Royal Academy: Hellfire's Fury

Chapter 13

Stefan's POV

Liam and I position ourselves to fight as Anna remains at the center of us, her hands flexing at her sides, her eyes never wavering from her opponents in front of her.

"We don't want to fight you," I say, nodding to Liam to be ready as I feel the heat begin to roll off Anna beside me.

"Your friend there played with my sister's heart. She was devastated when he left without saying goodbye. My sister, she is not one to take such abandonment lightly. Our family are not carefree people. And now he shows his face here again? No. I will deliver his heart to her." The man in black orders his men to attack, while he zones in on Liam.

Two of the men charge towards Anna while three others come at me. I keep my claws and fangs intact until we can figure out why we weren't getting any scents off these people. The blows I block are not that of humans. They carry blunt force and they come at a remarkable speed. I turn my head to see Anna maneuvering herself between her two attackers, but not with her regular ease. She loses her footing a bit but recovers quickly as one of the men slams his body completely into her, knocking the wind out of her.

We hear a loud growl from Liam's direction and we both look over to see the man in black throw consecutive blows one after the other while striking with his feet with precision and perfect agility.

What the hell are these men? Ninjas?

Stefan, look at their necks...

I focus on where Anna points out to me and my gaze narrows on the delicate tattoos covering the entire expanse of skin that was visible while the men moved.

What is that? Hebrew?

It seems that way. I remember Alexis mentioning Killian encountering a group like that in the Southern territories. But I can't remember what she said they were...

"Um, guys? This dude reeks of sulphur! I swear he smells like a morgue!" Liam shouts while fending off blows and delivering a few of his own before shoving the man with as much force as he can.

"That's it!" Annalise shouted out loud as her eyes suddenly glowed brightly with embers. "They aren't human. They aren't anything. They're not alive!"

"Say what now?" Liam looks utterly confused but doesn't have time to hear Anna out when the guy in black slams into him suddenly. Landing with a loud crash on the ground, Liam lets out a frustrated growl and he bares his fangs. "Does that mean all claws on deck?"

"Yes! Go for the kill!" Anna shouted as her hands burst into balls of flames. The men coming at her stagger a bit but charged ahead anyway.

I turned my attention to the far left where the two men coming at me were now armed with a tire iron and a baseball bat. I let out a challenging growl as I bare my fangs and let my claws whip free from my fingertips. "Come on guys."

Liam catapults himself into the air as Annalise sends streams of flames in all directions. Fire hits the men square in their chests, throwing them off their feet and into the SUV's behind them. The heat of the flames melts through the clothes of the men, tearing through their flesh and melting into the vehicles. Annalise stops in her tracks when the men merely push themselves off, staggering on their feet, chunks of melted cloth and flesh falling to the ground in front of them,

"God, I'm about to lose my breakfast," Liam groans before blocking a kick to his sternum and slamming his clawed right hand into the stomach of the man in black. Soft chuckles escaped the man's lips as he stared directly at Liam, striking with immaculate force with his fist into Liam's jaw.

Annalise moved to help Liam when she suddenly lost her footing when the ground beneath her began to shake and split apart. I barreled myself into one of them men coming at me again before stabbing my claws into the neck of the other. I moved closer to Annalise but had to stop when the ground split into a large crater between us.

"Anna! Watch out!" I yell, as large vines as thick as a great oak swivel and twisted on the ground at her feet, wrapping around her ankles and lifting her off the floor.

"Whoa! What the hell is going on?!" Liam shouted before he whimpered in pain as the large vines wrapped around his midsection and closed in tight.

I swiped at the vines approaching my feet and jumped a few steps to my left before another length of thick branches came at me from behind.

"Stefan!" I hear Annalise calling out to me and I turn my head to see the vines wrap around her face and silence her words. Her arms are fighting against thin vines bracing her wrists tightly to her body. I look over Annalise's head to see Liam go limp as the large vines crush him even tighter.

"Liam!" I yell, as the sound of laughter filled the air and a woman clad in long, silken dress stepped out of the shadows, her arms extended towards the vines holding us.

"Well, well, well, I see you eventually came back, wolf." The woman said to Liam, whose head was lulled to the side, but he groaned as though acknowledging the woman's words.

Facing me, she smiled sweetly while waving her arms to manipulate the vines to bring me forward. "You look like you're related to that heartbreaker. Are you like him? Do you crush hearts and leave them to bleed, wolf?" She clucked her tongue and waved her arm, the vine slamming me to the ground. I groan as my head connects with the shattered concrete and I feel the warmth of the blood that began to trickle from the gash above my eye.

Stefan! I'm coming!

Annalise's words were vague as my head began to throb, and my vision blurred a bit. The next thing I knew, heat and flames burst from all directions as the vines holding me fell to ashes on the ground. The wind blew the ashes into a black cloud of dust as Liam finally came to, and he stood facing the woman while Annalise took a threatening step forward, flames licking at the ground and her face a menacing scowl of rage.

The woman's eyes widened as Annalise approached her, the flames around her body growing larger with each step she took.

"You're an elemental, big whoop. I've learned to harness more energy from the earth to strengthen my vines to flame. You don't scare me, honey." The woman waved her arms as the ground shook once more. The wind whipped in all directions as the surrounding trees suddenly twisted and turned in place. Long branches swung high and low as large roots burst forth from the earthen ground and the trees began to move forward, directly at us.

Annalise turned towards the now animate trees as they marched slowly towards her.

Anna, be careful.

I know what I'm doing. You and Liam need to get rid of her pawns. I finally remembered that they're called Dybbuk. They're a malicious type of possessive spirit They're ghosts possessing human bodies. You need to behead them. Leave the scorned woman to me.

I watched as Annalise continued to move closer the woman, while keeping her eyes on the approaching trees.

"You need to stop what you're doing here. I know you've been hurt, but this is not the answer. Why didn't come here to fight you."

"Silence!" the woman screamed, leaves shot forth like blades with the wind, swiping at Annalise's face as she craned her neck to shield her eyes. "He promised me freedom from this wretched place. He told me he would take me to a place where I would feel free in a massive expanse of forests and plants. With my kin." The woman glared at Liam once more.

"I'm sorry. But I waited, and you never showed. I thought you changed your mind," Liam said over the gusts of wind bellowing around us.

Anna, look, there's something coming from the north end of the building behind us.

Annalise shifted her gaze just as a small group of people made their way into the clearing behind the woman. An older yet still flawless looking woman stood at the center of the group while many similar looking men like before flanked her sides.

"That is enough Kiera. Stop this nonsense!" the woman ordered as the young woman standing before Annalise suddenly stood still like a deer in headlights.

"Mother. What are you doing here?" the young woman asked as she lowered her hands and the moving trees and vines suddenly stopped in their tracks. The wind died down and the ground stopped shaking as the older woman shook her head in disappointment.

"I apologize on my childish daughter's part. She was hurt but had no right to stir up all this commotion." the woman stopped beside her daughter, clasping a hand behind her neck and forcing her to bow her head with her.

Annalise calmed the flames around her but still kept her guard up as Liam and I stood beside her once more.

The older woman nodded for her daughter to stand behind her as she met Annalise's gaze once more. "I am Lara, queen consort of the Dryads in this territory. You have already met my one and only daughter, Kiera. Bellagio welcomes Hellhounds with open arms. We do not fight them."

Kiera gasped behind her mother as the Dybbuk whimpered behind them.

Annalise looked over at Liam and I as Lara smiled at her knowingly. "Come. Let us help you get settled."