Is this hell?

Canute felt his body ache in more places than one. His arms felt like they were being yanked upwards. His legs were being spread out, causing tension in his thighs. He was being held aloft, in a way that made him feel a discomfort that seemed almost…permanent. It was the slightest of stretches, pulling him at all angles, just uncomfortable enough to unsettle, but not painful enough to make him wince.

Still, he knew that if he continued being stretched like this, it would take its toll.

As his bleary eyes settled in the darkness, Canute felt a throbbing emanating from his head. The strike he’d received earlier had rendered him unconscious, and it was unsettling to feel so weak when he’d spent hundreds of years feeling like he was at the top of the food chain.

To be rendered weak and defenseless the way he was, Canute was definitely off his game.

Canute clenched his fists and tried to yank at his chains, wincing as the pain of the stretch seemed to grow ever so slightly. Wherever he was, it was dark, dank, and depressing, and it certainly mirrored how shitty he’d felt these past couple of days.

Weeks, even.

But that wasn’t the issue at the moment. His most pressing issue at the moment was the fact that Haru was somewhere out in the world, possibly worried about him, and Canute was chained up in some basement with no light, no food, and a dry, parched throat that made every wince and groan sound more like a frog’s croak.

The achy throbbing at the back of his head also only told Canute that he might have a concussion. Regardless of the situation, the most important thing was that he was alive, and he needed to get out of here.

Ranmaru had managed to blindside him once again.

And here Canute thought he was finally going to be able to break free from that siren’s grasp.

“You’re finally awake.”

Canute felt the sudden splash of cold water suddenly gush over his face. He took a sharp breath. His heart started to thunder.

“Was that really necessary? I’m already awake,” Canute snapped, feeling the harsh, blistering cold of the water over his skin.

A few voices chuckled. Was there two or three of them there? Canute still couldn’t see past the darkness, but things were becoming clearer.

If this was some basement dungeon, Canute was about to wonder how clichéd and stereotypical whoever owned this place was.

“All bark and no bite, like a Lycan.”

“And he smells like one, too.”

As the fog lifted from Canute’s thoughts, he started to recognize that voice. One of them was clearly Ranmaru. The other voice had power behind it, a rolling thunder that Canute immediately recognized as Oda.

“It appears you managed to slay Ranmaru’s bodyguards,” Oda said. “They were no match for you at all.”

“What?” Canute muttered. “But I didn’t—”

“Don’t lie. I saw it all happen with my own two eyes,” Ranmaru spat out. “You were merciless.”

“Liar!” Canute shouted.

“He called you a liar, darling,” Oda said. “Will you stand for this?”

Canute felt the stinging crack of something harshly striking him across the face, knocking his head to the side. He hissed in pain, scrunching his face at the feeling of suddenly being slapped.

The warrior vampire inside Canute was outraged. As he struggled against his chains, he felt his heartbeat thunder and adrenaline begin to rush in his system. Almost all at once, the jolt in his senses from anger piqued his body, his eyes finally adjusting to the darkness, and his breathing becoming more even as he stared his captors down. He could hear a distant rumbling somewhere, getting closer and closer, though it felt more like the slightest shake of the earth underneath, and all around.

“You will die here,” Ranmaru said, his voice dispassionate. “And your friends won’t even be able to find your corpse when we’re done. You really think you can break into one of our homes and… and…”

Don’t you dare, you filthy liar.

“… And have your way with me?”

Ranmaru’s eyes glimmered with crocodile tears. His lip quivered. Even in the dark, Canute knew the siren was a masterful actor.

Canute felt another spike of anger inside him, and he struggled against his bindings once more, roaring in rage.

And, like some frightened little thing, Ranmaru shivered.

“Look at him! He’s an animal!” Ranmaru cried out, as though he was actually afraid. Though as the siren curled into Oda’s arms, he aimed his gaze right at Canute and smirked. He was playing the men around him like a fiddle, and Oda, of all people, was falling prey to him so easily.

“He wants me dead, when all I’ve done is be a dutiful, subservient lover to you, my lord!”

Ranmaru was playing such a perfect little doll, the victim, and though Canute knew the truth, Oda was lapping it up like some kind of mindless dog. Still, he knew that Ranmaru did have Oda eating off the palm of his hand.

If Canute were to die here, his only remorse was the fact that he didn’t crush Ranmaru’s windpipe when he could have.

Gritting his teeth, the vampire’s hatred for the siren and his lord knew no bounds. As he clenched his fists and felt anger roll through his body like never before, he rattled against his chains.

