Night of the Full Moon
Before Teddy and I had even gotten out of the guest room Kate's voice rang out in mild distress, "We have a problem."
On the floor were our three humans, all still bound and gagged, but writhing around. Dmitri, Eli, and Artemis had them pushed down into the rug, trying their best to safely restrain them without using too much vampiric power on them.
I knelt down in front of the three humans. As I went to chant the white-haired boy, Tommy, looked up and met me in the eye. Pure fury filled his eyes. I pushed all thoughts of his emotional state away, completely focused on my goals for later tonight. "I wish the humans would fall into a deep sleep, I wish the humans would fall into a deep sleep, I wish the humans would fall into a deep sleep…"
My hand lit up with a bright blue aura, and I smiled with confidence (and happiness) before touching the brow on each of the humans. The woman's eyes rolled into the back of her head, she sighed, her body relaxed, and then she was out. Eric had watched this with wide eyes, focused on the woman next to him, and began to thrash even more violently. I all but slapped my hand against his forehead, and he dropped. Tommy was the last, and even after I had touched his forehead, my magic took almost a minute to work on him. Weird, I thought to myself.
I braced my hands on my knees for a moment, and then stood gracefully.
"Nice work," Artemis said. "How long do you think that'll hold them?"
"Maybe a day," I answered. I tried to make the spell strong, but not coma worthy. I didn't want to ruin their lives any more than we had already potentially done.
"Maybe you could wish the full moon away too," Dmitri suggested comically.
"Yes, Dmitri, let me just push it out of orbit and see what happens," I replied back playfully.
"Ilyria would have your head for sure," Kate said.
"The all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful Queen of Magic," Artemis said. "I've heard stories about her before. She tends to the world."
"She's God?" Dmitri asked.
"No, she's not God. She tenders to the world unseen by humans. She makes sure all is in balance. I've been told that when she accuses someone of a crime that she brings with her hellhounds. They're great beasts, and she feeds the body of the wrongdoer to her dogs, while she keeps the soul to play with for herself."
"She keeps souls?" I asked alarmed.
"Souls, essences, what have you," he responded.
"I wonder what keeps her in check," Eli brought up. "It's not like she has anyone to worry about, since she's on the top of the food chain."
Artemis continued in his scholarly tone, "She's just, and fair, from what books say. She's the reason we all exist. She has lived many millennia. She is what tipped the balance during the Mage Wars. Just when the dark mages and their demon companions sought to deliver the final spell, one that would bind the souls of the mages of Ilyria's Light to a hellish place where they would exist in pain and torture for eternity, leaving their bodies to be host to the demons that had forged partnership with the dark mages, she appeared, streaking across the sky like a comet of lavender, and sought to place judgment on the wrongdoers. As they struggled to fight off Ilyria, their creator deemed them unworthy of a second chance, and took their souls. Their bodies went to the hellhounds, whose hunger was sated for a long time."
There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye, finishing his tale. "That's what they say, at least."
"I'm the mage of the group, and I feel as if I know nothing," I half-heartedly complained.
"Artemis is older than us," Kate reminded me. "You've had a modeling career, Billy. I've had to do nothing, so I've just read books. The other boys don't know much."
"Hey!" Eli and Dmitri barked in unison. Kate smiled a brilliant grin.
"How about you, Teddy?" I inquired.
"I don't know anything about Ilyria, personally," he retorted. "I just know that she's the fabric of magic, pretty much."
"At any rate," Eli interrupted, "Since we don't have to worry about the Queen, we won't discuss her any further. What we do need to do is discuss our tactics and defenses."
We moved the humans, placing them individually in rooms with a bed to give them some comfort. Not that it mattered with a daylong sleep spell placed on them. At least they won't wake up sore, I thought comically.
We sat on the couches in the living room. Kate was making coffee because vampires can, in fact, drink and eat normal human foods. I was also craving a good cup of coffee. Teddy sat by my side, a large, warm hand on my middle thigh. He was becoming comfortable around the others I noted. I turned and smiled at my boyfriend, and he returned the smile warmly. Kate brought out a tray with mugs and the coffee pot on it. She set it down and teleported into the kitchen, returning in a seated position on the loveseat with creamer and sugar in her hand.
"In case any of you wanted something sweeter," she said, setting the sweeteners down.
"So we set the humans on the field in plain sight," Eli began with a steady, confident voice. "We have some bags of human blood from the Red Cross blood drive, which Dmitri and Artemis so readily attended."
"You stole from dying people?" Kate inquired, her tone confessing that she did not approve. Kate's jaw began to move again, her purple lipstick covered lips wrapping and contorting to formulate words that Eli cut off abruptly.
"Should we have slit the wrists of our bait? We need to make them enticing, Kate. Those two bags would have saved six or eight people, but we're potentially saving thousands, and hundreds of thousands of lives. I'm not going to question ethics—we need to stay focused on the matter at hand." I wanted to be shocked that Eli brushed his fiancés concern off, but Eli was right in this case. We needed to devote everything into this plan, lest we should fail.
Kate sighed in defeat, knowing that questioning ethics in a situation as dire as ours would only disrupt our progress. I gave her a sympathetic look to appease the sadness that would be inflicted from Eli being too quick to dismiss her argument. Kate liked arguments; she liked winning. This time she was given no satisfaction in the form of beating her husband-to-be at an ethical debate. Eli moved a large hand to grasp Kate's, who welcomingly received the gesture of comfort.
"And we are certain that the rogues will be able to find the humans?" Kate pointed out.
"We'll be using Artemis and Dmitri for that," Eli said. "Vampire bait to entice a chase that will lead them to the scent of the blood we've spilled. Dmitri and Artemis can get back to the plain and we can regroup and wait for the wolves to follow."
"Then we engage them as fast as possible," Dmitri put in. "We charge them to get their attention, and launch an attack using our ability to teleport. If their mage should attend this battle, and he places a spell that inhibits this tactic, we must all work together to inflict slowing injuries to as many wolves as possible."
"I loaded Kang's guns with silver bullets. I'm not sure how he felt about it, being that he has to kill his own kind with something that he can also be harmed with. I told him not to do it if he feels uncomfortable. I'll have my staves, bow, and arrow, so I'll be on the periphery for the start," Kate added. Eli seemed to like this idea because he smiled. Either Kate ignored the smile exceptionally well, or she hadn't noticed at all, because she didn't retort with a witty remark or begin an empowerment speech.
I loved Eli and Kate like they were my own siblings. I had grown up with Eli in my house all the time, and Kate was my best friend since we were young. Their relationship was well crafted and very enduring. It was as if they were born for each other. I smiled as I watched them sit side-by-side, their little gestures small cues on how they were feeling for one another. All that emanated was pure feelings of love and it almost glowed around them in an aura. Despite their constant bickering and love for competition, Kate and Eli were truly happy with one another. They would definitely spend eternity in utter bliss with one another.
I admired their bond, their connection, and I knew that I wanted what they had. My hand reflexively gave Teddy's a squeeze. I briefly wondered if either Kate or Eli were considering what could possible happen tonight that would affect the following days, but Eli was deep in thought and Kate was offering the others more coffee.
"Billy's father will scout the city while we eliminate the rogues in the plain," Artemis said. "He'll return to us as soon as he finishes an entire sweep."
There was a flash of green light that exploded throughout the room. The illumination lasted for only a few moments before the light faded, and Kate's penthouse lights remained the only source of lighting.
"Speaking of Mr. Kaplan," Kate said, looking down to the spot where the light originated.
There was a single black leather-bound book, about an inch thick, and a piece of paper taped to it.
All eyes shifted from the book to where I was sitting. I reached out to the book tentatively, and I suddenly felt a compulsion to touch the book. It was a strong urge I was feeling, and my outstretched arm lit up, my hand tingling. The book was like a magnet, drawing my hand to it. It was a book of magical origin, I decided as I took it into my hand. The book seemed to have its own energy.
"What is it?" Eli inquired, looking at me. "Is it a playbook we can use for tonight?"
I looked at the book that exuded ancient energies. As if this could be compared to some NFL playbook.
"It is…" I looked at the note on top, peeling the folded paper away from the book cover, everyone waiting in silence, "… a spell book."
