by Raven Steele
I peered out. Along the tops of the wall, several Guardians and Auras paced back and forth, but there was no sign of Lucien.
"I'm sorry," I whispered into the wind. I didn't want to hurt him. He had already been through so much because of me. That's when it dawned on me. I was being unfair, always making decisions without him. Either we were in a relationship, one where each person's opinions and feelings were valued, or we weren't.
I searched the grounds again. I needed to find him. Lucien meant more to me than anything else in this world, and I needed him to know that.
Closing my eyes, I whispered, "Laveo," and teleported to the roof of Chadni Hall where I would have full view of the campus. I doubted Lucien had gone far.
Wind whipped my hair around as soon as I materialized. I walked forward to the ledge and stepped upon it. The landscape stretched far and wide. Moonlight spread across the forest in a silvery haze. I turned in a full circle until I spotted Lucien. He stood on the clock tower roof staring at me with his electric blue eyes. His long jacket billowed in the breeze.
"If you ask me to run away with you right now," I said, my voice soft, knowing he could hear me. "I would do it. We can leave all this behind."
He turned toward the forest, and for a second I worried he might disappear again, but then he burst into smoke and raced toward me. I stepped off the ledge just as he appeared in front of me.
"You would leave with me now?" he asked, his eyes hopeful.
"I am yours."
He cradled my face with his hands. Pressing his forehead to mine, he said, "You have saved me in more ways than one. All that I have become is because of you."
He kissed me tentatively, his warm lips sliding over mine. The kiss deepened, and his tongue darted into my mouth. I pressed myself tighter to him, wishing we could steal the night to be together. No fears. No worries. Just us.
Lucien released me. "As much as I would love to take you away from here, I recognize the danger that would befall everyone if we don't do all we can to stop Erebus." He swallowed hard. "Even if that means letting the ones we love go."
I brushed his check with my fingers. "I'm not going anywhere."
He glanced past me to the forest beyond. "We'll see."
"I promise, Lucien. I'm being careful." I wrapped my arms around him. He exhaled, his body relaxing, and hugged me back.
We stayed like this for several minutes, our bodies warming in the chilly air. My heart had so much love for this vampire. If we survived this, I vowed to make everything right with him.
"We should get back," he said. "It's almost dawn."
I opened my eyes. A line of fire clung to the horizon, promising something big.
"Where are we headed?"
"There's a lake a few miles out from the academy. That’s where we hope to fight and kill Erebus."
Chapter 7
I rubbed the necklace between my fingers before I tucked it into my jacket pocket, zipping the small enclosure. It was warm to the touch and the blood inside the orb sloshed back and forth on its own. This had all started the moment we left Lucent Academy and made the long walk to the lake.
I had taken a few precious moments before we left to access the First magic again, but didn't get any closer than before. It was extremely frustrating. At least Lucien had grown in strength and power. I felt it every time I was near him. He had clearly been practicing while I was Reina.
Night had fallen two hours ago, and with it came the cold, chilling my bones. I was glad we had the day to rest after what happened with the necklace. Llona especially looked refreshed having several hours of sleep.
"I still don't think we should've brought the necklace," Liam said. He tossed a rock across the still lake. It skipped several times before finally sinking.
Henry leaned against a tree with his eyes closed, whispering the words to a spell, when he paused and said, "If we fail, then our last bargaining chip is that necklace. Maybe if we hand it over, they'll at least leave Lucent Academy alone for a while, which will give Dr. Han enough time to come up with another plan."
"Exactly," May said, "we don't want the DSRD coming back to Lucent." She stretched into a lunge and twisted her hips as if preparing for a race.
"Are we sure he's going to show up?" Llona asked while the palms of her hands lit up with light, then went dark again. "Maybe we need to activate the necklace or something."
"He knows," I said. The blood in the necklace was boiling again.
Henry opened his eyes. "It's done. If anyone brings a gun within two hundred yards of this lake, it won't work."
"Good," May said. "I prefer fighting the undead to guns any day."
Lucien straightened and stared into the distance. "Who's that?"
Two men and a girl about my age stepped out of the forest.
"Friends," Llona said, grinning big. She jogged toward them along with May and Liam.
As soon as the three new people stepped into the moonlight, my breath caught. Shiny scales covered half of one of the man's face. The other gentleman’s head appeared normal, but his arms were mostly covered in the same, green and black-looking scales that shimmered in the moonlight. The girl however, only had a strip of them on the side of her face. They were more colorful than the males and looked like some kind of really cool tattoo.
"Who are they?" I asked.
"Lizens," Henry answered. "They will be our warriors in the water. Not much can beat them when they are in their natural environment. If you can't beat your enemy, just toss him into the water. They will take care of the rest."
Llona walked up to us. "Eve, Henry, and Lucien, this is my very good friend, Tessa, and her friends Toby and Brett. The other Lizens are already in the water."
Henry and Lucien shook their hands. I did the same.
"Nice to meet you," I said. "Thank you for helping us."
Tessa smiled, her blue eyes twinkling. "I'm glad I got here in time. My break at NYU just started."
"And we want to make sure you get back," Llona said to the newcomers. "So remember what I told you. If things get too heated, you escape through the water tunnel."
