Daniella jumped at the contact. “Hey, what’s the big idea—”
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Roma—” She reddened immediately at her mistake and took action to correct herself. “I mean Yang! Now, if you’ll excuse me, sir, for I have important business to attend to.” She tugged her arm free and squeezed herself between him and somebody else behind her and left the ballroom, her steps quick and her heart racing.
Safely back in the foyer, she sighed in relief that the disruptive encounter with the handsome wall had ended. Indeed, she eagerly hoped the young man would dismiss her from his mind and think nothing further of her and their meeting. After all, she did intend to stay anonymous tonight.
Curiously, she glanced behind her to see if he was still there. When she couldn’t find him anywhere amongst the thick crowd, she relaxed and proceeded to search for Shin.
She found her friend through the opened drawing room door a few moments later. Shin was sweetly talking to a group of unsuspecting ladies as he expertly pickpocketed their jewelry. There were no others like Shin the Lightning, as they had named him years ago, because his hands were the fastest in all of Britannia.
Although the side occupation did provide them with relief income and support the orphanage, tonight, Daniella did not want Shin to pickpocket. She swiftly strode into the drawing room and signaled Shin with a good scowl. He ignored her and continued talking to the pretty blonde with a big diamond necklace. He had cornered her near the pianoforte, away from her friends, as he sweetly complimented her on how pretty her gown was. As he was doing that, his hand lightly—and as quick as lightning—touched the necklace. The necklace easily slid into his hand.
Daniella narrowed her eyes at Shin in exasperation. She went to them and said, “Well, there, young Shin, are you not hungry? There is plenty of food on the table in the dining room. Come.”
The blonde, diamond-less woman giggled behind her fan. She looked at Shin and said, “Your friend is calling you young Shin, when it is clear to me you are the older.” Then she giggled some more.
Hands folding across her rather unimpressive chest, Daniella said, “Of course, young miss, Shin is merely older than me by one month, but he respects me as though I am older.” Turning to Shin, she continued. “Isn’t that right, young Shin? Now, come along.”
She pulled Shin by the hand and led him to the door. The blonde kept laughing until the duo disappeared from sight.
“What is this, Shin?” Daniella started. “You are stealing. We are not stealing tonight. Now come along.”
Shin managed to look guilty. “Ah, sorry, Dan. Can’t help myself, you know.” He retrieved the beautiful diamond necklace and showed it to Daniella. The jewelry glittered exotically under the candlelight. He chuckled and said, “It’s a pretty little thing, eh?”
Daniella couldn’t deny the fact it was indeed pretty and nodded. “Sure is,” she said. “But—”
“You know what I was thinking when I saw this beauty?” Upon Daniella shaking her head, he continued. “It just didn’t look right sitting around that girl’s neck. I mean, she’s pretty and all, but... You know, it’d look better on that lovely mannequin at the pawn shop. Better yet, the money we could make from this would feed the children for months.”
Daniella sighed and said quickly, “Then put the damned thing away and let’s continue with our plan.”
Shin chuckled. “All right. All right.” He slid the jewels back into his hidden pocket, and the duo went into the parlor to find Maiko.
They found the oriental beauty sitting beside a fat man who had on his fingers too many rubies to count. Maiko had just complimented the man’s good mind for cards and had expertly drawn one ruby ring from his middle finger under the table, when she saw Daniella and Shin. The young pair signaled for her. Maiko smiled sweetly at the man beside her as she placed the ring into her reticule.
“Excuse me, sir,” she said and stood. The man nodded at her, and she left the table.
“What is it?” she asked the pair at the door.
“We must get our business done. Come along,” Daniella said, heading toward the foyer.
Shin muttered darkly, “Why am I the only one getting scolded for stealing?” He eyed Maiko as the woman grinned from ear to ear.
