Darkness Is Rising

by C. M. Sipes

  Vittoria stood and let out a roar, silencing the room. “Need I remind the council that your purpose for being here is for our business dealings and threats to our existence? You are not here to pass judgment.”

  A growl rumbled in her throat as she dismissed the vampire with a wave of her hand. Vittoria walked to the center of the chamber as he left, and turned to face Marcella.

  “I have information on that cave we were investigating,” she said to the room, changing the subject.

  Marcella’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “I thought we were investigating this together?”

  “We are. I just happened to run into a fledgling while I was out. A bloodluster. He sang like a canary,” she explained quickly. “Now, apparently the cave is full of bloodlusters, I am not sure how many. But, the locals are aware of something evil living within it. They will not go near because they believe demons live there.”

  “So, we need to take action soon before they are discovered fully,” Marcella finished.

  “Your Majesty, if I may speak?” a council member asked as she stood.

  Vittoria turned to face her as Marcella nodded.

  “The numbers of bloodlusters have been steadily increasing. I propose we send out our scouts and dispose of any we come across. If their numbers increase any more, we will begin to be discovered.”

  “We already have legends about us,” Vittoria added. “I do not believe we need to confirm that they are true. I agree with Emilia, they should be eradicated,” she said to Marcella.

  Marcella nodded in agreement.

  “Vittoria and I will take care of the cave ourselves. First thing tomorrow night, send the scouts out into the city and outskirts. Begin disposing of the bloodlusters.”

  “What of devourers, Your Majesty?” another council member asked.

  “What of them?” Vittoria asked, turning to look at Marcella questioningly.

  “They are appearing on the outskirts of the city. We are keeping an eye on them,” Marcella explained calmly.

  Vittoria’s eyebrows rose. “Why was I not informed of this?”

  “I did not wish to concern you with it when I was informed,” Marcella said pointedly.

  Vittoria nodded in understanding, recalling the incident from earlier.

  “Send what scouts you can spare to keep an eye on the devourers,” Marcella instructed the vampire.

  “As you wish, Your Majesty.”

  “Vittoria, is there anything else you wish to discuss while we are convening?” Marcella asked.

  “No, I believe that is all. The council is dismissed.” Vittoria watched the members swiftly exit the room before she turned to face Marcella. “When did you want to take a look at the cave?”

  “Now?” Marcella asked with a wolfish grin.

  Vittoria returned the smile. “I see you are eager. Here I thought we would be waiting.”

  “At first I thought so. But now, I am itching for it.”

  Vittoria chuckled, a small snort coming from her nose as Marcella stood and rushed pass her. She raced after her, both of them flying from the house in a blur.

  Marcella’s form began to morph and disperse into the bats as she leapt into the sky. Vittoria followed suit, quickly joining her and flying toward the cave.

  They resumed their earlier post, in the trees, hidden away from sight of the bloodlusters. Their forms slowly returned and she looked at Marcella.

  “So, do we storm in or do we wait?” Vittoria asked quietly, her eyes shifting back to the cave.

  “I am unsure. We don’t know how many there are,” Marcella muttered in reply.

  Vittoria turned to look back at the cave, her eyes zeroing in on the darkness of it. Two figures swiftly moved inside the cave, another appeared, followed by two more.

  “I count five so far,” she whispered to Marcella. She smelled the air a moment. The stench of dirt and earth hit her nostrils, and she struggled to make out the different aromas. “They stink. I am unable to see if there are more.”

  Marcella nodded, her eyes still focused ahead.

  “I am going in,” Vittoria said suddenly.

  Marcella’s head whipped to the side to look at her.

  “If we do not go now, they may leave. It is a miracle they are even there still.”

  “Unless there are more.”

  “Possibly. If there are, then we will wait for their return,” Vittoria replied nonchalantly.

  Marcella opened her mouth to speak, but before anything could come from it, Vittoria was leaping from the tree and storming the cave.

