Vampire Hunter D Fan Fiction ❯ God of Death ❯ Chapter 1: Meeting in the Darkness ( Chapter 1 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Queenhellfire 
The resident Hunter of the village of Verna is attack. But a stranger decides to intervene.
Anime/Manga: Vampire Hunter D Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Occult / Adventure / Action | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 01.27.2011 | Pages: 1 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 187 | Status: Completed
The resident Hunter of the village of Verna is attack. But a stranger decides to intervene.
Anime/Manga: Vampire Hunter D Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Occult / Adventure / Action | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 01.27.2011 | Pages: 1 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 187 | Status: Completed
Chapter 1:Meeting in the Darkness
She ran her fingers through her hair as she crouched on the roof of the abandoned chapel, her gaze roving the moonlit landscape. The winter breeze swept through her thick mane and causing her black velvet cloak to stream out behind her like a banner of war. An appropriate image, for she was in the midst of a war that had been waging since she was a teenager. A blood feud between mortals and the dreaded Nobility. And it seemed to her that the human race was fighting a losing battle, for the Nobility were of an entirely different make; nightmares made manifest to haunt the living and slake their unholy thirst.
Vampires.
She’d been on a silent vigil for the past six hours and nothing had happened. Her beautiful face was burning from the cold and beads of mist clung to her hair like silver pearls. But she welcomed it. As a rule, she ventured out in daylight as little as possible. Since the people of Verna had appointed her as the official Vampire Hunter for the community, she had to be sure that she was fully rested to endure the long and dangerous nights. That was what the city officials had told the people, but she knew the real reason. Ever since she turned sixteen, the community had privately shunned her. In fact, everyone opposed to her thought she was trouble. She was intelligent for a woman, perhaps too intelligent and since the age of eighteen she’d grown dangerously attractive. She had hair as black as the precious stones found deep in the Obsidian Caverns, piercing pale green eyes that seemed to judge everything and skin that was pale like the stone that made up the foundations of the council quarters.
In truth, the vampires would have destroyed her were it not for the unblinking stare she so often turned their way. The look was unnerving and many who had attempted to kill her turned suddenly fearful under her gaze.
Everyone save for a precious few thought she was dangerous and would be more than happy to see her die under the baleful fangs of a vampire.
Not that she cared. All her life she’d been ostracised, teased and taunted because of her loathing of the “womanly” lifestyle she was destined to live. Her family had even dismissed it as a phase and ignored her talks about how she thought it was cruel and discriminatory to condemn women and girls to the status of housewives and maids.
Then she turned fourteen and everything changed.
She’d slip out of the house to watch the soldiers train and fight on the battlefield. She asked any soldier that would answer her questions about war and life as a fighter. She’d even sneak into the armoury and study the weapons that were available to the city’s protectors. All that stopped when she was caught in the field of battle by one of the city officials. And it was at that moment that the people discovered that she’d committed what was considered a taboo.
She’d engaged in battle and slain the enemy.
It became the scandal of the city. A woman with a desire to use weapons and engage in war! It revolted the community and brought shame to her family who eventually cast her out.
So, it came that as punishment for violating their most sacred tradition, that she would be condemned to the life of a Hunter. Her desire had been fulfilled, but at a very high price.
She glanced up at the sky and saw varying shades of grey shrouded the harvest moon. A few minutes later, the first drops of rain fell onto her upturned face. She closed her eyes, feeling the soothing shower on her wind-burned skin. It was these nights that she cherished most, even if she didn’t trust the seemingly gentle darkness.
A change in the wind. She lowered her head and fixed her gaze on a group of silhouettes wading through the grassy sea. She narrowed her eyes as she watched them approach the abandoned church, bearing a crate between four of them.
She drew her sword and tensed her lean muscles, prepared to strike. She forged the sword years ago from a strange metal she’d found when she explored the Obsidian Caverns. She didn’t know where the metal came from but the sword she’d forged from it was so strong that it could cut cleanly through stone without leaving a single scratch on the blade. It glowed with living moonlight even though the rainstorm had shrouded the silvery orb. She listened carefully as the creatures engaged in conversation.
‘You all know the plan, right?’ said a tall man with hair the hue of blood. ‘I’m not sure we can rely wholly on the report given to us by the sentry, but at the moment we have no choice. If you think you’re in trouble, fire your weapons. You run into her, fire twice.’
