She smiled and shrugged. “True. Forgive me. I could use someone like you though. Someone who could train my men to be stealthy, unorthodox.”
Zaig frowned, but she kept going before he could drum up a response. “You could put your skills to a good use instead of feeling guilty about them. The actual purpose of your position would have to remain secret, but it would give you a chance to further yourself. Perhaps even claim a title someday.”
“How big of a problem is this?” His throat felt suddenly dry and tight, and he swallowed with difficulty. “I mean, how long has vampirism been active in these parts?”
Minoa sighed deeply. “Longer than you’d think. Once I found out about Ailda, I realized that vampires were likely to blame for many other happenings across the country. Entire villages wiped out, graveyards unearthed, reports of cannibalism.” She shrugged. “Looking back at my childhood, I suspect I was dealing with vampires long before Ailda.” She glanced at him. “I could use your help.”
Zaig mustered a grin. “Like I said, I haven’t even completed one hunt yet. You might not want me to train anyone after tonight.”
Minoa dipped her head, but there was a smirk trying to claim her lips. “Think about it, at least.”
Zaig nodded and turned his attention to the road.
The sun was starting to hang low when they drew near to Brister. Zaig led them the long way in to avoid being spotted from the cave. He wanted to get word to Brax about what was coming, but there was no way without putting Ailda on alert. He still could hardly believe such a sweet face could hide so much evil. The girl who’d raced across the hills with a wild grin and wept in his arms. How could the princess he knew and the monster Minoa described be the same person?
He’d find out soon.
When they arrived in town they put their horses in the stable, and Zaig followed the others to eat something even though his appetite had fled. It would be a long night. Over their meals, Zaig laid out the plan. The men listened carefully, and Zaig was relieved to have a seemingly reliable team with him. Minoa hardly spoke, just nodded to everything he said. Despite her rigid posture and the firm set of her jaw, she looked tired, and a shadow of worry lurked in her eyes.
Zaig leaned across the table and lowered his voice. “I know I didn’t follow your instructions before, but it’s crucial you follow exactly what I say.” He glanced at the high waist of her skirt. “It will keep you both safe.”
She trembled. “What if things go wrong?”
He shrugged a little, not given to thinking too hard on what-ifs. “You’ll have to trust me.”
Chapter Eight
Zaig breathed carefully, his eyes roaming the road in front of him, the lone willow near where the cave was hidden, the trees and thickets behind him. The hunters were scattered somewhere nearby, but he couldn’t see them. The only sound was leaves rustling in the cool breeze that raised goosebumps on his skin. He crouched at the base of a giant oak, a crossbow in hand, and his belt of stakes pressing into his belly. The smell of rich soil filled his nose. Nothing seemed out of place.
It felt as if he’d stepped back into his childhood, when hunger drove him into the woods to lie in wait for an unsuspecting creature small enough for him to capture. If only this hunt were so simple.
Minoa stood in the center of the roadway before him, looking up at the willow. “Ailda.” She spoke evenly. The princess would have to have incredible hearing indeed to discern the queen’s level tone from inside the cave.
“Ailda, come out.” Minoa’s voice didn’t waver, and Zaig felt a surge of admiration.
A moment later Ailda appeared next to the tree on the ledge. Her skin practically glowed in the moonlight spilling down from the skies. “Finally got up the courage to face me yourself instead of sending those lousy hunters?” She spoke sharply, with no trace of the innocence Zaig knew. There was something else there, something deep and vicious.
A jolt ran through him, and he tightened his grip on the bow. Minoa had told the truth.
Ailda made her way down the slope effortlessly, her movements fluid and feline. Zaig stood slowly, careful not to shift his weight or brush against anything. He aimed the crossbow at a place a few feet in front of Minoa, waiting for the princess to draw closer.
“This is your big plan?” Ailda taunted. “You think you’re a match for me?”
Minoa didn’t respond, and Zaig aimed the silver arrow at Ailda’s heart. His own heart beat wildly in his chest, so loud he feared she’d hear it. Ailda stood perfectly still, and Zaig hesitated. What was she doing?
