Chronicles of Darkness: Shadows and Dust (32 page)

         She held his right arm in
a strong grip and helped him climbing up.

         Exhausted, Andrej slid
onto the terrace, rubbing his sore arm. He rose with a groan and was about to
say something.

         Lilith cut him off,
shouting to be heard over the howling wind. "If you are even thinking
about to be grateful, I will throw you right back into the abyss!"

         Andrej swallowed what he
wanted to say and retorted annoyed, "Don't you dare sneak up on me like
that ever again!"

         At the moment as both
wanted to walk down the stairs, they heard a nearly inaudible croaking and spun
around.

         It was Hraban, who had
tried to land in this stormy wind.

         Lilith reached out one of
her arms to welcome the raven, but Hraban flew directly to Andrej's shoulder.
Wrinkling her forehead, Lilith watched on, a bit surprised.

         Embarrassed, the young
man tried to shake off the completely disheveled bird. "Hey. Come on, go
to your mistress. Go on!"

         Hraban just dug her claws
deeper into his shirt to keep her place on his arm.

         "Well, it seems that
she prefers your company over mine," Lilith muttered, scowling first at
her raven then at Andrej.

         "The bird escaped
when I wasn't paying attention. I became worried and looked for her. She
shouldn't be flying around when she is still so weak."

         "Great, now she is
perched comfortably on your arm." Lilith spat, clearly offended.

         No less offended, Andrej
replied, "Don't put the blame on me. Maybe you should think about your
behavior."

         Fury burned hotly through
Lilith's veins. "What would I gain with that?" she demanded.

         "If you don't know
that, you really can't be helped!"

         The vampire was
completely flabbergasted about the way Andrej talked to her. That he also left
her standing there rendered her utterly speechless. Angry, she followed him and
the words of their argument were reverberating through the whole castle, until
the early morning hours.

*****

         Lost in thought, Sadden
sat on a chair in the music room. Her practiced fingers ran over the strings of
a richly decorated ebony harp. The gentle strumming elicited the most wonderful
tune. The vampire added her smooth alto voice, so beautiful, it would have made
even angels weep.

"It has been awhile since

I lay alone in the dark

heavy thoughts burdened my soul

but then I had a vision of emerald
eyes

a sparkle of hope

illuminating the night

These eyes

will I ever get to see them again

these eyes

which were shining with love for
me

these eyes

Not so long ago

I sat on the shores of a stream

thinking about the vision

the images began slowly fading

but I still had hope and kept on
waiting

for it to appear again

These eyes

will I ever get to see them again

these eyes

which were shining with love for
me

these eyes

Here and now

tears are running down my cheeks

I am nearly drowning in my sorrows

and still longing for the vision
that is long gone

despair is gripping my heart
firmly

making my soul weak

These eyes

will I ever get to see them again

these eyes

which were shining with love for
me

these eyes"

         Slowly, her slender
fingers slid from the instrument's strings and wrapped around the ebony frame,
clinging tightly. Tears rolled down her pale cheeks. The vampire leaned her
forehead against the harp and squeezed her eyes shut. "Only once... only
one time, I wish to see these lovely, sparkling emeralds for real," Sadden
whispered into the silence of the room, her voice choking. A barely suppressed
sob of despair escaped her chest. Tears, seemingly not wanting to dry up at
all, were still running from beneath her closed eyelids. "I only have this
one ardent wish."

         Kyrian spurred Nightshade
on. He was in a hurry. Anxious, he looked to the east, where the sun rose on
the horizon, greeting the new day. The dark stallion snorted irritated through
his nostrils. Foam started to form around his mouth and Kyrian could feel his
sweat-soaked skin. He patted his horse on the neck and said, "I'm so
sorry, my loyal friend, but we have to be back before the others get up. Mama
must not know I spent the whole night in Paris."

         At the break of dawn,
Kyrian reached the castle and galloped across the pebbly way to the stables.
Quickly, he leapt off his horse. His nervous gaze darted to the windows of the
main building, but everything remained calm and silent. "It seems that
everybody is still asleep," the young man whispered into Nightshade's ear
and released a relieved breath.

         The stallion scraped his
hoof impatiently across the pebbles and butted Kyrian with his head.

         "Easy boy, easy. I
will take care of you." He took Nightshade's reins and led him to his box.
He removed saddle and bridle and rubbed the horse down with some straw. At
last, Kyrian filled the trough with fresh hay and gave him water, which
Nightshade guzzled greedily. After the black stallion had quenched his thirst,
Kyrian awaited him with a special treat. "There you go, my friend. I cut
some carrots for you." One piece after the other, he fed the vegetable to
his horse.

