Gauntlet Rite of Ascension (41 page)

              We slowed our approach, fearing Vicktor may have some trap set up. Passing through the columns we had a straight line of sight to the throne. Vicktor sat on it, a small silver knife pressed against my father’s throat as he was chained to the floor. His face was a mask of pain and sickness. He looked dirty and weak. His face had a sallow look to it, like someone who hasn’t had anything to eat in far too long. I knew why he looked that way and realizing Vicktor had forced silver into my father made my rage build.

              “Dad!” Emotions flooded through me.

              Anger was the strongest as I saw my father being held captive like a slave. Guilt at not having figured out Vicktor’s role sooner and being able to free him, and lastly came the hurt at seeing him in pain and weakened. These emotions and many more slowly started to coalesce into a ball of white-hot fury.

              He looked up at me and saw me in my Beast form; he noticed my gauntlet and fierce joy shone from him as he realized what had to have happened to unleash the gauntlet’s true makeup. Concern followed quickly and I knew what he was thinking.

              “Don’t worry, Susan’s safe. She is Ascended and with Abaddon.” I said as he visibly relaxed.

              “Don’t talk to the food!” Vicktor said and jerked on the chains, blood welled up from the small wound his knife inflicted on my dad’s neck.

              “Son, be careful, it’s a trap.” He croaked, his voice sounded raspy and dry.

              Vicktor yanked again and my dad went silent.

              “Let him go Vicktor, it’s over.” I said. “You have nowhere to run.”

              “Run? Who said anything about running?”

              Jameson, the sorcerer and the two guys from the alley stepped out from behind the throne. I felt Eavan tense as the odds for our survival went down.

              “Kill them!” Vicktor ordered.

              Jameson swept his arm out and the small silver mace came flying at my face, the sorcerer held a long metallic spear that had a silver tip on it and he ran towards me with it, hoping to skewer me. The bald guy brought out his wide bladed sword and rushed Eavan from one side while the ponytailed guy came at her other side with his large hammer.

              I spun away from Jameson’s incoming mace and swept my sword at it, disrupting its arc, making Jameson waste a few seconds getting it moving again. An instant later, I deflected the sorcerer’s spear as he thrust it at me. It swung wide and as he brought it back into the fray I stepped in front of him, using his body to block Jameson’s attacks.

              I could tell the sorcerer was skilled but that made sense. He had mastery over his Beast that allowed him to alter animals; this required a lot of control, which would aid him when fighting.              

His spear was great for long-range advantages. He could sit back and repeatedly stab at an opponent until he got a strike, weakening his adversary. Normally this would have been effective with me, but I now had a shield on my left forearm and brought it to use deflecting his attacks while I tried to get within the sorcerer’s defensive area.

He kept his distance and continued to harass me, trying to distract me from Jameson’s mace. I had to constantly block the sorcerer’s spear while at the same time make sure Jameson didn’t crush my skull. I managed to keep both attackers from scoring a hit, but knew that eventually one of them would get through and land a strike that would allow the other to kill me.

Hilliard’s spear sliced through the air and flashed towards my face. I ducked to the side and swept my swords up into an X, catching the spears shaft before he could pull it back. Twisting my body, I barely dodged Jameson’s mace as it flew past us. Before either Jameson or Hilliard could react, I swung his spear into the mace’s chain and managed to tangle them up.

Hilliard started to panic and changed his grip on the spear trying to pull it away from the chain. I never let him get the chance.

              I took two quick steps towards him and as he awkwardly backpedaled, I smashed his face with my shield and followed it with a quick thrust, stabbing him in the heart. With an effort of will, I ignited the sword and saw in satisfaction as the sorcerer’s hood fell off and his ugly visage twisted in agony as his heart burned inside his body.

              I snapped my blade back and ducked as Jameson sent his mace at me the second the sorcerer fell out of the way. He launched the mace at me over and over, never letting me get out of my defense. I watched his movements and realized I had seen them before. I silently thanked Abaddon for all his beatings he had given me and waited for the right moment.

              As Abaddon had done before, I saw Jameson shift his weight as he sent the mace towards me, he twisted his wrist and the movement followed the length of the chain, sending the end spinning. It would have bypassed my normal defense and smashed my face, if I was still there.

I moved inside the attack and, like with Abaddon, I reached out and wrapped my hand around the chain. With a twist of my wrist, I sent Jameson’s mace flying back towards him.

              Shocked awareness came over him as the mace raced at him and crushed his skull.

He dropped dead.

I looked over to see Eavan deftly dodge a sloppy attack from the hammer and spin her body. Her sword lashed out and her enemies head toppled from its body which fell to the floor. The body of the large sword wielding bald guy lay not far from his partner.

I turned to face Vicktor.

“Next.” I said.

I watched as Vicktor furiously considered his next move. He turned to the far door, looking for an avenue of escape and then an evil smile split his face into something hideous.

He took the knife and quickly plunged it into my father’s chest. Agony flooded through my dad as Vicktor’s knife sunk in to the hilt. He turned and fled, trying to make me choose between him and my dad.

Eavan rushed to my dad’s side and turned to me.

“Get the son of a bitch, I’ll see to yer dad.” She knelt by him.

