A Crimson Frost - 4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The evening light shone upon two women sitting in a restaurant, one with black hair, and one with blond. The two seemed almost out of place in a small town restaurant, seemingly belonging to another place and time.

The blond woman smiled as she took a sip of wine, “So, I understand you have been doing well for yourself within the ranks of the Raven Lord, my darling Anna.”

The dark haired woman genuinely returned the smile, “I have found two subjects suitable for training. And his lordship generously gave me permission to initiate one as my daughter.”

The blond haired woman sighed, leaning back in her chair, “You should have taken the other one as well. Remember while Devin is the lord of your house, he holds no sway over you.”

Anna looked at the other woman and frowned, stirring her wine slightly, “True, mother; however, he believes, and I concur, that the house is not yet ready being as it is still under threat from Merkel. And it would be wise for me to go slow in case his enclave is wiped out.”

The Lady De Rethel smiled, “You are learning well my daughter, truly you are worthy of the name he gave you, Lady Amaranth.” She sighed, and then pulled something from the pocket of her coat. “I have a gift for you, both as your mother, and the head of your former order.” She reached across the table holding a deep red cloth package.

Anna slowly extended her fingers out to take the package. With some hesitation she pulled away the cloth to reveal a silver star. It was similar to De Rethel’s own, except this one contained a blue center stone in place of De Rethel’s red. The woman gasped and held it up, “Thank you mistress.”

De Rethel smiled, “You are welcome, having earned it. But sadly now I must leave you.” The blond woman rose up, placing her hand on the back of her daughter’s chair for a moment, as she whispered sadly. “Be ready for what is to come, my daughter.” With that the elder vampire walked leisurely from the restaurant.

The woman strode across the street and stopped before a man under an umbrella. De Rethel brought up her hand and patted the man’s cheek tenderly, “So nice of you to wait here for me, Marcus.”

Marcus gave her a small smile, his eyes growing distant at her touch before leaning into it. Then he closed his eyes. But in second the man realized what he was doing and blushed, grinning sheepishly, “Aveline, my love, it was my pleasure.” He turned away from her and quickly opened the door on his white Rolls Royce.

The elder vampiress lifted up her white dress and without hesitation pulled herself into the car, and waited as the man climbed into the front seat and started the car.

Marcus drove Aveline to the western side of town, and then out through the countryside to the airport. He parked the car just in time to see an old pre-World War II Junkers Ju 52 swooped down from the sky like a great silver condor, its three engines sounding like the screech of a bird heralding the doomed. The old passenger plane floated down the run way, gracefully landing. Then the pilot turned the plane around to the terminal.

Without pomp and circumstance, the male pilot turned off the engines and opened up a side door to the awaiting De Rethel.

The noble woman lifted up her hand and a nearby parked van pulled up and unloaded several feral vampires. The crazed individuals were followed by Merkel in all his imposing glory or it would have seemed so to an onlooker if not for De Rethel’s own presence.

The tattooed bald man wore his long furred trench coat, as he stood before the woman in white. “So what did his lordship bring us?”

Merkel’s minions slithered towards the pilot. They were led by a tall man with graying blond hair. The feral man sniffed at the pilot, forcing the human to shift on his feet uncomfortably. The vampire growled, “This one smells human…” he moved in to grab at the pilot.

Lady De Rethel, with a swift movement, was between the two, “Keep your filthy hands off him.” Taking hold of the man’s wrist, she threw the feral vampire backwards. However her glare was to Merkel.

Merkel grinned and held up one hand, “Come now mister Schroeder, we wouldn’t want to upset the witch.”

The man called Schroeder was markedly saner and more powerful than the rest of Merkel’s fledglings. The feral vampire gave Aveline an arrogant look as he pulled himself away and sank back behind his master.

De Rethel’s eyes flickered to the man with concern, then back to Merkel. “A new general? I would assume a man after your own heart…”

The pilot coughed, handing the woman a note, before stepping back.

De Rethel’s face grew pale as she read the contents and she whispered lowly, “Them….” The vampiress only took a second to compose herself before looking up and speaking to Merkel, “You have three coffins in the back, have your men retrieve them. Use your blood to awaken what is inside, and only your blood, and these… creatures will follow your commands.”

Merkel, with a wave of his hand, sent his men into the plane. “What haven’t you told me Aveline?” Clearly not trusting the elder vampire in front of him, and having noticed her fear, gave her a satisfied look.

De Rethel returned his smirk with an arched eyebrow and a cold frown, “You don’t have the right to call me by that name, Franz Merkel. I have already told you what I would, and that was to beware of what you ask for, now take your prizes and leave.”

The vampires hauled the heavy coffins from the plane to their van and drove off.

Aveline De Rethel handed a note to the pilot, then turned and walked back to her car.

The noble woman shuddered as she sat in the car. “Vile creatures, I’ll never get myself clean of having to deal with Merkel and his ilk.” She watched the plane start its engines, back up, and take to flight. Then her eyes widened as the machine teetered and swerved in the air. Finally coming around and crashed right into the terminal.

