Page 57 of Night Fall
“Hi,” she said softly, reaching out her hand to his.
Erik clasped her hand and smiled. “I missed you too, fagr skjaldmær min.”
“Have you run into anyone?” Greg asked.
“No, but I’m certain that explosion will bring someone our way,” Erik said, before turning and walking with the group through the tunnel.
He was proven right two minutes later when a stampede of footsteps dashed toward them. Erik shot out his fire and incinerated them, leaving ash in their wake.
As they continued walking, Merida whispered, “I don’t like this. It’s too easy.”
“Do you think she’s testing us?” Dominick, her husband, asked.
“We just brought a bunch of strong immortals to her. It’s what I would do,” Merida said.
Greg nodded. “Everyone, stay on guard and keep your distance for as long as possible. Fight magic with magic until we know what we’re dealing wi—”
“Stop!” Merida shouted. “Lily, check the walls.”
Lily moved forward and held up a hand. The air vibrated for a moment as she used her power over metal, and then a crack sounded on either side of the wall before two angled metal sheets fell not even a foot in front of the group, their sharpness cutting through the air. If they had been standing under them, they would have been sliced in half.
Merida had been right. Constance either knew they were there or had been expecting them to find Erik. She’d prepared for them. The trap would have left them defenseless until their organs and limbs grew back, a process that would take weeks without necessary care. That meant Constance’s aim was to capture, not kill.
They walked on slowly, methodically checking for traps and using their magic to kill the few groups of enemies that rushed toward them. But Mya knew it was all part of Constance’s plan; their slow pace gave her time to fortify herself against them.
But there was only one outcome here, one destiny for that bitch, and it was to be impaled by one of their swords. That would happen. They would end this war today, and they would be victorious.
They finally entered the main area of the mine shaft, and as if summoned by her thoughts, Mya laid her eyes on the woman with long red hair, blue-green eyes, and an air that reeked of malice. Mya had to grind her teeth to stop herself from throwing a sword right at her head. She felt Erik’s hand stroke the back of hers, tempering her fury, and she returned the action to comfort him as well.
Constance clapped her hands together and stood from a makeshift throne. At her movement, hundreds of vampires flanked her sides. Mya’s ears twitched as she heard more vampires waiting in the numerous tunnels that sprawled out from the main cave. By her estimate, they were up against almost five hundred vampires.
Constance’s eyes scanned the group, and when they landed on Greg, she snarled. “You have killed so many of my family. You’ve attacked and raided my houses and tried at every chance to break apart my kingdom. You are a traitor to your own kind and unfit of being a ruler.”
Greg shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. “I would offer my condolences, but I truly don’t give a shit.”
Constance’s eyes glowed red momentarily, but then she shook herself from her blood lust. She stood straighter, angled her head back, and glared at Greg. “Bow before me. Beg for my forgiveness and acknowledge me as your queen”—Constance licked her lips, her eyes glazing over with desire—“and I will let your family live here with me. We could be one. We could stop all these wars and let vampires rule the world as we were meant to. Our children would be safe.”
Daniella’s jaw ticked. “You say you are a queen”—she rotated her wrist, cracking it before taking out her sword and pointing it at Constance—“then as a queen, know that you will die tonight watching your kingdom burn to the ground.”
Constance screeched, and they attacked.
Daniella unleashed her power, and it hit their enemies like a shockwave. The vampires in the cave staggered, as did Constance, but even Daniella couldn’t take on five hundred at one time. In tandem, Johanna slipped into their minds to send them to sleep, but it was a trap. Every single vampire’s head exploded, sending chunks of their brains through the air as their blood coated the walls and pooled on the floor.
Erik took over, using his power to navigate the tunnels and incinerate the bodies he found, but Constance’s army just kept coming, and now he was the target.
“They’re backing us into a corner,” Mya growled.
“Fight. We’ll clean up as we go,” Greg said, and that was all she needed to hear to launch into action. Mya dashed from vampire to vampire, cutting off their heads with ease, but there were still too many of them. They needed to slow them down.
A loud crash echoed through the tunnel, and Mya turned back to see that Daniella and Johanna were using their abilities to block the entrances, sending rock and dirt tumbling onto their enemies. It wouldn’t hold them forever, but it would help for now.
Then Mya heard the unmistakable click of a guns. Dozens of them.
“Get behind me, now!” Greg yelled.
The group formed behind him, and Greg pulled in the darkness, molding it into matter that he used as a giant shield. But it wouldn’t be enough to hold off the military grade weapons for long.
Daniella erected a large wall of earth, then fed her power of darkness into Greg’s to make his shield stronger for the attack. She wavered but kept pouring in her power, and it was then Mya realized what was truly happening. Constance was trying to wear Daniella out. Without her, they would suffer a massive hit to both their offense and defense. The same would’ve happened if Johanna had gotten caught in the mental traps Constance had set.
