Fate Of The Minotaur (Her Dragon's Bane 5) (9 page)

Sybil guessed the dragon was the great Dòmhnall. “Thank you,” said Sybil when she was handed five wooden stakes.

“Don’t hesitate to use them,” Tara said. “Now be ready, it’s about to start.”

A whispering, similar to that she had heard yesterday seemed to surround them. Shadows moved through the trees and the dragons formed a circle, with Tara, Sybil and Fin in the centre. Through the trees, the first shadow appeared as a pale ghost, but the dragons waited. The vampire hissed; if he were a cat, he would be puffed out in fear. He stopped, and another three vampires joined him. They stared at the dragons, who stared back, unmoving.

Seeming to sense no danger, for who would have thought the dragons would fight with vampires, the vampires slid past. They cast hungry looks at the three people in the centre of the dragons, but carried on knowing they were outgunned. As they passed by unmolested they relaxed, and more vampires emerged.

“Why aren’t we doing anything?” Sybil asked.

“It would give the game away. Right now, they think the dragons are protecting us. That we intend to join in would never occur to them.”

More and more vampires materialised, shadows conjured from the growing dark. A few stopped and hissed at the dragons, but on the whole, they tried to avoid any contact with them, preferring to pretend they were not there.

“They aim to outflank Angus?” said Fin.

“Uh-huh,” Tara said, although her mind seemed to be elsewhere. Then she came alive. “This is it,” she said to Dòmhnall; he nodded once and they moved forward, as one body, with Sybil, Fin and Tara still in the middle of them.

“Have that sword ready, Fin,” Tara said. “You are going to need it. But if all goes to plan, this war is going to fizzle out very quickly.”

Dread placed its heavy hand around Sybil’s heart and squeezed it. She hoped Tara was right and this would be over quickly. Why hadn’t her prophecy showed her Fin? Why hadn’t she seen him in the battle? Yet there was no time to ponder these questions as they rounded the corner and saw the war raging. In the centre stood Angus, his men by far outnumbered by the force that had come through the trees, and yet they were holding their own. They might not be the biggest army but they were the most well trained. He had held onto his position in Hollowton by keeping his men well trained and well disciplined. Those incomers from Christon, on the other hand, were a rabble. Who should have known the game was up when the first blast of dragon fire disintegrated twenty of them.

But they turned to face the dragons, one leaping through the air and landing on the red dragon who was at the rear. The red dragon turned, and of course, that left them exposed. But these dragons were used to working together and their ranks closed, the blue dragon puffing fire at the vampire clinging to the red one. The fire glanced off the red dragon’s scales and dispatched the vampire to the underworld.

Another blast of dragon fire lit up the town, licking its destruction at the buildings, some of which burnt now too. Sybil realised this was not going to be as easy as it should have been. The dragons were in a confined space, and they had to be careful not to kill the wrong vampires. More fire, more flames were licking the buildings, causing the air to become hot and smoke-filled, choking her lungs.

For a moment, Lord Angus came into view. Sybil felt a surge of relief. With the dragons’ help, it seemed to be going his way. A few of the interlopers were already scattering, but one group fought their way towards Lord Angus with precision and no mercy.

“Tara,” Sybil said, placing her hand on the witch’s shoulder. “That is the one who will kill Lord Angus. We have to stop him.”

“They are too far away,” Tara said, looking to where she pointed. “The dragons can’t get there.”

“Then what? It’s all for nothing if he dies.”

“Fin, can you go?” Tara pointed to the small group, now down to four, but still advancing.

“Yes,” Fin said, his eyes filled with such blood lust it mirrored the fire in the vampire’s eyes.

“No. He has to stay here where it is safe.”

“I will be back before you know it,” he said and burst out from the circle of protection the dragons gave him, only narrowly missing being singed by dragon fire.

She stared on in horror, but Fin seemed to delight in making vampires turn to dust. Small puffs of ash filled the air as he moved, wielding his sword expertly. Sybil could only pray he would be safe. And then he reached the small group, with what she presumed was Winston in the thick of it. He fought two at once, while the other two made their way forward.

