The Queen

  The pursuit came to an abrupt stop. There was a large outcropping in the side of a cliff that the few hundred vampires had set their defense at. There was no way really to get to the vampires from where we were except up the fifty foot wide open area below the outcropping. They were protected from above by the wall of rock that went straight up. To the right and left, there was no way to get at them in numbers because of the unevenness of the mountain side. Behind them I could see there was an entrance to a cave.

  It was incredibly rocky where we were at, and the fight had turned from sword fighting to throwing large rocks at each other. Watching the large rock smashing by us made me laugh.

   ’See I told you Conner that you loved this stuff!’ Hephaistion said as a large rock smashed on the boulder he hid behind.

   ’That’s not why I’m laughing; I’m laughing because we went from sword fighting to rock throwing. I feel like we’ve turned into a bunch of little kids or something.’

   ’Ha!’ Hephaistion said, ’Some of us were no older then children when we were changed!’

   ’No kidding.’ I said.

   I looked back down the mountain side and I could see Frank handing the child off to little Eric and looking back up to where the stalemate was taking place. Gloria and Emma were with him. Tabitha handed Gloria her knife, then gave her a hug. I couldn’t hear what they were talking about because of all the noise up here. After a few moment of talking naked Frank, Gloria and Emma came up the side of the mountain. Sebastian was struck by a large boulder trying to get their attention, but it pissed him off more then it hurt him.

   ’Eventually someone’s going to have to jump up there.’ Hephaistion said.

   ’Any volunteers?’ I said as another large rock smashed off the rock that Sebastian and I hid behind.  

  Gloria, Frank and Emma piled in next to me and Sebastian. I smile at Gloria, her eyes were wild looking and black, Emma was grey and Frank just looked like he was hungry and bored.

   ‘I’m not worried to much about getting hit my a rock, I’m mostly worried about getting up there with my sword still in my hand and being ready to fight.’ I said to Sebastian.

   ‘If we all throw at the same time, we should be able to get someone up there, but they would have to be able to rock and roll by themselves for a half a second. We’re going to have to secure a spot on that ledge and push them back a bit.’ Sebastian ducked as a large boulder went flying past us, ‘Otherwise we’ll be landing on each other. If we don’t secure a landing and you’re left up there wounded I doubt we’ll be able to put you back together again.’

   ‘Yeah.’ I looked up the cliff’s face, ‘I’ll jump first, we just need to have everyone throw at the same time then I’ll go.’ I said to Hephaistion.

   Hephaistion passed the word for everyone to get ready to throw, we were bottleneck down here below them so we were only going to be able to throw about fifty rocks at once and then we would have to pile in up top.

  I was sure that up there in the Queen Mother’s defenses, we would be fighting in a bottleneck which would make swinging my sword difficult.

   ‘Get ready!’ I said to everyone, the rocks suddenly stopped pouring down from above. They were either getting ready to defend, or they were going to throw once someone was jumping up to them.

   To everyone’s surprise Frank with no clothes and no weapon jumped up to the defending vampire’s ledge. Almost at once a vampire flew down from up top.

   ‘Throw the rocks!’ I yelled.

  I knew that Frank would get hit, but I would do no permanent damage to him. At first no one moved.

   ‘Throw the damn rocks! I yelled getting up and drawing my sword.

  There was a mass of rocks that few up and crashed all around were I knew Frank was being destroyed. I took two steps and jumped up to the defended ledge.

   ‘Conner!’ Gloria yelled watching me fly through the air.

  Gloria followed me without a second thought, Sebastian and Emma and Hephaistion also followed Gloria.

  Frank was in trouble when I hit the ledge, he had an arm and both legs cut off when I landed. I roared a large battle cry and came right at the twenty some vampires that were standing over Frank.

  They came right at me; the whole world seemed to slow down as I chopped down the first three vampires. They fell with virtually little effort on my part; I just kept the momentum of my sword going. They would try to block or check my swing but they were no match for my brutality. Emma was not going wait for me to get out of the way as I chopped down a forth vampire, she jumped right over me into the battle line that was forming behind Frank.

