The King's Vampire (33 page)

She grabbed another half-burned wooden beam before running forward and jumping into the middle of the demons, standing back-to-back with Darius. The demons were closing in on them, even though Darius managed to implode three of the closest ones. In anguish, she thought, surely this isn’t the way it’s supposed to end. They couldn’t die now.

Chapter 36

Elizabeth heard a rumbling sound outside the ruins. When she looked up, she saw the immortal vampires, with Amelia leading the charge, surging into the remaining rubble of the church.

Looking down at the great fissure in the ground, Amelia declared loudly, “It smells like hellfire and damnation here.”

“Amelia,” Elizabeth managed to gasp, “I thought you’d left.”

“Did you think I could abandon my little sister to these wretched psychic vampire demons?”

“She made us come back,” Godfrey said gloomily. “Trust me. I did everything to persuade her not to return.”

“Ever the hero, eh Godfrey,” Amelia said. “Toss me a sword, Godfrey, my brave warrior.”

He threw her a sword she gripped in her hand, battling her way toward the center of demons where Elizabeth and Darius were surrounded.

“Darling, how do we kill these wretches if we’re not demon slayers?” Amelia said when she finally reached her friend.

“We can wound them with swords and knives,” Elizabeth said breathlessly, “but they are too strong to thrall. The only way we can implode them is to hit their throats straight on with enough force to crush them. Don’t let them get close enough to suck away your breath.”

One of the demons shot a blast of flame at Amelia, hitting her leg and causing her to cry out in pain, slapping her leg to put out the flame. Darius blasted a force of energy at the demon, imploding him into rotting dust.

The immortal vampires charged against the demons, pulling back like the tide, and then charging in again. Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth saw Godfrey had spotted Obadiah the witch finder, and he was heading in his direction.

He shouted to Digby and Greaves, “Come fellows, there’s the bloody witch finder what tried to roast the two of you and killed Selena and Serena so horribly. Let’s get him.”

They hurled themselves upon Obadiah, stabbing him in the throat again and again until he disintegrated into black powdered dust.

“Way to fight,” Amelia cheered Godfrey on. Just then, she spun around and lopped off a demon’s wing, rolling away on the ground to avoid the sparks of energy he shot in her direction.

Elizabeth realized she’d been paying too much attention to what the others were doing and Julian had managed to break her away from the others and now had her cornered in a deep recess of the ruins. She couldn’t even see Darius or Amelia for the dust and the flames enveloping her.

He spread his wings out, blocking her from the view of the others and creating an impenetrable blanket of darkness surrounding them. She heard the battle between the immortals and the demons, but she could see only Julian, his clotted breath resounding in her ears, his stench filling up her lungs. The chasm vibrated and rolled, she heard the moaning of agonized creatures coming from the abyss, and the moss-like tentacles broke the chasm open even wider.

“Look down, Elizabeth. See what awaits those who are damned for all eternity.”

“I don’t want to see,” she said in a small, choked voice.

“What will happen to you if you can’t recapture your soul? A psychic vampire demon may one day turn you into one of us. We are growing in power, you see.”

She turned her head away so he couldn’t consume her breath. What indeed would happen to her if she couldn’t regain her soul? A dark, purple light emanated from Julian’s wings and the glow seemed to spread out in tentacles. Elizabeth exhaled sharply when a crushing weight pressed down upon her chest. She became mute and paralyzed with fear and a roaring filled her head. The pressure increased while the sounds around her grew louder and more discordant.

The outside edges of Julian’s wings now darkened and the black tentacles reached out to her and wrapped around her chest, squeezing tighter and tighter. “I beg you to stop,” she said.

“What will you do for me if I do stop?” Julian’s eye sockets glowed red and he stared into her eyes.

“Tell me what you want.” The tentacles released her, and she drew in deep, healing breaths.

“I want you to give me Darius. I want his life force.”

“I have no power to give you that.”

“You do have that power, Elizabeth. You have a field of pure energy surrounding you. Because Darius loves you, you can attract him into this force field, and I can destroy his body form while taking in his life force.”

“And if I don’t?”

