Chronicles of Darkness: Shadows and Dust (43 page)

         At that, Helena's body
stiffened and the fear was evident on her face.

         In a cold and emotionless
voice, Azrael went on, "You carried her beneath your heart, you nursed her
and she crawled from your lap. She is the legacy of the old hunter clan. From
now on, her blood will feed me. She is a descendant of the Leosol family.
Through her, I will get all of your powers."

         Again, he tenderly
stroked Helena's hair.

         Tears welled up in her
eyes with the knowledge that she could do nothing to prevent the deeds that
would follow his cruel words. Death was close and she was no longer able to
protect her children. Her mind became lost in the cold embrace of death, her
body growing numb, until only one feeling was left. The overpowering,
unconditional love Helena had for her children.

         Kyrian still sat
paralyzed on the spot near the wall and stared at the vampire.

         After Azrael ensured that
he had the young man's full attention, he thrust his fangs once more into his
victim's throat. His pointy teeth easily tore through the main vein and the
larynx.

         Helena released a final
blood-curling scream. Her limbs jerked a last time and then she was still. Like
a lifeless puppet, the proud huntress lay in the vampire's arms.

         But Azrael continued to
drink. Caught in ecstasy, his fingernails bore deep into her skin, leaving ugly
scratch marks behind. She had not been strong enough to beat the mighty
vampire. Azrael's dark greed reached for Helena's soul and pulled it from her
body.

         Fear choked Kyrian. It
was the first time he saw how a vampire drank blood and ripped the soul from a
human's body in the face of death.

         Once Azrael had sucked up
the final drop, his teeth glistened red and his lips were smeared with blood.
Despite that, his eyes glowed, craving more. He let go of the huntress and
turned to look at Kyrian.

         The young man's eyes
widened in horror.

         The vampire rose and was
about to walked to Kyrian, as something hit him in the shoulder with a dull
thud, stopping his advance.

         Unconsciously, the young
man had raised and fired the crossbow under tears and great pain.

         The bolt nailed Azrael to
the wall. Before the vampire realized what was going on, the special bolt began
to eat through the tissue around the wound and turned it black.

         Kyrian's trembling voice
echoed through the hall, "That... that is for my... for my mother, you
monster!"

         Furious, the vampire
pulled the bolt from his chest. It seemed that he couldn't even feel any pain.
He went after the young man, wanting to at least take Kyrian with him on the
journey to the underworld, but then he hesitated. Disbelieving, Azrael looked
down to where the bolt had struck him. New tissue was already forming and all
traces of a wound were gone a few seconds later. His triumphant laughter
reverberated in the hall.

         Kyrian was in a panic.
"You will not turn my sister into your blood slave!" He turned his
back on the vampire to reach for the holy sword.

         But before his fingers
could wrap around the hilt, Azrael had already stepped behind him and asked,
smiling evilly, "Who will stop me? You?" He slammed his fists hard
into Kyrian's neck, who crashed to the floor, unconscious. "Hmm, who would
have thought that the boy would be so determined?"

         Hesitatingly, Chalice
entered the scene of destruction, coming to stand at Azrael's side. With mixed
feelings, she glanced at the prone young man. "What are we going to do
with him? Kill him?"

         The vampire looked at
Kyrian and decided, "No, not anymore. That would be too easy. So much
anger, so much hot blood. When he awakes, he will want vengeance for his
family. Which means, my life will get more entertaining."

         Chalice didn't cherish
the thought that Kyrian would awake with the memory of her betrayal. "He
will chase us until the end of his days, my Master!"

         Azrael laughed. "You
can't take back your betrayal of the boy. Are you scared he will find you and
pay you back?"

         Chalice looked at her
master with big eyes. She couldn't bear that he was making fun of her. But she
could bear it even less that Kyrian hated her now.

         "It seems you have
been too long with him. Is that sympathy I see in your eyes?" The
vampire's question sounded like a threat.

         At the same time, Chalice
realized that it was stupid and dangerous to pine away for her lost time with
Kyrian. Now she was about to face an eternity at Azrael's side. She lowered her
head and said, "I belong to only you, my Master."

         "Yes, that's what I
wanted to hear, that's my Chalice." He held out a hand. "Come."

         Gratefully she took his
hand and he pulled her into an embrace.

         She looked at him, her
heart beating fast.

         To show his slave her place,
he enticed her with the words, "Today you have proven your true worth. I'm
very proud of you."

         A smile flickered over
her face and the vampire pressed himself tightly against her body. His hands
seemed to be everywhere at once, while his bearded face hovered close above her
own.

         The blonde moaned in
arousal as the vampire nibbled on her lips. He made it easy for her to let
herself go, forgetting everything around her. "Please, don't let me do
that ever again, my Master. I only want to be yours." Their kisses became
more passionate. Chalice threw her head back, moaning in ecstasy. "I'm
addicted to you, my Master."

         While his fingers were
tracing over her soft throat, he hummed, "I know." Azrael wrapped his
fingers in her long, blonde hair and pulled her head to him. Her tongue played
all over his face, not disturbed in the slightest that it was still sticky with
Helena's blood. From this moment on, nothing else mattered but her master, whom
she longed to satisfy in every possible way.

         Abruptly, he let go of
her and straightened. Azrael's face contorted in disgust. Taking cape and cane,
he walked out. To the stunned Chalice, he merely explained, "You smell
disgusting, like the boy. Before you have not washed yourself, don't get close
to me again. By the way, don't forget the little girl... and the precious heart
of my Huntress. Load everything into the carriage and follow me. We are going
east."

