Dark Calling

[Cara]

(OK! Pivotal moment here! So long post )

Gabriel looked to where Pierce had flitted from. Canislea. Alive.
And furious. How was this possible!? Another vampire stood besides her, the special stake that Pierce had used to kill her, in his hand. Gabriel had seen her, dead. He had felt it! The stake clattered to the floor as she straightened herself. The color had practically returned to her face and her eyes blazed.
"Run!" Gabriel said looking frantically around. Nefara pulled open a curtain from the window. It was almost midday out. Gabriel, and even Pierce would burn. Gabriel looked at Nefara. "You must run, Nefara. Leave us. Canislea won't be able to follow you either."
"She won't run," Canislea said, watching them. They were trapped.
Nefara stepped back behind Gabriel, putting a hand on his shoulder. Canislea smiled vicisously, putting her hand out to Percy who handed her the stake. Gabriel stepped back protectively. Canislea just laughed, and looked straight at Nefara. Gabrield turned his head back to look at her. She held a stake in her hand, having taken it from where she had hid it. In just a breath, everything happened.
Nefara flitted forward, slamming her stake straight into Gabriel's chest. He heard his sternum shatter from the impact as he flew back. At the same time, Lady Canislea and Percy flew at Pierce with mind-numbing speed. Pierce tried to protect himself, but had taken little more than a step before Percy clotheslined him. Canislea plunged the stake down, slamming him into the floor.
Paralyzed, his eyes looked up at Nefara to see her leering down at him. She lifted her foot and brought it down on his windpipe. Everything went black.


Gabriel woke with a long gasp, eyes snapping open. He found that he was no longer paralyzed. Nefara stood before him, the stake in her hand.
"Nefara!!!" Gabriel cried. She had betrayed him! She had betrayed all of them! Nefara ignored him as she moved to Pierce. Pierce was slumped, supported by the shackles on his body. Gabirel in dismay realized that they were back up in a different room in the same torturous contraption that Elvira had been strapped into when they found her.
He heard soft crying and looked to his right. Elvira was strapped back up, looking at the ground with an empty expression. Her eyes were wet with tears that slid down her almost transparent face. She looked better though than she had earlier. There weren't many open wounds and the bleeding had stopped, but her skin still looked raw. And patched of her hair were still missing, having burnt away. Wisps of the ends were burnt black.
"Elvira..." he whispered over to her.
She looked up, and her expression was pure fear and agony. "Gabriel..."
"What....why? I don't understand."
Elvira looked like she was about to respond, but Canislea who was standing against the wall answered for her. "Blood Promise," she said.
At this moment, Pierce was un-paralyzed as Nefara yanked out his stake. He immediately struggled against the metal bonds.
"You will only tire yourself out," Canislea tutted, watching him. "These bindings have held much older vampires than yourselves," she said. "You won't be getting out. They even constrain me," she mused, "I have tested them for myself."
"Your death should have ended the Blood Promise," Pierce hissed.
"And here I stand," Canislea said. "But this Blood Promise is...special. Stronger than any of you would imagine. It isn't my death that ends it, but hers."


Aleron sat back with a heavy sigh, placing his head in his hands. They had all felt it again. Her return.
Adarmen looked somewhat crestfallen. "As I said..." he paused. "If she has Nefara, and I bet she does, then she will plan on having Nefara make her into a Daylighter..."
"...Making every vampire in the world a Daylighter."
Adarmen nodded. "I fear the future that is in store for humanity should her plans succeed. We must go now."
Lord Oron looked grave. "The Council must know of this."
Adarmen looked as if he wanted to strangle Lord Oron. "No. The Kriivida can't know yet."
"We must warn them!"
"They will be as useless as any human!" Adarmen shot back. "You should know this! Kriivida gain all their magic from the sun. If the sun can not stop a vampire, than no amount of magic, no Solis blade, no incantation will either!"
Lord Oron paled even more than he already was. There was a short moment of silence.
"We need to go. There may be a chance that we can stop my sister. You will have to able to handle yourself," Adarmen said. "I have someone already preparing an old drought that should deal with most of your injuries," he said, looking at Lord Oron. "There will be vampires there. Many. My spies have told me that she has been gathering followers around the globe in all the major cities."
"She plans to attack. As soon as the change is complete. They will be an unstoppable force," Carden said, speaking up for the first time. Adarmen nodded. "God, if there wasn't a time when I didn't wish to be able to walk in the heat of the sun..." he said.
A glass was brought out to Lord Oron, who quickly drank it. He made a face, but drained it all. "Can't say that tasted very good," he muttered, as he closed his eyes. It had a very fast and immediate effect.
Within a second, Lord Oron let loose a hair-raising scream, as he dropped to the floor.
"What the hell did you give him!" Aleron cried, watching with wide eyes as Lord Oron rolled in pain on the floor, screaming.
Adarmen didn't react. "He will be fine in a few moments. As it hurts you to regenerate quickly, this is multiplying that one hundred fold. His body is healing...so rapidly that the pain is incredible," Adarmen said, emotionless.
Carden and Aleron watched on for a few moments, as Lord Oron contined to writhe. It seemed to last forever, but in a few moments Lord Oron fell still, panting and sweaty. He looked up with deep hatred at Adarmen.
"You....never...said....that...there...would be...."
"You never asked," Adarmen said. "Besides would you have taken it otherwise? We needed you to be on your feet and self reliable, and we don't have the luxury of time. You will understand that hopefully, Kriivida."
Lord Oron closed his mouth and slowly got up and brushed himself off.
"I will carry you myself," Adarmen said. "We need the speed only a vampire can move at," he said. "Follow me."


