Lord of Shadows book 2: Bloodlines Page 19

  I grinned showing my fangs.

  "First, allow me the courtesy of asking who you work for. Then I'll tell you who I am, Dvoranoy."

  He nodded and shrugged his shoulders.

  "Sure. It's not like it matters, Vampyre. You'll be dead before my cousin is done with that hairy dog over there. But to answer your question, we work for the countess that rules these lands alongside the clergy. You know of her?"

  "Bella? Oh yes. Quite well, in fact."

  "Oh?" the Domovoy asked. "How come?"

  I scoffed and shook my head slightly.

  "You have no idea who I am, do you?"

  Boris came crashing through the wall landing right beside me. He shook his body and cracked his neck before standing upright.

  "Ivan! These two are fucking annoying! I don't know what they are, but my claws have no effect on them because of those capes!"

  The Domovoy stepped closer to his cousin and stopped right next to him, tapped his shoulder and whispered something.

  "You are the Vampyre Lord Ivan?" Maxim asked.

  I nodded slowly before holding my hand out before me and summoning the spear. Boris dropped to his knees and started shaking. The two deities couldn't help but follow his example, if only for a couple of seconds.

  "W-what is this power?" Mihal asked. "It's just a weapon!" he cried out and lunged at me. The cape engulfed his whole body as we made contact. I swirled the weapon in a circle catching the cape with the bladed end, but it bounced off. I frowned. Now that wasn't how this was supposed to go.

  "I knew it! He's not strong enough to cut through our defenses, cousin!"

  Maxim nodded and darted right at me, pulling his own cape around him as he closed in. I stabbed right at his open back, but the weapon bounced off again.

  "I'm good again," Boris growled as he stopped shaking and got up again. He lunged at Mihal, catching him in mid-air and trying to pull him back down, but only succeeded at tearing his sleeve off. The cape flew aside for a second as Mihal prepared to attack, but it was enough.

  "Strike him!" I ordered, sending blades of darkness into the one weak-spot I could find in the time I was there. He dropped to the ground, thrashing around like a fish, then started laughing as he got up again.

  "We're gods! You can't hope to kill us no matter who you think you are!"

  I snorted before bursting out with laughter.

  "You don't really think this was my best, right? Let me show you a tiny fraction of my power, Dvoranoy."

  Lifting my left hand up for dramatic effect, I snapped it shut into a fist and brought it down. I had no idea why I loved this stuff, but I couldn't help it. A massive claw rose straight from the ground, catching the creature off guard. Dozens of shapes emerged from thin air and stood there either on two or four legs. Some resembled wolves, while others rabid two-legged monsters, snarling and howling.

  Whatever the reason might have been, but the two gods didn't look so sure anymore. They stood back and waited on what was about to happen. I decided to have fun with them by myself instead.

  "Boris, go help Selene. I'll take care of these two myself."

  He growled and snarled at me.

  "Don't take away my pride!"

  "I'm not," I replied calmly. "I'm letting you keep it. You're a poor match for them. You don't have any magical powers, and they have a perfect defense against physical attacks. I don't know who the third supernatural is, but I doubt there's three of them."

  "Whatever!" Boris barked as he leaned over to all fours, then sped down to the square where Selene was causing a ruckus. I looked back at the two gods, or whatever they were, and grinned.

  "Do you want the first strike? I don't want you to speak ill of me in hell."

  Angered by my taunt, the Dvoranoj charged with his claws extended. The expression on his face shifted to something similar like rage as he struck my chest. I took the blow head-on and was pushed back a couple of feet just as his cousin's blows came from my side. I could feel bone crack beneath the skin. The two were no push-overs, that was clear, but neither was I.

  I darted up striking Maxim across the face with the butt end of my spear and sent him flying right into my group of shadow beasts. Mihal blocked the kick, but couldn't help himself and looked at what was happening to his cousin. I raked my claw across his unprotected chest. Blood flowed freely, but the wounds closed almost immediately.

  "Stupid Vampyre!" he snickered. I looked down at my hand. The blood was melting with my skin and into the bones of my fingers.

