Distract my hunger (19 page)

I could see fear and bravery at the same time in Jonathan’s eyes. They looked so perfect that night, its green and gold flecks blazed like embers. He looked ready like a hungry panther. Suddenly, with his gaze still locked with mine he held his hand to me. I held it and felt a strong wave of energy flowing between us. He could have been kissing me for all I knew, I felt the exact same way . . . yet he only held my hand.

“I love you, just remember that.” He said to my mind and softly let go of my hand.

My eyes filled with tears. Emotions burst inside me, I could not turn back now yet I was scared. I wanted to avenge my parents, wherever they where and know more about them . . . and I wanted to be with Jonathan. I wanted to tell him how much he meant to me and how my life meant nothing now without him, but there was no time.

“Come out; come out, wherever you are!” A voice playfully whispered from the clearing and made a chill run down my spine. It was a male voice, and it made me feel like a mouse falling in a cat’s trap.

I moved forward and looked between the crooked, frozen branches and saw them. A single line of five vampires was standing there.

They seemed to be waiting to play a game of some sort. They simply stood there and smiled.

In the middle of the line stood a tall vampire, he had a severely deformed face. A long, finger-thick scar crooked from his temple, over his right eye and all the way to his upper lip. It made his mouth slightly drop on that side of his face and his eye opened only half way. His other half of the face was intact, and could have even one day have been handsome. The difference was so great between the two halves that they seemed to belong to two different beings. It was a quite ghastly sight, believe me! He looked menacing and deadly . . . and somehow he reminded me of Batman’s “Two Faced Harvey”.

I assumed that the central vampire was the vicious Liam. To Liam’s right stood the only woman of the group. She looked fragile and even somewhat petite, but I remembered what I read in my mother’s journal and I knew better. I recalled she had been described as very lethal and dangerous . . . I made a mental note not to let her out of sight.

To his left, was the other dreaded council member: Aidan. From what I had understood so far Aidan was sort of their leader, yet he seemed to be slightly less bloodthirsty than the other two. I wouldn’t count on making him change sides though . . .

The three central vampires where therefore the most dangerous I dared to guess; but who were the other two at their sides?

They were both male vampires and looked deadly. The one further to the right, beside the vampiress I guessed to be Gwen, was the tallest. He was taller than any of the others and was massively muscled. His dark skin seemed to melt in the darkness of the night, only glistening under occasional beams of light. The whites of his eyes seemed to glow under the night sky burning with fury. A copper scimitar, much like mine, hung from one of his hands while the other though bare was tense and ready for action.

The other guy though not as massive looked just as deadly. He was quite slim but I guessed his deadliness did not lie in his brute force. He looked extremely agile, and I imagined that his speed and agility were the pillars of his strength. Two Japanese swords were his weapons. Their blades glistened and waited to find new sheaths.

Though we knew we outnumbered them, we also knew it was quite likely that we would die there. Those vampires were experts and we were no match for them.

Lucrecia had tensed like a cat. She was ready for action and looked even more dangerous than she ever looked before. I could not restrain myself and swallowed hard at her sight. Her molten-silver eyes glowed with rage, and I couldn’t be happier to have her at our side! She would be one of our strong points.

“Oh come on little rats!” Liam shouted losing his temper, “I know you are here, I can smell your fear. Come on, try our fangs and let us taste your flesh . . . and don’t be mistaken, we will sink our fangs in your flesh. You have no chance.”

My breath streamed out of my nostrils in very visible white puffs. He was trying to scare us, and we had to do our best not to succumb to our fear.

I could hear them sniffing the air like hounds. It was most disturbing; a most macabre sight: it made me feel like a rabbit just about to be hunted. I almost froze at the sound. They sniffed the air and tasted its scent. There was no way back now, even if we wanted to run they would follow our tracks. The only way out was to fight.

CHAPTER 15

The Final Battle

S
everal minutes passed by without anybody making the first move. They kept on savouring the air and we seemed to freeze in our places. I could feel the cold Scottish air trying to dig into my body but my new vampire metabolism fought it endlessly. It was only us against them and the odds where not good . . . we had expected other members of The Order of the Black Iris to meet us there but we where alone.

Strategy and faith in a centuries-old prophecy were our only hopes for survival, and looking at it thus . . . believe me, it was not a promising scenario!

“I always knew you to be a coward, Morgause.” Liam hissed like a snake. “You came all the way out here and you just stay there, like you stayed put when we chased Juniper. You only know how to duck and run!”

Liam was trying to play with our emotions to their benefit, and he was now targeting our strongest fighter.

The old guy emitted a deep rumble down his throat. I turned to face him and realized he was trembling, not with fear or cold but with rage. His fury had built up for who knows how long and suddenly seemed too much for his body to contain.

Without a single notice for the rest to follow him he leaped forward like a predatory lynx and his target was right in the middle of the clearing. His fangs pressed tightly against his lips and his hands like claws held his sword ready for combat.

Liam had accomplished what he wanted, and if we simply froze there the old guy would be ancient history. And
that
was something I could not let happen!

