Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 12

Aiden appeared of the entire vampire army. He took his place on the stand in front of them. “Today my fellow vampires we have gained the only thing that prevented us from winning this war.” He held up the golden dagger. “This is the brimstone blade!” A cheer roared through the army. “This will be destroyed at sunset and we will begin our conquest of the humans!” Another cheer rippled through the army. A frenzy of madness began. Men and women soldiers began to beat their chests and their swords to shields or helmets. Laughter and roars could be heard echoing through the surrounding lands.

            Aiden held his hands up to quiet them. “In one short hour we shall take over this entire earth and we shall be the only ones with power.” An even louder yell erupted. Aiden smiled. He stepped down from the stand and into the frenzied mass of soldiers. The army began preparing for the next hour. They built up their arms. When the hour was over Aiden took to the stand again. He raised his hands and shouted clearly, “GO AND ENSLAVE THE HUMANS!” The vampire army disappeared into a giant shadow and dissipated. Aiden stood proudly on the stand all alone in the land. He turned and walked to the castle that stood behind him. 

Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 11

Tatiana had her head in her hands. She sat near Delano and his fallen wife. She silently wept for them. Wendel came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him. Wendel looked down at her with a kind smile. He helped Tatiana up. Laurel stood on top the hill looking out.

            “Wendel, how did you find us?” Tatiana asked.

            “I heard your screams and I ran towards them. When I saw the giant army chasing you I began to become afraid that I would lose you. You two are the closest thing I have to family now. You two are the only thing that keeps me fighting. Thank you Tatiana for helping me. I would not have gotten this far if you or your sister had not shown up.” Wendel said.

            Tatiana began to tear up again but this time with tears of joy. “Thank you Wendel. That means a lot to me.”

            “You and Laurel mean so much to me. There is so much more I owe you then just my words.”

            Tatiana hugged him tightly then quickly pecked him on the lips. She then pulled away embarrassed and ran up the hill towards her sister. Wendel stood there, dazed. He shook his head and sighed.

            “Whoa, I never expected that.” He shook his head and went up the hill. Tatiana and Laurel were discussing what to do next.

            “Tatiana I think that we should try your necklace again to see if we can shadow to the temple.”

            “Laurel, I have no idea how to use it. Haru shouted something and I just never was able to understand.”

            “We need some way to get there soon. We cannot just keep walking like this. There are too many hazards that accompany this.”

            Tatiana saw Wendel coming and blushed. She quickly covered it by pretending to cough. She turned her back and waited. Her whole face burned with embarrassment.

            “Why not find some kind of animal to carry us?” Wendel asked.

            “Where would we find an animal big enough to carry all three of us?” Laurel responded.

            “Since I am fully vampire now I can just run along side of the animal.”

            “Well aren’t you special?” Laurel responded sarcastically.

            Tatiana shot her a look and turned back to Wendel and Laurel. “Let’s try to use the necklace again.”

            “Finally!” Laurel cried out. The three stood together. Tatiana shouted out what Haru had last time and they turned to shadows.

            Again they splashed into the lake. Laurel and Tatiana swam to shore. Wendel looked around confused. Over the splashing he yelled out, “hey! This isn’t the mountains!”

            Laurel turned around. “Thank you. I couldn’t tell by the water or anything.”

            “Where are we?”                             

            “We are where Haru brought us the last time. Maybe there are different words for different places.”

            Wendel swam towards shore. Soon all three walked on shore. Laurel started a fire again. She sighed and dried her clothes off. Tatiana shivered, she moved close to the fire, soaking up the heat. Wendel shook his head, sending water flying. Laurel cringed as some splashed her. She rolled her eyes and turned her back to the fire.

            “You know I thought you would have realized that different words would send you different places.” Everyone turned quickly to see the old woman sitting on one side of the fire. “You really need to pay attention. All of you do.”

            “You never explained what words sent us where.” Laurel retorted.

            “Should I need to?”

            “Only if you want us to actually get somewhere.”

            “Well the word that you are saying is the name of this lake. Maybe you should try the name of the mountain range?” The old woman said, cracking a smile.

            “What is the name of the mountain range?” Tatiana asked.

“That wouldn’t be any fun on my part.” The old woman said.

“I am sick of your antics old woman. Tell us what we need to know.” Wendel said turning to her. He glared at her. “We need actual answers not these strange quips you are giving to us.”

The old woman sighed. “Fine, the name of the mountain ranges is the Teneriffe. There are you happy?”

“Yes, very much so.” Wendel curtly replied.

“Never have any fun.” The old woman mumbled under her breath.

They all stood together again. Tatiana moved close to Wendel enjoying being next to him. She looked up at him with a glimmer in her eye. She shifted her weight so she was slightly leaning on him. Laurel stared at Tatiana. Tatiana realized that her twin was glaring at her and shouted out quickly, “Teneriffe!” They all turned to shadows before the old woman’s eyes and disappeared.

All three appeared on top of a snow covered mountain.  The sun was slowly setting behind them and hues of orange, red, and purple shone around the mountain making it breath taking. They reformed a meter above the ground and collapsed on each other. Tatiana flushed a deep shade of red as she lay on top of Wendel, pushed against him because of her sister. Tatiana pushed Laurel off of her and quickly stood up. Laurel shivered in the snow. Wendel sat up and brushed the snow off of his back. He shook off the snow that remained and got up. He pulled Laurel off of the ground and stood her up. She began to shiver violently.

“Is there any way we can get out of this cold weather?” Laurel asked through chattering teeth. “I have had enough of all kinds of water.”

“Yes let’s go. We need to find that temple.” Wendel said. He looked around and started down the slope. Tatiana followed him looking around. It was lightly snowing and the sun glinted off the pure white snow. She stared at how amazing it looked. Laurel followed close behind her twin staring straight down the slope. Her hands rubbed her arms to warm herself up. Her foot slipped and she started to slide down the mountain. She fell on her back and slid down. Tatiana gasped when she saw her twin slide past her. Wendel turned around just in time to catch Laurel and put her back on her feet in one smooth move.