Slowly, she turned to face him. He sucked in a quick breath as her eyes seem to lock right on him. Zaig’s blood froze in his veins. Then she smiled, and pearl-white fangs winked at him between her red lips. “Hello, Zaig.”
He jerked the trigger as something clobbered him from behind. He went down, not seeing where the arrow struck, but a scream tore through the night. He flipped to his back to find someone towering over him.
Zehlam flashed a razor grin. “You should have stayed away, Zaig.” It sounded like Zehlam, but something was missing. His old laugh, the humor, the shared memories over the years.
Not Zehlam, Zaig commanded himself, but his eyes contradicted him. This was his friend. The creature reached for him, but Zaig yanked a silver dagger from his belt and slashed upward. Zehlam snarled like some sort of animal and jerked his hand back, the flesh burnt and torn.
Zaig scrambled upright, ducking another blow. Zehlam had never moved this fast. Zaig slashed out with the dagger and caught flesh, but the beast kept advancing on him. Screams echoed in his ears but he couldn’t tell who was who.
“Minoa!” he yelped, tripping over a felled branch. He landed hard, and something sharp dug into his back. He needed to get back to her. Where were the other men?
Zehlam reached down toward him, and Zaig kicked as hard as he could, his boot heel crunching into Zehlam’s face. The vampire fell back with a grunt, and Zaig leapt to his feet, hurtling the knife into him. Zehlam howled and clawed at the burning silver. Zaig lunged at him with a stake.
Minoa’s scream tore through the night. Zaig jerked to look, but trees hid her from view. He spun back to face Zehlam. The vampire swung a burnt fist at him, but Zaig ducked the blow, driving the stake in under Zehlam’s arm, praying it might find the heart. Zehlam’s scream vibrated through his entire body, and he shoved Zaig back, staggering and clutching at the stake. Zaig stumbled from the brush onto the road.
Before him was a field of carnage. One of the hunters was down, and another was bleeding profusely, warily circling Ailda. She had Minoa, and the blood covering both of them sent a wave of terror through Zaig. Ailda flung Minoa away from her, and the queen crumpled to the ground without even trying to stand. Zaig bolted across the road to her but Ailda whirled to face him, snarling. Blood gushed out over her crimson lips, a red smear down her neck, and her eyes were wild.
How had he ever thought her beautiful? He now saw nothing but a monster.
Ailda charged him, and he ducked to the side, pulling another knife free.
“Zaig!”
He whirled to see Brax, Norvin, and Jathis stumbling down from the cave. “Protect her!” he cried, flinging a wild gesture to where Minoa lay. “Watch out for Zehlam!”
A terrifying screech echoed through the night, and Ailda drove him to the ground. Her fingernails dug into his throat. He struggled to throw her off, but she hung on like a rabid dog, her banshee yell threatening to deafen him.
Something jabbed him, and he felt about wildly, hoping for his knife. The corners of his vision turned black. His hand found the arrow shaft protruding from her side, and he latched on, pushing and twisting it for all he was worth.
Her shriek turned to one of pain, and her grip loosened. Zaig slung her back and dove at her with a stake, stabbing at whatever flesh he could get at.
Ailda wailed, her hands flailing at his face. He batted her arm away and drove the stake into her left side. The prin
cess froze, her mouth open in a scream that wouldn’t come out. Blood oozed onto his hand as Zaig pushed the stake in farther, until there was nothing left to hold on to.
A shudder ran through Ailda and then she went perfectly still, her eyes empty and dull.
Branches cracked, and Zaig leapt to his feet. Zehlam charged at him, his fangs extended and seeming to take up his whole face. Zaig dove at his legs, and the monster tripped over him, crashing to the ground like a tree. Zaig leapt at him, but Zehlam swung his legs up, catching Zaig in the stomach and knocking him backwards.
He crashed into Brax, and they went down in a heap. Zaig flailed, trying to get free of the tangle of limbs. Brax cursed and shoved him away. Zaig reached for a knife but his hand came up empty. Zehlam lurched to his feet, his movements slower now and heavy.
Zaig darted out of his reach, frantically searching the ground for a knife, a rock, anything to use as a weapon. One of the hunters charged with a stake, but Zehlam swung a fist and launched him through the air like a ragdoll.
