Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 5

Laurel was the first to awaken. The sound of clanking armor resounded into the room from the street below. She stood up and went to the window. A battalion of soldiers marched down the street away from her, raising a small cloud of dust as they stomped in unison. She quickly woke her sister and Wendel. They were both slow to awaken from their deep slumber. By the time they were both up and looking out the window all that was visible of the soldiers was the cloud of red dust that they had kicked up.

“Get up. They already have their army up and prepared. They have full suits of armor on and they look like they are ready for war.” Laurel said quickly throwing on her thin leather armor.

“Laurel, where did you get the armor?” Tatiana asked.

“Mother gave it to me before I left. I’m sure she gave you something also.” Tatiana reached into her bag and pulled a small mirror out. She thought for a second then put it back into her bag. Wendel broke away from the window and grabbed at his own bag. He pulled a silver flask from the bag and took a swig. Tatiana looked over at him.

“Is everyone hiding things from me?” Wendel shook his head, “Where did you get the flask? From the messenger?” Wendel nodded his head and took another swig then held it up offering some to either of the twins. Tatiana took it cautiously. She took a sip and went into a gagging fit. The vile liquid ran down her throat and burned. She coughed up as much as she could. She gagged for another second. She spit onto the floor and wiped her lips.

“What was that?” She exclaimed horridly. Wendel shrugged. Laurel took the flask from her sister’s hand and smelled the acrid liquid. Laurel gagged as soon as the smell wafted into her body.

“Dragonsbreath is what that is. There isn’t a more foul drink in all the land. Only those with a strong stomach and an even stronger heart and drink it.” Laurel said holding it away from her face. She handed it back to Wendel. He shrugged then swallowed another gulp. He pushed it back into his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He walked to the door and flung it open. He waited patiently for Tatiana to gather the dagger she had laid under the pillow. She then dressed in a second blouse and placed pair of thick leather gloves on her hands. She put her falchion on her hip and placed her pack on her back. Laurel did the same. All three left going down the narrow hall.

When they got down the stairs they saw but a single man standing in the room holding an unsheathed sword in his right hand and in his left a dagger. He looked up at the trio and smiled.

“Wendel Arrowshooter, I have come for you.” He raised his sword and dagger and crossed them. Laurel immediately jumped in front of Wendel with her short sword drawn. The man laughed. “I see he has a protector. That won’t matter. I’ll kill you then finish him off.” Laurel felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Wendel draw two arrows from his pack. He gently pushed Laurel aside and held one in each hand. “I see you have chosen to fight me yourself. Good choice Arrowshooter. We don’t want to mess up the young girl’s pretty face.” The man laughed again. Wendel walked forward and deftly threw one of the arrows at the man. His left hand flew up and he knocked the shaft of the arrow aside. He smiled.

“You’re going to have to do better then that to kill me. I am the famous bounty hunter if the north. I have brought in twenty bounties and you will be my next.” He charged Wendel. Wendel calmly drew another arrow. He waited until the man was close enough and ducked down. The man took no surprise from this action and swung his sword at Wendel. Wendel smiled and to the surprise of the bounty hunter parried the blow with his arrow. He stabbed at the bounty hunter’s foot driving his arrow through it like a nail. The bounty hunter yelped and tried to pull his leg up. Wendel cut the man’s thigh open with the head of his arrow. The bounty hunter stabbed at Wendel with his dagger. Wendel rolled out from underneath him narrowly dodging the man’s attack. Wendel spun around the man and grabbed him from behind. He placed the head of the arrow against the bounty hunters throat. Wendel emitted a low growl.

“Go ahead vampire. Make my blood flow. It is what your kind does. It is only right of you to follow their traditions.” The bounty hunter laughed. A short line of crimson blood appeared. Wendel’s eyes flared a dark shade of red and he gritted his teeth. He pulled the arrow across the bounty hunter’s throat stopping the laughter. He gurgled and dropped both his weapons. His hands flew up to his throat and closed around his neck trying to stop the flow of the blood. Wendel walked around to the front of the man and picked up his sword. Wendel inspected it quickly then thrust it into the stomach of the man angrily. Wendel’s face was an expression of anger and hate. The man’s pupils dilated and he fell backwards the sword clanking heavily on the floor as his limp body hit the wooden floor boards.

Wendel growled at the dead body and kicked it lightly. The body absorbed the kick and only moved a little. Wendel pulled the arrow from the man’s foot. It made a sick sucking sound as it was extracted. He gathered the thrown arrow and wiped them both clean. He placed all three in his back and left. The twins followed him shocked at his recent change of person.

Wendel stepped out of the inn and into the sunlight. He cringed as it burned his skin slowly. He made his way over to the shade of the houses and followed the trail of kicked up dust. Laurel and Tatiana followed Wendel in shock. Neither of them said anything for a moment. Laurel tapped him on the shoulder. Wendel turned around looking at the twins with a blank expression on his face.

“Wendel what happened back there?” Laurel stammered. Wendel shrugged and started to turn around. Laurel grabbed him. His eyes flared for a second then died back down. “Wendel are you a criminal?” She asked urgently. He shook his head in surprise. Laurel sighed in relief. He smiled at them kindly and started towards the army again. The twins began walking along with him.

They finally came to the town square where people of all kinds sat doing various jobs. Blacksmiths were littered throughout the square pounding on metal sheets forming it into armor. Women sat at looms weaving clothing for the soldiers. A tavern sat on the other side. The owner sat outside going from table to table. Each visit was met with hearty laughs from all the soldiers. Tatiana smiled.

The feeling was short lived as people noticed the trio. The first to notice was one of the weavers. She whispered to the others and they all looked up at them. A frown appeared on the tavern owner’s face. He slipped back inside. All the soldiers gripped the hilts of their swords anxiously. The blacksmiths took no notice to the trio and their hammering was the only sound to be heard. The captain of the soldiers stood up and walked over to them.

“You have no business here. Go back to your village or where ever you three came from. We do not need help against the foul vampires, especially from the likes of a vampire.” He said sneering at Wendel. Wendel snarled at the captain. The captain flinched and grabbed at his sword. Laurel held the sheathed sword in her right hand.

“Obviously you do. You didn’t even realize that I had stolen your sword from under your nose.” She tossed it back to him, “you call yourself a captain but you aren’t even worthy to lead a horse.” She smiled and turned. Her twin stood shocked at her sister and Wendel. She quickly followed her sister as she left. Wendel smiled once more at the captain and laughed silently. He turned and left also. The captain stood stunned. He blinked once then turned back to his troops. He walked back bewildered and sat down wondering how they had managed to steal his sword.

“Laurel how did you do that?” Tatiana asked her mouth agape. Laurel shrugged.

“I’m not sure. I had the urge to steal it from him. I don’t know what came over me. I couldn’t keep myself from stealing it. It was easy stealing it from the captain. He was looking at Wendell and I could swipe it easily. The soldiers were so far away they wouldn’t have noticed my slight change in position or his sword being drawn. They might have seen the glint of the sun reflecting off of it but luckily they didn’t.” Laurel said wondering herself how she had managed to grab it. Wendel lead them to another marketplace. All the way Tatiana wondered what had come over her sister and Wendel.

The people of this marketplace were much friendlier. People waved to them and shouted their names. Even the soldiers who had been on the platform the night before waved and smiled at them. Tatiana waved back. Three children ran up to Wendel and grabbed at his shirt and crossbow. He had to hold up his pack to keep them from getting at it. Wendel grinned widely watching the children run off as their mothers called them back. The psychic man came out of one of the shops and hurried towards them beaming. His hands swung gently in front of him.

“Hello again. I hear you three made quite the mess at the inn.” Wendel let out a silent laugh. “Luckily it is all cleaned up and it will be opened to any injured men and women tonight as our hospital. I also heard one of my messengers say that you insulted a captain on the way here.” Again Wendel let out a silent laugh his face contorting in joy. Laurel and Tatiana smiled at each other. “Oh, also you three will need armor and to fix your weapons. There is a smith at the far end of the marketplace. He shall give you what you need. Although I would like to have a moment to talk to you, Wendel, if I may.” He rummaged through his cloak for a minute and pulled out some gold coins. He held them out. “These are for you three. Consider it a down payment for your services of war. I know you three are not mercenaries but it is a gift from the whole town including the people who do not like you. Please take it and get your armor.” The twins took it thanking the man gratefully.

