We•Will•Rise

Chapter Eight

I'm like a spirit through the halls, keeping to the shadows and making no noise as I race through the belly of the castle. I have to leave a different way than I came to get to the forest on the more western side of the grounds. I can hear the sounds of the wedding starting, and more than once I thought I was going to get caught by wondering servants that skirted through the castle holding trays of food or decorations. But instead of bringing myself back into the servant's halls like I know I should to get across the northern wing and back to the forest, I find myself not too far from outside of the courtyard's glass doors and in the entertainment room.
I hide a few yards down the hall, behind one of the grand pillars and in the darkness. I watch as people mill around through the propped open doors, each person dressed more lavishly than the last. Women wear outfits ranging from wide, frilled ball gowns to sleek satin dresses. All men wear tight fitting cotton shirts and vests with their nicest trousers and suit coats that are tailored to fit the width of their shoulders perfectly. It's an array of colors, like a rainbow fell from the sky and into the courtyard. There are no Sultans in sight, only civilians, and I figure they must be on the edges of the courtyard, keeping people within its boundaries so no one gets lost wandering the castle grounds. That means my plan can be put into action.
I leave from my spot behind the pillar, pulling my hood over my head. I instinctively feel for the sword I slipped underneath my coat and the dagger I moved to my wrist, hidden by my sleeve. These people would never know I'm armed, and even a Sultan's trained eyes would have to look twice to see the outline of the dagger against my wrist. To them, I look like an underdressed commoner.
I break through the crowd of people that linger in the castle walls, all of them giving me a wide berth and disgusted stares. I keep my head low and stay out of direct light so no one recognizes my features; there are too many people here who know me as the Lord Commander's wanted daughter. I hear their whispers of curiosity when I pass too close to some, and others not-so-kind conversations on my choice of wedding attire. I ignore them as I pass through the doors and into the open air of the courtyard. The coldness bites through my coat, but my nerves are too bad for me to register its freezing sting. Instead, I'm focused on my job at hand.
My eyes scan the courtyard for either Amari or Leria, taking in the white ribbons that flow through the trees above us. The courtyard is done in elaborate whites and golds. Beautiful old lanterns hang from tree branches and light the courtyard just enough to show off everyone's hard efforts for dressing up tonight. Stone benches that line the cobblestone walkway are draped in the back with gold or white ribbon much like the trees. A food table sits at the center of the yard, with delicious dishes such as wild rabbit and boar, all decorated nicely by fruit, vegetables, or even flower petals. Beyond sits the altar, a gorgeous arch with white ribbon and rose petals adorning it. The Priest stands underneath, alone, watching everyone mingle and dance along to the flutes and pipes.
My eyes catch on a certain maid with ebony skin and unruly hair standing at the very end of the food table with the others, waiting for someone's request for food.
I approach her quietly, pushing past clustered groups of people. She doesn't immediately see me, but as I push past the last crowd closest to her, her dark, doe eyes fall on my hooded figure. I see the confusion in her eyes as she takes a onceover on my outfit, but other than that her face remains stoic from years of practice as a Queen's maid. I know she doesn't recognize me since my face is hidden in the darkness of my hood, but when I lift my chin just enough for the lanterns above us to highlight my face, her blank expression cracks. I see tears well in her eyes, and before she can break her pose, I reach her, intertwining her fingers with mine. "Don't stare, keep your eyes forward," I order, squeezing her hand once before dropping it. She does as I say, the only ounce of expression on her face is the sheen in her eyes. "I don't know if you heard or not, but the vamphir are alive, and they are coming. Tonight we think." I glance at her, the only sign of her understanding being the deep inhale of breath. "I want you to find an excuse and go inside the castle. Stay in there no matter what you hear. I'll find you later." With that, I break away, quickly disappearing into the crowd. I set my sights on Amari next who is a bit more observant than Leria, and notices me as soon as I'm a yard away. She stands besides a girl I recognize as the Sultan Chief's wife, Thara Mainsio. She quickly excuses herself and meets me behind a tree.
