SOULBOUND ‡ clash

By Wes Leigh

 

This is a work of fiction (or is it?) intended solely for the entertainment of my readers; any resemblance to any real people or places is purely coincidental. Readers who would like to chat are encouraged to contact me at weston.leigh@protonmail.com.

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Chapter Fifteen

Once you agree upon the price you and your family must pay for success, it enables you to ignore the minor hurts, the opponent's pressure, and the temporary failures.

-- Vince Lombardi

 

Kneeling down behind cars along the street, Daniel and his fellow warriors waited as a large group of werewolves, vampires, and witches moved down the street, headed their way.

Daniel raised his voice to be heard by everyone. "Do what you can. Watch each other's back. Hit and retreat. It's our only chance."

Connor and Xavier looked at Daniel, silently declaring their love for him, knowing there was little any of them could do to fight against Ignatius and his forces.

A sudden gust of wind rushed down the street. Turning to look in the direction the wind had come from, they saw Diego flying through the air, held aloft by swirling winds, with a dozen men behind them. All were gesturing with their hands at their chests, and sparks danced in the air, arcing between them. They all spoke as one, thrusting their hands forward. Ball lightning leapt from their palms, striking the invaders with dazzling explosions, throwing them in disarray.

The witches screamed defiance, casting counterspells which erected shimmering ice walls before them.

Diego and his family landed in the street. His father, Miguel Ruiz, strode the front carrying the staff that had once been wielded by João Ruiz, the leader of their clan. Miguel swung the staff over his head and struck the pavement in front of him. A wave of force rippled through the air, striking the ice walls and shattering them.

The other warlocks began gesturing again, summoning lightning strikes that landed in the midst of Ignatius' vampires and werewolves, sending them scrambling for cover.

Diego turned to Daniel and shouted, Now, Daniel! Attack!

Daniel nodded. "Trudy... they've lost their shields. Fire!"

Daniel aimed his rifle at a vampire and squeezed off a burst of rounds. The vampire's body was knocked backward by the force of the rounds striking him, and he landed in a heap, no longer moving.

The witches hastily summoned new ice barriers, but Diego and the warlocks struck with more lightning, breaking them down as quickly as the witches erected them.

The Agony humans began firing their weapons, taking out werewolves and vampires, striking witches as well. One group of invaders tried to flank the Agony defenders, moving next to a building to reach them.

Connor motioned for Donny and the Silvermanes to follow him. They met the invaders as they ran around a panel truck. In fierce, hand-to-hand combat, the Silvermane Pack held its own, keeping the invaders at bay.

Diego ran over to support Connor, throwing burning balls of fire that attached themselves to the invaders, making them panic and roll on the ground.

Trudy yelled, "Ancient vampire at 9 o'clock."

Turning to look to their left, they all saw Ignatius Caedes strolling forward with a mildly irritated expression on his face.

Miguel Ruiz moved to meet Ignatius, spinning his staff over his head while gesturing with his other hand. White flashing light formed around him. With a short jab of his fist, he sent the light arcing toward Ignatius.

Ignatius touched the green amulet at his neck and spoke a single word. The air between him and Miguel seemed to shimmer and shadows rose up from the ground to devour the wave of light. Then Ignatius snarled and brought his hand down before him, fingers out. The ground underneath Miguel erupted, sending the elder warlock flying backward to land in a crumpled heap.

Diego screamed, "DAD!" and ran to his father. Miguel groaned as Diego helped him to his feet.

Other warlocks moved forward, calling down lightning or casting fiery globes at Ignatius.

Ignatius blocked each attack with an arrogant smirk and began walking slowly forward. Behind him, the remaining witches gathered and began casting their own protective spells. Vampires and werewolves joined them, grinning in anticipation.

The tide of battle had turned again.

͠ ͠ ͠

"Who are you?" a witch snarled, pointing a crooked finger at Mike Anderson.

Judy moved in front of Mike and said, "We run the clinic. Are you hurt? Do you need medical care?"

The witch's eyes narrowed. She studied Judy and saw the blood on her scrubs. She glanced at Mike and saw the clean lab coat and the stethoscope around his neck.

The door to the clinic burst open and an invading werewolf ran in, shouting, "To the streets! We have them on the run now, and Ignatius wants everyone to press the attack."

The witch glowered at Judy and Mike, then turned and ran out the door after the werewolf.

