Valentine was silent, and I kept my mouth shut too, though the dagger in my hand demanded blood. We were frozen in the middle of the hall, littered with meat and soaked in blood. Carefully, I averted my gaze from the vampire’s eyes to catch sight of Harry’s barely visible figure, suspended in a stream of raw magic. The wizard wasn’t moving, and I couldn’t tell whether that was good or bad.

  “Don’t even hope,” Noah said. “August guaranteed this will take at least a couple of hours.”

  “Fairburn? So you’ve been working together from the very beginning?”

  “Buying time…” The vampire smirked. “Pointless. You should make a decision already.”

  “Are you suggesting I drop my weapon to save my friend?”

  “I wouldn’t recommend it. You’ll both die anyway. This way, at least you can take an enemy with you.”

  “Hey!” Simon cried out indignantly.

  Noah ignored him and grinned, baring his teeth. A ringing sound echoed in my ears as the corpses of the chimeras – those that hadn’t been cut or smashed enough – started twitching again. And then I realized I was witnessing the famous vampire’s call.

  It also became clear that Valentine – or perhaps Fairburn – had used vampire blood as the basis for the chimeras. Which meant we hadn’t killed the entire farm. And here I was, my only weapon held against my enemy’s throat, gripping his blood-soaked hair with my wounded hand. If he jerked, I wouldn’t be able to hold him.

  “Just remember,” Valentine said, “the moment Simon dies, so does your friend.”

  I shoved Feron in the thigh, forcing him to kneel, and dragged a revolver toward me with my foot. It lay nearby. The weapon was heavier than my FN, and my grip, despite the fact that my wounds had already closed, was still slippery and unsteady. If the new creatures were as fast as the last ones, I’d miss.

  “A strange waste,” I said. “Why put so much effort into this? Breaking seals, training, watching over him?”

  “He became too rebellious, too disobedient.”

  “Is it really so hard to find leverage over him? Simon is still useful. Whatever you were trying to achieve with the old man’s death, your scheme has failed. Killing an agent like him… In the end, you could just turn him…”

  I laughed.

  “And what about this?” I asked, pressing the barrel of the gun to Feron’s head.

  Valentine’s eyes flared with anger, though he gave away no other signs of irritation. But I could tell.

  The doors burst open, and two ragged figures with red eyes and the thin fangs of newborns stumbled in. Through the window leapt a guard, followed by a dockside whore. Warehouse workers? Dumb meat with no thought in their eyes, just the hunger for blood on their faces.

  Last came a creature covered in charred scabs and oozing lymph from deep cracks in its flesh. Instead of a left hand, the stump of its forearm ended in jagged bone shards. The gunner I had caught with a sphere explosion?

  Was this all? Or was there another army of them outside? I didn’t see the pair I had passed on the road.

  “And what does this change?” Noah smiled.

  I cocked the hammer.

  “Stop!” the vampire barked. His minions froze.

  “Don’t take me for an idiot, bloodsucker,” I said, attempting to dictate my terms. “Release my friend before your lackey loses the last of his wits.”

  “And what’s to stop you from killing him once I grant your wish? Spare me the talk of honor and promises – I won’t believe a word of it.”

  “I’ll lose my last bit of leverage, and you’ll kill us anyway. We can’t take you on alone.”

  “Fair enough. But you’ve tricked me once already. I really did believe Bryce Kinkaid was the one barging into the warehouse.”

  “It’s your call.”

  “Just kill him already!” Simon shouted.

  I slashed the insolent fool across the ear with my dagger to silence him. Containing the dagger’s fury was hard enough as it was. Ferrish whispered to me of power and might, of all that I could achieve under his patronage. All it would take was one slash across the throat, one pull of the trigger… anything to end Simon.

  The dreams were sweet, and the spirit raised the stakes even higher. Now, not only could I break free from the seals, but I could also gain the chance to survive, to escape the vampires.

  The visions pressed heavily on my temples, my principles, and my conscience. I saw myself dissolve into the ether, rise into the sky, and reappear anywhere in the city I wished. Somewhere else, under different circumstances, this would have been impossible.

  But here and now, the air was saturated with ether, and the master of the place was preoccupied, fighting ‘death.’

  And really, what choice did I have? What could I possibly do against the master vampire armed with a warlock tricks?

  And then there were the minions. For all the madness in their eyes, even the scorched husk wasn’t rushing to attack.

