Day of Sorrow, Night of Wonder
1. Introduction: The Legend.
Summer is always hot in Persia but today was particularly hot. It must have been over 110 degrees. But the palace I was in was relatively cool. Compared to outside temperature that is. I sat in a plush chair, sipping my drink made of melons and watched the slave girls dance. This was 17th century Persia and slavery still existed. I looked at them with pity, wishing I had the money to buy them and set them free. For being born in servitude, I knew what they were experiencing. Regardless of how well treated a slave is, that person is still a slave. A male slave gave me a plate of Persian panir, which is cheese, and some flat bread. I simply nodded and he left. As much as I wanted to, one does not thank a slave. Especially when one is on foreign soil. I took some cheese and bread and continued to watch the slave girls.
Suddenly there was a voice behind me. "Lucian, my friend! Allah be with you! How are you."
I turned and saw my Persian friend Adel, the noble of this house and smiled. "I am well, Adel. Thank you. And how do you fare?"
"Ah Lucian! I fare well as always. Thank you for coming. What brings you to Persia?"
"Oh the usual," I replied. "On the move, on the run as always."
"Death Dealers?" he asked as he sat in chair next to mine.
"Yes, that and there are rumors of a vampire coven nearby. Have you heard anything?"
Adel became lost in thought. As I looked at him I realized that the years were beginning to catch up with him. Adel was only 37 but in the 17th century, 37 was a much older age than it is today. A touch of grey was spreading to his temples and there were wrinkled under his eyes. Adel knew I was a lycan and though, as a gesture of friendship, as he had saved my life once, I offered to turn him. But Adel was a religious man and believed it was not our nature to be immortal so he refused. I respected his wish.
Finally he sighed and replied, "I have heard of people missing from the village of Nishapur. Always at night. Some have been found, some have not. When they are found, the bodies have been drained of blood. Night has become a time of fear in Nishapur."
Nodding, I asked him, "Are there any new encampments near there, in caves?"
Adel thought for a moment. "Yes, there are plenty of caves. They could be hiding in them during the day."
"Good. And thank you for your help. I can always.." I stopped in mid sentence and looked at a new slave who had been brought in to dance. She was beautiful but didn't look Persian.
"Who is she?" I asked pointing to her.
"Her name is Adara. She is Greek."
"Greek? How did you come by her?"
"A shipwreck. How it happened and why I don't know. My men found her washed up on the shore of the Persian Gulf. What a Greek ship was doing there, I have no idea for it was not a merchant ship"
I looked at her and was struck by her beauty. She had jet black hair and blue eyes. Tall for a woman and very shapely. Without thinking I asked Adel, "How much?"
Adel looked at me in surprise. He hesitated then replied, "Twenty Tankas Shahrukh."
I whistled under my breath. That was a huge amount. And yet I was determined.
"I do not have that amount, my friend. But I will get it."
Adel thought for a moment. "Lucian, my friend, you may have her. In exchange for wiping out the vampire infestation in Nishapur."
I smiled, stood and bowed to him. "It will be my pleasure, my Lord. Thank you."

That night, a male slave brought me Adara. I did not touch her but talked to her. I was curious as to why her ship was in the Persian Gulf and she told me an amazing story. They were looking for a strange and magical land where mighty warriors lived. It was said that from that land there would come a hero, a fighter for the weak and helpless. A hero who could fly, catch arrows and lift a ship. A hero who could easily defeat opponents but would never kill unless absolutely needed. A hero born of this world and the nether world.
That night I gave her freedom. I let her stay with me until I could find a way to return her to Greece. As I lay in bed that night I thought of the legend she had told me of. I imagined and wished there were such a warrior now to help us in our war with the vampires. It would take 300 years but I would finally meet that mighty warrior.

2. Enter the Legend
I realized it was a trap not long after we entered the building. It was a set up. An inside job. I had always suspected it and this was proof. We had been betrayed but by who? The mind works in strange ways, and as the Death Dealers began to appear out of nowhere, I thought back to the events that lead to this.
There had been rumors of a large coven in Washington DC. So we had come to investigate. My den had been taking massive losses. Two of my best were dead. Riddled with silver bullets. So many that there was no use in trying to remove them. There was nothing left to regenerate. Every night we went out to hunt for vampire, we took heavy losses. It was almost as if they knew what we were going to do.