“I can see you are somewhat uncomfortable in the sunlight. Let us move to a shaded area.” Wendel nodded eager to get out of the sunlight. The man led Wendel to a dark shop. He pushed aside the curtain that was the door and motioned for Wendel to enter. Wendel smiled in thanks.

“You’re welcome. Remember I can read minds so all you need to do is project your responses and I shall get them.” Thank you. May I ask your name? I never caught it when I was attacked by the three men. “My name is Haru. I am the village psychic. Anything else you wish to know?” How are you blind? Were you born like that or did you get hurt? “Ah so you are not as ignorant or unnoticing as others. Well I have the power to take on others ailments. I cured a man of his blindness three months ago.” Why did you cure him? “I felt I needed to. It was part of the repentance I needed to do. Let us get off of such depressing topics. Tonight I would like you and your companions to fight along side me.” Where will we be fighting? “On the front lines against the vampires.” Wendel growled at the mention of their name. How shall I fight? ‘Well I’m sure that your companions will bring you back some armor. You may use your crossbow and knife. I will lend you a sword if you wish to use it.” No I prefer to either pick my enemies off with the crossbow or fight them with my arrows in close combat. “That is fine by me. We will be leading the troops against them.” Good, anything to get rid of the vampires. “And yet you are one. Well, either way I am grateful that you and the twins will fight along side us in this. I shall go tell the twins now.” He pushed aside the curtain. The temporary burst of sunlight burned itself into Wendel’s eyes blinding him temporarily. Wendel smiled. Now he had a powerful ally.

Tatiana took the heavy chain mail off of the iron hook protruding from the wall. She lifted it up and grunted at the weight. She replaced it on the hook and walked silently down the row of seemingly lighter and lighter chain mail. She stopped in front of a smaller one and picked it up. “Still too heavy.” She muttered to herself.
            “Do you see any you like?” The portly smith asked grinning ear to ear. His big hands massaged each other vigorously.
“No, they are all too heavy. I would prefer a light armor that is flexible and allows me to move. My falchion is not really made for blocking too well and I need a light armor that will protect me and allow me to bend to avoid attacks.” Tatiana said eyeing up a suit of leather armor. Her twin walked along a table holding an assortment of helmets and shields.
            “We have leather armor here.” He held out his hand motioning towards the stiff armor. “Try them on. See if they will fit you.” Tatiana picked one up and bent it. It gave little before tearing.
“These are much too brittle. We need solid armor. These will not hold up in battle unfortunately.” The smith scowled and shuffled into the back. Moments later loud clanging erupted from the back. Laurel picked up a small shield and fumbled to draw her sword. She shook her head and lay the shield back down.
            “Tatiana I cannot find anything that goes along with our fighting styles. The armor is too heavy and the shields do not allow me to grab my sword without leaving myself open in battle.” Laurel said trying on another shield then tossing it into the pile of rejects. She sighed then moved farther down the table.
            “We will never find a shield or armor that fits our fighting style. Our mother made sure of that. Only she knows how we fight. She is the one that taught us all the quick precision movements that allow us to fight.” Tatiana replied sliding down into a chair. Laurel picked up a helmet with an owl engraved into the front. A thick band ran around the lip of helmet. Laurel shook her head and placed the helmet back down.
            “I really do not like any of this armor. We need mom’s armor. Hers was light as a feather and was as durable as rock. If only we could find the smith that made it. She always said she lived in the mountains to the east somewhere. We cannot use any of this armor here because it is just too heavy.” Laurel said replacing another rejected helmet.
            “You have a piece of mom’s armor. Maybe you could use that in battle.”
            “No, that wouldn’t help too much. It is only a breast plate. The rest of my body would be left open to attacks. I’m not invincible.”
“So I’m guessing you have not found what you are looking for?” Haru said entering the small shop. His hands were in a constant swaying motion in front of his thin body. Purple robes were now draped over his shoulders.
            “No we cannot find a thing that goes along with our armor. We need a thin, tough armor that will allow us to move freely. We need enough flexibility in the armor to move around and use our fighting skills.” Tatiana said looking over at him.
            “Then maybe you should get the armor from a thousand years ago. Smith?”

“Yes Haru?” The portly smith said sticking his head out of the back room.
            “Let them see the armor.”
            “The armor that was used in the Great War?” The smith said incredulously.
            “Yes that armor.” Haru turned towards Tatiana. “This armor was used by our king and queen during the Great War. They were said to have rode out into battle with it and defeated the enemy’s armies with only the armor. When they came back there was not a scratch on the armor.” Haru said smoothing out his robe with his fidgety hands.
            “Who were you fighting against?” Laurel asked.
            “We were fighting against the Cleations. They lived north of here.” Haru responded.
            “Here it is Haru.” The smith held up two pairs of armor. They were unscathed and glossed over, looking like an ivy leaf. They glimmered in the small beam of sunlight coming from the window. Tatiana gazed at them admiringly and took one into her hand and rubbed it gently. It moved with her fingers, wavering in her touch.
            “What is it made of?” Tatiana asked excited.
            “No one knows. Legends say it was made from the tears of one of our gods. Her temple is down the road. That is where our king and queen found it when they went to pray before the battle. Now whenever we go into a battle we always go into the temple and pray to Her.”
            “Try the armor on. See if this one is good enough.” The smith said holding out the armor. Tatiana took the armor from him and slipped it onto her shoulders. She was surprised on how it formed to her body and was lighter than any of the others she had tried on today. She bent over backwards and touched the ground. Laurel stared at her sister.
            “It really is flexible. Laurel, try yours on. It fits perfectly to my body.” Tatiana said standing straight up and doing another stretch. Laurel slipped hers on and did the same series of stretches.
            “These will do fine. They are the best we have tried on and they are the best we have ever used. May we buy them?”
            “You have already given me the gold so you may have them. Haru also seems to think you would like them. So be careful with them. They have already been through one war and they were brought back without a scratch, Let us hope that the same will happen with this battle.” The smith said with a smile.
            The smith handed them the leggings that went with the armor. Haru smiled as he swept his robes back into place and left into the sunlight. Laurel and Tatiana took their armor off, thanked the smith and packed it into their bags for safe keeping. They wandered out into the blazing sun.

            Wendel wandered out into the sunlight. The curtain fell back into place as he passed through it. He lifted up his hand and covered his eyes to clock the sun. The sun was beginning to set in the west and the bustle of the market had significantly gone down. The lowering sun painted a slight orange glow on the sky behind it. A couple sat on the stone fountain kissing. The girl looked up and squeezed the man’s hand. The man looked at the darkening sky and stood up. He kissed the woman once more then walked towards the base camp that was growing at the southern edge of the town. She watched him leave then hurried off to her home to prepare for the assault on the town. Wendel sighed and walked to the camp.

            Laurel and Tatiana waited for him at the gate of the camp. They were wearing the ancient armor. The waning sunlight made the armor to appear as if it gleamed. They each held their own personal weapon in their left hand with a small shield in the right. They stared off into the distance behind Wendel at the lowering sun. The orange glow ran from the sky and the only light that was left was from the small glow of the lanterns scattered around the camp. A small palisade was constructed around the makeshift camp. The men were gathered around a speaking podium. Haru stood on top of it waving his hands enraged. His face was beet red with anger. The men below him were chanting.
            “We must defeat our enemy here and now if we are ever to get some peace. Now is the time when we will overthrow them and we will finally have peace in our lands.” Haru shouted. The men below him cheered and banged their swords against the shields. Haru smiled approvingly. Tatiana and Laurel slipped into the crowd. Wendel stood behind the army not daring to enter in. Haru stepped down from podium and called to the Twins and Wendel.

