Chronicles of Darkness: Shadows and Dust (11 page)

         "I didn't expect it
to be any other way, my Master," Chalice said flatteringly and smiled.

         "Definitely, there
aren't many of them anymore," Azrael continued, his voice thick with
complacency. "The last one, who claimed he was a vampire hunter and was
chasing me, paid a bitter price. He died a gruesome death."

         "He claimed he was a
hunter?"

         "Well, my old
master, Apophis, barely told me anything about them. It seemed that he didn't
like speaking of them. I only could lure bits and pieces from him. Those I met,
didn't fit at all the descriptions. Maybe they were mercenaries with a washy
bloodline. I really can't say. Perhaps, there no longer is anyone to be afraid
of. Already in ancient times, there weren't many of them. Still, if Apophis did
talk about them, then only with the outmost respect."

         Chalice leaned forward.
"Who exactly were they? Did he reveal any names?" she asked, with
restrained breathing.

         Azrael stroked his beard.
"Leosol."

         Hearing that name,
Chalice froze and remembered the siblings she had encountered at the funfair.
'What
had the young man said his name was?
Had it not been exactly this one?
Yes, she could clearly remember his words
,
"I'm Kyrian Leosol,
new to town." Could this be mere coincidence? Rather unlikely.'

         Her thoughts were
interrupted as the vampire went on. "I haven't had the pleasure to meet a
hunter of this family yet, but this clan has existed for many centuries. What
makes them so dangerous is the knowledge they posses and which they pass on to
their descendants, generation after generation."

         "But you will defeat
them, my Master, won't you?" she asked. "If they truly still exist
and should ever cross your path, then you will kill them all," Chalice
rubbed her hands, gleefully, giggling amused at this vision.

         "Certainly. There is
no doubt about that, as I'm incomparably better than anybody of the
Old
Blood
," he answered in his usual arrogant tone. "Alright, enough
with the history lesson. I feel a greedy craving that I need to take care of.
Get our things. I have a date with a virginal baroness, who is longingly
waiting for me in her chambers. It is time for my meal!" He laughed and
rose. His black cape hung over the back of a chair. He grabbed it and wrapped
it around his tall frame.

         "I wish to know more
about the hunter family," Chalice demanded. "Do they have a clan
symbol they can be recognized by?"

         Unmoved, Azrael took his
black leather gloves. "Yes. It is said, they bear the tattoo of a lion's
head at the nape of their necks." Calmly he strode from the room.

         The young woman hurried
after him. A maniacal grin formed on Chalice's face, as a thought crossed her
mind.
'The hunters have arrived. Soon, life will get interesting.'

*****

         Helena smiled warmly upon
entering the dining room. Her son was curled up in one of the armchairs, fast
asleep. The glow of the fire let shadows dance across his face. Slowly, the
head of the Leosol family walked to the long dining table, which was still
hidden under a heavy drape. She removed the fabric from the table and put down
the bundle of documents.

         A piece of wood popped
loudly in the fireplace, startling Kyrian awake. His mind still dazed, he
looked around and finally discovered his mother. "Mama, there you
are," he said, his voice hoarse from sleep. "We were worried. Where
have you been for so long?"

         Instead of answering, she
asked, concerned, "Where is Skylar?"

         "In her bed.
Sleeping," her son responded.

         Helena took off her brown
leather coat, and hung it over the back of an armchair. Then, she left the room
and climbed up the stairs to check on her daughter. Carefully, she opened the
bedroom's door, tiptoed to the bed and sat down on the edge. For a few
heartbeats, she gazed at her sleeping daughter in the pale moonlight, which
filtered through the window. "If anything like what I've seen today were
to happen to you or your brother, such a cruelty... God, no, I couldn't bear
that. It would surely tear apart my heart," she whispered, tears gathering
in her eyes. Her thumb gently stroked Skylar's soft cheek. Helena breathed a
little kiss on the girl's forehead and went back to her son.

         Meanwhile, Kyrian had
detected the parchments on the table. He sorted the pages and began reading
them. He looked up as his mother joined him, asking with great interest,
"So? How did you faire at the festival? Did you two have fun?"

         "Yes, sure,"
Kyrian answered, absentminded. "Skylar will tell you all about it
tomorrow. I'd rather like to know where you have been and what all this
is," he said, pointing at the scrolls he had been busy perusing.

         His mother sighed and
took the documents from him. "These are lists, birth certificates,
containing names of every noble family's daughters. I also have a file with the
current addresses of their estates."

         Kyrian wrinkled his
forehead. "And, why do we need that?"

         "To find the next
victims before the vampire does and therefore ensure their protection,"
Helena responded.

         "Mama, I don't
really understand how that will help? What are you getting at?"        

         Helena felt the beginning
of a pounding headache. She rubbed her temples and pinched the bridge of her
nose, trying to find the energy to explain things to Kyrian. "My son, it
would be best to start at the beginning."

         Kyrian nodded in
agreement.

         Together they sat down in
front of the fireplace and Helena began her tale. "The man from the
funfair, who asked me to accompany him, is the police chief of Paris. His name
is Michel Dutroit. Be that as it may, he led me to the crime scene of a
horrible murder, which took place last night. Also, he told me that other
murders have occurred, frequently. God, Kyrian I've never seen such violence...
such cruelty like in this case. It leads to only one conclusion... Bernard was
right. It is the vampire we seek and he doesn't operate alone. He is in cohorts
with that woman, Chalice."

         "What's making you
so sure of that?" Kyrian wanted to know.