Nefara, done with her work turned to Lady Belacort, a razor smile on her lips. "Are you ready Lady Belacort?" she asked.
Canislea nodded, her eyes glowing and bright. "Yes," she said, almost breathless. She knelt in one fluid motion before Nefara.
Percy, standing off to a control panel pulled a lever. Gabriel struggled, looking around. Above them, the skylight was opening. Pain exploaded everywhere on his body as the sunlight fell upon him in piercing rays.
Through the haze of excruciating pain, he watched Nefara as she placed her hands on either side of Canislea's head. He couldn't take his eyes off them, even as the sun ate away at his skin. He could hear Elvira's wailing screams ringing in his hears, and the crackling of his own flesh as it burned.
He could hardly make out what Canislea was telling Nefara, but he caught enough of it... "Nefara, try. You can do it, I know you can. Focus your power. You did it once..." Canislea urged, looking at Nefara's face.
"I... I don't know."
"Try."
"I will try."
Nefara closed her eyes, and Gabriel imagined that he could practically see the energy flowing from her into Canislea. It was so silent. Canislea opened her eyes and looked straight at Gabriel, Pierce and Elvira, who still burned on their cross of steel. She immeditally looked back at Nefara. It hadn't worked. Gabriel's heart jumped. What if it didn't work! Or wouldn't! Nefara had never consciously created a Daylighter before.
"Nefara, try again," Canislea said calmly, though Gabriel could hear a hint of anger behind it. "Nefara, put your mind into it. Focus. You have the potential, you can do this. For me. Do this for me."
They tried again. Four times they tried...and failed.
Despite the pain, it had become a second thought. Gabriel was beginning to hope that Canislea wouldn't succeed! She was getting angry.
"Nefara, you must focus!" Canislea practically hissed. She stood. "Don't do this for me then," she said. "Do this for Gabriel. For your mother..." Canislea walked over and cuped Elvira's weak head in her hand. Elvira was too weak to flinch away. She looked the worse, her skin even more burnt than before. "End their pain," Canislea said, watching Nefara with sharp eyes. "If I become a Daylight, they all will to. The sun will never be a problem again." Elvira gave a sharp cry of pain as Percy increased the lenses and filters.
Gabriel could see the determination set in Nefara's face. She gave a curt nod, as Canislea knelt down once again before her. Gabriel closed his eyes in dismay. He could feel it and knew. It had worked.
It was the strangest feeling. Suddenly, the pain; fire consuming every area on his body, was gone! It was like he had been dunked into a pool of ice water. The heat, the pain. Gone. As if he had never felt it! He looked down at his skin. Not a burn or wound on it.

Nefara beamed, as she gazed at the three of them. Canislea stood, her expression triumphant. She took Nefara in her arms. “You did it,” she said, embracing her. “Now it is time to set it.”
A slight frown fell on Nefara’s face before Canislea pulled her close and sank her teeth into Nefara’s throat. Gabriel tried to look away as he heard Elvira give her cries of protest. Seconds, minutes ticked by. He opened his eyes as he heard Nefara’s body hit the floor.
Canislea stood before them, Percy by her side. She wiped the last of Nefara’s blood from her lips, grinning. “Percy, send out the word,” she whispered.
Percy bowed, looking back at them. “And what of them?” he asked.
“They no longer matter. As soon as I am in London, you may do with them as you wish.”