            “My brothers, let our friends step forward so they may help lead us into battle and help us win this war. Tatiana, Laurel, and Wendel please come forward and accept your place in front of the army and help us go into battle.” Haru called out. The crowd parted to show Tatiana and Laurel standing in the middle. A path opened up forward to Haru. He beckoned them forward. The crowd was silent as they began to walk towards him. They joined him by his side and he held his sword up to the sky.
            “Goddess Emilio please give the twins the strength to fight off any evil that will come their way. They are wearing your special armor so please protect them from anything. And please allow Wendel to step forward and come accept his place also among the front.” Lightning flashed down behind him and lit a brush fire behind him. The flames leapt up and light from the fire cast Haru shadow straight into Wendel. The shadow stopped right at Wendel’s feet. Wendel stood amazed staring at Haru and the twins. Wendel unconsciously stepped forward. He made his way to the front as if possessed by a ghost. Haru lowered the sword to Wendel’s forehead.
            “God Caius, please give Wendel the ability to fight off those who wish to harm him and destroy those who mean to harm him. Please give him back his ability to speak so that he may be helped in the future quest he will go on.” Haru screamed at the skies. Again lightning fell from the sky and struck the sword. It lit up and the energy transferred from the sword into Wendel. He felt the soothing energy settle into all of his muscles. He slowly began to feel all of them relax. The flow of energy burst from his muscles and adrenaline stormed into his body. He let out a scream and howled at the sky. Haru looked down at him pleased and took the sword from his forehead. He turned to see dozens of pairs of glowing red eyes staring at him in the field.
            “Men draw your swords. It is time for battle!” Haru cried out and charged into battle. The rest of the men drew their swords and rushed after him. The twins and Wendel stood mortified staring at the relentless eyes that stared maliciously back. The eyes marched forward and the howls of the vampires resounded across the land piercing people’s ears for miles around. The trio’s hands flew to their ears mimicking the rest of the soldiers in front of them. Half of them fainted in the sonic attack. The rest drove forward with their ears bleeding from the ear drums.
The vampires pounced on the weakened troops and slashed at their throats. Haru dispatched one then cut through the waist of another one. The twins ran to join the fight. Wendel stood and slowly drew the wooden crossbow from the pouch. He raised it and loaded the arrow onto it. He raised it and pointed it at an incoming vampire. It began as a shadow then slowly formed into its solid form. His red eyes were the first to form. His arm holding his vampiric dagger was next. The blood stained blade was the same deep red color as his eyes. As he drew close to Wendel he stopped. His eyes widened as he saw the same deep red merciless eyes staring back at him. He lowered his weapon and tackled Wendel. They both fell into a shadowy mass as the vampire transported Wendel away from the battle.
            As they reached a sizeable distance from the battle the vampire detached himself from Wendel. They fell with a hard thud onto rock. Wendel scrambled to his feet and looked around for the crossbow. The vampire slowly rose to his feet and looked at Wendel. Slowly his features formed to show that he was Delano, Aiden’s right hand man.
            “Well, well, look what I have here. I think that this is quite the catch. And to find out you are a vampire to boot. I think that fortune has smiled upon me now. Let’s see how well you fight without that trusted cross bow of yours.” Delano held up the crossbow and pitched it over his shoulder. He charged Wendel and Wendel braced his body for the impact of Delano’s body.

Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 4

Wendel sat not far from the twins who lay sleeping peacefully. They slept soundly in the cave. The dim light from the fire barely illuminated the cave. Wendel stared into the hissing flames. An owl hooted startling him. His head jerked towards the entrance of the cave. He looked over just in time to see the silhouette of the animal glide past silently. As it flew into the trees, the recollection of the last few days surfaced. After they had left the old women they were instructed to come to the cave and wait a few days until the next step for finding the Brimstone Blade. The twins and Wendel were taking turns at staying up in the nights to watch for any of Aiden’s minions. The old women said that it was fated that they would meet soon so they weren’t taking many risks.

            Wendel looked down at his fingers. He dug his fingernails into the dirt. The vampire’s blood ran through his veins and now had completely taken over his body. In the few short days he had completely turned into the vile creature that he wished to destroy. A sudden burst of rage over took him and he took a rock and threw it out of the cave. His rush of adrenaline spent from throwing the rock he sat back against the wall of the cave. He took a deep breath and pulled his cross bow closer. He looked back over at the twins. Tatiana rolled slightly in her sleep. Both had a peaceful look on their face. The only sounds were the crackling of the fire and the gentle snoring of the twins. A hushed howl whistled through the distant trees. He closed his eyes and listened to the soothing call.

A twig snapped outside. He jerked his eyes open and toward the cave entrance and whipped his weapon around and wrapped his finger around the trigger.  His finger tightened as if it was instinct. He pointed it at the entrance and waited. A man came stumbling into the cave. His armor was torn and he was badly bruised. He put his hand up to his mouth and coughed. A small smatter of blood came out. He looked around quickly spotted Wendel and fell to his knees.

“Please help me. My village has been attacked by vampires.” He blurted out quickly. He stared at Wendel. Wendel sat there unsure of whether to trust the man. Wendel loosened his grip on the crossbow. He placed it down and moved to wake the twins.

“Please help us. The vampires are attacking our village. Aiden and Delano are attacking our village. Please talk to me. Tell me you will help my village!” his eyes began to water as he pleaded. Wendel shook Tatiana violently. She looked up at him and wiped the sleep from her eyes. She looked from Wendel to the man then back to Wendel. She nudged her sister and looked at the man. “Who are you?” Tatiana said sleepily.

“My name is Blaize. My village needs your threes help. I was sent by an old woman to fetch you to bring your help back to the village. Aiden and Delano are attacking our village. They have an army of thirty or more vampires. We are fighting back but most of our warriors are wounded badly. We need your help desperately. I was ambushed as I was leaving and am hurt badly. I cannot send for any other villages. Please you three are our only hope. We will reward you for helping us. We have all sorts of things. Please you must help us.” He gasped and coughed more blood coming out. He fell down and began wheezing. Tatiana flew from her bed. Wendel flipped the man onto his side and applied pressure onto his torso. The man cried out in immense pain. The cry snapped Laurel awake. She jumped up and drew her short sword with lightning speed. She looked around for any attackers then spotted Tatiana and Wendel on the ground.

“What is going on?” She said looking at them.

“Laurel this man is dieing! Grab Wendel’s medicine kit from our bag. He was attacked by vampires. His whole village is under attack by Aiden and Delano.” Tatiana shouted as the man spasm and stopped moving. Wendel felt for his breath and shook his head. “Never mind Laurel. Gather our things. We must head for this village. He said we are the village’s only hope.”

Laurel gathered their things while Wendel buried the body deep inside the cavern. Tatiana put the fire out and covered the ashes. The twins slung their packs over their shoulders and shouted for Wendel. He came out bearing all he could salvage from the body. He placed it in his pack then let it fall to his side. He exited the cave and followed Blaize’s footprints back to his village.

Wendel charged into the village to see half of the buildings destroyed and the other half in shambles. He ran to the closest standing building and knocked down the door. A woman cowered in fear under a table. Her blood soaked clothes lay limp against her cowering figure.  Her eyes went up and she saw Wendel. She began to scream. Three men came bursting from another house and saw Wendel standing in the door way. He whipped around in time to see the three men drawing their swords and charging him. He pulled out his dagger and got ready to fight back. The woman snuck up behind him and began to claw at his back. He shrugged her off and met one of the men’s swords halfway through its arc with his dagger. Another man hit him across the head with the flat of his sword. Wendel stumbled back and blinked. The three men took the opportunity and tackled him to the ground. He writhed in their grasp as they looked him over.

“He is a vampire but has no indication of being of Aiden’s clan. Who are you and why did you break into this woman’s house?” The largest man shouted. Wendel took a second to stare at the man. He was clad in leather armor from chest to feet. He wore a leather breast plate and leggings with deer hide shoes. He was the largest of the three and looked about the strongest. He held a short sword and a small pendant dangled from his neck. The pendant bore a dove circled by a small silver halo. The second man was the shortest of the three. He also had a short sword and was wearing nothing but a tunic and pants. He also wore the same pendant but instead it had a gold halo. He wore boots clad in metal and leather. He had no markings on him and looked like he had barely been trained to fight. The third man was of medium build and the eldest of the bunch. He had a long scar on his shoulder disappearing into his tunic. He wore his tunic and pants also. He also had a pendant but it was two doves pushed together. He looked at Wendel with a dull expression, gazing at him as if wondering what he was.