Fin used his sword to kill the first vampire, fending the other one off with a wooden stake when he went to jump on his back. Then he turned to where Winston had reached his goal. The Lord Angus was already fighting a vampire; he looked tired. It was as though he were a magnet to every vampire here. But of course, he would be, it was his death that would change the allegiance of the vampires of Hollowton. If he fell, they were doomed. Perhaps Winston had put a bounty on his head.

The next part of the battle happened in slow motion to Sybil. Winston reached Lord Angus, raising his weapon above his head, a sharp wooden stake to pierce his heart. Fin intervened; he parried the first blow, but Winston had a second stake, which he jabbed upwards. Blood spurted into the air. Sybil felt the life leave her, the life Fin had awoken. There was only one creature living amongst these undead, only one that could bleed. And the blood caused the vampires to go into a frenzy, and Fin was lost amongst them.

He smelt the blood, and felt it sticky on his hand as he tried to cover his wound. Pain went through him, and then all he was aware of was the teeth, extended and ready to suck him dry. He slumped down to the floor, feeling the pull of hands, and then there was nothing. He slipped away, the darkness of the night filling his brain until he was no more.

As he drifted in limbo, he felt himself pulled this way and that. And all he could think of was s
o ends the life of the Minotaur, the terror of the Labyrinth
. It was fitting he had died in such a way, consumed by creatures more evil than he, dying for a cause that would save more lives than he had ever taken.

How long he slipped away for, he didn’t know. His only regret was that he had not spent more time with Sybil. But they had made love; he had told her of his feelings. She would go on without him, surrounded by his friends. He knew Serena and Charlotte would take care of her. He only hoped they would bury him by the sea, in the tiny cove where he had spent so many lonely days and nights.

Would Sybil weep for him? He only hoped she would not turn away from Spellholm. He was scared she would blame herself for what had happened, for acting on her dreams. He sighed, finding comfort in her face as it danced in front of him. Behind her, a halo of light framed her head, making her look like an angel. Then a voice called him, and he knew this was the end. He let himself go, heading into the light, her beautiful face the last thing he would see before the real emptiness of death took him. Had he done enough to keep his soul from the dark underworld? Was the light he could see the light of heaven, a place where he could, perhaps, wait for her until her long life ended?

“Fin.” The voice was hers. “Fin, wake up.”

He fought to go to her, but that brought pain, a sharp jabbing pain in his side. Yet she called him, so he had to go. Battling the bright light, he opened one eye and then immediately shut it. Gathering his wits, he tried again. She was there before him.

“Fin, at last. I was so worried.”

“Am I dead?” That sounded so corny.

“No. Nearly, but not quite.”

“How?”

“Shh. It doesn’t matter now. You’re alive.” She held his hand so tightly; he knew he would never be allowed to leave this life now. Sybil would not let him.

He had given something to her that he had not known he was capable of, his love and compassion, and he didn’t know how to deal with this new sensation. So he allowed his eyes to close once more. Love had always been what other people experienced. It was never meant for the lonely Minotaur, and yet here it was. Sybil had pierced his heart; she had not needed a wooden stake. All she had needed was her warmth and understanding.

She stared out across the warm sea, the sun on her face. Sybil could see why Fin loved it here; the warmth helped heal old wounds, both those of the body and the heart. Placing her hand on the small swell of her belly, she thought of the man who had given her this blessing. A child, something she never thought she would ever have of her own. These things, like happiness, were for other people. Not those like her.

Taking one last breath of the salty air, she went back to the little fishing cottage. The sun was setting over the sea and she loved to sit and watch it, with Fin by her side.

“There you are,” he said, coming and kissing her.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Like my old self.”

“I’m glad, Fin. I can’t believe how close I came to losing you.”

“It’s a good job Angus had control over all those bloodsuckers.”

She smiled. “He told me it was easy because they don’t like the taste of Minotaur blood. Doesn’t taste the same as human blood.”

