Chronicles of Darkness: Shadows and Dust (19 page)

         Tortured, Kean reported
what he had discovered "He sat on his throne, his cloak covering him as if
he was merely sleeping. I had no hope that he really was doing that. So I
searched for the reason... a stake or some other tool. I drew closer and pulled
the cloak aside. And then I saw... someone had sucked him dry. Dried-out, he
slumped on his throne. Shock slammed into all my bones. Still, I had to be
certain and so I examined his throat... and found the typical marks."

         "No!" Zephriel
exclaimed disbelievingly, his eyes darting through the room.

         "This is proof that
I have spoken the truth." Kean reached under his jacket and pulled out a
fine pendant of pure silver. It looked like a fragment, a small part that had
been violently torn from the rest. Respectfully, he held it out to Zephriel.
"I took it from Lord Apophis' stiff hand and hope that you recognize it,
Milord."

         The head of the Dragons
took the piece of jewelry, regarding it quietly. A cobra had been engraved into
the medallion's front. Silent, Zephriel closed his hand around the pendant and
leaned back. "What did you do afterward?"

         "I torched the
palace, Milord. Three days and three nights, I waited in a nearby cave, until
the blazing inferno had burnt it down to the foundation walls."

         Betraying no emotion,
Zephriel nodded and said, "You may go, now."

         Kean left the room.

         As soon as the door
closed audibly, Ajatarah stopped reining in her emotions. Supporting herself
with one hand on the window's sill, she rested the other over her heart. Tears
trickled down her beautiful face.

         Comforting her, Zephriel
pulled her into a strong embrace.

         Crying, Ajatarah buried
her face at her life mate's shoulder. "How is such a disaster possible?
The Serpentes are gone and we never even noticed! There was no message, no call
for help. Nothing. We did not feel anything at all."

         "It was an ambush.
They probably did not have time."

         Lost in thought, Ajatarah
let go of Zephriel, her tears barely constrained. "No time? I thought time
is the only good, meant for eternity, for us? Is it not time that makes us
immortal? Or are we destroying ourselves... with time?"

         Zephriel nuzzled his face
into the silky soft hair of his soulmate, breathing in the sweet scent of
roses. "We have a big burden to carry."

         Ajatarah looked up, her
eyes still glistening from shed tears. "I am frightened. This clan was the
closest to us, not only in the ways of friendship, also in distance between our
countries. What if..."

         Zephriel gently caressed
his beloved's cheek with the back of his hand, "Worry not, my Evening
Star. I will protect you with my life and kill everyone that attempts to harm
you, us or our clan."

         "I know. However,
should the next attack be meant for us..."

         Confidence returned to
Zephriel's voice. "Do not forget that we know more about the dark threat
than the unsuspecting Serpentes. The guards are aware, the clan has been
informed. We know that it must have been an ambush. Whoever our opponent is, he
will have to face the punishment which he deserves for slaughtering his own
kind. This terrible madness will not befall our clan."

         "Whoever it is, he
enjoys killing. Sooner or later his blood-stained path will cross ours,"
Ajatarah said. "We will find him or he finds us. It is of no matter,
because the result will be the same. Vampire against vampire, in a world that
belongs to the humans. I do not like the thought. But, if fate is forcing us to
fight, I will stand loyal by your side." She placed her hands flat against
his chest, endless love shining in her eyes. "I wish, we all could be
together in this hard time." Her longing gaze turned to Hraban.

         Zephriel's eyes followed
hers to the bird. "I feel the same. There is no one my heart could miss
more." Sighing, he gave in to her unspoken plea. "Fly safely."

         The raven that had been
silently sitting on the chair's backrest, croaked loudly. Then the big bird
rose and flew out of the window.

         Ajatarah looked after her
and whispered, "Will you return?"

*****

         Bored, Chalice lay on the
big bed, gazing at the ceiling that was covered with dots and specks of water
and mildew. One of her legs bent, she had placed the other on top, constantly
bobbing one foot. From time to time, her eyes flickered to Azrael, who seemed
rooted to the spot, utterly entranced by the Ancient Babylonian epitaph, which
he had pulled out of a chest.

