Part 34 (1/2)
A quick glance at her shoulder showed the wound had already stopped bleeding, though as a hybrid it would take some time to seal completely.
”Son of a b.i.t.c.h!” Trixie screamed, and Hannah stared outside as the tall vampiress took a flying leap at the dark-haired man who had almost reached the cave. She tackled him to the ground.
Chanting in Matthew's deep voice caused her attention to jerk toward the doctor as he conjured a small sandstorm and forced some of the attackers away from the cave. The sandstorm dissipated when his concentration was broken by Adam knocking him to the ground before a bullet struck him.
”We know what you're hiding!” the black-haired man bellowed at Trixie as they fought.
”f.u.c.k you, Rafe!” Trixie kicked him in the stomach, but he dodged the blow. They circled one another.
”Luci always told me: Find Seraphimus and he'll lead me to relics of the home world. He stole what was left from the wreckage when Luci destroyed the last of the Originals of Atlantis!”
Hannah would have felt relief had they not been in so much danger. At least no one-even wicked Luci-had known that Herm and Sheb had survived the last fight. They thought only relics from their shuttle had been recovered!
Suddenly Rafe belted Trixie across the cheek. She staggered, and he dove at her, knocking her onto her back and punching her in the face.
Vincent roared from where he'd been summoning magic with Arkin atop a ledge opposite the cave. He leapt to the sand, racing towards Trixie as a group of Rafe's black-garbed followers attacked him. He kicked two into unconsciousness. A dagger plunged into his side, and he growled, ripping the blade out of his own flesh and using it to ward off three other enemy fighters.
Rafe still sat on top of Trixie, cracking her in the face, though she'd managed to render him half blind by ripping her claws across his eyes. Hannah picked up the dagger that had struck her and, her heart pounding, bounded into the midst of the fighting, leaping on Rafe's back and plunging the dagger in deep.
He growled, anger and pain in his eyes as he turned to see who'd stabbed him. Trixie took his moment of distraction to snap his neck. She jerked the dagger from his back and plunged it through his heart, one of the few ways to almost always ensure a vampire's death.
Trixie gave Hannah a thumbs up, and Hannah called, ”I owed you for Sir Edward!”
”Get down!” Trixie bellowed as she and Hannah dropped to the ground, their hands covering their heads. Several of the enemy vampires-apparently the eldest-had banded their magic together. The ground shook and pieces of the cave crumbled.
Matthew, Vincent, and the Jury combined their efforts to defend the cave, and though they kept the others at bay, their magic only added to the debris.
”Seraphim!” Hannah screamed when he walked directly between the two battling groups. His eyes slipped shut and within several moments the fighting ceased.
”Tie them up!” shouted Vincent. He, Adam, and Matthew jogged towards Rafe's small army who remained entranced by Seraphim. Once their enemies were restrained, rendered unconscious, and tossed into Network vans, Seraphim released his spell and sat for a moment, catching his breath.
Hannah slipped her arm around him. ”Are you okay?”
He nodded, tenderly placing a hand over her b.l.o.o.d.y sleeve. ”You?”
”Just a little slice. It's healing already.”
Vincent squatted in front of Seraphim, pressing a hand to his own injured side. ”You shouldn't have done that. What about the signal? It takes a lot of strength to conjure it, and if you have to sustain it for any length of time -”
”The Originals helped me just now. I'll be fine for the signal,” Seraphim said, though Hannah noted he looked a bit pale.
”We got about half an hour until sundown.” Vincent glanced skyward as he stood, dragging Trixie-who had just approached-into his arms.
”You're hurt,” Trixie inspected Vincent's b.l.o.o.d.y side.
”It's nothing,” he said. ”One of the bookends will take care of it. Look, here comes Matthew already.”
As Matthew began examining Vincent's wound, Vincent glanced at Hannah. ”Thanks for watching out for Trixie.”
”We vampiresses have to stick together,” Hannah said. Trixie winked at her. ”You got it, kid.”
”Half an hour,” Seraphim murmured. Hannah sensed his sadness. In half an hour, the only family he'd known for ten thousand years would be gone.
Sera, Sheb held out her hand as Seraphim stepped into the cave, Hannah at his side. He approached the Originals, trying not to reveal the emptiness Hannah knew he felt at the thought of them leaving.
Your energy is depleted, Herm gazed at Seraphim and reached for him.
Seraphim stepped back, shaking his head. You can't help me. You need your own energy for when we contact the Others. Vll be fine.
You're troubled, Sheb said. Because we're going. I want you to go and be with the Others.
We'll miss you as well, Sera, Herm said. But we belong to each other. In our souls and minds.
Seraphim nodded. Hannah's hand slipped into his, and Seraphim clung to it, gazing into her eyes. She knew he struggled to hide how much their leaving affected him.
For the next half hour, the four remained, talking about the past and the future. Finally, Seraphim drew a deep breath and said, ”It's time.”
Herm and Sheb nodded. Seraphim stood, Hannah's hand still in his, and walked to the cave above.
”You might want to stay inside,” he said. ”I know you're tolerant of daylight, but this ritual gets very bright. Herm and Sheb won't be able to emerge until after the beacon dies and the Originals land.”
Matthew approached from where they'd been seated with the Network and Sage. Though the other vampires remained in the corner of the cave, their eyes fixed on Seraphim.
”Do you need help?” Matthew asked. ”I've performed this ritual before-to great effect.”
”Thank you for the offer, and I might need your help later, but not now. The Originals are below, trying to contact the Others, and as soon as I send the signal, they should arrive.”
”f.u.c.k,” Vincent murmured from across the cave. ”I can't believe we're really going to see Them. This is too amazing.”
”I wish Judah was here,” Matthew said. ”He's been studying astronomy, hoping to eventually find some evidence of the Originals' s.p.a.ce travel. He would have loved to have been here, especially to ask them for help with Leah-”
”Herm and Sheb said they'd speak with Them. You can trust they will,” Seraphim rea.s.sured him.
Adam approached. ”As soon as the signal fades, we'll bring Herm and Sheb above.”
”Thank you.” Seraphim nodded. He turned to Hannah and kissed her, whispering, ”Wish me luck.”
”Luck.” She embraced him tightly before he stepped away and left the cave.
Hannah stood with the others who had approached the cave mouth and watched Seraphim begin the ritual. She concentrated on remaining in his mind, feeling his thoughts and emotions. It wasn't easy, since she was so young and he was unable to a.s.sist her due to the immense concentration he needed for the spell. Still, she found she was able to focus.
He knelt on the sand, closed his eyes, and began concentrating on the words of the chant, calling upon ancient Originals who had inspired the names of G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses of old Earth. Aurora! Jupiter! Ku! Helios! His thoughts rippled through the atmosphere, through s.p.a.ce and time itself. Summoning.. .He// Isis! Odin! Thoth!
Seraphim lost all awareness of the other vampires. His sole focus was on calling forth the sun, of summoning Them.
Hannah gasped as the sun began to rise, brightening the night until she felt swallowed by brilliance and heat.
Nearly an hour pa.s.sed before she felt Seraphim's power waning. The intensity of sustaining such a powerful spell for so long was mind-shattering, and he was nearing his physical limitations. She tried not to tense and break her connection to him, but her worry interrupted her concentration.