23. Bloodshed
The air was thick in its near silence. Hours remained until sundown. The hunters had nearly finished setting the snap traps while smaller groups congregated to discuss the strategy they'd been learning all week.
"You're sure not a chance exists that he will bluff?" Tyr asked Juliette.
She shook her head. "The one thing he was reliable about was doing what he said he would, especially violence. Life with him was so confusing, Tyr, because the only trust I had in him was that he’d always follow his own word. I could trust him, but I couldn’t at the same time. Does that make sense? He won’t back down from this fight. He’s so unlike..."
In the distance, Tristan and his family sat on log stumps talking. She longed to be with them.
Tyr followed her gaze. “Why did Nate gave us this week instead of demanding you right away? Surely he knew it meant more time for you and Tristan.”
“Nathaniel loved controlling me.” Juliette sighed. “When I left, he lost that. I think he’s trying to control me from afar by giving me a week to live in fear of him hurting me again. At first, he was winning that. I was scared. I’m not sure when I got more mad than scared. But I’m furious now, Tyr! His plan backfired. I want to kill him. I’m angrier than I’ve ever been, and so full of hate.”
"Go spend some time with your family, my dear. I insist. Go to them, and focus on your love. Let that be what guides your actions. Don’t be blind with hatred. Have your eyes opened by love."
Juliette closed her eyes, trying to decide. "There's so much to do still and…"
"And you need a break. You've worked harder than almost anyone." He pointed with his staff. "Go to them."
William chose that moment to look up and nudged Tristan. Tristan glanced over with a roguish grin.
"All right. I'll be back in just a bit." Juliette smiled and walked toward them, early autumn leaves crunching underfoot. With each step, her negative emotions dissolved a little more.
Tristan pulled her onto his lap as she started to sit. Their faces level, he gently kissed her. “I’m so proud of you, mon Amie.”
Juliette’s face crumpled, and she laid her head on his shoulder, fighting back the terror that began overwhelming her.
The village had changed. Gone was anything ornate and metal. That had been turned into weaponry. Even the clothing they wore was different. Tunics and leggings had replaced gowns, and light vests set aside in favor of heavy hide. Long hair no longer flowed freely.
Stress and anxiety replaced the former gaiety. This village faced the possibility of casualties among them after centuries of peace. Transformation was the only advantage they had over humans, but one wolf bite ensured death.
Juliette's stomach tightened against the growing butterflies. Helplessness pressed in on her and made her feel like an insignificant child who should be running to hide. The sun lowered in the sky, though how close it was to sunset was difficult to determine under the unnaturally thick canopy, and too much danger existed to wander out.
"They're arriving!" someone screamed out.
The young captain’s remaining fear evaporated. “Let’s do this!” she commanded, and began running toward the voice. From within the invisible confines of the village, she watched as the skin-walkers in their wolf forms gathered. All of them had varying shades of fur, some redder or brown, many black, and even a few dark blond. Several of them balanced on their hind legs. In that stance, the thinness of their waists was almost wasp-like. Rough skin showed through mangy patches of coarse fur. Rather than canine paws, their toes appeared to be short, stumpy fingers.
"What the hell?" Emma whispered, coming up behind Juliette. "They look like deformed...I don’t know."
"Maybe a cross between the ugliest mutt in the world and a nightmare?" Juliette suggested.
Emma snorted. "Don't insult the poor dog."
"Yeah. Think we can beat them, Em?"
Twisting her ponytail into a knot, Emma shrugged. "We'll know tonight. But if those things are half as stupid as they look, how could we possibly not win? I'm going to go change and be ready."
More of the monsters joined the crowd, keeping as silent as the vampires behind her. The sound of the wind rustling leaves had no competition. Juliette squeezed Emma’s arm. "Thanks."
Tyr, his usual robes replaced by the battle uniform of fitted leggings and tunic under a thick leather vest tied shut, walked quickly to Juliette. "You need to get ready. Go join the archers. We're minutes from sundown."
