Chronicles of Darkness: Shadows and Dust

by Andrea F. Thomas

  A fairy-like creature, with light blonde, long hair, wrapped in an ankle-long, sleeveless, pale red summer dress, walked slowly down the flowery hill, and caught his attention. In her hands she carried a woven basket, filled with choicest delicacies.

  "Christine," he breathed and smiled dreamingly, enraptured. His whole body relaxed and the crossbow slipped, while he watched her approach.

  The woman waved happily at Kyrian, smiling winningly and showing off her pearly white teeth. Her big innocent eyes were firmly fixed to the young man.

  Delighted, Kyrian repeated her name. "Christine..."

  In that unguarded moment, the arrow came loose from the crossbow and flew unstoppable to its new destination.

  Skylar shouted a warning.

  That woke Kyrian from his dazed stupor. Horrified, he realized what tragedy was about to transpire. His eyes widened and at the top of his lungs he screamed, "JEAN!"

  Unfortunately, the warning came too late and the man, who had his back turned to the siblings, received a painful surprise. He was bending down as the arrow penetrated the fabric of his working pants and stuck fast in his behind.

  Skylar and Kyrian winced and turned away.

  Jean jumped and then buckled with a pained expression. With a mighty pull, he ripped the arrow from his trousers, disbelievingly staring at it. His questioning gaze fell on the siblings.

  Without further thought, Skylar furtively pointed a finger at her brother.

  Kyrian swallowed hard as he saw Jean's unmoving face while the tall man took big steps towards them. He wanted to flee, but fear froze him to the spot, and he couldn't move.

  Finally Jean reached them and grabbed Kyrian's shoulders with his large, strong hands. The boy was afraid his bones would crack any moment.

  Fearing for her brother's life, Skylar wanted to bravely step between the men.

  Unexpected, Jean started to laugh, while slapping Kyrian's shoulders, hard.

  Puzzled, the boy looked at the man, who explained, "Well, I think it will take some time to sit without pain, and my gait will look quite funny for awhile. But, don't worry. Something like that is not going to kill me."

  Kyrian released a relieved breath. "I'm so very sorry, Jean. I just got distracted for a tiny moment... it certainly was not my intension to hurt you in any way."

  Jean laughed. "I know. Only my pride got hurt. And as long as it is not bleeding I won't think of it as a life-threatening wound. It will be best to forget about the whole thing before I become the laughingstock of the servants." He winked at Kyrian and stiffly limped back to continue with his work.

  Skylar looked at her brother and the twitching of her lips indicated that she had trouble to suppress a face-splitting grin.

  Kyrian pressed his hands to his hips and glared down at his little sister. "Don't say a word! Not one word!"

  Not the slightest bit impressed, the girl replied dryly, "I think, you are the one who needs to practice." She shook her head and continued, "Just imagine this would have happened in a real fight. A tiny moment of carelessness could have resulted in your death. Vampires don't know compassion and won't have mercy. They would have coolly sucked the life from your body." Skylar grinned, utterly proud of herself. She had just repeated the same lecture her brother had given her the last time they had practiced shooting with the crossbow.

  Chalice reached the siblings before Kyrian could counter with a snide remark. With an adoring smile, she stopped in front of them.

  "Christine, what a nice surprise... how... where..." Kyrian stammered, ignoring Skylar's questioning gaze.

  A bit shy, the young woman said, "You wouldn't want a young lady to reveal her secrets, would you?"

  "Uh... no, of course not... it's just..."

  "Oh no!" Chalice exclaimed in mock shock. "I dared too much, didn't I? Now it feels wrong that I set out to find you." Tears gathered in her eyes.

  "No, please don't cry," Kyrian begged and took another step towards her. "I'm glad that you were so... daring." He blushed and swallowed hard. "Since our first encounter, I couldn't stop thinking about you." The words just tumbled from his lips.

  "Is that really true?"

  "Yes!" he almost shouted and bashfully lowered his gaze.

  "I felt the same," Chalice whispered sweetly and Kyrian looked up. She was standing so close to him, and he couldn't contain the happy smile. All questions, especially how the young woman had been able to find him, left his mind.

