I'm back, guys. After the longest Bloodline hiatus yet, I AM BACK!
As usual, THANK YOU to every single beautiful soul who took the precious time to leave some feedback on the last chapter. You're all saints and I appreciate it more than I can explain. Y'all had a LOT of feelings about chapter 21 and I am here for ALL OF IT!
My two biggest takeaways: you guys loved Mika and Gracie having a y'all mind if I scream? moment in the name of self-care. (Haven't we all been there?) And you REALLY loved Des calling Stephen by his proper name to his great chagrin. Almost every single commented specifically mentioned one if not both of those parts. I loved those moments too, so I'm glad they hit home for everyone else.
Okay… about this chapter. If you follow me on Tumblr or are a member of my Discord server you'll have heard me complain about This Fucking Chapter at least a million times a week. It was absolutely hands-down the hardest thing I've ever had to write. This one cost me more sanity than you know. And not even from an emotional standpoint. I'm simply exhausted from the amounts of planning, organizing, and re-reading of the last section of book 9 that I've had to do to put all this together. There are some parts of the source material that I have pasted in directly and left as-is, while adding my own content around it. That's right folks, we're diving headfirst into the Cavern of Retribution here today. It's choppy and kind of all-over-the-place. I'm aware. I'm chalking it up to dramatic effect and moving on with my life because I crave the release of dopamine I'll feel upon hitting "post chapter" and finally being free from this. I'm also playing kind of fast and loose with all the prophecy shit but let me tell you I did NOT come this far for Desmond Tiny to tell me what I can and can't do in my fic that has no rules.
One more thing to bear in mind as you go along: if this chapter feels rushed, it's because it isn't the grand finale. Do with that information what you will.
Happy reading!
Chapter 22: Red Sky Morning
Song: The Hammer's Coming Down by Nickelback (thank you to my Discord hype gang who validate my ongoing love for Nickelback seriously I've always loved this song)
Where will you be when the sky comes down?
And what would you do if the strength was found?
Stay right beside me when the ground starts shaking
The only sound you'll hear is the breath we're taking
Kurda felt nothing but a deadly sense of calm as he trekked through the tunnels beneath the city. That was where the maps and blueprints of the underground system came into play - he'd sneak in and keep his distance until it was time. Shane Astor would already be inside, his fellow members of the Last Stand would be scattered throughout the vampaneze troop. On Kurda's cue, Shane would give his men their signal, and the rest was up to Dest-
Actually, no. Fuck that guy.
The rest was up to Kurda.
On and on he walked, with only his stolen blueprint for guidance to rendezvous with the army of vampaneze that would be gathered there. He couldn't enter the cavern of retribution with them, their finely-tuned noses would quickly detect the scent of a vampire amidst their own, and it would be lights out for Kurda. But Shane said once the fire started, Kurda wouldn't have to worry about being detected by smell. The smoke would drown out everything else. And damn, he was right.
The atmosphere in the cavern was so toxic, so vicious that for a split second Kurda almost turned around and went back the way he came. Literally toxic - the heat and smell of the fire was nauseating. This was a place engineered for chaos and despair. A place where honour and truth went to die. It was so much worse than Shane's description. Words couldn't do justice to the feat of deadly ingenuity that lay beneath the unassuming city.
He saw Vancha, Larten, Darren and Harkat right away. There was a human woman with them, with icy blonde hair, shrewd eyes, and a fierce face. All five of them were very much on guard, and with good reason. Kurda had never seen this many vampaneze gathered in one place before. Shane was standing at the back of the cavern, so it was easy for Kurda to discreetly slip over to stand at his side.
"I trust you didn't have any trouble finding the place?" Shane greeted him with muted sarcasm.
"It was a breeze." Kurda responded stiffly.
"Wish I could tell you exactly what to expect from this." Shane added, with a grim glance up at the platform. "But none of us know what he's going to do. Other than it'll be ugly."
"Really?" Kurda sighed. "I thought this was going to be a nice brunch."
"Thought you were a cartographer, not a comedian." Said Shane darkly.
"Haven't you ever heard of coping with trauma through bad humour?" Said Kurda with a ghost of a smile.
"No."
Then a thought occurred to Kurda.
"Shane, none of your men are vampets, right?"
Shane scoffed loudly, and for a moment Kurda expected the surrounding vampaneze to turn and look at them. But their sole attention was fixed ravenously upon their Lord high above on the platform, and the roaring of the flames muffled all other noise.
Shane whipped around and fixed Kurda with a death stare of pure resentment that could've rivalled Mika's whenever he was truly inconvenienced.
"I take that as a no." Kurda muttered.
"I'd rather throw myself in that pit of flaming stakes that recruit humans to skirt our ancient weaponry laws." Shane hissed.
"Gannen! What's going on? Why haven't your men attacked us yet?" Came Vancha's unmistakable voice. Kurda had to concentrate his full energy on the effort it took to hear Vancha over the flames and the bloodthirsty chattering around him.
"You know why. They're afraid they might kill you in the heat of battle. According to Desmond Tiny, only our Lord is supposed to kill the hunters." Came Gannen's response.
"Does that mean they won't defend themselves if we attack?" Vancha asked.
Up on the walkway, the young man with platinum hair laughed viciously. A sound that seemed to easily carry over the noise of the room. And when he spoke, his voice was callous and hard. Everything about him radiated hostility.
"Dream on, you stupid old—"
"Enough!" Gannen Harst cut him off impatiently. "You will not interrupt when I am speaking with my brother."
Kurda glanced at Shane.
"Harst's apprentice." The vampaneze grunted, oozing disdain. "Steve Leonard. Gannen's one of the most honourable sons of the night I've ever had the pleasure to know. Why he hasn't strangled the life out of that little prick is beyond my comprehension. There has to be more to him than what he lets on. It's the only explanation."
High above, Steve shot Gannen a downright bitchy glare but obeyed his mentor and fell silent.
"Of course they'll defend themselves." Gannen addressed Vancha once more. "But we hope to avoid such a scene. Apart from the risk of killing you, we've lost too many good men already and don't wish to sacrifice any more. It might be possible to agree a compromise."
"I'm listening," Vancha said.
Gannen Harst gave Steve a quick look. Steve cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted at the ceiling, "Lower away, R.V. !"
There was a pause, then a panel in the ceiling was thrown back and somebody was lowered through the gap on a rope. A woman with dark skin and curly black hair. And profound terror in her eyes.
"Who-" Kurda whispered. Shane answered the question before he finished the sentence.
"She's with Shan. Don't know the exact nature of the relationship but I'm taking an educated guess." He said grimly. "The Lord is raising the stakes. Trying to make him an offer he can't refuse, even when he knows Shan has no choice. He just wants to break him first."
Kurda felt an almost overpowering blaze of fury, coupled with an uncharacteristic urge to fight. To fly at the Vampaneze Lord and rip him apart with his bare hands. Kurda didn't know this woman, but she was being used against Darren like Gracie had been used against Mika. Except in that situation, if it truly came down to choosing one or the other, if Mika had found himself with his back against the wall... Kurda knew full well Mika would've gift-wrapped the Stone of Blood and handed it over.
"-We are interested only in the hunters. Debbie Hemlock, Alice Burgess and the Little Person don't matter. We have you outnumbered, Vancha." Kurda heard Gannen say, while the Hunters glared up at him. "Our victory is assured. You cannot win, only injure us, and perhaps foil us by dying at the hands of one who isn't our Lord."
So you think. thought Kurda.
"That'll be good enough for me!" Vancha declared.
"Perhaps," Harst nodded. "And I'm sure Larten Crepsley and Darren Shan feel the same. But what of the others? Will they give their lives so freely, for the sake of the vampire clan?"
"I will!" Harkat shouted.
Gannen Harst smiled down at him. It was a strange smile. Sad, almost.
"I expect you would, grey one. But you don't have to. Nor do the women. If Vancha, Larten and Darren lay down their weapons and surrender, we'll free the rest of you. You can walk away, lives intact." He said.
