Master of Darkness

by K T Kaye

  Our swords sparked as they drew apart. I tried to attack but was blocked. The demon’s speed was almost impossible to counter act. It never tired. I pulled out my crystal staff and slammed it into the demon’s chest. The crystal glowed but the creature did not crumble. Instead it stumbled backwards and roared angrily. I cursed, kicking the creature backwards. The creature grabbed my leg and threw me to the floor. The creature pounced on top of me and dug its fangs into my neck. I yelled and slammed my sword into what should have been the demon’s heart. Black mist escaped from its heartless body. I coughed and choked as the toxic mixture was pushed into my face…

  I twisted and pushed myself out from under the beast, only for the creature to grab my ankle and drag me back into its clutches. Its long fingernails dug into my shoulders. I could feel my body tremble.

  My head fell backwards, my skin twisted and changed. I could feel myself falling and then it arrived. My hands clawed the floor and sweat poured from my forehead. Lightning forked in the sky, lighting up the whole battle ground. My demon had taken over. I grabbed the creature and dug my fangs into its hellish flesh. I ripped the creature apart as if it was nothing more than a carrot stick. The creature’s black blood warmed my mouth as I swallowed the rest of the creature whole.

  Then I felt claws dig into my back. I twisted my head and looked into the red eyes of another beast. The beast roared before biting into my neck. I screamed, threw the beast to the ground then pounced on top of it. We rolled across the mud, biting, and clawing at each other. Blood dripped from my chest as I slammed the beast against a cart. The beast jumped on top of me and bit hard into the back of my neck. I stumbled and flopped to the ground. I struggled to my feet, throwing the beast off my back. The beast roared and cut into my stomach. Blood poured, I twisted and grabbed the beast between my claws. I bit into the beast, then pulled it into tiny pieces.

  After devouring the beast, I sank down into the muddy ground before transforming back into my normal self.

  I was covered in blood.

  “Robert!” Edwin rushed to my side, “The enemy has retreated.”

  “That is good,” I whispered. I felt weak and I could not move.

  “What…how can I help you?”

  “There is nothing.”

  “Surely there is something.”

  “No…I have fought my last,” I winced in pain.

  “No let me get you to…”

  “It will not work…look after Victoria for me.”

  “Robert…”

  “You have been a loyal friend…thank…”

  I died before I could finish my sentence.

  11

  ‘A chat with a Vampire’

  JASON

  I woke and found myself lying on my bedroom floor. A burning sensation ran down my back as I sat myself up. What had just happened? Had I been dreaming? Since coming to the base, my dreams had started getting really weird. I used to have nice safe dreams about kittens playing violins, not bloody battles, and demons! I fumbled in the darkness until my hand found the light switch. It was only once the light was on that I realised that my hand was covered in blood. I raced to the bathroom and stared in the mirror to find that my entire body was coated in blood. I turned on the tap and washed the blood away. I searched my body but there was no wound. So where had the blood come from?

  I stumbled from the bathroom as panic began to take over. I had to escape. I needed to be far away from Robert Dragonheart’s piercing portrait eyes. I raced downstairs to the kitchen and got myself a glass of water.

  I jumped as a voice behind me asked, “Dream or memory?”

  Alexander was sat at the kitchen table, watching me.

  “Dream or memory?” Alexander asked again.

  “I…don’t know…” I muttered.

  “You’re a reincarnation Jason. Which means, sooner or later, your old memories will start to come back to you,” Alexander explained, “Sit, tell me about it and I’ll try and help.”

  I sat. After a moment of awkward silence, a jumble of words left my mouth, “It was this battle. They were calling me Robert. We were fighting these demons. That pegacorn, Skyjack, from the hospital wing was there! And I think I died!”

  “Robert Dragonheart, he was the tenth Master of Darkness. It sounds like you dreamt of his last moments. He was killed in battle,” Alexander calmly explained.

  “Tenth? How many have there been?”

  “You’re number thirteen.”

  “Thirteen.”

  “Which means you’re also the last.”

  “The last?”

  “According to the legends, the Master of Darkness will reincarnate only thirteen times.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yes, the thirteenth reincarnation happened sooner than expected.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well technically speaking a Master of Darkness should live for at least a million years, however the longest lasting Master only lived for a hundred and forty-two years. Most of you have died before you’ve even reached thirty-five!”

  “Oh.”

  “Yes, your past reincarnations have not been very lucky.”

  “Oh,” was all I could say as dread and panic had captured the rest of my vocabulary.

  “Ah, sorry I probably shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Jason my mind reading skills are not the strongest, yet I can hear your internal panic-attack so clearly it’s as if you are shouting down my ear.”

  Why was everyone in this world telepathic!? Okay, I admit it, I was internally freaking out. Alexander had just told me that most of the former masters had died before reaching thirty-five, that means that the likelihood of me surviving the next seventeen years was very slim. Now I’m not saying I want to live for a master’s full million-year lifespan but, you know, I would at least like to reach a hundred!

  “He has the same last name as me,” I muttered, “Does that mean we’re related? Blood related, not just reincarnated related.”

