Rivalry (War of Nytefall Book 3) Read online

  “And you would love it if she was here throwing a sock-induced tantrum on our behalf.”

  “Fair enough, abomination.”

  *****

  After an hour of following Jewelz down a spiraling staircase, Clyde and Xavier stop in the doorway of an underground chamber. The room is lit by sunlight coming through a hole in the ceiling, which has been corked by a large prism. Having expected a collection of machines, the curious guests are confused by the lack of equipment. All they see are five tables that have been covered in sheets, the subjects underneath moving slightly and groaning. To their left, the Dawn Fangs see an enormous tank of blood that is home to vampirized barracudas and sharks. Barely visible in the crimson ichor, polished gemstones litter the bottom of the aquarium. On the far side of the colorfully tiled room, a circular door, which reminds both men of a vault, is embedded in the wall. They note that there are cracks around the edges and there is no handle for anyone on this side of the entrance to use. A small thump snaps Clyde and Xavier out of their examination of the chamber, the noise coming from Dean putting down two heavy chairs. Neither man makes a move to accept the offer even when a table with fresh drinks and a cheese platter is placed between the seats.

  “After I turned into a Dawn Fang, I discovered a problem,” Jewelz explains as she approaches the aquarium. She taps on the glass to get her pets’ attention and holds up five fingers that she runs along the warm glass. “The only way I could amass an army was by turning mortals or recruiting from Nytefall. Well, the first group held no appeal since I no longer wished to sully my fangs on such hunts. The second option meant risking an early revelation of my existence to the two of you, which goes against my plans. That’s when Sir Pendrac and I began experimenting with my powers and a collection of mortals who he turned on my behalf. The answer was surprisingly simple, but one merely had to think in extremes instead of the mundane.”

  “Could you have not used more of Clyde’s blood?” Xavier asks, his eyes repeatedly shifting to the sheet-covered figures. A sense of disgust is already seeping into his stomach and he struggles to stop himself from peeking in on her thoughts. “I think what you really want is an army that is loyal only to you. Anyone you took from our forces would be permanently under suspicion. If they betrayed their makers, like Titus did to you, then what are the chances that they would not do the same to you?”

  “You better not be reading my thoughts, Lord Tempest, or I’ll have to start thinking about naughty things,” the Vampire Queen teases while she walks to a drawer at the far end of the bubbling tank. With a snap of her fingers, one of the sharks is devoured by the other fish and a handful of gems float into the small compartment. “You are correct. I only want those who have worshipped me from the beginning of their new life. The times of betrayal are over and my unique procedure guarantees complete obedience. Of course, my followers still have most of their freewill, but they would never deny my requests. Isn’t that the type of army a ruler should have?”

  “Only those with fragile egos,” Clyde replies with a smirk. Seeing the vault door shake, he is about to get a closer look when Dean clears his throat. “Guess that’s a mystery for another day. I want to get to my promised fight, so can we move this along? If you ask me, this show is boring and needs to get to the point. Xavier has never had a problem recruiting soldiers and I’m not the warlord type, so it isn’t like either of us are interested in using your methods. All I want to know is the how and then get on with my day.”

  Flustered by the Dawn Fang’s lack of awe, Jewelz angrily pulls a lever to release the red-tinted gems into her hand. “This tank is filled with a mixture of Clyde’s blood and mine. My pets are simply there for my amusement. Its real purpose is to empower my specially crafted jewels, which lay along the bottom. I made these pretty babies porous enough to absorb the blood and become a medium for my ritual. The idea of either of you using my methods is laughable. Only the Vampire Queen can accomplish this feat, which is why I am truly your equal.”

  “The subjects have been prepared,” Dean announces from the other side of the tables. He opens a panel in the floor and pulls an exposed handle to lift a large box into the open. “All I need to do is connect the tubes to the throne and you can create your new followers. Please be careful because you’ve never done more than three at a time. If this goes wrong, I will have to break the aquarium and flood the room to save you.”

  “Such a dramatic gesture.”

  “Even you have limits, your highness.”

  “And I shall break them once more.”

  “Very well, but I will not hesitate to-”

  “Just stand by Dark One’s lever in case we have a failure.”

