Into the void, p.31
Into the Void, page 31
Cara frowned.
“Yeah,” Julia said. “This is why she’s been acting so weird. Our theories were way off.”
“What theories?” Cara asked.
Julia shrugged, trying to look innocent.
“Personally, I was convinced it was Nick,” Quinn said.
“I told you Cara wasn’t like that,” Julia said.
“Yeah, but what else could it have been?” Quinn said. “It’s not like either of us could have predicted vampires and magic being real.”
“Guys,” Cara said. “Please. We need to focus.”
“Wait,” Julia asked. “Is Nick a witch, too?”
Cara hesitated. “No,” she said. “He’s not a witch.”
There was a noise from the corner, and a vampire stepped into view. “I was waiting to take you by surprise, but I can’t bear the thought of listening to any more of this conversation.”
“Rude,” Quinn said as she backed away.
Cara reached for a wooden stake, and then another vampire stepped into view beside him.
“Back off!” Quinn said. “You don’t want to mess with us. She’s a witch.”
The vampires laughed. “We know what she is.”
Cara stepped in front of them. “Leave them out of this,” she said. “They’re not involved.”
“They are, now.”
The man in the centre looked older than the others. A lot older. He stepped forward, and Cara tensed, bracing herself to fire the stake.
“Cara, I presume,” the vampire said. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“All good things, I hope,” she said, trying to stall. She could deal with vampires, but the older ones were more dangerous, and this one looked ancient.
“Oh, of course. My name is Barden.”
“I think I’ve heard the name,” she said.
“Have you? What a pleasant surprise.”
“You’re Samuel’s right hand man, right?”
“Our relationship is far deeper and more complex, but I suppose you could call it that.”
“Why are you here?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you be with Samuel?”
“I had a feeling you might find a way around the concealment spell,” he said. “He can handle himself. Samuel has defeated enemies far more powerful than your boyfriend.”
“So you decided to lurk in the shadows down here in case I showed up,” Cara said.
“Real brave,” Quinn said, and Julia shushed her.
Barden glared at Quinn, and Cara took her chance.
She sent stakes shooting towards them, but the vampires were too fast. One of them took a stake in the stomach, not a fatal wound, but she twisted her hand, setting the wood on fire. He screamed as unnatural flames consumed his body.
Barden rushed her and she fumbled for a stake, but she was too slow, and he grabbed her.
“Enough,” he said, and he slammed her against the stone wall.
She cried out and fell. She tried to stand, and the younger vampire grabbed her arms and pulled them over her head, pinning her wrists against the wall.
The vampire grinned at her. “Witch blood is always a lovely treat. So sweet, bursting with the fruits of your power.”
“Don’t play with your food,” Barden said.
Quinn shouted something, and she threw herself onto Barden, clinging to his back and hitting her fist against his head. Cara didn’t even notice the wooden stake in her other hand until she stabbed it into Barden’s shoulder.
Barden roared and threw her off, and she hit the wall with a painful thud.
“I’m going to enjoy killing you, girl,” Barden growled. “Or maybe I’ll keep you alive and make you regret resisting.”
Cara’s head was pounding and her body ached, but she saw Julia standing behind them, and she tried to tell her to run, but she couldn’t find the breath to speak.
Julia moved, but she was going the wrong way. She was coming towards the vampires.
Cara’s vision focused, and she saw what Julia was doing.
“No,” she rasped.
Julia lifted one of Cara’s stakes, and she dragged the sharp end across her forearm. She gasped at the pain, but she did it again, and more blood dripped from her arm.
Barden turned sharply, inhaling a deep breath through his nose.
The younger vampire dropped Cara, and she fell to the ground. He turned to Julia, and her eyes widened as he stalked towards her.
Barden shook his head. “You think to surrender yourself to us, child? We will not show you mercy for offering your blood.”
“That’s not what I’m doing,” Julia said, and she grabbed her arm, smearing blood across her skin.
