(5) Fade To Black

Nýchta felt the sting of being whipped & bolted with no one in control of him. Eurus sunk her fingers into his long black mane while Sherlock hung on to her. Both leaned down over his neck to avoid getting swiped off by the trees. The black stallion fortunately stuck to the main trail since there was less snow here & it was too dark to see much but he knew these trails well enough. He plunged onward, away from the smoke, away from the fires, away from the screams & the flying monsters. He didn't stop for there was nothing to tell him to stop.

"Eurus!" Sherlock gasped, trying to hang on to her as Nýchta picked up the pace once they cleared the forest. "Eurus, stop him!"

"I can't!" Eurus yelled back as the wind whipped through the horse's mane & her own hair. "Just hold on! We'll have to let him wear down!"

"Eurus!" Sherlock yelped & suddenly, his hands slipped from her waist. He fell & there was instant pain all along his left arm. He rolled onto his right side but ended up going over an edge. He slid down until hitting a ledge sticking out.

"Xanthá!" Eurus screamed as she felt him fall but her voice was already distant to his ears as the stallion surged on into the thing he was named for.

A ray of pink started to streak across the sky as Nýchta galloped on, his hooves pounding down the trails of the wilderness. Eurus looked back, wondering where Sherlock had fallen. She couldn't leave him behind & she already had a lot of steps to retrace. She dug her hands into the mane & did the stupidest thing she ever did in her life yet. She jumped onto the horse's head & slid down the side, yanking the mane around as she slipped down. Nýchta reared up, dragging her along & she felt a painful thud on her breast as his front hooves connected with her body. She let go & fell to the ground.

Eurus rolled away just as the hooves came down. She jumped up & grabbed the edge of the hide on his back with one hand & the mane in the other, yanking both around to make the horse sort of spin. Nýchta whinnied angrily but finally stopped moving. "Alright!" Eurus gasped, falling against his neck. "Let's find Xanthá." She pulled some spare straps from the quiver & tied a makeshift bridle around the fuzzy black nose. "We've got to go back," She panted. "We have to find him. You better remember where you went!"

Snorting under breath, Nýchta stood still as Eurus pulled herself up. Holding the rope in one hand, she pulled, spinning the horse around. Next she tried folding the rope over the neck & pulled in the opposite direction. Nýchta stood straight & bobbed his head, trying to understand. "Alright," Eurus sighed. "We'll work on that. Now ... get!" She kicked him a little harder than usual. She was not looking forward to searching for her brother in the dim light of morning. It was still dark enough for those creatures to come out. Worse, she had to head back & the smoke from the stakes was still billowing in the air from far away. Eurus looked down into the shining black mane as reality slowly crashed around her. She hoped this was a nightmare, but why wasn't she waking up yet? Her parents had been murdered in front of her eyes. Yes, she had fired the killing blow but only to put them out of their misery when it was obvious they could not be saved. But that never should have happened in the first place! Sherrinford & Mycroft were probably dead by now, as well. She wasn't fooled. There was a reason her brothers had gotten rid of her & Sherlock. Save the younger ones to continue ... continue what? Her whole life had been destroyed in one night. All she had left was the prized stallion of the whole land & Sherlock & that was only if she could find him before someone else could.

Eurus pulled the rope up a little as Nýchta entered the meadow they had recently gone through. It ended at the edge of a ravine & she could just see the top as the morning brightened. "Xanthá?" Eurus called out as the horse moved out of the forest into the clearing. She started back on the paths cut through the snow as a few more flakes began falling. "Xanthá!" She started calling every few moments as she scanned around. As she neared the top of the cliff, Eurus saw red snow over large boulders. Sherlock must have fallen there & hit the rocks. But he was no where in sight. "Xanthá!" She tried one more time.

"Eurus?"

Looking towards the sound, Eurus saw the top of the cliff where a red slide appeared. She got off the horse & went to look over. Piercing blue eyes looked up at her. "Oh, Xanthá!" She got down on her knees, looking down at him. He was dangerously perched on a tiny boulder jutting up under his toes. One wrong step & he'd fall several hundred feet to a river far below.

"Eurus, please help me. I can't hold on much longer!"

"What happened?" Eurus got up & pulled the horse over. She began searching for more rope.

"It's rather obvious, isn't it?" Sherlock snapped, rearranging the fingers of his good hand that was clutching at another rock. It was all he had besides standing on tip toe on the rock that had caught him. His left arm hung useless & bleeding by his side.

Eurus pulled out the long rope & lowered one end. "Grab it. I'll pull you up."

"I can't use my other hand," Sherlock said. "If I let go, I'll fall."

"You have to try!" Eurus ordered as she lay down to stretch the rope as much as possible. "You need to catch the rope." Sherlock shook his head as he stared at the end next to his face. He knew it was the only way out. He tried a grab for it but missed & slid down further. Fortunately, he ended on a lower rock though it wobbled. But now they had another problem. The rope wouldn't reach him. "You have to climb up!" Eurus demanded pleadingly. "It won't reach!"

