Dawn of Darkness (Daeva, #1) (4 page)

We had
been standing for what seemed like forever in the biting cold, when
finally the bells began to sound. As the last bell rang, the drums
started. Following soon after was the myriad of brass and wind
instruments, and then we were off.

The march
took us out of the gates and past hordes of cheering citizens, kept
back by small, temporary, iron fences that looked like they could
topple over at any moment. More than once I heard a few angry
shouts rise above the clamour. 'Freaks,' they shouted, or 'Demons'.
I tried my hardest to ignore the heckling, and kept my eyes facing
forward. My fists clenched. Once or twice I found myself glancing
into the audience, looking for the source of the animosity, but it
was hard to pick anyone out in the crowd.

We
reached the heart of the city, and circled once around the large,
white church of the Silver Dawn. This building was the cornerstone
of our city, the last ray of hope humanity clung to. While religion
wasn't a mandatory part of our lives, the majority of people
believed, at least to some extent, in God. Without the Silver
Dawn's protection, the human race may not have survived at all, and
so it seemed only natural to believe in them and their teachings. I
was still on the fence about the whole God debate. A higher power I
could believe in, but not this all-knowing, all-loving God. Where
was he during the apocalypse? What kind of God could let a child be
born into this world with no family? If this God existed, I figured
he stopped caring a long time ago.

Past the
church was the old marketplace. The various stalls were still open,
trying to cash in on the annual event as we marched proudly past
them. Beyond that were the suburbs, the factory district, and then
the towering white walls of the academy loomed once
more.

The gates
shut behind us with a loud clang. The marching band and floats
detoured to one side of the parade ground, leaving us graduates to
continue down the centre. We came to a stop in front of the raised
stage, where General Marsten stood to one side. He stepped up to
his podium, and the quiet murmur of voices stopped abruptly. The
General was a middle-aged man, dressed in a uniform similar to our
own, though his was all white, with black and gold trim, and bore
many decorations across his chest. A neatly trimmed handlebar
moustache adorned his slim, angular face.

"Ladies
and Gentleman, I welcome you to the fifty-seventh annual graduation
ceremony." He paused while the audience applauded. "Today we
celebrate not only the graduation of these fine cadets, but also
our persistence as a species pushed to the brink of extinction.
Almost a century ago, vampires walked among us as
friends."

I sighed,
shifting on my feet. We had all heard this speech before, in one
form of another; when we joined the academy, at church, or during
History lessons at school. Our predecessors legalised vampirism,
befriending the undead, despite the warnings of the church. The
most prominent of those against the legislation was the Silver
Dawn, who warned that consorting with vampires would bring about
the end – the apocalypse. Unfortunately, they were right. A plague
swept across the Earth, systematically infecting the human race. It
was only a matter of weeks before it had spread across the entire
globe.

"It was
in this very city that the Prophet Jules delivered a message from
Heaven. A message of hope, of a cure."

People
from all over the world flocked to the churches, desperate to
receive the blessing that would save them from certain doom. For
most, however, it was too late.

"For
those who survived, it was merely the beginning of the ordeal. Many
loved ones were lost. Homes, communities, and entire cities were
lost. Our way of life was taken from us!"

The
remaining survivors banded together, to form a new city centred
around the Silver Dawn's church. Rachat, the barrier city, so
called because of the protective wards that surrounded it, and
prevented any advance from the vampires, was built upon the remains
of what was once Bourges in France. As far as we knew, Rachat was
the only such city in France, and maybe even in the entire
world.

"Yet we
stand here today, despite all of this. We persist in this world
because of our faith, courage, strength, resilience and unity. All
of these are qualities you will find in each and every one of our
graduates today. They represent not only our will to survive, but
also hope. Hope for a better future, where our children and our
children's children will be able to walk free, outside of the
barriers, without fear of attack from vampires, werewolves, or
whatever else may spawn from the deepest pits of Hell. They are our
salvation, and our protectors. They are the graduates of
2105!"

The
audience stood, clapping and cheering louder than
before.

"Finally," Lucas muttered beneath his breath. "I thought he
would go on forever."

"You and
me both," I replied.

"Now, I'd
like to invite Principal Wilkes to begin the presentations."
General Marsten stepped down and moved to the opposite side of the
stage.

Principal
Wilkes, formerly Colonel Wilkes, until he retired from active duty
on account of the loss of his left leg, hobbled over to the podium
with his walking stick in-hand. His uniform was identical to the
General's, only with less badges on show. He spoke with a rough,
deep voice; the kind you would expect from someone who looked as he
did, with his square jaw, busted nose, and short-cropped hair. He
held a piece of paper in his hands, and began to read out the list
of names.

Each
squad marched in turn onto the stage as their names were called
out. The audience clapped after each name, and General Marsten
shook their hands before they exited the stage and rejoined the
back of the line, which crept forward with every squad that was
called.

We made
it to the front of the queue and waited for our names. To our
surprise, Principal Wilkes stepped back, allowing the General to
come forward once more. It appeared we would be getting a special
introduction.

"Before
we bring our final graduates onto the stage, I would like to say a
few words. This last decade has proven to be a joyous one indeed.
Each year, our scientists and engineers are rediscovering lost
technology, and inventing new ones, such as the eco-domes, allowing
us to grow fruit and vegetables all year round that would otherwise
not survive in our climate."

He went
on to give more examples, rambling on about the recent advances in
medicine and weaponry, which allowed us to fight back against the
monsters roaming outside the city walls. I started to tune it out,
when a nudge from my right caught my attention.

