A/N: Hello! Got a few things to say, so this is a longer Author's Note than usual! Sorry!

1. SORRY I was gone for so long. I had a bit of writer's block, but also school is back and I was having the worst week in the world. So... :( Forgive me?

2. SORRY for everyone who didn't like chapter nine. I realise the events were faster than normal, but if I'd split them up then I would have given you really boring chapters. Also, I agree that Sonja forgave Lucian too quick, but I really wanted to get on with it. I'll admit that my pride was a little wounded (I don't know why, your comments were so nice!) but my best friend and my mum both told me to get over it (in the nicest way possible!) and so here is chapter ten!

"Hurry!"

Anya had been hissing prompts steadily for the past several minutes, and they could hear her getting more and more frustrated.

"You could always go ahead," Sonja called, not at all bothering to hide the obvious resentment and general hate in her voice.

Lucian cringed, waiting for a icy tongued reply, but Anya stayed quiet. He sighed in relief. The last thing they needed was a fight. As he relished in the bitter silence, he tried to slow his stride. He was, of course, anxious to get to the castle, but Sonja was obviously trying to outdo herself, and her heavy, pain-filled breathing showed it wasn't helping in the slightest. Just as he was about to say something, Anya appeared. She looked uncharacteristically distressed, running both hands through her flame-like hair.

"Surely it can't hurt that much," she said, trying to sound patient though her nervous fidgeting gave her away.

Again, Lucian flinched as he swore he could feel the blood boil under Sonja's skin.

"Give me a knife and you can find out for yourself," she spat, still trying to plough forward.

"Look, can we just calm down? Anya, go ahead if you want, we'll catch up, and Sonja, for the love of god will you slow down? You'll be in no position to walk, let alone fight if you continue like this." Lucian tried to sound casual. Anya bit down on her lip and nodded, and Sonja made a disgruntled huffing sound, but stayed quiet and slowed her pace by an little. Only a little, though. A tiny smile touched Lucian's face. So very Sonja of her.

Fortunately, there had only been a few more steps until they broke free of the forest. Across the long field of grass and stone a deafening roar carried to them, inviting them into a battle. Sonja righted herself and her eyes glinted longingly and her hand reached for her missing weapon again.

"Damn it," she muttered, "Well, just makes it all the more fun,""Ready?" Anya said, her tone suggesting that she really didn't care if they were ready or not, they were going anyway.

"Do we even have a plan?" Lucian asked.

Both Anya and Sonja turned to look at him with near identical looks of exasperation. Lucian frowned. It seemed a fairly reasonable question to him.

Anya sighed deeply and spoke quickly, "We find Nazar, cut his slimy head off, free the Lycans and let my kind take care of the rest,"

Sonja's head spun quickly and her eyes narrowed, "Take care of?"

"You honestly didn't think we'd leave them alive?" Anya said, almost mockingly.

Lucian interjected before it got any more heated, "Sonja, it has to be done,"

"That's my family in there!" she protested, her eyes immediately silvery blue.

Now that it had happened, Lucian couldn't say he was surprised. Sonja was a wild defender, and the vampires were, as she had said, her family. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of what to do before. How could he convince her that in slaying her father and kind, he was still the good guy? His mental response was unexpected, but his mouth seemed to agree with the plan.

"It's also mine," he said, almost unconsciously.

Sonja opened her mouth, but then shut it furiously, obviously vexed by his attack.

"My brothers are in there. They've been in there their entire lives. Because of your kind." he continued. He was careful not to sound cold or unpleasant, just strong. He braced for impact, expecting hisses and protests, but something in Sonja's face changed. And Lucian felt like he had just earned some more respect from her.

"I won't let you kill my family," she said, her voice controlled and careful, "But your family must be freed."

"Are you two coming?" Anya's voice called, breaking through the silent exchange that their eyes made.

Lucian was shocked to see her halfway across the field. He laughed and held out his arm for Sonja. She shook her head.

"It's okay, I'm healing already," Sonja shook her head and followed after Anya.

Lucian could have sworn he heard Sonja let out a small gasp to the sight of the gates. A large hole gaped wide across the dark wood, leaving splintered edges in the once regal design. Though there was nothing particularly special about the gates, they had stood there since both Lucian and Sonja's youth. Clearly the Atralis weren't being clean about the extermination. Anya slipped right through the hole, unconcerned, and Sonja made to follow. Immediately, Lucian flew out an arm, stopping her. He ignored her protest and took the first step through the gates. He breathed deep, smelling the air. Clean. Why hadn't the Atralis set off the gas? He looked to Anya as Sonja climbed through the gates, looking disgruntled at being stopped. Anya looked annoyed. Actually, she looked angry.

"He should have burned the flowers," she mumbled furiously.

"Why haven't they?" Lucian asked.

"They'll only do it when Nazar tells them to. Maybe he's finding more trouble with Viktor than he bargained for," Anya explained, "Which means we need to find them quickly. I won't let Viktor have the satisfaction of killing Nazar for himself, and Viktor himself will be harder to kill if he gets out here,"

Lucian nodded. He looked out to the battle for the first time, and faltered for a moment. As expected, flaming red hair outnumbered steely armour of the vampires, but they weren't the only ones who fought. Much taller than the rest, Lycans were obviously dominating. Lucian looked to the sky at the full, glowing moon.

"Viktor let the Lycans fight…" Lucian gasped.

"I guess Nazar never thought he would, so he didn't think about the full moon," Anya muttered, clearly amused by Nazar's screw up.

"Speaking of," Sonja interrupted, "Shouldn't we be finding him and killing him?"

