A/N: This is the very last chapter of Crimson Queen. It's been an amazing journey and I'm so glad that I have finally finished this. Thank you so much for the support and for reading.
Lucinda's POV
The tainted Knight turned to me. "Follow me," he said. "Bring him. Mother is waiting."
I took my hand off the hilt of Crimson Queen. Gabriel moved away and headed toward the tunnel he'd walked out of. The silver on Michael's armor stung my eyes. I kept my gaze down and grabbed his arm. My hand tingled and itched. In an easy effort, I swung Michael over my shoulder. Death was all around me as I followed the tainted knight. The air was thick with it. Even as Michael's heart echoed in my ears, it was difficult not to notice the silence. The walls curved and continued downward. I could feel the vampires' presence getting closer to closer.
We reached the end of the tunnel and another cave opened up before us. The walls had been carved into levels where red eyes hovered in the darkness. A chill fell over the air and I knew she was there. My creator stood in the middle of the cave, her alabaster skin glowed in the dark. Whatever hope Michael had inspired inside me quivered and the reality of the situation settled in. Figures shifted in the darkness. I placed Michael by the entrance. His breathing was shallow and he wouldn't be any of use yet.
I adjusted his weight so that he was propped up comfortably against the wall. The vampires shifted towards us. I narrowed my eyes at them daring them to attack. I would slice them up before they realized they had died again.
"My daughter," the creature said.
A shiver crawled down my spine. Her voice was slick, enveloping me and robbing me of any desire to act on my own. I watched myself unstrap Crimson Queen and drop it on the ground beside me.
"You came to fruition faster than I had expected," she continued. "You even delivered these men to me. You handed me a greater victory than that fool."
It was clear that she meant the Sheriff. My knees folded and I found myself on the ground. My gaze focused on the rock beneath me.
"You destroyed many of your brothers and sister," my creator said.
Another shiver coursed through me.
"But I will forgive you."
She walked forward and I felt pressure on my head. The pressure moved down my face before reaching my chin. Our eyes met.
"Are you thirsty, my child?"
I felt the other's hunger on my skin. Low guttural growls filled the cave. Gabriel shifted his stance but didn't approach. My creator turned my head toward Michael. I couldn't tell whether he had gained consciousness or not. His breathing was shallow but his heart was steady.
"You've had this man on your mind since your arrival," she said. "I've allowed you your freedom but it's time for you to rid yourself of all human connection. We have a larger war to fight."
She lifted me up with one finger under my chin. My body was not my own. I walked toward Michael almost as if I was dreaming. How could I defy my creator? My throat closed and it started to ache. I was thirsty. Before I knew it, I knelt beside Michael and lifted his head. The silver on his armor stung my eyes. Michael's head rolled to one side exposing his neck. This close, his heart sounded stronger. My mouth ached.
An uneasy sensation swarmed in the back of my mind. It pulled me forward toward Michael's neck. Could I stop? Did I want to? Wouldn't it be so much easier to give in? I have failed already once. The boy had been spared by my fangs but no one else's. It was a mercy. I would make it painless and quick. If I didn't, the others would torment him. It was up to me to keep him from suffering.
My fangs grew out of my gums. I leaned closer careful to avoid touching the armor. Just one bite and it would be over. Everything I had meant to do was over. The Sherriff was dead and that was all that mattered. I didn't owe anything to anyone. No one else had ever sacrificed themselves for me. I was tired. I needed everything to end. I shifted forward.
A sudden pressure against my stomach stopped me. I glanced down and saw Michael's fingers pressed against my belly. How-? At a closer look, there was a small, silver cross between them. From the proximity, an itch erupted along my stomach. I glanced at his face. His eyes lids were barely opened but he was conscious. My throat tickled.
Michael's hand fell away, easing toward the bag at his hip. I shifted forward without a second thought. Our eyes met again. Don't, I wanted to tell him but I couldn't speak. The sensation in my head pushed me forward but a part of me pushed me back. Michael kept his eyes on me. Didn't he know that any sudden moves from him would draw the attention of all the vampires in the cave? Did he not know that it was over? There was no reason to fight anymore.
