AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"And we will follow you," Silas told him.
“Right into hell if need be.” Ismael pledged.
Edward and Cooper sat on the bench in the library, holding and honoring each other. Both were feeling the same sense of completeness and fulfillment as they watched the sunshine into the room, illuminating the structure and making everything feel right and perfect. He glanced across the room as someone came walking toward them. Edward should have known that the minute life was right and perfect, someone would come along to try and destroy his dream.
“Batiste, why are you here?” Edward demanded a response. Batiste did not make casual visits. If he was present, then there was trouble to be had.
"The warlock Marsden who killed the man and his associates in Florida, has struck at Coven DuCane." He stated that Edward, fearful for his beloved, for some reason, held Cooper to his side, partially hidden from view.
"How is this my business? Louis can take care of himself. He is more than a match for any warlock." Edward had to loosen his grip when Cooper began pulling away to get a look at the stranger in their midst.
"Marsden did not attack Louis. He poisoned his beloved Ezra." Batiste told him and then explained the situation.
"That's terrible. We need to help them." Cooper spoke up, but Edward was not of a mind to put his beloved at risk.
"I won't put Cooper in danger. That monster wants to drain you for some fucked up delusion of walking in the sunlight." Edward stated, and Batiste nodded.
"I have you and Master DuCane and all his people to protect me; plus, I can move pretty fast if I need to." Cooper pleaded. "We can't leave that young man to die. Like you said, that warlock is no match for Louis DuCane and certainly no match for you. We have to help, please."
"If anything happens to Cooper, I will tear apart this world," Edward swore while staring at Batiste.
"Nothing is going to happen to me because I have you to protect me. Marsden thinks he is clever, but all he's done is sign his death warrant." Edward was impressed with Cooper's courage and his trust in Edward's ability to keep him safe. After a few more minutes of strife, Edward agreed.
Edward and Cooper arrived on the terrace shortly after eleven in the evening to a surprised Louis DuCane. Edward understood his desperation, and he also understood Cooper's need to help, but with that said, he was still apprehensive about letting his beloved get too close to the warlock Marsden. He assumed Louis had a plan, so he was eager to hear it.
Cooper walked over and looked down at Ezra, cold and unconscious, on the chaise lounge. He had doctors around him, but there was no cure that they could give for a sickness induced by magic. The evil of this affliction was obvious and filled the air with a nocuous odor.
"Thank you for coming, Edward." Louis reached out his hand in a rare move to seek a handshake from the Prince. Louis' appreciation and surprise that they were there was very clear.
Edward took his hand and held it for a second and told him it wasn’t his idea to come. “It was Cooper who convinced me.” He told him. “He’s a good and kind man with a big heart.”
“Like my Ezra.” Louis joined.
"Like your Ezra." Edward agreed. "We have been gifted with the finest among humanity, and it is our responsibility to take care of them." Louis nodded his agreement on that measure, and they sat down to discuss the plan that had been hashed out for dealing with the warlock and his minions.
They slowly made their way to the clearing in the hedge garden where the warlock had made his appearance. They arrived a few minutes before midnight. Louis left Ezra on the terrace with his doctors and his chief magic practitioner. Ezra did not need to be present to be cured. They had to secure an agreement, have him remove the cursed poison, and then they would kill him. It was going to perfectly take timing and precision of actions, but all their lives depended upon success.
Louis stood with Ismael on one side and Edward on the other. Silas stood next to Ismael, and Ira stood next to Edward. Cooper stood behind them, and the guards fanned out on both sides with others hidden in the garden.
Louis pulled out his Cyprian sword and held it. The sword represented light and power, the positives of magic and the supernatural. Edward pulled out his sword and held it to his side. His sword was forged in shadows and represented the darker side of magic and life. It served him for centuries in good times and bad and never let him down. It was not a gift of light and goodness, but it was built from the necessary shadows that fill the lives of every living being.
Marsden appeared precisely at midnight with an eagerness that spewed as he feasted his eyes upon Edward's beloved. "You brought him how magnificent. Come to me, little one, come to me now. Give me a sample of your pure elixir." The men closed ranks around Cooper and prevented him from moving.
"Cure Ezra first before you get any samples," Louis stated, waiting for the moment when they could strike. His vampire, the warrior of old, was present. His face was etched with centuries of battle. Edward, too, was operating from his strength. His vampire was in control. They were a fearsome combination.
Edward focused on the warlock, his sword steady and prepared to end this man when the moment was upon them. Everyone seemed frozen in this moment, no one trusting everyone waiting for something, and then it was Batiste.
He appeared to their left and made the statement that changed everything immediately. "You have the swords of shadow and light. Kill him, and his curse is ended." He said, then disappeared just as fast.
Louis swung from the right and Edward from the left, slicing the warlock into three parts beheading and disemboweling them in a split second. The warlock had tried to react but was caught by the swiftness of the shadow and light and the deadly force and precision of the two medieval knights.
When he hit the ground, he turned to liquified filth, and that quickly turned to a fine mist and blew away, as did the minions that were cut down by Ismael, Silas, and Ira. The air instantly cleared, and the moonlight shined down crisp and clean.
"Thank you, Edward. I am in your debt." Louis declared to Edward and said the same to Cooper before racing back to the palace to his beloved.
Edward pulled Cooper into his arms and just held him feeling the life and beauty of his man rush through him. "You are an amazing man Cooper." He said, and both Ismael and Silas seconded that statement. Edward then turned to Ismael.
“Give Louis and Ezra our best.” He told him. “Cooper and I are going home.”