Her eyes narrowed, “Merkel has just made an enemy of his lordship, if he survives his fight with the Raven; House Ephraim will hunt him down and kill him…” She leaned back in her seat looking at her driver, “Take us back to the hotel, Marcus; I need a bite and a bit of a distraction.”

The male driver practically swooned in the front seat, “Yes, my lady.” He started the car speeding leisurely away as orange smoke billowed across the sky as more explosions racked the airport and lit up the evening sky.

…

As the dark curtain of night pulled deeper across the sky, Devin sat behind a desk in what had once been the principal’s office. Hammering and the sounds of work wracked the school, much the way the pounding of human feet once had. The teenager was holding his head as he looked down at bills and invoices. “I am too young for this…”

Under his desk Alex sat nestled with his head on Devin’s lap like a puppy. The little vampire hummed a happy little tune, seemingly heedless of Devin’s headache. “It’s ok, Master…”

Devin grinned, and stroked the other boy’s hair, “I know, but it’s frustrating…” He lifted the boy’s chin, “Why don’t you go sit on the couch, or lay if you want.”

Alex pouted, “But I like being here, and I don’t like chairs… too closed-in.” However, the boy walked over to the old couch and lay down with his head along the arm.

More often it seemed the voice in his head was silent letting Devin figure things out for himself, though the old Raven queen would give him advice every so often, mostly about things he didn’t want to know about. Contrary to his reports of Merkel that had started to flow onto his desk, his gains were much smaller, if more politically sound.

Devin had turned six more people during the last week, mostly within the slums near his new home, and gathered at least two more people to become enslaved to his blood. Though four of his new children had yet to be fully turned, two others, like Scott, had to be turned much more quickly due to the actions of Merkel’s men. These people had removed themselves from their homes, either voluntarily or forcefully, hence the sounds of construction around the teenagers.

In turn the Raven Lord had secured the slums, putting it firmly in his territory; however that left most of Fredericksburg as a battle ground. More than that, Devin sensed a third uncertain element developing.

Just then there was a knock on the door that caused Devin to look up from his reports.

Garrick stepped into the room followed by an entirely vampiric Connor.

Devin’s second eldest child’s hair had grown eye-length and had turned almost entirely white. The young man’s skin had turned pale while his eyes glowed slightly blue every so often.

There was sadness in Connor’s eyes, and Devin wasn’t sure if it was because after the teenager ascended, he had gone home in an attempt to live with his family, but in a twisted form of mercy, drained his mother’s blood and killed her.

It was no secret that Connor’s mother was on drugs, any more than it was that Connor had no father. It had always made him a dark and brooding person, just as much as a rebellious gangster.

All Devin did was clean up the mess and bring Connor back to his new family. The other teen however chose to stick close to Devin whenever it was possible, whenever he was not with the others he was there like Devin’s shadow.

Behind them, Scott stepped from Garrick’s shadows. Scott had been gone the last several days, spying on Merkel’s group from afar. The second vampire had developed the ability to slide into shadows and become invisible to everyone’s senses, including Devin himself. Scott had taken onto himself the role of scout, spy and assassin. It was a role Scott seemed to relish almost too much in most people’s opinions, as Scott had taken to popping out at odd times and scaring people, including his fellow vampires.

Garrick glared at Scott then turned his eyes to Devin, “Tell him everything you told me Scott.” Nominally Garrick acted as Devin’s general, though only because Devin himself allowed it.

Scotts stepped forward, his flashing eyes giving a hint of his mirth, “With pleasure Captain, I was hiding out where I believe Merkel’s coven makes its home. Their numbers are immense; I would have to say 40 ferals under his command. If we are attacked directly, I think we may lose, and it’s too much to be able to defeat them in their own base. However there are several odd things my lord. For one there seems to be a group of about seven vampires, many of them high-schoolers that seem to be different from the rest.”

Devin’s eyebrows arched up with interest and he looked at Scott intensely, “How so?”

Scott shook his head, “I am not exactly sure how to put it less… monstrous… more civilized. They seem nicer to the humans they got in there bleeding.” He frowned, “Oh one other thing, one of them is the guy you were sweet on, Yoshua Parker.”

If Devin’s face could have gone paler would have, “What!?”

Garrick almost grinned at Devin’s reaction.

Devin glared back at Garrick, “Don’t say a word Garrick.” Then he turned his head and looked back to Scott, “Anything else about Yoshua?”

Scott shifted uncomfortably, “Well, he seems close to the side-group’s leader, a bad ass looking guy I’ve never seen before, almost as if he’s sweet on him.”

Alex looked back and forth, his little body shaking with fear, and his face was filled with a heartbroken sorrow. The boy jumped up and ran from the room, giving off a stifled sob as he left.

