Chapter 9
                   ~Toasted Icicles or Thundering Forests?

"SAMANTHA!?"

    Jade asked while stiffling the tears.  I grabbed my ankle and cried out, pulling up my jeans softly I examined my ankle.

"It's sprained.......you bastard!"

    He howled in laughter. Jade growled and ran to the treee, pushing it lightly but ended with a huge impact, Vladimir jumped off and onto a rock behind us, right near my jacket actually. His neon blue eyes scanned the jacket and then me,

"Since I cannot get Aerial, I just I have to settle with the injured Ice Mage."

    I felt my hands close around the snow in anger and fear. Inferno stood beside me and growled.

"You have to deal with me first!"

     He then leaped at Vladimir, knocking them both over. I tried not to focus on the pain, but it was next to impossible. I felt my breath quicken a little as I watched the fight. Inferno was in a head lock and Jade crept in the woods. Sacred twirled her sword and then gripped the handle, with a shout she ran forward, just at the same time Jade had jumped from the tree.
    I couldn't just sit here and do nothing........I used the tree beside me to help me stand, I then leaned against it. I couldn't do combat, so why not use a long ranged weapon? I felt my fingers glid on my icy gun as I took it out of it's hollister.

"GUYS MOVE!"

    They all jumped out of the way, leaving there a very pissed off Vladimir. I aimed and shot quickly, He grunted, but I wasn't sure that I got him.

"That was dangerous......."

    I tensed as I heard his words slip into my ear, his breath rest on my neck and his hands invited themselves around my body in order to keep me closed to him. I couldn't move......I stood there shocked.

"Let's take care of this."

    He whispered, moving his hand into my own that held the gun, as soon as he came in contact with my gun it shattered. That caught everyone's attention.

"That's better........now, shall we leave........"

"SAMANTHA!"

    He growled and picked me up, I screamed as he bolted away, finally out of the state of shock. He chuckled.

"You're so interesting,,,,,,,maybe we'll keep you as a pet afterwards......you're so.......beautiful."

"LET ME GO!"

    He only held onto me tighter, stifling a laugh. Just then he gasped and we began falling from the tree, only I landed on something silky smooth and cold. I looked down to see Winter steering through the trees until we almost passed the others. We met at the bottom and I stayed on my ice dragon.

"Are you okay? We need to get you some help."

    Jade said, scared for me and not from the fight. Sacred had her back to me, so it was then I noticed her tattoo. She looked over her shoulder towards me,

"Are you okay?"

   She questioned, I nodded and moistened my lips as I slowly got off of my dragon, only wincing at every other movement. She then smiled when she noticed me nod. My ears perked as I heard moving feet in the snow coming from where Vladimir and I had fallen.

"He's coming back.......and I bet he's mad....."

"Oh you bet I am."

   I looked over at where his voice was but all I saw was a chained scythe coming at us. Winter knocked me to the side and shattered to crystals. The scythe returned and Vladimir emerged from the shadows. He scowled.

"Now that thing won't get in the way.......come quietly Samantha......"

   I limped backwards shaking my head. He groaned,within seconds he was in front of me. Everyone gasped in pain as they were pushed away from us by an weird force field Vladimir was suddenly wearing. I gasped and took a step back on the wrong heel.

"I guess I'll just have to find out where Aerial is......."

   His placed his two fingers on my forehead and closed his eyes. I suddenly grew light-headed, Then his eyes shot open and a small vampire smirk replaced his expressionless face.

"I found you........."

"What just.........."   He then threw me over his shoulders. "INFERNO!"

   I screamed. He dazily sat up, when he noticed what was going on but when he tried to stand he clenched his head in pain, only to fall on his rear again. Vladimir laughed.

"They'll be in a painful situation for a little while now, giving me time to escape with you."

    Vladimir put me down in the empty street and removed his mask, he then reached for mine and pulled it off gently. He buckled his badge onto his belt and hollistered his gun, he then picked me up and I gasped. He ran to the hospital and bursted through the doors.

"I need help!"

