Without A Heartbeat

Scarlett stood by the stables at the rear of Oakley Manor, as Gabriel and other sentient Bloodlings led out the horses. A bloodied handprint had been pressed on each of their necks, undermining their beauty with the sinister addition. The girl was wearing a red, hooded robe that Gabriel had provided for her earlier. In addition he had given her a large stick, embedded with a number of sharp blades made from different materials, turning it into a multi-species weapon.

A Bloodling with a shaved head stepped towards Scarlett, carrying a bucket of blood. He dipped his fingers into the liquid and spread them over her face, creating a tribal pattern.

The nested Bloodlings crouched in a large group, coated from head to foot in blood and carrying an array of weapons. They stared blankly out, unmoving as the winter breeze tugged at their hair. They were so close it was as if they had merged into a singular, horrific creature. A knot of limbs and faces.

A quiet hush rang through the grounds as Elizabeth Bathory emerged from the manor. Scarlett’s stomach lurched as she took in the woman’s fearsome appearance. A long, red robe draped behind her, ringed by several metal belts that held an array of weapons. Her hands had been dipped in blood until they were stained red, one carrying a crossbow and the other, a rusted axe. The eeriest part of her appearance was the large stag skull that covered the entirety of her head, the antlers stretching out like claws and her yellow eyes shimmering through the sockets. This was not the stern housekeeper Scarlett thought she knew.

This was the Mother of Blood.

Several of the Bloodlings bowed down next to a white horse and she stepped onto them, swinging her leg over the horse’s back and letting her cape flowing down around its sides. “Children, prepare,” she bellowed in a voice that echoed from within the skull.

The nest stood up in unison, and a dozen Hiveminds swarmed around them in a protective circle. The thirty or so sentient Bloodlings climbed onto their own horses. Gabriel offered out his hand and Scarlett took it, allowing him to lift her onto his horse and tensing as he wrapped his arm around her waist. He pulled the reins and shifted the animal around on the spot until it was positioned in the same direction as the others, forming a ring that surrounded the Mother of Blood.

“Leave none of the Alliance filth alive. The Vampires who joined them chose their fate. Let them answer to it,” Elizabeth sneered. A cheer rang out among the Bloodlings. She thrust her hand forward.

“Go!”

The thundering of hooves and claws echoed through the grounds as they Order of Blood and Teeth charged forwards.

The wind whipped at Scarlett’s face as the horde rushed down the wood-lined road. She turned her head to see the nest rushing forward in what looked like a bloody wave, consuming the path. Their footsteps were perfectly matched with one another, creating a thundering drumbeat. The Hiveminds ran at the edges like demonic sheepdogs keeping the flowing mass pinned together.

It wasn’t long before they reached what looked like an old factory, which materialised like a large ink stain on the horizon. Gabriel broke ahead of the group, riding with Scarlett around the rear of the building, past the boarded up windows. He jumped down to the ground and offered out a hand. Scarlett took it and slipped off the horse. Gabriel waited until the others had reached them and Elizabeth gave him a signaling nod. He knelt down and pressed a patch of bricks near the bottom of the wall. A nearby metal door slid open.

“Everybody prepare!” shouted Elizabeth. She swung down from her horse and the rest of the sentient Bloodlings and nest gathered around her, forming a protective blockade that set her at the rear. Scarlett was pushed into the tight ranks, her body trembling from fear and uncertainty. Gabriel appeared next to her, misunderstanding the source of her nerves. He gave her a smile.

“Don’t worry sweet girl, I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

She did not reply.

“Inside!” shouted the Mother of Blood.

The horde pushed through the opening, streaming into the building. It was dark inside, but only for a few seconds. A series of beaming lights switched on, bathing everyone in a blinding glow. The Hiveminds squealed and raced away from the source, their claws scraping and slipping on the floor as they rushed from the building.

A hundred Guardians stood waiting, led by Huntmaster Solignis.

The Mother of Blood let out a roar of surprise and indignation. “No!”

