Forbidden Companion Prologue:
Andorra, 1207
The hammers clang on metal as sweat beat off the foreheads of a hundred slaves. Maybe there was more. No one could ever know, or tell for that matter. Whips were cracked in the air and on bare backs, slaves were whelping through their gripped teeth, afraid for THEM to hear. Because any sign of weakness would just get lashed at more. Some have been slaves all of their lives. Born a slave and died as one. But every new life brought them happiness, knowing that this new life, (Soul) would possibly be saved. Saved and brought to Paradise. A land where they were free from chains. Free from whips and sandy mud and the thirst for water, with the sun beating down their backs.
They were gypsies, nobodies, who wonder the land. The earth was their home and the moon is their guidance. They believed that the moon would one day bring them a "Deliverer" who would strip away this burden to do THEIR bidding. It was whispered to the ears of many that this Deliverer would take all of the slaved gypsies to Paradise. A place so beautiful that everything was given life from the moons beams. The moons light would lead the way, and the gypsy who found it would live forever.
But Paradise wasn't the only place powered by the moon. These gypsies were not ordinary gypsies. They were the sons and daughters of the night. The moon powered them as well. And on a special moon phase, a Full Moon, it gave these chosen gypsies a special phase too. They could take a normal skin, the skin that the enemy had, but they could also take the skin of an animal. An animal that could stop this slavery once and for all. The Full Moon was the only night they could possibly think of overpowering the enemy. They were known as, Lu Garou.
But the enemies also had an ability on their side. They were also sons of Night, forbidden to step into the daylight, but only to come out in darkness. These creatures were called Vampires. They had taken over the land and captured all the Lu Garou and used them as their slaves. They were to remain human, and if one should change, that Lu Garou would be killed. They are strong in numbers, and there isn't much that kills them. Except for Silver. Silver is the main killer to all werewolves; once in the veins, it is nearly impossible to cure. It kills the blood cells and breaks down the oxygen inside, causing the veins to run cold, a blue-gray death. The worst way to die in a Lu Garou's eyes.
But on this particular night, a young gypsy wolf noticed a gapping hole in the line of guards protecting the boarder of the reservation that kept the slaves in. He stood up, his chains clanging and this collar squeezed against his bare skin. His hands flew up to prevent the silver thorns from going into his neck. He had been bent over for so long, the collar stayed in one place. Like it was welted into his skin. His name was Yuk, and he had been born a slave. He had lost his mother to the merciless Vampires and his father shared the same fate. All he had was his Uncle, but he rarely saw him during the day, only at night where he would talk about the Moon Goddess, Selene. They lived in a hut made of stone and mud, with potato sacks as blankets to warm them from the cold.
Yuk dropped his shovel and moved toward the gap. He didn't look back as he moved quicker, shouts calling toward him.
"Yuk, what are you doing? You'll be killed!" An old man called, grabbing for his arm. He caught him for a second and Yuk turned around, his eyes; blazed in a deep gold color, shown nothing but determination.
"I must go. This may be our only chance in escaping this fate. I will come back with help. I will save you all. But now I must try. There's more to life then digging graves for ourselves in this unforgiving sand!" He said and turned toward the gap. He dug a key out of his pocket. "I made this key, its for our freedom, and I will use it first." And he did, he unlatched his collar, and it fell to the sand.
"Yuk, what are you doing? We are forbidden to take the collar off. If they see that it is off, they will kill you!" The old man said. Yuk turned around and put the key in his hands.
"Then so be it, I'll die trying. Better then dying a slave. Use it when the time comes." And then he was gone, he moved swiftly, running straight ahead. Toward the hole in the fence, toward freedom, toward Paradise.
"HEY! What are you doing gypsy?" A guard called out. "Stop him, he's getting away!" Guards began to chase him down, closing in on him. Yuk got to the fence and dumped over, and continued to run. The guards had stopped and stood on the other side of the fence. Watching as he went.
"Oh Goddess, give me power to keep moving, lead me to Paradise, lead me to my-" Yuk yelled to the moon, but was cut short by a swooshing noise that cut through the air. In that instant, Yuk was down, face buried in the sand. He lifted his head, gasping for breath. He had been hit from a guard in a tower, that was why the Vampires had stopped chasing him, he realized. "No… I-I can't… end like this." But it was too late, the arrow that struck him had silver at the tip, and was sticking out of his back. By now the silver incense would have gotten into his blood stream, moving its way through his body. Down his spine to his legs, to his arms, and moving rapidly to his heart. "I had gotten so far, and for nothing…"
The veins in his forehead had turned blue and he began to gasp for air. The silver had gotten into his lungs, and now closing in on his heart. He reached for his heart, as he saw the enemy coming closer to him, holding spears and knives. His eyes were beginning to close, as his body was going numb.
