Moonlight War- Act II (The Realmers Book 3)

by William Collins

  She dropped to the floor at the last second, the spell hitting the wall behind and blasting a gaping hole instead.

  The Dark-Venator that had fired the spell stalked toward her, unsheathing an obsidian mace as he came. With the Rakarn’s face hidden by his horned helm, she felt like she was battling the grim reaper himself. He lunged at her with his mace, but she evaded his first clubbing blow and parried the second. She thrust her own blade at him next, but he blocked it easily. She heard metallic laughter erupt from within his helm.

  Gathering all the magic she had Brooke feinted with her sword, before using the other hand to hurl a brilliant bolt of lightning at him. To her shock, her strategy worked and the bolt smashed into the Rakarn’s stomach, throwing him away from her and back into the thickest of the fighting.

  In his place she saw Tyrell abruptly appear, magic radiating off of him like a storm.

  Kady, the Rakarn with pink pigtails, ran forward to meet Tyrell, screaming like a banshee. Brooke gasped in amazement as Tyrell’s sword flashed faster than the eye could follow and unsealed Kady’s head from her shoulders, before she could get in a single hit.

  Her now-headless body continued to walk forwards for a few seconds, almost comically, before tumbling to the ground.

  Two more Rakarn shouted in dismay as they saw Kady’s death, but as they made for Tyrell, Malian and Cazantian bundled them to the ground.

  Everything was insanity, everyone fighting at once. Brooke’s side were trying to keep to the battle plan of wolf vs. wolf and vampire vs. vampire and Venator vs. Dark-Venator, but it didn’t feel like a controlled attack, it was pandemonium.

  It was like a hundred fireworks had been let off inside the warehouse as her fellow Venators shot spells at the Rakarn, who replied in kind. Brooke tried to focus and shoot a spell at the Dark-Venators and knock them off the railings, but there was too much mayhem around her. She had to move quickly to dodge two werewolves clawing at each other in gobbets of blood and flesh.

  Through the magical madness, she spotted Lok battling a Dark-Venator. Brooke was sure Lok was winning. He’d disarmed the Rakarn and could’ve slain him, but then a werepanther blocked her view momentarily. When she saw Lok again, the Rakarn had escaped and he was battling one of the crazed wolves instead.

  As the battling lycans rolled behind her, howling in fury, she saw the two maniacal twins making a beeline for her. As they advanced, Rath and Ragul sang an abhorrent song at the top of with their wretched voices.

  Rath: Look at me, look at me.

  Ragul: It’s utter anarchy.

  Rath: Come and see, come and see.

  Ragul: We’re going on a killing spree

  They capered about one another as they hooted. They reminded her of two malignant sprites, short and skinny, their limbs pointy and their faces sharp, with spiky hair, and their insane mirth as they sang ludicrously.

  Rath: We love to torture.

  Ragul: We love to kill.

  Rath: We’ll swallow your screams.

  Ragul: Oh so shrill.

  They cackled, shooting vicious spells all around them carelessly. The twins started to sing another verse of their twisted song when they cut off suddenly as Quinn pounced between them, dealing each of them a sickening blow to the head. Brooke didn’t see what happened next as four battling vampires came to block the view, hissing at each other as their swords blurred against one another, inhumanly fast.

  “Nalia! No!”

  Brooke looked up at Cazantian’s cry of sorrow. She followed his gaze to see Nalia had been battling Selina on the railings above. Only now Selina had stuck a dagger through Nalia’s chest. The vampire girl was silent as Selina flung her over the railings. Before Nalia’s body hit the floor it had disintegrated into ash.

  Cazantian screamed in grief, trying to race up the set of steel steps in the corner of the warehouse which led to the railings. But he was accosted by Rath and Ragul on the way. He fought against the twins desperately, but he couldn’t fight both of them at once and soon their knives had punctured several holes into his body. Brooke had already started forward to help him, but before she could Rath and plunged his knife through Cazantian’s back, like a coward. Nevertheless the knife pierced Cazantian’s heart and he turned to ash, just like his sister.

