arthur's end

Arthur’s End

"Well now, isn’t that interesting." the man said.

I didn’t answer him; I wasn’t here to play guessing games on who was on the phone. I knew it was Arthur, he knew I knew that. So I stood there quietly waiting for him to speak.

"My name is Samson. You, no doubt are Penelope Grace Alexander. Is that your given name, or is that something you’ve adopted over the years?" Samson asked.

I didn’t answer him, but Anne was more than happy to respond with a growl.

"And you, what’s your name." Samson asked Anne.

"Her name is unimportant to why we are here." I said calmly.

"No, you are correct. But I thank you for trusting us enough to come."

"I don’t trust you at all. I’m here because we have a mutual enemy and I hope to exploit that." I said.

"Very well. As you know, that was Arthur on the phone. He wanted to warn me of a new player by the name of Gordon. Are you familiar with him?"

"I want to make something very clear to you. I’m not here to share anything with you but my sword."

The old man smiled, "You’re no fan of the Brotherhood."

"And why should I be?" I asked, "The Brotherhood cares not which of our kind lives in peace. I’ve have never fed on a human in my entire life. But it didn’t matter to you, you sent Arthur none the less."

"So easy to sit and judge when you are not in our shoes vampire."

"What ever, that’s beside the point. I want Arthur dead, and so do you. But that doesn’t make us friends, and I’ll tell you this. The next time the Brotherhood sends someone into my home, what I did in Seattle won’t even compare to what I’m prepared to do."

"Fair enough, the Brotherhood honors their treaties."

"Time will tell the truth of that."

"Arthur I believe will wish to meet in person with me to discuss this Gordon."

"He will suspect a trap."

"Yes. But he will come none the less."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because he knows we want him dead. Arthur will not wait for us to bring the fight to him. He’ll meet us with the intent of fighting. Even if all we wished to do was negotiate a truce, he would still fight."

"I’m unconcerned with Arthur intentions with you; the only thing I worry about is all of his men interfering with me killing him. If you can get him to meet, you take care of his men. He belongs to me."

"So be it." Samson said, "It would be more poetic that way."

"Do you have something to write on?" I asked.

One of Samson’s soldiers handed him a note pad and a pen. He motioned him to me, I took the pad and wrote my number on it.

"Call me with a time and a place." I said and handed it back to the soldier.

Without saying another word, I turned and made my exit. Anne and I didn’t say a word to the men out on the street. We took to the air and headed back to the boat. As we got back got close, I wondered if Anne would be able to land without killing herself or getting wet.

I landed first and looked up for Anne. She circled a few times trying to get as close as she could, but I could tell she was going to come in too fast. She braked hard, but I could tell the landing would be ugly. Right as she was going to land I rushed forward to catch her.

"Thanks." she said after I caught her.

"You really need to work on your landings." I joked.

"Hey, I’m getting better."

"I know, how do you feel?" I asked.

"A little embarrassed."

"Why?"

"Because I was being nasty to you for no reason." she said.

"Oh baby, I expected it. It’s not your fault."

"Well even if it isn’t, I’m still sorry."

"Come here." I said giving Anne a big hug, "It won’t be long now. Soon we’ll be able to start again." Anne and I stripped out of our armor and put on a few things that were left on the boat from our trip. Almost as quickly as we got into bed we

crashed, but my sleep was restless. I had only been asleep a few hours when something had awakened me.

"What is it?" Anne asked when I sat up.

"Vampire." I said quickly getting up.

I took my little shirt from earlier off and quickly put on my leather shirt. I grabbed my knife and went out the bow hatch and took to the air.

I couldn’t see anything from fifty some odd feet in the air around the boat, but I knew he was there somewhere. Eventually he would try to board the boat, I really hated The Edge. I saw a disturbance in the water right behind the swimming platform.

I shot down and quickly and landed on and reach into the water and grabbed for the unwanted visitor. To my surprise, I was able to get a handful of hair. With one quick jerk, I yanked him out of the water and pulled him onto the deck. I put the blade of my knife to his throat and head him there.

