Chronicles of Darkness: Shadows and Dust

by Andrea F. Thomas

  Azrael was repulsed, but Chalice didn't stop. "Her heartbeat...it's fading... I can hardly feel it..." Lovingly caressing the heart in her hands, she looked at it from all angles.

  "Are you seriously intending to bring attention to my presence?" Azrael screamed furiously. "So that all of Paris will hunt me, and I'll be unable to finish my investigations here?"

  Dumbfounded, Chalice stared at the raving vampire.

  A nearly inaudible whimpering interrupted them. "Help me..."

  "Did you just dare to speak to me?" Azrael asked nerve-wracked and bent down to look at the governess' face. "Why do humans always whine so much? You are asking me for help?" He rose and paced the room, starting to pity himself. "You worms are ruling the day and even at night you are running around outside. What does that leave for me? Do I not also have the right of freedom, like you do?" The vampire glowered at the woman. "You unworthy creatures of God, crawling on the earth, soiling it like an illness that is spreading like a growth!"

  His eyes filled with hate, he stared at the woman, who was about to take her last breath. "...please ..."

  Azrael lost his composure. "Shut up, you dirty piece of scum!" With a powerful kick to the face he silenced her. Without remorse he looked at the dead body to his feet. "Oh no," he wailed. "Now, she got blood on my new boots!"

  Turning to Chalice, he ordered, "You! Go and wash yourself! If not, you had better keep out of my sight! Take care of my angel's heart. Should you ever, ever again, disregard any of my orders, I'm going to send you back to the gutters where you came from! Do I make myself clear?"

  Pouting, Chalice went to a little basin in the bedroom and started to clean herself. "Please, my Master, don't be mad. I promise, I will never do something like that again," she said. Behind Azrael's back, she grinned maniacally, while she happily immersed the little knife, which she had used, in the blood red water. After that, she went to the corpse of the baroness to cut out her heart.

  Azrael’s anger about the humans was still in full force, and so he raved on. "It is about time to break free of the old, dusty traditions and create new values in their place. I will lead the civilization of the vampires to a better and greater epoch! I will take care of it, and the long time of starving in the shadows will be over. The former hierarchy of the clans will fall apart. I will be standing on top to declare a new order for the world. Blaze and glory will solely be mine!" Feeling strongly about his plan, the vampire relished the view of his future, where he would rule the world.

  Meanwhile, Chalice had finished cleaning herself and unintentionally interrupted his thoughts. "Yes, my Master. But you forgot about something very important. The slab and it's secret, which you still couldn't completely decrypt."

  Grinding his teeth, Azrael thought about the old epitaph they had found in the ruins of Ancient Babylon. After he had searched for it for centuries, he always took it with him on all of his journeys. In his mind, he went over the vague translation of the Sumerian cuneiform.

  When day and night are the same

  When the blood of the golden lion dries up

  The heir and epitome of Utu will appear

  The portal will open and in the shine the phoenix will rise

  "You are not of much help," he growled at Chalice, curling his hands to fists. "This cursed inscription is driving me to the brink of insanity."

  "But, due to your brilliant mind, you managed to solve the first row of the riddle." Chalice tried everything to make him forget about her careless remark.

  "Yes, I did well to return to Paris. I found the hint about Utu in the national library. Utu, God of sun... whatever that means for the inscription."

  "And thanks to you, we now know that the ruins were the old palace of the Phoenix Clan."

  "Yes, but of what use is this information to me? Lisander's clan perished in the fire, along with all their wisdom and knowledge." Azrael became lost in thought. "My old master once told me, in a private moment, that the fire had been caused by human hands." He sighed. "That was centuries ago... but still... I can feel the presence of the phoenix, like little sparks in the ashes."

  "Maybe a member of the clan survived the fire?" Chalice asked.

  "This massacre?" Azrael thought about the burnt stones and the destroyed castle, which had crumbled to dust. "Anything is possible."

  *****

  Patches of mist rose from the timber forest of the southern Carpathians, and the wind blew ragged clouds along the night-time sky. In the pale moonlight, four big, black carriages forced their way along the serpentine road to the secluded valley. Three carriages held the baggage, the last one was a comfortable coach. Ghouls, a silent attendant folk, whose only purpose was to serve, steered and accompanied the carriages.

