Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Izem took on the worst of the vampires, but he was smart about using different men each time so that when he was wounded, and that was often, he wasn’t risking the same version of himself too many times. Occasionally, he’d had to send one of his men to the medical station, or Aura had treated his wounds right there to save him. That didn’t deter him from stepping in front of his father or his younger brother if he could do so. He even did his best to protect Benedek, knowing the Carpathian was more important than the three Imazighen. Without Benedek, all the fighters would fall, leaving them without anyone to fend off the demons and vampires raging against them in the valley.
Demons in the shape of green-and-red-striped toads with serrated teeth, standing about a foot high, dotted the ground. Some already lay dead or dying, killed by the Carpathians or Benedek’s army, but many leapt on the Imazighen, viciously biting at their legs, injecting a paralyzing poison. With each bite, they croaked loudly to signal to the other toads. The other amphibians rushed at the victim, biting and tearing at their flesh to bring them down to the ground, where more toads could inject their paralyzing venom so there would be no way to fight back.
Izem was growing weak. He didn’t quite understand that the continual wounds, although spread among the various men, were all wounds to pieces of him and would collectively take a toll. Because he often took the brunt, fighting the most experienced vampires from the shadow world, the wounds were life-threatening. As he weakened, his speed became slower, as did the speed of every one of his replicas.
The toads seemed to sense that Izem was the weakest. Even as the green-and-red-striped demons targeted Safia’s oldest brother, Petru caught sight of a dark shape slipping through the taller grasses toward Izem. Gwafa must have spotted the same threat to his son as well, because he began fighting his way toward him.
Petru put on a burst of speed, meeting two of the four vampires stalking him head-on, catching them before they were ready. He slashed the neck of one while he drove his fist through the chest of the second one, gripping the heart and tearing it out before the vampire even knew he had been touched.
The remaining vampire’s head listed to one side as the creature shifted, choosing the image of a giant toad and croaking horrifically to summon the toads on the ground to his aid as he leapt on Petru’s back. The vampire-demon sank its serrated teeth into the back of Petru’s neck and shoulder, tearing chunks of flesh out as he injected the paralyzing venom. With every penetrating bite, he sent out a hideous croak, calling to those toads on the ground to rush to his aid. He had a chance to vanquish their greatest enemy.
Petru felt glee and triumph pouring off the vampire as dozens of toads leapt over their dead and dying companions to join the vampire trying to devour Petru alive. He blocked out the pain and concentrated on keeping his feet under him. The venom spread rapidly through his body as more of the vile toads bit into his calves and chewed their way up his thighs.
“The great Petru Cioban,” a voice drawled. “I was told you were impossible to kill, yet here you are, your blood the fodder for these foul amphibians.” There was pure loathing in the voice, as if just the thought of the toads sickened him.
“Draven Dubrinsky.” Petru acknowledged what once had been Mikhail Dubrinsky’s elder brother. He had been first in line to become the prince of the Carpathian people. The sickness and need of power had rotted his brain until his intelligence had narrowed to that of a selfish, cunning, narcissistic evil vampire. He had long ago given up his soul. Gregori, Mikhail’s second-in-command, had dispatched him to the land of shadows. Clearly, he had made a deal with Lilith.
It wouldn’t have been impossible for Lilith to draw so many vampires to her or even command them. When vampires were destroyed, they went to the shadow world and were given a chance to redeem themselves. Few took that opportunity. Lilith’s demons were often there, tempting them or sometimes punishing them if they agreed to serve her and didn’t respond fast enough to her liking. The majority of those they were fighting had to be taken from the realm of the dead.
Most of these vampires were those already destroyed, recruited from the shadow world, and probably given the empty promise of life again on earth should they serve Lilith and win this war for her. Vampires rarely told the truth. Why they would believe anything Lilith promised them, Petru had no idea, but she seemed able to convince demons and vampires alike of her sincerity, even when they witnessed her renege on her word over and over. That only went to show her power.