Preternatural Prophecy Epilogue

Laurel floated for what seemed forever in the openness. A warm glow embraced her. Her body shivered in joy at what touched her. She opened her eyes to see an orb with tendrils. The tendrils wrapped themselves around her body lightly. It emitted a warm glow. The tendrils retracted into the orb and it transformed into a human like figure. Laurel’s hand flew to her mouth as she saw who it was.

Laurel’s fiancé transformed. He stepped towards her. His smile seemed to gleam. He walked toward her like nothing had ever happened to him. Tears flowed freely from Laurel’s eyes. Her fiancé touched her cheek. The warmth forced all the evil to disappear. Laurel threw herself into his arms. The warmth spread all over her body.

“Laurel, welcome to the afterlife. Here everything is good for those who have been good. Unfortunately you cannot stay here.” Her fiancé said. His warm smile turned to a sad frown. Sadness showed in his eyes.

“Why not?” Laurel said pleadingly. The tears turned to fear.

“Your time on earth is not yet complete. You will grow up and have another marriage. You will also have a child.”

“But…but…but…I love you and only you.”

“Laurel I know you do. You showed that the day I died. It is time to let go. What your parents did will always haunt them. Killing me was the last thing your father will ever that is evil. They will pay for what they have done here in the afterlife.”

            “I want to be with you so badly. That is why I need to stay. My life is not complete without you. I have longed to die for so long just to be with you. I died to be with you.”

            “I know you have Laurel but that is not the way it is supposed to be. There is more to your life besides me. I am just your past. I cannot be your future. There is another waiting for you. He is kind. He is just like me. There is no doubting that. Please go back to your body. If you do not, you will still not be able to stay here. You will live in the in between worlds forever.”

            “Fine I will go back. Just promise me that I will see a bit of you in this man.”

            “I am sure you will see more than enough of me in him.”

            “I am ready to go back then.” Laurel sighed and looked at her lover one more time. Her fiancé turned back into the glowing orb. The tendrils slithered out of it and wrapped themselves around Laurel. The warmth was more intense now. Laurel felt like she was falling. She blacked out.

Laurel awoke back in her body. Her short sword was still in her hand. It was right before she had slit her throat. She placed the sword back into her sheathe and walked out of the darkness to her sister and Wendel.

Sorry....

I am sorry you all had to go through that. One more death. I feel bad for you all. Who knows. Maybe one day there will be a story purely about her.

Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 16

The sun rose over the earth. This flaming ball chased the vampires back into the darkest regions they could find. They fled into their castles where the light could not penetrate. Anywhere it could penetrate was instantly covered up so no vampire would die from sun exposure.

Aiden sat on his throne. He was moody this day. He had not slept for some time because of the loss of all his men. Half his army had been decimated because of that infernal old woman. She was a god all right but not the kind that the foolish trio thought she was. Aiden knew the truth about the old woman. He would keep that to himself though. No need for those three idiots to know what the old woman was really planning. Aiden had taken his own measures to make sure that the old woman did not interfere with his own plans. Even though she was a god did not mean that she did not have weaknesses. She was just one more super being to be eradicated when he was done taking over the world.

Aiden had lost his two most trusted advisors and soldiers to these three nuisances. Delano and his wife had been valuable to him in his quest for world domination. Aiden grieved over these two deaths. How these three had survived the massive army that had attacked them was beyond him though. Aiden could find no way to accept it. The only plausible solution was that the old woman was working her magic on them and he would not be able to permanently kill them.

He would have to poison them at the same time in order to finally be rid of them. That was the only way. Not even the old woman could save them from that. Aiden called up his assassins. He told them what to do. They bowed to him and dissipated.

Wendel sat up. Memories swept through his mind. Wendel’s head pounded. Tatiana and Laurel stared at him. Wendel rubbed his hands together. He was freezing. He couldn’t remember what had happened. One minute he was looking into Tatiana’s eyes and he remembered his past. The next he was sitting on a table.

Tatiana rushed over and hugged him. “Wendel! Thank the gods that we have found you!” She held him tighter. Wendel smiled and shrugged. He hugged back relishing the feeling of her in his arms.

Laurel stared at them. Mixed emotions sloshed around in her body. Anger and love felt intertwined in her heart. Laurel looked away from her sister. She bushed a bang out of her eye and remembered her own past. A lone tear swept down her face.

“Good, you three are all in the same place again. Everyone please take a seat.” Laurel turned around to see the old woman standing in the entrance to the cave. Laurel was on her in a flash. Laurel pressed her short sword to the old woman’s throat.

“No more games you old hag! This ends now. I want answers!” Laurel screamed at her. The old woman stared at Laurel. Laurel stared right back. Laurel’s icy eyes pierced the old woman’s cool demeanor. The old woman’s eyes were pitch black with fear. She never thought that Laurel would attack her.

“Fine, you three have earned at least this much. What do you three wish to know?” The old woman asked.

            “Why were we the ones that were chosen out of everyone else? Why couldn’t it be someone else?” Laurel asked

            “You three were chosen because each of you had a skill that the team needed. Laurel, you are bold. Tatiana is caring. Wendel is smart. This makes for a dangerous combination when put together as a team. You three are the best match that we could find.” The old woman replied.

            “Who are we?” Tatiana asked.

            “You are Laurel, Tatiana, and Wendel.” The old woman replied.

            “No, you said we could find. Who is we?” Tatiana asked sharply.

            “We are the collective gods. There are many of us. The vampires are getting too strong so we decided to destroy them by using the ones that they are trying to control.”

            “So we are just play toys to you?” Wendel responded.

            “Not at all. You three are the ones that will save the human race.”

            “And what about me? I will die too.”

            “Yes, Wendel you will. I already told you that two of you would die on this journey. So far none of you have died, well permanently.” The old woman snickered at her own joke. Laurel pushed the sword against her throat harder.

            “Who else will die?”

            “That is something I do not even know. That is beyond my control. If you die then you die. I can only save you so many times before you have to die. I cannot prevent two of you from dying either. It is set in stone that two of you will die.”

            “Who are all these people that keep showing up out of nowhere? How do they play into all of this?”

            “We know that not all humans can prevent their own death and complete a task by themselves. We send them to help you. Others came by because fate dictates that they come. Haru was sent by us. All the soldiers he brought with him were purely luck. We had no clue that he would have so many fighters. That army that Aiden had brought with him that day would have killed you three for sure. Then the prophecy would have been proven false.”

            “Wait, so the prophecy can be stopped?”

            “Yes it can. But it would set in stone another prophecy. It would set in stone one of human condemnation. There are only two ways out of this. One is where all the humans are killed. The other is where all vampires are destroyed.”

            “What do we do with this brimstone blade thing? Do we just kill every single vampire that comes into our path with it and that’s how we complete this prophecy?” Laurel asked.

