Chapter Thirteen
We left the safety of our campfire the moment the sun broke through the horizon. The forest around us was still shadowed and quiet as the night creatures bedded down for the day and the day creatures had yet to awaken. It was a peaceful moment in the world of nature. I wished that I could truly enjoy it, but I knew what we were about to face, and I couldn’t allow myself to feel anything but hardened and angry.
“The Elders of Alabaster have a reigning cell deep within the mountains,” Oriel explained as we flew up over the treetops and down the mountain range. “Originally, I assumed they chose a position like that to keep them safe from the sun, but we’ve received conflicting reports on exactly what’s going on with their light sensitivity. They don’t seem to be as affected by the sunlight as they once were. That’s something we’ll have to keep in mind as we fight them.”
“If they’re hiding in caves, then the sunlight won’t matter as much anyway,” Jonah offered. “As long as they haven’t changed their sleeping patterns, then we’ll still have the advantage by striking during the day.”
“What I want to know is just how big this cell is?” Trinity asked loudly. Her lips were in a straight line for a change, and it was clear she was deep in thought about the coming mission. The morning sunlight brought out the red in her hair, making it just as fiery as mine. “It must be big if they’re sending backup.”
Oriel nodded grimly. “Yes. Ordinarily, it is our policy to take down smaller cells with groups of less than ten Angels. Too many, and it becomes a war. We aren’t ready for that yet, not without Michael down here.”
“But we’re a strong team,” I replied. I wanted to believe in our abilities, to know that we could do this on our own and that the reinforcements were only a formality.
“Yes, but this is different,” Oriel countered. “There are just too many of them, and once they know that we’re aware of their location, we’ll have no chance to split them up and take them out in smaller covens. We also have the disadvantage of not knowing the cave systems like they do.”
“We can map it out quickly enough, just like we’ve done before with buildings in the city.” Those were the first words Hannah had spoken in quite some time. “By the time we start fighting, we’ll know the place just as well as they do.”
Oriel shook his head. “It’s not that simple. Just having a map won’t be the same as understanding the depth of the mountains. Human structures always follow a pattern, and so we come to expect certain layouts. The caves are far more intricate.” His gaze was somber as he watched the mountain ridges slowly drift by.
“If we have enough Angels, we could attack at every entrance and work our way toward the heart of the cave systems,” I suggested. “It would keep the vampires from escaping, so even if they’re able to withstand sunlight, they wouldn’t get a chance to warn any other covens. That would give us an advantage.”
Our leader nodded. “Yes, that would be an excellent plan. But the problem is that the other Angels won’t be able to get there until we’ve already started fighting.”
We were silent for a while as we let that sink in. There were only five of us, and though we were all good warriors, we knew that we could only take down so many vampires at a time. Back at the farmhouse, I hadn’t battled more than a few at once. Jonah had taken on more than that by himself in the attic , but it had left him exhausted. The reigning coven in the mountains was guaranteed to be more of a challenge, and we couldn’t be sure just how many creatures we were dealing with.
“Should we wait?” I asked. I didn’t like hearing those words coming from my own lips, but it also wasn’t wise to dive into a situation that was likely to be a deadly one.
“No,” Oriel replied. “We don’t want to lose the advantage of ambushing them shortly after sunrise. We can catch them off guard then. The rest of the Angels should arrive shortly after we get there, but we’ll still have to fight on our own for a bit.”
Jonah turned his head to our leader. “Do we have a plan?”
“The best we can do is to make sure that no one is fighting alone. We can split up into two teams, and that will allow us to cover the front and back entrances. We’ll go slowly and carefully. If you encounter any kind of sentries, take them down as quietly as you can so we don’t alert the others. Hopefully, our backup will get here before we’ve gone into the heart of the mountain.”
That was it. There were no other questions to be asked and no more room for discussion. We would be stealthy, at least as much as possible when slaying these horrific beasts, and we would do our best until backup arrived.
* * *
The sun was making the shadows on the far side of the mountains shrivel up and disappear by the time Oriel told us we had arrived. Immediately, we scanned the monoliths for weaknesses within the rock that indicated caves. We slowly descended toward the Earth as we surveyed the area. One entrance was very clear, an open mouth yawning out over a small plateau. It was too obvious, so we searched for a better entryway.
“Over there,” Oriel said quietly, pointing one long finger toward a small cave set back behind several boulders. “Jonah, Trinity, the two of you take that entrance. It’s small, but hopefully that means it might not be as well guarded either. The rest of us will head down there.” He indicated an entrance that was much further down the mountain. The two openings were far enough apart that it looked like they might even span the entire system of caves.