My rage was red hot as I turned to Vicktor. I called on my Beast; I dug down deep and used a massive amount of energy to fuel me as I rushed to intercept him. Everything was a blur as I moved faster than I thought possible. Vicktor’s movements slowed down as I gained on him, my perceptions super charged with the aid of my Beast. As I ran past Vicktor ten feet before he reached the doorway I held my arm out and felt a slight push of resistance as my sword flowed through the meat and bone of his neck.

I stopped and watched as Vicktor’s body kept running through the door and slammed into the wall, without its head.

I hurried back to my father and fought the Beast down as its desires to continue to hunt and kill swept through me.

I shifted back to human form and knelt down next to him. Eavan had placed a strip of cloth at the wound and pulled it back, showing the blade buried deep in his chest.

“Hold still dad, I’m going to pull it out.” I said, reaching for the handle.

He stayed my hand and I looked at him.

“Son, it’s too late. The blade has hit my heart and severed my artery. I can feel my blood seeping into my body as we speak, if you pull it out it will flow freely and I’d lose what little time I have with you.” His face twisted in pain from speaking.

“There’s got to be something we can do, I won’t let you die.” I pleaded.

“The hardest lesson to learn is that sometimes all your power is never enough. Eventually we all have to go; this is a good way, with my son.”

My vision blurred as tears threatened to break free.

“I’ve missed you so much. Where have you been?” I asked.

Sadness swept over him and he took a deep breath, as if he was preparing himself for something.

He reached out and grabbed my wrist, the gem on my gauntlet flared to life and I began seeing a series of images flash before me, each accompanied by an innate understanding of what I saw.

My dad investigating the house of one of the missing Ascended, the place a total wreck with no evidence of the assailant. The realization of what this meant.

My dad standing at the end of my neighborhood, looking at our house, knowing that he had to destroy the vampire before risking coming home and inadvertently leading it there.

My dad searching for weeks, investigating every oddity reported to the police.

Finally finding the trail of a bloodsucker and following it to its dark hole.

Blood red eyes in the deep black. A realization that he made a mistake as the power of the lord and her spawns overwhelmed him and he was chained.

Lonely isolation interrupted by feedings, the vampire leeching energy only to leave behind a weakened shell.

              Watching as I battled my Beast, helping as best as he can, giving advice when needed, his weakened state only allowing for minimal contact.

Amazement as Vicktor was chained up as well, the vampire feeding from him and reinforcing her will on him. Making him understand she was in charge. Wails of his surrender.

Vicktor’s pleas for her to give him one thing, my dad. Allow him to use my dad to get at a rising threat. Agreement.

Movement as he was transported from the dark tunnels to this place. Eating poisoned food, causing pain and weakness.

The images stopped and I came to in a rush. I stumbled off balance as if someone had pushed me. Tears streamed down my face.

“What was that?” I asked, breathless.

“The best I can do with so little time.” He said, waving my questions away with his hand.

“Let me look at you.” He said. “You have grown into a fine man. I can see your strength, but more importantly, your compassion.” He started coughing; it was a deep wet sound.

“Don’t talk, dad.” I tried.

He ignored me.

“Susan is okay? I see she has the other bracelet.” He said nodding toward mine.

“Yeah, she’s fine. Abaddon and Oengus are with her, and Max.”

“Max? Your friend from school?”

“Yeah, he’s a real badass now.” I said.

“Will wonders never cease.” He replied.

Another coughing fit hit him and I waited for it to pass.

“Take care of each other; I won’t be there to save you anymore.” He said.

I could see he was fading, fast.

He looked at me and smiled.

“Remember the football…” He said.

I watched as his face paled and his eyes glazed over, after a minute, he lay unmoving, dead.

He had been there, all this time I had no idea but my father had been with me. It wasn’t my father’s legacy that had helped me when I needed it, it was my father himself. This realization brought joy, knowing he hadn’t abandoned me. He had done everything he could to help. Grief slammed me like a freight train and I fell back as if I had been hit. A cloud of emotions engulfed me as I sat there holding my father’s body.

A potent feeling cut through my anguish as vile corruption washed over me. I was staggered by the sheer power of the vampire’s aura. It was an almost physical thing that seeped into my pores and threatened to poison me with its unnatural energy.

I turned from my dad and was unsurprised to see the vampire lord standing at the far end of the Hall. She was terrifyingly beautiful. Ruthlessly deadly, and she was facing me.

“
It’s tooo baaaad. He was a fount of energy. Now the son will replace the father
.” She said with unconcealed venom.

She was the reason for all of this. This monstrosity took my dad and held him captive, she was the one who set Vicktor loose and she was the one who had been kidnapping werewolves to abate her hunger.

My rage swelled within me as I watched her. All my thoughts flowed out of me in a rush as my attention became singularly focused. I became an empty husk filled with a white hot rod of will. My only goal was to kill this bitch.

I absently reached over and took off my bracelet, placing it on my father’s lap. I didn’t understand what I was doing, only that I knew it was necessary. I rose and stalked towards the vampire lord, her aura a barrier that I waded into with only one purpose, her death.

Chapter 37

The Hunter watched with rapt attention as he kept his presence hidden. This hunt had been longer than most, shorter than some.

He knew that eventually his Prey would show itself. The One said so and so it shall be.

The Hunter watched as the Vessel slowly became more and more ready.