The men around him nodded as they grabbed weapons from the crate they’d set down. All of them were armed with rifles, blades and pistols and they had their fangs bared in anticipation.
They charged the church, but froze in their tracks as a beautiful shadow dropped from the roof and landed in front of them. Every one of them jumped like they’d just missed a fatal shot, staring at the shadow even as they went for their weapons.
As the rain poured down a lone woman stood before them, clad in a tight black leather bodysuit. Raven hair flowed down the cloak, and what showed of her bare white shoulders looked cold but inviting. Her longsword was held firmly in her right hand, glowing despite the darkness.
‘Well, I’ll be damned!’ said the bloody-haired rogue, his fangs poking from his lips as he grinned. ‘If it isn’t Hellfire, the demon herself. So, you’re the finest Hunter this city can produce?’ He laughed derisively. ‘Then you’re just as stupid as they are.’
‘My quarrel is not with you, boy.’ Her voice was calm as the night, but some of the vampires trembled under the unseen weight of her words. ‘Where’s Titus?’ Her visage was quite soft despite its chiselled beauty, but the cold serenity there was unlike anything they ever saw in such a young woman, and a mortal one at that. Her eyes were jewels of viridian ice as she regarded them expressionlessly.
‘He may be a lot closer than you think,’ said the vampire, his words dripping like oil. His gaze had fallen to her pale throat. ‘It’s not like you don’t know what’s been going on, girl. This war has been going for years, when you were just a tender morsel in a crib. But all that will change with the coming spring, for soon this land and its people will be under our control.’ He grinned evilly, displaying his prominent teeth. ‘I’ve heard many tales about you, but I’ve never seen you before. But that’s doesn’t matter. You’re still going to die.’
‘Stop this nonsense and take me to Titus,’ said Hellfire. Her voice now held an edge of steel. ‘I’ve come to see him, not you and your tagalongs.’
The vampire’s crimson eyes blazed with fury. ‘You’re a fool, girl!’ he hissed. ‘Do you actually think you stand a chance against anyone of his blood? Well, my name is Lucius, Vampire Hunter and killing people like you is my greatest pleasure. And for your insolence, you will not have the fortune of a swift death. Prepare to die.’
At his signal, an emaciated vampire charged her like a raging bull, but Hellfire swerved to the right so fast that he didn’t see it coming. He ploughed headlong into the wall with a sickening crack. She turned to see another of the bloodsuckers, this one with green-tinted spikes, pouncing on her whilst brandishing a wicked-looking dagger he hoped to plunge into the heart of the Huntress. She swiftly evaded his attack, blocking it with her blade. He circled round and attacked again. She leaned back to avoid being slashed and whipped her sword in a vicious crescent moon pass. The vampire fell to the ground, split in half with his entrails strewn across the ground.
One of the vampires tried to use his fists to bring her down, throwing a well-aimed punch that would have connected solidly with her face had she not suddenly grabbed his fist in her hand. He tried to push the closed hand forward, but his arm shook with the effort. He winced in agony as she put pressure on his fingers. The strength in this slender and delicate woman was unbelievable. He swung his leg in a fast arc but the Huntress caught his leg and swung him like a ball and chain into the nearest tree. He sat there dead, impaled on a broken branch.
Before she could move to attack again, three vampires threw her down. Lucius had moved them into position while their comrades were fighting the beautiful Huntress. She landed hard on her stomach, the impact nearly winding her and causing her sword to fly out of her hand. They roughly flipped her onto her back and turned her head to the side, exposing her long neck. She glared at them, her icily gleaming eyes burning holes into her attackers.
‘Well, it seems the wolf has become the sheep,’ laughed Lucius. ‘And a sheep’s fate is to be preyed upon, as will be yours.’ He opened his mouth wide to expose his long fangs and he fondled her as he moved for the strike…
Light cut darkness.
One of the vampires fell dead, his head cleanly severed from his body. The others donned an expression of terror as the creepiest sensation struck them all. The aura of the Nobility.
They threw the Huntress aside and attacked the stranger. The battle was a quick and quiet one and a few minutes later the group was dead, slain by the mysterious stranger. The silence was shattered by a beautiful voice flecked with rust.
‘Are you all right?’ the stranger asked as Hellfire got to her knees.
‘I’ll be fine,’ she said. She looked up to see a white hand stretched out to her. She took it and the stranger helped her to her feet. She picked up her sword and wiped the gore off it before sheathing it.