  Grabbing the sheets as she walks by each table, Jewelz exposes her victims to the prismatic sunlight. She spins with a smile, which fades when she sees no reaction from either of her guests upon seeing the former councilmen of Nyte. Stripped naked and held down by straps covered in shimmering holy symbols, the old-world vampires groan as the light saps what little strength they have left. One of them manages to raise his head and notices Xavier, who he tries to call for help before he is callously shoved back into position. Placing one jewel on the man’s forehead and another on his chest, the Vampire Queen presses both of them with her thumbs. She uses enough force to break her subject’s skin without shattering bone or bursting any organs. As soon as she is sure that the red-tinted gems will not fall out, she moves on to the next man and repeats the procedure until all of them have been prepared. With a clap of her hands, all of the jewels sink completely into flesh and neatly burrow through bone. A loud hiss fills the air as they fuse to the brains and hearts of the old-world vampires, who are left shuddering and coughing on the tables.

  Releasing all of the latches running along the center of the tall box, Jewelz lets the two sides fall to the floor and waves away the crimson dust that spews from inside. Stepping away, the red-eyed woman lets her guests get a clear view of the narrow chair that is covered in needles and topped with a throbbing crown of cloudy quartz. The Vampire Queen signals for Dean to hurry over and attach tubes from the holes in the subjects to the strange throne. Noticing a problem, she turns her back on Clyde and Xavier to hide her frown. Staring at the quartz, she has it sprout more hollowed spikes to accommodate the extra subjects, who her assistant finishes preparing without any mention of her mistake. Taking a final walk among the tables to stroke the heads of her future followers, Jewelz has the sapphire-tipped ties of her dress undo themselves. By the time she returns to the chair, her clothing has fallen to the floor and she blushes before turning to face her guests. A growl slips from her lips when she sees that Xavier has politely averted his gaze like the gentleman that he is and Clyde is busy watching the vampirized fish.

  Releasing an orgasmic moan to get their attention, Jewelz sits on the chair and shivers at the sensation of hundreds of needles piercing her flesh. It is more discomfort than pain or pleasure, but she tries to put on a show to prevent her guests from looking elsewhere. The lack of shock on their faces nearly breaks her concentration, but biting her lower lip heals her maintain her noble composure. Once the quartz crown begins to hum, she is forced to sit still and focus entirely on her heart. Her body develops a red shimmer as she rapidly produces her own blood and pushes it through the needles. Lines of crimson appear in the wooden chair and run to the top where they swirl within the cloudy stone. With a low hiss of escaping air, the ichor flows through the tubes and into the old-world vampires. All five of the men gasp and arch their backs, the bizarre combination of invasive pleasure and terrifying emptiness filling their minds. As the Vampire Queen’s blood is forced into their bodies, the nobles open their mouths and spew geysers of dark crimson gore. The liquid hits the ceiling where it is devoured by vampiric snails, which are colored to blend into the white and black tiles. Ten gory minutes pass before the procedure is complete and Jewelz grips the armrests of the throne to help pry herself off the needles. Her naked body is thinner and
more ashen than before, but she walks around the tables with no sign of weakness.

  “And there you have it,” the Vampire Queen states as she joins her guests. Claiming the ignored drinks, she drains the goblets while her newest followers begin to sit up. “My special abilities allow me to use the gems as conduits, which transforms them into Dawn Fangs. These five won’t join the others though. I made sure to give them more freewill because they shall be competing for my hand in the tournament. If one happens to win my hand then I will have to make the proper changes since I would prefer to have a king who thinks for himself. Now, why don’t we-”

  With a blood-curdling howl, two of the new Dawn Fangs leap off their tables and rush at Jewelz. Acidic foam flies from their mouths, which are burned around the lips and filled with gnarled fangs. Disappointed in the failures, the naked Vampire Queen sighs and leaps over the attacks to land near her dress. She continues dodging her creations while calmly putting on her clothes and fixing her hair. When one of the men nearly grabs her partially covered chest, she lashes out with a kick that knocks him against the vault door. Jewelz wipes the scraps of melted flesh off her foot and casually backhands the other experiment without looking. Both nobles remain crouched by the wall and cautiously eye their target, who has turned around to hand robes to the three successful turns. She pats each one on the rear as they get off their tables and gestures for them to head up the stairs instead of fighting on her behalf.