The large man spoke again, “Tell me who you are and where you come from you fool. We will torture it out of you if you do not tell us immediately. Tell us!” He shook Wendel getting angry.

“I recommend you stop shaking him, Jeremiah. He has nothing to say for he cannot say anything. This man is a mute if you cannot tell.” A man in his twenties walked into the room, his hands moving about in front of him. He was wearing a blue cloak. It came from his shoulders and extended down to his ankles. He wore worn down sandals on his bruised feet. His pendant bore a snake clutching another snake in its death grasp. His hand bumped a chair and he grabbed it and gently moved it out of his way. His hands went back to their swaying in front of him. “Let him up. I will tell you what he is doing here.” The three men looked astonished at the man and picked Wendel up and placed him in front of the man, their grip tightening.

The man placed his hands on Wendel’s forehead and looked directly into his eyes. “Ah you are Wendel are you now? Well Wendel what are you doing here.” Wendel gave a confused look at first then realized the man was a mind reader. He quickly sent the man his answer telepathically.

 ‘Your messenger that was sent to get help against Aiden found me and my two companions and we were sent to help you. Unfortunately he died before he could rally any other help. My two companions are outside the village. I ran in once I saw the city half destroyed. They are searching the outskirts for any survivors. I volunteered to go into the village to see if anyone was still in town.’

The man nodded and retold the three men what Wendel had sent to him. The three men relaxed their grip but did not totally let go. “You may let him go. I may be a blind man but I can sense tension. That is why I came. Wendel go find your friends and have Jeremiah, his brother, and his father show you to the bar where they will put you up for the night. I can see a great battle tomorrow so we will all need our rest. Aria,” he looked in the direction of her. She was still cowering under the table. “Go tell the captain that we need to work all night to make weapons. Have him sleep during the day. And put your baby in the nursery. You know it is not good it have it away from protection for so long.” She moved and a whimpering child was revealed from her cloak. She nodded and hurried out the door cooing to the baby. The three men let Wendel go. The man exited the house and disappeared into the night.

“Let’s go Wendel. Let’s get your friends and see if you were lying to our elder.” The youngest man pushed him out the door. The oldest man shot him a look of disdain and the younger man immediately stepped back.

“I am sorry for my son’s actions Wendel. We are not very kind to strangers much less vampires here anymore. Are your two companions vampires as well?” The eldest man asked. Wendel shook his head no. “Well that is good. Maybe people will accept you here then. My name is Edward. This is my son Jeremiah,” He pointed to the larger one of the sons. “And this is Joseph.” He pointed to the smaller of the two men. Edward led Wendel out into the night. “Where are your friends now?” Wendel pointed in the direction the twins had gone. They began to walk in that direction when they came upon a mob.

“Kill them.” “Tie them up in the stocks.” “Blood them and feed them to the vampires.” The mass shouted as the twins sat upon a platform surrounded by ten warriors. They were tied back to back with the ten warriors circling them. Blood ran down Tatiana’s face from a cut along the side of her head. Both of them had their heads hung low in defeat.

“Quiet down.” Edward shouted. The mass of people turned to him and quieted immediately. He looked at Wendel kindly. “Are these your two companions Wendel?” Wendel nodded vigorously not taking his eyes off the men standing on the platform. Each held some sort of deadly looking weapon. Most were in the shape of a sword but others had a mace looking weapon. Edward stepped forward and the mob parted way so he could walk through. Wendel followed Edward and the two brothers stepped into line with them. Edward silently walked up the steps and tapped each soldier on the shoulder. As he did that the soldier stepped off the platform and left. As the last warrior stepped down Edward went to the edge of the platform.

“Good folks of this village. Go home and rest. Tomorrow will be a great battle. Our village psychic has for seen this. These two women you see before you were the aid that was sent to help us along with this man here.” He pointed to Wendel. “Let us rejoice that they are here. Go home and sleep soundly through the night. With the god’s help maybe we will win tomorrow and be given peace once again.”

The mob dissipated mumbling in discontent. Wendel went over to the twins and cut the ropes with his dagger. Laurel looked up at him and smiled weakly. Wendel smiled back and untied their hands. Jeremiah and Joseph knelt down and each one helped a twin up. Edward stepped down to the ground and led them through the village. A few people were still on the streets. The people jeered at them as the two brothers helped them hop through the village. They finally arrived at the inn on the other side of town. The brothers let the twins down near the fire and Wendel sat down next to Laurel. Edward went over to the innkeeper and the brothers went to the bar. Women and men hurried in and out of the rooms carrying a variety of medical supplies.

“We need to figure out what we are going to do. They think that we alone can save them from the vampire attacks.” Laurel said watching Edward. His hands were moving in a vigorous fashion and he seemed to be talking quickly. “Edward saved us but I don’t think he is trustworthy. I don’t think we should stay here. I think after a few hours we should sneak out and see if we can escape back into the forest. The general people seem like they don’t trust us so we shouldn’t trust them.” Edward nodded to the innkeeper and she turned around. Edward started over to the trio.

“They have one room left. It’s at the end of the hall but it only has two beds. I wasn’t sure if you three would have minded. I guessed you didn’t since you two are twins. It’s at the end of the hall. The innkeeper will show you shortly where it is. Unfortunately I must go now to help my son recuperate from and earlier battle.” Edward said then waved. He went over and tapped both of his sons on their shoulder. He went over to the innkeeper and handed her something shiny. She placed it in her pocket then nodded to him. The father and sons left the inn.

The innkeeper came over to them. “I will show you your room now. Though I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask the man to leave if you three are sharing a room unless he is your brother.” She said to them.

“Oh no. He’s my husband,” Laurel said quickly grabbing Wendel’s hand. He looked bewildered and looked from the innkeeper to Laurel. The innkeeper nodded and turned. Wendel looked at Laurel confused. She pulled him forward as the innkeeper led them up a flight of stairs into a narrow hallway. She stopped at the last door and opened it for them. “There is a bell near the door if you need anything. Just ring it and one of the attendants will come and help you.” She looked them over one more time and left the room. The trio looked around the room. Wendel pulled his hand out of Laurel’s grasp and looked at her.

“I know Wendel. I had to lie to get you into here. If we don’t stick together one of us might be killed. We don’t want something happening like it did this morning again. We can’t afford for any one of us to be killed or hurt badly. Tatiana and I will take one of the beds and Wendel you take the other.” Laurel said. She laid her knife under the pillow and fluffed it. She looked over her bed once more then lay down. Wendel threw his bag on the chair near the window and collapsed on the bed. His snores were heard as soon as he hit the bed.

Tatiana shook her head and sat on the second chair in the room. With both her companions asleep she checked the room for anything unusual.  The second floor room consisted of two beds, two chairs, a small dresser and a closet. Tatiana went over to the closet and looked for any holes. After she had inspected it and found no trace of any traps she laid her head down on the pillow. A soft plink sounded. She looked around. The branch tapped against the window at the far corner of the room. It made a plinking sound as it hit again. She laid down and fell asleep.

Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 3

A few days’ later Laurel and Tatiana were standing outside the hut stretching. Their swords sat in the hilt swinging wildly as they exercised. Laurel stood up and cracked her knuckles before pulling her sword from the sheath.

