28. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
T he blaring call of war horns thundered through the air. Rowan’s stomach twisted in on itself as she caught sight of the nightmare approaching over a nearby hill. A legion of vampires crested its summit like a tidal wave poised to crash against the castle’s walls. A violent shiver tore through her body as she surveyed the Reaper’s overwhelming numbers.
“Think of all the reasons we fight. Let that fuel your strength.” Casimir’s grounding voice cut through her rumination. His hand found hers, calming and steadying her.
With Casimir by her side, Rowan set her stance, ready to unleash her magic. The anticipation of violence filled her mouth with a bitter taste, a mix of power and fear. Energy coursed within her like a winter storm demanding release.
She glared at the advancing army. “Let them come.”
As the sun sank behind the horizon, the sky transformed into a canvas of deepening shadows. Amid the swarm of vampires charging towards them, a colossal platform emerged. In its center rested a golden throne, with the Reaper seated upon it, like some vile king from ancient times.
“Why do short men always feel the need to overcompensate?”
Rowan’s remark drew a brief smirk from Casimir, a fleeting moment of levity amid the tightening coil of tension. “Your wit never fails to impress. But remain vigilant, my love. We must be ready.”
Before she could respond, Rowan caught sight of something that made her blood run cold .
Lilith.
Her mother knelt at the Reaper’s feet, wrists bound by chains, her head bowed in either defeat or pain. The same silver-blonde hair that Rowan had inherited fell in disarray around her shoulders, obscuring her face. Even from afar, her posture conveyed a sense of suffering and subjugation.
“Mother,” Rowan cried out, her hands fisting at her sides.
“Don’t let him use her to distract you.” Casimir’s eyes blazed with fire. “That’s what he wants. We’ll free her as soon as we can. Until then, we can’t let anger cloud our judgment.”
“We’ll do more than free her.” Rowan’s voice grew icy. The temperature dropped around her as her necromantic power responded to her rising fury. A burning desire for justice consumed her thoughts. “I’ll make him pay for every moment she’s suffered at his hands.”
Casimir nodded, his expression grim. “And I’ll stand by you through it all. For your vengeance, for your mother, for us.”
The first wave of vampires neared their defenses, shattering their moment of shared resolve. The battle had begun, and with each beat of her heart, Rowan knew that she would answer blood with blood, pain with retribution.
She pushed her hands outward as she harnessed her power. A cold, bluish-white glow emanated from within her, swirling like mist as it reached toward the platform where the Reaper sat in all his arrogant splendor.
“Your throne is nothing but a hollow illusion of power.” Her words dripped with disdain, matching the icy chill of her magic.
The vampires bearing the weight of the Reaper’s platform began to lumber, magical frost creeping over their limbs and halting their movements. As they staggered, their grip faltered, and the golden throne wobbled precariously.
The Reaper’s head snapped toward Rowan, understanding dawning just as the platform gave way beneath him. He fell, his regal demeanor crumbling as spectacularly as his seat of power, accompanied by the horrified gasps of his subjects. His descent was far from graceful. It was an undignified tumble that scattered vampires and shattered the illusion of his untouchable reign.
Rowan smirked. “Looks like someone’s ego was too heavy to carry.”
The Reaper rose from the wreckage, his face contorted in indignation. Spitting curses, he whirled on the chained figure at his feet. With a vicious backhand, he struck Rowan’s mother across the face, sending her sprawling to the ground .
“NO!” Rowan screamed, her voice cracking like a whip across the battlefield. The world narrowed to the image of her mother’s pained expression, the red mark blooming on her face.
Casimir’s anger mirrored hers, but he maintained a warrior’s focus. “Rowan, we must—”
“Destroy him,” she finished, blazing with wild magic.
Again, the cold energy surged through her veins, this time like a thundering waterfall. Fingers tingling, she unleashed her power, targeting the Reaper. The white-blue mist twisted and whirled around him, but he remained untouched.
She didn’t understand what was happening. Her gaze darted to Casimir, seeking an answer. He shook his head slightly.
With a furious cry, she thrust her hands forward, releasing a torrent of magic that forced several vampires surrounding the Reaper to stab their comrades in the heart and burst into ash. Rowan’s power surged through his forces, seeking retribution for every bruise, every drop of blood spilled from her mother’s veins. The energy emanating from her was a tangible force, but the Reaper remained unscathed.
Below, he gestured for his army to move forward. “Advance!” he bellowed, and the horde rushed toward the towering castle walls like an unstoppable force.
“Let us thin their ranks, shall we?” Marcus stepped up beside Casimir with an arrow already nocked to his bow. His amber eyes gleamed with a predatory light, and his lips curled into a thrill-seeking smile.
Casimir drew an arrow from the quiver slung across his back. “Aye.”
