Vampire Hunter D Fan Fiction ❯ Vampire Hunter D: Demons and Angels ❯ Demons and Angels: I know. You'll die! ( Chapter 5 )

* * *

“Ahem. Enjoyed that, did you?”

D picked up his hat and sword ignoring the remark that issued from his left hand.

“She left her sword.”

D bent to pick it up but changed his mind about touching it. Instead he walked from the room.

“Hey wait! You're not taking your new lover?”

D stopped with his hand on the latch of the front entrance. “She's too unpredictable. I'll deal with Sara when I return.”

“Ooo it's Sara now. Not the high and mighty hunter now are we. Took blood and fell in love. You're more like your father than you know.”

He balled up his right hand in a fist and smacked his left palm.

A sullen voice said, “Owe. You could have just said shut up.”

She was waiting at his horse. She wore the frayed priest's cassock and the sword she'd carried at the monastery. “You need me. March's creatures are immune to daylight. I'll take care of them. You take care of March.”

D took the reins from her. “No. March has the ring.”

Sara mounted the horse leaving room for D in front of her. “It's no good. You need me D. I will draw the creatures out of the monastery while you go inside. I won't even see March.”

For a second D thought about killing her now and being done with it, but she could be right. A distraction would make the whole thing easier. He mounted his horse and set out for the monastery.

Sara held D close around the waist. It was nice to have an excuse to touch him again. Lilith called her a fool. He was going to kill her yet she was falling in love with him. Sara didn't mind. She'd lived a long life and she'd met D. That was enough for her. Inside Lilith raged. That was ok too. Sara had a plan for her.

* * *

D reined in his horse in a small clearing just over a rise from the monastery. The trees here were twisted and dark. There wasn't an animal within hearing distance. D stilled himself for what would be a difficult fight.

A moment later he dismounted and helped Sara down. He started walking from the clearing but stopped when Sara called to him.

She stood by his horse. She had taken her sword off and was holding it out to him, belt and all. “D take this with you. You might need it.”

“I have a sword. You'll need it more.”

“No D. In case… in case something goes wrong and March does get the better of me. This isn't a normal sword. If you kill me Lilith will just find another host.” Sara had to fight with Lilith for a moment. It was much easier to keep control of her as a vampire. “Kill me with this and you'll destroy Lilith. It will destroy my soul too, but there's no other way.” Sara offered him the sword.

D took the sword by the belt. “And you will use?”

She smiled at his question. “Oh I have a few ideas.” Then Sara headed off toward the monastery. “You'll know when it's your turn.”

* * *

“You're going to trust her? She's a full fledged vampire now. Not to mention demon possessed.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

D swung the sword over his shoulder by its belt and started toward the monastery. “She just handed me a holy artifact.”

“An artifact. Really?”

D crouched in the trees at the edge of the woods and watched Sara call the creatures to her. That same note of command that she had used the night before rang in her voice. “Urel's sword, the fiery sword from the gates of Eden,” he replied.

“Uh, how did she come by that?”

“My guess? He gave it to her.”

“Oh.”

D tensed when Sara's call was answered. A horde of pale fanged children swarmed from the building. There was no organization among them. They converged on Sara from all sides. For a second she disappeared from view. D nearly went to her aid then. Sara threw them off though. She fought them with their own weapons. With fang and claw she ended them one by one. Her golden blonde hair floated on a nonexistent breeze. Her movements were impossibly fast and her strength broke more than one arm in her bid to keep the creatures distracted.

D stalked silently through the woods to a break in the monastery wall. Inside was the small courtyard he'd been ambushed in last time. Only this entrance would take him past the cell doors. March had to be in one of the cells or the chapel. They were the only places he'd be able to get out of the light.

Just inside the monastery D sensed another presence. It wasn't March and it wasn't one of the abominations he'd made. He had a servant, Barbaroi by the smell.

The fire blackened walls of the monastery made the interior seem even darker. D relied on his sense of small and hearing. Fallen stones and half burnt timbers littered the floor making walking difficult.

