Legacy of Blood

chapter Fourteen

“Are you ready for the fourth test, Miss Morrison?”

I sighed and closed my eyes as I nodded my head. How many more tests do I have to go through? I felt like I had been drug through the wringer and back. Emotionally I was raw, but physically I was fine.

“Brothers of the Army of The Faithful, the fourth test shall be The Test of Temperament,” Ruarc spoke as three men stepped forward out of the group; Oleif being one of them. My brow furrowed in confusion as I watched Hagan leave my side and join his brothers. As I looked up at Oleif’s towering form, I felt his anticipation at what was about to take place.

“The Test of Temperament will focus on how well you can control your anger in a fight. These men will engage you in battle and you are to refrain from seriously injuring them, as they will refrain from seriously injuring you. We will be judging how you handle yourself and how strong Amun’s evil influence is on you. Take heed of this warning: if you kill one of my men, you forfeit your immortal life. Is that clear?”

I clutched my hands to my chest and tried to calm myself. I was positively panicking right now. Oleif had been waiting for his chance to kick my ass and it looked like he was going to get it. There was no way in hell I could handle Oleif, let alone two other soldiers. Soldiers! Men trained to kill! Oh Heavenly Father, give me strength! My stomach rolled with anxiety and I suddenly wanted to vomit.

Ruarc cleared his throat and I tore my eyes away from Oleif. It was clear Ruarc was waiting for my answer and I quickly nodded my head. “Yes, sir. I understand.”

“No weapons,” Ruarc barked and the men took out their swords and daggers and threw them to their brothers.

I chanced a quick peek at Hagan and he was staring at me intently. His previous words floated through my mind. “You can do this. Remember who you are.” I nodded my head letting him know that I would remember everything he taught me and he nodded back.

“This is going to be fun,” Oleif sneered, drawing my attention back to the test at hand. He was rubbing his gigantic hands together like he couldn’t wait to get started.

“For you maybe,” I groaned as I readied myself for their imminent assault.

I focused on the three men as they stalked the few feet to me. The redheaded one flashed out of the back and immediately slammed into me. I grabbed his shoulders, allowing his momentum to carry us, and rolled backwards. We landed with me straddling his waist and I dodged his fist as it shot out toward my face. Someone grabbed me from behind and dragged me off the redhead as he flashed up and came at me again. I kicked Red as hard as I could in the stomach which sent me, and the man who had grabbed me, flying backwards. We crashed hard into the ground but I didn’t have time to feel it because Oleif was standing over me with a sick smile on his face.

“My turn,” he sneered and I rolled away from him as fast as I could.

I flashed to stand and slapped Oleif’s hand away as it reached for me. He growled and came at me again. I wasn’t going to let this a*shole put his hands anywhere near my body, so we ended up furiously grappling; his hands reaching for me and my hands knocking his away. Someone put me in a choke hold from behind and I head-butted them as hard as I could, my hands still busy keeping Oleif’s off me. I felt the man let go and I flashed a few feet away, putting some distance between Oleif and me. The black haired man engaged me next and when he threw his first punch, I stopped it with my hand. I held on to his fist and jerked my hand to the side, breaking his as I delivered a hard front kick to his chest.

My feet were unexpectedly swept out from under me and I hit the ground with wide eyes. Oleif straddled me in the blink of an eye and punched me in the face. I brought my hands up and tried fighting him off, but he seemed to anticipate my every move and I couldn’t stop his hits as they unrelentingly rained down on me. His next blow made me see stars and I caught the first scent of my blood. It infuriated me that I had let this a*shole intimidate me and get the upper hand in this fight. I knew I was a strong fighter and I needed to regain control of this fight before I lost my temper and in turn lost my life.

I brought my legs up, hooked my ankles around Oleif’s throat, and pulled him off me. I dove on top of him and let him have a little taste of his own medicine. My first punch broke his nose and my second crushed his windpipe. Talk about poetic justice. The bastard had crushed mine just this morning. Oleif lost some of his fight as he was obviously in pain so I stood up, kicked him hard in the ribs to keep him down and turned to engage Red.

He smiled, not unkindly, as he shifted from foot to foot. I smiled back and stepped to him. We had a tough time landing hits on each other, but some got through. After a roundhouse kick to his face, he landed a hard front kick to my stomach which sent me back peddling. Before I had time to recover, he had both hands wrapped around my throat. My Krav Maga training kicked in and I brought my arm up, locked his wrists down as I tucked my chin and brought my other arm around to deliver a hard elbow strike to his temple. He immediately let go of my throat and I grabbed his shoulders as I thrust my knee into his stomach five times before delivering another spinning elbow strike to his face.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man with the black hair come at me and I gave him a hard side hammer fist to the temple as I let go of Red. He stumbled back and I turned my attention to him. I threw out a kick and he stopped it cold. He twisted my leg to the side and I heard a snap; he had just cleanly broken my tibia and fibula.