“You’re a mongrel,” Oda spat out. “An abomination among our kind. Who are you to act like judge, jury, and executioner? You tossed aside the lives of those men so easily.”

What?

Did Ranmaru kill his bodyguards?

It didn’t come as much of a surprise. Bodyguards who were so easily dispatched were not so effective, if at all.

But was he being framed for that, too? Canute should have known. Ranmaru manipulated so easily. He didn’t even need to be convincing. His magic brute-forced its way into any person’s rational, thinking mind.

“Because of your grave miscalculation, you’ve been captured and now, you’re going to be sentenced to death,” Oda said. “It will be too late for anyone to save you. But still, a warrior’s death is a warrior’s death. I will send Lord Cyrus your ashes. It’s a shame it has come to this, because under normal circumstances, I would have respected you.”

“And how exactly will you kill me? Will you slay me here where I hang, and bleed me like some kind of chicken?”

“Of course not. You deserve a much more dignified death than that, even if your victims didn’t get it,” Oda replied. “We will unchain you and execute you above ground, or you can retain your honor and take your own life, instead.”

Oda slowly moved forward, pulling away from the Siren, who too, masqueraded as his Kindred. “What say you, murderer?”

Canute closed his eyes. “How archaic. Are you sure you’re not going to ask me for trial by combat? Prove myself to your gods?”

Oda grinned, but his smile was cold. “We honor those who honor themselves, and you dishonor yourself by taking the life of others so brutally and coldly.”

Canute raised an eyebrow and smirked. “The way you do with Lady Himiko’s men?”

The smile that was frozen on Oda’s face didn’t quite reach his eyes. In fact, Oda looked even colder and more cutting than before. “That is different. It is a war. An honorable one.”

“Honorable because you’re winning, you mean, and dishonorable when you’re losing?” Canute asked.

Oda shook his head. “You do not understand our ways, and I suspect you never will.”

The sound of distant rumbling grew closer and closer.

“What is that infernal racket?” Ranmaru asked.

“Pay it no heed, my love.” Oda turned to Ranmaru and smiled.

There was a scratching on the door nearby, and a woman quickly walked in from the outside. “My lord,” she said, her voice shaky. “I have some news.”

Oda leaned in towards the messenger. “Speak,” he acknowledged, voice booming like thunder, and like a mouse she scurried closer to him to whisper in his ear.

Canute gritted his teeth. It gnawed at him to stay suspended like this while the man who did all of this piled all these problems, accusations and allegations at his feet.

Ranmaru. Just the very thought of him, the very sight of him, made Canute feel like breaking every bone in his body just to pull himself free from the wall to bludgeon the siren into submission, or at least, put him somewhere he can’t hurt anyone ever again.

The harsh whispers between master and servant were just barely audible to Canute. Still, he could hear just the smallest snippet of conversation, especially as Oda’s voice became louder and louder in crescendo.

They really weren’t doing a very good job of keeping quiet. Maybe they should have actually stepped outside. Canute had been interrogated before. This was absolutely nothing.

“My lord, Lady Himiko is attacking,” whispered the messenger, who tried hard to keep her voice down.

“So? Dispose of her men,” Oda said. The twinge of annoyance in his voice was clear even from across the room.

“No, my lord. The guards are having trouble. She’s leading the charge this time. And it seems she’s brought a friend with her.”

Oda chuckled. “More foreigners?”

“No, we don’t think so, my lord. Her friend is…different.”

Their voice became soft once more, especially once the woman realized that Canute was listening in on them. She turned to look at him, and then turned away, her whispers now becoming even more hushed.

Well, now, this was interesting.

“What do you mean the guards are falling? There’re hundreds of them!” Oda snapped.

“M-my lord!” The messenger stepped back. “I…I don’t know. I’m sorry, I don’t know!”

“Tell the troops to repel the interlopers as necessary.” Oda’s voice was grave. “Prepare everyone for a fight.”

“How did they get in so quickly?” Ranmaru said.

Suddenly, there was another loud bang, followed by a shaking of the room. Cracks started to form in the stone, and from within, overgrowth started pouring out. All of the stone around them began to crumble as flowers and grass burst forth from between each crevice.

Canute’s eyes widened. What the hell?

Vines, roots, and all kinds of overgrowth began to pour out from the cracks, almost as if nature itself was rending the castle—the stronghold? Canute still didn’t even know where exactly they were—apart. The rumbling was from the building falling in on itself, as though it were being crushed.

But Lady Himiko had used up so much of her magic recently. What was happening? Who would have enough power to do this? Canute didn’t know for sure, but what he did know for sure was that with the walls caving in on themselves, he wouldn’t be chained up for long.

