29. Magnar

As the girl I loved and her twin were consumed by the mountain, an echoing gong sounded across the plain around us. It was like an announcement for the gods and I felt the air swarming with unseen power as countless deities swept closer to watch us.

This moment was important enough for all of them to be present. I heard the heavy footfalls of the giants, the cry of a war horn and the laughter of Loki the trickster. I stared up at the skies in wonder for a moment before turning my eyes from the heavens. The gods may have been watching this exchange but this was a battle for men.

I bellowed a challenge as the Biters swarmed towards the six of us and I raised my swords above my head as I dove into the fray.

My brother and Clarice stood ready to hold back the left flank while Fabian and Chickoa stood against the right.

Erik and I drove into the centre of the line.

The ground writhed beneath us as Erik wielded his powers over the Earth.

Valentina stood in the middle of her followers, dragging a storm from the heavens at her bidding.

I charged and the ground shifted beneath me as Erik built a staircase out of rocks at my feet. I sped up it as the jagged earth carved through every Biter it hit, tearing them apart and dragging their remains into the foundations of the structure. I raced up and up, spearing between the middle of Valentina’s army on a platform they couldn’t reach.

At the top of the stairs, I dove from them, my swords held above my head as I roared a challenge and threw myself towards Valentina, promising her death with every fibre of my being.

She looked up as I plummeted towards her, her eyes widening in horror as she took in my immortal form and the cataclysmic power Erik wielded.

Valentina raised her arms and a battering gale slammed into me, throwing me off course before I could impale her upon my blades.

I smashed into the midst of her army, tumbling over and over, crashing through flesh and bone before I skidded to a halt surrounded by my enemies.

I swung my blades before I even made it to my feet again, carving through the legs of any vampires unlucky enough to be that close to me.

The Biters leapt at me, recovering fast from the initial shock of my landing. I was swarmed by a mass of bodies, pressing me to the earth, biting, punching, kicking, stabbing.

But my flesh was like steel and the injuries they caused me healed almost as soon as they were created. I managed to flip myself over beneath the press of their bodies and force myself to my feet with all of my enhanced strength.

Vampires were tossed away from me, slamming into each other and falling back as I swung Venom through their ranks, casting them to ash in droves.

Tempest bayed for its chance at blood in my left hand and I spun, granting its wish as bright red fluid coated both it and me.

The vampires started backing away from me, raising guns as they tried to take aim between their comrades.

I shot forward as the gunfire rattled out, my vampire abilities combining with my strength and allowing me to carve right through the heart of their army like a battering ram. A handful of bullets found my flesh but I ignored the searing pain as I began to heal. The only wound that could stop me would be one to my heart and I didn’t intend to stop for anything less.

I held my blades at my sides as I ran, causing death and injury on a colossal scale without even needing to take aim.

The ground rattled beneath my feet as I closed in on Erik again and I cried out to him, trying to locate him within the crowd.

“Magnar!” he bellowed in reply and I searched for him in the mayhem.

Hammering rain fell from the sky as Valentina built her storm and lightning struck the ground before me as I turned towards the sound of Erik’s voice.

The Biters scattered at her command and I spotted her across the plain, smiling wickedly as the heavens split above my head.

I cried out, charging straight for her at an impossible speed as her lightning slammed into the ground again and again. She missed me time after time and I felt the heat of the strikes crashing into the soil at my back as she underestimated my speed.

Her lips fell open as I made it within a few feet of her, springing forward with Tempest poised to cleave her body apart.

Lightning slammed into me before I could land the hit and I crashed backwards into the earth with fire ripping my veins apart. I dropped my blades as electricity shot through the metal, burning the flesh from my palms.

Valentina shrieked with glee as she advanced on me and lightning forked from the sky again. Three, four, five bolts slammed into my body as she raised her hands to the heavens and my spine arced beneath her onslaught. Even the intensity of my ability to heal struggled to counter the ferocity of her attacks.

The sky split open above me once more as lightning raced directly for my heart but before it could strike me, a shelf of earth exploded from the ground beside me, curving over me and absorbing the blow, burying me in the safety of the soil.

Dirt covered me, cloying, pressing, suffocating, but my undead body didn’t need to breathe.

Valentina screamed in terror beyond the mound of earth which contained me and a savage smile pulled at my face.

I lay still for several seconds as my body healed the extensive damage done by the lightning and my limbs flooded with strength once more.

I started clawing at the earth, digging, dragging, raking it aside as I pulled myself out of the grave which had saved me.

Light spilled through the soil as I reached the surface and I wrenched my body towards it like a corpse rising from the ground.

Valentina was desperately battling Erik’s gifts ahead of me, a savage wind pummelling against the rocks and gravel he drove at her.

Her gaze turned to me for a moment and horror filled her eyes at the sight of her betrothed ascending from the dirt, filthy with blood, gore and soil.

I bared my teeth at her as I charged again, snatching my blades from the ground as I went.

Erik saw me coming and a ferocious grin lit his face as we moved to face her together. This woman had chained us to her will, mind, body and soul. But she was about to find out why you shouldn’t keep monsters as pets.