Chapter Eighteen: Romulus

“How are the scouts doing?” William asks. I wait at the resting grounds with him. It was quicker to get here than to return all the way to the forest while we wait for the troops to get back out. Entering the tunnel system from the hole created with Victor’s blasts, finding where it leads to and branching out could only be beneficial for the wolves. Knowing their routes, having a good grasp on what’s waiting for us and what could come once night falls is the best plan we can work with for now. Securing all possible outcomes.

“I’m sure they’re fine. They will call if they find anything. We need to just be patient in these times.” I’m sure William understands this. After all, he’s had many nights of sheer torture with the vampires surrounding the camp. Watching. Waiting on their strike. Teasing my wolves.

“Of course,” I can hear hesitation in his words. “Rom, I just wanna ask. What’s the plan for this war? What do you plan on doing with Torrine? We’ve got the upper hand here. They’re sitting ducks during the day. We can hit them with a wave of wolves and take their fortress, breaking direct access from the Veil to the town...”

“I know. It’s not that simple, though. Knowing that there are tunnels under the city just makes things more complicated. We need to be sure we have a footing underground to produce a strike from both sides before we just go for it. That’s why they’re waiting, too, I can only guess. They are ready for us in their castle. All they would have to do is keep us back to night time, and we will get screwed over from behind. They don’t want to play fair, so why should we?” William nods in understanding. A moment of silence passes between us. He takes from his pocket a box of smokes. He offers me one. I accept and place it between my lips. He does the same and lights both of ours.

“What are you hoping to find down there?”

“Vampires. Lots and lots of vampires.” Dragging deeply, I speak next through a cloud of smoke. “The tunnels were used as a supply chain. Cutting them off from the castle means they can only move by day.” Something catches my eye. Out in the distance, a truck drives. Black, with only the symbol of a white elephant on the side. “What’s that?” The truck distracts me from what I’m saying.

“That, my man, is the White Elephant Organization,” William nonchalantly replies, rolling the cigarette between his fingers.

I thought as much. A group of guns for hires and thugs, much like Pinkerton’s Army all those years ago. No doubt a branch off from Pinkertons’ themselves, I’ve heard nothing good about their organization. Being sent into war-torn areas and ripping the enemy to pieces. It doesn’t even matter which war zone. Today, they can be for us, tomorrow for the enemy. Whoever opens their purse the widest gets their loyalty.

“And what are they doing here?” In the sunlight, the black truck stands out. The all-consuming blackness of its color, not allowing any light to penetrate any speck of its design.

“Not sure. They’ve been skulking about for a while now. No doubt something to do with–”

“Contact.” The first time I hear anything between the line I set up with the wolves.

“How many?” I reply. Whatever William said is now being drowned out by the wolves in the tunnel. The wolf flickers the radio command, and in between his scrambled words, there is gunfire as well as the snarling of both my wolves and the vampires they strike.

“A ton,” he shouts, in reply. “Daffyd’s at the helm.”

This last addition is not one that pleases me. I was meant to be in those tunnels, on the foreground fighting them to the death. If I had been, the rat, Daffyd, would not have an escape from me. Not this time.

I slam the table in sheer frustration.

“Send back up!” The last thing he says before the line goes dead.

“William, I need your men. I will get more out here before nightfall, but for now, we need as many troops as we can flooding those tunnels. I brought a good chunk of my force.” William kills his smoke and stands up. He’s dressed in military fatigues, a look that most of my wolves have adopted by now. Uniformity in times of war is important. Not something I would have forced on them, but something they seem to have taken on all by themselves.

“Don’t say another word.” He cuts me off. “I’ll lead the charge with the current troops.” We both get up and start heading toward the entrance to the vampire tunnels. It’s far off but not so far to get to that the troops I send in will be in too much peril. This is exactly what I wanted. A fight in the tunnels. Have their forces completely distracted with that, so much so that they don’t even consider the strike on Torrine.

“Rom, you should stay up here,” he says. Begrudgingly, I had no intention of going down. Not when the preparations have to be set for the next battle to commence. Not when the troops guarding the perimeter are gone.

“Enter the tunnels,” I say to the troop that’s volunteered to join the battle. “They need back up. Daffyd is down there. Bring me his head.”

“Yes, sir,” the reply comes in from the other end. I leave it there.

“William, I’m placing you in charge. Get in there and tear them to piece.” We get to a megaphone in the camp.

“Aye, sir,” William gives me a two-finger salute before picking the megaphone up. “I need all willing and able bodies to get themselves up and out. The tunnel party is in need of assistance. We will spearhead the charge. For honor, for glory, for victory!” he shouts. Immediately, I hear the grunting and shouting of a large force of wolves that were meant to secure the resting grounds. One by one, they begin pouring out and heading for the tunnel. By the time I turn my attention back to William, he too, has already taken form and dashed off into the distance.

***

Time progresses, and sadly, I expect the worst. It was not long before that I heard over the comms system that there were attacks from behind. The tunnel running adjacent to the one destroyed pumped out vampires. From behind, in front, left, and right they were trapped. Slaughtered. I feel helpless and pathetic in knowing beneath the surface my men are being slaughtered. Good men that have served me well.

All just the casualties of war.

The reinforcements I called in from the perimeter have only just begun filtering through. I understand why. They were not meant to fight today. They were just patrolling our own borders and providing the necessary security.