Devin quickly stood from his desk to go after his fledgling, but Garrick took his arm, “You have to hear the rest of this…”

Devin looked at Garrick filled with panic, before shaking his head as he sat back down. “Fine, continue Scott.”

Scott nodded, “A group of men led by Merkel left their coven, with the Carole woman you told me about still there.” He sighed, “I tried to follow, but you know cars are a bit fast, and after about two blocks I lost track of the van, so I went back to the factory, but most of his men had started to leave in order to gather more… minions for Merkel to turn.”

Devin’s interest peaked, “And? Did they come back before you left to come here?” Inside his head, the woman spoke for the first time in two days, “So House Ephraim has thrown in its hand in support.”

Scott grinned, “I don’t do things half-assed.” He gave a sidelong look at Garrick with a smirk, “Yes, they did. And Merkel had his men carrying boxes into the factory; they looked like overly large coffins. Oh, and Garrick’s father, Mister Schroeder was among them, and he’s kind of different than most of the feral fledglings as if he’s got his brains together. I kind of wish I could have gotten in to see the boxes but with the ferals around I dared not, one slip and I’d be a dead little Vamp.” He grinned and knocked his heels back, proud of the idea that he probably could get into the factory unseen.

Devin nodded, “Write a report for Garrick, with any details you forgot to tell me” He gave Garrick a look that said he better get a copy, then gave Scott a genuine smile, “Good job.” With that Devin turned to follow after Alex.

All three boys saluted, “The Black Guard, and House Manessah.” Forcing Devin to cringe, while they didn’t do the Nazi salute, he really didn’t like being saluted. He knew who was responsible for the name of the little group and for the saluting and it was Garrick.

He could fairly feel the grin on Garrick’s face when the boy called after him, “See you for chess later.”

Devin made his way through the halls, some of the rooms had become singular living spaces for blood-slaves, and Garrick had his own room and office. The dining room was being reroofed, but the workers had ceased working for the evening and were leaving as he went by. The teenager nearly made it to his own room, when a small hand grabbed his arm.

Devin turned to see his pale little brother, “Jordan, I am kind of busy…” The kid looked a lot more stable now, though dark circles went around his eyes.

Jordan looked distressed but in a way that was normal for a boy his age, he shifted his feet around uncomfortably, “Um Devin… I kind of have been found out. Mom is outside the building… and wants to talk to you, now.”

Devin cringed, again blanching, “What? Oh… no…” The teenager twitched for a second. He wanted to talk to Alex, but at the same time, if his mother wanted something, Devin knew she would tear the place apart to get to him.

Against his wishes, but with better judgment, Devin turned and followed his younger brother down the main staircase. The light of the moon filtering through the huge unbarred windows as one of his new vampires, a graying 40 year-old man sat next to the door. The man looked up and nodded, “Sir.” The man had a long beard, a graying pony tail, and wore suspendered trousers and an old checkered shirt. These things combined with other features gave the distinct impression that the older man was a dirty wizard or a homeless Santa.

Devin nodded, “Thomas, I see you’ve taken up door duties this evening, taking a break from construction?”

The wiry old man nodded, “Aye, sir. Human workers coming in and out, I’ve made sure that none of them actually know our secret, and none of us have… well you know.” Thomas looked Devin up and down, “You going out? I don’t see your little friend or Connor behind you.”

“Well, I don’t expect to be long.” With that he pushed open the metal doors and walked out into the cold night air.

He looked across the sidewalk to see his mother sitting against the edge of her car. Her blue eyes were icy as she watched the boys approach. The woman sat there like a queen upon her throne. His mother intimidated him in much the way a lioness would a deer.

In his head he heard the Raven Queen speak, “Oh, I like her. She is a lady of after my own heart. Wait, she looks familiar.”

Devin mumbled, “Well, of course she does; she’s my mom…” Shaking his head slightly Devin approached his mildly shorter mother. The vampire lord shook as if he was still a child fearing her wrath.

When the two boys reached their mother, Alissa’s hand snaked out and slapped Devin’s face, “That is for disappearing and making me worry for a week and a half.” Then she wrapped her arms around her eldest son and held him close he could feel a warm wetness running against his cheek and neck.

Devin tried to pull back when he realized that his mother was crying, but her arms held him desperately. So the vampire allowed himself to be a little boy again for a little while, and put his arms back around his mother and held her in return. It remained this way for quite some time, as she sobbed in silence.

When Alissa had finally composed herself, she pulled away from Devin. The woman looked up at him and gave him a little smile, stroking his hair. “You’ve grown up so much. It’s too bad you will never get to be any taller…”

Devin pulled himself back from his mother with an uncomfortable frown. “Why are you here?”

She gave him a grin, “What? You didn’t think I would believe your brother’s story, did you? You should’ve known better.” The tall woman moved her black hair away from her face. Then she gave Devin a knowing look.

It was the look that unnerved both him and his brother to the point where they confessed what they did. And sometimes it caused them to confess things that they hadn’t done at that moment. Amazingly though their mother had rarely needed to back the look up with punishment.

