Chapter 38

Erick

“Arctic Blade?”
Mother sounded just as surprised as Father. “I haven’t heard of any such blade, son. I’ve already asked the elder historian, but he doesn’t have any idea what it could be.”
Both my parents had no clue about the existence of the Arctic Blade, and neither did Emiel. This led me to the only option I had left: the Dark Council that was out of my reach as of now. Which was appropriate since the Ancient itself was a mage of unparalleled power.
“No,” Ken answered, “I don’t know of any such blade, but the Chrone might.”
“Ken, Merida hates me,” I said, referring to Ken’s grandmother, the elder of his coven of mages. “She’s always been against you becoming a part of the Vampire Royal Guard.” Ken, however, was no longer a guard. He commanded the Royal Guard itself, but Merida Blackburn had always thought her son was a far stronger mage to be allied to the vampires. She’d wanted him as the next Chrone, but Ken had no aspiration of being confined by his little tribe. He wanted a bigger horizon and yearned for more adventure. Now, it was that same grandmother, who was our last resort in getting Alina back before it was too late.
“We have no other option.” He pulled out his dagger from his back pocket. “Give me your blood so you can take my memory of the coven house. The longer time we waste, the closer we come to losing Alina.”
That did it for me. Taking the dagger from him, I sliced my palm with the blade and held my fisted hand over Ken’s so the blood could drip onto his palm. He then took his blood drenched hand and drank from it. After my blood had stopped flowing, the wound completely healed.
The connection was instant. Vampires had the unique power of tracing their blood in another person’s body. It was what helped us form mental bonds with others, called a blood bond, but the effects would fade away as soon as the blood went out of their system.
I didn’t have to go digging any further into Kendrick’s mind as he already had a picture of his coven house in the periphery of his mind. Taking it, I took hold of his arm, and we both teleported to an enormous living room filled with half a dozen people who gathered in a circle near the fireplace.
“We’re here to see Merida,” Kendrick told them when they rose in unison to counter attack.
“Kendrick?” A red haired, green eyed woman in a flowing green dress broke away from the circle and came towards us. “And you must be Erick, the Vampire Prince.”
“Sarah,” Ken greeted her. “Can you take us to Merida? We’re here in an emergency.”
Sarah nodded immediately. “This way.”
We followed close behind her as she led us down several twisting hallways of what appeared to be an old, worn out house with barren walls, but like the living room, there were several places within the house that were moderately decorated. We came to a stop in front of a set of ornate wooden double doors and received permission to enter once Sarah knocked on the door.
Merida was sat in front of the fireplace, dressed in a similar dress of peach like all the magean women. Her black magean marking stood out against the cream white skin of her delicate neck. The sign was a twisting of two vines around a globe. Mages aged as slow as vampires, which was why Merida didn’t look a day older than thirty. Her blonde hair was tied in a neat bun at her nape, and her bright blue eyes lit up as her eyes met Kendrick’s.
“Kendrick! My grandson! It’s been far too long, my child.” She opened her arms for him, and Ken went over to wrap her in his arms.
“Grandmother,” he said gently as he parted from her, “I’m afraid we’re not here for a visit. I need some information regarding the Ancients of the tribe.”
“Slaving for the vampires again?” Her distaste for Kendrick’s job was clear in her voice.
“It’s a matter of life and death, I’m afraid,” I spoke up for the first time since we’d arrived at the coven house.
Merida turned to me sharply. “And why is a vampire’s life any of our concern?” she asked in a harsh voice.
Mages were powerful beings. They had the ability to channel the Earth’s energy into other things and create magic. Which was why they were always in high demand, but mage power has also been exploited over the ages. They’d been made to perform deeds against their will. I’d even heard of a black market that sold captured mages to the highest bidders. Mages could live in any dimension they want to live in, and that has become their freedom as well as cage. Mages that lived in other dimensions were often hunted down for their magic, which was why they hated interacting with other races. I couldn’t exactly blame Merida for being hostile to me. It was also why Kendrick’s friendship with the Vampires was scrutinised closely by the Dark Council, our ultimate ruling body. They kept an eye on us to see that Kendrick had a say in everything he did for us.
“I’m afraid this time it isn’t a vampire, but a human.” Mages may have hated vampires or any other shifter species, but they had a healthy relationship with humans. “My wife has been taken hostage by the Cain clan, and we are afraid they might use her as a vessel for an Ancient.”
