Sui Generis – 31

 

Then Brand remembered Ulrik. The werewolf seemed to be having more trouble now than the others had in closing in on his prey. The vampire was swift and wily, raising up to the ceiling then swooping down to rake his nails across whatever part of Ulrik's body was closest before rising up again. Ulrik leapt, trying to catch an arm or leg in his jaws. Brand heard him say, ::I'm getting too old for this.::

"Allow me," Randulf said, striding over to stand beside Ulrik. When the vampire swooped, veering when he realized it was now two on one, Brand grinned slightly. Between them, Ulrik and Randulf had herded the vampire to him. With a wide sweep of his sword, he beheaded him.

"Now I know why Antton wanted you in human form," Brand said, staring up at Randulf. "Your reach does exceed your grasp, so to speak."

Randulf snorted. "I'm not sure that applies in this situation, but the basic idea is right on."

::Upstairs,:: Antton ordered, heading out of the cave. Everyone followed and when they were in the cabin, Antton and Ulrik shifted to their human forms. But only for the moment, according to Antton, who said it was easier for all of them to talk that way.

"He knows by now Vesper is here, and possibly some of the rest of us, if he's aware his guards have been destroyed," Antton said. "The question is, what are we going to run into on the other side of the closed door?"

"I can mist and go find out," Dante suggested.

"And fall right into a trap, since he'd expect that," Vesper said tartly.

"I sensed two vampires close to the entrance," Brand put in. "They seemed alert but not worried, if that makes sense."

"Too bad you can't feel Fedor," Randulf said, pacing restlessly.

"If I was able to, none of this would be happening in the first place," Brand grumbled in reply. "At this point, I'm about ready to just walk in there and tell him to go to hell."

"Not happening," Randulf told him sharply. "It wouldn't solve the problem. We'd just have to rescue you as well as Mag."

"Hold on a minute," Ulrik said. "That could be just the element of surprise we need. But he can't go in alone. As Antton said, he already knows Vesper was following him. He probably senses Dante as well. So the three of them go in together. Randulf can continue to hide our presence."

"Only mentally," Randulf cautioned.

"That should be enough, as long as we stay back until it's time to attack. All we need is a visual and one of us can pick that out of Brand's mind without Fedor being aware."

Antton nodded thoughtfully. "It could work, and there's the advantage that Fedor doesn't know Brand is a werewolf. Add our strength and speed to what Brand already has as a dhampir, and he's a force to be reckoned with."

"I am?" Brand said in surprise.

"Yeah, kid." Ulrik chuckled. "Given time and more training, and you'll make the rest of us look like newbies beside you."

Brand grinned, relaxing momentarily. "Then you'll have to start calling me something other than kid."

"We'll see; you're still younger than me."

Antton sighed, even though he was smiling a bit. "Okay, can we get back on topic? Brand, you can make your sword invisible but will Fedor feel that you have it anyway?"

"No clue. When he kidnapped me, I didn't have it with me. It was daytime and I rarely carried it then. I mean, why bother? There's no way I can sense a vampire who is so old he could be out in direct sunlight—like Fedor. I haven't been around long enough." He thought a moment before saying, "On the other hand, even if he does know I have it, he can't take it away from me. It's pure silver."

"True, although if he has any humans with him, they could," Antton said. "And he does have one that we know of. Mag."

"Mag would never do that."

Randulf shook his head. "He would if he was compelled to, and that would be quite easy for Fedor to do. Or, contrary to that, you'd hand it over if he threatened to harm Mag."

Brand chewed his lip, nodding. "Yeah, maybe."

"Maybe?" Randulf stared at him in surprise.

"I'm a dhampir. My sole reason for existing is to rid the world of vampires like Fedor. I'm not certain, when it comes down to it, that I can override that."

"Then you keep it hidden until the right time comes and we'll pray Fedor doesn't figure out you have it."

Vesper, who had been pensively silent up until then, said, "He knows. Even though they were fighting us, I can't believe that one of his guards wasn't in communication with him. So he'll know Brand has the sword and exactly how many of us are here. The only thing he won't know, as Antton pointed out, is that Brand's a werewolf."

"In that case," Antton said, "we might as well go in together and let the chips fall where they may. Our number one priority is destroying Fedor, preferably without his killing Mag in the process."