Shades of Night

Excerpt

Chapter One

It was feeding time and humans were the only thing on the menu. Krystoff's acute vision took in the deep crimson that covered the gray cracked sidewalk, the smell of blood thick on the air. He stopped to inhale. "You can't hide," he said mockingly, his words echoing off the cold concrete. He knew he was close - the signs of their victims’ struggles were still fresh. “I know you’re here,” he said as he felt his body tense in response to the coming battle. His enemy was becoming reckless, leaving bodies littered in the wake of their feeding frenzies. Either that or they no longer cared, he thought coldly to himself, though he hoped it wasn’t the latter of the two.

He moved through the darkness of the alleyway while rain swept across the ground in waves, as if Mother Nature herself cried out in anguish at the scene below. Soaked from the downpour he moved through the shadows, the sounds of broken glass echoing from the distance as he followed the trail through the darkness, his only light coming from the arced flashes of lightning from above.
Rounding the corner with caution, his eyes coming to rest on the prone body of their last victim, the pooling blood mixing with the rain water created a faint steam that rose from his body like a soul grasping for the light.

“Uhhh…”

A guttural moan reached his ears, his acute senses picking up every sound. He moved in silence around the corner. The decay of an old building, its bricks of mortar crumbling in the wake of the storm, reminded him that the mortal world was not infinite. The shadows began to grow around him, his eyes darting into the shadows. The man’s eyes were vacant as his lifeblood pulsed out. The gash on his neck fresh, it was a clear indication something had been interrupted.

His deep voice carried on the stormy night’s air. “Come out, come out wherever you are.” He didn’t have time to play games. He’d lived too many years and fought more battles to want to waste time when the end result was the same. All too often he’d been sent to track down the others - their blatant disregard for the Council’s rules was an instant death sentence.

A growl from behind was his only warning as the whiz of knife flew past his head. Thank God for fast reflexes, he mused as he arched his body to the left. “You are growing reckless in your old age, friend. Leaving your meal half alive and missing your target as well.” One thing he’d learned over the years, taunting always worked. Tonight was no exception.

From the shadows emerged his most recent assignment. Gregor. “Why are you here, puppet? Leave me be. You have no need to be here.” Gregor’s voice cracked on the wind, his words compelling Krystoff to do his bidding. He wouldn’t be caught so easily. Krystoff knew their tricks, having had trained many in the art himself. The man couldn’t possibly think to win.

He watched Gregor move back toward the half dead man, his eyes finding the gaping hole where blood pulsed out. His mouth parted to reveal sharp canines, his tongue licking his lips in anticipation of drinking the man dry.

Before Gregor could regain his hold on the old man, Krystoff leapt in front of him, unsheathing his sword and placing it at the neck of his opponent. “I don’t think so” he said.

An angry hiss escaped from the parched lips of his enemy, bloodlust flowing through his veins. Yep, he’d definitely disturbed Gregor’s meal. Disgust pooled in his stomach that one of his own kind had stooped so low as to feed on humans. True, they needed blood to survive, but there were better ways to feed. Not in this barbaric way. No, some of his brethren had changed. He turned his attention back to his foe and the mission he’d been charged with… bringing the renegades to justice.

Understanding dawned on Gregor’s face as he realized exactly why Krystoff was there and he moved quickly trying to distance himself from his sword. Before Krystoff could thrust his blade into the neck of his target, Gregor’s body arched to the left as he vaulted lightly from the ground to a nearby fire escape, his fingers firmly grasping the outer rail.

“You will not catch me so easily, Hunter.” He sneered as he continued to move into the darkness, his voice trailing behind him.

A sigh escaped Krystoff’s lips. “Dammit.” Just what he didn’t need. A rustle to his right promptly brought his attention back to the severely injured man and the gruesome task that lay before him. He hated this part. One thing the myths were right about, if bitten and not killed a human could be turned. What the myths never made clear was precisely what they could be turned into. If not done properly it wasn’t a pretty sight, and he had no desire to let the man suffer.

He moved towards the groaning moaning human, his sword by his side. Uttering a quiet prayer he thrust down, the tip of his weapon penetrating deep into the man’s chest and through his heart. Even as it connected he could hear the screech of Gregor’s anger echo on the wind, the severing of his minion by his enemy ending the existence of his disciple.

“Your prey too quick for you again, old friend?”

A deep voice from behind startled Krystoff, breaking his concentration. Recognizing the familiar presence, he turned to greet the newcomer. “Would you like to test your skills against me, Edward?” He chuckled in response to his friend’s challenge.

“Normally I would say yes, but I think we have a bigger issue to address. It seems we may have company,” Edward said, motioning above them.

Looking up, Krystoff watched as a score of shadows danced along the rooftops of the buildings that surrounded them. “So it would seem. Okay, let’s call a truce for now. Shall we play?” They’d always had each other’s back, so why stop now? A quick nod and they turned standing back to back, their weapons drawn.

“So…who are we fighting tonight? Anyone I know?”

