“I’m trying to help you!” he bellowed just as my foot connected with his face. His hood fell back and shock juddered through me as I absorbed the sight of him. Golden skin and the hue of blood flared beneath his flesh. He wasn’t a vampire. He was human.
He caught my knees, shoving my legs further into the car and following me into it. His huge weight fell atop me and panic gripped me in a cold fist.
“Ah!” I punched his solid jaw but he barely seemed to notice as he chuckled, climbing over me into the front seat and pressing a button to lock the doors.
“Damn feisty, you are,” he laughed and I wanted to kill him for his mirth alone.
The engine roared, pulling away from the streetlight before speeding along the sidewalk, knocking a garbage can flying into the street. The passenger door was still wide open and I spotted Sabrina speeding toward it in a blur of motion.
Help me!
She dove for the car but the madman in the front seat swerved hard to the right, knocking her over. She slammed into the ground and I gasped as the wheels went over her.
“Sabrina!” I called.
Scrambling upright, I gazed out of the rear window, searching for her. She pushed herself to her knees as her body healed, looking fierce even with the tire tracks on her chest.
“Montana!” Erik's voice reached my ears.
My heart soared as I spotted him and Fabian chasing us on foot, their car abandoned in the road. They were gaining speed by the second, moving at a fierce pace.
“You’re dead,” I said, turning to my kidnapper with glee.
The man angled the rear-view mirror toward them. “Fucking Belvederes.”
“Let me out!” I demanded, gathering my wits.
I dropped forward, feeling under the seats as I hunted for Nightmare. Its warm hilt brushed my fingers and I snatched it up with triumph. It sang a warning in my veins as I grabbed hold of the front seat and placed it against the man’s neck.
“Stop or I’ll kill you,” I snarled, my heart thundering like the hooves of a race horse.
He barked a laugh and grabbed my wrist, pulling my hand away from his throat with a fierce strength. “I’m saving you, you idiot.”
“What?” I breathed. “Who are you?”
He prised Nightmare from my hand, dropping it into his lap before tugging up his right sleeve. I spotted a slayer’s mark on his golden skin, glaring back at me and sending my thoughts into a wild spiral.
“What the hell?” I gasped.
A force like a tonne of bricks hit the back of the car.
I was thrown forward as the vehicle skidded around a corner. I spotted Erik holding onto the back of the car despite the manic way the slayer was driving.
My eyes locked with Erik’s, his face contorted in desperation. He slammed his fist through the rear window and I flinched, covering my head as glass rained over me.
“Not today, parasite,” my kidnapper snarled, turning the wheel so sharply that we spun one-eighty. I held on for dear life as the wheels screeched and the scent of burning rubber filled my nose. Erik was thrown into a streetlight, sending the whole thing flying across the street and crashing into a building.
“Don’t hurt him!” I begged as the man started reversing toward him at high speed.
I punched his cheek but he didn’t stop. Erik moved like the wind, darting aside before the car got near him. He lunged toward the side door, tearing it clean off its hinges.
My heart flew into my throat.
“Erik!” I reached for his hand. His fingertips brushed mine.
“Don’t you dare.” The man in the front caught my hair, dragging me into the seat beside him as he accelerated up the road. He turned the wheel so violently that Erik was smashed to the pavement once more. My face collided with the dashboard and I pushed against it to get myself upright.
I turned and threw a hard punch at the man’s unshaven jaw. He frowned, looking over at me. “Stop it.”
I snarled at him, throwing another punch and he let me continue as he drove the car, scowling all the while.
The car bounced wildly on its suspension then came to an abrupt halt. “Stay here,” the man growled, jumping out of the car and snatching his bow.
Stay here? Was he insane?
I crawled into his seat, turning to face the chaos that was ensuing in the road as a cry came from behind me. I spotted Sabrina standing there as the man shot an arrow at her. Her face twisted in fear as she tried to deflect it, but the tip hit home and she exploded into dust. Shock rolled through me, leaving me blindsided.