A mere fraction of second later I leaped forward holding my scimitar high like a crusader would have held his sword. I felt no fear, only adrenalin pushing me forward and burning my muscles. Jonathan followed me as soon as I moved and I saw other bodies following us in unison. It was time for the truth . . .

The council members simply stood there with a mean smirk pasted across their faces. They seemed to feel absolutely no menace from our attack for they stayed still as statues.

I didn’t get a metre’s distance from the deadly Gwen when I felt a blow to the side of my head. I had no idea of where it came from, but it knocked me down. When I finally managed to open my eyes again I saw Gwen smiling at me and I suddenly knew . . . she had not moved a finger.

Lucrecia got to where I lay as fast as lightning and stood in front of me like a vampire shield. Jonathan was a bit slower but got there a few seconds later and threw an arrow at her. This made her move and I suddenly felt lighter and managed to stand up. Gwen was a very dangerous vampire indeed! She knocked me off my feet without even moving a muscle. Things would be tough for us . . .

The old guy had engaged in a personal fight with Liam. They where not budging an inch and they seemed to have equal chances. I hoped the old guy would win his battle with all my heart but I could not waste any more time paying attention to them. Lucrecia, Jonathan and I had more than enough with Gwen to ourselves.

Time seemed to stall. I felt flashes of copper-lightning everywhere and saw small droplets of blood slowly tinting the white snow. Mud started to appear around us as our rapid vampire movements heated and melted small patches of snow. The clearing in front of the blue cottage was slowly becoming a battlefield.

Corbin fought with Aidan, but whenever he managed to have the slightest advantage in their fight Aidan fled the spot with uncanny speed. Corbin always chased him but couldn’t even scratch him. Aidan on the contrary seemed to be playing cat and mouse. Slowly he was leaving Corbin with small flesh-wounds that slowed him down every time a bit more.

We had no chance. Not with these numbers, and not against them . . .

James was fighting the two unknown vampires at the same time. He somehow managed to skip and escape from each and every one of their strong blows! And even left a bloody mark or two on his massive opponents . . . The huge guy was the one that seemed to be most wounded with a small dripping wound at the side of his temple, but he continued as if nothing had happened. He looked like the bad guy from the “Halloween” movies! James wounded him and it was useless.

The lean vampire with the Japanese swords was faster as I had expected. Only a small gash on his upper arm showed that he was not invincible, for his fighting skills could easily make one think otherwise. He twisted, turned and jumped evading every blow that came his way; and attacked James in the most unthinkable ways.

Sometimes he rolled on the floor and extended his swords trying to cut James at the height of his calves or his feet. Luckily James managed to jump and escape from each attack . . . the problem was that slowly he was getting tired and his movements were getting slower. It was only a matter of time before he made a mistake and got hurt.

The twins engaged in no direct combat but helped Corbin from afar. They broadcasted each move that Aidan would do and helped him have a chance against his uncanny speed.

Ginny also fought from afar, which was really good since she was probably not a good fighter and no match for the other’s speed or strength. She was very much the most human of all of us, and as long as we were engaging direct combat they would not go after her.

She had climbed up one of the trees and from there she shot copper-pointed arrows and darts at all of our enemies. Even though she didn’t manage to hurt any of them, it was good for it distracted them and gave us a chance. Ginny forced them to evade her shots and that made them more prone to mistakes.

Both of the old guy’s friends seemed to be missing . . . Terrance and the dark-haired woman seemed to have gone. I guessed they saw the opportunity to flee and save themselves and simply took it. I could not blame them but the mere idea of it made bitter bile go up my throat.

I knew we were doomed. I looked around and noticed it was us who were most tired and not them. I was panting and it took all my effort to concentrate and not make a mistake. Allowing myself a simple distraction, even for a fraction of a second, would mean my death in Gwen’s evil claws.

Time passed and the field turned from the purest white to red and brown. Our strength was at its dusk and we saw no hope on the horizon.

I believe we had all accepted our fate when I suddenly saw Liam’s cruel smirk twist. It was a very subtle thing that was probably not visible for the rest but I held on to it. It raised my hopes and helped me regain my strength. For a second he was not so sure! Something had made him doubt their odds, I was sure!

With regained strength I tried to hit the elusive Gwen and managed to mildly scrape her perfect cheek. This made her venomous temper boil and she attacked us with greater strength. By then, Jonathan was helping James from a halfway distance between where we females fought and where his father was. That’s the advantage of arrows: you can attack from a distance.

Lucrecia and I fought side by side like lionesses. “We may die here today, but we will do it with honour!” I thought and felt Lucrecia’s approving thoughts beside me, when I realized why Liam seemed unsure moments before. We where not alone anymore! They had come back.

I suddenly smelled Terrance and the dark-haired woman, and behind them many other vampires I had never encountered before. They had not abandoned us to our fates! They had found other members of The Order!

Odds had shifted to our side and things became messier.

There were flashes of bodies and arrows everywhere around me. It all became so confusing, but I fought, I never stopped fighting. And the council members started fighting for real.

