Chronicles of Darkness: Shadows and Dust (13 page)

         Grateful, Chalice had
thanked her for the recommendation and told her she would be on her way to the
estate immediately.

         Now, here she was in the
forest, lurking, observing the children from her hideout in the undergrowth,
strangely fascinated by what they did.

          Panting for breath, but
immensely proud of her accomplishments, Skylar ripped off the blindfold. She
blinked a few times, until her eyes had adjusted to the bright sunlight. A
collection of various bruises had formed all over her body, but she thought she
had paid back Kyrian well.

         He sat on the ground,
looking at his faintly damaged knuckles. The skin was scuffed and bleeding a
bit. Kyrian moved his fingers, grimacing as the wounds began to burn.

         "I'm sorry,"
Skylar gasped, honestly regretting that she had injured her brother. She
reached out a hand to help him up. "I put too much force into the strikes
and if I had seen where I aimed..."

         "Nonsense," he
interrupted nonchalantly. "Even that teaches a lesson to a hunter. After
all, it was me who blindfolded you and..." He paused, frowning. A sound
had caught his attention. A rustling noise. Light and in the distance, but his
sharp hearing had unmistakably caught it. He decided that they should check it
out. "Come," he said, indicating to his sister to follow him.

         "What are we going
to do now?"

         "The second lesson
for today. Reading tracks. Over there, in the undergrowth, some animal moved.
Let's see if you recognize what kind of animal it was."

         Full of disbelief, Skylar
looked at him. "Reading tracks?" she repeated, flabbergasted. "I
don't want to read tracks. That's boring. You promised we would practice
shooting the crossbow."

         "I didn't bring the
crossbow along and now stop complaining. Reading tracks is one of the most
important essentials for a hunter, no matter..."

         Nerve-wracked, Skylar
rolled her eyes and sighed. "No matter what kind of hunter they are,"
she finished in a feisty tone.

         Kyrian grinned.
"Just now, Mama would be so very proud of you. You've actually memorized
this important lesson and you know it by heart."

         Skylar glared at him and
relented to her fate, although she greatly disliked it.

         Upon reaching the spot,
Kyrian realized very disappointed that he must have imagined the noise.

         "There's nothing to
see," Skylar grumbled. "No broken twigs, no trampled moss, absolutely
nothing."

         Her brother examined the
forest ground more thoroughly, but had to agree to his sister. "Strange.
And I thought..."

         "Can we go home,
please? I'm hungry. And maybe, if we hurry, we might find some time for crossbow
practice?" she asked, hopeful.

         Kyrian placed his hands
on his hips, his eyes sweeping his surroundings, penetrating the undergrowth.
"I could have sworn that..."

         "If something was
there, it's now gone. Come on, let's go."

         "Alright."

         They returned to the
clearing. Kyrian picked up the blindfold, which Skylar had flung carelessly
aside, and stuffed it into his pocket. He took the staffs and walked home with
his sister.

         After the siblings had
disappeared between the trees, Chalice crawled from her hideout. She grinned,
because she had stayed undetected, even though the children had come close to
discover her. In her mind a plan had formed, of how she could be directly
involved in the lives of the family members. The thought delighted her greatly.

         "My Master will be
very happy. And he will be so proud of his Chalice," she mumbled to
herself, her grin widening.

*****

         The
embroidered scarf
slid from her white shoulders and floated to the floor as Sadden reached out to
take a book from a shelf in her library. She put the book aside, picked up the
scarf and wrapped it back around her shoulders.

         She became aware of
Lilith, who sat at a little table, elbows on top and her head propped up on her
hands. Deeply lost in thought, her gaze drifted off, staring at nothing.

          Sadden said
circumspectly, "Homesickness is natural. It will never completely
fade."

Awaiting a snappy remark, she
glanced at her.

         Instead, Lilith answered
in a sad tone, "I miss my clan, especially my parents and the so familiar,
wide sea. Everything is so confining and different here. So far away from home,
I feel like a stranger."

         "I am very sorry
that you still feel like a stranger," Sadden said, looking at her
regretfully. "My refuge shall be your refuge as well." The vampire took
her protégée's hand, pulled her up and placed a gentle kiss on her high
forehead. "I want you to be happy here, even if that means that you have
to learn to comply."

         Instantly, Lilith's fiery
temper rose and she pulled away from her mentor. "I am the daughter of the
proud Dragon! I will never give in to the absurd orders of a human!" the
young vampire snapped arrogantly, her head held high. Her eyes flashed
dangerously. "That's what you truly meant, isn't it?" Her inner fire
was blazing. "I won't stand by and watch while
a human
is living
like an equal at my side. I will never understand how you can even tolerate
him. The value of a human is like that of a stupid dog. He should be sleeping
outside the door and be grateful when his master throws him a bone from time to
time."

         As an answer, Sadden
slapped her hard across the face.

         Speechless and
dumbfounded, the younger vampire touched her hurting cheek.

         Without looking at her
protégée, Sadden said in a cold voice, "All creatures of the night should
be discreet and respect the ways of others. Everyone, Lilith, truly everyone,
should be aware of their behavior to leave a nice impression. Our lesson for
tonight is over and you may do whatever you please. Consider this, my decision
has been made. Andrej will also teach you. Nothing will change that."

