04 - Rise of the Lycans (26 page)

Seemingly impervious to the boisterous tempest raging all around him, Viktor
looked on grimly as the soldiers carried out his plan. Lucian had proven just as
predictable as anticipated, relying on his hidden escape route one time too
many.
Apparently,
he thought wryly,
you can’t teach an old wolf new
tricks….

He pointed imperiously at another metal grate. “That one.”

Lucian and Sonja raced through a cramped side tunnel. The squeeze was tight
enough that they had to go through one at a time. Lucian shoved Sonja ahead of
him, while feeling the heat of the flames against his back. He felt as though he
was trapped in a dragon’s lair, with the serpent’s fiery breath bearing down on
them.

They had wriggled through a narrow gap when a second barrel came plummeting
down in front of them. Oil splattered the walls as the barrel broke apart only a
few yards ahead of Sonja. A flung torch set the spilled liquid ablaze. The
dragon breathed again, even closer than before. Swirling orange and yellow
flames lit up the catacombs. Lucian threw up his hand to protect his face from
the searing heat. Sonja cried out in fear.

Blood-sucking bastard!
Lucian thought angrily, shocked by Viktor’s
ruthless tactics.
Does he mean to burn his own daughter alive?

He looked around desperately wondering which way to turn. They were trapped
like rats between the raging fires, which were converging on them rapidly. Metal
scraped against stone directly above their heads. Glancing up at the ceiling,
Lucian eyed a newly opened shaft overhead. He tensed in anticipation of another
fiery assault from above, but, to his surprise, a third barrel did not crash
down into the sewers. Rain alone poured down the open drain. It was as if Viktor
was giving them a way out.

But what was waiting for them above?

Lucian clenched his fists in frustration. He realized they were playing right
into Viktor’s hands, but what else were they to do? The blazes were inching
closer to them with every second, turning the tunnels into an underground forge.
He could see the dancing red flames reflected in Sonja’s watery eyes. They
sagged against each other, all but overcome by the heat and smoke. The
suffocating fumes irritated his eyes and lungs. The chain mail clinging to
Sonja’s body grew hot to the touch. She whimpered in pain. Her pale skin began
to redden….

He glanced again at the grate above. The encroaching infernos left them no
other choice. He shared an urgent look with Sonja, who nodded in agreement.

Come what may, they had to abandon the tunnels—or be reduced to ashes!

* * *

Viktor had deliberately left the shaft undisturbed. Ten armed Death Dealers
were stationed around the open drain, ready to apprehend any fugitive who tried
to climb out of it. His dark robes were drenched from the deluge, but he paid no
heed to the violent weather. The fearsome storm was nothing compared to the
tempest in his own heart. Not until Lucian paid for defiling his daughter would
the vengeful Elder think of anything else.

Come, Lucian,
he urged the lycan silently.
Bring Sonja back to me—and
face your just deserts!

As though in response, a rampaging figure burst from the drain.

Lucian leapt from the tunnels as though fired from a catapult. As expected,
he found an entire contingent of Death Dealers waiting for him. Outnumbered, he
relied on speed and savagery to try to even the odds. Whirling like a dervish,
he slashed out at the soldiers with his sword. The blade struck like lightning,
targeting the cracks and crevices in the knights’ armor. Blood streamed down the
gutter of the blade as he speared one vampire in the eye, then yanked the sword
back in time to ram the pommel into the face of a vampire behind him. Fangs
shattered beneath the blow, and the soldier staggered backward, clutching his
mouth. A third soldier swung a sword at Lucian’s head, but the lycan ducked
beneath the blow and drove his own sword up beneath the vampire’s chin, spearing
his brain. The guard convulsed once before toppling backward onto the rain-slick
paving stones. The heavy armor clattered against the floor of the courtyard. Lucian tugged his sword
free of the carcass.

Never corner a wolf,
he thought,
unless you want to get bit.