         Chalice blushed ashamed
and asked, "But I thought..."

         "You don't know all
my plans!" the vampire cut her off.

         Silent, Chalice retreated
to the closest well in the courtyard.

         Meanwhile, Azrael deeply
inhaled the cool night air and called out to the dark sky, "Hear me,
children of the night! Finally, I'm on my way to you! I will give you freedom
and gain ultimate power for myself!" Loud laughter escaped his chest.
Looking to the west, the direction where Paris lay, he thought about the humans
with growing hate and said gleefully, "I'm your darkest and most secret
fear, visiting you in your nightmares... and the best about it... you cannot
escape me!"

*****

         A heavy storm raged along
the southern coast of England, causing windows to burst with its unrestrained
power. The warming and illuminating light of the fireplace went out. From one
moment to the next, unnatural cold spread out. A strange feeling took
possession of the castle's inhabitants. The intense and pulsing emotion of
mighty powers overcame the heads of the Dragon Clan.

         Ajatarah sat as unmoving
as her soulmate Zephriel, and both took in the unknown energy. The vampire felt
new strength rise in her, but also the tragic origin of the new powers. With
sad eyes, she looked at the glowing ash of the fireplace and whispered, "A
bright, important light of a life was extinguished, robbed by a nameless shadow."

         Zephriel contemplated his
life mate's words for a while, until he said, "One sign of the prophecy
was fulfilled. The appearance of an
Unborn
and his endeavor to gain
ultimate power. It may be that he is the traitor, who is conspiring against
us." Lost in thought and restless, he paced the room.

         Ajatarah still sat
motionless. "An
Unborn
."

         She had to wait a bit for
the answer of her soulmate, who was stroking his beard. "Yes. The prophecy
says that we, the ancestors and clan founders, will return and must destroy our
descendants."

         Angered, Ajatarah rose
from her chair and went to her soulmate. "My love, why do you call the
Unborn
our descendants? Are we really supposed to take on the guilt of their
deeds?"

         "It is like it is.
They are guilty, if they transform the humans after the act."

         "You once said that
there is no connection between the
Unborn
and us, only immortality and
the need for blood. Remember, you cannot compare them to us. That would mean,
comparing these creatures with our daughter!" Ajatarah exclaimed fiercely.

         Zephriel turned to her
and tenderly stroked her shoulders. Softly gazing into her sparkling eyes, he
shook his head. "You said it yourself... a nameless shadow is threatening
us, may they have been created out of ignorance or by betrayal. Nobody can say
who is at fault, but in the end, we will be held responsible for their
existence."

         As fast as Ajatarah's
anger had appeared, it vanished.

         Zephriel breathed a
gentle kiss on his life mate's hand. "The
Chronicles of Darkness
will
be the key to the truth. We have to be patient. Time will reveal the
future."

         Ajatarah leaned her head
against Zephriel's strong shoulder and both felt new strength grow inside them.

*****

         "I don't believe it,
you won again," Andrej grumbled and glared at the chess figures.
"There has to be a trick, Sadden. What is it? Dark magic?"

         Annoyed, Lilith rolled
her eyes. "If there is something humans have no explanation for, it has to
be magic. Truly pathetic."

         "Did I ask for your
opinion?" Andrej snapped back and instantly the two had another fiery
discussion.

         Sadden sighed. She rose
and went to the window to gaze at the peaceful night. Suddenly, she felt a
terrible pain in her rib cage. Tortured, the vampire grabbed at the place where
normally a heart would beat, if she had been human. The anguish forced her to
her knees. Again, she heard the fearful outcry of a girl in her mind. Tears
trickled down from beneath her closed eyelids. "The Sunlions..." she
gasped.

         The pain faded as quickly
as it had appeared and Sadden stood up. As she felt the new power streaming
through her, she looked at Lilith, realizing that her protégée could feel it
also.

         Confused, Andrej looked
from Sadden to Lilith and back. "Do I want to know what just
happened?"

         "A part of my vision
has come true," Sadden explained, her voice shaking. "The mighty
lioness is dead."

*****

         After hours of
unconsciousness, Kyrian awoke. The autumn sun send its first rays over the
horizon, plunging the area in an eerie, white light. The foggy mist of a
dawning day crawled across the ground, and the young hunter noticed how the
nightly cold had taken up residence in his limbs. Frozen stiff, he slowly rose
from the floor and rubbed his still pounding skull. The memories of the night
came back with a rush.

         Immediately, Kyrian
stormed to the place where Helena lay and the pain of this loss overcame him.
Screaming, he broke down beside his mother's corpse and burst into tears.
Sobbing and whimpering, he rocked her lifeless body in his arms. "It's all
my fault, Mama. Forgive me! Please forgive me! I've been such a fool. I should
have listened to you. Now it's too late... Mama... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...
Mama..."

         It took time until his
hot tears had somewhat dried. Then Kyrian lifted his dead mother and carried
her upstairs to her chambers. Using his foot, he kicked open the door and
placed her gently upon the soft bed. The young hunter lowered himself to the
bed's edge and prayed silently. He felt horrible, and in a broken voice, he
announced, "Mama, I swear that I will not rest until I have found Skylar
and rescued her from the claws of the monster."

         Crying, he loosened the
silver bracelet from her wrist and held it in his fist. Overcome by fury, he
vowed, "I'm going to destroy them all. All vampires of this world. All of
them! I swear to you!" Kyrian kissed Helena's cold forehead and rose from
her deathbed. He went to the door and looked at her for the last time. Kyrian
pushed over the tall, cast irony candlestick, left the room and closed the door
behind him.