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  “What do you want?” Maisy asked.

  “The house of the girl who is Waltham’s daughter. You will take me to it. Waltham hid something here. You will help me find what I wish. If you do not…” he threw Steve down into the dirt pointedly. “If you do not, I will make your final days worse than you could ever imagine.”

  Maisy looked at Steve and then nodded. “All right. All right. I’ll do it.”

  She rushed over to Steve, wanting to ensure that he was all right. Marcus did not give her the chance. Instead, he clamped a hand around her arm, starting to walk.

  “There is no time for your weakness.” Marcus said. “You will take me there now, before the dragons find it.” He looked back at Steve, who was hurrying after them. “Even now, he will not leave you. That is as well. It means that if you do not do as I command…”

  Maisy hung her head. “I know.”

  They hurried off into the forest.

  Chapter 4

  Briony clung onto Kevin as he ran, racing through the lands of Palisor with Fallon using all his vampire speed to lead the way back from the castle. Kevin was the shifter who would get them through the gate, but Fallon was the one who could lead the way back to it, thanks to his ability to hear Marcus’ call. That way was smooth going at first, the dead rocks of the vampires’ home giving way to flat grassland.

  There were stands of trees dotted around that land, with the wind making the leaves rustle musically as the three of them hurried past. Despite the speed at which they were moving, Briony had the time to look around and see some of the inhabitants of the kingdom. She spotted unicorns standing in the open ground, while stranger creatures peered out from the woodlands. Even now, after her time in the kingdom, those creatures still seemed magical and fantastic to Briony.

  The creatures seemed as shy of them as the three of them were entranced by the creatures. Several of the unicorns shied away and ran, while the other creatures in the trees pulled themselves deeper between the branches. It was only as Fallon passed a hippogriff which took to the skies with a shriek that Briony realized it was him the creatures were trying to get away from. The creatures of Palisor knew what Fallon was, and they knew enough about vampires to keep away.

  Eventually, Fallon and Kevin came to a halt near a bigger stand of trees.

  “What is it?” Briony asked. “Why did you stop?”

  “Over there,” Fallon said, nodding towards the trees. “There are vampires that way.”

  “Is the gate over there?” Briony asked. It was the only reason she could think of why there might be a large group of vampires in that kind of spot.

  Fallon nodded. “It must be. Marcus’ call was enticing and I’m sure all the vampires want to get through as fast as they can. But…”

  “They’re stuck,” Kevin added coming up to them back in human form. “They can’t get through now that the gate is hardening.”

  “Aunt Sophie said there is just a small window of time before it closes completely, and we still have to get through,” Briony said. That was a worry. It meant that they were going to have to get pass a group of vampires to get home. “If we can get through at all.”

  “I’ll get us through,” Kevin said. “Don’t worry about that. The gate reacts to shifters. I think it was the dragons going through that has allowed Marcus through. So long as you stay close to me, this will be fine.”

  They crept forward. Sure enough, Briony could make out the mist filled arch of a gate, through which she could just make out a meadow beyond. There were vampires clustered around the arch. They weren’t Pietre’s vampires either. These vampires wore the furs and scraps of armor that characterized Marcus’ vampires. In fact, Briony was sure that she recognized several of them.

  “These are the ones from the castle,” she whispered. “The ones who left before the end.”

  “Yes,” Fallon said, “I recognize them.” He shook his head. “They’re Marcus’ vampires. Nearly unstoppable. I wouldn’t want to have to fight my way through them.”

  He stopped with a worried expression. It was easy to see why. Almost as one, the vampires turned to them. Clearly, their senses were even sharper than those of Pietre’s vampires.

  One of them, an axe strapped to its back, stepped forward. “A shifter. I can sense it. Not a dragon, but… a wolf?”

  “It doesn’t matter what it is,” another said, “it’s a shifter. It can get us through to follow Marcus. And there’s the girl. Marcus will reward us well for her.”

  Briony broke off a branch from the nearest tree to form a stake. She knew that these vampires could not be allowed to get through to Wicked, whatever it took.

  “Take them,” the first vampire ordered and the rest charged forward.

  Briony reacted on instinct, stabbing out with her stake at the first vampire to get close. It took it through the heart as the creature hefted a short sword. Briony caught that blade by the hilt as the creature burned to ashes, then stabbed at the next of them.

  Kevin was in his wolf form once more, and his every bite had vampires screaming in agony as they reacted to the bite that was so poisonous to them. Fallon spun and dodged, never engaging with the strength of the other vampires head on. Kevin, Fallon, and Briony were outnumbered, but for the moment at least, they seemed to be holding their own.

  What amazed Briony the most was that she was doing the same. Back in the castle, Marcus’ vampires had been simply too powerful for her. She had not come into her hugtandalfer powers, and so she had not been able to fight as well as Vigor or Aunt Sophie. Now though, she seemed to be able to move faster and more fluidly than she ever had before. She dodged blows from vampires that would surely have felled her the day before. She struck out and found her sword blows connecting, then followed them up with the stake. Marcus’ vampires had centuries of warrior training to let them avoid the worst of the attacks, but at least it was an even battle now.