“Guardians aim!” ordered Faru. A hundred crossbows were raised and cocked. The electric crackle of an impending battle surged through the room. The Mother of Blood raised her hand. The Bloodlings held fast, as if secured to invisible leashes, hissing and clutching their array of weapons.

Elizabeth curled her hand into a fist and threw it downwards.

From around them, the nest surged forward around the Bloodlings in a rush of bodies, rippling and curling towards the Guardians.

“Fire!” shouted Faru.

A torrent of projectiles thudded into the nest. They screeched and several of them fell to the ground. The rest of the mass rolled over the fallen as if they didn’t exist. They descended on the front ranks of the Guardians like a wave, stabbing and biting at their enemies, and scattering them around the large room. Scarlett watched as Faru unsheathed two red blades, using them to decapitate three nested Bloodlings in a series of fast swipes.

“Bloodlings, attack!” screamed the Mother of Blood.

Scarlett felt herself being shoved forwards, struggling to stay upright as bodies pressed against her. Guardians not fighting in hand to hand combat fired crossbows at the mass. A storm of bolts thundered into the charging crowd, dropping Bloodlings like flies.

Not a single stake flew towards Scarlett.

The girl felt a hand seize her arm. Gabriel pulled her from the crowd and threw her behind an old loom machine. “Stay there!”

He dove back into the horde, running forward with a yell. A Guardian came at him, swinging a dagger at his face. He dodged to the side and took hold of the man, raking his own blade across his opponent’s throat. A spray of blood flecked up his chest as the choking Guardian fell to the floor. Gabriel let out a roar and rushed at another with frenzied determination.

The Mother of Blood aimed her crossbow. “Children, part!” The Bloodlings split like a seam for a second before closing back together, giving her enough time to fire. The large bolt sank into the space between a female Guardian’s eyes. Her body was thrown backwards and she collapsed in a heap. The two groups clashed then, the sounds of their bodies colliding like a dozen cracks of thunder.

Unsure of what to do, Scarlett watched the battle unfold with an open mouth.

The Mother of Blood fought with a ferocity that was horrifying to behold, spinning and sweeping out with her axe she sliced throats, chopped of limbs and gutted Guardians. A pile of twitching bodies rested at her feet. Judith and several other Bloodlings stood next to Elizabeth, deflecting any attacks aimed at her, and stabbing their multi-blade weapons into any parts of the Guardians they could reach. Meanwhile the nest kept attacking, sweeping and pouring over the Guardians like a smothering blanket filled with knives. The battle was so violent that blood seeped out in a thick pool that spread across the room.

The shattering of glass caught Scarlett’s attention. A bolt had crashed into one of the beaming lights mounted to the wall. She saw Elizabeth reload her crossbow and fire into the rest, smashing them until the lights winked out and the room was plunged into darkness. It took a few seconds for Scarlett’s vision to adjust and when the room was clear again, she saw a stream of Hiveminds pouring past her, rejoining the fight with snarling teeth and razor claws. They attacked with no mercy. Guardians were thrown to the floor and their screams filled the room as the vicious creatures tore at their flesh.

The dueling enemies spread across the large room, until there were people fighting in every conceivable space. At a shout from Elizabeth, the nest split itself into smaller parts, each group attacking its targets with ceaseless energy. Bodies flew into machines and barrels. Head were rammed into the walls and doors, and guts splashed down to the floor.

Faru stood next to Larik and Scarlett on one side of the room, ripping through the Bloodlings. He skewered two on his blade and kicked them towards the Pixie, who stabbed them both in the temple, ending their lives. Larik swiped out with an arced blade, sending blood spraying over his face as he tore his opponents to shreds. But it wasn’t enough. The Guardians were struggling under the sheer weight of the advancing nest, which showed no fear or pain.

I have to do something.

Scarlett flexed her fingers against the makeshift weapon in her hand. She turned it over and pulled against each bit of material, gritting her teeth as the sharp edges cut into her skin. The wood cracked and splintered as she wrenched them out, leaving only the oak blade. Standing up, she narrowed her eyes and chose her target.

