Updating quicker than I expected I would. I probably should be revising for exams. But hey, this is more fun!

Time to find out what those weird slayer people were all about! :D

Vlad stood at the gates to Garside Grange and tried not to remember his last experiences here, where he tried to bite everyone and cause destruction wherever he went. Not the most pleasant of memories. He purposefully skirted Erin, though he spied her through the crowds mixing for lunchtime and headed up to his family's attic living quarters.

He was going to have a little chat with Bertrand before he did anything else.

Vlad was researching again. If he wasn't with Erin, he was with Bertrand. If he wasn't with Bertrand, he was with his father. If he had managed to wriggle his way out of the Count's sight, Vlad could be found among his father's book collection, searching for information. He wanted to know about the slayers who could manipulate light.

He had considered consulting Bertrand or the Count (in the unlikely event that Bertrand knew nothing) about them, but something made him hold his tongue every time he was faced with his tutor. There was an ominous feeling in the pits of his stomach that saying that he had seen a village of slayers was probably not the best thing. Knowing Bertrand, he would disappear that evening in search of this village, and, knowing the villagers, which could mean the end of his tutor.

So Vlad made do with studying ancient texts about vampire wars and political conflicts. They themselves fascinated Vlad. Did two vampire clans really go to war just because one vampire lord stole another's favourite virgin as a snack? It sounded like the old story of Helen of Troy, except there was no wooden horse and Helen didn't make it back alive.

It was deep among these ancient tomes that Vlad found the reference. It was a copy of a very old book. The first entry dated back over 1000 years. That was older than the Count, Vlad marvelled as he turned the delicate pages. It was an old diary. It was relating to the developing of vampire hold over Transylvania. The first castles were being built. The first villagers were being hunted. Everything was a first in those times.

A phrase caught his eye. "The warriors of light have been breeding again. They bring breathers into business that isn't theirs and turn our prey into predators."

Vlad's heart, if it had still been beating, would have skipped a beat. These "Warriors of light" sounded like the villagers he had run into. Vlad turned pages hurriedly, searching for more references. A little later on, it talked about an uprising of warriors called "Soluna" who burn with light and turn vampires to dust with a simple glance.

Vlad raised his eyebrows at this quote. It seemed highly unlikely. But what were "Soluna"? Were they the previously mentioned warriors of light?

Vlad decided that this was enough to ask Bertrand about. He sought his teacher out and found him in his usual place, beside the Praedictum Impaver. Vlad waited in the shadows for his teacher to spot him and, when he didn't, coughed to get Bertrand's attention. Bertrand snapped straight-backed, whipping around to face Vlad.

Vlad suppressed a grin. He was getting good at sneaking up on his tutor. 'I want to ask you something.'

'Of course,' Bertrand stood waiting.

'I was reading,' Vlad said, bringing the book out from behind his back, 'and I found this quote: "The Soluna Warriors are riding out to meet us. I fear the light is shining out too strong."' Vlad glanced up from the book at his tutor. Bertrand's face was impassive. 'What does it mean? Who are Soluna?'

'It is not something to concern yourself with,' Bertrand said, reaching out for the book.

Vlad drew back. 'I want to concern myself with it. I am the Chosen One. If I am to understand in which direction to lead the vampire community, surely I must understand our history. So far, you have been teaching me everything I need to know. But these "Soluna", I've never heard of them before? Who are they? What are they? Are they still around?' He gazed imploringly at his tutor. 'I need to know.'

Bertrand paused and then opened his mouth to speak. Vlad knew that he was going to decline him from the first syllable. He interrupted quickly, 'if you don't know, it's fine. I'll go and ask Dad. He has been around 600 years, he's bound to have heard something.' He turned to go.

'I can tell you.' Vlad kept turning until he was facing his tutor again. He folded his arms and gestured for Bertrand to continue. Bertrand looked unhappy but continued anyway, 'I was planning on telling you about this later.' That didn't seem to change Vlad's mind so he carried on, 'the Soluna have nearly all died out.'

'But there are still some around,' Vlad said.

