The Last Echo

One- The Morning

I remember everything about the night the monsters came.

It began as a normal day. My sister Loria was always up before me and today was no exception.

“Grey, you should know your dreams last night were particularly interesting.”

She punctuated this by throwing her pillow at my face. She only did this when I spoke in my sleep…to convey her annoyance, she tells me.

“How so?”

“Well, you spoke at length to someone named Havjard and told him that the ships wouldn’t sail if they were made of meat. You kept insisting on sugarcane balustrades.”

I laughed as we got up and made our beds.

“Well, good to know that I have good structural integrity even in my subconscious.”

Loria rolled her eyes as we left the room we shared and headed toward the kitchen, the smell of biscuits and oatmeal already filling the crevasses of our house.

Even though we lived in the center of the walled city of Valla, Mother had always been a wonderful gardener and had managed to cultivate a wonderful and prosperous garden. Our neighbors had even taken to contributing and borrowing from it.

“Always good to hear my daughters have good structural integrity in their dreams,” Mother replied, handing us plates so we could serve ourselves breakfast.

Mother was tall and strong which made her red cotton dress and tan apron seem unfitting. She had a warrior’s build: she should be fighting on the front lines for the king, not standing in the kitchen of our house with her flour-dusted apron. Her features were sharp and piercing, framing her blue eyes that were so light they were nearly silver, a complement to her thick blonde curly hair. I had inherited her eyes, but Loria had been blessed with her lovely hair. Neither of us had been so blessed with her strong build, a fact we both lamented. It must be wonderful to be strong.

“She just wants to be closer to Julian,” I teased.

Father looked up from stoking the firewood in the stove, his shaggy black hair falling in his face as he did. This was a trait I had inherited from him, in addition to his long, lean body that seemed to never gain any weight.

“And who is Julian?”

“No one!” Loria shot a pleading look in my direction.

I smiled.

“Just a boy she fancies!”

“Grey!”

Loria threw a biscuit at me which I easily skewered with my knife. Everyone looked at me with slightly impressed shock, even Loria.

“How did you do that?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I replied, dipping the biscuit in my mother’s famous gravy, and taking a large bite. “Just lucky I suppose.”

Mother’s eyes met Father’s, both wearing looks of unease.

“What?” I inquired, suddenly nervous.

“Nothing,” Mother dismissed. “Are you ready to head into town for class, Grey?”

I tried to ignore the tension between my parents, but it was hard to miss the knowing looks they gave each other. I decided to play along. Perhaps I could pry for the answer later.

“Yes. I’m always ready. Unlike some people.” I sent a playful sneer in Loria’s direction. She had lately developed into the freer spirit of the two of us while I preferred to be more prepared and organized. It was most irritating and led to some often very loud and boisterous arguments.

“At least I’m not allergic to fun!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“It means you’re boring!”

I chucked a biscuit in her direction, knocking her right in the nose.

“Ha! At least I’m better at blocking biscuits!”

“Alright now,” eased Mother as she and Father joined us at the table. “Enough with the biscuit tossing and more of the biscuit eating please.”

Loria and I relented before one last playful leer.

“So, Grey, any secret boys in your life we should know about?” my father asked slyly.

I rolled my eyes.

“No, father, no boys. Just books.”

“You have always been my favorite daughter.”

Loria gave a groan that turned into a laugh. She was accustomed to this sort of good-natured ribbing.

“Careful Simon, my dear,” Mother warned. “You wouldn’t want our dear Loria to turn into a changeling, would you?”

Loria rolled her eyes.

“Again with the monster stories, mother? I’m an adult.”

“You’re fourteen—hardly an adult. And you used to love those stories!”

“Well I don’t subscribe to fairy tales any longer.”

I noticed another look between my parents. Lasting barely a second, but there long enough for me to register the worry they sent to each other. Mother then took mine and Loria’s hands, speaking with a serious timbre.

“Those fairy tales are a part of our heritage. I need for you to remember them. Whether or not you believe they are real, I need for the two of you to remember.”

Loria frowned, but then gripped Mother’s hand with sarcastic theatricality.

“Alright, mother. I shall keep these tales close to my heart. I shall read them every night before I go to bed, as you used to read them to us.”

Loria gave an ostentatious bow as she stood up and cleared her place at the table. Mother looked to me, rolling her eyes at Loria’s antics.

“I need you to take this seriously, Grey. Please.”

Mother was serious and pleading. I had never seen her quite this pressed.

“Alright, mother. I shall.”

