Fan Fiction ❯ Ethereal ❯ Cloak of Stars ( Chapter 1 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Daremyth 
In which a cloaked rider on a horse kills a Vampire after the one who shall become the next Immortal.
CHAPTER WARNINGS: mild violence, mild language
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Horror / Occult / Supernatural | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.25.2003 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 357 | Status: Work In Progress
In which a cloaked rider on a horse kills a Vampire after the one who shall become the next Immortal.
CHAPTER WARNINGS: mild violence, mild language
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Horror / Occult / Supernatural | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.25.2003 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 357 | Status: Work In Progress
<html>
Title: Ethereal
Claimer: I OWN EVERYTHING!! take and you DIE!!
Series: Original
Genre: fantasy, horror, occult, supernatural
Rating: R
Warnings: implied slash, dark, gore, violence, language, het, supernatural-ness, angst, possible squick, implied past non-con, possible occasional humor
Notes: ack. hm... ::thinks:: believe it or not, I really have nothing to say... ::blink:: wait a minute. oh yeah! now I do. a couple notes: Time is an important concept in this story; Mortality, Immortality, Ephemerality, Eternity, Life, Death... they all play HUGE roles in the process of this story and its plot. it was a concept I have been wanting to play around with for a while, and I'm finally doing it. ^.^ yay for me!
Symbols: *emphasis* |thoughts| :telepathy: ~telekenesis/psychokenesis~ +emotions+ _other peoples' thoughts_ =speech of supernatural creatures=
Inspirations: ::grin:: something we did in my English class a couple of days ago. my teacher came up with five different beginnings, and passed them around on paper. we had to write a paragraph introducing the protagonist. then she collected them, and gave them to another person to write a paragraph introducing the antagonist. unfortunately, the others who received my paper completely butchered the story. ::twitch:: the first line of the story is the beginning I ended up with. first paragraph is the one I created, and I've completely taken it up from there. ^.^
Randomness: HAH! I got Mercedes Lackey's book "To Take a Thief" for Christmas and YOU didn't! ::haughty laughter:: ::gag:: ::choke:: ::cough:: UGH! gotta stop doing that...
Music for the Chapter: "Desert Rose" by Sting, "Otherside" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers
_______________________________________________________________ ___________________________
<i>"The Immortals never existed."
"Yes, the Immortals existed. Always have, still do, and always will. They exist in everything around us, child."
"Really? And why is that, old man?"
"Because the Immortals are Evil and Eternity personified. Evil and Eternity are immortal, and as such, so are They. They've walked Kamhir for an eternity, child. And They'll walk it for an eternity more."</i>
______________________________________________________ ____________________________________
Chapter 1 - Cloak of Stars
The night was dark, starless, and enveloped in fog.
A horse, stark black except for the snow-white star perfectly centered on its forehead, one spike trailing down to its muzzle, walked elegantly down the cracked pavement, neatly sidestepping any holes. The rider on its back was shrouded in an ebony cloak, its hood pulled up over his head and hiding his face. The only visible flesh was his hands, which were paler than snow and casually wrapped around the black leather reins.
The air was heavy, damp and chilly from the fog. There was no wind at all; no air whispered in even the slightest change of position. It was also thick enough to be sliced with a knife.
But horse and rider took no notice of it; they simply kept moving, a striking pair. They took their time.
For time was not an issue.
"Slæm vi dõk!"[1]
He panted, darting around a corner as the guard shouted after him. J'Kåtha[2] skidded sharply to a halt, eyes darting around in panic as he tried to find an escape route. The larger man's heavy footsteps weren't that far behind him, and in desperation, he kept running straight, dodging people with the ease of long practice. Quite a few shouted curses after him, but he ignored them.
He didn't have the time to pay them attention.