“Sounds good,” Jonah said with a nod. His face was grim, and he cast a meaningful glance at me before he and Trinity descended. I knew that we were both thinking the same thing. If we weren’t careful, we might not see each other again.
Instead of watching his magnificently muscled body as he sank to the earth, I turned to follow Oriel and Hannah. The truth was that I resented not being paired up with either Jonah or Trinity. They were excellent fighters, and I enjoyed having them as my partners. Jonah brought out something inside me that I hadn’t been able to tap into when I fought on my own, or even with Ember. Trinity was a challenge, someone who I constantly wanted to best in combat, and yet someone who I knew would always have my back.
Fortunately, I knew that Oriel had to be an excellent fighter, or he never would have been put in charge of a mission group. I felt honored to be working with him, but there was still that distinct, invisible pull from Jonah. We had put up our psychic shields, at least for the moment, and so I had no communication with him once he was no longer in sight, and yet I still knew of his presence.
Oriel, Hannah, and I sped swiftly down toward the lower entrance. It was jagged and partially hidden in the rocks. As our feet touched the ground, I noticed that the early morning wind was brisk, whipping up the tops of the evergreens. The mouth of the cave emitted a fetid stench that bespoke of numerous filthy creatures, and I turned away for a moment to get one last breath of fresh air before we headed inside.
Oriel took the lead, and I brought up the rear. We hadn’t discussed this, but I believed that it made instinctual sense to both of us. Hannah was a good warrior, but she was not as fierce as the rest of us. Oriel could use his skills and his bravery to slaughter any sentries, and I would watch our backs. Hannah could fill in as needed. Not for the first time, I wondered why she had been put in our mission group. I assumed Michael must have had his reasons, but I had no time to try to figure out what they were.
The morning sunlight that had been painting pastel brushstrokes across the mountains was quickly snuffed out as we worked our way through the cave. Within a few meters, I was tempted to summon Luminescence, but I resisted. If Oriel could still see well enough to make progress, then I was better off watching the faint shimmer of Hannah’s hair while keeping my ears open.
The sudden crunch of broken bones and the reek of vampire brought my hand to my sword hilt, but I heard the body hit the ground and I knew that Oriel had dispatched the creature easily enough. “Let’s keep going,” he whispered.
Finally, it was dark enough that we had no choice but to light our way. Hannah was put in charge of Luminescence so the rest of us could reserve our energy for battling vamps. She held the ball of light high to illuminate both the way in front of Oriel and the path behind me. I watched every nook and cranny that we passed by, ready for someone or something to spring out and attack us. I kept my right-hand on my sword and the fingers of my left-hand ready for spells.
But my vigilance was wasted. The vampire that Oriel had slain was either not a sentry that anyone was going to miss, or else he had simply wandered off from the rest of the coven unnoticed. As we burrowed further and further into the mountain, turning corners and choosing whether to go right or left, we encountered no more of the creatures. The quiet of the tunnels only made me more uneasy.
Either someone had made a mistake as to where the reigning coven of the Elders of Alabaster was located, or somehow the creatures had known we were coming. Were they gone or waiting until we got so deep into the mountain that we had no chance of getting back out before they ambushed us? I didn’t like either prospect. I would have been more at ease if we could have started slaughtering the vamps from the moment we landed.
“I don’t like this,” I whispered. My voice bounced off the rock walls and seemed far louder than I had intended. “We should have found them by now.” I had used my psychic senses to try to map out the cave systems and locate the creatures, but Oriel had been right. It wasn’t as easy as it was with human-made buildings. I could sense the length of tunnel immediately ahead of us, but there was little else available to me. And I didn’t like not knowing.
“Just be patient,” he replied. “We can’t turn back now.”
Though I knew I shouldn’t have, I dropped my shield and searched in my mind for Jonah. Even the unbelievable amounts of rock between us, couldn’t keep me completely away from him. I was only able read his presence and tell that he was okay. For the moment, that had to be good enough.
The tunnel suddenly opened into a vast cavern, one with a massive fire at the center that lit the grotto with an eerie red glow. Hannah straightened her fingers and let the Luminescence go, plunging the tunnel behind us into blackness. I quickly brought my mental shield back down as I entered the space and saw something I had never imagined I would see in my lifetime.
Coffins upon coffins were stacked on racks that rose from the floor to the ceiling of the cavern. These were not heavy, granite ones like those we had seen above the surface. The vampires weren’t concerned about sunlight here, and they had constructed simple pine boxes. My skin crawled when I saw that they didn’t even have lids. These weren’t coffins but beds, and the vampires had made plenty of them for their brethren. Though we had no idea if the creatures truly had the enhanced capabilities we had expected of them—namely, desensitization to sunlight and a better psychic sense—we did know one thing: There were a lot more of them than we had ever seen before.
