Chapter 119: Sword And Shield

Adolph forced and fought his way through the seemingly never-ending waves of hostile vampires and was pleased to find that Eden’s forces were nearby, handling the burning of corpses with sharp sparks of flame in conjunction with the large basins dotted throughout the castle.
It felt as though he’d waded through several thousand vampires before he felt a pulse of something shudder through the stone. The walls shook again like a heartbeat as he approached a pair of tall carved doors. He pushed it open and gasped seeing a man’s form gripping a woman by her hair. His face was buried in her neck as she gasped. Her eyes were dazed. Her gray eyes trembled as she dug her sharp talons into the man’s back.
“Your… father…” she gasped as her skin turned dark and she began to disappear in a whirl of light and ash. The man drew back with a deep, heaving gasp. The walls pulsed around them. The flaming torches flickered and the flame turned a brilliant blue. The wind rushed through the halls as the man rose to his feet. The man turned around to reveal Eden’s face, though, in place of gray eyes, his eyes glowed gold.
Adolph lifted his sword as Eden tilted her head just slightly, staring at him.
“Where is Laurel?”
Eden darted forward, shoving Adolph back as he wrapped his hand around Adolph’s sword and snapped it.
Adolph’s eyes widened as he looked into Eden’s emotionless expression. His eyes were dazed and the scent of blood drifted from his mouth. While he had no scent still, there was a sense of power whirling around him. Adolph shoved him back and backpedaled out of the room, searching for something to arm himself with.
“Your Majesty!” Chasel cried over the sound of conflict.
Adolph eyed the oncoming group as Eden’s voice drifted through the air, soft and beguiling.
“Morrigan is dead,” Eden said, his voice reverberating down and through the hallways.
“Retreat!” Adolph called as a band of formally hostile vampires turned sharply towards them. “Now!”
“After them!” Eden commanded. The air shook with the command. Adolph transformed into his wolf form, and followed his men down the stairs, trying to return to the fastest way out of the castle.
Eden heard them running as the power swelled and gushed through him, heady and nearly maddening. He felt the castle coming alive around him and watched the clouds begin to pull back and evaporate over the city. The stars twinkled and he smiled as if he were in the midst of a dream from his childhood.
The clear night’s sky was a good sign. It had worked.
Now, all he had to do was get rid of Adolph.
“Fate bedamned,” he said through his clenched jaw. He turned to one of the vampires, “We attack the werewolf kingdom.”
The man shuddered and nodded.
“Kill those who resist, but Laurel is not to be harmed.”
“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

Adolph cursed as they rushed out of the front gates down the path of destruction, littered with bodies who had not yet begun to revive. The general had been right, there were far more vampires behind their barrier than they had ever dreamed. Even if they were just newly turned, the numbers were dizzying.
“Back to camp!” Adolph ordered as he skidded to a stop to watch the stampede of vampires following them to the edge of the city. From a window of the castle, he saw Eden watching him.
He glared at the man as the last of his forces ran past him and he followed behind them. He’d kill Eden with time, but right now, they had to get back. Chasel led the group to shift into their wolf forms to travel faster after Eden had sent out the whistle to recall the horses to the camp.
They rushed through the barren trees. The air was growing warmer around them. The mists retreated. They broke through a circle of trees and found themselves surrounded by outcroppings of rock. He turned back and found a twisted path through the rock rather than the forest they had passed through.
He cursed. The barrier hadn’t fallen when Morrigan died.
“Your Majesty!”
He turned his head hearing a smaller group of paws nearby. Vampires rushed up the sides of the canyon and past them, back the way they came as Laurel’s familiar white coat came into view. He transformed into his human form and practically tackled her as she transformed. They rolled to a stop as he pressed her to his chest, trembling with gratitude.
“Laurel,” he breathed. “Laurel, I–”
“I’m so sorry,” Laurel said. “I promise. I promise I won’t–”
He cut her off, sealing their lips together for a quick kiss before squeezing her close.
The scent of blood was heavier in his scent than usual as she stroked his hair.
“I’m here now.”
He nodded and shuddered, “We have to get back to camp, quickly.”
“What happened?”
“Eden’s killed the vampire queen and drank her blood,” Adolph shook his head, “He’s gotten more powerful. We have to go. They’re coming.”
Laurel looked back and worried her lip but shifted back into her wolf form to follow Adolph back to camp with Sam, Lynn, and the other two knights.

They made it back to camp and everyone who saw them enter seemed shocked to see her. She felt a bit strange as she hadn’t shown many people her wolf form, but followed Adolph through the camp until they reached the head tent.
“Get the troops ready, archers in back, swords and shields in front. The vampire queen is dead but her successor means to kill us all. They weren’t far behind.” Adolph ordered before turning to Sam and Lynn, “You two will escort my wife back to the imperial city.”
Laurel darted in front of him, “I’m not going anywhere!”
Adolph huffed before nuzzling her, “I love you, Laurel. I cannot have you in danger–”
“I’m staying,” Laurel said fiercely. “You can’t force me to go back and leave you.”
“Laurel–”
“You promised!”
Adolph grunted and huffed when a warning horn went off across the camp.
“Vampires incoming!”
He huffed, “Stay behind the defensive line, Laurel. I mean it.”
She turned and darted through the camp, giving orders about preparing medical supplies and taking a place behind the archers. The men seemed in more awe than usual at her presence and he sighed.
The legend of the white wolf was well-known to most of the kingdom. Most of his soldiers had gone to the lunar temple at least once in their lives and seen the murals about the white and black wolf.
At the very least, their morale was up.
“The white wolf, huh?” Chasel asked with a chuckle coming up to him. “Somehow… I’m not surprised.”
“At first chance, Chasel, take her back to the city.”
Chasel swallowed, remembering his oath, “I remember my oath, Your Majesty.”
“Good.” Adolph transformed to his human form and grabbed another sword heading to the front lines as the ground began to shake with the oncoming wave.
His heart raced with anticipation.
“Archers, fire at will!” A general called. “Strike them down!”
Adolph watched the arrows strike several of them. Stopping some in their tracks and sending others stumbling over them, but it wasn’t enough. Another volley of arrows flew before they were too close to ignore.
“Charge!”
Adolph swung his new sword, severing a vampire’s head in a spray of blood. The warriors followed him into battle as always, but the darkness didn’t come. The scent of blood didn’t pull on him the way it had before.
There were so many of them, more than they’d anticipated for the camp and more coming from the barren trees and clearing mists through the night. Adolph grit his teeth. He hated fighting vampires during the night. They had a severe advantage.
“Reinforcements from the south!” Someone cried over the sound of battle. The roar of the force came from behind him and urged him to fight harder.
“Drive them back!” Adolph commanded.
Laurel watched the groups of warriors arriving on foot and horseback, leaping into battle. Her stomach turned a bit as she helped restock the archers with arrows. The battle went on with the clang of swords and shields. It seemed as though they were pushing the vampires back until a bright light filled the night.
Laurel’s heart lurched as the battlefield seemed to slow to a stop, drawn to the glowing burst of light.
“Take cover!” She yelled. She heard it echoed and watched people dive out of the way as the light shot forward from behind the vampire forces rushing towards them.
Eden sat astride a dark horse. His eyes glowing in the night as the light shot forward, scorching paths through the werewolf ranks. Allowing vampires to surge and break through the shield lines.
“What is that?” One of them asked.
“A Wiccan,” Laurel said and felt the shudder of horror and fear go through the troops.
Her heart lurched as Eden seemed to focus on where Adolph was pushing through the vampires with a shield and sword. Light gathered in his hand and Laurel’s heart lurched as it shot towards him.
“Adolph