  "What the hell?" I cursed and waved my hand around for the blood to get off, but it wouldn't. Annoyed more than hurt, I swirled around and brought the blade of my spear across his neck. His head popped right off and fell beside his body. A look of disbelief was embedded on his face as if he couldn't believe his own death.

  I hissed at the pain on my burning hand and turned to Maxim, who was battling the shadow beasts. Neither side had the upper hand, but I could see the annoyance in his face and numerous shreds across his limbs. True, the capes were a perfect defense for some reason, but he couldn't really attack if he was defending. And every time he did attack, the beasts ravaged him.

  His eyes found Mihal's corpse as a shadow beast tackled him. For a moment it seemed to fail and register that he was all alone and up against a foe he couldn't possibly beat. Just then, the lifeless corpse of a woman dropped into the heap of beasts. I looked down at her but couldn't make out what she was. So many Supernaturals had the physical appearance of Humans that it sickened me. At least Boris was true to his nature and to his kind, as he stayed transformed.

  "Maxim," I said, approaching him with my spear at the ready.

  "What do you want to know?" he hissed. Just then, Freya dropped beside us and looked around the scene.

  "Did I miss something?"

  "You!" Maxim yelled. "What are you doing with them? You're the lady's benefactor!"

  She looked down at the wounded creature and smirked for a mere instant, but I saw it. Freya snapped her fingers and stepped back from Maxim. His head exploded, showering the ground with bone and brain matter.

  I snapped my head around and caught her by the throat.

  "How dare you interfere? What the hell is wrong with you?"

  She put her hand on my wrist and twisted it slightly. I could hear the pop of breaking bones before the pain assailed me. It was short-lived, though, as the wrist healed almost instantly.

  "I never said I was your servant, Ivan," she replied. "I'm your goddess, not your plaything or pawn. I told you what you needed to know before we came here. For now, don't dig deeper than you should. You're not ready to face the consequences."

  "Freya? Are you sure you want to do it this way?" I whispered. She shrugged and turned her back to me.

  "You have your task, Ivan. Please get to it."

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Freya rose into the air and dissipated into thick, black smoke, leaving us standing there. I was at a loss for words, at least for a very long moment. Boris and Selene looked at me clearly for instructions, but neither spoke. I had to think for a moment. The situation we found ourselves in was very unfavorable, especially after losing our strongest 'fighter', or whatever I could call her. The worst of it all, however, was that I had no idea where she stood. I needed to know if she was an enemy or an ally, and quickly at that.

  I looked down at the corpses, studying them. They hadn't disintegrated yet, disappeared or burned up, which was a good thing.

  "Can you two use their capes?" I asked. "Or at least you, Selene?"

  "Let me try," she replied and knelt beside Maxim, pulling off the white fur cloak off his back. She tugged at it, but it wasn't giving way.

  "Let me try," Boris growled, pushing her aside. He went through one knee, pressed it down against the dead god's back, and pulled. Flesh and meat, tendrils and bone gave way as he ripped the cloak right from his spine.

  "Eww! That's so disgusting!" Selene cried. "Have some decency, Boris!"
>
  Before he was able to retort, the cape started moving and changing. The part where it had merged with Maxim's neck fell off and was left clean with two needle-like tendrils that slithered like snakes.

  "Is that a parasitic growth?" she asked, taking the cape from him and studied the living tissue. She poked at them but pulled her finger back after they bit her. "Shit!"

  "Let me try putting it on around your neck," Boris said, taking the piece of fur from her. He stepped around her and placed it next to her neck.

  "You want me to be your guinea-pig?" she asked, stepping away from him.

  "You've got a horrible defense, sister," Boris snarled. "You better put this shit on if it can help you survive longer."

  The two snake-like appendages bit deep into her skin and writhed around, burying themselves deep into her flesh and nervous system. She cried out and tried to rip it off, but the tendrils had already disappeared beneath the skin. When it was finished, the cape started shifting around her body, turning translucent and white as snow in one. The fur was gone, replaced by a thin layer that hugged her body all around in a protective cocoon.