That is, of course, unless the earth crumbled around him. And so it seemed, in response, that the overgrowth churned and made the room around them shudder.

“Get Ranmaru out of here!” Oda yelled. The messenger’s eyes widened and she immediately grasped Ranmaru’s forearms with both hands. “Make sure my Kindred is safe or else I’ll have all your heads!”

“Y-yes, my lord!” the messenger cried out.

“Get your hands off of me!” Ranmaru snapped. He turned to Oda. “What exactly is going on?”

“Our home is under attack. Don’t you hear and see the walls crumbling?” Oda said, frantically gesturing to the walls. “Please, my darling. Get out of here while you can. If this continues, I don’t know if I can—”

There was a loud banging somewhere nearby, and it preceded the sound of shouting and screaming and the harsh thumping of feet as groups of people ran around above them. Suddenly, the aura of the room seemed to change. The tension was thick, and it seemed, like a tableau, the messenger, her lord, and his lover were frozen in their spots.

“We must get to safety before they reach the dungeons,” the messenger said, breaking through the silence. Ranmaru’s lips twitched in annoyance. Clearly, he didn’t like being ordered around.

Canute smirked, and shook his head. He did not want a front row seat to this stupidity.

Canute felt the cuffs surrounding his ankles and wrists begin to give way. Vines and roots crept between the spaces of his constriction, and within moments, with enough pressure, the bindings snapped open. Canute crumpled onto the floor into a rumpled heap. He groaned, aching, but happy to be freed.

Ranmaru pulled himself away from the messenger’s touch and grabbed onto Oda like the vampire were his lifeline. “Please, darling, don’t leave me. I can fight, I—”

“No, Ranmaru. You must go. I will not die today, and neither will you.”

Canute frowned. That wholly depended on how Himiko felt, if she was vindictive enough to actually snuff out Oda’s life. And although he personally didn’t have a quarrel with the man, Canute did have a quarrel with his manipulative, self-serving lover.

 “It’s a surprise that this has caught you unaware,” Canute said, rubbing his hands over his wrists. “For someone who prides himself on being ten steps ahead of his enemy, I mean.”

“I didn’t think Himiko would gather her people this fast,” Oda admitted, his voice clipped. Canute took some sense of satisfaction in that. It meant that their enemy was as fallible as anyone…and, perhaps, just as proud and foolish as the rest of them.

“An esteemed general and strategist admitting to his faults? How interesting.”

Canute was just as surprised as Oda was, though. True, he had acted foolhardy, and that was probably the reason why they were acting fast. He had fully expected to lose his life, and instead, they were mounting some sort of offensive to get him back.

How Canute felt at this moment—amused and just a little bit vindicated—almost made up for the fact that he had been strung up like livestock.

Oda strode forward and grabbed Canute by the locks of his blond hair, yanking him upward and forward until they were face to face. Those dark brown eyes narrowed into slits, and the anger rolled off of Oda so strongly that the man was breathing in harsh, deep breaths. “You’re coming with me,” Oda hissed. “And you should thank the heavens that this has happened, because now you may just get to live to see tomorrow.”

“Open the door!” Oda shouted. The messenger sprang into action. “If Ranmaru is still here and not safe by the time I finish dealing with this, I will have the heads of every person in this stronghold by nightfall!”

Without anything else needing to be said, the messenger grabbed Ranmaru once more and dragged him out through the doors. It was only the sound of complaining, harrumphing, and the stomps of feet above them that actually made Canute realize that the messenger was finally able to bring Ranmaru to safety.

Still, there were more pressing issues to attend to, like the feeling of a large hand grabbing him by the hair.

Canute felt a fire in his scalp from having hundreds, maybe thousands of strands of hair be pulled unceremoniously at the same time, making him grit his teeth. Hoisted up like some kind of ragdoll and then dragged forward, he was yanked and pulled away from the pain in his wrists and ankles as Oda led him, by the hair, out of the dungeons and up to ground level.

Oda curled his fist even more firmly, and Canute struggled. Finally, once they were out of the door, and in front of a staircase leading upward, Oda threw Canute forward, slamming him against the steps before them.

Canute grunted, and he swore he could feel the vines and roots shudder in anger as soon as he fell down.

“Head straight for the courtyard, and we will deal with this quickly.”

As they ascended the steps and headed straight to the outside of whatever lodging they were in, Canute didn’t really have the time to take in and process what was happening all around him. Himiko’s men were standing over Oda’s soldiers, neither side of which were harmed extensively. People were being bound and tied, but no one had used lethal force. The scent of death was nowhere near the battle today.

