“Robyn? I don’t want to be flamed. Being burnt alive sounds painful.”
“It will be. He will rejoice in your death screams of agony and will bask in the glow of your blazing corpses.”
The room dissolved into an outdoor scene of beautiful rolling hills and a lush green forest off at the side. Behind was a large mansion with waiting horse and carts. The perfect scene was blanketed by a perfect blue sky with few clouds and a bright sun tinting the sky with yellow. It was the beginning of summer and the weather was just warm enough to stand outside and watch the world go by.
“Time for lights out, girls!” bellowed Miss Whitethorne as she marched along the corridor, opening doors to check that her girls were in bed. “Don’t forget to say your prayers!”
Annie Crossley said her prayers every moment she could, thanking the Lord that he had seen fit to spare her thus far. She had only been working as a maid here for a couple of weeks, due to… circumstances, bad circumstances – but already she had learnt and broken the rule about no girl being allowed out of bed during the night. But that wasn’t entirely her fault. A willingness to break the rules was more or less a pre-requisite for her other job.
Warrior of Night.
As soon as the candle turned to black and the room was dipped into darkness, populated by the steady breathing of the other girls, Annie bolted over to the window and threw it open, noiselessly jumping down to the grass below. It was a fall that could have killed, or at least injured, any-one else but Annie picked herself up and went on running as though the drop had never happened. Halfway around the grounds, she gave herself a few seconds rest to put her shoes on. Halfway round the globe she had been, trying to stop her pursuers away from the necklace she was wearing. All over Europe she had travelled by hitching rides on wagons and stowing away on ships, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, only to find that the safest place had been home along.
Annie Crossley. Maid at Holyfield Manor. Warrior of Night.
She had accepted the gift of duty. Had sworn to protect the innocent. Had been imprinted with the importance of keeping this trinket from the hands of those who would taint it with evil. So she wore it around her neck with the cross on a chain. Stories circulated about the significance of the necklace, none confirmed, some with hints of the truth behind them, but all wilder than the last. But Annie knew the origins of the necklace, behind the simple beauty of a silver heart pendant on a silver chain. Knew why it was it was so important that the piece of jewellery be kept from the hands of those who sought it. The necklace gave the wearer enhanced strength and power. She – the true Warrior – had been given it to protect it with her very life.
“This amulet has power beyond your wildest imaginings,” the last Warrior had told her, when passing on the gifts and responsibilities of the line. “You must understand that. Since our line began and night needed to be defended, there has been this amulet. It can give you strength of character and has been blessed with the essence that fills us.” Annie had been confused at that point but was beginning to figure it out now that she thought about it. Strength… decision.
“But the power it holds is the target of many an enemy.”
“Demons.”
“Yes. We have spent many lifetimes protecting this gem from the enemy. They want the power to use the power for evil. Protection of this pendant has forever been important.” The last Warrior of Night, who was now willingly giving her powers over to Annie, held the pendant out to her young successor. “It is yours now.”
Gratefully, Annie had taken the necklace and thanked the woman. Annie did not know whether she would end her reign like that woman, giving her power to the boy or girl that destiny had chosen to be worthy of it. Hooking the clasp at the back of her neck, Annie felt a sudden surge of strength filling her muscles, and realised that the duty she had just taken on was the right one. It felt right. She was a Warrior of Night now, and her responsibilities were nothing short of colossal.
But, it was right.
And that was how she came to be hurrying through the grounds of the manor just before midnight. On her way out to hunt the demons and keep the innocent safe. To keep the world at large safe for another night, at least.
She let out a yell of surprise as she tripped and fell head first onto the wet grass under-foot. Barely missing a beat, Annie turned around on her hands and knees to see what had made her fall. Shocked, stunned, but not in the least bit scared, she picked herself up and crouched to inspect the dead body at her feet. The dead, accusing eyes of a friend, Nathan Carter, stared up at her. Trying to hold back a wave of emotion for her friend, Annie moved the head and checked his neck. Two deep puncture wounds to his neck on each side.