            “Now that would be redundant and slow. No, all you need to do is plunge it into the original vampire to destroy the rest of them.” The old woman replied. Laurel pulled away a little bit.

            “Original vampire? Do you mean the original Aiden?”

            “No. Aiden was not the first vampire. He was just the most powerful. The original vampire was a female. She was the weakest of them all. By killing her all the other vampires will be destroyed.”

            “Along with Wendel…” Tatiana said dismally.

            “Yes, along with our beloved Wendel. But remember one of you will also be joining him in the afterlife.”

            “But what about Haru? He already died for this. Does he not count towards the two deaths?” Laurel asked.

            “No, he does not. It must be two willing martyrs. Haru would have died anyways. Delano would have killed him long before if you three had not shown up and the gods had intervened. He was meant to die before you three even arrived at the village in which he lived. But because of the god’s help he survived.”

            “How do you play into all of this?” Wendel asked.

            “I am here to protect you three. Without my help you would have been killed.”

            “That is great. We thank you for your help. But now you will die.” Laurel smiled evilly and slit her throat. The old woman gasped and her hands flew to her neck. She grasped her neck. Blood soaked through her fingers.

            “Just remember what you have done when this does not go as you planned.” The old woman said before falling to her knees. The blood that poured from her wound was a purple color. She unclasped her hands from her neck and stared at her palms. She looked up into the corner.

            Aiden walked out of the darkness. He chuckled and blew a fake kiss towards the old woman. Aiden moved smoothly towards her. He bent down right in her face. “I found you out you old fool. I knew you were tricking them from the start. I’ve been watching you and updating them on your moves. We have been working together for awhile against you now. Now you die. You’ve given us all the answers we need to beat the gods. And since we know now that you can die, I am sure that we will relay this to my troops who will take great pleasure in killing the rest of you so called ‘Gods’. I know where you all reside and I know that you will not die easily but I am willing to kill every last one myself if I need to.” The old woman gasped and reached out with anger in her eyes. The old woman façade disappeared and a gold woman appeared. The god’s complexion gleamed in the sunlight. Her hair floated around. A bright aura was emitted from her skin.

            The golden god let out a screech. It stood up reaching above eight feet. Aiden looked up at her with a grin. “You have disgraced me Aiden. I put you back together. I gave you a new life. Why have you forsaken me?” It demanded.

            “You have been playing with people. You have been costing me innocent lives.” Aiden smiled as the golden god screamed in pain. A bolt stuck out of the front of its chest. The tip stuck out through its rib cage. Wendel nocked another arrow from behind her and shot it through her back. The golden god sunk down. Gold tears ran down her face.

            “So close to the gods reclaiming the worlds. So, so close. Why couldn’t everything have gone according to plan?”

            “You got too power hungry you fool. You will die now. I hope you enjoyed your time on earth. Now you spend the rest of eternity in the afterworld,” Aiden said, drawing his vampiric dagger. He jammed it straight into its skull. The golden god screamed in pain. It writhed around for a minute then dissipated.

            “Thank you Aiden for telling us before it was too late.” Wendel said placing his hand on Aiden’s shoulder. Aiden turned and smirked.

            “You three are welcome. Unfortunately if you have not noticed there is still a war going on out there. It will take time for peace to set in between vampires and humans. Vampires will need blood but it can come from animals. Maybe we will all become farmers.” Aiden smiled. “I am just glad that all this killing is over and that we are done being tricked. As we speak my own private assassins are eliminating the last three gods that walk this earth. For some time I have been ridding them of this world. That is why the old woman wanted you to kill me so badly. The other three gods had no idea what she was actually doing. They thought she was trying to procure peace between us. We would kill them all the time but they would keep coming back time after time. I got sick of them dodging my attacks so I decided to send an army after them. The old woman wiped it off the map in an instant. The only way to kill her was to trick her.

            “The time is now to make peace. Come we will all gather in the towns and show people that we can get along. There is only one way to stop this war and killing is not the answer. We must show everyone that higher powers were at play in making us do this. Now we must go. And I leave you with these words before going to my own territory. You saw that there were overwhelming odds against you and you still fought. You are the most brave I have seen. Anyone could have done that but it took a brave person to accept the task.” Aiden turned around and turned into a shadow.

Wendel smiled. Tears ran down Tatiana’s face. Laurel smiled. This was finally over. No more fighting and no more hatred. The old woman had tricked them all. Tatiana ran up to Wendel and grasped him tightly around the waist. She stood on her toes and kissed him fully on the lips. Wendel wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. Laurel stepped off to the side with a tear falling from her eye. She took her sword and silently slit her throat. 

Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 15

            They landed with a thud on the rocky ground of the mountains. Wendel stood up first dusting himself off. He helped the twins up off of the ground. Each looked around at their surroundings. The birds chirped from the trees, a lone wolf was heard far away. Laurel hugged her twin. “Thank the Gods that the old woman gave you that necklace! Otherwise we might still be back there fighting off the vampires.” Laurel said pulling away from her sister.

            “Do you think she is a God though?” Tatiana asked pulling the necklace from under her shirt. She rolled it between her thumb and forefinger thinking it over.

            “Probably just something used to scare off Aiden. You saw how frightened he was after he saw half his army gone with the blink of an eye.” Wendel said, thinking deeply. He scratched the back of his head, looking down.

            The twins looked over at him. He was deep in thought. Tatiana went over and took hold of his hand. “What is the matter Wendel?” She asked gently.

            “Half of Aiden’s army disappeared right in front of us. They were gone before we knew what happened. Many intelligent beings died today. I am starting to regret taking up this mission. It wouldn’t be right to kill off an entire civilization.” Wendel said solemnly.

            “Wendel you cannot be serious! They have murdered, stolen, and decimated the human race for years. We cannot let them continue on like this. They are an unchecked force which must be destroyed.” Laurel said taken aback by his statement.

            “Laurel, can you not see that we are destroying an entire race, an entire culture. It would be like the human race being wiped out for good.”

            “But it isn’t the same Wendel! They are killing monsters made to destroy everything in their path. Humans have compassion! We are like two different things!”

            Wendel looked directly at her with a cold stare. He stepped forward looming over her. “Not too long ago I was a human Laurel. Not too long ago I was just like you. I changed into a vampire because I chose to go with you! Do not tell me those things are true because I am proof that they are not. What you saw with Delano’s wife also shows you that they are not cruel monsters that deserve to be slaughtered. She gave her life to be with her husband in the afterlife! She did not have to do that. It was her choice. It was an act out of love not hate. So do not tell me that vampires are just killing monsters because they are not!” at this point he was screaming at Laurel. She shrinked back a little, having never seen Wendel like this before.

            Tatiana grabbed onto Wendel’s arm. “Wendel stop it!” She shouted. He looked down into her eyes. A deep mourning in her eyes was all Wendel saw. He looked deep inside, caught by what he saw. Deep inside her eyes he saw what he had never seen before. Tatiana’s blue eyes were rarely this dark. They had turned from a sharp icy blue to a dull grey. Wendel saw pain and suffering in them. Wendel knew that Tatiana never wanted to kill anyone but he did not know that it had hurt her this much to kill. Inside was a pain that only he knew about. It took him back to his sister.

