Prophecy: Dark Moon Rising (39 page)

The sight of it made her stomach turn over. It was really happening. She’d never had to wear armour before and in her mind it meant one thing—this fight was serious, dangerous, and many weren’t going to survive.

Taking the armour, she stared at it, unsure what to do. Valentine took her arm, leading her back up the stairs to the room. She raised her head and found that Venturi was already there, and was getting changed. She tried to drag her eyes away from the subtle planes of chest and stomach as he slipped the tight-fitting top on and tucked it into his trousers, but she were transfixed.

Both garments left nothing to the imagination.

Turning away, she saw that Valentine had laid her armour out on the bed next to his. He handed her a top and trousers similar to the black ones that Venturi now wore. She supposed that she couldn’t wear her combats under armour. She’d never thought about it before.

Feeling self-conscious and aware of the two men’s eyes on her, she fingered the clothes, not quite knowing whether she should be changing or waiting for Venturi to leave. The metal of his armour clattered when he put his other boot on.

“Turn around,” Valentine said in a dark tone of voice.

She raised her eyes to see Venturi smirk and then do as he was told. Keeping one eye on him, she slipped out of her combats and top and into the clothes that Valentine had given her. She stood still while he put the armour on her, and then tightened the straps herself while he dressed.

When he and Venturi were done, she couldn’t help admiring them. They looked incredible in their armour. Her eyes roamed over Valentine, taking in the ornate breastplate and the high neck of the armour he wore. The rich silver metal of it was all beautifully decorated; the shoulders, arms, legs and boots. He was holding his helmet under one arm and slid his sword into its sheath with his other.

When he looked at her with fiery eyes, she wondered what she looked like. For once, she wished she could see her reflection. Both men were hungrily looking at her and she was sure that the sight of her in armour had something to do with it.

She tugged on the chest plate, feeling a little self-conscious in it. It was moulded to allow room for her breasts but they didn’t actually fill it. She didn’t disappoint the men staring at her by mentioning that fact though.

Valentine held her sword out to her.

Taking it with steady hands, she slid it into the sheath at her side and looked at the helmet that Venturi offered.

She was sure it wasn’t going to suit her, but it was better than leaving her head open to attack.

She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and closed her eyes when Venturi placed the helmet on for her. It was heavy and a snug fit. She rolled her shoulders and moved her head side to side to get used to the feeling of the armour. She didn’t know how people could fight in so much metal. It restricted her movements and her peripheral vision.

Her gaze dropped to her right, gloveless hand. The magic swirled around the stone of the amulet. Apprehension twisted her stomach and she repeatedly told herself that everything was going to be fine. The magic faded from purple to red, picking up her anxiety about Valentine.

Her eyes widened when his hand appeared in view and he placed it over hers, hiding the stone of her amulet. The magic threaded around his fingers, entwining his hand with hers and giving her a moment of peace and calm. Whenever they were connected like this, she felt as though nothing else mattered.

He shattered her calm by speaking.

“We must leave now. The moment we teleported, Elena would have sent her zombies after us.”

She nodded, watching his hand slip from hers. The magic became purple again and she frowned when it turned almost black.

Lowering her hand, she kept her thoughts calm, not letting her emotions control the magic. Valentine would be safe.

She led the way down the stairs and out into the open air. Everyone was waiting, most wearing armour and all brandishing weapons. Hyperion and his Watchmen looked most impressive, rivalled only by the Tenebrae. Most of the Caelestis and Aurorea were unprotected, with only the guards wearing armour.

The werewolves were all transforming, filling the air with cracking noises and growls as their bones shifted.

She watched Dmitri change and realised that her previous thoughts had been right. He was more frightening in human form. As a werewolf, the top of his head was a fraction higher than Mia’s waist, and he was impressively built. She looked closely and smiled when she found she could see the scar that darted across his right eye.

Without a word, she turned on the spot and started down the slope towards the castle.

“The zombies do not move too quickly, slower than us, but they would have made it a good way from the castle by now, at least to the juncture of the two valleys.” Valentine fell into step beside her.

She smiled with the memory of what had happened above that valley. When Valentine had kissed her there, everything had felt as though it was drawing to a close and their future together had been about to begin. Little had they known what dangers had been ahead of them and who their true enemy was.

She wasn’t as confident this time. Fighting the lord of a bloodline was infinitely easier than battling against an ancient necromancer. Vampires she could handle, magic was a different matter. She had tasted the strength of Elena’s power, as had Valentine. If anyone knew the true depth of Elena’s power, it was him.

Valentine met Prophecy’s gaze when she looked across at him. He searched her face for the reason behind her concerned expression. He could sense the curiosity in her and could feel the questions. She was always full of questions.

“Nervous?” he said in a teasing way. She felt anything but nervous to him.

She shook her head resolutely.

He glanced at the distant castle and the blood-red sky, and then looked along the line of the army. To his right were Mia and Dmitri, flanked by Hyperion and his Watchmen. On his left walked Prophecy, Venturi, Serenity and Cornelius. The head guards followed behind, along with the rest of their forces.

He could almost see what would happen when they reached the split in the valley. Hyperion and Venturi would drop back, along with Mia and Dmitri. Prophecy would remain with him, and the guards of Aurorea and Caelestis would join them. It was a good plan, and one that he felt could work. If himself and Prophecy focused on reaching Elena rather than fighting her minions, there was a chance many lives could be spared. The Watchmen, Dmitri’s werewolves and the Tenebrae were all far more experienced in battle. It was best they were left to deal with the zombies and any other demons that Elena might have convinced to join her.

