“The old sewage system.” Julius said, lifting his shirt up to cover his nose.
I mimicked him and was immediately relieved of the vile scent.
“This will lead us under the entire city. Vampires don’t pay any attention to the old tunnels running beneath their streets. A river of shit isn’t something they want to deal with,” Julius explained with a low laugh.
My heart jolted at his words. “That’s genius. And totally disgusting.”
“I know.” I could hear the smile in his voice as he walked away and I headed after him, trying to ignore the slap of my footsteps as I moved across the damp floor. Julius walked silently and I wondered how he managed it.
I gazed up at the green algae coating the ceiling and walls, hoping this would be the worst we had to deal with. The river he’d mentioned was surely a joke…
I followed him through the winding passages; he seemed to know exactly where we were going. We didn’t stop for over an hour and I was starting to wonder how close to the city we were.
“Right.” Julius lifted his phone, bringing up a map which showed the whole of New York City.
I sucked in a breath, moving closer as I took it in.
“The palace grounds are here.” He pointed, zooming in on a rectangular expanse of green on the map. “That’s about a mile from where we are. Could you point out where Valentina lives on here?”
I took the phone, working out where the entrance to the castle grounds was before following the lines of the streets with my eyes. “We took a right here…” I trailed my finger along it, searching for the area of apartments where Valentina resided.
I frowned, zooming in closer and orientating the map. “I think it’s near this street.” I said, tapping the screen. “But I’m not entirely sure.” I bit my lip, not wanting to let him down.
“We’ll head there and check it out. Maybe you’ll recognise something once we’re above ground.”
I nodded as he took off at a fast pace and I jogged to keep up.
My gut coiled with worry. How were we going to pull this off? What if we couldn’t find her apartment? And even if we did, what if she wasn’t alone?
We eventually arrived beneath a manhole in the ceiling with a ladder running up to it. We’d passed several of them since we’d entered the city’s borders but this was the first time Julius stopped.
He gazed at the phone, checking our position before pocketing it. “We’re a few streets away, but this manhole comes up in an alley so we should be safe to exit here.”
I nodded, my heart fluttering as I moved closer to the ladder. I was painfully reminded of the drain I'd used to escape the Realm. The last time I’d seen Dad...
Emotion built a lump in my throat and I blinked back tears as I drew closer.
“Are you alright?” Julius asked with a frown and I nodded stiffly, forcing the pain away and burying it deep inside me. This wasn’t the time to dwell on that. But I wondered how long I could keep bottling up my grief until it spilled over again.
Julius placed his hands on the ladder, pulling his shirt down from his mouth and nose. “I’ll go first. Wait for my signal.”
I nodded, watching as he scaled it and pushed the metal plate above his head. The faint light of early morning fell over us and I held my breath as Julius climbed out.
I bit hard into my lip, almost drawing blood as I waited for him to return.
Finally, he ducked his head through the hole. “All clear.”
I took hold of the cold rungs and started climbing. As my head raised above the drain, I lifted my chin to release the shirt from my nose and sucked in a breath of fresh air.
I got to my feet and gazed left and right down the dark alley between two tall tower blocks. Julius slid the cover back onto the drain and stood upright, his eyes wheeling to the road at one end of the alley. A couple of cars sped by, but it was mostly quiet.
I wondered how we were supposed to go anywhere without being seen, but Julius answered by heading to a fire escape on the nearest wall. “We’ll climb up and get a look at our surroundings. We can make our way across the roofs to remain undetected.”
My lips parted. “How are we supposed to do that?”
“Run and jump.” He shrugged and I gazed up at the gap between the two buildings above us with fear in my heart.
“Are you crazy?” I hissed.
He grinned broadly. “No. I’m a Blessed Crusader. That jump is nothing to me.”
“Well lucky you,” I said. “Unfortunately, I’m not a Blessed whatever and I am not throwing myself off the edge of a building to work out how far I can jump.”
