“All right.” Croft stood, nodding toward Theo. “Cherub will be more than happy to help, I know.”
“You can’t be serious.” Theo rolled his eyes, then exhaled with exasperation. “But I know you are.”
“The city’s defenses are complete.” Croft passed Sloan on the stairs up to the exit. “Besides, I think I know what Sloan has planned.”
Sloan followed in Croft’s wake up the stairs and out through the meeting room doors. The plan she had been contriving was at the forefront of her mind. With Cherub and her gargoyles helping, they could be out and back before the sun rose.
“If anything happens to them because you made a decision in anger, it’s on you.” Croft stopped to look back at Sloan. “Anger can be a powerful tool, but channel and use it properly, or it will be your downfall.”
Sloan wasn’t interested in getting into a debate with the witch. She merely nodded toward Croft before leaving the capitol building.
Sloan
“I’m fine.” Doyle looked at Sloan as he pleaded his case. “It was a concussion, that’s all. I can fight.”
“I’m sure you can.” Sloan stood at the city gates, waiting for Cherub to gather the rest of her unit. When the gargoyle was told of the plan, she had been ecstatic and rushed off to ready her men. “And you will fight them tomorrow when the bulk of the army gets here. Anything you say will be useless, so save us both some time.”
Doyle shook his head with a heavy breath.
“Harrison’s body was placed in a grave in Azra,” Pia chimed in. “When you’re ready, we can have the ceremony for him.”
“And we will have a ceremony for him.” Sloan refused to think on her dead friend a moment longer. Not until he was avenged. “First, we send a few hundred of the queen’s soldiers his way.”
A rushing sound filled the air, something like the wind during the beginning of a storm, as Cherub landed beside Sloan with a gust of breeze. All around the courtyard, Cherub’s gargoyles were landing. As requested, they wore black instead of the normal white uniforms usually sported by the city’s guards, and each held a lance twice as long as his body.
“This looks like fun. How come we weren’t invited?”
Sloan looked over to see Kade and Sasha walking down toward the main gate.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m in.” Kade looked over to Sloan. “I’m in this time. I’m healed and rested. Argue if you want, but I’m coming.”
“Slade is going to be so pissed we didn’t wake him up for this.” Sasha smiled through the dark. Torchlight reflected off her large teeth. “So, what are we doing?”
“I don’t have time to argue with anyone else.” Sloan gave Kade a look, one part pleading, one part stern.
“Good.” Kade walked up to Sloan and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Because all I want to do is listen. What’s the plan?”
“I’m only saying yes because we’re down two members in our squad.” Sloan had mixed feelings about being kissed in front of a war meeting, but in all honesty, she found herself liking it. “Listen up. Cherub and her gargoyles will drop us by the enemy’s supply wagons. We’ll kill the guards there and destroy any rations or equipment they’re carrying. In the meantime, Cherub’s gargoyle unit cause a distraction.”
“And to be clear, by ‘distraction,’ she means swooping down and impaling as many of those vampire soldiers we can on the ends of our spears.” Cherub looked at her gargoyles with a grin so sadistic, it even made Sloan uncomfortable. “This is what we’ve been training for. Let’s make them pay in blood.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sloan
The air so high was freezing, though Sloan expected it would feel a lot worse if she were still one hundred percent human. Cherub held her under her armpits as the two took the lead of the convoy and sailed through the dark air.
The female gargoyle was stronger than she looked. She had to be to be able to support her own weight, plus Sloan’s and the heavy lance she carried on her back in a sling between her wings.
Sloan blinked at the heavy gusts of air that wreaked havoc on her hair. For the second time she reached down by her side to make sure her mage sword was still in its sheath. The cold steel of her weapon touched her fingers.
“There!” Cherub had to shout to be heard. “Eleven o’clock!”
Sloan looked down to see the long trail of lights. To the left of the army was the mage engine. Dark smoke billowed from its smokestack as it travelled at the same pace as the army, which was a black snake of soldiers, some carrying torches, most just jogging along.
