42 Ender

When Ender heard Greir's voice, he was not surprised. Feelings of confusion swirled within him but also a great deal of anger which always seemed to be rumbling under the surface. The vampire knew he should have been able to smell or hear the human archers and the two vampires, but much the way Caroline had snuck up on him and Lucian back in the study, Greir had ensured his retinue protection from being detected. Another witch was lurking in the spruce trees above him.

But Ender was not surprised, no. Vampire's held grudges and Greir had wanted Caroline from the moment the greasy vampire set eyes on her. The rock formation they had stopped in was a prime location for establishing a trap. It did strike him as odd that the older man would have the party rest in such an indefensible position.

The human might have wanted to rest in the shade after baking in the sun for half the day, or that he was just too old to make calculated decisions any longer. Whatever the case, Ender cursed himself for not riding ahead and relegating Silas to bring up the rear. He should have known better.

The only sound heard was a balmy breeze passing through the foliage and a few of the horses shifting in place, unwilling to stand still. Ender saw the heads of his friends begin to slowly turn in his direction, undoubtedly looking to him to make the next move. He could see Caroline's hands tremble as her calm blue eyes met his, pleading to him through her fear.

"What do you want, Greir?" he asked, meeting the Captain's gaze standing above him. Maybe if he could get the vampire talking, which should be too difficult, it would give the group the time needed to devise a plan.

"Why, the girl, of course. I did not realize how valuable of a commodity she was when we first met. How you ever acquired her, I can't guess. Such power!"Greir bellowed,s startling nearby birds off their branches. "I will enjoy feeding off her slowly until we reach our destination."

Ender counted three archers and four soldiers that he could detect by observing the movements in the tree cover above him. The vampire knew he could dispatch all of them rather quickly, but would one of them take a shot at Caroline in that small period? Would Ender able to kill the witch surely concealing herself? He had to keep stalling.

"I do not know if that would be wise, Greir, when my father-" Ender's words were cut short.

"Your father wants the witch in Ravin-Sha." the Captain said, holding out a letter and dropping from the overhanging stones, "And I would be happy to escort her," he said, finishing with a malicious grin.

Ender eyed the parchment lying in the dirt path before him. It bore the seal of Marciaus Mont, and now it occurred to him that Lucian only received the one letter from Undair when they were back at the Castle. He was not remotely surprised the Captain had intercepted it. Ender could see Aniyoh whispering to Caroline from the corner of her mouth and hoped that she had kept to her word about teaching Caroline to defend herself.

"Caroline is not a commodity or an object you can collect. She will answer only to the King, who has summoned her. Now let us pass."

The vampire shifted in his saddle, urging Murf forward a few feet. An arrow whizzed by landing near the feet of Caroline's horse, startling the white mare back. Steadying Whisper quickly, he could see a stony resolve begin to take hold of her delicate features. It was clear to Ender diplomacy would not be their way out.

"Do you want me to mar the witch? I can kill the curly-haired boy if you like. Please, continue to test my good graces." Greir said, gesturing at Aniyoh.

"I am not a boy, you greasy-haired slug. Go back to whatever rock you climbed out from under and bring your pot-bellied pig with you," Aniyoh shot back, nodding toward Basla.

Ender would have laughed at the sheer rage that washed over Greir's face if not wary about provoking the vampire further. It was time for him to move, the other's could ride ahead while he and Silas killed the soldiers. Ender gripped the sword at his hip and steeled himself what would happen next.

"On second thought," Grier said just as Ender was going leap from Murf's saddle. He almost fell off the horse entirely, but lightning-quick reflexes kept him steady."Kill the boy." the Captain said, waving a bony hand dismissively in the air.

Ender watched unable to reach the witch who sat atop her horse several yards ahead of him, as an arrow flew threw the air. The vampire knew he was too late. He had the screams of the wounded many times in battle, but this time no such sound reached his ears.

The arrow seemed to plink off of an unseen glass above her head and launch in the opposite direction. Aniyoh did not look the least bit phased, and Caroline seemed to be concentrating intensely, staring directly ahead of her. Ender could see a smug smile plastered across Lucian's face, and Silas just appeared confused. Caroline had somehow formed a ring of protection around them, and as he looked closer, he could just barely discern a shimmering blue outline above their heads.

"Fire on them all!" Grier spewed with rage as arrows began to fly at the group from above. Each one deflected and bouncing off and the almost invisible dome-like structure that encapsulated them. The Captain stamped his feet with rage until the shower of projectiles ceased.

One last arrow catapulted out from the top of the rocks. Ender felt a piercing pain shoot down his left shoulder as the metal tip collided with bone. Cold blood began to run down his arm, turning the white linen a violent shade of crimson.