Taken aback by the sheer ferocity of Lucian’s attack, the remaining Death
Dealers stumbled about in confusion. They lunged clumsily at the elusive lycan,
getting in each other’s way. An irate commander shouted for reinforcements,
drawing more Death Dealers from the keep and ramparts. A small army charged
across the bailey toward Lucian, who caught a glimpse of Viktor himself standing
to one side, observing the chaos from a safe distance. Lucian was tempted to
hurl his sword across the courtyard at the tyrannical Elder, but that would have
left him unarmed against the horde of Death Dealers. Instead he glanced behind
him to see Sonja bursting up from the drain after him. A gout of fire licked her
heels as she sailed over the heads of the distracted guards. A shining silver
sword gleamed in her hand.

“GO!” he shouted at her.

Having drawn all the soldiers down upon him, the way seemed clear for Sonja
to make a break for it. Lucian had no illusions that he could hold off the Death
Dealers much longer—he was too badly outnumbered—but perhaps he could buy enough
time to allow Sonja to escape? He would gladly trade his life for hers.

Howling like a wolf, he jabbed his sword straight through a soldier’s metal
breastplate. He had forged the vampires’ armor after all, and knew exactly where
the weak spots were. The driving rain washed the vampire’s blood down the open drains. Lucian’s lips peeled back to bare his fangs. His
eyes flashed cobalt.

All right,
he challenged the oncoming soldiers.
Who’s next?

The cold rain and wind came as a shock after the inferno in the tunnels.
Sonja sprung like a gazelle across the courtyard as she joined Lucian in battle
against the soldiers. Never for a minute did she consider leaving him to fight
alone. She knew full well that her father would surely have Lucian tortured to
death for his “crimes”, assuming he survived his uneven battle against the
merciless Death Dealers.
Not while I still live,
she vowed. They would
perish together, if need be. Like the hero and heroine of some tragic Nordic
myth.

A knight came at her, swinging a heavy mace. He stayed his hand too long, no
doubt hesitant to strike down an Elder’s daughter, and she ran him through
without hesitation. The look of betrayal on his face, as he collapsed onto the
cobblestones, cut her to the quick. Although a warrior born, she had never
killed another vampire before.

I had no choice,
she thought. Her free hand went to her belly. Although
not even Lucian knew the truth, more lives than theirs hung in the balance
tonight.
Our forbidden love has yielded more than just tragedy. It has also
brought new life into the world.

Side-by-side, she and Lucian fought the Death Dealers. Her heart swelled with
pride as, out of the corner of her eye, she saw her lover hold his own against
her father’s hand-picked guards. The odds were against them, but you would never
know it from the courageous way he threw himself into the fray. Vampire blood flooded the gutters.
This, she promised herself, was how she wanted them both to be remembered:
fearless and indomitable.

Fight on my love,
she thought.
Fight for our future together.

Her sword danced like a living flame, cutting and thrusting through the
guards. Death Dealers dropped at her feet and, for an instant, she found herself
triumphant. Her gaze went to the ramparts. The massive siege bows were unmanned.
It appeared that every soldier on duty was busily engaged in the strife
surrounding her. If she and Lucian could just make it to the top of the
palisade, one leap would put Castle Corvinus and all its dangers behind them.
The way seemed clear.

Then her father’s fist slammed into her face.

One minute Viktor was lurking on the periphery of the conflict, letting his
soldiers do his fighting for him. The next, he disappeared from sight as swiftly
as a bat on the wing. Fearing the worst, Lucian risked a glance at Sonja and was
dismayed to see the Elder striking his daughter. Lightning heralded Viktor’s
sudden attack. Lucian saw their desperate plan coming apart before his eyes.

“Sonja!” he cried out in despair. “No!”

His lapse in attention cost him dearly. He took his eyes off his foes too
long, and they swiftly took advantage of his mistake. An armored fist punched
his jaw, knocking his head to one side, while another soldier clubbed the back
of his skull with a studded mace. A steel-toed boot delivered a vicious kick to his privates. The butt of a
crossbow rammed the base of his spine. His head ringing, he dropped to his knees
and retched on the pavement. Everything went black for a heartbeat. A fist
seized his hair by the handful and yanked his head back up again. When his
vision cleared, he found a ring of loaded crossbows surrounding his skull like a
crown of thorns. A flash of lightning illuminated the inch-long silver arrowheads
pointed at his skull. The surly expressions of the Death Dealers dared him to
provoke them further. Their fingers were poised upon the triggers of their
crossbows. His sword slipped from his fingers.

