Child of Darkness, Child of Light
Chapter One
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Hunter D.
It was still and quiet inside the church, and the young girl knelt behind the pew, her prayers for the ears of God alone. She ignored the cold blast of wind when the door was flung open. She refused to raise her head when the Vampire pulled her hair. Nothing would make her respond, not even the bite of his nails in her shoulders, or the low growl that was his voice. She was untouchable, and it filled him with rage. The priest had promised him a beautiful, spirited victim, and the former demand was well satisfied by the white-blonde hair, ghostly pale skin, and depthless blue eyes of the girl praying. But, she was like ice. Her skin held no warmth, her heartbeat was steady and slow. She was unafraid, and it angered him.
Suddenly, the girl twisted beneath his hands, her body turned to face him, and the look of elation on the Vampire's face contorted in pain as the diamond-edged silver plunged into his chest. The three long blades attached to the knuckles that the girl wore had gone unseen for too long, and now, as his life ebbed away and his body turned to dust, he cursed his blindness.
Rising to her feet, the calm, quiet girl casually brushed the dust off her long black jacket and tight black leggings. The black skirt she wore was dust-resistant, and she ignored it. Her low-heeled black shoes clicked on the stone floor of the once grand cathedral as she made her way to the aisle. The relics of the long-gone Catholics remained, though no one practiced their beliefs anymore. The girl herself was the direct descendant of an illegitimate child of a Pope, and her faith in God was what kept her relatively sane after the vampires had killed her family. She was one of the last Lutherans in a world filled with demons and Vampires, but her religion mattered little. She hunted Vampires and she was paid for it. She had learned long before not to depend on faith to put food in her belly or give her shelter, but she was firmly convinced that God had given her the skills necessary to survive.
The thin, willowy girl of thirteen walked to the battered confessional and pulled the curtain aside. The shaking, terrified priest was there, with the $4,000,000 he had promised. She flipped through the sack, pulling out the odd coin to check authenticity while the priest stared out at the pile of dust that was once his greatest fear. Verifying the nature of the money, the seemingly frail girl took out several coins and then dropped the remaining $3, 000,000 in the dented collection plate. Without looking back, she pushed open one massive wooden door and ventured out into the storm.
Sheepishly, the bald priest scurried out of his hiding place and hefted the leather sack. With a sigh he prayed for the girl's safety. The village children would be able to attend a new schoolhouse and church come September.
Miles away and minutes later, in a forest
The whipping wind didn't bother the dark man, nor did the ghoulish shadows. His horse did not spook, thankfully, as it had seen much, much worse. Idly, he wondered if the $4,000,000 offered by the village just down the road was real, and just who he would have to beat to it. It was of no importance; D had more than enough money to survive. It was killing the Vampire that mattered to him, and only that. His one goal was the complete destruction of his race. Apparently, this Vampire had bullied the local townsfolk into offering young virgins to him at the church, and once a week, he would come and ravage the poor girl chosen for that night. Out of the six that had been sacrificed, only one had survived, and she was safely locked away in a mental asylum. He didn't drink their blood; he raped them, brutally.
Thinking of the coming fight, it was a moment or two before D realized what he was seeing. A young girl, about twelve or thirteen, was walking down the muddy road, her long blonde hair whipping in the wind, her thick black coat billowing out behind her like the wings of an angel...in this case a dark angel. Instantly, D could sense what the elderly priest could not: this girl was a Dunpeal.
Quietly, he angled his horse toward her, and he knew that she had seen him, yet she didn't run away. His killing only extended to Vampires and the Dunpeals who had chosen to live like Vampires. To the best of his knowledge, this girl had never tasted blood. But he couldn't be sure. When he was within hearing distance, even in the fierce wind, the girl stopped in her tracks, watching him.
"Girl...what are you doing out at this time of night?" D decided to play dumb, hoping to give the girl enough rope to hang herself. He was disappointed.
