Chronicles of Darkness: Shadows and Dust (27 page)

            Skylar took deep
breaths and hesitated. There it was again, the cold breeze that made the blood
curl in her veins. Goosebumps rose all over her body and the fine hair at the
nape of her neck began to rise. "This place... we should not stay here any
longer..."

            Still, Helena stood
there and looked at her solicitously.

            "Mama... please,
let's go... I don't like it here," her daughter urged.

            A sound came from
behind the huntress, attracting Skylar's eyes to the opening of the sewer.

Slowly, but unstoppable, a
strangely formed shadow crawled toward Helena, who stood frozen to the spot.

            "Mama! Run!"
Skylar screamed in terror. Instantly she wanted to hurry to her mother, but
something held her tightly and she couldn't move.

            The dark shadow
straightened up and took shape.

            Her eyes wide with
fear, Skylar could only watch as the big, black cobra slid to her mother.
Hissing, the monster wrapped itself around the huntress' boots and made its way
upward, snaking tighter and tighter around Helena's body. Red, piercing eyes
glowed dangerously and transparent, viscous secretion dripped from two pointy
fangs in the wide open mouth.

            Skylar struggled in
the grip of an invisible attacker, an escape was impossible. "Mama!
Mama!" Tears rolled down her cheeks and she doubled her efforts to get
free, but it was in vain. She was not able to break the vise-like grip that
prevented her from helping her mother. "Mama!"

            Meanwhile, the black
monster was wrapped tightly around the huntress' hips and waist. It swayed its
mighty head from side to side. Spellbound, Helena stared into the red eyes. She
seemed hypnotized by the glowing and couldn't turn her eyes away.

            "Mama! You have
to defend yourself! You have to fight! Fight! Mama!" But Skylar's pleading
met deaf ears and Helena kept her petrified position.

            At once, the snake
drew her head back and then thrust forward with lightning speed to bore its
head deeply into Helena's chest. As it pulled out of the gaping wound, the
cobra had the still pounding, blood-dripping heart of the huntress between its
fangs.

           
With terror written all
over her face,
Skylar screamed herself awake. "No! Mama!"
Panting for breath, she tried to sit up and wrestled with the bed sheets that
held her hopelessly trapped. Finally, she managed to free herself and looked
around her dark room. Her heart was still beating fast, but gradually the girl
calmed down. "Thank God. It was just a horrible nightmare... but it seemed
so real." She shuddered as she remembered the glowing, red eyes of the big
snake, which had been wrapped around her mother. Her voice trembled slightly as
she said, "I wonder if Mama is back from the hunt. Maybe... maybe I should
go downstairs and look... just... just to make sure that everything is
alright." She crawled out of her bed, tiptoed to the door and opened it a
crack. Weak candlelight fell in from the corridor. She strained her ears, but
couldn't detect anything out of the ordinary. Deadly silence ruled. The girl
left her room and slowly moved in direction of the stairs. Cautiously and on
bare feet, she walked down the cold, stony steps and crept to the library. Very
carefully she opened the door and stuck her head into the room.

         Her gaze fell on Helena's
blood-stained coat, which still hung across the chair, and she felt her heart
clench. Frightened, Skylar entered the library. "Mama?" she asked.

         Kyrian turned around and
hurried to hide his hands behind his back. "Skylar? What are you doing
here? Shouldn't you be asleep?"

         "Where is Mama? Is
she alright? How did the hunt go?" the girl blurted out so fast that the
words nearly overlapped. Overpowered by fear, her eyes darted again and again
to the blood-stained coat.

         Kyrian placed the note
book aside, went to her and wrapped her in a comforting embrace. "Little
one, don't be concerned and go back to bed. Mama is fine. She is taking a bath.
I'm sure that once she is done, she will come up and check on you."

         Skylar closed her eyes in
relief and released a sigh as she was told that nothing had happened to her
mother. She squeezed her brother once more before she let go of him. "You
know, Kyrian, I would not be so afraid for Mama if I knew she is not standing
alone against the vampires. If only she had somebody to help her fight...
like... well, like us for example. It would be far better to go with her,
instead of sitting around here, doing nothing else but hope and pray that she
will come back unharmed."

         "You know, you are
speaking the same words that are in my heart, little one. Unfortunately, that's
not how Mama sees it," he answered, feeling somewhat sad.

         "I know,"
Skylar replied, crestfallen. "Will that ever change?"

         The young man shrugged
his shoulders and thought to himself,
'At least, I will leave nothing undone
to change her point of view concerning that matter.'

         "Anyway, why are you
awake, Skylar?" he smoothly changed the subject. "Did you have a bad
dream again?" Kyrian asked, truly worried.

         "Yes," Skylar
responded in a small voice. "That's the reason I came downstairs. I wanted
to make sure that everything is as it should be."

         Protectively, he wrapped
an arm around his sister's shoulders and led her out of the library, up the
stairs and toward her chambers. "Do you want to talk about it?"

         Skylar shook her head.
"No, I really do not want to think about it anymore. It was just a bad
dream... nothing of importance."
'At least that is what I hope,'
she
added in her mind.

*****

         Satisfied, Azrael entered
the corridor and saw his companion staring out of the window, without knowing
that he was there. Of course, he noticed her inner turmoil and a sneer spread
across his face. His cravings for the night had been fulfilled and he was in a
happy mood. He tiptoed toward Chalice and brushed aside her disheveled hair.
Azrael's lips began to lovingly caress her neck.