They nodded.
"How long do you think we have?" Tessa asked.
"Hard to say," I said and scanned the tree line for the tenth time.
"We'll get into position regardless. Stay safe." Tessa gave Llona and May a hug.
While they dove into the water, Liam, who had been pacing nervously, said, "I'll be back." He burst into the air and disappeared. Probably scouting the area.
May walked over to Llona, who watched the skies nervously. "Everything's going to be okay."
She forced a smile and nodded.
All of us were nervous. We were about to fight a battle we had never seen the likes of before. Boaz had been powerful, but at least he was of this Earth. Erebus was something else entirely.
Something crashed through the forest, making me jump. Lucien lowered into a defensive position. Another sound, as if a tree had been snapped in half, echoed out from the darkness.
"What is that?" May whispered. Her hands turned a bright red.
More crashing. A deep moan followed.
"Liam?" Llona said, taking a tentative step forward.
Without warning, a giant tree fell from the forest faster than gravity and dropped straight for us.
"Look out!" Henry called.
I dove out of the way, opposite Lucien, just as it collapsed right where we had been standing. Another tree fell unnaturally quick, this time aimed at Henry, but he easily sidestepped it.
"Liam!" Llona called. She approached the forest slowly, each hand palming a ball of light. She tossed one into the woods. It cut through smaller trees and lit up the darkness, giving us a view within. My blood turned cold.
May exhaled. "Oh shit."
"Back up," Henry said, his voice low. "Keep the lake at your back."
I took a small step but found it difficult to move. There were so many of them. Their eyes glowed a sickly yell
ow. I had seen a Vyken once before, but only in a picture. They were much more terrifying in person. On some of them, flesh barely clung to their skeletal faces. Noses were gone, hair missing, but their jaws were strong. They each held two rows of razor sharp teeth, many of them stained red.
"Stay behind us," May said to us as she walked toward Llona. "We've done this before." She tossed a fireball back and forth between her hands and yelled into the forest, "Come back for more, huh? I won't be nice this time."
The first wave of Vykens came fast. They shot from the forest, all fangs and sharp nails. Llona tossed her balls of Light while May blasted a steady stream of fire. Every time Llona's Light met its mark, a Vyken would burst to ash. It was an interesting reaction, because her Light only hurt other kinds of supernatural creatures without killing them. May's fire wasn't as effective, but it stalled them long enough that Llona was able to kill many.
The rest of us stayed back, ready to fight when needed. Lucien had come to my side; his whole countenance practically glowed with power. I felt the same magic coursing through me. It was so strong that I was beginning to get a headache.
After about a dozen Vykens had been killed, they stopped coming. Llona leaned over, hands on knees and gasping for breath.
"Are you okay?" May asked. She wiped sweat from her brow.
Llona straightened and searched the skies. "I will be when I see Liam."
"Look out!" Henry yelled and pointed.
From off to our side, several more supernatural creatures emerged from the forest. I recognized a few werewolves, more Vykens and many vampires. I quickly created an invisible barrier in front of us, while Lucien and Henry used magic against the approaching threat. They lifted sticks from the forest floor and shoved them through the vampires’ hearts. A long silver chain appeared, as if it had been buried in the earth, and spun through the air. A werewolf’s arm fell to the ground, followed by a head. Blood misted into the air.
While we fought these creatures, more Vykens arrived. Llona and May fought them with an impressive ferociousness. I was glad they were on our side.
Just then there was a distinct weakening of my barrier. Someone was trying to break through. I shored it up with more magic and glanced around searching for the source.
A woman with long dark hair stepped across the tree line. "I've missed you, Eve."
"Liane," I whispered.
"I've been looking forward to this." She lifted her hands and pushed through the air, sending a wave of energy toward me. My invisible wall shimmered, but I quickly built it back up.
My eyes met Lucien's briefly. He paused the motions of his hands, as he was in the process of stabbing two vampires over fifty feet away, and nodded at me once. I had to fight Liane alone, which I was more than ready to do. Anger and rage wormed their way into my veins, my blood and bones.
"So they told me you erased your own memory," Liane said. Her gaze circled my barrier as if trying to determine its reach. "That's so sad and pathetic."
"Crescat," I spat. A root grew from the ground and wrapped around her ankle, but with a flick of her wrist, the root snapped in two.
She chuckled. "I'm not the little witch you remember."
Twisting her fingers, she jerked her hand downward. My wall disappeared before I could stop it. I moved to create it again, but an invisible force slammed into my chest, knocking me into the muddy shore of the lake.
I ground my teeth together and stood. My feet sunk into the muck several inches. I moved to lift them, but they sunk further. I looked up. Liane was muttering a spell under breath. I groaned in frustration. From the corner of my eye, I saw a vampire rushing Henry from behind. Henry wouldn't see him in time.
"Rima," I said and squinted in the vampire's direction. His right leg snapped, and he crumpled to the ground, giving Henry time to decapitate him with a single blow.
I risked a quick glance at Lucien. He was fighting off several supernaturals that kept pouring out from the woods. His magic was impressive. Sometimes he fought two foes at once, his palms using different kinds of magic, like a pianist playing multiple complex chords with each hand.