I sat at a desk, looking at a chart of our recent encounters. The last one I had lost one of my best fighters. Someone who had been turned not long after the lycan uprising against Viktor. I sat there, feeling sad. We were losing den members almost on a nightly basis. We were getting smaller and smaller. They were using the special bullets they developed some time ago. Bullets hollow, filled with silver nitrate. Silver no longer could kill me but it could still kill most of my den members. And we needed more of our ultra violet bullets. We were running low and the factory we used to develope them had been destroyed by the vampires. We had to find some place else to manufacture them again but as of now I was at a loss as to where.
I studied the chart. We still had not found their coven. Where? Where could it be? I asked myself. We had checked out rumor after rumor without finding them.
Raze, my best friend and husband of my daughter, entered the room.
"Any thoughts, Lucian?"
"None as of yet, my friend. How is Amelia?"
"She is well. She is concerned about our current situation."
"Yes, I know she is. Where is she?"
"She's working out." He paused and continued. "She wants to become more involved in the vampire hunts."
I sighed and nodded. Amelia was my adapted daughter whom I had found as the soul survivor of a vampire attack. She was just a child then. When she became of age, I turned her. I taught her to fight and and learn to use her new found senses. She learned to shoot and became an excellent sharpshooter. She learned quickly and soon became able to hold her own against other lycans and vampires. She had become the most feared vampire killer other than Raze and I. But still, as I was her father I worried over her and tried not to get her involved in hunts and fights as little as possible. This annoyed her to no end.
"I can fight, father! You know that! I have killed many of them."
"Yes, my daughter. I know. But I am your father and I can not help but to protect you. If anything happened to you, it would kill me. A child is not supposed to die before her parents."
"Yes, father, I understand that. But these are troubled times and you need all the lycans you can get."
I sighed and nodded. She was correct of course. Lately the tables had turned and we were on the defensive. I suspected a traitor amongst us but I knew not who and I was reluctant to even admit it.
I looked up from the chart and said to Raze, "I need to talk to her."
Entering the training room, I found her shooting at moving targets. I watched her for a few minutes, proud of the way she was hittig her targets. Each shot hit a vital area. As she stopped to reload, she sensed my presence and turned. Seeing me she smiled and ran up and hugged me. "Father!"
I smiled and hugged her back. She was the light of my life. "Hello, Amelia, my daughter. You seem to get better with your shooting every time I see you."
She released me and stood back, smiling. "Thank you, father. That's high praise coming from you. What have you planned for tonight?"
I thought for a moment, trying to decide whether to tell her or not. I decided to tell her.
"Come. I will show you."
She followed me into the room where I was studying the chart. I motioned her to pull up a chair next to me. As we sat I pointed to the chart.
"This is a record of all their attacks. Their numbers and whether we won or had to retreat. I have been studying this, trying to determine where there coven is. I have narrowed it down to two areas, here and here."
Amelia studied it and finally pointed to one area. "I would try this one first."
I chuckled and said, "Ah! My daughter! That is excellent. That is the one I have chose for tonight."
"May I go, father?"
"Yes, Amelia you may. I hate to see you in danger but these are desperate times. We leave in an hour, well before dusk."
"Thank you, father! I will go and prepare."
I watched her go and sighed. I had a bad feeling about tonight. I just hoped that that feeling wasn't a premonition of her death. I have had at least one. Her name was Lia. It was in England, 1838. I thought back to those days.
"What do you see?"
I turned from my view of the forest through the window to see Lia looking at me with amusement. She knew what I was. She was still human but we had discussed her turning and she had agreed. It would take place four days from now, the night before the full moon.
"I see many things."
"Yes, but what?"
"Come and I'll show you."
She came, stood beside me and looked out the window. "I see trees."
"Yes, but do you see what is in those trees?"
She looked closely. "No. What do you see?"
"You can see it if you look. Observe that hawthorn there," I said pointing. "Do you see it?"
She looked closely. "I see nothing."
"Very well. Don't look for anything, just look for something that seems out of place."
She looked again. And after a few minutes exclaimed, "I see something! It's too big to be a squirell. By its shape I would say a hawk?"
"Very good. That is exactly what it is. Wait until the full moon and your turning. You will be able to see, hear and smell things you never thought possible."
I looked at her, leaned forward and kissed her. We had met in the woods. She was the widow of a wealthy man who had died in an accident. She was going home after staying several days with her sister for comfort after the death of her husband. It was a carriage for four but she was the only one inside. I wasn't far away in our encampment, waiting for scouts to return with their report. Suddenly the horses reared up and stopped. They began neighing in fear. Suddenly about four vampires appeared out of nowhere and attacked. The driver of the carriage was attacked and immediately drained. One of them tore the carriage door off it's hinges, took hold of Lia and pulled her out. Her screams got my attention. I ran in the direction of the screams and found the four vampires standing over her and arguing as to which one should taste her blood first. I drew my sword and attacked. I dispensed with them quickly and helped her to her feet.
