Sunlight: Part One: Blackness
Whispy clouds filled the sky, all but blocking out the light of the nearly full moon. A chill wind blew through the trees, sometimes as a breeze, sometimes as a gale. This part of the road seemed to lack the marks of use - width, wagon ruts, hoof prints - and the tavern in the shadows of the pines at the bend in the road, as ruinous and deserted as it looked, seemed utterly out of place. The wood that made up the walls and roof was rotting, the windows were shuttered tightly with much abused shutters. However, there was smoke coming from the chimney, and the smell of roasting meat filled the air.
A lone figure made her way down the empty road to this tavern, slipped in silently, looking around. This wayward tavern was not one she would ordinarily have even considered going into, but times being what they were, she was forced to make the best of things. Her green eyes flickered around the room, searching for anyone she might recognize, or worse anyone who might recognize her. Finding no one, she relaxed some, gently fingering the pendant at her neck.
The name she went by was Rua - Ruadh Tarvos, the red bull - but that wasn't her real name. Her real name was a secret. Many guessed it was Katherine - because that is what her mother's name had been - and she answered to it, but her true name was a secret known only to two other beings. Rua was a woman of average height and a deceptively slight build, with red wavy hair and soft green eyes. Her hair, which was part of what had given her her name and one of her most recognizable traits, was now wrapped tightly in a tan scarf. Her dress was simple: a tan tunic, belted at the waist, over a black sleeveless jumpsuit and leather boots that went almost up to her knees. There was a dagger sheathed in each of her boots, and a third concealed on her body.
The room was fortuitously dark, lit only by the light of the fireplace and a few stray torches on the walls. Obviously they hadn't discovered the merits of oil lamps here yet. The tavern was also nearly empty, which didn't surprise her - it wasn't one of the best, or the cleanest. At one end of the bar, a rather scantily dressed woman was talking to the bar keep - an older and not very handsome man. Two cloaked figures sat at a corner table across the room, and one of them, whom Rua guessed by her posture was a woman, had a rather large pet snake twining around her.
The barkeep and the woman looked over at her just then, murmured something to each other, and then the barkeep walked over toward her table with a repulsive smile on his face. "Can I get you anything?" he asked.
Rua looked up at him nonchalantly, and shrugged. "Vodka, if it's no trouble."
He nodded, the gruesome smile not leaving his face. "Are you waiting to meet someone?"
"No, just getting out of the wind for a while," she said, inwardly cringing. She had been recognized as an outsider, and they both knew it. Outsiders were treated with suspicion in Llyrya - it was hard enough to trust your own people not to sell you out to a slave trader.
A smirk lit the mans face, "Yes, the wind is rather harsh tonight, isn't it? You have been traveling a long ways."
"Yes, I have," she lied, "I'm looking for work. After a while, herding goats in Dancia becomes tedious." These three statements were true, however, the barkeep had no way of knowing that they were also unrelated. If the man possessed any kind of sight at all, which most barkeeps seemed to, he would be able so see a lie immediately. All she had to do was choose her words carefully.
"Dancia? I don't think I've heard of it."
"It's a very small village in the mountains," she replied, "A few people, but mostly goats." This was true, she had passed through there once, not to long ago.
"I see," he replied in clipped tones, and then went back behind the bar, muttering to the woman again. Rua stared into the fire, taking in the barkeep's actions without looking at him outright. She was also taking the time to slip a few gold pieces out of a hidden lining in her tunic, knowing from experience that it is usually better if people don't see where the money comes from. He returned in a moment with a glass three-fingers full of vodka. He sat it on the table, looking as if he were going to start asking questions again. She smiled at him, sliding four gold pieces his way. He looked at them for a moment before picking them up, and then smiled at her again. This was more than enough to buy the drink, it was enough to buy some silence. "Let me know if you need anything else, m'lady," he said, retreating to the bar.
Rua breathed an inward sigh of relief. She knew it was too late to avoid drawing attention to herself, since the both cloaked figures had watched that entire exchange. However, as long as no more questions were asked, she cold drink her vodka slowly and then take her leave. Not that she knew where she was going. The Guild would find her eventually, no matter how far she went.
At that moment, the door to the tavern swung open, and a man strolled confidently in, heading straight for the bar. Everyone in the room immediately stopped what they were doing to study him. He was fairly tall, with longish brown hair. He wore a brown, capeless jerkin, which revealed close fitting black pants and boots. He also wore gloves, the same brown as the jerkin, but made of leather and missing. He was obviously as new as she was, and, unlike her, obviously not trying to hide it.
And that was just stupid.
"Who's de barkeep?" he asked, in a loud, accented voice. Rua knew she recognized the accent, but she couldn't place it exactly.
The barkeep went back to muttering quietly to the woman, completely ignoring the man, who looked around helplessly for a moment. Rua went back to staring into the fire so she could take in the whole room. The two in cloaks were still observing this man very carefully, and from the slight movements of their heads, conversing quietly about him. Oddly enough, the snake seemed to be observing him too. She tried not to shudder. There was something seriously disturbing about all three of them.
