Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
A short vampire with a crooked nose flicks his gaze from me to Mikael and says, “We’re here to fulfill King Ignatus’s last words, and you’re in the way.”
What the fuck is going on? There shouldn’t be vampires in Eidrfall. They would’ve had to cross the Wastelands and evade our kingdom’s soldiers.
I haven’t moved from my spot in the river, watching the encounter unfold. I’m vulnerable and exposed with no protection and no weapon.
Wait—last words.
Mikael’s words come out in a feral growl. “If you were smart, you’d back away before I remove your heads from your bodies.”
“Come now, Mikael. Your chances are very slim,” the man replies.
“Bryn,” Mikael says through gritted teeth, “they are shadow stalkers. Deadly assassins loyal only to King Ignatus.”
I hesitate, knowing I should stay and help him fight. But two of the vampires now stand between me and my horse—and my blade.
Stupid. I never unstrap it from my thigh, water or not. What was I thinking? I got too comfortable in Mikael’s presence, knowing he’s just as skilled as I am. But even I know that four against two isn’t good odds.
“Run,” Mikael demands.
“Don’t die.” I hiss. I don’t want to deal with the curse alone. I’d have to explain why I’m cursed and why there are vampire assassins in Eidrfall to more people and they might execute me this time.
I don’t actually want to die.
“Now!” he yells, launching at the two vampires in front of him. Steel clashing against steel echoes through the night. Mikael’s transformed into the vicious warrior I know he can be.
I spring up and bolt in the other direction. My toe catches on a rock, and searing pain erupts.
What has my life become? I’m running naked through the grass. I need a strong drink, yesterday. Chancing a glance back, I let out a string of curses. One of the vampires is only a few feet from me. I have no idea what to do other than pivot toward a rocky area. Rocks can be weapons.
“I can smell your delicious blood.” The vampire’s voice is so close. Too close.
Pain ignites, sending sharp flares of agony from my skull to my neck as I’m yanked backwards by my hair and thrown down. My back slams into the hard ground, skin shredding on the jagged rocks as I scramble away, putting what little distance I can between myself and the vampire.
“No wonder the king desired you. You’re divine.” Her lithe voice taunts as she walks closer, looming over me. She’s lean and muscular. A dagger is strapped to her thigh and her bow is slung around her shoulders.
I twist, ready to propel myself up, and hook a leg around her knee to take her down.
But she’s too fast, overtaking me and pinning me to the ground under her weight.
I pull in a breath through my teeth as more pain flares.
I try to shove her off, thrashing around, scraping my skin on the dirt over and over as I do.
It’s no use—she’s unnaturally strong. Is it this easy to forget how to react after years of not being in a proper fight?
You’re a warrior. Get up and fight. Use your magic. This is not the time to feel guilty. It’s the only weapon you have. Use it or die.
“It’s always sweeter when my victims struggle.” Her teeth stab into the soft skin of my shoulder.
My scream fills the silent night from the force of her bite. Slowly, every muscle relaxes as her venom courses through my veins. I try to fight the effect, the unwavering pull to become docile, to give in to her control.
But my consciousness ebbs, receding like the tide from the shore, and my heartbeat slows to a near stop. Time is running out.
Recognizing the threat, my magic responds, pushing against the restraints I’ve put on it. I open myself to it, and it surges forth. I didn’t realize how much I missed the way magic used to flow through my veins. It fights against her venom, keeping it from fully taking over.
Tendrils of magic leave me, pushing into the ground. The sharp edge of a rock presses against my hand. With great effort, I dig my fingers into the soil, wrapping around the rock, and pull it out.
A pinprick of vision is all I have left when I swing, not giving myself a second to think. Even though every inch my arm rises feels like it takes a lifetime, I push through and smash the rock against her head.
White stars explode behind my eyes when her mouth violently rips from my shoulder, and she falls to the side.
“You bitch.” She spits blood, putting a hand to her bleeding skull.
Blood loss and the lingering effect of her venom have weakened me, but I snatch her dagger and scramble back, putting distance between us.
She rises, wobbling back and forth on her feet. Missing a step, she drops, catching herself and rising again. Her hand goes to her side, patting where her blade should be. She glances down, confusion flickering across her face before returning her attention to me.
“Looking for this?” I wave the blade in front of her.
Faster than should be possible, she draws her bow and nocks an arrow. I flick my wrist, releasing the blade.
The arrow whizzes by, slicing my cheek as I throw myself to the side. I snap my head up, ready to counter another attack, but my aim was true.
She sputters, the blade now lodged in her throat, blood coming up through her mouth as she drops to her knees. It won’t kill her, but it will give me the time to do it myself. Her eyes are wide, wild with fear as I approach in all my naked filth.
“You’re not the only deadly creatures in our world. Assassin or not.” I grip her chin and snap her neck.
I don’t have long before her body heals, and she’s at full strength again. Even the smallest twig will work, something that I can use to stake her in the heart.
There is nothing around us but grass and rocks.
Her weapons are all made from metal, including the bow and arrows.
A gruesome thought crosses my mind. I want to dismiss it, but at this point, I’m collecting scrapes and bruises trying to find something wooden, adding to the dirt and mud already caked onto my skin.
Why not add her blood to the mix? So much for getting clean.