She seemed to relax, releasing me and allowing me to prepare to leave for the day.

After breakfast, Loria and I left and began walking through downtown Valla towards the education district: me to the university and Loria to the secondary school.

“Grey, did you notice how strange mother was being this morning?”

“Of course. Did you notice the look she gave father after I caught the biscuit?”

“Yes, what was that by the way?”

I shrugged.

“I’m not sure.”

Loria looked ahead as we crossed the street, the carriages and horses on the street waiting for the throng of pedestrians to cross.

“She’s always been odd about the stories she tells us before bed, hasn’t she?” Loria continued when we stepped onto the opposite sidewalk.

“I suppose. I’ve never really thought about it.”

“Other children aren’t told stories about Nemorosa or Alataurs or vampires every night.”

I frowned, trying to remember some of the monsters she had mentioned.

“What was a Nemorosa again?”

“A brown animate mass that could envelope you and make you see your worst nightmares.”

I chortled.

“Right. Perfect story for your children.”

Loria laughed, but then looked at me seriously.

“None of that is real, right?”

Her young face was riddled with anxiety, the sort that only a sister could assuage. We were only three years apart, but sometimes it was nice to be needed by her.

“Not a chance,” I replied, giving her a cheeky grin. “And if it was: I’d protect you.”

Loria laughed.

“How? With your biscuit skewering skills?”

“Hey, you don’t know how transferrable that skillset is! What if I need to skewer the eyes of a Hydra? Or the snout of a flying Serthra?”

“Or a man’s testicles?”

I gaped at her, my eyes widening in horror. I stopped and turned to her, lowering my voice in concern.

“What made you say that? Did something happen?”

She giggled, which eased my anxiety. A little.

“No, I was just thinking.”

I rolled my eyes and shoved her forward as we continued walking.

“Don’t go about thinking of a man’s testicles!”

She laughed and shoved me back.

“You never answered the question!”

I sighed.

“Yes, I would protect you from a man’s testicles. I don’t know how, but I would.”

She laughed and tapped my shoulder in solidarity.

“I’d protect you too. And I mean, a testicle is possibly the least threatening organ on a man. Just one swift kick and he’ll go down. Remember that!”

“How do you know so much about testicles?”

She gave me an ostentatious shrug and skipped off to the secondary school a few streets away while I turned and made my way to Kihran University.

Kihran University was the most prestigious university in Valla. I had barely been accepted and I intended to prove that I was worthy of my admission. It was the oldest university in the country of Orawahn as well, with sprawling castellated buildings and a massive campus stretching to encompass nearly half the city. It was an incredibly inspiring space in which to conduct academic pursuits.

“Grey!”

My best friend Naomi Arama approached me as I ascended the steps to the front hall.

“Hi Naomi,” I greeted.

“Have you heard from Liam?” she inquired as we made our way through the grounds towards Hillman Hall, her curly red hair falling into her green eyes. Naomi’s hair had been a source of annoyance to her for a very long time and her attempts to tame her wild mane were always highly entertaining. Today she had attempted to braid the front half, but it appeared that wrestling her curly hair into the intricate crown braid had been too exhausting and she had given up halfway through.

“Did your hair win the battle again today?” I asked with a laugh.

She gave me an exhausted expression.

“I swear I must have been cursed at birth, it’s terrible.”

She quickly attempted to brush it backward out of her face and redirected the conversation.

“So, did you hear from Liam?”

“No and I don’t expect to. That prick finds me detestable, and I find him irritating.”

Naomi laughed.

“Right. Well there is a rumor that he’s come down with some sort of flu. He’s been out of classes for two weeks.”

“Goodness, that sounds terrible. Now he’s irritating and ill.”

Naomi giggled as we ascended the stairs to our first class of the day: Orwahnian History. The professor was a tall man named Alan Richards and even though I found the story of Valla fascinating, his monotonous voice first thing in the morning lecturing about the monsters and horrors that lurked just beyond the impenetrable stone wall that surrounded Valla was enough to make even the staunchest history lover fall asleep. One would think it would be captivating subject matter, but the stories I had heard both in school and from my mother sounded duller than a blunt pencil coming from Professor Richards.

This was why I was glad I had a two-hour break after this class to catch up on any homework I may have missed for my next class: Historiography. This was taught by an amazing professor named John Dykstra who held such a passion for the subject that his class was among the most popular. Naomi was more certain it was due to Professor Dykstra’s striking jawline and winning smile.

