Chapter 17: The Blood Sect

Dominic had called on his entire legion, I realized as our car approached the borders. The entire ground was filled with men in black, the men of the fire sect. Even I was dressed in black, while Stephanno stuck out like a sore thumb in his blue outfit.
The men were busy arming themselves with spears and swords and what not. We didn’t have much of a pick as the mansion was destroyed and with it the weapons room and we didn’t really have time to dig out the weapons. I chose my trusty knifes while Stella armed herself with bow and arrow.

“ Stella, don’t get too close to the battle ground. Stay from here and take out as many you can and cover for us. When your arrows run out, don’t run into the battle.” Dominic ordered Stella.
“ These men are extremely skilled in martial arts, so don’t engage in man to man combat. Take them out from a distance as far as possible” Stephanno advised the legion Dominic had called on.
“ Any chance we might get a back up from the water sect?” I asked him hopefully.
“The water sect helping the fire sect, when only just a few days back , your men engaged in a fight with mine. Yeah! Fat chance of that happening and I don’t want to be the type of leader who wants to risk his subordinates life when they aren’t even willing” he replied dryly.
I snorted and replied, “Well, you obviously have problems with Dominic as well as the Fire Sect, still you are here”
“The reason I am here and choosing to fight isn’t because of Dominic or this damn sect. I don’t give a shit what happens to them.” He snarled.
Me…..I was the reason he was staying for. It made me feel elated as well as guilty at the same time. What if he gets badly injured in the battle. Everything will be my fault then.
“Jess, a moment please” Dominic cut in and pointed at the hood of the car, away from everyone’s prying eyes.
Stephanno narrowed his eyes at Dominic’s request but didn’t make a move.
“You guys can go on ahead. We will soon join you. Remember to take them out before they get too close.” He said to the rest of them.
I walked towards him to the hood of the car and waited for him to start speaking.
“Jess, whatever happens…..No matter how much of a dangerous situation you are in, don’t use your powers. Trust me, you will never be in real danger. These are people from the blood sect, that means they report to your dad, so they will be under strict instructions not to harm you….So please don’t go using your powers. “
“ The blood sect? Aren’t they supposed to be extinct?” I asked him quizzically
“Not much of them exists….Ugh, we have no time to get into this now. Trust me and don’t use your powers. Act like a weakling in the battleground. Swallow your pride and act like a wimp, so that they will think you are useless and will be of no use to them, Okay?”
“Why the hell do I have to act like a wimp? Do you want to tamper my reputation?” I yelled at him indignantly.
“Just do as I say. Okay! I know you don’t like me nor do you trust me. But you can be sure of the fact I will never do anything to harm you, right?”
I sighed. He did have a point. I always had a gut feeling that no matter what happens, or no matter what dick moves Dominic does, he never will hurt me. I remembered our training sessions in the weapons room. I had a gut feeling then, that Dominic knew more about the blood sect than he was letting on and he did promise that he would tell me what was going on after all this was over.
I sighed and nodded at him.
We made our way back towards the borders. I stopped abruptly at Stella’s shriek. I looked at Dominic panicked and we both fastened our pace to the borders which have now turned into a battlefield.
I ran right into Stella, who stood there on the perimeter,frozen to the spot. The others I guess had already entered the grounds. I followed her gaze and a shriek escaped from my mouth too. Right where the Fire Sect’s flag had stood proudly before, there now was a man hung in the same pole.
A man in black…..Tristin….. I looked at Dominic panic stricken and saw that he had gone into a rage. Without a word, he rushed into the grounds. Tristin was one of his close enforcers. That blow must have hit him hard….to see his face twisted in the rope and hanging from the flag pole.
“Hey! Deep breath Stella….you can do this” I urged her before following after Dominic.
I had entered the grounds fully expecting bloodshed and panic, but I was still taken aback. The men in red, which I guess are the blood sect people were very few compared to our men, still they did a considerable damage. It wasn’t like the fight between the water sect and the fire sect that day, when the fight was more or less evenly matched. They were very few….too few and still the damage they have done. I felt humiliated that ten of them could take over my entire sect. I wanted to do something….but I was strictly instructed by Dominic to not let my powers show. I was supposed to look weak and useless. Though I didn’t understand his reasons, I knew he must have said that for a purpose.