"The pretty lady doesn’t touch The Edge nicely." he said with a growl.

"The pretty lady doesn’t like you. Nor does she want your help. And will not think twice of cutting you up and leaving you for the fishes." I said.

"Pip, what is it?" Anne asked from the cabin door.

"The Edge."

"Do you want me to come up?"

"Only if you’re dressed." I said.

Anne closed the cabin door and a few minutes later came back up wearing her body suit and a sword.

"I got him Pip, go put some close on."

I looked into The Edge’s eye for a moment, "If anything come out that should come out, it comes off. Do you understand you foul little worm?"

The Edge smiled, but nodded under my knife. I stood and went back into the cabin to at least put my body suit on. All I was wearing was pair of underwear and my leather shirt. I pulled my wings back in and quickly slipped into my suit.

Great. What was I going to do about The Edge. I just couldn’t throw him overboard; he would just follow us to where ever anyways. But the last thing I wanted was to have that little worm around Anne.

I came back out on deck and fired up the engines to the boat. I looked at Anne she was sitting looking at The Edge swatting at invisible somethings flying around his head.

"Are we leaving?" Anne asked sitting next to me at the helm.

"Yes. I figured we can go back Oak Harbor."

"What about him?" she asked thumbing over her shoulder.

"I don’t know." I said shaking my head.

After a few minutes, I throttled up and headed back north. I figured we would be back around dawn. As we traveled, I went over and over in my head what would the Brotherhood might do if Arthur fell. Would they leave Anne and I in peace, or would we fight. I didn’t really want to continue fighting them.

I just wanted to rebuild our house and our lives. It seemed amazing not too short of a time ago, we were arguing with Anne’s roommate. We never did get to use my jet-skies; my cars were destroyed. Everything that was important to me outside of Anne was gone. Thinking of it all made my stomach burn with rage.

"What the hell? Pip!" Anne yelled of the sound of the engine.

I quickly came out of my misery to figure out what Anne was upset about. The Edge had his hand down his pants and was stroking himself.

"Son of a b***h!" I snarled and dropped the throttle.

The boat lurched at the sudden loss of power and brought The Edge out of his fantasy to see me coming over the back of my seat after him.

When he tried to make a quick exit over the side of the boat, my wings shot out to help me catch him. I could feel them banging into everything as they pumped to get me to him faster.

I caught The Edge’s ankle as he went over the side. I instantly went airborne dragging him by his leg. I shot up and out several hundred yards away from the boat and swung and launched him for all I was worth into the night’s sky. After several moments I heard his loud splash.

I watched the spot where The Edge landed to see if he would surface. After a moment when he did not, I turned and headed back to the boat. To my surprise, Anne was coming up the swim ladder on the back of the boat.

"What are you doing in the water?" I asked after landing.

"Gee, I don’t know. Maybe because someone knocked me in going after a pervert." she said walking past me to the cabin.

I chuckled as Anne went by me, "How did I knock you in?"

"You hit me with your wing when you went over the back of the chair."

"Sorry baby." I said.

"Yeah." Anne said flatly and went down into the cabin to change.

I chuckled and went back to the helm and sat down. Without thinking, I gunned the throttle back to full blast and the boat shot off like a rocket. I had completely forgotten about Anne changing until I heard her cussing from down in the cabin.

"Oops." I said to myself, "Sorry!" I yelled over the sound of the engines.

*

Suddenly my eyes shot open, it was morning. Great, I had slept through the whole night. I rolled out of bed and took a quick shower to wash the sleep from me. After drying off, I grabbed the motel’s phone.

I lifted the phone and called the front desk, "Room twelve please."

"One moment." the voice said on the other end.

"Hello?" asked Ryan.

"Ryan, this is Arthur. Can you come to my room?"

"Is everything okay sir?"

"I need to speak to you."

A few moments later there was a knock on my door, looking through the peep hole I saw that it was Ryan.

