Ch 34: Battlefield Jackson

They always say your life flashes before your eyes at the moment of your death, that dark moment when you begin to slip away into oblivion as your consciousness realizes this is the end. Maybe that is true in most cases, but it was not true for me, rather it wasn’t my whole life that flashed before my eyes. It was only the time I spent in the True Blood Universe, as I journeyed and adventured with Eric and Godric. Those were the memories that flashed before my eyes, because that is when my life truly began. From that auspicious day that Alan Nut pushed me through the portal up to the horrific nightmare I now found myself in, I saw it all, like some roaring rapid crashing through my mind. I could hear noises in the background, grief-filled laments, as if I were listening from the bottom of a deep blue sea. They were so distant and jumbled and obscured, and the self-loathing I felt from my vampires over the bond was harshly acrid. That was the worse part of it—being able to feel their emotions over the bond. Whoever said vampires were emotionless creatures had no idea what they were talking about. Everything was times a thousand and it was all pouring into me along with the memories. The memories blazed before my eyes in a fraction of time, mere seconds, but they were so vivid and so heart crushing, because I knew it was the end, and I knew that Eric and Godric would never forgive themselves. That was my last thought—that I came here to make things right, only to make it all so very wrong. I would leave two strong vampires in a darker state than I had found them. I gave them a glimpse of happiness only for it to be snatched from them like a cruel joke. That is what made me fight, the thought that I would be the cause of their broken souls and shattered hearts. It’s those dour moments when we face a true crisis in our lives, when we find it in ourselves to reach down deep even when there is no strength left, only to find we have a sliver of fight left in us. A series of events occurred that would cause me to reach deep within myself and find the courage, the fortitude, and the dogmatic tenacity to traverse this violent storm. I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw the witch fall to the ground with a hard crash, Edgington staggering over to her screaming, barely able to keep from falling himself. I saw Angur facing our group, his fangs fully extended as he laughed mockingly. I felt myself lifted into Eric’s and Godric’s laps as they cradled me. And I felt Eric reach up and yank Nora by the hair. That is when she released my arm and grabbed Eric’s hand. Despite the brutal pain, despite my mind slipping away, despite that I could feel my death looming, I raised my arm towards Angur. He lifted his eyebrows in the split second before I blasted him, realization and horror sweeping across his features and he opened his mouth to scream. But as sure as every long night has its dawn; it was his end too, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to stop me anymore. I was going to send the bastard straight back where he came from—hell. It was my final gift to Godric and Eric, to release them from the gilded prison that Angur held them in. Alan Nut’s body went flying backwards when my stream of magic crashed into his chest, his feet and arms out in front of him as he hurtled through the air. He was more like a rag-doll in that moment than a powerful vampire, and I showed him no mercy. There would be no reprieve, no pardon, no deliberation. Angur’s true death was at my hands and I delivered it without hesitation. He landed on the ground and lay still. Almost immediately Eric and Godric released their fangs from me at the same time, followed by Nora a few seconds later. Eric still had a fistful of her hair in his hand. “I was compelled just as you were!” Nora screamed, clutching his hand behind her skull. “You were not compelled to rip into Sookie’s flesh!” He growled, yanking her head towards him. I tried to speak but I was too weak. “Edgington,” I rasped in a silent breath. “He’s behind you.” Then my eyes closed and all was black.     Fuck a Zombie! Like I said, I am no fucking warrior and I have never been in a battle of this magnitude. But as my maker always says, ‘Put out or get out.’ Yes he does say that often, to women mostly, but I haven’t heard him say it since he met Sookie. The fairy was currently lying in Eric’s and Godric’s arms trying to tell us something, but she was too weak to speak. It all happened so quickly. I knew the battle wasn’t over. Edgington was behind us, and we had to kill his raunchy ass before he killed us. I could feel my maker going into a blood drunken rage and I knew Godric was of a similar mind. But what I didn’t know was who was causing the blood frenzy—Nora’s actions or Edgingtons. This was typical blood-bonded behavior. When a vampire’s bonded was hurt then said vampire usually lost all control and started killing everything that so much as looked in his or her bonded’s direction in a manner that displeased them. This could be a dangerous situation, even for me. If I so much as flinched at the wrong second I could find my own maker attacking me. Figures. Nora was staring at Eric, and her eyes were going wider. She knew she had royally fucked up. What the fuck was she thinking? I couldn’t believe the way she was