"Ghá-mi! Jhó-dã've *kóm-nar*!"[3]
Knowing the guard was only a few yards behind him, he didn't bother to look over his shoulder; it would only slow him down. Suddenly, someone loomed up in front of him, and having as much momentum as he did, he crashed into him, bouncing off and landing on his rear. The man didn't even stagger.
The guard stopped behind him, beginning to thank the man, but was apparently being ignored.
For the man seemed to be looking down at him; J'Kåtha couldn't really tell, because he was dressed in a hooded cloak, the cowl drawn up to cover his face. The man's face was in shadow; the only visible features a pair of eyes so pale a gray as to seem to glow. They were narrow, and seemed to be oddly slitted like a snake's. Hard as diamond, cold as ice, they sent a shiver down his spine.
The guard, one J'Kåtha knew personally as Gové'n[4], stopped talking suddenly, and glanced between the two of them, a frown on his face. "Again sir, I'd like to thank for catching him," he began. "I've been trying to for the past month, so I will now be bringing him to gaol-"
He was abruptly cut off by the snow-white hand suddenly wrapped around his throat, and the cloaked figure hissed, sounding eerily like a mixture of a cat and a snake. |What the hell *is* this guy?| he wondered.
=I think not, child,= the thing hissed at Gové'n. Its voice had spoken in a mixture of languages at once, each one in a different voice, so it was rather hard to understand what it had said.
And then, it vanished.
Eternity is a large thing to ask for. That would mean never dying, and having been born at the beginning of Time, if not before it. It was an impossible wish.
For Eternity was never granted to any mere Mortal. And only an Immortal could be granted it; for the Immortals were born before Time had even existed. And only two Immortals walked Kamhir[5].
Evil and Eternity itself.
Evil and Eternity had Their own way of Life and Death; neither were similar to the ways of Mortals'.
And They had few friends. Some of them were the Stars, Eternal as They were. They had been around as long as Evil, had seen the same sights, heard the same sounds, and were completely at ease with Evil and Eternity. Evil had done Them no harm; Eternity had given them its namesake. Others were the Earth, the Ground on which all creatures walked on, for It had been birthed at the same time as the Immortals.
Few knew of this kinship between Earth and Stars and Evil and Eternity. It seemed a very unlikely thing.
Yet it wasn't.
This night was clear as crystal, and speckles of white bled through the black velvet of the night sky. The Stars smiled down on the horse and rider as they paced elegantly down the cobblestone road of this much more prosperous section of the country.
Wind whipped leaves around in circles, kicked up miniature tornadoes of dust, whistled as it performed its seductive dance around objects. But the horse's mane and tail did not stir, nor did the cloak the figure was wearing.
Silvery light fell on a single, ethereal spider web, the spun silk hanging between two massive branches of an even more massive tree. A tiny black spider scurried along the strands of gossamer silk, calling a silent greeting to the creatures passing its home.
It received a silent answer in response.
Nature was in complete adoration of the Immortals.
It had Time enough to learn to love Them.
The door creaked open, and he winced slightly, hoping the other person who lived in the house was either asleep or out. Or maybe, hopefully, even Dead.
"Where have you been?!"
No such luck.
He flinched, cringing slightly. "Gové'n almost caught me again!" he replied, voice small.
There was a sound, as of disgust, before a thin, bony hand reached out from between the two pieces of black cloth that hid the bed from his view. "Did you get it?" was the demand.
"Yes, I got it," he replied instantly, and dropped the object into the skin-and-bones hand. "I was lucky to; the only reason I got away was because of this really creepy guy I bumped into. He started strangling Gové'n when he told him he was taking me to gaol. He disappeared, and I ran away before Gové'n could do anything. What do we need this for anyway?"
His random change of subject didn't surprise his half-dead great-great uncle. "Nothing *you* need to know about," was his waspish reply. "And what do you mean he disappeared?"
He shrugged. "I don't know how he did it, but one second he was there and the next he wasn't," he replied.