"Only minutes?" she asked, her eyes widening. "Okay. We can do this, Tyr, we have to do this. We--"
Tyr's hands landed on Juliette's shoulders and lightly shook her out of her panic. "You have given us a plan that may save us. Without you, we wouldn't have a chance at all. We will do this. Now go."
Juliette swallowed hard and nodded. Her feet carried her to the main hall and up the stairs to a balcony overlooking the large village square full of animals waiting and watching the one entryway into their homeland. From this vantage point, she could both observe and direct. She hoped everyone would remember the signals. Fingers fumbling, she lit the two torches near her and set them in their holder. Dozens of vampires glanced up at her, waiting, and those wielding bows turned to her from their various posts. She pointed toward the entrance, and they returned their focus to it.
Through a break in the cottages, Juliette spotted a slightly larger wolf move forward to stand in front of the rest and howl, a demand for attention. Her heart pounded harder.
As if his mouth were human instead of canine, Nathaniel started to speak in a deep, rough voice. "You did not send her to me, so mercy will not be shown tonight! You are outnumbered. Prepare to die!" He stepped aside to reveal Calvin.
A rumble of growls and snarls came from Calvin’s former friends, those he had betrayed. The vampire's serene expression and upturned face showed them all that he wasn't bothered that he chose to condemn his family with a death sentence. He shook his long pale hair back over his shoulders and started to step forward. Once he reached the border, his new allies would run freely into the protected land. Within the confines, several dozen animal-fighters braced themselves. But Calvin stopped right before entering. Through the darkness and distance he made eye contact with Juliette.
Juliette pulled back on her bow, waiting. She held his gaze, unwilling to be the first to break it, though the dusky remain of sunlight from over the horizon made focusing difficult; soon the battle would begin. Her eyes narrowed as his foot left the ground and slowly stepped onto the threshold.
Another howl emitted from Nathaniel’s throat, and his pack began their descent into the village. The unsuspecting wolves ran straight onto the traps, and dozens of loud snaps and inhumane howls of pain drowned out all other sound. The mob behind them had no chance of slowing. The forward pressure of hundreds forced them onward and into the snapping devices. The pile of writhing bodies created an obstacle for the oncoming wolves who tumbled and rolled over them right onto more of the biting steel teeth.
An arrow released by one of the archers met the first wolf to break through before the creature could cover the fifty yards between the mound of fallen comrades and the vampires waiting for them. A second cleared the hurdles, then a third. The traps’ snaps had ended. All of them had been set off, and the sea of struggling bodies indicated that at least a hundred wolves had been trapped in them. Their numbers had shrunk significantly. Juliette figured one wolf for each vampire made victory a certainty, and she smiled.
As the captured beasts stopped writhing, the arrows only hit the odd random creature. Soon they were nearing the front line straight toward Tristan and Sunil. A lump formed in Juliette's throat as the man she loved raced to meet the greatest threat to his life.
Tristan's powerful legs propelled him forward and over the first wolves, right into the oncoming tsunami of death. Sunil followed close behind. Overhead Emma squalled as if screaming. Within moments, the two sides had blended into one, the last of the be
asts having penetrated the village. Nathaniel, bringing up the lead, betrayed the traitorous Calvin with a vicious bite to his neck. As soon as he cleared over the dead and dying creatures near the entrance, Juliette grabbed a torch and waved her arm in a circular motion to the left.
From between the cottages nearest the traps, the human-form fighters emerged, weapons ready to swing onto the injured and defenseless wolves. Tristan disappeared into the massive crowd.
Juliette turned her attention back to the sea of war beneath her. The occasional arrow soared into the crowd, hitting targets. Pride filled Juliette that her trainees’ arrows only struck their enemies.
An arrow from her own bow took out a red wolf, an another hit black one. She realized a shot to the chest was immediate death. To test her theory, she aimed for the shoulder of another red, and he merely slowed. A second arrow landed in his torso, and he dropped.
On the other side of the field, Tristan ran off behind a cottage. Emma soared into the room behind her and quickly transformed into her human form.
"Juliette, he's run into a trap! At least six of them are waiting back there!"
