Rynd’s body sat there, impaled on the lance for all eyes to see, as Sam stood over him.
But Sam wasn’t done yet. Whatever rage was driving him hadn’t been satisfied. Sam looked left and right, snarling, like a wild animal ready to kill anything in its path.
Seeing the look on Sam’s face, Blake finally summoned the courage to flee, and he saw that Samuel did, too. All of Rynd’s men were fleeing, too, as were all of McCleod’s men. Apparently, with their leaders dead and a monster on the prowl, none of them wanted to linger any longer. They fled into the sky, over the lake, back from where they’d come, and they could not move fast enough.
Within moments, the entire battlefield had cleared out.
Except, that is, for Sam.
And one other: Kyle.
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
Kyle had been having a field day. He hadn’t had this much fun in centuries, slaughtering Aiden’s men left and right. It had been a route.
It had been especially fun stabbing Taylor through the heart, watching her die slowly at his feet.
These silvertip weapons were the strongest and most effective he had ever wielded, and after killing Taylor, he had killed a dozen more vampires in just a few minutes. He was covered in their blood, and he smiled widely, beginning to feel himself again.
Their plan had worked perfectly, and Kyle knew that in no time, they would wipe out every last one of them. They had them surrounded, outnumbered, and it had been a slaughter fest. Rynd’s shapeshifting trick had worked, as Kyle knew it would, and that girl Polly had been stupid enough to fall for the bait. Now, there was nothing left to stand in his way. With all of these vampires dead, it would only be a matter of time until they cornered and slaughtered Caitlin and Caleb.
Kyle’s latest victim, in his sights, would be Samuel, Caleb’s brother. Samuel was strong, but he was too outnumbered, and beaten down, and Kyle had him on the defense. The more they fought, the more confident Kyle became, and Kyle knew that in just moments, Samuel would be finished.
That was when the disruption began. Kyle didn’t understand what was going on, but suddenly, all of their men had begun fleeing, running for their lives, as if scared of an incoming attack. And just as Kyle had been about to plunge his sword into Samuel’s chest, that was when he stopped and saw it.
Kyle turned and was amazed to see Sam, Caitlin’s brother, approaching the battlefield like a madman. He had never seen anything like it, anyone fighting so quickly, so powerfully. It was like a whirlwind. Kyle had seen rage throughout the centuries, but he had never seen rage like this. This was the rage of a creature that had nothing left to lose. That wanted to die.
Sam was a one-man disruptive force. He was slaughtering Rynd’s men as if they were dolls, and as Kyle watched in horror, Sam squared off with Rynd, and within moments, killed him, impaling him on that lance.
That was when everyone else on the battlefield fled. Everyone. Even Aiden’s men. Sam was clearly not distinguishing between good and bad. He was simply killing anything and everything in his path.
For a moment, Kyle thought about fleeing himself.
But then he decided otherwise. Kyle had enough of running. Now, he figured, was time to stop and fight. To make a final stand. If Kyle was going to die, this was the time and place he wanted to go out. After all, he had vowed to make this time and place his last, had vowed that if he couldn’t kill Caitlin and her people now, then he would die trying. There would be no more chasing, no more going back in time for him.
And now it was time to die trying.
*
Sam approached the battlefield in a rage so white-hot, he could barely see, barely distinguish what he was doing. Sam had never experienced anything like it before: his rage was so consuming, so overwhelming, he felt it lifting him into its grip, taking him over as a force of its own. He couldn’t control it if he tried.
Instead, he let it consume him. It moved his arms and legs, dictated who and how he should fight. Since Polly’s death, Sam had nothing left to live for. All he had left in him was to destroy. To avenge. And anyone and everything in his path would pay the price for being alive on this planet while Polly was not.
Sam had enjoyed killing Rynd. As he jumped off the roof with him, and impaled him through that lance, he had felt a shiver of electricity run through his body, felt Polly watching him from above, appreciating the vengeance he got for her. He was beginning to feel satisfied.