There was a pause, one that J'Kåtha didn't like a bit, before his uncle cautiously pushed aside the curtains. His eyes, milky white from cataracts, stared straight at him. "What was he wearing? Did you see his eyes?"
He blinked, confused. "He was wearing a black cloak with the hood pulled up over his face, so I couldn't see it. But he had extremely pale eyes, and its really weird that I could see them because his face was covered in shadow," he replied slowly. "Why? Do you know who he was?"
His uncle, already pale, turned the color of snow. "You just had a run in with the Immortal, boy," he managed to stammer out.
"The Immortals never existed." He frowned in confusion; what was he talking about?
"Yes, the Immortals existed," his Uncle Karh'Þ[6] murmured. "Always have, still do, and always will. They exist in everything around us, child."
"Really?" His voice was doubtful, and he gave his aging uncle a dubious look. He was going senile, wasn't he? |And that's *just* what I need,| he thought bitterly. |Blind *and* senile.| "And why is that, old man?" The old man was so lost in his own thoughts he didn't even notice the implied insult.
"Because the Immortals are Evil and Eternity personified. Evil and Eternity are immortal, and as such, so are They. They've walked Kamhir for an eternity, child. And They'll walk it for an eternity more."
Shadows danced in the flickering light of a fire. A lonely human sat on a log by it, his only company the gray mare to his left.
The sky was black as the inside of a cave, overcast with clouds that drifted slowly across the coal colored sky. The air was still; overhead, and owl swooped, before diving into the brush a few yards away.
The man looked up, startled, before smiling at himself and shaking his head.
But then, for no apparent reason, the mare went crazy, rearing and bucking as her panicked, trumpeting neigh erupted in the still air.
Down the road, two figures had appeared; a horse with a cloaked rider.
When they reached the site of panic, the rider slowly turned his head to stare at them. The only visible features were a pair of glowing, silver eyes that pierced the horse's eyes.
It suddenly calmed down, whickering peacefully at the two.
And they continued down the road, leaving the human standing there as he tried to figure out what had just happened.
The streets were crowded, choked with people, hot from the breath they were constantly exhaling.
J'Kåtha trembled slightly; being claustrophobic, he did *not* like crowds.
But it was the Harvest Faire, and everyone who lived in the large city of Vámir-ka was out and about, either selling goods, performing, buying goods, or watching performers.
It was the perfect time to steal what he needed.
The only light in the darkness of night was the numerous, huge torches dotting the street; everything was tinted orange, and it flickered eerily.
He shivered, taught with fear.
"I *hate* crowds," he muttered under his breath.
:Then why do you stand in one, Child?:
The spidery voice whispered in his mind gave him a large jolt. |What in-?!|
A form slithered out of the crowd in front of him, and he found his eyes irresistibly drawn towards it.
Tall and thin, the man before him was dressed completely in black. His skin was snow white; his hair the color of onyx, eyes the color of silver. His lips were thin and colorless, his cheekbones sharp enough to have shadows underneath them.[7]
He eyed him warily, suspicion showing in his eyes. "Who are you?"
The man smirked. "€fh'Þen[8]," was the prompt reply. The silver eyes were fixed on his sharply. "And I believe you and I have something to discuss."
The Stars were smiling again, sending Evil and Eternity images of the three of Them dancing together in a beautiful sunset. Under the black cowl, if one could have seen in the darkness, a smile was visible, playing at the corners of thin, flat, colorless lips.
With Evil's joy, Nature, Earth, and Stars rejoiced, singing cheerful songs in voices only Evil and Eternity could hear.
But suddenly, the mare reared and screamed, its voice something no human could have withstood with their eardrums intact.
The hooded head snapped around, and the figure let out a scream of its own, *its* voice the haunting, bloodcurdling wails of dead souls.
Then the mare whirled on its hind legs and set off at a gallop so fast no Mortal could have seen them.
A nearby tree burst into violet and azure flames as the wind from the gallop passed it and made it combust.
