Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

S everal clan members began to speak at once and Rene held up his hand to still the confusion and fear.

"I assure you that Constantine and I will answer all your questions. We wish to gather any additional information on Dimitri and those who left with him. We will be looking for any clues as to their whereabouts and appreciate your willingness to help." Rene lowered his voice before he leaned toward me. "This will take some time. Why don't you and Cass check on the training facility and see how debris removal is progressing before you retire to our suite? I will join you later."

Constantine touched Cassara's shoulder. "You will remain with Raven until Rene returns to their suite."

Cassara's eyes flickered. "I had no intention of leaving her, numbskull. I have been protecting her since the moment I saw her."

Constantine stared at her without emotion. "Normally, you retiring to your adjoining suite would have sufficed. But I do not trust anyone in this clan to protect Raven except you and Rene."

The anger on her features softened. "I only trust the death dealers and a few others myself, but don't tell me how to do my job."

Constantine's lip twitched slightly. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Cass moved toward me and motioned with her head. I kissed Rene on the cheek and followed her into the hallway. "Constantine, better get his head out of his ass if he expects to wake up tomorrow."

I was silent for a moment. "He doesn't want to be the clan leader. He looked irritated by the promotion."

"True. He declined leadership at Shadow Phantom. He is only doing this out of duty, and everyone knows it. Con hates political clans."

The hallway was empty as the majority of the clan was in the foyer, but Cassara's death dealers had already returned to the cleanup. Dawn was fast approaching, and they would be forced to avoid the other wall once the sunlight began to stream through.

Cass opened the door to the training room, and we entered to survey the death dealer's progress.

As I stopped in the doorway of the training facility, my heart carried a mix of anticipation and sadness. The damaged room was a testament to the resilience of those who spent hours in this sacred space honing their skills. The acrid scent of smoke had faded, but the charred remnants lingered like a malicious memory etched in the walls.

The room had transformed from the chaotic wreckage of my last visit to some semblance of order. The debris that had covered the floor like an apocalyptic battlefield had been painstakingly cleared, revealing the charred but sturdy floorboards underneath. Shafts of moonlight streamed in through the hole in the wall, illuminating the ring that had seen so many trials of combat.

The seasoned death dealers I had begun to train beside moved with purpose amidst the controlled chaos. They worked in harmony, their strength and unity evident as they utilized their supernatural strength to haul away charred beams and broken training apparatuses. The clatter of metal and broken wood echoed as they dropped the remnants in a pile outside the gaping hole. Val relayed orders to the team about what items he wanted removed next. Their studious response was a reminder of the camaraderie that had always been the foundation of this place.

The walls still bore the scars of smoke damage. A reminder of the inferno that had threatened to consume the mansion and everyone in it. But there was still beauty in the way the moonlight caressed the charred beams, turning those wretched scars into a story of survival. It was as if the very essence of the death dealers had seeped into this facility, leaving an indelible mark that no fire could erase.

As we stepped further into the room, I felt a surge of pride and determination overcome me. This place, though altered by the flames, was still alive with the spirit of those who had refused to be defeated. The death dealers, with their determined brows and dirt-streaked faces, were a living embodiment of strength in the face of adversity. Protectors of the clan until the bitter end.

We walked over to Kirnen, lending a hand to move the remnants of a broken beam. For Cass, it wasn't about cleaning up the debris; it was reclaiming her haven. The scars on the walls and the smell of smoke lingering in the air were a reminder that we were warriors who had weathered the storm and emerged stronger despite our enemies' efforts to destroy us.

I worked alongside my fellow death dealers, and a renewed sense of purpose blossomed within me. Their super-speed was a blessing, but they couldn't always use it when maneuvering the larger pieces of debris. Cass moved to help Val and Quinn with a piece of trellis that had fallen to the floor while I helped Kirnen with a wooded wall that had once belonged to the obstacle course.

He smiled sadly at me. "I am sorry about this, Raven. It all seems so unfair."

I repositioned the charred wood we were angling toward the hole in the wall so we could toss it on the pile outside. "Don't apologize for people's prejudice. That caused this mess."

Kirnen and I tossed the charred wall outside and I moved toward another burn pile. "You misunderstand. I am sorry you died."

I frowned as I turned toward him. "I'm not. At least not anymore. I am sure there will be difficult times in the future, but that is a part of life. Even an undead one."

He pulled his staff from his belt as a barrier formed between us and the other death dealers in the trashed facility. "Dimitri is coming for you. Go quietly and I will not be required to kill you."

Cassara's shout alerted me that Dimitri and his cohorts had returned, and the clash of fighting echoed around us. My gaze remained firmly locked on Kirnen and I was aware he possessed more skill as a death dealer than I did. His slice to my neck had proved that, but he did not possess magic. Even though I was not at full strength, I figured we were evenly matched with my power making up for his superior skill.

"If you raise that blade to me, you are dead. Rene will slaughter you. Don't betray the clan because Dimitri is set on a vendetta."

Kirnen sighed. "It is not Dimitri. I was a historian. I studied the ancient kings and the results of their madness. Rene was good and just overseer, but so were most of the others before the madness began to take root. It is not his fault, but he cannot be allowed to evolve any further."

