CHAPTER 2

***

"Did any escape?" asked a big Dumahim lieutenant known as Jacob, or 'Jacob the rage' as many under his command called him.

"No, we went under the cover of darkness they never saw us coming," said Niccolie firmly "I am surprised you doubt my men's skill"

"Well, you had good reason to attack and kill these slayers but it may attract to much attention from humans, the families and loved ones of these slayers may demand retribution and carry out a assault, this city would be seen as culprit"

"Nonsense" Niccolie said, "You worry too much"

"I am cautions," he said as he grabbed some thing from his desk. "But I do have some letters for you, they arrived this morning. Lord Raziel wants you to lead his cavalry unit when he makes his assault on the city of Willendorf."

"It's amusing, seven months ago I was banned form Razielim territory" Niccolie pause "caused too much trouble, they literally chased me out."

"Razile says he will turn a blind eye on you passed sins to his clan. He wants to ensure that the attack will be successful."

"Who else wants my services?"

"Lord Rahab wants you to help him liberate the humans abbey for him to the north."

"The abbey? Water? is he insane? What kind of vampire would want to take over that fortification?"

"Also, lord Turel has a proposition for you to take down a marauding group of vampire hunters that have been harassing his copper and gold mines in the mountains" Jacob continued

"Turel seems to portray me as a bounty hunter and not a soldier. Send word to lord Raziel, me and my men will arrive at his capital in two days." Niccolie turned out of the room and down the hall.

The razileim. He had hunted them in life and that was enough a reason for them to hate him after life. Niccolie knew Raziel was the topnotch worrier; they called him and all his brood the 'elite'. Of coarse all Razielim had a problem with the other clans, they viewed everyone as lesser, and demanded that everything was of the best quality for themselves. They held a rare form of untamed arrogance. Niccolie and Shark had met and become friends in the Razielim territory. after they destroyed a bar in a drunken bar fight, hi-jacked a trade wagon and road around the Razielim capital city in a drunken rage as the elite guards tried to kill them. This attack had to be very important to Raziel if he wanted Niccolie to take part in it. It was True, Razielim were the elite, they were fast, strong, and very smart, they had a very good balance of all of these, so why hire Niccolie and his riders?

The Dumahim city was large; it appropriately mimicked the Dumahim personality. Big, bad, and intimidating. The ceiling was high and loomed down like the sky, intricate and amazing images of warriors and battle where engraved into the thick hard stone. Dumahim littered the halls, conversing and bragging of their achievements.

Niccolie walked into the blood fountain room, most of his riders were there feeding and looking over the items they recovered form the nights raid.

As he walked to the blood fountain room they nodded in respect and quickly parted a path to the fountain. Niccolie picked up a cup and dipped it in to the fountain of blood and sipped it.

"To our victory" came a voice behind him.

Niccolie turned and saw Karven, One of his riders, with his glass raised to Niccolie for night's success, everyone raised their glasses toward Niccolie as He raised his.

"Indeed" he said as lowered his cup. "Men," Niccolie began as his men sat down with their cups full "tomorrow we leave for the Razielim capital. The Lord Raziel has asked for our services in an attack on the city of Willendorf. you are off duty for the rest of the day and we will ride tonight." Everyone nodded in respect and they quickly noted it in their heads.

Niccolie drank his fill then left for his room. He went in and took off his weapons and sat outside at the balcony that over looked the cities indoor courtyard.

Sara came and took his weapons and walked up to him with them.

"No, Sara, we leave to night. Gather your things." Niccolie told her.

She quietly put down the weapons and left to get her few objects of sentimental value. Sara had aged much over the years; she was in her forties now. Old but still willing to serve. She had taken care of him during the times he was injured and sent back to the city bed ridden for a week or so. Niccolie held more respect for her now then he ever did, over the years he taught her to speak and she told him of her life. She was born a slave, and her parents died when she was still a young baby, she had spent most of her years trying to escape from her slave holders until she was sold back to the slave camp.

Niccolie sat back and thought of karie. She was good to him but somewhere, deep inside her; she was hiding some thing like a hidden grudge. He tried to ignore it but he could feel it there, just nagging at the back of his neck.

That night Niccolie, Sara, and all his riders and their slaves and supplies traveled down to the west. They stopped in the morning at Rahabs camp near the abbey. Niccolie decided to state his protest to Rahab about the attack against the abbey and told him of the magnitude of insanity of the attack, which Rahab didn't find very amusing. Regardless Rahab convinced Niccolie to assist in the attack, and he would return as soon as he was done with Raziel.

Then Zephon showed up. He had come to talk to rahab about a spear project they were working on. Zephon and niccolie had not seen each other in a year or so. Niccolie rarely showed up for the meetings because he was always off working for someone and Zephon had constantly been planning missions and interrogation humans to extract tactical information for Kain.

"Niccolie, you must come to the next meeting, you will not regret you did." Zephon said as he saw niccolie walking down the hallway in his direction. formal greetings were not zephons style.

"The war has been unkind zephon, time is something I have very little of." Answered Niccolie as he walked up to him.

"Ahhh, you are a daring soldier now, but you must try to keep up with the others in your life, like your clan, and your daughter." Zephon lead Niccolie to the small indoor courtyard in the camps large tented central command room; Rahab was wait there for Zephon.