Devin backed away a little from that look, then a knot inside him seemed to untie, and he stood up straight and returned that look in kind.

Sparks seemed to fly between the two of them for several seconds, before amazingly Alissa turned her eyes away from him and relaxed her face. “Of all of our family you look the most like her, you know…” Alissa sighed sadly.

Devin frowned, nervously. “Wha... what do you mean?”

“Celene Macedon, that woman who’s talking in your head.”

Devin began to panic, “What… how do you know about that?”

“There are secrets in our family, things that you don’t know and I am sure she didn’t tell you. These are secrets buried in our history and in our blood.” Alissa turned slightly and slid towards the car.

“What sort of secrets?”

“Most of them I can’t tell you now. However, I will say this. Two hundred years ago, the Raven Queen of the North, Celene Macedon prophesized her own death and eventual rebirth, through your father’s bloodline actually.

Celene’s voice spoke in Devin’s head. “Yes, well her family is actually related directly to myself. Making you the best choice to be my incarnate, all it needed was a trigger. It was so nice of Merkel to provide one, wouldn’t you agree?”

Devin’s mother looked into his eyes. “You’re hearing her now. Don’t let her influence your actions too much, you are still yourself.”

He shook his head, trying to clear it of the confusion his mother placed there.

Alissa straightened, then looked at Devin with skeptical eyes, “So, why did you turn your brother into your slave?”

Devin looked down at her incredulously then shook his head, “It was not done purposefully.”

His mother looked at Devin steadily then to Jordan as if assessing some things, “Well, we’ll have to do something about that situation.”

Devin shook his head, “There is nothing we can do.”

Alissa looked at him hard, “Don’t tell me I can’t. You may not be able to, but you are not me, raven boy.” Then she grinned, and waved him off. “Now, drink from your brother so he can get home and get his schoolwork done.”

Devin frowned then bowed, “As you wish milady,” He wrapped his arms around his brother in a hug, and bending slightly he nibbled at Jordan’s neck, before gently sinking his fangs into it. He drank deeply before pulling away and wiping the blood from his mouth.

The teenager looked at his mother to see a disgusted look on her face. Then suddenly the woman turned and led Jordan away from his elder brother, pushing him into the car. “We’ll see you soon; the town is getting too dangerous for him to wander around alone.” Her eyes sharpened one last time as she slid into the car, “You better not be the cause…”

Devin looked at her for a moment, then the young man got a feeling like he was being hit in the stomach, and the world seemed to drop out from under him as his mind was clouded in white. A hooded face appeared in his sight with a voice that spoke to him in desperation as screams of horror and terror ripped at Devin’s soul. In Devin’s heart he knew, even with the concealed features, who called him.

“Father please save us!” Then more screams of pain and terror and Devin blacked out.

It was several seconds later when he opened his eyes looking up to see his mother and brother standing over him, faces clouded with concern. He looked up at them in confusion for several seconds his face even paler than normal. “Wha… what happened?”

Alissa looked at him with concern, “You fell, just toppling over as I was about to leave…”

He looked up at his mother, “Go, go home now, and seal yourselves into it until morning.” With that he stood and jumped onto the roof of the car, and fled into the night.

Alissa glared for a moment as he ran off, then seeing a dent in the roof of her car where he hit it, she yelled into the night, “When I see you again, you little brat, I am going to kick your ass!” Then she turned to Jordan, her voice had an icy calm to it as she spoke “Get into the car, now.”

Devin ran through the streets, snow and slush crunching under his feet, making the way treacherous as the darkness deepened. Frost was again falling to the ground as he jumped and caught a balustrade with his up flung hand.

The teenager swung himself up, dragging his body onto the landing. Devin looked in the direction where the buzzing in his head was coming from. Then the boy took a flying leap catching the gutter of a nearby building. In his attempt to pull himself up, the boy heard a terrible wrenching noise and suddenly the gutter pulled loose.

Devin dropped to the ground; his pride was swallowed with a whisper. “I guess I am an ordinary boy after all.”

Lights went on in the house as he skirted around the building and ran through the dark, and within a few minutes he had entered the old dockyards. The world was silent as he looked around, rusting warehouses, and rotting boats cast ominous shadows. The air was thick with the smell of dead fish, and something buried beneath it, a kind of foul chill.

In the faded and flickering lights of the old dockyard the boy’s vampiric eyes could see more than any human ever could. And what he saw was a trail of crimson that shined like deathly gems on the frozen ground.

The teenager walked slowly up to the drippings of frozen blood and wiping his fingers in it he sniffed a couple of times then licked a finger tentatively. Devin frowned with concern, “My own…”

He followed the trail of blood cautiously until he saw a young woman with her throat torn out. Devin bent down and cupped her cheek looking into her face, seeing the innate beauty of the woman who could not have been over 22.

