16 | The Guardian of the Walls
KNEEL
Andros' POV
Another hour has passed and we spent the time just talking about less stressful things. My father asked about my work in the human realm while he asked Taylor about his life in New York. We were laughing about Taylor's first time experience in New York when a rap of knocks on the doors was heard.
"Royal Oracle Anton is back, Your Majesty." The guard came in to inform.
"Let him in."
The oracle who was acting smug and crazy last time was replaced with an anxious and jumpy oracle. He fidgeted his fingers and grit his teeth, his eyes shooting at the guard and then to the hall. The guard gave him a weird look as if to tell him to stop staring before he closed the door.
"What happened, Anton?" I asked him and he took a step back.
"Death... the Moon Goddess wants us dead!" He cried, slumping on the floor bursting into tears. He pulled his cloak up to his head and covered himself with it.
"My King, the girl in the prophecy is getting more powerful in the visions I have seen. She will be guarded by ten children of the night, each marked with their purpose for her journey. The Moon Goddess seeks justice for the death of her children! She wants the damnation of the Earth! Oh the horrors of fire and earthquakes!" He screeched and I shot a concerned look at Taylor.
Earthquakes. It sounded right with the way Krian would create earthquakes every time she tries to speak.
"What else did you see?" Taylor crouched towards him.
"Get away from me, you demon guardian!" The oracle began to cry louder. Taylor immediately moved away from him, not wanting to trigger him or cause more trouble.
"I saw the girl with red roses in her hands. Her location is a blur. I saw death. Each death she brings, a rose wilts and dies. Her lover is Death, in sync, on demand." His voice shook as he continued. "The Moon Goddess is angry at us for letting her child get hurt and be torn away from her. Our deity holds a scale with life and death in the balance. Death weighed heavier with rose petals falling from it. She has given us warning, Your Majesty. An armada of humans will march to the empire. They crave ultimate control of the world and thus, demand the power of the Angel of Death. The girl who left our empire and joined the humans will have to choose but it will end with bloodshed. She's going to kill us no matter what!"
"Calm down, Anton!" I began to shake him but he slapped my hands away and crawled towards my dad.
"Your Majesty, I beg you. Tell the Empire about this and take away the girl from here with the power that can ruin everything. I saw her up in the sky, hair as bright as the moon and her dress as immaculate as the sun. She will rain down her grief to the world. Under her are slain soldiers of young and old. She is the Moon Goddess' retribution! Do not let a girl ruin our peaceful era." He begged him. My heart began to pound as my father looked down at his oracle who was bawling his eyes out on his feet.
"Dad..." I called out to him. Before I could react, he reached down on the oracle, grabbed his neck and stood on his towering height. The ballistic future seeker began to choke, begging for his mercy while he tried to claw his way out of my father's grip.
"You hide something from me, Anton. I can hear your blood slither with deception like snakes waiting to bite a host. I never told you I had the girl here but you told me to take her away. How dare you deceive me?!" The room began to rattle at my father's booming voice and Anton continued to choke. Taylor backed away from them and went beside me.
"I have a bad feeling about this. Something is fishy." He whispered to me. I couldn't help but nod. My dad flashed his fangs to him before his fingers grew to sharp claws. He drew blood on the neck of the deceitful oracle. Anton screamed in pain.
"This is your last chance before I rip you into tiny pathetic pieces." My dad warned one last time.
"I... will.. talk..." The poor man croaked. He fell hard on the floor as my father let him go. He turned to a coughing fit.
"Please have mercy on me, Your Majesty. I am being threatened by someone. I will tell you more but please spare me!" He cried. Dad crouched closed to him and grabbed him by his hair. He yanked him up so he could look at him. Dad's eyes flashed red and spoke.
"Tell me everything!" The oracle's cries suddenly subsided and I knew my dad used the power of the royal bloodline to hypnotize him. Taylor looked disturbed by it, wanting to leave, but I grabbed him by the elbow.
"Krian is the most powerful weapon the Moon Goddess has created. She will indeed cause death to visit the doors of some Empire royalties but she will do it to avenge the Goddess' loss. She was gifted to save our kind from those who wants their own power in the world. She will only summon Death when obstacles come in her way, human or creature alike. I also saw a guardian of the walls. He stands on a stone marveled by humans. He knows about the prophecy and is waiting for his destiny. He will be waiting in Paris." He talked in a monotonous tone. Dad's eyes returned to their normal color of Obsidian Black and he let go of the oracle who fainted after his confession. He flicked his wrist and the doors opened at his command. Two guards entered and bowed to us.