  The main carriage was pulled by two strong black horses. Kean, a human, held the reins. His face was weather-beaten, but otherwise expressionless. With sure hands, he steered the coach through the mountains.

  The tiny windows were covered with black fabric, which was brushed aside. A pair of disgruntled eyes appeared. "My prison draws nearer."

  *****

  Heavy brocade curtains covered the big castle windows, which reached up to the ceiling. The muscles of the man rippled beneath his shirt, as he pulled the string to open them. After this strenuous task, his gaze fell through the glass and onto the lake. It spread out in front of the castle. The man was tall and about twenty-five years old. Strands of his dark blonde hair fell across his tanned face. Concerned, his blue eyes took in the advancing night. In the distance the wolves could be heard howling, and he shuddered. "The wolves are coming down from the mountains. That means bad luck is coming."

  "Do not tempt fate, Andrej," a woman's low voice answered from the background. "You only say that, because you know the letter's content."

  He turned towards her, regarding her intently. "Why do you have to be her teacher? It is utter insanity to accommodate a vampire! This is a small valley, you know that as much as I do.

  She didn't show the slightest inclination to answer.

  "Sadden," he stressed. "As your friend, I'm warning you to be careful. Please, don't take unnecessary risks."

  The vampire stepped beside him. Gazing ahead, she said, "Oh, Andrej. I greatly value your concern about me, but I could not refuse Zephriel's request to accommodate his daughter."

  "Why not?"

  Sadden wasn't willing to answer the question. Instead she said, "I want you to go to your rooms, until I was able to speak to our guest."

  Andrej stared at her, eventually agreed and left with a fleeting kiss to her cheek.

  After her friend had gone, Sadden walked directly to the throne room. Slowly making her way through the gallery above the main portal, she looked down. With mixed feelings, Sadden watched the arrival of the carriages.

  They crossed the small stone bridge, at a fast speed, and stopped below the gallery's stony beams.

  Sadden turned away and sat in her high, ebony armchair, patiently awaiting her guest.

  Foot-steps echoed through the dark corridors, until they stopped in front of the throne room's doors. Two ghouls opened it, a woman entered, and the door closed behind her. Her head held high, she went across the bare, gray hall towards Sadden. Respectfully, she bowed. "Lady Sadden of the honored Phoenix Clan." Her voice was cold, while her gaze blatantly scrutinized Sadden, who had risen, and strode down the stairs to greet her guest.

  "Lilith, daughter of the proud Dragon Clan." Sadden's gracious appearance radiated a high nobility, which was underlined by the exceptional paleness of her skin, which gleamed softly. She was enclosed in the finest dark velvet. Her night black hair fell in gentle waves over her naked shoulders, down to her small waist. What really gained Lilith's attention was her face. Her beautiful carved features and the incredible pair of sapphire blue eyes were, quite simply, stunning. Her piercing gaze was torturing Lilith's psyche, forcing the girl to turn away. It was unnerving of how quickly Sadden had managed to discompose her.

 
"Do not try again to read my thoughts!" Lilith said, furiously.

  Unmoved, the vampire regarded Lilith. Though Sadden towered over her, the younger woman was just as slender and pale. The chestnut-brown hair fell in curls around her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled, betraying a wild, untamed mind.

  "So, you are my protégée. Heiress of the mighty Dragon Clan, whose education I am to attend to."

  Lilith threw her head back and replied arrogantly, "Phhh... as if I could learn anything here. I am only here, because my father thinks he is in need of protecting me from something. He himself does not even know, what exactly it is."

  Sadden wasn't impressed by this comment. "Tomorrow night, we will talk about the reason for your sojourn. For today, it is enough. You may retire. You may take up lodge wherever you desire."

  As Lilith heard that, she was mollified and relieved.

  "Please consider and respect the private chambers of the castle's inhabitants. Still, there should be more than enough room for you."

  Lilith was astonished. "Who lives here besides you? Father said you were the last..."

