A/N: Disclaimer in Chapter 1.
Only five chapters to go after this!
Chapter 25: Prisoners of War
Vlad landed silently, Ingrid next to him. He paused as he waited for Minola, Lucius and Joshua to land behind them.
He wasn't willing to let Erin and Bertrand come with them, for all they knew it was a diversion they needed at least one powerful vampire to remain with the Draculas and clan members in case the Nobles came knocking.
Vlad cautiously entered the building, he gestured for the others to enter silently.
He could enter vampire residences without being invited in, it was only breather and slayer ones he couldn't enter.
The castle was dark, too dark. Minola lifted her hand to light the candle but Vlad raised his arm to stop her. There was no point in alerting any of the rebels to their presence.
The group walked down the winding corridors of the large medieval castle. Their shoes made no noise on the floor, an occasional creak came from the leather but that was all. Everyone's hearing was on full alert, their eyes constantly searching all around in the darkness.
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Ingrid stopped as a slither of light lit up the bottom of the corridor. Vlad mirrored her position on the other side of the door. He gestured for Joshua, Lucius and Minola to be ready. After three he clicked the door open and they rushed into the room.
The room was a large banquet hall, a table stretching the length. A pile of ash complete with a stake rested just inside the room. There were twelve members of that clan residing in the manor; some clans were living together temporarily as a means to best protect themselves. They hoped the other eleven members had escaped with their lives.
A loud crash echoed throughout the building. Focussing his hearing on the noise Vlad sped off in the direction of the sound before ducking as a fireball sailed over his head.
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At least three children were screaming and crying in fear at the commotion in the room.
The adults bravely shot fireballs at the rebels. It seemed the training they'd received was being put to good use, he was glad he'd insisted on at least one clan member being trained to teach the rest of the family. It had just bought this clan time until they arrived.
There were six rebels across the other side of the room, firing UV grenades and stakes at the vampires.
Vlad made a sweeping motion with his hands towards the rebels, all of their weapons flew upwards hitting the ceiling and remaining there as if they were magnetised. Stakes were ripped out of their holsters, joining the other weaponry on the ceiling.
Now weaponless two of the rebels tried to run from the room, the spineless cowards. Vlad angrily waved his hand and they flew against the wall their head impacting against the exposed brickwork of the wall knocking them out cold. They slumped to the floor completely motionless.
The remaining rebels launched themselves at the vampires, determined to fight to the death.
Ingrid's 'prey' was an easy to battle, the rebel was a weak one. She was offended this rebel thought he could beat her. No muscle at all and clearly very little skill compared to what they'd been taught, however she couldn't afford to become overconfident, if she did it could mean the death of her. She remembered Vlad and Jonno's warning and deliberately refused to bite the rebel.
The rebel was confused, the vampire should be going for his neck, it was fight to the death. If he went the vampire with him would go to thanks to the garlic pills but she wouldn't touch his neck. He found himself quickly becoming winded by fighting the Chosen One's sister. He went for her thinking that he would be martyred after killing such a powerful vampire but she was more clever than he gave her credit for.
Ingrid grew tired of fighting the rebel and drew her hand back before punching him in the face knocking him out.
The rebels didn't dare attack Vlad, which he found amusing. Lucius, Minola and Joshua were deliberately leading their opponents on and that caused anger to swell in him. They were to fight and not let their emotions get in the way – that included arrogance.
With a sharp click of his fingers the slayers dropped to the floor – sleeping peacefully, he wasn't about to lose three good vampires because they couldn't resist playing with their food.
"Toying with them will get you slain!" He snapped at the trio. "You get too overconfident for a second and they've staked you." Vlad calmed himself, closing his eyes for a moment. "When you fight the Rebels you don't have emotions, you react physically not mentally." He repeated what Bertrand had drummed into him, "Use anger, use happiness but don't ever start to think it's easy." Anger made you stronger but arrogance got you killed. "Do you understand?"
Minola and Joshua looked like kids who'd been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "Yes sire."
"Check the Harnicas are alright." They nodded moving across the room towards the clan to try and assist them.
"What are you going to do with them?" Ingrid asked quietly. Gesturing to the six unconscious slayers.
He couldn't leave them, he couldn't chance them revealing whatever information they'd gathered about them to the other rebels.
"Take them back with us. They're our first prisoners of war."
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Erin jumped as the sofa dipped suddenly with a bang. Robin had only jumped over the back of the sofa landing on it sharply. She was amazed the old springs didn't give from the sudden increased gravity.
"When's Vlad back?"
"When he's finished." Erin muttered inbetween mouthfuls of pickled onion and soy blood. She used to hate pickled onions but not anymore. Robin had grown used to her eating habits mainly from Vlad forcing him to stay in the room for moral support but Tess was turning an interesting shade of green.
"How long? I thought you had this bond with him…"
"I don't know Robin. I'm not going to interrupt Vlad to ask him." She snapped, "If he's in the middle of a fight I'm not going to distract him and get him slain!" Her voice rose in anger. Robin shrank back along the sofa away from her, fear on his face.
Erin shook her head slightly she was worried about Vlad. He'd never gone on a solo mission without her (by choice) before; with the way things were at the moment she was terrified for him. Her mind kept wandering imagining all the different ways he could be slain.
"Sorry Robin." She apologised, "I want him back but we have to be patient."
Robin nodded and reached out a hand rubbing her arm slowly, accepting her apology.
Erin had sent the other clans home, instructing them to protect their families should they be attacked. She could take care of the Draculas along with Bertrand and the Count.
As if he knew she was thinking about him the Count walked in. He reached over Erin and took one of the pickled onions out of the bowl of soy blood.
