33. Chapter 33
33
H e was able to speak with an elder who told him exactly what’s going on. Ye and I share what is the result of a centuries-old pact between vampires and mages. Thousands of years ago, mages and vampires made a pact to keep the races safe against a rogue group of shifters and demons. They felt the only way to defend themselves was to bond their powers together and create a sort of hybrid. They chose specific bloodlines to receive the powers and bound it with a spell that cannae ever be broken. A hybrid pair was stronger than any enemy and was able to fight against the shifters and demons with much greater success. After the war ended, though, one couple branched off and tried to take power over all Arcane. Hundreds died fighting them, but eventually the couple was beheaded, and their families were exiled. After that, the Council was formed, and they ordered the pact between vampires and mages to be erased from history out of fear. Races were ordered to segregate from one another in everything but business, and interracial relationships were strictly forbidden.
It took a moment for all of that to sink in.
I don’t understand. It doesn’t seem possible that something like this could have been hidden for so long.
Aye, but how the pact was formed makes it hard to stumble on by accident. Ye see, the hybrids were formed through a blood bond. Each had to take the other’s blood in order for the bond to seal. Because of the Council’s rules against interracial relationships and the nature of the bond, it was very improbable that a mage and a vampire of the right bloodlines would find each other and become hybrids.
Holy shit. So what does this mean?
The elder said each hybrid pair was different. Each of them would take on some strengths from the other, but they also developed weaknesses. There is a good chance ye have a bad reaction to silver and shifter bites now.
Oh, great. But with my affinity to earth, I can maybe control that, right?
I dinnae ken. Ye may lose yer affinity to earth.
Well, shit. So what about you, will you gain anything?
I think our telepathy is a hell of a start, but aye, I’ll probably gain something. It’s harder for me to adapt to these powers after hundreds of years of just vampire abilities. It wouldnae surprise me if I gain some sort of mage abilities, but only time will tell.
What about the blood exchange, do we keep that up?
Aye, we do.
Her body let him know exactly how happy she was to hear that.
She tried to rein in her desire and get back to the insane topic at hand.
It doesn’t make sense that an elder would just give this information up after centuries of silence, Kade. What did you have to trade for it?
The great thing about elders is, they remember who treats them well. Connor and I have developed a working relationship with this one over the years. She is ready for a change, and I think she’s a little bored with the world lately. Helping us means she might get the chance to watch a war unfold. Elders live for huge shifts like that. They’ve seen so much that regular life just doesnae do it for them anymore.
That’s fucked up.
Kade laughed. Aye, it is. The good news is, she would be on our side if a war did play out.
You’re saying there could really be a war because of me?
Power and money. The two things all men want more of.
So much pressure.
If it makes ye feel any better, the war will be over for the two of us if anyone finds out about us.
Not really, but thanks.
He raised his hands in defeat. I tried.
She managed a small smile.
Yer ice cream is melting.
She looked over to see the container barely standing upright on the bed, a drop of cream working its way over the edge.
“Oh shit!” She snatched it up just before the cream spilled over.
Using her spoon, she stirred it until it took on the consistency of soft serve. She brought a spoonful to her mouth and carefully closed her lips over it, just so, exaggerating the movement for Kade. Then, she drew the spoon from her mouth slowly and let her lips pucker after it left them.
Desire hit her through their link.
You never told me why you’re so jealous about Dom.
He ran his hand through his hair in his signature move of frustration. Vampires dinnae take kindly to others expressing interest in their, um, mates, especially when their mate is the one who initiates it.
Kade seemed to be dropping all the bombs tonight. Mates?
Aye…
A shout came from downstairs, cutting off his thought.
“Fucking hell! We’ve got a situation!”
Kelly thought for sure Kade would disappear, but he stood calmly and offered her his hand.
Let’s go see what’s going on. It doesnae sound good.
Fabian appeared in the doorway. “We need to get downstairs, now. There’s an army of the dead headed this way.”
“A fucking what?”
“We have a necromancer on our hands, and they apparently are not concerned with the fact that humans will see the show. I didn’t feel them coming because the necromancer is too far off, and I cannot feel the dead.”
