by Carl East
Both Johnny and Michael could hear them talk, and Michael knew that James wouldn’t let any harm come to Jenny, not if he could help it. Then Johnny spotted movement, and watched as three hounds appeared from the wood and stood in the meadow looking at their quarry.
“James wasn’t kidding about these things, they look deadly,” said Johnny.
The hounds moved forward, and just as predicted, they started to separate and home in on one target apiece. Then they started to run, and Johnny couldn’t believe how much ground they could cover as they reached their top speed. He watched as the back leg that James had described came up through their middle legs and pushed away. It was like watching a cheetah but in dog form and far more muscular.
When it got to within twenty feet, the one that had homed in on Johnny leapt into the air and would’ve landed directly on top of him had he not moved a split second before it hit the ground. He found himself behind the creature and quickly taking hold of its back leg he swung it around and let it go towards a large oak tree. His attack was trying to take the hounds weight into account by using it against him, however he couldn’t have foreseen the agility of this hound as it managed to turn around in mid-air and hit the tree with all three feet and then leap back into the fray.
James had gone a slightly different route as he’d done the same thing as Johnny, only he’d chosen not to let go. Instead, he tried using the ground by bringing the hound down on it with as much force as he could muster. The hound lay there for a few seconds, and James backed off. Unfortunately, he’d only knocked the wind out of it and it was soon standing on all three paws and orientating towards its enemy.
Michael was fairing a bit better as he’d chosen to get on top of the animal from behind and was stabbing at it with all the strength he could find, and although it yelped, it seemed to make it even more aggressive. It managed to throw Michael off, and came charging at him again. Michael was too quick though, and just ran towards the woods with the hound in tow.
By now, Johnny had another hold of his attacker, only this time he was trying to strangle it from behind. It soon became clear that the hounds hide was far too thick to make any sort of impression against it, so throwing it over onto its back he moved away to form another plan of attack. It was when he heard a cry coming from Jenny that things changed. He looked over to see that their hound had managed to claw Jenny on the arm, but that she was clear of it.
Johnny could feel the anger building up inside him, but didn’t let it get the better of him. Once again, he dodged the attack from his own quarry and slashed it as it passed by harmlessly. The creature landed and seemed to have a little more respect, because this time it studied Johnny closely and started to circle him. The ridges on Johnny’s forehead were becoming more pronounced, and he could feel his spine starting to push out his shirt from behind.
Michael too had heard Jenny scream out and his change was just as quick as Johnny’s was. He so wanted to get over there and see that Jenny was safe, but he couldn’t take his eyes from the hound in front of him. Then he spotted the pit directly beside him and waited for the hound to attack. When it did, he got behind it and taking hold of its back leg, he threw it into the pit. The hound let out a gruesome howl as it fell onto the iron spike that was sticking up from the middle of the pit. Michael knew that that wouldn’t be enough to kill it, but with the creature, struggling to get free it presented a nice target of its broad chest. Michael jumped up and came down onto the hound with every bit of strength he could muster, and the bunch of arrows he held, pierced the creature’s chest and was buried deep inside its heart. Michael moved back into the corner of the pit and watched a blue flame leap from its body before a raging fire consumed it completely.
Johnny had now changed into a Berserker, which left the hound that was still circling him look at its prey differently, as if it couldn’t understand what was going on. All it knew though was that it had been ordered to kill it and that was what it lived for. It jumped at Johnny and appeared to be surprised not to see him move, but when it landed on its prey, it couldn’t have foreseen the man deliberately putting his hands into its mouth and then pulling the jaw apart so hard that it would audibly break in two. When Johnny let the beast fall to the floor it moved away, only to feel Johnny mounting it from behind to drive a large silver knife through its back and into its heart. By the time the fire had started to consume it, Michael was flashing by him.
Johnny immediately joined him and they all surrounded the last hound. This one was slightly bigger than the other two, and Jenny was exhausted from dodging it. She had blood pouring down her arm, and Michael told her to get out of this fight and get the wound dressed. She didn’t question his command and left as quickly as possible.
“What are you going to do now monster, we’ve sent both your friends back to the hell they came from and you’re next?” said Johnny.
No one knew whether the creature understood what was being said to it, but it chose Johnny as its next target and leapt for the last time. What it met was stabbing pains coming from three different areas of its body and was dead before it hit the ground and burst into flames. Both Johnny and Michael were now in full Berserker mode and James decided to back off and allow them to revert to their normal selves before talking to them. Johnny was the first as he had more experience with the change. He looked at the hellhound’s remains and knowing it was dead brought him an inner piece that calmed him to the point of change.
Johnny, now reverted to normal, stepped away from the burning beast and joined James. They stood there watching Michael, but he was having trouble reverting. The anger inside him was still strong but as time passed, he too began to revert and turned to find his friends waiting for him. They all walked back together, and entered the cabin. Cassandra was dressing Jenny’s wound, but they both knew with the day sleep the wound would heal up and Jenny ran over to greet Michael.
