Viyara Nameless
“Ahri,” I screamed, my body transforming without conscious thought, just in the nick of time. A thunderclap sounded to my right, immediately followed by another explosion. I was thrown around like a doll, my forming scales barely strong enough to protect me. When I struck the ground, I buried several screaming onlookers beneath me, their bodies crushed into a sticky pulp. Shaking my head to clear my ringing ears, I scrambled to my feet and roared, drowning out the panicked shouts. For the fraction of a second silence reigned again, but then, another earthshaking detonation went off. Pillars of flame and debris rose throughout the square and when the shockwave hit me, I was knocked down again.
For a few moments I was forced to contemplate the most complex questions in the universe, like who the hell am I and what are those two legged creatures doing, running around like headless chickens? It took me a while to regain my bearings, the return of my faculties accompanied by a dull, throbbing pain, where I had squashed my flying ruff under my weight. The scene, that greeted me, made me wish I had been somewhere else, far away.
Deep, blackened craters had appeared all over the square, wisps of smoke dancing along their edges. Cobblestones and dirt had been thrown into the air, slaying people by the dozen on their way down. Between the initial explosions and the following rain of death, the unmoving, mutilated corpses far outnumbered the living and if I were to imagine how many of them would soon succumb to their wounds, there wouldn’t be more than two hundred survivors.
The scaffold was entirely gone, prisoners as well as guards had achieved the seldomly seen state of blown to smithereens. There was simply nothing left, not even a smear of blood on the ground. Torn off limbs littered the square, rivulets of blood carrying along pieces of flesh and bone, a macabre flood, rushing through the remains of shops and stalls. Shards of glass reflected the sunlight, the few rays, that managed to pierce the thick swaths of smoke, at least. They glinted like jewels, a mockery of the suffering and fear all around.
Whoever was still able to run did so, a pressing, screaming tide of bodies, that claimed even more victims, when the weak and slow stumbled and were trampled underfoot. The cacophony of noises and smells nearly made me vomit. The gut wrenching stink of intestines, combined with the scent of cooked meat made my stomach churn and my ears couldn’t pick up single sounds, the song of misery, streaming from every working throat, a suffocating blanket even my hearing couldn’t pierce.
Gradually, as my mind cleared further, a chilling sense of dread and fear bloomed, my slitted eyes darting from left to right, searching for a hint of white tails or the ageless vampire, but wherever I looked, I only saw death and destruction. With an Herculean effort, I convinced my aching muscles to move and climbed to my paws, terrifying the fleeing humans even further. I roared again and from one moment to the next, I was alone on an island of quiet in the midst of a chaotic sea. Like a hounded animal, I turned on the spot, my mind expanding, looking, searching, but for an agonising eternity, while the cold claws of regret and guilt dug into my heart, I feared there was no one left to find.
Tears burned in my eyes, glittering specks of molten gold. It couldn’t be… first Cassy and now Ahri and Aurelia. Was I doomed to lose whomever I cared for? Why hadn’t we simply left the fey behind? Why did they always have to…
“This is not the time to cry,” a silky, powerful voice sounded from above and when I turned my gaze towards the heavens, I saw fire and flame, dancing around a beautiful, crimson apparition. Somehow, Ahri had managed to get to Morgan in the split second before the scaffold had exploded. Her tails were singed and there was an ugly wound on her cheek, a wooden splinter, at least as long as one of my claws, still buried in her skin. In her arms, she not only held the green haired girl, but also Aurelia. The vampire was a bleeding mess of cuts, bruises and burns, but even as I stared, her skin was knitting itself back together, the traces of her injuries disappearing like dust in the wind.
“You’re alive,” I shouted jubilantly, my telepathic outburst strong enough to knock the closest humans down. Uncaring, I unfurled my ruff and took to the sky, eager to reach my friends.
“Of course I am,” she replied with a sly smile. “Fire and flame aren’t the best choice of weapon to hurt me. I’m glad you made it, though. You had me worried, when you were sent flying.” We met several metres above the ground and without thinking, I coiled my body around the trio, shepherding them towards my back. When I felt their warmth on my scales I shot upwards, putting as much distance between us and the ground as I possibly could.
I felt Ahri scamper towards my head, her mind in turmoil. “Get us back to the ship,” she said, her thoughts racing, too fast to follow.
“What do you think I’m doing,” I growled. “We’re not going to stay in the open longer than we absolutely have to. What in the name of all the gods just happened?”