“No more of that Laurel.” Wendel said before turning and continuing down the mountain. Laurel stared at him for a second then followed.

As the trio made their way down the mountain the snow began to stop. The sun had finally set and the full moon shone high above their heads. Soon they encountered small ferns. The snow began to slowly recede to the ground until there was nothing left but dirt. Trees were scattered about. Laurel stretched as the air became warmer. She smiled. “Finally some warm air.” Laurel said.

“Be quiet. There is something following us.” Wendel said in an ominous voice. “Get behind that tree and stay there.” Laurel and Tatiana scrambled over to a tree and drew their swords. An arrow flew out of a bush and flew past the tree that they were hiding behind. It hit a tree not far from them and stuck in it. Wendel drew his crossbow from his back. He put a bolt on it and aimed for the bushes. Another arrow shot out. Wendel ducked down and it sailed over his head. He shot his bolt into the bush. A man jumped high out of the bush. Wendel quickly loaded another bolt and shot him again. While in mid-air he could do nothing. The bolt connected with his abdomen and he fell like a rock. He squirmed on the ground, trying to get his bow he had dropped. He pulled an arrow from his quiver. He swung it at Wendel as Wendel tried to move close to him. The man hissed, turning into a shadow. Wendel picked up the bow and examined it.

“This is definitely a vampire’s bow. I am surprised that they actually are using these men to follow us. I over heard a vampire talking about it when they had taken me. They guard the temple closely supposedly and there are only a few of them that are trained to do what they can. They are very specialized in what they can do and are deadly. That must have been a newly trained recruit because if it was a vampire that had been apart of this for years he would have hit us for sure. Laurel, Tatiana, you two can come out now.” Wendel called out. Laurel and Tatiana slowly came out with their swords raised. They stood back to back and spun around. They relaxed then put their swords away.

            Three shadows materialized, shot arrows then evaporated back into thin air. Wendel and Laurel ducked. Their arrows flew over their heads but Tatiana was too late. The arrow hit her in the middle of her chest and went through her back. She fell to her knees and looked down at the arrow with wide eyes. She fell forward.

            “TATIANA!” Laurel screamed in horror. Three more shadows appeared. The vampires shot another batch of arrows then disappeared. Wendel was turned and was hit in the back. Laurel grabbed hers from the air and snapped it in half. She ran over to her sister. She knelt on the ground beside her twin and wept heavily. Tatiana’s lifeless body sat there. A cold rain began to fall from the darkened sky. The old woman walked out from behind a tree. She looked down at Laurel.

            “You know you could always use your sword. It has the power not only to kill but to heal. There is no greater power then to bring people back to life. But first you must erase the symbols on her ankle that are keeping her alive.”

            “What symbols? What are you talking about?” Laurel screamed.

            “There is a symbol that is keeping your sister alive on her ankle. I gave it to her when she was about to die at the battle field. Use your sword. Cure her before it is too late.”

            “How do I get rid of the symbol?”

            “All you need to do is wipe it off.”

            Laurel furiously ripped her twin’s pant leg. She saw the symbol and rubbed at it. It came off after a few seconds. She then yanked the arrow out. She stood up and drew her short sword. She touched Tatiana’s limp body with it. The sword began to glow brilliantly. Soon the glow was transferred to Tatiana’s body. Laurel pulled the sword away from her sister. Tatiana bolted up. She looked around and felt her chest. The hole where the arrow had been had disappeared.

            “Wait what about Wendel?” Laurel asked turning to the old woman. When she turned around to look the old woman had disappeared. Laurel went over to Wendel. He was laying face up. The arrow was fully protruding from his abdomen. He smiled as he saw Laurel approach him.

            “I see a light Laurel. I think I see the afterlife. It looks like a happy place. I see my sister. I’m coming Thea. Wait for me please.”

            “I’m sorry Wendel.” Laurel said sadly. She pulled the arrow from his body and healed him. His eye grew wide. He sat up and rubbed his face.

            “I saw her. I saw Thea. She was happy.” He fell backwards. Tears started streaming down his face. He turned over and started beating at the wet earth. The cold rain fell harder. “Why? Why did my sister have to die?”

            Laurel knelt down next to Wendel. She put her hand on his back. “Wendel! You will join her one day. You need to live these days to the fullest. You can be miserable in this world and happy in the next or you can be happy in both. Just imagine a world without vampires. The world would be much better off.”

            Wendel turned over. “I AM A VAMPIRE! What don’t you understand about that? By helping you I will die also.” Wendel shouted.

            “Who said that you would die also?” The old woman’s voice appeared out of no where. They turned to see the old woman sitting on a rock.

            “The brimstone blade’s power will kill all the vampires.” Wendel replied, tears still streaming down his face.

            “You will turn back to human. You never know what will happen. Many stranger things have happened. Like you three taking on an entire army. Do you really think that you three could do that without a little help?”

            “No.” Laurel said, staring at the old woman incredulously.

            “There is a reason for everything. I have helped you out this whole time. Do not worry Wendel you will turn human one day.” She slowly disappeared into a shadow. The three stared at where she used to be.

            Wendel cracked a smile. “I will live again.”

           

            A vampire appeared out of the shadows in front of Aiden. Aiden sat in a throne inside a cavern. “Master Aiden. Two of the three travelers have been killed.”

            “Which two?”

            “The vampire and the twin with your sword.”

            “Good. We will launch a full out invasion of the human lands at sunset then. There is no one else to stand in our way now. I will get rid of that last pest by myself. Order the troops to move out as soon as the sun sets.”

            “Yes master.” He turned to a shadow and dissipated.

            Aiden stood up and paced. He growled and turned to a shadow also. He reappeared in front of the temple. The entrance had been closed long ago by moving a large stone in front of it. No way could one of the twins move it by herself. He tapped on the hard stone. He smiled to himself.