“Well, I’ve only seen the one up till now. It’s Gregor. He looks older but just as ugly as I remember. Obviously city life does not suit him.” They’d both grown up with Gregor, schooled by the same teachers through most their lives. He regretted the fact that they would have to kill him for his actions. A displacement of air was all they felt as the multitude of vampires, led by Gregor, descended from the rooftop.

“Ah, I see you decided not to run and hide after all. I’m impressed, that’s quite big of you, Gregor.” Krystoff’s words cut through the air like a knife, attempting to provoke his prey.

Gregor’s eyes darted from Krystoff to Edward and back to Krystoff. “I do not fear you, pawns. You cannot stop what has begun. Give in and join us before it’s too late.”

He could feel the conviction imbued in Gregor’s words. Turning to face his old friend he watched as confusion began to cross Edward’s face, something they couldn’t afford in battle. “I don’t think so, Gregor. We could never be like you. You know the Council’s laws and the punishment for violating them. There is nothing you could have planned that will change their decree.”

Gregor’s face curled into a snarl. “Ha! You’ve come to kill us for taking what belongs to us. You call us the enemy of our race yet you murder your own kind. Tell me, Hunter, exactly who is the murderer?”

His accusation sliced through Krystoff like a knife. How many times had he asked himself that exact question to be left with the same answer? It was his duty. Refusing to let his composure falter, he kept his gaze steady, focusing his mind on the task at hand.
“Your words mean nothing to me, Gregor. You know the rules we live by yet you chose to break them. This is not our world. You do not have the right to take the lives of Mortals.”
Gregor tipped his head back, a low laugh erupting from his throat. “You would say that. You’ve always followed the law of the elders blindly, never once questioning why. Mark my words, Krystoff, a change is coming and you will need to decide where your loyalties lie.” His words were laced with a warning Krystoff couldn’t fathom.

“Exactly what are you up to, Gregor?” Edward’s question rang through the night.

Another laugh emanated from Gregor, a finger pressed to his lips. “That is for me to know and you to find out. Enough of these games, I’m late for a meal and I fear my dinner’s getting cold. Boys… They’re all yours.” As he spoke, the others who’d stayed still for so long converged on them, their eyes full of hate and loathing.

Edward glanced towards Krystoff, his eyes bright and alert. “Shall we?”

Krystoff suppressed a grin. They’d always battled together, why should tonight be any different? He briefly wondered if it bothered Gregor that he’d sacrificed some of his brethren. Either way, they were about to die.

A quick nod of his head as a smile crossed his face, his fingers curled tightly around his sword. “Not very smart, are they? Let’s get to this, I’m tired and wet.” He returned his attention back to the fight ahead. He wondered what Gregor was up to and why he’d decided to leave the others to their deaths. It was a question he would have to answer later, for now he had to focus on the battle. His body came to life as he held tight to his sword, his gaze focused on the vampires descending from above.

The first three assailants came from the right, their blades slicing through the air. Edward moved with blinding speed, parrying their attacks and severing their heads with expert precision. As they fell, their bodies exploded into dust and their remains were carried down the street by the rainwater.

Krystoff shot Edward a grin, his blade still moving. “Nice move, very clean. I see you haven’t lost your touch.”

“Behind…”

Before he could finish the sentence, Krystoff twisted to his left, his sword lifting up and over, severing the vampire in half. He continued to move fluidly in a twisting pattern, his blade increasing in speed. The constant swirling produced a humming sound that reverberated through the alleyway, causing birds on the telephone wires to take to flight. One by one the renegades fell, their bodies turning to dust, the debris billowing on the wind, contorting into shapes that no human could imagine.

A grunt from behind caught his attention.

“Above you, old man.”

His eyes darted to the edge of the rooftop, the last of the lesser vampires vying for an escape route. “I don’t think so.” Krystoff jumped from banister to banister, his feet landing on the ledge of each moments before vaulting to the next. Seconds passed in the blink of an eye as his movements increased to the unique speed of his kind. To anyone watching, he would simply appear as a blur, something they couldn’t quite see.

He reached the top of the roof, his hand outstretched as he grabbed for the last of the pawns. A slow hiss escaped from the lesser vampire’s mouth, spittle dripping down the minion's lips.

“Let go of me, traitor!”

Out of nowhere, laughter bubbled out of Krystoff’s throat. “I’m the traitor? Since when was this determined?”

“Since you chose to hunt down your own kind instead of joining us in making the world as it should be. It should be ours to rule.”

“What makes you think this world belongs to us? Because we’re immortal?” True, many of his kind had made the same arguments to the Council that their species should rule the world but never once had it won out.

The man in his grasp twisted and turned, desperate to free himself. “We are more powerful than the humans. They are our prey. They live their lives with no knowledge of us, for if they did they would cower in fear as they should. We are superior to them in every way.” The man’s voice increased in volume, attempting to eat away at Krystoff’s beliefs. It wasn’t working.

