Lanius stopped about a half of a mile away from Cinnin's property. He had to wait for word that his Patriots had retrieved the horses and were entering the marshlands. He hated waiting but patience has always been a virtue. Still, he was imagining horrific things being done to Diana whilst he sat and waited for a text message.
"We've never marched on one of our own, my Lord."
It was Sarasoto. Lanius sat silent thinking back over the millennia of fighting side by side with Cinnin and the friendship that he thought they shared.
"My Lord?" Sarasoto inquired.
"I know. This is certainly a first for The Patriots, Sarasoto. Of all of the vampires I know I would have never expected this treachery from Cinnin."
"How many do you think he will have waiting for us?"
"I do not know but I know this. Diana will be safe this day, even if it costs my life."
They sat in silence again after this. All were contemplating what may face them. Their minds imagined a great many vampires crammed at the gate choking them off from advance. None of them ever would have suspected Cinnin to make such a move for power.
Lanius' phone buzzed. "They are in place. Let us march into battle." he said and they gathered at the back of the SUV. They each took weapons and armor out of the back and geared up for a fight. They all thought of their friends marching through wetlands into the same uncertainty they were marching toward on pavement and wished them well. They all squeezed back into the truck and headed for the property. Pulling up to the front their fears were realized. Cinnin had many deep gathered at the gate. Some just outside of it but many crowding behind them. They were almost all new vampires and mostly armed, Lanius recognized the vampire at the
front commanding them to hold a line. It was Oberon. I should have killed him when I had the chance in the desert thought Lanius getting out of the truck.
The six stood in front of many with Lanius at their head. "Oberon," Lanius began "If you dismiss this horde and drop your weapon I will not kill you this day. You will face the tribunal and may only find yourself in exile. Do it not, and you will surely die today, I promise you."
"No, my Lord. It is you who will die today. And I ... I will be Prince of Arizona under King Cinnin, first in line to the throne once The Council is dissolved."
"If it is a fight that you have set your mind upon then it is a fight that you will get, but remember, I gave you a chance."
The six Patriots formed a line and advanced slowly. Oberon commanded the young vampires to hold their line. When they were a few yards apart, it was Sarasoto who charged first, swinging his giant axe. And the battle was on.
Balor and Lucas were right about the gate. It gave the Patriots an advantage as the vampires in the back could not reach them. The Patriots slew vampire after vampire as they squeezed through the narrow gate, only few rising above, walking on their mates. Oberon retreated into the center, a coward. Lanius kept an eye on him as he thrust his sword into the chest of an advancing vampire. He recognized this one, too: an elder, a member of The Council, Thauris. Lanius was enraged. He pulled his sword from Thauris' chest and swung a wide arc, taking his head. He kicked over the ashes and looked up at the advancing vampires.
"Hold the line!" he commanded his Patriots. And they did. Staying in line with him as the vampires funneled out of the gate. He saw two attack Balor. Balor swung his sword and grazed the first, the second jammed a sword into his chest. Balor nearly fell from the impact. From one knee he swung again at the first, cutting off an arm. Lanius was too far away to help when the second took Balor's head. Lanius winced seeing his friend fall. Now were are but ten he thought.
Sarasoto was in the battle fully. He swung his mighty axe with precision killing vampire after vampire as they advanced upon him. He recognized a few but most were unfamiliar, young vampires. He killed many and many still came. With grace and skill his swung his axe leaving a wake of ashes. He found himself in advance of the line and stepped back. He saw Balor fall, as well. Too far away to do anything, as well. Saddened, as well, at the loss of a brother.
`
Lucas led the five Patriots through the marshlands on horseback. The going was slow as the reeds were thick. The water and mud were not deep but there was so much vegetation they could scarcely hold a line as they traversed the wetlands. He had sent the message to Lanius as soon as they reached the edge of the swamp and knew that by now they were at the gate.
"Hurry, Patriots. Our friends are dying as we speak." he commanded.
They pushed on through the marsh as quickly as the terrain allowed and soon they saw the vampires guarding the marshland side. There were but a few.
Cinnin thought little of this front thought Lucas as they approached. The young vampires weren't even watching closely for an attack when the five Patriots came through the last of the wetlands and up the slope. On horseback they crashed into the young vampires swinging their swords.
Severin charged his horse up the slope next to Lucas and with one mighty swing took the head of one vampire and wounded another. And then they were all on sure ground, through the marshlands. With their horses on sure footing they made quick work of the couple dozen young vampires on guard there. On horseback they slew them easily and galloped toward the front of the property.
Reaching the backs of the horde crowding the front gate they wasted little time. Lucas swung his sword and took the heads of two vampires before they were even noticed behind them. Alarm set in to the swarm of vampires seeing a rear attack. They turned their attention to the men on horseback. An elder, Hickman, a member of the council, thrust a sword into the horse Severin set upon and it lurched and threw its rider. The horse stood again as did Severin. Now on even footing with this elder they clashed together steel against steel. Severin punched Hickman with the butt of his sword and sent him reeling. Hickman swung with the force of the blow and turned the other way twisting his blade through the air cutting Severin's throat.
Severin fell back, wounded and nearly killed he fell to his knees. Hickman stood before him.
"Some warrior you are. And you call yourself a Patriot? A politician has done you in." Hickman reared back to take Severin's head but as he began his swing Lucas took his head. Ashes and steel fell to the ground before the wounded Severin. He clutched his throat and looked up to Lucas. He tried to speak but could not, only nodding toward his old friend. Knowing he was no longer able to fight, he retreated toward the marshland.
