I watched it fall out of sight and the second the screaming stopped I knew it was dead.
“Well, that’s one down,” I muttered with a grin.
***
I don’t know how long I had to wait until they finally started to piss off for the night, but it was dark with a strange red hue in the sky. Some of the surrounding torches still flickered but from the look of things, it wouldn’t be for long as two of them had died out about fifteen minutes ago. The night was also eerily still, with the two Harpies put on guard duty dozing where they perched. One was positioned on higher ground and the other closer to where Nero was still hanging by her wrists. Her head had fallen lower now, telling me she was either asleep or passed out.
I also knew that to take out two Harpies without them making a sound was going to be tricky and cutting their throats was going to be my only option. To be perfectly honest, I was winging it from this point onwards. Because without being able to use these strange bloody powers (yes, pun totally intended with that one) then I was taking this each step as it came.
For starters, I didn’t even have a clue where the Eye was or where we were for that matter. I knew from what I had read about Harpies that at one time they had occupied parts of Tartarus but seeing as most of it had been destroyed in the war, then who the Hell knew. Not me that was for damn sure!
Gods, for all I knew we were on a fucking island surrounded by demonic looking starving sharks with twenty extra rows of teeth that could shoot lava from their ass and fire fins like throwing stars. Or simply put, we were surround by an impenetrable wall and were basically fucked. Either way, I was holding out for the ‘getting out’ part of this plan to be the easy part.
What wouldn’t be easy, however, was making my way down these battlements without being heard. I swear, but if I ever managed to get my ass back to Earths’ realm, then I was taking ninja classes! Fuck, but at this rate I was willing to learn how to drive a damn tank if it meant living a semi normal life. Because I was pretty sure that was the only way Lucius would let me leave to go shopping…okay, so maybe just a drive through, I thought with a smirk.
“Seriously?” I muttered to myself, shaking my head at my random thoughts.
“Get your head in the game, Fae,” I added, rolling my eyes at myself. Then, after this unoriginal pep talk, I crept along the top of the battlements hoping that the next tower along had a staircase. Only one that actually led to the lower levels where the first Harpy was dozing.
“Bingo,” I muttered the second I saw that it did and thankfully it was more intact. Well, for the most part it was as the further down I travelled, the more of my next problem started to present itself. This being a huge hole I could now see that had taken out about seven steps. It looked like a boulder had taken out a good section by a catapult or a trebuchet. This being a medieval machine that worked by a counterweight dropping on the end of a pivoted beam and launching a payload into the air from a sling.
Gods, I could be a bigger geek than Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory!
Well, despite that title of geekhood, it didn’t take away from the fact that whatever it was that had happened here, it was obvious the other side had won, as most of this castle had been utterly obliterated. In fact, it looked as though all that remained were parts of the ramparts and curtain walls that connected the three towers. The one on the side of the large arch was only half the size of the other two, due to being caved in on itself and inaccessible.
The usual Keep found inside the castle walls was down to its foundations and was nothing more than a metre-high shell, reminding me of some architectural plans laid on the floor. There was also a pointless part left of what would have at one time been the gatehouse, with its only use now being nothing more than a crumbing entrance into the bailey.
This meant that I had no choice but to put the blade between my teeth. I was near gagging on the bitter metallic taste that I knew wasn’t all down to the blade but also the smears of Harpy blood that remained. Then, I got to my knees before holding on to the ledge and lowering myself down to the next set of steps below hoping that when I landed on them, they didn’t just collapse under my sudden weight. Because I wasn’t only sure that something like that would wake everyone up, I was also sure that it would in all likelihood kill me in the process.
I landed with a creaking of wood and with my arms held out wide as I froze in place waiting for the fall. But when nothing happened, I let out a relieved breath, which ended being premature the second I heard movement outside.
Fuck, but I had…
Woken up the Harpy!
Chapter Twelve
Escape Plan
Fuck, but I had…Woken up the Harpy!
I knew this when I saw the shadow of wings entering the opening before the creature did. This meant I had no other choice but to improvise. I did this by dropping my blade in a place she would see it, placing it directly in front of the archway that would have led onto the level she had been sleeping on.
I sank back into the shadows and waited, with my hand curling around the large talon, pulling it from my waistband. I was positioned next to the arch she would be walking through and as I predicted, the moment the Harpy entered, she focused solely on the blade. It was one that was glinting in the light and stole her attention instead of looking around the space to find me there hiding.
Then, when she bent down onto one of her bird like legs to pick it up, she sniffed the blade and obviously scented the death of one of her own on it. She started snarling but it was too late, I was already upon her. Because before she knew what was happening, I jumped on her back and said,
“Smell anything you like?” Then I slit her throat to prevent another sound coming from her, making her slump forward, with a resounding crack. Then, whilst still on her back, I finished the job, knowing she wasn’t dead yet…not if the twitching body beneath me was anything to go by. So, I grabbed a handful of her hair, yanked back her face and this time when I slit through her throat, I very nearly took her head off. Well, I guess it was my day for beheading Harpies…jeez, wouldn’t Mum and Dad be proud. Well, maybe my dad would be, he hated Harpies.
