Chronicles of Darkness: Shadows and Dust (44 page)

         The fire of the fallen
candles quickly burned its way through the carpets and went on to the curtains
of the bed. The flames found enough nourishment. Soon, the whole room was set
ablaze. From there, the fire spread through the whole castle. Window glass
burst under the heat.

         He raced down the stairs.
In the entrance hall, he picked up his mother's weapons.

         All floors burnt brightly
and the flames destroyed the whole building, leaving nothing but blackened
stones and ash in their wake.

         Kyrian walked out of the
castle. The holy sword of the Leosols hung from his belt. He felt the heat of
the inferno in his back, but the young hunter didn't turn around.

         Nightshade waited for him
in the sunlight, bridled and saddled. Nervously, the black stallion scraped his
hooves and neighed loudly.

         Kyrian stored the weapons
in the saddlebags and turned to the flames.

         The fire took over the
whole estate, burning down everything that was in its destructive path.

         Like a small, unimportant
shadow, he stood in front of the burning castle. The fire's heat singed his
clothes and hair, while he stood rooted to the spot, clenching his mother's
delicate silver bracelet in his fist. "The sweet venom of love shall never
again seduce me. My heart shall never be poisoned again. From now on, I live
only for vengeance!" Tears welled up in his dark brown eyes as he screamed
at the sky, "Vengeance for my family! Vengeance!"

         "Kyrian...
Kyrian..."

         The young man felt a warm
and gentle touch on his cheek. His eyes opened slowly and he looked into his
mother's lovingly smiling face. "Mama... what... how is that possible...
you... you are..." he stuttered.

         Helena placed an index
finger against his lips to silence him. She indicated that he should listen to
her.

"Everything you loved was
taken away from you

blinded by your grief you are
walking a thin line

the abyss is right in front of you

it calls to you and wants to
embrace you

don't look down, you have to
overcome it

Keep the faith, my child

trust and believe in yourself

don't give in to despair

as long as a new day is dawning

and the golden sun rises

there will always be hope

A veil of darkness is covering
your eyes

sorrow and pain has conquered your
soul

your heart is wrapped up in iron
chains

no chance for it to break free

anger and hate are coursing hotly
through your veins

Keep the faith, my child

trust and believe in yourself

don't give in to despair

as long as a new day is dawning

and the golden sun rises

there will always be hope

A cruel betrayal closed your heart
to love

numb, you live only to fight evil

a vow, screamed into the night is
what keeps you going

death and destruction are what you
leave behind

on your lonely road of vengeance

Keep the faith, my child

trust and believe in yourself

don't give in to despair

as long as a new day is dawning

and the golden sun rises

there will always be hope."

         Helena's face turned
blurry and faded from his view as Kyrian awoke. He rose from his bedroll and
stretched, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Sighing, he went to his horse and
stroked the neck of his trusty companion.

         Kyrian leaned his
forehead against Nightshade's, hot tears burning in his eyes. He whispered in a
broken voice, "I've seen Mama in my dreams again, like every night for
five years. And every time my heart grows more heavy. If only I wouldn't have
been such a damned fool!"

         For a while he kept this
position and dark thoughts wandered through his mind. He patted Nightshade's
neck once more and released the horse. "Let's go, my friend."

         The black stallion
snorted and butted Kyrian with his head.

         "Yes, yes. I know.
Breakfast first." The young hunter gazed at the meager interior of his
saddlebags and shook his head. "As soon as we reach the next village or
settlement, we have to get more supplies. Maybe we can even get a map of the
area we are at, because frankly spoken, I don't have the slightest idea which
direction we have to follow.

         Nightshade wasn't
interested in his master's musings. Greedily he reached for a carrot, which
Kyrian had just fetched from the saddlebags.

         "Hey, hey. Slow
down, boy. That's the last one."

         After Kyrian had washed
down a piece of stale bread with some spring water, he packed up the camp and
climbed on Nightshade's back. The images of his dream and his mother's voice
were still echoing through his mind. Unconsciously his hand went into his
coat's pocket and closed tightly around Helena's silvery bracelet. "You
are right, Mama. As long as the sun rises every day there will always be hope.
I will find Skylar, Mama. And I will never give up, until my vow is
fulfilled."

The End of

Chronicles of Darkness

- Book 1 –

Shadows and Dust

The first edition of this book was
published on the internet in 2003 under the title

Chronicles of Darkness: Book 1 -
Shadows and Dust

Copyright © 2003 by Taylor Fierce
and Andrea F. Thomas

For the new English edition:

Copyright © 2002-2015 by Taylor
Fierce and Andrea F. Thomas

All rights reserved

Translations from German to
English by Taylor Fierce

Cover design by Andrea F. Thomas