Juliette didn't wait for more news. She ran down the stairs and through the manor to the crowd outside. Quickly as her legs would carry her, Juliette sprinted to the place where she had seen Tristan disappear. With relief, just as she arrived, he darted out. Carefully she peered between the cottages. Several lifeless bodies lay upon the ground, and one still wriggled. She drew an arrow and loosed it into the wolf’s chest, ending his misery.
A sudden searing ran across the back of her shoulder. Juliette yelped and reached behind her. Her hand met nothing but a pool of warmth. She receded into the shadows and glanced at her fingers, reddened with her own blood. A stray arrow lay in on a pile of leaves near her. One of her trainees must have missed an enemy target. Grateful to only be grazed, she wiped her hand on the front of her vest.
Keeping her back pressed to a wall, bow and arrow in her fist, she moved toward the fighting and peered around a corner at a bear she knew to be William sparring with two smaller wolves like an animal playing with his food before eating. A throaty roar confirmed his enjoyment. One beast tried to dodge a paw and go in for a kill-bite, but William grabbed the heads of his enemies and slammed them together.
Juliette lowered her eyes, trying to forget the sight of so much blood spilling in their instant deaths. She peeked up and saw a human-form vampire swinging a sword at a wolf, unaware that another wolf was sneaking up behind him. As the vampire’s blade came down on the wolf’s shoulder, Juliette quickly aimed and sent an arrow straight at the wolf behind her ally.
A lynx slunk beside her and became human in the shadows. "The trapped wolves are dead, Juliette, and we outnumber the remaining. So far our side is down thirteen, and our family is all still alive." She turned back into a lynx and disappeared before Juliette could ask questions.
Cian had shown himself to be a true warrior. Three wolves leapt at him, three nasty mouths open to bite. Right before any of the beasts touched him, he ducked while stepping a foot out, lowering his body out from under them. Teeth of one wolf sank into another and blood spurted. The remaining rose over the body of their dead buddy. With great skill and strength, Cian swung his mighty blade across, decapitating one and slicing an arm of the other in one blow. Cian pulled back and stabbed the sword forward, impaling the final combatant. But in his moment of confidence, he failed to notice another preparing to attack from behind.
Juliette grabbed an arrow and nocked it. With so much distance and action separating them, she cursed aloud. The hope was a straight shot, and in the moment there was a break in the crowd, she let the arrow loose as the monster pushed himself forward. The silver caught his thigh.
The dark wolf whined, alerting Cian to his presence. In one graceful move, the vampire warrior arced his sword down and up, splitting the torso of his almost-killer. He raised his eyes across the field and spotted Juliette. Quickly he lifted and lowered his hand in thanks. Juliette nodded her acknowledgement.
A furry creature fell from the roof over her, slamming to the ground with a dull thud. Juliette screamed. The tawny animal had an arrow in his chest. She looked up and around, but didn't find who had saved her from death.
Juliette watched a few other fights. "Oh no…"
Most battles appeared to be little more than a vampire pad footing against a wolf, too afraid to get near enough to kill, but still determined to try. She estimated at least half of the wolves remained. The vampires, though not killing, distracted their enemies. As long as her allies stayed alive, Juliette and the other archers could pick them off one by one while the warrior vampires and Tristan's family dealt their lethal blows.
To her surprise, a very large king cobra was holding its own. The wolf that tried to grab its tail learned his mistake. Lightning fast, the snake spun around and administered several rapid bites. Its victim stepped back and started spinning in circles, shaking his limbs as if trying to force the venom out. Two arrows struck him from different directions and he fell to the ground.
Shrieks and growls, howls and barks, roars and shouts mixed into a disorienting din. The remaining magic that surrounded the village seemed to bounce the commotion back into itself. The clang of metal on metal reverberated like cymbals, the wavering cacophony growing louder and softer. For a moment, no distinct sound could be deciphered, just one great mass of chaotic noise.
An elevated torch knocked loose from its holder, landing on a pile of brush. It quickly caught fire and sudden heat spiraled upward and out. Tyr ran from the wolf he had been fighting to put his hands up in front of the blaze as another warrior stepped in and sliced into the beastly creature. Under Tyr's direction, the flames dyed down.