My fangs lengthened. "Who are you to decide Rene's evolution? Dimitri simply doesn't want to lose power. He will do anything to become overseer."

Kirnen nodded. "Yes, but he is young by our standards and has over a thousand years before he will be considered unsafe to mature."

I stepped back and raised my hands. I hadn't grabbed a weapon, so my magic was all I had. "You are intent on this course of action?"

Kirnen nodded. "I am truly sorry, Raven. If you will not surrender, I must kill you to send Rene into full madness. He is too strong to kill while he is sane, and the longer you live, the slower his progression will be."

I huffed as growls and shouts continued to erupt around me. "You have no idea what his evolution will be. I know this because he doesn't either. There has never been a stable king, because those who aged didn't have an anchor."

Kirnen grunted. "You think because Rene bonded with you, he is stable? You are wrong. Nothing can stabilize a king. The power that starts the transformation drives them mad. Immortality comes at a price. And every vampire must eventually pay. The lycans found this out the hard way. It is time we learned our lesson." He raised his staff before his spear extended and he took a fighting stance.

My eyes searched the surrounding scene as I braced for Kirnen's attack. The facility that had once been a sanctuary for training and camaraderie was now a battleground, echoing with the clash of weapons and the angry shouts of the death dealers. My heart squeezed with a mix of adrenaline and concern coursing through my body.

The death dealers all fought with a fierce determination that sent shivers down my spine, but their sadness at Kirnen's betrayal would run deep no matter the outcome. Their movements were fluid and calculated, like the deadly dance of a gazelle that conveyed the years they had spent honing their skills within these very walls. The clang of steel against steel echoed through the air, punctuated by the occasional groan or scream as the mercenaries were picked off one by one.

Despite the chaos, I noticed the shimmering bubble at the entrance of the facility. It was some kind of barrier spell, a powerful enchantment that kept the happening within the training facility segregated from the rest of the mansion. The dark magic hummed in the air, a reminder of the potent power of the traitorous witch who wielded it.

My gaze swept across the room, searching for a figure that would stand out among the battle-hardened warriors. Brigid, the traitorous witch who had once been a coven sister, was conspicuously absent. The uncertainty sent a slither of unease through me. Her absence was a mystery that gnawed at my thoughts as I glanced back at Kirnen.

His foot shifted slightly before he swung his weapon in my direction, and I dismissed the errant witch as I unleashed my magic on the opponent before me. The death dealers around me fought with a shared purpose, a unity that had been forged through years of training, purpose, and loyalty. I had to remain vigilant, and I deflected Kirnen's spear with a quick protection spell while scanning for any sign of Brigid.

"Raven!" Cass yelled.

I didn't dare look at her as Kirnen circled me, looking for an opening. "Find Brigid. We need to break her barrier. The rest of the clan can't get near us. She has isolated me. So I assume she is on your side of this bubble." Brigid was smart. She had segregated me from the death dealers and the death dealers from the door. Compartmentalizing your magic like that was difficult, and it spoke of her skill.

"We can't find her, but there are more mercenaries than cockroaches," Cass yelled.

This had to be Brigid's final stand, and I heard Dimitri yell before my steps faltered.

"Kill Cassara. If we eliminate her and Raven, Rene will crumble. He is too attached to the women."

Cass moved at the corner of my vision to stand in front of Dimitri. "You are such a pussy, Dimitri. You stand here ordering others to kill me when you aren't willing to do it yourself."

Dimitri smiled as a barrier formed between him and Cass. Brigid was hidden in her effective shroud, but she was watching every event and protecting her asset. "Raven is the cause of Davon's death. Her arrival was the beginning of the end. It doesn't need to be this way, Cass. At least not for you. Come with me. Denounce the mad king."

Cass twirled her extended spear. "I would rather suntan in the middle of the day. You are pathetic, Dimitri. Brigid would kill you in a heartbeat if you had one."

"There is nobody to help you, Cassara. Brigid has ensured that the clan is blissfully unaware you are under attack and more mercenaries are arriving by the second beneath her shroud."

It was the same spell Brigid had used when I was attacked at the store. Cass had stared at Powerful Petals, only a few feet away, unaware of the events transpiring inside. I had breached that spell by tossing a mercenary out of the window to break that illusion, and it would take something to circumvent her spell now. They had prepared for this attack and with Dimitri's expertise and assistance, they would overrun the death dealers in time.

Brigid could create an infallible illusion and sound barrier, but there was one connection she couldn't ward against. I moved deftly to the side, matching Kirnen's movements as he looked for an opportunity to stab me. Amidst the deadly dance that played out before me. I reached out for the connection in my mind, one forged out of love. It was different now, and it took a moment for me to illuminate the thread that had gone dark when I died. I had never tried to use this connection when I was under duress, but my daughter's voice whispered in my mind like a beacon in a windstorm.

Mom? Is that you?

Yes, baby. We are under attack. Call Rene on his cell. We need help.

I'm on it; just hold on.

Kirnen swung his spear toward my face and a fireball erupted in my palm and shot toward him. I stared in stunned silence as it penetrated his heart. The flames ignited his skin like papier maché and spread outward like amber fingers as it consumed his flesh and vital organs. I staggered back as he fell to his knees.