"No way!" Vancha shouted immediately. "I wouldn't roll over and die at the best of times — I'm certainly not doing it now, when so much is at stake."
"Nor shall I agree to such a deal," Mr Crepsley said.
"What of Darren Shan?" Harst asked. "Will he agree to our deal, or will he condemn his friends to die with the rest of you?"
Darren paused. But only for a second.
Kurda felt his heart break. He remembered Darren as the wide-eyed, naive, friendly boy who'd won over every stony heart in Vampire Mountain seven years ago. But now, he looked just as world-weary and hardened as those who would have let him die in the Trials of Initiation. Now, Darren looked every bit as much of an unshakeable ruler as Mika, Arrow, or Vancha.
"No. We fight and we die. All for one and one for all." Darren's voice wasn't loud, but it carried.
Gannen Harst nodded understandingly. "I expected that, but one should always open with a weak offer. Very well — let me put another proposal to you. Same basic outline as the first. Drop your weapons, surrender, and we let the humans walk. Only this time, Darren Shan gets to go head to head with our Lord and Steve Leonard."
Vancha's face creased suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"
"If you and Larten turn yourselves over to us without a fight, we will allow Darren to duel with our Lord and Steve Leonard. It will be two on one, but he'll be equipped with weapons." Gannen explained. "If Darren wins, we free all three of you along with the others. If he loses, we execute you and Larten, but the humans and Harkat Mulds go free. Think it over. It's a good, honest deal, more than you could have reasonably hoped for."
The Hunters muttered amongst themselves for a moment.
"Gannen! What guarantee do you give that it'll be a fair fight?" Vancha bellowed suddenly. "How do we know that R.V. or the others won't join in?
"I give my word," Gannen Harst said softly. "Only the pair on the platform with me will fight Darren Shan. Nobody else will interfere. I'll kill any who seeks to swing the balance one way or the other."
The Hunters spoke amongst themselves. Kurda turned to Shane.
"Why two on one?" Kurda hissed, knowing full well how rhetorical that question was. "This isn't a fair fight. It's an execution! They're setting him up!"
"If your young Prince has even a shred of intelligence, he'll have figured that out." Shane grunted.
"Very well," Vancha shouted back at his brother. "We accept. But first you have to set the humans and Harkat free. After that, Darren fights your Lord and Steve. Only then, if the fight is fair and he loses, will Larten and I lay down our arms."
"That's not the deal," Harst replied stiffly. "You must lay your weapons to one side and surrender before—"
"No," Vancha interrupted. "We do it this way or not at all. You have my word that we'll let your people take us if Darren loses — assuming he loses fairly. If my word's not good enough, we have a problem."
Gannen Harst hesitated, then nodded curtly. "Your word is good," he said, then told R.V. to haul Debbie up and escort her down.
"No!" R.V. howled. "Steve said I could kill her! He said I could cut her up into tiny little pieces and—"
"Now I'm saying different!" Steve roared. "Don't cross me on this. There'll be other nights and humans — plenty of them — but there's only one Darren Shan."
Fuck you. No more humans.
The vampaneze returned the young woman called Debbie to the Hunters, handling her roughly. Kurda's blood boiled at the sight of it.
The two humans prepared to be evacuated, accompanied by Harkat and escorted by a cruel-faced man who had to be a vampet. There seemed to be a hesitation between Darren and Debbie, as if she didn't want to leave him. But Darren's young face was impassive. And after a moment, they parted.
"Hurry up! This isn't a funeral procession!" The stern-faced blond woman barked at the others. The crowd of vampaneze jeered as they went.
Kurda nudged Shane.
"I don't think I can do anything from down here. I have to get up to that platform." He muttered.
Shane sighed, eyeing Kurda balefully.
"Then what?"
"We're going to have a talk."
"It's not going to work."
"I know. But I have to try."
"He's going to kill you, Smahlt."
Kurda laughed bitterly.
"According to destiny, I was supposed to die seven years ago. I'm living on borrowed time anyway."
Suddenly, there was a commotion as a fight broke out between the evacuating humans and the vampet with them. Kurda couldn't see much of it from where he stood. All he heard was screams and gunfire. The smug-faced vampet was staggering around screaming in pain. The blond woman had shredded half his face. Kurda loved that for her. Then she began shooting at the platform, discharging her weapon with vicious precision. Kurda had never heard gunfire in such close range - it echoed dizzyingly off the stone walls.
Chaos reigned. Vampets firing long-range weapons, and vampaneze slashing viciously with their deadly array of old-fashioned blades. Kurda took advantage of the distraction to retreat the way he came.
But before he went back into the tunnel, he turned back around. And then, from high on the platform, Gannen Harst's eyes landed directly on Kurda's. At least, they seemed to. It was hard to tell at that distance but Kurda's blood ran cold nevertheless. Kurda had kept his hood up to avoid attention, but the exposed bit of his face would have to pass for vampet in its lack of purple colouring. The fact that everyone's attention was focused so intensely on the platform, the Lord, and the Hunters worked in Kurda's favour.
Most of the vampaneze Kurda knew had died in the tunnels of Vampire Mountain; the ones in this cavern were strangers to him. But he remembered Gannen clearly from decades of negotiations. Shane was right, Gannen was as honourable a vampaneze as they come. How he got himself into this position was beyond Kurda.
Kurda's stomach dropped and his lungs closed, knowing he was about to be exposed and ripped to shreds.
But then Gannen simply looked away, refocused on the scores of his fighting clanmates. And Kurda got the fuck out of there.
Surely Gannen hadn't recognized him, he told himself. He was so far away. Nobody's eyes were that good, plus he had no cause to suspect Kurda would be here. Or so Kurda told himself. Because there was no conceivable reason Gannen would recognize him right now, and not react. But he couldn't spare Gannen another thought.
If there is one thing I can promise you
We'll see the light again
His heart and his feet pounded through the tunnels, crawling, climbing, gripping his map with shaking hands until he finally reached his prime destination: the narrow tunnel directly above the middle of the platform. He had to crawl on his belly to get there, and he willed the old rusted pipe not to give out until finally he could see everything through a well-positioned grate. He wasn't surprised to see Larten up there in Darren's place.
In the moments before Darren unexpectedly interrupted his investiture, Kurda tried to clear his head, tried to steel himself with a sense of purpose in order to galvanize himself for what he was about to do. He failed miserably. And for one fraction of a moment that was so brief he still sometimes wondered if it happened at all... he felt relief. Relief at being exposed. Relief that the inevitable devastation wouldn't be dealt by his own hand. Relief that it was over.
But it wasn't over. It didn't end when they dragged him away and locked him up. It didn't end when the Princes sentenced him to a pseudo-death by exile. It didn't end the moment he looked into Mika's eyes for the last time and saw more hurt than his worst nightmares ever showed him.
It didn't end then, because it was always meant to end here and now.
"Let the fighting cease." The Lord of the Vampaneze ordered. His voice was even and low, but undercut with clear authority. "There's no need for it now."
He wasn't even close to how Kurda pictured him. Had they passed on the street, Kurda wouldn't have given him a second glance. He looked so ordinary.
"I knew this was coming," the Lord of the Vampaneze said softly, turning his head to gaze at Mr Crepsley. "Des Tiny predicted it. He said I'd have to fight one of the hunters here, above the flames, and that it would most likely be Larten Crepsley. We tried to turn his prophecy on its head and lure the boy up instead. For a while I thought we'd succeeded. But in my heart I knew it was you I'd have to face."
"Did Mr Tiny say which of us would triumph?" Larten inquired
"No. He said it could swing either way." Replied the Lord with a smile that was hard to read.
*Tiny said a hell of a lot more than that.*
And Kurda knew it was now or never. He didn't feel sick to the core like he did before his investiture. He felt nothing more than a numb sense of purpose.
