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Chapter 113 : Breles Destroyed
*Xander*
It was full night now, and the sounds of battle were echoing through the desolate streets as I followed three armor-clad wolves through the outskirts of Breles, followed by John and Colton, the three of us still in our human forms and decked out in knives, swords, and spears.
In some ways, wolves were at a disadvantage against the vampires. Vampires were fast and agile, and could easily subdue even the fastest wolf. But wolves had an advantage–their senses. They would sniff out the hives, and their sense of sight was far superior to the vampires, even in the dark.
While in battle, the warriors were working in teams, one man assigned to one warrior in their wolf form. The wolves would draw out the vampires, and their partners would finish the job with their wooden blades and spears.
It was a messy business, and hundreds if not thousands of the allied forces had been killed.
We were lurking in the shadows of the commercial buildings near the front lines. The three wolves guiding us through the dark were only a few paces in front of us, their noses working overtime as they led us around the main battle, away from the conflict.
I wasn't sure how much farther we had to travel before we reached the edge of the city. Once we reached the open fields outside of Breles, once dedicated to farmland that was little more than ash now, we'd ride on the backs of the three wolves all the way to Crimson Creek.
I'd chosen my best warriors for this reason, those strong and hearty wolves who were trained for endurance rather than technique in combat. John and Colton were an example of my warriors who had hand-to-hand, or snout-to-snout, combat experience and training. In their wolf forms, they were lean and agile. But their real power was in their human forms, each of them quick-footed and capable with a variety of weapons. I needed every skill set imaginable to make it to Crimson Creek.
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The group of wolves halted abruptly and we nearly tripped over them. They turned around, snarling at the darkened alleyway behind us as frantic footsteps echoed through the narrow space.
I raised my hand to command the wolves to settle as Oliver approached.
“What the hell are you doing here?" I growled in a low whisper. Oliver clapped me on the shoulder, leaning at the waist to catch his breath.
“I'm going with you."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“No. I'm not risking you, Oliver. You're one of the princes–"
“Do you think I give a f**k? Adrian and I have made the journey to Crimson Creek before, remember, when you got swooped up by that winged beast? You guys have no f*****g clue where you're going, but I do. I'm not arguing about this. I'm going."
I swallowed back the retort as one wolf's ears pricked up and it turned its head to the side, snout sniffing the air.
“We need to move," the wolf said through the mind-link, and I nodded.
The wolves began to move forward again with us following behind, Oliver walking nearly shoulder to shoulder with me as he glanced back at John and Colton, sizing them up.
“Lots of big boys in Egoren, huh?" Oliver joked, having to crane his neck to get a full view of John. John was taller than me by two inches, and I was an exceedingly tall man already.
“Shut up," I hissed, and Oliver snorted, turning toward the darkened street we were sneaking along.
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We walked for a few more blocks before the wolves came to an abrupt stop again.
I felt the presence of the vampire before I saw them, a group of four or five running out of a shopfront with their cloaks trailing in their wake. One of them stopped and looked right at us, his elongated fangs gleaming in the moonlight. The wolves stood guard in front of the four of us in our human forms, and behind me I heard John, Colton, and Oliver unsheath their blades.
The vampires were on us in a blur of movement. The wolves scattered as they were told to do in this situation, running wide circles around the vampires to disorient them and cause them to chase.
Oliver sprung into action before my warriors stepped a single step forward, his red hair gleaming like embers in the moonlight as he bellowed, jumping into the air and slamming his full weight into the closest vampire.
I saw his blade slice through the vampire's neck, then Oliver drove it through the vampire's heart. The vampire turned into a heap of ash and clothing as Oliver got to his feet and moved onto his next victim.
I followed suit, throwing myself into one of the vampires. My target had more fight in him, however, and knocked the first wooden blade out of my hand before I could use it on him. I reared back, stumbling as the vampire snarled, his teeth dripping with silvery saliva.
I unsheathed the sword that was hanging heavy at my waist. The air swooshed around it as I swung it through the night, pointing it at the vampire. The vampire smirked, actually smirked as it took a step forward and ran a finger along the blade.
I pulled the sword back and swung with all my might, but I missed as the vampire jumped out of the way, his speed too great. Thus began what felt like a long, drawn-out dance as I battled with the vampire. John and Colton were battling with another exceedingly stealthy vampire behind me, and Oliver.... He'd gone completely feral as he took on two more vampires that had joined the fray. The three wolves had herded them back to back, and Oliver leaped toward them, a blade in each hand.
