Screaming. Panic. People running. A gargoyle stepped in to restore order, but Victoria intercepted it. The blonde caught it from behind and wrenched its neck so hard that it shattered.

  "Don't let the gargoyles warn the others," she commanded, then pointed. "Gerard, ground them!"

  Gerard waved his hand over the journal on the ground. Inky aberrations were summoned that leapt for the remaining gargoyles. The creatures fell to the ground as their wings were restrained and tried to crawl away.

  Mike's ears were ringing, the moment briefly frozen in time as he took it all in. Victoria, standing over the shattered remnants of the gargoyle, turned toward Charlotte.

  "What are you waiting for?" she asked. "Go round up the children while we take care of these peasants."

  "These peasants are my children," Charlotte decred, then turned into a whirling mass of cloth as she tackled Victoria out of the clearing.

  "Cerberus!" Mike spun toward the hellhound, who was already on their feet. He pointed at Decima, whose limbs had elongated to triple their original proportions, making her look like a genderbent Slenderman. "Get the stick."

  Cerberus took three steps forward, their body erupting in fme as they transformed into their original form. Screams of terror died in the throats of the vilgers as the sudden appearance of the hellhound overwhelmed them. Cerberus spped Decima off of the gargoyle with a paw, one head howling as the others bit down on Decima's arms.

  The vampyr shrieked with rage and broke free, but Cerberus grabbed her by the leg and trapped her under a paw. The hellhound snorted, smoke coming from their nostrils, but fire never came. Vilgers were still running in every direction, and it was clear that Cerberus didn't want to torch someone by accident. It took all three heads to maintain a grip on the vampyr as Cerberus dragged them away.

  "Gerard!" Mike yelled to get the vampyr's attention. The man looked up, dark circles under his eyes as he appraised Mike. "Back down. Your sister and I are working together. You should help us."

  Gerard paused for a moment, then sneered. "She is not fit to lead, and neither are you." He made a hand gesture and a spider-like being made of ink yanked its way free of the journal. "Take him to the castle," Gerard commanded.

  The ink spider leapt at Mike, but he casually grabbed it by the threads holding it together and pulled. The spider burst, showering the ground in thin lines of glossy ink. "That won't work on me."

  Gerard hissed, revealing his fangs, then charged. A vision was triggered, and Mike got a momentary look at a future where Gerard had ripped off half of his face.

  With a surge of power, he summoned a magical shield in front of his head. Gerard's hand smmed into it, the fingers cracking like dry twigs. The vampyr sneered and lunged again, but a second vision prompted Mike to summon a final barrier at the st moment.

  They were at an impasse. While Mike could easily deflect or dismantle Gerard's attacks, he had no proper counter of his own, not without draining his own reserves dry.

  Gerard made another attempt on Mike, this time leaping into the air to come down from above. A whip made of bones wrapped around the creature's legs and yanked him back to the ground where Sofia immediately began her assault. Excalibur darted in and out as Gerard dodged every strike, still too fast to be hit.

  "Can you hold him in pce or something?" asked Sofia.

  "I'm tryin'," muttered Suly. "Like tryin' to swat a mosquito while drunk."

  Charlotte. Mike sent a thought to the vampyr. Your brother is being difficult.

  There was a pause, followed by a grunt of pain. Then kill him, Charlotte replied. I have seen him commit atrocities that will haunt me evermore and can only hope my new family will be better. Save my children first.

  "Cecilia!" Mike turned to the banshee, who was helping a pregnant woman to her feet. "Sing!"

  She cocked her head inquisitively, then nodded. The banshee csped her hands together and became incorporeal, her bck dress falling to the ground through her body. She opened her mouth and sang, her body now luminescent as she hovered into the air.

  Though hers was a song of sadness, it immediately had a calming effect on the vilgers. Stunned, they watched in awe as Cecilia sang to them, her voice echoing off the distant homes.

  Mike used his magic to rip apart the inky aberrations holding the gargoyles in pce. Before any of them could fly off, he pointed at Gerard. "Someone needs to hold him down!"

  Two of the gargoyles ignored Mike and immediately flew toward the castle to warn their tribe. A third seemed to recognize the difficulty of the task at hand and flew into the air and circled.

  Sofia, Sulyvahn, and Gerard were now in a dance of death, none of them properly able to wound the other. Eventually, the gargoyle smmed down onto Gerard from above, the vampyr hissing like a trapped snake as Suly and Sofia moved in. The dulhan's whip ripped the skin from Gerard's face, and the vampyr raised his hands to cover his eyes.

  Excalibur slid easily through both forearms and Gerard's neck. The vampyr's body continued to fight as a dark mass of tendrils squirmed free of Gerard's head in an attempt to walk around and find his body.

  The gargoyle saw this, grabbed Gerard's head by the hair and took off into the air. The gargoyle made a wide loop over the void before dropping its dangerous cargo.

  "I hate this," Sofia shouted as Gerard's body freed itself and stumbled about. Gerard's hands were now crawling across the ground in an attempt to reconnect with the main body. Sulyvahn snatched the hands in his whip and pulled them away from the body, throwing them into the sea in the process where the fish would eat them.

  "Are we leavin' the body?" he asked. "I don' want it to be hurtin' nobody."

  Cerberus padded back into the clearing with blood on their maws, pausing for just a moment to contempte Gerard's body. One head snatched up Gerard's body and crunched on it a few times before swallowing.

  "Decima?" asked Mike.

  The hellhound transformed back into their human form. For a moment, Mike wondered if her stomach would bulge out with Gerard’s body. "Bitch. Got. Away," Cerberus replied.

  "Damn." He looked at the vilgers, who were all still listening to Cecilia. Mike moved beneath the banshee and raised his hand to touch her foot.

  "Good job, Cecilia."

  The banshee stopped her song and smiled down at him. “A ghrá.”

  "Cecilia?" asked a man with blood on his face. It took a moment, but Mike recognized Finley. "Her name is Cecilia?"

  "The true Cecilia," Mike replied. He looked at the people still gathered. "She is the one who sings my family to the afterlife when they pass."

  "Then, you are..." Finley stared at Mike.

  "Yeah. Vincentius' lies were based somewhat in truth. I am the Caretaker, and I am quite real." He turned to look at everyone else. "I am also working with Lady Charlotte. She is no longer under Vincentius' control."

  There was muttering from the crowd, combined with looks of unease. A woman in the crowd raised a hand.

  "Is the new breeding program still in effect?" she asked.

  "What? No!" Mike shook his head.

  "Shit," she muttered.

  "Listen. The visions you saw were disturbing, but they were real," Mike continued. "This pce that you call home is little more than a feedlot for Vincentius and the other vassals. I should mention that Charlotte herself has never consumed any of your people, she loves you far too much. If we can defeat Vincentius, then I can take you to a better life."

  "Better how?" asked someone in the crowd.

  "Well, you won't be eaten,"Mike replied.

  "And ye'll live much longer than thirty to forty," Sulyvahn replied. "Healthy livin' will see you to eighty or higher."

  "Eighty!" This was from Taylor. "People can live until eighty?!"

  "Sometimes even a hundred," said Mike. "But the first step is to get you all to safety. I promised Charlotte that you all would come first. The vassals may still try to come for you, or even your kids. Gather your families, friends, and neighbors and let's take them somewhere safe."

  "So we can be sughtered!" shouted someone hidden in the back. "We can't trust this man!"

  "You can," said Charlotte as she stepped back into the clearing. "And we don't have time to argue. Vincentius is already gathering the thralls and vassals to come back and wipe you out. All this time, I wish I could have helped you, truly helped, but I was powerless to do so. This is it, my children, your actual shot at a better future. They took your parents from you when you were children, and are about to deliver the same fate to your own offspring, or even worse."

  "Then we should fight," said Taylor. "We can help! What should we do?"

  "You should listen," said Mike. "Please. We're already against insurmountable odds, and won't be able to protect you if you come. Don't make this battle even harder for us."

  The vilgers exchanged several looks, and it became clear there was already some dissension. Charlotte cajoled a few while the remaining gargoyle agreed to help protect those who listened.

  At the castle, a swarm of gargoyles was now circling high overhead. Mike could only hope that they were choosing to help out instead of fleeing.

  "Mo mhuirnín." Cecilia took Mike by the hand. "She's still alive."

