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One
Any veteran slayer would swear that to enter The Dreadwood Forest alone is to knock on death’s door. So, when I made it to the edge of those dark and twisted trees, I hesitated. No one was left to witness the pause as I turned to take in the remains of the far off castle that had been my home.
Only the top spires were visible from the cursed copse of thorns that had arisen overnight. They strained toward the sky like begging hatchlings, pleading with our Sun God for mercy. They blurred and disappeared completely from view as I grieved. I added my cracking voice to theirs in one last prayer, dedicating my life to those I’d lost to the curse. I conjured the memories of when I’d first seen their prone bodies scattered about the grounds.
A look of unnatural tranquility froze Celia's usually mischievous face. It seemed like she had just fetched the tarnished silver tray from my room. She had been the first of my maids to speak to me, and soon became my partner in crime. She’d taught me the common card games, and how to win every time. We had used my first winnings to buy a set of breeches I could wear, rather than the skirts my mother forced on me. Despite her recent rejection of the stronger feelings I’d confessed, I still considered her my closest friend. I had packed a set of cards in Celia's honor, to remember not all battles are won by force.
The parents of my heart, Masters Jericho in red, Yinzu in blue, and Eliza in green, had been in the training yard. They lay ringed by the guards they trained; the curse altering their meditation into one of enchanted sleep. Jericho, Yinzu and Eliza had been my most constant companions and the strongest of us. All were masters of combat and strategy. I braided my bone-white hair with the silver thorns they’d crafted for me in honor of winning my title of Slayer Rose. Before leaving, I pricked my finger and shed three drops of blood in an additional oath to free them, once and for all.
I hadn’t bothered to look in on The King and Queen, parents in name only after giving me to the masters to train and raise. They were most likely in their separate rooms, the picture of stately and solemn sleep. My mother was no doubt frozen while reading a scroll sealed by the church’s sigil. My father dreaming up yet another alliance proposal to one of our lingering allies.
All had fallen, regardless of status and skill. Because ofher.
I welcomed the warmth of rage, enjoyed the way it melted the last lingering chills of fear. I stoked the rage higher, letting it burn away the remnants of Princess Brenlyn. The girl that cared too much. I let it burn away anything and everything that wasn’t Slayer Rose. I was cursed to be my people’s sleeping beauty, but rather than hide, I’d trained to fight. Now that sleep evaded me, I would be their sleepless knight. I would free us all by destroying the twisted mistress who would curse a babe.
Steady hands did a last check of my weapons before pulling my cloak’s hood low. The only thing visible to the anguished woods were my red lips, now curled into a vicious grin.
No sooner than the Dreadwood’s eternal night enveloped me did the vampires attack. Sharp fangs met my Starfire blade before their owner slid back and shrieked, their first taste of sun and pain in however long since they had been damned, trapping them in agony. The gray metal singed their cold flesh, filling the air with noxious gas as I parried attack after attack. I kept my senses open for the heated ruby glow of their ember eyes. My heart pumped wildly, a perfect trap for these newly turned. Soon they were nothing but a pile of ash around me. The poison of the star’s fire burned them completely from the inside out.
I knelt, coating the blade in their ashes before sheathing it, a silent promise I would not rest till the last vampire was grit in my scabbard.
Walking further into the forest, I placed my fingers on my neck, using my pulse’s beat to chant the names of my fallen.
Two
On the third day I recognized the slight shift of light that signaled nightfall. Subtle as it was, it was my only indicator of time passing this far into the woods. Soon I’d need to set up camp to take the sleepless meditation that kept my mind and body sharp. Despite the lack of sun, I would continue a little longer. I felt, invigorated and alive. I’d lost count of how many I’d killed, their ashes scattering as soon as they fell. With each successful encounter, I took heart that the years of training might be enough to slay the vampire mistress who held my people’s lives in her claws. I slowed to take in my surroundings, listening intently for the warning scrape of footsteps or the frenzied flutter of bat wings. In the unnatural silence I reminded myself of Master Jericho’s plan.
Originally meant for the entire Slayer party, a thousand strong, we’d clear her woods with a massive attack, draw her out, so I could finish her off with the Starfire blade. So far, I’d survived fighting alone, but I had no idea if she would take the bait and leave the keep. And how I needed her to leave her keep.