   ’Emma!’ Gloria shouted as she watched Emma tear into the defending vampires. Sebastian and Hephaistion also jump into the group with Emma, the enemy pulled back quickly once they saw that they had lost the ledge. The Council’s army was jumping up and surging forward. I joined with the army and pushed into the cave. Sebastian I saw pulled Emma back from the front as Hephaistion pulled me.

   ‘Let the soldiers do their job Conner!’ He yelled over the noise.

   ‘But the Queen!’ I shouted.

   ‘Be patience, it’s more important for you to command the fight then to participate, let the army do their job!’ 

  The noise of the battle was incredible. The sound of sword striking sword, the growling and snarling of the fierce fighting between the Queen’s and our soldiers was almost deafening within the small confines of the cave entrance. From time to time one of our vampires would come back from the battle line without a part of their body, but as the fight progressed back into the cave the wounded vampires would locate their missing body part and push back into the melee.

  The battle did not ebb and flow. It went one direction, back into the cave. As I directed soldiers into the battle line I would step over severed limbs and the occasional head and body of an enemy. Hephaistion and I would yell at the vampires that were pushing forward to destroy the Queen‘s soldiers.

   It did not take long for the smell of smoke to come from behind us, someone had thought to bring fire into the cave and was now burning bodies. The fighting seemed to have been raging for an hour or ten, I couldn’t tell. But we were only a hundred or so yards past the entrance. Smoke was filling up the cave; I could taste burning vampire flesh in my mouth.

   Hephaistion grabbed my sword’s holster and yelled into my ear, ‘Look Conner, the right side of their line is breaking! We need to hit them there!’

   ‘Got it!’ I shouted over the noise of the battle, ‘Emma! EMMA!’ I said trying to get her attention.

  Emma was heavily engaged and fighting fiercely in the left side of the line, I could see John was trying to get to her. He had heard me yelling for her, ‘John! Forget it!’ I yelled.

  He nodded and went back to directing our people into the fight as those up front were hurt, the Queen’s soldiers were fighting fiercely in her defense.

  Hephaistion was pushing our troops into the failing right side of the battle line, then suddenly the attack stalled. Both sides took a step back from each other and snarled and growled at each other.

   ‘What the hell?’ I said looking at the two sides standing three feet apart and looking at each other but not attacking.

  Hephaistion looked as confused as I did watching the two side looking at each other, I could see vampires behind the Queen Mother’s lines moving to reinforce the their crumbing left.

   ‘Oh no you don’t!’ I said and through myself at the right side of the line.

  Like a match in gasoline, the fighting started all again. I did not get a chance to swing my sword before the sound of battle overtook the cave again. I took two vampires down with one swing of my sword and the Queen’s right side crumbled.

  The enemy line retreated back into the cave some fifty yards; several of the vampires that had fought so bravely on the left side where Emma had been fighting were cut off and died without mercy.

  We reformed our lines and slowly moved towards the Queen’s waiting line. They snarled and growled at us, daring us to come forward towards them. I wanted to charge right at them but Hephaistion grabbed my arm.

   ‘Wait.’ he said not letting me go.

   Our line moved slowly forward, ‘Wait.’ Hephaistion said calmly.

   Not letting go of my arm he tried to look over the press of bodies that were trying to get to the front.

   ‘Hephaistion were up!’ someone yelled from behind us.

   ‘Wanted to make sure everyone was put back together before we started again.’ Hephaistion said letting go of my arm.

  Gloria ducked her way through the bodies of vampire moving forward towards me, she had a horrible looking scar that ran down the right side of her face. It started at her hair line, traveled through her right eye, down her cheek and off the side of her chin.

   ‘Oh s**t Gloria, are you ok?’ I said looking at the angry looking scar. I reach out and took her face in one hand and looked closely at the wound, her right eye looked as if she had a large cataract in it, slowly the grey was starting to fade.

   ’Does it look that bad?’

   ’What the hell happened?’

   ’I was hit what do you think happened? How bad does it look?’

   ’Pretty bad, can you see out of that eye?’ I asked tilting her face and hoping she wasn’t blind.

   ’It’s getting better.’

   ’Conner!’ Hephaistion yelled waving me back up the front.