He then looked around himself taking in the scene. There had been a fight. He could see multiple sets of foot prints in the slush and blood, both of humans and something else. Then the human prints led away followed by whatever was chasing them.

Devin touched the dead woman’s cheek, and closed her eyes. He looked up and spoke in Celene’s voice. “Be still my daughter and enter into She’ol. May those who came before welcome yee home, and may those who killed yee know fear before the end.”

The boy stood and continued down the trail until he heard a whimpered cry. The sound led the boy to an alley between two warehouses. He could see blood along both of the walls of the alleyway. There was so much it simply overwhelmed the buzzing in his head, along with his sense of smell. The space was narrow, and every so often his hand was forced to touch the blood. He could see someone or something at the end of the passage.

It was a person, and male, there was an agonizing familiarity to him that Devin couldn’t quite identify. But the person was badly torn up; blood was plastered to his clothing and his features. One of his arms was missing up to the elbow, and still leaked blood, and Devin could spy that a foot had been forcefully torn away as well, leaving only his lower leg bone sticking where his ankle should be.

The boy saw him drawing closer through the small space, and yelled out, whimpering, “Leave me alone. Go away!” He kicked out at Devin with as much strength as he could muster.

Devin pulled himself away from the kicking foot and bent down. “Stop, I am not here to hurt you.”

The boy looked up at him then coughed a couple of times, “Devin is that you?” Then the boy coughed, “I am so cold…”

Realization struck Devin like a knife in his heart, as he retook in those features, his voice choked with sorrow and guilt. The shock of his realization breaking contact with “Yoshua… Yoshua, what happened to you?” The vampire lord tentatively reached out with his hand to the other’s face.

The other boy grabbed the vampire lord’s hand roughly; his hand was far more calloused than Devin imagined in his dreams. And as Yoshua held his wrist tightly, he secretly wondered if anything would have ever been as he dreamed.

Yoshua looked at him in the eyes, “No don’t touch me… Oh God it hurts…” The other teen shifted, uncomfortable. “Did you follow me here? You were always following…” He coughed, “You should go, I don’t have much time left… all broken up inside.”

Devin eyes hardened and glared back, “Don’t you dare say your goodbyes, I know it hurts and its cold, and that you are terribly injured but you’ll get well if you get out of here,” Even Celene agreed with him on that.

Yoshua grinned slightly, “You know how to ruin a mood, but seriously I don’t think I am going to make it. You should get your mom and brother, and get out of town.”

Devin drew himself up to his full height, His power flowing around him like a mantle. “I am not leaving you here, and I am not leaving town, Yoshua Parker.”

Yoshua eye’s widened as he looked up at Devin, the teenager’s blood quickened, the teenager suddenly knew Devin’s truth, and why they were both standing there. “You are… You became…” He started laughing, then coughing as he held his ribs, then he straightened. “I slowed them down for a few minutes. But the… the beasts will be right back on the trail. You gotta save the others, only you can do it… Father.” He coughed blood up onto his torn letterman, holding out his hand awkwardly. “Leave me, here, save him.”

Devin frowned, “Don’t tell me how to do things, and stop being the letterman hero.” He took the outstretched hand and pulled Yoshua’s crippled body onto his back.

After securing the basketball player, Devin quickly made his way back through the narrow space, and out into the dockyards.

The blond teenager complained several times before Devin growled in return, “Shut up and conserve your strength.”

With that said, Devin took off, making it to the torn gateway in a few moments. Finding another body of a vampire girl he remembered seeing as a cheerleader at Yoshua’s game, next to the body of a human security guard, he knew he was on the right path.

This time Devin didn’t even stop to send the girl to the afterlife. He just continued running as he returned to the streets of Fredericksburg, his shoes moving so fast through the slush that they almost sounded like a fan running. The boy attempted to skid to a stop but ended up sliding down the street nearly losing hold of Yoshua as he himself flipped over and landed roughly against a brick wall.

Yoshua grumbled, “Hey, watch what you’re doing Devin, I am injured enough.”

Devin blushed, “Sorry buddy.” He had barely been able to angle Yoshua so the other boy didn’t get injured further. Devin stood and again made his way through the streets, until he heard a cry; seeing people standing around another desiccated corpse of a vampire. He saw what most humans did not, a trail of blood going down an alleyway.

Devin skirted around the block, coming out the other side and following the crimson trail he made his way full circle, returning to the edge of the dockyard staring at backside the of old fishery.

The place had been closed for several years. But the smell of rotting fish still floated around the large building like a green oozing aura. Though there were fouler smells mixed in alongside the blood of his kind and it was a stench he could only describe as rotting flesh and death. It nauseated him, and he knew that is where those that remained of his children were. Now that he was so close the buzzing had returned stronger than ever, he could feel the hooded one there.

Devin looked at the old back-door to the railway, which had been wrenched horribly open, he could hear screams inside. The boy slid towards the door then looking up saw a window on the second floor. With a solid leap, the teenager jumped onto the roof; his feet making a sound so soft that it was like the scratching made by bird feet. Setting his friend down next to him, Devin peered in.