Faru had advanced and now he and the Mother of Blood were locked in battle. He was by far the better fighter, but she had undying support from all of her children. In stages, the nested and sentient Bloodlings broke away from their own fights and joined Elizabeth, attacking Faru until their dying breath, and getting replaced with more as the Huntmaster ripped through them. Blades stabbed into his side and back as he swiped out with his swords, forcing a path towards Elizabeth, making him grimace as he staggered forward. He bore down on her and one of his blades cut the skull, splitting it apart and sending it crashing to the floor, exposing her snarling face. Elizabeth fired the crossbow into his arm, forcing one of his blades from his grip. She snarled at him and then retreated behind a closing wall of three Bloodlings. They advanced towards him and he blocked their attacks, spinning and whirling like a sycamore seed, cutting their bodies in half with the remaining sword.

Now.

Scarlett ran forwards, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She rushed towards Elizabeth, raising the weapon in her hand. Something hit her back with force and she gasped as a searing pain tore through it. She turned to see a snarling Judith.

“I knew you weren’t one of us.”

Scarlett wrenched the blade from her back. “You’re right, I’m not. You’re all demented!” The two clashed together. Judith attacked her with furious swipes, but Scarlett avoided every attack with ease. Grabbing the girl’s shoulders, she wrenched her down and drove a knee into the Bloodling’s stomach. Judith doubled over and Scarlett swept up with the weapon, thudding it into her face. The girl stood up straight, the blade combs embedded deep into her eyes. Dark liquid slipped down her cheeks, making her appear as if she were weeping blood. Her legs folded and she collapsed to the floor, dead.

Scarlett wrenched out her weapon and started running again, stabbing the blade into Bloodlings and wrenching it back out again as she kept moving. With shock, she saw Lucy for the first time – the kitchen maid that Elizabeth had said had returned home from her sickness. The girl was pulling a blade from a downed Guardian’s neck. She turned and glared at Scarlett, realising what she had done. Letting out a harsh snarl, she attacked with incredible force. The two tangled together in a mass of limbs and teeth. Lucy clamped her jaws around Scarlett’s shoulder and tore out a chunk of flesh. With a hiss, Scarlett lashed out at the girl’s face, her fist connecting hard with her jaw. Lucy stumbled away and Scarlett spun around low, using her leg to sweep her opponent of her feet. Driving her blade down, she sank it deep into her throat. Lucy gave a piercing scream that descended into a gurgle as she caught on fire and slowly turned to ash.

Scarlett kept moving.

With horror, she saw that Faru had been knocked to the floor and was frantically fighting off dozens of the nest. The Mother of Blood was snarling down at him, crossbow raised and ready to finish it. Scarlett pushed through the mass of fighting Guardians and Bloodlings, forcing her way towards her target. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gabriel turn to look at her, holding the slumped body of a dark-skinned Guardian who wore ceremonial armour. It was the same man she had seen smoking cigars with Master Clarke at Oakley Manor. A horrified expression took over Gabriel’s face as it dawned on him what Scarlett was doing.

“No!” he screamed.

Scarlett jumped through the air with a scream, slamming the oak blade deep into the back of Elizabeth’s skull. The woman made an odd grunt and stumbled forwards. Fire bloomed around the wound, igniting her hair and sweeping down until her whole head became a raging inferno. The smell of burning skin filled Scarlett’s nose. Elizabeth turned slowly, as the flames rolled downwards, consuming the rest of her body. Around the room, the Hiveminds squealed as they mirrored their master, their bodies becoming consumed by flire. The flaming woman lifted her crossbow, aiming right at Scarlett. She tried to back away, but there was no room to move.

“Die, you traitorous bitch.”

Her finger curled around the trigger.

Someone barged the Bloodseeker to the side and the bolt thundered into the wall next to Scarlett’s face. Elizabeth fell to the ground in a heap and Scarlett saw a bloodied and breathless Rachel standing over her. “You’re welcome,” she breathed.

From around the room, the nest gave a collective scream, collapsing to the ground and clamping their hands to the sides of their heads as they sank into madness. The sentient Bloodlings began to wail as they saw their felled mother. Scarlett caught sight of Gabriel once more. He was staring at her with a look of utter betrayal on his face.

