Saints Of Satan Chapter Thirteen

A cold winters night. Silence enveloped the land, not even the animals made sound. An icy chill had developed, the breeze stirring and drawing the freeze out over the land, smothering the fields and surrounding woodland in heavy frost.
I blinked into life, suddenly aware of my being there and the harsh weather bombarding my senses. My chest was bare, and upon a quick inspection I discovered so too was the rest of my body. Despite the strange circumstance, my being there made sense. I couldn’t put a finger on what exactly was happening, but I knew it was of epic proportion. Taking an idle step forwards, my feet sank deep into the thick snow that had settled over the land. I stopped.
Something was wrong.
My mind was a blur, I couldn’t remember who I was, or what my purpose in the place was, although at that point I could tell something was not right.
The temperature dropped further still, and I began to shiver uncontrollably. The silence became overpowering, the only sound for what seemed in existence was my heavy breathing and pounding heart.
The ground shook violently. I gasped, struggling to keep my balance. Almost as quickly as it had started, the ground fell still once more. A tense few moments, I felt my heart beat ever faster, the feeling of unease filling my body and enveloping me in fear.
The ground rumbled again, stronger this time, with what seemed like no intent of stopping. I cried out, losing my balance, and landing heavily on my back.
The ground shook stronger still, cracks appearing between the evenly set snow, only to be filled once more as the snow vibrated across the ground. A deep rumbling sound reached my sensitive ears, just beyond hearing of the terrible grinding sound of stone of stone.
When it seemed as though the very Earth would split in two, the crescendo of noise ground to a halt, the sudden silence reverberating through my ears and causing me to wince.
I stood, but too late, a far away final grind reached me, and the entire world stood still for the final time.
The ground exploded. A desperate cold. Hell, was let loose.

I bolted upright in bed, beady droplets of sweat running down my face, the salty taste souring my mouth. My heart pounded in my chest, causing me to gasp in exasperation. Blinking hard, I rolled off of my bedding, desperately trying to remove the vivid memories of the dream from my head.
The cold dirt damp on my face soothed me, giving me a sense to focus on. After a few moments the images an shock of the vivid dream faded from thought, and I pulled myself up onto my elbows. A vampire clad in leather armour baring part of his muscular chest inclined his head, arching a thick eyebrow.
“Something wrong, Haruk?” he asked, hand grasping at the blade at his side. I rose to my feet, putting him at ease and turning to the surrounding frail woodland. I smiled as I began to walk, the name I had been bestowed by the people of Walkars’ realm. I had been told it means ‘Sacred one’, and the idolising vampires of the northern tribe had taken to calling me it.
The night was warm, the land thankfully returning to the norm as we had hastened from the north. Walking slowly through the sparse trees in the small crop we had made camp in, I gulped in the air with hunger, allowing it to wash through and clear my mind.
The steady flow of running water sounded to my left, and without thought I sprinted with ease to its edge within moments, watching as the water splashed against the bank in a heavy torrent.
Cupping my hands, I welcomed the icy chill as the water cascaded against my face, refreshing and cool. Shaking dry, I paused, squatting by the water’s edge. Taking another handful of water, I allowed it to fall still within my grasp, and then looked down at my shimmering reflection.
I scrutinised my appearance, looking for a reason why it was I that was the chosen one, what I held within me to perform the task at hand. My pure black hair, once carefully cut to perfection, now tumbled loosely over my head, having been left unkempt for many months now. I found no sign of a great chosen one in my appearance, just a clear cut jaw and thin lips set evenly beneath a long pointed nose. It had been months, years even, I realised, since I had last truly taken an interest in my appearance.
Careful to keep the water still, I ran my fingers through my hair, combing it back idly as I stared down into my reflection. After a moment I caught sight of my own eyes, and gasped in horror.
Two sullen grey pupils stared back, void of any spark of life or happiness, just two beaten spheres within my head, lifeless and defeated. I blinked, and they too blinked, crushing a slim whim of hope that it was not my own face that stared back at me, not my face that had been squeezed dry of the spirit that once flowed through me.
“Sir?” came a strong voice behind me. I gasped, spilling the water and flying to my feet. I spun on my heels, and answered sharply. “What?”
The soldier stood before me winced slightly, and then continued, almost with a hint of nervousness. “A lone vampire hails us; he says he wishes to speak with you,”
I frowned, and then gestured for him to lead, following on behind him as my mind haunted me with fear of what I had become.

The camp was filled with the cautious bodies of fifty vampires, each with weapons of equal deadly force drawn, a perimeter hastily being set so as to prevent any unexpected attacks brought about by the newcomer.