"I can't," Sherlock said. "I think ... it's just going to be you." Eurus burst into tears. Was she really going to be the only one left? "Eurus! You've got to go to Elizabet! She'll need help with the children."

"I'm getting you up!" Eurus punched the cliff top hard enough to make her knuckles bleed. A few stones rolled down past Sherlock. "You don't move! I'll find more rope! I WILL get you up, Xanthá!"

"I can't use my other hand," Sherlock said. "I don't know what happened but I can't even move a finger on it. It's really tiring just holding with one hand."

"I don't care!" Eurus snapped. "I will kill you myself if you say any more!"

"I believe it," Sherlock muttered, rolling his eyes. He lifted his head a little, hearing something.

Eurus stood up & looked behind her. She grabbed her bow & arrows & disappeared from Sherlock's view. He could hear yells as Eurus began firing arrows into a group of people that had come after her. Both ends of her bow were also blades & she swung it around, slitting throats of anyone who got too close. The sounds died & Eurus returned to the edge. "Well, I got plenty of rope now. Just give me some time to tie them together."

"Take all the time you need," Sherlock droned out sardonically, glancing down at the swerving line of silverish blue far below. "No hurry here."

"Shut up!" Eurus fumed, trying to tie two ropes together. She tossed an end down & made it go low enough to touch Sherlock's hips. "Now get on it so I can pull you up & punch you!"

"I think I'd rather stay here," Sherlock complained, calculating his next grab. If he missed this one, that would be the end of him. He made another snatch for it & managed to get the rope. He twisted it around his better arm a few times & slowly began to climb, pressing his feet against the cliff face. Eurus threw her end around Nýchta's neck & pushed him back to help bring Sherlock to the top & drag him over. Eurus ran over & dropped to her knees beside him. She tried putting her arms around him.

"Careful!" Sherlock cried out, moving away to keep his busted arm out of her reach.

Eurus moved to his better side & waited for Sherlock to get control of the pain. They shared a long look before Eurus buried her face into Sherlock's good shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. Sherlock tried to hold her as best possible, unable to say anything more. Both were wondering how they were still alive right now & the fact that they went from a family of six down to two in a short brutal way was still sinking in. The only comfort Sherlock had was that Elizabet had discreetly moved to another location & he was the only one who knew where she went, but even her & the children were not the same as the family he had grown up with & been with his whole life & now they were gone. He shifted a little, trying to take all weight off his left side.

"I've got to get you to the witch doctor," Eurus said, lifting her head from his shoulder.

"How?" Sherlock asked, wiping away a few tears he didn't know he had let loose. "I can't get on that horse right now. I can't pull myself on."

Eurus looked around. "Can you stand?"

"I think so," Sherlock delicately pushed himself up with his better hand. He was soon standing & now saw the bloodbath beyond the boulders that Eurus had caused. Fifteen bodies lay dead strewn about in the stained snow.

"They got what they deserved," Eurus snarled as she began pulling out her arrows from her victims. "I'll help you up onto the stones. You can get onto the horse from there."

It took a lot of manoeuvring & trying more than one stone until they found two side by side, one smaller to get on & then from there to the higher stone & finally, Sherlock was on Nýchta. Sherlock let his left arm hang loosely as he favoured his right side more. Eurus put a loop of rope around the stallion's nose again & then put one end back on either side for reins before climbing up behind Sherlock.

It was a long hard ride to the witch doctor's village. Eurus kept Nýchta at a canter for most of the day, pushing him to keep going. The farther they were from the other villages, the better. She also wanted to get to the witch doctor before someone else did to spread lies about them. It was late afternoon by the time they arrived. Nýchta was panting hard as he stumbled onto the main road through the village. He slowed to a walk. As they passed through, several people looked up at them, their eyes drifting to the blood from Sherlock's busted arm. Eurus suddenly realized she had nothing for payment & began thinking wildly. Only two things came to mind: her black bow that her father had given her or the beautiful stallion. Neither of which she wanted to give up but it didn't seem like much choice in the matter.

By the time they had reached the witch doctor's hut, they had quite the following behind them. Eurus shot them all a dark glare but the curious villagers didn't seem to mind. The blind doctor came upto them, feeling the air around the horse & its two riders with his hand.

"What happened here?" He finally asked.

"He fell off the horse & then down a cliff," Eurus explained as she got off. She was suddenly glad that others had followed for Sherlock needed a lot of help to get off the horse.

Sherlock was laid onto a stretcher made of rods lashed together by ropes & brought into a large building set off by itself behind the village & up against a hill. It was similar to the celebration hall of Wycoller & seemed to be some sort of medicine hut. Sherlock was laid down in the center & left there. The old man knelt beside him. "It has begun," he said as he began cutting away the fur covering the busted arm. He put a stone bowl under the large wounds to let it fill up with the blood.

"What has?" Sherlock murmured, about to pass out.

"Your time of sorrows," the witch doctor replied, switching the full bowl of blood out for another one.

