Chapter 16: Day Walkers
A familiar jolt seized me and then blackness, death-like blackness. My eyes sputtered opened absorbing the warmth of light around me. My hands took in the sensation of velvet. The colors of the world arrived as if for the first time. Blinking slowly, I let the splendor wash over me. Waking was always my favorite time. For a glimpse of a moment I felt new again. The beauty of a new night dawning was comforting. I could allow myself to forget for one fleeting echo in time the millennium behind me-- an emotion that I prized above all others. Perhaps the only emotion that pulled me through my lengthy existence.
The savoring ended too quickly, like every waking before it. I stretched, laughing silently to myself, ah, to be mortal. I took half a second to examine my cold hard flesh, as if I really believed that it would have returned to its soft and supple state of being alive. I sighed dramatically pushing the fantasy from my mind. I knew all too well that life would never return to me, yet I pushed on. Living for the sake of living and for those whom I loved.
I felt the tiniest prick of thirst, not enough for the hunt tonight, there were more pressing issues at hand. I found my robes and pulled the deep red velvet cloak over my shoulders. I peered into the aquamarine pupils reflecting in the mirror taking a moments worth of preening. I ran my glass-like nails through my lustrous ashy white hair, pulling the strands into place. The face I found in the mirror was stony, like newly chiseled marble. I turned and headed for the door.
The heavy iron that sealed me into my resting chamber swung easily for me. I preferred to use the human way of doing things. Although I could easily command the door to swing of its own accord, there was something settling in preforming mundane tasks. It allowed me to retain some of humanity-- allowing myself to deny the monster that I had become. This shred of the mortal life that I had lost offered some comfort in the nights of my unendurable eternity. I slowly moved my through the many locking mechanisms, taking care to re-seal them one by one as I made my exit.
The compound sprawled out around me as I climbed the stairs at a delicate speed. The click of my boots softly echoed down the corridor. I could hear the others beginning to stir as their minds slowly gained consciousness. I fought the urge to impose and tuned them out of my preternatural hearing. The crackle of the fire drew me to the common room. The elegant crimson shade of the drapery hung heavy in the room and contrasted well with gold accents of the lush furniture. The hard white flesh of her body sat obtrusively, almost grotesquely still, gazing into the dancing flames. The flow of her radiantly red hair denoted that this creature before me possessed any level of animation. That and the bloodshot eyes glistening from the light of the flames.
"Come, Marius, join me." her voice fell easily upon my ears. "We have something of importance to discuss." I bowed deeply, accepting her invitation and taking the scarlet wingback chair beside her. The cushions were heavenly soft against the weight of my body. The heat pulsed from the fire, beckoning me with promises of eternal warmth. It was a very tempting offer.
Her beauty was striking, horrible and lovely all at the same time. The knowledge of the length of her existence was daunting. I couldn't help but see my future in her statuesque state. My mind fell into the all too readily available memory of another, one of whom it gave me great pain to think of. The image tortured me with her ornate features and platelets of shimmering black hair. Waves of my servitude, my devotion, my resentment cascaded over the edge of dam in my mind. I fought to contain the river of emotions making its way through my mind to reveal itself upon my face.
"You are troubled, my friend. Please, let us be hasty in our discussions. I wish to satisfy your curiosity and to offer you some solace." She turned her gaze ever so slightly in my direction. I couldn't help but notice how minute her actions were and how powerfully they affected me. I had hoped for such movements from one older than she. I had recklessly hoped, and succeeded only to bring pain and suffering and bloodshed.
"I am pleased to be in your company, my queen." I stated respectfully lowering my eyes to the charcoal slate floor. Her laugh bounced from the walls in a million different directions.
"Ha, Marius, we both know I am no queen of yours," A smiled etched its way into her face. "I will certainly claim no such title," she said light-heartedly, smirking at me. The blood shot eyes squinted with amusement.
"Too true," I laughed in return, smiling kindly. "Well come then, dear friend, let us speak of things worthy of our union."