There were three vampires inside the old building; he could sense them and their fear. He recognized the first right off the bat. The leader was a guy in a torn hoody. There was a flash of silver and gold on his chest and ear, as the boy yelled fearfully, “Stay back.”

Devin let out a small breath in the frosty air, “Neto…” as he continued to watch, he felt a chill colder than the darkest nights of winter pass through him. A group of three monstrous humanoids, standing well over seven feet tall with arms long enough to reach to their knees stalked closer to the defending vampires. The creatures were emaciated looking, bones sticking out everywhere, and some in odd places forcing the monsters into a permanent hunched position. Their skin was pearly-white like a fish belly, but here and there patches of moldy-looking fur stuck out grossly, and there was a yellowish slime that streamed off their body from those spots that emitted a dull steam.

The leader of the creatures backhanded Neto, throwing the smaller being across the room with ease before taking hold of one of the others, and attempting to pull off an arm like it would a bug’s.

Suddenly Devin’s mind reeled as he saw through Neto’s eyes, looking up at himself and with a plea for help.

Devin held his head, and looked down at the other teenager and communicated calm. The whole exchange opened up Devin’s mind to his children; he could feel their consciousness blinking like a dozen little stars against the edges of his mind. He opened his mind further to them, sending out a call of his own for aid of any who would hear.

In Devin’s quarters, Alexander looked up from his pillows, his tear-filled eyes stained red. Then he took up his scythe and fled from the school soon to be joined by the old door man as they made their way into the night.

In the slums, Scott and Connor were fighting with a group of feral vampires, when they heard their master’s call. They both looked up, and began to pull away from their fight, making a quick retreat.

On Main Street, Anna felt his call as she walked with a young black-haired girl. She looked at the girl, “Jasmyn, my daughter go home, I have business that must be attended to.”

The girl nodded her head solemnly and turned back towards the old school, her red short coat, and white dress flowing behind her as she walked.

Anna, herself, sprang into action, moving towards Devin much the same way he ran earlier in the night.

In the old fishery, the temperature was unnaturally cold causing the miserable vampires there to tremble, steam escaped even their breath.

The creature grinned as he held up the twenty year old, wrenching the man’s limb from his body. Then it spoke to its comrades in a harsh raspy voice. “These little ones not getting away now, there’z plenty, tonight we feast’z.” With that, the creature took the limb that it had torn from the man, sniffed at the bloody appendage for a second before tossing it to the ground and stomping down, “Bergh, not dead yet.”

Just then a window above the group shattered and a strange warmth filled the hearts of the besieged vampires as swirling black feathers with a blue glow flowed about the room.

Then a dark cloaked being stood in front of the tall creature, “No more.”

The creature rose up to its full height as it sniffed the air before it, “Ah if it’s not the source of the taint himself.” The creature laughed, its voice giving off the sound of rocks scraping on porcelain. “Lookie what we got’z here, the big one’z himself” The rest began laughing.

Devin blushed a bit flustered by their words, his voice barely rising as the place grew colder again. “Give him back.”

The creature grinned, showing teeth jagged and pointed like a thousand daggers, “You want it’z, here!” The creature threw the twenty-year old man at Devin, causing both to fly into a ribbed conveyer belt, bones of rotted fish sticking up all over it.

Devin groaned, pushing the other vampire off himself, and sat up.

Then the creature flew at him before he could even make sense of the situation and with its giant paw slapped Devin off of the belt and into another wall.

The boy, having more sense this time, pulled himself up quickly drawing his sword as the creature came at him again.

The creature impaled itself on Devin’s sword. Then it grabbed the boy by the shoulders pulling itself up along the blade and growled. The monster gave Devin a grin before smacking the teenager and sending Devin flying once again and leaving the sword stuck in its groin.

Devin tumbled over landing next to Neto.

The other two creatures watched their leader play with the vampire, shark-like grins growing on their faces with each blow.

Devin stood up and swayed, but stood just the same, blood dripping from cuts across his body and his mouth. His eyes glimmered with a blue light as he whipped the blood from his chin, claws extended from his nails. He brought his fingers up to his hair, and pulled a feather out from behind his ear. The teenager growled slightly rushed across the room and struck at the creature before it could pull his weapon from its body.

Devin attacked the monstrosity with tooth and claw, climbing onto it so fast he was almost a blur as he bit into its shoulder, slicing into the creature with his fingers racking into it like an angry panther.

The creature beat on the smaller vampire’s body as Devin held onto him with a vice-like grip. Then the monster took hold of him and pulled as hard as it could yanking the vampire master from its body, tearing large slices of its chest in the process. Then it flung him away, taking ahold of Devin’s sword to yank the weapon out; only to feel a massive electrical shock flow through its body, as the feather Devin attached to its shoulder pulled electricity from around the building to it, like a demonic lightning rod.