“You would think that.” With another yank of his hand, he threw the man down hard onto the concrete roof, his back hitting the floor with a sickening thud. “Now listen carefully while I spell this out to you, loud and clear. We don’t rule this world. We were never meant to. Deal with it.” He accented the last of his words as his sword came down and severed the vampire’s head from his body. The moment he was through, the body burst into flames, rendering the corpse to ash to be carried on the wind.

“Well, guess that takes care of them. What do you think they are up to?” Edward said.

Krystoff shrugged his shoulders. “Not sure… but something is up.” He couldn’t explain it but something unusual was definitely going on. However, he’d need time to think about it. Turning his thoughts back to the present he asked, “Anyway, what brings you out to this part of the country? I thought you were over on east coast.”

“I was. The Council called and requested I convey a message to you.”

“Okay. What is it?” He didn’t bother to ask why they’d sent Edward. Most times the Council made sure to send someone a hunter trusted, so that the message would bear validity.

Edward’s gaze dropped for a second, before turning his head towards the moon as clouds began to cover its iridescent glow. “I fear I have some bad news for you, old friend.”

If he hadn’t been so familiar with his good friend, he would have missed the waver in his voice, laced with the emotion of whatever was being held back.

“Come on, out with it. There is no sense in holding back what can’t be changed.” Fear pooled in the pit of his stomach. Obviously Edward had been sent for a reason and that reason could only be dire. The Council wouldn’t have chosen him otherwise.

He watched as Edward turned to face him, his expression a hard mask of control, only his eyes betrayed the truth. Naturally obsidian, they grew even darker at the knowledge Edward brought.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been asked to tell you that your mother has been found murdered. The Council is not sure who is responsible, but an investigation has already begun.”

There was more to it - Krystoff could sense Edward was holding something back.

“What else?” Anger pulsed through his veins.
“Krystoff…don’t.”

“Tell me…” He needed to know. This was his mother. He needed to find out all the details surrounding her death. He couldn’t bring her back, he knew this, but he could avenge her.

He watched his friend move about the area, his head bowed down in silence. After a few moments Edward said, “Fine. I don’t know much though.”

Krystoff nodded, a sigh escaping his lips as he realized he’d been holding his breath in anticipation of his friend’s answer. “I understand… and thank you.”

“There isn’t much known. Because your mother was human it makes things… difficult. The Council believes she was killed by a vampire though. They think it was one of the renegades and they don’t believe it was random.”

Krystoff felt sick. He knew how ruthless the renegades could be. Forcing his body under control, he motioned to Edward. “Go on.”

“She fought them as best as she could but I’m afraid they tortured her. I don’t know why. They appeared to be looking for something. Her house was found ransacked with old books thrown about and walls practically torn down. The Council is in a complete uproar as to the whole thing.”

Krystoff’s mind began to spin out of control and his blood began to boil as he thought of his mother and the terror she must have felt.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to stay calm. He had to know everything. “Do they have any leads or any idea at all as to why?” His mind raced with questions but no answers could be found. His mother had never hurt anyone, her goodness a beacon to all. Every Council member had befriended her and looked out for her after his father had been killed in combat. His question was met with silence. “Come on, Edward, I have to know…is there anything else?”

“Look, they will figure it out. Right now we need to find Gregor. He’s up to something and we have to find out what. Why else would he leave his friends to do his fighting for him? We cannot do anything about your mother just yet. But I promise you, we will discover the truth.”

Krystoff lifted his gaze to the west, his eyes searching into the distance. “No, he’s gone underground. We won’t be able to pick up his trail tonight.”

Edward turned to head out, his sword back at his side. “We could try.”

Krystoff grabbed hold of his friend’s arm, his grip solid. “No, not tonight. It will soon be sunrise and you don’t know this town. Besides, there is something going on that is bugging me and I can’t put my finger on it. Let’s take a breather for the rest of the night. Gregor won’t do any further damage and we can find him and finish him off tomorrow evening.”

“But…” Just as Edward began to protest, he stopped when he saw the look on Krystoff’s face. “Never mind for now, we can discuss it later. Now, since you know this town so well, where to next?”

Krystoff sat and thought for a moment. He’d watched the mortals move about the city at all hours of the night, the lights of the cars in the downtown area never seeming to cease. Out of all the areas, one appeared to be busier than most. “Let’s go over to Sixth Street. There’s bound to be something happening there that will entertain us for a bit.”

“Fine. Lead the way.”

Edward smiled. Krystoff felt his burden ease a little as he remembered the very same boyish smile from their younger years. He turned to face the lights that spilled out into the darkness and jumped into the night sky, allowing the wind to catch his body, shifting into the form of an eagle in mid- flight. Edward followed suit.

As they drifted toward the bright lights of Sixth Street, Krystoff couldn’t keep the image of his mother from his mind. She’d been the sweetest person in the world and now her life was gone in an instant. He’d find her killer and bring them to justice… His justice. For now he would put the issue to the side as he searched for a hidden spot to land and find refuge for a short while. At the back of his mind, he still wondered exactly what Gregor had planned and if it had anything to do with his mother’s death.

**END EXCERPT**