“Tati, are you ready to practice?” Laurel asked waving her sword back and forth. Tatiana nodded and drew her sword as well. Laurel was the first to swing. Tatiana quickly blocked her swing and grabbed her twin’s wrist. In a fluid motion she disarmed Laurel and catapulted her over her shoulder. Tatiana heard a crunch from behind her as Laurel hit the ground hard. She looked back to see Laurel standing up and dusting herself off. Laurel retrieved her sword and hugged her sister.
            “Tati, that was an amazing move. I hope you use that again if we get in a tight spot.” Laurel let go of her sister and re-sheathed her short sword. She walked back over to the hut and slid down the side. She sighed and put the back of her head on the hard wood. Tatiana came over and sat down next to her.
            “Laurel how much longer before we leave? We have been here almost a week. Wendel should be ready to go by now and we need to head out if we want to find this Brimstone blade thing.”
            Laurel nodded her head and said, “We leave at dusk tonight. We need to get on the road before the new moon. Wendel will be drained of all energy after the new moon until the full moon if the ancient legends are correct.” Laurel got up and went back into the hut. She gathered up hers and Tatiana’s things.

She came back out of the hut to see Tatiana with her falchion drawn. Aiden stood facing her smirking. Laurel looked him over. There was no evidence that his leg had been cut off. It was still there even though the twins had seen it being cut off. Laurel dropped her things and went for her short sword. A hand grabbed her from behind and held her tight. The face of another vampire appeared beside her. He smiled devilishly at her and breathed the knockout gas into her nostrils. Laurel collapsed onto the ground. Tatiana stood petrified looking at Laurel.
            “What have you done to my sister?” Tatiana screamed. Aiden laughed harshly and started evilly at her. He took a step forward. Tatiana attacked throwing her entire weight towards Aiden. Aiden flinched back and was caught off guard. The cold metal cut deeply into his shoulder. He bellowed in pain and pulled the blade from his shoulder. He pressed down on his wound heavily.
            “Delano, kill the girl.” The second vampire lunged at Tatiana. She quickly sidestepped him and he jumped right into Aiden. They both turned into shadows and disappeared. Laurel stirred on the ground.
            “Laurel, don’t worry I’ll get the old women.” As Tatiana said that she sprinted out of the village and into the woods to find the old women.

            Laurel awoke to see the old woman sitting above her. She got up and looked around. The old woman said nothing but left. Laurel saw no one else around so she exited the hut. Tatiana stood outside cleaning her sword. Tatiana looked up at her sister and smiled. Tatiana then got a twinge of pain on her face and looked down. She had cut her finger slightly on the tip of her blade. She lifted her finger up and sucked on it. Laurel shook her head. Laurel looked away and walked along through the village.

            She looked out into the distance to see Wendel sitting in a tree following after a deer. She gazed at him for a few minutes watching him stalk his pray out of sight. She drifted towards the edge of the village trying to find him again. She at last caught sight of him as he pulled back the bow string. He placed his arrow on it and took aim. Laurel kept moving forward as if she was in a daze. From underneath her she heard a twig snap. The doe looked up and saw her. It dashed away as Wendel took his shot. The bolt missed by a hair. It made a slight thrum as it stuck into the ground. Wendel shot a dirty look over at Laurel and swung into the next tree in search of other prey. She shook her head and looked around.
            She slowly walked back to the village wondering what had come over her. She met up with her twin and began to pack up their things. The old woman appeared at the twins’ side. “Well, well leaving so soon?” the old woman said.
            “Yes, unfortunately we must be off. There are more things ahead of us we must face and hard times that we must get through if your prophecy is true. Thank you for your entire help old woman we appreciate it.” Tatiana said placing a hand on the old woman’s shoulder.
            “Tatiana, Laurel before you go I have a present for each of you. Tatiana for you a necklace carved from the most pure silver.” She pulled a small amulet out of her robe and handed it to Tatiana. Tatiana placed it around her neck and the charm hanging on the necklace glowed. “That is a sign that the charm has chosen you to be its bearer. The charm will allow you to turn to a shadow like the vampires do, a trait given long ago by the gods so they could move about in daylight. And for you Laurel the most important thing I have.” From the sleeve of her robe she pulled Laurel’s short sword. “I took this from your bag while you were asleep. I fixed it for you with my magic and placed a spell on it which when used can heal or harm people. Use it wisely for it is a dangerous weapon now. If it were to get into the wrong hands then it could mean the end of the world. Also I gave Wendel herbs for healing. Use them wisely and sparingly. You may need them in the near future. ” As she said those words Laurel took the short sword in amazement. Both twins thanked the old woman for their gift and headed into the forest.

            They met up with Wendel a short time later. He sat under a huge oak wiping down his knife. A blood stained cloth sat beside him. He slowly rubbed an herb up and down the blade. The twins stood in front of him waiting for him to stand up. He looked up at them and then resumed rubbing the plant along the sharp side of his knife. The twins stood there for a second. Then Laurel said, “Wendel we are leaving now. Let’s go to the next town and pick up some more supplies.” Wendel nodded and stood up. He tossed the rag into his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He held onto his knife and walked eastward. Tatiana shrugged and followed. Laurel let out a sigh and tagged along behind her sister watching the sun fall slowly to the horizon.

            The old woman watched as the trio headed down the trail. A body materialized next to her. She ignored it until the three were out of sight. She turned to the body. It was an older man. He stood erect and with a stone face. He watched the old woman’s every movement.

            “You have given them the prophecy?” He asked in a low voice.

            “I have. Be patient Oras. There will come a time when they will succeed. The immaterial God has told us so.” The old woman replied. She looked directly at him. “All we need is to wait. Then it will all happen. Everything will be done. We will not have to wait any longer.

Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 2

            As the Sun crept out of the western sky Laurel ran her hand along the giant fence that encompasses the village. Laurel pushed against one of the fence posts but it didn’t budge.

            “No way in Tati. How are we going to survive the night now?” Laurel yelled at Tati who was ahead of her. Tatiana shrugged her shoulders in surrender and moved away from the fence. Laurel sighed.

            “Laurel I have no clue how we are going to get in.” Tatiana said as her sister approached her. They heard a rustling in the leaves. Both jumped up. The man from the night before stood ten meters away, staring at them with Tatiana’s falchion at his side. He calmly walked toward them. Laurel and Tatiana pulled their knives out and crouched into a fighting stance. The vampire slowly pulled Tatiana’s falchion from his scabbard. He slowly raised the falchion. He smiled and bared his teeth at them. He sprung towards them.

            A whistling sound came from the trees. An arrow shot out, through the leaves of a tree, into the vampire’s left leg. A man jumped down from the tree and landed with cat like reflexes. He wore a green cape and a blue hat. The hat was pointed in the front with a curved back. A single feather stuck out of the side. The vampire pulled the bolt from his leg and threw it at the man. The man plucked it from the air and replaced it on his cross bow. He slowly took aim at the vampire. The vampire dropped the falchion and quickly retreated into the trees. Tatiana slowly walked toward her sword and placed it in her sheath on her back.

Laurel and Tatiana looked at the man with the cross bow. His shirt gently fluttered though there was no breeze. He started to walk towards the fence. The man placed a hand on the fence. He pushed forward with his open palm. The wooden fence opened up as if a door had been there all along. He motioned for both of them to follow him into the village behind the fence.

The village looked destroyed. None of the buildings had signed of life inside of them. Every building looked like it had been put through a war. Each and every one had some kind of damage to it. The farther the twins went into the village the more the twins sensed danger. A cloud of despair seemed to hang over the town. The man led them to the inner parts of the village. In the middle of the village sat a giant fountain with a gargoyle jutting the lower part of the fountain. It was a giant dragon rearing its head and spouting water. Its claws stuck out from its body. The other side looked like at one time it had the same thing. Broken pieces of rock lay scattered around the fountain.

Slowly teenagers started to appear from atop the houses. The teenagers jumped down off the roofs. They slowly made a circle around the twins and the man with the crossbow. The circle of teenagers pulled their swords out on the twins. A girl stepped forward and raised her sword on the twins. Her brown hair fell to the sides of her head. Her sharp blue eyes seemed as if they pierced directly into their souls. Her multi-colored tunic fluttered just like the man’s.

“Who are you two and why are you with Wendel?” She said to Laurel and Tatiana.

“I am Tatiana and this is my twin, Laurel. This man, Wendel, saved us from a vampire. We were looking for your village to re-supply and then go to the northern lands.” Tatiana said drawing her falchion slowly not to spark any aggression in the girl.

