One of Us


Raziel took the path that Rehael had told him and soon found himself before the great walls of the human city. Rehael was right, the city was a mighty force to stop any vampire from entering. Save for one from the sky. And that is just what Raziel did.

Upon entering the city, Raziel took to the shadows , rooftops, and back ally ways. He would not be spotted there. And if he was, who would believe the drunks and gutter trash that lived there. He was just something they dreamed up in a drunken stupor. Not nearly as frightening as he truly was. All the while he carried the human's weapon.

He made he way in this manner thought the scum of society up to the nobility. All the while he searched for the girl. Knowing that her father had died, she would be easy to find. All he need do was to look for a house in morning. By the late evening he had found it.

Sobbing women, with their head covered were being lead out by men that held their heads low. Each in turn were give a farewell by a brown haired man and a blond woman.

The blond glowed. It was she who Raziel was searching for. He waited and watched, till he could have her alone.

The brown haired man, the one called Jeqon was quiet hansom by human standards. Tall and well muscled was the male hunter. His hair was pulled back and fell right below his shoulder blades. He wore brown pants with a matching waist coat and well oiled leather boots. His face was the hard one of a warrior, with a long scar along his right cheek. Hard, brown eyes glazed out at the passing mourners. Raziel knew the Jeqon was plotting to kill all of the vampire races in revenge for his father.

The woman, small framed with waist length blond hair, fought bach tears. The pale, blue eyed woman wore a drab green dress, that brought out how small and some what boyish her body was. Raziel wondered how a woman this small could become a hunter. She was way too small for proper fighting. And what he knew of her use of a crossbow was not that good. Maybe the glow around her and the power she used is what made her a good hunter.

She began to cry as soon as the last of the mourners were gone. Jeqon put his arm around his sister and held her close. If Raziel didn't know any better he could have sworn that they were not siblings. Neither of them looked like the other. Maybe they were married. He had known of human families adopting a child's spouse and calling them their own as well. If that was true, there would be one less family of hunters in Nosgoth, by tonight.

Just then the woman nodded and left Jeqon's arm. She turned and headed into the house. Raziel took this opportunity and climbed to the second floor's windows. He waited out side the rooms to listen for her. To find her room and attack in surprise. After a few moments he heard women's voices coming form another room. Turning sideways and stilling clinging on to the human's glave. Raziel followed the sound. Placing a clawed hand on the widow edging and looked into the room.

In the room were the blond woman and a curvy brunet maid servant. The servant was helping her mistress out of the dress. Raziel knew it would be easy to kill both of them right there. But he would rather question the glowing woman with out interruptions. The two were talking about the events of the past few days and what the blond would do in the days to come.

The blond's voice was small and meek. One could assume that it was from the loss of her father. But what she spoke about was not of sadness. "Is my armor cleaned and ready to go for tomorrow? I am going back out with Jeqon, to avenge Papa," she told the servant as her dress dropped to the floor. It left her standing only in undergarments. A shift and corset.

She has no caring for her dresses, Raziel thought. A true warrior need only worry about his weapons and his armor. And how to kill the enemy without the loss of one's life as well.

"But my lady, wasn't it your father's dying request for you to stay here?" the servant questioned her.

"Yes is was. But I have this feeling that no man in this city is right for me," she said while stepping out of the dress that was piled on the floor. "You know how they look at me. Some of them fear me. It's like, I'm not even human in their eyes. I heard rumors of others living out in the wilds. Maybe I can find a husband there." She walked over to her bed and sat on it, shaking her head all the way. "I can feel that he is so close that I can touch him, and yet out of me reach. I may never marry."

"Don't say that miss Sophia," that savant told her while picking up the discarded dress. "I too am having a problem finding a husband." Then after dusting off the dress the maid hung it up with in a wardrobe.

The blond, Sophia, laughed. "But you have an eye on my brother. And you know how he can get to be." She sat up strait and puffed herself up. And in a mocking voice began to talk, "'Sophia you must keep your eyes on the enemy. The vampire scourge must be obliterated from the world if we are to stand a chance at a normal life. We must always remember that vampires, thou immortal, can be killed.' Does that sound like him?" The giggling blond asked.

This "Jeqon" will be a problem, Raziel thought.

The brunet held a hand to her mouth to hid her own giggles. "Yes, it dose."

At that time both women cracked up. After a few moments of hard laugher they stopped, breathless.

The maid was the first to speak, "I must go now to help with the clean up, down stairs. There is a hot bath ready for you behind the screen." She then gave a small curtsy and turned to leave.

"My armor and weapons?" Sophia asked.

The maid looked around nervously. "Your brother had them stored away."

"Well, I am going to need them for tomorrow. If you get them for me, I'll put in a good word for you with my brother," a smile crossed her lips as she spoke.

"Yes, my lady!" After a hurried curtsy the servant almost ran out the door. Leaving Sophia alone.

Raziel's moment had come.

Sophia got up from where she sat on the bed. She shock her head, looked to the door and said, "He won't marry until every last vampire is dead. That is something that can never be done in our life time."

After saying that she began to unlace her corset, her back to him. Raziel was some how mesmerized by this simple, yet seductive act. After bringing himself back to his senses, he knew that the time to act was now.

Slowly, he placed a clawed had on the window ledge. Creeping in, Raziel was silent. After entering the room, he placed the polearm by the window. He stalked up to the unsuspecting Sophia, slowly and ever so quietly. He reached out his clawed had to turn her around. She was his for the taking. But just as she was within his grasp, the polearm slipped from it was placed and clattered to the ground.

Sophia turned to find where the noise had come from and found herself staring directly into Raziel's glowing eyes. Her jaw worked but no sound came from her lips. Raziel knew how horrifying he was to look at and that fear had taken her voice. But she was not the only one startled. Raziel too jumped at the sound, but now was not the time for fear to over take him. He need to act.

He lunged for her, grabbing her, and lifting her up by her neck. Sophia took hold of his wrist as she struggled to get free. "Tell me what you are," he growled. "Tell me what that blue glow is."

As he questioned the girl, the glow that surrounded her grew. Raziel squinted at the brightness of the light. All he could do to keep his eyes open was to look into her eyes. But even they were harsh to look at. They were to full of sadness and anger, like his own. Her blue eyes were like the Abyss, something to fear, but also the means to his rebirth.

And it was then the blue light hit him. It went into his head, into his mind. Raziel felt it blocking his thoughts. No, not blocking them. Taking them. She was stealing his thoughts, his memories, everything that made him Raziel. He tried to break free, but her grasp on him was too strong. There was one thing to do.

Releasing his soul from that mass that it held, he slipped into the spectral realm. His mind was free from her wretched light. But why did he need to be free from her. He couldn't remember. But his loss of memory wasn't the only thing to worry about right now. Some one else was there with him.


(Sorry, had writer's block with getting Raz into the room.)