“Beats me. It wasn’t magic, that much I can tell, but I haven’t got the foggiest idea… there are several chemicals…” she paused, a single image expanding in her mind. I followed her line of sight and almost lost my balance. The market wasn’t the only place, that had been ravaged. Clouds of dark, acrid smoke were rising all over the city and two of the mansions on the hills were burning merrily, the flames illuminating the ominous red lights, slowly spreading through the towering, black clouds.
“What the…”
“Look, there,” Aurelia suddenly shouted. She had healed and was back on her feet, easily keeping her balance despite the raging wind and my slithering motions. I turned my head and felt like a pit had opened in the depths of my stomach. Ships, there were ships on the horizon. They weren’t uniform, like an actual armada, but there were many of them, resembling a floating behemoth in the distance, advancing beneath a heavy fog, pouring from their furnaces. And behind them, the sky darkened, the edges of an oncoming storm followed them, like death followed war.
“Oh, to the abyss with all of them,” Ahri cursed out loud. I felt a quick burst of heat, as she took off again and added telepathically: “if they reach the harbour, the ship will be in danger. We’ve got to stop them.” The flames around her grew, the very air igniting, close to her wings. “Or at least distract them. Buy enough time for our friends to flee.” I knew where she was coming from, but…
“They won’t. Not unless there’s no hope and right now, it’s still a city against,” I counted quickly, “40 ships. There, they’re even firing up the furnace. I bet they intend to join us.” We were rushing forwards to meet the fleet, the winds of our passage a growing storm.
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“Then we better not fail,” Aurelia hissed, the feathers of her wings sparkling with an inner fire, as she took off, while currents of power freely coursed through her, coming together in her hand to form a lance of pure magic. “How I’ve missed this,” she mumbled, her eyes glowing predatorily.
I felt her consciousness expand, reaching out to every child of her line, as her mind covered the entirety of Free Land in the blink of an eye. “Look eastward,” she thundered, “the enemy is at the gates. Children of darkness, heirs of dawn, your home is in peril. Rise, the time has come to show your allegiance.” She called and the wrath of the undead answered.
Below us, darkness creeped through the streets, intangible at first, it resembled a surging tide of shadows, but soon enough, I saw fangs and claws appear. Red, gleaming eyes pierced the eerie mist, and a bloodcurdling howl emanated from the streets. The vampires were on the hunt, their instincts commanding them to follow their progenitor and wherever they encountered an unlucky straggler, fresh, hot blood was spilled, further stoking their fury.
Alassara, accompanied by a silver vixen, who easily kept up with the sprinting vampire, led them, her golden her billowing behind her like a cloak. As she nimble made her way towards the harbour, her mind linked with Aurelia’s and consequentially, mine. “We heed you,” she whispered, bloodlust and anger a constant thrum beneath her thoughts. “I had hoped we’d have more time… we’ll take the ships still in the harbour and join you as soon as we can. Only a few of us are capable of flight. We need transportation. You should also know, Captain Nightshade and his church are on the march. I don’t know what they plan, but if we can’t stop the fleet, it won’t matter, anyways. What do you want us to do?” Aurelia looked at me and when I shrugged, Ahri replied:
“You’re much stronger than whomever we’re facing. Get your children airborne and try to board the ships. Kill whomever you might find. Don’t hesitate and throw the ones you’ve slain overboard. I’ve seen too many underhanded tricks played on the dead and the dying… if we can get them to turn around, we’ve won. Afterwards… it’ll be time to put an end to this madness. Tell me, are you prepared to lead the people of this land?”
“I always have been.”
“Good. Helena, do you know where the mercenaries are?”
“They’re behind us, far enough to not get devoured by accident. Vanya and her people have a ship as well. They’re prepared to fight for their home and stand…” she was interrupted, when swaths of magic streamed towards the incoming fleet and an eerie voice, seemingly coming from everywhere at once, whispered:
“Hold! Hold your fire and your fury!” Even from afar, I saw the ships slow down, their looming shadows still a kilometre or two away from the harbour. “We will not approach any further, unless challenged. Ahri, I’m prepared to talk. If you’re willing to listen, you’ll come alone. There is no guarantee, but if you don’t, we’ll see how many of your friends can survive until nightfall. The choice is yours. I’ll be waiting, but not for long. You have half an hour. When the time is up, we will sail and put your defences to the test.” When he finished, the crackling fires in the city and the howling winds were unnaturally loud in my ears, while we hovered on the spot, stunned.
