Val ducked down as a strong gust of wind howled through the opening. Her dress snapped and slapped against her skin. She shivered. The wind changed direction suddenly, catching them off guard. Val dropped her spear and watched it tumble over the edge, spiralling down to the sea.
The Kid scrambled up the last couple of steps and flung himself into the opening. Val leant out and peered over the edge. Something shot past her head, dragging the air with it. She stumbled forwards, her toes gripping the edge. The Kid grabbed the back of her gown and pulled her back.
A red robe flapped in the wind as the Blood Brother tumbled down the side of the cliff.
“Was that what I thought it was?” The Kid dragged Val back against the wall.
She nodded and then turned her gaze up the cliff. “HOLD ON.”
CRACK.
Another body landed on the next flight of stairs. The Blood Brother appeared to stare at them, his neck broken. Val held her breath as he toppled over, falling from the steps and continuing his descent down to the sea. More bodies flashed past, one after another, screams echoing off the sheer rock face. Val squeezed her body back against the cliff.
“Did you see Aria?” The Kid gripped Val’s arm.
“No.” She tilted her head, glancing up the steps. “I think it’s clear. We need to keep going.”
“Are you crazy? I’m not going up there.” The Kid peered over the edge. “You did just see that, didn’t you?”
“You do what you want, but I’m going on.” She pushed past the Kid and climbed onto the next set of steps.
“Wait.” The Kid looked over the edge and took a deep breath. He glared at Val, shook his head, and then followed her up the stairs.
Val stayed low, hugging the cliff as she climbed. She lifted her head and peered over the final step. An enormous cave stretched out before her, the wind howling through the opening. She climbed up and crept behind a stack of crates. The Kid slid past her on his belly, dragging his body away from the edge.
Val looked down at him. “What are you doing?”
“I can’t believe we made it.” He kissed the ground.
“Keep it down.” Val pointed to a guard, walking towards them. She ducked down and pressed her finger to her lips.
A rumble approached from within the cave, growing louder and louder. Val peeked around the crate. A network of rope and plank gangways reached into the sky, linking the cave to the airships. She leant out further, looking for the source of the rumble. A row of barrels rolled towards the gangways.
“Is that the last of them?” The guard leant on his spear.
The barrels stopped and a man stepped out from behind the first one. “Yep, this is it. Once these are on board, we’re ready to go.”
Val nudged the Kid’s shoulder and pointed to the barrels. He squinted, staring at where she was pointing and shrugged. Each barrel had a symbol painted on the end. Val grabbed the Kid and pointed to her amulet. He looked at the barrels again and his mouth fell open.
“Great. Get them aboard. I’ll notify the Count.” The guard stepped to one side, allowing the barrels to roll past him and onto a gangway.
Val dropped down behind the crate. “We need to find Dante.”
The Kid stood staring into the cave.
“What are you doing?” She grabbed his dinner jacket and tugged. “Get down here, someone will see you.”
He gulped and pointed deeper into the cave. “Look.”
Val spun around and lifted herself up, peering over the crate as the last barrel rolled out of the way. Her heart sank as a wall of soldiers marched towards them, stretching from one side of the cave to the other.
“There must be thousands.” Val took a deep breath.
“It’s more like a hundred thousand, actually.”
“Really, as many as…” Val stopped, that wasn’t the Kid’s voice. She spun around.
The Kid dropped to his knees, holding his hands behind his head. A guard stared at her, tapping his spearhead on the Kid’s shoulder. Val gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.
A second guard strolled towards her, a sinister grin sweeping across his face, his spear tapping against the ground. “So, we’ve already established that you are vastly outnumbered. I wouldn’t do anything silly if I was you.”
Val glanced over her shoulder and let out a long sigh. She turned back to the guard, lifted her hands into the air, and placed them behind her head.
“Good. You’re already proving to be smarter than those Blood Brothers.” He nodded to the other guard. “Get that one to his feet and follow me.”
The guards marched them across the front of the cave, moving past gangway after gangway. Val turned her head and stared at the approaching soldiers. A deafening sound roared through the cave as the army marched towards them, their feet striking the ground to a perfect beat.
A hand grabbed Val’s shoulder, stopping her behind a small stage. She thought about spinning around and putting the guard on his back, but before she could the army stopped and an eerie silence filled over the space.
A new set of footsteps appeared, echoing off the rock face. The Kid caught Val’s gaze and gestured with his elbow, his fingers still locked together behind his head.
The Count strode towards them, his face darkening as he approached. “I thought I told you to go to your rooms? You would have been safe and comfortable in my palace.”
“We would have been your prisoners.” Val locked eyes with the Count. “Like Aria.”
The Count laughed. “Do prisoners sleep in feather beds, have hot baths, and eat warm meals?”
Val glared at him. “A cage is a cage. It doesn’t matter how safe and comfortable it is.”
The Count clenched his jaw. “Luckily for you then, that is no longer an option. You will have to come with us.” He waved to the guards. “Put them on my airship with the others. Soon they will see exactly what they have got themselves into.”