           

            Wendel and Thea used to play in the streets as children together. He was a year her elder. They would skip stones across the water. One day they went out to the lake to gather water for the village. The village had recently dug a new well but found it to be dry. The village sent out each child every day to gather water from the lake until a new one could be dug. It was an especially hot day. The children were exhausted by the time they reached the lake. A scream erupted from the group of children.

            Thea and Wendel turned to see a black shadow cover the sun. The world went dark. More screams erupted, though this time it was from the direction of the village. Shouts came up from the group of children. Every single child’s vision turned towards the village. Huge explosions erupted. The children sat wide eyed and the sun reappeared and black shadows fled the village. The children ran back as soon as they could. They arrived to find the buildings shattered and blood pouring out into the streets. Thea ran to the head of the group to see her parents tied to the dual gargoyles that sat attached the fountain that had supplied water to them for years. A vampiric knife was embedded in each of their stomachs. Thea fell to her knees and cried. Wendel stepped up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. His eyes flashed with pain.

            A single person stood across the forum. An evil smiled was plastered on his face. “Hello there, children. As you can see there isn’t much of your village left. You can thank us vampires for that. This was just one of many villages we will destroy. Luckily you will be spared because it is daylight now. You will not be so lucky the next time my vampire army attacks you.” He turned and walked away.

            Thea stood up, anger seething through her veins. Thea drew her bow and nocked an arrow. She took aim at him and shot. She pulled back the string and released the arrow. It shot forward and hit him squarely between his shoulders. The vampire reached back and pulled it out of his back. He looked at it and turned. An evil grin was on his face. He dropped the arrow and laughed before turning to shadow and disappearing.

            Thea turned to the children. She wept loudly. Everyone else started sobbing. Wendel stood there in the crowd of crying children. He looked to his sister and shook his head. Thea looked up and wiped away her tears.

            “Listen to me! This is not the end! We have learned from our parents how to run this village. We all knew that one day our parents would pass away. We did not know how ever that that day would be today. So today we shall band together like our parents have and run this. We may also be under threat of the attack from these abominations that have plagued us. Now are you with me?” Thea shouted above the sobbing. Every child stopped sobbing. They all looked up with hope at Thea and moved toward her. Wendel stood while the wave of people crowded her sister. Wendel turned around. He made his way towards the armory.

           

            Wendel shuddered and fainted in front of the twins. His limp body kicked up a cloud of dust as he hit the ground. Tatiana gasped. Laurel bent down and felt for his pulse. “He is still alive. He is just unconscious.” Laurel said.

            “What happened? Why did he just faint like that? One minute he was looking into my eyes and the next he just fell down. I don’t understand.” Tatiana said.

            “Whatever it was it is powerful enough to take down a vampire. I believe it has nothing to do with us because if it would have affected us we would have been knocked out first.”

            “Laurel it was really rude to say that in front of Wendel. You know how he is dealing with this transformation and how it cannot be reversed. You owe him an apology.”

            “He might not get it Tati.”

            “And why not?”

            “That…” Laurel said pointing towards the mountain tops. A giant wolf howled at the full moon. It turned its head towards the twins. It threw its head up for one more howl then charged down the mountain side with the rest of the pack following it. They were all gigantic white wolves plunging down the mountain side right for them. There were five in total. Tatiana and Laurel drew their swords.

            The wolves fanned out around them, circling up around the trio. A chuckle like growl emitted from the biggest wolf. Laurel held her sword up in a defensive position. Her eyes locked with the wolf’s eyes. It growled a low growl. The alpha wolf jumped at her. Laurel swung her short sword in a wide arc and cut through its stomach. It groaned and fell back. The wolf’s stomach was now exposed. It lay down and nodded to the rest of its pack. The rest of the wolves attacked. Tatiana slashed through the first one only to be knocked aside by another. Her falchion drew blood from the throat of a third. The fourth knocked Laurel onto her back. It dived for her throat. Laurel threw up her sword. The wolf bit down on the sword. Four arrows shot out of the woods surrounding them. Every single arrow found its mark. One second later the four wolves attacking them fell to the ground. An arrow stuck out the back of each wolf's skull.  The alpha wolf stood up and ran back up the mountain side away from the trio and their unknown assistants.

            Four men dressed in all green stepped out from behind trees. Their hats resembled that of Wendel’s when they had first met him. It was pointed near the front with a curve in the back. Each hat had two feathers in them. They hurried over to Wendel pushing aside the twins. The two picked him up. The four turned to see Tatiana and Laurel pointed their swords at the unknown people.

            “Where are you taking Wendel?” Laurel demanded.

            “Some place safe, away from you savages.” One said. A red stripe curved around the band of his hat.

            “We are not savages.” Laurel jerked forward. The ones not carrying Wendel immediately drew two arrows and nocked them.

            “One step closer and you will be killed. You may be the chosen ones but that does not mean that you cannot die.” The one with the red band said.

            Laurel was taken aback by this. “How did you know?”

            “Everyone in the world knows what you look like and who you are. By the way your parents are very proud of you.” A smile snuck onto his face. That set off Laurel.

            “DIE!” Laurel screamed. She lunged at him only to receive two arrows to the chest. Her eyes were sharp, her lips turned into a nasty snarl. She raised her sword and smashed his skull in. She stabbed him repeatedly. She pulled the two arrows from her chest, the wounds closing up. “Never mention my parents to me again.”  Her eyes shot upwards to see the other three had disappeared.

            Tatiana put a hand on her shoulder. “Laurel you need to let it go. They have. It’s time for you to let it go.”

            “I will never let it go. Do not bring it up again.”

            Tatiana sighed and went over to the dead man. “How long before this is all done and over with? How long before we can just live in peace? Why has the line between good and bad been so smudged? Is all this killing in the name of good? Why can so many evil things come for the sake of good? Are all of these to go unanswered throughout time? I cannot believe that this is what fate had dealt us. There is no way. We need to find Wendel.” Laurel nodded and looked around. Tracks in the dust leaded into the dark forest. The footprints caught Tatiana’s eye. “What’s the chance of them just being right inside waiting for to give him back?” Tatiana asked. A hint of worry plagued her voice.

            “Not very good. We don’t even know where they are taking Wendel.” Laurel said grimly.

            “Well we should get going then instead of standing around talking.”

            “Very true. Let’s go.” Laurel responded. She replaced the short sword in her sheath and dashed the way the prints lead. Tatiana followed her closely. The prints zigzagged repetitively. Who ever had taken Wendel had definitely been trying to lose the twins. The footprints took them through bushes, over a river, and finally stopped at a cave. The twins skidded to a halt in front of it. Moans could be heard from inside. A scream echoed out of the cave. It died down.