Before the vixen even had time to organise her thoughts, Helena and I began screaming at her, her decision to go along with his demands already formed, in the back of her mind.
“No, you won’t, there’s no way in all hells,” I began, but was cut short by her future mother in law:
“I won’t let you. You can’t… have you completely lost it? Why would you even…”
“She’s right,” I added heatedly. “If we have to, we’ll tie you down and…”
“Enough.” She hadn’t raised her voice, but her words, dripping power, still hit us like a whip. When it came down to it, she was an immortal and we could do nothing, but obey. “Don’t you think, I know? Don’t you think, I’m well aware of what he wants? It’s not me, he’s after, but Cassandra, isn’t he? And I’m the best bargaining chip he could ever hope to get his hands on. But… turn around, look, really look. It’s happening again.” She was still bolstering her words with energy and we were forced to look in the direction of her outstretched arm. Free Land resembled nothing more than an anthill, into which a curious child had poked a stick. Desperate, disoriented people were clogging the streets, smoke still rose from the square, a handful of streets had turned into slaughterhouses, the vampires leaving behind nothing but corpses and on two hills, the mansions had become hellish bonfires. Not to mention the harbour, where unbeknownst to us, several ships had started to burn, their riggings catching on fire like tinder. One was even sinking, a smouldering hole torn into its sides, where the stone should have been.
“His pawns are in place, his minions are acting. Helena, you know where this ends, you’ve seen it, you’ve lived through it, as well as I. Let me ask you this, what would your daughter do, if she was here? Do you think, she’d hesitate?”
“She’d go. In a heartbeat. And if it turned out to be a trap, she’d rain down all hells on those aboard. But Ahri, you’re not her. You’re wiser, at least I always thought so. You can’t… if you’re allowing yourself to be extorted like this, where will it end? You asked me, what Cassandra would do. Let me ask you this: what would she want you to do?”
“She’d tell me to stay where I am. Unfortunately, she isn’t here, even though I’m not so sure anymore, if that’s a bad thing. Half an hour, Helena, plus, however much time I can make him waste. That’s enough to do, what we should have done from the beginning, what Cassy always wanted to do… it’s enough time to raise an army. Free the slaves, untie everyone, who’s willing to listen and have them take up arms. It’s enough time, to stop that fleet.”
“You’re moonstruck,” I interrupted. “Even if you’re right, why would you go? We can just as well try with half an hour and you with us. No, I won’t play along, this time. I’m so done with you immortals and you’re obsessions. You always put so much stock in your promises. How about this one: I’m not going to let you go, alone. If you want to risk your life and freedom for an absurd idea, I’ll be there, right with you. How about it? Still think the risk is worth it?” She smiled slyly.
“You can’t stop me, Viyara, and I can make you stay.”
“Try it,” I snarled, golden flames dancing along my maw. With a colossal act of will, I pushed the very essence of my carbuncle through my veins, allowing its magic access to every bone, every horn, every scale. My vision shuddered, a tinge of silver spreading through the colours of the world and the fires, licking at my lips, became much brighter, their centre turning solid silver. “Try to command me, Ahri. That’s not your place and I won’t listen.” She was taken aback, her eyes going wide, but I was convinced, I saw a spark of pride appear in their scintillating depths.
“Damn it, you really are becoming more like her. Fine, what would you both have me do? Because if I’m not going, there won’t be enough time to do anything but fight with what we’ve got.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Alassara chimed in. “It might not be my place, by I wholeheartedly agree with those two. You shouldn’t go… you mustn’t go. Just imagine, what would happen, if he found a way to use your power against us. We’re in trouble, now, but that’s nothing compared to where we’d be, if that happened. Does mean we have to tell, does it? Half an hour is plenty of time. At least enough to get to the harbour and most of my children onboard one ship or the other. You were right, you now. If we can get close to them, we’ll tear them to pieces. Aided by an angel, a dragon and a company of dwarfs, our chances aren’t that bad, are they?”
“Don’t forget Arthur,” Helena added. “He’s close, maybe a couple of hours behind them. We should use the time we’ve got and return to Xorlosh. He’s in contact with my son… I imagine there’s no one stopping a hoard of vampires from taking whatever they want. If Alassara continues on with her children, we’ll be ready to welcome the pirates most warmly, as soon as the times up. The hour or two you can get us by risking your life isn’t worth that much. Even if we rallied every last person in Free Land, we still won’t have the ships to bring their numbers to bear. We must and can fight with what we have.”