Saints Of Satan Chapter Fifteen

I coughed, spluttering out a cloud of soot and ash onto the rough concrete I was sprawled across. Sound came to me painfully, the slightest noise racking my brain. Light flooded my eyes, pure rays of sunlight boiling my insides with its intense unfiltered heat. But I was alive.
After giving myself a quick countdown, I gathered enough strength to haul myself up, using a pile of scorched unidentifiable corpses to lean on. Nausea rushed through me as I hunched over, legs shaking violently, and I was forced to fall upon the bodies. I tried to speak, to call out for help, but all that came out was a strained choking sound, and at that point I decided to look down, using a hand to shade my pupils from the light.
I gasped, or would have, if not for my hoarse throat.
I was nude, my clothes having been eaten away by flames. Scorched, torn and blistered skin replaced clothing, and it was at that point that my brain acknowledged the pain that was emanating from every burn, bruise and cut that covered my body. I looked like I’d been dropped into the pits of hell, and felt like it too.
Clutching my sides, I gagged for a moment, the pain so intense I could feel nothing else. Thankfully, it soon subsided to a pulsating throb, and after a failed attempt to vomit, I heaved my weary body up once more.
Staggering a few painful steps, I collapsed over another corpse, narrowly avoiding the tipped spear protruding from its back at an awkward angle.
Out of pure desperation, I managed to gather enough strength to take another step, every metre an impossible task. Soon walking became impossible, and I resulted in crawling across the blood bathed battle field, retching and sobbing at each hurdle that brought me to a standstill.
If I did not reach shelter, or help, the sun’s rays would burn through my unprotected skin and turn me to ash like the rest about me.
Submitting to a devastatingly slow drag, I felt my eyes begin to close once more out of pure exasperation, every limb still on fire within me, every muscle burning with unimaginable pain.
As I finally ended my struggle, and fell limp on the baking ground, I realised all hope was lost. The pitiful struggle I was determined to continue for whatever reason had been for nothing, the world would erupt in fiery demonic flames, and the pain I suffered now would be witnessed tenfold by every living creature on Earth.
Closing my eyes for what seemed would be the final time, I welcomed death with sweet, open arms, begging to be taken from the pain, giving in to despair.
John
I stopped, holding onto the slip of life still burning within me.
John!
“Maria?” I gasped, searching the recesses of my mind for the source of the beautiful voice I had heard within me.
“John!” The voice came again, and I struggled to continue breathing. If I could only hang on for one more minute, perhaps I could find my dear Maria.
“John!” I blinked. The world exploded back into life, pain, taste, smell, light, sound. All these simplicities felt like eternal bliss, and joy flooded through me for the first time in months.
“Maria!” I croaked, gripping the arms shaking my body. Tears would have been at my eyes, however my baked skin refused even the slightest drop of liquid to replenish my dry face.
“John?” The voice was suddenly deeper, more powerful than that of Maria’s.
“Haruk?” I winced, the blurred images in my eyes becoming clear. The vague outlines of Lord James and Makar came into sight, and hope of seeing Maria once more subsided.
Warm liquid seeped into my mouth, and instantly I recognised the life force of our race. Gulping down the cherished liquid, I immediately began to feel gradually revitalised, the blood saving me from losing my life to hells grasp then and there.
After a little while the flask I had been drinking from was taken from my lips, and I rolled over, spluttering specks of red onto the ground, dotting one of the few areas not already bathed in it already.
“Easy now,” Lord James’ gruff but gentle voice floated into hearing to my left. “Come, we need to get you away from this retched sun,”
The two vampires hauled me to my feet, and after attempting a few supported steps, I gave up, and simply allowed them to drag my weary body into the church a few dozen yards away.
I collapsed onto a pew, and almost instantly I was surrounded by members of the northern tribe, all still smothered in blood, sweat and dirt. A couple of females and a male came around from behind me, ushering away the onlookers, who moved grudgingly to one side.
Slipping in and out of consciousness, I watched idly as they saw to my wounds, rubbing salves into my burns and causing searing pain.
After a while I could hold onto the real world no longer, and slipped into a long, heavy sleep, my body shutting down as I recuperated and healed.

♦♦♦

“No!” roared Francis, his inhuman voice reverberating through each and every vampire in the hall, shaking them through to the core and inspiring fear throughout. The vampire grasped a female vampire, bound in mere rags and holding a tray filled with flasks of blood, a slave still loyal to the clan.
“Do you see what your, your insufferable, bastard old leader has cost me!” Eyes boiling with pure fury, Francis lashed out, hurling a torrent of fists until she fell limp in his hands. Francis then launched her into his followers, screaming a torrent of curses and beating aside everything about him.
“You!” he cried, jabbing a finger down at a burly vampire in front of him, “Come here, now!”
With reluctance, the vampire leapt up onto the platform Francis stood upon. Francis immediately took his hand and cut down sharply with his nails, dripping blood onto the floor before him. The vampire winced, but held his hand aloft as Francis scooped a flask off of the floor, emptied it and dripped the vampire’s blood into it.
When finished, he kicked the vampire back to the ground, who collapsed into two others and sent them sprawling.
“Disturb me and witness the wrath of hell and I combined!” He hissed, and then stalked off the stage, loosely holding the flask.

