Ancient Darkness (On HOLD)

Chapter Forty One

Sang's scream rang through his mind as the wind buffeted at hair and clothes, the flight was a blur as they all pushed themselves.

It had become apparent within moments after Sang and Nathan's departure that the hybrids were only interested in following them. They weren't concerned with the people of Milan or even the Immortals who had stayed behind to guard it.

Close to the clearing where Victor knew that his brother was at battle, he glanced at Owen and Gabriel. Their minds were as closed off as his own but he knew what was running through their thoughts.

An overwhelming need to make it in time to prevent the death of Nathan and the young, soft human woman who had quickly become a fascination for them all.

As acute as their hearing was, Victor was able to pinpoint the exact moment that Sang stepped into the fray. He listened as the hybrid tried to use Nathan's coming death as a prompt to have her climb down from her safe harbour.

When they finally burst through the trees, it was to see that Dakota and Silas had also arrived and eliminated the most immediate threat to the little blonde. Their hands were dripping blood from where they had clawed apart a number of the hybrids' necks.

"I believe that you are suddenly on the wrong side of this battle, Mr Blyre." Owen's voice was completely void of life, a state which his brothers knew meant death for whoever he was speaking to.

Things happened swiftly from there as the hybrid leading the pack made a mad attempt to reach for Sang as she cringed into the tree with her hands pressed firmly over her ears.

Victor flew past Mr Blyre, his nails sharpening into claws. There was a wet gurgle before he put the hybrid on his knees, "Do not speak to her."

He then used the same fingers which had caressed a piano's keys earlier to viciously tear skin, muscle and bone joints apart. Blood ran in neverending streams as the detached head dropped to roll slippery next to the collapsed body.

"Sang!"

All of them turned their attention from the carnage to watch as Dakota leapt at the tree to catch the obviously unconcious girl before she could cause damage to herself.

"Dakota?" Owen barked, his shoes carelessly moving through gore as he stepped towards the pair.

"She's well enough, Owen. I believe they refer to it as sh..." His words stopped abruptly as Sang's necklace slid out to swing over his arm.

"What?" Gabriel enquired, his eyes watching mercilessly as one of the fallen attempted to sit up. With both his legs missing, he didn't appear to be an immediate threat so they all turned their attention to the still silent scholar as he cradled their human.

"She wears the pendant of the Domnitors," Dakota breathed, his mind reeling. He had noticed Sang caressing the chain numerous times and in each instance, her thoughts had unconciously skipped back to her mother's final words.

The necklace was inherited.

Silas kicked away an unidentifiable limb, "The mystery of her existance has become a source of conjecture between us and now she is wearing the royals crest as a pendant we all know once belonged to Princess Amarilia."

"It cannot even be a possibility," Victor murmured. "She's human. Extroadinary, yes but human nonetheless."

"Fools," The lone surviving gurgled with a blood choked chuckle. "She's no more human than you or I."

"Then what is she?" Owen asked quietly.

"Although I would have loved to see her locked in chains amongst my kind, I think I'll die just as happy knowing you will have killed someone you all stupidly care for," It muttered, eyes closing slowly. "She's nothing more than an abomination...just like me, Immortal. Sang Sorenson is a hybrid."

"Lies!" Victor thundered, his tone a two-edged blade as all who listened suddenly found blood dripping slowly from their ears.

"No." It shook its head. "She's a hybrid."

"She's human," Nathan insisted.

"Is she? Find that elven bastard, Mutyr. Ask him what she is." The last was whispered as the hybrid took his last breath, his mind filled with remorse that he wouldn't return to see his young daughter past her first year. They had followed Blyre to their deaths instead of their salvation as Sang was meant to represent.

"Owen?" Dakota hissed. "Could he be telling the truth? Could she be a hybrid and not know it?"

"It's not possible! She is a human," Gabriel reiterated.

Owen's fingertips skated across her pale cheek as he finally stopped beside the tree's trunk, "We can only track down Mutyr and ask."

"What do we do with her if he was telling the truth?" Silas asked quietly.

"I do not know," Their leader whispered in return. "If she is a hybrid..." He shook his head.

As they were wont to say-God help them all.