He wasn't pleading with me. He just stared, watching me. I was close enough to feel the warmth from his skin. He body sprung forward almost a second later. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him draw his arm back and throw something. In the next instant, I found myself on my back. For a moment, I got a glimpse of Michael's face before white light assaulted my senses.
Loud shrills erupted all around me. The light crawled over my skin, suffocating my being. I focused on the rapid heartbeat over my head. I counted the seconds in my head, willing the pain to stop. Then, there was silence.
The weight above me disappeared. Hands pulled me up. There was a voice talking to me. I kept my eyes closed, not trusting my surroundings.
"Lucinda, Lucinda," the voice was saying.
Somehow, I managed to open my eyes, but I quickly closed them again.
"Lucinda, snap out of it. Luci-"
A force shoved me away. I felt myself flying before colliding against a wall. Something snapped and I lay motionless on the ground. When the ringing stopped, two figures came into sharp focus. Michael staggered back as Gabriel lunged forward with his sword. The metal screeched as they collided in the air. It took me a moment to notice the burn marks on the ground and the falling ash. What had Michael thrown?
My body protested as I staggered to my feet. I felt drained. Whatever strength I once had had evaporated. But as I watched Michael drop to one knee trying to stop the killing blows, I knew that somehow I needed to help. There had to be other vampires that had survived that surprise attack and you can bet on their graves that they wouldn't say idle for long. At a closer inspection of the room, I noticed two things: Crimson Queen was where I had dropped her and my creator was gone.
There was no time to doubt myself. I lunged toward Crimson Queen. My fingers curved around the hilt and soon after, my former clan mates jumped down from the upper levels. I knew if I didn't act, Michael would die and I . . . perhaps they could grant me that mercy. In reality, there was only one way to find out. One after another, shadows from above surrounded us. I pulled Crimson Queen from her scabbard and charged at the nearest vampire. I swung the blade and sliced through the skeletal neck. Shrieks of outrage erupted around me.
Giving them no time to react, I lunged forward again slicing and hacking through the pale figures. They flocked toward me, swiping their claws. Whatever they once were, they were now mindless souls. They only had one goal: to protect our creator. I could no longer feel her presence in the back of my mind. A part of me felt hollow but another part was relieved.
Michael gave a loud grunt. I took a quick glance at him. The tainted knight lashed out catching Michael in the chest. He flew back with a yell before hitting the cavern wall. Gabriel turned his attention toward me before swarm of pale figures obscured him from view. Their claws raked down my back. Left, right, I swung my sword at the masses. Red eyes glowed all around me.
I fought my way toward Michael. Had the creator spared him to turn him into a vampire after she disposed of me? She had already succeeded with one. The fate of the other two knights was uncertain but I didn't have much hope for them. Daniel was most certainly dead and Joseph . . . perhaps the taint had already turned him. At this point, it didn't matter. Nothing would matter if Michael and I died.
With a final lunge, I swung my sword in an arc clearing the way. Michael staggered to his feet before the horde surged forward again.
"You wouldn't happen to have any more surprises on you, would you?" I asked.
Over the screeches, I heard him chuckle. "No, you have to thank Joseph for that."
A vampire dived toward me. With a well-placed kick, I sent it flying.
"We can't let them escape," Michael said, dispatching his own vampire.
"Then we have to cut a path."
I tightened my grip on my sword and sprung forward. There was no technique, no swordsmanship present; it was a massacre. Ghoulish creatures deserved no honor or special treatment. Michael and I pushed forward. The pale figures disappeared underneath our blades and we didn't look back. Among the stench of the dying, I could pick up the tainted knight's scent. The numbers of our foes were thinning. It was all thanks to Michael's surprised attacked. His body had protected me from that holy light but the effects weren't going to last long. The darkness was strong as ever.
At the back of the cavern, I could see a gaping hole in the middle of the wall. The tainted knight's scent was coming through there. I grabbed Michael's wrist and ran. There was no resistance on his part. We plowed through the skeletal figures and toward the tunnel. With our combined strength and speed, the mass of bodies melted away before us. The entrance was a tight fit but we managed to squeeze through.