“I’ll take that,” I said, reaching under the dead Harpy to retrieve the blade she had fallen on top of. I also wiped as much of her blood off the blade as I could, using the grotesque folded baggy skin at her wing to do so, along with the talon that admittedly was my new favourite weapon.
“Seriously, when did my life get so fucking complicated?” I asked myself when standing back up, remembering simpler days when all I had to deal with was running late for work, finding dried toothpaste on the corner of my mouth and spilling tea down my shirt. Not wiping the blood off my weapon by using the body of my latest victim and doing this so I wouldn’t taste its blood in my mouth the next the time arose that I had to scale down a broken staircase, needing both my hands.
“Fuck, but I miss my boring life,” I muttered before flipping the blade and catching the handle, admittedly feeling like a badass. Then I continued on, ready for taking down my next Harpy and trying to ignore missing my small flat in Twickenham, takeout Fridays and lazy Star Wars Sundays. Damn but my Netflix account most likely thought I had died or something!
I snuck my head around the side of the arched doorway, one that had one time most likely lead down an ornate corridor to another part of the castle. I saw that the Harpy closest to Nero was thankfully still asleep. This was good, seeing as I needed to continue down the staircase, reach the bottom and then make my way across the open space to stab another Harpy in the throat.
Always good to have a plan, Fae.
I crept back down the staircase, only stopping when I could see that any lower and I would be heading underground and most likely back into the dungeons from the other side. But then I froze the minute I swear I thought I could hear a growl of some kind. I looked down the centre of the spiral but couldn’t see anything other than black, so put it down to whatever else these bitches had locked up down the
re.
I shuddered at the thought.
After this I strengthened my nerve and made my way out of the door that lead into the bailey. Most of the doorways had thankfully been cleared of the falling stone blocks that had made up the castle. These had been moved to the sides and piled in mounds that were now overgrown with Soul Weed.
One look up, told me both Nero and the Harpy guard were still asleep, so I crept over to them, dodging anything on the ground that could potentially trip me up and wake up the entire swarm. But then, the second I got closer, Nero moaned a little as she lifted her head and I knew the second she opened up her eyes some reflex action might kick in, like her shouting my name in surprise. So, as quickly as I could I ran towards her, stepping up the wall surrounding the well so it put me face to face with her. Then I slapped a hand over her mouth the second it started to open.
Her wide eyes took in the sight of me before relief washed over them making tears appear. I gave her a grin and mouthed the question,
‘Are you okay?’ She nodded as I removed my hand and placed a finger to my lips telling her to stay quiet. Then I cocked my head towards the sleeping guard, silently explaining why. Her dried, cracked and bleeding lips then mouthed the question,
‘What are you going to do?’ I jumped down to the ground, pulled out my weapon from my back, waved it at her and mouthed back,
‘Watch.’ This was before I made the creepy and sinister sign for slitting her throat by drawing the tip of my blade inches away from across my own throat. Her startled eyes stared back at me as if asking herself where had this deadly version of me come from?
In the end I gave her a wink and crept around to where the Harpy was leaning back against the well. It was only when I was in front of her crouched to her level that I positioned the blade at her throat, and the second her eyes flickered open I asked,
“Good dreams?” Then before she could open her mouth to scream to the others, I grabbed a fist full of hair by her forehead and slit her throat, turning my face away and closing my eyes just as I felt its blood spray out over me. Once I knew she was most definitely dead, I let her go, wiped the side of my face with my sleeve and stood, watching as the body slid down to one side.
“Tut, tut, that’s what you get for sleeping on the job,” I told her before running to free Nero from the chains.
“Okay, that was both badass and utterly disturbing…oh shit, tell me you’re not like some ridiculously trained assassin back topside, are you?” I smirked at her question and told her honestly,
“Nope, but I do work with dead bodies and once killed a guy with a pencil.” I finished this with another wink before pulling the pin from the cuffs and letting her free.
“Right, well in that case remind me to really not piss you off then.”
“Noted, now come on, time to get out of here,” I said, putting her arm around my neck and holding on to her waist to help her walk. At least until she got the feeling back in her legs. After this, my first priority was to get her somewhere safe and then come back to try and find the Eye…oh yeah, and then try and kill them all…piece of red velvet cake, Fae.
We started to head towards the ruined gatehouse, that seemed to be the only way in or out of this place, when Nero’s whispered croaky voice drew my attention from my shitty plan making.
“Do you think we will make it?” Nero asked me in a strained voice that spoke of both her pain and her anxiety. I was just about to give her the optimistic answer when suddenly four Harpies dropped from the sky and were now standing in our way.
“Erm…that would be a no,” I muttered the second I heard the rush of flight and swarm of wings all battling for the air around us. We stopped dead before starting to walk backwards, only stopping again when we were back in the centre near the well.