  The banshee pointed, then led him in the direction to where Nyx had been tossed. He followed, and the two of them knelt down over Nyx, whose eyes gazed into the sky unfocused.

  "Nyx?" Mike slid his hand underneath her head as if to lift her, and was surprised at how light she was.

  "I am dying, Caretaker." Her voice came in gasps. She smiled vaguely in his direction. "I have erred."

  "Yeah, you did." He shook his head. "What were you even trying to accomplish?"

  "To expose Vincentius," she replied. "To force the others to see him as he truly is, to embarrass him in front of his flock. He deserves to know shame."

  "The man doesn't care about all that," Mike replied. "If he was Fae, maybe it would have worked. But he used to be a man, just a regur human. It’s rare to find one of those who cares what others think."

  "And now I pay the price." Nyx sighed. "I should have known better, but was too blinded by my own rage."

  "At what?" Mike asked.

  "You." Nyx lifted a hand and touched his cheek. "Because you id with the vampyr and chose a walking corpse over me."

  "Why does it even matter?" Mike asked. "I thought you hated the idea of a mortal and a fae being together. You look down on us, see us as trivial. I don't get why it should have mattered to you so much. It wasn’t that I chose her over you. What happened with Charlotte had nothing to do with you at all. And let’s be honest. Do you even feel that way about me?"

  "No," she admitted. "A certain crity comes to the dying. It was never really about attraction, romance, or even the thrills of the flesh. I was so angry because you chose her over me."

  "You already said that," Mike muttered.

  "I was mad because I couldn't understand why," Nyx whispered. "What makes her so special? What makes her better than your own kind?" Her body was becoming even lighter in his arms.

  "You're not making any sense, now." Mike frowned at Cecilia, but the banshee only had eyes for Nyx. The banshee sang softly under her breath, her voice slowly getting louder as the Fae Princess faded.

  "Why did you choose them, father?" Tears welled up in her eyes now. "Why did you... choose them... over... us?"

  The Fae Princess stared into eternity as her body dissolved into starlight, leaving behind only her clothing in Mike's hands. He gently set the garments on the ground, noticing at once how smooth and soft it was. Mike gently touched the hole in the front of the blouse.

  "This was never about me after all," he muttered.

  Cecilia put her hand on his. "My kind aren't chaotic because they want to be," she said. "What many see as whimsy is just our nature. Even we don't understand why we do the things we do."

  "You never seemed that way to me," Mike replied.

  "I have a job," Cecilia said with a smile. "A purpose. Those like Nyx lost theirs long ago."

  "That's not all they lost," he replied as he folded Nyx's clothes into a bundle. It now occurred to him exactly what Sofia and Cecilia's dress had been made from. Clothing left behind by those who had been in charge of Avalon. It was likely all that remained of them.

  If nothing else, he would return these clothes to Nyx's sisters. It was the least he could do.

  Behind him, he could hear the vilgers organising and going with the gargoyle. Charlotte and Sofia approached, both of them looking at the garments in his hands.

  "She's gone, then." Sofia let out a sigh. "I have mixed feelings."

  "Same," Mike admitted, then looked at Charlotte. "Your brother is dead... ish."

  The woman nodded. "I wish it could have been otherwise. His heart was broken many years ago when the man he loved never came for him. When you dream of eternity with someone and they turn their back, it can change you. My real brother has been dead for some time, you just finally id him to rest."

  Mike thought of the head falling down the hole and shivered. With any luck, Gerard was actually dead and wasn't going to slowly starve or whatever. He looked at Sofia. "I can't believe Vincentius survived a beheading."

  "Neither can I," said Sofia. "There was a tiny fp of skin in the front of his throat that held his head on. When he shifted to block the strike, that was all it took. Otherwise, his head would be on the ground."

  "Which doesn't mean as much as I would like it to." Mike looked at Charlotte. "Any other ideas on how to kill your old boss?"

  Charlotte shook her head. "I have none."

  Mike turned to look at Cerberus, who was staring into the darkness and growling. "Well, I guess we see if Cerberus can toast the fucker once we y him out. Maybe if you cut enough pieces off the bastard, he’ll hold still.”

  Sofia frowned. “I hate to say this, but I have doubts that’ll even work. The father of all vampyr-kind surely has some asinine trick up his sleeves.”

  “Then we should cut those off first.”

  Charlotte moved behind Mike and tugged on his sleeve to get his attention. “We need to get everyone to safety,” she said. “The current school was designed to be locked down if another purge was ever needed. It won’t protect them from the vampyr, but… sometimes the illusion of safety is better than nothing.”

  “Can’t we just chase them down now?” asked Sofia.

  “They are faster than you and know the terrain,” Charlotte replied. “Spreading out will only make us more vulnerable. Let us gather in one pce and decide on next steps together.”

  The cyclops nodded and looked at Mike. “I can agree with that,” she admitted.

  “Fine.” Mike looked at the others. “Charlotte, lead the way. Cecilia, please keep singing as we go. I want others in the vilge to hear us and maybe join up. Suly and Cerberus, you keep your eyes peeled for trouble and other survivors.”

  While a few vilgers left of their own accord, the rest followed Mike. They did a slow march through the town so that people could gather up their children, many who had already fallen asleep. Charlotte attempted to plead with those who wouldn’t come with them, but agreed to move on in order to protect the rger group.

  Mike could see the pain in Charlotte’s eyes every time they had to leave someone behind, and it was easily doubled if there were children involved. Maternal emotions crept across their newly forged bond, and he had to mentally distance himself in order to stick with the current pn.

  A couple of times, they heard screams from the surrounding countryside, but they didn’t dare investigate them. Over the course of an hour, they finally arrived at the school. Charlotte revealed a secret doorway in the back that led to an underground area with alcoves carved into stone that could serve as beds. Sleepy children were guided to these alcoves, many of them still clutching bnkets and home-sewn stuffed animals.

  Once the little ones were safe, the grown-ups proceeded upstairs. Inside the building, people were busy muttering and getting comfortable as Lady Charlotte assuaged their fears. Mike and Sofia stood by the partially open front door, staring out into the darkness.

  "We’re done with the vilgers,” she said. “So what's the py?"

  "Good question," Mike replied. "Vincentius said something about war. Do you remember how many thralls he had?"

  She shook her head. "I’ve seent, at most, twenty. That doesn't quite make an army."

  Mike did some quick mental math. "Thralls with the vassals will already be difficult enough. And that's assuming the gargoyles aren't buying what our pal Vinny is selling."

  "Surely they won't." Sofia paused to consider her words. "Then again, the man has been gaslighting everyone for decades."

  "Likely centuries," Mike added. "That, and here's something to consider. Last time he purged everything, he killed the gargoyles who weren't affected by the memory wipe. So does that mean the gargoyles here are more susceptible to magic?"

  "I would have to assume so," Sofia replied. "Abel would be able to tell you more, I'm sure."

  Mike sighed. "This bullshit with the Fae has kept anyone else from coming here to help out. I can't wait to see the look on their faces when I inform them that Nyx was murdered because they cut us off."

  "Do you think they'll care?" Sofia asked.

  "Honestly? I don't know." Mike looked over at Cecilia, who was busy singing to a group of scared teenagers. Their parents had never made it home, and the teens had been home watching younger siblings. "If anything, I fully expect some of them to bme me for it. That seems to be standard Fae operating procedure."

  "Not for all of 'em," said Suly. The dulhan was still dressed in his suit and had a sad smile on his face. "I didn't think ye'd be judgin' us all fer the actions of one of us."

  "I'm just trying to understand your kind is all," Mike said. "Things at home are pretty bad between us and them, so it's easy for me to forget that they're your family, too."

  Sulyvahn contempted the words and nodded. "Family is complicated. It be more than just blood that ties the Fae together. We were made from Old Magick, ye know. The stuff that was around long before yer world were even created."

  "What does that even mean?" Mike asked. "Old Magick, and the time before Earth and all that."

  "I weren't there in the beginning, as mortals weren't around," Sulyvahn admitted. "But the Queen still tapped into that well to make us, all the same. I've 'eard other Fae describe it like paradise, while others told stories of living nightmares. It be a lot like yer Dreamscape, from what I've been told."

  "Or maybe it's the same pce," said Sofia. "I've actually seen some theses on the matter in the Library. What humans refer to as the Astral Pne may just be the origin of all things, woven into each of us just like chaos is woven into the Fae."