“That’s why you’ll be on my back,” Julius said smoothly, moving beneath the fire escape. He lunged upwards, catching hold of a rusted ladder and dragging it down to the ground.
I groaned, gazing at him as I realised I had no choice.
You can do this. Just climb to the roof and he’ll do the rest. Don’t focus on what ‘the rest’ is.
Julius gestured for me to go first, glancing over his shoulder toward the road. “Better get moving.”
I nodded, taking a breath before stepping onto the ladder and making my way up. He was hot on my heels and I tried my best to keep my footfalls quiet as I climbed.
As we reached the roof, I dropped over a low wall onto a wide square space filled with grey gravel. The city stretched out for miles around us and I took a moment to admire it as I caught my breath. Lights twinkled in some of the windows as morning barely seeped into existence; the pale pink glow on the horizon the first sign of the rising sun.
Julius took my arm, guiding me toward the far edge of the roof and pointing down at the streets. We were on the highest apartment block in the vicinity. Even though it was still fairly dark, I was overly aware of the windows pointed our way across the road. Julius seemed to consider it too, taking my arm and pulling me low to the ground as we peered over the wall.
“Recognise anything?” he asked as I looked out across the area.
I scanned the streets, trying to locate something familiar. To our right was a series of tower blocks and I was fairly sure I’d seen one of the red-brick buildings from Valentina’s window. “Over there…I think.”
Julius nodded, stroking the stubble on his chin. “Ask Nightmare if it can sense my sword. If Valentina has it, it’ll know.”
I reached for the blade and rubbed my fingers over the hilt. “Can you sense Julius’s sword?”
“Menace,” he prompted, reaching for Nightmare too.
Menace is close, it whispered and I looked to Julius.
“Good enough. We can ask again when we’re over there.” Julius stood, gesturing for me to do the same. “On my back.” He turned away from me and I reached up, looping my arms around his neck with a flicker of anxiety.
Hopping up, I wrapped my legs around his waist and held on tight.
“Are you sure you can do this?” I asked, my stomach knotting.
He just laughed, running toward the right of the building at a tremendous pace. My lungs stopped taking in air as he sprang onto the wall, using his momentum to propel himself forward as he dived off of the roof.
My heart flew upwards and his laughter rang in my ears as we flew across the space and landed on the roof below us. He kept running, launching us onto a balcony on the next building before scaling a drainpipe all the way to the top.
We crossed the roof and he turned toward the tower blocks, taking a running leap to the nearest one. We crashed into a fire escape and Julius snatched hold of a metal platform above us. I gripped onto him tighter, sure I was going to fall, my heart pounding like mad.
He hauled us onto it and I took a steady breath, trembling as I clung to him.
“Ask Nightmare,” Julius commanded and I released him with one shaking hand, feeling for the blade inside my robe.
It didn’t answer with words this time, but it sent a trickle of electricity into my palm. I could sense the sword was near and as I shut my eyes, I felt th
e connection to it humming in my own veins. “It’s close. A few hundred yards or so,” I said and Julius dropped me to the floor, turning to me.
“We can cut through the back alleys from here,” he said, lowering himself onto the ladder and descending to the next platform. I followed, willing my heartbeat to slow as I did so.
We soon arrived in the narrow alley beneath the fire escape and Julius looked to me for directions.
“I think it's that way.” I pointed toward a narrow path leading behind the buildings and jogged toward it, sensing Nightmare's connection to Menace growing stronger
Julius kept at my heels and as we passed a few more apartment blocks, I stumbled to a halt, gazing up the black tower to my left.
“This one,” I gasped, certain it was Valentina’s home.
Julius beamed at me, gazing up at the sheer wall before us. Circling around into the alley, we found another fire escape that led up several floors.
“One more climb,” Julius said with a grin, jumping up and pulling down the ladder before gently resting it on the ground. “What floor is it?”
I racked my brain, recalling chasing Erik up the stairwell when we’d come here together. “Five,” I said with a nod.