His thoughts flashed back to Caroline's very first night at the castle. 'You will never use your magic on me, Caroline," he had said to her what felt like so very long ago. They had sealed the words in blood back in the study that night. Now the magic of the contract was holding her true to her word. Her magic would not touch him, not even to protect.

"NO!" Caroline shrieked out instinctively, reaching out for him. The vampire could see the shimmer above them falter slightly at her words.

He held up a hand to reassure her, "I am alright, brundah." he said through gritted teeth while breaking off the fletching end of the arrow protruding from his shoulder. "Focus on the spell." The girl nodded slowly, tears welling her large eyes.

"Well, it seems that you are immune to her spell, Lord Mont," Grier said with smug satisfaction. "Detain him." the Captain ordered.

Four soldiers, each Ender's size, if not larger, had been waiting at the end of the rock formation moved to block the path in front of them. Clad in steely black armor, these were not typical Ibudali soldiers. They were members of the Malkai, Ibudal's elite fighting force usually reserved for the King. How Greir had procured their stewardship was a mystery to him, but Ender knew the shield would be of no use if the group could not pass through the armed men.

Ender dismounted from Murf, unwilling to put his horse in harm's way. Ender had taken Murf into battle many times prior, but with the bottleneck of the road between the stones, he knew the soldiers would take Murf down first to get to him. Ender patted the horse on the neck before cutting through the center of the party, giving Caroline's hand a quick squeeze as while passing. He could see the dark circles of fatigue already beginning to form under her eyes from maintaining the spell for so long.

"I will bind your wrists now for detainment," The tallest and broadest of soldiers said to him, standing almost a full head above Ender. It was rare to find a human taller than himself, let alone by as much as this one, yet Ender felt no fear.

"Touch me, and you will die," Ender said, raising his sword.

The Malkai soldier forcefully reached out to grip Ender by his injured shoulder, causing the vampire to wince in pain. Ender quickly countered the advance and used his free sword arm to slice the man's limb at the joint, the crease in his armor, leaving the area vulnerable.

Time seemed to slow for the vampire when he was engaged in a fight. He was able to pick out with inhuman vision any weakness his opponent may have and exploit it, and today was no different. After the first soldiers recoiled in pain, Ender wasted no time in taking his blade to the man's throat, spilling blood in the dirt before him.

The remaining three tried to attack simultaneously, a flurry of steel swords and black armor rushed him. Still, it did not take much to redirect their momentum into one another, causing the top-heavy soldiers to miss their mark.

Ender used a combination of brute strength and speed that no human could match to run his blade through each of his enemies in quick succession. The vampire relished in unleashing the rage on the unsuspecting soldiers he felt after hearing Greir's words. The final soldier's head, having been abruptly separated from his shoulders in one fell swoop from Ender, rolled to a halt at the base of the rocks.

His enemies blood mixed with his own to create an abstract horror across the crisp linen of his formerly white tunic as he turned back to Caroline and the group. He had never felt shame for violence, not until he saw the look upon Caroline's demure face. She was pale as a ghost, her small mouth hanging agape at the carnage before her. The shield above them wavering.

Ender knew there was no time to waste. "Go, now!" he yelled at them.

Without hesitation, he saw Lucian kick his horse into a gallop while motioning the others to follow. With a sinking feeling, the vampire watched as Caroline hesitated at first, her eyes roving over his blood-spattered shirt for a long moment. Still, at Aniyoh's nudging, the witch quickly followed suit. Ender knew she had finally seen him for what he was.

The vampire made to turn around and return Murf, but before he could take a step, a firm grip enveloped his boots. Ender looked down to see thick tree roots winding their way around his lower legs at a hurried pace. Attempts to pull his legs free and even hacking at the wines were futile.

"Not so fast, Lord Mont," Greir said, making his way down to the road. A grey cloaked figure moved whisper-quiet behind him. "If I can't have the girl, then you will have to do for now."

Ender had not entirely forgotten about the witch but thought he could escape before she made an appearance, or at the very least stall long enough to ensure Caroline got away safely. All that mattered was that she was free of the vile Captain.

"Ender!" Caroline called to him from ahead on the road, "We have to go back!" he heard her shout to Aniyoh frantically. The thin veil of protection was barely visible even to his eyes.

"And we will, but not now," Aniyoh said to her quietly enough to evade human ears, but Ender heard every word as did Captain Greir. Ender watched as the older witch pulled on the reins of Whisper, leading Caroline ahead.

"See?" Greir said, "She will come back, and next time, Brigit will be ready for the girl's antics." he said, gesturing to the hooded witch at his side.

The roots were at Ender's torso now, and no manner of brute strength could budge the ancient wood surrounding him. "Until my last breath, brundah," he said as the vines began to encircle his neck.

The last image the vampire saw before the roots obscured his vision entirely was Caroline's tear-soaked face finally turn to join the others as they tore into the road to depart in a fury.