  Mike shivered. It would certainly expin the dark things that swam in the waters of his mind. Maybe the Fae were simply the opposite of the Others, both sides competing for some weird, non-Euclidean territory that encompassed all of...whatever.

  Honestly, the thought made his brain hurt.

  "Back to the pn." Sofia gestured out the door. "Are we all going to the castle or not?"

  "I am hesitant," said Charlotte, who approached the group while holding a young child. "Leaving my children here puts them at risk."

  "But anyone capable of protecting them is also needed at the castle," Mike countered. He looked out the door toward the sky. "Let's give our new friend Orthos ten more minutes."

  Orthos was the gargoyle who helped them kill Gerard. He had flown back to his tribe to let them know what had occurred, but still hadn't returned. Mike really hoped he could convince the stony guardians to help them out, but the fact that neither Sde nor some other representative hadn't arrived to at least make contact didn’t bode well.

  A few minutes ter, a dark splotch in the distant sky flew in their direction, followed by several others.

  Mike's hopes were dashed when Orthos crashed into the ground about a hundred feet short of the school. The gargoyle had cracks across his body, and it was clear he had been beaten.

  "Run!" he yelled, stretching his hand toward Mike. "They killed the others!"

  The others were likely the gargoyles who had refused to help the vilgers and returned to the tribe early. Mike looked into the sky and saw that other gargoyles were already descending, though he couldn't make out their features against the ruddy sky. He was already crossing the yard toward Orthos to help him, and was almost at his side when a vision triggered.

  Mike dodged sideways and tripped as a gargoyle smmed into the ground where he had been standing. Another vision followed, and Mike jumped forward and tucked into a roll that took him away from another gargoyle. Three more followed, each one barely missing him as he shifted about.

  "Stop!" he shouted. "You have to listen to—"

  All five gargoyles opened their mouths, revealing the burning inferno within. Gouts of fme washed over him as people inside the school screamed in terror. Mike gred back at the gargoyles. The fmes crawled across his body, the clothes on his body burning to ash in a matter of seconds leaving him in just his naga undershirt.

  When the fmes receded to reveal that Mike was unharmed, the gargoyles actually flinched.

  "If you're not going to hear me out, I will raise my voice," Mike growled.

  The closest gargoyle to him balled up a fist and used his wings to throw himself forward, the punch aimed for Mike's chest. He slid to the side and barely avoided getting clipped by a wing that would have broken bones.

  Mike released the banshee's scream, causing all of his attackers to grab their ears in agony before falling to the ground. When he finally stopped, the gargoyles groaned and slowly got back to their feet, eying him with caution.

  "Do you hear me now?" he asked.

  All eyes turned on one of the gargoyles, a rge one with skin that reminded Mike of obsidian. This gargoyle sneered at Mike and raised his fists.

  "Tough talk for such a cheap trick," the gargoyle spat.

  "There are five of you and one of him," Mike replied, pointing at Orthos. Sofia was already by the man's side, helping him up. "So you're not really one to talk. I don't know what Vincentius told you, but he did command the others to kill your kin. Victoria herself murdered one of them before everybody's eyes."

  "Who?"

  "The one you know as Cecilia." He gestured over his shoulder to the real Cecilia, who was floating up to him with Excalibur in her hands. "She's the real one. I'm the actual Caretaker."

  "Usurper," muttered on one of the other gargoyles. "Kill him, Gabbria.”

  "I could easily incapacitate all of you," Mike said, taking Excalibur. "And this is sharp enough that I could decapitate you. Your fmes don't hurt me, and you aren't fast enough to take me down. If I have the power to enchant all the men and women in the structure behind me, then what hope do you and your kind even have against me?"

  Gabbria scrutinized Mike for several seconds with a scowl, uncertainty lingering in his glittery eyes.

  "Look. Vincentius is a liar. Surely there have been holes in his story before, or even doubts expressed amongst you. But what if I told you I don't want to hurt your people? In fact, I was hoping to ask if you would protect the humans for me." He pointed at the school. "As long as you swear not to harm them, then we aren't at odds."

  Gabbria stared at him for a bit, his face unreadable.

  Mike sighed. "Look. Even if you say no, I can't let you hurt Orthos anymore. He has done nothing wrong at all, other than seek the safety of his tribe. Please tell me you didn't execute the others who got to you first."

  "Vincentius..." The gargoyle who spoke winced when Gabbria looked at her. "The Caretaker said they had been enchanted, and would infect the rest of us."

  "And you believed him." Mike narrowed his eyes. "How did it feel?"

  "How did what feel?" asked Gabbria.

  "Hearing them beg for their lives?" Mike's tone was now cold, the magic uncoiling from his gut and filling the air. "Listening to your friends die while you blindly obeyed commands."

  At that, a couple of the gargoyles looked away in shame. Gabbria huffed and raised his fists.

  "He's trying to trick us," he sneered. "Don't—"

  Mike stepped forward, casually ducking the punch that came his way, then slid Excalibur along the top of the gargoyle's shoulder, allowing the tip to cut a deep groove in the gargoyle's cheek. The creature froze in shock, his eyes gncing down at the shining bde.

  "I was never the monster here," Mike said quietly. "But if you don't back down, you'll discover that I'm absolutely the worst one to mess with."

  "Gabbria, please," gasped Orthos. "You have to listen to him."

  "No, he doesn't," Mike replied. "The only thing he has to do is leave us alone. My fight is with that piece of shit in the castle who has been keeping me from my family."

  Gabbria studied Mike for several moments, then tilted his head at the others. "I admit I have some doubts of my own as to the truth of events," he admitted.

  "As do I," said the female gargoyle from before. “The elders complied too quickly with the Caretaker’s demands. I wasn’t certain that executing them was the right path at all.”

  One at a time, the gargoyle strike team admitted that none of them were truly comfortable with what had already transpired. They exchanged looks of shared revetion and the tension in the air eased.

  Gabbria slowly lifted his hand to push against the ft of Excalibur's bde, shifting it away from his throat. "We have ever been tasked with defending the castle as well as the people of the vilge," said the gargoyle. "Perhaps... it would be appropriate for us to keep doing so. For the people, that is."

  "And the rest of your tribe?" asked Mike.

  "They will likely confront you at the castle." Gabbria rubbed his finger along the groove in his cheek. He looked over to Orthos, who was limping toward the school. The gargoyle nodded to himself as if making a decision, then looked at Mike. "I will come with you to speak on your behalf."

  "Gabbria, they'll kill you," said the female gargoyle.

  Gabbria shrugged. "Then I will join our brothers, but..." His eyes swept over to where Orthos stood. "I must try."

  "Good." Mike looked at the others. "If we're ready, let's not wait any longer."

  "You're almost naked," said Sofia.

  "Oh. Right." Mike looked down at himself. "I mean...there would be few things more intimidating than a nearly-nude man wielding a legendary sword."

  "Your dick's out, friend." Sulyvahn cpped Mike on the shoulder. "Ye don't want that swingin' about when sharp edges are concerned."

  "Perhaps he could wear a belt," suggested Gabbria. "And strap it to his gut."

  "Pants. I need pants." Mike turned toward the school. "Good thing I know the best tailor ever."

  Though Taylor was, in fact, really good at his job, he couldn't weave cloth from nothing. After some searching, a spare pair of pants was produced and swiftly taken in to sit on Mike's waist without sinking. When they left the vilgers behind with their gargoyle honor guard, Mike only wore his naga undershirt and pants that were wide enough at the legs that he looked like a little kid who had borrowed them from his older brother.

  "Don't your feet hurt?" asked Sofia as they entered the town.

  "Oddly, they don't." Mike looked down at his feet, which were already dirty. "I barely even notice the difference."

  Cecilia hovered nearby, her ghostly form illuminating the walls of nearby buildings. "You could always take to floating," she suggested with a grin.

  "I have some tricks up my sleeve, but that isn't one of them." Mike smiled at her. The banshee had demanded to come along, decring that she intended to follow the two most important men in her life into battle. Cerberus padded silently behind them, sniffing at the buildings as they went. On two occasions, they found terrified people inside, and Charlotte commanded them to join the others at the schoolhouse where they would be safer.

  When they crossed through the vilge square, a figure stood on the edge of the fountain with a sneer fixed on her face.