Kelly’s ice cream fell to the floor as she jumped up, and the half-melted decadence went everywhere. She cursed inwardly; it would be hell to clean up later. “I don’t remember signing up for this. I need to get my karambits.”
Fabian held out his hand. “I brought them with me. We need to move now.”
She took the blades and belt from him as she left the room. They all hurried downstairs to find the entire group waiting for them, guards included.
Fabian addressed them all from a few steps up. “We have prepared for a situation similar to this, and the mission remains the same. Protect the timekeeper. She cannot leave the premises due to the threat of attack, so we must hold them back at all costs.
“For those of you who have not fought the dead before, they are nearly impossible to eliminate. Fire works, but it is too risky in this situation. Dismantling the body will not stop them—anything left intact will continue to function including heads, arms, and legs. They are relentless, they feel no pain, and they are fast. Kelly, time will not control them because souls are not bound by it, so don’t bother with that. Questions?”
Heads shook all around the room.
Kelly guessed there were at least forty people packed into the house.
A woman toward the back raised her hand. “I’m a fire mage. I can control it well enough that it won’t make a scene. If you all can get them to me, I can burn them from the inside out. If there’s a water mage around, they can put any lingering fires out after I’m done.”
A man close to the front spoke up then. “I’m a water warlock. I can help.”
“All right, everyone disable them as much as you can and bring them to…what was your name?”
“Zaara.”
Fabian nodded. “Bring them to Zaara.” He pointed to the water warlock. “You go with her and put out any fires. The two of you should stay in the center of everyone, so you can stay protected.”
The two nodded.
“To your posts, then. Rules of engagement have already been broken. You are free to use your powers.”
Fabian turned to them while everyone dispersed. The hired guards went outside while their group stayed inside near doors and windows. “We will remain here for now.”
“Seriously? We’re just going to stand here and chill while everyone else fights for their lives out there?”
“Yes. My job is to protect you. Kade refuses to leave your side, and you must not put yourself in harm’s way.”
“You know, it would have been nice if you included me in some of this planning. I’m not some delicate flower that needs sunshine blown up her ass. I refuse to be the woman who everyone fought for while she sat on the sidelines. If they’re fighting for me, I’m fighting with them.”
“Warrior, I cannot fully protect you out there. This is not a beginner’s battle, and you cannot leave the premises because the ward provides protection here. At least the dead will be the only thing we fight within it. Nothing else can get through.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I’ve had some run-ins to get my feet wet, then. I’m fighting, Fabian. Don’t try to stop me.”
Kade thought through a string of curses, some of which she didn’t understand because they were in Gaelic.
You just told me that people like us were feared by the strongest Arcane. We can do this together, Kade. We can win this fight.
He sighed and gave in.
Kelly thought out loud to the group. “There has to be a better way of beating these things than just cutting limbs or heads off and lighting them on fire.”
Fabian shook his head. “That is why necromancers are so feared. Nothing compares to the power of the dead.”
Kelly racked her brain for something, anything that could help. “Can earth mages blast them with rocks or stones and disintegrate them?”
“A powerful one might, but it wouldnae work with so many.”
The sounds of battle came from outside. They had to figure out something, and soon.
“Why is fire too dangerous? We really should just blast them all with it. The other guy out there can help me put it out after it’s all said and done.”
“They will not stop after they catch fire. It is likely they would ignite the entire neighborhood.”
“Oh. What about ice? Can we somehow make ice and freeze them in place?”
“Nae, they are too strong, they’ll break out of it in seconds.”
“Well, fucksticks. Let’s just go fight then. We’ll figure it out as we go.”
Ginna clapped her on the back. “That’s my girl! Let’s go annihilate the dead.”
Kelly walked to the front door, pulling out her karambits and securing her grip on them.
Everyone fell into step behind her. She was proud to fight with all of them, and she said so.
“Let’s do this!”
Stepping through that door, Kelly felt more powerful than she ever had in her life. It wasn’t because of her powers, though. It was because of the people standing at her back. All the doubts of the week washed away as they crossed the threshold into a complete and utter shit show.