She felt the man look at her briefly, and he looked like he was about to start across the room to ask her where she got the drink. However, one of the cloaked figures stood, dropping the hood back. If the barkeep had been unattractive, this man was positively hideous. His black hair was tangled and matted with something dark, which Rua really hoped was mud. He had a deeply scarred face, and was missing several teeth. His voice was deep and gruff. "Welcome, stranger, to this humble establishment," he said, with a malicious smile, "Can I get you anything? Or perhaps you will join us for dinner?"
"Yoah're de barkeep?" the stranger asked, turning to look at him. The barkeep continued chatting with the woman, although Rua could see that both bore slight frowns.
"I am the owner," remarked the man, as he crossed the room towards the bar. Rua could see straight away that this wasn't true. Her instincts told her that there was going to be trouble, so she quickly downed the vodka. The barkeep and the woman had disappeared in the kitchen, and the other cloaked figure had pushed back the hood, revealing a woman who was not unattractive. However, the sinister air about her made her appearance deeply disturbing. The snake, a boa, Rua now realized, was loosely coiled around her shoulders. The woman slowly stood, her smile as malevolent as the man's, and began pacing towards the stranger.
The stranger was still oblivious to the danger he was in. "T'ank you," he said, "I'll take whiskey."
"No trouble at all," purred the man, slipping behind the bar. Rua was about to follow the example of the barkeep and his presumable mistress, but she noticed the woman sliding a bone knife out from under the cloak, her golden bracelets not making a sound on her wrist. She was nearly within striking distance of the stranger. Rua slid one of her own daggers slowly from her boot, holding the glass to her lips with the other hand, for all the world looking as if she were staring into the fire. She waited to make sure, and when it looked like the woman was about to bury the bone knife into the back of the stranger, Rua sent her own knife flying across the room and into the woman's shoulder. The woman cursed, and was about to grab the blade, when Rua recalled her enchanted weapon. It appeared back in her hand before the woman realized what happened. The woman and the snake hissed, and this drew the attention of both the imposter owner and the stranger. The stranger looked at Rua for a moment, the bloody knife in her hand, and then turned suddenly to the woman, looking from her bone knife to the wound. He backed away slightly. "I get in de middle of somet'in, non?"
Rua smiled slightly, standing, and stepping away from the table. "Maybe you ought to ask what's for dinner."
A look of dawning horror crossed his face, and he backed toward the door, looking suspiciously at all three of them. "Yoah're... vampires?" he asked.
The other man was out from behind the bar now, and his fingertips sparked ever so slightly. Rua cursed herself for getting involved - the man and probably the woman as well was at least a sorcerer. She would have seen that sooner if she'd been paying attention. The man smiled, revealing canines that were sharp, but not sharp enough to be vampire's teeth. "What we are is much worse than that," he said in his deep purring voice.
"I am Lady Necomela," the woman said, licking her lips, "And this is my husband." She smiled a definitely bloodthirsty smile.
The stranger, whose accent Rua had finally placed as Cajun, one of the Lower-Earth dialects, looked even more horrified. "Yoah're-"
"Cannibals," Rua finished for him with a snarl, finally remembering what she had heard about this part of the country. She found it odd that a lower-earther had made it to the island of Llyrya... it had long since faded into the mists of that world, forgotten even by history. However, she would mull over that little mystery later. If she lived till later.
He looked at her. "Whoa - I ain' gettin' myself in de middle of no fight for food. Especially when I gon' be de main course."
"Then get out," she growled.
At that moment, the Lord Necromel's hand shot up, sending out blue sparks, then energy of the spell sending the Cajun flying across the room and into a wall. He slid down and landed on the floor, looking dazed. Lord Necromel turned his hand on her and would have sent her flying as well, but she drew a sign in the air with the tip of her dagger and uttered a warding spell. This caused the cannibal and his wife to raise an eyebrow, but she didn't waste the time the spell had bought her. She ran to the Cajun and jerked him to his feet. He glared at her with dazed suspicion.
"Come off it," she said with another growl, "I ain't one of them. Now let's get out of here. I don't know how much longer that warding spell will last."
"Not long, I'm afraid," purred Lord Necromel, his hand sparking blue again. He shot out another blast towards them, Lady Necromela adding her own slightly green sparking power in. Rua dipped down and slid her other dagger out of her boot, and quickly stepping in front of the stranger, muttered a stronger warding spell.
"T'ank you, chere," he said, and made a sign of his own, producing a staff out of thin air.
"I can't keep this up all night," she said, "You won't get anywhere fighting these two unless you're a mage."
"I ain' no mage, but I don' like bein' considered for dinner," he said, and then he charged past her towards the cannibals.
Rua uttered another string of curses under her breath. This was the last thing she needed. Her instinct was telling her that she should just turn and walk out, leaving the Cajun to his fate. Something, however, stopped her.
