Page 65 of The Curse of Eternity
Then the sword’s blade toppled over, its hilt inches from the guard’s lifeless fingers. To the naked eye, the floor beneath appeared undamaged. I blinked, but the sounds of a struggle not far off recaptured my attention. Drake was locked in combat with the other guard, who had been joined by two others, now laying dismembered between the shelves while he faced the remaining lycan.
Horror swept away my initial surge of victory. The nerves connecting Drake’s left arm had been severed, leaving the limb to hang limp at his side. The sluggish step he took to evade the guard’s next swing of their mace meant he was losing too much blood too fast. Even with my blood fresh in his system, he’d need time to recover from a wound that severe.
Pages and bindings flew as the mace smacked against several books, the shelves too close on either side for the oversizedweapon. Drake stumbled over a torn-off armored arm, barely catching himself against the shelves opposite the advancing guard. He was weaponless, with the support beam he’d torn away now wedged through a dead guards’ chest.
Without a second thought, I reached for the fallen sword beside me. My left palm burned when I grasped its handle. The guard raised their mace, gunning for Drake’s head.
“Drake!” I cried, catching his gaze when he glanced over his shoulder. Fear shone in his dark eyes, replaced by determination when I threw the sword.
He dodged the mace, and I exhaled when he caught the sword in his still-able right hand. Drake met the next blow of the battle mace with the sharp end of his stolen blade. I raced down the aisle, hopping over ripped spines and blood-soaked pages.
Raising my machete high, I leaped past Drake to bring my blade down against the guard. My weapon met the resistance of steel, clanging off the enemy’s shield. Now they had two opponents. The guard’s stance turned defensive, backing up several steps in less than a second. Positioned before the guard, with Drake a step behind, I shifted my weight to my right heel.
Which helped me keep my balance when the entire library started to shake underfoot.
− 20 −
Die with Me
I staggered to stay upright, flinging my left arm out for balance. The guard didn’t move, trapped in place by the shifting shadow fortress, same as us. By the time I faced Drake, who gripped the nearby shelf as his gaze darted around the room with clear disbelief, the shaking ceased.
Silence followed in the wake of the disruption, and my head snapped forward at the smallest squeak. The guard backed away, one step at a time, before turning tail and disappearing around the next corner. Maybe I should have followed them, but with Drake injured, defensive action seemed like the better call.
I huffed, slowly lowering my weapon. Wincing at my aching muscles, I turned to Drake and asked, “Can you walk?”
Displeasure soured his features while he tried to keep himself upright without using the shelving for balance.
“You were meant to flee,” he rasped, and I took the initiative to shoulder some of his weight to get us moving. “They will surely wake now, our element of surprise is lost. Youhaveto leave, Maria—”
“I don’t care what I agreed to! I amnotleaving you,” I spat, glaring up into his gaze. Teeth gritted, I hunched under hisweight.He’d heal on our way to the chambers.“Now, which way?”
“We must turn back.” His begrudging cadence convinced me they were real directions and not an argument. “A door at the end of the library contains a passage straight to the floor where the master bedroom is kept.”
“Alright.” I half-carried Drake as he limped along through the handicap of his blood loss, but the magick in his veins slowly repaired his body during our slow progress around the fallen tomes. My grip on my machete was firm, but the shaking in my wrist was proof enough that the effects of his blood were wearing off. Stupid supernatural metabolism wasn’t great for survival.
Under my fatigue, adrenaline pounded a dull beat inside of my skull. Three thoughts kept me moving through the maze-like library, taking Drake’s silent indications to turn when necessary.
Firstly, if we left empty-handed then both of our lives were over—Drake would be hunted down eventually, and I’d probably do something idiotic or romantic trying to save him. Sweat ran down my temple, my breathing low but harsh.
Second—Icouldn’tdie here. I had to get home. Nobody would know the truth otherwise. Why had I even written that dumb letter? Would that become my legacy, sacrificing myself for my mortal enemy to give my family peace of mind?What ajoke. No matter how I felt only a couple weeks ago, no death was a good one.
There was no glory in giving up.
Which was the third reason. Because this legacy had lied to me, painting a rose-tinted picture. Promised me a purpose, but only shoved me onto the battlefield. One I would have given anything to stay ignorant of, like everyone else who didn’t know to fear the pierce of deadly fangs.
I’d assumed that my family and I were the only ones who stood between these monsters and humanity, but Drake hadwiped that slate clean for me. Now I knew the truth, and we didn’t stand a fucking chance. Not unless I could get out of here to warn my people of the danger, and prepare ourselves for what might come after.
Maybe then I could be truly free. If, by some means, I could win more than this one day, and eventually find a way to take them all out for good. Except I couldn’t do it on my own. Glancing at Drake, whose steps had steadied enough to keep his weight from straining my aching muscles, I recognized what had dug our bond so deep. On our own, we were lost, but together? We had a chance at surviving the hands life had dealt us.
Beyond determination, there was resolve behind his raven-dark eyes. Never again would I question my worth in my family. I might be descended from Helsing, but I wasn’talonein this legacy, and the strength that fact gave me had never been more clear.
Drops of blood and sweat trailed behind us between the rows of books that hadn’t seen daylight for centuries. Just when I felt like screaming ‘how much longer,’ the next turn brought us to an arched door. A cold sensation swept through my bones when Drake stood under his own power as I reached for the iron knob.
Before my fingers could grasp the metal, a click echoed. I raised my weapon, immediately shifting into a defensive stance, but my panic ebbed into confusion when the door opened outward to reveal nothing within. Beside me, Drake’s posture stiffened, and his brow furrowed as we glanced at each other. Looking as dumbfounded as I felt, Drake shook his head.
A spark of intuition itched at the back of my mind. It couldn’t be a coincidence, and after what happened when I fought the guard… This wasn’t the time to wonder idly, so I rolled my shoulders and took the first tentative steps into the shadows. Drake staggered after me, his strides growing more sure by the minute as he started up a series of steps swathed in darkness.
I reached out for a railing, but Drake’s cold hand grasped mine, his fingers sticky with the blood of others against my sweaty palm. As I shifted to pull the door shut behind us, I startled when it swung closed without making a sound. Shrouded in oblivion on all sides, I ascended the steps and inhaled a deep breath.Nowhere to go but up.
