A horrified giggle threatened at the incongruity of the situation, even as my mind operated on another level, desperately searching for a solution to this problem.
"The humans have all been given vampire blood," I muttered. "What will that do for them?" I turned my eyes toward Wlodek. I wasn't speaking to Merrill.
"They will have enhanced strength—for perhaps half an hour. It depends upon how fresh the blood was when it was given," Wlodek growled. Great. Just what we needed—an army of super-strong humans.
"Honored One, command us," Montrose said softly, bowing slightly to Wlodek.
"We cannot leave the others like this—I choose to die with them, if that is to be their fate," Wlodek stripped off his jacket and let it fall to the ground. Radomir, Montrose and Flavio followed his example quickly.
"Wait," I held up a hand. "I have an idea." Would they listen to me? I was about to find out.
"What do you have, cara?" Gavin hadn't said a word until now.
"Gavin, how much of my blood did you take before, when we were checking to see if you had my talents after drinking from me?"
"No more than a mouthful, cara." Gavin's eyebrows were lifting. He knew where I was going with this.
"His temporary talents lasted an hour," I said. "All of you, take a little of my blood. That will allow you to hold every talent I do, for an hour." I searched every face there—they were blinking at me in shock. Wlodek hadn't been forthcoming, looked like. Merrill might have plenty of compulsion to lay after this was over. If we survived, that is. "You'll be able to mist instantly, and only have your hands materialize," I began. "I suggest you fly through the army as mist, with only your hands and claws visible. Do a sweep and take heads. Bullets and bombs will go right through your mist." I watched all of them—Susila's eyes held interest and Oluwa's now held a bit of hope.
"You'll have mindspeech, too, so use it if you need it. Let the others know if you need help," I went on. "Fly swiftly. Cut quickly. Leave the dying behind you. If it is needed, gather friends away inside your mist. We can do this," I said.
"Lissa, this may weaken you," Merrill pointed out the obvious.
"I'll take that chance," I jerked my head, acknowledging his words. "Charles," Charles's head snapped up at the mention of his name, "will you gather up the human companions and take them to safety? You can gather them inside your mist and bring them here," I suggested. Charles nodded at me, his eyes wide. He hadn't thought to be included in the onslaught, and he appreciated being included. "Gavin, make sure they only take what they should," I said, preparing to be bitten.
"Come. We will do this," Wlodek stepped forward. He was the first to take my blood.
"What is that?" Xenides' spy trembled as he watched his new master. Xenides held a small vial in his hands and worked to remove the cap.
"The last of its kind, until we capture our little princess," Xenides drank the contents of the vial quickly. He'd swallowed both doses of Lissa's blood and had perhaps an hour to search her out while his army worked to contain the others. They would all die—Xenides wanted that more than anything. He smiled grimly at his latest conscript before turning to mist and flying away.
I could see them all as we flew rapidly toward the chateau—a sea of attackers surged forward as they continued to bombard the building with rifles, rockets and bombs. I was terrified that none inside the ballroom might survive as we prepared for our attack. Wlodek suggested we stay close together and destroy the attackers in swaths. I didn't care; I just wanted all of them dead. Russell was still inside the chateau, as was Will, Stephan, Brock and many others. And it infuriated me that human men and women were being targeted, when they had no defense against those coming against them. Yes, some of the human companions were males, and there wasn't any way they could fight off vampires, Dark Elemaiya or enhanced humans armed with rifles or rocket launchers. I hoped Charles reached them soon; I continued to hear screams emanating from the chateau.
Following Wlodek's suggestion, we descended upon the occupying army like a bomber squadron. Wlodek flew in the center, his mist a shining silver, Merrill to his right, Flavio and Radomir to his left. Gavin and I flew next to Merrill, with the others spread out on either side. Claws formed swiftly as we approached, and a hundred-foot swath of the enemy died in that first sweep alone.
Chapter 15
We split up after half the army had been destroyed—Susila and Montrose hadn't concentrated on taking heads after a while, they'd lowered their claws and the screams from dying enemies rent the night. Cut in half they died a cruel death, but it sent a message to their companions—something was among them and viciously destroying their numbers. Something they couldn't see to kill. I could see the Council's mist easily enough, and soon the others adopted Susila's tactics. It didn't matter how the enemy perished, it only mattered that they did so.
Oluwa and Jarl went after those that began to run; most of those were Dark Elemaiya. Xenides and his vampires had placed compulsion on the humans so they wouldn't run, but either couldn't or agreed not to do so with the Elemaiya. Those were now deserting in droves. What still lived, anyway.
Radomir and Gavin misted toward the ballroom, prepared to fight alongside those Enforcers left behind. Wlodek, Flavio and Merrill were terrible to behold, slicing swifter than a blink through anything they encountered. I killed as I searched for Xenides, ignoring screams and flying blood. The ballroom was filled with vampire ash—many of the Aristocracy had died fighting off their attackers. Charles had done his duty, though; I only saw a few dead humans among piles of ash. The hour was winding down, too, and I was counting off precious seconds as I continued my search for Xenides. Susila's words haunted me—what if he hadn't come? What if he was hiding somewhere, expecting his vampire, human and Elemaiyan army to accomplish this on its own? The army was nearing destruction—the Council had seen to that, with help from Gavin and Radomir.
Xenides cursed mentally. He'd been searching for a single spot of mist, but he'd now counted thirteen. Those spots of mist ranged from bright gold to silver, copper, yellow, white, blue—he'd stopped listing the colors. He had no idea which one might be his little princess, and he worried that his dose of her blood was wearing thin. He had to find her and quickly. His army was dying, killed by claws that formed from nothing and swiped easily through solid bodies.