“I was so scared that it would get you Michael,” she said hugging him tightly.
“I’m okay Jenny,” he replied holding her close.
They moved to the chairs in front of the fire, rested and talked quietly. Johnny sat with his friends and placing his arm around Cassandra who was next to him, he gathered her close. He heard the others talking but his gaze was lost in the flames and he kept his thoughts to himself.
Chapter 40
Johnny had been in a pensive mood since the night before and Cassandra saw that it hadn’t changed when he awoke from his day sleep. She decided to ask what was troubling him so much.
“I keep thinking about Damien, and whether or not I should go after him. If he could send such creatures to attack us then what will his next move be once he finds out that they failed?” said Johnny.
“I think whatever the challenges that are thrown against us, we will prevail. We have one another and the coven. Our family would meet those challenges head on if necessary,” replied Cassandra.
Johnny turned to her and leaned forward to kiss her cheek.
“You know, I think you’re right. Anyway, on another subject I think it’s time we started to think about building a home for my little band of misfits.”
“I’ve discussed this with the coven and I would be more than happy to let you use the basement for as long as you want, so there’s no rush,” said Cassandra.
Just then there was a commotion coming from outside and Johnny rushed up stairs to see what was going on. When he reached the front door, he was met by Morgana.
“Johnny, there’s a stranger in the meadow and he’s using magic to pass our wards.”
Johnny ran down the path and stepped into the clearing to find a man dressed in robes…no…he wasn’t just a man, he sensed the vampire in him.
“Ah…Johnny I presume? I was expecting someone a bit taller,” said the stranger.
“Who are you and what do you want?” replied Johnny who was suddenly joined by James and Michael.
“My name is Bashir, Sorcerer Bashir. I came to see for myself just
who was capable of taking out my little pets, and to put things right,” he replied.
“You’re either very confident in your abilities or you’re a fool, let’s find out which shall we?” said Johnny as he shot forward and came to a dead stop three feet before the sorcerer.
Bashir was holding up his hand, and watching Johnny’s face as he tried to escape whatever it was holding him back, and then the sorcerer flipped his wrist, sending Johnny flying and crashing into one of the trees at the edge of the clearing. Michael and James moved as one, but came up against the same force that Johnny had felt. They too were thrown like so much discarded rubbish. Unscathed and completely alert they all got back to their feet and stood their ground once again.
“As you can see, I’m no fool,” taunted Bashir.
At that moment, the sorcerer could feel something pushing against him, and quickly looked around. A single witch was chanting behind him, and an unseen force was pushing against his protective spell. He threw his hand up causing the witch to collapse, and then turned to face his foes once again.
“Witches, they are as weak as to be insignificant,” he boasted.
Returning his attention to the witch on the ground, he began to mumble and as he did, she began to writhe on the ground tearing at her clothes. The men watched helplessly as the Sorcerer Bashir approached her to get closer to the naked flesh that was being revealed. Kate was one of the younger members of the coven and her flesh was firm and beautiful. Her long red hair became entangled as she moved along the ground pulling and tearing off piece after piece of clothing until she was lying there naked on the grass. The sorcerer became intrigued at the nakedness of her womanhood where he had expected to see a tuft of red hair. With a lift of his hand, he made her stand before him and lewdly spread her legs apart. A motion of his finger had her hips thrusting towards him for a closer inspection.
The men were helpless as they watched him move closer and closer to the young woman. Locked in place they saw him as he moved behind her to caress her back and hips. The expression on her face became anguished as his hands moved further down and they could only imagine what his hands were doing to her exposed backside. Watching they saw fingers appear between her legs and disappear between the lips of her womanhood. Her mouth opened in protest but she could utter no words.
The hand slid back from between her legs and both hands came around to play roughly with her full breasts. His fingers pinched and pulled at the reddening tips and they saw her gasping for breath through her opened mouth. Her lips must have been dry in fear as her tongue came out to moisten them and then she gritted her teeth. The blazing green eyes warned of retribution if she ever got free but she was helpless beneath the onslaught of his touch.
The men tried to move their legs and couldn’t, and like the woman they had no voices when they opened their mouths to yell for help. Watching the sorcerer play with her breasts was beginning to take a toll on their bodies as one by one their cocks reacted to the sight of her nakedness.
Watching the sorcerer’s hands disappear they could only guess what was going to happen next. Suddenly they saw her legs part even further and an engorged member pass under her womanhood. Unable to look away they watched the swollen head pass repeatedly between her nether lips in an attempt to entice her to him. It must have been too much for the woman as they saw moisture begin to coat the length of his weapon. The ridge of his head passed relentlessly over the area of her clit and it wasn’t long before they saw the engorged tip peak out from between the folds of her lips.
Unable to help themselves the men watched as the young witch was bent to the will of the sorcerer and gazing upon her they saw when the bloated head slid back to the entrance of her channel and entered her deeply. Their eyes could not leave the sight of what was happening and they heard the sorcerer’s moans of excitement as he plunged deeper and deeper into her depths. They continued to struggle against his power over them but were unable to help her and became enraged at being forced to watch.
