Dawn of Darkness (Daeva, #1) (32 page)

"I,
myself, have little experience with Sirens," Leigh confessed. "But
you would do well to consult with Marcus about this. He knows much
of the vampire bloodlines."

"I will.
Thanks."

"Well
then, I believe we are done," she said, standing up and brushing
down her skirt.

"That's
it?"

"What
were you expecting? I only needed to know the circumstances under
which you came here."

"What
about the spell on the tunnel? Aren't you supposed to grant me
immunity to it, or something?"

"Already
done," Leigh replied. She moved to a small bureau near the door and
picked up a small vial for me to see. It was empty. I looked down
at the drink in my hands. "Some advice for the future. Don't accept
food or drink from unfamiliar witches." She laughed, heading back
out in the lobby. I rejoined the group, feeling a little annoyed at
Leigh's games. My fists clenched.

"You
drank the coffee, didn't you?" Sebastian chuckled.

"Yup." I
slouched down in the nearest seat and folded my arms.

"She does
that with everyone," he said. "It's like a tradition."

"I never
did like witches much," Violet said. "Always meddling with
something or other."

Ten
minutes later, the double doors opened and Leigh ushered us into
the library. At the back of the room sat a short man behind a desk,
his hands clasped and his chin resting on them. He wore a simple
black shirt, contrasting against the pallor of his skin. His long,
golden hair was tied into a loose, off-centre ponytail that rested
over his left shoulder and reached down to his waist. Even from a
distance I could see he was broad and well-built. His eyes, I
noticed, were a deep brown. He couldn't have been much over twenty
when he died, I thought. As we approached him, he stood and moved
around the desk with such speed that I was unable to follow him. He
stopped abruptly in front of me, his face only inches from
mine.

"You must
be the Siren, Mikhail," he said in a deep voice, looking me up and
down – mostly up, given that he was a few inches shorter than I. "I
am Marcus." He didn't extend his hand to me, so I kept my hands by
my sides.

"Ummm,
nice to meet you?" I said, unsure how I should greet an ancient
vampire. He gave me a lop-sided smile, and then turned his back to
me.

Marcus
went back to his desk, walking this time, and sat down. "I
understand you have information on the Silver Dawn's barriers," he
said. "If so, this may very well mark the turning of the tide in
this war. Let's hear what you have."

Violet
stepped forward, her hand outstretched with a piece of paper in it.
"We found this glyph etched into the pillars," she said, unfolding
the drawing and placing it on the desk.

Marcus'
eyes widened. He took the paper in both hands, bringing it closer
to his face. His fists clenched, crumpling the edges of the paper.
"Are you sure this is exactly what it looked like?" he
asked.

"Positive," Daniel replied. "The markings around the edge
might be a little off. I didn't have a lot of time to memorise
it."

"Do you
recognise it?" Violet asked.

"Yes, I'm
afraid I do. This is Verloren's Seal. It is an extremely ancient
magic, meant to ward against all forms of the undead."

"Is there
a way past it?" Daniel asked.

"All
magic has a counter-magic," Leigh explained. "This particular magic
will be hard to break, but I believe I know of a way. It will,
however, take some time to prepare."

"And that
is where the good news ends." Marcus sighed. "I know of only one
creature that could create this seal. One that we have thought
extinct for centuries."

"No."
Violet gasped. "You can't possibly mean–"

"I'm
afraid so," Marcus said. "A pure-blooded vampire."

"Pure-blooded?" I asked. "I've never heard of such a
thing."

"Not
surprising. Even among the vampires they have remained little more
than an old-wives tale. They started with Verloren, or so the
legend says. He was the original vampire. Unlike the vampires you
know, Verloren was born as a vampire, rather than as a human. As to
who his parents were, there is no mention. Some say the mother was
possessed when she became pregnant. There are many variations of
the story, and it's likely the truth will never be
found."

Marcus
stood and disappeared in a flash. He returned seconds later with an
old, leather-bound tome. The cover was worn and the pages browning.
He opened the book on his desk and turned it towards us. We
gathered closer to read the page it had been opened on. The word
'Verloren' was printed in large flowing text at the top of the
page.

"The
stories say that Verloren was able to mate with a human woman to
produce vampire children, and in turn they were able to procreate
with each other. They became known as the pure-blood
vampires."

A wave of
disgust hit me, churning in my stomach. I knew vampires saw the
world quite differently from us, perhaps because their lives
weren't as fleeting as our own, and back then morals may have been
vastly different. Still, I couldn't wrap my head around the thought
of them participating in incest. It was just wrong.

"No-one
knows how much truth there is to the story. In all likelihood, only
Verloren himself now knows what really happened, but we do know the
pure-bloods were born as vampires, not turned."

"So where
do the regular vampires come into the picture?" I asked.

"The
pure-bloods discovered they could turn humans. However, they
despised those that were once human and kept them as slaves. Until,
one day, a slave managed to escape. He found he too could turn
humans, and before the pure-bloods knew what was happening, they
were surrounded and greatly outnumbered."

Marcus
turned the pages of the book, until he reached a picture depicting
a massive battle. The figures weren't wielding any weapons that I
could see. Rather they were tearing at each other, tooth and nail.
Bolts of lightning crashed from the sky into the crowds of
vampires, and fires raged.

"The
human-vampires, under the command of the former slave, fought
against the pure-bloods. Only a few pure-bloods survived, and
likewise, most of the other vampires perished too. With the
pure-bloods scattered, they eventually became nothing more than a
myth."