€fh'Þen smirked mentally as the boy slowly inched over to him. |Good. He's wary, and knows not to trust strangers,| he thought.
That was a very, very good sign.
He crooked his finger in a "follow me" manner, before turning his back and leading the boy away.
Oh, he was going to enjoy this...
This time, his smirk was physical, and his thin lips stretched oddly.
The boy was *perfect* for his next Childe.
He led the way through the crowd, knowing the boy was following because he could smell him, smell the blood pumping through his veins, *feel* his heart beat...
Oh, Gods, he was so hungry... He felt the dull ache as his fangs sliced through his gums and elongated, and with a silent curse, he pulled his demon back into its little figurative cage. |I *don't* need the boy freaking out because he realizes I'm a Vampire...|
He froze, however, as he sensed something in the air. His demon roared in his head and tried to get free, feeling the familiar call of Evil, wanting to get out and bow to its Master, worship him. He gasped and staggered, feeling the demon ripping at his mind, his body.
For down the street, and black form on the back of a black horse was galloping at him at speeds only a Vampire was able to see. His entire form froze at the silent command to his demon, and suddenly, Evil slowed down to a trot and people scrambled out of the way in surprise as the two Immortals suddenly appeared to them.
And then his Master was in front of him, shrouded in the raven-black cloak, and his demon was screaming at him to get down on his knees and *submit*...
But the look in the platinum eyes was not one of affection like it should be. Then, suddenly, he found himself dangling in the air, a snow-skinned hand wrapped around his throat, and his own scarlet eyes bulging. Panicked, he let the demon take over, and his human mask melted into the jagged ridges of his Vampiric face, fangs sliding out of his gums and eyes glinting gold.
There was a sharp gasp behind him as the boy saw who he had been following, but he ignored it, more focused on the figure he was suddenly mere inches from.
Evil hissed at him, Eternity snorting irritably. =Keep away from him,= was the waspish order in the hissing tongue of ancient Vampires, the one only few spoke now.
He nodded frantically. "I'm sorry!" he pleaded in that same language. "I didn't know!"
Except some part of him had; deep in the dark recesses of his mind, he'd been able to feel the mark of power hanging over the boy, one that screamed "Evil". He'd unconsciously ignored it. And Evil knew that, too.
The next instant, he felt a brief, blinding pain as his neck was snapped in two, and then he was just dust floating in the wind, fluttering down to the ground, lighter than a feather.
The black-shrouded head flew backwards, and a scream of warning echoed around all of Kamhir, so high a pitch that only Vampires could hear it.
And around the world, Vampires bowed to their Master's wishes.
Not another one approached J'Katha.
Beneath the black cloak and the cowl, Evil smiled faintly, an odd tugging of thin, colorless lips. The Stars smiled with him, and Earth laughed gleefully as they sent Him images of the boy.
An eternity with the boy under his protection wouldn't be that bad...
__________________________________
1. Slæm vi dõk- (SLAYM vee DOHK) "Get back here". (lit. "Return at once.)
2. J'Kåtha- (juh-KOO-thuh)
3. Ghá-mi! Jhó-dã've kóm-nar- (GAW-mee ZHO-daw-vay KOHM-nawr) "Stop! Little bastard!"
4. Gové'n- (goh-VAY-inn)
5. Kamhir- (KAW-meer) the world this story takes place in
6. Karh'Þ- (KAWR-ith)
7. heh. ^.^ think Spike from Buffy/Angel, a.k.a. James Marsters (::drool::)
8. €fh'Þen- (OOF-thin) (€ is pronounced similar to the "eu" sound in French. ^.^)
__________________________________
::grin:: so. how was the first chapter of this? weird, ne? ^.~
Spike: ::rolls eyes:: Jesus, freak...
Xander: ::odd look:: this coming from the impotent 'Big Bad.'
Spike: ::growl::
::sigh:: ::rolls eyes:: children, please. act your age, not your shoe size.
