Chapter 19: Old Ties

*VICKY* Moonlight scattered in the maze. Coupled with the strange and quiet atmosphere around me, it made the originally magnificent and peaceful garden look sinister and terrifying. I searched the ground for anything to use to defend myself, but any time I tried to reach for something, a large foot came crashing down on my arm, prompting an immediate scream. The scent. It was stronger than ever. This was him—the Blood Hunter. "Oh, Victoria. How nice to finally see you again after all these years." Victoria. This name had become so strange to me as time passed. The recollection and memories tied to it made my blood recoil. I didn't want to think of who she was—I vowed never to think of her again. Yet, here I was, pressed into the stone, being forced to come face-to-face with my previous life. And to this man in front of me, it was probably the most glorious day of his life. He bent down to grab a knife from his waistband and revealed it to me up close and personal. The moonlight lit up his features, and I knew instantly who he was. Baden. It was impossible. The Baden I knew was executed by the Witch Hunter over 400 years ago. The last image of him before he died was still deeply engraved in my mind. But there was no mistaking it; I would know my Commander anywhere. "Your Majesty, you've sunk so low." He then pulled back the knife. I closed my eyes and waited for the searing pain, bracing myself for death. Except it didn't come. I heard a large grunt, and then something clattered on the ground. I opened my eyes to see Leon tackling Baden to the ground, the knife entirely out of his reach. I tried to scatter to reach it, but Baden was faster, and before I could blink, he grabbed the knife and pushed it into Leon's side. "NO!" I yelled, instantly feeling the pain that Leon felt. Leon coughed and rolled over onto the ground before falling limp. Baden looked at him and then at me. He sighed and wave the bloodied knife in his hand around in the air like it was some toy. "Don't worry, relax. He's not dead, just wounded enough not to be a nuisance. For now. Can't have some human messing up my centuries-old plan now, can I?" I wanted to get up and rush to Leon—but I knew it would be no use. Not with Baden holding a knife. He could kill me at any minute, no matter how fast I tried to leave. As Commander, he had more speed and agility than anyone I knew; myself included. It's why he was the leader of my troops. And now, that speed would instantly win against me. I spit on the ground at his feet and scowled. "Why are you here?" "Oh, I'm taking you back, of course. Don't you remember? You haven't fulfilled the promise you made to us—your people." "Promise?" I echoed. "Have you forgotten? Conquer the world and expand our horizons! See what else was out there for the taking! Isn't that all you ever dreamed of?" The image of myself standing on a pile of human corpses flashed through my mind eye as I shouted this exact sentiment to my subordinates. 'Follow me and conquer the world'. "At that time, you were so powerful and perfect," Baden continued. "I sincerely admired you and would've followed you to the ends of the Earth. But then, in the end, you fell in love with a human. A Witch Hunter. And you were willing to leave it all behind for him. You had thrown your promise out of the window, hadn't you?" "Baden, times have changed...I'm not that person anymore." "Indeed, but the goal in my heart stays the same. No matter what era I'm in, I will faithfully carry out the word of my leader—and since you're not her…" Once again, he lifted the knife in the air, ready to deliver the final blow. Instead, I hooked my foot under his ankle and rolled out of the way of the knife coming crashing down with him. I took this opportunity to jump up and grab the knife, holding it outwards toward him while protecting Leon's body. Baden lifted his head to reveal a bloody nose trickling down his chin. I was prepared for him to lunge for me and instantly attack; however, he did the complete opposite. Baden let out a wild laugh as if he had heard some unbelievable news. As he laughed, tears started to stream down from his eyes. "I knew she was still in there somewhere," he said, waving a hand at me. "Do you know how I survived all these years? I'll let you in on the secret: it wasn't me who was killed. It was one of my subordinates in disguise. Luis. Does that name ring a bell?" Upon hearing this name, I immediately remembered a young, impressionable man with wavy red hair and dark freckles. He followed Baden everywhere, and he'd do anything to get Baden's approval—even if it meant dying. "It was him who saved me," Baden continued. "Do you know what he told me before he died?" He wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand and remained kneeling on the ground. "He said, 'Everyone can die, but only you must live, because you are Her Majesty's ideal sole heir. If you die, then the Kindred are lost. If you find Her Majesty one day, please give her my regards.' He really believed in you. In our cause. And this is how you repay him—by turning on the old ways." I didn't know what to say. It was impossible for me to ever consider that I was who I used to be—someone who followed the Kindred law to the letter. But that was centuries ago, in what the humans referred to as the Medieval Times. Things were different. I was different. "Do you really, truly, have nothing to say, Your Majesty?" "Don't call me that," I said, exasperated. "I'm not that person anymore. The Victoria you're looking for is dead. She died two hundred years ago. I don't have what you're looking for here." There was dreadful silence once I finished speaking. Then, Baden let out a deep sigh. "She's not dead. She just needs something to wake her up. And an injury with that knife you're holding was one way to do it. But now, I guess I'll have