None of the red guys bothered to approach me even after I entered the grounds. In fact, they did their maximum to ensure that the fight didn’t come my direction. I frowned, Dominic was right. They were probably my father’s people, they had been ordered to stay away from me…..which means my dad is still alive. I had mixed feelings about that fact.
Everywhere I Iooked, I saw our men being dragged on the ground or being stabbed on. The blood sect people were using some complicated techniques in their fight, too complicated that you don't see the attack coming.
Just then I saw a woman in red and black leather outfit was eyeing me from a distance. When she saw that she has been discovered, she appeared right in front of me in a blink. Holy crap! That was fast. A minute ago, she was standing two miles apart from me and now she was right in front of me, flipping her ponytail and watching me with a curious expression.
I hissed at her, for a moment forgetting that I was supposed to act weak.
“Shush, darling. We won’t hurt you. Our sect have waited for years for your arrival.” She purred at me.
“Huh?” was all I managed to get out
“ We are not supposed to hurt you and I really won’t, I promise. But I just want to ensure one thing” she said deadpan.
“Ensure what?” I asked her, dumbfounded.
“This!” she exclaimed as she pulled out a gold dagger from her robes.
I immediately took a step back expecting her to attack me but she just pulled her head back and laughed out loud maniacally. The way she laughed sent chill through my body, it was so creepy. I got the feeling she was completely bonkers.
I involuntarily started to edge away from her.
“Not so fast, darling” she said and held the gold dagger in her right hand as if offering it to me.
I frowned. Was this some sort of trick? Why the hell is my opponent giving me a weapon?
I peered closely at the dagger and saw that the dagger’s handle was made with pure gold, it had ruby in the middle and was surrounded by several diamonds and emeralds and its blade was long and sharp. It looked like it was made of crystal or glass. I frowned, what good is knife made of glass?
A weird tug in my heart was pulling me towards the dagger. Something told me it belonged with me. I hesitantly took a step forward and took the dagger from her hand. The moment my hand touched the dagger, the big blood red ruby on the middle of the handle shone brightly and I felt a warmth flow through my hands.
“My poor darling, for years you had to wait for one who was valiant enough to command you. And now at last you will be re-joined with your Mistress.” She purred lovingly at the dagger, then bowed her head to me, snapped her fingers and vanished into thick grey smoke.
I coughed as the smoke entered my nostrils. I blinked several times ensuring that what just happened was not a dream.
“Jess. I have run out of arrows and I couldn’t bear to sit out there when you were all in here fighting to death.” Stella appeared from behind me and said.
I was still bewildered by what had happened to pay her any proper attention.
“Where did that woman go?” I murmured to myself.
“Which woman? We are the only women in here, Jess”
“You didn’t see a woman just now? She was right here beside me talking to me…and she….” I stopped as a worried look came across Stella’s face.

I looked at my hand, which was still outstretched, expecting to find the glass or crystal knife with the gold handle with the ruby and emeralds but instead found a gold bracelet with crystals and rubies and emeralds. I frowned and looked at it closely and with a jolt I realized it was the same knife only, but now the dagger had bended itself into a bracelet, well not exactly a bracelet. The knife had bended itself and crept around my arm like a snake. It however did pass for a bracelet.

“ Jess….we are in trouble…huge trouble” Stella stuttered.
I followed her gaze and found that several man had just entered the fight. They didn’t seem to be from the blood sect nor the fire sect, but it was obvious from the way they were tearing apart our man that they clearly on the same side as the blood sect. I swore out loud. We were already loosing badly without them showing up. I froze when I saw the men changing forms……they weren’t normal guradians, I realized……Lycans…….No not them again! Lycans had just joined in the fight.