They knew she was here.
“Oh no.” It made sense really – they could always tell where the power was. “They’re both here. For me. For the necklace.” Because that was all they ever wanted… though, Annie had sworn to protect it with her very life.
Feeling full of sorrow and guilt that she could not save her friend from the monsters, she let the tears come and reached down to close the milky eyes of a corpse.
Some-one she had failed. “I’m so sorry.”
Well hidden in trees and shadow, so well that even Annie did not know of their proximity, two sets of eyes looked on laughingly. For it was a game of cat and mouse. “You will be.”
“We shall watch as your wasted lives are taken. Joyful war will ensue. Chaos will be eternal, and your pain shall be forever.”
Carly was scared. It was not the ideal emotion to be re-introduced first after endless unfeeling days and nights, but Carly was beyond complaining. It was an emotion. One that she did not have to summon because she thought she should be feeling it, but one that came freely, not without a drop of anger mixed in. She slapped Robyn, shouting, “Snap out of it, you stupid bitch!”
Reactively, Robyn grabbed her by the neck, lifted her off the ground and tossed her across the stone chamber. Ragdoll-like, Carly flew backwards across the space and crumpled to the ground, pain flashing in her eyes. On hearing the crunch of bone making contact with brick, Robyn snapped her head to look at the girl she had just thrown across the room, as if not understanding what had happened. “What did you call me?”
“It wasn’t you, Robyn,” Carly told her by way of apology. “The demon found something it recognises in you and tapped into it. The lust for carnage maybe, I don’t know. It sort of hacked into you and spoke through you. It was creepy,” she confessed.
“So you slapped me and called me a bitch?”
“Worked, didn’t it?”
Reluctantly, Robyn shrugged. Secretly she was pleased that Carly had done it. “I don’t think we’re going to get much out of him.” Robyn moved behind the demon and wrapped an arm around his neck. But Garlox was strong, and managed to twist away from her. He was not strong enough though, or quick enough. Robyn worked him into her grip again in a movement so fast that it was a blur. This time she held her prey tighter, not letting up at all in case he broke free again.
“So you’re going to kill him?” Carly took the silence as affirmative and made a movement that looked like a shrug in the gloom. “It’s your call. He’s a demon, I really don’t care.” But she did care. Robyn and Mika were demons but if they died before the world was saved… They were the last hope for the Earth.
“You feel me.” The demon had sensed a weakness in Robyn – something he could exploit. The fact that she was inherently a brutal, inhuman monster like himself helped to a point, but he had invaded her mind and found the chink in her warrior-like armour; her affinity to drift into other worlds, lives, times. Searching every inch of her brain for weak points, the demon channelled through her once again. “You know what we are doing is correct. It is right to end this suffering. You have done things only I could understand. The glorious fires will be forever though pain will last mere minutes. You enjoy this as m
uch as I do. Are you going to deny yourself that final pleasure?”
Robyn tightened her threatening death-grip on him.
Garlox screamed. The universal language of fear.
Robyn gave the thick demon neck a sharp tug that took quite a bit of effort, strong as she was, but let the broken demon body fall to the ground.
Carly stared at the body, expectantly, waiting for it to make some spectacular disappearance like in all the TV shows; melt into the ground, or something. It did not. The deceased demon just lay there, unmoving, lifeless, like any normal dead body would. Disgusted and disturbed, she turned away and looked to Robyn. “Are you back now?”
“Oh, I hope so. What did it say? I don’t remember what I said.”
“No, you didn’t say it. He did.” Carly pointed to the body on the floor and walked back out into the tunnels so she did not have to see it. “There was all this stuff about screaming and pain and fire and blazing corpses. And about how it was right to bring on the apocalypse.”
Robyn and her sharp eyesight picked up on the instantaneous frown of thought that flitted over her features. An almost imperceptible hesitation passed, as if Carly was debating whether or not to tell her something else. “What else?”