He snorted in derision. “They don’t know rich blood when they smell it.”

“Good, or I would be raising our child alone.”

He came to her and kissed her, his hand going to the swell of her belly. “There’s somewhere I would like to take you, now that I’m better and the fate of mankind doesn’t hang in the balance.”

“For now. I think there will be repercussions after what happened.”

“Well, when you have a prophecy to share, we’ll worry about it. For now, let’s go.”

“Where?”

“It’s a surprise.”

He took her hand and they walked along the beach, taking a path that led up into the hills. They strolled hand in hand, watching the sun set over the sea, casting its reds and golds over the golden rocks. He took her down a path, almost invisible to the human eye, descending back towards the beach. Around halfway down, he turned and led her to a blank rock face.

“What are we doing?” she asked.

He released her hand and used all his strength to roll a large rock away from what became a narrow opening. “Welcome to my lair.”

“Oh,” she gasped. “The Labyrinth.” The hairs on the back of her neck rose as she entered the darkness with him. But he led her sure-footedly along the pathways, across wide openings, always following a downward trajectory.

After a long walk, they reached a room hewn from the rock, filled with wood, clothes and a small bed. “This was my home.”

“You lived here alone?” she asked.

“Yes. For so many years. Come, I’ll show you my cove.” He took her hand and led her through a natural archway out to the most beautiful, secluded cove she had ever seen. The sun was almost gone from the horizon, its rays spreading gold across the calm waters.

“It’s beautiful.”

“More beautiful now I have someone to share it with,” Fin said, taking her hand and kissing it.

“I hope we can come here and let our child play in the sand.”

“I would forget this place ever existed.” Fin looked far out to sea.

“No. This is part of you. You can’t forget about it.”

“It would be so much easier if I could wipe it from the history books.”

Sybil stood in front of him, looking at him with some sympathy. “I have learned you can’t hide from who you are.”

“But you are so good.”

“Fin, you saved the whole of the human race when you took that stake meant for Angus. Never forget that. Because he won’t. It’s why he offered to buy the cottage for us here. Apparently once a vampire like Angus is indebted to you, he is for life. The one thing I can’t understand is that he called me
a Sybil
, as though it wasn’t just my name.”

“In this part of the world, many centuries ago, there were women who could see the future, just as you do. I have not heard of one for a long time. My guess is Angus has been, well, undead, long enough to remember them. Do you not know the meaning of your name?”

“No. No one ever said, and I never asked.” She looked up at him, intrigued.

“Sybil mean prophetess. You must be from a long line of Sybil’s with the same gift as you have.”

She smiled. “For once I feel as if I belong.”

“To me,” he said and pulled her into his arms, kissing her possessively. “Angus had better keep his hands off you. I would swap this cottage, for his word he will leave us in peace. Although I know that’s impossible. This isn’t the end, is it? There is more to come.”

“I have no knowledge of it, Fin, and for now that’s good enough for me. Let’s enjoy the peace and tranquillity of Crete; we can deal with the rest of the world tomorrow.” She trailed her hand up the inside of his thigh, feeling him harden under her touch. “Have you ever made love on this beach under the stars?”

“No,” he said his voice thick with emotion.

“Then perhaps we should christen your cove, make it ours. It will take our minds off the rest of the world.”

“What rest of the world?” he asked.

She took his hand, and they walked back towards the entrance to his cave. Once there, he disappeared inside and came back with a couple of worn blankets, which he spread out onto the sand. He was such a gentleman to her, he always thought of her needs. It made such a change to have a partner in life, and she winced inwardly at the images of him disappearing down under all of those vampires, with their protruding fangs, ready to suck his blood.

For a long moment, she thought he was lost to her, that he would be taken from her before they had a chance to get to know each other. To really love each other. And then Lord Angus shouted, his eyes flashing so bright it was like dragon fire, and the vampires fell back. She had rushed to Fin’s aid; seeing him there on the floor with blood gushing from his side had brought her to her knees. Only the quick intervention of the witch Tara had saved him.