            “Hi, Aiden.” Aiden whirled around to see Laurel standing behind him.

            “You have no chance of moving this by yourself. Give up. You are beaten.” Aiden said smugly.

            Laurel laughed. “I’m alone, huh?” she pointed to Wendel and Tatiana stepping out behind a tree. Both of them drew their weapons. Wendel nocked a bolt and pointed it at Aiden. Aiden hissed at him, getting into a fighting stance. With a twang the bolt flew straight at Aiden. He swung his left side away from the projectile. It stuck in the rock that blocked the entrance to the temple. Aiden turned back to see another bolt fired at him. He jumped up to avoid it. Bolts were fired at Aiden one after another. He dodged each one. Soon they came closer and closer to hitting Aiden.

            Three vampire soldiers appeared with looks of shock on their face. They each drew a dagger. Down the daggers was their name, then a symbol. The vampire soldiers ran at the twins. Laurel sliced cleanly through the first’s neck, and then kicked the second squarely in the chest. Tatiana sliced upward across the third’s chest. The second looked at his two dead comrades. He then looked at the twins. He turned to a shadow and disappeared.

            The vampire soldier reappeared a minute later with reinforcements. Laurel and Tatiana began hacking and slashing their way through the ranks. Mangled corpses of vampires began to pile up around them as more and more vampires attacked them.

            Wendel put the last bolt on his crossbow and fired it at Aiden. Aiden turned into a shadow and disappeared into the night. Wendel turned to see the twins cleave the last vampire in the head at the same time. Their swords mad a clang as they hit each other in the middle of his head. The twins pulled their swords out.

            “Gather your arrows quickly Wendel. We are not sure how long it will be until they send another wave of troops.” Wendel nodded then gathered all his arrows. The three of them stood in front of the stone and pushed, the boulder moved easily with all three of them pushing. The rock slid away and the temple entrance was revealed. An ornamental stone door blocked their entrance. Wendel wound up and punched the door with all his might. His fist went easily through and the bottom of the door gave way. The trio entered the temple. Religious paintings and carvings covered all six walls. The room was set up in a hexagonal shape with an altar in the middle. Floating about a foot above the altar was a golden dagger. The three moved slowly towards the dagger. Tatiana stepped up to the altar and reached out. Aiden appeared out of the shadows and grabbed it away before Tatiana could even touch it. Aiden laughed manically. He disappeared back into the shadows, the laughter still echoing throughout the temple.

            “NO!” Laurel cried out. “This cannot be! That was our only chance at saving the human race. We need that blade!”

            “Wait Laurel look!” Wendel said in shock. The front of the altar was slowly crumbling to reveal a small wooden box. Laurel grabbed it and removed it. She dusted it off. Finely printed words were engraved in the wood.

            Laurel read them aloud, “In this box contains the only way to truly destroy the vampire race and make sure that it will never come back. Use with extreme caution for it could mean horrible things for the world.” She laughed, “HA Aiden we have the real brimstone blade!”

            Wendel looked at the box. “What does it mean horrible things?”

            “I have no clue but we are going to destroy the vampires!” Laurel responded. “We finally have it! There is no way we can be stopped from saving the human race now.”

            Three arrows shot out of the dark. Three vampire archers walked from the darkness and watched their arrows. The twins knocked them away with their swords. Wendel grabbed it from midair and threw it pack at one of the archers. It nicked the inside of his leg. He grunted as he pushed down on the wound. He turned to a shadow. The two remaining vampires also fled.

            “That is all they are sending after us?” Tatiana asked suspiciously.

            “You have to remember that they think that they have the brimstone blade. The vampires think that they are the ones who hold all the power.” Wendel replied.

            “True but I would expect them to send more troops after us. I mean even without the brimstone blade we are still a threat.” Tatiana said.

            “They must have something more planned. We must get to that other temple immediately. Where was it again?” Wendel asked

            “Deep inside vampire territory. We need to go to their castle if I remember correctly.” Laurel said with a hint of pleasure in her voice.

            “Then we must go immediately and disappear from their sight. If we lie low for a little bit maybe we will be thought of as beaten.” Wendel stated.
            “True. Let’s go then.” Tatiana said moving towards Wendel. “I will transport us out of here.” Tatiana grabbed onto her twin and Wendel and shouted the twin’s home town. 

Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 10

            The twins sat there silently rocking on the beach. Someone cleared their voice behind them. Laurel looked back through teary eyes. Behind them stood the old woman with a soft look on her face. “Hello Laurel. What is the matter young one?”

            “Haru has left. We have no clue where he is gone and we are not sure if we are strong enough by ourselves to defeat the vampires. Haru is gone, Wendel has been captured, and we have no idea what we are supposed to be doing. Please help us.”

            “Laurel, you and your sister are strong enough. Just remember that no matter what Haru and Wendel and all those people that you have helped and that have helped you are with you. In the end they will be with you to help you defeat your enemies and you can count on them being there. The end is near. But if you give up it will not be the end of the vampires but the end of the humans. Vampires cannot survive while humans thrive and humans cannot survive while vampires thrive. Your love for each other can support you the whole way. Whether you believe it or not, you can do this. You two are the ones who will do this for us and will complete this journey. Everyone believes in you and you cannot let a simple obstacle stand in your way. There will be bigger obstacles that will stop you but you cannot let them defeat you.” Tatiana looked up at the old woman as well. “Laurel and Tatiana, you two were chosen for this by the Gods. Now stand up and move on. Wendel is free from the vampires. Go meet him at the temple. The way will be shown to you. Also Haru is dead. Delano has killed him. Go and avenge him.” The old woman turned and walked away disappearing over a small rise.

            “Laurel?”

            “Yes Tati?”

            “Let’s go.”

            “Okay Tati.”