  Before the bestial Dawn Fangs can move, the Vampire Queen snaps her fingers for Dean to pull a golden lever built into the floor. The vault door swings open on creaky hinges and a shadow billows out to consume to the two failures. Hideous roars and high-pitched shrieks erupt from the darkness, which tries to move further into the room. The sound of tearing flesh and splintering bone cuts off the vampires’ voices and dribbles of green-tinted blood fall on the floor to leave smoldering burn marks. Attempting to invade the entire chamber, the ravenous creature hits a barrier that shrinks to force the enslaved demon back into its lair. A few of its enraged howls mimic the curse words it has heard from those who live on the surface. Once most of it is has been pushed through the door, Dean pulls the lever again to seal Dark One, who angrily pounds on the wall to create more superficial cracks in the tiles.

  “So, what do you think of my procedure?” Jewelz asks with a smile.

  “It’s horrific and nauseating,” Xavier answers without hesitation.

  “I’ll add sadistic to the list,” Clyde casually mentions. Cracking his knuckles, he licks his lips at the thought of facing the shadowy demon. “Please tell me I get to fight that thing. You brought me here to be part of a competition and I want in. Now, stop with this showing off and give me what I want. Unless Mab was right and you’re nothing more than a shiny display hiding a deep fear to take action.”

  Hearing the accusation of her rival, the Vampire Queen runs her finger up Clyde’s chest and purrs, “You’ll get your fight, but I have a request. Refuse and I will give you nothing more than the final round. I assure you that it is nothing that goes against your flimsy morals. This is nothing more than something to give me more entertainment.”

  “Whatever gets me in that arena,” he impatiently replies.

  “Oh, this is going to be delicious.”

  *****

  The crowd cheers and laughs as Clyde steps into the middle of the arena wearing nothing more than a loincloth. A target has been painted over his heart and a blue line goes around his neck as if to instruct his opponent where to strike. Several people throw rotten food at him, but he repeatedly moves in the blink of an eye to avoid the foul-smelling projectiles. Catching a coconut that is flying towards him, he hurls it at the stands and creates a hole that shows the outside of the arena. No longer worried about getting pelted with garbage, he glances at where Xavier and Jewelz are watching high above his head. He frowns at how the excited Vampire Queen catcalls louder than her followers, the amorous attention making his spine twitch. The barely restrained grin on Lord Tempest’s face is enough to boil Clyde’s blood and he turns away when his vision develops a crimson hue. Stretching his arms over his head, the Dawn Fang notices Titus sitting in an atrium that is blocked off by thick bars. For a moment, he fears that he will be pitted against his injured friend, but the sound of an opening door kills that worry before it takes hold.

  Instead of one enemy, Clyde watches three Dawn Fangs step out of the shadows and draw their weapons at the same time. The unified movement strikes him as odd, so he tries to see through any illusions, but the scene remains unchanged. With a shrug, he waits for the trio to finish waving their weapons around in an attempt to energize the already excited crowd. The tallest of the bald vampires scowls when Clyde lazily raises his arm to earn a flood of cheers and curses, which drowns out whatever support the three have managed to create with their preening and flexing. Drawing another blade, a dwarven Dawn Fang juggles his axes and repeatedly throws one high into the air before calling it back to his hand. More attuned to his environment than his friends, the third warrior stops doing his flashy swings and takes on a classic stance with his rapier. All of the combatants are dressed in jewel studded leather armor, but the gems make the suits come off more as decorations than protection.

  “Do we want to talk first or get right to this?” Clyde asks while he cracks his knuckles. He ducks the dwarf’s throwing axe and blindly swings his arm to catch it on the way back. “That might have hit me if you hadn’t been showing off before. I don’t think any of you are going to be much of a challenge, which is frustrating. Titus gets a demon and I get three idiots who go to the same barber. Wait, you guys don’t pay money for that, do you? Might as well shave each other and save money. Feel free to join in the banter and make me feel like I’m fighting another living being.”

  “You’re not as impressive as your reputation,” the tallest vampire states.

  Disappointed in the feeble attempt at an insult, Clyde rolls his eyes and snaps the axe in half with his thumb. “I’m going to have to do all the work to make this fun. I promise to only use what’s above my neck to beat you. Only thing I’ll use my legs for is dodging. Might have to use a hand to cover my mouth when yawning for boredom, but the arms will usually remain dangling at my sides. I won’t use any illusions either. Now, do whatever attack you think will destroy me.”