Necromela was smiling in anticipation, standing between her and the door, figuring that Rua would be an easy kill. The snake first, thought Rua, and see how she handles loosing her pet. Magic users were often spirit bound to their familiars. After a moment's calculation, she launched both her daggers at the serpent. As she expected, it dodged them both, having seen and expected two. However, while it was distracted, she produced and launched her third blade, sending it into the boa's head. The serpent hissed in agony, and so did Necromela. The snake fell to the floor, and Rua recalled her daggers, vanishing the third, just in time to meet the furious attack of Lady Necromela head on.
The Cajun, however, was a little worse off than she was. Even though he had an obviously enchanted weapon, so did Lord Necromel, and on top his sword Necromel had his magery, which he kept spitefully using each time the Cajun got the upper hand. In a fair fight, the Cajun probably would have held his own, if not beaten Lord Necromel. Unfortunately Necromel had no intention of being fair.
Rua faced the Lady's attack, figuring the Cajun deserved to have to take care of herself. Necromela's weapons numbered more than her bone blade - her foul breath and the stench of blood and unwashed body were nearly overpowering, and her nails were like gnarly cat claws. She succeeded in taking several large strips out of Rua before Rua finally buried a dagger in Necromela's stomach with a sharp twist, which seemed to end the fight. The Lady gasped in agony, and fell to her knees, and Rua mercilessly snapped her neck, helping her to join her snake on the floor.
Lord Necromel heard his wife cry out, but instead of running to her aid, he simply threw even more sorcery at the Cajun. Rua squared herself up to send her daggers at him. She changed her strategy, however, when she got the feeling that this was exactly what Necromel wanted. After a moment it was apparent that Necromel had the Cajun trapped in some sort of magical field and would have used his body to absorb the blow of the daggers. Rua glared at Necromel for a moment, and then shrugged, figuring it was time to cut her losses. "It's been fun," she said, backing towards the door.
She tried not to look at the Cajun who dangled helplessly in the spell lock. It wasn't her problem that he was an arrogant twit. She was halfway to the door when her disgust for the cannibal overpowered her common sense. She sent one of her daggers flying at Necromel, who, as predicted, used the Cajun to block. However, at the last possible moment, she spoke a spell of disruption, and the blade broke Necromel's hold. She recalled her dagger immediately, and growled at the Cajun, "Cut your losses - and run. I won't help you again." She then backed out of the tavern, slipping her blades into her boots as she ran. The Cajun, showing an unpredicted burst of wisdom, wasn't too far behind. He ran after her, and almost ran into her when she stopped dead in the middle of the road.
The tavern was no longer in a lonely stretch of forested road, it was in the center of a small village. The most disturbing thing, however, was that the houses were all decorated with bones... human bones.
"What de - ?" the Cajun muttered, as stricken as she was.
An inhuman cry - more of a command than anything else - from inside the tavern, however, spurred them into motion. Rua pelted in the direction in which the trees seemed closest, and the Cajun followed, but it seemed like the trees stayed the same distance away no matter how hard she ran. Out of the corners of her eyes she could see shadowed figured advancing towards them, and moonlight glinting off of bone weapons. When they appeared ahead of her, she stopped running and turned around, but the shadows were approaching from behind as well. The stranger had also stopped running, and looked as panicked as she felt.
The shadows closed in, some revealing themselves to be kin of Necromel, their hair and clothes dirty and matted, reeking of blood. What was more frightening were those like the barkeep and his mistress - that had seemed normal before, but were now revealed in their true state - the mindless spirits that used to inhabit the bones. They circled around Rua and the Cajun, close enough to keep the two from escaping, but leaving an almost deferential space around them.
Despite the fact that they stood back to back, both Rua and the Cajun were thinking the same thought - first chance for escape, they would take it, alone. It wasn't anything personal, it was simply survival.
A figure, glowing blue, floated towards the circle from the direction of the tavern. This was Necromel, and he flowed into the circle as he came, joining it, then passing through it, till he stood several feet away from them. He was eating something - when the moon passed out from behind a cloud, Rua could see it was an arm, with golden bracelets at the wrist. She felt as if she was going to be sick.
"You can't escape, surely that is clear by now," Necromel purred. "But you have both been amusing prey. In fact," he leered at Rua, "You have impressed me very much. Once you have joined my people... I will continue to enjoy your... vigor. Since you have taken my bedmate away, I am sure you understand." With that, Necromel turned to some of the shadows. "Take them. Bind them, and bring them to the temple. When the moon is full, they will join us."
Necromel turned and walked away, and suddenly the dirty reeking bodies were all over Rua and the stranger. They both managed to hold off for a few minutes, working back to back, but they were gradually separated. The stench at last overpowered her, and a lucky blow knocked her to the ground. She was seized immediately, and she felt the bite of rope into her wrists. She resigned herself to her fate, slipping into blackness.