         The young woman sighed and
turned to the window. On the highest part of the closed shutters, she noticed
the new day's first gray ray of light. For a while, she observed small
particles of dust, which danced in the beam, until she said quietly, "My
Master, dawn has arrived."

         Azrael's eyes turned from
the slab to the window. "Recently, during a brief conversation at the
opera, an old man told me that he is the uncle of wonderful twins. They will
visit him this autumn, here, in Paris. They are young, not even close to twenty,
incredibly beautiful and identical." He looked at his companion, eyes
piercing. "I must have them to play with. Their names are Valérie and
Véronique. You will prepare my way."

         "Of course,"
Chalice managed to say, trying to ignore the jealousy that clawed at her
insides.

         "I wrote down the
address for you." He gave her a tiny slip of paper. "Oh, and please,
be as careless as you can and leave lots of hints. Because we do want the nice
police men to find our trail, so they can immediately report to the widow Leosol.
I'm sure that won't be difficult for you, right?"

         Silently, the young woman
endured the humiliation.

         "I will rest now.
You know what you have to do."

         Chalice jumped from the
bed. "I will not disappoint you, my Master."

         "You had better make
sure of that. I'm very hungry after you abandoned me last time. Remember one
thing, rats are not suitable for my needs!" Disgusted, the vampire spat on
the floor.

         Submissively, his
companion lowered her head. "It won't happen again. I promise, my
Master."

         He accepted the apology
begrudgingly. "I count on you," Azrael sneered, before he disappeared
to his stone sarcophagus.

         Forcefully, the wind
rattled on the locked wooden shutters, as if demanding entry to the highest tower
of the Transylvanian castle. It was denied, the shutters of the tiny window
stayed locked. Only impenetrable darkness ruled behind the castle's thick
stonewalls, like it always had. It was a prison, even though the current
prisoner had chosen it herself. Old straw covered the cold, rough stone floor.
There was a hatch, which led to a narrow, spiral staircase and from there to
the castle's interior. The air was stale and stifling.

         Wrapped in a ripped, gray
sheet, Sadden lay on the clammy straw, awakening from her death-like sleep. The
wind's fury reverberated in her ears. With great effort, she managed to open
her tired eyes and stared into the darkness that surrounded her. Her hair,
which usually fell across her back in silky waves, stuck in wet strands to her
sweat-soaked body. It was nearly impossible for her to speak, because she had
trouble opening her chapped, dry lips. A hoarse sound came from her throat that
slowly formed to a voice, which whispered, "How much time has gone by,
Beloved? Not enough to free me from my guilt, but enough to drive me to the
edge of abstinent
madness."

         Her senses reeled between
dream and reality. Gathering all her strength, Sadden tried to rise, but her
limbs didn't exactly obey her wishes. Her face a mask of pain, and with her
lower arms supporting her body, she crawled across the floor, until she reached
the hatch. With the last of her strength, the vampire grabbed the big, iron
ring and pulled with all her might. She flung it open so hard, the wooden
trapdoor burst into tiny pieces as it connected with the stone floor.

         The shine of torches,
which illuminated the staircase, hurt her eyes. Momentarily blinded, she
squeezed them shut. "Help me... oh please... why are you not at my side?
I am coming to you, my Beloved..." Exhausted,
Sadden sank down near the opening. Once again, she fell into an uneasy,
feverish slumber.

*****

         Though Andrej appeared
composed, deep inside he was the exact opposite. He knew the situation all too
well, since he had been a little child. Every time that she retreated to the
tower, he was scared for Sadden. In their years of living together, he had
learned not to let that fear rule him.

         Purposely, he didn't
glance at the tower while climbing the stairs. He crossed the courtyard and
walked towards the castle's main building. On his back, Andrej carried his
portable scaffold and his painting utensils. Now and again, he looked at the
painting, which he held in his hands. "Yes, the colors of the wood that
are reflected by the lake are simply perfect, even though I had to hurry to
make use of the day's last light."

         Happy and contend, he
looked at the mountains. "The sunset's glow is the most beautiful light of
the day, but now the night has wrapped its arms around our world again."