So, I wait until they are all here. A good few hundred men, ready and prepared for a fight. They don’t know the details, but they soon will.

“This war has gone on for too long now,” I shout over the crowd. The first thing they hear me say. “We have stood together for ten years, fighting a war that has long ago been abandoned by its creator. We will not do the same. We will fight it until Daffyd’s head is served to you, my people, on a silver platter. The night is upon us. This means that no matter what we do now, a battle will ensue. The tunnels we entered were overrun by vampires. They have trapped and killed a good deal of our brothers. More of us are making their way here now, and we will have them fight the same battle we are currently preparing for. They will not expect it. Not now. This fight is being taken to Torrine directly.”

I give it a second to digest. The castle was going to be struck soon, but not this soon. These men have already prepared and made their peace. Today, they fight.

“We will not stand idly by and watch as our brothers are killed. We strike now while we still have daylight on our side. We hit the castle and bring those walls crumbling down to our feet. The vampires will learn that challenging a wolf is not an easy task!” This gets them more riled up and ready. The reaction I was waiting for.

“Come now, brothers. No longer will we stand in fear, waiting for a strike from them. We will lead the charge. We will slaughter whatever gets in our way. We will show them that there is nothing that can stop us.” I raise my hand, shouting a powerful war cry before facing the direction of Torrine, shifting into my wolf form and dashing toward it.

Today, we take the castle.

The journey from the resting grounds to Torrine Castle begins smoothly. We run in a wild formation, heading straight toward it without a care. Nearing it, I can almost smell the vampires cowering within. The ones that were left behind as the others went to fight in the tunnels. How could they be so stupid? Leaving the castle to a few mere vampires with my forces geared and ready at all times.

We’re a few miles out. Not even. It becomes clearer and clearer as I run. Then I hear the gunshots. I can’t place exactly how many, but after each is fired, I hear the wolves around me crying out. The snarls and whimpers of pain come one by one. Again and again, the storm of bullets rains down on us. I get closer.

“Reload!” someone shouts. “Ready, aim, fire!” he shouts. Again, the same end game.

“Ready!” The clank of metal is so clear it’s as if I am there. My senses have always been keener in wolf form. Infinitely so over many of my peers. This accuracy, however, is new to me.

“Aim!” he says again. All we can do now is continue. “Fire!” The bullets come flying down.

The mantra begins again, all the way to the castle door. Here, I find a similar truck to the one that was driving around earlier. The White Elephant Organization. Two large machine guns on the roof with three more on each side of the truck itself. We walked directly into a firing line. The minigun begins to spin. Then another and so on until all eight are spitting out bullets. I watch my wolves perish, one by one beside me. How they haven’t hit me yet, I can’t understand. I continue running until I am at the door. From all around now, more car-fulls of the White Elephants have made their way into the space of the castle and are now surrounding us and firing at us. My wolves fight back. As I reach the castle door, I do not stop. I put a powerful thrust into one last step, forcing my shoulder forward and through the door itself. I tumble, looking outside. Two wolves have done the same to the truck, knocking it down onto its side. The minigun threat has been accomplished. Inside the castle, I am not alone. My troops are coming, but many of us have already been killed. Vampires, as well as the Organization’s men, surround the few of us that got in here. None are holding guns. Too much possibility of vampire casualties, I assume. I look outside. The sun is setting. We don’t have much time.

“Go, go, go!” the same voice speaks to these men, and between the vampires and the Organization’s men, I do not know who to challenge. I begin ripping and tearing at whatever and whoever I can. I feel claws and knives striking into me. I’m being cut wide open. I do not back down. None of us do. From a staircase leading below, more vampires come up. The organization’s men are easy enough to kill and we do so with no problem. Bullets and battle still wage on outside. Snarling, biting and tearing all ensue. But for every one we kill, ten more come out.

The battle continues. I can tell we are all drained. Tired. No more energy between us, and night has just fallen. More vampires will be coming in from the city soon. If not through the tunnels, then from above. There is nothing stopping them now.

I muster up my strength and howl as loud as I can. A sign of retreat. We fight our way outside. From there, the rest of us rejoin before we all begin dashing off. Corpses lay around us, many humans, vampires, and werewolves together, forming a mass grave outside Torrine.

We return to the resting ground.

***

Turning back into my human form was not an easy thing to do but it was necessary to inspect my wounds. Many of the vampires’ and humans’ attacks were just a few cuts and scrapes. What I find to be the biggest issue, are the deeper wounds that were placed with great accuracy. So much so that they nearly struck vital organs. It’s not another ten minutes that elapse before the rest of the troops I called for are at the resting grounds but what are we to do?

It was the span of an hour and a half and we lost most of the initial troops and the daylight.

“Sir,” One of the wolves calls out, seeing my wounds, “Don’t worry about me. Tend to the others. We do not strike again. Not tonight. We wait for morning before you go out.”

“Morning?” I hear someone speak from behind, “There won’t be a morning for you,” I turn to face him. A vampire, not one that I’ve ever met but my assumptions are he’s a lieutenant. He begins his strike, a right-hand heading toward my chest but a wolf grabs him a millisecond before he connected.

How did vampires get in here without us even noticing?

It’s now that I realize they didn’t even head for the castle at all. They came directly from the town. An ambush.