Eurus sat in a corner, watching as the witch doctor put Sherlock into a trance to help him sleep & no longer feel any pain. The air was heavy with a sweet smoke while the doctor stretched out the busted arm along the ground & laid sticks on either side. He pushed & prodded at the bones as if placing them back before wrapping the wounds. Then he began tying them all together. By the time he was done, there were five full stone bowls of blood set aside.

"What will you do with that?" Eurus asked in a low whisper while Sherlock still slept.

"I have plenty of uses for the red river in us," the blind man got up & moved away from Sherlock. "Tell me what happened?"

Eurus felt she could trust this old blind man & she ended up telling him everything. Her words tumbled out one after another as if she couldn't stop. Seeing the night happen was one thing, but now, she was talking about it & that finalized it in her mind. It was not just a nightmare. It had truly happened. Her parents were gone. She would most likely never see Sherrinford or Mycroft again & Sherlock was crippled for life. With a busted arm like that, he probably could never be able to use his axe again or ride a horse properly. She stood in silence for a moment, processing all that again. "That's why I practically killed my poor horse, trying to get here before someone else did to lie about us. We are not the vrykólakas!"

"Not a single person in this village would believe it had someone tried to tell us that," the old man said. "We are capable of telling who is & who is not dead & your family had always been alive."

"Until now," Eurus sniffled. "They're all dead & burned by now. It's just the two of us left."

The old man went to the door & let another one in. They began speaking in a strange language. The other man nodded & took off. The witch doctor closed the door & looked towards Sherlock still passed out in the center of the floor. "That remains to be seen," he said. "I have sent a messenger to the Lady. She will know what to do."

"The Lady!" Eurus gasped. "From the Waldheri. You know her?"

"Oh yes," the witch doctor replied. "She is a good one. Come now. Let your brother sleep." He led Eurus out into the streets. Her head cleared once she was in the fresh air. She saw Nýchta being led away by two others, his head down.

"By the way," Eurus began. "I only have my set of bow & arrows or my horse. Which do you prefer?"

"Neither," the witch doctor replied. "You have lost more than enough."

Eurus felt a relief that she didn't have to give up anything. "You said something about sorrow beginning. What do you mean?"

"I saw a vision in your brother's red river when he brought his daughter to me," the doctor replied. "A vision of blackness sweeping over him. Of fire. Of death. Of betrayal."

"You saw last night? Why didn't you try to stop it?"

"It was not that I saw last night," the witch doctor explained. "I only understood that something would happen to your brother. Not the what or the when or the where of it. When you brought your brother to me today & I came into contact again with his red river flowing outside of him, I could see that the vision I had earlier was becoming a reality. But I did not know what exactly had happened to him, other than that it had started." He sat down at his wooden table by the stream. "Even if I had known, I can not stop the hate of men's hearts. I tried to envision more, in the hopes that something could stop it but nothing other than the same vision returned to me. I am only a doctor. One who repairs damage already done. I can not prevent it."

Eurus put her face into her hands for a bit, feeling about as tired as Nýchta was on top of everything else. She wandered through the village while Sherlock slept off whatever drugs he had been given. She eventually found the black stallion lying down in a paddock next to a water trough & a huge pile of dried grass to eat. Someone was in with him, brushing him down with a small piece of hide. They put the piece aside & came over to the fence.

"He needs to sleep a bit," the man said. "You ran him beyond his limit."

"I know," Eurus sighed. "What choice did I have?"

"I heard what happened," the man climbed over the fence. "Mankind can be cruel, yet they call the undead the monsters." He turned & walked away without another word, leaving Eurus staring at his retreating back in surprise. Hearing a loud thump, Eurus looked back to see her horse spread out on his side, sleeping. She slowly made her way back to where Sherlock was resting & sat beside him. The sweet smoke was almost gone but there was enough to put her in a daze & finally let her own body relax a bit.

Sherlock slept right through the night & woke up late the next day to find her still sitting there, watching over him. "Why are you here?" He asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Sherlock looked along his left side to see his arm in the splint. "You should go to the hunting house," he said. "It would be better that way."

"What do you mean?" Eurus asked. "I'm not leaving you behind!"

"If we are found, do you want us both to get caught?" Sherlock pointed out. Eurus had no answer to that so she remained silent. "If you go to the hunting house, you might be safer. It is by itself way out in the wilderness, unlike here where a witch doctor resides & everyone eventually comes to see him. Besides, if Theós & Mikró survived, one of the first places they would look for either of us is there. You should wait for them there. It's only safer this way, Eurus. You should go now, while there is still time."

"If I leave, we might never see each other again," Eurus said.

"You'd rather we all die?" Sherlock asked. "If something does happen to me here, I need someone left behind to take care of Elizabet & the children."

"I should go to them, then," Eurus said.

"Not yet," Sherlock knew Elizabet was moving the children & he didn't want to mention that yet in case someone was listening. "You have to go to the hunting house first & wait a bit. If Theós & Mikró don't show up, then I will find you when my arm heals a bit & we can go to Elizabet."

Eurus looked away, hiding tears. She knew he was right. "I don't want to leave you, Xanthá."