“Keep him busy!” Erik roared at Fabian before making a beeline for me.
The slayer took something from his pocket and tossed it between them. A bang sounded and smoke billowed into the sky, surrounding us in seconds. I coughed as it bit at my throat, hastily climbing out of the car and searching for Erik in the thick smog.
The roar of an engine sounded nearby and the wind was knocked out of me as someone grabbed me by the waist. I was dragged onto a motorised bike, slammed over the knees of my kidnapper.
“No!” I screamed, biting and kicking, desperate to get free. The bike was so fast, the world became a blur around me. We moved away from the smoke and sped through the city at an impossible speed. I had to close my eyes to escape the flood of movement around me.
Shouts echoed away into the distance. Erik calling my name and cursing the man who’d taken me.
I couldn’t do anything but hold on for dear life and pray I wasn’t dashed to pieces on the concrete below.
By the time we made it to the foot of the mountain and retrieved our horses from the woodland where we left them, it was well past sunset.
The night was deathly cold and despite my thick furs, goosebumps lined my skin.
We quickly found our way back to the road and set the horses at a gallop, aiming for the last village we’d passed through.
The snow grew heavier as we travelled and began to stick to the frozen ground. Soon, the road and everything surrounding it was obscured in a blanket of white and I had no doubt that anyone else would have lost their way.
By the time we spotted the lights of the tavern through the maelstrom, the snow had gathered into deep drifts and the horses had been reduced to an awkward trot.
Baltian whinnied his protest at every available moment but there was little I could do to ease his discomfort until we made it to the shelter of the stables.
When we finally arrived, I dismounted and led him straight inside, holding the door for Julius to follow with his horse.
The stable boy hurried out of the last stall where a small fire had been lit to keep him warm. His eyes widened as they fell on us and he hesitated short of trying to take the reins. Baltian snapped at him playfully and the boy raised an eyebrow at him.
“Point me to a fresh stall out of the wind,” I said when he failed to offer any greeting.
“I’m sorry sir but with the storm we’ve been overwhelmed with guests and there are no stalls left,” the boy squeaked. He was skinny enough that I knew he didn’t get three square meals a day. That might have made him look younger than his years but I put him at around twelve. He cowered like he expected me to strike him for his words.
“That’s not a problem,” I replied. “You can move some of the other horses to share a stall.”
“But sir, people have paid-”
I took a step closer to him and he shrank again as I towered over him. I resisted the urge to laugh at his terror and pulled a heavy coin from the pouch at my belt.
“Now we’ve paid more,” I said as I tossed it to him and his eyes widened in disbelief. The coin meant little to me; we had more money than we could count thanks to what we’d taken from the Sacred Followers. Apparently Miles appreciated financial offerings alongside the blood of virgins and I was always happy to relieve him of both.
I held up a second coin and the boy stared at it like he couldn’t believe his eyes. “One for you to keep yourself if you hurry. You
r best stalls, finest grain and extra straw for their bedding. I’ll stable him myself though and I warn you not to approach him. Baltian will bite your fingers off without thinking anything of it.”
“I’m sure I’ll win him over, sir,” the boy replied dismissively as he eyed my warhorse. “Just tie them there and head into the tavern.”
“You’ll regret that,” Julius joked as he quickly tied his stallion’s reins to the hitching post. He pointed an accusatory finger at Baltian. “That horse is meaner than any man I’ve ever met.”
“I’m sure I’ve met worse,” the boy muttered as he turned away. Apparently he had no fear of animals despite his nervous disposition.
I considered insisting on helping him with Baltian but he’d made his choice. No doubt he’d be coming in to find me the moment I started on my meal, but if he wanted to take his chances with my bad-tempered steed then that was up to him.
Julius headed straight for the tavern and I followed him quickly, looking forward to shaking the cold from my bones.