  "My oldest and best friend, Andrej," Sadden quickly answered.

  "Ah," Lilith said, but didn't ask further questions. Instead, she surprised her teacher. "Dutifully, I brought a present." She clapped her hands one time and the door opened.

  A young woman with a pretty face entered and nervously dropped to an awkward curtsy. "Mistress," she breathed, subdued.

  Lilith beckoned the girl to come forward. "This is Madeleine. I met her during my journey. It is her wish is to become one of us."

  Sadden blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

  Lilith encouraged the girl with a nod to speak for herself.

  Madeleine knelt under Lilith's watchful gaze. "Please, Mistress," she begged Sadden. "It is my only wish to become an immortal. For so long, I've been thinking about ending my miserable life, because I have nobody to call my own. I'm so unimportant as a human, but then I met Lilith." With shining eyes she looked up at the young vampire, who smiled benevolently down at her.

  Excited, Madeleine went on. "She told me about the great solidarity among the folk of the darkness, and my longing was awakened. I... I would serve you well..."

  "Vampires do not serve each other. Also, I cannot heed your wish. Old rules forbid the transformation." Sadden stared hard at Lilith. "Every vampire knows that," she added.

  Lilith's lips twitched. In that moment she could have cared less about the laws. She wanted to tempt Sadden. Having noticed that the older woman must have refrained from tasting blood in a while, Lilith wanted to use that fact to gain leverage. "I will change her myself," she said. It was of no actual meaning to her. She brushed Madeleine's hair back and tilted the girl's head. "You cannot resist her. That would be against your nature." Lilith coaxed, presenting Madeleine's exposed throat to Sadden. "Drink."

  Entranced, the older vampire stared at the vein that pulsed under the smooth, youthful skin.

  "She is doing it of her own free will. She wants to be completely yours. There is nothing wrong with your desire. This girl wants to satisfy your hunger! You know you cannot survive without it."

  Sadden listened enthralled to Lilith's words, but hesitated to follow through, although the desire for the girl's blood became unbearable.

  "Please," Madeleine begged.

  So fast that it was nearly impossible for the human eye to catch, Sadden slid to the young woman and grabbed her. The hidden eyeteeth appeared and pierced the fragile skin of her throat.

  A wail erupted from the girl's chest, as Sadden extracted the life from her.

  The vampire was lost in a haze of senses. That was what Lilith had been hoping for. Greedily, Sadden drank too fast and too much. No drop of blood would be left in Madeleine's body to keep her alive.

  The dying girl arched one last time, before it went limp in Sadden's arms. Very carefully, she lowered Madeleine to the floor and beckoned Lilith to keep her promise.

  Unfortunately, it had never been Lilith's intention to do so.

  Pain was etched into Madeleine's face, while the girl squirmed in death's clutches. Instead of releasing her, Lilith looked down at her and Sadden, unaffected by what was transpiring. "We exist between times, surrounded by darkness." Flouting, she met Madeleine's eyes. "You waste your lives. Too willingly, you fall victim to us. We will not cry one tear for you. You cannot expect humanity from us."

  Madeleine's breathing grew shallow and Sadden looked imploringly at the younger vampire. Tears of rage began to gather in her blue eyes, which forced Lilith to involuntarily take a step back. "Should you live long, you will come to realize that immortality means loneliness," Sadden promised.

  Lilith disdained to notice her prophecy. Unmoved, she watched the girl at her feet, whose life was inevitably fading. "Recently, you heard from my teacher that it is against our rules to turn you into a vampire."

  A whimper came from the girl's throat and tears streamed down her cheeks, as she realized her impending fate.

  Lilith had no qualms. She bent down to Madeleine. "I am supposed to kill you, to prevent you from further suffering. I only do it to appeal to Sadden, as she seems incapable to do it herself." She wrapped her hands around her neck. Not fighting back, Madeleine relented, and with a powerful jerk Lilith broke the girl's neck. Slowly the dead body slid out of Sadden's arms and came to rest on the cold, gray stone floor.

  For the young vampire, this demonstration had only been to test Sadden, to explore her nature and to see how she would react. Clearly she was different than any other vampire Lilith had ever met.