Had Himiko actually been hiding strategic prowess in all her designer clothes and expensive jewelries? How could her men turn the tide like this so quickly?

It almost seemed too good to be true.

Canute couldn’t believe his eyes, however, when he finally reached the courtyard and felt Oda’s foot kick him forward. Himiko was there, with a small group of about five men around her. There, in the center of the throng, was Haru.

His Haru, whose hands were on the ground while a verdant green glow sprung forth from his palm and the tips of his fingers. And from that wellspring of energy, Haru was bidding nature grow all around him like the kami that he was.

It was even more clear, in the look of concentration in Haru’s eyes, that the young man was being careful that his magic wasn’t harming anyone as much as he could. Sure, he was binding and tying people, constricting them in flora, and wrapping and almost crushing Oda’s home, but he was pouring all his willpower, all of who he was, the essence of his inner strength and his desire to maintain life rather than destroy it, even this task. He wanted no one to die.

Canute swore he could feel his heart swell at that. It was a feeling that all too easily slipped from his fingers, however, especially when he felt Oda kick him forward once more.

“Himiko,” Oda called out. “It seems that you’ve finally become a strategist in your own right. Or is this a fluke, perhaps? A stroke of beginner’s luck?”

The vampire matriarch easily waved her hand, sending one of Oda’s nearby men who was coming right at her, to fly off and careen straight into the nearest wall.

Oda smirked. “And still, you’re flaunting your “gift” as though it was more important than cunning and excellent strategy, the way I’ve been winning against you for decades now.”

“With all of your grandstanding, I’m well aware that you’re only delaying the inevitable. You know that I’ve finally won, and you can’t stand it,” Himiko said, her voice carefully even. “We finally have the upper hand, and you act as though you have the higher ground. Don’t you wield magic just as much as I do? I remember how you cloaked yourself in shadows and disappeared. You have as much magic as I do, and these words only make you a hypocrite in addition to all the vile things I could call you.”

“It isn’t just by your precious little siren that you’re able to wield magic. Don’t act as though you aren’t using every weapon in your arsenal. I’ve just finally evened the battlefield. And look at that? I did it, and I won.”

Oda didn’t budge, but his face twitched in response. Annoyance, gleaming clear as day on his face. “You may have won the battle, but you have not won the war.”

“On the contrary, we have won this battle and the war,” Himiko shot back. “Give it up, Oda.”

“Such brave words for someone who’s lost every battle but this one.”

“You only need to win the most important one, to win.”

The two vampire leaders stared each other down in a stalemate. Their gazes pierced one another, the way predators would look when watching their prey.

Slowly, Haru stood from where he knelt, looking up toward Canute and Oda. His eyes immediately brightened when Canute’s gaze met his, and that inner demon inside of Canute sang in joy and relief. It felt like a weight being removed from Canute’s shoulders.

Of course, this didn’t escape Oda’s notice.

“Ah, here is your lovely, barbaric Kindred,” Oda said, gesturing to Canute. He then turned to Himiko. “So, this little sprite is the secret weapon to your entire plan! I could feel the magic blasting out of him like a damned lighthouse. I may be right in the assumption that you wouldn’t have been anywhere near successful without this one backing you up. If I’d known that all it would have taken to end this stupid war was a kami using his magic, I would have done this long ago!”

“It’s too bad I thought of it first, then,” Himiko drawled. “And you’re still stalling for time, I see.”

“On the contrary, dear nemesis. I’ve come to bargain, and I know you won’t be able to refuse,” Oda replied coolly. He suddenly yanked Canute back, grabbing him by his hair once more. The sudden sting of pain was enough to make Canute wince and growl.

Haru gasped.

Shit. It would be so easy to just crush Oda’s wrist right now.

But did Canute really want to show Haru just what kind of a monster he truly was?

“I will release Canute and place myself in your custody. We shall end this war once and for all,” Oda said. “But in return, you will let everyone go.”

Himiko looked dumbfounded. “What?”

Oda smirked. “You heard me. Everyone here lives. No one dies. No one else needs to come with you. Send me in front of the conclave for all I care,” Oda added. “You were right. You won this battle decisively. Fortunately, I still have a few aces up my sleeve. This also means that everyone here today will live to fight our war another day.”

Canute gritted his teeth as he spoke. “Including your traitor Kindred.”

Not that Ranmaru actually was, as Canute remembered. The man was just manipulating Oda as well.

“Ranmaru was only doing as he was instructed in the hopes of victory,” Oda said, his voice low, but clearly dispassionate.

“Did he? Or was he just making sure he still had a lap of luxury to sit on, with someone he could control?” Canute snapped.