            “Do you think Wendel is really in there?” Tatiana asked.

            “We will find out soon enough.” Laurel responded. Laurel removed her short sword and held it at the ready. She charged into the cave. Tatiana followed right behind her. The three archers sat around a table. Wendel lay on top of the table. The three looked up and saw the twins. They didn’t even flinch when they saw them.

            “Hello!” One called out to them. He was slightly taller than the others. Laurel scanned each ones face. She realized one of them was a woman. Her slender figure was hidden by the bulky clothing. The one who had greeted them stood up and walked over to them. He shook both of the twins hands then turned back to his companions. “Well now they are here and we can set back out.” The three of them grabbed their gear and left them. Tatiana dropped her falchion and turned around.

            “Wait! Who are you? Where are you going?” she yelled after them.

            “We are the green archers. You will see us around. You seem to have met our brother archer. He is part of the blue archers. Where his hat is we have no clue but we know him because he is wanted all over for treason. We must go now. You will see us again soon. We follow the old women’s orders as well so don’t think that we will not see each other soon.” The woman archer said before turning in a sweeping motion and stepping out of the cave. That left the twins speechless.

            Wendel sat up groggily. “Where am I?” He asked. 

Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 14

            The day passed slowly. Wendel kept stirring. The sunlight barely filtered in through the small cracks in the ceiling. A few streams landed on Tatiana’s smooth skin making it glow. Wendel stared at her as she soundly slept. A feeling stirred inside him. He felt unsure. He tossed and turned thinking deeply. He closed his eyes tightly trying to sleep.

            Silently, a figure crept into the room. The figure wore a cloak that covered the entire body. The figure drew a sword and raised it above Wendel. Wendel’s eyes flew open and he caught the sword between his palms as it was swung down. Wendel twisted the blade from the figures hands. A man gasped. “You are supposed to be asleep! Vampires sleep during the day!” The man cried out. He threw off his cloak to reveal a belt full of weapons. The man pulled a mace off of his belt. “This will end you and your vampire friends.” As the mace came down on Wendel the blade a sword knocked the head out of the way. Tatiana stood there with her falchion drawn. Laurel stood behind her pulling her short sword out.

            The man began to get nervous. He turned and bolted out the doorway laughing loudly. Laurel smiled and ran after him. “Tatiana, stay here and watch over Wendel! There might be others coming.” She swept the curtain aside and ran after the man. He looked back and saw Laurel running after him. He turned and pulled out another sword.

            “What kind of vampire are you? No other kind has ever been able to go into the light!” He screamed, his eyes showing nothing except fear.

            “You fool I am not a vampire. I am a human. But for attacking Wendel you will die.”

            “I am only here to kill the vampires. I do not wish to harm you.”

            “Why then did you attack Wendel?”

            “There is a bounty all over for him. Whoever kills him will be paid a glorious amount and will be made a king. He is wanted all over. I found him by sheer luck. Now move out of my way so I can collect my bounty. I have no problem killing you to get to him.”

            Laurel snickered, “trust me. Today is not my day to die.” Laurel charged him. He brought his sword down smiling at her ignorance. As the sword came down on her she dodged to the side and slid her sword straight through his chest. He coughed, blood starting to leak from his lips.

            “How?” He asked shocked.

            “You underestimate the power that all three of us hold combined. We are the chosen ones. We were sent out to kill the vampires. You cannot kill us. That is the only end now. The vampires will die.”

            Laurel pulled her sword out of his chest with a sucking sound. He fell to his knees and fell forward. Blood started to pool around his body. His brown hair was matted from sweat. The black blood started to seep up his shirt. Laurel smiled.

            Tatiana stood in the doorway only peeking out to keep most of the sunlight out. The midday sun burned brightly, lighting up the destroyed town. Not much moved except for the wind blowing something every so often. The adrenaline that had flooded her veins minutes before had run its course and she was beginning to feel sleepy. She had been woken up in the middle of a dream. She yawned loudly.

            Wendel sat in the corner gently snoring. He had fallen asleep not long after Laurel had run out the door. She moved over to him and sat down next to him. She yawned loudly and stretched, trying not to fall asleep also. She lay back against the wall next to Wendel. Tatiana’s head nodded forward as she drifted off to sleep. Wendel moved, making Tatiana fall against him. The two lay soundly asleep next to each other.

            Laurel pushed open the curtain to see Tatiana lying against Wendel. She smiled. She would let them be for now. She pulled a chair outside and sat down. She faced out into the village. She scanned the streets, making sure no one else would disturb them. A crow cawed in the distance. Barking was heard down the street. The only other sound was the blowing of the wind down the alleys and streets. She pulled her short sword out. She examined it before pulling out a rag to wipe the blood off of the sword. She ran the rag up and down the blade careful not to slice herself on the edge of the sword. Laurel knew that she had the power to heal anyone but did that include herself she wondered. She wiped the last of the blood off before taking out her water sack. She poured a little over the sword. She slowly rubbed down the sword with the water.

            By the time Laurel was done with cleaning her sword the sun had begun to set. Laurel knew that soon they would have to move forward towards the castle. There she was sure that they could destroy the rest of the vampires. There would be the end for all those who had been a parasite to the human race for so long.

            Soon night had fallen. Wendel jerked awake to find Tatiana laying on him. He looked around. Laurel was absent from the shelter. Tatiana was wrapped around his arm. Her face was pressed against his chest. She snored lightly. Wendel smiled and unhooked her from his arm. He placed Tatiana against the wall and stood up. Her snoring turned to a yawn as she woke up. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked up at Wendel.

            “Morning, Wendel. How did you sleep?” Tatiana asked.

            “I slept well, but probably not as well as you did.” Wendel said smirking.

            “What do you mean by that?”

            “Oh nothing. Do not worry about it.”

            “Tell me please what you meant.”

            “Like I said nothing to worry about.”

            “Why won’t you tell me?”

            “You will be embarrassed.”

            “How could I possibly be embarrassed?”

            “Because you were sleeping on me.” Wendel smiled again.

            Tatiana’s face turned a dark red. She covered her face with her hands. “Oh that is embarrassing. I am so sorry Wendel I didn’t mean to.”

            “It is quite alright Tatiana. No harm was done by you sleeping with me.” Tatiana peaked out between her fingers. Wendel winked at her. She giggled a little bit. Laurel walked in.

            “Cut it out you two. We need to move. There is a vampire army coming this way. We need to leave immediately. No time to make any more faces at each other just get out the door.” Laurel said pushing her sister out the door. Laurel grabbed her pack along with her sister’s and headed out the door. Wendel followed the twins closely.

            As they were exiting a chuckle erupted from their left. They turned to see Aiden standing there with his army behind him. “Do you really think that it wouldn’t be hard to find you? There is news about you around the whole country side. There is no way you can escape us. We have you surrounded.” He bellowed at them.

