The sound of a baby crying hit my ears. It was coming from one of the illusion rooms on the train. Arthur changed into a wolf and surged ahead, bursting the door down.
It was the hot springs room— the one where they’d cast magic to make the place look like a tropical paradise. It was a vastly large space, able to fit a few hundred people with multiple entrances.
Fourstrygalounged by the pools underneath the palm trees. They resembled beautiful women in long black dresses, features too perfect to be anything but unnatural.
One of thestrygahad Kalina in her arms. The baby was wailing, her face red from crying and in clear distress. The vampire made no move to comfort her, merely sneered.
When thestrygaheard us enter, their heads jerked up in unison. Their movements were precise and unnerving. They snarled as they spotted us, and jumped to their feet.
I prepared myself for the worst. I’d only taken on one stryga in my life, and she’d nearly killed me. Even with my friends beside me, I wasn’t sure if we could win this.
Three of them charged at us with super-speed, their forms a blur as they crossed the area in seconds. The vampire holding Kalina bolted for another doorway on the opposite side of the room.
Arthur charged after her while the rest of us dealt with the attackingstryga.As they raced toward us, thestrygachanged. Their feet became forked, while claws sprouted out of their hands. Long fangs descended from their mouths, and their skin turned a rotting shade of gray. Their eyes turned from silver to black as they prepared to tear us apart with screeches that shattered the air.
I heard Kiara cast spells, and there were a couple of flashes of light behind me. There was a loudoophas a vampire tackled Alexei to the ground. Alexei immediately began wrestling with the secondarystryga, a wooden stake in his hand.
One of the vampires launched herself onto me, and her claws sank into my skin right down to the bone. I gasped, and attempted to tear her off, but her hold was just as strong as mine was. With a snarl, the stryga sank her fangs into my neck, and I gave a gasp of pain.
When she bit me, a burning sensation rushed through my veins, and I went still with shock. There wasn’t the euphoria I’d heard of that came from the venom of vampires as they were feeding on you. This was drastically painful, and akin to having two daggers in my throat. Thestrygasucked greedily, feeding on me with a ravenous hunger that made my guts twist. She was taking a pint by the minute, and would have me drained within a short time if I didn’t do something. She didn’t use her venom, so I kept my mind. Her goal was to kill, not to stun.
Somehow, I managed to force my paralyzed limbs to move, and used all my strength to pull her away. I ripped thestrygaoff my neck and tossed her to the floor. Blood spewed from my throat— she’d nearly torn open an artery. She lurched upward with a hiss, crouching on all fours and preparing to strike again.
“Ethan!” Kiara had tossed me a stake. I grabbed it, then plunged the stake downward just as the vampire leapt into the air. She let out a harsh wheeze as the stake rammed into her heart. She clawed at the area for a moment before going limp. I ripped the stake out and let her body crumple to the floor, then fell to my knees. I pressed a hand to my throat. Blood was still pooling out and making me weak, but the wound was healing quickly. I’d be up again in a few moments.
If we had that long.
I looked for Kalina. Arthur had cornered the vampire holding her. Thestrygaclutched the baby in one hand and swiped at Arthur with another, keeping him at bay with her claws.
I staggered upward to help him, but something slammed into me with all the force of a car hitting the wall at full speed. Stunned, I gasped for breath. Astrygawas sitting on my chest. She lunged forward, tearing her claws into my front. My clothes were immediately cut to ribbons, and my lungs would be next, if I didn’t act.
I grabbed thestrygaby her hair and pulled her off of me. I rolled her underneath me, but she put her forked feet onto my hips and tossed me away. I went sailing into the air and crash-landed into the pool. I struggled to pull myself out, the water running red with my blood as I kept a firm hold on the wooden stake.
Thestrygapounced. She dove into the pool and wrapped her arms around me as she dragged me under the water. She held me there, grip tightening around my torso as her hold cracked my ribs. I winced, trying to stay conscious despite the pain of it all.
She’s trying to drown me.I flailed as I felt myself losing oxygen. With the loss of blood that I’d already experienced, I found little strength to fight back. My eyes began to roll back in my head as the vampire kept me within her grasp. I desperately wanted air, but the surface was far out of reach.
A set of talons latched onto thestryga’s shoulder and pulled us out of the water. I saw stars as I took a breath of life, and my head began pounding. Alexei had transformed, and his claws were deep in the vampire’s shoulders as he lifted us out of the pool.
I managed to wriggle my arm free as I kicked thestrygaoff of me. I stabbed her in the heart, and the vampire let out a scream of pain, her head lolling to the side as I wrenched the stake back out, creating a mangled hole in her chest where her dead heart once resided. Alexei dropped the body, where it floated in the water as he helped me out of the pool.
My vision swam as I took note of the room. Alexei had killed the vampire that attacked him… but thestrygathat had gone after me had originally attacked—
“Kiara.” Alexei gave a strangled noise. Adrenaline returned my senses to me as I saw her lying on the ground, her eyes distant and bleeding heavily from the neck. Her body twitched as she went into shock from the toxicity of the venom.
We hurried to her side. Alexei danced nervously as I looked her over. She hadn’t been completely drained, but she was even worse off than I was, and she wouldn’t heal as quickly as I could.
“Check her bag,” Alexei rasped. Kiara’s fingers twitched. I scrambled to find it, and it was only a few feet away. I rummaged through it, until I found a common healing potion which we could use for an antidote.
This would mitigate the effects of the venom and restore enough of her blood to get us out of here— I hoped. I tipped the potion into Kiara’s mouth, and she drank it, although she didn’t wake up.
I got to my feet and searched for Kalina. My unease settled as I saw Arthur striding toward us with Kalina in his arms, trying to comfort her. Kalina was still crying uncontrollably, shaking her fists and screaming.
The body of thestrygawas scattered behind him. Arthur had torn off the vampire’s head and dismembered the rest of the body, leaving her in pieces.
“Is she okay?” I had to raise my voice so he could hear me above Kalina’s wails.
“They didn’t hurt her,” Arthur replied. “They definitely wanted to deliver her to Droga.”