  She heard Marcella follow as they raced into the darkness, their eyes adjusting immediately. Vittoria let out a roar as she lunged at the two nearest bloodlusters, her nails digging into the soft flesh of their throats and slicing. She pulled her arms back, chunks of their throats coming with her as she turned swiftly and raced deeper into the cavern, letting Marcella handle the other three at the entrance.

  “Vittoria!” She heard her call as she descended through the darkness. The cave was damp and dripping water, and the stench of muddy earth clung to the walls.

  Vittoria’s eyes widened with glee as they fell on another two figures in the cave.

  One attempted to shout, but her hands were at his throat, ripping through his flesh with ease.

  “How many are there?” Vittoria growled out, speaking to the other bloodluster.

  “Fifteen total,” he replied, his eyes wide in the dark.

  A low growl rumbled in her throat as she heard Marcella approach. Marcella’s body flew by her as she lunged at the bloodluster and swiftly cut through his flesh, his body turning to dust a moment later.

  “Did I hear him correctly?” Marcella asked as she straightened her posture and examined the blood under her fingernails. A frown graced her face as she attempted to clean them.

  “Indeed. Eight to go,” Vittoria replied as she looked around the cavern. “We need to find the rest of them.”

  Marcella nodded in agreement before moving toward an open passage to the right.

  “There is one over here as well,” Vittoria said as she gestured to her left. “Do we split up or remain together?”

  Marcella thought a moment before releasing a breath. “Split up. I will take the right, and you the left. If they are all on one side, yell for me and I shall do the same.”

  Vittoria nodded before heading to the left, her feet quietly hitting the cave floor as she navigated through the winding turns. She stopped as a pungent smell hit her nostrils. The stench, almost too overwhelming to bear, caused her to gag. She continued down the corridor, the odor becoming worse as she drew closer. The cave opened up suddenly, the soft light from the moon penetrating the cavern and casting a glow on the dropoff. She approached the edge, glancing down and gagging at the sight at the bottom.

  Bodies, in various stages of decomposition, lay at the base of the cave, piled on top of each other and bloodless. Their soulless eyes hauntingly gazed up at the sky, with their open mouths screaming into oblivion.

  Her eyes scanned the area quickly; no sign of any bloodlusters. She looked around for any other openings—and finding none—she turned around and raced back the way she had come.

  “Vittoria!” Marcella’s voice echoed through the cavern.

  Vittoria pushed herself to move faster as she raced down the other passageway. She could hear various screams and Marcella’s roar as she neared them.

  Three bloodlusters raced at Marcella—Vittoria dove, grabbing two of them and knocking them to the ground. Marcella disposed of the other and took off down another passageway, leaving her with the two pinned-down vampires.

  “How do you bear the stench of that graveyard you have?” Vittoria asked as she ripped one throat out, turning the body to dust.

  “Please spare me,” the other groveled as the dust fell through her fingers.

  Vittoria eyed him a moment before sighing, “No.”

  She removed herself from his dust pile and raced off after Mar
cella. Her maker’s roar echoed through the cavern as she disposed of two more. Vittoria rushed by her, racing down another passageway, winding through the small tunnel. Her feet slid to a halt as the cavern opened up and she saw the sight before her.

  More bodies littered the ground—but that was not what stopped her.

  A shrine, dedicated to Lilith, rested in the center of the room. A young woman was tied to its base, her blood running freely from her naked body as the last two bloodlusters drank up the dark liquid.

  Vittoria frowned in disgust as she neared the vampires, neither paying any attention as she approached. The woman’s head lulled to the side, her eyes flickering open and focusing on her. Fear clouded her eyes—her mouth opened, nothing but a small groan escaping her lips.

  Vittoria reached forward and grabbed both bloodlusters and threw them backwards away from the woman. She dropped to her knees and licked her wounds closed. She had managed to make it to her in time before she was beyond the point of saving.

  Marcella roared, and one of the vampires screamed in anguish as she disposed of him.

  “Do not kill her!” Vittoria yelled quickly to Marcella.