Leah had pushed them like Sloan knew she would. The tyrant queen was in a hurry to reach Azra and defeat her enemies. The vampire soldiers from New Hope would be tired when they were finally asked to fight. Sloan carried no pity in her heart for them, only wrath.
To the right of the army and to Sloan’s left was what she was looking for: a long line of wagons being pulled by teams of horses trotting along. Sloan ran the plan over and over in her mind. She, along with the members of her vampire squad and the two shifters, would be dropped onto soldiers driving the wagons. They would kill them quickly, unhitch the horses, and light the wagons on fire.
In the interim, Cherub would lead the hundred or so gargoyles on two to three passes against the bulk of the army, then come and pick them up. If all went as planned, they would be in and out in under ten minutes, leaving bodies broken and bloodied in their wake.
Sloan wished she could see the sky behind her. What a sight it must have been to see a hundred gargoyles flying in sync. Thoughts of this were pushed out of her mind, though, as Cherub readied her for her drop.
“We’re going to have to go in fast!” Cherub shouted above the rush of her wings.
“Do it!” Sloan shouted back. “Aim for the first wagon. I’m ready!”
Time sped up as Cherub took a dive. Everything grew in size as the wind rushed past Sloan at an exhilarating pace. Sloan couldn’t stop blinking past the wind, even the air was hard to breathe as vampire and gargoyle plummeted from the sky like a fallen angel.
When Cherub finally released Sloan, Sloan felt like a bomb being dropped from the heavens. The vampire soldier driving the first team of horses in the lead wagon didn’t even stand a chance. Sloan inverted her self in the air so she would land boots-first. She slammed into the driver, crushing his skull on impact.
Arching pain lanced up Sloan’s legs, but pain could be put in a mental box until her body healed itself. Sloan unsheathed her weapon and drove it into the heart of the broken vampire just to be sure.
In one movement, she flipped on the mage blade to ensure it would sear through any armor he might be wearing. The next moment, she unhitched the wagon from the straps holding prisoner the two confused horses.
Sloan withdrew her sword and placed the mage-heated blade against the wagon’s wood frame. The board beneath her sword turned a dull red first, then sparked and caught fire.
As she jumped off the first wagon and moved to the next, she knew they had already been found out. Screams permeated the air as the marching army came to a standstill amidst the sound of rushing wings. More than anything Sloan wanted to take a moment to look to her right and witness the gargoyles descending upon the New Hope army like Valkyries incarnate.
She couldn’t. Speed was their ally. Surprise would only send the New Hope army reeling for so long.
Instead of pausing to witness their plan in progress, Sloan ran to the next wagon in line. The driver of this transport was already standing up in his seat, hand resting on the butt of his rifle. He made eye contact with Sloan at the same time she hurled her mage-heated sword through the air.
Before the guard could tell he was already dead, the blade pierced the area over his chest. While he was still falling, Sloan sprinted up the wagon and pulled the blade from his torso. She repeated the act of unhitching the panicked horses before setting the wagon on fire.
Pure chaos reigned over the night. Sloan couldn
’t help taking a moment to view the battlefield. New Hope vampire soldiers weary from travel were panicked as they ran around the open area, dodging gargoyles who swooped down from the sky spearing soldiers on the tips of their deadly lances.
The wagons that were a perfect line a moment before began to move in different directions as their drivers tried to reign in frightened horses. The main bulk of the army, it seemed, was not worried about the burning wagons yet, still too busy trying to figure out what was happening.
To Sloan’s approval, a dozen other wagons were already burning farther down the convoy. Kade and his sister, as well as Pia and Babs, were doing their work quickly.
You gotta move, you gotta move, Sloan reminded herself. Cherub will be here any minute to pick you up.
Sloan jumped off the wagon she had already lit on fire and made her way to the next in line. This wagon’s horses were rearing back, large eyes showing how scared they were of the unfolding events.