With one deft motion, he broke the brittle, rusted bars of the grate below him and dropped twenty feet to the platform below. The landing hurt, but he quickly drew himself up to his feet amidst roars of shock, confusion, and fury from the crowd. Kurda slowly rotated on the spot to face Larten.
"Kurda Smahlt?!" Larten bellowed in shock, face reddening. Kurda took an automatic step back. The deaths of Gavner Purl and Arra Sails would not soon be forgotten by the orange-haired vampire.
"You sure you don't want to review the rules of the game before you roll those dice, Larten?" Kurda inquired softly.
"What are you doing here?" Vancha yelled up at him. "You know you can't interfere with clan business. How did you even find this place?"
"Who is this guy?" Steve snarled, drowning Vancha out. "Is this another fucking vampire? Boooo! Get him out of here!"
"Gannen, muzzle your leopard!" Vancha roared back up at them. "Now answer me, Smahlt!"
"Maps." Said Kurda with a weak smile. "You know me."
"Smahlt?" Steve spat incredulously. "Kurda Smahlt, in the flesh?"
Kurda glanced back at Steve for a moment. Steve was even more intimidating up close, but Kurda knew how to handle a high-stakes negotiation. Ultimately this would move past negotiation and into the realm of violence. But for now, Kurda was in his element.
"Guilty as charged." He said curtly, before refocusing on Vancha.
"Are you trying to force yourself back into the clan's good graces?" Said Vancha, disbelief etched in his face as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Kurda laughed hollowly.
"I know better than to think that would work."
"Did Mika tell you to come looking for us?" Vancha asked, narrowing his eyes in a way that was wary but not hostile.
"Mika has no idea I'm here." Said Kurda quickly. "Swear on my life. This isn't about him. It's not even about me."
"Then what's it about?" Darren choked out, finding his voice for the first time.
"I have a job to do." Said Kurda. "You said it yourself, Vancha. There has to be more to this. And there is - I didn't believe it before, all those years when I sat in exile. But now I know. Destiny isn't done with me yet."
"Kurda, you need to get out of here." Said Larten, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Desmond Tiny visited us with very clear instructions. The Hunters of the Vampaneze Lord cannot accept help from any other vampire - or we will fail. Your interference is putting the entire clan at risk."
"I know about Desmond's prophecy." Said Kurda evenly, as Larten glared. "And what he didn't tell you was that my survival invalidated the instructions he gave you. He visited me too."
"It's true, Larten." Said Vancha. "I met with Kurda after Paris's funeral and we spoke at length. But we did not know Kurda was going to show up here, Gannen!" he added loudly. "I give you my word on that."
"I believe you." Said Gannen tonelessly.
"I don't!" Steve snarled. "How stupid do these vampires think we are?"
"I don't think any of you are stupid, actually." Said Kurda. "Just lost. Held prisoner by a tyrant who'd drive your noble clan into the ground on a whim. I'm trying to help you just as much as my own clan."
"How poetic." Came Steve's cold sneer as he slow-clapped sarcastically. "Truly. I'm tearing up! Now scurry on home, Pacifist Barbie! This event is invite-only!"
"Desmond sure did want you to believe that." Said Kurda quietly. "But the game is rigged against every single one of us. His prophecy was irrelevant as soon as my sentencing was passed. It hinged on my death, and I went and ruined that for him. Now it's anybody's game. But it's more fun for him to watch us all panic."
"How can you be sure of that, Kurda?" Larten growled. "Never mind the other side. What game are *you* playing with us this time? Give me one good reason I should not send you out the way you dispatched Gavner."
"I smell bad blood." Steve interjected with interest. "What's the matter, Creepy? Did Smahlt push you on the playground back in your little mountain?"
"Silence." Gannen grunted, glancing carefully around at the others. "Smahlt claims he spoke with Desmond. We'd be fools not to hear him out. Don't punt him into the pit just yet."
"If anyone is punting him, it will be me!" Larten growled.
"Larten, watch your mouth!" Vancha roared, a distinct seriousness to his tone. "If you can't control yourself, you're no better than the tyrant you're about to fight!"
"He's right, Mr. Crepsley." Darren added. "I don't want to give you an order as a Prince, but I will if I have to. Don't touch Kurda. He wouldn't have intervened now unless he had a reason to."
"He is defying his exile order!" Larten protested, practically spitting. "The terms were clear. He was to be killed on sight if-"
"And you think the vampaneze clan is going to hell in a handbasket?" Steve drawled lazily, fixing Kurda with a condescending stare. "Pfft. Worry about your own blood-brothers before sticking your ugly nose where it doesn't belong."
"I'm not here to fight for a vampiric victory. I've only ever been a peacemaker. If I have to get my hands dirty today, so be it. But the difference between the Hunters and myself is that I'm not working against the vampaneze." Kurda continued determinedly, looking past Steve locking his eyes on the Vampaneze Lord. "I'm only working against you."
"Kurda, get off this platform and let me do my job." Larten hissed. "And consider yourself lucky there were two Princes in this cavern to keep me from killing you."
Kurda felt a surge of boiling hot frustration.
"There's more to this than I can explain right now, Larten. You're fighting for the vampire clan. I'm fighting for all of us!" Kurda had to shout in order to be heard over the cacophony below. "This Lord would destroy his own clan just as easily as he would ours. What honourable vampaneze would resort to this level of entrapment and deceit?"
"Enough bitching! What is this, high school? You vampires are so boring. Let's make this interesting." Steve spoke up, a sickening gleam in his ice-cold eyes. He turned to face the Vampaneze Lord. "My Lord... I ask that you give me permission to fight Kurda Smahlt head-to-head. It would be my honour to do what the all-powerful Vampire Princes didn't have the balls to do. Let me be the one to destroy his cancer of peace."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Gannen snapped. "We made them a deal, and they accepted it! Larten came up here to fight us in Darren's place. Smahlt is not part of this."
"Shows how much faith you have in yourself, Gannen." Steve retorted nastily, rolling his eyes. "You don't think your chosen protégé can hold his own against a pacifist traitor? Please."
Gannen's face remained stony and grim.
"I suppose you know what you're capable of better than I do. Have it your way." Gannen sighed, to Steve's clear, bloodthirsty delight.
"Why me?" Kurda addressed Steve, arching an eyebrow. "I'm flattered, but you've it abundantly clear you have a bit of a personal grudge against Larten. Why switch track now? You don't know me. I don't know you. What would my death mean to you?"
"Of course I know you! Everyone's heard of your legendary failure!" Steve replied, smiling wider in a way that didn't extend to his cruel eyes. "Tell me, Smahlt. Do you still dream of uniting the clans?"
"I've never lied about my goals." Said Kurda firmly, ignoring Larten's derisive snort. "I'm not about to start now."
"Then you've answered my own question for me." Steve sneered. "Your dream is poison. Ridding the world of you would be my pleasure. Plus, I plan on killing you quickly enough to help our mighty Lord finish off Creepy Crepsley over here. Everything is coming up Steve today!" He finished with a cackle.
"And if I decline your challenge?" Kurda asked.
"You pass up on a perfectly good chance to die with honour, because you're not leaving this place alive either way." Said Steve.
Kurda nodded thoughtfully, as though pondering a business proposition. Then he looked to Larten.
LC: You have no idea what you are getting into. Leave now.
KS: Trust me.
LC: We all trusted you, once. Never again! I don't know what you are doing, but -
KS: You know damn well I have nothing to lose. I wouldn't be here unless it was for a reason. Trust me. Please.
Larten narrowed his eyes.
LC: I assume you have a plan, then?
KS: We have to take the fight off this platform. We have to be within reach of the other vampaneze.
LC: So they can kill us if the our opponents do not get there first?!
KS: Larten, there isn't time.
Larten gave Kurda another funny look, but then his eyes snapped to the Vampaneze Lord.
"We have a new bargain for you. Let us all get off this ridiculous platform and commence our fight below - at eye-level with all of our blood-brothers. So they can see you for what you truly are." Said Larten calmly.