         While Nightshade was
happily munching, Kyrian stroked his broad back, but his thoughts were on
something else. "I have been to the
Quartier Latin
, as was written
in Mama's notebook. I'm sure, I have explored every angle. Still, it was an
unsuccessful search. But Mama is never wrong. Therefore, I will have to keep on
searching, until I have found the vampire's hideout. I am going to impress Mama
with my success." The young man smiled at the thought of his plan.
"And the best about it all, I can combine searching for the vampire with
meeting Christine."

         He didn't notice how time
flew by. A familiar voice brought him out of his deep thoughts. "What are
you grinning at?"

         Startled, his eyes went
to the box's entrance where his sister leaned against the boards.      She
looked at him, questioningly. "Are you thinking about Christine?"

         "Skylar?"
Kyrian replied in surprise. "You are up already?"

         "It's a miracle that
you are up already," she responded cheekily.

         Her brother patted
Nightshade's neck one last time. Then he left the box and went to Skylar.
"Well, I just wanted to take care of Nightshade a bit earlier today."

         "Ah." Skylar
wasn't convinced and said, "That does not exactly answer my first
question."

         Disgruntled, Kyrian
buried his hands in his pockets, while they left the stables together. He took
a lot of time for his response, but eventually said, "No, I'm not always
thinking of Christine. I wonder what the world would be like... if there were
no vampires." To Kyrian this answer seemed honest enough, without telling
his sister the actual truth.

         "Oh," Skylar
responded, drawing her brows together. Then she laughed softly. "That
would be great."

         Silently, they walked
next to each other, until Kyrian queried, "Why have you been to the
stables anyway?"

         Skylar slapped her
forehead and said, "I was sent to look for you... breakfast is
ready."

         "Mmhhh, breakfast...
who arrives first at the kitchen will be the winner!" he announced and
sprinted off.

         "Hey!" his
sister cried out and chased after him. "That's not fair! You had a head
start!" She could hear him laughing loudly from the distance.

         In his hurry to reach the
kitchen before his sister, Kyrian almost collided with Jean, who was about to
leave the house in order to fetch some wood from a nearby barn. "Good
morning, young Master," he greeted him warmly. "Where are you off to
in such a hurry?"

         Gasping for breath,
Kyrian answered, "To the kitchen. My stomach is demanding a big meal. I'm
hungry like never before."

         "Well, well. I'm
sure, Monique will be more than happy to hear that."

         Meanwhile Skylar had
reached the two, jumped on her big brother's back and wrapped her arms and legs
tightly around him. "Ha ha!" she crowed triumphantly. "I got you
now, dear brother! Did you think you could escape me, huh? Remember, nobody can
escape Skylar Leosol, the greatest huntress of all times!"

         Jean just shook his head,
smiling about the words Skylar used. He left the siblings and went back to
carry out his work. "Until later, you two."

         Kyrian hooked his arms
underneath his sister's knees. "Oh, I am trembling with fear. Tell me, oh
greatest huntress of all times, now that you have caught me, what do you intend
to do with me? But please, be merciful."

         Skylar giggled.
"Alright, I will show you mercy. Bring me to the kitchen and I will grant
you freedom," she declared and Kyrian carried her the rest of the way to
the kitchen.

         Monique was waiting with
breakfast. She looked up as the door opened and a big grin appeared on her face
as she saw Helena's children enter. The image was very amusing.

         Skylar beamed happily,
while Kyrian winked roguishly at the cook. He went down on his knees. "We
have reached our destination, Milady Leosol, the kitchen. I have fulfilled my
part of the bargain. Now, fulfill yours."

         The blonde girl slid off
his back. "I set you free," she declared and placed a tiny kiss on
his forehead.

         "Thank you, Milady.
You are quite lovely," he replied, hugged her tightly and stroked her hair
for a moment. Then both began to laugh and rose from the floor.

         Monique smiled and shook
her head. She hadn't seen it often that siblings got along as well as Kyrian
and Skylar did.
'These two... always fooling and joking around with each
other.'

         "Since I had to
carry such a load today," Kyrian began with a wink in direction of his
sister, who scowled at him upon his choice of words, "I really think, it's
time to get my strength back."

         Skylar rolled her eyes.
"One day you are going to burst from eating so much. Just wait and
see."

         Her brother just waved
the remark off. "So what." Quickly he took his seat at the kitchen
table and began to shovel fried eggs and a piece of dry bread into his mouth.
Kyrian loudly praised Monique's cooking skills, nearly choking on his meal.

         The cook smirked and said
proudly, "A good meal is worth anything."

         Skylar stood in front of
the table and stared disbelieving at Kyrian.

         "What's wrong with
you, Skylar?" Monique asked. "Take a seat beside your brother. You
know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So you should hurry,
before there will be nothing left, " she added smiling.

         The blonde girl grinned
and took her seat next to Kyrian.