"I'm so glad to see you made it okay," she says breathlessly, keeping her eyes ahead and scanning the crowd.
"How did you know it was me?"
"You walk like your father, confident and strong, but you're much quieter," she gives a sad smile, "He is on room arrest for the night. I must say I'm quite jealous."
"Do you believe me? About the vamphir?"
"It doesn't matter what I believe, I can't do anything about it." She sounds sullen, and like she'd much rather the fate of the vamphir than her wedding.
"They're going to come from the forest," I warn, "You should find a way to excuse yourself and get into the castle."
"My mother would notice my exit immediately, I'm stuck out here."
"Fine," I lean in a little closer. "There should be something coming soon that will get everyone inside the castle. Give this to the man that causes it, he's my bother," I quickly unlace the dagger's sheath from my wrist and hand it to her. She takes it, twirling it between her fingers in awe. "Try to keep them in there so no one has to get hurt."
She nods in understanding and laces the dagger in her sleeve as I did, but her eyes squint to something in the distance. She gestures with her chin past the courtyard. "That's weird."
I follow her gaze, my eyes finding the treeline of the forest. A dense fog hovers above the woods, curling and folding across the treetops. My heart races against my chest, beating against my ribs like a trapped bird.
"It's them," my voice is barely above a whisper and Amari gives me a confused look before understanding dawns on her face. Her cheeks pale, lightening the tawniness of her skin in fear.
"I have to go. Keep everyone inside the castle," I say, breaking away from behind the tree. I see the Sultans' amors glinting in the moonlight as they stand along the edge of the courtyard. There are dozens of them, posed and ready for any altercation that could take place. That's when an idea pops into my mind, a sudden one that could either go very bad or very well.
I decide to do it anyway.
I remove my hood,  walking with a purpose towards the idle Sultans, their bored eyes scanning the area until one of their gazes falls on me. His eyes widen drastically behind his helmet.
"Hey, stop her!" he yells over the music. And then the Sultans aren't so idle anymore. They rush me, but the confused crowd stands like a barrier between me and then. I turn and sprint, jumping clean over a bench and fleeing towards the forest. They break into a run behind me, dozens of them on my trail as I head for the forest and towards the ominous fog that isn't quite to the treeline yet.
But what is at the treeline is the Inurgence, Nikolai, Jerrick, Demeter, and Likan all watch with wide eyes and confused expressions as I join them at the edge of the woods. Syran, with her head cocked to the side, doesn't see but must hear the thunderous footsteps behind me.
"What in the bleeding Gods are you doing?" Demeter says, followed by Nikolai's voice.
"Maltrov, you surprise me more and more everyday." He shakes his head, holding a torch in his left hand. Where he got it, I'm not sure but I'm not about to argue.
The Sultans come to a stop in around us, their eyes not on our group, but the fog surrounding the trees. We all turn to face it, the moving grey cloud that seems to expand and roll across the grass with a mind of its own. It in itself is unnatural, and seems to serve one deadly purpose: camouflage. It reaches the treeline in seconds and seems to come to a sudden stop, like hitting an invisible barrier. We all stand in shock and awe, watching the fog roll and curl against the trees.
"What in the—" a Sultan begins after a moment, but doesn't get to finish. Two grey arms stretch out of the fog and yank him off of his feet with a scream, pulling him into its midst. We all take a few steps back at the same time, eyes wide in fear as everyone draws their weapon. I unsheathe the sword that's around my waist and get into a fighting stance.
Then my brother's distraction is put into effect. I hear an explosion, an awfully loud one that makes everyone jump. The people scream, starting for the castle. That's all I can see before I'm forced to turn at the sound of running feet.
Something is coming.
Then they're on us, grey things with spiked ears, bright, sickly yellow eyes, and rows of sharp, jagged fangs. I swing my sword in an arc, cutting through the first that jumps at me in a single fluid motion. They keep coming, rushing us with a single, malicious end goal: our death.