"There's
something wrong," Ash whispered. I raised an eyebrow in question.
"I've been trying to block everything out, but there's this one
feeling I can't shake. It's not good. Something bad is gonna
happen. I can feel it."

"First
time a full squad of Daeva has graduated together," said Lucas.
"They made a pretty big deal out of it too. There's bound to be
some people not happy about that."

"What do
we do?" I asked.

"Give me
a sec," Ash said, closing his eyes. I understood he was
concentrating on the invisible waves of emotion around him. His
hand twitched, as though it were grasping at something. When his
eyes opened, he looked to his right, into the audience. "Back row,
third or fourth from the left."

I glanced
over at the people in question. "Bald guy?"

Ash
nodded. "Either him or the brunette. There's too much interference
here to tell."

"I'll
pass the word on to keep an eye out," said Lucas.

Everything went silent. General Marsten eyed us before
continuing. "It was eight years ago, when a miracle happened within
the walls of our great city. A woman by the name of Elaine created
fire with her bare hands."

What the
General failed to mention was Elaine lost control of her ability,
killing five and wounding several others, before someone took an
axe to her head. And that was only the first of many.

"That
same year, a young boy named Michael found he could
levitate."

Shot
twice in the head and branded a demon-child.

"These
people, Daeva as they have come to be known, have been given gifts
from God himself. Long have we had the disadvantage in this war,
but no more! Today, we present to you five such extraordinary
people, who have faced much adversity to be here."

General
Marsten stepped back, and Principal Wilkes retook the
podium.

"The
Third Sunreaver squad."

We began
our march up onto the stage, led by Brad, who paused to whisper
something in the Principal's ear, presumably about Ash's warning.
Wilkes nodded before continuing.

"Bradley
Mitchell." Brad strode across the stage and shook hands with the
General. Again, he stopped to whisper. From where I stood, I had a
good view of the suspicious couple. The man was tall, wearing a
dark jacket, his arms folded across his broad chest. Next to him
sat the woman. She was much shorter and frail looking, her body
trembling from the cold wind that blew about us. My money was on
Baldie.

"Katiya
Alexandros," said the Principal, and Katiya walked over to complete
the hand shake.

"Lucas
Quinn." Baldie was looking agitated by now, shuffling in his seat.
I tried to convince myself that it was only because the seats were
uncomfortable.

"Mikhail
Hart." I walked forward, trying not to stare at Baldie, whose eyes
were fixed on the stage.

General
Marsten took my hand in his firm grip. "Congratulations,
Son."

I nodded
and said thanks. It took all my self-control not to run off the
stage.

"Ashley
White," Wilkes announced. Seconds later we were all back in
formation at the rear of the line. I wanted to punch Ash for making
us worry over nothing.

With the
final round of applause dying down, General Marsten spoke up. "It
is now time for the oath-taking. Please raise your right hand and
repeat after me."

The oath
was well known to us all by now. It went, "I do solemnly and
sincerely swear, before God and the people of Rachat, that I will
fulfil my duties to the best of my abilities; that I will support
and defend the city and its people against all enemies, foreign or
domestic; that I take this oath of my own free will and without any
reservation, so help me God."

"Congratulations, graduates of 2105 and welcome to the army."
The crowd stood, applauding. Many of the hats were thrown into the
air. It was too much fuss for my liking. They would only have to
chase down the hats to return them at the end of the day. "Thank
you all for attending. I'd like to invite all of you to join us in
the main lobby, located through the double doors behind the stage,
where there will be refreshments, and a chance to talk to the
graduates. Dismissed."

The
marching band that had sat quietly to one side chimed in as the
crowd began to disappear. Many of them went straight for the hall,
though I spotted a few heading towards the gates.

I turned
and gave Ash a quick jab to his left arm. "What was that all
about?"

"I dunno.
Must be the excitement getting to me."

"You guys
coming?" Brad called to us.

Everyone
was going to meet their families. There was nothing for me in that
hall.

"Come on,
I'll introduce you to my brother." Ash threw an arm over my
shoulder, and dragged me along with him.

I let Ash
lead me into the lobby, which by now was overflowing with people.
To our left stood a line of tables, filled with plastic cups of
orange juice, and a stack of Styrofoam cups next to a hot water
tank, which I could only assume was filled with coffee. Feeling a
little chilled from standing out in the cold, I decided to make
myself one. Ash passed on the hot drink and stood near the door,
his eyes scanning the room.

When I returned with my drink, I
noticed Ash was talking to a younger man, who
had
to be his brother. The family
resemblance was plain to see. He was taller than Ash by an inch or
so, and slimmer. The hair was the same blond, though longer and
shaggier, and his eyes held the same unmistakable sapphire
sparkle.

"You must
be Mik," he said, extending his hand to me. We shook briefly. "I'm
Graeme. Ash has told me a lot about you."

"Oh, has
he?" I looked to Ash, wondering what exactly he had been
saying.

"You can
alter what people are feeling, right?"

I nodded
and took a cautious sip of my coffee, making sure it wouldn't scald
my tongue and throat. The warmth was a welcome relief.

"That's
so cool. So you could walk up to a chick and make her feel horny?"
he asked.

If I had
had coffee in my mouth, it would have ended up all over Ash and his
brother. "I guess the resemblance is more than physical," I said,
unsure of what else to say. That was one feeling I had never tried
to manipulate, nor would I ever want to try.