Jar of Souls (2 page)

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D
inner had already been served
and the wine and dancing had begun before I entered the ballroom. I swept off my hat and performed a low bow as my name was announced to the crowd. As I stood, I added a small flourish with my hands to keep in standing with the famous fops of my time. The count gave me a small look of disdain from where he was standing. I returned his cool look with a warm smile of my own, adding in a wink as I met the eyes of one of his female companions. Walking boldly into the room, I picked up a glass of wine and sipped it contentedly. There would be time to walk the property later, for now there was only time for dancing.

Sipping my wine, I looked around the room for a suitable partner. Most of the females had already started to overindulge in the spirits and were being wooed by men who were just as inebriated. Off to the side my eye lingered on a woman standing aloof from the others. She gave off an air of a woman who wanted to be left alone. She held a glass of wine, but as I watched her, not a drop of it crossed her lips. I smiled as I walked over to her. I had found tonight’s partner.

“My lady, fancy a dance?” I asked, extending my hand toward her.

“Do you think me so horrendous that I would not be dancing already if I had wanted to be?”

That was not the auspicious start that I had hoped for. “Not at all. I was merely suggesting that you might not have been asked by a proper partner yet.”

For the first time, she turned to look at me. Her gaze flowed over my body, taking in all that it had to offer. “And what would make you a proper partner? Can you actually dance, or do you only like to dress the part?” She turned her head away from me in dismissal.

“My lady, I can assure you my dancing is considered by many to be magical.”

“Well, if nothing else, you have at least kept my interest for more than a moment. It would seem rude not to dance with the one man here who has been able to do so.”

“Thank you for you acquiescence.” I bent my knee and held out my hand, waiting for her to accept my invitation to the floor. She slipped her hand into mine, and I rose back to my full stature to lead her to the dance floor. When we reached the edge of the floor, I waited for the song to end and signaled to the band. When the music started, I led my conquest to the center of the floor and readied myself for the dance to come.

She moved with a grace that I hadn’t expected. Her dress flowed around us as I swept her close to the floor. My eyes settled first on her plunging neckline before moving to her eyes. They sparkled in the candlelight of the chandelier. We spun for what seemed like ages until the song came to an end. I led her off the floor and back to where she had been waiting.

“Thank you for the dance. I have to say it wasn’t as dreadful as I had anticipated,” she said, smiling for the first time.

“I am glad you found my dancing passable.”

“It truly was. Would you fancy another?”

“It is with great regret that I must decline for the moment. I have some personal business to attend to. Would it be ok if I sought out the pleasure of your company once it has been concluded?”

“It’s possible I may not linger at the party much longer. It has been dreadfully dull except for in one instance.” She gave me a smile that lit up her whole face. “I was thinking of heading back home early instead of staying for the rest of the week, as I had originally planned.”

“If you can promise to save me a dance, then I can promise to conclude my business as fast as humanly possible.”

“Do endeavor to not keep me waiting too long, or when you return, you will not find me waiting.”

I gave her a saucy wink and a small bow before heading to the door. I could only hope that a quick walk around the grounds would be sufficient to ensure that nothing was going to happen tonight. I stopped before exiting the building to strap on my sword belt and dagger. I doubted I would run into anything inside of the fence, but it always paid to be prepared.

When I walked outside, the valet bowed. “Would you like me to fetch your carriage, my lord?”

“Just heading out for a breath of fresh air. I shall return shortly.”

The torches kept the area around the chateau well lit, but the grounds were bathed in complete darkness until you reached the gate. Not wanting to be seen, I stepped out of the light and into the growing shadows. I walked to the perimeter of the property and looked out into the night. Nothing was moving down the road, and the entrance to the property looked to have plenty of guards stationed there. I made a slow circle around the chateau to the back of the property.