The Lord frowned.
"A strange request, Larten Crepsley. Don't tell me you intend to have Vancha and Darren swoop in to assist you. Because if you do that, then I get to call my army to action. And you Hunters are sorely outnumbered."
"You are the one with the history of playing fast and loose with your own clan's ancient honour code." Larten retorted. "Not us. As long as you adhere to the combat rules, we will do the same. You have my word. If not, we throw the rules out the window as well."
"You have my word too." Kurda echoed. "This is the deal."
"I accept." Said Steve quickly.
LC: He lies like he breathes. He is going to cheat however he can.
KS: I'm counting on it.
"I too, accept your proposal." The Vampaneze Lord rumbled. "It is only fair, after all. I hope you've made peace with the Vampire Gods, Kurda Smahlt."
"We currently aren't speaking, actually." Said Kurda.
The Lord gave Kurda a funny look, and Steve laughed. Kurda didn't give a damn.
They descended from the platform silently, amidst roars of confusion from the crowd below. Vancha and Darren immediately bolted to Kurda and Larten.
"Kurda, what the hell are you trying to pull?" Vancha thundered.
"How did you know we'd be here?" Darren added.
"I'm ending this war. Or dying in the attempt." Kurda sighed. But he looked Vancha dead in the eye and reached out mentally with a much less vague message:
KS: The prophecy doesn't apply as long as you let me fight. I can end this war, and there can be peace.
VM: How?
KS: I can't tell you how. I'm here as a neutral party. But I'm not lying. I swear on my daughter's life.
VM: You met with Evanna, didn't you?
Per the instructions of Evanna herself, Kurda could neither confirm nor deny, but he knew Vancha knew.
"I heavily questioned your methods, Smahlt." Vancha muttered, speaking aloud again. "But I trusted you when I nominated you for investiture. And I trust you now."
"Thank you." Said Kurda. Then he shot Darren an apologetic smile. "You've grown. I barely recognize you. Congratulations on the promotion, by the way... Sire."
Darren didn't smile. He was watching Kurda warily, and Kurda supposed he couldn't exactly blame him. Kurda always said his one biggest regret (you know, aside from fucking up Mika and Gracie's lives beyond recognition) was the moment he was caught between a rock and a hard place down in the tunnels of Vampire Mountain. And a snap second decision left Gavner Purl with a knife in his gut and his blood on Kurda's hands. Mika's face at the trial wasn't the only thing that haunted Kurda's every nightmare, both asleep and awake. Darren's was also a regular feature. Kurda tried so hard to help that boy. That child, no older than his own daughter. And instead he left Darren with an extra heaping scoop of trauma.
"I understand now that you were acting for the good of the clan." Said Darren in a low, strained voice. "And I never got to thank you for saving me after I failed my last trial. But I don't know if I'll ever forgive you for Gavner."
Kurda closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I'll never forgive myself for Gavner either." He croaked out at last. "That's the truth. I'd never be so bold as to ask for your forgiveness, Darren. But as a Prince, will you place your trust in me for a few minutes?"
Darren glanced at Larten, then Vancha.
"Yes." He said simply.
"Well, Smahlt, you've got fifty percent of the vampire clan's Prince population right here in this room, and you have our full support." Said Vancha with a grim chuckle.
"Thank you, Sire March. Sire Shan." Kurda murmured. He bowed slightly, then turned around to face the opposing team. This was where he really started walking the fine line.
"Gannen Harst, I speak directly to you now." Said Kurda steadily. "If the Vampaneze Lord falls today, your clan will be free from his rule of chaos. Before I begin this duel, will you agree to use your influence to lead your blood brothers back to their former glory, once the Lord had been defeated?"
A chorus of ugly yells erupted from all around them, but Kurda took no notice. Gannen stared shrewdly back at him.
"The vampaneze clan doesn't do hierarchy, Smahlt." Gannen snorted. "You damn well know it. Vancha, do you hear what your colleague is saying?"
"I hear him loud and clear!" Vancha shot back. "And I'm telling you right here and now that I stand by every word he says! The Vampaneze Lord is a threat to both clans like nothing we've ever experienced. And if your lot kills Kurda Smahlt, I give you my solemn word as a Vampire Prince that I will personally pick up where he left off, and I won't rest until his original mission is complete! But first, we need to off your bloody Lord, so get the hell on with it and let Larten do his job!"
"Now you know where your brother stands. If your Lord falls, will you work with Vancha to secure the future of both clans?" Kurda addressed Gannen in a murmur.
"You realize what you're asking me?" Gannen replied. "Standing in the presence of the Vampaneze Lord, asking me to destroy his legacy?"
"Is it really much of a legacy if he loses?" Said Kurda with a harsh laugh.
And Kurda couldn't explain precisely how he knew it, but in that moment he had no doubt that Gannen had indeed recognized him from across the room earlier. And chose not to sound the alarm.
"I have faith the Vampaneze Lord will prevail." Said Gannen calmly. "I will not discuss this matter with you any further."
Kurda held his gaze. And slowly, so slowly it was imperceptible, the stoic vampaneze inclined his head once. But Kurda saw it for what it was. It was a nod. A silent signal even Gannen's Lord wouldn't pick up on. Except Kurda, who was watching for it. And based on the way his eyes widened slightly... Vancha too.
"Your answer doesn't surprise me." Said Kurda quietly. "All I could do was try. No hard feelings. You are an honourable vampaneze, Gannen Harst."
"Is this a duel or a fucking circlejerk?" Came Steve's grating drawl of a voice. "Smahlt has proved how delusional he is! Pathetic! Let's get this show on the road!"
"Say no more!" Larten laughed viciously. "Are you ready, Kurda?"
"Let's find out."
And the fight began.
This is the calm before the coming storm
This is the red sky morning
Without warning now
This is the fight that we've been waiting for
And there's no sense in running
The hammer's coming down, down
The hammer's coming down, down
The hammer's coming
Steve charged at Kurda. Kurda gauged his speed and dove out of the way so Steve's momentum sent him staggering. He clearly hadn't predicted Kurda's evasion - most vampires would've met him head-on. Kurda glared coolly and advanced on Steve, letting him think he was gearing up for an attack. So when he launched himself at the half-vampaneze, Steve welcomed the assault with a sickly smile - until Kurda ducked under his arm at the last minute, throwing him off balance.
"Is this a dance or a fight?!" Steve snarled. "My expectations for you were low, but -"
And Kurda dealt him a swift, merciless blow to the chest, sending him to his knees.
"Oh, you are ready to play after all?" Steve sneered, rising back to his feet. "Then let's play."
The fight was fast and relentless. A full vampire should have been able to beat a half-blood in any situation, but Steve was calculated and absolutely vicious. It was clear he'd spent years honing the art of violence to perfection. Kurda had never sharpened his battle reflexes to the same extent and honestly, now he wished he'd picked up a few more lessons down in the Hall of Sports. Or at least listened when Mika used to try to give him sparring advice. He held his own, but it was gruelling.
Kurda glanced over at Larten and the Vampaneze Lord when he could, but it would've been suicide to divert too much of his attention away from Steve. Larten appeared to be holding his own too, but there were drops of blood flying in all directions and it was impossible to know who they were coming from.
But Steve, on the other hand.
Steve was getting greedy.
Kurda could see it in his eyes. They kept darting from Kurda to Larten, and every time the Vampaneze Lord struck at Larten, Steve would snap to attention as though he couldn't bear the thought of anyone else taking Larten's life. Not even his Lord.
KS: Move towards Steve.
LC: I am rather preoccupied. You got us into this. I am not helping you.
KS: He still wants to kill you. I need you to let him try.
LC: I am not taking orders from you.
KS: If he touches you, our deal is off. This part is kind of important.
Larten shot Kurda a glare over his shoulder, but slowly began to maneuver himself to pull his duel closer and closer to Steve's range.
