I know… I took forever to update. Over a month I know… but I had to study for Pre-calculus, AP Biology, and AP history tests, so be nice! Thanks a lot to Chrosis, Raptor-Chick, ben revell, DasNewfie, Lunatic Pandora1, Oak Tree Woman, not aqua, hao, Jjvalour and StormRaven333 for the reviews! 10 for one chapter... sweet.

Chapter 21: Battle of the Hunters

Ravyn staggered to a stop in front of the Ash Guild House. The once glorious home of the Ash hunters was now a black, charred skeleton of its' former self. The entire second floor was gone, with the exception of a few overhanging pieces vainly attached to a few of the support pillars that remained. Piles of rubble, charred wood and piping mostly, lay scattered within the wreckage. Looking around her Ravyn sighed at the loss of such a grand home. She could still remember exactly what the place had looked.

Taking careful steps, Ravyn entered the wreckage. She didn't see any holes in the floor, being the floor had been made with concrete, but she still didn't need to fall through a weak spot and break her leg; Eve would have one hell of a laugh at that. Debris crunched under the shoes, releasing plumes of dust and ash into the air that followed in her wake.

After scanning the ruins for a few moments, Ravyn glanced down at her watch: ten minutes. She bit her lip and glanced around again, frantically, for some sign that Eve was there. What if Nathan had been wrong? What if Eve wasn't here?

Then, she glimpsed a sparkle of light a few feet ahead of her. Moving slowly and cautiously, Ravyn approached and grinned.

Eve's silver pocket watch was dangling in the air by an incredibly long chain somehow attached to one of the over hanging bits of ceiling that remained attached to a pillar. Ravyn stopped in front of it and reached out…

Then froze; what was she doing? Ravyn mentally berated herself; what idiot would serious just reach out a grab such a conspicuous looking thing?

A new thought popped into her head as she warily regarded the dangling watch. Every vampire had a particular ability or gift. The ability would progress in strength as well as accuracy as a vampire aged. Nacht's ability had been mind control, which was how she could torture a person by simply concentrating hard enough…

But what ability did Eve possess? Ravyn shrugged off the idea for the moment; she'd worry about it later when the time came.

Returning to her present situation, Ravyn glanced around and dug through the rubble a bit, finally retrieving a four foot long piece of piping. Stepping back, she swung at the watch, hitting the chain a few inches above the watch itself.

And, as she suspected, Eve's trap triggered and the floor fell in, taking the pillar and the watch down with it. Ravyn leapt back and dashed out of the house before it collapsed completely. Though the trap had only taken down a small part of the floor, that hole would make the structure all the more unstable.

Once out of the ruin, Ravyn turned back, staring into the dust and grit that rose into the air. As a breeze began to blow away the tower of dust, Ravyn spun as she heard loud, chiming laughter echo through the air from behind her.

"Well, done! I had hoped you wouldn't be so stupid as to grab that watch; that would have taken the fun out of this whole escapade!" Eve laughed, striding slowly towards her. She was, once again, dressed in an odd outfit. A fine, burgundy silk blouse clung to her upper body while tie-dyed jeans, that matched her hair, clung tightly to her hips. She still wore the black leather boots and her wide brimmed hat complete with feather. She stopped about ten feet away, chuckling, "I thought you weren't going to show up after a while. Then, I was delighted to see your little army march down the street and battle. I must say, I haven't seen such an amazing battle for centuries!"

"Enough talk Eve, you know why I'm here," Ravyn growled, taking a step forward.

"Of course," Eve grinned, "My blood and your cure."

"Give it to me and spare yourself the fight," Ravyn said, moving closer with each step.

"I'd love to, but," Eve teleported and reappeared directly in front of Ravyn, catching both of Ravyn's hands in one of hers, seizing Ravyn's neck with the other, showing amazing reflexes. Hoisting her in the air, Eve grinned widely, showing fangs, "The fight is what I was looking forward to." She disappeared, leaving Ravyn to drop to the ground, barely managing to stay on her feet.

Eve reappeared a few feet away, swinging a whip around and juggling two throwing daggers in her hand, "Being we're both ladies, I'll be the gentleman and let you throw the first punch."

