Loyalty

by Charles E Yallowitz

  “Sorry about that!” Xavier shouts as the defensive spell sputters. Realizing that it has been damaged by the stone, he dispels it and moves further away in case he is rushed. “We need to retreat now! There are too many of them. If I had to guess, they are all here and have been sent after me.”

  “No, I saw more throughout the castle when I was above,” Clyde replies before sprinting towards the noble. He drops the ten hearts he has plucked from those in his path, the mortals crumpling as they stare at their organs in shock. “I will never get tired of seeing that look of confusion. There aren’t any casters left in this group, so we can get away. The paladins are a danger, but we can outrun them. With any luck, everyone else has gotten out of Nyte and we can immediately amass a force to reclaim the city.”

  “A true leader does not trust luck,” the noble states as he pushes on one of the walls. He whispers a complicated spell that turns the stones into a wooden doorway that he opens to his bedroom. “I would have done this earlier, but it takes a lot of magic. Seems it was a waste since I do not sense Nadia inside. There is no sign of Lou or Stephanie who were with her, which means all three may have escaped. Still, I refuse to leave Nyte until they are found. Will you help me with the hunt?”

  Clyde licks his fangs and sticks his head into the bedroom, the smell of perfume making his nose wrinkle. “I don’t think the enemy was ever here. Hey, the window over there is wide open and faces the old lake. I’m going to see if they’re in the water, but I want you to stay in the passage. No sense cutting off our best and possibly only escape route. Sure seems oddly quiet all of a sudden.”

  Creeping into the well-furnished bedroom, Clyde looks for any sign that Nadia is hiding while he makes his way to the window. He follows a scent that shares a faint similarity to his own, which he assumes is the noblewoman and not Mab. The vampire carefully sticks his head outside and sees hundreds of distant forms running for the forest. All of them are wearing their night cloaks and refusing to turn around, which makes it impossible to tell if Nadia is among their number. Clyde notices that the frame is cracked and he touches it before jumping back to avoid the crumbling wall from taking him with it. Running a finger along the broken edge, he finds a magical glue that steadily dissolves when it touches his skin. A patch of greasy hair catches his attention and he sniffs at it, the stench making his head swim.

  “Lou wouldn’t go this way without Nadia,” Clyde whispers as he heads for the passage. A thudding footstep from the hallway makes him stop and he clears his throat before making his voice sound like that of a woman. “Is that you, dear? I was hiding in here when those scary sun kissers broke into the castle. Please tell me the battle is over. If my voice sounds funny it’s because I, Nadia Sylvan, caught a cold . . . from the last person I ate . . . Better be somebody there or I’m going to feel really stupid.”

  The door begins to open, but stops before it can show whoever is on the other side. Clyde is about to approach when a sword blade juts through the gap and fires a wide blast of light that hits him in the chest. A sonic boom follows to shatter all of the remaining windows and hit him in the same place as the previous attack. The vampire is sent crashing against the bed, the canopy collapsing on top of him and catching fire from the intense heat of his irritated skin. Filled with rage, Clyde’s heart pumps hard and fast to quickly heal the gaping injury while a helmet-wearing paladin charges into the bedroom. His sword continues emitting blasts of light that bounce off the walls and pulverize anything they touch. The warrior awkwardly redirects his attack to aim for Xavier, who has no time to cast a spell and is cornered in the exposed passage. Gripping one of the broken posts, Clyde bursts from the damaged bed and drives the makeshift spear completely through the paladin’s side. With a roar, he hurls the man through the damaged wall and watches the flailing form sail into the distance.

  “Your wife is fine, so now we have to go,” Clyde says while checking the hallway. He ducks back inside when he sees a group of priests and moves a wardrobe to fortify the broken door. “This full-on assault is ridiculous. They had to have been planning this for days or weeks, which means Mab and I had nothing to do with it. Right now, I don’t care what prompted this mess. Our priority is to survive. Why are you staring at me like that?”