  But for Sadden it was about the precious life of a human being, something her protégée didn't understand.

  Fire gleamed in Lilith's eyes and she smiled triumphantly. "We will get along just fine." She turned to leave. "My journey has been very exhausting. I will retire with my servants."

  "You do not have any servants." Sadden's strict voice held her back.

  "What did you say?"

  "You heard me well. Your father stated that expressively in his letter. Tomorrow, all your travel companions will return to the Dragon Fortress."

  Lilith was shocked by the unexpected turn of events.

  "What happened here today shall never happen again. I will not tolerate such behavior in my presence," Sadden warned. "For this time, you are forgiven."

  "They are only humans, nothing more," Lilith answered, her back towards Sadden.

  Before the young vampire could leave the throne room, she was grabbed by two slender hands, turned around roughly and pressed against the closest wall. Lilith wriggled in Sadden's tight grip, but couldn't break free. "Let go! Right now!" she screeched.

  "No!" Angry blue eyes were staring into her own, and Lilith felt a small trace of fear. Sadden's voice was dangerously low, as her nose nearly touched the one of her student. "And now, you will listen to me, Lilith of the Dragon Clan! Humans are more than just food for our kind. They are thoughtful, sympathetic creatures, and you will learn to pay them the respect they deserve. Furthermore, as long as you are here, I will ensure that you will behave properly!"

  Lilith was completely caught off guard. She couldn't even talk back. Never before had anyone dared to speak to her in such a manner. But then she lost control of her fiery temper. "I will not be ordered around by you! Humans are property and I can do with them whatever I please!"

  "Not here. Here, you obey to my rules."

  Clenching her jaw, Lilith groused, "It was not my will to be banished to this secluded area!"

  "Neither was it mine," Sadden responded and released her. "You are free to go, anytime you want to. I am not going to force you to stay here."

  Lilith sneered in response, "It was the wish of my father, I cannot oppose to that. If I had known what would be in store for me, I would have protested more strongly against this banishment!"

  "Zephriel's letter binds you to my rules. If you stay, you will obey."

  While Lilith wallowed in self-pit
y, Sadden sank to her knees, and pulled Madeleine into her arms. Carefully and tenderly she closed the girl's eyes. "I am sorry," she whispered. "I am so sorry we betrayed you. You came to me hoping for a new life, and what did I do? I brought death to you. Forgive me, Madeleine." Silence fell in the hall as Sadden hugged the lifeless body to her chest.

  Lilith could do nothing but stare in disbelief at her new teacher. 'She actually feels sorry for a worthless human?'

  "Human life is not worthless," Sadden said, without taking her eyes off the dead girl in her arms. "Yes, I feel sorry for her, and I am repulsed by what I did. You should pay her homage, too."

  Furious, the heiress of the Dragon Clan stormed out of the hall. During her hasty retreat, she crashed into Andrej, who was about to enter. Angrily, she shoved him aside. "Out of my way, you useless moron!" Cursing and muttering, she went down the stone stairs. "I hate this place!"

  Lost in thought, the young man watched her go and an oppressive feeling took hold of his heart. This short encounter with the vampire had been enough to trigger a memory of the fateful night, in which he had met his friend Sadden for the first time. "She has the same aura," Andrej whispered and suddenly shivered.

  *****

  Filled with unspeakable sadness, Sadden stared at the blazing flames of Madeleine's funeral pyre that she had built in the garden of the castle.

  Andrej joined her, placing one hand on the vampire's shoulder, which she gratefully took.

  "I wish I could undo the incident," she said, her voice a hoarse whisper. "Her death was unnecessary. I should have resisted more. It was not the time."

  Andrej wrinkled his forehead. "What are you talking about?"

  "I answered the call of her blood even though it was not the time." Sadden explained.

  Andrej tried to console her. "Sadden don't. Don't take the blame upon your shoulders. You're not only..."

  Sadden shook her head. "I am just as guilty as if it had been my own hands that broke her neck." The vampire solely blamed her unrestrained blood thirst for the tragedy, which had come to pass.