         He turned back to his
picture, regarding his work proudly. "Hmm, the oil color has not dried
completely.
I have time enough to make a frame
for the picture."

         As he took the steps to
his workshop, his ears picked up unusual sounds that drifted through the quiet
of the castle
walls.
His heart jumped in excitement and he asked himself, "Has Sadden returned
from her chosen banishment?"

         Andrej put the painting
aside and hurried in direction of the music. "Since when is she playing
the harpsichord? Her favorite instrument is the..." He grew silent as the
perfect music became louder and a light melancholia took hold of him. Andrej
leaned against the corridor's wall, not realizing how the stone's coldness
slowly slipped under his clothes. He closed his eyes, listening intently to the
music that drifted to him, like waves of the sea. A heart-gripping longing had
been woven into this strange melody, touching him deep inside, while his heart
was seized by an unbearable, sensual sadness.

         Andrej walked into room,
saying, "Sadden, I didn't know that one can create such sad music..."
Dismayed, he looked at the harpsichord and recognized Lilith, who looked up and
was also surprised.

         For a tiny moment, Andrej
thought there was more in her eyes than the usual arrogance, but the old fire
of hostility returned soon enough. "It is not Sadden, who's playing!"

         "Yes,
whatever," he muttered, his happy mood disappearing. Ever since Sadden had
retreated, he had to put up with Lilith by himself. It tested his patience
greatly, although he was considered a very patient man. "Now that you are
finally awake, we can begin
with your next
lesson."

         Lilith rose and strode
over to the young man. In size, she came barely up to Andrej's shoulders, but
her aggressiveness was far greater than his. After she reached him, she paused
a moment and then said harshly, "How
much
longer
do you want to stand around so useless? Let us go!" The young vampire
never missed an opportunity to let him feel her profound aversion.

         Andrej sent a small
prayer to the heavens. Gritting his teeth, he grumbled, "Yes, it is always
such a pleasure to have to spend the night with you. I can't think of anything
else I'd rather do."

         Together they left the
castle behind and headed towards the woods. Soon, their silhouettes disappeared
into the darkness, while the stormy wind whipped through the treetops.

*****

         At the same time, up in
the tower, Sadden's eyelids weakly fluttered open. Searching for comfort, a
pair of blue eyes looked around in the dark chamber. It had become cold and
drafty. The only sound Sadden could hear was the continuing whistling of the
wind.

         With her tongue she
wetted her chapped lips and called hoarsely, "Is anybody there? Can you
hear me? I am so weak..."

         Only loneliness answered
her, her plea reverberating unheard from the stone walls.
Tears ran down her pale cheeks while she slowly sat
up. "Where are you?" she asked. Sadden touched her index finger to
her cheek, collecting a lone tear. Melancholic, she regarded the insignificant,
little drop and guided it to her lips. "Salty... salt in my wounds... I
will come to you," she called longingly down the stairs.

         Determined, Sadden
wrapped the gray linen more firmly around herself and slid through the trapdoor
to the first step of the spiral staircase. Faced with the unexpected strain,
her legs buckled and heavily she fell to her knees. She managed to rise again
and gripped the banisters for support. Slowly and carefully, Sadden made her
way down the tiny, well-worn stairs.

         Seemingly aimless, she
wandered through the castle's labyrinth of empty corridors. Again and again,
she fell to her knee
s
as strength left her,
only to get up again and stumble on. Often she grew dizzy and the way in front
of her would become blurry
.
Sadden
wavered,
hit
ting
walls, until her bare shoulders and arms were
covered with bruises and lacerations. Finally she came upon what seemed to be a
dead end.

         The corridor's floor was
covered with a well-worn carpet, which silenced the sounds of Sadden's
footsteps. Candles were burning inside small niches and led the way to a bare,
gray wall. Purposefully, she went to the bare wall and paused in front of it.
The weakened vampire closed her eyes, gathered her thoughts. After some time,
she found her inner calm.

         Keeping her
eyes closed
,
Sadden reached out to the side, pressing her palms flat against the walls. The
symbol of a flame had been carved into the walls. Under her palms, the stones
gave way, activating an ancient mechanism.