"Alright," Ravyn muttered, pulling out her kukris, "Your funeral." Taking a deep breath, Ravyn felt the abilities gifted to her by the Turning rush into her. Without warning she leapt at Eve and actually managed to sink one of the kukris in Eve's shoulder as she dodged.

Eve let out a yelp of pain as the kukris tore through her shoulder, dropping the throwing knives. Though the wound was minor and healed instantly, Eve regarded Ravyn with a shocked look, "My, my… you're farther along in the Turning than I imagined. How curious…" Eve teleported and reappeared, gracefully moving through a complex series of combat kicks, each aimed with care at Ravyn's chest and head. Ravyn managed to block the ones aimed at her head, but three of the kicks made contact with Ravyn's stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs. She staggered back and tried to gain her breath.

Eve circled her like a shark then her arm flew back and forward, the whip landing with a painful snap on Ravyn's shoulder. Ravyn gasped at the feel of her armor splitting as well as the skin beneath it. Eve pulled back again and snapped at Ravyn's head.

Ravyn dropped to the ground to dodge and charged Eve, her kukris slashing. She saw Eve's hand flick and Ravyn dodged to the side as a dagger whistled by her head. Eve teleported away again and reappeared behind Ravyn, cracking her whip again.

While ducking the whip, Ravyn sheathed a kukri, pulled out a throwing knife, and chucked it at Eve as hard as she could. Eve snatched the knife out of the air as if it was a feather and threw it back at twice the speed. Ravyn barely managed to get out of the way as the knife sailed by and imbedded itself into the brick of the wall of the building behind her.

The whip snapped out and Ravyn rolled to avoid it, drawing her second kukri again. Again and again the snapping of Eve's whip rang out and Ravyn dodged, narrowly missing the whip each time. Finally, as the whip lashed out at her, Ravyn lifted one kukri, the whip snapping around it. She pulled the kukri back and backpedaled, pulling the whip tight. Once it was taut, Ravyn hacked down with the other kukri, cutting the whip in half.

Eve jumped back and looked at her broken whip sadly, "Pity," she murmured as she cast it aside. Then, with a fanged grin, she held up her hands, three razor sharp stilettos clutched in each.

"Damn," Ravyn groaned as the first of the six stilettos flew at her.

Tarn'se threw his shuriken at the fleeing vampire, the spinning weapon's blades slicing neatly through the vampire's neck. Tarn'se casually caught the shuriken and sheathed it quickly.

The battle was dying down and the vampires were retreating. Many human hunters and Yautja chased after the fleeing vampires while others still battled with the more determine blood suckers.

Glancing about, Tarn'se saw, in total, five Yautja dead as well as a dozen human hunters; ash, weapons, and torn scraps of clothing lay everywhere, all that was left of the vampires.

However, he did not see Ravyn among the dead or the living. He did see two human forms hiding in one of the narrow passageways between the buildings; one seating woth the other crouching in front of it.

Dashing over, he discovered Nathan tending to Ivy's wounds.

"Where is Ravyn?" he asked sharply.

"She went after Eve," Nathan replied, not looking away from the stitches he was putting in Ivy's cheek, "She ran off a few minutes ago."

Tarn'se gave a quick nod then turned to follow Ravyn when Ivy rasped, "Wait! Take this!" She held out a small vial containing a small amount of some clear liquid unknown to him, "This is sunlight serum; it'll kill a vampire if you give it too much so be careful with it."

Tarn'se took the vial gratefully then raced off after Ravyn.

Ravyn dodged the first two stilettos by weaving in and out of their paths as fast as she could. She began to feel unsteady as the third stiletto whizzed by, cutting into the meat of her arm. Yelping, she slipped and began to fall, praying that the other three whirling stilettos missed her vital organs.

By some miracle, Ravyn landed on the ground without a single scratch from the three stilettos. Not wasting any time questioning her luck, Ravyn jumped to her feet and charged Eve, one kukri dropped in a high attack while the other cut in sharply from the left. Ravyn hoped Eve would dodge one, then accidentally take the other in the stomach or neck.

Unfortunately, Eve simply skittered out of the way of Ravyn's stabbing kukris and caught hold of one of Ravyn's arms, redirecting her momentum, flipping Ravyn to the ground.