It had been a good three weeks since we had departed from Walkar’s realm, the good king sending me over half his force of fifty of his best for ‘the journey ahead’. I had achieved what I had set out to do, the fact easing my mind ever so slightly that Maria had not died in vain. We were now nearing the area Lord James had deemed the temporary outpost where an army would be amassed to re-take the land that had been stolen from us. A newcomer would hopefully be a messenger to lead us exactly where this outpost was.
I pushed through the crowd surrounding the newcomer with clear authority, drawing a long curved blade of clear beauty. The blade had been given in a ceremony held by king Walkar in my name, to declare me as the chosen one before his people and assign to the troops that pledged their allegiance to me then and there, swearing to follow me to the very end should it be necessary.
It felt light in my hands, but from testing it on surrounding woodland and in a few sparring situations with the soldiers I had discovered it was hard as rock, and unbeatably sharp. It was faded gold in colour, and although its handle was fairly simple, with gold entwined steel and a diamond shaped ruby set within it, the blade was still a sight.
The vampire was sat by one of the fires, encircled by vampires baring down on him with blades, clearly suspicious of him and letting him see it.
I walked into the circle, idly stepping around the flames and twirling the blade sharply in my hand. Tearing it through the air, I stopped the razor sharp blade but millimetres from his throat.
“Who are you and what business here do you seek?” I said loudly, authority emanating from my voice. The vampire gulped slightly, keeping eye contact with me and trying to pretend not to notice the blade.
“My name is Hadro, newly appointed head of guard of Lord James and commander of the forces obtained. I am here in long anticipation of your arrival and the forces you bear,” he paused, looking about himself, and then smiled up at me, “It seems you have carried out your job well,”
Again he paused, and looked about once more, trying to look past the heavy set vampires about him. He frowned, and then looked back to me. “I was told there was to be two of you, a woman as well as you, where is she?”
I winced, and felt my heart pang in my chest. The soldiers looked around awkwardly, as I stepped forth with sudden anger.
“How do we even know if you are who you say you are? Give me proof, Lord James would have anticipated suspicion, and given you a token, some information to let me know you are truly of his side!” I grasped him by the shoulder, allowing the blade to cut into his throat ever so slightly, drawing a trickle of blood that curved down the blades face.
“He said, said-” gasped Hadro, my hand gripping him ever harder. I loosened up the grip, allowing him to speak.
Hadro coughed slightly, and then looked me hard in the eye.
“He said to tell you you’re a disobedient fool, but is ever grateful for your success and efforts,” Hadro said, wincing in anticipation of pain. A few tense moments passed, and the vampires about me eyed me carefully, awaiting my response.
Suddenly, I took the blade from his throat and sheathed it at my side. I held out a hand for him to take, and hauled him to his feet.
“That sounds like the old goat. And even if it didn’t, no sane soul would test me like that without good cause,” I clapped him on the shoulder, and then led him out of the circle of the now dissipating crowd to a quiet area by another fire.
Turning back, I told the men to be at ease and gestured the second in command of the troops, Walkar’s general, to come with us.
Once settled, I introduced Hadro to him. “This is Makar, king Walkar of the North’s general and cousin,” the shook hands, Makar still clearly suspicious of him.
“Now,” I said evenly, looking hard at Hadro, “What can you tell me of Lord James progress?”
“I’m afraid it is the upmost urgency you meet him in person as soon as possible, he wishes to tell you of his progress himself and spoke specifically of me not spending too much time debriefing you,” Hadro began slowly, before continuing, “however, I believe I must inform you of the reason for this urgency. You see, in the weeks you have left, Lord James has pulled together what few members of the clan are still true to him, and even turned a few indecisive, members of Francis’ legion to our cause. Unfortunately, the force amassed is little compared with what Francis has brought together. He is blooding humans most fervently, and although they are changing and are still new to the life of vampires, there strength in numbers is proving to become overwhelming.
Although he has not yet found the outpost, he recognises this area as where it lay, and the hills about a re crawling with new bourn’s eager to feast on blood. They are attacking any vampires, sometimes including their own, that they come upon in the area. I fought off two just getting here,” Hadro paused, lifting his shirt and revealing and thin cut along his side. I winced, and beckoned him to continue.
“Francis also hopes to eliminate the blood supply of nearby villages and towns with the hunger of the new bourns. Unfortunately, it is working. The sudden increase of deaths and the crudeness of the new bourn’s work has also alerted the humans to our supernatural presence. There is talk of human military force being organised,”
I nodded, the situation dawning on me. As I thought silently, Makar gestured for me to join him in private discussion.
“Wait here,” I commanded Hadro, and then walked off past the trees, pacing far away so as to be out of earshot of the vampires acute hearing.