“Ouch!” Maiko exclaimed. “Have you been scolded by the daughter of the Grand Thief?” She cocked her head to one side. “How ironic. One would have thought the very daughter of such a notorious thief—indeed, one of the best in all of Britannia—would have taken this opportunity to enrich her own pocket when she is surrounded with such temptation.”
Daniella turned her attention to Maiko and shook her head. “Have you any idea how hard I’m trying not to get sidetracked? We’re here to exorcise that blasted demon. No amount of jewels would lure me from my goal tonight.”
At this, Maiko chuckled merrily. “That’s my Dan.” She wrapped her arms around the younger girl and snuggled her nose against Daniella’s cheek teasingly. “You’re so cute when you’re determined.”
Shin rolled his eyes. “Stop playing lovey-dovey in front of the English. Do you have any idea how vile they think your action is?”
Maiko snorted. “Those stiff English. I believe all of them have a stick up their backsides for sure, and I certainly do not care for their pompous attitudes one way or another.”
John joined them at that moment and glanced from one to the other with interest, not at all surprised Daniella was being squeezed in Maiko’s arms tightly, in front of several shocked-looking English ladies. “What’s going on here, Master Dan?”
“Nothing,” Daniella said, blushing.
Shin turned his attention to Maiko and said, “You’re drawing too much attention to us, Maiko-dono.”
Maiko finally let Daniella go and sighed. “You are such a party spoiler, Shin,” she said. She turned to Daniella. “If you must know about that fat lord, I was getting some information from him about our particular guest.”
Daniella turned to her with interest. “And?”
Maiko smiled in triumph. “Ah, interested now, are we?” She leaned toward the younger girl. “I was told he arrived about an hour ago. He’s upstairs.”
On that note, Daniella turned her attention in that direction.
Upstairs indeed. In which case, there were at least three more floors, not including the attic. Not to mention there were at least over fifty rooms to inspect. Surely, if this demon were sneaking off looking for a nice feed during the party, he’d be doing so in the dark and seclusion, where no one was the wiser. And upstairs in any of the off-limit rooms would be a good place to do his killing.
Knowing time wasn’t on their side, Daniella said, “I think we should separate and search for him.”
Shin and Maiko nodded in agreement.
Maiko said, “Remember, Dan, you must not approach him until it is safe to do so, and with us aiding you.”
“Yes. Yes,” Daniella said impatiently, running up the stairs. Shin, Maiko, and John followed behind her.
At the top of the stairs, the group separated, Shin continuing up to the second floor while John and Maiko headed toward the servants’ quarters at the back of the mansion. Daniella chose to stay on the first floor and did her searching there, her eyes alert for any signs of danger.
It was dead quiet, and she was immediately suspicious. Shouldn’t this floor be quite lively at such a grand party?
As she quickly searched about every corner of the dark corridor, she heard a woman giggling excitedly. This was followed by groans of satisfaction and then whispers of a male voice. Some more groaning and giggling followed.
Really? Of all people, Daniella thought in dread, she had to be the one to encounter lovers sneaking off into the dark to have their merry way during a party. And no, she didn’t want to accidentally confront them. Thus, she retraced her steps and headed in the opposite direction. It didn’t take long, though, before a short, high-pitched scream came her way.
She twisted around and raced back toward the room where she had heard the scream. In a split second, she was in front of the door. She kicked it open and rushed inside.
To her surprise, she found she was in a library, and indeed, it was a very grand one. There were many books stacked upon shelves reaching the ceiling. There was also a big hearth to one side of the room and sofas and armchairs. Behind those armchairs was a double door leading to the terrace outside.
There was no sign of anyone, and Daniella wondered if she had misheard the scream. In fact, the room was quiet. Too quiet.
Cautiously, she advanced to the corner, hidden from view. There, to her horror, she found a maid lying on the floor. She rushed over, kneeled, and examined the corpse. Though the room was dimly lit, she could still make out that the dead girl’s skin was sheet white, as though she had been dead for months. But Daniella knew for certain this was not so, and in fact, the girl had only just died moments ago. This was indeed very typical of a corpse that had been sucked of life by a high demon.