"You have to," Sherlock insisted. "I am useless right now. I don't think I can ever use this arm properly again even when it does heal. Right now, you're the only hope to get to Elizabet. You should go now. Before the night comes again."

Eurus put her face in her hands. She had a feeling she might end up being the only one after all & worse, what a hell of a story she was going to have to tell Elizabet once she did find her again. "I know," she sighed. "I'll see if Nýchta can stand yet." She got up to leave. At the door, she looked back once more at Sherlock before going outside & letting it closed.

Nýchta was still in no condition to move even though he had rested for over a day by now, but the man that was caring for him offered his own horse that she could use. He said he would bring Nýchta & trade the horses back in a few days. "I know where your hunting house is," he added. "The Waldheri are not far from there."

"You know them?"

"This entire village is with them," the man said, moving aside to let Eurus get on to the red horse. He handed up the reins. "I am truly sorry for your loss, dear girl," he said as she took them. Eurus caught sight of his eyes as he looked away & she could have sworn there was a hint of red colour for some reason. "You head straight for that hunting house. If we receive any news, one of us will let you know." He moved away & slapped the horse's rump to make it trot away. He went to the doctor who was checking in on Sherlock & helping him with a bowl of ginger root soup.

"Your sister is on her way home," the witch doctor said. "But her horse is still worn out. We will keep him for one more night."

"You should not keep me here," Sherlock replied as he finished the soup. "If anyone comes looking for me, the whole village could be in danger."

The witch doctor laughed out loud, making Sherlock stare at him. "There is little chance of that," the witch doctor said. "Do not worry about your sister. I have sent someone to follow her home. She would be just as well here but it is not in our nature to hold an innocent against their will." He picked up the empty soup bowl. "You should try to sleep through the night."

Sherlock tried to protest, not wanting to spend a second night here, but an unusual tiredness swept over him. Whatever was in that soup was knocking him out. He was soon fast asleep once more. The witch doctor stepped outside with the other man & led him to his hut nearby. He poured some of Sherlock's blood that he had been collecting since Sherlock had first arrived into a mug & gave it to the other man.

After having a sip, the man asked, "What is to be done now?"

"We wait," the witch doctor replied, pouring himself his own mug of blood. "I'm not sure how Drákoulas or Míka managed to turn an entire village against a decent family & destroy them. None of us were expecting that."

"We didn't expect Drákoulas to show up either," the other man said. "How did he escape?"

"It was nearly two thousand years ago," the witch doctor replied. "Literally anything could have caused that. We banished him once, we will do it again. Drákoulas is a much bigger problem than Míka is."

The other man finished his drink & put the mug on the table. "Is it possible for their two older brothers to have survived?"

"Possible," the witch doctor sighed. "But highly unlikely. We will know for sure, soon."

Mycroft leaned over, hands on knees for a moment. "Do you think we'll ever see them again?"

"I doubt it," Sherrinford replied. "But at least they have a chance to survive."

Mycroft picked up the sword he had & turned around. "Let's finish this, Theós!"

The two of them turned back & cut down anyone not being taking by the vrykólakas. It was impossible to tell how many of the winged fiends there were but so long as they spilled blood, it seemed to satisfy the creatures. Mycroft clung to the strange sword that had destroyed one of them already & was prepared to strike if another came too close.

Sherrinford had found another sword by now; though, he had yet to try it on the undead. He held it in one hand & clutched a rather bloody stake in the other. So far, he had not used the stake to destroy the monsters but, very much like Dracula did, he was now spearing anyone within reach & didn't care if it was man, woman, undead or alive.

It was a blood bath that sent the vrykólakas into a feeding frenzy. Sherrinford & Mycroft slowly backed away until they found horses. Mycroft got onto Sherlock's mare while Sherrinford grabbed another horse. They began burning everything down that would catch fire. By now, no one was left alive & in the firelight, one or two of the undead could be seeing drinking from the corpses. But the red wings were not seen again & neither were the cornsilk yellow ones.

"Come on, Theós," Mycroft turned Sherlock's mare around. "We need to take cover while they are placated on the dead. Let's head up to my own place. It isn't far."

"All the dead we caused will come back as more monsters," Sherrinford said.

"We burned most of them," Mycroft replied. "We will destroy the others. But we're down to just the two of us. We need to regroup."

They entered the forest & as soon as they found the trail, they kicked their horses into high speed. Once they reached Mycroft's home, both entered the barn with the horses & barricaded themselves inside. Mycroft went up the ladder into the loft & pushed a pile of dried grass across the boards, letting some fall for the horses. Sherrinford joined him a moment later & both wearily lay back on the soft dried grass. They stared up at the rafters where two owls blinked blearily back at them.

Lying in silence, save for the horses snuffling about, both finally had time to reflect on what had happened. Their parents: murdered. Wycoller: destroyed ... by their own hands. They had allowed the undead to help them kill everyone & left the undead alone. Now, they were lying together in the dark, cold barn wondering if the two younger ones had gotten away. Both had killed a lot of people.