Mike and Judy hugged each other, no longer worrying about their own safety, but concerned for their son and the rest of the Agony defenders.

͠ ͠ ͠

"Fall back," Daniel shouted. He pointed behind them, waving to get Trudy's attention. "Head for the high school."

Trudy nodded and led her group of humans in a stumbling run. They stopped at the end of the street and turned, firing their guns in short bursts at Ignatius. They didn't expect to hit him, but they hoped it would provide cover for their allies.

With Trudy's troops safely down the street, Daniel cried, Pull back, Connor ... Diego.

Connor nodded and called his Pack to follow him.

Diego threw a ball of fire at Ignatius while backing up step by step. His family followed him, summoning a lightning storm to cover their retreat.

Xavier and his remaining vampires ran to where Trudy waited. "Keep going," Xavier cried. "We'll watch your backs."

Bit by bit, the Agony defenders fell back until they reached the grounds of the high school. Trudy led the humans into the drama building. The remaining Smyth Covenant vampires and Silvermane werewolves slipped into the main building. Daniel, Connor, Xavier, and Diego met in the school courtyard and hugged each other tight.

It's happening the same way, guys, Daniel said, his mental voice quivering with emotion. Just like I saw it in my vision. What do we do now?

͠ ͠ ͠

They ran down the school hallway, knowing there was no place they could hide and be safe. Despite everything they'd done to prepare for this night, nothing could stop the doom Daniel had foreseen. Slowly, inevitably, it was being fulfilled.

In here, Connor said, shoving open a door and leading them into an empty classroom.

Daniel hesistated, cold chills running up his spine. It was the classroom from his vision, the place where his dream ended with them all buried in rubble.

Connor ran ahead, looking through the windows out into the night. He squinted, peering into the shadows, hunting for approaching enemies. He strained, attempting to change into a werewolf, to no avail.

Xavier followed Connor and stood next to him. Xavier tried to enhance his vision, to summon up one of the least of his vampiric powers, but his eyes remained solid black. He searched the darkness and saw nothing.

Diego stood against the wall, breathing in short, frantic gasps. Every fear, every nightmare seemed to be coming true, and there was no way to stop it.

Daniel saw Diego's near-panic and pulled Diego into a tight hug, kissing the boy, desperately trying to convey how much he loved him. Daniel felt the same panic rising inside him. One more time, Daniel pictured their cabin in the woods and tried to teleport there. Once again, his powers refused to operate.

Diego's eyes filled with tears. "Is it really over?" Diego asked.

Daniel could only nod his head. He glanced over Diego's shoulder at Xavier and silently projected a mental question. There are too many of them, aren't there, Xavier?

Xavier nodded as he walked over to Daniel and Diego. With a resigned sigh, Xavier closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around both Daniel and Diego. I've never seen so many vampires working together like this. I don't know how Ignatius did it, but I know it means the end of Agony.

Connor heard from his position by the window. He turned and growled low in his throat. Don't say that, X. Don't ever say that.

The other three boys turned to look at Connor, who was standing next to the window, looking out on the practice field next to the high school gymnasium at the dark shapes moving closer. Connor was anxiously trying to shift from human to werewolf and becoming more and more agitated when he couldn't transform. He turned towards the others, his muscular body pale in the scant light coming through the window, struggling to control his anger. I won't let him win. Not again. He's killed the last member of my family, and now I kill him.

Please, Connor, Daniel mentally spoke. Come be with us. We may not have much more time.

Diego whimpered and whispered, "Please, Connor."

Xavier held out his hand. Connor, I hate being here too, but we need you with us right now. We cannot change where Fate has taken us, but we can remember what sweet Agony it has been to love as we have loved, if only for a short time.

Connor shook his head. Xavier always had a fancy way of putting things, but then again, Xavier was right. Connor stared sadly at the other boys, before asking, When I first saw this town, do you know what I thought?

The others slowly shook their heads.

Connor continued, I thought what a stupid idiot it must have been who named this town Agony. And I wondered how much I would suffer here. Now I see. Agony has been the place where I found my soulmates, where I loved like I never thought possible, and where I've seen my love snatched away. That's true Agony. Loving the three of you and then losing you.

Diego wept silently as Xavier cuddled him from behind, gently squeezing his shoulders.

Daniel walked slowly toward Connor and held out his hands, pleading with his eyes for Connor to join them.