lapping up Sookie’s blood, like a starving Werewolf jumping on a chocolate pie. She had a lot to answer for, and I wasn’t sure if she was going to survive Eric and Godric after this. But there was a more urgent and present danger lurking just behind us. Only seconds ago, I heard the witch hit the ground. She had been giving Edgington one hell of a brawl. She managed to mind control him for a few seconds and forced him to rip off his own Just-in-beaver and eat it. I could tell what was happening because, well, I’m a vampire. Enough said. It would have been fucking hilarious if I wasn’t busy worried that all of us were on the verge of the true death. I mean, the thing was so small he had it down his throat in one bite. That shit would take months to grow back. I guess he won’t be poking at any anal canals for awhile. Sucks to be him. After he ate his own noodle, he somehow got the upper hand and got her around the neck. He tried to break it, but she was quick. She cast some sort of spell that forced him to run to the nearest tree and sink his fangs in the bark. He started sucking out the sap in big gulps. Edgington is strong, but you should have seen him trying to get his fangs out of the side of that tree. He was pushing on the trunk with his hands and heaving. Finally, he had to put one foot on the tree to dislodge his fangs from the wood. It was quite a sight, seeing a 3500 year old vampire stagger backwards with no willy and tree sap all over his face. I wonder what else she is capable of making a vampire that strong do. I can’t imagine what she would be able to make me do, a vampire of barely 100 years. I bet if I got a glamour on her though, it might be okay. Or Nora could, she was always really good at glamouring. I always thought that was a fucking stupid vampire ability, but now I can see how it might be handy. In any case, I’m not even sure where Nora stands at this point. The witch was cackling and screaming out spells in a squawky voice the entire time she was torturing Edgington, but in the end it was her bad luck. He tripped when he was staggering backwards and fell on top of her, causing her to fall to the ground and hit her head on a rock. She was out cold, but she was still alive. I could sense her life spark. Like the fucking idiot Edgington is, he started screaming at her pointing his finger and cursing instead of doing what he should have been doing and paying attention to what was going on over here. He was just now turning towards us and taking notice of the dire situation he was in, with no ally at his side. Sookie had just sent Angur back to oblivion and Alan Nut’s body was lying on the ground and not moving a muscle. I’m sure Edgington sensed his child was gone for good. “That bitch killed my child!” Russell screamed in rage as he took a step towards Sookie. “She will die for this!” Next thing I knew I was on my feet being commanded by Eric to assist him. All three of us, Godric, Eric, and I, were rushing towards Edgington who still seemed dazed. Oh yes, the frenzy in my Viking maker and Gaul grand-maker had begun. They were being driven by pure primal instinct of the rawest nature in order to protect their bonded. Both of them were letting out a battle roar that was so savage and so murderous that I barely recognized their voices. They flew towards Edgington in a whirlwind of agility with me close behind them. Edgington who was still somewhat disoriented from his altercation with the witch had not expected such a vicious onslaught of such unadulterated violence. He immediately saw the bloodthirsty and predatory solidity in Eric’s and Godric’s eyes and he turned on his heel in an attempt to run before they ravaged him to shreds. All three of us were on him before he took one step and he collapsed to the ground with us on top. The bastard was fucking strong. It took every bit of our collective strength just to hold him down. The combined ages of the three of us only equaled 3100 years to his 3500. For some unknown fucking bullshit reason, Nora was not even there with us helping, otherwise the fight would be matched evenly with her 400 years. I didn’t have time to think about what the fuck she was doing over there with Sookie. I needed to kill the fucking bastard that captured and tortured Godric, not to mention he killed Eric’s human family, and he would be a constant enemy for eternity if he lived. But the thought of Nora was a fleeting one that annoyingly danced in my mind. I’m not sure if Eric and Godric had the same thought because they were so blood drunk and the terrible beasts within them had risen to the surface in all their glorious fury, set upon Edgington in supreme madness. And I was commanded to fight at their sides, to the true death if need be, which I was inclined to do anyway. So I put Sookie out of my mind for the moment and focused my energy towards bringing down the ancient. Russell swung his arm towards Eric and missed, but his fist landed on my jaw and sent me flying backwards. I quickly got to my feet and shook it off. I gasped at the sight on the ground. Edgington was on his back and Eric and Godric were both on top of him. In a dramatic turn of events the bastard managed to stand to his knees, but he couldn’t raise his arms to fight because my maker and grand-maker had a hold of one arm each. I knew if they let go, one of them would die. They