“You’re going to be staying here!” Samuel yelled, “Whether you like it, or not, you’ve made a commitment… and I’m going to see that you follow it through!”
Unfazed by the blow, Steven was quick to pick himself up and resume the fight that his instructor had initiated. Steven grit his teeth, and with his fists clenched, he lunged at Samuel with surprising agility. “You’ve no idea what we’ve gone through! She’s all that I have left!”
Steven struck him with a blow so powerful that it was enough to send him crashing against the wooden gate with a deafening thud. The attack dropped Samuel and he found himself on his knees, bent over in agony. Something wasn’t right here. Steven was strong— too strong.
“She needs me!” Steven bellowed. He took a step closer, unwilling to stand down now that Samuel had initiated the fight. Much like his instructor, Steven wasn’t trying to hurt his friend, but needed him to listen to reason; his reason.
“Your sister doesn’t need a quitter,” Samuel mumbled as he slowly picked himself up, “She needs a brother… one who won’t back away from his responsibilities.”
Samuel’s words only seemed to infuriate Steven further, and he rushed towards his mentor with venomous ferocity. He clipped Samuel in the side of the head and shoved his face down into the dirt. “Screw you, Samuel! You don’t have a damned clue!”
“Are you going to turn to the bottle now, too?” Samuel asked with his face covered in mud, “You’re no better than when I first laid eyes upon you. I saw a glimmer of hope in you then… and I still see it now… covered under a thick mess of a man. You need to temper that anger, boy. Use it in your training… let the anger work for you, instead of against you. Only then will your sister find use for you.”
Steven howled to the stars above, letting his animosity be known to all the gods and goddesses that might’ve been listening. He grabbed Samuel by the collar and dragged his battered body away from the doors, one step closer to the freedom he so desperately wanted.
“This doesn’t make any sense!” Samuel growled, “She doesn’t want this life for you… not until you show that you’re ready for it; and believe me, boy, you’re far from ready.”
“Is that so?” Steven asked, “Because all I can see is an instructor that failed to stop his own student.”
A slow and melodramatic rumble came from Samuel, as he sprawled his wounded frame up against the cold stone wall and ran his hand through his long mud covered black hair. “Real strength comes from within. You may wield power unlike any of hunter I’ve seen before, but no battle can be won alone. And right now, you don’t have a friend in the world… not if you walk through those doors.”
“Then I guess I’m truly alone.”
“Don’t do this, Steven,” said a somber Samuel as he reached out to his wayward friend, “What’s happened to you? Why are you acting this way? Please… talk to me. Tell me what’s going on—.”
“I saw my mother!” Steven fired back, his eyes bursting with unbridled rage, “She came to me tonight, in my dreams, and told me that my sister was in grave danger! And you… you ask me to stand by your side and not lift a goddamn finger? Tell me, where’s the honor in that?”
“Please don’t do this…”
Steven turned sharply and drove his fist into the wooden doors. He turned lumber to splinters as he took a massive divot out of the door, bloodying up his hand in the process. That was just fine with him though, the pain dulled his other, more thin-skinned, senses. “And when I awoke, a letter from my sister was waiting for me, right on the foot of my bed. It was a gift… from someone that cared enough to show me what was truly going on.”
“Steven… you don’t understand the implications of your actions.”
“I trusted you, Samuel!” barked Steven, with a hand on the door leading to his damnation, “And you let me down! You’re all the same… vampires, werewolves and hunters alike. You’re using me for your own personal gain, and I won’t stand idly by and be a pawn in the game my sister’s playing with her life.”
“You’re making a mistake. Please… let us discuss this like the friends we once were.”
“I can’t do that, friend,” said Steven as he opened the massive doors and let the moonlight seep into his soul. He felt like a wounded animal, unsure where the loyalties of his friends truly lay. “Like you said… I’ve got no one.”
And with those words, Steven disappeared into the night.
The events weighed heavy on Samuel’s soul, burdened by the fear of losing the person closest to his heart. He was never the social type, preferring to keep those he cared about far away, out of harm’s reach. Samuel could understand the pain his friend was in, even if it was misplaced. It was a pain he knew all too well.
It was the vision of Steven’s mother that concerned him the most— a vision that never should’ve happened.
Something sinister was afoot. He could feel it in the cold wind upon his skin. The worst part of it all was the overcoming apprehension that he unknowingly played his part to perfection.
Chapter Two
The cold breeze washed against Emily as she looked out the balcony of her mountainous castle bedroom. She clutched at her azure cardigan and wrapped it against her body for warmth, yet it provided none of the sort. It wasn’t the wind that chilled her to the bone; it was the dreary circumstances of her life, or what it had now become. She was alone here, in this castle of vampires, and there wasn’t a thing that could change that.