Angel: ::raises eyebrow:: do you *really* expect them to act their age? Spike, for one, is over 150 years old. and Xander, well... ::think:: ::pause:: it's not going to happen.
::frown:: well, I can always dream, can't I?
Spike and Xander: ::grin::
Spike: all that's gonna happen, pet.
Xander: ::grin:: ::nod::
Title: Ethereal
Claimer: I OWN EVERYTHING!! take and you DIE!!
Series: Original
Genre: fantasy, horror, occult, supernatural
Rating: R
Warnings: implied slash, dark, gore, violence, language, het, supernatural-ness, angst, possible squick, implied past non-con, possible occasional humor
Notes: ack. hm... ::thinks:: believe it or not, I really have nothing to say... ::blink:: wait a minute. oh yeah! now I do. a couple notes: Time is an important concept in this story; Mortality, Immortality, Ephemerality, Eternity, Life, Death... they all play HUGE roles in the process of this story and its plot. it was a concept I have been wanting to play around with for a while, and I'm finally doing it. ^.^ yay for me!
Symbols: *emphasis* |thoughts| :telepathy: ~telekenesis/psychokenesis~ +emotions+ _other peoples' thoughts_ =speech of supernatural creatures=
Inspirations: ::grin:: something we did in my English class a couple of days ago. my teacher came up with five different beginnings, and passed them around on paper. we had to write a paragraph introducing the protagonist. then she collected them, and gave them to another person to write a paragraph introducing the antagonist. unfortunately, the others who received my paper completely butchered the story. ::twitch:: the first line of the story is the beginning I ended up with. first paragraph is the one I created, and I've completely taken it up from there. ^.^
Randomness: HAH! I got Mercedes Lackey's book "To Take a Thief" for Christmas and YOU didn't! ::haughty laughter:: ::gag:: ::choke:: ::cough:: UGH! gotta stop doing that...
Music for the Chapter: "Desert Rose" by Sting, "Otherside" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers
_______________________________________________________________ ___________________________
<i>"The Immortals never existed."
"Yes, the Immortals existed. Always have, still do, and always will. They exist in everything around us, child."
"Really? And why is that, old man?"
"Because the Immortals are Evil and Eternity personified. Evil and Eternity are immortal, and as such, so are They. They've walked Kamhir for an eternity, child. And They'll walk it for an eternity more."</i>
______________________________________________________ ____________________________________
Chapter 1 - Cloak of Stars
The night was dark, starless, and enveloped in fog.
A horse, stark black except for the snow-white star perfectly centered on its forehead, one spike trailing down to its muzzle, walked elegantly down the cracked pavement, neatly sidestepping any holes. The rider on its back was shrouded in an ebony cloak, its hood pulled up over his head and hiding his face. The only visible flesh was his hands, which were paler than snow and casually wrapped around the black leather reins.
The air was heavy, damp and chilly from the fog. There was no wind at all; no air whispered in even the slightest change of position. It was also thick enough to be sliced with a knife.
But horse and rider took no notice of it; they simply kept moving, a striking pair. They took their time.
For time was not an issue.
"Slæm vi dõk!"[1]
He panted, darting around a corner as the guard shouted after him. J'Kåtha[2] skidded sharply to a halt, eyes darting around in panic as he tried to find an escape route. The larger man's heavy footsteps weren't that far behind him, and in desperation, he kept running straight, dodging people with the ease of long practice. Quite a few shouted curses after him, but he ignored them.
He didn't have the time to pay them attention.
"Ghá-mi! Jhó-dã've *kóm-nar*!"[3]
Knowing the guard was only a few yards behind him, he didn't bother to look over his shoulder; it would only slow him down. Suddenly, someone loomed up in front of him, and having as much momentum as he did, he crashed into him, bouncing off and landing on his rear. The man didn't even stagger.
The guard stopped behind him, beginning to thank the man, but was apparently being ignored.