[Galadas]

Gabriel watched as Percy and Canislea left the room. He felt so hopeless, strained to a place where he could not leave, and the person he tried to rescue seemed lost. He did not know if Nefara was dead, or just drained of all her blood.
Then he heard Pierce moving. The Vampire was trying to escape.
"Pierce, she said that we couldn't get out! Give it up!" yelled Gabriel. He was irritated by the Ancient, who pretended to know everything.
Pierce lay his calm eyes on Gabriel. "Surely you don't believe her? She has lied to us before? Many times before. I can get out of here," he said.
Gabriel shook his head. He had lost all optimism. He looked at Elvira, who seemed like she wasn't even there. When he turned back to Pierce, he was just able to see the first shackle break. "What the..."
Pierce laughed. "I told you," he said as he removed the second shackle and freed his hands.
"How?!" asked Gabriel, who began pulling at his own shackles when the Mister stood glorious on his feet.
"I was aware of the possibility of being captured. So, I prepared myself for anything. Now," he walked to Gabriel and removed his shackles, he helped him to his feet before walking to Elvira. He studied his for a moment, whispering what he knew about her. "A Seconder, that how they call you," he said. He pulled at the shackles with all his strength until they eventually came loose. Then he helped Elvira to her feet, holding her in a distant embrace. Her skin was still burned, she was a slow healer, and she looked weak, two eyes staring only at her child. "You need to be on strength," he whispered in her ear, Gabriel was watching while he stood with Nefara and had felt her polse. "Bite me and get better." he pulled away his blouse around his neck and urged Elvira to drink. And she did, knowing that with his blood, blood of an Ancient Vampire she would be strong. Mister Pierce stood calmly as the Seconder pressed her teeth deep into his skin and began to drink as fast as she could, enjoying the taste of his blood.
Gabriel looked with surprise, he remembered when he had been the one to be bitten and felt, without noticing, his own neck. He slowly saw how Elvira chracked figure started to get her elegance back. Her wounds slowly healed and her eyes back to pure black. Then Pierce spushed her away, gentle, and she wiped away the blood from her mouth.
"Gabriel, take Nefara!" Mister Pierce ordered, walking towards the exit.
Gabriel waited, he lifted Nefara's head off the ground when Elvira had come close to them. "Is she dead?" the mother asked, tears filled her face.
"I don't know," whispered Gabriel, while he only looked at Elvira. She had her beautiful pale skin back and he wanted to touch it, tell her everything would be alright. He wanted Nefara to wake up so she might think he'd saved her. He wanted everything to be easy for once.
"We will come to that later," said Pierce's loud voice. "Right now, we have to leave! I sense two Vampires and an aura simulair to Canislea coming and I would like to find out who they but not before we killed Percy, Lady Canislea's left hand." The Vampire was standing right behind Elvira, lifting her off the ground again. "We need to get to safety," he urged. His small figure compared to Elvira's and his stood determined and powerfull.

[Cara]

Adarmen paused, looking at the large mansion. "I haven't been here in... a long time. Canislea is no longer here though."
"And her plan worked," Carden said, looking up at the sun in awe. "We are all Daylighters."
"What now? She has Nefara... She has everything she wanted!" Aleron said, furious.
Adarmen shook his head. "There are still vampires inside. Have caution, they are loyal servants to my sister. She has an iron will, and anyone who doesn't server her willingly at first, eventually does."


Elvira knelt down at Nefara's side, brushing aside stray locks of hair. "Nefara," she whispered, pulling her head into her lap.
"Elvira, we need to go and find safety!" Pierce said, gently tugging Elvira to her feet. Gabriel knelt and picked up Nefara's body. She felt so light to him. Dead. Gabriel cradled her in his arms. As they followed Pierce, he kept looking down on her. Elvira held Nefara's limp hand, as if by that touch she could bring Nefara back to life.
Tears still brimmed in her eyes. "My baby," she whispered, leaning against Gabriel, as if unaware of his presence.
Pierce turned back to them. "Shh, they're here."