  Ferrish had lost his patience. The spirit simply couldn’t comprehend why I was hesitating – after all, the prey was in my hands, the hunt was over, and it was time to claim the trophies. His offer now came with a clear deadline. Moments slipped away like water through my fingers.

  All I had to do was pull the trigger… and I wouldn’t have to spend years breaking the seals. I could become a warlock, walk the path of my father and grandfather, be useful to the clan, avenge my grandfather!

  All I had to do was pull the trigger… and Bryan McLilly, the man who had saved my life just hours ago, would die. And what would happen to Harry? Nothing good, if Valentine was in league with Fairburn.

  If I left, they’d die. And what would I say to Bryan’s mother? How would I look his brother – the one married to Sally – in his eye? I didn’t want power earned at that cost. I couldn’t live with it.

  Ha! Big words, Duncan Kinkaid! You’re already dead.

  I’m sorry, ancient spirit, but you didn’t understand me last time, and I doubt you’ll understand me now. With all due respect for the role you’ve played in raising my family and the clan, humans and ethereals think differently. I won’t abandon my friends. At least, I’ll try to make a difference.

  A pang of regret shot through my hand, the dagger’s rage left it, and the blade became nothing more than an ordinary piece of metal in my grip.

  “What’s so funny?” Valentine asked.

  I hadn’t noticed I’d started smiling. I’d failed the final test, yet I didn’t feel regret. My grandfather wouldn’t have approved of this decision. I know he’d have scolded me if he’d had the chance. But deep down, he’d have been proud of me. Because the Kinkaids don’t seek power for themselves!

  “Our chances of survival,” I replied. “Aren’t they hilarious?”

  “Are there any?” Valentine quipped.

  “Well, at least for one of us. You got anything big and fiery left?” I asked Bryan, tossing the dagger aside. Instead, I pulled a vial of incendiary oil from my satchel, yanked out the cork with my teeth, spat it to the ground, and poured the contents over Simon’s head. Then I made sure to rub it in, not forgetting his face.

  “Ugh, disgusting!” Feron spat, coughing as some of the oil got in his mouth. “What is this filth?”

  “Incendiary oil. The same one that eats through metal. Remember?”

  Bryan gave me a thumbs-up and aimed his fist at Simon. His hand looked bare, but I remembered he had artifact rings hidden there.

  “Well, there you go,” I said to Noah. “And you said time wasn’t on my side.”

  “Clever,” Valentine praised. “Maybe we can negotiate?”

  “What?!” Simon, Bryan, and I said in unison.

  “You promised me his life!” Simon roared.

  “I even gave you the chance to finish him yourself! And what? You screwed it up again! So shut up, Simon! Duncan, the seals. They’re actually quite easy to break if you know how.”

  “Are you mocking me? You killed my grandfather, you bastards!”

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  “And who are you to play the noble prince?” Valentine shot back. “How many corpses have you planted at my place?”

  “What corpses?”

  “The drained ones. Lucas helped you, didn’t he? I knew that bastard couldn’t be trusted.”

  “Hold on, are you saying it wasn’t your boys who forgot to dump the leftovers?”

  “Have you completely lost it? First rule of vampires – don’t foul where you live. Why do you think Lindemann’s kids were running around in the slums?”

  “Are you seriously going to tell me you didn’t kidnap Finella?”

  “Flower’s sister?” Valentine frowned. Then understanding lit up his face. “That slimy bastard!”

  Bryan choked as Valentine’s grip tightened on his throat.

  “Careful there!” I snapped.

  Valentine came to his senses.

  “I’ll wipe out his nest and then crush that cunning slug! Lindemann told you I took the girl, didn’t he? Don’t answer; it’s obvious. Let me share a fun fact: about an hour before you paid Simon a visit, Lindemann called me. Told me you’d be dropping by and sent his daughters to, let’s say, ‘encourage’ me. He even told me not to be gentle with them – said I should toss them into the garbage bins for better effect. I remember thinking, why the bins? Turns out… Bravo, Lucas, masterful play!”

  Valentine seemed to simultaneously despise, hate, and admire Lucas while I tried to piece together his emotional tirade with the facts I knew.

  “So this whole thing is his scheme?”

  “You don’t even grasp half of it! Where do you think I got this army of abominations?” Valentine pointed to the chimera remains scattered around us. “All I had to do was bring them to heel. And how did I find you, strike a deal with August, all in just a few hours? That bastard made sure we’d destroy each other. You could even say he handed me the weapons.”

  “And why would he do that?” I asked, more out of stubbornness and a desire to buy time than genuine curiosity.