“Oh come on,” she said as we sat at a bench in one of the many courtyards after Dykstra’s class during lunch. “You can’t deny the allure of that well-kept dark hair or those mahogany brown eyes!”

“I suppose he’s handsome,” I admitted. “I just don’t find myself attracted to men who are nearly old enough to be my father.”

Naomi rolled her eyes.

“If my father was that handsome, I should be proud.”

I recoiled.

“That’s disgusting.”

“No it’s not!”

Naomi playfully smacked my arm as she tried to defend her strange declaration. As she did, our friend Giselle approached us.

“What’s disgusting?” she asked, sliding her gracefully long legs over the bench as she sat down, her long blonde braid falling elegantly over her shoulder. Giselle had always been abnormally beautiful in addition to being abnormally intelligent. I would hate her if she weren’t once of the nicest people I’d ever met.

“Naomi finds her father attractive,” I said quickly before taking another bite of my potatoes. Naomi hit me again and I laughed.

“I did not! Grey’s twisting my words!”

“Not much twisting needed there, I’m afraid!” Giselle said with a playful smile. “That’s pretty disgusting.”

Naomi rolled her eyes and attempted to move the conversation forward.

“Giselle, how was your physiology class?”

Giselle’s blue eyes brightened before she launched into a long explanation of everything she had learned about the inner workings of the human body. Giselle hoped to be a doctor one day and I had no doubt she would get there. I had never met anyone with a bigger passion for medicine or a head for medical facts. Medicine just made sense to her and it always filled my heart to listen to her speak, even if everything she said flew over my head.

“Well, I understood none of that but I’m very happy you had a good class, Giselle,” I said through a grin.

“What do you mean you don’t understand it? I just explained it!”

Giselle’s impassioned frustration at me not understanding her was quite funny and I laughed again into my potatoes.

“How exactly does one find a nerve?” Naomi asked pointedly.

“You’re joking now, right? I literally just explained it.”

Our fervent titters confirmed Giselle’s statement and she rolled her eyes.

“I have to make more friends in the medical program.”

My next class was biological sciences, which I shared with Giselle. It was a fine enough class, but the sciences were never my strong suit and I relied heavily on Giselle’s help, which she was fine with giving. I had known Giselle since we were children and she had always loved any chance to share her knowledge and passion. If I had come from a family full of doctors and healers, I would be as well.

“Grey you really must study more often,” she urged me as we gathered our things after the conclusion of class. “I know this isn’t what you want to study, but it is important to learn.”

I shrugged as we descended the steps of one of the many science towers and passed the aquatic courtyard. This was always one of my favorite courtyards: it was entirely water with glass walkways intersecting over it and glass benches in the corners, where one could look down and see the many fishes and aquatic creatures. It was quite peaceful.

“I suppose,” I replied as we turned a corner, right as a few dolphins mad an arcing leap over one of the walkways. “But it’s just so dull. I’d much rather learn about the history of scientific pursuits. Tell me the stories of important scientific figures! Not about the figures themselves!”

“Right, because that’s far more exciting!”

“Excitement is relative.”

Giselle and I laughed before I broke away to turn towards the front hall. Today was a light class load for me. After this I was to go to my job at the local bookstore. I was only there a few hours a week, but it was greatly helping me save up money for the future.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Grey!”

“Bye Giselle!”

I waved to her before crossing through the front hall and proceeding to the bookstore.

Brockson’s Bookshop was a local favorite. Mr. Henry Brockson was a stout man with no hair but the thickest of white beards and a friendly, booming voice that welcomed everyone who entered his beloved shop.

“Grey!”

He clapped me on the shoulder as I entered the shop. I loved his friendly greetings, even if they often knocked me off my feet.

“Henry!” I replied in an equally booming manner. “How are things?”

“Things are good. Things would be even better if you would be a dear and clean up those shelves over there in section B.”

I looked over toward section B, the fiction section and the one most often left in disarray, with apprehensive eyes. Henry laughed.

“Oh I know you love it.”

“Maybe so but isn’t it fun to be dramatic?”

Henry laughed again and made his way to the front of the store as customers approached the front counter, ready to pay for their books. My breath caught in my throat as I saw who it was.

His name was Thomas and I was fairly certain he didn’t know I existed. He was in his fourth year at the university and was one of the most beautiful men I had ever seen. His black curly hair fell around his angular face in a way that perfectly complemented his dark skin. His eyes were ice blue which made him seem like a fairy or some otherworldly creature. What would my mother call him? Probably some sort of witch. I was certain I remembered her describing a particular clan of witches that had dark skin and ice blue eyes. I’d ask Loria later if she remembered.