A howl came from nearby.

Like a fiery creature from Hell, the Mother of Blood rose again. Guardians ran at her, and she seized their heads, letting the flames lick their faces, as they screamed in agony. As they fell away from her, writhing in agony, Elizabeth stalked towards Scarlett like a living flame. Her face was blackened and parts of a grimacing skull were exposed where the fire had burned away her flesh. The girl scrambled away but Elizabeth moved faster, bearing down on her and reaching out with her flaming hand.

“We join each other in ash.”

A blade tore through the Bloodseeker’s abdomen. She jerked to a halt and stared down at it. The tip rose upwards, cutting away at her insides and creating a seam that ran from belly to throat. The Mother of Blood gave a final, dark smile and dissolved into ash, exposing Faru behind her.

And with that, it was over.

Blood-soaked Guardians walked between the distraught Bloodlings, binding their arms behind their backs as they gave inconsolable wails at the loss of Elizabeth. The remaining nest was mercifully killed, and they fell silent among the Hiveminds, whose bodies were blackening and dissolving into ash, as if they were the ones who had been set on fire.

Faru came over to a dazed Scarlett. He was covered in wounds, but he barely seemed to notice. The Huntmaster placed his arms on her shoulders. “Are you alright?”

She nodded. “I’m okay.”

He gave a sad smile. “We have lost many Guardians today, but thanks to you, many more are still alive.”

“Am I going to be sent back to Sinner’s Vault?” she asked.

“Why would you say that?”

“Because I killed a Vaultguard, and I think Gabriel killed several.”

The Huntmaster shook his head. “You had no other choice, Scarlett. The Sage never intended to let you go from Sinner’s Vault; we know that for definite now. When we arrived at the prison to investigate what had happened, we discovered a letter on Viktor’s body, which proved Sage Blackwood’s guilt. The fact that he was willing to sacrifice the mission simply to settle a personal vendetta against you was the final straw for the other Sages, who have been growing tired of his intolerant ways for a long time. He has been voted out of his position and arrested. I have taken his place as Sage, for the time being.”

Scarlett felt elated at Faru’s words. That evil man finally got what he deserved. “I think the Guardians will do much better under your leadership Sage Faru,” she said with a smile.

The corners of Faru’s lips hinted at the tiniest smile. “Thank you.”

Scarlett took a breath as she steeled herself for what she was going to say next. She almost couldn’t believe the actual words when they sprang from her mouth. “Faru, I need you to be lenient with Gabriel. He is a confused and lonely person. He was brainwashed by Elizabeth. Don’t punish him with death, send him to the Rebirth Clinic like you did with me. Henry will help him.”

The Sage gave a sigh. “Gabriel has spent far longer with his anger and pain than you did Scarlett. The Clinic cannot pull him back from his madness I’m afraid. Besides, he has harmed a lot of people Scarlett, so I am not sure that I will be able to do much to protect him. But I will do my best.” He glanced around him and frowned. “Where is he?”

Scarlett looked beyond the Sage. Gabriel was not among the dead and he was not with those being secured by the Guardians. It was then that the dread descended on her.

“Oh my god!”

“Scarlett what is wrong?”

The girl broke away from the Sage and sprinted from the building, her feet pounding against the path as she ran as fast as she could, panic tearing at every inch of her.

She knew exactly where Gabriel had gone.

Scarlett tore through the forest, fear ripping through her as she crashed past trees and bushes. Animals and birds scattered as she rushed like a storm, moving so fast she became a blur. She broke out into the potato fields, not stopping until she had reached her cottage. The door had been broken in, and was hanging by its hinges. No, no, no!

Absolute terror filled her up as she stepped over the threshold. Her mother and Connor were huddled in a corner, whimpering. Gabriel was standing in the centre of the room, one arm wrapped around her father’s waist, the other pressing a blade to his throat. The sharp metal winked in the firelight from the hearth.

“Gabriel don’t do this,” Scarlett pleaded.

“You killed Mother,” he wailed, as tears streamed down his face. “I cared about you. Why would you do this to me?”