  “Possibly. Dragonheart is an unusual surname. We’d have to run some tests to check. Tell me more about this dream of yours.”

  “In the dream, I had a sister. Victoria. They called her the Mistress of Light.”

  “I was wondering when this would turn up. Every Master of Darkness has had a sister. This sister, known as the Mistress of Light, is just as powerful as the Master of Darkness but their powers are polar opposites. While a Master draws his powers from darkness, a Mistress draws hers from Light.”

  “Every Master has had a sister?”

  “All but you.”

  “Is me not having a sister a bad thing?”

  “To be totally honest with you Jason, we’re not sure. This has never happened before. Currently there is a team of investigators trying to work out why you’ve reincarnated without your sister.”

  “Oh.” There was silence, “What happened to her?”

  “To who?”

  “Victoria, Robert’s sister, and Edwin.”

  “Oh, when she found out about her brother’s death, she created an army that won many victories until she became ill and died. Edwin married Victoria and became a general in her army. However, after her death, he lost his way. He’s still alive, well as alive as a vampire can be. If you want, I can take you to meet him, he might have some useful information.”

  “Oh,” I muttered. The idea of meeting Edwin again gave me mixed feelings. Part of me thought it’d be nice to see the vampire again while the other part of me hated the idea. I mean, what would I say to him? ‘Hi, I’m the reincarnation of your best friend/ brother in law, I’ve been having dreams about you, do you fancy having a cup of tea and a catch up?’ Just the idea of saying that sentence aloud made me shudder.

  “Do you know anything else about the past versions of me?” I asked.

  “I don’t know much. I only know that you have always turned up whenever the world needed you. Normally before a gre
at war or disaster. I feel like Jet and his demon worshippers, I don’t know, maybe they’re the reason for your return.”

  “Why did he kill my mum?”

  “Most likely, he did it for fun. To him killing people is a game. It’s entertainment. Jason what did he say to you in the alley?”

  “Err he said I have a message for you to give to your mum. Tell her that her dreams will come true or something along those lines.”

  “Interesting. Jason did your mum sometimes get headaches, like really bad ones or suddenly daze out of a conversation?”

  “Err…I guess, sometimes. She’d sometimes get a bit weird. Like her eyes would roll back and she’d start talking about stuff that was apparently going to happen…”

  “Jason, I think your mum was a seer.”

  “A what?”

  “I think your mum had the ability to see the future.”

  “Wait…wait…what?” I stared, opened mouthed, at the vampire, “My mum was a what!?”

  Now this was just too much! My mum was human. A nice simple human who liked to listen to music from the eighties whilst doing the dishes, not a supernatural being! She couldn’t have been a seer, could she?

  “This is just my guess of course,” the vampire continued, “I might be wrong. Your mum was called Josie, right? I’ll check the hall of records next time I’m in the city.”

  “The hall of what?”

  “The hall of records. It’s where all official records are held. If she entered the paranormal world, then there should be a record of her. Was Dragonheart her married name?”

  “No, she was never married to my dad. Her surname is Dragonheart.”

  “Your dad, who was he?”

  “I don’t know much about him. I think his name was William. Mum never said much.”

  “Is he alive?”

  “I haven’t a clue. Oh, that reminds me of a question about my dream, the unicorn thing, was it the same one as in the hospital?”

  “Skyjack’s a pegacorn and yes it’s the same one. Skyjack’s been a healer for years. That was his first battle, straight out of training.”

  “Pegacorns live for a long time.”

  “Most people in this world live a long time. I’ve been around ages.”

  “Is it…I know this may sound strange but, living for forever, is it nice?”

  “It’s interesting. You meet a lot of people; you lose a lot of people. I suppose I’ve managed it because I’ve never got attached to people. I’ve never loved a person enough for their death to haunt me and make me regret living forever.”

  “Sounds lonely.”

  “I suppose it was.”

  As the silence began to feel awkward, I changed the subject, “I hear Angel got released from lock up.”

  “Yes. How Jackson managed to convince the Colonel to let her out, I don’t know.”

  “Who?”

  “Jackson, Roger and Ethan’s older brother, he’s captain of Alpha Squad. That’s the top squad.”

  “Oh, I’ve heard of him.”

  “He must have convinced the Colonel to let Angel go.”

  “Why did Angel get locked up? I heard the Piper enchanted her.”

  “He did. Technically speaking Angel did nothing wrong. The Piper’s pipe was more powerful then we realised. However…”

  “However?”

  “The Colonel was supposed to hand the Piper over to the fey courts. The Piper was number one on their most wanted list.”

  “Ah, so the fey courts aren’t happy?”

  “Exactly. This is the type of incident where there needs to be someone to blame and the Colonel has decided that that someone is Angel.”

  “Yet you were the one in charge of confiscating the Piper’s pipe. Surely if someone needs to be blamed, then it should be you for letting the Piper walk into the interrogation room with a weapon,” Danny muttered as he walked into the kitchen.

  “Danny what are you doing here?” asked Alexander coldly.

  “Getting a drink, sorry have I interrupted an important meeting?”