"Take him away and give him medical assistance. Once he is well, take him to the dungeon." Without a word, the two guards obeyed their King's command and swiftly removed the unconscious oracle out of our sight. Once the door was closed, Taylor paced the room.
"I knew it! We were right all the time, Andros! My sister will save us!"
"And we will be the instruments to make it possible." I added watching my werewolf friend pace in excitement.
"Son, are you willing to leave your duties again to be an instrument of this?" My father's face was sorrowful, one I have seen when we have lost my brother. His eyes cast down as he took a seat.
"I don't want you to die while you all save the world." He confessed.
"Dad, I know you want a Prince but I am only a Prince by the title and I have not gained my people's trust. They think I have betrayed them when I was late to save my brother. They thought I let him die so I could take over. How can I prove them wrong if I only take your throne without breaking much of a sweat or bleed a little?" I asked him. He sighed, forlorn.
"What if you bled too much and never come back? The kingdom needs a new King one day and that should be you."
"I will come back no matter what, Dad. For you, for mom and for everyone-" The ground began to shake. Taylor and I looked at each other in worry.
"Krian!" Taylor shouted and bolted right out of the door.
"Fuck fuck fuck! Dad, something's wrong!" He and I followed Taylor who began to barrel through a crowd of vampires in the halls. The ground continued to quake more and my heart pounded with anxiety. Vampires began to get dizzy and others tried their best to stand upright while the ground shook. Pieces of the castle began to break and large paintings on the halls began to drop.
I spotted the woman with tresses of red running to our direction, tears streaking her cheeks.
"Oh God! Help! They just barged in the room! Krian's been taken by a group of old vampires!" She screamed pointing to her left where Taylor began to shout for Krian's name like a madman. I looked around the area and saw the two guards I have assigned to protect them were dead on the spot; blood pooling from their bodies.
"Shit! It's the Advisers Yuri has warned me about. They made a move already. Get everyone and tell them to stop those old bastards! The girl with white hair should be protected!" My father commanded and a group of Sanguis Hunters, a special group of warriors of the Kingdom, assembled quickly and chased after them. They wore their royal black combat suits with swords prepared to tear any enemy apart. They lack of emotion on their faces and were pumped with conviction with the way they held themselves.
"Son, tell the maids to pack your things. Take one of my jets and get out of here. They know she's here." He pushed me away and began to bark more orders around the halls. Vampires began to get frantic.
"Come on, Andros! I think they wanna kill Krian!" Solstice tugged on my shirt. I shook my head and nodded.
"Let's go!"
A couple of minutes passed and we drove to the tarmac. A plane was already being prepared and the royal guards waved at us as soon as we got out of the car.
"Hurry!" A flight attendant grabbed our bags and whizzed back to the plane.
"Where's Krian? They should be here by now. Oh God! What if they took her away for good?!" Solstice began to cry again but I pulled her to me.
"They will be fine. My father has the finest warriors in the land." I promised and she buried her face on my chest. I didn't mind getting my shirt wet as long as she calms down. Three more cars screeched to a halt near us and the girl in my arms jumped away from me.
"Red, get behind me." I told her, using the nickname I have been dying to use on her. She didn't comment or maybe she couldn't. She obeyed my command and hid behind me.
"Where is she?" I demanded the passengers of the cars. I don't smell the scent of Krian or Taylor. They have followed us here. The passenger's door of the first car opened and out came an elderly man dressed in a fine black suit with a dark blue tie. His hair was white and his eyes were blue. He fixed his suit as he smirked at me.
"What the fuck do you want?" I snarled. The old man chuckled.
"You do not know who I am, boy?" He taunted me. My nails grew into sharp claws, preparing for any assault to come our way.
"You clearly do not know who you are talking to." I challenged him. He only chuckled.
"You should never take your place as the King of Vampires. You are a traitorous bastard who took in a girl cursed to kill everyone with her voice." He began to approach me. I stood my ground while I felt Solstice take a deep breath.
"Oh? You also took a useless human? How pathetic of you, Andros. You really can just shine on your own when you're surrounded by pathetic souls."
"Who the fuck are you?!" I began to demand him. All doors of the three cars opened and out came large men with guns pointed towards us.
"I am Luka, the Superior Adviser of the Vampire Royal Court. You are the reason why I lost everything and now, I will take your purpose in life so no one will ever believe that you have what it takes to be the Vampire King." He laughed maniacally while he turned to look at his goons who were ready to shoot us.