"I am doing whatever I please, sir. I wish no trouble, and I can take care of myself." The child's voice was cold and cultured; no voice to be possessed by a child at all. As the wind changed direction, D scented the truth in the girl's words. The Vampiric dust trapped in her leggings was proof enough of her ability to defend herself. So...he had been beaten by a child. Though many others would have been put out, D could see the humor in the situation.
"I can see. Since I no longer have any business in the village ahead, may I offer you a ride to the next town? It is the least courtesy I can provide." D was inwardly stunned at his words, since he well knew that getting involved with people always lead to pain. She was a beautiful girl, Vampire and human blending in harmony to create a small, elegant face of sculpted marble, dark, cynical blue eyes, the still, serene tranquility of her face. She had known pain, and she had triumphed over it.
"You needn't go out of your way on my account, sir. I know not the nature of your business, nor do I wish to, but the village is prosperous, and many trades flourish there." Though her words said otherwise, the girl walked to D, her eyes never leaving his face, daring him to look away.
"It is no trouble." He helped her up beside him, then turned his horse and went back the way he'd come. He felt the pinpricks of metal at his back from the triple, bladed katal she wore, and he smiled in the shadows beneath his hat. Smart girl, very smart, and D felt he might enjoy her company. "What is your name?"
"I am Angelise Sterling, of Sterling Park. And you are....?" Though D couldn't excuse his talkativeness, the girl's name and that of her home gave him reason to be quiet. Sterling Park had been destroyed and ransacked by vampires three hundred years before, and the tales of horror from that fateful night were gristly enough to give D mild shivers. What was worse, he had known the girl's father, Regal Sterling, and had been the unfortunate hunter to have caught up with him after they fled their home. Vaguely, he remembered a small, elfin child clinging to her mother's skirts as he fought Regal.
"D."
"A pleasure to meet you, D. I have heard many things." Subtly, the blades pressed further into his back. "Now, if it is at all possible, I would like to reach Fox Crossing before dawn."
D felt certain that the night would pass quickly, and he was looking forward to it. Those blades were sharp.
End Chapter One
R&R
Chapter One
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Hunter D.
It was still and quiet inside the church, and the young girl knelt behind the pew, her prayers for the ears of God alone. She ignored the cold blast of wind when the door was flung open. She refused to raise her head when the Vampire pulled her hair. Nothing would make her respond, not even the bite of his nails in her shoulders, or the low growl that was his voice. She was untouchable, and it filled him with rage. The priest had promised him a beautiful, spirited victim, and the former demand was well satisfied by the white-blonde hair, ghostly pale skin, and depthless blue eyes of the girl praying. But, she was like ice. Her skin held no warmth, her heartbeat was steady and slow. She was unafraid, and it angered him.
Suddenly, the girl twisted beneath his hands, her body turned to face him, and the look of elation on the Vampire's face contorted in pain as the diamond-edged silver plunged into his chest. The three long blades attached to the knuckles that the girl wore had gone unseen for too long, and now, as his life ebbed away and his body turned to dust, he cursed his blindness.
Rising to her feet, the calm, quiet girl casually brushed the dust off her long black jacket and tight black leggings. The black skirt she wore was dust-resistant, and she ignored it. Her low-heeled black shoes clicked on the stone floor of the once grand cathedral as she made her way to the aisle. The relics of the long-gone Catholics remained, though no one practiced their beliefs anymore. The girl herself was the direct descendant of an illegitimate child of a Pope, and her faith in God was what kept her relatively sane after the vampires had killed her family. She was one of the last Lutherans in a world filled with demons and Vampires, but her religion mattered little. She hunted Vampires and she was paid for it. She had learned long before not to depend on faith to put food in her belly or give her shelter, but she was firmly convinced that God had given her the skills necessary to survive.
The thin, willowy girl of thirteen walked to the battered confessional and pulled the curtain aside. The shaking, terrified priest was there, with the $4,000,000 he had promised. She flipped through the sack, pulling out the odd coin to check authenticity while the priest stared out at the pile of dust that was once his greatest fear. Verifying the nature of the money, the seemingly frail girl took out several coins and then dropped the remaining $3, 000,000 in the dented collection plate. Without looking back, she pushed open one massive wooden door and ventured out into the storm.
