The Last of the Twenty: Broken Pawns

Chapter 50

Nadia heard the great mass of howls. They seemed to shake the very ground she sat on as they grew closer. Then she saw them. One by one the monstrous wolves bounded onto the battlefield. They came in droves, attacking the swarm of vampires from the outside in.

Vampires fell dead to the ground, torn apart by the razor teeth of the werewolves. Dozens of them poured onto the peak, renewing the fight within the small group that had come to save her. She saw Ethan fight his way out of the grips of the vampires holding him to the ground. Saw Kelly break free of the huge vampire as it stared in surprise at the wave of fur and teeth making its way towards him.

Daniel, Wes, and Dillon joined their brothers and sisters, fighting off anything with glowing eyes. The battle seemed to be won. Nadia pressed her fingers to Keith's neck, there was a pulse. It was slight, but it was there. She laid him gently on the ground and stood, taking in the strange sight of the battle taking place around her.

"Nadia!" A familiar voice called out, "Over here!"

She turned, surprised at the sound. Nadia recognized him immediately, a man she had known since childhood. But what was he doing here? "Mark?" she called.

He nodded, holding his hand out. "Over here, hurry! I'll get you away from all this!"

"Nadia, don't" Ethan called out behind her.

She spun around to see Ethan standing with his own hand out, beckoning her away from Mark. Her confusion about how Mark got up there was suddenly buried in a wave of anger and sadness. Why should she listen to Ethan? He had done nothing but lie to her from the moment this had all began. "Why should I listen to anything you say!" she screamed at Ethan, "Your nothing but a liar and a coward!"

"I'm sorry Nadia, I had to!" Ethan said, taking a step forward.

Nadia took a step back, unwilling to listen. "I don't believe you." She said, shaking her head, "Him I can at least trust!" she pointed backwards towards Mark. In her anger and grief his presence was as accepted in her mind as Ethan's, she took another step back.

"Nadia, he's a monster!" Ethan cried out, desperate. Behind Nadia Mark's eyes had flashed with yellow light. He looked over Nadia's shoulder at Ethan and smiled.

"Let's go, Nadia. It's dangerous here. He's dangerous." Mark said.

Nadia walked backwards away from Ethan, nodding. Tears streamed down her face in tiny, hot rivers. Her mother was dead, had been dead, and it was Ethan who had kept that from her. That and so much else.

"Nadia, please..." Ethan said.

"Screw you!" Nadia screamed with rage. Before Ethan could say another word she turned and ran towards Mark.

...

Alex flashed into existence just below the peak of the mountain. His eyes were glowing and wings were out, gun firmly in hand. He took everything in at once. The enslaved vampires, the werewolves, but most of all, Mark beckoning to Nadia. The shock that went through his system paralyzed him for a moment. What was Mark doing with her, and why were the enslaved vampires so blatantly ignoring them?

"Mark!" Alex called out, but the sounds of fighting and the blowing wind drowned out his voice.

Nadia turned towards Mark and ran at him, sending an unexplainable fear through Alex's gut that he was unable to push down. He started to run for them, moving quickly in a desperate attempt to cut her off before she could reach him.

Suddenly the air in front of Alex burst into flame as two of the hellhounds jumped out of the void to block his path. They stood in front of Alex braced for attack, growling a dark warning. Alex skidded to a stop, preparing to jump over them and glide to Nadia if needed. But the split second delay was too much. Alex saw Nadia take a step towards Mark, saw the sword begin to materialize in Mark's hand, and knew exactly what was about to happen.

"Mark, NO!" Alex screamed. He tried to slow time, tried to cross the void to get to them faster, but he couldn't. In his panic all control of his abilities was lost, and as if it was happening in slow motion Alex saw Mark rear back and plunge the burning blade of his sword through Nadia.

The instant the angelic blade penetrated her flesh a white burst of pain exploded in Alex's head, dropping him to his knees. Alex screamed in absolute pain as something inside his body shattered outward in a powerful explosion. White electrical light burst away from Alex in a ball of power, shattering both the stone under his feet and the gun in his hand like glass as it pushed anything close to Alex outward in a deadly storm of debris.

Memories long forgotten flooded into his mind like an unstoppable movie. He saw himself with Nadia by the stream so long ago, saw her die a thousand deaths. He saw Mark and the doctor fighting him, tearing his human body apart as they placed the binding spell over his angelic form. He saw Mark on the road the night his parents died, slamming into the car to send it veering off the road and cause his horrible accident.

And he saw Mark snapping the necks of little red-haired girls throughout the generations. One after another he hunted them down and killed them, all to prevent them from growing up to find Alex. He now knew who Nadia had been and always will be.

She was his companion, his human lover, hiswife. Coming back generation after generation in search of her soul mate.Searching, for Alex.