  “Your night cloak vanished like it was never there,” Xavier replies, his eyes wide and dilated. He nods at the crumbling wall, which has been letting the sun in since before the paladin attacked. “That crazy hunter who spoke of a vampire who remained strong in the light. It wasn’t a rumor. I thought it was strange that your cloak didn’t move like it should have, but I thought it was my imagination. Now, you’re standing in the sun after throwing an armored man for what could be miles. What happened to you?”

  “Short version is that I came out of the ground different and I’m not making this public until I know what’s going on,” the other man replies, his impatience growing. He reaches out to grab the noble, but is knocked away by a fist of pure force. “What in all of Windemere are you doing, Tempest? If I wanted to hurt or kill you then I wouldn’t have protected you all this time. This room is impossible to defend without a wall, so we need to get out of Nyte before we’re found again. Look, here is a real night cloak from your own wardrobe, so you can come with me and fight. If that belongs to Nadia then shut up and put it on anyway.”

  Taking the night cloak, Xavier steps into the sunlight and lets the door to the passage disappear. “You run while I stay and defend the city that I love. To be honest, I sensed that you and Mab were keeping a secret, but I never imagined . . . this. Don’t worry because I am sure I can handle the mortals now that I am protected. Go find the others and I will join you as soon as I can. Nyte will not fall and you will follow the path the gods have placed you on.”

  “Not another one spouting dramatic gibberish.”

  “Run!”

  Knowing that he cannot talk sense into the nobleman, Clyde moves the wardrobe out of the way and kicks the remains of the thick door. The wooden pieces knock down the priest on the other side as the vampire moves the furniture back in place behind him. Cracking his knuckles, he bares his fangs at the startled mortals who try to hit him with feeble light beams. Clyde bats the weak spells out of the way while he walks down the hallway and snaps the neck of anyone who gets within reach. The casual way he kills those in his path sends a chill up the Duragians’ spines, but they feel driven to continue attacking. Within minutes, the Dawn Fang has left the bedroom far behind and the next wave of enemies finds nothing more than limp and broken bodies scattered about the floor.

  *****

  Sprinting towards the dungeon, Mab and Decker come to a skidding stop at the top of the stairs. The vampires dive into a nearby closet and use a crack to watch a paladin emerge from the bottom level with fifty priests and hunters behind him. Once the marching invaders can no longer be seen or heard, they sneak out and continue into the depths of Nyte. All of the cells that had prisoners have been cleansed with holy fire, the charred bones of mortal and vampire still bright with embers. Smoke billows through the bars to create cover for the escaping pair who move at different paces. Mab walks without a sound and quickly covers ground while Decker is slower with steps that thud enough for his companion to repeatedly glare over her shoulder. Both are on edge after having been separated from Titus and Bob when the surprise attack began nearly an hour ago. Not a word has been uttered between the anxious vampires, their focus more on getting to an exit.

  Coming to the furthest cell, Mab shivers and holds up her hand to stop Decker from getting any closer. Sniffing at the air, she moves to the wall next to the bars and pretends to cast the spell for claws. Peeking around the corner, the burglar spots two hunters and extends her fingers to relay the information to her companion. Instead of waiting for her to act, Decker walks into view and bares his fangs at the intruders. The swordsmen charge out of the cell, but the narrow door forces them to come out one at a time. Unable to get out of the tight formation and attack,
the first man screams when the dwarf lunges forward and bites into his wrist. Decker continues drinking while using his meal as a shield to stop the other mortal from landing a blow. Shoving the corpse at the lone warrior, he draws his axe and cleaves the flustered man in half.

  “We don’t have time for games,” the soldier growls while wiping his mouth. He is about to head for the cell when Mab catches his arm and pulls him to the side. “The secret passage is right there. If you’re worried about the others then there is nothing we can do. I don’t like leaving friends behind, but we have no choice. Trust that they have the wits and strength to escape. Let’s move before we’re found here.”

