Chapter 9

The air was tense the following morning. Raziel hadn't slept for worry of Mioko, Azrael hadn't slept for worry of Meg, Kain feared for them both but knew better than to voice his concerns. He would keep them to himself, after all at the end of this battle they would know the best or the worst. He didn't know what had happened to them and it was better if he didn't try to think about it. Instead he immersed himself in the preparations for the coming battle. Raziel had tried but he couldn't concentrate on anything but his daughter, not even Azrael had tried to console him, everyone feared the worst but nobody spoke of it.

With the dawn however, came a change. Everyone was prepared and raring for the battle. Zephon, Turel and Dumah had already left to begin their marches. The Rahabim were calmly assembling at the front. Dumah's cavalry unit were almost ready at the gates, waiting to strike from the centre, they were just waiting for Raziel to join them to confirm the strategy.

Azrael and Raziel stood in Rahab's presence chamber which had been given to Kain for his stay. Kain was within and it was customary for the firstborn to come out with him. "I wish…" Azrael began but broke off, he shook his head, "never mind."

"What?" Raziel asked, straight away, hoping for some distraction from the thoughts he barely acknowledged to himself.

Azrael sighed, "I wish things were different," he smirked from admitting the obvious, "I mean if Meg really is…" he trailed off but then managed to voice the thing that no one had dared to mention, "if she is gone…I just wish that she had gone knowing that I loved her."

Raziel nodded mutely, "I just keep thinking about all the things we haven't done yet."

Raising an eyebrow he turned to his sire, "what do you mean?"

"Mioko may never grow up, she may never fall in love," he was careful to keep the word may on every idea, to say that she would never do these things would be too final, he had to keep his hope, "she may never have children herself and she may never join us as a vampire, she's so very young, I just wish she could have her life as she should."

Inside the chamber Kain could hear every word, he too had refused to acknowledge the thought that Meg could be gone. She had been at his side since before the beginning. She had been as constant as the Reaver on his back and just as faithful. He couldn't imagine the empire without her, as much as he had berated Azrael for thinking her gone, now he had to admit the chances of her and Mioko being alive were slim at best. Meg, his only daughter and Mioko, the only child, there would be an void in the empire, they just could not be gone…

Kain donned the armour that he never thought he would wear again and paused to glance at his reflection. 'Meg always does this…she would come in and help me dress, she would mock the enemy and praise my choice of armour "Red goes with your eyes" she would laugh.' He banished these thoughts and turned them to the matter at hand, taking up the Reaver he moved into the presence chamber.

He did not need to talk to Raziel and he never had felt the need to speak to Azrael, now he did not say a word to either of them, they just fell naturally to his side. Raziel at his right hand, walking a step behind his master and Azrael walking on the left side…in Meg's place but walking two more steps behind them just to indicate his status as a son of a son of Kain and not a Lieutenant himself. The natural order of their march was already disturbed.

The men were all ready and waiting. Rahab and Circe were deep in conversation with Circe barking last minute formation corrections, only to have them corrected again and then returned to the original. The men accepted it without a word of complaint, Rahab was meticulous in his planning and every man had to be perfectly positioned before he would even consider sending them into battle. A man brought three horses forward, Kain's was armoured as he was with matching colours and his standard emblazoned on cloths draped either side of the saddle. Raziel and Azrael both bore the proud symbol of Razielim. Kain inspected his horse and made one small change. He tore off one of his symbols, his insignia on red background and replaced it with the same marking on a deep purple cloth, Meg's symbol. "Meg has ridden with me in every battle I have ever faced, this is the least I can do," he said more to Azrael than Raziel. Azrael bowed his head, worthy of words from the overlord himself, but knew that Kain realised that Azrael would miss Meg as much as he; none of the others could grieve her on the same level. Rahab brought his horse to Azrael's side, acknowledging the lesser vampire as Kain's choice to ride beside him. Raziel took the head of the Dumahim cavalry, trying to tell the men what their strategy would be without thinking of the daughter he was looking for. Then there was nothing left to do but wait.

In the cave elsewhere, Dantess, Meg and Mioko were woken by a sound louder than an explosion. "Daddy!" Mioko squealed as soon as she woke up, she would forever call for Raziel whenever she was scared. In an instant Meg and Dantess were on their feet, weapons drawn, their eyes darting around the cave for a sign of attack. Meg lifted Mioko up into her arms and looked up at Dantess,

"What's going on?" she asked. Dantess drew his sword and went to the cave entrance. There was silence while he was gone but soon he came running back.