I swung blindly at the vampire before me, this time slicing through his arm. He hissed in pain, screeching as his severed arm fell to the ground. I swung again, grunting with effort as I brought the sword across his neck.
He fell, headless, his body dissolving into ash as I sheathed the sword and turned to where John and Colton were subduing their foe. Colton delivered the final, deathly blow with a wooden blade through the vampire's back.
I turned to Oliver, panting as I watched him and the wolves tear into the two vampires, and in a blink of an eye, the vampires disappeared into heaps of clothing, ashes spreading on the pavement.
Oliver wiped his brow, trailing ash and vampire blood, black as ink, across his face. He turned to us and smiled, shrugging his shoulders.
“He's an animal," John panted.
“He's insane," I corrected as I started forward, stepping over what was left of the vampires as I made my way toward Oliver and the wolves. “Come on. We have a ways to go."
***
“They'll be hiding out in these villages," Oliver whispered as he unrolled the map he'd taken from his father's tent, which showed us the whole of Findali. His finger moved along the now abandoned central highway through southern Findali, stretched from the port of Breles all the way toward Crimson Creek and up to Morhan.
I nodded as I squatted down to get a better look at the map. We were sheltered by the tall, dry grasses that grow along the highway, roughly a mile from where the battle was still taking place on the outskirts of Breles. I could see the fire burning along the edge of the city from where we sat in the grass. It was the only thing holding off the full force of the vampire army from rushing the city all at once.
It had been several hours since we left the war camp. Getting through the city had been slow going and difficult, and our group had battled an astounding number of vampires before we reached the rolling, grassy fields.
We were safe where we rested, at least for now.
What we were waiting for tore at my soul, however.
“We'll make it to Crimson Creek by dusk if we don't stop," Oliver continued, glancing up from the map to meet my eye. “Unless…"
“Unless we stop at each village and destroy the hives," I breathed, nodding.
Another wave of vampire warriors would have come through the portal sometime during the night, and would be making their way to Breles to replace those lost in the current battle. If they couldn't make it by dawn, they'd have to hide out in the evacuated villages that bordered the highway.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmWe had a chance to stop them from ever making it to Breles.
“We have no way to tell how many are headed this way," Colton said, his golden brown skin glinting in the moonlight as he crouched next to Oliver. “We could be up against thousands."
“And thousands more would be coming by the time the sun goes down," John added, letting out his breath as he reached up to remove the hood that covered his curly blonde hair.
“We need to get to the portal they're coming through," Oliver breathed, tapping the map. “I can close it. I'm sure I can."
He'd mentioned this to me before. He'd never tried it, but he was certain he shared some of the powers Lena possessed.
Lena–the thought of her drifted into my mind, my heart quickening. I hated having to leave her. If it hadn't been for the f*****g book, she'd be here with me. I knew that much. She wasn't some delicate flower. She was powerful, willful, and she wasn't afraid. Even Abigail was in Breles, helping out in any way she could.
The distance between Lena and I was chipping away at me. The only thing keeping me sane was the will to survive this hell we were in.
The sky was beginning to turn a muted violet as the stars began to fade. Dawn was approaching, and in the distance we heard the vampire army begin to screech to their counterparts, no doubt announcing one final, violent push forward into the city.
They were going to take over this continent in the name of the king. They couldn't open up portals wherever they wanted. Their only tie was to Crimson Creek. But, if the king's army could make it over the sea…
They'd overwhelm the smaller, more populous territories to the east.
A cracking sound echoed behind us. Horns sounded in the distance, alerting the allied army to retreat.
“It's happening," Oliver said, turning his head to look toward Breles.
The screeching got louder as our warriors retreated. I held my breath as explosions ripped through the city. The allied forces had planted explosives around the outskirts of downtown Breles, and as their warriors retreated to the city center, they brought the rest of the city down with them, leaving nowhere for the vampires to hide from the sun as it began to rise.
And the sun did rise, the only constant in this equation. The screeching hit a peak, turning from menacing, violent noise to pained cries as the sunrise turned the sky a pale pink.
“Let's get moving," Oliver said, his voice distorted by the sounds of the once great city of Breles, the territory of a pack that had been there for centuries dissolving into rubble.
I turned toward the horizon as the sun lifted into the sky, giving us a full day to make it to Gideon.
We need help, Lena, I said through the bond as if she was close enough to feel it, or even hear it.
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