‘I thank you but you didn’t need to help me,’ she said coolly.
‘You looked like you needed it.’
She raised her head to glare at the stranger, only to find herself staring in quiet astonishment.
Her eyes had taken in the face of her saviour.
His thick masculine eyebrows, smooth bridge of a nose and chiselled features made a face that was like a silent winter night preserved for all time. Raven hair clung to his nigh translucent skin, and from beneath the brim of his black traveller’s hat grey eyes that revealed a world of darkness and sorrow sparkled. The word that came to mind was exquisite. He was clad in black leather and a black cloak was slung over his shoulders. The pendant dangling on his powerful chest was a deep, soul-swallowing shade of blue that seemed to be appropriate for this youth. She stared, taking in the stranger who was as beautiful as darkness crystallized. It seemed that he was youth incarnate, chiselled as it were by nature itself, perfect and complete.
‘What is it?’
Shaken back to her senses by the sound of his voice drifting through the darkness, she gazed at him coolly. ‘You certainly know how to take a lady’s breath away. I have to wonder if such beauty could ever exist.’
‘You should go home. This is no place for you.’ The owner of that gorgeous countenance said, his words not so much cold as emotionless.
‘This is my home.’ She gestured to the church behind them. ‘Well, when I’m hunting.’ She narrowed her eyes as she studied the sword strapped to his back, which limned into an elegant arc. ‘I was quite impressed. Your skill with a sword is beyond even mine.’
‘Go home before more come. The way back is normal enough.’ He turned on her and started to walk away. Her eyes widened slightly as she realised what this man was.
‘Wait. You’re different from everyone else,’ she said. ‘I know what you are. The aura I felt when you came, your unearthly skill with a sword. You’re a Vampire Hunter, aren’t you?’
The man stopped at her words but remained silent.
Hellfire approached him slowly, her eyes fixed on his exquisite profile. ‘But you’re no ordinary Hunter. I can see it in your eyes.’
‘What is it you think you see?’ The Vampire Hunter had broken his silence. Despite his efforts to remain detached from this woman, he couldn’t help but wonder about her.
‘A world of darkness and sorrow,’ she said softly. ‘A world where one man is loathed by both human and vampire alike. A world where a warrior of the darkness has sworn to protect the children of light.’ She raised her eyes to the face now turned to her. ‘The world of a dhampir.’
The Hunter was gazing at her now. ‘How can you discern so much about me through a single look?’
‘It is a curse I was born with,’ the beautiful Huntress said. She held out her hand to him. ‘If you insist on urging me away from this place, the least you can do is walk me to my home in the woods.’
At this unexpected request, the man turned on his heel and swiftly walked down the slope to his horse. She lowered her hand and regained her stern air before following him. He’d already mounted the horse and held out his hand to her. She brushed it aside and mounted behind him, placing her arms around his waist. ‘My name is Hellfire,’ she said.
The Vampire Hunter glanced at her over his shoulder, his low voice drifting to her ear as he said but a single word.
‘D.’
~*~
The rain had intensified when they arrived at the old mill in the woods. It was a large dilapidated building beside a running stream that had been abandoned years ago. The wheel was broken and wouldn’t turn even if the thick layer of rust was cleaned off, but the rest of the mill was more than enough to accommodate a drifter. D dismounted and looked the place over, searching for anything that didn’t belong.
‘You won’t find anything,’ said Hellfire, sliding into the saddle. ‘There are crosses at every possible entrance and I keep a close vigil even when I’m not needed to hunt.’
‘You live here as well?’
‘I stumbled across this place when I was eighteen and I was chased from the city,’ Hellfire said as the Hunter held out his hand to help her down. Again, she brushed it away and dismounted gracefully. A shadow clouded her beautiful face and she turned away from the Hunter’s gaze. ‘Forget about it. It’s not important.’
‘So, you station yourself at the church and keep a home here,’ said D. ‘You certainly cover your ground.’
‘I have another place up in the Obsidian Caverns,’ she said, opening the door and turning to him. ‘Aren’t you going to come inside? It’s really coming down now.’
D was silent as he walked inside. She shut the door and walked through the main hall. It was a veritable home inside the dilapidated old building, fully furnished and fitted. It looked as though Hellfire had been living here for years, but the décor was like the Huntress herself: dark but stunningly beautiful. She unfastened the straps that held the scabbard in place and set her sword in its accustomed place on the mounted wall. She shed her cloak and draped it over a nearby chair as she turned to D.
