Chapter 14
Meji looked up with a frown. The presence of evil was strong and it caused his hair to stand on end. He felt apprehensive and knew the city had been visited by a couple of half breeds. But now they were gone. Where did they go?
He sighed as he stood up. He knew the time had come to search for the new slayers. But he agonized. What if the slayers were not enough to destroy the vampires? The last slayer had been killed over a century ago by the queen of the half breeds. He did not want to go through the same turmoil. He did not want to lose another slayer.
Meji sighed deeply as he gazed out his window. The night was quiet; too quiet. A feeling of dread filled up within him as his fingers tightened against the ledges. Soon, the whole world would be filled with the creatures of the night.
That was something that caused his heart to ache. Too many times he had seen these foul creatures of the night use humans as their food supply. Too many times he had seen the innocent life sucked from them. Too many times they died unnecessarily.
Meji slammed his fist against the windowsill. It wasn't fair! How could the vampires be stopped when he had no clue who the new slayers were? Could they even defeat them? The last one couldn't. And if the vampires and the half breeds were not stopped, then he would continue to live as an immortal, and his curse would never be lifted.
Kaye sighed in bliss as she snuggled against Kento. Their night had been romantic which was more than she could ever ask for. They slept soundly against one another. The night was quiet and a few stars shone in the sky. There was a full moon out that night.
Kento slept peacefully as he dreamt of kung fu and winning the tournament. He could hear them cheering his name, the wave of the crowd as they celebrated by popping open wine bottles to celebrate his winning. He bowed and waved, flashing a dazzling smile as cameras everywhere went off. He shouted thank you a thousand times to his fans and blew kisses at them. He gave a peace sign with a big grin. In the real world, Kento smiled in his sleep.
Kaye's dreams were not so peaceful. In her dream, she stood on a flat ledge of a mountain top, looking down into the valley below. She gasped. It was filled with blood! She coughed and gagged. The stench was unbearable. She felt weak and nearly collapsed to her knees. She heard war cries, and then cries of agony, curses, a pleading to be spared.
Tears dripped down her face. Why was this happening? What was causing it? She forced herself to stand, and then got a good look at herself. She was in her Tiger armor. But it seemed different. But how? And where did the spear come from? Where was her bo?
The ground below shook violently as hundreds of dark creatures poured out of the land. Kaye focused her attention toward them. She was alone. And she would have no choice but to fight. In the physical world, Kaye clutched Kento even harder.
Kento frowned as someone in his dream grabbed and squeezed his arm. He winced and looked toward the person, but their face was hidden in shadow. Who were they? Why were they gripping him so tightly?
In her own dream Kaye was attacked by these strange creatures. She defended herself by making good use of the spear she had. She ripped the pointed end through body after body. They hissed and cussed at her; licked their lips and showed their fangs. And what was this? They were calling her Angel?
In the real world, both Kento and Kaye began to awake, but yet were still in their dreams.
Merrick sighed deeply as there was nothing else he could do for Layla. For now, rest would be the best medicine for her. He appointed two guards to stand outside her door, and then walked along the corridors of the castle, his long robes trailing behind him.
He came to a set of closed doors and stopped as he stared at them. Beyond those doors was a jar filled with his master's ashes. Soon, they would find a way to bring him back. Akea, and her house, her brother's house, and the mortals would tremble with fear.
He turned his head and continued to walk down the corridor. His mind was swirling. So much happened in the last several hundred centuries. Wars amongst the humans, selecting certain ones to breed with, others to eat. But now, the times had changed. He no longer trusted any human to become a half breed; for a half breed was far more dangerous than a human.
His lip curled into a snarl. Filthy half bloods that they were. He would never again make the mistake he did centuries ago. Akea had been his last half breed. And now she was responsible for the upcoming war. It was she who initiated it. It was she who became obsessed with power. It was she who killed the master vampire. It was she who had tried to murder Layla. But this time, Merrick would make her pay for her crimes.