  “Where did that squad of Duragians come from?” Mab asks in a low voice. Seeing that her point is lost, she bangs on the wall with a fraction of her true strength. “There are only two ways to get into the dungeon. One is the main stairs that everyone knows about. The other is the secret passage, which only those of us in Xavier’s inner circle were told of. You saw those people before. They didn’t come down here in search of someone and then leave as we showed up. They were marching as if this is where they came in. These two even looked like they were standing guard.”

  “You are right and I should have noticed that,” Decker says with a scowl. Leading the burglar away from the cell, he scratches his head and tries to remember the layout of the castle’s tunnels. “This means there is a traitor. I know of at least three nobles who would also know about this passage. The council isn’t even trying to hide their influence over this. You don’t think they have an agent within Nyte, do you?”

  Mab pats her friend on the shoulder while enhancing her hearing in case someone comes through the hidden passage. “I’d be more surprised if they didn’t, but that’s not important right now. We need to get out of here because this is a terrible place to fight. If another group blocks those stairs then we have to battle in a very tight space. You might be skilled at barreling through stuff, but I need wiggle room. Let’s get back to that closet and talk about this because I don’t like being out in the open. Crack a joke about what I just said and I will make you suffer.”

  “What kind of joke would I make?”

  “Oh . . . Forgot that you’re not the type.”

  “Is this about the occasional sexual tension-influenced teasing that you and Clyde do?”

  “There’s no tension.”

  “So, you’re back to being a couple?”

  “During a deadly invasion of holy warriors is not the time for this!”

  “Okay, I’ll ask later.”

  Creaking hinges cause the vampires to bolt for the stairs, the echoes of footsteps driving them to run faster. They are nearly at the exit when a blast of holy fire lances between them and envelopes the doorway. Whirling around, they see a female paladin and five armored battle priests have entered the dungeon. Signaling for the others to begin chanting, the warrior takes a few steps forward, but stops when it looks like the cornered pair are ready to fight. She runs her hand along the blade of a broadsword, which bursts into lavender flames that transform into a glistening edge. Holding the weapon out, she starts to spin in a slow circle while whispering an incantation. The movement forces the priests to duck and spread out, two of them creeping forward with their staffs glowing at the tip.

  Decker tackles Mab into the nearest cell before the paladin swings her weapon and sends a wave of knife-like fire down the hallway. The attack cuts through stone and metal, which causes sections of the dungeon ceiling to gradually slump. As soon as they hit the ground, the vampires get up and ram their shoulders against the far wall. The impact jars their bones, but it is enough to create a hole that they can squeeze through at the same time. Scrambling into the next cell, they narrowly escape a cleansing blast of light from one of the priests. They crawl for the door as the spell oozes after them, but they stop when another beam is fired and maintained a few inches from the bars. A cough from around the corner causes Decker to crouch and draw his axe, the dwarf touching a sapphire on the handle to awaken a lightning charge. Slipping the weapon through the bars, he waits until he can see the approaching priest’s feet before unleashing the attack and sending the startled intruder flying. A scream is heard as the mortal is dissolved by the powerful beam, which continues to prevent the vampires from escaping.

  “I’ve never heard of Duragians using light spells that kill each other,” Decker admits as he backs away from the bars. Striking the other wall, he curses at how it is twice as thick as the one they already broke. “We’re either going to be disintegrated by their magic or crushed by the collapsing ceiling. I prefer the latter since there’s a better chance of surviving that. Give me some time to charge my axe enough that I can destroy all of the supports with one blast. I’m fairly certain that won’t burn us too.”

  “You really need to stop making plans that include getting hurt,” Mab replies as she gets low to the ground. She tries to judge the space between the beam and the floor to see if her body is thin enough to fit. “They can’t possibly see through that light. If I get underneath then I can sneak up and slice the priest at the ankles. The spell will stop and we can make short work of the last four before getting out.”

  “That’s a horrible idea,” the dwarf states before he lunges forward. He strikes a priest in the head, his axe nearly deflecting off the bars instead of landing. “That one wasn’t part of the original group. More must be coming through the passage and they’re moving along the narrow pathways. You go out there and you might as well stand up in that beam. As much as I hate to admit it, we need to focus on escaping instead of fighting. Not unless you have a tactic that I’m missing. This is more your type of situation than mine.”