Sheepishly, the bald priest scurried out of his hiding place and hefted the leather sack. With a sigh he prayed for the girl's safety. The village children would be able to attend a new schoolhouse and church come September.
Miles away and minutes later, in a forest
The whipping wind didn't bother the dark man, nor did the ghoulish shadows. His horse did not spook, thankfully, as it had seen much, much worse. Idly, he wondered if the $4,000,000 offered by the village just down the road was real, and just who he would have to beat to it. It was of no importance; D had more than enough money to survive. It was killing the Vampire that mattered to him, and only that. His one goal was the complete destruction of his race. Apparently, this Vampire had bullied the local townsfolk into offering young virgins to him at the church, and once a week, he would come and ravage the poor girl chosen for that night. Out of the six that had been sacrificed, only one had survived, and she was safely locked away in a mental asylum. He didn't drink their blood; he raped them, brutally.
Thinking of the coming fight, it was a moment or two before D realized what he was seeing. A young girl, about twelve or thirteen, was walking down the muddy road, her long blonde hair whipping in the wind, her thick black coat billowing out behind her like the wings of an angel...in this case a dark angel. Instantly, D could sense what the elderly priest could not: this girl was a Dunpeal.
Quietly, he angled his horse toward her, and he knew that she had seen him, yet she didn't run away. His killing only extended to Vampires and the Dunpeals who had chosen to live like Vampires. To the best of his knowledge, this girl had never tasted blood. But he couldn't be sure. When he was within hearing distance, even in the fierce wind, the girl stopped in her tracks, watching him.
"Girl...what are you doing out at this time of night?" D decided to play dumb, hoping to give the girl enough rope to hang herself. He was disappointed.
"I am doing whatever I please, sir. I wish no trouble, and I can take care of myself." The child's voice was cold and cultured; no voice to be possessed by a child at all. As the wind changed direction, D scented the truth in the girl's words. The Vampiric dust trapped in her leggings was proof enough of her ability to defend herself. So...he had been beaten by a child. Though many others would have been put out, D could see the humor in the situation.
"I can see. Since I no longer have any business in the village ahead, may I offer you a ride to the next town? It is the least courtesy I can provide." D was inwardly stunned at his words, since he well knew that getting involved with people always lead to pain. She was a beautiful girl, Vampire and human blending in harmony to create a small, elegant face of sculpted marble, dark, cynical blue eyes, the still, serene tranquility of her face. She had known pain, and she had triumphed over it.
"You needn't go out of your way on my account, sir. I know not the nature of your business, nor do I wish to, but the village is prosperous, and many trades flourish there." Though her words said otherwise, the girl walked to D, her eyes never leaving his face, daring him to look away.
"It is no trouble." He helped her up beside him, then turned his horse and went back the way he'd come. He felt the pinpricks of metal at his back from the triple, bladed katal she wore, and he smiled in the shadows beneath his hat. Smart girl, very smart, and D felt he might enjoy her company. "What is your name?"
"I am Angelise Sterling, of Sterling Park. And you are....?" Though D couldn't excuse his talkativeness, the girl's name and that of her home gave him reason to be quiet. Sterling Park had been destroyed and ransacked by vampires three hundred years before, and the tales of horror from that fateful night were gristly enough to give D mild shivers. What was worse, he had known the girl's father, Regal Sterling, and had been the unfortunate hunter to have caught up with him after they fled their home. Vaguely, he remembered a small, elfin child clinging to her mother's skirts as he fought Regal.
"D."
"A pleasure to meet you, D. I have heard many things." Subtly, the blades pressed further into his back. "Now, if it is at all possible, I would like to reach Fox Crossing before dawn."
D felt certain that the night would pass quickly, and he was looking forward to it. Those blades were sharp.
End Chapter One
R&R