Connor reluctantly took Daniel's hands and swallowed convulsively. "I don't want to lose you, Daniel," Connor whispered. He glanced at Xavier and Diego. "I don't want to lose any of you. I love you all so much."

Daniel held Connor's hands, no longer trying to hold back the tears that flowed down his own cheeks. "I don't see any way to stop that now, Connor. We're trapped. Surrounded. And I don't want to spend my last hours regretting the one thing that has made my life complete ... loving the three of you."

Daniel's right, Xavier added. I don't want to lose any of you, but I would hate to have never found you in the first place. That would have been the real tragedy.

Diego pulled Xavier's arms tightly around his body. I'm glad I found you guys. I'm glad Daniel bit me. I'm glad I'm a vaewolf now. And I'm glad I'm here, with the three of you, even though I've never been more scared. Diego held out his hand to Daniel and Connor. "Please. Come here. We need to be together now. I'm scared, but I'm so glad I'm with you. I don't want to die, but I need you holding me now so I can face it without being afraid."

Daniel and Connor hurried over and all four boys hugged and cried.

I don't want to give up like this, Connor moaned. His body shook with deep, painful sobs.

It broke Daniel's heart to see Connor breaking down like this. Daniel slid his hand around to Connor's broad back, slowly stroking the rippled muscles there, calming the hot-blooded Connor. Daniel's fingers danced up to the side of Connor's neck, gently stroking the skin.

Connor tipped his head to the side, pushing back against Daniel's hand, rubbing his cheek against Daniel's fingers like a lost puppy seeking someone to love him.

Diego pushed forward into Connor's chest, melting into him. Connor was more than his lover. Connor was his protector, his shield against all the world might do to harm him, and it was especially devastating to have your protector feeling so lost and ineffective.

Xavier nodded and smiled, reaching up to touch one finger on Connor's lips. He knew what Connor was feeling, but it simply wasn't true. Connor was still their strength and would always be so, even when all seemed lost.

Connor sobbed softly, pulling all three boys into a hug. I adore you. None of them had to ask whom he meant. They all knew that the love they shared included each of them.

They were soulmates. Soulbound. Connected as one. Connor, the wild fury that sometimes swept them away. Xavier, the cool wisdom that guided their path. Daniel, the bold heart that gave them courage every step of the way. Diego, the daring laughter that sustained them in their journey. All four, bound in love, forever one.

And now, with no hope for rescue, they faced their fate together. They wouldn't give in to fear. They would hold each other, loving each other until the very end.

It seemed unfair. To be promised so much and then have it snatched away so soon. Thinking about all they had overcome, all they had accomplished, but more importantly, all the love they had shared ... it made this ending even more bittersweet.

But they were together, and that was the only thing that really mattered. Tilting his head up slightly, Daniel kissed Connor softly. I adore you too, Daniel said. Though he was looking at Connor when he said it, Xavier and Diego felt the unspoken words directed at them as well.

Diego nuzzled his cheek against Connor's chest as he said, I cherish you all.

Xavier leaned in, squeezing Diego between them, and said, With all my heart, I love you three.

A loud crash sounded in the corridor outside the classroom. They all turned to face it, no longer crying, no longer afraid. The time had come. The invaders were outside, and the vision was finally coming to pass.

The wall next to them seemed to explode, showering them with debris, and the ceiling collapsed, burying them.

͠ ͠ ͠

Daniel coughed and gasped. His hands were twisted behind his back, tied together with rough rope, painfully wrenching his shoulders. Someone was holding him by the shoulders, keeping him from falling down. He lifted his head and blinked his eyes. He was on his knees in the grass in front of the school.

Looking to the right, Daniel saw Diego next to him, also tied up, his head slumped down. Holding Diego up was a tall, muscular woman with scraggly black hair. Standing next to her was a stocky teen boy, his body naked. He seemed agitated and his body shook slightly as he transformed into a large jaguar. The jaguar sat on its haunches, but its eyes darted here and there.

Glancing to his left, Daniel saw Connor and Xavier. Their hands were tied and they were being watched carefully by several vampires. Xavier caught Daniel's eyes and asked, This wasn't in your vision, was it?

Daniel shook his head ever so slightly. No. This is all new.

Connor stared straight ahead, glaring at several strange werewolves who were smirking at them. "Traitors," Connor snarled. "Betraying your own kind." He spit on the ground.