         "There were two
corpses," his mother explained, patiently. "The baroness bore the
usual marks on her throat, her rib cage had been opened, the heart cut out,
then neatly sewn close again. The body of the governess was badly battered. I
will spare you the details. Let's just say, she had to suffer a horrible and
painful death. Now, it is time for us to be very careful. Not only do we have
to fight against a tremendously strong vampire, but there is also a very
disturbed human mind on the loose, something that has me quite worried."

         "But why the lists
of the nobles?" Kyrian asked. "Where is the connection?"

         "It seems that our
vampire refrains from drinking
common
blood, he prefers that of the
upper class. He especially likes to feed from untouched, noble, young girls.
His companion Chalice though, she takes out her sick mania on other victims. We
have to be on guard, because the danger has doubled. For that reason, I need to
ask you for something."

         Kyrian's mind went to the
strange conversation he had had with the old fortune-teller, Madame Zynora. He
shuddered at the thought that the Queen of Cups could be the vampire's
companion.

         "My son, are you
listening to me?" his mother interrupted his heavy thinking.

         Kyrian jerked.
"W-What," he stuttered.

         "I said, I don't
want you and your sister to leave the castle after nightfall," Helena
repeated in a determined tone.

         She saw that he wanted to
protest, but she shot him a pointed look. With a brisk motion of her hand, she
silenced him. "This is not open for further discussion, Kyrian! You will
just accept my wishes and comply. Do I make myself clear?"

         His mother seldom raised
her voice, but when she did Kyrian knew it was of no use to oppose her in any
way.

         "Yes, Mama. I will
not forget it," he said, his eyes lowered to the floor.

         "Good," Helena
replied. "I'm glad to hear that you will listen to me... this time."

         For a short moment an
awkward silence reigned. Finally, Helena rose and stretched her tired body.
"It is very late," she announced. "We will continue our talk
tomorrow. Now, it's time to get some sleep. Good night, my son." Helena
brushed a hand through his hair. "We will see each other at breakfast. I
can't wait to hear all about your adventures at the funfair."

         Kyrian forced a small
smile to his features. "Sweet dreams, Mama."

         After his mother had left
the room, his eyes returned to the dancing flames of the big fireplace. The
picture of Madame Zynora's second card wouldn't leave his thoughts. Death.

He shivered. "No, I will not
dare to believe that. There is no way for that old woman to foretell the
future."

*****

         The
Transylvanian castle melted with its dark surroundings in the melancholic
moonlight, veiling itself with the rigid silence of the imposing mountains.
Around the castle at the lake, an impenetrable forest spread out.

         Two
silhouettes appeared on the narrow path. Due to Sadden's explicit wish, it was
Lilith and Andrej. In silence, they slowly walked, one behind the other,
through the woods. The trees were standing so close to each other that the
moonlight barely reached the ground. Andrej guided them confidently along the
serpentine paths. He knew his way around the woods and could have walked them
fast asleep. After a while, they safely arrived at the outskirts of the village.

         Lilith had
insisted that they come here. Now it was the vampire, who quickened her steps
and led the way.

         Andrej was
furtively gazing at her from the corner of his eye.
'Her appearance bears
the semblance of innocence, as if she wouldn't be a day older than twenty
summers. But I mustn't get deceived by her lovely appearance. She is and will
always be a vampire.'
Andrej cleared his throat, and with a small touch of
sarcasm in his voice, he announced, "Welcome to Ardeal, a little Romanian
village in the majestic Carpathians."

         One look at
Lilith's face was enough to tell him how much she was interested in this place.
'Just what am I doing here,'
he thought to himself.
'I'm showing a
hungry vampire the living space of her next potential victims.'
Discouraged,
Andrej rubbed his eyes, and as he looked up again, Lilith had vanished.
Concerned, he scanned his surroundings, discovering her in front of the tavern.

         Lilith stared
through one of the tiny windows.

         "This is
just great," he mumbled. "She's probably taking her choice. I have to
prevent her from being seen by anyone." Hurriedly Andrej went over to the
vampire. "Not here! Not in this village!"

         He got no
reaction from Lilith. She didn't even take her eyes off the tavern.

         Andrej tried
again. "Please, you must not be seen. It would be bad if they make a
connection between you, me and the castle."

         Lilith
completely ignored his concerns.

         "The
people in this valley are put under taboo for your Highness," his voice
became harder, because Lilith's indifference began to make him angry, even
though he usually wasn't a man who lost his calm.
'This staring gaze... as
if I'm from another world that doesn't exist for her...'

           
"Do
you want me to plunge my teeth inside you instead?" she suddenly asked,
sounding very nonchalantly.

         The tall man
paled considerately.

         They were
interrupted as the tavern's door was kicked open. A young man came out, swaying
drunkenly. From inside, the innkeeper called after him, "The next time you
try to plunder my pantry, I'm going to throw you and your buddies out!"

         As an answer,
he received mocking laughter, and the door was kicked shut."We were
thirsty and looking for beer, old man! It's not like you would want to tangle
with the mayor's son! Is a man not allowed to celebrate his birthday with his
friends?"

         Immediately,
Andrej recognized the man who had his back to him. Protectively, he stepped in
front of Lilith, shielding her. Without taking his eyes off the young man, he
whispered to her, "Go, I will try and distract this unpleasant
fellow."

         But his words
were lost, because Lilith had already disappeared. Andrej turned to the spot
she had been standing just a moment ago. He cursed. "Damn! Where did she
go now?" His eyes swept his surroundings, searching for the vampire.