‘Make yourself at home,’ she said. ‘You look like you’ve been travelling for days.’
D didn’t move from his place by the window. Hellfire nodded. ‘I suppose I can’t blame you. After all, you have no proof whatsoever that you can trust me.’
‘I can see you’ve been a Hunter for a long time,’ said D.
Hellfire nodded as she went into the next room to change. ‘Since I was fourteen.’ She felt eyes on the back of her neck as she slipped into loose trousers and a black sleeveless shirt. She frowned as she walked out of the room and saw the dhampir staring at her.
‘What is it?’
‘You’ve been a Vampire Hunter for six years,’ said D. ‘I’ve met others with more experience, but I’ve never heard of someone becoming a Hunter so young.’
‘Well, I have,’ she said carefully. She saw the Hunter searching her eyes and wondered if dhampirs could read minds. ‘It’s nothing. Forget I mentioned it.’ She turned to him. ‘You probably didn’t pass through Verna by chance, so I’ll be level with you. We’re in the middle of a war with the Nobility that’s been waging for the past hundred years. We used to be a peaceful people: farmers, farriers, and stableboys. But all that changed when Titus came to these lands.’
‘I’ve heard of Titus,’ conceded D.
‘He leads an immeasurable coven of vampires calling themselves the Purifiers. This war started when he and his coven tried to turn the entire region vampire and ever since then we’ve been fighting them…and losing.’ She looked him in the eyes. ‘We’ve had entire garrisons slaughtered by them and every day our numbers dwindle. I’m the only Hunter they have, but there has been talk in the city about the council sending out messengers to find the best they can afford and to bring them here to help with the effort.’ She walked to the sofa in the corner under the window and looked up at him. ‘They’ll probably try to persuade you to help them. They’re offering five hundred thousand dalas for the job.’
‘Why not hire you?’
Hellfire laughed derisively. ‘I’m owned by the council. They don’t have to pay me anything. I have no choice but to do this. But it doesn’t bother me that much: hunting vampires is my life. It’s the fact that they’re forcing me to fight for them that’s a pain in the neck.’
She rose to her feet and looked out the window. ‘It’s been a long day. I’m going to bed. Feel free to use any room for the night. Call if you need anything.’ She walked upstairs to her bedroom and shut the door, leaving the Hunter to his own devices.
Converting /tmp/phpkDWYMK to /dev/stdout
She ran her fingers through her hair as she crouched on the roof of the abandoned chapel, her gaze roving the moonlit landscape. The winter breeze swept through her thick mane and causing her black velvet cloak to stream out behind her like a banner of war. An appropriate image, for she was in the midst of a war that had been waging since she was a teenager. A blood feud between mortals and the dreaded Nobility. And it seemed to her that the human race was fighting a losing battle, for the Nobility were of an entirely different make; nightmares made manifest to haunt the living and slake their unholy thirst.
Vampires.
She’d been on a silent vigil for the past six hours and nothing had happened. Her beautiful face was burning from the cold and beads of mist clung to her hair like silver pearls. But she welcomed it. As a rule, she ventured out in daylight as little as possible. Since the people of Verna had appointed her as the official Vampire Hunter for the community, she had to be sure that she was fully rested to endure the long and dangerous nights. That was what the city officials had told the people, but she knew the real reason. Ever since she turned sixteen, the community had privately shunned her. In fact, everyone opposed to her thought she was trouble. She was intelligent for a woman, perhaps too intelligent and since the age of eighteen she’d grown dangerously attractive. She had hair as black as the precious stones found deep in the Obsidian Caverns, piercing pale green eyes that seemed to judge everything and skin that was pale like the stone that made up the foundations of the council quarters.
In truth, the vampires would have destroyed her were it not for the unblinking stare she so often turned their way. The look was unnerving and many who had attempted to kill her turned suddenly fearful under her gaze.
Everyone save for a precious few thought she was dangerous and would be more than happy to see her die under the baleful fangs of a vampire.
Not that she cared. All her life she’d been ostracised, teased and taunted because of her loathing of the “womanly” lifestyle she was destined to live. Her family had even dismissed it as a phase and ignored her talks about how she thought it was cruel and discriminatory to condemn women and girls to the status of housewives and maids.