Dodging the hooves that sought to strike her, Sloan jumped on board the wagon next to a frightened soldier who couldn’t have been more than twenty years old. His mouth dropped open.
“Heads-up.” Sloan slammed her forehead into his nose, sending a shower of blood over his face. The boy fell backwards off the wagon.
In two movements, Sloan unhitched the horses and lit the wagon aflame. She jumped down on top of the dazed soldier.
“Listen, kid, this is your lucky day.” Sloan pressed her mage blade close to his throat. “I’m not going to kill you.”
“You … you aren’t?”
“Nope. I need you to send a message back to Leah Eckert. Do you think you can do that for me?”
The boy swallowed hard and nodded.
“I want to hear you say it.”
“Ye-yes,” the boy stuttered. “I-I’ll send your message.”
“Good. Tell Leah that Charlotte Sloan is coming for her. Tell her that she will never be safe. Tell her that the days of her closing her eyes without fear are over and that every step toward Azra is a step closer to her death. Tell her I’m coming for her.”
Sloan was starting to feel sorry for the terrified young soldier. She flicked off her mage sword and sheathed it in her belt.
“You … you’re … Captain Charlotte Sloan?” the soldier croaked. “You’re supposed to be seven feet tall with fangs as long as swords; more monster than human.”
“I don’t know what propaganda you’ve been fed kid, but don’t believe everything you’ve heard.”
BAM! BAM!
Shots were being fired into the air now as the soldiers finally realized they were being attacked by a flying enemy.
Sloan wrestled her view from the soldier still on the ground and looked up. A large, black form swooped down to pick her up. Cherub grabbed her just below the armpits and again lifted her into the sky. A second later, they began the trip back to Azra.
“Casualties?” Sloan shouted to be heard over the cold wind once again.
“Not one!” Cherub shouted back. “I estimate we killed a few hundred!”
Sloan nodded, thinking on Cherub’s words. More importantly, they had sent a message: Kill one of ours, and hundreds of your own will die. Leah wanted a war? Well, now she had one.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Croft
The raiding party had just arrived, and the reports were better than she could have excepted. Sloan and her party had killed hundreds of the enemy, but more importantly, they had crippled the supply wagons.
This new Sloan, fueled by the recent loss of her friend, was the best thing that could have happened to Azra; with war at their door, having a weapon like Sloan was invaluable.
Croft entered her room. The cell that had been erected for her youngest daughter was still there. Elizabeth lay sleeping behind the bars, with Abigail sleeping on the other end. Her daughters were stronger than she could ever be, the bond they shared strong enough to overcome anything thrown their way.
Croft intentionally made noise as she walked into the room—the bracelet she held clanged against the ring of keys she palmed in the same hand.
“Good morning, girls.” Croft motioned for a sleepy Elizabeth to meet her at the cell door. An empty tray of food was at her feet. “I see you decided to eat for the first time since you’ve been to Azra.”
“Yeah, well…” Elizabeth let out a long yawn. “I was getting hungry, and it doesn’t look like you’re going to let me out of this cage any time soon. FYI, that bucket you gave me to poop and pee in is horrible.”
“Yes, well, I hope we can move past that soon.” Croft placed a key into the lock of Elizabeth’s cell door. “Before I let you go, I want you to put your hand through the cell and allow this bracelet to be placed on your arm.”
“And why would I do that?” Elizabeth rose and placed her hands on her hips. “I think you’re forgetting that you and I don’t exactly have the most trusting relationship.”
Thus far, Croft hadn’t said anything to Abigail, and neither had Abigail moved besides to stand from her sleeping position. Croft said a silent prayer that her plan would work.
Abigail finally broke the silence. “What’s the bracelet for?” She rubbed sleep from her eyes. “It’s going to stop her from using magic, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.” Croft directed her attention to Abigail, though she placed the bracelet into her open palm so both girls could get a good look at the piece of jewelry.