“Well if Wendel saved you form Aiden then you must be special. Aiden is the most ruthless vampire around. He is the leader of all vampires and for Wendel to save you from him is a big thing. If Wendel will do that for a couple of low-life amateur adventurers then you are welcome here for the night, I guess.” She said putting her sword back in the sheath on her hips. “Now everyone back to your posts, Wendel takes the two wretches to the stock room and set them up in the villa hostel for the night. And keep guard over them. I don’t want them pulling any stunts.” With that she bowed to Wendel and walked away into one of the run down shelters. The circle broke up and went their separate ways to guard the dilapidated town.

Wendel started to walk toward an inn and motioned for them to follow. He slowly led them into the inn. From the outside it was destroyed. On the inside it was lit up and elegant. There were satin table covers on the tables and tin cups on the bar. Behind the bar were barrels of grog and other drinks. Wendel lead them down a flight of stairs, in the corner, into a wine basement. Sacks of flour lined the wall. Barrels of water and grog were stacked into neat triangles and tied together with twine. Laurel took a long look at him. He had sharp blue eyes like the girl and wavy brown hair. His blue hat covered most of his hair. He had a long scar down the side of his face that augmented his other features. He led them into another well lit room and pulled four loaves of bread out of a barrel. He handed two loaves to each twin and moved to the next barrel. He pulled out to slabs of salted meat and gave it to the twins. He then proceeded to fill two wine sacks with water and gave them to the twins. He pulled a two deer hide bags from a basket and gave one to each twin. They both replied with a thank you and followed him back up to the main floor.

Once they arrived he led them up to a bedroom and set up a bed for each one. He then set up a chair by the door. He set his cross bow against the wall next to the chair and sat down. The twins placed their weapons on the beds and their new supplies on a hook of iron jutting from the stone wall.

“Wendel is there a blacksmith in the town? I need a new weapon. That vampire, Aiden I think the girl said, destroyed my weapon. Is it possible for them to make a short sword for me?” Laurel asked Wendel.

He nodded his head and walked out the door. He silently closed it behind him. Laurel and Tatiana looked at each other. Their eyes met and locked. Laurel shivered as if it were cold.

“That guy gives me the creeps. He won’t talk to either of us and he just sits there silently. It’s like he can’t speak. Let’s hurry and set the beds up for our sleep. And keep your dagger close in case he tries to kill us.” Tatiana said.

As she finished the door opened and Wendel reappeared carrying a beaten up short sword. He handed it to Laurel. He resumed his spot by the door. The twins took the deer skins off the bed and lay down. Each placed one skin over them and fell asleep. Wendel stood up and looked out the window into the darkness. A metallic clang sounded off in the distance.  Shouts could be heard from the village below. Wendel wrapped himself in his cape and lead his hat on a hook next to him. He blew out the candles and sat down by the door with his crossbow in reach at all times.

Laurel and Tatiana woke to the sound of screaming coming from outside. They both flew from their beds and unsheathed their weapons. Wendel looked up at them and then out the window. He didn’t move. Laurel and Tatiana jerked open the door and ran down the stairs. They ran outside to see the girl tied to the gargoyle. The claws of the gargoyle were pressed deep into her back. A vampiric dagger was stuck deep into her stomach. She coughed and blood shone on her lips.

“Aiden attacked in the middle of the night. He came here to kill you two. He wants you dead for some reason. Go to the northern lands. There you will find a witch who will tell you a prophecy.” She coughed some more blood. “Wendel will take you to her. You will have to get there safely. The fate of the world rests in your hands” She coughed up blood once more and stopped breathing. Wendel walked into the courtyard carrying the supplies with him. His eyes lit up with sadness as he walked out to see the girl dead. Wendel dropped the supplies and ran to her side. His hat fell from his head, his scraggly hair falling over his face. He knelt down in front of her and silently sobbed. She re-awoke for a second.

“Wendel, take them to the witch. She will guide you from there. I’m dieing. The Lord is about to take me. I can hear him say my name. Good-bye my brother.” With that her skin went completely white and her head hung down slowly swaying. Wendel stood up with tears streaking down his face. He placed his hat on his head then picked up the crossbow he had dropped. Wendel started to walk towards the gates. Laurel and Tatiana followed him, picking up the supplies he had dropped. As they walked towards the gate a little girl ran out from one of the houses.

“Wendel! Where were you? The vampires they attacked! They got your sister, Thea, and they tied her against the gargoyle! Where’s Samantha?” She yelled to him as she jumped up into his arms. She hugged him tightly and cried. He started to pet the top of her head. She slowly stopped crying. She sniffled and hugged him tighter. He pointed to the twins and mouthed something to her. She stood up and walked over to Laurel and Tatiana.

”Are you my new protectors? Wendel says you are. Please oh please may I come with you. I’ll die all alone here. Let me go get my teddy and I’ll come with you.” She ran back inside before the twins could say anything. They looked at Wendel. He pointed to his head then to their heads with his finger.

“She can read minds?” Tatiana asked him. He nodded and looked around. The girl came running out and jumped on him again this time with a one legged doll in her hand. She climbed all over Wendel and hugged his neck tightly.

“Can we go yet Wendel? I wanna go see the world!” She jumped off him and started to skip towards the gate. Wendel shrugged his shoulders and walked along side her. The twins followed close behind with their weapons out of their sheaths.

The sun had just set when the fire became an inferno. The flames leapt toward the sky as Laurel threw more wood on the fire. Wendel sat by the flames and played a game with the little girl. He threw sticks on the ground and she guessed what the answer was. She giggled as he nodded. Wendel shook his head seeing his futile attempts at the game. He stood up and threw the sticks into the fire. She quickly stood up and mimicked him. Laurel sat beside the fire with a cloth and her new sword in hand. It was not so new but it would work for the time being. She rubbed it down with a liquid from a flask beside her. The sword began to gleam as she swiped the cloth along the sword. Tatiana walked from the forest and threw a few more logs on the fire. Tatiana sat down next to her sister and pulled her falchion out of its sheath. She also started to wipe down her own blade. Wendel walked over to them and leaned close raising his eyebrows. The little girl mimicked him.

“Wendel wants to know what you are doing. And he wants to know what we are doing to protect ourselves from the vampires.” The little girl said.

“Well right now we are putting a poison on our swords so that anything that touches it is paralyzed. That is what we are doing to protect ourselves. Wendel may use the poison as well if he likes.” Laurel said holding the flask up. Wendel took the flask and sniffed it. He took his crossbow bolts and dipped them in. He placed one on the crossbow and shot a weasel that scampered across the forest floor. As it hit the animal it fell and lay there motionless. Wendel walked over to it and picked it up. He inspected it carefully then snapped its neck. The little girl imitated his motions with an imaginary animal. He took it by the bolt and cooked it over the fire. He slowly ate it and laid the crossbow bolt back into his pack. He nodded and handed the flask back to Laurel shaking his head.

“Wendel wants to know whether or not he should go hunting or you should just eat your bread.” The little girl said sitting down in front of the twins. She rocked back and forth each time getting closer and closer.

“We have no clue what we are going to do. I think we should just eat our bread and put more fuel on the fire and go to sleep.” Laurel said. Tatiana nodded in agreement. Laurel got up and pulled a loaf of bread out of her pack. She slowly ripped it into four pieces and tossed one to each person saving the smallest for herself. As the others chewed on their bread silently Laurel stared at hers thinking about what was happening. Tatiana came over and sat next to her. Tatiana placed a comforting hand on her sister’s shoulder. Laurel looked up and smiled at Tatiana. Laurel began to eat her bread and Tatiana stood up again.

“I’m going to get more wood. If I am gone too long, call out my name. Laurel you know what to do if I don’t come back.” Tatiana said starting towards the woods. Laurel nodded her head and picked up her sword. She attached it to her side and circled the fire. Tatiana slipped into the darkness of the forest. Laurel stood by the fire and waited for her sister to return.