What in Hades just happened to them?

Mycroft put his hands up & rubbed his eyes. "Theós ..."

Sherrinford rolled over, wrapping one arm around his brother. "I know ... We're still here. It won't take long for people to see what's left of Wycoller & if they find out it was us ..."

"They said I betrayed them," Mycroft sighed. "That I set them up for the vrykólakas. I didn't do that! Not until now when they showed up to feed. After what the people did to our parents, I just stood aside to let them drink. It's no less than what they deserved. But before, I did not set any one up."

"I know."

"Why did they think that?" Mycroft gasped. "Our parents ... " He felt Sherrinford tighten his grip around him.

"It's over for them," Sherrinford said. "They're not in pain anymore & they are ashes. They won't come back as monsters."

"What have we done?" Mycroft turned over to cuddle up into Sherrinford's chest.

Sherrinford began petting his hair. "What we had to."

They lay together until dawn began showing through the the edges around the door. Neither had slept at all. Mycroft sat cross-legged in the grass, pressing his fingertips to his tired eyes. "We can't stay here. We're too close to Wycoller & we could become easy targets."

Sherrinford nodded in agreement as he shoved more grass down for the horses. "Let's head out to my home," he began. "There's a few things we should get from there. After that, sometime tomorrow, we should go to the hunting cabin next. If Eurus & Xanthá made it out, they could be there. But we probably won't be able to stay long there, either. I'm not sure where we could go."

Mycroft lowered his hands & looked up at Sherrinford. "The Waldheri valley, maybe?" Sherrinford looked at him. Mycroft added, "They've helped us before."

"For building," Sherrinford said. "They could turn on us just as quickly as Wycoller did."

"It's all we have right now," Mycroft said as he stood up.

"First things first," Sherrinford started down the ladder. "Let's see how the people here react. Hopefully, those here don't really know what happened & will think it was just the doing of the vrykólakas."

"We'll have to be careful," Mycroft said after he came down. Both went to work on the poor horses that had been dressed up in riding gear for ages now. "We can't let on that we took part in that slaughter down there."

"We only have one day," Sherrinford said, working on a clot of blood in the mane of the horse he had taken. "By night, the bodies we killed but didn't burn will awaken & they'll know exactly what happened."

"I know," Mycroft said. "We should let the horses rest until the afternoon & then get them ready to ride out as soon as possible."

Sherrinford jammed his bloodied stake behind a pile of hides used to cover the horses. It would be easy to grab when it was time to ready the horses for leaving. Mycroft pulled out the sword he had found & looked it over. He opened the barn door part way & pulled in some snow. After closing the door again, he stuck the sword into the snow to clean it off before inspecting it more closely.

"I destroyed one of those monsters with this thing," Mycroft said.

"I saw you," said Sherrinford.

Mycroft turned the sword around. "Rather oddly shaped. Mostly flat except the center. Like some sort of rod or something."

"It looks pale yellow," Sherrinford looked over the blade. "Wonder what kind of metal this is?"

"I don't know & don't really care," Mycroft took the blade back. "This thing can destroy those night stalkers. We aren't letting it out of our sight!" He went to the quiver & bow that used to belong to their father that he had grabbed during the take-down of Wycoller & began pulling out some strings, then grabbed one of the horse covers & cut it apart with the sword. He soon made a make shift scabbard for it & tied it with a strap going around his waist.

Sherrinford looked at the undead slayer blade hanging by Mycroft's hip for a moment before slowly opening the door & stepping outside. Mycroft followed & casually as they could, both walked towards Mycroft's house. A few other people were out, mostly taking wood into their homes to keep warm for the winter. Apart from a few odd glances, no one paid them much attention. They managed to go inside Mycroft's home without hassle & began to decide what to take before they started packing a few things.

By late afternoon, they had a few bags packed & moved to the barn. It was time to start getting the horses ready. When they were nearly done, someone ran into the barn, startling Sherrinford, Mycroft & the horses.

"What is wrong with you?" Sherrinford demanded of the young man once he had recovered.

"S-sorry!" The man doubled over, gasping for breath. "Ran a long way. Did you hear?"

"Hear what?" Sherrinford was still rather put out.

"Wycoller!" The man panted. "It's destroyed. The red river flowed everywhere! There's no one left alive! Those vrykólakas must have done it!"

"How did you find out?" Sherrinford asked.

"Some people saw smoke across the land & went to look," the man said. "They also found some horse tracks leading out into the wilderness so a group has gone after to find out who. It's probably more of the vrykólakas leaving after all the destruction they caused!"

Mycroft & Sherrinford quickly glanced at each other. Those tracks most likely belonged to Nýchta. If that group caught up to them ... Mycroft looked back at the man still catching his breath. "Go gather some hunters for the night. I have a feeling we might find some more vrykólakas, soon."

"It won't be so easy as that," the man said. "People are saying that fire doesn't seem to be working as well. They want to avenge what happened to Wycoller & seeing as how people were still attacked even after it burned, it's obvious fire is no good. They're talking of another way to try killing them."