"He's still alive, but barely breathing, one more jab in the heart shall finish him off." The vampire said as he stood over Yuk's crumbling body. A five minutes ago, Yuk was on his way to freedom, and three minutes later, he was on the ground, gasping for his very last breath. Yuk used all his strength that he could muster up to look at the monsters who imprisoned his people. They spoke a different language then the Vampires, but shouted from the inner core of his soul, as if swearing on the moon.
"Maldición a todos por lo que has hecho a mi pueblo! Nuestra diosa te herirá a todos y nuestro libertador nos conducirá al paraíso!" The slaves that were watching bowed their head to the Moon Goddess, Selene as he yelled her name, "Curse you all for what you have done to my people! Our goddess shall smite you all and our Deliverer will lead us to Paradise!"
The Vampires looked at Yuk, and smirked. The main guard looked down at him and said in fine English that both creatures understood, "You filthy animal, your race shall be erased, one day or another." And with that, he stabbed his spear into Yuk's heart, and instantly, he was dead. They burned the young man's body down to ash and dumped the remains in the sand, forever being mixed in the land.
The Vampires had a castle that was made for them by the gypsies themselves. They mostly stayed in to hide from the sun, but they ruled the land and the humans that lived in the city nearby. Seasons came and went, and the slaves remained their solitary figure, but many still mourned the loss of Yuk. Especially his Uncle, who swore that he would get back at the Vampires for what they had done. One day as the sun had begun to set, an old woman came into the barricades of the castle, with a large basket in hand. She walked past the 'wolves that worked inside the castle, and right up to the two guards blocking the huge doors.
"What are you doing here old woman?" One of the bigger guards asked. The old woman looked at the man, and then the walls, and finally on the slaves.
"Just looking around Sir, is that a sin?" The lady said, smiling under her bonnet.
"It is when you have no reason to be here. Now leave, before we escort you out of here." The other guard said, patting the club in his hands with a smirk on his tiny face.
"Oh well, then I'll be on my way, I must be lost, old age does that to a woman."
"What is your name?" Asked the first guard, squinting to see her in the bright light. The woman looked at the slaves, one in particular, a young female, and smiled.
"My name is Selene. That is all you have to know. I do not have a last name, nor am I bound to any particular piece of land. Good Night, Sir." And with that she walked toward the exit. When she was out of sight, the old woman hid behind a stand of weapons and barrels of water. The young female slave came to her then and kneeled down, bowing her head.
"It is you, our Goddess." She said in a soft whisper. She looked at her then and saw that the old woman's features had disappeared and a youthful looking woman was in her place. Her eyes were a deep gold, and hair that was pure white. Her skin was flawless, unmarked and unblemished. Sun seemed to glitter off her face and her eyes grew more intense.
"Yes, Rissa, my Daughter of the Night, it is I, your Goddess. I have come to grant you a special gift. This is the gift of life." The Goddess put her hand on the female's stomach and kept it there, "You will bear two children. My Children that I have created out of my image. One a female, and one a male. They will be Lu Garoo, but a special kind. And they will survive. What I want you to do, is the next day after they are born, put them in this basket, and set them in the river here. They will be safe. And I will watch over them." She said as she slid the basket toward her. "But there is one thing I must tell you, my Daughter. After you put them in the river, all of you will die. The Vampires have a plan to kill you all, but do not be afraid of death. It is a normal part of every creatures life. Tell them to not be afraid, but to look toward the future, knowing that the race of your people will live on as strong as ever!" The Goddess stood, "Now go Daughter, take this basket and keep it safe, no normal basket will protect your heirs as they are riding the river's rapids. And remember, Paradise awaits those with open eyes, and an open mind." And with that the Goddess Selene disappeared and Rissa was alone. She picked the basket off up from the ground and hid it where no harm could come to it. And when it was time to go to their home's she took it there and hid it again.
Months had passed and her pregnancy was becoming more apparent, and it wasn't long before Selene's Children would be born. Rissa had told the story of how the Goddess herself had come to her and bore her with Her Children. And to Rissa's surprise, they believed her. An old gypsy woman had prophesized it in her sleep, and had spoke of it before it had happened. The slaves had started to believe that she, Rissa, was the Deliverer, the one who would lead them to Paradise. It had made sense, she thought to herself at night, as she rubbed her belly with two growing babies inside of her, that she would be the Deliverer. She would be delivering Selene's children into the world, and possibly starting a new race, as the old was taken to Paradise. She also wondered what the New World would be like with a whole new brand of Lu Garou to live off the land. She hoped these two children did not have to suffer as her people now had. And would look to the Moon for guidance.