“Listen to me Gabriel, Elizabeth wasn’t your mother. She was a deranged woman who used you to get what she wanted.”

“How would you know?” he shouted. “How can you have the arrogance to think you know the first thing about how she was with me? She was a divine light that took away my darkness. She loved me and I loved her. We could have been a family, all of us.” He glared at Scarlett,” his silver eyes brimming with rage. “But now it’s ruined!”

“Poppy, what is happening?” said her father, terror in his voice.

“Shut up,” hissed Gabriel. He pressed the blade tighter against Desmond’s throat, sending a trickle of blood slipping down his neck.

Scarlett clenched onto the weapon in her hand so tightly, she could feel it splintering against her grip. “Please don’t hurt my family,” she begged. “I am the one who took her from you. Punish me, not them.”

Gabriel’s expression turned dark and ice poured through Scarlett’s veins when she realised nothing she said would stop him. “I am going to punish all of you.”

“NO!”

He sliced the blade across her father’s throat. Desmond made an odd wheezing sound and clutched a hand to his neck. He collapsed onto the bed, his eyes wide as blood poured between his fingers.

An inhuman scream came from somewhere deep within Scarlett. She ran forward and kicked Gabriel with so much force it sent him crashing right through the table and rolling towards the hearth, knocking the blade from his hand. With a roar of anger, he seized her legs and bought her to the floor. An elbow smashed twice into her face and her vision swam as she rolled away from him and staggered to her feet.

Mary broke away from Connor and tried to run to her husband, who was making choking sounds as his blood seeped into the mattress. Gabriel was on his feet in seconds, seizing her and raising his fist up to attack.

Scarlett threw her weapon. It spiraled through the air, burying into Gabriel’s shoulder. He stumbled backwards, loosening his grip on her mother. She escaped and rushed to the bed, screaming hysterically as she tried to save Desmond. With a hiss, Scarlett’s fangs slipped down and she charged at Gabriel, attacking with the fury of the possessed. She sent out a flurry of punches with such speed, he couldn’t block them. Jumping up, she wrapped her legs around his waist and sank her teeth into his neck. Wrenching her head away, she pulled away flesh and strands of muscle in her teeth, her mouth filling with bitter blood.

“Gaaahh!”

Gabriel smashed a fist into her face, and then she was grabbed by vice-like hands and lifted up, before being slammed onto the floor so hard it cracked the stone. Scarlett turned her head to the side and saw a petrified Connor huddled in the corner of the room, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Scarlett flipped onto her feet and charged at Gabriel once more. The two clashed like titans, punching and kicking each other. Her enemy lashed out with his claws, raking into her chest and drawing blood. Scarlett reached down and grabbed his fumbled blade, driving it deep into his gut with a scream. Gabriel grunted and stumbled backwards. Bearing down on him, Scarlett shot out her fists in quick succession, screaming and crying as her father choked out his last moments beside her.

Gabriel punched Scarlett in the side of the face, dislocating her jaw, but it didn’t stop her. Rage stronger than anything she had ever felt streamed through every single inch of her body, giving her strength beyond anything she had ever experienced. She shoved the Bloodling against the fireplace and sank her teeth into his nose, ripping it off. Gabriel screamed in agony and threw her across the room. She landed in a crouch and sprinted back towards him.

Gabriel threw the remains of the table at her and she batted it away, thrusting out a foot and connecting with the blade handle, driving it all the way into his stomach. Rolls of dark smoke poured out of the wound. With his face dripping blood, Gabriel drove his forehead into her nose and she felt it shatter. Water streamed into Scarlett’s vision, and he followed with a punch that lifted her right off her feet and sent her crashing down onto the floor. Gabriel sank down over her, wrapping his hands around her throat and crushing the life out of her.

“I was so wrong, you are nothing like my beloved Regina,” he snarled, his face twisting into an expression of absolute insanity. His blood streamed down from his ruined face, splashing onto hers. “You are a false idol who was sent to test me, and you will be cast into the fires of Hell for your sins.” Spittle flicked onto Scarlett’s chin as she felt death sweep in around her. She stretched her fingers out, searching for something – anything – she could use against him. There was nothing.