Funnily enough, Steve reminded Kurda of Mika in a few ways. A version of Mika where the honour, loyalty, and goodness had been stripped away - leaving only cold, calculating efficiency. Steve was wickedly clever, like Mika. Steve was cool under pressure, like Mika. Steve was kind of a bitch, like Mika.
But mostly, Steve wanted it all. On a silver platter. He didn't want to compromise. And he definitely didn't want to choose between two prizes when he could simply take both. The difference was that Mika wouldn't cheat. He might've found a loophole or something, but those details didn't matter here and now. What matters was that Steve *would* cheat. Openly and without remorse. Kurda was counting on that.
So when Larten darted within Steve's range while evading a strike from his own opponent, Steve struck fast and hard. As Kurda knew he would.
What Kurda hadn't counted on was Larten not quite getting out of the way on time. Steve's knife went deep into Larten's stomach.
Larten stumbled, spitting blood. Kurda felt an icy chill of panic sink into his bones. He hadn't expected Steve to land a near-fatal blow. It was only supposed to be a scrape, a bait-and-retreat. Kurda heard Vancha and Darren shouting in outrage but he paid them no mind. But he couldn't spare Larten another thought right now.
"Do you see what your accomplice has done?" Kurda addressed the Vampaneze Lord as Steve hooted in glee. "Do you condone such blatant cheating? Or will you punish your loyal follower for acting without honour?"
The Lord's eyes narrowed to slits as he regarded the gloating Steve for several monuments.
"I will pass no consequences for his infraction." The Vampaneze Lord growled, his voice a slow and steady rasp.
"Then our agreement is worth as much as the prophecy that brought us all here. Nothing!" Larten hissed, even while clutching his chest in pain. Kurda caught his eye.
"That just about sums it up." He said.
Kurda took a deep breath to steady himself, then turned to face the assembled vampaneze. He found Shane immediately and they locked eyes. This was the moment they'd counted on.
"Sons of the Last Stand!" Kurda yelled as loudly as he could. "The agreement has been broken! The prophecy is invalid! Your path has been cleared - now claim your freedom like your forefathers did!"
There seemed to be several moments of disconnect as the Vampaneze Lord's loyal followers tried to process what was happening as Shane's men, the Last Stand, turned abruptly against their brothers-in-arms. The Last Stand didn't start attacking their blood brothers immediately - but when they surged towards the Vampaneze Lord, the others engaged with them in an effort to keep their Lord safe.
Then followed a chorus of hate-filled screams and curses.
"Traitors! Blood-traitors among us!"
"Defying the Vampaneze Lord!"
"Kill the traitors! Kill them all!"
The battle escalated fast and hard. It wasn't the type of spectacle that Kurda enjoyed witnessing. But he did get a grim sense of satisfaction watching Steve and the Vampaneze Lord's jaws drop as they realized there was dissension in the ranks they surely thought had been blindly devoted.
Vancha, Darren, and even the wounded Larten flew back into the fray. And Kurda had no choice but to do the same. It was a free-for-all. Vampaneze versus vampaneze, and three vampires scrapping among them trying to determine which vampaneze were allies and which were true foes. Gannen was clearly trying to find a route of evacuation for the Vampaneze Lord, but he was visibly distracted. And the reasoning soon became clear; with the rules having gone out the window Steve was once more fighting both Larten and Kurda together, and visibly relishing it.
"Steve, with me!" Gannen bellowed. His apprentice took no notice. He needed backup, quickly. The Last Stand was quickly advancing on Gannen and the Lord. The remaining Vampaneze Lord loyalists were fighting tooth and nail to stop them, but their numbers dwindled as more and more vampets began to turn tail and abandon ship. The Vampaneze Lord was trapped, Shane's men were backing them into a corner with no path of escape. In front of them, their own army turned against them. Behind them, the pit of stakes and flames. And no matter how Gannen yelled, Steve spared them no more than a swift glance. He didn't seem to care that the Vampaneze Lord was in peril at the hands of his own clanmates. Steve only had eyes for the opponents at hand.
Gannen carried out his duty until the last second. He placed himself fiercely between the Vampaneze Lord and the advancing army. Kurda watched him in confusion. He had to know how futile it was. Surely he had to realize there was no honour in dying like this.
Kurda didn't see the moment Vampaneze Lord finally tumbled into the pit. Couldn't hear his dying screams over the raucous cheer that went up from the Last Stand. But as they retreated from the edge of the pit, only two figures remained. Vancha and Gannen. Brothers divided by blood and reunited by chaos. Gannen was kneeling on the floor panting, and Vancha stood over him with a hand on his shoulder. Kurda immediately knew what had happened - Vancha pulled his brother back from the pit at the last possible second. Vancha saw what Kurda thought he saw, but was afraid to believe. While Gannen felt the unmistakable pull to serve his Lord, he also wanted peace.
It all made so much sense now. But Kurda paid dearly for his moment of epiphany. Kurda heard Steve's gruesome laugh followed immediately by Darren's bellow of rage before he felt the knife in his stomach.
Kurda's only thought was how ironic it was that this was how Gavner felt in his last moments. And just like Gavner's did, Kurda's world faded to black.
Once it's started, there's no turning back
But I'll be with you when the sun turns black
'Cause finding faith will always be the hardest
While you're standing in the heart of darkness
Kurda found himself in a vast cavern with high ceilings and old wooden pews standing in rows. His vision was foggy - or maybe the room itself was foggy. He didn't know and he didn't really care. Nor did he know how he'd gotten here. His last memory had been finally passing out after laying it all on the line.
But how had he made it back to Vampire Mountain? How was he standing in the doorway of the Hall of Princes without being swarmed by guards? And where was everyone? He could see a handful of people at the front of the room. All familiar, but none of them had been there when he'd passed out. He approached, feeling like his body weighed a ton. All he wanted to do was sit down.
The room seemed so much bigger than he remembered. He felt like he'd been walking for days; his bones ached and his head pounded. He'd never been so tired. Finally he drew up to the throne platform and as he looked up, he felt as if a bolt of lightning was passing through his body.
It couldn't be.
Paris Skyle was sitting there, back in his throne looking just as cheerful and healthy as Kurda remembered him. His eyes were shining and his cheeks were rosy. But he wasn't alone.
Sitting next to Paris, in Mika's throne, was Arra Sails. She was lounging sideways in the throne like she owned it, one leg dangling over the armrest. She didn't look a day older than she had when Kurda first met her all those years ago when they became sworn nemesis. The harsh lines of worry were gone from her face and she had a glow about her.
Kurda's slowing heart dropped into his stomach as he looked at the third face. Gavner Purl. He was sitting on the stairs up to the throne platform, arms crossed rather pensively. But as Kurda approached, Gavner shot him a smile and waved. As though they were still just a couple of junior Generals with their whole careers ahead of them.
Cyrus, Kurda's old assistant, was there too, also sitting on the steps across from Gavner. He gave Kurda a curt nod, but didn't smile. The moment Cyrus took his own life to avoid being captured by guards was another moment that lived rent-free in Kurda's nightmare reel.
"Fancy meeting you here, Kurda." Said Paris with a warm chuckle.
"Sire Skyle..." Kurda croaked. "Arra... Gavner... Cyrus... what are you all doing here?"
"I knew it. He's still as air-headed as he was when I was alive." Said Arra bluntly.
"Arra. Be nice." Gavner chided her gently, rolling his eyes. "Gods, five minutes in that throne and all of a sudden you're Mika with boobs."
"Thanks." Said Arra flatly, flipping her hair and smiling smugly.
"See what I have to put up with?" Paris chuckled. "It's good to see you, Kurda."
"What happened? Am I dead?" Kurda asked. His voice sounded vague and distant, like he was hearing a recording of himself on low volume.
"Close. But no." Said Paris seriously.
"So what, this is the waiting room?" Kurda pressed, his confusion mounting.