I unfolded the note carefully, flattening it out straight. My father's familiar handwriting flowed across each line on the page. Everyone was silent while I read the letter to myself:
William,
Your mother and I are so very proud of you – for all of your accomplishments so far in life. Your human career in modeling, your critical role as an enforcer for the seethe, and for being the superb person you are. You are the type of person your brothers look up to. They love you so much, your mother and I love you so much. We support you all the way, William, with everything you choose for yourself. We are family and always here for you.
I'd like to get to know Teddy after this whole thing is over…your mom, well, she explained everything to me. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed myself. Now I feel as thick as a brick. I want you to know that, whether or not you feel your feelings are wrong, never discount how you feel. Do not let anything come between you and what you want with your life. I know you well enough to know that you are a person of determination, will, and strength, and that you always go with what you feel. You have the support of your mother and I, and while some of the others of our kind may not take to your mate, they will have to adjust – they have millennia, after all, don't they? We wish you all the happiness you could ever want, William, from the bottom of our hearts.
In this book are spells of power, ones that are unlike your power to wish what you want. I had intended on giving this book to you earlier, but it had slipped my mind. You are very talented and you will be exceptional at your craft. You hold more power than you know; and while you've only just begun practicing your magical talents, they will grow in time. I want you to practice some of these spells, in the hope you can put them to good use. As I discussed with Eli, I will not be there every moment during the battle. I will be scouting New York City for rogues, which happens to be a very big place, as you know. Without having contacted other sorcerers beforehand, we have very limited resources and very limited energy. With you on the battlefield, and our enforcers fed and ready, you will succeed. Your mother and brothers have been relocated, for safety's sake. You know I treasure all of you, but in this fight you are a crucial element, and I have no reason to force job upon you. Though by now I realize you've been on this case all along, and if I know you well enough you want the job finished and done right. You make me so proud, William. I will see you tonight at some point. Your mother and brothers send their love.
Teddy's hand was on my cheek, warming it, his thumb wiping away a tear I had not noticed slip by. My voice trembled when I spoke, "My father and mother…they know about Teddy…about us." My hand went slowly to my mouth, meant to stifle my breaths of relief.
"What does it say?" Artemis asked, watching my face.
"They're having him executed," Dmitri said. "Look at his face, it's all written right there."
Artemis reached out and slapped Dmitri with a hand. "Get a hold of yourself and let Billy talk!" he growled at his friend.
Kate reached across the divide separating us and placed her hand over mine. Teddy leaned his forehead against the side of my face.
"My father says he's proud of me. He wants to get to know Teddy! They love me!" My voice progressively got louder. "He sent me one of his spells books!" I pumped a fist in the air excitedly, and on the other side of the room a vase shattered with a loud bang! Teddy breathed a sigh of relief and wrapped his arms around me.
Kate shot me a look. "Would he be proud of you if he knew you were destroying my expensive furniture accessories?"
I glanced at Kate from over Teddy's arms and stuck my tongue out. "I'm sure there's a spell in this nifty little black book to fix your problems," I countered. I was actually itching to look into the book and practice spells.
I thumbed through the pages briefly for a spell to repair the shattered vase. I sighed, finding nothing immediately.
"I wish Kate's vase was repaired, I wish Kate's vase was repaired, I wish Kate's vase was repaired…" The fragments of black ceramic levitated upward, suspended in a blue aura. Slowly they pieced themselves back together. A flash of white light exploded from the other room. Kate ran to inspect the repair job, coming back satisfied. She gave me a curt nod, her purple eyes entertained.
I slid one leg over the other to cross them, getting comfortable on the couch, leaning against Teddy who readily relaxed against me. He leaned in close and murmured in my ear, "I'll make a good son-in-law."
I turned to him, smiling, "Is that a promise?"
He grinned, letting out a chuckle. "Definitely a promise." He dipped his head to catch my lips in a sweet kiss. I put my right hand in his thick sandy locks and gave them a shuffle with my hand before I resumed focusing on the book. Teddy wrapped his arms around me and watched me. The rest of the room disappeared, and I was suddenly entranced in the world of Teddy, myself, and the book of spells.
The first page contained the word Foreword. The page following read:
Magic is an extremely powerful gift. Sorcerers and sorceresses are not made, but born. Magic is ingrained within special individuals whose genetic makeup is predestined for maintaining a magical reservoir. Therefore, under no circumstances should a book of spells ever fall into the hands of a mortal human. Mortals are not meant to become avatars for magic wielding, and it is rare to find mortals with the ability to control such a force. Humans that dare to tamper with the existence of magic risk catastrophic consequences, affecting both the life force of the human and the world around them. Pure and wild, magic is, and therefore not to played with, as it affects the very fabric of the dimensions of the world; both the mortal world and the world of Ilyria's children.
Ilyria, goddess of magic, was born into existence millennia ago. She was born of pure, mystical energy. Some theorize that much like the Earth, the mystical life force behind her being suddenly sprung into the universe from unknown origins. The goddess created a world of Her children shortly after Her birth. She brought to life all things mystical; the mermaids that tend to the oceans and tide pools, the ogres that patrol the swamps and mountains, the dragons that rule over volcanoes and masses of treasures, and all others. She created them all.
Ilyria manages the flow of magic. She controls the flux of the power between the light and the dark, as one cannot survive without the other. She is just in her judgments, and she is all-powerful and all knowing…
I skimmed through the rest of the foreword, which was another two pages long. There was a lengthy warning before the spell pages started, which I ignored. There seemed to be one spell per page. Each page contained a spell name, the pronunciation, the desired outcome, and possible problems that were a consequence of the spell. I lazily flipped through the pages, looking for spells that may be useful for the fight against the werewolves.
Teddy had gotten up briefly, but I had kept my vision aligned with the words on the pages. In my head I practiced the pronunciation in the hopes that when I practiced I would make the least amount of mistakes as possible to avoid the consequences. One of the most extreme cases included having one's own body caught in a vacuum so strong they crumpled in on themselves. Others included igniting into a ball of flame, decapitation, and bleeding out from body orifices.
Definitely things mortals don't want to mess with, I thought, unable to imagine why a human being might want to practice magic given what the foreword said.
My ears picked up on movement, and then a louder whistling noise. I stood up and reflexively shot my hands around my body, spinning quickly. Frozen around me was a dozen apples.
Teddy leaned on the doorframe, looking at me with his eyebrows raised. "You still got it." His words had a smile in them.
"I never lost it," I smiled back. "Veraxis venschius." The apples began to turn a mottled black. The black color spread to cover the entire surface of each fruit, before all twelve disintegrated into ash that dusted onto the floor.
Teddy's face dropped instantly, his baby blue eyes shining with an emotion bordering fear. I frowned briefly, upset with myself. I wrapped my arms around myself, staring at the floor.
"No, no, Billy," Teddy said as he approached me, his arms extended. "Don't be upset with yourself."
Of course Teddy would instinctively know how I was feeling. It was one of the things that made him amazing. Teddy's warm touch found my body, starting at my elbows, pulling my arms from my sides and outwards to put them around his waist. Teddy traced his way up my arms to my shoulders, up my neck and cupped my face gently.
"I'm not scared of you," he said softly, his eyes meeting my own. "I was just shocked. You have so much power in you. You have so much potential, and power always comes at a cost. I would never want anything bad to happen to you as a result of magic…or me, because I don't want to be disintegrated. That's beside the point though."
I gave him a smile. He leaned his head forward, kissing me on the nose and pressing our foreheads together. "I would never be afraid of the man I love."
"I can't believe my parents know about us," I breathed out, my voice shaky with excitement.
Teddy smiled wide, his perfect white teeth proudly displayed.
"I honestly can't say I expected them to take it so well," I continued. "I mean, I assumed my father would disown me, and my mother might take his side, but at the same time I thought maybe my mom would love me still and my father would come around eventually, and my brothers…"
Teddy hushed me with a kiss, grabbing the back of my head and melding our mouths together with passion. My hands slipped up the back of Teddy's shirt, caressing the soft skin underneath. Teddy shivered in return, and I smiled against his lips.
I disconnected our lips and moved my mouth to his ear to whisper, "I can't wait to be mated to you."
"Forever mine," he whispered. I could feel energy of love and sexual desire roll off him in waves.
"Forever yours," I agreed, kissing his ear. I slowly let my tongue slide out between my lips, and gently traced the bottom of Teddy's ear. The larger blonde man shuddered, the shake running down to his knees. His hands reflexively tightened on my hips. A small bite from my teeth on his lobe had him gasping, pulling my hips against his, while a hand reached around to firmly grasp one of my buttocks. I let out a small noise of surprise, to which Teddy growled at in liking.