“It will impede a witch or a wizard from being able to touch the magic inside of them. Likewise, if it’s tampered with, it only bonds stronger to the wearer. The only way to get it off at all is if it’s removed by the person who places it on.”
“Bwahahaha!” Elizabeth shook her head so hard, her long, red hair swayed from side to side. “If you think I’m going to let you put this on me, you’re high.”
“Not me.” Croft nodded to Abigail. “Your sister should be the one who puts it on and the one who will be able to take it off.”
Abigail blinked, trying to understand her mother’s ploy. She looked from her sister to her mother and back again.
“And then she can come out?” Abigail picked up the proverbial pass in conversation. “We can get her out of this cage?”
“Yes.” Croft looked down at the bracelet like she was actually thinking of something instead of pausing for dramatic tone. “She’ll have free reign of Azra, under your supervision.”
The silver bracelet was a band of twisted steel that ended with yellow stones on either side. The yellow stones glowed with magical power. It was easy enough for a witch of her control to craft it, but it would be ten times harder to have someone allow themselves to be fitted with it.
“If you think I don’t know what you’re doing…” Elizabeth huffed as she put her arm through the cell door. “I know exactly what’s going on here. You forget, I have the ability to read people’s minds, and that’s not related to magic at all but to the experiments done to me in the cave laboratory in Burrow Den.”
“If you can still read minds, then why did you believe Leah in the first place?” Abigail asked with a raised eyebrow. “Why didn’t you just read my thoughts when I was telling you the truth that I didn’t abandon you?”
“Because she was being manipulated by the best,” Croft answered for Elizabeth. “Someone with Leah’s power, to take control over another person … to them it’s an art. Leah is the very best at manipulating people to do what she wants.”
“So you’re going to do this?” Abigail looked over at Elizabeth for a final word. “You’re okay with this?”
“It doesn’t look like I have much of a choice.” Elizabeth pushed her arm even farther through the cell bars. “Come on, let’s get it over with. I’ve been dying for a shower.”
Abigail nodded, opening her hand for Croft to drop the bracelet into her palm. Croft slipped the magical bracelet into her oldest daughter’s open hand.
“What do I do with it now?” Abigail turned the item over in her h
ands to examine it from every angle. “Do I need to say a special spell or do some kind of magical hand gesture as I put it on her?”
“Um … nope, it just snaps on.” Croft smiled at her daughter who was obviously disappointed by the simple answer.
Abigail approached Elizabeth with the open bracelet in her hands. She snapped the piece of jewelry on her sister’s left wrist. The yellow stones on each end of the bracelet gave off a bright glimmer of light before dying down once more to a steady glow. The bracelet shrank to fit Elizabeth’s wrist perfectly.
“How does it feel?” Abigail took a step back to admire the piece of metal around her sister’s hand. “Does it hurt?”
“Nope.” Elizabeth retracted her arm, twisting her wrist this way and that as she examined her new piece of bling. “But I can smell myself, so about that shower?”
Croft twisted the key in the lock. A loud click filled the silence before the cell door swung open in a wide arc. She stepped to the side and waved her younger daughter forward.
“If Leah’s hold on you is dulling now, you can read my mind and know that everything I’ve told you is the truth. You may not love me, but you know that I love you.” Croft looked over to Abigail. “I’m not going to have any guards follow you. They have all been instructed that you and Elizabeth are to have free reign over the city. As you both know, the fighting is about to start, and when it does, I think it would be best for Elizabeth to be as far away as possible from Leah’s manipulation.”
“What are you saying?” Abigail asked, trying to piece together her mother’s words.
“She wants us to leave the city,” Elizabeth answered her sister. “She wants you to take me away.”
“What? No way.” Abigail looked at her mother like she was crazy. “I’m not going anywhere. We’re finally together. Elizabeth isn’t trying to kill us, and now you want us to go?”
The Complete Vampire Project Series: (Books 1 - 5) Page 75