She dashed around the side of the smith’s cottage and stopped short, pressing her palm over her mouth to stifle her scream. On the ground lay the mauled body of a female vampire. Half her face and neck had been chewed off, deep claw marks exposing raw flesh all over her. Whoever had attacked her wanted more than just life.
After checking around all corners and looking at the rooftops, she knelt next to her and picked up a still-warm hand. The fingers twitched.
"I'm so sorry," Juliette whispered, fighting back tears. The vampire was still alive but beyond saving. Juliette gently stroked a patch of moist skin on her ally’s temple. Waiting for the darkness of death to come on its own wasn’t an option. She put herself in the place of the fallen and realized she'd want to feel no more. Fighting back a fresh wave of nausea, Juliette grabbed the small silver dagger strapped to her quiver.
"I'm so sorry," she said again, no longer able to stop her tears from falling, "but you won't have to hurt anymore. I won’t let you suffer." She kept the vampire’s hand firmly in hers as she placed the tip of the dagger above the barely beating heart. Her eyelids clamped tight, Juliette bit her lip and pushed as hard as she could. Instantly the tension in the hand she held released, and the entire body relaxed. Juliette opened her eyes and saw a small, peaceful smile on the disfigured face.
She covered her mouth again, breathing quickly and trying not to hyperventilate. Killing the wolves was easy. They were after the blood of her family and allies. This innocent victim was one on her side. Death was inevitable, but her own dagger dealt the final blow that took a vampire’s life. "Damn you!" she spat through her teeth, equally blaming herself and whoever had caused the injuries.
Shrieks in the distance pulled her to the reality of the moment. Time for mourning would have to wait for later. She withdrew the dagger, wiped the blade in the dirt, and lashed it once again to her quiver. Delivering a final squeeze to the cooling hand, she stood and stepped toward the battlefield to search for an easy mark, a new target for her rising anger.
Several paces away a couple wolves weirdly bounced on their hind legs, speaking in growls. Juliette pulled out two arrows and aimed them squarely at their backsides. She wanted them to feel the hurt of injury for the vampire she had just kil
led, and released both. They hit her targets, and she dryly laughed watching the beasts howling and spinning about, hitting each other with the protruding ends, causing additional pain. If she had the time, she would have sent a few more non-lethal blows before finishing them. But the minutes were precious, and many of the demons still fought. She shot the first in the chest. As he fell, his fellow tried to run. He received his arrow in his retreating back.
Gabrielle scurried next to her as Emma landed nearby, both returning to their human forms.
"We're ahead," Gabrielle said. “We will win.”
"There's still a lot to do," Emma added, "but we can do it."
"I saw a few of our side nearly lose their lives, not paying attention to what was behind, but I caused enough distraction--"
"Be careful, Gabby!" Juliette interrupted. "I saw a body torn to shreds. They won't have mercy! You're a smaller cat and they're so big--"
Gabrielle rubbed Juliette’s back. "I will not die tonight. Don't worry about me. I have to go.” She shrank and distorted, fur sprouting all over her body. With a twitch of her tail, she disappeared into the shadows.
"Transforming still looks so painful," Juliette said, swiftly aiming an arrow and releasing it at an enemy rushing at them.
"Wow. Nice shot," Emma praised. "And changing doesn’t hurt at all. I'll be back."
Emma raised her arms, and they expanded, her lower legs pulling up into an eagle body. She flapped and soared high above them.
The bird squalled. Juliette glanced up and a raspy head washed over her ear. The wolf was too near for her to shoot him. She turned around, arrow in her fist. The beast’s hand-like paws gripped her shoulders. His jaw opened wide, aiming for her neck. Instinctively she dropped to the ground, rolling back slightly. She tucked her knees up to her chest. The creature's body fell over hers. The silver-tipped arrow held tightly drove deep into his lung. His hot, smelly breath roared into her face. She pushed her legs and palms out, keeping his weight from crushing her. Quickly she rolled away and let him fall to forest floor.