The Christian & Brina Collection Read online

  “A fair request, but I’d rather you told no one. I take and give energy. I can drain a person dry.”

  He pulled on the reins. His horse stopped. “What?”

  “My touch can drain life and claim it for myself, or I can restore life if there’s any still remaining.”

  He stared. “Is that how you restore yourself when you’re nearly dead?”

  “Yes, if I’m nearly, not entirely.”

  “And Cook knows this?”

  “A rabid dog entered the kitchens when I was young. It meant to attack her. I laid a hand on it to distract it. I was frightened, wishing it dead. And soon, it was.”

  “She loves you, you know.”

  “She loves you, too.”

  Christian smiled. “We’ve tormented each other for as long as I can remember.”Brina nodded. “She’s been like a mother to me. But she warned me that my powers would frighten people away. They’d fear that if they angered me, I’d sap them dry.”

  “Have you ever hurt anyone unwittingly?”

  “Never. It’s such a worry, I tend to wait too long before defending myself.”

  “True. You’ve been drained several times.” He leaned forward again, urging his horse onward. “And how will this help me defeat vampires?”

  “Even the undead can be drained of energy.”

  “Only if they don’t drain you first. You have to touch them.” He wasn’t happy she was coming. She’d only get in his way, but there was no way to dissuade her. He thought about taking her as far as the forest, then dumping her to walk back to the keep. But what if something happened? A stray rogue? A lookout in advance? He wouldn’t forgive himself. He gritted his teeth and rode on.

  They trotted until early afternoon, when the neighboring fortress came into view. Christian slowed his horse. Crows lined the high walls, cawing and fidgeting. Buzzards circled the sky. A stench hung in the air.

  Christian raised a hand to cover his nose and mouth. He motioned for Brina to do the same. His father had told him about battlefields. He’d braced himself for the worst, but he feared the real thing would exceed anything he’d imagined.

  When he reached the village gates, they stood open. Nothing to fear here. Vampires couldn’t be about in the daylight. But the sight before him made bile rise in his throat. The smell made his eyes water. Bodies littered the ground. Men. Women. Children. All in their nightwear. Yanked from their beds. The warriors had no time to rush to their defence.

  His horse carefully picked its way through them. If he survived this, Christian vowed to bring his people into the keep, even if he had to stack them in the kitchens, chapel, and dungeons. He’d line the walls of the towers with them.

  He turned his head when he saw a newborn, drained. His thoughts went to the pregnant witch who’d joined them. He should send her to safety. Then he laughed, a grim sound. Like witches ever listened to him!

  Brina spotted the baby, and a low gasp escaped her. She buried her face between his shoulders.

  He stopped his horse inside the gates of the high wall in the open courtyard. Lots of sun. Even more bodies. “We’ll walk from here.” The keep wasn’t far.

  Brina glued herself to his side as they threaded their way forward.

  Warriors sprawled across the stones, their throats ripped out. A group of them had taken a stand at the doors of the keep. Christian’s stomach churned, suddenly queasy. A last stand. They’d been slashed to shreds.

  He hesitated before stepping to the massive doors, thrown wide. A trap? A welcome to sure death? Christian pressed himself close to the wall and peered into the huge room that greeted them. Were guards posted nearby? Did they hang from the ceiling, ready to drop on intruders? He listened, but heard no movements. A few muffled moans came from somewhere close by, but he couldn’t place them.

  He motioned for Brina to wait while he darted inside. Back to the wall, he stopped once again to let his eyes adjust to the dimmer lighting. Sunlight spilled through arched windows. Enough, perhaps, to keep them safe? He followed the moans to a far corner of the room. A small herd of humans lay in a heap, nearly dead, tethered to a heavy timber beam. Fang marks rimmed their necks, arms, and legs. Not for draughts, but for sipping.