"And you
think the Silver Dawn has managed to capture a pure-blood?" Daniel
asked.

"Or the
pure-blood is willingly cooperating with them," Marcus replied. "In
the end, they have a similar goal. To destroy us
human-vampires."

"That's
assuming it is a pure-blood," Nate said. "I mean, how sure are you
it's a pure-blood doing this? You said it yourself, they became
only a myth. So. how can you be sure they even existed at
all?"

"I admit, I cannot be entirely
sure it is a pure-blood we are dealing with," Marcus said. "But
there is one thing I can be sure of, and that is they do exist. I
would be sceptical myself, were it not for a chance meeting some
five hundred years ago with
him
... Verloren."

"You met
Verloren himself?" Violet sputtered.

"Only
briefly, but yes, I did. Were I alone that night, I have no doubt I
would not be here today."

"How do
you know it was him and not some psycho-vamp pretending to be him?"
Nate asked.

"Vampires
like myself resemble humans because that is what we once were,"
Marcus said. "Pure-bloods were never entirely human. It is said
they may take on the form of a human to deceive their prey, but
what appeared to me was Verloren's true form."

"What did
it look like?" I asked.

"Has
Daniel shown you his half-form yet?"

Daniel
shook his head. "He hasn't seen it."

"What's a
half-form?"

"It's one
of the three forms I can take," Daniel said. "You've seen two of
them, this form and my wolf form. The half-form is exactly what it
sounds like, a halfway state between the two. Few werewolves are
able to achieve it because of the energy and control it takes to
maintain it."

"Basically," Violet added, "it looks like a large, furred
human with the head of a wolf and clawed hands. Before the plague
hit, it was what many people assumed a werewolf to look
like."

"Okay, so
Verloren looks like a wolf-man?" I asked.

"No, not exactly," Marcus
replied. "He looks like
a
half-form, though not that of a wolf, nor any animal I've
ever seen. The only word I can think of to describe him is
demonic."

"Now
you're just talking crazy, old man." Nate laughed. "Demons? Next
you'll be telling us you've seen angels and the Easter
Bunny."

Marcus
rushed forward, appearing in front of Nate with his hand raised.
Violet stepped between the two before he could strike.

"I
apologise for his rudeness," she said, turning to glare at Nate,
who stared defiantly back at her, a smug look on his face. Violet's
hand slapped against Nate's cheek, causing him to stumble. He
rubbed at his cheek. "Idiot," Violet muttered. "Please continue,
Marcus."

Marcus
shook his head. "As I was saying, before your rude interruption,
Verloren's true form is something that cannot be accurately
described, because it is unlike anything of this world. He has long
travelled this world, searching for a way to start his family anew,
and intent on destroying the human-vampires."

"And now
you think the Silver Dawn has him captive, or is working with him?"
I asked, testing my understanding.

"Yes,
though I think the latter more plausible. Verloren would not be
easily captured, or contained for that matter."

"So, what
now?" Daniel asked.

"Now that
we know the secret of the barriers, we can work on countering its
effects. However, this will be no easy task. It will take a week or
so to prepare and complete the ritual," said Leigh. "A magic as
strong as Verloren's seal will also require some rather unusual
components in order to break it."

"We could
find them for you," I suggested.

Leigh
shook her head. "It would be best if you didn't. Trust
me."

"Once the
magic is complete, we can begin infiltrating the city. Until then,
I will be formulating a plan of attack," Marcus said. "Now, if
there's nothing else..."

"What
about the blood reports?" I asked.

Marcus
raised an eyebrow as Daniel rummaged through his shoulder bag and
brought out a stack of files.

"These
are the results of blood work performed on the Daeva," Daniel said.
Marcus took the top file and flicked through it. "And there are
some scrapings from the pillar we found the seal on."

"Take
them to the hospital research centre," Marcus said. "I will send
word to have them analysed as quickly as possible."

"Sure
thing," Daniel replied, stuffing the files back into his
bag.

"If
that's all, then Leigh will show you out."

Leigh and
the others began walking towards the exit. I started to follow, but
paused, remembering that I wanted to ask Marcus about my ability. I
turned to face him.

"Well?"
he said. "If you have something to say, then speak up. I don't have
all night."

"I wanted
to ask you about my powers," I said.

"Very
well, but you will have to make it quick." Marcus sat in his seat
and leaned back. "What would you like to know?"

I told
Marcus what happened with Cynthia and in the tunnel.

"Interesting," he said, leaning forward and clasping his
hands on the desk. "Your powers are progressing like that of a true
Siren, though this particular ability is one most Sirens will never
acquire."

"What do
you mean?" I asked. "You know what's happening to me?"

"One
question at a time." Marcus sighed. "Yes, I believe I know what is
happening. All Sirens possess the ability to manipulate human
emotions. This is the most basic of Siren abilities, and for most
Sirens, it will be the only one they ever possess."

"So, some
of them gain other abilities?"

"Exactly.
Like any of the bloodlines, the more powerful the vampire, the more
their abilities develop. In the case of Sirens, they sometimes gain
the ability to cause physical damage with their magic."

"You mean
like cutting things with my mind?"

"Yes."

"Can you
teach me to control it?" I asked. "I can't afford to lose control
again."

Marcus
shook his head. "No, I cannot. Nor would I have the time even if I
were able. I do, however, know we have a Siren in our service who
owes me a debt. I will have Leigh contact her for you. I assume you
are staying with one of Violet's group for the time
being?"

"With
Daniel," I replied.