Demon Vampire (The Redgold Series)

by Virgil Allen Moore

  “You're right.” Lucretia lowered her head, then looked around at all the other vampires in the room. “So where does this leave us? Do I just kill you and get it over with?”

  “Yes.” Moira answered.

  “No.” The silvered vampire spoke up again. He dropped the disconnected arm on the floor. “Recite the chant to prove you are worthy as you do it.”

  “Fine by me.” Lucretia stood, kicked the wooden chair over and walked towards Moira.

  The white eyed vampire stepped away from Lucretia's path.

  “By the heavens across the stars.” Lucretia slowly approached Moira. “For the sea below the nightmares, I consecrate my hand as a tool forged by god.” Lucretia stopped at Moira's feet, looking down at her. “With this sacrifice I pledge my loyalty to prevent the causalities of tomorrow. I vow to end the demon's reign before it begins. I swear to end life when for the greater salvation of the whole.” Lucretia knelt down on the floor, staring into Moira's eyes. “I aim to abolish the evil from the world. I strive to cleave the reaper from the womb. To slaughter the worm and feed the crop.” Lucretia's face lost all expression. It was as if she had lost something dear to her and chosen not to search for it. “Rip the soul from its teeth, tear the flesh from its fingers, rend the strings of the marionette, and spill the blood like milk on the floor.” Lucretia quickly pierced Moira's chest with the tips of her fingers. Impaling her heart instantly.

  Moira's eyes went cold, staring off to one side. Her head slumped down.

  Lucretia's hand held Moira's bleeding heart. “For Silveretta.”

  The world grew dark. The demon was gone. Moira had passed.

  * * * *

  Orhn woke to an empty room. The candles that once lit the room were long burnt out. There were no signs of conflict, nothing was out of place. There was nothing that told of Lucretia's tergiversation. Orhn felt alone. It was morning. He knew that Moira and Lucretia had to sleep during the daylight hours, but Orhn wanted to see Moira. He had a dream that she had left to see her family in Ireland. It was gnawing at him.

  The door opened abruptly. It was Yugo. “Orhn, you're up.”

  “Have you seen Moira?” Orhn asked Yugo.

  “No, both of them were still gone when I got up as well.” Yugo explained.

  “Wait, you know where they went? Did they at least leave together?” Orhn stood up, worried about Moira.

  “Yeah, it happened when you were pretending to be asleep. Lucretia came in, accusing that a group of vampires had raped her and she wanted revenge. She convinced Moira to join her and they left.” Yugo told Orhn.

  “No offense, but I thought Lucretia liked that kind of thing?” Orhn chuckled.

  “She does, that's why it didn't make any sense. She enjoys death and sex, usually at the same time.” Yugo sat down. “That's why it confused me as to why she convinced Moira to come with her.”

  “Did anything happen during the conversation before they left?” Orhn wanted to know the rest of the details.

  “Yes, Moira and I had an argument about telling Lucretia about our demon gifts.” Yugo thought about his words. “Lucretia wanted to know more and I didn't want to tell her once the subject came up.”

  “You haven't even told me that much about them. Why would Lucretia be interested in them?” Orhn wondered.

  “I think she originally overheard me telling Moira. I believe that Lucretia wants Moira for her gift.” Yugo surveyed the room. “From the appearance I'd figure they didn't return while I was away.”

  “You think Lucretia might have sold out Moira!? Then we need to search for her, we need to find out if she's okay!” Orhn was livid. Moira was in danger and Orhn should have been there to protect her. “Do you know where they went?”

  “No, but I can follow Lucretia's scent anywhere.” Yugo stood back up. “We'll find her. But personally I'm surprised that you didn't stop them. Considering how dangerous Lucretia is.”

  “I didn't know. I was asleep the whole time.” Orhn defended himself.

  “No, I could hear your breathing. The rhythm was wrong. You were awake, but tired for some reason. I'm surprised that you didn't jump up the minute Moira left the room.” Yugo was accusing Orhn of being lazy.

  “No, I was asleep. I was tired. I barely heard anything that they were saying. Besides, if you knew it was so dangerous, why didn't you go with them?” Orhn fired back.

  “To help Lucretia, no thanks.” Yugo quickly replied.

