"What the hell was that?" Gideon's amazed whisper was close by his ear.
Braith was seething, his hands fisted as he watched Aria leap from one building to another. "I'm going to kill her myself."
"Well let's worry about getting to her, in order to kill her first," Gideon muttered.
Braith's attention was brought back to the street and the creature's filtering down it. He would have to get through them in order to reach her, and he had no problem doing just that. They were the sickliest looking vampires he'd ever seen, but their desperation made them far more volatile than many things he had encountered.
The streets echoed with screams, the scent of blood hung heavily in the air as the creatures stalked through the town, looking for more victims. Most people had already fled to safety, taking shelter in the buildings. Some still scrambled to get out of the way, others had not been fortunate enough to escape. Some of the creatures were trying to drag their victims behind them.
Their eyes were a glowing red. Braith assumed it was a permanent condition, one caused by their desperate need for sustenance. Two charged at him, one broke away, squealing as it raced down an alley after some unknown quarry. The other one was so pale that it was nearly transparent. These creatures seemed to no longer move about in the day, but remained hidden until nightfall when they searched out whatever kill they could find in these desolate lands.
It launched itself at Braith with an eager screech; its overgrown fingernails were hooked into lethal claws. Braith managed to catch its arm and pull it swiftly down. It bounced off the roadway with a sickening crack of bone. He found no pleasure in the mewl of pain it released; in fact he was hesitant to kill the thing. He didn't know what it had done to merit banishment, knowing Gideon the punishment had been deserved, but this thing was pitiful.
And it was deadly.
Bracing himself, he knelt to drive his fist through the creature's chest for the final blow. Its ribs gave way far too easily. He didn't know that it had been a woman until he felt the clammy fleshiness of her breasts against his wrist. Disgust curled his upper lip as he ripped the heart from her chest.
He rose slowly, standing over the remains of the unfortunate creature. He didn't have time to process the fact that this was what they could all become as more were already emerging. They ran down the streets in a savage frenzy, clawing over top of one another in their enthusiasm for blood. Panic tore through him as he threw himself into the madness, fighting his way toward where Aria had disappeared.
Gideon stayed close by his side as they grappled to control the melee around them. Braith caught glimpses of other vampires in the crowd, Gideon's vampires, trying to control the chaos, but the creatures kept coming. It was a never ending wave of pale, almost slimy bodies with vivid red eyes. Aria was fast, she was resourceful and a fighter in more ways than most humans, but she was also just that, human. And there were so many of these things.
If they got their hands on her...
He shuddered, breaking the thought off. It wasn't possible; he would not allow it to happen. He shut down all his pity for these creatures and turned to deal with the commotion at hand. Braith heard Gideon grunt loudly, he realized that they had been separated and Gideon seemed to be the main focus of the creature's attention. Gideon had been the one to banish them, the one that had forsaken them and now they required payback.
Gideon was being pushed back, swamped by their weight as they piled on top of him. Braith grabbed hold of the shoulder of one and pulled it back. Animalistic sounds ripped out of its throat as it fought to get back at Gideon. He drove his fist through its back, and crushed its heart within his grasp. Gideon was fighting to get out from beneath the crush upon him. Though as one fell, another one swiftly took its place.
He heard the whistle of the arrow seconds before it shot a hairs width past his ear. Gideon let out a gurgled shout of surprise as it pierced through the skull of the creature that had just sprung up to grab hold of him. The thing squealed; horrible sounds of distress tore from its throat as it reeled back. Able to get in a better shot, the second arrow pierced through its heart, effectively putting the thing out of its misery.
Braith turned slowly; relief filled him as he spotted Aria. She was standing on the roof of a bar, her bow raised as she released another arrow that soared past Braith's shoulder with a sharp whistle and dull thud that indicated it had hit its target. He was given only a brief moment to savor in the sight of her though as another creature came at him and he had to destroy it.
Ashby was shoving his way toward them; he had never been much of a fighter and he'd been doing more of it than he liked recently, that was made obvious by the grim set of his shoulders and the clench of his jaw. The remaining creatures began to scatter, sensing a shift in the tide as more of Gideon's vampires emerged. Braith and Gideon managed to grab hold of a few more, but the rest were fleeing, escaping beyond the town. Gideon gestured to some of his men, pointing down the road as he ordered them to follow and bring back any survivors.
Another arrow knocked a straggling creature over as it jumped toward him. Gideon had worked his way free of the group surrounding him, he was bloody and his clothes were torn, but otherwise unscathed. The whistle of another arrow pierced a creature that had been lurching awkwardly at Gideon. Gideon didn't flinch at the sound again, but his head fell back as he looked toward where Aria stood. Surprise and amazement filtered over his features.
"Let's hope she never aims that thing at you," Gideon muttered.
"She already has," Braith admitted.
Gideon's eyes widened and then he burst into laughter. "Ah, it is amazing what life throws your way, is it not?"
Braith pondered the truth of those words. Life had been so different just a few months ago, he had been blind, alone and content to simply go through the motions of what he now realized was an empty life. Then he'd seen her standing on that stage, filthy and proud, and forcing him to see in more ways than one. "It is."