  Christian glanced up as Brina hurried to him. He raised his eyebrows in question. She gave a quick nod. He cut the ropes that bound them. As she placed her palm on one of them after another, he clamped his hand across their lips to keep them from crying out. When her energy poured into them, their eyes flew open in alarm. Christian motioned that they were safe, then nodded toward the door. As each rose to flee, he noticed that they were dressed in finer garments—the lord and his lady, their children and servants. The warlord was making a mockery of defeating them.

  The last to heal was the lord’s wife. Tears misted her eyes as she glanced into the courtyard and saw her husband and family, along with their servants, waiting for her. She mouthed a thank you, then hurried to join them. Christian and Brina followed. Once outside, and hopefully out of earshot, Christian said, “I rule the kingdom next to yours. Go there. We’re preparing for war. There’s no guarantee we’ll win, but we won’t be caught by surprise, as you were.”

  The husband’s knees gave as he gazed at his dead warriors, and Christian offered an arm to steady him. Then his eyes shifted to the far gate and the peasants lying outside their huts. He stifled a groan and looked to the heavens.

  “Go,” Christian told him. “And good luck.”

  “You?” his wife asked.

  “We’ve come to destroy as many of our enemy as we can while the sun shines.”

  The oldest daughter dug her nails into Christian’s arm. “You have no hope. Leave here. You can’t defeat them.”

  “They burn as well as you or I,” Christian said. “Now go before they realize we’re here. It’s a long walk. You need to make it before nightfall.”

  The husband yanked his wife after him. The others followed.

  * * *

  Christian headed back inside. Quietly, he looked for the steps that led down to the dungeons. The upper floors of the castle were probably dim enough to house vampires in the bedchambers, but he was guessing most of the army were sleeping in the gloomier regions below ground.

  He stopped before reaching the bottom levels of the keep and pulled Brina close. “You’ve seen my gift. I can aim my fire, but if things go wrong, you’d be safer staying close to my back.”

  “You blazed there, too, when you burned Kembell.”

  “I’ll form a bubble that will protect you.”

  “You have that magic, too?”

  “It’s a spell. I’ve learned many of them.” He descended to the last step and looked around expectantly. This keep’s kitchens were located directly under the great hall. A fire precaution. A good thing. His flames wouldn’t penetrate the stone floor overhead. With luck, the keep would still be standing when he left here. Its lord could return home.

  The kitchen door was closed against any light filtering through the low, barred windows that lined the walls. Silently, he pushed it open. The windows designed to let in light and let out smoke were covered with skins and furs. Vampires slept in every nook and corner. A countless number of them.

  Christian squared his shoulders. If these monsters could slaughter people in their sleep, so could he. He motioned for Brina to step out of the room, then called on his gift. Fire burst from him. It swept forward in a great rush, consuming everything in its path. Soldiers charred to ashes before they could call out.

  When the fire ebbed, he joined Brina in the hallway. He nodded to the next room—a holding cell for prisoners. When they looked inside, dozens of vampires slept in its shadows. Three humans, locked away, lay drained on the floor. Christian repeated the same pattern he’d used before.

  They were making their way to the end of the hall when a voice stopped them.

  “Please! Help me!” Two arms protruded from a cell at the opposite end of the corridor.

  “Shhh!” Chr
istian tried to quiet him, but the man called more loudly.

  “Please! You can’t leave me here!”

  Scrabbling noises came from the well room farther down the hall. The door burst open, and vampires rushed at them. At the same time, vampires flew at them from the opposite direction. Brina pressed herself to his back, and Christian held out both hands to shoot fire. It caught most of them, but some bounced to the high ceilings and scurried toward them.

  Brina pointed upward in panic. One dropped toward them. She reached for him and grazed him on his way down. He withered at her touch.

  Two landed on Christian while another knocked Brina to the ground. He struggled, trying to twist away from them. If he turned into a torch, his flames would burn her, too. If he formed a bubble, he’d lock her inside with her attacker. He pressed a hand against one of their chests and pushed flames into it. The fire licked through the vampire’s body and shot out the other side. He tried to reach the second, but couldn’t. It sank its fangs into the base of Christian’s neck. Pain shuddered through his body, and he felt his strength leaving him.