“Thanks, Henry!” Thomas called to Henry as he took his books and left. Then he made eye contact with me and gave me an acknowledging nod.

“Hello there,” he said to me in a wondrously deep voice.

I froze, positive that I wore one of the most pathetic grins as my gaze followed him out the door. He had never so much as looked in my direction and today he had given me full eye contact and spoken to me. That meant we were destined to be married, right?

“Oy! Don’t forget to breathe!”

I turned sharply, Henry’s booming voice shocking me from my stupor.

I tried to sneer at him, which made him laugh uproariously, and turned back to my work, unable to stop smiling.

I made my way home a few hours later as the sun was beginning to set and a thick snow fall was starting to blanket the ground, a thick billow of smoke flowing out of the fireplace of our house. Good, it would be nice and warm tonight. This sort of evening was my favorite: snowy and dark outside while inside our house was comfortable and bright.

“And what’s that smile?”

Father looked knowingly at me as he carried in more firewood from the shed. I was suddenly aware that I was still smiling. I hadn’t been able to feel my face since leaving the bookshop so I hadn’t known.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied.

“Fine, I won’t ask but I expect you to tell me at some point!”

“When there’s something to tell, you’ll be the first to know, Father!”

He laughed disbelievingly as I followed him inside, Mother already having set the table.

“Hello Grey! How was your day?”

“Fairly good,” I replied, sitting in my usual seat as Loria and Father joined me.

“How is Mister ‘Fairly Good’?” Father inquired in the same cheeky tone he had used outside.

“He’s fine,” I said listlessly, realizing a moment later what I’d done.

“Oh ‘first to know?’” Father shot with a grin on his face, tossing a biscuit at me. “You’ve been keeping secrets, Grey Echo!”

“Am I allowed no secrets?” I replied, catching the biscuit easily.

“Am I not allowed to ask of your secrets?”

“Simon,” Mother interjected in a disciplinary tone. “She’s eighteen years old, let her have her secrets. She’ll tell us when she’s ready.”

Father pretended to pout as he began eating his stew. He dropped the act when he tasted it, humming in pleasure.

“Wow, Willania my love, this is a particularly delicious stew. You truly have a gift.”

Mother chuckled and nodded gratefully.

“Thank you, Simon. It’s an old family recipe that my mother swore could cure illnesses.”

“The same grandmother that said there were fairies and nymphs living in the forest outside?” Loria wondered.

Mother nodded.

“Oh yes. She told me all about the fairies and nymphs in the woods, as well as the Alataurs and Lequus in the sky and the mountain trolls that stalk the Dangean mountains in the north.”

Loria and I exchanged a look that confirmed we would both play along. Mother seemed to truly believe with her whole heart in the truth of the tales she had told us about every night since we were children: that the vampires, werewolves, Cetus Monsters and Serthras were real. It was all real.

“Is that why no one is allowed outside the wall?” I asked.

“Oh yes, as well as many other beasts you couldn’t possibly imagine.”

“What else did grandmother say?” Loria prodded.

“About what?” Mother asked.

“Anything. Tell us another story she told you.”

Mother thought for a second before starting, enjoying our interest.

“Have I told you about the Vanguard Vampires?”

She had, but both Loria and I shook our heads. Father gave a sly smile of approval.

“Oh the most fearsome of all the vampires breeds! They can transform into enormous bat-like monsters that would tower over the tallest building in Valla and they can travel via moonlight as nothing more than a wisp of smoke. With otherworldly speed and strength, they can kill you before you even know they’re around, but even if you can see them, you might not want to. They are supposedly so beautiful and striking it makes one’s heart stop, or that could be the fear that strikes you when you see their four monstrously sharp venom-filled fangs.”

Mother’s voice had risen with the showmanship of a master storyteller. She truly did have a gift and if she had possessed the desire, could have easily taken the theatre world by storm.

“How does one possibly kill these Vanguards?” I probed, taking a bite of stew. Father was right: it was one of Mother’s best.

“Oh very few know. But the legend says that only the Vanguard’s own venom can destroy it.”

“So if I’m ever cornered by a Vanguard, I simply have to get him to bite himself?” Loria asked.

“Or herself!” Mother insisted.

“Right, but I just get them to bite themselves? How do I do that?”

Mother narrowed her eyes.

“Great question. Hopefully you never need to figure out the answer.”