  She lifted the arm which held the basket. "I thought, because it is such a beautiful day, that we could go for a walk and have a nice picnic for two," Chalice said, slightly lifting the cloth which covered the basket. "And as you can see, I brought everything we will need to do just that."

  He gathered all his courage, took her free hand and guided it to his lips.

  Skylar, who was beginning to feel very out of place, went back to the workers, her head down and shoulders slumped.

  Kyrian didn't care. He only had eyes for Christine and breathed a gentle kiss against her knuckles. "A picnic? That's the best idea I have heard today." His heart beat faster as he thought about spending a beautiful afternoon in the presence of this enchanting, young woman. Ever since they first met, his dreams were ruled by Christine. He couldn't think about anything else but to spend time alone with her. "Wait just a moment. I will get my horse and we can go for a ride."

  Chalice smiled and tenderly ran a finger along his chin. "But don't keep me waiting too long. Every second without you will seem like an eternity."

  The young man shuddered slightly at the gentle touch.

  Chalice's gaze followed him as he hurried to the stables to saddle Nightshade. "Men are so predictable," she mumbled to herself. "A nice smile, a gentle touch and they are yours. It will be easy to get the information I need. The boy is practically eating from my hand. My Master will not only repay me with gratitude. Finally, he will make me his true bloodmate!" She took a deep breath and a confident grin flitted across her pretty face. "Yes, I can feel it already. Immortality is close and reachable. Soon the whole world will tremble and will fall on its knees before us."

  Leading Nightshade by his reins, Kyrian came back. "So, Mademoiselle Christine? Are you ready for a little ride for two?"

  Flattered, Chalice put a hand on her chest, batted her brown eyes and responded, "Oh, how could I deny the wish of such a nice and charming man as you are. It would be an honor to follow you to the end of the world, Monsieur Kyrian."

  The young man laughed and walked her to his horse. As he was about to help her into the saddle, the dark stallion nervously retreated. Nightshade snorted and shook his head from side to side.

  The reins slipped from his grip, while Kyrian was trying in vain to calm down the horse. "Easy, boy, easy. Everything is alright." He tried to reach for the reins, but Nightshade reared up on his hind legs, neighing loudly and kicking his fore hooves. Protectively, Kyrian placed himself in front of Chalice, raised his hands, though the horse wasn't about to relax. Kyrian grew a bit annoyed. "Nightshade! Just, what is wrong with you, my boy?"

  "I have a feeling that he doesn't like me much," Chalice mentioned while peering at the stallion from behind Kyrian's back.

  It was obvious that the young man was quite embarrassed about the way his horse behaved and disobeyed him. Again he tried to get the wild stallion under control, but Nightshade retreated further. "I don't understand it," Kyrian said, looking at Chalice apologetically. "He's never behaved like that before."

  "Now, don't let that destroy our happy mood. I know of an idyllically place, not far from here. A beautiful, silent lake and believe me when I say, the place was made to have a picnic there. Come, follow me," Chalice declared and pulled at Kyrian's arm.

  He still stared disbelievingly at his black horse that was standing a few feet away, happily munching on some grass.

  "Come on, Kyrian," the blonde woman repeated, again pulling at his arm. "We can reach the lake when we walk. We don't need a horse to carry us there
."

  "Alright, just give me a moment and then I'm yours," Kyrian answered and bent down to carefully pick up the ebony crossbow that had slipped from his hands a short while ago. He ran to his sister, who was sitting somewhat dejectedly in the grass, looking at Jean and the other workers, who were busy with the hay harvest.

  Kyrian crouched beside her and placed the valuable crossbow and arrows on her lap.

  Dumbfounded, Skylar looked into the gleaming eyes of her brother.

  "I have a very important task for you. I know that you will do your best to fulfill it," he announced and smiled at his sister.

  Faced with the trust her big brother was bestowing upon her, she nodded eagerly, her dark mood quickly fading.

  "I want you to look after my crossbow. You have to promise to guard it like the apple of your eye. Do you think you are up for that challenge?"

  "You can count on me. I will not disappoint you!" she replied firmly.

  Grinning, he ruffled her hair. "I knew that, sister dear. Therefore, I have another task for you. Could you please take care of Nightshade? You know, I don't like to let others take care of him, but I trust you to look after him. If you want, you can also take him for a ride on one of the pantries, before you bring him back to the stables."