  "What the hell is that thing?" I cursed. It was a bit hard to swallow that there were so many kinds of Supernaturals, Gods, and even Demons, but living armor? That was new. Boris shrugged.

  "I haven't been a Supernatural myself for much longer than you have, so all of this is pretty new to me as well," Selene replied. "I've heard of enchantments, and of items that could give extraordinary power, but nothing like this. Speaking of which, what do we do with the other fur?"

  "Boris, rip the other fur from the second guy and hide it one of those houses for later collecting. I could as well give it to Katya or Hana. I doubt you need it?"

  He shrugged.

  "I'm basically immune to physical damage. Magic can hurt me, along with a decapitation. But one would really need to be strong to pull that off."

  "Yeah, I guessed so. Selene, how are you feeling?"

  She stood there speechless, and with her eyes rolled up to the back of her skull. The wide grin on her face told me volumes.

  "Selene?" Boris asked, pushing her. The fur sprang to life and twisted up around his arm, breaking it with ease. He cried out and kicked her in the back. The cape gave way but helped her stay upright.

  "Huh? What's going on?" she stuttered. "I was in a weird trance-like state, I think. There was this feeling of bliss and this white, gentle light that engulfed me. It felt like heaven."

  "I seriously doubt that you'll ever see heaven, Arch Lich," I said with a chuckle. "I don't know how many people you've killed, but I doubt it's much less than me."

  Selene laughed heartily as she made a shooing motion. It was rather cute when you disregarded her pale-white skin and deathly look.

  "Speaking of enchanted items," she said and knelt beside the third corpse. "I think this one might have some rather interesting things." She ripped the clothes off and pulled a necklace right through the dead woman's neck. It was a large, octagonal piece that shimmered with all kinds of gems which were imbued in all the corners. The moment she put it around her neck, an aura enveloped her.

  "Enchanted?" I asked. It was apparent, but I still had to ask. She nodded frantically.

  "But that isn't all! There's more!" she replied and rummaged around in her pouch, then pulled rings off the corpses' fingers. She walked over to the two cousins and stripped them of their jewelry, inspected each item, and threw half of them away.

  "You can detect enchantments now?" I asked curiously. She nodded again.

  "I can. And these two are perfect for you, my Lord," she replied, handing two rings with blue gemstones inlaid in gold metal. "They should add to your physical resistance as well as strength. And this is for Boris," she added, handing him a chain. He didn't really have anywhere to put it, so he wrapped it around his wrist.

  "What does it do?" he asked, studying the pitch-black chain.

  "Magical resistance. Not quite high, but it should add to your survivability. If you had smaller fingers, you might use one of these rings as well. Either of them adds to physical power."

  He snorted and looked the cousins over, then ripped a necklace off Maxim's neck. It was a few numbers too long for the dead man, but it would fit Boris just perfectly.

  "Give me," he said, holding his hand out. She handed him all three of them which he slid down the necklace and handed it to her. "Put it around my neck."

  She smirked at the Werewolf's ingenuity. He wasn't the smartest among the bunch, but every now and then he had a decent idea.

  "Anything?" I asked. He nodded slightly.

  "I think so. Hey, let me hit you," he said and turned to me, pulled back his arm and slammed a closed fist against my chest. It's an understatement to say that I hadn't expected him to strike me as hard and send me flying through two buildings and into the outer wall of the third. I pulled myself up and grinned. If he packed such a punch after putting on some inferior jewelry, what would Gamayun's enchantments be able to do for us?

  "My turn!" I said, flying right at him and slamming my fist into his stomach. He flew across the square and into the woods, cracking through tree after tree. "This is quite the surprise, Selene. Why do they have access to such strong items?" I asked while dusting myself off as we waited for Boris to return.

  Selene shook her head.

  "I don't know, my Lord. But now I see how that Captain could have been so strong. He was fully armored, so who knew how many pieces of jewelry he might have had, and not to speak about the armor and clothing beneath, which might have been enchanted as well.