We knew nothing about it as none of our search parties ever returned. We only knew of the mistress because of the nefarious deeds she’d performed in our lands since the curse. A succubus of unparalleled beauty, night black hair and golden eyes. Unable to transform fully into a bat, she was dubbed a demi-shifter marked by the twisted horns and large bat-like wings that reflected the corrupt wood she called home. The Sun God’s wrath soon followed those who fell to her guile, keeping our kingdom untainted by her influence.
All I originally needed to do was land enough hits to infect her with the sun’s poison. Or, if possible, plunge the blade into her heart. Now that role was only possible if she’d take the bait. I would need to catch her unaware as well. I couldn’t let the giddiness of my successes blind me to the monumental steps I still needed to take. The curse would end with her. And I was her end. I chanted that as I fell back into a watchful, wary walk.
An hour later, I had set up camp in view of a cave. Normally I’d check it for bears, but this forest was unnatural. Who knew what else could call it home? Unwilling to attempt clearing it alone, I kept it in sight as a last resort in case of a storm. I sat carefully between the roots of a large tree after lighting my small fire. Scooting backwards I swung my spiked braid forward to drape across my chest before leaning against the unnaturally smooth trunk. I kept my sword on my lap knowing despite having trained to match a vampire’s speed, an ambushing attacker would not give me enough time to find my weapon before they would have torn out my throat. It was why I slayed without mercy. Questions were a death sentence.
I stared at the flames, wondering if I was imagining the faint green tinge to their flickering length. It wasn’t long into my own musings about the peculiarities of this place that the forest came alive. The branches above me creaked as they bent backwards to reveal the night sky. Spooked by the sound, I tried launching to my feet, only to stumble over newly exposed roots. The sword slipped from my lap as I took a few steps to regain my balance.
A rush of wind and shadow dropped from the sky, exterminating the flames. The moonlight illuminated a spear of darkness shooting from an unearthly void. Reaching for my blade, I felt my fingertips brush the smooth pommel before a murky tendril yanked my arms back and together. I fell to my knees.
Before I could right myself, my ankles and neck bore the shadows binds as well. What kind of cruel twist of fate was this? What sorcery could command both trees and shade? I writhed against the tightening shadows. I couldn’t have failed already. I rejected that possibility completely. But as their grip held impossibly firm, I tried to keep my breathing even. Perhaps this was one of the Mistress’s rivals. If I could convince them to let me go we could work together to bring her down. The buzzing in my head calmed at that. I could still defeat her.
All hope left me when a large pair of membranous wings emerged from the pitch, followed by the signature silhouette of long, twisted horns. It was her. When her molten gold eyes found my own, I ensured she’d find nothing but fire in the emerald depths. Would she recognize the eyes of the baby she’d cursed in spite? Would she spare me to play more games or kill me outright if she knew?
The void clothed her, collapsing into a backless gown that rippled as she stalked closer. I felt my heart stop, my very being going still as a doe in a field. Enraptured by the terrible beauty of the very beast I was destined to slay. Dismissing her wings and horns with a flick of her wrist, she knelt in front of me. The shadows tightened their grip, and I felt my balance wavering. I threw myself to the side to avoid impaling myself on the thorns woven in my hair. I cursed myself for not considering the possibility of a disguise. If she had any spies in our kingdom, there would be no denying my identity now.
Curiosity colored her gaze as she pinched the end of my braid between her shadow soaked fingers. The moonlit strands glinted against the contrast in my peripherals.
A line of pain cut across my cheekbone as my mortal enemy tested the thorn's sharpness against my own skin. I bared my teeth at her in unveiled hatred, refusing to make a sound at the pain. Her eyes stayed firmly on the cut, the gilded hue never wavering. She watched aptly as a drop of blood dripped down my cheek, admiring the tear like trail it left behind.
“Tell me, human. Who else travels with you?” Her sultry voice filled my ears like the sweetest music. I felt my hatred wavering, a strong desire to answer her every question. Sharpening my will, I held my tongue. The beginnings of a headache starting with an unexpected emotional turn. Where was my hatred?
A single dark brow lifted, her ruby-red mouth stretching into a smile that revealed her pure white fangs. She bent closer, those fangs scraping the sensitive skin above my cool shadow collar. All it would take was one bite, and I’d be dead. Unable to become a vampire without her blood in my system. She took a deep inhale and chuckled, the sound loosening my muscles without my permission.
“I’ll ask again then, who else travels with you?” Her voice had tears springing to my eyes, but still I kept silent.
The shadows tightened around my neck until it became difficult to breathe.
“You can answer me here or I can take the answers from your mind. Now tell me or I shall lose my patience.”
