Chapter Fourteen

The sounds of broken gasps for air could barely be heard in the thickness of the forest. Lelani, Montai, and the rest of his brothers had started the process to go through the border. It seemed no matter how many times you went through the clear invisible barrier you could never get used to it. Once you stepped through it an immense amount of pressure began to press against you. Pushing down on your chest making it hard for you to breathe. Walking through the border was painful with each step. Only able to feel relief once you made it to the other side.

After a few moments it seemed that all of them had made it past the border with a few whimpers and grunts here and there. Surrounded by nothing but thick tall massive trees. A gloomy pastel grey fog covered the bottom layers of the woods like a lake or a river. There was no sound of birds chirping. No tiny footprints from squirrels scurrying around. Just a dead empty silence.

A silence finally broken by the most innocent one of the group Nile. “Where are we?” He said a little louder than expected. Instantly all heads turned to him. Eyes bright with color in the darkness but held a hint of annoyance to him as everyone shushed him at the same time with a synchronized shush movement. Lelani frowning at Nile. Giving him a look that read “why must it always be you.” After a moment of listening to make sure no one was around she sighed and gave him a reassuring smile.

“We are currently in the Hoia Baciu forest. It rests outside of Cluj-Napoca. Romania's second city în Transylvania.” Before any of them could ask she answered what she knew would be their next question.

“Yes, that's right. Transylvania. The resting place for most vampires and unwanted creatures. They live scattered through the alleys of the streets. Some tucked away in Dracula’s castle, others hidden in this very forest. Using the stories mortals told to make it a home and hunting grounds for tourists or broken souls.”

She was used to the strong scent the forest gave off. It was the same scent as Lannister but stronger. The scent of spoiled bodies, maggots, and rotten animals also filled the air. She could hear the stomachs churning in the back and the low whisper as one of them spoke of the smell of death in the air.

“Why did the border bring us here?” Montai asked, ignoring the complaints of his brothers in the back. He watched as Lelani turned to look at him. Her hair swayed over her face as her pastel purple eyes glistened in even this dark place. She could be the beauty in even the most foulest of places. Her voice soft against the eerie quietness of the forest as she spoke.

“Because this is where we asked to be brought. In our thoughts we wanted to find Lannister and see what he was up to. He lives within this area, as well as many other…”

Lelani stopped mid-sentence as she felt this odd chill run up her spine. Like creepy little demon fingers traveling along her, and then that’s when she heard it…

The loud painful shriek. The horrid cries of a woman off in the distance. She heard the low growls ripple behind her and could hear the ripping of their flesh as they began to turn. The scream sounded off again, the scent of something dark in the air followed by blood. The wolves take off towards the sound and Lelani uses her magic to teleport not far behind them.

***~ The streets of Transylvania ~ ***

The woman ran through the once quiet and calm streets with fear in her eyes. Tears running down her face and small droplets of her blood leaving a trail. A simple walk home from a party had turned into a chase of life and death. There had never been strange killings in Transylvania. Suicides in the forest maybe but that’s all. Tales of wolves and vampires and more but no sightings of them to be true.

Now here this poor girl was scrambling in the night. Tripping over her feet and clawing her way to the corner of an alley. Trapped her killer coming from the shadows. She heard the low snarls, the claws scraping against the walls like nails to a chalkboard. And then she saw him. The creature up close. And her screams filled the night once more.

The creature in front of her was only something you would see if you were having a nightmare in hell.

Nothing but the skeletal form of an older man. Some pieces of the skeleton like the shoulders, fingers, toes, knees, neck, and head had muscle. On top of the muscle was a tad bit of skin. Some of the skin so loose the monster had to wrap his flesh around his bone to keep it from falling. Other pieces of skin would cling to his muscle or get stuck like a sticker.

Toes and nails nasty looking. The long nails that curled under the toes and fingertips. Black lips with white teeth that were covered with black drool. No hair, no eyebrows. Just skin peeling from the face. Only defining human feature was the piercing blue colored eyes it had. Crawling to the woman with drool dripping from his smile as he began to approach her. Closing in for a kill he had been waiting centuries for. Hungry. He had been hungry for such a long time.

His mouth opening wide, a low groggy gurgle scream filling the air as he lunged toward her. The woman curled up in a fetal position ball cowering in the corner. Eyes scrinting closed as she knew she was about to meet her death. Just when she thought she would feel the impact from his blow another growl filled the air. Shaky arms moving to the side as she looked for a view. Surprised at what she had seen.

A werewolf or a Lycan of some sort. Fur black as night as the wolf bit down on the monster's arm and yanked it clean off. His gurgled snarls turned to painful yelps. Another black blur and his leg was gone. Two massive wolves stood on all fours with the fragile pieces of body hanging from their mouth. Staring at the monster before rising on their hind legs. Banging on their chest and howling. They were lycans. Two more came down finishing the creature off as one grabbed the neck and the other the torso ripping him in half. Black blood clinging to their furs and covering the pale woman's skin.

Her body shivering, head yanking to the left when she heard a woman off in the distance. Walking towards her with these abnormal pastel purple eyes. A piece of cloth in her hand as she approached the woman to cover her frail clawed up body. Kneeling down to pull her into her arms as she began to whimper and cry. “Hush now. My name is Lelani. You are safe now my child. No one and nothing will harm you.”