“You’ll never regain your soul and I’ll make you my own psychic vampire demon. I have the power now. You’ll belong down there.” He pointed down into the abyss where demons writhed and moaned. “Go ahead. Call him to us.”

Unable to trust her voice, Elizabeth nodded. She closed her eyes, letting the forces build up inside her, allowing her deep yearning to cry out to Darius. When she dared open her eyes, she saw Julian had lowered his wings and the darkness had disappeared. She could see all the carnage and commotion taking place in what was left of St. Paul’s while the immortal vampires continued battling the psychic demons. Flames and ash rose up to the sky. A blinding flash of lightning lit up the rubble and thunder rumbled in the distance.

Elizabeth’s heart stopped when Darius burst through the flames, brandishing his jeweled sword.

“Julian,” he roared, and he leapt between Elizabeth and the demon.

She watched black tentacles coming out of Julian’s wings, worming their way toward Darius. She saw him catch his breath and glance in her direction with a look of surprised betrayal. He knew her so well—he knew she’d intended to betray him. Shame made her eyes sting and guilt dug into her chest. How could she have done such a thing?

A whisper echoed in her heart. Elizabeth shook her head and listened closely. She realized God hadn’t given up on her. He was still safeguarding her soul. She closed her eyes and concentrated until a ball of energy formed inside her chest.

In her inward mind, she saw her baby girl and her sister smiling at her with their arms outstretched. A white-hot energy pulsed through her veins, and with strength she didn’t realize she possessed, she released the energy into the air. She held her breath and watched the white light expand until it had swallowed up Julian’s dark tentacles.

“How dare you break our agreement?” Julian tossed a bolt of lightning at her and Darius.

They ducked out of the way, and Elizabeth said, “Our vow is with God—not with the devil’s demons.”

Chapter 37

Julian drew closer, and with each bolt of energy Darius hurled, the demon met him with an equal power. Darius could destroy the other demons, but felt helpless against Julian. Even though his great wings were singed from his previous battles, he grew stronger.

Darius threw his cape around Elizabeth in an effort to protect her from the flames. His arms and shoulders were already blistered by flames.

“Don’t fight for me. Leave me to my destiny.” She tossed aside his cape and clutched the holy wood from St. Paul’s, keeping the demons from completely closing in on them. Still, Darius kept on fighting the relentless demons.

Elizabeth must have sensed he was going to fight for her until the bitter end, because she drew away from him. “Leave,” she begged him. “Why should you want any part of a soulless creature like me? I don’t deserve your loyalty after betraying you.”

The demons crept closer, and Darius drew her so close he tasted the salt of her tears. “How can you think so little of me you would imagine I’d abandon you? Don’t you remember when I had no soul, and yet you loved me?”

Her breath caught on a broken sob. “Darius, I’m so sorry, I can’t . . .”

He pressed his finger to her lips. “Nothing matters but the fact I love you and you love me.”

Bestial howling interrupted them and the demons closed in, but suddenly twelve snarling wolves charged Julian and the eight psychic demons halted. Darius watched the wolves dive at the demons, their sharp teeth ripping into the throats of the rotting corpses.

As the demons battled the wolves, Darius again wrapped Elizabeth in his cloak and dragged her away from the desperate fight.

“Don’t Lance and the others need our help? How can we desert them?”

“Let’s not distract them. Follow me.” In three quick strides, he pulled her away, and then dragged her out into the churchyard.

“What are we doing? Running away?”

“We must find a stone large enough to cover the abyss.”

“How will that help?” She stared suspiciously. It was apparent to him she wanted nothing more than to plunge back into the battle in order to save the shape-shifters.

Darius found an enormous flat stone that must have broken off from a mausoleum. “This looks like it might be the right size.” When he tried to lift it, he found it too heavy, even for his great strength. “I’m going to need your help.”

Elizabeth leaned down to help lift the immense stone, but a huge shadow crossed over them. When she spun around, Julian grasped her by the throat, lifting her off the ground with one claw-like hand.

Watching Julian’s scaly hands snake around her slender, porcelain neck, Darius let out an anguished scream that thundered to the heavens. Again and again he’d tried to protect those he loved, and yet he was doomed to failure. He raised the jeweled sword to strike at Julian’s heart, but the demon shot out a bolt of energy that knocked the sword out of his hand and flung him on his back.