Then she turned fourteen and everything changed.
She’d slip out of the house to watch the soldiers train and fight on the battlefield. She asked any soldier that would answer her questions about war and life as a fighter. She’d even sneak into the armoury and study the weapons that were available to the city’s protectors. All that stopped when she was caught in the field of battle by one of the city officials. And it was at that moment that the people discovered that she’d committed what was considered a taboo.
She’d engaged in battle and slain the enemy.
It became the scandal of the city. A woman with a desire to use weapons and engage in war! It revolted the community and brought shame to her family who eventually cast her out.
So, it came that as punishment for violating their most sacred tradition, that she would be condemned to the life of a Hunter. Her desire had been fulfilled, but at a very high price.
She glanced up at the sky and saw varying shades of grey shrouded the harvest moon. A few minutes later, the first drops of rain fell onto her upturned face. She closed her eyes, feeling the soothing shower on her wind-burned skin. It was these nights that she cherished most, even if she didn’t trust the seemingly gentle darkness.
A change in the wind. She lowered her head and fixed her gaze on a group of silhouettes wading through the grassy sea. She narrowed her eyes as she watched them approach the abandoned church, bearing a crate between four of them.
She drew her sword and tensed her lean muscles, prepared to strike. She forged the sword years ago from a strange metal she’d found when she explored the Obsidian Caverns. She didn’t know where the metal came from but the sword she’d forged from it was so strong that it could cut cleanly through stone without leaving a single scratch on the blade. It glowed with living moonlight even though the rainstorm had shrouded the silvery orb. She listened carefully as the creatures engaged in conversation.
‘You all know the plan, right?’ said a tall man with hair the hue of blood. ‘I’m not sure we can rely wholly on the report given to us by the sentry, but at the moment we have no choice. If you think you’re in trouble, fire your weapons. You run into her, fire twice.’
The men around him nodded as they grabbed weapons from the crate they’d set down. All of them were armed with rifles, blades and pistols and they had their fangs bared in anticipation.
They charged the church, but froze in their tracks as a beautiful shadow dropped from the roof and landed in front of them. Every one of them jumped like they’d just missed a fatal shot, staring at the shadow even as they went for their weapons.
As the rain poured down a lone woman stood before them, clad in a tight black leather bodysuit. Raven hair flowed down the cloak, and what showed of her bare white shoulders looked cold but inviting. Her longsword was held firmly in her right hand, glowing despite the darkness.
‘Well, I’ll be damned!’ said the bloody-haired rogue, his fangs poking from his lips as he grinned. ‘If it isn’t Hellfire, the demon herself. So, you’re the finest Hunter this city can produce?’ He laughed derisively. ‘Then you’re just as stupid as they are.’
‘My quarrel is not with you, boy.’ Her voice was calm as the night, but some of the vampires trembled under the unseen weight of her words. ‘Where’s Titus?’ Her visage was quite soft despite its chiselled beauty, but the cold serenity there was unlike anything they ever saw in such a young woman, and a mortal one at that. Her eyes were jewels of viridian ice as she regarded them expressionlessly.
‘He may be a lot closer than you think,’ said the vampire, his words dripping like oil. His gaze had fallen to her pale throat. ‘It’s not like you don’t know what’s been going on, girl. This war has been going for years, when you were just a tender morsel in a crib. But all that will change with the coming spring, for soon this land and its people will be under our control.’ He grinned evilly, displaying his prominent teeth. ‘I’ve heard many tales about you, but I’ve never seen you before. But that’s doesn’t matter. You’re still going to die.’
‘Stop this nonsense and take me to Titus,’ said Hellfire. Her voice now held an edge of steel. ‘I’ve come to see him, not you and your tagalongs.’
The vampire’s crimson eyes blazed with fury. ‘You’re a fool, girl!’ he hissed. ‘Do you actually think you stand a chance against anyone of his blood? Well, my name is Lucius, Vampire Hunter and killing people like you is my greatest pleasure. And for your insolence, you will not have the fortune of a swift death. Prepare to die.’