  The two lines were getting ready to start again. The cave had widened out enough that fifty some vampires could stand shoulder to shoulder. The two lines were no wide then twenty vampires though so everyone would have room to swing.

  I returned my sword back to its sleeve; it was too big to swing now that the battle had gone from a downright brawl to a more organize fight.

   ’Let me have one of those knives.’ I asked Gloria.

  Gloria handed me one and we turned and pushed up to the front.

   ’Where’s Emma?’ I asked.

   ’There on the left.’ Gloria pointed with her remaining knife.

  There on the front line was Emma, twirling her falcata in front of her snarling wildly. The two lines were ten feet from each other. Looking over the two lines I thought I could see the cave breaking off into several different directions.

   ’Hephaistion, if we could push them back another twenty or thirty yards their line will break. The cave splits into several different directions.’

  Before he could answer the two lines collided again. I could hear Emma’s loud screech over the fighting, I shook my head and looked at Gloria. The Queen’s line was holding its ground this time.

   ’Hephaistion, did you hear?’ I yelled over the noise.

   ’Yeah! But I can’t see what you’re talking about, but I’m not as tall as you.’

  After what felt like hours, but was sure was no more than minutes the fight between the lines stalled again. And like the last time the two side stepped apart from each other. They were no more the several feet from each other, the two lines would snarl at one another. They would swing and growl but the two lines would not join again.

   ’Damn.’ I said looking at the separate tunnels behind the Queen’s line.

  I snarled with frustration at the stalled attack, somewhere right beyond them was the Queen Mother.

   ’Damn it!’ I said over the noise of the taunting between the lines.

  I worked my way up behind Emma, I had an idea. I reached out and grabbed Emma by the gee and pulled her out off the line. Several of our vampires tried to get into her spot and almost started the fighting all over again. I froze and watched to see if the battle would start again.

   ’Crap.’ I grumbled when the fighting stopped.

   ’What? What’s wrong?’ Emma said half in a panic.

   ’I got an idea, I need you.’

   ’Okay Conner!’ she said with excitement.

  Emma and I moved back some thirty some feet from the front of the battle line. The army was starting to push itself forward, it wouldn’t be long I figured till the fighting would begin again.

   ’What are we doing?’ Hephaistion asked.

   ’Sebastian, help me.’

   ’Okay, what are we doing?’ he asked.

   ’We’re going to throw Emma into their lines.’

   ’What?’ both Sebastian and Gloria said with horror.

   ’Were going to throw Emma into their line.’ I said again.

   ’I don’t think so Conner.’ Gloria said.

   ’Please throw me!’ Emma said bouncing up and down enthusiastically.

  Sebastian looked at me and shrugged. We both grabbed Emma under her arms and started towards the front of the line.

   ’Move!’ Sebastian bellowed.

  The lane opened up for Sebastian and I as we ran carrying Emma. We threw Emma snarling at the enemy line like we were swinging a battering-ram. Emma howled a blood curling howl as she slammed into the enemy lines. Sebastian and I quickly followed; I was able to chop down two enemy vampires before our line slammed in around us. The Queen’s line broke, we spilled into the gap that Sebastian, Emma and I made. The Queen’s soldiers fell back down the three different tunnels. Hephaistion led one group down one tunnel, Emma led some of the army down another, Sebastian, Gloria and I went down the third.

   There was no order in the fight down into the tunnel; I would engage someone and anyone that came around me would attack whoever I was engaging. The Queen’s soldiers had virtually no chance; they would pull back and defended. Pull back and defended. Every time they pulled back, they would pull back with less than the time before.

  We pushed them into a wide open cavern; there they melted away like ice on a hot skillet. Standing in the center of the cavern was Horatio with a broadsword and the Queen Mother.

  I handed Gloria back the knife that I had barrowed and drew my sword, there was lot of swinging room in here.

  The retreating vampires poured in against the back of the cavern behind the Queen Mother, they had no more interest in fighting. Around the edge of the cavern, torches burned hanging on the wall. This setting, if one was a romantic was would find it a perfect for a final confrontation.

  I walked into the cavern, Gloria was on one side of me and Sebastian was on the other. The vampires that followed me down the tunnel stayed in the entrance of the cavern. I knew that Horatio was dangerous, but for some reason the Queen Mother seemed to be in completely different league then when I saw her several days ago.

