Chapter 17: Ashes of the Barony
The dawn seeped slowly into the forest. Pale silver shafts broke through the thick canopy to spill across the forest floor. The fight had ended, but the forest itself had not yet settled.
The migration continued.
Watching the movement of the creatures from their position on the hill above the ruins, Archie and Seraphine observed the flowing stream of life that began to pour from the trees. It wasn't a chaotic flow; it was a tide. With bristling fur the wolves darted across the forest floor in packs, winged beasts glided through the treetops like black shadows weaving through the trunks, crawling creatures slithered over roots and rock with their twisting bodies making a scratching sound that filled the air. Thousands of them. None of them slowing down, the forest floor was a moving river rushing toward the city.
Archie tightened the grip he had on his sword strapped to his shoulder and glanced at Seraphine. "So the whole forest has been called to invade the city then," he stated.
They waited until the larger migrations passed, then carefully slipped down the hill. Moving through the forest was treacherous. The migration had left devastation in its path, branches and nests littered the floor and claw marks tore open the sides of the trees. The forest was wounded.
Carefully, Archie made his way alongside Seraphine. At times small monsters, like stray dogs, broke from the tide and ambled toward them through the trees. At those times Archie would move forward without a thought. His sword came alive. The first wolf leaped. Archie spun and drove his blade through the creature before it landed, a perfect, clean, controlled move. Seraphine watched silently, he was nowhere near as hesitant as he was just a few days ago. The next beast rushed at him, but Archie was ready, sword to bone, steel ringing, and the creature collapsed at his feet. He breathed a slow breath and wiped his sword clean.
"You're improving," Seraphine remarked as they continued.
Archie gave a slight shrug. "Not enough."
They moved deeper into the forest, the minutes ticking away and Seraphine's growing apprehension reaching fever pitch. She could feel it in the air, a faint pressure pushing against her senses, the faint movement of something vast and old somewhere in the distance.
Finally they reached a clearing, and both stopped. The floor was carpeted with the corpses of creatures. Wolves, winged beasts and hulking armored giants even larger than the one they'd encountered the night before all lay scattered about. Every single one of them had been killed.
Archie stepped slowly into the clearing. "This… wasn't done by us."
Seraphine's gaze darkened. "No." She knelt beside a wolf and touched the side of its skull. It was crushed inward, a violent testament to an impossible strength. Not torn or ripped. Crushed. Something unimaginably strong had struck the creature just once and ended the fight. Rising slowly, Seraphine realized something far worse than the migrating beasts had passed through here. The air in the clearing was heavy with the stench of blood and upturned soil. Archie began stepping carefully between the dead beasts, examining the scene. Some had been thrown across the clearing, as if they weighed nothing; others had deep, horrifying fractures running through their bodies. There were no signs of swords, arrows or hunting knives. Nothing. Crouching beside the body of a wolf, Archie pointed. "Just one hit," he murmured.
Seraphine nodded. "Just one." Archie stood slowly. "Whatever did this was strong," he stated. "Extremely," she replied. She began to walk further into the clearing, spreading her senses, closing her eyes for a moment, sensing the faint traces of something in the air. A strange echo of power. Old. Ancient. Not the scent of vampire, or hunter or any creature that she knew. Opening her eyes slowly, "This power," she whispered.
"Do you recognize it?" Archie asked.
Seraphine frowned. "No." The answer unsettled her. She was ancient herself, and very few forces could elude her recognition. Yet this was strange. Alien. Belonging to an era long before her age.
Archie scanned the clearing once more. "Do you think whatever did this is controlling the migration?" he asked.
Seraphine didn't answer, but the thought hung heavy between them. Suddenly Archie froze, standing on top of a fallen tree trunk, staring out toward the distant horizon. Seraphine followed his gaze and, in the far distance, could see the outline of stone walls. The outer walls of the city. And the first monsters were just reaching them.
They found shelter in the shell of an old watchtower, not far from the edge of the forest. The stone walls were partially collapsed but offered protection from the wind. Beyond the trees the migration streamed ever onward, and occasionally the distant roars of monsters could be heard echoing across the hills toward the city. For the first time since the whole nightmare started, neither of them moved. Archie leaned back against the cold stone, rubbing the back of his neck. "I never thought I'd see anything like this," he said. Seraphine rested against one of the ruined pillars, watching the trees with an intense stare. "This is not normal," she replied. "Good to know," Archie mumbled. Seraphine gave a slight smile, then silence fell. After a while, Archie spoke again. "You mentioned vampires and vampire wars before..." he began. Seraphine's expression grew distant, "Yes," she replied. "What were they like?" she asked, looking at the distance for a long moment before speaking again, "Destructive." She paused, then continued,
"Vampire nobles control vast lands. Each barony with its own domain has its own forces and its own strength. When these Barons go to war the consequences for their regions are immense." Archie studied her face, "And you're one of them," he stated. She nodded. "That would explain why you look ready to take the world by storm," he mused. Seraphine didn't answer directly; she turned towards him.