            “Tatiana can you try to shadow us out of here?” Laurel whispered.

            “I can try but where would we go?” Tatiana replied

            “Take us anywhere but here!” Wendel butted in.

            Tatiana grabbed the other two and shouted out the name of the mountains. Nothing happened though. She tried once more to no avail. Aiden burst out with an evil laugh.

            “There is no escape for you three. Nothing shall stand in my way now from completing my world domination. You three are the only ones that could possibly hinder that. Now that I have you in my grasp you will not escape. You three shall die today!” He shouted above the roar of his army.

            The roar of the army grew loader as they got psyched up. Soon the entire vampire army clanged their shields and swords together. Blood red eyes stared at the trio. Laurel looked over to see Wendel with a smirk on his face. Fear showed in Tatiana’s eyes.

            “What is so funny Wendel?” Laurel asked with urgency in her voice.

            “Well for one, the old woman is sneaking up behind the army.” Wendel replied looking up. Laurel looked over to see the old woman chanting silently behind the army. A hush fell over them as they all turned and saw her. She smiled slightly and mouthed the last word. Half of the army disappeared before them. Aiden stared in disbelief at what had just happened.

            “How? How did you do that?” Aiden screamed drawing his own sword.

            “Aiden you forget. I am a god. My mission is to help these three destroy you. And I shall help them in any way I can.” She turned away. She walked away and disappeared into thin air.

            Aiden spun back around. “Nevertheless, attack them now so they cannot escape.”

            “Tatiana, try again to get us out of here!” Laurel demanded as the army ran towards them.

            “Teneriffe!” Tatiana screamed at the top of her lungs. All three disappeared in a hazy shadow. It darted away from the surging army and away from the battle field. 

Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 13

Laurel, Tatiana, and Wendel stood in a burned corn field staring at what used to be a gigantic trade city. Now the only thing that was left was ruins and ashes. Stray dogs scuttled around looking for any form of food they could find. One howled in the cold night air. The trio moved toward the destroyed city. No cries of agony could be heard. The night air was still. All the fires, which had burned down the city, had long ago been extinguished. They walked down the empty streets looking for someone. Each one called out, searching for anyone that might still be alive.

Finally a weak, “hello?” was returned from the darkness. Wendel hurried over to a destroyed building. The roof had caved in and the entrance was blocked. Wendel punched his hand through the stone and pulled out the stones that blocked his way. The twins hurried after him. Wendel lit a torch he had found outside the village. He used the light emitted from the torch to find a small boy, who was severely wounded. A long cut went from his left knee up to his chest. Blood stained the wounds opening. The boy was breathing shallowly. Wendel handed the torch to Laurel. He picked up the boy and carried him outside. Wendel pulled his herbal kit out of his pack and put it on the ground next to him. He kneeled down next to the boy. Wendel pulled a small vial from the kit and poured it on the wound.

“This should take away the pain. It will also help with the healing process. It looks like a clean cut so he must have been sliced by a sword or something.” Wendel said returning the vial to kit.

“Aiden’s army must have done this. They are wrecking havoc everywhere. Where will it end?” Tatiana asked. She sat down next to the boy and brushed his hair out of his face. His breathing had returned to normal.

“We must get the Brimstone Blade to the castle. That is the only hope of ending Aiden’s advances. The only way is to destroy the vampires.” Laurel said shaking her fist.

“What about me though? Will I die as well? What would happen to me?” Wendel asked unsure.

“I am not sure Wendel. If we cannot heal you then you might have to sacrifice your life.” Tatiana answered him. She bit her lip softly thinking of what would happen if it came down to that.

“If it was to save the rest of the world then I will do it.” Wendel said sullenly.

“We will try our best to save you Wendel but…” Laurel stopped there.

“I know. There is a very minimal chance that I will get cured of this plague.” Wendel stood up. He picked the boy up and turned into a shadow disappearing.

“Wendel!” Tatiana exclaimed in shock.

“Don’t worry Tatiana, he will be back soon. He just needs time to clear his head.” Laurel said, putting her hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Let’s go see if there is any food to be found here.”

Laurel helped her twin up off the ground. The twins first went to the town square then branched off into the shops encompassing it. Laurel yelled out as she exited a bakery with loaves of bread in her hand. Tatiana came out of a show across the square with full waters skins and honey. They turned over a table that had been flipped in the attack. They turned it back over and set the food on the table. The twins sat down across from each other. They both started eating. Soon a dog came over to the table whimpering. Tatiana tossed it a piece of bread. It barked and ran off. Laurel laughed.

            Wendel sat alone with the small boy on a hill not far from the burned city. The boy woke up and looked around. “Where am I?” The boy asked.

            “Don’t even try to play around old woman. I’ve gotten used to feeling your energy whenever you are close. I can feel your energy now.” Wendel said curtly.

            The boy sighed and transformed back into the old woman. “You are becoming a powerful vampire. Soon there will be no chance to change you back.”

            “How can I be changed back old woman? You keep me in the dark as to how to change back but you keep telling me I can. If you are not going to help, leave us alone.”

            “I am helping Wendel. I gave you the name of the mountains with the temple. I’ve protected you. I’ve given you your life back by telling Laurel what to do.”

            “Now tell me how to change back into a human.”

            “There is only one way. You must kill the vampire who changed you while wanting to change back into a human.”

            “Where is this vampire?”

            “Dead.”

            “WHAT?! Why did you tell me that I could change back into a human?”

            “He died this morning. He was out on patrol when the sun came up and did not have enough time to shadow away.”

            Wendel stood up. He punched a nearby tree, causing it to break in half at the point where he punched it. He turned to a shadow and disappeared.

            “Joseph, there is no use hiding now. He is gone.” Joseph appeared next to the woman.

            Joseph smiled, “My father and Jeremiah will be happy to hear this. We have been waiting a long time. We have been hiding with those people for centuries waiting for these three.”

            “Joseph, say no more. We still do not know who is listening. For all we know a vampire might be here listening. They have more power then we think.”

            “Of course.” Joseph smiled and disappeared.

            “Hopefully they do not figure out our plan before we can finish it. They are the only way that this will ever be ended.” The old woman laughed. She turned to a shadow and faded into the night.

            Wendel stormed into the town square and fell into the seat next to Tatiana. He put his head down on the table and sighed. Tatiana shifted towards him. She gave him a light hug. He sat up and hugged her back.

            “What’s wrong?” Tatiana asked.

            “I cannot be turned back into a human. I needed to kill the vampire that bit me. He died today.” He responded. “There is no way to be saved from this plague now.”

            “You can’t die there has to be another way!” Tatiana shouted out, fear obviously shining in her eyes.

            “That is the way it has to be Tatiana. I am sorry. There is no other way.” Wendel said calmly. Tears streamed down Tatiana’s face.

            “No! I won’t believe that!” She stood up and ran off into the village.