The remaining Patriots cut their way through the throng of young vampires both front and back. Lanius, seeing the mounted Patriots in the back of the horde was set anew with hope.
"Charge, my good Patriots. We shall win the day!" he commanded. And they obeyed. Each man standing charged into the remaining vampires with steel glinting in the night.
All of them had received wounds. Most were arrows sticking out of them from the archers who were in the back but now those had been cut down by the mounted Patriots in the rear. The numbers dwindled as the Patriots swung their steel killing vampire after vampire. The ashes of scores and scores of vampires littered the ground thickly on a windless night. Lanius watched Oberon retreat into the house.
A few vampires escaped back into the house with Oberon and some retreated to the marshlands side of the property. The Patriots were reunited at the inside of the gate. Each wounded, one direly, and one had been killed. Now nine old vampires stood staring at the house bleeding but still strong. They pulled the arrows out of themselves and waited to heal.
"Inside there is Cinnin, Oberon, and who knows how many vampires. Also in there is Diana. We must take great care as we progress. I do not want any vampire here to grant mercy or quarter to anyone taking up arms against us. We will free Diana and she will be safe or all of our ashes will decorate the floor of this house."
Lanius took the lead and the Patriots followed. He pushed open the doors and instantly felt the sting of an arrow into his collarbone.
"Fight, my Patriots, fight!" he commanded throwing open the doors despite the new pain and charging in. They found but a dozen archers and cut them down easily.
They searched from room to room in the house, staying together and alert to any threat around each corner but found the house empty. They searched the upstairs and main floor and found nobody.
"The basement." said Lucas "Cinnin is holding her down there waiting for us. It is the only place here that he could be."
"Yes, my old friend. And who knows what awaits us down there, we must be on our guard."
They opened the large oak door to the basement and were faced with a set of stairs that only allowed them to go
down in twos. Surely Cinnin will have a surprise attack at this bottleneck at the bottom of the stairs Lanius thought leading with Lucas at his side.
And so it was, another volley of arrows as they reached the bottom of the stairs. And then a charge of the remaining vampires with swords and axes. Lanius and Lucas landed first at the bottom but Sarasoto, never a patient vampire, leapt above them and swung his big axe through an advancing vampire. The Patriots cut through the few vampires with relative ease and were approaching the archers when Lanius saw Oberon, at the rear, the coward. He charged as fast as he could, thrashing a wound across the belly of an archer before leaping past him and crashing shoulder first into Oberon, knocking him to the ground.
"You are a coward, Oberon." he said.
"Maybe, but it is not only me who dies today!" he stood with a mighty thrust of his sword. Lanius parried, stepped aside and then swung his sword, taking Oberon's head. The ashes piled on the floor in front of him, Lanius smiled.
Now the hallway allowed them to go three across and they searched each door. And in the third door they found her. Diana, bound to a concrete slab, naked. Lanius rushed to her side.
"Are you hurt, my love?" he asked
"I knew that you would come for me. Cinnin is bent on killing you and taking over the country as King with no Council."
"I know of his treason, we have killed many to get to you."
"Lucas took off his cloak and wrapped it around Diana once she was free from her shackles.
"Wait here, my love. I have unfinished business here." said Lanius and he led his men down the hallway again. They reached a large door at the end of the hallway and pushed it open. Inside was a large room that had stocks for many weapons which now littered the front of the property with the ashes of slain vampires. Cinnin sat alone at a long table drinking from a golden goblet.
"I've been expecting you, Lanius. In seeing you before me can I assume that my army is no more?"
"Yes, old friend. You have no-one left to protect you from my blade."
"Quite the contrary, it is you who needs protecting from my blade." Cinnin stood and picked up his large two bladed axe from the table before him.
"Will you fight me one on one or will you command your Patriots to cut me down?"
"I will face you, Cinnin. And I will end this. Your betrayal ends today."
Lanius stepped forward with his sword in front of him. Cinnin stepped casually toward him. The other Patriots stood just inside the doorway watching. The two old friends approached each other slowly, studying each other. Cinnin raised his axe and Lanius prepared for his swing.
"I nearly killed you once." he said "and you fled from me, leaving your precious Diana helpless."
"Yes I fled, but not just from you. You attacked me with a gang. Now it is just the two of us. Diana is safe now and you shall die today."
Cinnin swung his giant axe and Lanius parried but the force of the blow drove him back. He was on his heels as Cinnin spun to swing again. Lanius dodged a thrust for his head just barely and swung his sword forward. He felt the resistance of Cinnin's armor and no more. He stepped backwards and Cinnin advanced again.
Another mighty swing toward his head and Lanius crouched, then jammed his sword into his old friend's side, at the chink in the armor. He felt the soft resistance of flesh on his blade and smiled as he rolled to his side.
"You are powerful but slow, Cinnin. And now you are wounded."
"Wounded or not I will have your ashes at my feet soon enough!" He charged forward with another arcing swing
of his huge axe. Lanius rolled again to the right and then stood. Before Cinnin could bring the heavy axe around again, he leapt into the air and with a spin took the head off of his old friend. Cinnin's ashes fell in a heap at Lanius' feet.
"Good bye old friend." he said. He was truly sad at this loss. He looked toward his other Patriots, now numbering only nine plus Diana.
"Today is a day of great sadness my Patriots." he said and dropped his sword with a loud, bouncing clang echoing in the hall behind them.