  “Because the dead don’t talk. August becomes indebted to Lucas for killing a wizard, Flower owes him for saving his sister… and then John will reassure the Bremorians that Lucas has been protecting them, keeping me in check and stopping me from making reckless decisions… A truly slimy bastard!”

  “But,” Simon interjected, “then he won’t keep the cops off us. We don’t have the time he promised.”

  Valentine slowly nodded.

  “Correct,” the vampire said. Bryan’s Adam’s apple crunched under his fingers. The boy’s eyes bulged as he clawed at his throat, desperate for a breath of air.

  I pulled the trigger.

  Simon’s head exploded in a fountain of fiery spray, miraculously missing my oil-coated hand. Mindless vampire meat lunged into the attack. I shot the closest one, a guard, in the head, took a step back, and fired at the whore. Then a bullet each for the ragged fledglings.

  The last one, the armless creature, got the closest, snapping its fanged jaws at my revolver. The bullet tore through its throat and the back of its skull, flinging the body onto Simon’s burning brains.

  I was out of bullets. Face-to-face with a grinning Valentine.

  The vampire deliberately raised his free wrist to his lips and bit into the veins. If they’d been human, the blood would’ve gushed out, but instead, only a few drops beaded up. Valentine leaned over Bryan, who was already turning blue, forced the boy’s jaw open, and let a single drop of blood fall into his mouth.

  “Two for one. Excellent trade,” he smirked.

  Two… Bryan and me… Harry’s spell was keeping Bryan from dying, but the displaced cartilage in his throat wouldn’t let him breathe.

  I threw the revolver at the vampire and dove for the rod lying on the floor. Reaching out, I caught the pale spark of death on the back of my hand. My hand reached the staff but couldn’t grasp it.

  Outside, the wail of police sirens pierced the air.

  Valentine whistled. Two well-dressed vampires appeared in the doorway – not the mindless meat I had just shot down. I reached for the rod with my other hand, but it, too, caught a spark of death.

  “Grab these two and let’s go.”

  I smacked my oiled hand against my forehead and tried to reach for the nearest flicker of light, but the white ray of death turned it into a handful of ash.

  “Make sure this one doesn’t kill himself on the spot.”

  The two vampires efficiently twisted my arms behind my back. Metal cuffs clamped around my wrists. They hauled me to my feet, which I immediately used to kick the nearest one squarely in the kneecap. The vampire hissed and struck me across the face, sending me crashing back down onto the blood-soaked floor.

  A vampire’s head landed next to me. Then another. Moments later, headless bodies collapsed around them.

  Uncle Bryce leapt through the window, clearing the pile of meat beneath it. Cousin Evan and Bryan’s older brother followed through the door, the latter in a half-feline shifter form.

  Valentine clapped his hands, turning back to Bryan, whose face was blue from lack of air.

  “Where do you find the strength?” he asked. “But I won’t fall for that trick a second time!”

  Bryce exchanged a surprised glance with the others, shrugged, and disappeared in a flash of lightning, reappearing inches from the vampire. I didn’t see the blow – not that Valentine did either. The vampire slammed into the wall, and the hilt of a dagger protruded neatly between his startled eyes.

  The shifter MacLilly pounced on his brother while Evan rushed to me.

  “You’re real!” I realized. “But how?!”

  “At the cost of a pile of firestone and two melted engines,” Evan replied. “As soon as we heard about the Grand Hunt, we bolted. Are you alright?”

  “Bryan! Valentine crushed his windpipe!”

  “I see,” said MacLilly’s older brother. He plunged a claw into Bryan’s throat and opened the wound, letting air whistle through it. “Easy, little brother, you’ll be fine.”

  “Evan, take charge,” Bryce said, pulling the dagger from the vampire’s skull. “I’ve got a choice to make.”

  It seemed Ferrish was feeling generous.

  “Bryan,” I said, nodding toward Simon’s body. “Try to claim the offering while the body’s still warm.”

  “That’s your kill,” Evan said.

  “I missed my chance.”

  MacLilly’s brother helped Bryan retrieve a dagger from under his jacket and reach the scorched hole in Simon’s head. The moment the blade touched the body, Bryan’s windpipe snapped back into place with a crunch, and the wound he’d been breathing through healed itself. Ferrish hadn’t given him a choice – still, it wasn’t Bryan who shot the bastard, even if he did contribute to the hunt.

  “Well, that’s a gift,” the warlock rasped.