  Skylar blinked, her mouth hanging open. She nearly couldn't believe what her ears heard. After she had regained her composure, she hugged her brother effusively. "Yes, I will do that for you. I will guard the crossbow and take good care of Nightshade," the girl promised.

  "Thank you," Kyrian said, relieved and pecked her cheek. "See you later, little one." He rose and hurried back to his adored Christine.

  Suspiciously knitting her brows, Chalice observed the siblings from a distance. An unsettling feeling stirred in the depths of her dark heart. Jealousy.

  *****

  The head of the Leosol family sat in one of the overstuffed chairs in the castle's library. Her attention was held by some very old books and ancient parchments that were spread out in front of her. Among them was a leather case, and she pulled a fragile, unremarkable piece of paper from it. Concerned, Helena looked at the fading colors of the heraldic animals. They had started to flake off, which made deciphering them difficult. "This little piece of parchment is the oldest inheritance of our family. It is the only document showing all symbols of the five vampire clans." Carefully she smoothened the corners of the paper and looked closely at the signs. Engrossed, she whispered the names of the clans. "The Griffins, the Mantichoras, the Serpentes, the Dragons and ..." Helena hesitated a brief moment to say the name of the fifth and most powerful clan. "The Clan of the Phoenix." She shivered slightly as she glanced at the black crest with the blazing flames, which appeared as if they had been drawn not long ago. "The colors of this symbol are still shining so brightly. So different from the other pictures. Even the gold of the phoenix, rising from the flames with widely spread wings, didn't lose any of its splendor."

  Lost in thought, the huntress leaned back in her chair, her eyes never losing contact with the paper that rested in front of her on the table. "Is it irony of fate? My ancestors passed on the tale of this clan's downfall."

  Helena was interrupted, and her lips formed a smile as she heard the door open behind her. Whoever had entered the room was trying to be as quiet as possible. But the huntress knew there was no danger to be expected from this person, at least no danger to her. "Skylar, my precious. What can I do for you?" Helena asked and finally turned around. Only with some effort did she manage to suppress a laugh as she looked into the dismayed face of her daughter.

  "Mama, how did you know it was me? I was trying so hard not to make a sound." Skylar responded in a small voice, poking out her lower lip.

  "Oh, sweetheart. There is no need to pout. Your sneaking technique is getting better and better. But, it still needs some work. And besides, a mother can feel it when one of her children is near," Helena declared, winking. "So, tell me, why are you carrying the crossbow around? I thought your brother is showing you how to shoot with it?"

  "Well, we wanted to practice. Uh... something came up." After a pause the girl added, "Or dare I say, someone." She rolled her eyes.

  Helena reached for her daughter. She pulled her forward, until she was standing right beside her chair so the huntress could wrap an arm around her. "Skylar, I don't understand what you are trying to tell me. Where is Kyrian?" she wanted to know.

  Skylar sighed, looking at her mother. "In the throes of love, I suppose. This Christine from the funfair suddenly appeared. Nothing else mattered, except his adored one. I mean, sure, she is kind of nice and all but... but... You should have seen him. He was acting all weird."

  Helena seemed a bit worried, but her musings were interrupted by her daughter. "Do you know what happened just awhile ago?" Skylar asked, excited, remembering the occurrence.

  "No, I don't, my precious," Helena responded and smiled. "I'm sure you will tell me."

  "Kyrian was boasting that he could hit the handle of a pitchfork with the crossbow. And just as he was taking aim, Christine appeared and Kyrian was so distracted, he didn't notice that he had pulled the trigger," the blonde girl gushed with sparkling eyes. "And then, the arrow got stuck in Jean's behind." She giggled.

  Helena's eyes went wide. "Good God! Is Jean hurt? How often did I tell you not to play with the crossbow?!" she exclaimed, not the slightest bit amused.

  "No, Mama, no," Skylar replied, defending her brother and herself. She gently stroked her mother's arm, which was still wrapped around her. "We were shooting with arrows that don't have dangerous tips. Kyrian carved some from willow wood, just so we can practice. Jean is not hurt very badly... he... he is... just walking funny now." Skylar pressed her lips together tightly to keep from laughing out loud.