  Marcella’s hand stopped an inch from piercing the flesh of the last bloodluster. She quickly grabbed her by her throat, holding her in place.

  “Why is there a shrine to Lilith?” Vittoria asked.

  Marcella’s eyes widened before she turned her head and took in the sight of the shrine.

  “Deus meus,” she muttered as her eyes roamed over the statue.

  “Answer me!” Vittoria demanded.

  The vampire gurgled in response, attempting to speak.

  Marcella loosened her grip slightly.

  “She is our goddess. She will come again, and we, her loyal subjects, will be waiting,” the bloodluster gurgled out.

  A growl ripped through Marcella’s throat and Vittoria turned to glance back at the shrine. The statue was a fairly accurate representation of Lilith, and she moved toward it, drawn in by its magnetism. The woman who was resting on the shrine groaned. Vittoria moved closer, her eyes flickering down to the woman and the bloodstains on her arms and body. She stared at her a moment, suddenly becoming transfixed by the faint sound of her heartbeat.

  The sound grew louder until it clouded Vittoria’s senses, pulling her in as red began to dance behind her eyes. The scent of blood wafted up to her nostrils and enticed her, its seductive lure pulling her in.

  She could hear a whisper in the back of her mind, a gentle urging.

  Drink.

  Drink and see.

  She fell to her knees before her and bit down, blood welling to the surface.

  She faintly heard Marcella call her name in the distance, but she paid it no mind. She drank deeply, sighing at the sweet taste of blood flowing into her mouth.

  Deep blood-red eyes flashed behind her eyelids. Lilith stared back at her, a genuine smile on her face before the vision shifted. A river appeared—its waters a murky brown, and its scent reeking of sulfur. Demons, with their distorted horned figures and sharp cries, frolicked about. A woman appeared suddenly, naked and stumbling to the edge of the river.

  Lilith.

  She fell to her knees as the demons halted their dance. Streaks of red flashed over the landscape as the demons approached her, but gave pause at the last moment. Suddenly, she was in Lilith’s place. Her eyes were heavy with exhaustion—she clung to it, attempting to stay awake. She drifted off, blackness clouding her vision before she opened her eyes.

  The sky was vivid with colors she never imagined. Pure uninhibited hunger clawed at her stomach and she screamed. She could feel two sharp objects pressing against her gums before splitting the skin. She could taste her own blood on her tongue and she carefully reached up and touched her teeth, feeling the fangs that now resided in her mouth.

  She finally noticed the demons around her, all of them looking at her with fear and curiosity. She felt the hunger claw at her again and she roared—startling the demons and sending them running. She attempted to stand, stumbling and falling down as she crawled toward the river. She hovered over the water, examining her reflection in the murky liquid, transfixed at the imagery before her. Her eyes flickered back and forth at the sight.

  She looked ethereal.

  The deepest blood-red eyes stared back at her; her body was toned and flawless as she stood, her eyes still fixated on the image in the water.

  “Why?” she shouted to the sky, not understanding why this had happened.

  “You disobeyed,” a voice responded.

  Her body shook with hatred and she roared into the sky, hoping that the gods heard.

  “Vittoria!” Marcella’s voice called, pulling her from the vision.

  Vittoria found herself lying against a wall on the other side of the cavern. The woman on the shrine was terribly close to death…and she realized that, once again, Marcella had saved her from going over the edge.

  She stood quickly and raced from the cavern, red still flashing behind her eyes as she raced into the outside world. The hunger gnawed at her stomach like a starved animal, and she pressed herself to run faster.

  Her senses were heightened as she searched for a meal.

  She heard a faint heartbeat and her feet instinctively carried her toward the sound. A young man appeared in the distance and she raced at him with greater speed. Her body slammed into his, the bones snapping with a sickening crack. Her fangs pierced his neck, and she drank greedily until she heard his heart stop. She released him before tearing off into the night in search of another warm body.

  Two.

  Three.

  Four.

  The number began to blur. Red continued to dance behind her eyes and stain her vision as she raced through the dark city streets.

