The Dark Edge Chronicles - Clan War

Slipping Through the Cracks

That was when Lash noticed a number of the battered Vorinov nestari were moving towards the downed humans. Their intent was both obvious and understandable: they were looking for blood meals to restore themselves with.

"Orimov," he tautly said. "Tell your nestari that, for their own safety, they need to hold their positions!"

"What?" The Vorinov vampire looked over and spotted the soldiers that were going for blood meals. "Why? They're only going for blood meals, an honored vampire tradition!"

"I agree. Except those humans are filthy with nanites! Which causes any vampire to violently explode if they imbibe!"

"Otetz Nochi!" the Vorinov commander snarled. "Vorinov, prekratit!"

The Vorinov soldiers that had been moving forward, immediately halted and looked back at their commander with questions on their faces.

"It's double jeopardy," Tanis grimly noted, looking from Orimov to Chescu. "The White Flames hit ridiculously hard and if you kill them, their blood is booby trapped."

"Triple jeopardy, spy," Orimov grimly noted as he waved his men back. "Injured and exhausted, we are now denied the opportunity to quickly heal and carry on fighting."

Lash hesitated a second or two as he considered options. Then his hand was dipping into a supply pouch to pull out several vials of dark blood. With them in hand, he turned to Orimov.

"Here," the big vampire said, extending the vials towards the Vorinov commander. "Werewolf blood. We use them as battlefield boosters and medical rescues. I don't have enough for each of your soldiers, but a single swallow will restore strength and fitness."

Orimov's eyes went wider and wider through Lash's explanation until he was staring at the big vampire in astonishment.

"Why would you give these to us and not use them for yourself??" the Russian vampire hoarsely asked.

"Because we need everyone at their best for this final assault," was the Ventru lord's simple answer.

As Orimov took the vials with trembling hands, Lash reached into a utility pouch and pulled out a small holo-projector with a map of the castle preloaded. A tap with a finger and he was looking at a semi-translucent map of the massive heart of the vampire federation. He slipped a finger into the map to wiggle it in the large chamber that dominated the floor they currently sat on and it highlighted.

"Is that the council chamber?" Chescu asked as she stepped close to peer with interest at the map, Tanis, Truk, Fordricht, and Ballan quickly joining them.

Lash nodded. He then moved his finger to drop the tip quickly in three locations. And the handful of vampires around him murmured in surprise when three separate squiggly lines appeared that wormed their way through the walls to terminate in the three story council chamber.

"What are those?" Chescu breathed, eyes wide.

"Yeah. I don't remember seeing those on any of our briefs," Truk added.

"Because they're not on those maps," Lash revealed, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I thought they were rumor myself: slip ways into the chamber to be used by either security forces." He looked up at Tanis.

"Or assassins sent to kill sitting council members."

"Night Father's pointy chin, who the pyre would build such things?" Chescu asked, her expression astonished.

"The Qos Viran," Tanis replied with a knowing nod. "Makes sense, now that I see them. The most powerful force in our nation, while bending the knee to the council, never truly trusted them. So they ..."