  Clyde smiles as the rapier-wielding vampire disappears for a moment and four of the warriors materialize around him. He leaps away from the blades, which clang together, and leans back to avoid another throwing axe. The weapon comes flying back as another one heads for his stomach, which is exposed due to his awkward position. Taking the second projectile in the gut, Clyde catches the returning one in his mouth before landing. Looking down, he spits it out in order to knock the other axe out of his flesh and drive both of them into the ground. Seeing the approaching shadow, he casually sidesteps the large swordsman’s blade and dances away from an icy blast that explodes from the man’s body. The temptation to kick the charging warrior makes the stronger Dawn Fang’s leg twitch, but he ignores the urge to finish the fight quickly and sticks to his own rules. The crowd cheers when he repeatedly dodges and keeps himself a hair away from getting hit, his precise movements being mistaken for the other combatants’ prowess and skills. Hopping onto the railing, he walks around the arena at a speed that is only slightly faster than his pursuing enemies. The comical display finally turns the audience against the trio, who begin getting sloppy in their attempts to stop the booing.

  No longer willing to put on a show, Clyde drops down and calmly crosses his arms behind his back. He darts forward and flips over the dwarf, but stays low enough to drive his fangs into the other vampire’s forehead. Biting hard into the stone-like skull, he delivers a savage yank that removes the warrior’s head. Tossing the wide-eyed body part over his shoulder, the grinning Dawn Fang ducks the slender swordsman’s rapier and backs away as the attacks begin to build up speed. Instead of dodging, Clyde blocks every swing
with his tongue and catches the straight thrusts in his teeth. Letting the man get closer, he hops over a swipe at his ankles and leans back while still in midair. He swings his upper body forward to hit with a headbutt that splits the fighter in half and compresses the two parts like they are accordions. Turning to the surviving combatant, Clyde curses at the sight of the large man running for the sealed exit. Within a second, he is in front of the swordsman and swinging his head to deliver an arm-snapping blow with his tongue. He steps back to avoid a haymaker, which manages to graze his nose and cause him to sneeze. The loud noise startles the injured vampire, who pauses out of fear of it being an attack. The mistake leaves him open to a head-first lunge to the chest, which he is unable to avoid. The blow explodes the man’s upper torso and his remains topple backwards to the silence of the crowd.

  “You made me put a loincloth on for this?” Clyde asks as he picks up the other vampire’s head. He angrily hurls it at the viewing box and gets it embedded in the wall between Jewelz and Xavier. “You owe me a real fight, your highness. If this is the best you have to offer then it’s going to be a boring tournament. Since it looks like that’s the case, I’m going to say now that I have no intention of marrying you. Pick a guy who enjoys being disappointed. You’re so pathetic that you make Tempest interesting.”

  “It is unfortunate that I have to teach you a lesson so early in our relationship,” the Vampire Queen shouts over the crowd. She hides her frown when the arena floor swings open to Dark One’s lair, but Clyde is already sitting in the stands. “Don’t get cocky. That was only meant to remove the appetizers. Now, show these people what you can do against something you can’t punch. Sir Pendrac, release my pet from the lagoon.”

  Dean blows a horn, which causes the crowd to whisper guesses as to what mysterious creature is about to be unleashed. Clyde waits for the arena floor to return before jumping out of the stands, his landing met with a gurgling roar. He scratches his head at the sight of water flowing over the arena’s walls and merging into a large puddle. Thick bubbles appear around the edges as the liquid rises and takes the form of a giant with foam-like hair. Clyde can see slight discolorations in the monster’s skin, the pairings reminding him of the eyes of a placid. Not having seen the watery beings since before the Great Cataclysm, he wonders if Jewelz’s pet is a horrific merging of multiple bodies. The way its wordless voice cracks and ripples to mimic a cacophony of noises adds fuel to his theory. He has no time to ask and confirm his guess when the giant sprouts twenty pairs of coral fangs and takes a step forward. Clyde darts under a punch and kicks the aggressive beast in the knee, but finds that his leg harmlessly passes through the watery limb. The damage disappears in less than a second and he is batted across the arena where he slams against the wall. Sliding into a sitting position, the Dawn Fang leans against the broken stone and crosses his arms as he takes a longer look at his opponent.