"I know they can be destroyed if they are stabbed in the heart," Sherrinford replied. "What other possible way could we try getting rid of them?"

"Crucifying the dead," the man said. Sherrinford & Mycroft both stared in surprise. Such a brutal device had been around in the area once known as Persia for a few thousand years & it would be made even worse in the next millennium by Rome. They shared a glance with each other, knowing they would be targets along with Sherlock & Eurus, as the man went on. "They are going to start with the ones that destroyed Wycoller!" The man confirmed what Sherrinford & Mycroft were thinking.

"I'll stick to stakes, thanks," Sherrinford muttered. "We'll come join the others soon." The man nodded & hurried outside. Sherrinford turned to Mycroft & added, "We need to be gone before they are all together."

"I know," Mycroft started. "People are getting crazy. I hope that group doesn't catch up to Xanthá & Eurus! While everyone's getting organized, that should give us some time to get out."

"Let's get the horses fin ... ished," Sherrinford was in the process of tying something to his horse but the strap snapped & everything slid off. Looking up in shocked surprise, he caught Mycroft's eye.

"Hurry!" Mycroft got down to help him pick everything up & redo all the ties to secure it to the horse. Sherrinford laid the stake along one side of the horse & attached it with a loop he could easily undo to get the stake if needed.

"It's getting late, Mikró," Sherrinford swung the bow & quiver over his shoulder as he looked out at the long shadows once they were done with his horse. He could see people gathering in the square.

"I've got that sword," Mycroft reminded him. "You just stay close to me. We have to find Xanthá & Eurus before someone else does."

Both mounted up & headed out the back way. Mycroft turned his horse around & began making it walk backwards while Sherrinford let his horse go forward. That way, there would be tracks going in both directions & it would be harder to follow until the tracks got lost in the trees. They skirted around the edge of the village & cut through some forest to get to the main trail. They past a small stone house that was oddly out of the way while breaking through the foliage to get back on the main path.

They soon found tracks of a large group heading out & followed for a while until they entered a red-stained snow-covered meadow. Both stared in surprise at the carnage as they slowly rode through. Sherrinford leaned over & yanked something out of one of the bodies. He held it up for Mycroft to see.

"I think Xanthá & Eurus will be fine," Mycroft said, looking at the arrow.

"Don't make our sister mad," Sherrinford said, sliding the arrow into one of the packs lying across his horse's rump. Mycroft flicked up his brow as he turned his horse back to the trail. It was after dark by the time they made it to Sherrinford's home. They removed the riding gear from the horses & turned them loose behind the house before going inside. Sherrinford's cat came up to meow at them.

"We'll stay here until dawn & then head towards the hunting house," Mycroft said.

Sherrinford picked up the cat & started petting it. "We should pack up a few things during the night so we can leave as soon as possible."

"What about that?" Mycroft pointed at the purring kitty.

"She can stay here for now," Sherrinford said. "She can catch her own food in the barn where the mice are hibernating for winter. Once we find a safe place with Xanthá & Eurus, I can come back for the cat. For now, there is no point since we will be moving around quite a bit. That would just upset her."

Sherrinford put the cat aside & started going through the house with Mycroft to find anything to pack up. It wouldn't be much as they only had two horses. Mostly, they packed anything that could be used as a weapon. Mycroft kept the strange sword on him at all times. They also took four stakes, two per horse with one on each side. They went to sleep for a few hours late in the night, expecting to leave first thing in the morning.

They woke up unexpectedly to a commotion outside. Both hurried to the door & stepped into a pale early morning. People were clamouring together in the square. Sherrinford & Mycroft stayed out of sight as they moved in closer to hear what was being said. Mycroft's own village had been attacked during the night & then Wycoller was mentioned. It didn't take long for people to blame the undead fiends, but then someone started saying how two people were burned to death for being of the night stalkers & suddenly, the names of the four children were spoken.

"Let's go!" Sherrinford exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "Now!"

They hurried to their horses. "It's over a day's riding to the hunting house if we stick to the main trails," Mycroft said. "But if we cut through close to my own place, we can make it by night. It will be late & we will have to watch for the vrykólakas, but we shouldn't stop until we get there."

"That also puts us dangerously close to your village where the last attack was," Sherrinford pointed out as they both finished getting their horses ready & got on. "I knew they'd come after us after what we did in Wycoller!"

"I know," Mycroft said as they rode away from the village on a lesser known trail before swinging around through the forest to cut across the land. "We have to find Xanthá & Eurus!"

"At least, we're sort of spread out," Sherrinford said. "It will be harder for people to find us all."

They trotted the horses through the trees & galloped them over wide open spaces, not pausing to rest for most of the day, except by one stream where they paused for some water. As they past through more forest after leaving the stream, Mycroft's village could be partly seen from far away in among the hills. Smoke was going up from several fires & both wondered if worse was going on in the villages. Neither believed nailing bodies down would work well. The fire didn't seem to be doing much so why should anything else people were coming up with? They turned to the left of the burning village to go across a plain before finding another well-used trail. They decided to stick to that for a bit & began brushing off twigs & burs from crashing through the forest without trails before making the next turn into the bushes to head up towards the hunting cabin at last. It was late in the evening by now. Both began checking in all directions & Sherrinford had one hand ready to grab a stake while Mycroft kept a free hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to grab if they saw anything.