Time to step up my game. I inhaled a full breath.
Liane closed the distance between us. "I want that necklace."
My legs were buried to my knees in thick sludge. Instead of struggling to free them, I simply closed my eyes and imagined where I wanted to be. I disappeared and reappeared a moment later next to Llona. She was tiring under the steady stream of Vykens. Even though May had created a giant firewall, the Vykens walked right through it. It slowed them down, but there were just too many of them for Llona to keep up.
"Have you seen Liam?" Llona cried. Tears filled her eyes.
"He'll show up, but if he’s not here in a few minutes, I’ll find a way to look for him." Concentrating hard, I pointed a finger at Liane and flicked it. Her body lifted into the air several feet then jerked sideways. Her body followed the movement of my finger across the lake, her feet slicing through the water. She mentally tried to fight me, but I wouldn't let her. I shoved her deep into the depths, where I knew Tessa and the others would be waiting, and gasped for breath. I needed more magic.
Within a single beat of my heart, I called upon the magic of the earth. It swelled into me and combined with my own. Next, I drew in air and water until a magical storm raged within me. Only one element left.
Lifting my palm into the air, I uttered a command. A ball of fire from May’s wall detached itself and raced toward me. I caught it and slammed it into my chest. The added power made the storm inside me turn into a raging typhoon.
There was so much energy buzzing around me, my hair lifted into the air. There must’ve been other physical changes to me because Llona glanced at me, her eyes widening, and stepped back.
My gaze snapped to the Vykens, then lowered to the forest floor that was littered with logs and fallen limbs. I muttered, “Oriri et occidere.” Rise and kill.
They lifted into the air and obeyed my command, cutting through the air and killing anything in their path. And what they didn't kill, they injured, giving Llona and May the time to finish our enemy off.
I was making quick work of them, but there were still supernaturals rushing from another part of the forest. I lifted the sticks from the piles of Vyken ash into the air, then plunged them hard into the ground so they pointed upward, creating a boxed area of deadly spikes. I was about to toss those who crossed May's firewall into the air, then slam them into the wooden stakes, but someone else beat me to it.
From the night sky, a gust of wind picked up a Vyken and threw him our way. Llona burst out laughing, a tired, relieved sound. Liam was alive. A sharp stick pierced the Vyken right through the gut. A moment later he was dust, thanks to Llona.
Several more flew through the air, Liam's handiwork, only to become impaled seconds later. Because Liam and Llona seemed to have this area under control, May and I turned to help Henry and Lucien.
Magic shot from my hand toward a particularly fierce pair of werewolves. The blue hues of power curled around them and jerked them into the lake. Before they could attempt to swim, a male Lizen leapt out of the water with fingernails grown as sharp as a shark’s teeth. He plunged them into the guts of the two wolves and dragged them beneath the lake’s murky surface. I shivered and refocused my attention on the fight before me.
So far, I had managed to avoid hand-to-hand combat. Lucien, however, had jumped into the middle of the fray, snapping necks and piercing hearts. I was fairly certain this was by choice, though.
The supernaturals’ numbers were thinning, giving me a chance to catch my breath. Only a few vampires remained, and the others could handle them. We had survived, but we hadn't faced Erebus yet. Where was he?
A gunshot rang out from within the darkened forest, followed by another. All of us froze and looked at each other. Because of Henry's spell, guns should've been taken out of the equation. I lifted my hands, ready to combat the weapon, but I couldn't tell what
direction to focus my magic on.
"Where's that coming from?" Henry shouted. He seemed to want to do the same thing as me.
Another gunshot. May's shoulder jerked backwards, and she tumbled to the ground.
"May!" Llona called and hurried to her.
"Over there!" Lucien yelled and pointed into the forest.
I couldn't see what he was pointing at, but I trusted his vampire vision. As hard as I could, I shot a blast of energy into that direction. The force of it knocked over several trees. Henry did the same thing right after me. Many trees toppled over, surely trapping if not killing whoever had fired at us.
"Redo the spell, Henry," I said, trying to hide the panic in my voice.
He ducked behind a tree to do just that. We waited nervously, each of us watching the forest, while Llona attended to May. Liam and Lucien finished off the last of the vampires.
"It's done," Henry said a few seconds later as he walked back to us, his head on a swivel.
Lucien appeared next to me, his brow furrowed. "How did your spell break, Henry?"
Before he could answer, the ground rumbled, as if we were in the middle of an earthquake.
I adjusted my feet to keep my balance. Llona practically dragged May onto her lap, while pressing her hand to May's shoulder. May grunted in pain.
Liam appeared just then in his human form. The top of his shirt was covered in blood, as was the back of his head.
Llona's eyes grew wide when she saw him. "What happened to you?"
"I'm okay. Let's move her." Liam bent down to lift May, but May knocked his hand away.
"It's a flesh wound. I can get up myself," she said through gritted teeth. It took a lot of effort, but she pushed herself to her feet.
The ground shook again.
Lucien took hold of my hand, his jaw clamped shut. I squeezed it tightly, feeling strength in our grip.