  Briony knew it could not stay that way though. There were too many vampires, and for all that the three of them were managing to do some damage, they were also getting tired. Fallon was dodging blows by smaller and smaller margins, and Kevin, even as Briony watched, was hit by a swift kick by one of the vampires. The werewolf yelped and bit back, forcing the vampire away, but Briony could see him limping slightly in the seconds after that.

  Her own efforts were getting harder. For all that her speed and strength seemed to be much greater than Briony remembered, her sword arm was still growing tired from the constant clash of blade on blade. The vampire with the axe swung it around and the impact of it as Briony parried was enough to jar all the way along her arm. Her counter thrust was slow, and the vampire dodged it easily. Briony managed to rally in the second or two after that, kicking the vampire back into one of its allies, then making a sharp cut along its side, but she knew that was not enough.

  She was tiring, there was no avoiding that. They all were. Worse, now that they were engaged in the fight, there was no escape. Vampires were all around now. Eventually, the vampires were going to wear them down to the point where one of them would be seriously hurt, or even killed. Briony did not want to face that thought, but there were too many vampires. Too many. If something didn’t happen to change it, she knew they would be killed even before they can cross over to Wicked, even before they can get the scepter before Marcus did.

  From the trees around, a rustling sound came. Even the vampires paused for a fraction of a second at the sound. Then creatures poured forth from the woods. Centaurs, half man and half horse, headed them, followed by satyrs, and more. The creatures held bows and spears, and they attacked the waiting vampires ferociously.

  Suddenly, there was the space for Briony to step back, and she found herself alongside a powerful looking centaur holding a bow. “Your majesty, are you well? Have they harmed you?”

  Briony stood there open mouthed for a moment as she realized that everyone in Palisor must know by now about her father’s death, and her return.

  “I’m
fine,” she said. “Who are you? Who sent you?”

  “We live out here in the forests and have been observing the vampires, seeing what they would do. As Palisorians we prefer not to fight, but when we saw how evil these vampires were, we realize if we don’t fight, then we would be unleashing these creatures out to create more harm. We weren’t sure who you were before until one of our messengers returned from the palace with news of you and the king’s death. Now, we will fight these creatures. King Waltham gave his life fighting for us so we can have peace in Palisor, when we should have fought for ourselves. We will not fail again.”

  Briony was touched and extended her hand out to shake his. “What’s your name?”

  “Xander” the Centaur said. “Please rest, your highness.” He took her hand and led her to an area further away from the fight. “It is our duty to protect you, rather than you protecting us.” Then he launched into the battle himself, relieving Fallon and Kevin, who moved back from the fight too.

  Briony sat back in the trees, breathing heavily. How had she done that? How had she fought like that? Her exhaustion was so total that for a moment or two, she actually shut her eyes. When she opened them again, Fallon was standing beside her.

  “Hey,” he said. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m fine,” Briony replied. “What about you?”

  Fallon looked at her with such intensity and said, “I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her for a long time then. Briony kissed him back with just as much intensity. When they pulled back, Fallon looked at her so tenderly it was hard to bear. “I’ve missed you, you don’t know how much. It’s been days, weeks since I last seen you, held you.”

  Briony felt tears well up in her eyes. “I know, Fallon. I’ve missed you too.”

  Fallon held her for a few moments as Briony looked back towards the fight. It had become a running battle now, almost a stalemate. Out in the open, the centaurs could use their bows to injure and slow the vampires, allowing them to use their spears to pierce the heart. Yet, in the trees, the vampires’ superior speed made them too dangerous to follow, and the creatures were not willing to leave the gate.

  The whole situation was so far from what Briony might have expected when she first came to Wicked to visit her aunt.

  “I wish things would return to normal,” she said. “It’s been so strange for so long now. Having to find out who and what I am. It’s hard.” She kissed Fallon again, feeling his tongue brush against her fangs as their mouths met. “At least now I know why you and I are so attracted to one another, I guess.”

  “I know,” Fallon said. “I’ve been attracted to you from the start when your parents showed me a picture of you at the inn, even before I met you; but when I did meet you that night in the woods… I just felt there was something else, something more to you than met the eye.” He took her hands in his. “It seems I was right. Now you’re a princess. No, you’re more than that. You’re the queen of this place now, aren’t you?”

  “I haven’t been crowned,” Briony pointed out. “Nothing has been decided.”

  “You’re the queen here,” Fallon promised her. “I can feel it. This is your kingdom. It belongs to you, and you belong to it. You were meant to come here.”

  It occurred to Briony that the same could be said about Fallon. Vampires as young as him should not have been able to enter Palisor, and yet here he was. He had made it past the gate when so many others had not. There was something special about him, something that went beyond even what Briony felt about him. She had a feeling that the longer Fallon stayed in Palisor, the more that would become obvious. For now though, it was just enough that he was near her.

  Chapter 5

  Fallon stood back from Briony suddenly, and it was only as he drew her to her feet that Briony understood why. Kevin was there, looking over at both of them. Briony could see the anger and jealousy etched into his features in that moment. She could even understand why. After all, he had just come across them in one another’s arms, after he had gone to another world just to get Briony back. Of course he would be hurt by it, but Briony couldn’t deny the strength of the attraction that still pulsed between her and Fallon.

