Later that afternoon, just half an hour before sunset, Diana was awakened by the jolt in the concealed door above ground.With her vampire senses, even underground she could feel the intruder and alerted her companions."Wake up, everyone," Diana uttered enough for the group to be vigilant. Outside, the village horn had called all the residents to the Twin Hollow courtyard.The village courtyard was packed tight with human dwellers, most of whom had wandered to this little town from all over the hill region. There were the elders and the clan chiefs, all delegates embodying the attention of their peoples and their administered territories.Gazing at the winter trees Diana realized it was hard to imagine them re-clothed in their finery. With roots buried deep in the frozen earth they sleep, their twigs moving in the breeze, swirling their wintry dreams. Ice forms and melts, snow barrages come and go; then each spring the first delicate blossoms and leaves send a frisson of joy through t
Unexpectedly, Priest Cornelius put his hand on Leo’s head in approval. Knight Leo jerked back as if impaled by a rush of wind. The tall head chief fell back to his knees.The crowd quieted down.“What happened?” Diana spoke to Celestina.“The spirit of the Saints has come upon the new head chief. Such foolishness if you ask me.”On signal, Knight Leo stood up again and seemed to grow taller than he had been. His stance spruced up and he now exuded the enthusiasm he had lacked just minutes earlier.It fascinated Diana. Maybe he was acting or he must have been possessed by something or someone darker but the drama was almost as promising as a theater act.Knight Leo turned to the public and declared openly in a firm chiefly voice, “All Twin Hollow villagers, send your husband, sons and father and anyone who will fight for our security. We will hunt the witches and vampires on the land, and I will oversee our armies in success over these adversaries of the church!”The throng was surpris
Redberg VillageCamellana's VillaIn the heart of the oasis of Camellana's little chapel, an assembly of dark forces took place beneath the lanterns and otherworldly spells that concealed the dwellers inside.The pitch blackness was perfect, a sort of visual lull that gave a venerable fear. With human eyes closed there was the thoroughness of fear that gives one's heart a bitterness of existing, of being, of breathing, and how those moments extended with such gloom until the dawn chose to bring back the colors.They devoured the meat of animal sacrifices contributed by the villagers and drank the blood for refreshment.The assembly consisted of Sulu, the leader of the dark sorcerers; Camellana, the priestess of the village, Nirvana, the young witch of Winterberg, wife of knight Ambrose, and lastly Lord Cornelius, the legendary vampire from three hundred years ago, the leader of the secret orders of monster knights.Cornelius was a peculiar vampire. Because of extensive time burrowing
“Agreed,” said Camellana. “Your counsel has ascertained the most beneficial, Sulu dear. My trust in you heightens daily.”Fortunately, Sulu thought to himself, because when he was the most inexperienced, then he would gut them and filet them like the fish that they are. Such high swine. And with the help of Camellana, he will take back his rightful merit of this region, and with it, the witches of the dark natives. His vengeance against the dark natives chief must be administered soon. He would come up with all the excuses he wanted for revenge, yet it would always be the work of an inner tantrum and thus could always represent his best or what he could have been capable of... He was worthy of destroying the elders, especially the foolish Lucinda… He was competent enough to eradicate their most beloved cavern.“Good,” uttered Sulu himself.“Indeed, Sulu. Because when you are the most trusting, then I know our alliance will be the only way we can win this crusade and claim the sovereig
Three days later, the group of Diana evaded the hunters as they were now seeking refuge in the next ravine. Daisy Valley. By day, they rested and by night they journeyed.Early dawn, Cavin, now faultlessly healed, hurried down the ridge to get back to their little cabin sanctuary. Daisy valley was a trivial small borough on the edge of the highland before Dark Mountain fifteen miles west of Twin Hollow. There were only twenty-five family dwellers. Though it was the burial place of witches and the supernatural, the small valley never rose to significance.Damian's father was not a well-off man and had no importance to be known for. He had two sons, three daughters and Damian was the youngest and often neglected. In one of his highland explorations, he met Diana's group and offered his little cabin for refuge, and proposed to look for some food in exchange for silver coins.When Damian arrived at the market neighborhood in the middle of the valley, he hesitated to see the valley's peopl
Damian has a plan on his own. He shall uncover his origin. He had decided he had to unearth his ancestry’s full story, to find out who his parents were. He had never hoped for joyous family reunions. He just had to know. Possibly, that hadn’t been the best idea. No good ever came from ladling into the past. It was like kicking a nest of hornets. That’s what his foster father had always meant.Brushing off those metaphorical hornets, Damian nudged all thoughts of his past to the sidelines. He had to concentrate on something else. He had to keep his mind off the horrible truth that he had a dark sorcerer for a father.He might have despised him. After all, he wanted him dead. And his foster siblings were even worse. They wanted to use Damian as a tool to earn golds and silvers, then discard him like trash on the side of the cliff. Literary again.Regardless, Damian tried to think about the upcoming challenges, but they all seemed to lead back to him. To expose him. No, he needed somethi
Damian's stepfather was watching his every move. He might already suspect it.“Alright father, let’s do it,” Damian told him, wiping all those concerns from his mind. “Let’s train tomorrow. But I won’t go easy on Elfar.” Damian added, knowing full well, no training shall happen sooner or later.A heathen smile broke through his stepfsther suave cloak. “Good. Only a jester clenches back when fighting an elder. And I never took you for a fool, Damian.”“Just a troublemaker sir.”“Always and forever,” his stepfather jested. His words fell heavy against Damian's head when he nodded back in agreement.—with the pressure of finality. Of the battle that lay before them. Or did it? A glint of fragile terror pulsed through Damian. Elfar had said before that he would be testing his magic when this training was over.The secret order would use those mysterious tests to try to pair him off with another warrior. That was what they did. May the winners survive. Maybe Damian was upsetting for nothing
The soldiers nudged David and Sergio forward with their swords. The silver-tipped swords shone like eternal weapons from hell. The two and sure moved away from the swords like the weapons had the power to hurt—or even kill them, but no fear could be seen in their eyes, they knew somehow that the elder could get through them away from the soldiers' resentment...“Young David and Sergio,” Elfar began. His disappointment was understandable in his hawk-like eyes. There comes a time that for keeping one's self-respect intact, one must leave what one hoped would be a good thing. The disappointment arrives as sadness. It was a sorrow, a conclusion, yet in time it upheld, in time the soul can begin to hope for something real, lasting, and secure and he hoped his decision wouldn't give him enough regret for his great-grandson's future.“Both of you…stand accused—”“The recruit is my underling, Sir,” Damian stepped up and cut in, striding forward to the old man's cabins. “I will conclude how it