“Gaijin, know your place!” Oda snapped right back, slamming his fist right into Canute’s stomach. He turned to Himiko. “Time is running out, nemesis. My patience grows thin. What is your answer?”

Himiko scoffed. “For someone offering terms of surrender, you sure are full of yourself.” She strode forward and placed a hand on Oda’s wrist. “Fine. I accept your terms. Your crimes against my family will be brought before the conclave, and they can decide what to do with you. After all, this war doesn’t just concern me, anymore. You brought others into it.”

Both Himiko and Oda looked at Canute.

Oda’s grip on Canute slacked. As soon as it did, Haru rushed to Canute. The remainder of Canute’s strength in maintaining his outer façade of strength and indifference left his body as Haru came to embrace him. Without caring about how he looked, Canute grabbed the kami in his arms. Finally.

Haru exhaled. Canute could feel the tension leave the young man’s body. “Mon coeur,” he cooed softly against Haru’s ear. “You shouldn’t have come.”

“I did what I had to,” Haru said. “Besides, I didn’t hurt anyone…too much. Are you hurt? Please tell me you aren’t hurt.”

Canute smirked, pressing a kiss against Haru’s temple. “Nevertheless, I’ve returned to you, as I promised.”

“More like I had to come and get you,” Haru said, grasping tightly onto the front of Canute’s shirt. “You worried me sick. Please don’t do anything that reckless ever again.”

“I promise I won’t.”

Himiko had just finished conjuring a pair of cuffs to place on Oda’s wrists when the patriarch spoke. “For the record, if you hadn’t tried to make deals with Herod, none of this would have happened in the first place.”

Himiko raised her eyebrow, staring Oda straight in the eyes. “I hadn’t been negotiating anything until after you had first attacked. I thought we had a truce, and then your side broke it.”

Oda’s face scrunched up in confusion. “What? But Ranmaru said—”

Suddenly, it all seemed to click into place.

It always led back to that siren.

“Freeze!”

Ranmaru’s voice echoed all around them, the resonance of magic in his words clear and concise, bringing the mayhem to a halt all around them. Canute felt his body stiffen immediately. Everyone stilled, even Himiko, whose fingertips pressed menacingly against Oda’s neck.

“I did it for you, you know.” Ranmaru’s voice was dangerous and low.

“I would be a fool to follow you now, given how much havoc you’ve wreaked upon so many lives,” Oda spat out. “You lied to me. You caused all of this.”

“For you! I did it for you!” Ranmaru repeated.

“Did you really?” Oda asked, his eyes narrowing. “Or did you do it out of some belief that you would end up gaining more than you already had?”

The magic being emitted by Ranmaru was venomous, volatile, and definitely lethal. His powers of persuasion—the way he could control emotions through his very words—burst forth from him in tumultuous waves. It seems his own emotions were going haywire, and Canute seethed at the fact that his body was obeying this selfish creature.

“Release everyone. Now.” Oda commanded. “We will deal with you later.”

“No.”

Oda’s eyes widened. Canute could feel the other man’s rage boiling inside him. “What did you just say to me?”

“If you can’t see that I did this to make our lives easier, to make this long war end, then you’re a fool and I should not have trusted you,” the siren said simply. “I’ll handle everything.”

“No, Ranmaru, you snake! Let us go, and face the consequences of your actions like a man!” Oda growled angrily.

Ignoring the man Ranmaru said he owed his allegiance to, the siren’s eyes quickly darted toward Canute. His other hand moved towards the patriarch, and immediately Oda seized up, his eyes widening and his lips pressing shut.

Their gazes met. Canute’s body seized up, and he grunted as he felt something—a force of will—impose itself on him. It was as though Canute was some kind of marionette, and he moved, one foot in front of the other, unable to stop his body.

If he tried to resist, he felt his body give way, and a searing pain shot through his body emanating from his head.

One step, then another, he moved forward, closer and closer to Himiko and Oda.

He felt a kind of pressure in his face, and then slowly he bore his fangs. The inner demon inside of each vampire, or so Cyrus called it, was being pulled outside of Canute.

“Do you feel that, in your heads?” Ranmaru said. He clenched his fists, and the merest action made Himiko—and everyone around them—double over in pain. “I didn’t want to have to do this. You all leave me no choice.”

Canute could see his Kindred in his periphery.

Haru was on the ground, crying out in pain.

And the only thing Canute could see was searing red. Anger flowed through him.

But still, it wasn’t enough.

It wasn’t until Canute could see the verdant green glow emanating from Haru’s hand that he could feel himself return to normal, and that feeling of normalcy turn immediately into concern.

What is he doing?