Things became vicious and the body-count on our side started to change. Corpses started cluttering the clearing, but it didn’t make anybody diminish the attacks.

I didn’t know where the rest of my clan members where! I had lost them in the tumult and could only pray for their safety now.

Suddenly something hit my foot and I realized it was Aidan, or what was left of him. His lifeless-body lay still on the blood smeared frozen mud. Corbin had probably managed to bring him down with the extra help. I was so glad! His mighty claymore had destroyed one of our fiends.

I kept on following Gwen but she remained elusive as ever! Nothing seemed to slow her down and she somehow managed to push easily people around her with her mind. I knew I was no match for her, but I had to be persistent, I couldn’t let them down.

The numbers on our side had diminished rapidly, and I still had no idea of what had happened so far to the other members of my clan. The only one I had seen was Lucrecia, but I knew nothing of how she was, I saw a while before a flash of her long blonde hair but nothing else. I hoped Jonathan was OK! I hoped they were all safe.

Time passed and the feverish hide and seek we played with Gwen went on and on. I had her marked as my target and would not let her go.

My blood pulsed hard at my temples and my left leg was sore with a wound Gwen managed to give me. I felt copper’s poisonous effect deep in my muscles and knew it would not be long before I fell. I had to get her before that.

Deep huffs and puffs escaped my tired lungs. My breath felt boiling hot now and not cold anymore. Lactic acid was settling finally in all my tired muscles and it was solely pure determination that kept me going. Don’t ask me how, but suddenly she appeared in front of me between two branches.

I could see her so clear, it was the first time I felt this way and knew it was my opportunity. The world seemed to have frozen still. It was as if time had stopped for a moment and I could see clearly. I moved my arm and felt my muscles burning with strain. I didn’t care about the pain or the poison in my body and moved my scimitar elegantly in a deadly blow towards her neck.

I felt her flesh with my blade. I managed to cut her. A long wound opened from beneath her left earlobe all the way down to the centre of her chest.

Her eyes grew wide with astonishment. She could not believe that for a second I was faster than she was. Her perfect rosy lips parted in a perfect “O” and I could feel the air escaping quickly from her mouth.

The blow was most probably fatal, yet I was not going to leave things to chance. I lifted my scimitar with my tired arm once again to this time finally cut her head off when I heard a heart-freezing wail. It was Jonathan.

*     *     *

I forgot all about the vicious Gwen and turned with all my speed. I ran blindly towards the centre of the clearing where I thought the cry had come from. My heart pounded in my chest and I could hear nothing. My muscles strained trying to get there but it always seemed not enough. Somebody from our side tried to hold me as I went past him, I believe it was Terrance or maybe Corbin but I didn’t care. I pushed him out of my way and kept on running.

Faces rushed past me in slow-motion and I only wanted to get there to my love’s side. It seemed to take forever, and then I saw an image I’d seen before. It was the same scene I saw in a dream some days back at the house.

I saw Jonathan standing there. He was bloodied and impossibly handsome. His perfect hair was clotted with blood and stuck to his temples. The perfect lips that kissed me so tenderly were taut over his white, long canines. He was panting, exhausted. He looked like an ancient warrior with his knife at his side and his other hand trying to clutch mine.

I saw desperate longing in his eyes, he was asking something out of me but I could do nothing more but stretch my hand towards him. I did not understand. I heard nothing, the world lay silent waiting for the final blow. He looked so beautiful and sad, I could have just run into his arms but I couldn’t move . . . I could only stretch my hand.

Then I saw it. The fine tip of a Japanese sword was coming out of his abdomen and the sleek guy who had been fighting James before was on his knees behind him. He was trying to stand up but slid with the blood-soaked mud. He was going to kill Jonathan before I even got there. James was on his back, very still on the floor beside him. I didn’t even know if he still breathed.

Despair took hold of me! I would not give up now, and I would not live on if Jonathan died. Not like this. Not today. I was furious, everything I had gotten to love was being taken away and I felt helpless. My world was crumbling down and I could do nothing to prevent it.

I was too far away, too slow, too silly or immature. I didn’t know, but I was helpless.

Something bubbled in my guts and I simply wanted all of it to disappear. I wanted the guy behind my boyfriend to vanish into thin air and the mean council members to just cease to exist. I was so mad, I don’t know how to explain it now but suddenly something exploded from my insides.

A massive blast of energy expanded everywhere in a huge radius all around me. It was as if a huge bomb had gone off and I was the centre of the expansion wave. I saw everyone around me falling and flying backwards, only I seemed to still be able to move.

I could see nothing but pure white for a moment but I kept on walking towards where I had last seen Jonathan. I walked endlessly and slowly I regained my sight.

He lay motionless on the floor not even two feet away from James. Jonathan’s eyes where closed and his long black lashes kissed his cheeks like I had done so many times before. He looked so peaceful, just like a sleeping angel. I could have convinced myself he was sleeping if it was not for the blade still stuck into him. It made his posture look uncomfortable and it bothered me.