"Yes, how is my daughter?" said Niccolie with a smile, he had asked zephon to watch over Karie and make sure she stayed out of trouble in his absence.

"She is doing good, she had advanced to expert on all the courses, but she still is lost in the lectures."

"Aren't we all?" Niccolie laughed

Zephon asked to speak with Niccolie after his meeting with Rehab. After the meeting Niccolie and Zephon sat down to discuss the events in the clan over some blood wine as Niccolie watched over his men groom their horses for a nights ride.

"Niccolie I need to talk to you about you position" said Zephon pouring two glasses of blood wine

"What? My position as your fourth?" Niccolie took one.

"Yes"

"I told you all ready, I like were I am .I don't want to promoted to first lieutenant. Too much work, and I already have too much to do."

"You are already first lieutenant." Said zephon sipping his blood wine

"What?" Niccolie was about to sip his wine but quickly lowered it.

"You have been first lieutenant for over four months"

"What about Khlil?"

"He was killed by a bunch of vampire hunters while traveling to one of my bases. The other lieutenants didn't want his position. So I choose you."

"Does this mean I have to take on his duties, you will have to discuss this with kain."

'No, you don't have to do a thing, I will take care of the rest."

"And who is in my position?"

"My new lieutenant. I want you to meet her" Zephon swirled his wine in his glass.

"Her?" niccolie said a little preplexed Zephon never had a female lieutenant before.

"Yes, she has heard a lot about you and would like to meet you too." Zephon smiled and sipped his wine.

"That's why you want me to go to the next meeting?"

"It would be good if karie saw her father too."

Niccolie pondered the thought, it was true he had not seen her in a long time, and he didn't want the family to grow any more distant.

"Fine, when's the next meeting." Shark entered and waited silently behind Niccolie.

"Two weeks from now,"

"I will see if I can attend," said Niccolie getting up and looking to shark. "Yes?"

"The men are ready to go, sir" shark said.

"Good, I will see if I can attend Zephon." niccolie said walking out.

"Do what you can" he replied.

Niccolie left the room and joined his men as they road to the Razielim capital. They would arrive there in the morning.

***

"Check mate!" EL shouted as he knocked Karie's queen from the board.

"Damn!!" karie said getting up and kicking the chessboard from the table.

"If I can't beat him, you cant beat him," said thresh flipping through a small book.

"I am board, some one think of some thing to do." Said Ariel aimlessly braiding her hair.

The whole crew was sitting the lounge room. Training was over for the night.

"Why don't we go out there and get us some thing to eat?" asked moemie.

"That's an idea," thresh mocked

"I don't feel like jumping out of the window to night." Vic said sympathetically

"Whose next in chess?" el asked resetting the board.

"Ok, EL your champion, now please be a darling and put away the chess set."

"gezz, your no fun karie."

"Well, I will put away if you come up with a good reason why I should."

"I won!!!"

"That's an excuse not a reason."

"Hay everyone, why don't we go into the courts and make fun of the lieutenants," said shila getting up.

"They have the power to kill us, and do you know how embarrassing it is for one of us, 'young ones' as they call us, to be seen in there." Said EL slipping the chess set into a cabinet.

The door opened and more vampires entered.

"great!! Our privacy has been interrupted." karie threw up her hands

"How about we go horse riding?" asked Shila looking out the window longingly at the stables below.

"Hay, that sounds good, I know one of the owners, he will let us ride for free." said EL

"Sounds good to me," said karie

"Me too" added Vic

"Me third" added Moemie getting up.

"I am in," said Ariel

Every one turned to thresh who remained quite.

"Hay, does it look like I have a choice?"

Everyone laughed as Thresh got up and lead the way out the door.

****

The rezileim capital city. A booming business town for slaves, horse, and weapons of all kinds, both vampire and humans did trading here, some kind of all race trading policy set up by the Razielim. Raziel lets humans trade here for profit; he heavily taxed all incoming human traders, which made the Razielim one of the wealthest of the clans.

Niccolie looked at the city from the distance. He didn't like the Razielim, Mostly because they didn't like him. He would have to watch his back in the city.

"HA" his horse reared up and charged down the road to the gates. His men came down right on his tail. They ran through the gates and into the city streets. The people in the streets had already parted a path for him and huddle in fear at the sidewalks. He road through the streets to the Razielim palace, and there paused before the gates.

Two Razielim met him and his men at the front gates and took their hoses as they dismounted. Niccolie walked to the doors, they opened instantly. He entered the halls and looked around servants looked at him in amazement, like they were dreaming.

"This way sir" said a young Razielim directing him down a hall.

He followed the servant and came to a pair of big doors with two guards.

"I am niccolie, the dark rider. Is your Lord in this room?"

"Yes"

"Good," said Niccolie pushed them aside and proceeding in to the room. He forced open the big doors himself and found he had just walked into a meeting. The lieutenants looked at him in surprise.

"Welcome niccolie." Came a clam voice from the far end of the room.

Raziel walked forward in all his majestic glory. Niccolie got down on one knee and bowed then rose a second later.

"You are just in time," said Raziel with a smile.