[Galadas]

Gabriel jumped back when a Vampire appeared and smashed Pierce aside, who fell into the wall. He did not recognize this Vampire, but Elvira did, at least, she seemed like she did.
Then Carden and Aleron appeared, along with Lord Oron. At that time Gabriel wished he could become invisible, but as long as he was holding Nefara, he would be safe from another fight with his rival, who already had his eyes on Elvira.
Pierce redeemed himself, jumping to his feet with his teeth shown. It took him no more than seconds to understand who the Vampire was that pushed him into the wall. He closed his mouth and stared with big eyes at the Book Doctor. As if he had just met his idol.
"Elvira! Nefara!" Aleron yelled, running forward. He seemed as if he wanted to take Nefara from Gabriel, but the Vampire kept her close to him.

[Cara]

"Elvira..." Oron whispered. Elvira looked up, and something that seemed lost gave light. She paused, before movinb forward, hesitant. She put her hand to his face and smiled, more tears wetting her eyes.
"You're alive. My vision was true," she whispered, as if afraid that if she spoke too loud it all might be a dream. “I don’t know how it’s possible,” she said. She glanced back towards Gabriel, who still held Nefara. He seemed to trying to not be noticed.
"Gabriel," Lord Oron said, a hard note in his voice. Elvira released her husband's hand, and moved slowly to Nefara. Oron stood right besides her, his arm around Elvira.
Gabriel laid Nefara down on a chaise, resting her head on the pillow at the end. He looked for any sign of life, but there was nothing. He glanced back up around Elvira, who was now kneeling besides her daughter’s head. She tenderly brushed the stray hairs away from Nefara’s face.

Aleron who had been exchanging words with Carden looked with pained eyes as he knelt down. “What happened?” he whispered, gazing at her. “How could this happen!”
Elvira shook her head, at a loss for words. It was quiet for a moment. Lord Oron took Elvira’s hand again, giving it a warm squeeze. She seemed not to notice the touch, but stared only. Elvira, although fully healed, seemed to deflate, and sat down tiredly. For the first time she seemed to notice everyone else in the room. Her gaze fell on the Book Doctor.

Adarmen had relaxed his stance, understanding the situation immeditally. His face was cool and calm, almost indifferent. His eyes looked past everyone, as if seeing something else. He stood aside, eyes as sharp and intelligent as Canislea's, observing silently.
Elvira looked up at him, with desperate pleading eyes. “Is there…anything? Anything at all we can do?”
Adarmen had given them the moments they needed to grieve. The news he had for them now was something different, but just as painful in it’s own way.
He spoke up. “I am not entirely sure that the child is lost,” he said. Everyone’s heads snapped up. “Listen…”
They all listened. “It’s a heart beat…” Gabriel whispered in awe. How come he hadn’t heard it before? All of them, vampires, could always recognize a heart beating! But wait… “Her heart is beating!” Gabirle said, realizing it. Nefara was alive. Her heart was beating.
Everyone was confused. “You mean… Nefara is now human?!” Elvira asked. “You need strong Kriivida magic for that and it usually means death for the other party,” Elvira said, bewildered.

Adarmen shook his head, his gaze intense. “Look at her aura. It is not that of a human.”
“But her aura was never that of a normal human,” Aleron snapped.
“But it no longer as the shadows of a vampire,” Pierce said, speaking up for the first time. He could see it. The girl’s aura had…shifted. Changed. Where it once was a twisting thing of gold and shadow, it was pure gold. Kriivida gold.

[Galadas]

Gabriel sensed it, but only when Pierce mentioned it. He looked upon it, feeling disgusted by it. Nefara was no longer half Kriivada and half Vampire, she had become half Kriivada. How was that possible? He wanted to look sideways to see Elvira, but he feared to see Oron beside her. "Well, at least she is not dead," he said with disgust.
He wished everyone around him, except Nefara and Elvira could be gone. He felt hate and anger boil up inside him, he blocked his thoughts, they were dangerous.

Pierce held the most distance from the group, with his blank expression he stared from Adarmen to Nefara. Years he had dreamed about meeting the Book Doctor, but not under such circumstances.