“Agh!” I squeaked in pain as I hit the floor a few feet from where Oleif still laid. Our eyes met and his promised a severe ass kicking as soon as he was physically able. I didn’t want him anywhere near me so I lifted my hand and flicked my wrist in his direction. His body slid across the floor away from me and roughly hit the wall.

Black hair was now standing at my feet. I felt the healing tingle in my leg and was thankful that it was healing quickly. I needed to be at 100% and fast. The man wasted no time disabling my other leg with a hard stomp to my thigh. My femur snapped and so did I.

“F*ck!” I screamed as I felt my eyes flicker to black in my anger. “Quit breaking my f*cking legs!”

The pain emanating from my thigh was incredible and I used my newfound power to push the black haired man away from me. I guess I put too much emotion behind my thought because he slammed into Red and they both went flying into the glass weapons case, breaking it with a loud crash.

The sound scared me and brought me back to reality. I was in the middle of a test and I needed to get a handle on my anger. If I lost control or seriously hurt these men, I would die myself. I took a few deep breaths as my femur healed and stood up as soon as it was whole again. I closed my eyes for a moment and focused on calming down. I felt my eyes flicker back to their normal colorlessness and I opened them just in time to see Oleif stalking toward me.

“You crushed my wind pipe,” he growled, his voice scratchy.

“Tit for tat, Oleif,” I smiled as I readied myself for his assault. “Doesn’t feel very good, does it?”

He growled as he engaged me. His strikes were focused and fast but I was faster. I blocked and moved, dodged and ducked with expert precision as he worked his way around me. I saw the black haired man coming toward me again and I took a knee, kicking Oleif’s knee out, and then turned to deliver an uppercut to Black. I stood up out of my crouch and punched him hard, using my leg power to deliver the blow. His body flew into the air and I lifted my hand, bringing his body to a stop and gently lowering it to the mat.

“Enough!” Ruarc commanded and all of us stood still.

Hagan ran over and checked on Black and nodded to Ruarc once his evaluation was complete. “He’s just knocked out, sir. No serious damage.”

“Impressive, Miss Morrison,” Ruarc appraised with narrowed, thoughtful eyes. “You took on three highly trained soldiers with ease. Not an easy feat… especially for a newborn.”

I took a deep breath and bowed my head respectfully, accepting his compliment.

“Your eyes did change during the fight, showing your anger, but you were able to suppress it quickly and continue on as normally as you had before,” he said.

The black haired man groaned and we all glanced over at him, watching him sit up. “You knocked me out?” he asked, confused and surprised.

“Well, you broke my legs,” I huffed, the pain still fresh in my mind.

Hagan helped the man stand and then came back over to my side as the soldiers lined up again behind Ruarc.

“The Test of Temperament is now complete,” Ruarc said, addressing his men. “I judge that the subject is adequately able to control her emotions. Her eyes did change during the test but quickly changed back. Although it is an area of concern, I do not deem her temperament dangerous. What say you?”

I closed my eyes as I awaited the room’s answer. I focused on the emotions around me and was surprised to find all but one agreed with Ruarc’s judgment. My eyes immediately found Oleif’s and we stared at each other for a few tense seconds. I didn’t think that man would ever come to accept me, no matter what I did.

“Agreed,” the men all said in unison as Oleif voiced the only nay.

“Miss Morrison, the test is now complete,” Ruarc addressed me. “If you will please head over to the coffin room, we will deliberate your fate and notify you when we have come to a unanimous decision.”

I swallowed thickly and tried to stifle the fear that coursed through me. My life was in these men’s hands now. “Yes, sir,” I bowed my head respectfully to Ruarc and then again to the other members of the Army of the Faithful.

I turned on my heels and went into the room where I had woken up, shutting the door gently behind me. I took note of the control I had over my movements now and smiled at the small victory. The room was pitch black, but with my superior vampire sight, I could see as well as I could in daylight. I walked over to the shelf on the wall and lit a match, putting the flame to the wick of a nearby candle.

I turned and viewed the stark room again. The coffin still sat in the same spot it did when I awoke but the lid was now on it. I gently ran my fingers over the carved wood and thought about everything that had happened to me since I took my first immortal breath almost twenty-four hours ago.

The door opened and I spun around to see Hagan walk in. He quietly shut the door behind him and took a seat in the wooden chair next to the coffin. His heavy sigh spoke volumes to me. He had been through just as much as I had. He was there fighting for me when Ruarc wanted to kill me moments after my rebirth and he was still here helping me get through all the crazy tests the Army was giving me. I watched as he silently leaned forward, put his elbows on his knees and tiredly hung his head.

I was so grateful for everything he had done for me. Without a second thought, I flashed over to him and threw my arms around his neck as I kneeled in front of him. He jerked in surprise but I didn’t let go.