            “TATI!” Her twin screamed after here. Laurel stood up to chase after her by Wendel grabbed her arm.

            “She will come back. She won’t go far.” Wendel said releasing her arm.

            Laurel sighed. She sat back down and stared off at where Tatiana has run.

            Tatiana ran as fast as she could through the town, taking twists and turns through the back alleyways. She wiped away the tears as they streamed from her eyes. Soon the sleeves of her shirt were soaked. She stopped running and started walking. “Stupid vampires. Why do they have to do this to me? Every single time!” She clenched her fist. She threw her head up and smashed her hand into a wall. “It is no fair. Every time I love someone it has to end because of the vampires!”

            “Oh now honey we aren’t that bad.” Tatiana looked up to see a scraggly looking man, dressed in rags, sitting on the rooftop above her. He jumped down and grinned. “Oh come here. I won’t bite. Well not yet anyways.” He moved closer, the evil smile broadening on his face. “Well aren’t you a pretty thing.” He reached out with his dirty hand. His human blood stained teeth gleamed in the moon light. Tatiana’s eyes flared up with anger. She grasped at a hilt and slashed across the vampire’s hand. He screamed in pain. He grasped his hand and fell to his knees.

            “My hand!” He bellowed in pain. Slowly his entire hand turned black and crumbled. It moved down his arm crawling along. He tried to scratch it off with his other hand but to no avail. His body disintegrated into a fine dust before Tatiana’s eyes. He howled in pain one last time before the plague consumed his head, completely turning him to dust.

            Footsteps pounded around the corner. Wendel dropped down from above her with his crossbow ready to fire. Laurel swung around the corner with the blade of her sword flashing. They looked around to see that no one else but Tatiana was there. Laurel put her sword back in its sheath.

            “What happened, Tati?” Laurel asked.

            “There was this vampire. He attacked me and I thought I slashed at him with my falchion but all of a sudden he just started crumbling and dying.” Tatiana looked down at her hand to see herself holding the Brimstone Blade.

            Laurel extended her hand out. She gently took the blade out of her sister’s hand. “Tatiana this isn’t even sharp. It can’t even cut through an apple. This is a dull blade. There is no way you could have cut a vampire with it.”

            “Wait Laurel. You have to remember that this is a blade with supernatural powers to kill vampires. Maybe that is how it kills them. Let’s just keep it away from me for now.” Wendel said backing up a little.

            “I guess you could be right Wendel. We need to put that thing in a safe place for now otherwise it could kill Wendel if we are not careful.” Laurel wrapped it in a skin then placed it at the bottom of her pack. She carefully put the blade away.

            “The sun is starting to come up. We need to move indoors for now.” Tatiana said pointing to the purple sky. Laurel and Wendel nodded and went to find shelter. 

A little taste of a new novel I have been thinking about.

 The rune exploded in a flash of light and sound. The power of it sent shock waves through the air. The sorcerer dropped his shield and surveyed the area. A throwing knife whipped past his head. It too exploded as it hit the tree behind him. The sorcerer ducked and rolled out of the falling tree's path.

"Come out rune user. You cannot hide forever. And unlike you, my powers are not finite!"

Jack was hiding behind one of the larger trees, attempting to stay out of sigh. He silently took count of his runes. Three throwing knioves with explosive runes, two flash runes and a shield run. He quickly pulled his inscribing tool from his belt and card a Faye symbol into the tree he was hiding behind.

The end of the sorcerers staff lit the dark woods around him.

"Come out coward! Are you afraid to fight true power with your silly tricks? Let me show you what real magic is like."

The sorcerer spoke into his hand and a spark lit flames in his palm. He cast his hand out and flames began to spew, burning the trees in front of him. "Burn to death mongrel!" The sorcerer shouted.

Jack threw the flash rune at the wizard and covered his eyes. The wizard turned, a brighjt light filling the air. The wizard let out a guttural roar. Jack placed his hand on the rune he hand he had engrave into the tree.

"Stay stunned for a few seconds." Jack muttered to himself. The run on the tree began to glow. Soon the entire trunk glowed, then the trees around him. Snapping sounds were heard as roots shot from the ground and wrapped themselves around the sorcerer.

The sorcerer struggled against his bonds. "You will not get away with this. You will die like the rest of your kin."

Jack stepped into the light still being produced by the staff. "You are hunting me. I am defending myself. I will not kill you today, but mark my words. Continue to hunt me and you will die. I have the book now."

"It does not matter rune user," The sorcerer spit out venomously. "We will find you. We will kill you. That book will be burned and no one will ever use those vile runes again."

Jack turned and ran deeper into the forest.

Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 12

Aiden appeared of the entire vampire army. He took his place on the stand in front of them. “Today my fellow vampires we have gained the only thing that prevented us from winning this war.” He held up the golden dagger. “This is the brimstone blade!” A cheer roared through the army. “This will be destroyed at sunset and we will begin our conquest of the humans!” Another cheer rippled through the army. A frenzy of madness began. Men and women soldiers began to beat their chests and their swords to shields or helmets. Laughter and roars could be heard echoing through the surrounding lands.

            Aiden held his hands up to quiet them. “In one short hour we shall take over this entire earth and we shall be the only ones with power.” An even louder yell erupted. Aiden smiled. He stepped down from the stand and into the frenzied mass of soldiers. The army began preparing for the next hour. They built up their arms. When the hour was over Aiden took to the stand again. He raised his hands and shouted clearly, “GO AND ENSLAVE THE HUMANS!” The vampire army disappeared into a giant shadow and dissipated. Aiden stood proudly on the stand all alone in the land. He turned and walked to the castle that stood behind him. 

Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 11

Tatiana had her head in her hands. She sat near Delano and his fallen wife. She silently wept for them. Wendel came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him. Wendel looked down at her with a kind smile. He helped Tatiana up. Laurel stood on top the hill looking out.

            “Wendel, how did you find us?” Tatiana asked.

            “I heard your screams and I ran towards them. When I saw the giant army chasing you I began to become afraid that I would lose you. You two are the closest thing I have to family now. You two are the only thing that keeps me fighting. Thank you Tatiana for helping me. I would not have gotten this far if you or your sister had not shown up.” Wendel said.

            Tatiana began to tear up again but this time with tears of joy. “Thank you Wendel. That means a lot to me.”

            “You and Laurel mean so much to me. There is so much more I owe you then just my words.”

            Tatiana hugged him tightly then quickly pecked him on the lips. She then pulled away embarrassed and ran up the hill towards her sister. Wendel stood there, dazed. He shook his head and sighed.

            “Whoa, I never expected that.” He shook his head and went up the hill. Tatiana and Laurel were discussing what to do next.

            “Tatiana I think that we should try your necklace again to see if we can shadow to the temple.”

            “Laurel, I have no idea how to use it. Haru shouted something and I just never was able to understand.”

            “We need some way to get there soon. We cannot just keep walking like this. There are too many hazards that accompany this.”