"Come in, come in." I said opening the door, "Okay, I talked to the Brotherhood last night."

"What did they say?" he asked.

"Sit, please." I said motioning to the motel’s bed, "I talked to my old friend Samson. Currently, he is the acting leader of the Brotherhood. The new leader,

Sebastian has gone missing."

"Looks like the Brotherhood is having trouble keeping up with their leadership."

"Yes. The Brotherhood had thought we had something to do with his disappearance, I told them that we had been here sense the Paris incident."

"Do they believe you?" Ryan asked.

"I don’t know, doesn’t really matter. But this is where we’re at. Samson is here in the States."

"Here in Washington?" he asked.

"Probably, if I had to guess."

"If he is, I bet he’s here talking to Penelope about you."

"I wouldn’t doubt that. But anyways, If he’s here he has a war party with him. When I told him about Gordon, he wanted to meet with me face to face."

"He’ll try to kill you if you do."

"Yes, I believe you’re right."

"But you’ll meet him anyways."

"Yes. After what happened in Paris, I will always be in the Brotherhood’s cross hairs."

"What we did in Paris was a mistake."

"Yes, but what can we do now? But a lot of good did come out of it though. I think if we strike now against the Brotherhood, we could deal them a fatal blow."

"By killing their remaining leadership, you think that it will cause more rebellion." Ryan concluded.

I really liked Ryan; he could follow my line of thinking without much effort.

"Yes, and with other chapters trying to gain in power, they won’t have time to worry about helping Penelope." I said.

"Do you think you can kill her?" Ryan asked.

That was the million dollar question right there. I couldn’t even begin to count how many times I had asked myself that.

"Given the right circumstances, yes." I answered, "I believe the key to beating her will be her lover. If the vampire Anne is killed, I believe we will be able to win against her. When we meet them in battle, she will be your target. I believe I will be able to hold Penelope off until you and the men can kill her lover."

"You do not believe she’ll flee facing those odds?"

"No, would you leave a lover un-avenged?"

"No. So we take out the Brotherhood here, then go after Penelope and Anne?"

"I say we call the Brotherhood, arrange a meeting for tonight alone. If Samson is here, we’ll meet and kill him and his war party. If he’s not, I’m sure he’ll set us up to be ambushed by Penelope."

"And if they both come?" Ryan asked.

"Then it shall be victory or death."

*

"That was the Brotherhood."

"What did they say?" asked Anne.

"Samson said that Arthur wants to have a meeting."

"Where?"

"Deception Pass."

"I don’t like this Pip, when?"

"Tonight, late."

"I don’t know, the more I think about it the less I like being in the same place as Arthur and the Brotherhood."

"I know hun, but they’re a little more upset with him then they are with us."

"You hope. Pip, out of the two of us we’re the bigger threat. Arthur may hate the Brotherhood, but he hates us more. That’s the one thing those two could agree on."

I looked around the cabin of the boat and rubbed my temples with my finger tips.

"But you already thought of that, didn’t you?"

"Yes."

"But we’re going anyways."

"Yes."

"What’s the plan?" Anne asked.

"The Brotherhood wants us to meet them on Fidalgo Island around two."

"On the bridge?"

"Yes. I don’t know why, but that sounds good to me. If something happens, we’ll be able to make an easy escape. They must know there‘ll be a fight. I am curious how they‘ll keep the cars off the bridge." I said.

"Knowing the Brotherhood, they’ll have the cops block the road for them."

"Probably." I said knowing it was most likely true.

Later that night Anne and I suited up and headed towards the Deception Pass Bridge. The bridge was the only drivable link to the mainland.

The night felt heavy, a light fog had set in. It was a fine setting to finish all of this madness. Off in the distance, I could hear the jets taking off and landing at the navy base. Anne and I had to cross somewhat in the fight path of the Navy’s flight line. So we stayed low to the highway heading out to the bridge.