  “No, to help Moira. The fledgling in the group. Why didn't you help her?”

  “Same question. I have an answer, do you?” Yugo was being stern with Orhn.

  “What?” Orhn didn't understand.

  “It was never my duty or obligation to protect Moira.” Yugo paused and stared into Orhn's eyes. “It was yours.”

  Orhn was devastated. He was supposed to ensure Moira's safety. He was partially awake when he heard the fighting, but he had decided to fall back asleep. Deep down, he knew that he should have done something.

  “We should track them. The sooner we find them, the better you will feel about all of this.” Yugo tried to ease Orhn's mind.

  Yugo and Orhn followed Lucretia's smell of sweat and sex to a back alley. There were three entrances to various rooms. However one of them had obviously seen recent action. Splinters were layered on the ground near it.

  “Well, that was easy.” Yugo laughed.

  “Yeah, it was only about ten blocks away from us. Why would Lucretia bring her here?” Orhn stepped inside.

  There was a destroyed wooden card table in the center of the room. More shards of wood had been sprayed over the room. Orhn looked down. There was blood, lots of blood. It covered the ground from just inside the door and trailed to the right side wall closest to the door. Droplets made the connection between the two major stains. The blood against the wall was lighter then the first puddle. There was a puncture hole in the wood where something had pierced through.

  “What happened here?” Orhn asked.

  Yugo stepped in, he read the scene. “There were nine vampires here, including Moira and Lucretia.”

  “Nine? Who are the other seven?” Orhn had a bad feeling.

  “Don't know, probably the men Lucretia spoke of. As to what happened here. Isn't it clear?” Yugo knew something that Orhn didn't

  “No, it isn't. Tell me. I want to find Moira as soon as we can.” Orhn panned the wall, the blood smeared on his fingertips. The ominous feeling was heavy in his stomach.

  “Moira's dead.” Yugo's news was a sledgehammer to Orhn's heart.

  “No, she can't be. Where's the proof?” Orhn was in denial.

  “On your fingers.” Yugo pointed to Orhn's hand.

  Orhn felt sick. He dropped to his knees and covered his face with his hands. He hadn't noticed Moira's scent until that moment. It was strong, it was emanating from the blood. Orhn broke down. The tears flowed, the pain gripped him. Orhn screamed, his voice carried out into the busy street, muffled by the roaming crowds.

  “No, this can't-” Orhn knew it was true. He didn't want to believe it, but everything told him it had happened. “-I, can't. Why? Wha-” Orhn was overwhelmed. “How? How does something like this happen?” Orhn's eyes were flooded with emotion. He looked to Yugo. “Why? How come you didn't do anything? You could have killed those men. What would it have mattered to you? Seven middle aged vampires is nothing compared to you right? So why the hell didn't you do anything!? Huh? Tell me! TELL ME!!!” Orhn's voice strained. It was loud, but the anger was muted by sadness. It echoed into the street again. It was heard clearly this time. “TELL ME WHY!!!” Orhn stood up. He was glaring at Yugo.

  “I didn't want to get caught up in Lucretia's bullshit again.” Yugo defended his position.

  “You didn't do anything because you wanted to stay away from Lucretia's mind-games?” Orhn was seething with anger. His muscles rippled with pain.

  “Besides, as I said, it was your job to protect her. Not mine.” Yugo was smug with his t
one.

  Orhn's anger reached its limit. “BECAUSE IT COST HER LIFE!!! YOU SMUG PIECE OF SHIT!!!” Orhn leaped at Yugo. Laying into him with full force. The impact knocked Yugo through the back wall and into the main market way on the other side.

  Yugo got up, unscathed from the tumble. The people in the market were scared, they screamed for help. Nearby guards quickly came to arrest Orhn and Yugo for civic destruction. The sunlight was bright and beading down on everyone in the mid day.

  “Orhn, it doesn't matter now. She's dead. There's nothing you can-” Yugo's words were silenced by Orhn's fist.

  Orhn had managed to punch Yugo with a right hook. The hit cut Yugo's cheek and broke his jaw. “DON'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN'T DO!! YOU COULD HAVE SAVED HER!!!” Orhn threw another punch.