I duck from reaching, clawed fingers and tear my weapon across the fleshy stomach of the vamphir. It screams, an animalistic sound that makes my ears ring, and falls back, only to be replaced by three more. They corner me, slinking forward on too-human feet. They're ugly things, with a narrow head on a pole-thin neck. Their skin is an ashen grey, and their hands end in long, clawed-fingers. Yellow eyes that glow against the dark have constricted pupils, narrow like a snake's, and have ears that are long and spiked and sit on the side of their heads like a human's. But you couldn't mistake them for such; they are all animal, taking uncalculated swipes at my hands.
With a snarl, I charge to the first, wielding the sword with a deadly force and aiming for the vamphir's neck. It's faster, ducking underneath my sword and lunging at me. I kick my boot out, connecting with its stomach and sending it flying back. Fingers dig into my hair from behind, bringing tears to my eyes. I scream, yanking my head free and swinging my weapon. It cuts through the throat of my attacker, spraying black, gooey blood through the air. The vamphir falls as the third one throws itself at me before I can react, jumping onto my back and raking its dirty nails across my cheek. I scream, cocking back my elbow and knocking it against the head of the vamphir. It barely budges and I force myself to backstep, slamming myself into a tree. The vamphir hisses as its back is pushed into rough bark, its head snapping back and against the trunk. It's arms fall at my sides, and I turn, swinging my sword across its neck. The vamphir ducks, my sword connecting with bark as it cuts through the tree. The vamphir jumps at me, this one moving in a wicked blur, and hits me square in the stomach, knocking me flat on my back. The air leaves my lungs in a whoosh and I gasp, inhaling frigid cold.
The vamphir's teeth go for my throat, and I know if it reaches its soft flesh I'm dead. I throw my arm up, fangs sinking into my wrist. I hiss in pain, using the pommel of the sword as a hammer and bang it against its head. It's head dents, cocking to the side and ripping skin from my arm. I throw the frail body off of me as it shakes its hand, quickly recovering. It crouches into a hiss and lunges, throwing itself right through the point of my sword. It goes limp against the steel and I quickly stand, kicking its body from the blade.
Thin air suddenly erupts in flames as fire appears from nowhere, licking at the sky and the trees closest to it. Inside of the circle of fire is a few dozen unlucky vamphir, their pained screams echoing through my ears. Nikolai stands in front of the fire, empty bucket in hand, then turns to fight the rest of the oncoming horde. Syran fights off five of them, moving with a speed that nearly makes her a blur, her aim is true with every strike despite her blindness, and her sword moves like an extension of her body.
Likan fires off arrows beside her, nothing getting closer to him than a few feet. Each arrow finds itself embedded in the eye of a vamphir, stopping them dead in their tracks. Demeter looks deadly, her war hammer battering its head into anything that gets too close. Jerrick fights like a cat on the prowl, his feet moving in an elegant war dance that brings him within inches of their claws, but always just narrowly misses.
The Sultans hold their own against the vamphir, though a few who weren't fast enough lie dead, their helmets lost somewhere in battle and their throats torn from their bodies.
More flood from the treeline and out of the fog, but these move slower, more focused as they stare with bright eyes at the chaos in front of them. I start towards them, my mouth in a severe line and sword drawn in ready. But when they see me coming, they do what I least expect: they smile and then flee back into the fog. I stop, my eyes widening in surprise. The surprise nearly costs me.
Something slams into me, taking me down. I flip onto my back and swing my sword across the air, carving across the wrist of hungry hands. I pull myself to my feet as the vamphir screams and steps back, but doesn't stop completely. It lets out a snarl and crouches, poised like a panther, its handless arms clutched tightly against its chest. I watch it as it paces around me, joined by another four. The threat level from them has changed; these look more human-like, and their eyes aren't so fervently yellow. They're calculated and cold, watching me as I watch them.