“Haruk, I am uneasy about this. We have sworn ourselves to your cause and will follow you whatever path you choose to walk, but is there not more pressing issues to deal with then the upkeep of an almost defeated clan?” he whispered quickly.
“Francis. Will. Be. Stopped,” I said definitely, my face ‘emanating no emotion, “He has caused myself and many of my closest friends a torrent of pain so deep I fear…” I paused, thinking back to the sullen grey eyes that had befouled my reflection in the water. I shook the thought from my head, realising it was not wise to show weakness in front of the leader of my troops.
“Haruk?” he asked, inclining his head to see my face. I blinked, and then spoke, “Makar, I have seen that creature of a man take the lives of many who I respected and held dear, and I will not rest until the bastard blood is on my blade,”
A fire burned in my eyes that told Makar I meant business, and he nodded stiffly. We returned to Hadro by the fire, and I spoke quickly.
“You will take us to Lord James as the sun rises, we will move swiftly and definitely,” I commanded.
“What of the danger of the new bourns?” he asked, his hand nervously feeling his side.
“They will not face us in the burning sunlight, they are untrained to withstand its might and there sensitive bodies will burn up within hours. Now, rest, eat, drink, I care not. Just be ready for dawn,”

We sprinted through the countryside, a horde of vampires hammering the ground and frightening unsuspecting animals and humans that dared walk nearby.
Hadro took the lead, but only a few paces ahead of myself, leading us as quickly as possible to the outpost before any enemies spotted us.
I had decided that speed was more important than covertness, and the sooner we made it to Lord James the better. The countryside flew past in a whir of crops and hillsides, the bright sunlight of the dawn of summer excruciating to bear.
We made no stops however, and by mid-afternoon reached a small village with a river running along one side. Hadro slowed to a slight jog as we reached the first of the houses, and gestured for us to stop.
I halted the vampires, who panted heavily and wiped sweat from their brows. The intense sunlight was difficult for them, I understood, having been in the constant cold of the North.
Walking up alongside Hadro, we slowly passed the first few houses, the silence emanating from the village unnerving.
I blinked, and in an instant the two of us were surrounded by a team of ten vampires, weapons drawn and fierce expressions across their faces. They looked beaten, tired and void of anything but a glowering determination emanating from them.
My hand instantly went for my blade, and one of them sped towards me, attempting to disarm me. Trying not to hurt him too much, I caught his hand before it reached me and twisted it into a harsh lock, drawing instead my knife and holding it to his throat. Speed of recognition was essential here; otherwise there would be an ensuing bloodbath.
My force immediately leapt to, and surrounded the vampires surrounding us, weapons drawn and anger flaring through them.
Suddenly, Hadro placed his blade on the ground loudly, and all eyes turned to him. Thankfully, the vampires recognised him immediately as their own, and relief spread over their faces.
They each lowered their blades, and I motioned for my warriors to do the same. They did so, however reluctantly. Releasing my hostage, I sheathed my blade, and spoke to everyone.
“Peace, brethren! We are not the enemy,” I announced. The tension began to dissipate, and the sound of blades being sheathed and weapons buckled filled the air.
“John?” I heard a voice behind me. I turned, and their stood an old friend of mine.
“Gabrielle! You stubborn old bat! I thought you were dead,” I roared, running over and clasping him on the shoulder.
“And I you,” he murmured, looking me up and down. “You’ve changed,” he said sniffing the air and looking hard into my eyes, “Where’s Maria?” he asked.
I bowed my head sullenly, and he patted my shoulder, realising the wound he had just opened.
“Come, there is much to discuss and do,” he looked over the legion of warriors I had brought and smiled, “I can tell you, Lord James will be pleased, we never expected a force this great,”
Before we set off, I motioned for Makar to accompany me, and then told the rest of my troop to rest and feed. Gabrielle motioned for one of the ten to lead them, and the vampires grudgingly parted with me.
As we walked into the village centre, I made a quick informal introduction of Makar, to which Gabrielle raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Gabrielle had been a close friend for many years before I had been banished, and although we had not been blooded together, it had felt as though we were brothers. However, I had not seen him since he was sent on an incredible task by the Lords and had been assumed dead. Apparently, Lord James had dug him up from the clutches of the world, which was a good thing, as no one fought as bravely as Gabrielle did on the field.
I put on a face as Gabrielle reconciled a few parts of our past, but inside I could not shake the feeling emptiness I had felt ever since my beloveds death. I was unsure if I ever would, lest I held her in arms once more.
“I suppose Hadro has informed you of the situation we face?” he asked, and I nodded solemnly. Gabrielle nodded also, and then paused outside the villages church.
