As Asha held Lina to the ground, firmly gripping her neck, Lina felt for the knife that Anton had given her. It had fallen to the ground at her side and when she finally felt it at her fingertips, she pulled it in and put her hand around the handle. She quickly lifted it up and swung it in Asha’s direction, tearing a slash across Asha’s chest. Asha cried out with pain as she pulled away. Lina used the moment to wedge her knees between Asha and her and push Asha off of her. Asha didn’t let go of Lina’s neck easily, leaving five deep scratches around the side as her nails dug into the skin.
With Asha now upright Anton launched another bolt from his crossbow at her chest. He planted it in the rib cage, before she had time to react.
She screeched with pain, but instead of faltering, she hissed at them, “When are you going to realize that these tiny pinpricks aren’t going to kill me?”
Bai grabbed Asha from behind just as she finished speaking, wrapping his arms around her neck. He pulled her, dragging her feet along the floor towards the daylight in the Great Hall. But her reflexes were to swift for him, as she pushed Bai’s arms away and knocked him to the ground. Lina, though, was there to immediately further Bai’s attempt. With all her strength, she shoved Asha towards the light. Asha toppled over Bai and landed on her back with her face staring directly up into the sunlight. It painfully burned her skin, and even in the seconds of exposure her face received, it was already bright red.
Asha hastily sat up, escaping into the shadows. But Asha didn’t let up, leaping at Asha, and kicking her whole body into the light. The burns only escalated, now covering all of Asha’s exposed skin, the color rapidly deepening into darker shades of red.
Though Asha squealed with pain, she still attempted to rise and save herself. But before she could sit up an axe stroke swung down upon her neck and silenced her. Lina looked up and saw Cornel standing over Asha, who’s beautiful head was now separated from her body. Cornel’s axe was stuck deep in the stone floor between Asha’s torso and head, and he was rocking it back and forth trying to dislodge it.
“Thank you,” Lina said looking up at the burly blacksmith that hovered over her.
Cornel simply nodded his head and said, “Nothing to it, ma’am.”
Blood poured from out of the neck, and Lina looked down on it hungrily. Unable to restrain herself she bent down and began sucking what blood remained out of Asha’s body. Cornel turned away in revulsion, and many of the soldiers that looked down from above emitted groans of disgust. But Lina ignored them, relishing in the unparalleled taste of Asha’s aged blood.
The intoxicating feeling of the vampire blood set fire to her heart and filled her with pleasure. She felt like an angel dancing on the surface of the sun. She felt like she could leap high enough to shatter the crystal spheres of heaven. Her body felt alive, like it had been transformed into light and flame and was ready to zip across the sky like a falling star. After she finished, she lay back in the shadows and stared up at the ceiling.
After some moments, Lina stood up, feeling light-headed and realized how tired she really was. Quietly she went into Sim’s room, untied him from the bed, and carried him back into the darkness. Bai followed and they walked into the pen.
Lina eventually found Suma in Dragomir’s former room. She’d organized the pots that she could salvage just outside of it, and was reclining on his bed. When Sim arrived, he was given the bed, and Lina began to nurse him back to health.
Anton, as he was leaving the pen, saw the corpse of Vasile, awkwardly sprawled across the floor of the Great Hall and threw himself upon him. He cried softly as Cornel came over to comfort him, and help him properly remove the frail body.
Anton and the soldiers were told by Lina to leave the vampire dead. The remaining vampires would clean them up themselves. The soldiers took their own dead, including Vasile, with them and headed back to Vallaya, with now a giant crowd of dazed and pallid people walking beside them.
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