He was here, she thought.
Daniella bit her lower lip. Her stomach began to flip uncomfortably and her heart raced. With her eyes alert and senses vigilant, she got up. Her legs were slow but steadfast as she turned the corner. In a flash, a dark shadow appeared, surprising her, which made her stagger back. A second later, a hand bashed her with such an intense force that the powerful action sent her flying back.
Her body went crashing against the bookshelves behind her. She fell to the floor, landing on the soft carpet with a thud.
Daniella silently groaned. She touched her chest, the spot where the demon had hit her.
“Bother!” she muttered, feeling sore all over. She could feel that the demon’s internal qi was strong. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent her crashing with a simple flick of his hand. Thank God her own internal qi was quite strong, too, due to years of learning the art of Qi Meditation from her foster father Romano. Thus, she wasn’t severely injured. If she were a normal human being, she would have died instantly. No doubt about that. But she wasn’t. She was a blood alchemist, and she was going to exorcise this vile creature who paraded himself as a human, a very wealthy and influential one at that.
Daniella gritted her teeth and got up. When she looked at him directly, a sickening feeling mixed with something akin to excitement rushed through her being. Sickening because a part of her feared him and excitement because he was one of the five demons who had killed Louisa. Though this one was the less powerful and therefore less threatening amongst the five, she knew it would be no easy task taking him down. After all, he was a high demon with supernatural strength, and Daniella herself was merely a seventeen-year-old girl with next-to-no experience in night creature hunting skills.
The demon charged toward her. Daniella swiftly twisted to his left and then kicked him in the stomach, sending him crashing onto the sofa. Self-defense martial arts learned from her foster father Marco proved very useful indeed in this case, apart from surviving the streets of Britannia of course.
The creature skillfully flipped himself up. He glared and sneered at her.
Daniella knew his stare well. It meant, I’m going to kill you, little human.
The demon charged, caught her by the collar, lifted her as if she was a mere kitten, and threw her across the room.
Daniella’s body slammed against another bookshelf. This time, however, the force was stronger, causing the whole shelf to shudder.
Dear Lord! It was going to fall. Daniella reacted in haste. Once she landed on the floor, she covered her arms over her head and proceeded to roll herself out of the way. The shelf came crashing onto the floor, books dispersing everywhere, and the skeleton of the mighty frame itself missing striking her body by an inch.
“Damn!” she muttered, her body aching as she stared wide-eyed at the disaster the demon and she had caused. Honestly, she had planned for this revenge to be a clean kill where there would be no evidence of her attack. It seemed, however, that her intention had sorely been ruined. This bastard was going to give her as much trouble as it pleased him.
Daniella hastily flipped herself up, staggering.
The demon sneered at her, his eyes gleaming. “I think I will enjoy killing you. Hmm...” He made the sound, his face leering. “You smell delicious.” He chuckled. “You have a strong life force. Aren’t I lucky tonight?”
Daniella gritted her teeth. She knew if she didn’t do something soon, she’d be his dinner. And God, she didn’t want to be a part of his menu tonight. Surely, being the helpless victim and getting your life qi sucked by some high demon who was your enemy was an insult. Not to mention awfully unpleasant. It wasn’t part of her plan; that was for sure.
“Not yet,” she said. “I’m here to kill you, and I’m not going to be killed by the likes of you.”
The demon laughed merrily. “Oh? Pray tell, little boy, how will you kill me?”
Daniella knew the damned creature was laughing at her. Very well, then, she’d show him.
She prepared herself and raised her hands. Then she took the glove off and undid the bandage that was wrapped around the right one.
The demon snorted and cocked his head to one side as he gazed at her palm.
Daniella’s bare hand was slender, smooth, and petal white. There was nothing special about it. On closer inspection, however, one would note that her palm was wounded. There was a pin-sized hole, and blood was slowly bleeding out from her flesh.