Many heads turned our way as we entered the large bar area. The low doorway meant we had to stoop to enter and with our heavy blades and muscular builds I knew we cast an intimidating shadow.
Ignoring the stares, we headed straight for the bar and elbowed a space into existence before it. No one dared to protest as they scrambled to get out of our way and I eyed the other patrons while Julius ordered food and drinks for us.
“And two rooms,” I added, giving my attention back to the portly man behind the bar. He looked likely to be the owner.
“I’m sorry sir, I’m afraid we don’t have-”
I waved off his objections and slammed four heavy coins onto the bar. “Find them. I don’t care who you have to toss out.”
The bartender licked his lips greedily as he eyed the coins. “I may be able to find one-”
“Two,” I replied firmly, fixing him in my gaze and making it clear that this wasn’t a negotiation.
He quailed under my gaze and nodded as he slid the coins into his pocket. “Of course. My wife enjoys the odd night sleeping down here before the fire. I’ll have the maid make up our own room and I’m sure our daughter will be happy to give up her room for your companion.”
I glanced along the bar at the red-headed beauty he indicated and noticed her attention lingering on us. Julius smiled at her wolfishly. I doubted she’d have to give up her bed; it looked like she’d be sharing it.
“Good. We’ll take a table in the back to enjoy our meal and I have extra coin for information on a man we’re trying to find. He passed through here yesterday. He would have stood out as clearly as us but in very different ways. He has many names but he is a demon with the face of an angel.” I watched the man’s reaction for any sign that he knew who I spoke of but his expression remained blank. I guessed parasites didn’t need to stop for food.
“I’ll ask around and send anyone who saw anything your way,” he assured me.
“His passage might have been marked by a strange death or two. Has anyone died unexpectedly? Perhaps with signs of an animal attack... bite marks on their skin... a great deal of blood loss?” Julius asked.
The bartender’s gaze moved to a group of somber-looking men in the far corner and nodded. “Old Mac was killed last night. There’s some disagreement over what did it. Some say a wolf but then why would it leave the body behind? Wolves kill for food. Besides, we haven’t seen sign of wolves around here for years.”
I pushed an extra coin across the bar and exchanged a brief smile with Julius. “If anyone knows any more about it-”
“I’ll send them to you,” the bartender replied eagerly.
He pointed us through to the back room where a rotund woman was wiping down a recently vacated table. The men who had been asked to leave it cast irritated looks at us but they didn’t voice their objections as they moved back out to the bar.
While we enjoyed our meal, several men and women approached us with tales of Miles and what had happened to Old Mac. Unfortunately none of the information we gleaned gave us any explanation for his sudden disappearance. It certainly seemed like he’d been meaning to face us here but then the trail had gone cold.
As the fire burned low and most of the patrons headed home or up to their rooms, I began to lose hope. If we couldn’t find a new lead then we might as well abandon our search and head back to rejoin the clan in the south. The last time Miles had disappeared on us it had been months before he resurfaced.
Julius tried to convince me to head to my room but I waved him off dismissively. It wasn’t like he was taking his own advice about sleep; he took his leave with a smirk and disappeared with the redhead.
My mind swirled with questions about Miles. He was up to something, I just knew it.
I was so preoccupied that I hardly noticed when someone slipped into the chair opposite mine.
“I hear you’re looking for information about the demon,” the girl said and I looked up at her as she pushed the hood from her head. She had long, dark hair which framed her wide eyes and she glanced about nervously as if she was worried someone might overhear us.
“I am,” I replied, leaning closer to her. The few men who remained in the bar were drunk or passed out. I doubted any of them were capable of eavesdropping on us even if they had a mind to.
“Can we talk in private?” she whispered, leaning closer to take my hand. She turned my arm over and brushed her fingers against the slayer mark on my skin. “I know what you are. My mother was born of your blood too.”
I stilled, my eyes sweeping across the room. Few people knew what we really were; they saw only warriors or mercenaries for hire. Mostly they were too afraid of us to look too closely.
