Ch. 35

Ch. 35

Over the next few minutes, there was an indescribable frenzy of arrows flying and daggers soaring that was so confusing even Bodoleck couldn’t understand what was going on. All that he knew was that it was going to last for a long time.

Fortunately, Rosemary knew exactly what was going on. She was winning, but barely. She had struck Veripema a few times, but her wounds healed quickly with some spell she was equipped with. Rosemary had also been hit, but the arrows only grazed her. Still, her wounds didn’t heal as fast.

“Give it up, Rosemary. You know that I will win. There’s nothing you can do. Send my regards to the bookstore owner. I know he’ll want to hear from me,” Veripema said.

This made Rosemary stop. “What did you do to him?”

“I did nothing to him. He just took me out to dinner about a month ago. It was very nice. He even gave me a book,” said Veripema.

Then something occurred to Mason. ‘That voice,’ he thought, ‘It sounds just like . . .’

“Veronica? Is that you?” he asked.

Rosemary stood transfixed in her spot, but then said, “Veronica? Who’s Veronica? This is Veripema, my evil aunt who has been trying to kill us for almost a year now. Have you two met before?”

Veripema stood silent and, for the first time, scared. “Yes. We’ve met. When my parents wanted to get information, they sent me to spy on you. I had heard about the book at the shop, but he wouldn’t give it away. So I came over every Sunday night, and he would read a chapter to me. We did this until the book was finished. Then, he took me out to dinner. He had some wine, and got drunk. I drove him home, and he gave me the book. Mason, what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to help my friends stop the Vampiranese king and queen. I had read about them in the book, and from that and what Rosemary told me, I wanted them out of power. Who are you?” Mason asked.

Veripema fell to her knees. “I am Princess Veripema, daughter of the vampire king and queen. Rosemary is my niece, Susan is my daughter, and Medeleck is my son-in-law. Please, Mason. Get out of here. Just please do that for me.” By now, she was crying.

“Why?” Mason asked.

“I don’t want you to get hurt! That’s why! Now go before you die!” Veripema yelled.

Susan came out of the shadows. “Mother, are you in love with this man?”

Veripema’s eyes widened as Mason also stepped out of the shadows. “Yes,” she whispered.

That’s when it happened.

The room became bright. Veripema’s body began to glow. The wind picked up, and chaos struck. The room began to shake. It felt like an earthquake. The walls began to crumble into pieces, and the group was separated.

“Rosemary! What’s happening?” Susan yelled.

Through coughing and sputtering from plaster dust, Rosemary replied, “I don’t know. I’ve never experienced anything like it. It’s almost as though all the hatred and evil that was bottled inside Veripema is just spewing out all at once. Ah!”

At that moment, the ceiling broke, and they all ran to cover. The smaller groups were
of human and vampire alike. All trapped. All searching for a way out of that nightmare.

The groups were made up of Susan and Medeleck, who were trapped inside a small crevice. Bodoleck and Anna had just made it to the ballroom before the hallway wall caved in. Rosemary and Michael had also escaped the ceiling collapsing. Mason and Veripema were still in the hallway, safe with a shield of light escaping from deep within Veripema.

Leginivo and Sarah were having their own problems.

“Leginivo, where are we?” Sarah asked, shivering. They were both huddled up under Leginivo’s coat in the black darkness of the basement.

“I don’t know. I think we’re under the castle or something, but I can’t here the others anymore,” said Leginivo.

Sarah gasped. “Did you feel that? That rumbling? And the screaming? I think something is happening to them. I’m scared. This isn’t going the way we planned it.”

“Think about it. We would be stuck in that disaster if Rosemary’s grandparents hadn’t captured us down here. We’re safe now,” Leginivo said in a warm, comforting voice.

From somewhere in the depths of the basement, they heard laughing. A voice that they didn’t recognize said, “You would think so, wouldn’t you? Well, think again!”

They heard something jangle, like a cage opening, somewhere in the darkness. Then they heard a roar. It sounded like a cello being played, but more frightening. Much much more frightening.

It was a griffon. A big, winged, feathered, furry griffon with the head of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. The tail was of a scorpion, and at the mouth it was foaming in great hunger.

“Sarah. I think we should run now. Don’t you?” Leginivo asked, standing up and backing away slowly. Sarah nodded, and they both turned and ran as fast as their shaking legs could carry them.

But it wasn’t fast enough. The griffon was after them in a heartbeat. It spread its wings and took off, soaring above and in front of them, landing and knocking Leginivo off of his feet. The griffon raised his horrible claws and slashed at Leginivo. Blood splattered, but not very far. Leginivo had rolled out of the way in time to only get a small graze on his left shoulder.

“So, the human is fast. But no matter. I’ve trained with vampires before, and beat them. Killed them, too. You are no match for me,” the griffon said. His voice was soft, but commanding and frightening all the same.

Leginivo got up and ran away, trying to stay away from Sarah, but still close enough to keep her in sight. He picked a sharp rock from the floor and ran straight for the griffon. The griffon laughed, and slashed his with his claws once again. This time, he hit him.

“No!” cried Sarah. She ran over to were Leginivo lay on the floor. Her skin was slightly glowing. The griffon laughed and started for her, but Leginivo stopped him by sitting up. “Leginivo. Stop. You’ll bleed to death. Lay back down.”

“I can’t. He’ll kill you along with me. Great griffon, please. Spare her. Kill me instead. Please. Have some mercy,” Leginivo said.

“Mercy? Why should I? I’m just starting to have fun! I couldn’t possibly. No. You’ll both die. But I’m going to kill you first. This girl should be punished for not offering her own life to save the pitiful likes of you. She’s going to watch you die a slow and painful death,” said the griffon. He started to walk up to Leginivo, but this time, Sarah stopped him.

This time, she really was glowing. Her skin was giving off an orange glow, and her eyes, which were normally gray, were yellow. Her curls were floating at her ears, and she stood there, enraged.

Slowly, very slowly, energy started to form in the shape of wings on her back. They started to become solid, and soon, they shone. She was a fairy.

“What the? Is that really Sarah?” Leginivo asked himself softly.

The griffon laughed cruelly. “So. I have am in the presence of a magical creature like myself. The battle has truly begun now.” With that said, the griffon spread his wings and took flight. He was just about to lash at her when Sarah cast a spell unlike any other. A barrier of light came up from the ground at her command, and she sent birds, who were also made of light, after him.

“Foolish birds! Get away!” the griffon cried.

Sarah laughed. “No matter how many times you lash at them, they are made of light. They cannot be harmed. But they can harm.” The birds took that as a signal to attack. They started swarming around the griffon, and then started to shed flowers. The flowers of light formed around the griffon, and turned into chains.

“What have you done to me?!” the griffon asked. But it was too late. His body turned to glass, and as the chains tightened, he broke into shards of glass, like the window Rosemary had broken earlier.

Sarah stepped back to the ground gracefully and walked over to Leginivo. She knelt down beside him, and when he tried to talk, she said, “Hush. You have to stay silent. I think I can heal you now.”

And so she did. They waited in silence until she was finished.