“I’ll go first, stay close.” He sprang onto the ladder, scaling it at speed. I hurried after him, muttering curses. He moved like the damn wind and was just as silent.
My arms ached, but adrenaline kept me going as I followed as quickly as I could.
When we’d made it up five floors, I sagged forward, resting my hands on my knees as I caught my breath.
“If you take your vow you’ll find this all a lot easier,” Julius whispered with a grin.
“I don't even know what the vow is,” I panted, standing upright as he approached the window.
“It's a promise to end all vampires. But thinking about it...if you take it we won't be able to hook up. So let's keep that option wide open.”
I scowled at him. “That's never gonna happen.”
“Never say never.” He winked and I moved to his side, choosing to ignore that comment as I gazed into the dark hallway. Julius ran his hands along the bottom of the window, trying to pull it up, but it was clearly locked.
He turned to me with an intense look. “I’ll have to break it, then we’ll have seconds to get into Valentina’s apartment. We move fast. Attack quickly and subdue her before she can alert anyone.”
I nodded, the reality of what we were about to do sinking in hard. I unsheathed Nightmare, trying to mentally prepare myself for this.
What if she’s too strong? What if we can’t manage it?
I took a breath. We’d come this far. We had to try.
Julius flexed his fingers before grabbing hold of the base of the window again and wrenching as hard as he could. Wood splintered and the pane flew upwards.
He dove through the gap and I scrambled after him. He was at the door across the hall in seconds, slamming his boot to the centre of it. It crashed open and he stormed into the apartment.
My heart was in my throat as I sped after him.
Silence reached my ears.
Julius started knocking doors open, searching for Valentina. We reached the living room and a chill ran down my spine.
Where is she?
Turn! Nightmare screamed and I whipped around just as someone collided with me.
Strong hands forced me down, smashing me into the coffee table.
Another weight fell atop me and I could hardly breathe as the two bodies slammed into one another.
“Yield!” Julius snarled.
Valentina sucked in a breath and she stilled. I forced myself to roll beneath her and managed to wriggled my arm out, my hand around Nightmare.
“Julius?” Valentina gasped.
He dragged her off of me and I got to my feet, unsure what to do as I rubbed my bruised limbs.
Julius stared at Valentina, his knife pointed at her heart. She was dressed in a slinky black night dress that barely concealed her curvaceous body.
“What are you doing here?” Valentina gasped, backing up and bumping into me. She evidently had no worries about me being a threat and the fact sparked irritation in me.
Her dark eyes slid to me and a frown filled her stunning face. “Montana? What’s going on?” Her gaze slid to Nightmare and a flicker of recognition slipped into her expression. “I knew you were one of us.”
“I’m not sure you count as one of us anymore,” Julius snarled. “Montana take the zip-tie from my pocket and tie our friend’s wrists.”
I lowered Nightmare, moving to his side and taking out the zip-tie. Valentina surveyed me curiously as I approached.
She held out her wrists with raised brows and I shook my head. “Behind your back.”
She complied and I tightened the zip-tie around her wrists, backing up and holding Nightmare before me. She was too calm. Too compliant. Why wasn’t she fighting?
“I knew you were in the city,” Valentina spoke to Julius. “I hoped you’d come to me after what happened between us. When you’d had time to think on it. Surely you know you can trust me?”
Julius lowered his knife, glancing at the window as rain pattered against the pane. “I don’t know any such thing. You’re one of them now. How could you do this to yourself?”
Valentina hung her head and her dark locks fell forward around her face. “I had no choice, Julius. They attacked me, turned me into one of them. You and your brother were locked in a hundred-year-long sleep and there was nothing I could do. So I decided to remain alive, to wait until you came back. To warn you.” The light in her eyes dimmed.
Julius’s upper lip curled back. “And yet my brother and I didn’t wake. We slept nine hundred years, not one.”