Brax bellowed, swinging an ax. The vampire threw his arm up, clutching the handle and wrenching it from Brax’s hands as if he were no stronger than a child. Brax ducked, narrowly avoiding having his head knocked off as Zehlam swung the ax at him.
Zaig caught a glint of metal by Zehlam’s boots and spied a knife half buried in the battle-churned dirt. He dashed for it, not daring to take his eyes off it lest he lose it. Zehlam flung the ax toward Brax and moved into his way. Zaig pulled up short and the creature cast him a wicked smile. Zaig drove his fist into the monster’s mouth as hard as he could, and the vampire staggered, seeming almost as surprised as Zaig. Then Zaig dove between Zehlam’s legs, snatched up the knife, and flipped to his back as Zehlam came down at him, fangs flashing. Zaig thrust the knife up, closing his eyes against the spray of blood that rained down on him.
Then in one swift motion he was lifted off the ground and catapulted. A startled cry tore from him before he collided with the rock ledge. Air burst from his lungs. The whole world seemed to turn on end, and there was a deafening roar in his ears.
A huge figure—it looked like Zehlam—lumbered toward him, but Zaig couldn’t find his limbs to move.
Mountain curses filled the air and Norvin pounced on the monster like a wild thing. One of their silver blades flashed over and over again in his hand.
Zaig staggered to his feet, fumbling for a weapon but grasping empty space. Where was Minoa? He needed to help her. He needed to think straight.
Zehlam threw Norvin to the ground, the reeking odor of burnt flesh making Zaig sick. Norvin scrambled backwards, the monster lumbering toward him. Zaig shook his head violently. He had to act.
He yanked the pistol from his belt and tried to aim, but his vision crossed and blurred. Frantically, he jumped on Zehlam’s back, pushing the barrel against his temple. Zehlam thrashed, trying to dislodge him, but he held on with every ounce of strength he had left. He tried to keep control of the pistol, but Zehlam’s flailing made it nearly impossible, and Zaig had the panicked thought that he was more likely to accidentally shoot himself than anything.
Zehlam roared, and Zaig squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the horrible sound. His friends’ shouts joined the cacophony. The gun barrel connected with something and he pulled the trigger.
Everything spun, and terror shot through Zaig as he felt himself going over backward, the beast coming down with him. The ground bit angrily at his back, and Zehlam’s weight forced the breath from his body. His head spun, and there was a sharp pain.
Then he heard Minoa scream.
“Zaig? Zaig! For the love of goodness, wake up!”
Zaig forced his eyes to open through the ringing in his head. Brax knelt over him and leaned back with a heavy sigh. “Thank the heavens. Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I think so.” Zaig sat up shakily. Every inch of his body ached, and there was blood all over him, but he wasn’t sure how much was his. “Did I pass out?”
“Just for a few minutes.”
Zaig looked around shakily. Norvin and Jathis were collecting the bodies and scattered weapons. Minoa was bent over her injured hunter, the other one standing close by. “What happened?” He tried to clear the fog from his head, but everything was a blur. He touched the knot on his head gingerly but pulled his hand back at the sharp pain.
Brax exhaled through his mouth and gave his head a little shake. “Zehlam went down on top of you, and the queen staked him.”
“Are you all right?” Zaig searched his friend, worried he’d find two holes somewhere.
“Fine, fine,” Brax assured him. “The queen explained everything.” He shook his head, his eyes wide. “Not that we needed much after seeing Zehlam alive like that. Norvin’s handling it better than anyone. I think he’s just glad he ain’t touched in the head.” He shrugged. “We’re going to bury the bodies here and just stick to the story that Pell and Zehlam are buried up by the cabin, and we don’t know what happened to them.”
Zaig nodded slowly, the motion making his head spin.
“Zaig!” Minoa practically flew to him. Her hair was in tangles around her shoulders, and her dress was ruined with blood and dirt. She dropped down beside him, her hands reaching. She seemed to realize what she did and pulled back quickly. Her eyes searched his face. “You’re awake. Are you hurt?” The concern in her voice was obvious, and he knew Brax wouldn’t have missed her almost-touch.