*****

         Helena sat in her room,
in front of the mirror, and brushed her curly hair. Her thoughts circled around
the mysterious vampire and his companion. "There was never a hunt so
complicated and long as this one. I have accomplished nothing until now. The
population of Paris still has to live in horror and fear."

         She put the brush aside
and looked into the eyes of her reflection. "I failed." Pain was
evident in her voice as she said, "If only you were still with me.
Everything would be much easier for me." Helena took the silver bracelet
her husband had given her and closed it around her wrist. "So much
easier..."

         Restless, she rose and
began to pace. "I met a nice man, but I cannot share my thoughts and
wishes with him. With you, I could share everything, but nothing is for
eternity. All I have left are our children."

         Firm determination shone
in her eyes as the huntress came to a decision. "I just said it myself...
nothing is for eternity. I will master this difficult task. I made too many
mistakes. From now on, I will concentrate only on destroying the vampire. I
will not rest, until I have wiped him off the earth's face."

         Full of zest for action,
she took a seat on her small desk and wrote a short letter. "Why did I
forget to ask Bernard about it? I should have realized sooner that I need a
drawing of them." She folded and sealed the letter. "Then I will
finally know the truth. Especially in the case of Chalice and my terrible
suspicion."

         Quickly, Helena left her
chambers and gave the letter to Jean. "I trust you with this message,
Jean. Ride to the king's court and give this letter personally to Monsieur
Bernard Delacroix. You will not leave his side, until he either gives you a
letter or another message. Understood?"

         Jean nodded dutifully and
put the letter in the inner pocket of his jacket. Then he left the castle under
Helena's watchful gaze.

         Some time later, the
huntress joined her children.

         "Mama!" Skylar
cried happily, leapt from her chair, ran to her mother and hugged her effusively.
"Oh, I am so happy to see you!"

         "I wish you a good
morning too, sweetheart," the huntress responded smiling and returned
Skylar's warm embrace. "Good morning, Monique."

         "Good morning,
Madame." The cook dropped a curtsy. "Breakfast is ready."

         Helena nodded gratefully.
"And a good morning also to you, my son." She hoped that their fight
from last evening had been forgiven and forgotten.

         Chewing, Kyrian waved and
responded to her greeting. "Good morning, Mama."

         Helena was relieved. He
was talking to her, which was a good sign.

         Still keeping a tight
hold on her mother, Skylar whispered into her ear, "Mama, I really need to
tell you something." There was a trace of nervousness in her voice and
Helena became concerned immediately. She looked at Kyrian, who motioned with
his chin to his younger sister and his lips formed a word. Helena felt her
heart constrict as she saw it:
nightmares
.       Compassionately, she
stroked her daughter's long, blonde hair. The gift of prophecy. In each
generation of the Leosol Clan there were people with that gift. Dreams that
sometimes came true. For some it was a gift, but for Skylar it was a curse,
because she wasn't able to distinguish between truth and dream among the dark
pictures that haunted her at night.

         Helena's eyes scanned the
kitchen and came to rest on Monique's also concerned face. The huntress knew
they had to postpone the conversation, until they would be undisturbed. She
took Skylar's face in her hands and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "We
will talk later about it, when we are alone, alright?" Helena whispered
into a small ear.

         The girl nodded, took her
mother's hand and led her to the table where they sat down.

         Monique prepared a plate
for Helena and left the kitchen as the doorbell rang.

         They took the rest of
their breakfast in silence. Everybody seemed to be lost in their own thoughts.

         While Helena and Skylar
ate, Kyrian was overcome by fatigue. He slid more and more down on his seat and
his head grew heavy. Yawning widely, the young hunter supported it on his arm.

         Seeing that, Helena
wrinkled her forehead. "Did you not sleep well, my son?"

         Caught, Kyrian opened his
eyes wide. "Why? I am wide awake!"

         Before the huntress had
the chance to question him further, Monique returned to the kitchen and cleared
her throat. Helena looked up and the cook said, "Madame, I truly am sorry
to interrupt your meal, but Monsieur Dutroit has arrived. I left him waiting in
the library."

         "This early? Well,
Monique, would you please tell him that I am on my way."

         "As you wish,
Madame," Monique replied and went to inform the police chief.

         Kyrian rolled his eyes
and snarled, "What does he want now? I am beginning to wonder how the guy
managed to become police chief. He always comes running to you, asking for help
to solve trifles."

         Helena decided not to
answer, in order to avoid another useless discussion. She wiped her mouth with
a napkin and hurried from the room.
'It has to be something important if
Monsieur Dutroit wants to see me this early. Maybe there are some clues pointing
to our culprit. It might be that the observation of the D'Ardenne twins gave us
another trace to follow,'
she thought to herself.