As I speak, a rush of warm air flows from behind me. The sweet smells and bright, vibrant colors in this dark and dingy room, tell me that it can only be one thing.
“Zeus, what can I help you with?”
He laughs, “We have wiped them out by the hundreds. The first strike of the war is ours.”
I smile at Jack. He understands why. I turn to face the Forsaken and his realm, “We are on a path to an easy victory, and it's all thanks to you. The girl too, I suppose, for not being sacrificed, but you made it all happen.
Sure, I'll come through. We've got much to discuss, Zeus of Olympus.”
“So formal,” he replies. Jack remains dumbfounded, saying nothing as I step through the portal.
How little they all truly know.
Prologue:
Daffyd.
Under The Veil:
I can recall a time where this was just another formality. A simple gesture between the human race that would fall to shambles as their King was set in place and sat, with his or her heir's taking charge for the years to come. Rare was it that this changed.
This is the nature of man.
Fighting for greed and power in ways unimaginable.
"You three," The High Council speaks in unison and it breaks my concentration from man, "Have accomplished a great feat standing before us today. Many of those who took the stand to become King," I turn to my left. The man beside me is large. A giant spawn, no doubt, with his broad shoulders and superior length. A tough adversary but unluckily for him, where he has the strength, he lacks the cunning, "Have fallen prey to the true death. Two more of you will face it."
I turn to my right. Unlike the other, this one is thin, weak...
Where the brute has strength, this he has no place in battle. The tactician that watches and plays his cards from the wings. We differ here. I am the best of both worlds.
"And today," The Council continue, their striking eyes the only movement that goes between the three of us. The unflinching nature of these seven have always put me on edge. They have no reason to remain so still, do they?
“Today, you face your last and greatest triumph. You have the opportunity to choose your fate. We will not interfere in your decisions. Go out and make us proud.”
Make us proud?
A stuffy organization that has found itself made redundant asking us now to make them proud? I find it laughable. They are still a power that governs our kind.
But I must declare it would be nice to have the Kingship below my belt. Like the people, the closest specimen to our God.
And isn't that what they're labeling themselves as?
Our God?
By the time my thoughts clear, I see the other's have already made their leave. I face the council, “Member's of the Council, thank you for the opportunity. I will complete your task with due haste.”
The other's heard my remarks and still walked on anyway. Brown-nosing the most powerful of our kind could only benefit, I'm sure.
~ ~ ~
I have always been a powerful man. Since birth, I was destined for great things. Greater things than a petty human existence that would end in nothing but agony as I watched myself or my loved ones perish beside me. That is why, when offered the honor, of giving up on my mortal coil I leaped to the opportunity. An already powerful man, I was a Knight under King George the first. When I took my vow to him, I knew that someday I would attain his title. I would not be part of the royal court but instead, I would rule it. Plans changed, of course, when I was granted the ability for eternal life. Be King for a day, or live a life that would see them burn out.
This decision did not come lightly. My master and mentor, a vampire that was not long ago killed by the Agency of Supernatural Hunter's, led by their master Abraham Van Helsing, gave me a choice. A simple choice but one that would affect my relationships accordingly. Give up on the ones I love to gain this... Curse, or stay human knowing that someday I may lead the nation.
So I considered, contemplated and chose eternity.
A few things he taught me:
One:
You cannot return to those you've left behind. My family being one of them. Two children. A daughter no doubt having the opportunity to someday marry a Prince of a High Lord. My son, following strongly in his father's footsteps. A strong man with the potential to be a King. Nay, a God. A rule I've followed up to this day without hesitation. I watched, in the beginning, as they grew and came into their own. A generous benefactor.
Two:
No matter what you believe, sacrificing integrity for power is not an option. Another lesson I have followed since my turning. To my predecessors, I bow, to my Council, I show the utmost respect and to my enemy? To the fledgling, nurture and help them grow. And what of my enemy? Show power but be cautious. There is always a stronger being waiting to grab you by the throat and tear it out.
Three:
Among the rules he taught me, there are varying importance levels. One that he lived by and one strongly appreciated by the Council is the rule to keep our society and network hidden from mortals. The supernatural community has always thrived beneath the veil. Just out of sight. Hidden in the shadows. Alive in imaginations. There is no need to out ourselves.
This only causes unnecessary complications.
Four:
Love humans.
Humanity is the source of our existence. With an abundance of their kind, one would not think that this rule should be taken too seriously but that is not true. They are our food source, sure, but they are also more than this. Apart from the benefits of potential allies in the field, when they are trusting, caring, their blood is sweeter and more nurturing.
Five:
The final and most important step would be to remember:
The years we spend on this earth are not limited but the amount of time we can retain is. This rule implies simply that after a length of time we begin to forget. Documenting our lives is important. We are not to squander what we have learned but instead, we use it to teach those who are only learning. Those who need us more than we need them.
