Page 29 of Dark Master's Redemption

“Run! Quinn, run!” I hear Arturos roar as he uses his power to surround our group—lifting us all up above the heads of the Council’s Vampires as we clash.

As we’re all hefted up on Arturos’ watery waves, our foes drowning now in his dark oceans as they struggle to fight through it, Quinn, Alleno, Lucca, and I lead the charge. Taking up our injured, we run upon the surface of those waves; like skating on a living pond, Arturos’ sea-deep power pushes us along, swamping our enemies even as it lends us the speed for flight.

We’re two blocks from Bello’s pizzeria now; one. When Arturos’ power gives out, the Vampire-Siren giving a short cry and passing out in a dead faint as his power crashes us all to the midnight street, I see how he’s deposited us right in front of Bello’s place.

The pizzeria is dark with no fires lit in the ovens—though Bello stands in the doorway, ushering us in with an anxious look. Alleno takes the lead while Quinn, Lucca, and I allow others to take our injured.

We usher our people in fast now through Bello’s pizzeria doors. As we stand sentinel, the Council’s Vampires rushing towards us from where they’ve been released by Arturos’ watery bonds, we get everyone inside. As Devi hands off the last injured fighter to a comrade, everyone inside the pizzeria is headed for the portal. It leaves only Quinn, Devi, Curio, Lucca, Alleno, and me outside in the street.

As the Council’s warrior-Vampires fly towards us from far down the block, seething with smoke-dark intent, Lucca glances at Bello.

“Your people?” Lucca asks fast.

“Already through the portal,” Bello answers, as he waves a hand quickly. “Everyone who has helped the safe house is now there. Come, masters. Let the pizzeria be taken. I will start another place.”

As Lucca nods fast, Quinn sets his hand to his heart for Bello. But the Vampires are nearly on us; glancing quickly to the street, Quinn’s gaze lands on Arturos.

Crumpled on the cobblestones—unconscious.

“Let him burn, Quinn. Let the Council have him.” Devi nods her chin at the unconscious Arturos. “Though he aided our fight at the Hotel, it’s not enough for what he did to you.”

“It’s not enough,” Quinn says, as he stares at Arturos. But I feel decision take him then; sweeping forward, he hefts Arturos up from the cobbles, rushing back with his fallen once-friend in his arms.

“Through the portal. Now,” Quinn says, even as Devi opens her lips to protest.

Quinn’s look silences her.

As Vampires sweep to our position like a hurricane in the night, we’re inside. Bello’s locked the doors with some kind of Dark Fae rune-spell; none of us even have a moment to look, however, as an unholy wind of Night slams against those doors, shuddering their solid wood.

I know it won’t hold, as we rush through the dark pizzeria to the rear kitchens. A utility closet has been thrown open; in the far back, I see a blurry portal, leading somewhere in the midnight Florentine countryside.

A place in the human world, where no Twilight nimbus graces the sky.

“Go!” Heaving Arturos into Lucca’s arms, Quinn nods for all of us to head through the portal. Not even Lucca protests now, as we rush through the gateway to the other side. A high whine devours my ears, as a twisting sensation takes me and a blaze of white blasts my eyes. And then we’re clear, stumbling out into a dark pasture on a farm in the human world, the smell of the Florentine countryside all around.

Turning back to the portal, I know Quinn is about to do something heinous. As I see him through the portal, still on the Twilight side, I feel how he raises his power like a leviathan in the night. As his dark aura burns red and gold entirely now, black twisting through it only marginally, I feel how he’s summoned the very last of his old Summer Fae fire.

Flames blaze through his aura, alive with wrath, as everything around Quinn seems to burn. And then it is burning, as I see Bello’s pizzeria go up in flames from Quinn’s wrathful, diabolical power. I see his shove; I feel his terrible fire sweep through the pizzeria at the precise moment the Vampires break through the doors.

Devouring them with hellfire—as they scream and are silenced in the night.

Heaving hard breaths, Quinn stumbles on the other side of the portal. Surrounded by his unholy fire, he falls to one knee from the power he’s expended. I don’t even think twice; I rush back through the portal as Lucca comes with me, each of us getting Quinn’s arms up over our shoulders, hauling him up.

We’re running; we’re stumbling back through the portal as fire rains down, crumbling the pizzeria as enormous beams thunder down all around us. The portal wavers; we dash to it. We’re through, even as a terrible wrenching sound roars in my ears, my body feeling like I’ve been torn apart from diving through a breaking portal like that.

But we’ve made it; all around, the non-Twilight sky glimmers through dark trees.

As I realize we’ve fallen to our backs on the ground.

Quinn, Lucca, and I together—our people saved from certain death tonight.

12

TESORO

We’ve come through from the Twilight Realm to a place I know in the human world. A field on the outskirts of my parent’s land near Florence, it’s surrounded by enormous cork oak, chestnut, and flowering ash trees that glimmer silver in the night. We must have lost time as we came through Master Ilyov’s portal, or Bello’s; dawn is already rising, though it should be near midnight by my estimation.

As a pink and gold glow lights the margins of the human realm sky, I heave hard breaths, amazed we made it. I feel like I’ve been through a meat grinder from vaulting through that portal as it collapsed; as Lucca extends a hand, helping me up, I blink to realize I missed him standing. Quinn is shaky but on his feet, as well. I’m the one in the biggest daze right now, as Quinn pulls me close and Lucca moves in also, chuckling at our escape.

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