  I nodded knowingly. But somehow I doubted it was the jewelry's fault. He was strong and radiated pure power. Then it dawned on me. The energy was quite similar to Freya's now that I thought of it. I only caught a glimpse of it when she overpowered me, but it had been enough.

  "I doubt it. That guy's something else. Anyway, I've made up my mind about how to proceed. If there's more of this jewelry and other enchanted items, I want them for ourselves. Once we're statted out from head to toe, we'll attack the keep."

  "And where do you want to get more of this?" she asked as Boris ran up to us on all fours. It was always a sight to behold when such a great monster ran like an animal.

  "We're going after an old acquaintance of mine. Oh, and I need to free my son."

  "Your what?" both of them blurted at the same time.

  "My son. Do you both have difficulty hearing?"

  "You never mentioned you had a son, boss," Boris said. "It's only normal you caught us off guard."

  "Tell me about it. I only found out a week ago. It sure is a strange feeling, you know?" I replied. The two of them nodded in turn but remained silent. There wasn't much they could say anyway, as even I was at a loss for words.

  "So where do we go then? Where's that old acquaintance of you located?" he asked.

  "I have no idea. The Countess rules these lands, so it's not like we'll have trouble finding her. She gave the piece of land to the clergy so they could build the keep on it."

  "Oh? Maybe we should tear it down along as a present for her," Selene asked. I agreed with her, but not right now. We first needed to find Vlad.

  "Let me use my shadows. Guard me and if something happens, slap me awake," I said and pulled at Boris' hand. He frowned but nodded.

  "If you say so. I'll take the lower half of the village, you take the upper half, Selene."

  She replied something, but I was already spaced out pulling on my hidden allies. I applied the same technique as in Zharevo, but even after half an hour of searching, I still couldn't find it. And there was no living soul left to give us any direction.

  Suddenly I remembered something. The keep was located to the South-East of her estate. So if we made a circle around the keep, we should eventually end up finding her.

  I sighed, canceling all my tendrils, and opened my eyes. Boris stood there with his face only inches from mine.

  "Shit! What the hell are y
ou doing?" I cursed and pushed him away. His rumbling laughter was annoying as hell, though I couldn't help but crack a smile.

  "Never seen you space out before, so I had to see if you were still alive or something."

  I shook my head. He'd changed so much it was almost impossible to recognize him.

  "How's Marya doing? She still alive?"

  "Guess so. Haven't been looking her up the last couple of months. She was useless, sitting all damn day in that library. Enough about that. Did you manage to find anything?"

  "No," I replied. "But I have remembered something. The estate should be somewhere to the North-West. We'll take a detour to the north through the forest and then head west. If you still want to go with me, we leave immediately, if not, go to Rasnov and wait there."

  Boris cackled, or at least it sounded that way.

  "Never has Boris ran from a fight!" he roared.

  "Except against the Captain," Selene jabbed.

  "Hey! That was a tactical retreat! Ivan ordered us to!"

  "She's just playing you," I added, punching the three feet taller Werewolf. He was forced back a step to my surprise.

  "Hey, that fist is dangerous. Don't forget we're super-powered or something right now. You could hurt any of us easily with those hands."

  "Right. So, we move out then. We'll have to come back here again to get the fur, don't forget where you put it. It's far too valuable a weapon."

  "It's at the inn. Under the front desk," he replied. "So, you flying us again? Or are we moving on foot?"

  "Foot. I can't have them detect us yet. Speaking of which, how did the three know where we would be? It doesn't make much sense, does it?" Selene asked. She had a point, but they might have been hiding nearby or roaming the area in search for us.

  "We'll find out soon enough. And speaking of which, why didn't the jewelry work as well for those three?" I asked.

  "Hmm," Selene started, putting a finger on her lips. "I think they work something along the lines of percentage-wise. So the stronger your base power is, the bigger the enchantment. I'm not sure, but it's the only thing I can think off. Sure, they hit very hard, but we are powerful immortals as well. These just make us-- godly? I wouldn't quite go there, but yeah, we're much stronger now."