For the man seemed to be looking down at him; J'Kåtha couldn't really tell, because he was dressed in a hooded cloak, the cowl drawn up to cover his face. The man's face was in shadow; the only visible features a pair of eyes so pale a gray as to seem to glow. They were narrow, and seemed to be oddly slitted like a snake's. Hard as diamond, cold as ice, they sent a shiver down his spine.
The guard, one J'Kåtha knew personally as Gové'n[4], stopped talking suddenly, and glanced between the two of them, a frown on his face. "Again sir, I'd like to thank for catching him," he began. "I've been trying to for the past month, so I will now be bringing him to gaol-"
He was abruptly cut off by the snow-white hand suddenly wrapped around his throat, and the cloaked figure hissed, sounding eerily like a mixture of a cat and a snake. |What the hell *is* this guy?| he wondered.
=I think not, child,= the thing hissed at Gové'n. Its voice had spoken in a mixture of languages at once, each one in a different voice, so it was rather hard to understand what it had said.
And then, it vanished.
Eternity is a large thing to ask for. That would mean never dying, and having been born at the beginning of Time, if not before it. It was an impossible wish.
For Eternity was never granted to any mere Mortal. And only an Immortal could be granted it; for the Immortals were born before Time had even existed. And only two Immortals walked Kamhir[5].
Evil and Eternity itself.
Evil and Eternity had Their own way of Life and Death; neither were similar to the ways of Mortals'.
And They had few friends. Some of them were the Stars, Eternal as They were. They had been around as long as Evil, had seen the same sights, heard the same sounds, and were completely at ease with Evil and Eternity. Evil had done Them no harm; Eternity had given them its namesake. Others were the Earth, the Ground on which all creatures walked on, for It had been birthed at the same time as the Immortals.
Few knew of this kinship between Earth and Stars and Evil and Eternity. It seemed a very unlikely thing.
Yet it wasn't.
This night was clear as crystal, and speckles of white bled through the black velvet of the night sky. The Stars smiled down on the horse and rider as they paced elegantly down the cobblestone road of this much more prosperous section of the country.
Wind whipped leaves around in circles, kicked up miniature tornadoes of dust, whistled as it performed its seductive dance around objects. But the horse's mane and tail did not stir, nor did the cloak the figure was wearing.
Silvery light fell on a single, ethereal spider web, the spun silk hanging between two massive branches of an even more massive tree. A tiny black spider scurried along the strands of gossamer silk, calling a silent greeting to the creatures passing its home.
It received a silent answer in response.
Nature was in complete adoration of the Immortals.
It had Time enough to learn to love Them.
The door creaked open, and he winced slightly, hoping the other person who lived in the house was either asleep or out. Or maybe, hopefully, even Dead.
"Where have you been?!"
No such luck.
He flinched, cringing slightly. "Gové'n almost caught me again!" he replied, voice small.
There was a sound, as of disgust, before a thin, bony hand reached out from between the two pieces of black cloth that hid the bed from his view. "Did you get it?" was the demand.
"Yes, I got it," he replied instantly, and dropped the object into the skin-and-bones hand. "I was lucky to; the only reason I got away was because of this really creepy guy I bumped into. He started strangling Gové'n when he told him he was taking me to gaol. He disappeared, and I ran away before Gové'n could do anything. What do we need this for anyway?"
His random change of subject didn't surprise his half-dead great-great uncle. "Nothing *you* need to know about," was his waspish reply. "And what do you mean he disappeared?"
He shrugged. "I don't know how he did it, but one second he was there and the next he wasn't," he replied.
There was a pause, one that J'Kåtha didn't like a bit, before his uncle cautiously pushed aside the curtains. His eyes, milky white from cataracts, stared straight at him. "What was he wearing? Did you see his eyes?"
He blinked, confused. "He was wearing a black cloak with the hood pulled up over his face, so I couldn't see it. But he had extremely pale eyes, and its really weird that I could see them because his face was covered in shadow," he replied slowly. "Why? Do you know who he was?"
