I know it had been a long time... *sigh* I tried and tried to write, but every time I found the time and got my lazy ass to sit down and write, I got sick. Something doesn't seem to want me continuing this… See, my head hurts again, all day. And when I started writing earlier it got so bad I could only lay down and wait! *shniff* But now I can bear it… So I'd better use the time I have, huh? ^^
Chapter IV: Creeping darknessBy Kia
When the day ended and the shadows of the houses, the rocks, the few trees got longer until they were swallowed by darkness, a large fire was lit on the place in the centre of the village. The crowd of people gathering around it grew and many voices, laughter and music could be heard when the whole village celebrated the good harvest and the end of the hard work on the fields. Utterly oblivious to the creatures lurking in the shadows, hungry but patient, waiting.
The night fell fast in the lower mountains.
***
Despite her words from earlier Analie ate plenty of Meggy, the cow. Which was no surprise for she indeed tasted very good.
Raziel had just left his place at the long wooden table to fill his own plate for the second time. For this festival every household had to donate some food and there always was more than enough for everyone.
Coming from a rather poor family this was one of the parts Raziel enjoyed most about this day.
At the food table he once again saw Kurin and Tar, talking about vampires. Kurin never seemed to talk about anything else.
This time he didn't even try to hide the fact that he was listening and the men didn't seem to mind, so caught up in their conversation they were.
"Say, Kurin", he spoke after a while, when his fathers old friend paused for a second in his speech, giving him the opportunity to pose a question that had been running through his mind for quite some time already. "If you are into vampire hunting so much, then why didn't you ever join the Serafan?"
To his surprise Kurin laughed softly, instead of changing the topic.
"I could have done that. A friend of mine even did, years ago. But…" he shrugged. "They are a bit too religious for my taste. Beside, someone has to protect these small, outer villages as well, don't you think? They are too often forgotten in the big cities."
Raziel gave Kurin a perfect copy of his own shrug. Protect from what, he wondered. There wasn't anything to be protected from… not lately, and probably not in the near future.
"Why don't you join them later?" Kurin asked, only half joking.
The boy looked kind of unhappy.
"Ah, me? Never!" He grinned carefully. "I wouldn't make such a good warrior priest, ne?" Especially a priest. He shuddered. That just wasn't his piece of cake.
Kurin looked at him seriously. "Right", he nodded. "You're too small!" He winced when Raziel stepped on his foot.
***
Kurin had just turned to leave and walk over to the fire, where several couples were dancing to the music of the few people who could play an instrument without waking the dead, when he ran into Raziel's mother.
Meriah wore a long blue dress and her usually braided hair hug openly over her shoulder. Despite the thin lines of grief that got carved into her face after her husbands dead she still looked good. But right now the soft sadness that was usually hidden in her eyes was covered by anger.
"I thought you'd know better by now!" she growled at him when she stepped into his path. "You already tried to win Grum for your stupid hunting games, now you're trying the same with my son?" Kurin thought it fascinating how her eyes seemed to sparkle when she was angry. It also fascinated him how she could be so mad about nothing.
"I don't know what you heard of out talk…"
"Enough!"
"…but I can assure you that I never tried to talk Raziel into vampire hunting. Besides," he added softly, "I never succeeded in persuading Grum to join us." Maybe things would have been different if he had. He knew better that to say it out loud but it seemed that the woman could read the words in his eyes. Her mouth became a thin line when she pressed her lips together.
"I know." The words came out hard, unforgiving. Kurin knew she didn't truly blame him for Grum's dead, though somehow he himself did. She just needed some release for her bitterness, and she was afraid, afraid of loosing her son the same way she had lost her husband.
"It's useless, Kurin!" she now continued. "You are searching for a danger that's just not existing, and if it was there would be nothing you could do about it. You will only die then – for nothing!" In the end the desperation in her voice won over the bitterness and the anger was lost somewhere along the way.
"Strange words for someone who had lost the one they loved to a vampire." Kurin said none the less and he was almost surprised about the softness in his voice, that wouldn't go along with his words.
Meriah's voice sounded as if she was about to cry, but her eyes were dry when she spoke.
"You don't understand! The vampires, they are… like an earthquake, or a hurricane. Things you can't do anything about. They are just existing and harmful and you can't even blame them for it!" Here eyes seemed huge in the flickering light of the fire, making her seem much younger than she was. "The one that came and killed my husband probably only got lost somehow. It was hungry and, like an animal, hunted down and killed the first prey it could get, before it left. It won't be happening again!" The last words she did almost scream. And Kurin looked into her eyes and saw how desperately she wanted it to be true. He couldn't say anything then. Couldn't say.
When he looked up he saw the table, and all the chatting and laughing people around it. He saw Raziel, staring at them from his seat. They were too far away for him to hear anything of their conversation over the noise, but he stared anyway, a frown on his youthful face. His sister, meanwhile, took the opportunity to steal food from his plate.
Then he looked at his best friend's wife again and, slowly and hesitating, rose a hand to touch her shoulder.
"Would you mind dancing with me?", he asked, and the question was meant as innocently as it sounded. "The music is quite good this year."
Meriah tried a faint smile. "I would only step onto your feet", she answered. "I haven't danced in years."
"Neither have I", Kurin smiled and took her hand.
***
She'd feel a bit cold and would go home quickly, to get a jacked, Runaris' daughter had said when she left, and the old man had only nodded and continued to play his guitar. But now, more than half an hour later, he became worried. Their house wasn't far away, yet she still hadn't returned. Only then did he notice how warm it was so close to the fire and his worry grew. If she was still cold then maybe she felt sick?
Ever since he had lost his wife to a deadly illness so many years ago Runaris was more than concerned whenever his precious daughter didn't feel well. And though he told himself that there was nothing to worry about it wasn't long until he excused himself to the other musicians and went home to look after her.
He took the shortest way home, the way they always took, through the small alleys between the old stone buildings that lead to the outer parts of the village. It was dark here, darker even than usual, because now most of the houses were empty and no light was lit inside to fall through the windows.
The noise of the crowd became quieter, but it was still reaching his ear when he spotted a lone figure lying motionless on the ground, between the walls of the houses, a few meters away.
"Lyss!", he cried out. "Lyss!" Despite the darkness surrounding them he knew it was her immediately. He just knew it. His old bones screamed when he fell to his knees beside her, but his own scream got stuck in the back of his throat, choking him when he turned her around and looked into her eyes, staring blindly up to the sky.
Her long blonde hair fell back over her shoulder and revealed two small wounds in her throat, but Runaris saw nothing of it. He started screaming for help, wishing for anybody to come and save his daughter until someone finally came and covered his mouth from behind. His hand felt cold. So cold.
Runaris turned his head and through the tears in his eyes he saw a familiar face looking down at him, shimmering ghostly white in the darkness.
"You…" he managed to choke out but he was answered only by silence and a sharp pain, when the other one yanked his head back and broke his neck.
-tbc-
Okay, again I didn't get as far with this chapter than I wanted to… The next time! I promise! ^^
And many thanks to everyone who reviewed! I love you! ^^