"I wouldn't…" Robin and Tess warned but it was too late by then the Count had popped the soy blood coated onion into his mouth and began to chew.
The breathers in the room held their breath and screwed up their eyes. Erin simply lifted the bowl for him to have more.
He chewed at the food, the crunching sound making the breathers shrink into their seats waiting for the explosion that they were sure was to follow. Instead all he said was: "What is it?"
Erin shrugged popping another into her mouth, the Count reached down to pick another one, "Pickled onion in soy blood."
He dropped it as if it were a hot coal; it hits the floor with a muffled thump, rolling across it and under the chest of drawers in the corner of the room. Erin seemed slightly put out at the waste of her food.
"Soy blood? Pickled Onion?" He asked sharply, slightly aghast. He looked just like a kid who'd eaten his chopped greens only to be told they were sprouts. Erin nodded reaching across the table to add more soy blood and onions to her bowl.
Despite his attitude towards it he picked out another one and ate it. "Not bad." He commented, "Gives that bland muck taste."
Robin and Tess looked across the room, avoiding the awful sight in front of them.
The Count reached down again for another onion but Erin slapped his hand way. "Get your own." She ordered, hugging the bowl to her protectively.
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Vlad threw his cape into the corridor, he looked thoroughly exhausted Erin noted as she met him in the basement on the other side of the school.
Lucius, Minola and Joshua segregated the slayers into private cells within the room. The Count had insisted on cells being built when they moved to Garside Grange. Vlad had protested at first but now he was thankful his father had ignored him.
Each slayer was unconscious. Jonno and Ryan searched them, checking to make sure there was no hidden weaponry, any technology or devices they could use either to attack them or escape.
The pair withdrew with bottles of garlic pills, mobile phones, argentalium vials, stasis spray and miniature radios that fitted in the ear.
Erin wrapped an arm around his waist, "You brought them back?"
"Couldn't risk them heading back."
A thumping of heavy footsteps echoes down the corridor, no make that two sets of footsteps. The pattern to the sound was rapid which meant who ever they were they were running,
Robin whizzed around the corner, Tess close behind him. Robin bent over trying to get his breath back, panting widely. "Ingrid said you'd brought some rebels back." Tess told him, a hand to her chest to calm her heartbeat.
Vlad gestured to the cages. Robin studied them closely, "These weren't the ones who attacked us before."
"I know."
The false hope that the Nobles only had twenty rebels on their side flew out of the window, there were clearly more than that. Still they were only young.
Robin was afraid of the next answer, "Was Chloe…"
Lucius addressed Robin as he closed the final door to the cell, "These are all the rebels that were there." He turned the key in the lock before throwing it to Vlad. They weren't going to keep the keys in the basement, Vlad was going to look after them personally. "They killed one vampire."
It was surprising there hadn't been any more casualties; Vlad supposed the vampire that had been slain was in the wrong place at the wrong time. At least before he died he managed to warn his family, otherwise there would be more casualties of war.
"The training worked then." Erin stated, not expecting an answer.
Vlad twisted his body to look at Jonno as a thought occurred to him, "If Chloe's been brainwashed is there a chance these have too?" Vlad stifled the yawn that was threatening to break through as he spoke.
"Its possible." Jonno agreed, "There's no way to know for sure."
Erin realised what Vlad was thinking, "Is it possible that you could work with them to have them deprogrammed?"
Jonno transferred some of the confiscated items from his hands to his pockets, the weight becoming uncomfortable, "I can't do it…" Jonno began shaking his head, before pausing, "But some of the therapists might be able to do it at the Guild. They helped with mind wipe it shouldn't be that much different."
"It wouldn't hurt to try."
Robin was the one who looked offended at the idea; "You're not going to use them as guinea pigs Vlad?"
Erin was the one who answered, "No one is going to be experimented on, if they've been brainwashed they deserve the chance to have their free will back. Brainwashing takes it away."
"It isn't right." Tess added.
"This might be the only way to get the Chloe we know back." He appealed to Robin, Tess placed a hand on Robin's shoulder knowing how the thought of what Chloe had become hurt him. "If they're in any form of pain we'll stop right away but the Nobles made the first move taking away their right to choose, I want to give it back to all the rebels."
Tess still seemed unsure, "You won't hurt them?"
"It shouldn't hurt them." Jonno assured her, "Its different from a memory wipe they won't be in any danger."
Robin and Tess shared an unsure look before nodding, anything to get the real Chloe back. Erin stepped closer to the pair; Vlad gave her hand a squeeze in thanks. Erin was good at reassuring people. Tess and Robin began to make their way out of the basement with Jonno. Erin followed them before stopping and walking back to Vlad.
She reached up and brought his forehead down to hers, "I'm glad you're safe. Love you." She whispered, realising how much she should have said those words before he went. If he'd been killed she would have regretted not saying them for the rest of her life. She made a promise to herself to always say them before he went off on missions without her.
"Love you too." He whispered before kissing her sweetly, just as Erin was about to deepen the kiss he pulled back jerking his head behind him. Erin was confused before looking over his shoulder seeing Lucius in the room still, Minola and Joshua must have already left while they were kissing.
Lucius clearly wanted to speak to Vlad alone. She kissed his jaw before vanishing from the room, clearly trying to catch up with the others.
Vlad turned slowly to face Lucius, the older vampire looked slightly nervous and flustered. Vlad had never seen him this way.
"Vlad," Lucius began pausing to check he could speak, as he hadn't asked permission, Vlad nodded accepting his request. He knew he was going to dread this. "It's about Ingrid…"
TBC
A/N: What do you think?
Thanks for reading.