The front door and porch seemed to be the only safe space on the property. Zaara and the warlock were on the porch. The warlock held a headless corpse as it thrashed and flailed about, while Zaara held her hands to its chest and burned it from the inside. A faint glow started in its chest, then spread throughout its body. The warlock let go just before he was burned and the dead fell to the ground, still moving, although much more slowly. Then, it suddenly turned to ash and cinder, and the warlock put the embers out with water.
Kade laid a hand on her shoulder. Ye need to focus, lass. Dinnae let yer mind wander to it all. Ye can process everything later.
Right, focus, just like they always told her. Kelly nodded and looked around, trying to find the best place for her to help.
Guards formed a half circle around the front door and porch. Each was occupied with at least one of the dead, if not two.
She went to the guard who was struggling the most, a vampire who was trying, and failing, to throw off one dead as another gnawed at his neck. Kelly tried to pull the one from his neck by its hair, but all that came away was the hair, while the dead stayed latched to the guard.
“Oh god!” She shook it away like it was filled with spiders, which it may have been for all she knew. Shivers ran through her body, and her stomach threatened to release its contents, but she pushed the feeling away.
Trying for it again, Kelly grabbed at the dead’s shoulders and yanked backward, flinging it across the yard. The body tumbled and slid a few feet before standing quickly and running at her with speed somewhere between that of a human and a vampire. Tattered clothing and skin barely covered its worn and decaying body. Its mouth gaped wide, baring horribly decayed teeth.
She braced herself, karambits at the ready. Just as the thing leapt for her, she jumped and flipped midair. On her way back down, she caught it with her blades, hooking the shoulders at the joint, and relieved it of its arms.
The body stumbled toward the house for a few steps, then swung around to face her.
Kelly looked to the ground to see the arms crawling toward her, fingers moving fast just like the legs of a spider.
Kade reached out to her. Ye dismember them as much as ye can and I’ll rip the heads off. We’ll toss parts to Zaara so she can light them up.
Works for me.
Fabian whirled past her in a blur of white light and sliced the head off of a body just before it reached her. The head continued its momentum and thudded against her chest, knocking her back a few steps.
Teeth snapped as the head attempted to bite her before it fell to the ground. It rolled and came to a stop a few feet in front of her. Its eyes were wide, and it chomped again and again, apparently hoping it would find purchase on someone.
The body thudded to the ground after Fabian swung his second blade, cutting the legs off at the torso.
Kade swooped in and grabbed body parts, tossing them toward the porch.
Get moving, lass, ye dinnae have much time. More are coming.
Right, something had to give.
Throwing caution to the wind, Kelly faced off with another. It ran with its arms out, almost like it wanted a hug. She hooked her karambits up and sliced both arms off. The body kept coming, plowing into her with a force that shouldn’t have been possible from a decaying corpse. She stumbled backward and landed flat on the ground.
She reached out to Kade with her mind, but he was busy with two others.
Fabian was around, she knew it, but who knew where.
The body wriggled and writhed on top of her like a fish out of water.
Kelly pushed at its shoulders, trying desperately to get a good enough hold to toss it, but it moved so damn fast she could barely keep up.
Everything she tried just didn’t seem to work. She couldn’t get her blades under it well enough to cut at its throat, and each time she tried to roll or scoot out from under it, the thing somehow managed to stop her. How a body without arms could keep her down was beyond her.
Its teeth chattered as it tried again and again to bite her. In a last-ditch effort, Kelly called all the water she could, thinking, if nothing else, the thing would float away.
Just as she channeled her power, Fabian flung the body from her and did some slicing and dicing.
Kelly jumped up and ran to Kade, slicing the arms from one that was on him. It turned to her then, its eyes wide with hunger. She swung one blade at its neck in a right hook motion, getting through at least half of its neck, then she ducked, and it stumbled over her. Kade finished the job by ripping its head off and tossing it to the porch.
He helped her up quickly.
Are ye all right, lass?
Just peachy. This is a nightmare I’m going to relive for decades.
More are coming. I dinnae ken if we can hold them back much longer. I may have to fly ye out of here.
No, we’re staying. Hey, dead bodies float, right?
Kade saw exactly what she was thinking through their link.
