Vampire Girl 2: Midnight Star (19 page)

Zeb smiles. "Magic."

It doesn't take long for the combination of blood and wine to make them all drunk and nostalgic. I poke at the fire with a stick and listen as they reminisce about a past so long ago it's almost a dream to me.

"Remember when we were kids, and Dean got lost in the Silver Gardens?" Zeb asks. He speaks of the Old World, the time before the Fall. When we weren't the Fallen, but the Chosen.

"He claimed it wasn't his fault, that the place was huge," Niam says.

Asher chuckles. "He was too busy staring at his reflection in the statues to pay attention to where he was."

Zeb laughs. "And it was Levi who found him first, but then… " he laughs so hard he nearly chokes and takes another drink before continuing. "Then they both got lost."

They all chuckle at that, and Niam chimes in. "Then I got the rest of us together and made a plan. We'd go looking, but mark our way with coins."

"Great plan," Asher says, "only you were too greedy to use your own."

Niam nods. "True. I believe you covered that expense, Asher."

Zeb points to Levi and Dean. "And then remember, how we found you two, and it was so late, so cold, you two were cuddled up like lovers behind one of the statues?"

Dean shrugs and Levi shakes his head.

"But the best part," Zeb says between drinks, "the best part was when Ace jumped out of the shadows and landed next to us. He asks you where have you been all day, and you say 'stuck in the maze' and he says, 'well why didn't you just fly out?' Then the cheeky bastard hops into the sky and leaves us idiots behind."

Everyone laughs at that, but I frown. "Why don't I remember any of this?" I feel like I've heard the story before, but I have no memory at all of it happening.

My brothers look around at each other, and Zeb pats me on the shoulder. "You're getting old, good fellow. Soon that wolf of yours will have to run the kingdom." Baron whines and lays his head on my lap while the rest laugh.

As the fire begins to die down, so too do the laughs, and though we do not need much sleep, we each retreat to our own space, to think, to ponder, to plan for war.

***

The next morning, our scouts report they found the Fae army, hundreds of soldiers, camping behind one of the forests near the river. "This will be our best chance," I say. "We must strike early, while those awakening are still sluggish, and those on guard for the night are tired and ready for rest. It is when they change shifts that they will be most vulnerable. We travel down slowly, hiding behind the trees, and surprise them."

"We'll be close to the river," Asher says. "Do we not fear the Druid's powers so close to her element?"

"If we move fast enough, and with enough stealth, we'll win the fight before they can muster a counter attack," I say.

The five of them nod in agreement, and we choose the soldiers to head the first assault. The rest of the army will follow behind closely. We stay hidden behind stone and tree, moving silently through the forests, and down the mountain. We span out in a semicircle, some entering through the cover of river, so that we can take out their sentinels before they can react.

Step by step we move forward. All my senses are alert, searching for an ambush. Baron's ears point up, taking in all sounds, his teeth bared, ready to fight.

No one sees us.

No one raises a cry.

It's too quiet.

Too easy.

Something is wrong.

We descended on the camp, and I see the truth.

There are no Fae standing watch.

No Fae sleeping.

The camp is empty.

Levi dashes into a tent, his sword drawn, then comes out, a frown on his face. "There's no one," he shouts.

The others confirm the same.

And then I understand.

We thought we were so clever, going after them rather than letting them attack the castle.

But why would they be here? There is nothing important here.

Everything that is important to them, the thing that is most important to them… is at Stonehill.

Chapter 16

BLOOD AND PAIN

"Long ago, Madrid and Oren, the Fire Druid you met tonight, were Karasi—spirit of the heart. She has waited for his return for many, many years. But Oren made her choose: You—the Midnight Star—or him. She chose you."

—Durk

I pace my
room while Yami flutters around me, mirroring my own anxiety. None of this feels right. The armies shouldn't have left to chase the Fae army. Stonehill is defensible. The Outlands are not.