"Andros..." Solstice tugged at the back of my shirt. Her voice shook and I could feel the tremble by the way she held onto me.
"Red, do as I say. Close your eyes and trust me."
"But-"
"I will never let anyone harm you." I promised her and I heard her sniff.
"Okay." I heard her whisper. "My eyes are closed." I got confident with her trust in me.
"Awwww. Are you two lovebirds? Such a shame. A pathetic human and a useless runaway prince. A perfect couple!" He clapped his hands slowly while he sported a devilish smile on his face.
A faint smell of snow and trees wafted in the air. My ears perked at the faint sound of footsteps. They're here!
I searched for the warmth of the girl behind me. I reached for her hand and held her tight.
"Whatever happens, don't let go." I advised. I heard her faint reply telling me she won't let me go.
"What are you planning to do, Prince Andros? You're completely outnumbered! We will not let you have that cursed girl! Give her back to us or else you two will die!" He warned. His smile disappeared, replaced with a mean scowl.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Feeling the calming beat of my heart, I focused on my powers. I felt the heat of Solstice's hand transfer to me.
"Give her back to us! One!" The man named Luka began to count.
"Two!" The sound of footsteps went louder.
"Three!" A gunshot was fired but they were too late. My eyes snapped open and in an instant, I teleported myself and Solstice inside the plane. I tried to let go but she still held onto me while her eyes were closed. I chuckled as I leaned to whisper in her ear.
"You can let go of me now, Red. You're safe." I told her. Her pretty blue eyes fluttered open and more tears streamed down her pretty face.
"I'll be right back." I kissed her hand and teleported back to the mob who still was shooting at my dark shadows I have scattered around them.
"Where is he?!" A gunman frantically shot at a dark shadow standing next to him.
"I'm right here, you lame fuck!" I replied before breaking his neck.
"There he is! Fire!" I laughed at the slow bullets being fired in the air and I dodged everything smoothly. Jumping high up in the air, I held my breath.
"I hope you all descend to hell." I spoke in a loud voice before I dropped down on the ground with a mission to end the battle once and for all. My dark shadows became my spears and shield and I remained untouched by bullets or harm from the amateur assassins. From one body to another, they dropped to the ground all bloodied and lifeless. I showed no mercy to them for threatening my life and my friend. In under one minute, everyone died and the gunshots went silent. All that could be heard was the cries of Luka begging to spare his life. I lunged at him, my fangs bare and my eyes red. I grabbed him by the neck and watched him struggle.
"Who do you work for?" My voice was deep with hate and anger. His blue eyes went dark intoxicated by my hypnotic gaze.
"Lieutenant Graft of the FBI." He answered truthfully. Without a second thought, I plunged my claws into his heart and ended his life.
"Andros!" I heard my father call for my name. He ran towards me and I hissed in my berserk state.
He slowed down and held his hands up, coming to me and letting me know he was no threat. My eyesight was bloody red and I looked around for any more threats.
"You can order your shadows to retreat, son. You made us safe." He reassured me. I looked at my dark shadows that looked more of a phantom than a shadow of a human. They might look invisible but they were my companions in war.
I looked at my friends who were behind my father. Krian was unconscious while being carried by Taylor who has a nasty cut on his cheek.
I growled at the sight of that and my shadows were ready again for offense. Their shadowy hands turned to sharp spikes again and they began to straighten with the feeling of threat.
"No one is following us. The warriors have dealt with all of them. But you... you single-handedly protected yourself and Solstice. You've changed, my son." Dad began to approach me and my shadows thought of it as a threat and began to form a circle around me. I took a deep breath and let my powers go. The dark abyss of warriors I once had turned to mists and completely disappeared. I tumbled at my weakness but my father was there to catch me.
"You're okay. You're okay."
"Thanks dad." I spoke in our native tongue and he smiled at me. He helped me enter the plane and the siblings followed behind me.
"Thank you, dad. I'll take it from here." I reassured him but he gave me a conflicted look.
"You cannot be a pilot of this jet with your condition!"
"I can. Trust me. Please, Father. Go take care of the Kingdom and I will be back with a better world to offer." I promised him. He hugged me right and patted me on the back.
"I'm proud of you, Andros." This was his way of telling me how he felt and I hugged him right back.
"I love you too, Dad."