House Franson, as the cold-hearted denizens of his maddening place called it. It was out of respect that she came here, but it was out of necessity that she stayed. A common enemy, as Xander would often call Lady Amata; but she was no enemy of Emily’s. An enemy is one that you can confront, not one that lurks in the shadows and threatens your very existence. This was about survival, nothing more and certainly nothing less. And Emily was a survivor.
So she stayed here, in this godforsaken place, with Xander and his bloodsucking cohorts. She cared for him; at least she thought she did. It was trust that kept her heart at bay. Whether it was her mother’s dire warning, or the jadedness of her own fractured self-image, she couldn’t give herself to him. Not until she learned the truth. The real reason he had invited her back to his fortress.
Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound was coming from the other side of her bedroom door. Someone wanted her attention, and they were being much too polite about it.
“Emily? Are you decent?”
“I am,” Emily replied as she turned to face her guest, “Please come in, Esther.”
Esther was her only real friend in this entire mountain stronghold, if she could even be called a friend, at all. Still, she was kind, and in Emily’s newfound paranormal life, the kindness of others came few and far between.
She opened the door and walked into Emily’s secluded bedroom with her radiant auburn hair flowing around her outfit— a maroon Victorian formal dress that she was known around the castle for. It was made from the finest silk and stitched with the most intricate patterns of flora, all the way down to the frilled lace that swept across the floor as she walked. Unlike the rest of the vampires walking the halls, she wore the clothes that gave her the most comfort— the clothes that belonged to her a lifetime ago, when her humanity was still intact.
“Xander approaches,” Esther said, “Would you care to accompany me to the front entrance?”
“I would,” Emily replied. She picked herself up from her chair overlooking the valley below and meandered over to the dresser beside her bed. “Just give me one moment.”
The smooth edge of a small dagger glistened under the moonlight and caught Esther’s attention. The handle was made of bone, carved at the end in the shape of a dragon, roaring to the Heavens above.
Emily noticed Esther’s lingering gaze as she tucked the blade into the front of her jeans. It was a look of shock, but also that of understanding and compassion; a look that Emily saw often when her parents passed from this life.
&
nbsp; “May I inquire about the blade?”
“It’s for protection,” Emily said as she turned around, a look of shame painted on her disheartened face. “Trust is very hard to come by these days… I’m only interested in making sure each night isn’t my last.”
“No, it would appear not,” Esther said with a diminutive smile, “You do know that steel blade wouldn’t even kill the youngest of us, right?”
“No, the blade isn’t meant to kill,” Emily replied, “It’s only meant as a distraction. I’m the one that does the killing.”
Emily was confident in her embryonic powers, more so than ever before. That’s what a life of supreme power will do to someone, fester until it erupts in a fiery ball of anger and frustration. She was tired of all the looks she received as she walked the halls of this lifeless castle. They were looks of contempt and abhorrence, the kind born from thousands of years of fear and mistrust between their people. The only difference was that their people were still around, while Emily walked this plane alone.
A look of shock once again crossed Esther’s face, only this time there was less understanding in her eyes. Emily had never been this bold before, at least the ageless vampire never took notice of anything remotely similar.
“I’m sorry,” Emily said as she walked over to Esther and took her palm in hand, “I didn’t mean it like that… it’s just that I see how the others look at me, barely able to retract their fangs before I make it into the room. Then there’s you, someone who’s been nothing but kind to me when I needed it most. You might be the closest thing to a friend that I still have left.”
“I’m honored,” Esther said with a blush, unable to redden her cheeks from a lack of circulating blood.
“You shouldn’t be,” Emily answered as she walked towards her bedroom door, “All my friends have the unfortunate fate of dying well before their time.”
They walked down the halls of Xander’s castle, the depressed grays and pale browns clashing violently against the vibrant colors of their chosen garbs. Perhaps that was their reason for dressing as they did, to stand out from the rest of the pack.
“I know that the rest of them can be a little rough around the edges,” Esther confessed, “But Xander’s given his expressed command that you not be touched… and I promise that none of them would dare go against his word.”
“That’s exactly the problem,” Emily said with a shake of her head, “Without Xander, they would see me as nothing more than a threat that needed to be eliminated. To them, I’m a plague upon this earth that needs to be removed… likely by the most gruesome means available.”
“It’s not like that.”
“No?” Emily asked, “Then what is it like—?”
The sound of several women laughing caught Emily’s ear and she stopped in mid speech. They were voices Emily recognized well, and they were no friends of hers.
“What’s the matter?”
“Shh,” Emily replied with a finger pressed to her lips, “My hearing isn’t quite up to your level.”
Emily stood at the top of the winding staircase with ears perked forward. She held her mouth closed and made sure to breathe only from her nose. Like Emily had told her friend before, a vampires hearing was much more acute than that of a summoners.