            Tatiana saw Wendel coming and blushed. She quickly covered it by pretending to cough. She turned her back and waited. Her whole face burned with embarrassment.

            “Why not find some kind of animal to carry us?” Wendel asked.

            “Where would we find an animal big enough to carry all three of us?” Laurel responded.

            “Since I am fully vampire now I can just run along side of the animal.”

            “Well aren’t you special?” Laurel responded sarcastically.

            Tatiana shot her a look and turned back to Wendel and Laurel. “Let’s try to use the necklace again.”

            “Finally!” Laurel cried out. The three stood together. Tatiana shouted out what Haru had last time and they turned to shadows.

            Again they splashed into the lake. Laurel and Tatiana swam to shore. Wendel looked around confused. Over the splashing he yelled out, “hey! This isn’t the mountains!”

            Laurel turned around. “Thank you. I couldn’t tell by the water or anything.”

            “Where are we?”                             

            “We are where Haru brought us the last time. Maybe there are different words for different places.”

            Wendel swam towards shore. Soon all three walked on shore. Laurel started a fire again. She sighed and dried her clothes off. Tatiana shivered, she moved close to the fire, soaking up the heat. Wendel shook his head, sending water flying. Laurel cringed as some splashed her. She rolled her eyes and turned her back to the fire.

            “You know I thought you would have realized that different words would send you different places.” Everyone turned quickly to see the old woman sitting on one side of the fire. “You really need to pay attention. All of you do.”

            “You never explained what words sent us where.” Laurel retorted.

            “Should I need to?”

            “Only if you want us to actually get somewhere.”

            “Well the word that you are saying is the name of this lake. Maybe you should try the name of the mountain range?” The old woman said, cracking a smile.

            “What is the name of the mountain range?” Tatiana asked.

“That wouldn’t be any fun on my part.” The old woman said.

“I am sick of your antics old woman. Tell us what we need to know.” Wendel said turning to her. He glared at her. “We need actual answers not these strange quips you are giving to us.”

The old woman sighed. “Fine, the name of the mountain ranges is the Teneriffe. There are you happy?”

“Yes, very much so.” Wendel curtly replied.

“Never have any fun.” The old woman mumbled under her breath.

They all stood together again. Tatiana moved close to Wendel enjoying being next to him. She looked up at him with a glimmer in her eye. She shifted her weight so she was slightly leaning on him. Laurel stared at Tatiana. Tatiana realized that her twin was glaring at her and shouted out quickly, “Teneriffe!” They all turned to shadows before the old woman’s eyes and disappeared.

All three appeared on top of a snow covered mountain.  The sun was slowly setting behind them and hues of orange, red, and purple shone around the mountain making it breath taking. They reformed a meter above the ground and collapsed on each other. Tatiana flushed a deep shade of red as she lay on top of Wendel, pushed against him because of her sister. Tatiana pushed Laurel off of her and quickly stood up. Laurel shivered in the snow. Wendel sat up and brushed the snow off of his back. He shook off the snow that remained and got up. He pulled Laurel off of the ground and stood her up. She began to shiver violently.

“Is there any way we can get out of this cold weather?” Laurel asked through chattering teeth. “I have had enough of all kinds of water.”

“Yes let’s go. We need to find that temple.” Wendel said. He looked around and started down the slope. Tatiana followed him looking around. It was lightly snowing and the sun glinted off the pure white snow. She stared at how amazing it looked. Laurel followed close behind her twin staring straight down the slope. Her hands rubbed her arms to warm herself up. Her foot slipped and she started to slide down the mountain. She fell on her back and slid down. Tatiana gasped when she saw her twin slide past her. Wendel turned around just in time to catch Laurel and put her back on her feet in one smooth move.

“No more of that Laurel.” Wendel said before turning and continuing down the mountain. Laurel stared at him for a second then followed.

As the trio made their way down the mountain the snow began to stop. The sun had finally set and the full moon shone high above their heads. Soon they encountered small ferns. The snow began to slowly recede to the ground until there was nothing left but dirt. Trees were scattered about. Laurel stretched as the air became warmer. She smiled. “Finally some warm air.” Laurel said.

“Be quiet. There is something following us.” Wendel said in an ominous voice. “Get behind that tree and stay there.” Laurel and Tatiana scrambled over to a tree and drew their swords. An arrow flew out of a bush and flew past the tree that they were hiding behind. It hit a tree not far from them and stuck in it. Wendel drew his crossbow from his back. He put a bolt on it and aimed for the bushes. Another arrow shot out. Wendel ducked down and it sailed over his head. He shot his bolt into the bush. A man jumped high out of the bush. Wendel quickly loaded another bolt and shot him again. While in mid-air he could do nothing. The bolt connected with his abdomen and he fell like a rock. He squirmed on the ground, trying to get his bow he had dropped. He pulled an arrow from his quiver. He swung it at Wendel as Wendel tried to move close to him. The man hissed, turning into a shadow. Wendel picked up the bow and examined it.

“This is definitely a vampire’s bow. I am surprised that they actually are using these men to follow us. I over heard a vampire talking about it when they had taken me. They guard the temple closely supposedly and there are only a few of them that are trained to do what they can. They are very specialized in what they can do and are deadly. That must have been a newly trained recruit because if it was a vampire that had been apart of this for years he would have hit us for sure. Laurel, Tatiana, you two can come out now.” Wendel called out. Laurel and Tatiana slowly came out with their swords raised. They stood back to back and spun around. They relaxed then put their swords away.

            Three shadows materialized, shot arrows then evaporated back into thin air. Wendel and Laurel ducked. Their arrows flew over their heads but Tatiana was too late. The arrow hit her in the middle of her chest and went through her back. She fell to her knees and looked down at the arrow with wide eyes. She fell forward.

            “TATIANA!” Laurel screamed in horror. Three more shadows appeared. The vampires shot another batch of arrows then disappeared. Wendel was turned and was hit in the back. Laurel grabbed hers from the air and snapped it in half. She ran over to her sister. She knelt on the ground beside her twin and wept heavily. Tatiana’s lifeless body sat there. A cold rain began to fall from the darkened sky. The old woman walked out from behind a tree. She looked down at Laurel.

            “You know you could always use your sword. It has the power not only to kill but to heal. There is no greater power then to bring people back to life. But first you must erase the symbols on her ankle that are keeping her alive.”

            “What symbols? What are you talking about?” Laurel screamed.

            “There is a symbol that is keeping your sister alive on her ankle. I gave it to her when she was about to die at the battle field. Use your sword. Cure her before it is too late.”

            “How do I get rid of the symbol?”

            “All you need to do is wipe it off.”

            Laurel furiously ripped her twin’s pant leg. She saw the symbol and rubbed at it. It came off after a few seconds. She then yanked the arrow out. She stood up and drew her short sword. She touched Tatiana’s limp body with it. The sword began to glow brilliantly. Soon the glow was transferred to Tatiana’s body. Laurel pulled the sword away from her sister. Tatiana bolted up. She looked around and felt her chest. The hole where the arrow had been had disappeared.