Taylor was my co-pilot and even if he's not trained, I just needed some assistance with a few things. Solstice took care of Krian in the private bedroom and no flight attendants boarded the plane as I knew the risk of having them would mean more chances of people finding out where we are. As we took off, I saw the large bonfire at the center of the gardens of the Kingdom with traitorous Advisers being burned at the stake.
Once we were out of the Russian Airspace, I was at ease.
"I can take it from here, Taylor. Go be with your sister." I ordered.
"Where are we going? Are we going to where the oracle has mentioned of? Paris, France?"
"It's our best shot."
A couple of hours have passed and peace settled within the cabin. Solstice has fallen asleep next to Krian and Taylor was acting like the flight attendant of the plane by bringing food, drinks and whatever he can think that would help us.
"You were insanely fast when you were killing those vampires, Andros. How many years have you trained yourself to fight?" Taylor sipped on his grape juicebox.
"As long as I can remember. My father saw my abilities since I was a child. He made me train hard from each master of combat arts within our race. I enhanced my skills once I got out of the Kingdom." I explained to him before I took a bite out of my turkey sandwich Taylor had made while I was navigating in the air. I turned the auto-pilot on and we were flying smoothly.
"You're basically a killing machine at this point." He chuckled.
"Oh heck yeah. I don't mean to brag but I can protect your werewolf ass better than you can protect me." We both burst out laughing at the cockpit.
Another hour passed by and we were finally entering the French Airspace. I was about to ask for authorization to land when the plane got hit with an unidentified object and an explosion rattled us all.
"What the fuck?!" Taylor rushed in and took his seat at the cockpit.
"What happened?! What happened?!" He shouted over the headset.
"I don't know! Something hit us! Engine one is down!" Warning sounds and flashing red lights made Taylor panic.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Get the girls and take the parachutes. You know where those are, right? Yes. Okay. Good. Engine One is down and-Fuck!" Another blow was taken by the plane and this time, the plane began to descend. As much as I pulled, the plane began to nosedive.
"Get the parachutes. I can't control the plane anymore. I'll take the ladies out." I took off my seatbelt and threw the headset on my chair. Taking my bag with me, I began to check the plane.
"Okay okay. Got it!" He replied in panic but he began to search for the parachutes. In a burst, I barged into the bedroom where a screaming Solstice and Krian being muzzled by a white clothing was found. I quickly took them out of the room and ran to the front to meet Taylor.
"Okay. Someone knows we're here. They have shot us down. The plane will crash so we gotta jump." Taylor distributed the parachute bags.
"Why is my sister's mouth covered in a white cloth?!"
"Argue later! Jump now, asshole!" I made them all wear parachute bags.
"When I say Go, pull the lever to release your parachute." I instructed them. Krian was crying out of panic, her head shaking no. She didn't want to jump.
"Krian, I know it's scary but we gotta jump now! Your brother will be there for you. Red, you're with me." I told them and Solstice composed herself before she held my hand.
"We're going first." Taylor held his sister's hand and opened the airplane doors. If they were normal human beings, they would have gotten sucked out immediately. However, Taylor's werewolf strength made him hold on to the railings and held his sister's body close to him with ease. He counted to three before they both jumped out of the plane.
The warning sounds were still making noise in the cabin and the girl who became comfortable holding my hand held onto me tight.
"We're going to be okay." I assured her as we stepped at the edge of the doorway. We could see the buildings from here and the Eiffel Tower was shining a few miles away from us.
"I trust you." Solstice smiled but there was still fear in her eyes. With the count of three, we both jumped.
She screamed loudly as we plunged into the air, our feet dangling as if trying to gain a foothold.
"Oh my fucking God!" She screamed as she looked down. I held on to her tight and pulled her close.
As we continued to fall, I could see with my Vampire sight that the siblings had pulled their parachutes and were safely gliding down to an empty field.
"1,2,3, Go!" I screamed for her to hear. In unison, we both pulled the lever of our backpacks and our parachutes popped out and made our descent go slower. We watched as our plane blow up and caught fire in the air. A moment later, it crashed at a nearby farm.
"Thank God there's no village or residence there." Solstice huffed in relief as she watched our plane crash and explode into a million pieces.
Our descent went slow but smooth, and by the time we had landed, Krian and Taylor had walked a few meters to where we were. Their parachutes were gone and they came with only their handbags slung onto their necks.
"I'm sorry we lost our things." I apologized as I helped Solstice take off her parachute. Once she was free, I took off mine.
"Nah. It's okay. We got our wallets, passports and phones in our bags. Krian still got her family photo as well. The clothes and jewelry in the plane can be bought again." Taylor shrugged.