"I guess you could call it that." Said Gavner with an unbothered shrug. He was still smiling, and Kurda felt sick like he had the day he killed the man.
"Gavner, I'm so sorry." He choked out. "I wish I could take it back. I'd give anything. You didn't deserve-"
Gavner held up a hand. His smile faltered, though.
"Kurda, I get it. Don't get me wrong, it was a dick move. I very much wish you could take it back. Wasn't exactly how I wanted to go out." The General admitted. "But in those last few hours we spent together trying to save Darren, all I remember was how I suddenly respected you more than I ever had. As we were all sitting around banging our thick skulls against the wall trying to come up with a solution to legally spare the kid, you were the only one who had the guts to think outside the box. The treason part wasn't great, but the last thing I realized before I died was that your heart was in the right place. And that our clan would be lucky to have you as a Prince. Right before you stabbed me, that is." Gavner finished sheepishly.
Kurda felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. He couldn't have spoken if he tried. But Arra took care of that for him.
"You know you're under no obligation to be that content, right?" Arra grunted at Gavner, rolling her eyes. "The man put a knife in your stomach and the first thing you tell him is how much of a stand-up citizen he was? Come on, Purl."
"It's better than holding a grudge, Arra." Gavner shot back. "You're just bitter because your own arrogance brought you down. Blame Kurda all you want, but it was only ever you. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner!"
"Enough! Kurda didn't come here to listen to you two bicker!" Paris interjected sharply.
"So then... why?" Kurda spoke up.
"You should be able to answer that yourself." Said Cyrus seriously, speaking for the first time. "Why do you sound so surprised? You went into that cavern expecting to die, just like you laid out your original plan assuming it'd end in your execution sooner or later."
"So I am dead?"
"Not yet. You're bleeding out pretty damn quick, though." Came a familiar voice from behind Kurda. He whipped around and jolted in alarm. On the front pew sat two vampaneze, two faces Kurda would never forget. His long-time friend Glalda Erifirh who died in the Battle of Vampire Mountain - felled by Darren to avenge Arra - and Marcel Cage, one of the mercenaries sent to capture Mika for the Stone of Blood. Kurda had been the one to send Marcel to the afterlife honourably, once the vampaneze provided enough information to give Kurda a semblance of direction for his next move.
"You're here too?" Kurda gulped weakly.
"Not exactly my first choice for company, but apparently yes." Marcel grunted, casting his eyes around the Hall of Princes.
"You think I'm wild about being in here with you?" Came a completely unfamiliar voice from the other row of pews.
Kurda did a double-take, and his heart sank beneath the most crushing pang of guilt yet. He'd never met Gracie's boyfriend Dale, but he recognized him immediately. Average build, fair hair, a very ordinary-looking specimen. But he had the kindest eyes.
"Dale?" Kurda could barely hear his own voice now.
"Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Smahlt." Said the young human grimly. He managed a weak smile, though.
"I'm sorry, Dale. I'm so sorry you got caught up in this." Said Kurda. "You should never have found out about the clans."
"No hard feelings." Said Dale. "I get it. There's no easy way to tell your boyfriend you were actually raised by vampires. Just tell Gracie I didn't suffer, okay? One second I was watching TV, and then the next... well, there was no next second."
"We're not monsters." Marcel grunted. "We were following orders. Other than the location, it was a clean kill."
Dale glared at him, then looked back at Kurda.
"In hindsight, I'm glad I didn't know about the vampire thing." He added with a weak chuckle. "Mr. Ver Leth was intimidating enough when I thought he was human. Sorry I never got to meet you in person. I knew it was complicated, I just didn't know how complicated. All I know is I loved her."
"She loved you too." Kurda managed. His head was spinning. He felt liable to pass out as he spun back around to look Paris directly in the eye, trying to block out the rest of the noise in his head.
*"What's happening to me?"*
"Glalda is right." Paris murmured. "You are bleeding out in the Cavern of... what was it again?"
"Retribution." Said Arra in a mocking, singsong voice. Gavner snorted in amusement. Even the two vampaneze rolled their eyes.
"Yes. That." Said Paris. "Kurda, your body is currently trying very hard to die. And at the same time, someone else is trying very hard to save you. Risking his life, just as you did for him once."
"Darren?!"
"The very one. He is transferring his own blood into you right now. But herein lies the issue: you don't think you deserve to be saved. You're here in this place with us because you think you deserve to be." Paris continued in a steady murmur.
"This was always my job. I was only ever supposed to bring peace to the clans." Kurda croaked. "And until recently, I thought I'd lost my chance forever."
"Nothing lasts forever." Said Paris cryptically. "So you have a choice here, Kurda. And you're running out of time. You can stay here with us, if you truly think it's what you deserve. Or you can walk out of this room and rise up to the responsibility destiny has thrust upon you."
Kurda felt his strength draining by the second, as though his body, or soul, or whatever he was currently occupying, was fading from existence.
"I don't know if I'll make it out of this room." He told Paris, registering the fact that his own voice sounded more faraway than ever. "Paris, I can't... I'm so tired."
"Do you realize how selfish you're being?" Arra snarled at him, the warmth suddenly gone from her eyes. "I wanted to live! I wanted to mate with Larten again! Hell, I even would've married him! I was going to be the first Vampire Princess! I wasn't finished, yet I ended up here anyway because of YOUR treachery! I didn't have a choice!"
"Arra..." Paris chastised her, gently rolling his eyes.
"I'm sorry..." Kurda whimpered back, barely able to hear his own voice now. He could feel his lips moving but that was it.
"Stop apologizing! It doesn't matter anymore! It won't make any of us less dead!" Arra bellowed, practically shaking in frustration. "You still have a choice! I don't care how tired and unworthy you think are, Kurda! You don't get to waste a chance like this!"
She took a step forward and pushed Kurda roughly. He staggered backwards and felt the room spin. For a second, he could've sworn he saw Darren's face as his vision went black for a moment.
"Arra..." he groaned.
"No!" She screamed, even louder. She shoved him harder and as his vision blacked out again, he knew he wasn't imagining it. He saw the cavern again, saw Darren's face hovering over him, clouded in fear.
"Kurda, I forgive you." Gavner added. "I need you to know that."
"You shouldn't." Kurda gasped. "Gavner, you can't possibly-"
"I know I shouldn't. Now go!"
"They're right, Kurda." Cyrus muttered, a note of desperation in his voice. "Time to go. I didn't get out of this room last time we were in here together, but you can. Please. Your work isn't finished."
Kurda felt his brain begin to shut down but his body was taking over. He slowly rotated away from the vampires, the vampaneze, and Dale. He began to walk. His vision flickered once again, and he caught a glimpse of the craggy cavern where he'd been laying with Kurda. When the Hall of Princes came back into focus, he dialled his gaze in on the doors and began to walk. Every few seconds his vision went black and he could see the cavern and Darren. He was going back.
He was going back.
Another flicker, but it was fainter this time. He was running out of time.
He broke into a run, even though the effort was agony and his body screamed in protest. Now he could barely see the tunnel whenever his vision blacked out. All he saw now was shadows. He ran faster, and faster, until he finally reached the door that would let him out of the Hall of Princes that wasn't really the Hall of Princes.
He slammed his palm into the panel to open those doors. He wasn't a Prince, it shouldn't have worked. But it did.
And then everything went dark, and he felt nothing at all.
If there is one thing I can promise you
We'll see the light again
Steve forced himself to stay conscious as he lay spread-eagled on the floor of the cavern, listening to the sounds around him as the battle ebbed. To Gannen's mutters as he did what little he could for his assistant's catastrophic injuries. Turned out Creepy Crepsley had more fight left in him than he'd let on. After slicing Kurda open, Steve didn't even have a moment to gloat before the ginger cunt went full-berserker mode. But Steve had trained for this, after all. He'd dealt Larten just as much damage. There'd be no coming back from those injuries. Not without extensive medical intervention, and that wasn't about to happen to a couple of wanted criminals. Maybe they could pick up where they left off in the afterlife.