D stepped over a fallen ceiling beam and was knocked to the ground by something small and black. He knew it was there but he couldn't see it. D rolled to a crouch and pulled his sword. He waited in the darkness. It was above him in the remaining rafters. He just couldn't tell exactly where.

It was no good he couldn't see it. D closed his eyes and reached out with his other senses.

The monastery still smelled of burnt wood. There were other smells as well. March was definitely in the chapel. He caught a whiff of the demon vampires but it was faint. He could even smell Sara, but that was most likely from the sword.

There were too many smells. D concentrated on his hearing. He calmed his breathing until he could no longer hear it. Outside Sara was winning. He blocked out the battle and concentrated on the sounds inside the monastery. Nothing. No wait. Breathing, shallow. Behind him.

D exploded into action. He swiveled around on the ball of his right foot and jumped high into the air. His sword sliced an arch up through the barbaroi and the ceiling above it. Two halves of a half bat/half human crashed to the floor along with part of the ceiling beam it had been hanging from.

Quietly D walked toward the chapel. There was no chance March had not heard that. The chapel doors were new. Carved from hard black wood with images of castles and the moon, they were tacky but sturdy. D placed a hand on the latch but the doors swung open of their own accord. His sword at the ready he stepped into the room.

Ramius March stood in front of the one time alter. He had Sara by the throat. When had she gotten past him? The confusion must have registered on D's face because March felt that he needed to tell him.

“Confused, Hunter?” March was a gloater. In a way all vampires were. “I heard the battle outside and summoned her. Though I must say I never thought to see her again after your little interlude in the woods.”

“Let her go March. I'm a much better opponent.”

An evil grin spread across March's face. “You're right, you are. But I think she's nearly your match. Let's find out.” March threw Sara toward D and shouted, “Kill him Lilith.”

Sara landed on her feet only D could tell it wasn't Sara in control. Her eyes were rimmed in red and her fangs bared. Already bloody from the fight outside her hands looked more like claws than the hands he had caressed the night before.

“As I said grandson of the Order of the Dragon, twice as strong!” Lilith sprang at him.

D raised his sword to parry but instead of landing on him Lilith hovered in midair on wings of shadow. She flapped just out of his reach.

When D carefully stepped around her but towards March, Lilith dodged behind him to claw his back.

D wasn't fast enough to parry. The gashes burned. He decided to change the plan. D stepped back around Lilith and made several vicious, fast attacks towards her, driving her backwards. His last attack struck home and pierced her side. She shrieked in pain. Each attack had brought her closer to the laughing March.

Enjoying the show March stepped neatly out of Lilith's path. He reclined against the descrated alter.

The plan changed again. D's eyes settled on the still hanging chandelier. Suspended over the alter it would be a simple thing to cut the rope.

The second his skin touched the hilt of Sara's sword his hand began to burn. Lilith laughed from her place in the air above his head.

"She gave you a sword you can't possible draw. You are unworthy, son of the Vampire King." Still Lilith kept her gaze locked on D's sizzling hand.

D gritten through the pain. This would work, and maybe, just maybe he could save her. D pulled Sara's sword and threw it at Lilith.

"No!" Lilith's scream echoed her disbelief.

A heart beat later D threw his own sword.

End over end Sara's sword flew towards its target. Lilith dodged out of the way but into the path of the falling chandelier.

She yelped in pain as the chandelier fell and pinned her to the ground.

Swordless, D turned his attention to March.

The vampire had seen the chandelier coming his way and dodged forward out of its path. He threw back his cloak and prepared to kill his unarmed opponent.

"Oh D," he sighed. "Whatever will you do without your sword?" Marched smiled, "I know. You'll die."

March lunged at D, his hands like claws.

D danced back out of the way. His sword was on the other side of the altar. March was not a fighter. He liked to let his minions handle the fighting. D was fairly certain he would not require his blade.

"Give it up D! Meier was weak compared to me." March moved faster than D could follow and got in a short swipe across D's face.