“Thank you Hagan… for everything,” I whispered.

Slowly, he put his hand on my back and patted it a few times. “You’re welcome, Morrison.”

I let go and looked up into his wide brown eyes. My hug had unnerved him a bit. “How come you’re here with me and not out there with your brothers?”

Hagan sighed and twitched his lip, his version of a small smile. “I’m not a part of the decision process so I thought I’d come in here and see how you were holding up.”

I sat back on my heels and sighed as well. “I’m a wreck, Hagan. And I’m scared. I’m a total f*cking freak of nature and I proved that to them in there.”

Hagan nodded. “You are kind of different,” he conceded with a tilt of his head.

“Kind of different? My eyes turn completely black, I can control my venom output, absorb Divine Powers, and go toe-to-toe with trained killing machines. ‘Kind of different’ left the building after I threw up the bagged blood.”

Hagan chuckled and I looked up at him in exasperation. “They’re going to kill me, aren’t they? How will they do it? Will they cut my head off? Dismember me and then burn the pieces?” I screeched, my panic starting to rise with each word.

“Breathe, Morrison,” Hagan sighed as he put one heavy hand on my shoulder to calm me. “You’re getting ahead of yourself, don’t you think?”

I sat down on my butt and put my head in my hands. “I think I’m going to puke.”

Hagan chuckled and said something in Gaelic as I felt him pat the top of my head. “You’ll make it through this, Morrison. Ruarc can be an a*shole sometimes, but he’s a fair a*shole.”

I took a few deep breaths as silence filled the room. “Why do you care?” I asked suddenly. “I mean, you went to bat for me when you didn’t have to. You stood up for me, defended me, and trained me. Why bother?”

Hagan sighed and rubbed his right temple. “Why bother?” he scoffed. “Because I think you’re worth it, Morrison. There’s more to you than just a pretty face and a smart mouth. I saw your potential during our very first training session. You can imagine how surprised I was. Now quit worrying. You’re giving me a bloody headache.”

We were silent for a while and during that time I mastered the art of levitating two candles around the room at the same time. After setting the candles back in their holders, the coffin caught my eye again.

“Why did I wake up in a coffin, Hagan?” I asked curiously. “And why was it filled with dirt?”

Hagan sat up in his chair and glanced over at the coffin. “That coffin was the coffin your maker was reborn in. Archer’s father made it for him before he was turned. It’s kind of a tradition with Day Walkers, to have their children born in the same coffin they were.” Hagan saw the grimace on my face and he chuckled as he continued. “It’s not weird in our culture. What’s weird to me is being buried in the ground and waking up there. Imagine how frightening that is.”

“Is that why the dirt is in the coffin? Is it somehow needed for rebirth?”

“Aye,” he nodded. “The dirt is from Ireland, our home. The days are long gone where we bury our children and wait for them to rise from the ground. They are now placed in coffins upon the dirt of our native country. We try to stick to the ways of our father Aodhfin’s rebirth as much as we are able, though we modernize where we can.”

“Weird,” I pursed my lips, deep in thought. If I had to choose, I’d much rather wake up in a coffin instead of a grave. Just imagining myself having to claw my way out of the ground gave me chills.

There was a knock at the door and Hagan and I flashed to stand. The redheaded guy I had fought earlier asked me to come into the sparring room because a decision had been made regarding my life. I swallowed thickly and tried to calm my sudden sense of dread. I looked at the faces of those in the room as I entered, trying to gage any hint of my fate. Their faces gave nothing away so I used my new power of empathy. The only emotion I was picking up was calm resolution. Crap! I stopped in front of Ruarc and waited for him to speak; Hagan was at my side again thankfully.

“We were gathered here today to determine the authenticity of newborn vampire Skye Everleigh Morrison, daughter to Archer Rhys, leader of sliocht Fearchar and direct descendent of Cináed, blood son to the blessed one Aodhfin, the father of us all,” Ruarc commanded everyone’s attention. “After completing four sanctioned tests, her fate has been decided.” I watched as Ruarc took a step back and joined the Army in formation.

“Brothers of the Army of the Faithful, on this sixteenth day of the month of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, what say you to the immortal life of newborn vampire Skye Everleigh Morrison?”

I held my breath and watched as every man held their right arm out in front of them. They fisted their hands and held their thumbs out horizontally. My body started to shake with anticipation and if I had been human, I would have passed clean out; the tension in the room was palpable and completely stifling.

Long seconds passed as I waited. Finally, I saw hands start to move. This is it. I either live or die. I watched as every hand tilted their thumb up. I stared in shock. What does that mean? Yes to life or yes to death? I felt my panic start to rise and Ruarc stepped forward again.

“We have decided to let you live,” Ruarc said plainly. My knees immediately gave out upon hearing his words and I floated to the ground. Life. Living, breathing LIFE! I let out the breath I had been holding and sighed in immense relief.