  "Hello, sister," Victoria said. There was fresh blood around her mouth. "Father is quite displeased with you."

  "As he should be," Charlotte replied, moving to the front of the group. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to step aside and let us go kill him?"

  Victoria snorted. "The only reason any of you are still alive is that magical bde. Father needs to know which of you pulled it from the stone and is God's chosen."

  "None of us are God's chosen," Mike replied. "Or all of us are. Or just those who subscribed to His newsletter."

  Victoria narrowed her eyes. "You seek to confuse."

  "Irritate, actually." Mike held Excalibur back for Sofia to take. "Though I doubt it'll bother you much. Looks like you had a little snacky."

  Victoria grinned and wiped the blood from her mouth. "I like that you still have some fight in you," she said. "It's always boring when my food doesn't fight back."

  "Who was it?" asked Charlotte. "Who did you kill?"

  Victoria shrugged. "Do you think I can tell any of them apart? Unless a family has a particur fvor, I—"

  Charlotte crossed the distance between them in less than a moment, her passing causing Mike's pants to flutter in the breeze. Victoria side-stepped the attack and seized Charlotte by her throat, then lifted her into the air and smmed her into the fountain.

  "No surprises this time, whore!" Victoria looked up at Mike and grinned as Charlotte thrashed in the fountain. "Your chances are running out, human. I promised father I'd bring you in alive, but accidents happen."

  Mike took a step toward the vampyr, then paused when Cecilia apparated next to Victoria, her hair fluttering wildly behind her as if she were caught in a storm. The banshee leaned in as if to kiss the vampyr on the cheek, then opened her mouth unnaturally wide.

  Mike covered his ears as she let loose a piercing wail. Victoria was so startled that she let go of Charlotte and stumbled to the side. Sulyvahn's whip caught Victoria across the torso, digging deep through her blouse to rip the creamy flesh beneath. The vampyr snarled and took a swipe at Cecilia, her cwed fingers passing harmlessly through the spirit.

  Sulyvahn, however, was perfectly corporeal. Victoria shifted in his direction and struck him in the chest so hard that his body flew through the air, leaving his head behind to fall into the fountain.

  "Sister!" Victoria shrieked, and Mike immediately knew that she wasn't referring to Charlotte. He turned and looked up to see Decima in a squat up on top of one of the buildings. Even in a crouch, the woman was almost ten feet tall.

  "Bring it, slenderbitch." Mike summoned his spiders and hurled them through the air. Decima shifted to another roof, her passage tearing loose tiles. In the fountain, Charlotte had recovered enough to grab Victoria by the legs, the two women now wrestling in blood-stained water.

  The spiders wouldn't hurt Decima, but the vampyr clearly didn't know that. Mike repeated the process, then called to Cerberus. "She's all yours!"

  The hellhound turned around and widened their legs, all three heads locked onto the vampyr. Decima grinned, her jaw splitting in the middle and ccking in anticipation.

  Cerberus' side heads aimed to the left, sending jets of hellfire to both sides of Decima, trapping her in the middle. The vampyr balked, then leapt into the air when the middle head attempted to torch her.

  In mid-air, Decima tumbled about and made to nd on her feet. Cerberus leapt over the roof of the house, locking onto Decima. Mike heard them collide on the other side of the building, followed by growling and shrieks of rage.

  Figuring Cerberus had the vampyr well in hand, he turned his attention back to the fountain. Sofia stood nearby, Excalibur held up in a guarded position. This proved fruitful when Victoria unched herself out of the water, her face a mask of rage.

  Sofia's eye fshed, and she slipped to the side and brought Excalibur up to deflect a follow up attack from the extra hand. Victoria struck out several more times before Mike could make it to Sofia's side with the bde of the Order. He flicked it out as he ran, making a lightsaber sound out of habit, then tried to stab Victoria through the heart.

  The vampyr dodged, and Mike's mind was suddenly packed with troubling visions. They cascaded as he reacted to the first one, narrowly avoiding an eye-poke that would have shattered his skull, followed by having his jaw dislocated, and then an arm removed. The three of them entered into a deadly dance where neither Sofia or Mike could properly strike her, nor could she hit them hard enough to matter.

  Victoria changed her tactics and went to disarm them. As Sofia slid in with Excalibur she froze when Victoria caught it in her hand. She did the same with Mike's sword, too, then yanked both bdes away from them.

  Cecilia appeared behind Victoria, her hands spped across the vampyr's eyes. Victoria grabbed Cecilia, but the banshee vanished just as Charlotte broke free of the water, yanking on Victoria's ankles as she stood.

  The vampyr fell face first into the fountain as both Mike and Sofia ran to retrieve their weapons. Gabbria joined the fray, his wings fring wide as he attempted to pin the vampyr down.

  "What happened to not getting involved?" Mike shouted.

  "She said they all taste the same!" Gabbria shouted back as he rained blows down on Victoria's skull.

  Victoria squirmed free of Gabbria's grasp, then reached up and grabbed onto one of his wings, the stone crumbling beneath her grip.

  Sofia stepped in with Excalibur and swiped upward, separating Victoria's hand from the rest of her body. It still held onto the wing, but was no longer able to properly crush it.

  Somewhere beyond the houses, there was a loud ripping sound followed by a shriek of absolute pain. It was Decima's voice.

  Victoria freed herself from both Charlotte and Gabbria and leapt out of the water, her stump still bleeding. She didn't look back as she sprinted away toward the castle.

  "Holy shit," Mike muttered, moving to sit on the edge of the fountain. His heart was pounding so fast it felt like he might pass out. "That was close."

  "You're telling me." Sofia gestured at her dress. Several gashes were bleeding through the fabric. "Her fingers were like razors."

  "Are you okay?" Mike asked.

  She shrugged. "I've had worse papercuts."

  To the side, Cecilia reappeared. She knelt down and pulled Sulyvahn's head from the water, then handed it back to his body. The body grabbed Sulyvahn by the hair and gave the head a few good swings to expel all the water from Suly's head.

  "No, don' mind me," he muttered as he stuck his head back on. "Ol' Suly needed to wash 'is hair anyway."

  "Sorry, man." Mike climbed out of the fountain and stopped to help Sofia step out. "Vampyr problems."

  "Aye."

  Mike offered a hand to Charlotte next, then watched as Gabbria stepped out of the fountain on the other side, grumbling to himself. Cerberus padded around the corner with three bloody muzzles and the corpse of Decima being carried in two separate mouths.

  The hellhound spat out Decima's torso first, then her legs. Mike winced, but didn't step back. He noticed that the vampyr's head was nowhere to be seen and could only assume Cerberus had eaten it.

  "Do you think vampyr meat is bad for you?" he asked. "I'd hate for you to barf all of this up ter."

  Cerberus shrugged.

  "How did she get... this way?" Sofia asked, gesturing at Decima's still twitching limbs. The vampyr's body made Mike think of a rge grasshopper.

  "During her first feeding, she was so hungry that she attempted to shove an entire human down her throat," said Charlotte. "The first feeding determines how the vampyr develops. Her body acclimated."

  "Interesting," Sofia mused, looking from Mike to Charlotte. "Why do you think that is?"

  "Honestly?" Mike looked away from the mess on the ground. "Powerful magic always needs a direction. Look at Vincentius. Asshole decided to be a dick about stabbing a guy on a cross, and he's a massive dick now."

  Sofia rolled her eye and sighed. "I was hoping for a more academic discussion, but I should know better by now."

  "When we get home, we can all dress up in fancy clothes and drink tea whilst discussing the evolution of vampyr until we're drunk on our own theories." Mike caught movement out of the corner of his eyes. It was Decima's arms trying to crawl in a random direction. "Wow. I hate it."

  "Two down, friend." Sulyvahn smirked. "Three to go."

  "Yeah, that's what I'm worried about." Mike could see the main spire of the castle between the roofs of the houses. "These two were either sent to slow us down, or Vincentius underestimated us."

  "It's probably the tter," said Charlotte. "He has seen no man as his equal for many centuries. No mortal man, anyway."

  "It's hard to know when to go all out." He tried to colpse his Order bde and was puzzled when it only went halfway. He turned it horizontal to study it, his eyes going wide. "Shit. That bitch bent my sword."

  "Yet another reason ye shouldn'a go stickin' yer weapon in strange women," Suly suggested. Cecilia punched him in the shoulder.

  "Guess I'll make it work," Mike said.

