way.
Four fights—five—if we were unlucky. Four matches to determine the fate of an entire world, an entire group of people who came together to live harmoniously. They weren’t perfect. No one was, really. But at least they strived to be. At least they made better decisions each and every day to become a better version of themselves. This was the side I was on. This was the side I would fight for if called upon. This was the side that would give me everything I never knew I wanted in my life.
I wasn’t about to give it up now.
Surrounded by my princes, I watched from the window as Dumont walked ceremoniously to the front gates at the front of the estate. He held his arms out wide, a grin on his face that would stay with me forever. His people clapped and applauded. His people, who could’ve been clones of those who retreated back inside the estate to be with the Ravanas, were ecstatic for their victory.
“What have I done?” Gregor asked.
“What you must,” Isabelle said softly.
We made a deal with the devil that day in the hopes we would come out on top when all was said and done. At least we knew the timeline for the beginning—or the end—of our future now. Soon. Decisions had been made, and now, time was the only tell
The End
1
How quickly this world had changed. Just yesterday we sat in the Council room wondering how we were going to save lives and now… Well, now we were preparing to send people into battle. Four distinct people. Four people who would have the honor to fight for the Ravana Clan. Four people who The Council deemed as the strongest fighters of our group. It was a difficult task. No one would say otherwise. Knowing full well that they were deeming someone capable, yet also setting them up for the possibility of losing their lives for the sake of the greater good. Who would want a responsibility such as that? Not me.
However, it also pissed me off that I wasn’t allowed near the meeting where they discussed these things. A quick Council meeting had commenced after Dumont and his people left the premises. We weren’t sure exactly where they went. Guards were sent to find out. Shannon, Liv, and Evan were a part of that team. I just hoped, somewhat feebly, that there was no senseless killing. No more exerting authority over a lesser species just because they could. But this was Dumont’s clan we were talking about. All bets were off.
I sat in my bedroom at the estate and stared out the window. On the lawn below, a circle of sorts had started. Clan members from each side had gathered around it, our makeshift arena. The acreage at the estate was plenty satisfactory, but who knew that the side lawn would ever be used for this purpose? Never again, I vowed to myself as I watched as some of the clan members circled one another.
We weren’t allowed to fight amongst ourselves. We weren’t allowed to do anything without the sanctioned fights determining the winner of this piece of our history. Though they circled and clenched their teeth as if they were rabid animals, none of them had a personal dog in this race. They weren’t one of the warriors under consideration. Looking down, I wondered if Dumont had already picked his chosen four. If he’d known we’d do this from the beginning and the four were already a shoo in for his clan. For us, it was a bigger decision than that. There were guards and vampires both to be considered. I ran through the ones I knew in my head, still upset that I couldn’t be anywhere near the Council room at this point. There was T.J. There was Lex. Matthews was still injured, so his time for glory would not be now. No matter how many others I played around in my head, I thought I had to be one of the warriors chosen. There was Zeke as a possibility. He was good. I couldn’t deny him that. He certainly had the thirst for fighting, but I still didn’t like the idea of his allegiance.