"We have to leave," he said, "now." He handed Meg's sword to her and lifted Mioko into his own arms, "The vampires are fighting the demons, some of them are retreating, they're coming this way."

"We can't go that way!" Meg called as Dantess started making his way back the way he came. "It took all this time to get this far, they'd be upon us in no time and we can't fight them off here, it's too closed in."

Dantess thought for a moment and moved Mioko so that he could use one arm freely, "Mioko, my darling you must hold onto me tightly and not let go, it'll be difficult but you have to hold on, alright?" he coaxed her, gently. The panic of Dantess and Meg had got to her and she wanted Raziel more than ever, but she nodded anyway and wrapped her arms around Dantess' neck, tightly so that she would not lose her grip.

The demons were already filing into the cave and Dantess and Meg knew they would have to fight their way past them if they were going to get into the open. Fighting with Mioko in his arms didn't diminish his prowess at all, if anything it helped him somewhat as he was more agile and careful than he would be normally. Meg occasionally jumped in to deflect a blow that was aimed at them, it was amazing how these demons had no concept of who they were fighting, they were just killing machines, some of them were even fighting each other in their confusion.

The attack had completely surprised them. Raziel's sword moved fluidly from one side to the other so fast it was becoming a blur. Behind him the Dumahim cavalry did the same following in perfect formation; not faltering for an instant. Their daring raid straight through the middle of the camp had thrown the demons into a confused panic which intensified when those who tried to run found themselves boxed in by the reinforcements. The vampires had utterly and completely surrounded them; there was no escape and the vampires weren't taking prisoners. Kain had ridden into the battle and had jumped from his horse just so he could kill more easier. Azrael had followed suit and dismounted behind the overlord and was fighting beside him; even though they were surrounded they clearly had the upper hand with superior skills and the advantage of the Rahabim army advancing behind them; they were just the first wave. Kain brought the Reaver down on two demons in one diagonal stroke killing them instantly, but as he did so he heard, "Yeah!" It was a random cry of elation and could have belonged to any one of the vampires who had thrown themselves into the battle and were enjoying every moment but Kain knew that tone; he had heard that cry too many times to not recognise it. He looked up and through the mass of moving bodies he saw her.

"Meg!" he shouted despite himself. Azrael instantly looked up and had his horse brought back in a second. She was but a few metres away her sword moving as if she were dancing and her smile showed that she was having the time of her life. Beside her there was a demon, he was laughing with her and killing just as many demons but as if that weren't strange enough Mioko was in his arms holding onto him for dear life. "Mioko!" Azrael thought and on the other side of the field Raziel heard his firstborn's thought and fought every instinct he had to break formation and ride back to see her.

Meg heard her name and she looked up. She could see Kain and Azrael fighting near her and she lightly steered Dantess towards them so they would eventually cut a path towards the other. In the distance they heard a roar and they knew that the Melchium had joined the fray. The demons were lessening now; there were far more vampires on the field in some cases there were a group of vampires cutting down a single demon and Meg and Kain grew ever closer.

They were fighting beside each other now but still they could not say a word, all of them breathless from the endless motions of the battle yet exhilarated at the same time. Then the demons all turned and flooded to the tent at the very centre of the camp; one that had been untouched by the battle as of yet and one that seemed to be glowing somewhat. "They're retreating!" Dantess shouted as the last demon left them to return, "They're going back!"

"Let them go!" Kain shouted and his command rang out around the hills. He and Azrael turned to Meg but she was at Dantess' side,

"You have to go with them!" she told him, lifting Mioko into her arms. He looked at her then back at the retreating demons, "You have to go back to your own world!"

He nodded almost reluctantly, "Farewell Lady Meg, Lady Mioko," he kissed both of their hands and seemed to be making a show of it, "Remember me well!" he bowed deeply, "Gogandantess!" he struck a pose, "the greatest swordsman of all demons!" Then he turned and joined the few demons who had survived to the portal back to their own world. Nobunaga hadn't even joined the battle himself when he realised that he was losing it.

Azrael and Kain glanced at each other unsure of what had just happened while Mioko waved after him shouting, "Bye Bye Dantess!" He waved once more over the back of his shoulder before he stepped into the tent and the last demon left Nosgoth.

TBC