“An Ancient? Who’s rising?” Merida’s answer gave me the idea that she knows more about the Ancients than any of us do.
“You know about the Ancient’s waking?” I asked.
“I’m a mage,” she said and went over to her desk. Kendrick and I followed behind her. Merida took a seat on her chair and gestured for us to take the seat on the other end of the desk. She began speaking when we were seated. “Tuhin, Alexander, Pallatos, Verna, and Shinou were the greatest mages of all times. They are called the Ancients because they were believed to possess endless power. So much so that even after death, they rose after every thousand years to gain the power they’d lost, so that one day they can walk the Earth again. But rumour has it that each time they wake, even though their power increases, their physical bodies disintegrate little by little. To address that problem, a human is chosen, especially one who is a descendant of the Ancient awakening. These humans are called vessels. The Ancient then possesses the body of a shifter and injects its venom into the vessel to turn them. Once the transition is over, it can simply transfer its soul into the ready host.”
“And what happens to the soul inside the host?” I asked.
“It dies.” Merida’s voice was grave. “Which is why you need to tell me the name of the mage coven.”
“I don’t know the name of the coven, but I know the name of the vampire household who kidnapped her. It’s the Cain clan, and Aaron Cain is their head,” Kendrick told her.
“Cain, you say?” Merida seemed deep in thought before her eyes widened in realisation. “Of course! The Carcinovian coven. They are the descendants of Tuhin Carcinovian.”
“So the Ancient awakening is Tuhin?” I asked for confirmation.
“If it’s indeed the Carcinovian clan, then yes. I have a feeling it is Tuhin. He’s rumoured to have had good relations with the blood demons, the evolutionary ancestors of the vampires,” Merida said. “But how do you plan on killing the Ancient?”
“You want us to kill him?” I asked, surprised. “Isn’t he a mage too?”
“A mage who has over-lived his expiry date,” Merida deadpanned. “If you don’t, then he’ll rise again after a thousand years, and if he does find a suitable vessel, he’ll expect us all to bow before him. I’ve raised this coven from scratch, and I don’t want to compete with some age-old mage who suddenly thinks he’s God.”
In other words, she wanted us to get rid of her competition for her. It works for me since this time, we seem to have a common enemy. This unexpected alliance just might help us strengthen our bond with the mages. “I will kill Tuhin, but for that to happen, I need you to tell me where the Arctic Blade is.”
“The Arctic Blade? Who told you about it?” Her surprise was clear.
“That doesn’t matter. All you need to do is tell me where to find it.”
“It’s not that easy. The Arctic Blade can’t be acquired, it has to be earned,” Merida told us. “It’s said to be one of the most searched for treasures of the world. Not only vampires but all sorts of species go after it, but so far, no one had been able to find it. Some have even died trapped in the ice Caves of Kamatayan, where it lies on a river that flows through the caves. It’s said to be a sacred sword that had been created by the Gods as a gift to the mages. However, when it fell into the wrong hands, killing hundreds of innocent lives, the Gods locked it up in the middle of a river that has been flowing for centuries. Only the ones with pure intentions can ever hope to find it. Do you think you can?”
“Yes. I know where the Caves of Kamatayan are.” I stood up from the chair and turned to Kendrick. “Ken, can you make your way to the castle on your own?” Right now, I couldn’t waste time teleporting Ken home or dressing up.
“Yes. Good luck, Erick. Bring back the sword so we can kick some Ancient’s ass.”
“You bet.” I gave Kendrick a hug before stepping away in preparation for the teleport.
“Wait.” Merida stopped me when I would’ve teleported out and handed me a shovel. “You’re going to need this.”

****

Merida wasn’t kidding when she said I’d need a shovel.
The Caves of Kamatayan got narrower by the minute as I want deeper into the cavern, and the winds were chilling me to my bones. The lack of clothing wasn’t helping either. I only had on a silk shirt and dress pants which translated to almost nothing here inside the icy caves.
I had arrived at the foot of the Kamatayan Mountains about three hours ago. I began the hike up almost instantly, the blizzard outside providing a barrier for any telepathic lock on to the caves entrance. The Kamatayan Mountains were located on the North Pole of Sanctium. I made the four hundred feet hike on a steep slope using my bare hands and feet and without the use of any hiking gear. I only had a shovel to get me across the trickiest parts of the mountain. My hands had been bloody, and my shoes had nearly worn off, but I made it through the hike and reached the mouth of the cave. It was dark in this part of the world, but I used my night vision to navigate through.