"Officer Guild! What happened to Samantha?"

"We were chasing down a criminal but he pulled a slick one on us. He set some sort of trap and her ankle got smashed in between rocks."

"That's awful.......but didn't you just bring in that girl?"

"She caught up as soon as she can, he almost killed her we got there in time."

"Alright alright."

"Oh and just one more thing."

"Yes O-----"

    A gun shot echoed through the air and I screamed, a bullet hole through the doctors' head. Officer Guild  walked over and dipped his fingers in the blood and placed it in his mouth. He then turned to me, his mask was on now and everyone was in the area. Vladimir looked around and then back to me.

"I'll be back for you......."

    He then threw his trench coat around himself and disappeared. I got to my feet and limped to the doctor.

"He's after the girl I just brought in......where is she?"

"We just patched her up, come this way."

    I ran, ignoring the pain it caused me and then I pulled myself to a stop of the door frame and looked out. Vladimir looked over his shoulder while standing above Aerial. He then drew his scythe and my eyes widen, he threw it and I ducked, only the nurse wasn't so lucky, she raced behind me as fast as I could and when she reached the door frame the scythe well...........reaped.

"See ya Sammy."

    I ran to the window after he jumepd down.

"VLADIMIR! I'LL KILL YOU!"

     I coughed a little and slowly slid down the wall, still coughing.  I felt something warm sticky liquid escape my mouth and I looked at my palm. I stared at it with no expression and then closed my fist around it.

"Damn it all........"

"Samantha, we need to get you help."

    I looked at the nurse after noticing her scared little voice, I noticed that she was staring at the dead body beside her. I supported myself up and limped to the next room as they examined my ankle.

"It's broken."

"Broken? I thought it was sprained? What can I do, I'm in the force, I can't be vulnerable!"

"Well, there is another option."

    Three hours later, I'm sitting on the edge and examined my left leg and twisted and turned it. Now there was a gold brace on my ankle that covers my shin and part of my foot. Finally I jumped off the bed and walked around.

"How is it?"

    I turned to see my dad. Amelia right beside him.

"It's.......fine."

"Samantha, you don't have to act tough for this......"

"I'm not......I just saw my friend......."

"JANICE?'

   Amelia asked shocked.

"KENDRIK?"

    Dad asked with the same amount of shock, I closed my eyes and shrugged.

"No.......nothing happened........"

"Alright honey.......oh, Lumiere, I didn't think you'd want to come."

"Of course.......even though I hate her, doesn't mean I wish she were dead, but can I talk to her alone?"

   Shocked by Lumiere's change of adittude they allowed it. When he face me I braced myself for a fight, but he just sat on the bed, back faced me me and I did the same.

"What do you plan on doing now? I told the council who you guys really are."

"Samantha......now that they know who we are, what makes you think that makes a difference. I mean, look at Aquarius and Snow! They're gone. Vladimir is setting Aerial up for the operation and Sacred is next.........either wasy, the council will fall.......along with you."

"No darkness can overcome the light......."

"What light is shown Samantha? We devoured it."

"That's what you think........"

"That's what I know......"

"What are you going to do......with the creatures?"

"When matured we're going to let them run free......."

"And the coucil memebers?"

"They're on life support.......we aren't that heartless."

    I kept on my poker face and tamed myself not to kill him. Lumiere was blunt and confident in himself, he could tell me the right thing and he can tell me the wrong thing.......the fact is. I'm getting my info.....

"But we're killing the last one."

"Who's that?"

    I dare asked, knowing the answer. I heard him turn on the bed and leaned in close to my ear.

"You."

     I looked down at my ankle and clenched the sheets in my hand, Lumiere walked out and I followed, going the opposite direction.

"Kenneth."

"Hey! Oh good! You're okay........we were so worried about you."

"There's something I need to tell you......."

    He looked up with a concerned look.

"What's wrong?"

"He got into the hospital and took Aerial.......leaving to dead people."

"What's the bad news?"

    I looked down at my feet then back at him.

"Sacred's next."