Chapter Seven: Dance of the Dead

By Richard LeBlanc

In a place filled with mist and shadows - the assassin slowly awoke. All around him he could hear sounds - voices. He could see wisps of motions in the shadows around him.

He tried to move - but his body wasn't responding. Slowly the mist and darkness began to part. He could see shadows flickering on the roof of the cave - and could see beasts conversing over him - one - of which was standing on his unmoving chest.

What the hell happened? He thought to himself. It was then that his hand twitched. Feeling was slowly starting to return to him. Whatever it was that hit me must have knocked me out cold. He thought. He could feel his feet.

"Master work - fate almost broke," one beast slurred.

"Soon we be free. Foolish bloodsucker open door to knowledge puny brain couldn't take," another added. Calloway was about to attack the unsuspecting creatures - but something told him - to wait.

"Yes - he use power he no know to use. Powerful and deadly but uses easy," another chirped in. Calloway could feel a chill run down his spine as the creatures laughed.

"Soon burning door be smashed to bits. We be free to take back master's world," another beast slurred. Calloway blinked - there were forces at work here that he was sure even the regent and his cronies were ignorant of. Subtly - his hands moved over and gripped his fallen daggers.

"Excuse me," Calloway began. The beasts stopped talking and looked down at the vampire that was looking up at them. In the time it took to blink an eye - Calloway slammed a dagger into the chest of one beast then jerked the blade downward until it was

free of the beast's unholy body. He then flipped himself up to his feet and attacked the stunned monstrosities.

"This no be! Master struck you - you dead in sleepy place for your kind," a beast stammered. Calloway spun around and cleaved its head free from its shoulders. He growled as the remaining few beasts scurried away like beaten dogs.

"No fair - you were supposed to be dead," a familiar voice complained. Calloway snorted and sheathed his weapons. As he looked over at the cross-looking specter.

"Deal with it. I have bigger fish to fry right now," he stated.

"Such as?" the ghost challenged.

"Those beasts - they aren't being controlled by the scholar - they are acting for some other dark power. Either those naughty mages forgot to feed me some details - or - their boy did something very bad to get what he needed to make his spell work," he replied.

"What do you mean? You trying to tell me that those things are part of some kind of invasion?" Luther asked.

"I think it is bigger than that. I think - some higher - darker power is controlling the scholar. But who - or why evades me," Calloway stated as he shook his head. "Something tells me I won't like the answers," he muttered as he hopped over the corpses that littered the floor.

As he continued downwards - he could hear the chanting again - it sent a chill down his spine in a way that few things could.

The chanting was followed by a tortured scream so loud that he fell to his knees covering his bleeding ears. Calloway looked over and saw that even Luther was hurting after hearing that.

"I think I'll catch you later," Luther began as he tried to vanish - nothing. "I'm still here. Why am I still here?" he muttered hesitantly.

"No one - is going - anywhere," a deep voice growled. Calloway staggered up to his feet and concentrated on his wounds. Slowly - they began to heal. The two watched as a glowing skeleton stepped out from the darkness and stood before them and the direction they sought to go.

"That thing can see me," Luther remarked.

"If you want the pest you can have him," Calloway offered - stepping back and motioning for the unholy creature to have its way with the annoying ghost. The skeleton laughed a shrieking laugh.

"Spirits such as his - are bound to this plane by an spiritual anchor - remove the anchor - and they perish," the skeleton remarked as a flaming sword appeared in its bony hands. "You will not interfere with the master's plan - none of your kind shall - this time around," the beast hissed.

For a monster with no flesh - organs or muscles the beast was surprisingly fast - strong and durable. Luther watched as the assassin dodged and blocked every attack the skeleton made - and how all of the slashes and cuts that Calloway landed - had little to no effect

"Whatever you are trying to do isn't working," Luther pointed out. Calloway dodged to the side - avoiding an arching cut of the flaming blade that would have cleaved his head from his body.

"Shut up already," Calloway cursed - not taking his eyes off the animated glowing skeleton. As the unnatural summoning moved and attacked - he began to see a pattern.

"Am I distracting you?" he mocked. Calloway dodged the skeleton's attack as he had before - the mistake he noticed before - was there again. Every time the skeleton attacked - it lacked the agility and skill to recover. The window of opportunity was small - and if he missed - he knew it would cost him his life.

Luther watched as Calloway hopped back and stood his ground. The skeleton slowly moved in to take the assassin down. Calloway slipped into a martial arts stance and waited.

The skeleton moved in to take Calloway down. Calloway watched as the flaming blade headed his way. Unlike the times before - he dodged under the blade - spun around and drove his dagger blade through the bony arm of the skeleton causing it to shatter.

"Wretched leech!" the skeleton hissed. Magical energy leaked from the shattered arm bones like magical blood. "You will beg for death," it hissed.

"What are you going to do? Bore me to death?" Calloway mocked as he threw a punch at the skeleton's head. With speed unbecoming to a creature of its type - its hand shot up and caught the fist. He grimaced as the bony hands squeezed like a vise.

"I will crush you apiece at a time," the skeleton rebutted. Calloway attempted to throw a punch at the skeleton with his free hand - but the skeleton retaliated by slamming the vampire into the wall. "You will feel pain unlike anything a mortal - or kindred mind could conceive," it continued as it swung Calloway and slammed him into another wall.

"Hit him again!" the ghost cheered.

"You - I will feast upon after I finish this wretch," the skeleton hissed. Calloway shook his head and looked over at the skeleton that was being distracted inadvertently by the ghost. He braced his feet on the ground - gripped the wrist of the hand that was holding him and lifted the skeleton up. "What are you?" it began.

"Let," he began as he slammed the skeleton into the rocky floor. He then lifted the skeleton up. "Go," he continued as he slammed it into the ground again. When he lifted the skeleton up again - he could see that many of the monster's bones were starting to crack. "Of," he continued as he slammed it into the ground again - lifting it up once more. This time pieces of bone were falling from the beast. "Me!" he concluded as he slammed the beast into the ground with all his remaining strength. Luther hopped back as the skeleton exploded violently sending Calloway rolling down the corridor.

"That - would have hurt - had I a body that is," Luther remarked as he floated over to where a stunned and dazed Calloway was. "You still alive you murdering bastard?" he asked sarcastically. The vampire shook his head and looked at his hand - even though the monster had been destroyed - the beast hadn't let go of his hand. Slowly he peeled the iron-like fingers from his hand.

"That - was seriously unpleasant," he remarked as he slowly got up. he concentrated on his wounds until he was fully healed. Luckily - the explosion didn't cause more damage.

"And the best is yet to come," the ghost piped in.

"Oh shut up," Calloway muttered as he continued down the corridor that vanished into the darkness.

To Be Concluded!