Oriel took a quick step backward to keep us out of the light of the fire, and I immediately saw why. While most of the vamps were in their coffins and sleeping the day away, there were plenty of them that were up and gathered around the fire. They were in knots of five or six, talking amongst themselves and drinking from large chalices. It was impossible to see from this distance just what the dark liquid was, but I could guess it easily enough. If I hadn’t known who these vile creatures were and what they were capable of, it would have looked like a simple social gathering, hidden away from the eyes of the world.
What the hell is this? I said, opening my mental link so that I could speak to my teammates telepathically. I peeked around the small opening that led from the tunnel into the cavern. We were about halfway up the room, and a small path led down to the flat surface below. They’re supposed to be asleep. I studied the racks of wooden boxes and tried to estimate just how many there were. There had to be at least a few hundred, as they stretched up beyond where the light from the fire began to fade.
I don’t know, Oriel replied honestly. I’ve never seen anything like this. If I must guess, I would say that the ones near the fire are either supposed to be keeping watch while the others sleep, or that they are higher-ups within the coven. But we can’t stand around and interview them to find out for sure. I need to warn Trinity and Jonah, as well as alert the cavalry that’s on the way. Oriel took a moment to pass the word along telepathically before turning his attention back to us. We’ve got work to do.
I nodded. He was right. This was no time to wonder. No matter why the vampires were here, or exactly what their roles were, the one thing we knew was that they couldn’t be allowed to live. Okay. So, what’s the plan?
He ducked his head back into the room and frowned. We won’t be able to get very close before they see us. I say we fly in and attack them from above. Eventually, we’ll be fighting hand-to-hand on the ground, but it’s a good start.
All right. I looked to Hannah to make sure she was on board. She gave a slight bob of her head, but I could see the fear in her eyes. Let’s go. We’ll have to stick together as much as we can.
The stale air in the tunnel whisked at my hair as we each brought out our wings. We dived forward into the cavern, flying near the center of the room but staying out of the column of heat and smoke that arose from the massive bonfire. I left my sword in its scabbard for the moment, as it was useless while I was so far away from the creatures. Instead, I let the energy build in my hand for when I was ready to use it.
Below us, the vampires continued their discussions without taking any notice of us. Our position didn’t cast any shadows, and if any of them felt the breeze we created they didn’t acknowledge it. The vamps wore long robes, some of them shabby and some of them ornate. Perhaps they simply slept in shifts, regardless of rank.
Oriel signaled, and I brought Lightning to my fingertips. I didn’t hesitate to touch my fingers together and send a bolt of it to the ground. A vampire who had been standing and talking with his comrades only a moment before, was now sprawled out on the ground, a smoking hole in the back of his robe and his chalice spilled. The blood sat in a dark pool on the stone floor before slowly seeping in.
I knew I would need to come back and finish the job later to make sure he was eliminated. The other vampires were now suddenly aware of us, and they screeched as they pointed to their enemies in the air. I blasted three more of them, only vaguely cognizant of the other Angels fighting besides me. Oriel’s Lightning struck just as quickly as mine or perhaps more so, firing at as many of the creatures as possible.
Hannah hovered between us, but her Lightning fizzled slightly. It struck a vamp in the arm but didn’t injure him badly enough to bring him down. She brought a vial of holy water to her fingers and sent a shower of it down on the vampires, but half of it fizzled out in the flames.
It seemed easy enough at first. We had the advantage of being high above the enemy, where we could obliterate them without risking any injury. The vampires were quick on their feet and eager to clamp their jaws around any victim’s neck, but they had no chance of doing any of that to us while we were in the air.
A slight movement caught the corner of my eye, and I turned to see that the vampires, who had been sleeping, had been awakened by the noise of the skirmish. They crawled out of their lidless coffins, their claw-like fingers gripping the sides of the boxes as they pulled themselves into upright positions and made their way over the sides.
“Watch your wings!” I yelled, but it was too late. A vamp that had emerged from the highest racks had jumped out and landed on Hannah’s back. Together they plummeted, a tangle of good and evil, toward the ground. I zoomed after them, determined to get a grip on her arm or leg and keep her from smashing into the ground, but it was useless. I couldn’t get to her without the risk of singeing my wings, and a knot of vampires broke their fall.
