Legacy of Blood

by J. L. McCoy

  I nodded my head quickly and looked a terrified Trey in the eyes. “I’m coming.” I slid my eyes over to Amun’s face and took a deep breath before slowly blowing it out. “I’m ready. Put me back. I’ll leave immediately and come to you.”

  “I adore your cooperation,” Amun smiled widely. “Meet me on top of the mountain. You will know where. Stray from these instructions and your little friend dies.”

  I nodded my head in understanding and watched as Amun slipped on his ring again.

  “Skye,” I heard someone whisper as I felt my cheek being hit.

  I opened my eyes and saw Lochlan on his knees beside me on the floor behind the bar. His face looked worried and I blinked a few times to get my bearings.

  “If ya wanted a wee nap, ya coulda jus’ said so,” Lochlan smirked as he helped me sit up. “You okay?”

  Stray from these instructions and your little friend dies. I nodded my head quickly and stood up. “I’m fine,” I chuckled and put on a smile. “Guess I just got a little dizzy. No biggie.”

  “Are ya sure?” Lochlan asked, frowning and studying me hard. “Ya hit tha floor like a sack a’ potatoes.”

  “Pfft,” I waved my hand and acted as if it was nothing. “I’ve just got a little headache. I’m perfectly fine.”

  “Why don’ ya take a wee break?” Lochlan nodded his head to Archer’s stairwell. “I’ll handle stuff ‘ere until ya get back.”

  “You know,” I said quickly, jumping on the opportunity to leave, “I think I’ll just go splash some water on my face.”

  “Aye,” he smiled as he poured up a drink. “That’ll wake ya up proper. If dat don’ work, I’d be willin’ ta try a lil’ mouth ta mouth resuscitation.”

  He looked at me funny and I realized he was waiting for a response, so I laughed. He looked even more confused and I turned and left as quickly as I could. I didn’t want to stay around and risk him realizing that something was the matter with me.

  I look the stairs down at a jog and met Quinn on my way down. “Where are you off to now?”

  “I… uh… have to get another bottle,” I said quickly, “out of storage.”

  “Well, be quick about it,” Quinn said with a frown. “And if you see Trey, bring him to me okay?”

  “Will do,” I smiled tightly as I stepped into the crowd and fought my way across the floor to the hallway. The dual vision from my ring was starting to mess with my sight. I was getting flashes of a car moving down a freeway before everything went black again. I knew Amun was still wearing the ring because I felt the pull to him, but he was obscuring his vision so that I didn’t know where he was going.

  Meet me on top of the mountain. What mountain is he talking about? We didn’t have mountains in Austin; hills yes, mountains no. I ran down the hallway and dodged Rachel who was coming out of the Employee lounge.

  “Hey, Skye!” she called as I ran past her.

  I didn’t bother to stop as I hit the door and was now out in the employee parking lot. I knew I needed a car but I didn’t have any keys on me to any of Archer’s. I did the only thing I could think of and ran to Seth’s old Toyota pickup. I tried the handle and thankfully it was unlocked; I guess he thought no one would bother stealing his early 80s model yellow truck. Thank you, Seth! I quickly got in, ripped off the bottom panel, cut the wires I needed and sparked the right ones together. I knew how to hot wire older vehicles (don’t ask!) and was so glad someone still drove one. The truck purred to life and I twisted the wires to each other and wasted no time driving out of the parking lot.

  I made sure to take the back way to the freeway to avoid passing by the entrance to The Mausoleum. If Seamus saw me, he would know something was up. I felt the pull grow stronger as I navigated west through downtown and then north on MoPac Freeway.

  At that time, I got another glimpse of what Amun was seeing and gasped when I saw Trey’s bloody, terrified face. I screamed at the sight and almost drove the truck into a guardrail. Amun grabbed Trey by the back of the neck and threw him into a flight of rock stairs. I gasped again as I recognized those set of stairs. Amun had taken Trey to Mount Bonnell.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  A few minutes later, I skidded to a stop in the parking lot and jumped out of the truck, not bothering to kill the engine or shut the door. I flashed up the 106 stone steps in seconds and looked around when I reached the summit. There was no sign of Amun anywhere but I could feel him. I headed left, past the covered viewing area, and into the park section.