They loosed their arrows in unison, bows singing a deadly chorus. Silver-tipped missiles cut through the twilight. Each found its mark with lethal precision. Vampires exploded into clouds of ash mid-stride, their undead lives extinguished by the silver barrage.
“Beautiful shots.” Rowan watched their attackers falter under the onslaught.
Casimir gave her a salute. “Only the best for you.”
From her vantage point, Rowan spotted Ruby, her fiery red hair standing out against the fading light. She directed her fellow fire witches along the parapets.
“Let’s light up the night, ladies.” Ruby’s voice rang out clear and strong.
Torches blazed to life as the fire witches moved in harmony, flames reflecting in their eyes. They stretched out their hands and, with a ballet of gestures, summoned their elemental magic. Flaming orbs formed in their palms, crackling with unrestrained power. They hurled them into the sky, and each ball of fire streaked toward the enemy like a shooting star.
“Wait for it . . .” Anticipation laced Ruby’s tone.
As the fireballs descended, their bright flames collided with the bags of gunpowder hidden among the vampire masses. The night erupted into an inferno as explosions rocked the ground and sent torn limbs and bodies flying through the air amid screams and disarray. Rowan’s mouth filled with the acrid taste of bile as she stumbled back, dodging a severed hand that landed with a wet thud at her feet. The smell of burnt flesh and gunpowder permeated the air.
“Bloody hell!” Rowan cursed as a series of explosions consumed vampire after vampire. The sky above them glowed with the light of the blaze, painting a scene of apocalyptic destruction.
Amid the battlefield, the Reaper sat upon his fallen throne with a sinister grin etched across his youthful face. He directed another wave of his army forward in a relentless surge, their sharp fangs bared in hunger and malice.
Rowan extended her hands, palms outstretched as she delved into the shadowy thoughts of the recently turned vampires. With fierce concentration, she weaved icy tendrils through their minds.
“Turn,” she commanded, “against those who’ve shackled you.”
Confusion rippled through the advancing invaders as newly turned vampires lashed out at their own kind. Shrieks of betrayal pierced the night as vampire fought vampire, turning the battleground into a self-consuming frenzy of swords, fangs, and fury.
Casimir stood tall and imposing beside Rowan as he nocked another arrow to his bowstring. He released arrow after arrow, each tipped with gleaming silver. His aim never faltered. His expression remained resolute.
Next to him, Marcus’s face was a mask of lethal concentration as he mirrored Casimir’s actions. Their arrows flew in deadly harmony, cutting through the swarm with merciless efficiency.
“Watch your flank.” Casimir’s authoritative baritone cut through the sounds of battle. Marcus pivoted. In a swift, fluid motion, his arrow whistled through the air, embedding deep in an encroaching vampire’s chest with a muffled thud.
Marcus smirked. “Had my eye on that one.”
“Of course you did,” Casimir responded dryly .
As the wave of vampires pressed closer to the castle walls, the ground beneath them gave way. Dozens plummeted into hidden pits, their undead bodies impaled on the waiting silver spikes. Clouds of dust billowed as they disintegrated, their screams of agony silenced by eternal death.
Marcus observed the carnage below with grim satisfaction. “Ingenious.”
Casimir’s attention sharpened as a pack of vampires evaded the traps and scaled the castle walls with supernatural agility. Their eyes glowed with savage hunger, fixed on their prey above. Casimir unsheathed his sword and adopted a warrior stance to confront the climbing intruders. “Rowan,” he shouted.
From her vantage point, she extended a pale hand. Her fingers danced through the air as her energy chilled the very essence of the surrounding night. She seized control of the vampires scaling the wall, freezing their climb. The creatures hung suspended, frantically trying to claw at the invisible force that held them in place.
“Your move,” she said, her voice steady despite the exertion of her powers.
Without hesitation, Casimir jumped from the edge of the battlement. He landed on top of one immobilized vampire, decapitating him with a powerful arc. Blood sprayed like a geyser before the body burst into a cloud of ash that drifted away with the wind.
A barrage of arrows and fireballs raining down from above swiftly defeated the remaining vampires, trapped and unable to move.
“Thank you.” Casimir nodded up to Rowan before scaling the wall to rejoin her.
Ruby stood atop the parapet, a beacon of fiery light amid the growing darkness. She hurled each fireball with expert aim. Marcus stood by her side, a protective shadow. Ruby’s incantations intensified, and the surrounding air shimmered with heat as she launched another flaming orb into the sky.
“Impressive,” Marcus said.
The fireball struck a concealed barrel of spirits, setting off another explosion. More alcohol ignited, sending a searing inferno roaring around the castle’s perimeter. The vampires caught in its path let out blood-curdling shrieks as their skin melted, their flesh seared, and their bodies crumbled away.
