“Hopefully they can.” Rhennic growled as he gazed around now, scowling at how few of their allies were left and what bad shape they were in. As Layla gazed around also, her heart sank at how much of a hit they’d taken from Hunter’s attack.
Even despite how much they had won today.
CHAPTER 20 – CHANCE
Heaving hard breaths in King DuVir’s underground crystal hall, Layla and her men took a moment to assess their situation. Without many allies left, and all in bad shape, their chances at winning now were slim against Hunter. But as she glanced around, Layla was heartened to see a number of familiar faces helping the wounded; Amalia DuFane, who still somehow looked fresh despite a number of burn-marks upon her gold evening dress, and Quindici DaPonti standing in ravaged finery with his Vampires from Florence. The Madame circulated also, just as naked as Layla and the other shape-shifters, her beautifully aged body curvaceous and tiger-striped with gold as she used her magics to heal people. As a sheet-white Rake André stumbled up, leaning heavily on Dusk, his black Bartending outfit rent to pieces, Layla’s heart suddenly breathed in relief.
Though it also screamed – as many friends missing from their midst as were present.
“I count about five hundred here with us in the hall, Adrian,” Rhennic spoke low now as they gazed around, “but from the looks of it, they’re all in bad shape. None of the Ephilohim are here, or Luke, Rikyava, the Blood Dragons, or any of King Mathii’s fighters.”
“I just received a message from Heathren, through this.” Rake gasped as he leaned heavily on Dusk, looking terrible though a fierce steadfastness flashed in his jade-green eyes. Raising one soot-blackened hand, he held up a white and gold Intercessoria communication-stone. “Heathren got Luke, Insinio, and his cadre away from the battle via an Intercessoria portal when Rhennic sounded the retreat. They found Rikyava, King Huttr, Prince Halfdir, and a number of Blood Dragons in the forest and got them out also, though most of them are in rough shape and the Intercessoria healers are working on them now. Heathren and Insinio are healing Luke personally; he pushed himself hard holding thenullax-barrier as long as he did. But they say he’ll make it.”
“Thanks for telling me.” Layla took a deep breath as she closed her eyes for a long moment. But though she felt a deep worry for Luke and all he had done during the fight, she could not allow herself to pause right now –not until the battle was won.
“What about King Mathii and his people?” Adrian asked Rake now, a dark frown on his features as he digested the news.
“I’m sorry, Adrian.” Rake shook his head with a bleak look in his jade-green eyes now. “King Mathii and his Black Spear Dragons took out three-quarters of Hunter’s remaining Binds – by the Intercessoria’s estimate, Hunter has only about two hundred left, and they’re regrouping now. But King Mathii died fighting, and all his old guard with him, the ones that came here to Paris. I’m sorry to say, but… you are the Desert Dragon King now.”
Taking a slow breath, Adrian nodded at Rake’s words. As he did, Layla felt tumult swirl deep inside Adrian; that this was not how he’d wanted to ascend his Kingship. Like all of them, he’d hoped his King would live to fight another day – and Layla saw how it nearly broke Adrian to know their strongest ally was gone. Like Layla losing her father King Ruslan to Hunter’s insanity, Adrian had now lost the last person he could truly call family, other than Rachida and Nadia, if she still lived.
As if called up by Layla’s thought, a badly wounded Rachida approached them now, naked and holding a seeping wound in her side as she leaned heavily on an equally naked and battered Emir Tousk. Beside them, Quindici approached the group also, looking grim with a black nimbus surrounding him as he was flanked by his elegant Florentine Vampires.
“We can’t fight further, Adrian.” Rachida spoke plainly, her piercing green eyes severe even as Layla watched her doing healing magic to repair her wound. “The fighters you have left barely made it in here. If Hunter gets through, which he will, we won’t last long. What’s your plan?”
“Phase five.” Adrian spoke as he looked to Dusk and Rhennic and they both nodded. “It’s time to retreat; to scatter those who are still alive through the Thin Ways. We need to get them out of here and get them hidden. Hunter won’t come after them – he’s only coming after the Bind now.”
“Excuse me –hideus in the Thin Ways?” Rachida blinked at Adrian as Emir scowled ferociously beside her. Rachida had finished healing her wound and straightened now, only a ragged pink scar left behind. “Have you gone insane, Adrian? With all the Vampire Revenants in there? We’d be finished off for certain, even without Hunter’s games!”
But Adrian didn’t respond to his aunt now, looking at Dusk. “Dusk. It’s time. Call them.”
With a sober nod, Dusk drew a deep breath and stood up tall. But he was as exhausted as the rest, and Layla felt him draw heavily on the Bind as he shuddered a low rumble all through the hall and deep into the earth. Layla felt the power of his summons, with that universe-shuddering rumble. And like evil magic, smoke-black specters were suddenly flowing in from the Thin Ways.