Lucian’s fight was over, but Sonja’s had only just begun. Across the courtyard,
she faced off against her father, who stood between her and the gates. A pair of
ponderous stone towers framed his imposing figure. His somber robes and severe
expression gave him the look of some nocturnal bird of prey. Rain ran down the
blade of the silver-plated broadsword in his hand. Her face stung from his blow.

She slowly lifted her own sword. “I do not want this, Father.”

“How dare you raise your hand to me!” Anger flashed in his eyes. “I am still
your father!”

Sonja did not deny it. Despite all that had transpired over the past few
nights, the bonds of kinship still had a hold upon her heart. Two hundred years
of loving memories could not be easily shoved aside. Yet it was clear from his
unforgiving mien that he was not going to let her depart without a fight, and
she could no longer abide the cruel injustice of his rule. Not when it demanded the death of
her one true love.

Very well,
she resolved.
Let my sword speak for me.

The blade sliced through the rain. He parried with his own sword, blocking
her blow. Sparks flew as metal rang against metal. She flipped her sword, just
as she had while being chased by the werewolves four nights ago, and rammed its
ornate hilt into his chest. Wincing, he stumbled backward into a stone wall. His
sword arm sagged and for an instant his heart lay bare before her. She drew back
her sword to deliver the fatal thrust, but a flicker of doubt stayed her hand.
Could she truly end her father’s life?

She hesitated only for a heartbeat, but that was one moment too long.
Snarling, Viktor rebounded from the wall and lunged at her like a demon. She
went for the kill, but he batted the thrust away with his own sword and swung
back savagely. Rain flew from their blades with every counterattack and riposte.
Sheets of rain rendered the cobblestones treacherously slick. Thunder punctuated
the clash of steel against steel. The wind whipped Sonja’s hair about.

Her lover wanted her free. Her father would not let her go.

But only she knew all that was truly at stake….

Their heated duel drew the attention of the nearby Death Dealers. The vampire
soldiers gaped in amazement at the unlikely spectacle of the Elder trading blows
with his own daughter. None rushed to join the battle; all sensed that there was
nothing to be gained by getting in the middle of this deadly family dispute.

When the high and mighty warred against each other, the smart immortal kept
out of the way….

Only Lucian yearned to throw himself into the melee, but the guards’
crossbows kept him at bay. He stepped forward instinctively, only to be brought
up short by the silver points pressing against his throat—like a lethal variant
on the moon shackles he had once worn.

He could only look on helplessly as Sonja fought for her life.

“Do you think you can defeat me?” Viktor said incredulously. He sneered at
her through their crossed swords, their contorted faces only inches apart. Their
matching azure eyes glowed with equal intensity. Ivory fangs betrayed their
vampiric natures. He forced her backward across the bailey, toward the weathered
stone steps leading up to the ramparts. His blade bounced off the guard of her
hilt, sparing her fingers. A forceful cross almost knocked her sword from her
grasp. “I am older and stronger.”

“I don’t want to defeat you!” she insisted. Why was he forcing her to fight
him like this?
Let me go and I’ll never trouble you again!

A skillful feint failed to penetrate his defenses. He charged at her head-on,
driving her halfway up the stairs. His blade thrust at her shoulder, but she
spun about, dodging the blow, and swung her sword at his side. The vigor of the
attack forced him to vault back onto a landing to avoid being cut in twain. His
soggy black robes fluttered in the wind like the wings of an enormous bat.

A bat with my father’s face, sucking the blood from my veins…

A disturbing fragment of her earlier nightmare flashed through her brain.
Pressing her advantage, she lunged after her father. She slashed repeatedly at
his guard, like Lucian pounding on his anvil. Again and again, her sword rained
down against his, in arc after blinding arc, as he parried each blow at the last
minute, only seconds before they slashed his face to ribbons. Sonja began to
think that she truly had a chance of defeating her father.