            Ten vampires appeared by the cage all brandishing weapons. They fanned out around. One found the fainted vampire and called the others over. They moved towards the one fainted vampire. One vampire threw him over his shoulder and vaporized. The rest stood in a small circle and talked quietly. Wendel sat in a tree watching them converse until finally they all turned into shadows and left. Wendel jumped out of the tree and picked up the weapon that they had left behind.

            He turned it over in his hands. It was a short dagger with runic symbols on it. He swiped at the air with it and shook his head. He pocketed it and walked around the cage. He sighed and sat down on a stump to think.

            The old woman walked around the side of the cage looking around. “It’s quite beautiful out here. Don’t you think Wendel?”

            Wendel started and looked the old woman. “It is. I just wish I knew how to get away from here.

            “Now why would you want to do that? It is an amazing place.”

            “I need to get back to Laurel and Tatiana. They need me.”

            “Do not worry you will get back to them after we chat.”

            “Why are you not confused as to why I am speaking?”

            “I know all Wendel. Do not underestimate me. Just like I know Haru is dead.”

            “He died? How?”

            “Delano killed him. It is of no use to get into it now.”

            “I wish to know though.”

            “First you must discover your way out of here don’t you? Then you can worry about more trivial things.”

            “Fine,” Wendel conceded, “How do I get out of here?”

            “That is for you to find out.” The old woman jumped up and sat down on the edge of the cage. She kept looking around taking in the scenery. A minute passed by and then another. Time dragged on as Wendel looked about for a way out of his mess.

            “Still nothing?” The old woman asked.

            “Not if you keep breaking my train of thought.”

            “Well excuse me. You sure are abusing that voice that Haru gave you.”

            “Haru gave me my voice? How?”

            “He had the power to take away other’s inflictions. It was one of his many gifts.”

            “Why would he give me his voice though?”

            “That is a good question. Not sure.”

            “I thought you knew everything”

            “I do. I just don’t want to tell you. I may know everything but that doesn’t mean that I have to tell you everything.”

            Wendel shoot his head, “You are very difficult.”

            “Most people tell me that. Well I must be off soon. There are other things I must attend to.” The old woman hoped off the edge. She started to walk away.

            “Wait; first tell me how to get out of here.”

            “That is for you to discover not for me to tell you.” With that she walked into the dark woods and disappeared. Wendel shook his head and placed it in his open palms, massaging his temples.

            The sun started to set behind the mountains as Laurel and Tatiana slowly approached a large hill. They had made their way down a well beaten path towards the mountains. Laurel stopped at the bottom, looked up at the top of the hill, and grunted. She went over to a small log and sat down on it. She pulled her water sack from her pack and took a long drink. Tatiana looked around for something to eat. Tatiana came back with a few berries. She handed them all to Laurel and sat down next to her on the log. She pulled her pant leg up a little and rubbed the symbol.

            “What’s that?” Laurel asked spying the tattoo. She gulped down her berries.

            “Nothing, it’s just a scratch.” Tatiana quickly covered it back up and stood up.

            “Tati…Tell me please.”

            “Laurel, really it is just a scratch.” Tatiana quickly moved to the base of the hill. “Coming?”

            “Yes.” Laurel stood up. She placed her water sack back into her pack and went over to Tatiana. They both started up the hill. Soon they were halfway up. Laurel began coughing.

            “Are you alright Laurel?” Tatiana looked at her with a worried look.

            “Yea fine.” Laurel said between coughs.

            “Are you sure?” Tatiana asked as she came to the top of the hill. She looked back at her sister. Laurel got to the top of the hill and gasped. Tatiana spun around to see the entire army of vampires waiting for them. Delano stood in front of them with a malicious look on his face.

            “Hello, my dear twins. I thought you might want some company on your way to the mountains. Or maybe I thought this was now the chance to get you out of my hair. Men, attack!” Delano shouted. The army of vampires surged forward. Tatiana and Laurel screamed and turned and ran down the hill. The wave of vampires came over the hill following them.

            Wendel had his head in his hands. He gently massaged his temples with his thumbs. He heard loud screams coming from a distance. He turned towards the place the screams were emanating. He rushed towards them drawing the sword that he had stolen from the vampires. He exited the woods to see Tatiana and Laurel fleeing an army of vampires. His blood began to boil in his veins. His eyes grew to a deep red and he gritted his teeth. Laurel and Tatiana stopped when they saw him. They hurried to his side and faced the vampires. They both drew their swords and watched as the army skidded to a halt in front of them. The army parted and Delano stepped out of the mob.

            His smile faded a little when he saw Wendel. He pointed to them and shouted to the army, “Kill them now!” The vampires surged forward. Laurel and Tatiana hacked and slashed at the oncoming army. Wendel kicked and stabbed the vampires. A vampire rushed forwards and bit down on Wendel’s neck. He yelled and flipped the vampire. He drew his sword across the vampire’s neck and tossed it back into the army. Laurel swung her sword in an arc and sliced into a vampire’s shoulder. She grabbed his tunic and threw him into another vampire that was charging her. She slashed at a vampire’s throat. He fell to the ground gasping for air. Tatiana methodically hacked off limbs; she moved around the vampires swipes. Black blood poured from the vampire’s dead bodies. Delano’s face fell more and more as he realized that his army was losing.

            Finally a vampire broke through and brought his blade across Tatiana’s chest opening a gash. Tatiana grinned as the wound closed up. The vampire backed up. She brought the hilt down on the top of his head. He dropped like a rock. Delano drew his own sword and made his way over to Tatiana. He drew back his hand and smacked her away. She took a few steps back dazed. The vampires jumped on her immediately. She curled up in a ball. The vampires scratched at her body. She rolled onto her front. The vampires dug gouges in her back. She screamed out in pain. Wendel tore the vampires from her ripping them apart as he tore each one off. Tatiana lay on the ground bleeding. Wendel fell to his knees in front of her. Laurel sliced through any vampire that neared them. She grabbed one by the back of the neck and slammed it into the ground.