The city and castle feel nearly abandoned with everyone gone. Even Kayla is off raiding. There's a knock at my door, and Julian enters with a tray of food and a mug with something steaming in it. "I thought you could use something to eat and a hot drink to stave off the chill."

She sets it down on my table and walks to the hearth to stoke the fire.

"Thank you," I say, picking at the grapes. Yami eyes the strips of ham, but I glare at him until he backs away from the food. He knows better than to eat when he's being invisible.

Julian stands once the fire is blazing again. "Can I get you anything else?"

"No, thank you though. Where's Kara?"

"She's helping Olga in the kitchen with dinner," Julian says.

"Okay, well, I'm good for the afternoon, so don't worry about me."

She leaves, and I feel a loneliness descend upon me, but I don't want company, not really.

I want Fen.

He shouldn't have left. Of that, I am more and more certain.

If I were the Fae… which, I guess, technically I am… I would just find somewhere safe to hunker down and wait for the battle. Maybe near water or the forest or a fort… or…

A castle.

I drop my grapes back onto the tray and run to the balcony outside my room, my eyes scanning the horizon.  I can make out the village of Stonehill from here, and the mountain that connects it to the castle. The gate is sill closed, but there is another way in, the way behind the waterfall. Did the Fae learn of it during the attack on Stonehill?

I look more closely, my heart beating frantically in my chest. Shadows move behind the water.

They are coming.

The Fae army is coming, marching through the passage that was meant to be a safe haven for the village.

A burst of flame shoots through the sky, and Oren, the Fire Druid, appears before me, the phoenix in his hand. "You chose wrong, girl!"

Yami throws himself at the phoenix, attacking with teeth and claws, but the spirit bites him, pinning him down with sharp talons. Yami yells and turns to dust.

I draw my sword, Spero, and face the Druid. He draws his own blade, a thing of black steel wreathed in flame. I charge.

Our blades meet.

And Spero shatters. Breaks in half. The force of Oren's blow knocks me down to the ground, near the balcony's edge.

He walks up to me, his body in flames. "Now you are mine."

I can feel the heat emanating from him. It is my nightmares made real.

He chuckles. "The princes have lost. We have taken Stonehill, and soon we will destroy the demons. You should have sided with your people, when my sister gave you the chance. Perhaps she would proposition you even now, but I am not so forgiving." He holds his sword to my neck, burning my skin. "Your beast hurt my spirit. You owe me blood and pain, and I have come to collect."

Chapter 17

WILL WE ALLOW IT

Fenris Vane

"There is too much temptation to touch her, to hold her, and having her so close but not quite close enough is a sweet kind of torture I am unused to."

—Fenris Vane

Our armies move
slowly, so my brothers and I take our best soldiers and run ahead, using all our speed and strength to get back to Stonehill.

I feel the omen of death in my gut.

I made the worst mistake of my very long life, and now the person I love most is in danger.

Baron howls as he runs. He knows Ari's in trouble. He knows we have to reach her before they do.

But I know it's already too late.

By the time we arrive at Stonehill, green Fae banners hang from the walls. Fae soldiers guard the perimeter. When we approach, they raise their spears and swords. But they do not attack.

"At last you have joined us," booms a voice atop the wall. A man. Huge and bulging with muscle. Red tattoos cover his bald head. Ash covers his hands. The Fire Druid. He's been waiting for me, and now that he has an audience, he performs.

He points his black sword to the figure beside him. A woman tied to a chair, her mouth stuffed with cloth. Ari.

"Let her go," I demand. "She is not what you came for."

The sword bursts into flames, and Ari screams through her gag. I can smell her flesh burning, and every muscle in my body tenses.

"Surrender!" The Druid's voice carries far and wide, full of rage and blame. "Surrender, or I will torture this pathetic creature."

"You won't kill her," I shout. "You need her." I realize I'm giving too much away. My brothers, most of them at any rate, don't know who she is, or why she's important. But I do. Asher does. I lean over to my brother and whisper in his ear. "She is High Fae. They can't hurt her, can they?"