Then the moment was over when a gentle throat clearing signified company. Only one person could interrupt so politely and not yell out from the sight of two grown men making out passionately. It wasn't Dmitri, and it certainly wasn't Artemis…
"We have an hour left," Kate said, sitting with one leg on the arm of the couch, her other straightened and propping her up for stability. "Eli wants us to make the trip to the clearing and make sure we're all ready for this. Make sure you have everything you need."
"You make it sound like a trip to the beach," I joked, but somehow a hardened glint in her eye caught the light, and I knew Kate was settling into business mode. Her muscles had gone taut with tension.
"Are you okay, Kate?" Teddy asked, watching my best friend.
"Eli and I just finished a heated conversation," she replied, even her voice had some intensity to it.
"Anything you want to vent about?" I asked.
"No, because in one hour I'm going to vent it all out on some werewolves. Let me tell you: nothing on that field is going to be left standing," she said with such conviction I wanted to be afraid. I couldn't be afraid of my best friend, but she was quite the force when she was enraged.
"You sure?" I inquired again, watching Kate as she sheathed her twin battle blades. Kate leaned over to the counter, grabbing her quiver of arrows, and strung it over her back. She touched the grip of her bow gently, lovingly, as if it would break under even her gentle touch, and then wrapped her around the dip between the two graceful arcs. Kate stood proudly with her weapons assembled on her person.
"More than sure," her violet eyes tried not to display any more emotion than she had already let out. I watched the flame simmer down to a low burn. Kate was, nothing if not almost, as guarded at Eli when it came to emotions and keeping composure. She chose selectively when to release her emotions and energy, and right before the battle was not the time. Anything could happen on the battlefield. Better to die fighting, than die angry before you got married.
I nodded at her, my thumb lightly swiping back and forth over the cover of the book. I wonder briefly if I would have time to access spells from it, or if I would never get a moment to try a new one. Teddy absently grabbed my hand, pulling me close for a moment. I saw the look in his eye. The baby blue orbs were filled with determination and assurance.
Eli returned from the living room carrying Tommy, with Artemis and Dmitri carrying the other two humans. "Out like lights," Dmitri said, sitting Eric on the sofa. I looked at the sleeping young man, and sighed. My cardinal obligation was to protect the humans and magically grapple with the mage. Teddy's hand squeezed mine in response knowing the thoughts running through my head. I shook my head with a smile.
"Kate you take…" Eli started, but the vicious glare stopped Eli's tone of command in its tracks.
"Would you mind taking two of the humans with you? You're more advanced in teleporting large crowds. I'll take the other. Billy can take Teddy, and Artemis and Dmitri can reconvene with us there."
Kate walked over to Eric and Tommy, placed a hand on one of each of the boy's shoulders, and disappeared in purple atmosphere that I could have sworn looked a little dark and stormy.
"Couldn't agree on the best China pattern for the wedding?" Dmitri joked.
"Something like that," Eli muttered darkly, lifting the sleep-spelled woman and flashing out.
"Here we go boys and girls, here we go," Dmitri said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He and Artemis pounded fists and were gone in a flash. Teddy was smiling at their antics, so easy and unabashed.
"Kiss me?" I asked Teddy. He turned to me and took my face in his hands. He leaned in, and before we kissed I said, "Here we go." We became enshrouded by my own bright blue aura and vanished from Kate's penthouse.
"That was a dirty, rotten trick," Teddy growled when we got to the wide-open field. The green grass was dry, though the second round of storms loomed overhead. Teddy grabbed me from behind, pulling me right up against him. Teddy breathed in my ear, emitting a low guttural growl. His head shifted forward and then I felt exaltation as my earlobe was taken between his teeth. Teddy scraped the skin a few times and a delivered a bruising grip to my hips as he pulled me against him hard, slightly rocking our hips.
There was a cough from somewhere in the clearing, low, but we heard it easily nonetheless. "You guys have to wait a little longer," Artemis said while splashing thick human blood every so often around the clearing. I blushed deeply, but Teddy restrained himself from showing remorse of his actions. He even had a little smirk on his face.
While I was facing him I leaned in to his ear to whisper, "I could eat you up…every inch."
With that leaving him stunned momentarily I bounced away to find Kate, who was practicing swinging her blades and stances. I watched as she sprinted from land to water and back again, using the river as a refuge. Since werewolves were heavily muscled, they sank faster than they could ever float. The chances any werewolf could have a water walking mutation would be rare, I thought. Kate swung her blades with precision and control. Every movement was graceful and flowing. I swiveled my neck and head to watch the western side of the field, where Eli had taken up positioning the bait, and Dmitri and Artemis spattered blood.
"I think that the blood should work well," Dmitri announced. I could tell what he meant. My nose began focusing, honing in on the blood's irony tang with predatory enhancement. I could almost smell each individual droplet of crimson reward. The smell was enticing, but not my style. I thought to the nightmares and urges I had experienced around Teddy. I internally vowed to never let such a thing seduce me again. The choice between having Teddy safe, alive, and with me and having the chance to drink blood for eternity was no contest. Teddy would always win.
"I hope the rain holds out," Eli said, turning his obsidian eyes upwards toward the darkening sky. Rain clouds rolled in constantly, and we could all smell the faint, sweet electricity that filled the clouds. "I don't want the blood getting washed away or becoming less potent because it becomes diluted with rain water."
"I don't think the book has a spell for weather control," I responded with a shrug.
Teddy and Kate, closest to the river, snapped their heads in the Eastern direction that traveled down the river. Artemis and Dmitri responded next, and then Eli and myself. Two large shapes hurtled towards us, and I had an inkling of who the shapes were. A large raven werewolf and beige werewolf ran side-by-side, but their speed did not indicate that Cassie and Kang were arriving for our scheduled appointment. I did not take their arrival well, and the forewarning in their sprint was more than enough.
"Get ready everyone!" I yelled decisively, not waiting another moment. They were surprise attacking us! That or they could already smell the blood. The full moon couldn't be seen, but I'm sure the wolves could feel her ever present pull. Kate whipped her bow through the air to hold it at her side, already nocked with an arrow. Eli stood at the ready with silver shuriken between each knuckle on both hands. Teddy armored himself up into his real self, green, taller, and even more heavily muscled. He added spikes to his back and thick plating as extra protection. I flashed my way over to the mortal lying on the ground. Dmitri and Artemis remained weary, listening intently. The only thing we could hear was the rhythmic pants of Cassie and Kang as they approached. The two large wolves braked to stop in front of the main group.
"They're on their way!" Cassie exclaimed.
"Of course Marco and the mage would want them to move early. If they waited any longer the effects of the moon could wane and not give them the maximum strength needed to fight us," Kang growled.
"We're ready for them," Eli said. "Remember the tactics. Good, clean attacks, and under no circumstances do you get sloppy. Try to stick near a buddy during this fight. Have one another's back and don't forget to pay attention to the mage, should he show his face. Wolves we can handle, but do not get overly distracted. Vigilance is key, and…" Eli's last statement faded as his mouth slightly dropped. A loud howling ripped through the clearing. The noise resounded off the nearby trees and river and seemed to echo longer than necessary. The plain was empty, and eerily silent. However, we knew that somewhere in the distance were rogue werewolves, charging at us soundlessly, and bloodlust supercharged their carnal instincts that drove them right for us.
Teddy jogged over to where I stood, being my obvious choice for a partner in the fight. "I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," I retorted, leaning over and giving him a kiss.
After a minute my ears could pick up on the faintest pants of heavy breathing coming from he front of the pack.
"Eli, I'm sorry about that argument before…" Kate said.
Eli dismissed the fact they had gone through a petty argument, replying, "That was nothing. Don't waste your energy, honey. I love you so much. If you thought you might die angry at me and me with you, you wouldn't have. There's nothing more important in this world to me than you. That argument was nothing, so don't worry about it."
Kate closed the space between Eli and herself and planted her violet lipstick covered lips against his.
"So much love tonight," Dmitri said. "Artemis…I…" The two began to comically lean toward each other, doe-eyed and lips puckered.
"Shut up you two," Eli seethed.