Anya nodded, "Him and the vampire lord,"

Sonja stopped Anya, a firm hand on her chest. Lucian waited for a loud, angry protest, maybe with a few insults sprinkled in for good measure, but when Sonja spoke, she was calm.

"I won't let you kill my father," she said quietly, "But I will help you kill Nazar,"

As Lucian watched, there was another eerie moment of understanding between the two women. A brief silence fell, in which they stared each other down.

"We'll see," Anya said, finally, "Let's go,"

Sonja led the way, snatching a sword that lay by a dead Death Dealer and fighting her way in. Lucian followed her lead, finding a weapon and ploughing his way through.

And suddenly he was faced with a choice. Who did he kill? The vampires, or the Atralis? Sonja was quite obvious in her slaying of the red haired immortals, and Anya, behind him, fought the Death Dealers. Very fortunately, they had reached the castle before he'd had to make the choice. Something told me that whatever happened inside, he would still have to choose a side before it was all over.

"We need to get to the Chamber of Elders," Lucian explained, "That's where Nazar said he would fight Viktor. Sonja, lead the way,"

She nodded once, and then started running. She was obviously considerably slower from her steadily healing wound, but her spirit was still in tact, and she ran on with a fiery passion. Lucian suddenly felt very nervous, more nervous than he'd ever felt going into battle. Decisions would need to be made and Lucian would have to make a choice.

He charged up stone stairs, three at a time, holding his newly acquired sword firm at his chest. He took brief note as the walls of dark stone started to change, now covered by tapestries in dark colours, depicting things from battle scenes to the building of the castle. Sonja rounded a corner, and stopped. Large, wooden doors stood down a long hall, with flame torches on either side. They only paused for a second before running at the door. He and Sonja reached it at the same time, shoving their whole weight onto the doors and letting them crash open.

The scene that faced them was hardly surprising, Viktor standing, sword out, a look of pure rage and hatred on his face, across from Nazar. The little man was sickeningly proud as he paced between the two metal circles that were Markus and Amelia's resting places.

"I guess Nazar told him," Lucian muttered. Though he'd never say it aloud, Viktor's furious face was quite terrifying.

Nazar and Viktor both turned at the sound of the doors crashing. Viktor's face didn't really change, though his eyes widened as they fell on Sonja, and ultimately the large, bloody hole in her chest. Nazar's looked angry at first, but then he controlled his expression back to the smug way it was.

"Ah, hello, Lucian," he said pleasantly, "Sonja, dear, you're looking better,"

"You'll have to do better than that to keep me away," she said coldly.

Viktor looked back at Nazar and, impossibly, he looked even angrier.

"You attacked my daughter?" his voice was barely a whisper, slowly like each word was a sentence.

"I did what was necessary," Nazar said in an offhanded tone, "I didn't think she would recover so quickly. No matter, I won't make that mistake this time,"

"There will be no this time," Viktor spat, and predictably, he lurched forward, sword raised.

Nazar's hand was quick. He blocked Viktor with ease. The two immortals then began to fight, the sound of metal whistling through air loud. Before Lucian could stop her, Sonja had leapt forward into the fight.

Lucian turned to ask Anya what she was going to do, but she wasn't there. How long had she been gone? He searched the room, and then he found her, standing across the room, a large, familiar crate at her side and a flaming torch in hand. It was already too late when Lucian put two and two together. His feeble cry of 'Anya, no!' went unnoticed as she dropped the torch into the crate. Almost immediately a greenish haze hovered from the crate.

"One moment, please," she said in a powerful, echoing voice.

Immediately the battle stopped and all eyes turned to her.

"I'll thank you not to kill Nazar just yet," she said as the haze grew thicker and the rose smell was strong, "I'll be needing him to order the attack."

"Who are you?" demanded Viktor, the only one who seemed to have their voice.

"My name is Anya, I'm an Atralis. Pleasure to meet you, Lord Viktor." she said, and every inch of her voice suggested there was no pleasure in their meeting, "I'll be killing you tonight,"

Viktor barked a laugh, "I think not,"

"Anya, what are you doing?" Nazar finally asked, sounding angry.

"Finding my voice. Isn't that what you told us all to do when you found my kind? To find our voices and let the world know we're here? I lost my family in that little self discovery trip. And all that time you thought I was loyal to you? Your ignorance is quite hilarious. This is not your world, Nazar. Your kind has reached it's end, and now must take their extinction." her speech sounded well rehearsed and she spoke it with a tone that showed she had waited a long time to speak the words of triumph.

"Anya, you have no idea what you are talking about," Nazar spat.

"Oh, I do." she retorted, "You will order the attack and the vampires will die. And then the dogs will take care of the Atralis. And then the dogs can leave, and the werewolves will take care of them. Long story short, I will be left to take the throne as the last immortal, and I will mould the world as I please,"

Lucian internally kicked himself. Repeatedly. He had been had, again. Looking into Anya's face now, he saw none of the compassion or purity he had seen before, all he saw was a cold, scorned woman getting her revenge. And then Sonja coughed.

All eyes in the room slipped to her. She held a hand up to her mouth and coughed again. The gas was taking effect.

"No…" was all Lucian managed to splutter before her knees crashed to the ground, coughing and gasped for clean air. Lucian leapt forward, grabbing her under her arms and pulling her to the door. Which was closed, and locked. He turned to Anya and saw a sadistic smile on her face.

"You see, Nazar? This isn't your world. This is my world,"

Ooh! -dramatic music- EXCITING! So, I really hope you all like this chapter! I tried to slow it down and all, but I think I might have failed! Sorry if you don't like it! :( Anyway! School is going well, for anyone who is interested. Feels good to be a senior! Okay, well, I love you all, please review, and good luck to anyone going back to respective schools/uni/college/day care!