Fan Fiction ❯ The Vampire Hunter II: Bloodlines ❯ Chapter 23

Chapter XXIII

Clark and Gabrielle could feel the presence of several strong vampires long before they reached the eleventh Gate. As they neared the end of the passage, they were able to see a group of female quadruplets waiting for them in the middle of the next room. Each vampire wore a slightly different outfit, and the crown-like jewelry that adorned each of their heads was quite distinctive, but their faces were identical.

Gabrielle exited the tunnel with Clark at her side, and they stopped a few meters in front of the living statues.

"Are you supposed to be the four incarnations of Neith?" Gabrielle questioned, remembering the multiple drawings of the archer goddess from the Book of Amduat.

The four vampires each drew a sword from a hidden sheath at their back and then took a step forward in unison, reminding Gabrielle of the other renderings from the book that involved goddesses with knives cutting down the enemies of Re and Osiris.

"Yes and no," the four answered in one voice and then attacked at completely random angles.

Gabrielle light-walked to protect Clark from the vampires' attack, knowing Clark was no match against what she felt to be Fifth Order vampires. Using her claws, she tried to deflect the blades of the enemy vampires, but they sliced right through, nearly taking her hand off in the process. So, she went for easier targets and blocked the blows by hitting their wrists instead.

Clark could barely see the movements of the quadruplets, but there was a rhythm to them that Clark immediately recognized. They were practice forms, and the female vampires executed them very well, but they didn't seem to be any good at improvising. They were just running through the patterns over and over again, counting on their speed and greater numbers to be enough to overpower Gabrielle.

Not while I'm around, Clark thought to herself and chose her moment carefully.

In the split second where the form ended and paused before repeating, Clark drove her sword around the right side of Gabrielle's body and locked the four swords of the vampires with her own. Gabrielle was just as surprised by the sudden interruption as the quadruplets were, but she recovered quickly and sent a newly grown pair of claws into the heart of the vampire on her far left, while Clark easily unlocked her sword and stabbed the tip into the vamp on Gabrielle's right.

It only penetrated a few inches before the female vampire ripped herself away from the pain and cried out in anguish. Her two remaining sisters would have come to her aid, but Gabrielle didn't give them a chance. She swung out with her fists clasped together and caved in the side of the head of the closest one before kicking out at the other one. Her foot landed in the vampire's stomach and sent her across the room.

In the meantime, Clark had all she could handle with the injured vampire stalking her. Clark had her long knife aligned with the underside of her left forearm as a kind of shield, while she held her sword in her right hand, slashing and blocking with every ounce of strength she could muster.

Her body was still in less than peak condition, and she felt like she was trying to fight in slow motion. The only thing that saved her was her knowledge of the forms the vampire was using, which let her anticipate most of the attacks that came at her.

Gabrielle jumped on the vampire she'd flung across the room and slammed her fist through the false god's ribcage and all the way into the floor, smashing her heart into the ground and ending the vampire's life.

Just as Gabrielle was about to see to Clark, the other vampire, whose face was partially crushed, rammed into Gabrielle's side, and they went tumbling over the floor. Gabrielle felt a stabbing pain in her side, as the vampire impaled her with her sword, but Gabrielle reached up and raked her still growing fingernails down the wounded side of the vamp's face.

The vampire screamed and rolled away in agony, and Gabrielle looked down to see the hilt of a sword sticking out of her right side. She slowly withdrew the blade until it was all the way out and then tossed the sword away. The other vampire was starting to recover, and they both reached their feet at the same time.

Gabrielle glanced over at Clark. She didn't look very good, but she was standing, and she appeared to be blocking most of her attacker's assaults. Gabrielle refocused on her own opponent. In those few moments, Gabrielle closed the hole in her side, but she was still bleeding internally. Gabrielle caught the female's look at the sword that had so much of Gabrielle's blood on it, and they both dove at the same time.

But while the pretend god went for the sword, Gabrielle went for the vampire, and her fangs plunged into the soft neck before the vampire could reach the sword. Gabrielle sucked the hot blood into her mouth and felt the healing begin as it coursed down her throat and through the rest of her body. As soon as Gabrielle was finished, she tossed the body aside and ran to help Clark.

The Hunter was definitely in need of assistance, but she didn't have any major wounds. Nicks and cuts covered her arms and face, but the vampire had yet to land a serious blow on the human.

Before the enemy vampire knew what was happening, Gabrielle was on her throat, her teeth sunk deeply beneath the skin to reach the flow of blood buried under the surface. The vampire dropped her sword, as she fell into the haze that accompanied the telepathic link that was momentarily established between the two vampires as Gabrielle fed. But then the blood supply dried up, and Clark stabbed her sword into the limp vampire as Gabrielle released her to the ground.