He came to another set of doors and opened them. A bath built into the floor was filled with hot steamy water. A hot bath was just the thing he needed to unwind. And so, disrobing, he stepped into the in-floor tub and allowed himself to submerge below the hot water.
Sage frowned in concern as they stood outside the university. He felt the presence of darkness, but it was gone now. Still, something lurked in the air. Having arrived only moments ago, the group had split up to find clues to their missing friends.
Rowen and Cye had gone inside the building to see if they could discover anything at all. So far the building was completely empty; not even a professor or a late night student to ask questions.
"This is bad," Cye said with a frown. The hallway was deserted, and they seemed no closer to finding Mia or Thunder than when they first began. Rowen ducked into another room, and Cye followed him in. The two Ronins stood silent for a moment as their gaze looked over everything.
"Isn't this…," Cye began to ask.
"Yeah, it's Mia's classroom," Rowen answered. He headed to her desk and began to open drawers, hoping that he would find some clues to where she might have gone and why.
Outside, Ryo was studying the ground. His training had told him there had been a battle there, but between who and why? He rubbed his face as he breathed deeply. This whole mess stunk. Why would a battle happen on a university? The more he thought about it, the more he felt convinced that their friends were kidnapped. He looked toward Scorpio. "Any luck contacting Thunder?"
The small Warrior looked toward him with a frown. "I'm not getting anything. The link is still there, but I think he's unconscious."
"Keep trying," Ryo suggested. "Where's Flash?"
"Over here!" she called out to him. She was a few feet off to the left and behind him. Joining her, he looked toward what she was looking at. A frown came to him as he felt bewildered. "A post?"
"Look at it carefully," Flash said. "It was ripped from the ground over there. And look! It has blood on it."
Ryo gasped. This could be their only clue to go with. And if it was, they could find out about Mia and Thunder. He turned his head to look for Sage and saw him checking for clues over by the steps. "Sage!"
The Ronin of Wisdom glanced up and immediately made his way toward them. "Did you find anything?" he asked.
"Flash did," Ryo answered as he gestured toward the post on the ground.
Sage raised an eyebrow and then knelt to study the post. He held a hand over the post, but did not touch it. Tapping into the Armor of Halo, he began to see just what the post was used for.
Akea was pleased. She had one of the Ronins' friends on her side, and the other locked away in a room. She knew that Mia's training would come natural to her and she had left Tanak in charge of that. Of course, Sen would be there as well, but she didn't want Sen too close all the time. For if Sen was found out and destroyed, she would lose Mia. And at this time she had no desire to.
But now a different stirring filled her black heart. Her mind kept drifting between conquering both the vampires and the humans. She wanted the world filled with half bloods only, with only a few select humans to feed off from. She felt she and her kind were superior to all, and deserved to be raised to honor. And yet, as she tried to plan her ideas out, images of her bound and gagged concubine floated into her mind.
She tried to ignore the thoughts for the time being. After all, he had been finally captured. She could wait. She sipped a goblet filled with blood and attempted to focus her ideas on planning the next assault against the House of Anata. But every time she felt an idea coming on, images of her concubine floated into her mind causing her to grow frustrated. Finally, she could wait no longer.
She stood up from her throne and walked down the aisle toward the doors. Her attendants bowed to her but did not follow as they watched her exit through the doors. Akea walked down the long hall, her heels sinking into the carpet she had installed. She passed many rooms, including one room that had been known to keep the woman known as Kayura while she had remained at this castle.
After many twists and turns she finally came to the room she was seeking. She stood at the door and looked through the barred window. She grinned evilly as she licked her lips. Even unconscious, he looked delightful.
Feeling her heart jump a bit, she took out her key and unlocked the door and went inside. She closed the door behind her and approached the bed. He was handsome even when knocked out. His golden hair shone in contrast to the bit of light she had provided him with. His lean body looked strong and would come in handy. She studied him longer. If only he would wake up.