'Yes,' Bertrand admitted. Vlad found himself a seat and sat down. Realising that he will have to tell his young pupil everything, Bertrand too found himself somewhere to sit and began to explain.

'When vampires were just starting to emerge, breathers were ignorant to how we ate and vampires could feast by night. Immortal to time, we settled around European areas, finally Transylvania was chosen as a home point, so to speak. And vampires were unbound by breathers for centuries. But then a clan of unique breathers emerged from northern lands. There are many suggestions on how they became who they are, the most popular belief is that special breathers were touched by the aurora of the north and became infused with its light. There are other theories, but the outcome is all the same. This clan of breathers became able to wield light.'

'What do you mean, they could "wield light"?' Vlad asked.

'They found special stones that could store light,' Bertrand expanded, 'and those who wore the stones could harness the light stored within into a powerful force. They called themselves Soluna, which is a combination of the ancient names for sun and moon, from whom the Soluna could absorb power. It was very secular among Soluna. Only certain Soluna could harness sunlight, only certain Soluna could use moonlight and very few could use both.'

'What's the point in being about to use moonlight as a weapon?' Vlad questioned, 'sunlight is understandable; it's full of UV rays, why slayers use UV guns and we can't go out during the day. But, like you said, night time is when we feast. What's the point in harnessing moonlight?'

'I am only repeating what I know,' Bertrand snapped, 'I don't know why moonlight can be dangerous to a vampire, only that it has been proven that it is.'

'Okay,' Vlad said slowly, realising that he had irritated his teacher, but he wanted to know more. 'I guess the best person to ask would be a Soluna,' he joked.

'No!' Bertrand was off his seat, pressing his face close to Vlad's before Vlad had finished blinking. 'You mustn't go near a Soluna. You cannot trust a Soluna, understand? Soluna live to destroy vampires. If you find yourself cornered by a Soluna, it is doubtful that you will survive. Even vampires of the highest power have struggled to overcome a Soluna hunting party.'

'If they are so powerful,' Vlad said, 'then why aren't there more of them? Why isn't the slayers guild filled with Soluna?'

Bertrand sat back. 'It was once,' he said quietly, 'it was once that Soluna ran the slayers guild. It was them who taught breathers how to hunt us, turned our prey into our predators.' Vlad blinked. That had been a phrase in the book.

'So what happened?'

Bertrand shrugged. 'It is unknown,' he said, 'but at one moment, Soluna outnumbered vampires, the next, they were scattered far and wide across Europe. They were weak. They could barely hold their own against us. They fled to their own sanctuary to grow again. To this day, the Soluna sanctuary remains unfound.'

I found it, Vlad thought, I found it and escaped to tell the tale. He avoided Bertrand's gaze, lost in thought. Finally he asked, 'have you ever met a Soluna?'

Bertrand gave him a wry smile, 'If I have, I must have been incredibly lucky because I doubt I'd be here now. They don't tend to let vampires go when they've set their sights on slaying them.'

Something started inside Vlad. Did that mean that the Soluna would follow him here, to Garside Grange? Had he put everyone in danger?

Bertrand was studying Vlad's expression. Vlad hoped that he wasn't giving anything away. 'Is something wrong?'

Vlad forced a smile. 'No,' he said lightly, 'I was just curious.' He got up. 'Thanks for explaining to me. I feel like I understand more now.'

'You're welcome.'

But… Bertrand…?'

'Yes?'

Vlad gave his a proper smile this time. 'Please don't keep something like this from me again. If there is anything that could threaten the vampire population, surely as the Chosen One, I need to know about it.'

'Of course,' Bertrand dipped his head in a respectful bow.

Vlad nodded and vanished to deal with his own thoughts.

Bertrand watched the young vampire leave, an unfathomable look in his eyes.

Little hint for what's to come: Vlad hasn't escaped the Soluna yet! But there's a twist to come that could be his salvation or his defeat.

:) Does the whole Soluna thing make sense to you? Don't worry if you don't know everything, it will be properly explained later.