When I knew we were clear from the fight path I climbed considerably; I didn’t like being within arrow shot of the ground. Anne was frowning up at me when I started to climb. She obviously wasn’t paying much attention to where I was going. It made me think of someone who starts talking to themselves when the person they’re walking with walks away unnoticed.

After a few more minutes I could see the bridge. I knew what the Brotherhood’s plan, but the rage that I felt knowing Arthur was so near I didn’t care. I could see the Brotherhood’s soldiers hidden on Fidalgo Island. I looked back at Anne and pointed to them, she looked and nodded.

"Fly down there and let them know there’s been a change of plans." I said.

"Change of plans, what change of plans?" Anne asked sounding worried.

"I’m ending this, I’m not waiting for Arthur anymore. I shall draw him out like poison from a wound! Go down to the Brotherhood and wait for it to start!"

I didn’t give Anne an opportunity to argue, I banked hard and went straight for the bridge that crossed the span between Fidalgo and Whidbey Island. I didn’t look back to see if Anne did as she was told, I flew down and landed.

"ARTHUR!" I screamed as loud as I could, "You b*****d son of a Irish w***e, come meet me!"

The sound of my voice echoed through the night, "You coward, come out of the hole you’re hiding in and fight me!"

I continued shouting insults into the night; over and over I called to him hoping he would take the bait.

*

"She’s trying to bait you." Ryan said.

"I know."

"You’re not really thinking of going out there by yourself are you?" Ryan asked.

"Yes, I know she’s not alone. Samson and the Brotherhood is here somewhere. She wouldn’t be so reckless to come alone, her lover and the Brotherhood are here."

"What do you want to do?"

"The hell with it, I’ll go out. When she attacks, you and the men rush. That should bring her lover and Samson out. Kill her lover she’ll stay to the end no matter what the cost."

"Yes Sir."

I heaved myself up and walked out of the trees and headed towards the bridge. I could feel my blood rising, the sound of the beast shouting my name drew me to her like a siren call. I was doing what no vampire hunter should do. Meeting a flight capable vampire in open ground was madness. But I would meet her in battle none the less. It was a fitting end to the life of Arthur the One Eye.

*

To my surprise, he came. He walked as if he had all the time in the world. He wore his black duster and fedora. The sound of his steps seemed to echo in my

mind and a slow tattoo of a drum.

Arthur stopped some twenty yards from me. There was no cockiness to him; he simply stood there with his hands in his pockets of his coat.

"Well, well, well, vampire. It seems we are to conclude our affair at last."

"Yes." I said.

"You know I am not alone." Arthur said quietly.

I looked over his shoulder back in the direction that he came, "They’re a long way away. Do you think you can live that long for them to rescue you?"

Arthur smirked and looked over my shoulder, "I could say the same for you. I know your lover is somewhere nearby, and if I had to guess she is with Samson. Would she wait for them to get here, or will she charge recklessly to save you?"

"You’re going to die." I said.

"Yes, being human has its disadvantages. But I know you vampires fear death more then we humans. For us death is inevitable, not so much with you. You like to believe you can make your own fate.

"But when I die, I will know that your death came at my hand. But for you, you will die knowing that your death came by my hand and you can go into oblivion not knowing if mine came at the edge of someone’s sword or old age."

Out from behind Arthur, I could see his men walking out towards the bridge. They would be here in moments. Arthur took off his hat and coat and dropped them and drew his sword. I drew my saber and tomahawk and we circled one another. Not wanting to let Arthur’s men get much closer I attacked. Our swords met several times before I hear the battle cry of the Brotherhood soldiers as they charged.

*

I knew my soldiers would get to us before the Brotherhood’s. At the front of their charge was the creature’s lover. She paused only for a moment to fire her crossbow. The air was cut as the arrow went past me; the sound of flesh being

torn came from behind me as the arrow found a target.

The vampire Penelope hacked almost wildly at me with her sword and hatchet. It was by shear years of training and fighting that I wasn’t dead within the first few moments of our swords meeting. I pared and stabbed, but she was a capable fighter.