The younger vampire grinned and grabbed her arm.
“I saw it in a movie,” Julia said, looking at Cara, and then she screamed as he sank his teeth into her arm.
Barden laughed. “Then you will die because of a movie.”
Quinn was on her feet again, clutching her body like something was broken. “We won’t die here.”
“Why not?” Barden said.
Quinn pointed to Cara, and Barden turned as she got to her feet.
Cara threw out her arms and twin streams of fire shot towards him. He dodged, but the flames caught his sleeve, and he stumbled away, trying to put out the fire. Cara rushed at the vampire clinging to Julia, and she grabbed his shirt, pouring magic through her hand.
Fire exploded and he was thrown back, and she lifted her hands. The flames expanded and consumed him. He screamed and fell to the floor, writhing and slapping at his skin, but the supernatural fire refused to be extinguished, and Cara poured her power into them until he stopped moving.
Barden ripped off his jacket and hurled it away from himself, and the smouldering fabric landed on the floor.
He turned to Cara and rushed her. He moved in a blur, faster than any vampire she had ever seen, and Cara let it happen. He was too old, too powerful, and she couldn’t fight him like the others. The stakes were useless now, and throwing a fireball wouldn’t save her.
He collided with her like a train and her bones broke. She didn’t even know which ones. Healing magic flooded her, keeping her alive, and he slammed her against the stone floor. More pain, more damage, and she pulled on the deepest recesses of her power. She had to live because she had to win. Her friends needed her.
His teeth flashed as he bared his fangs to bite. She didn’t pull away. She grabbed him and flooded her skin with magic. She had healed herself hundreds of times, but this time, she didn’t heal.
Fire consumed her, covering her skin, and they both screamed. Her magic healed her while she burned, but he kept burning. His body was stronger than most vampires, but she gave all her strength to the flames, and his screams got louder. Her fire swept over his skin and his clothes, burning through his hair and his body.
He finally pushed her off, and he hurled her across the room. She hit something hard and pain lanced through her body. Barden flailed and screamed, but her fire was stronger than his healing, and he was on his knees, still screaming.
The flames died as he went silent, and she didn’t look at him. She knew he was gone. Warmth spread through her body, and the pain in her back slowly faded, replaced by that familiar stiffness that always followed a healing.
Cara slowly lifted her head, and she saw the pile of ash. They continued to smoulder quietly, and pale smoke rose from them. When it was over, there was nothing but silence and the smell of burnt ash in the air.
***
Chapter 67 - Nick
Nick tried to stand, but his body wasn’t listening to him. His neck was wet and warm, and he didn’t look down. He pushed himself across the floor towards Brett.
“That’s a lot of blood,” Brett said. He was pressed up against some kind of invisible barrier, the perimeter of the rune prison he was trapped in.
Nick tried to reply, but his words failed, and he could barely manage a sound.
“Nick? Talk to me, man. Say something.”
Nick groaned.
“Don’t think that was an actual word, but I’ll take it.”
Nick dragged himself to the edge of the ward circle surrounding Brett.
“You can’t die, Nick. I can’t lose you.”
Nick reached out with one blood-covered hand, and energy flowed into his skin until the runes went dark. He felt a boost in his strength, but it didn’t do much to help the pain in his body.
Brett dropped to his knees and pulled Nick against him. Nick groaned his protest, but Brett ignored him.
“It’s okay, we’ll get you to a doctor. Or a witch. They can heal, right? No, no, you’re a void. Okay. Okay, then, the hospital. Let’s go. They’ll fix you.”
Nick tried and failed to carry his own weight. Brett threw one of Nick’s arms over his shoulders and pulled him towards the door.
“Come on, man, just hold on. I’ll get you there, just stay with me.”
Nick stumbled, and Brett shifted his grip, practically carrying him towards the door.
“You still with me? Nick?”
“I’m here,” Nick rasped, but his voice sounded distant. Other noises sounded strange, too, and he thought he could hear footsteps. Hearing things wasn’t a good sign. Was that a symptom of blood loss?