            Slowly Tatiana’s wounds closed up. She stood up and picked up her falchion. She went over to Delano and looked him in the eyes. He stood there in shock. She brought her falchion back and sliced open his neck. Blood leaked from the clean cut and dribbled down his neck. He fell to his knees then on his face. Tatiana turned her sword over and stabbed down into the back of his skull. A sickening sound escaped as the sword went through his head. The vampires stopped and turned towards her. Each one had a scared look on their face. One by one they turned to shadows leaving the dead vampires to rot in the daylight. Only one remained. It was a girl warrior. She went over to Delano and dropped her weapon. She fell to her knees and began crying. Tatiana pulled her falchion out and walked away. Laurel stood watching the vampire. The vampire drew her dagger and drew a long line on her own neck. She fell on top of Delano and died slowly.

Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 9

When Wendel awoke the cage was bumping along an old dirt road. Three vampires pulled it with thick ropes. They walked along chatting and laughing at each others jokes. None made mention of the prisoner that they were pulling. Wendel sat up and looked around. Another man sat in the cage. Wendel crawled over to the man and tapped him on the shoulder. His eyes opened slowly.

“Well hello there, you are finally awake. I thought you were dead for a little while. What is your name?” The man asked. There was a strange sparkle in his eyes.

Wendel shook his head and opened his mouth and tried to show the man he could not speak. A confused look fell upon the man’s face.

“You cannot speak?” The man asked confused.

Wendel nodded his head smiling. The man smiled back.

“Ah that makes some sense then. Well I am Nicolas. I am a priest and apparently I’m needed for some sort of ritual. I see you are a vampire as well. You must have pissed someone off good to have been put in this cage. I was put in here because I just happened to pass by on my way to a village not far from here. I thought they had an animal in here and I jokingly asked about a ride. Well I got one, just not one I expected. Well I always get myself into these kinds of problems. So since you have no voice I guess you can’t get us out,” Wendel gave him a strange questioning look, “I studied these cages with a mage I once met. These types of cages can only be destroyed by a vampire’s screech, that loud annoying sound that every vampire can emit. Well almost every vampire, seeing as you don’t have a voice to make sounds. So I guess we are stuck in here.”

Wendel’s eyes widened as he heard that. He jumped to his feet and looked around. He took a deep breath and tried to shout but not a sound came out. He sighed and tried once more but still nothing. He sat back down with a defeated look on his face.

            Laurel and Tatiana were walking next to each other. Haru walked a few steps in front of them. They had taken his weapons and kept their minds blank in case he tried to read them. They walked at a monotonous pace down the beach towards the mountains. The beach seemed to go on forever and ever. The twins breathed deeply as the packs at their sides got heavier and heavier. Finally Tatiana fell to her hands and knees. A drop or two fell from her face and clumped the sand beneath her head. She hung her head.

            “This beach goes on forever. We will never be able to get out of here. There is no way!” Tatiana screamed. Tears poured from her eyes. She fell onto her side and went into sobbing.

            Laurel bent down and held her sister in her arms. Haru turned and shook his head. He started to walk off. “Where are you going?” Laurel demanded.

            “Out of here. I am tired of you two slowing me down. I would be there by now if it weren’t for you two. You two slow me down too much. I need to destroy the vampires now to save my people. Good bye.” He walked off towards the mountains and the twins watched him fade away.

            “Good riddance. He kept us from doing what we wanted anyways.” Laurel said still holding her sister. Laurel gently rocked her sister till she stopped crying. Laurel put her forehead to her sisters. “We are going to do this. We have the strength. We can get through this. And we will save Wendel so that he is no longer a vampire.” They sat there for awhile before either spoke or moved again.

            Haru walked down the beach fiddling with the knife he has swiped from the twins. He chuckled. He was finally rid of the two brats that he had been stuck baby-sitting because that old woman had told him he had to. He continued to walk along the beach. He cleaned his fingernails with the small knife. He accidentally slipped and cut himself. He shook his hand and sucked on his finger.

            “Ouch! What the...?” He yelled. He suddenly heard a chuckle come from beside him.

            “Aww poor psychic, you hurt yourself. Well then I guess I’ll just have to get rid of that pain.” A deep voice said. Haru slowly realized that it was Delano next to him. He crouched down and spread out his psychic vision. He detected Delano to his right and swung his knife at him. Instead he felt a searing pain in his back. He cried out and fell forward. Blood poured from his back out of the wound Delano had caused. Haru gritted his teeth and Delano ran a finger through his open wound.  “You should not have left them. They were the ones that were protecting you from us. See we can trick your psychic mind. So Haru, say good bye to this world.” Delano raised his sword.

            Haru’s face turned to a sad frown. “Dear God Caius, please hear my voice. Take my voice from my body and give it to Wendel. Take this out of my body and place it in Wendel’s body. In my death I shall not need it. Take it away from me.” Haru went into spasms. Delano swung his sword down and ended the spasms. He walked away smiling to himself. No one could stand his way now to destroy the twins.

            Wendel sat thinking to himself. ‘If only we could, “find a way to get out of this cage.”

            Nicolas looked over at Wendel. “What did you just say?”

            “That old man is crazy, I can’t speak. Why would he ask what I just said?”

            “Wendel you are speaking!”

            “What? Wait this is a lot different than talking in my head. It is funny to be able to hear myself. Wait! I can speak!”

            “Thank the gods! This is a miracle. How did this happen?”

            “I am not sure either way I know what I’m going to do with this voice first.” Wendel’s eyes narrowed as he smiled happily. He took a deep breath and screamed. A loud piercing sound emitted itself from his throat. Nicolas’ hands flew to his ears and his face showed a look of pain. The cage bars bent outward and finally disintegrated. The vampires pulling the cage stood in shock not knowing what had happened. The stared dumbfounded as Wendel hopped out of the cage and walked toward them with an evil grin on his face.