  The next thing Brooke saw was Vore, fighting off two vampires at once. He caught one vampire’s arm mid-strike and then wrenched it clean from the moroi’s body, before clubbing him round the head with his own appendage. The second vampire tried to skewer Vore, but the Hellwolf blocked this too, before bending down to munch on the moroi’s skull.

  Suddenly Selina’s whip flicked out once again, slashing Vore across the face, scalding the flesh. Selina giggled as she leaned across the railings above and flung her whip at him a second time. This time cord of fire curled around Vore’s jaws and clamped them together. Whining like a dog, Vore shook his head from side to side, before managing to reach and rip the whip in half, hurling the pieces to the floor. As it fell, the pieces of the whip became two separate snakes that thrashed out at the lycan’s legs. Vore snatched the snakes up and slammed them down repeatedly, mashing them to a paste on the floor.

  Selena shrieked and directed her demon to fly at Vore’s face, attempting to pluck out his eyes. Whilst the wolf was distracted, Selina summoned an immense conflagration of fire that she sent soaring for the huge wood pile in the middle of the room. Brooke realised what the wood was for, too late, as it fuelled Selina’s spell to a raging inferno of billowing flame.

  Everyone in the vicinity fell back from the centre of the warehouse and the furious flames, whilst Selina’s cackles echoed off the walls.

  Even as she moved away from the raging fire, Brooke had to duck again as another spell shot toward her. This time she had no idea where it had even come from. Too many battling Moonlight Races blocked her view. There was no way she could survive all of this for much longer, she only had two eyes and couldn’t look out for the danger that came at her from all sides.

  As she searched for a Rakarn to fight, the huge form of Kane hurtled into her, shoving her to the ground and knocking all the wind from her. He’d was half in panther-form, half human.

  “I told you not to get in my way.” Kane’s jaws slavered and his eyes bulged hatred.

  Of all the things that was happening around her she would not have expected this, Kane couldn’t truly mean to hurt her; they were on the same side.

  “I don’t care what Vore says, all this magic and madness is your fault.” Kane bore down on her, his thick nails outstretched to crush her throat.

  “Oi!”

  She saw Lok running to stop Kane, but Eskal barrelled into him from behind, knocking him to the floor with flash of fangs.

  “Kane, please,” she pretended to beg for her life, whilst simultaneously preparing a spell.

  “Please, no, I-” Yellow sparks exploded from her palm as she cast the hex named Stunner, hoping to knock him out. Kane sidestepped her magic, however, his bestial face set between a grin and a leer.

  Brooke thrust out with her sword next, but Kane kicked her weapon away and across the room, then reached toward her.

  Suddenly Quinn was there, seizing Kane’s arm before he could grab her. Quinn who had been an ordinary young boy until Kane had turned him into a monster.

  “Traitor!” Kane roared, throwing Quinn back and morphing back into his beast form. Kane snarled and slashed at Quinn’s with his claws. But Quinn ducked and then shoved Kane back with all his might. Kane’s huge form sailed through the air and straight into the roaring inferno several feet behind him.

  Brooke gaped as the bonfire consumed him. Kane screamed like a baby as he died.

  She looked to Quinn in shock, the young boy’s face mirroring her own.

  “I-I didn’t mean to push him that far,” he stammered.

  “You’re free now.” Brooke realised. Now Kane was gone Quinn could leave the pack he loathed.

  As she spoke Kane’s eyes sho
ne brighter than the sun and a smile cracked his face.

  “Only if we survive the night.”

  In sick irony of Quinn’s words, Eskal suddenly came between the two of them, clawing Quinn’s face and sending the werepanther reeling back, a huge wound slashed across his cheek and up to his forehead.

  His touch as cold as death itself, Eskal wound a hand in Brooke’s hair and hauled her close.

  “You and me have unfinished business, little miss.”

  Filled with insurmountable rage, Brooke turned her whole body to electricity and shocked the maniacal vampire back. He shook his jolted hand with a curse and made after her yet again.

  This time she sent a ball of fire careening into his chest, but to her horror, Eskal fell back laughing, ripping his flaming shirt off before it had a chance to catch at his flesh.