His uncle, already pale, turned the color of snow. "You just had a run in with the Immortal, boy," he managed to stammer out.
"The Immortals never existed." He frowned in confusion; what was he talking about?
"Yes, the Immortals existed," his Uncle Karh'Þ[6] murmured. "Always have, still do, and always will. They exist in everything around us, child."
"Really?" His voice was doubtful, and he gave his aging uncle a dubious look. He was going senile, wasn't he? |And that's *just* what I need,| he thought bitterly. |Blind *and* senile.| "And why is that, old man?" The old man was so lost in his own thoughts he didn't even notice the implied insult.
"Because the Immortals are Evil and Eternity personified. Evil and Eternity are immortal, and as such, so are They. They've walked Kamhir for an eternity, child. And They'll walk it for an eternity more."
Shadows danced in the flickering light of a fire. A lonely human sat on a log by it, his only company the gray mare to his left.
The sky was black as the inside of a cave, overcast with clouds that drifted slowly across the coal colored sky. The air was still; overhead, and owl swooped, before diving into the brush a few yards away.
The man looked up, startled, before smiling at himself and shaking his head.
But then, for no apparent reason, the mare went crazy, rearing and bucking as her panicked, trumpeting neigh erupted in the still air.
Down the road, two figures had appeared; a horse with a cloaked rider.
When they reached the site of panic, the rider slowly turned his head to stare at them. The only visible features were a pair of glowing, silver eyes that pierced the horse's eyes.
It suddenly calmed down, whickering peacefully at the two.
And they continued down the road, leaving the human standing there as he tried to figure out what had just happened.
The streets were crowded, choked with people, hot from the breath they were constantly exhaling.
J'Kåtha trembled slightly; being claustrophobic, he did *not* like crowds.
But it was the Harvest Faire, and everyone who lived in the large city of Vámir-ka was out and about, either selling goods, performing, buying goods, or watching performers.
It was the perfect time to steal what he needed.
The only light in the darkness of night was the numerous, huge torches dotting the street; everything was tinted orange, and it flickered eerily.
He shivered, taught with fear.
"I *hate* crowds," he muttered under his breath.
:Then why do you stand in one, Child?:
The spidery voice whispered in his mind gave him a large jolt. |What in-?!|
A form slithered out of the crowd in front of him, and he found his eyes irresistibly drawn towards it.
Tall and thin, the man before him was dressed completely in black. His skin was snow white; his hair the color of onyx, eyes the color of silver. His lips were thin and colorless, his cheekbones sharp enough to have shadows underneath them.[7]
He eyed him warily, suspicion showing in his eyes. "Who are you?"
The man smirked. "€fh'Þen[8]," was the prompt reply. The silver eyes were fixed on his sharply. "And I believe you and I have something to discuss."
The Stars were smiling again, sending Evil and Eternity images of the three of Them dancing together in a beautiful sunset. Under the black cowl, if one could have seen in the darkness, a smile was visible, playing at the corners of thin, flat, colorless lips.
With Evil's joy, Nature, Earth, and Stars rejoiced, singing cheerful songs in voices only Evil and Eternity could hear.
But suddenly, the mare reared and screamed, its voice something no human could have withstood with their eardrums intact.
The hooded head snapped around, and the figure let out a scream of its own, *its* voice the haunting, bloodcurdling wails of dead souls.
Then the mare whirled on its hind legs and set off at a gallop so fast no Mortal could have seen them.
A nearby tree burst into violet and azure flames as the wind from the gallop passed it and made it combust.
€fh'Þen smirked mentally as the boy slowly inched over to him. |Good. He's wary, and knows not to trust strangers,| he thought.
That was a very, very good sign.
He crooked his finger in a "follow me" manner, before turning his back and leading the boy away.
Oh, he was going to enjoy this...
This time, his smirk was physical, and his thin lips stretched oddly.