“Come, let us discuss tactics and what you have made of yourself these past few months in the presence of the Lord!” I smiled at the pun against the human church, the gesture of emotion surprising myself.
The doors creaked open, and I entered with relief, the sunlight finally off of my back, the reddened skin of my neck and face burning fervently.
Lord James sat on a simple wooden chair on the other side of the church, the stained glass windows covered with an assortment of material to prevent the sunlight from reaching the interior. The result was a dimly lit expanse of stone, the echo of our feet on the slated stone flooring rebounding throughout the building.
As I reached the Lord, I fell to one knee and bowed. Makar stood still, staring at Lord James with an air of contempt. I winced, realising that there would not be a good relationship between the two so long as Makar felt the cause for helping the vampire was unimportant for my new found role.
“John, it is good to see you,” Lord James said, and it was at that point that I realised how tired and defeated the old vampire sounded. He looked as though he had aged some years, and his sad eyes portrayed that of a being that had lost all it held dear. Similar, I thought, to that of my own.
The old vampire stood, and walked to me, he raised me to my feet, and then eyed Makar with the same expression he was receiving. “Who’s your friend?” he asked, looking back and me and cracking a hearty smile. It was a friendly gesture, but I could see in his eyes just how broken he was.
“Come, my friend,” I said, sitting at a pew, “You have no idea the amount we must discuss,”
Lord James raised an eyebrow, and sat with me. He ordered some food and blood be brought to us, and then gestured for me to begin.
At first it felt hard, having to delve into memories where Maria still lived, but I decided it was best for me to start from where we had parted ways, and speak through right to the end.

Makar took an interest in what I had to say to, as it meant he could learn more about the being he had pledged to serve and understand me more. Lord James listened intently as I spoke of the journey North, my terrible loss and my acceptance into Walkar’s realm.
As I spoke, I found myself becoming absorbed in my own words, the relief of finally speaking them seeming to lift a layer of the depression from my mind. I spoke of my feelings and thoughts throughout, and delved into the insecurity I felt of the role I had been given and what I had to do.
“The, chosen one? I have heard of the Northern prophecy, but thought it but myth having not been completed in so long,” Lord James, said, as I told him of the fulfilment of the prophecy. He took great interest in this, and asked me to repeat what had happened to him again.
As I spoke, I saw something in his eye that I longed for myself. A spark lit deep within the pools of solemn abyss, a spark of new found hope for his cause.
I ended by briefly informing him of the return journey and how I already knew of the situation.
“Fifty soldiers and a chosen one, I think the scales have been tipped lad!” he roared, smiling widely. This time, he was hiding no fear, no worry, he truly believed in me.
Makar coughed, having sat silently for so long, I had forgotten his being there.
“Let one thing be made clear before word turns to business. Me and my warriors fight for the Haruk, and no one else. Are we clear?” He said, his tone clearly not for that of a leader. However, Lord James took the message and decided not to anger those who could be the saviour of his clan. He nodded stiffly, and then turned back to me.
“I’m afraid the situation has only worsened from what Hadro has told you. He has been away from the village for some time awaiting your arrival and has not discovered the losses we have faced. The force I first amassed was that of thirty strong, however it now stands at fifteen. The new bourns have drained all surrounding villages and towns of human life and blood and I fear our whereabouts have been discovered by Francis’ scouts. He will surely be amassing a force to attempt to finally take us from this Earth,”
I thought for a moment, and then began, “It would be an advantage, if they have not discovered my force being here, then they will be unsuspecting of a real struggle. We can take them by surprise with the new amassed force and drive them back to the realm, severely weakened. No doubt Francis will send a great force our way, of many vampires, but if they were to be slayed he would suffer losses to unbearable to hold the realm!” I felt the plan formulating in my head, but then Makar raised a problem.
“What of the new bourns? They will still be crawling the land, if we have a much weakened force by the end of the battle, we will prove easy pickings for them,” he said, frowning, clearly not liking the idea of forsaking his warriors for a cause he felt unworthy.
“The new bourns, yes!” Lord James said, eyes sparkling, “The new bourns will be Francis’ undoing! I assume a main part of his force will be made up of them, and in the heat of battle they will almost certainly become blood crazed and fight anyone and everyone. They will be more dangerous yes, but they will be a problem for both sides! That along with the element of surprise and we have a battle undoubtedly won!” he stood, calling to the few vampires within the church, “You hear! We have an advantage that will crush Francis and his pack of wild dogs!”
A brief cheer rang out from the vampires, but it seemed after weeks of constant battle with new bourns they were much more reluctant to take on any hope as Lord James did.
He looked back down at me, “Come chosen one! Let us rid ourselves of this terrible plague!”