Another minute and we could make out the first distinct shapes of the wolves. That's when I felt a droplet hit me. Then another, and then more tumbled down from the clouds. The rain was settling in quickly, but it had no affect on the wolves' progress as they strode quickly and efficiently over the terrain with their strong, heavily muscled limbs. When we could see the first pair of gleaming red eyes, Kate took point.
Kate strode gracefully forward, dropping to a knee, cocked her bow, and sent a powerfully charged arrow whistling through the air. The lead werewolf dodged the arrow, but the rogue behind him took the arrow between the eyes and dropped like a stone to the ground. Despite the sudden death the remaining rogues charged on with their unrelenting pace.
Kate discharged another three arrows quickly, two of which slammed into the shoulder and neck of one rogue, and pierced through the back right hind leg of another wolf. Unbeknownst to the jet-black werewolf, the wolfsbane and nightshade potion were working their way through his or her system, and therefore by the time the wolf reached us it would be an easy kill. The amount of wolves Marco had procured was impressive, but I had no time to worry about the statistics of surviving the ordeal, and neither did I care.
"Thirty seconds…" Eli called out.
"Oh my God," I said.
"What is it?" Teddy asked.
"We won't be able to teleport for the initial bombardment…" I pointed to the ground at the civilians lying on the damp ground.
"That means…"
"The wolves will converge on us…" I said with a shaky breath.
I took a breath and steeled myself, not in a hurry to remember that I had a duty to fulfill. The wolves were only twenty yards away. Kate struck down another four in that time, but still there were so many that she'd have to abandon the bow and arrows to get in a closer range.
As the werewolves reached us a bright red beam shot across the plain toward Teddy from behind. I instinctively cried out in surprise, throwing a hand to raise a shimmering blue aura of magic to cover Teddy's back, while simultaneously throwing forward a shockwave of power to dispel the bodies hurtling toward us as my friends all teleported into thin air. The rippling blue magic blazed forward, slamming into the first of the wolves, and the second wave was clipped with the spell.
All at once the front line of werewolves was pushed back, the second wave catching them with their bodies and colliding. The waves of wolves behind were undisturbed and leapt over their temporarily stunned comrades. Eli, Artemis, Kate, and Dmitri all warped back into existence moments later with loud battle cries, flinging themselves into the brawl. Cassie and Kang had taken to fighting in wolf form. If Kang had the chance to revert back to his human form he could use his guns, but it did not look like that sort of relief would be afforded at the time. Cassie ripped into the neck of one rogue, flinging him bodily into another before bringing a raised claw down out of the air from being outstretched across the face of another rogue. The newly turned werewolf screamed out in a terrible sound as its eyes were dislodged from its skull.
Kang had dug his claws into the shoulders of a werewolf under him, repeatedly biting the other animal savagely. Chunks of meat and cartilage tore easily, blood spattering the rain-covered ground. Noticing another charging wolf from behind, Kang kicked back with a powerful hind leg to propel the oncoming attacker sideways. The wolf rolled along the field floor, digging a mud crater as it slid along.
"I want the mortals to be safe, I want the mortals to be safe, I want the mortals to be safe!" I yelled my incantation at lightning speed, dodging two sets of clawed hands in the process. The power and desire to have them all safe drove my spell, and I had barely any time to register the blinding flash of blue-white light that signified their disappearance. They weren't shuttled back by the other mage, I thought, happy with the results. When I turned, there was but one left…Tommy.
I telekinetically lifted a werewolf looming over the unconscious man, throwing it into several others that were charging. "He's not a mortal…" I said to no one in particular. I threw a force field over him, a werewolf rebounding off it and rolling away mostly unharmed.
I kicked forward, my foot connecting with the chest of a brown-coated rogue. The animal wheezed audibly. I leapt upwards into a roundhouse kick to plant my foot across the faces of two more rogues, sending them sprawling away. Adrenaline coursed my body in apprehension. From a few feet away I could see Teddy bludgeoning a pair of rogue with spiked mallet arms. The wolves howled in agony as the lances pierced their arms and legs. Acidic blood drained from the open wounds.
Cassie rose up, twenty feet in the air, crying out in the loudest roar I had ever heard. Behind her blue-white lightning struck in the distance, and thunder rolled out in waves across the valley. She swatted at the rogues like flies that bothered her, sending as many as five flying through the air at a time. The wolves hit the ground hard, but most had been getting up seemingly undamaged.
Kate ripped into the throat of one wolf with a battle stave, leaping backward as a spray of acidic blood jetted forth from the jugular. The rogue dropped to the ground, only for another to replace it. Kate sidestepped a vicious lunge and struck out with a foot, kicking in the left side of the rogue's skull. It screeched and whined in agony, which was cut short with a swift strike from her battle stave. Eli leapt up and over Kate, hurling his shuriken hastily. The small silver stars sliced into three werewolves, all of which stood for a moment before dropping. The silver weapons had been laced with wolfsbane and nightshade as well, making for deadlier weapons. Eli dropped his leg in a low sweep to catch one rogue off guard, but another reached Eli and grabbed him with a clawed arm. Raising him high, the rogue studied Eli momentarily before lunging for the kill.
I cast my arm forward in a freezing spell, halting the rogue's attack. Eli wrenched apart the rogue's hand and began to batter the animal while it cried ferociously, frozen in place. Kate sprinted by, swinging out a blade and severing the massive head that fell to the ground with a thump!
"Billy Kaplan is mine!" a voice pronounced from somewhere in the distance. The rogues surrounding Tommy and I dispersed hastily.
There was an eerie edge to the voice, one that made me uncomfortable. "Mine like he should have been, some years ago…"
Drake.
"Come and get me you worthless bastard!" I yelled out angrily.
I waited, but there was no attack. Instead I pretended to be distracted, throwing wolves with my magic and putting up force fields when they were desperately needed. I did my best not to fear for Teddy's life, but it seemed every wolf around him was worthy of being thrown, and every second was worth having a force field in front of Teddy. However, when he made eye contact, his look said, this is not what I wanted you to do—do your real job.
I still watched on as my friends put up a fight. Kate had attained several scratches on her thigh and lower back. Eli was unharmed besides a few scrapes from being roughed on the terrain. Cassie was unharmed for the time being, and Kang was under her enormous legs clawing at rogues who attempted to climb her like a ladder. Artemis and Dmitri faithfully watched one another's back, swinging each other through the air in acrobatic moves only seen in a circus. The two used only their bear hands to dismantle a pile of body parts. Still, it seemed like there was no end to the rogues that appeared. There was also no definitive answer as to which wolf was Marco, and which one was a commonplace victim of his cruel plan.
Teddy roared out as a rogue inflicted deep puncture marks in his left forearm with a sudden grab. Teddy's right hand shot to the wolf's hand and gripped it. I wasn't sure what Teddy was doing, but the wolf was beginning to whine loudly until there was a residual crunch, which I then understood the plan to be a broken forelimb. Teddy shot an enlarged fist forward and slammed the rogue's snout inward. He grabbed the beige wolf's foot and pulled it forward, causing the animal to fall onto it's back. Then the werewolf screamed, which then gargled and died down, after both sets of legs were ripped from its trunk.
A fiery blaze erupted from the field like an enormous bonfire. The rogues and my friends all glanced momentarily before swinging back into the brawl. The pyre burned brightly, the red flames licking outward despite the heavy rain. I suppressed a groan as the pyre grew upward and elongated snaking through the air.
Cue the evil mage, I thought sardonically.
However, I became worried as the fire snaked faster and rushed toward Kate. Kate, the bright woman she is, noticed the great burning column of flame and began to sprint away toward the river. Her vampire legs carried her to the river in seconds, the blaze following her with ease. The werewolves and vampires on the battlefield made sure to avoid the mage-fire as it snaked around the field, set on Kate. On the water Kate ran, but the fire continued to give chase.
I began erecting walls of water, each one blasted apart into molten steam. The fire's length shortened temporarily, but grew back just as fast to resume chasing my best friend. I reached out toward the water, felt the molecules bind together, felt their energy, and harnessed them so I could draw up my own continuous stream of water to counteract the fire.
Simultaneously fighting the fire, I chanted, "I wish the flames would be doused, I wish the flames would be doused, I wish the flames would be doused."