"You've changed since I first met you, Archie." he let out a small laugh, "I'd hope so. A week ago I couldn't even hold a sword properly." Seraphine blinked slowly. "That's not what I meant." He tilted his head. She stepped closer, her voice dropping slightly. "There is something unusual about you, Archie," she whispered. He sighed, "You're still on about that?" "Yes," she said, and examined him with a quiet gaze. "And yet, for reasons I can't quite explain, I trust you." Archie's jaw dropped. "That's probably the nicest thing you've said to me so far," he whispered. Seraphine almost smiled again. The two sat in silence, warriors in a ruined tower while a horde of monsters marched toward a distant city. For a brief moment the world felt eerily still. Then Archie noticed it. A column of smoke rising beyond the forest, directly above the territory controlled by Seraphine. His gaze slowly shifted, and his expression changed. "Seraphine." She followed his gaze and saw it too. The smoke grew thicker, black plumes rising to blot out the morning sky. The city was burning and under attack.
They didn't waste another moment.
The instant Seraphine caught sight of smoke billowing from her barony, she was already gone. Archie snatched up his sword and ran as she launched herself from the remains of the watchtower and darted toward the city.
The world rushed past them.
Seraphine moved faster than anything he had ever seen, her lithe form weaving between trees as a shadow would. Archie pushed his legs harder than he ever had in his life.
Even the air felt different, it was heavy.
The war had come.
As they neared the edge of the barony's outer lands, the initial signs of fighting became clear.
A small stone farm house stood at the edge of the forest.
Or what was left of one.
The roof was crushed inward, its wooden beams charred black. A blackened circle marred the surrounding fields, the earth scorched black like a wound.
Archie slowed as they jogged past. "This was done recently."
Seraphine didn't break stride. "Likely this morning."
They ran onward.
With each step, the evidence of violence became more apparent.
Broken wagons were scattered across the road.
Parts of the farmland were ripped open, the earth gouged out by large claws. The carcasses of monsters lay everywhere wolves, crawling beasts, winged fiends.
But they weren't the only ones.
A few yards in front of them lay a figure sprawled in the middle of the road.
A vampire.
His armor was broken in many places, his body contorted at an unnatural angle. One hand was still clenched around the shaft of a broken spear.
Archie slowed.
Seraphine stopped beside the corpse.
Silence for a moment.
Her territory had been attacked, her soldiers had fought and many of them had died.
She slowly turned and looked at Archie. "We were too late for this battle," she said quietly as her face darkened.
Archie looked at the smoke rising against the distant horizon. "But maybe not for the next one."
They ran onward.
Soon, the outer streets of the barony began to appear from between the trees.
Stone roads.
Collapsed buildings.
Fire still burning in the wreckage of homes and stalls. Evidence of the battle was everywhere.
A river of corpses lined the road leading into the barony square.
Some belonged to monsters.
Others belonged to vampires but the majority was that of vampires.
The fighting had clearly been desperate. But there was something unnatural about the scene. Many of the monsters had been torn to shreds by sheer force.
They were not burned, or cut but were crushed.
The skin of the monsters had the same marks they had seen in the clearing.
Seraphine's face darkened she felt that presence again. That ancient power that instilled fear in her very being. They ran on in silence until the great gates to the barony finally appeared.
Or what was left of them.
The large iron gates had been blown inward, twisted and mangled like toys. The entrance to Seraphine's territory laid open.
They passed through the wrecked gates.
Archie gasped.
The barony was gone. Streets were reduced to piles of stone. Buildings had been flattened to the ground. Fires still flickered in places, thin pillars of smoke rising toward the sky. It looked like a giant had taken a swing at it with a hammer.
Seraphine walked forward slowly. Each step seemed heavier than the one before her home, her barony, her responsibility. Were now reduced to ruin.
They passed through the former market square. Stalls had been tipped over. Frames lay shattered on the ground. The corpses of monsters were piled in a heap near the center of the square, their bodies mangled. Archie knelt beside one of them. "This one was killed by a sword." Seraphine nodded. "By my soldiers." A few feet away, another monster lay flat on the road. It had been crushed, its rib cage shattered. "That was definitely not a sword," Archie stated. "No," Seraphine said quietly. She looked around the scene. Some of the destruction was from the monster invasion.
Claw marks scored the stone walls. Buildings had been ripped open. But other damage was different. Whole sections of the city looked like they had been hit by some otherworldly force. Buildings had been crushed inward. Stone pillars snapped. Something extremely powerful had been present. Seraphine finally reached the center of the square. For a long moment, she stood there. The wind whistled through the broken streets. Ash drifted in the air. Her barony had fallen. Archie walked up beside her. They stood in silence. In the distance, through the broken rooftops, they could see the skyline of the larger vampire city. Fire rose against the sky. The invasion had just begun. Seraphine stared at the burning horizon as an immerse killing aura was being released from her body, an aura so immerse the air around her looked bloody.
Somewhere within that city… A hunter had arrived. Abraham Van Helsing had begun his hunt and he was been controlled by the Vampire Viscount Duncan