[Cara]

Elvira looked quickly back at the Book Doctor. "I... I don't understand. How is any of this possible?"
Adarmen smirked, a strange expression. "How IS any of this possible?" he said, almost as if asking himself. He held a strange expression like he understood some key piece of information, but would rather not reveal it. "My best answer is that when she made Canislea a Daylighter, she not only infused Canislea's aura with that power, but gave her that part of her which made her a Daylighter. I can feel my sister's aura. It is no longer...pure." There was silence for a moment before he continued, observing in his strange fashion of calm and chaos. "Aleron, you had told me that you were a Daylighter."
"Yes. I had been. I was the first. Nefara did it accidently, but it ended up saving my life."
"You are no longer a Daylighter. Well before all this," Adarmen said, waving his hand around in general implication.
"It...wore off," Aleron said, understanding dawning on him.
"What Canislea took from Nefara isn't something that can just 'wear off' or fade away, because it is generated by Nefara, which Canislea now has."
"We can't let this happen! She's going to destroy the world."
His face grave, he corrected, "no she's going to rule it."

[Cara]

(okie, I'll see what I can do ;D)

Blood. Flowing in rivets through the sunlight streets. Percy walked up, his eyes closed, listening to the sound of distant screams. How long had it been since he last felt the touch of the sun on his skin? Five hundred years? Eight? The centuries blended together, but it didn't matter, as Canislea said. Look towards the future. The new future!
Before he knew it, Percy was laughing. He looked around the city. All over Western Europe, they were taking cities by force. Their armies were unstoppable! Even Canislea's stupid brother wouldn't be able to do anything against it! Silently, Percy observed a man being dragged from his home from a vampire, who grined at Percy when he saw him watching.
"Praise Lady Belacort," the vampire said, as he tore open the man's throat, letting the blood flow freely. Percy could hear the screams of his family inside the house.


Nefara woke with a start, drawing air in all at once, to the sound of screaming. Everyone's head turned to her from the television.
"I can't watch this anymore," Aleron said, disgusted, as he looked back at the television. Nefara followed his glance. On the large wall screen, there was a reporter. Or what used to be a reporter. The camera was obviously on the ground now, and what remained of the reporter was lying in front of the lens.
"We can't sit here and do nothing!" Pierce was arguing, as he muted the television. The screaming stopped, and a scary silence fell. Nefara realized with a start that the screaming had been coming from the camera which was still broadcasting it's gruesome video all over the world.
Nefara blinked, as Elvira walked over to her, her face full of concern. "They're awake," she breathed in relief. There was an air of caution though. Nefara looked around. Her mother. Gabriel. Aleron and Carden. The Book Doctor. Pierce... And her father.
"What...wha--"
"Good the girl is awake, we need to act now," Pierce was saying. No one seemed to be listening.
The Book Doctor knelt down besides Nefara. "Child, tell me, do you remember anything?"
Nefara shook her head. It was like a dream, and as hard to remember when you woke. Bits and pieces, but they didn't fit together or make really any sense. The Book Doctor's face looked troubled. As she thought, it started coming back. Her eyes widened. "No..." she whispered.
"Yes," the Book Doctor said, his face intense.


Zach, Lauren and Cecelia sprinted through the streets. They couldn't believe the sight they were seeing. "How is this possible!?" Lauren gasped. "Nefara wouldn't...I...She.." She didn't finish, as two vampires flitted by them.
"We have to get to the London stronghold and reconvene with everyone," Cecelia whispered.
"They'll kill us before they let us in there. They think we started this!" Lauren whispered.
Cecelia shook her head. "They will have no other option than to accept our help. We have important information that may help them," Cecelia said desperately, though she wasn't sure of herself. "It's only six miles away."
"That's too far. We will never make it," Zach said.
"We must," Cecelia said, her face wide and vulnerable. "We must."


"How and hell are we supposed to stop something that...can't be stopped!?" Elvira hissed.
"Nefara could help!" Pierce said, glaring back at her. Nefara knew that he didn't exactly like her, but could understand that. She was still trying to figure everything out herself, and everything felt...strange. Different. While they argued, Nefara walked over to the long mirror and looked at herself. She looked down at the robes that Canislea had dressed her in and made a disgusted face. She still looked the same, but she felt so different!
"Nefara?"
Nefara looked up into the mirror and saw Aleron standing behind her. She took his hand that he gave her.
"I could do it," Nefara said softly.
Everyone became silent at this.
"I could...take it back!" Nefara said, eyes hard.
"You don't understand," the Book Doctor said. "You are a Kriivida. Nothing else. You lost that...somehow," he said, face puzzeled.
"Perhaps," Nefara said. She sighed. "But what other suggestion do you have?" she asked. "We are on the dawn of a dark age. We can't let Canislea win."
Gabriel spoke for the first time, having been mostly silent and out of the way for the better part of it all. "And what is your plan?"