may be strong but Edgington could rip a limb or even a head off if he got an arm free. He might even be able to reach in one of their chests and rip out a heart. I ran back towards the fight to help, but my 100 years was akin to a bee sting for someone like Edgington. I never thought I would meet someone more powerful than Godric. The fight went on, and the bastard had managed to get his slimy hands free. He wrapped his arms around Godric’s head and began to pull. Fuck! He was trying to tear his head off his shoulders! Things were looking bad, very bad, and if we didn’t do something soon we were going to loose this fight. Edgington was moments away from massacring my entire blood-line. “GAH!” I shouted! “What the fuck! Disgusting!” I was covered from head to toe in Edgington. His repulsive gore dripped down my body. It was nauseating, and I was in shock. One minute we were fighting for our lives, Godric on the verge of having his head ripped off, and the next minute Edgington was dead! I wiped the blood out of my eyes and sat up on my elbows to figure out what the fuck just happened. “Fuck you Russell Edgington!” Alan Nut howled, standing over the slaughtered pile of vampire, a tree branch held dramatically in his hand. Fucking brilliant! He was killed by his own child, the one he had betrayed. Godric who was still coming out of his blood rage, quickly stood to his feet, heaving heavily with fangs fully extended. “It’s Alan. Angur is gone.” Nut said, taking a step back from Godric and Eric who were drawing closer to him. The tree branch fell unceremoniously to the ground by his feet as he realized that he may die at the hands of the two vampires who had descended into manic irrationality. Eric started to rush towards Nut. “Wait.” Godric said putting out his hand. “Leave him, he has atoned for his crimes this night.” Eric stopped and looked back at his maker dubiously. “We should kill him now.” He hissed. “This filthy swine is a threat to Sookie. He does not deserve to live. He even profited in the other world by depicting us on a television show.” “I’m not a threat. I swear.” Alan said in near tears. “Everything I have done has been at Russell’s command. I am free of him now. The True Blood show was harmless. I didn’t even know this place was real when I made it.” “He is a victim, Eric.” Godric said, looking at his child. “I know of the hardships some vampires must endure from a perverse maker. If Alan deserves to die for the crimes he was forced to execute at Edgington’s command then I too deserve to die for my past offenses.” “I’ll just go.” Nut said. “I must ask that you remain, Alan.” Godric said sternly. “I have some questions about how you knew of the events in this world, and I expect them to be answered.” He quickly looked over at Sookie who was being cradled in the arms of Nora. “Sookie!” Eric shouted. We all rushed toward the unconscious fairy. I could sense her life spark fading quickly.     “Quickly, Eric.” I said to my child. “We must give her our blood! She is slipping towards the true death.” We had been victorious on the battlefield this night, but for all of our victories if Sookie died we will be forever consigned to utter failure. Turning her to a vampire was not an option. I would not take away her goodness for my own selfish wishes. Sookie was mine, bound to me by blood. I had claimed her in the most sacred way and so had Eric. I would not allow her to die. She was my mate, my love, my everything and we had barely the time to experience each other before I was shamed and captured by Edgington. My heart seized in agony every night that I was forced to be apart from her, and now that we were together again I was not going to acquiesce to the immanent death that approached. I had lost much in my immortal unlife which was inevitable in such a long span of time, but even so, I was more accustomed to winning. I fell to my knees beside Sookie and growled at Nora. She flinched away from me. There was something that was unsettling about her touching my bonded. She claimed she was compelled by my command to drain Sookie but the connection felt no different with her than it had before the witch severed it, a released maker-child connection. Though I loved Nora, she had proven time and time again that she was unbalanced. I have done everything within my power to help her and guide her through life, but to my dismay she chose a path that I could not approve of. She defied me at every turn until finally she announced she was leaving our nest to join the Sanguinsta, demanding to be released. That was 200 years ago, and I have not seen or heard from her since then. I tried to coach her on the dark path she was attempting to traverse but in the end I released her so she could live and learn as I once had. I had hoped that she would one day return to her blood-line wiser to the politics of vampires. There was a time, to my utter regret, that I engaged in carnal pleasures of the flesh with Nora. In her first years as a vampire I had become smitten with her because of her unrelenting love that she lavished upon me. I admit that it was not the sort of love I feel for Sookie, not even close, but I was lonely and empty as I had been for centuries before Nora’s turning. Bound by my love for my charge, and an ancient connection of the blood, Nora convinced me that she was my true mate. As