Her rage fueled her, but she controlled it and used it as an ally against me. The battle cries of my men quickly surrounded me and the creature jumped back and went airborne. Some of the men stopped and looked as the vampire hovering above us.

"No, the Brotherhood!" I shouted point at them with my sword, "Kill her Ryan, kill her or we’re all dead!" I shouted.

The creature looked at Ryan as he and a few others charged her love. I could see the conflict that raged between wanting to fight me and saving her mate. But once Ryan and my men engaged the vampire lover and the Brotherhood, the insane rage the creature felt towards me returned.

She swooped in on me with a frightful swing of her sword and before I could even counter she about beheaded me with that damn hatchet.

*

Over and over I tried to chop, stab, or slice Arthur down. But his skill with a sword was unlike anything I had ever faced. As much as I tried not to look over at Anne to make sure she was doing okay, I couldn’t help it. She was engaged with three different people. Anne was swinging that crazy spear over her head and around her body like some kind of lunatic baton twirler. Though she wasn’t killing anyone that I could see, she was keeping anyone from getting close to her.

I sliced at Arthur with my sword, he quickly countered and I had to protect face with my tomahawk. I knew before his sword struck, I would lose it. Arthur had set me up to even the odds a bit I guessed. As his sword struck I didn’t even try to keep a hold of it, I just leaned back out of its way. I quickly stepped back and

pulled my knife.

"You haven’t forgotten this have you?" I said showing Arthur my knife and quickly came back towards him.

Over my shoulder, I heard the sickening crack of the bottom end of Anne’s spear crushing someone’s head.

*

I grimaced as I watched the top of Christopher’s head explode right above the ears from that vampire’s spear. The creature and I locked swords, in that moment; our faces were only a foot apart. The creature’s incredible beauty shown through her vampire face. I would have gasped if not for the fact that her unnaturally looking ice blue eyes were beyond reason.

"Why don’t you take to the air vermin?" I asked.

"Why couldn’t you have left us in peace?" she spit back through her teeth.

With a hard shove I went back several steps and she was on me like a snake strike. I made a desperate sword strike to try to knock her off balance. She checked it with her knife and it left me wide open for a sword stroke.

As she reared to stab a fatal blow into me someone chopped her sword arm. The blade ricocheted off her armor with a loud pang and she dropped her sword. Before I could even see who had saved me. The creature’s wing shot out from under her armor and struck the person square in the chest. She hit him such a power he was launched from his feet. He struck the railing of the bridge mid thigh and toppled over it and fell to his watery death.

*

Before Arthur could take advantage of me being disarmed, a loud scream

distracted him. The Edge came running out on to the bridge from nowhere and attacked the first human he saw. Whether it was one of ours or Arthur’s I couldn’t tell. The Edge bit and clawed at the person’s neck, took his sword and started chopping at anyone that he neared. I didn’t waist the moment, I hacked at Arthur with my knife and went for my sword.

Arthur’s had no choice but let me grab my sword. We circled several times and I attacked. Sword, knife. Sword, knife. I didn’t give him a moment to breathe. Arthur blocked my sword and left himself open for a knife to the ribs. And once again I fell into a trap of Arthur’s.

He easily grabbed my arm with his left hand, dropping his sword he grabbed me with both of his and started to swing me around. In a matter of moments, my feet went off the ground and let me go.

I almost laughed at of the idea of what just happened. Arthur’s strength sent me farther than I would have expected. I skidded on my rump for a moment and jumped to me feet readying for an attack. When I saw Arthur just standing there I was a little confused on why he would do something so pointless?

Then it dawned on me, he was wasting time, "Damn." I said looking at the battle going on behind Arthur.

Arthur’s men and the Brotherhood soldiers were for the most part ignoring us. They both were content to let us kill each other; Anne on the other hand was fighting for her life.

Looking down, I saw my old friend. I put my knife back in its sheath and reached down and picked up my tomahawk.

*

Great.