“Scarlett!”

Through darkening vision, she saw that Connor had crept towards them. He threw a jagged part of the table leg towards her. She wrapped her fingers around it and with a scream, stabbed it into Gabriel’s chest. He let out a roar as smoke curled around the wood and the edges of his wound burst into flame. She kicked him off her and he fell backwards, landing near the roaring hearth. Staggering over to him, Scarlett seized his hair into her grip and dragged him along the floor towards the fire. He stared up at her, understanding.

“I will fade with the flames.”

“No, you will fucking burn in them!”

She forced Gabriel’s head into the fire and a hideous scream filled the cottage as his hair and face set alight. He struggled against her, but her all consuming rage made her too strong. She pinned him in place, watching as the fire licked at his flesh, turning his skin red and then black. His eyes popped and ooze spilled down his cheeks as the fire consumed him. The flames scorched the flesh of her own hands, but she didn’t care.

Nothing mattered anymore. Only Gabriel’s death.

Slowly his skin turned to ash as the fire spread down his body. Then as quick as a click of fingers, his head burst into a shower of ash that poured out of the roaring hearth, covering Scarlett in his dusty remains. His body convulsed and fell still.

Only then did Scarlett let him go.

As the rest of his body dissolved into dust, Scarlett’s rational mind returned and she let out a cry of anguish. She rushed to her father’s side. The light in his eyes was growing dim as he lay in a pool of his own blood. Her mother was crying hysterically, trying to stem the blood flow, but there was too much and his wound too great. Connor limped over and pressed his face against his fathers’ chest. The Reid children sobbed as their father drifted away from them.

“Stay with me Da, please,” she wept.

Desmond lifted a hand and pressed it against Scarlett’s face as his chest heaved up and down. Everything slowed down until all she could see was her father. A racking sob escaped her throat as she watched him pass over. “Please, no,” she wept.

Scarlett was vaguely aware of the door bursting open. Strong hands pulled her away and she screamed, batting against them.

“Let me go, let me go!” she screamed.

“Let Faru try and save him!” shouted Rachel.

In a daze, Scarlett watched the Sage barge past everyone, lifting his wrist and raking a blade down it, sending royal blue blood pouring to the surface. He pressed it to Desmond’s lips, but his throat was too badly cut to drink. Instead Faru pulled Mary’s hand away from her husband’s throat. A jet of blood sprayed out from the severed artery and Scarlett screamed hysterically, folding into a heap in Rachel’s arms.

Faru pressed his wound against Desmond’s, letting his blood slip down her father’s throat. The man started to convulse as the Luminar blood seeped into his body. Faru snatched out his other hand and grabbed something invisible from the air, his teeth gritting together as he struggled against a powerful, hidden force, pressing it down towards Desmond’s mouth. “Do not depart!” he yelled. “You must stay and fight!”

“What is he doing?” Scarlett gasped through her sobs.

“Trying to keep your father’s soul from leaving his body,” Rachel whispered.

“Please save him,” Scarlett sobbed. “Please.”

The girl stayed in the arms of the Pixie, watching without blinking as her father struggled to hold onto the crumbling edges of his life. His body was shaking, his limbs thrashing around. “Hold him down!” Faru shouted.

Everyone ran to his side, pressing down on his limbs as the Seelian clamped his free hand over Desmond’s mouth, sealing his soul in his body. He kept his other hand positioned over his throat, letting his blood stream into her father’s body. After what felt like an eternity Desmond stopped moving. He let out a sigh and his arms fell to his sides. Absolute fear filled Scarlett.

“Da?” she whispered and a frantic sob escaped her throat. She stared frantically between the grimacing Faru and Rachel. “Is he dead?”

“I don’t know,” said Faru.

A wracking sob burst from Scarlett and she took hold of her father’s hand. “Please don’t be dead. Please Da.” Tears of absolute misery and desperation spilled down her face. If her father left, then he would take the light from her life with him. “Stay with me, please.”

Scarlett felt her father’s hand squeeze against hers.