Silence - By Kailin Gow Page 0,24

stake, not wanting to be caught out in the same way. She saw Vigor draw his sword and take up a fighting stance.

Together, the three of them glanced around, but there was no sign of anyone. Only when the laugh sounded again, above them once more, did Briony look up.

A young man was clinging to the ceiling like a spider, dressed in a dark tunic and pants, with black, almost knee-length boots and a sword at his waist.

His long, dark hair fel around his face thanks to his current location, but even so, Briony could make out the redness of his eyes, could see the moment when his mouth opened to reveal fangs.

Briony thought that she would have plenty of time to raise her stake as he leapt at her, but the vampire was faster even than Pietre. Before Briony could so much as blink, he was in front of her, mouth opened wide to bite her. Briony didn’t have the time to do anything.

Vigor was faster, though. He charged the vampire, aiming a slash with his sword which forced the creature back. The vampire drew his own sword and spun, aiming a low slash at Vigor’s legs. The Hugtandalfer prince leapt, avoiding it neatly.

They kept on like that, and it soon became clear that the two were both master swordsmen.

Vigor’s style was brutal, with stroke after stroke aimed at his opponent in a continuous onslaught, but the vampire was a constantly moving target, throwing out sudden thrusts to force Vigor onto the back foot just as Briony thought the Prince might final y break through.

Such was the quality of the swordplay on show that Briony did not dare to interfere. Instead, she found herself glued to the action taking place in front of her as counter riposte fol owed riposte, and the two combatants’ feet slid back and forth, looking to gain some advantage in distance or timing that might final y al ow them to finish off their opponent.

Briony was so involved, in fact, that she didn’t notice the moment when more vampires arrived. They came as the one fighting Vigor had come, scuttling along the ceiling and dropping down to attack. Aunt Sophie kicked one back, and then barely parried an attack from another.

“Fight, Briony!”

That was enough to break Briony’s immobility.

She lunged for a vampire, but it twisted away easily.

Another moved around to her side, dancing back as Briony spun to attack it. On they went, switching back and forth as Briony tried to strike at them, but never quite enough to gain a hit. They were toying with her.

While Vigor and Aunt Sophie fought hard around Briony, the vampires were actual y toying with her.

Each one moved so fast that Briony knew it had to be true- these vampires were al at least as old as Pietre. Which meant…

Which meant Briony, Vigor, and Aunt Sophie had a slim chance of winning. Not like this. Not in a fair fight. Maybe Vigor and Aunt Sophie could have beaten one or two of them, but not as many as this, and not with Briony there. Vigor was right. She was a liability.

Almost as soon as she thought it, Briony found her makeshift stake knocked out of her hand like it wasn’t there. At the same time though, the two vampires attacking her took a step back. Briony turned, expecting some fresh threat. Except al there was standing before her was a sweet faced girl with jet black hair and green eyes, only a little older than her brother Jake.

Chapter 10

Briony took a longer look at the girl. She looked healthy, even beautiful, and was dressed after the fashion of the rest of the court. She had to be some Hugtandalfer aristocrat’s daughter, so what was she doing here?

There wasn’t any time to ask. “You shouldn’t be here,” Briony said instead. “It’s not safe. Hurry and go before they attack again.”

Yet even as she said it, a new vampire

stepped forward. Even by the standards of vampires general y, he was good-looking, appearing to be in his early twenties, with sandy hair and eyes of a deep hazel. He was dressed in black, from the fingers of his gloved hands down to the tips of his highly-polished boots. And he was heading for the girl in front of Briony.

“Get behind me!” Briony ordered. She ran in front of the girl, placing herself between her and the new threat. Even unarmed as she was, Briony was determined not to let the