“Come then.” I caught her hand and pulled her to her feet, leading her behind me up to the room I’d been given. Anyone watching us would presume I was going to bed her but if she was worried about her reputation, she didn’t voice it.
I pressed the door closed behind us and she moved away to perch on the edge of the bed.
“My mother left her clan for love when she was younger than I am now,” she explained as she unclasped her cloak and set it down beside her. She wore a deep green gown which was fine enough to tell me that her family had money. I wondered again why she wasn’t more concerned about her reputation. “But she taught me all about the vampires and how to spot them. So when I saw them I knew exactly what I was looking at.”
“Them?” I asked curiously. We’d managed to separate Miles from his vampire companions some days ago. Julius and I had fought the three who had been travelling with him and they’d paid for his headstart with their lives. As far as I knew there were no more vampires in the area.
“Yes. I spotted the two of them creeping through our orchard. And I know the next bit might sound insane; but when my mother died, she left me a dagger. I keep it with me always and when I saw those monsters, it spoke to me.” Her eyes were wide like she thought I might laugh her out of the room but I knew the voice of the blades well.
“She gave you a slayer blade?” I asked, moving closer to her.
“Yes.” She sagged with relief as she realised I believed her and pulled her dress up to remove the blade from a sheath strapped to her thigh.
“What’s your name?” I asked as I reached for it.
“Elissa,” she replied.
I took the weapon in my hand and it hummed excitedly. Greetings Magnar the great. Defender of the scattered clans. I frowned at the strange name it had given me. The scattered clans? As far as I knew, the clans had made camp close to each other in the lands to the south. I pushed my consciousness into the blade, searching for its name and origin.
“Your mother was from the Clan of Oceans, this blade is Vortex.” I handed it back to her and she bit her lip as she looked at the runes carved into its hilt.
“If I tell you what I know, will you take me with you when you leave?” she asked. I raised an eyebrow in surprise as she hurried to explain. “I
wish to be free. This blade calls to me in a way that makes me feel alive. But my father has given my hand to a man three times my age. I’m to marry him on Saturday and I just don’t think I can bear it.”
“You want me to steal you away in the night and make an enemy of every man in this town?” I asked in amusement. I wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea even if it did sound a little insane. I could do with something to lighten the mood of this trip now that it appeared to have been for nothing.
“You won’t have to face any angry townspeople,” she replied with a shy smile. “My father will kick me out and send me packing himself if... if I’m ruined before the wedding. My betrothed will never take me if I’m not a virgin.”
I barked a laugh at her brazenness. “Is that so? Well I happen to know a thing or two about unwanted betrothals myself. You know if you rejoin your clan and take the vow you may end up betrothed all over again, right?”
“I don’t care,” she breathed. “I’d take a warrior husband over a fat old man any day. Please take me with you.” She reached out to touch my hand and I felt my resolve fade. It didn’t matter to me if every man in this town hated me for stealing her and if I could save her from an unwanted betrothal then I should do so. I wished it were so simple for me to break my oath to Valentina.
“Alright. Elissa of the Clan of Oceans, I give you my word that I will return you to your people.”
Her face broke into a radiant smile and I could see her fighting the urge to cry tears of relief.
“Thank you... sorry, I didn’t get your name?”
“Magnar Elioson of the Clan of War.”
“You’re the son of the War Clan’s Earl?” she asked in astonishment and I was impressed that her mother had educated her so well in the ways of our people.
“I am. Are you going to tell me about those vampires now?”
“Yes of course. I saw them in our orchard like I told you and Vortex urged me to follow them. There were two of them; a man and a woman more beautiful than any people I’d ever seen. Their skin glimmered in the moonlight and they moved without making a sound. They met the one you seek on the edge of my father’s lands. He was angry, his fine clothes torn and filthy. He was complaining of taking a leap from a cliff and breaking his ankle, though I saw no sign of any wound-”
Age of Vampires- The Complete Series Page 55