Chapter 405
As if that was a signal, Cyprus threw Ume to the floor and drew a hooked machete from inside his coat. With a snarl he charged at Wolfe, swinging back the weapon to strike. Wolfe jerked his many bladed weapon from his belt and met him with a clash of steel.
Micah and Loren drew their bowie knives in unison and dropped into defensive stances. Fethillen grabbed her sickle from the hook on her belt and spun toward Cyprus. He dodged the blow and whirled away, his red hair flying around him like a fiery curtain.
Several vampires in long black coats hurried into the room. One carried a long scythe, like a grim reaper, and another a spiked hammer. Katelina tugged the jagged folding knife from her pocket and stared at the contrast. It was better than nothing, but what could she hope to do against weapons like that?
Sushel and Quenby swirled toward the newcomers and together attacked a vampire who wielded an axe. They took turns, so that as he swung at one the other would attack. Katelina could easily see how a whole group of them had defeated her own rag tag bunch.
Jorick made an impatient noise in his throat and moved to shield Katelina. "Stay back," he ordered, and then charged at Griselda. The blonde vampiress hefted her massive gun and aimed. Before she could fire Malick called, "Tut, tut, mind the paint, my child."
Griselda threw the gun aside and whipped out a pair of daggers. The heavy weapon landed on the floor with a thud, and Katelina eyed it. Guns rarely worked on vampires, but if Griselda had one it probably had ammo that would. It had to be better than the paltry knife.
Jorick crashed into Griselda. She stumbled back, slashing. She wasn't as adapt at close quarters as some of the others, no doubt used to handling the heavier weapons from a distance, and Jorick was able to knock one of the daggers from her hand and pin her to the floor. He pulled back to slam his fist into her chest when the vampire with the spiked hammer swung with enough force to send Jorick sprawling into the plants. One of the pots shattered at the impact and dirt scattered. Katelina bit back a cry as Jorick pulled up to his knees. A trickle of blood ran down his forehead.
Verchiel drew his sword, then disappeared and reappeared next to the vampire with the scythe. He wielded the sword in one hand and the scabbard in the other, using both as weapons.
Arlen swooped in. He caught Verchiel's blade and knocked it spinning across the room in a blur of silver. It landed near Sorino, who grabbed it and speared the nearest enemy. The vampire gave a cry of surprise and reared back to attack as Kai lifted a three barreled pistol and pulled the trigger.
The noise echoed through the room, and Katelina covered her ears. Kai dropped back and disappeared among a forest of palms, no doubt to reload. Ume was weaponless, but she ran to Fethillen. The blonde vampiress clashed with a vampire who swung a short axe. With a cry Ume kicked the vampire's legs out from beneath him. He crashed to the floor and Fethillen used the sickle to chop his head off. Loren rushed in and stabbed his bowie knife through the vampire's chest, as though to make sure he was dead.
Blood pooled from the stump of his neck, and Verchiel landed in it as he bounded away from Arlen. He disappeared again, but Katelina could see the scarlet footprints appearing like magic; bright against the yellow tiles.
From above Malick clapped loudly. "The first casualty!" It was as if he was watching an arena show.
That's what it is to him, Katelina thought. Just entertainment.
Like everything else.
Cyprus and Jorick grappled; Cyprus' machete was missing, leaving him with bare fists. Jorick was both faster and stronger, and knocked the red haired vampire to the floor. He landed partially in a puddle of blood, and smeared it across the tiles as he rolled to avoid Jorick's swinging fist.
Micah swung Cyprus' machete at the vampire with the large axe. Loren had snatched up the small axe from the dead and snuck behind their foe. Micah feinted to the right with a cry of "Now!" and Loren swung his short axe and embedded it into their attacker's back. The teen tried to pull it free, but wasn't strong enough with only one hand. The vampire spun toward him with a cry of agony, then fell to his knees, his body twitching.
Micah grinned and lashed at the vampire's head with the machete. The blade didn't cut all the way through, and Micah swung again.
Katelina looked away from the flying gore and gagged.
Cyprus went after Wolfe. The Scharfrichter dodged but, as if Cyprus had used his demon eye ability to see that in advance, he changed directions at the last second and embedded the blade of his hooked machete in Wolfe's shoulder. He pulled it loose with a spray of blood and Wolfe stumbled. Cyprus's deep brown eyes burned with bitter fury as he raised his weapon for a second attack. "You win, Wolfe. You'll see her before I do."
Her? Of course. He still thought Sadihra was dead.
Jorick slammed his fist into Cyprus' back. The vampire gave a cry of surprise and his blow landed short. Wolfe swung his weapon and the curved portion of the blade sliced through Cyprus' arm. He pulled back and clamped his free hand to the bleeding wound with a snarl. Wolfe was poised to strike again, but Arlen appeared and sliced at the Scharfrichter with a smaller multi-bladed weapon, leaving long angry gashes down one side of his face and knocking him aside.
Cyprus charged Wolfe, but Jorick sent the redhead spinning. Cyprus swung around and snarled. "Get out of my way, Jorick!"
Jorick's expression was of a tolerant adult to a demanding child. "Or what?"
A second black coated vampire made to attack Jorick from behind, and without even looking, he slammed his elbow into the vampire's gut. The attacker stumbled backward and Jorick turned around long enough to catch him in a headlock and snap his neck with a sickening crunch. He threw the limp body toward Oren, and his fledgling used his own knife to cut the vampire's still beating heart from his chest.
Katelina crept from her cover toward Griselda's abandoned gun. The fighting had shifted to the other side of the room and the weapon lay alone and unnoticed. She looked up in time to see Griselda and Quenby dueling. Quenby's face was wooden, but Griselda's was furious and streaked in blood. She'd lost one of her daggers, but she jabbed dangerously with the other. Quenby's weapons had a longer reach, and she danced back and swung her sickles. With an angry sound, Griselda snatched the heavy spiked club from her ally's hands and slammed the weapon into Quenby. The vampiress flew backwards and smashed into a collection of plants.
Katelina froze, crouched next to the giant gun. Quenby struggled to her feet, but her sickles were missing. She turned to look for them as Griselda crashed down on her. Fethillen kicked away her foe and rushed toward her colleague, but she wasn't fast enough. Quenby half turned, one arm raised as a shield, and Griselda gave a cry and drove her dagger upwards, under her ribs. She fell back into the ruined plants and Griselda jerked her bloody blade free and turned in time to meet Fethillen.
Katelina stared at Quenby's crumpled body, waiting for her to move. Griselda bumped against one of the pots and Quenby's head jostled to one side. Katelina had a view of her pale face; mouth open and wide eyes staring at nothing.
She was dead.
Griselda heaved the heavy spiked hammer at Fethillen, and she swirled away, leaving the blow to land on the vampire Kai had blinded with his pistol. Katelina could hear the crunch of bones as the weapon connected, and the vampire gave a roar of pain and fell back into the fountain with a splash.
Fethillen and Griselda continued to fight. Fethillen's movements were smooth and practiced, while Griselda's were erratic and angry. She bled from several wounds, and Fethillen slammed into her bodily, knocking her back against one of the black pillars. The war hammer flew from her grasp and, weaponless, she charged Fethillen. In a practiced move, Fethillen kicked her legs out from under her and then swung the sickle. Katelina fought not to throw up as the weapon sliced through Griselda's neck, leaving her head hanging off to one side, only partially attached. As if to make sure she was done for, Fethillen hacked into Griselda's chest. It was the last of the Executioners who'd left with Malick; the last of those who'd pledged their loyalty to him over The Guild. Katelina imagined he'd be furious.