"Ah, yes. So tell me again what you have observed in your travels. I am very curious to compare our findings. I fear they may be very much the same." Her features only moved slightly indicating her wariness.
"I was traveling the streets of Rome, as I often do. The night was evenly tempered and I found myself obsessing over the colors of a garden of irises. I was too unaware, too comfortable, I suppose. I would have heard it much earlier I'm sure, had I been paying attention. Their minds are very arrogant and they are very sure of themselves. I at first believed them to be a band of our kind, young and freshly made riddled with their confidence. They were upon me too quickly though, much like they were to attack. Not wishing any violence, I took to the air, avoiding their intended attack. They came into view, three of them. They were all cloaked and moving swiftly around searching for me. I heard them conversing, speaking of the rewards they would receive for finding 'another one.' I listened carefully, trying to decipher their meaning. They had no heartbeat, clearly not human. Their movement was fast and powerful, and they surely feed upon blood. I could easily smell the kill from earlier that evening fresh on their flesh. The smell is what came to my attention. I could smell sunlight. Something about the way the sun's rays glisten and dance upon mortals, taunting those of our kind. It is something that draws me to humans, these creatures, they had the same allure. The scent of the dawn." at this she nodded knowingly.
"Yes, I understand you completely. I too, am enticed by the scent of the day. Please continue," she said giving me a wave of her sculpted hand.
"I kept to the air and carefully opened my mind to them, searching for a response, but non came. They clearly did not have the gift of the mind's ear. Once I was satisfied that I was safe from this, I peered into one of the creature's minds. It was a black and ugly place, stinking of human death and death of their own kind. I listened as they wandered around in their confusion, arguing with one another over where 'it' had gone. The fact that they had recognized my presence was unnerving. How could these creatures know what I am? I sound arrogant in this statement, but I am very curious how I could be unaware of what these beings are when they so surely recognize our kind."
She nodded again, "I have experienced a similar feeling. I am vastly concerned with the presence of these things," she said coldly, "from what I have witnessed, they are a terrible breed. Very destructive. I suspect that in our hiding, we have become blindly comfortable with our places in the world. We may have kept to ourselves for too long I fear." Her face now looked grave and horribly serious.
"Yes, I fear for this as well. Clearly, they are a dangerous species. I am very curious indeed, to know their origins and what is driving them on their paths of destruction. I took the liberty of following the three that I had encountered, but to no avail. They wandered aimlessly about the city all night searching for me. I was forced to retreat with the breaking of dawn."
"Did you get a very close look at them?" she asked.
"Their appearance is similar to those of our species who are young in the blood. Their skin takes on an iridescent glow and the three that I saw were devastatingly beautiful, but their eyes... Their eyes were ugly, blood red and vicious looking." She nodded, obviously sharing my thoughts.
"Yes, menacing eyes and all in the shade of crimson. They do not vary from creature to creature. They are all the same. It is very peculiar indeed." She lost herself in a private thought for a moment. I sat patiently trying to analyze her expressions.
"What have your experiences with them told you?" I asked, breaking the silence.
"I first observed something of this nature perhaps a quarter of a century ago. I found it only mildly fascinating at the time. This world has become a small place to me in my time and travels. I have encountered many forms of immortality and have rarely been enthralled with the mysteries of another kind. I care much more of human developments than I do of even our own kind, let alone the reckless tribulations of other immortal entities. The spirit world has nearly been closed to me in this form. I lack the ability to control and to all upon them, but I still am able to see many of them and hear their purposes. I have grown tired of their games and attempts to return to the flesh." she said with a wave of her wand. "Not many things surprise me anymore."