Plus, I have no choice. If I don’t do this, I’ll be the one dead. I grip the metal handle of the blade in her throat and waste no time hacking through the muscles and bones in her neck.
My stomach churns and bile rises into my throat. I can barely look at what I’m doing. I’m a warrior but I don’t brutalize others. At least she can’t feel it.
When the tension releases and the motion feels different, I finally look down. I’m horrified to see her head separated from her body, but it had to be done.
I can no longer control the sparse contents of my stomach and retch. A few dry heaves later, I get up and walk away with the blade still in hand. I might need it again.
At least when I find the others, even if Mikael is dead, the vampires that are left might find the sight of me terrifying enough to think twice.
After the first trial and part of the coverup over my bond tattoo eroded, I could faintly feel the connection to Mikael again. I use that now, sensing he’s still alive, and head in the direction of its pull. It doesn’t take me long to make it back to where we made camp.
It’s eerily quiet as I approach, and my stomach bottoms out. I quicken my pace, not seeing anyone standing. I hardly notice when water splashes against my bare skin as I run through the stream to the other side. Blood coats the ground in too many places to count.
I spin around, looking for Mikael. He was wearing black, just like the other men. A few feet from me, one of the vampires lies splayed out, his heart dislodged beside him.
The horses are huddled together off to the side. I run over to them and dig my tunic and pants out of the saddlebag, throwing them on before following the blood trails. The other two vampires are lying face down on the ground—but so is Mikael, and from this distance I can’t tell if he’s breathing.
What I can see is the long gash on the inside of his forearm, a cut on the back of his leg, and the dark, wet sheen coating his tunic. Crimson liquid pooling under his body reflects in the moonlight.
No. No. No.
I bolt to his side and drop to my knees on the blood-soaked ground.
Gently, I turn him over and release a deep, shuddering breath.
His chest rises and falls in slow, uneven breaths.
He’s almost as bloody as I am. His slashed shirt reveals a large gash from his right shoulder to just below his left ribs. Why isn’t he healing?
“Mikael,” I whisper, unsure why my words leave so softly. Perhaps it’s the fear that my eyes could be tricking me, and that he’s not truly breathing. When he doesn’t respond, I gently brush the hair back from his forehead and start humming.
It comforts me, as I sit here holding the man I used to love so deeply and wait for him to wake. His name is on the tip of my tongue, ready to be called out again, when he stirs.
“Bryn…” He smiles before his eyes flutter open, then go wide at the sight of me. “What happened?”
“I beheaded the vampire who attacked me. I’m unharmed.” I lift the corner of my mouth, relieved that he’s back.
“That’s my girl.” His pained smile doesn’t reach as far as it normally would. His gaze darts to my shoulder, and a low rumble emanates from his throat. “She bit you?”
“That’s not important. Why aren’t you healing?”
“There’s a splinter next to my heart, laced with wolfsbane.
” He wheezes. “It’s why the assassins are so lethal.
Specialized weapons the king commissioned.
If the splinter doesn’t hit the mark, the wolfsbane will finish the job unless it’s removed.
Your blood can heal the surface wounds faster than they would on their own and slow down the poison.
” He winces as he shifts, sitting up, looking down at his chest. “But you need to remove the splinter. I’m already sliced open, perfect opportunity. ”
“I… I’m not a healer… I can’t do that.” I hesitate. “I’d probably kill you instead, and you’re seeing this curse-breaking through to the end with me. Especially after what just happened.”
“I can’t see it through if I die now, either.” He winks at me.
I pull in my lips and try to hide my smile. I don’t understand how he can have the audacity to make light of everything. It’s infuriating, but one of the things I had always loved.
Shaking the thought out of my mind, I shove my wrist close to his mouth. “Just drink and I… I don’t know… don’t move too much? We’ll go to Runaria, it’s the closest city. I know a healer there.”
His brows knit as he holds my gaze, uncertain. “Are you sure? Vampires aren’t welcome in fae cities.”
“Yes. If I show up, they do what I ask. Perks of being liked and taking care of people.” I nod at my wrist. “Now bite me.”
“So demanding.” It’s not a gentle bite, and I suck in a breath when his teeth pierce my skin.
But his bite is nothing like the female vampire’s.
I don’t know how they do it. They can control whether it’s pain or pleasure when they bite.
His bite is euphoric, almost as if everything that just happened could be wiped from my memory.
I wouldn’t want that, but I let the way his presence feels inside me flow through my veins and settle into my bones. As he drinks from me, the blood steadily flowing from his wounds halts. The separated flesh along his forearm and chest slowly begin stitching themselves together.
When he removes his lips from my wrist, he wipes his mouth with his thumb and kisses the sensitive red skin where he marked me.
“Can you ride? Or will that jostle you too much?” I ask.
“We’ll have to go slow.”
“I’ll go get the horses.”
I leave the bodies where they are after I’ve torn out their hearts. There is no point in moving and burning them—the unwanted attention from smoke isn’t desirable. I don’t need an inquiry into why there were four assassins in the grasslands of Eidrfall.
Leaving them is also a risk; they could be discovered, but I’m hopeful the Varnox and other animals will smell the blood and venture further than they normally would for easy food.
Tentatively, I pull at my magic again, using it to erase our presence here, and any tracks our horses made. I keep it wrapped around us until we reach a well-worn path.