Walk Into The Light - Shadows of the Night 6

Chapter 43

Hey,

Well, what can I say? This is it! Anna and Alexander will have to fight for this city. And for their lives. I hope you like this one! :-)

This week's song: DanMachi - "Eiyuu Ganbou! 

Lara

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Chapter 43

Vladislav lifted his hand and wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the file, tearing it out without showing the slightest hint of pain. The file dropped to the ground with a clatter that raced through the silence around us.

The air in the square quivered with the motion, as the disembodied sound of an exhalation stretched and widened around us. The temperature in the street dropped, darkness moving in silently – Vladislav in its center, a cataclysm, a moving blackout that haunted the city like a plague.

"She is mine to take, just as you are, Adorján," Vladislav said. "The question is, whether she is worth it. Or not."

He turned to me fully and the weight of his eyes slammed into me like a wall of brick advancing with the speed of a noiseless bullet train.

"The true question is, is she not mine already?"

The world tipped and tilted. Time slowed down, blood rushing in my ears like the watery, washed-out sound of drumbeats. Vladislav's power stretched and reached out to me. Suffocating, squeezing.

My vision changed, the nightly square fading, making room for a cross-filled field of corpses in front of a medieval castle in the distance. Perhaps Hungary, perhaps his true home, Romania. I didn't know and I didn't care.

I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the visions and the taste of ashes that seemed to have made it into my mouth. My view changed yet again, slipped into a vision that was dark and shadow-filled. The dark place in his mind began to arise in front of me, gaining weight and reality, haunting me. It reminded me of what I had to do to get out of it the last time I escaped.

Come to me.

Vladislav's voice slipped into my head and the command echoed in my ears, ringing with the urgency of a siren wailing. The ensuing whispers spoke of pain and death. Memories of how my parents died, then Maria. Then Blaze. I crashed to my knees, hands going to my ears, as if the motion was enough to stop what he was doing to my head.

No.

I fisted my right hand and beat it on the ground. The motion tore me out of the compulsion, steadied me and let me think.

Young as I was as a vampire, I knew one thing. When it came to bending someone's will, using him or her like a puppet – it was all about the power of the mind.

I focused on that spot deep in my core that was mine and drew in a breath of air. The ensuing pain grounded me. Brought me back to who I really was. Vampire, witch, unknown wild card in this city of unknowns – I didn't care. I was still me.

I lifted my eyes, meeting Vladislav's gaze. This place was mine. I was never going to let someone have power over my mind again.

"I don't give a damn how old you are. I won't," I said.

Vladislav stilled and looked at me, lifting his hand slowly.

"You will obey, even if I have to-"

Alexander crashed into him, moving like a shadow in fast-forward, and tackled him to the ground. They rolled and slipped into fast motion.

Their movement seemed to trigger another wave of motion, the vamps around me joining into the fight. The vamps following Shinji and Vladislav broke their stony silence and rushed into the night.