  Amun’s vision began interfering with mine again and I saw myself from his eyes. He was standing behind me. I whirled around and took off the ring, throwing it to the ground.

  “I’m here, just like you asked,” I said, trying to remain calm. The last vision I had of Trey was of his frightened and bloody face which had completely unnerved me. “Where is Trey?”

  Amun studied me for a few moments and then smiled. “It is good to see you, Nisiqtu. I have not been in your presence in over a month. Come, greet me properly, Damu,” he smiled as he held his arms out.

  I swallowed hard and looked around for Trey. I didn’t see him anywhere but that didn’t mean Amun hadn’t hidden him before I got here. I quickly weighed my options and knew there was no way out of this. I would give myself to him if he guaranteed that Trey and everyone I loved would be safe from him.

  “Is Trey okay?” I asked as I slowly walked toward him.

  “Your friend is unharmed,” Amun smiled as he closed the distance between us. He wrapped his arms around me and sighed deeply as he held me to him.

  “You do not appear happy to see me, Damu,” Amun grumbled, displeasure painting his voice.

  “I am, father,” I sighed as I lifted my arms and hugged him back. The action itself was one of the hardest things I had ever done in my life. Everything in me was screaming at me to kill Amun while a tiny part advocated for Trey’s safety. In the end, Trey’s life won out. I loved Trey deeply and would do anything for him, even hug the devil himself. “I am happy to see you.”

  “Good,” he smiled as he pulled away and held me at arm’s length. “Let me behold you. My, you are stunning. Immortality suits you. What a beautiful bride you will be, Nisiqtu. Do you have the dress I left for you?”

  “I-I never got to see it,” I swallowed thickly, my skin crawling as his eyes undressed me. “An Dilis took it.”

  “Never fear, my love,” Amun smiled as he pulled me into his arms again. “We will get you a better one; one befitting the queen you are to become.” He pressed his cold lips to my forehead and sighed contentedly. “Together, we will be unstoppable. Our talents are completely unparalleled, Damu. There is nothing we cannot conquer now that we are together.”

  “Take me far away from here,” I said softly, trying to control the tremor in my voice. “I want to leave America right away… tonight even.”

  Amun chuckled and held me tighter. “Where does my queen wish to go?”

  I swallowed hard and tried to suppress the tears I felt stinging my eyes. I didn’t want to leave Austin, but I would if that meant Archer and our family would be safe. I wanted Amun far away from them, and the sooner the better. “Take me somewhere cold. I’m sick of this summer heat.”

  “Your wish is my command, my queen,” Amun whispered as he lowered his head to mine. “Do you see now, Nisiqtu? I am not a bad man and would freely give you the world if only you would submit to me. We will have a beautiful union, Skye. You will see. You will be happy with me.”

  I nodded my head and realized that Amun was preparing to kiss me. I closed my eyes tightly and stifled the sob that threatened to tear itself from my chest. I wanted to be anywhere but here in his arms. Amun made me sick and all I wanted to do was kill him for what he had done to me, what he had done to my life, and what he had done to Trey.

  My eyes flashed open and I realized this was the perfect time to have my question answered; Amun was in a good mood now that he had me. “What did you do with Trey?” I asked right befor
e his thin lips touched mine.

  “He is chained,” he whispered against my lips as he pecked them once. “I placed him on a ledge over the side for safe keeping.”

  I sighed in relief and Amun took that as his cue to kiss me. His cold lips pushed hard against mine as his hands tangled in my hair. I whimpered when his wet tongue brushed against my lips and demanded entrance and I dug my nails into his back as I gave him what he wanted most. I kissed him back and poured every bit of my anger, frustration, and rage into it. I dug my nails into his neck and he moaned into my mouth as I completed my bloody track down. Amun seemed to be enjoying the pain and that pissed me off even more.