         The young woman was
startled for a moment, but then submitted to his kisses.

         Forcefully, the vampire
pressed her against the window's glass.

         Chalice trembled and
shivered under his demanding touch and she pulled up her dress willingly,
wanting her Master to become one with her.

         Suddenly Azrael let go of
her. Glancing out the window, he said, "You know what else is to happen
tonight, don't you?"

         Dumbfounded, Chalice
looked at him and needed a minute to regain her composure. "Of course,
Master."

         The vampire was about to
return to the room with the D'Ardenne twins, but the young woman held him back
with one word, "But ..."

         Grumbling, Azrael turned
towards her, his dark eyes gleaming dangerously.

         Chalice swallowed hard
and said, "Please, forgive me my bold words, my Master. I cannot continue
living like this. I will perish at your side." Her voice trembled. "I
only have one wish. It would be so easy for you to see it fulfilled."

         Azrael rolled his eyes
and answered disgruntled, "You want to say I am guilty of something I do
not know anything about?"

         "No, no, of course
not, my Master. I am your loyal servant," the young woman tried to calm
him. Fear flickered in her eyes. "I'm just so confused... the girls...
this whole situation..."

         Slowly, Azrael walked to
her. "You are not confused. You are jealous."

         Chalice blushed brightly
and turned her head away, ashamed. Quietly, she said, "So what if I
am..." Tears welled up and she began to whimper, not able to say another
word.

         The vampire walked past
her and went to the window. "Michel's men are starting to surround us. You
know what you have to do."

         Chalice wanted to
respond, but Azrael cut her off firmly, "We will talk later!"

         Wordless, she relented.

         The vampire crossed his
arms behind his back and waited at the window, until Chalice left the house. He
watched her entering the carriage and driving off. Azrael grinned gleefully,
thinking about his plan. "So, my dear Michel. Let's see if you took the
bait."

*****

         The bathroom was
illuminated by warm light from the small fireplace. A heavy iron kettle, filled
with water, hung above the dancing flames. The huntress lit some candles that
stood on the windowsill. Their wax had melted into each other, because she
often used this room after work.

         Helena's face contorted
in pain as the fabric of her clothes rubbed against her grazes and contusions
while she took off her dirty top. She lowered her bruised body to a small stool
to take of her boots, and then she cautiously took of her pants. Disbelieving,
she gazed at the pile of blood-stained clothes, which lay on the floor in front
of her. "They are beyond saving," she muttered. Eventually, she tore
her eyes away and grabbed the iron hook that hung from the wall beside the
chimney. She hooked it into a handle of the kettle and pulled with all her
might. The hot, nearly boiling water floated into the wooden tub. White steam
rose as the hot water mixed with the cold, which Helena had added before. She
chose a small flask with amber colored liquid, made of different herbs, and
added it to the water. "This will help cleaning and healing my
wounds." She swirled her fingertips through the water, spreading the oily
substance.

         First, she put one toe in
to test, before submerging her whole, aching body in the tub. Helena leaned
back in the warm water, sighed and closed her eyes. But she couldn't relax, her
mind was too active. Behind her eyelids, she saw again the events of the night.

         Unconsciously, her hand
slid to the bite mark on her throat. It had been close, too close. Never before
in her entire life had a vampire come close enough to plunge their teeth into
her throat. She shuddered with the thought and opened her eyes.

         The huntress looked
around, grabbed the washcloth from the tub's rim. She began to clean herself
off the vampires' blood, whom she had recently turned to dust. She jerked in
pain as she ran the cloth over her face. Instantly, Helena let go of it and
carefully touched her nose with her fingertips. "Well, it is not broken,
but I'm sure it will be quite tender for some time. What doesn't kill me makes
me stronger. And a little pop on the nose won't prevent me from finding out
what the hell is going on here. I think they were attacking as pack to find out
my strengths and weaknesses. It's a pity that none of the dark brood is left to
tell their master about it. If only I knew who their master is. My instincts
are telling me that I will meet him sooner than I would like."

         Lost in thoughts, she
finished her bath and stepped from the tub. Helena grabbed a towel and dried
herself, her long, blonde locks cascading over her naked back, while her gaze
returned to the blood-stained clothes. Annoyed, she lifted them of the ground
and flung them into the fire, which greedily consumed the material. Turning her
back to the burning clothes, she slipped into her nightgown. After that, she
pulled the tub's cork plug and red-colored water shot out. Her eyes tracked the
way of the bloodied wetness across the stone floor and she remembered Kyrian's
words.
'I could have helped you! Why didn't you take me along?'

         "Maybe the time has
come..." the huntress mumbled to herself." This brings me to a whole
different matter. This Christine... why was she there? I have to talk to
Kyrian. She seems to be naive and good-natured... but something tells me that
the girl is not entirely truthful. I can't explain why, but I feel danger
radiating from her."

*****

         Already at dusk, Monsieur
Dutroit and his men had taken their positions behind a small wall at the other
side of the D'Ardenne residence.

         Once more, Michel asked
one officer, "You are sure that this woman entered the house this evening?
Tell me exactly what happened."

         The man began.
"Alright. We had just changed shifts. I had been standing here for some
minutes, as she arrived with the carriage, which is over there, and went into
the house. Since then, nothing has happened. And she definitely has not left
the building."

         Michel had to think of
Helena and a small smile formed on his face.
'Now I am one step ahead, my
dearest Madame Leosol. We know about the murderer's accomplice and followed her
trail. We are going to find the Heart Taker, because she will lead us right to
him.'