  A hand gripped his ankle. Heat tingled through his veins. Energy rushed into him, pulsing with power. So much energy that the vampire choked on it, gagged, and exploded. Flesh splattered the stone walls. Christian rushed to his feet.

  A circle of desiccated vampires lay close to Brina. Two more dropped onto her. Christian grabbed them by their collars and shot flames through their necks. They crumpled to the floor. Furious, he aimed at the ceiling and blackened the high stones, singeing them along with any vampires hovering there.

  Silence greeted them. He helped Brina stand and scanned the area. Nothing in sight. He glanced to the prison at the other end of the hall. The two arms that had reached for them drooped now. He strode toward the iron bars just as vampires smashed them out of the heavy stone they were set in. He raised both hands and blasted them. A bonfire of the undead.

  On the main floor, he heard a rush of sound. Vampires were massing in the great hall. He scooped Brina into his arms and raced up the stairs. He chanted a bubble around her and burst into flames. Vampires filled the room. They scattered as he ran through them. A few reached for him and caught fire. A female tried to block the door. He shot hot flames into her. Outside, in the sunlight, he turned to see the keep. He could feel vampire eyes on him, but they couldn’t follow him. He glanced at the sky and hurried to his horse. He had to reach his castle before they came after him.

  * * *

  He rode hard. There was an hour of daylight left when he raced toward the first wall that circled the villages. Brom saw him coming and opened the gates. Sweat covered his horse, and Christian ran a hand up and down its neck to thank him. Brina loosened her grip on him.

  Brom helped her to the ground, then looked from one of them to the other. “You’re both all right?”

  They answered at the same time. “Thanks to ….” came out in unison, as they looked at each other.

  “No time.” Christian’s feet hit the ground, and he motioned for his groom to take his horse. “Extra treats for him. He’s earned them.” He turned to Brom. “Every man, woman, and child has to be inside the keep. We killed a lot of them, but there are plenty more.”

  Brom motioned for assistance.

  “Did the lord and his lady reach our fortress? I looked for them on our way, but didn’t see them.” Christian took a deep breath, trying to center his thoughts. What to do next?

  “They arrived a short while ago. The lord told us of the attack, how fast it was. They had no defenses against the warlord.”

  Christian nodded. “We have to prepare. They’ll come for us tonight. I’ve angered them.”

  Brom issued curt orders to the guard who joined them. “Lead the villagers into the keep. Leave no one behind.” He stayed to supervise while Christian took Brina’s elbow to steer her across the uneven stones.

  When they entered the great hall, Lady Enid sagged with relief.

  Cook rushed toward Brina and hugged her close. “Your powers aren’t that dangerous in battle. I feared for you.”

  Brina lowered her eyes, uneasy. “I was as much a burden to our lord as a help.”

  Christian disagreed. “Without her, the lord and his family would be dead. She saved them.”

  “Almost at the cost of your life! You could have burned your attackers if you hadn’t feared for me.”

  “But you saved me. It worked.”

  Brina stamped her foot. “Barely.”

  Her anger amused him. “Is there no pleasing you?”

  “You could have died.” Her honey-colored hair had escaped from its ribbon and hung in waves past her shoulders. Her blue eyes flashed.

  An inappropriate time, but how much time was left to them? “I still might. I ask for one more favor before tonight’s battle.”

  Suddenly humble, she looked at him eagerly. “Anything, my lord.”

  “Good.” He bent his head to kiss her lips.

  She stepped back, had to grip Cook’s arm to keep from falling, and gaped.

  “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while. Having you cling to me on the back of my horse almost overwhelmed my sense of honor.”

  Brina waved her hand at the elegantly clad ladies in the room. “I’m a peasant.”

  “And a fetching one.”

  Her chin shot up. “I will remain a maiden until I wed.”

  “I’ll consider that a challenge.”

  A flush crept up her neck and colored her cheeks. “To seduce me?”

  “No, to wed you.”