"Are you alright, my Lady?"
"Yes, I am. Who...what were they? I could see fangs."
I knew that she realized they were vampires. There were stories of them in this area. That was why I was here. I looked at her and said, "You already know what they were."
"Yes. I know. I saw them attack the driver. So the stories are true."
"Yes, my Lady. They are. I will walk you home."
We developed a fondness for each other which led to love. I started spening the nights with her and eventually I told her what I was. At first she was frightened but came to accept it. And then one day we discussed her turning. She was reluctant at first but finally said yes after I introduced my daughter to her. That day at the window, as I kissed her a strange sensation came over me. A feeling of dread and sorrow. I dismissed it but it turned out to be a warning.
The night before the full moon I was in the study doing some reading. She had gone outside for some fresh air when I heard a scream. I ran outside and found a dark figured holding her tight, his mouth on her throat. I knew what he was. I shouted at him and he dropped her and faced me. Taking off my shirt I shifted and ran at him. He took out a silver lined whip and we fought but I over came him. I dropped to Lia's side but it was too late. She was gone. I sat there looking at her pale face, then up at the night sky and yelled at the top of my lungs. "NOOOOOOO!"
After that night I decided I would never try mating again. It just wasn't in my future. I came out of my thoughts and sighed. So much pain. So much sorrow in 600 years. Did I really want to continue with this? Yes. For two reasons. Amelia and the fact that I could not die anyway.
An hour later we left. We took our usual weapons, the ultra violet bullets and entered an abandoned warehouse on outskirts of the city. There was plenty of daylight left so the vampires would still be asleep. We made our way into the warehouse and looked around. All quite. Then I heard a slight sound from above and looked up. The rafters were full of Death Dealers. They had been expecting us. As they dropped down among us, we opened fired. But I could see we were out numbered. As we fought I looked for an escape route but we were surrounded. Lycans were falling faster than vampires. I took bullet after bullet. We killed enough Death Dealers to make a space for us to run, though it didn't lead to the outside. We found cover behind barrels and the fight continued. But it was evident we were losing. I put my left arm around Amelia and hers around me. We both knew this was the end. "I love you, my daughter."
"I love you too, father."
Suddenly I heard a crash and a thud as if a door had been kicked in. I saw a blur of red and blue out of the corner of my eye. I turned and there she stood. Like some goddess come to life. She was tall, about 5 feet 9 inches. Her hair was raven black and she had the most piercing blue eyes I had ever seen. Somewhat like Viktor's were but hers were not faded out as his. Around her forehead was some sort of gold metal band with a star in the middle of it. She wore the most interesting uniform I had ever seen. It was a red corset, which showed firm but not overly muscular shoulders. On the top front was a golden eagle with spread wings forming what looked like two W's one on top of the other and a red star in the middle. At the waist of the corset was a band of gold. She wore tight fitting blue pants that looked like leather which ended in blue boots with gold at the top and gold lines running down the front. Attached to her right hip was a wound golden rope. Around her wrists were beautiful silver bracelets. Even though they were silver, I still found them beautiful. In her right hand she held a long double grip sword. The sword was held at the ready.
A Death Dealer saw her fired at her. With reflaxes as fast as a lycan, she held up her bracelets and the bullets bounced off them. The Death Dealer stared at her and in one fluid movement, she pierced his shoulder with her blade, picked him up with her left hand and threw him as if he weighed no more than a small dog. I stood in amazement, ignoring the fight around me. I had never seen anyone, other than a lycan, do that to a vampire.
The other Death Dealers saw him go flying past them and turned to this new strange looking enemy. They seemed confused. Who or what was she? They sniffed the air and determined, as I already had, that she was neither vampire nor lycan. And yet no human could do what she just did to a vampire. As one the Death Dealers opened fire on her and again with lightning relexes, she deflected the bullets with her bracelets. The Death Dealers kept firing but with not one bullet hitting her. They stopped and with a motion from the lead Death Dealer, they charged her. All at once. With one stroke of her sword she sliced three Death Dealers, causing them to stop and look down at their bleeding abs. Other Death Dealers charged at her. But instead of attacking with her sword, she jumped toward and above them. As she passed over head, she tumbled head over heels and landed on her feet. Quickly turned around and jabbed the point of her sword into three of them one after another in quick movements. They went down holding their shoulders with the other hand. A female Death Dealer behind her aimed her gun and fired. But just as she pulled the trigger, the warrior in red and blue whirled, held up a bracelet and deflected the bullet. I shook my head in disbelief. She could not be human. I glanced at Amelia who was just staring.