“Someone’s coming,” Brett said, dragging Nick behind the door.
He didn’t imagine the noises, then. Good. Probably.
“Lean against the wall,” Brett whispered. “I’ll take care of this.”
Nick started to speak, but Brett let him go and Nick fell against the wall.
The door burst open and Brett lunged at the intruder.
“It’s me!” Cara yelled, throwing up her hands.
Nick caught a glimpse of Brett - ferocious and snarling with a mouth full of gleaming teeth and terrifyingly sharp canines - and then Brett tried to stop, almost tripping over himself as he avoided crashing into her.
“Are you okay? Where’s Nick?”
Nick sagged against the wall as the room started to spin.
“He’s here,” Brett said.
“I’m fine,” Nick said, but the words caught in his throat and he started coughing. Rough, shuddering coughs shook his entire body, and he could taste copper in the back of his throat.
“Oh god, Nick,” Cara said.
Nick was vaguely aware of them rushing to his side as his legs gave out and he slipped down the wall.
“Can you fix him?” Brett said.
“This looks ridiculous, doesn’t it?” Nick laughed between coughs. His face felt wet, and he touched his chin. “Is that blood?”
“He’s confused,” Brett said. “I know magic won’t work, but is there anything else you can do? Can you teleport him to a hospital?”
“No,” Cara said. “Nick, look at me. I need you to focus.”
“I’m fine,” he said. He tried to wipe away the blood around his mouth, but he just spread it onto his hands. “I just need a minute.”
“Nick-”
“I meant to tell you,” he said, but his words slipped into each other when he tried to say them. “I should have told you.”
“We have to do something,” Brett said, ignoring Nick’s rambling. “Call your friends outside. They can help.”
“Should have said it before,” Nick murmured.
“They can’t help,” Cara said. “There’s a doctor in the coven, but she’s not close enough to do anything. This is…”
“What? What is it?”
Suddenly, Cara grabbed his hands. Nick blinked a few times, and her face came into focus.
“Drain me, Nick.”
Nick took a shaky breath. “What? No.”
“Drain me.”
“It won’t help,” Nick rasped.
“Use my magic to heal yourself. It might heal you.”
“That’s crazy, you don’t-” A cough cut him off and started another string of racking coughs.
“Taking your power will heal him?” Brett asked.
“Maybe. I don’t know. You said he killed Samuel by grabbing him and draining his energy, right? Vampires are kept alive by their power. They’re undead, but immortal. That’s a different kind of magic. Nick took that from him, and he can take this from me. Nick, I’m a healer. Use me.”
“Nick, do you hear what she’s saying? You need to stay awake.”
Nick had to concentrate on breathing without coughing, but he wanted to tell them how stupid their plan was.
“Samuel was a powerful vampire,” Cara said. “He’s stronger than Nick. At least, he should have been. The void took his strength, but that had to go somewhere, right?”
“You sounded more confident a minute ago,” Brett said. He was holding Nick’s head against his chest. Nick didn’t remember when Brett moved, but he was holding him now, and he wanted to tell him not to be dramatic. He was fine. He just needed a minute.
“It’s a theory, but it’s our only option. He doesn’t have time to get to a hospital.”
Brett hesitated. “But Samuel died.”
“I won’t die,” Cara said. “Nick won’t let it go that far. Take my magic, Nick. My magic heals. You took Samuel’s power, now take mine.”
Nick shook his head.
Cara pulled his hands against the centre of her chest, right above her heart. “Do it. We don’t have time to argue. Do you trust me?”
“Yeah, but that’s not-” He tried to pull away, but she wouldn’t let him.
“Nick, please.”
“The void wants your magic,” he murmured. Black lines crossed his skin, and they looked darker and more powerful than ever. He was too weak to hold them back. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“It’ll hurt me a lot more if you die,” she said. “You can control it. And Brett’s here, too. He’ll pull us apart if it goes too far. Right?”