I smashed the shovel into the ice of the cave lining and dug a chunk out of the wall to widen it a bit as I passed through. The walls kept closing in on me from both sides, making it almost impossible for me to squeeze through. It would make even a perfectly normal immortal feel claustrophobic. The caves didn’t start out like this, though. The entrance was wide enough to hide an army, courtesy of so many treasure hunting missions
It wasn’t long before the caves started going downhill. The road took a steep slope towards the centre of the mountain. No wonder so many had perished on a treasure hunt in this cavern. Even for a vampire, climbing back up this steep slope would’ve been impossible. It’s a good thing I could teleport out or else—
I snapped out of my thoughts when I saw a humongous solid wall of ice standing in front of me.
I have to save Alina!
I said to myself and slammed the shovel into the heart of the wall, but all it did was peel off a tiny chunk of ice. The side walls were too narrow to allow me to use all my strength, and I couldn’t teleport without knowing what the other side looked like. So I bashed my shovel through the crack I’d made earlier over and over again.
Finally, I could see a crack on the dratted thing. I gave it one more hit, and a hole formed, allowing me to have a better look on what was on the other side of the wall. I teleported in.
The other side was even steeper, and it made me slip and fall on the hard ice. Getting back up immediately, I began walking forward until I reached a dead end and a gaping hole on the floor. Water dripped from the ceiling of the cave and rolled down through the opening. This must be where the river was formed.
I knelt down and looked through the opening for a safe place to teleport, but couldn’t find any. Leaving everything to fate, I jumped down. Keeping my eyes on the ground below, I teleported to a safe place just before crashing on to a heap of skeletons. And there it was, the river created by the melting ice of the mountain.
It didn’t have much current to it, having formed inside the mountain, but it did look deep. The water was a clear crystalline blue, and the banks were made of ice. I found several skeletons on the river bank, and there were also some bodies that have been preserved by the ice. They would decay once summer came to the northern hemisphere, but for now, they would rest in the snow. I looked around. There was no trace of the Arctic Blade.
Making sure I don’t lose my footing, I bent over the edge of the river and touched the water but pulled back my hand instantly. How could it be possible for the water to be colder than the air inside the cave and remain in liquid form? However, the frigid waters didn’t break my resolve.
Jumping into the water without letting myself think about the cold, I swam as fast as I could towards the centre of the river. My entire body went numb, and ice crystals began to form on my skin, but I wasn’t giving up just yet. This was for Alina. I had to get to her before her transition was over, or I would lose her forever.
I broke through the surface of the water and looked around to see if I could find any trace of the sword. Still, I couldn’t see anything. Damn it! I slammed my fists into the water. It couldn’t have been a lie. I couldn’t have wasted all this time searching for an object that doesn’t even exist. Allen’s memory might have been sketchy, but Merida wouldn’t lie to me. She could hate vampires all she wants, but she wasn’t a liar.
“No. I can’t give up just yet,” I told myself out loud. “I didn’t come all this way to give up. I have to get to Alina! I have to save her.”
With that, I ducked under the water once more and began searching for the sword with renewed determination. Coming up once more to fill air into my lungs, I decided to go deeper into the river and search the river bed. As if it wasn’t impossible, the temperature dipped with every stroke I swam downwards. At first, I didn’t see anything, but then a ray of light hit my eyes from the bottom of the river. It was like finding an oasis after wandering around in the desert for months.
I swam towards the ray of light and grasped at the source of the luminance. My hands touched something solid, so I clasped it with both hands and yanked it up with every strength I had left. It came loose after the third attempt just when I was almost out of air.
Swimming back to the top as fast as I could, I broke the water surface, gasping for breath and holding my hand above the water. The sword was made fully of ice from the hilt to the tip of the blade. It was heavier than any other sword made of metal and looked brittle. However, there was a hum of ancient power emitted from the surface of the blade, telling me it had seen eons pass by before it was sealed in this desolate place.
My search was finally over. I had the blade in my hands, and my mind was set on only one mission.
“Hang on, Alina. I’m coming for you.” I teleported back to the castle.