  “Aren’t you meant to be on night duty.”

  “Don’t remind me. Who am I patrolling with?”

  “I thought you didn’t want to be reminded?”

  “Don’t get clever.”

  “Sorry I forgot your primitive mind can’t keep up,” Alexander smiled.

  “Look just coz your vice-captain doesn’t mean I have to take any of this sh…”

  “Sophie Day.”

  “What?”

  “That’s who you’re patrolling with.”

  “Oh brilliant,” Danny muttered sarcastically.

  “Something wrong?”

  “Sophie Day that’s what’s wrong! There’s something not right about her.”

  “There’s something not right about you, but you don’t hear us complaining.”

  “Shut it, grandpa.”

  “Enough. Your patrol should have started by now.”

  “Since vamps never sleep, why don’t they just do night duty?”

  “Patrolling is part of your training. It helps…”

  “Whatever! When’s Angel coming back?”

  “She’s out of lock up. Whether the Colonel will let her come back as captain, I don’t know.”

  “He better,” Danny muttered and with that he left.

  “Do Angel and Danny get along?” I asked Alexander.

  “Yes, surprisingly. They’ve been friends since their training days.”

  “I can’t imagine it.”

  “I know, they’re an odd combination.”

  “Do you think the Colonel will let Angel come back as Captain?”

  “I hope so, I really hope so.”

  “Don’t you enjoy being captain?”

  Alexander laughed, “I hate it. I absolutely hate it.”

  12

  ‘Things Go Bump in the Night’

  Sophie Day leant against a tree. Her purple eyes wondered around the dark shadow covered courtyard as her wings softly fluttered against the night wind. Sophie zipped up her jacket as the coldness of the night hit her.

  “Let’s get this over with,” Danny muttered as he walked over to her.

  The pair began to walk towards the forest. For patrol, they would have to go through the forest and then walk around the border of the base.

  “Okay I’m bored,” Danny muttered, “I know you can talk so start.”

  “I don’t want to talk to you,” Sophie whispered.

  “Why did you lie?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Danny grabbed Sophie’s arm, pulling her around so that she was forced to face him.

  “I know you lied about how you killed that vampire in Rio,” he growled, “How did you do it? It’s a simple question, so why are you lying about it?”

  “You can hardly talk to me about lying. What about you?”

  “What…?”

  “I know who you are.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  “Are you sure about that demon boy?”

  “Shut it,” Danny dropped Sophie and began to walk away.

  “You complain about me keeping things hidden yet you’re lying about something much more important!”

  “I said shut it!”

  “You’re terrified, aren’t you?”

  “That’s enough.” Danny grabbed Sophie’s neck and slammed her body into a tree. His grip was painfully tight, if he pushed any harder Sophie’s neck would snap in half like a toothpick.

  “Get off!” Sophie struggled.

  “What are you hiding? And how do you know about…me?” Danny hissed.

  “I’ll tell my secret when you admit yours.”

  “Don’t make me hurt you.”

  “When did you get so interested in my life anyway?”

  “Well your life is very interesting princess,” from behind them a cold voice called. Danny dropped Sophie and quickly span around, pulling out his gun as he did so. Sophie grabbed her
bow and pulled an arrow out of her quiver as the pair came face-to-face with Mr Jet.

  “How did you get here?” Danny asked.

  Mr Jet smiled, “I was invited.”

  “By who?”

  “Really Danny, do you think I’m going to answer that?”

  “How do you know my name?”

  Mr Jet just smiled then turned to Sophie, “Now I believe we have something to discuss, don’t we princess?”

  “How…?” Sophie stuttered.

  “You should have been more careful. That vampire you left in Rio. You should have disposed of the body better. I was quite surprised. Who would have thought it, a fairy girl with the unseelie king’s…?”

  Before he could finish, Sophie released her arrow, it hit Mr Jet in the shoulder. The vampire winced as the garlic juice sank into his skin.

  Mr Jet looked up and smiled, “Take her.”

  Suddenly Sophie and Danny were surrounded. Out of the darkness of the forest appeared figures, dressed in black cloaks that covered their faces. They pulled out swords that shined in the moonlight.

  “Now might be a good time for an illusion,” Sophie muttered to Danny.

  Danny nodded, his body began to glow and suddenly where there once was one now stood twenty versions of Danny. It was impossible, even for Sophie, to tell the real one from the illusions. The illusions fought against the hooded figures, fading out of existence the moment they were attacked.

  Whilst his illusions were hard at work, the real Danny was fighting a vampire. The vampire was quick, disarming Danny in a matter of seconds. It then grabbed Danny by his shirt and threw him into a tree. Danny pulled himself up, picking up his fallen gun as he did so. Danny shot at the vampire, but the undead creature avoided each bullet with great speed. The vampire jumped onto Danny’s back, causing the pair to roll across the ground. Blood began to pour from Danny’s nose as the vampire’s fist beat against his face. Before the undead creature could cause any serious damage, it was hit by a purple lightning fork. The vampire shuddered and trembled before exploding into tiny pieces. Danny looked up and saw Sophie standing close by.