The boy was *perfect* for his next Childe.
He led the way through the crowd, knowing the boy was following because he could smell him, smell the blood pumping through his veins, *feel* his heart beat...
Oh, Gods, he was so hungry... He felt the dull ache as his fangs sliced through his gums and elongated, and with a silent curse, he pulled his demon back into its little figurative cage. |I *don't* need the boy freaking out because he realizes I'm a Vampire...|
He froze, however, as he sensed something in the air. His demon roared in his head and tried to get free, feeling the familiar call of Evil, wanting to get out and bow to its Master, worship him. He gasped and staggered, feeling the demon ripping at his mind, his body.
For down the street, and black form on the back of a black horse was galloping at him at speeds only a Vampire was able to see. His entire form froze at the silent command to his demon, and suddenly, Evil slowed down to a trot and people scrambled out of the way in surprise as the two Immortals suddenly appeared to them.
And then his Master was in front of him, shrouded in the raven-black cloak, and his demon was screaming at him to get down on his knees and *submit*...
But the look in the platinum eyes was not one of affection like it should be. Then, suddenly, he found himself dangling in the air, a snow-skinned hand wrapped around his throat, and his own scarlet eyes bulging. Panicked, he let the demon take over, and his human mask melted into the jagged ridges of his Vampiric face, fangs sliding out of his gums and eyes glinting gold.
There was a sharp gasp behind him as the boy saw who he had been following, but he ignored it, more focused on the figure he was suddenly mere inches from.
Evil hissed at him, Eternity snorting irritably. =Keep away from him,= was the waspish order in the hissing tongue of ancient Vampires, the one only few spoke now.
He nodded frantically. "I'm sorry!" he pleaded in that same language. "I didn't know!"
Except some part of him had; deep in the dark recesses of his mind, he'd been able to feel the mark of power hanging over the boy, one that screamed "Evil". He'd unconsciously ignored it. And Evil knew that, too.
The next instant, he felt a brief, blinding pain as his neck was snapped in two, and then he was just dust floating in the wind, fluttering down to the ground, lighter than a feather.
The black-shrouded head flew backwards, and a scream of warning echoed around all of Kamhir, so high a pitch that only Vampires could hear it.
And around the world, Vampires bowed to their Master's wishes.
Not another one approached J'Katha.
Beneath the black cloak and the cowl, Evil smiled faintly, an odd tugging of thin, colorless lips. The Stars smiled with him, and Earth laughed gleefully as they sent Him images of the boy.
An eternity with the boy under his protection wouldn't be that bad...
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1. Slæm vi dõk- (SLAYM vee DOHK) "Get back here". (lit. "Return at once.)
2. J'Kåtha- (juh-KOO-thuh)
3. Ghá-mi! Jhó-dã've kóm-nar- (GAW-mee ZHO-daw-vay KOHM-nawr) "Stop! Little bastard!"
4. Gové'n- (goh-VAY-inn)
5. Kamhir- (KAW-meer) the world this story takes place in
6. Karh'Þ- (KAWR-ith)
7. heh. ^.^ think Spike from Buffy/Angel, a.k.a. James Marsters (::drool::)
8. €fh'Þen- (OOF-thin) (€ is pronounced similar to the "eu" sound in French. ^.^)
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::grin:: so. how was the first chapter of this? weird, ne? ^.~
Spike: ::rolls eyes:: Jesus, freak...
Xander: ::odd look:: this coming from the impotent 'Big Bad.'
Spike: ::growl::
::sigh:: ::rolls eyes:: children, please. act your age, not your shoe size.
Angel: ::raises eyebrow:: do you *really* expect them to act their age? Spike, for one, is over 150 years old. and Xander, well... ::think:: ::pause:: it's not going to happen.
::frown:: well, I can always dream, can't I?
Spike and Xander: ::grin::
Spike: all that's gonna happen, pet.
Xander: ::grin:: ::nod::