[Galadas]

Gabriel had created a clear opinion on everyone that stayed in the room, they had been sitting there for almost a day, in the meantime, Pierce had turned on the tv on many different channels, but they all showed the same thing. They were hiding in one of the many houses that the Vampire Pierce had bought all of over the country. Except for collecting inteligence all those years, Pierce had also spend a large amount of time in finding safe houses. This one was much more luxurious than the last one Gabriel had been in. Though it was still a small place, three rooms and a bathrooom.
Oron sometimes watched Gabriel, but everytime Gabriel looked back he turned away his eyes. But he was lucky, Elvira had left his side only three times, to check Nefara for a sign of life. The Book Doctor had taken the same measures, they were blaming him for something, and he only knew Oron's reason.
Alleron and Carden hadn't given him one look, they were clearly still mad at him for leaving them on their own. Well, he didn't like them either.
Elvira was the only one that sometimes gave him a smile, which he found strange, but he smiled back. He wanted to assure her that everything would be alright, even if that meant lying.
He had spoken for the first time to show Nefara that he trusted her. "I'll take part in any way possible," he added. Staring at Oron for a second, but the Kriivada lord kept his mouth shut.

[Cara]

It was still light out when they left. Nefara observed with a hidden smile how everyone seemed to enjoy being out in the sun, despite the horrible things it was causing.
"I think it will take a while for me to get used to this," Carden said, looking at his hand in the yellow light.
"Hopefully you won't get used to this," Adarmen said, sullenly. "If all plans work out, we will once again be prisoners of the night."
Carden frowned but nodded. Everyone was thinking the same thing. They were excited about being Daylighters, but then what was there to stop the mayhem? The bloodshed? To stop Canislea?
"My sister might have her own spies and followers, but that doesn't mean I am without resources," Adarmen said. "Word tells me that she is in Paris. The epicenter. From there they are spreading out."
"Let is get there quickly then," Pierce said. And he flitted off. Gabriel and Carden followed quickly. Nefara got on Aleron's back, while Adarmen grabbed Lord Oron. Elvira paused, watching. She was still a little too weak to help and she knew that Nefara wasn't happy about what had happened to her. Then they were off.


Cecelia, Lauren and Zach collapsed into their chairs before the Kriivida Council. They were deep in the safe house of the Parisian headquarters.
"We can't fend these vampires off!" Someone was saying.
"They are immune to our magic."
"Because of Lady Belacort." Cecelia interrupted. "She is the reason. If you kill her, you kill everyone."
There was silence. "You mean you know the person who we have been searching for for thousands of years?" a man asked, breathless.
"Yes. Well sort of. Yes."
"Lady Belacort... All this time we have searched for the Original. It was said that if you killed her, you killed all."
"That is true," Zach said, "but you can't kill her. You couldn't even before she became a Daylighter!"
There was lots of arguing.
"Silence!" the Head Council member bellowed. He stood. "We have more pressing matters at hand. It is said from our other chapters that London has fallen just a few hours ago."
"They withstood the blitzkrieg, but couldn't withstand an onslaught of vampires.." someone snickered, earning a stern look from the surrounding people.
"As far as we can see, most of the focus is on major European cities. Our other chapters around the world are bracing themselves. Nations are scrambling for action."
"China and the United States, two nations not yet hit by this, are offering weapons and men."
"Tell them we don't need men. They won't do a damned thing! If only to supply the vampires with more blood and to restock their numbers!"
"I say we evacuate all threatened areas. We have intelligence that large man-made firearms are effective."
"But it is clumbsy! You don't just kill the vampire, but everyone and anyone around them! And more likely than not, the vampire will see it coming and just flit a safe distance away!"
"Our weapons are not working. Our magic has no effect. We need to have something! I have already spoken with the general. They will be moving in in two hours time."
"China wants to blow the damned country up! Protect themselves. And many countries that haven't been hit want to do so also. It won't help though! Europe is too open! It was one thing to hit Japan, but it would way more devasting than to drop a bomb in the middle of Europe!"
"People are panicking. They don't know what they are dealing with. We are trying to help."
Cecelia stood up. "All you need is to kill Lady Belacort."
The Head Council looked at her in agreement. "The only question is how.