Forced to retreat, D parried March's next strikes with his arms. On after another he parried looking for an opening. March wasn't strong but he was fast and try as D might several more swipes got through is defenses.

Thinking he had the upper hand March relaxed his own defenses. D was able to return the hits blow for blow. March jumped back to avoid further damage. He perched in the rafters waiting for the moment to strike.

D could feel the strength pounding up from the depths of his being. It fell against D's carefully held restraint with such force his control snapped instantly. Fangs bared and eyes glazed D roared March's name.

With a flick of his wrist he called his blade to his side and leapt towards March.

March made a pathetic attempt to block D's blade as it came at him. D's strike cut through Meier's arm and sliced a path down through his shoulder to his heart. Before the body fell to the chapel floor D sliced the black ring from March's finger and caught it in his off hand.

D jumped lightly to the ground and paused. He breathed out his rage one breath at time, calming himself and forcing his power back under his control. Finally he turned to deal with Lilith.

She was standing on the floor. Her eyes were green and her fangs were hidden. “D can I have it?” She motioned to the ring in his hand. “The ring D. I can keep Lilith at bay with it. Please?”

D slipped it on his finger. “No Lilith. It is time you left.”

“No,” she screeched! “I've waited too long to be beaten by some half vampire bastard. The ring is mine!” Lilith leapt at his face claws extended. Furious her face was contorted in a sneer of rage.

“STOP.”

Lilith fell to the ground hard. She rolled to her feet. “I will kill you! No matter what you do, I will be the end of you eventually. Uriel's sword is useless. You can't even touch it. You can't kill me.”

“We shall see.” D fixed Lilith with hard gaze. “OUT, LILITH. LEAVE HER.”

Forced to obey him Lilith left Sara's body in the form of a red specter. Sara's body dropped to the ground unconscious. D lifted his left hand which breathed in. Lilith was sucked screeching into D's palm.

Sara, now free of the demon, was nothing more than a vampire. D knelt beside her and pulled her into his lap. He cradled her head and shoulders in his arms. She was still alive, so to speak.

“Sara.”

Her eyes fluttered open. “D. It hurts so much. Why didn't kill us with my sword?”

“You do not deserve to be destroyed.” D smoothed a strand of hair back from her face.

Sara grabbed his hand and squeezed. “You will have to kill me. The thirst pulls at my strength even now.”

“I do not want to.”

“But I cannot live like this. I forgive you D. Please?” There were tears in her eyes. For the first time in a long time the only voice in Sara's head was her own. She knew what she had to do.

“Help me up?” Sara was weak from the wound in her side and the need to feed.

D helped her to stand. He had done this to her. Forgiveness wasn't what he needed. Rightfully someone should be hunting him.

Sara still holding on to him for support, stepped close and kissed him a long goodbye. “It was a nice thought though,” she whispered, “wasn't it?”

“It still could be. Sara there must be a way…”

Standing unsteadily on her own, she picked up his sword. He took it from her and wiped the blood from the blade. His eyes never left hers.

She would do it for him. He still held the blade in his right hand.“We could never be happy D. You know it wouldn't work.”

“Sara…”

She held his gaze while she took hold of the tip of his blade. “Thank you D. Tell my friends their Saraphynne died free.”

She thrust herself on to his blade. He'd known she was going to do it but her eyes, those bright emerald eyes that had told him her plan, had held him captivated as well. He closed his eyes and pulled the silvered tip deep from her heart. She fell to floor in a pool of her own blood without a noise. A vague white shape rose above the body. D opened his left hand.

* * *

D handed the sword to man with brown hair. “She asked me to tell you your Saraphynne died well.”

The man closed his eyes for the briefest of moments, the sorrow evident in his features. “Thank you Hunter D. Your payment is on the table.”

D walked out of the Chateau without stopping at the table.

“The least you could have done was taken the money.”

D mounted his horse. “We took something far more precious.”

“Oh really?”

“We took an angel.”

“A hopeless romantic, just like his father.”