"It was in the jungles of South America that I witnessed some of these creatures slaughtering one another. They seemed to be entertaining some haphazard form of war. Power hungry individuals were slaying humans indiscriminately and making many new member of the species to sustain their covens. They sought to annihilating each other, gruesome really. I was concerned not really with their own destruction, but with their blatant disregard for human life. A particularly savage group took power over a year's time near the town that I was observing. I had fallen to watching the lives of a small group of indigenous people. I had a particular fondness for the village. They were a very quaint and generous group, something I rarely have the pleasure to observe in this world. All around them the human death toll was reaching extravagant numbers. They had little awareness of the situation. I had watched one of the villagers keeping post outside the huts until the early hours of the morning. I returned to my near by cave to shelter myself from the coming morning. When I arose from my slumber, I found my whole village slaughtered. Women and children slain in a hideous fashion. The stench of death and decay rose so strongly, saturating my mind and soul. My mind shattered with emotion and I listened intently seeking them out. With a vigilante rage, the mind gift of fire took hundreds of creatures within my radius. They screamed in agony as their flesh burnt. I listened as the last of them fell to the flames. I returned to the village and buried the heaps of dead with great sorrow." A glistening tear of blood streaked her stony cheek. "Human suffering in that magnitude is often more than I can withstand," she said with piercing anger spewing from her lips.
I nodded in sympathy imaging the bodies of all of her beloved humans as they lie silently in pools of the blood of their kin. I reached out, clutching her shoulder in a gesture of comfort, "My beautiful Maharet, I too share your love and respect of human life. I feel we should waste little time with this species. We must seek out its sources. I am born of justice and fairness. I will move to reason with these beings, but if reason fails..." I trailed off. She finished my sentence with a burst of flames shooting up from the fireplace before us.
"I see little reason to bother with them," she said calmly through her teeth, her eyes lighting up.
"I agree, but Maharet, we must utilize discretion in this situation," I replied carefully, "I do not wish to issue death warrants to an entire species. I only wish to preserve our way of life and to enforce a peaceful existence. If these creatures comply with our standards..."
"Marius, I will of coarse grant and support your wishes in this matter. I am a very patient being. You are far more diplomatic than I; I trust your judgment completely. You only need to call if and when you are ready." Her eyes pierced into the fire, obviously reliving the pain of the massacre.
"Thank you, you are most merciful," I said with a bow of my head. "I will take on this endeavor immediately and seek your advice when I have gathered more information." she nodded and turned her attention to the hallway. The dark shadowy outline of a tall figure lingered in the entryway awaiting permission to enter.
"David, please, come and sit beside the fire. Join us," she said, curling her lips into a welcoming smile.
"Thank you," he said as he gracefully strutted across the slate. Exquisitely dressed, as always, David was absolutely stunning. Impeccably groomed with an air of one with much more experienced than his youthful body could have possibly endured, he took his place on the chocolate brown love seat opposite me.
"David, how are you this evening?" I said graciously.
"I am quite well. Your lavish accommodations have been more than sufficient," he replied, a warm smile gracing his face. Although his body was young and strapping in its human days, David's soul was of an elderly gentleman who had belonged to a ancient order devoted to observation and documentation of the passing of time and the doings of our species, as well as other phenomenons of this world. At a ripe age, his spirit had fought for life and found refuge in this new body before his transformation-- only his eyes and his poise revealed the wisdom gained in life experience. He was young in the blood, but his human experience surpassed most, if not all of the vampires that I have known.
I smiled tenderly. I was very grateful for his presence. Something about David was soothing and made me at peace. "We were just discussing the fate of a species unknown to our kind. We were hoping that in your vast experience, you may be able to shine some light on the matter," I said cheekily.
"Ah, I see. I do believe that you are speaking of a breed similar to ours?" he said with a knowing smirk.
"Marius, I do believe our friend has been eavesdropping," Maharet chuckled. I cast a quick and amused look in her direction.
"Yes, it appears to be so." I muttered. "Do tell, my old friend, what information may we acquire from you?" I gazed into the depths of his wise eyes. His carved jawline and gloriously bronze skin distracted me for a moment. I lost my train of though to the beauty and mystery before me-- such an amazing unity of knowledge and charming elegance.