Nae, lass, not when they’re this dead.
Shit.
Another one came at them, and Kade quickly dismembered it.
His thoughts came through in pieces as he ripped it apart limb by limb.
I dinnae… think there… is a safe... way to… move that many of them.
She thought for a moment, fighting off the dead as they came to her.
I really think we need to just light them on fire. Like, all of them.
They’ll run away too fast and catch the whole damn neighborhood on fire.
Not if I pull water from the lake and put them out.
There will be a lot of stragglers.
And there are a lot of us here to chase them. What other option do we have? They knew exactly how to get us to run. The only way to win is to stop being predictable by playing it safe and light these things up.
For a moment, the lawn cleared, and Kelly was able to look upon the wriggling body parts that were scattered about. Hope struck her—maybe they wouldn’t have to pull off some crazy stunt. Then she looked up and saw the next swarm coming down the street. Hundreds of dead bodies were running straight for them.
“Where the fuck did they find all of these damn bodies?” she wondered out loud.
“We will discuss that later. Yer idea is our last option before we fly you out of here.”
“I’m going back to the porch to talk to the other mages.”
Not caring if they agreed, Kelly fought her way over and through dead body parts to make it back to the porch.
The fire mage looked exhausted, and the warlock didn’t appear much better.
“I’ve got a plan.”
Hope shone on Zaara’s face. “Please tell me it involves anything but lighting these bastards up one by one.”
“Yep, I want you to light them all up at the same time.”
Zaara smiled wide, and pure joy showed on her face. “Yes! Finally, someone with some fucking balls!”
Behind them, shouts erupted as the dead collided with their guards. They didn’t have much time.
Kelly motioned to the warlock beside them. “I think he and I can pull enough water from the lake down the street to put them out. The others can chase down anything that we miss and eliminate it.”
The warlock nodded. “Let’s do it!”
Fabian appeared beside them. “What is the plan?”
Kelly gauged his mood and decided against telling him. “Don’t ask. You won’t like it and I don’t have time to explain.”
Fabian shook his head in his true fashion.
Kade tore his wrist open and held it to her. “Ye need it for strength. Take it.”
What about all these people watching??
Everyone kens vampire blood gives ye strength, just take it.
She took a few good pulls from his vein before he pulled back. Kelly sent a silent thanks his way.
“Zaara, you’re up!” Kelly gave the fire mage the go-ahead.
Zaara didn’t waste any time moving to the center of the pack. Kelly watched as the mage harnessed her power.
“Everybody back, NOW!” Zaara yelled, as she prepared to unleash hell.
The crew cleared back immediately, leaving the way for her to unleash her power.
Fire shot from Zaara’s hands in long steady streaks.
The dead lit up like Christmas trees. Those who escaped the direct blast trampled the others and kept coming, then they caught fire as those below them burned.
Kelly pulled her power to the surface and called the water from the lake. The warlock joined her, and together they brought a wall of water through the streets of the neighborhood.
The blaze spread quickly from one body to another until a wall of fiery bodies surrounded the house.
The guards fought them off as best they could, but the dead were quickly gaining ground.
Heat pressed in on them as the dead kept coming, apparently oblivious to the blaze.
Screams erupted from the vampires as the fire began to spread from the dead to the undead.
The smell of burning flesh assaulted Kelly’s nose and she gagged, unable to push the reflex away.
The water was close now. Somehow, she and the warlock had linked their power and they’d drawn the majority of the water from the lake.
The tricky part was making sure all the dead were on fire before they put the blaze out. With that much water, there was no way to direct it to a single corpse.
“We cannot wait much longer; they’ll burn us all alive,” the warlock warned.
“I know, but we have to get as many of them as we can.”
Ye have to do it now, lass.
The flaming wall of dead bodies grew higher in front of them. Blazing bodies crawled over the guards and came straight for them.
“NOW!” she yelled to the warlock.
They brought the water through the neighborhood and straight toward the house.
“INCOMING!” Kelly yelled, warning everyone to brace themselves.
Anyone watching from a second-story window would have seen a mini tsunami headed for the house.
At the last moment before the water hit, Kelly took a deep breath and hoped they’d done the right thing.