            “Hello, my name is Wendel. I can speak now and I really did not appreciate being put in that cage.” One of the vampires began shaking from fear. The other two turned to shadows and disappeared. Wendel walked over to the shaking one and went right into his face. The vampire fainted and collapsed in fear. Wendel smiled and laughed. It boomed throughout the whole forest filling it. Wendel smiled. He went back to the cage to see Nicolas jumping out.

            “Well Wendel this is where I must go. I am already late. Good luck in your journey and I hope you get where you need to go. And congratulations on getting your voice. I hope it does you well. Good luck.” With that said he turned and walked along the path on which they had come. Wendel stood there waving to him.

            “Good bye!” Wendel shouted joyously. 

Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 8

            When the twins awoke in the morning the sun was rising and Haru was gone. They looked around for him and saw his foot prints leading off along the lake shore. Tatiana stood up and shook her sister awake.

            “Come on Laurel get up we have a lot to do.” Laurel rolled over and mumbled something under her breath. She stood up and shivered.

            “Why does it have to be so cold? It is freezing.” Laurel said rubbing her hands together. She blew into them and started rubbing them together again.

            “Restart the fire then. The wood is dry so all you need to do is put some more wood on the coals.” Tatiana said pulling her sword and polishing liquid from her pack.

            Laurel grumbled and put some small sticks on the coals. They instantly started to smoke and turn black. Slowly a small flame grew and Laurel put more sticks onto the flame. Slowly the fire grew and Laurel soon had a small fire. She looked up and down the beach. She went back to the patch of dead trees and pulled more firewood out from it and dragged it back to the campsite. Tatiana was polishing her sword and sharpening it on a stone she kept in her pack. Laurel threw the dead wood on the fire and plopped down in front of it warming her body with the heat that the new wood was giving off. She shivered again feeling the cold deep inside her body and inched closer to the fire. The wood popped and she jumped a little. Tatiana chuckled and Laurel glared at her.

            “How are you two this morning?” Haru said. They both jumped at the sound of his voice not expecting him. Their heads whipped back and they both looked at him. His pants was bloodied on the bottom and wet.

            “Haru what happened to you?” Laurel exclaimed in shock.

            “Those villagers that weren’t far off were not too friendly. They attacked me as soon as they saw me coming. Luckily for me they were very weak.” He sat down next to the fire cross legged and warmed his hands. The twins looked at each other and then back to Haru. Laurel shrugged and inched toward the fire again.

            “Haru did you find out where we are?” Tatiana asked.

            “No before I could ask I was kind of attacked.” Haru said chuckling.

            “Right.” Tatiana said letting the words hang in the air. Haru closed his blind eyes and let his head fall. His chin hit his chest and his breathing grew deeper. Soon he was snoring.

            “Tati I need to go for a walk I will be back soon.” Laurel said standing up. Tatiana nodded and went back to sharpening her falchion.

           

            Laurel walked down the beach following Haru’s tracks. She followed them to the top of a sand dune. Once on top she looked around and saw a small village not far off. She could barely see people moving around inside the village. Red was splattered everywhere. She got down off the dune and walked toward the village. The trail to the village was thorny and over grown. Laurel pulled out her short sword and hacked at the plants to try to get through.

            As she got closer to the village the plants thinned out and were replaced by vegetables and fruits. She stared at the strange fruits as she walked through their fields. Soon she came upon a dead body. It was the body of a female soldier. She was holding her sword in a cold hand. A branch was jammed through its torso like it had been skewered. Her head was hung, her helmet half off her head. Blood ran down the tree and pooled at the roots. Laurel flinched at the sight. A shiver went down her spine.

She walked on toward the village. The people walked happily along in the streets. Some turned and looked at Laurel. All of the people had a hint of red in their faces while the rest of their skin was olive colored. The eyes of the people were all focused on her. Everything stopped as they stared at her.

A woman carrying a baby in her arms walked up to her and stared her right in the face. She looked her up and down then backed up a step. “You are with that blind man. The blind one that killed my daughter. Get out of this village now.”

Laurel flinched as she heard those words. “I am here to make reprimands. I would like to know what happened.”

“The blind one came into our village just as the sun was on the rise. My daughter had been working the fields as a scout at that time. Then your friend showed up. We welcomed him into the village with open hearts. He said he came with two twins. He also said that he used a medallion to fly like the vampires did. We then asked him to leave thinking he was a vampire. He started to leave but then turned and got mad. He went straight for my daughter. He stopped in front of her and cursed at her then walked off. She was not one to get angry much but she stormed after her. I tried to stop her but she went after him. We found her later slaughtered and hanging from that branch. Please leave. We do not want anyone associated with him here.” The woman said with a stern look on her face.

“I am sorry about your daughter’s death but the blind man is a psychic man so he can read minds. Your daughter must have insulted him through her thoughts.” The woman turned and walked away. The rest of the village went on with their business ignoring Laurel. Any time she tried to talk to anyone she was ignored. She became slowly angry. Finally she grabbed a man by his tunic and pushed a knife against his throat.

“You will tell me where I am now or I will slice open your neck! I am sick of playing games with people! This will end here and now. I have a mission to save the human race and you people are holding me back. Give me the information now!” She screamed in the man’s face.

His face became strained and fear shone in his eyes. He cried out and every one of the villagers drew a weapon and advanced toward her. The sun glinted off the metal swords as the villagers moved toward her.

“Stop!” a voice called from the crowd. It parted and the old woman walked through the path. “I leave you three alone for less then a day and already you two are in trouble.” The men and women of the village kneeled down as she passed by them. The villagers put away their swords and became silent.

“Laurel, drop the man please.” Laurel let go of the man and he scurried off into the kneeling crowd. “Now what has brought you to my village?”

“We had no clue where we were and your village?”

“Yes, my village. I can’t have a village?”

“I thought that your village was the one we visited awhile ago, the empty one.”

“Thoughts and appearances can be deceiving. This is my home and these are my people. I am the elder of this village and I would like to know why you attacked one of my villagers.”