Carly still was not convinced that Robyn had no memory of that speech. It would stay with her until the end of time, and beyond. “Are you positive that you can’t remember any of this? I’ll never forget it.”
“No. I never remember.”
“There was some stuff about how you and he were alike because of being demons, and how only he could truly understand the things you have done.”
“He was lying.” No-one would ever understand why she had done what she had done. “It was all lies.” It really had been. How could that thing have known the things she had done in her life? How could he have even pretended to understand? So what if she was like him in base nature? It was still in her to do good things, even if there was usually an evil scheme behind it. But, she had not killed the demon because of that fact – if that was the case, she and Mika would have been killed centuries since – but because it had brought to the surface things she had buried long ago. It had violated her; worked its’ way into a history she tried to forget.
Mika remembered.
He tried hard not to but his past was the only thing he could not escape, could not run away from. And the very moment that he thought he had got away from his memories, there they were, images burning into the back of his retina. He wished Robyn was here to take the pain away. Just one touch from her reminded him of what he was... and made him forget that he was feared and hated the world over.
But, he knew, that fear and loathing had been hard earned, and was the very least he and Robyn deserved after what they had done. Most of his body had been consumed by self-punishment and regret was eating away at him. Regret that he had done what he had done, regret at the superficial reasons for it, and now regret that he would never be able to make that right. It had been right at the time, because everything was right at the time, as Robyn said, and it only became wrong when you let it be wrong.
And Robyn knew best.
Robyn had always known best. She had shown him his own true nature – the one of the beast. She had taken him out of the light and shown him the real night, where his true path lay. And now she had left him… Mika was not sure of anything now. Not without her to believe in him.
“Is that necklace so important?”
“I believe it is. You can get it for me.” Robyn was dressed in a stunning red ball gown with a lace panel at the front of the skirt. She had taken rather a shine to fancy clothes and jewellery; quite enjoyed living the life of the wealthy.
Tonight, she and her escort had been invited to a gathering at a large house at the edge of the city. Robyn had been very excited at the prospect of this event, and had spent much of the last few nights scouring the city for exactly the right outfit. Her long red hair had been curled and swept up into a bun for the occasion; her make-up was somehow immaculate; and she blended perfectly with the other guests.
“I know we can get it from the girl.”
“But she has already given us the run around in Europe. Don’t you think we’ve tried hard enough?”
Laughing softly, she laid a casual hand on the arm of her companion as the host of the evening approached; he passed, and she stared meaningfully at the glass in her hand. “We will never do enough. Make me this promise, Mika, and you shall get your reward.”
“I promise.” If he was going to do one thing before the new moon, it would be to get that necklace. “You shall have your trinket, my sweet.”
Together, they made their way through the small clusters of people and out onto the balcony. Not for the fresh air, or the privacy, but for the quiet of blessed darkness and the familiar scents of humanity carried on the breeze. They wanted to watch. Inner torment and anguish were the most entertaining things around.
“Robyn, do you see that?” Mika pointed to a man guarding horses at the side of the house. “Innocent, yes. But all the more deserving for it.”
“I see everything. The suffering that is to come. Things he will not see. He has no knowledge of what’s coming, but he will suffer the same fate. He will die in a flash of pain, though his body will burn before it has time to rot into the ground.” Robyn shook her head clear as if something was irritating her and perched on the stone lip of the balcony, swinging her legs like a little girl.
Mika also shook his head, not understanding the meaning behind any of her words, and easily pushed it away. A trip to the land of the stars always meant she talked a load of nonsense, though this was an enchanting quirk. “Why do we do it?”
“Do what?”
“Kill when we have no need to. We feed when we need to and do it in such a way that no-one suspects. So, why do we hunt even when we have no desire to take nutrition from our prey?”