Darkening the French Baroque hall and provoking cries of dismay all around.
“Be silent!!” Reginald’s command heaved out in a wash of oceanic energy then, smiting every ear and ceasing their cries. As one, their remaining allies turned, staring at him. “These Vampire Revenants you see before you have sworn their aid to the Bind, to help us all now in our time of need. They are your guides through the Thin Ways to the far corners of the earth, where they will protect you until this battle with Hunter is finished, one way or another. The time for protecting the Paris Hotel has ended. Now is the time to save yourselves to fight another day. Layla, myself, and our Bind will battle Hunter personally from here on out. All of you have done admirably, and are now dismissed. Go with the Revenants… and keep hope in your hearts.”
As Reginald finished, Layla saw Gold-Eyes move to the front of the hall, watching them. As Adrian nodded to the ancient Descendant Vampire, he nodded back – and with a swirl of his spear, he was suddenly marshaling his Revenants into pairs, assigning them to different groups of allies. As he did, Dusk nodded to the stately monk Norbu Gyatso standing by Nimir’s sapphire-diamond sarcophagus in his Tibetan robes; as Norbu approached, Dusk softly instructed him to assign a strong Crystal Dragon to each group so they could get through the Ways. With a twinkling smile, Norbu began Dusk’s task, directing Crystal Dragons quickly to all the groups.
As that finished, an uneasy mistrust filled the hall; Layla suddenly felt Rake breathe out with his exhausted power, as Reginald and Fury drove his calming breath-magic deep into everyone. As their remaining allies shuddered, overtaken by that vast wave of calm, Reginald spoke once more.
“Go. And let yourselves live on.”
In a vast sigh, those who had collapsed from pain and wounds pushed up from the floor now, supported by their fellows. At a nod from Adrian, Gold-Eyes nodded back, marshaling his Revenants with his black smoke spear.We shall meet again, Fire Dragon, it spoke quietly as it held Adrian’s gaze.And when we do, you shall fulfill our promise.
As Gold-Eyes looked to Dusk next, Dusk gave the creature a sober nod. Quinn wore a terrible scowl, however, as if calculating just how bad that agreement would be for his people soon. But even as Gold-Eyes began marshaling everyone out of the hall, a few of their stronger allies held out. As everyone else departed, Rachida and Emir stubbornly stuck to their places; likewise, Quinn and his Vampires would not budge. As nakedly gorgeous as their brothers, Atlantos and Typhos Durant were as stubborn as the rest, as were Rake and Amalia. And with a proud stare, the Madame stepped up beside them – lifting an eyebrow at Reginald.
“It won’t work, pummeling your suggestions through us, Aldo.” The Madame spoke as she smiled. “Your strongest allies are staying; to give you all one last fighting chance against Hunter when he arrives. For who will fight his Binds now? We will. We will remain and face them as you lead him on. And find you again upon the other side.”
As she spoke, Layla didn’t know if the Madame meant on the other side of death, but Reginald stepped forward now, deeply touched as he took Etienne’s hand – and Layla suddenly remembered he and the Madame had been casual lovers for ages. “You could die here, Etienne.”
“I could have died a thousand times in my day,” she smiled sweetly back, patting his cheek, “but now I do it for something I truly believe in. Sylvania died as she lived, Aldo – content right here in the place she loved best. I will do no less, be it today or another day. The legacy of the Red Letter Hotel Paris will live on, if you survive. And I would sacrifice anything for that. So I will.”
As she spoke, the Madame suddenly shifted in a wash of power and light – up into the most enormous big cat Layla had ever seen. Etienne’s gold and white striped tiger-shape was big as a Dragon as their Tiger Mama lashed her tail, flexing her long golden claws and smiling with enormous saber-tooth fangs. Etienne’s gold eyes glinted, and Layla thought she heard the Madame’s bright laugh in her mind. But then the cave-in beyond the diamond pillars blasted out.
And there stood Hunter – ready to finish what they had started.
Royal Dragon Binds massed all around Hunter in the underground stairwell, now open to the night sky above, as Hunter stared Layla down. Alone among his retinue, he stood in human-form, tall and fine-wrought with desert-honed musculature and beautiful caramel-gold skin. But his face was unsteady as his dawn-bright eyes burned into Layla; his face flickering through dozens of personalities, and dozens more. The Bind and their remaining allies held their breath as Hunter stared at Layla, illuminated by light from both the crystal hall and also by fires roaring above in the Hotel. Smoke blotted out the stars now as Hunter’s face finally settled into his own.