At his signal, an emaciated vampire charged her like a raging bull, but Hellfire swerved to the right so fast that he didn’t see it coming. He ploughed headlong into the wall with a sickening crack. She turned to see another of the bloodsuckers, this one with green-tinted spikes, pouncing on her whilst brandishing a wicked-looking dagger he hoped to plunge into the heart of the Huntress. She swiftly evaded his attack, blocking it with her blade. He circled round and attacked again. She leaned back to avoid being slashed and whipped her sword in a vicious crescent moon pass. The vampire fell to the ground, split in half with his entrails strewn across the ground.
One of the vampires tried to use his fists to bring her down, throwing a well-aimed punch that would have connected solidly with her face had she not suddenly grabbed his fist in her hand. He tried to push the closed hand forward, but his arm shook with the effort. He winced in agony as she put pressure on his fingers. The strength in this slender and delicate woman was unbelievable. He swung his leg in a fast arc but the Huntress caught his leg and swung him like a ball and chain into the nearest tree. He sat there dead, impaled on a broken branch.
Before she could move to attack again, three vampires threw her down. Lucius had moved them into position while their comrades were fighting the beautiful Huntress. She landed hard on her stomach, the impact nearly winding her and causing her sword to fly out of her hand. They roughly flipped her onto her back and turned her head to the side, exposing her long neck. She glared at them, her icily gleaming eyes burning holes into her attackers.
‘Well, it seems the wolf has become the sheep,’ laughed Lucius. ‘And a sheep’s fate is to be preyed upon, as will be yours.’ He opened his mouth wide to expose his long fangs and he fondled her as he moved for the strike…
Light cut darkness.
One of the vampires fell dead, his head cleanly severed from his body. The others donned an expression of terror as the creepiest sensation struck them all. The aura of the Nobility.
They threw the Huntress aside and attacked the stranger. The battle was a quick and quiet one and a few minutes later the group was dead, slain by the mysterious stranger. The silence was shattered by a beautiful voice flecked with rust.
‘Are you all right?’ the stranger asked as Hellfire got to her knees.
‘I’ll be fine,’ she said. She looked up to see a white hand stretched out to her. She took it and the stranger helped her to her feet. She picked up her sword and wiped the gore off it before sheathing it.
‘I thank you but you didn’t need to help me,’ she said coolly.
‘You looked like you needed it.’
She raised her head to glare at the stranger, only to find herself staring in quiet astonishment.
Her eyes had taken in the face of her saviour.
His thick masculine eyebrows, smooth bridge of a nose and chiselled features made a face that was like a silent winter night preserved for all time. Raven hair clung to his nigh translucent skin, and from beneath the brim of his black traveller’s hat grey eyes that revealed a world of darkness and sorrow sparkled. The word that came to mind was exquisite. He was clad in black leather and a black cloak was slung over his shoulders. The pendant dangling on his powerful chest was a deep, soul-swallowing shade of blue that seemed to be appropriate for this youth. She stared, taking in the stranger who was as beautiful as darkness crystallized. It seemed that he was youth incarnate, chiselled as it were by nature itself, perfect and complete.
‘What is it?’
Shaken back to her senses by the sound of his voice drifting through the darkness, she gazed at him coolly. ‘You certainly know how to take a lady’s breath away. I have to wonder if such beauty could ever exist.’
‘You should go home. This is no place for you.’ The owner of that gorgeous countenance said, his words not so much cold as emotionless.
‘This is my home.’ She gestured to the church behind them. ‘Well, when I’m hunting.’ She narrowed her eyes as she studied the sword strapped to his back, which limned into an elegant arc. ‘I was quite impressed. Your skill with a sword is beyond even mine.’
‘Go home before more come. The way back is normal enough.’ He turned on her and started to walk away. Her eyes widened slightly as she realised what this man was.
‘Wait. You’re different from everyone else,’ she said. ‘I know what you are. The aura I felt when you came, your unearthly skill with a sword. You’re a Vampire Hunter, aren’t you?’
The man stopped at her words but remained silent.
Hellfire approached him slowly, her eyes fixed on his exquisite profile. ‘But you’re no ordinary Hunter. I can see it in your eyes.’
‘What is it you think you see?’ The Vampire Hunter had broken his silence. Despite his efforts to remain detached from this woman, he couldn’t help but wonder about her.
‘A world of darkness and sorrow,’ she said softly. ‘A world where one man is loathed by both human and vampire alike. A world where a warrior of the darkness has sworn to protect the children of light.’ She raised her eyes to the face now turned to her. ‘The world of a dhampir.’
The Hunter was gazing at her now. ‘How can you discern so much about me through a single look?’
