Sui Generis – 33

 

Mag watched in horror when Fedor's vampire minions began appearing as if from nowhere. Logically, he understood they'd been invisible, but…

The werewolves did what they did best, attacking the vampires with fangs and claws. Dante and Vesper held their own against two of their kind, before Dante, with a wicked grin, warned the others to move back. Apparently Vesper and the werewolves knew what was coming because they did. Flames erupted, instantly turning four of the enemy vampires to ash, doing major damage to one of the rugs in the process.

The two vampires who had been visible at the beginning of the fray now soared upward. Then, as one, they flew down toward Dante. Randulf got to him before they did, knocking him aside with a huge paw. His jaws snapped closed on one of the vampire's arms and with a swing of his head, he sent him hurling against the stone wall of the cavern. The vampire's forehead hit first, spattering blood and brains down the rock surface.

*****

Brand did not stand by idly while all this was going on. Instead he stalked Fedor, his sword held at the ready.

Fedor vanished. But apparently could not resist calling out in derision, "Now what, Brand? You can't kill what you can't see or sense."

Brand followed the sound of Fedor's voice. "You might be surprised what I can do," he replied mockingly.

"I doubt it." The disdain in Fedor's words was obvious.

Brand felt Fedor trying to enter his mind and fought it with all his might. Suddenly he had an ally and knew Randulf was adding his shielding powers to combat Fedor. Knowing Randulf had his back, so to speak, Brand laughed. "You may be old, Fedor, but in the grand scheme of things, you are less than nothing."

"And you? You are my creation now and I will have you back." The rage in Fedor's voice told Brand he was losing control.

"You couldn't keep me then. What makes you think you'd be any better at it now?" Brand taunted, praying Fedor would reply. One more word from the ancient vampire was all he needed.

He got more than he'd bargained for. He felt sharp nails pierce his bicep and he cried out in pain. Still, the core of what he was and what he had become responded. Rather than dropping his sword, which he knew was what Fedor intended, he took it in his other hand. Steeling himself, he used Fedor's grip on him as a fulcrum and swung around, lashing the blade of his sword where he was certain Fedor stood. An agonized scream tore through the cavern. Brand didn't know what part of Fedor's body he'd hit, but he did know now where his head was, as the screaming continued. Tearing free of Fedor's grip, he swung the sword one last time, feeling it bite into flesh and bone. Then Fedor reappeared, his head rolling to stop against the sofa. His body fell to the ground and it—and his head—disintegrated.

Thought he was above the rest of us. More powerful… and therefore, he didn't need to fight or protect himself. Brand shook his head disbelievingly; thankful, however, it had been the truth of the matter. He had the feeling, had Fedor gone on the defensive sooner… I don't even want to think about what might have happened.

Still, the battle wasn't over. Brand ignored the pain in his arm and turned to see where he could be of some help.

Ulrik was down, fighting for his life against two fanatical vampires, blood streaming from various wounds. Brand was beside them almost instantly, lopping off the head of one of them. He started to swing again but Randulf, now in his human form, took over, gripping the second vampire's head in his large hands, tearing it from his body.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side," Brand muttered before moving on.

"Never happen," Randulf replied.

Soon enough, the fighting waned. With their leader now dead and gone, the other vampires—the ones who were still alive—seemed to lose their urge to continue the fight. Two simply vanished. The remaining three capitulated, rather than taking the chance Brand would give them their ultimate death. Those three were herded toward the cage containing Mag.

Antton asked one of them how to turn off the electricity to the cage. Reluctantly, the vampire pointed to shelves on the cavern wall above a work table. Brand hurried over, trying to ignore the items on the table. Some of them he remembered, not at all fondly, from when he'd been in Fedor's clutches. At the back of one shelf was a lever. He pushed it down and returned to the others.

Vesper grabbed the arm of his vampire prisoner, pressing his hand to the cage. When nothing happened, Brand immediately opened the cage and went inside to free Mag. Wrapping his arms around him, Brand led him out. Moments later, the captive vampires had been thrust inside and the cage was closed. Vesper went to the shelves and raised the lever, turning the electricity back on. "That should hold them, unless they decide to vanish."

"If they do, they will be hunted down, just like their companions," Antton said firmly.

"Why not kill them now?" Brand asked, even as he took Mag to the less bloodstained of the sofas.

"The council will want to have a few words with them. If they were willing to kill for Fedor, who knows what other rogues they might have worked for," Antton replied. "Their information might help us find them."

Brand nodded, his attention, now firmly on Mag as he gently touched the bruises on his face. "Are you all right?" he asked softly.