Braith took in the destruction littering the street, the mess of bodies surrounding them. Not all were those of the strange creatures, nor were they all human, some vampires had fallen here too.
He turned bracing himself as he looked up at Aria. Her bow was at her side, she had tucked the long ends of her hair into the collar of her dress. The hem of her dress was still tucked within her belt, revealing her legs to her knees. She looked wild, almost savage, but beneath it all he sensed her sadness as she stared at the carnage of the streets.
His remaining annoyance with her faded as her eyes met his. He had said once that he would not chase her into the trees she moved through with the ease of a monkey, he had assumed that would extend to rooftops as well, he'd been wrong.
He grabbed hold of a ladder, pulling it down with a clatter of metal. She was standing at the edge of the roof when he arrived at the top. He clutched her against him as he sought to ease her sorrow.
"Is she sleeping?"
"Finally," Braith answered in response to William's question.
William nodded slowly as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "She's been through so much that I sometimes forget she's not as tough as she acts." His eyes were so similar to his sisters, but they were also harsher. "She's always hated to kill things, she'd do it, but she hated it. I should have been there."
Braith bit back on the retort that William was right, he should have been there. Hell he could smell the alcohol, and the woman on him, but this hadn't been William's fault. None of them had expected the events of this night.
"How often does this happen?" Braith inquired as he accepted a glass of whiskey from Gideon.
Gideon shook his head, he was still bruised and bleeding from his split lip, but he was healing quickly and the marks would fade within the hour. "It used to happen once every couple of years, but this is the third raid in the past eight months."
"What caused such an increase?" William asked.
Gideon was thoughtful. "In the beginning there weren't many of them, but over time more have been banished. They've grouped together, they're angry, and they're taking that anger out on the one's that put them in this situation. The other factions are experiencing the same problems with The Forsaken Ones."
"How many are out there?" Braith asked.
"I don't know for sure, like I said there are other towns that work under the same rules. We've banished six out of here over the years. Some towns are rigid in their rules, others are less strict, but after the ones destroyed tonight I would guess that there are approximately twenty five to thirty of those creatures left."
"Why didn't you just kill them?" Ashby inquired.
"No one here wanted the king's rules, at all. We thought we would give them a fair shot at survival."
Ashby quirked an eyebrow, he downed his drink in one long swallow. "I'd rather be dead."
"If it hadn't been for Melinda that very well could have been you," Braith reminded him.
"And as I said, I would rather have been dead. Those things are a monstrosity Braith. They are a shell of what they used to be." Ashby shuddered. "I would have much preferred to be put out of my misery."
"It's too late to change the punishment that has been handed to them and perhaps the time has come to take care of them. If we are successful in the endeavor of war, they will not be necessary as a security measure anymore, and perhaps death would be kinder. I can get you support Braith. There are four other aristocrats that survived and have their own villages, and the fifth village is solely human."
"Who are the four survivors?"
"Xavier, Saul, Calista, and Barnaby."
"Barnaby," Ashby groaned. "I hate that self pretentious ass."
"As do we all," Gideon agreed. "And though I wish it had, a hundred years hasn't changed him much. He is somewhat more humbled by his circumstances, but you wouldn't really know it to talk to him. He does well with his village though, and I haven't heard anything bad about him although I've tried to stay away from him as much as possible."
"Who wouldn't?" Braith muttered as he downed the remains of his whiskey. William stood silently by, frowning as he tried to follow the conversation. "Barnaby was a jerk, he's always been a jerk, and I doubt there's much that could change him. He didn't even choose a side to fight for, but stood idly on the sidelines to see who would win the war before he chose. My father was not oblivious to this fact and evicted him from the palace as soon as the war was over. I don't see him being much help now Gideon."
"He has followers that are not as cowardly as he is, and you know as well as I that this is not the life of luxury that Barnaby covets. We are not without here, but it is far less than he once had. He won't stand on the sidelines this time Braith."
Braith wasn't so certain, he wasn't even certain he wanted Barnaby involved at all. He would take Saul, Calista, and Xavier though. Saul and Calista had fought with Gideon, had chosen the losing side, and had just barely managed to escape when the war had taken a turn. Xavier had stood by the king's side, had been rewarded when the war was over and given the opportunity to remain in the palace. He had, however, disagreed with the king's policies toward humans and fellow vampire's. Fearing for his life, he'd fled within a year of the king's new rule. Xavier had always been an honorable man and Braith admired the fact that he had stood up to the king, even after he'd been rewarded. Xavier was also the only history keeper left as far as Braith knew, and that could come in very handy for them.
"Can we do this without Barnaby?" Ashby asked.
"I think we need as much help as possible," Gideon remarked. "But it's up to Braith."
"We'll take him, for now. But we'll keep a close eye on him, I trust him about as much as I trust those things that came in here tonight."
"That can be done. I've already sent word that I would like to meet with the other leaders. I think the human leader, Frank, is a good, upstanding man. I'm not sure what his response will be though. Their greatest concerns now are the creature's out there."