  Helena sighed and was relieved. "Well, that puts my heart at ease. Still, I will have to reprimand Kyrian for being so careless. Did the two of you at least apologize to Jean? I sincerely hope so."

  "Yes, Mama, we did. And he is not mad at us," Skylar answered.

  "Good. Now, please, put the crossbow back where it belongs. I don't want any other servants to see it and unnecessary rumors to rise, if it can be avoided."

  Her daughter did as she was told and stowed away the crossbow in its wooden chest. Then she went back to Helena, her eyes falling on the books, parchments and scrolls her mother was studying. "Mama? What are you searching for? Can I help you?" she asked with great interest.

  "I'm afraid not, precious. I'm trying to find clues such as to why our vampire acts like he does. But there is nothing. Absolutely nothing about his behavior fits any pattern we know," the huntress said, resignation heavy in her voice.

  "Well then, perhaps he belongs to one of the clans," Skylar threw in, unsuspecting, taking the paper with the heraldic animals into her hands.

  Brooding, her mother regarded her. "Could it be possible?" Helena mumbled and her mind was working feverishly. The huntress rose and began to pace. "Either that, or... ? Well, I can only assume. After what Bernard told us, he is extremely powerful. So, if he wasn't born a vampire, he must have been changed a very long time ago. That makes him a member of his creator's clan. The power he seems to have speaks against it. Nothing really fits together."

  "What if he does belong to a clan?" her daughter asked again.

  "Oh, my sweetheart. We shouldn't consider this possibility."

  Sullenly, Skylar sat on one of the chairs, supporting her head with her hands, her legs swinging under the table.

  Helena's mind almost spun while she was trying to put the pieces of this more than complex puzzle together. "It seems that our vampire follows his own rules. The drinking of blood is no longer enough. Killing gives him pleasure. He feels superior to the humans, plays cat and mouse with them and relishes it."

  "In other words, he is just as unpredictable and crazy as the woman, who is with him?" Skylar asked, looking at her mother with furrowed brows.

  Helena shook her head. "No,
no. Not crazy, more a devilish genius with the powers of an ancient vampire. Something tremendous is happening here. This is not just about the deaths of some nobles. But, no matter how I turn it and look at the facts from different angles, I still can't find out why. It evades my imagination. Whatever game he is playing, we have to defeat him."

  Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. Monique entered the library. "Madame Leosol, the Monsieur police chief is here and wishes to speak to you."

  Helena nodded. "Thank you, Monique. Please, send him in."

  "As you wish, Madame," she responded, dropped a curtsey and left.

  As soon as she was gone, Helena and Skylar quickly hid the documents.

  Shortly after that, Michel Dutroit stepped into the library and greeted Helena with a firm handshake. "Madame. Unfortunately, I bring bad news," he announced, a bit dejected.

  Questioningly, Helena arched her brows and looked at him expectantly. "Tell me. What happened?"

  "He... um... he got away, again."

  Helena closed her eyes for a moment and rubbed her temples. Another strong headache was making itself known.

  *****

  The room of the abandoned mansion was dark as Chalice entered. She was soaked through to the bones. The dress was clinging tightly to her body, and her long, blonde hair hung in wet strands from her head.

  In the dim glow of the pale moonlight, which fell through the coarse slits of the shutters, she groped her way to the table and fumbled for the matches. Hastily, she scratched one of them over the uneven tabletop. With a hiss the white phosphorus lit up. Chalice set the dancing flame on the wick of the oil lamp above her head and soft light illuminated the room. "My Master? My Master, are you awake?" she asked with a slightly trembling voice.

  Silence was her only answer.

  She sank to the floor, pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Chalice started to rock her body from side to side, while her eyes darted restlessly across the room. "My Master is not here, but he will be back soon, and he will unleash all his fury upon me. Oh yes, he will! I'm sure, he will do that," she whispered chokingly. "Unforeseen and terrible, just like a thunderstorm. I shouldn't have listened to the hunter. No, I shouldn't have done that. If only I had not followed him inside the barn! There I wasted precious time with unimportant, silly banter! Why did I do that? Why did I trust him? I don't know, but it was wrong! Yes, wrong!"