  She gasped. “That’s not proper.”

  “Aah, but I’m a wizard, unfit to marry mortals. You and I are alike, filled with magic. Who knows what our union might bring?”

  Cook roused herself to jab a finger in his direction. “Quit teasing the girl! She deserves better. Everyone’s watching. Show her respect.”

  Christian grinned, but turned to the others. “Sorry. I needed something to lift my spirits. I’ve learned a lot from today’s adventure.” Serious again, he went on. “We’re going to need every advantage we have. My warriors can’t win against the vampires. They’re too strong and too fast.”

  Brom, who’d joined them, raised a torch in his left hand and his sword in his right. “We won’t die without a fight. Jarman worked with us while you were gone. Vampires fear fire.” He shot Christian a meaningful look. “We’re meant to dispatch the wounded before they can heal. We’ll keep these lit to defend ourselves and behead every enemy that’s been shot with silver.”

  All business now, Christian turned his attention to Jarman and his pack. “Can you hit them? They’re so fast, they were upon me before I could stop them.”

  “We’re fast, too. We won’t miss, but we’re sure to run out of silver. Stakes won’t be quite as efficient.”

  Christian gave a curt nod and turned to the witches. “You’re taking an awful risk. You won’t see them until they’re almost upon you.”

  “You underestimate our powers. We’ve been practicing,” the witch who shot balls of energy told him. “We sense more than mortals do.”

  “So do I.”

  The witch squared her shoulders. “I’d rather die fighting than wait to be drained.”

  Christian couldn’t argue with that. “Then let’s take our positions.” He turned to his mother and the others in the room. “The warlord toyed with anyone of importance. I don’t want that to happen to you. Hide yourselves, and if we lose, use these.” He pointed to a row of knives he’d asked Brom to fetch.

  His mother took one and handed them to each of the others.

  Christian sighed. He never thought it would come to this. With his powers, he thought his people were safe. “If anyone knocks down the door….”

  His mother nodded. “We’ve been warned. We won’t tarry.”

  Brom led her from the room. They climbed the stairs to the family’s bedchambers. Small, narrow windows would allow them to watch the battle from there. Thick, w
ooden doors could be bolted from inside.

  Brina came to stand beside him. “How many were left in the great hall? I couldn’t see through your flames.”

  “Too many.” His voice was grim.

  She placed a hand on his arm. “They’ve never met the likes of us—witches, vampires, and mortals united.”

  “Let’s hope that’s enough.” He ran a hand through his hair. The warlord’s army had surely killed many by now, while making their way across the country, but they were still new at their game. With Brina beside him, he went to join the others.

  * * *

  A witch, along with two vampires, stood guard at each corner of the fortress. Christian didn’t think the warlord would bother with strategy, trying to sneak past them to attack from behind, but he wouldn’t risk it. He placed the rest of the witches and vampires, along with himself, on the wall facing the forest, in a direct line from the fortress he and Brina had visited earlier. He was fairly certain the warlord would be storming straight at them, ready to overpower them with sheer muscle.

  He squinted into the darkness. He’d expected the enemy army to rush them at sunset, but the moon had climbed to its zenith, and still no one appeared.

  Jarman paced back and forth from the end tower to the central gates. “Are you all right?” he called to Aldith, who was pacing, too.

  “I have Forwin beside me. I’ll be fine.”

  The young, male vampire gave a serious nod. Christian had watched them together, the lovely female and the dark, brooding male—the way they exchanged glances, touched. They must be a pair.

  Jarman came close to whisper, “Don’t be fooled. Of the two of them, Aldith is by far the deadliest. She’s nearly as old as I am. Each of her arrows will find its mark.”

  Christian looked at her with new respect. “And the friends you posted on the back wall?”

  “Older than dirt. They were changed before my mother wrapped me in nappies. None of us are new, or we wouldn’t be free.”

  At Christian’s frown, Jarman explained. “A vampire belongs to whoever sired him. It takes centuries to break free from that allegiance—if you’re lucky.”