Mist Rising by Eve Langlais
Chapter Ten
It didn’t takeAgathe long to put on her robe and grab her weapons while Baree eyed her, not saying much. Perhaps their long acquaintance had been enough time for him to lose some of his misogyny about women.
Only as they stood in front of the door, the bell having just rung for the fourth time, did he finally say, “You’re not opening it, are you? It’s probably a trap.”
“Monsters don’t ring bells,” she noted.
“Always a first time.”
The ringing ended abruptly, and in that sudden silence, a sibilant voice rasped, “Open.”
A niggling sense of wrongness had Agathe saying, “State your name.”
Rather than reply, they pounded on the door, and uttered a terrible cry that pimpled her skin.
“What is that?” she whispered.
Baree growled. “Vhampir.”
She didn’t recognize the word, but the lieutenant appeared perturbed. “What is a Vhampir?”
“Do not open that door. Whatever you do. The monster on the other side will get inside your head if offered a chance. Make you do things.”
“How do you know this?” How had she never heard of it?
“We were recently briefed about some of the Abyss monsters we might encounter.”
“Are you sure it’s a monster? It knocked and said open.” Agathe reminded.
“They can mimic some human actions and words. It’s how they fool people into letting them inside.” Baree glared at the door. “It’s how a Vhampir and his pet monsters recently killed a legion of men.” A legion being made up of numerous squadrons.
“How do you defeat it?” she asked.
“By cutting off its head.” The suggestion came from Hiix, who’d emerged in battle leathers painstakingly sewn together from scraps, but it provided some protection from the monsters, more than fabric robes that tangled around their legs.
What former Maeder had thought it wise to transition them from commonsense clothing to pajamas? Obviously, one who had ruled during a time of peace.
Hiix drew close to the door and shouted, “I am coming out to see you, monster. You can stop trying to whisper inside my head.”
“You can hear it?” Agathe exclaimed.
“It’s been taunting me for days. And I’m done with it.” Hiix jammed her hands into her gloves.
“You aren’t facing it alone. Give me a second to change.” She rushed back into her room and exchanged her robe for leathers. She should have put those on the moment the bell rang. She’d worried what Baree would think.
She emerged to find the King’s man silent. His gaze went from Hiix to Agathe.
“I’ve heard stories since we last spoke, about the Soraers of the Shield and their skill with weapons. I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure I believed them.”
“It’s been a while since we’ve had to fight.” A lot had changed since then. “We are the shield against the Abyss, the first line against darkness,” Agathe recited.
“The beloved of the Goddess,” Hiix finished.
While the Vhampir added, “Hunnnngry.”
A tad unsettling.
Agathe eyed Hiix, who appeared cocky and ready. As for Baree, he wouldn’t look at her at all. Only as they opened the door did it occur to Agathe that they were doing exactly what the Vhampir wanted, but it was too late by then.
He stood several paces from the door in a pocket of open space around which swirled the mist. Unlike other monsters, the Vhampir wasn’t hideous. Nor was he entirely human. There was something in his face. The sharpness of his cheekbones, the darkness of the eyes with a hint of sickly red, and the pallor of the skin that set the Vhampir apart. Despite all that…
“He’s beautiful,” Hiix muttered before dropping to her knees.
Baree was already down, head bowed, as well. As for Agathe, her legs folded, and she sank, even as she wondered why.
She saw the hem of the inhuman creature’s robe as it neared. Her sword lay on the ground, and she had a hand braced beside it.
Why aren’t I fighting?
Why would she fight? She couldn’t hope to win. Easier to relax. Wait.
Wait for what?
She heard the suckling and with a grunt of effort managed to turn her head enough to see the Vhampir latched to Baree.
Sucking his skin.
His blood.
And she would be next if she did nothing.
Gritting her teeth took monumental effort, but she still managed to mutter, “Give me strength, Goddess.”
No reply. But that didn’t mean Agathe could give up. She was a Soraer of the Shield. Protector against the Abyss. A defense against the Void.
And this Vhampir couldn’t be allowed to live.
She strained and heaved against the shackles on her will. At first, they only flexed tighter.
“Goddess, give me strength.” With a growl, Agathe broke free.
Her fingers closed around her sword, and as the Vhampir turned a face bright with crimson lips, she swung.
Off went its head, with its wide, surprised eyes. The contents of her stomach soon followed.