  "Without the lightsaber sounds," Sofia added.

  "Fine."

  ---

  The Queen of the Fae sat on her throne, her eyes steady as she watched the Faerie Court become packed with attendees. Over the years, the Seelie and Unseelie Court had both expanded at simir rates, and the structure had expanded to fit.

  Her golden eyes scanned the crowd, hoping to spot a sympathetic face or even a polite smile. Instead, all she saw was hunger. Her own children were hungry to see her successfully deposed, and the only reason it hadn’t happened sooner was likely because neither the Seelie or Unseelie had been willing to agree on her potential successor.

  Though thousands of Fae were filling their seats, many of them now being brought light snacks and drinks by their servants, the volume never grew above softly spoken words. Once the proceedings began, the enchantment on this pce would allow everyone to hear every single word spoken or shared.

  Aware that she was under intense scrutiny, she didn’t dare acknowledge the shattered throne beside her. Many years ago, she had destroyed it in both anger and despair. Her own husband had taken the burden of reconnecting the Fae and mortal realms upon himself. The Fae would be hard pressed to fully understand why they couldn’t be disconnected from the mortal realm any longer, and they certainly wouldn’t listen to the expnation from the Queen. She was no longer trusted, a consequence of what seemed to be favorable treatment of a certain Caretaker.

  Even now, she could feel his mind connected to the back of her own, and it took every fiber in her being not to send her spirit to the man’s Dreamscape. It was sure to be noticed by someone in attendance, and they would decre Mike an enemy of the Fae for corrupting her.

  The Queen thought fondly of the souls residing in Mike’s head, and cautiously wished that she could at least spend one more evening poking around his head and hearing stories from Amymone, or flying the skies with Abel and Lily. Talking spellcraft with Ratu and Yuki was always a treat, even if she couldn’t reveal Old Magick to them.

  Mike’s soul had become her refuge, a pce of respite from all the fighting and political backstabbing of the Court. She felt bad about the situation his family was now in because of her actions, and it all came down to that bastard who had left her behind to become a world-renowned pop star.

  Cursing her dead husband, she continued to watch as the seats of the Court filled while her own children pnned her demise.

  ---

  When the group turned the corner, allowing them a view of the bridge over the crevasse, Sofia could see that it was lined with over a dozen gargoyles. Standing in the middle was Gahad in full knight regalia, complete with a white shield bearing a red cross.

  "What a warm welcome," Mike said in a staged whisper.

  "It's just a few gargoyles and a knight of the round table," she replied sarcastically. "Not a problem at all."

  "Hold on," said Gabbria as he pushed his way forward. "Let me talk to my people first."

  Every gargoyle on the bridge swiveled their heads to look at Gabbria.

  "My brothers and sisters," Gabbria decred, his wings fring wide. At first, Mike thought it was for dramatic effect, but then he realized it acted simir to a bullhorn. With the sensitive hearing of the gargoyles, maybe this was a way for them to communicate across long distances.

  "I have witnessed firsthand the treachery of the vassals," Gabbria continued, pausing to point at the hand still clinging to his wing. "And while we have been told of a plot to discredit and suppnt the Caretaker, I firmly believe we have been deceived."

  The gargoyles on the bridge now had their wings arched in a simir manner, likely picking up Gabbria's every word.

  "This man and his family have sworn to protect the people of the vilge. Even now, they have been gathered and are being protected by our own kind, those who have agreed to simply obey our longest duty. I have come to beseech—"

  The gargoyle continued to speak, but Sofia's attention was drawn to Mike who suddenly stiffened, as if struck. He cocked his head to one side as magic crawled along his skin.

  "Everything okay?" she asked. He ignored her at first, then let out an angry hiss. She felt a sudden heaviness in the air, followed by the hairs on her neck rising.

  "The Fae Courts are having a trial for Grace." Mike was taking deep breaths now, his fingers turning white from how hard he gripped the sword. "And a bunch of the centaurs were abducted by the Unseelie."

  Sofia's eye widened. "How was that possible?"

  A growl rumbled free of Mike as he ground his teeth together. "This must end now," he said, taking a step forward. "I need to get home."

  "And do what?" Sofia asked.

  "I'm not sure," Mike admitted. "I'm thinking maybe I'll stroll into the Queen's Court with Excalibur and ram it straight up someone's ass."

  "What?" asked Sulyvahn.

  "The Fae Court," Mike mumbled. "I'm going to teach them a lesson they'll never forget."

  The dulhan twitched, his hand briefly going to his whip. Cecilia hovered nearby, her eyes on her brother, and then she vanished from sight. The moment felt ominous somehow, but Sofia didn't know what to make of it.

  "Gargoyles!" Mike shouted, interrupting Gabbria. "You are a proud race of beings, stoic and unyielding. I do not wish harm on any of you and never have. Right now, my family at my house is in danger, and you are but one of many obstacles in my way of getting home."

  The gargoyles on the bridge didn't move, but their wings were now tilted in his direction.

  "I no longer have time to persuade you." Mike walked forward, his eyes locked on Gahad. "Those who stay out of my way will be spared."

  "Mike!" Sofia said, hastily moving to catch up. The whole group save for Obsidian was now in lockstep with the Caretaker. At her side, the Librarian saw that Lady Charlotte's face had become a mask of rage, her fingers curling and uncurling to reveal that she was stabbing the palms of her hands with her fingernails. What had gotten into her?

  The gargoyles still hadn't moved, and Sofia now had fears that they would pounce or worse, start breathing fire.

  "Mike!" Sofia tried to get his attention again, but he had broken into a jog and pulled away. "Hey! We can't just run in there and—"

  "Every minute here is four there," he cried. "We no longer have days left, we only have hours!"

  Sofia was running now, but Mike was somehow outpacing her. Charlotte was now right behind him, and Sulyvahn was riding on a spectral horse, his whip clenched tightly in one hand. His eyes were locked on Mike now, his ghastly face a mask of determination.

  Cerberus brought up the rear, their heavy pads thumping on the bridge.

  Gahad held his shield to the side and performed what may have been a salute. Sofia sprinted now in an attempt to keep up with Mike, but he was still faster. Tiny sparks of light danced along his feet as tendrils of magic briefly formed along his calves and pushed against the ground, propelling him forward. Mike searched the gargoyles along the bridge for a sign of aggression, but they seemed content to watch, leaving Gahad as their sole foe.

  "Lord Radley!" Gahad's words cut through the air like iron. "I challenge you to—"

  "Accepted!" Mike shouted back as he held out his sword.

  Despite the heavy armor, Gahad's movements were graceful and swift. The man lunged forward, his naked bde aimed for Mike's torso.

  Mike sent a bst of magic into the man, lightning dancing across his armor as he jerked in pce before falling to the ground. If Sofia didn't know any better, she'd think the knight was having a seizure.

  "Leave him," Mike said over his shoulder. "The man was hoping to die, anyway."

  "How can you tell?" asked Sofia as she stepped around Gahad's writhing form.

  "I can see his soul. It's given up." Mike chuckled to himself. "But he'll be in the proper frame of mind soon enough."

  "How do you figure?"

  "Gahad the Pure is about to experience the world's most overdue post-nut crity," Mike replied.

  The group was nearly three quarters across the length of the bridge when several suits of armor emerged, blocking their path. Sofia immediately recognized several of the suits of armor from the halls of the castle. One suit of armor had yet to lower its visor, revealing that it was, in fact, empty inside.

  "Shit!" Mike ran toward the side of the bridge and the gargoyles waiting there took off, allowing Mike to hop onto the railing. "We don't have time to fight them, figure out how to get around."

  Sulyvahn urged his horse forward, now keeping pace with Mike. The dulhan let go of the horse's reins and tossed his whip on the ground, then turned to look at Mike.

  Sulyvahn leapt off of his horse, his arms spread wide in an attempt to tackle Mike into the pit. The Caretaker turned his head in surprise, completely caught off guard by the dulhan’s actions.

  Sofia didn’t even have a chance to scream when Cecilia appeared between the two of them, her arms spread wide as if to hug her sibling. The two of them collided, spinning in mid-air and clipping Mike.

  The Caretaker tripped and fell onto the bridge, dropping his sword in the process. Cecilia and Sulyvahn vanished over the side of the bridge.