         Having reached the summit
of her strength, Sadden sank to the floor. In the place of the dead end
appeared the entrance to a hidden room. Slowly rising once again, Sadden
staggered inside. The wall closed behind her and the vampire found herself in a
high, circular room. Moonlight streamed through the ceiling's window.

         In the center of the room
stood a group of statues that had been made of pure, white marble. Carefully,
Sadden made her way towards them. Her fingers trembled as she reached for the
statues. Utterly exhausted, she fell to her knees in front of them. Her voice
was full of love in this seclusion, in her own, little sanctuary.
"Lisander... Amitabha... my beloved family..."

         Her piercing eyes were
fixed to the group of figures. The life-size statues had been reproduced in
great detail and
anybody
who
was
to look at them would think these figures were
only dreaming and could awake at any moment. The group of three statues was
dominated by a majestically man, whose longing gaze rested on his mate. One arm
was wrapped around his partner's waist, the other rested loosely on his side.
Sparkling emeralds were in the place of his eyes and a soft smile curled the
corners of his mouth. His adored woman was covered with elegant clothes, and
she wore real jewelry and fine gems around her neck. Unmistakable was her wavy
hair and her chiseled features. It was no other but a statue of Sadden herself,
artfully chiseled for eternity. Pure sapphires sparkled in the place of her
eyes, her cheerful gaze on the bundle in her arms. A peacefully slumbering baby
lay there, protected by her hands.

         Sadden gave vent to her
feelings. "I miss you two, so much, like when you were taken from me. The
pain is torturing me every second of every night since I was awakened."

         Sorrowful and begging for
relief from her pain, Sadden gazed at the likeness of her loved ones.
"Time is not healing my wounds... I am not allowed to forget... your
silence is reverberating endlessly,
as are the
screams of my victims... echoes from a time long passed...
"

         The vampire rose and
leaned on her mate, Lisander, while her eyes remained firmly fixed on her
precious, little daughter. Sadden rubbed her silky cheek against Lisander's
stiff arm, feeling the stone's smooth coldness against her soft skin. She kept
that position for a long time, becoming lost in numbing pain. "How pale
your love shines in the moonlight, reflected in your marble features. Frozen
you are and trapped for eternity. In the realm of my fantasies your
lives
will be
eternal. Forever visible, forever present, forever torturing."

         Tenderly, she ran her
fingertips across Amitabha's face. "I am pulled towards you, caught in a
vortex, with no escape.
Lonely, I wait for the passage to cross over, to
return to your loving arms..."

         Tears of never-fading
longing ran down Sadden's pale cheeks. Sobbing, she sank down, covering her
face with her hands. Then she looked up into Lisander's emeralds. "It is
my indelible fate to continue living until... tell me, my soulmate... Why am I
forced to still walk this world that took both of you from me?"

*****

         At a leisurely pace,
Andrej and Lilith strode through the woods.

         "For what reason do
you always carry the pistol?"

         Andrej looked down at the
weapon and pulled it from his belt. "There are a lot of wild animals
around here. They could be a danger to us."

         "Ah, wild animals.
You do know that I am immune to such weapons, don't you?" she re
s
ponded
sarcastically
.

         The young man switched
the weapon from one hand to the other, smiling provokingly, "Why do you
think I'm talking about you?"

         Offended, the vampire
didn't answer and so they continued their way through the forest in silence.

         Some time later and
deeper in the woods, Lilith's sharp gaze found something beneath some dry
twigs. Curious, she went to it.

         Andrej saw what she had
discovered. "Careful! It's a trap!" His searching eyes scanned the
ground. "I'm quite sure it's not the only one around here."

         With great caution,
Lilith scrutinized the device, carefully removing the twigs and some old
leaves. The trap was the size of a plate and made of iron, with sharp, curved
spikes around the edges.

         Andrej stood next to
Lilith and bent down. "If the animal steps on this trigger in the middle,
the iron teeth will snap close and pierce themselves forcefully through the
flesh down to the bone. Look." He picked up a stick from the ground and
pressed the rigger with it. Immediately, the trap snapped shut with such force
that the stick's bark splintered. "The trapped animal will perish
painfully and it will take a long time. Unfortunately, it is common practice to
hunt with these."