I looked down the rolling hills and out into the night. The moon was full and bathed the open fields in a gentle light. At first I wasn’t sure if I was actually seeing something or if my mind was simply playing tricks on me. Small black shapes were running through the field; it couldn’t be what I thought it was. I watched until they grew close enough to be sure, and then I let out a sigh. “Just once I’d love to actually make it back to the girl.”

The Lycans were picking up speed as they moved closer to the chateau, and there was no way that I could stop them all alone. All I could do was slow as many of them down as I could, and maybe if I was extremely lucky, it would save enough lives to matter.

They continued to run toward the chateau. Three of the Lycans peeled off to the right, and I watched them circle around to the front of the building. I jumped over the low stone fence that signaled the edge of the property and walked slowly down toward the rushing werewolves. By my count, there were still six Lycans sprinting toward me. This was going to be fun, if one considered suicidal battles to be a joyous occasion.

I started to pull my power inward as I focused on their approach. They never veered or spread apart as they continued their mad sprint straight at me. Something was wrong; there was no way that a true pack wouldn’t make it harder for me to attack more than one of them at a time. I bathed my hands in bright blue flames, making my presence known. The beasts continued to run directly for me without making a sound. Something was most certainly wrong. They should have been howling and splitting apart. Instead they continued on as if I didn’t even exist.

Where were the howls that normally signaled a Lycan attack? Where were the growling, slobbering yips that signaled the hunt? When the thrill of a kill was upon them, it should have been instinctual for them to make some noise in response to my challenge. If they weren’t going to take me seriously, I was just going to have to show them why they needed to reconsider.

I pooled the flames into a large ball and cast it out toward the eerily silent pack. It struck in the center of their
V
formation, engulfing all of them. What in the hell had just happened? There was no way werewolves would just run through a fireball. If it didn’t kill them outright, the pain caused from the burns wouldn’t be worth taking when it could have easily been avoided. Again the beasts made no sound even as their bodies burned.

I watched in growing horror and fascination as they continued their mindless silent charge up the hill. The flaming Lycans continued to run directly at me even as the fire consumed them. What could possibly be driving these creatures so hard? What could possibly push them into this suicidal run? I had come out here thinking I might die, and it looked as if I might actually have the upper hand.

The night grew brighter as their flaming bodies drew closer to the chateau. The flames had started to burn themselves out as the skin and fur they clung to charred away. I created a lance of pure power and sent it toward the Lycan leading the charge. It ripped through its body, cutting it in half as it ran. The other werewolves never even slowed down. If anything, they only drew closer together as they continued their charge. I gathered my power again and sent a lance of power out at them, fanning it wide like a wave. All of them fell to the ground, split cleanly in half. I ran forward to examine the bodies. I had never fought against a Lycan that was so mindless. The Lycans tended to displayed pack thinking and hunting strategies that made them formidable opponents.

When I reached the still-twitching bodies, it was hard to tell just what I was seeing. I bathed my hands in fire again and started to examine the mess. It just didn’t make sense; these Lycans had to have died days ago, maybe longer. Their fur was matted and they smelled of decay. How were they even able to run? Just what exactly did Adam have me guarding here? In all of my years studying with the order, I had never seen someone with the gift to bring the dead back to life, or even think about reanimating the dead. The thought of someone doing this was something so heinous that if it even could be done, it certainly wasn’t a skill taught to anyone.

A scream ripped through the night, tearing my attention away from the examination. I extinguished the flames on my hands and started running back to the chateau. The three beasts that broke away from the pack must have reached it by now, and I had to do whatever I could to stop them. If they were as mindless as the ones I just faced, then it wouldn’t be much of a chore. Now I just had to hope that I stopped them before they reached the guests. As long as the guests were safe, I may just get out of this with a job to go back to.

