Ancient Shadows

TWENTY NINE

Walter looked on while his brother did battle with the Count. Kellandra had moved close to him. Placed her hand on his arm to give him comfort. While she hadn't retained the humanity that Walter still had, she had quickly found disdain with the Count and his heartless schemes. She found she liked the company of the Osterreich brothers. They weren't who they had claimed to be. That much she knew. But she liked them.

Walter felt a tinge of warmth go through his dead cold body from the touch of the undead woman. He had taken to her since they were introduced earlier in the evening. It was the one thing Dimitri did that Walter approved of. Introducing them to Kellandra. What didi it mean to have a romantic relationship with another blood drinker? Walter wasn't sure. But at the moment he had to see his brother win this duel he found himself engaged in.

The two fighters continued to attack one another. Circling each other with swords simultaneously swinging. Attacks and parries. Parries and attacks. Sparks flying from the sheer amount of strength on display between the two undead combatants. The action became a blur at times as their supernatural speed was put on display.

Walter's nerves were on edge. Watching his brother in a battle that could get gruesome. The undead had the ability to heal at a miraculously exceeding rate. A cut on one's hand could heal within a few hours. For a vampyr that had lived many years the healing was at such a hastened rate the wound could be seen closing up. So they could take damage to their bodies that would incapacitate or kill a normal person. How much violence would it take to destroy one of these immortals?

In spite of his focus on the duel taking place before him Walter still took notice of Kellandra's tightening grip on his arm. Her touch was so comforting for Walter. Not since his wife's untimely death well over five years ago had Walter enjoyed the touch of the opposite sex.

Even though his undead body had no desire to lay with a woman he still longed for the romantic desire to be loved and adored. And now he desired to share his blood with this fellow blood drinker. The need to drink her blood and feel it's warmth coursing through his cold body.

But these thoughts and feelings Walter could not embrace fully as distracted as he was by the unfolding scene before him. The echo of steel colliding bounced off the walls of the Count's palace. The Count had unleashed a formidable offensive against Augustus. Walter's older brother gracefully wielded his arming sword shifting it this way and that in a flurry of manuevers blocking every slashing and piercing attack brought against him. But through this series of attacks Dimitri had pushed Augustus backwards until he was pressed against the high base of the gargoyle statue.

Dimitri held his long sword with both hands and lifted it high above his head. He brought it down with tremendous strength. The strength that only a creature of the night possessed. Augustus's arming sword was raised up to meet the attack. Steel smashed against steel. Their swords locked together and grinded into one another. The Count bared his fangs at his enemy. A couple of the human witnesses gasped at the sight.

Dimitri unleashed a volley of attacks. His sword struck Augustus's sword, the gargoyle statue and the empty air. The face of the Count had transformed into that of a monster. His fangs were visible, white in the torch light and appearing sharp as razors. He cursed his opponent as he brought his weapon down over and over again.

A steady rain commenced to fall. With it a chilling wind blew through the courtyard. Dark shadows spilled across the battling immortals, the stone statues and the watching figures as clouds shrouded the moon and its illumination. The rain pooled on the hard surface beneath everyone's feet. Tiny rivers of water flowed here and there.

Dimitri's long sword cut into the left side of Augustus right below the arm pit. His doublet turned red there. Soon after there streaked tiny rivers of red water flowing from the Augustus's feet. The battle continued as there was no time to observe injuries. The bleeding continued but would seize by the conclusion of the short melee. The result of the miraculous healing properties of the undead at work.

The Count pressed his attack until Augustus was squatting, backed against the base of the gargoyle statue. The Count struck again. This time cutting deep into the right shoulder of Augustus. Augustus cried out in pain but did not drop his weapon. He countered Dimitri's successful attack with a couple of his own and in the process managed to stand back up.

Augustus continued on the offensive with a flurry of maneuvers and blows that rattled the Count. Augustus screamed mightily into the night. So many sparks came off the steel of the clashing swords that it created a display of fire that lit up the ongoing battle.

Dimitri swung his weapon with all his strength at the head of Augustus. The sword missed its target and came crashing down on the stone leg of the gargoyle. Most of the blade immediately flew away from the hilt of the weapon. It clanged and clattered as it skipped along the stone floor of the courtyard. Dimitri's sword was broken! Severed near the hilt.

The rain came down a little harder. Kellandra's grip on Walter's arm tightened. The bodyguard Philip, jumped up and down in excitement cheering Augustus. He wished greatly to see his dead friend Helmut avenged for his defeat earlier in the night. The domestic of Kellandra, a young attractive and petite lady, clapped her hands energetically in support of Augustus. The steady beat of the falling rain on the hard stone ground of the courtyard muffled the sound of their cheers.

But the Count was quick off the mark after having his sword break and a dagger appeared in his hand as if out of nowhere.

The Count lunged in with his jewel encrusted dagger attempting to pierce the torso of Augustus. Augustus jumped backwards with austere precision. Before the Count could withdraw his attacking arm, Augustus slashed down at it at the wrist. He severed the Count's right hand. It lazily plopped down on the stone surface with a sickening soft thud. The dagger seemed to hang in the air hitting the ground immediately after the hand with a loud clank.

Blood flowed out of his right arm at the wrist where the hand was severed. Dimitri let out an ungodly shriek. He cried out to his small entourage for a sword as he shuffled in their direction making sure not to turn his back on his opponent. Before Augustus could mount an offensive against his unarmed foe, Dimitri scooped up a short sword that loudly scraped the stone surface of the courtyard as it slid towards him.

Armed now with a short sword in his left hand the Count raised his blade and parried the incoming slashes from Augustus. As the two battled blood was slung out from the Count's right arm. He opened up a counter attack thrusting his short sword at the midsection of Augustus. Augustus dodged to the side easily avoiding the off hand sloppy assault.

Augustus lifted his arming sword with both hands above his head and brought it down with tremendous force. The attack was a slashing strike that came down directly on the left shoulder. The result was the entire left arm of Count Dimitri Lewellan falling away from his body. The short sword hit the ground first with an echoing smash of steel against stone. The entire left arm hit the ground next with any noise from it being filtered out by the steady rainfall.

The Count no longer possessed a hand to hold a weapon with. A vicious scowl showed on his face as he stood with no defense that could be mounted. Blood poured out of his body at the place where his arm used to be. A wound like that would have incapacitated a mere mortal. But this maimed undead monster remaining standing. Defeated but still standing.

"End this Augustus! End him!" Walter yelled with his words echoing through the courtyard. Kellandra seconded his suggestion with the words "do it". Then the courtyard grew quiet except for the hypnotizing pelting of the falling rain on stone.