"They won't kill her. It will send the Druid's back into slumber. But that doesn't mean he won't make her wish she was dead," Asher says, frowning.

I growl.

The Druid slices Ari's arm.

She screams.

Baron howls in misery.

I must decide. Arianna, or my people.

I will never sacrifice her.

But surrendering won't save anyone. The Fire Druid seems mad with power and vengeance. He will not release her, no matter what we do.

I leap up onto a boulder and shout to all who might hear. To the vampires held captive. To those soldiers on their way. To the Fae and Shade who have lived with us these many years. My voice carries throughout my realm. "These are the Fae who killed our families. Who took our homes. Who burned our crops and burned our forests. And now they have Princess Arianna. They torture her. This woman who has shown us all nothing but kindness. Who has fought for equality and justice for the vampires, Fae and Shade of our land. Who has helped all of you in one way or another. Will we allow them to hurt her? To torture her? To use her as a pawn in their games against us?"

The people roar. The armies roar. They are ready to fight. And we charge forward, bloodlust in our hearts.

We will save our princess.

Chapter 18

MIDNIGHT STAR

"He has more names than the others. One you may have heard… the Midnight Star."

—Madrid

Oren stands over
me, gloating, his sword ablaze as he cuts into my arm again and again. I try not to cry out, but I can't hold it in.

The pain. The scent of my own burning flesh. My nightmares are made real. Both my arms are lined with the red ribbons of flame from his torture, and I can see in his eyes he takes pleasure from this. How did Madrid ever love this monster?

Another cut tears into me.

The pain consumes me. It is all I know or will ever know again. Pain. Burning.

I slump in the chair I'm tied to, the fight in me dying as my body weakens.

Oren speaks to the crowd gathering below. To the vampires. To Fen.

When I hear Fen's voice, something in me awakens once more.

I cannot give up.

I cannot let Fen surrender to this monster.

Fen delivers a speech, but I can't make out the words through the pain. Still, the cadence of his voice caresses me, bringing me a kind of peace in my darkness. And then the armies cheer. And I hear them charge.

Oren steps back, a look of shock on his face. It fades. "I should have known. The demons care for nothing—"

He is close enough now. I slam my head into his, and he falls back, stunned. I use the distraction to throw my body over the edge of the balcony.

I have no plan. No way of stopping the fall. I'm still stuck to a damn chair. But I refuse to be used as a pawn in their game. I refuse to be tortured more in order to control Fen.

I will die my own way.

I brace myself for the fall, for hitting the ground hard and—if not dying—at least breaking my bones. But honestly, what is a bit more pain at this point?

The ground rises up to greet me, and I close my yes, but then… I begin to slow down. How? Yami? I look around for my dragon, but he is not here. It's not a dragon catching me, but wind.

I land gently, and Varis lands beside me and helps me out of my restraints. "You will not be harmed," he says. He sees my arms and flinches. "I am sorry I did not arrive in time to stop him."

I try to thank him, but tears sting my eyes as another round of pain sweeps through me.

The air grows cold, and Metsi, the Water Druid, appears before us. Her serpent, Wadu, coils around her right arm, hissing. She raises a silver sword.

Varis raises his hand. "No, sister. The Midnight Star is not our enemy. We need her. She is the key to peace."

Metsi pauses, considering his words. She too notices my arms and frowns. "The vampires are nearing. They will be upon us soon. But it will be as you say, Varis. I hope you are right about her." She drops my broken sword at my feet and vanishes into mist.

"I must leave," Varis says. "Stay safe. When this battle is over, I will make sure both sides yet live."

With the air under him, and his owl at his side he rises into the sky, straight for the phoenix who flies above us.

I shake as I drop to my knees, the snow cool under my body. I pack it over my arms to soothe my burns. The cold is nearly as painful as the heat, but I know it must be done.

To manage the pain, I inhale deeply and exhale slowly, using meditation techniques Varis taught me. I must regain my focus and find Fen. He's in trouble. A deep knowing stirs within me. He's in danger, and I must help him.