It was a long shot I had been willing to take, and smiled when the flames sizzled out, leaving only rising steam into the stormy night sky. The battle was far from over. On the field three wolves began to glow red, a product of the mage I assumed. I was horrified to watch the unusually dense animals step gingerly onto the waters surface and barrel toward Kate.
Cassie cried out, her hind foot bleeding from large bites inflicted by multiple wolves. I turned to assess her situation, but a rapid splashing from behind me set of my internal alarms. I bent forward, spinning myself as I did so to duck under the left arm of Drake.
The vampire rounded his run to face me. His shirt was missing, his dark black jeans clinging to his frame in the downpour.
"Finally, Billy, we are united once more."
"Drake." The name had venom laced in it as I said it. The fact that my old best friend showed up was both disgusting and sad, as I did not want to have to turn to destroying him. After steeling my resolve, and realizing that ending him would leave my life in peace with Teddy, my family, and friends, I decided it was for the better.
Drake circled me warily, naturally, like a predator.
"You can't save them all," Drake noted cockily as my eyes danced around to watch the scene surrounding us. "You might not even be able to save yourself."
"I don't have to save anyone," I snapped back.
"Oh, don't you? Who's it going to be? The gorgeous boyfriend? The longtime best friend? What about her fiancée? Or the two mongrels you decided to align yourself with? Maybe Artemis or Dmitri? Hopefully you'll choose Artemis, seeing as he's in the closet and denial. We have so many to choose from. You have not enough magic or attention span to protect them all. They'll all be gone, Billy. Including you, unless you leave with me now and let the battle continue on without your services. You could be a valuable asset to me and my overthrowing of the entire vampire species."
"This isn't you Drake," I yelled at him. He cocked his head, his beautiful face dripping crystal droplets of water.
"How is any of this not me? Getting what I want? Doing things my way? Babe, this is how it's always been!" He started to laugh. I hated when he gave his cocky laugh that put everyone else in an uncomfortable mood. As if Drake knew something you didn't already know. "I came to save you, Billy. I came to make sure I kept you safe. It's all I have ever wanted."
"I don't want…"
"Me? I'm a vampire. I can give you everything. What do you think…that you need that pathetic shape-shifter? He's almost a mortal, Billy. He is a temptation to you. How have your cravings been? Have they given you nightmares or sudden urges?"
"How did you know…"
"I planted them with the help of my magically inclined friend. A little harmless black magic to see if you could kill him before I had to."
"I will never want you Drake. Not ever in eternity. You have no idea what kind of person you even…" My monologue stopped abruptly as Drake charged and swung for me. I blocked his shot, knocking his hand aside and shoving him with a kick. "You know what, fuck it. I'm done talking."
Drake launched another aggressive and bold attack head on. I met him head on, locking hands above our head. I twisted myself in an attempt to throw him, but we both wound up rotating horizontally through the air. Drake teleported midway through our turns, a step ahead of me. He reappeared standing next to my body while I was in midair. He brought down his right hand on my stomach and slammed me into the ground. Before he could stomp my face in with a boot I teleported. As I reappeared I suddenly sensed him behind me, only to get punched in the back of my head, sending me to my knees in the rain. Drake delivered a kick to my ribcage that shattered a few ribs and sent me through the air twenty feet. When I made impact I made a crater where I had landed. My world suddenly got dizzy. Drake hauled me up onto my feet and punched me in my right cheek, before giving me a backhand that sent me stumbling and inevitably had me back on the ground in a crouch. I cupped my cheek in my hand, and I felt blood dribble from my lower lip.
"Ah, Billy, your blood smells so sweet even though you are vampire. I wonder why that is," Drake said as he approached me. Drake grabbed me roughly by the throat and held me up, leveling me to his eyes a few inches off the ground. "I would like to extend an invitation to you to join me at my humble abode. There would be an initiation of you as my new mate. Then there would be the inevitable rape by a few party guests and myself. Followed by the best beating of your life."
"You're disgusting," I choked out. "Go to hell."
Drake's head exploded into bits of vampire ash. As in, one moment he was creepily telling me about being raped and tortured, and then his face had burst into a million pieces in every which direction. The ashes fluttered around in the night sky, a grotesque black-green color to Drake's evaporated skull and contents.
I was dropped to the ground instantly. Drake's body slumped down to the ground on its knees, and then toppled over to the side. Drake's body writhed on the ground for a few moments before falling still. The vampire ashes descended onto the valley floor, still as the unmoving body. I thought I had done it. I really had. I looked at the body to check for my magical signature, but found none. That's when a pair of nice sneakers popped into my view. I traveled from the sneakers to the jeans to the shirt to the white haired face staring me down, green eyes full of rage and disgust.
"That guy was a fucking animal. Worse than these rogues." I stared at the young man Tommy. He was acting as if this was natural.
"I can blow shit up when I move my hands a certain way. I'm a witch. You should be used to it. Now get up and get in there with me," he said as he extended a hand to help me up.
Tommy helped me to my feet briskly and suddenly there were rogues upon us. I threw a force field up to block the advancing attacks, while Tommy whirled in the opposite direction, arms flying forward. There was a loud boom, and then a horrible scream. I turned to see a rogue on the wet muddy ground, a huge hole opened in its body. Acidic blood steadily hemorrhaged from its chest. The beast turned an angry eye on Tommy and I, and then its head lolled to the right, the light in its eye extinguished.
As two more wolves bore down upon us, Tommy and I skipped back a foot whilst I threw my arms forward to erect a force field. The black and russet furred werewolves clawed at the shimmering blue magic that warped into existence. Their intuition about how to get past the wall wasn't apparent. There was a flash of silver, and suddenly one of the werewolves was being dragged away. As I turned down the opacity of the field to see through it, I noticed Kate with a thin chain whip in her right hand, the cord running up to the wolf's leg where it bound itself tightly. Kate steadily dragged the enormous beast backwards, its claws raking through the ground. Kate wrenched on the whip, and the silver chain slid through the hind leg, severing it. The wolf howled an angry howl and spun to attack. The whip retracted in lightning speed, and suddenly Kate was lashing out with her weapon. The chain sliced through the werewolf easily. It lay on the ground, suffering from massive bleeding. Kate must have laced the whip with her death brew, because the rogue began to convulse on the ground. The russet colored wolf flung itself backward to deal with Kate. I dropped my force field, allowing Tommy and I to run back into the fray. As he ran by the black-coated wolf, Tommy helped to end its life quickly by throwing a hand backward and making the rogue's head explode. The raw power and destruction of Tommy's power exuded from his hands in powerful waves: definitely not the dark mage though.
I threw my right hand forward to discharge a blast of blue energy at the werewolf. The beam soared over its head as it ducked in response. Kate disappeared as the magic approached her. An enormous werewolf arm, belonging to the now twenty-foot tall Cassie, swung through where Kate had previously been preparing her bow and arrow. The russet wolf was cast aside roughly. Cassie brought her titanic jaws down upon the werewolf and ripped it in half, much like a tyrannosaurus would in a Jurassic Park film. Kate reappeared under Cassie's stomach with a few feet to spare above her head.
Eli sprang by our group, launching himself into the air as three werewolves convened on our group. He dispatched a throwing star into each of their heads, dropping the attackers instantly. Kang shifted in an instant as he reached us, "Give me the guns." His command was obliged, and I tossed him the metal weapons as he started to run towards three oncoming werewolves. The guns screeched as Kang fired off three consecutives rounds. The once sprinting wolves tumbled head first along the grass, creating craters as they went.
Scanning the battlefield there were only twenty rogues left. There was no sight of Teddy. Instantly I panicked, and began to look around.
"Looking for this?" A nasty, cold voice asked. I froze, my eyes widening in terror.
We didn't burn the body. My hand reached upward to cover my mouth. It felt like I was suddenly sucked into a vacuum. My entire body tightened with such tension that I felt like could break. I stood still with paralysis from fear.
"Give him back, Drake," I snarled. His chuckling laugh was all I received for an answer. "You son of a bitch! Bring him back to me now!"
"You can have him," Drake retorted. There was a soft moan, and suddenly there was a body flying through the air. The speed in which Teddy's body flew toward us was incredible. Teddy's arc took him up and over our group, heading toward the rogues that rushed us. I jumped into the air, levitating for a moment to steel my flying senses, and then shot off after Teddy's falling body. As the remaining wolves leapt up, their bodies ten feet in the air, I snatched Teddy deftly and soared higher. Cassie turned her enormous body around to face the oncoming invaders.