“Yeah,” Brett said. “I’ll stop you, Nick.”
Cara gripped his hands tighter. “Now or never, Nick. Come on.”
He shook his head.
“I’m doing it,” she said. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you die.”
Cara took a breath, and he felt her magic. It was warm and soothing, and he felt the heat through her skin. The void pulsed and shot forward, streaking down his arms to her chest.
“No,” Nick groaned.
Cara cried out and the magic dimmed, but she composed herself and kept pushing it into him.
Nick tried to pull away, but he was too weak and the void fought him for every inch, filling his head with confusing, spiralling thoughts. It was ravenous, starving. The void wanted to live, and it wasn’t going to let him get in the way.
The magic dimmed and pulsed again and again. The void kept pulling, and Cara kept giving.
“It’s working,” Brett said. “Look at his neck.”
Nick could see her getting paler and weaker. He didn’t know how far she could push herself, and he struggled to focus enough to tell her to stop. His head was spinning from exhaustion and euphoria, and the void roared inside him, fueled by her magic.
“Cara?” Brett said. “You good?”
Cara nodded, eyes closed as she focused on the spell. She looked exhausted, but she kept going.
Moments stretched longer and longer, and Nick finally felt himself getting stronger. His mind was clear, he could breathe properly, and he was able to sit up straight.
“It worked,” Brett gasped.
Cara managed a weak smile.
“Let go, Nick,” Brett said.
The void screamed in his head.
“Nick, let go,” Brett said.
Cara’s eyes fluttered, and Brett grabbed their hands.
Nick gasped and ripped his hands away. He pushed himself against the wall, staring at her. “Cara?”
“I’m alright,” she said, but her voice was soft, and she sounded weak.
“Cara, I’m sorry.”
“I have more,” she said. “Take more.”
“Brett, check if she’s okay. I can’t touch her.”
His brother was checking his neck, examining it, but he nodded and went to Cara, touching her gently while he spoke to her.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I’m fine, Brett.”
Nick’s fingers twitched, desperate to reach towards her, but he clenched his fists. He forced the void to retreat, but it took all his strength. The darkness was roiling, hungry and angry, and it wanted her.
“It’s over,” Nick said, talking to himself as much as them. He touched his neck and winced. It was painful and sensitive to touch, but he could feel how much it improved. “You saved me.”
“You did that by yourself,” she said.
The glowing euphoria finally faded, and ice-cold reality flooded his senses.
“Oh god,” he groaned. Pain was everywhere, and his chest and his ribs and his neck throbbed.
“You look like shit,” Brett said.
Nick laughed and then groaned, holding his ribs.
“Sorry,” Brett said, but he was still smiling.
Cara wavered beside him, and Brett quickly steadied her. “I’ve got you.”
She put her head against Brett’s shoulder, and Nick resisted the urge to take his place. He couldn’t risk the void hurting her again.
A minute passed, and Nick noticed the expression on his brother’s face. Brett was trying very hard not to look at Cara, and then Nick saw the scratch on her cheek, and the thin red line of fresh blood.
“You okay?” Nick asked.
Brett shifted position. “Me? I’m fine. Better than fine. I’m great.”
There was a pause, a moment of silence, and then Brett cleared his throat. “I’ll go check the hallway. Cara, you good?”
She nodded, and she looked strong enough to sit up without assistance.
Brett was gone in a flash, and Nick blinked. “Vampire. Right. He’s a vampire. That’ll take some getting used to.”
Cara straightened up, and he was relieved to see some colour returning to her cheeks. “You beat Samuel.”
“I survived. It wasn’t my best work.”
“Still, it’s a win. You won.”
“I don’t know if I can say I won that fight,” Nick said. “If you weren’t here, I’d be dead, too. How are the girls?”
“They’re good,” she said. “Shaken, but they’re still high on adrenaline. The hard part will come later. They’re tough. They’ll pull through.”