Gabrielle went to the other two vampires and drained them as well. The blood was still fresh, and Gabrielle needed it desperately. After each one, Clark staked the vampires with her sword. Gabrielle moved to sit down near a wall while Clark brought over a torch and burned the blood off the dirty sword that had caused Gabrielle so much pain. They didn't need someone sneaking in after them and gaining Gabrielle's strengths. Finally, Clark joined the Queen on the floor.

When Gabrielle was finished healing herself, she turned to Clark. The small scratches that dotted the Hunter's skin were erased in just a couple minutes.

"So. Just one more," Clark stated, as they sat waiting for the door to open.

"Yes," Gabrielle said tiredly.

"Good. I hope that little wannabe is there. I want to see the look on her face when I put a stake through her heart," Clark said vehemently.

"Get in line," Gabrielle murmured.

At five minutes before the end of the hour, the exit was unblocked, and Gabrielle and Clark got up to enter it. But the passage was different than the previous ones. Instead of being a small tunnel, it was more like another chamber.

There were pits of fire spread randomly about the room, and as they stood looking over the scene, Gabrielle noticed two statues on each side of the exit at the other end of the room. All four statues were spurting fire in front of the way out at seemingly random intervals.

"I really hate her," Clark said emphatically.

"Come on," Gabrielle said, indicating the timer above the fire-blocked tunnel ahead of them.

It was counting down and there were barely nine minutes left.

They went as fast as they could, trying to pick a path that presented the least amount of danger to Gabrielle's very combustible nature.

"Be careful," Clark warned, as they passed near one of the fire pits.

Gabrielle nodded her head in acknowledgement, as they continued on their way. By the time they reached the flaming statues, there were less than six minutes left on the clock.

"Now what?" Gabrielle asked.

Clark squinted her eyes, as she studied the statues, which were staggered in front of the exit so that they created four separate barriers of fire. The paths of the flames were arranged in such a way that they angled down and crossed each other; there was no way to crawl under the flames or jump over them. But the statues weren't on all the time, which meant there was a chance they could get through without being hit.

"There's a pattern to it. We just have to figure out what it is," Clark said.

"We don't have time for that," Gabrielle protested, watching the seconds on the clock tick away. "The cycle could be ten minutes long."

"No, it's about thirty seconds," Clark said, having watched it repeat twice in the last minute. "I just need to see it a few more times..." Clark trailed off, as she began to work out how they would have to move to get past the flames.

Gabrielle held her breath as she waited. She recognized the statues as part of their previous challenge. Each statue consisted of a goddess sitting astride a serpent with two heads. The goddesses each held one of their hands in front of their faces, but instead of blocking the flow of fire, the hands were positioned just above their mouths, where the flames could erupt without impediment. They were part of the Last Judgment, and were intended to destroy the last of Re's enemies so that he could be reborn into the morning as the rising sun once again.

"Clark?" Gabrielle asked impatiently.

They only had two minutes left.

"Okay, I think I've got it," Clark announced.

She took Gabrielle's hand and led them to stand in front of the flames that blocked their path. Then she turned to face Gabrielle and held her upper arms. Gabrielle did her best to stay calm, but every instinct told her to run away.

"When I say go, move forward one long step. When I say back, take a big step back. Okay?" Clark asked, staring intently into Gabrielle's eyes.

She knew the vampire's fear of fire was very strong. And it wasn't like the fire wouldn't hurt Clark if she happened to get blasted. But unlike humans, vampires were extremely flammable, and a single match could be enough to start the process of combustion into non-existence.

"Trust me, please," Clark implored.

Gabrielle nodded.

"I trust you."

"All right," Clark accepted.

They stood in front of the four spouts of fire, and Gabrielle waited for Clark's signal. With one minute to spare, they began.

"Go!" Clark ordered, and they stepped forward just as the most recent burst of flame was dissipating.

They paused for a moment, and then Clark pushed them forward again.

"Go! Go!"

The two steps brought them to the third barrier of flame, but Gabrielle knew it couldn't be that easy, as the fourth wall of flame in front of them never let up.

"Back!"

Clark pulled them back a step, narrowly keeping them from being burned to a crisp, but then she was pushing them forward again.

"Go!" she yelled, as the flames filled the spot they'd just vacated.

They paused for several seconds, flames enclosing them on both sides, and then it was time to move again.

"Back!"

They almost didn't stop in time, as Clark began to slip on the sandy floor, but Gabrielle reached out and pulled her back from the wall of flame that was erupting in front of her face. Clark was shaken, but she kept her senses.

"GO! GO!" Clark cried out, and they dashed for the exit, the flames appearing to magically part in front of them.

They skidded to a halt just beyond the entrance of the tunnel and tried to catch their breaths as they looked back at the statues, which were still spurting gusts of flame into the empty air. Then they heard the grinding of stone, and Gabrielle grabbed Clark's arm to start them running again, as the ceiling slowly began its descent.