Daniella turned her palm down, and a drop of blood fell by the force of gravity. One would think the blood would’ve landed on the carpet, but it didn’t. It was suspended in midair, floating. Then more blood joined the small drop, and before the demon knew what she was up to, the blood was formed into the shape of a long saber, Divine Blade.
With a flick of her slender hand, she grabbed hold of her blood-red saber and directed the sharp tip at the demon.
The demon widened his eyes in shocked surprise. He exclaimed, “Blood alchemist!” and charged forward.
Daniella was ready for it. She shoved her palm out and bashed him on the chest, the explosion of her internal qi sending him staggering backward. She took the opportunity and charged toward him, jumped high, and slammed her elbow onto his head, sending him crashing onto the sofa. She rushed to him and pinned him down against the seat with her knees. The creature growled at her, his sharp teeth protruding.
Daniella raised her blood saber high above him and then sent it through his chest, into his heart and down so the blade pierced into the soft cushion of the sofa, pinning him in place. Smoke billowed from within his body as her saber worked its way into him, slowly killing him with her cursed blood.
“Remember me?” she asked rhetorically as the creature stared at her in shock, screaming and struggling beneath her. “You killed my friend four months ago. It’s payback time.” She flicked one hand out, forced blood out from within her palms, and transmuted it into another weapon. Within the blink of an eye, a handsome pistol, Black Death, was within her hand. She expertly spun the blood metal and pointed it at his forehead.
He screamed louder, his face contorting disgustingly, showing his true form of a wolf-like demonic creature.
Dammit, Daniella thought. If he screamed any louder, people would hear. She’d have to kill him fast.
“Every bullet in here is enchanted with my cursed blood,” she said, and pulled the trigger.
A low bang followed, echoing in the room. She hoped the loud noise of the party downstairs muffed out the shot.
Daniella watched as the demon’s body contorted, convulsing between his human and true night creature form of pale, grey skin and wolf-like facial structure. His high-pitched voice shrieked and howled as he struggled. Then he died, his body shriveling, and a moment later, he turned into ashes. The room suddenly smelled of burnt flesh and sulphur.
Daniella sighed and relaxed on
the sofa, her trousers now covered with the dust of the creature’s remains.
She couldn’t believe it. She had just killed a high demon. Four more to go—including the one who had murdered her friend.
Her feeling of exhilaration turned into concern a few moments later when she thought about the dead maid. What was she going to do about the body? How would the household respond if they found out?
She’d have to get Shin, Maiko, and John to help her get the body out of the house without anyone noticing.
She raised herself and instantly felt dizzy, her legs giving way and her body swaying. It was always like that after she used too much of her blood. Hastily, she turned her attention to her saber and pistol. She transmuted the weapons back to their liquid form and forced the blood back into her body via her palm.
Feeling much better, she headed out the door.
* * *
The Attempted Assassination
Night Creatures: Paranormal beings such as demons, vampires, werewolves, and ghouls.
Dr. Adam Claymore, Blood Alchemist
* * *
With her feet light and her mind alert, Daniella paced along the dimly lit corridor toward the stairs in search of her comrades. She was just rounding a corner when she heard rustling of muslin and tapping of shoes. Her reaction was instant. She hastily opened a door nearest her and slipped inside to hide. The sound of footsteps followed her, and Daniella cursed under her breath.
Noting she was in one of the sitting rooms, she rushed to the back to conceal herself behind a thick curtain. A moment later, she heard the door open and shut.
“Are you ready?” a feminine voice whispered into the dim, quiet room.
“Aye, are you?” a male voice whispered back.
“What if we get caught?” the female asked uncertainly, her voice shaking.
Daniella thought the woman sounded as if she were about to cry.
“We’ve got orders. We must follow them,” the male said tightly. “We’ve no choice.”
“Where did he say we meet him?” the female asked.
The Blood Alchemist Chronicles: An Intended Murder Page 3