Ravyn's head cracked against the pavement and she saw stars. She vaguely felt her kukris slip out of her hands as Eve followed up with her move, kneeling down on Ravyn's chest, pinning her.

Eve tisked loudly, "Ravyn, Ravyn, Ravyn; I must say I'm slightly disappointed in your performance. I imagined you'd have given me much more of a fight. Such a pity…" Eve grinned showing fangs, "For someone who defeated my sister, I expected more of you. I suppose I must carry out Nacht's will one last time."

Eve pulled back for a strike then gasped as a shuriken laced with sunlight serum spun past her neck, nicking her throat. Eve leap backward off Ravyn, grasping her burning throat as she was tackled by Tarn'se and brought to the ground.

Tarn'se held the vampire down and growled, "Submit."

Eve simply stared at him, her throat dribbling a little blood and smoking slightly as it began to close. Raising one thin, perfect brow Eve asked innocently, "Submit?" Baring her fangs, Eve growled in a voice that sounded frighteningly like Nacht's, "I will never submit!" With that, she teleported and reappeared, kicking Tarn'se square in the face so hard that it knocked his mask clear off his face, "I never submit to anyone; not you, nor my sister." With an angry hiss Eve whipped out six more stilettos and launched them all at Tarn'se who was slowly rising off the ground.

"No!" Ravyn shouted as she saw the knives fly at Tarn'se. But strangely Tarn'se spun and jumped, dodging three of the daggers. However, the other three passed right through him without harm.

Ravyn's eyes widened and she snapped at Eve, "They are an illusion! The stilettos! That's your special ability!"

Eve grinned, "You got me on that one." She quickly threw two more daggers at Ravyn who didn't move, waiting for the illusionary stilettos to pass through her.

Ravyn gasped as one thudded into her stomach and the other into her upper chest, though a lung.

Eve shook her head looking sorrowful, "Not all of them were illusions, hon…" Ravyn shuddered and fell to her knees, the cold metal sending jolts of ice though her veins. She reached down and plucked the one dagger from her stomach, the blade a bright crimson in the moonlight.

Tarn'se roared and charged Eve, swinging his wrist blades wildly. He knew Ravyn would die; the wound Eve inflicted was deadly on a human. Fury and rage made him stronger and faster than he ever was before.

But he still wasn't fast enough.

Eve easily dodged around him as he flew past. Tarn'se felt thin, cool, claws fingers brush the back of his neck as his dreadlocks tightened. He gave a bark of pain and surprise as Eve yanked his back and slammed him into the ground.

Eve spun and dropped down on top of him, pinning him with surprising strength. She sighed and shook her head, "I honestly though that you two had a good chance at beating me; hell you beat my sister and I knew that was no cake-walk. Still, such a shame that two excellent hunters such as yourselves will die…" Eve grinned, baring her fangs and lowering her mouth to Tarn'se's strained neck, preparing to feed.

Tarn'se shuddered as he felt the sharp, wet fangs brush against his throat. He shut his eyes and prepared for the pain.

Eve's weight on his chest was suddenly relieved and Tarn'se's eyes snapped open to see an extremely pissed off Ravyn barrel into a surprised Eve.

The two rolled and tumbled for a few feet. In the end, Ravyn was on top of Eve, a dagger digging into Eve's flesh right above her heart while Eve had the razor blade of a throwing knife pressed against Ravyn's carotid artery.

"I win…" Ravyn grinned.

"Not quite," Eve grinned back, "If you stab me, I use my last bit of strength to slit your throat."

"And if you slit my throat I shove this into your heart, and don't try teleporting either. I'm too fast for that now."

Eve smiled coyly, "It seems we are in a stalemate. I rematch is due, I believe…"

"I don't think so," Ravyn growled, pressing down harder on her dagger, pressing it into Eve's skin, making the vampire wince, "Remember the deal? If you win, you get the keep your blood. If not, I get that blood." Ravyn grinned widely, "You never said I had to beat you…"

Eve blinked and seemed to think about it for a moment. Giving Ravyn a surprised look, Eve replied, "So I did not…" Eve grinned again, "Well, why don't you let me up and we'll get this little blood drive started, eh?"

There's only one more chapter after this…it makes me happy but sad at the same time; I've grown rather fond of this story. I think it may be my best yet! (It certainly is the longest!) Please review!!!