  Briony half-expected Kevin to pick a fight with his brother. He’d done it before. Yet now he simply stood there, watching them.

  “Briony,” he said, “are you ready to leave?”

  “Um… I guess,” Briony said. The question had been so sudden that it had kind of taken her by surprise.

  Kevin nodded, moving over to her to take her hand. “We have a chance. The woodland creatures have managed to drive the vampires back from the gate enough that we should be able to get through without them following easily. If we judge it right, we should be able to get through the gate without them even noticing us, but we don’t have a lot of time now.”

  Briony nodded in turn as she understood. The gate had been partly closed even when they first arrived, and they had been fighting since then. If they didn’t get through before it closed up and disappeared completely, Briony didn’t know how long they might have to wait before they found another. They couldn’t afford to miss this chance. They had to make it through, whatever it took to do that.

  “I’m a shifter,” Kevin reassured her. “I’ll get us through. You’ll want to stay close to me though, so ride on my back like you did when you were getting here.”

  Briony nodded. One thing occurred to her though. “What about Fallon? How is he going to get back? The gate blocks most vampires.”

  “I got through one way,” Fallon said. “I’ll just have to hope that having Kevin nearby will let me get back through the other.”

  Kevin shrugged. “If you want to. You could stay behind.”

  “Why would I do that?” his brother asked.

  “There are still plenty of vampires left in Palisor,” Kevin said. “You could stay and help to defeat them. That takes away the risk of you being left behind in the middle of a bunch of vampires when we go through the gate.”

  Was that a genuine offer, or was that just jealousy from Kevin. Briony didn’t know. Either way, she shook her head. “We can’t just leave Fallon behind.”

  “And I’m not staying,” Fallon said.

  Kevin shrugged again. “Fine. The way I see it, we’re in for a fight no matter what happens, so having more people on our side is probably a good thing.”

  “Then I’m coming with you,” Fallon said, moving to Briony’s side. “I’m going where Briony is going. I didn’t come this far just to stay behind. Plus, I promised Jake, Maisy, Steve, and the gang at George’s Diner that I’d bring Briony back. They’re all counting on us to help them.” He shook his head. “They don’t know what’s coming. Marcus… the Preservation Society is no match for him and time is not on our side. He’s already made it through. We should get going before he has the chance to do any damage over on the other side.”

  Kevin nodded. Briony couldn’t tell if he was happy about that or not. Had he been hoping that Fallon would want to stay behind.

  “Come on, then,” Kevin said. “Follow closely behind me, and you should get through without a problem too. I might not be able to trigger the gates like Briony, but when they open, I can get people through them. I just hope that we manage to avoid attracting too much attention from Marcus’ vampires when we go through.”

  “You think they’ll follow?” Briony asked, but even as she asked it, she knew the answer. “Of course they will.” For a moment or two, she wasn’t so sure about going after Marcus. “I don’t want a bunch of Marcus’ vampires in Wicked, Kevin.”

  “Neither do I,” the werewolf said, “but what other choice do we have? You know we can’t just leave Marcus there. Not even with the dragons.”

  That was true. They needed to make sure that he was stopped. At the very least, they needed to warn people in Wicked about what might be coming into their town. Wicked might be used to supernatural dangers lurking in the shadows,
but Marcus was worse than anything from there.

  “You’re right,” Briony said. She took a deep breath. “Let’s go.”

  Kevin changed into his wolf form then, the large, shaggy-haired creature looking up at her expectantly. Briony climbed onto Kevin’s back and got the best grip she could on his fur.

  “Xander,” she called out, so that the centaur leader would have to hear her, “attack the vampires hard now!”

  That seemed like the obvious thing to do. With the woodland creatures attacking the vampires and forcing them to stay in the trees, they would be much less likely to make a run for the gate while the three of them went through. From her perch on Kevin’s back, Briony could see the centaurs and satyrs sending up volley after volley of arrows before pressing forward towards the trees where the vampires still took cover.

  Briony found her heart in her mouth watching. By going into the trees, the centaurs would be risking their lives, and all because she had asked them to do so. Was that what it meant to be a ruler? That decisions made in a split second could mean life or death for others? Briony wanted to call them back, wanted to stop it, but then she felt Kevin’s muscles bunch under her and it was too late.

  Kevin and Fallon ran for the gate, leaving Briony to cling on as tightly as she could. A vampire rushed from the trees towards them, only for a spear to take it in the back. It was not enough to kill it, but it stopped the creature from advancing forward for a moment. Another vampire followed it, and without thinking Briony lashed out with her foot, knocking it back. As it tried to rise, arrows struck it, pinning it down.

  That created a brief breathing space with no vampires anywhere near them. It was all Kevin needed. His wolf form took another running stride, tensed briefly, and then leapt at the gate. They soared across the couple of yards between them and the shimmering mist, and then they struck it. Would this really work? Would Kevin be able to get them home?