Their Hidden Princess Chapter 94

Valentin

Two Years Into the Great War

By the time the sun way low in the sky, the wolves were ready. They all stood at the gates of the castle in formation, waiting for their surprise to crest over the darkened hill. Those who could control their shift stood in their wolf forms at the front. They were snarling, dripping with drool as they pawed at the ground. The rest of the wolves were behind them in their gold armor. The sun was radiating off the metal, sending rainbows into the sky.

Standing in the middle, head-to-toe in gold, was Victoria. Her rowdy red curls were plaited back off her face and tucked under a helm. The shoulders of her armor were equipped with extra daggered, drenched in sunlight to make their blades more lethal to the vampires.

To her right was Valentin. He was cloaked in his own armor, hair pulled back off his face save more one ash-brown strand that moved in the wind. In his hand was a sunlight blade, crafted by those wolves with the highest affinity for the magiks. It weighed heavy in his hand. Despite himself, he kept looking over his shoulder, as if Zahara were going to spring from the castle and launch herself into battle.

“Look ahead!” Moonraiser called from a top a tower behind the rest of the foot soldiers. “Dark cloud coming in at true north!”

Sure enough, a dark cloud of movement was hurling through the sky at them. It skittered and faulted, jerking slightly before cresting over the hill and barrelling towards the gates of the castle.

“Incoming!” Moonraiser bellowed. “Brace!”

The dark cloud suddenly evaporated, leaving a cluster of pale, red-eyed humanoids sprinting towards the gates at breakneck pace. Valentin wrapped his hand harder around his weapon and brought it up, dropping into the defensive stance that Moonraiser had taught him.

The vampires reached the gate and took it down in one swoop. Then, the wolves charged. It was a clash of silver and gold as bodies and wolves went flying across the area beyond the gates. Valentin managed to slice clean through one vampire’s neck, sending his head flying.

The next vampire to approach him, however, moved to close to the sunlight streaming in from west. As he tried to grab Valentin, the sun caught him. He shriveled to dust at Valentin’s feet, leaving him without an enemy.

Valentin immediately glanced next to him to see if anyone else needed help. Though it seemed all the vampires had stepped into the low light of the setting sun. Each had shriveled into a burned pile of dust at the wolves’s feet. One by one, they all ran into the sun until none were left.

Valentin jerked around to survey the area. He spotted Blythwitch across the field. He made eye contact with the other wolf.

“That it?” Blywitch mumbled.

The all waited, the timer of the sun ticking as it curled behind the tree line. They were only shrouded in darkness for a moment before the second wave hit. Those vampires were stronger.

They flew out of the trees beyond the smashed gate like bird and landed atop several of the wolves in the front. With a simple twist if their hands, they snapped the necks of the wolves, leaving them to fall to the ground in a mass of fur and blood.

Valentin did the best to hold his own. He grounded several vampires that came at him and only got a few scratches in response. But it felt like he had been fighting forever. Every time he thought he’d have a second to breath, another vampire came snarling and snapping towards him or Victoria. He pushed himself hard, wielding the sword more like a battering ram than a knife. Unfortunately for him, it just wasn’t effective.

He slashed at one vampire trying to claw it’s way up her back when a pain so violent burn through his skull like a hot arrow.

His sword fell to the ground, hands grabbing his pulsing head as he keeled over. He screamed as the fire exploded in his brain and wrapped itself over his entire body. It felt like something was snapping him in two. As the pain finally subsided, he realized.

Zahara.

“Victoria!” he roared, scrambling to his feet and grabbing his sword. “VICTORIA!”

He locked eyes with the queen as she stabbed through a vampire. Instantly, her shoulders fell. He couldn’t hear her but he knew what she was saying from her lips.

“No,”

She darted towards the side of the castle and Valentin took off after her. The two fought through straggling vampires as the burst through the trees of the south forest. All the while, Valentin’s heart was hammering in his chest. His mantra flowing through his head like a prayer.

Please be alive. Please be alive. Live. Just live!

Victoria skidded to a stop in front of him and Valentin slammed into her back. The two tumbled to the ground in a mess of gold and limbs. Valentin’s head was still pounding as he looked off to see what had made Victoria falter.

In the distance, he could make out a carriage, tipped on its side. The horse at the front was limp, blood pooling underneath it. To the side of the carriage were two people. The one’s hands were limp and pale white. The other had long, dark hair that cascaded down the back of it’s silver armor. It looked like the armored person was trying to cradle the limp person but Valentin knew better.