  He shot out a hand and caught a passing vampire of Hallia’s coven as it battled the twins Rath and Ragul. Eskal’s eyes leered at her as he sank his fangs into the other vampire’s throat, lapping at the gore that leaked out.

  “You should join our Velkarath, vampire,” Rath hooted.

  “Yeah we could use someone as insanely creative as you,” Ragul agreed. “But excuse us; we were given a mission to do.”

  Both twins turned their identically evil faces to Brooke.

  Eskal threw the dead carcass away from him carelessly. “Take care with her, I call seconds.” He winked at her salaciously, before flitting back into the battle.

  Brooke didn’t know who was more dangerous out of the vampire or the twins; she didn’t want to find out either.

  She flung shards of ice at them but the twins blocked her attack with shields of air.

  Brooke looked about wildly for the others, but no help was available.

  She could see Lok far away, trying to reach her, but he was currently battling two demented werewolves at once and couldn’t escape. Tyrell was engaged in a ferocious duel with a Dark-Venator and Arantay was still under siege from two Rakarn at once.

  Arantay was bleeding heavily from a score of wounds but he’d managed to kill both Rakarn’s demon pets. As he fought then, Falawn still stood on the railing’s above, watching the whole thing dispassionately.

  Without warning, buffets of air rocked her body backwards, sending her sprawling into the wall. The wall caved in on impact, but only because it had been battered by a myriad of spells already. Brooke crawled through the rubble before struggling to her feet and sprinting away as the twins chased her, squawking like hyper children.

  She raced to the next warehouse and yanked open the metal doors. Inside the warehouse was blissfully empty of all fighting. But it was still just her against two Dark-Venator’s.

  She sealed the heavy metal doors behind her with a complicated air spell, but knew it wouldn’t keep them for long.

  She looked up to see a large glass window in the ceiling, but there was no way that could offer her an escape route. She spotted a fire-exit door, but even as she ran toward it she saw Ragul slide through it.

  Her spell broke as Rath broke down the first door, they had her trapped from both sides now.

  Brooke readied her sorcery, but felt that she had little left. Kane had kicked her sword away from her too. She was practically defenceless against the two of them.

  Well, you’re going to die. But don’t go without taking one of these wretched twins with you.

  “C’mon then,” she snarled.

  Chapter 53- Brotherly Love

  The Rakarn twins stalked toward Brooke slowly, both of them panting like excited dogs. The one named Rath had the tips of his spikes drenched red, like licking flames. Whilst the one named Ragul had his spikes electric blue at the tip, like frozen ice. Other than that the twins were completely identical, down to the way their ochre eyes both danced with feverish insanity.

  “Come here darling, we won’t bite,” Rath snapped his teeth.

  “Oh she is a pretty one,” Ragul’s eyes devoured every inch of her.

  “Let’s cut her.”

  “No, burn her.”

  “Let’s do both.”

  “Yes, both.”

  “Do you scream girl?” Rath smiled sickeningly.

  “No, I bet she moans.” Ragul smirked ecstatically.

  “Let’s begin the torture and find out.”

  Suddenly her body was wracked by fierce spasms of unbearable pain. Just to spite them she bit her lip and forced herself not to make a sound.

  “Come, come now little fly, we have you caught in our web,” Rath taunted.

  “No, no let her struggle some more. I love it when they put up a fight,” Ragul urged.

  It was now that Brooke fully realised the pure evil that Velkarath inflicted upon its Venators. These two boys could’ve been completely ordinary once. Because they possessed the gift of magic they could’ve just as easily been recruited to Veneseron like her.

  However, Velkarath had got to them first, warped them and twisted them to darkness.

  When at last she thought they were going to rip a scream from her, the huge glass window above suddenly burst inwards in a shower of raining glass.

  The pain stopped and she slumped to the floor as a winged shape descended majestically above her, its colossal wings beating the air.

  Phosian!

  Was she seeing things? This majestic winged figure before her couldn’t be the former Dark-Venator she’d met at the start of her mission.