But he was nowhere near done. He looked for someone or something else to fight, and he was dismayed to see everyone fleeing from him, as if he were some sort of monster. But there was one creature that stood still and faced him, Sam was delighted to see.
And he was even happier to see who was: Kyle. The disgusting, disfigured, mutated Kyle. The arch enemy of his sister, the being who had so tortured and pursued them throughout the centuries.
The very creature who had captured Sam himself, back in New York City, and who was responsible for Samantha turning him in the first place. The man who had tricked him into using shapeshifting against his own sister.
Sam smiled with delicious delight. He squared off with Kyle, and tossed his heavy longsword from hand-to-hand as if it weighed nothing. This was a battle he relished.
Sam wasted no time. A split second later, he brought his sword down with two hands right for Kyle’s head, with enough force to slice him in two, several times over. To Sam’s surprise, Kyle managed to raise his own sword and to block the blow just in time. Kyle was quicker than Sam thought.
But he was still no match for Sam. The power of Sam’s strike cut Kyle’s sword clean in half.
Kyle looked down at his sword, clearly shocked that anything had enough force to do that.
Sam didn’t hesitate. He reached up and kicked Kyle’s shield square on, smashing it into Kyle’s face, and sending Kyle flying back through the air, thirty feet, and landing on the dirt.
In a flash, Sam was already on top of him, grabbing him, spinning him, and tossing him like a ragdoll through the open-air, smashing him hard into the stone wall of the castle.
Kyle, dazed and confused, outmatched, looked up at Sam through bleary eyes, as if wondering how anyone could move that fast, have that much power. Kyle slowly rose to his feet, but Sam was already there again, and kicked him with such force that it sent him back another thirty feet, and smashing right through the castle wall.
Before Kyle could even think to sit up again, Sam was already on top of him, with a knee on his chest, pinning him to the ground. Sam looked down at this pathetic creature in disgust. He reached back and extracted the dagger that was used to kill Polly, the one he had found near her body.
“Any final words before I send you to hell?” Sam snarled, through gritted teeth Kyle snarled back up, blood oozing from his mouth, gasping for air, and locked eyes on Sam’s.
“I only wish that I was the one who had killed Polly,” Kyle spat, with a bloody grin. “I heard she died slowly and painfully.”
Sam snarled, raised the dagger high, and brought it down right into Kyle’s heart.
As he did, Sam felt a tremendous rumbling in the universe, felt the ground beneath him shake.
He watched as shadows of dozens of small black demons appeared, hovered over Kyle’s lifeless body. He watched as they grappled with the black spirit leaving Kyle’s body, as they carted it off down below, beneath the ground, towards the depths of hell. This was followed by a huge flash of purple light, and suddenly, Kyle’s body disintegrated before Sam’s eyes, first rocketing up to the clouds, then turning down and shooting beneath the earth.
It was an epic death, and it was clear to Sam that a huge force had just been extinguished in the universe.
At the same moment, as Sam watched, a part of the black spirit that had left Kyle’s body at death, suddenly rose up, and descended over him. Sam felt it covering him, creep into his bones and settle there. Sam vaguely remembered once being told that, when one kills someone of such evil, there was a danger of t
aking on his spirit. Of becoming as evil as him.
Despite his best efforts, Sam felt himself transforming, becoming something that he wasn’t.
Veins bulging from his neck, Sam felt that he was, inevitably, inextricably, being infused with a new, evil spirit. He felt that he was turning to the dark side. And as he leaned back and roared, he knew, he just knew, that there was no way he could ever turn back again.
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
Caitlin and Caleb flew through the late afternoon sky, heading north up the coast of Scotland, heading to Dunnottar Castle. Caitlin’s heart was pounding as they went. Here they were, just moments away from their final destination, from finding the fourth and final key, from finding the Holy Grail itself. She felt closer than she ever had to her father, felt as if he were just a stone’s throw away. She could, finally, feel her journey, her mission, coming to a close. She felt excited and relieved and nervous at the same time. Would he be there, waiting to greet her? Would he have the vampire shield waiting?