  “Policemen are swarming the streets,” Evan reported. “They’re closing in on the block. If we’re leaving, it has to be now.”

  “I promised I wouldn’t run,” I replied. “Besides, someone needs to make sure Harry finishes the ritual without interference. There could be someone outside. Someone from the Fairburn family. But there’s likely someone else too. Bryan, are you up for bringing Sunset?”

  “No problem,” MacLilly said, his color rapidly returning to normal.

  “And you’d better knock me out. Harry and the detective may be friends, but Sunset’s a sharp and meticulous man. I won’t be able to come up with a good enough lie in this state. One more thing,” I nudged Simon’s body with my foot. “This corpse here is Davie. A hired killer and Noah Valentine’s favorite lackey,” I added, pointing to the vampire’s body.

  “That’s not enough,” Bryce said, regaining his composure. “Tell me everything. And you,” he gestured to Bryan, “go fetch the detective, but take your time. Give us a few minutes.”

  In the fifteen minutes Bryan managed to delay Sunset by leading him around the burnt-out park, I told my uncle everything I knew and took a dose of sleeping potion.

  I woke up late in the evening, the sun setting outside the window. In the chair next to the bed, Uncle Bryce was reading a newspaper. The date on the front page informed me that I’d been out for three days. I hadn’t realized my wounds were that serious.

  “Vampire feuds continue. Lucas Lindemann’s head remains missing,” said the headline.

  “Was it you?” I asked my uncle.

  “Duncan!” He looked delighted as he put the paper aside.

  “Did you take out Lindemann?” I repeated.

  “Oh no, it was Valentine’s children seeking revenge,” he said with a smile, but when he noticed my skeptical expression, he admitted, “That’s the official version. In reality, Evan ambushed him. They had quite the interesting conversation. Turns out the vampire had been nursing a grudge against Valentine for years and had been collecting information he tried to bargain with. He wasn’t directly involved in the attack on your father, but he knew a thing or two – filled in some of the gaps.”

  “What did we find out?”

  “The nest in Bremshire that Kirk wiped out belonged to Valentine’s firstborn.”

  “A simple revenge plot?”

  “Duncan,” Bryce sighed. “He was a respected vampire, a master with status. He wasn’t exiled.”

  “You’re saying the prince gave him permission?”

  Bryce nodded.

  “It’s just a theory, but it makes sense. There was an attempted invasion – It failed. The vampires suffered heavy losses but didn’t give up. They waited and devised a new plan: kill Gregor, disgrace the family, install Sean as head, and then return his warlock son to him. I think the new Earl of Bremshire would’ve been willing to make some concessions after that.”

  “Sean was involved too?”

  “No idea. But now we know where to start digging. And I’ve finally matched old man in power. Thanks to you. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” The praise – and the realization that I’d done something useful for the clan – was satisfying. It made everything worthwhile. “What about the Fairburns?”

  “Harry said he’d handle it.”

  “What about the Sparrow brothers?”

  “The older one is fixing up a car. Harry bought himself a brand-new Royal. And the younger one? He’s busy hitting the books.” Bryce grinned mischievously. “Oh, and some young lady stopped by here… asking about your health.”

  “Finella?”

  “No. Lord Flower was rather adamant about you two not speaking anymore. If I were you, I wouldn’t push it. Especially since Miss Sheridan is chasing after you herself.”

  “Ellie? She was just checking on a friend’s health!”

  “Duncan, listen to your elder. After all the adventures you’ve been through together, she’s probably built you up as her hero. Don’t miss your chance. She’s a fine girl from a respectable family.”

  “Can we talk about something else before you marry me off?”

  “Marry you off? Hmm...”

  “Uncle!”

  “I’m joking.” Bryce reached for the coffee table and picked up a few sheets of thick paper. “What do you see here?”

  I looked closely. Etheric runes shimmered on the surface.

  “A chain of spirit wards,” I answered. He flipped to another sheet. “A fire arrow… And this one’s more complex. A seal for temperature stabilization. Am I right?”

  “No idea,” Bryce said. “I haven’t opened my third eye today.”

  “What do you mean?!”

  “Harry finished the ritual two days ago. The place of power has been established; there was a massive etheric surge. Most etheric amulets within a ten-kilometer radius shorted out. The wizard used it to unravel the rune chains and extract the seal from your third eye.”

  “How?”

  “No clue. He said you two discussed it, and you were very clear that you were ready to become a wizard.”

  When did that happen? Though…

  Lord Loxlin: the Baron and the Wizard. I think I like the sound of that!