  Seeing a large shadow on the wall of the cell next door, Mab jumps through the hole and slices through the chainmail of a lurking Duragian. The surprised enemy has no time to raise his weapon before he is gutted and kicked into the light spell. Two robed women step into view and use the bars to protect them from getting attacked. Unable to reach the priestesses in time, Mab dives back through the hole to avoid bursts of holy flame. She rolls into a crouch and looks up in time to see the paladin stepping out of the bright beam and into the cell, the warrior’s armor protecting her from the deadly blast. Raising her broadsword, the woman tries to position herself in order to hit both vampires in one blow. The hesitation is enough for Decker to leap and slam his head against her breastplate, which leaves a thin crack. Leaping onto the dwarf’s shoulders, Mab drives her clawed hand into the damaged armor and violently tears out the paladin’s entire ribcage.

  “I got tangled in the bones,” the burglar claims while the body falls over with an echoing clang. Seeing the look of bewilderment on Decker’s face, she does her best to put on a confident smile. “Put a lot of blood into my muscles for that one. Pretty hungry now, but I think I have it in me to cast a big spell. Take my hand and hold on tight. No matter what you do, Kenneth Decker, do not let go or you will die a worse death that you would here. I promise this will be over quickly.”

  Not having any other ideas, Decker puts his axe away and grabs Mab’s outstretched hand with enough force to break her fingers. He is about to turn at the sound of an approaching hunter when the burglar forcefully guides him into a shadowy corner. For a moment, he sees a flicker of doubt on his friend’s face and opens his mouth to ask a question. Instead, he snaps his jaws shut at the sight of Mab falling into the floor and shatters his teeth as he is roughly yanked into the shadows behind her. Decker stares at the darkness around them, the forms of large monsters coming into view as they travel. He is unsure if he can call their movements flying or swimming, the confusion helping him focus on something other than the surreal landscape. The soldier is unsure how long they have been in the strange world when they start to rise towards a pinprick of light that Mab tears open with a slash. As if leaping from an ocean, the vampires burst into the sunlit forest that is within sight of the smoking city of Nyte. Before Decker can ask about what j
ust happened, the woman doubles over to vomit a stream of shadows and collapses face first in the inky mess.

  *****

  “You’ve looked better,” Clyde says while leaning against an old maple. He tosses a flask of blood to Mab, who lets it hit her in the head and thump to the ground. “Better not blame me for that. What happened? Neither of you look injured like Titus and Bob. I sent them ahead to where we’re going to meet up. Seems we have a lot to discuss.”

  “That is an understatement,” Decker agrees as he picks up the flask. He opens it and puts it to the burglar’s mouth, which locks around the container. “Was hoping Mab would share, but I guess that spell drained her. She brought me into this shadow world and carried us to the forest, which is a trick I’ve never seen before. Strangest part is that I don’t remember seeing her make any gestures or hear an incantation. It was chaotic with all of the hunters and Duragians, but I’m surprised Mab could do that in so little time.”

  “I’ve been practicing it for the last twenty years, but I need to work on it because that took a lot out of me,” she whispers, her voice raspy and weak. She bites into the metal container to get every drop of blood out, the taste telling her that it came from Clyde. “Are we really going to leave? Seems like it’s a better idea to go on the attack right away. Xavier and Nadia must be in the forest somewhere, so I say we call the boys back and hit them hard.”

  “None of us have night cloaks, which means we have no powers,” Clyde states with a cold stare. Not wanting Decker to catch on, he moves stiffly and does his best to appear weak. “As far as I know, Nadia escaped with Lou and Stephanie. Xavier and I got separated, but I gave him my night cloak since he was having an easier time with the attackers. You can still see his spells going off in Nyte, which means he’s okay. Wouldn’t be surprised if he met up with Kai and they’re are handling things. Those two may be fairly stuck up and prissy, but they’re good in a fight when it counts.”