The creature came rushing at me again with that damn hatchet. Curse all vampires with hatchets I thought as she attacked again. We locked swords again and over her shoulder I saw something that I knew was going to end badly. Ryan

and a few others had the lover pinned against the railing and were trying to toss her over. One of them successfully hooked her ankle and over she went.

"NO!" I screamed.

The vampire Penelope pushed me back and looked to see what had happened. It was amazing that people could forget the most obvious thing when they were in a fight. Dumping the vampire Anne over the railing did nothing but turn the battle permanently against us I was willing to bet. There was no way she was going put her feet back on the bridge. She would simply attack from the air.

Ryan hopped off the side walk on to the road just when the vampire Anne came shooting up on the other side of the bridge. She launched her spear at Ryan so quickly and violently he had no time to react. Forgetting something so simple as throwing a flight capable vampire off a bridge was about the most dumbest thing you could do. And this mistake would cost him everything.

The spear struck Ryan right in the chest. The spear point struck in the sidewalk behind him and left him almost standing straight up. He pulled at the spear for a few moments and died. The vampire drew a short sword and starting dive bombing the rest of our men.

Even with the appearance of The Edge, the battle had remained even. But that was ending now, the vampire Anne would swoop down and strike one of my men while he was fighting another. The battle was all but over now; the vampire Penelope quickly attacked me again.

*

I could see it in Arthur’s eyes when I attacked him. He knew the battle was lost, but he would fight to the end. I took several steps back and then charged like a bull. We ended up on the raised sidewalk; I chopped down on Arthur as hard as I could. He was tiring fast and his end was near. He knew it, so did I.

We locked sword and I leaned hard on him as he leaned on the railing. While he was pushing back against me with the remainder of his strength, I purposely gave

him a few inches and he came jerking forward because of the unexpected give. I quickly popped his sword again with mine causing his sword to hit him in the face knocking him off guard.

Then in one quick final movement, I reached down with my tomahawk and hooked his heel and heaved him over the railing. Arthur was completely caught off guard and easily went over; as he went I chopped at his sword. It came out of his hand and fell on the sidewalk. I watched Arthur fall the long open distance to the water disappointed, he seemed to have went over the railing willingly.

I turned and looked at the bridge; there was no one but the Brotherhood soldiers left. Anne flew down and landed perfectly. We looked at each other for a moment and hugged. Looking over her shoulder, I could see The Edge walking amongst the dead when a Brotherhood guy noticed him.

There was a noticeable hostility towards the vampire. The fifteen or so Brotherhood soldiers left alive started moving towards The Edge.

"Hi." he said.

"Hi." one of the soldiers said back full of venom.

The Edge quickly turned and jump over the railing for the safety of the water below. I smirked and shook my head.

"What?" Anne asked letting me go.

"That idiot The Edge just jumped off the bridge." I said.

"Oh." Anne said hugging me again, "Now what?"

"I don’t know. That depends on those guys."

Anne let go of me when the most senior Brotherhood soldier walked up to us. Before he said anything, he reached down and picked up Arthur’s sword.

"I know this sword is your prize vampire, but the sword belongs to the Brotherhood."

"Take it and go. Never come back here Brotherhood, do you understand? Never come back."

"Give us no reason to."

"It doesn’t work that way. If the Brotherhood comes here unwelcome again, they die without mercy. This island is mine; do not come back here again."

"It is not my decision. But I will pass on your request."

"Not a request Brotherhood, not a request."

The Brotherhood soldier nodded, turned and walked back to his men. One of them handed him a phone, all business with those guys.

"Let’s go home baby." I said to Anne.

"We don’t have a home."

"Then we shall make a new one."

*

"I’ve never seen Arthur fight before, he’s rather amazing."

"Maybe your vampire is just lousy."

I looked at the need leader of the Brotherhood and thought seriously of breaking his neck. The Emperor wouldn’t care, as long as I got someone else to do the job that we needed done. I sighed, I hated humanity.

"What’s going on? I can’t see anything from here."