When it was time for Rissa to have the babies, the old woman who had the prophecy, another female, and the male leader of the Lu Garou slaves', Gideon, who had taken Rissa as his wife, were there to help her. After a long night, Rissa had given birth to the Goddess's Children. Just as she had said, there was a male and a female. The infants hadn't opened their eyes, but they cried like every infant does. The Moon was full, and had shown brightly then ever before, as Rissa and the babies slept close together, along with Gideon, for one last night together.
Rissa awoke that night to screaming and cries of woman and children. Gideon was nowhere to be seen, and her babies cried as smoked filled the roof of the hut. The female that helped her the night before burst through the door.
"Deliverer, we must go now. You slept all day and not its happened. The Vampires have started to kill, just as the old woman had prophesized and just like you said. I'll hold onto the basket, as we run for the river." She cried, standing at her bedside.
"Where is Gideon?" Rissa asked, getting up from the bed, and wrapping the infants in blankets.
"He is, still out there, fighting. The males have decided to fight back, if we are to be killed, we might as well bring them down with us!" She yelled, picking up the basket. "I will protect this with my life, Deliverer. Now please hurry!" Rissa wrapped herself and picked up the babies. She poked her head out of the door frame and looked around. There was fire everywhere, and screaming in the distance. Rissa left her home and ran down the narrow streets, and up the steps, stopping every so often to make sure no one was following. She needed to get them to the river, so the Goddess could keep them safe. The female followed her every step of the way, holding onto the basket tightly. When they would stop, Rissa would try to quiet the babies by humming, and it seemed like they responded to her quiet singing. As they got out of the city, the two females saw the destruction the Vampires had caused. Bodies were on the ground, still burning and people were screaming with flames on their body, running into a trap laid out by the Vampires. And then not far from view, guards were running away from whatever was chasing them. And then, the werewolves came from around the corner, closing in on them and tackling them down, ripping them to shreds. Among them, Rissa noticed, was Gideon. He was a large male with broad shoulders and bright yellow eyes. His fur was as black as the night and claws were dagger-like. The only chance they would have is to run past them, which was the fastest way to get to the river. But also the most dangerous because they would also be running straight into the Vampires. But Rissa was determined to reach the river and nothing was going to stop her. So she ran forward, toward Gideon and his wolves, and toward the Vampires. Gideon must have had noticed that Rissa was coming their way with the Children, and he let out a howl. All of the 'wolves that were busy killing the Vampires stopped, and turned toward her. Standing on their hind legs and howling too, showing that they understood the situation. And so did the Vampires. But they had underestimated the powerful bond that the wolves had. There was no way in hell that they would stop Rissa from delivering those babies to the river. The wolves would put their life on the line, if it meant protecting a female and their belief in new life.
So that is what they did, the Vampires tried to get at Rissa, but failed, ending in killing. Some of the wolves died too, but not as vain. Gideon ran in front of Rissa, clearing the path so she and the other female could get through. Then Gideon stopped, and looked at Rissa, for right in front of him was the river. They both knew they would not see each other after this, so this was their good-bye. She put her hand on his large forehead and smiled. "I will see you in Paradise, my love." Gideon closed his eyes then opened them, then ran away, back to his pack, and to his doom.
When Rissa reached the river, the waves were calm and slowly hitting the shore. Rissa unwrapped the cloth on the two children's faces and set them gently in the basket. She walked into the river waist deep, holding basket in the water. She looked at the children one last time, and saw that they had finally opened their eyes. The male had brown eyes, and the female a beautiful blue, unlike the gypsies usual gold yellow eyes. She smiled, then closed the basket with the top. She gently pushed it into the current, which swept the basket with the babies inside of it away. Rissa stood there in the water watching as the basket as if moved out of sight down the stream. She was in a tranquil state, as if the Goddess herself had placed her hands on her shoulders and took away her pain, fear and longing. And as if all of those things disappeared, something from her inner core came out. A song, one that she had never heard before, and never knew she knew, had come from her mouth. It was in a language that she had never heard before, but it calmed her. And in that moment that it came out, it had ended. And the reality of death crept behind her, as a Vampire guard grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the water. She was no longer afraid, she looked ahead, as he people were killed one by one. She saw a black mass of fur laying on the ground, motionless, along with other wolf bodies. Gideon, Rissa thought, then looked away. She was thrown down on her knees next to other slaves that she knew and worked with.
Her job was done, and they saw it in her eyes. She had Delivered the Moon Goddess's Children, their future into the New World, and now she would Deliver her people, slaves who had been slaves all of their life, into Paradise. That simple thought made something boil inside of her, so she sang, sang alone, but loud enough for her people to hear. A song that would never be forgotten even in the New World.
"I am the voice of the past that will always be, Filled with my sorrow and blood in my fields, I am the voice of the future, bring me your peace, Bring me your peace, and my wounds, they will heal.
I am the Voice, I will Remain…"