  She knew that she was being excessive—and yet she couldn’t stop.

  The hunger was not dissipating.

  She was in the air in a flash, the flapping of the bats’ wings echoing in the night as she swooped down through the streets. She saw a young woman enter a nearby shop and she soared after her, red still dancing behind her eyes.

  Vittoria flew into the building, a whirl of wings, and grabbed a hold of the woman as her form came into being. She was about to scream, and Vittoria was about to sink her teeth into her when she recognized her eyes.

  Vittoria paused.

  The woman’s breathing was labored as she frantically searched Vittoria’s face; her hands coming up to gently cup her cheeks. “Vittoria?” Isabel asked, her voice quiet and wavering with a tint of fear and uncertainty.

  A low growl rumbled in Vittoria’s chest in acknowledgment. She wanted to drink her dry. The hunger demanded it. But she was frozen in place, transfixed by her eyes.

  “Vittoria, it is me, Isabel,” she whispered. Vittoria felt her hand begin to gently stroke her face.

  The hunger in her stomach began to fade, and she felt Isabel breathe easier as she regained her composure.

  “I—” Vittoria began, “I apologize.” Her voice came out as a whisper and Isabel nodded carefully.

  Vittoria realized that Isabel’s hands were still holding her face, and her own arms encircled Isabel’s waist.

  “It is all right,” Isabel said slowly.

  For a moment, neither spoke. Vittoria was torn. She was ashamed of her behavior, ashamed that she had scared her, and conflicted what to do about her. Part of her wanted to kiss her, though the other part knew she had exposed herself and needed to dispose of her.

  Vittoria stayed still.

  Isabel leaned closer, her lips barely touching Vittoria’s. A ghost of her lips as they brushed against hers hesitantly.

  Vittoria sighed, her arms tightening around her waist and pulling her closer. Her lips touched hers, tentative at first but growing in fervor a moment later. Isabel’s hands were tangled in her hair and Vittoria’s hands ran across her back. She could hear her heart beating wildly, her blood pumping furiously, her smell clouding her sense
s. Vittoria growled as she moved her backwards, easily picking Isabel up and setting her on a nearby table. Isabel was panting, small gasps escaping her lips as Vittoria kissed her neck and collarbone.

  Vittoria suddenly became aware of their situation. She knew that she needed to stop it before it escalated.

  She managed to compose herself and pull away.

  Isabel’s hair and dress were disheveled. Her blue eyes, darkened by her passion, stared at Vittoria with an intensity that made her shiver.

  “I cannot,” Vittoria said softly.

  Isabel eyed her for a moment, unsure of what to say.

  “Why?” she asked finally, eyes searching Vittoria’s for an explanation.

  “I know you are a witch,” Vittoria said. Isabel’s eyes widened but she did not dispute the statement. “There are rules.”

  “Vampires and witches cannot be together?” Isabel asked as she began to straighten her dress.

  “No.”

  “Your eyes are different than the others,” she pointed out suddenly.

  Vittoria raised an eyebrow. “So you have met others?”

  Isabel looked down at the ground. “A few of the hungry ones have come to me seeking help. They wished to know if I could create a cure for their insatiable thirst.”

  “Did you?” Vittoria asked. Her curiosity piqued at this information.

  “No. I have come close. It dissipates their hunger for a very short amount of time, an hour at the most.”

  Silence encased them.

  “Why are your eyes different? Is that what happens when the hunger becomes unbearable?” Isabel asked.

  Vittoria was unsure of what to say. She knew she should not tell her any more about her kind, she knew that she should kill her for knowing the truth, she knew that she should not have kissed her, and she also knew that her stomach should not flutter so much when she was near her. Vittoria sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she debated what to do. Finally, she made a decision.

  “I am not like the others. The others are merely ordinary vampires. The blood-red eyes signify royalty.”

  Isabel’s eyebrows rose. “You are royalty?”

  “There are Queens who rule over the other vampires. I am one of them.”