Michael glanced back at the opening. "That won't hold them for long. Sooner or later, they'll figure out that they can follow us."
"Let's hope their mindless state doesn't disappear until dawn. Let's go."
Keeping our heads low, we ducked and weave through the tunnels. I mentally prepared myself for the upcoming battle. It had to end tonight. If that included my death then so be it. My time on this earth was coming to an end. If I could kill my Creator and the tainted knight, then turning into this . . . thing would be worth it. The only way to kill a monster was to become one.
"Lucinda."
Michael's voice made me pause. In the darkness, I could easily see him. I waited for him to speak.
"It . . . won't be easy," he said. "Killing such a vampire . . . and Gabriel too . . ." He shook his head. "You have my blade but-"
"Michael," I said. "Someone once told me that the closer a vampire is to darkness the easier light can harm it. I believe that my Creator is at her weakest right now. There won't be another opportunity like this one. If you can distract Gabriel for a while so that I can get to her then it will end."
His heart beat spiked but his determination showed on his face. "Okay."
The tunnel continued for a few hundred feet before it opened up to the dark forest. Gabriel's scent was faint. Were they still here? The answer came on its own. A heavy pressure pressed against my skull. She was closed by. It wasn't strange that my Creator hadn't fled. She wanted to get rid of me before I could become a threat to her which meant the tainted knight was nearby.
Walking forward, I raised my weapon and glanced at my surroundings. It was a faint whisper that warned me of the attack. I barely reacted in time to lift my sword up. Gabriel's dispassionate face stared at me. Michael's late reply echoed through the night. It seemed like the vampire lord wanted to get rid of us. But where was she? The light had probably hit her full on. Or maybe she was just using Gabriel as a distraction so she could escape. Either way, there was only one thing to do.
"Michael, go," I said through my teeth as I struggled to push Gabriel's sword away. "Find that woman and kill her."
"But-"
"Go!"
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him hesitate before running. Gabriel moved almost instantly. I lunged forward, cutting into his path.
"You'll have to kill me first," I told him.
"That can be arranged."
Truth be told, I couldn't beat him. Before he had become a vampire, he'd been a top ranking knight for the Vatican. Although I'd been trained, I didn't have enough experience. If I could keep him occupied long enough for Michael to kill the vampire lord then maybe the people of Kanya would be able to live in peace.
#
Michael trekked through the trees unable to stop thinking about Lucinda. Everything about this situation was wrong. He'd been taught that vampires needed to be eliminated and yet Lucinda . . . she was unlike anything he – and surely everyone else – had come across before. The smarter thing to do was to inform the Vatican of the situation but Michael knew it was too late for that. Tonight was probably going to be the only night humanity could deal a definite blow to their enemy. He couldn't fail. So many people were counting on him.
A faint putrid smell reached his nostrils. The holy knight paused. It couldn't be that easy and yet he didn't have the option of ignoring the bait. Gripping his sword tightly, he followed the scent. The taint grew thicker in presence. Michael could feel it on his skin. Every part of him told him to turn around and run but stubbornly, he kept walking.
It didn't take long for him to find the vampire lord. She sat beneath a tree, back hunched, heaving in loud, unnecessary breaths. Whatever she had looked like before, it was completely gone. Michael stared at the decaying figure. One half of her body had been completely burnt. The skin tried to heal itself but, it too, withered away. The figure raised its head.
An empty eye socket stared at him. The skull glowed underneath the moonlight. A raspy voice came from the figure.
"So you think you've won."
A strangled cry echoed through the night. Michael realized that the vampire was laughing.
"You may kill me but this war is far from over." She grinned
Michael approached the figure. To think that Joseph would have had something powerful that it weakened a vampire lord. Throwing that sphere had been a gamble but it had paid off.
"My greatest creation will live."
The Holy Knight raised his sword, positioning it so the blade pointed directly down. It hovered above the creature's chest.
"Darkness . . . you don't even know the meaning of the word."
The Knight brought his sword down. Upon contact, the vampire's body convulsed. Black veins of decay spread rapidly. Flakes of black ash fluttered to the ground. It was only a matter of seconds that there was nothing left.
It was over.