"I forgot you two are privileged." Solstice commented which made me laugh.
"They were meant for this." I added.
"So... where to?" Solstice asked once we have fixed the parachutes and properly disposed of. We didn't want anyone to know our location so we hid the parachutes in the thick bushes of the field.
"The oracle said that a guardian of the walls is a marked one. He's near Paris. We can hitchhike if you want." I began to walk towards the main road and the rest followed behind.
"Hold on. Maybe my friend can come pick us up. She works at the Louvre." Solstice took her phone out of her sling bag. As she began to type, Taylor shushed us all.
"What? What is it?" I asked, annoyed by the delay.
"Shut the fuck up, man. I heard something." He looked up in the starry skies but nothing was there. The wind began to pick up and blow harshly on our faces.
"Ugh!" Solstice pushed her hair out of her face but the wind kept giving her trouble.
"Someone is hovering above us. Don't fucking move." Taylor whispered and Krian removed her muzzle off her mouth as if she was ready to take out whoever it was. The flapping of wings began to become distinct, slow and steady but powerful and strong.
"Please do not fear me. I am an ally." A groggy deep voice came from above.
"Who are you?" I demanded. The flapping of sounds stopped and then BAM!
We fell to our butts at the powerful drop of a monster in front of us.
"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!!!" Solstice clutched her hands around my arm tight. I stood my ground as we came face to face with a monster that would give people's nightmares to their deathbeds.
"Holy shit!" Taylor cursed at the sight of a dark monster hovering over us. His height was around seven feet tall, his wings massive, wide and twice his size. His wings looked like of a bat's but stronger with razor sharp spikes on the two ends of his wings. He was a big muscular man, with a dark cloth wrapped on the lower part of his body to cover his nudity. He was proudly topless, sharing us his intricate tattoos that were all over his body. His hair was midnight black and it was long and braided, reaching down to his feet. He had black horns with golden tips on its end and his eyes were sharp but dark, looking and observing for any danger coming from us.
I spotted a glowing tattoo on his chest, a side view of a horse's head with the crescent moon looming over its head. The Moon looked freshly burnt and the horse's head tattoo glowed golden in a cracking pattern across the mark.
I was left speechless as he bowed to us gracefully. With his big feet, he stomped his way to Krian who just stood in astonishment in front of him. Taylor stood behind her, observing but also cautious.
"My name is Caius Cépan. I am a gargoyle so please do not fear me. I have been receiving dreams from the Moon Goddess and dreams of pure light. At the center of it is you." He pointed at Krian with a gentle smile on his frightening face.
"I am honored to be your guardian, Angel of Light." He kneeled graciously in front of Krian with his head bowed to her. His wings began to shrink, folding and turning to a dark cape. Taylor smiled and patted Krian's back in encouragement.
"You must be the guardian of the walls the oracle has been talking about." He told the gargoyle. The gentle monster stood up and just tilted his head out of curiosity.
"I do not know about the guardian of the walls nor the oracle you've mentioned but I heard about the prophecy. I have been waiting for you all." He spread his arms in warm welcome.
"My new tattoo burns so if you can please follow me. I will take you to my home to rest." His French accent made him more friendlier than he looked.
"Do you normally get burnt when you get tattooed?" Solstice ran to his side to ask as we began to follow him.
"No no. Just now. Moon Goddess told me it will show when the moment is right so I waited."
"What do you mean it will show? You've talked to the goddess regularly?" I asked this time.
"Hmmm.... No. How should I say this? Hmmm... Ah! Moon Goddess stopped me from turning into eternal stone. She told me to wait for the girl she has brought here. White hair. Purple eyes. I had visions of fire, shadows and a wolf." He looked at us. "I don't know who is who but I think red-haired girl is fire." He commented and continued to walk.
"You're correct!" Solstice cheerfully confirmed. "Shadows must be Andros and the wolf is Taylor." She introduced us and the gargoyle only nodded.
"I asked Moon Goddess how I will know I will guard the girl. She said she'll give me the mark once she is near. And she gave me this tonight. Painful but that's a good sign." He grumbled, scratching the scabs left by the burnt mark. His regeneration was excellent and by the looks of it, he was faster to heal compared to any creature I have ever met.
"Less talking and more on walking. You already burned my country upon arriving." He clicked his tongue as he gave the crashed plane a once over. "We will discuss everything in my home." He cleared his throat and we all fell silent as we followed the giant out of the field, leaving the burning wreckage of a plane a few hundred meters away from us.
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