Page 60 of Blood and Hexes

None of what he’d heard about the ancient had suggested it.

“How?”

“Spend enough time in a cave, you’ll figure it out, too.” He tilted his head east. “The fire’s started. The easternmost group is moving south. I say we don’t give them a chance to reach the rest of their company. Let’s hunt.”

Then, he ran.

Mikar generally never needed to exert himself to catch up with anyone, but to follow Eirikr, he had to use all his strength. Yet Chloe’s steps hit the ground as hard, as fast, as his.

And so did Diana’s. There might just be something to the “drinking vampire blood” trick.

Chloe and Eirikr led their group through Oldcrest till they’d reached the base of Cosnoc.

“Whoa. Blair’s skilled at pyrotechnics,” Alexius said.

The entire border was on fire, wild flames spreading fast across the plains and crawling uphill.

Eirikr smirked, like he was having fun, got to a shallow crouch, and leaped. The jump projected him high enough to clear the flames, and then some.

They heard screams on the other side of the flames.

Mikar and Diana exchanged a glance, before jumping. It wasn’t too high, come to think of it. Most vampires would have been able to clear a few yards. Eirikr had counted on their enemies’ instincts to move away from the fire, regardless of whether it posed a real threat to them, and he’d been right.

Outside the borders, the ancient was tearing through vampire after vampire, the blades in his hands moving like extensions of his deadly arms. Mikar took the macuahuitl strapped to his back and joined in, fighting close enough to Diana to ensure no one was taking her by surprise. He moved to swing the club of blades on a snarling young vamp reaching for her hair, and hit her right through the throat. A second swipe cut her head clean off. Mikar just had time to register movement from the corner of his eye, and Diana’s fist collided with a dark-haired man in a dustcoat. She kneed him where it hurt, and when he fell forward, planted the blade at the back of her heel through his heart from the back, breaking ribs along the way.

“I love the boot knives!” she yelled over the racket of blades and screams.

Bodies piled up on the ground, falling one after the other. These were all poorly-trained weaklings, and they had no chance against them.

“Back inside,” Eirikr yelled, his voice carrying in the blood-clogged air.

He took Chloe’s hand and leaped over the fire with her.

Rather than question his judgement again, Mikar followed, Diana by his side.

Once they were safe inside of Oldcrest, Eirikr said, “Someone called for reinforcements. They’re coming this way.”

“We could have taken them,” Chloe stated, matter-of-fact.

Eirikr grinned proudly at her. “Yes, daughter. Or we could take whoever’s left on the south border now.”

He wasn’t just good at strategy; Eirikr was good at keeping people alive. They attacked their enemies in small isolated groups, thinning the herd without using up too much strength. Mikar wasn’t sneaky enough to have thought of any of these moves: the fire, the territory hopping games. He wasn’t keeping count, but they must have dispatched hundreds, if not thousands of enemies in just a few minutes.

The last time they jumped over the flames, everyone turned to Eirikr, but he remained where he stood, wiping his blade on his stained sweats.

“What now?”

He tilted his chin toward the main road—the only road—leading out of Oldcrest. “They’re done waiting. They’ll come at us from here, and through the woods.” Probably because the rest of the territory was on fire. “The wolves will slow them down.”

Mikar looked into Diana’s dark eyes. He remembered foolishly thinking he’d lock his mate up somewhere, like Rapunzel’s witch. This was so much better. Someone who could be here with him. Even if this was the end.

He extended his hand, and silently, she took it.

The wall crumbled in shimmery specks of golden magic that faded in the wind. With a battle cry, thousands and thousands of vampires raced toward their small gathering.

In the distance, thunder growled. Magic wrapped all around them, electrifying the air.

Then, the first wave hit.

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