Authors: M. D. Bowden
Daniel awoke the
next day and lay looking at Sarah’s still sleeping form. Her eyes were resting so still she looked like a statue, but he could hear her heart thrumming slowly and steadily in her chest. The black lines around her eyes were heavily smudged, and that ridiculously red lipstick that she had been wearing, which made her look both hot and kind of like a whore at the same time, was now gone, leaving her delicately pink lips in its place. Her skin looked perfect and it glowed softly in the dimly lit room, not enough for a human to see, but to Daniel’s blood feast enhanced senses he could see the power that radiated off Sarah and it added to her innocent beauty. Her long hair was in disarray by her side, now loose and tangled.
It was morning, but from the lack of sunshine radiating through their curtains Daniel guessed the day was bleak and grey, which would be perfect for checking out the stone circle. They would not need to put up with the way that the sun could make them feel uncomfortable in their own skin. They could also visit the graveyard and look for any clues that may remain, if the witch who raised those dead had left any traces behind.
Daniel still could not quite believe that whoever had conducted that attack was now leaving them alone, and he still felt a weary sense that something bad was bound to happen at some point. That person, whoever it was, was likely to have a plan, and Daniel wanted to know what it was. As he thought that Sarah’s eyelids began to flicker. A dream! Daniel touched her hand lightly and let his mind mingle with hers.
He was immediately immersed in darkness, but this time he had managed to separate his mind from Sarah’s from the start. He watched as she fed on a human, her eyes feral and lost to her instincts. She drained the body she was drinking from and tossed it aside. Dead. She stood up straight and walked across the moor, alone, looking up at the full moon. She reached up to it, her body stretching until she touched its’ cool night time hue and she pulled the moon toward her, bringing it down to earth.
The dream shifted and the moon was still full but it was back in the sky and Sarah was not there. Daniel was watching the scene at the stone circle again, and this time the dream did not fade away as a shadow approached. The dark shape was revealed in the moonlight as it stepped into the circle, a knife in its hand, approaching the four people who were tied there. Daniel caught sight of a heavy brow beneath the black hood, which looked like an old fashioned cloak rather than a modern day coat, partially hiding the face of the man. A SORCERER. That word, description of a character, just floated into Daniel’s mind and he knew this dream was prophetic; it was as if the knowledge subtly became distilled inside him.
He watched as the sorcerer slaughtered the four people with his knife while chanting incantations that Daniel could not make sense of. As he heard the words they slipped from his mind before he could hold onto them.
As the final body was slaughtered and its blood ran into the earth the ground broke apart and Daniel moved closer just in time. He caught a glimpse of a tomb before Sarah’s dream shifted again and she was holding her children in her arms, singing soft nursery rhymes and rolling around in a meadow, in the sun.
Daniel detached his mind once more and found himself back in his room with Sarah still fast asleep and dreaming by his side.
A sorcerer, he thought. Well he wasn’t so wrong, what’s the difference between a sorcerer and a witch after all? Culture he supposed, maybe tradition, a certain way of working with magic, different methods for different magical families.
The moon had been full again, and this time he was sure the dream had been about the future, not the past, for the ground at the stone circle had not been split apart last time he saw it. He would definitely not be digging beneath the stone circle now, he suspected, no he felt, that whatever was buried there should stay under the ground. The best thing to do would be to stop the ritual from taking place at all, to stop those people being killed and to stop the sorcerer from awakening whatever was in that tomb.
Would this happen this full moon? He supposed it could be any time in the future, but they had better be safe, Daniel decided, and watch the stone circle as soon as darkness falls when the moon is next full. They would just have to be strong enough to stop the sorcerer.
Daniel smiled to himself - he was already strong, thanks to the night before. He and Sarah had fed on people outside three different pubs in Princetown, each pub the town contained. Sarah had been amazing, after her first feed she had remained in control and he had not had to use influence on her at all. She had not hurt anyone, beyond the effects of mild blood loss anyway, and that was worth it if they could save lives.
It had been quite a night for other reasons too. Daniel softly stroked Sarah’s hair, thinking of their more intimate moments of the night before, still smiling to himself. He felt happy. He was strong, well fed and in love. He had a purpose; to stop the sorcerer before he caused any more damage, – what more could he want?
Daniel rose from the bed as slowly as he could manage; so as not to wake Sarah. He picked up his clothes and took them into the bathroom to wash and dress. When he was ready he scribbled a quick note to Sarah and left it on her pillow, then he exited the house, transformed into a buzzard and soared the short distance into town, relishing the feel of the wind battering his feathers as he flew across the moor. He landed unobserved behind a building and changed back into himself, before popping into a small grocery shop and buying a few household items, including coffee which he was sorely missing.
With his shopping he travelled home by the same means and snuck back in. He listened out from downstairs until he heard Sarah’s rhythmic breaths, then went into the kitchen and put the kettle on. He rummaged through the cupboards and found a coffee percolator, into which he scooped a generous amount of course granules. He took a deep breath, enjoying the caffeinated aroma, before pouring in boiling water and placing the lid on top.
Daniel gently pulled out a chair and sat, waiting for the coffee to brew. He stretched out his legs, his black boots scuffing the stone floor, and straightened his back. He wanted to do lots today, not only investigations but he wanted to start teaching Sarah the perks of vampirism – she should have the pleasure of the wind in her feathers too, the amazing sensation of flying through the air was incomparable to anything he could describe, and she should have a chance to learn magic. He could teach her the fire spell, the first one he had learnt, for an extended version of it had certainly come in handy when fighting those dead.
