Dawn of Darkness (Daeva, #1) (25 page)

With our
meal hanging up-side down, Daniel rolled up his sleeves and began
to work on skinning and gutting the poor, tasty creature. Unlike
when he gutted the fish, I couldn't bear to watch. I heard the
knife slicing deep into its stomach, and soon after a wet thud as
its organs spilled out onto the floor. There was a horrid stench of
blood and faeces that turned my stomach.

I figured
this was as good a time as any for questions, so I asked him, "What
did you mean when you said Violet and Sebastian are
bonded?"

"So
that's why you volunteered to help." He laughed. "Guess I can't
blame you for being curious. It means they've drank each other's
blood."

"Wouldn't
that make him a vampire?" I asked, recalling one of the lessons I
attended on vampires.

"It
doesn't quite work like that," he said. There was more tearing and
squelching. "To turn someone, you first gotta drain them almost
completely. Then they have to ingest some of the vampire's blood.
Violet and Sebastian only share a little at a time, just enough to
maintain the bond."

"Then how
does she feed?" I glanced over my shoulder. Daniel was still
removing some of the skin, but it wasn't so bad to look at now. It
looked less like an animal and more like a giant slab of meat. I
just had to try and not let my eyes wander down to the pile of
organs on the floor.

"She
feeds from me. I heal faster, and that goes for blood loss too, not
just the bite marks. Plus, werewolf blood is more potent than human
blood, so she can go longer between feeding."

"Oh."

"Anything
else you wanna ask?"

"There is
one thing," I replied, unsure how he might react to the
question.

"Fire
away."

"How much
of what they have is... real? And how much is the bond?"

"They
loved each other long before they bonded. Sebastian wasn't forced
into anything, if that's what you're asking," Daniel said, cutting
into the deer's flank.

"You knew
them back then?"

"Yup. I
was sixteen when I first met Violet. The same night I snuck out of
the orphanage. Almost died from a werewolf attack."

"Sorry. I
shouldn't have pried." In a way it was comforting to know I wasn't
the only orphan in the group. I had someone who shared a common
past with me, though I didn't let Daniel know this.

"It's
okay. I don't mind talking about it. You might have noticed but I'm
comfortable with what I am." He smiled, flashing his pointy teeth
at me. "Anyway, it was Violet who saved me. I owe her my life,
because if she hadn't shown up, that werewolf would have killed me.
She looked after me until I recovered. Even put in touch with
another werewolf, who helped me deal with my new condition. After
that, I just kinda stuck around. I guess she's kinda like my
adoptive parent." He paused, and then chuckled to himself. "You
know, she does seem to have a knack for picking up stray kids.
First me, then Nate, and now you."

"And what
about Sebastian?"

"Hmmm. It
must've been a year or two after I started travelling with her. You
can ask Violet if you wanna know the specifics, but they worked
together for a while in Aldar. They just kinda fell for each other.
Been together ever since."

"So it
was only the three of you until you picked up Nate?"

Daniel
stopped mid-cut. I saw his hand tremble on the hilt of his knife,
clutching tight enough to make his knuckles go white. "No, there
have been others. I'd rather not talk about that, if it's okay with
you."

With a
sudden downward stroke, Daniel severed a large slab of meat clean
from the bone. He caught it in his hands and handed it to
me.

"Take
this back and I'll clean up here," he said. I noticed he avoided my
eyes then. No doubt the topic was a rather sore one for him. I
decided to leave it at that and carried the meat back to the
others. The fire was lit, and the meat began to cook. Daniel joined
us after some time, looking more subdued than usual. When he sat
his shoulders slumped, his eyes staring absently into the
fire.

After
finishing our food, we set off again at a slow pace, heading
northwards. With the sky threatening to rain down on us we found a
small bunker and decided to get some rest.

*****

Everyone
was still asleep when I awoke, even Violet, who was cuddled up to
Sebastian. Unlike everyone else, her body didn't move at all. It
was as if she was truly dead. I wondered how long it took Sebastian
to get used to that. I know it would freak me out.

I felt
restless, so I wandered outside for a bit to stretch my legs,
making sure not to stray too far from camp. The rain had come and
gone while I slept. Water dripped from the leafless branches,
creating the illusion that it was still raining, although the sky
was now clear. The sun would be setting again soon, and then our
march across France would continue. I still had no real idea as to
where we were headed, only that the city of Aldar would be there.
The thought of a city full of vampires still scared the hell out of
me.

I pulled
myself up onto a low branch, and sat with my back against the
trunk, thinking. Even if we were able to break past the barriers at
Rachat, what then? Would the vampires all invade the city? How many
innocent people would die, trying to protect their homes? What
would happen to the city afterwards? There was so much I didn't
have the answer to. I felt lost, confused, scared, hurt, and
angry.

"You
shouldn't wander off on your own," Violet said. I hadn't heard her
approach. When I didn't reply, she said, "Are you okay?"

I looked
away, letting out a deep sigh.

"What am
I saying? Of course you're not okay." Violet jumped up onto the
branch, landing with barely a sound, and walked over to me. She sat
down at my feet, taking my hands in hers and squeezing them gently.
"Talk to me," she said.

"I'm
okay. Honest. I think I just need some time to absorb
everything."

"Are you
sure?"

I forced
myself to smile and look Violet in the eye. "Yeah. I know what I
have to do now." The smile dropped. "It just scares me a little
because I have no idea how the future is going to play out, you
know? Will Ash still be waiting for me? How will the city cope
without the Silver Dawn?"

"No-one
can know for sure what will happen, but I will tell you this. When
the time comes it will be hard for people to accept the truth...
Ash included. It may take some time, but I am sure he will come
around in the end."

"You
think so?"