The young witch was now in the throes of passion and widened her stance to take him deeper. The sorcerer hunched down to get a deeper thrust and in that moment, as he exploded inside her the magic that held her in place faltered and her screams of orgasms resounded throughout the woods. Cassandra and other members of the coven arrived at the scene to see the sorcerer still thrusting into their sister and the blush of orgasm still covering her helpless body. Rushing towards them the witches pulled their sister free as the sorcerer fell to the ground.
Cassandra moved Kate swiftly away from the scene while the other witches blocked the sorcerer’s view.
“Sister Kate what spell did you use to try to hold him in place?”
“I tried to use the protection spell,” she murmured, “I figured if I could surround him with the magic of the spell he wouldn’t be able to stop Johnny and the others, but his protection spell was more powerful than our own and he used it against me,” she replied.
Cassandra understanding what had happened said, “It may not be strong enough from a single witch, but what about the rest of the coven?”
Placing Kate carefully up against a tree, Cassandra ran back to the witches and said, “When I give the word I want you to surround him and use the same spell as Kate did, but only when I give the word, understood?”
The others nodded and then turned to see what was happening now.
Chapter 41
The sorcerer was thoughtful as he watched the vampires and witches approach. He knew that he lost control over them in the throes of his orgasm but he had time to wait and gather his strength to control them again, he wasn’t in a hurry to get up to fight. He enjoyed the little repast he had experienced with the young witch. In fact, his member was clambering for more as he tucked it back into his robes. Watching as the other members of the coven came to stand with the vampires, he saw that they were all young and quite beautiful.
The leader of the coven appeared quite formidable as she shot lethal looks at him and watching her move closer to the vampire named Johnny he decided he was going to enjoy himself before he finished them all off. After all, you couldn’t have people just going around killing hellhounds. He had sacrificed quite a few years of his life to bring those three under his power. The fact that he was quite young before he had called upon them made no difference. He didn’t mind losing the years because now his appearance was that of a man in his prime. Watching the witches and vampires gathering he began taunting them to attack.
Johnny didn’t need to be asked twice, but as he tried to get nearer, the sorcerer concentrated more on him. Another step seemed to feel impossible, but the more Johnny tried the angrier he became until those changes that only he and Michael could feel started to happen. The sorcerer felt replete and strong as he watched the transformations before him.
“So, at last, this is what the vampires fear, you are an abomination and I’m going to end you,” boasted the sorcerer.
With that, the intensity of the sorcerer’s attack became more pronounced and tiny flakes of skin could be seen peeling from Johnny’s face, along with small wisps of smoke. Cassandra now ordered her sisters into the fray and at that moment, they surrounded the battlefield.
Johnny was in pain, but his anger seemed to know no limits and once again, he managed to take another step forward. The sorcerer was shocked, as the spell he was using had never failed him before. With another step Johnny grimaced with the pain, but with each part of his face burning another healed and another step was gained.
“Why can’t I kill you vampire?” roared the sorcerer.
At that moment, the witches began to chant on the command of Cassandra, and for a brief moment, the sorcerer became afraid as he became aware of their joined plan of attack. Withdrawing a wand from his sleeve, he began to conjure his own magic. The wind began to pick up, the skies darkened and as the witches continued with their chant, a mist began to flow up from the ground. The mist took on the appearance of heavy smoke and began to obsc
ure their view of the sorcerer, when suddenly, thunder pealed from the sky and in a bright flash of light, he was gone.
Stupefied they stood looking at each other and around the forest. The air in the meadow became clear and though they spread out and searched the surrounding woods. When they met back at the cabin, they had to agree that the sorcerer had indeed escaped retribution.
Chapter 42
The days passed and they continued to argue about what they should do. The vampires wanted to track him down and finish him off while Cassandra and the rest of the coven wanted to find a magical way to defeat him. They delved into the magic texts trying to find a ward or spells that would protect them but Johnny still burned with anger at not being able to protect Kate. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the sorcerer would return and he wasn’t about to wait around until that happened.
Calling James and Michael to him, they began to form a plan; only this plan began with Damien. He was the one who made the covenant with the sorcerer so he must know where he was and how to find him. Talking until dawn, they made their plans and succumbed to the day sleep. They would need to leave as soon as sunset and as they closed their eyes, their plans took shape.
Damien was unaware of the challenges that the renegades were facing, he was having enough problems within his own lair. After their defeat, he had to fight every day to keep his place as their leader. Convincing the others that they needed new members in the group he sent out the lair to find viable candidates and was taken completely by surprise when arising from his day sleep to see Johnny and other members of his group standing over him. Shock filled his face and then anger as he realized that the members of his lair abandoned him to their power. Lying there, he could only wait until Johnny spoke first.
“You failed to mention when you accepted the agreement that you already had a backup plan in place, for that alone I should kill you; but using a sorcerer of Black Magic is low even for you. What did you have to exchange to get his help,” asked Johnny.