The ritual complete, Francis looked down into the demonic eyes resting in the flask before him, and began speaking in varied hushed tones, trying to conceal his anger and stay as respectable as possible to his ‘master’, within the lurching pool of blood.
“Yes,” he murmured, “Soon,”

♦

I leant heavily on the makeshift staff, head held high as I limped slowly through the street. To my left, Makar paced obediently, cautious of my every move, arm tentative at his side, ready to catch me should I fall.
The expanse of land smothered by a thick layering of deathly black cloud stretched to the horizon before, and I turned back to the array of loyal vampires behind me.
The battle had seen us heavy losses, our force split in two by the bloodbath still fresh in our memories. Grimacing, I looked then to my right, Lord James standing proud beside me, staring hard back to me, waiting.
Waiting.
It was at that moment that I realised the power I now held, my master awaiting my command, a band of warriors loyal to me standing to behind my lead. It appeared the role I had been flung into simply by fate was beginning to take hold. We had beaten a unstoppable force, under my own command, I had survived that which would have killed any other and was still standing ready for whatever fate held but a mere week later.
“The chosen one eh?” I murmured, turning back to face the land outstretched before us.
“Aye,” growled Lord James, clapping me on the shoulder. Wincing slightly, I took a careful step forwards, and then another, walking proudly out of the village, a sudden calm settling over my mind.
I knew not what lay in store for me, however I embraced the role I had been thrust upon with open arms. There was one thing I knew however. I would not let Maria die in vain. Francis would fall. I would see his end. And we would re-take the realm.
“There’ll be a bright future from here lad!” said Lord James, a twinkle in his eye as he carried on, carrying himself awkwardly from the numerous injuries he had succumbed.
How little we knew.

I rolled over, unable to sleep. Thoughts clouded my mind the second I lay down to rest, and eventually I did as I had ever since parting the Northerners, clambered to my feet and relieved someone on duty. The weary eyed vampire nodded gratefully, and immediately made for his bedding. Allowing the cool night air to fill my lungs, I breathed slowly, clearing my mind and focusing on the dark expanse before me.
The turgid hills about seemed unimpressive, and I sincerely doubted an attack in such an open space, however I still kept a tentative eye on the blind spots enemies could use to sneak through that I had discovered.
Following a slim hare bounding through the stray shrubbery amidst the hills, I began to wonder where fate was taking me. For the past few months I had had no real purpose, simply allowing life to go on and see where I ended up at the end of each passing day.
A twig snapped to my left, and I drew a knife sharply, pressing it quick to the beings throat. Lord James tentatively pushed the blade away, and then slumped down next to me, sighing heavily and looking out to the countryside as I did.
For a good half hour no words escaped our thoughtful minds, however in the midst of the silence Lord James suddenly queried me.
“You’ve got some heavy burden on yer’ lad, I don’t envy you,” he began, still staring out at the land about us. “I have only known a few to carry such a weight, and each of them allowed their hold to slip. You die from such a fault lad, believe you me, I’m not saying this out spite, but you need to keep a strong head.” Silence again ensued, as I awaited him to continue. As it became apparent he would not, I turned to him, looking at his face steadily.
“What are you saying?”
He turned to me, breathing deep and calm, “I’ve known you since you were but a youngling, centuries back, when you begged like you’d never begged before for the smallest drop of blood. I understand you better than you understand yourself, and that gives a being some authority over a life,” I frowned, unsure of what he was attempting to get across.
The old vampire stood up, wincing slightly form his wound, and slowly turned around before me, blocking my view and forcing me to look at him.
“You’ve got a burden lad, and an important one at that. But there’s something else blocking your head, something weighing you down more than it should,”
Again I frowned, but then I suddenly caught onto what he was saying, and I looked down to my feet, eyes hard a nd cold as I scrutinized by beaten shoes.
“You’ve got to let her go lad,” Lord James, my master, said gently, placing a hand on my shoulder.
A single tear formulated in my eye, and I screwed my eye shut angrily, forcing it away. Shoving the hand from my shoulder and standing up tall I was but metres from Lord James face.
“No,” I whispered, and carried past, my mind a swamp of distraught despair.