"Yes, I
do." Violet lifted a hand and placed it on my head, ruffling my
hair. I scowled at her and she laughed before withdrawing her hand
and placing it next the other on her lap. We were silent for a
minute before Violet spoke up again.

"You
wouldn't happen to know why Daniel has been withdrawn since the two
of you went hunting, would you?"

I told
her how I asked about how they met, and if it was just the three of
them until they picked Nate up. Violet stopped me
mid-sentence.

"Sarah. I
should have guessed."

"Who's
Sarah?"

"She was
Daniel's mate. A werewolf like him. They were together for three
years, and then one day, out of the blue, she asks to join us on
our next assignment. Daniel begged her to stay at home, but she
eventually managed to convince him."

"What
happened?"

"We were
sent to clear out a group of vampires that were disrupting the
trade routes between Aldar and Felwood – one of the smaller human
settlements out there. For days we tracked the vampires, hoping to
find their base. Well, we found it. And so did the Silver Dawn.
Sarah... didn't make it." Violet bowed her head. "That was two
years ago, and he still blames himself."

I could
hear the distress in her voice as she spoke. It must have been hard
on her, to see him in pain and not be able to relieve it. Perhaps,
she bore some of the blame herself.

"Why are
vampires fighting each other?" I asked, trying to change the
subject.

"The same
reason humans have fought against each other since the beginning of
time. They believe in different things. Those of us who live in the
cities, alongside you humans, just want to be able to live without
hiding ourselves... without having to scavenge our next meal. It's
a mutually beneficial relationship, of course. We get fed, and the
humans get protection."

"Was it
like that before the plague too?"

"Not at
all. Back then the only thing you humans needed protecting from was
yourselves. When we came out of hiding we were a novelty.
Businesses started popping up, and people would pay stupid amounts
of money to meet a vampire. There'd be people lining up outside
clubs, some of them wanting to see if we lived up to the legends,
and others thinking they could seduce us – fang-bangers, they were
called. There was no shortage of willing meals back then. They gave
their blood freely. Then the Silver Dawn showed up." Violet sighed.
"At first they had little support. People ruled them off as bigoted
fear-mongers."

"Until
the plague they predicted came true," I added.

"Exactly.
After that, their numbers sky-rocketed. People began torching the
clubs, and our homes. If anyone was suspected of being a
sympathiser, they'd be beaten and often killed. It was horrifying.
In order to try and redeem themselves, they would turn to killing
others of their own kind. But by then it was much too late. Entire
cities were infected. The world was in chaos."

"Were
they right about why the plague came?"

"No-one
can say for sure. But we do not believe we were the
cause."

"Okay, so
what about the other vampires? What do they believe in?"

"They
believe we should not be making friends with our food. They see
humans only as prey, and would rather we go back to skulking in the
shadows."

There
were footsteps from below. I spotted Nate walking up to
us.

"There
you two are. What you doing up there?"

Violet
pushed herself from the branch, landing in front of Nate. "Just
talking. Are the others up?"

"They
were getting up when I left."

"Okay,
well, be ready to move out soon. May as well get an early start."
Violet went back to the bunker, leaving Nate stood below me,
looking up.

"You
hungry?" he asked, pulling two small foil-wrapped bars from his
pocket.

"Starving,"I replied and jumped down with a smile. "What is
it?"

"Some
kinda energy bar. Honestly, they taste like shit, but it'll keep
you full for a few hours. Just, uhhh, don't tell the others. I
kinda snatched the last ones. Figured you might be needing
one."

"Better
than nothing," I said, taking one. "Thanks. I'll try to make it
last."

"No
problem."

I
unwrapped the bar and took a bite. Nate's appraisal hadn't been
entirely accurate. It tasted more of a bland mush than shit. Still,
it felt good to get something into my stomach. I took another bite
then wrapped the rest up and pushed it into my pocket.

"Do you
ever wonder why we were left alive?" I asked.

"All the
damn time. It was General Marsten that dumped me in the middle of
nowhere too."

"He said
to me he didn't want to do it, but he had to."

"Guilty
conscience? Maybe he couldn't bring himself to kill us."

"Maybe,"
I said as we began walking up to the bunker.

Violet
met us halfway, handing us each a backpack to carry. Daniel came
out soon after, bounding towards us. He brushed past Violet's legs
and nuzzled his head against her. She reached down and patted him
on the head. His eyes caught mine, and for a second I thought I saw
a flicker of pain, but then it was gone. He was running from the
pain, I thought.

"Come
on," Violet said. "We need to get moving again while the weather is
still good." She turned and went back to the bunker where Sebastian
was waiting. Nate followed. Daniel's eyes were fixed on me. He
walked up to me, his nose brushing past my pocket as he sniffed at
it. So much for keeping that a secret. He whimpered and nudged my
leg.

"What?
You get to eat rabbits and... stuff." I kneeled down in front of
him, my hands stroking his ears. I began to wonder how much of the
human Daniel was still in there.

"Must be
so easy for you, being able to shift whenever you're hungry, or
sad." Daniel tilted his head and whined. "It's their fault, you
know? The Silver Dawn. They stole from us. Now we have to make them
pay."

Daniel's
tongue shot out, licking my cheek. He barked and ran off after
Violet, his tail wagging. I shook my head, thinking about how
stupid I must have seemed, talking to a wolf. But I think he
understood. I hoped he did. He needed someone to blame other than
himself.

As we
walked I began asking the others about what the city of Aldar was
like. Violet told me it was a preserved piece of history, one of
the few cities that survived the ruin that came after the plague.
She also said, I would have to wait and see, because she didn't
want the surprise to be spoiled. This only served to fuel my
curiosity, but everyone else sided with Violet and kept their
mouths shut.