“…The whole plan is shit,” said a voice from the bottom of the stairs, a woman Emily knew by the name of Fiona.
“I don’t like it the sound of it either, but we have to trust that the master will see us through this,” a woman named Ava whispered, “Once the summoner’s undone the curse, the master will set us upon a brighter path—.”
“Good evening, ladies,” Esther spoke up as she began to descend the stairs. If there was something the two women were hiding from Emily, then the Victorian-era vampire was aware of it, as well. “I trust that you’ve made yourselves useful while the master’s been away?”
“Ugh… yes, Esther.”
“Unlike you, we’ve done our share.”
Emily followed Esther down the stairs, winding around and around until finally reaching the bottom. Dozens of vampires had gathered for Xander’s coming arrival. The group was separated in multiple groups, each clinging to the comforts that their own era provided. They were fractured, afraid and sheltered in fear of the coming onslaught they all believed imminent; yet they all followed Xander, their vampiric father and master.
The two Celtic goddesses stood out from the rest of the pack, the first of their new father’s breed of undead offspring. The blonde beauties stood well over six feet tall and wore matching silk gowns, pearl white and cut off at the shoulders. They resembled super models, yet the two women held enough power over even the bulkiest of mortals.
“Ah yes, the massacre of Dresden,” Esther quipped, “I do believe you two had your share… to the amount of over five hundred lost souls in a single night.”
“A small price to pay,” Ava responded, “We snuffed out the den of werewolves, didn’t we?”
Esther gave her no response and turned back to Emily and gave her the slightest of smiles. Esther wasn’t going to win the battle with the two snide vixens, and she wasn’t about to press her luck now; not when her master was returning after more than a month on the road.
“Welcome downstairs, Emily,” said Fiona with a crooked smile, “It’s so rare that you grace us with your presence.”
“It’s good to you, as well, Fiona,” said Emily as she approached the bottom of the stairs, “And you, Ava. I hope the last few weeks have seen you well.”
“As good as expected,” Ava interjected, “It’s hard to keep your spirits up when you know you’ve got shit and piss for company.”
The others called her the Valkyrie, quick with a blade and deadlier with the bow, yet she lacked even the most basic of social skills. She was a warrior, bred to rain death and destruction down upon her enemies. Both Fiona and she were Norse–Gaels, and known to be the most fearsome of their kind. That’s why Xander chose them, to be the law when he was not there— his law.
“I’ll choose to overlook that remark,” Emily said.
“Then you chose right,” Ava said. She was antagonizing the warm-blooded Emily, baiting her to step over her bounds and raise her hands in anger.
But Emily wasn’t going to give Ava the satisfaction of seeing her lose composure. This wasn’t the first time they had clashed with words, nor was it the first time that Emily had wanted to knock that stupid smirk off her face; but she held true and refused to participate any further. She could see the contempt in their eyes, and animosity that brewed in their stomachs. They weren’t happy to betray their own kind— not for her, at least.
Tempering her anger was a feat made easier by Esther, who was there for moral support. Her hands slipped in between Emily’s and grasped on tightly. “I’m here if you need me—.”
The doors swung open with a mighty crash as they bounced off the stone walls with fury. It was Xander. He had returned to them.
If the journey had been rough on him, Emily never would’ve been able to tell. His long beige trench coat flowed effortlessly around behind him as he sauntered into the grand hall. Xander ran his hands through his knotted black hair, while his eyes didn’t leave the presence of Emily, not once.
“Master!” Ava shouted, “How we’ve missed you!”
“It’s been so lonely without you here!” Fiona yelled as she fired off a snotty look in Emily’s direction.
“I demand silence!” Xander bellowed. He stopped in front of the others with his right hand raised high into the air and commanded the attention of all the vampires under his control. “I have been through hell and back… scoured the landscape of many countries… and I see that the importance of our mission is still lost on every one of you.”
He hadn’t even been home for a minute, and Xander already felt need to discipline his flock. Perhaps it was his way of leading them back to the path he had laid out for them all those months ago, or maybe he felt they assurance that he was in cont
rol. That he would always be in control.
“B-but master,” Ava stuttered, “We had no idea when you’d be returning—.”
“I said silence!” Xander barked, “You disappoint me, Ava; you and your Celtic sister. You were bred to lead my house when I’m absent… and yet I see that those under your command have become isolated and fearful. You’ve failed in your primary duty—.”
“But, master!” Ava repeated in complete shock. “I didn’t mean to—.”
“You didn’t mean to do anything, expect further your own misguided agenda,” Xander interrupted, “Get out of my sight… all of you!”
“What?” Fiona asked, “And leave you alone with your precious summoner? We don’t need her… or her special abilities.”
“I said get out!” Xander screamed with eyes that burned hellfire and acrimony. “Get out of my sight and do not return until I’ve called for you… that goes for all of you.”
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