  “Your kiss is everything I imagined it would be,” he sighed as he pulled back and licked his lips, savoring my taste. “It was well worth the wait.”

  I fought not to spit his acrid taste from my mouth as he released me and took my hand. “Where are we going?”

  “I have a present for you,” he smiled back at me as we approached the cliff’s edge.

  I looked over the side and saw Trey lying on a narrow ledge, chained and in obvious pain.

  “I saved him for us,” Amun smiled, putting his arm around me. “I thought we could feast on his blood together before we completed our union.”

  I shook my head in horror and backed away from the edge. “No,” I whispered in fear and disgust. “No. I do not want to drink from him. Trey is my friend.”

  “He must die!” Amun growled angrily as he spun around to face me. “They all must die eventually!”

  “No,” I whimpered as cool tears fell down my cheeks. “I won’t do it. I’ll do anything, Amun…but I won’t drink from my friend. I can’t. Please don’t make me.”

  “You love this disgusting Day Walker more than me?!” he screamed and I jumped involuntarily as his rage hit me full force. “I am your father and soon-to-be husband! You will bow down before me and do as I command, Damu. You will submit to me this moment or you will not like the consequences of your disobedience!”

  “He is my brother!” I yelled back, finding the last ounce of strength I had to fight him. “He is my family, Amun. Trey has been like my brother since I met him. I love him! If you kill him, you might as well kill me too because my heart will die with him. And I promise you, I’ll never forgive you for it; no matter how many centuries I live. I’ll hate you with every breath I take. There is no coming back from this for me, Amun. You kill him, you kill me too.”

  “Perhaps I should just kill you,” Amun whispered, his eyes narrowed in anger, as he slowly walked toward me. “You defy me at every turn, child. I am beginning to believe that you are not worth the inconvenience.”

  “I came to you, didn’t I?!”

  “Only after I had taken your little friend and forced your hand!” Amun spat at me. “You dispatched the Day Walker’s Army after me. You wanted to kill me! So now I am supposed to simply believe that you have suddenly changed your mind about desiring my death?” Amun scoffed and flashed to stand a foot away from me. “How ignorant do you think I am, child? I am well over ten thousand years old and I assure you, I am no fool.”

  “None of that matters anymore!” I cried as I grabbed onto his hand. “I told you I would come to you, and I did. I asked you to take me away from here and I meant it. I won’t fight you, Amun. I’m done fighting you. You have made it very apparent that you will hurt everyone I love if I continue. I am submitting to you, just like you asked. The only thing I ask in return is that we leave now and never come back. Leave the people I love alone. Please, Amun. Just do this one thing for me. It’s all I’ll ever ask of you… I swear it.”

  Amun studied me for a few long, silent moments and I anxiously held my breath. I felt his anger slowly ebb away and finally, he nodded his head. “If you defy me again, we will return to this country and I will personally make you kill everyone you have saved this nigh. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” I bowed my head and wiped the tears from my face. I had planned to find a way to kill him once we were far away from America, but his new threat put the fear of God in me. I had no doubt he would make good on it if I defied him again. God, I hate that bastard!

  I was terrified of what my life would be like now. Would he make me murder people with him? Would he rape me? I knew he planned on us being married and I fought the wave of sickness in my stomach. He would expect me to have sex with him and I didn’t know if I could do that. I swallowed thickly as my new reality fully hit me. I was going to live for time immeasurable with a sick and sadistic man that I couldn’t even stand to look at. My life was going to be a true living hell, but I’d do anything to keep my true father, Archer, and our family safe. I’d endure this hell and use the memory of our one amazing night spent together to get me through it.

  “Why must you force me rule you with an iron fist? You would see that my love is like a feather’s caress if only you would stop fighting me.” He sighed and stood up straighter. “Kiss me, Skye,” Amun commanded as he held his head higher, reveling in his new dominance over me, “and show me how delighted you are to finally be one with me.”

  I hung my head, my soul shattered, as I stepped to him. I slowly placed my hand on his chest and heard a pleasured sigh escape his lips.