  Yugo caught it with his right hand. Yugo's jaw hung by its flesh. His tongue had too much pressure on it, he couldn't talk. Yugo squinted his eyes at Orhn and squeezed his fist. Orhn's left hand was crushed under Yugo's grip.

  Orhn's fire grew, his gift was preventing him from actually feeling the pain of the injury. He pushed forward, his fingers mangled.

  Yugo set his jaw with his free hand. “I had forgotten how persistent you are.”

  Orhn tried over-powering Yugo. Orhn's hand had been shattered. Mashed into small oozing pieces. His long forearm bones had snapped, jutting out towards Yugo's face. Orhn leaned in, he was trying to use his bones as weapons against Yugo.

  “Damn, you are inventive, aren't you?” Yugo took a deep breath and exhaled.

  Orhn's arm turned to stone.

  Yugo swiftly struck the newly formed granite that was Orhn's left arm. It flew apart from the sudden strike. The people in the crowd ran in fear for their lives. Shrapnel sprayed the crowd. They cried “Demons! Run away!” The town guards arrived, threatening to attack if Yugo and Orhn didn't come with them.

  “Orhn, is this what you wanted? To cause a scene? To make our presence known like this? What will this accomplish in the end?” Yugo was reasoning with Orhn.

  The guards attacked Orhn first, believing him to be most vulnerable. Their broad swords cut and slashed his clothes, piercing his skin. When no blood was spilled, they stabbed him with steel long spears. Orhn ignored them completely.

  “YOU LET HER DIE!!!” Orhn yelled at Yugo. He swung at Yugo, his hand was intercepted midway.

  Yugo broke Orhn's right arm while defending himself. Yugo was nearly absolute in his strength and speed. He had let Orhn strike his jaw, as a show of friendship. The fun was over. It had gone far enough.

  “See, now the guards have come to take us away. Soon they'll have a messenger requesting reinforcements from the neighboring kingdoms. I can't let that happen.” Yugo's words meant nothing to Orhn. “I thought you had respect for life, too.” Yugo slowed his breathing. His jaw mended itself, the abrasions that Orhn had caused healed instantly.

  The people started throwing rocks at Yugo. The guards rushed him and began stabbing him with everything they had. Five swords and three spears found themselves sunk into Yugo's flesh. The eight armor clad guards smiled, thinking they had won. Yugo quickly and gently placed a hand on each of the guards' necks. They were confused as to why Yugo would strike them in such a weak way. The crowd hushed. Orhn looked on in delight.

  “You really think if you can't harm me, these humans could?” Yugo sighed.

  The eight guards exploded from within their armor. Metal shards littered the crowd for hundreds of feet. Instantly killing everyone in the area. Each and every soul was on the ground, dead or dying. More than twenty small pieces of armor had landed in Orhn's chest, arms, legs, and face.

  Orhn's delight was gone. “All the power. Those men would have been nothing to you!”

  “Look at yourself before you say that. Orhn, you have a gift completely uncharted in our history.” Yugo gestured to the sky. “It's the middle of the day, the sun is shining. Nothing affects you, Orhn. You're invulnerable.” Yugo laid his point down.

  “YOU WERE THE ONE THAT LET HER LEAVE! YOU LET HER DIE WHEN YOU COULD HAVE HELPED HER!!!” Orhn swept the shrapnel off of his body with one strike. There was no blood, as usual. The holes simply closed themselves and Orhn lurched onward.

  Yugo stared at Orhn with contempt. “I wasn't her protector, you were.”

  With the smell of fresh blood covering the entire market. Orhn's heart broke in half. It was his place to protect Moira. He knew it, but he couldn't forgive Yugo for abandoning her. “I'll kill her.”

  “Who?” Yugo asked as he approached Orhn.

  “Don't get near me. You could have stopped it all. I don't want you near me.” Orhn distanced himself from Yugo. “I'll track her down and kill Lucretia.”

  “That won't be easy, you can't even track her scent.” Yugo reminded Orhn.

  “I don't care. She'll pay for this. I'll devote my life to it.” Orhn walked over to one of the fallen townspeople. It was a man that had been killed when a metal shard landed in his neck. Orhn picked the man up. Sinking his teeth into the untouched region of his flesh.

  Orhn drank while Yugo searched for survivors.

  “Good, no one will spread the word.” Yugo was pleased.