I watched as my friends turned in unison, ready to fight. I, however, felt a steady running of something thick down my arms. Something that ran like a river. I looked down at Teddy. Tears sprang from my eyes. Teddy was missing much of his throat. His arms were broken, jagged bone protruding from ripped open green skin. His legs had been scratched, long jagged wounds tracing from hip to knee. His stomach had been gouged repeatedly, blood pouring from his gaping wound.
I descended from the air, listening to the howls and hisses that surrounded me. Teddy was hardly breathing. His gasps for air were shallow. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His eyes did not fix on me. They were glassy and exhausted. I cradled Teddy, stroking his blonde hair with my bloody hands. "Teddy, I'm so sorry," I cried, clutching him to my body tightly. "This should have never happened. I'm so sorry."
Still, Teddy was unresponsive, his breaths even less now. I kissed his forehead tenderly.
"I'm not ready to let you go," I whispered. My fangs were out in a second and I thrust my arm in my mouth, ripping open my flesh. As I bled steadily, I poured my life into Teddy's body. I would have given him my soul too. My blood poured into Teddy's mouth, filling quickly. As I moved my arm to his stomach hole, I cast a force field with all my might into existence. A blue dome hovered above us as I drained my energy into saving the man I loved. I dragged my arm over the many cuts and abrasions on Teddy's body. My blood won't be enough, I thought distractedly.
As I continued to drain, there was a sudden boom! As I looked up, red orbs of energy slammed into my force field. Across the field was a dark figure, cloak billowing in the wind. The rain obscured definitive features of the person, who I perceived to be the one and only mage that dealt in dark magic. The mage lifted their hands, bright orbs springing into existence. With two quick motions they released the orbs, which screamed through the air and battered my force field. The orbs were powerful, displacing the magic that I was using to protect Teddy and myself. The magic rippled with each hit, and I felt the effects in my body. I drew my arm from Teddy's body and licked it, the vampire solvent in my saliva closing the wound at an accelerated rate.
I looked down to Teddy's body, which was unmoving. I sighed, ignoring the shaking of my magic. My world was gone. Teddy's life force extinguishing made me feel extinguished. I felt cold and empty. I brushed my hands through his silky sandy locks. I kissed his forehead lovingly, "I'm going to finish this, for you. I love you so much. I'm sorry I got you mixed into this. I should have protected you better. Please forgive me, Teddy. I'm going to destroy them all."
"Ready to die?" A distorted voice inquired outside of my force field. The mage of black magic stood outside of my magic, his arms at his side, waiting calmly. The man was six feet tall. His black hair was longer, pulled back into a short ponytail with two locks of hair framing his face. His dark, piercing blue eyes sought to distinguish me from behind my wall.
"Perhaps I am," I said as he placed his hands on the force field.
"You wield unique magic," he noted casually. His palms glowed bright red, his voice becoming instantly sinister. "Unique, but breakable." I grunted as I felt my magic being ripped apart. I watched my force field dissolve, atom by atom. The blue of my signature turned purple as red magic consumed, piercing a hole in my defense. The mage pulled his hands over the bubble, ripping along the magic.
"Get away from my son," a familiar voice commanded, power laced into the words. The mage stopped, the hole in my force field large enough for him to reach through. Taking advantage, I punched a hand forward to discharge my own beam of magic that sent the other mage skidding along the ground.
My force field dispelled, leaving Teddy's body and me in the pouring rain.
"Torvus maxim!" My dad bellowed, pressing his hand together and then swiping them in the air. Two large chunks of the earth on either side of the mage leapt up from the ground and slammed him, sandwiching him between them.
I smiled at my father, who stood proudly in front of me. "Dad, Teddy, he's…" my voice was defeated. Saying the last words would have been the end of me. The block of earth glowed bright red and exploded outward, throwing shards of dirt and rock in every direction. A particularly large chunk flew toward me and Teddy. I threw out my hand and said, "Veraxis venschius!" As the cinderblock-sized earth reached me it withered into ashes that were carried away by the wind. The mage threw a bolt of power at my father and I. I dodged the blast of magic, while my father simply smacked it away with a hand.
"You are a child," my father told the mage, baiting him. "This is nothing more than the magic a Wiccan can do."
"Pulstratus!" My father pushed his hands forward and a large phoenix-shaped flame sprang from his hand. The bird rushed the mage and dove on top of him, consuming a twenty-foot radius of land.
"Your little magic tricks will not help you," the dark mage laughed. The laugh echoed through the area.
As lightning struck in the night sky, I called out to it with my mind and magic. I lifted a hand and drew from it, yearning to use its power for my doing. I felt my hand and arm fill with electrical tingles. I swiped my hand downward, and as the mage went to cast his next spell, focused on my father, lightning struck out. The energy was blindingly white hot. It focused on the mage in his spot on the valley floor. He had hardly enough time to throw up a dingy shield. The red energy protecting him shattered and he hit the hard earth below him.
Under my breath I called out with power, "I wish Ilyria was here, I wish Ilyria was here, I wish Ilyria was here…" I did not know if the spell would work. Or how long it would even take for the Queen of our Creation to arrive. Would I be punished for summoning her?
"Billy, watch your back!" My father called out. I threw up a wall of energy behind me as a figure sprang into it. I turned to see a stunned Drake temporarily on the ground. In a moment he teleported to a spot on my other side, ten feet away. He looked down to the ground by my feet. I gulped when I understood what he was looking at.
"He was a pretty one, too," he said. He clucked his tongue in a way that said what a shame when he didn't mean it.
"You tortured him," I said, steeling myself not to cry.
"Why as a matter of fact, I did," Drake said. "It was fun, to hear his moans and cries for help. You weren't paying attention though, and so I had my first real chance to take out what you believed in most. It's ruined you, hasn't it?"
I let out a feral scream of rage, losing my composure instantly. I gave in to Drake's baiting. I sprang forward to catch him. I was reckless, that was for sure, but my burning hatred fueled the fire. Drake grinned as we took off on a high-speed chase. We blasted past my father and the dark mage, who were creating a magical light show brighter than the Macy's Day fireworks. We rushed past my friends, who were fighting a wave of rogues that were more resilient and brighter than the previous ones. The battle was full of grunts, howls, hisses, and barks amongst screaming, yelling, and pain. I saw flashes of Kate's whip and Eli's throwing stars, and dismantled body parts all over. I couldn't even assess my friends' wellbeing. Every nerve in my body was fiery hot and blazed with adrenaline. In this game of cat and mouse, I was the cat, and Drake was going to be the dead mouse in the end.
With anger and energy blazing I thrust my hands forward, one after the other, to discharge blasts of brilliant blue lightning. The attacks seemed to always just miss Drake. I threw forward a spell of freezing which he evaded.
Get with it, Kaplan, I thought, concentrating on my objective.
I stopped my sprint to a halt and spread my arms out to my sides, lifting them up. A large shimmering force field appeared that halted Drake's process. He turned to face me, one of his fine eyebrows rising. He pointed to the wall with a thumb. "That's supposed to stop me? That's the most ridiculous thing ever."
Above us the storm shook with thunder and lightning. With a quick glance up, and my enhanced predator vision, I noticed a lavender hue. My mind thought back to Artemis's tale, she appeared, streaking across the sky like a comet of lavender, and sought to place judgment on the wrongdoers.
While I could not sense her presence yet, I prayed it was her hue I saw. I hoped and wished it were Ilyria, Queen of magic, who heard my spell. My summoning spell of all things, but it was worth the risk…Teddy was worth the risk.
"Come on, Drake, come and get me. You've taken the life of the one I loved most deeply. Surely you wish to see my end."
The smirk faded and the glimmer of cockiness faltered in Drake's eyes. I tried to hide the shock from my face. He had been serious when he said he wanted to take me from this battleground.
"What, you don't want me to join Teddy in eternal rest? Or do you want to take me as your mate, take me to your hidden residence and throw a grand old party and rape me with your comrades? Honestly, I'd rather die than spend eternity with a cruel old man," I vowed with venom. Teddy was the reason I even engaged in this battle: to keep him safe. It was my fault Drake had taken his life.
Drake opened his mouth to speak, and I sensed it would be an apology for Teddy's abrupt death. Trying to smooth things over before anything else transpired. Before Drake said anything, however, I quickly muttered, "Voray untch vexus."