One of the werewolves snapped back, "We didn't abandon the Way of the Pack to form alliances with the Blooded. You did. Which of us is therefore the traitor, Connor Finnigan?"

A vampire standing next to Connor slapped Connor across the face, slicing his cheek with his talons. "Silence, dog. Ignatius Caedes approaches."

The werewolves separated slightly, creating a space for Ignatius to walk through. Ignatius smiled when he saw the four captive boys. "Well done, everyone. Well done indeed." His hand slid down to his hip and he pulled a dagger from its sheath and held it up in the moonlight. The dark blade glistened as if coated with oil. He pointed the blade at Connor first, grinning maliciously.

"Don't you know what he's trying to do?" Connor screamed at the werewolves standing next to Ignatius.

Ignatius snarled and moved his hand across his chest quickly. Connor found his vocal cords frozen and unable to utter a word.

"That's a soulblade," Daniel shouted. "It steals—"

Daniel couldn't finish speaking when Ignatius cast a second silencing spell on him, freezing the words in his throat.

Don't bother trying, Xavier said. He's used the blade on spell casters and stolen their magic, so he won't let you speak. Not that it matters. These vampires and werewolves probably wouldn't care if they learned the truth. They're too excited by the power they'll gain as his followers.

Ignatius walked forward and stopped in front of Connor first, turning his head to one side as he inspected the young werewolf before him. Reaching out, he touched the bloody scrape on Connor's cheek, then lifted his finger to his lips and sniffed. "Tainted blood of the wolf ... but a strange flavor," Ignatius said with a sneer. "Not entirely a wolf, now, are you? But still not worth tasting."

Ignatius turned to Xavier. "Now this one might satisfy my need. I don't often dine on my fellow vampires, but this one is unique. He consorts with werewolves. He helps to create vaewolves. He falls in love with his enemies and becomes soulbound to them." Ignatius walked in a slow circle around Xavier, humming to himself the entire time, then bending down to whisper in Xavier's ear. "I wonder if I'll have the ability to communicate telepathically with your soulmates once I absorb your soul."

Xavier tensed up slightly, and despite attempting to remain calm, he nervously glanced at Daniel.

Ignatius chuckled wickedly. "Oh, yes. I know all about your silent conversations. Most useful, I'm sure, but it does have a significant limitation, unfortunately. It would be so much more valuable if I could use it to communicate with anyone I wished instead of your pathetic lovers only."

Turning toward Daniel, Ignatius smiled. "Yes, I'm afraid I'm much more interested in what I can obtain from this one." Ignatius placed one talon under Daniel's chin and lifted his head until Daniel was staring him in the eye. "A vaewolf. The first in many centuries. I had resigned myself to losing access to your particular abilities when the last vaewolf was slaughtered several hundred years ago. I tried to get to him, but a murderous mob of werewolves beat me to it. And now ... how delightful to have that opportunity once more."

Ignatius turned to stare at Diego. "Wake him up," he ordered.

The witch holding Diego pinched his shoulder hard, making Diego cry out and open his eyes.

Diego looked around, panicked. "What?" He saw Ignatius standing between him and Daniel. What's going on, Daniel?

We're his prisoners, Daniel replied.

Diego turned and saw the jaguar next to him. The cat was big, stocky and well-muscled. There was something vaguely familiar about it. He frowned and whispered, "Paulo?"

The jaguar turned to stare at him. It's features blurred and it transformed into a naked, stocky teenage boy, into Paulo Costa, but Paulo's eyes were glazed over and he seemed to be in a trance.

"Paulo, fight back," Diego urgently whispered. "You're a changeling. You can resist him." Paulo blinked slowly, staring at Diego, his face devoid of expression. Diego bowed his head, knowing his childhood friend was also lost.

Ignatius knelt down in front of Diego. He placed a taloned finger on Diego's jaw and forced him to turn and look Ignatius in the eye. "Now this one ... this one would grant me the powers of the vaewolf too, with the added bonus of the magical skills of the Order of the Golden Stone ... or is it Golden Rock? I can never remember, not that it matters, now that your Order is destroyed forever. And I don't really need those magical powers of yours, since I've already feasted on your grandfather. He was most delicious, boy. And the power that comes from your mastery of air and earth ..." Ignatius sighed dramatically. "So very helpful."