“Let them burn.” Ruby pumped a fist in the air. The other witches joined in, their cheers rising above the crackling flames as more vampires met their fiery end.
Marcus clapped. “Good show. Skillfully done.”
“Don’t let us distract you, Your Lordship. Focus on the fight,” Ruby teased. But a proud smirk tugged at her lips as she took in the destruction they had caused .
Rowan watched Marcus race across the walls, scanning for any threat that might breach their defenses. The fire witches, with Ruby at their helm, continued to unleash a torrent of flaming orbs into the vampire swarm.
On the other side of the courtyard, the earth witches chanted in unison, their voices melding into a harmony that resonated with the power of nature. As their chants reached a powerful climax, thick vines burst from the ground, snaking around the legs of approaching vampires. The creatures stumbled, ensnared by the living restraints, allowing Marcus and Casimir to pick them off one by one with arrows from above.
Flanking Casimir’s side, Rowan extended her hands toward the ancient vampires circling the castle walls. She envisioned her magic finding weaknesses and seeping through their mental barriers.
The response was instantaneous. The older vampires slowed. Their movements became sluggish, their faces twisted with bewilderment as her power crept into their consciousness.
“Yield to me.”
Rowan’s voice strained with effort. Beads of sweat formed on her brow as she pushed against the formidable mental barriers of the strongest among the Reaper’s ranks. For a moment, they froze, hesitating in their statuesque state—but then they shook off her control, their numbers and powerful wills preventing complete domination.
“Damn it!” she cursed. She could sense a counterforce resisting her powers. It felt both familiar and foreign, a chilling presence that she instinctively identified.
Her mother’s necromancy.
Rowan knew Lilith didn’t want to help her abuser, especially against her own daughter. Yet something was forcing her to obey him.
Just as Rowan was about to try to use her magic again, a piercing scream rent the air. Her head whipped around, eyes flaring in horror.
Ruby was on her knees, hands clasped over her mouth to stifle the sobs threatening to choke her. The source of her despair lay out of sight. Across the courtyard, a horde of vampires were overpowering the earth witches, ruthlessly rending flesh from bone, the witches’ magic failing against the sheer number.
Eris, the respected elder witch whose wisdom had guided many of their tactical victories, was viciously struck down, collapsing in a heap. Cora frantically attempted to intervene, but the life faded from Eris’s eyes, and a swift strike from one of the monsters sliced a gaping wound across Cora’s abdomen .
Her bloodied mouth hung open in shocked disbelief, her magic now useless against the brutal onslaught. In a sickening frenzy, the bloodthirsty beasts tore into Cora’s body, ripping out her intestines and feasting on them like wild animals.
“No!” The horrific sight overwhelmed Rowan, and her magic failed.
As Cora’s lifeblood seeped into the ground, the earth witches’ ranks thinned, their numbers dwindling under the relentless assault as vampire after vampire scaled the walls. Casimir and Marcus immediately jumped into action and dispatched as many vampires as they could with their arrows. But their efforts were in vain. The damage had already been done, leaving behind a scene of destruction and devastation.
Rowan crumpled to the ground, unable to bear the toll of Cora’s death, or the sound of Ruby’s desperate sobs.
Amid the chaos, Casimir was an unwavering pillar of strength. Drawing his sword, he shielded Rowan as the horde closed in. His blade cut through the vampires in a dance of silver. He glided with a predator’s grace, his centuries of combat experience evident in every move.
“Stand with me,” Casimir called out to her. “Don’t give up.”
Rowan’s chest had grown heavy and tight, making every breath labored. Her mind was clouded with despair, scarcely registering Casimir’s words. The world was a swirl of violence and carnage, but all she could see was Cora’s lifeless body, an unrecognizable mass of torn limbs and mangled flesh.
The castle walls, which had once seemed impenetrable, now teemed with an army of the undead. The beautiful grounds had transformed into a brutal battleground, bathed in moonlight and bloodshed. Casimir fought with courage and skill that would have inspired any soldier, but he could only delay the inevitable.
Rowan’s powers began to stir within her, reacting to her raw emotions. The ground beneath them trembled. But try as she might, she couldn’t focus. Her overwhelming sorrow rendered her impotent.
A group of vampires broke away from the main assault and headed for Casimir. He took down one with the quick thrust of his sword, then decapitated another with a precise slice, but they kept advancing. His movements grew more desperate as he split his attention between defending himself and protecting Rowan.
“Snap out of it, my love.” Casimir thrust a vampire off his blade before springing toward another attacker .
The Reaper sat on his toppled throne, cackling with glee as he watched the scene. His hand ruthlessly stroked Lilith’s bowed head, appearing to derive a perverse pleasure from her suffering. The sounds of battle, and his chilling laughter, echoed through the castle grounds.