He stood and found a couple of cups and poured the dark brown liquid in, filling them to the brim. He broke off a chunk of baguette and buttered it, then sliced some cheese and placed it in the middle. He carried one cup and some baguette softly up the wooden steps, and stopped in the doorway to the bedroom as he saw Sarah peek out from under the covers, smile shyly, then push herself into a sitting position. Daniel approached and sat by her on the bed, then passed her the drink and food.
‘Ummm yum. Thanks Daniel,’ she said, and kissed him on the cheek making his trip to the shops worth it.
Daniel smiled at Sarah, and kissed her on the forehead as she took a bite of the baguette. He returned to his own coffee, and made up some food for himself, before sitting back at the table and scanning a local paper.
Once he had ascertained that there were no more missing people from Princetown Daniel amused himself by reading about village life on Dartmoor, local disputes over land and planning. In between sips and bites he checked out adverts for nearby pubs. He saw there was a place that looked appealing not too far from Princetown, on the moorland road that continued beyond the town, and decided it might be worth a visit later on.
He was just putting his cup down when Sarah’s arms wrapped around him from behind, scaring the life out of him.
‘How did you do that?’ he laughed, his heart racing.
‘I’ve been learning some tricks off you,’ she smirked, taking a seat beside him at the table. ‘Anything interesting in there?’ she asked, pointing at the paper.
‘Not really, there’s a pub we could visit later that looks good.’
‘Ooh, does it serve food? I fancy trying some more things with my new senses,’ she said. ‘Thanks again for the breakfast in bed.’
‘It was my pleasure,’ he said, and gave her the most stunning smile he could manage.
She giggled and looked down trying unsuccessfully to hide her blush, the blush he loved. She was already dressed, boots on and everything, and looked ready to go out herself.
Sarah looked back at him, serious now.
‘Don’t you think it’s a bit weird that no-one has attacked us again?’ she said.
‘Yes, as a matter of fact I do. It does seem strange that someone would go to so much effort and then just leave us alone.’ He paused and watched her shrug, then added, ‘I tapped into another dream this morning that I think was probably prophetic.’
‘Did you?’ she asked, leaning closer.
He nodded.
‘You dreamt about the stone circle again, but this one was longer. I saw a sorcerer, it was a man and he slaughtered four people while doing some kind of spell, and then the ground cracked open revealing a tomb.’
‘Was it the same night as the other dream – was the moon full?’ she asked.
‘Yes. Of course, if it was a prophetic dream we don’t know that it’s this coming one…’
‘But you think we should be there just in case?’ she finished.
‘Yes. You did really well last night. How do you feel today?’ he asked, seeing her blush again at the compliment.
‘I feel amazing, well slept, strong. It’s like there’s power traveling in my blood, I feel so alive,’ she gushed.
‘Me too, it’s a rush isn’t it?’ he said.
She nodded with enthusiasm.
‘Are you up for coming with me to the stone circle again, and seeing if we can sense anything there?’ he asked.
‘Yes, of course. I have to say though, that I really hope we don’t see the crow again.’
Daniel laughed, he too hoped the same thing, but the way she said it was just adorable.
He took the last sip of his coffee, which was now cold, and they stood together, smiling coyly at each other, then headed for the door.
Daniel grabbed his leather jacket from a hook as he left, then let the front door swing shut behind them.
Daniel watched Sarah as she looked up at the clouds, wrinkling her nose, then reached for her hand. She took his and squeezed it gently, and started pulling him in the direction of the stone circle. He let her lead the way, and watched as she kept looking about for that crow.
‘Daniel?’
‘Yes?’
‘I brought my phone out with me, I’d really like to try and talk to my kids but I haven’t been able to use it yet as there’s no reception in the cottage. I think it is set up for working abroad, so if we go to the top of one of the hills, after the stone circle, I might be able to ring them,’ she said.
‘I reckon that will work. Have you worked out what time it will be there now?’
Sarah shook her head as they continued to walk over spongy moor towards the circle of stones that had just become visible as they had reached the top of a tor, ‘Do you know the time difference between here and there?’
Daniel caught sight of a bird in the distance, and for a moment thought it was a crow, but it was only a buzzard looking for prey. He watched it as he thought back to their flight over here.
‘It’s eight hours behind there,’ he said.
He remembered the airline telling people so they could change their watches.
He did not have a watch but guessed it was about eleven a.m.
‘It’s probably about three a.m. in Canada now,’ he said as they got nearer to the circle, and he started trying to tune into any magical residues, and looked about actively for clues, or for anyone watching them.
‘I guess I better wait a bit then,’ Sarah said, sounding disappointed. She was silent for a little, then said, ‘A good time to try would be between three and four ‘o’ clock this afternoon, then I should catch them before Megan goes to school.’
The stone circle was now before them, large gray granite slabs sticking out of the earth, and sparkling in the dull light. He stepped between the stones and stood in the middle of the circle surveying the scene as cool air blew his hair in his eyes. He held it back with one hand and looked closely at the ground. There was still a trace of blood lingering, not fully washed away, but nothing looked new or changed. He glanced at Sarah. She shrugged, as if to say she could not sense anything. Daniel checked the horizon again for the crow, but could not see any birds at all. He focused his energy within and then extended his senses into the ground, probing for other energies, for anything alive or anything that did not belong.
It was strange, as he extended his senses down he found an area that was blocked, that he could not penetrate with his mind or his magic.
He looked up at Sarah and she stepped closer, holding her own hair out of her eyes so she could see him regardless of the relentless wind.