            “Wait what about Wendel?” Laurel asked turning to the old woman. When she turned around to look the old woman had disappeared. Laurel went over to Wendel. He was laying face up. The arrow was fully protruding from his abdomen. He smiled as he saw Laurel approach him.

            “I see a light Laurel. I think I see the afterlife. It looks like a happy place. I see my sister. I’m coming Thea. Wait for me please.”

            “I’m sorry Wendel.” Laurel said sadly. She pulled the arrow from his body and healed him. His eye grew wide. He sat up and rubbed his face.

            “I saw her. I saw Thea. She was happy.” He fell backwards. Tears started streaming down his face. He turned over and started beating at the wet earth. The cold rain fell harder. “Why? Why did my sister have to die?”

            Laurel knelt down next to Wendel. She put her hand on his back. “Wendel! You will join her one day. You need to live these days to the fullest. You can be miserable in this world and happy in the next or you can be happy in both. Just imagine a world without vampires. The world would be much better off.”

            Wendel turned over. “I AM A VAMPIRE! What don’t you understand about that? By helping you I will die also.” Wendel shouted.

            “Who said that you would die also?” The old woman’s voice appeared out of no where. They turned to see the old woman sitting on a rock.

            “The brimstone blade’s power will kill all the vampires.” Wendel replied, tears still streaming down his face.

            “You will turn back to human. You never know what will happen. Many stranger things have happened. Like you three taking on an entire army. Do you really think that you three could do that without a little help?”

            “No.” Laurel said, staring at the old woman incredulously.

            “There is a reason for everything. I have helped you out this whole time. Do not worry Wendel you will turn human one day.” She slowly disappeared into a shadow. The three stared at where she used to be.

            Wendel cracked a smile. “I will live again.”

           

            A vampire appeared out of the shadows in front of Aiden. Aiden sat in a throne inside a cavern. “Master Aiden. Two of the three travelers have been killed.”

            “Which two?”

            “The vampire and the twin with your sword.”

            “Good. We will launch a full out invasion of the human lands at sunset then. There is no one else to stand in our way now. I will get rid of that last pest by myself. Order the troops to move out as soon as the sun sets.”

            “Yes master.” He turned to a shadow and dissipated.

            Aiden stood up and paced. He growled and turned to a shadow also. He reappeared in front of the temple. The entrance had been closed long ago by moving a large stone in front of it. No way could one of the twins move it by herself. He tapped on the hard stone. He smiled to himself.

            “Hi, Aiden.” Aiden whirled around to see Laurel standing behind him.

            “You have no chance of moving this by yourself. Give up. You are beaten.” Aiden said smugly.

            Laurel laughed. “I’m alone, huh?” she pointed to Wendel and Tatiana stepping out behind a tree. Both of them drew their weapons. Wendel nocked a bolt and pointed it at Aiden. Aiden hissed at him, getting into a fighting stance. With a twang the bolt flew straight at Aiden. He swung his left side away from the projectile. It stuck in the rock that blocked the entrance to the temple. Aiden turned back to see another bolt fired at him. He jumped up to avoid it. Bolts were fired at Aiden one after another. He dodged each one. Soon they came closer and closer to hitting Aiden.

            Three vampire soldiers appeared with looks of shock on their face. They each drew a dagger. Down the daggers was their name, then a symbol. The vampire soldiers ran at the twins. Laurel sliced cleanly through the first’s neck, and then kicked the second squarely in the chest. Tatiana sliced upward across the third’s chest. The second looked at his two dead comrades. He then looked at the twins. He turned to a shadow and disappeared.

            The vampire soldier reappeared a minute later with reinforcements. Laurel and Tatiana began hacking and slashing their way through the ranks. Mangled corpses of vampires began to pile up around them as more and more vampires attacked them.

            Wendel put the last bolt on his crossbow and fired it at Aiden. Aiden turned into a shadow and disappeared into the night. Wendel turned to see the twins cleave the last vampire in the head at the same time. Their swords mad a clang as they hit each other in the middle of his head. The twins pulled their swords out.

            “Gather your arrows quickly Wendel. We are not sure how long it will be until they send another wave of troops.” Wendel nodded then gathered all his arrows. The three of them stood in front of the stone and pushed, the boulder moved easily with all three of them pushing. The rock slid away and the temple entrance was revealed. An ornamental stone door blocked their entrance. Wendel wound up and punched the door with all his might. His fist went easily through and the bottom of the door gave way. The trio entered the temple. Religious paintings and carvings covered all six walls. The room was set up in a hexagonal shape with an altar in the middle. Floating about a foot above the altar was a golden dagger. The three moved slowly towards the dagger. Tatiana stepped up to the altar and reached out. Aiden appeared out of the shadows and grabbed it away before Tatiana could even touch it. Aiden laughed manically. He disappeared back into the shadows, the laughter still echoing throughout the temple.

            “NO!” Laurel cried out. “This cannot be! That was our only chance at saving the human race. We need that blade!”

            “Wait Laurel look!” Wendel said in shock. The front of the altar was slowly crumbling to reveal a small wooden box. Laurel grabbed it and removed it. She dusted it off. Finely printed words were engraved in the wood.

            Laurel read them aloud, “In this box contains the only way to truly destroy the vampire race and make sure that it will never come back. Use with extreme caution for it could mean horrible things for the world.” She laughed, “HA Aiden we have the real brimstone blade!”

            Wendel looked at the box. “What does it mean horrible things?”

            “I have no clue but we are going to destroy the vampires!” Laurel responded. “We finally have it! There is no way we can be stopped from saving the human race now.”

            Three arrows shot out of the dark. Three vampire archers walked from the darkness and watched their arrows. The twins knocked them away with their swords. Wendel grabbed it from midair and threw it pack at one of the archers. It nicked the inside of his leg. He grunted as he pushed down on the wound. He turned to a shadow. The two remaining vampires also fled.

            “That is all they are sending after us?” Tatiana asked suspiciously.

            “You have to remember that they think that they have the brimstone blade. The vampires think that they are the ones who hold all the power.” Wendel replied.

            “True but I would expect them to send more troops after us. I mean even without the brimstone blade we are still a threat.” Tatiana said.

            “They must have something more planned. We must get to that other temple immediately. Where was it again?” Wendel asked

            “Deep inside vampire territory. We need to go to their castle if I remember correctly.” Laurel said with a hint of pleasure in her voice.

            “Then we must go immediately and disappear from their sight. If we lie low for a little bit maybe we will be thought of as beaten.” Wendel stated.
            “True. Let’s go then.” Tatiana said moving towards Wendel. “I will transport us out of here.” Tatiana grabbed onto her twin and Wendel and shouted the twin’s home town.