[Galadas]

Gabriel had not been eager to fight Lady Canislea, to be honest, he was afraid, but he promised himself that he was doing it for himself, rather than for others. He was selfish, if he wasn't he would feel as if he was betraying himself. What Nefara had said spooked through his head.
We are on the dawn of a dark age. We can't let Canislea win.
Seemed like once again, he had picked the wrong side. He hoped that either The Book Doctor or Mister Pierce had some kind of trick up their sleeve. Carden, Alleron, and Oron were useless, they had no special power to be of any use. Neither was he, but they all wanted to help, which he found interesting, especially because it made him feel insignificant. How could he be the same as them? Elvira was useful, she could look into the future, or couldn't she? He hadn't given her much attention, he didn't dare to, Oron was keeping an eye on him. He flitted close to Alleron and Nefara, he found her aura to be completely open, she had not yet gotten it under control, or accepted it.
You said I would die, he whispered through her mind, not sure if she could hear him. it was a question, he meant no harm by it, and he surely didn't want her to feel like she had anything to do with it. He knew that if he would ever be killed, it would be by his own faults.

[Cara]

Nefara paused, as if hearing something in the wind. She frowned a moment, making eye contact with him, frowning and shook her head. Gabriel wasn't sure what she had meant by that, and realized that she couldn't respond, but wanted to. Nefara seemed to want to speak aloud, closed her mouth silently and turned away.

Canislea leered down at the humans bowed below her. Vampires surrounded them.
“Do you wish to live?”she asked. “Hmm?” Her gaze swept the scared and bloodied faces. "Some of you will be privledged to step to a higher cause! To become apart of a new, supreme race! Which of you will rise and be my warriors?"
One frightened-looking man, but with a strong face looked up and met her eyes, though she could see him flinch. "I... I will," he said, stuttering. The other humans lined up there looked at him. Slowly a few others started up. "I shall join you!" Louder and more fervently.
Canislea smiled, showing her teeth. Humans. They will kill each other to save themselves. She could tell who really wanted it. And she had a knack for picking well. The humans vived for her selection, shoving, pushing, biting. "Pick me!" "I shall serve you with my very life!" "Save me!" "Take me, just don't hurt my family!"
She pointed out with a sharp finger, a select few from the assembled group. "You will become one of us." On that word, the surrounding vampires fell upon the few who were pulled out of the group. Screams erupted into the air. Canislea looked back at the once again, trembeling people, watching the others being changed right before their eyes. "As for the rest of you. We shall save you for your...friends...to feast on once the transformation is complete."

They crouched down on a low roof of a silent apartment building.
"Christ..." Aleron whispered, as they all peeked over the ledge to the streets below.
"Look at all of them..." Nefara whispered in horror. "And Canislea is here? How will we find her?"
"My sister isn't planning on hiding," Adarmen said. "She is here."
"There are so many vampires," Lord Oron murmered. "We should get to the Kriivida base. They will have held strong," he said. They all looked incredlously at him. "What other chance do we have?" he snapped. "We are obviously outnumbered and there are so many eyes and ears to spot us."
Aleron sighed. "He's right. We can get...backup from the Kriivida. They will have to accept our help."

[Galadas]

"Kriivada, seriously!" yelled Pierce and Gabriel at the same time. It seemed like they had their hate for their biggest enemy in common.
"I rather attack Canislea right now and die a horrible death!" added Gabriel. It wasn't his best argument, but he couldn't imagine what the Kriivada would do to him, he feared them.
"There is no chance that the Kriivada will want to work together with us, they distrust us even more since Canislea took over. Even if we want them to accept our help, we must not go all together," said Pierce, he had given Gabriel a look of irritation.

[Cara]

Nefara found herself nodding. "Who then? Who will go?" She looked at Lord Oron...her father. Really looked for the first time. She could see a golden light shimmering around him. She recognized the soft power in him, and the dark curls that were her own.
She tried to block out the noise and screaming in the streets below. "And how? What will happen to the others who stay?"

[Galadas]

Pierce was the one stepping forward, Mumford had told him so many times that he was amazingly fast at making plans and constructing answers. "I suggest Nefara, Oron, and Adarmen go. The rest of us surely won't be welcome there. Oron is one of that and if anything goes wrong, Adarmen will be their backup plan," he said and turned to the Bookdoctor, "I'm sure you can talk some sense in to those Kriivada. The rest is to stay here, we need to win their trust and we won't do that by getting anywhere close. We can hide, as long as we stay away from Canislea." He waited patiently for approval.