The black horncrashed into Justice’s sword, creating a loud ringing sound that echoed through the air. The black unicorn shot several dark blasts toward Justice, which he managed to deflect except for one that shot into his calf. Blood splattered over the ground and pooled down his leg. A strangled yell escaped his throat as he leaned on his good leg, panting. The dark magic of the unicorn was strong, much stronger than he’d imagined. He looked up at dark elves and ogres who had the three vampires on the retreat. They couldn’t hold them all off. He had to help them.
His dark green hair whipped in the wind as he gripped his sword, steadying himself on his good leg. His eyes began to glow, and the blade answered, swirling with the same luminous green as something deep inside him called to it, soul reaching for soul.
Justice raised the sword overhead and a roar ripped through the blade, deep and feral, the sound of a bear tearing through the night. The green light flared brighter and lit the sky, the cry of the beast rolling out with it. A man stood holding the sword, but the shadow he cast was something else entirely. Something massive. A werebear rearing on its hind legs, mid-roar. His feral strength surged forward and his glowing eyes locked onto his target.
CHAPTER 74
“You’ve done your part, demon. You are free to go and do whatever it is that souls do,” Count Basil said as he looked at the demon, who was still standing there.
Lucie’s eyes lifted up to Abe. She gave him a small smile to show him she still believed in him. The connection was broken, but she refused to believe that it had changed him that much. His eyes lowered from hers, and she watched him vanish.
Count Basil smirked as he shifted the vials in his hands. “Don’t worry, my prince. I don’t wish to kill you.” His eyes narrowed, looking beyond the prince and setting his gaze on Lucie. “But killing her will bring the war we need, the step we need to break the bond.”
“You are no match for me. We both know that I am the superior fighter between the two of us.”
“Here.” Count Basil tossed the vials back over to Beryl. “Take care of the mutt. I’ll handle the prince. You should feel privileged, wolf. That potion has been custom-tailored to attack that vampire blood of yours … with some special help.” A sinister smile curled over his lips.
“What do you mean?” Derrick asked nervously, shifting himself more in front of Lucie.
“The potion you saw in action before now has some extra enhancements, just to take care of this little mutt. Not only will they separate her wolf from her, but it will also strip her of her vampire. A little overkill, sure, but kill is the keyword here.” Count Basil chuckled at his lame joke.
Lucie …Derrick whimpered.
They still think I have a werewolf,Lucie tried to reassure him.
A blur shot toward them and Derrick shoved Lucie backward as he quickly blocked the attack. He bit the tip of his finger and pulled his blood whip out, lashing it back toward Basil. At the same time, the witch sent a forceful surge of magic toward Lucie, making her dodge sideways, separating her and Derrick further.
Lucie felt her body being pulled to the ground, and she looked around to see oddly placed crystals surrounding her. She glanced up to see a sinister smile on Beryl’s lips.
“I helped set something similar up a long time ago for my grandmother when she planned a trap for your mother. She ended up getting out. Of course, the abomination would. But I don’t need to hold you here forever. I just need to hold you still for this.” Beryl grinned as she held up a vial.
Lucie glanced up to see a small band of voidless marching on Derrick. This was how Count Basil planned to overpower Derrick. He couldn’t do it on his own, so he would use numbers. She tried to move but couldn’t. Energy pulsated from her body, pushing back on the crystals. Her fairy magic was repellingthem. They didn’t account for her being a fairy princess. She just needed to hold out a little bit longer until she could move the crystals and break the barrier they’d set up. She could use the crystals to seal Beryl, and then she could help Derrick.
Jasper,Irene, and Jester were overrun. Even with their abilities, the numbers were not on their side. On top of the dark elves and ogres, another legion came charging toward them. It was an army of imps, ghouls, and gremlins. This would be it. This was too much for them to handle.
Suddenly, a pack of wolves jumped in, intercepting the incoming army. Wolves and demons collided together. The Sulfur Pack had come out to attack the threat on their border. Now, with a fighting chance, the vampires pushed through their fatigue.
Jasper elongated his nails into what looked like five small blades and began slashing away at the enemies in front of him. He hoped Derrick and Lucie were okay.
Justice lunged at the dark unicorn, and his green sword roared as it collided with the beast’s dark energy. The sword began to morph, taking on the head of a bear. The green energy head sank its teeth into the horse’s neck, sending its power inside the decaying body. With one last shrill sound, the horse combusted, sending dark shards of energy back at Justice.
He winced as they entered his body, throwing him back to the ground. The blood pooled underneath him as he coughed up blood. He could feel himself getting weaker as his life force drained out of him. He stared up at the moon while blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. A movement caught hiseye, and he looked to see a dark elf raising his blade to stab him. So this was it for him. This would be his end.
He closed his eyes, too tired to keep them open. He was okay with dying. He just wished he knew Lucie and Derrick were safe.
He heard a loud commotion at his side, and he forced himself to open one of his eyes. The dark elf was dead on the ground and Jasper now knelt by his side.
“Justice!” Jasper cried out.
Justice quirked a slight smile and closed his eyes again. He just needed to rest.
Derrick’s bloodwhip wasn’t enough to beat Count Basil and the small army of voidless. He needed to take care of this quickly. Lucie needed him. Every time he tried to move in her direction, Basil launched massive attacks. Derrick was stronger, but Basil was still a tough opponent on his own, let alone with the small army Derrick was also having to fight off.
Derrick could feel an energy surfacing within him, the same energy he felt in his room earlier. It seemed to be part of his fairy magic he’d inherited from Lucie. The energy pulsed around him, and he felt it trickle up his hand. It poured into his blood whip, morphing it with the new energy. The blood whip shook slightly as red sparks jumped from it. He waved the whip again, and this time when it landed, it sent a surge of red lightning through the voidless army.
Several of the voidless fell to the ground, and for a moment, there was fear in Count Basil’s eyes. That quickly changed to a menacing smile as he looked over at Beryl.
“Do it!” he yelled.