A dark cloud blocked his view of Julian and Elizabeth. Darius tried to sit up, but a leather-clad foot pressed down upon his throat and his eyes met the hawk-like face of his former emperor. “Would thou die a coward’s death?” he roared. “Have you forgotten your heritage from a lion’s womb? Remember our ancient past where those such as Emperor Constantine ruled the world. He would never forget to whom he owed his greatest allegiance.”

“Forgive me, Emperor.”

“Don’t ask my forgiveness. Now get up and show the world where your power lies.”

“I’ll try.”

“Don’t try—do it. Evil is never allowed to triumph over good.” Charlemagne released him and tossed back his mighty jeweled sword.

Darius, with sword in hand, charged toward Julian, who kept Elizabeth clutched to his chest. Blood streamed down onto her breast from gashes Julian had made along her throat. The redness of the blood against her milky white skin caused a fury to coil in his heart that made him roar even louder than Charlemagne, “Release her, you devil, or you’ll die a thousand deaths.”

Darius watched Elizabeth seize the claw-like hand holding her by the throat and trying to rip it away, but Julian held tighter. She gouged his horrid, blood-red eyes, but he gave his horrible laugh.

“Give up, Darius, or your beloved is worse than dead. You’re the weakest demon slayer I’ve ever known.”

With a roaring in his ears, Darius spread his legs wide like two giant oaks and raised both arms, causing purple and blue flames to flash from his fingertips through his sword. The force caused Julian to drop Elizabeth and fight back. The energy blasting between them made the air snap and crackle with their rage.

“Lord have mercy,” Darius shouted out, slicing through one of Julian’s leathered wings. It dropped to the ground and Julian shrieked in agonizing pain. Still, the demon battled on, shooting hot flames toward him.

“Courage, my son,” Charlemagne said, rising into the air. He aimed his own powerful, jewel-encrusted sword in Elizabeth’s direction, causing flames to fly at her.

Bands of energy surrounded her. She dashed to Darius’s side. “Christ have mercy.” She raised her arms and flames of red and orange energy jolted from her fingertips.

Darius stared in amazement. This was his own love by his side, and their love and faith together made them more powerful than any demon could ever be. “Our Father,” Darius said, wrapping one arm around her waist as he lopped off Julian’s other wing with his sword arm.

“Who art in heaven,” she returned. Looking up at him, her eyes reflected back all the love and faith he felt for her.

“Hallowed be thy name,” they both shouted in unison. Together, they flung thunderbolts of raw energy toward Julian’s throat. He exploded into a cloud of black dust, screaming out his defeat and disbelief while disintegrating into putrefying dust.

Darius raised an arm covering both himself and Elizabeth with his cloak so they wouldn’t breathe in the corruption. Once the ash fell to the ground, he shook the cape away from their faces. “Are you all right, darling?”

“I’m fine. But listen, do you hear?”

The church bells rang out across the city.

“I hear them. It’s Christmas morning.”

“Today is my last chance to regain my soul.”

He kissed the top of her tousled head. “I know my darling. Are you ready to go and see how the wolves are fairing?”

Every part of her body ached from the confrontation with Julian, but she already felt her body mending. “Yes, of course. Are we going to try and carry in the stone to seal the abyss?”

“Let’s do it,” he said. Together, they leaned over, and this time, they lifted the enormous flat stone together, carrying it back to the remains of St. Paul’s church.

The wolves had been edging the demons closer and closer to the hole of the abyss. To Darius, the demons seemed slightly confused and less powerful than before, as though sensing their leader had been destroyed. They stumbled around with no sense of direction.

Darius and Elizabeth broke through the circle of wolves, and together, they imploded three more demons with jolts of lightning bolts.

Twelve demons remained, and they must have realized they were losing the battle. They shoved and clawed over one another in their desperate bid to escape, scrambling back through the hole of the abyss. Wasting no further time, Darius and Elizabeth rushed over to the abyss and dropped the huge stone down over the hole. The chasm pulled together slowly and the moss disappeared back into the abyss. The rotting stench vanished, and the sounds of agonized wailing stopped.