The word hit me like a blow and I sat back on my behind and rested my chin on my knees. He was another person I couldn’t save. He was my friend, Zyacus’s cousin, and Legacy’s love, I’d failed us all. He was dead.
Not even thirty seconds later, Aric sucked in a rasping breath and sat up coughing. Startled, I scrambled back on my hands and Zyacus jumped up. We stared at him for a few moments before Zyacus mumbled, “You were gone.” His wide eyes were fixed on Aric’s neck.
To my surprise the dagger wound was completely healed and we hadn’t given him a potion.
“I feel…” Aric said, looking at his hands that he rotated out in front of him. “I feel different. Something is wrong.”
I stared at the mark on his wrist slowly fading to flesh color. I thought about the death curse that he was born with. He would die but… “Oh no,” I murmured. They both looked at me confused. “Aric— you’re a vampire.”
Chapter 36
At first Aric sat silent. Both Zyacus and I stared at him, waiting for him to speak. His eyes went from the ground to his cousin, then to me, fixed on my bloody neck. Zyacus stepped in front of me, blocking Aric’s view.
“You need to get away from me Visteal,” Aric said, voice hoarse. “I smell your blood and—” he rose up and Zyacus immediately grabbed him by the front of the shirt. “Visteal go!” Aric shouted and I ran.
The last thing I wanted was for Zyacus to have to kill Aric, really kill him this time, to protect me. I got ten yards before Bindy appeared directly in my path, I crashed into her and she grabbed me roughly. “Oh thank God you’re alive. I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” She paused and touched my neck. “You’ve been bitten.”
“Yes, but I’m fine.” I looked over my shoulder when I heard Aric yelling and a scuffle.
“Is that Aric and Zyacus?” Bindy asked. “Why are they fighting? We have blood drinkers to kill.”
“Aric—” I didn’t know if I could say it. “Aric was turned. Just now.”
“What?” Bindy breathed, going wide-eyed. “How?” Her gaze went to my neck. “Will you?”
“Not from a bite.”
“Look out!” Zyacus yelled.
Bindy yanked on my arm and threw me behind her then stuck out her foot. Her heel slammed into Aric’s gut and he doubled over. Bindy dove on top of him, chanting a spell. Bright blue handcuffs appeared around Aric’s wrists and ankles connected by a magical chain to his neck.
He sobbed and screamed. “Just kill me! Please kill me! I’d rather die than be this creature.”
My throat ached as I watched him cry. But none of us moved to end his life for good. Zyacus knelt down beside him. “We’ll fix this. We’ll find a way.”
Distant screaming drew our attention. Bindy took ahold of my arm and noticed the kirune cuff in my wrist. “Zyacus, get Aric to your room but do not take off the magical binding. Then meet us in the infirmary.”
Zyacus nodded, took hold of Aric and then they vanished. Bindy and I raced toward the academy. With the kirune on my arm she wouldn’t be able to spell me anywhere. As we neared the building the pounding of horse hooves shook the ground and I screamed with joy as my father and his brigade rode in and cut down the vampires I could see. A screeching woman flew at me and with one swing, I popped her head off with the large dagger I’d taken from Senica’s belt.
Bindy sent a blast of sunlight magic and burned some of the vampires. A male had a young girl under his arm while she kicked and screamed. Legacy in her sparkling gown jumped on his back, driving her blade into his neck over and over. Her face and chest were splattered with blood and she looked like a nightmare.
Taz and Freya battled with a pair of females. Their torn and ripped clothes were drenched red and I don’t know if it was their blood or the enemies. Probably both.
“All students get inside!” Bindy roared. “On me!”
It looked like most had gone inside since the majority of those left fighting were in soldier’s uniforms.
My friends ran at us and we fought our way to the back doors which were closed. I shoved hard against them but they were locked. “Let us in!” I shouted pounding my fist.
Out of the corner of my vision, my grandparents were surrounded and I recognized the male vampire from outside the fence who said he was supposed to get revenge for someone. And standing with his arms crossed, watching them with a smug smile on his face was Vyce. In his hand he held a golden scepter.
Somehow I just knew it was him who let these vampires in. That object must have temporarily taken down our magical barriers. Without a second thought, I ran at him and when he saw me coming, his smile fell and he held up his scepter to block my dagger.
“You did this!” I said, slashing and hacking at him. “You traitor!” He’d pretended to be our friend, pretended to be one of us.
Back peddling, he stumbled and fell, and dropped his scepter. Like a coward he held up his hands. “Please don’t kill me!”
“Why shouldn’t I?” I said, crouched over him with my blade point poised over his racing heart.
Some of the vampires turned to watch us which gave my grandparents the advantage and they started throwing spells and swinging at those surrounding them. Bindy and Legacy also joined in that fight.
“Madison killed my father and my mother and my grandmother!” he cried. “I had to see her die! Wouldn’t you?”
“What are you talking about?” I growled. “And no, I wouldn’t sacrifice all these people to get revenge!”
“My father’s name was Midlan. Ask your grandmother who that is if she survives.” Then he grabbed his scepter, raised it up, and it began glowing. I didn’t know what that thing was capable of so I drove my blade into his heart then I scrambled back. The scepter clattered to the ground, dim. My heart pounded; killing vampires was one thing but this was a human boy. Even if I was sure he was going to use that weapon against me, I felt ill looking at my dagger sticking out of his chest.
I wasn’t sure where my mother had been but once she arrived the fight was over. Several massive blasts of white sunlight magic flowing from her palms, and any vampires that didn’t run when my father had arrived with his force, melted into ash or were cut down.
“Visteal!” Zyacus shouted, crashing open the back doors. I stood and he rushed into me, wrapped his arms around my torso and crushed the air from my lungs, then he pulled back, breathing heavily. “I got scared when I couldn’t find you in the infirmary.”
“They wouldn’t open the doors and then,” I looked at Vyce dead on the ground.
Madison ran to us and grabbed my face. “What did he do? Why did you kill him?”
When I told her what Vyce said about his family, and how he raised the scepter against me, she paled and her legs gave out but Zyacus caught her before she fell. “Professor, are you hurt? What’s wrong?” he asked.
Papa’s arms grabbed Madison and he held her, looking at us confused. “What happened?”
“I don’t know, all I said was that Vyce told me she killed his parents, someone named Midlan so he sided with the vampires for revenge.”