As Caitlin flew, holding Caleb’s hand, she reflected on their whirlwind journey through Scotland.
Dunvegan Castle, Skye, Eilean Donan, Rosslyn Chapel…She kept seeing in her mind’s eye that huge, ancient Bible in the crypts of Rosslyn, kept seeing the image of the shield as the two pages became one. The clue had been so well guarded and protected, each place offering just the smallest hint of where to go. But now it was all finally coming together, and Caitlin felt for certain that this was the final stop.
After hours of flying, the landscape finally changed, as they flew along the edge of the Scottish coast. And as they rounded a bend, a castle came into view, one that Caitlin knew could only be Dunnottar.
The site took Caitlin’s breath away. She had never seen anything like it: it was the most remote and picturesque castle she had ever seen. Built on the very edge of a cliff which dropped hundreds of feet straight down to the ocean, the castle sat proudly at the edge of a small, green island, soaring high up in the air, partially in the clouds, as if reaching for heaven itself. The small island, just big enough to hold the castle, was connected to the mainland only by a narrow strip of land. It was the most well defended site Caitlin had ever seen. Surrounded by steep cliffs and water on all sides, no one could dare approach it. The only other way in or out was a narrow strip of land connecting it to the mainland, a bottleneck, easily defendable, with sharp cliffs dropping off on either side.
Dunnottar castle itself was a beautiful, sprawling piece of architecture, with round parapets and a large, quadrangular inner courtyard. Partially hidden in mist, it looked like something out of one of Caitlin’s dreams. It was a mystical, magical place, and if there was anything powerful left to be found, clearly this was the place to find it.
Caitlin looked at Caleb, and could see he was equally impressed by the sight. They circled again and again, taking it all in from above, getting a bird’s eye view. No matter how many times she circled it, Caitlin was awestruck, from every angle.
As they tried flying closer, Caitlin felt an invisible shield keeping them at bay. Clearly, vampires could not fly directly into the castle, or even onto the island itself; they would have to land on the mainland, and walk across the narrow strip of land. This must be, Caitlin realized, a very well-defended vampire fortress. She only hoped that the vampires here were friendly.
Caitlin and Caleb landed at the base of the long strip of land leading to the island. Covered in slippery moss, freshly wet from the spray of ocean waves, and with steep cliffs falling off on either side, they held each other’s hands as they walked, careful not to slip. The sound of the ocean waves crashing far below was overpowering, and Caitlin could feel the spray in the wind.
As they approached, on foot, the castle looked even more imposing. Caitlin couldn’t spot anyone. This place seemed to be completely, eerily, deserted.
But she knew they were in the right place. She felt it. There was no other place they could possibly be. She could feel the three other keys throbbing in her pocket, and she knew they were guiding her, telling her that she was about to have the fourth.
Caitlin and Caleb crossed the land just as the sun was beginning to set, covering the sky in pink and red. It was a staggeringly beautiful site, and Caitlin felt as if she were on top of the world. She was on guard the entire time she crossed, ready for an ambush. Luckily, none came.
They finished crossing, and stood on the small island, before the castle. Together, they approached the imposing, ancient stone wall, walking right up to the massive wooden door. The door must have stood fifty feet high, dwarfing them. Caitlin looked up at the huge metal knocker, then looked to Caleb.
He nodded back.
“If they are for us, they will answer,” Caleb said. “If not, they will know we’re here anyway.” Caitlin agreed silently, and was about to reach up and grab the ring.
But at just that moment, something caught her eye, something in the distance. At first, she thought she was imagining it. But then, she turned her head and looked more carefully.
There, down in the distance, hundreds of feet below, bobbing in the water, was something.
Caitlin felt sure of it.
She turned and walked to the edge of the cliff, looking down, shielding her eyes from the glare.