  She was wearing the same thing she was wearing back in Siberia, but she was minus one sword and had her hair uncovered. It was long as Gloria’s and jet black, she stood like a statue. Her confidence even in defeat was incredible and scary.

  Off in the distance we could hear the battle raging, now and again I thought I could hear Butch yelling over the noise. I found that funny, I did not remember seeing any of the Northerners during the fighting. I was glad that at least one of them did not run off.

   ’Do you yield?’ I asked the Queen Mother.

   ’Doest thou ask if I surrender?’ the Queen ask in a voice like music.

  Her voice caught me off guard, she had not sounded so beautiful the last time we met. This voice sounded magical and seductive, it sent a shiver down my spine.

   ’Yes.’ I said simply.

   ’Did thou hear Horatio what mine enemy asked?’

   ’Yes my Queen.’

   ’Doest he believe he hast won the day?’

   ’Yes my Queen.’

   ’Surely he doest believe that not.’

  The Queen Mother reached up and gently grabbed Horatio’s face with one of her hands.

  Looking into Horatio’s eye, ’And thou hast done nothing to dismay him.’

  The Queen Mother suddenly slapped Horatio, the strike though I knew did not hurt Horatio startled him so much that he dropped his sword. The echo of the sword in the cavern was all that was heard.

   ’I am surrounded by the weak.’ the Queen Mother said looking back at me, ’Cline spoke to me about thee, he sayest that a new power has risen. Stronger then anything that has been seen before, for thou art strong. What is thy name young one so strong and pure?’

   ’Not that it matters, my name is Conner.’

   ’Conner, and thy women?’ the Queen Mother asked.

   ’Gloria.’

   ’Gloria, thou hast a beautiful name child.’

   ’Mine children put their hope in thee, but doest thou know not that mine children will betray thee?’

   ’Huh?’ I asked not understanding the Queen Mother’s Old English speech.

   ’She asked if you knew that the Council will betray you.’ Gloria whispered.

   ’Yeah your children are some treacherous little b******s.’ I said back to the Queen.

   ’Thine children betrayed me, doest thou know that not? Thine children used thy companion who stand next to thee to commit such an act. And now you walk with such as this.’ Queen said pointing at Sebastian.

  The Queen Mother turned and looked at her broken soldier behind her, ’Look there.’ she said pointing at the back of the cave.

  Looking around the Queen Mother there laying on the floor of the cave was Roberto in pieces.

   ’Well that answered that question.’ I whispered to Gloria, ’So Horatio, what was the price that the Queen paid you to betray your master?’

  Horatio did not answer; he looked from me to the Queen Mother.

   ’Oh how Horatio hast been tormented, you should tell of thy torment. How he has lamented at his sorrow.’

   ’Something tells me she’s not all that concerned about Horatio.’ I mumbled to Gloria.

  Gloria looked at me like I had lost my mind joking in front of the Queen Mother, ’This isn’t the time for wise cracks Conner.’ she whispered back.

  The Queen Mother walked around Horatio looking at him with discontent, ’Horatio, melancholia started some twenty years past, did it not?’

  Horatio with despair written all over his face reached down and picked up his sword. 

   ’A young female vampire was caught. Her beauty was beyond all that Horatio hast seen. Thy beliefs hast been strong even though thy transformation. Were they not Horatio?’

   ’Yes.’

   ’Thy flesh and thy soul warred within thee, alas you asked for her. But thy master sayest nay. He sayest onto thee thou shall not touch her, and thou fell into despair. Thy soul raged like a storm on the horizon and thy heart found no peace. Thy master new of thy sorrow but cared not did he Horatio?’   

   ‘No he did not.’

   ‘So thou cut him down.’

   ‘I did.’

  Horatio looked at Gloria, ‘I’m sorry, I have loved you since the first time I saw you. I begged Roberto to let me have you, but he would not. I would have never hurt you Gloria; I would have loved you forever and ever.’

  Horatio looked at his sword, ‘But now I’ve lost you.’

   ‘You never had her Horatio, and you never will.’ I said.