Steve heard mutterings, and tilted his head and felt a surge of white-hot, murderous fury intermingled with panic as he watched Kurda Smahlt slowly sit up, about fifty feet away. Whatever Darren did had worked, against all fucking odds.
Desmond Tiny's words rang deafeningly in Steve's ears:
"Kurda's odds at redemption grow shorter with every passing day. If the Princes pardon him, and I mean formally pardon him for the world to see, the clan will have no choice but to accept him back into their ranks. If that ever happens, it will jeopardize everything you've worked for. Pretending he doesn't exist won't help us."
This couldn't happen. It wasn't over. This floor wasn't where the Leopard, the chosen one, the fucking Vampaneze Lord himself lay down and died. Not while Kurda Smahlt still walked the earth with his naive, poisonous dreams of peace. The fucking coward.
Then Darren looked over at him, looked Steve right in the eye. And for everything that happened between them, Steve still knew his best friend better than he knew himself. And in this moment, Darren looked like a little kid again. He was putting on a tough face like the steadfast Vampire Prince he was (what a fucking joke), but Steve saw through it like cracked glass. He was broken and exhausted.
And broken, exhausted people are easy prey.
Steve knew exactly what he'd do next. Part of him felt like he'd known it all along. smiled up at the ceiling, even though it hurt. Why settle for a posthumous legacy if he could stick around and pull those strings himself?
"Now, don't plan to fail, or you will fail. But be flexible about your methods. Stick to your plan - you always shone more brightly than young Darren where foresight was concerned! But if you get an opportunity to go where no vampaneze has gone before, I suggest you take it."
Oh, he'd take it.
He'd take all of it.
"May the best team win!" Desmond said.
Steve wasn't part of anyone's damn team. Smahlt proved that when he caused a civil war among the vampaneze with just a few words. As it turned out, the side Steve chose was just as weak and corruptible as the vampires he despised. No more of that. Kurda Smahlt thought he could drop from the ceiling like a fucking superhero and save the day with a rousing speech about how he was putting it all on the line for both clans, not just the vampires? And be naive enough to think it worked?
Steve would still take the crown. And when he did, it wouldn't be for the vampaneze. It would be for himself.
Vampires are wolves in person-shaped vessels. Pack animals for life, bonded by brotherhood. Hunt together, together. One for all, all for one, ride or die. Family first. Family forever. It's their biggest downfall, actually.
But the leopard is a solo hunter. Armed only with their teeth, claws, and wits. If a leopard falls, it won't be because there was a weak link in his pack. A leopard is a true apex predator who fights for their own survival, knowing there's no pack. There's no team. It's him against the world.
And the hunt isn't over until the apex predator says it's over.
This is the calm before the coming storm
This is the red sky morning
Without warning now
This is the fight that we've been waiting for
And there's no sense in running
The hammer's coming down
Darren didn't know his body could shake this much, and the quantity of blood he'd transferred into Kurda's body had taken a toll. Darren knew it had been a bad idea, but no one else here could help Kurda now. Larten was already drifting in and out of consciousness - seconds after Kurda went down, Larten finally managed to deal Steve a near-death blow. But Steve got him back just as good, if not better. And they both went down.
Vancha left the cavern in a hurry. He planned to rendezvous with Harkat, Debbie, and Alice, promising to come back with help of some sort. Larten was in bad shape, and most of his injuries seemed to be internal. But Kurda's weren't. His crimson blood was spilling all over the cavern floor. Darren knew he couldn't do anything for Larten now. But he could put it all on the line for Kurda - just as Kurda did for him once upon a time in Vampire Mountain.
Darren didn't know if it would work when he sliced open his fingertips and pressed them into Kurda's. Meanwhile the mysterious vampaneze known as Shane Astor set about stopping the bleeding from Kurda's stab wound. Light-headed and dizzy, Darren didn't believe what he was seeing for a second. He almost threw up with relief as Kurda began to come around.
The war was over. The Vampaneze Lord was dead, well on his way to becoming a pile of ash in the blazing pit below. The future was secure - this was the moment Darren had dreamed of. The moment part of him never believed he'd live to see. He still didn't fully understand what had happened, why all those vampaneze had suddenly turned on their own, or how Kurda Smahlt had evidently orchestrated it.
Soon, Vancha returned with Harkat. Darren should have felt elated. But he knew only a sick, gnawing sensation in his stomach.
Vancha said Alice was waiting above-ground with a "borrowed" ambulance that would take them to a small municipal airport. Then they'd load him into a helicopter and get as close to Vampire Mountain as possible. Vancha would link telepathically with Mika or Arrow and have medics dispatched to meet up with them. They'd be Larten's only hope - turning him over to a human hospital would be worse than death.
But Darren had one more thing to do.
The sounds of the cavern blurred together and then faded completely from Darren's consciousness. The roaring of the flames below, the scattered groans from the wounded, even the disconcerted mutterings exchanged between Kurda and Harkat as they knelt beside Larten's still form... it all slipped away until all Darren knew was the sound of his own blood rushing in his ears, and the frenzied pounding of his heart as he advanced on what was left of the man who'd once been his best friend, his whole world. Steve's body was just as damaged from the fight as Larten's - he wouldn't be leaving this cave alive, whether Darren killed him or not.
Darren knew what he had to do, and he steeled himself to do it. He also knew it would haunt him for the rest of his life. As much as he hated Steve in this moment, as much as he didn't even recognize the twisted monster he'd become, no matter what he did, he was still Steve.
He was only a few feet away when Steve stirred and opened his eyes. They seemed hazy and unfocused, until they fixed upon Darren. The something changed. His cold eyes filled with a sudden panic that chilled Darren to the bone, as though he was seeing a ghost from the depths of hell itself. Then his bruised and bloodied lips began to move.
"Darren, what are you waiting for?" Harkat growled. "Kill him!"
"Not yet!" Steve gasped, sounding as though he was at death's door. "Wait... please. I need... to tell you... "
Darren didn't lower his guard, but he did pause.
"It's going to be a lie... whatever it is." Harkat added warningly.
Darren knelt beside Steve. Liar or not, he was too weak to pose a physical threat.
"You have ten seconds." Darren whispered. "But no matter what bullshit you feed me, just know you aren't leaving this place alive."
"Darren, you don't understand. I have... a family. Please. The Lord captured them... used them against me... I have no idea... where he's keeping them." Steve rasped, voice growing weaker with every word.
Of course. Another mind game. Darren didn't know what he'd expected.
"You're a fucking liar!" He snapped.
"I know... I've lied to you... so many times. I know there's... no reason you should... believe me... but this is the truth. This is... all I have..."
"You're right about one thing." Said Darren viciously. "There's not a single thing in this world that'll convince me to trust you again-"
"You don't... have to trust me. Fuck... you just have to... believe me. Check my... chest pocket. There's a photo... That's my family. If you can look into their eyes... and run a stake through my heart... then do it."
Darren knew better than to take his eyes off Steve's hands as he carefully reached into his pocket. He still felt liable to end up with a knife in his back if he blinked at the wrong time. But he did as he was told and withdrew a crumpled photo. And when he unfolded it and flattened it out for a better look, the world stopped turning.
It was one of those novelty Polaroids - which ruled out any photoshop tampering on Steve's end. This picture was real. Darren felt his lungs collapse, like all the oxygen had been vacuumed from them.
Impossible.
There was no fiber of Darren's being that accepted this. It couldn't be true.
The photo was set against the backdrop of what had clearly been a child's birthday party, blue balloons and streamers hung from the walls and there was the torn-up remnants of a piñata strung up in the corner. A modest kitchen table, a cake with four candles, and three people gathered around it.
One of them was Steve, who looked marginally the same as he did now. Not quite as muscular, and there was a smile on his face that looked alien in its sincerity - now that Darren knew his true darkness. His arm was around the shoulders of a young, dark-haired woman. She was just a little kid last time Darren saw her, but he'd recognize his baby sister at any age.