Simple rules. Each of which stands on their own merits. The rules of a vampire.
How proud he will have been if he was still alive.
Now is not the time to pine for days gone by. Now is the time to take action. Becoming King. A seat I knew was mine from my human years. A seat I was destined to fill---.
“What are you doing, sir?” The moment I hear the words, I am distracted from my writing. My friend and right hand, Hamish is at the door. Being a part of my master's court from long before my turn to the night, he never had the potential to be king. He has always been subservient. A drone. No drive. It's not his fault. He could have been capable of anything after his turn but his gluttonous ways got the better of him. Taking his fill of those around, not following our master's rules, he became slow. He became fat. A path I could have easily fallen into. The way we live before is a strong indication of how we will live.
Truer words have never been spoken.
“Documenting,” I reply. Hamish has never been one to interrupt my processes unless there was urgency. I understand, just as well as he does, if I fail this task, I will face the true death. If I face the true death, he will have no one to guide him. Hamish has never been one to run on his own. So to deprive him of me would have him deprived of a life of his own.
How sad.
“I know that this may not be the time to bother, sir, but I am growing increasingly bothered by this competition. You do not know when they may accomplish a task,” I wave my hand and he falls silent.
“There is no stress, Hamish. You have nothing to fret. They may be in the lead but my schemes are great. If they rush to accomplish a task that has no greater means, then they will forfeit. I am going to do a single task that will shatter anything they have the potential of accomplishing."
“I understand. After our master Mattheus' death, I am wary of losing another."
“Yo
u stress for nothing, my friend. We will get through this. I merely have to plan. We simply have to lure a man of light astray with the darkness. There will be nothing he can do once he enters my world.”
Turning back to the pages, there is nothing more to write about tonight. I get up from my desk and walk over to my friend, tapping him on the shoulder and stepping through the door.
“And what have you documented so far?” He asks me.
"Just the events leading up to my rule, Hamish. Someday it will be good to look back on the deeds I committed to becoming king," I reply.
“Where are you headed?” He follows me.
“The war room. There is a lot of plotting that goes into what I have decided to do,” The wide corridors of my mansion surround us. The artwork, sculptures and various other necessities to fill them up, all relics of the past, meaning nothing to me. A waste of wealth, I never earned. Merely gifted from a master left gone.
“And have you heard of the vampire running amok of our society?”
“What do you mean?" Hamish is only trying to lull me into a discussion now until we get to the war room. I know this but I am intrigued to hear about this vampire too, so I let him speak.
“Yes. Some seemingly unstoppable shredder. He isn't governed by our Council's rules,” This changes my perception of the situation. He's trying to guide me into the direction of whatever he's talking about here and deter me from a plan I know will succeed.
“No. Tell me more,” I humor him.
“I can't. I just know that if you put an end to him there will be no contest on your victory.”
“And you think that this will truly be better than stopping Abraham Van Helsing?” My reply stops Hamish dead in his tracks.
“Abraham Van Helsing? You want to go after the Vampire Hunter?” I could hear the whimpering in his voice from behind but as I said, there will be no contest to my victory if I deliver the head of Abraham Van Helsing to the High Council.
“Yes and I will. Get me information on the shredder vampire. I would like to do my due diligence on him so that I know what's what if I ever face him but for tonight our plans are centered around the Agency head. We will watch his organization crumble beneath our weight."
Hamish can't stand the sound of this but he follows me onwards anyway. He knows that this plan will either bring me the true death or the kingship. Why not take the risk?
We say nothing but we are considering everything.
When we reach my war room, he sits at my right and me at the head of the table. Still, we say nothing. There is a quiet contemplation between us. We understand each other's silence.
“Right,” I finally say, “The mansion will be cleared when Van Helsing comes to me.”
Hamish nods.
“I want the Agency of Supernatural Hunter's to know where we are and I want them to dread the decision to come after me. What I want Van Helsing will not share the honor of killing me with anyone around and even if he does, what can they do? You will clear out and I will remain. He will not take me by surprise, unlike our master, I will not be unsuspecting of his attack. Now where you come in, Hamish, I want you to send an emissary out. A detailed report of business done between myself and the owner of our land. Make it look as if this is the letter of payment and the shipment is already on its way. It will have my stamp and my name on it. The letter will be an apology, as well as hold the details of the Veil's location. Have it state somewhere that we have taken up here and that we are flourishing. Then the fledgling emissary will be to travel to Boston, this is where all my shipments to the old country come and go from, have him go along the Agency's suspected routes. Van Helsing will get the word and come for us. You will clear the mansion out from now until I send for your return. If I do not within a month, know that you must find a new master. If I do, know that I will be king."
“You're sacrificing one of our kind?”