The breeze lashed my face in ferocious gusts, drying my lips and cracking my skin. I stared out from atop the hillside, perched atop a stout tree, ignoring the weather and all else other than the mountain of thick slated stone before me.
The hasty gasps of breath from the battle hardened warriors about me sounded distant to my ears, however I felt reassured by their presence.
Today would be the final push, the last hurdle to regain control and put an end to Francis once and for all. The hardened warriors were weary, but each of them still clung onto the fiery determination that had fuelled them through the recent battle. I fingered the hilt of my blade and thought once of Maria.
Without warning I flitted forwards, leaping down the hill in easy strides, the ground whirring beneath me as I stealthily made my way towards the mountainside, my warriors in close pursuit. There was no time for inspiring speech’s, for us to have a chance we had to act fast.
The plan formulated admirably, every being positioning themselves accordingly to my order. Before long we had surrounded the entrance to the realm, the boulder set dormant in place, as though having never been moved. I signalled two thick set vampires to get into position, and they quickly did so, grasping the boulder on each end and bending their knees.
“Now,” I hissed, wasting not a moment and drawing my blade, stepping to the fore. The vampires flung the boulder threw the air a considerable distance with their combined superhuman strength, and I immediately charged forth, ready to cut down anything awaiting me on the other side.
Lord James was immediately behind me, ignoring his wound for the final fight to rid the realm of the poison that had brought it to its knees.
Our warriors swept in from atop the hole, landing beside me so as to create a strong formation before Francis’s warriors knew what had hit them.
I stopped.
Lord James struggled to follow my lead, and grasped my shoulder for support. “What is it lad?” he growled, holding his blade out beside him.
I silently stepped forth, lowering my blade, adorning a grim frown.
“It’s empty,” I murmured, bending down and putting my head to the dusty ground. The steps loomed out before me, carrying not even the slightest sound.
“Well go on lad,” said Lord James, making to push past me and head down the stairs. I held him back, unsure why but feeling extremely uneasy.
Whispers of confusion and murmurs of annoyance sounded behind me, but I silenced them with a wave of my hand. After a moment I took another careful step forth, and the others followed suite.
“Wait a moment,” I commanded, and gently felt the ground. A good minute later, having confirmed my thoughts, I turned to explain to the old vampire.
“I’m sure you remember, James, the amount of times you forced me to walk these steps as punishment when I was but a new blood” he nodded stiffly, unsure where I was going with it. I tapped the ground, and continued “I noticed something then, given the amount of time I had and my newly heightened senses. You see, even at the top of these steps, you could feel and even hear, the slightest sounds and vibrations giving away signs of life below. Come,” I gestured him over to feel the ground also.
He closed his eyes briefly and held his breath, straining his senses to detect any sign of life. After a moment, he looked to me, and then checked again.
“Francis is a fool to leave the realm unguarded,” Lord James speculated, “why would he do such a thing?”
I shook my head, and looked down the shadow streaked steps veering down. Unable to shake the sense of unease, I turned full round and stared hard at my old mentor.
“A trap,” I said, “why else would he although us in so readily?”
Lord James though for a moment, and then gestured for a vampire Callum, from our own clan, to come forth. He put a heavy hand on his shoulder and spoke quickly into his ear.
Callum nodded stiffly, and immediately set off down the steps.
A good hour passed, and through the thick tension I began to fear the worse, however I soon heard the faint thud of feet from below.
Two northerners drew there blades and stood to, however I put them at ease when Callums face appeared, flustered from exertion.
“Catch yer breath lad,” James said, folding his arms and watching him carefully. After a few heavy breaths, the vampire wiped his brow and looked from me to Lord James.
“It’s empty, you were right. I even checked the holdouts. There didn’t seem to be any sign of danger however it wouldn’t hurt to be on your guard. There’s something you’ll want to see,”

I stared solemnly at the wall. Flames from numerous torches licked at the walls, casting a dim glow about the great hall. Distant sounds of life emanated from behind the bulking doors to my left, but I shut them out.
All my concentration was focused on the wall, and had been long since all the others had left to rest in whatever place they could find that had not been ransacked by Francis and his vampires. James had attempted to get me to do the same, but I had blanked him, immersed in the wall and what it beheld.
The entire chamber had been desecrated with numerous crude drawings, hateful imagery and disrespectful words, all drawn up in what was undoubtedly the blood of the realms former inhabitants. None of that mattered, though.
A lone image filled the better half of one wall, placed specifically to be the first thing to be seen upon entering the hall. It was no great work of art, however its message was painfully clear. The moment I saw it I was thrown into despair, the fact I could have forgotten something so important was beyond belief, however I had, and not only the realm, but perhaps the entire world, would pay for it.
I placed my hand against the dried blood and bowed my head. The devils face stared back.