"Those creatures must be handled," Braith muttered. He agreed with most of what Gideon had done here, and understood his aversion to handing out the death sentence, but those things were not rational, thinking beings anymore.
"There is something else we must discuss Braith." Ashby and Gideon exchanged a look that caused Braith to stiffen. Whatever Gideon was about to say, he wasn't going to like it. "It's about the girl."
"She's not open for discussion," Braith stated flatly.
William took a step forward, drawn by the topic of his sister. "Braith you must understand..."
"What I understand Gideon, is that you better think about what you are going to say before you continue."
Gideon swallowed heavily; his hazel eyes were turbulent. Braith thought he'd finally gathered enough sense to remain silent. He was wrong. "I understand you care for this girl, love her even," he amended quickly when Ashby shook his head. "But you must understand that no matter how powerful you are vampires will not accept a human as their queen."
"They don't have to."
"You plan to try and change her then?"
William inhaled sharply, his eyes were questioning as his gaze bounced between them. Braith shook his head sternly. Something shifted and twisted inside of him, it curled through his belly, and clutched at his chest. He would love nothing more than to spend eternity with her, to give her the strength that came with immortality, to protect her from her own recklessness, and to ease the instability the thought of her death created in him, but he couldn't take the chance. He would not be the one that destroyed her.
"No. I will not risk her life in such a way."
Gideon and Ashby shifted uncomfortably, William's eyes were beginning to resemble an owl's. "She is strong, she's brave, and she has earned my respect, but you cannot rule with a human Braith. The others will not fall in line for a human, and they will not follow your children."
"Is that even possible?" William blurted in surprise.
Braith shot him a dark look as the boy gaped back at him in something akin to horror. "It is," he sneered.
"The child will be either vampire or human," Ashby elaborated. "The vampire children are often ignored, exiled, or ridiculed. The humans don't fare any better, but some are given positions as servants within the palace. It's always been that way, even before the king ruled."
"There are some of those children here, they were either created here, or they fled the persecution they received while in the palace. Here, no matter what they are, they are treated as equals, but we still wouldn't accept them as a ruler unless they were full vampire. They are slightly stronger than a human but not as strong as a full vampire."
"Does that include you Gideon?" Braith sneered.
He shifted nervously. "You can't hold the truth against me Braith. We are just here, give us credit for that, but do not blame us for the truth. Unless she survives the change, she will not be accepted, and neither will your children."
Braith shifted as he folded his arms over his chest. "If Aria and I have children then I can assure you they will meet no such fate."
"Life in the palace..."
"They will not be raised in the palace."
Gideon gaped at him. "What do you plan on doing with them Braith? With her? Perhaps you could marry another..."
"No."
"Braith, be reasonable," Gideon urged.
He was being reasonable; he wasn't beating the hell out of them right now. He considered that pretty damn reasonable considering the burgeoning rage he felt. "Ask Ashby to marry another."
Ashby paled, he shook his head fiercely as he took a step back. "No."
"Ashby doesn't have to marry another!" Gideon snapped. "His marriage to Natasha is over. No one will question him if he takes Melinda. She is your sister, her blood is pure. It's a fine match. She's not a human Braith!"
Braith moved so swiftly that Gideon didn't have time to react before he seized hold of Gideon's neck. He slammed him against the wall with enough force to crack the plaster. Gideon's eyes bulged; shock caused his face to go slack as Braith squeezed hard enough to draw blood. "I told you to watch what you said, you were warned, and this will be your final one. This topic is not up for discussion. There will be no other woman, there will be no talk of changing her, and our children will not know the life that you have described. I will fight with you, I will even help lead this battle, but someone else will rule. When this is over I am taking her and we are leaving that place. I promised her a life of peace and I will give it to her!"
He slammed Gideon against the wall again before shoving him violently and finally releasing him. Gideon's hand flew to his throat; he bent over as he watched Braith warily. "Who do you expect to lead?" he choked out
Braith shrugged. "I don't particularly care. You do it, or even Ashby, you said yourself that my sister is of sound bloodlines. Perhaps even Calista or Xavier would be a fine choice. I don't care who you pick, just as long as we are left alone."
"She will still die."
"And I'll be there beside her, and I will find a way to go with her."
Gideon was completely flabbergasted; his mouth opened and closed a few times before he was finally able to speak again. "You are the next in line Braith, the one that everyone, including the humans, has expected to take the throne. The infighting that such an abdication would cause..."
"I'm sure that it will all work out," Ashby inserted quickly. He shot Gideon a silencing look as he stepped forward to break up what was sure to be a battle if it continued. "We must win the war out there first, let us not start one here."
Braith waited for Gideon to say more, but he finally just shook his head and took a step back. Gideon turned back, opened his mouth to say something more, but Ashby grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him back. William remained silent as he leaned against the wall.
"This child thing, a baby..."
"I'm not sleeping with your sister!" Braith's temper had hit its boiling point, he'd had enough. The remaining color drained from William's face, and then it flared bright red. Ashby and Gideon's mouths dropped. "I don't want to hear one word from any of you again tonight," he grumbled as he stalked from the room.