“Yes. I am giving him up in order to bring my power to light. This is not a question of morality, Hamish. One fledgling dies so that I become king. I can make another to replace him. This opportunity is a once in a lifetime.”
~ ~ ~
Coming to America:
When I came to America, I knew there was a lot of complications I would face. These complications were not a necessity but as it so turns out, I was lucky enough to have a great man as my commander, leading me into the future without any concern.
Something we both took pride in, he and I.
My ruler and leader. My friend. My Master.
A man who claimed to travel time was one of the first people I met here. A man that would be the man who allowed me to take over his mansion for he had other duties to attend. A family of his own living in London.
I respected his decision. A beautiful piece of land which he gave me full right to, so long as I paid my wage. I was, after all, a land owner in the United Kingdom under the King George the Second. Who better to trust with your land than someone who understood how to use it.
The only stipulation in this agreement was that I would have to give him a portion of the earnings the land gave off. A portion of hard earned wealth. This is where I learned being someone with money could only allow you to generate more, so long as you went about it wisely.
One thing I would have never bet on seeing was an Ancient Vampire.
They are far and few between but when they do come out from whatever rock's they seemed to climb under, they make the world around them quake.
Beautiful chaos.
One such vampire, it seems, has surfaced among my own community. We call these vampires Shredders.
They do not follow the Council rule (one of the many reasons they are enlisting a king to rule over the smaller issues). A rebellious band that tear, not only the human population but our own kind too, to shreds for no reason but the sick sensation of a small victory.
This small issue is nothing more than a nuisance to me. One that would be dealt with, with haste. A simple ordering of the true death for them to face.
Being King suits me. Returning back to the old ways where slaughtering those who went against you was the way to go.
These ideas, they are what fuel me.
Recalling these events remind me of my master, yet again. If it were not for Van Helsing, I would not have had the opportunity to be King. I will have been the right hand. My Hamish, it seems, has upgraded in the world.
Mattheus Orwell. A great man and the perfect candidate for King.
How I miss you.
One thing I cannot say is that his death has upset me. Not in the slightest. I knew I was destined for this. Something greater.
From the day I was turned into a knight, I knew that I would be King.
Look at me now.
At the forefront of my kind.
Becoming a King.
"Lord Daffyd," The Doorman says, "The Council is ready to hear your case for the crown."
“Thank you, Doorman.”
I know he can sense it. The bag beside me and its contents. I smile at him. He returns the gesture. I rise from my seat and walk to the Council's hall. There they sit, precisely in the same place as they were the last time I saw them. This has never ceased to unnerve me. Their immensely calm nature. No moving and no need to. Communicating sheerly with their own minds. Would I ever consider being a part of such a higher power?
It reminds me of my own time in the United Kingdom. King George himself was the only man to speak with God. His word would pass on to the priests and they would then share it with the people. This is how being King of the Vampires will be it seems. The only one who will commune with the Council.
The symbolism is beautiful.
They do not move. They just look on at me.
“Lords and Ladies of the Council,” I give them their due respects.
“Lord Daffyd,” They reply, "You claim to have already succeeded in a task that will be worthy of allowing you the place of king," I can't help but smirk at the statement, "The opponent
s at your sides," In my elation, I didn't even notice that my competitors had taken their positions to my right and left a step or two behind, "Have spoken to us, telling us that they haven't even come up with a solution to the puzzle we gave. Free will, up to this point was not something we gave. We rooted out the weak with tasks given and you three are the only who succeeded but when the task fell onto you, they could not think for themselves. You want to prove your worth, are you not worried you have rushed into a decision that may affect your chances of the goal? For if you do not astound us, we will not give you the title until they have given us their own attempts at becoming king."
“Lords and Ladies, I do not believe you will hesitate to agree that I am cut from the cloth of a king,” Blood drips from the cloth bag I hold. Saying nothing more I take the blood end of the bag, one by one the four heads fall out. A blonde girl, a dark haired man, a young ginger lad and finally, the scarred face of the legendary Abraham Van Helsing rolls. As if planned, the face looks to the Council. The cold dead eyes peering at them, their own at his.
There was never a contest.
THE END
Witch Academy Box Set (1-5)
Book 1: The Missing Queen
Chapter 1
Desmond awoke with a start, his body tensing up. It took him a moment to figure out exactly what the problem was, his magic finding its way up to his brain.
He realized after a moment that it was a crash from his kitchen that had woken him. However, the presence that he sensed was not anything that would cause him harm. His dishes and food supply might be in danger, but he was not.
Running a hand over his face, he tried to pull the sleep from his eyes, glancing at the time piece. He was planning to get up now anyway; the alarm would beep after a moment or two. It was later than he normally got up, but he didn't have anywhere to be for another hour.
The Vampire Touch 1: The Forsaken Page 13