time passed I began to see the manipulative nature that Nora possessed, often catching her in lies and witnessing her emotional unraveling. I was accustomed to being alone and the thought of a potential mate had excited me at the time. Eric and I had been separated by monarchial decree, a self-preservation maneuver by almost every ruler in the new world, and for a time it was only Nora and I. When Eric returned briefly, some decades after Nora’s turning, she began to speak of a tri-mating with him. It was then that I knew she was not my true mate, but only sought power and prestige with two of America’s most prominent vampires at her side. According to Eric, she is now secretly married to Salome, a vampire of nearly equal age to mine. But Salome has never been a warrior. She has taught Nora how to perfect the art of manipulation, having used her sexual prowess as a weapon for the length of her nearly 2000 years. I knew Salome when I was in the Sanguinsta faction. She preferred to enchant powerful vampires to do her bidding while she pulled the strings from the shadows. I was almost sure that Salome latched onto Nora because of her association with me. In the grand scheme of things it was best that both Eric and I kept our distance from Nora, for she was a scorpion waiting for opportune moments. “Nora, release Sookie from your grasp at once.” I hissed. “Fader! I was trying to help her while you took care of Edgington!” She cried. I pulled Sookie away from Nora and placed her between Eric and I. “She’s still alive.” Eric said as he peered down at our bonded. “But she is slipping away quickly.” “I will give her my blood to rejuvenate her.” I bit into my wrist and put it over her mouth. Her beautiful eyes slowly opened, but she immediately started sputtering and coughing as the crimson liquid entered her mouth. “You must drink, Little One,” I said softly, lifting her head slightly. It took every bit of my will power to hide the rising panic that was boiling within me. “Look at her mouth,” Pamela said. “It is swollen.” Eric was running his hands through her hair trying to calm her coughing fit. “Her tongue and mouth are completely swollen. What the hell!” “Pamela,” I shouted turning to my grandchild. “Call Dr. Ludwig. Something is wrong with Sookie and she seems to be having an allergic reaction. I do not know enough about human ailments to know what is happening.” “Yes, grandsire!” Pamela quickly stepped away from us and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She was soon talking to someone on the other end. “It is not meant to be,” Nora sobbed a few feet away as she sat in the dirt. “Perhaps it is fate that she should die this night. She is not your true mate, Fader.” “What did you just say to me?” I snarled, my eyes going wide and my lip curling up. “I just meant that if she dies I hope that she is not your true mate. I could not bear to see you in pain from such a loss,” she quickly corrected. “I assure you Nora, that Sookie is in fact my true mate, as she is Eric’s and no amount of wishing for otherwise will change this truth.” Sookie reached up and clutched at my chest. Her eye-lids were half open and she looked as if a great sadness was darkening her features. “I am here, my love. I am here,” I whispered, pulling her closer. “Eric is here, too.” Eric cradled her head. “The doctor is on the way,” he choked, trying to hold back the tears that I knew were trying to force themselves out. “Just hold on, Lover. We will fix whatever this is!” “Smell her breath to see if she has consumed anything that we are unaware of,” I said. He bent down and sniffed. “She is covered in too much blood and her scent overwhelms the air. I can smell nothing but her fairy blood, mingled with the powerful aroma of your blood on her lips.” “Dr. Ludwig will be here any second,” Pamela said running back up to us. “Fader,” Nora spoke from even further away. She had slowly slithered away during the events. “What?” I barked, not taking my eyes off of Sookie. I found myself wishing that Nora would leave us. Her presence was counterproductive and the situation was dire. “I do not wish to anger you, Fader. But this Sookie is dangerous. She has an unspeakable power to bring harm to vampires with her mysterious magic. Perhaps it would be wise that we let her die. I fear that she will be your true death someday and that she is not good for you.” She stood to her feet and her voice grew angry and emotional. “Just look at yourself, on your knees bending over a dying hunk of meat. I cannot bear to see you looking so pathetic and weak.” I felt my blood rage resurface in that moment, and I rose to my feet in a hurried frenzy. Rushing towards Nora, I knocked her to the ground. I was on the verge of ending her there, but some deep seated instinct within me was holding back, just barely. “LEAVE,” I growled! “If I ever see your face again, I fear I will strike you down.” “FADER!” She shrieked with alarm. “Why have I offended you so? She is but a human, and I am your child!” “YOUR MANNER OFFENDS ME!” “If you don’t kill her, I will!” Eric snarled, now at my side, barely able to contain his own outrage. Nora was gone in a melodramatic flash of hysteria. Her deranged wails could be heard trailing through the forest as her distance to us increased with every second. I was skeptical that it was the last we would see of her.