“No one here would listen to me. These jerks would not acknowledge me at all. I tried to get their attention in other ways but no use. I had to do it to get some attention. I need to know where I am so my sister and I can continue on.”

“You are not far from your destination. The mountains should be your guide now.” The old woman pointed off in the distant to a far away mountain. “You need to go there to get to where you need to be. There you will find the brimstone blade. There also is where you will find Wendel. Now out of my village before my people get any angrier then they already are. Good bye Laurel. I hope you and your sister make it.”

Laurel scowled and left. As she made her way back along the path she had beaten on the way here she noticed that the body that had hung from the tree before had disappeared along with the pool of blood that had gathered at the tree. She walked back to the beach.

Tatiana watched her sister go down the beach and over the sand dune. After her sister was out of sight she stood up and walked down to the water and sat down on the beach sticking her feet in the water. She rolled up her pant leg and checked the small incantation on her leg. None of it had washed off in the water. She sighed in relief.

“Let me guess that spell is keeping you alive?” Haru said still in the position he was in before.

She quickly covered it up. “I have no clue what you are talking about.”

“Tatiana I am a mind reader. There is no lying to me. That is keeping you alive and you know it. Why did you not tell your sister about it? Or me for that matter? You should know that you cannot keep it from us forever. I know it’s to keep you alive because I am searching through your mind right now. That thing, what ever it is, is keeping your heart beating and your blood running through your veins. Where did you get it and why do you have it?”

“I have it because the healers could not fix me enough for my body to keep itself running. It needs magical influence to make it keep running. There is no way I would survive without it. Do not tell Laurel I have it please. She will not understand. This is what keeps me alive and she will be scared if she finds out. Please Haru do not tell her.”

Haru nodded and turned slightly away. His body faced the water as if he were staring out and watching the lake. They were both silent for awhile. Haru lay down and fell asleep a short while after they stopped talking.

Laurel silently came back with her whole body tense. She sat down next to her sister and stared at the sleeping figure. She shook her head then turned away from him. She stood up and drew her sword. She went over to Haru and kicked him. He jerked awake. Tatiana looked up and drew a sharp intake of breath. Laurel pushed the blade of the sword into the ground next to Haru’s throat.

“Do not ever lie to me again. You went to that village and saw the old woman. You killed the girl because you insulted her. When she attacked you for insulting her in her mind you killed her in cold blood Haru. How could you?”

Laurel was breathing heavily, her pupils dilated, her nostrils flaring. Haru lay still on the ground breathing softly unable to see the sword merely an inch away from his face.

“Laurel that may be true but can you get the sword from my face. I do not appreciate you almost stabbing me in the face. I will not explain myself nor will I make excuses. Yes that is what I did. I do not deny it because it is true. So I am guessing you went to the village to find out what the information you needed was? Did you find it or were they hostile to you because of me?”

“No thanks to you I found it. We need to head for the mountains. There we will find the temple that holds the Brimstone Blade. The only thing is that there are many mounts in that mountain range so we may never find the temple.”

“What if we used the necklace again? Is that possible?” Tatiana interjected.

“After this just happened? I don’t want to find another lake with a village close by that Haru can kill more people because he insults them. He can’t be trust now Tati! This might happen again. You never know! He is just a blind old fool.” Laurel screamed at the top of her lungs. She stood there panting. She slowly pulled her sword away and put it in her sheath. “Trust me if you ever do this again I will not hesitate to kill you.” She told Haru quietly.   

Preternatural Prophecy Chapter 7

Tatiana awoke being carried by Haru. She looked around. Buildings and people sped by them as Haru ran through the town. She screamed as they sped around a corner almost hitting three people.
            “Do not worry Tatiana. I know what I am doing. Calm down. Yes I do know what I’m doing. Stop screaming! Finally no don’t scream in your mind. I can still hear it. STOP SCREAMING! Thank you.” Tatiana clung to Haru the whole time he shouted at her. She hid her face in his chest and he leapt over a small cart. He landed in front of the medical hut and lay her down. She removed her face from his chest and looked up.
            “What are we doing here? Where is Laurel? What is going on Haru?”
            “All answers will be answered in time. As for your second one I suggest you walk inside. You will find your sister in there. As soon as your reunion is done we must leave. Go now I must get some things ready. Wait outside for me I will be back soon.”
            Haru turned and ran off leaving her sitting in the dirt. She stood up and walked into the hut pushing aside the curtain. Laurel sat in the corner still crying. Tatiana went over to her sister and knelt down behind her.
            “Laurel? Are you okay?” Tatiana asked.
            Laurel whipped around and saw her sister. She screamed and hugged her sister. “Oh god, oh god! Tatiana is that really you? Oh yes Tatiana. I saw you die though. How?”

“I’m not sure. I remember dying but then I woke up and Haru was running with me in his arms. I’m back now and I’m happy. Haru told me that we need to leave soon. I’m not sure where did he tell you?”
            “No,” Laurel began crying and held her sister tighter. She looked at her with red eyes. “Oh I’m so glad you are back.” Laurel smiled and held her sister close.
Haru entered the hut. “Are you two ready? We need to leave immediately. We are going to the middle of the vampire territory.”
            “Are you crazy? We could die! I already lost my sister once I will not do it again!” Laurel cried out.
            “If we do not leave Wendel will die!” Haru shouted back. Laurel froze.

            “What?”
            “Wendel was kidnapped by vampires. They have him somewhere. I have no clue where we must find him though. We cannot let them kill him. We need to go now.”
“Fine let’s go. If it becomes too dangerous we will leave and you can go yourself Haru.”
Haru nodded. He tossed them each a pack and their swords.

            The old woman walked around the town smiling as she read the minds of the peasants.