Loria and I exchanged another look before I reached for the butter and began looking for my favorite flavor of preserve for my biscuit.

“Is there blackberry preserve?”

My mother looked up at me with wide eyes.

“I’m sorry, Grey. I forgot.”

“It’s okay, mother. I’ll get it.”

“Thank you dear.”

“Bring up the peach preserve too please!” called Loria.

I stood and descended to our vast cellar full of jars of preserves, all labelled and organized by date, so I found the blackberry preserves easily and made my way back up the stairs when there was a knock at the front door.

“Grey, will you answer that, please?” Mother called nonchalantly. “It might be Harris for his preserves he asked for.”

“Sure.”

I set the jar of preserves down on a table and opened the front door.

Two tall, hooded strangers stood in the doorway, a man and a woman, both of whom pulled their hoods down as I answered the door. I froze in astonishment.

Their faces were beautiful but utterly different from anyone I had seen within the walls of Valla. They were both tall and dark skinned, with shining golden linear tattoos encircling their foreheads and running down their cheeks. The woman had stark white hair that hung in springy coils around her face like a cloud, framing her piercing golden eyes. The man’s long silky length hair was a similar shade of white, though his eyes were an intensely bright shade of blue.

“We need to speak with Simon and Willania,” said the woman, her face obstructed by the hood.

I shifted uneasily, not daring to take my eyes off the strangers.

“Mother? Father? It’s for you.”

I waited until my parents approached the front door before I took a step back, but not before I saw them tense when they beheld the strangers in the doorway.

“Grey, go sit down,” my father said in a hushed voice.

I wanted to protest, but the tension and unease in the posture of my parents compelled me to obey. I turned and walked slowly, tuning my ears to their whispered voices.

“What are you doing here?” said Mother. “The king dissolved the Hunter’s Guild.”

“I know, but there are stirrings, Will,” said the man. “Stirrings from Vondur and Cthaba. Joras is mobilizing and King Rushak is growing nervous.”

I turned to the kitchen but I didn’t return to the table. I hid behind the wall and tried to listen. Loria frowned and shrugged at me.

What’s happening? She mouthed.

I held up my hand to shush her and urged her to join me in my eavesdropping. She obliged and crouched next to me.

“Goddess dammit,” Mother cursed.

“How long do we have?” asked Father.

“The Valkanaan are being assembled and we have sent messenger scouts to the armies in Oira and Briadir,” replied the woman.

I exchanged a confused look with Loria. Armies? Outside of the wall? That couldn’t be right, there was only wildness outside the wall, I mean, that’s why we had the wall: to protect us from the monsters outside.

“Have the other Hunters been notified?” Father asked.

“You were the last we had to speak to.”

I could almost feel the look of apprehension that passed between my parents.

“How long do we have?” asked Mother.

“We have to leave now, I’m afraid.”

Mother took in a shaky breath.

“Alright. Give us a moment.”

I heard them approaching and Loria and I furiously raced back to the kitchen table, resuming eating our dinner.

“Alright, your father and I need to go on an errand,” Mother said, gathering her coat from the closet.

“Right now?” Loria asked, perfectly feigning surprise.

“Yes, unfortunately,” Father continued, grabbing his own coat. “It’s urgent I’m afraid.”

They then both turned to us with serious expressions. My stomach churned with nerves.

“After we leave, I want you to lock the doors behind us, alright?”

My father’s voice was low and urgent as he gripped my shoulder tightly. I had never heard him speak like this before.

“Alright,” I nodded. “We will.”

Father gave a curt nod and kissed my forehead before leaning over to kiss Loria’s. Mother did the same and they rushed out the door, bidding us goodnight.

Loria and I quickly rushed to the front door and locked it, before we peeked through the curtains and watched Mother and Father walk down the empty street with the two strangers.

“Who are they?” Loria asked.

“I’m not sure.”

“They’re big like Father. Did you notice that?”

I studied the frames of the two strangers. Now that she mentioned it, they shared a similar build to Father.

“I suppose.”

“Where do you think they’re going?”

“Probably the king’s palace. They said someone named Joras was mobilizing forces.”

“I thought there was nothing but monsters and trees outside the wall?”

I took a step back from the window as mother and father walked out of our field of vision.

“I don’t know. Nothing makes—”

A great thundering crash louder than anything I had ever heard broke through the air, followed by a strange beat of eerie quiet. Loria and I rushed back to the window. My mouth hung open as my stomach dropped.

The wall around Valla, the wall that had stood for centuries to protect us from the creatures outside, had fallen.