“Get off her!” he screamed, voice going hoarse.

He scrambled to his feet and ran towards the two people. The armored person threw a hand up and Valentin was airborne with dark magik. He flew backwards and landed in the dirt with a thud. His vision went blurry as he tried to sit back up. The image in front of him would be burned in his mind for the rest of his life.

Renault was hunched over Zahara’s pale body, wiping the blood from his mouth. Zahara’s eyes were open, staring into a void of nothingness as her chest heaved in short, shallow pulses. Besides him, Victoria was wailing hysterically. Valentin tried to rush Renault again.

“I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!”

“I’d like to see you try,” Renault purred as he lifted his hand again, sending Valentin clattered backwards once again. He licked the rest of the blood off his lower lip and pierced Valentin with his red eyes.

“She always was the sweetest,” he whispered. “But you know that.”

Valentin struggled to his feet again and brought the sword into his hands. He looked to see Renault had dropped Zahara to the floor. Her honey gold eyes were lifeless as they looked off into nothing. Valentin’s breathing stutter then he was rushing Renault again. He raised his sword and went to bring it down onto Renault’s head.

The vampire caught it in one hand as if it were made of wood. A sizzle of smoke rose from his hand where he was holding the sword, but he was otherwise unphased. He yanked the sword forewords and Valentin tumbled towards the ground.

“I’m becoming bored very quickly, Valentin,” he mused.

“Why?!” Valentin cried from the ground. His face was wet but he was unaware he had been crying. “Why, you fucking monster!? Why her!?”

“Why her?” Renault snarled, turning back to leer down at Valentin. “Need I remind you how you started this fucking sad excuse for a war?”

He stepped forward and pressed his foot into Valentin’s sternum. The wolf cried out at the weight of it pressing into his chest. He felt like a tree had landed in the middle of him. He scrambled, desperate to get out from under the vampire.

“You take what is mine,” Renault hissed. “I take what is yours. It is the only way for you to understand how serious I am.”

Valentin continued to scramble under Renault. His claws came out of his hands like knifes. He tried swiping at the vampire’s skin but it was no use. It was not only porcelain in color but in strength. Meanwhile, Renault was still pressing the entirety of his weight into Valentin’s chest.

“It’s a pity, truly, that you thought to revolt,” Renault snarled. “You had always been my most loyal servant.”

He slammed his foot harder into Valentin and the air escaped from his lungs. He continued to try and claw through Renault but was getting nowhere. Slowly, his vision was fading into darkness as all the oxygen was crushed out of his lungs. He closed his eyes, resigned to see Zahara again when there was a bright flash of light.

Immediately, the weight was gone. The indent in his chest was still making it hard to breath but he was able to suck in enough air to turn his head towards the ray of light. He squinted to get his eyes to refocus then gasped when he saw her.

Victoria was shrouded in sunlight. It was emanating from her as if she was the sun herself. Her skin glowed, free of any clothing as she moved closer and closer to her enemy. Her eyes had completely blown out and were impaling rays into Renault, pinning him to the side of the castle.

He scrambled to get himself out of the rays, but his back was glued to the wall. All of his white skin was smoking as if he was being burned. He snarled and clawed at Victoria as she approached.

“You —fucking – cunt!”

“The wolves will be enslaved no longer,” Victoria said. Except, it wasn’t Victorias voice. It was an ephemeral echo that seemed to echo across the forest. Valentin thought he was going crazy and blinked at her when she spoke again.

“Nature requires balance,” Victoria’s sunned body spoke. “You have been in charge for far too long, Renault Saint Claire. That ends now.”

“You can’t – kill me!” Renault snapped. “I am the – King of – Vampires!”

Victoria twisted her wristed and a ball of sunlight formed in her palm. She raised it up and watched as Renault’s eyes blew wide in fear. She smirked slightly at him.

“A King must be destroyed by a Queen,” she drawled. “That, of which, I am.”

On that note, she hurled the ball of light at Renault. His strangled cries grew louder as the sunlight swelled so large, Valentin slammed his eyes shut to keep from blinding himself. Then, it was silent. The light died down as a hand pressed to the side of his face. He opened his eyes slowly and saw the familiar crown of unruly red curls. Victoria smiled down at him.

“Is it over?” he choked out.

“He’s gone,” Victoria said softly. “It’s over.”