A guard grabbed Val’s arm and yanked her onto a gangway. She looked down, peering between the wooden planks. Waves rolled across the bay, crashing into jagged rocks. The ropes groaned as they walked through the air. She stopped and glanced back as the Count climbed onto the stage.
“Keep moving.” The guard shoved Val in the back.
Val stepped off the gangway into a vast room, stretching across the bottom of the airship. Weapons and equipment lined the racks, running down the middle. The guard dragged Val towards a narrow staircase.
The Kid nudged her and pointed to the far end of the room. “Hey, look. Gliders. Just like on my farm.”
“Enough talking, more walking.” The guard shoved the Kid onto the stairs. “Climb.”
Val followed the Kid up the steps and into a much smaller room. Panelled windows covered the outer wall, overlooking the entrance of the cave. A tall figure turned away from the window and scowled.
Dante let out a long sigh. “What are you two doing here?”
Val smirked. “We got bored.”
The Kid glared at Val. “We came to save Aria.”
“You did!” Aria jumped up from a seat in front of the window and rushed towards them. She wrapped her arms around Val and squeezed. “You risked your life just for me.”
“Yeah, I guess we did.” Val returned Aria’s hug and looked away as the Kid frowned at her.
“So, did you save her?” Dante shook his head and turned back to the window.
“Not yet, but we’re working on it.” Val walked towards Dante, Aria gripping her hand.
“Oh yes, it looks like it.” Dante folded his arms and sighed again.
Val scanned the room. Clusters of tables and chairs stood beside the windows, but there was little else. A row of golden guards lined the back wall, blocking the stairs.
“They don’t seem to want us to go anywhere else.” Val turned back to the window overlooking the cave. “Any idea what’s going on here?”
A loud humming noise filled the air. Seconds later, a deafening crackle burst out of th
e ceiling. It vanished again before anyone could react.
“I think we are about to find out.” Dante pointed to the stage.
CHAPTER NINE
VIVA ESPAÑA!
The Count leant on a platform in the middle of the raised stage, overlooking his army. Aria squeezed Val’s hand and took a deep breath. Val smiled back at her and turned to the window.
“It is time. The Aristocracy will finally pay for everything that they have done to us.” The Count’s voice crackled through a device above their heads. “For three hundred years, we have been marginalized and terrorized. Well, that ends today.”
A roar exploded from within the cavern as the soldiers punched the air as one.
“Many years ago, our homeland was overrun by the vampire scourge. Our ancestors needed help. They begged for it, and believing that man could put aside its petty differences to face the true enemy, they let the British in.” The Count lowered his head.
The cave fell silent.
“Rather than aid us in our time of need, they took advantage of the situation. Our families fled for their lives, abandoning our country. They travelled to the Americas in search of a new home.” The sound of the Count’s breath echoed overhead as he paused. “But the British came and took that too. They will pay for everything that they have done to our families and our homeland.”
Val turned to Dante. “Is he about to do what I think he is?”
Dante waved his hand, silencing her.
The Count drew his sword. “Today is the beginning of a new era. Our Armada is ready. Today we set sail for Britain. We will pass over the vampire territory at the heart of the Americas. No one will see us coming until it is too late. We will take their home from them. The Aristocracy will be smashed. They will feel our pain.”
A wave of noise erupted from the cave.
The Count raised his blade into the air, glistening in the sunlight. “VIVA ESPAÑA!”
“VIVA ESPAÑA!”
The glass vibrated as the army released a thunderous roar.
“VIVA ESPAÑA!”
“So…” Val glanced at Dante. “I think it’s time to go.”
Dante nodded.
The Kid stepped between Val and Dante. “I have an idea.”
“Well, whatever it is we better hurry.” Dante pointed out the window as lines of soldiers marched towards the gangways.
“I’m coming with you.” Aria gripped Val’s hand. “Please don’t leave me behind.”
“Are you sure?” Val placed her hand on top of Aria’s.
“Yes, I’ve made my decision. My father has chosen his path, now I must choose my own.” She took a deep breath. “And I choose you. All of you.”
Val smiled at Aria and then turned to the Kid. “Alright, what’s this idea?”
“We’re going to fly out of here.”
Val and Dante exchanged a glance.
“Seriously, there are gliders downstairs.” The Kid looked at the guards. “If we can get to them, we can float all the way across the bay. We’re high enough to make it.”
“What if they follow us?” Aria turned to the Kid.
He smiled. “The Count is not going to postpone his war just to find us. He might send one ship, but we’ll be long gone before they are ready to follow.”
Aria glanced across the room. “There are ten guards and only four of us.”
“Leave them to us. Val, you take the five on the right. I’ll go left.” Dante locked his fingers together and cracked his knuckles. He shook his sleeve and a knife slid out.
Val raised an eyebrow. “Is that a butter knife?”
Dante’s mouth curled up at the corners, revealing a sly smile.
“I can’t believe I’m going to have to miss this.” Val took a deep breath as she stepped forwards with Dante. “So how do we start this? Do we just charge in or what?”
Dante flicked his wrist, flinging the butter knife across the room. It swirled through the air.
THUNK.