Robyn looked at him oddly. She could see it in his eyes – he knew the answer, just wanted Robyn to say it. He wanted to hear her say three tiny words. “Because it’s fun.” She giggled and looked at him. “To watch them scream and hope that some small mercy will be shown them – hope that help will come. To see them writhe in blissful agony –“
“Fun,” Mika echoed, thoughtfully. “The danger. Fun.” But what would happen when people started to figure out what they were? When they got chased out of town. That would not be so much fun.
He took her hand as she hopped to the ground, though the gentlemanly gesture was purely for show, and smiled. “I love you.”
“I know you do.” She loved him too. Unconditionally.
A guest of the party wandered by and found himself rooted to the spot, mesmerised by Robyn’s beauty. This girl, no more than twenty five, with lush red hair, hazel eyes and a worldly air about her. A natural beauty indeed. She looked back at him, as if knowing she was being watched, and smiled at him.
“Hello, sir. A most beautiful night, is it not?”
“It certainly is.” He tapped Mika’s shoulder. “Excuse me, I hope you don’t mind me saying so but, your good lady here is nothing short of an angel.”
“I know exactly what she is. Every day, I thank the stars for putting her in my life.” The two men shook hands and the newcomers headed back inside.
Robyn turned to the open evening and Mika followed. She sniffed the air, smiled, and let her eyes fall to the ground. Planting her hands firmly on the stone ledge, Robyn vaulted over it and fell two storeys to land gracefully on the ground. A scent wafted to her nose over the breeze.
A faint scent, wispy even, but no less familiar. The aroma of… what? Strength, knowledge, power, wisdom. It was all of those things and none of those things. It was…
Prey.
Mika recognised it too. He began to gear up for a fight but he stopped when he caught a whiff of the attached scent. Anger. That only meant one th
ing. Mika grabbed Robyn by the arm and dragged her off to hide in the shadows of the trees. Instead of moaning indignantly that he was hurting her, Robyn delighted in his strength and masterfulness. He had been a quick study, but she still had so much to teach him. “Mika, remember your manners, child,” Robyn scolded him, playfully.
“Sorry, baby.” Mika grabbed her arm again and twirled her into him, kissing her viciously, passionately, before pushing her away and easily throwing her through the air only to crash into the trunk of a large tree. She fell to the ground with a grunt and probably a couple of cracked ribs. Robyn licked her lips, relishing the tiny amount of pain it gave her. She lifted her head, a gleam of golden danger playing in her eyes. Mika returned the look.
“Your mother taught you well, obviously.”
“You should know.” Almost before he had gotten the sentence, Robyn had sprang to her feet, flashed over to him, and swept his legs out from beneath him.
Mika tried to laugh, could not, and brought Robyn crashing to the floor beside him by shooting on leg up in a right angle to catch her under the chin. “Nice moves.” Robyn did laugh, partly from the thrill of the fight, and partly from the joy of being hurt. Being hurt by Mika.
The scent was stronger now, still quite a distance away but getting closer.
Robyn rolled over and shot a fist into his head. Mika felt pain explode in his head but grinned in spite of this. No, not in spite of it – because of it. Mika stood up and threw his arms out while he regained his balance. Robyn hauled herself up and grabbed him by the arms, shooting a sharp knee into the stomach and twirling him round. She let go and Mika flew into a jagged tree trunk sideways, then rolled away to come to rest by a tree stump. His head cracked and bones ground together in his body. Mika lay unconscious for a minute or two, rocked by the violent assault – not that violence or unconsciousness were unusual – and Robyn clapped the performance, a wide, happy smile on her face. The dress was dirty and shredded at the back and frayed at the hem, but she did not notice. The familiar burn of her muscles felt good, like a friend that she could rely on to return. Mika snapped his eyes open, wounds and other injuries already beginning to heal, and shuffled to his knees. Picking up on the mental SOS signals he was sending her, Robyn hurried to his side and crouched down next to him, ignoring the rip of a seam opening under her arm.