Caleb came up beside her, slipping his arm around her waist.
“What is it?” he asked.
At first, Caitlin sensed more than saw something, but finally, something came into view. There, in the distance, bobbing in the ocean waves. A small boat. Like a rowboat, with a small sail.
Caitlin’s heart stopped. Every pore in her body told her who was in that boat.
Scarlet.
Without hesitating, Caitlin jumped and dove straight down off the cliff, hoping her wings would take. She plummeted to earth at a thousand miles an hour, and, at the last second, her wings finally took, and she soared in a clean arc, gliding right out to sea, Caleb right behind her.
Without pausing, Caitlin swooped down, picked up Scarlet, held her in her arms, and continued to fly. Right behind her, Caleb scooped up Ruth.
Caitlin hugged Scarlet tightly, and she hugged her back; as she did, Caitlin could feel her shaking over her shoulder. The child was definitely shaken up, and Caitlin had absolutely no idea what she was doing out there, alone, in the middle of the ocean. Why was she in the boat, by herself, the middle of the sea? And heading towards her? How was it possible? Especially after Polly and Sam had vowed that they would watch over her?
Suddenly, Caitlin was overcome with dread, as she realized there was no possible way they would have left her alone, have set her out to sea, unless something terrible had happened to them. But what?
They flew up the cliff, landing back where they had started, right before the entrance to the castle. Caitlin set Scarlet down, as Caleb set Ruth down, and Caitlin brushed the hair out of Scarlet’s eyes, trying to calm her as she cried.
Caitlin knelt down, leaned in and kissed her on her forehead.
“Shhh,” Caitlin whispered, stroking her hair. “It’s all right. Everything is all right now. Tell Mommy what happened.”
“He put me in a boat,” Scarlet began, crying, “with Ruth. I wanted to stay and fight. But he said I had to go. Then he pushed the boat into the ocean. He said it would take me to you.”
“Who?” Caitlin asked, confused.
But Scarlet began crying again, and only held out her little fist, as if to hand her something.
Caitlin reached out, and Scarlet dropped a small piece of sea glass into her hand.
Caleb was at first puzzled—and then she realized. There was only one person in the world who would have given her this glass.
“He told me to tell you that he loves you,” Scarlet added.
Caitlin felt as if a knife had plunged into her heart. Blake. He had saved Scarlet. He had put her in the boat, sent her off. She felt more indebted to him than she ever had.
But saved Scarlet from what? That was the question.
“From an army,” came the voice, answering her silent question.
Caitlin stood and spun, as did Caleb, and was shocked to see, standing a few feet away, Aiden.
He stood there, his back against the open sky, wearing his white robe, holding his staff, and staring at her with grave concern. As always, he had appeared at the most uncanny moment.
“What army?” Caitlin asked, feeling terribly guilty already that she had left, that she hadn’t been there to help protect Scarlet, Polly, her brother and whoever else.
“It was Kyle’s work. And Rynd’s. And Sera’s. They sabotaged and surprised our people. There was little they could do.”
Caitlin felt the wind knocked out of her, her feeling of dread confirmed. She felt more grateful than ever that Scarlet had made it out alive. But she wondered who else might not have been so lucky.
“Was anyone…hurt?” Caitlin asked, already knowing it was a stupid question.
Aiden nodded gravely. Caitlin braced herself for his response.
“Many of our finest are dead. Taylor. Tyler. Cain. Barbara. And, I’m sorry to say, Polly.” Caitlin felt herself week in the knees, sinking into the earth. Polly. Her best friend. Practically, her sister. One of few people she had come to care for most in the world. Her future sister in law.
Dead.
Polly.
All while she, Caitlin, was away. Caitlin couldn’t possibly feel worse.
Then she remembered the others. Blake. And Sam.
“And what of the others?” Caitlin was afraid to know. “My brother?” Aiden paused, a long, serious pause, and that silence terrified her more than any news. She already knew that, whatever it was, it wasn’t good.