Havermouth, Present Time“Citizens of Havermouth,” one of the Van Helsings held a megaphone. “You are requested to return to your homes. Your gathering on the streets interferes with the vital work that the NES are undertaking - ”“F-k you!” A woman screamed from the crowd.“What f-king work?” A man yelled. “You’ve f-king done shit all except shoot people and hold us f-king prisoner!”“You are not the NES!” Rohan had his own megaphone. “You are an illegal militia operation that has occupied this region as an act of terrorism against its people. You are ordered to withdraw.”Aislen saw that the cab of the uni-mogs had a circular hatch over the passenger seat, and each now had a man with a gun positioned, aiming towards the Van Helsings, who had come to a standstill, reassessing the situation as they took in both the crowd’s hostility, and the soldiers amongst them.“I repeat!” The Van Helsing with the megaphone said bravely to bluff his way out of the situation. “You are requested to r
Estreau, Three Hundred Years Before“This is not living, this is dying slowly,” Thaelen complained to Sigrid as he steered the horseless carriage along the street, applying his horn when pedestrians on the road ignored his approach. They glared at him over their shoulders as they stepped up onto the sidewalk.The streets were filthy and stank of urine, the stone buildings grimed with the smoke that poured out of the factories to either side of the road. The road was crowded with people, dressed in faded colors, their shoulders slumped and their chins to their chests, shuffling their way to their shifts at the factories which ran twenty-four hours seven days a week.“Too many people, not enough land, not enough jobs, and the wealth held by a small percentage who only seek to increase what they have, and lives become meaningless, valueless,” Sigrid shook her head sorrowfully as they watched a group of young children cross to join the adults queuing to enter the factories. “And working c
Estreau, Three Hundred Years BeforeIt was a beautiful island, the furthest from the Estreau mainland that was still claimed as being part of that continent. From a distance, it was pristine, the waters sparkling brightly, the land still green from trees, but as they drew closer, Thaelen sighed in heavy weariness.Even here, a factory perched on the edge of coast and river drew water in and pumped it out dark with debris, a steady stream of grimy smoke was directed into the air by a tall chimney, and the city around the harbor and its docks was pressed tightly together, busy and crowded. Whilst there were trees, but he suspected that their lives would be short as the humans would need the wood to fuel their factories and homes, and the space to build upon.The docks were not busy, with only one other ship bobbing on the waves, which was a good thing as Thaelen’s ship was so sizeable.“There she is!” Sigrid waved excitedly from beside him, spotting the small form of Meguitte amongst th
New Estra, Three Hundred Years BeforeThaelen and Meguitte took one of the first boats from the ship to shore, taking with them only a backpack containing clothing and spare shoes, a flint and strike for starting a fire, and a rolled blanket for sleeping.They both wore trousers, something the Estreau colonists found shocking on Meguitte, many having been influenced by the church as to what was appropriate clothing and what was not. However, Meguitte’s clothing choice was sensible considering their mission and she was indifferent to their stares and pointing, no longer as frightened of humans as she once had been, after centuries of living amongst them.They both wore knives on their belts, and Thaelen had supplied Meguitte with a gun despite his dislike of them. In addition, he wore a machete, a bow and quiver of arrows, and wire for making traps. They would need to hunt to eat, something he had not done for centuries and did not look forward to. He hoped that the land had rabbits, a
New Estra, Three Hundred Years BeforeThey followed the path to an alleyway between two buildings, and for a moment Thaelen contemplated whether to circle around and try to find a more public approach as this seemed to be one of those pathways that was used by locals but was not a formal entrance. He was not sure if their sudden appearance amongst them would cause more alarm than a slow approach by a more formal roadway.The architecture was perfect, the walls precisely square, each block of stone laid to provide aesthetic as well as structural value to the building. He could not see a single flaw, nor the mortar that fixed the stones together.A child spoke from behind them whilst he hesitated, and they turned, embarrassed to be taken by surprise. The two boys from the river had come up the pathway behind them and stared at them in open mouthed wonder.“Hello,” Thaelen smiled, trying to prevent a fearful response from them.One of the boys turned to the other excitedly pointing to hi
New Estra, Three Hundred Years BeforeThaelen woke late into the morning when the attendants returned. They took him and Meguitte into a chamber where the walls were tiled in a manner that reminded him of the temple of Concordia’s rooms. A sunken bath heated by a hypocaustum system added to that impression. He averted his eyes as they were undressed, although when the attendants exclaimed over Meguitte, he glanced over to see what had caused their tone of amazement.They were reacting to the scars on her back, and she crossed her arms over her chest, flushing as she hurried to enter the water.His tattoo caused the same astonishment, this time combined with delight, with them tracing the runes on his skin. He realized that they could read what his skin said, and pointed to the runes with his fingers, exchanging his sounds for theirs.As he entered the water and submitted to them scrubbing him, he considered the differences. “I think I am beginning to understand some of the variance in
New Estra, Three Hundred Years Before“Do you know nothing of your history?” Wilhelma despaired.“None this far back,” Thaelen told her with sympathy.“None of the elders survived then?” She gripped the arms of the chair, her distress clear. “Geiva? Thrurgrivor? No?” She pressed her lips together, controlling her grief. “I am…” She shook her head slowly, unable to continue.Despite her grief, Wilhelma took care with her words, speaking slowly. There were some pronunciation differences, Thaelen thought, around the vowels, the rolled “r” and her “th” was softer, more of a “ff” than amongst the Concordian. His Concordian, he amended, struggling to make the mental transition.“I’m sorry,” Thaelen murmured, empathetic to her sorrow. She spoke the names as if she knew the people, which would make her ancient if they were amongst Thaelen’s ancestors. He recalled the bowels of the stronghold, the temples, and secret places. “Beneath the strongholds, there have always been chambers and tunnels
New Estra, Three Hundred Years BeforeMeguitte paused, one hand braced against a tree-trunk. “Do you hear that?”Happy laughter and splashing told them that they were getting near to their destination. They approached the riverbank, looking down the gentle slope to where a group of women had found a rocky spot where the water was shallower. In their shifts, they beat clothing against the rocks to clean it, whilst others spread already washed items out over the bushes. The wet fabric clung to their bodies, hiding little, and Thaelen averted his eyes, feeling his cheeks heat.He should have taken Wilhelma or one of the other priests and priestesses that had offered, he thought. It had been too long since he’d had the comfort of losing himself into pleasure. Combined with the sudden thirst for human blood that surged after his time on animal blood alone, he was very tempted by the women below.The young human women would not appreciate his attention, however, he told himself. On their ow