to improvise." He clapped his hands and smiled once his eyes fixed on something behind me. I turned to see a dark shadow showed in front of me. I focused my eyes and found that it was the same man who I had met on the rooftop in NYC a few days prior. He was carrying someone on his shoulder; the body dangled as he moved, the wind shaking its clothing. Leon. "Let him go!" I shouted, turning the knife of the Blood Hunter. My body was on fire. I knew too well what kind of person Baden was; he would kill Leon in front of me if he needed to, and despite my best intentions, I was succumbing to the Blood Bond itself. "It seems you still haven't learned your lesson, Your Majesty. You got a bit carried away with your new pet once again—and look where you ended up the last time." I winced at his mention of Jacob. "However, this pet's blood quality is very high…" Baden continued. "Why don't you have a drink with your old subordinate?" "Have you lost your mind?!" I shouted. "That's treason! We'll all be killed!" "That's what you said the last time, and I'm still here, aren't I?" As he spoke, he bared his sharp fangs, and before I knew it, he was lunging for Leon's neck. With all my might, I dashed toward him and pushed him into the stone bench Leon and I were just sitting on using my shoulder. His body crashed against the surface, instantly snapping it in half with his weight. "You sure have lost a lot of strength," he sneered as he slowly stood. "Be that as it may, the current me can still beat the shit out of you." Suddenly, a flash of darkness brushed across my peripheral vision. Fuck. I turned away from Baden and rushed to the Blood Hunter, who was laying Leon down on a ceremonial blanket to begin the drinking ritual. I raced toward him to knock him over when I was tackled from behind. I was sent flying and smashed through the thick hedges. I struggled to my feet and spat out a mouthful of blood. Baden's punch had broken one of my ribs in an instant. But before I could regain my balance, Baden jumped through the bushes and flung himself at me. The two of us smashed through to the other side, and into the maze. We activated Shadow Form and engaged in an intense battle. Every time my nails scratched his body, he would quickly heal himself. This guy had sucked a lot of human blood throughout the last 400-plus years, but I could still hold my own against him. Ultimately, he found an opportunity and kicked me hard, from the air to the ground. My body smashed back into the lawn, causing me to feel unbearable pain all over my body. I could not stand up, even after I tried my best. "You've gotten weaker, much weaker. I didn't expect someone like you to abide by boring Kindred law. We all know Kindred should be at the top of the food chain. We're born rulers—not some lackeys meant to hibernate." I snarled up at him. "You sound like a Predator." At this, Baden smiled—it was deep and sinister, and it sent a chill through my body. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, I am." He raised his hand, and a dark mass of bats gathered in it. Gradually, they became one long black sword. "You once believed in these rules," he said as it formed in his hand. "And I won't tolerate anyone who wants to overthrow this concept, even if it's you." He raised his sword and prepared to give me the final blow. To my disappointment, my body still could not move. I shook, trying with everything in me to press forward—not for myself, but for Leon. Without me, he'd die. I needed to get to him, but with each movement, I cried out in pain. "Farewell, Your Majesty." He swung his sword down. I closed my eyes and prepared for the end. Except…it didn't come. I heard a large scuffle and grunting. Then, a scream tore through the silent night. I opened my eyes to see Baden's sword-wielding hand stopped midair. Behind him, Leon stood, hunched over, looking more angered than I had ever seen him before. Then I caught sight of the candlestick in Baden's back. It was not blessed, but silver was born with the power to exorcise. The sword in Baden's hand turned back into a swarm of bats and dispersed. "You bastard!" he shouted. He spun around and slammed his fist into Leon, sending him flying and crashing to the ground. At the sight, despair began to weigh on my chest, and I didn't even hear myself scream. My instincts kicked in, and I pulled myself from the ground, despite my injuries, and attacked. I extended my nails and reached out, slashing his throat. Instantly, it burned his skin and opened his neck, prompting a fountain of blood to gush out intensely. Baden looked at me in utter shock. Gradually, he could not maintain his balance and collapsed. I didn't even give myself a second to regain my energy and hobbled over—my hand still on my hip—to Leon's unconscious body. His wound was small, but with excessive use, the bleeding had intensified. I looked to where the drinking ritual was and saw the man knocked unconscious. "Leon," I coaxed, rubbing his hair out of his face. "Come on, Leon. Wake up." I bent down and listened to his heartbeat. He was alive. I ripped off the base of Osip's dress and tied it tightly around Leon's waist to stop the bleeding—if it meant saving her fiancée, I'm sure she wouldn't mind. I was burning with anger. What Baden had done was unforgivable, even if he was my old subordinate. I had to take care of him once and for all before any more harm could come to Leon or other humans. I left a kiss on Leon's forehead and turned to finish the job when the man appeared. He looked at me, holding Baden's body, and then jumped through the hedges with all his might. He was gone. I wanted to chase him. I wanted to hunt them down and kill them for what they did to Leon. But even I knew that if I chased after him now, I wouldn't be able to kill him. Not in this state. So, instead, I bent down, picked up Leon's body and left.