and brought my blade up almost too late,
deflecting the vampire’s latest attack just in time. My conversation with
Isaac was distracting me. I quickly shifted my stance, swinging my blade down,
thrusting under his guard to score him across the stomach; first blood to me.
Although it was a slugglish ooze, vampires do bleed.
The vampire’s eyes flashed, a look of rage passing over his
features. His fangs descended and he snarled at me, tossing his blade to the
floor. He charged me like a wild animal, any semblance of humanity gone. At
the last second he lunged at me and I ducked under his attack, swinging my
blade down to effectively hamstring him. He fell to one knee, slightly turned
away from me. I didn’t hesitate. I brought my blade across in a sweeping
blow, taking his head off at the neck. I stood for a moment, frozen, watching
as the vampire’s headless body toppled to the floor.
“Get down!” A voice echoed through the chamber and I saw a
flash of black as a body hurled itself in front of me. Hilde fell back, a
knife buried to the hilt in her chest. My eyes widened in surprise as they met
Petyr’s from across the room. He turned as if to flee only to crash into Isaac
who grabbed his head and with a sickening twist and crunch, tore it from
Petyr’s shoulders. Isaac casually tossed the head next to the first attacker’s.
I rushed to Hilde who lay still on the floor, a slow, thick
trickle of blood oozing from her wound. I didn’t think it would be enough to
kill her. I looked up and found Nash in the crowd. His eyes were furious. I
deliberately slowed my heart rate and tried to send him a feeling of calm as an
apology. His eyes narrowed and he took a deep breath. I turned to look at
Salvador.
“You’ve got to help her,” I said to him.
Salvador, who at some point had come to stand at the edge of
the dais, shrugged. “Do I know you?” he looked at Hilde who
struggled to sit up in my arms.
“Magister…I am Hilde. From the…Magyar tribe of…Vérbulcsú.” Hilde struggled to talk. She was
breathless and wheezing. The knife must have punctured her lung.
“Ah, yes. My little foreign exchange
student.” Salvador tipped his head, his face pensive. “You were to arrive tomorrow, were you not?”
Hilde smiled. “Lucky I was
put…on an earlier…flight.”
“Can we sort this out later?
She needs help.” I scowled at Salvador.
“Ah, Harry, your impatience
is always so charming. So human.” He turned his gaze to meet mine. “First,
we must complete the formalities.” He gestured and two of his security vamps
came through the crowd and grabbed Hilde from my arms, hauling her to her feet.
“Wait! Careful. You’re
going to hurt her.” I gave the closest vamp a swat on his arm.
“Our new friend Hilde must
swear her allegiance. She cannot remain here unbound.” For a split second I
saw fear in Hilde’s eyes. She was afraid to be bound to Salvador.
“Wait! Wait.” I said again,
putting out a hand in a stopping motion. “Hilde is mine.” I turned to meet
Salvador’s calculating gaze head on. “She saved my life. She’s mine.”
Salvador narrowed his eyes in
thought, his fingers grasping his chin. He tapped his index finger against his
lips. “I have a client waiting for her arrival,” he said casually. “If she
enters your service, I will have to find another.”
I made a point of looking at
Hilde, as if seeing her for the first time. Even dressed as she was in formal
Goth wear, she looked very young. I narrowed my eyes, scowling. I didn’t need
to fake being angry about what I thought of Salvador’s client. “Then some
old pervert with pedophilic tendencies will just have to wank off to kiddie
porn a bit longer.”
Salvador’s hearty laugh
echoed through the hall. “Oh Harry, you are always so entertaining.” He waved
his hand in dismissal. “Very well. Take her. She’s yours.”
I turned to face Hilde to
prevent Salvador from seeing my triumphant smile. Unfortunately,
deflecting the vampire’s latest attack just in time. My conversation with
Isaac was distracting me. I quickly shifted my stance, swinging my blade down,
thrusting under his guard to score him across the stomach; first blood to me.
Although it was a slugglish ooze, vampires do bleed.
The vampire’s eyes flashed, a look of rage passing over his
features. His fangs descended and he snarled at me, tossing his blade to the
floor. He charged me like a wild animal, any semblance of humanity gone. At
the last second he lunged at me and I ducked under his attack, swinging my
blade down to effectively hamstring him. He fell to one knee, slightly turned
away from me. I didn’t hesitate. I brought my blade across in a sweeping
blow, taking his head off at the neck. I stood for a moment, frozen, watching
as the vampire’s headless body toppled to the floor.
“Get down!” A voice echoed through the chamber and I saw a
flash of black as a body hurled itself in front of me. Hilde fell back, a
knife buried to the hilt in her chest. My eyes widened in surprise as they met
Petyr’s from across the room. He turned as if to flee only to crash into Isaac
who grabbed his head and with a sickening twist and crunch, tore it from
Petyr’s shoulders. Isaac casually tossed the head next to the first attacker’s.
I rushed to Hilde who lay still on the floor, a slow, thick
trickle of blood oozing from her wound. I didn’t think it would be enough to
kill her. I looked up and found Nash in the crowd. His eyes were furious. I
deliberately slowed my heart rate and tried to send him a feeling of calm as an
apology. His eyes narrowed and he took a deep breath. I turned to look at
Salvador.
“You’ve got to help her,” I said to him.
Salvador, who at some point had come to stand at the edge of
the dais, shrugged. “Do I know you?” he looked at Hilde who
struggled to sit up in my arms.
“Magister…I am Hilde. From the…Magyar tribe of…Vérbulcsú.” Hilde struggled to talk. She was
breathless and wheezing. The knife must have punctured her lung.
“Ah, yes. My little foreign exchange
student.” Salvador tipped his head, his face pensive. “You were to arrive tomorrow, were you not?”
Hilde smiled. “Lucky I was
put…on an earlier…flight.”
“Can we sort this out later?
She needs help.” I scowled at Salvador.
“Ah, Harry, your impatience
is always so charming. So human.” He turned his gaze to meet mine. “First,
we must complete the formalities.” He gestured and two of his security vamps
came through the crowd and grabbed Hilde from my arms, hauling her to her feet.
“Wait! Careful. You’re
going to hurt her.” I gave the closest vamp a swat on his arm.
“Our new friend Hilde must
swear her allegiance. She cannot remain here unbound.” For a split second I
saw fear in Hilde’s eyes. She was afraid to be bound to Salvador.
“Wait! Wait.” I said again,
putting out a hand in a stopping motion. “Hilde is mine.” I turned to meet
Salvador’s calculating gaze head on. “She saved my life. She’s mine.”
Salvador narrowed his eyes in
thought, his fingers grasping his chin. He tapped his index finger against his
lips. “I have a client waiting for her arrival,” he said casually. “If she
enters your service, I will have to find another.”
I made a point of looking at
Hilde, as if seeing her for the first time. Even dressed as she was in formal
Goth wear, she looked very young. I narrowed my eyes, scowling. I didn’t need
to fake being angry about what I thought of Salvador’s client. “Then some
old pervert with pedophilic tendencies will just have to wank off to kiddie
porn a bit longer.”
Salvador’s hearty laugh
echoed through the hall. “Oh Harry, you are always so entertaining.” He waved
his hand in dismissal. “Very well. Take her. She’s yours.”
I turned to face Hilde to
prevent Salvador from seeing my triumphant smile. Unfortunately,
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