‘It is a curse I was born with,’ the beautiful Huntress said. She held out her hand to him. ‘If you insist on urging me away from this place, the least you can do is walk me to my home in the woods.’
At this unexpected request, the man turned on his heel and swiftly walked down the slope to his horse. She lowered her hand and regained her stern air before following him. He’d already mounted the horse and held out his hand to her. She brushed it aside and mounted behind him, placing her arms around his waist. ‘My name is Hellfire,’ she said.
The Vampire Hunter glanced at her over his shoulder, his low voice drifting to her ear as he said but a single word.
‘D.’
~*~
The rain had intensified when they arrived at the old mill in the woods. It was a large dilapidated building beside a running stream that had been abandoned years ago. The wheel was broken and wouldn’t turn even if the thick layer of rust was cleaned off, but the rest of the mill was more than enough to accommodate a drifter. D dismounted and looked the place over, searching for anything that didn’t belong.
‘You won’t find anything,’ said Hellfire, sliding into the saddle. ‘There are crosses at every possible entrance and I keep a close vigil even when I’m not needed to hunt.’
‘You live here as well?’
‘I stumbled across this place when I was eighteen and I was chased from the city,’ Hellfire said as the Hunter held out his hand to help her down. Again, she brushed it away and dismounted gracefully. A shadow clouded her beautiful face and she turned away from the Hunter’s gaze. ‘Forget about it. It’s not important.’
‘So, you station yourself at the church and keep a home here,’ said D. ‘You certainly cover your ground.’
‘I have another place up in the Obsidian Caverns,’ she said, opening the door and turning to him. ‘Aren’t you going to come inside? It’s really coming down now.’
D was silent as he walked inside. She shut the door and walked through the main hall. It was a veritable home inside the dilapidated old building, fully furnished and fitted. It looked as though Hellfire had been living here for years, but the décor was like the Huntress herself: dark but stunningly beautiful. She unfastened the straps that held the scabbard in place and set her sword in its accustomed place on the mounted wall. She shed her cloak and draped it over a nearby chair as she turned to D.
‘Make yourself at home,’ she said. ‘You look like you’ve been travelling for days.’
D didn’t move from his place by the window. Hellfire nodded. ‘I suppose I can’t blame you. After all, you have no proof whatsoever that you can trust me.’
‘I can see you’ve been a Hunter for a long time,’ said D.
Hellfire nodded as she went into the next room to change. ‘Since I was fourteen.’ She felt eyes on the back of her neck as she slipped into loose trousers and a black sleeveless shirt. She frowned as she walked out of the room and saw the dhampir staring at her.
‘What is it?’
‘You’ve been a Vampire Hunter for six years,’ said D. ‘I’ve met others with more experience, but I’ve never heard of someone becoming a Hunter so young.’
‘Well, I have,’ she said carefully. She saw the Hunter searching her eyes and wondered if dhampirs could read minds. ‘It’s nothing. Forget I mentioned it.’ She turned to him. ‘You probably didn’t pass through Verna by chance, so I’ll be level with you. We’re in the middle of a war with the Nobility that’s been waging for the past hundred years. We used to be a peaceful people: farmers, farriers, and stableboys. But all that changed when Titus came to these lands.’
‘I’ve heard of Titus,’ conceded D.
‘He leads an immeasurable coven of vampires calling themselves the Purifiers. This war started when he and his coven tried to turn the entire region vampire and ever since then we’ve been fighting them…and losing.’ She looked him in the eyes. ‘We’ve had entire garrisons slaughtered by them and every day our numbers dwindle. I’m the only Hunter they have, but there has been talk in the city about the council sending out messengers to find the best they can afford and to bring them here to help with the effort.’ She walked to the sofa in the corner under the window and looked up at him. ‘They’ll probably try to persuade you to help them. They’re offering five hundred thousand dalas for the job.’
‘Why not hire you?’
Hellfire laughed derisively. ‘I’m owned by the council. They don’t have to pay me anything. I have no choice but to do this. But it doesn’t bother me that much: hunting vampires is my life. It’s the fact that they’re forcing me to fight for them that’s a pain in the neck.’
She rose to her feet and looked out the window. ‘It’s been a long day. I’m going to bed. Feel free to use any room for the night. Call if you need anything.’ She walked upstairs to her bedroom and shut the door, leaving the Hunter to his own devices.
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