Another Death Dealer charged from behind with what looked like a long crowbar. She turned, took hold of his wrist and twisted. I could hear bones snap. Sheathing her sword she took the crowbar, bent it around him with her bare hands, thus imprisoning him. She turned to the others who were rushing her. Unsheathing her sword, she took them out one by one, and yet not killing any of them. One came from behind her while she was fighting but I took him with one shot. She whirled, saw the vampire on the floor, looked at me, smiled and nodded.
It wasn't long before the remaining vampires realized they were out matched and retreated. She stood, looking around, making sure there were no more. The surviving lycans came out in the open. They just stood there looking at her. Then I started clapping my hands and the others joined in, Amilia applauding the loudest. The warrior smiled and nodded. When the applause died down, I walked up to her and offered my right hand. She took it. Her grip was strong.
"My name is Lucian. Thank you. From all of us. We were out numbered. You saved us from certain death."
Releasing my hand she replied, "You're welcome. My name is Diana."
I nodded. "Diana. Goddess of the hunt and moon. Appropriate. What brought you here to this particular place?"
"I was nearby. I heard the gunshots and came to investigate."
"Good thing for us you did. But how did you know who to help and who not to?"
"I could tell. It was obvious you were under attack and defending yourselves."
Looking at her clothing I asked, "What kind of uniform is that? Do you work for the government?"
She smiled. "No, I don't."
"Then what do you do? I have never heard of you before or of anything like you."
"I fight for the weak, for those who can't defend themselves. I've just started so not many people have seen me."
"I see. And where do you come from?"
"From the island Themyscira. I have not been in the world of men for very long."
"My apologies but I have never heard of it."
She laughed. I smiled. Her laugh was almost musical. "Not many people have heard of it. It is an island of women warriors. It was decided that there should be an emissary into Man's World. A contest was held and I won."
"Man's world?" I was confused.
"Yes, Themyscira is an island of women only. Now please tell me who or rather what you are."
"Those men and women you fought were vampires. I, and the rest of my friends here are lycans."
She looked puzzled. "A species of werewolf," I explained.
An expression of understanding came upon her face. "Yes, I have heard of your kind but I thought you were a myth."
I smiled. "I assure you we are not. I can show you if you are skeptical."
She looked at me curiously. "Show me? Yes."
Looking at Amelia, I nodded. Taking off her long coat she transformed, then shifted back.
"Hera!" She exclaimed. "So the legends are true. How did you come to be like this?"
I told her my story, being born the first lycan six hundred years ago. My enslavement, the forbidden love, her execution and the rebellion. How I found my daughter Amelia and how we had wandered during the lycan/vampire war.
She was thoughtful, taking in all the information. Then she looked at me and smiled. Taking my hand again, "So you fight for the oppressed too. An honor to meet you."
I smiled. "Believe me, my lady, the honor is all mine."
She nodded slightly. "I must go. There is a lot of work to be done. And I must search. I have heard of others who can perform marvelous feats. I would like to find them. There is a rumor of a league forming. Are you part of this league?"
"No, Lady Diana, we are not. We can not be part of any league. We are much too busy with our war."
"I see. I must be going. Good luck with your war. And if you need me, just call."
"Thank you. But how would I get in touch with you in an emergency?"
She reached into a pocket, a pocket I didn't even know was there and took out a small device. "Just push this small button here and the reciver I have will give off a signal."
"And how would you find us?"
She smiled. "I have my ways."
I nodded and asked, "But why us?"
"Because I see in you the representation of freedom. Someone who values freedom very highly and will fight for it with his life. We have a lot in common, Lucian. Now I must go. Good day and good luck."
With that she walked to the door. I followed her and as she exited the door which she had battered down, she looked around and then lifted into the air as if on invisible wires and flew off into the distance. I stood there staring up at her retreating figure until she was out of sight. I put my arm around Amelia. She looked up at me and smiled. "We have an ally father. A powerful ally."
"Indeed we do, Amelia. Indeed we do."
As we gathered our weapons and prepared to leave I looked at the device she gave me. Yes, indeed. We made a powerful ally tonight. I thought of the golden eagle with spread wings on her chest and was curious if the W W meant anything. I smiled and sighed. It should stand for Wonder. For she was indeed that. I paused. Wonder. Yes. Wonder...Woman.