  “Good girl,” he whispered, pleased.

  His praise cut through me like a dull knife and my bottom lip trembled as I looked up at him. His black eyes bored into my colorless ones and he smiled in victory as he leaned his head down to mine.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Ge’away from ‘er, deamhan!”

  I gasped in surprise and turned around to see Seamus flashing towards us. Amun growled loudly and roughly threw me to the side, away from him. I watched in horror as Amun and Seamus came together with a loud bang; their limbs flying into action as they bared their fangs at one another.

  Feet pounded the stairs to my right and I tore my eyes away from Amun and Seamus to see Ruarc and his Army run up to join us. Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, I heard a sickening ripping sound and a splat as something hit my leg.

  I looked down into the still blinking eyes of Seamus’ severed head and screamed.

  A fierce roaring sound cut through my terror as I scrambled backward on my butt away from the gruesome sight. Bodies flashed past me and I heard sounds of battle, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of Seamus’. I heard someone softly calling my name and I tore my eyes away and crawled toward the sound.

  “Skye! Oh God, please tell me you’re okay.”

  When I reached the edge of the cliff, I glanced over and spotted Trey struggling against his chains. “Trey!”

  “Oh thank the good Lord,” Trey breathed a sigh of relief when he saw me. “You’re okay. Sugar, do me a favor and come get me out of these dreadful things.” I stared down at him and blinked a few times, still in shock. “Honey, there will be plenty of time to fall apart later. Hurry down here and get these damn chains off me. I’m in an awful lot of pain.”

  Nodding my head, I crawled over the side and dropped the fifty feet down to the ledge, narrowly missing the edge. Trey was in terrible shape and I started crying as I took him in. He had blood on his face and shirt and I saw that he had been stabbed in the stomach. I grabbed the end of the sharp, pointed rock and quickly pulled it out of him. Trey gasped and bit his bottom lip in pain, but I didn’t stop. I rolled him over, looking for a lock to the chains and cringed when I saw his arms.

  “Oh, honey.” His arms had been bent behind his back at funny angles and I knew they were broken. He had had enough time to heal, so I knew we would have to break them again when I got him free so he could heal properly.

  “I’ll live,” he breathed. “Just get these chains off.”

  I grabbed a hold of the lock and yelped in pain, immediately pulling my hand back. “Ouch!”

  “Silver,” Trey groaned.

  He had to have been in incredible pain being wrapped in those chains for at least the last twenty minutes. I too
k a deep breath and grabbed the lock again, pulling hard and breaking it off. I threw it off the cliff and turned my attention to unwrapping him, starting with his legs. Some areas were so bad that it actually took skin with it when I removed them. Trey did his best to stifle his cries, but no matter what I did, I hurt him.

  When I reached his waist I set him up and continued pulling the chains off. He started crying when I reached his neck and as soon as he was free, I threw the chain over the ledge and looked down at my bloody, raw hands. They had started to heal but it was a little slower than I had expected.

  “Come on,” I said, pulling Trey up by his elbow and then throwing him over my shoulder. “We have to get you out of here.”

  I started climbing up the side of the cliff and marveled at how easy it was. As a human, there was no way in hell I’d have been able to vertically climb up a rock face, especially carrying someone on my back. When I reached the top, the sound of fighting was intense. I set Trey down on the edge and pulled myself the rest of the way up.

  “There is a yellow truck in the parking lot. Get inside and lock the door,” I instructed as I pulled him up and gave him a little push in the direction of the stairs.

  I didn’t wait around to see if he listened as I turned and ran toward the sounds of fighting. I came across two bodies and recognized them as two of An Dilis’ elite soldiers. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. If Amun was able to kill two of the Army’s best, what chance did I have against him?

  A huge shadow passed over me and I jumped as I realized it was a body being thrown. The head was next and I jumped out of the way before it could hit me. I stared into those blue eyes as they passed me and I almost fainted. Oleif, the gigantic Viking pain in my ass, was no more.