She thought to herself how they had no clue what was actually going on in the world. She walked into the town square and looked around. Haru and the twins ran past her and towards the eastern gate. She turned and followed them. They stopped at the gate and pushed it open. She walked past them as they were opening it. She waited outside for them to exit. Laurel and Tatiana stopped. Haru kept walking.
            “What are you doing here?” Tatiana asked.
            “I am here to remind you about the Brimstone Blade. You must get it. There is no other way to destroy the vampires.” Haru jumped when he heard the voice. He drew his knife and went into a crouched position.
            “Calm down psychic one. I am an elder of the world. There is nothing to be afraid of. I know you cannot read my mind. There is nothing you can do about that. Try as you may to probe my mind.”
            Haru stood back up and grimaced. He looked from Laurel to Tatiana.
            “Girls we need to go. The longer Wendel is out there the more chance he is dead.”
            “Well Haru do you even know where he is?” The old woman questioned.
            Haru grimaced again. “Slight idea. They will probably take him to the castle in the middle of their territory. There they will kill him. And each second we take up will be a second they are closer to that castle.”
            “Yes they are going there. But that castle is guarded by hundreds of vampires. How will you ever get past all those guards past Aiden then past the Vampire King to get to Wendel?”

“Vampire King?” Laurel asked surprised.
            “Yes the vampires have a new king. He is very powerful and is going to be set in place in a few days. Your only hope is to get the Brimstone Blade and to kill him before he becomes king. If he does he will be able to control all the vampires from his chair. Then he will be invincible. Hurry before it is too late. Haru just so you know you must go with them. If you three split up before you are meant to then it will result in the death of all three of you and the extinction of the human race. Good luck to you all.” The old woman snapped and vanished.
            Haru exhaled and turned to the twins. “Looks like we have to find this Brimstone Blade.”
            “Yes we have to. I know exactly where it is too. It is back in our home town. But that is too far to walk. There is no way we would be able to make it there in a few days.” Tatiana said.      “What about with that necklace that the old woman gave you?” Laurel asked.
            Tatiana looked down and pulled the necklace from her pack. “Yea I guess. But will it take us that far? How does it work?”
            Haru walked over to her and took it from her hands and grabbed the twins. He shouted something into the air and they turned into a shadow and slowly disappeared.

They reformed right above a lakes surface and crashed down into it. The twins frantically swam to shore while Haru smoothly treaded water. He took a deep breath then swam to shore. The twins crawled onto the shore shivering. Haru slowly walked up onto shore and smiled.
            “Not used to the water?” He teased them.
            They grimaced at him and gathered firewood they found on the beach spread all over. They walked down the beach a bit and found a small patch of dead trees and shrubs. They carried it back to where they swam ashore. Haru sat down on the beach and pulled the blankets from his pack. He spread them out and built a small fire circle from the stones on the beach. He dug out some of the sand in the middle and put it aside. The twins returned with firewood and they started the fire. They waited till it was roaring before curling up beside it and drying off. Haru held the blankets next to the fire so they would dry. He beat the collected sand off of them and gave one to each of the twins. They smiled gratefully and wrapped themselves up in one.
            “Where are we anyways Haru? I have never seen this place in my life.” Tatiana asked. “I’m not sure. I sense people not too far off. We will go ask them later. For the rest of today we should probably rest and find some supplies.” Haru responded. He loped off down the beach bending down every so often and picking something up. He went down to a cove and waded into shallow water. The twins watched him as he dove into the water and resurfaced a minute later hold two fish. He got out and walked back to the twins. He dropped the fish by them and grabbed a stick. He gutted the fish and dropped the organs onto a rock he had placed on the fire.
            “Yum fried liver, my favorite.” He said pushing around the organs on the rock frying them. The twins cringed at the awful smell but Haru seemed unaffected by the odor. He then pulled the organs off the rock and placed them on another he was using as a plate. He kicked the cooking rock off the fire and jammed a stick through one of the fish’s mouths. He handed the stick to one of the twins. “Here, dinner. Remember to cook it over the coals not the fire otherwise it will burn.” He jabbed another stick into the other fish and handed it to the second twin. He picked up the fried organs with his fingers and ate them in silence.
            The twins shivered as they cooked their fish. The sun slowly set over the lake. The sky lit up with multi colors as the sun sank low. The hues of red, orange and purple shone in the sky. The twins stared in awe.
            “Haru have you ever seen a sunset?” Tatiana asked.
            “Yes when I was younger I saw one. Before I gave my eyes up that is. It was one of the most beautiful things I ever saw. I remember the red lighting up the sky as if it was on fire. The orange that came after it reminded me of the fruits my mother and father had grown to raise money. Then the purple, oh how beautiful that was. It was so magnificent. Then unfortunately came the night. Before the worst there is always something beautiful. That night there was an attack on my village. I heard the thoughts of the vampires before they arrived and tried to warn everyone. By the time an effective defense was built up the vampires were seiging our inner walls. There was blood everywhere. I hid even though I knew that I could hear every secret and every trick they were using to kill off my fellow village people. I never forgave myself for not helping them. When I came out in the morning I found my whole village slaughtered. When I went looking for my parents I found them holding onto each other in my house. Even in death they were inseparable.
            “Death knocked on our door that night. I answered and I ran when I saw what I was up against. Now I’m here to repay the vampires for what they did to my parents. I hope that when I find them they put up a good fight for I will not kill a vermin that tries to beg for mercy.” Haru’s eyes were burning with tears. He turned and wiped them away. “I guess a blind man can still cry even though the rest of his eyes are useless.” He said through chuckles.
            The twins looked at him with sympathetic looks upon their faces. They turned back to the roaring fire remembering their own pasts and their mother.
            “What of you two? Where are your parents?” Haru asked still wiping away his tears.
            The twins stayed silent and moved toward each other. Haru looked over in their direction.

            He tilted his head. “You two in there?”
            “We would prefer not to talk about it. Sorry Haru.” Laurel said.
            “Well good night then. I’m gonna turn in early. See you two in the morning.” He curled up in a ball and fell asleep next to the fire. The twins lie down on the other side and fell asleep facing each other.