Two- The Monsters

“What could have possibly done that?!”

I had no words for Loria, my eyes were stuck watching the dust billowing off the debris of the massive gaping chasm in the wall. That’s when the stampede started.

The thundering of hooves began to shake the foundations of the house as well as every building around us. The sound grew louder and louder until I heard roars and guttural shouts growing closer and closer until the stampede rumbled down our street. My breath caught in my chest and I found myself unable to move from my place by the window

It was an army of enormous centaurs, all carrying torches and strange weapons. More and more of them stampeded through the chasm and they tromped through buildings and houses, swinging their weapons at everything and everyone they came across. My shock broke when one of the centaurs looked in my direction.

“Get in the cellar,” I urged Loria, quickly taking her hand, and leading her over to the cellar stairs. I moved with swiftness that surprised us both, managing to shut the cellar door just as the centaur broke through the front door, obliterating the entire front wall.

“Where…are…you…?”

His voice was low and gravelly. His massive horse legs clomped loudly against the floor, the wood cracking beneath his massive weight.

Loria and I huddled close together in the farthest corner of the cellar, each of us clamped our hands over our mouths to be as silent as possible.

The centaur stomped through the house, the sound of destruction following him as his enormous body stomped through the house.

I tightened my grip around Loria as I felt her shaking in fear.

“Human city burns tonight!”

Something dropped to the floor and then the centaur’s heavy steps faded as he left the house. After a few seconds, Loria and I smelled it.

Fire.

We moved quickly, trying to pry the cellar door open, but something was blocking the entrance.

“What is it?!” Loria asked.

“Something fell onto the door! Help me!”

Loria joined me and together we tried to shove open the door with our shoulders.

“It’s not budging!” she cried after several minutes of trying. “We have to try the window!”

I nodded and we raced over to the small window that led to the front yard, just as the fire began to really spread. The window was small, but we could both fit.

I pulled open the window and pocketed my hands for Loria to step.

“Go on!” I urged her.

She nodded and placed her left foot into my hand. I boosted her up and she shimmied easily out of the window, quickly turning to reach her hand down for me. I gripped it but just as she hoisted me up high enough for me to grip the outside wall, a centaur rode by and grabbed her by her collar, swinging her up into the air like a ragdoll before lazily catching her. It all happened so fast I barely had time to scream.

“Grey!” she shouted, reaching for me.

“Loria!”

I screamed and hurriedly pulled myself out of the basement window onto the front yard, but no sooner had I pulled myself to my feet than a dark-haired man dressed in burgundy robes appeared in a wisp of dark smoke and stared at me with brilliant violet eyes. His stone white face was fixed in an expression of steely malice, a mix of hunger and avarice that made his sharp bone structure terrifying. My stomach clenched as I remembered my mother’s description at dinner: vampire.

“What do you want?” My voice shuddered in fear.

He raised his eyebrows.

“Do you know what we are?” His voice was low and melodic, almost hypnotizing.

“Vanguard.”

He grinned, impressed.

“Someone has been taught. Where did you learn this?”

“In a book.”

He flashed his sharp teeth. He could tell I was lying.

“I think you know about the Hunters.” He took a step toward me, venom dripping from his sharpened canines. I stepped backwards, matching his stride and trying very hard to not crumple to the ground in fear. He was so graceful it looked like he was floating.

“I don’t know anything.”

“Oh I think you do.”

“I swear I don’t!”

He lifted his sharp nails and brought them down the side of my face, leaving lines of blood in their wake. I tried to bat his hand away, but my hand stopped cold upon impact with his stony, immovable skin. My stomach dropped in fear as I gripped my throbbing hand. He appeared both amused and annoyed.

“I’m going to enjoy this.”

I tried to step backward and avoid his strike, but he moved too quickly. There was a flash of movement and I felt pain in my gut. Looking down, I saw his sharp fingers lodged inside of my stomach. My breath fell out of me in shudders.

“Long Live the Sorcerer King of Talahm.”

He whispered the words directly into my ear and a dark chill washed over me, right before he sank his fangs into my neck.

Ice shot into my veins as I instantly lost control of my body. The vampire lifted his head from my neck and I tried to take a shuddering gasp as the cold air hit the bite marks, freezing the venom inside of me even more. The vampire then withdrew his hand from my stomach and I fell to the ground, I saw two figures, one with enormous black wings and one with even larger white and silver wings fly into the vampire with sudden forceful strength.

It was then that I lost consciousness.