Shinigami Rex (BK1): Lost Hope

Chapter 22

Emily’s mind was blank as she watched Michael fall from the sky and drive into the ground directly in front of where she knelt, its once white sheen now dark red with dried blood. She reached out slowly to the sword, her last link to Rex but it shattered just before she could make contact, taking the last of her hopes with it. Her eyes widened with shock as the reality of the situation dawned on her, and she let out a loud ungodly tearless wail that pierced Liz’s heart like no sword or spear ever could.

 A roar echoed from the recesses of the hole which had previously been made and Emily barely registered the dragon that crawled out of it with a young boy standing on its head. It stared at her kneeling form and let out a bloodcurdling roar but Emily was frozen in place from the initial shock and did not react at al.

“E…mi…ly,” Liz breathed as her head fell to the earth with a thud.

The vampire glanced at the fallen children and let out a large sight of exasperation. “That white haired kid must have gotten to me. I’ll just take the girl and leave the rest to their fates,” he said and jumped down from the dragon’s head. He walked over to Emily and hit the back of her neck, knocking her out. Carrying her gently, he jumped back on the dragon and was about to take off when he heard a voice behind him.

“I thought it was something like this,” Drake said, standing on the back of the dragon. “Everything from the beginning was just a setup for her wasn’t it?”

“Who are you? You’re not among the five I was told would be coming,” the boy asked cautiously as he tightened his grip on Emily.

“Drake Dragonbane, Shinigami.”

“Shinigami? Then why are you helping that fool. I was told you hated his existence.”

“And with that statement, the last loose end of my theory has been tied up,” Drake replied, adjusting his glasses.

“What are you talking about boy?”

“It’s simple. This was all an elaborate scheme formed from the collaboration of the council and the Law.”

“Hmm, sounds plausible but what makes you so sure about your little theory.”

“First thing I found odd was the first demon she fought. While you may be old, vampires rarely dabble in the occult. And the sheer number of demons led me to believe they all could not have been summoned by only you. The Law most likely taught you those summoning spells and provided a few for you also didn’t they? Then there’s this,” Dmitri said, holding out a parchment which made the vampire’s eyes widen with shock “While the others were fighting, I searched for clues to make things clearer. I found this in your room, guarded well too I must say, but still no match for me. The long writing here states in a nutshell; Bring the brunette and kill the others or lose the life of some girl. I’d….”

“Shutup!” the vampire yelled, shaking violently, “She’s not some girl. You’ better watch your words carefully or they’ll be the last thing you ever say.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Drake apologised, “From this and some other documents destroyed in an earlier explosion, I saw that the attack on Emily had been planned immediately after Rex met her. This was also too much of a coincidence don’t you think? If the Council is really involved, then I’d bet they told you about Rex’s character and how the only person in the world who can weaken him is a friend of his. But what puzzles me most is, why take Emily? What could she possibly have that’s so important you needed this round about method of capturing her?”

“You are really smart for a human,” the vampire replied, “but unfortunately I don’t know either.  I just had to make sure the attack on that night was carried to the letter and also leaked the real purpose of the attack to major gathering spots. After that, I was told to go to Texas and be the Alpha for a while until a white haired boy, a vampire, two girls an a boy with a scarred chest come to attack me. Then I should let them fight for a bit before killing everyone and returning with the girls. You’re not on my list so step aside and I’ll spare your life along with the rest of them.”