         Unrestrained anger flared
up once again in the young vampire. Only this time she was smart enough to
suppress
her
ire
. Instead, she asked bittersweet, "Do you
really think that he wants to spend any time with me? I have this vague feeling
that he doesn't like me much, and you don't want to force him, do you?"

         "You will learn to
get along and adapt, for the sake of me."

         For the meantime, Lilith
let go of the matter, but decided to poke and prod another sore spot she had
found on her mentor, and she loved to aggravate her. "I've asked myself,
how does your friend like it when you suck the life out of others of his
kind?"

         Confronted with such
impertinence, Sadden almost attacked Lilith again, but she controlled the urge.
"If it interests you so much, my dear, talk with Andrej about it. Ask him
yourself."

         Disgruntled, Lilith
indicated a bow and left the library.

         Reflecting on the old
traditions of
her folk, Sadden muttered,
"Everyone that lives by the rules is protected by them. They are for the
well-being of all creatures. Everyone that lives by the rules gives power and
strength to them."

         These old words stirred
horrible memories
. Sadden tortured herself with the
terrible experiences, of feeling pain and causing pain for others. Spellbound,
she stared at the dancing flames of the fireplace. "I know what happens
when a vampire does not obey the ancient rules. I had to pay a high price for
doing it."

         With great
effort
she managed
to turn from the fire and restlessly, she wandered between the library's
shelves. "If only I would feel nothing... or better yet, would choke on
the guilt..." Tormented, she fell to her knees, tears running down her
pale cheeks. "Let me forget! Oh, please... let me forget!" she
sobbed.

         For a long time, she
cowered in this humble position. It was hard for her to escape the cruel
memories. "I will atone for my
guilt
with my immortality. The never fading memories will
be my punishment, until eternal perdition. That is how it was, that is how it
is, and that
is how it
shall always be."

*****

         The big table, made of
old oak wood, was covered by countless letters. Their artful seals had been
broken in great hurry.

         Soberly, Zephriel leaned
back, tiredly running a hand through his hair. Composed, he told Ajatarah,
"None of the clan leaders wants to take any form of action against the
Unborn.
It is utter delusion to refrain from doing so."

         His mate stirred and left
the niche of a window. Rain was pelting strongly against it. She sat down
beside him, looking at the letters that contained refusals. "They are
indifferent to the danger due to the long time of peace. The leaders are unable
to see the approaching threat."

         "...or maybe they do
not
want to see it. Ignoring the matter will not banish the
danger." Angered, Zephriel continued, "In the end, only our strong
coherence will save us, but blinded by their own arrogance they do not see
that."

         Ajatarah agreed
with
her mate.
"The clans have been lulled into a false sense of security. It was long
ago that the last battle of the vampires was fought. Perhaps too long
ago."

         Zephriel
’
s eyes flitted over one of the letters, condemning
its indifference. "Even Gryphos, head of the Griffin Clan, once known for
its
unyielding
fury
,
prefers to rake in gold and jewels instead of arming himself to determinedly
face the danger."

         At a loss, Ajatarah
regarded her mate with sad eyes, trying to find the right words to ease his
disappointment. "Apparently, your old and wise friend Apophis has not
given answer."

         "Yes, his reply is
still pending. The powerful Clan of the Serpentes will not refuse to support
us, of that I am sure," he responded confidently. "Apophis
has
enough
foresight to
realize
the seriousness of the situation. Far too long, we heard nothing from his clan.
I shall send another messenger to tell him about my presentiments. A meeting
with all clan leaders needs to be arranged. And, with Apophis' help, we will
convince the others."

         Worry was reflected on
Ajatarah's face. "He will be our last hope, since also the old Martiya
Khvar, head of the Manticores, has rejected our concerns. In his message, he
declares that our vigilance is unfounded."

         Bitter resignation was
heavy in Zephriel's words. "Just what has become of the mighty vampire
clans throughout the past centuries, my beloved?"

         Ajatarah didn't know how
to describe the misery. "They are hiding, like we do. Losing sight of the
world's concerns in our seclusion."

         "Yes," Zephriel
agreed, his face and voice hardening. "We also missed to follow the
constant developments on earth.
Far
t
oo long we let it
happen. But now, it is time to act, to find the evil and fight it, before the
whole world is heading to its downfall."

*****

         The biting wind howled
deafeningly and carried the first snow from the high mountain tops to the
valley.      

         Despite the cold, Andrej
was standing on one of the countless balconies, his sleeves rolled up, gazing
thoughtfully at Lilith, who was on another balcony beneath him.

         Her head was turned in
direction of north-west. Eyes closed, she listened to the wind's voice.

         "You seem almost
lost in the moment, and I feel compassion stir in my heart, but then..."

         Soundlessly, Sadden
joined him on the wind-beaten balcony, her gaze following that of her friend.
Her voice was unusual thin and could barely be heard over the howling wind.
"I think I may have lost the trust, which
I
just recently woke in her. My reaction, led by my own impatience, was
wrong."

         Andrej's eyes kept
wandering between Lilith and Sadden, before they came to rest firmly on his
friend. "I don't know what happened between the two of you, but are you
sure that there was actually one tiny spark of trust she felt for you?" he
asked, skeptically.

         Sadden gave no answer.

         "Granted, at the
moment she seems to be quite unhappy. But Lilith is Lilith," Andrej added
after a slight pause. "It will pass, and then she will be back to her
unpredictable self. You, Sadden, won't be able to change that, ever."