I descended as quickly as I could, landing near her but far enough from the fire. It was already making the room unbearably hot and stuffy, and my skin was slick with sweat. I folded in my wings to keep them safe, even though I would have liked the chance to get back up into the air. My sword came out of its scabbard with a metallic ring that made the surrounding vamps look my way in terror. I stormed forward, slicing them down blindly to get to Hannah. Limbs and heads fell to the ground with thumps muffled by their screams. I couldn’t concentrate on making mortal wounds. I only had to get to Hannah before the vampires had a chance to hurt her even more.
As I neared the spot where she fell, a tall vampire with glistening fangs and dark eyes jumped in front of me. He laughed as he swiped at me with his claws, then he extended his jaw. It was the stuff of nightmares for humans, but for me, he was nothing but an obstacle. With the flat of my blade, I swiped him into the fire. His laugh turned into a scream of pain, and I charged forward.
Hannah was on the ground, her wings spread underneath her like a blanket of feathers. The vampire that had jumped on her was standing near her feet, uninjured by the fall. The creatures they had landed on had recovered as well, and she was fighting them off as best she could with her sword. She sliced at their skin, but any cut that was too small to sever a limb, healed quickly. Their pale skin mended itself back together right before my eyes. Hannah’s face was terrified and desperate, and I could tell that she hadn’t seen me yet.
I chopped my way into the circle of vampires, taking down one on my left and one on my right. My blade flashed crimson in the firelight, an agent of justice and death, a sight that made my heart sing. A few of the vampires had the sense to run away before I could get to them, but the others were too distracted by the sight of an Angel on the ground. They thought they had their kill.
Two on the far side of the circle fell with a large bolt of Lightning from my left hand, and I sliced off the heads of two more. The original beasts that had surrounded Hannah were now eliminated, but more and more took their places. We were vastly outnumbered, and I could no longer see Oriel.
Sparing one hand to pull Hannah to her feet, I yelled, “Stay at my back! And for God’s sake, bring your wings in!” My blade was sharp, and it whipped through the flesh of the undead quickly. Even so, I felt a wave of revulsion as the sound of snapping teeth and jaws closed in around me.
“I can’t!” she cried. “My wing is broken!”
I spared only a moment’s glance to see what she was talking about. Her left wing had indeed broken in the fall. It hung limply at her back, completely useless. Even if we made it out of there alive, she would never be able to fly back to High Command on her own. “It’s okay,” I replied, even though I didn’t believe it. If she couldn’t escape, there was no telling what might happen to her. “Just keep fighting!”
There were so many creatures on the floor of the cavern now that it was unlikely that any of them remained in their coffins. They fought with each other to get near us, each of them wanting a chance to take down an Angel. The anger in their eyes told me that they knew exactly what we had done to the other coven back at the farmhouse. Maybe they did have some sort of psychic abilities, or maybe a vampire had gotten away that we didn’t know about, or maybe they could smell it on us. Either way, they wanted revenge.
Too close to them to use Lightning without risking further injury to Hannah or to myself, I funneled the energy back to my core. Holy Fire would have been useful, and it certainly would have intimidated the vamps, but it also would use up my remaining energy stores. I couldn’t risk running out of options with this many of the hellions around me. Instead, I whipped out a flask of holy water and shook it vigorously. I popped the cork and put my thumb over the opening, spraying it out onto the vampires like champagne. They cringed away from me, flailing their arms and beating at their robes to get the burning substance off them. It distracted them enough that I had a chance to pour the remaining Holy water over the blade of my sword.
When they advanced once again, I swung out with confidence. Their flesh sizzled and bubbled as my sword not only sliced them, but melted them as well. The skin around each cut sagged and liquefied, oozing away from the cold flesh beneath and dripping onto the stone floor. It had no chance to heal. Even the smaller cuts made them jump back and scream. My focus narrowed, until I saw and heard nothing other than what I was doing. I was hyper-focused on my battle, slashing down vampires and turning to take down more before I even heard their heads roll.
It was only when I felt a hard, psychic nudge that I was once again aware of the other Angels. Hannah was behind me, fighting as well as she could, but I knew it hadn’t come from her. I dropped my mental shield out of curiosity, confident that even if the vampires had developed their own telepathy, they could never invade my mind.
Keep holding them! It was Jonah, his delicious voice sending a thrill of excitement through me that had nothing to do with the adrenaline of battle. We’re on our way down!
I didn’t have to turn around to know that they had found another entrance to the vast, central cavern. Whatever they had gone through when they entered the mountain, they had made their way successfully to us. Watch your back, I warned. Some of them might still be in their coffins.