A blue glow bubbled up from the earth under Drake's feet and then shot upward. The glow shot upward in straight beams of light. The light tendrils shot out into random directions, crackling as they met midair. Drake's face lit in surprise.
I held up the black book of spells and tapped it with an index finger. "I've learned a thing or two since I last saw you."
That's when the first wave of Ilyria's power stroked down through the atmosphere to exert massive magical pressure throughout the atmosphere. I knew if I could sense it, so could my father and the other mage. I turned to look in their direction, where twin beams of red and green collided.
"Your judgment will be here soon enough, and for your sake I hope she is kind to you. Karma is a bitch, Drake." I smiled at his statuesque body stuck in place. It was as if ice one hundred feet thick on every side exerted itself on him, sticking him in an unbreakable hold.
I sprinted toward Teddy's body, which was still cradled in the wet mud. Two werewolves hovered over my fallen boyfriend, deciding whether or not to eat the carcass.
He's not a carcass! I thought angrily at myself.
I flung a hand forward to shove the werewolves with telekinetic magic that sent them sprawling.
As the wolves recovered I reached Teddy, kneeling on the wet earth beside him. I put a hand up and cast a freezing spell in their direction. The wolves froze in place, hair shuffling in the breeze, saliva dripping from their hungry mouths. "Veraxis venschius!" I watched as the wolves exploded into ash that tumbled away in the wind.
"I need to stop using that spell. It's kind of sadistic," I said to no one in particular.
Ilyria's magical pressure heightened every minute, like when people sit on an airplane and with altitude their ears pop. If it were like that, then my ears would have been hemorrhaging. My father and the dark mage battled on. Every so often I released orbs of magic from my hand to create a temporary distraction so that my father could land a hit on the other man.
"You will not win, dealer of dark magic," my father grunted as he cast a spell.
"You know the dark has prevailed before, and tonight will be no different," the mage said cockily.
It will be very different, very soon, I thought. Turning my head I noticed my friends fighting on with the remaining ten rogues. Cassie was in her smaller werewolf form, looking weak and tired. Gouge marks raked down her arms and legs, bleeding heavily. Her feral attitude belied her tired body. Kang was holding onto his energy reserves well. Ragged tears due to bite inflictions had pierced his shoulders. He grappled angrily with a rogue, claws and gnashing jaws meeting flesh. Kate looked stunning, her previous wounds healed over seamlessly. Her outfit was ripped in several places due to a lack of the material being able to repair. Her silver whip arced through the air and inflicted stinging wounds to her opponents. Eli, fresh out of throwing stars, and unable to retrieve others, was using brute strength to wrestle his combatants. Similarly, Dmitri and Artemis were punching and kicking every rogue that came their way. They both attained scratches and bites from the werewolves that assaulted them, but the marks would seamlessly disappear in moments. Tommy was quick on his feet, dodging opponents, but before he really could get any magic in Dmitri or Artemis would protect him. I smiled knowing the other witch would be frustrated very quickly. My smile widened when I realized my friends suddenly just took to fighting with an extra body, as opposed to ignoring Tommy, or ending him.
At least no one is seriously injured, I thought briskly. My mind had avoided Teddy in the thought, being that he was cradled in my arms. I stared down at my would-be mate and a few tears trickled from the corners of my eyes. There would be no apologizing to him for what had transpired. Fate had taken its course, and it took my loved one. I stroked Teddy's soft golden hair one more time, set him on the ground gently, and stood up. I flicked my left hand where it was at my side, throwing a force field around Teddy. The magical energy encased him and would surely prevent anything from trying to get near him. The mage and my father were unrelenting in their attacks.
I sprinted forward toward their fray, hoping to even the odds. I pulled back my left arm to throw an orb of magical energy, and as the orb released I threw another from my right hand. The magical bolts dispelled on a dark magic shield produced by the dark mage. However, upon impact the magical attacks pushed the mage backward through the muddy field. Snapping my fingers I produced a long, slender magical whip that I lashed out with. The mage raised his shield to fend off my attack, allowing my father to send a pair of green, bull-shaped magical energies to charge forward. The two magically created animals rammed into the mage, sending him flying backwards. The man landed deftly in a crouch before firing back molten red bolts of energy at my father and I. I swiped my right hand upward to pull magical energy into a thin shield. The dark mage's magic rebounded off my shield and into the field, creating a crater in the explosion that followed.
Ilyria's presence was becoming so thick in the atmosphere that it seemed like we moved through jelly. It was almost as if time was slowing down. I threw my left hand forward and grasped the air as if I was catching something. The mage's arms, in the middle of casting a large spell, were suddenly pulled to his sides. The man gasped as the spell dispelled, the red energy winking away from his hold.
There was an enormous crack! I had only a moment to raise my other hand to shield my eyes as a column of bright, shining lavender erupted from the battlefield. Waves of pure magic energy pulsed outward, the lavender rings shoving everything and everyone in a quarter mile roughly to the ground. My father, the mage (only because my telekinetic energy held him), and I remained upright after using force fields, which had shattered soon after the waves collided with them.
The ephemeral light display faded gradually and what was left was breathtaking.
Ilyria stood not but a hundred feet away. She was enormous, and beautiful. She stood taller than I did, at seven feet, and she was supreme in her stance. Her hair was radiant, like diamonds and stars combined. Purple tresses framed her face, floating loftily as if she were underwater. Her lips were full, her violet eyes seeing into the souls of every living thing around her, and her angular features gave her a characteristically elven look. She wore a magnificent gown that flowed outward from her feet. The ornate designs climbed from top to bottom. As I looked harder, it appeared that designs were actually words – runes. Unlearned in runes, I could not make out what they said. Ilyria's skin even glowed pale lavender, which seemed to sparkle like stars in the night sky. In her right hand she gripped a staff, which looked timeworn and powerful. The staff had multiple blue crystals along the length, which levitated between the intertwining ropes of pale white wood. In her left hand Ilyria held a book of deep blue, golden runes traced along the front and made up the binding.
What seemed most terrifying, even compared to the Mother of Creation, were the two beasts that flanked the Queen. The hellhounds withers stood at eight feet tall, and their necks and heads made them around ten feet tall. Whereas a fully-grown Cassie stood twenty-feet tall and lanky, these hounds were long and robust. The ends of their tails were alight in a dazzling orange flame that seemed to extend every so often. The horns on the top of their heads rose upward two feet, before rounding and extending out another two feet. The hellhounds spouted fire from their nostrils every so often, little balls of fire dissipating in the rain. Their muscles bulged with every breath they took. I did my best not to be fearful in their presence.
Ilyria muttered something under her breath, a spell, I thought, and suddenly everything was purple once more. Surrounding the rogues, my friends, and the mages were rings of lavender magic. The three rings hovered equidistant, from head to toe. As each ring completed its fifth revolution, they melted and spread upward and downward. With each ring doing the same exact thing, they reached one another in moments and coalesced into a tangible magical wall.
Okay, Kaplan, let's see if you don't take it up the ass for calling Ilyria here.
Ilyria's voice suddenly sprung out into the atmosphere, and while she spoke quietly, it sounded as if a bullhorn had been placed in front of her mouth and magnified a thousand times. The rogues all howled in displeasure, while my friends and I covered out ears, fangs dropping immediately. My father and Tommy seemed unaffected; uncomfortable, if anything.
"I have been summoned here," her voice said in a silky tone. It was as if we were hearing her underwater; her voice seemed distorted.
Ilyria turned to face the cell I was placed in. "William Kaplan," she said, her lips curving into a graceful smile. "You wished for my presence, and I am here. Does this please you?"
I bowed low, standing up to reply, "Your majesty, I did not mean to disturb you. I called out to you in a time of desperation."
"Desperation?" Her mouth twisted, and almost cruelly, despite her being known as just and fair. "What was the cause of your desperation?"
"My friends and I have been fighting off a horde of newly turned werewolves. Their creator, a man name Marco, sought to have the local covens of vampires destroyed. They schemed with one of our own, a shape-shifter, and a mage dealing in the dark arts to attack us; destroy us."
Ilyria looked around. "From what I see you have been doing well, William Kaplan. There are but a few rogues left. The mage and the treacherous vampire have been contained. Yet you sought me out." Her lips became crueler. "Are you seeking to avenge the death of your loved one?"
