Here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it :")
They are here. Mackayla's voice whispered in my head. She was a telekinetic, and I knew we all had received the same message.
We had set decoys, the lights on the castle were on, given the illusion of warmth on contrast to the white covered landscape and the large flakes that fell from the sky. There were a few powerful witches here and about, portraying a normal morning, but the rest of us were on our set positions, whether in the castle, outside, or in the surrounding forest.
Every single one of us were armed with silent arms as well as those of close combat. We wore charms around our necks with spells to hide our scent from the intruders. Our most powerful weapons though, were our 'natural' talents. The animals of the shape-shifters, the spells of the witches, and the magic of the fey. In the past days, here in the land of my mother I had discovered that I had inherited more from her than I though. Though I was not adept in spells, I had learned a few that could come in handy. I had also been practicing that touch that had killed Boian. I had also learned that this was a fire element, though I had worked inside Boian's body I could also project it outside and without touch. In simple words I could form fire essence like my mother. From the trainings I knew this though could be exhausting to no end, so I preferred my sniper and my knifes.
There were many of them, and they came in strange portals that appeared as electric charges in the air. One by one they stepped in and I knew we would have a hard time determining the enemy from comrades. There were vampires, with pale skin and dark garments, there were elves, and even demons. It was the battle of my dreams, it would be a hard won battle.
There are three portals being opened…Second floor of the west wing, two miles north and On the coast near the lighthouse. Divide and conquer, may the gods be with us. I knew she had 'disconnected' from us. It took too much willpower to keep us all connected and to also fight.
I was set outside, hiding low behind a large rock adjacent to the portal I was set to cover. It took about two minutes after the announcements for the air to crackle like lightening and they began marching here. They were a wild lot, with bloodlust upon their eyes. It was obvious that discreetness was not their planned tactic. They intended to win upon brute force and only that. As my luck would have it, John, one of Logan, was leading them as I was leading the outside team. My hand tightened on my rifle and I had to stop my fingers from pressing the trigger.
He was barking orders at them harshly, and then they dispersed across the land, each taking their own route. Dividing and conquering was our tactic, and they were making it much too easy.
I made a hand signal for those set on positions behind me to see. Those who were at a distance with their snipers knew to shoot any of them before they got close enough to them and left our territory. We would wait forty-five seconds for them to disperse. Forty-five seconds later I counted down with my fingers, 3...2...1.
We fired in unison from our positions taking down nearly one-fourth of them. Who said bullets in the head did not take down immortal creatures? Like Hell.
We fired at them in unison again two seconds after the first attack, and we took enough to be almost equal for the up-close and personal.
After that we attacked in the open, and joined in close up combat. There was no 'no man land' here. No corpses falling in an lonely open field. No the corpses fell, but one quickly moved on the make another one fall. It was a ancient battle with modern weapon.
We did not fight.
To fight was not our goal.
It was to terminate.
Aim to the head, fire, Aim fire, Aim, fire. Reload. Knife in the head. Silver against the fey. Comrade falls, continue, aim fire, again.
It turned out to be a somewhat simple workout for they had not relied on an ambush and they had not thought of us using modern weapon against them.
There were two demons running toward me at the same time. Their skin was not scaly and they did not have horns. Demons appeared to be mostly human except for the strange all black eyes and grayish skin. Before they got close to me, I pulled every power of my body onto my hands and formed two large fire orbs. They did not feel hot against my skin, only warm. But when I launched them at the two demons with wide eyes they incinerated, leaving behind burnt corpses.
I did not know how the others were fairing but I knew that my team was victorious. In the end blood stained the pale snow and though a handful of my team had been killed, we did indeed had terminate this one team. By the time the battle ended our dark combat suits were white with snow, and the snow on the ground was tainted scarlet.
Ava, Doyle needs reinforcements now. Logan is here. I heard her fast words in my head again.
"Ava?" Killian said. I knew he was asking me what we would do next.
"We split up, I'll take nine with me and we'll enter through the tower, and the rest will follow you through the tunnel. I expect to see you all alive at the end of this ordeal."
I earned a few 'Yes Maim' and with that we parted.
* * *
Logan stood blocking the only entrance to the room, he even close the door at his back. In the mist of the battle inside the castle he had literally tackled me into this room. It seemed he wanted to kill me, himself. The room we were in was usually used for spells, for there were tables with pots and herbs and ancient books lined a complete wall, the other was cover with elaborate tapestries from centuries past.
Logan always looked as I remember him, his eyes that glowed bright with hatred of anything and everyone unlike him.
"I am going to take great pleasure in giving you the death you deserve. And if its any consolation, I know where I'll bury you."
I smiled cruelly at him. I intended to die tonight, but I would not be going to hell alone.
He launched his body at me, And I answered by hitting him with the but of my rifle on his face. The hit staggered him, and turned his head but it did not do much to stop him. I took advantage of the small staggered and righted my rifle to fire at him. I fired without a single thought but missed for he had moved so quickly he was almost a blur in my human eyes.
I fired repeatedly hitting countless objects but never the vampire I hate so much. I dropped the rifle when I ran out of ammunition. If I was going to kill him I would have to get very close to him. I turned and ran towards the glass covered display of ancient weapons. Broke it with my elbow and took the closest thing to me; a large sledge hammer which weighted a good ten pounds, just before he reached me.
He and I both stood in fighting stance and though I had no experience with this weapon all I had to do was swing it.
I wasted no time, missing the first time, but the second time I got him on his solar perplex, and then again on his face. If he was human the first hit would have knocked him out. He fell and swiftly shook his head as if shaking off the blow.