Diego's jaw clinched as he struggled to control himself.

Ignatius chuckled. "Yes, I suppose I should choose one of these two, simply to add vaewolf abilities to my repertoire. But which one?" Ignatius lifted the dagger and pointed it first at Daniel, then at Diego. "I can't decide. Perhaps I should have the two of you decide for me. One of you can volunteer." He laughed and bit his lip. "Well?" he asked, sneering.

Daniel stared Ignatius in the eye. "We're not playing your game."

Ignatius frowned. "Oh, come now, Daniel. Do not deny me the pleasure of playing with my food before I eat."

Daniel spit at Ignatius. "I don't care whether you get pleasure from this or not. Take me. You want a volunteer. I'm it."

Diego cried, Daniel ... no!

Daniel struggled to his feet and stood before Ignatius, but his mind was on his soulmates. With all my heart, I love you...

Ignatius' lips curled into a delighted smirk as he lifted the blade to strike.

Diego launched himself to his feet, throwing his body between Daniel and Ignatius as the dagger descended. It struck Diego in the chest, burying the blade to the hilt. He shook and gasped, and blood surged from his mouth. Turning slowly, the last thing his eyes beheld were the faces of his soulmates, of Connor loving him, of Xavier openly weeping, of Daniel saying, I love you, Diego.

Then his body turned to ash, and the blade fell to the ground, pulsing with golden energy.

Ignatius reached down and picked up the dagger, smiling as he sniffed the blade and touched his tongue to the oily surface. "Delightful," he muttered.

͠ ͠ ͠

Paulo saw Ignatius strike Diego. His brain registered the death of his childhood friend. His heart was torn in two, but his body refused to act.

Paulo blinked and looked down at his hand, resting on his hip. He looked back at Ignatius and commanded his hand to lift. Shaking, fighting against him, he forced his arm to rise and his fingers to clinch in a fist. With a quick shake of his head, he threw off the supernatural chains that had been binding him.

Now free, Paulo transformed back into a jaguar, gathered his legs beneath him, and leapt through the air, slicing his claws into Ignatius' neck and clinging to the man's body as he bit down.

Ignatius roared in fury, grabbing Paulo and throwing him off. Paulo rolled across the ground a short distance before catching himself and turning to hiss at the ancient vampire. Blood spurted from Ignatius' torn neck where Paulo had bitten him, but the wound closed quickly, healing rapidly thanks to the lycanthropic powers he now had.

Ignatius laughed and glared at Paulo. "You can't defeat me!" Ignatius shouted. "I am Corpo Seco. If you bury my body in the ground, the earth won't keep me. If you send me to Hell, Satan will restore my soul and send me back!"

Paulo transformed into a human. He lifted his hand to show that he was now holding the jade amulet that had been around Ignatius' neck. Paulo shouted, "This belonged to my grandmother! It was HER muiraquitã. HERS! Not yours. You stole it, just as you've stolen everything you have. I take it back now."

Ignatius chuckled. "Do you think it will make any difference, boy? Do you?" Ignatius snarled, "I no longer need that amulet and the protection it provides to the one who wears it. Look around you, boy. There is no one to oppose me. I OWN AGONY AND ALL WHO LIVE IN IT!" Ignatius chuckled. "So keep your grandmother's bauble, boy, for all the good it will do you. I am Corpo Seco! Even if I die, more powerful than ever, I shall return!"

POP POP POP. Sharp explosions rang out as Ignatius' body jerked back several times. Bloody holes in his chest began leaking blood. He looked down, shocked, as he felt the bullets—contaminated with silver and arsenic—breaking down his body's structure. Being an ancient vampire and having absorbed the souls of lycanthropes, his body was especially susceptible to the metals coating the rounds.

Trudy walked around the corner of the nearest building, holding her gun ready in front of her. She pointed it at Ignatius and fired off another quick burst.

Ignatius jerked as the rounds tore into his chest, destroying his internal organs. He tried to suck in a breath and failing that, crumpled to the ground. His body collapsed upon itself, instantly shriveling as the flesh dissolved inside his skin. It seemed to all who saw it that ghost-like spirits left his body, sighing as they escaped, leaving behind a dried husk that would never walk the face of the earth again.

Trudy snorted. "Return from that, bitch!"

 

The end of Chapter Fifteen of SOULBOUND CLASH