A guard dropped to his knees, gripping his face, blood squirting between his fingers. He screamed and then toppled forwards, his armour crunching against the ground.
“Hey! He was one of mine.” Val shook her head as the remaining nine guards rushed towards them.
Dante rolled up the sleeves of his dinner jacket and clenched his fists.
Val tightened the knot in her gown, keeping her legs free to fight. “Would you look at us? This is just ridiculous.”
The first guard reached Val, thrusting his spear towards her chest. She stepped forwards, swivelling at the last second. The air whistled as the blade shot past her. She caught the spear with one hand and spun towards the guard. He pulled back, but it was too late.
Val leant into the shaft, twisting her body. The spear flicked to one side, flinging the guard across the room. He crashed through a window, screaming as he tumbled out of sight.
Her three remaining opponents edged towards her, their golden armour chinking with every movement. Val spun the spear from behind her back, whipping it through the air. She wrapped her arm around the shaft and waited.
The guards shuffled forwards, their spears pointed at Val. They hesitated for a moment. Val jumped on their indecision and lunged forwards, thrusting her spear. She swivelled on her front foot and swept it across the front of the guards. She spun again, dropping to one knee as a flurry of spears flashed overhead.
Her spear hummed through the air as it swept around her body. The blade bit into one of the guard’s knees, slicing between his armour. He screamed and fell to the floor, blood gushing from his bloody stump.
The two last guards fanned out, attacking from both sides. One went low, the other high. Then they flipped the strike pattern, making it unpredictable and deadly.
Val spun, slapping their attacks away, but they were winning. She winced as one blade dragged back across her bicep. Another attack nicked her thigh, drawing blood. Val clenched her teeth together, stifling her groans.
They rushed in for another attack. Val slapped away the first spear, knocking the guard off balance. The second spear ripped through the air heading for Val’s leg. She twisted, opening her stance. The guard stumbled, not expecting to miss as the spear shot between Val’s legs.
Val pivoted forwards, locking the spear with her thighs as she countered, thrusting her own weapon towards his neck. The guard gasped, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. Val pulled her spear back. He staggered towards her, gripping his throat, his stare fixed on her.
She paused. It wasn’t anything like killing vampires. They showed no fear, even of death. Even the Blood Brothers were cold and emotionless, but this was different. Fear trickled from his eyes as she mouthed the word ‘sorry’.
The last guard climbed to his feet and darted forwards. His spear shot past Val’s arm, but the blade slid across her knuckles as he pulled back. A sharp pain flashed through her hand and her spear fell from her grip, clattering against the floor.
He charged towards Val, driving his foot into her stomach. She fell back. The guard leapt into the air, thrusting his spear at her head.
Val grabbed the spear locked between her thighs. She opened her legs and spun it free. The guard’s spear struck the ground beside her head, splitting the floor panel while her spear burst through his chest plate.
The guard opened his mouth to scream, but only blood came out. Lots of blood. He slid along the shaft, landing on top of Val. She pushed him to one side and scrambled away. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as his fists tightened around the spear.
Val panted, gasping for air as she wiped the guard’s blood off her face. She stared into his eyes. Blood trickled from his mouth, gathering in a pool below his head. His life faded before her eyes. She tried to look away, but couldn’t.
“Hey! Are you alright?” Dante reached down, his hand dripping with blood.
Val let out a long sigh and stared up at him.
“Answer me, Val.”
She took his hand an
d gave a faint nod.
The Kid rushed back up the stairs. “We really need to get out of here. They’re coming!”
“Come on.” Dante pulled Val to her feet and dragged her towards the stairs.
CHAPTER TEN
TIME TO FLY
Val stared at Dante’s back as he pulled her along behind him. She stumbled, only just managing to keep up. The dying guard’s faces clung to the front of her mind, their watery eyes and contorted expressions. The ground shook beneath her feet and the weapons rattled against the racks in the middle of the room.
She glanced back as the soldiers marched into the airship, a rhythmic clanging sound filling the air. Dante yanked her arm as she slowed. She spun around and looked up at Dante.
“Snap out of it, Val.” He squeezed her hand. “They would have killed you given the chance.”
“I know.” She pulled her hand free and let out a long sigh.
The clanging grew louder.
The Kid looked back with wide eyes. “Come on. Keep going.”
Two metal frames stood at the far end of the room, wide fabric wings stretching out on either side. Aria ran to the wall as they approached and slid open a door. The wind howled at the opening, tugging at her dress.
Dante stopped beside the first glider. He looked at the second one and then the Kid. “There are only two of them.”
“Don’t worry, it’s enough. I’ll fly with Aria. You and Val will take the other.” The Kid pointed to the second glider standing beside him.
Val moved towards the opening and peered over the edge. “But we’ve never flown one of these things before.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to work it out.” The Kid slid his glider towards the edge and helped Aria get into position.
Val grabbed the Kid by his collar. “Is this a joke?”
“No. It’s pretty simple really. Grip this bar and put your feet in those straps. Keep it level and you’ll glide through the air. Push down to go faster and pull up to slow down.” The Kid glanced at Dante and then back to Val. “It’s not like we have a choice.”
The Count of San Francisco Page 4