‘“Rejoice.” The child gifted me a dark smile. “The age of the fall has begun.”
‘I glanced to the white ravens soaring westwards, and I knew with awful certainty where they were headed. Who he was. The lion on my chest and the sevenstar in my palm burned with divine heat, warming my blood. And frightening and otherworldly as these two were, I could see the way their eyes narrowed as we closed about them. The way the boy’s lip curled as a soft hiss slipped between his fangs.
‘“Long nights hast thou harried my steps,” the woman whispered to Greyhand. “Felt thee, like lips gentle on back of my shivering neck. And here thou art, my beautiful hunter.”
‘She held out her arms.
‘“Kiss me.”
‘“The Lord is my shield, unbreakable,” Greyhand spat. “He is the fire that burns away all darkness. He is the tempest rising that shall lift me unto paradise.”
‘The frère stepped forward, and the vampire edged back. Her chin was lowered, lashes fluttering as if somehow delighted by the pain that holy light caused her. Her ruby lips curled in a smile that was almost … affectionate.
‘“I know thee, Silversaints. Talon de Montfort. Aaron de Coste. Gabriel de León.”
‘“Listen to nothing she says,” Talon warned.
‘“If the keeping of thy names have I, wouldst thou not know mine?” She ran her hands over the pale swell of her breasts, down to her hips as she smiled at Greyhand. “What name shalt thou whisper otherwise, Aramis Charpentier, when I love thee?”
‘“We know your name. Luncóit? Raven Child? Hardly the deepest of riddles, Voss.”
‘The monster smiled, sly and wicked as she spoke the creed of her line.
‘“All Shall Kneel, good Frère.”
‘She moved then, murder-quick, into Greyhand’s light. Though the glow narrowed her eyes, curled her lip, still she struck, swift as a thunderclap. Greyhand gasped, bending backwards as diamond-hard fingernails whistled past his throat. Her other hand struck him in his chest, her flesh sizzling, sending him sailing back across the bridge as if he were made of feathers. I cried out as my master struck the railing, smashing the stone to dust and collapsing to his knees.
‘Greyhand was back on his feet in a blinking, charging towards Luncóit. But the boy was moving too now, fast as a serpent’s tongue. He drew a wicked dagger from his doublet in one hand, a wheellock pistol in the other. I cried out as he struck the trigger, Aaron whipped sideways as the shot hit him in the chest. And then the boy was flying at me. He slipped beneath the silverbomb I hurled, silhouetted in the explosion behind him. I danced backwards, keeping him at bay with Lionclaw as Seraph Talon charged Luncóit’s back.
‘Muscle memory kicked in; the countless hours of sparring entwined with the bloodhymn in my veins. But I fought highbloods now – the foes I’d heard so much of but had never truly faced. They moved hurricane-swift, and even though the light from our ink made that beautiful deadboy grimace in pain, still he came on. I hurled another silverbomb, swung my blade. I put all I had behind the blow, but though Lionclaw found Adrien’s neck, his flesh was stone and his knife quicksilver as he struck back, too fast to follow.
‘I staggered, hitting the flagstones, blood in my mouth. Adrien’s shadow fell over me, and I saw death reach out its hand. But the flesh at his wrist cracked like glass as Aaron’s blade crashed atop it, and Adrien hissed, slipping aside from the burning brand de Coste thrust towards his chest. Aaron struck again, silversteel sliding along the boy’s cheek, trimming his dark locks. The vampire flashed backwards, one hand to his bloody face, the other still holding his bloody knife. De Coste stood guard over me, eyes lit by his burning torch. A bleeding hole was torn in his chest, angels of the host burning silver on his arms.
‘“Are you well?” he hissed, eyes still on the glowering boy.
‘I looked down at my belly, realized Adrien had stabbed me a dozen times.
‘“Not r-really.”
‘“Take your time, Peasant,” de Coste smirked, spitting blood. “I’ll have this dance.”
‘Aaron charged the vampire, the pair moving like water and pale shadow in the silver light. Looking behind us, I saw Greyhand and Talon still entwined with the ancien, just a blur. The stink of ignis and silver caustic hung in the air, silverbombs roaring, flails and blades gleaming. The woman moved between them like a bloody knife, the red of her dress and hair and lips the only colour in the silvered glow.
‘“Back!” Greyhand roared, cutting the air.
‘“Say please,” she smiled, cutting his arm with those wicked claws.
‘“We are the light in the night!” Talon cried, lashing out with his flail. “We are the fire that rages between this and all world’s ending!”
‘“Kiss me then, hunter. And see who of us burns.”
‘Luncóit tore one of the brass statues loose from the railing, brandished it like a club. Greyhand was knocked aside, senseless and bleeding. Bringing back her arm, Luncóit hurled the statue like a spear. Talon cried out as the angel struck him, crushing him against the railing with enough force to kill any mortal man.
‘I dragged myself upright, blood filling my boots, Lionclaw slack in my hand. Talon was on his knees, but Greyhand was back in the fray, coming at Luncóit like a thunderbolt. And so, I staggered back to help Aaron. For all his bravado, he was outmatched against that darkling boy, and wounded as I was, another sword might tip the scale.
‘De Coste thrust his blade into the vampire’s side, and I heard a sound more like cracking stone than splitting flesh. Jarred from his grip, Aaron’s silversteel fell to the cobbles. Adrien’s riposte ripped a red gash up the boy’s ribs, through the weave of roses on his chest. Clutching the awful wound, Aaron stumbled to his knees.
‘“Close your eyes,” he whispered, and the deadboy only laughed. Adrien lunged at de Coste, that dagger speeding towards Aaron’s heart, and then I was on him, crashing into the vampire’s chest and sending the both of us tumbling across the bridge. We hit the cobbles hard, a gong ringing in my ears as my head cracked the stone.
‘“Insect,” Adrien spat, turning on me. “Cattle.”
‘I gasped as gore-slick hands closed about my throat, Adrien’s flesh sizzling on the silver as he smashed my head back against the stone. I thrust my left hand into his face, rewarded with a wail of pain as light flared, as the warmth of God flowed up my arm and into my heart. The thing flinched backwards, hissing, and in a desperate stab, I lunged upwards and kicked him away, into the shattered railing.
‘The boy flailed, arms pinwheeling as he tried to find his balance. Bleeding, his ribs torn to the bone, Aaron snatched up his fallen sword. The lordling hissed in his rage, fangs bared, and with one final blow to Adrien’s chest, de Coste sent the monster backwards over the rail and into the freezing river below.
‘I knew vampires couldn’t cross running water. But I’d no idea what happened if they were submerged in it. Adrien began screaming, thrashing, as if he’d been tossed into a river of burning lye. The current swept the monster towards the falls, alabaster flesh running to soup and washing off his bones as he was hurled over that frozen brink.