"The species of which you speak is somewhat of a hybrid, or evolution rather, of our genealogy. From the information that I have gathered, and mind you, it is not much since I only discovered them shortly before my mortal death, this species seemed to be a branching off, a mutation," he paused allowing us to process the information.
"Very interesting," I remarked, "and how do you suppose this occurred?"
"From what I had uncovered, one of our kind created the split. My guess would be that this being, like our primal fount, was attacked by, or possibly summoned a powerful spirit that transformed the bloodline, thereby creating a subspecies. These creatures possess the ability to walk freely of their own accord in the sunlight, unharmed by its rays. But do to the fact that I had never bore witness to one of them during the day, I must guess that there is a reason for them to avoid it. As you know, they appear to feed upon the blood of humans and do possess supernatural strength. Either due to lack of age, or simple inability, they do not seem to be a match for our kind." He again paused as if he were a professor lecturing a large body of students. "If I am correct in this reasoning, I'm sure that these creatures will be easily disposed of either through brute force, or by destruction of the first of their kind. The spirit must lie primarily within this being; thus, like our line, would be ended by the desecration of such being."
Maharet was gazing across the room, lost deep in thought. Pain glazed over her eyes. They twitching despite the stillness of her body. The statue seemed to crumble before me as she spoke, "David, how could such a thing happen? How could we be unaware? Marius himself has read the thoughts of these creatures, how is it possible that we have not known them before now?"
"As you, yourself have said, perhaps we have become too comfortable with our existence, too sure of ourselves. Perhaps we have mistaken these minds for that of humans or for youth of our own kind. I cannot be sure, of coarse, but this answer has little purpose at this point. We have made the discovery and must move forward from here." He folded his large hands in his lap and squared his shoulders, "I do not come from a life of interference, my lady, but at some point, these beings may threaten our existence. We may outdo them in strength and gifts, but we do have one weakness that leaves us easy pray."
"Slumber," I muttered. "These day walkers certainly have an advantage. We may be able to easily conceal ourselves from humans and avoid their prying eyes during the day, but we are horribly vulnerable to a species possessing the strength and motivation to do us harm when we are at rest." From what I have seen, this is a power hungry coven that is lurking in the streets of my beloved Rome. I do not fancy the idea of waltzing into a room full of them and hoping for cooperation and understanding. This is a delicate matter, I fear that a more tactful means of deliberation will be necessary." I tapped my fingertip lightly on the arm of the chair entertaining thoughts of simply wiping them out.
The red haired beauty must have sensed my intentions, "Marius, you are true and just. I believe you capable of reasoning with them. Surely they must see the value of human life. We will give them the chance to rectify their actions before we strike. I do not think kindly of forcing anything upon those weaker than myself. If this beings, these day walkers can agree to be less glutenous in their killings and take only what is necessary, I see no reason to interfere. I do not wish to slaughter vast numbers of beings like the queen before me. I do not share her thirst for power and ultimate control. I am willing to co-exist as long as we are not threatened and mortal life is seen with value."
"My lady, you are both wise and kind. I completely agree with your theory and full-heartedly support you," David stated. "Marius, do you wish for me to accompany you?"
I smiled, "David, David, always the gentleman. I believe myself capable of this task, and besides, I would prefer to have as many allies as possible to call upon should need be. I will surely be in touch." He gave a subtle bow and rose to his feet.
"Thank you for your hospitality Marius, if you will please excuse me, I'm afraid I am still much too young in the blood to ignore my thirst."
"Of coarse, my good man, happy hunting, you will find the evil-doer readily available in a city such as this," I said flashing him a devilish smile. He glided out of view leaving me with the sculpted beauty. Plans began forming in my mind.
"Marius, I see what you mean to do. Please do not underestimate the danger of allowing yourself to be captured. Take care. I will be awaiting your call," and with that she disappeared almost too quickly for even my eye to catch.