  ---

  Beth was sitting at the desk in the office with several legal pads in front of her when Zel entered. The centaur pced the leatherbound journal onto the desk, her face a mask of exhaustion.

  "Is this everyone?" asked Beth.

  "How are we to know?" Zel tried to plop into the nearby seat and missed, her human legs filing wildly in the air to reveal hooves instead of feet. These were apparently some sort of holdover from her first transformation that Ratu had been unable to bypass.

  "Are you okay?" Beth asked as she stood to help Zel up.

  "Not used to legs is all," Zel replied from the floor. "I expect my ass to be way bigger."

  "You're also exhausted." Beth helped Zel into the chair. "Have you slept at all?"

  "No." Zel rubbed at her eyes. "And I doubt I will until after this is over. This isn't just something that happened to me or my son, but also the whole tribe."

  Beth nodded, then waited for her friend to continue.

  "I sat with Callisto st night to see if he would fall asleep," she said. "I even gave him a special herbal tea for it. Not only was he still up for hours, but he had nightmares all night. Do you want to know what he asked me when he woke up this morning?"

  "What?"

  "He asked me if his dad would still love him when he found out what happened." The dam inside of Zel burst, and tears flowed down her face. "We all know that Mike will always love his son, but the fact that he even wonders that is—"

  Beth sat on the arm of Zel's chair and embraced the centaur, holding her tight as the tears flowed.

  "Where is he now?" asked Beth.

  "Yuki is keeping an eye on him," Zel replied. "She's worried that the Fae may try and approach again, or even offer him a devil's bargain to trade pces with his sister."

  "Which he would take," Beth replied.

  "He absolutely would," Zel whispered. "And that's why I can't sleep."

  "We'll make this right," Beth said.

  "And what if we can't?" Zel asked.

  "Then we'll mail Jenny to the Fae Court and tell her to go nuts." Honestly, Jenny would probably be fairly powerless against the Fae. They would see the malevolent spirit as little more than sport. But it was the thought that counted.

  "My people are making special charms to wear now," Zel continued. "Things to protect them from the Fae. I have never seen so much hatred in my own people."

  "I'm sorry," Beth said.

  Zel sniffled and wiped her nose with a thin piece of fabric from her pocket. "Enough about my tributions. How is it going in here?"

  "Not great," Beth admitted. "Everything is very contingent on—"

  They heard the front door of the house open followed by Death walking into the office with a grim look on his face.

  "We are ready," he said, gesturing toward the front yard

  "How did it go?" she asked.

  "Our mission was productive," Death replied, brushing dirt off of his cloak. "Though Grace will need a bath."

  Beth and Zel followed Death outside to where Ratu and Grace were waiting with Tick Tock standing just in front of the Arachne, who was covered in soil. The little shapeshifter resembled a backpack and unzipped the front fp of the main pocket. It folded open to reveal a plethora of cans.

  "How many are in there?" she asked.

  "Over thirty," Death replied. "Grace took her pest control duties very seriously."

  Beth narrowed her eyes at the Reaper, who wilted under her stare. There was still a portion of the story that he was keeping to himself, but he ensured her that the reasons for doing so mattered.

  "So should we... free them?" asked Zel.

  "No," Beth replied. "We're allowed to bring witnesses to a trial, so these are our witnesses. But I don't want anyone bringing them inside," she added, making sure that Grace was looking at her when she said it.

  Learning that the little girl had somehow captured an Unseelie Prince in a metal can had been disturbing enough, but she had also been able to bring him into the house? That was far more troubling. Was it because he was inside of Tick Tock? Or had that counted as permission since Grace was Mike's daughter?

  As for whatever she had trapped in all these cans, they had never been inside the house. The Arachne had been meticulously burying them all around the yard. If she allowed Grace to bring them all inside, then it would become a massive security breach.

  As for the Unseelie Prince who now had access to their home, that was just another problem for them to figure out.

  Beth’s phone chimed and she took a gnce at it. “Kisa filled Mike in,” she said.

  “And?” asked Yuki.

  “He’s still stuck in Avalon,” Beth replied. “I don’t even know what he could do if he was here.”

  “Whatever it takes,” Death said. “Mike Radley would do anything for his family.”

  “Yeah. That’s what worries me.” Beth looked away from Tick Tock. “Death, can you drop by the North Pole? I need a wagon constructed entirely of wood, or whatever substance won’t offend the Fae.” Tick Tock supposedly wasn’t physically able to enter the Fae Realm, and they were already going to be pissed seeing their brethren inside of cans.

  “I shall make it happen,” Death decred, then walked back inside the house.

  “As for you.” She gestured at Tick Tock. “Zel is going to take you back to her tribe. Your cargo should be safe there. Don’t accidentally swallow them.”

  Tick Tock’s zippers twisted into a face that that looked offended. The backpack tipped against the nearest wooden column and somehow managed to appear like a surly teenager. Beth knocked on the door and watched Zel as the centaur undid her bracelet to transform back into a proper centaur, then scooped up the bag and galloped toward the greenhouse.

  “And you,” she said, pointing at Grace. “It’s time for you to take a bath.”

  Grace scowled, then promptly ripped her dress up and over her head before tossing it on the porch.

  “Take your clothes off in the bathroom, Grace, the bathroom.” Yuki shook her head and followed the little Arachne into the house. Beth knelt to pick up the dirt-stained dress, then gazed out across the yard. If any fae were watching, they had yet to reveal themselves.

  “Game on,” she muttered, then went back inside and locked the door behind her.

  ---

  Mike scrambled to his hands and knees, his palms throbbing from the impact with the ground. The sound of cnking metal was followed by a vision of death, and he rolled to the side as an ax was brought down on the stone where he had been. Sparks flew into his eyes as he stuck his hand in the rough direction he had tossed his sword and commanded his magic to return it to him.

  The hilt was barely in his hand when he raised it up to deflect the blow of another sword. He managed to parry a follow up blow from the enchanted armor, and then Sofia was by his side.

  “What the hell just happened?” he asked as he cast his gaze toward the bridge. “Cecilia! Where are you?”

  Long seconds passed as Charlotte joined the fray. Getting knocked from the edge of the bridge had not only plunged Mike directly into the fight he had been trying to avoid, but now the armor had circled up around him. Cerberus crashed through their ranks, crushing them beneath heavy paws.

  “Mike.” Sofia’s tone was quiet, almost solemn. “Suly just tried to kill you.”

  “What?” His mind was bnk, all he could remember was catching movement out of the corner of one eye and seeing the dulhan thrusting toward him. Then Cecilia was there, and the two Fae beings had plummeted over the side. “It had to be an accident, otherwise I would have—”

  “Your precognition only functions with direct bodily harm,” Sofia replied while punching the helmet off a suit of pte mail. “Sulyvahn tried to push you into the crevasse”

  “That’s—”

  “Exactly what I saw,” said Charlotte as she casually dismantled a pair of attackers, ripping the armor apart. Once enough of the armor’s structure was destroyed, the animation magic broke free and left the suit behind. Mike could see the remnants of the souls that powered the armor. “Sulyvahn has betrayed you.”

  But why? That was all Mike could think as he fought his way toward the railing. “Cecilia!” he yelled, hoping to hear her response.

  “I am here.” Her voice sounded strained and far away. “I can’t hold him much longer.”

  Mike’s heart beat frantically in his chest as a samurai and two knights moved to intercept him. Snarling, he struck with his sword, then shed out with his magic. Bck lightning bsted them apart, and the path was now clear.

  At the edge of the bridge, he looked down to see Cecilia clinging to the stone with one hand, the other clinging to Sulyvahn. The dulhan looked away when he saw Mike.

  “Just drop me,” he begged, and that’s when Mike realized that the banshee was clinging to her brother’s wrist. “Nothing good can come of pulling me up.”

  “A chuisle,” Cecilia gasped, staring into Mike’s eyes. “It is not his fault.”

  Mike reached over the edge, but his arm wasn’t long enough.

  “Somebody help me!” He straddled the balustrade and stretched his arms. “Please! Help!”

  Behind him, the sounds of battle moved closer. Growling in frustration, Mike slid over the edge and stood on a stone ledge only a couple inches thick. Dropping the sword on the bridge, he crouched down and tried to grab Cecilia’s hand.

  “Don’t fall,” he begged. “Please don’t fall.”

  “It’s not me I’m worried for, mo stór.” Cecilia smiled. “I could float right out like a cloud. My brother cannot.”