I rounded the corner and brought down the first beast I saw with another lance of power. It wasn’t flashy, but it got the job done. Using a direct blade of power drained a ton of my magic, but it seemed to be the most effective way of dealing with these creatures. I was going to have to be careful going forward; I couldn’t be caught here without my magic. One more blast of power brought down the next two Lycans. I was pretty sure that was all of them unless some had come from the road as well. It looked as if I was in luck; none of the creatures had made it inside, and the only casualties were a couple of guards and one of the valets. Turning, I made my way back to the front of the building. I had to assure myself that the guests were ok. I stepped around the bodies of the dead guards until one of them grabbed my ankle. I kicked at the offending hand and rushed toward the chateau. The dead rose behind me and followed, slowly drawing their swords as they came.

I couldn’t let these men, or these things that used to be men, get inside the chateau. Summoning my courage, I ran toward them, my sword finding its way into my hand as I went. The first man aimed a strike at my head, which was easily dodged. His miss gave me an opening, and I lashed out at his chest. Spinning away from him, I moved to the next man in the bunch. This time I slammed the pommel of my sword into the next man’s head. A quick glance back toward the chateau showed that the first guard was still lumbering toward it. The blow I dealt should have been a killing blow, but he continued his inexorable progress toward whatever he had been commanded to take.

I turned to follow when a blade swung by, just missing my head. The man behind me had the side of his head caved in from the hit I had dealt him. That didn’t stop him from lunging at me with his blade again. I ducked under the next strike, and this time brought my sword around in a wide arc, striking his throat. The blade sunk in about halfway and got stuck. Damn my luck. The man reached toward me, sword dropping from his hand. A gasp escaped my throat as his cold fingers found purchase on it.

I fell to the ground and started trying to rip the hands away from my throat. They were cold and hard as steel. Desperation set in, and I clawed harder at them with no success. Finally my brain caught up with the panic that had set in, and I called upon my gift to ignite one of my hands. The blade of fire I created easily cut the man’s hands off at the wrists. Pushing his body away, I climbed back to my feet, pulling the choking fingers from my throat. I watched with horror as the body rose on the stumps of its arms and continued on its path toward the chateau.

The blade of flame still sheathed around my hand, I chased after him, this time striking his head from his shoulders. Once I assured myself that he wasn’t getting up again, I looked around wildly only to see the valet and two more guards making their way inside of the chateau. I started to run toward the building when something slammed into me from behind.

This time it hurt. I had been so focused on stopping the remaining dead men that I hadn’t focused on my shield. The pain lanced up my back as I rolled on it, looking behind me. A robed figure strode across the grounds, surrounded by two more of the undead Lycans. I started to scramble backward, the fear finally getting the better of me. What could possibly be driving this man to animate the dead? How in the hell was he even doing it? Was there even a chance for me to beat him? My back pressed against the outside of the chateau, the light from the torches bathing me in a flickering orange glow.

The mage stood before me as the undead Lycans took positions on either side of me. I couldn’t see inside of his hood in the flickering light. Why was he just watching me? If he wanted me dead, then right now was a pretty damn good time to do it. The two Lycans kept me pinned to the wall. The smell coming from them was horrendous. The robed man turned his back on me and walked slowly to the door of the chateau. One of the undead men shuffled out of the building with something in his arms. In the shimmering light, I couldn’t tell exactly what it was, maybe an hourglass of some kind, but much larger.

The man in front of me took it, and I felt him call on his magic. The object shrank until it was smaller than a fist. He pulled a silver chain from inside of his robes, and then he pulled down his hood and placed his new necklace over his head. I pushed back further against the wall as if I could somehow crawl through it. The man in front of me was the same one I had seen leaving Adam’s office. The scar on his cheek almost seemed to glow in the firelight. His eyes flickered black as he tucked the necklace inside of his robes.

He looked down on me, and a smile turned at the corners of his mouth before he spoke. “Make sure you tell Adam that Gaston sends his regards.”

I looked up at him, not able to tear my eyes away until he lowered his hood. He waved his hands, and I was pushed against the wall by some unseen force. He turned away from me. The two Lycans fell in step behind him, this time moving with much more grace. The men he had been controlling fell to the floor. Whatever power he had been using to reanimate them was gone.