"Arthur is wasting Penelope’s time. He’s trying to give his men the time to kill Penelope’s lover. They have no idea what they have gotten themselves in with that one. I doubt even Penelope knows."

"Knows what?"

I turned and looked at the human. I wondered what he would do or think if he knew what she was. Though she was made by the vampire Penelope, and she was made by the vampire Nelix. It was obvious who the vampire Anne took after, her great-grand sire.

"My Lord?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself on. The battle shall be concluded here shortly."

"What’s going on, I can’t see anything? Please my lord, I can’t see anything."

"Arthur’s men just threw Penelope’s lover off the bridge."

"What?! Why?! They must know that she’ll never set foot on it again! She’ll just chop them down from the air!"

"Yes, they’re discovering that now." I said.

"My Lord Gordon, Arthur? What about him?"

I looked for a moment into the humans eyes. Though there was a great deal of anger and betrayal behind those eyes, there was a sense of love there. Sebastian loved him like a brother, and all of this had taken a great toll on him.

I looked out towards the far side of the bridge, watched for a moment and looked back at the pathetic man in front of me.

"He is lost. Penelope at this very moment threw him from the bridge."

I could see a large weight form on the human’s shoulders. Arthur had never been this man’s enemy. Human emotions were so confusing to me; I would be forever in the debt of the Emperor for reliving me of my humanity. The sound human’s phone ringing brought me back from my melancholy.

"Hello. Yes I know, collect the weapons and load up the wounded. The dead? One second." the human covered the phone and looked at me, "What shall we do with our dead?" he asked.

"Throw them off the bridge." I said.

"They’ll eventually come to shore and will be found."

"I care not." I said.

"Throw them off the bridge, stop, I know that, just do it. You did? That’s great, bring it to me personally."

The human hung up the phone and looked pleased. I hadn’t listened to his call, but anything that please this little human was something I didn’t want him to have.

"What? What is being brought to you personally?"

"Arthur’s sword my lord."

I pulled my off my jacket and took flight towards the bridge. That was a prize the Brotherhood would not enjoy, that would go to the Emperor. I believe since the sword originated with him, it shall be returned to him.

*

The current was determined to drag me to my death. I had fought many things in my life; I seemed to see them all as I fell through the black. When I hit the water, it had felt as if I had hit concrete. But there was no pain, to my surprise there was none in the slightest. I felt like I was in a spin cycle in a washing machine, then I was on the surface.

But it was becoming a personal matter between me and the current. It wanted me dead, and like so many other people, places and thing, it would have to get in line. I could see the shore line, and this b*****d current I was fighting was losing its ability to hold me. I was going to make it to the shore.

Like a drowned rat, I dragged myself up the beach. To my surprise, I was on the eastside of the channel. I had fought with the current a good half a mile from the bridge. Laying there freezing, I could see several bodies being thrown off the bridge.

"The battle is over I reckon." I said and coughed and joked out a bunch of cold saltwater out of my lungs. I laid my head back and looked up at the sky, the clouds veiled the stars. It seemed the perfect night to escape all of this. All of my enemies would think I died from the fall from the bridge. No more vampires, no more Brotherhood vendettas. A knew beginning, maybe I could sell mobile phones or something.

Looking down towards the beach a second drowned rat came climbing up the beach. He was on his hands and knees; in one hand he had a sword. I reached for my sword and came up empty; the sudden movement caught the attention of the second rat. Our eyes locked and for a moment we said nothing.

"Arthur." he growled.

"Edge, I’m going to kill you!" I said jumping to my feet.

The Edge seemed for a second he would stand his ground and fight. But he was attacked by his own mind. He dropped his sword and ran off into the night trying to survive his own insanity.

I walked over to the sword and picked it up. It was Brotherhood quality, definably not my sword. It would do until I could get mine back, I thought looking at the blade.

"Someone on that bridge has you old friend. Do not worry old friend, who ever has taken you, I shall take it from their hand once I have shoved this one through his or her heart."

I stuck my new sword into my belt and ran into the cold wet night.