  Yet Phosian it was, with his lithely muscled body covered in fantastic tattoos. The black and red ink swirled across his arms, chest and even stomach. She recognised Phosian for the liquid dark hair that streamed down his face, completely covering one eye. All of this was familiar, but the leathery wings sticking out of his back, were not. The wings were black, but veined with red like streaks of scarlet paint. They ceased flapping as Phosian landed between her and the twins.

  At first, shock burgeoned on both Rath and Ragul’s faces, but it quickly converted back to delight as they circled Phosian like jackals.

  “Is it really you, dear Phosian? Have you returned to us at last?” Rath asked.

  “Oh, Selina will be pleased,” Ragul cooed. “She’s missed you so much. Although she’ll have to punish you for leaving us.”

  Phosian’s reply came in the form of two energy beams, shooting out of each hand and striking them both squarely in the chest. Rath and Ragul were flung to either side like rag dolls. Ragul rolled across the floor in agony, but Rath bounded back to his feet, snarling like an animal. He dived for Phosian, dagger raised high, but Phosian’s great wings beat violently once again as he shot up into the air, causing Ragul to miss his target, and get a kick in the back of the head as Phosian glided back to the ground.

  Brooke spotted Rath running up on Phosian from behind and before he could plunge his knife into Phosian’s back she flung her arm out frantically, throwing a Stunner spell his way. The hex hit Rath right in the nose, but wasn’t strong enough to knock him out, just make him stagger back. Her sorcery was depleting fast. Her spell was enough for Phosian to spot Rath’s intention however and he used his own air spell to throw both twins several feet through the air.

  “You always were too powerful for your own good, druid,” Ragul said as he scrambled back up, and hauled a dazed Rath to his own feet. “Lose the wings and fight like a Rakarn.”

  “As you wish.” Phosian tensed his chest muscles. As he did, Brooke saw his wings shrink and then melt back onto his skin, forming a large tattoo on his back instead. Phosian breathed heavily, as if it had taken immense effort retracting his wings, but he smirked all the same.

  “C’mon them.” He held his arms wide. “Let’s fight.”

  The twins grinned at each other in delight, looking ready to attack Phosian simultaneously, but as Phosian stepped toward them the deranged brothers turned and fled through warehouse fire-exit.

  “Cowards,” Phosian yelled.

  “You have wings?” was all Brooke could manage to say.

&nbs
p; “How do you think I managed to escape Velkarath?” His soft laughter echoed around the warehouse.

  “Are you…human?”

  “Of course, I’m just a druid whose magic derives from my familiars and enchanted tattoos.” Phosian shrugged, as if they were discussing the weather.

  “But, what are you doing here?”

  “I couldn’t let you lot have all the fun without me,” he said. “The amount of power resonating from this place, I sensed it all the way from the west end. I was due to watch Macbeth, but your little battle was kind of hard to ignore. Besides, I’ve got a score to settle with my former Velkarath trainees’.”

  “Little battle?”

  “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go,” Phosian started to lead her back to the biggest warehouse, where the battle was still raging, “and finish this.”

  Several hellish tableaux’s assaulted Brooke as she hurried back through the hole blasted in the wall.

  Selina had replaced her whip with a curved sabre and left her perch on the railings to battle Serren. Seconds later, Selina parried Serren’s sword and dived through her guard, slashing up with her sabre and cutting across Serren’s torso. Selina then kicked the werelion’s body into the huge bonfire that still raged.

  On the other side of the conflagration, Malian ended his duel with one of the rival vampires by throwing him into the inferno. Eskal had his fangs buried deep in one Hallia’s vampires and Hallia herself stood silent and alone.

  As Brooke re-entered the warehouse, a Dark-Venator streamed towards Hallia, throwing a pointed piece of wood he’d snatched from the bonfire.

  The point of the wood should have pierced Hallia’s flesh and struck her heart, but instead it just bounced off her chest to ricochet away.

  “I am one of the ancients, child,” Brooke felt Hallia’s voice reverberate through her own mind and doubtless everyone else in the warehouse.

  The Dark-Venator attempted to draw on his magic, but then Hallia disappeared. At least Brooke thought she’d disappeared, until she saw her suddenly behind the Rakarn, his heart in her hands. The Dark-Venator grunted as he saw his own heart outside his body, then crumpled.