Logan crouched, his whole body on the balls of his feet. He looked like a cat waiting to pounce on the mouse. But I was an armed mouse. He launched his body at me pushing me to the wall. It felt as if I was hit by a mack-truck, I dropped my hammer. I pulled a knife and stabbed him under his ribcage. As I attempted to move he punched me with brute force on my shoulder, a blow that sent me flying across the room.
I fell on the table knocking the many glass bottles and objects on the floor, I rolled off the table and landed on the floor, broken glass cut through my hands and knees. I tried to stand quickly but by then my movements were slow and sloppy. After such a day my body was finally protesting, telling my its limits were soon to be reached. After all I am only human.
Logan was on me before I stood up, lifting me through the back of my shirt as if I was a weightless puppy, he slammed me on the table my chest on the table and my hands above my head. He spread my legs, confining him with his own making any attempted movement impossible. The position was almost sexual, but there was too much tension and violence in it.
With one hand he held my wrists above my head and to the edge with a bruising force. With his other hand he twisted my head confining me by the hair, exposing my carotid as much as possible. When he realized my black turtleneck was covering my neck he simply ripped it from the collar all the way to my mid back, almost chocking me in the process.
I tried with as much force to move, to halt him, my breath loud against my ears.
"Did you ever think your life would end like this?" His cool breath fanned across my cheek.
"Get on with it then." I said, tears leaked down the corners of my eyes. I was afraid of death of the pain, but above all I was incredibly angry that I could not fight back, that he had confined me so well, as he had done so long ago.
"Any last words?" He whispered against my ear.
"Why do you hate them so much?…Is It because you were once part of the worst of humanity, the one that steals, and murders, the truly twisted one. Or is it because you envy their ability to love, to live, to survive. I saw many truths of you. And I pity you. For you'll never know what love is. Everything you've done clings to you like the smell of death on a decaying corpse."
I knew what I was talking about. I knew telling him things of his human life that not many knew would piss him off. I had chosen the next words because they would pull at whatever heart he had left. I had dreamed of his life when I was under his…control. I had seen Logan as a young man, dirty and barefoot kneel before a powerful man who appeared of noble birth and the man had used the next words. "You'll never be anything more than the muck at our feet-"
I did not get to finish the sentence for he loosen my wrists enough to draw my face many inches away from the table and then with his hand fisted on my hair he slammed my forehead against the wooden table. Though I did not loose conscious my body went slack against his. I fought to keep my eye-lids open.
"You have grown into a strong woman," His voice sounded far away and he chuckled as if there was a joke. "But that can't help you now."
I felt my body being moved. I felt a hard surface against my back. Hands moved my hair from my face and my eyelids fluttered. Large black spots clouded my vision.
I felt Logan's cool breath against my neck. I felt his lips on my throat and still I could not see him.
I was certain that if he bit me I would die. Yes my genes were nearly impossible for a witch cannot be made into a vampire and a vampire into a witch, each gene negated each other or fought inside of you till your body fell ill, and eventually you died. Yet inside of me both genes lived at peace. Not yet activated. But if he would bite me, I would not turn into a vampire and I had no illusions on his intentions. I knew he wanted me dead.
His teeth tore against the skin on my neck, it was not a small bite, for I could feel the blood bathing my neck my hair and even my chest. The pain was unbearable, the worst I had felt in my whole life, I tried pushing him off, my body straining under his, but he had me well under control.
Fear does not listen to reason. For I knew I had a shit-load of weapons with me but I even forgot where they were. I even forgot about my new-found 'ability'. I was in too much pain to think of anything but the red brand on my neck. I heard myself sobbing, I heard the disgusting wet noise that came from his mouth.
I closed my eyes for what felt only a second. When I opened them again, Logan was no longer on me. He was fighting with a white hair knight. A small absurd giggle escaped my lips, a knight had come to save me. He carried a long sword but his armor was not steel, it was black and fabric. That puzzled my fading mind.
I blinked again and when I opened my eyes the knight was tearing off the head off the monster that had savaged me, with his bare hands. The knight's face was not kind, it was brutal and terrifying, yet beautiful. I knew that face. But I could not recall his name.
The beautiful knight had done a ruthless act, and I was incredibly relieved.
"….Stay with me Ava…" The voice sounded far away as if I was listening to it from an underground tunnel. I felt cold air on my torso and arms, there was something being pressed against my neck.
"…Ava…" The voice seemed closer now, much closer. And so did everything else. I opened my eyes for a brief second and saw Ulric's face close to my own. His pale eyes expressed worry and anger.
A second of lucidity. There was a devastating pain on my neck and the hand holding fabric there did not make it any better. I tried to move away from the hand, I tried to push it off but if was too strong. A hoarse cry shattered the room, and tears leaked from my eyes. Each time my chest rose and fell, each time my heart beat the pain became stronger.
"…Ava…listen to me…"I could not concentrate in his voice the pain was too strong.
"…She's lost too much blood…charms can't heal her…"
"…healer?" Ulric's beautiful voice was tainted with fury.
"Only her mother." I recognized the voice as Esther's.
"Ulric." I whispered, the vibrations in my vocal cords also caused pain.
His face came to my view, a few inches separated our faces.
"Did we…-"
"Shush, love, all else is well. We won." He was so beautiful.
I closed my eyes, in relief. Again I started to feel as if I was fading.
"…put her out of her misery…" Esther again.
"NO!" Ulrics beautiful voice was tainted in anger.
"You will not die." his voice became distant again, and he sounded so sure as if he could defy fate.
To be continued… :")