  “Don’t let her pull me up,” Sulyvahn decred. “She needs to let me go, else I’ll try again.”

  “Try what again?” Mike knelt down and reached for Cecilia’s wrist. “Sofia said you tried to push me.”

  “Aye.”

  “Why?”

  “I can’t say.” Suly just shook his head. “But ye should know that I’m a danger to ye.”

  “C’mon, c’mon,” Mike grunted. His fingers slid around Cecilia’s wrist, but his grip was poor enough that he didn’t dare try to lift her.

  “Drop me!” Sulyvahn wiggled his body back and forth like a fish on the end of the line. “You’re putin’ yerself in harm’s way, Cecilia!”

  “We’re family!” The banshee cried. “I am not letting go!”

  “But I’m a danger!” Sulyvahn reached up and spped Cecilia’s hand. “Please, I don’t wanna hurt anyone!”

  “Then don’t!” Mike yelled.

  “I DON’T HAVE A CHOICE!” Sulyvahn’s dark eyes were brimming over with tears as he reached up and started prying Cecilia’s fingers away from his skin. “Please, ye have to listen! If you were in my shoes, ye’d be beggin’ the same!”

  “Sofia!” Mike’s grip on the bridge was tenable, and he didn’t dare stand back up. “Charlotte! Cerberus!”

  The hellhound roared, and fmes sprayed across the bridge. Charlotte briefly appeared, but was run through with a spear and dragged back into the fray.

  “Mike.” Suly looked up at the Caretaker. “You were like a brother to me. Tell Beth I’m sorry.”

  “You can tell her yourself, you…” Mike’s words trailed off when Sulyvahn used his free hand to detach his own head, then lifted it up to bite Cecilia’s hand.

  The banshee let out a shriek of pain as her grip loosened and Sulyvahn fell free. The dulhan closed his eyes as he fell into the void, and Cecilia floated up towards where Mike stood.

  “I couldn’t hold him,” she wept. “I COULDN’T HOLD HIM!”

  Stunned by what had just happened, Mike pulled himself over the balustrade as Cecilia floated silently behind him. The battle for the bridge was almost over, and when Sofia saw Mike, she let out a sigh of relief.

  Along the bridge were scorch marks surrounded by cooling metal that glistened like blood as it reflected the crimson sky. Charlotte had three spears sticking out of her, but the wounds didn’t seem to bother the vampyr in the slightest.

  “Cecilia, I…” Mike hugged the banshee to his chest. “I’m sorry.”

  The banshee sniffled in his arms. “Ye should know better than to apologize to the Fae,” she whispered.

  “You’re not the Fae,” he replied. “You’re Cecilia. My Cecilia.”

  Behind them on the bridge, Gahad cackled. Mike turned to face the knight, who was slowly getting to his feet.

  “What’s so funny?” asked Mike.

  “Do you really think this will be enough?” asked Gahad. He gestured at all of them.

  “We seem to be doing well so far,” Sofia replied.

  Gahad shook his head. “These were never meant to stop you. Only to slow you down and give him more time to prepare.”

  “Prepare for what?” Mike asked.

  “For you.” Gahad ughed. “You cannot hope to stand against the chosen of God.”

  “He isn’t, though,” said Sofia. “God never chose him.”

  “Oh, but He did.” The knight knelt down to pick up his shield. “I saw the same vision that you did. Many years ago, I was given the sacred duty of tracking down the Holy Grail. All this time, I thought it was a cup, or a chalice. But now I understand the truth. Vincentius is the Holy Grail. He has been my charge this entire time, yet I resented him for what he has done, for what he made me. I never knew why he was so obsessed with Arthur’s quest, and all I can wonder is why he never told me!” Gahad was now shouting at the castle. “Why couldn’t you tell me that my quest was done? Why make me wonder? WHY MAKE ME DOUBT MYSELF?!?”

  “Shit.” Mike stepped away from Cecilia. He didn’t have to study Gahad’s soul to see the cracks that had formed in his mind. This was Sir Gahad, the st remaining knight of the round table, a highly trained fighter with all the enhanced strength and dexterity of a vampyr combined with the mental fortitude of a toddler who had skipped their nap.

  “That man is not the Holy Grail,” countered Sofia, holding Excalibur up like a talisman. “He is a perversion of nature at—”

  There was an audible pop as Gahad shot forward. Sofia’s eye fshed as Gahad’s shield smashed into her, unching her back. Charlotte intercepted the cyclops, catching her before she could crash to the ground.

  “This is a test of faith!” Gahad shifted toward Mike, and a mental barrage of painful possibilities unfolded in the Caretaker’s mind. He was choked, stabbed, and even lost limbs, but every time he shifted his response, yet another grim future unfolded.

  Finally, he settled on summoning his magical barrier in three separate pces while using his sword to parry. Two of the shields were pced along the trajectory of Gahad’s arm to slow his strike. The third shield shattered beneath the knight’s sword, which cleaved straight through Mike’s bde. These deys gave Mike just enough time to shift away and catch just the tip of Gahad’s sword along his chest.

  Pain blossomed like fire as Mike stepped away, hissing in pain. The nagahide shirt had torn in pces, revealing cut skin underneath. The wound was rgely superficial, but easily the best outcome he had been able to choose from. Being able to see his own future still had limitations, primarily the speed at which he could react.

  “Do you yield?” asked Gahad, his bde pointed at Mike.

  Gasping for air, Mike looked up at his foe in time to see Cerberus bst the man with hellfire. Gahad raised his shield to deflect the fmes, but the metal warped and melted almost immediately. Growling, the vampyr leapt away from the bst and crashed into the ground. His armor had melted into his skin, locking some of his joints in pce. The air stank of burnt flesh as the vampyr struggled to stand.

  “I shall not be deterred from mine quest,” he whispered, raising his bde once more. The metal was now dull, the hilt melted into his palm. “For my cause is righteous, and my heart is—”

  Cerberus bsted him again. The knight tried to leap away, but was hindered by his armor. Padding toward the knight, Cerberus concentrated their fmes into a tight spray of fire, and the ground became molten. Unable to scream, Gahad the Pure sank out of sight as the bridge melted before he did and he plummeted into the darkness below.

  “Asshole,” muttered Mike. He walked up to Cerberus and patted their leg. “Good girl.”

  The hellhound wagged their tail in response, all three heads ignoring Mike to scan for further danger. Charlotte had helped Sofia to her feet, the cyclops wincing in pain as she held one arm against her side.

  “Two to go,” Sofia muttered.

  “Yeah.” Mike walked toward them. “Let’s get off this bridge before the whole thing colpses.”

  There was a loud thud as a gargoyle nded between him and the castle. It was Sde.

  “The bridge will be fine,” said the gargoyle. “The fmes have melted the stone together. It’s like cauterizing a wound for you fleshbags.”

  “Don’t get in our way,” Mike warned. “I am out of patience.”

  Sde nodded. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I came because you dropped something.”

  The gargoyle reached into a bag he had around his waist and pulled out a rge object. It was Suly’s head.

  “Where’s the rest of him?” asked Mike just as a pair of gargoyles swooped down with the dulhan’s struggling form. It took both of them to pin Suly’s body to the ground.

  Cecilia appeared next to Sde, her arms held out. The gargoyle handed her Suly’s head.

  “Please don’t,” begged the dulhan. “If they let me go, I’ll—”

  “It’s okay.” Cecilia hugged her brother’s head to her chest. “It’s not your fault.”

  “What isn’t his fault?” asked Sofia, the cyclops gripping Excalibur tightly. She had moved next to the gargoyles and was now staring at Suly’s pinned body with a look Mike couldn’t read.

  “We can’t say,” whispered Cecilia as she looked at Mike. “Speaking it out loud may have repercussions.”

  Still confused, Mike studied the dulhan closely. When Suly’s head was separate from his body, it had tethers that connected the two. Right now, it was easy enough to see the golden chains squeezing down on that connection. Curious, Mike moved closer to Suly’s body.

  “Stay away,” Suly begged as the chains tightened. Somehow, the dulhan was finding the strength to push back against the gargoyles. Both of them were practically sitting on his headless body just to hold it against the ground.

  Moving to examine the tether, Mike finally got a good look at the chains. As he studied them up close, he heard a feminine voice whispering softly, the words just out of his range of hearing.