The boy was visibly sweating; it was obviously a new technic that he had only recently learned to accomplish.

This enraged the creature. It yanked a metal rod from the wall and launched it at Devin, impaling the boy against a wall.

The boy’s head rolled to the side, a single glistening tear rolled off his cheek and hit the floor.

Neto looked into his master’s eyes, so lifeless now, rage building up until he let out an ear splitting scream. He yanked a chain loose from a piece of equipment. Black feathers swirled around the object forming a short sickle-like blade attached to a handle, the chain-links turned black as a weight formed on the opposing end.

The gangster boy launched himself at the monster, and he was quickly followed by the rest of his group.

The monster yelled to his fellows as he was covered in angry vampires, “Kill them’z… kill all!”

Just then a shot rang out, hitting one of the advancing monsters in the ear. The group looked up to see a woman in a black dress sitting on top of Yoshua as he attempted to climb into the window to help his comrades. “I do believe that is enough. If you cretins wish to continue, I can guarantee the rest of the coven will be here shortly, and believe me even beings as powerful as you will be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of them.”

The giant gangly creatures slunk back as the vampires pulled away from the monstrous leader. The leader sniffed looking up at her with an evil sneer, “I smell’z her in you. We’ll meet again witch.” It stomped past Devin grabbing hold of his arm crushing it, “Remember’z me name and burn it in you’z, Nockrilo, Night Wing…You hear’z.” To make his point the creature twisted Devin’s arm with a vicious snap, then pulled the sword out of its body and slung the blade over a shoulder as a prize. The creature was grinning as it sauntered off in a cocky withdrawal.

The woman jumped from the window and floated down. She walked through the crowd of vampires, with an annoyed frown. “Well don’t just stand there, pull out the stupid bar…”

Neto looked at her, “What does it matter, he’s dead.”

The woman laughed, “You really don’t know anything, do you? Here I would have thought your Merkel would have taught you better. He’s only paralyzed.” With that she yanked out the bar and dropped it.

Devin let out an audible gasp and looked up at her as he pulled away from the wall. “Damn, it took you long enough to get here, Anna.”

Anna looked at him and frowned, “Don’t complain, you were reckless, if I hadn’t come along when I did, they would have wiped out this group and decapitated you. It’s a good thing that those monsters are smarter then they appear.”

Devin shook his head, “Or as stupid as they appear, no one else is anywhere near here.” He looked around at the rag-tag group of vampires, then directly at Neto. “Hello, Neto.”

Neto’s hazel colored eyes looked into Devin’s own, tears flowing freely as the boy bent down onto one knee, taking Devin’s hand into his own. “Father forgive me, I failed to protect them.”

The other two of Neto’s followers immediately bowed down as well, imitating their sire.

Devin blushed and shuddered a little, then lifted up Neto’s chin, “Lift up your head, Neto. You did as well as you could.” He stroked Neto’s hair for a moment, “Which is to say you did pretty well for yourself, given the circumstances.”

Devin pulled a black feather from behind his ear and guided it along his ruined arm, closing up the wounds and knitting bones back together. The teenager groaned and reached back pulling a nasty looking fish spine from his back. He winced slightly, and then looked to Neto, “We need to find your people a safe place, and I think I know just where to put you.” He turned, looking out the broken doors to the darkened shape of a tall spire on the ridge overlooking the bay.

….

Across town a golden-blond headed boy ran through the night seeking to aid the person that meant the world to him. When suddenly the teenager felt hollow and alone as if the world had suddenly shattered around him, leaving the boy with nothing left to pick up. He could no longer sense him, his master. Clutching his chest, Alexander leaned against a wall for support, as tears streamed down his face.

The boy didn’t even have the heart to avenge Devin from whatever claimed his master. He slid down to the ground and lay there against the wall.

He lay there for a few moments before his ears picked up the sound of a violin playing a haunting melody. The boy looked around having never heard such music before, and yet it stirred something in him, and mirrored his feelings of sorrow and loneliness.

Then he looked up seeing a girl playing a violin. She herself swayed with the music, as she moved back and forth in front of the window.

The boy slowly climbed up the tree to see her. The window partially open, and while the girl continued to be absorbed in her music the boy pushed it open and climbed into her room.

The girl’s hand slipped and she broke a cord. With a frown she sighed, shaking her head, “Why can’t I get that right?”

Alex spoke shyly, his voice small and nervous, “What was that you were playing?”

The girl gasped looking at the teenage boy sitting there, somewhat fearful of him. “I… it was ‘Nearer My God to Thee.’”

Alex looked at her with pleading eyes, “Could you play it some more?”

The girl looked at him then gave him a little smile. His innocent voice and pleading eyes compelling her to pick up her violin again, and she began to play. Her fingers and her bow ran along the strings once more sending out the haunting melody.

Alexander watched her play, the song bringing out desire in him and his mind clouded over as he seemed to float along with the music.