The little princess was his hope of escaping and continuing his quest—he had to have her or all would be lost. Meanwhile, many of his were dying at the hands of three vampires who stood at the center of the ballroom floor, fighting off anything that attacked them. Xenides intended to destroy them and then continue his search for Lissa.
Russell and Will were fighting in a triangle with Trevor, Wlodek's other Assassin inside the ballroom. It would have been a pleasure to stay and watch them fight; nothing came close to them. And that's when I saw him. Xenides was mist. He'd held back some of my stolen blood and was now searching for me—as red mist. But first, he planned to destroy Russell, Will and Trevor. Rushing toward them, he intended to materialize and take them by surprise. Unless I got there first, that is.
Xenides roared as he came back to corporeality—I'd snatched his three targets away at the last second. Xenides saw them disappear; he was just helpless to do anything about it.
I've spotted Xenides, I sent mindspeech to the others as I dropped my three in the floor and came back to myself in front of them. I should have looked behind me. I didn't. I should have expected what came next. I hadn't.
Charles had lifted a few vampires in his mist, along with their human companions. Now he, Gian Moretti and a few others were keeping companions calm and sitting on the grassy northern hill overlooking the battle below. Lissa's blood had given the Council the weapons they needed to combat Xenides' army, but Charles, whose vision was quite sharp, knew that many vampires had died fighting off their attackers.
While he'd been mist, Charles could see the others' mist. Now that he was corporeal again, he could only see the devastation they brought as human and vampire enemies fell, many of them cut in half by claws that formed from nothing. Working to calm himself, Charles repeated silently that all would come right in the end. Until his skin began to itch. He attempted to ignore it at first, but then his flesh began to burn. Charles went to mist in a blink and blazed toward the battle.
Xenides' claws raked my shoulder before I could blink, and I screamed and misted away. His claws still out, he went after the three I'd just saved, their deaths clearly his intention. He hadn't meant to debilitate me—the rake he'd given was a warning. Still, the slashes were deep and I imagined they'd be bleeding when I came back to myself. Rushing forward, I formed claws, but Xenides was already poised to destroy Russell, who stood at the front of the triangle once more, lengthy claws out, ready to battle a nearly invisible Xenides.
"Hey!" I shouted, becoming corporeal ten feet away. Xenides misted in my direction. He'd opted for the more attractive target and now focused on me instead. When I misted again, he rushed right back to his intended targets. I tried to get there first, but Xenides had been closer.
"You will obey me!" he materialized and shouted at Russell, Will and Trevor. Oh, no. All three were now blinking and nodding at Xenides.
Merrill! I shouted mentally. Xenides has Russell, Will and Trevor under compulsion!
Coming, Merrill replied swiftly. Merrill was the only one who could remove Xenides' compulsion. Until then, Xenides had an elite fighting force at his command.
"Come out, little princess, or I tell them to destroy the others and then themselves," Xenides threatened, watching the air around him warily. "Come to me, or I will do much worse than that." Russell, Will and Trevor stood at Xenides' back, under his compulsion and blinking in confusion, waiting for their new master to command them.
"I'm here, you piece of shit," I materialized a few feet away and faced off with Xenides.
"You will not insult me for long," he offered a nasty smile. Dressed head to toe in black leather, Xenides was prepared for battle, his features displaying grim determination. More of Xenides' vampires came forward to join Russell, Will and Trevor. One of them I recognized. I hoped I lived long enough to see to his justice.
"Now, come." Xenides' voice held mind-breaking compulsion as he gestured for me to walk toward him.
What could I do? Xenides' compulsion held Russell and Will. I cared about them. I took a step forward.
"No!" Charles half-formed from mist and slashed Xenides across the back before going to mist again. That gave Merrill, Flavio and Wlodek an opening—they began to fight with the vampires at Xenides' back. Xenides went to mist and I was about to follow him when he dropped to the ground ten feet away, barely keeping his balance as he fell. My blood he'd ingested had finally worn away. He was bleeding too; Charles had done quick and significant damage.
Xenides still believed me under his compulsion, however, and shouted for me to help him. The stupid fuck. When I didn't come as he commanded, he rushed me. I misted out of his way before becoming corporeal again. He rushed again, with the same results. Sounds of fighting came from behind me.
Pay it no mind; we have this, Flavio's voice floated into my mind as I faced off with Xenides once more. He was preparing to charge again. At least my blood still worked with the Council; I hadn't seen Charles again since his first attack against Xenides.
"You will disregard all former commands," Merrill's voice dripped compulsion behind me. Russell, Will and Trevor were now safe. Xenides snorted at this turn of events, a wounded bull about to charge again. Charles's claws materialized and raked Xenides across the nape, just as he rushed toward me. Charles would have taken his head, too, if Xenides hadn't raced forward at that moment. Even so, his rapid momentum kept his head attached and propelled his body toward me. I misted away again, turning to face Xenides as he slid to a stop, panting on the other side.
"You will do my bidding," Xenides commanded when I materialized before him.
"Fuck you, shithead," I snapped. Charles dropped from the air beside me, and I heard similar sounds at my back. The Council's supply of my blood had just worn off.
Xenides was only now beginning to worry that his compulsion hadn't worked. Blinking dark eyes at me, he struggled to come to grips with reality.
"She is a Queen," Wlodek now stood at my left—Charles was at my right and glaring angrily at Xenides.