Annie.
But it wasn't the sudden sight of his sister that stopped Darren's heart. And it wasn't even the way Steve was draped around her.
It was the boy sitting on Annie's lap, grinning at his birthday cake. It was the fact that he had the Shan smile, and the hair too, but his eyes were a mirror image of Steve.
"What are you waiting for?" Alice snarled at him as she supervised Vancha and Harkat rolling Larten onto the stretcher. "I can't hold that ambulance up there forever! We have a twenty-minute window to get to the helicopter before we lose our opportunity completely!"
Darren ignored her. His hands were shaking so hard he almost tore the photo. He didn't know how much time had passed when he looked back up to fix his pooling eyes upon Steve's weak form. All he knew was that the universe as he knew it was crumbling around him.
"Darren, what's the hold up?" Vancha bellowed impatiently. "Knife the bastard and roll his sorry carcass into that pit where it belongs!"
"That's not just my family, Darren..." Steve murmured, seeming not to hear Vancha's crude words. "Yours... too. His name... is Darius."
"How dare you?" Darren forced out through gritted teeth. His whole body was trembling violently now. "How fucking dare you?"
"You don't... owe me anything." Said Steve. "But everything I did... I did it for them... they were only safe if I did my job... and I failed..."
"Where are they, Steve? Steve? You son of a bitch, stay with me!"
But it was too late. Steve has fallen unconscious. Darren's gaze snapped upwards, focusing on Gannen who was standing calmly several feet away.
"He's dying." Harkat murmured.
"Is it true, Harst?" Darren snarled. "I know you can't lie!"
"The photo is real. What Steve said about his family is true." Said Gannen tonelessly.
"Tell me where my family is!" Darren bellowed up at the statue-like vampaneze.
"I do not know where they are. No vampaneze does, except the Lord and Steve. Otherwise I would tell you." Said Gannen gravely. "I had no desire to involve innocent humans in our war. The Vampaneze Lord is not so traditional."
"Was." Kurda grunted disdainfully in the direction of the pit. Gannen said nothing. Then he ambled cautiously over to Darren and laid a hand on the young man's back. Darren was shaking.
"If Steve dies... I'll never find them." Darren croaked. "I hate him so much for what he's done. I feel like I'm supposed to kill him so he can't hurt anyone else. But how can I kill him when it might make the difference between finding them and losing them forever?"
"The clan will help you, Darren." Said Kurda quietly. "Every vampire on this earth will gladly search for them until they're found. And so will the vampaneze that turned against their Lord today."
"You have to kill him." Harkat added. "It's what Larten... would want."
"You say that like Mr. Crepsley's already dead!" Darren snapped. "Trust me, I know what Steve is. But I also just found out he had a baby with my sister! I have a nephew! Harkat, this changes everything!" He turned back to Gannen. "What kind of danger are they in now that the Vampaneze Lord is dead?"
"I know not." Said Gannen.
"Was the Vampaneze Lord really using his... my family against Steve?" Darren added, his voice dropping from a growl to a whimper.
Gannen's face remained impassive and neutral. How did this man share DNA with Vancha?
"The Vampaneze Lord is a master of manipulation. He will use anyone and anything to achieve his endgame without hesitation or shame. Steve did orchestrate all of this with relish. Steve also loves his son fiercely, and would do much worse to ensure Darius's safety. Both are true." Said Gannen. "I offer you one final bargain. If you spare my assistant's life, I will cooperate with you. I will accept Kurda and Vancha's proposal, and begin to work towards clan unity."
Vancha fixed his brother with a shrewd stare.
"Surely the life of your assistant can't mean that much to you. What are you not telling us?" Said Vancha, his voice harsh and urgent.
Gannen held his brother's fiery gaze.
"I failed the Vampaneze Lord. He was a monster, but protecting him was my duty. Let me repent by refocusing my efforts into keeping my apprentice from turning into the same monster." the vampaneze murmured.
"I don't like it." Said Vancha. "I don't want him anywhere near Vampire Mountain. And if Larten was conscious, he'd object heavily as well."
"I know he would." Darren sighed. "If he was awake he'd push me into that pit for even suggesting it."
"I think you should roll Steve into the pit and be done with it." Said Vancha bluntly. "But neither of us can overrule the other. You know him better than I, so I will accept whatever you decide."
"The hospitals around here aren't an option." Kurda reminded him grimly. "He'll be taken in and held somewhere even you vampires won't be able to break him out. You'll never see him again if you turn him over to the humans, now that they know what he is. Which I don't think is a bad thing, but who's to say he wouldn't break himself out once he healed and go back to wreaking havoc without supervision?"
"We can keep an eye on him properly in Vampire Mountain." Said Darren, his face pale. "Vancha, I hate it too. But he's only a half-vampaneze. Even once he heals, he won't be able to hold his own against armies of fully-blooded vampires. He'll be my prisoner until he tells me where my family is... and once they're safe and far away from him, Gannen can have him back." Darren added, dead-eyeing the vampaneze. "If you swear on your life that you won't let him hurt any more innocent people. And if he slips up, I need your word that you'll kill him."
"Very well. Sire Shan, I give you my word that I will adhere to your conditions." Gannen agreed.
"Then we have a deal." Said Darren weakly.
"There won't be room for me on the helicopter, so I'll see the rest of you in a few days. Obviously my brother and I have a lot to dicsuss, and I need to meet with some of the vampaneze behind this unprecedented revolt. Once we've tied our loose ends, I will flit back to the mountain and we'll figure out what's next." Vancha told Darren wearily. But then he smiled. "But for now... you can celebrate. The war is over."
"Sire March?" Kurda spoke up hesitantly. "Permission to accompany you for the first of the peace talks?"
Vancha chuckled as he looked Kurda up and down.
"Trust me, Smahlt. There'll be more peace talks and more meetings in your future than you could've imagined in your wildest dreams." the green-haired Prince grinned. "But for now... go back to Vampire Mountain with the rest and tell them what happened. I want Mika and Arrow to hear about your intervention firsthand. Eventually the four of us will have to meet formally; repealing an exile sentence requires a hearing and a unanimous vote. But for now... Darren's word will be enough to keep the guards from striking you down on site. Your reputation won't be restored overnight and I can't promise a warm welcome, but you'll be safe."
"Safety is more than I could've expected. Never mind a warm welcome." Kurda replied.
"Have fun explaining your other special guest to Mika and Arrow when you get back." Vancha addressed Darren, suddenly serious again as he looked down at Steve. "I cannot give you orders, Darren. But I expect you to be upfront with them about who he is and why you've brought him back. And if it goes to a vote among the Princes whether he gets to stay and make a full recovery in the mountain, I'll tell you right now I'll be voting against it. But I'm trusting you know what you're doing."
Darren sighed heavily. He didn't hold that against Vancha at all.
Steve lied as easily as he breathed, and Darren wouldn't have believed him for a second - if not for the damned photograph.
"I accept all of that." he murmured. "Now let's all get out of here."
Hold on
We'll make it 'til the dawn
It'll be here before long
Hold on
If we can find the light
We can make our way back home
Exit poll:
1- How many of you thought I was going to take the fakeout chapter from book 9 and make it reality?
2- How many of you thought I was going to leave Larten's fate as-is in canon?
3-How many of you thought I was actually going to nuke Kurda for a second there?
4- Are you surprised I had enough restraint to write an entire chapter with zero Mika? (I'm surprised)
5- In a million years would you have predicted any of this?
Seriously, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for getting invested in this absolute shitstorm!
And a very special Happy 83rd Birthday to the Queen Arra Fan coming up this Tuesday, DitzyFreda! I hope you enjoyed a tiny moment of Arra sitting on "her" throne. That part was all for you!
See you guys next time! Next chapter will most definitely not take as long as this one did. I already have a big chunk of it written.
Thanks again!
-Roxy