I start forward with a battle cry, swinging my sword at the closest one. It ducks and dances to the side, running head first towards me. I lick my foot out, the bottom of my boot slamming into its head just as two of the others grab me by the back of my shirt and yank me to the ground, the third going for my hand with the sword. Two of their hungry faces loom over me, their teeth barred in a predatory smile, as the third pins my sword hand to the ground. I curse, trapped as they pace around me. Then the first one lunges, falling on top of me, its mouth open wide as it comes for my throat. I don't think, I react, my hand darts out and catches it by its narrow throat, my fingernails digging into flesh. The warmth in my stomach turns cold at the touch, and without warning, floods through every nerve in my body. My hand starts to emit a red glow as the vamphir struggles, screaming and clawing at my hand. It suddenly stops, eyes going wide as my gift forces itself through my hand and into it. The vamphir's body tenses, and I feel the coldness of my gift clawing its way to through its veins and turning everything it touches to ice. Suddenly, the whole vamphir is stuck, as literal ice crawls up its body, up its neck, and across its whole head, its mouth frozen in a silent scream.
The whole thing lasts only a second, and I'm left staring, mouth agape and eyes wide. The other one that was touching me is left the same, now what you could almost call a sculpture of ice is all that is left. The last remaining one watches me with narrowed eyes before jumping over me and fleeing back into the forest.
It all happened so fast, I'm left staring into the night like an idiot. It was all so quick, before them or even I could do anything about it. I shake myself. I can worry about that at another time, right now there are more pressing manors. I struggle to stand, trying to force my sword arm out of the frozen grip.
"Maltrov!" Nikolai shouts, seeing me on my back and what looks to be two attacking vamphirs. He rushes over, only to slow as he takes in the scene in front of him. "What in the Gods. . ." he trails off, walking in a circle around the frozen solid vamphirs. The others join us, including what's left of the Sultans, all gaping at the sight in front of them.
"Uh, is anyone going to help me?" I ask, breaking their stares. Nikolai shakes himself and slams his boot down on the wrist of the vamphir holding my sword arm. The ice splinters, cracking into tiny little pieces that hit the ground like glass. Likan and Jerrick pull the other frozen vamphir off of me, tossing it to the ground like touching it burned them. Nikolai holds a hand out for me and I take it as he pulls me to my feet.
I look at the Sultans and nod my head in their direction, "We couldn't have faced that many without you."
Out of the dozens of them that came, there are only a handful left, proving that the vamphirs are a force to be reckoned with against the mortals. The middle Sultan, a tall man with claw marks adorning his chest plate, speaks first. "You were right," he says, and I immediately recognize his voice. It belongs to Kyrad Culvai, a boy that practically grew up in the castle with Amari and me. Though he was a few years older, he attended the same lessons as we did when we were children. "Rumors spread fast of the Imordals that claimed the vamphir were coming. Only a handful actually believed you, and I'm ashamed to say I wasn't one of them. But you were right all along."
"You six are the reason there wasn't a blood bath tonight," another Sultan speaks, shaking his head. "We can't thank you enough."
"The Queen won't be happy to be wrong," a third one speaks, "but we won't let you face her wrath alone. I'm only alive because of that woman there,"  he points to Syran, who stands quietly in the corner with a surprisingly clean sword. Nikolai shoves her gently with his shoulder and she perks up, a smile spreading across her thin lips.
"Happy to be of assistance," her voice is light despite the harshness of the Tultarin accent.
We all stand there a moment, taking in the carnage. Dead vamphirs—and two frozen ones—litter the treeline, along with several Sultans. The fire still burns where Nikolai lit it, dozens of charred bodies at its center, the flames still flickering in the sky but not nearly as high as before with nothing feeding it. The fog has dissipated, nearly disappeared altogether back into the forest along with our enemies.
I glance towards the empty courtyard where smoke filters up from somewhere, the last remnant of Barron's distraction. "We should get inside. This wasn't the last we'll see of the vamphirs," I say, chewing on my bottom lip as I consider the smiles of the ones that hid beyond the trees, fleeing when I got too close. "It's just the beginning."