Wendel had begun cleaning his crossbow when he heard a noise outside of camp. He lifted a bolt from his bag and placed it on the crossbow. He aimed into the darkness. He saw a figure moving in the darkness and depressed the trigger. Before he fired he saw Tatiana emerge from the darkness carrying a bundle of wood. She threw it on the fire. She turned and saw that Wendel had his crossbow pointed at her.

“Wendel don’t shoot me.” Tatiana cried out. Laurel looked over at him wide eyed. Wendel took the bolt off of the crossbow and pulled the trigger down. It dry fired and Tatiana shook in relief. He placed the bolt back into his pack and continued cleaning his crossbow. Laurel came dashing over to see what the problem was. She saw nothing was wrong and turned towards the fire.

“Where is the little girl Tatiana?” Laurel asked.

“Last time I saw her she was sitting in front of the fire.” Tatiana answered staring at the fire.

“She’s not here now.”

“What do you mean she’s not here? I just saw her a couple seconds ago sitting right where your standing.” As she said that Wendel jumped up and dashed into the forest. A scream was heard coming from the direction Wendel had went. Laurel and Tatiana sprang up and ran towards the noise drawing their weapons.

The three arrived soon at a small clearing. The little girl lay in the dust with a full grown male wolf ripping apart her throat. Wendel stood a few meters away staring at it. Laurel jumped at the wolf and swung her blade. It made contact directly with the shoulder blade. The wolf howled and leaped back. It emitted a low growl and its fur began to stand on end. Tatiana attacked with her falchion missing the wolf’s nose by mere seconds. It leaped at Tatiana’s throat. Laurel swung her short sword upwards and caught the wolf in the belly halfway through its leap. The wolf was flung to the side into a tree. It hit the ground with a thud and lay still. Its belly began to bleed a deep crimson red. The little girl lay in the moon light with her throat ripped open blood trickling from her mouth. Wendel picked her up and walked away. Laurel and Tatiana dragged the wolf back to the camp and threw it into the fire. A huge flame went up as the wolf was thrown on causing the twins to flinch. They both laid out their stuff and fell asleep. Wendel came back a few minutes later silently sobbing. He lay down on his pack and rolled around. A tear shone on his face in the light of the fire. A lump grew in his throat.

Later that night the moon shone down onto Tatiana’s hair. Aiden stood at the clearing’s edge staring at the twins. He gently licked his lips. ”One day, I will have them as my own vampire slaves.” He grinned to himself and called out Tatiana’s name. She sat up slowly. She looked around and saw him. She stood up and walked towards him in a daze. He lured her back into the woods. She slowly followed him into the forest. As he brought her into a smaller clearing vampires began to surround them. Aiden gently stroked Tatiana’s cheek. She woke up suddenly breaking the spell and backed away from Aiden.

“What am I doing here?” she questioned.

“Shush Tatiana. All in due time. For now I am going to change you into my vampire slave.” Aiden said moving towards her. Tatiana screamed and grabbed at her falchion. Laurel and Wendel smashed through the brush. Laurel tossed the falchion to her sister. Tatiana caught it clumsily. They immediately drew their weapons and attacked Aiden. Wendel shot a bolt but his shot was wild and hit a tree far from its intended target. More vampires ran out of the bush. The vampires lined up in front of Laurel and Wendel, blocking them from Tatiana.  Tatiana swung her sword at Aiden. He swiftly dodged, and swung his vampiric knife at her. She fluidly grabbed his arm and twisted his wrist. He cried out in pain and dropped his knife. She swiftly dropped down to her knees and cut his leg out from under him, his blood spraying onto the ground.

Aiden dropped to the ground and stopped moving paralyzed by the poison on her sword. His black blood spilled out onto the ground. Laurel and Wendel had just finished dispatching the last vampire. Their bodies littered the ground around them. Wendel had to scratches on his neck and he was rubbing them vigorously. Laurel sheathed her short sword and walked toward her sister. She quickly inspected her and pushed her towards the camp. 

Once they had gotten back to the fire Laurel once again inspected her sister then sat across from her. “Tatiana what happened?” She asked staring into her sisters eyes.

“I’m not sure. I woke up as if under a spell and my body followed him into the forest. He told me he was going to make me his slave. I couldn’t control my body so I screamed. It must have broke his concentration and let my body go free from his control.” She shuddered. “Can you throw some more wood on the fire? Is it beginning to get colder?” Laurel stood up and started towards the woods but stopped. A pair of eyes stared at her from the darkness.

“Tatiana, toss me my sword.” Laurel said standing still. Tatiana looked up in the direction of her sister and froze. She quickly pulled out her falchion and stood up. She drew her arm back and threw her falchion directly at the pair of eyes. Laurel caught it in mid air and swung it at the hidden figure. A vampire jumped out of the path of the swing and into the fire light. He landed directly in front of the fire and drew his knives.

Tatiana picked up her sister’s sword and charged him. He swiftly dodged out of the way of her charge and brought his elbow down on her back. She cried out as she crumpled into a pile at her feet. Laurel jumped and brought the sword down directly on him. He jumped back into the flames and screamed. Wendel rushed forward and pulled him out of the fire. He rolled the vampire around on the ground and extinguished the flames. The vampire smiled at him and bit down on Wendel’s hand. Wendel howled in pain and jerked his hand back. The vampire slowly became a shadow then disappeared. Wendel walked over to his pack and wrapped his hand in deer skin. He suddenly became angry and stomped off into the forest.

“Wendel, Come back!” Laurel cried out. She started to run after Wendel but Tatiana grabbed her shoulder and shook her head. She held out her water sack so Laurel could take a drink. Laurel slowly took it and drank from it. She wiped her lips and gave it back to Tatiana. They both sat down with their backs to the fire and waited.

Wendel came back shortly before daybreak and roused the half asleep twins. He helped them gather up their items and packed his own things. His hand swelled twice the normal and had turned purple. His knuckles were bruised. He motioned for them to start walking along ahead of him and kept packing his stuff.

Laurel and Tatiana started on the path to the next town. They both held they weapons on the ready and walked side by side. Wendel shortly followed them bringing up the rear with one of the knives stolen from the vampires. He slowly walked behind them taking long strides scanning the area. The sky began to darken. A raindrop fell from the sky and was soon followed by a downpour. The twins quickly looked around and ran under a tree. Lightning flashed in the sky and thunder roared. Wendel walked over to them and swept his eyes from either twin. He walked back into the rain. He disappeared down the trail. Laurel withdrew two cloaks from her bag. She handed on to her sister and wrapped herself in one. Tatiana wrapped up in hers. Tatiana began to shiver as the cloak around her became more and more soaked.

Wendel came back into view and waved for them to follow. The twins stood and ran towards him. He turned and ran into a cave ten meters away. The twins followed him in and shed their cloaks. They quickly lit a small fire. Wendel stood by the entrance to the cave and stared out into the rain. They strung a line of twine into the crevices and dried their cloaks above the fire.

“Laurel. We need to figure out what we are going to do. Just waiting for them to attack isn’t going to work. If we want to end this foolish game that these vampires are playing with us then we should strike back.” Tatiana said.

Laurel nodded. “We should wait till nightfall then move. We can’t afford to be caught sleeping when they attack. We need to get to the next village as soon as possible. It won’t help that every vampire will be searching for us because we contended with Aiden.”

“The next town is about four days away. I’ll go search for meat so we can get some strength for the night.” She stood up and grabbed her sword from the sheath by her pack. She exited the cave leaving Wendel and Laurel alone. Wendel came over to the fire and sat down in front of it. He slowly looked up at Laurel. Wendel’s eyes began to turn red. Laurel gasped as she saw it. Wendel’s face turned to a puzzled look.

“Wendel your eyes changed to red. They used to be blue and now they are red.” Wendel stood up and walked to the entrance of the cave. He cautiously bowed his head down to a puddle that gathered there. He drew backwards as if attacked and shook his head. He scooped up some of the water and splashed his face with it. He came back to Laurel and pointed to his eye.

“The red is still there. It looks even redder now.” Wendel stomped his foot. He fell to the ground and covered his eyes with his hands. He gently massaged his eyes with his fingers.