Teddy's body rose from the ground, arms outward, head lolling backward, feet dangling toward the ground, in lavender energy.
"I saw it fit to hand them over to you, Queen of Magic."
Ilyria snapped her long, slender fingers, and the bodies of slain rogues on the battlefield evaporated in a puff of magic.
"You saw it fit to hand over Drake, the one who took what you loved most from you, because you thought I should Judge him?"
"It is up to you, fair Queen." I bowed my head, feeling ashamed. Of course she had seen my intentions of punishing Drake.
"Jeff Kaplan," Ilyria said, approaching his cell. "It has been such a brief time since I saw you last."
My father bowed to her as she reached the wall separating them. "My Queen," dad said.
"Do you see it fit that your son called me here to place Judgment upon these souls?" Ilyria inquired, her violet eyes gazing into my father.
"I stand by my son, my Queen, and I believe in his decision. I hope to see you Judge the dark one, who threatens the Flow of magic. He seeks to destroy."
Ilyria turned toward the dark mage, eyeing him, sizing him up.
"Troy McGelder," Ilyria said, and I watched as the man suddenly gulped.
"My…my Queen," Troy stuttered. His sudden attempt to bow became a series of shudders racking his back. I was happy to see the man so suddenly consumed with fear.
"Do you know what crimes you have committed?" The Queen asked with such serenity in her voice I almost shuddered.
"No," the man responded back.
My eyes widened in shock. Was he about to lie to Ilyria?
"Surely you know that dark magic is a forbidden practice," she chided in her distorted voice.
"No! No! There are plenty of sorcerers in the world dealing in the craft. Our magic is…"
The Queen finished for him, "Sewn in blood, pain, and violence."
"My magic has not been derived in any of those, Mother of Creation."
Next to Ilyria the air warped and flattened into a shimmering pale wall, the size of a thirty-inch flat screen television. Four separate squares formed, and each of them showed a scene.
"Do not think my magic does not expand across the universe, mage," she reprimanded. All eyes were peeled to the rectangle of magic displaying Troy's terrible acts to induce his blood magic.
The top left corner of the time magic depicted Troy in a small apartment.
Concealed in one of the rooms, soundproof and dark, sat Troy in the middle of a pentagram. In the pentagram was a bowl, in which he tossed herbs into, and chained in front of the pentagram was a child. Beside the mage sat a cruel, twisted blade marked with runes along the knife. Troy had started to mutter an incantation. The next herb he threw into the concoction made a thick, black plume rise up. The child, a young boy, began to scream and thrash in his chains. He cried out for his mother and father, hoping desperately to go home. Troy lifted the blade, and traced the blade down the child's leg vertically, drawing crimson blood from its home. He lifted the blade and let some blood trickle into the bowl. An angry red shot up from the bowl.
"I seek control," he said in a loud, clear voice. "I seek to destroy the coven. Araknon, demon of possession, I seek your help."
Troy leapt forward and stabbed the young boy repeatedly, the knife carving through his abdomen, tearing and ripping. The boy cried and screamed in pain, but Troy was unrelenting.
"Lend me your power, Araknon. Help me to control the vampire, Drake, and send him to do my bidding. Have him rip the Council apart. Without your help, he will not do what he most desires." The child stopped screaming abruptly. The light of life faded from his terror-stricken eyes.
Outside of the now glowing red pentagram a pair of red eyes hovered above the ground.
"For your payment, I will oblige," Araknon's deep, growling voice said. The eyes blinked, and vanished.
Kate's hand was held up to her mouth, her eyes glittering, and blinking rapidly. Dmitri looked as if he might vomit, if he could. Artemis and Eli stood stoic, their emotions masked. I knew inside both of them rage boiled up, but would not surface. Cassie and Kang, even in their wolf forms, looked upset and disgusted. Tommy had his face bowed, arms crossed over his chest.
Troy stood in his cell looking as horror-stricken as the child he had sacrificed to Araknon.
The other three scenes were less terrible to watch than the first, but still haunting. In one of the scenes he had sacrificed an alley cat and dropped a lock of my hair into the bowl that focused his magic. I understood this to be the evening he attacked my dreams, plaguing them with horrible thoughts of feeding on Teddy. He pushed into me feelings of hunger and burning desire for blood. I steeled myself, keeping my emotions under a calm mask.
Troy had begun to sweat profusely in his magical trap. His nervousness was palpable, and his body released pheromones into the atmosphere that we could all smell. He suddenly threw his hands out to each side, placing a hand on each wall, and with effort his hands began to glow.
Ilyria's facial expression set into something of an eye roll with her mouth twisted with displeasure. The illustrious Queen turned on her heel and stalked away, farthest from us, to speak with Drake. The enormous mage stood with her back to us, speaking with Drake in a low voice. The two enormous hellhounds stood guard, watching each of us contained in Ilyria's force fields. My eyes turned to Teddy, still held up by lavender colored energy. His body was battered and broken so terribly. Another wave of guilt shook me, and I dropped to my knees, heading bowing. Guilt ripped through me as a shark does its prey, slicing deep and tearing. My heart was completely broken. Drake was right. He had had broken me. He had taken from me the one thing unique to my life. Teddy had been so important to me, despite the briskness of our relationship. I would not get to spend the rest of my days with him. He was gone. As much as I tried steeling myself, the tears flowed freely, dropping to the purple floor below me.
My vampiric hearing reached out toward the conversation between the Queen and Drake.
"You have committed terrible crimes," she pressed. "You threatened your own species, your own family you created after Jeff and Rebecca Kaplan took you in. You attempted to kill vampires much older and wiser than yourself. How do you justify betraying your own?"
"I was cruel, and selfish," Drake replied, his voice devoid of any emotion.
"I sense remorse," Ilyria noted.
"It will change nothing. I seek only to accept my fate."
Liar. Telling Ilyria you're sorry will do nothing. You're a murderer, a traitor, and a disgusting asshole.
Ilyria said a few words, which none of us understood, and in response the hellhounds moved. The huge animals stalked forward toward my group of friends and the rogue werewolves. The hellhounds growled for a moment, before loosing molten jets of blazing fire at two rogues. The rogues had no time to release their cries. The bodies evaporated into this air. Ilyria repeated her statement. The next two rogues were incinerated too. After a minute the field had been purged of the remaining rogue werewolves. I was glad to know Marco had gone up in flames. He had deserved it.
"Troy McGelder and Drake Kasper, you are both guilty of consorting with one another to murder the New York covens, as well as threatening to expose our world with the creation of a rogue army. Your recklessness could have cost the magical realm much this night, and I am pleased with the efforts of the New York coven and werewolf pack to hinder your attempt. Troy McGelder, you are also charged with practicing dark magic, and therefore must be punished to prevent further damage you may cause in the future."
Troy looked weary from attempting to break free from his confinement. His magic had done nothing in attempting to go up against Ilyria's.
Ilyria began to mutter, and Drake and Troy both began to scream loudly. Drake's aura, his soul, began to float up from his body. Troy McGelder's red soul magic departed from his human body. Ilyria's hand willed the two souls toward her, while the magic containing their bodies dispelled. The hellhounds moved forward to consume their bodies in a bloody display. The Queen turned to join our group. The souls in her palm wound their way down into the majestic staff she carried. The essences melted into the crystals that were suspended in the elegant wood, glowing briefly before winking out.
"William Kaplan, I thank you and your friends for your valiant effort in stopping the menaces that sought to reek havoc and expose my Children. It is not often I give thanks or praise to anyone." The Queen released us from her magic, the purple magic vanishing with a sparkle. Teddy, however, remained suspended.
"Tonight I bestow upon you my gratitude," she said, with a spark in her eye. She pointed a finger past me, a golden glow emitting from her finger, and muttered an incantation.
I began to cry before she even muttered her incantation. I immediately ran to Teddy, arms open. As the spell ended, Teddy's body glowing in gold, I caught him in my arms and lowered him to the ground.
As the light faded from Teddy's body, his scars and bleeding began to fade away, his bones mending, and his heartbeat picked up. I could hear the heart beat within his chest! He suddenly shook with a first breath of new life. I wrapped my arms around him, sobbing.
"You have a pure heart, William Kaplan," Ilyria's distorted voice said. She slammed her regal staff onto the muddy field without moving a drop of mud or water, and lit up the field in a purple embrace. She was gone.