“Ah, I guess they found my little leaving present down in my cell then,” I told her making her shoot me an incredulous look.
“Do I wanna know?” she asked, making me reply truthfully,
“No, probably not.” She released a sigh in return and muttered what sounded like a prayer to some ‘mother goddess’.
“Just answer me this, was it as bloody as that?” she asked after kicking the dead guard on the ground that was now surrounded by an impressive amount of blood for such a skinny, grey body. She definitely had looked healthier on the inside, that was for damn sure.
“No, no…it was bloodier,” I told her making her reply,
“Okay, I am starting to see why you are down in Hell now.” I laughed at this, wondering what she would think had she seen my life before Lucius had stepped back into it and painted it blood red.
It had certainly been a far cry from the sight that surrounded us now, as each Harpy began to land with a resounding thud. As for the three biggest, they were now back at their high arched perch with the Queen in the middle. Another Harpy flew over to her and handed her something round, hairy, and dripping, and it only took me a second to figure out what it was. The Queen took it in her hand holding it out as far away from her as she could and listened to what the other Harpy had to say. Seconds later she was snarling and hissing down at me in her response to it. I grinned, gave her a two finger salute, then I lent my head slightly into Nero.
“I think she just got my message,” I said through gritted teeth that were still smiling at the winged bitch.
“Your message?” Nero asked in a tone that said she was almost afraid to.
I looked side on and leaning further into her this time said,
“I kinda, might of, just a little bit, painted a threat on my cell wall.”
“Wait, what did you use for paint…oh okay, never mind, don’t answer that.” She paused her question the second I gave her an ‘isn’t it obvious’ look. So, she asked me something else instead,
“What was the message?” This time she whispered this and I laughed through those same gritted teeth, whilst not taking my eyes from the Queen as I told her,
“That her head was next.” Then, the Queen threw the bloodied mass towards us, making Nero scream. Only after she had taken a step back and shivered in revulsion did she speak.
“Yep, you weren’t kiddin’, definitely bloodier,” she said in response to the severed head of the Harpy I had killed as it rolled to our feet. I nudged her shoulder and said,
“In my defence, this was done before I knew you were still alive.”
“Oh, that makes me feel so much better,” she said sarcastically making me play along,
“Really?”
“No, of course not, you pretty cute psycho!” she hissed making me giggle.
“Can I just ask at this point, because I feel like I need to, what with my life currently hanging in the balance and all…what were you planning exactly if I hadn’t been here?” I laughed once and said,
“That’s easy…To kill them all.” Then I stepped forward to the sound of Nero hissing behind me in a strained voice,
“Oh right, but of course, silly me…And exactly how were you planning on doing that…got more than a talon in your knickers, do you?” I chuckled again and looked back over my shoulder to tell her,
“Like I said, you haven’t seen what I can do with a pencil,” I joked making her sigh and say,
“Gods’ assholes, but you and the King really are made for each other.” I smirked at her and delivered the classic Hans Solo line before addressing the fact we were surrounded by snarling Harpies that wanted to tear us both limb from limb…
“I know.”
“You will die at my feet, mortal!” The Harpy Queen said, making me hold open my arms and say,
“Why not let the girl go and you and I can go one on one.” She snarled in response, morphing her features for a short time and flashing those Crimson Eyes I would never forget.
Then, I held up my weapon, pointing it at her and said,
“Time I take another head, and this time…
“It’s yours, Bitch!”
Chapter Thirteen
Sto
ry of the Blue Haired Damsel
“Well, this is nice,” Nero said making me grant her a wry look before holding up a finger and saying,
“It should be noted that this wasn’t part of the plan.” She shrugged, swatted a hand in front of her and said,
“Nah, don’t sweat it.” I raised a brow making her hold up her wrists before giving them a shake and adding,
“At least I am no longer impersonating a piece of meat in a butcher’s window…baby steps.” I laughed at this and replied,
“Glad I could be of assistance.”
“Hey, gold star for completing phase one of this rescue.” She smirked back at me and I think chatting like this was obviously keeping us both sane and able to ignore the fact we were now in a large cage that looked like a holding cell for those ready to be executed.
The cage was at the far wall of the bailey and against one that had been heavily damaged because it had no doubt been facing the army that had conquered this place. Shortly after they had found my bloody reminder of what I had done, having it literally fall at our feet, was when we were grabbed, dragged and thrown inside here. At the time I’d had to force myself to calm my ass down or I would have ended up getting Nero hurt and not by the Harpies, but by me. I didn’t know what it was, but it was like the longer I was down here the harder it was to stop my temper from blowing up and manifesting into the bringer of death. I felt like some ticking time bomb and I knew I had to get my shit together before Nero got caught in the crossfire. She had already been put through so much and all because of me.
“I am sorry you got caught up in all of this,” I told her making her nudge me and feign a,
“Who me? Are you kidding, I live for this shit…genuine adrenaline junkie here.”
Roots Of Rage: A Vampire King Paranormal Romance (Transfusion Saga Book 9) Page 9