Tatiana walked back into the cave with a deer slung over her shoulder blood dripping down from the deer. She threw it by fire and scooped up some water from a puddle. She washed a little of the blood off her arms then walked over to the fire. She pulled a knife out of her pack. She calmly cut the deer open and pulled the organs out. She cut the skin off and placed the organs in the skin. She put it off to the side. She then proceeded to roast some of the meat above the fire. She handed some to Laurel as it darkened. She poked Wendel in the arm. He looked directly at her. Tatiana flinched as she saw his red eye.

“What happened?” She asked shocked.

“His eyes turned red. I’m not sure from what. I think he has some blood poisoning from the vampire.” Laurel said. Wendel pulled some of the meat from the fire. He turned away from them both and ate solemnly. Tatiana continued to stare at Wendel until Laurel prodded her in the side with the hilt of her sword. Tatiana turned away and started to eat. They spoke no more till the rain had stopped and the sun had set.

The twins silently picked up their packs and checked their weapons. They exited the cave. The full moon shone through the trees. Wendel followed them out. The twins walked along the path. Wendel brought up the rear. Laurel and Tatiana drew their weapons and held them at the ready. Wendel let his crossbow hang at his side. The twins cut their way through the trees blocking their path. Wendel’s gaze shifted from left to right searching for any signs of danger. Laurel stopped for a second and picked up a doll. It was the same one as the little girl had. Blood covered it. Its left leg was missing. The blond hair gently rustled in a slight breeze that blew through.

Three days later the twins collapsed from exhaustion. Wendel stood above them burned badly from the sun. He too collapsed in the shade next to them. The sun burned brightly above them. Wendel grimaced as he slathered aloe he had found in the forest over his burn. They sat there for an hour before anyone said anything.

“We cannot continue like this. Our energy is drained and we cannot move on. We have no clue where we are. We need to rest for a night.” Laurel said.

“Where can we go that is safe? If any of us fall asleep we will be picked off by the vampires. You saw them following us last night. They must have realized we are exhausted.” Tatiana replied.

“Well dears, I‘ll lead you to my house then. You can rest up there for a night or two.” An old lady said emerging from behind a tree. “Though, you will have to help me carry my berries and bag home.” Laurel and Tatiana immediately stood up and drew their weapons wearily.

“Who are you?” Laurel demanded, with not much force in her voice. The old lady laughed.

“I’m the witch of the forest. I’m here to help you. And you can stop with that little façade. It’s obvious that you three are exhausted.” She said. Tatiana put her falchion away. Laurel didn’t move. Tatiana nudged her sister in the ribs. Laurel slowly placed her short sword in her sheath and picked up the old lady’s bag. Tatiana took the old lady’s berry pouch. The old lady beckoned for them to follow.

“Wendel are you coming?” the old lady asked after a few steps. Laurel and Tatiana looked at the old woman shocked she knew his name. He stood unaffected by it and followed them.

They shortly came to a village. The village was immaculate. No people could be seen but there was no damage to the buildings. As Wendel passed through two posts signifying the entrance to the town he fell down mouth agape. The old lady turned and muttered something under her breath. She then turned and pointed to a small hut.

“Take your things to that hut and stay there while I tend to your friend.” The old lady commanded. Tatiana and Laurel stood for a second then followed the old woman’s orders. They went inside the hut and laid the stuff on the ground. The old woman walked over to Wendel and knelt down beside him.

“I know what you really are. You’re a vampire now, aren’t you? Well stand up. The spell shouldn’t be affecting you so much anymore. I cast a spell upon you so you may walk upon these sacred grounds.” The old women said in a reassuring voice. Wendel got to his feet gingerly and started to walk towards the hut. The old woman took him by the arm and helped him to the hut. The girls were sleeping next to each other on top of a deer skin. “You might want to do the same Wendel. I shall reveal more about myself later. Just lay down.” The old woman said producing another deer skin handing it to him. Wendel put it on the ground and collapsed into a deep sleep.

Laurel was the first to wake up. The old woman stood by a pot above a fire. The woman lifted a ladle out of the pot and took a sip. She nodded and placed it back into the pot. She turned and saw Laurel sitting up. She took a bowl from a shelf above her and filled it with the contents of the pot. She shuffled over to Laurel and handed her a bowl of stew. She handed it to Laurel then shuffled back over to the pot.

            Laurel took of the stew and cried out in pain. The old woman laughed as Laurel panted and waved her hand in front of her open mouth. Tatiana bolted up and had her hand on her sword. Tatiana laughed as she saw Laurel fanning her burnt lips. Wendel groggily sat up and yawned. He looked at the twins then to the old woman. He lay back down and closed his eyes.

            Tatiana stretched and reached for a bowl above the stew. The old woman slapped Tatiana’s hand and filled a bowl with the stew. Tatiana sat down by her sister and blew on it. The old woman came over and sat down in front of them.

            “I’m guessing you three are here because Thea sent you?” Laurel nodded. “I told her long ago that you three would need my aid. I’ve seen a lot of things in this world and you three are a first for me. You will want to hear this. Well then I shall tell you the story from the beginning.
            “A long time ago, when vampires were first created, the gods knew that one day they would become too powerful and destroy the world. So they created a lesser being with the power to adapt that would eventually learn how to defeat the vampires. Eventually the humans began to evolve and become more powerful then the vampires, killing off most of them. The vampires fled to the south and were soon forgotten by the humans.

            “The humans were at peace for one hundred years before the vampires came back and attacked the humans. It was then that the first prophecy was handed down to a human by the gods. That prophecy stated that three young adventures would come and have a chance to destroy the vampires with a special knife called the Brimstone Blade. If a vampire even touched the blade they were immediately turned into dust. Two of the three would be killed trying to obtain the blade.

            “The only way you can obtain it is by going into the heart of the vampire’s territory and stealing it from them. They hid it long ago in a temple far up in the mountains. You must then take the Brimstone blade and go to the castle where the first vampire was born where two foes await you. There you will lose two of you and the third will have to insert the knife into a special lock that will open a link to the underworld. Then and only then will all the vampires be dragged to their doom. “

            Laurel and Tatiana sat astounded by the prophecy. They looked at each other then to the old women. They sat silently going through the prophecy again. They looked at Wendel. He rolled over and stared back at them.

            “Well Wendel would you like to tell them or should I?” The old woman said. Wendel shook his head and rolled back over.

            “Tell us what?” Tatiana asked

            “Well Wendel is a vampire now. The bite he received the other night from the vampire has been infused with vampire blood. He is currently suffering from a migraine and fatigue. His body is slowly shutting down under the influence of the spell that was cast over the town. Also he will need to turn back into a human if he wants to prevent being dragged into the underworld.”

            “Is there anything we can do to help?” Tatiana blurted out.

            “We have to either undo the spell or he needs to exit the village. Both of which would put him at Aiden’s mercy. I could only put a spell over him temporarily and it would make him sicker but you will need him on your journey.”

            “We need to get him out of the village then. We cannot allow him to die or get sick. We will need him for the journey ahead and we cannot protect ourselves without him.” Laurel said shaking her head.

            “Laurel, you are being a bit over reactive. Let’s move him outside of camp where we can hear an attack if something happens.” Tatiana said.

            “I shall cast an invisibility spell upon him so the vampires cannot see him. Perhaps that will help ward them off.” The old women stood up and said some words over Wendel. He began to fade and soon there was nothing left to be seen of him. Laurel felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped as Wendel’s cold hand touched her.

            “Come Wendel we shall set up a camp for you outside the town.” The old woman said as she shuffled out of the house. Wendel squeezed Laurel’s shoulder once then a shuffling sound was heard as he exited the house. Both the twins stood up and inspected their weapons. Each had their sword and two knives a piece. Laurel pulled the two halves of her sword out. Laurel had an extra days worth of food on her while Tatiana had a small piece of polished metal she used as a mirror. The twins laid their stuff out before them and chose what to put in their belts and what to put in their sacks.

            The old women came back in and collapsed the cauldron. She let the remaining stew fall through the split ends and then put it in a bucket filled with water. “Let’s get you two in tip top shape so you can get back to your quest of getting that blade.”