“I know…I called on Idun for answers. She told me your mother bound you in a longer sleep. To save you. She feared you would die in the final battle,” she breathed.
“My mother wouldn't do such a thing. She wouldn't have deprived us of the chance to end the Revenants,” Julius growled, his face taut with emotion.
“Then who else? She was the only Dream Walker who was powerful enough to do it,” Valentina whispered, but his expression said he refused to believe it. “All these years, I’ve waited for you both to come back. For my allies to return.” She glanced at me with a soft smile. “I tried to help you, Montana. Really. But we’re outnumbered here. And I knew you didn’t trust me.”
“I still don’t trust you,” I admitted, but I couldn’t deny she did seem relieved to see us.
Julius stepped towards her threateningly. “You didn’t have to work for them. You could have run. Or parted the clouds and weakened them all with the sun.”
“Even if they'd been weakened, I couldn’t take on a thousand vampires single-handedly, Julius,” Valentina pleaded. “They would have killed me.”
“Then you should have died trying,” Julius spat. “That is why we take our vow. To do what we must to end them.”
“I couldn’t have killed them alone, but I haven’t wasted this time amongst them. I've learned their secrets, earned their trust,” Valentina said, her brow wrinkled with distress. “I longed for the day you and Magnar would wake. You know how much I love him. We're destined to be together, he's my betrothed. And now you've come to me, we can find your brother together and-”
“No,” Julius snapped. “That’s not why we’re here.”
“Why are you here?” Valentina looked between us, a flicker of fear in her eyes. “You attacked me before, Julius, have you come to finish the job?”
“You’d be dead already if that was the case,” Julius snarled. “I assume we don’t need to gag you as you haven’t screamed yet?”
“Of course not. None of this is necessary. If you need my help I will gladly give it,” Valentina said and my heart told me to believe her.
“Sit down.” Julius pointed at the couch and Valentina backed up, dropping onto it with wide eyes.
I moved beside Julius, my
grip tightening on Nightmare. Valentina was strong as hell and I didn’t think a zip-tie would keep her bound for long if she really wanted to attack us.
“You’re going to do exactly as I say,” Julius growled and Valentina nodded, pressing her lips together.
“Stop the rain,” Julius commanded. “And get rid of every single cloud in the sky.”
Valentina sucked in a breath, turning to face the window. My heart skittered at his words. The whole of the city would be affected. How weak would the vampires be in the sun’s rays?
“Now,” Julius ordered and Valentina shut her eyes, concentrating.
Slowly, the rain ebbed away and the rising light of dawn grew brighter and brighter behind the clouds. I faced the window, enraptured by the sight of the sky clearing, the clouds fizzling away and revealing a powder blue sky.
The sun was just cresting the buildings and as the final clouds dissolved, its beautiful rays flooded the room.
I turned to Valentina, expecting her to wince or start burning or...something. She blinked, looking at ease.
“It's not working,” I said to Julius.
“It will,” Valentina replied. “But it doesn't affect me. I’m a vampire but I'm a slayer too and our people were made to walk in the light. The sun doesn’t hurt me and I can still wield our blades. I don’t even have a scar after you stabbed me Julius...by the way I’m still waiting for an apology.”
“You're going to be waiting a very long time,” Julius muttered and Valentina tutted her annoyance.
A scream caught my ear and I hurried to the window, spotting cars coming to a halt in the road. Vampires ran from them into the closest buildings, cursing and wailing as they went.
Triumph pounded a happy tune in my chest. I turned to Julius and he threw me a victorious smile.
“The city is ours,” he announced and a laugh escaped my lips.
We did it. The streets are ours. We have the advantage.
“What are you going to do now?” Valentina asked.
I wondered how badly Erik was going to react to this. Would he be angry with me? Probably. But I didn’t care. I deserved to have the upper hand for once.
“Now…” Julius glanced around the room, then plucked Valentina's phone from the coffee table. “We’re going to record a little message for the royals.”
Age of Vampires- The Complete Series Page 62