It wasn’t until the music stopped that he realized what he had done, with the girl half-dead in his grasp. Tears ran down his cheeks, “I’m sorry, I am sorry.” Then he felt full of something, a light reaching out from the long dark, and a gentle voice whispering his name and he knew what he had to do.

The boy bit into his wrist and put the blood into the girl’s mouth gently, speaking a small mournful plea into the air. “Master, please let this work.”

…

In another part of town a man wearing a police uniform shot out into the dark, “Why are there so many this time?” Firing again into the alleyway, “That little monster stole my hat.” He then walked over and kicked the body of a dirty looking man in rags, then bent down and crossed his hands over his chest and closed the dead man’s eyes. “Oh heavenly father, let this poor tortured soul rest in your arms.” With that he picked up his hat, and placed it back on his head before taking a vial from his belt and pouring it over the corpse. The tall man turned then as the liquid caused steam to rise from the corpse, and walked onward through the streets.

It wasn’t five minutes later that he glimpsed a gang of five more of the raggedy creatures running past him and going after a black-haired girl in a dress, forcing the man to pull out his gun again.

The creatures went down an alleyway and he followed, then he heard a couple of thuds behind him and cringed.

In front of him, one of the vampires held the girl by the throat, pinning her to the wall. The creature gave her a look of greedy desire and hatred.

However, something was amiss with the girl; the expression on her face was not one of fear, but of hatred. As the girl’s eyes bore into the vampire’s, the cop barely made out the girl’s whisper. “I will kill you, Henry.”

“Ok, boys you can let the girl go, and I can make your death’s quick.”

One of the creatures behind him hissed, and then laughed. “How about we just kill you instead human? Then we can do as we please with the little harlot over there.”

The policeman grinned, “I think not,” and faster than one would think possible he took aim and shot the vampire holding the girl. Then he spun around to shoot at the other vampires, hitting one in the head, only to frown as he watched a sickle go through another’s neck slicing its head clean off. He quickly shot the third in the head as well before looking at his helper.

The man had a cigarette in his mouth and wore a long trench coat. And as he took a puff from it, the cigarette lit up tired yellow eyes. The newcomer pulled his cigarette from his mouth and flicked ashes at a dead body, as he spoke in a raspy voice “Long time no see, Erik Colburn.”

Erik glared, “I had it handled Ramirez, what the hell are you doing way out here anyway, last I heard you were chasing a werewolf pack in the Sierra Nevada’s.”

Ramirez idly tossed the cigarette into a nearby body, “It’s Father Ramirez, you know, I did take my vows.” He shrugged, “Eric Lector got away.”

Erik shrugged in return placing his hands on his hips, “So? You and I were at St Pelagius Monastery together. I can call you what I damn well please, Martin. Besides if we go by titles I am Officer Erik, or at least that’s my cover in the States.”

Martin frowned, “I take it you’re still after the Merkel fellow. I would have thought a man of your considerable talents would have killed him and his brood by now. It’s been six months.”

Erik rubbed the back of his head, “Yeah, well something came up recently. It’s odd, Merkel has been … recruiting as if his life depends on it, I haven’t been able to even get close because of all the extras everywhere.” He looked at Ramirez, grinning slightly. “You know if you stick around for a bit, I could use the help, it’d be like old times.”

Martin shrugged noncommittally, “I’ve got time yet, since Lector hasn’t moved on. I can still sense the old mutt nearby, probably because of your mark.”

Erik turned his attention back to the young woman he had just saved, only to get an odd shock. The woman was nowhere to be seen; however, the vampire she called Henry had its throat torn open.

…

Dawn approached quickly on the night’s work for vampire and human alike, as Merkel again sat upon his throne of steel. He watched with satisfaction as his new recruits feed on a pair of still living humans.

Then three huge monsters stalked through the room and pushed some vampires away from a dead human. The creatures began to devour the dead body; the leader ripped off an arm and chewed on it, like one would a chicken leg before moving to a corner.

Merkel looked more wild and crazed than ever before, and small white hairs were beginning to grow on the edges of his scalp as he sat there. He idly groped the woman next to him with a bemused grin.

Carol ignored him as he pawed her body, turning slightly to watch the monsters consume the remains of one of their victims, only to cringe slightly and turn away from the sight.

Merkel looked at Carol, and stroked her rear, “You don’t like the Frost Ghouls, love?”

The tall woman shook her head, “No, they betrayed us right off the bat, attacking Neto and his offspring, and ugh! They’re disgusting.”

Merkel glared at her, raising his voice into a rant. “Neto was a traitor, a spy within our ranks. He had the blood of that boy flowing through him. That little mutt and all his offspring were tainted. They deserved their fates.” He continued on like that for several seconds, before spontaneously slapping her rear, “Now my mistress, let’s get your clothes off, I am feeling good tonight.” With that Franz Merkel stood and pulled Carol to himself, kissing her passionately as he slipped a shoulder strap down on her dress.