  “I need everyone to be quiet,” he said. To the others, it must have looked like he was staring at nothing. The chains shifted and squeezed, causing Suly to let out a moan of despair. Mike recognized the voice now, but still couldn’t figure out what was being said.

  “I can’t,” he blubbered in Sofia’s hands. “I must, but I can’t.”

  Realizing what he was looking at, Mike chuckled quietly to himself. Between the shifting golden links and the whispering, it truly was some Lord of the Rings bullshit, and Beth would have loved it. Well, save for the fact that Suly was the poor bastard being saddled with some sort of magical command.

  “The Queen did this,” he decred, and Sulyvahn went quiet. “She asked you to do something, didn’t she?”

  Cecilia didn’t respond, but the slight curl in her lips revealed the truth. Mike could only guess at why Cecilia had never told him about it, but he trusted her. He moved by her side and held out his hand. Understanding what he wanted, she handed him Suly’s head.

  “Please.” The dulhan winced as those golden chains squeezed his very soul. “It hurts.”

  Mike walked over to Suly’s body and nodded at the gargoyles before kneeling down and repcing the dulhan’s head. “You pn to hurt me if they let you up, don’t you?”

  “I do,” Suly admitted.

  “But you don’t want to.”

  “I do not. But I must obey.” Suly was able to twist his head and gre at Mike. “And I won’t be stopped. Which means it’s you or me, friend.”

  “We’re not friends, Suly.” Mike put his hand on top of the dulhan’s head, his fingers briefly coiling in his hair. Magic unfolded from Mike’s fingertips and touched the very essence of Sulyvahn’s soul, then braided itself along the golden chains that constricted him. “We’re family.”

  The air around them took on a sinister energy as Mike forced his magic between the links, searching for the weakest amongst them. Sulyvahn cried out in pain, and the gargoyles shifted uneasily.

  “Family can be messy,” Mike said. “Difficult. Even complicated. But as long as we continue to look out for each other, we stick together. You’ve never given me a reason to doubt you until today, and even now, I know it was against your will.”

  Sulyvahn let out a scream as Mike pulled on his chains. The dulhan’s soul flickered dangerously, but Mike knew he had to try to fix this. For whatever reason, Titania had turned the dulhan into a living kill-switch, some type of sleeper agent to act against him.

  “You’re like a brother to me,” Mike added, the air now crackling with magic. “And I refuse to give up on you. You can say it’s either you or me, but it’s the Radley cn against the world, which includes your Queen.”

  Cecilia wrapped her arms around Mike’s waist from behind and pced her head between his shoulder bdes. The banshee sang softly, and it wasn’t a song of lost love, grief, or sadness. It was a song of forgiveness, and Mike drew strength from her voice as his magic shifted and crammed itself into one of the golden links and pushed.

  “C’mon, c’mon,” Mike grunted, and his own magic shifted colors until it matched the same golden hue of Sulyvahn’s prison.

  The chain ruptured, causing a shockwave to billow outward and throw Mike and the gargoyles ft to the ground. For just a moment, the sky above turned a shade of purple, almost as if trying to let a glimpse of the real sky through. Scrambling back to his feet, Mike studied the limp form of Sulyvahn on the ground.

  “Did you kill him?” asked Charlotte, who moved by his side.

  Smiling, Mike approached Suly. “I did not,” he said, as he knelt down and extended a hand.

  Sulyvahn looked up at him, his eyes wide with astonishment. “I’m…I don’t…” The dulhan sat up and looked down at his hands. “Ye broke the Queen’s decree.”

  “It was a shitty decree.”

  “But how?”

  Mike shrugged. Maybe it was because this was a pce of power. Perhaps it was the divinity in his blood. Secretly, though, he wondered if the Queen had left the weak spot for him to find, knowing that he would try to fix Sulyvahn rather than destroy him. “To be fair, it was way harder than pulling Excalibur.”

  “I see.” Sulyvahn took Mike’s hand and was pulled to his feet. “I dinnae know what to say.”

  “I’m really hoping it’s something simir to ‘Yes, Mike, I will go help you kill the father of all vampires in his castle.’” The Caretaker chuckled. “You have no idea how happy it makes me that you’re wielding a whip.”

  “Why would that even matter?” asked Sulyvahn.

  “We can talk all about Castlevania after we get home,” Mike replied. “Well, after I give the Queen a piece of my mind, anyway.”

  “About that.” Sulyvahn frowned. “I was supposed to take you out if it seemed like you were to become a threat to the Fae. Between the sword and yer attitude about the Court, I no longer had a choice.”

  “They only have themselves to thank for that.”

  The dulhan snorted and muttered something about self-fulfilling prophecies. His spectral horse came trotting up, the bony whip dangling from its mouth. Sulyvahn took the whip and patted the horse’s fnk as it turned into a dark mist that squeezed between the seams of his neck.

  “You still haven’t told me the name of your horse,” Mike said.

  “Doesn’t have a name,” Suly admitted. “It’s just an extension of myself. Ye can give him a name if it—”

  “Fucking Simon Belmont,” Mike decred. “Your horse is now Simon Belmont.”

  “That’s a good one,” Suly replied. “Think I’ll call ‘im Belly for short.”

  Behind them, Sofia cleared her throat. She gestured at the castle with Excalibur. “Now that we’re all friends again, can we get on with this?”

  “Yeah.” Mike turned to Sde. “Thank you for saving Suly. I appreciate it.”

  The gargoyle nodded. “We weren’t sure what was going on, honestly, and when we asked him why he tried to take you out, he got all weird and begged us to just drop him. We were curious to see what you’d do with him.”

  “Well, thanks again. I’m surprised your people caught him in the first pce.”

  Sde nodded. “It’s the darkness that disorients us. Once we get down too far, it’s like flying at night, and we risk crashing into the cliffs. That’s not something that goes well. But since we were nearby, it was easy enough to grab him.” The gargoyle eyed the hole that Gahad had fallen through. “That one, not so much.”

  “I can only imagine.” Mike studied the gargoyle. “Out of curiosity, are you on our side, or…?”

  Sde shook his head. “The tribe is in an uproar right now. Many are upset that we’ve forsaken our caretaker, while others demand vengeance for sughtering our brethren at his command. Some, like me, still don’t know what to think. But you walked among us and enjoyed our company. This is something the vassals have never done. So while we may not help you in your fight, we will be watching to see what happens next.”

  “Good enough for me.” Mike shook the gargoyle’s hand and turned to the others. “C’mon, everyone. It’s Van Helsing time.”

  When they entered the castle, the thralls were waiting for them. Mike and Sofia went first, using their precognition to trigger all of the traps that had been prepared in advance. Kill holes were swiftly identified, then avoided by the others. After avoiding the final pit trap in the lobby, Charlotte took the lead.

  Enchanted armor was quickly dismantled with Mike’s magic, and the thralls themselves were useless against Sofia and Charlotte. The team rotated their formation based on which of the two they faced. Of Victoria, there was no sign.

  “I really thought this would be harder,” Mike confessed as they ascended a spiral staircase that took them to the top floor of the primary castle. Dismembered armor and dead thralls y on the stairs behind them.

  “The vassals failed to work together,” Charlotte replied. “Where we have worked together as one, they have spread themselves thin.”

  “That doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense,” said Sofia. “I got the impression that Vincentius was a hot shot general or something.”

  Charlotte nodded. “When I first met him, there were many vampyr in his main flock, but hid himself away and most left as a result. During the purge, he killed the strongest of the gargoyles. He is a man who has been under a self-imposed exile for so long that he has weakened his options. He has no army, and is left to his own devices. But we should not underestimate him.”

  “Does he burn?” asked Mike, thinking of Cerberus. The hellhound was currently in human form to fit in the stairwell.

  “I have no idea,” Charlotte admitted. “But I assume so.”

  At the top of the stairwell was a thick, wooden door. Mike did a quick scan of the area, noticing many of the spectral tendrils seemed to converge here. If this wasn’t where Vincentius was hiding, then he had no idea where the man could be.

  “Who would like to do the honors?” Mike asked.

  Charlotte took a step forward and kicked the door at the hinges. The door exploded inward, the mortar holding the hinges in pce crumbling from the wall like sand.

  “This ends,” she decred and took a step inside.

  “Indeed.” Steeling his resolve, Mike followed, his magic hissing with anticipation.