   ‘Then DIE!’ Horatio shouted and charged.

  I checked Horatio’s swing with my sword; Gloria hit Horatio right above the knee with her knife. With the loss of his leg, Horatio went down. But before he could even hit the ground Sebastian took his head.

   ‘That was anti-climatic.’ I said kicking Horatio’s head away from his body.

   ‘So passes Horatio.’ Sebastian said quietly.

  I looked up at the Queen Mother, the quick violence please her. I reached down and grabbed Horatio’s one leg and threw his lifeless body to one side of the cavern.

   ‘In time that shall be thy body Conner, and like Horatio it shall be Sebastian that cuts thy head from thy shoulders. Sebastian, poor Sebastian, how thy children hast used thee. Does thy sorrow not follow you through the endless night of thy life?’

  Sebastian replied quickly in what must have been language of the Ancients, the Queen Mother smiled, ‘So be it.’

  I looked at Sebastian out of the corner of my eye, but the Queen Mother answered my question.

   ‘Sebastian can lie not to me. Doest thou knowest that Conner?’

   ‘No, but I wouldn’t feel special in that. Sebastian may be an a*s, but he has never needed to lie.’

   ‘Sebastian dares not.’

   ‘Whatever, we’ve gotten off the point. Do you yield?’

   ‘If I yield myself to thee what shall thou doest? Wilt thou take me as his Queen, for I shall take thee as my king. Together my darling we shall rule this world. I would summit mine self to thy power and strength.’

   ’Sorry, I’m already married.’

   ’Then what wilt thou do with me if I yield to thee?’

   ’I’ll give you a quick death.’

   ’Thou would give me a quick death,’ the Queen Mother laughed. Her laugh sent shivers down my spine, her laughed sounded like three laughs together. One sounded like a laugh that came from the voice I heard back in Siberia. Another sounded like it came from the one I was hearing now. The third was deep and menacing, like the sound of death that climbs out of the depths of hell to consume and torture you.

   ’Thy generosity and mercy doest not match thy face.’ the Queen Mother laughed the horrid laugh again.

  The Queen Mother’s voice changed to the three voices that I heard when she laughed, I could here three at once but also I could hear the individual ones with clarity, it sounded as three people speaking at once. I could tell that our conversation was nothing more than for her amusement, and here very shortly the Queen Mother’s true strength would soon be unveiled.     

   ‘Gloria back up.’ I said seeing the true Queen being unmasked.

  The Queen Mothers face seemed to change right in front of me. Her brow protruded out at least a good inch from where it was. Her ears shifted back and became pointed at the tips, her bottom jaw doubled in size and her teeth became like claws.

  She seemed to grow also, as she stood there looking more and more evil she seemed to grow at least a foot. Her hair long hair started to stand straight on end like she had been struck by some cartoon lightning bolt.

   ’Oh s**t.’ I said as the realization at what the Council had tried to warn me, ’Me and big mouth.’ I mumbled.

   ’Gloria back up, back up! Sebastian go left!’ I directed.

  But Sebastian did not move, terror had completely seized him.

  The Queen Mother, fully revealed moved forward, ’Sodomite die!’ the Queen roared and came right at Sebastian with her drawn sword.

   ’Sebastian!’ I said throwing myself into him.

  The Queen’s blow came right down on top of me. I lifted my sword to check the blow. The Queen Mother’s strength was incredible; her single blow knocked me down.

   ’Conner! Gloria shrieked and charged the Queen Mother.

  The Queen backed handed Gloria with all her might. The Queen Mother’s arm seemed like it belonged on a gorilla, it also had grown. Her arm seemed like it was at least a foot longer than before. Gloria flew against the wall, she dropped both her knives when she hit. So it was true, vampires could be knock unconscious. Gloria lay motionless once she hit the ground.  

  Sebastian was completely out of it with fear; all he could manage to do was slowly back away. The Queen Mother hesitated on who she wanted to kill first, me or Sebastian. I used the hesitation to get out from under her and got back on my feet.

   I couldn’t believe it, the Queen Mother’s strike notched my sword.

   ’Son of a b***h.’ I mumbled to myself looking at the quarter of an inch notch in the middle of my sword.