They past close to Mycroft's former village as they headed towards the forest. Under its canopy, it was already dark as night. Mycroft suddenly pulled his horse up & stared at the woman that had come out of that odd small stone house they had seen the previous day situated near the trees, just off the main trail he & Sherrinford were about to cross to continue on their way. It was her! That dreadful woman he had been trying to destroy. The sword that could slay the likes of her was on the other side, away from her view. He slowly took it out. She hissed at him.

"Mikró!" Sherrinford yelled when he had glanced back to see why Mycroft was no longer by his side, only to see the woman charge at his brother as wings started to form behind her.

But Mycroft didn't move. He held on to the sword & let her come to him. He suddenly swung the sword around & leaned down. There was a moment of dead silence as both watched the woman turn dark like stone & then that shattering sound. Mycroft sat straight on the horse again & sent a quick grin at Sherrinford. His victory was short lived however, as two more came running out, a man & woman.

"NO! Polýtimos!" The woman screamed, falling to her knees in the pile of ash as she sobbed.

But Mycroft only had eyes for the man. It was the blond one he had rammed his horse into a few years ago. The same one he would always have problems with whenever they met. Realization dawned on Mycroft. "You!" Before anyone could even blink, he jumped from his horse & plunged the blade into the breast of the other woman. As she shattered, the cornsilk yellow wings spread out from the man standing on the steps of the house.

"Mikró!" Sherrinford yelled for the second time in a row as he saw the monster take flight.

Mycroft stood in the ash, holding the sword up with the tip pointing skyward. "I'm sorry! You cared about them, didn't you?" He snarled, clearly not sorry at all. "Why don't you come back down here & face me, you coward? It was you all along, wasn't it?" He spun around, keeping his eyes on the sky.

Sherrinford pulled loose his stake & rode to Mycroft's side. "He could reach any village from the air! We have to destroy him!"

"Let's go!" Mycroft leapt onto his horse & spun around, sword held in one hand.

They raced down the main path, glancing up occasionally in an attempt to see the creature flying around. Something hurtled at them coming down through the trees. It knocked both horses over & Mycroft went flying. Sherrinford was knocked out & flipped down to the belly of his horse, his foot caught in the straps. The horses whinnied in a panic as they tried to right themselves & when they planted their hooves down, both took off running, dragging Sherrinford away with them.

Mycroft felt himself being picked up & thrown through the air. He hung on to the sword. He was mostly likely going to die by being smashed into the trees, but at least this monster would go down with him.

He was caught up again before hitting anything. The creature screamed in rage, that same sound Mycroft had heard years ago. He felt himself being flung again. This time, he landed hard on the roof of the stone house & slid down off the edge into the snow. He rolled away, holding the sword tightly to his chest in protection. He felt the beast land in the snow behind him. When he got to his feet again, he spun around, thrusting out the blade.

It glanced off the monster's chest. Both stared at each other. Mycroft tried again, amazed that the thing was giving him a second chance. He stepped back a few paces, holding the sword up. Micah started laughing, softly at first but soon he was nearly manic. He finally spoke, "You can destroy my child with that or anyone else of my kind, but you can not destroy me with my own wing ridge. Go on. Try it! Hit me with your best shot!" He taunted, standing within easy reach. "Fire away!"

Mycroft tried stabbing one more time. It only made Micah laugh harder, curling one wing around to let the light of the moon shine on it. "That's MY sword, you fool!" He said. "Look at my colour! Just like that sword."

Speaking of colour, Mycroft's face drained of it as he realized what an awful situation he was now in. "That ... this sword ..."

"It's mine," Micah said again as he stepped forward. "Now I'll make you pay for everything you have ever done to me!" He grabbed Mycroft by the throat & hurled him through the wall of the side of the house.

Mycroft lay on the floor in a daze. The sword clattered to the side as Micah came in. "You have been living near my village for ages!" Mycroft gasped between breaths. It was painful to breathe. "You are the one attacking everyone all the time."

"Most of the time," Micah admitted. "I'm not the only one."

"I got rid of your family!" Mycroft panted. "You'll be next!"

"Oh, will I now?" Micah picked up his own sword slipped it inside its proper scabbard by his own hip. "You have no way of destroying me now!"

"Go ahead & kill me, then, you monster!" Mycroft demanded. "My brothers & sister are gone. They'll find a way to get rid of you."