Zaig shook his head, trying to push down the desire to take her hand. There were too many eyes here, and he couldn’t give in to the undeniable pull he felt drawing him to her. Not when there was no future in it. “Don’t feel too good, but I’ll heal.”
She leaned closer, but he caught hold of her shoulders, gently maintaining distance. “Are you all right? She didn’t bite you?”
“No.” Minoa pushed a loose strand of hair back. “No, I . . . I broke her teeth with a rock.”
Zaig exhaled slowly, lowering his hands. “Sorry I missed the shot. That doesn’t usually happen.”
She tried to smile, but her lip quivered and tears spilled onto her cheeks. She tried to swipe them away, but more fell. “It’s finally over.” Her voice was small, but there was strength hiding beneath the surface.
Zaig brushed one of the tears away with his thumb. Maybe it was a mistake, but in that moment he couldn’t help himself. His job was complete, and he was free to build a new life. He didn’t want to begin by burying his feelings.
Minoa leaned into him, and this time Zaig didn’t push her away.
Chapter Nine
“I can’t thank you all enough,” Minoa said, smiling at the four of them.
Observing the queen here in her study at the castle, her hair and black mourning dress perfectly in place, Zaig couldn’t have guessed she’d been battling monsters and practically living in a saddle for the past two days. She crossed from the fireplace to her desk and indicated four small chests. “It’s not much, considering all that’s happened. And of course I can’t recognize any of this publicly. But I want you to know how deeply indebted I am to you. As is the kingdom. I don’t want to contemplate the horrors that would have followed had Ailda taken the throne.”
Brax and the two brothers shifted on their feet, mumbling thanks and trying to convey that they’d been saving their own hides as much as anyone’s.
Zaig motioned to the fourth chest. “You already paid me.”
She nodded, clasping her hands in front of her. “Yes, well, I’d like you to take it anyway.”
A moment of silence followed, as if no one was quite certain how to address the ordeal they’d just been through. Zaig suspected his friends would rather forget it happened. As for him, he didn’t know what to think. He needed time to smooth it all out for himself.
His three friends thanked her again, collected their chests, and shuffled toward the door. Zaig moved to follow, but Minoa stopped him, speaking his name softly. He paused and looked back at her even as his friends
stopped in the doorway, watching him.
Minoa hesitated, her mouth moving a few times before she found the words. “You could . . . stay here. If you wanted.”
Zaig looked around at the thick curtains draping the arched windows, at the massive carved furniture and patterned wallpaper. Then he looked into her soft blue eyes. “This isn’t a place for me,” he said slowly, hating to hurt her. He tried to ignore the pang in his chest but couldn’t quite manage it. He wished he could tell her he’d stay, but he wasn’t fool enough to think he could ever fit in here. His presence would only be a mark against her, and he wouldn’t ask her to lower herself.
She gave him a small nod, her eyes sad but understanding. “You’ll visit us though, won’t you?” She ran a gentle hand over her belly where the new heir was growing, safe and sound.
“I think I could manage that.” He smiled, some of his disappointment easing.
She returned the smile and stepped toward him. “My offer still stands, you know. If you’d like to help me train hunters, you could build a position for yourself. Maybe someday, if you wanted to, you would have the rank to . . . to pursue whatever you wanted.”
Her eyes were serious. Calculating, but also inviting. Zaig found himself tracing down that line of thought. He could pursue whatever, or whomever, he wanted.
He nodded slowly and cast her a small smile. “I thought you said titles didn’t really matter. It’s who the person is that counts.”
Minoa laughed softly. “Well, it is. But how many secret identities can a woman help maintain?”
Zaig shrugged. “I suppose it depends on the woman.” He wasn’t sure what he thought of willingly going after vampires. But the opportunity to stay in Laivden near his friends, near her . . . that wasn’t something he wanted to pass up.
He smiled. “I have a few things I need to take care of elsewhere. But I’ll be in touch.”
She sucked in a deep breath, and a smile bloomed across her face. “You’re a good man, Zaig.”
Five Poisoned Apples Page 33