His presence increased as he fought his way to me, Trinity at his back. I suddenly felt as though I was much taller, that my blade was even sharper, and that my arm was even swifter. My muscles were strong, and my arms and hands knew exactly what to do without any thought. There was something about this man that made me an excellent fighter, and I couldn’t ignore that.
But I also had other worries on my mind. “We’ve got to get Hannah out of here!” I called as Jonah came to stand by my shoulder. “She’s injured, and she’s getting weaker by the minute.”
“I’ve got her!” Trinity surged forward and grasped Hannah around the waist, giving the tiny girl no chance to protest. She shot up into the air and back toward the entrance that Oriel, Hannah, and I had come in through.
I was impressed by her strength and tenacity, but even more so, I was relieved to know that Hannah would be safe. I only hoped that the tunnel was still clear and that Trinity could get her far away from this wretched place.
“Where’s Oriel?” Jonah asked. He was breathing heavily, but his sword arm showed no signs of weakening. “And how did you make your sword do that?”
I shrugged and smiled as I cut a skinny vamp in half. His skin popped and sizzled as it melted, splattering ooze down his robe as he fell to the ground. “I learned from the best,” I replied, nodding at the delicate silver chain that Jonah had wrapped around his own blade just as he had back at the farmhouse. “I like the idea of combining two good weapons into one kickass one.”
He took out two vampires with one blow and knocked a third one backwards into the fire. “It made sense to me, anyway.”
“As for your other question,” I said as I dodged the fangs of a female vamp with wispy black hair and jabbed my sword up into the soft flesh under her jaw, “I haven’t seen Oriel for quite some time. I’ve been busy helping Hannah, but I hope he’s okay.” The vampiress screamed and gagged as the blade dug into her skull, and I shoved her aside and yanked the blade free.
“I’m fine,” called a voice from behind my back. Our leader had made his way to us and now turned so that he protected our backs with his blade. A bolt of Lightning shot from his fingertips and impacted a vamp who was just coming out of his coffin. He fell to the ground, screaming with terror, and made a sickening thud, as he landed on the edge of another box. “We’re making progress, but we can’t keep this up for much longer. Our reinforcements should be here soon.”
I wanted to argue with him that we didn’t need backup. I had taken down more vamps in the last twenty minutes than I had in my entire lifetime, and I was sure Jonah had done the same. Trinity would be back as soon as she had deposited Hannah in a safe spot, and I had no doubt that she would be able to kill her fair share of the creatures. With the three of us and Oriel, it didn’t feel like we were as outnumbered as I knew we must be.
But Oriel, as always, was right. I respected him as a mission leader and as a second-in-command to Michael. He was here because he had experience and knowledge. Though I felt like I had only just gotten started, I also knew that there was plenty of truth in his words. There were three of us against at least a couple hundred vamps. We couldn’t last forever.
We fought as hard and as fast as we could, stepping over bodies and advancing toward the rest of the crowd. I tried to remain patient, to slow myself down and conserve my energy so that I wouldn’t get hurt and leave my companions in the lurch. It was hard, because I wanted so badly to slay them all.
Soon enough, I heard the rushing sound of Angel wings unfolding. Brilliant balls of Luminescence cast a brighter glow on the cavern walls as numerous Angels came rushing in through both entrances. Their wings filled the room with whiteness, and the vampires were so frightening and distracted that I took a moment to marvel at the sight of our reinforcements arriving. Bolts of Lightning came down from all directions, felling them left and right.
Even so, I didn’t stop. I had come here to do a job, and I wasn’t going to quit until every single one of the bastards was dead. I was not going to forget what they had done to Gregory and to the other humans who had been held prisoner. We swore justice, and we would get it. I charged forward, my sword flying and a scream of anger bursting from my lips. I sliced and swiped, the momentum of my arm as it flung one direction brought it swiftly back the other way to eliminate more and more of the vile creatures.
“Rumor! Stop!” Jonah put his hands on my shoulders and forced my arms down to my sides. “It’s over,” he whispered over my shoulder. “We got them all.”
I looked around, but refused to sheathe my sword until I could confirm what he said. All around us were the bodies of the enemy. In some places, they were so thick that there would be no way to walk around them. I saw no movement. In that moment, I was grateful that backup had arrived so that I could leave this hellish place sooner.
Jonah’s fingers touched my arm and slipped softly down to the hand clutching my sword. It was remarkable how gentle he could be with me, yet so brutal when slaying evil. His warm hand curled around mine and he pulled the sword from my hand, wiped it clean with a piece of cloth, and then slid it back into its scabbard. “We did it,” he whispered.
I nodded, fighting the urge to turn around and wrap my arms around him. “Yes,” I replied softly. “We did.”