through it.
“To the boats!”
“Fuck!” I shrieked to my men. “Don’t let them get away!”
Pagan’s voice still rang out over the increasing confusion while my own seemed lost in the fog. There was chaos around me. No one dared to make a strike because they could not see who they were fighting and would likely end up running through one of their own. The Templar were now in full retreat, rushing for the boats. Would my own be able to stop them? Not in this fog they wouldn’t; the Templar would sneak through the barricade and out to safety. I could hear the engines starting, and the fury that raged within me gave me strength.
I let out a scream as the aura of flame that burnt around me expanded, bursting out to burn away the fog. But Pagan’s magic was strong—the wild magic of nature always is—the fog seemed to roll back in over me, smothering my incandescence. I continued to yell and to blaze for as long as I could hold the power, but in the end it was too much for me, and I collapsed to my knees, the fire dying, my breath coming in ragged gasps. All my power was burnt away, but the rage still roiled within.
Damn the bastard!
We had won a famous victory, taken prisoners, killed many of his men. But without Pagan himself, it was all for nothing. His charisma meant people flocked to him even though they knew the danger. He led by force of charisma, while High Mage Duine could only do so by fear. As long as a man like that was out there, turning people against me, plotting my destruction, then I would not be able to consolidate my position and bring all magic users under my control.
My only consolation was that, while Pagan had escaped, I knew I had hurt him and that he would mourn his dead.
The fog rolled away, revealing the boats of my men still floating there. On land, where I still knelt, was carnage. Around me was a circle of scorched rock and burned bodies where my anger had incinerated living and dead alike, including many of my own men.
As the scene became clear, the soldiers of the King’s Alliance looked at their High Mage in fear. It would not affect their loyalty. Yes, I had burnt their friends and comrades, but I would burn them just as quickly if they disobeyed me.
I stared out to sea.
He would be mine.
One day.
SIX
SINJIN
This was something you did not see every day, something even I had not seen in a very long time. By virtue of my years, I had of course seen ships in full sail with the wind at their back. It was an impressive sight, and while the arrival of steam ships had been exciting at the time, looking back, I did miss the romantic grandeur of the wooden clipper ships.
And now, here was one approaching the fleet of the Vampire Coalition, dwarfed by my cruise liners, and yet still the most impressive ship there simply because it looked good. Clipper ships had class.
It was approaching by night, which suggested a vampire to me, but other than that, I had no idea who might be on board. Whoever they were, they knew how to travel in style; the sails were black, the figurehead was a vampiric mermaid and flaming torches were mounted along the guard rails, making the ship look as if it was crossing the river Styx into Hades.
“May I?” I held out my hand for the binoculars and the Carpathia’s Captain (human of course, so he could also work by day) passed them over.
Now that I could see the crew on deck, it became clear they were indeed vampires, which meant the ship would only be able to travel by night. That was old school and then some. Through the binoculars I sought out the flag.
“Hmm.”
“Something wrong, Mr. Sinclair?” Though I was no doubt entitled to some grandiose title as founder and ruler of the Vampire Coalition, I preferred to remain just Sinjin Sinclair, Master Vampire. By this point in my life the name itself carried more weight than any made up title ever could.
“The flag is familiar to me.” It was a two-headed bat on a field of red. Somewhat ‘on the nose’ I had always thought.
“You know who it is?” asked the captain.
“Perhaps,” I acknowledged. “Then again, perhaps not. I was under the impression the owner of that coat of arms was