Lowering his hand, he brushed the back of it against Prophecy’s. She immediately slipped hers into it, locking fingers with his, and he felt the magic seeping into him, tickling his skin as it passed through. He smiled at the sight of her in her armour. Some of it was too big for her, he’d noticed that when putting it on her, but it would do a good job of protecting her. She didn’t look at all comfortable with the helmet. Since they’d started down the hill, she’d adjusted it no less then six times.

They left the safety of the tree-line behind and walked towards the mountains. Her fingers tightened around his and he could feel how nervous she was now they were approaching the castle. He squeezed her hand, silently reassuring her, and kept up his own confidence, not letting the thoughts at the back of his mind sway him. They could do this, and there was no way he was going to lose her. They’d been through Hell and back over the past few weeks. They were going to defeat Elena and be together.

“
Are you all right?
” he asked straight into her head, thankful that he could communicate with her secretly.

She turned her head to face him. A smile was in her eyes even if she couldn’t coax it onto her lips.

“
A little scared, maybe. Thinking too much about the fight I suppose.
” She glanced at the castle and continued her telepathic speech. “
I can feel how strong she is.
”

Her hand trembled against his.

“
I can feel how strong you are,
” he said without speaking.

The smile graced her lips this time, but quickly faded. “
I’m so frightened we’ll lose everyone, that we’ll lose. I don’t want to watch my friends die. Mathias—
”

He held his hand up to stop her when he saw the tears in her eyes and felt the turbulent emotions stirring worry inside of her.

“
Your friends are stronger than you give them credit for. Hyperion will see to it that Mia and Dmitri are protected. Tiberius and Xavier will protect Serenity and Cornelius. Even Venturi will not easily fall. You have seen him fight. Zombies are not going to prove a problem for him. Concentrate on yourself, focus on your magic and you will make it through this.
” He wished he could take away all the pain she was feeling, but his thoughts had been running along the same line.

Elena had already taken so much from them, and she was powerful enough to take more. He pushed away the thoughts, shutting them down and reminding himself that he was a hunter, experienced in battle with the deadliest of enemies. Elena would prove no match for him and Prophecy, and their army.

“
Promise me something,
” Prophecy said into his head.

“
Anything,
” he replied.

“
Stay away from Elena.
”

Even in his head, her tone was deadly serious and her look matched it. He knew what she feared the most. She was petrified that the vision was going to come true and Elena was going to kill him.

He brought Prophecy’s hand up and placed his other one over it, holding it as tight as he could without hurting her.

Looking into her eyes, he tried to convince himself that if it meant she could focus during the battle, he would do as she’d asked.

He sighed.

“
I cannot promise that, and you know it. I will keep my distance, but if she hurts you, if you are in any danger, I will intervene.
” He held her gaze.

She hesitated for a moment and then her look softened and she nodded, clearly satisfied with the compromise.

He could still feel the nerves in her and he knew he had to help her overcome them like she had done the last time they’d fought here. She had to keep her focus and not worry about others during the fight or she could get hurt, or worse.

“
Look at your friends, Prophecy. Look at me. Do not be frightened for their safety. Believe in their strength and abilities, as they believe in yours.
”

Prophecy looked along the line either side of her. Valentine was right. Even Serenity, Cornelius and Mia now looked confident. Dmitri was running with his pack, almost playing with them as they flanked the vampires. Hyperion was so sure of himself that he looked as though he was out for a night stroll rather than heading into battle. Venturi. She looked at him the longest. His eyes were dark and intently focused, his hand resting on the sword at his side. Confidence radiated off him almost as strongly as it did off Hyperion.

It seemed she was the only one worrying.

“Thank you,” she whispered to Valentine.

He smiled and squeezed her hand one more time before releasing it.

“Promise me something,” he said.

She nodded. “Anything.”

“Stay close to me, and if you cannot, then stay close to Venturi or Hyperion. They will protect you. Venturi would not let anything happen to you.”

She could feel so much concern in him that she nodded before he’d even finished his sentence.

She was surprised when he drew his sword and grinned.

“Ready?” he said.

Looking down the valley, a shiver ran through her when she saw the army of zombies advancing towards them.

Drawing her own sword, she looked along the line again, checking that everyone was ready, and then picked up the pace.

The magic surged through her, flooding her veins and making her whole body hum with the strength of it. She’d never felt it so powerful before. It knew that this was it. The final battle had begun.

The strange red light from the halo glinted off her sword when she raised it.

Lowering her weapon in the signal to attack, confidence and strength filled her as the army around her roared. She ran down the valley with them, heading straight for the zombies.

She grinned.

This ended tonight.

Prophecy fought her way through the first wave of zombies, hacking and slashing at any of them that dared to come near her. She raised her hand, unleashing another ball of crackling magic and not stopping to watch it rip through the zombies blocking the way ahead of her.

The smell of charred flesh filled the still air.

Spinning, she brought her sword around in a deadly arc, cutting the heads off another two zombies and pausing for a moment with her backs to their bodies and the advancing army.

All around her, she could see her friends fighting against Elena’s army. Valentine had remained close to her. She was impressed by the skill he wielded his sword with. Her eyes flicked to Venturi when he moved past her. She knew he was staying close to her too. His commanders flanked him at all times, but he needed no protection.

He was an exceptional swordsman, easily dispatching the zombies that stood in his path.

When he looked at her, his eyes darkening into a frown, she sprung up and back-flipped over the attacking zombie. She kicked it in the back of the head, causing it to stumble forwards, and before she’d even landed, she’d decapitated it.

She slid a little and looked down to see that the damp valley grass was turning into mud under the weight of the two armies.

Regaining her footing, she turned fast on the spot and brought her sword up to block the attack she’d sensed. She growled when she looked into the eyes of an Aleaeries. Pushing her sword against the one it had struck at her with, she forced it backwards and then leaped away from it to give herself more room to manoeuvre.

She rolled her shoulders and waited.