  Orhn let the body he held drop to the ground. “Why are you so concerned about erasing our presence? Are you afraid the humans will find a way to oppose you one day?”

  “No, but you're close.” Yugo turned back to Orhn. “So this is it then? This is where we grow apart?”

  “I don't care what you do. I just never want to see you again. You will always remind me of these times. Without you, I can kill her without any remorse. I will have her head and I will die happy.” Orhn was certain of his new path. Revenge was consuming him.

  Yugo sighed. “Goodbye my friend.”

  “See you in hell, Yugo.” Orhn walked off aiming to pursue Lucretia, not caring how many centuries it might take.

  “There's more to it than what I've told you.” Yugo tried to stop Orhn as he was leaving.

  Orhn spoke with his back turned to Yugo. “That's just it, Yugo. You never tell me. You never told all the details you were secretly planning. That's why it all went to shit.” Orhn left, his anger tearing a new path to his goals.

  Yugo stood. Shocked by what Orhn had said, he spoke out loud to himself. “I never told you anything. Not one secret.” Yugo sighed. “And I will never.” Yugo turned around, heading in the opposite direction. “Tell you everything.”

  Chapter 14

  The Demon Vampire

  In the summer of 1162 a Germanic priest was born. His name was Damien Attolauss. He was brought up as an orphan. His parents were killed just after his birth. The local monastery wanted to make his life right by instilling god into him.

  Nearly sixty years later, he had become a pillar of the nearby community. Tall, dark, and handsome as seen by the village women, he had short, black peppered hair.

  One day during the middle of a clear night there was a scream that came from the wheat fields. Damien had recognized the voice. It was a young girl that had recently joined the village, Rebekkah Amoury. She had traveled far under some disturbing circumstances. She had been pursued by a man that had destroyed her previous village in order to take her captive. Damien didn't know what manner of being would be able to destroy an entire village. The details of Rebekkah's story had been unreliable since she had settled. Damien didn't care, he offered her sanctuary from her troubles.

  Damien rushed downstairs. He descended through the large brick and mortar monastery hallway with ease and reached the wooden double doors. The locking mechanism had been removed. The door weighed over eight hundred pounds with a lock that was assuredly unbreakable by no less than thirty men. The door beam was laying two feet from the latch, as if it was precisely removed and set on the floor gently from the inside. Damien recalled no sound during the night, nothing before the girl's scream. The situation was unsettling, he ran outside and into the wheat.

  “Rebekkah! Rebekkah, are you out there!?” Dami
en called into the distance.

  There was a rustling, Damien ran to see what is was.

  “You shouldn't have run Rebekkah. Now all these people will have to die because of your mistakes. I don't like killing them, but I need you to come with me.” A dark, deep voice spoke with haunting words. It came from the shadows on the dark side of the hill.

  “Rebekkah, are you there?” Damien asked as he approached. The shadows slowly took the shape of two people. One standing, one on the ground.

  “You hear that Rebekkah? There is another man who has fallen under your human charms. Your thin red hair, your beautiful blue eyes. You are unique among us. I can't afford to lose you, especially now.” The deep voice continued.

  “Damien, no.” Rebekkah spoke up, she was bleeding from the left side of her neck. “Please leave, I don't want anyone else to die.”

  “Rebekkah!” Damien ran towards her. The dim moon light shifted as he came closer.

  “I think not.” The voice said, still out of sight. A man cloaked in darkness appeared in front of Damien. He was minacious.

  Damien stared into the man's full green eyes. They shimmered in the moonlight, the luminescence making them glow. The man seemed inhuman. His body was extremely thin. He was of average height, but very gaunt. His thick long black hair was down to his lower back. He had frayed clothing torn down the sides, with multiple patches in remnants. His face was oval, not particularly tall, but smoothed with rounded edges. The green in his eyes filled the entire socket with a black iris in the center. He appeared to only be in his mid thirties. He was terrifying in his simple presence before Damien.

  Damien couldn't move. “What are you?” Damien was an old man. He had faced many things that had frightened him in his life. At his age, there was nothing left to discourage him from saving a younger woman's life. To Damien, something like this man shouldn't be able to grip him as it did. There was an unknown force at work, something keeping him in place.