  The Queen Mother growled at me seeing me on my feet.

   ’Yeah I’m still here; I’m kind of annoying that way. You dinged my sword.’ I said showing her my blade.

  The Queen Mother showed me her teeth, ’Yuck.’ I said in disgust.

  I raised my sword up over my head, the Queen and I circled one another. As I moved to my right towards where Gloria laid I could see our troops pouring into the cavern. The Queen roared at the vampires and they all pushed back into the tunnel in fear.

  Didn’t look like I was getting much help, no wonder the Queen Mother didn’t seem concerned that her army was destroyed and was cornered here in this cave. She had not been defeated in Siberia, and she hadn’t fled from us. She used herself as bait to bring us right into her trap. No wonder the Council fled before the battle, they knew better.

  After she killed me the Queen would walk right out of here, take control of our army and hunt down the Ancients. I could see why the Council feared her will; they feared she would take control of their army.

  Gloria stirred and sat up. Good I had at least Gloria’s help, her love for me over came her fear of the Queen Mother. My Gloria, my beautiful wife. This monster, this thing that stood in front of me was all that stood in between Gloria and my happiness.

  I let out a huge battle cry and charged the Queen Mother, there were huge gasped from the watching vampires as I attacked the Queen. Are swords connected with a loud pang and we bounce back away from each other. I smiled seeing I wasn’t the only one who’s hands got jarred.

  The Queen charged me; her hair was still standing straight up. I wasn’t going to wait for her to get to me; I stepped towards her and swung my sword like a baseball bat at her face. The Queen had to check my swing or lose her head. The power in my swing caused the Queen Mother to stumble as she blocked the wild ungraceful swing. Again the watching vampires gasped seeing my attack on the Queen.

  I could only wonder what was going through the minds of the watching vampires. I quickly swung two more times at the Queen, she checked my swing easily both times, then countered me with two swings of her own. I was able to check the first with my sword, the second I check with the top of my head. Her sword bounce off my head leaving me seeing stars. The Queen Mother seemed surprised that she made contact with my head, she hesitated for a half a second giving me time to gain my senses again. I used her hesitation and to my advantage and bull rushed her with my shoulder, crashing into her she went flying backwards. I did not give her a moment, I came at her with my sword raised and swung it at her hard.

   The Queen saw that I was going to be right on her as soon as her feet hit the ground she brought her sword up to check my swing. Our swords came together with another long pang and again the Queen went flying. She landed and let a wild and violent snarl lose at me, but she no longer held any dread over me. I was stronger, I was faster and she was losing.

  I walked slowly towards her and raised my sword, the Queen Mother’s spell was breaking on those who watched. I could see Sebastian moving behind the Queen, looking for an advantage for an attack. Gloria was on her feet again with both of her knifes and moving around to cover my flank. I could see Hephaistion moving out of the crowd into the cavern; Emma and John were with him. Pablo and his Southerners also filled into the cavern, my Northerners followed the last.

  The last of the Queen’s fugitives grouped together in the very back of the cavern, the Queen Mother snarled at those that stood against her. Giving her a wide birth they poured in around her to get at her remaining soldier, they were kill without mercy. The Queen Mother, the first, the mother of all of the vampire kind stood alone.

  Hephaistion put Roberto’s remains back together, once whole again Roberto stood up on his own two feet and looked at the Queen with pity.

  What a way to come to an end I thought to myself. After all this time, the offspring of you children hunting you down and kill you in a cave. I walked over to the wall and grabbed a torch off the wall, and walked back to the Queen Mother.

   ’Drop your sword.’ I said without emotion, ’Drop it and you’ll meet your end by fire alone.’

  The Queen Mother shrunk back down to her normal size. She looked around her at the faces that were now pressing towards her. She dropped her sword on the ground and looked at me.

   ‘Thou art seeing thy own end.’ the Queen Mother said quietly.

  She let out a loud growl and threw herself at me. I let the Queen throw herself on the torch, as her clothes caught fire I dropped the torch and jumped back away from her. The Queen Mother screamed loudly as she burned. The Queen turned form me and started to run towards the tunnel, she fell as she exited the cavern. The mother of all vampires was no more.