Micah smirked, letting out a short scoff. "Oh you poor thing. You have no idea what's going on, do you?" He hissed through gritted fangs, sounding a lot like a wild cat. "The lives of your brothers & sister are all forfeit. They have no power against me & I will kill each of them & drink from them & I will let you watch!" He grabbed Mycroft by the hair & wrenched him up to his knees. "Yes, it was me & do you know why? To protect my own family from Drákoulas!" He yanked Mycroft forward, banging the side of his face on the corner of the table, splitting his left cheek open. Micah let the hair go & Mycroft wavered on his knees, about to keel over. Micah hissed at him again, eyes red & fangs bared. "He loves to kill. It's a game to him! To keep my own house safe, I would offer victims to him so he would leave us alone!" Micah lunged forward with one foot, kicking Mycroft in the chest & sending him sliding backwards across the floor on his back. "But YOU!" Micah moved forward. "You have just done what I have been trying to prevent all my life! You've taken every last thing I held precious!" Mycroft rolled over & tried to crawl away but Micah grabbed him again & threw him into the mantle over the fireplace. "That was my own daughter's name! I'd do anything to keep them safe but did I ever under-estimate you!"

Mycroft slipped down to the floor again & lay in a large pool of his own blood already spread around. "When I saw that woman & then you, I knew!" He panted hard. "You're the one speaking ill of my family. I had to clear our names. That's why I destroyed them!"

Micah stood over him. "I will repay every last bit back to you," he said as Mycroft gasped for a breath he could barely pull in. This was it. This was how he was going to die. "I've already told the villages who destroyed Wycoller. I'll have your brothers & sister nailed to the walls of the celebration hall in front of you & then I will finish you off, myself!" He knelt down beside Mycroft, still stunned on the floor. "You don't have it in you to give them the power to protect themselves. You're weak. Pathetic & now, you're all mine!" He hissed, lying onto Mycroft almost like a lover.

Mycroft's eyes fluttered opened & he could see four long fangs extend as Micah leaned down towards his neck. "No ... no, don't ..." He tried to push Micah away, but he was too battered to do much. He knew he would be dead in moments, or worse. Mycroft suddenly screamed as he felt the fangs sink into the side of his neck. He felt the red river being syphoned from him & gasped, trying to pull away. His back arched off the floor & Micah pressed down to hold him steady while he drank in more. It felt like a lover's touch. Mycroft had felt this before with a man, but without the burning bite & Micah took advantage of his discomfort by pinning Mycroft under his body while draining him. They lay together as Mycroft felt weaker by the moment. He was cold from loss of blood, hot from this insane close touch with the monster. He closed his eyes, knowing he was dying & starting to not care about it. Just let this end already. His last thought was of the Lady for some reason & then suddenly, the pain he thought he felt exploded into something unbearable. Something had come into his veins, burning him down to his bones. Mycroft screamed anew, not knowing how he was capable of it but somehow, the pain rekindled what little strength he had left but he could only use it for screaming.

Micah released the bite & sat up over Mycroft's hips. "You have been a bane in my side ever since you carelessly rode your horse into me in the forest. I warned you then, but you didn't listen. Now, I'm destroying your life piece by piece & you want to know how?" He stood up at last.

Mycroft's answer was rolling over to his side & clutching the bite wound. He coughed out blood.

"That crazy little brother of yours," Micah went on as he watched Mycroft's suffering, enjoying every last bit of it. "He always shows off. He can see things & talk about them. Like he is possessed or something." Micah crouched down to whisper in Mycroft's ear. "So that's what I told the people of Wycoller. How your family must be different & most likely the undead fiends of which the village is afraid of."

Mycroft curled up in a fetal position, crying from the pain. Why won't he die already?

Unperturbed, Micah went on, "I pointed out the strangeness of dear sweet little Xanthá Malliá." He put one hand up to rest his chin on the palm. "It was so easy after that. I had the whole village agreeing with me ... & then YOU went & set your own self up by showing up late & bringing the hunters to a place where several of my friends were & then leaving for more. You left both villages uncovered, but Wycoller was a better target for me. Your parents. Well ... we both know how it ended."

Mycroft rolled over onto his stomach, letting out a scream that was part rage.

Micah stood straight. "It's amazing, isn't it? How my venom courses through the body. I doubt you have much longer to live."

"They'll kill you!" Mycroft gasped. "They will kill you to avenge me & clear all our names."

"I already told you," Micah said. "I will get the villages to crucify every last one of them & that pretty sister of yours? Well, remember the bit of fun we just had? I'll do a whole lot worse to her. You'll see it all & then, I'll destroy you."

"You're a monster!" Mycroft gasped, still holding the wound which was becoming smaller.

"You just murdered my family in front of my eyes!" Micah bellowed through angry tears. "You dare call me the monster?" He swung his foot, hitting Mycroft hard in the face. Mycroft felt several teeth pop out, adding more pain to his whole body. "I'll return to you what you just did to me but tenfold! You can't even know the pain you caused me this night. But you will! Oh you will! Pity. You will soon be able to give them the power to save themselves, but you can't do it. You just can't. You are so set on destroying my kind & you'll be too ashamed to admit you have become one. Their deaths are on your head!"

At that, Micah turned & went out the broken wall, leaving Mycroft alone.

Mycroft tried to pull himself up by holding onto a chair. He toppled over & fell back to the floor.

Slowly, painfully, but surely, everything faded to black.